Golden Spoon Investment Portfolio - Chapter 300

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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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300. Will you be funding that from your personal account as well, sir?

[A North Korean Shark-class submarine discovered in the waters off Gangneung has triggered an armed infiltrator elimination operation now entering its seventh day, with signs that the situation is becoming increasingly protracted.
In response, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which is commanding this operation, announced that it has decided to shift away from a pressure operation—establishing a triple encirclement with a 50-kilometer radius centered on Anin-jinri in Gangneung, where the North Korean submarine ran aground, and gradually tightening the inner blockade—toward a more aggressive operational posture.
Accordingly, military forces have transitioned from merely guarding chokepoints and conducting ambushes due to concerns about friendly fire incidents, to now conducting searches in parallel and deploying firepower against areas showing signs of suspicious activity, even without direct engagement with the infiltrators.
Following this directive, the military executed nighttime operations last night, with support from Air Force fighter jets, detonating large quantities of illumination rounds over mountainous regions around Gangneung—including Chilseong Mountain, Gwae-bang Mountain, and Hwabi Ridge, where the infiltrators are presumed to be hiding—turning the night sky as bright as daylight.
And….]

The employees of the Daeheung Venture Capital Fund Management Department, having returned to the office after lunch, watched the breaking news on television with worried expressions.

“If they conduct nighttime operations, casualties will increase significantly. I’m concerned.”

At Jung Hwan-yeop’s words, unusually devoid of his typical playfulness, Manager Choi Ho-geun, wearing a silk necktie and holding a coffee in one hand, nodded heavily.

“That’s true.”

Then Hong Jae-hee, dressed in a one-piece dress, asked Yu Seok-hyun beside her.

“Why would nighttime operations result in more casualties?”
“The Chilseong Mountain area where the infiltrators have hidden is so densely wooded with tall grass that it’s difficult to see even an inch ahead even during the day. In a region where visibility is already compromised, conducting operations in the darkness of night creates the risk of friendly fire incidents among our own forces, and there’s also the possibility of being attacked by the infiltrators in hiding. That’s why nighttime operations are several times more dangerous than daytime ones.”
“Ah, I see.”

Hong Jae-hee nodded in understanding.
At that moment, Manager Choi Ho-geun, looking at Yu Seok-hyun, spoke as if something had just occurred to him.

“By the way, didn’t you say you served on active duty in the 68th Division where the infiltrators penetrated?”
“Yes. I completed my full 30 months of service and was discharged.”

Then, watching soldiers conducting the operation appear on the television screen, he continued with a complicated expression.

“That’s why it doesn’t feel like someone else’s problem.”
“Aren’t you still in the reserves?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”

Then Jung Hwan-yeop clicked his tongue with an exclamation.

“They say reserves are being mobilized for operations because of insufficient troop strength. Surely you’re not being called up too?”
“Oh my! Does that mean Seok-hyun also has to go to Gangneung?”

Hong Jae-hee’s startled voice rose, and Yu Seok-hyun waved both hands in alarm.

“I’ve been discharged for a long time, so I shouldn’t be mobilized. And from what I heard, the reserves being called up are people residing in the Gangwon region.”

Yu Seok-hyun tried his best to reassure the worried Hong Jae-hee.

“Anyway, please think before you speak for once.”
“I was just asking just in case, that’s all.”

Jung Hwan-yeop scratched the back of his head and avoided the gaze of Manager Choi Ho-geun, who was glaring at him.

“Good grief. I should just keep my mouth shut.”

Manager Choi Ho-geun shook his head, stopping himself from saying anything more.
Jung Hwan-yeop also clicked his tongue apologetically, wondering if he’d made a mistake.

“The afternoon session should have started by now. How does the market sentiment look?”

Manager Choi Ho-geun tossed his empty paper cup into the trash and changed the subject.
Yu Seok-hyun quickly went to his seat and checked the index movements on his computer.

“It’s risen about one point from the morning session, showing a slight upward trend.”

