Hitting the Jackpot
Monday had arrived. It was time to claim the first prize.
"What do you mean by that?"
"It means we've got time to go pick up the money."
My parents had wanted to head back home yesterday, but since it was a Monday thing, they hadn't gone. Thanks to that, I was on day two of their nonstop nagging.
"Alright, let's go, son."
"Ah, what's with the sunglasses again?"
"Come on, let's go, son!"
To keep things from getting awkward, I pleaded, "Ah, the clothes... please. I'd rather just go alone."
Even glancing at them made me sigh. The sunglasses made them look cool, sure, but paired with the outfits? "Money clothes," as they called them.
"We're taking a taxi, right?"
"Dad, you drive pretty well, don't you?"
"Driving? Yeah, I do alright. Why?"
Originally, I'd planned on a taxi, but seeing their getup changed my mind completely. This wouldn't do. Anyone who saw us would peg us as lottery winners out to brag. To avoid any hassle, I said, "Let's drive instead."
"What do you mean? You got a car?"
"Son!"
"Where's the money for that coming from?!"
Yeah, I knew they'd react like this—that's why I hadn't wanted to bring it up.
"Who gave you a car?"
"A car?!"
"What kind of lunatic just hands over a car like that?!"
"Beats me. Didn't know any lunatics like that existed."
"Son!"
I headed downstairs, pressed the key fob, and the car doors unlocked with a chirp.
"Son, no way... that's your foreign luxury ride, right?"
I was trying not to blurt out that it was mine—just to dodge the hassle. "But I swear I heard the door unlock just now..."
Leaving my parents in full-blown panic mode, I hopped into the back seat first. Oh, right—gotta hand the keys to Dad. I called out to them, still standing there dumbfounded outside.
"Hurry up! Aren't we going?"
They'd woken me up at the crack of dawn yelling about rushing to collect the prize money, and now here they were, dragging their feet. I got it—they were itching to go right that second. "You really have the money?"
"Nah, no insurance or anything."
"It's fine. If there's an accident, we can cover it with the lottery winnings."
I trusted Dad—he had plenty of driving experience. It took about thirty minutes for the two of them to finally calm down and climb into the car.
"Hey, you take shotgun. Mom can't handle this stuff."
Both of them fumbled with the navigation, so they ended up asking to switch seats. Tch, I wanted this to be easy. Grumbling, I swapped with Mom, set the destination on the nav, and we were off.
"Alright, here we go."
Dad took a deep breath and started driving.
The ride was incredibly smooth—insanely so. The back seat was comfy as hell too, and Mom kept repeating how great it felt.
"How is it this smooth to drive?"
Dad was the only one gripping the wheel with white-knuckled tension.
We finally arrived, claimed the winnings, and stepped outside. The world looked downright beautiful.
I immediately transferred three hundred million won straight to Dad's account. After that, I was left with about 1.6 billion. Hand over another five hundred million for moving expenses, and I'd still have 1.1 billion remaining.
"What're we waiting for? Let's go grab something delicious—just us."
I hugged my scrawny parents from behind, and they chuckled.
"Yeah! What sounds good?"
"On a day like this, gotta treat you to some steak!"
Brimming with excitement, we hopped back in the car and headed to one of the absolute top-tier steakhouses in the city. It was reservation-only, but when I slipped the staff about five hundred thousand won courtesy of my parents, they magically found us a table.
"Money really does open doors, huh."
"No kidding. Never dreamed I'd set foot in a place like this."
The two of them peered out the window with wide-eyed wonder. Prime view seat. Soft classical music playing. Sure, the night view with the city lights would've been killer, but the daytime scenery wasn't half bad either. And then there were the pricey wines and the steak laid out before us.
"Dad, you're driving later—no wine for you."
"Psh, we can call a designated driver."
Sure enough, the old man downed his glass. This guy's love for booze hadn't changed a bit. It's genetic, I tell ya—runs in the family.
I poured them both wine glasses and we clinked in a light toast. "Ah, good day like this..."
Sitting here with my parents in a spot like this? I'd figured that was decades away, if ever—just a pipe dream. And yet, here it was, happening in real time.
"How about we book a nice hotel tonight and head home tomorrow?"
"Sounds perfect to us."
"Hey, don't blow through the cash—save some."
"This is nothing! We can always earn more."
Chatting and laughing like this felt perfect.
"Oh, hey—Parents, I've been seeing someone lately."
"Who?"
"Oh my, went off to Seoul and snagged a girlfriend already?"
"I'll introduce you next time."
After things get a bit deeper? Or... can they even get deeper than this?
"Order more if it's not enough. Money's no object, you know—especially you, Mom!"
"Why me?"
"Mom, quit thinking about savings and just pig out for once!"
"Fine, fine, got it."
She threw up her hands in surrender, and before long—