Golden Spoon Investment Portfolio - Chapter 198

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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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198. Do I look like the kind of person who would joke about something like this?

Hannam-dong, Seoul.
A Mercedes-Benz sedan glided smoothly to a halt before the Park Family Residence, its towering walls enclosing the property like a fortress.
Bockus, dressed in a black suit and dark sunglasses, stepped out from the passenger seat first, surveyed the surroundings, and opened the rear door.

“Boss. We’ve arrived.”

Seok-won emerged from the car in casual business attire without a tie, stretching his long legs as he rose.
Returning to the Park Family Residence for the first time in nearly two weeks, I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
Though it had felt strange at first, this place had become my true family home—a sanctuary that was undeniably mine.

“You’ve worked hard while I was away.”

As Seok-won spoke in fluent English, Bockus flashed a broad smile.

“Not at all, boss.”

While he unloaded the luggage from the trunk, flexing his thick muscular arms, I gazed at the familiar gate of the Park Family Residence before pressing the doorbell.

Ding-dong.
“Coming!”

The Gunsan Housekeeper, hearing the chime, hurried out while wiping her damp hands on her apron.

“Who is it?”

She picked up the intercom handset and asked, but a familiar voice tinged with amusement came through.

[It’s me, ma’am.]

Recognizing Seok-won’s voice, the Gunsan Housekeeper beamed and opened the gate.

“Oh my! Young Master has returned!”

At her exclamation, Jo Deok-rye, who had been sitting on the living room sofa reading a magazine, looked up.

“Seok-won?”
“Yes, ma’am.”

Jo Deok-rye removed her reading glasses and set them down as she rose from the sofa. Seok-won pulled his carry-on with one hand and stepped through the entrance.

“You’re home?”

Jo Deok-rye spoke with a radiant smile.

“I hope you’ve been well, Mother.”
“Oh, you know me—every day’s the same. Did you wrap up the business trip successfully?”
“Yes.”

Seok-won gently embraced Jo Deok-rye before releasing her.

“Have you eaten?”
“I had the airline meal before landing.”
“That’s hardly a proper meal.”

Jo Deok-rye patted her second son’s back with a look of concern.

“You must be exhausted. Go upstairs to your room, wash up, and rest. When your father returns this evening, come down for dinner.”
“Yes.”

Seok-won nodded in acknowledgment and carried his carry-on up to his second-floor room.
Watching him from the foot of the stairs, Jo Deok-rye’s expression brightened at having her second son home. She turned to look at the Gunsan Housekeeper.

“We have Korean beef short ribs in the refrigerator, don’t we?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Take out a generous amount and soak them in cold water to draw out the blood.”
“Are you planning to make braised short ribs?”
“He loves those.”

The Gunsan Housekeeper chuckled softly and replied.

“Indeed, when there’s braised short ribs, the young master goes through two bowls of rice without hesitation. Understood. I’ll prepare it right away.”

While the Gunsan Housekeeper bustled about in the kitchen, Seok-won went straight to his room and showered in warm water.

“Phew.”

After drying my wet hair with a towel and stepping out of the bathroom, I was suddenly struck by a thought and opened the suitcase leaning against one wall, rummaging through its contents.

“I’m sure I packed it around here.”

Finally locating what I’d been searching for, I spoke with brightened enthusiasm.

“Found it!”

What I pulled out was a thin CD case.
On the front of the transparent case was a single sheet of paper, seemingly printed hastily as a temporary label.

[Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness]

Upon seeing the printed title, my heart began to race with anticipation and excitement.
This was the second installment in the Warcraft series that Blizzard—which I had just acquired 100% stake in for 23 million dollars—had finished developing and was about to launch.

“A mega-hit that would sell 500,000 copies within just four months of release, and simultaneously become the turning point that would establish Blizzard as a legendary name in real-time strategy gaming.”

The final completed version had been finished the day before my return to Korea, and I was able to receive the freshly burned game CD from Landon.

“Hehehehe….”

I let out a soft chuckle while murmuring to myself.

“To be the first to play a game that hasn’t even officially launched yet. Thinking about it again, acquiring Blizzard was truly the right decision.”

