Child Actress Kim Sujin (3)
Kim Sujin had lived the life of a modern-day princess. From the moment she was born, she got everything she wanted—and sometimes, even before she knew she wanted it, all sorts of things would end up in her hands. Everyone adored her. Except for one person.
An exception appeared in Kim Sujin's world.
'Kim Donghu.'
The jerk who made her cry every chance he got. Kim Sujin hated Kim Donghu even as she liked him. She hated that he wouldn't hold her hand, but liked it when he finally did, reluctantly. She hated when he scolded her for being picky about bell peppers, but liked it when he ate them all anyway. She liked appearing on the TV show with him, but hated that he wouldn't do it again.
"Where are you going?"
When the princess said to come along, he could just follow right away—but she hated that he had to ask.
"...Just playing around."
"Okay."
But she liked that he followed in the end.
"Ah, then I'll call my parents real quick."
"Uh, no, you don't have to. My mom already called and got permission."
"...Do our moms know each other's numbers?"
"Yeah, they exchanged them back then."
Oh right, they did. Donghu nodded. If permission was already granted, there was nothing to worry about.
"Great, let's go!"
Sujin grabbed Donghu's hand and bolted.
Kim Yuryeon was waiting at the destination.
"Hello."
"Hey, ready to have some fun?"
"Huh?"
Before Donghu could ask what that meant, Sujin bundled him into the car.
Kindergarten pickup was usually around four in the afternoon. Even if they went out to play, they wouldn't have much time. But that thought proved irrelevant—Kim Yuryeon's destination was an aquarium.
The aquarium, open until eight, was surprisingly empty. Well, who came to one on a weekday afternoon anyway? Thanks to that, Kim Yuryeon didn't bother with a disguise and strolled around freely.
'Did she plan this?'
Even if Kim Sujin didn't know, no one in the world who didn't know Kim Yuryeon could be anything but a spy. And yet she could wander a place like this as if she'd rented it out.
A top star's choice of location was on another level.
'This is pretty great.'
Running around an aquarium with the boundless energy of a five-year-old. It was an experience he hadn't had in his previous life, so a smile naturally crept onto Donghu's face.
"Having fun?"
Sujin, who'd been watching him closely, grinned back.
"Yeah."
"Me too."
"Shouldn't you answer while looking at the fish?"
"Nah, I wanted to hang out with you—that's why we're here?"
Sujin giggled at that. Such a purely childlike laugh. Then suddenly, tears welled up in her eyes.
Just as Donghu started to panic and ask what was wrong—
"I can't come to daycare starting tomorrow."
Sujin's words continued. She was choking back sobs, her chubby cheeks puffing out even more as she tried to hold it in.
"Huh?"
"We have to move. Mom says it's to a better place..."
So that's why she wanted to play today, her last day. Sujin finally burst into tears mid-sentence. Not the loud wails from before—just quiet, steady tears like chicken droppings plopping down.
"W-We can meet again later, right?"
"Of course. Our moms have each other's numbers—what's stopping us?"
"Hehe, great."
Her tears stopped as quickly as her smile returned. Sujin grabbed Donghu's hand again and dragged him all over the aquarium. They played until they were exhausted, had dinner facing each other when it ended, and then...
When it was time to part, Sujin burst into tears again.
"Waaah! I wanna stay with Donghu forever!"
"No can do—you're moving tomorrow, remember?"
"But stiiiilllll!"
In front of Donghu's house, just one door away from her own, Sujin clung to his neck and went limp. Kim Yuryeon didn't know what to do, and neither did Lee Yuhyun.
Then came Donghu's words, startling everyone.
"Yeah! Sounds good!"
Hearing that, Sujin nodded through her tears and laughter.
Mwah!
She even mustered the courage for a cheek kiss. And with that moment, Sujin stopped coming to daycare the next day.
"Time flies."
Donghu turned six.
2002. The historic year the World Cup came to Korea. Everyone was obsessed with soccer, going mad for it. That's why kids still hear, "You must not remember the 2002 World Cup hype, huh?"
