Chapter 12. The Number in My Bank Account
Morning.
The moment I opened my eyes, my head felt like it was about to split apart.
"Ugh..."
I stared at the ceiling with a grimace.
A familiar ceiling.
Home.
Relief washed over me.
My last memory from last night was sitting on a bench.
For a moment, I'd wondered if I'd simply passed out outside.
Thankfully, I'd somehow made it home.
I sat up and looked beside me.
My phone was plugged into the charger.
Who plugged that in?
As I thought about it, pieces of last night slowly returned.
Seungman.
Soju.
Karaoke.
Beer.
The bench.
After that...
Nothing.
"This is bad."
Right then, my bedroom door opened and my daughter stuck her head inside.
"You're awake?"
"Yeah."
She looked at me, clearly trying not to laugh.
"Dad."
"What?"
"You were really drunk yesterday."
I silently stared at her.
"Uncle Seungman carried you home."
The moment I heard that, I covered my face.
Damn it.
My daughter immediately continued, clearly enjoying herself.
"You were singing too."
"..."
"At the apartment entrance."
"..."
"Love always comes back to you."
"..."
"Mom even recorded it."
I lowered my hands.
"Delete it."
"No."
My daughter laughed and ran away.
"Haah..."
I let out a deep sigh.
When I entered the living room, my wife was sitting at the table drinking coffee.
The moment she saw me, she chuckled.
"You've become a celebrity."
"Stop talking about it."
"The security guard saw you too."
I rubbed my forehead.
My wife deliberately sang,
"Love always comes back to yooou~"
"Seriously, you didn't delete it?"
"No."
Then my wife laughed harder than I'd heard her laugh in a long time.
I scratched my head.
"I should cut back on drinking."
My wife put down her coffee and stared at me.
"You?"
"Yeah."
"I don't believe you."
I couldn't answer.
She had a point.
Around lunchtime, I was lying around at home looking at my phone when an unknown number called.
"Hello."
"Is this Mr. Kim Taesik?"
"Yes."
"I'm calling from the Cultural Heritage Appraisal Association."
The moment I heard that, I became completely alert.
The gold coin I'd brought back from Sinan.
They were calling about the appraisal results.
"Ah, yes."
"The appraisal is complete."
I immediately stood.
"How is it?"
There was a brief pause, as though the person on the other end was checking documents.
Then came the answer.
"Its value is higher than expected."
"How much..."
"If sold through auction, we estimate at least two to three hundred million won."
I couldn't speak.
Two hundred million.
Three hundred million.
For one gold coin.
"Seriously?"
"Yes."
"Just one?"
"Yes."
I stared blankly out the window.
The sky was clear.
Strangely, unbelievably clear.
Even after ending the call, I stood there for a long time.
Two to three hundred million won.
For one coin.
But there wasn't only one coin in the waters of Sinan.
"This is insane."
I genuinely meant it.
Then the familiar voice came from the lamp.
"That amount surprises you?"
"Hey."
"What?"
"Two hundred million isn't a lot?"
The Genie answered indifferently.
"Previous masters wished for entire kingdoms."
"I'd be happy just getting rid of my apartment mortgage."
The Genie fell silent for a moment.
"Humans are strange."
"You don't know housing prices."
"What are housing prices?"
"Forget it."
Explaining would be too annoying.
That afternoon, I sat in front of my computer again.
This time, I was serious.
If I properly sold only one gold coin, I'd have a huge amount of money.
Then I needed to think about how to receive it.
How to manage it.
How I would operate from now on.
Business registration.
Taxes.
Company.
Corporation.
The more I searched, the more complicated my head became.
"Ah, seriously..."
After about two hours, I finally gave up and picked up my phone.
I called Seungman.
"Hey."
"What?"
"Coffee."
"I'm broke."
"My treat."
Silence came from the other end.
"Huh?"
"Come out."
"Why are you saying that like a threat?"
An hour later, we met at a café.
The moment Seungman sat down, he started examining my face.
