There was only one customer, that too few nights ago, and the total revenue was 1,000 won. But the cost was just a glass of water.

  Of course, one could argue there were also costs like electricity and rent...

  But life isn't just about numbers. When Kim Min-woo was around, these were costs too, but his income was almost negligible. People need benchmarks to find satisfaction and confidence.

  Thanks to the girl with the Corgi, Park Tae-hyun realized today was 31st and Christmas was nearly 5 days ago.

  After scrolling through KakaoTalk, Park Tae-hyun found Doctor Im's ID and clicked to wish her for New Year's.

  "Nah, it's fine this way," he muttered, putting his phone aside.

  Park Tae-hyun picked up a book and flipped through it, maintaining this posture until morning.

  They went to the next-door restaurant for wontons. Park Tae-hyun had no idea if the wrappers were thin or the filling was thick; he just ate as usual. After downing a large bowl of sour plum juice, he immediately wolfed it down. Then he pinched his neck and took deep breaths continuously, suppressing the urge to vomit.

  The thought of enduring this every time he ate made Park Tae-hyun feel as if his days ahead were shrouded in shadow.

  He thought of the man in the video who was also drinking porridge in agony. A sense of sadness washed over him. Eating was one of life's greatest pleasures, yet it had been taken from him.

  "I wonder if there's an 'anorexia' club in the world," he mused. "Where everyone gathers around a table and sees who can take a bite of food first, then everyone gives a thumbs up:

  'You're awesome!

  My XXX is so awesome!'"

  Taking a deep breath, this scene felt eerily chilling.

  In any case, yesterday's video, including the shaman and the man drinking porridge, seemed too distant for Park Tae-hyun to grasp for now.

  After Christmas came New Year's Eve, the last day of the year. If it were any other day, this commercial center would be decked out in lights, brimming with a festive "New Year's atmosphere." But today, it was deserted, just like any other day.

  "It's like life," Park Tae-hyun reflected. "Glory is followed by loneliness."

  He remembered how bustling this commercial center was when it first opened, but now, it was abandoned.

  Baek Cheong-won was doing well today. Likely because many other stores were closed, his noodle shop was bustling with takeout orders. Park Tae-hyun squatted at the bookstore's entrance, smoking and sighing.

  It's been so long since my passing.

  "I remember dying in a car accident... No, I remember being sent to the crematorium to be burned. It must've been around Children's Day, and now, it's New Year's Eve in the blink of an eye."

  More than half a year had flown by. Life was like a dream—a muddled walk toward the underworld.

  After smoking several cigarettes and lost in thought, Park Tae-hyun felt a little tired. He took out his phone, intending to check recent movie listings. The cinema was conveniently next door, so he could kill some time there.

  "Hey, do you have any newspapers at home?" Baek Cheong-won emerged after wrapping up work and sending off the last delivery guys.

  "What for?"

  "To paper the walls," Baek Cheong-won replied.

  "So frugal?"

  "Pasting newspapers on the walls gives it a sense of atmosphere and age. Did you sell out yesterday?"

  "There's still some left. Wait, I'll get them for you."

  Park Tae-hyun returned to the store and retrieved a stack of newspapers from the box beside his freezer upstairs. He carried them downstairs and handed them to Baek Cheong-won.

  "Aren't you going home for the New Year?" Baek Cheong-won asked.

  "Spending the New Year with books."

  Unfortunately, Park Tae-hyun didn't have a scholar's beard or a wine in hand.

  Otherwise, this ridiculous line would've sounded more authentic.

  "Neither am I going home," Park Tae-hyun added after a moment.

  "With over twenty apartments, which one should I go back to?" Baek Cheong-won sighed.

  "..." Park Tae-hyun.

  The two fell silent for a while, then Park Tae-hyun said, "Let me tell you a story."

  "Okay," Baek Cheong-won nodded, his expression slightly reserved. His long hair, a few strands falling into his mouth, gave him a shy, lovely air as he brushed them away.

  "Once, also on New Year's Eve, a man met the richest man in the area on the road late at night.

  The rich man was drunk.

  The man asked the rich man, 'Why aren't you going home?'

  The rich man replied, 'Home? Where's my home? My family and relatives aren't with me. The home you're talking about is the largest manor in the city?'"

  After hearing the story, Baek Cheong-won nodded slightly, as if he deeply agreed.

  "Then the man pinned the rich man to the ground and beat him up, shouting:

  'I told you not to show off during the New Year!'"

  Park Tae-hyun continued.

  "..." Baek Cheong-won.

  The conversation between the two ended.

  Park Tae-hyun returned to his bookstore.

  The heating was on, it was warm inside.

  He was scrolling through his phone when a customer walked in—a young man in a blue work uniform and a safety helmet.

