Ch.206206. KL Bank

What’s the hottest stock in the KOSDAQ market that’s been on fire lately?

“Just put your money in and it goes up.”

“Is this really KOSDAQ? Did I accidentally enter NASDAQ?”

“Just invest anywhere. It’ll rise by the time you wake up.”

While every stock seems to be rising, investors still want to pick the ones that will climb the highest in this unpredictable market. The best option would be to buy Farming Company’s stock directly, but since it’s not publicly listed, that’s impossible. People have looked for anything related to it, but found nothing.

Yet, people eventually discovered something.

“Shinsu Bank is absolutely skyrocketing.”

Shinsu Bank wasn’t particularly high-ranking among banks. It had maintained a solid mid-to-upper position with stable finances and management, but it was admittedly lacking compared to major banks. Still, it had been working hard to keep up, and now rumors that it was Kim Suhyun’s main bank had attracted an enormous influx of customers.

They hadn’t done any special promotions or advertisements. People were simply switching to Shinsu Bank or buying related products just because Kim Suhyun used it. Even foreign customers were opening new accounts and bringing in funds, propelling Shinsu Bank from sixth to fourth place in total assets—a remarkable achievement. Naturally, this caused the bank’s stock to rise as well.

For Shinsu Bank, this presented a significant dilemma: how to capitalize on this situation?

The best approach would be to strike while the iron is hot—perhaps filming an advertisement with Kim Suhyun to maintain this momentum. If they could officially show that Kim Suhyun endorsed their bank, they could solidify what was currently just spreading through word of mouth.

The problem was that Kim Suhyun wasn’t answering their calls. They couldn’t do anything if the person in question wouldn’t pick up the phone. Should they visit in person? What if that annoyed him and he withdrew his deposits to move to another bank?

Shinsu Bank was well aware that other banks were already endlessly courting Kim Suhyun to attract his deposits. Fortunately, Kim Suhyun was equally unresponsive to everyone, so nothing had changed yet.

After persistent efforts, Shinsu Bank finally managed to contact Kim Suhyun.

Delighted, they scheduled a meeting. Grateful that he could make time, the branch manager and two employees visited Kim Suhyun’s home with numerous gifts.

“Thank you so much.”

The branch manager expressed sincere gratitude. This was genuine. It’s no small matter for an individual to entrust trillions of won to a single bank. Money makes money in countless ways depending on how these assets are managed, and he had trusted the bank with his wealth.

The branch manager had been achieving tremendous results. But then came the shocking question.

“What can Shinsu Bank offer me?”

“…Pardon?”

The branch manager’s expression fell from confident to crestfallen, despite having carefully selected premium Korean beef sets that now sat stacked beside them.

—————-

Until now, I’ve been using Shinsu Bank. It wasn’t bad. Actually, someone like me wouldn’t know which bank is good or bad. I’d never managed money in my life—I just used cash from my allowance from my parents.

Still, I’d put my leftover money into a bank account my father created for me when I was young—at Shinsu Bank.

Shinsu Bank was my father’s main bank. It was also Gwangjin Distribution’s main bank and ranked around sixth in total assets, making it quite solid. I wasn’t particularly worried about entrusting my money to them, so I mindlessly deposited all my incoming funds there.

According to Kim Sujeong, various banks had been contacting me, including Shinsu Bank, but I thought it was better to leave my money accessible rather than tying it up in investments. After all, I was earning more from the dimensional rifts anyway.

And while I didn’t know much, I understood that banks invest my money for their own profit as if it were their own, which made me somewhat reluctant.

Anyway, I hadn’t given it much thought. I was just receiving whatever interest rate had been set up long ago, but after the auction ended, my thinking changed during a meeting with Kellin, who smiled happily even after paying 7 trillion won.

“Suhyun, which bank are you using now?”

“Huh? Why ask about banks suddenly?”

“How about switching to KL Bank?”

“What’s KL Bank?”

“Kellin Bank! It’s run by our group. We’re planning to enter the Korean market soon. I’ll keep your money safe.”

“…You’re not trying to take back the auction money, are you?”

KL Bank had an asset scale incomparable to Korean banks. It was the largest bank in the United States, and not just Kellin but most American SS-rank hunters used Kellin Bank.

“You wouldn’t listen if I explained all the benefits. But it’s definitely better than keeping your money in just any bank.”

“Hmm… you think so?”

“Just as I became your VVIP member, I want to make you my VVIP member too. And if you use our bank, I’ll get you one SS-rank item.”

“…”

There was no reason to refuse Kellin’s offer. Honestly, even with an SS-rank item, I’d need to check its options compared to my current items, but whether I sold it or not would be my choice. From Kellin’s perspective, it seemed like she might be losing out on the deal—almost like she just wanted to give me something.

But why? Of course, many people want to be associated with me, probably calculating what they might gain. But Kellin was the first to offer an SS-rank item just to have me deposit money.

“This is how KL became the world’s best. We invest decisively. Try KL Bank, and if you like it, use other KL affiliates too. Eventually, we might have something to ask of you as well.”

Kellin’s final words probably revealed her true intention. Fair enough. While Kellin and I were somewhat close, our relationship had been strictly business. Everything I brought from the dimensional rifts was sold through auctions, and I never gave Kellin anything separately. So this was a process of narrowing that business gap.

Well, using KL Bank wouldn’t be one-sided in my favor, so it could still be considered business. It didn’t seem like a bad idea.

“Sure, why not. It’s better to earn a little more than let money sit idle.”

Good terms and trustworthy. Better than leaving it in an account I created without knowing much.

“…So I’ve agreed to receive an SS-rank item from KL Bank. Does Shinsu Bank have anything better to offer?”

The branch manager discreetly pushed aside the beef sets on the floor.

“That’s… something we’d need to negotiate. For now, we can offer a savings account with 6% interest and various high-yield products…”

“If you can promise two SS-rank items with a contract within three days, I’ll keep Shinsu Bank as my main bank. Otherwise, I’ll switch to KL Bank in three days.”

“Ah… sir.”

It probably wouldn’t happen. Even one SS-rank item would fetch an unpredictable auction price—likely at least 1 trillion won based on recent trends. Asking for two was unreasonable, which is why Kellin’s offer was so exceptional.

Given my relationship with Kellin—we had some rapport, I was a VVIP member of Farming’s, and she was favorably disposed toward me—I felt I needed at least two items to reject her offer.

Three days later, all my cash assets were transferred to KL Bank.

People who had speculated that Shinsu Bank might be connected to Farming Company or might be integrated like Gwangjin Distribution also withdrew their funds, causing the stock market to see red for the first time.

While I was feeling satisfied looking at my KL Bank account full of benefits (though it wasn’t my concern), suddenly—

“Huh?”

Something triggered Poongpoong’s mana detection after a long time.

It was detected at almost exactly 100 meters away, making me uncertain, but given the current situation, I used Leap to check it out.

“Who’s there?”

“…!”

Seeing someone dressed entirely in black using stealth while watching my house made them about 60% suspicious. When I asked, they panicked and immediately drew a dagger to swing at me.

Their rank and abilities were lower than the two assassins I’d seen before, making their panicked attack so slow I didn’t even need to use Leap to dodge.

“…!”

They were so slow I could catch them with just my reflexes.

“Arghh!”

They dropped the dagger and screamed as I grabbed and broke their wrist.

“Shh, shh. What kind of assassin screams?”

I grabbed their neck and logged in.