Chapter: 02
Once I confirmed only the lower body, all inspections were complete.
That was when it happened. Something fell to the floor between my flat stomach.
A single notebook lay there on top of the mirror shards.
“…What is this?”
I picked it up for now.
It looked familiar. I definitely remembered it.
‘Isn’t this that damn notebook Jjong-i brought?’
I opened it again. Just like before, the writing—still hard to get used to—was blatantly visible.
<This body is a damn point.>
Yeah… that’s definitely a curse, right?
As I wondered again what exactly Jjong-i had brought, the text in the notebook suddenly changed.
<Correction. This body is the starting point.>
<Congratulations on returning to the past. I am the Fairy of Starting Points. Be grateful for your luck. I do not come to just anyone.>
<The language patch is vulgar. Adjusting temporarily.>
“…A fairy? And what do you mean language patch?”
I blinked, wondering if I’d misread it.
<You are quite an interesting being. Among countless humans, you are the first perfect gray matter I’ve seen. You’ve done good and evil in exactly equal measure. The number of people who see you as an enemy and those who see you as a lifelong benefactor are the same.>
Hmm. Sounds like I lived a pretty decent life.
“Thanks for the compliment.”
<That is NOT a compliment! Why would you build schools in barren lands and dig wells for the thirsty, yet make someone crap themselves in front of five hundred people?!>
Ah.
Well, they deserved it.
“That person threatened me to do business with a Hong Kong tycoon. They even cut off my work for six months.”
Even now, just thinking about it made my teeth grind.
“I suffered a lot back then after losing my role. Look, sir. See how kind I am? That bastard deserved it, and there were only five hundred people present.”
<It was an award ceremony. It was broadcast live nationwide, wasn’t it?>
…Well, yeah.
It was probably preserved forever, floating around the internet.
<Aaaagh! See?! That’s what I mean! You’ve done too many unnecessary bad things. That’s why you ended up dead! Oh, you foolish worm-like human!>
Hey now, that’s a bit harsh.
“Calm down first, and…”
I tapped the notebook and smiled.
“…thanks for the compliment.”
<IT’S NOT A COMPLIMENT!>
“You called me a worm.”
Worms are cute. Good for the soil too.
The notebook scribbled angrily before erasing itself.
I shrugged. This was kind of fun.
<Anyway, you have many regrets precisely because you have none. That’s why I came to you. Of course, I was guided by the one who had been waiting for you.>
The one waiting… Jjong-i?
<Chanran. I, the Fairy of Starting Points, shall guide you to the land of true success flowing with milk and honey. Accept me. Be grateful for this honor and write your name in this notebook.>
The notebook flipped shut dramatically and showed me a blank space for my name.
Hmm… I’ve seen something like this before.
But still—
“No thanks.”
You always test even a stone bridge before crossing it.
The notebook trembled, then quickly opened again. The text enlarged as if shouting.
<W-what did you say?>
I smiled brightly.
“You don’t just write your name anywhere. Especially not on contracts.”
People say life is all the same, and everything comes down to a single sheet of paper.
I always thought—
That paper is a contract, a deed, or a check.
That one sheet makes all the difference.
Write your name carelessly on that important paper, and the only place you’ll end up is the Han River, Mr. Fairy.
The notebook stayed silent for a moment before finally replying:
<I cannot understand. I personally came to guide you, and you refuse?>
I shrugged.
“Don’t really need it. I do just fine on my own. Kim Chanran is a superstar, and a superstar is Kim Chanran.”
<You say that boldly, considering how you died. Looks like you’ve already forgotten. You’re truly something else.>
“Thanks for the compliment?”
<NOT a compliment!>
I let out a long breath and smiled.
‘Just as planned.’
I waited calmly. In any contract, the desperate side is always the one in a hurry.
Having negotiated payments across countless projects, I knew this very well.
After a long silence filled with “……”, the notebook finally wrote something new.
<What do you want?>
Finally, the answer I wanted.
‘Hmm… what do I want?’
Honestly, nothing special.
‘Maybe paralyze the guy who smashed my head?’
But that felt too small. Like winning fifth place in the lottery.
I smiled.
What should I ask from this damn notebook?
“I’m not actually that greedy.”
<You expect me to believe that?>
“Seriously. There’s just one thing I want from you.”
The fairy responded immediately.
