Golden Spoon Investment Portfolio - Chapter 179

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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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179. So you didn’t want to do it?

The next day.
When I opened my eyes in the morning, I caught sight of Kinsley sleeping nestled against me, her bare shoulders exposed, and couldn’t help but smile softly.
As I did, memories of last night flooded back through my mind.
Contrary to my initial concerns, though it felt a bit awkward at first, once I’d adapted somewhat, I was able to complete the shoot quite skillfully, striking the poses I desired.
Afterward, I met up with Kinsley separately as promised and shared a plate of Bolognese pasta that she said a friend of hers had recommended.
The food was delicious, but Kinsley was someone I could genuinely converse with.
It seemed she found our time together equally enjoyable, because rather than parting ways immediately after the meal, we both decided to move to a nearby bar for drinks.
We started lightly with wine at first, but by the end we were drinking strong vodka, spending the late hours together.
Eventually, I helped the intoxicated Kinsley back to her hotel room.
After laying her on the bed and removing her shoes, I intended to leave gracefully without any ulterior motives.

“I should go now. Get some rest.”

Just as I turned to leave, Kinsley suddenly sat up and wrapped her arms around my waist from behind, pulling me close.

“Kinsley?”
“You’re really just going to leave like this?”

When I turned my head, Kinsley was gazing up at me with glistening eyes.

“Stay with me tonight.”

It was an irresistible temptation.
I cupped her face in both hands and kissed her deeply.

“Mmm.”

Kinsley responded eagerly, hastily removing my jacket and unbuttoning my shirt.
As my toned, muscular frame came into view, a sigh of admiration escaped her lips.
I gently pulled her close and leaned toward the bed.
That passionate night had led to this moment—the morning after.
As I recalled the events of the previous night and gently stroked her hair with one hand, Kinsley slowly opened her eyes.
Her long lashes fluttered several times, and her drowsy gaze, still heavy with sleep, turned toward me lying beside her, then sparkled with joy.

“When did you wake up?”
“Just a moment ago.”

Kinsley pulled the bedsheet up to cover half her face and whimpered her response.

“You were staring at me without even washing your face. How embarrassing.”
“You’re beautiful even without makeup.”
“Look at you, saying things like that. You’re turning out to be quite the charmer.”
“You were the one who seduced me first yesterday.”
“Hmph.”

Kinsley shot me a resentful glance.
Then she suddenly gasped and bolted upright, clutching the bedsheet to her chest.

“Oh no! What time is it?”

I reached for the Rolex watch I’d left on the nightstand and checked the time.

“10:20.”
“Already that late?”

Kinsley, startled, wrapped herself in the sheet and hurriedly swung her legs out of bed.

“What’s wrong?”
“I have an outdoor photo shoot scheduled for this afternoon.”
“Then you should get up and start preparing.”
“Yes, I should.”

Kinsley nodded with a regretful expression.
In reality, with the shoot at 1 PM, she was already running late even if she started getting ready now—shower, hair, and makeup all needed to be done.

Buzz buzz buzz!

Just then, her phone rang. Kinsley grabbed it from her bag on the floor and answered immediately.

“Hello?”
[Kinsley, have you had breakfast? Should I come pick you up now?]

It was Trinity, her manager.
Kinsley held her phone to her ear, her expression flustered as she glanced at him still lying in bed.

“No! I haven’t finished getting ready yet, so I’ll call you back when I’m on my way down.”
[What? Did you forget you have a schedule at 1 PM today?]
“I’m sorry. I overslept by accident.”
[You don’t usually sleep in like that. Are you feeling unwell?]
“It’s nothing like that. I just couldn’t sleep last night, so I went to bed late and couldn’t wake up early.”
[Understood. I’ll head up to your room then.]

At that, Kinsley startled and quickly blurted out a response.

“Don’t do that—I’ll be ready soon, so just wait for me in the Lobby Lounge.”
[Why? Is there something I shouldn’t see?]

At Trinity’s perceptive question, Kinsley’s face flushed. She glanced at Seok-won once, then forced herself to answer casually.

