If I Don’t Earn 1 Trillion Won, My Regression Ends - Chapter 6

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 6

2009. Monaco.

A driver died.

His third year since debuting in F1 at the youngest age.

It was when the whole world was raising toasts in celebration, praising him as an unprecedented genius with the World Championship right within his grasp.

The young flame that was approaching something great beyond ordinary glory met a surprisingly futile tragedy and departed, leaving those behind to gather before his tombstone and offer chrysanthemums instead of champagne.

Rampa Lim.

The Korean-Australian, better known to everyone as ‘Rampa Lim’, disappeared into history along with waves of mourning.

Twenty-one years old. Twenty-two in Korean age.

It was a tragically young age.

♧

When Rampa Lim died, I was a middle schooler with choco pie hair.

The social impact his death brought was so great that even a pubescent girl who was indifferent to and ignorant about sports couldn’t forget it.

Rampa Lim was that uniquely exceptional.

The flashy and flamboyant genius of the century.

Even his death was so young that he was like the James Dean of the racing world.

Though he was born in Australia with English as his native language – a real black-haired foreigner – that point wasn’t particularly important.

Long before Hallyu became a global culture, Rampa Lim never stopped his shout-out to Korea. Rampa Lim was someone who exceptionally cherished his mother country.

Formula One was strangely a sport that was only unpopular in Korea, but Koreans might not know F1, but they all knew Rampa Lim.

So.

How could I not recognize him?

Just looking at his appearance – black hair and silver-gray eyes.

Such distinctive features with mixed Asian blood were also rare. I kept stealing glances at Rampa Lim.

‘Really, even the mole at the corner of his eye is exactly the same?’

It’s so exactly like the documentary I saw on Netflix!

He’s been handsome since he was little~.

Though it was the child version of Rampa Lim, seeing the legendary Silver Eye right in front of me made me feel like reality was disappearing.

Meeting RL while delivering rice cakes to the upstairs neighbor – is this a dream?

‘But why is he here?’

Even though I’ve risen and entered a tier-1 neighborhood, is it okay for my surroundings to change this drastically to a heaven and earth transformation level?

I thought maybe he was just a kid who looked similar, but that thought was completely shattered as soon as I heard the introduction.

His name is ‘Rampa Lim’!

Could there be two Korean-Australian children born in ’88 who speak Australian English and have such an unusual name?

“[Can she even walk? She’s so small. Let’s take the elevator even now.]”

“You can’t disturb the adults.”

“[Then should I carry her? She’s really small. She looks just like the rice cake she’s holding.]”

It’s rice cake, not chin.

There are more than one or two confusing things, but right now the most confusing thing for me is…

“[And stop using English. It’s very rude to keep speaking English like this in front of her.]”

These kids’ English skills.

‘Well, I get it for the Australian whose native language is English.’

Jeong Hyeon-gyo?

What’s with that kid from upstairs?

Why is his pronunciation like that in an era when there weren’t even English daycares? Don’t tell me this is the average for 90s new town kids?

‘The class difference hits hard…’

Mom, I want to study abroad…

“I know~ But my Korean sucks.”

(I know~ But my Korean sucks.)

“You have to keep trying to use it to improve. Sing-a doesn’t like it when we keep using strange words, right?”

“Yeah… it’s annoying…”

“Sorry. Rampa hyung. What are you doing? Hyung, hurry up and apologize too.”

“Annoying? What’s that- Hmm. Sorry.”

The reason the three of us are walking like this is…

Because our mom gave the two children who followed behind me after receiving the moving rice cakes a mission called ‘taking care of the little sister’.

Child Jeong Hyeon-gyo, who received the mission, chose to go to the playground after much deliberation (though I have no idea why he deliberated).

And then he wouldn’t let us take the elevator saying we shouldn’t disturb the adults, which was maddening.

Currently, we were walking straight down the 10th floor stairs.

Though I met him for the first time today, I can feel tremendous Confucian power from this little kid.

‘Ugh~ my legs hurt like hell.’

The Korean-Australian child who grew up well on Australian water seemed to feel sorry for me being abused by Confucian power, as he’d been wanting to carry me since earlier.

Young Rampa Lim carrying me?

Since I wanted this too, I desperately shot him a look of permission, but the little Confucian kept blocking it. Something about becoming a child who walks by herself…!

