Golden Spoon Investment Portfolio - Chapter 20

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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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20. What if NCR were to be acquired?

After crawling through traffic, stopping and starting repeatedly, the group arrived at One New York Plaza, located at the southern tip of Manhattan.
One New York Plaza, with the ferry terminal connecting Staten Island and Governors Island directly ahead, was a towering fifty-story building that reached a height of two hundred meters.
Being an older structure completed in 1969, its exterior appeared quite austere.
The honeycomb pattern design with recessed box-shaped windows had been the cutting-edge fashion when the building was constructed, but now it felt cramped and dated.
As Park Seok-won stepped out of the car and stood admiring the building, Landon added an explanation from beside him.

“As you can see, there’s a river right in front and the ferry terminal is nearby, so the location is excellent. Especially since you can avoid traffic hell by taking the ferry directly from Brooklyn or New Jersey, it’s quite convenient. In fact, Mason here commutes from Jersey City across the Hudson River to this side.”

Even in New York, where land prices were steep, Manhattan was notorious for its exorbitant rental rates.
As a result, most people—unless they were extraordinarily wealthy or exceptionally successful investors—commuted from nearby bedroom communities.

“Which floor is the leased office on?”
“The thirty-first floor.”

Park Seok-won nodded slightly and, guided by Landon, strode forward purposefully.
Passing through the glass doors guarded by two Black private security officers in uniform, each wearing a holstered pistol, I entered to find a spacious and elegantly appointed lobby spread before me.
Unlike the exterior, the interior had undergone multiple renovations and was fitted with state-of-the-art design.
The group crossed the lobby and boarded an elevator heading upward.
Given the building’s height and the number of residents, elevators had been generously installed from the design phase, so there was no inconvenience.
Shortly after, the elevator stopped at the thirty-first floor, and the three stepped out into a spacious corridor.
Walking leftward and turning the corner, Landon pointed to the office located first and spoke.

“Here it is.”

The moment I opened the glass door and stepped inside, the first thing visible was a large golden logo bearing the words “Eldorado Fund” in English, affixed to the reception desk.
The red-haired beauty seated at the reception desk rose upon seeing the group, and Landon gestured while speaking.

“Eva! I’d like to introduce you. This is our fund’s representative.”

Eva’s eyes widened slightly before breaking into a fresh smile.

“Welcome, Representative.”
“It’s good to see you.”

Park Seok-won nodded in acknowledgment at the smile that brightened even those who beheld it.

“Eva is like a vitamin for our fund, always keeping the day fresh and vibrant.”

With that, Landen guided Park Seok-won through another glass door beyond the reception desk.
Unlike the entrance connected to the corridor, this one required separate authentication.
Landen withdrew a security card from his inner pocket and inserted it into the reader installed on the door, and with a click, the lock disengaged.

“I’ve paid special attention to office security, just as the representative instructed.”
“Well done.”

Which sectors to invest in and how to position oneself were directly tied to money.
And if such information leaked outside, it could result in catastrophic losses, making security paramount above all else.
As I stepped through the glass door into the interior, a sprawling trading floor came into view.
With no buildings obstructing the view, sunlight poured through the windows so abundantly that artificial lighting wasn’t even necessary during the day.
A massive electronic market ticker hung on one wall of the expansive trading floor, and spacious desks equipped with multiple monitors were arranged facing one another.
Along the left side of the trading floor, glass partition walls created a row of private offices, though roughly half of them still stood empty and unoccupied.
Landen swept his gaze across the employees seated at their stations working, then gestured toward a white man who appeared to be the oldest among them.

“Andrew! Come over here for a moment.”

A man wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a blue dress shirt, with luxury brand suspenders draped across his shoulders, turned from where he’d been discussing something with an employee while watching monitors and approached.

“Let me introduce you. This is the fund representative.”

The man, habitually pushing his glasses up, turned his gaze toward Park Seok-won.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Andrew Card.”

Though this was technically their first meeting today, Park Seok-won already knew Andrew well from the resume and personal information Landen had sent, so I smiled and extended my hand first.

“Good to meet you. I’m Park Seok-won.”

As I released my hand from the light handshake, I continued speaking.

“I heard you worked at Goldman Sachs for a long time.”

Then Landen, standing beside us, interjected.

“He’s a talented individual who earned the reputation of being an ace in the futures and options division. We went to considerable lengths to bring him to our fund.”
“You’re giving me too much credit, Landen.”

Park Seok-won gave him a passing grade inwardly, appreciating how he carried himself with quiet composure rather than arrogance.

