The Lost Wallet (2)
The Lost Wallet (2)
Instead of heading straight home, I stopped by the apartment lounge.
The shock of losing my wallet was just too great.
First, I went to the apartment desk to get my ID card reissued.
It might sound like I simply got it reissued, but the reality was different.
To deactivate the old ID card and get a new one reissued, I had to pay 250,000 won.
Getting a card issued requires a deposit and a fee, so it couldn't be helped that it felt a bit expensive.
Once I arrived at the lounge, I ordered an iced Americano and sat down at a table.
I gazed out the window and let out a sigh.
"Sigh... 100 million won..."
In the end, I'd left the apartment, telling myself contacting the police would be a hassle.
Anyone could see it was my fault for losing it, and from the start I was worried it might cause an unnecessary uproar.
Just think about it.
The news would be: a student barely 21 years old walking around with a 100 million won check and then losing it.
It was hard to even imagine what kind of malicious comments would be waiting for me.
"Should I just pretend it was never there...?"
100 million won was about a month's profit.
It wasn't an amount I could just write off as nothing.
And since it was entirely my money, it was freely usable funds.
"No... I'd just made a 100 million won check. Can I really afford to be indifferent?"
Places like the bank and the Financial Supervisory Service aren't fools.
If someone attempted to cash a high-value check, a notification would definitely be sent somewhere.
And some crazy bastard might show up trying to cash the check I lost.
If it gets used for something criminal, then I'd be...
"My life would be ruined..."
"What's ruined?"
"Life is........ What are you doing?"
I lifted my head and looked over.
It wasn't A-ra's voice. Wondering who it was, I turned to see the staff member I always greeted whenever I came to the lounge.
During vacations, after A-ra went to work, I had nothing to do at home,
so I would come to the lounge and chat with the older guys or talk with the staff. Among the employees, she was on the more comfortable side.
Everything about it was comfortable except for the fact that she was a woman.
"Hello..."
"Why are you so down in the dumps? Did you have a fight with A-ra or something?"
"No, it's not that..."
I was unbearably frustrated. Should I just pour it all out to her?
Anyway, it wasn't something I could keep hidden forever.
Sooner or later, I'd have to tell A-ra and deal with it.
If so, maybe talking to someone else first and finding a solution was the priority.
"I wonder if I can tell you about this..."
"Oh... Is it a tough topic to talk about?"
"It is... but still, it's something I have to tell someone someday..."
"Hmm..."
The staff member stroked her chin and began to ponder.
It seemed like she was worrying about something for me.
"I don't know the situation well, but try telling me anyway."
"Ugh..."
"Hey, you know us apartment staff can't leak celebrities' or creators' private lives, right?"
Ah.
Now that I thought about it, that was true.
They had confidentiality clauses in their contracts.
They'd said there's a clause preventing them from disclosing anything they learn on the job.
So wouldn't it be okay to tell her?
"Then..."
First, before opening up to A-ra,
I'd open up to this person and try to find a solution.
If even this didn't work... there was no other choice.
The only way was to tell A-ra.
*
"So... you lost a check, and that's why you're like this?"
"To be precise, I lost my entire wallet."
"What about the cards inside?"
"I froze all of them."
"Hmm..."
Still, now that I'd confessed, I felt relieved inside.
So that's why stewing on your own is completely pointless.
"Still, it's a relief."
"A relief...?"
"It's a relief it was a check, not cash. I thought you'd lost two bundles of a hundred 50,000 won bills."
"Isn't this basically the same..."
I felt gloomy for a moment.
Because her analogy wasn't really any different from my actual situation.
Wasn't 50,000 won about what I used to live on for a week before I married A-ra?
No matter how much my sense of money had been shattered living with A-ra, I'd lost 100 million won.
If only I'd spent it myself, that'd be a different story...
"Seong-hwan-ssi, you seem to be misunderstanding something."
The staff member sighed and gave a bitter smile.
Her expression showed she couldn't understand why I was continuing to be so depressed.
"Why are you so upset over losing a check?"