“But how old is Sing-a? I’m eight years old, and Rampa hyung here is nine years old.”

“Sing-a is six years old.”

“Nah, I’m not nine. My birthday hasn’t passed yet. Korean age is really weird.”

Rampa Lim, who pouted his lips, made eye contact with me and suddenly put on a stern, serious expression.

“But I’m oppa. You’ll be in big trouble if you don’t call me oppa.”

“…”

What? A nine-year-old is already an oppa-obsessed kid…? I’m disillusioned.

“Rampa oppa. Carry me. Sing-a’s legs hurt.”

“Okay!”

Since he’s still a kid, he’s simple and nice~.

Jeong Hyeon-gyo showed displeasure from the side, but I ignored it since I was really at my limit. Rampa Lim’s back was very comfortable. Mmm~ refreshing soap scent~.

“My younger sister Hyeon-hye is the same age as you. She’s not home right now because she went out with mother, but get along well.”

“Oi~ careful. Hyo-ne so wild.”

“What? Hon-ne?”

I really can’t understand the Korean-Australian pronunciation!

“Rampa hyung, don’t say things that could cause misunderstandings. Hyeon-hye is a bit rough, but she’s not a bad kid.”

Aha~ so this little kid named Hyeon-hye has quite an attitude?

‘This guy gave me good information.’

As a sign of appreciation, I patted Rampa Lim’s shoulder.

Befitting a genius who would succeed in the future, his body was sturdy, and though he had a slight oppa-obsessed vibe, he’d been handsome and fresh since his sprout days.

It’s such a waste for a kid like this to die young!

‘Since we met like this through fate, should I give him a hint?’

If I do him favors in advance, it might be a small help for my 1 trillion won mission in the distant future.

Having quickly finished my calculations, I whispered in Rampa Lim’s ear with a sweet baby voice.

“Rampa oppa~. Do you know what ‘saju’ is?”

“Huh?”

“How would a little kid like Sing-a know about saju? Did you hear it from an auntie?”

…Then how do you know it, you little Confucian child?

‘Could he also be a regressor?’

I suppressed the urge to interrogate Jeong Hyeon-gyo about whether he knew Mr. Minsu and started planting ideas in Rampa Lim.

“Saju is Korea’s very mysterious, um~ so Korean traditional magic! You can read a person’s life just by looking. Like the past or future.”

“Ooh?”

“I can do!”

“Wait, what?”

“Wait and see. Oh, I can see it, I see… Hmm, hmm~ I got it! Oppa, do you ride cars? Like bumper cars!”

“…!”

“…!”

At my words, not only Rampa Lim but also Jeong Hyeon-gyo, who had been walking ahead, dropped his jaw and whipped around to look at me.

The faces of children engulfed in shock.

Both their eyes were wide as saucers.

“H-how? R-Rampa hyung. Did hyung tell her?”

“[Are you kidding? No! I’m getting goosebumps right now. Is this really happening? You guys are working together to prank me, right?]”

His already shaky Korean skills seemed to regress further from the shock as Rampa Lim rapid-fired English.

He had also set me down on the ground at some point.

While the foreign child, tasting Korean superstition for the first time, was in confusion, Jeong Hyeon-gyo, being a native child after all, came to his senses relatively quickly.

“Sing-a. How did you really know? Rampa hyung is Australia’s state kart champion. He’s moving up to junior next year and he’s already been on the news abroad. He’s pretty famous.”

Yeah~ I know~. This noona watched the documentary too.

Of course, I roughly watched it at 1.5x speed, but I did watch it anyway.

I spoke triumphantly to the two children who were looking at me with extremely excited faces.

“I told you. Sing-a can read fortunes. It’s not just this. I can see the future a little too, you know? Rampa oppa will become much, much more famous than now, but he needs to be careful. When oppa is—”

I was just about to warn young Rampa Lim that he’d have a big accident around age twenty-two and to be careful of rainy roads.

“Huh?”

“!”

“S-Sing-a!”

Jeong Hyeon-gyo’s composure broke, and Rampa Lim rushed over with a stiff face, quickly cupping his hands under my chin.

Drip drip…!

Red dots falling continuously onto the apartment stairs.

‘Oh my god…’

It was a nosebleed. And it was pouring like rain.

What on earth is happening?

Unable to endure the rising dizziness any longer, I collapsed right there with a thud.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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