Golden Spoon Investment Portfolio - Chapter 134

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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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134. That stubborn bastard.

Inside the Chairman’s Office at Mapo Daeheung Group Headquarters.

“Tell them to take the documents once I’ve signed off on them.”
“Yes, Chairman.”

Jung Yun-kyung, who answered briefly, gathered an armful of signed documents stacked on one side of the large mahogany desk.

“Sigh… I’ve been staring at nothing but characters. I’m exhausted. Brew me a strong cup of coffee and bring it here.”
“Understood.”

Chairman Park Tae-hong removed his reading glasses and set them down, leaning back against the plush chair. As he waited, rubbing the bridge of his nose with a slightly weary expression, Jung Yun-kyung soon returned with a tray carrying a warm cup of coffee.
While waiting and rubbing the bridge of my nose with a slightly tired expression, Jung Yun-kyung soon entered carrying a tray with warm coffee.

“Today’s evening newspaper first edition has come out.”

Only a small quantity, several hundred to around a thousand copies, were printed because it served as a kind of test version to identify and correct errors like typos before mass production.
Conversely, it also meant the last opportunity to remove awkward articles or soften their content before the printing presses rolled and newspapers were distributed nationwide.
Of course, newspapers didn’t do this for free—they received advertisements from the relevant companies in exchange, boosting their revenue.
In fact, many newspaper desks would deliberately target specific companies with critical articles from the start, purely to apply advertising pressure.
For these reasons, politicians, government offices, and corporations were the primary subscribers to the limited first print editions.
Chairman Park Tae-hong likewise received and reviewed the first print edition several hours before the general public each day.
For this reason, politicians, government offices, and companies were the main subscribers of early newspapers, which were printed in limited quantities.
“Mm. Yes.”

Jung Yun-kyung bowed slightly and left. Chairman Park Tae-hong straightened his upper body and picked up the afternoon edition’s first print, its ink smell still pungent.

“Let me see what articles made it in.”

Chairman Park Tae-hong took a sip of coffee and began reading through the newspaper articles carefully from the front page. As expected, the summit between President Kim Sung-gyu and the visiting Bulgarian president dominated a significant portion of the page as today’s biggest news.

Chairman Park Tae-hong took a sip of coffee and carefully read through the newspaper articles from the front page.
The summit between President Kim Sung-gyu and the Bulgarian President visiting Korea was today’s biggest news, so as expected, related articles took up a considerable portion of the coverage.
Since there was nothing particularly noteworthy, Park Tae-hong flipped to the business section, where one article caught his eye prominently.

[Cheonho Steel Plummets Amid Mass Selling
Riding the recent low P/E ratio stock craze sweeping the market, Cheonho Steel—which had surged more than tenfold—dropped sharply by over 4% due to massive sell-offs flooding the market since morning.
Cheonho Steel has been recognized as an asset stock due to the high real estate value of its factory sites in Busan and Changwon, attracting intense interest from foreign and domestic investors alike….]

“Cheonho Steel’s stock price has plummeted?”

Park Tae-hong, who had been leisurely sipping his coffee, widened his eyes and set down his teacup.
Holding the newspaper open with both hands, he read the article once more in detail, and a look of dismay crossed his face.

“Damn it.”

The reason I was reacting so sensitively to Cheonho Steel’s stock collapse—despite it having no connection to Daeheung Group or its subsidiaries—was my second son, Seok-won.
Cheonho Steel stock was one of two securities that Seok-won had purchased with the money I entrusted to him, and he had grown it substantially.
I hadn’t expected much when I gave him the capital, yet he had multiplied it several times over—I couldn’t have been more proud.
Every month when I received the investment returns, watching the money grow like bean sprouts was quite satisfying.
But now that Cheonho Steel’s stock—which had climbed so high it made me feel full just looking at it, filling me with contentment—had crashed, my heart sank.

“A 4% drop? How much did we lose exactly?”

I nearly pressed my nose against the newspaper as I muttered to myself.
Based on the profit amount I’d received last month, I calculated we must have lost at least a billion won.

“Shouldn’t we sell before it drops further?”

Restless, I quickly reached out one arm and grabbed the telephone receiver on my desk.
I was about to call my second son immediately and urge him to sell the stock, but a thought suddenly stopped me, and I put the receiver back down.

“No, wait. I entrusted him with the money to manage it himself, so calling him just because the stock price dropped slightly would look bad.”

