How an Eight-Year-Old Spends Money - 2

"Is... is that really true?"

"Yes."

"Hah..."

It was a shock.

Gold ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was only seventy thousand won for a single don—3.75 grams. And that was the purchase price; the selling price sat around sixty thousand.

"So how much did it come out to in total?"

"Approximately one hundred seventy million won."

"Ha... hahahaha~ hahahahaha~~ I sold ten kilograms and got a measly hundred ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠million?"

"I said one hundred seventy million. Nearly two hundred million..."

"Only a hundred million... that gold was only worth a hundred million...? Hah... unbelievable."

"......"

Right. This was twenty years in the past.

Factoring in economic growth and inflation, a price seven or eight times lower was only natural.

So why were tears welling up?

"Are you crying...?"

"Hic... No. Just some dust in my eyes. Hic..."

"......"

"Don't feel bad. I'm going to make a lot more anyway, right?"

"Are you talking to me...?"

"Just talking to myself. So how much is in the stock account right now?"

"About three hundred twenty million. First, wipe those tears."

"Thank you... hic... sniffle!!!!"

I wiped my tears with the handkerchief he handed me and blew my nose thoroughly. I felt a little better. Unlike my mood, the handkerchief seemed to have gotten considerably heavier.

"......"

"Just wash it and use it. Kids' noses are clean."

"I'll pass."

Choi Myeonghun set the handkerchief—which he'd been barely holding between his thumb and forefinger—down on the table, pulled out a tissue to wipe his fingers, and asked,

"Which stocks are you planning to invest in? I'll look into whether they're solid picks for you."

"I'll handle that myself. You're busy—go take care of your own work, Counselor."

"You could lose everything."

"I might. That's why I'm planning to keep it moderate for now."

"How much are you thinking?"

"Around two hundred million."

"....That doesn't sound moderate."

"If I go too big and get wiped out, I'll want to die. If I go too small and only make pocket change, I'll want to die. So two hundred million is just right."

This investment was a kind of experiment—to see whether the future would unfold the way I remembered. But I judged the odds of success higher, so I was ready to boldly put in two hundred million. Even if it failed, I still had crypto and lottery tickets left.

"Then I'll be on my way. Contact me if you need anything."

"Yes, Counselor. I'll be in touch again soon."

After confirming Choi Myeonghun had left the hospital room, I picked up the laptop with the ethernet cable plugged in and climbed onto the bed.

"Ugh... this is so cumbersome..."

I'd been freed from the IV drip as of yesterday, but now the laptop was hooked up to one in my place. Wi-Fi was available, of course, but it was still slow and insecure, so I was using a wired connection.

Clack-clack-clack—

I hammered the keyboard and searched for the stock I planned to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠invest in.

Teni Electronics.

A jackpot stock that soared a full 375% in 2006 alone. I poured all two hundred million into this stock, currently oscillating around 5,300 won.

37,439 shares.

I hadn't bought the moment the January market opened, so the percentage would drop by however much time had already passed—but even calculating a rough 300% rise put it at 21,000 won per share. That meant my year-end profit would be about seven hundred eighty million won. Even after various taxes, it'd balloon to around six hundred million.

"Six hundred million...? Hah... making money is so easy."

I hadn't succeeded at this investment yet, but the previous life I'd spent scrambling for a mere few million won a month suddenly felt a little hollow.

Before I knew it, discharge was only a day away. And lately, a new visitor had been coming to my hospital room.

"Sunwoo~ May the director come in?"

"Yes, come in."

Gray nun's habit, glasses, and a kindly face to match. She was the textbook image of an orphanage director straight out of a TV drama—and starting tomorrow, she would be looking after me at Somang Orphanage.

"Were you on the computer again?"

"Hehe~ Games are fun."

"So Sunwoo likes games~"

No. I like stocks. Lately my hobby was comparing current stock prices against the ones I remembered and calculating the spreads.

"Tomorrow when you're discharged, you'll be meeting new friends. Are you nervous or tense at all?"

"No."

"How mature you are, our Sunwoo."

She didn't force an overly familiar act. Her words were warm, but her actions were exceedingly careful. Even now, the hand she'd rested on the back of mine was trembling slightly, as if she worried I might dislike it.

Still the same as ever. Even when I'd shut my heart tight, she had always carefully reached out first...

I was glad. Glad I could meet her again—not someone else, but her.

"Director."

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

"Thank me for what...?"

I clasped both hands over ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the director's hand that was carefully covering the back of mine.

"For looking after me like this. Thanks to your warm heart, I think I'll be able to forget the bad memories soon. I'll grow up healthy by your side from now on."

"Sunwoo... Yes. Forget everything, and let's live happily with the director and your friends from now on."

"Yes! Hehe~"

I burrowed into the director's arms. In this life, I planned to throw open the doors of my heart and soak up the director's and the children's warm affection and love.

But... this wasn't how I'd imagined things going.

"......"

"......"

"......"

"......"

After being discharged, I came with the director to the orphanage where I'd be living from now on. In my previous life, the children had greeted me with welcoming smiles. Now they were scattered about, staring at me from all sides with eyes full of wariness.

"Why are they like that...?"

"They're children who've been through hard times, just like you. People still scare them, this place is unfamiliar, and they haven't received much affection. So our mature Sunwoo can understand, right?"

"Yes."

I'd arrived here a full six years early. They could easily be different from the children I'd known. Which made the director seem all the more remarkable. She'd turned these porcupine-like kids into bright, healthy children in a mere six years.

