Chapter 1
I’m translating the chapter and preserving the required HTML structure, including the system window at the end as a styled block.CHAPTER_TITLE: Chapter 1
Hoh-ruk.
This was the time I prepared for work, nursing a cup of thick instant coffee I’d brewed in the company break room.
Ding!
Early that morning, the company group chat chimed.
[Yoo Gwa-jang: Nobody forgot about dinner tonight at the Hanwoo restaurant across from the company, right? It’s on me, so come comfortably and make sure you’re there ^^]
Hanwoo?
There were more than a few people in our department, so that had to run into several million won at least.
I tapped the partition beside me, where my coworker from the same hiring class sat.
“Park Assistant Manager. Did Yoo Gwa-jang have some good news?”
“Whoa. Kang Assistant Manager, you still hadn’t heard?”
My coworker looked at me, wide-eyed.
“I was on vacation recently.”
“Ah, right. I guess you wouldn’t know since I mentioned it the day before yesterday.”
As if he’d just found an amusing story to tell, the guy slid his chair over and came closer.
“Yoo Gwa-jang is graduating this time.”
“Graduating from what?”
“What do you think? Graduating from life.”
Assistant Manager Park kept widening his eyes as he went on.
“He hit the jackpot with crypto this time.”
“How big of a jackpot are we talking, to buy Hanwoo?”
“One hundred.”
“One hundred thousand won? What can you do with that, buy Hanwoo? That’d be a loss, wouldn’t it?”
“Not one hundred thousand won. One hundred hundred million won, idiot!”
“...One hundred hundred million?”
“Yeah! He made a whopping 10 billion won. He went long on Ripple with 30x leverage, and last week it jumped from 400 won to 4,800 won the day before yesterday. He put in only 30 million won, and it turned into 10 billion, I’m telling you.”
“Wow...”
10 billion won.
I couldn’t even get a feel for how much money that was.
“When I heard that news, I really thought my stomach was going to burst from jealousy. I put only 1 million won into Ripple and walked away with just 600,000 won.”
Assistant Manager Park’s brows were practically knotted with frustration.
“If I’d braced myself and held on with leverage too, I’d be graduating as well... Damn, I missed it right in front of me.”
He looked like a man who’d lost a lottery first-prize ticket.
“What, you’re not jealous? You look pretty unimpressed.”
“It’s impressive, but I’m not jealous.”
“Why not?”
He stared at me, eyes round with incomprehension.
“You had a chance to make a fortune if you’d just invested a little.”
“No, it’s different.”
I answered honestly.
“Investing is basically taking on risk and gambling. He succeeded, that’s all.”
“...Wow. You can judge it that coldly?”
Assistant Manager Park asked, flinching.
“Wait. So you don’t invest at all?”
“No.”
“Not crypto, then. Stocks too? ETFs? Bonds? Maybe funds? Auctions or real estate?”
“None of it.”
“...Jesus.”
He let out a cry as if he’d just seen some bizarre specimen.
“What are you guys talking about that’s so fun?”
Kim Gwa-jang casually inserted himself into the conversation.
“No, Gwa-jang. This guy, Kang Assistant Manager, says he’s never invested in crypto or stocks at all.”
“Seriously?”
Kim Gwa-jang looked just as startled.
“My one pleasure in company life is staring at the stock chart.”
“Right? The reason I come to work is to make bullets for crypto.”
I knew office workers obsessed over investments like stocks, crypto, and real estate.
But I was an exception.
I’m never investing.
The reason was simple and firm.
I saw my father ruined by stocks with my own eyes.
When I was young, my family had lived pretty comfortably in our area.
Back in elementary school, the driver used to take me to school, so that said everything.
But that happiness didn’t last long.
A red notice went up on the house, my parents divorced, and the family scattered to the wind.
Ever since then, even the word “investment” made my skin crawl.
They looked at me with genuine curiosity.
“So you don’t do any kind of wealth building at all?”
“There’s one thing I do.”
“What is it?”
“I save in a fixed deposit.”
“...Huh?”
“The principal is guaranteed, isn’t it? And the interest comes in steadily. As long as you hold it to maturity, the money comes out. That’s stable.”
At that, Kim Gwa-jang and Assistant Manager Park burst out laughing.
“What era do you think this is, that you’re putting money in a fixed deposit?”
“Exactly, Kang Assistant Manager. It’s not like you’re taking out a military patriot savings account. What kind of office worker puts money in a deposit?”
“It puts my mind at ease.”
Kim Gwa-jang still looked unconvinced.
“What kind of interest rate are we talking? Even if it’s generous, that’s only 3 or 4 percent, right?”
“Lately it’s gone up a bit. Some accounts pay 7 or even 8 percent.”
Assistant Manager Park cut in.
“If they’re paying that much, doesn’t it all come with special conditions? If it seems easy, they cut it off with something like a maximum monthly deposit of 100,000 won, don’t they?”
“That’s true. So I have to spread deposits across different banks.”
“Not all of them qualify, right?”
“About half of the deposits I use pay that much. The other half are in the 3 percent range.”
