Chapter 3

When did it all start? When did she start having an affair with Sung Jae-min?

During the divorce proceedings, she claimed it was just a one-time mistake and that she had no relationship with Sung Jae-min. But Jung Woo wasn't a fool. Did he really not know? A single mouse seen meant there were hundreds more lurking in the unseen corners. The fact that she was openly showing affection at home meant that her infidelity with An Ye-seul had been ongoing for a very long time.

Of course, he didn't know exactly how many lovers his ex-wife had.

"Could she be seeing someone else, not Sung Jae-min?"

He inadvertently thought about An Ye-seul with another man. It was revolting, but perhaps he had become desensitized. His heart was surprisingly calm, and he didn't feel anything.

After all, they were just acquaintances. Though they were still legally married, their hearts were far apart, making them less than strangers. Having seen everything there was to see, he wasn't particularly heartbroken when he saw her whispering sweet nothings to another man.

Instead, he saw it as an opportunity.

"With no one to interfere, I can finally make my move."

With her not at home, he could act freely. Jung Woo immediately put his plan into action.

First, he opened the banking app to check his balance. Since his salary account was set to automatically transfer to his wife, it was naturally at 0 won. Checking his living expenses, funeral and wedding funds, and emergency savings, he found only 2 million won left.

Worse, the 300 million won in rent loan was in the negative.

"Damn woman."

Leaving the fish with the cat, how could the household not be in ruins?

Blaming his own lack of judgment, Jung Woo tried to suppress his anger.

'The account I entrusted to her is probably almost empty... I'll have to give up the house.'

The lease contract still had time left, so as the tenant, he would have to pay the penalty, but it would be more profitable to liquidate the house and invest in coins as soon as possible.

He would have to return the rent loan to the bank, but the total rent for this house was 500 million won. Even after deducting the 300 million won rent loan, the 200 million won his father had added would be available. Selling the house would immediately yield 200 million won in cash. With a personal loan, he could create a substantial sum.

Once he made his decision, he called the landlord.

"Hello, sir."

- Yes, hello. Why are you calling suddenly...?

"I'll get straight to the point. I need to terminate the lease contract due to some circumstances."

- What?

Although the landlord was furious at the sudden notice, he agreed when Jung Woo offered to pay the penalty.

- I'll return the deposit when a new tenant moves in. I'd like to return it immediately, but I also have a loan...

"I understand. I'll contact the real estate agency."

Afterward, despite it being a holiday, he contacted the real estate agency to put the house on the market.

Now, all he had to do was wait for a new tenant.

But Jung Woo didn't rest.

'Is there any other way to get money?'

He coldly assessed his assets.

The leased house he was currently living in.

An old Grandeur he occasionally drove.

His credit, which could be used for a personal loan.

'Come to think of it, there was insurance too.'

He suddenly remembered the insurance his ex-wife had taken out. Her older sister was an insurance agent, and he had taken out various policies to help her.

He checked the insurance-related emails he had received.

'... Life insurance, whole life insurance, pension insurance, cancer insurance, daily life liability insurance... How many are there?'

He realized that the monthly insurance premium was almost 400,000 won. For a salaryman earning just 3 million won after tax, a 400,000 won premium was a significant burden.

'I need to cancel them.'

Even if the refund would be minimal, reducing his expenses was a priority. He boldly went to the insurance website and submitted cancellation requests. The process would take 2-3 days, so he just had to wait.

Wooh—

His smartphone rang. Thinking it was a text, he checked and found it was spam.

But Jung Woo's eyes widened when he saw the previous text message below the spam.

──────────

Dear Mr. Jung Woo!

Thank you for your contract with Unique Motors.

We are providing you with the details of your contract and the deposit account below. The vehicle you have contracted is subject to the exchange/refund system under the Motor Vehicle Management Act.

1. Contract Details

Vehicle Name: Audi A6

Detailed Specifications: ……

………

──────────

It was a text message about a car contract from a few days ago.

Seeing the text, Jung Woo remembered something he had forgotten.