“Of course not. I’m just coming down soon anyway, so it would be a hassle.”

Kinsley fumbled through her weak excuse.
Though Trinity sensed something was off, she decided to pretend not to notice.

[Okay… fine. I’ll be in the Lobby Lounge, so hurry up and get ready to come down.]
“Got it.”

After ending the call, Kinsley set down her phone and exhaled a relieved sigh.

“Sounds like you have something to do, so I’ll head out first.”

Seok-won, who had been listening quietly to the conversation, said this as he rose from the bed.
When Kinsley saw him step out from under the sheets, her face flushed crimson.
His nearly naked form was nothing short of perfect.
It wasn’t just muscle mass—his physique was sculpted by consistent training into a lean, powerful frame that naturally drew her gaze.
Even the simple act of pulling on his trousers from the floor and buttoning his shirt possessed an effortless magnetism.

“Can I contact you again?”
“Were you planning not to?”

Kinsley nodded without hesitation.
Seok-won smiled faintly at her straightforward honesty, then picked up a pen and jotted down his personal phone number on a notepad beside the bed, handing it to her.

“My number.”

He drew her face closer and placed a light kiss on her forehead before pulling away.

“See you again.”

He grabbed his jacket in one hand and walked out of the bedroom.
Kinsley watched the closed door with a wistful expression before suddenly snapping back to reality.

“Oh right! This isn’t the time for that.”

Kinsley sprang up from the bed and hurried into the bathroom.
Looking in the mirror, she was horrified to see her mascara smudged from not removing her makeup, and her hair sticking up in all directions.
The thought that Seok-won had seen her like this sent a wave of embarrassment washing over her belatedly.

“Oh my.”

But there was no time to feel ashamed, so Kinsley quickly turned on the shower and let the water cascade down over her head.

* * *

New York, USA.
Rodney, the Chief Investment Officer of Quantum Fund, leaned back comfortably on the sofa with the floor-to-ceiling windows behind him framing the towering Wall Street buildings like artwork in a gallery, and stroked his chin as he spoke.

“So you’re saying the Eldorado Fund—or rather, Park Seok-won—is selling off large quantities of Netscape shares?”

Ian, the Chief Manager of Quantum Fund, gave a small nod in response.

“That’s correct. We’ve confirmed he’s been dividing and selling his shares starting from when Netscape’s stock price broke through $100 per share again after the split.”
“I heard he invested in Netscape from the very beginning.”
“Yes. He has a personal relationship with Tom Harper, the founder, so it’s said that Mr. Park essentially funded the company’s initial establishment with his own money.”
“His first venture investment turns out to be the hottest stock on NASDAQ—Netscape. He’s certainly lucky.”
“Indeed.”

Even if gold were lying right beside you, it would be worthless if you couldn’t recognize it for what it was.
But to not miss that opportunity and push the company to a NASDAQ listing in just over a year—that took remarkable foresight and drive.

‘I thought from the first time I saw him that he wasn’t ordinary, but I never imagined it would be to this extent.’

Rodney recalled the image of Seok-won from that initial meeting at the LTCM business briefing and inwardly smacked his lips in appreciation.
He then picked up the teacup before him, took a sip of coffee, and spoke again.

“Since you invested from the early stages and secured your stake, your average cost must be incredibly low.”
“The exact price is difficult to determine, but it should be somewhere below ten dollars per share.”

Rodney’s face lit up with renewed admiration.

“Even at ten dollars per share, that’s a tenfold return on investment.”
“That’s correct.”
“With returns like that, wouldn’t you be looking to cash out now for risk management purposes, having already made a substantial profit?”

As Rodney crossed one leg over the other while speaking, Ian leaned forward slightly.

“I’ve considered that as well, but Netscape’s upward momentum remains so strong that simply holding would generate even greater returns. Wouldn’t it be a shame to sell now?”
“True, with Microsoft announcing their web browser development, the stock should have cooled by now. Yet today it climbed even higher.”
“It’s already surged to 109 dollars per share, and the consensus is that it will exceed 110 dollars within days.”

