The Lost Wallet
The Lost Wallet
I came to the bank to update my bankbook for the first time in a while.
In this day and age, someone might ask what the point of updating a bankbook is,
but lately, seeing the money being deposited is oddly satisfying, so it didn't feel like a bad thing.
Checking how much had been deposited, seeing what the total amount was...
At some point, checking once a week had become a habit, almost like a hobby.
'It's like I'm collecting game money or something.'
I guess this was why people spent hours on repetitive grinding to save up game money.
After I withdrew the money I'd saved to rebuild the orphanage and the Speeto winnings, my balance fell below 100 million won for a while,
and after that, as the money slowly piled back up, the original amount was restored.
Was this the reward for working hard?
I wasn't the type to be greedy for money, but strangely, watching it stack up bit by bit, and spending money on someone else, felt good.
Especially spending money on my mom and on A-ra,
that felt so good it couldn't be compared to anything else.
'I've finished updating my bankbook... should I withdraw some?'
Updating the bankbook alone would have been enough, right?
Since I was viewing money as a kind of game, I'd been withdrawing cash or checks and collecting them.
You know that feeling, right?
The one where seeing a wallet stuffed full of cash makes you feel all warm inside, and holding checks gives you a sense of security.
For that simple reason, I'd withdraw small amounts of money and keep them in my wallet as I went about my day.
It felt reassuring, and sometimes I'd take them out just to admire them.
'Hmm... should I make a big one this time...'
Normally, I'd make them in 100,000 won and 1,000,000 won denominations, but last time, when A-ra left a 100 million won check and a 1 billion won check on the living room table, I'd handled them.
They weren't any different from lower-denomination checks, but still, because the numbers were so large, it felt like they were radiating a kind of halo.
I think it was something like a payment for a real estate transaction.
I don't know the details, but I guess she was planning to buy another building.
Anyway, with those thoughts in mind, I headed toward the bank counter.
Maybe because it was summer vacation, the place was absolutely packed with people,
and I let out a sigh without even realizing it.
But it wasn't like there were no seats, so I went and sat in the first empty one I could find.
"Phew..."
"Oh? Seong-hwan?"
Someone recognized me and started talking.
If it had just been a fan, they wouldn't have called me Seong-hwan-ssi, so I slowly turned to look.
As expected, sitting there was someone I'd seen many times before.
She was wearing sunglasses and a mask, but strangely, I could recognize her right away.
Maybe it was because of her voice.
"Hwa-young?"
It was Hwa-young, A-ra's hometown friend, someone you could call her best friend.
She was dressed all in black, which might have looked plain on an ordinary person, but on Hwa-young, it somehow exuded elegance.
As expected, an idol was different from the rest.
"What brings Noona here?"
"An electronic OTP, I guess? I came to get one of those reissued."
"Ah... those have really long-lasting batteries though..."
"I lost it."
She was just as scatterbrained as her friend A-ra, I see.
Even though she was two years older than A-ra, I figured she'd be a little more responsible.
"Not long ago, A-ra Noona also went to the bank because she lost her OTP."
"Really? Now that you mention it, I think I might have heard about that... But Seong-hwan, why did you come here?"
"I thought I might exchange some money for a check."
"A check? You collect checks too?"
"Then don't tell me Noona also..."
"Yeah, I already made one in a 1 billion won denomination."
As expected, was a Queens member just different?
Maybe it was because she was a Hollywood actress too, but to Hwa-young, who earned money in so many ways, a 100 million won check probably didn't even register.
"So? How much were you planning to make?"
"One hundred million won..."
My voice got a little quieter.
Saying that number to someone who even made 1 billion won checks felt embarrassingly small.
"Huh... looks like you're making good money yourself, Seong-hwan?"
"To some degree, yes."
Still, maybe because Hwa-young's sense of money was normal, she smiled and told me I was making a lot.
It just proved that A-ra and Eun-ji were the ones with the weird sense of money.
"Then, next time I come over to your place, make me something good to eat."
"How did it end up becoming that..."
Shouldn't Hwa-young, who earned way more than me, be the one treating me?
I had memories of cooking for her several times already anyway...
"You said you make a lot, right? Don't just spoil your wife, spoil your friend Noona too~"
"Ah... fine..."
She started throwing a kind of half-tantrum, and I ended up nodding in agreement.
I guess I really am weak when it comes to older women.
Considering how I practically live under A-ra's thumb...
Wait, or is it the other way around?
*
For now, I deposited money into my mom's account, made the check, then came back outside.
