A Family Dinner of Billions

I came home after finishing my business at the Nonghyup headquarters.

As soon as I stepped inside, the cold in the house—where the boiler had been shut off—skimmed across my skin.

Was it just my imagination that our place always felt colder than outside? Maybe that was because it was a half-basement.

I turned the boiler dial on the wall to high without hesitation.

If this had been before, I wouldn’t even have dared think about it because of the heating bill.

I want everyone to come home to a warm house.

That had been my small wish. Though, honestly, I had more than enough money now.

After cranking up the heat, I called my father.

It was just past four in the afternoon, so he was probably still at work.

Ring... ring...

After a few moments, my father’s voice came through the phone.

Because I almost never called at this hour, there was a faint note of surprise at the end of his otherwise flat voice.

"Dad, I have something to tell you today. Could you get off work a little early?"

"It’s good news. Well, serious news, too. If it’s hard to leave early, then just come straight home after work today. I’ll tell Mom and Seohui to come early too."

My father had always gone straight from work to driving a designated driver shift, so coming home immediately after work was an unusually rare thing.

"Thanks, Dad. Then I’ll see you in a bit."

Click.

After I finished with my father, I called my mother and Seohui and told them the same thing.

When I asked ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠them to come home early, both of them sounded startled and asked if something terrible had happened.

Especially Seohui—her voice shook so badly it was almost trembling.

To her, I covered it up by saying it was nothing serious, that I just wanted the whole family to sit down and eat something delicious together.

Seohui didn’t seem to believe me completely, but her voice still brightened considerably compared to before.

Come to think of it... maybe the nightmare she had about those debt collectors had stayed with her as a trauma.

Hearing Zero say that made me feel a little better. My heart was still heavy, though.

Still, when I took out the bankbook holding my lottery winnings and checked the balance, I felt a little comfort.

1.3 billion, 1.6 billion, 700 million, and finally the 3.8 billion I’ll actually use.

Tap, tap, tap.

I’d hidden the bankbook containing the 3.8 billion I was going to spend in my room.

If I told my parents I’d earned it all myself, they’d probably be too shocked.

I glanced at the clock and thought, They’ll probably all be here around seven.

Sometime after seven.

"Dohyun, Dad’s home."

"You’re here?"

My father opened the front door and came in. His face was flushed red, as if he’d hurried home.

He must have been worried—and tense—about my saying I had something important to tell him.

"Why is the house so hot... did you turn on the boiler?"

He loosened his tie at once as he spoke. I was glad it was warm, but I could also feel the money anxiety hidden in his expression.

In truth, we had only turned the boiler on a little—really, just the bare minimum.

"Yes, I turned it on. It’s freezing outside, so the house should be warm."

"Well, yes, but... let’s turn it off. It’s too hot."

My father said he wanted to shut it off because it was too warm, but once again, the worry about money flickered across his face.

I stopped his hand.

“...?”

He looked at me as if asking why I was doing that. Naturally, I took his bag and said, "Dad, don’t worry about the boiler bill. I made some money."

"I’m not worrying about the boiler bill. I’m saying it’s too hot."

— he replied, and then continued in a slightly darker voice.

"...And Dohyun, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you for a while. About you making money from part-time jobs."

"Yes."

"Of course I’m grateful. But as a father, accepting money earned by my son like that—"

My father was still speaking when—

Click!

"Dohyun, Mom’s here."

"I-I’m here too...?"

Perfect timing: my mother and Seohui came home at the same time. They must have run into each other outside.

I led my father—who had been about to say something gloomy—toward the dining table. Then I looked at my mother and Seohui and said, "Everyone, sit down. I’ve got good news."

All four of us were sitting at the dining table together.

For other families, that might have been normal. For ours, it was extremely rare. My parents were always working late, I was always out until late, and Seohui either didn’t come home much or sneaked in after midnight.

My parents sat across from me, and Seohui sat beside me.

My father and mother stared straight at me, while Seohui kept her head down, clearly too overwhelmed by the heavy atmosphere to look up.

"So... what is it you wanted to say?"

My father asked first.

I immediately took three bankbooks from my pocket and handed him the one I’d set aside for paying off debt.

"Dad, I said I made some money."

"...Is this that money? But why is it a VIP bankbook? I’ve never seen this kind before."

Even after I handed it to him, my father asked in a voice that had lost all strength.

"Dohyun. That... earlier, what I was trying to say was about accepting the money my son worked so hard to earn from part-time jobs—"

He spoke weakly, then opened the bankbook and went silent.

"...H-How much is this?"

"1.3 billion won."

“...?”

“...?”

“...?”

