Golden Spoon Investment Portfolio - Chapter 194

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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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194. Even if we’d brought them in through the Investment Fund, it would have been difficult to keep them for long.

The next morning.
As I descended the second-floor staircase, the aroma of delicious food tickled my nostrils.
Heading toward the kitchen, Seok-won caught sight of my parents already seated at the dining table and bowed respectfully in greeting.

“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”
“Yes. Good morning to you too.”

Following Jo Deok-rye’s warm welcome, Park Tae-hong, seated at the head of the table, spoke with characteristic bluntness.

“Sit down quickly now that you’re here.”
“Yes, sir.”

As Seok-won took his seat, the Gunsan Housekeeper placed a bowl of rice and utensils before me.
Catching the fragrance of freshly cooked rice, I smiled and picked up my spoon.

“The rice smells wonderful again today.”
“Hehe. Please help yourself, and just let me know if you’d like more.”

I took a first spoonful of the beef and soybean paste stew—rich with zucchini, mushrooms, and tofu, seasoned with a spicy kick from green chilies—then topped my white rice with braised beef.
With perfectly crisp radish kimchi on the side, the meal was irresistible.

“Try this as well.”

Jo Deok-rye, sitting across from me, used her chopsticks to place some barley-smoked fish atop my rice.

“It tastes wonderful when you dip it lightly in green tea broth.”

Mother had always been attentive, but ever since I’d come home yesterday evening and she learned that I’d made a fortune investing in Netscape and used those gains to acquire Gucci, she seemed even more thoughtful than usual.
I smiled awkwardly and, following her suggestion, dipped the rice topped with barley-smoked fish lightly into the green tea broth before taking a bite.

“It’s delicious.”
“Isn’t it?”

Jo Deok-rye beamed and placed another piece of barley-smoked fish on my rice.

“Ahem. Well, I happen to like barley rockfish too.”
“I set aside a separate one for you up front, so please have that.”

At that, Park Tae-hong furrowed his brow like a man who had taken offense.

“You carefully prepared the rockfish for your son, removing every bone, yet you tell your husband to fend for himself?”
“Really now, you’re not a child. Should I prepare it the same way for you?”
“Never mind.”

With a dismissive snort, Park Tae-hong carelessly scraped the barley rockfish with his chopsticks and popped a chunk directly into his mouth without even placing it over his rice, chewing awkwardly.

“Good heavens. Let me do it. Hand it over.”

Unable to bear the sight any longer, Jo Deok-rye brought over a plate and neatly prepared the rockfish meat for him.

“I said I’m fine.”
“Fine? What’s fine about it? You’ll end up suffering like last time with a bone stuck in your throat.”

As Jo Deok-rye placed the prepared rockfish meat over his rice, Park Tae-hong pretended to resist but closed his mouth in defeat.
Watching his parents—whose affection and warmth remained strong unlike other conglomerate families—I felt a smile threatening to break through, so I deliberately steered the conversation in a new direction.

“I think I’ll need to make a trip to the United States next week for some business.”

At that, Park Tae-hong’s sullen expression cleared, and he looked toward his second son.

“It’s not company business, is it? You’re going for investment-related matters?”
“Yes.”

As I nodded in response, Park Tae-hong showed unusual interest, unlike other times.

“Did you discover some promising venture company like that Netscape place?”

At his question, eyes gleaming with curiosity, I shook my head.

“Not exactly. I’m going to check on how the companies I’ve invested in are operating and also scout for any promising investment opportunities while I’m there.”
“True enough. Simply putting money into something isn’t the end of it—whether it’s a company or a plant, you have to keep a close eye on how well it’s growing.”

Park Tae-hong, satisfied with the explanation, asked again.

“Then how long before you come back?”
“I’m thinking roughly a week, but it seems like it could change flexibly depending on the situation on the ground.”
“The United States isn’t exactly next door, and you’ll have plenty to do once you’re there. Don’t rush—take your time and handle things at a leisurely pace.”

At that, Jo Deok-rye placed another piece of barley-glazed fish atop Park Tae-hong’s rice, speaking as though it were nothing remarkable.

“Here you are, complaining every time you go on a business trip that you never actually work and just gallivant around outside.”
“Ahem. When did I ever say that?”
“Oh my, look at you playing innocent.”

Jo Deok-rye let out a soft laugh, her expression playful.

“Who wouldn’t know? Your second son made a big investment and earned a fortune, so that’s why you’re acting like this, isn’t it?”
“Stop talking nonsense and just eat your rice.”

Park Tae-hong, caught red-handed, cleared his throat awkwardly and began chewing the barley-glazed fish his wife had just placed on his rice with deliberate intensity.
Watching him, Jo Deok-rye winked slyly, and Seok-won had to suppress the laughter bubbling up inside him.

* * *

New York Wall Street.
In an office with a sofa overlooking a magnificent skyline of towering skyscrapers through the windows, George Hamilton, CEO of Quantum Fund and legendary investor, sat across from Rodney, the CIO, in conversation.

“How was Russia?”

At Rodney’s question, George Hamilton, seated across from him, set down his teacup and spoke.

“Quite some time has passed since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, but the political situation there remains unstable.”

George Hamilton, who had brought the Bank of England to its knees and reaped enormous profits, operated Quantum Fund while also establishing a foundation dedicated to human rights advocacy and refugee protection, actively engaging in public welfare work.
He had primarily focused his activities on Eastern Europe, particularly his native Hungary, but recently expanded his reach to Russia.
To help the foundation establish itself in Russia, George Hamilton had stayed in Moscow for quite some time before returning not long ago.

