Kim Su-jin had lived a life akin to that of a modern-day princess.
She had everything she wanted from birth, and sometimes things came into her hands even before she desired them.
But there was just one exception in Kim Su-jin’s world.
A troublesome boy who made her cry at the drop of a hat.
Kim Su-jin disliked Kim Dong-hoo but also liked him.
She disliked him because he refused to hold her hand, but she liked him because he eventually did, albeit reluctantly.
She disliked him for scolding her about being picky when she asked him to eat bell peppers, but she liked him because he eventually ate them all.
She was happy they appeared on the TV program together, but she was upset when he said he wouldn’t do it again.
“Where are we going?”
If the princess asked you to come with her, you should just follow without asking, but she disliked that he insisted on asking.
“… Just out to play.”
In the end, she liked that he agreed to come along.
“Oh, then let me quickly call my parents.”
“No, y-you don’t need to. My mom already called your parents and got permission.”
“… Your mom and my mom have each other’s numbers?”
“Yeah. They exchanged them back then.”
Ah! Right, they did exchange numbers back then.
If permission was already granted, there was nothing to worry about.
Su-jin immediately grabbed Dong-hoo’s hand and started running.
At the destination, Kim Yoo-ryun was waiting.
“Well, are you ready to have some fun?”
The question ‘What do you mean?’ lingered in the air.
Su-jin ushered Dong-hoo into the car.
Kindergarten dismissal time was usually at 4 p.m.
Even if they were going out to play, they wouldn’t have much time.
Contrary to what he had expected, the place Kim Yoo-ryun took them to was an aquarium.
Aquariums typically stayed open until 8 PM. However, it was surprisingly empty.
Well, how many people really go to an aquarium on a weekday afternoon?
Thanks to this, Kim Yoo-ryun could tour the aquarium without any disguise.
‘Was this her plan all along?’
Even if people didn’t recognize Kim Su-jin, it was practically impossible to not know Yoo-ryun.
Yet, they were able to walk around this space as if they had rented it out.
Indeed, the way a top star picks locations is on a different level.
‘This is actually pretty nice.’
Exploring the aquarium with the endless energy of a five-year-old was a new experience for Dong-hoo, one he never had in his past life.
A smile naturally appeared on his face.
Su-jin, who had been watching Dong-hoo the whole time, smiled as well.
“Aren’t you supposed to answer while looking at the aquarium?”
“No. I came here because I wanted to play with you.”
Su-jin giggled as she said this.
It was a genuinely pure, childlike laugh.
But suddenly, tears began to well up in her eyes.
Dong-hoo was taken aback, and just as he was about to ask what was wrong.
“I can’t come to kindergarten starting tomorrow.”
Su-jin’s voice continued.
Her voice trembled, and it looked like she was trying her best not to cry.
Her chubby cheeks, which hadn’t shed its baby fat, puffed up even more.
“We have to move. Mom said we’re going somewhere a little better… So today is the last day, and I wanted to play with you.”
As she said this, Su-jin finally burst into tears.
Unlike before, she didn’t wail loudly.
She just let her tears fall quietly, like chicken-dropping eggs.
“W-will we be able to meet again in the future?”
“Of course. Our moms have each other’s numbers, so there’s no reason we can’t meet.”
With a smile, her tears stopped immediately.
Su-jin grabbed Dong-hoo’s hand once more and dashed around the aquarium, exploring every corner.
They played until they were exhausted, came out, and had dinner together, face to face.
But when it was time to part ways, Su-jin burst into tears again.
“Waaah! I want to stay with Dong-hoo forever!”
“You can’t. You’re moving tomorrow.”
In front of Dong-hoo’s house, with just a door separating them, Su-jin clung to Dong-hoo’s neck, sobbing.
Kim Yoo-ryun didn’t know what to do, and neither did Lee Yoo-hyun.
Then, Dong-hoo said something that surprised everyone.
Hearing this, Su-jin stopped crying and nodded, smiling.
She even mustered the courage to give him a peck on the cheek.
After that moment, Su-jin stopped coming to kindergarten from the next day onward.
Dong-hoo turned six years old.
A historic year when the World Cup was held in South Korea.
It was a year when everyone, without exception, was crazy about soccer.
That’s why people often say to kids, ‘So, you don’t know the excitement of the 2002 World Cup, do you?’
It was a time when the entire country was united in a frenzy for soccer and felt a strong sense of community.
Many companies held World Cup events, and everyone came together, hoping for South Korea to achieve good results.
“Son, Dad believes in you no matter what.”
