As soon as Jiho got home by taxi and set his luggage down in the living room, he turned around and went back outside.
He headed to a real estate office in the apartment complex’s shopping area.
“Welcome.”
“Hi. I’m here to put my place up for sale.”
“Sure, please come sit here. Oh! Would you like a cup of coffee?”
“No coffee, thank you. Just a glass of water, please.”
At that, the realtor poured water into a paper cup and placed it in front of Jiho.
“You said you’d like to list your place—what’s the address?”
“Building 109, Unit 1203. I’d like to sell it as soon as possible. Is that doable?”
“With the economy being so bad these days, we barely get any visitors. I’m not sure how fast it’ll go.”
“It’s fine if it’s a bit under market price. Just please sell it as soon as you can. I’m in a bit of a hurry.”
“Well, alright. Leave me your contact info. I’ll call as soon as someone wants to see it.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
After listing the apartment with several nearby real estate offices, Jiho headed to a place he’d never dared enter before because it was too expensive—an upscale Korean beef restaurant.
The meal rush had passed, so the restaurant was quiet as he stepped in.
After ordering meat, he pulled out his phone.
Since he’d never taken a trip before, he planned to spend the time he had left visiting good places around the country.
While browsing domestic travel destinations, a server brought the side dishes and the meat.
He picked up the tongs and set the meat on the grill. The mouthwatering aroma teased his nose.
With everything happening, he hadn’t even realized he was hungry—but the smell of grilled beef snapped him to attention.
He picked up a cooked piece with his chopsticks. The tender, savory flavor of high-quality Korean beef filled his mouth.
“Delicious…”
He murmured the single word, then ate in silence.
He wanted cold noodles too, but with his digestive ability having deteriorated, he felt certain it would wreck him. So once he was somewhat full, he put down his chopsticks.
After paying and leaving the restaurant, his phone rang.
Checking the caller ID, he saw it was the CEO of the company he had just quit.
“Yes, sir.”
“Assistant Manager Seo. Is now a good time to talk?”
“Yes, it’s fine.”
“I just heard from Manager Kim—you handed in your resignation.”
“Yes.”
“Hoo…”
The CEO sighed and fell silent for a long moment, unable to speak.
Jiho waited quietly until he began again.
“Manager Kim came to me saying you suddenly up and quit. That didn’t sound like you at all, so I asked around. And the staff told me… you’re sick. Is that true?”
“Yes. I went to the hospital this morning. It’s terminal liver cancer.”
“Treatments? They said treatment can save you, right?”
“It’s already metastasized. The doctor can’t guarantee anything. They said I have about six months to a year. But I don’t want to spend what little time I have left locked up in a hospital, betting on a tiny chance.”
“But medicine is so advanced now. You should at least do something. Are you really just going to give up?”
“Like I said, I don’t want to rely on slim odds. I’ve spent my whole life working. There’s so much I never did. I want to spend my remaining time traveling, eating good food, and finding happiness. It’s the last gift I can give myself.”
“…I understand. I’ll settle your final salary and severance and deposit it by the end of this week.”
“Thank you.”
“I still remember the day you joined us right after high school… And now, look how much time has passed. Thank you for all your hard work. Take care.”
“You too, sir. Please take care of your health.”
“Don’t worry about me. You look after yourself. And go to the hospital if anything feels wrong.”
“I will.”
After the call ended, Jiho finally felt the reality sink in. He had really quit his job.
His immediate supervisor had been awful, but the CEO had always been a good man.
That was why he had stayed at the company all those years.
When he realized he no longer had to go back to the office after tomorrow, it felt like shackles weighing him down had finally cracked open. His heart felt lighter.
Back home, Jiho went into the small room, pulled out the moving boxes he’d thrown in there when he first moved in, and began organizing.
Since he planned to throw away anything old or bulky, he packed only clothes and absolute necessities.
After organizing late into the night, Jiho woke up early the next morning.
A sudden wave of stomach pain had hit him at dawn, leaving him writhing until the medicine finally kicked in.
He couldn’t fall back asleep, so he decided to get up early instead.
After washing his face, he looked in the mirror. Even after eating premium beef the day before, he looked paler and more hollow.
“…I need to eat well. Or I won’t last.”
Muttering to himself, he opened the fridge.
Since he always ate out or grabbed convenience store meals, all he found was bottled water and beer cans.
So he grabbed his packed bag and car keys and stepped outside.
After a quick breakfast at a soup restaurant, he climbed into his car and took his medicine.
