The Second Coming of Gluttony - Chapter 42

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 42. Spilled Water

“I’ve deposited some money in your account.”
Kim Hannah spoke as they reached the Gate.
Seol Jihoo, who had been staring absently at the massive elliptical portal, opened his eyes wide.
“Money? But I haven’t—”
“It’s not the contract fee. That’ll be paid after you sign the contract.”
Kim Hannah cut him off.
“Think of it as a token of my gratitude. It’s made things considerably easier for me.”
“Um… Is it okay for me to take it?”
“Of course. It’s money you should absolutely accept, so use it freely.”
“Th-thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. Actually, I should be thanking you. Go check it and don’t get your hopes too high—it’s coming out of my own pocket. Anyway, you must have things you need to handle, right?”
That was true. He had debts to financial institutions, and a mountain of other obligations besides.
“I’ll use it well.”
“Good. Spend it without worry, but not on nonsense—put out the urgent fires first. Managing things so problems don’t arise on Earth is one of an Earthian’s basic responsibilities.”
Seol Jihoo stood before the Gate. The soft, rippling blue luminescence was dazzlingly beautiful.
“When you get back, it should be mid-April. I’m staying here another day, so I’ll call you after about eight hours of Earth time have passed.”
With his entire mind already focused on the Gate, Seol Jihoo merely nodded and carefully stepped through. At once, light radiated from his left hand, and a blinding radiance flooded his face.
Watching the young man’s retreating figure gradually swallowed by luminescence, Kim Hannah waved her hand.
“Answer the phone! If you don’t, I’m coming to your house! Seol Jihoo!”
As a sudden sensation of being pulled swept over him, Seol Jihoo shut his eyes.

When he opened them, he saw the familiar sight of his room.
He’d worried whether he could really make it home, whether some misfortune might send him to a strange place instead—but it turned out perfectly. Whoever that man was, he’d calculated the coordinates precisely.
Relief lasted only a moment. Seol Jihoo suddenly frowned and covered his nose. An unbearable stench assaulted his nostrils. Looking around the room, he groaned. He’d never seen such a pigsty.
He threw open the window, and fresh air rushed in. After taking a deep breath, he calmly observed the street below. College students laughing their way through the alley, a taxi heading down the hill….
‘I’m back.’
The reality of being back on Earth was gradually sinking in.
‘What time is it?’
Patting his pockets, Seol Jihoo realized his mobile phone was nowhere to be found.
“Ah.”
Right—mobile phones were banned from Paradise. That meant he’d dropped it a month ago outside Yu Seonhwa’s house. He’d probably lost the card he used frequently too.
Thinking he should at least check the time, Seol Jihoo hurriedly switched on his laptop. Dust lay thick on the keyboard, but it powered on without trouble.

Monday, April 17th
AM 09 : 14 : 07

‘I was summoned on March 16th….’
The time ratio between Earth and Paradise was 1:3, and the math checked out roughly.
Now that he’d seen the time, Seol Jihoo fell into thought.
‘What should I do?’
It wasn’t that he had nothing to do—he had far too much.
Kim Hannah had mentioned it was time to go home for a reason. She’d demanded that he create a stable environment to access Paradise from Earth, saying it would be tedious if a missing-person case erupted. But Seol Jihoo had flexibility on that front. He just needed to reach out first. For years now—whether family or Yu Seonhwa—nobody ever initiated contact with him. Even friends he’d been close to had long since stopped calling.
‘…There’s nothing happy about that.’
He needed to set things right, one by one. And for that, he needed money. Now he understood why Kim Hannah had deposited funds.
‘First.’
Seol Jihoo opened the internet. The moment he logged into internet banking and checked his account, he let out a gasp.
“1, 150 million won?”
Seven zeros. For someone expecting at most a few million, it was a staggering sum.
“She said it was from her own pocket….”
Since he had no idea what Kim Hannah earned in a month or what assets she’d accumulated over the years, his assumption wasn’t entirely unreasonable.
Continuing to stare at the screen, Seol Jihoo caught sight of 2 million won deposited under Yu Seonhwa’s name and barely regained his wits.
He’d withdrawn and returned that amount in cash back then, but that was far from all he’d borrowed. Looking through three or four years of transaction history, he could only laugh hollowly.
‘Pay back the debts first.’
The period was so long that calculating alone took considerable time, but he maintained patient determination.
‘What Father repaid was about 28 million won… Mother paid around 16 million… My brother loaned 2.2 million… Jinhee was 600,000 plus… right, I also stole her laptop and car back then.’

