Translator/Editor: TranslatingNovice

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Chapter 11: Lottery

It's been a year and eight months since the war began.

A languid spring day is slowly warming up the air.

The sound of gunfire echoes from afar.

Is it starting again?

How many bullets do they have, that mother and daughter?

It feels like they've fired thousands of rounds, judging by how often they shoot. Do they own a bullet factory or something?

It looks like the mother has recently started teaching her daughter to shoot as well.

Sometimes I hear two gunshots in quick succession.

Early education in the age of destruction, perhaps.

That crazy sniper is indeed an excellent marksman.

She makes ordinary people back off with intimidatingly precise shots at targets like the tip of a toe or a car's rear view mirror, but she doesn't hesitate to plant a bullet right between the eyes of a direct threat like a zombie or looter.

It's not just bullets they have in abundance, but heavy weaponry too.

Inside their Humvee I saw once, they had Claymore mines and even guided missiles like Javelins.

What's been bothering me lately isn't the mother and daughter's gunfire.

That's a good sound.

What irks me is the roar of the transport planes currently crossing the sky.

There's been a noticeable increase in transport planes lately.

So much so that it's comparable to the period right before the war.

I thought the resistance in China had died down, so what's the problem?

Lately, there's an unexpected trend of lotteries in Seoul.

It's definitely a trend.

Anonymous848: I heard rumors about it too, seems pretty good.

Kyle_Dos: I was briefly in Seoul and everyone was talking about the lottery.

Anonymous458: Heard the first prize is a real life-changer!

Seeing members of our community, who were prepared to cut ties with the world, show interest...

It made me think that I was a somewhat steady guy.

Steady, you know, not easily swayed by the ways of the world.

SKELTON: (Skeleton question) Where can you buy the lottery?

But what can you do about curiosity?

If you don't know, you ask.

Unfortunately, unpopular users like me don't get many replies.

What could be the problem?

Surely it's not because of the (Skeleton question) in the title?

I have a feeling I used to get more replies when I was just a regular active member...

Luckily, someone replied before my impatience ran out.

Defender: You don't buy it. You can get it by participating in national labor.

"...."

The one who replied was the human hunter.

I'm grateful, but I still have mixed feelings about this guy.

I wish he wouldn't comment on my posts.

But his response this time had its reasons.

Defender: Lottery Verification

This guy actually bought a lottery ticket.

His lottery verification was the beginning of his 'Lottery Series.'

Defender: Starting the lottery story series now. Those who want to see it, see it; those who don't, ignore it.

It's an astonishing change of events.

This psychopath, who only used to post murder verifications, is now writing about the hottest trend.

We all know about this guy's proactive nature from the Damien04 incident, but his sudden turn towards this seemingly benevolent act must be related to the Christmas tree incident from before.

It's not on the level of IamJesus, but the tree filled with curses must have irked the human hunter enough to post a disgruntled message.

Defender: No, am I really that wrong?

Seeing the tree filled with curses, he must have been quite shocked.

That convinced me that this guy is indeed a real psychopath.

Anyway, whatever the reason, the human hunter's lottery series quenched the thirst for information for users like me who are far from Seoul.

Hope Lottery was surprisingly similar to a regular lottery.

The only difference being, while the regular lottery has a total of 46 numbers, Hope Lottery has 44, making the odds of winning significantly higher.

You can't buy Hope Lottery with money.It's given along with wages to those who complete the work required by the state labor program. The draw takes place every three days at designated locations in each district office.

Defender: The fifth prize is toilet paper.

Lucky as he is, the human hunter also verified the toilet paper he won in the lottery.

Unlike the embossed, soft toilet paper I've stocked up, it was rough, low-quality, brownish paper that seemed like it could irritate sensitive skin.

Even such low-quality toilet paper seems to hold value for Seoul's citizens, who are running out of necessities, enough to trade several meals for it.

The higher the rank, the better the prizes, including sugar, rice, stock oil, and even luxury goods like cigarettes, alcohol, and medicine.

The grand first prize is quintessentially Korean.

It's an apartment.

Given that ruined apartments are everywhere, I wondered why an apartment, but of course, it wasn't just any ordinary apartment.

Defender: It's this kind of apartment?

The human hunter posted an additional photo.