Jung Hwan-yeop also moved beside Yu Seok-hyun and looked at the monitor.

“The rebound isn’t large, but seeing it hold the bottom for two consecutive days suggests the decline has stopped.”

However, Manager Choi Ho-geun remained cautious.

“Even combining yesterday and today, we’ve only gained just over seventeen points. Considering how much we’ve slid since the Gangneung armed infiltration incident, this barely registers.”
“That’s true.”

The stock market, which had been declining since the selection of the new telecommunications operator, plummeted sharply when the Gangneung armed infiltration incident broke—all sectors except some defense stocks—ultimately breaking the year’s lowest point.

“The market was already struggling, and with this incident completely destroying the index, everyone in the securities sector is in dire straits.”

Recalling his former colleagues still at Daehung Securities, Manager Ho-geun’s expression grew slightly wistful.

“Their performance was already lackluster, and now they’ve squandered whatever profits they managed to scrape together by quarter-end. The atmosphere there must be absolutely grim.”
“They were lamenting that with Chuseok just around the corner, they won’t even receive proper holiday bonuses.”

No matter how brilliant one’s skills, when the entire market collapses simultaneously due to unexpected variables like this, there’s nothing to do but take the beating.
Having spent years in the market and weathered such storms before, Manager Ho-geun wore a bitter expression.

“Seeing this really shows how remarkable it is.”
“What is?”

Jung Hwan-yeop, receiving the gaze, answered matter-of-factly.

“Our CEO, sir. It’s astounding enough that he sold his positions at precisely the peak, but thanks to halting trading, he suffered zero losses in this crash.”

Even as the stock market was being decimated to record annual lows, Manager Ho-geun and the Fund Management Department staff could leisurely eat lunch and chat like this precisely because they held no stock positions whatsoever.
With no holdings, it mattered not how far the index plummeted.

“Exactly. Just thinking about if we’d taken this crash head-on is truly horrifying.”

Yu Seok-hyun shuddered in agreement.
Recalling how he would have been forced to cut losses on his holdings and soothe his burning stomach with soju, Manager Ho-geun himself unconsciously clutched his chest.

“If it weren’t for the CEO, as you say, we’d have suffered a terrible loss. We’re truly fortunate.”
“Right. And thanks to him, we’re getting generous holiday bonuses too.”

Jung Hwan-yeop laughed and picked up on Hong Jae-hee’s words.
Just yesterday, all Daeheung Venture Capital employees received a uniform 150% holiday bonus, but the Fund Management Department, having achieved exceptional results, received an additional 350% special performance bonus, totaling 500% in bonuses.
With their bank accounts substantially fattened, the smiles on the faces of Manager Ho-geun and his Fund Management Department colleagues were impossible to hide.
Having brought home a bonus envelope stuffed with cash and finally restored his dignity as a husband to his wife, Manager Ho-geun recalled this morning’s table laden with food piled so high it nearly broke under the weight, and he straightened his shoulders with quiet satisfaction.
Of course, the fact that he’d secretly set aside a portion of the bonus as emergency savings was absolutely secret from his wife.

“Everything’s great except for having to write corporate analysis reports every week. That’s the only thing I’d change.”
“Come on. You’re not even trading anymore, so you should at least do that. You think the company’s paying you to just loaf around?”

Manager Ho-geun chided Jung Hwan-yeop for his ungrateful complaint.

“The CEO didn’t assign you corporate analysis to torment you. When you have time like this, studying companies and building knowledge—it all becomes your strength later. It’s an investment in yourself.”
“Ah, I know that much already. You’re always picking on me about this.”

Jung Hwan-yeop pouted and grumbled.

“What?”

As my eyebrows shot up, the quick-witted Jung Hwan-yeop made a fuss and changed the subject.

“Right! Have you heard the rumor that our president will take over the Venture Capital Fund and Securities as part of the group restructuring work following this Midopa Department Store M&A case?”

Then Manager Choi Ho-geun responded with an indifferent tone.

“That’s been talked about for ages.”

