Chapter 33: The Last Day
Chapter 33: The Last Day
I was unemployed.
A rich, unemployed man.
I'd had many dreams since I was young, but for an office worker, I couldn't imagine a more splendid goal than this.
‘I don’t have to work anymore. Now, my money works for me.’
On my last day, my heart fluttered from the moment I left for work.
I’d spent my life working countless part-time jobs; labor was a part of my very being.
‘Can I really be free from money and labor?’
I walked around with a smile, the reality of it all feeling like a dream.
“Sir, have some of this while you work.”
“Thank you. Haha.”
I arrived twenty minutes earlier than usual and gave drinks and gift sets to the parking attendant and the building’s security guard.
“Ms. Hyun-hwa. Good morning.”
“Assistant Manager Kim! You’re in early.”
I smiled and greeted each employee as they arrived at the office.
It wasn’t intentional, but how could I not smile when I felt so relaxed and happy?
“That’s a very pretty outfit.”
“Really? You’ve never said anything like that to me before, Assistant Manager Kim.”
“Sorry if that made you uncomfortable. I didn’t mean anything bad by it.”
“That’s not what I meant. I just wish you’d been this friendly sooner.”
I made small talk with the female employees I had deliberately kept my distance from, not wanting to be the subject of gossip.
During the morning, I compiled my work records and the necessary documents for the handover.
‘There’s actually a lot to pass on.’
The shorter the handover period, the more paperwork I had to leave behind.
Given Lee Jong-yeop’s personality, I doubted he would read it thoroughly, but there were hospitals that Jo Soo-ah would be taking over.
“Assistant Manager Kim, let’s go for a coffee on the roof.”
As I was busy with paperwork in the office, Kim Sang-gi called out to me.
“Sure.”
* * *
When I got to the roof, Team Leader Seo, Team Leader An, and the sales staff were all gathered there.
“Working hard first thing in the morning, I see.”
“Well, it’s my last day.”
“Ah… what am I going to do when Assistant Manager Kim, who works hard even on his last day, is gone?”
He was just being dramatic.
The company ran perfectly fine whenever I took a sabbatical or annual leave.
“What do you mean? You’ve got Sang-gi.”
“Sang-gi’s a bit…”
“Hey! What’s wrong with me?”
We drank coffee, chatting lightly. Then, Team Leader An looked at me and spoke.
“Assistant Manager Kim.”
“Yes.”
“I heard something from an employee at Leons. Is it true you invested in them?”
Leons and Arcor were strategic partners.
Since we placed various orders with them, from eye drops to topical anesthetics and surgical supplies, the news must have spread quickly.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“How much did you invest?”
The two team leaders and the ten salespeople were all looking at me.
They were bound to be very curious about how much money I was making and managing.
“I invested 20 billion won.”
“20 billion?”
I didn’t hide it, since it would get out soon enough.
Team Leader An and Team Leader Seo were older and had been in the corporate world for a long time.
This was the first time I had ever seen them so shocked, their jaws hanging open.
“Wow. 20 billion… you’re in a different league.”
“Does that make you a major shareholder in Leons, Assistant Manager Kim?”
“That company is really solid. They can produce almost any kind of pharmaceutical.”
The salespeople were also amazed.
When it came to bragging about money, being half-hearted just wouldn't do.
“The 20 billion was the first round of investment. I’ve decided to invest another 20 billion soon.”
“So, 40 billion in total?”
“Yes.”
“So you really were a tycoon, Assistant Manager Kim.”
The admiration from people I knew well was surprisingly satisfying.
Bragging to those around you really is the best.
“Please help Leons do well.”
“What can we do? Still, we’ll work hard to sell their products to the hospitals.”
* * *
After lunch, the afternoon flew by.
My last day of work came to an end, and it was time to leave.
Arcor, where I had worked for over four years. I had worked hard enough to have no regrets.
“Take care.”
“Goodbye, Assistant Manager Kim.”
I went around the office, exchanging brief farewells with the staff.
I also shook hands with Kim Sang-gi.
