12 Hours After

Translator: Khan

Editor: RED

The reason for my surprise was that when I clicked on the Sports category of my email, something else appeared instead of the familiar article.

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[The free subscription period for the Bronze Class is over. To extend your subscription, sign up for the monthly subscription.

Monthly Subscription Method:

If you deposit ten thousand dollars to N bank account 777-777-777-777-777 and receiver 777, You will be subscribed to the monthly subscription service immediately and you will receive a Silver Class Membership Service.

Silver Class Benefits:

You can pick three categories a day, click on the titles. You can click on the article you want. In addition, you can apply for a Gold Class Membership Service.]

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'What? Bronze? Silver? Class?'

It was like a concept from a game.

'I don't see the article which came out. What's this... Are these guys playing with me now...'

I tried to press the back button. By the way, I was worried that this email might disappear, too.

'Oh... no. If I go back and never get this email again...'

Then all my dreams and hopes would disappear. I swallowed and read it over again.

'Free subscription is over... Now, read the article... Do I have to pay ten thousand dollars?'

Ten thousand dollars was just what I made today. But were they asking me to pay it all away? In addition, the account which would receive the pay was also strange. Although N Bank was the well-known bank that everyone in Korea knew, the account number that listed 777 was quite unusual. If I acknowledged the account number, the name of the receiver was even more ridiculous than that. It was 777. That was absolutely ridiculous!

I mumbled, frowning, "What's this? Is it a kid's joke?"

But when I looked back at how I had got this email in the first place, there had been countless similar things, including the unknown flyer, the funny phone number, and an email without a sender.

'...let's read more.'

I read down further. The term "monthly payment" stood out.

'The monthly payment is... If I pay them ten thousand dollars, they'll show it to me for a month. Ten thousand dollars a month... Then... it's very cheap.'

Of course, there was no guarantee that articles that I received would generate money every time. In the case of the first article of Roger Jackson's death I had ever received, there was no way to get the money. However, if only one such article as "the shocking defeat of Real Madrid" appeared like yesterday, it would take only one day to get back ten thousand dollars. I put my brain to work.

'Even if I was lucky yesterday... Wouldn't two or three of those articles come if I received articles for a month?'

In addition, knowing the result of a game such as Hanhwa vs. Lotte that I had received two days ago, would still make me double or triple the money.

'Yes, considering that... It's not very cheap, either. It's a price that I have to pay anyway.'

I went down the article with that thought. The next thing I saw was the Silver Class Service.

'I can pick three categories, then I can select a news item after seeing the titles... Then...'

In that case, the expected price was even higher. The Lotto winning number which would appear in the "Life/Culture" was a very low probability, and I had never clicked on it. However, if I had an extra chance, it would be worth taking. In addition, there would be an opportunity for the Economy category that was considered the final boss. I tried to start looking at it later when I had more money, but it wouldn't be bad to experience it here in advance.

'All right, let's make a deposit.'

When I was firmly determined in my mind, I found a way to transfer ten thousand dollars.

'To transfer ten thousand dollars... I need a certificate for OTP at home.'

I walked faster toward the house. In the meantime, I noticed the last phrase.

'You can apply for a Gold Class Membership Service.'

I thought, scratching my forehead.

'What... is it Silver after Bronze, then Gold after Silver?'

If I used common sense, there would be more benefits in the Gold Class.

'Then how do I apply for the Gold Class? Is there a higher class than the Gold?'

Questions lingered, but right now there was no more information to learn. Since applying for the Gold Class was one of the benefits of the Silver Class, I thought I should sign up for the monthly payment first.

When I got home, I turned on the computer and pulled up the bank certificate for OTP from the desk drawer. I went to an Internet banking site that I usually used, signed in and applied for an account transfer service.

'The transfer amount is ten thousand dollars, and the account number to receive it is...'

When I hit the numbers 7777 in a row, I questioned myself. 'By the way... Does this stupid account number exist?'

It was a pretty natural thought.

'I don't care. Anyway, I am Alice who came into a strange country after a rabbit. Even if the hat seller leads me to a strange place, I have to follow him.'

I wrote out all sevens with that thought. The receiver '777' appeared in the small window of the "Receiver." Even though I had prepared myself in my mind, I muttered unknowingly, "Oh, my God... is this something that can even exist in Korea?"

But even if I said so, I was already getting a password through OTP.

[741503]

After inserting the 6-digit OTP password, the message 'Certified' appeared. Now, If I just pressed the transfer button, I would get the monthly service as a Silver Class Member. I took the mouse cursor to the transfer button. But at the last minute, I wondered. 'Is this some kind of fraud or trickery? Some kind of devil makes people make money and gets it back?'

That was what I thought. On reflection, the process was smooth. Even I made ten thousand dollars for three articles received.

'If I press a cancel button here and take ten thousand dollars...'

Then I could return to reality neatly and pay off the remaining student loans. That was not a bad choice either.

But then my cell phone rang once. "Yiing~"

A text message came in. The sender was the section chief Heo.

[Hey, Han, we suddenly scheduled a seminar tomorrow. I sent you an email, so check it out and prepare a portfolio. Do it right. If you don't, I'll take it into the personal performance assessment. You know your salary is raised according to the assessment, right? You've already watched a baseball game during business hours, and it has already been considered in the assessment. So, at least to make up for it, do it right, okay?]

The email roused my anger. I threw my cell phone at my computer desk and turned the mouse cursor around.

'Yes, it's not fraud. It was an article telling the future. It was a strange fate. It's a chance God gave me. This is the only way I can get away from him.'

I made a left-click without hesitation.

[You have transferred ten thousand dollars to 777.]

Then, at the same time, the cell phone that I had thrown rang once more. "Yiing~"

I picked up my cell phone. One more message was posted over Heo's message.

[Congratulations, Han Sang Hoon. You are subscribed to the Silver Class Service. Now you can selectively receive an email at 8:55 a.m. daily for a month. You can now apply for the Gold Class Service.]

Seeing the text message which seemed natural in some ways and quite strange in others, I leaned back into the chair and relaxed. I did not know what was going to happen in the future, but there was only one now. I could tell by my sixth sense that my life would be quite different from before.