Golden Spoon Investment Portfolio - Chapter 107

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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107. You really are the department head!

A bright weekday afternoon.
With warm sunlight streaming down, a loud voice echoed from the entrance of the Golf Course clubhouse, and a group walked inside.
It was Woo Ho-geun, the eldest son of Donghae Group Chairman Woo Yong-gap, and his friends.
Being a weekday afternoon, the clubhouse interior was nearly empty and quiet.
The three men walked with familiar ease to a table right beside the floor-to-ceiling windows that offered the best view inside the house.

“Man, what kind of spring weather is this! The sky’s clear, but it’s still cold—my fingers are stiff. My golf game was a complete disaster today too.”

A man in a dark navy polo shirt and white pants grumbled, and Jeon Geon-woo, the son of a ruling party senior congressman, sitting beside him, let out a snort of laughter and spoke.

“If you hit three out-of-bounds shots, it’s not the weather—it’s a lack of skill.”
“Come on, seriously!”
“Stop making excuses and own up to it like a man.”
“Wow, this is so unfair I can’t stand it. Hey, you don’t know my skill level?”

The man who had spoken first thumped his chest indignantly.
The man with a soft-featured appearance was named Yoo Seok-chan, and he was the son of a major player in the Myeongdong loan shark market.
These three, including Woo Ho-geun, formed a clique, got along well together, and enjoyed entertainment as a group.

“Are you ready to order?”

A Female Employee in a neat uniform placed a menu down among the chattering group and asked.
Since Woo Ho-geun frequented this place like it was his own home, he didn’t even glance at the menu and spoke right away.

“I’ll have the vegetable hangover soup.”
“I drank yesterday too, so I need to have some hangover soup myself.”
“You two are both whining anyway. Since it’s a hassle, let’s just unify the order.”

Jeon Geon-woo teased the other two and turned his gaze toward the Female Employee.

“You heard that? Bring three of the same thing.”
“Yes, please wait a moment.”

The Female Employee gathered up the menu that no one had looked at and turned to leave.
Jeon Geon-woo, watching the Female Employee’s hips in her skirt with a leering gaze, smirked.

“She’s got quite the figure.”
“Why? Planning to make a move?”

Yoo Seok-chan asked while lifting his water glass and taking a sip.

“There’s no ‘move’ to it. A woman like that would fall for me with just a few words.”
“Arthur, this place gets a lot of older gentlemen coming through. We don’t want to cause trouble if word gets around.”

When Woo Ho-geun gently tried to dissuade him, Yoo Seok-chan—his expression sour from the hangover—shot back with a sneer.

“What’s this? You joined your father’s company and now you’re worried about your reputation?”
“I just don’t want to hear the old man’s nagging.”

Woo Ho-geun frowned as he replied.

“Besides, I heard that Congressman Jeon might be appointed as a State Councilor in the upcoming cabinet reshuffle. If that happens, you’ll need to be even more careful.”
“Yeah, I suppose so.”

Jeon Geon-woo smacked his lips.

“My old man’s already threatening to send me abroad if I don’t behave myself.”
“That’s pretty harsh, even for a parent.”

Yoo Seok-chan spoke with a sullen expression, and Jeon Geon-woo shrugged.

“What can I do? If I want to keep enjoying the scraps that fall my way, I have to stay on my best behavior.”

As the three of them continued their idle banter, their food arrived.

“Let’s give it a try.”

Yoo Seok-chan took a spoonful of broth first and tasted it, raising his eyebrows slightly.

“Hmm, not bad.”
“The food here is decent enough.”
“Hey, I’m starving. Let’s dig in.”

Since Woo Ho-geun and Jeon Geon-woo had just finished their golf game and were famished, they picked up their spoons and began eating.

“My putting was solid today, but my driver game was absolutely terrible.”
“Same here. The weather’s still too cold—I’m not playing up to my usual standard. Next time, let’s head somewhere warmer for a round.”
“Look at this guy blaming the weather again.”
“Stop making excuses. Hey, what about the Philippines? I heard Clark is supposed to be amazing.”

