Chapter 23

End of greed. It was an interesting experience staying at a hostel with various travelers. “Woke up?” In the morning, I prepared a meal with Ellie in the kitchen. Baking bread, making simple scrambled eggs. It was a space shared by several people, so when other travelers came, they took out the food they brought and ate it together. In the afternoon, I toured Los Angeles, bought ingredients to make food at a nearby market, and returned. “I’ll try Bulgogi for dinner.” “Really?” “I can’t guarantee the taste.” It’s not authentic Korean food, but he served Eli and other travelers with simple dishes unique to self-employed students. Seasoned bulgogi, soybean paste stew with clams, and braised short ribs. I didn’t know the proper recipe, so I got help from a search. “It is delicious. Can I have more?” “Sweet meat. The broth is also really good.” “Can I get you another plate?” A nurse in France, a college student in England, and office workers in the Netherlands like it. I felt like an international chef. Staying at a hostel was a new experience in itself. ‘I don’t know when I’ll have an experience like this in the future.’ If it wasn’t for Ellie, I wouldn’t have stayed at a five-star hotel. For her, who had just graduated from college, living in a hostel rather than a luxurious hotel seemed like a good experience. It started with a small consideration, and I felt that this small daily life was part of the trip. “I had a good meal. Tomorrow we will serve food.” “Do you like kebabs?” Even if I had simple bread and jam for breakfast, I also ate meals prepared by other travelers in the evening. There were a lot of European university students and office workers in the hostel. ‘I like being young.’ When I saw the college students I met at the hostel, I felt envious. At the age of about 2nd year of university, I have the freedom and richness to travel around the world to my heart’s content, leaving my country of birth. I was envious of being able to enjoy the present without fear of the future. The next city we visited was Las Vegas, where we looked at some nice hotels. Pyramid-concept hotels or hotels that embody the image of New York, Egypt, and Rome. Originally, I was going to simply use a hostel or guest house, but I didn’t have to. The price for a night at a luxury hotel was $80, which was relatively cheap considering the cost of living in the United States. “The facilities are nice.” “I see.” However, resort fees had to be paid separately, and slot machines were everywhere, including the lobby. It’s a casino-operated hotel, so it feels like they’re setting accommodation costs cheaply so that a lot of guests come. “Let’s go see our fountain show.” Watch the fountain show, volcano show, pirate show, and ride in a small wooden boat in a hotel built in the shape of Venice. Ellie wasn’t even tired. A space of splendor and light. I was going to go backpacking, but somehow I felt like I was enjoying a vacation. Ellie said after dinner. “Shall we go swimming?” “Yes? I can’t swim.” I had never been able to swim properly in Korea. There are times when the company has a swimming pool at the hotel where I stayed on a business trip to the province, but it was strange to swim alone. “I have never learned to swim. In this weather, it’s good to just soak in the water and play.” Hotel swimming pool. I bought a cheap swimsuit from a nearby store and dipped my feet in the water. “Wow.” “Five!” I could hear the exclamations of the people around me, so I turned around, and it was Ellie. She was walking in a skimpy bikini. Men’s eyes follow her. Tall height, fair skin, and blonde hair are alluring. “We are swimming.” “… … yes.” When someone with a body like that speaks, I have no choice but to listen. How many men are not weak around beautiful women? And what Ellie said was half a lie. She went to and from the hotel pool with her slender limbs, and not only I, but many people saw her. “Are you good at swimming?” “I didn’t learn. I liked swimming a lot when I was in high school.” At the bar by the pool, we had a brief conversation while drinking cocktails. “It is very beautiful. It is a service.” Even while talking with me, the bartender is constantly working on Ellie. ‘What are men? They live very hard.’ Ellie talked about her studies and her aspirations to live as a financier on Wall Street in the future. “What kind of person is Kim Shin?” I slowly opened my mouth to her question. “I grew up without a mother and lived very poorly. My father was a bit fond of gambling.” Maybe it’s because I drank some sweet cocktails? Originally, I was very wary, but I honestly talked about what happened. From the family environment when I was young to the story of getting married and breaking up with my ex-wife due to personality differences. “What a bad year.” “Yes?” “There were all these crazy bitches.” It made me feel proud to see Ellie in complete arousal, cursing at her ex-wife. In the future car, the theme of next-generation mobility was set as autonomous driving, eco-friendly, and hydrogen electricity. It was acquiring various startups, sensors, and automobile-related companies in the US and Europe. “Is the person who invested in Aurora known?” “Yes, Unexpectedly, I am Korean.” Managing Director Jin Yoo-kyung was staying in San Francisco, working on the acquisitions on the list, and news of the most coveted companies came to light. “What kind of company is this in Korea? Aren’t they small and medium-sized parts companies?” Korean parts makers did not have a large operating profit even if their sales exceeded 100 billion won. It was thanks to the fact that they were the primary and secondary vendors of future automobiles, so they squeezed them out so that they could not generate operating profits above a certain level. “It’s not a company, it’s a Korean named Shin Kim.” Okay?” Jin Yu-gyeong tilted her head for a moment. It seemed like a name she had heard somewhere, but there were too many people she met while working. “Get to know him. We should be able to get his stake.” “Yes. Manager.” I bought a tent from an outdoor store while touring Texas. Wandering travel by bus and train in the United States. ‘This damn continent has no end.’ He also moved while sleeping in the sleeping compartment of the train. When traveling, the standard has no choice but to be Korea. I was stunned to hear that an area larger than Korea is a national park in the United States. We fished by the river, pitched a tent, and camped. In the camping area, families and other travelers came and were not bored. “Are you a young couple?” Yess. Right.” You said you were friends until Las Vegas. After that, too many men were interested in Ellie, so they said they were just a couple. There were times when I didn’t wash properly for several days while watching the festival in the small town, but it was fun. It was a trip to experience the real America. ‘It’s freedom to enjoy nature.’ It was a trip planned for a month, but time is running out to properly look around a huge country like the United States. Still, I saw a lot while moving slowly. Go to a big city like Houston or Chicago and see the local conglomerates and commodity exchanges. New Orleans, the home of jazz, and Miami, where beauties from all over the world gather. ‘It’s a backpacking trip. Why are there so many eye-opening places?’ By the time it was the 4th week of the trip, we had finally arrived in New York. The end of the trip has arrived. “I’m going to sleep over at my house today.” “Yes?” “My parents live on Long Island, and they got a house for me while I was in college.” House prices in New York are expensive, so like Oh Myung-woo, I thought of a one-room house. But then I went into a luxury four-bedroom apartment in Manhattan. “My parents come often. If it’s too late to go home, I’ll just go to bed.” “Oh, I see.” We went on a trip together for over a month, wearing plain jeans. I didn’t show off as a rich family with clothes or accessories, but I got the feeling that I was born in a well-to-do family with my way of speaking, looks, and atmosphere. The house is better than expected. After all, the American rich are different.’ I took a warm shower and lay down on a bed in an empty room. I looked at the coin news on my cell phone. ―Give up virtual currency hahaha ―During compulsory ―Honestly, isn’t coin gambling right? ―I miss the 10th floor of Ripple – How much did everyone lose? – It’s down again. ―Experience investing in EOS over the weekend While traveling in the United States, virtual currencies crashed. Ripple returned to 300 won, and many coins were above -90%. ‘It sounds like music is coming from everywhere.’ Those who had the coin until the end must have suffered a great loss. I couldn’t sleep, so I went to the sales team’s group chat after a long time. ―Mr. Ahn Myeong-guk: Gangnam Bitdul Ophthalmology. Who went in last week? ―Lee Jong-yeop: M, Manager ―Myeong-guk Ahn: The director said he wanted to use the Smile Lasik machine. But sales and expected profits are below standard. ―Lee Jong-yeop: It’s a pity. I’ll turn around and say ―Mr. Ahn Myeong-guk: Mr. Sua. There is a project in Daegu and Busan in cooperation with the technical team. ―Jo Soo-ah: We will proceed without a hitch. For two months, the sales team’s group chat room remained the same. A single chat room for work. It is not a space where many company employees gather, but a place only for the sales team. It is a group chat room that I checked every hour during working hours during my 4 years of work, and many of the work orders came down through this place. ‘I’ll see you again soon.’ It was when I was browsing the group chat rooms. Click. The door opened slightly, and Ellie came in. “Sleep?” “… … .” She is wearing a thin slip that shows her body as it is. I had seen her in a bathing suit, but now she was wearing nothing underneath her slip. “Ellie, this is… … .” “Shh. Let’s have a little conversation with our adults.” We became close and talked often every evening… …. Korea. The roof of the building where the Arcor branch is located. Team leaders Seo and Ahn drank warm Americanos. For office workers, warm Americanos in the winter and iced Americanos from spring to fall were like a formula. “Big. The weather is getting better little by little.” “That’s right. It is very warm these days, even though it is February.” “It’s a little free.” With the end of the coin boom, fewer subordinates spend time on rooftops. “How is Na Sang-guk?” “Looks like you haven’t let go of your lingering feelings yet. I heard that he keeps buying coins when he gets his salary. It’s going to rise big again.” “It’s also tenacious.” “Because I work hard. It’s hard to say anything right now.” As long as the sales performance was satisfactory, the grudge against the employees was not severe. Chief Seo said cautiously. “But I heard Assistant Manager Kim lost all the money he earned with coins.” “Yes? What are you talking about?” “There are rumors like that. Coins have become shit these days. No?” Bad rumors were spread in the company by those who were jealous.