Chapter 4

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Translator: Wjin

Chapter: 4

Chapter Title: The Item Grab

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Once everyone who was coming had pretty much arrived, the triplets headed inside. There were fewer than twenty relatives in total. Even if it was just family, the turnout was way too small. Especially since not a single person from the maternal side was anywhere to be seen.

'Come to think of it, I haven't seen a single grandparent from either the maternal or paternal side. Are they all gone?'

Kangyul hadn't been particularly curious or interested in chaebol families before his regression. He'd heard the name Seonjin Group before, but he didn't even know who the chairman was.

'...Now that I think about it, I was a total lost cause in my previous life too.'

He'd spent every day gaming or hanging out with friends. And yet, for someone like that, he had all sorts of ambitions—trying sports, starting a business, even writing a book.

'They all crashed and burned eventually, and I ended up hooked on the lottery.'

For some reason, his eyes must've been spinning because he got obsessed with the insane idea that lotteries followed patterns, memorizing numbers left and right.

It wasn't just lotto tickets. He'd tracked instant scratch-off winning spots and times, pension lotteries, even analyzed games for sports toto bets.

'...Whatever else, this life won't have money worries. Heh heh heh heh.'

He'd leave the tedious business and studying to his talented little brothers and just play his heart out.

While Kangyul was lost in pointless thoughts and chuckling to himself, the main event of the doljabi—the item grab—finally kicked off.

"Alright, the item grab is starting now! What will our baby young masters choose? Isn't everyone excited? Mother, personally, what would you like to see them pick?"

At the emcee's question, Park Jeong-a blushed and replied,

"...Anything the babies want is fine."

"...Everyone always says that, but in the end, it's money or a pencil, right? Isn't that so, folks?"

The crowd burst into applause and laughter. Park Jeong-a couldn't deny it, so she smiled shyly and moved to Im Myeonghan's side.

"Then, let's watch the triplets make their choices!"

A wide array of items was laid out in front of the triplets.

Everything from toy airplanes and stethoscopes to calculators and thread—nothing was missing. But right in plain sight near the triplets were only things like money and gavels.

'What should I go for?'

As Kangyul pondered his pick, Deokyul crawled over clumsily and grabbed the gavel. Seemingly pleased, he gripped the handle and shook it up and down.

"The second young master has grabbed the gavel! Congratulations, Mother! You've got yourself a future judge or prosecutor!"

Im Myeonghan and Park Jeong-a looked pleased and satisfied.

Next, Jiyul crawled up and plopped down in front of the items. He hesitated between the calculator and the camera.

"It's the third young master, right? Calculator for a businessman, or camera for a journalist! He's at a crossroads!"

Jiyul finally picked up the calculator and happily smacked it down with his hand.

"Wow! He's chosen the path of a businessman!"

'Now it's my turn?'

Kangyul didn't see anything that really appealed to him. He was sick of money, and he had no intention of studying hard like his brothers.

'Should I just go for something ordinary like thread or rice cake?'

Thread meant a long, slender life; rice cake symbolized robust health.

Kangyul, who had met an untimely end from a missile in his previous life, wanted to live long enough to be painting walls with his own shit.

He made up his mind and toddled toward the thread—then something oddly familiar caught his eye.

'A lotto ticket?'

It was the lotto for the April 12, 2003 drawing.

That was when Kangyul realized the exact date of his regression.

'Hmm, 2003—the year of massive lotto jackpots.'

All the top six biggest prizes in history had come out that year. And the very lotto draw on April 12, 2003, was the number one jackpot of all time.

'I still remember the exact amount. A whopping 40 billion 727 million 295 thousand won. If only I'd won that one. Sigh.'

Kangyul scrutinized the lotto numbers closely.

"...What's Kangyul doing?"

"No way, is he looking at the lottery ticket right now?"

"Hahaha! The little guy's already into lotteries!"

The crowd erupted in raucous laughter at Kangyul. But his expression grew deadly serious.

'6, 30, 38... Huh? No way?'

Kangyul now clutched the lotto ticket with both hands, checking the numbers.

"Aaah! He finally grabbed one! Quite the deliberation there! He's picked the lotto ticket! Uh... but was a lotto ticket originally one of the items?"

The emcee glanced at Park Jeong-a, but she shook her head.

Probably some guest had tossed it in as a joke. But Kangyul couldn't care less about that.

'39, 40... 43! Jackpot! It's first prize!! Mom, I'm dying!'

In his overwhelming excitement, Kangyul toppled backward in a dead faint.

"Kangyul! Kangyul!"

"Call an ambulance!"

The doljabi celebration turned into utter chaos in an instant.

Kangyul's heart and body were still too young to withstand the thrill.

He blacked out for a moment.

But even then, he never let go of the lotto ticket in his grip.

After a quick hospital visit confirmed nothing was wrong, Kangyul finally headed home.

He grinned ear to ear the whole ride in the car.

"Ugh, is it really that great?"

"Right? Just a scrap of lottery paper..."

'Keep looking down on me like that—one day from now, and it'll all change. Hahaha!'

40 billion 727 million 295 thousand won. And only one winner, so this single ticket was it.

It was an enormous sum even in 2022 when Kangyul had died in his past life, but in 2003, it was even more insane.