“It seems the aftereffects of the coup attempt from the year before last still linger.”
“Unlike the August coup the Communist Party staged in ’91, President Yeltsin himself brought T-80 tanks into Red Square and, before the eyes of the people watching, obliterated the Capitol Building occupied by the opposition—how could public sentiment possibly be favorable?”
“I was also greatly shocked when I saw that scene on television.”

George Hamilton, leaning back in his chair, spoke with a bitter expression.

“A man who once stood before the tanks of a coup with his bare hands to become President of Russia, only to return to that same place years later and mercilessly rain artillery fire upon it. Truly, the irony is exquisite.”
“Indeed, sir. One need only look at the general election results that same year to see just how disappointed the Russian people were.”
“Quite right.”

Two months after the Capitol Building shelling, the general election saw the ruling party led by President Ivanov suffer a crushing defeat with a mere 15.5% of the vote, losing their majority status.

“If President Ivanov still hasn’t recovered public confidence, it will be difficult for the ruling party to win the general election scheduled for December this year as well.”
“Beyond the general election, there’s more than a fifty percent chance Ivanov will fail to secure reelection in next year’s presidential race.”
“If he loses the election, I’m uncertain whether President Ivanov, with his strong attachment to power, will gracefully accept the results.”
“The transfer of power likely won’t be smooth.”

Rodney leaned forward with a worried expression and spoke.

“Given that atmosphere, shouldn’t we reconsider our Russia investments?”

George Hamilton maintained a principle of not investing in nations that had established public foundations to avoid conflicts of interest.
However, despite Russia’s current struggles following the collapse of communism, it remained a nation of immense potential—one that had stood shoulder to shoulder with the United States as a superpower—so he made an exception and had invested considerable capital there.
George Hamilton crossed his arms and responded to Rodney’s concerned gaze.

“Yes, there’s considerable chaos now, but surely a nation with nuclear weapons won’t collapse.”
“Of course, but if the Communist Party returns to power, couldn’t we slip back into the old Cold War system?”

George Hamilton shook his head as if to dismiss the notion.

“If they had remained trapped behind the iron curtain, perhaps. But now that Russia has tasted the sweet flavor of freedom, no matter how much the Communist Party returns to power, they cannot drag the nation back to the past.”
“Do you truly believe so?”
“On the contrary, I see this moment—when political and economic chaos has driven all asset values to rock bottom—as the ideal opportunity to reap substantial profits.”

Though an inexplicable unease lingered, it was difficult to argue when George Hamilton spoke with such conviction.
Moreover, Rodney himself found Russian investments quite attractive, so he accepted the explanation without raising further objections.

“By the way, I noticed on the way here that the yen has fallen quite dramatically over the past few months.”
“Yes. The yen, which had reached the mid-70s per dollar, is now fluctuating above 102 yen—a staggering decline of nearly 30 yen in such a short span.”

George Hamilton stroked his chin and asked casually.

“What’s your assessment of where the yen is headed?”
“From various indicators, it appears the yen weakness has firmly established its trajectory.”
“Agreed. I share that view. Above all, as long as the White House and the Federal Reserve desire a strong dollar, it will be difficult for the yen to recover for quite some time.”

Rodney nodded in agreement, his expression reflecting understanding.

“When I first heard that Park Seok-won was selling knockout options to Japanese companies, I thought he was making a low-probability bet. Now it seems my vision was too narrow.”
“I also expected the Eldorado Fund to suffer significant losses until recently. The same would have been true for the Japanese companies that entered into option contracts.”

George Hamilton chuckled and replied.

“If they had known the yen would plummet like this, they would never have entered into option contracts.”
“That’s right.”

George Hamilton murmured with an amused smile playing at his lips.

“Since the yen exceeded 100 per dollar, the knockout option must have triggered. By now, all the Japanese companies that signed the contracts are surely crying out in pain.”
“They’ll have to convert four times the contract amount at the agreed-upon exchange rate, so the currency losses will be substantial.”
“What was the agreed-upon exchange rate again?”
“I believe it was 90 yen per dollar.”

George Hamilton let out a small exclamation of admiration.

“Even if they liquidate the option contracts immediately, they’re still making over 10% profit.”
“However, it appears the Japanese companies that signed the contracts are not rushing to liquidate their options and are continuing to hold them.”

George Hamilton immediately grasped the situation, and the corners of his mouth curled upward.

“They’re waiting for the yen to recover so they can minimize their losses as much as possible.”
“That appears to be the case.”
“They’re resorting to such tricks without even realizing the exchange rate has room to fall further. They’re truly foolish.”

Rodney nodded at the scathing assessment.

“If the yen weakens further, they’ll eventually come to their senses and regret it deeply.”

George Hamilton paused in thought, then spoke again with renewed admiration.

“When you think about it, Park Seok-won is truly remarkable for anticipating all of this and designing the entire scheme.”
“It’s clear from the last yen attack as well—he’s no ordinary man.”
“That’s right. He’s definitely going to be someone great.”

Rodney caught a glimpse of something in George Hamilton’s tone as he savored the thought.

“It seems you still regret not bringing him into our organization.”
“Talent is always better in abundance, wouldn’t you say?”
“That’s certainly true.”

George Hamilton picked up the teacup before him, noticed it had gone cold, and set it back down.

“Now that I think about it, even if we’d recognized his talent early and brought him into the fund, it would have been difficult to keep him for long.”

Despite having worked together for quite some time, Rodney’s expression stiffened slightly at this rare praise he’d never heard before.

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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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