Chapter 61
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: Bitcoin Jackpot in the North
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<Deputy Director of the North Korean Central Reconnaissance Bureau>
Was he just a little over twenty?
Kim Hyukcheol, with his youthful, round face, peered into the Bitcoin forum with burning eyes.
Suddenly spotting something, he jolted in surprise and hammered at the keyboard.
'Finally!!'
Tat-tat-tak—
[Investment God Kangyul: Sold everything. I recommend you all start cashing out too ^^]
[Contrarian Boy: Phew. Been waiting for this. Cashing out now!]
The moment he posted the comment, Kim Hyukcheol jumped up from his seat.
"Sell it all!"
"...Everything, sir?"
"Yes. Everything!"
A row of computer desks stretched out before the large desk where Kim Hyukcheol had been sitting.
And seated at them were soldiers in brown uniforms.
North Korean soldiers, no less.
Tadadak!
"Sold!"
"I've fully cashed out too!"
Nearly ten soldiers immediately liquidated all their Bitcoin at Kim Hyukcheol's command.
Each held anywhere from 5,000 down to 1,000—not insignificant amounts.
"So?! How much total?!"
"Calculating right now!"
Kim Hyukcheol anxiously watched his subordinate's face.
Transferring the balances from ten computers to Swiss bank accounts took considerable time.
"Why is this taking so damn long!"
"I-it's done now! Gasp!"
His subordinate's eyes bulged as he checked the Swiss bank balance.
"What the hell?! Let me see!"
Kim Hyukcheol shoved him aside and peered at the monitor.
[$: 56,614,530]
"56 million dollars?!"
In Korean won, that exceeded 67 billion.
A 13-fold return on their 5 billion investment.
"...D-Deputy Director Comrade! Incredible!"
Every soldier in the room burst into applause for Kim Hyukcheol.
It was genuine, not feigned.
Kim Hyukcheol felt his eyes well up unexpectedly as he silently thanked Kangyul.
Kim Hyukcheol's father was Kim Sangho, Director of the General Political Bureau.
He had risen from humble origins to unparalleled heights in North Korea.
But then came the greatest trial of his life.
"What? F-Father's been arrested?!"
He had been implicated in a recent Pyongyang sedition plot.
Kim Hyukcheol knew well his father harbored deep grudges against Kim Jong-il's third son.
He recalled how, when alone with Hyukcheol, he would urge him to flee North Korea if the chance arose.
'Damn it! What now?'
Sedition charges meant his father's life was as good as gone.
Kim Hyukcheol considered fleeing but decided against it.
'Abandoning family isn't the act of a man.'
Soon enough, he too was sent back to Pyongyang.
There, he met his father in a wretched state.
Stripped of all positions and demoted to a provincial cadre, but at least alive.
"I'm sorry, Hyukcheol."
"No, Father. Just being alive is enough to be grateful for."
Kim Hyukcheol embraced his father and family, tears streaming down.
But the Party wouldn't leave even him alone.
They were desperate to topple him from his Deputy Director seat in the Central Reconnaissance Bureau.
'You filthy flies! I'll endure and crush every last one of you!'
In the midst of this, the Party allocated him 5 billion won.
North Korea was in dire straits for funds due to international sanctions.
They had thrust him forward as the solution.
"Double it within the year somehow! The Party's benevolence in forgetting your father's matter depends on it!"
The "year" left only one month.
"Director Comrade! That's impossible! Even selling drugs couldn't achieve it in that time! You know that!"
"Tch! Figure it out yourself!"
The Director coldly brushed him off and turned away.
A clear signal of abandonment.
Kim Hyukcheol staggered back to his office and downed a bottle of liquor.
Gulp, gulp!
'...It's over. Should I flee with the 5 billion?'
He couldn't abandon his broken father and family.
And as if anticipating that, he felt watchful eyes everywhere.
'I can't just die like this!'
Kim Hyukcheol slammed back strong liquor and booted up his computer.
He accessed a banned South Korean portal site.
'Might as well gamble it away—win or lose, let's roll the dice!'
In his half-mad state, browsing randomly, something caught his eye.
