After the Divorce, I Found a Thousand Bitcoins - Chapter 7

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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I Got Divorced and Found a Thousand Bitcoins Episode 007

The next day.

Kang Hyeon met Jeong Sang-woo at the Seongsu-dong Building.

‘How does a person become such a wreck in just one week?’

Just one week.

Jeong Sang-woo, whom he met again, was not normal.

As if he hadn’t shaved for several days, his face was disheveled and his hair was greasy.

His bloodshot eyes made anyone who looked at him frown.

Though they were quite far apart, it seemed like his body was giving off an odor too.

‘It’s like wrapping a beggar in luxury goods.’

The luxury items he was wearing were the same, but they didn’t seem to suit him.

It was exactly like the saying about pearls before swine.

‘I used to see people with faces like this often when I worked at the company.’

Among traders, there were people who dealt with high-risk instruments like overseas futures and options.

The faces of those who had to make dangerous trades that could liquidate their positions if they went wrong looked exactly like that.

Especially during events like witching days or when incidents like COVID hit, it was similar to their devastated expressions.

“Ahem.”

Then Jeong Sang-woo cleared his throat to break the atmosphere.

When Kang Hyeon stopped thinking and looked at him, he opened his mouth.

“The building, if the price is right, I’ll transfer it.”

He had gotten straight to the point at their first meeting too, but the nature was different from now.

‘He’s definitely feeling rushed. There’s no reason for me to jump at it.’

Kang Hyeon leisurely took a sip of coffee and replied.

“Your voice sounds too urgent, so I did come out, but I’m currently in negotiations to purchase a building in Gyeonggi Province as well.”

“Are you saying it’s difficult?”

“I think I need to hear the price first before making a judgment.”

The momentum had completely shifted.

He was the one in a hurry, but Jeong Sang-woo didn’t want to hand over the building for a bargain price.

‘You’re in a hurry too anyway.’

Seeing that Kang Hyeon had come out despite the urgent appointment, he thought he too was full of desire for the building.

So he called out the price he had initially thought of.

“Let’s deal cleanly at 15 billion. At this price, I’m giving it to you cheaper than other buildings in the area. As you know, Seongsu here is incredibly hot, isn’t it? Global companies keep moving in, and with popup stores and everything, the foot traffic is enormous.”

He explained the merits of the Seongsu-dong neighborhood itself until his mouth went dry.

There was nothing wrong with what he said, but it couldn’t shake Kang Hyeon’s heart.

“There’s a big difference in the price we’re thinking of.”

At Kang Hyeon’s firm words, Jeong Sang-woo’s eyebrows twitched.

Without hiding his discomfort, he asked.

“Then what price do you want?”

“The price I want is 10 billion.”

“Does that make sense? That’s the price from two years ago. That’s the price I paid when I bought it. Even buildings smaller than this one were recently traded for 13 billion!”

Jeong Sang-woo’s heart became urgent.

It wasn’t difficult to catch that.

Because he had become more talkative compared to their first meeting.

Moreover.

‘The blue light has become deeper.’

The light that only Kang Hyeon’s eyes could see.

It was telling him about Jeong Sang-woo’s current state.

When he gathered various clues, Jeong Sang-woo was in a situation where he had to sell the building.

Whatever the reason, it worked favorably for Kang Hyeon himself.

It was a moment that required action.

“I understand. Since there’s a big gap between my position and President Jeong’s, let’s take some time to think about it.”

At the mention of taking time, Jeong Sang-woo’s face turned ashen.

It was certain now.

Time was now on his side, not Jeong Sang-woo’s.

Scrape!

“I’ll get up first. If you organize your thoughts, please contact me.”

Kang Hyeon stood up from his seat and turned around.

Step!

One step.

Step!

Two steps.

His footsteps headed toward the cafe entrance.

He didn’t turn around, but he could imagine Jeong Sang-woo’s expression.

He could picture the expression that would be crumpling in real time.

Jingle!

The moment he opened and pushed the door.

“12.5 billion!”

Jeong Sang-woo lowered his tail.

* * *

Jeong Sang-woo was seething with irritation.

“How about 10.5 billion?”

This young punk in front of him kept trying to bargain.

He wanted to kick back his chair and stand up right away.

But he couldn’t.

‘Damn it… If only I hadn’t played baccarat…’

3 billion died to baccarat.

It wasn’t like that from the beginning.

He deposited 10 million won and built it up to 450 million.

He should have gotten up there.

‘I just had to insist on reaching 500 million…’

Greed brought disaster.

From then on, everything went the opposite way, and eventually his positive balance became negative.

