madnovel Chapter 91 Bitcoin
Chapter 91 Bitcoin
On the day the third episode of "Goblin" aired, the viewership rating exceeded 15%.
When Kim Dong-wook sent the message in the group chat, the entire company was working overtime. Yoon Shi-yoon sent a voice message, his voice hoarse, saying, "I was filming GG, I just saw it, and I cried."
Kim Go-eun posted a "Wow!" followed by a long string of exclamation marks. Yoo In-na said, "The fried chicken shop is going to be a hit!" Yook Sung-jae said, "My mom called me and said she saw me on TV."
Cai Xiubin didn't speak in the group chat. She sent Su Yu a private message: "15.2. Did you see it?" Su Yu replied: "Yes." Cai Xiubin said: "I feel so unreal." Su Yu said: "Sitting down makes it real." Cai Xiubin sent a hammer-on-the-head emoji.
Su Yu put down his phone and looked at the Bitcoin trading interface on his computer screen. By the end of 2013, the price of Bitcoin had risen from tens of dollars at the beginning of the year to over eight hundred dollars. The five thousand Bitcoins he had bought a few months earlier were now worth four million dollars.
But in his memory, Bitcoin would rise—not just a little, but close to $20,000. He stared at the fluctuating numbers on the screen, his fingers lightly tapping the mouse twice.
Kim Eun-sook knocked and came in, holding a stack of documents. "Representative Su, I found a few of the Bitcoin trading platforms you asked me to check. But I don't recommend you continue buying. This stuff is too volatile, there's no regulation, and it's easy to lose everything."
"Keep buying."
Kim Eun-sook opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but seeing Su Yu's expression, she swallowed her words. She had worked in finance at Samsung for eight years and had seen all sorts of investment products, but she had never seen anything like Bitcoin. No physical entity, no backing, no government regulation, its price entirely driven by market sentiment—in her view, it was no different from gambling.
"How much do you want?" she asked.
"One thousand."
Kim Eun-sook was silent for a few seconds. "Representative Su, I'm not questioning your judgment, but I need you to confirm whether you truly know what you're doing."
Su Yu looked at her. "I know."
Kim Eun-sook nodded, turned, and walked away. She stopped at the door, but didn't turn back. "Representative Su, I've always thought you were a smart person. But when smart people do stupid things, they're even more stupid than stupid people."
Su Yu didn't reply. The door closed.
In the afternoon, Sulli returned from Japan. Two weeks after its release, the single had entered the Oricon top 20, exceeding expectations. Tanaka messaged, saying, "The Japanese market's response to Sulli is very good; we could consider releasing a second single." Su Yu replied with an "OK," then continued monitoring Bitcoin's price movement.
Shirley pushed open the office door, wearing a white coat, her hair dyed back to dark brown, and her face was a little rounder than when she left.
"The food in Japan is so delicious, I've gained three pounds," she said as she walked in.
Su Yu glanced at her. "I couldn't tell."
"Is what you're saying a compliment or an insult?"
"statement."
Shirley smiled and sat down on the sofa. She saw the charts on Su Yu's computer screen, red and green, with numbers jumping rapidly. "What's that?"
Bitcoin.
"What currency?"
"Internet currency".
Shirley leaned closer for a look, but didn't understand. "Why did you buy this?"
"make money."
Shirley stared at the screen for a few seconds, then turned to look at Su Yu. "Don't you earn enough money?"
Su Yu closed the interface and leaned back in his chair. "There's never a time when you don't have enough money."
Shirley fell silent. She looked into Su Yu's eyes, trying to find answers in his face, but found nothing. She had known him for over a year and had never truly understood him. Sometimes he seemed like a twenty-year-old, sometimes like an old man who had lived a very long time. He spoke very little, but every word he uttered sounded calculated.
"Su Yu".
"Um."
Will you suddenly disappear one day?
Su Yu looked at her. "Why do you ask that?"
"I don't know. It's just a feeling." Shirley lowered her head, tracing circles on her knee with her fingers. "You seem to know everything, to have calculated everything. Someone like you doesn't seem like the type to stay in one place for a long time."
Su Yu was silent for a few seconds. "It won't disappear."
"You promise?"
"Um."
Shirley looked up and smiled. "Okay, I believe you."
On the day the fourth episode of "Goblin" aired, Su Yu didn't watch the live stream. He was in his study working on documents. The price of Bitcoin had risen to nine hundred dollars, so he asked Kim Eun-sook to buy another five hundred. Kim Eun-sook didn't try to dissuade him and did as he was told. Cai Xiubin came in carrying fruit, placed the plate on the table, glanced at his screen, and didn't ask any questions.
"Why aren't you watching TV?" she asked.
"busy."