“As expected. And they tax that too.”
“Right. It’s, what, 15.4 percent? They take out the interest income tax too.”
“After they take that, is there even anything left?”
“Still, it’s not a loss.”
Assistant Manager Park laughed hollowly.
Kim Gwa-jang put a hand on my shoulder and lowered his voice.
“Don’t do that. I’ll tell you about a good stock. You know my brother-in-law works for an international airline, right? They’re starting a new business there. Expanding the business is a good sign too.”
At that, Assistant Manager Park’s eyes lit up.
“Is your team leader’s brother-in-law at H Airline? Can I just go all in?”
“I’m already all in.”
“Damn, I should buy it right now.”
Assistant Manager Park’s eyes gleamed as he pulled out his phone and tapped furiously at the stock app.
“Anyway, it’s a good chance, so buy some. You really won’t regret it.”
Kim Gwa-jang said to me again.
“I don’t tell other people this, but I’m telling you because you’re a team member I value. You’ve got to grow your assets somehow as an office worker. Just taking a salary won’t get you anywhere.”
“Thanks for the advice. But I don’t plan to buy.”
“Why not?”
“Like I said, stocks make me uneasy. I like fixed deposits.”
“...Hah, really?”
He sucked in a disappointed breath.
Still, as if he didn’t intend to push me, he nodded.
“If you’re not into it yourself, there’s nothing I can do. Investing isn’t something you force on people.”
“Thanks for understanding.”
“I respect your way of doing things too, Kang Assistant Manager.”
Kim Gwa-jang patted my shoulder, sounding sincere.
Of course, the coworker beside me was different.
“Gwa-jang, I’m all in...”
[Purchase completed.]
He even showed me the freshly lit screen.
“If you decide to cash out, could you give me a heads-up?”
“Sure. I’ll tell you.”
“Ha! Thanks. By the way, Gwa-jang, I heard this insane tip from a crypto reading room this time, and if this really...”
Just like that, the two of them carried on the conversation without me.
Ding!
[This is Hanshin Bank. Your fixed deposit has matured.]
Fixed Deposit Summary
- Monthly deposit: 200,000 won.
- Term: 36 months.
- Annual interest rate: 8.2% (compound)
- Total principal paid: 7,200,000 won.
- Maturity payout: 8,187,175 won.
A small smile spread across my face.
Thanks to three years of steady deposits, I’d earned nearly 1 million won in interest.
Since it had been aimed at young adults only, the monthly contribution was small, but the interest rate had been high, so it had grown nicely.
Yeah, this makes me happier.
Watching stock charts and crypto charts flash red and blue every day, fretting over every rise and fall, getting stressed out by the swings, was just not worth it. A safe fixed deposit like this was the best thing going.
***
Sizzle-sizzle-sizzle.
On the grill, a slab of Hanwoo sirloin, its marbling blossoming like flowers, browned beautifully as the Maillard reaction worked its magic.
When the pinkness had just enough time to fade and it had reached that perfect level of doneness, I picked it up.
If you dipped it lightly in salt and put it in your mouth.
Delicious...
The juices burst out all at once inside my mouth.
Good beef didn’t even need lettuce wraps.
Salt on the meat was enough.
“All right, everyone, let’s have a toast.”
Choi Gwa-jang, a coworker and classmate of today’s star Yoo Gwa-jang, stood up and took charge of the mood.
“To Yoo Gwa-jang’s new success as he quits and starts a new path!”
“Cheers!”
“Congratulations, Yoo Gwa-jang!”
“Stay healthy!”
Clink.
Our glasses collided, and beer foam spilled over the rims.
It was an odd atmosphere.
Some people were harboring envy and jealousy toward Yoo Gwa-jang.
Others seemed regretful that they themselves hadn’t been the ones standing in that place.
As for me, I was simply enjoying the meat.
When someone’s buying expensive beef I’d have a hard time paying for myself, and on top of that it’s Hanwoo, the only sensible thing to do is enjoy it. I couldn’t spare a thought for anything else.
“Kang Assistant Manager.”
“Yes, Gwa-jang.”
“I just heard you don’t invest at all?”
“Ah, yes. That’s right. I only use fixed deposits.”
“Even if it’s not much, try putting some money in. It’ll be much better than a deposit.”
“Ahaha.”
I gave neither agreement nor refusal.
I didn’t want to spoil the mood of today’s star.
“I’m giving you this advice sincerely. If you just live your whole life on a salary, you’ll never climb the social ladder.”
Yoo Gwa-jang added, looking down on me as if he were looking at a child.
“You said you’re living in a rental apartment now, right? But you’re not going to live in a rental apartment forever. If you don’t build assets, your kids will get called Elsa, like LH-rental brat, or Houston, like Humania-rental brat.”
“...”
Sensing that I was getting annoyed, Assistant Manager Park hurriedly jumped back into the conversation.
“By the way, Gwa-jang, what are you going to do after you quit? Are you just going to buy a building and travel around enjoying life?”
