Golden Spoon Investment Portfolio - Chapter 233

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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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233. I’m planning to dispose of everything except two locations.

January 22, 1996, Park Family Residence, Hannam-dong, Seoul.
Though the Great Cold—the harshest period of winter—had passed, its bitter grip lingered still. Beyond the expansive floor-to-ceiling windows of the grand living room, the garden lay blanketed in pristine white snow.
Park Tae-hong sat across from his wife, Jo Deok-rye, on the sofa, sipping tea as the serene landscape unfolded before them.
Park Tae-hong set down his steaming teacup, leaned back against the sofa, and unfolded the morning newspaper to its front page.

[Former Prime Minister An Yong-guk Makes Shocking Entry into Democratic Justice Party!
With merely eighty days remaining before the fifteenth general election, former Prime Minister An Yong-guk has made a stunning announcement of his entry into the Democratic Justice Party.
This development is expected to yield considerable achievements for the ruling party in terms of unified opposition coalition preparation for the general election, as well as internal party reform, stability, and harmony.
Furthermore, this event is being recognized as a major turning point in the political landscape among the existing four parties.
Prior to his entry, former Prime Minister An Yong-guk told reporters, “I hope to contribute, however modestly, to advancing our politics toward greater cleanliness and a system where law and principle prevail. I wish to overcome wasteful disputes and, under the conservative framework, help facilitate reforms for national stability and development.”
President Kim Sung-gyu, who has actively worked toward this recruitment, is expected to entrust former Prime Minister An Yong-guk with the position of chairman of the election strategy committee….]

“There’s been much talk, but it’s finally come to this.”

Taking the position of election strategy committee chairman in the general election just over three months away was tantamount to President Kim Sung-gyu designating former Prime Minister An Yong-guk as the next presidential candidate, so it was impossible not to be concerned.
With the slush fund scandal rendering the factions of the two previous presidents powerless, there was a high likelihood that the party would solidify this arrangement without significant internal resistance.

“With both party authority and legitimacy in hand, there’s no doubt a major reshuffle will occur during the nomination process.”

At Park Tae-hong’s murmur, Jo Deok-rye, seated across from him, lifted her head slightly and asked.

“What do you mean?”
“It’s nothing.”

Just then, Seok-won descended the second-floor staircase, dressed in a cashmere coat and carrying a leather briefcase in one hand.

“Are you heading to work now?”
“Yes.”

Park Tae-hong folded the newspaper he had been reading, set it on the table, and fixed Seok-won with a stern gaze.

“Since it’s your first day, you must perform flawlessly.”

Today marked his first day as the newly appointed CEO of Daheung Venture Capital.

“Yes. I’ll do well, so don’t worry.”

Park Tae-hong, accustomed to his second son consistently exceeding expectations, refrained from further nagging.

“Goodness. Whose son is he? He’s grown into such a fine-looking man.”

Jo Deok-rye brushed dust from both shoulders of his coat with a contented smile.
Though the dry-cleaned garment was pristine, her careful touch as she adjusted his appearance conveyed a mother’s warmth.

“Then I’ll be going.”
“Go on.”

After seeing Seok-won off at the entrance as he slipped on his shoes and left, Park Tae-hong picked up his newspaper again and muttered.

“He’s not a child anymore. The boy will be thirty in a couple of days, and yet she fusses over him.”
“Even past fifty, parents see their children as young ones, didn’t you know?”

Jo Deok-rye shot him a sidelong glance as she replied.

“Regardless, I’ve already told Manager Gil to find a suitable detached house nearby. Keep that in mind.”

At his sudden remark, Jo Deok-rye’s expression grew puzzled.

“Why a house all of a sudden?”
“How long do you expect me to keep the second boy here? It’s time he moved out and lived on his own.”

Park Tae-hong spoke as though it were obvious.
He was no longer a student, managed his own affairs competently, and had reached the appropriate age—there was nothing unusual about independence.
If anything, it was overdue.

“Still… wouldn’t it be better to have him marry first before he moves out?”

Jo Deok-rye spoke with a hint of reluctance.

“There’s a saying about children remaining in their parents’ embrace. He’s already grown and become an adult—now it’s time to let him go and stand on his own. Well, it seems he’s already matured beyond needing our care.”

Though a pang of loneliness struck her at the thought of sending him away so suddenly, she recognized the truth in her husband’s words and ultimately accepted it.

