Chapter 5
Chapter 5
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Na-young Han
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Mom had seen Na-young crying and felt so guilty that she couldn't bring herself to come back to the living room.
She was just preparing dinner without even changing out of her clothes, sitting there like she was on a bed of thorns. Since Na-young showed no sign of stopping her tears, I brought her to my room.
"Feeling a bit better?"
Maybe it was because I'd held her close, letting her bury her face in my chest and stroking her back until she calmed down. Na-young's face was flushed bright red.
She tried to hide it with her long bangs, but I'd already seen everything there was to see.
"Mom didn't mean it in a bad way. So don't let it get to you."
"U-uh-huh..."
I let out a deep sigh, as if I were disappointed in Mom for no reason.
Truth be told, it was a secret that I wanted to run to Mom right now, high-five her, and pull her into a big hug.
"I won't let it get to me... More than that, Ji-hoon..."
"Yeah?"
"D-do you... l-like me...? No...! Nothing...!"
She must have overheard my entire conversation with Mom, including my confession.
So Na-young's face held a flicker of strange anticipation, but she quickly shook her head, thinking there was no way someone like me could like a fat, ugly girl like her.
Maybe love that comes too easily breaks just as easily.
Besides, imagining Na-young, now confident after slimming down to her peak beauty, confessing to me already had me excited.
So I decided to give her some space and wait for her confession, without pressing her with questions.
Gurgle.
"......"
A cute sound came from Na-young's stomach.
Her face turned red for a completely different reason this time, and she hung her head low.
"Pretty hungry, huh?"
Of course she was starving.
It was dinnertime, when anyone would be hungry anyway, and on top of that, she'd worked her body hard all day trying to lose weight.
Plus, at her age, she burned energy fast even just sitting still.
"Dinner's probably ready by now... Wanna head out?"
I suggested carefully.
She felt a bit resentful and awkward after eavesdropping earlier, but her hunger won out, and she nodded silently.
Sure enough, when we got to the kitchen, dinner was all laid out.
Mom apparently had no intention of eating; there were just two heaping bowls of rice and matching pairs of chopsticks.
"Let's eat."
For some reason, I felt guilty, like I'd stolen Mom's dinner.
But there was nothing for it... I forced myself to accept that and dug in.
After we finished eating.
"Go back to the room. I'll clean up and be there soon."
"Okay..."
I sent Na-young back to the room first, cleared the table, and started on the dishes.
"Just leave it. Mom'll do it."
Mom came out after washing up and changing, speaking to me mid-wash.
"No, it's fine. More importantly, aren't you gonna eat, Mom?"
"Sigh... I know I should, but nothing appeals to me tonight."
I finished scrubbing the last soapy bowl, rinsed it, set it aside, and took off the rubber gloves.
"You still have to eat. Want me to make you something?"
"What are you gonna make?"
Most people skipped cooking because it was a hassle, but I'd always cooked for myself to save money while living alone.
I wasn't as good as Mom, but I could whip up something edible. Guess tonight wasn't the night to show off.
"Ji-hoon."
"Yes."
"Dad's company has been struggling lately, and it's wearing me down too, so I ended up saying something weird. Forget what I said earlier, okay? Tell your friend... Na-young, was it? Have fun and head home safe."
"Got it."
I'd thought she'd come to the kitchen to fill her empty stomach, but she must've come to say that. She gave a wry smile and turned away.
I couldn't just leave Mom to starve when she had no fat left to lose, so I made some kimchi fried rice onigiri—the kind I often made for myself while living alone—brought it to her, and headed back to my room.
"Sorry. Took too long?"
"...?!"
When I opened the door and stepped in, Na-young jumped in surprise and quickly hid her hands behind her back.
Was there something in my room worth hiding? No idea.
"Na-young. Why so jumpy?"
"Uh, uh-huh... Nothing... at all."
"Nothing, my foot. What's behind your back?"
"......"
Na-young hesitated.
"I'm not mad if you looked or touched something."
"Really...?"
"Of course. Why would I be mad?"
The old me might not have been so aboveboard, but the current me really was.
