Golden Spoon Investment Portfolio - Chapter 183

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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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183. Not bad at all.

Park Tae-hong stood gazing blankly at the business jet for a moment—its pristine white fuselage gleaming with golden accents caught the sunlight, revealing sleek curves and exuding an air of refined elegance—before his expression hardened and he turned to Gil Seong-ho.

“Explain to me what’s going on here.”

Gil Seong-ho, noting the sudden gravity in his eyes, hastily launched into a full explanation.

“Actually, it was prepared by the young master.”
“Seok-won?”
“Yes.”

Park Tae-hong’s brow furrowed as he gestured for more details.

“A few days ago, he called me and said he’d arranged a private jet to give to you. Since you mentioned going to China, he told me you should use it.”

Park Tae-hong’s face registered utter bewilderment.

“Wait. You’re telling me he didn’t lease that plane—he actually bought it?”
“That’s correct.”
“He really purchased it? We’re not talking about pocket change here.”
“I was shocked when I first heard it too. I verified it just to be sure, and it was true.”
“Good grief.”

Park Tae-hong let out an incredulous laugh.

“It’s a Gulfstream IV. The base price is twenty-five million dollars, though the final purchase price varies significantly depending on the options selected.”

Upon hearing the figure, Park Tae-hong’s expression darkened with fury.

“That reckless fool! The moment he makes some money from investments, he thinks money grows on trees and starts throwing it around like this?”

Looking as though he might summon Seok-won immediately to give him a piece of his mind, Gil Seong-ho withdrew something from the leather briefcase in his hand and offered it to him.

“Chairman, please calm down for a moment….”
“You spent twenty-five million dollars on a private jet you barely use a few times a year, and you want me to stay calm! If you’re going to spend money, you might as well buy land or buildings!”
“Please look at this.”

Park Tae-hong, who had been shouting at the top of his lungs, stared with wide eyes.

“What is this!”
“It’s from the Wall Street Journal last Thursday.”
“What?”

Park Tae-hong’s face flushed with anger, but he took the newspaper with a puzzled expression.

[Netscape’s Second-Largest Shareholder Sells Stake Through Block Deal
Netscape, the dominant force in the web browser market leading the internet era, has become a major topic of discussion after its second-largest shareholder recently sold all of its holdings. Since its NASDAQ listing, the company has continuously set new highs, attracting intense investor interest.
The shareholder had invested capital from Netscape’s initial founding and held 30% of shares, the second-largest stake after founder Tom Harper.
Even after a 1-to-2 stock split, investment enthusiasm remained strong and the stock price continued to rise, breaking through a market capitalization of 3.6 billion dollars, prompting the exit.
While the exact investment returns remain undisclosed, the value of shares sold through the block deal and market transactions is estimated to exceed at least 1 billion dollars.
Despite news of the second-largest shareholder’s share sale, Netscape’s stock price….]

Park Tae-hong looked up from the article, still appearing confused.

“What does this have to do with the private jet?”
“The Netscape second-largest shareholder mentioned in the article is your younger son, sir.”
“What? Is that really true!”

Park Tae-hong’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Yes, sir. As you said, your younger son appears to have remarkable talent in investments.”
“Well… this is something.”

Park Tae-hong reread the article in the Wall Street Journal with an expression of disbelief.

“So you’re saying my second son invested in an American company called Netscape and made a billion dollars?”
“Yes, sir.”
“What kind of company is it that the stock is so expensive?”

Then Gil Seong-ho, the Chief Secretary, quickly answered.

“A web browser is an application that helps you find the information and websites you need on the internet. Netscape is an internet company that creates, sells, and operates these web browsers.”
“The internet….”

Gil Seong-ho, the Chief Secretary, glanced sideways at Park Tae-hong, who was listening with evident interest, before continuing.

“Though it’s a fledgling IT company that was founded just over two years ago, as the article mentions, it not only succeeded in its NASDAQ listing but has also seen its stock price skyrocket daily on the back of the internet boom. The company is now garnering significant attention on the American stock market, with a valuation that has reached as much as 3.6 billion dollars.”
“So your second son invested in such a company and made substantial profits.”
“According to our inquiries through the United States branch, he didn’t merely invest—he played a leading role in establishing the company and orchestrating its IPO in a remarkably short timeframe.”
“Hah.”

