Chapter 6: The Coin Appraiser
"Whewww—"
"What's a young guy sighing like that for?"
"Haaaaah—"
"Ah, what's wrong with you? Is it the coin thing again?"
"How did you know?"
"Wouldn't I know you by now?"
Youngsoo swept a hand back through his hair and laughed. It was a bitter laugh, and it hurt to see.
"Is that offer to lend me money still on the table?"
"It's on the table. But if it's for coins, the deal's off."
"Aw, come on, just lend me ten million won. This time it's a sure thing. I just need the seed money."
"Seed money?"
"They won't give me any more loans."
"They cut off your loans?"
Youngsoo nodded silently.
"I maxed myself out all the way down to the second-tier lenders. Scraped together every last won, soul included."
For a moment, my blood ran hot in reverse, surging up from the depths.
"You absolute lunatic!"
Crunch. The canned coffee in my hand crumpled.
"See? That's exactly why you should lend it to me. This time it's certain."
"Youngsoo."
"Yeah?"
"Do you know what your eyes look like right now?"
"What do they look like?"
I slowly put a cigarette between my lips. Without lighting it, I pressed it hard against my teeth as I spoke.
"Exactly like they did when my divorce broke me. When I was falling apart."
Youngsoo's eyebrows trembled, just barely.
"You're in no state to be making investments."
"I'm telling you, it's a sure thing."
"I don't care if I never get the money back when I lend you some."
I paused for a beat. Then the next words settled in heavier.
"But this? This is different. Get a grip."
A heavy silence pressed down between us. Youngsoo looked away.
I'd never imagined that my friend—the one who was always so cheerful—could collapse like this in a single moment.
Should I help him? No. Not now.
Tucking the cigarette back into my pocket, I turned my head away.
Ability: Coin Appraiser
Effect: Instantly determines whether the selected cryptocurrency project is a scam.
Grade: ★★★☆☆
Caution: Consumable ability. (5/5 uses remaining)
Coin... Appraiser?
My new ability was related to coins. Something I'd never even touched before.
Being consumable was a strange trait too. And 5/5 meant I could use it five times, I supposed.
I reread the ability window.
"Instantly determines whether the selected cryptocurrency is a scam."
What on earth was I supposed to do with this?
And then, as I was mulling it over—
Ah!!!
My thoughts flew straight to Youngsoo.
Back at my desk, I opened the office messenger.
Six o'clock in the evening. I headed straight for the cafe the moment work ended.
Youngsoo was already there, his face drawn and haggard.
"And you're yelling at me when you're going to lend me the money anyway?"
He said it with that sly grin of his. It made me want to smack him once, just for the principle of it.
"What kind of nonsense is that? Let's just order coffee."
The moment the coffee arrived, I cut to the chase.
"That thing. How does it work?"
"What thing?"
"Coins."
"No."
Youngsoo waved his hands frantically.
"I can't drag you into the abyss of evil too. I'm the only one who gets to crawl out of it!"
"You've got more bullshit than the year has days."
I pulled out my phone.
"Hey. Show me."
"Showing you won't help. This is... intuition. It's all about the feel of it."
"Show me. Now."
"........"
Faced with my flat refusal to budge, Youngsoo sighed and finally handed over his phone.
The exchange app filled the screen with row after row of chaotic logos I'd never seen before.
"This is what coins look like."
"No Bitcoin or Ethereum?"
"Those are already washed up. Boring. These are the unlisted ones. When one of these promising gems gets listed on a major exchange—that's when you hit the jackpot!"
I stared at him for a moment, then muttered to myself.
Wow... this guy's even worse off than I thought.
He was smiling on the outside, but something was churning beneath the surface. I had to use this ability. Right now.
"Which one is your 'promising gem'?"
"You're really buying? Buy me dinner if it pays off."
"Haa, stop talking nonsense. What are you buying?"
"Inius Coin. Word is they're partnering with Amazon. If it's true, this becomes the second Ethereum."
Youngsoo's eyes gleamed. His fingertips trembled ever so slightly.
He's lost it...
I couldn't bring myself to curse at that earnest face, so I just glared at him.
"Fine. Fine. Sit tight and drink your coffee."
Youngsoo clamped his straw between his teeth and slowly sipped his drink. In that moment, I murmured quietly.
"Coin Appraiser."
Ability: Coin Appraiser
Target: INIUS
Analyzing...
0% ■■■■■■■■■■■ 100%
A moment later, the screen flashed.
Strange symbols floated up into the air before bleeding into crimson.
[Verdict: SCAM]
[Issuing Entity: Unverified]
[Whitepaper Reliability: 0.3%]
[Related News: Numerous fabricated partnership articles]
[Estimated Delisting Date: 3–4 days from now]
"Son of a... bitch."
The single line of text on the screen burned itself into my eyes.
Scam.
One word, and the blood in my entire body ran cold.
Youngsoo, knowing nothing, was still smiling.
"What's wrong? Even you can see it, right? It's such a sure thing you could curse at how good it is. I'm telling you, this one's going to explode!"
I felt my fingertips stiffening.
"Youngsoo."
"Yeah?"
"Don't buy that coin."
"What? Why?"
"It just... smells like a scam. A company like Amazon partnering with some brand-new coin? It doesn't make sense."
"Ha, just read the articles. This time is different."
"........"
His eyes had gone somewhere else entirely. Like a zealot swallowed whole by a cult.
The ability window still lingered before my eyes.
[Remaining uses: 4/5]
I took a slow sip of coffee. It was bitter.
Then I made him an offer.
"Then let's do this. If it hasn't been delisted by the end of this week, I'll lend you the money. But if it does get delisted, you quit this kind of investing for good. Because this isn't investing—it's speculation. No... it's gambling!"