Chapter 30
Chapter 30
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: The Price of Silence
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A refreshing morning, kicked off with some light morning sex.
Jung Hye-na was busy getting ready for work.
I was busy getting ready for work, too.
Since it was my first day, I put a lot of effort into looking as neat and clean as possible.
Naturally handsome guys usually just throw on whatever and wash their face, and they still shine. Their styling skills are often clumsy.
But I'm different.
Back when I attended seminars or events, I tried my best to look less ugly.
It seems that effort is finally paying off today.
"Damn, that guy's handsome."
"I know. You look so handsome when you're all dressed up, Oppa. I think I'm falling for you all over again."
"Ah... did you hear that?"
Oh god, how embarrassing.
The reflection of Chang-woo in the mirror, effortlessly styled yet clearly with great care, was so handsome that I spoke without thinking.
Jung Hye-na is going to think I was admiring myself.
"Are you all ready?"
"Yep. Shall we go?"
"Let's."
Our workplaces were two bus stops away.
It was a relief not to have to take the hellish Gangnam subway during rush hour.
But in other words, it meant this area was on the outskirts, far from any subway station.
This was probably the best location Jung Hye-na could afford with the money she had.
"This feels like we're a newlywed couple commuting together, doesn't it?"
"That's embarrassing."
We both wore masks.
Jung Hye-na doesn't wear color makeup when she goes to work.
Even so, as soon as we got on the bus, I could feel people—men and women alike—staring at us.
A mask really doesn't do a thing.
"Maybe we should buy a car when we save up enough money? So we can commute together."
"Commuting by car in Gangnam is hell."
"That's true."
It would be nice if we could get a new place close enough to walk to work.
But to do that, I'll have to earn a lot of money.
Wasting money on monthly rent is out of the question.
To buy a 30-pyeong apartment in Gangnam, I'd need to save about 3 billion won.
And since you can't get a loan for high-priced apartments, it means I'd have to save 3 billion in cash.
If I earn 200 million won a year, after taxes, health insurance, and the national pension, I'd have about 120 million won left.
Since Hye-na and I are both earning, let's say our living expenses are 20 million won a year.
I need to earn 200 million to save 100 million a year.
It would take 30 years to save up for a Gangnam apartment.
And that's not even counting rising housing prices and inflation.
"Hye-na. How much longer do you think you'll work at your current studio?"
"Why the sudden question? I'm not thinking of changing jobs right now. It's a good company. I'll probably stay here for at least another five years without a second thought."
"I was thinking it might be a good idea to get a jeonse lease nearby then."
"But we don't have enough money. Even for monthly rent near the company, the security deposit is too high."
"But I'm earning money now, too."
"Aish, let's not think about things so far in the future. The jeonse deposit isn't a small amount of money."
"Still, we should have a roadmap planned out in advance."
We got off the bus at our stop.
"Let's go separately from here. Your job relies on your looks, and it'd be bad if customers saw us walking together."
"I don't mind, but if we want to get our jeonse home even a day sooner, that's probably for the best."
"Aish, honestly."
She's cute even when she's shy.
This fatherly smile never leaves my face.
I sent Jung Hye-na off first.
I followed a short distance behind, leisurely admiring her from the back.
How is my Hye-na so pretty even from behind?
Her hips are wide, and her legs are long and slender—her proportions are definitely not typical for an East Asian.
Then again, Chang-woo's looks also seem to have a hint of Northern European blood.
Oh, right.
I need to reassure my boss.
[Me] I'm at the bank near the cafe, waiting for it to open.
[Me] I'll head to work right after I'm done at the bank.
[Owner] I was about to die waiting for your message the moment I woke up. [Owner] Take your time and get your business done. [Owner] The bank will be super busy on a Monday morning, so don't rush. [Owner] Besides, we're not busy at this hour anyway. The replies came pouring in as if he'd been waiting.
I guess I should have sent it the moment I woke up.
There was already a line of people in front of the bank.
It's my first time at a bank at 9 AM on a Monday. So this is what it's like.
I took off my mask and got in line at the very back.
The woman in front of me turned around, saw me, and jumped in surprise.
What is it?
It's not someone who knows me again, is it?
"Um, a-are you here for the bank?"
"That's why I'm standing in line in front of a bank, yes."
"I-I'm not in a hurry, so please, go ahead. I'll let you go first."
"Ah, thank you."
I receive kindness as easily as I breathe.
Life is this beautiful, so why did our Chang-woo suffer from such emotional distress?
The acts of kindness continued one after another, and I ended up at the front of the line.
A moment later, the inner doors of the bank opened beyond the glass entrance.
A female employee who was approaching to open the outer doors saw me, and her eyes went wide.
It's not someone who knows me, right?
"Welcome. Please come in. Sir, please follow me."
"Ah, I should get a number first..."
"It's alright. I will assist you. What can I help you with today?"
"I'm here to check on an account. If I don't have one, I'll be opening a new one."
"Yes, please come this way."
Day six of being reborn as a handsome man.
I know what this is now.
She's trying to claim me before another female employee can.
By assisting me at the counter, she can legally look at my personal information.
"Your ID, please?"
Her voice was trembling, which made me nervous too.