“I understand.”

Park Tae-hong glanced at his wife, who wore a subtly dejected expression, and tossed out a remark as if joking.

“Who knows? If we let him live alone, he might bring home a well-mannered daughter-in-law from a respectable family in no time.”
“What are you talking about? I’ll find Seok-won a refined, virtuous bride from a prestigious household myself.”
“That… never mind. Forget it.”

Park Tae-hong started to say something but held his tongue, sensing an argument brewing.

“That boy would reject even the most beautiful woman in the world if she didn’t capture his heart. And she doesn’t understand her own son at all… Tsk, tsk.”

With such overbearing tendencies, he wondered who could possibly endure her.

“What did you say?”
“Ahem. I didn’t say anything.”

Park Tae-hong cleared his throat unnecessarily and hid his face behind the newspaper.

Meanwhile, as Seok-won stepped outside the gate, Kim Hyung-gi, who had long served as Park Tae-hong’s driver, was polishing a large Mercedes sedan parked in front with a microfiber cloth when he spotted him and bowed respectfully.

“Young Master. You’ve come out.”
“Yes. Good morning.”

When Seok-won returned the greeting warmly, Kim Hyung-gi gestured to a young man standing beside him and spoke.

“Come on, introduce yourself. This is the person you’ll be serving from now on.”
“Yes.”

A sturdy man in his mid-twenties, dressed in a black suit, bowed at the waist with a slightly nervous expression and announced loudly.

“It’s an honor to meet you. My name is Ju Geun-sung, and I’ll be driving for you, sir.”

I had originally intended to continue driving myself as I always had.
But now that I’d become a proper company president, Park Tae-hong insisted it wouldn’t look good to others, so starting today I would ride in a car driven by a chauffeur.
I quickly assessed Ju Geun-sung—his sun-tanned complexion, shoulders that looked as though he trained regularly, and his short-cropped hair—before stepping closer and extending my hand first.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Park Seok-won.”
“Thank you so much for this opportunity!”

Ju Geun-sung quickly grasped my offered hand with both of his and bowed his head.

“I’m the one who’ll be seeing your face every day from now on, so please take good care of me.”

Ju Geun-sung, who had been nervously anticipating his first meeting with the legendary third-generation chaebol heir, was pleasantly surprised to find him far more casual and personable than the image he’d imagined.

“I’ll do my very best to serve you well, sir.”

When Seok-won let out an amused chuckle at Ju Geun-sung’s rigid demeanor—like a fresh recruit reporting for duty—Kim Hyung-gi, standing beside him, interjected with a knowing smile.

“It hasn’t even been a month since his discharge, so he still hasn’t shaken off the military bearing.”
“Ah, that explains the short hair.”
“Yes, sir….”

Ju Geun-sung touched his hair awkwardly with one hand, offering an embarrassed smile.
Kim Hyung-gi gently patted Ju Geun-sung’s tense shoulder in a reassuring manner.

“Coming from the Marine Corps, he’ll definitely be sharp and efficient at his work.”
“You served in a tough unit. Where were you stationed?”
“I served with the 6th Marine Division at Baengnyeong Island.”

At the mention of his military service, Ju Geun-sung straightened his shoulders, his expression brimming with pride.

“Baengnyeong Island is one of the toughest postings in the entire Marine Corps. You must have had a difficult time.”
“Not at all, sir.”

I could see how his posture remained rigid and angular—clearly habits instilled by military training.

“We can talk more later. Shall we head to the company now?”
“Yes, sir.”

Ju Geun-sung answered curtly and quickly opened the rear door of the Mercedes.
Once Seok-won climbed in, he carefully shut the door and hurried around the hood to the driver’s seat.
He started the engine immediately and, extending one hand to adjust the rearview mirror angle, spoke to Seok-won seated behind him.

“We’re departing now, sir.”
“Very well.”

With that, Ju Geun-sung released the brake and slowly pulled the car forward.

* * *

The Mercedes sedan carrying Seok-won crossed the Hannam Bridge and descended into Gangnam.
It arrived at the building where Daheung Venture Capital occupied office space near Yeoksam Station.
As the black Mercedes pulled up to the entrance, roughly a dozen men standing outside stiffened simultaneously.
They were senior executives of Daheung Venture Capital, waiting to greet Seok-won on his first day as the newly appointed president.
The moment the car came to a stop, one of the men quickly opened the rear door.
As Seok-won stepped out, extending his long legs, a lean middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses approached and offered a respectful greeting.

