Chapter 85: The High Cost of Success

After finishing the year-end company dinner.

I returned to The Sharp Officetel in Yeouido.

Barely managing to find an empty spot, I finished parking and took the elevator straight up to my place.

Truthfully, the reason I wanted to leave the dinner early was because Godflix had finally wrapped up its evaluations of  and , both of which had just aired their finales today.

Remake update complete.

Rating: 2.6

Rating: 2.4

Fortunately, both received evaluations not too different from the original works’ ratings.

‘Prosecutor Showdown’s rating dropped a bit.’

Probably because it was stuffed with PPLs, and the few forced scenes added to match the advertised products seemed to have affected the rating.

A ‘G’ mark appeared on the member info page, indicating that new information had been added.

[Would you like to claim your reward?] As always, I accepted without hesitation.

The reward for a 2-point-something rating was a whopping 2 billion won!

Since there were two works, a total of 4 billion won in cash bundles rained down.

Counting the profit I made from establishing God Media this year, along with all the funds and savings I’d accumulated so far, and The Sharp Officetel in Yeouido, I now had assets exceeding at least 10 billion won.

After divorcing Jeon Min-jeong, I’d managed to earn, with my own hands, the equivalent amount as the CL Media stock I received as a settlement.

Thinking that far, desires I had never even dared to dream of naturally began to stir within me.

---

Looking at murals left behind since prehistoric times, you’ll often find depictions of primitive men standing atop mammoths or other prey.

It symbolizes the sense of accomplishment felt by humans who, having succeeded in the hunt, stand atop the carcass of a beast as proof of conquest.

Since ancient times, the strong man’s symbol has always been depicted as someone standing above something, having conquered it.

Once human society settled from hunting and gathering to agriculture, this sense of conquest was replaced not by standing atop dead beasts, but by riding atop living ones.

This desire for conquest knows no East or West and is especially ingrained in male genetics.

The tales of Bellerophon riding Pegasus in Greek and Roman mythology, or Lü Bu riding the Red Hare in Chinese lore, prove this.

Thus, the successful man and a fine steed have been inseparable since ancient times.

If you object, then—according to a certain urologist in Gangnam—you must forfeit your manhood, to which I nodded in wholehearted agreement.

“Chang-soo, you’re right.”

“Yeah, finally you’re making sense. Even if it’s not working as well as before, a man’s a man.”

“That’s not true. I’m perfectly fine these days.”

Leaving behind Kim Chang-soo, who stared at me with a forlorn look, I strode forward and threw open the glass entrance.

Today, we had come to the Cheongdam branch of Mercedes-Benz, the epitome of luxury cars.

That’s right.

To commemorate becoming an asset owner in the 10-billion-won range, I came to buy a Benz—the symbol of a successful man.

As I walked among the Benz vehicles, which exuded affluence just by their presence, I couldn’t help but admire their beauty.

To be honest, I’d never cared much about cars before, so I didn’t know much about luxury foreign cars. That’s why I brought Chang-soo along.

Chang-soo, looking like a country bumpkin overwhelmed just by looking, examined one car after another and then asked me,

“Jung-hyuk, do you know what’s the most important thing to look for in a car?”

“Performance or value for money, I guess?”

But just as with Pegasus and Red Hare, if you ask whether a steed’s performance alone makes it strong and sturdy, Mercedes-Benz isn’t exactly renowned for that.

If you only care about value for money, a Casper or Avante is better; if it’s power, then an F1 race car would be best.

No one’s risking their life for a race on Seoul’s jam-packed roads anyway, and when it comes to engine performance or driving stability, all expensive cars are more or less the same. What Chang-soo emphasized was,

“It’s all about ‘departure impact’.”

Why do people pour tens of millions of won into cars, to the point that terms like ‘car poor’ have emerged, describing those who go broke for an expensive car?

Kim Chang-soo, self-proclaimed foreign car expert and medical school graduate, convinced me with a simple and absolute statement.

“That’s because every famous luxury brand has knockoffs.”

Imitation technology, highly developed in China and Southeast Asia, is so advanced and meticulous that you need to hire experts just to tell real from fake.

That’s why, when we see people decked out in luxury brands on the street, we can’t help but wonder, ‘Is that really genuine?’

“But, with cars, there are no knockoffs.”

“Ah… Ah!”

Hearing Chang-soo’s words, I shuddered as if struck by lightning.

That’s right.

Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Chanel, Rolex—there are countless knockoffs of luxury clothes and accessories.

But luxury cars like Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, Rolls-Royce—there are no real ‘fakes.’

Sure, sometimes people steal the Mercedes’ 人-shaped emblem, and occasionally you’ll see Benzes on the street that look oddly incomplete.

But no one ever thinks that makes the car itself a fake.

Thus—

For a man to naturally prove his success, ‘car’ is the only way. That’s why, according to Chang-soo, you buy an import car with great ‘departure impact’ rather than a domestic car with good ride comfort.

As expected from someone with a medical school brain, Chang-soo’s logic was airtight, and I couldn’t help but agree.

In the end, I signed for a Benz worth a staggering 90 million won, even knowing I’d have to wait nearly eight months for delivery after putting down the deposit.

---

Even after signing for the Benz, I didn’t stop.

As they say, “the one who eats meat spends well,” and having spent big once, I suggested to Chang-soo—who was reluctant to go straight home after leaving the Benz dealership—that we head to the ‘department store.’

