I sat in that chair for what felt like dozens of minutes, double-checking everything.
It was undoubtedly reality.
Calming my trembling heart, I methodically searched for information.
I'd heard that lottery first prizes had nearly half taken out in taxes.
Nearly 100 billion won was shimmering right before my eyes, but I feared almost half of it would get sliced away by taxes.
What a stroke of luck.
Fortunately, there were still no taxes on crypto.
That meant over 100 billion won was all mine.
"Gotta hurry."
I was terrified. I'd made returns in the tens of thousands of times before, but knowing what the price had been back then, it felt like the money could vanish into thin air at any moment.
I scoured for the fastest way to cash out.
First, I logged into the exchange and registered my bank account.
I couldn't believe how lucky I was to have a Nonghyup account ready.
I decided to transfer every last bit of Bitcoin to the exchange's address.
My hands shook more than ever.
This was the moment that would prove whether these 100 billion won were truly mine.
I sent all the Bitcoin to the address, and about ten minutes passed.
In that time, every wild thought raced through my head. Had my Bitcoin disappeared? Had it been hacked en route? Had I sent it to the right address?
Finally.
There it was: 4,231 Bitcoin sitting in the exchange.
In won value, about 105 billion.
"…"
It still didn't feel real.
I decided to head up to Seoul and sort out my thoughts there.
"Mom, I'm heading out."
"Already?"
"Got something urgent."
"Alright. If life in Seoul gets too tough, come back down anytime."
"Got it."
Seoul life is tough, huh...
Just yesterday, if I'd heard that, I would've seriously considered packing up and coming home.
Life in Seoul really wasn't easy—I'd felt that every day.
But not anymore.
How could it be tough with 100 billion won in my pocket?
Seoul was my playground now.
Heart pounding with excitement, I rushed toward Seoul.
Just hold on a little longer, Mom.
I'll take care of you soon.
First things first: move the money to my account and craft a believable success story.
Announcing out of nowhere that I had 100 billion won would just invite disaster.
More than anything...
'I don't want any guilt trips.'
I didn't want my family thinking things like, "Why didn't he give us more?" with all that money on the line.
Even when I gave them money, I wanted them to feel only gratitude—no regrets.
To make that happen, I couldn't let them know about the 100 billion won.
Not even my family.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Back in Seoul, I checked the exchange right away.
It was still worth over 100 billion won.
Thank goodness I'd studied investing back when all I had was a dream of getting rich someday.
At least it helped me figure out how to cash this out properly.
Selling everything at market price in one go would've meant massive losses, so I planned to sell off 10 billion won's worth each day.
Luckily, Bitcoin's massive hype lately had pushed my exchange's daily volume to 2 trillion won—no problem absorbing my sells.
I kept up my part-time gig while steadily selling.
Midway through, the exchange called.
They wanted an explanation on where the Bitcoin came from and warned that financial regulators would be watching the funds.
No reason to lie. The file timestamps pointed straight to 2011—solid proof.
I acknowledged it and focused on selling.
A week and three days later...
"Whoa..."
The exchange now showed a rock-solid 105 billion won—not the fluctuating market value, but actual cash.
Bitcoin had risen midway, tempting me to hold longer, but I craved the confirmation of being a 100-billion-won rich man now more than ever. So I sold it all.
I'd asked the exchange to lift my limits ahead of time, and with all the proofs submitted, they cleared it without issue.
Otherwise, withdrawing would've taken years.
I pulled out the full 105 billion won in one shot.
Talk about a world turned upside down.
50 billion won—a lifetime's earnings for most—now felt like spare change.
I kept frantically refreshing the bank app, waiting for the deposit.
The money hit.
Before I could cheer...
My phone rang again.
These constant calls lately were getting annoying, but it was all part of securing the 100 billion, so I swallowed my irritation.
"Yes, hello?"
-Hello, sir. This is Lee Tae-hyun, manager at the Nonghyup Gwangju branch. We noticed a massive deposit in your account. For an amount this size, financial authorities might request records from the bank. If you have time, could you stop by the branch for verification? It's just procedure...
The reason was similar to the exchange's call.
The difference? This was the final step for withdrawal approval, so they wanted me to explain in person at the bank.
Made sense for that kind of money.
But trekking back to Gwangju? Way too much hassle.
I wanted nearby confirmation that it was mine, and fast.
"I'm staying in Seoul right now. Mind if I visit a branch around here instead?"
-Of course, sir. Name the branch, and I'll coordinate...
It wrapped up smoothly.
It was noon now. I had part-time tomorrow, so I'd hit the nearest branch today.
No real need for the job anymore, but...
Sticking around for the handover was the polite thing.
'Gotta say proper goodbye to Ji-hyun, too.'
I'd ignored her before, too busy for dating. Now, a farewell—and maybe snag her number.
Omakase was all the rage lately...
Maybe dinner at a top spot.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
I got to the bank before lunch rush ended and waited inside.
Business resumed, and I spoke to a staff member right away.
"What can I help you with?"
"Gwangju branch called—sold some Bitcoin and withdrew from the exchange..."
"Ah, the limits, right? We can't just raise them arbitrarily. It's policy..."
"Pardon? They said as long as I submitted docs and it checked out, it'd be fine."
"Oh? Hold on, let me check. The number from that call...?"
I gave her Lee Tae-hyun's number.
She called right there, explained my situation, then her eyes went wide with shock.
No wonder—I looked like your average guy in his twenties. Dropping 100 billion won out of nowhere? Shocking.
She hung up.
"S-sorry, sir. Must've been a miscommunication. You should speak with the branch manager..."
"Sure. How long?"
"I'll set it up right now."
"Thanks."
Being rich still hadn't fully sunk in.
But her reaction—the instant attitude shift—hit me like a ton of bricks.
I'm really loaded.
Moments later.
The branch manager approached, ushered me to his office, reviewed the docs, confirmed everything, and started pitching products.
"Nonghyup has excellent options tailored for young affluent clients..."
"No thanks."
Not interested, so I passed.
Right now, I just wanted to bask in being a 100-billion-won millionaire more than worry about investments.
In the end, he handed over a new card with maximum limits.
Now I could transfer tens of billions a day, no sweat. Even more.
I'd really made it.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Back home.
"Hehe."
Driving me nuts. I get what they mean by "happy just looking."
Staring at the account balance made me feel like I owned the whole world.
With this? Forget Benz. I could cruise in a Rolls-Royce with change to spare.
"Sudden rich" wasn't a thing much anymore. Even lotto grand prizes couldn't snag a decent Seoul pad.
I could buy any house in Seoul now.
Even the priciest luxury apartments, no sweat.
"Ahem. Aunt did say she needs a reliable guy around..."
This money could've bought me a prime Seoul residence to move out tomorrow, but with her words in mind, I'd stick around a bit longer.
I could let slip that I'd succeeded somewhat.
But not that I was a 100-billion-won whale.
The second that got out, money-hungry hyenas would swarm.
Relatives wouldn't hold back.
Even family...
Humans being humans, there's a world of difference between accepting hard-earned success and a freak 100-billion-won windfall.
If I'd succeeded through investing or business, handing out pocket money would earn pure thanks.
But sudden overnight billionaire? Even a million-won allowance would feel cheap.
Hell, if a family member hit lotto and tossed me a million, I'd feel shortchanged over grateful.
"Gotta play this smart."
Sudden rich or not.
I wouldn't let this windfall bigger than my station wreck my life, like they say.
Spend smart, live it up, chase pretty girls.
"Hehe."
Laughter bubbled out before I knew it.