Over 100 billion won lay dormant there.
Jae-hoon hyung, who worked the same part-time gig as me, shoved his phone in my face, showing off pics from a camgirl stream.
"Whoa... She's fucking gorgeous, isn't she?"
"...Yeah, she's pretty."
Whenever I saw pics like that, only one thought crossed my mind.
I want to date a girl that hot.
It was damn near impossible. Why would someone raking in hundreds of millions a day bother with a broke nobody like me?
Ha. I'd come to Seoul dead set on making it big, but less than a year in, that fire was already flickering out.
How the hell am I supposed to save up and succeed like this?
Even halfway decent places in Seoul started at over a billion won, and with my part-time hustle, buying my own home felt like a pipe dream. Sighs just slipped out on their own.
Owning a place wasn't even success—it was just the bare minimum to call yourself a Seoulite. Days like these really drove home how out of reach that dream was.
"Man, if I could just sleep with a girl like that once, I'd die happy."
"Hyung..."
"Why play coy now? Ji-hyun's probably our best shot, at least."
"...Ji-hyun? With us?"
"...Just wishful thinking. But hey, as fellow part-timers, we're closer than most, right?"
"Fellow part-timers...?"
"Ugh... this shit kills the self-esteem. Fine. Giving up. Total give-up."
Not all part-timers were created equal.
So what, celebrities are people too? Same as us?
Ji-hyun had the looks to cam without anyone batting an eye. No way she'd go for us just because we shared a crappy job.
The boss himself was pulling out all the stops to win her over. What chance did we have against that?
She is pretty, though.
Still, I couldn't blame hyung for thinking that way.
Hell, I'd fantasized about dating her a time or two myself.
"Hey! Quit yapping and work! You here to earn money or screw around?!"
"Sorry!"
We'd been so wrapped up in our chat, we hadn't even noticed the boss coming up behind us.
Now he'd use this as an excuse to nag us all shift.
It was one of his ploys to impress Ji-hyun.
A way to show he wasn't some lowly part-timer like us.
Before I knew it, the shift wrapped up amid the hustle.
"Ji-hyun, wanna grab drinks with us?"
"Got plans tonight."
"I'll give you a ride home, then."
"My friend's picking me up..."
The guy's persistent, gotta give him that. He'd just bragged about his new Genesis the other day—clearly itching to show it off.
A bit later.
A Benz pulled up in front of the shop.
"Oh, there she is. Catch you later."
"..."
The three guys left behind watched their self-esteem take another hit.
Why does Seoul have so many rich bastards?
And damn...
Handsome, too.
He looked about my age, and sharp as hell.
Total defeat.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Finally made it home.
"Back already?"
"Just got in. Aunt, I should have the deposit saved up soon."
She wasn't blood-related.
When I told my folks in Gwangju I was heading to Seoul to chase my dreams, they insisted on finding me a place to crash.
I hadn't saved much, so a dingy semi-basement was all I could swing. Mom reached out to a close friend of hers—her "little sis"—asking if I could stay a while.
That was this woman right here, who'd taken on what was supposed to be a short-term favor.
Though it had dragged on for months now.
"No rush, take your time. Having a man around the house feels so reassuring, you have no idea."
"Haha... thanks."
"I'm serious, kid. Plus, when my girls come home late, you heading out to meet them? Means the world."
"I'll take it easy, then, give myself some breathing room."
"That's right. I told your mom not to worry, but if you rush off too fast, what am I supposed to do?"
It felt genuine, not just polite chit-chat.
Truth be told, I'd love to stay here forever if I could.
Auntie had the looks to be an actress, and her two daughters had inherited those genes—idol-level beauties, no exaggeration.
She'd divorced young, so I was the sole guy in the house, and yeah, I liked that part.
Still, I had to leave. Living around women this stunning meant I was always on eggshells, forcing awkward vibes that didn't suit me.
I couldn't just kick back during downtime, blasting games and chuckling at camgirl streams. Had to fake "self-improvement" while sneaking peeks on my phone, paranoid it'd look bad.
Plus, Si-hyun—Auntie's youngest—sometimes used the computer, so I couldn't leave a trace.
Bottom line: I was dressed like a clown, living a stiff, uncomfortable life.
Said my goodnights to Auntie and headed to my room.
Lying on the bed, I replayed the day's events.
That guy my age, rolling up in a Benz to scoop Ji-hyun. The image wouldn't leave my head.
Could I ever pull that off, no matter how hard I tried my whole life?
At this rate, I'd be in my thirties before I could even drive.
And it sure as hell wouldn't be a Benz.
My dream of striking it rich felt shakier by the day. Even if I made it—big if—it wouldn't be while I was young.
Success in old age? Good luck landing a hot girl then.
"Ha."
One of my big motivations for success—marrying a beauty—was slipping further into impossibility with every passing day.
Tsk.
Screw it. Since real girls were off-limits, time for some camgirl vicarious thrills.
Where else could a guy like me chat up stunners like that and watch them dance?
Hell, sometimes it even scratched that itch.
Regular-looking dudes like me striking it big on streams, boozing with hotties who hung off them...
"Jealous..."
Made me green with envy. Those guys probably never worried about money.
Gaming, drinking, dating—and getting paid for it.
Sometimes tens of millions a day.
No way that didn't stir up jealousy.
Lost in that mix of secondhand satisfaction and bitterness.
My phone rang—Mom, after ages.
"Hey, Mom."
-How you holding up?
"Just grinding away."
-Good, good. Hey, I was cleaning your room and found this old USB. Looks ancient. Trash it?
"USB? Don't remember having one. Big sis or little sis's maybe?"
-Asked 'em, not theirs. Toss it?
"Yeah, toss—wait, hold up!"
I'd been about to say chuck it without a second thought. But a flash of old memories hit me, and I bolted upright, stopping her cold.
Now I remembered.
That USB.
Back in school, after my last in-game cashout from part-time gigs and dipping into Mom and Dad's wallet a bit, I'd taken payment in Bitcoin.
Couldn't receive millions in the bank as a minor anyway.
Even if I could, parents would've caught on.
So I'd taken it in Bitcoin...
Get a grip.
Didn't know jack about it then—planned to cash out once I was legal.
Hid it away, but when I went looking later... gone. Swallowed my tears and let it go.
Then late 2017 into 2018, Bitcoin started popping up in the news.
Something about prices skyrocketing...
Early buyers making bank, multiples on their investment.
That item I'd sold? Worth about 5 mil back then...
N-No way...
Tens of millions now?
"W-Wait. That's mine, I think. I'll swing by tomorrow."
-Okay, must be important. I'll hold onto it.
Decided to head home first thing tomorrow.
Please...
My palms were sweating.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Next day.
"Mom! Where's the USB?"
"Here. Long time no see—greet me first..."
"S-Sorry, emergency. Been a while. Dad?"
"At work. Ha-eun's out with friends."
"R-Right."
Grabbed the USB from Mom.
Matched the faint memory perfectly.
Hands shaking.
On the way back.
Looked up that Bitcoin from around 2011.
"Multiples," they'd said.
No clue they meant folks who'd bought just two years ago.
Compared to 2011? Tens of thousands times higher...
Back home, jammed the trembling USB into the computer.
Old files, game cleanup stuff too.
Breath caught; hands shook violently.
Rushed to recover the file.
4,231 BTC.
Whoa... inhale...
Checked the price.
25 million won.
"..."
Over 100 billion won lay dormant there.
Breath stopped.
For a second, I seriously wondered if I was dreaming.
Pinched my cheek.
Ow.
Undeniable reality.