TRGD 29

Chapter 29 — How a Regressor Uses a Debit Card (2)

“What’s with this guy?”

“Who?”

“I think a sharp little bug has shown up.”

“…Did information leak?”

“No. The plan is perfect.”

Wall Street’s main district.

A massive office occupying an entire floor of a 55-story building.

A white man in his late thirties frowned as he stared at the monitor.

Standing behind him, a handsome blond man smacked his lips while looking at the screen.

The giants had gathered in the cryptocurrency market.

Unlike the past, when it had been dominated by individual investors, now Wall Street and major financial organizations from around the world had flooded in.

They pressured governments across the globe to create an environment where black money could be traded freely.

Swiss bank accounts were no longer safe.

That was why cryptocurrency had become even more attractive.

Combined with humanity’s hidden greed, it had established itself as the perfect dark financial system.

Among the major players, the rules of the game had already been settled.

Then an unexpected Korean stepped onto the main stage.

At first, they ignored him.

But unexpectedly, the bastard moved intelligently.

It felt as though he understood exactly how stablecoins worked before joining the game.

At one point, his coin had soared to 80 dollars per token.

He had even purchased Bitcoin through indirect routes, securing a safety net.

The financial groups immediately marked him as a target.

They stabbed him relentlessly with both sword and spear through massive short-selling.

Even the organization that had promised to support him turned its back.

Everything had already been arranged before the incident erupted.

In just a few days, Luna collapsed.

Its market value, which had reached 40 billion dollars, was neatly divided among the united organizations.

“The world is a big place. There are plenty of quick-witted, lucky bastards.”

“Yeah. Can’t argue with that.”

Quite a few individual investors had also sensed the attack and jumped into short-selling.

They were people blessed by fortune.

“Shall we shake up the next game too?”

“The target price?”

“One thousand dollars is the limit.”

“Heh. A lot of people are going to die.”

“You have to shake everyone off before you can fly far.”

One of the forces controlling the cryptocurrency market.

They began preparing the next stage for their next prey.

“What about the remaining funds?”

“Raw material prices have gone through the roof. Stock prices will fall even further.”

“Good.”

The financial powers of Wall Street, who never tolerated money remaining stagnant,

reorganized their strategy and began setting up the next game.

Moving with perfect coordination, they had no idea…

That a gigantic king ant had secretly infiltrated their carefully prepared game and climbed aboard for a free ride.

Bwooooom.

The deep rumble of the V8 engine resonated pleasantly through my entire body.

The moment I stepped on the accelerator, the SUV lunged forward.

The sudden acceleration pushed me back into my seat like a supercar.

♪ Alright, now I’m finally forgetting you~

♬ You’re really a crazy bastard~

♪ Why did you leave me behind?~

The car’s sound system blasted the song at full volume.

Its powerful lyrics stuck in my ears.

Friday, 11 a.m.

Well past the morning rush hour, Olympic-daero was nearly empty.

Whoooosh.

The breeze from the Han River rushed violently through the slightly opened window.

“This is the life.”

I enjoyed the freedom that came with owning my own car.

The comfort of a full-sized SUV was on an entirely different level from ordinary sedans.

“Money is love.”

The car itself had been expensive, but since I was still young, my first insurance premium alone had come to seven million won.

Just as I’d expected, I paid it without hesitation.

My bank balance still hadn’t changed much.

Today, I planned to experience what true luxury spending really felt like.

Screech.

I turned right at the intersection.

After driving straight for a while…

Screech.

“Welcome, sir.”

Hyundo Luxury Department Store in Apgujeong.

As soon as the vehicle stopped, the valet parking attendant waiting nearby approached.

The neatly dressed man opened the door for me and gave a respectful bow.

“Please take care of it.”

“Yes, sir! Enjoy your shopping.”

Naturally, I handed him the keys.

Something I never could have imagined in the past.

Back then, even spending a few thousand won felt wasteful, so valet parking was out of the question.

I entered the department store.

On a Friday morning, it was pleasantly quiet.

Step. Step.

I walked through the grand main entrance.

I’d visited this place a few times before.

To buy birthday presents for my girlfriend.

Never for myself.

Today’s visit was entirely for me.

“I’ll start from the first floor.”

Money really was a strange thing.

It made every situation feel relaxed.

When my bank account had been barely scraping by, the gazes of department store employees had always felt unbearably burdensome.

Sales staff in luxury department stores had an uncanny ability to judge their customers’ financial standing.

It was probably instinct developed through years of dealing with people.

“Sir, how may I assist you?”

The accessories and fashion goods section on the first floor.

A pair of sneakers immediately caught my eye and stopped me in my tracks.

They had an ivory base with a light yellowish-brown pattern.

Simple.

“I’d like size 280.”

“Certainly. Please wait a moment.”

The tag?

Why would anyone look at that here?

“Please try them on.”

The female employee gently arranged the shoes in front of me.

I slipped my feet inside.

“…!!”

These were incredibly comfortable.

Luxury brands weren’t all just about appearances.

