Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Self-Invited Disaster
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Excuse me?
"What do you mean, Father?"
I was baffled by what my father said while he was scrubbing the jar stand.
Father kept working without even straightening his back.
"When you bought the coins, you wrote up all the loan documents through your maternal uncle. Your seal—the one kept at the family home—I stamped it for you."
"Wait, why?"
"What do you mean, 'why,' you punk? You said you'd pay it back in 5 years—no, 4 years. Did you think I'd just hand it over for free?"
Father looked at me with utter disdain.
"You know how much gift tax there'd be on 1.5 billion won? Over 400 million, you idiot!"
Ah.
Actually, I'd asked Father to buy the coins in his name precisely because of the gift tax issue.
But Father had already seen one step ahead.
Since I was a kid, Father had managed a bank account in my name, using the 50 million won gift allowance every 10 years to minimize taxes.
When I bought the apartment, he used the money accumulated there plus additional gifts to cut down on taxes.
The 60 million won in gift tax on the 600 million won apartment had been covered by those tax-exempt funds.
Father's tax-saving foresight truly shone once I became an adult.
He'd transferred 1.5 billion won straight to that account and bought the coins with it.
On paper, it was perfectly my money buying my coins.
"Ah! So the gift tax hasn't kicked in yet? Whew... What now? I need to cash this out."
Father clicked his tongue at my groan.
"Handle it yourself. I trust you'll keep your promise."
"Yes, Father."
I racked my brain for a moment before asking,
"But... Father, could I see the loan documents? If the interest rate's over 10%, I won't just sit back."
Without a word, Father picked up the broom leaning in the corner of the yard.
I bolted out the front gate.
Agh... That was close.
On the way back home, I checked the coin prices on my phone.
I'd signed up ages ago, so I could transfer and sell anytime.
Hmm? Up 1%? Sweet.
The market price online showed about 33 million won, a bit higher than when I bought.
Well, gotta sort the paperwork first, then sell.
I skipped back to my officetel with light steps.
Sitting at my desk staring at the pile of documents made my head throb.
"Ugh... Why is there so much?"
U.S. immigration was way more complicated than I'd imagined.
The checklist from the lawyer seemed endless.
First, the E-2 visa docs.
Passport copy, proof photo, English resume, diploma, transcript...
Plus a business plan.
What business I'd start in the U.S., how, with how much capital.
Even a detailed 5-year plan.
This was tougher than a college thesis.
The biggest headache was proving the source of funds.
Loan document for the 1.5 billion from Father.
Proof of it entering my account.
Sales contract and deposit records for the 550 million left from selling the apartment.
Income proofs from the last 5 years, bank balance statements...
Every bit of my money trail had to be laid bare.
Fuck... If I just wired crypto, one click and done.
If not for the lawyer's advice, I'd have gotten rejected at step one.
My head hurt, but I was glad I'd listened to the expert.
I pressed my temples and muttered,
"All this... just to avoid giving her that 220 million in property division."
Reality crashed down hard.
Ji-su called the lawyer handling her lawsuit.
Her voice dripped with irritation.
"Lawyer! It's Ji-su."
"Ah, yes. Ms. Kim Ji-su. What's up?"
"The property division money still hasn't come through! It's been weeks already. What's going on?"
The lawyer's calm voice came through the receiver.
"As stated in the judgment, the payment deadline is 1 year. As long as it's paid within that, there's no legal issue. So, you'll have to wait."
Ji-su didn't like that.
"A whole year? How am I supposed to wait that long? He's doing it on purpose, isn't he?"
The lawyer sighed lightly.
"Probably. He's unhappy with the verdict and dragging it out to torment you."
"Then... there's no way to get it faster?"
At her whiny tone, the lawyer said firmly,
"No. But don't worry. If he doesn't pay after a year, the state steps in. We'll seize his assets under Kim Ji-hoon's name to get your share. No need to fret."
Reassured by the lawyer's confidence, Ji-su finally relaxed a bit.
"Ah... Okay... Got it... I'll wait then."
After hanging up, Ji-su pouted.
She imagined the windfall in a year and cheered up.
Ji-su hooked her arm through Min-jun's, who stood beside her.