He sold the laptop at a secondhand marketplace and pawned the car. Each time he thought of what he’d given up, shame crept over him like a chill. He would repay it all—every last won. There was no question of cutting corners.
After settling accounts with Yu Seonhwa, Seol Jihoo was startled by the total.
‘Did I really borrow this much?’
Even a rough calculation came to forty-six million won. He hadn’t noticed while nibbling away at it piece by piece, but seeing the full sum shocked him.
‘Where did she even get all this money…’
Seol Jihoo exhaled slowly. Suddenly the 120 million won felt insufficient. Yet he had no intention of holding back. Only by clearing his debts first could he take that first step toward starting over.
‘And I don’t even have a mobile phone or a card…’
One small mercy: that day he’d grabbed only cash and one card he used regularly. He found his wallet tucked away in a corner, slipped on his shoes, and opened the front door.
His first stop was the bank. He reissued his lost card immediately and paid back the thirty million won he’d borrowed from financial institutions. Then he withdrew the remaining 120 million in cash—twenty-four thick bundles of fifty-thousand-won notes, a hundred notes per bundle.
The young man hailed a taxi as he left the bank.
The urgent fires were out.
The funds were solid.
Next destination?
Naturally, the casino.

The moment Seol Jihoo arrived at Seorak Land, he applied for a Permanent Entry Ban.
Wary of running into anyone he knew, he stopped by the pawnshop to reclaim the car he’d left there. The interest had accrued considerably, but he didn’t mind—the car could be his again. It was the one his father had given his younger sister as a gift when she’d gotten into a prestigious university, back when she used to sing endlessly about wanting a car. It wasn’t expensive, but it held irreplaceable meaning.
With the car back, he had no need for a taxi. On the drive to the Family Home, he stopped to buy a new high-end laptop as well.
After parking the car in a suitable spot, Seol Jihoo stood before the front door, his heart pounding.
He saw the doorbell, but his hand wouldn’t move.
He thought about just turning around and leaving. He hadn’t felt this way before, but suddenly he couldn’t face seeing them.
He stood at the door for over ten minutes, raising and lowering his hand again and again, before finally drawing a long breath and knocking softly.
The knock was too quiet—no one answered.
‘Is anyone home?’
He swallowed and slowly punched in the security code. The lock clicked open.
He stepped inside carefully, then froze entirely. A bespectacled man with a stern expression stood on this floor, regarding him with cold eyes.
“H-hyung.”
It was Seol Wooseok.
“No work today…?”
……
Seol Wooseok stared at him in silence, then turned and walked away.
Bang!
The sound of the door slamming hard enough to make his shoulders flinch echoed behind him.
‘…Right.’
His hope deflated, though he’d had little to begin with. He’d wanted to apologize if he could, but the atmosphere made it clear he should leave as quickly as possible.
He left an envelope outside Seol Wooseok’s door and headed to his younger sister’s room next door.
Seol Jinhee was sleeping soundly in a sleeveless shirt and underwear, so deeply asleep that she was even drooling.
‘Right—she’s religious about her Monday free periods.’
Given how sensitive she already was, he carefully pulled the blanket over her without waking her, then set the laptop on her desk. In her handbag, he quietly slipped the car keys and a bundle of five million won. He was slipping quietly out of the room when—
“Hey.”
A voice reached him, still heavy with sleep but sharp with displeasure.
“What are you doing?”
The sound of rustling blankets came as Seol Jinhee threw off her bedding. Seol Jihoo flinched.
“W-were you awake?”
“I said, what are you doing? How dare you just walk into someone’s room uninvited.”
Seol Jinhee got out of bed and stared at the desk.
“A laptop? Is that what you came to give me?”
