Golden Spoon Investment Portfolio - Chapter 284

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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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284. Please, go up. Please!

Kwak Dong-hun, chairman of the Saseong Group, set down his coffee cup with a startled expression and spoke.

“So you’re telling me that the representative of the Eldorado Fund, a Wall Street hedge fund, is the second son of Chairman Park of the Daheung Group?”

Yeom Geon-u, the Chief Secretary seated on the sofa to the right, answered as all eyes turned toward him.

“That’s correct. Since it operates exclusively on personal funds without accepting any external investment, it would be more accurate to call it a Family Office rather than a hedge fund.”
“Was it established to manage Chairman Park’s slush funds?”

The Saseong Group was no different, but among the nation’s major conglomerates, there were few whose chairmen didn’t stash vast sums abroad—so the assumption was natural enough.

“I initially thought the same thing, but when I dug deeper, that wasn’t the case.”
“If not slush funds, then what?”

Kwak Dong-hun tilted his head as he asked.

“It was a Family Office that Park Seok-won established from the beginning using his own personal money.”

Kwak Dong-hun’s brow furrowed slightly as he absorbed this information.

“Park Seok-won—you mean Chairman Park’s second son?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”

Kwak Dong-hun recalled seeing Seok-won’s face once at a Federation of Korean Industries gathering, and spoke with evident surprise.

“If I remember correctly, Park Seok-won is quite young, isn’t he?”
“He’s twenty-nine years old this year.”
“Not even thirty, and he has enough money to establish a fund like that? Did Chairman Park give him a substantial portion of his fortune early on?”
“That’s… I couldn’t believe it at first either. But look at this first.”

Yeom Geon-u placed the thin folder he had brought before Kwak Dong-hun.
Kwak Dong-hun glanced at Yeom Geon-u with a puzzled expression, then reached out and opened the folder.
Inside were American newspaper articles from several years ago, bound together with their Korean translations.

[
A Powerball jackpot erupted in Texas!
With five consecutive drawings yielding no grand prize winners, the Powerball jackpot had swollen to $190 million—and finally, fortune had found its champion.
The Texas Lottery Commission revealed that the fortunate winner was Park Seok-won, a foreign exchange student in his twenties residing in Massachusetts. According to reports, he elected to receive the after-tax lump sum of $119.7 million rather than the annuity option spanning twenty-nine years.]

Kwak Dong-hun’s eyes widened as he gazed at the USA Today article prominently featuring a black-and-white photograph of Seok-won posing with a panel reading “$119,000,000”.

“Could it possibly be that the lottery winner is Chairman Park’s second son?”
“Difficult as it may be to believe, that is indeed the case.”
“This makes no sense whatsoever….”

Kwak Dong-hun lowered his gaze to examine the photograph in the newspaper more carefully.
Though the black-and-white image was grainy from photocopying, he could still discern without difficulty that the Asian man holding the prize panel was Seok-won.
Beyond that, there was no reason Chief Secretary Yeom Geon-u would deceive him with such an absurd story, so accepting it as truth was the only reasonable conclusion.

“Extraordinary.”

Kwak Dong-hun exhaled in astonishment.

“To win a lottery worth $119.7 million—Chairman Park’s second son certainly possesses remarkable fortune.”

Even for a conglomerate chairman, such a sum was not easily acquired, so his assessment was entirely justified.
Observing Kwak Dong-hun’s reaction, Chief Secretary Yeom Geon-u leaned forward in his seat.

“The truly astonishing part comes after that.”
“There is more to be astonished about?”
“Do you know what President Park did with his winnings?”
“Did you not just mention that he established a Family Office?”

Chief Secretary Yeom Geon-u responded with grave composure to Kwak Dong-hun’s puzzled inquiry.

“Beginning with European sovereign bond investments, he anticipated the financial crisis and executed short positions on the Mexican peso and government bonds, generating substantial profits. Furthermore, he participated in the recent yen attack on Japan, and reportedly every investment he touches succeeds—earning him recognition on Wall Street as the most closely watched investor.”
“What?”

Kwak Dong-hun straightened his posture and gaped in astonishment.

“You’re saying Park Group’s second son accomplished all of that?”
“Yes. I’m sure you’re familiar with George Hamilton, a titan in the hedge fund world.”
“Of course. The man who brought the Bank of England to its knees.”
“That George Hamilton apparently told journalists that Park Seok-won, the president, was an exceptional investor who generated even higher returns than he did in the yen attack.”

Chairman Kwak Dong-hun was well acquainted with George Hamilton’s reputation.
Upon hearing that Seok-won had earned recognition from such a formidable figure, he began to view him in an entirely different light.

“I’m sure you’re aware that the Daheung Group has been operating a private jet for some time now.”
“I’ve heard rumors about it.”

When word spread that the Daheung Group was operating a private jet—something typically reserved for the top five conglomerates—several Federation of Korean Industries members expressed jealousy, calling it an excessive display of wealth.
Later, when the hostile M&A incident erupted, they whispered behind closed doors that the company had neglected its core operations to pursue frivolous ventures, nearly losing control of management as a result.

“As it turns out, it wasn’t purchased with company funds—it was a gift from Park Seok-won.”
“Is that really true?”
“Yes. The maintenance and operation of the private jet were handled not by the Daheung Group itself, but by a separate personal company established for that purpose.”
“Remarkable. Gifting a private jet, not just a car. He must have earned quite a fortune.”

As Chairman Kwak Dong-hun listened, his expression grew increasingly incredulous.

