Golden Spoon Investment Portfolio - Chapter 204

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

204. I have a proposal I’d like to suggest.

Manhattan, New York, United States.
Landon Shore stepped into the office wearing a cashmere coat, a leather briefcase in one hand, and offered a light wink to the Female Secretary seated at her desk.

“Good morning, Cathy.”

Cathy, whose striking red hair caught the light, responded with a radiant smile.

“Welcome back. You seem to be in a wonderful mood today.”
“I’m always like this.”

Landon Shore glanced back at Cathy as he headed toward his private office.

“A strong coffee, please.”
“Korean instant coffee mix, I presume?”
“That’s the one. The sweetness is exactly what I’ve come to crave.”

Cathy nodded in agreement.

“Once I tried it, I couldn’t stop either.”
“Right?”
“Go on in. I’ll have it ready in just a moment.”

Landon Shore listened to what Cathy was saying as he grasped the door handle and pulled it open.
A spacious room with carpeted flooring came into view.
True to his preference for cleanliness, the interior was modern yet minimalist, but upon closer inspection, everything from the desk to the sofa, bookshelves, and every minor fixture was from the most prestigious brands.
I set my briefcase on the desk and hung my jacket and coat in the closet.
Then I naturally walked toward the window on one side.
Beyond the expansive floor-to-ceiling glass, I could see the brilliant blue East River and, in the distance, the Statue of Liberty, the symbol of New York.
It was truly a magnificent view, and every time I stood like this with my arms crossed, gazing out at the wide-open scenery, my heart swelled with emotion.
Coming in early before the New York stock market opened and taking a moment to appreciate the view outside my window while calmly organizing the day’s tasks was my routine.
Considering New York’s traffic conditions, which were nothing short of hellish, arriving at the office early when I had a residence outside Manhattan was no easy feat.
But unlike others, I didn’t waste time trapped in congested roads every day—instead, I could leisurely arrive at the office by helicopter provided by the company.
Seok-won’s Eldorado Fund offered various employee benefits, but if I had to pick my favorite, it would be the helicopter for executive commuting.
Of course, with over ten million dollars in annual salary and bonuses last year alone, I could easily afford my own private helicopter.
Still, if given the choice between spending my own money and accepting a free benefit from the company, naturally I’d choose the latter.
Above all, it felt different knowing the company recognized me as an important person and treated me accordingly.
Especially when flying over Manhattan’s high-rises in the helicopter and looking down at the cars filling the roads below, that feeling was even more pronounced.

“A Texas country boy really did make it big.”

Muttering to myself, I suddenly recalled the first time I met Seok-won years ago.
At first, I thought of him as just a lucky kid who’d won a massive lottery jackpot.
I was relieved not to see newspaper articles about him squandering money surrounded by alcohol and women, only to end up homeless, or dying from an overdose or armed robbery.
Wasn’t it common everywhere for lottery winners who suddenly came into great wealth to indulge in momentary pleasures and spiral into ruin?
So my initial assessment wasn’t excessive.
But Seok-won completely shattered those expectations, and in less than five years, he’d turned his lottery winnings into seed capital and rapidly become a major player commanding attention on Wall Street.
This alone was truly astounding, and having witnessed the entire process unfold right beside him, I could hardly believe my own eyes.
Being closer to him than anyone else, I couldn’t help but marvel at how such a thing was possible every single time.

“Everything he touches hits the jackpot—he’s got the Midas touch, no joke.”

No matter how I thought about it, deciding to work with Seok-won was the best decision I’d ever made in my life.
Thanks to him, I was now living a fantastic life conducting business on a global scale, earning money I could never have dreamed of if I’d stayed in Texas practicing law.
Just then, Cathy knocked and entered, setting a warm mug of coffee on my desk.

“I brought your coffee.”
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”

Cathy smiled slightly and exchanged a glance with me before promptly leaving the room.

“So, where should I start?”

As I settled into my desk chair, today’s Wall Street Journal lay waiting alongside a meticulously compiled report detailing overnight developments across global foreign exchange and stock markets.
I picked up my mug first, blowing gently across the steaming coffee before taking a sip.
The distinctly sweet flavor of Korean coffee mix stimulated my taste buds, sharpening my mental clarity.
Ever since I’d tried what Seok-won occasionally enjoyed, I’d become completely enchanted by Korean coffee mix.
Now I kept a supply in the office and drank it every morning like this.

“The coffee’s perfect too.”

Straightening my posture, I began methodically turning through the report page by page.
About halfway through the document, the intercom chimed, and Cathy’s voice emerged from the speaker.

[Andrew is here.]

Still holding the report, I reached over and pressed the intercom button.

“Send him in.”
[Yes.]

Moments later, Andrew, the senior chief, appeared in the doorway wearing a crisp white dress shirt with suspenders draped over his shoulders.

“I figured you’d be stopping by. Come, sit on the sofa so we can talk.”
“Yes.”

Andrew nodded slightly and made his way to the sofa, settling across from me.
His expression turned serious as he got straight to the point.

“You’ve heard the news that President Davidson vetoed the budget bill Congress passed, I assume.”

Leaning back against the sofa cushion, I furrowed my brow slightly as I responded.

