CBR 3

The mart located next to the hospital had a pleasant interior, as expected of a large supermarket. Fitted with many amenities, it was a place where one could spend time efficiently in addition to grocery shopping, making it a favorite spot of Jaewon’s. After wandering around the entrance for a moment, he headed straight for the bookstore. Enjoying the refreshing breeze from the air conditioner, he moved between the bookshelves. He selected a book recommended by his major’s professor and placed it in his basket, then meticulously examined the required reading newly listed on Korea’s largest financial tech café, ‘People Who Hate Taking Losses.’ When he needed to refresh his mind, exhausted by printed type, he looked around at liberal arts books for Jung Soojung to read. By the time he, buried under a pile of books, raised his head again, a significant amount of time had passed. Feeling that the people around had become sparse, he selected the books to purchase, paid for them, and stepped out of the bookstore.

“Aah, why is it raining like this?”

“I should’ve brought the car.”

Bleakly defying his efforts to hold out, a downpour was still gushing outside. It didn’t look like a passing shower. Gazing grimly at the streams of rain, Jaewon acknowledged his error in judgment and changed his course to buy an umbrella. Trying to avoid an unnecessary expense had resulted in a waste of time as well, making it a day of bad luck. No wonder the claim that life is a gamble tasted bitter to him.

On the way toward the general household goods section, reaching the electronics section brought forth a full-color feast. Dozens of TVs were broadcasting various programming from channel to channel. About to pass by mindlessly, Jaewon stopped his steps at a voice drifting into his ears.

“…Then, we will begin the drawing.”

Normally, it was a sound he wouldn’t have paid the slightest attention to. Had that single sheet of paper in his pocket altered his sensory perception system? When he turned his head at the word ‘drawing,’ he saw a screen with a man and woman standing side-by-side. Jaewon recalled that today was Saturday—that is, lottery drawing day.

‘Talk about perfect timing.’

Memories of his stormy seven-year-old self flashed vividly back to him—when, harboring dreams of a sudden fortune, he had begged his uncle to buy tickets on his behalf, buying up lottery tickets in bulk only to squander his entire fortune. After tasting that bitter defeat, he had lived a life devoid of gambling. The taste of the yogurt he had sucked on back then was still vivid on his tongue, making it hilarious to see his adult self buying a lottery ticket again and watching the drawing broadcast. Even so, there was nothing to lose, so it was worth checking for fun. Saturday happened to be a day when the stock market was closed, so his schedule was also relaxed.

“For the prize win, as long as the numbers match, the order in which the balls come out does not matter.”

As the clean-cut host finished speaking, the balls contained inside the round sphere began to roll. After balls of various colors bounced like corn in a popcorn machine, one slipped out of the hole.

“Now, here is the first winning ball.”

Watching the rapidly spinning ball, Jaewon fumbled in his pocket. While he unfolded the twice-folded paper, the host’s commentary continued.

“It is blue ball number 23.”

His eyes moved along with the words. Among the closely lined-up numbers, he saw the scene where 2 and 3 were attached together. Not a bad start.

“The second winning ball is….”

Jaewon flipped the lottery ticket over nonchalantly. On the cheap paper, easily mistaken for a receipt if one wasn’t careful, hope approaching 80 billion won was printed. How human was the act of investing in futile hope. In that sense, the lottery institution was issuing nothing less than torture disguised as good fortune.

It was bound to be a dud anyway. While pondering how to tease his uncle, who had said life was something you only knew by placing a bet, the drawing continued, and by the time he snapped out of it, the fifth winning ball was being announced.

“The fifth winning ball, green ball number 45.”

Having missed the numbers in succession, his eyes moved rapidly. At the bottom of the screen, the numbers drawn so far were listed, and the numbers without continuity were strangely familiar. On his pupils, which were busy moving back and forth between the screen and the paper, focus vanished at a certain moment, and his pupils dilated.

“…What’s this.”

Doubting his eyes, he examined the lottery ticket repeatedly, but everything remained as it was. Within 30 seconds, he had become a 3rd-place winner. His pulse, which seemed to have stopped for a moment, began to surge violently.

If just one more matches.

