12 Hours After

Translator: Khan

Editor: RED

Ding~ Dong~

The bell rang once, I heard a happy voice. “Chicken delivery!”

I went out the front door with the cash I had prepared.

“Here are boneless chicken and a draft beer of 600cc.”

“It’s twenty-two dollars, right?”

“Yes, it is.”

I handed the cash to the deliveryman.

“Have a good meal!” he told me.

After the deliveryman left, I sat in front of my computer with chicken and beer. Being a little nervous, I felt thirsty. I opened the cap on the plastic bottle of beer before the chicken.

Chi…

The carbonic acid came out and made a refreshing sound. I tilted the bottle and poured it into the mug. The golden beer flowed out with that wonderful sound. As soon as the foam was about to overflow the glass, I put my mouth on it and inhaled. I drank one shot at a time.

“Kha-” It was nice and cool. After the glass of beer, I felt a little relaxed. I looked at the monitor, slowly pouring beer into the glass this time. The monitor had two windows. One was a window broadcasting Real Madrid vs. Deportivo, and the other was a window broadcasting Barcelona vs. Las Palmas. I opened the chicken box, licking my lips. And I thought about ten thousand dollars.

‘If it works as expected… I’ll make ten thousand dollars today.’

I felt happy with my imagination. My salary was about thirty thousand dollars a year. I got paid more than my peers, but it was not easy to save twenty thousand dollars a year after paying taxes and living expenses for rent. If I could earn ten thousand dollars in ninety minutes of a soccer game, it would be like being hit by a money rush.

‘I’ll be able to pay back my remaining student loans immediately, if it’s ten thousand dollars.’

No, but when I thought of it, it might be better not to pay back my debts. If I would continue to make such a profit, ten thousand dollars would be a hundred thousand dollars, a hundred thousand dollars would be one million dollars, and one million dollars would be ten million dollars. It would not take long. If you knew the future, even ten million dollars was not that difficult. Then I could pay back the remaining debt with a few months’ interest. I did the math in my mind.

‘If I have ten million dollars… I can get two hundred thousand dollars even if the annual interest rate is 2 percent. Even if it’s divided into 12 months… it’s sixteen thousand dollars per month. Or I’m sure it’ll come to seventeen thousand dollars.’

It would not take months. If I held ten million dollars, I would be able to pay back ten thousand dollars in student loans with one month’s interest. I was happy to imagine such a thing. I was half drunk with beer, half drunk with such imagination and began to watch the game. Kick off. As they were in the same La Liga, the two games were played simultaneously with only a minute’s difference. I watched Real Madrid play first.

‘Well… in the article, it must have to be… At the first half, they lead the game, but Pepe will be sent off at the fourteenth minute…’

Just like the article, Real Madrid was pressing the other team with a high possession rate of the ball. But this was natural. If they asked anyone in their twenties walking down the street, they would say that Real Madrid would prevail in this game.

Perhaps the turning point was Pepe’s red card and a penalty kick tribute. Real Madrid was a team that could not lose easily, especially at home, Santiago Bernabeu. It was less than ten minutes since the game had started.

I shifted my gaze to Barcelona. Barcelona was also pressing hard on its opponent. Though the old Tiki-taka days were gone, they were still barely giving any possession of the ball to the opponent with accurate passes and teamwork.

‘Real Madrid will be as prophesied… Barcelona, you have to win.’

I prayed inward, holding the chicken leg. And a few minutes later, it was the fated time. The present time was twelve minutes. Only two minutes were left to the exit. I watched the Real Madrid game with a slight strain. There was also the Barcelona game, but right now, I was more concerned about this side.

‘Will the prophecy come true again…’

Whenever I was nervous, I gulped down the beer. Twelfth minute, thirteenth minute, fourteenth minute… At last, it was the fourteenth minute of fate. I put aside the Barcelona game and set the Real Madrid game at full screen. A striker of Deportivo, who had just received the pass, began dribbling toward Real Madrid.

‘It’s here.’

I clenched a mug of beer. Real Madrid defender Pepe was on the run to the fast-paced striker. I thought he would have a rough foul right away, but the striker shot before reaching Pepe.

‘A mid-range shot? If it is, this is out of the scenario.’

The flying shot flew precisely towards the goalpost. At that moment, I rather wanted the goal not to go in. If it did, my bet would fit in, but the article I had seen would be a lie.

‘No! My ten million dollars!’

It was a relief. The goalkeeper managed to push it out. Corner kick. I sighed.

‘All right. The goal… no, the foul is alive!’

I watched the game with my legs shaking. The players took their positions for the corner kick and prepared for it. The problem was that the game time was still passing in the middle of it. I watched nervously as the game time passed. Fourteen minutes forty-eight seconds, forty-nine seconds, fifty seconds…

“Hurry up and kick it!” I shouted as if I were the coach of the game. After a long pause, the kicker finally took a corner kick. And after a while, at exactly fourteen minutes and fifty-eight seconds, a long whistle rang out.

To be honest, I did not know what was going on. Only, the color of the card the referee approached and gave to Pepe was clearly visible. It was a red card. I shouted loud enough to make the studio shake. “That’s it! That’s it!”

At first, Pepe complained to the referee, but when it didn’t work, he grabbed his head and left the area. The audience of Santiago Bernabeu’s home team also looked frustrated. A Deportivo player was coming in to the penalty kick line.

To be honest, I now had complete confidence in the accuracy of the article. When Roger Jackson died, I was so busy that I could not realize it, and during the last baseball game, I didn’t see it properly due to Heo’s interference at work, but I couldn’t help but believe it when I saw the article coming true with my eyes.

“It goes in. I’m sure!” Just as my cry rang out, the ball left the kicker’s foot and stuck in the left lower part of the goalpost. I clenched my fist tightly.

“Yes!” Now the game was practically complete. It would be 2-0 in the second half, but I wasn’t interested in it now.

‘Barcelona… What about Barcelona?’

I now had the Barcelona game on the main screen. The game there was still 0:0. It was only fifteen minutes since the game had started, so it was understandable. But I wanted to have a fast result.

‘Just in case…’

I hoped it would relieve my worries. I watched the game, tearing apart the chicken and drinking beer.

‘Please! Cheer for Barcelona!’

I was sorry for our country, but it was worth ten thousand dollars. I cheered for Barcelona more than when I had cheered for the World Cup by shouting “Dae~han~min~guk!” And soon I was rewarded. At twenty-three minutes into the first half, Messi, who had received Iniesta’s pass, scored a goal with an elaborate shot.

“That’s good, Messi! As expected, Messi! Thank you, Messi!” I put my hands together and thanked him. If my thanks were working, Messi made a hat trick, scoring two more goals in the first half. I became his fanatic now.

“Yes, Messi is a god of soccer. God Messi, thank you, thank you!”

———————

I turned off the light and lay down on the bed. I was full of chicken, and I felt a little tipsy from the beer. I saw the results of today’s game on my smartphone one last time before I fell asleep.

[Final Scores]

[Real Madrid vs. Deportivo 0:2]

[Barcelona vs. Las Palmas 6:0]

I now had a ten thousand dollars’ Proto receipt in my hand.

‘Yes! I was born with a plastic spoon in my mouth, but I’m done with slavery today. With this money, with this information, what should I do now? Stocks? Real estate? Bitcoin?’

Whatever I did, I could do anything. Twelve hours before others, I could get all kinds of information in politics, economy, society, culture and so on.

‘With this, I can be rich. I can be a great rich man!’

The idea filled me with joy. I imagined myself this way while drunk, and fell asleep.