"The fourth episode has aired. Aren't you going to look at the audience's reaction?"
"It's the same whether we check tomorrow or not."
Cai Xiubin sat down next to him, picked up a piece of apple, and offered it to his lips. Su Yu opened his mouth, ate it, chewed a couple of times, and continued reading the documents.
"Su Yu".
"Um."
"Are you doing something important?"
"It's not a big deal."
"Then why do you always hide away while looking at the computer?"
Su Yu put down the documents and turned to look at her. Cai Xiubin's eyes were bright, not questioning, but curious.
"Investing in something."
"What is it?"
"It's complicated to explain."
Cai Xiubin laughed. "Then don't bother explaining. As long as you made money, that's enough."
Su Yu reached out and ruffled her hair. "I'll give you all the money I earn."
Cai Xiubin was taken aback. "I don't want it. You keep it."
"You spend it for me."
Cai Xiubin laughed and leaned on his shoulder. "You're the kind of person who always needs someone to help him when he's spending money."
The two sat for a while, then Chae Soo-bin suddenly sat up straight. "By the way, Kim Go-eun unnie called me today. She said she received several scripts and doesn't know which one to choose."
"Have her come to me."
She said she didn't dare.
Why?
She said you were too busy and she was sorry to bother you.
Su Yu paused for a moment. "When did she become so polite?"
Cai Xiubin laughed. "She's always been so polite. You're the one who's been too impolite."
Su Yu didn't reply, but picked up her phone and sent a message to Kim Go-eun: "Come to the company tomorrow afternoon. To choose a script." Kim Go-eun replied instantly: "Okay, Representative Su. Thank you." Su Yu glanced at those three words and put her phone down.
The next afternoon, Kim Go-eun appeared in Su Yu's office on time. She was wearing a gray sweatshirt and jeans, without makeup, and her hair was tied in a ponytail. She looked much younger than her actual age. She was carrying four scripts, neatly stacked together, on Su Yu's desk.
"Sir, these are what I received. There are TV series, movies, and a web series." She pointed to them one by one. "I don't know how to choose."
Su Yu picked it up and flipped through it. The first one was a romantic comedy, with a lively female lead, quite different from Kim Go-eun's previous image; the second one was a suspense drama, with the second female lead, a small but complex role; the third one was an independent film, telling the story of a girl searching for her mother; and the fourth one was a web series, a youth-themed drama with a very low production cost.
"Which role do you want to play?" Su Yu asked.
"I wanted to play the second one. The one in the suspense drama," Kim Go-eun said. "But that role is the second female lead, with less screen time. The other roles have more screen time, but the scripts aren't as good as this one."
Su Yu took out the second script separately and flipped through it. "Let's act in this one."
Kim Go-eun paused for a moment. "Aren't you going to advise me to choose the role with more screen time?"
"The amount of screen time isn't important. What matters is whether the character is memorable." Su Yu looked at her. "When you played a ghost, you had few scenes. But now? Everyone's talking about you."
Kim Go-eun lowered her head and smiled, pursing her lips. "Okay. I'll take this one."
"I'll have Choi Min-soo talk to him."
Kim Go-eun nodded and stood up to leave. When she reached the door, she stopped and turned back.
"Representative Su."
"Um."
"You said there's something in my eyes. Will that thing disappear one day?"
Su Yu looked at her. "Yes."
Kim Go-eun's expression froze for a moment.
"But if you put it into a character, it will always be there."
Kim Go-eun stared at him for a few seconds, then smiled. There was a hint of relief in that smile, and a touch of determination. "Thank you. I'll remember." She pushed open the door and left.
That evening, Su Yu returned home to find Cai Xiubin packing her luggage. The independent film she had taken on was scheduled to begin filming next Monday in Busan, and would take two months to shoot. A large suitcase lay open in the living room, clothes neatly folded, toiletries packed in small bags, and the script on top.
"Do you need my help?" Su Yu asked.
"No need. It's almost packed." Cai Xiubin pulled up the suitcase, stood up, clapped her hands, and said, "Remember to eat when you're home alone. Don't always eat at convenience stores."
"Um."
"There's kimchi broth in the fridge; just heat it up and you can drink it. Don't microwave it for too long, two minutes is enough."
"Um."
"Also, don't accumulate clothes for washing. Wash them once a week, separating light and dark colors."
Su Yu looked at her. "Are you making your final arrangements?"
Cai Xiubin glared at him. "I'm afraid you'll starve to death."
Su Yu walked over and pulled her into his arms. Cai Xiubin pressed her face against his chest and mumbled, "I'll miss you."
"Me too."
"You come every weekend?"
Every weekend.
Cai Xiubin raised her head and looked into his eyes. "You said it."
"I said it."
She stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the lips.