Golden Spoon Investment Portfolio - Chapter 229

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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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229. They’re saying we should go to New York instead of Seoul.

Manhattan, One New York Plaza Building.
The Eldorado Fund Trading Floor on the 31st floor was, as always, filled with deafening noise.
Amid the constant ringing of telephones echoing from every direction, dozens of traders with loosened ties and rolled-up shirtsleeves rapidly tapped keyboards or shouted into handsets.

Ring! Ring!

“Two thousand shares! Buy at market price. Right now!”
“Five thousand GM shares! No, GM, not GE!”
“How much? It’s gone up again already. Damn it!”
“Okay. Done!”

Andrew, wearing his trademark suspenders draped across his shoulders, stood to the side and took a deep breath, watching the Trading Floor move with vibrant dynamism like a living organism.
Whenever I observed the heat radiating from the people and the stock prices dancing like waves, I felt the vivid sensation of adrenaline surging from deep within my body.
Especially on days like today when the indices were climbing sharply, the thrill intensified even more.
I suspected that even as I grew older, I would never be able to leave this world—a place that delivered a rush more intoxicating than any drug.
Just then, Landon Shore, dressed in a custom suit made from expensive Italian fabric, approached and asked.

“What’s the market sentiment like today?”

Andrew pointed with his eyes toward the large market information board installed in front and answered.

“As you can see, it’s extremely hot.”

Landon let out a dry laugh as he watched nearly every stock ticker glowing green.

“Just last week people were talking about Black Tuesday with such a massive crash, and now it’s bounced back and surged like this again. It’s a complete roller coaster.”
“Thanks to the market’s volatility, we’ve been able to rake in some decent profits, haven’t we?”
“That’s true enough.”

Landon chuckled softly, his hand tucked into his pants pocket, and murmured.

“When you look at something like this, it really is remarkable no matter how many times you think about it.”
“What is, sir?”

Andrew turned his head to look at him.

“It’s what the boss said. It’s remarkable enough that he predicted the crash, but isn’t it even more astonishing how he boldly places long bets anticipating the market will bounce back so quickly? Sometimes I wonder if he’s actually seen the future.”

Andrew nodded in agreement.

“Exactly. I pride myself on having considerable experience on Wall Street, but every time I see the boss’s masterful bets, I can only marvel at them.”

Watching him navigate between long and short positions while generating enormous profits—when even betting in a single direction was difficult—was like watching a professional surfer glide effortlessly across towering waves, executing breathtaking maneuvers.

“Wooooo!”

A sudden cheer erupted, pulling Andrew from his thoughts as he looked ahead.
The S&P 500 index, which had been climbing fearlessly since last Friday, had finally broken through the 630 line again and was setting new highs.

“It finally broke through 630.”

Andrew exhaled softly, his voice tinged with awe.
Landon Shore’s face was radiant with smiles as the real-time profit margins on the S&P 500 futures long bets surged dramatically.

“If this goes well, the profits could exceed what we made from the short positions.”
“That appears to be the case.”

As the index reached new highs, a wave of profit-taking temporarily pushed the market down, but it quickly regained momentum, closing the S&P 500 index at 631.03.

Ding ding ding!!

As the closing bell rang, the cacophony of the Trading Floor gradually subsided.

“Phew.”
“Damn it. I’ve been shouting so much my voice is completely hoarse.”

The team members, having exhausted themselves during the trading session, collapsed limply into their chairs.
Seeing this, Landon Shore spoke with relief.

“It was close, but it looks like we’ve settled above 630.”

Andrew, standing nearby, nodded slightly at his words.

“We won’t know what happens when the market opens again Monday next week, but for now, that seems to be the case.”
“Given the market’s current momentum, I don’t think it’s going to fall.”

Landon shrugged and spoke.

“Contrary to concerns, the earnings reports from companies being announced are strong, so I believe the upside is more open than the downside.”

As the two men leaned in close, exchanging satisfied glances.
Eva, a receptionist at the front desk, appeared leading several other female employees, pulling a cart laden with deep green shopping bags.

“Eva. What is all this?”
“The CEO sent these to be distributed to the employees.”

Eva, her coarse red hair pulled back in a half-ponytail, answered with a radiant smile.

“Ah. Right. He did say they’d arrive today, but I completely forgot.”

At Landon’s words, Andrew’s jaw dropped as he gazed at the shopping bags overflowing in each cart.

“So those are all Rolex watches?”
“That’s right. Our boss never makes empty promises.”
“That may be true, but Rolex watches in such quantities….”

Andrew shook his head in disbelief at the sight of shopping bags containing Rolex watches—even the cheapest models costing well over several thousand dollars—piled up like common department store merchandise.

“These are for the two of you.”

Eva brought two shopping bags and held them out before the two men.

“I get one too?”

Andrew, who had expected nothing, asked in astonishment.

“Of course. The CEO distributed watches to all the traders and every other employee as well.”

As she spoke, Eva proudly rolled up her sleeve to display her arm.
On Eva’s delicate wrist gleamed a women’s gold Rolex Datejust watch, catching the fluorescent light from the ceiling and shimmering with particular brilliance.
When the other female employees checked their own wrists, they too bore glittering watches.
No wonder their faces hadn’t stopped smiling—it was the Rolex effect.

“Haha. Purchasing over fifty Rolex watches at once—truly a bold move.”

Having experienced such situations more than once or twice, Landon Shore burst into hearty laughter without a trace of surprise.

“Well then, let’s see what we’ve got here.”