“I’m thinking of opening a little cafe in a quiet part of Jeju. I figure it’d be nice if my wife and I ran it together, just the two of us.”
“Wow, I’m jealous.”
“Gwa-jang, that was my dream.”
“Aaah, me too.”
Voices full of envy spilled out from the staff.
“Senior, can I ask you just one thing?”
“I think I know what you’re going to ask.”
“Even so, I want to ask. Just how much did you make?”
“Wasn’t it 10 billion? 10 billion?”
“That’s what I heard too.”
At the employees’ words, Yoo Gwa-jang let a grin spread across his face.
“Actually, that was what it was when I announced my resignation...”
“Don’t tell me it went up?!”
Assistant Manager Park even put down the meat he’d been holding and asked.
“How much did it become?”
“It doubled.”
“Jesus...”
“Whoa.”
“I bought one memecoin, and it went up before I knew it.”
“Insane...”
“Congratulations.”
“So everybody, don’t worry and just eat comfortably. Auntie, give us more yukhoe and shrimp meat.”
“Gwa-jang, can I order more drinks?”
“Of course. Auntie, soju... no, an Ilpoom Jinro and tonic, please. And some lemon slices too.”
***
The mood was in full swing.
With delicious side dishes and expensive liquor, the buzz gradually rose hot and heavy.
“Want to step outside for some air?”
Kim Bu-jang pressed his index and middle fingers together and mimed smoking.
“Yes. I’ll go have a cigarette too.”
“All right.”
I hadn’t even smoked in the army.
But I’d picked it up again because of working life.
In the company, smoking mattered more than school ties or hometown ties.
I stepped outside and took a drag of cigarette smoke.
“Sssup. Hooouu...”
It felt strange.
I’d never really thought about stocks or crypto investments, and even when I saw others doing well, I’d never felt jealous.
But seeing Yoo Gwa-jang resign like that made it feel as though he’d suddenly flown off into a different world from mine.
“You’re jealous too, Kang Assistant Manager?”
Kim Bu-jang asked, glancing at me sideways.
“Pardon?”
“Yoo Gwa-jang. Are you jealous that he’s quitting like that?”
“I didn’t think I would be, but now that I see it, I am.”
When I’d heard it from a third party, I hadn’t thought much of it.
But hearing it directly from the man himself felt completely different.
“Honestly, that was my dream too, to open a cafe and be the owner.”
“Everyone thinks that way.”
Kim Bu-jang seemed to feel the same.
“But...”
The memories came back again.
“I really can’t invest.”
“If you don’t want to, then you shouldn’t.”
Kim Bu-jang nodded emphatically.
“I’m the same, you know.”
“Oh? Really?”
“Yeah. After losing money in stocks a few times, my wife warned me that if I did it one more time and got caught, she’d divorce me.”
“How much did you lose?”
“Six thousand? I was trading overseas futures.”
“...”
Well, that made sense.
It was a miracle he hadn’t been kicked out of the house.
For different reasons, sure, but it looked like neither of us would ever be able to invest for the rest of our lives.
If I work like a dog until I’m about fifty and then quit, could I maybe open a cafe with my severance pay?
Of course, even then, it wouldn’t be a leisurely life of ease.
From the documentaries I’d seen about small business owners, that world was anything but easy.
And even if I did open a cafe, if business went badly, I could end up buried in debt and nothing else.
In the end, it’s a life of working forever.
The best thing was to keep working without getting cut loose and stay with the company.
Unless I was chasing a sudden fortune, there was no such thing as a life-changing reversal.
“I’m not thinking of buying lottery tickets or anything... I’d just like my salary to keep coming in steadily, and maybe grow a little.”
At that, Kim Bu-jang hesitated, then stepped closer to me.
“Kang Assistant Manager.”
“Yes, Bu-jang.”
“I’m only saying this in case it helps...”
He asked cautiously.
“If you want to earn money for sure without any gambling element or risk... how about taking up a side job?”
“A side job?”
“Yeah.”
“Honestly, I’m interested. Our company doesn’t even have a clause banning outside work.”
“Really?”
Kim Bu-jang seemed pleased to hear that and went on.
“I couldn’t tell other people because I was embarrassed, but I’ve actually started a side job too.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah. My daughter asked me to send her to one more math academy, and the money coming in is fixed while the money going out keeps increasing. What else can I do?”
“What kind of side job is it?”
“Simple deliveries. Delivery work.”
He shrugged awkwardly as he explained.
“After work I ride an e-bike around my neighborhood for two or three hours. Even so, it pays more than minimum wage, so it covers the kids’ academy fees at least.”
“Oh...”
“If you’re interested, let me know. I’ll tell you how it works.”
“Yes, thank you.”
He patted my shoulder a few times and went back into the restaurant first.
A side job...
I already wanted to make a bit more money, so my interest spiked at once.
What could I possibly do?
Just as I was thinking it over.
Ding!
[Congratulations! System use has been approved.]
- A talent suited for your diligence has been granted.
[Your first talent has been unlocked.]
- Relic Appraisal.
“What the hell is this?”
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