At Yoo Seok-chan’s suggestion, Jeon Geon-woo’s eyes lit up.

“I’ve heard about it too. The golf courses are world-class, and the nightlife is supposedly unbeatable.”
“This guy’s got nothing but women on the brain.”
“Well, if you’ve got the appetite for it, that’s only natural, isn’t it?”

Jeon Geon-woo answered brazenly, and Yoo Seok-chan thrust his middle finger in front of his nose before turning to look at Woo Ho-geun.

“What about you, Ho-geun?”
“The Philippines? Not a bad idea.”

Woo Ho-geun wiped around his mouth with a napkin as he spoke.

“Alright then. Let’s consider it decided—we’re all going.”

Jeon Geon-woo jumped in excitedly.

“I’ll take care of arranging the women.”
“I know some models from before who’d be perfect.”
“Ha ha ha. Got it.”

Once the meal wound down, Woo Ho-geun took a sip of the coffee that arrived for dessert, set it down, glanced around discreetly, and spoke up.

“I’ve got an opportunity to pull in some serious money. You interested in getting in on it?”

Yoo Seok-chan and Jeon Geon-woo, who had been chuckling moments before, suddenly fixed him with keen attention.

“You’ve got a good deal lined up?”
“What is it? Tell us.”

Seeing their interest piqued, Woo Ho-geun leaned back and spoke.

“First, decide whether you’re in or out.”
“The way you’re talking about it, this must be pretty big, huh?”

Yoo Seok-chan pulled his chair close to the table, his face alight with curiosity.

“If everything goes according to plan, each of us can pocket at least 5 billion won.”

Whee!
Yoo Seok-chan let out a short whistle.

“Not bad at all.”
“5 billion? Hey, you’re absolutely sure about that?”

Jeon Geon-woo openly displayed his greed, showing keen interest.
At that time, a 13-pyeong apartment in Dogok-dong cost around 180 million won, so 5 billion was quite a substantial sum even for this crew.

“What kind of job is it?”

In response to Yoo Seok-chan’s question, Woo Ho-geun spoke with his arms crossed.

“Are you in?”
“Of course! I can’t miss out on something like this.”
“Doesn’t sound bad. I’m in too.”

As Jeon Geon-woo suddenly rubbed his hands together in response, Yu Seok-hyun nodded in agreement.
Woo Ho-geun, who had anticipated they would naturally jump at the chance to make money, smiled inwardly as he spoke.

“Boseong Communications. Ever heard of it?”
“First time hearing the name. What do they do?”

Unlike Jeon Geon-woo, who tilted his head in confusion, Yoo Seok-chan—true to his lineage as the son of a major player in the Myeongdong loan shark market—responded with a glimmer of recognition in his eyes.

“Isn’t that the company that makes electronic dictionaries and radios?”

Woo Ho-geun offered a faint smile and gave a small nod.

“Exactly. I knew you’d know.”
“That’s the company whose stock price shot up dramatically two years ago due to the acquisition and merger issue.”

Yoo Seok-chan, recalling something, narrowed his eyes and looked at Woo Ho-geun before him.

“Are you planning to run a scheme?”
“Yeah.”

Woo Ho-geun had been reaching for his teacup when he noticed the coffee had already gone lukewarm, so he set it back down.

“Word will start spreading through Yeouido soon about how the manufacturing plant we built in China is ramping up full-scale operations this year, mass production of high-value deck mechanisms is beginning, and we’ve secured major export contracts that will significantly boost our business performance.”
“Is all of that actually true?”

When Jeon Geon-woo asked, Woo Ho-geun flashed a thin smile.

“Rumors floating around the Securities District are all like that anyway, aren’t they?”
“That’s right.”

Yoo Seok-chan, who immediately recognized it as a fabricated lie designed to inflate the stock price, responded with a similar expression.

“Right, the company hasn’t even made an official announcement—it’s purely hearsay after all.”

Jeon Geon-woo, catching on belatedly, nodded in agreement.
Woo Ho-geun leaned back against his chair and continued.

