Chapter Text
My name is Yoon Jongwoo and my story starts the same way as any idiot moving from the countryside to the big city. On a crowded, stiflingly hot bus. But while some are lucky, others are not. Most of those moving to the big city fall into the latter category.
Judging by the fact that the side of the bus is worn out in the shape of a perfect elbow next to the window, it’s not hard to conclude that I’m not the first to lean my arm on the slightly dirty window. The landscape rushes past us and instead of the usual village, I’m surrounded by a multitude of houses.
"Is this seat taken?" A smiling girl asks me, tucking her hair behind her ear with one hand, showing everyone her profession mark, which is a simple little flower. So the girl must have some kind of nature-related occupation.
"Sure." I nod and turn back to my window. The girl next to me is probably one of those youngsters who don't care about profession marks; most young girls are used to covering their wrists with some kind of bracelet so as not to influence their potential partner as to what kind of profession they are destined to follow.
But there's nothing to be done. Profession marks have been around for as long as humans have existed. Every person has a black mark on their left wrist, which serves as a compass to their future profession. For example, if you have a flower, you will work with nature, you can be a livestock breeder, florist, gardener, or even a tour guide. If you have a cross in a circle, you will be some kind of doctor, this circle includes everything from biologists to veterinarians to brain surgeons to experimental physicists. But let's say, if you have a badge on your wrist, you will be some kind of official, a firefighter, police officer, soldier, or the like.
Of course, a profession mark is not necessarily a direct indication. For example, two very famous people, Adolf Hitler and Pope John Paul II, both had microphones on their wrists, which basically means that the person has a profession with great influence, but still, these two people couldn't be further from each other, so it's fair to say that it's just a crutch if you don't know where to start, and that's how they're treated in schools. However, this crutch isn't always useful, for example, if someone is as unlucky as me and has a book on their wrist, which is one of the biggest collective profession marks and can be part of any profession that requires a little writing, from lawyer to teacher to graffiti artist.
I'm specifically a writer, or more like I'm preparing for that, for now I'll have to be content with writing articles and promoting events, but a person has to make a living from something. Especially if you don't want to tell everyone that you have a masterpiece.
Masterpieces are as ancient as profession marks, but unlike marks, they are not related to a person's work, but to their abilities. Everyone has the potential to find their masterpiece and acquire their abilities, although these abilities are usually harmless things. Let's say there is a person whose profession mark is a microphone, so he goes to study to be an actor, finds his masterpiece, which is a badge from his first filming, and then, if he carries the masterpiece with him, he can change the pitch of his voice at will. Or in the case of a lawyer whose mark is a book, his object is a beautiful pen, which he used to sign his first winning case and from then on, he knows when his client is lying to him. So the sky is the limit.
In my case, I have the book profession mark on my wrist, and you should know that bookers, as those who belong to our crest are called, rarely find their masterpiece, or if they do, they tend to do so at an older age. But I acquired my masterpiece when I was still doing my mandatory military service. And since then, the object has always been with me, wherever I go.
"Seoul bus station!" I hear the sound of the machine and when the bus stops, I get off. It's hot and crowded, I already hate this place. Still, I try to keep my cool and take my suitcase out of the trunk when someone comes up to me and something in the suitcase makes a loud crack. I immediately kneel down to see what happened, but when I open my bag and look at my laptop, I feel a surge of anger rising inside me and I have to clench my fist to keep from reaching for my masterpiece.
~Calm down! You promised not to off anyone on your first day!~ I scold myself, then take a breath and put the laptop away. I need to clear my head, I head in a direction where I see an ice cream vendor, so I decide that a little happiness hormone won't hurt. After buying the ice cream, I sit down on a bench and take out my notebook, then I take out my hand-carved pen, my masterpiece. I turn it upside down to let the ink run, then when I've ate the tip of the ice cream, I take off the cap and I open a notebook and start writing.
The boy who arrived in the city ate his ice cream in sadness. Although he was bitter, hope continued to live in him, because from then on his day was filled with only good luck.
I finish and close the notebook, then put it away together with my pen and take to the city again. I look around curiously as I walk through the streets. When I see a wheel of fortune. As I get closer I notice that the main prize is a laptop, so it's good that I'm trying. Of course, with me being me, the first four times I only win a keychain, but on the fifth time I hit the thin line, which means I've won the main prize. So with my new laptop in hand I go into a shopping center to look for an IT store and soon I stumble upon a store.
"Can you help me, sir?" I ask, and the man straightens up and looks at me.
"What should I do?" I'm not surprised by his tone, all mechanics are like that.
"Could you transfer my data from this laptop to this?" I ask, placing the two laptops in front of me. The man looks at the devices thoughtfully for a few moments, then nods.
"Sure, one hour and I'll be done, if you come back for it and pay in cash I can give you a discount." Of course I agree right away. And I spend the next hour exploring this part of the city. Just to know where everything is. When I go back to get my laptop, I'm surprised to find that I can even get rid of my wreckage - the man bought it from me for parts.
After the shop, I decide to look around Seoul. I want to know where I have to work for the next month until I can start my writing job. In the mean time, I'll be working at a company owned by one of my former schoolmates, so I should know where everything is, what's around, in case my social obligation pops up while I'm working, I mean my girlfriend.
Finally, after a three-hour walk, I explore the area properly, so I sit down at a restaurant for lunch. I also check my phone, thank goodness Min Jieun, my girlfriend didn't want to bother me.
~One less worry, I'll write to her when I find a place to stay.~ I decide and start browsing through the apartments. I don't even look at what kind of rooms there are, I just pay attention to one thing, the price.
"Bingo!" I smile when I find the cheapest place to stay and call immediately.
"Hello. Eden Goshiwon." I hear a female voice.
"Good afternoon. I would like to know if you still have any free rooms?" I ask.
"Yes, yes." I get the answer right away.
"Perfect, I want to see it today." I say with a smile.