Park Tae-hong opened his mouth again and let out a hollow laugh.

“How much money did he pour into that Nets… whatever company?”
“We can’t say for certain, but it’s unlikely to have exceeded ten million dollars at most.”
“So he made over a hundredfold return on his investment?”
“That’s correct.”

Chief Secretary Gil Seong-ho answered with a smile.
Park Tae-hong could only laugh incredulously at a story that anyone else would dismiss as fiction.
He was so astounded that he had nothing to say.

“He’s been sneaking off to America like he was hiding some woman, and all this time he was doing something like this.”

Park Tae-hong, who had been feeling proud, clicked his tongue in disapproval.

“That brat. If he came across such a golden opportunity, he should have at least given his old man a hint and let me in on it. Did he gobble it all up for himself? The audacious fool.”

As Park Tae-hong muttered to himself, Chief Secretary Gil Seong-ho pretended not to hear and subtly averted his gaze.
Still grumbling away, Park Tae-hong turned his head and gazed up at the sleek business jet standing proudly before him, its streamlined fuselage gleaming in the light.
Knowing it was his personal aircraft made it seem all the more magnificent.

“How much does one of those cost?”
“With all the options included, it will easily exceed thirty million dollars at minimum.”
“Hmm. If he’s made over a billion dollars, then spending that much won’t even be noticeable.”
“Quite right.”

Chief Secretary Gil Seong-ho smiled inwardly at the complete reversal in Park Tae-hong’s demeanor.
Indeed, if one had earned over a billion dollars, purchasing a personal jet seemed entirely reasonable.
In fact, compared to the fortune he’d amassed, it felt like a rather modest expenditure.

“Well then, let me take a ride in that private jet my son was kind enough to get for me and see just how good it is.”

Chairman Park Tae-hong stepped forward with a light gait, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth as if he were about to hum a tune.

“Welcome aboard, sir.”

As he approached, a Korean stewardess in a tailored uniform bowed respectfully, her hands clasped together in front of her.
Chairman Park Tae-hong gave a slight nod and stepped onto the lowered ramp, boarding the business jet.
As I entered, the luxuriously appointed interior came into view first.
Beige seats crafted from premium Merino leather and a brown-toned table made the cabin resemble a five-star hotel lounge transplanted wholesale.
On the right side were four-person facing seats, while the left featured a sofa-style configuration that could accommodate three passengers in a row.
And toward the front, there were three individual seats on each side, for a total of ten seats throughout the cabin.
They were first-class seats—nearly as wide as single sofas, with ample legroom to stretch out completely.
In fact, pressing a button on the armrest would transform them into beds for sleeping.
The floor was covered with thick wool carpeting, and every finishing detail was of the highest quality.
Chief Secretary Gil Seong-ho, who had been glancing around the interior with wide eyes, caught sight of the private bedroom suite reserved for Chairman Park Tae-hong in the rear and gasped in amazement.

“I heard they custom-ordered everything to the highest specifications to match your tastes, Chairman. Seeing it in person, it’s truly remarkable.”
“Well, it does seem to have cost quite a bit.”

Chairman Park Tae-hong replied with feigned indifference.
Yet despite his words, the corners of his mouth twitched upward, unable to conceal his delight.
At that moment, the stewardess who had closed the cabin door approached with a smile and extended her hand.

“May I take your jacket, sir?”

Chairman Park Tae-hong removed his suit jacket and handed it to her. The stewardess opened a wall-mounted wardrobe and hung it carefully inside.
Chairman Park Tae-hong then made his way to the four-person sofa seating and sat down, with Chief Secretary Gil Seong-ho naturally settling into the facing seat.
Manager Choo Se-young, having observed the arrangement and found an empty spot, took a seat and gazed around with undisguised curiosity.

“Would you like me to bring you some slippers, sir?”
“Yes, please.”

Chairman Park Tae-hong nodded.
The stewardess promptly returned with two pairs of visibly expensive, plush slippers and placed them beside the feet of Chairman Park Tae-hong and Chief Secretary Gil Seong-ho.
Having exchanged his rigid dress shoes for the comfortable slippers, Chairman Park Tae-hong reclined into the cushioned seat with a satisfied expression.