‘In trading, one cannot afford to be overly cautious, yet it’s equally problematic to be too ostentatious.’

Especially since Andrew would be overseeing and leading the trading floor while managing investments overall, he needed to be measured yet possess razor-sharp judgment.
Though I would need to observe him further, he had passed this initial assessment.

“I’m well aware of your accomplishments at Goldman Sachs. I look forward to seeing that same caliber of performance here.”
“I’ll strive not to disappoint you.”

Hearing Andrew’s measured response, Park Seok-won winked playfully and spoke in a lighter tone to lift the atmosphere.

“If you deliver results, the bonuses you’ll take home will be considerably higher than what you earned at Goldman Sachs.”

Andrew’s lips curved upward slightly at the candid remark.

“Hearing that certainly motivates me to work harder.”
“Come now, let’s not linger here—shall we continue our conversation in my office?”

Landon, who had been listening to their exchange, interjected at precisely the right moment.
Park Seok-won gave a slight nod and turned to Andrew.

“Andrew, come along.”
“Of course.”

The executive office, which Landon led them to, was furnished with clean, modern décor that reflected his taste and age.
Yet the true showstopper was the expansive East River visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows opposite the entrance, with ferries traversing its waters.
In a Manhattan office hemmed in by towering skyscrapers, such a view was nothing short of a privilege.

“What do you think? Quite the spectacular vista, isn’t it?”

Landon spread both arms wide, speaking with evident pride.

“The rent is steep, but it’s precisely why we secured an office at One New York Plaza.”

It was undeniably a rare view that few could appreciate, so Landon had every reason to take pride in it.
Park Seok-won stood by the window, glancing down briefly before turning his gaze away.

“It’s quite impressive. But you didn’t lease this place just for the view, did you?”
“Haha, of course not. The top priority was the dedicated communication line directly connected to the exchange.”

With tens or hundreds of millions of dollars changing hands over a mere 0.01-second difference in order execution, the presence of a high-speed dedicated communication line was absolutely critical.

“We moved to a different location last year, but since several investment banks and funds like Chase and Salomon Brothers are based here, the communication infrastructure is exceptionally well-equipped.”
“That’s the most important factor, so it makes sense.”

After surveying the executive office, I ran my fingertips across the desk I would soon be using and asked a question.

“What’s the total leased area?”
“Six thousand square feet.”

Since one square foot was 0.03 pyeong, six thousand square feet would be approximately 180 pyeong.

“That’s not a small space.”
“Considering we have fewer than ten employees, it’s actually quite spacious. We originally tried to find something smaller, but there were no available units under six thousand square feet, so we had no other choice.”

Since he was managing the company operations, there was a hint of regret in his expression at having to pay more rent than necessary.
At that, I spoke in a casual tone.

“Once the fund grows, we’ll naturally need more employees anyway, so think of it as securing ample space in advance.”
“I hope that happens soon.”

Leaving Landen, who was smacking his lips, behind, I settled into the reception seating in the center of the executive office.

“Let’s sit for now.”

The sofa set could accommodate roughly ten people, and the sofas were large and spacious, with a thick marble table that was entirely Italian-made.
As I took the head seat first, Landen and Andrew sat across from each other on either side of the sofa.

“It’s been about a week since you started, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then I imagine you’ve already gotten in sync with the staff under you. How is it?”

Andrew’s eyes sparkled, as if he understood what I was getting at.

“We’ve completed the warm-up phase.”

Once the office was established, I withdrew ten million dollars from the profits sent from Britain and entrusted them to the trading team led by Andrew, allowing him to conduct transactions autonomously.
However, Andrew—who had single-handedly moved tens of millions of dollars daily while at Goldman Sachs—found even this sum constraining and unsatisfying.
Landen, who had experienced me most extensively, quickly grasped the atmosphere and leaned forward in his seat.

“Do you have a promising deal in mind?”

Andrew, who had learned from Landen that I had made substantial profits by investing in the pound sterling, also regarded me with an expression tinged with anticipation.
Receiving the focused attention of both men, I opened my mouth with a decidedly serious expression.

“You’ve likely heard of a company called NCR.”

Andrew’s brow furrowed slightly as he spoke.

“You’re referring to the company headquartered in Ohio that manufactures ATMs and personal computers?”
“Exactly. As expected of a professional, you’re well-informed.”
“They hold a dominant position in the ATM sector and have recently been expanding their footprint through PC manufacturing—a promising enterprise, certainly. But beyond that, there’s nothing particularly remarkable about them.”

