October 26, 2019. Winning numbers for Lotto 6/45 Draw No. 882: 18, 34, 39, 43, 44, 45.
The numbers glowed coldly across the monitor.
Jinhyeok stared blankly at the screen. They seemed to be mocking him. He crushed the lottery ticket in his fist, and the dry crackle of paper lingered in the room.
“Damn…”
A short sigh escaped him.
He had felt good about this one. He had truly believed he was going to win.
But the result was always the same.
He tossed the crumpled ticket aside. The room was a mess. Empty instant-noodle cups and cigarette butts littered the desk, while discarded clothes lay strewn across the floor.
Leaning back in his chair, Jinhyeok muttered to himself.
“I really thought I had it this time…”
He had been saying the same thing for years.
His life had changed very little since graduating from university. Under the pretense of preparing for employment, he spent more and more time at home. And the longer it went on, the farther he drifted from reality.
Then, one day, he discovered a website that generated lottery numbers.
It claimed to use artificial intelligence to analyze statistical data and recommend winning combinations. At first, he did not believe it. But the explanations sounded convincing.
Probability analysis.
Pattern tracking.
Statistical recommendations.
“AI can beat people at Go these days. It should be able to figure out something like this.”
That was how the advertisement hooked him.
More than two years had passed since he signed up for the site, and he had not won once.
His friends had warned him repeatedly.
“It’s a scam. All of it.”
Jinhyeok had merely laughed.
“I’m not the kind of person who falls for that stuff.”
He still believed he was special.
“Damn it… I really need to find a job.”
He slumped farther down in his chair.
His mother had called a few days earlier. His father had undergone a medical examination, and the results were not good.
Leukemia.
The moment he heard the word, his mind went blank.
But another thought soon followed.
There won’t be anyone left to send me money.
Only after the thought had passed through his mind did he realize how shameful it was.
He stared at the monitor for a long time before opening a job-search website. Vacancies appeared in an endless list. He slowly scrolled down.
“The salary’s too low here… This company’s too small… This one’s too far from home…”
His expression grew increasingly indifferent.
After all, he believed himself to be a fairly exceptional candidate.
“Honestly, someone like me should be getting at least five million won a month to start, shouldn’t I?”
He spoke as though thinking aloud.
Then he happened to glance at the clock.
10:40 p.m.
Jinhyeok considered it for a moment.
“Maybe I’ll take a ten-minute break.”
He opened YouTube as naturally as if it were the next stage of his job search.
A row of recommended videos appeared. He clicked one.
Then another.
Then another.
Time slipped away without resistance.
Eleven o’clock.
Midnight.
One in the morning.
Jinhyeok’s ten-minute break showed no sign of ending. Every time a video finished, he muttered the same thing.
“Honestly, I could do better than that guy.”
Then he clicked the next video.
His body had begun to feel stiff. He stretched his arms high above his head and looked at the clock.
1:30 a.m.
“Hmm… I guess that’s enough for today.”
He closed the laptop.
“I’ll start job hunting properly tomorrow.”
He had already said those words dozens of times.
Jinhyeok threw himself onto the unmade bed and was asleep within minutes.
The following morning.
10:43 a.m.
Jinhyeok, who had resolved to become a morning person, overslept on the very first day.
Even after opening his eyes, he did not get out of bed. He lay there for some time, scrolling through his phone.
At last, he slowly climbed out of bed and shuffled into the bathroom.
He pressed the light switch, but nothing happened. The bulb had burned out long ago.
Standing before the dim mirror, he picked up his toothbrush, squeezed on some toothpaste, and gave his teeth a cursory scrub. It took less than thirty seconds.
He wiped his mouth with the towel that had been hanging there for the past week.
His hair was a mess, but it did not matter.
He pulled on a cap, gathered his wallet and cigarettes, and opened the door.
The world outside had already begun its day.
As he stepped through the front gate, the sounds of that world came rushing toward him. Gangnam Church stood on the right side of the alley outside his house. The morning service appeared to have just ended.
People had gathered in front of the church, talking among themselves. Laughter drifted through the air, and children ran between the adults.
Jinhyeok stood there for a moment, watching them.
Suddenly conscious of his appearance, he pulled his cap lower over his face.
He walked out of the alley, turned right, and entered the convenience store on the corner.
Ding.
The door chime rang sharply.
Jinhyeok barely acknowledged the clerk’s greeting and headed straight for the prepared-meal section.
There were no boxed meals left.
“Damn…”
He muttered under his breath.
That meant he would have to go to the convenience store across the road.
He walked past the church again, crossed the street, and entered the other store. Fortunately, this one still had meals available.
After paying, he placed his food in the microwave.
“I’ll have a smoke while I wait.”
Outside the store, beneath the pedestrian overpass, was a village-bus stop. Strictly speaking, it was not a designated smoking area, but people smoked there as a matter of course.
Jinhyeok stood beside it and lit a cigarette.
He drew the smoke deep into his lungs, then released it slowly.
Watching it disperse into the air, he tried to picture the days ahead.
The future looked bleak.
He let the cigarette burn through the tangle of thoughts in his head. Then he flicked the butt away, sending it toward the nearby flower bed.
At that moment, something glinted.
Jinhyeok narrowed his eyes and tilted his head.
He cautiously approached the flower bed.
Something black was lying among the plants.
It was a case.
Black, approximately thirty centimeters long, with gold trim around its edges. He could not tell what it was made for, but it looked expensive.
Jinhyeok quickly glanced around.
No one was watching.
He snatched it up.
His pulse quickened.
What’s inside?
He tucked the case close against his body, concealing it beneath his clothes.
With his heart still pounding, Jinhyeok collected his meal and headed home.
He did not yet know that the small black case would turn his entire life upside down.
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