Despite his post being informative, it hardly got any comments. Though, the last photo he posted was an exception.

The photo showed a schematic of an apartment complex similar in design to a chaebol's fortress that previously shocked everyone.

Centered around a concrete wall surrounding the entire complex, the apartments were densely packed, with farmland and workshops in the center, sports facilities including a soccer field and basketball court, and a hall and auxiliary facilities for various events.

Compared to the chaebol fortress, it was like replacing the chaebol's mansion with multiple apartments and the small golf course with a soccer field.

Of course, it's thousands of times larger than a chaebol fortress meant for family members.

Anonymous848: This is it. This.

Kyle_Dos: No joke, right? Is this for real?

Anonymous458: Isn't this just like a budget version of a chaebol fortress?

The community's reaction was favorable.

To the extent that even some users defied our long-held beliefs.

DocKim: I'd like to live in a place like that.

qwer1234: If something like this existed before the war, I would've paid to get in there instead of digging up land for shelter.

mmmmmmmmm: I'm sick of living in a bunker. Koreans should live in apartments.

Bunker life is indeed a pain.

Cold in winter, hot in summer.

Humid, smelly, endless bugs, cramped, no windows.

The reason I try to go outside to breathe fresh air as often as I can is because, no matter how well decorated, a bunker is still suffocating.

My beautifully expanded bunker, which is more like an

underground empire than a mere shelter, is this bad. Imagine how suffocating a standard-sized bunker must be for others.

The reason for Anonymous337's suicide was complex, but I believe the stress of living in a cramped and uncomfortable bunker played a significant part.

As for my thoughts on the trending apartment, ‘The Hope’:

SKELTON: (Skeleton pondering) The Hope, before we discuss good or bad, is this even feasible?

It's a question mark.

As usual, no one responded to my post, but someone did give it a 'like.'

Anyway, the small spark thrown by the human hunter resonated with our apocalyptic hearts in its own little way.

But this friend, was he someone who can do genuine labor?

That's even more chilling.

About a week after the human hunter finished his Hope Lottery series, a new post quickly became popular in the community.

"What?!"

Seeing the post rise to popularity in real-time, I was overwhelmed with a sense of inadequacy.

My series about Chairman Jae Pung-ho only barely made it to the popular posts in its third episode, and to be frank, there was a bit of technical manipulation involved.

I couldn't bear to see my diligently written long posts get buried, so I, Park Gyu, clicked endlessly to inflate the view count!

I think I increased the views by about 100 times.

Melon Musk, the founder of Viva! Apocalypse!, didn't foresee this situation and hadn't sealed the function to boost views manually.

But this new popular post didn't need such tactics.

Everyone who saw it commented, and it received a high frequency of likes.

It got a free pass to being a popular post.

With a mix of jealousy and emptiness, I clicked on the post.

mmmmmmmmm: I won the Hope Lottery hahaha!

"Ah."

It’s indeed worth the attention.

While nursing my defeated feelings, I savored the content of the post.

-After reading Defender's post, I left my bunker to join the national labor program. I was assigned to the Jungnang District. It was annoying when the military and police demanded an entrance fee like bandits at the gate, but my curiosity about the lottery drove me to join the crowded throng of non-apocalyptic bums in front of the district office. I managed to get a spot in the labor program and earned a lottery ticket after some hard work.

Luckily, it was the draw day, so I checked my ticket at the district office square, and here's the result!

<Congratulations! You have won the first prize in the Hope Lottery!>

mmmmmmmmm.

This owner of a careless and chaotic nickname won the first prize in the Hope Lottery issued by Seoul, South Korea.

In other words, he was granted the right to live in the government-advertised futuristic residential area.

It meant he could start a new life in a comfortable new apartment with a great view, leaving behind his pathetic life in a dreary bunker – a life in a near-chaebol class fortress that everyone envied.

The winner was bursting with anticipation.

No need to delve deep into his mind or intentions.

mmmmmmmmm: Hey, where can I find a woman to marry now? Being a "The Hope" winner, pretty girls must be lining up, right?

He was ecstatic.

A perfect example of someone who's hit the jackpot after a lifetime of nothing.

But this friend.

