Han Do-yoon, who had checked his bank account balance, couldn't take his eyes off the screen for a long time.
The number was too long.
He got confused counting the zeros halfway through and started over from the beginning.
"...Is this right?"
Again.
One, ten, hundred... thousand, ten thousand...
Past one hundred million won, then ten billion, and finally 100 billion won.
The hand holding his phone stopped.
"100 billion won...?"
For a moment, he thought the banking app had malfunctioned.
Even after refreshing it, the number remained unchanged.
Just in case, he tapped another account, then returned to this one.
It was the same.
A balance of 1 trillion won.
Just then, his phone buzzed.
It was his oldest brother, Han Do-hyun.
"Hello."
—Did you check?
"Hyung, some strange money came into my account."
—It's not strange money.
"It's 100 billion won."
—It's your share.
Do-yoon fell silent.
'My share?'
He had heard that their father was winding down the company.
But he had never imagined that such a vast sum would be handed over to him.
"Then... what about the company shares?"
—We get the company, and you get the cash.
It was a short answer.
Do-yoon had no interest in management.
He barely knew what a shareholders' meeting was, much less what the board of directors decided.
His brothers had always handled everything themselves,
and their father had never bothered to explain it to him.
Maybe that was why he had no particular complaints.
"...Oh. I see."
Wouldn't cash be more convenient, anyway?
He'd heard stocks went up and down,
but cash didn't do that.
With that simple thought, Do-yoon nodded.
A sigh came from the other end of the phone.
—Vacate the Cheongdam-dong house by the end of this week.
"What?"
—It's under the company's corporate name.
The corporate cards have all been suspended, too.
From now on, live on your own money.
You're twenty-seven. You're old enough to be independent.
Click.
That was the end of the call.
Do-yoon looked around the living room in silence for a long time.
Just then, his second older brother, Do-jun, called.
"Do-yoon."
"Yeah?"
"You're not planning to just leave the 100 billion won in your bank account, are you?"
"Why? Isn't it safe there?"
Do-jun gave a quiet snort of laughter.
"That money will stay exactly the same for the rest of your life if all you do is collect bank interest."
"Oh..."
"Money has to be put to work."
Do-yoon obediently nodded.
The truth was, he had no idea how to manage money.
He had never once had to worry about such things in his life.
He had had his father.
He had had his brothers.
He had simply lived as he was told.
"Want me to introduce you to someone?"
"Who?"
"A wealth-management expert."
"An expert?"
"He only works with high-net-worth individuals who have at least 100 billion won in assets."
Do-yoon's eyes widened slightly.
"There are people like that?"
"Of course."
Do-jun took out his phone and called someone.
"Yeah. Come over now."
It was a short call.
About ten minutes later,
a black S-Class slowly entered the underground parking garage.
The door opened,
and a man in a black suit stepped out.
He looked to be in his mid-thirties.
He wore an expensive watch,
and not a single strand of hair was out of place.
Even his stride was relaxed.
Do-jun smiled and said,
"Let me introduce you."
"This is CEO Kim Tae-sung."
"He manages my assets, too."
The man approached Do-yoon and naturally extended his hand.
"It's a pleasure to meet you."
"I'm Kim Tae-sung."
"It's an honor to manage your assets, young master."
Do-yoon reflexively took his hand.
It was warm.
His smile was gentle, too.
He looked like a good person.
"I look forward to working with you."
"I'll turn your 100 billion won into an even larger fortune."
Do-yoon beamed.
"Thank you."
After shaking Do-yoon's hand, Kim Tae-sung smiled naturally.
"It's nice to finally meet you in person. I've heard a great deal about you from Chairman Han."
Do-yoon's eyes went round.
"You know my father?"
"I've met him a few times. We discussed asset management. Of course, Chairman Han preferred investing directly, so we didn't work together for very long."
There was no exaggeration in his tone.
If anything, he sounded matter-of-fact.
That made him seem even more trustworthy.
Do-jun chimed in from beside them.
"Tae-sung manages my money, too. His returns have been pretty good."
"Oh, I see."
Do-yoon nodded.
If his brother trusted him enough to entrust him with his money, he must really be reliable.
Kim Tae-sung took a business card from his pocket and handed it over.
Black with silver lettering.
Kim Tae-sung, CEO of T&S Private Asset Management.
It wasn't flashy or tacky.
It had exactly the feel of a true professional.
"I'm not here to discuss a contract today."
"You're not?"
"You probably don't even have a sense of how much money 100 billion won really is."
Kim Tae-sung smiled as he spoke.
"May I ask what your biggest concern is right now?"
Do-yoon thought for a moment, then answered honestly.
"...A house."
"A house?"
"I have to vacate the Cheongdam-dong house by the end of this week..."
Kim Tae-sung looked briefly surprised.
"You haven't found a new place yet?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Studio apartments are so expensive."
Do-jun cleared his throat.
Kim Tae-sung pressed his lips together, as if trying not to laugh.
"How much were you looking at?"
"A 50-million-won security deposit and 2.4 million won in monthly rent."
"...Is that a burden?"
"It seemed a little expensive."
Kim Tae-sung stared at Do-yoon for a long moment.
Then he gave a quiet snort of laughter.
'He's really innocent.'
The thought came to him naturally.
A man with 100 billion won was worried about two million won in monthly rent.
He had never met anyone like him.
"All right."
Kim Tae-sung opened the car door.
"Let's eat first."
"Eat?"
"You can't think clearly when you're hungry."
Do-yoon nodded, feeling that he had a point.
"...Actually, I am a little hungry."
"I've reserved a good restaurant."
"Is it expensive?"
"My treat today."
Do-yoon's face brightened.
"Thank you."
Watching Do-yoon, Do-jun gave a quiet snort of laughter to himself.
'Really easy.'
The three of them got into the black sedan.
The car quietly left the underground parking garage.
Kim Tae-sung, seated behind the wheel, glanced at Do-yoon through the rearview mirror.
Do-yoon was too busy watching the scenery outside the window.
Like a child fascinated by a car he'd never seen before, he kept letting out little exclamations of wonder.
"It's really quiet."
"That's because it's well soundproofed."
"Nice..."
Kim Tae-sung gave a small smile.
'He'll be even easier than I thought.'
When they stopped at a red light, he covertly checked his phone.
A short message appeared on the lock screen.
[How's the mark?]
Kim Tae-sung moved his fingers.
[Much easier than I expected.]
A reply came soon after.
[How much can you get?]
He looked at Do-yoon once more through the rearview mirror.
A face that knew nothing about the world.
Eyes that didn't know how to doubt people.
The corners of Kim Tae-sung's mouth lifted ever so slightly.
Then he sent a short reply.
[Everything.]
After deleting the messages, he smiled as if nothing had happened.
"Young master."
"Yes?"
"You won't have to worry about money anymore."
Do-yoon smiled back.
"I look forward to working with you."
He still didn't know.
That today's meal
would be the first dinner at which his 100 billion won fortune began to crumble.