LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 6
Kim Sujin had been living a life like a modern-day princess.
From the moment she was born, if there was something she wanted, she got it all.
Sometimes, things she didn’t even want would end up in her hands before she even wished for them.
Everyone adored her.
But there was one exception.
Enter Kim Donghu.
That little rascal who would throw a tantrum and make her cry.
Sujin both liked and disliked Donghu.
She disliked that he wouldn’t hold her hand, but eventually, he held it begrudgingly, which she liked.
When she asked him to eat bell peppers, he scolded her for being picky, which she hated, but in the end, he ate them all for her, which she liked.
It was great to be on a TV show together, but she felt bummed he didn’t want to do more.
“Where are you going?”
When a princess says to join her, you just follow, right? But she hated that he even asked.
“…Just hanging out.”
“Okay.”
In the end, she was glad he followed along.
“Oh, then let me contact my parents for a sec.”
“Uh, no need. My mom already called and got permission.”
“…Do our moms even know each other’s numbers?”
“Yeah, they exchanged them that time.”
Oh right, they did exchange numbers that time.
Donghu nodded.
If they already had permission, there was nothing to hold back.
“Alright, let’s go!”
Sujin grabbed Donghu’s hand and ran.
At the destination was Kim Yu-ryun.
“Hello!”
“Hey, are you ready to play?”
“Huh?”
As in, what does that mean? Ignoring Donghu’s confused question, Sujin put him in the car.
Typically, kindergarten dismisses kids at four in the afternoon.
Even if they were going out to play, they wouldn’t have much time.
But that thought was dashed when Kim Yu-ryun took them to the aquarium.
Surprisingly, there weren’t many people at the aquarium, which is usually open until eight.
I mean, who goes to an aquarium on a weekday afternoon anyway?
Thanks to that, Kim Yu-ryun didn’t bother disguising herself and casually walked around the aquarium.
‘Was this planned?’
If you don’t know Kim Yu-ryun, you might as well be a spy in this world.
And yet, here she was, roaming around like she owned the place.
Clearly, a top star knows how to pick her spots.
‘This is nice.’
A five-year-old with boundless energy exploring an aquarium.
It was an experience Donghu never had in his past life, and a smile crept onto his lips.
“Is it good?”
Sujin, who had been watching him closely, chuckled in return.
“Yeah.”
“I like it too.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be answering while looking at the aquarium?”
“Nope, I came here to play with you!”
Sujin said that with a burst of giggles.
Such a pure, childlike laugh.
Then, suddenly, tears began to well up in her eyes.
Just when Donghu was about to ask what was wrong, he…
In a fleeting moment.
“Starting tomorrow, I won’t be able to go to daycare anymore.”
Su-Jin continued, trying hard to hold back tears, her round chubby cheeks puffing up even more.
“Huh?”
“I have to move. Mom says we’re going to a somewhat better place…”
That’s why she wanted to play together today, one last time. Su-Jin started crying as she spoke those words.
She didn’t wail loudly like before; instead, she let her tears fall quietly like tiny drops.
“Will we be able to meet again later?”
“Of course! Our moms have each other’s contacts, so there’s no way we won’t meet again.”
“Hehe, great.”
With laughter, the tears ceased. Su-Jin grabbed Dong-Hoo’s hand again, and they wandered around the aquarium.
They played until they were tired, then sat opposite each other to eat.
But when it was finally time to part ways, Su-Jin burst into tears once more.
“Waaaaah! I want to stay with Dong-Hoo forever!”
“You can’t, you’re moving tomorrow.”
“But stillooooo.”
In front of Dong-Hoo’s house, Su-Jin wrapped her arms around his neck and sagged down.
Kim Yu-ryun was at a loss, and so was Lee Yoo-hyun.
Then, Dong-Hoo surprised everyone with his words.
“Yeah! Sounds good!”
Hearing that, Su-Jin nodded, laughing through her tears.
Mwah!
She mustered up her courage for a kiss on the cheek.
That moment marked the end, and from the next day, Su-Jin stopped going to daycare.
“Time flies.”
Dong-Hoo turned six.
+++++
In 2002.
The historic year when the World Cup was held in South Korea.
It was a time when no one was left out of the soccer fever and everyone was going wild.
It wasn’t strange to hear kids being asked, “You don’t know about the 2002 World Cup craze?”
That’s how much the nation was obsessed with soccer, feeling a sense of unity.
Countless companies held World Cup events.
Everyone came together, wishing for Korea to perform well.
And that included my dad, Kim Jang-ryeol, who said:
“Son, Dad believes in you no matter what.”
“It’s a sure thing. I saw it in my dream.”
“Okay.”
“Yes.”
I didn’t remember much else, but I made sure to hold on to this.