At my words, my family all stared at me, unable to hide their confusion. Even Seohui, who’d had her head bowed, looked up the same way.

"...What? How much?"

"1.3 billion won."

"What kind of nonsense is that...?"

My father looked again at the bankbook, unable to believe it.

And after checking it several times—

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"...Huh?"

He froze with a vacant sound.

Seeing that, my mother hurriedly checked the bankbook in his hand too.

And then—

"...Huh?"

She gave the same reaction.

Yep. They really were married.

It took them about a minute to fully thaw.

My father, blinking at the bankbook in a daze, asked in a trembling voice, "You, you... how did you get such a huge amount of money? Did you steal it? No, that’s not even an amount you can steal."

I’d expected him to say something like that, so I asked Zero, Zero. Explain how I was able to make so much money.

Of course, the way I’d gathered that money was the lottery. With Zero’s help, it had been a matter of “luck.”

But I didn’t want to be just a lucky son to my family.

I wanted to be a son whose skill and ability were outstanding—a fine son.

The kind of son I had never been able to be...

After listening to Zero’s explanation, I spoke slowly.

"Dad. Have you ever heard of a put option?"

"Put... what? What’s that?"

"Put simply, it’s a financial product that makes money when stocks go down."

I unfolded the newspaper lying on the table.

On the front page, a sensational headline screamed: U.S. Financial Crisis Hits, KOSPI Breaks Below 1,000.

"You don’t really do stocks, do you, Dad?"

"No. Isn’t that just gambling? Everyone at my company, all my friends—they lost money."

Stocks are a scam.

My father was so honest that he practically said it to that extent—maybe a little too honestly, almost to the point of foolishness.

I kept explaining.

"Stocks aren’t a scam. Sure, most people lose money, but somebody makes that money. It doesn’t just evaporate like water. If someone loses, someone else definitely wins."

"Someone else wins? Who?"

"People like me."

“...?”

“...?”

“...?”

At my words, my family all stared at me blankly.

"When everyone else was saying stocks would go up, I bet on them falling. The U.S. subprime mortgage crisis wasn’t looking good. I was certain the global financial markets were going to collapse."

"...?"

My parents looked like they understood less than half of what I was saying.

"How... how were you so sure?"

"While working part-time and studying for the college entrance exam, I used every spare moment to read overseas news on the computer and study economics. I cut down on sleep, analyzed it, and analyzed it again."

"..."

"When Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy this September, I made ten times the money. Then, during the October crash, adding in another ten times leverage effect made the money snowball. I was actually going to give this to you sooner, but I kept growing it with stocks until the very end, so it was a little late."

In truth, Zero had done all of it, but I shamelessly took the credit.

At this moment, I had to be the world’s greatest filial son and a genius.

My parents still seemed unable to fully understand what I was saying, but that expression of I have no idea what’s going on quickly shifted into awe—into Our son did something this amazing?!

"Dohyun, so... the part-time job money you saved turned into 1.3 billion won? Is that really possible?"

"No."

"R-Right? Then what else did you make money with~?"

As my mother asked in a trembling voice—

I took out the remaining two bankbooks from my pocket.

Tap. Tap.

"There’s more than just that 1.3 billion."

“...?”

“...?”

"This bankbook has 1.6 billion won in it. I set it aside for the house we’ll move into and for your retirement funds. And I’ll probably have to pay gift tax if I give it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to you, so once that’s included, it might be a little tight... but I’ll fill in the rest later."

"...This money is tight?"

"Yes. If you want to live comfortably from now on, that amount is a bit tight."

"..."

"And this third bankbook. I set this aside for Seohui’s college years later, and for when she gets married."

"...College too?"

"...You even thought about Seohui’s marriage?"

"...O-Older brother. You even have money for me?! And more than enough at that?!"

Just 1.3 billion was enough to knock people flat, but altogether it was tens of billions.

My father’s mouth fell open and stayed that way.

My mother kept checking the bankbooks, her expression brightening, then turning to shock, then glistening with tears, then blooming into a smile...

Seohui, sitting beside me, stared at my face and muttered in a daze, "You got a perfect score on the college entrance exam ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and made an enormous amount of money too... Was my brother a genius?"

I gave her a small smile and, without even realizing it, patted her head because she looked so cute.

"I’m not a genius. I just worked hard."

— or at least that was the line, even though Zero had done everything.

With Zero saying that too, I stood a little straighter.

"H-Honey. This isn’t a dream, is it? Our son really... really earned all of this?"

"It’s not a dream, Mom. Now there’s no need to worry about debt collectors or money anymore. Dad, you can quit driving after work, and Mom, you can quit your restaurant job too. You can live comfortably now."

