An Investor Who Sees The Future

I told my mother about what happened yesterday.

Her eyes widened as she listened to the story.

“What exactly is this ‘Bant Coin’? Where is it issued?”

“It’s a cryptocurrency that’s issued only online.”

“So, is it like in-game money?”

“Well, it’s easier to understand it that way.”

Anyway, the 100,000 won worth of Bant Coin I got as a middle schooler has become 13.6 billion won. And my share of that is 1.24 billion won.

In terms of return, it’s more than 100,000 times the initial amount, but compared to what Taek-gyu earned, it’s only one-tenth.

The reason for the difference is that Taek-gyu’s character was high-level, while mine was just average.

If I had known this would happen, I might have put more effort into leveling up.

* * *

Now that I have money, the first thing to do was to find a place to live.

I couldn’t keep living in the semi-basement with poor ventilation. Not to mention it was small and messy, it was also unhealthy. That’s probably why my mother was coughing so often.

I tried to find the best house possible, but my mother opposed.

“You can’t just spend recklessly because you suddenly have a lot of money.”

Eventually, we visited a few real estate agencies and signed a lease for a 120 million won two-room villa. The building was old, but it had just been wallpapered and floored, so the interior was clean.

Moving day.

We didn’t have much stuff, so there was no need to call a moving company. One moving truck was enough. The move was completed quickly.

After moving all the stuff, the truck driver left, and I started unpacking with my mother.

“Do you like the new house?”

Mother smiled and replied.

“Of course. It has two rooms, gets plenty of sunlight, and it’s great.”

I could have bought a better house if I had spent more money…

But it was good to see her happy.

My mother, who was busily unpacking, suddenly paused. Inside a small box were frames, photo albums, and an old notebook.

With each move we made, the houses got smaller. As the space decreased, we had to throw away unused items.

Most of my father’s things were discarded this way.

The items in the box were those my mother couldn’t bear to throw away—the keepsakes of my father.

She carefully picked up a picture frame.

There was a photo from my elementary school days taken in the yard of our home. I was in the center, with my mother and father standing on either side, and behind us was a cozy two-story house.

My mother’s dream was to live in a detached house. To fulfill that dream, my father purchased land and built the house himself.

The house was finished before I was born, and I have lived there since birth. Most of our family’s memories are associated with that place.

My mother stared at the photo in silence for a while.

“Do you think about Dad sometimes?”

When I asked, my mother nodded with a bitter expression.

“Of course. He left after struggling so much. If he were still around, we could have enjoyed days like this together.”

I turned my gaze back to the photo. There was my father in his younger days. Seeing him after such a long time felt strangely awkward.

After a moment, my mother stood up and spoke cheerfully, almost deliberately.

“I should clean up once more. Jinhoo, why don’t you go to your room and tidy up a bit.”

“Okay.”

Without much stuff, tidying up was quick, and since the house was small, cleaning didn’t take long either.

Well, I guess that’s a plus?

Sitting in the living room and looking around, the house seemed quite spacious. But this was merely an illusion caused by the lack of belongings.

We needed to buy a washing machine, refrigerator, dining table, and bed—all brand new.

“Why don’t you take a break from work for a while?”

“How can I just stay home when I’m in good health?”

My mother wouldn’t listen to reason.

“Then, at least take a three-month break. Agreed?”

After much persuasion, my mother reluctantly nodded.

“All right, son. I’ll do that.”

Although we spent a lot of money getting the house, we still had 375 million won left in the bank (with about 100 million won to be paid in taxes). Additionally, Taek-gyu still owed us 740 million won.

How about a few decades without worries at this rate?

While I feel happy, there’s also a sense of emptiness. Is making money really this easy?

I handed my mother a bankbook with 100 million won.

“Use this money, Mom. Buy whatever you need.”

“I’m fine. I have some savings too.”

“But I’m not fine, so please take it.”

After finishing everything up and taking a break, Taek-gyu barged in with tissues and detergent.

“Here I am, Mother!”

My mom beamed.

“Oh, Taek-gyu, you’re here.”

Taek-gyu came over so often that my mom treated him like her own son. While I was in the military, Taek-gyu visited my mom during holidays and birthdays.

“Have you eaten?”

“Not yet. Moving day calls for jjajangmyeon. Let’s order it later.”

Taek-gyu looked around the house.

“Is there anything I can help with?”

I grumbled for no reason.

“If you wanted to help, you should’ve come earlier. Came just to eat jjajangmyeon?”

To be fair, there wasn’t much left to do even if he had come early.

I went into my room with Taek-gyu. Since I still lacked a desk and chair, we sat on the floor.

“Have some fruit.”

Mom left a plate of fruit and walked out of the room.

As I speared an apple slice with a fork, I said,

“I saw the news, Mountain Hill went bust, didn’t it?”

Taek-gyu nodded.

