Chapter 96 – Who Is the Winner of the 5.1 Billion Prize

A small-to-medium enterprise in Gyeonggi Province.

Click.

Employee Park Jun-woo, who was shattered by the department head, walked out of the department head’s office.

He walked out with an unpleasant expression, dragged his feet, set the payment documents down with a thud, and plopped down into his seat carelessly. It seemed he was not just normally broken.

After a moment, he jumped up from his seat and swept his eyes over the office beyond the partitions.

‘That department head bastard, his skill in making people angry is growing by the day. Fuck. Is there nowhere to vent my anger…?’

Just then, his colleague Jang Hyo-seung, who was groaning in front of the copier trying to clear a paper jam, caught his eye.

‘That frustrating bastard. Perfect.’

“Mr. Hyo-seung. Did you do what I asked this morning?”

In Park Jun-woo’s voice, the tone of ‘being in a very bad mood’ was clearly revealed. Jang Hyo-seung stopped pulling paper out of the machine and replied immediately.

“Yes?… The department head said to do that by Mon… Monday, though?”

Park Jun-woo’s brow could be seen furrowing deeply with vertical wrinkles.

“Ha… The completion is by Monday, but wouldn’t there be something you drafted roughly first? And why is your speech so short? Is the company a playground?”

Jang Hyo-seung suppressed the curse rising to his throat.

And he bowed his head.

“I am sorry. I will give it to you by today.”

‘Draft my ass… He is venting his anger on me just because he got scolded. Ha… seriously, I’m sick of you too.’

Park Jun-woo was the department’s worst villain.

Actually, they were quite close when they first entered the company. They were of the same age and from the same hometown, so they got along well.

So Jang Hyo-seung helped Park Jun-woo with his work a lot in the beginning.

Perhaps Park Jun-woo was grateful back then, as he kept saying habitually, “When I succeed, I will reward you, I will definitely make sure you get a share.”

However, their relationship changed from the moment of the transition to regular employees.

Park Jun-woo packaged the processes set up by Jang Hyo-seung as his own and secured a regular position. On the other hand, Jang Hyo-seung, whose achievements were stolen, remained a non-regular worker.

They were now different in their status itself.

In small employee gatherings, Park Jun-woo would put his arm around Jang Hyo-seung’s shoulders, saying, “Our friend~”. He also never forgot to sing the tune that he would give him half if he won the lottery he bought while drunk.

However, the next day, as soon as he came to the company, he suddenly possessed a regular-employee superior play and picked on various things on purpose.

Such behavior was particularly worse toward Jang Hyo-seung.

While dumping all the work on the non-regular Jang Hyo-seung, if even a slight problem occurred, he blamed him twice as much. Moreover, despite having no skills, his flattery skills were the greatest on Earth. He was anxious to line up for a promotion.

“Sigh, seriously… so frustrating…”

Jang Hyo-seung bowed his head slightly again. Suppressing his pride diligently was also a part of Jang Hyo-seung’s daily routine and work.

“Ah!! Forget it! Mr. Hyo-seung! Seriously… your work processing!! Hand it over, I will do it now!”

Park Jun-woo raised his voice on purpose for others to hear. He carried the nuance that Jang Hyo-seung processed work slowly, so he ended up doing more work. A tone of subtly fabricating words and establishing them as a fait accompli.

And the additional errand that immediately followed.

“Instead, I have to prepare for the regular employee performance evaluation meeting in the afternoon, so please get the stationery and meeting snacks.”

Slide. He held out the corporate card for business use.

“…Yes.”

Park Jun-woo gave directions with his finger.

“When you buy snacks, don’t leave out Binch. Buy this stationery and this, too. Seriously, people have no tact if you don’t tell them. Why do they always buy snacks without Binch.”

Binch was Park Jun-woo’s favorite snack.

Just as Jang Hyo-seung was about to turn around after receiving the card, one more thing was added today as well.

“Ah, right! Today is Friday, right? Please do that favor. You know there is a bus stop in front of that supermarket. There is a store across the street from it, right? Buy an automatic lottery ticket there.”

“…Eh? A lottery ticket…?”

Jang Hyo-seung stared at him with wide eyes.

He knew that Park Jun-woo bought lottery tickets like a routine every Friday. Because he made empty promises to give him half every time he was drunk.

