– Cryptocurrency, a new way to become rich or a path to hell?

– A university student commits suicide after losing his tuition money on cryptocurrency.

– Cryptocurrency could be the last hope for the poor. Many have become millionaires from it.

– Cryptocurrency dealers are booming. Related stocks are all going up.

– Even the housewives are into cryptocurrency!

These were the headlines of the newspapers every morning.

It was the era of cryptocurrency.

Transaction fees exceeded 900 million dollars per day. Fees were at an average rate of 0.135%, which meant that there was a daily profit of 1.2 million dollars. The amount of transactions was increasing everyday. Choi Gichul, the Bitmain’s CEO and the third son of Daeyang Corporation’s Ceo, was a happy man.

One could never have too much money.

He was born to a rich family, but he was still thirsty for more. He grimaced slightly.

“Are you saying that we have been hacked?”

“Yes. This is the proof.”

Woosung showed CEO Choi Gichul the report of his findings from last night. CTO Jung Jinsup looked hungover nearby.

Choi Gichul looked at the report and frowned slightly. He glanced at Jung Jinsup, who nodded discreetly.

“Well, Chief Kang, you worked so hard for this… However, I thought our CTO has already explained to you about this situation last night. Why are you here today?”

Woosung suddenly understood. What he heard from Jung Jinsup last night was not a mistake.

VIP list.

Without his knowledge, illegal transactions were occurring behind his back.

‘Dammit…’

He knew what would eventually happen sooner or later. It was never the CEO who got caught. It was always the lower ranking employees who ended up getting blamed and prosecuted. Choi Gichul continued to talk slyly.

“I know how hard you worked for this company, Chief Kang. I know it very well. You will be paid handsomely for your next month’s incentive.”

Hush money. This had to be it.

Choi Gichul.

Third son of the Daeyang Corporation’s CEO.

After graduating from Harvard at the age of 31, he created a company from scratch instead of working at his father’s company as expected.

To Woosung, Choi Gichul was a snake. He spat out anything bitter, and swallowed anything that was sweet. This was what Woosung learned about him in the last 3 years.

Choi Gichul looked like a successful businessman from the outside, but Woosung believed in his instinct. He was being seduced with a poisoned candy, and if he took it, the time when Choi Gichul would stab him in the back was bound to arrive.

“I believe this is a result of hacking. We need to report to KISA (Korea Internet & Security Agency).”

As soon as hacking was suspected, the company was legally obligated to report it to the appropriate authority.

Choi Gichul frowned harshly. Jung Jinshup sighed deeply and said, “Chief Kang. Let’s not play this game anymore. How much do you want?”

“… What?”

“Let’s be honest here, you are blackmailing us. Just speak frankly, and we will try our best to come up with a reasonable amount.”

Woosung felt dizzy all of a sudden. To someone who lived an honest life for 36 years, this was an insult.

Both of his parents lived frugally. His mother clipped coupons, and his father, who worked as a security guard, walked an hour to his work everyday to save money on bus fare.

All their lives, they never stole a penny from anyone. Woosung had learned from them to be honest.

When he worked at a stock brokerage, he believed in the ethics of brokers never trading themselves. He had never even made a trading account for himself.

Other brokers traded anyway, sometimes, under someone else’s name. They tried their best to gain insider information for their gain, while Woosung focused on his honest work.

This was how he got to where he was at the moment. He worked his way up honestly. He reach this point with only his effort and ability. He was happy with what he earned, and he didn’t want anything he didn’t deserve. If he agreed to them now, there was a real possibility that this would not end well for him.

“I… still feel the same way.”

Woosung was clearly refusing the money. Choi Gichul looked at Woosung angrily.

“… What?”

“But if you fix the system, then I won’t say anything.”

This was the best compromise he could come up with. Woosung left the room without waiting for an answer. Choi Gichul,on the other hand, looked at him furiously.

***

He couldn’t focus all day.

Was this the right choice?

Would it have been better to just agree and get paid?

Next month, he was getting his incentive bonus. Should he have just waited till then and quit afterward?

He couldn’t stop thinking about it.

But it was too late now.

He decided not to regret his decision.

“Chief, chief? What are you thinking about?”

“Oh, Assistant Manager Choi.”

“Are you thinking about the stock options you will receive soon? There is a rumor that you will be getting billions of wons in stocks.”

“Ha.. Haha…”

“You sound suspicious.”

“What are you going to do when you get your stock options?”

“I will buy a house first. It has been very difficult to not have your own house. Soon, I will be a homeowner.”

Assistant Manager Choi closed his eyes in happiness.

“Are you thinking about buying in the Gangnam area, Chief? Isn’t it about time you leave Hwikyung area?”

“Yes, of course.”

Woosung thought of his parents at home. As soon as he was paid his stock options next month, he would quit. He would report to KISA tomorrow, and he would eventually be okay. He estimated that he would be paid 3 billion won in stocks, so he could quit and start anew.

“Oh, and I heard that the company will be throwing a party tonight at a restaurant. It’s supposed to be an expensive steak place.”

“I like steak.”

When Choi left to his chair, Woosung went back to his work. On his computer was a concise report of his investigation. Based on his findings, the company gained over 30 billion won illegally in the last two months. It was likely that Choi Gichul took majority of this money.

‘I better create a backup file.’

Woosung copied the report to the USB on his key-chain.