It’s not as if we lost the principal—just a small portion of the profits. What would he think seeing me panic like this?

“Ahem.”

Realizing I’d nearly made a serious mistake that would have damaged my dignity, I cleared my throat and calmed my anxious mind.

“But this boy Seok-won really did an excellent job.”

Whatever technique he employed, he’d grown the money so substantially that the amount we were losing was still too significant to laugh off lightly.

“Ugh.”

Park Tae-hong kept reaching for his phone with an anxious expression, then pulling his hand back, letting out small groans of distress to himself.

* * *

That evening.
Park Tae-hong, who had left work earlier than usual, sat on the living room sofa in comfortable clothes, reading the newspaper.

“What brings you out to the living room?”

Jo Deok-rye, dressed in a subdued-colored house dress, asked as she settled into the seat across from him.

“It’s my house—what does it matter where I sit?”
“Well, you’re the type who locks himself in the Study Room after every meal, so seeing you planted on the living room sofa is quite the sight.”
“This woman. Do you think the Study Room is a place for leisure? I’ve been swamped with outside matters—you don’t even know what I’m dealing with.”
“All right, all right. If you’re going to stay out here, shall I peel some fruit for you?”
“No need. I ate a lot at dinner—I’m not in the mood for anything sweet.”

Park Tae-hong glanced down at the watch on his wrist, then casually remarked.

“Seok-won is running late.”
“It’s not even seven o’clock yet.”
“Once work is done, he should come straight home. Where is he gallivanting around?”

Jo Deok-rye looked at him with an exasperated expression.

“He’s not a child—he can come home a little late. And you should think about your health instead of always going out for golf or drinks. Stop coming home drunk every night, being carried in by your secretary!”
“When have I ever done that…?”

Park Tae-hong, regretting he’d opened his mouth, hid behind the newspaper from his wife’s piercing gaze. Just then, the doorbell rang, and the Gunsan Housekeeper hurried out from the kitchen, wiping her wet hands on her apron before picking up the interphone receiver.
Just then, when the doorbell rang, the Gunsan Housekeeper came hurrying out from the kitchen, wiping her wet hands on her apron, and picked up the intercom handset.

[It’s me.]
That’s me.

Gunsan Housekeeper immediately pressed the door open button upon hearing Seok-won’s voice from the intercom speaker.

“He’s arrived, it seems.”
“Ahem.”

As Jo Deok-rye headed toward the entrance, Seok-won appeared moments later, a document case in one hand, and opened the door.

“You’re home?”
“Yes.”
“You must be tired. Did you eat dinner?”
“I grabbed something quick in front of the office.”
“Good. Before you head to your room, go see your father for a moment.”

Jo Deok-rye whispered, glancing toward the living room.

“Father?”
“He’s been waiting for you since earlier. I don’t know why he’s holding a newspaper he’s not even reading.”

Jo Deok-rye had already noticed that not a single page of the newspaper had turned since he arrived.
Seok-won nodded and walked toward the living room, greeting Park Tae-hong.

“Father, I’m home.”
“Good.”

Park Tae-hong, who had been listening intently to the conversation between his wife and son from the start, feigned composure as he lowered the newspaper to accept the greeting.

“Come to the Study Room for a moment.”
“Yes.”

As Park Tae-hong rose first, Seok-won immediately followed suit.
Once inside the Study Room, Park Tae-hong settled into the seat of honor with practiced ease, finally allowing his expression to relax.

“What did you need to see me about?”

Seok-won, seated on the left sofa, asked with curiosity.

“It’s nothing major—I saw in the evening paper today that Cheonho Steel’s stock price has dropped significantly.”
“Ah, that.”

Seok-won, realizing why he’d been summoned to the Study Room, suppressed an inward smile.

“Actually, I had something to discuss regarding the investment funds—this works out perfectly.”

Park Tae-hong, who had been wearing a stern expression, leaned forward in his seat and began speaking at length.

“I’m sure you’ll handle it well enough, but when the market sentiment turns sour, it’s wise to take some profits and….”

His intention was to persuade me to sell at least a portion of my holdings before prices fell further.
But then I noticed Seok-won suddenly pulling out a thin folder from the bag beside him, and my words trailed off.

“What’s this?”
“A profit report.”
“It’s too early to receive this month’s report, isn’t it?”
“I’ve closed out all positions and locked in the profits. This is the final return statement.”

