Golden Spoon Investment Portfolio - Chapter 273

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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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If he’s not a complete idiot, he’ll liquidate his position on his own.

Hong Kong Kai Tak International Airport.
Despite its reputation as one of the world’s top ten airports, with countless large and small aircraft taking off and landing daily, the airport had only a single runway and was surrounded by mountains and towering buildings, making it one of the worst airports in the world for pilots. This was Hong Kong Kai Tak International Airport.
The landings and takeoffs were so treacherous that even veteran pilots with at least five years of experience had to complete specialized training before receiving clearance to operate there.
However, the Kai Tak Airport, which had given countless visitors a thrilling experience with each trip to Hong Kong, was scheduled to fade into history once the new airport being constructed on reclaimed land in front of Lantau Island opened in two years.
Among the various aircraft parked in the spacious parking lot on one side of the airport, Seok-won’s private jet, painted in a striking two-tone livery of Nautic Blue and Crystal White, stood with elegant poise.

“I never imagined that Richard Lee, a major player who carries himself with such swagger in Hong Kong’s securities district, would surrender so meekly.”

Eric Burnas, seated across from Seok-won in the spacious and comfortable private jet cabin, could not hide his excitement.
In a single move, he had acquired all of Peregrine Securities’ bonds and severed their connection with Donghae Group.
Especially watching the proud Richard Lee crumble so easily and accept defeat filled Eric with admiration and a thrilling sense of satisfaction.
Seok-won took a sip of the wine that Bella, the stewardess on the private jet, had brought him and wore a relaxed smile.

“The losses he’d face in copper futures right now would be greater than any gains from continuing to attack Daeheung alongside Donghae Group. It’s the only rational choice, isn’t it?”

Eric marveled once more at Seok-won’s nonchalant demeanor, even after having just subdued Richard Lee, a titan of Hong Kong’s financial world, in the Peninsula Hotel conference room moments ago.
It was remarkable how he could possess such unwavering confidence and composure.

“But wouldn’t there have been a risk that by pushing too hard, he might have rejected the proposal outright and reacted with strong resistance instead?”

Eric asked with genuine curiosity.

“Perhaps, if I had applied pressure clumsily. But when you convince someone that you truly mean what you say and will follow through with your words, they feel fear far more than resentment.”

Seok-won replied calmly, holding the wine glass in one hand.

“Of course, none of this would be possible without the Eldorado Fund’s power and capital being overwhelmingly superior to theirs.”

Eric nodded slightly in agreement, knowing that if the disparity in power hadn’t been so great, Richard Lee would never have backed down so easily.
Seok-won rolled the wine glass in his hand, took another sip, set it down, and continued.

“Just in case, keep a close watch on Peregrine Securities to make sure they don’t get any second thoughts, and finalize the contract.”
“I’ll wrap it up cleanly, so don’t worry.”

Eric answered with confidence.
Seok-won trusted him as much as he trusted his own abilities—a talent scouted by Merrill Lynch and compensated with a generous salary in recognition of his exceptional skills.

“And since a big event is coming up soon, let’s increase staffing at the Hong Kong branch ahead of time.”

Eric’s eyes flickered with intrigue as he leaned forward in his seat and asked.

“What sort of big event are you referring to?”

Given that Seok-won had orchestrated everything from the assault on the Japanese yen to the recent short-selling campaign on the New York Stock Exchange—each a monumental undertaking—his eyes gleamed with anticipation.

“The situation hasn’t fully ripened yet, so for now, let’s simply prepare and wait until the time is right.”
“Understood.”

Eric withdrew with a slightly disappointed expression.

“But I can tell you one thing for certain.”
“…?”
“It will be an event far larger in scale than the yen assault we conducted last time.”

At the mention of an event greater than the yen assault—the legendary operation led by George Hamilton of Wall Street’s hedge fund elite that brought the Bank of Japan to its knees—Eric’s eyes widened.

“I don’t know what it is, but I’m incredibly excited.”

Eric felt his heart quicken with instinctive anticipation, his face flushed with eager expectation.
Seok-won smiled at the sight and spoke.

“So prepare yourself thoroughly so that when the stage is set, you won’t be caught off guard and can move immediately to maximize profits.”
“Yes, understood.”

Just then, Bella, dressed in a stewardess uniform, approached and spoke in a pleasant, sweet voice.

“We will be taking off in twenty minutes.”
“Understood.”
“Is there anything else you need?”

When Seok-won shook his head, Bella cleared away the empty wine glasses to prevent them from falling and breaking during takeoff, then excused herself.

“Then I’ll be taking my leave now.”
“Of course. Let’s meet again next time.”

Eric gave a light bow and nodded to Bella, who stood guard at the boarding entrance, before descending from the private jet.
As I watched Bella close the boarding door, my phone on the table began to ring.
When I answered, Landon Shore’s cheerful voice came through.

[Boss, it’s me.]
“Isn’t it still nighttime in New York?”
[That’s right. My wife was about to wake up, so I tiptoed into the study room like a burglar to make this call.]

Landon Shore continued with a light joke.

“For a burglar, you’ve put on quite a bit of weight, haven’t you?”
[My wife nags me every day about gaining weight lately, and now you’re doing it too, boss.]

I chuckled at Seok-won’s grumbling tone.
I laughed even harder knowing that every New Year he resolved to diet but had never succeeded even once.