  If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  The Kid pushed open the door,

  "Welcome to Kim's Bookstore~", said Park Tae-hyun indifferently.

  "Can I read a book here? How much is it?" The young man pursed his lips and asked shyly.

  "Pay as you wish," Park Tae-hyun waved his hand, signaling the young man to proceed.

  "That's great. Do you have any novels?" The young man spoke stiffly, "I like to read online novels."

  Park Tae-hyun pointed to a box behind the bookshelf and said, "They're all there."

  The young man walked over, rummaged through the box, and seemed delighted, though some book covers and packaging were still intact.

  "Feel free to open them. They're free," Park Tae-hyun said generously.

  "Okay," the young man replied.

  The newcomer opened an online novel, then sat on a plastic stool and began reading.

  As the store owner, Park Tae-hyun sat behind the counter, trimming his nails while the young man read. About half an hour later, the young man stood up from his chair, took out his cigarette, and handed one to Park Tae-hyun:

  "It's not a good cigarette, don't mind it."

  "Cigarettes are all the same; there's no need to distinguish between good and bad," Park Tae-hyun said, taking the cigarette.

  The young man also took one and walked outside to smoke, lighting it while feeling the cold wind.

  This made Park Tae-hyun, who had planned to smoke inside, pause for a moment. But after thinking it over, he decided to put the cigarette away and continued trimming his nails.

  The young man returned inside after smoking. This time, he didn't sit on the plastic stool but leaned against the wall, reading.

  Though the air conditioner was on, the floor tiles were still cold, but the young man didn't seem to mind.

  About fifteen minutes later, four men in clean blue work uniforms entered the store. The oldest looked no older than thirty, and the youngest seemed barely seventeen.

  The four entered together, and the young man leaning against the wall waved at them. He must have been the one who called them over.

  The newcomer greeted Park Tae-hyun, and Park Tae-hyun nodded in acknowledgment, continuing to trim his nails.

  Park Tae-hyun decided to buy a set of professional nail care tools to do justice to his nails.

  It's just that express delivery has stopped now, and most physical stores outside are closed, so we'll have to wait.

  Looking up, Park Tae-hyun saw the five workers sitting on the floor, each engrossed in a novel.

  Judging by the covers, they were all online novels, mostly fantasy. One held a horror book, biting his nails in excitement.

  Park Tae-hyun found it hard to agree with the habit of nail-biting.

  Only when you know how to take care of your nails can you truly cherish your life.

  Occasionally, someone laughed while reading, their laughter heartfelt as they immersed themselves in the story.

  The bookstore was bustling with people but eerily quiet. A few sounds occasionally broke the silence, but they were far from disruptive.

  In the evening, Baek Cheong-won arrived with a bowl of dumplings. He walked in and remarked:

  "Wow, the store's quite lively."

  Park Tae-hyun smiled and nodded.

  "Brothers, would you like something to eat?" asked Baek Cheong-won's coworkers.

  The workers exchanged glances.

  A little overwhelmed.

  "Forget it, I'll treat you," Baek Cheong-won said, a man with over twenty apartments to his name.

  "It's New Year's Eve. It's not easy for brothers not to go home. We work hard to earn money. It's a waste not to take the red envelopes the boss gives. I can send more money home."

  "Ha-ha, today's pretty good. I have novels to read and cigarettes to smoke. This year's pretty enjoyable."

  "Mr. Kim, when are you closing?" a worker asked.

  "Not closing the door," Park Tae-hyun replied.

  "You aren't going home?"

  "The workplace is considered sacred in my religion. What could be better than serving customers?"

  Park Tae-hyun suddenly felt a surge of heroism!

  The workers gave Park Tae-hyun a thumbs-up and cheered for him.

  Of course, no one agreed too much. One could tell from his accent and the fact that he ran a bookstore, not a fruit stand, that he was a local.

  There's a reason locals stay in their shops and don't go home during the New Year, so no one pried further.

  Moreover, they were each the pillar of their family.

  They worked hard to earn money, while their wives managed the household and cared for the elderly and children back home.

  Life was tough, but perseverance was key.

  Just as Park Tae-hyun was about to light another cigarette, a shout came from afar:

  "Kim Min-woo!"

  Park Tae-hyun raised his head and stood up, noticing a Porsche Cayenne parked across the street. It was a familiar car.

  Well, it's my wife's car.

  The one shouting was the sister-in-law.

  She'd been startled by Park Tae-hyun in the bathroom earlier but had since recovered.

  She blamed the fright on her own nerves.

  Of course, she couldn't be in a good mood with Park Tae-hyun. After all, he'd scared her half to death. How embarrassing!

  "Kim Min-woo, come home for dinner!"

  The sister-in-law shouted.