As Landon Shore removed a green hard box from the shopping bag Eva had handed him and opened it, a resplendent Rolex Submariner in blue dial and two-tone combination gleamed into view.
Meanwhile, the Trading Floor filled with the cheerful chatter of employees receiving Rolex watches distributed by Eva and the Female Employees.

“Wow. They’re actually giving us real Rolex watches.”
“This is incredible!”
“Surely he’s not using this as a substitute for our bonuses.”
“Ha, come on. You know what kind of person the boss is—he wouldn’t be so stingy.”
“Damn it. The Submariner I bought last month… ugh.”
“Oh no.”
“Why did they have to give me the exact same model I already own, when there are so many other options!”
“Then give me yours?”
“Are you insane! Mine is steel and this one is a two-tone with gold, so I need to wear both!”

Watching a man lunge at his colleague as if ready to grab him by the collar, those around them burst into laughter.
Andrew recalled Seok-won, who by now was likely flying to Florida on a private jet to play golf with Richard Myles, the legendary professional golfer.
He then removed his original watch and fastened the Rolex Submariner he’d received as a bonus around his wrist.

“It suits me well.”

Satisfied, Andrew chuckled softly to himself.

***

January 7th, 1996.
At the Miami International Airport parking lot, Seok-won’s Gulfstream IV private jet, its fuselage painted in a striking two-tone of Naval Blue and Crystal White, stood ready for takeoff.
Seated with his back reclined at an angle beside the large windscreen, Seok-won was on a call with David Dantic, with whom he had played a round of golf the previous day.

[Thanks to you, I had a most enjoyable time.]
“I felt the same way. You mentioned your handicap was 3, but wasn’t that set too low? Your skill was so impressive I could barely keep up.”

Dantic, who had recorded two birdies in yesterday’s game and posted a respectable score, replied with a hearty laugh.

[Ha ha ha. I just had an unusually good touch with the ball yesterday. My handicap of 3 is accurate.]
“Your drive was remarkable too. Even Richard Myles, who played with us, said your posture and power were excellent—good enough to challenge the professional circuit, wouldn’t you say?”
[Well, I can’t speak to other aspects, but I’m confident in my drive shot.]

Delighted by the praise, Dantic puffed out his chest and replied with unmistakable pride.
Seok-won held the phone to his ear, chuckling silently as he spoke.

“Next time you have a free moment, let’s head out to the course together.”
[Absolutely. Just give me a call whenever you’re ready.]

Having grown considerably closer through their rounds of golf, Dantic responded with easy familiarity.
After continuing their conversation for some time, Seok-won ended the call and set his phone down on the table before him, murmuring to himself.

“I’ve been thinking about this for a while now, but golf really does make it easy to build genuine connections.”

First Amar Cuff, and now David Dantic.
If I could cultivate strong relationships with men destined to become the most powerful figures in the United States—a future superpower—it would prove invaluable to my future endeavors.
What made these connections particularly crucial was that during their respective tenures, catastrophic global events would unfold that would shake the entire world.

“The Global Financial Crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic—both nightmarish planetary disasters that I’d rather not even think about.”

Though these calamities were nightmarish, viewed from another angle, they represented unprecedented opportunities to amass astronomical wealth.
Having connections with the world’s most powerful leaders when such catastrophes strike would be an enormous advantage.
Just then, Bella, a stewardess on the private jet, approached with a tray and set down a glass of lemon water, speaking as she did.

“Your gin and tonic, sir.”
“Thank you.”
“Is there anything else you need?”

I nodded that everything was fine, and Bella informed me we’d be taking off in ten minutes before turning toward the front of the cabin.
As I gazed out at the airport landscape beyond the window and took a sip of my gin and tonic, my phone vibrated on the table.

[Boss, it’s Landon Shore.]
“What’s the matter?”
[I’m calling because there’s something I need to discuss with you.]
“What is it?”
[Steve Nolan just called us with a proposal he wanted to make.]

Startled by the unexpected name, I sat up abruptly and gripped the phone more firmly.

“Are you talking about Steve Nolan, the founder of Apple?”

Landon Shore answered immediately, as if confirming my understanding.

[Yes, that’s correct. He was expelled from Apple long ago and operated a computer company that manufactured workstations and a place called Pixar that produces 3D computer animation. He returned and now works as an advisor.]

The incident where Steve Nolan, the founder, was expelled from the company he created had been famous enough to stir up Silicon Valley for quite some time.
Seok-won, who had regained his composure by then, wore a puzzled expression.

“What kind of proposal did Nolan make?”
[He wants to sell 1.5 million shares of Apple stock through a block deal.]
“…!”

Seok-won’s eyes widened in disbelief as he asked again.

“Nolan is trying to sell his Apple shares?”
[Yes. The 1.5 million shares match exactly the number of shares he received along with $380 million in cash when he returned as an advisor and sold the computer company he had separately established to Apple.]

Apple, which had lost its originality and was gradually losing market share while walking the path of decline, desperately sought a next-generation operating system for a turnaround—and ironically, it was the computer company established by Nolan that they chose.

‘Since Steve Nolan himself was the very identity that distinguished Apple from countless other computer companies, this could be said to be a natural conclusion.’

Though he had been expelled once, Steve Nolan still harbored strong attachment to Apple.
Yet now he was trying to sell all his shares—this was no ordinary matter.

“I’ll head to New York right away. We can discuss the details when we meet.”
[You’re not returning to Korea?]
“That’s right.”
[Then I’ll be waiting.]

After ending the call, Seok-won pressed the call button on the side of the desk with a slightly stiffened expression.
Bella approached immediately and asked with a smiling face.

“Yes, you called for me?”
“Tell the Captain we’re going to New York instead of Seoul.”

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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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