Surviving Among the Entities

Im Jin-guk (45) grew up being told from a young age that he was brilliant and intelligent.

“Oh my! Jin-guk’s mom! Isn’t Jin-guk going to become the president one day? Let’s have him take an IQ test!”
“The test results show his IQ is 125. The world average is 82, and Korea’s is 102, so that’s quite high.”
“Our Jin-guk will go to Seoul National University?”

From then on, Im Jin-guk knew he was a special person, different from others.

“Im Jin-guk is the top student in our class!”
“Hey, he got a perfect score again!”
“Wow! The top student in the whole school?”

Having attended better middle schools, high schools, and universities than others, he thought:

“Am I going to work under others? I should just start my own business.”

Business required capital, so he started another business for that purpose.

“If you invest in me, I’ll return 10 times your principal.”
“What’s your business idea? Why should I lend you money based on that?”
“Look here, this is an eco-friendly business I’m running – a solar power generator. It’s highly efficient and is being lauded as a potential replacement for nuclear power.”

It was a scam where he incorporated trendy businesses like “eco-friendly” and “solar power,” impersonated a renowned professor’s name to print and affix certification marks, but his academic credentials made his lies seem truthful, allowing him to quickly attract considerable investments.

“Wait, why bother with a business at all? I could just pretend I ran a business with this money, hide it elsewhere, and keep it all for myself, right? The contract states the investors bear the business risk, doesn’t it? And since most of it was equity investment, if I just pretend it failed, all that money becomes mine?”

After all, if the purpose of a business is to make money, this way allows him to make money without wasting time, doesn’t it?

“You crazy scamming bastard!”
“Give me my money back!”
“What? I’m out of money! The business failed, didn’t you read the contract properly!”

The ‘business’ was a success. After repeating it a few times, he had amassed considerable wealth, and his face became well-known in this field. When he gathered investors for the fourth time, using a fall guy as the front, the ones who showed up weren’t investors but the police.

“Mr. Im Jin-guk, you are under arrest for fraud.”

His business partner, who had served as the fall guy, betrayed him.
That partner even provided the police with the source of Jin-guk’s accumulated funds, leaving Im Jin-guk penniless and imprisoned.

“10 years in prison for fraud? Wow, it’s not easy to get 10 years for fraud in our country.”
“Oh well, I just had rotten luck. Of course this happened because I involved that snake of a bastard. That’s why you never get involved with shady characters.”

With his unique charm, he had no major issues even in prison.

“If I had seriously studied, I could have graduated from an Ivy League university. Harvard! Oxford! Yale! MIT! Caltech! You all know them, right? Ah, if only I hadn’t been so patriotic……”
“Didn’t you say you even received a business card from an entertainment agency before?”
“You still remember that story? Of course it’s true! Look at my face! I once did an extra job, and the director begged me to become an exclusive actor.”

His gift of gab was so good that his fellow inmates even gave him a nickname.

“Hey, Blowhard Balloon! You just keep spouting bullshit whenever you open your mouth!”
“Blowhard! Come over here and give me a massage! You said you were loved by your superiors in the military for your massages, right? Love me too!”
“Blowhard! You’re being released next month? Live an honest life!”

And so the Blowhard Balloon, Im Jin-guk, was released, having lost all his assets and starting a new life at age 45.

‘What kind of business should I try to make money with this time?’

His face had probably been forgotten by now, so should he start by changing his name first?

“Let’s find a place to live first.”

The place he chose was a cheap goshiwon (tiny room in a dorm-like facility).

“Ack, ouch!”

The old goshiwon hallway had protruding nails and wooden splinters that would occasionally prick him, but he couldn’t find a cheaper place without paying a deposit.

‘Alright, let me try job hunting first? I need at least 10 million won as starting capital to do anything.’

While browsing job listings online, a banner ad caught his eye.

[Seung-hoon Lee Resolver Office]

And he recalled a “forgotten memory”.

‘A Resolver? Ah, yes, “the only trustworthy profession a single person can have, resolving mysterious incidents while also resolving people’s concerns”?’

He had never consulted a Resolver before, so why not give it a try?

‘Maybe they can cleanly resolve my concern about what business to start?’

And so, upon visiting the Resolver’s office, he saw a new business item.

[Reward: An innate talent for business]
[Task: Steal Donald Trump’s toupee while he is president]
[Deadline: 100 days]

A ticket that grants any reward as long as you complete the task.
The credibility of the ticket, guaranteed by the Resolver.

“How much is it?”
“It’s free. My aim isn’t to make money but to help people.”

And the Resolver’s goodwill in distributing them for free.

“Can I take multiple ones?”
“Are you planning to make multiple attempts? I suppose that’s not a bad idea. Here you go. Take a look and choose the ones you like.”
“Thank you!”
“But before that, let me remind you once more.”

Goodwill is no longer a virtue in today’s society.
In a capitalist society, goodwill is not a virtue humans should possess but merely positioning oneself as a vulnerable target to be exploited by others.