“And if we pump it up a bit using proxy accounts, the retail investors will flock to it and drive the price up on their own.”
“But if we hype up the stock like that and then the major shareholder sells and bails, we’re the ones left holding the bag.”

To Yoo Seok-chan’s sharp observation, Woo Ho-geun answered with ease.

“I’ve already arranged everything, so you don’t need to worry about that.”

At that, Jeon Geon-woo, already thinking about the money he’d be making, asked eagerly.

“How much are we going to pump the stock?”
“At minimum, we’re looking at a five-fold return.”

When Woo Ho-geun spread his fingers wide, Jeon Geon-woo chuckled and said.

“Wow, that’s huge. If we’re doing this anyway, we might as well go for that much!”

Unlike Jeon Geon-woo, who was getting ahead of himself, Yoo Seok-chan—the son of a major player in the private lending market—had a sharp mind for money matters and asked calmly.

“So how much capital do we need to prepare?”

This was the most crucial part.
Woo Ho-geun opened his mouth, his voice dropping slightly as he looked at the two men.

“Each of you needs to secure one billion won by the end of this month.”
“That should be manageable. What about you?”

Yoo Seok-chan, who had answered first, turned his head to look at Jeon Geon-woo.

“Tch, unlike you two, our old man is determined to take the family fortune with him to the grave—he won’t let go of a single won.”
“So you can’t do it?”
“Hey, let me finish what I’m saying.”

Jeon Geon-woo, irritated, scratched his head vigorously.

“There’s no way around it. I’ll have to ask our lady for help.”

Once it became clear that both would be joining the operation, Woo Ho-geun spoke with an intentionally serious expression.

“I know you’ll handle it well, but this must remain absolutely secret until we complete the operation.”
“Of course.”
“I’ll keep my mouth shut, so don’t worry.”

Following Yoo Seok-chan, Jeon Geon-woo also made a playful gesture of zipping his lips with one hand.

“Hehe, once I line my pockets with this, I won’t have to worry about the old man’s mood for a while.”

* * *

“Let’s proceed with this as planned.”
“Yes, understood.”

Seok-won, seated at the head of the sofa, handed the file folder back to Team Leader Choi Ho-geun as he spoke.

“Ah, and I’m planning to go on a business trip to the United States starting next week for about two weeks. Keep that in mind, and if there’s anything to report, call me.”
“Understood.”

Since Choi Ho-geun had frequently taken extended business trips to the United States back when he was a team leader, he answered without much concern.

“Will you be attending today’s company dinner?”

Choi Ho-geun, the team leader, placed the file folder on his lap and glanced cautiously before asking, prompting Seok-won to let out an acknowledging sound.

“Now that I think about it, we have the entire department dinner scheduled for today.”
“Yes. We originally planned it for Tuesday, but as you know, the major earthquake in Japan forced us to postpone it to today.”

Though the earthquake had struck Japan, its ripples spread across global markets, including Korea’s, causing significant volatility—leaving no room for leisurely gatherings like a department dinner.

“If you’re busy, should we postpone the dinner to next time?”
“No, that won’t do. I can’t miss the entire department dinner. Have you decided on a location?”
“There’s a grilled pork belly restaurant nearby that we frequent, so I was thinking of making a reservation there.”
“Are you talking about Cheongwon Restaurant?”
“Ah, you know about it?”

It was a place where employees from nearby Securities Companies would go to enjoy affordable grilled pork belly and soju.
The image didn’t quite match Seok-won, who always seemed like the type to pair steak with wine, so Choi Ho-geun asked with a surprised expression, and Seok-won shook his head lightly.

“I haven’t been there myself, but I’ve heard the name since employees often stop by there.”
“I see. In any case, I thought it would be a suitable location for the dinner since it has plenty of group seating and we’re familiar with it.”
“Hmm.”

Seok-won stroked his chin with one hand, thinking for a moment.

“How about we hold the dinner somewhere different this time instead of the usual grilled pork belly restaurant?”
“Pardon?”

Choi Ho-geun asked back with a puzzled expression.

“I’ll make the reservation for the location. Keep that in mind.”
“Ah, yes. Understood.”