“It’s a huge mess because of that.”

Mountain Hill was the world’s largest BantCoin exchange.

It was estimated that the damage from the hacking amounted to anywhere between several hundred billion and one trillion won. In principle, Mountain Hill had to compensate users for the losses.

But how could an exchange afford such a massive payout?

In the end, Mountain Hill went bankrupt.

“So what happens to the users?”

“How did it end up? I just lost money, that’s all.”

If a similar incident had occurred at a bank, the government would have stepped in to devise measures, provide compensation, and punish those involved.

However, since there is no managing body for Bantcoin, there was no institution to devise measures or ways to receive compensation.

This was a fundamental problem inherent in cryptocurrencies like Bantcoin.

According to Taek-gyu, there had been several hacking incidents at exchanges before. They just hadn’t become big issues because the amounts involved were small compared to the overall trade volume.

But this time was different.

In terms of damage, this hacking was the largest incident in Bantcoin’s history.

Days had passed, but nothing had been revealed about who committed the crime.

There were just rampant rumors suggesting it was a hacker group affiliated with IS or the international hacker organization Anonymous.

Bantcoin, which was trading at about $1120 per 1BNT, fell below $1000 as soon as the news of Mountain Hill’s closure broke.

And within a day, it plummeted more than 20% again, dropping below $800 for 1BNT.

The Korean media even flooded articles worrying about the safety of cryptocurrencies.

-The Fate of Cryptocurrency Bantcoin?

-Bantcoin’s Problems Exposed by Mountain Hill Hacking

-Future Currency Bantcoin. At a Crossroads

-Bantcoin’s Credibility Back on the Chopping Block

-Growing Skepticism About Cryptocurrencies

Some financial experts fanned the flames, saying, “The value the public ascribed to Bantcoin has disappeared. Within a few months, Bantcoin will be treated like Monopoly money (board game currency).”

“It looks like it will be cut in half soon.”

For Taek-gyu, it was now someone else’s problem. He had sold everything off before it happened.

“No matter how I think about it, it doesn’t make sense.”

“Bankruptcy?”

“No. That you predicted it.”

“Just a coincidence.”

“Nothing happens by chance in this world. I think…”

Taek-gyu’s expression suddenly turned serious. Did he find out something?

I listened intently.

“Jin-hoo, you always had superpowers. They just awakened in a crisis situation. That’s how superheroes are born.”

“…Are you out of your mind?”

I must be an idiot for expecting something else.

But Taek-gyu remained serious.

“Think carefully. It’s definitely… Ah! I just had a great idea.”

“What is it?”

“How about calling that power ‘Oracle Eye’? Doesn’t that sound cool?”

“No, it doesn’t.”

While I shook my head firmly, Taek-gyu nodded to himself, seemingly satisfied.

“Oracle Eye is good. I’ll call it that from now on.”

“…Please don’t.”

Just then, Taek-gyu’s phone rang.

Ring!

“Who else calls you besides me?”

“Plenty. The hardworking delivery people and various spam callers.”

When Taek-gyu looked at his phone, he was surprised.

“Gasp!”

As he answered the phone, his face turned pale.

“When did you come to Korea? Huh? Now? I’m busy… No, it’s not that… Ah, okay… Yes!”

His expression was unusual as he ended the call.

Did something happen?

I asked Taek-gyu.

“Who was that?”

Taek-gyu said with a tearful expression.

“Our sister.”

“Sister Hyun-joo?”

Taek-gyu had a sister who was 10 years older than him. Her name was Oh Hyun-joo. Unlike Taek-gyu, who was clearly an otaku, Hyun-joo worked at an American IB firm called Golden Gate. The reason Taek-gyu was able to set up a corporation in the tax haven of Dela Island before selling BantCoins was thanks to the help of his sister Hyun-joo.

“But why do you look like that?”

“She’s back in Korea. She says we should come right away.”

Hyun-joo usually worked at the Asia branch office in Hong Kong. Because of this, she mostly stayed in Hong Kong and rarely came to Korea. Maybe because of the age difference, Taek-gyu had been afraid of his sister since he was young.

Taek-gyu grabbed my shoulder and said,

“You should come with me.”

“Why me?”

“She’s just my sister, but to you, she’s like a senior from the heavens.”

“Well… she is like that.”

Hyun-joo graduated from the Economics Department of Korea University. Although we were in different departments, she was my senior by 10 years.

“Hasn’t it been a long time since you saw my sister?”

Thinking about it, the last time we had a meal together was before I went to the military. I nodded.

“Alright. Let’s go together.”

Taek-gyu beamed at my words.

“Wise choice.”

I roughly put on a padded jacket and stood up.

“I’m just going out with Taek-gyu for a bit.”

“Mom, I’m heading out.”

Then, his mother asked,

“When will you be back? What about dinner?”

“It might be late, so please go ahead and eat first.”