22 Years Old, Winter
My long military service had finally come to an end.
"Salute! Sergeant Kang Jin-hoo, discharged by order! Reporting as instructed!"
As I completed my discharge ceremony with the battalion commander, the reality of leaving the military finally hit me. The officers and my fellow soldiers accompanied me to the base gate to bid me farewell.
The logistics officer patted me on the shoulder and said,
"You've been through a lot. Stay healthy out there."
"…Yes, sir."
Healthy, my foot.
My once-healthy body was now riddled with issues thanks to this place.
***
I boarded a bus headed home.
While I was in the military, my family moved several times. Our current residence was a semi-basement studio in Heukseok-dong with a 5 million won deposit and a 400,000 won monthly rent.
Descending the stairs, I opened the door, and the damp, musty air hit me like a wall. I quickly opened a window to ventilate the room.
Who would live in a place like this? Turns out, that person was me.
Compared to this, maybe the barracks weren't so bad.
I set down my bag and took a look around. A small folding table sat in one corner of the kitchenette, covered with a dining cloth.
I lifted the cloth to check underneath.
There were covered dishes, five 10,000 won bills, and a cellphone. A note was resting on top.
"Out for work again, huh."
A few months ago, I'd heard through someone that my mother started working at the customer service center of a luxury department store in Gangnam. She probably couldn't take a day off just because her son was being discharged today.
Sitting on the floor, I ate the cold rice and lukewarm soup.
***
When I was a child...
My family used to live in a two-story detached house. On weekends, we'd take our sedan to go out for a nice meal.
We weren't incredibly wealthy, but we lived comfortably without envy.
My father was a company owner, running a small factory with around ten employees. He had built it from scratch with his bare hands.
He wanted me to inherit the business, so I entered Korea University to study business administration.
After graduation, I planned to help him grow the company further.
Things changed during my first year at university.
The major contractor suddenly canceled its supply deal, plunging the company into crisis. My father worked tirelessly with his employees to save the business.
But running a company is tough; it takes ages to grow, but it can collapse in an instant.
On the day the company officially declared bankruptcy, my father collapsed from a stroke.
When I saw scenes in dramas or movies of once-thriving families crumbling overnight, I always thought it was someone else's story.
I never imagined it would happen to us.
After the bankruptcy and my father's illness, the following months passed in a blur. One by one, we lost the house and car to foreclosure.
Despite multiple surgeries, my father never regained consciousness and eventually passed away in the hospital.
Struggling to make ends meet, there was no way we could afford my tuition.
In such situations, a young man in Korea has two options:
One is to go abroad for studies, and the other is to enlist in the military.
With no money and no preparation, studying abroad was out of the question. But the Korean military accepts anyone with a functioning body, no money or prep required.
So, I took a leave of absence from school and enlisted.
***
After finishing my meal, I washed the dishes and lay down on the floor.
The cold seeped up through the floor, piercing my back. Excluding the bathroom, kitchenette, and a few pieces of furniture, the open space in the room was less than 10 square meters.
Living here with my mother made my heart heavy.
Honestly, I felt more at ease back in the military. They fed and housed me and even gave me a meager salary every month.
But now that I was discharged, the future felt bleak.
At this age, I couldn't keep relying on my mom for allowance. I needed to make money.
I picked up my phone and called Min-young, a friend from university.
Beep. Beep. Click.
[Hello, who's this?]
"Min-young? It's Jin-hoo."
The voice on the other end instantly brightened.
[Hey! Long time no see! Are you on leave?]
"No, I got discharged today."
[Wow! Congratulations!]
I cut to the chase.
"Can you help me find a tutoring gig?"
Among part-time jobs for college students, tutoring offers the best hourly pay. The problem is, it's highly competitive, and without connections, it's hard to land a spot.
And even if I found a job, it wasn't going to be easy.
My brain had been completely wiped clean in the military; I'd forgotten everything I'd learned in school. Honestly, I needed tutoring myself.
Still, Korea University is the country's top school. Credentials matter more than teaching ability here.
If I could just secure a position, I'd figure the rest out.
[Hmm, it's a tough market these days.]
"Please ask around for me. I'd really appreciate it."
[Okay. Let's grab a drink soon to celebrate your discharge.]
"Sure."
After hanging up, I let out a deep sigh.
"Haah."
Until I found a tutoring job, maybe I'd have to settle for a convenience store or PC café part-time gig.
As I scrolled through my phone, I noticed dozens of missed calls—all from the same number.
It was Tae-kyu, a friend I'd first met in middle school. Since his parents worked long hours, he often hung out or stayed over at my house.
Why the heck did he call me so many times?
Ringing.
I dialed him back.
"Hey, Oh Tae-kyu."
As if he'd been waiting, he said,
[Finally! Did you get discharged?]
"How'd you get this number?"
[Your mom gave it to me.]
"Ah, I see."
But then, his tone turned serious.
[More importantly, there's a big problem.]
"…What?"
I could tell from his voice that something had happened. Something serious.
"What's going on?"
[Remember the BantCoin I got years ago?]
Back in middle school, Tae-kyu quit an MMORPG and sold off his character, gear, and gold.
At the time, online item trading sites had started cracking down, so some users switched to virtual currencies like BantCoin for transactions.
BantCoin, or BNT, was decentralized and unregulated. Transactions and issuance happened through a peer-to-peer network without any central authority.
Tae-kyu received 11,000 BNT, which was worth about 90 dollars back then—just over 100,000 won.
Fast forward to high school, and the value of BantCoin suddenly skyrocketed.
From 90 dollars for 10,000 BNT, it shot up to 500 dollars for just 100 BNT. Tae-kyu's holdings went from being worth 100,000 won to 50 million won overnight.
Thinking he'd struck gold, Tae-kyu tried to cash out. But there was a catch.
He had lost the private key to his BantCoin account.
It was like having money in the bank but forgetting your account number and PIN. Unlike banks, though, there was no way to recover a BantCoin account without the key.
'My 50 million won! My money!'
He cried for days, then gave up and moved on.
"So why are you bringing up BantCoin now? You used to flip out at even hearing the name."
[Just listen.]
"What?"
[I found the private key.]
"…What?"
As I stood there stunned, he explained.
While cleaning his figure display case, he found a USB stick that had fallen behind it. Curious, he plugged it into his computer—and there it was: the private key for his BantCoin account.
"Are you serious? You're not joking, right?"
[I swear it's real.]
If it was true, this was huge. he should've been shouting for joy. But Tae-kyu sounded more shocked than happy.
"What's BantCoin's current value? Has it gone up since then?"
[As of yesterday, it's 1,120 dollars.]
1,120 dollars? That's about 1.23 million won.
"1,120 dollars for 100 BNT means it's doubled since then. That 50 million won would now be…"
My calculations stopped my breath.
"Wait—13.5 billion won?"
[Even I can't believe it. I've listed it for sale on the exchange.]
At that moment, something strange appeared before my eyes, like a hologram.
"…What the heck is this? MountainHill?"
Panicked, I asked,
"What exchange are you using?"
[Why? It's called MountainHill.]
Just as I thought.
I shouted into the phone,
"Sell it right now!"