They looked like any loving couple.
But their relationship was nothing like it seemed.
After the divorce, Ji-su had threatened him.
"You ruined my life, so take responsibility. Date me, or I'll report that night as rape."
Under that blackmail, Min-jun had no choice but to become her boyfriend.
Min-jun wanted to cry.
He never would've approached her, let alone joined that group date, if he'd known she was married.
Somehow, he'd gotten tangled deep.
It was called dating, but he was essentially a slave with his weakness gripped tight.
Come when she called, go when she said.
A clear master-slave dynamic.
Of course, Ji-su saw no downside.
Right after the divorce, at 23, she'd felt her world collapse.
One mistake had cost her everything, she'd thought.
But time passed, and it started looking up.
Just endure a year, get over 200 million won.
A hotter, younger, fitter boyfriend than her ex-husband.
Her constant mantra, "I'm still young, I can enjoy more," had come true.
Breaking the one-night taboo unleashed her inner desires like a flood.
She vaguely believed she'd build a career and make good money on her own someday.
No worries for now.
But did Ji-su realize?
That baseless confidence from never having worked a day.
I can make money, live well, eat well. With all that seed money, what's the problem?
How that arrogance would shatter the moment she stepped into the real world.
That she'd eventually mutter, "Ah... Housework was the easiest."
That the day would come when she'd painfully realize her father-in-law's card had been the best.
Divorce rates in Korea were at a dire level.
Especially among our young generation.
Seeing friends marry, get fleeced, and return half-broken, modern guys were starting to shun marriage.
It's scary.
That's why women say these days,
"Guys aren't as aggressive as before~"
Obviously.
Who'd be aggressive watching friends get fucked over with 40-50% odds in real time?
Imagine skydiving at 4,000 meters.
The instructor grins,
"Go on, jump! Though there's a 40% chance the parachute won't open!"
Who'd eagerly leap in that scenario?
Money's crucial for survival, sure.
But it's not just losing cash that causes the rage-stroke.
It's going insane over handing money to that person who showed every dirty trick in the divorce suit.
Sometimes, women counter with crap like,
"You're overgeneralizing! Your mom is Korean too!"
I wanted to rip their mouths off.
Our moms' generation endured every hardship—why use them as shields for your perks?
Fuck that!
At least our mothers fulfilled their roles as wives and moms.
Dragging them in to strut made me itch to punch.
And right now, I was channeling that into my monitor.
As always, invading spinster aunties swarmed Stock Gallery, and I was locked in fierce keyboard combat.
As always, his post ignited a new battlefield in the gallery.
The keyboard war between Stock Gal Users and invading female users raged late into the night.
Once, Loser Male had been worshipped by the women invading Stock Gallery.
He was great at dunking on Stock Gal Users.
"Look at that guy! He's a success story, certified married! Not like you loser males!"
The women who'd defended Ji-hoon like that were now stunned by his sudden flip.
"OMG! That crazy Korean male has lost it! What's wrong with him?"
Everyone thought so at first.
But Ji-hoon's combat prowess after his turnaround was beyond imagination.
To top it off, real-world sentiment was shifting too.
As marriage-age men turned abroad en masse, the women were going insane.
Ironically, Stock Gallery was at the center of that public opinion.
Known as a woman-hater hub, its influence was massive.
Posts from Stock Gallery quickly hit real-time bests, and memes created by users spread across communities and YouTube as sources.
Women tried to conquer the gallery to control the unfavorable narrative.
Fat chance.
Typical gallery conquests involved flaunting femininity, queen bee games, making braindead simps fight each other.
But in woman-hostile Stock Gallery? No way.
Guys had fun there.
Relatable stories, punchy phrasing that stuck.
Their frequent invasions only fueled the enraged Stock Gal Users' firepower.
Prime example: "Dishwashing Theory."
Left alone, it'd have stayed their meme. But mass invasion pissed them off, they plastered it everywhere, turning it into a nationwide mega-hit.
In the end, the women had summoned the disaster themselves.
Leading the charge: "Loser Male," none other than Kim Ji-hoon.
He vented his divorce stress here.
Watching them froth and freak over his single lines.
It gave Ji-hoon immense satisfaction.