Ch.6Child Actor Kim Sujin (3)

Kim Sujin had lived a life like a modern-day princess.

From birth, she had everything she wanted.

Sometimes things would come to her even before she knew she wanted them.

Everyone adored her.

Except for just one person.

An exception appeared in Kim Sujin’s world.

‘Kim Donghu.’

That mean boy who always made her cry.

Kim Sujin disliked Kim Donghu but also liked him.

She disliked him for not holding her hand, but liked him when he reluctantly did so in the end.

She disliked him for scolding her about being a picky eater when she asked him to eat bell peppers, but liked him when he eventually ate them all.

She liked appearing on TV shows together, but disliked that they wouldn’t do it anymore.

“Where are you going?”

She disliked how he always had to ask where they were going when a princess says “come with me” and he should just follow.

“…Just to play.”

“Okay.”

But in the end, she liked that he came along.

“Ah, then I should quickly contact my parents.”

“Oh, um, you don’t have to. My mom already contacted them and got permission.”

“…Your mom and my mom know each other’s numbers?”

“Yes, they exchanged them that time.”

Ah right, they did exchange numbers then.

Donghu nodded.

If permission had been granted, there was nothing to worry about.

“Great, let’s go!”

Sujin grabbed Donghu’s hand and ran.

Kim Yuryeon was waiting at their destination.

“Hello.”

“Hi, are you ready to play?”

“What?”

Ignoring Donghu’s confused question,

Sujin got him into the car.

Kindergarten usually ended at 4 PM.

Even if they were going out to play, they wouldn’t have more than a few hours.

But contrary to that thought, the place Kim Yuryeon took them to was an aquarium.

The aquarium, which usually closed at eight, had surprisingly few visitors.

Well, how many people would visit an aquarium on a weekday afternoon?

Thanks to that, Kim Yuryeon could tour the aquarium without any disguise.

‘Was this planned?’

In a world where not knowing Kim Yuryeon would make you a spy, even if Sujin didn’t know.

Yet they could walk around as if they had rented the entire place.

The positioning of a top star was certainly different.

‘This is nice.’

Exploring an aquarium with the abundant energy of a five-year-old.

It was an experience Donghu never had in his previous life, so a smile naturally formed on his face.

“Do you like it?”

Sujin, who had been watching Donghu, smiled along with him.

“I do.”

“I like it too.”

“Shouldn’t you be looking at the aquarium when you answer that?”

“No, I came here because I wanted to play with you.”

Sujin laughed with a “Hehe” as she said that.

It was such a pure, childlike laugh.

Then suddenly tears began to well up in her eyes.

Just as Donghu was about to ask in confusion what was wrong.

“I won’t be coming to kindergarten from tomorrow.”

Sujin continued.

Though she was trying her best not to cry.

Her chubby cheeks puffed up even more.

“Huh?”

“I have to move. Mom says we’re going to a better place…”

That’s why I wanted to play with you one last time today.

As Sujin tried to say this, she finally burst into tears.

She didn’t cry loudly like before.

She just calmly let small tears fall.

“C-can we meet again later?”

“Of course. Our moms know each other’s contact information, so why wouldn’t we be able to meet?”

“Hehe, good.”

Her tears stopped as she smiled.

Sujin grabbed Donghu’s hand again and wandered around the aquarium.

They played until they were exhausted, then sat facing each other for dinner.

And when it was time to part, Sujin burst into tears again.

“Waaaaaah! I want to stay with Donghu forever!”

“That won’t work, you’re moving tomorrow.”

“But still!”

In front of Donghu’s house.

With just a door between them, Sujin clung to Donghu’s neck, hanging limply.

Kim Yuryeon didn’t know what to do, and neither did Lee Yuhyeon.

Then Donghu’s surprising words followed.

“Okay! Sure!”

Hearing this, Sujin nodded while crying and laughing.

Smooch!

She even gathered the courage for a kiss on the cheek.

After that moment, Sujin never came to kindergarten again.

“Time flies.”

Donghu turned six years old.

+++++

2002.

The historic year when the World Cup was held in South Korea.

A year when everyone, without exception, was passionate and crazy about soccer.

There’s a reason people say to young kids, “I guess you don’t know the excitement of the 2002 World Cup.”

The entire country was obsessed with soccer, and it was a time when people felt a sense of unity.

Numerous companies held World Cup events.

Everyone united in hoping for Korea to achieve good results.

And that included…

“Son, Dad believes in you no matter what.”