“I never thought you’d quit before me. Let’s grab a drink sometime, even after you’ve left.”
“Of course. Call me anytime. We can get a meal together.”
“And if you have any investment opportunities, let me know.”
“Hmm?”
“From now on, I’m following you no matter what. Hehe.”
After saying goodbye to the sales team, I went over to the support team, where Han Chae-won was.
Honestly, I didn’t want to go, but as a salesperson, I often needed help from the support team.
I intended to at least say a final goodbye to those who had helped me.
“You’ll do well wherever you go, Assistant Manager Kim.”
“Thank you, Team Leader.”
Team Leader Choi So-hye shook my hand and then gave me a light hug.
I thought she would have a negative impression of me because of Han Chae-won, but she was surprisingly warm.
“Hope to see you and Jong-yeop around sometime!”
“You too, Hye-ri. Take care.”
I shook hands with Yoo Hye-ri and the other female staff on the support team. The atmosphere was more amicable than I expected.
I considered skipping Han Chae-won, but the other employees were watching.
Han Chae-won, sitting in her chair with her legs and arms crossed, spoke to me.
“So you’re finally quitting.”
“Yeah.”
I wanted to keep it short.
Just exchanging a few words with her felt like reliving all the horrible memories from our marriage.
“You’re really lucky, you know.”
“Lucky?”
“Just happened to get lucky with some coin. Must be nice, making all that money, huh?”
There she went again, speaking so carelessly.
During our marriage, if I showed even the slightest sign of displeasure, she would be the one to explode in anger.
‘I felt so betrayed, so many times.’
I had truly loved her at first.
I considered her family and thought I wouldn’t regret giving up an arm for her, but it had all been a delusion on my part.
Even when Han Chae-won was smiling and talking, the smallest annoyance would cause her to lash out, dredging up old issues and unleashing an uncontrollable torrent of rage.
She was emotionally volatile and lived life entirely on her own terms.
Every time that happened, I felt an intense sense of betrayal against the trust I had placed in her.
My recent crypto investments and other choices had turned out well, but nothing was as good a decision as getting a divorce.
Though it would have been even better if I had never married her in the first place.
“Take care. And don’t even think about texting me.”
“What did you say?”
“I’ve already blocked your number and registered it as spam. So I’d appreciate it if you never contacted me for the rest of your life.”
I said only what was necessary and turned away.
There was no need to mention that I had blocked and spam-listed her entire family as well.
I hurried over to the technical team.
It felt like a volcano was about to erupt behind me.
“Man, thanks for helping me grow my emergency fund, Assistant Manager Kim. I’ll wear my Rolex well.”
“I’ll see you around next time.”
I said my goodbyes to Team Leader Seo and the technical team staff.
As I passed Director Jeong’s desk next to the technical team, I made sure to shake his hand.
My former boss and, from Han Chae-won’s perspective, her ex-husband and her current boyfriend?
It was a complicated relationship worthy of an American drama, but aside from what I’d heard at a company dinner, I held no ill will toward him.
“I’m leaving Arcor having learned a great deal.”
“You’ve worked hard. Looking over your work records, I can see you did a great job.”
The atmosphere between us wasn’t hostile.
So I spoke with sincerity.
“I wish you all the best in the future.”
“May you continue to succeed even after leaving the company.”
As I was finally leaving Arcor, Team Leader An clapped me on the shoulder.
“We’ll see each other again.”
“I’ll be in touch, then.”
Walking down the hallway and stepping into the elevator, it finally sank in that I had quit.
I had been thinking of this moment for the past few months.
I couldn’t believe how joyful and happy it felt.
* * *
A crypto forum.
After the repeated crashes in cryptocurrency, the number of posts had dwindled significantly.
It was as if even the faintest glimmer of hope had died.
- Holding is a skill! The era of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer is here, depending on the coin.
- If Bitcoin crashes, 300 trillion won of our country’s wealth will evaporate.
- Everyone, sell everything and cut and run lol
- The battle between the dollar and crypto starts now.
