Chapter 6

At Jung Woo's words, Ahn Ye-seul's eyes widened.

Her lips trembled involuntarily.

"How, how did you... No, wait. What are you talking about all of a sudden? Why is the department head's name coming up here?"

"There's no need to act. And I don't care how you found out."

"… Really, no. I don't know what kind of misunderstanding you have... "

"If you don't want to hear it and don't want to be embarrassed, let's get a divorce quietly. It's for everyone's good."

With those words, her husband stood up.

"See you at the court tomorrow morning. If you don't show up... I'll take it as a declaration of war."

"……"

Before Ahn Ye-seul could respond, Jung Woo left the café.

Left alone, she was confused.

"… How on earth…"

They say a long tail is easily caught, but she couldn't figure it out at all.

Her husband, who had been so oblivious, and she had been so careful about everything.

And yet, she got caught.

'… This isn't the time.'

Ahn Ye-seul hurriedly called someone.

The only person she could confide her secret to, her lover, Department Head Sung Jae-min.

-… You called again today after yesterday?

"Department Head… I'm getting a divorce."

-What? What are you talking about all of a sudden?

"… It seems my husband found out about our relationship."

-Really? You're not joking, right?

"I wish it was a dream. My husband wants a mutual divorce… Department Head, what should I do? What should I do…."

-……

For a moment, silence filled the line at the sound of Ahn Ye-seul's pitiful voice.

"… Department Head?"

-This isn't something I should get involved in.

"… What do you mean?"

-Don't drag me into your mess.

"Are you serious…!"

-Don't call me anymore. We were strangers before, and we'll be strangers from now on.

"… Department Head, Department Head!"

Despite Ahn Ye-seul's cries, the call was abruptly cut off.

She tried calling again, but it seemed to be blocked, and she couldn't reach Sung Jae-min.

Alone in the café, Ahn Ye-seul felt dazed.

She was about to become a divorcee overnight, and to make matters worse, her lover had abandoned her. It felt like a dream.

How did the great Ahn Ye-seul end up in such humiliation?

"… Bastards."

Thinking it was the worst day ever, she was about to leave the café weakly when—

Vroom—

A vibration came, and a message arrived on her smartphone messenger.

It was from the man who had approached her earlier.

A slight smile crept onto Ahn Ye-seul's lips as she began to type on her smartphone.

It's urgent.

He was openly trying to seduce her, pressing forward so eagerly that it was almost overwhelming.

But at that moment, she didn't feel repulsed by this man's advances.

She needed something to distract her.

After the conversation ended, she waited for the man while fixing her makeup.

Her hair, which had been touched at the shop, looked particularly good today. She felt a bit disappointed about going home like this.

As a girlfriend, as a wife, her appearance was something that could make her man proud.

‘You’re the ones who squandered this good fortune.’

Yes. Half the world is men. She could find another man.

She had to live well and find a great man to make them regret it.

By the time she had these thoughts, the unease and anxiety about the divorce had vanished.

Then a car stopped in front of her, and the passenger window rolled down.

"Ye-seul, over here!"

"Oh, you came so quickly."

"Haha, when you call, I have to come quickly. Get in."

She got into the man's car.

"Where are we going?"

"You said you wanted to drink. Do you have a place in mind? Somewhere with a good atmosphere."

"Oh, right. I'll take you to a place I know well."

"I'm looking forward to it. I really want to get drunk today."

Ahn Ye-seul's suggestive gaze made the man's Adam's apple move, and he pressed the accelerator nervously.

Their car soon left the café and sped away.

* * *

There was no contact from his wife until last night.

Jung Woo thought Ahn Ye-seul had chosen war. That was until he saw the text message on his way to work.

"… You could have contacted me sooner."

Stuck in traffic, Jung Woo smiled bitterly. If he had known, he would have taken a half-day off and left more leisurely.

'Still, she's not stupid.'

He wanted to get a quick and clean divorce due to the issue of property division. He didn't want to drag out the divorce and risk her trying to get a share of his future wealth, which could skyrocket.

Moreover, at this point, it was difficult to gather evidence of the affair. In his previous life, he had caught her in the act and reported it to the police, so no evidence was needed. But now, he had no concrete proof.

'I even considered a private investigator…'

If he used a private investigator, who could solve anything for money, catching her in the act would be easy.

But he didn't want to.

It felt like he would be getting dirty by trying to catch a pig in the mud.

Having gone through a divorce before, he knew a lot about it. After considering all aspects, he concluded that a mutual divorce was the best option.

