Chapter 12: The Beginning of the Surge
Chapter 12: The Beginning of the Surge
Ethereum, Ripple.
I split my entire fortune of 100 million dollars between them and waited.
I had bet on people's greed, thinking I'd have to wait at least a week.
< Bitcoin Stumbles, Ripple's Frightening Sprint >
< Altcoins Like Ethereum and Ripple Skyrocket >
< Ethereum and Other Cryptocurrencies Continue Their Meteoric Rise >
< Ethereum Reaches New High >
< Second-Ranked Cryptocurrency Ethereum's Value Soars 27% >
The coins, which had been falling due to the government's tax announcement and regulations, suddenly surged.
Ethereum was up 32%, Ripple 16%.
*They're reacting this quickly?*
I'd succeeded in predicting people's greed, but I hadn't gotten the speed and scale exactly right.
16 million dollars from Ethereum, 6 million from Ripple.
Since the initial investment was large, the profits were too, but the thrill of a successful investment was even greater.
*My judgment was right.*
The joy of a correct prediction.
I worked through the morning at the office, then went up to the rooftop with my colleagues.
"Just as I thought. Bitcoin couldn't keep falling forever. I knew it would rebound."
"It's up 14% today alone! This is the result of betting against fear. Bitcoin has become the future."
On the building's rooftop.
I could hear a conversation between employees from another company in the same building.
The company probably wasn't thrilled about it, but among the investment-savvy office workers of Gangnam, crypto was the hot topic.
- OMG, the youngest employee at our company made 4 billion won and quit.
- My department head took out a loan on his apartment and dumped his severance into EOS. His wife was threatening divorce, but then it tripled, and now it's a happy ending.
- A guy on my team resigned. The reason he gave was that Bitcoin surged.
These stories circulated among office workers like urban legends.
Team Leader Seo said with a wide smile.
"Assistant Manager Kim. I invested in Ethereum after you mentioned it, and it went up a whole 30%. I never thought I'd actually make a 30% gain."
Team Leader Seo thanked me.
He wasn't the type to say thank you often.
I remembered him thanking Kim Sang-gi last year for recommending a hair loss medication.
"It was just good luck."
"Luck is a skill these days. The crypto market was in a nosedive. Thanks to you, I got in and made a profit. I put 20 million won into Ethereum. I can't tell you how much I regret not putting in more. Thanks to this, I can finally get a new fishing rod. Haha."
Office workers were going all-in on crypto with their emergency funds.
I wondered if successful crypto investments would lead to a boom in sales for various hobby supplies.
"Assistant Manager. Thank you."
"Kim Shin. My fellow new hire. You saved my severance pay."
Thank yous from other colleagues followed.
2 million, 3 million. Many had invested small amounts.
"So, when should we sell? It's gone up a lot in a short time, so it's probably time to cash out, right?"
Kim Sang-gi asked seriously.
In my case, I'd achieved an absurd 10,000-fold return, but even 20 or 30% is an incredibly high profit for most people.
They had achieved in a few days what would be difficult to earn from stocks in an entire year.
Of course, I had no intention of taking full responsibility for my colleagues' investments.
"Investing is your own responsibility. I just told you what coins I bought."
"Yeah, I know. Even if I lost money, I wouldn't blame you at all. It was my decision to follow your advice. Anyway, are you going to sell now?"
"No. I'm not selling."
"Really?"
Ethereum and Ripple had surged.
This was because of the outlook that the crypto market wouldn't shrink significantly despite government regulations.
It solidified my assumption that the market's greed was still rampant.
"I think it'll go up a bit more."
"You think so?"
We had kimchi stew for lunch, and the afternoon began.
I didn't check the crypto prices while at the office, but my colleagues seemed to be keeping an eye on them.
As I was working, a hand tapped my shoulder urgently.
"Yes, Team Leader."
"Let's talk for a minute."
I followed Team Leader An out of the office toward the elevator.
The usual rooftop crew gathered in twos and threes and joined us.
"Kim Shin! My dear colleague!"
Kim Sang-gi hugged me, his voice choked with emotion.
He squeezed so tightly I felt suffocated.
"Amazing, Assistant Manager Kim."
"Kim Shin, you're the only one I trusted!"
"Congratulations!"
My colleagues were saying things I couldn't understand.
"It's a huge jackpot! Do you have any idea how much I made because of you?!"
"What is?"
"Ripple!"
"What? What happened?"
I finally understood the situation after hearing the belated explanation.
Right before I came to work, the trading price of Ripple was 349 won on domestic exchanges.
Now, it was a whopping 599 won.
It had jumped 70% in just a few hours.
People in the crypto world often use the word "surge" when prices go up, but this was a true explosion!
*My god. Was a 70% increase even possible?*
If it's 70% in one day, what does that make the total return?
*This morning, my Ripple was valued at around 58 million dollars. If it goes up 70%... how much is that?*
I was bad at math, so I had to multiply and add the numbers separately.
*So I add 40.6 million dollars. Is that 98.6 million dollars? My Ripple holdings alone are approaching 100 million dollars.*
I'd realized something during my short time in crypto.
Once greed kicks in, it becomes uncontrollable.
My wealth was growing so fast it felt almost wrong.
