Chapter 23: The End of Greed
Chapter 23: The End of Greed
Staying in a hostel with a diverse group of travelers was an interesting experience.
“You’re up?”
In the mornings, I would prepare breakfast with Ellie in the kitchen.
We’d toast bread and make simple scrambled eggs.
Since it was a shared space, other travelers would join us, and we’d all share whatever food we had.
In the afternoon, we’d tour Los Angeles, then stop by a nearby supermarket to buy ingredients for dinner before heading back.
“I’ll try making bulgogi tonight.”
“Really?”
“I can’t guarantee it’ll be good, though.”
It wasn’t traditional Korean cuisine, but I treated Ellie and the other travelers to the simple dishes of a guy living on his own.
Marinated bulgogi, soybean paste stew brimming with clams, and even braised short ribs.
I didn’t know the proper recipes, so I had to rely on internet searches.
“This is absolutely delicious. Can I have more?”
“Sweet meat. The broth is really good too.”
“Could I get another plate?”
A nurse from France, a university student couple from the UK, and an office worker from the Netherlands all loved it.
I felt like an international chef.
Just staying in the hostel was a new experience in itself.
‘I don’t know when I’ll ever get to do something like this again.’
If it hadn’t been for Ellie, I probably would have booked a five-star hotel.
But for her, having just graduated from university, I thought living in a hostel would be a better experience than staying in a luxurious hotel.
It started as a small consideration, but these little moments of daily life began to feel like an integral part of the journey.
“That was delicious. We’ll treat you to dinner tomorrow.”
“Do you like kebabs?”
Even if we had a simple breakfast of bread and jam, we sometimes got to eat dinners prepared by other travelers.
The hostel was full of European university students and young professionals.
‘Youth really is something else.’
I felt a pang of envy watching the university students I met at the hostel.
To be in their early twenties, with the freedom and means to leave their home country and travel the world so freely.
I was envious of how they could enjoy the present without fear of the future.
* * *
For our next city, we visited Las Vegas and marveled at the spectacular hotels.
There was a pyramid-themed hotel, and others modeled after New York, Egypt, and Rome.
I had originally planned to use hostels or guesthouses, but there was no need.
A night in a luxury hotel cost only $80, which was cheap considering the cost of living in the US.
“The facilities are amazing.”
“They really are.”
However, the resort fee was separate, and slot machines were everywhere, including the lobby.
It felt like the hotels with casinos set their room rates low to attract more guests.
“Let’s go see the fountain show.”
We watched the fountain show, the volcano show, and the pirate show, and even rode a small wooden boat in a hotel designed to look like Venice.
Ellie was tireless.
It was a space where splendor and light merged.
I had intended for this to be a backpacking trip, but it was starting to feel more like a vacation.
After dinner, Ellie made a suggestion.
“Should we go for a swim?”
“What? I can’t swim.”
I had never properly gone swimming in Korea.
There were times when hotels had pools during my business trips to other regions, but it felt weird to go swimming alone.
“I’ve never learned how to swim either. But in this weather, it’s nice just to be in the water.”
The hotel pool.
I bought a cheap pair of swim trunks from a nearby store and was just dipping my feet in the water.
“Wow.”
“Oh!”
Hearing the gasps from people around me, I turned to see Ellie. She was walking toward me in a stunning bikini.
Every man’s eyes followed her.
Her tall figure, pale skin, and blonde hair were captivating.
“Let’s swim.”
“…Okay.”
When someone with a body like that speaks, you can’t help but obey.
How many men aren’t weak to a beautiful woman?
And it turned out Ellie was half-lying.
As she glided through the hotel pool with her long, slender limbs, it wasn’t just me but many others who watched her.
“You’re a good swimmer.”
“I never took lessons. I just really liked swimming in high school.”
We had a simple conversation over cocktails at the poolside bar.
“You are very beautiful. This is on the house.”
Even while she was talking to me, the bartender relentlessly tried to hit on her.
‘Men. They really make life hard for themselves.’
Ellie talked about her studies and her ambition to become a financier on Wall Street.
“What kind of person are you, Kim Shin?”
At her question, I slowly began to speak.
“I grew up without a mother and was very poor. My father was a bit of a gambler.”
Was it because of the sweet cocktails?
Though I was normally guarded, I found myself speaking honestly about my past.
From my childhood family environment to getting married and eventually separating from my ex-wife due to personality differences.
“What a total bitch.”
“Excuse me?”
“I can’t believe a crazy bitch like that exists.”
Seeing Ellie get so worked up and curse out my ex-wife made me feel strangely proud.
* * *
Mirae Motors had set its themes for next-generation mobility as autonomous driving, eco-friendliness, and hydrogen electricity.
They were in the process of acquiring various startups and companies related to sensors and automobiles in the US and Europe.
“The person who invested in Aurora has been identified?”
“Yes. Surprisingly, it’s a Korean.”
Managing Director Jin Yoo-kyung was staying in San Francisco, proceeding with the acquisitions on her list, when news about one of the most coveted companies came to light.
“Which Korean company is it? It can’t be one of the small to medium-sized parts suppliers, can it?”
Even if Korean parts suppliers had revenues exceeding 100 billion won, their operating profits were not substantial.