<One is easy. Fine. But causality will be adjusted. Say it. What do you want?>
The fairy was more naive than I expected.
I whispered, smiling:
“My wish is for the great Fairy of Starting Points to grant this humble man’s wishes in the trillions.”
<!!!!!!!!!!!!!!>
The page filled entirely with exclamation marks.
I crossed my arms and watched.
After a long time, they finally stopped. But then—
The text froze.
‘Did it break?’
Just as I tilted my head, it started again.
<Y-you lunatic. No wonder you’re gray matter.>
“You okay? You look like you’re struggling.”
<Don’t act concerned after causing this, you worm!>
I smiled.
Compared to the countless hateful comments I’d received in life, “worm” was so mild it almost brought tears.
The notebook continued writing.
<Because you’ve done large-scale good despite being gray, you passed. However, causality has been greatly adjusted.>
Oh?
“So you’ll really grant trillion-level wishes?”
<You asked for it!>
“Then do it. Just casually put 2 billion won in my bank account.”
<Is that truly what you want? I can grant it—but you will die young.>
“…Huh?”
<If I put 2 billion in your account, you will die in 2 minutes.>
Wow.
So it’s not that easy.
I thought for a moment, then shrugged.
“There are fastballs and curveballs in life.”
I flicked the dried blood off my fingers.
“Can I wish for all wishes to have no cost?”
<Is that truly your wish? If so, you will receive no salvation.>
Salvation? Didn’t matter.
But the next part did.
<In addition, you will start going bald in 5 minutes, develop kidney stones in 15, urinary stones in 20, and gout in 30. The pain will last until your death.>
‘Yeah… definitely no salvation.’
“…That’s intense.”
<Causality is tighter than a spiderweb, yet looser than Korean citizens’ personal data.>
…So is it strict or not?
This was getting more interesting.
“Alright, I get it.”
<What do you mean?>
“That I’ve gone back to the past… and have to live in this body.”
I accepted it quickly.
“Then I’ll just follow the same path I did before with this face.”
The boy in the broken mirror forced a smile.
“Next life, I won’t wander. I’ll return to where I belong—efficiently.”
World-wide superstar, Kim Chanran.
No—now, Oh Chanran.
‘That award was mine.’
I would reach that dazzling peak again.
‘And before that… I’ll find the one who smashed my head.’
When I do—
I’ll tear him apart.
The reflection of a messy-haired, bloodied boy remained in the broken mirror.
<You are quite greedy.>
“If you’re born human, you should dream big. Though for me, that dream was reality.”
I touched the back of my head.
“My first wish—fix my head. Perfectly. No scars.”
Gotta take care of this new body.
<Of course. The cost is a small mark near your eye for 20 years.>
“…A mark?”
<Just a dot. Everything follows causality. What it becomes depends on you.>
Weird nonsense.
But—
<Visually, it’s just a beauty mark.>
I examined the face carefully.
‘A mole near the eye…’
…Not bad.
“Grant it.”
<Done.>
The wound vanished.
“…Impressive.”
<Praise my power.>
“Maybe fix a heart attack later too.”
<That would only cost three strands of hair.>
“…Your pricing is weird.”
<It depends on balance.>
Ah.
“I get it now.”
<Good. But be warned—be careful what you wish for.>
“…Meaning?”
<You influence others greatly. Your actions can change lives unpredictably.>
I didn’t care.
I stood up.
“Anyway, I’m leaving.”
After checking my body—
Conclusion:
Handsome. Good condition.
Plus a wish-granting fairy.
Time to get out of this dump.
<What will you do?>
“A lot. But hey—are you staying as a notebook?”
<I can transform.>
It turned into a small sparkling pink heart sticker on my arm.
<How is it? Praise me.>
I laughed.
‘So it’s wired connection… would’ve preferred Bluetooth.’
<Don’t compare me to devices!>
Still—
This worked.
I walked forward.
Light seeped in as I moved.
Mirror shards sparkled.
“…Heh.”
<Why are you laughing?>
“You know stars are born from dust?”
Light filled the dusty hallway.
“I feel like I’ve been reborn as a star.”
<That’s not entirely wrong. You’re no longer Kim Chanran, but Oh Chanran.>
I tapped the sticker.
Stepping outside—
A maze-like alley stretched ahead.
I walked forward.
Maybe because I was reborn like a star—
I had a lot to do.
