The 7 Trillion Won Deposit
Prologue
April 1, 2024. Of all days, it had to be April Fool's.
The unbelievable story he heard on that day of all days.
At first, he listened intently.
"...My grandfather?"
He had never heard anything about his father's side of the family—his paternal relatives. He'd naturally assumed there were none. But since he existed in this world, there was no need to doubt that his father had parents of his own.
However, those grandparents had passed away about twenty years ago.
Now, of all times?
It was hard to accept. His grandfather had died. And that grandfather's fortune was going to be inherited by him.
But there was an even bigger reason why he dismissed everything he was hearing.
"...How much?"
No, if you're gonna scam me, at least make it believable!
How many people in Korea even had over 10 trillion won to their name? The idea that his father had been the second-generation heir to some massive conglomerate was laughable. His father had died when he was young, so he didn't know the details, but his life had never been one of luxury.
After his parents passed, he hadn't inherited a proper penny.
And yet 10 trillion? Yeah, right!
Even if he stretched it, he might have believed 100,000 won—no, maybe even 10 billion. Anyway, they said his grandparents had lived in the US originally, and the assets were there too. He asked the man on the line,
"Do I really have to come to the US?"
He was tempted to just hang up, but he gave a half-hearted response anyway.
"Just deposit it into my account."
You'd think they'd at least ask for his account number after that, but no. Another reason not to believe it.
"Forget it. Sell everything and give me cash."
"Just liquidate it roughly."
Anyway, with an inheritance like that, the inheritance tax alone would be several trillion won...
"Do I have to pay that myself? Just handle it and give me what's left."
"Yeah. Taxes are something you have to pay, obviously."
Shin Jaewoo still couldn't believe any of it. It was money that didn't exist anyway. Paying whatever tax on it didn't matter. And if it turned out to be real, it was better to pay the taxes cleanly.
That's just how he thought about it.
Over a year passed since then.
Chapter 1
Shin Jaewoo's parents had passed away when he was in the upper years of elementary school.
"Aigoo, my poor little puppy. Leaving such a young child behind... Aigoo, aigoo."
At the funeral, where he stood blankly as a bereaved family member, unable to do anything, those were the words his maternal grandmother sobbed out while hugging him tight.
That's when Shin Jaewoo slowly realized.
I'm... all alone now. No parents.
Both of them had died in the same accident, of all things. For Shin Jaewoo, still an elementary schooler, neither parent remained.
In that desolate situation with nowhere to turn, the only solace was his grandmother, who held him and wailed.
He never even saw a single face from his paternal family amid all that.
"Don't let our nephew get down or anything. Grow up strong and show your mom and dad."
His aunt, her eyes red though not sobbing as hard as his grandmother.
Thanks to those two, Shin Jaewoo grew up without lacking much.
He graduated from a four-year university in Seoul, landed a job at a company, and even promised a future with his girlfriend.
This has to count as growing up well, right?
He'd lived diligently. He could say that with confidence.
And then 2025 arrived.
A time when the entire nation of Korea was in an uproar on a national scale.
The president's sudden declaration of martial law. Lifted after just a few hours, followed by impeachment proceedings, and heated debates for and against it— that's when the incident exploded.
This can't be real. It's like something out of a novel.
He lost his steady job. More precisely, the company he worked for vanished, leaving him unable to go back.
He wasn't fired. The company that would have fired him had gone up in smoke.
"Looks like the president... embezzled funds."
He hadn't even known company presidents could embezzle. If he had, the guy could just pay it back—but he'd fled. The police were after him and would catch him eventually, but the money was probably long gone.
Shin Jaewoo stared in disbelief as he heard the story.
Company disappears right now? What am I supposed to do?
He'd already set a wedding date.
And in the midst of it all, he became unemployed. Lucky, in a way.
"It's okay, oppa. This isn't your fault. Just get another job."
His girlfriend was like an angel. When she said that, he vowed to himself.
I'll do right by you, Hyeju. For life.