My father, Kim Jangryeol.

“Absolutely. I saw it in a dream.”

“I see.”

“Yes.”

If nothing else, I remembered this clearly.

‘I’m quite knowledgeable in this area.’

[Sims – Real Life] Korea mode.

One of the historical events that never failed to appear was the 2002 World Cup.

I had seen the scores so many times that I couldn’t forget them even if I wanted to.

“Dad, but you absolutely can’t tell anyone else about this.”

“I understand.”

My father, Kim Jangryeol, was a typical Korean family man.

Taciturn, only saying what needed to be said, awkward with expressions of affection but with a strong sense of responsibility toward his family.

But add ten more spoonfuls of taciturnity, and that was my father.

‘Even now, I don’t think he believes me. He’s just listening because his son is working hard at something.’

Whatever the process, what mattered was the result.

In the end, Dad would place sports bets exactly as I told him to.

The only question was how much money he would put in.

‘I don’t think he’ll bet much based on what a kid says.’

Still, if he gets all the scores right, the odds would be at least 100 to 1000 times.

That means he could potentially turn one million won into ten billion.

Of course, that’s only if he bets a lot.

‘I’ll just ask him to bet all my appearance fees.’

If things go well, I might start this life as a building owner.

Let’s try to hit it big with the 2002 World Cup betting.

+++++

After graduating from kindergarten in February,

I immediately moved on to preschool in March.

A place I would only be at for a year, so I didn’t feel much about it.

The feeling was the same as in my previous life.

Of course…

“Wow… he’s really handsome.”

“But he looks familiar somehow…”

Things around me changed because of my appearance.

‘You’re still the same.’

Six years old.

The person who burst into tears as soon as she sat next to me when we were very young.

And the future talent who would lead the next generation of Korean idols.

Ryu Jaerin.

She was looking straight at me.

‘Come to think of it, I got connected with everyone like this.’

People who would reach incredible heights in the future.

I had a point of intersection with all of them where we were in the same space at some moment.

Besides Kim Sujin and Ryu Jaerin.

In the past, they all had their potential cut short because of their appearance.

‘Now it’s different.’

But contrary to that determination…

“Nothing special is happening.”

Nothing unusual happened in preschool.

Well, Ryu Jaerin becoming an idol was a story for much later.

Right now, she was just a preschooler like me.

“…I think you’ll have to marry me later?”

“What?”

Except for Ryu Jaerin occasionally saying ridiculous things like this.

There wasn’t much to tell about preschool.

Later, there was a brief controversy when it was revealed that I had appeared on “Hehe Doctor!”, but other than that, nothing notable happened.

Perhaps that’s why time passed very quickly.

The strange thing was that despite numerous seating changes throughout the year, Ryu Jaerin and I remained partners.

Getting seated next to each other every time we drew lots was truly a miraculous probability.

There were typical preschool events like field trips or visits to amusement parks.

But nothing special.

Maybe this was actually normal.

‘Well, it’s unusual to be friends with a child actor and appear on TV at age 5.’

Just as I was thinking that…

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

A joyous event happened at our house.

My usually silent and taciturn father.

Dad came home and shouted with a flushed face.

This day was truly historic.

It was the day South Korea advanced to the semifinals.

“Let’s move, let’s move! No, let’s buy a building!”

And the day the World Cup betting odds paid off properly.

True to his taciturn nature, Dad hadn’t told anyone about this.

Yet he had been ecstatic watching our country advance through the tournament.

“How much did you bet?”

“Th-three million won.”

“What?”

Where did our family get three million won?

As I was looking at Dad with that expression, Mom slapped Dad hard on the back.

“Don’t tell me you used our deposit money?!”

“…”

He was silent.

“Huh.”

I was also speechless seeing this.

Seriously, what kind of father would bet his housing deposit based on game predictions from his six-year-old son?

‘Well, apparently there is one.’

I just didn’t expect it to be my father.

“Hnngh…ugh…aaaah!”

Dad hugged me tightly and cried for a long time.

And at the same time, I learned something I didn’t know.

‘…Mom had cancer?’

Since I lost my parents in an accident in my previous life,

I didn’t know the exact circumstances before that.

But cancer?

‘Well, there’s no way I could have known.’

What parent would tell their six-year-old child about cancer?

They might have hidden it until I became an adult or until the situation worsened.

‘Anyway, it’s good.’

Yes, with this, we had put out one urgent fire.

By the end of the following year,

We became the owners of a building in Bundang.

And I was the registered owner.