Worker shares feelings of isolation after amassing fortune on anonymous app Blind

'I thought I'd have nothing to worry about, but the worries keep coming'

Employees arrive for work at Samsung Electronics' Seoul R&D Campus in Umyeon-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, on June 24. [Yonhap]
Employees arrive for work at Samsung Electronics' Seoul R&D Campus in Umyeon-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, on June 24. [Yonhap]

A post by a salaried worker in his 40s who says he built up more than 9 billion won in assets over a decade through real estate, share and virtual asset investments — only to find himself feeling unsettled — has gone viral online.

The user, identified only as A, whose workplace is listed as Samsung Electronics on the anonymous office worker community app Blind, drew widespread attention Wednesday with a post titled "I have 9 billion won in assets and there's not a single person I can talk to about it."

A said his total assets stand at around 9 billion won ($6.8 million), with net assets in the high 8 billion won range after minimal debt, and shared a screenshot of an account balance showing 9.19 billion won.

"I thought that at this level I'd have nothing to worry about, but honestly the worries keep coming," he wrote. "And since I have nowhere to talk about this, I'm writing it here."

A said he is a married man in his 40s who invested across real estate, shares and virtual assets over roughly a decade. His net worth had not changed dramatically until a few years ago, when a handful of pivotal decisions caused it to surge suddenly.

With that rapid accumulation came a different kind of worry.

"The hardest part is having no one to talk to," he wrote. "There's nobody around me in a similar situation. I obviously can't tell people at work. If I tell friends, it sounds like bragging, and if I frame it as a concern, it sounds like a rich person's problem. So I just don't tell anyone — and that's lonelier than I expected."

He said his new wealth has brought unfamiliar experiences — ordering from a menu without checking prices, or being escorted to a private room at the bank. "Rather than feeling happy, it's strange because I keep encountering a world I don't know," he said.

"The worries haven't gone away — they've just changed," he added. "Before, it was 'what if I don't have enough?' Now it's 'what if I lose all this?'"

He concluded that money's ability to buy happiness is only half true. "The lifestyle worries have definitely gone away, but finding peace of mind turned out to be a separate matter entirely," he wrote.

A also said he thinks about quitting his job every day but cannot bring himself to do it — not because he loves the work, but because he would not know who he is without his company affiliation, explaining why he has yet to retire despite his considerable fortune.

Readers responded with a range of reactions. Some urged him to seek professional counseling, saying he appeared to have money but no peace of mind. Others reflected that financial independence requires a sense of personal values and satisfaction regardless of the amount — noting that some people retire on 300 million won while others cannot make that call even with 30 billion won. One commenter said they were in a similar position with around 10 billion won and had never told anyone — parents, friends, colleagues or siblings — though they discuss it frequently as a couple. Another advised him never to involve acquaintances in financial matters, warning that those closest to him were more likely to feel envy and resentment, and suggested he find comfort in his family's happiness instead.


jshan@heraldcorp.com