[By the way, did things go well in Hong Kong?]
“I left Eric to wrap things up, and I’m about to head back to Korea now.”
[I see.]
“But what did you call about?”
[Ah, I just received a report from Porter that all the arrangements have been completed.]

Seok-won’s eyes gleamed with intensity.

“How much margin has been prepared?”
[50 billion yen.]
“Then the short-selling capacity would be approximately 165 billion yen.”
[Correct.]

In Korean won, that was an astronomical sum approaching 2 trillion.
I rolled up my sleeves to check the time, then asked.

“What was Sumitomo Corporation’s closing price on the Tokyo Stock Exchange today?”
[The market closed at 1,241.9 yen per share.]

I gripped the phone firmly in my hand and issued my instructions without hesitation.

“Once the market opens tomorrow, start the short selling as planned.”
[How much capital should we deploy?]
“Use all 165 billion yen without holding anything back—pour it all in by early June.”
[You mean to exhaust our entire position at once?]

Landon Shore asked, his voice tinged with surprise.

“That’s right.”
[If we deplete our entire reserve in one go and Sumitomo Corporation or other hedge funds deliberately drive the stock price up, we could end up on the losing end instead.]

Landon Shore voiced his concern about the possibility, but I answered with unruffled composure.

“If they try that, we simply increase our margin significantly and short even more. There’s no need to worry. We still have plenty of ammunition in our pocket, don’t we?”
[Well, that’s true enough.]

After signing CDS option contracts with major Japanese securities firms and paying substantial commissions, the enormous profits we’d accumulated from yen trading, Nikkei investments, and knock-in knock-out options still sat heavily in our Japan branch accounts.
There was absolutely no reason we should fall behind in this money game, as Seok-won was confident.

“If Sumitomo Corporation steps in to defend the stock price or others join in betting against us, when the balance eventually tips and collapses to one side, the support underneath will weaken, causing the price to fall even more dramatically. That’s not a bad outcome at all.”

Seok-won spoke as though he actually hoped for exactly that scenario.

[It seems you’re quite confident that a major catastrophe will befall Sumitomo Corporation soon.]

Seok-won replied calmly.

“You should know how much influence Sumitomo Corporation wields in the global copper market.”
[Of course. They trade hundreds of thousands of tons of copper annually and can manipulate international prices to their liking.]
“Exactly.”
[But many hedge funds and major investors have attempted to target Sumitomo Corporation, which dominates the copper market, and all of them retreated without achieving significant results.]

Landon Shore expressed his doubts in a cautious tone.

[Even the renowned Quantum Fund led by George Hamilton tried to shake Sumitomo by dumping hundreds of thousands of tons of copper at once, but ultimately failed and withdrew not long ago.]
“Just because the Quantum Fund gave up and retreated doesn’t mean we can’t succeed where they couldn’t.”
[Ah, that’s not what I meant at all. I was simply trying to say that they’re a formidable opponent.]
“I understand. But think about it differently—they’ve exhausted considerable energy fighting the Quantum Fund until recently, so isn’t now the perfect moment to strike them down? Moreover, with the economy showing signs of contraction, copper prices, being the most sensitive commodity, have peaked and are trending downward. There’s no better timing for an attack than this.”
[So that’s why you ordered massive copper sales not just in stock short selling but also in the futures market.]

At my acknowledgment, Seok-won broke into a grin, flashing his white teeth.

“Attacking from both sides makes it far harder for the opponent to defend against than striking from a single point.”
[That’s certainly true.]

Of course, if it were only this, Seok-won wouldn’t have entertained the idea of touching Sumitomo Corporation so recklessly.

‘But a few months from now, that scandal will break. Knowing it’s coming, I can’t just sit back and watch.’

If the malignant tumor that had festered deep within the company over the past decade ruptured and spilled into the open, even a trading giant like Sumitomo Corporation would have no choice but to stagger under the blow.

‘With just this alone, Sumitomo’s stock price would crater in an instant, losing nearly half its value. And if I pour more gasoline on the fire with short selling and copper futures trading, they’ll suffer far worse damage than in the original timeline.’

I harbored no particular ill will toward Sumitomo Corporation, but it would be wasteful to pass up such a golden opportunity to pull in massive amounts of dollars before the IMF crisis.
And as a bonus, dealing a serious blow to Sumitomo Corporation—a war profiteer—was something I had every reason to do.

“Don’t start selling copper futures right now. Begin next month instead.”
[Understood.]

Given that I’d already conducted transactions with Peregrine Securities, it wouldn’t do to dump massive quantities of copper all at once like some crude amateur.

‘If I give them two or three weeks, anyone with a functioning brain will liquidate their position on their own.’

If Richard Lee failed to read the situation and stubbornly held onto his position, suffering losses as a result, that was entirely his responsibility.
After chatting a bit longer and ending the call, Bella approached as if she’d been waiting.

“We’re preparing for takeoff now. Please fasten your seatbelt.”

Seok-won nodded and located the seatbelt, adjusting and fastening it snugly around his waist.
Recalling the harrowing acrobatic landing maneuver we’d performed when arriving in Hong Kong, my hands moved with extra care as I secured the seatbelt.

“I really don’t have any desire to come back to this airport anytime soon.”

Seok-won shook his head and muttered to himself.
Shortly after, the Gulfstream IV private jet carrying Seok-won, guided by air traffic control, came to a stop at the end of the runway.
The engines roared to maximum output as the aircraft accelerated down the tarmac with full power, then lifted off the ground with a mighty thrust into the sky.

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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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