"..."

My father fell silent again for a long while.

Then—

Tap.

With trembling hands, he gripped mine tightly. His hands were rough and calloused, as hard as they had been when I used to do construction labor.

But more than anything, I could feel the heat of his palm.

"...Dohyun, there’s something Dad was trying to say earlier."

"Yes."

"As a father, honestly, accepting money from my son is embarrassing. But this money... to be honest, I have to say it. It’s just too much to refuse."

He was finally saying what he’d meant to say earlier, but there was relief and stability in his voice that he couldn’t hide.

The debt really had been such a crushing weight on him.

"...I’m sorry, Dohyun. Seohui. Because of my greed... your grandfather, and for me as his son, I wanted to be a good son to my father, so I took on that debt, and you two really suffered for it."

"..."

"..."

"And for you to even pay back that debt..."

So he was apologizing to me and Seohui?

...So that was what Father had been carrying all this time.

...

Right. And the interest, too.

I spoke to my father, who was letting out a long sigh.

"Dad. You don’t need to feel sorry. I understand why you tried to pay off Grandfather’s debt."

"...You understand?"

"Yes. I did the same thing, didn’t I?"

"..."

At my words, my father slowly closed his eyes. Then he nodded.

I could feel him forcing himself to hold back tears in front of his son and daughter.

Then, perhaps trying to save the atmosphere from sinking any further, Seohui shouted,

"...Oppa! Then how much are you giving me? Huh? You said the money in that bankbook is for me!"

Seohui’s lively voice brightened the mood in the house.

Grateful for that, I unconsciously shook her bankbook as I asked back, "Seohui, how much do you think is in here?"

"Hmm... If you gave Mom and Dad that much money, then you must have given me a lot too, but probably not too much... so maybe..."

"So how much?"

"...A million won? Too much? Five hundred thousand?"

Pfft.

"Why are you laughing!"

"No, I just... because it’s funny. You’re cute."

A million won, huh.

Well, that was probably the range of “a lot of money” a normal high school student would think of.

"Is that so? Want to see how much your brother set aside for you?"

My mother asked, clearly trying to keep the cheerful mood going, and checked Seohui’s bankbook.

And the instant she saw the balance—

"D-Dohyun, is this really right? Just how much... h-how much money did you make from stocks?"

"I just made a little."

"..."

"Mom, give Seohui the money a little at a time. Don’t hand it all over at once."

"O-Of course! If I gave all this money at once, that would be a disaster!"

"W-Why?! How much is in there? Three million won? Or f-five million?! Mom! How much is it?! Mom, tell me!"

Seohui flapped her hands, trying to snatch the bankbook from my mother, but she refused to give it to her.

"Tsk! I’m keeping it for now and giving it to you later when you’re older!"

"I’m already grown up!"

"Grown up, my foot! No way!"

"Aaaah! Then, Mom, at least give me fifty thousand won! I had clothes I wanted to buy!"

"You little brat, do you think money falls from the sky?! You think you can dig in the ground and money will come out or something?!"

"No, oppa said he was giving me money! ...Then, oppa, give me some pocket money—no, please give me pocket money! I’ll even speak politely now... please!"

Smiles bloomed across the faces of my once-gloomy family.

...This is happiness.

So this was what real success tasted like. Not just me living well alone, but a moment where my family could laugh and chatter together.

My father, my mother, and even Seohui were all happy, thinking that poverty was finally over.

But for me, this was only the beginning.

That night, for the first time, all of us slept with our legs stretched out.

But my day wasn’t over yet. It was only beginning.

Zero. Start stocks with 3.7 billion out of the remaining 3.8 billion. What’s the target?

At that, I doubted my own ears.

...Fiftyfold? So 3.7 billion becomes 180 billion in one night?

Come to think of it, Zero had said something like that before.

That a private individual making too much money in too short a time could cause all sorts of problems.

But fiftyfold was fine, apparently.

For a moment, I even wanted Zero to download stock information into my head too.

But I decided against it. After all, I was going to leave stocks to Zero anyway, and I had other things I wanted to think about.

The smartphone boom starting next year... I’ll make it so everyone uses the app I create.

Just having money wasn’t cool.

You had to have both ability and money to really be impressive.

That was part of why I was going to Korea University’s computer engineering department in the first place—at least, in name and on paper.

Then Zero added one more thing.

A condition?

My computer had to withstand it? It was a little crappy, sure...

What, no matter how crappy it is, it’s not going to just stop working, right?

...It might?

All right. Good luck.

I went to sleep, and Zero began making money.

The real beginning of money duplication had started.