This was because Mirae Motors, being their primary or secondary vendor, squeezed them to prevent them from making profits beyond a certain level.
“It’s not a company, but a Korean individual named Kim Shin.”
“Is that so?”
Jin Yoo-kyung tilted her head for a moment.
The name sounded familiar, but she had met too many people in the course of her work.
“Find out about him. We need to be able to acquire the shares he holds.”
“Yes, Managing Director.”
* * *
While traveling through Texas, we bought a tent at an outdoor store.
A journey wandering through America by bus and train.
‘This continent is seriously endless, no matter how far you go.’
We sometimes slept in the sleeper cars on the trains as we traveled.
When you travel, your frame of reference inevitably becomes Korea.
I was dumbfounded to learn that areas larger than the entirety of South Korea were designated as national parks in the US.
We fished in rivers and camped out in tents. The campsites were never lonely, as families and other travelers were always around.
“Are you a young married couple?”
“Yes, we are.”
Up until Las Vegas, I had said we were friends.
But after that, so many men showed interest in Ellie that I just started saying we were a couple.
There were times we went days without a proper wash while exploring festivals in small towns, but it was enjoyable.
It was a journey where I could experience the real America.
‘This is freedom found in nature.’
I had planned for a one-month trip, but that was hardly enough time to properly see a country as vast as the United States.
Still, we moved slowly and saw a great deal.
We visited big cities like Houston and Chicago, checking out the local corporate headquarters and commodity exchanges.
New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz, and Miami, where beautiful women from all over the world were said to gather.
‘This is supposed to be a backpacking trip. Why are there so many distracting places?’
By the time the fourth week of our trip rolled around, we finally arrived in New York. The end of our journey was approaching.
“You can sleep at my place tonight.”
“What?”
“My parents live on Long Island, but they got me an apartment for when I was in college.”
I figured New York real estate must be expensive, so I imagined a single-room place like Oh Myeong-woo’s. Instead, we entered a luxurious four-bedroom apartment in Manhattan.
“My parents visit often. When it’s too late for them to go home, they just sleep here.”
“Ah, I see.”
For over a month, we had traveled together while she wore simple jeans.
She never flaunted her wealth with clothes or accessories, but her speech, appearance, and general aura gave me the impression that she came from a well-to-do family.
‘Her place is nicer than I expected. I guess the rich in America are on another level.’
I took a hot shower and lay down on the bed in a spare room.
I checked the crypto news on my phone.
- Giving up on crypto lololol
- Forced to HODL
- Honestly, isn’t crypto just gambling?
- I miss the days of one-dollar Ripple.
- How much did everyone lose?
- It’s dropping again.
- My experience investing in EOS over the weekend.
While I was traveling across America, the cryptocurrency market had crashed spectacularly.
Ripple was back down to 300 won, and a significant number of coins were down more than 90%.
‘I can hear the cries of anguish from every corner.’
Those who held onto their coins until the very end must have suffered huge losses.
Unable to sleep, I went into my old sales team’s group chat for the first time in a while.
- Team Leader An Myeong-guk: Gangnam Bitdul Eye Clinic. Who went there last week?
- Lee Jong-yeop: That was me, Team Leader.
- Team Leader An Myeong-guk: You said the director wanted to bring in a SMILE LASIK machine. But their revenue and projected profits are below the standard.
- Lee Jong-yeop: That’s a shame. I’ll let them down easy.
- Team Leader An Myeong-guk: Soo-ah. You have that project in Daegu and Busan with the tech team.
- Jo Soo-ah: I’ll make sure it proceeds without a hitch.
In two months, the sales team’s group chat hadn’t changed at all.
A group chat for work.
It wasn’t a space where many company employees gathered, just the sales team.
It was the chat I had checked every hour during my four years of work, where a majority of my assignments were given.
‘I’ll be seeing you all again soon.’
I was scrolling through the chat log.
Click.
The door opened slightly, and Ellie came in.
“Are you sleeping?”
“…”
She was wearing a thin slip that left nothing to the imagination.
I had seen her in a swimsuit, but now it was clear she was wearing nothing underneath the slip.
“Ellie, this is…”
“Shh. Let’s have a little adult conversation.”
We had gotten close and often talked late into the evening, but…
* * *
Korea.
On the rooftop of the building where the Arcor branch was located.
Team Leader Seo and Team Leader An were drinking hot Americanos.
For office workers, a hot Americano in the winter and an iced Americano from spring to fall was practically a law.
“Ahhh. The weather’s finally starting to warm up.”
“Tell me about it. It’s pretty warm these days, even for February.”
“And it’s a little slow.”
With the end of the crypto boom, the number of junior employees spending time on the rooftop had decreased significantly.
“How’s Na Sang-guk doing?”
“Looks like he still hasn’t given up. I heard he keeps buying coins whenever he gets his paycheck. Says it’s going to moon again.”
“He’s persistent, I’ll give him that.”
“Well, he works hard, so it’s hard to say anything for now.”
As long as employees met their sales targets, they weren’t hassled too much.
Team Leader Seo spoke cautiously.
“By the way, I heard Assistant Manager Kim lost all the money he made from crypto.”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“That’s the rumor going around. Since coins are worthless these days. Is it not true?”
Vicious rumors, born from jealousy and envy, had spread throughout the company.