The situation was overturned in an instant, and the expectation that had converged toward 0 percent completely transformed. Even 3rd place was something to clap with one’s feet while doing a handstand for, but as a human being, one naturally came to covet more than that. Countless possibilities and cases swept through his head. The speed at which blood circulated throughout his body changed, and his heart pounded as if it would burst, to the point where the beating sound echoed through his entire body.

“What is the 2nd-place bonus ball?”

“Yes, the 2nd-place bonus ball is yellow ball number 8.”

The rotation of the final ball stopped, and it rolled out into the exit slot. While the host recited the winning numbers once more, six balls were captured on screen one after another.

“Then we will see you next week.”

“Thank you.”

Along with the hosts’ closing remarks, the program ended and commercials began. There was no longer any reason to stay, but Jaewon did not budge in the slightest.

Having been motionlessly still like a plaster statue, he pulled out his cell phone. As his fingers tapped the screen rapidly, the lottery website appeared. The lottery ticket was raised slowly upward and lined up right next to the cell phone. On his light-colored irises, each number was formed large and clear, as if reflected through a magnifying glass. The numbers on the smartphone screen and the six numbers arranged horizontally on the paper matched without exception. Under the mart lights beating down like a spotlight, a single shadow vanished.

Splosh, splosh, splosh!

Every time he kicked off from the waterlogged ground, muddy water splashed in all directions, and a noisy splashing sound rang out loudly. The figure running through the rain was frantic, as if being chased by someone.

“Ah!”

“What the, watch where you’re going!”

Although he collided with pedestrians while rounding a corner, Jaewon kept running without a word of apology. Curses flew toward the back of his head, but he didn’t care. He was in a state where he had lost the discernment to distinguish water from fire.

Life was indeed a gamble.

His worldview, flipped over like a hotcake, took over the brain’s control tower. Without even time to savor the situation where several million won had rolled in an instant, Jaewon had become the protagonist of a turnaround drama.

3 billion!

The prize money was a whopping 3 billion won. After tax deductions, 2 billion would be deposited, and if he split that half-and-half with his uncle, he would resultantly hold 1 billion won in his hands.

“Woah.”

Jaewon, who had been sprinting down the downhill slope without hesitation, nearly slipped and fell before barely catching his balance. Bending at the waist and resting his hands on both knees, he gasped for breath that had risen up to his chin.

“Haff, haff, haah, cough.”

Coughing and breathing burst out frantically. He had run with so much all-out effort that he could feel the taste of blood in his throat. In his vision, turned yellow, he saw a blackish sky as if ink had been poured into it.

1 billion won really dropped from the sky.

“Haah, ha… hahahaha!!”

Jaewon chuckled like a person who had lost his mind, then finally threw his body backward and burst out laughing like a crazy person. His eyes closed in the pouring rain, and rainwater flowed into his mouth, but nothing could ruin his mood. Blood pumping out from his wildly throbbing heart raced fiercely through his blood vessels along with adrenaline. Unable to overcome the boiling excitement, he threw a punch toward the sky.

“Hey, fuck. I’ll use it real well.”

Roughly spitting out words not knowing toward whom they were directed, he began running again. The backpack hanging on his back shook violently up and down in step with his running. Before long, a crosswalk appeared. Although the traffic light was still red, he sprinted on, shattering even his own strict rule against jaywalking. When he had crossed halfway across the street, a strange sound was heard behind his back, as if something had fallen to the ground.

Stopping abruptly with momentum that almost caused him to tumble forward, Jaewon turned around. On the road, his belongings were scattered in a mess. It seemed he had rushed out of the mart right after winning without even properly zipping his bag.

The worn pencil case he had been using for years, a few ballpoint pens whose lead had worn down completely, notebooks, and books. Among them, a thick book caught his eye. It was Jung Soojung’s favorite book these days.

‘What kind of damn… no, where did you get this book this time?’

‘A new arrival came into the secondhand bookstore. Its condition is completely like new and quite nice, right?’

‘Now you’ve even broken into secondhand bookstores? I applaud your spirit of exploration.’

‘Eey, it’s nothing much… I’m shy because you’re praising me.’

‘…’