Net Worth Hits 9 Billion Won, but “I’m Having a Reality Check Rather Than Feeling Happy”... A 40-Something Office Worker’s Surprising Confession

[Financial News] An office worker has sparked controversy after revealing that, despite amassing assets in the 9-billion-won range through successful investments in real estate and crypto assets, anxiety about loss and severed personal relationships have kept them from finding peace of mind.

On the 26th, a post titled “I Have 9 Billion Won in Assets, but Not a Single Person to Talk to About It” appeared on NOW Talk, an anonymous community for office workers.
The author, identified as an office worker in their 40s at a large corporation, attached a screenshot verifying a financial account with total assets of approximately 9.187 billion won and said, “I have almost no debt, so my net worth is also in the high 8-billion-won range.”
According to A, over the past 10 years he built up his assets by investing in real estate, stocks, and crypto assets alongside his job, making several important investment decisions along the way. He said that although he had built wealth on a level placing him among the top 0.1%, his satisfaction with life had not risen accordingly.
He said, “There’s no one around me in a similar situation, so I have no one to share my concerns with,” and expressed a sense of social isolation, saying, “I can’t bring it up with coworkers or even friends because they might see it as bragging or as a ‘privileged complaint.’” He added that even when spending without looking at price tags or using a bank’s VIP lounge, he felt not a sense of achievement but “a sense of emptiness first, thinking, ‘So this is how truly rich people have always lived.’”

He noted in particular that the nature of his anxiety had changed as his wealth grew. A said, “I used to worry, ‘What if I don’t have enough money?’ Now I’m plagued by the defensive anxiety, ‘What if I lose this huge sum?’” He added, “I dream of quitting every day, but I can’t make the decision because I’m afraid I’ll lose my social identity if I actually leave the company.”
He went on to say, “It’s true that money removes the inconveniences of daily life, but it doesn’t guarantee peace of mind,” adding, “I wonder when people who have gone through a similar process found psychological stability.”

Among online users and office workers who saw the post, a shared view emerged that a lack of “purpose” and “personal interests” can undermine life after building wealth. Comments offered advice such as, “If you become fixated only on your target amount, an intense sense of emptiness sets in once you reach it,” and, “Regardless of the size of your assets, your satisfaction with life won’t increase if you don’t know what makes you happy.”
A also replied, “I’m keenly aware of the importance of personal interests. I’ve realized how important it is to know what I enjoy doing and what I want to do when I’m taking a break.”
People in finance and psychology describe this as a typical aspect of “rapid wealth accumulation syndrome.” One wealth management expert said, “It’s not uncommon for people whose economic status changes in a short period through successful investing to become psychologically isolated because they feel estranged from their existing social circles or become obsessed with protecting their assets.” The expert added, “Alongside financial preparations for retirement, emotional capital and the formation of new social networks to support life after wealth accumulation should also be taken into consideration.”
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