“If you understand the mystical power of these tickets, you must not damage or tamper with them. And do not use the tickets for other purposes.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“And if you fail a ticket’s task, you will receive a penalty. The penalty is proportional to the reward, so keep that in mind. The tickets you received, except for one, have ordinary rewards, so you only need to be cautious about that one.”

Im Jin-guk nodded and left the office,
putting the ten tickets he received from the Resolver in his pocket, he evaluated the Resolver.

‘What a kind-hearted fool, a perfect idiot ripe for exploitation, a foolish beast I love.’

And so, he tried selling the tickets, but contrary to his expectations, it didn’t go well.

“In the world! If I just stop eating delivery food and dining out for a year, my penis length will increase by 5cm?! Would you miss such a great opportunity?”
“What are you saying, are you insane?”

Strangely, people didn’t trust the tickets he was selling.

“The Resolver Seung-hoon Lee gave them to me himself, so they’re genuine!”
“No, that’s impossible! You’re not taking us for fools, are you! Are you Seung-hoon Lee the Resolver? If the Resolver gave them to you, sure, but if you’re giving them out, it’s obviously nonsense!”

Unless the Resolver directly handed them out, people only saw the tickets as child’s play.

‘This won’t do.’

He couldn’t give up here. These tickets were a business item that could work on not only ordinary people but even the bigwigs of the political and business worlds.

“Ack, ouch! Can you please fix this once and for all!”

Back at the goshiwon, he pondered.

‘What if I sold tickets with rewards related to the economy to conglomerate owners? And tickets with rewards to control the public to politicians?’

Then he could not only become a tycoon but also seize power!

‘But how do I resolve the issue of credibility?’

It wasn’t that difficult.

“Resolver!”

If he lacked credibility, he just needed to build a credible career.

“Please hire me as an employee!”

Im Jin-guk laid bare his entire past history.

“I was a scammer. When I was young, I lost my parents and struggled in poverty, becoming resentful of the world and straying down the wrong path……”

Kind-hearted fools are weak to stories.
To open the heart of the Resolver, armed with the naivety called goodwill, he needed an elaborate story blending truth and lies to portray himself as a ‘pitiful ex-convict who wants to reform but faces discrimination from others’.

“Confucius said that all humans should possess benevolence and righteousness. Benevolence is love, care, and empathy towards others, while righteousness is judging right from wrong and practicing what is right.”

As expected, the Resolver accepted him.

“I believe humans can change. Therefore, I think every human should be given a chance to change. You too, Mr. Im Jin-guk, can change. If the world won’t give you a chance, I will give you one. That is my benevolence towards you.”
“Thank you, thank you! I’m really grateful!”

From the next day, Im Jin-guk began working as an assistant at the Resolver’s office.

‘What? This guy? He’s even more gullible than I thought.’

And he couldn’t help but be astounded by what he witnessed in the office.

“For the reward ticket ‘Recovery of Lost Legs’, one of the tasks is ‘Donate 100 million won’. I’ll transfer 100 million won to your account right now, so please donate it to a charity immediately.”

He used his own money to help those who couldn’t complete the tasks on their own.

“For the task of ‘Restoring Eyesight’, one of them is ‘Burn a 12-carat Diamond’. I’ve prepared the diamond, so please come over here.”
“One of the tasks for ‘Removing PTSD from an Accident’ is ‘Slapping 3 Current Ruling Party Politicians’. I promised them political funds, so they’ve agreed to cooperate, so feel free to slap them.”

Unable to understand his actions, Im Jin-guk asked him.

“Why are you even spending your own money to help them? Charity is good, but do you really need to go that far?”
“For those trying to regain what they’ve lost and resume an ordinary life, it’s not a challenge but a return. I must directly assist such people.”
“What about those you don’t help?”
“Those are people challenging out of personal greed. Of course, by helping them, I can increase their chances of success, but then the challenge itself would hold no meaning.”

To Im Jin-guk, the Resolver seemed like a truly strange person.

“When they succeed, they’ll gain a progressive attitude towards life through the sweet fruits of their challenge. And when they fail, they’ll learn to guard against greed and recognize their limits, so either way, they’ll progress.”
“Do you want them to succeed or fail?”
“I want them to challenge. You see, I believe in human potential.”
“So those who don’t challenge aren’t human?”
“They too are human. Abandoning greed and finding small joys in daily life is also a potential possessed by humans.”

At times, he seemed like a kind-hearted fool, but at other times, a chilling madness flickered in his clear eyes.

“Ah, I see. You are indeed a Resolver! I had misjudged your profound meaning!”
“It’s not a profound meaning. Just my personal philosophy.”

Then, one day, Im Jin-guk saw it.

“This is the machine that dispenses the tickets.”
“So this is where they’re made.”

The treasure trove he had longed for.

“Yes, you input the reward through this touch pad, and a ticket is dispensed.”
“Wow, amazing. Who could have made something like this?”
“I don’t know either.”

Through his work, he had learned that even with the same reward, there could be various tasks.
If he could create tickets with rewards that could be achieved with money and sell them to tycoons and politicians, he could extort money and power from them.

