After the Divorce, a Treasure Map Made Me a 1,000-Trillionaire Chapter 13
The auctioneer, Kim Ji-hye, introduced the piece with a completely different energy than before.
“The very first piece we’ll be auctioning today is this monkey print. It’s one of Banksy’s most iconic works, which I’m sure you’re all familiar with.”
Someone in the audience raised their hand. “Does the piece have Banksy’s signature on the back?”
The auctioneer smiled confidently. “Of course. Banksy’s signature is clearly on the back. And as you may know, this is the exact piece Banksy posted about on Instagram recently—the one he sold on the street himself. In other words, there’s absolutely no need to worry about forgery.”
The crowd began to buzz again.
“Banksy’s signature? Then it’ll start at least 500 million won, right?” “If you win this, other collectors will definitely contact you to buy it.”
Banksy’s works were already highly sought after by art collectors, but they were especially popular among the young rich. Whoever won today would be swarmed with offers from wealthy buyers who couldn’t attend in person.
Pointing to the monkey print, the auctioneer announced, “Alright, let’s begin the auction for Banksy’s first piece—the monkey print! We’ll start at 100 million won, with bids increasing in increments of 50 million.”
The moment bidding began, the middle-aged woman with long hair—who had competed earlier—raised her paddle. “300 million!”
Three times the starting price in a single call.
“We have 300 million! From here, we’ll go up in increments of 10 million. You may never see this piece in Korea again!”
Earlier, people had backed down whenever the long-haired woman bid, but this time was different. The middle-aged man who had challenged her before raised his paddle. “500 million!”
“It’s heating up! We have 500 million! Now we’ll go up by 20 million each!”
Five hundred million. That was already the minimum amount appraiser Min Tae-seung had predicted. But the bidding didn’t slow.
“520 million! 540 million! 560 million! …”
Each lift of a paddle added 20 million more. With every raise, the amount climbed as much as my half-year’s salary.
Then—one decisive shout ended the frenzy. “One billion!”
It was her again—the long-haired woman.
“We have one billion won! Any more bids? If not, I’ll call it three times!”
The auctioneer raised the gavel. “One billion!” Bang! “One billion!” Bang! “One billion!” Bang!
“Sold! Banksy’s monkey print—one billion won! Congratulations!”
“Mmph… it’s Chairwoman Oh again.” “Unbelievable.” “How much does that woman spend every time?” “Well, she is rumored to be Korea’s ‘Cash Queen.’”
One billion won… for just one of the three pieces. And this was only the beginning.
“The next piece is another signature Banksy work—the rat print! Like the monkey print, this one is also signed by the artist himself.”
The auctioneer’s voice grew even more energetic. “Starting again at 100 million! Bids will go up in increments of 50 million!”
This time, there was no fierce back-and-forth. With just one call, it ended. “1.2 billion!”
The winner? A middle-aged man with a round belly.
“1.2 billion! Congratulations!”
Chairwoman Oh shook her head—clearly, the price had exceeded what she was willing to pay.
The man smiled smugly at her. She bit her lip. Were they rivals? I didn’t care. Rival or not, they’d each just handed me 1 billion and 1.2 billion won. As far as I was concerned, they were all gods—Jesus, Buddha, Confucius, and Allah rolled into one.
With two auctions done, it was time for the last.
But the final piece hadn’t been brought out yet.
“Only two so far? I thought there were three?” “That’s right. Where’s the last one?”
The auctioneer’s voice carried a note of suspense. “Please wait just a moment, everyone. The true final Banksy piece of today is still to come. It’s quite large, so our staff are bringing it in now.”
Moments later, two men in suits, wearing white cotton gloves, carried in the piece as carefully as if it were a newborn child.
I felt a chill as I realized— That precious thing was just leaning against my desk in the goshiwon, wrapped in newspaper…
If it had fallen or torn in my sleep… the thought alone made me shudder.
The two men placed it on the canvas stand. The auctioneer pulled away the cloth.
“Ladies and gentlemen—Banksy’s Girl and War!”
Gasps erupted. “Whoa!” “A Banksy piece that big?!” “You’d rarely see something like that even at Sotheby’s…” “And they didn’t even announce it beforehand?!”
The excitement was palpable.
“This size of Banksy’s work is rare even at Sotheby’s. Let’s start at 2 billion won, with bids going up by 50 million each!”
Two billion… just to start?
It was higher than I’d imagined. People hesitated.
But the silence didn’t last. “2 billion!” “2.05 billion! 2.1 billion! … 2.5 billion!”
Then, the man from earlier—Chairman Choi, who had bought the rat print—raised his paddle. “3.5 billion!”
That kind of money could buy a luxury home in Gangnam.
I paid a hundred thousand won for that on the street while drunk… and now it’s 3.5 billion?
I pinched my cheek to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. “Ow!” Nope. This was reality.
“3.5 billion! Any more bids? Going once, going twice—”
Just before the final strike, a sharp voice rang out. “Five billion!”
It was Chairwoman Oh.
The crowd exploded. “Five billion?!” “She’s unbeatable.” “To be fair, a piece like this would fetch that much at Sotheby’s.”
The auctioneer gave three final calls. No one else bid.
Bang! “Sold! Banksy’s Girl and War—five billion won! Congratulations!”
One by one, people began to leave.
The auction money didn’t transfer instantly—such large amounts never did. But two days later, my phone buzzed with a message.
[Mr. Kang Chan, the auction proceeds have all been deposited. Please confirm. If there are any issues, contact us. — Appraiser Min Tae-seung]
Seconds later, the bank notification came.
[H Auction / 6,242,000,000 won / Deposit]
6.24 billion won. Even after fees and taxes, it was more than I’d ever dreamed of touching in my lifetime. My heart pounded so hard I thought I might collapse.
For an hour, I just sat there staring at the transaction record. Then I grabbed my coat and headed out.
After an hour’s drive, I arrived at my grandfather’s columbarium. His spot was in the dimly lit first floor—not because I wanted it that way, but because back then, I couldn’t afford anything better.
But now, things were different. I walked straight to the office.
“I’m Kang Seok-du’s grandson. Please move my grandfather to the most expensive spot you have here.”
The staff member’s face brightened at the words most expensive. “We have one VIP spot left for 30 million won. Shall I prepare it?” “Yes. The 30 million one.”
Minutes later, my grandfather’s remains rested in the finest single-room space in the building.
Better. Now he can rest in comfort.
After that, I headed straight for the BMW dealership.