The fit was completely different from the shoes I usually wore.

“I’ll take these.”

“I’ll prepare them.”

“I’ll wear them out.”

“I’ll process the payment right away.”

My shopping began as smoothly as flowing water.

After removing the tags, I walked a few steps in my new sneakers.

There were laces, but they were tied with permanent knot loops, so there was no need to adjust them.

“And your old shoes…?”

“Please throw them away.”

“Certainly.”

I had zero attachment to my old shoes.

Then the real shopping began.

“I’ll take this.”

“I’ll wrap it for you.”

“No. I’ll use it immediately.”

I also bought a deep gray men’s wallet from Hermes.

People said a wallet was something that attracted wealth.

“And the box and warranty card…?”

“I don’t need them.”

“Yes, sir.”

There would be no exchanges or reselling.

If I ever needed another one, I’d simply buy another.

I didn’t care if it looked like the spending habits of a nouveau riche.

After buying the shoes and wallet, I headed to the second floor.

Just changing my shoes had completely transformed my appearance.

The jeans I wore had been bought by my mother after saving up for them.

Since I was tall, almost any ready-made clothes fit me well.

The shirt I had on was also simple and neat, matching my usual style.

With the luxury sneakers completing the outfit, my overall presence changed dramatically.

A person’s first impression determined many things.

There was only one thing worth learning at Cheonghwa High School.

A person’s first impression was determined entirely by what they wore!

That was exactly why I’d come straight to the department store after buying the car.

I rode the escalator to the second floor.

“There it is.”

My destination was the watch boutique.

The luxury watch that Go Dongyeol, whom I’d had the misfortune of knowing in the past, had treasured so dearly.

“Welcome, sir.”

The female employees, dressed in black two-piece suits, bowed with warm smiles.

Their eyes quickly swept over me from head to toe.

“I’d like to see your leather strap watches.”

“Our leather collection is this way.”

She guided me to a spotless glass display case.

Then one watch instantly captured my attention.

I fell for it at first sight.

“I’ll take that one.”

“…Excuse me?”

The employee froze.

I hadn’t asked for an explanation.

I hadn’t even asked the price.

I simply declared I would buy it.

“Please charge it in one payment.”

It felt like buying a hotteok from a street vendor.

Why waste words when purchasing something you needed?

My debit card was accomplishing another great feat today.

Its spending limit…

Was simply my bank balance.

“I’ll process your payment immediately.”

“May I put it on for you?”

“Of course.”

My shopping continued without interruption.

The watch was immediately fastened around my wrist.

A black leather wristwatch with a pink gold case and silver dial.

Only then did I notice the price tag.

It wasn’t on sale.

Exactly 43.9 million won.

“It suits you perfectly.”

A bright smile bloomed across the employee’s face.

A customer who had casually purchased a watch worth over forty million won without hesitation.

Luxury boutique employees were experienced enough to estimate a customer’s wealth from moments like this.

This was a world where appearances determined value.

“And the warranty card and presentation case…?”

“Please keep them for me. I plan to buy a few more in a couple of days.”

“Pardon?… Y-Yes! We’ll keep them safely.”

The moment I mentioned additional purchases, the employee’s face lit up.

Luxury salespeople earned commissions on top of their base salaries.

She had just secured what normally took months to sell in a single transaction.

My footsteps headed toward the fourth floor.

That was where the golf and men’s fashion departments were located.

“Unnie! Who was that guy?”

“Is he a rookie actor? Or a model?”

“I don’t think so. Just looking at him, he’s definitely a fourth- or fifth-generation chaebol heir.”

“My goodness… Did you see that? He didn’t even check the price tag before buying it.”

The women who had worked at the watch boutique for years chatted excitedly.

The atmosphere in the store remained heated after the customer had disappeared in an instant after purchasing such an expensive item.

Luxury watches didn’t sell every day.

Being located in Apgujeong certainly helped, but even Korea’s wealthy elite didn’t buy luxury goods daily.

No one casually purchased watches worth tens of millions of won every day.

The busiest season was the wedding season, when couples bought luxury watches as engagement gifts.

“Did you see him? He was incredibly handsome.”

“Didn’t he have that noble aura?”

“Exactly! He totally gave off chaebol vibes.”

Good-looking actors and models often visited the luxury boutique.

But the aura of the customer who had just left completely overshadowed all of them.

“We should notify the VIP service team, right?”

“Of course. He’ll definitely spend well over a hundred million won a year.”

Customers who spent over 100 million won annually were managed as VIPs.

He hadn’t reached that threshold yet, but he had paid over 40 million won in a single transaction.

Anyone could see he was a future VIP.

Ordinary customers carefully took their presentation boxes and warranty cards.

If they ever needed to resell the watch, both were essential.

But the customer who had just left casually asked the store to keep them.

“Unnie, what kind of card did he use?”

“The card?”

“Can a credit card even approve forty million won in one payment?”

“Oh! That’s right… It wasn’t a credit card. It was a debit card.”

“A debit card? He really paid for that watch with a debit card?”