“While the exact figures remain uncertain, rumors circulating on Wall Street suggest that the Eldorado Fund’s assets likely exceed a minimum of ten billion dollars.”

Chairman Kwak Dong-hun’s eyes widened in astonishment.

“Did you just say ten billion dollars?”

The sum was so staggering that it defied belief.
While winning the lottery was remarkable enough, inflating 119.7 million dollars into more than ten billion in just a few years was an almost incomprehensible feat of financial acumen.

“It’s merely speculation, but considering the Eldorado Fund’s track record thus far, I believe the assets are indeed at that level.”
“Truly extraordinary. Now I understand why Chairman Park declined our offer to assist alongside the Hyunwoo Group.”

Chairman Kwak Dong-hun nodded slowly, his expression one of genuine admiration.

“In fact, Park Seok-won, the second son, took full command in the conflict with the Daheung Group.”
“I thought his defense against the attacks was masterful, and his counteroffensives were extraordinary. So that’s how it was.”

Chairman Kwak Dong-hun nodded in understanding, then suddenly posed a question.

“Park Seok-won is twenty-nine years old, correct?”
“Yes, sir.”
“What a shame. That’s unfortunate.”

As he smacked his lips with regret, Chief Secretary Yeom Geon-u’s expression grew puzzled.

“What do you mean, sir?”
“My second daughter got engaged not long ago, so that won’t work. That leaves only my youngest daughter—she’s seventeen now. The age gap would be perfect. He’d make an ideal son-in-law for my youngest.”

Chairman Kwak Dong-hun furrowed his brow, genuinely lamenting the missed opportunity.
Chief Secretary Yeom Geon-u nodded in understanding—even he had to admit that someone of Park Seok-won’s caliber would make an excellent son-in-law.

“Park Seok-won. I have a feeling I’ll be hearing that name quite often from now on.”

Chairman Kwak Dong-hun leaned back against the sofa and spoke quietly to himself.

* * *

Sumitomo Corporation headquarters in Chuo Ward, Tokyo.
Telephone bells rang incessantly, their clamor unrelenting, while fax machines spewed out documents from business partners in endless streams.
The employees of the non-ferrous metals division—handling copper, zinc, lead, tin, and all metals except iron—remained immersed in their bustling work throughout the day.

“Yes. Yes. Once you send the letter of credit, we’ll process it immediately.”
“What? How can we proceed if the shipment isn’t complete yet!”
“Five tons of lead, you say? One moment, please.”

Amid the chaotic noise, a man sat at a desk with four CRT monitors, positioned with a sunlit window at his back, his expression grave and serious.
In his late thirties with a lean frame and sharp features, he was Sugihara Takashi, the copper division manager.
Having handled copper trading for over a decade and commanding enough volume to move prices—accounting for roughly five percent of the global copper market—copper traders had bestowed upon him the nickname “Mr. Five Percent.”
Despite this grandiose epithet, Sugihara was, apart from his sharp features, nothing more than an ordinary salaryman.
With slightly bloodshot eyes from lack of sleep, Manager Sugihara gnawed anxiously at his fingernails while staring intently at the copper spot price displayed on his monitor.

[LME Copper Cathode : 2,654.8 USD ▼ 45]

Following yesterday’s trend, copper prices showed a gentle decline today, prompting Manager Sugihara to mutter a quiet curse.

“Damn it.”

Sumitomo Corporation currently held 1.2 million tons of physical copper in inventory.
This exceeded 8% of annual global copper production—an abnormally massive quantity compared to the typical 400,000 tons they maintained.
Naturally, with such enormous holdings, every decline in international copper prices generated losses, and these accumulated deficits had already reached tens of billions of yen.
When added to the losses incurred in the futures market, the total losses ballooned several times over.
This catastrophe stemmed entirely from Manager Sugihara Takashi’s miscalculation.
Since late last year, reports had emerged predicting a decline in international copper prices due to economic stagnation across Asia and oversupply.
Yet Manager Sugihara Takashi had dismissed them and instead bet against the consensus—a decision that resulted in staggering losses.
If these losses became finalized, not only would the prestigious nickname “Mr. 5 Percent” vanish, but his carefully built career would crumble to dust in an instant.

“I absolutely cannot let this happen.”

Manager Sugihara Takashi bit his lip hard and reached for the telephone receiver.
With the practiced ease of someone who had done this many times before, he dialed Cody Brother, a trader in New York.
As the dial tone echoed in his ear and anxiety etched itself across his face, the line finally connected.
Manager Sugihara Takashi suppressed his inner turmoil and spoke in a measured voice.

“Cody. It’s Sugihara.”
[Calling at this hour—you want to buy futures?]
“Yes.”

Receiver pressed to his ear, Manager Sugihara Takashi watched the still-declining copper spot prices on the monitor before him and continued.

“What’s the July copper futures trading at?”
[Barely holding at $1.139.]

As expected, seeing that futures had fallen further in line with predictions of declining copper prices, Manager Sugihara Takashi gripped the receiver tighter and spoke rapidly.

“Sell the July futures the same way you did yesterday.”
[Hold on a moment.]

The sound of keyboard clicks filled the line as Cody entered the order, then he returned moments later.

[Okay. All in.]
“Thank you.”

Manager Sugihara Takashi gave a brief reply and immediately hung up.
His face tense once more, he stared at the monitor displaying copper spot prices, and as he resumed gnawing at his fingernails, he murmured pleadingly.

“Please go up. Please!”

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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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