‘But why now… to buy that lottery, I even have to cross the street. Crazy bastard. He ordered me last time too… Am I your servant?’

At the over-the-line errand of buying a lottery ticket, the surrounding employees also peeked up and looked at them.

Only then did Park Jun-woo let out a dry laugh as if slightly embarrassed.

“Ahahaha. If I win, I will really give you half! Ah, seriously. This time is real, real. So just buy me one. I won’t have time to buy it after the meeting because it’ll be late, but I had an amazing dream last night.”

Meanwhile, Park Jun-woo looked at Jang Hyo-seung, who had a displeased face.

‘If I order you, just do as ordered, why do you have to show that you hate it? Bastard, that’s why you don’t succeed.’

Park Jun-woo took out a 10,000 won bill from his wallet, pushed it into Jang Hyo-seung’s hand, and nudged his back as if to tell him to go quickly. Having no choice, Jang Hyo-seung took the 10,000 won and headed to the supermarket.

“He could buy it on Saturday… why does he always insert personal errands while handling company business… Bastard… His nuisance behavior grows daily…”

Jang Hyo-seung stopped by the lottery shop on his way back after buying the stationery and snacks for the meeting.

Perhaps because it was Friday afternoon at a famous lottery spot, a long line of people was stretched out.

Just as he walked to the end of the line, someone cut in front of Jang Hyo-seung.

He wanted to say something, but since it was just one person in front, he just endured it.

“Five thousand won automatic, please.”

After standing in line for a long time, Jang Hyo-seung purchased an automatic lottery ticket.

Drrrrr—

The paper popped out from the machine.

“Thank you.”

He checked the lottery numbers immediately upon receiving them.

“…Eh?”

At the first row of numbers, a sound that was either a laugh or a sigh leaked out.

1, 2, 3, 4, 15, 45.

‘…What is this? He said he had a good dream yesterday… Haha. First place has already gone down the drain.’

The other number combinations were also terrible. Jang Hyo-seung returned to the company and handed the lottery paper to Park Jun-woo.

Park Jun-woo’s face puckered up as he checked the numbers.

Because of the lack of work processing time spent buying the lottery ticket, and the presentation that had to be finished early because of Park Jun-woo.

Thanks to this, Jang Hyo-seung had to work overtime in the evening, which was not in his plans. However, perhaps because of the weird lottery numbers or Park Jun-woo’s puckered face, his mood was a bit better.

***

And the following Monday morning.

On his way to work. Jang Hyo-seung boarded a packed commute bus as usual.

The only reason he took the bus instead of the subway was to close his eyes and sleep even a little.

But today, strangely, his eyes wouldn’t close. For some reason, his mind was perfectly clear and he felt strange.

Jang Hyo-seung opened his phone and flipped through the news. His finger scrolling down stopped right at a title.

[Who Is the Winner of the 5.1 Billion Prize? One Automatic Buyer in Front of the Bus Stop in 00 City and Three Others]

‘…Huh?’

Jang Hyo-seung clicked on the article unconsciously.

[First Place Winning Numbers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 15, 45]

“……?”

It felt as if his heart had stopped. He swallowed hard.

‘Those numbers… the automatic ones selected… those exact numbers.’

Jang Hyo-seung’s mind went blank.

Just then, a notification popped up in the company group chat.

└ Park Jun-woo: I am not feeling well, so I don’t think I can come to work today. I am sorry. I will submit the sick leave draft immediately on Tuesday.

“…What?”

His eyes widened automatically.

‘Really…? Did he really win? The numbers match, the place matches… the timing also matches perfectly…’

Thoughts bounced wildly in his head.

‘Isn’t he going to collect the money today…? Bad guys always succeed like that… I stood in line and bought that with my own hands…’

Reflected in the glass window, Jang Hyo-seung’s face was complex.

‘…He said he would give me half if he won… He lived with those words on his lips every day. He also acted sorry when he stole my achievements… But will he really share even a little? Still, I bought it with my own hands. What if he shares even a little?… Well… I have to accept it.

Wouldn’t a human, at least someone with a conscience, do that much?’

…He wanted to believe that.

However.

Park Jun-woo did not show up to the company on Tuesday either.

There was not even a message.

A few days later.

A phone call came to the company.

“Ah… Employee Park Jun-woo…?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Pardon?”

“Resignation…?”