"Sunwoo!!!!!"

"Wh-what?! Ughk..!!!"

Something slammed into me, and I toppled straight backward. It was dirt ground—if it had been concrete, the back of my head would have cracked open.

"What assassin sent this..!"

"It's Sunwoo! Sunwoo!! It's Sunwoooo!!!"

A little girl burying her face in my chest and rubbing it all over. A child I knew very well.

"Eunsol??"

"Yeah! It's Sol! Sol waited so much for Sunwoo!! Sunwoo missed Sol a ton too, right??"

"Y-yeah, probably..?"

I hadn't particularly been thinking about missing her, but I was still relieved. I'd been worried she might get sent somewhere bad and something terrible would happen to her.

"I'm here too..."

"Ah, right."

"......"

"......"

I knew it wasn't mature of me. I knew she hadn't done anything wrong to me—not in this life. But because of the betrayal I'd felt in my previous life, I still couldn't open my heart to Lee Naye. I hadn't even expected to meet her again like this.

"I'm happy Sunwoo came too..."

"Yeah."

"Does Sunwoo still hate Naye..?"

"It's not that I hate you or like you. Just... just whatever."

"......"

Eunsol, Lee Naye, and me. We three were the only ones sent to Somang Orphanage.

"Really? Sol and Naye will show Sunwoo around?"

"Yes!!"

"Yes..."

While I was hospitalized, Eunsol and Lee Naye had been sent here first and volunteered to give me the orphanage tour.

The previous orphanage, tucked away in a remote part of Namyangju, had been fairly large—probably because land was cheap. By comparison, Somang Orphanage was compact. It sat on the border with Hanam, but it was still in Gangdong-gu—the edge of Seoul—so land prices wouldn't be cheap.

"Ah... real estate... I wonder how much an Apgujeong apartment costs these days?"

"Huh??"

"Apartment..?"

"Never mind. Don't worry about it."

Real estate was an investment with guaranteed returns. Even if every future memory I had played out differently, land prices would still rise for certain. But it took far too long. If I were going to invest in real estate now, I'd be better off putting money into foreign companies like Amazon or Tesla. Those would yield returns of at least tens of thousands of times.

So real estate was the last resort. Even if every piece of information I knew went wrong, it wouldn't be too late to invest in real estate then. Of course, I didn't have the money to go after prime land in the first place either.

"Did you give Sunwoo a good tour of our orphanage?"

"Yes, Director!"

"We finished..."

There wasn't much of a tour to give. The building wasn't large, and there weren't many places to show around. But Eunsol and Lee Naye were a bit unusual.

"Hehe~"

"How can our Sol be this cute?"

Eunsol, who'd been so introverted at the previous orphanage that she barely got close to anyone but me, was acting toward the director like a doting granddaughter full of charm. And Lee Naye had become like Eunsol used to be.

"......"

She was busy reading the room, glancing around everywhere. The type who struggled to adapt to new environments? Well, she'd adapt on her own eventually.

"Director, I'm going to make a quick phone call."

"The phone is in the director's office..."

"I have a cell phone~"

"Cell..."

"Yes, Counselor. I have a few favors to ask."

I stepped outside and called Choi Myeonghun. And about three hours later, strangers swarmed into Somang Orphanage.

"Wh-what..! What is all this...."

"Where should we install the washing machine?"

"Where should we put this refrigerator?"

"Whoa! That's a huge TV!!"

"Kids, careful~ Once it's installed, Uncle will turn it on for you, so just step aside for a bit~~ Director! Where should we install this??"

Washing machines, refrigerators, TVs, air conditioners, computers—appliances of every kind—along with bunk beds and bedding all arrived.

But my secret weapon was this.

"Hold it—stop!"

"......"

"......"

"......"

"......"

"......"

The children froze at my single word. I lowered my open palm and picked up one of the toy boxes stacked behind me.

"Who wants this?"

"Me!!"

"How old are you?"

"Seven!"

"I'm eight. From now on, call me hyung and do as I say. Then I'll give it to you."

"Okay! Hyung! I'll be good!"

"Good. It's yours."

"Wow!!!"

"Who wants this dollhouse?"

"Me.. me!!"

"How old?"

"Nine..."

"So you're noona. From now on, look after the younger kids well. Especially Sol... and Naye too."

"Okay!"

"Good. Take it."

"Thank you~!!"

The children's wariness—which that morning had been like a wall with a "Staff Only" sign—crumbled away. Of course, some kids showed no interest in toys.

"So you don't want any jjajangmyeon, then?"

"I-I want some!!"

"Too bad. I'm not buying any for you."

"....I want... jjajangmyeon too..."

"Then get along with the other kids. If you do, I'll buy jjajangmyeon today and pizza next week."

"F-for real??"

"I don't lie."

"Okay! I'll get along!"

"Then go over there and play robots with them."

"Okay!!"

If toys didn't work, food would do the trick. At this age, playing and eating were everything.

"Um, Sunwoo..."

"Yes, Director."

"How did all this happen..? Who on earth sent all of this.."

"An acquaintance of mine sent it."

"An acquaintance...?"

"He's rich, so you don't need to worry. And he gave this money too, for the kids to eat something delicious. Please hold onto it for me, Director."

"Wh-what kind of money is this much..."

I pressed the wad of ten-thousand-won bills I'd been holding out into the director's hand. Despite the larger-than-expected expense, I felt oddly at peace.

Yeah. This was how money was meant to be spent.