He changed too abruptly and strangely after winning the lottery.

mmmmmmmmm: I have to endure here for another year until I move in next year. Honestly, I feel like I'm going crazy.

mmmmmmmmm: Thinking about it now, it would've been enough just to hide supplies at home instead of frantically digging bunkers. It seems they even distribute rations in Seoul.

mmmmmmmmm: People should live together. Alone, you're just prey for looters, right?

mmmmmmmmm: Winning the lottery and thinking about staying in this hell? It's dizzying.

He began criticizing our methods and fellow survivors now that he had a better place to go.

I knew this friend for quite a while, but he wasn't the type to write so much, nor such sharp posts.

I understand he's happy, but it's a bit uncomfortable to see.

So I said something.

SKELTON: (Skeleton advice) m9-nim, is winning the lottery getting an official title? Let’s do it in moderation.

It seems I wasn't the only one thinking this way, as other users followed my lead in cautioning him.

Our lottery winner (hereafter "m9") didn't stop, however.

mmmmmmmmm: If you're jealous, just say so. Be honest. You all want to quit bunker life, right? Some of you are running out of supplies. Some almost froze to death last winter, and of course, you don't have women, right? Left behind loser bastards.

m9 kept hurling almost curse-like abuse at us.

It was the birth of a new villain in the community.

Naturally, the community friends didn't let this go.

Anonymous848: Blocked

Kyle_Dos: I'm blocking this guy too

Anonymous458: Where's the human hunter? Isn't he going to take care of this guy?

Blocking and ignoring.

That's how our community users enforce order against those who disrupt the forum.

Even the human hunter, who had once been on many users' block lists but unexpectedly became a significant 'named' character due to his unintended benefits, left a short but powerful comment for m9.

Defender: Do you actually trust this country?

m9 didn't respond.

Of course, he didn’t want to die.

Not just killing those who come to his territory, the human hunter doesn't hesitate to go on hunting expeditions, sneaking into Seoul and even participating in national labor just for some toilet paper – m9 must be scared.

But this m9 friend, while small, I have good memories of him.

I know him.

He was an early member of the John Nenon fan club.

One of the few guys in his 20s.

He probably doesn't remember me, but I remember him.

Thinking of us grilling meat at the Yamae Raw Meat Restaurant, I picked up my K-Walkie-Talkie.

Personal Identification Number: Will you contact DARAM?

A one-to-one communication using personal identification numbers.

A privilege of the post-apocalyptic era available only to those who have been assigned a personal identification number.

"Sunbae contacting first? What's the occasion? There’s no jobs right now. Ah, of course, there's plenty of room on the front lines."

Faint jazz music could be heard over the radio.

The scenery and air must be different on her side.

"It’s because I have something I want to ask.."

I inquired about the apartment in question.

The reason I bothered to contact this annoying junior of mine was because I myself had doubts that the apartment would actually be constructed properly.

At present, the chaebols have been degraded to mere powerful families, and there's no company capable of taking on such a construction project.

Even if they somehow manage to gather people to build it, how will they procure the materials and establish the promised fully self-sufficient system?

Especially for a large-scale complex intended to house thousands of families, not just a dozen or so people like a chaebol fortress.

Above all, the very fact that the government is issuing such a lottery feels fundamentally twisted to me.

"The Hope is..."

The image of Kim Da-ram exhaling cigarette smoke vividly came to mind.

"Nothing but a mirage."

She must be looking at the ruins spread out beyond her window.

A city destined to die, having already lost its present and even its future.

After a brief silence, she revealed another truth with a shallow sigh.

"We're going to Jeju Island. We'll evacuate everyone by next spring at the latest."

Right after her words, coincidentally, the roar of a transport plane overhead resonated unusually loudly inside my bunker.

"...."

A question I'd been harboring was resolved.

"Don't tell this news to anyone else. It's top secret."

I naturally accepted her request.

I was the only one to know and didn't tell anyone.

I only did what I could.

SKELTON: That apartment, there's a very high chance it won't be built. You never know how things will turn out in this world, so make sure to manage your bunker and supplies well.

I sent a direct message to m9.

It was my way of repaying him for his earnestness that day at the meat restaurant, where he took the initiative to grill and serve meat.

Soon, a response came.

mmmmmmmmm: Blocked

Good intentions are not always accepted as they are.