Protecting the Trees, Receiving Luck

Pal-ja—destiny—cannot be fixed.

Saju and Pal-ja share the same meaning. It’s just the difference between $4 times 2 and $8.

This is something determined at birth, making it immutable.

Fix it through ‘effooort’?

That’s the orthodox view, but it doesn’t actually change.

My studies aren’t that deep, but I’ve looked at about 500 clinical cases during my time in the military.

I had to exclude a few “Sons of God”—those with connections who got public service or exemptions—from the sample, but 500 men in their 20s is a statistically sufficient sample.

And looking at them, it’s regrettable, but the lucky guy beats the hardworking guy more often than not.

70% luck, 30% effort?

That’s a lie. It’s more like 90% luck and 10% effort.

In fact, lucky people might even work harder because they’ve actually experienced a model of success.

‘Upbringing and environment during childhood. Then, marriage and friendships.’

There are fluctuations, however, if one is disciplined through education from a young age, or if two people with different destinies are bound together as a community of fate.

This leads to the “Spoon Theory,” which determines the level of education, and the saying “Your fate improves through marriage.”

That’s why I don’t really trust positive-thinking Myeongli scholars or fortunetellers who say, “You can change your fate if you try.”

Behind your back, those people are probably sneering, “Not that you’ll actually try, though.”

Therefore, Master Myeong-seung’s theory is enticing.

It’s because of the theme suggested by his secret record.

‘Saju is an innate fate and cannot be changed. But isn’t it unfair? To be stuck on such a rail of destiny?’

“It is unfair.”

The secret record provided an answer to that question.

‘Then how about strengthening the luck you already have?’

“It’s not ‘fixing’ it, but ‘strengthening’ it. It means the innate weapon stays the same, but you level it up. That actually makes sense.”

But how?

I understand the method regarding the Saju Fortification Technique, but I lack the tools.

The author’s closing note said I had already obtained them.

But there was no way to perform it in the record itself.

Is this some kind of “Phantom Record”?

“Master Myeong-seung, where are you? Are you healthy?”

Since I continued to climb Unjangsan during my period as a forest fire monitor, I looked for Master Myeong-seung to interpret what the final words of the secret record meant.

For some reason, the man had vanished without a trace.

**************************************

“You’ve all worked very hard up until today. The district office has prepared a dinner, so please eat your fill before you go. Also, we recruit for the winter fire prevention period and the two weeks before Arbor Day. It would be great if those of you here keep up the no-smoking and apply again.”

My part-time job as a forest fire monitor was over.

“You all worked hard.”

“Hey, the youngest worked hard too.”

“Not at all, older brothers.”

There were men older than my father, but we just called each other “brother.”

I found that older men surprisingly like it when you call them “Hyung-nim” enthusiastically.

“Don’t come back next spring; get a real job.”

“How much can you even earn doing that Saju stuff?”

They were deeply worried that I couldn’t make money doing something like Saju.

I wanted to snap back that I also write books, but I figured they’d just say, “How much can you earn writing books? Get a job,” so I kept my mouth shut.

They were right. Both might be okay for money, but they were difficult paths for earning a sustainable living.

Maybe if they only hired forest fire monitors with this kind of experience, I’d actually want to apply.

But at that moment, I heard a voice.

[Temporary employment at a public institution completed; Water Luck/Bigeob Luck has increased.]

[Wood Luck/Siksang Luck has increased.]

[Earth Luck/Gwan Luck has increased.]

“Pardon?”

“Did you hear something?”

“Ah, no.”

It wasn’t the voices of the older brothers.

“Could it be…”

I tilted my head, and just in case, I even stretched my finger out into the air.

Click. Does it work? Does it appear?

Of course, there was no way.

Even if this world were a game world intentionally created by someone, it would be nice if a window popped up.

*******************************************

And then, I was kicked out of the house.

A 28-year-old jobless bum who does nothing but tap away at a computer—I figured it was bound to happen, so I accepted it.

Mothers are soft-hearted, so if I crawl back in secretly at night, she’ll still feed me.

Even now, if I just did as they said, took my parents’ support, and went to Noryangjin to study for the civil service exam, I wouldn’t get scolded and could even get an allowance.

If only I could give up the dream of earning as much as others while writing to my heart’s content.

Originally, my parents supported my writing.

But then I wrote one erotic novel, and the Publication Ethics Commission sent a warning letter for “Cautionary Refreshing.” Since both of them are old-fashioned, they nearly fainted seeing a warning from a state agency.

Since then, whenever I write at home, I get a smack on the back and asked if I’m writing that damn smut again.

Since I was kicked out anyway, I headed toward the Myeong-seung Philosophy Hall—both to use it as a studio and to ask Master Myeong-seung if this “Saju Fortification Technique” actually exists or can be used.