"This... Sorry for touching it without permission."
Na-young finally revealed what she'd hastily hidden.
It was nothing much, after a...
"Huh? Why's this here?"
It was nothing serious, but at this point in time, it was an impossible item clutched in her hand.
Seeing it made my body go rigid.
Forget disbelief— the possibility that our family's desperate situation might improve had me thrilled.
"My phone..."
It was none other than the smartphone that had been my constant companion before regression, spending more than half my day with me.
A model that absolutely shouldn't exist in this era, boasting impossible specs—why was it here? And why hadn't I found it until now? Questions bubbled up one after another.
"Na-young..."
"S-sorry...!"
Na-young squeezed her eyes shut, thinking I'd be mad she'd touched my stuff without asking.
But far from angry, I just wanted to pull her big frame into the tightest hug.
First things first.
"Where'd you find it?"
"Under... the bed."
That explains why I hadn't found it.
"Hand it over."
"Okay..."
I took the smartphone.
Powering it on filled the black screen with bright light.
The familiar wallpaper greeted me, and a smile spread across my face.
The time and date were frozen on the day of my regression, refusing to budge.
"Internet works, but no updates, huh."
Same with the internet. No new posts since that day.
Heart pounding, I checked the lottery site for this week's yet-to-be-announced numbers.
Six digits popped up.
"Ha, haha... hahahaha!"
They might not be the actual numbers for this week, but it was worth a shot.
If these hit...
"Stock charts are intact too."
Checking stocks, my lips refused to stop grinning.
"Na-young!"
"J-Ji-hoon...?!"
I laughed heartily and pulled Na-young into a hug, jumping around the room.
Na-young started flustered but soon flushed bright red, jumping along with my movements.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Before the sun fully set, I sent her home.
Normally, I'd insist on walking her all the way despite the hassle because it's dangerous, but I had no time for that now.
With light steps, I went to find Mom in her room.
"What...? Buy a lottery ticket with these numbers?"
Mom stared at me in confusion as I rattled off six lottery numbers out of nowhere.
"Just once! Please buy one set with these numbers, just once!"
"What's with the kid and lottery all of a sudden?"
"I have a feeling!"
"A feeling...?"
"It happens! Can't you just buy one for me, call it a loss?"
I wanted to buy it myself, but age restrictions meant I had to ask Mom.
"Lottery... lottery, huh... Sigh... We don't have the spare cash, but grabbing at straws isn't the worst idea."
Mom hated gambling.
Lottery wasn't entirely unlike it, so she wasn't thrilled, but our family's dire straits left her nodding in resignation.
I grinned and carefully wrote down the six numbers, pressing the paper into her hand.
Mom bought one ticket without much hope.
One matched the numbers I'd given her exactly. The other four were random.
Mom had zero expectations, but I was so hyped the wait until the weekend drawing felt endless.
Draw day arrived.
Mom had forgotten she'd even bought it and was doing chores, so I dragged her to the sofa and turned on the lottery broadcast.
Later on, interest in the lottery surged, with first prizes going to nearly ten people per drawing.
But right now, rumors called it a scam, so sales were low, and it often rolled over without a winner.
"It's not gonna hit anyway."
So Mom had no expectations at all.
But.
"Huh...? Wha-what...?"
As numbers appeared on screen one by one, every single one I'd told her to pick came up.
Mom blankly alternated between the TV and the ticket in her hand.
At some point, she carefully smoothed out the ticket flat.
"Ji-hoon... Mom's eyes aren't playing tricks, right?"
The broadcast ended congratulating the winners, but Mom was glued.
The ticket matching all six main numbers plus the bonus—mere scrap paper days ago—was now more precious than anything in any home.
"First prize. 11,471,863,140 won. After taxes, it'll dip below 10 billion, but that's insane."
The smartphone confirmed: no first prize this round.
Meaning we take the entire jackpot after taxes.
"Jiiii-hoooon! I love you! I loooove yoooou!"
Mom, suddenly holding nearly 10 billion won, beamed through tears of joy and showered me with kisses.