Chapter 12
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Touring the Building
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From that point on, the next month was a whirlwind of nonstop activity. Jang Deokcheol spent his days scouring Seoul for the perfect building, while Kangyul pulled all-nighters staring at the wriggling Bitcoin charts.
'Haah... It's about time it hits a peak.'
Bitcoin was currently trading at 890 won. Knowing it would spike to 1,000 won before crashing to 300 won, Kangyul kept selling off his holdings.
His plan was to sell high, buy low, and increase his stack.
And that wasn't all—he'd wired another 50 million won in dollars as backup.
'Nice!'
Finally, today, all 2.1 million of Kangyul's Bitcoin had sold.
[2,053,000,000 won]
The balance in his account was nearly 2 billion won. That was the profit from selling at an average price around 940 won.
Once Kangyul had dumped everything, Bitcoin twitched upward in a sharp surge.
[1,160 won]
[1,170 won]
[1,230 won]
It looked like a rocket taking off at first glance. But the chart plummeted even faster than it had risen. As soon as it broke 1,000 won, sell orders flooded the market.
The chart, which had been twitching upward for days, nosedived without mercy.
'Now!'
Kangyul slapped up a buy wall around 300 won and scooped up every sell order in sight.
'Haah... Haven't slept a wink, I'm exhausted.'
But knowing it would climb to 30,000 won in just another month made sleep impossible.
'...Gotta make one big score then HODL. Whew.'
That night, Kangyul ballooned his pre-sale stash of 2.1 million Bitcoin to 5.86 million coins.
And then, the long-awaited kindergarten graduation ceremony arrived.
'Graduation already? Time flies.'
Kangyul glanced at the snow piled up at the kindergarten entrance.
It felt like just yesterday he'd started here, wondering how he'd survive three years. But time had slipped away like flowing water.
'Elementary school will be even busier, huh? Sigh.'
From overhearing his parents, it sounded like they'd send him to the private elementary school nearby.
Im Myeonghan had graduated from there too, so it was clearly no ordinary place.
'Another six years... Ugh.'
Kangyul shook his head and stepped inside.
"Oh my, Kangyul's here?"
Im Mi-yeong, the teacher, still carried that somewhat stiff air despite growing more familiar.
Kangyul bowed deeply and pulled out the gift he'd prepared.
"Teacher, thank you for everything. This is a little something from me—no need to feel burdened."
It was a women's wallet.
Jang Deokcheol had picked it up from a department store on Kangyul's orders.
"...Yeah. Thank you too."
Im Mi-yeong knelt down unexpectedly and hugged him tight.
She'd always been a bit intimidated by his maturity, but that didn't mean she disliked him. If anything, having Kangyul around had made handling the kids much easier many times over.
'...She was the one who really got me, in a way.'
"I'll come visit sometimes, so don't worry."
Ever the adult, Kangyul patted her shoulder and headed into the Tiger Class.
Im Mi-yeong couldn't help but chuckle at the sight.
'Picked out a cute wallet, surprisingly.'
It fit perfectly in her palm. It didn't scream luxury, so she could use it without any pressure.
Im Mi-yeong had no idea the wallet from Kangyul was a Ferragamo worth over 800,000 won.
The kindergarten graduation was surprisingly low-key.
Most kids here were headed to the same private elementary, so it felt more like an extension than a farewell. Of course, some were going abroad or to other privates.
"Kangyul, don't forget Hye-mi is going to England, okay?"
'How could I forget a princess like you?'
"Sure. If you miss me, just text or email."
Park Hye-mi nodded through chicken-tear eyes.
She wasn't the only one. Lee Hoon, grandson of the Gangnam Milling chairman, and An Sojeong, granddaughter of the YK Group chairman, were off to the US for school too.
'...US study abroad? Lucky.'
"Hoon, if anyone bullies you, call me right away. I'll fly to America."
"Yeah, thanks."
Lee Hoon nodded blankly at Kangyul, face as vacant as ever.
An Sojeong just stared at him with red-rimmed eyes.
She clutched his sleeve like she had something to say but couldn't let go.
"We'll see each other again later. Don't worry too much. America can't be that different."
"...It won't have you, Kangyul."
Kangyul realized his mistake as An Sojeong started sniffling.
'If she cries, the others will too.'
"No, I mean call anytime. Got it?"
Kangyul stroked her head. An Sojeong buried her face and nodded.
"Oh my goodness, look at Kangyul being so mature!"
"Taking care of his little girlfriend!"
He overheard the teachers whispering with Im Mi-yeong but ignored it.
He exchanged bittersweet goodbyes with his classmates too.
The next month was winter break. Not that the routine changed much—just swapping kindergarten for academies.
Deokyul wanted taekwondo lessons, Jiyul baduk classes. More like choices handpicked by Park Jeong-a than the kids themselves.
Kangyul opted for English academy.
"We're off!"
"Me too!"
"Have fun, no fighting with friends."
Deokyul and Jiyul hopped out, bowed, and dashed inside.
Kangyul saw them off, then headed elsewhere with Jang Deokcheol.
It was an eight-story building near the academy.
"This the one?"
A bit dated, but spacious and just what he'd envisioned.
"Yes, sir. It was a fire sale, so we got it cheaper than expected."
"How much again? 3 billion?"
"Around there."
Starbucks on the first floor, offices above.
Only the top eighth floor was vacant.
"Just collecting rent from the current tenants covers maintenance and leaves profit."
"Nice."
The car glided smoothly into the underground parking.
Kangyul hopped out and made for the elevator, eager to explore.
"Young Master Kangyul, this way."
Jang Deokcheol led him to a steel door.
"The best part is the private elevator. It only goes to the eighth floor—use it freely."
"No running into tenants. Perfect."
Kangyul rode straight up to eight.
Ding—
The doors opened to glass walls revealing downtown Seoul and the Han River in the distance.
'Whoa, incredible.'
Still an empty shell, but he loved it.
"This way, Young Master."
Kangyul followed Jang Deokcheol to an office setup.
Unlike the rest, it was pristine. A massive chairman's desk held six monitors, chair sized just right for him.
"Top-spec computers and monitors, as requested."
'No more trading on my phone. Great.'
Way bigger than he needed solo, but perfect.
Jang Deokcheol had even stocked snacks on one side.
After the tour, Jang Deokcheol beamed like awaiting praise.
"Great job. Exactly what I wanted. Now just hire staff?"
"Staff would be good, but... you haven't said what investments to pursue. We need to hire accordingly."
"Right, forgot to mention. You kept watching YouTube like I said?"
Jang Deokcheol nodded.
"Yes, plenty of fun stuff. But can it really be a business?"
"Yeah, people don't know it yet."
Kangyul hopped into the chair.
So plush and comfy.
He wiggled a bit, then cleared his throat under Jang Deokcheol's stare.
"Ahem. Our first venture is a Multi-Channel Network—or MCN. In short, we help solo creators with video production, distribution, monetization, and split ad revenue."
"Multi-level marketing?"
"No, Multi-Channel Network. Think of it as a management agency producing YouTubers."
Jang Deokcheol still tilted his head at the explanation.
"YouTube will dominate video platforms soon. In just three years, conglomerates will swarm in. We'll monopolize it first."
Kangyul's face brimmed with confidence.
That came from a decade of YouTube know-how from his past life.