Without that, this book is just…

‘Effort doesn’t fix your destiny, but your innate luck goes up like a level-up!’

It’s nothing more than that.

Who doesn’t know that?

The problem isn’t the effort; it’s the question: “Is it certain that I can get something by putting in the effort?”

People make an effort when there is a goal and a possibility of realizing it.

If I do what I want to do, and if I strive until the end, there’s an achievement and even a reward?

Then most people would work hard.

But life isn’t a game, so people don’t do it because there’s no certainty of gaining something even if they try.

There are people who just succeed without effort.

There are people who fail despite their effort.

When you see that, it’s incredibly unfair. Who would want to try?

The Saju Fortification Technique written in the Myeong-seung Record gave an answer.

It said that a person who has accumulated a certain amount of experience related to Saju can use this secret technique, and through it, one can definitively increase their life’s luck through effort.

“To be honest, it sounds like total nonsense. But I want to believe it.”

In truth, I believe it because I want to believe it, not because it’s inherently believable.

A person can’t just increase the luck they want because they try.

Just because you study—the most representative form of effort—doesn’t mean you can pass the exam you want.

But since it says it’s possible, I am genuinely, deeply enticed.

As a writer, I want to increase my “Supporter Luck,” which refers to the number of readers, and my “Residential Luck,” which allows me to earn enough to live just by creating in my room.

It’s not that I don’t have these types of luck now, but they’re both so clumsy that I’m living like this.

If possible, it would be great to max out my “Longevity Luck” and strengthen my “Woman Luck” too.

“As if. Sigh. The smell of octopus skewers is at least nice.”

Coming back to reality from my delusions, I started snarking at my surroundings—my own temper was getting twisted.

A small two-story mixed-use building located in a bed town that appears once you cross the bridge from the Hanok Village.

Myeong-seung Philosophy Hall was on the first floor.

“Is it here?”

The building was so old it didn’t even have a card key, and the window tinting was peeling and tattered.

On the outside, it said: Saju, Fortunes, Gunghap, Physiognomy, Feng Shui, Naming.

“If I have to start by cleaning this place, then the ‘work’ in ‘studio’ isn’t that kind of work…”

However, once I stepped inside, unlike the weathered exterior, it was maintained very cleanly.

In front of a bookshelf filled with all sorts of books was a desk and a chair that looked fit for a president, and across from the desk was a high-quality sofa.

On top of the bookshelf were photos and signatures.

It was so spotless without a speck of dust that I guessed someone had been coming by to clean.

“It’s clean. And here I thought the TV would be an old Lucky-Goldstar model.”

The interior looked like the kind of place that would have an 80s Lucky-Goldstar TV, but the actual TV was a flat-screen.

“Huh? A Hyunju Computer? How long has it been since I’ve seen one of these?”

There was also a computer, and of all things, it was a Hyunju Computer.

The desktop we had at home over a decade ago was this brand.

I saw a back door and opened it to find a kitchen and a single bed. There was another back door connected to the kitchen, which led to a bathroom and stairs.

This area was also spotless.

“Master, are you here? Master!”

As I was briefly heading up those stairs, a middle-aged woman came running down.

She looked at me, surprised, and asked.

“Wait, who are you?”

“Uh, ah, well. I am Master Myeong-seung’s disciple.”

I answered calmly. That was what he told me to say, after all.

“Oh, oh-oh-oh! You’re Master Myeong-seung’s disciple? Oh my, I’ve finally found him. Found him. By the way, where is the Master?”

“I’m not sure.”

“What? Then where did he go? He already paid two years’ worth of rent in advance.”

“In person?”

“A wire transfer.”

He looked like a man of nature, but apparently, he wasn’t.

“The Master couldn’t even use a smartphone, but he can do wire transfers.”

“If you’re the disciple, you must be able to read Saju too. How is my Saju?”

I had received practical training, so I knew how to apply Saju, but for some reason, I didn’t know everything.

I was in a state where I knew the phenomena and could apply them well, but didn’t know why those phenomena were created.

Master Myeong-seung’s secret record had resolved some of that, so I could mimic a professional if I wanted to, but I had a feeling she was trying to get a reading for free.

And I didn’t even know her Saju yet. You have to tell me your birth date and time.

I just spoke based on intuition.

“It seems your household finances are a bit tight lately.”

“Oh my, really? Why?”

I was currently guessing without a Saju reading, getting a hint from the phrase “two years’ worth of rent.”

Master Myeong-seung might have done that because paying every month was a hassle, but usually, wouldn’t the person asking for it be someone who needed that money upfront?

If so, she was receiving rent money like a lump-sum deposit—meaning she must be short on cash, right?