Choi Ho-geun answered somewhat taken aback and lowered his head.

That afternoon.
After the market closed, the Trading Department employees hurried to finish their work and arrived at the dinner location, standing before an unfamiliar building with bewildered expressions.

“This is the right place for the dinner, right?”

Song Jong-geun, the section chief, nudged Choi Ho-geun with his elbow as he spoke.

“Yes. This is the address Miss Na gave me.”

Choi Ho-geun pulled out a note with the address and a rough map drawn on it from his inner jacket pocket and waved it as if to show it to everyone.

“See? It matches, right?”
“It does match, but… no matter how I look at it, there’s nowhere here suitable for a company dinner.”

The other employees listening to the conversation nearby also shook their heads in unison.
Then Jung Hwan-yeop raised one arm and pointed to a large bowling pin-shaped sculpture standing in front of the building.

“This is a bowling alley, isn’t it? Surely we’re not having the company dinner here, are we?”
“Are you insane? What kind of company dinner would we have there?”

Song Jong-geun squinted his eyes, and Jung Hwan-yeop retreated awkwardly.

“Still, the only place to go into is the bowling alley…”

As the employees stood about like lost sheep, unsure where to go, a familiar voice came from behind them.

“Why isn’t everyone going in?”

When I turned around, Seok-won was approaching with his secretary, Na Seong-mi.
The employees hurriedly bowed their heads, then gradually straightened up as they exchanged cautious glances.

“It’s cold out. Let’s go in quickly.”
“Um, this is a bowling alley, so where is the restaurant you reserved…?”

Choi Ho-geun carefully stepped forward and asked.
The other employees behind him stood looking only at Seok-won with bewildered expressions.

“This is the right place.”
“Pardon?”

At that, Choi Ho-geun and all the employees widened their eyes in shock.

“You… you reserved the bowling alley?”

Song Jong-geun asked again, wondering if he’d misheard, but Seok-won’s answer was the same.

“That’s right. I thought it would be better for us to bond as a team by doing something like bowling together rather than just drinking.”

Song Jong-geun, whose eyes met Seok-won’s, reflexively nodded in agreement.

“Ah, yes. You’re absolutely right.”

The employees, realizing that the bowling alley reservation wasn’t a mistake but an actual company outing venue, exchanged awkward smiles as they glanced at one another.

“It’s been a while since I’ve bowled. I’m not sure if I’ll be any good.”
“Exercising together like this isn’t so bad, though.”
“That’s true.”

Seok-won looked at his group and stepped forward to lead the way.

“Well then, shall we go in?”

Song Jong-geun then mixed in with the other employees and followed, leaning close to Team Lead Choi Ho-geun to whisper.

“A company outing at a bowling alley? This is the first time I’ve ever experienced something like this.”
“Tell me about it.”

Jung Hwan-yeop, who had been eagerly anticipating the company outing, interjected with a disappointed expression.

“Since he studied abroad in the United States, I suppose this is American style.”
“That makes sense.”
“Do Americans really like bowling? I’ve never heard that before.”
“Maybe it’s trendy these days.”
“I suppose so….”

While the team lead and section chief nodded alternately, Jung Hwan-yeop let out a heavy sigh.

“I heard the department head chose the venue himself, so I thought we’d get to taste premium beef like last time. Instead, it looks like I’m just going to work up a sweat.”

Team Lead Choi Ho-geun then glared sharply at Jung Hwan-yeop and rebuked him.

“What sweat are you talking about? It’s just bowling.”
“Throwing a heavy bowling ball so it rolls down the lane accurately—that takes so much effort and mental energy.”
“Anyone listening to you would think you’re a national bowling champion, you bastard.”

Choi Ho-geun slapped Jung Hwan-yeop’s back hard with his palm.

“Stop spouting nonsense and get in there already.”
“Yeah, yeah. I got it.”

Disappointed that it wasn’t Korean beef, Jung Hwan-yeop shuffled inside with heavy steps.
At first, the other employees felt a bit awkward, but once they divided into teams and started the game, their competitive spirits ignited before long.
Everyone threw their balls with focused expressions and cheered each other on, thoroughly enjoying the bowling.