“Y-yes, I…”
Seol Jinhee’s face twisted with disgust just looking at it.
“Playing charity, are you.”
In one motion, she grabbed the laptop and hurled it hard. It hit the floor with a crack and bounced.
“Take it and get out.”
“J-Jinhee—”
“That’s enough. And don’t call me that. Get out with it now, fast!”
She strode toward him and shoved him hard. Seol Jihoo, offering no resistance, stumbled back a few steps and crashed to the floor.
Seol Jinhee snorted and picked up her handbag.
“You’re really something, aren’t you. What, did you win some money? Now the thief’s son thinks he can look after his little sister.”
She peered at the bag with contempt, then—
?
She caught sight of the five million won and the car key, her eyebrow arching. Her eyes blinked as she turned her head away.
“Older brother?”
The words weren’t directed at Seol Jihoo.
The eldest had slipped through the door unnoticed, an envelope clutched in one hand.
Seol Wooseok rushed out, half-expecting to find his younger sister under assault—but the scene before him was the opposite entirely. He looked between them, bewildered.
“…What is this?”
His voice was low. When he tossed the envelope, a stack of cash tumbled across the floor. Seol Jinhee’s eyes widened like saucers.
“What, what the—? How much is all this?”
She counted through bundle after bundle, her jaw dropping open.
“Fifty thousand—”
Then she looked at what she was holding.
“55 million won?”
He’d even brought car keys. A laptop as a bonus.
“Wow… you really did rake it in, didn’t you?”
“Jinhee. Give it back to him.”
Seol Wooseok’s voice was ice. Seol Jinhee’s eyes flashed.
“What? Are you out of your mind, older brother?”
“It’s obvious. Gambling money.”
“Money is money, isn’t it? No way! I’m not giving it back!”
When Seol Wooseok tried to wrench it from her by force, Seol Jinhee stuffed the entire envelope down her shirt and hugged herself tight.
“Seol Jinhee!”
“What!”
“You want to take dirty money like that?”
“Dirty or clean, this is family money. Money we deserve to have! Do you know how hard Mom and Dad are struggling right now?”
As the siblings’ voices rose, Seol Jihoo stepped between them quickly. He hadn’t come here to start a fight. Above all, he needed to clear up the misunderstanding.
“Older brother, Jinhee. No. It’s not gambling money.”
Seol Jinhee, mid-argument, spun to face him.
“Bullshit.”
She laughed—a genuine, mocking snort.
“If you’re going to lie, at least make it sound plausible. Did you steal it? Rob a bank?”
“I’m telling you, no.”
Seol Jihoo’s face tightened with frustration.
“I quit gambling. I applied for a Permanent Entry Ban at the casino today. The money came from work—from taking on jobs.”
“You quit gambling?”
“A Permanent Entry Ban?”
Seol Wooseok and Seol Jinhee spoke at the same moment.
“I stopped a month ago. And today, I came straight from applying for a Permanent Entry Ban at Seorak Land. Believe me.”
Seol Jihoo spoke each word deliberately. But it wasn’t that they hadn’t understood him. They simply didn’t trust him.
“So what you’re saying is—you quit gambling long ago, you’ve applied for a Permanent Entry Ban of your own volition, and this money is legitimate?”
Seol Wooseok asked again, as if the story were simply unbelievable.
“Go to hell. Have I lied to you one or two times?”
Seol Jinhee’s voice dripped with sarcasm.
“You, who never listened when we begged you to apply for a ban? You, who pitched a fit every time we tried to do it for you? You want us to believe you now?”
“Jinhee…”
“What? Oh, look at you. What’s with that expression? Did you think you’d waltz in with some money and we’d praise you? ‘You’re the best, little brother’? Wake up, idiot. Money and character are two different things. This money is ours—our family’s—it’s what we deserve.”
Seol Wooseok silenced his sister.
“…We can verify it.”
His eyes still sharp with suspicion, he pulled out his mobile phone.
After a few rings, Seol Wooseok spoke.
“Seorak Land? Yes, yes. I’d like to inquire about an entry ban—I’m calling as an older brother. My younger brother’s name is Seol Jihoo… What?”