- Where are all the hodlers who said it would pump in February?
- It keeps dropping. Even buying the dip is hard.
A well-known user who had been posting frequently until a couple of months ago, but had recently gone quiet.
The user with the nickname ‘Billionaire Sang-guk’ posted a new thread.
- My coworker made tens of billions from crypto and quit.
It was a provocative title that no office worker who invested in crypto could resist clicking.
People clicked on the post.
[There’s this guy who joined the company at the same time as me.
He was this super pathetic, poor dude… even got divorced recently.
But last year, he hit the jackpot with Bitcoin.
Rumors spread that he made 2 billion won.
And then he invested in Ripple, apparently.
That’s when I started following his lead, and it went up a ton.
Then he sold and got out.
I totally scoffed at him.
It’s still climbing, and you’re selling this?
My apartment was about to become a whole building, and that building a skyscraper.
I thought, what a fucking idiot.
When he said he was selling, Ripple was around 3,000-4,000 won.
He mostly traded on foreign exchanges, so I don’t know his exact sell price.
Anyway, the consensus among my coworkers is that he made at least a 10x profit on Ripple alone. We’re probably not wrong.
And I’m still holding Ripple. I even kept buying more, goddammit. T_T
Anyway, that guy made tens of billions and quit today.]
Given how sensational the post was, comments started pouring in.
- Legit?
- No way, another crypto success story just dropped lol
ㄴ It’s true. The guy drives a Ferrari. I was so jealous every time I saw it in the parking lot.
- Stop making shit up.
- If it’s real, you should have just bought when he bought and sold when he sold.
ㄴ I know, right? I didn’t think of that.
- If he’s your coworker, ask him for some coin recommendations.
ㄴ He said he’s not doing crypto these days. Just some US stocks. I can’t ask him for details.
- Why can’t you ask?
ㄴ Because I picked on him, ignored him, and gave him a hard time, lol. We’re not on good terms. Fuck, I regret it so much.
* * *
Over the weekend, I didn’t think about going anywhere and just rested at home.
I watched television and played some games, and before I knew it, night had fallen.
- Kim Shin: How’s work life?
- Kim Shin: Must be busy at a global financial firm, right?
- Ellie: It’s incredibly busy. There’s so much I have to memorize and understand. I haven’t even had a chance to turn on my personal phone for days.
- Ellie: Everyone at this company is a genius except for me.
I got in touch with Ellie, and it seemed like her new job was very tough.
They paid a high salary, but companies always worked you dozens of times harder than what they paid you.
- Kim Shin: You’ll do great.
- Ellie: I can’t. I’m barely hanging on.
- Kim Shin: If you hang on, you’ll get used to it.
- Ellie: You really think so?
- Kim Shin: Yeah. Believe in yourself.
‘That’s just how it is when you’re a new employee.’
A time when even problems that could be solved easily and quickly with experience seem difficult and overwhelming.
Of course, having never worked at a financial firm myself, I could only guess.
- Oh Myeong-woo: Sir, I have completed my investigation into Nikola.
- Kim Shin: That was fast.
A message came from Oh Myeong-woo.
With a console and game software on the line, I figured he would have given it his all.
- Oh Myeong-woo: I worked my fingers to the bone. I mobilized my entire network, but I must inform you beforehand that this information may not be perfect.
- Kim Shin: I know. Even professional consulting firms and global funds make misjudgments.
- Kim Shin: The investment is entirely my responsibility. I’ll just use the information you give me as a reference.
- Oh Myeong-woo: That makes it easier to say.
- Oh Myeong-woo: You probably already know they don’t have a production line.
- Oh Myeong-woo: There are also significant doubts about their technology. They might be able to build a hydrogen truck, but opinions are divided on whether they possess the technology to make it efficient and mass-producible.
- Oh Myeong-woo: The CEO’s credibility is also questionable.
- Oh Myeong-woo: But it seems like Nikola is really hot right now.
Apparently, some startup founders were aiming to become the next Nikola, not the next Tesla.