Rodney, too, had anticipated that the strong upward trend wouldn’t easily break, so he nodded slightly.

“If it weren’t for Park’s share sales, it would likely have already exceeded 110 dollars.”
“That’s probably true.”

Rodney let out a thoughtful hum and leaned back in his chair.

“You said the shares sold exceeded three million units.”
“That’s what we’ve been able to ascertain, though there may be more.”

Normally, when a major shareholder liquidates such a massive volume of stock, the share price would either collapse or show weakness.
Yet the fact that it continued climbing demonstrated just how powerful the buying pressure for Netscape stock truly was.

“The way he’s attempting to offload all remaining shares through a block deal in addition to what’s already been sold suggests there might be some issue we’re unaware of.”

Ian’s expression grew suspicious as he voiced his doubts.
A block deal referred to the practice where a major shareholder holding a significant stake would discreetly arrange a buyer beforehand, then execute a large-volume transaction at an agreed price after regular trading hours to avoid market disruption.
While Seok-won steadily liquidated his Netscape holdings through the market in tranches, Andrew was pushing forward with block deals to offload massive quantities at once.
To accomplish this, proposals had been quietly sent to several institutions and hedge funds that might be interested, and Quantum Fund was among them.

“Did you find anything worth suspecting?”

Rodney narrowed his eyes as he asked.

“I’ve confirmed the equity sale and have been examining it continuously, but aside from Microsoft emerging as a competitor, there hasn’t been anything particularly problematic.”
“I agree. Even if Microsoft enters the web browser market, considering Netscape’s overwhelming technological superiority and market share, we should be able to maintain our advantage for at least several more years.”
“I share that assessment. Investors seem to understand this as well, which is why they continue to purchase Netscape stock.”
“Then we can only conclude that he’s looking to realize his gains and exit.”

Rodney murmured this while glancing at Ian, who sat on the sofa to his left.

“The block deal offer price was $105 per share, correct?”
“Yes. Considering today’s closing price, that’s $4 cheaper per share.”
“It would be a shame to let this slip away.”

Rodney pondered with his arms crossed.
The opportunity to secure a large volume of shares at a price below current trading levels, combined with the fact that the stock continued its upward trajectory, was extraordinarily attractive.
Under normal circumstances, he would have seized the opportunity without hesitation, but the fact that Seok-won—one of the few talents Rodney acknowledged—was liquidating his position kept nagging at him.

“Aside from us, proposals have been sent to Wall Street investment banks like Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan, hedge funds, and even NTT in Japan, so if you’re interested, you’ll need to make a decision quickly.”
“NTT? Isn’t that a Japanese telecommunications company?”
“Correct. As a telecommunications company, they have some connection to internet web browsers, and while the bubble has burst, they hold substantial cash reserves, so they certainly have the capacity to acquire the stake.”

As Ian explained, Netscape was indeed the hottest stock on NASDAQ recently, making it worth their attention.
After considerable deliberation, Rodney finally reached a decision.

“As much as it pains me, we’re going to pass on this block deal.”
“Are you certain?”

Ian asked back with a surprised expression.

“While there don’t appear to be any major issues, no matter how I think about it, Park Seok-won liquidating his entire stake bothers me.”

Rodney articulated his reservations, his brow furrowed deeply.
Meanwhile, Ian appeared reluctant and attempted to persuade Rodney otherwise.

“As you mentioned earlier, it could simply be a matter of realizing profits and consolidating positions, so perhaps we should reconsider once more.”

But Rodney’s conviction was unwavering.

“Even if it means taking a loss, it’s better not to make a deal that leaves a bad taste in my mouth.”
“I understand, sir.”

Recognizing that Seok-won had already made up his mind, Ian reluctantly stepped back.
Rodney crossed his arms, tapping his fingers against his bicep as he muttered to himself.

“Suddenly liquidating his entire stake… I suppose we’ll find out what his real intention is by watching how this unfolds.”

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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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