Considering the minimum wage was just 2,275 won back then, it was money no single person—no, not even a hundred—could earn in a lifetime of work.

'Of course, compared to a chaebol's earnings, it might be pocket change.'

On the way home, Park Jeong-a suddenly smiled and looked at Kangyul.

"Kangyul, if you win the lottery, how much will you give Mommy? All of it?"

'...What is this lady even saying?'

Kangyul shook his head vigorously. Park Jeong-a buried her face in her hands, pretending to be hurt.

"You really won't give Mommy any?"

Kangyul fell into deep thought for a moment. Then he came up with a brilliant reply.

"Up to second prize."

"What? Only up to second? What about first prize?"

Kangyul clutched the lotto ticket tight and declared,

"All mine."

'And this one's first prize. Heh heh!'

The big day—lotto drawing Saturday—finally arrived. It being a weekend evening, the Im family was having dinner together and relaxing.

Park Jeong-a usually didn't let the triplets watch TV until they were older, but she allowed it when Im Myeonghan was catching the news.

—Next up: A college girl attending a prestigious university has been brutally murdered with an air gun. The shocking part? It was a contract killing.

'Huh? I know this case.'

Kangyul was munching snacks with his brothers while watching the news. Even he, who normally had zero interest in such stories, had clicked his tongue at this one.

A woman with delusional disorder and mental illness had hired a hit on an innocent student, then bribed doctors to fake an illness so she could live like a normal person in a hospital VIP room.

I Want to Know That later dug into it thoroughly, but it ended in a helpless tragedy.

'The victim's mom ended up dying, while those rich bastards lived it up, right?'

He vaguely remembered the perp was some chairman's relative, but the details escaped him.

—...The mother-in-law of an active judge, suspecting her son-in-law of infidelity, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠has been revealed to have instructed the kidnapping of the college student. Shocking.

"Tsk, even Hwanam Milling's Chairman Lee stooped that low."

"Honey, Kangyul's watching."

Im Myeonghan startled at Kangyul's wide-eyed stare and turned the screen ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠away.

"Heh heh. Kangyul shouldn't see stuff like this."

"...Yeah."

'As expected of a major corp chairman—they all know each other.'

The channel Im Myeonghan switched to happened to be broadcasting the lotto draw.

Kangyul pulled out the lotto ticket he'd tucked away.

"Hmm, draw day today, huh? Want Daddy to check the numbers for you?"

Kangyul nodded and handed it over. A one-year-old who couldn't even speak numbers wouldn't be claiming any prizes anyway.

Feeling his heart pound, Kangyul watched Im Myeonghan's face intently.

"Hyungie, hyungie!"

Jiyul handed over a baby rice cracker from the side. To avoid the fuss, Kangyul took it and ate.

"Hee hee."

Jiyul grinned from ear to ear, delighted.

'Ugh, soaked in drool again.'

Kangyul swallowed the soggy cracker and glued his eyes to the TV.

—This week's 19th lotto draw begins! First prize is a whopping 40 billion 727 million 295 thousand won.

"The first-prize winner's gotta be thrilled. Earning that much just sitting down."

"Not something Seonjin Chairman should say."

"400 billion's still huge money even for me."

Im Myeonghan and Park Jeong-a chatted and laughed. Ignoring them, Kangyul stared tensely at the screen.

—First lucky number: 6! Second: 38! Third number: 43!

"Hm?"

Im Myeonghan tilted his head, glancing between the lotto sheet and the broadcast.

He still seemed cautiously hopeful.

—...Fifth number: 30. Sixth: 39! Bonus number: 26. Once more: 19th lotto winning numbers—6, 30, 38, 39, 40, 43, bonus 26. Congratulations!

Kangyul, already knowing the outcome, gripped his pounding heart and took deep breaths. But Im Myeonghan shot up from his seat, staring holes through the lotto ticket.

"...What?"

"Huh? What's up? Third prize or something?"

"...Honey. Take a look at this."

"What's the big deal?"

Im Myeonghan handed the lotto to Park Jeong-a.

She glanced at the numbers casually—then her eyes bulged in shock.

"...It's first prize."

"Yeah. First prize."

Im Myeonghan and Park Jeong-a both turned to look at Kangyul, who was sitting on the floor.

To his parents, gaping with mouths open, Kangyul said just one thing.

"...First prize. All mine."

The news of this lotto first-prize win became a massive social issue. Not only had the long-rolled-over jackpot finally been claimed, but by just one winner. Even bigger headlines followed, though.

The winner was none other than a chaebol chairman.

It dominated the front pages of every newspaper.

Public reaction to the news was mostly negative.

In response, Im Myeonghan held a press conference and announced he would donate the entire prize.

The decision flipped all opinions overnight.

New front pages now featured a photo of Chairman Im Myeonghan, Park Jeong-a, and the triplets in her arms.

Unlike the composed chairman and his wife, the firstborn Kangyul alone looked distinctly sulky.

Im Myeonghan received an exemplary businessman award from the Blue House for this, and Seonjin Group reaped massive positive PR. All Kangyul got out of it were a few packs of baby snacks.

And just like that, time flowed onward like running water—six years passed.