The Power of a Bank Balance
Finally, the hyung, who had been narrowing his eyes with a look of utter disbelief, let out a scoff. "I guess it's because you're still young, but trying to save face with lies will only make things harder for you later."
"Why would I lie about something like this?"
"Then does it make sense that a twenty-one-year-old who just moved to Seoul made hundreds of millions of won through investing? To do that, you'd need to have had tens of millions or even hundreds of millions to start with."
"I don't know about other people, but it made perfect sense to me."
"...I gave you a chance, and you're still lying to the very end."
Now he's completely convinced himself that I'm lying.
"If it's not a lie... can you show me proof?"
"Me? Why should I...?"
I could easily show him if I wanted to. If I just pulled up my bank account balance right now, he'd see nearly six hundred million won. The one hundred million I withdrew before, plus the five hundred million I withdrew this time, totaling six hundred million. But showing him just like that didn't sit well with me.
"See? That's why I'm asking why you'd tell a lie you can't even back up. It's a lie that's bound to get exposed instantly."
"Then if I do show you, what are you going to do, hyung? I'm the one being branded a liar here, and showing you means exposing my private financial business."
"...What do you want me to do?"
"Hmm... How about we bet ten million won?"
"..."
I intentionally threw out a high number to bruise his pride. Sure enough, he froze at the mention of ten million won, unable to give a hasty reply. If you don't even have that kind of guts, why are you acting so cocky?
"Unlike you, I'll be honest and won't lie. I don't have ten million won. But I can bet one million."
"Are you serious?"
"Yeah."
"That's a bit of a shame... but fine, let's make it a one-million-won bet. How do you want me to prove it?"
"Is there any need to make it complicated? Just show me your balance."
"That would be the most foolproof way."
When I accepted without a moment's hesitation, he flinched again, a look of surprise crossing his face. Yet, unwilling to admit he might be wrong, he crossed his arms, trying to look relaxed.
I pulled out my phone and immediately brought up my account balance, holding it up so he could see.
His pupils dilated wildly. The nunas sitting across from us tried to act indifferent, but they were clearly dying of curiosity. I guess they felt it would be rude to ask outright.
"H-How..."
"I got lucky."
"..."
Gulp.
"So, what are you going to do about the one million won?"
"..."
Where had all that bluster from when he was calling me a liar gone? He didn't say a word in response to my question about the money, his eyes darting around frantically. What was there to even think about? All he had to do was transfer the one million won.
"Well, you see..."
I was about to press him for the money, but then I thought, What do I even need a million won for? If he actually sent it, it might make me look like the bad guy, while he'd get to play the honorable man who kept his word. I decided to just let it go. Leaving him hanging like this felt like it would make him look far more pathetic anyway.
"Forget it, you don't have to pay. But in the future, it's probably best not to make promises you can't keep."
"..."
He couldn't bring himself to answer. The look of sheer relief on his face only made him look all the more miserable.
Whew... I realized it all over again. I was so glad I had money. If I didn't, I would've had to sit here and take lectures and life advice from a guy like him.
Once the bank account verification was over, the nunas subtly began to show their interest.
"You must have a real talent for investing. Making that much money at such a young age."
"Well... I just got really lucky."
"Still, it's amazing."
"Unni is right. Whether it was luck or not, amassing that much money at your age is incredible. I'm so jealous... Do you think investing would be too hard for someone like me to try?"
"I don't know. I've taken some massive losses myself... so I wouldn't really recommend it."
I had absolutely no intention of recommending investments to anyone. I only achieved these results because of my special ability; anyone else would most likely lose everything. If they made money on my recommendation, I'd get a simple thank you at best. But if they lost money, they'd resent me for the rest of their lives. Why on earth would I put myself through that? It was best to just make my money in peace and keep it to myself.
The hyung, who had been silent for a while after the verification, couldn't seem to stand the attention being focused solely on me. True to form, he couldn't help but try to pick a fight again.
"It's best to stop while you're ahead. Besides... having a few hundred million won at your age is nice and all, but it's not enough to live on for the rest of your life."
"Yeah, I suppose..."
"They say the average price of an apartment in Seoul is over a billion won these days. If you're going to be rich, you need to be filthy rich... but if you only have a middling amount, it's still better to have a stable job."
"..."
"If money becomes your everything, your life will go to ruin. If you obsess over money at such a young age, people will look down on you. You need to go out, meet girls, and understand where you stand in the world. Get yourself a girlfriend, like I did."