“Not bad at all.”

In truth, I was quite satisfied.
Since it was a private jet, the Stewardess’s service was far superior to even first-class on a commercial flight, and above all, the greatest advantage was being able to relax without worrying about the gazes of other passengers.

‘I doubt any other chairmen have ever received a private jet as a gift from their son.’

Thinking that I now had another story to boast about at Federation of Korean Industries meetings, my lips were already itching to speak.
I was proud of my second son for preparing such an unexpected surprise gift, yet at the same time, I couldn’t help but be deeply impressed by the fact that he had generated an astounding profit of one billion dollars through venture investments in just two years.

‘He’s multiplied more money than I’ve earned in my entire lifetime. He’s my son, but he’s truly remarkable.’

Shortly after, the Gulfstream IV business jet carrying Chairman Park Tae-hong powered down the runway and took off, heading straight toward its destination: Shenyang, China.

* * *

Yeouido Daeheung Securities Headquarters.
As always, the 5th Floor Trading Center was chaotic with the incessant ringing of telephones and the shouting voices of traders with their shirt sleeves rolled up to their elbows barking out orders.

Ring! Ring!
“Buy two thousand shares of Hyunwoo Automobiles at market price!”
“Sell three thousand shares of Hanwha Q Cells at 16,100 won!”

The office was sweltering from the heat radiating off the traders who were shouting while gesturing wildly, their ears pressed to receivers, and pounding away at their keyboards relentlessly.
Despite the air conditioning running continuously without pause, it felt hot.
The traders, who had been conducting transactions so fiercely, only collapsed exhaustedly into their chairs after the closing bell rang.
But that was only brief.
Upon checking the composite stock price index displayed on the large ticker board installed on one wall, they all let out a loud cheer in unison.

[KOSPI : 1,013 (+29.33)]

“Wow!”
“It’s been how long since we’ve seen a four-digit number?”
“Let’s keep this momentum going straight through the end of the year.”

Everyone was unable to hide their joy that the composite stock price index, which had been declining steadily since the beginning of the year, had made a dramatic recovery and regained the 1,000 level.
Thanks to Seok-won’s foresight, Daehung Securities hadn’t suffered major losses during the downturn like other securities companies, but there had still been considerable mental anguish while the market kept plummeting, so the celebration was warranted.
Moreover, because Seok-won had instructed them to bet on a rebound in advance, they were able to reap all the fruits of the stock price surge, so their joy was doubled.
Team Leader Choi Ho-geun, with his necktie crumpled into his dress shirt pocket, stared blankly at the composite stock price index displayed on the ticker board and muttered.

“We really did recover 1,000.”

When Seok-won first predicted the rebound, the stock price was in free fall, so I thought it was impossible.
Yet in just a few months, the composite stock index surpassed 1,000 exactly as predicted—it was impossible not to be astonished.
That’s when Jung Hwan-yeop approached from the side with a chuckle and spoke.

“Team Lead! A day like this calls for a drink, doesn’t it?”
“You’re always thinking about drinking.”
“Come on. When else would we drink if not on a day like this?”

At his shameless response, Team Lead Choi Ho-geun burst into laughter.

“Alright, alright. Now hurry up and organize the transaction slips, then take them to Miss Hong.”
“Yes, sir!”

Jung Hwan-yeop saluted with his hand to his forehead and eagerly returned to his desk.

“Hey Seok-hyun! The team lead’s treating us today!”
“Really?”

Seeing him hum cheerfully with his shoulders bouncing, free drinks clearly meant quite a lot to him.
Just then, Hong Jae-hee appeared holding a receiver in one hand, looking for Team Lead Choi Ho-geun.

“Team Lead, you have a call.”
“Who is it?”
“The department head.”

Team Lead Choi Ho-geun quickly stood and took the receiver Hong Jae-hee offered.

“I’m on the line.”
[I have instructions for you. Come up to my office now with the other team leads.]
“Yes, understood.”

Team Lead Choi Ho-geun blinked at the sudden summons.

“What’s this about?”

The fact that all the other team leads were being called too gave off an ominous feeling.
Team Lead Choi Ho-geun quickly threw on the jacket draped over his chair, straightened his tie, and hurried out of the office with brisk steps.

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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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