After he got properly heated up, he even lifted the betting restrictions and continued the game.

As a result, 3 billion disappeared within a week.

‘I didn’t know those bastards would send organization members to Korea right away.’

The problem was that the 3 billion wasn’t his money.

It was money he had borrowed from people the agent introduced him to.

In other words, it was private loans.

The interest was tremendous, but in a situation where his eyes had already rolled back, it was meaningless.

As a result, the interest on the 3 billion swelled to 1 billion.

This all happened within just a few days.

‘If I ignore them, I don’t know what those guys who came yesterday will do.’

At first, he thought of ignoring them.

But seeing the appearance of the men who came to his house, that thought disappeared.

That was the reason he decided to sell the building.

“12 billion! Nothing below this. You know this price is attractive enough, don’t you?”

Similar properties in the area had sold for around this price too.

He thought Kang Hyeon, who had turned around, would nod his head.

But.

“The offer I can make is 10.5 billion.”

At his unwavering words, Jeong Sang-woo had no choice but to back down.

“…Please match it at 11 billion.”

Kang Hyeon smiled at the sight of Jeong Sang-woo speaking with his head lowered.

* * *

The contract was decided.

However, they couldn’t sign the contract right there on the spot.

The two men moved to Hanbit Bank Gangnam Branch.

‘Hmm, since this is my first building purchase, I didn’t know contracts were done at the bank.’

This contract didn’t just involve the bank.

“Representative Choi, how are you?”

“Ah, Manager Jeong. I’m sorry for contacting you so suddenly.”

“Haha! Not at all! If it’s Representative Choi’s request, I can make same-day business trips anywhere!”

Manager Jeong Min-jun from Samil Accounting Firm also joined the battle.

Building purchases were that big of a deal.

“But suddenly buying a building. What kind of building are you purchasing?”

“I’m buying a 5-story building in Seongsu-dong.”

“Ooh… Seongsu-dong is a hot area these days.”

“The detailed information is here.”

Jeong Min-jun’s eyes widened as he looked over the documents Kang Hyeon handed him.

‘He bought this place at this price?’

Seongsu-dong real estate was still an area with high demand.

When demand is high, prices naturally go up.

In the central commercial district, properties exceeding 15 billion were often seen.

This place was a bit on the outskirts, but it held a value of 12 to 13 billion.

But the amount written on the documents was 11 billion.

‘How well did he negotiate?’

Jeong Min-jun was once again amazed by the abilities of the man named Choi Kang-hyeon.

Shortly after, once real estate agent Kim Mi-ju arrived, the full-scale contract proceeded.

Actually, there was almost nothing for the real estate agent to do at this meeting.

Once the accounting firm reviewed the documents and the bank processed the funds, it would be finished.

Legal consultation might be needed, but this contract was clean enough that it wasn’t necessary.

“There are no issues with the documents.”

When Jeong Min-jun finished all the reviews, Jeong Sang-woo picked up a pen.

“Shall we sign right away?”

“Let’s do that.”

Once Kang Hyeon’s permission was given, Jeong Sang-woo practically snatched the documents in front of the branch manager and signed them.

“Here it is.”

Kang Hyeon received the documents, proceeded to sign, and handed them to the branch manager.

“The contract is completed. From the amount transferred to escrow, the remaining amount excluding the outstanding loan principal will be transferred to customer Jeong Sang-woo’s account.”

The transaction was finished.

Jeong Sang-woo anxiously stared at his smartphone, then his expression soon relaxed.

It seemed the money had come in.

Kang Hyeon extended his hand to Jeong Sang-woo.

“Thank you for the transaction.”

“…Good work.”

Jeong Sang-woo, rude to the very end, stormed out of the office.

Kang Hyeon watched him with an indifferent expression.

Kim Mi-ju approached Kang Hyeon.

“Representative, congratulations on becoming a building owner.”

“Thanks to you, I was able to see good properties. Thank you.”

“Hoho, this time I barely did anything, right? May I contact you next time when good properties come up too?”

“Yes, please contact me when properties become available. And I’d also like to purchase an apartment…”

Before he could finish speaking, Kim Mi-ju’s eyes lit up as she responded.

“Oh my! I understand. I’ll select only A-grade! No, S-grade properties to show you!”

Building connections like this one by one was also important.

You never knew when it might benefit you.

After Kim Mi-ju exchanged brief greetings and left the room, Kang Hyeon was about to get up from his seat.

That’s when the branch manager approached.

“Representative Choi, were you satisfied with today’s transaction?”

“Thanks to you, I finished on a good note.”

“Haha, I’m glad to hear that. If you have time, I’d like to introduce you to our VIP services. How about it?”

