King of Bad Luck

"You're fired!"

Those words echoed in Kim Gojin's ears. After last month's performance evaluation, Gojin was expecting a promotion, the first in many years. That's why he wasn't surprised when called into Director Park's office.

But instead, when Gojin entered the office, he saw one of his female coworkers, Lee Hee-Jin, crying into Jung Dae-Gyu's shoulder. Once inside, Gojin wasn't even given a moment before being grilled by Director Park Geon-Tae for harassing Hee-Jin.

The accusation struck Gojin with a force he couldn't comprehend. He had always considered Hee-Jin a friend, and he had even stepped in last night when things were spiraling out of control after a few drinks and Hee-Jin got handsy with him.

Given his dating history, Gojin thought getting together with Hee-Jin would destroy their friendship, and that was the last thing he wanted as she was the only person close to him.

Instead, he was confronted with a distorted narrative—a narrative in which Gojin was portrayed as a drunken harasser in an alleyway, and Jung Dae-Gyu, the company's most eligible bachelor and star employee, was the hero who rescued her from him.

Gojin tried to rebuke the claims, but Director Park had already made up his mind. As a result, Gojin was fired from the company to which he had given seven years of his life.

"Be thankful to Miss Hee-Jin because even after what you did to her, she asked me not to mention it in your record," Director Park spat. "You're a disgrace to us! I can't believe I was about to offer you a promotion today."

It was then that it hit Gojin. He looked at Dae-Gyu, who had a subtle smirk on his face. It was all his plan! Since Dae-Gyu and Gojin were both running for the promotion, and he lost, Dae-Gyu must have planned it all to get back at Gojin.

"Director Park, please give me a chance to explain," Gojin begged. "I've been wronged-"

SMACK!

Gojin was shocked when he felt a stinging pain on his cheek. Director Park had just slapped him across the face, shocking even Hee-Jin and Dae-Gyu.

"If your father weren't a friend of mine, I would have called the police to throw you out of here," Director Park snarled as he grabbed Gojin by the collar. "Get out of here, you bastard, and never show me your face again!"

Gojin couldn't even raise his eyes after Director Park slapped him. He had been wronged, but it wasn't the first time, nor it'd have been the last.

He quietly got out, gathered his things, and left the building defeated and with no purpose left in his life. At twenty-seven years of age, Gojin was tired from his miserable life.

Nothing in his life had ever gone right since he was born. First, his biological father abandoned his mother before he was born. Then, when his mom married his stepfather, and he finally found a happy family, even that was taken away by a tragic accident.

In a lonely world, Gojin threw himself into his work only to be unceremoniously thrown out of the workplace on false accusation.

Gojin walked through the empty streets, his head down and hand deep into his pocket as he dumped all his stuff on the roadside, feeling the weight of defeat pressing down on him. His mother has always taught him never to give up, but this time... he couldn't.

Without warning, raindrops began to fall, gentle at first but quickly turning into a steady downpour. Gojin stopped and looked up at the sky.

The rain soaked his face, mingling with the tears he didn't realize he had been shedding. The cold water felt almost cleansing, but it did little to lift the heavy sadness in his heart.

"Should I end it all? Is living even worth anything anymore?" he whispered to himself, his voice barely audible over the sound of the rain.

The idea of ending it all had been haunting him for years, and now, standing in the rain, it felt more tempting than ever. The pain, the loneliness, the constant feeling of being lost—it was all too much.

"Maybe... it'll be easier to die and let go of the pain..."

But even as Gojin contemplated jumping into the Han River, something within him told him to stop. Gojin stood there for a long time, letting the rain wash over him, torn between despair and the faintest glimmer of hope.

Ultimately, he decided not to take the coward's way out. Maybe life had thrown another lesson his way, and he shrugged as he walked home.

But on his way, he heard a girl's scream. Without thinking, Gojin ran towards the sound. He turned into a dark alley and saw several men surrounding a woman who was cowering against the wall.

"Leave her alone!" Gojin yelled, rushing forward.

He inserted himself between the girl and the men, hoping it would deter the men from doing anything dangerous. However, they began laughing, and simultaneously, the woman behind him stopped crying.

Before he knew what was happening, the woman kicked his private jewels, and Gojin fell as terrible pain shot off his body.

He looked up only to see the woman fixing her makeup. She grinned and said, "Thanks for falling into our trap, Mr. Saviour. Here, take this as a reward for your bravery."

The woman leaned in and kissed Gojin's cheek before walking away. Gojin's heart sank as he realized what was happening. It was a setup to lure in unsuspecting men and rob them.

"I don't have any money on me..." Gojin mumbled, trying to deter the men.

"...check him," the leader of the goons instructed the underlings, who confirmed that Gojin was broke as hell.

The leader frowned, taking a drag of his cigarette, "What a waste of time. Beat him up!"

The goons advanced on Gojin. He fought back as best he could but couldn't do much as he was outnumbered and unarmed. Fists and kicks rained down on him, and he struggled to get on his feet. One of the attackers, growing impatient, pulled out a knife.

"Enough of this," the man growled.

In one swift motion, he stabbed Gojin in the side. Pain shot through Gojin's body, and he collapsed to the ground. The leader saw it and smacked the man who stabbed Gojin.

Their plan was to rob and scare Gojin like they were paid to do by Dae-Gyu, not to kill him. Scared, they left him lying in the alley to die.

Gojin lay there, the rain mixing with his blood as it pooled around him. Eventually, his vision blurred, and he felt the cold creeping in. He took one last, shuddering breath, his thoughts drifting to the life he wished he could have lived—a life full of success and riches.

The rain continued to fall, the alley silent once more, save for the sound of raindrops hitting the ground. Gojin's life slipped away unnoticed by the world.

As darkness took over, he noticed a light heading his way. At first, he thought it was one of the angels the religious people kept talking about, ready to take his soul to heaven.

Instead, the light took the shape of an old man who smacked him across the face.

"Get up, you pathetic brat!"