The infamous “I want to splurge at least today because I worked so hard” bug had gotten to me.

“You really did make it, huh. To suggest a department store first like this.”

“Yeah, I finally feel it now. This is the taste of success.”

Maybe it was because I’d become a billionaire in won.

Even after all the recent spending, I didn’t feel the slightest regret or sense that I’d wasted money.

New wine should go in new wineskins.

A new Benz deserves a new owner.

With Chang-soo, I visited the department store’s luxury section, browsing clothes and accessories I’d never bought before.

Chang-soo, especially interested in watches, would stop in his tracks and stare dreamily at the display cases of luxury brands like Rolex and Patek Philippe.

That sight felt strangely unfamiliar, yet it reminded me of myself in the past.

‘Back in my poor, incompetent college days, I made that same face looking at the food models in front of restaurants.’

And every time, Chang-soo would come over, slap me on the back, and say, “Today’s on me!” before buying whatever food I wanted.

I had never forgotten how Chang-soo offered a helping hand without expecting anything in return during my tough times.

‘Come to think of it, I never really thanked him properly after things started going well.’

I took note of the watch model Chang-soo had eyed regretfully, then immediately went into the store and called over a staff member.

“Excuse me, is that model over there available for immediate purchase?”

“Yes, we happen to have exactly one left in stock, so you can buy it today.”

“How much is it?”

Including tax, the price of the luxury watch was a whopping 8 million won.

I hesitated briefly, then nodded and transferred 8 million won in cash to the store’s account as instructed by the staff.

“Jung-hyuk, do you even know how much this is to buy it without a second thought?”

“I’m not wearing it. It’s a gift for you.”

“What? For me?”

Seeing Chang-soo, who unexpectedly received such a pricey gift, look both flustered and grinning ear to ear, I felt the joy of spending money.

“Hey, really? You’re really giving this to me?”

“Yeah, if you add up all the times you bought me food when we were kids, it’s about the same.”

“Lee Jung-hyuk… you…”

Chang-soo, looking on the verge of tears, tried to hug me, but I laughed awkwardly and shoved him away, joking.

“Hey, don’t. That’s gross, man.”

After finishing our shopping, we headed to the food court in the basement to have dinner, since it was already evening.

But once we arrived downstairs, I started to feel like we were drawing too many looks.

“Isn’t that the writer?”

“Yeah, he looks just like he does on TV.”

Because the variety show ‘Quiz Attack’ I’d recently filmed had aired, a few passersby recognized me and stopped to stare.

A crowd began to form, people wondering if a celebrity had arrived, and soon a dozen or so people were circling around me.

Some even whipped out their cameras to snap my photo without asking, leaving me flustered and thinking I’d better leave.

“Chang-soo, sorry, let’s eat later.”

“Yeah, too many people recognize you. It’s getting awkward.”

In the past, my face had appeared in the media due to the Jeon Min-jeong incident, but never had so many people recognized me, taken my picture, and chanted my name.

In the end, we had to leave the department store without even having a proper meal.

“Thanks for the gift today, really.”

“Then be good to this hyung.”

“Hahaha, yeah. I’ll do even better from now on. Get home safe!”

After seeing Chang-soo off, I got in my parked car and entered The Sharp Officetel address into the navigation system.

Bzzzt—

My phone vibrated, and I got a call from Seo Soon-ae.

“Yes, Director Seo. Is something up?”

-Writer, are you coming back to the office today?

“No, I was running around all day, so I think I’ll just go home.”

-I see. Then I have something to report over the phone.

“Go ahead.”

What Seo Soon-ae said next was enough to wipe away every last bit of nouveau riche thrill I’d felt all day.

-Regarding the corporate tax due at year-end and your personal income tax, I spoke with the accountant for an estimate.

“Yes, yes.”

-Writer, since you don’t spend much, your taxes are going to be quite heavy.

“Hm, but I spent a lot today—I bought a car, a watch, and more. Won’t that help?”

-How much did you spend?

When I told her that I’d spent close to 100 million won today, she thought for a moment, then, in her characteristically dry voice, dropped a bombshell.

-That’s not enough. If you want to save on taxes, you’ll need to make donations, too.

“D… donations?”

-Yes, if you donate, you can get some tax deductions, so it’s something you’ll need to do.

“How much do I need to donate?”

Having never once agonized over taxes before, I’d forgotten that most of Korea’s tax revenue comes from the wealthy.

-At least 200 million won.

“I see…”

After hanging up with Seo Soon-ae.

I hesitated for a moment, then called Chang-soo again.

-What’s up, my beloved friend?

“Hey, Chang-soo. About that small, not-so-important gift I gave you today…”

-You mean my precious Rolex Datejust, which is sparkling on my wrist right now?

“Yeah, would it be possible to return it, even now?”

-Nope.

Click—

Because of that curt rejection, it seems I won’t be able to recover the money I spent on Chang-soo’s watch.

Having skipped dinner and agonized for a while, I finally called the Benz dealership and, with a heavy heart, asked to cancel my contract.

Then, weakly, I found the number I’d written down before and made a call.

-Welcome! Dear customer! Lowest prices nationwide! Trustworthy performance at ‘Lucky Used Cars’!

Thus, my dream of becoming a Benz owner fizzled out in less than three hours.