I handed her my resident registration card.
The employee, Kim So-mi (I knew from her name tag), stared intently at my ID card.
I know why she's doing that.
Chang-woo's face looks like it's from a photoshoot, even in his ID picture.
"Then I'll check for you."
The employee typed on her laptop, carefully checking.
But it's taking longer than I expected.
Looking up an account shouldn't take this long.
"It's confirmed. You have one regular deposit and withdrawal account with our bank."
"When was it issued? And the last withdrawal date?"
"It was issued five years ago, and the last automatic withdrawal was confirmed two weeks ago. Uh... no, that's not right."
Why did she suddenly stop talking?
What did she see that surprised her?
Could it be that our dear Chang-woo's bankbook contains an unimaginable amount of money?!
"How much is the balance?"
"The balance is 17,504,350 won."
Aish, I got my hopes up for nothing.
It's a slightly ambiguous amount.
I kind of expected Chang-woo to have hundreds of millions in his account.
But on second thought, since he lived off Yoon Jae-kyung's card, there was no need to hoard cash in his account.
He'd usually just use the card.
If he needed cash, he would have just withdrawn what he needed.
I applied for internet banking. I didn't bother applying for a physical bankbook.
"Everything is processed. Thank you."
As the employee Kim So-mi handed me back my ID and the internet banking application, her face was full of disappointment.
I pretended not to notice and stood up.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ 9:30 AM.
The time I arrived at the cafe.
The owner greeted me with a wide smile.
"You're here earlier than I thought. I expected you after 10."
"I was the first one in as soon as they opened. Everyone in line let me go ahead."
"Were they all women?"
"Yes."
"I knew it."
The owner only showed me how to use the POS system.
"You don't need to know anything else. What would you be doing making coffee?"
"Still, there's the matter of fairness. It's embarrassing for me in front of the others."
"No, it's fine! We're really okay with it!"
"We'll do all the hard work!"
"It's fine, I'm telling you. I told the kids I'd raise their hourly wage by 5,000 won during your shifts."
Ah, well that eases my psychological burden.
But the tables are already full this early in the morning?
I feel like I should be doing something.
Watching the part-timers busily making coffee makes me feel awkward.
One of the female customers quickly approached.
"Can I order now?"
"Ah, of course. Chang-woo, help her with the payment."
"Ah, yes, sir."
A line instantly formed in front of the counter.
Had they really been sitting at their tables waiting for me to arrive before ordering?
"One large caramel macchiato, and four slices of any cake you have."
"W-well, if you say 'any,' I'll really just give you the most expensive ones. Is that okay?"
"Of course. Anything you pick will taste wonderful, I'm sure."
I subtly glanced at the owner and rang up four slices of the most expensive cake.
Of course, the cake prices were all pretty similar, so the difference was only a few thousand won per slice.
"Three caramel macchiatos, please. Oh, and three slices of cake."
"Two drinks for me. And two cakes."
"We'll have four drinks. And four cakes and four cookies, please. Anything is fine."
I busily worked the POS system.
The cakes in the display case were gone in an instant.
One of the female part-timers rushed inside to bring out new cakes from the refrigerator.
The other part-timers were busy making coffee.
A storm passed, and only then could we catch our breath.
The owner's face was beaming.
"Hey, hey, we just made several hours' worth of sales right after opening. As expected of Chang-woo, you're amazing."
"I didn't do anything..."
"What do you mean you didn't do anything? You did the most important job here."
Anyway, once all the table orders were out, I finally had a little free time.
I used this chance to register for internet banking.
After getting the digital certificate, I checked the records for all banks.
The only account under Chang-woo's name was the KB one I visited today.
Lucky I got it in one shot.
I went to check the transaction history.
The most recent transaction looked strange.
[Depositor: ChangwooPleaseCallMeJuhee] [Amount: 100,000 KRW] [Balance: 17,604,350 KRW] What is this?
Startled, I scrolled down through the transaction history.
[Depositor: ChangwooAnswerYourPhone] [Amount: 100,000 KRW] [Balance: 17,404,350 KRW] [Depositor: ChangwooNotMuchForFood] [Amount: 400,000 KRW] [Balance: 17,004,350 KRW] [Depositor: WhenCanICallYouDying] [Amount: 100,000 KRW] [Balance: 16,904,350 KRW] [Depositor: ILoveYouFromHeejung] [Amount: 300,000 KRW] [Balance: 16,604,350 KRW] Is this some kind of live-stream donation?
There was a long list of depositors who were clearly women.
They always included their names.
For the deposits without names, they'd send money multiple times and then finally add their name on the last one.
Even at a glance, the smallest amount started at 100,000 won.
I'm truly speechless.
It's been six days since I woke up as the new Chang-woo, which means the original Chang-woo has been out of contact for nine days.
The amount of money these women sent as "donations" because they couldn't reach him by phone for those nine days was...
"15 million won? That's insane."
"Huh? How did you know?"
"Sorry? Know what?"
"No, it's just..."
The owner glanced around, then leaned in and whispered so only I could hear.
"The profit we made yesterday during the time you were here was roughly 15 million won."
No, that's not what I was talking about.
But what did he just say?
Not revenue, but profit?