‘I’m pretty sharp when it comes to stuff like this.’
[The Sims – Real Life] Korea mode.
One of the historical events that never failed to appear was the 2002 World Cup.
I couldn’t possibly not know the score with how much I watched it.
“Dad, but you absolutely can’t tell anyone about this.”
“Got it.”
My dad, Kim Jang-ryeol, was your typical Korean father.
He was quiet, only spoke when necessary, expressed affection awkwardly, but had a strong sense of responsibility for the family.
A person who is clumsy with expressions of affection but has a strong sense of responsibility towards family.
But the one who added ten spoons of silence to that was my dad.
‘Even now, it doesn’t feel like he believes in me; he’s just going along with it because I’m working hard on something.’
Regardless of the process, the important thing is the result.
My dad will eventually just follow my words for the sports betting.
The real issue was how much to bet.
‘I don’t think he’ll bet much based on what the kids say.’
Still, if we get all the scores right, the odds can go up to at least 100 to 1, maybe even 1000 to 1.
It means you could turn 1 million won into 10 billion if things go well.
Of course, that’s assuming you bet a lot, but still.
‘First, I’ll ask him to place the same amount I’ll earn.’
If things go well, I might start this life as a property owner.
Let’s aim for a life-changing win with the 2002 World Cup betting.
+++++
I graduated from preschool in February.
As soon as March started, I went straight into kindergarten.
Since I’d just be here for a year anyway, it wasn’t a particularly exciting place.
Just like in my past life, I felt the same way this time.
Of course.
“Wow… that guy is really handsome.”
“But I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere…”
My looks did change how people perceived me.
‘Oh, you’re still here, huh?’
At six years old.
The kid who burst into tears as soon as he sat next to me.
And later, the talent who would lead the next generation of Korean idols.
Ryu Jaerin.
She was looking straight at me.
‘But think about it; we’ve all been tangled up like this once.’
Future connections that would have an incredible high point.
There was a moment when I shared the same space with them.
And not just Kim Sujin and Ryu Jaerin.
In the past, none of us could do anything because of our looks, and everything got cut short.
‘But now it’s different.’
It felt meaningless to have that resolve.
“Nothing much is happening.”
Nothing significant occurred in kindergarten.
Well, since Ryu Jaerin becoming an idol was a story for much later.
Right now, she was just another kindergartener like me.
“…I think you’re going to have to marry me later.”
“What?”
Except for Ryu Jaerin sometimes spouting such nonsensical words.
There wasn’t anything notable to talk about during kindergarten.
Later, when it came out that I appeared in [Dr. Kya-Ruk!], there was a brief controversy,
but other than that, nothing much happened.
I suppose that’s why time flew by so quickly.
What’s amazing is that despite all the seat changes over the year, I was always partnered with Ryu Jaerin.
Every time we drew lots, it was like a miracle for us to sit next to each other.
We even went on picnics and to amusement parks in between.
Going out to play, and so on.
There was a kindergarten-level event, but nothing special happened.
Maybe this was the norm all along.
“Well, I guess having a childhood actor friend and being on TV at five isn’t exactly normal.”
Just as I was having those thoughts.
“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”
Something big happened at our house.
My quiet dad, who rarely said a word,
burst into the house, his face as red as a ripe tomato, and yelled.
This day was extremely historic.
The day South Korea made it to the semifinals.
“Let’s move! No, let’s buy a building!”
It was the day the World Cup odds paid off big time.
True to his reticent personality, Dad hadn’t told anyone about it.
Yet, he was ecstatic watching our country break through in the tournament.
“How much did you win?”
“Three million won.”
“What?”
Wait, where would three million won even come from in our house?
As I looked at Dad with that expression, Mom smacked Dad’s back like she was hunting him down.
“You didn’t put down a deposit, did you?!”
“…”
Silence.
“Huh.”
I also lost my words just looking at that scene.
Seriously, where in the world would you find a dad who puts down a deposit based on some six-year-old’s sports info?
Well, I mean, I did find one.
But I never expected it to be my dad.
“Ughhh… Ugh… AHHHH!”
Right when he saw me, Dad hugged me tightly and cried for a long time.
And at the same time, I discovered a truth I hadn’t known.
‘…Mom had cancer?’
The reason I lost my parents was due to an accident.
So I didn’t know the details until now.
But cancer, really?
‘Well, I couldn’t have been expected to know that.’
What kind of parent tells their just six-year-old kid about cancer?
They could have hidden it until I became an adult or until the situation worsened.
‘Anyway, it’s fine.’
Yeah, at least this was one urgent fire put out.
The following year, by the end of the year.
We became the owners of a building in Bundang.
And the name was in my name.