"Hahaha! I hit the jackpot! I put 40 million won into Ripple! With yesterday's and today's gains combined, I've made my annual salary!"
"Congratulations. I should've bought Ripple too. I went all-in on Ethereum."
"I'm just glad I bought 8 million won worth."
"What about you, Team Leader Seo?"
"Ah. Assistant Manager Kim did mention it two days ago. But my portfolio is 70% Ethereum. I didn't put much into Ripple."
"But I really had no idea Ripple would be such a massive hit."
"I know, right? It was the coin that stayed quiet even when everything else was rising."
In the crypto world, how much other people made was a matter of great interest.
Kim Sang-gi asked me.
"How much did you invest in Ripple?"
I drove an expensive car, and rumors that I was worth 2 billion won were rampant at the company.
Since they were underestimating it by that much, I didn't bother to deny it.
I didn't want to lie, but answering honestly was impossible.
"A billion won in Ethereum, a billion in Ripple."
"Really? You invested that much?"
"Yeah. Actually, it's a little more than that."
"Assistant Manager Kim, you've hit it big. Let's see. Doesn't that mean you've made at least 700 million won this time?"
"If you include Ethereum, it's probably closer to a billion."
The scale was so different that I couldn't bring myself to tell them I'd made close to 100 million dollars.
I stayed on the company rooftop a little longer after my colleagues went back down.
I was drinking a warm coffee, feeling the cold midwinter wind.
Team Leader An tapped my shoulder.
"Congratulations. On making a lot of money with crypto."
"Yes. Thank you, Team Leader."
I thought it was just a casual congratulations, but it wasn't.
"I've been watching you since you joined the company, Assistant Manager Kim. Others might not know, but I do. You're not the kind of person to make 2 billion won and buy a Ferrari like the rumors say."
"Ah..."
"You must have made a lot more than that. Right?"
"That's true."
My personality was rather stingy.
From Team Leader An's perspective, knowing me well, he must have guessed I'd made much more than the rumors suggested.
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Still, you must have made over 4 billion won, right? The Assistant Manager Kim I know wouldn't spend more than 10% of his assets on a car, no matter how much he wanted one."
"..."
In reality, I hadn't even spent 1% of my assets.
If my entire fortune was 10 billion won, I probably would have never bought a Ferrari.
I'd met quite a few people through university and my career.
Colleagues, doctors, and nurses.
Among them, Team Leader An was someone who had helped me a lot. I felt like he might be able to listen to a small concern that had been on my mind lately.
"Team Leader."
"Yeah."
"I did make money from crypto. But I feel like there's nothing I know how to do in life."
"Nothing you know how to do?"
"I never really had many hobbies growing up, and I've never been completely absorbed in anything. I don't think I've ever had a dream or passion. It feels like I've only ever worked to make a living, and yet, making money is the most fun thing for me. Is it okay to live like this?"
I was always envious of other people.
I admired the passion of people who dedicated their lives to singing.
Sports or martial arts were great too.
How happy would it be to work hard at one thing and make a living from it for your entire life?
Having grown older without ever having a dream, I was worried about how I should live from now on.
"Most of that is just a pipe dream."
"Huh?"
"Maybe it's because I'm a jaded member of society."
Team Leader An put a new cigarette to his lips and lit it.
"It's not something to brag about, but I'll tell you my story. My father's dream was to make me a professional golfer. I started playing when I was ten and practiced with my parents' support. Until my palms blistered. Until they were bruised and the calluses peeled off. I really loved golf, too."
"Isn't it cool that you worked hard at something you loved?"
"Every time I went out on the course or got a lesson from a teaching pro, it cost a fortune. It was breaking my parents' backs."
"..."
"My parents practically sold the farm to support me, and I played golf like my life depended on it until middle school, but my skills never improved as much as the effort I put in."
"I see."
"Kids who started later than me were quickly surpassing me. Waking up and going to sleep every day under that pressure was pure hell. I eventually hit my limit and quit... Only then was I able to lift a small part of the burden off my parents."
Team Leader An smoked his cigarette, his brow furrowed deeply as if recalling those days.
"You're happy when you have a dream. The process of challenging yourself to achieve it is happy, too. But realistically, how many people actually achieve their dreams?"
"Not many, I suppose."
"This world is a constant competition. The number of people who truly live doing what they want is maybe one in ten, or even one in a hundred. Living with a broken dream is truly agonizing."
Someone who had worked hard at something.
I'd only ever envied people with dreams, but in reality, there were far more who had failed.
"Assistant Manager Kim."
"Yes."
"I don't know if I think this way because I'm jaded, but you know what? This world is a truly beautiful place if you have a lot of money. A dream? Something you like? You're bound to find something as you live. What would it be like if you had money then?"
"You could do whatever you want."
"An ordinary guy like me is happy just to go to a baseball game with the kids on the weekend. But chaebol chairmen run baseball teams as a hobby."
"That's true."
"If you're a baseball fan, you'd want to own a team. When you fly? Who doesn't know first class and business class are better? People search for budget airlines and last-minute deals to save even a little bit of money."
"Yes."
"This is reality. Reality. When you have money, the way people treat you changes. So, if you have a lot of money, you can take your time figuring out what you want to do. If you want to enjoy yourself, you can. You can do anything you want."