Lim Hyeon-seong, the branch manager of Hanbit Bank Gangnam Branch, coveted the man before him.

‘To purchase a building of that caliber entirely with cash. I’d be called a fool if I let a customer like this slip away.’

At Lim Hyeon-seong’s words, Kang Hyeon thought for a moment, then looked at Jeong Min-jun and said.

“Manager Jeong, if you’re busy, you can go ahead first. I’ll chat with the branch manager for a bit before leaving.”

“Haha, not at all. Since we met after a long time, I should treat you to a meal. I’ll wait.”

Manager Jeong chose to wait until the end to assist Kang Hyeon.

‘I never received this kind of treatment before.’

Kang Hyeon thought that money was indeed good.

* * *

Kang Hyeon met with Kwangho after a long time.

“How have you been lately?”

“Busy… Insanely busy…”

Kwangho, whom he met after a long time, was exhausted from fatigue.

It was like seeing himself when he used to work at the company.

“That busy?”

“I decided to quit, so I have to do handovers, finish projects I can complete among those I’ve been working on. Work is really pouring down like a tsunami.”

“Well… that side is a system that barely runs without you.”

There were many types of quants.

Among them, Kwangho’s positioning was as a developer who was the core of building the systems that kept the company running.

Since Kwangho decided to quit, from the company’s perspective, it was like a bolt from the blue.

Thanks to that, he was overloaded and his face had become like that.

“So why did you want to meet today?”

“Ah, it’s nothing much, but our office has been decided.”

“Finally decided? Where?”

“Seongsu-dong. Here it is.”

He took out his smartphone and showed him photos.

“It’s a bit old? But if it’s Seongsu-dong, commuting won’t be bad. How much?”

“I purchased it for 11 billion.”

“Huh?”

“Yeah?”

“11 billion? Purchased? Don’t tell me you bought the building?”

“Yeah. That’s mine now.”

Kwangho looked at Kang Hyeon with a dumbfounded expression, then handed back the phone.

“This bastard talks about buying a building like he’s talking about buying a game item.”

“Haha, did I? Anyway, interior construction will start there. If there’s anything you want reflected, I’m meeting with an interior company next week, so let’s go together.”

“Oh, you’re reflecting my preferences too?”

“At least your office should be made according to your taste. That way you’ll work there for a long time, right?”

As they chatted about various things, time passed quickly.

Indeed, he felt most comfortable when with friends.

“But do you still do trading these days?”

“I’m still doing it. It’s the only thing I can do, you know.”

“How are you handling your trades? There probably aren’t any places providing research for you right now, are there?”

“I’m just doing it the hard way. Trading every day and recording everything, that kind of thing.”

“What times are we living in. You should just use your old skills to make a program.”

“It’s been over ten years since I did that. Would it even work properly?”

“That’s true. Then I’ll send you a program, so use that for now.”

Kang Hyeon’s eyes lit up at the mention of a program.

“Not the one your Company uses, right?”

“What’s there to get sued over? I’ve been making one for your company to use. It’s still a prototype, but it shouldn’t be bad for urgent use.”

“Oh, thanks.”

“If you’re grateful, buy me some meat.”

“Okay, Korean beef?”

“No, today I’m craving pork belly and soju.”

“True, with the rain drizzling like this, pork belly and soju is the best.”

There were things that didn’t change even with lots of money.

A glass of soju with a friend was one of those things.

* * *

The next day.

After waking up, Kang Hyeon finished his hangover cure and morning routine, then sat on the sofa and turned on his tablet PC.

Then he went into his email and checked the program Kwangho had sent him.

[Trading Assistant PROT-003]

Looking at the number at the end, it seemed to be the third version.

“That guy, he must be busy with company work too. But he’s working hard on our side as well.”

Thinking he should give Kwangho a generous salary, he ran the program.

Thanks to the intuitive UI, he could understand how to use it immediately.

“Wow… I just need to load my journal and that’s it.”

When he loaded his journal in the assistant program, after a brief moment, his journal appeared.

“Good visibility. To think this kind of program is just a prototype. His perfectionism is still the same.”

Thinking that, he clicked through the menus one by one.

That’s when he entered the stock recommendations.

“Huh?”

Dozens of stocks appeared one by one like files.

When he clicked on a stock, he could see explanations about that stock and recent analysis materials.

He thought these detailed parts were very much like Kwangho, but that wasn’t what was important.

“What is this…”

Light was connecting the stocks like a web.

It was as if it was saying all of these were connected.

“Black light…”

And that light was a black color he had never seen before in his life.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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