Seeing the employees look shocked when a young student like me said I wanted a 100 million won check still made me involuntarily crack a bitter smile.
Still, maybe because quite a few of them watched my videos, I managed to get the check issued without any unnecessary hassle.
I had heard that making a check with a high amount required an identity verification and things like that...
"Seong-hwan, are you going home now?"
Hwa-young, who had been clicking away at her OTP machine, tilted her head and looked at me.
"Yeah. I need to do some laundry..."
"Then, do you want to grab a cup of coffee with Noona?"
Even though I was about to head home, Hwa-young was tempting me by asking to grab coffee.
I wonder what her angle was.
"I'm a married man..."
"I know! Who said I was trying to seduce you?!"
"Then what is it?"
"I'm buying you coffee to say thanks for cooking for me before!"
Telling me not to get the wrong idea, Hwa-young flicked me on the forehead.
Lately, I wondered if I'd gotten a little too self-conscious, since I kept having weird thoughts from time to time.
If it was just a simple 'thanks for the meal' coffee, then I should go along.
While I was at it, I should ask for a slice of cake too.
"Please buy me a chocolate cake, too."
"You can pick whatever you want."
"Oh yeah~"
Seeing me get pointlessly excited, Hwa-young let out a little laugh.
"Does A-ra not let you eat stuff like that?"
"No? It's just that A-ra Noona doesn't really like cake, so I ended up not eating it either."
"Hmm... did A-ra not like cake?"
"You're her friend, Noona, and you don't even know that?"
"Uh-oh... Seong-hwan, you little... you've grown up a lot, huh?"
Ahem...
I cleared my throat and backed away from Hwa-young.
Maybe I got a little too cheeky with a Noona four years older than me.
"Well then, I'll gratefully enjoy this."
"Sure, sure. Eat up, my dongsaeng~"
"Dongsaeng..."
Since I was her friend's husband, wasn't I not really her dongsaeng?
It wouldn't have been a problem if I addressed Hwa-young as "sister-in-law" either.
***
"Then, get home safe~"
"You get home safe too, Noona."
After enjoying a refreshing coffee and a slice of cake, I walked out of the café.
We'd chatted about this and that inside, but it was nothing too significant.
Well, it would have been weirder if we shared some deeply meaningful conversation by ourselves.
'Let's see... the key...... huh........?'
I put my hands on my front pants pocket and my back pocket.
But then, something started to feel empty.
A moment of silence passed.
I'd found the key in my pocket, but the wallet that should have been thickly bulging was nowhere to be seen.
Actually, the Porsche Cayenne key could be remade as many times as needed, so losing it wouldn't be a big problem.
But, right now, didn't my wallet have that check I'd just made inside it...
'This is bad...'
I immediately ran back into the café.
I remembered taking my wallet out inside the café, so there was no way I'd lost it somewhere else.
I looked around, turning my head this way and that, and arrived back at the spot where Hwa-young and I had sat and had our coffee.
The tabletop had been wiped clean, probably by a part-timer, and as expected, the wallet was not there.
'C-could it be... the part-timer kept it for safekeeping...'
Clutching at a sliver of hope, I walked slowly toward the counter.
From the table to the counter.
It was a very short distance, but for some reason, it felt incredibly long.
"Sir? Would you like to order?"
"Excuse me... I'm looking for a wallet... a black one?"
"Huh? One moment please. Let me check if any lost items have come in."
Since the café was large and had more than a couple of part-timers, they didn't seem to know what each other had found.
Still, since they didn't say there was nothing, there might be hope.
I waited about three minutes.
The part-timer who had gone to look for lost items earlier came back out.
"You said a black wallet, right? We have one lost item that came in, would you like to check it?"
"Phew... thank goodness... I'll check right now."
"Then please follow me this way."
I walked slowly behind the part-timer.
The walk was no different from before, but now my steps felt much lighter, and I even let out a sigh of relief.
It seemed the tension had eased a little.
"Haa..."
"Were you very worried?"
"Yes... I had quite a bit of large cash inside."
Even if they were curious, it seemed they weren't going to ask for the exact amount.
As expected, my identity was probably too obvious.
"Here, please check it."
"........"
"Sir?"
When I saw the wallet sitting all alone in the storage locker, I froze on the spot.
The wallet there... was not my wallet.
And all the strength drained from my body.
Even so, to lose 100 million won... had there ever been such an idiot?
What do I do now... I don't think I can even tell A-ra...?