Of course, this was based on the assumption that Ahn Ye-seul would agree, which fortunately she did.

Thus, the option of a divorce lawsuit and a hefty compensation for adultery was discarded.

Jung Woo called his company to take a half-day off, and his supervisor readily agreed.

He then drove to the court.

Parking in the court's lot and waiting at the entrance, he saw Ahn Ye-seul approaching from a distance.

She looked tired and was wearing the same clothes as yesterday.

He wondered if she had stayed out, but he wasn't curious since they were about to become strangers.

Jung Woo held out his smartphone to Ahn Ye-seul.

The screen was on, with a recording app running.

"Damn, you're even recording now?"

"Let's confirm this one last time. In exchange for not filing an adultery lawsuit or claiming compensation, you agree to waive any claim to property division once the divorce agreement is finalized, right?"

At this point, discussing property division was meaningless.

The right to claim property division is valid for two years after the divorce, so it only made sense to waive it after the divorce was officially finalized.

Jung Woo wanted to record this to prevent any future disputes, even if they agreed to a mutual divorce and property division.

Despite the unfavorable terms, Ahn Ye-seul agreed, perhaps thinking he was broke or worried about the compensation or the rumors of her affair.

"… I already said I'd write a statement. What more do you want?"

"Just confirming. I don't want any trouble later."

Jung Woo shrugged as he stopped the recording.

Ahn Ye-seul asked venomously, "Do you really not regret divorcing me?"

"Not at all. Why? Do you think you'll regret it?"

"… Who else would date a guy as boring as you? Don't you regret it?"

With a cold gaze, Ahn Ye-seul entered the court first.

I doubt it.

Swallowing her response, she followed behind.

The divorce registration process was surprisingly simple.

After applying for mutual divorce and submitting the prepared documents, they received instructions and that was it.

"If you have children to raise, there's a three-month reflection period, but since you don't, you can confirm your divorce intention after one month. Please visit the family court at that time."

"Got it. Thanks."

The ease of the process, like registering a change of address at a local office, made the divorce feel unreal.

But this was reality. They would become complete strangers in a month.

The silence was heavy as they walked out.

Disliking the awkward atmosphere before the divorce, he spoke first.

"Hey… It's already lunchtime. Even though it's over, do you want to have lunch?"

"… No. We're strangers now, so don't bother."

"You have to go to work anyway. Have lunch and ride with me. I'll take you…."

"No! I'll go on my own, so don't pretend to know me! A broke bastard like you offering lunch…!"

Annoyed, Ahn Ye-seul walked away.

Jung Woo smiled bitterly, having only received abuse for his last act of kindness.

"… I'm rich now."

If he told her that the coin worth $500 yesterday was now worth 200 million won, she wouldn't believe it.

Thinking of the coin, he habitually opened his smartphone to check the coin prices.

He didn't expect much from Ethereum, which had been stagnant since yesterday.

But when he checked the price, his eyes widened.

Ethereum's market price had surpassed $9, rising by $1.5 from the last check at $8.20!

Moreover, the upward trend showed no signs of stopping.

With each step he took out of the court,

……

……

Ethereum broke through resistance and started a mad sprint, setting new highs.

The signal for a fresh start after the divorce was refreshing.

* * *

As if the previous sideways movement was just a buildup, Bitcoin's surge showed no signs of stopping. In the rapidly changing coin market, the coin with the most notable rise was undoubtedly Ethereum, which Jung Woo had chosen.

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Ethereum's price surpassed $8 and entered the double digits at $11.

The roughly 40% increase meant a staggering 4,600% return for Jung Woo, who had used 100x leverage.

In just three days, he had achieved an incredible profit.

His balance had now reached $1.3 million, turning his initial $28,000 into about 1.5 billion won.

'… I didn't expect this much.'

He had used 100x leverage, but he never imagined such a massive profit. He thought it would take a month or two to make a million dollars.

'I underestimated it.'

The frenzy of the coin market.

Most importantly, he underestimated the power of 100x leverage.

If he held until the target price of $1,400, a simple calculation would yield a 1,800,000% return.

1,800,000%, or 18,000 times the initial investment.

Theoretically, if he held until $1,400 and sold everything, his wealth would reach about $500 million.

Even at an exchange rate of 1,000 won to the dollar, that would be about 5 trillion won, an insane amount.

"But the problem is that it's not just Ethereum."

The coin frenzy had only just begun.

In the second half of 2017, the real storm would start.

