After the Divorce, a Treasure Map Made Me a 1,000-Trillionaire Chapter 16
Honestly, I’d never even heard the name before. I had zero interest in cryptocurrency, so the only coins I knew were Bitcoin and Ethereum.
But even so… this one looked solid.
Market cap: 182 trillion won? With that size, in Korea’s KOSPI, there was only one stock bigger—Samjeong Electronics. At the very least, a coin of this scale wasn’t going to collapse to 1 won overnight.
I don’t even have an exchange account.
I’d never once traded cryptocurrency, so of course I didn’t have an ID on any exchange.
It was already March 19, and with April 2nd coming soon, there wasn’t much time left. I had to open an account fast.
But as I tried to register, I realized it wasn’t just the exchange ID I needed. I also needed an H Bank account and an OTP device.
Most of these things could only be processed during weekday business hours.
So, I had no choice but to sleep and start fresh the next morning.
The moment I woke up, I rushed through all the verifications, finally creating my account.
That’s when an even bigger problem appeared.
“This… why is the transfer limit so low?”
As a test, I tried depositing about 1 billion won into my Ubite (Upbit) account—but the transfer failed.
[Transfer Limit Exceeded]
Turns out, the daily transfer limit was capped at just 5 million won.
What am I supposed to do with that…
I immediately called Ubite’s customer center.
“Yes, hello. This is Ubite Customer Service.”
“Yes, hi. I just wanted to ask—can you raise my transfer limit?”
After giving them some personal information, the representative replied:
“I’m very sorry, but since today is your very first transfer, the limit cannot be raised until 30 days have passed.”
“…What? Wait, that’s ridiculous. This is my own money—why can’t I deposit it?”
“I apologize, sir. This is due to government policy, so there’s nothing we can do.”
A long sigh escaped me.
If my daily limit was 5 million won, even if I deposited every day until the deadline, I wouldn’t even get close to 1 billion.
Sure, if this Ripple Coin suddenly skyrocketed by 100 times overnight, even that small amount could yield massive profits—but this was no tiny coin that could pull off such a jump.
With this limit, I can’t make anywhere near the profits I want…
The representative apologized again, but it wasn’t their fault.
There was no point holding onto the call any longer.
I grabbed my jacket and car keys.
Let’s go deal with this in person.
One thing I’d learned after earning a lot of money recently: in Korea, there’s almost nothing you can’t do if you have enough money.
“Everything’s possible here if you have cash.”
After confirming with the exchange again, they told me I’d have to talk to my bank instead.
So I headed to the largest H Bank branch nearby.
Inside, I walked to the general consultation counter, where a young female employee greeted me.
“What can I help you with today?”
“I’m here about Ubite’s transfer limit. Is there someone in charge I can speak to?”
“Oh, may I ask what specifically the issue is?”
“They told me my limit can’t be raised until 30 days after my first transaction. But I want to make larger transfers right away.”
She gave me an apologetic look and shook her head.
“I’m sorry, but we can’t do anything before the 30 days are up…”
Same answer as Ubite’s call center.
But I didn’t come here just to hear that.
If it’s impossible, then I’ll make it possible.
“I’ll deposit 1 billion won into a demand account today. Or into any other product you want.”
“…I’m sorry, did you say… 1 billion won?”
“Did you hear me wrong? 1 billion. Into whatever account or product you like. Just unlock my limit.”
Government regulation or not—at the end of the day, the bank was the one implementing it. And banks… always had a way, if you made it worth their while.
Performance metrics were everything for them. And there was no better performance than securing a billion-won deposit.
“Ah… please wait a moment, sir. I’ll contact the department manager right away.”
She hurriedly made a call.
“Yes, Manager. Please come down quickly… Yes, I said 1 billion! Yes, sir.”
When she hung up, she was smiling brightly.
“Our manager will be down right away.”
“And… sir, if it’s okay while you wait, could I introduce you to a new credit card we just launched?”
Well, of course… selling cards is a big deal for them too.
I’d seen plenty of bank staff push credit cards in the past. It wasn’t much trouble to humor her.
“Oh, absolutely! It has great benefits, the annual fee is only 30,000 won, and—”
Her pitch went on for a while, but then a man approached.
“Hello, I’m Manager Yoon Jung-hwan from H Bank’s Gwanak Branch. Are you Mr. Kang Chan?”
“Please follow me upstairs.”
The female employee looked disappointed at having her pitch cut short, so I threw her a bone.
“I’ll come back down and sign up for the card later. Get the paperwork ready.”
Her face lit up instantly.
“Yes! Thank you, sir!”
It struck me how different I’d become. Not long ago, I’d gone to the bank in sunglasses and a mask just to quietly claim a 10-million-won lottery prize.
Now? I was sitting here throwing around billion-won deposits like it was nothing.
I guess it’s true… status really changes people.
In the VIP room upstairs, Manager Yoon handed me his card and introduced himself.
“I understand you’re here about Ubite’s transfer limit?”
“Yes. I really can’t wait 30 days.”
“Forgive me for asking, but… how much do you intend to transfer?”
I spread my hand open.
“Yes. And frankly, even if the limit is lifted, it’s still 500 million per day. I’d rather just handle it all today. Can you make that happen?”
He hesitated, so I repeated what I told the teller.
“I’ll keep 1 billion here, in whatever product you like, for five years. Is that enough?”
That seemed to do it. After a moment, he nodded firmly.
“Alright. I’ll contact HQ and get it done. But one last thing—can I confirm the source of your funds?”
I didn’t mind telling him, but I wasn’t keen on strangers knowing I’d picked up a Banksy painting on the street.
“Can you guarantee confidentiality?”
“Absolutely! Even family can’t be told. If we leak this, we’re finished.”
I called Min Tae-seung, the team leader at H Auction, explained the situation, and passed the phone to Manager Yoon.
H Bank and H Auction were part of the same group, so it didn’t take long.
His expression shifted from surprise to envy.
“It’s confirmed, sir.”
I downed the rest of my coffee and stood up.
“Yes. By the end of today, 5 billion won will be in your Ubite account.”
“Perfect. I’ll be going, then.”
Just as I was about to leave, he asked, eyes full of curiosity:
“Sir… did you really just stumble upon that Banksy painting?”
“Stumble? Do you know how much I’ve searched for treasures?”
“Next time I have a big deposit, I’ll come to you again.”
His tone instantly brightened.
“Yes, sir! I’ll be ready anytime!”
Back at my apartment, I opened the Ubite app.
It was already processed.
Exactly 5 billion won sat in my account.
I checked Ripple’s price again.
[XRP / Current Price: 3,098 won]
It had dropped more than 70 won since yesterday.
So this is the treasure, huh…
Even a 1% drop would be a 50-million-won loss.
If Ripple wasn’t the right answer, I could lose a fortune.
But I didn’t hesitate.
There’s no such thing as a risk-free investment.
I hit the buy button and purchased the full amount at market price.
The confirmation chime rang over and over.
[Transaction completed.] [Transaction completed.] [Transaction completed.]