Seol Wooseok’s voice lifted.
“He applied for a Permanent Entry Ban today? Himself?”
Seol Jinhee, who had been listening quietly, felt her expression go slack.
“And, um, his recent entry records…? Yes. The last one was… March 16th?”
A moment later, Seol Wooseok hung up. Seol Jinhee’s momentum had faltered, but her eyes still burned.
Seol Wooseok opened his mouth with something like dismay.
“…I can’t believe it.”
“Older brother, I really did.”
“No, all right. Let’s say what you’re telling me is true. Then where exactly did this money come from?”
“Um, well, that…”
“You got 2 million won from Yu Seonhwa a month ago, didn’t you?”
He should have known. Seol Jihoo’s mouth fell open.
“I heard you got the money back that night, but… how did a broke guy with nothing to his name scrape together this kind of cash in a month without even gambling? And on top of that, a gaming laptop and your sister’s car keys?”
It was a sharp question. Now that it was pointed out, Seol Jinhee looked puzzled too.
“This is a gaming laptop, isn’t it? These are really expensive….”
She turned the abandoned laptop over and over, and suspicion deepened in her eyes.
Seol Jihoo cursed silently. He’d gotten ahead of himself—thinking Seol Jinhee couldn’t resist anything game-related, he’d bought that three-million-won gaming laptop without expecting it would blow up in his face.
‘What do I do now.’
In the end, there was nothing for it but to fudge the truth. If he hemmed and hawed, he’d only invite more suspicion.
“That’s actually why I came to talk about it.”
Every word had to be careful. One slip and they’d catch him in a contradiction. Seol Jihoo weighed his words with deliberate caution.
“I started a job through someone I know, and business has been pretty good lately.”
“What kind of work pays money like that?”
“Ah, I got lucky and hit the jackpot. Got a decent dividend payout.”
“…Horse racing? Or sports betting?”
“Come on.”
“Lottery tickets?”
Seol Jihoo ran a hand across his face. He was reminded again of how his family saw him. Who could blame them? He’d earned their suspicion fair and square.
“It has nothing to do with gambling.”
“Can you say exactly what you just said to Mom and Dad?”
He’d originally planned to, but his mind had changed. Even if his brother and sister might let it slide, their father would grill him relentlessly—he could see it coming a mile away.
“I’d like to, but I have to leave right now.”
“Dad will be home soon.”
“I’m swamped. I only stopped by during my rounds today. So could you explain it to them for me?”
“Explain what, exactly.”
“I might need to go out again soon. Could be away for a month or two, and you might not hear from me. Just tell them not to worry too much.”
He’d given them a rough explanation, and his brother and sister still looked confused, but there was nothing he could do about it. He couldn’t exactly lay everything bare.
“I should go. Time’s gotten away from me. I’ll call once I get back and fill Mom and Dad in.”
Seol Jihoo forced out a smile and said his goodbyes. He left the room, went downstairs, and opened the front door.
Until he closed it.
Not a single hand reached out to stop him, not even a voice calling after him.
Sure, he’d made an excuse about being busy….
…….
For some reason, all his strength drained away.
[Did you think we’d be happy just because you brought home some money?]
The words he’d been too distracted to process before now pierced his chest like a dagger.
They lodged deep inside him, barbed as a sincere rebuke.
‘I really wanted to… apologize properly….’
But in the rush to defend himself, the words never came out.
Though his first attempt had not gone as planned, there was still one more person he owed an apology to.
With his head bowed, Seol made his way slowly toward the subway.
His shoulders slumped in defeat.

(To be continued in the next chapter)

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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