[Investment God Kangyul]: Hold till year-end, no matter what. It'll go up over 10x ^^
'10x? What the hell is this?'
Bitcoin was a total stranger to him.
└[Contrarian Boy]: Really? Putting everything in based on you, Kangyul-nim?
└[Investment God Kangyul]: Trust me. No regrets.
└[Contrarian Boy]: I believe! ㅠㅠ
From that moment, Kim Hyukcheol's faith in Kangyul began.
As if possessed, he bought Bitcoin exactly as instructed.
He mobilized his quick-handed subordinates, creating accounts and monitoring prices 24/7.
"...Deputy Director Comrade! Will this really make money? Better to sell drugs now...!"
"It's a scam! Total scam! We could lose everything!"
He ignored all dissent around him.
His sole belief was 'Investment God Kangyul.'
And that faith reaped massive rewards.
"...You did this in just one month?"
Kim Hyukcheol sat calmly, nodding at the Director.
Arrogant as it was, the Director said nothing.
This feat would surely earn him a promotion surpassing the Director.
Slurp—
Kim Hyukcheol leisurely sipped his instant coffee.
"South Korea stuff really is the best."
"...I-is that so."
The Director now bowed his head, adopting a subordinate's demeanor.
Kim Hyukcheol smirked at the sight.
Thanks to his massive foreign currency haul for the Party, Kim Hyukcheol not only received the Hero of the Republic medal but also ascended to Director of the Central Reconnaissance Bureau.
In these tough economic times, it was an extraordinary fast-track promotion as the sole success story.
The moment he took the Director's seat, he ordered an investigation into Kangyul.
Tracing the huge fund flows to South Korea made identifying him child's play.
"My benefactor. I want to invite him to the Republic somehow."
His offhand remark reached South Korean spies via subordinates.
And so began the full-scale hunt for Kangyul.
"Achoo!"
'Who's talking about me? Why am I sneezing like this?'
Kangyul was en route to the Mandarin Hotel for a rare family gathering.
The Seonjin Group owner family met quarterly without fail.
Ostensibly a family affair, it doubled as a performance showcase.
'Which made it pretty cutthroat too.'
The triplets had skipped these gatherings until now.
Im Myeonghan and Park Jeong-a hadn't seen the need to drag them along.
But this time, Kangyul was joining.
"We're here."
"Thank you, Driver."
The driver had stepped in for Jang Deokcheol.
Kangyul bowed slightly in thanks and stepped out.
It had been a while since the Midas workshop—the return to the Mandarin Hotel.
"Grandpa!"
Baek San-gang waited out front with his usual warm smile.
"Young Master Kangyul, you've arrived?"
"How've you been, Grandpa?"
"Haha. Same as always."
Im Myeonghan and Park Jeong-a followed, exchanging greetings with Baek San-gang.
'Do Mom and Dad know Grandpa Baek's true identity?'
As Kangyul eyed them curiously, Baek San-gang grinned and whispered in his ear.
"To Madam, I'm just the Mandarin Hotel's old owner. The Chairman knows a bit more, though."
'Tch. Then why burden me like this?'
Kangyul pouted but nodded.
They soon entered a private room at the Mandarin Hotel.
Gathered were all Seonjin Group members except Im Myeonghan's immediate family.
Among them, the familiar face of Im Myeonggi.
"Ah! Kangyul!"
Im Myeonggi spotted him and waved enthusiastically, like a puppy wagging its tail.
Kangyul chuckled and waved back.
"Don't embarrass me like that. Sit still!"
"...Urk!"
Myeonggi's mother forcibly pulled down his hand, making him behave.
Hostility flickered from Im Myeongho and a few others' gazes.
Seating split neatly by factions—Im Myeonghan's side versus Im Myeongho's.
'This feels exactly like a heated debate show.'
At the far end sat Grandpa Baek and Jang Deokcheol too.
Kangyul was glad to see Jang but settled for a subtle nod given the setting.
Jang Deokcheol bowed deeply in return.
"Alright, then. Shall we start with the quarterly performance review?"
Im Myeonghan's heavy voice echoed through the room, igniting fierce determination in everyone's eyes.