“Welcome, President. I am Yun Ki-hun, Executive Director. We are honored by your arrival on your first day.”

The senior executives flanking him bowed in unison, their voices rising in harmony.

“Welcome!”

Seok-won gave a subtle nod in acknowledgment.

“There was no need for such an elaborate reception. Thank you for the warm welcome, regardless.”

As I surveyed the lined-up executives, a familiar face caught my eye.
It was Choi Ho-geun, the team leader who had followed me to Daheung Venture Capital.
I had transferred the entire Investment Team 4 from Daehung Securities and promoted him to director of the newly established Fund Management Division.
Our eyes met, but with other employees present, I deliberately concealed my pleasure and pretended not to recognize him.
Director Choi, perceptive as always, stepped back slightly and offered a bow instead of expressing disappointment.

“I shall guide you to the president’s office.”

At Yun Ki-hun’s words as he approached, I nodded slightly and proceeded into the building.
Daheung Venture Capital leased three floors of the twenty-five-story building.
With fewer than a hundred employees and the company recording continuous losses, it was only natural that they had no separate headquarters.
When the elevator stopped on the fifteenth floor, I followed Yun Ki-hun out.
As I walked down the spacious corridor, employees I passed either stepped aside or bowed in greeting.
Most of the mid-level executives, including Director Choi, returned to the lobby, and only two senior executives, including Yun Ki-hun, continued with me.

“Here it is.”

Yun Ki-hun gestured toward a large door at the end of the corridor, marked with a gold plaque reading “President’s Office.”
Upon entering, two female secretaries stood waiting in an anteroom of roughly 110 square meters, bowing respectfully with their hands clasped before them.
Among them was a familiar face—Na Seong-mi.
She too had transferred to Daheung Venture Capital at my invitation, moving along with Investment Team 4.
I acknowledged their greeting lightly and stepped into the inner office.
Sunlight streamed through expansive floor-to-ceiling windows that dominated one wall, flooding the space with radiant warmth.
The furnishings—desk, sofa, and fixtures—had all been arranged to match my preferences: sophisticated yet elegantly minimalist in design.
As I slowly surveyed the office that would soon be mine, Yun Ki-hun spoke from beside me.

“I’ve arranged everything to suit your tastes as much as possible. I hope it meets with your approval.”
“It’s fine.”

I answered briefly and handed my coat to Na Seong-mi, who stood nearby.
As I settled naturally into the sofa’s place of honor, Yun Ki-hun and the two executives exchanged glances before taking their seats on either side.
I watched Na Seong-mi hang my coat and place it in the closet, then spoke in a gentle tone.

“Miss Na, could you bring me a cup of coffee?”

Then I looked around at Yun Ki-hun and the executives and asked.

“What will the three of you have?”
“We’ll have coffee as well.”

At Yun Ki-hun’s response, I turned my gaze to Na Seong-mi and spoke.

“You heard that.”
“Yes. I’ll bring them right away.”

After Na Seong-mi closed the door and left, an awkward silence settled over the room.
Yun Ki-hun glanced at me sideways, cleared his throat softly, and spoke first.

“An inauguration ceremony is scheduled for this afternoon in the first-floor hall, where all employees will gather.”
“Everyone’s busy with their work. Let’s skip the ceremony—there’s no need for the trouble.”
“Pardon? Ah, yes.”

Yun Ki-hun nodded, his expression slightly taken aback.
Leaning back in my seat, I surveyed the gathered executives and spoke calmly.

“More importantly, I’ve reviewed all the investment records we’ve pursued thus far, and the results have been rather underwhelming.”

Seok-won came in hard from the start, and everyone’s expressions grew tense.

“After much deliberation, I’ve decided to seize this opportunity to completely restructure our underperforming investment portfolio—putting new wine into new wineskins, as they say.”
“If you’re restructuring your portfolio, how extensively are you planning to do so?”

Yun Ki-hun asked carefully.

“I intend to divest everything except the Josangbeom Virus Research Institute and Jinhyung Machinery.”
“…!”

The moment they heard the answer, Yun Ki-hun and all the executives widened their eyes in shock.

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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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