The team leader’s face hardened as stiff as stone in an instant.

And a single word spread throughout the office.

“They say Park Jun-woo… notified his resignation. He said he won’t accept his severance pay. So the higher-ups told us to just process it.”

People whispered.

The moment he heard the news, strength drained completely from Jang Hyo-seung’s hands.

“…Wow. He really ran away?”

The 10,000 won bill he handed over on Friday and the lottery paper overlapped in his mind.

Jang Hyo-seung immediately stood up and headed to the breakroom. Before the door even closed, he was calling Park Jun-woo.

Ring…

Ring…

After a few rings, Park Jun-woo answered the phone.

“…Hello..”

“Jun-woo. Did you really quit?”

“Oh… yeah. Hyo-seung… Ah, my body just wasn’t feeling well…”

“What…? You won the lottery…”

“No. I didn’t win?”

“You won. I stood in line, spent my time, and bought that for you…”

“I said no! What are you talking about? Hey. Are you still making assumptions on your own, having a victim complex, and thinking weird things like that?”

“What…?? Victim complex?? Hey. You won the lottery! Why act like you didn’t! And you said you would give me half if it won when you made me do it! Not just once or twice!”

“What are you talking about? Are you crazy? I don’t know anything about that. Stop talking nonsense and hang up. Deluding yourself… idiot. Don’t contact me!”

Park Jun-woo’s voice shouting over the phone was sharp.

It was the exact voice Jang Hyo-seung knew well.

It was the exact voice Park Jun-woo made when he was hiding something or lying.

‘…If only he had said thank you, or said it was thanks to you… I could have understood.’

The abuse of power Park Jun-woo had committed during company life, the lies Park Jun-woo had told, the time lost because of Park Jun-woo, and those countless injustices flashed through Jang Hyo-seung’s mind.

A memory suddenly came back to him.

What his friend, who was struggling with a lease deposit, had said.

“Hyo-seung, I received a consultation on my lease deposit, right? The attorney was a bit of a geek, but he resolved it perfectly.”

He had let it pass back then, but it was different now. Instead of agonizing alone, let’s get a consultation.

Jang Hyo-seung immediately called his friend.

“Seok-jin! You said before there was an attorney you consulted with for the lease deposit. Do you still have the attorney’s contact info?”

“The attorney? Ah! Yes, I do. But why? Did something happen?”

“…Yes, it did…”

***

Thus, Jang Hyo-seung came to find Geum Nae-yeong.

“So you are saying that person said he would give you half?”

“Yes, he clearly said so.”

Geum Nae-yeong wrote on the consultation sheet and asked.

“Hmm… Is there anyone who heard those words?”

After recalling the situation of that day, Jang Hyo-seung answered soon after.

“Yes. The other colleagues working in the office that day all heard it.”

Geum Nae-yeong nodded.

“Good. First of all, the statement ‘I will give you half if I win the lottery’ is an agreement with a condition precedent.

In other words, it means a promise that takes effect only when it wins.”

Geum Nae-yeong continued the explanation.

“If it is true that he won, it naturally takes effect, and you can receive half of the winnings according to the agreement.”

“But when I called him, he insisted that he didn’t win and knew absolutely nothing about it. I have always been so angry about how he acts…”

“Once the lawsuit proceeds, we need the testimony of the people who heard the promise to give you half on that day. There might also be a witness examination process during the proceedings.”

“Yes, I will speak to my close colleagues in advance.”

Geum Nae-yeong added.

“The reason I am telling you about this process in advance… is to guide you beforehand that the lawsuit will not end quickly.”

“Yes, it doesn’t matter. It won’t be settled overnight.”

Geum Nae-yeong nodded and said.

“If you want to delegate the lawsuit, you can fill out these documents here. And… the success fee is 5% of the recognized amount.”

Jang Hyo-seung fell into thought for a moment, and then spoke up as if he had made up his mind.

“I will give you 10%. It’s not about the money… What I went through with Park Jun-woo won’t leave my head.

I also thought about going to a large law firm. But the friend who introduced me said that you are completely different from the attorneys working at places like Kim & Chang.

I… really want to win!”

Geum Nae-yeong’s eyes flashed in an instant.

“Yes. I understand. I will get you all of it as much as possible.”

Then Geum Nae-yeong wrote a note on the consultation sheet.

“Proceed with the lawsuit immediately.”