'When that happens, many altcoins will rise even higher than Ethereum.'

Diversifying his current Ethereum profits into altcoins would yield even more incredible returns.

He had only invested 30 million won.

What if he invested the 200 million won he would receive after the lease deposit, or took out a loan and invested more?

The $1.3 million he made today might feel like peanuts.

"… Should I quit my job?"

On the way from the court to the company, he felt a sense of doubt while driving.

What was the point of working hard for a monthly salary of 4 million won? With proper investment, he could earn enough to support three generations in a year.

"… Damn, I've become a gambler in just three days."

He suddenly remembered a documentary he had seen before.

All gamblers think this way at first. When they make a few hundred or a few thousand million won through gambling, they start to feel that the income is due to their own ability. They think they can make tens of millions of won in a day. In reality, it's not true.

So, they quit their jobs, thinking honest work is pathetic, and go all-in on gambling, living extravagantly and spending money recklessly, leading to a terrible end.

'Let's get a grip. This is just a stroke of luck from the regression.'

Jung Woo calmed himself and tried to analyze his current situation objectively.

Even with the future information from the regression, was it really the right time to quit his job?

'Someday, I'll have to, but not now.'

The 4 million won he earned now was not just 4 million won. It had the potential to become tens of billions, hundreds of billions, or even trillions of won in the future.

With the need to borrow money, his salary was very precious.

'Perhaps I could ask my parents for help.'

But he hadn't even mentioned the divorce yet. If they found out about the divorce and the loan, they would be worried.

'For now, I'll handle it myself.'

Until the coin boom ends and he liquidates all his coins, he would continue working.

His mind was clearer now.

His anxious heart calmed, and the scenery around him came into focus. The peacefulness of the quiet highway during lunchtime filled his lungs with fresh air.

"It's been a while. This feeling."

Driving while listening to K-pop from the radio, which would be outdated in the future, felt refreshing.

It had been a long time since he took this route to work. The company, Sung Innovation, where he worked, had gone bankrupt.

Sung Innovation, a specialist in lithium-ion battery automation equipment, supplied and maintained equipment for large companies. In simple terms, they supplied machinery to factories. However, the company went bankrupt when the CEO, who was not a representative, pursued solid-state battery development and was acquired by Daehan Chemical.

During this process, Jung Woo, who had little research achievements, was pressured to resign and naturally had no reason to visit his old company.

He never imagined he would return due to the bizarre reason of regression.

With a bittersweet feeling, he arrived late to work. Parking in the external lot and swiping his employee card at the entrance, he saw familiar faces gathered in front of the elevator.

His colleagues from the software development team, Team Leader Kang Sung-yeol and Researcher Ji Seo-hyun.

They seemed to be returning from lunch. Ji Seo-hyun, who was awkwardly standing in the elevator, greeted Jung Woo with a stiff, robotic nod.

"Hello, senior."

"… Seo-hyun, it's been a while."

The awkward greeting from his junior, whom he hadn't seen in a while, made him feel uneasy.

"Hey, Senior. It's been a year. How was your work?"

"Thanks to you, it went well. But, Team Leader Kang, has it really been a year since we last saw each other?"

"Um? A year? What are you talking about?"

"… I must have been mistaken."

Jung Woo realized that Team Leader Kang, who wore distinctive horn-rimmed glasses, had made a joke. Kang was referring to the year that had passed between 2016 and 2017, but Jung Woo, who hadn't seen him for years, didn't get the joke.

Scratching his head, Jung Woo looked at Kang, who seemed to realize his joke didn't land and looked disappointed.

"Was my joke too difficult?"

"No, it's not that. I didn't get much sleep last night, so I'm a bit out of it."

"Is that so? Senior, you're living too strictly. I noticed Ye-seul from the CS team didn't come to work today too."

Kang Sung-yeol chuckled.

It wasn't a secret that Jung Woo and Ahn Ye-seul had been a company couple and got married, so he could tease him.

If they knew he was about to get divorced, they would be shocked.

"Really, it's not like that. I just came from the court to file for divorce today."

"Divorce? It's all over your face! I'm so jealous! I used to be like you, showered with affection, but those days are gone!"

Honest as he was, Team Leader Kang Sung-yeol didn't seem to believe him, even after he mentioned the divorce.

"Ha, ha…"

"Team Leader, please be quiet. We need to be silent in the elevator."

"Ah? Oh… my mistake. Ahem."

Jung Woo shook his head at Ji Seo-hyun's reprimand of her superior.

'Oh, that fool.'