Isn’t this what true pay-to-win really means?
With sparkling eyes and rubbing my palms together eagerly, I immediately powered on the computer and sat down in the chair.
Despite having traveled on a private jet, the fatigue from the long-distance flight had accumulated, but there was no way I could put this off.

“Ugh… why is the boot time taking so long today?”

I stared intently at the monitor until the boot sequence completed and the Windows screen appeared, then quickly opened the CD-ROM drive and inserted the game disc.
As I immediately executed the installation file, a familiar screen appeared showing Humans and Orcs facing each other.

[Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness]

At the appearance of the stirring title logo, an exclamation burst from Seok-won’s lips.

“Yes, this is it. This is what I wanted.”

I clutched my eager heart and waited impatiently for the installation to finish.

* * *

The next morning.
The maple leaves in the Garden that had been beautifully tinged with autumn color had nearly all fallen, revealing bare branches beneath.
As Jo Deok-rye emerged from the master bedroom in her house dress, the Gunsan Housekeeper, who was preparing breakfast, bowed respectfully in greeting.

“Madam. You’re awake.”
“What’s for breakfast this morning?”
“A refreshing crab soup and grilled mackerel.”
“Perfect timing—the weather’s getting chillier by the day. Since the Chairman is awake, have it ready so we can eat right away.”
“Yes, Madam.”

While the Gunsan Housekeeper finished preparing the meal, Jo Deok-rye walked toward the expansive floor-to-ceiling window in the living room that overlooked the Garden.

“The leaves seem to be falling earlier this year than last.”

Dried leaves had already accumulated thickly on the ground.
The grass that had been verdant was now completely brown, announcing the late arrival of autumn.
I was thinking I should have the hired help sweep away the fallen leaves that had accumulated during the day.
Then footsteps sounded, and my second son came down from upstairs.

“Did you sleep well?”
“Yes. You slept soundly too?”

Jo Deok-rye, who had turned around with a smile, suddenly widened her eyes in surprise.

“My goodness! What’s wrong with your eyes?”

Seok-won’s eyes were bloodshot red, as if he had stayed awake all night with his eyes open.
As Jo Deok-rye approached with concern, Seok-won offered an awkward smile.

“I suppose it’s because of the jet lag—I couldn’t sleep properly.”

The truth was that I’d stayed up all night playing the Warcraft II game I’d brought back yesterday, but I couldn’t very well admit that, so I made some vague excuse instead.

‘At my age, saying I lost sleep over a video game would be mortifying.’

Of course, Jo Deok-rye, unaware of the truth, gazed at her second son with a worried expression.

“You’re the one who never needed jet lag adjustment, so what’s all this? It seems the accumulated fatigue from overworking lately has finally caught up with you.”
“Ha ha.”

I could only laugh in response, unable to offer any real rebuttal.

“This won’t do. Just take today off and rest at home.”
“I’ve been away for over two weeks—I can’t do that.”
“What are you saying? Your health comes before work!”

Jo Deok-rye’s expression turned stern, as if my words made no sense.
If I insisted on going out, she looked ready to summon Chairman Park Tae-hong from the master bedroom to stop me by force.

‘You’re working our son to the bone, and now look at him!’
‘Did I send him to America? He wanted to go, so he went!’
‘Regardless, fatigue accumulates from company work whether he realizes it or not!’

I could already picture my parents’ inevitable argument, and I felt troubled.
At this rate, I’d be completely stuck at home playing the role of an invalid.
I had no choice but to laugh awkwardly and try to calm Jo Deok-rye down.

“I’m still young. A day’s rest should be enough to get my condition back in order, so please don’t worry too much.”
“That’s exactly why you need to take care of your health when you’re young! Otherwise you’ll suffer when you’re old. Just look at your father.”

I felt genuinely sorry for my father, who’d caught flak this morning without even understanding why, all because of me.

“If I really don’t feel well, I’ll leave work early and come home.”
“Goodness, who did you take after to be so stubborn?”

Jo Deok-rye sighed and spoke as if she had no choice.

“Fine. You must promise to do exactly that.”
“Yes.”

Still uneasy, Jo Deok-rye continued speaking with an anxious expression.

“This won’t do. I’ll have a word with the Korean medicine clinic your father visits and pick up a course of tonics for you to take as well.”
“What? No, there’s really no need for that.”
“Are you going to ignore your mother?”