Hong Jae-hee and Yu Seok-hyun also shook their heads, showing little surprise.
Since Daeheung Venture Capital Fund was 100% owned and Daehung Securities also held a significant amount of stock, it was an open secret within the group that Chairman Park Tae-hong intended to hand over these two companies to his second son.

“I wouldn’t have brought it up if that were all.”
“Then what else is there?”

Jung Hwan-yeop glanced around as if divulging important information.

“They’re not just reorganizing the shares—they’re planning to completely separate the Securities and Venture Capital Fund from the group and even change the name from Daeheung.”
“Is that really true?”

Manager Choi Ho-geun asked with a surprised expression.
As Hong Jae-hee and Yu Seok-hyun widened their eyes and stared, Jung Hwan-yeop crossed his arms and boasted.

“Since this came from Headquarters, it’s likely to be true.”
“So that means a complete affiliate separation from Daeheung Group.”
“Exactly. Changing the company name means just that.”

Jung Hwan-yeop nodded in response to Yu Seok-hyun’s question.
Normally, when a company separates from a conglomerate, people would feel anxious, but Manager Choi Ho-geun and the other employees showed no such signs—only surprise.
Rather, knowing Seok-won’s exceptional abilities, most of them wore expressions of anticipation about how much he would grow the company once it became his own independent venture separate from Daeheung Group.

* * *

“You wish to help the victims of the armed communist spy incident in Gangneung?”

As Executive Director Yun Ki-hun adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and asked, Seok-won, seated at the head of the sofa, nodded.

“That’s right. I’m sure you’ve seen the news reports about the five soldiers and one civilian who tragically lost their lives in today’s suppression operation.”
“Yes.”

With news bulletins continuing across newspapers and broadcasts, it would have been stranger not to know.

“No matter how noble their sacrifice in fulfilling their duty to national defense, I can only imagine how shattered the hearts of families must be—sending off sons and husbands in the prime of their lives.”
“Indeed. Most of the fallen were young men not even twenty-five years old, and it truly pained my heart to see that.”

Yun Ki-hun’s expression grew somber.

“The government will treat them as national heroes, of course, but I’d like to offer some small repayment to those who sacrificed their lives for our people and nation. Money alone cannot console the grief of losing family, but it might provide some comfort nonetheless.”
“That’s a commendable idea. It would also serve the company well from a public relations standpoint.”

At that, Seok-won gently waved his hand.

“Ah, I intend to use my personal funds, not company money. And I won’t make a public spectacle of it either.”

Yun Ki-hun, who had naturally assumed the company would provide support, asked with a puzzled expression.

“You mean to help them with your personal funds, sir?”
“That’s correct. So let’s handle this quietly—work through the Ministry of National Defense to meet with the bereaved families and find ways to assist them discreetly.”

Realizing that Seok-won had no intention of using this as a publicity tool and was genuinely motivated to help the fallen, Yun Ki-hun felt a genuine surge of surprise and regarded him with new eyes.

“Understood, sir.”
“And find out what supplies the soldiers need—they’re working day and night on this operation. I’d like to provide support.”
“Will that also come from your personal funds, sir?”
“Of course.”

Yun Ki-hun responded with a mixture of surprise and genuine emotion.

“I’ll look into it as quickly as possible and report back to you.”

After discussing the matter further, Yun Ki-hun left, and alone in his office, I sank into the leather sofa, muttering with a troubled expression.

“I know this isn’t the end—more casualties will come—but there’s no way to prevent it. So this is all I can do.”

The suppression operation would continue for a grueling forty-nine days, resulting in eighteen deaths among soldiers, reservists, police, and civilians, with twenty-seven more suffering serious injuries.
But the moment I saw the news about the North Korean submarine being discovered, I had contacted Landon Shore in the United States and urgently purchased and airlifted thousands of the latest body armor used by the U.S. military—not the outdated versions from the Vietnam War—and that was the only thing I could do to mitigate the casualties, which made me feel all the more helpless.

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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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