'Right, the Audi.'

He had reluctantly agreed to buy an Audi for 70 million won, fully loaded, at his ex-wife's insistence as a wedding gift.

The credit he had taken out for the Audi had caused him a lot of trouble.

"… I need to cancel it immediately."

Since he had only paid a 100,000 won deposit, he had time to cancel the purchase.

He would contact the dealership as soon as the holiday was over, making it an easy task.

"… That saved me 70 million won."

He looked around for anything else he could sell.

The TV, refrigerator, air conditioner, and dishwasher—all new and clean, fitting for a newlywed home.

"… I'll sell everything."

Except for the refrigerator An Ye-seul had brought as a dowry, everything else was bought with his money, so selling them wouldn't be a problem.

Most importantly, if he sold the item reverently stored in the bedroom closet, he could make a substantial amount of money.

* * *

As soon as he listed the items on a second-hand market, inquiries flooded in. Selling nearly new items at half the market price was a natural draw.

'Originally, I planned to sell them at about 70% of the price...'

But with the price of Ethereum rising even in that short time, he had to list them quickly.

Buyers arrived at his house within hours with delivery trucks to pick up the items.

By selling all the items in the house, he made about 8 million won. Adding the 2 million won he already had, he had 10 million won.

But his current balance was a staggering 30 million won.

"… I didn't know that bag was so expensive."

The reason was the bag he had sold.

The luxury bag, reverently stored in the closet, was genuine and came in a high-end box with an authenticity certificate. After checking the brand online, Jung Woo was shocked.

"… Hermes?"

Even though he wasn't familiar with luxury brands, he had heard of Hermes. It was known as the pinnacle of luxury.

In other words, An Ye-seul's bag was worth over 10 million won.

"I knew she was artistic, but I didn't expect her to spend 15 million won on a bag without consulting me."

Since the bag was bought after their marriage, it was undoubtedly purchased with his salary.

Therefore, he felt no guilt in selling it and quickly listed the luxury bag.

He found a buyer on the second-hand market and completed the transaction in person.

He was lucky the luxury shop was closed during the holiday, as he might not have been able to sell it otherwise.

The bag sold for 20 million won.

He had bought it for 15 million won, but due to its rarity, he made a 5 million won profit. An unexpected gain.

Honestly, he could commend his ex-wife for this.

But it was just a coincidence, and it didn't compare to the harm she had done to him.

'Since you've profited from me, I'll take this 5 million won profit.'

Rationalizing it, Jung Woo immediately transferred the 30 million won to a domestic cryptocurrency exchange. Though he had experience with stock trading, he was inexperienced with cryptocurrency, so he was a bit nervous about making a mistake, but the process was surprisingly simple.

He checked the current price of Ethereum.

At the current exchange rate, Ethereum was about 8 dollars. According to the chart Bong-soo had shown him, it would rise to 1,400 dollars, which was exactly what he wanted.

'It was 9,000 won this morning, but it's already up 700 won, which is a bit disappointing.'

Disappointing, but it was too late to do anything about it. Still, knowing it would yield an incredible 18,000% return, he decided to buy all of it at 8 dollars.

Then he thought about 'leverage.'

'Wait, if cryptocurrency is like stocks, can I use leverage?'

Leverage in investing means using someone else's capital to amplify your returns.

For example, if you invest 1 million won, you could borrow another 1 million won to invest 2 million won.

In the stock market, leverage can be used through margin trading, credit, or options. Having some experience with stock trading, Jung Woo wondered if leverage was also available in the cryptocurrency market.

'I should check.'

Knowing the future where 8-dollar Ethereum would rise to 1,400 dollars, there was no reason not to use leverage. If possible, he wanted to use the maximum leverage.

'But I'll buy it first.'

Not knowing when the 8-dollar Ethereum would spike, Jung Woo bought all of it at market price and then started researching cryptocurrency leverage products.

Fortunately, he quickly found what he was looking for.

'A cryptocurrency futures exchange?'