“The budget bill drastically cuts social and welfare program funding that President Davidson considers vital and transfers Medicaid control to individual states—there’s no way the White House would accept that from the start.”
“Exactly.”

Indeed, even before the budget bill passed, President Davidson had made his position clear that he would exercise his veto.

“How’s the futures market sentiment?”
“Nothing major. The market seems more sensitive to the Bundesbank chairman’s dollar-support remarks and France’s general strike warning.”
“Just like last month’s shutdown, everyone seems to think the White House and the Republican Party will posture for a few days before things resolve without major issues.”

Andrew chuckled wryly and spoke.

“During the last shutdown, there were enough dealers and traders who cleared their desks after betting short to fill several trucks.”
“True. If the boss hadn’t given us orders back then, we would’ve gone short too.”
“Who could have predicted the federal government would shut down yet the stock market wouldn’t collapse—it just kept climbing? Even now, thinking back on it sends chills down my spine.”

With the internet boom so fierce and liquidity so abundant, while rising stock prices were one thing, the fact that gold—the quintessential safe-haven asset—didn’t surge during the shutdown and actually fell sharply had left Wall Street experts bewildered.

“Given our experience last time, plus the strong possibility of a rate cut at the Federal Reserve board meeting scheduled for mid-month, honestly, without the boss’s orders, I would’ve gone long myself.”

Andrew shrugged as if it were obvious.

“Most of Wall Street thinks the same way. That’s why there’s no reaction to the veto news, right?”
“That’s probably it.”

Landon Shore grinned wickedly, curling one corner of his mouth upward.

“If the shutdown situation doesn’t resolve quickly and actually escalates, just as the boss predicted, while everyone’s letting their guard down, the panic will be absolutely massive.”

With a smile like a villain from a movie, Andrew met his gaze with a meaningful expression.

“The moment optimism turns to fear, everyone panics and starts dumping stocks indiscriminately.”
“And we, already holding short positions, hit the jackpot again.”

Both had such unwavering faith in Seok-won that the possibility of his prediction being wrong didn’t exist even in the slightest corner of their minds.

“Here’s the list of the top ten S&P 500 companies by market cap as of yesterday.”

Andrew unfolded a piece of paper that had been folded several times and laid it on the table.
As I picked up the list to check it, globally recognizable companies were listed in order.

[1. GE
2. Exxon
3. Coca-Cola
.
.
.
9. Microsoft
10. IBM ]

Though the rankings shifted slightly with each rise and fall in stock prices, the names of companies within the top ten remained virtually unchanged.
Landon Shore nodded slightly, folded the paper back up, and returned it as he spoke.

“Proceed as planned.”
“Understood.”

Andrew answered with a confident expression, took the paper and tucked it into his pocket, then stood up.

“Then I’ll head to the Trading Floor now since the market will be opening soon.”
“Go ahead.”

As Andrew left the office and made his way to the Trading Floor, his face was flushed with excitement at the prospect of the massive bet ahead.
Like most Wall Street traders, Andrew thrived on risk and hungered for greater profits.
In this moment, with adrenaline coursing through his entire body, he felt truly alive and breathing with fervent intensity.

* * *

[We’ve begun short selling as you instructed, starting today.]

In his room at the Park Family Residence in Pyeongchang-dong, Seok-won held his phone to his ear while monitoring the movements of the New York stock market and NASDAQ on his Bloomberg terminal.

“Since these are large-cap stocks, I’m not seeing any significant price drops yet.”
[Twenty billion dollars is substantial, but as you said, these are all heavyweight companies, and we’ve only just begun our short selling campaign. It will take a bit more time before we see real impact.]
“Right, the daily trading volume for the top ten S&P 500 stocks alone must exceed tens of billions of dollars, so that makes sense.”
[Still, given the volume we’re pouring in, we should see movement soon.]

Despite concerns about a second federal government shutdown, while other stocks showed strength, the top ten S&P 500 stocks—including GE and those the Eldorado Fund had begun short selling—displayed weakness, making it clear they were already feeling the impact.

“Continue the short selling as planned, and contact me immediately if there are any significant changes.”
[Understood.]

After ending the call, Seok-won checked the New York market situation once more before leaving the room and heading downstairs.
Just then, he spotted the Gunsan Housekeeper coming out of the kitchen with a garbage bag in her apron and asked her a question.

“Is Father in the master bedroom?”
“No. I saw him heading into the Study Room earlier.”
“I see. Thank you.”

Seok-won walked toward the Study Room, knocked lightly, and carefully opened the door.
Park Tae-hong, who had been sitting on the sofa examining documents through his magnifying glasses, looked up.

“What is it?”
“I have something to discuss with you. Do you have a moment?”
“Of course. Come in and sit.”

Park Tae-hong gestured toward the empty sofa with his chin, removed his glasses, and set them down before looking at his son.

“So what is this matter you wanted to discuss?”
“I have a proposal for you.”
“A proposal?”

As Park Tae-hong narrowed his brow slightly and asked for clarification, Seok-won nodded.

“Yes.”

Sensing that this was something important, Park Tae-hong met his second son’s gaze with a serious expression.

“Well then, let me hear what this proposal is.”
“I want to acquire Daheung Venture Capital.”
“…!”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————