When I had just been promoted to Private First Class.
Our unit was conducting mortar firing training under the command of the division commander.
Boom! Boom!
With a thunderous noise, the shells were fired and landed at the target.
Sergeant Kim Jae-hak, who was the gunner, loaded the shell into the mortar tube with practised motions.
But at that moment.
Something like a hologram appeared in front of my eyes.
At first, I wondered what it was.
What is this?
Why is something like this appearing before my eyes?
KM188 was the name of a new mortar that had been recently supplied. And that mortar was right in front of me.
Even now, I don't know why, but…
I reflexively dropped to the ground and shouted.
"Get down!"
That split-second decision saved my life.
Boom!
An explosion resounded. Then screams and cries followed.
"Aaagh!"
"Aaagh! My leg!"
The shell did not fire and exploded inside. The barrel burst open, and Sergeant Kim Jae-hak was hit by shrapnel and fell.
One person lost their life, and another was seriously injured because of that accident.
I, who quickly dropped to the ground, was more or less okay except for not being able to hear well for a while. I wasn't hurt, but I stayed in the military hospital for a month.
I didn't tell my mother on purpose because I didn't want her to worry. But I told Taek-gyu, and he came to visit me in the military hospital right away.
* * * *
"Why didn't you say anything back then?"
"Would you have believed me if I had?"
"True."
Because of that incident, I suffered from tinnitus for a while, perhaps due to some damage to my eardrums. Later, when I came to my senses, I thought it might have been a misunderstanding.
(TL/n: Tinnitus mean 'hearing noise's)
So I forgot about it for a while.
"But then, while talking to you on the phone, it suddenly came to mind."
"The hologram?"
"Yes."
If I hadn't ducked when that 'thing' appeared before my eyes, I might have been seriously injured or even killed.
The reason I'm here safe and sound now is because of that.
"So when I saw 'Mountain Hill's bankruptcy,' I immediately told you to sell. I thought it could happen."
Taek-gyu still looked incredulous.
Even from my perspective, the story doesn't logically make sense. If I were in his shoes hearing this, I wouldn't have believed it either.
"Does this even make sense?"
"Whether it makes sense or not, we avoided losing everything, didn't we?"
If we had been a few hours late in selling, we would have lost all the Bantcoins.
Hmm? If you think about it that way, doesn't that make me a lifesaver?
"What kind of superpower is this?"
At first, I had similar thoughts too. I wondered if somehow, I had gained some sort of ability, if not superpowers.
But superpowers don't exist in reality.
"Maybe it's just intuition. Like when someone feels uneasy before a flight and decides not to board, only to find out the plane crashed."
"Hmm…"
Taek-gyu thought for a while and then asked me.
"But are you sure you can tell me this? This is something that shouldn't be revealed."
"Who would believe something like this anyway?"
When I told the doctor that I saw a message warning of an imminent explosion, he wasn't shocked at all. Instead, he said the shock might have caused memory confusion and prescribed medication.
If I had the ability to move objects without touching them, I would have hidden it thoroughly. Such things can be objectively verified.
Just to be sure, I asked people who were at the scene of the artillery incident if they saw the hologram. Of course, no one saw it.
In other words, this is a kind of cerebral delusion that only I can see.
And…
"There must be at least a million people out there claiming they have superpowers."
People with all sorts of unbelievable superpowers appear daily on TV or the internet.
In this situation, who would care if I yelled that I can see holograms in front of me?
Well, even if that's the case, there's no need to announce it.
"I told you because it's you. Don't tell anyone else."
He nodded with a serious expression.
"Got it. I'll keep my mouth shut."
Even though he talks a lot, he's good at keeping secrets.
I asked Taek-gyu.
"How much did you make?"
"See for yourself."
Taek-gyu opened his bank account on the computer and showed it to me.
[12,387,000]
This isn't a huge amount of money.
Anyone can earn this if they work hard for a year. But the story changes if the unit is in dollars instead of won.
"······."
Is it about 13.6 million dollars?
Unbelievable things happen in this world.
"Is this an American account?"
"Yeah. Have you ever heard of Dela Island?"
"What's that?"
"It's located in the eastern part of the Caribbean Sea."
Dela Island, a U.S. territory, has a population of just 20,000 and relies on sugar cane cultivation and tourism for its livelihood.
Most people have never heard of this place. But among wealthy entrepreneurs, everyone knows it.
The reason is not because of its natural environment that is worth visiting once in a lifetime······ but because it's a tax haven.
Taek-gyu scratched his head and said.
"After finding the encryption key and trying to sell it, I found out that this is entangled in complicated tax issues."
Cryptocurrency has been around for less than ten years. The concept is not yet solidified, and there are no unified international regulations.
If Bantcoin is classified as currency, then Taek-gyu simply makes a profit from exchange rate gains and doesn't need to pay tax. However, if it's classified as a commodity, it incurs income tax.
Domestic tax authorities have decided to classify Bantcoin as a commodity and plan to tax it. This could mean having to pay tens of billions in taxes.