  "I'm not going back. The store is busy," Park Tae-hyun waved his hand.

  Should I go back to face those scumbag in-laws during the New Year?

  Are you kidding me?

  Rushing home to sleep in separate beds during the New Year?

  Are you looking for trouble?

  "He's Scared, right? He's being unreasonable and stubborn."

  The sister-in-law sat in the back seat, pouting.

  Doctor Im smiled and said, "Let's go home and have dinner with our parents first."

  "Hey, sounds like you're planning to come out tonight?"

  "After all, I'm his legal wife," Doctor Im said, nothing more, started the car, and left.

  Watching the car drive away,

  Park Tae-hyun shouted to the workers, "Brothers, isn't my wife pretty?"

  "Pretty!"

  "Cute!"

  "So beautiful!"

  "Ha-ha-ha-ha."

  Baek Cheong-won emerged from the store carrying a large tray.

  "Here, braised pork with rice, guys, let's eat!"

  The workers were a little restrained and embarrassed.

  The oldest worker said a little embarrassedly, "We didn't bring..."

  "We agreed I'd treat you! Don't mention money. the treats' on house."

  "Okay!"

  "Thank you, thank you, Mr. Kim!"

  "I owe you one..."

  "Let's Begin the Feast!"

  The workers each carried a bowl of rice with toppings, squatted on the ground, placed their bowls on plastic stools, and began eating happily.

  One worker was reading a novel while eating and got hit on the head with chopsticks by a fellow worker.

  "You're such a greedy guy. If you stain the book, how will Mr. Kim sell it for money?"

  "That's right, let's eat first."

  The atmosphere was lively.

  Park Tae-hyun returned to his counter and ate three more dumplings that had gotten a little cold.

  For some reason, perhaps due to the atmosphere, he felt much less nauseous than before.

  After dinner, Everyone continued reading.

  The room was warm with heating and filled with novels—it was quite harmonious.

  Before I knew it, it was ten o'clock in the evening.

  The oldest worker stood up, stretched, and said, "Brothers, it's time to go back. Let's help clean up the store."

  "Okay!"

  Five workers helped Park Tae-hyun clean the store from top to bottom.

  "Hyung-nim, it's getting late now, we must depart. Thank you for today."

  "You're welcome," Park Tae-hyun waved his hand.

  They left,

  Stretching, Park Tae-hyun was about to ask Baek Cheong-won to take back the dishes and chopsticks in the store.

  When he walked to the noodle shop, Park Tae-hyun saw Baek Cheong-won sitting behind the table, reading a newspaper.

  Well, Park Tae-hyun gave him the newspaper earlier in the day.

  Baek Cheong-won wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and looked scholarly, worthy of being a man with over twenty apartments.

  He looks elegant, no matter how you look at him!

  "Please clean up the dishes over there," Park Tae-hyun said.

  "Okay, I'll go right away,"

  Baek Cheong-won put down his glasses, rubbed his eyes, and got up to go to the next room to clean up the dishes.

  On top of the pile of newspapers was a copy of the *Tongmyeong Evening News*. Looking at the date, it was 13 days old.

  The front page of the newspaper featured a headline in bold letters:

  "Residential Building Fire, Brave Act Touches People"

  13 days ago, a fire broke out in a densely populated residential area in Tongmyeong, and the fire was severe.

  Five young construction workers from a nearby site rushed in to save people despite the danger. In total, they rescued over twenty elderly individuals, women, and children. But when they ran into the fire for the last time, they didn't make it.

  There was a large photo on the front page of the 'Tongmyeong Evening News'.

  It showed a group photo of these five individuals.

  They stood shoulder to shoulder, making an old-fashioned scissors hand gesture. It seemed they'd taken this photo together when they first arrived at the construction site and lived in a shed.

  A face that was young yet weathered.

  In the photo, their smiles were restrained but bright.

  Baek Cheong-won walked into the bookstore.

  Looking at the five bowls of rice on the plastic bench, untouched and cold, each with a pair of chopsticks stuck upright in the cold rice.

  (In Korea, China, Japan. Sticking chopsticks upright in a bowl of rice resembles a ritual performed for the dead, where food is offered with incense sticks placed vertically.)

  "They couldn't make it? Sigh....... they were quite an entertaining bunch," said Baek Cheong-won.

  "Nope," replies Park Tae-hyun while walking towards the glass window of the bookstore.

  "Brothers, eat well, drink well, and live your next lives to the fullest."

  Baek Cheong-won murmured while watching the colourful sky from the glass window.

  Outside, fireworks burst.

  There was no ban on fireworks in Tongmyeong.

  For a while, the sky was filled with colorful clouds, vibrant and festive.

  Park Tae-hyun, with both hands in his pockets, looked out and whispered: "Happy New Year."