“It’s probably because your husband caused some trouble, right?”

“Oh my goodness, you really are the disciple! My, you’re skilled too.”

Whew.

Usually, if you ask middle-aged women who are complaining about money why they don’t have any, blaming the husband is almost always correct.

Middle-aged men sometimes buy a $1 item for $2, and if they get caught in just one of those episodes, they become the public enemy of the household.

“Right then, do a good job. Earn lots of money and stay in business for a long time.”

The landlady went back up to the second floor.

“It might actually be okay to run a business here. If possible.”

If I used this philosophy hall, I intended to use it as a writing studio.

But just as he said, if customers came by, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to give them readings to earn some pocket money.

Working as a fortuneteller as a side job is fine. It helps quite a bit since it involves listening to other people’s stories.

A faded framed photo in the Myeong-seung Philosophy Hall caught my eye.

The middle-aged man shaking hands with the man who appeared to be Master Myeong-seung was a well-known local politician.

There were also a middle-aged actress and an idol singer from this region.

It seemed Master Myeong-seung was a fairly high-level fortuneteller.

He could rightfully call himself a master.

This place was a workplace with its own secret methods, a true sub-branch.

And if he was the type of man to pay two years of rent at once, he had money too.

“I feel like a disciple who inherited a famous restaurant. With a place like this, it might be worth trying to do some business.”

Signatures of celebrities and politicians, photos from TV broadcasts, newspaper scraps.

This wasn’t a restaurant, but it somehow felt “delicious.”

I wondered what he saw in me to pass down a secret manual and a sub-branch, but I had an optimistic feeling that I could earn at least as much as a forest fire monitor in a place this “tasty.”

“Well, fine. He told me to use it as a studio, so let’s use it.”

I placed my laptop on the desk, found the adapter, and plugged it in.

Surprisingly, it even picked up Wi-Fi.

I always carry a keyboard with me.

The laptop keys had collapsed, so the 1, 2, 3 and certain consonants didn’t type well.

Even if I wanted to go out and work, I couldn’t write because I had to lug around a separate keyboard.

But I could do it here.

I sat in the chair I had pushed aside.

An exclamation escaped my lips automatically.

“Whoa, now I know why people use good chairs.”

A writer is a profession where you work with your butt glued to the seat, so I’d heard many times to use a good chair, but only now did I understand what that meant.

“When I launch a new work, first a laptop, then a damn expensive chair. Then a new mechanical keyboard.”

I felt so good I started humming.

Since the chair was good, I felt like working, but…

“Ah, the keys aren’t working again.”

Whether it was the computer’s recognition or the keyboard acting up, it was a mess.

I was about to rip the keys out when the decade-old Hyunju desktop caught my eye.

Master Myeong-seung said I could use it.

“The keyboard cable is a pigtail cord.”

I originally intended to just unplug the keyboard and connect it to my laptop, but the USB plug didn’t match.

I tried turning it on once, and as expected, it started up even slower than my old laptop.

“Wow, Windows 2000. This is crazy. I feel like I’ve found an ancient ruin.”

Seeing Windows 2000 felt like looking at my childhood home computer, so I waited for it to boot with a hollow laugh.

“It’s on. It’s finally on.”

Ding-diriring-dong, dong, dong.

After the tedious wait, I was almost happy to see it.

It even came with the familiar Windows startup sound.

I wondered if Windows would actually work, but the screen did appear.

“It even has Lineage. I guess he played some games back in the day.”

I wondered if he spent his time clicking on mobs in Lineage when he wasn’t doing readings.

Then, on the desktop, I discovered a program titled ‘Saju Fortification Technique.’

“Huh?”

When I double-clicked it, the computer made a roaring sound as it executed, and a window for entering a name and birth date/time appeared with a blinking cursor.

It wasn’t a social security number or private info. With half fear and half anticipation, I typed it in.

It was a program that converted my Saju into attributes and stats.

It was a bit bothersome to read or interpret, but I had a decent foundation of knowledge, and having read the Myeong-seung Record, it wasn’t particularly difficult.

[Since you protected the trees, additional points are applied to the Siksang Luck dwelling in Wood. Strengthening of Wood Luck and Siksang Luck is now possible.]

[Since you socialized with male colleagues, additional points are applied to the Bigeob Luck. Strengthening of Water Luck and Bigeob Luck is now possible.]

[You left a good impression on the local government, but because the trees were protected and took away the Earth’s strength, only a small amount of points are accumulated for the Gwan Luck dwelling in Earth.]

You can strengthen it now!

“…If I click this, will it really go up?”

And so, I was able to attempt to strengthen the luck of the Water/Wood/Earth attributes written in my Saju.