The moment Jo Deok-rye’s eyes widened, Seok-won flinched and immediately backed down.

“Understood. I’ll take whatever you give me.”

Only then did Jo Deok-rye nod with satisfaction and speak.

“Your father’s awake now, so go greet him first.”
“…Yes.”

I made my way to the master bedroom, my lips pursed at the unexpected turn of events—all because of that game, I was now obligated to take medicinal tonics.

“Father, it’s Seok-won.”

As I knocked softly, a deep voice came from within.

“Come in.”

Opening the door cautiously and entering the master bedroom, Park Tae-hong spoke in his characteristically gruff tone.

“There’s been quite a commotion outside since this morning. Is something the matter?”
“Nothing serious.”

I answered awkwardly.
Park Tae-hong, studying me with narrowed eyes, then gestured with his hand toward an antique tea table positioned in one corner of the spacious master bedroom.

“I have something to discuss with you. Sit there.”
“Yes.”

As I took my seat, Park Tae-hong settled into the chair across from me and began to speak.

“The fund you manage in the United States is called Eldorado, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Doesn’t it become quite difficult managing a fund while constantly traveling between Korea and the United States?”
“Well, it would be a lie to say it’s not inconvenient.”

Seok-won shrugged his shoulders.

“However, normally I receive business reports via telephone and fax, and when necessary, I handle matters directly in New York like this, so there are no major issues.”

The one responsible for making me traverse the Pacific like this, when I could simply remain in New York and manage the fund, was Park Tae-hong himself—so I wore a slightly apologetic expression before clearing my throat awkwardly.
Of course, it wasn’t an intentional attempt to hold me back.

‘It simply happened because this fellow turned out far better than my expectations.’

Thinking this to myself, I cleared my throat with a soft cough.

“Regardless, juggling two positions simultaneously—both securities company work and fund management—must be extraordinarily demanding.”

Though puzzled by why this topic suddenly arose, Seok-won simply listened to what Park Tae-hong had to say.

“Originally, I had planned to appoint you as an executive at the securities company during the year-end personnel reshuffle.”

Typically, an executive promotion was something one could barely achieve after fifteen years of grueling effort at a company.
However, since it was hardly unusual for second and third-generation chaebol heirs to enter the company and receive rapid promotions, Seok-won showed no particular reaction.

“But I’ve reconsidered and decided to cancel your executive promotion.”
“…?”

Meeting Seok-won’s bewildered gaze, Park Tae-hong continued speaking with utmost seriousness.

“Continuing to keep you bound to securities when you have nothing left to learn would be an unnecessary waste of your abilities and time.”
“Then….”
“Still, since this is the company you’ll eventually inherit, it wouldn’t be wise to leave entirely. Starting next year, I’ll simply give you the title of director, and you’re free to pursue whatever you wish.”
“!”

Upon hearing this, Seok-won’s eyes widened in surprise.

“If working in the United States suits you better, you can go to New York.”
“Are you serious?”

Park Tae-hong’s brow furrowed at the tone of disbelief in my voice.

“Do I strike you as someone who would jest about such matters?”
“Of course not, sir.”

I shook my head immediately.
I had only just secured my freedom from Park Tae-hong, and there was no benefit in needlessly wounding his pride.

“When a son spreads his wings and soars toward the heavens, I am not so foolish a father as to fail to recognize it and clutch at his ankles.”

Park Tae-hong spoke with solemn gravity, crossing his arms.

“I’ve already spoken to Representative Go about this. So understand that you should take your time wrapping up your current affairs at Daehung Securities by year’s end.”

Though sudden, the prospect brought genuine joy—I had chafed under the constraints of being bound to Daehung Securities for far too long.

“Thank you, Father.”
“And be aware that I will soon begin the process of transferring my stake in the securities company to you.”
“…Yes.”

The way he spoke of transferring his shares while simultaneously proceeding with the subsidiary separation made it clear that Park Tae-hong had made a momentous decision.

“Ahem. If I sit here much longer, your mother will have words for me. Let’s go.”

Having said all that needed saying, Park Tae-hong rose to his feet first.
I followed immediately in his wake.

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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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