"I'll try."
I was too tired to even bother replying. At this point, it didn't even feel like he was picking a fight; it just felt like a desperate struggle to save his ego. Although the nunas didn't step in to stop him, I could see them frowning every time he opened his mouth. It was hard for them to say anything directly since they all lived in the same boarding house, but even a neighborhood dog could tell that he was in no position to be lecturing anyone.
Whether he genuinely didn't realize it or was just pretending not to, he shifted the topic from money to his girlfriend.
"Look. This is my girlfriend. Pretty, isn't she?"
"..."
A curse almost slipped out of my mouth. How on earth did a guy like him get such a pretty girlfriend? The woman in the photo he showed me was gorgeous, the kind of beauty that was rare even in Seoul. Of course, she fell short compared to the two nunas sitting in front of me... but then again, the two nunas were so exceptionally beautiful that they couldn't even be compared to ordinary people. His girlfriend was by no means lacking.
This completely unexpected turn of events caught me off guard, and I failed to control my facial expression. Taking that as a victory, the hyung continued to brag with a smug look on his face. Thanks to him, the mood at the table turned sour. Sensing the atmosphere, the nunas tactfully steered things toward wrapping up early, and we ended the gathering after the first round of drinks.
Even though we lived in the same boarding house, everyone had other plans or schedules to attend to. We stepped out of the bar and parted ways. Despite my initial excitement, the gathering had ended without much happening. Or so I thought.
"Jinseok, do you want to exchange numbers? You seem like a really nice guy, so if I find a good friend of mine who's single, I'll set you up. Plus, we're boarding housemates, so it'd be nice to be close."
"Sure..."
I gave Chaeyoung-nuna my number at her sudden request. At the same time, a bitter taste lingered in my mouth. I wished she was interested in me... but that clearly wasn't the case. It wasn't just her words; she genuinely didn't seem to view me as a romantic prospect. Well, someone as stunning as her had absolutely nothing to lose. And from what she had said during drinks, she had no intention of dating anyone for the time being. She mentioned that for someone planning to become an influencer or an internet broadcaster, dating was a massive risk.
Still, it was something that she offered to introduce me to other girls, even if it was just polite talk. It made me realize once again: if I wanted to date a woman on Chaeyoung-nuna's level, I needed to make far more money than this. I had to be realistic. No matter how much I worked out or tried to look good, there was a limit. It wasn't like I was exceptionally tall or incredibly charismatic. The only thing I could use to appeal to the opposite sex was money... but hey, that was still a strength of mine. Just as looks were crucial for women, wealth was what mattered for men. Since I could leverage that, I actually welcomed the reality of it.
They all act like they don't care, but they seem pretty interested in money...
The hyung was a prime example. He got so triggered by the money that he spent the rest of the night bragging about his girlfriend. I also noticed a subtle shift in the nunas' eyes after I verified my account. Chaeyoung-nuna was no exception. Honestly, if I hadn't shown them my balance, we probably wouldn't even be exchanging numbers right now. Still, I was glad to at least have something to look forward to. If she was Chaeyoung-nuna's friend, there was a high chance she'd be just as beautiful. Birds of a feather flocked together, after all.
But I never in a million years dreamed that the opportunity would come from a completely different direction.
A few days had passed since our drinking session. Out of nowhere, Taejun-hyung approached me with a proposal.
"Hey, if you've got nothing to do, want to go to Japan with me?"
"Japan?"
"My girlfriend is going to Japan with her friend, and they wanted us to tag along. I thought of you."
"..."
"Just so you know, my girlfriend's friend is absolutely gorgeous."
"Hyung-nim."
"...I'll take that as a yes, then."
"Yes, Hyung-nim."
I had no idea why this arrogant prick was suddenly throwing me a bone, but I had absolutely no reason to refuse. Honestly, I'd been feeling a bit bored lately. After dabbling in domestic stocks, overseas stocks, and crypto, my net worth had surpassed ten billion won before I even realized it. I'd been agonizing over how to spend all this cash. I needed to buy a car, but I was worried I'd get ripped off if I went alone... and going to a club by myself felt too awkward. When I asked on online forums, people suggested brothels, but to be honest, it wasn't that I was against it—I was just too scared. Doun-hyung had been so busy with his own plans lately that it was hard to meet up with him. In the midst of all this, this proposal was like a gift from heaven. Finally, I'm getting involved with a Seoul girl.