At Andrew’s expression of mild disappointment, a meaningful smile played across my lips.

“What if NCR were to be acquired?”
“…!”

Andrew’s eyes widened immediately as he pressed for clarification.

“Are you saying an M&A transaction?”
“Yes.”

I nodded slightly and continued with measured composure.

“By year’s end at the latest, an announcement will come that AT&T is acquiring NCR.”

Upon hearing this, Andrew tilted his head, his expression turning puzzled.

“You’re saying AT&T, a telecommunications company, will acquire NCR, a computer manufacturer, despite having virtually no overlapping operations?”
“Why do you assume they have no common ground?”
“Then you’re saying they do?”

As I denied it despite there being no obvious connection whatsoever, the furrow between Andrew’s brows deepened further.

“You’re aware that NCR’s primary business is ATM systems, correct?”
“Yes.”
“And how do you suppose ATMs operate?”
“Well, ATM machines installed across various locations are connected to a bank network, allowing customers to easily withdraw or deposit funds using magnetic cards… Ah!”

Andrew, who had been speaking casually, suddenly exclaimed as a brilliant thought flashed through his mind.
As Andrew’s head snapped up, Park Seok-won gazed at him with a knowing smile, as if confirming the answer.

“Connecting numerous ATM machines to a bank network is itself a form of telecommunications service, isn’t it?”

Landon, who had been listening to the conversation from the side, belatedly slapped his knee and joined in.

“You’re absolutely right!”

Andrew nodded gravely, fell silent in thought for a moment, then spoke again.

“Now that you mention it, that does seem to be the case. But wouldn’t AT&T’s motivation for acquiring NCR at such enormous expense still be somewhat lacking?”
“Of course, if that were the only reason, you’d be right.”
“Then you’re saying there’s another reason?”
“Exactly. Everyone knows that computers are the hottest field right now.”

Both men nodded in agreement.
Indeed, ever since IBM released the first personal computer in 1981—not a massive mainframe, but a machine individuals could actually use—
the personal computer market had exploded with countless IBM PC compatibles and Apple’s Macintosh, drawing enormous attention.

“Many futurists say that in the future, PCs will connect to telecommunications networks, creating a new era of information exchange. Just like ATM machines installed on streets connect to bank networks.”
“But wouldn’t that require communication lines to be installed in every home? Doesn’t that seem rather difficult?”

Landon’s response carried a note of skepticism, as if questioning whether such a thing were even possible.
In the future, using the internet would be as natural as breathing, but at this moment, the internet was accessible only at universities, large corporations, and government offices.
Moreover, telecommunications costs were astronomical, making it nearly impossible to imagine individuals freely accessing such services.

‘If I said that in ten years people would be using the internet while walking around, I’d be called insane.’

Yet it was a future that would inevitably unfold.

‘Come to think of it, Netscape—the pioneer of web browsers—will be founded soon.’

Though it wouldn’t survive long before being crushed by Microsoft, Netscape was the company that would fire the opening shot of the dot-com bubble.

‘If I can just secure it, I’ll have a unicorn that prints money. I can’t let this slip away.’

I added it to my shopping list right after Apple, speaking my thoughts aloud.

“Whether it actually materializes or not, we’ll find out in time. Regardless, AT&T is already raking in hundreds of billions of dollars annually from their wired telephone business, but they’re not satisfied with that—they’re casting their eyes in all directions. Given that the computer market is emerging as the next big industry, it’s only natural they’d develop an appetite for it.”

Andrew then adjusted his wire-rimmed glasses with his hand and picked up the thread of conversation.

“That’s certainly a reasonable point, but I’m afraid the evidence is still too thin to definitively conclude that AT&T will acquire NCR based on that alone.”

Hearing that, I pulled out two photographs from my inner jacket pocket as if I’d been waiting for exactly this moment, and placed them on the table.
Andrew glanced down at the photos and his eyes widened in shock.

“This person—!”

Seeing his reaction, I flashed a broad grin.

“As you can see, it’s Robert Meyer, the chairman of AT&T, and Hilsch, the chairman of NCR.”
“…!”
“What are the odds that two men would coincidentally visit the same hotel on the same day?”
“….”
“Especially in Atlanta, nowhere near either of their companies’ headquarters.”

Andrew stared intently at the photograph showing both chairmen stepping out of a limousine parked in front of the hotel entrance.
Then he lifted his gaze and swallowed hard before speaking.

“As you say, it’s clear that a major transaction is underway between the two companies.”

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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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