Taek-gyu's sister, after hearing this story, suggested one method. That method is to establish a corporation in Dela Island.
By setting up a corporation in a tax haven and directing the profits there, they can avoid taxes.
"So, I created a company called OTK Company in Dela Island."
"Is OTK short for 'Otaku'?"
"······ It's short for Oh Taek-gyu."
Although it's called a company, it's essentially a paper company.
"Isn't that illegal?"
Taek-gyu shook his head in response to my question.
"Strictly speaking, it's not illegal. According to the law, anyone has the right to establish a corporation wherever they wish. Even global companies set up corporations in tax havens to avoid paying taxes. American companies like Apple, Google, Nike and Microsoft do the same if you look closely."
"······."
Isn't it at least a loophole, even if it's not illegal?
Well, if I could avoid tens of billions in taxes, I would do the same.
I looked at the account again. Even as I stared at it, the amount seemed unreal.
"This is incredible."
"Hehe, from now on, we can just relax and enjoy life."
But hasn't Taek-gyu already been relaxing and enjoying life quite diligently?
I crossed my arms and got lost in thought.
"Hmm."
"What's up?"
"Nothing, it just feels like I'm forgetting something important related to this. It's on the tip of my tongue."
Taek-gyu nodded quickly, looking surprised.
"Same here. I've had the feeling that something was missing for a few days now. What could it be?"
I mentally retraced my steps into the past. After thinking for a while, I finally remembered something we'd overlooked.
"Wait a minute! Didn't you also sell my character back then?"
Taek-gyu shouted in realization at my words.
"Oh, right! I remember now. I sold my character for 10,000 and yours for 1,000, didn't I?"
Back then, it was such a negligible amount that we didn't care much.
Then Bantcoin shot up to 50 million won, and when Taek-gyu lost the encryption key and couldn't access the money, we ended up grabbing each other by the collar in disputes over the money.
In the end, I managed to get meals for a whole month to settle things.
I quickly did the math in my head.
Out of 11,000 BNT, 1,000 BNT is my share, which is roughly 9.1%. 9.1% of 13.6 billion won is approximately 1.24 billion won.
I reached out my hand to Taek-gyu.
"Give me my money."
He stood there dazed for a moment, then stammered,
"I-I will."
One day after discharge.
Suddenly, I had 1.24 billion won.
* * * *
Morning broke.
I went to the bank and inserted my card into the ATM.
When I entered my PIN, my account balance was displayed.
[500,000,000]
"Alright!"
I pumped my fist in excitement.
I already knew the deposit had been made. But seeing it with my own eyes felt completely different. The magnitude of the billions didn't seem real.
How many zeros is that?
It was hard to wrap my head around it.
I had saved up to 3 million won from pocket money and tutoring, but I had never seen such a large sum before.
Originally, I was supposed to receive 1.24 billion won.
However, there's an issue with receiving this money. What Taek-gyu is giving me is a form of gift. It wouldn't be a problem if the money was in a tax haven, but as soon as it comes to Korea, I'll have to pay taxes on it.
At least up to 500 million won is taxed at 20%, but the rate goes up progressively as the amount increases.
To avoid taxes, I could set up a corporation in a tax haven like Taek-gyu, but I need money that I can use immediately in Korea.
So, I decided to take 500 million won first and look for other ways to handle the remaining 740 million won.
Surely, this couldn't just be a dream I had while in the army, right?
Somehow, it feels like the spinning top would just keep spinning.
I decided to withdraw 1 million won first.
Whirr!
The ATM quickly dispensed twenty 50,000-won bills. My balance decreased to 499,000,000 won.
"Ah…"
Seeing the money come out, I realized it's actually real.
I quickly stashed the 1 million won into my wallet, afraid someone might see it.
It feels like my life has changed overnight.
Stepping outside, the intense sunlight poured over my head. The world suddenly looked different. Even the cold of mid-winter felt warm.
Maybe it's not that my body was cold all this time, but my heart was cold?
I stopped and looked at my reflection in the building's glass. A stretched-out T-shirt, faded jeans, and a worn-out padded jacket.
I was still wearing the clothes I bought before going to the military.
If I put it nicely, it's a vintage or thrift-shop style…but no, no matter how nicely I say it, it just looks like a shabby style.
My outfit screamed poverty.
"I guess I should buy some clothes first."
At this time, my mother would be working at the department store, right?
I should buy some clothes and visit my mother, too.
I started walking towards the Lotte Department Store in Gangnam.
TL/n:
Otaku - (in Japan) a young person who is obsessed with computers or particular aspects of popular culture to the detriment of their social skills.
Dela Island doesn't exist.
A tax haven is any location with lenient or non-existent tax laws.
Some of the top tax haven islands are:
British Virgin Islands
Cayman Islands
Bermuda
The Netherlands
Switzerland.
Other tax haven islands include Dominica and the Bahamas.
Paper company means 'Any company that has no operations, but has a proper constitution, fully formed legal documents, little to zero assets and is registered'