Thud! Rumble rumble rumble. Crash! Clatter clatter!

Jung Hwan-yeop’s sloppily thrown ball knocked down all the pins lined up in a row at once, recording a strike.
Immediately, the Team 4 members sitting nearby threw both arms up in the air and let out cheers.

“Nice!”
“That’s it!”
“You’re amazing, Jung!”

Jung Hwan-yeop turned around with swagger and made a V-sign with his fingers toward his teammates.

“Ha ha, did you all see that? This is child’s play!”

Meanwhile, Song Jong-geun from the opposing team wore an expression as if he’d bitten into sand.

“How does he get a strike throwing like that? This has to be rigged.”
“This is ridiculous. We’ve lost two straight games.”

Shin Myung-hee, a female employee from Team 1, spoke with a thoroughly dejected expression.

Moreover, Kim Jung-sik, the Team 1 leader, reproached Song Jong-geun with wounded pride.

“Hey, Song! You said you bowled a bit in college. So why is your skill like this!”
“Well… it’s been several years since I’ve bowled, so I don’t seem to have my old form.”
“A moment ago you were talking like strikes would come pouring out the moment you stepped up. Tsk, I’m really disappointed.”
“I apologize.”

Words rose to Kim Jung-sik’s throat about how they wouldn’t have lost two straight if he hadn’t dropped the ball in the gutter twice, but he forcibly swallowed them back down.
On the other hand, Jung Hwan-yeop, whose shoulders had risen high from consecutive strikes, looked at Seok-won, who was wiping the bowling ball with a towel, and spoke.

“The facilities here are nice, but it doesn’t seem to be doing much business.”
“You’re right. It’s just us customers here.”

Hong Jae-hee glanced around at the remark, taking in her surroundings anew.

“That’s because I rented out the entire place for the day.”

Seok-won slipped his fingers into a bowling ball and lifted it, responding in an offhand manner.

“You rented the entire bowling alley?”
“That’s right.”

Seok-won gave a brief answer and walked forward to take his shot.

“Wow. That’s truly third-generation chaebol class.”
“Right? I never imagined he’d rent out the entire bowling alley.”

Yu Seok-hyun, who had been steadily racking up points with quiet, methodical play befitting his build, chimed in as well.
Like Hong Jae-hee, who nodded with a stunned expression, the other employees stood slack-jawed in amazement.
When Seok-won’s bowling ball narrowly failed to knock down all the pins, he returned with a disappointed look and spoke to the employees.

“By the way, isn’t everyone getting hungry?”

At that, Jung Hwan-yeop raised his hand eagerly and exclaimed.

“I’m starving, sir! I didn’t even eat dinner and came straight to exercise, so I’m dying of hunger!”
“Ha ha. The food just arrived, so let’s eat while we’re here.”

Rather than moving to a restaurant, everyone looked puzzled at the mention of food arriving and turned their heads in the direction Seok-won was looking.
A group of people in white uniforms then pushed several carts through the entrance and began setting up tables and arranging food in the back area.

“Did you call those people too, sir?”

Jung Hwan-yeop asked, his eyes wide.

“For a company dinner, everyone should eat their fill. The Walkerhill Hotel has decent food, so I arranged for their catering buffet.”
“Wow!”

Jung Hwan-yeop instinctively gave a thumbs up, while the female employees squealed with delight at the mention of a hotel catering buffet.

“You’re truly the best, sir!”

Seok-won offered a faint smile at the sight of everyone’s delight.

“As I mentioned earlier, I’ve reserved this entire place for the day, so eat and drink to your heart’s content.”
“Sir! Since this is a company dinner, there’s alcohol, right?”
“Of course. I’ve had them bring not just soju and beer, but an entire case of Chivas Regal as well, so drink as much as you’d like.”

At that, the eyes of the male employees, including Jung Hwan-yeop, lit up in unison.

“Wow, an entire case of Chivas Regal!”
“Today’s a foreign whiskey day, not soju!”
“Woohoo!”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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