“There are many things like this in the world. Those who know of their existence, including myself, call them ‘entities’.”
“Entities……”
“Entities are quite mysterious. For example, even if they take the form of a machine, they may possess self-awareness. That’s why you must never handle them carelessly.”
“Oh ho.”
“The reason I’m telling you this is that if you continue working at my office, Mr. Im Jin-guk, you’ll encounter many entities.”

The Resolver was truly too kind-hearted, perhaps excessively so.

“I believe Mr. Im Jin-guk can change, and I want to maintain a good relationship going forward.”
“Thank you for believing in me!”

You fool.
That night, Im Jin-guk secretly snuck into the office.

‘I left a window open earlier!’

The intruder headed straight for the room with the ticket dispenser.

“What made him leave such a valuable item unattended in the office?”

He soon realized the reason.

“Why can’t I lift this?”

While the dispenser wasn’t large, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t lift it.

“It’s not even bolted to the floor, how strange.”

There was one more strange aspect.

‘It’s powered on, but it’s not even plugged in?’

Should he just dispense a bunch of tickets and then run away?
He had long since met the conditions to impersonate the Resolver’s disciple, having saved many photos they took together and office scenery.

‘That’s what I should do.’

Dispense a bunch of tickets, then destroy the machine.
That way, the value of the tickets he possesses would increase.

[Enter the desired reward.]

He entered the rewards he had prepared in advance and dispensed 100 tickets for each reward.

‘With this, I’m rich!’

Not just rich, but he could seize power too, becoming the king of the underworld!
As he smiled and checked the tickets, a flash of information entered his mind.

[What’s important for counterfeit checks? The paper is important, but the ink is even more crucial! The ink used by banks is highly specialized, making it even harder to obtain than the paper.]

The words of a former check counterfeiter he had met in prison.

‘Now that I look closely, these aren’t thermal tickets? They’re printed with ink?’

If he could dismantle the machine and extract the tickets and ink, couldn’t he freely write any reward and task he desired to grant any wish?

‘Tickets that can grant even the most outrageous wishes. If that were truly possible……’

He wouldn’t just be the king of the underworld but a god.
He immediately took out his tools. But before carefully dismantling the dispenser, the Resolver’s words echoed in his mind.

[Even if they take the form of a machine, they may possess self-awareness. That’s why you must never handle them carelessly.]

His hesitation was brief.

“You said you want me to challenge? I’ll challenge you as you asked.”

After unscrewing a few screws, the dispenser’s interior was exposed.
Finding a stack of blank tickets and ink cartridges, he pulled them out and raised a hammer to destroy the dispenser.

‘What? Why isn’t it breaking?’

But it didn’t break or even get scratched.

[Enter the desired reward.]
[Damaging our product or tampering with the tickets may result in severe penalties.]

He tried destroying the inside instead.
The moment he reopened the dispenser, the ink cartridges and ticket stack he had just removed were back inside.

“……”

Overcome by an indescribable chill, he restored the dispenser to its original state and left the office.

‘Whatever, if things go my way, I can still become a god with this!’

So there was no need to destroy it.
After returning to the goshiwon, Im Jin-guk used the stolen items to complete a handmade ticket.

[Reward: 100 million won in cash]
[Task: 10 sit-stands]
[Deadline: Indefinite]

After signing it and completing the task, bundles of 50,000 won bills were piled up like a mountain on the small goshiwon bed.

“I did it!”

With this, I’m rich!
At that moment, a vivid image appeared in his mind.

[Illegal Tampering Detected]
[Penalty Activated]
[Your penalty is “Balloon”.]

Balloon?
What kind of penalty is that?

‘Wait, my body feels light?’

Something felt off. With every movement, his body felt so light that it seemed to bounce around.

‘I’m actually floating!’

Did “balloon” really mean becoming a ‘balloon’?
Is that even possible?
Well, the tickets themselves were already impossible, but still, for a person to become a balloon while alive?

“He, hello? Resolver! Resolverrr!”

He desper
ately tried pressing his smartphone with his balloon body, but it didn’t respond, likely due to the lack of bioelectricity.

‘Oh no!’

Then he would have to meet the Resolver in person.
Even the doorknob didn’t turn easily, but after desperately struggling, he bounced and rolled down the hallway.

‘Please, if it’s the Resolver, he’ll know how to reverse this!’

The entrance was just ahead.

“Ack, ouch!”

Early that morning, the goshiwon owner visited to clean.

“?”

Noticing scattered clothes in the hallway, the owner cautiously prodded them.

‘Who abandoned these clothes here?’

There were not only shoes and pants but even underwear.

“Oh my, what is this?”

Inside the clothes, he found a shriveled balloon fragment.
The balloon fragment was quite large but had deflated and wrinkled.

‘Is something drawn on it?’

He unfolded the shriveled balloon.
A naked man was depicted on the surface.

“Oh my, how obscene!”

The image was incredibly realistic.
The man’s startled expression gave an inexplicable sense of unpleasantness.

‘Where have I seen that face before?’

Unable to shake the unpleasantness of seeing what looked like a real person, the owner unhesitatingly tossed the items into the trash bin.

“Ugh! Disgusting.”

The owner began cleaning.
It was a quiet weekend morning.