"If it were just a hundred thousand won or a million won... but it's a check for 100 million won."
"That's not it... Wait, don't tell me you don't know, Seong-hwan-ssi?"
"What do you mean?"
"Losing a check isn't a big deal. The bank honors the check, right?"
"What does that matter..."
"That's exactly my point! Think about a blank check! Do you think the bank would cash a check with no signature, just an amount and an account number?"
"They wouldn't exchange it?"
When I asked, the staff member sighed and sat down in a chair.
Afterwards, I heard a detailed explanation about checks.
Apparently, the cashier's check that I'd gotten—the check issued and guaranteed by the bank—was
a bit different from a counter check, commonly called a blank check,
but the payment principle was similar.
So, ultimately, the check itself did not hold the same value as cash;
it only gained value once you took it to the bank and exchanged it.
It seemed the person who issued the check could cancel it, and if there was no signature on the back, they could recover the amount through administrative litigation.
So... I'd lost the check, but I hadn't lost the money.
"I understand. Someone new to the working world might not know."
"T-then..."
"Don't worry. It might take a little while, but the money isn't going anywhere."
"Ah... ahh..."
Suddenly, I felt the strength leave my entire body.
Was it because the tension that had been holding my body taut had abruptly released?
I felt like I couldn't even lift my arms properly.
"What a relief......"
"But why did you make the check out for such a large amount?"
The employee tilted her head, asking why I used a check when online banking was so well-established these days.
She had a point. Hardly anyone used checks nowadays.
"Just... I wanted to try making one..."
"That's the reason? As expected, rich people try out things like that too, huh."
"No, well... it's not really..."
I laughed it off with a bitter smile.
And I gulped down the iced Americano I had ordered earlier in one cool shot.
"Pwah..."
"Are you heading back in now?"
"Yeah, my wife should be home soon."
"I'm envious of A-ra-ssi. Sigh... I should hurry up and get married too..."
Though she was only twenty-five, she trudged back, saying she wanted to get married soon.
I should return my cup and head home quickly too.
No, before that, should I ask the lawyer how to get the check money back?
Ugh... or should I consult Mom first?
Even after finding a solution, the worries remained.
***
Several days passed after I lost my wallet.
First, I got my ID card and driver's license reissued,
and I got my cards reissued as well.
When I reissued my credit and debit cards, all the card information registered in the payment apps was wiped out, so I had to register them anew.
I had a busy time dealing with this and that.
For the record, I still hadn't told anyone about the check.
Not even the lawyer yet....
If you ask why, I can only say it was because I had too much to do.
I had to film videos and take care of other things too.
"Hmm... While I'm thinking about it, maybe I should contact the Director..."
The Director had told me to contact her first if anything happened or if I had something to say,
so I generally reached out to her.
It's probably something other people can't even imagine.
The sight of me exchanging personal contact with a major corporation's CEO...
"Hm?"
Just as I was about to call the Director, a call came in from a number I didn't recognize.
Seeing that it started with 010... wasn't it a spam call?
I didn't want to answer an unknown number, but for some reason, I felt drawn to it and ended up pressing the call button.
"... Hello?"
- Hello. Is this Yoo Seong-hwan-ssi?
"Yes... This is Yoo Seong-hwan..."
- This is XX Police Box. Have you recently lost a wallet?
"Oh! How did you know!?"
I ended up blurting out like an idiot in the moment.
After all, wouldn't a call from a police box be about exactly that?
- A woman filed a lost item report with us recently. Your personal details were very clear, so I contacted you.
"Ahh... what a relief..."
- However, the check inside... is this one real?
"Yes... it's the genuine one issued the day I lost it."
- I see. If so, could you visit the XX Police Box sometime this week?
"I'll come by tomorrow. Thank you, thank you."
- Haha, please give your thanks to the person who picked it up, not us.
Of course.
What was a mere greeting? Even a bow wouldn't be enough.
Thankfully, that was how I got my wallet back.
It made me regret all the time I'd wasted having my cards and ID reissued for nothing.