The whole country was soccer-crazy, united in shared spirit. Companies held World Cup events everywhere. Everyone prayed for Korea's success.
And that included...
"Son, Dad believes in you no matter what."
My dad, Kim Jangryeol.
"Absolutely. I saw it in a dream."
"Okay."
"Got it."
I remembered this perfectly, if nothing else.
'I'm an expert on this stuff.'
Sims - Real Life Korean mod. One historical event that never failed to appear was the 2002 World Cup. I'd seen the scores so often I couldn't forget them if I tried.
"Dad, but you absolutely can't tell anyone else."
"Got it."
My dad, Kim Jangryeol, was the typical Korean family man. Taciturn, said only what needed saying, awkward with affection but fiercely responsible for his family.
Actually, he had an extra spoonful of taciturnity.
'Even now, it's not like he fully believes me—he's just humoring me because I'm trying hard.'
The process didn't matter; the results did. Dad would follow my picks for the sports Toto exactly.
The question was how much he'd bet.
'He probably won't go big on a kid's word.'
Still, nailing all the scores meant odds from at least 100x to 1000x. A million won could turn into a billion if he bet big enough.
Of course, that assumed he bet big.
'For now, I'll ask him to put in my full appearance fee.'
If things went well, I could start this life as a landlord. Time to hit the jackpot with the 2002 World Cup Toto.
I graduated daycare in February and jumped straight to kindergarten in March. It was just a one-year stopgap before elementary school, so no big emotions.
That was true in my past life and this one.
Of course...
"Whoa... he's seriously handsome."
"But he looks kinda familiar..."
My looks changed things around me.
'You're still here, huh.'
Six years old. The girl who'd burst into tears the moment she sat next to me at that young age.
And the future talent who'd lead Korea's next-gen idol scene.
Ryu Jaerin.
She stared right at me.
'Thinking about it, we all crossed paths like this once.'
Connections that would peak massively in the future. There was always that one moment we shared the same space.
Except for Kim Sujin and Ryu Jaerin, that is.
In the past, my looks had crushed those chances before they started.
'Not anymore.'
That resolve proved empty, though.
"Nothing much happens."
Kindergarten was uneventful. Well, Ryu Jaerin becoming an idol was far in the future. Right now, she was just another kindergartener like me.
"...You might have to marry me later, y'know?"
"What?"
Aside from her occasional absurd lines like that.
Kindergarten had no real drama. Later, when it came out I'd been on Kyarruk Doctor!, there was a brief stir, but that was it.
Time flew by. Amazingly, despite seat changes all year, Ryu Jaerin and I stayed desk mates. The odds of drawing next to each other every time were miraculous.
We had picnics or trips to amusement parks—typical kindergarten stuff—but nothing special.
Maybe this was what normal looked like.
'Yeah, befriending a child actress at five and going on TV—that was the weird part.'
As that thought crossed my mind—
"Kwaaaah!"
Good news hit our house.
My usually silent, stoic dad came home and yelled with a beet-red face.
It was a historic day. The day Korea reached the semifinals.
"Let's move! No—buy a building! Buy a building!"
The World Cup Toto had exploded perfectly.
True to his stoic nature, Dad hadn't told a soul. Yet he'd gone wild watching Korea advance.
"How much did you win?"
"Th-Three million won."
"What?"
Where'd we even get three million? As I gaped at him, Mom smacked his back like she wanted to kill him.
"You didn't bet the deposit, did you?!"
"..."
Silence.
"Holy..."
I was speechless too. What dad in the world bets the house deposit on his six-year-old's game picks?
'Turns out there is one.'
Just not one I'd expected to be mine.
"Kuhuhu... ugh... aaaah!"
Dad hugged me tight and sobbed for ages.
And that's when I learned something I hadn't known.
'...Mom had cancer?'
They'd died in an accident before, so I hadn't known the details.
But cancer...
'No way I'd have known that.'
What parent tells their brand-new six-year-old about cancer? They might hide it until adulthood or until things worsened.
'Anyway, crisis averted.'
Yeah, we'd put out one major fire. By year's end the next year, we owned a building in Bundang.
And it was in my name.