Park Si-woo arrived home gnawing on his fingernails, a nervous habit that always surfaced when his anxiety got the better of him.
“I told you not to do that,” his older brother said, his voice level.
“But what am I supposed to do, Hyung? I’m so worried,” Park Si-woo replied, biting down harder.
“Just don’t be.”
“How can I not be? We just threw away 100,000 won,” Park Si-woo exclaimed, the frustration boiling over. He glanced at the stack of lottery slips on the table, all one hundred of them marked with the exact same numbers. It was the definition of a futile effort. “I bet we’ve already lost.”
“Don’t worry. It’s the winning number.”
“How can you possibly know that!”
Park Jin-ho’s reply was simple. “I dreamt it.”
Park Si-woo rolled his eyes. “You dreamed it? Seriously, Hyung?”
Park Jin-ho didn’t care if his brother believed him. He had already seen this future, one of countless futures he’d witnessed through his repeated regressions. In a few hours, when the lottery results were announced, Park Si-woo would be singing a very different tune. He knew from experience how quickly his brother’s attitude would change.
Nothing beats the lottery for a quick infusion of cash, he thought. For Park Jin-ho, predicting the winning numbers was easier than hunting a goblin. It was better to secure their finances now, before the players completely upended the world’s economy.
With over 900 million dead, the markets are already in turmoil, Park Jin-ho mused. We need to build our foundation with lotteries, coins, and stocks before it all collapses. Money was the key to everything—escaping poverty, yes, but also luring powerful players with the promise of wealth. In the future he foresaw, players would trade rare items for cash, and he intended to be ready. In-game gold is ultimately more valuable, but it’s still better to have more money than less.
While Park Jin-ho was free of worry, Park Si-woo was drowning in it. In his mind, the 100,000 won was already gone. “I could have bought something delicious with that money,” he sighed. He just couldn’t fathom his brother’s actions. He knew how tight things were. After rent and living expenses, his hyung barely had anything left to save. His weekend part-time job at a barbecue restaurant only brought in 400,000 won a month, just enough to scrape by.
Why would he waste money like this? It’s not like him at all.
Park Jin-ho said nothing, watching his younger brother let out another heavy sigh. He knew that by dinnertime, this gloomy mood would be a distant memory.
“Welcome, everyone! We will now begin today’s lottery drawing. If your numbers match, you win, regardless of the order in which they are drawn. Shall we start with the first number?”
As the broadcast began, the brothers pulled out their phones. Park Si-woo’s hands were clasped together so tightly his knuckles were white.
“Please, just let us win fifth place…” he whispered. With their livelihood on the line, the stakes felt impossibly high.
Park Jin-ho, however, already knew the outcome. He watched the screen with his usual stoic expression.
“The first lucky number is… 3!”
Park Si-woo’s eyes shot to the lottery slip on the dining table. A match. One down.
“And what will the second number be? It’s 18!”
Two for two. One more, and they would secure fifth place. A flicker of hope ignited in Park Si-woo’s eyes.
What if we actually win fifth place? At 1,000 won per ticket and a hundred tickets played, a fifth-place prize would net them 500,000 won. Not only would they get their money back, they’d make a profit of 400,000 won.
“Please, please, please…”
An amused chuckle escaped Park Jin-ho as he watched his brother’s intense concentration. “Relax. There’s no need to be so nervous.”
Just then, the third number was announced.
“Wow, Hyung! We did it! We won fifth place!” Park Si-woo shouted, breathless with relief. It felt as if he’d been holding his breath the entire time, terrified they wouldn’t even break even. “This is amazing! We’re getting five times our money back! Was your dream really that clear, Hyung?”
But the announcer wasn’t finished.
“The fourth number is 38!”
“The fifth number is 21!”
With each new ball that dropped, Park Si-woo’s eyes grew wider. His hands and feet began to tremble, his gaze locked on the perfect row of matching numbers on their ticket. They hadn’t missed a single one.
“The lottery drawing is now complete. Today’s winning numbers are 3, 18, 9, 38, 21, and 1. The bonus number for second place is 5. We’ll see you again next week. Thank you!”
The broadcast ended, but Park Si-woo couldn’t tear his eyes away from his phone screen.
“Pinch my cheek.”
“Pinch your own.”
Park Si-woo shook his head frantically. “No, I can’t!”
“It’s not a dream,” Park Jin-ho said with a faint smile, but the assurance did little to ground his brother. The reality of the winning ticket in his hands felt entirely surreal.
“First prize… First prize!” He blinked, staring at the slip again. There was no mistake. “Hyung! Hyung! Is this really not a dream?”
“Hahaha!” Park Si-woo began to run around their small house, giddy with excitement. “Isn’t this great?” He stopped, laughing at himself. “What am I even saying! Of course, it’s great! Hyung, aren’t you happy?”
“I am,” Park Jin-ho replied, a genuine smile gracing his lips. The first time he’d won the lottery, he’d screamed with joy. But after repeating the process dozens of times, it had become a simple, necessary step, like a yearly ritual.
“A hundred tickets… and they’re all first prize… hahaha!”
“Lower your voice. The neighbors will hear you.”
Park Si-woo ignored him, still staring at the ticket in disbelief. “First prize… We really won first prize…” He looked up at his brother, his voice dropping to a near whisper. “Hyung, we marked all the tickets with the same numbers, right?”
His eyes were wide with dawning comprehension. “Then… how much is this worth?”
“I don’t know. It depends on how many winners there are.”
But Park Jin-ho knew. He knew exactly how many winners there were, and he knew exactly how much the prize money would be.
It’s going to be a historic payout, he thought, a grim satisfaction settling over him. Even for a world that’s already been turned upside down.