Then he entered a destination into the GPS and began driving.
After more than four hours, he arrived at the foot of Mount Jiri.
He’d stumbled on it while searching travel spots the previous day. He’d realized he’d lived his whole life without ever visiting Jirisan, so he just drove there on impulse.
He had no intention of climbing the mountain—he never knew when pain might hit again.
His plan was simply to wander around, eat good food, and stay a night somewhere that caught his eye.
As he was driving along a quiet country road, something suddenly darted out from the grass.
Startled, Jiho jerked the wheel. The car veered and collided with something before coming to a stop.
“Whoa… What was that? A wild animal?”
Looking up, he saw a small creature staring back at him.
“…A fox?”
He’d never seen one in real life, but the animal matched exactly what he’d seen on TV.
After a long moment of eye contact, the fox vanished into the brush.
Only then did Jiho calm down and step out to inspect the damage.
Fortunately, the collision hadn’t been strong—just a small scratch on the car. Nothing worth repairing.
‘It’s an old car anyway. I’ll only need it another year. No point spending money on it.’
Walking forward, he checked what the car had hit.
It was a small pavilion, the kind you see everywhere in rural villages.
It wasn’t heavily damaged, but the railing had cracked.
“…I can’t just drive off.”
Since it was his fault, he felt responsible.
Only after stepping out of the car did he notice a narrow road beside the pavilion, barely wide enough for a single vehicle.
A stone marker stood by the entrance. The letters read: “Yoiri Village”.
“Yoiri? Is that the village name?”
After a brief hesitation, he got back into the car and turned onto the narrow road.
***
Meanwhile, deep inside the secluded rural village a man lifted his head and looked toward the entrance.
“A human? The barrier should block them. How did one get in?”
A muscular man in his 40s frowned, stood up, and vanished out the door.
He moved too fast for the eye to track, reaching the entrance in an instant.
There, he waited.
A moment later, Jiho’s car approached.
Surprised to immediately see a local resident, Jiho got out of the car and bowed politely.
“Hello. I have something to ask—do you know where the village chief lives?”
“……”
The man didn’t answer, only stared sharply.
Jiho assumed the man was wary of outsiders and softened his tone.
“I think I damaged the pavilion back there. I wanted to speak to whoever manages repairs—so if you could point me to the chief…”
“…How did you get in here?”
“Uh… I drove in?”
The man looked at him like he was hopeless, then spoke.
“I am the village chief. You can speak to me.”
“Oh! Really? That’s a relief. Like I said, I hit the pavilion railing trying to avoid a fox. It doesn’t look too bad, but I’d like to compensate you for repairs. If you could come check, I’ll transfer the cost right away. I should’ve driven more carefully. I’m very sorry.”
He bowed deeply.
The chief watched him quietly.
“…Let it go. That pavilion was falling apart already. Just be on your way.”
“Well… could you at least check? It might be worse than it looks.”
“I said it’s fine. Now go.”
The chief turned and started walking away.
Startled, Jiho reached out to stop him—
But his hand never made contact.
A wave of brutal pain hit his stomach, dropping him to his knees.
“Hghk…”
His face drained of color as he clutched his abdomen.
‘I need to compensate him… Why now…’
Trembling, Jiho forced himself up to get to the medication still in his car.
But a few staggered steps later—
He collapsed.
Unconscious.
The village chief clicked his tongue and walked over.
“Tch.”
With a look of irritation, he hoisted Jiho over his shoulder with one hand.
Then he spoke into the empty air beside him.
“I’ll handle this human. Don’t worry. You—come along.”
In an instant, he was gone, reappearing at his house.
He kicked off his shoes, walked inside, and opened a room opposite his own.
He threw a blanket onto the floor and laid Jiho down.
After covering him, he paused, watching the younger man’s pain-stricken face twist with cold sweat.
With a long sigh, he placed a hand over Jiho’s abdomen.
A faint glow spread from his palm and slipped into Jiho’s body.
Only after the suffering eased did the chief step outside.
Standing in the yard, he snarled.
“Yah, you brat fox! How long are you planning to hide? Come out!”
A voice loud enough to echo across the entire village.
A moment later, something hopped over the wall and landed in the yard.
It was the same young fox Jiho had almost hit.
“You little—didn’t I tell you not to show yourself to humans? Especially ones passing through? And now you go and cause another accident?!”
“Kyng! Kyang!”
The fox barked back indignantly, clearly protesting.