A loud grumble from Park Si-woo’s stomach made his older brother, Park Jin-ho, chuckle.
“Hungry? Want to grab breakfast at the convenience store?”
“Uh, sure, that sounds good,” Park Si-woo replied, scratching his head.
For most, a convenience store meal was a last resort, but for two brothers barely scraping by, it was a familiar routine. In recent years, these stores had become miniature supermarkets, stocking nearly everything a person could need.
As they stepped inside, Park Jin-ho walked straight to the ATM.
“What are you doing, Hyung?” Park Si-woo asked.
“Just getting some cash,” he replied, inserting his card.
Park Si-woo peered over his shoulder and saw the number glowing on the screen.
[Available balance: 133,202 won]
133,202 won. It wasn't much of a fortune by any standard, but it was everything they had. It was the sum total of Park Jin-ho’s tireless work at a part-time job in a meat restaurant every weekend. It was just enough to get by, a constant, impoverished struggle compared to everyone else.
To Park Si-woo’s surprise, his brother began to withdraw most of it in cash. “What are you planning to do with all that money?” he asked, bewildered.
“I have something in mind,” Park Jin-ho said with a faint smile, then turned and headed deeper into the store.
Park Si-woo followed, assuming they were headed for his usual instant noodles, but Park Jin-ho had other plans. He stopped directly in front of the frozen food section, a place they usually ignored.
“Here, pick something,” Park Jin-ho said, gesturing toward the expensive pre-made meals.
“But, Hyung, these are too expensive,” Park Si-woo protested.
“It’s all right. Today, we’re going to eat until we’re full,” Park Jin-ho said, his voice firm, as if he were determined to spoil them for once.
“Did you get a bonus from the restaurant or something?” Park Si-woo asked, his suspicion growing.
“You know the boss better than that. It’s just… it’s New Year’s Day. We can’t celebrate with just ramen.”
Park Si-woo’s narrowed eyes searched his brother’s face for the truth, but Park Jin-ho just shrugged, deflecting the suspicion. With all their expenses piling up, it was a daily battle to make ends meet. Even so, he wanted to give his brother one special day.
“Are you sure we can afford this?” Park Si-woo asked, still hesitant.
“We can,” Park Jin-ho reassured him with a warm smile.
His brother’s eyes lit up. He finally chose a dish he had secretly wanted to try for a long time: spicy pork belly with chili paste.
“Hyung, are you okay with this?” he asked one last time.
“It’s fine. We’ll get by,” Park Jin-ho replied, his smile never wavering.
Park Si-woo knew it was a brave front. The reality was that they were barely making it through each day. That was why he’d never tasted pork belly before—it had always been too much of a luxury.
“Don’t worry, Si-woo-ah,” Park Jin-ho promised, noticing the flicker of doubt on his brother’s face. “Soon, I’ll take you to the best meat restaurant in town and treat you to premium Korean beef.”
“It’s okay, Hyung. We can’t afford that. This is more than enough for me.”
He said it with a smile, but Park Jin-ho could see the longing behind his eyes. At his age, Park Si-woo had never experienced the simple pleasure of dining out like other kids. Of course, he wanted to.
“Just wait a few days,” Park Jin-ho said. “I’ll treat you to a real meat feast, one you won’t forget.”
His words weren't empty. There was a reason for this sudden, uncharacteristic extravagance. A huge sum of money was coming their way in a few days.
“I’ll pick this one,” Park Jin-ho said, choosing a frozen steamed chicken.
“Looks delicious, Hyung,” his brother said. “Can I have some? I’ll share mine with you.”
“Sure,” Park Jin-ho agreed.
After grabbing two packs of instant rice, Park Jin-ho paid for everything at the counter with his card. He returned to their small table, opened the packages, and put the food in the microwave. Eating in their cramped house was never as comfortable as this.
“All done. Let’s eat,” Park Jin-ho announced.
They sat across from each other and enjoyed their simple, celebratory meal.
“Do you like it? Have some more,” Park Jin-ho said, pushing his portion of chicken toward his brother.
Overjoyed, Park Si-woo ate with the gusto of someone who had been starving for days. As he patted his full stomach contentedly, a look of confusion crossed his face. “By the way, Hyung.”
“You paid with your card earlier. If you didn't need the money right now, why did you withdraw 100,000 won?”
He must have assumed the cash was for some urgent, immediate need.
“I told you, I have a reason,” Park Jin-ho replied, pulling a piece of paper and a pen from his pocket. It was a lottery ticket.
“Why do you have that, Hyung?”
Only then did his brother understand why he’d withdrawn the 100,000 won.
“You’re going to buy lottery tickets?” Park Si-woo’s voice was sharp with disbelief. “But you’re still a high school student. You can’t buy them, can you?”
“Did you forget? I turned nineteen today.”
Park Si-woo’s eyes widened as another realization dawned on him. Today was Saturday, the day of the lottery draw. But when he looked at the stack of tickets Park Jin-ho was preparing, he was stunned.
“Wait, how many did you buy? Twenty tickets? Are you seriously spending 100,000 won on lottery tickets?”
“The maximum purchase limit is 100,000 won per person,” Park Jin-ho explained with a sigh, as if the restriction were a great tragedy.
His brother jumped to his feet. “Are you insane, Hyung? How can we afford to spend 100,000 won on lottery tickets in our situation?” Even buying one ticket to celebrate becoming an adult would have been an enormous extravagance.
“It may seem like a waste, but sometimes you have to spoil yourself,” Park Jin-ho said calmly.
“But who knows if it’ll even work! You’re just throwing our money away!” Park Si-woo shot back.
“Let’s wait and see,” Park Jin-ho said, his voice brimming with a confidence that felt entirely out of place.
But that wasn’t the most shocking part.
“Hyung, what are you doing?” Park Si-woo cried out, his voice cracking. “Why are you writing the same numbers on every ticket?”
Park Jin-ho simply chuckled. “Well, it’s the winning number, so why not?”