But not long after, strange rumors started circulating.
He should have stepped in then. If he'd checked it out at that point, he wouldn't be in this miserable situation now.
"...Taeksu, what am I looking at right now?"
"..."
His friend had no words in response.
Together with his friend, he witnessed it.
His girlfriend, who had understood and comforted him.
Why?
She was linking arms with another man, heading into a motel.
It was pure coincidence. He'd just happened to see her going in.
No chance it was family or anything.
Why those two...?
The man was someone he knew too. Han Taeho. The richest guy among his college classmates. More precisely, his parents were loaded. And there were rumors he used that money to play around with women.
That same guy was entering a motel with his girlfriend.
Arm in arm. Shin Jaewoo stared in a daze.
"Argh, that, that...! Hey! Let's go in!"
While he stood there stunned, his friend beside him fumed.
Insisting they barge right in.
"We gotta hear what they're saying first!"
But Shin Jaewoo held him back.
"...Forget it. I'll handle it myself."
At that moment, he desperately hoped it was just a simple misunderstanding or mistake.
We must have seen wrong.
But deep down, Shin Jaewoo already knew. It was no misunderstanding.
She had left him.
"You idiot. So you didn't say a word to that crazy bitch and just let her go?"
The other man scolded him with an exasperated look.
A wave of bitterness washed over Shin Jaewoo even stronger.
"...What do you say to a woman who's already checked out and looking to trade up?"
"You're insane. You're a total pushover, seriously."
Unable to respond to the criticism, Shin Jaewoo sat in silence as he drank with Kim Taeksu.
Sighing at the sight, Kim Taeksu shook his head.
"Sheesh. What's with you this year? Your solid job tanks because the boss runs off with the company funds, and the girlfriend you thought was so understanding turns out to be motel-hopping with some other guy."
It felt like a perfect storm of bad luck.
Shin Jaewoo gave a wry smile at Kim Taeksu's words.
"...Tell me about it."
This year had been a real spectacle.
"...What a shitshow. You didn't say anything to Hyeju because of the company mess too, right?"
Shin Jaewoo flinched.
Kim Taeksu was a friend he'd known since living with his maternal family. They'd come up to Seoul together from Daejeon. Balls-to-the-wall best friend, in crude terms. That's why he knew Shin Jaewoo too well.
"..."
He couldn't deny the point.
"Aigoo, you pathetic bastard. What was your fault in any of that? It all blew up right when you landed that big hit and things were going great."
"...Doesn't matter. The whole company disintegrated."
It wasn't just the company. With it non-functional, the major work he'd been handling got shelved. Its serialization halted, and only recently resumed under a different CP.
For context, the company Shin Jaewoo worked at managed web novels.
Of all things, a romance-focused one, which threw me for a loop.
A bitter expression settled on his face. It was the first big hit he'd snagged after joining. He'd wanted to see it through to the end, but no dice.
Prior to that, only flops had fallen into his net.
"...Just get hired somewhere new quick. That industry's short-staffed anyway, right?"
"I've been firing off resumes... but no luck so far."
Shin Jaewoo said with a bitter look. It had been about a month of job hunting.
No final offers yet.
In short, he was unemployed.
And in the meantime, I went and prepped a ring.
Thinking about proposing was laughable now.
Of course, he'd planned to propose once he joined a new company.
But it all meant nothing now.
Who am I to propose?
Still, compared to guys his age, Shin Jaewoo wasn't exactly broke. His parents' inheritance and life insurance—all in his name. Adding it up, he had about 400 million won in cash.
With a bit more effort, he figured he could snag an apartment on the outskirts or near Seoul.
Bzzz.
His smartphone buzzed.
He checked it absentmindedly.
His eyes narrowed.
What the hell is this?
It was a text.
Just spam? He nearly dismissed it, but then he froze.
Deposit Notification
Amount Deposited: 7,034,102,593,910 won
Balance: 7,034,807,643,120 won
It was a notification from his bank app.