Park Tae-hong’s eyes widened at words he hadn’t anticipated.

“You sold everything we invested in?”
“Yes.”
“You liquidated all of it—both Cheonho Steel and O-Gwang Industries?”

At the pressing question, Seok-won nodded calmly.

“Yes. I cleaned it all out thoroughly.”

Unlike the composed Seok-won, Park Tae-hong was filled with regret, as if he had been anxious every time the stock price dropped.

“O-Gwang Industries rose again today—wasn’t selling too hasty?”
“Both companies exceeded their fair valuations long ago, and like Cheonho Steel’s decline today, we’re in a precarious position where selling pressure could flood the market at any moment. Besides, we’ve already achieved our target returns, so this was profit-taking.”

Seok-won answered decisively.
Even as Park Tae-hong continued to look reluctant, Seok-won reassured him as if it were nothing to worry about.

“We’ve already reached the peak. You wouldn’t want to see greed lead to a misstep and miss the exit window, floundering helplessly. It’s better to take slightly less profit and exit cleanly.”

Park Tae-hong inwardly marveled at his second son’s composure—maintaining equanimity and decisively cutting losses despite his youth, when greed would have been natural.
On the other hand, he felt a twinge of shame, realizing how poorly he had performed driven by money lust, unlike his second son’s cold-blooded judgment.
Noticing this, Seok-won deliberately shifted the subject.

“Since we invested early before the stock price began its major climb, the return rate turned out quite favorable. Why don’t you take a look?”
“All right, let’s see.”

Park Tae-hong opened the document folder with an expression brimming with anticipation.

O-Gwang Industries: Principal 11,300,000,000 ￦
Return Rate: 5.3x
Profit 48,590,000,000 ￦ (excluding principal)

Cheonho Steel: Principal 5,000,000,000 ￦
Return Rate: 10.4x
Profit 47,000,000,000 ￦ (excluding principal)

Total Profit: 95,590,000,000 ￦
(Nine billion, five hundred fifty-nine million won)

“N-nearly nine billion five hundred fifty million won in profit!”

Park Tae-hong’s jaw dropped in disbelief at the profit figure that far exceeded his expectations.
His eyes traced the numbers on the statement, and eventually he pointed to each figure with his finger, yet the number 9.55 billion remained unchanged.
Watching this, Seok-won spoke casually.

“The return rate came out quite well thanks to the stock price rising continuously over the past month.”
“Ha ha! What are you talking about? We made over 9.55 billion in less than a year—that’s far more than ‘quite well’!”

Park Tae-hong, who had been stunned into silence, broke into a broad grin and beamed with joy.

“To be precise, it’s 6.691 billion won.”
“Huh?”

Seok-won’s lips curved upward slightly as he responded to Park Tae-hong’s confused look.

“You haven’t forgotten the agreement to give me 30% of the profits as a bonus, have you?”
“!”
“Subtracting 2.867 billion won leaves exactly 6.691 billion won. And then there’s the company’s 1% commission fee, so we need to deduct another 955.9 million won.”

Park Tae-hong’s face darkened as he burst out in anger.

“If it’s 1%, that should be 666.13 million won—why is it 955.9 million won!”
“That 1% is calculated from the profits before my commission is deducted. If you’d like to verify, I can show you the new consignment contract you signed last time.”

Park Tae-hong let out a groan of displeasure while glaring at Seok-won, who wore an infuriatingly smug smile.

“You’re a complete bandit—the only thing missing is the knife.”
“But I deliver results worth every penny.”

Park Tae-hong had to admit that Seok-won’s talent for multiplying money through investment was unmatched, so there was little more to say.
Seok-won smiled at the disgruntled chairman and spoke.

“The sale proceeds will be deposited into the transaction account tomorrow, so you can withdraw and use whatever you need from then on.”
“And if I entrust you with another investment, you’ll take another 30%, right?”
“Of course.”
“You shameless bastard.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Seok-won replied with an unabashed grin.

“Then, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be taking my leave.”
“Go on.”

Seok-won rose from the sofa and left the Study Room.
As the door closed, Park Tae-hong furrowed his brow and slowly examined the profit statement once more.
With each number he counted, the creases between his brows deepened, but soon a proud smile spread across his face.

“That boy. His talent for making money seems to surpass even mine.”

Still, that 30% bonus fee left a bitter taste—no, it left him absolutely seething.

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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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