—applied to my dad, Kim Jang-ryeol, as well.
“Absolutely. I saw it in a dream.”
If there was one thing I remembered clearly, it was this.
‘I’m really sharp when it comes to this kind of thing.’
[Sims – Real Life] Korean Mode.
One of the historical events that always appeared without fail was the 2002 World Cup.
I had seen it so many times that I couldn’t possibly forget the scores even if I wanted to.
“Dad, but you must never tell anyone about this.”
My dad, Kim Jang-ryeol, was the typical Korean patriarch.
He was quiet and only said what needed to be said. And he was awkward with expressions of affection, but he had a strong sense of responsibility toward his family.
And add about ten more spoonfuls of quietness—that was my dad.
‘It doesn’t feel like he believes me; it’s more like he’s just listening because his son is really into something.’
Whatever the process, the outcome was what mattered.
In the end, Dad would place the sports bet exactly as I instructed.
The only issue was how much he would wager.
‘I don’t think he’ll put in a large amount based on what a kid says.’
Still, if all the scores were correct, the payout rate would go up from at least 100 to 1,000 times.
If it worked out, he could turn a million won into ten billion.
Of course, that was if he wagered a lot.
‘I just need to convince him to use my entire appearance fee.’
If it goes well, this life could start with me being a building owner.
Let’s make a life-changing fortune with the 2002 World Cup betting.
I graduated from kindergarten in February, and as soon as March came, I moved straight on to elementary school.
It was a place I would leave after a year anyway, so I wasn’t particularly attached to it.
It had felt that way in my previous life, and it felt the same this time around.
“Wow… He’s really handsome.”
“But he looks kind of familiar…”
My appearance had changed the environment around me.
‘You’re still here, I see.’
She was the one who burst into tears the moment I sat next to her at a very young age.
And later on, she would become a leading figure in the next generation of Korean idols.
She was looking right at me.
‘Come to think of it, all these connections appeared in this way at some point.’
Connections that would later have an immense impact on the future.
There was always a point when I ended up in the same space as them.
And it wasn’t just Kim Su-jin and Ryu Jae-rin.
In the past, I was always held back because of my looks and ended up achieving nothing.
‘But it’s different now.’
However, contrary to that determination—
‘Nothing special is happening.’
Nothing noteworthy happened in kindergarten.
Of course, Ryu Jae-rin becoming an idol was something that would happen much later.
For now, she was just in the same position as me—a kindergartner.
“… You know, I feel like we’ll have to get married someday.”
Except for Ryu Jae-rin occasionally spouting nonsense ,
there wasn’t much to talk about during kindergarten.
Later on, there was a brief stir when it came out that I had appeared on ‘Doctor Joy!’, but other than that, there was nothing significant.
Because of that, time flew by quite quickly.
One interesting thing was that despite all the different seating arrangements throughout the year, I somehow remained seatmates with Ryu Jae-rin.
Being seated next to each other every time we drew lots was a miraculous coincidence.
There were kindergarten-like events like picnics and trips to amusement parks, but nothing out of the ordinary.
Maybe this was how things were supposed to be.
‘Well, becoming friends with a child actor and appearing on TV at five years old was the strange part.’
Just as I began to think that—
A major event happened in our house.
My dad, who had always been quiet and reserved, came home with his face flushed red. He shouted loudly.
That day was a historic one.
It was the day South Korea made it to the semifinals, and—
“Let’s move! No, let’s buy a building!”
—the World Cup bet had hit the jackpot.
True to his quiet nature, Dad hadn’t told anyone about this.
Yet, he had been fervently cheering as our country advanced through the tournament.
“How much did you bet?”
“Th-three million won.”
Wait! When did we get three million won?
As I looked at Dad with that stunned expression, Mom slapped him on the back with a force that could kill.
“Did you seriously use the security deposit?!”
I was at a loss for words as well.
Who in their right mind would risk the security deposit based on the game predictions of a six-year-old?
‘Well, turns out there was one.’
I just never thought it would be my dad.
“Sniff… Ugh… Aaaaah!”
As soon as Dad saw me, he hugged me tightly and cried for a long time.
At that moment, I learned something I hadn’t known before.
The reason I lost my parents was an accident, so I never knew the circumstances leading up to it.
‘Well, how could I have known?’
What kind of parent would tell a child who had just turned six that they had cancer?
They could have kept it a secret until I was an adult or until the situation worsened.
‘Anyway, it’s fine now.’
Yes, this had put out an immediate fire, so to speak.
By the end of the following year, we became the owners of a building in Bundang.
And the name on the property was mine.