Golden Spoon Investment Portfolio - Chapter 305

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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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305. Did you calculate this correctly?

After taking a full day to recover from jet lag and regain their composure, Choi Ho-geun and his team headed toward the Eldorado Fund, where they were scheduled to begin their training from the fourth day onward.
As the van moved through the city, Jung Hwan-yeop watched the perpetually congested roads and sluggishly crawling vehicles through the window, speaking with an exhausted expression.

“Seoul’s traffic is bad, but this is something else entirely.”
“Tell me about it. We’ve been in the car for nearly thirty minutes and haven’t even gone a few blocks.”

Yu Seok-hyun sighed and nodded in agreement.
Watching the securities traders with leather briefcases in hand moving in great waves between the towering skyscrapers, Manager Choi Ho-geun finally murmured as if understanding something.

“Ah, so that’s why the president said we’d take a car on the first day, but the subway would be better from now on.”
“Ugh. If traffic is like this every day, that would definitely be much better. How do people here even survive this nightmare?”

Hong Jae-hee chimed in with her complaint, responding to Manager Choi Ho-geun’s words.

“We can’t waste precious time sitting in a car.”

At this pace, walking would have been faster, so all the team members nodded and agreed.

“At least the accommodations are nice, so that’s something to be grateful for.”

When Yu Seok-hyun spoke in a consoling tone, Hong Jae-hee, dressed in a two-piece suit with full makeup and radiating confidence, spoke with an excited expression.

“I still can’t believe we’re actually in New York. Not just an apartment, but staying at a luxury hotel for a whole month—it feels like a dream.”
“I heard the hotel we’re staying at is the one that appeared in the movie Home Alone 2.”
“That’s right! I heard that too.”

Manager Choi Ho-geun, sitting in the front seat, chuckled as he watched the two of them chattering excitedly.
In truth, he had never imagined he would actually come to Wall Street, a place he had only admired through movies and news.
Automobiles filled the roads, belching exhaust, and people in business attire hurried past on the streets.
And street vendors selling goods—the landscape of Wall Street seemed monotonous and bleak, yet it thrummed with vitality, and as he thought about being part of it, a thrill ran down his spine.
After traveling for quite some time longer, the van carrying the group finally arrived at the One New York Plaza Building, where the Eldorado Fund was located.
As Jung Hwan-yeop stepped out of the van, he looked up at the towering building and let out a short whistle.

“Wow. This looks taller than the 63 Building, doesn’t it?”

Yu Seok-hyun, standing beside me, interjected.

“It’s a 50-story building, so it’s shorter than the 63 Building.”
“How did you know that?”
“I did some preliminary research. Just in case, I even memorized the subway route from the Plaza Hotel to here in advance.”

Jung Hwan-yeop draped one arm around Yu Seok-hyun’s neck and patted him enthusiastically, clearly impressed.

“You little devil. You’ve got the right attitude for serving your seniors. Well done.”
“Oh, wait! I put mousse in my hair—you’re going to mess it all up.”
“Oh, is that so?”

Jung Hwan-yeop, mischief dancing in his eyes, only laughed harder and tightened his grip around the younger man’s neck without letting go.
Choi Ho-geun, watching this childish display with a sigh, spoke with a stern expression.

“Remember, this is Seoul! Both of you, stop fooling around.”

Jung Hwan-yeop, chastened, quickly released Yu Seok-hyun and straightened up.

“I know you’re aware that while this is ostensibly a training program combined with a reward vacation, we’re not just here to play around. You’re representing Daehung Venture Capital as well. When we’re among ourselves, it’s fine, but once we’re inside, don’t let your guard down. I’m sure you all understand what I mean.”
“Yes.”
“Understood, Manager.”

Hong Jae-hee and Yu Seok-hyun answered in unison.

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to showcase Korea’s fiery spirit without damaging the CEO’s reputation!”

Jung Hwan-yeop raised one fist with determination, and Choi Ho-geun’s expression darkened instantly.

“You fool! Did you come here to fight?”

Choi Ho-geun dragged his palm down his face.

“Sigh… You’re the one I worry about most. Really.”
“I was just speaking figuratively.”
“Is that right? You’re really not going to cause any trouble this time, are you?”
“Well, I’ll do my best.”

Choi Ho-geun exhaled deeply and was about to launch into another lecture when he realized it would be futile, so he closed his mouth instead.

“Well, it’s time. Let’s head in.”

Manager Choi Ho-geun took the first step forward, sensing somehow that the coming month would be eventful.

And shortly after.
The elevator doors opened, and among the descending passengers, a brown-haired man in a dress shirt with an ID badge hanging around his neck looked around as if searching for someone.
As he scanned the spacious lobby with its synthetic marble flooring, he spotted a group of Asian men sitting on a sofa in front of the information desk and approached them.

“Are you folks from Daehung Venture Capital?”

Manager Choi Ho-geun rose from the sofa and answered in English.

“Yes, we are.”

Mason extended his hand first with a smile, offering a handshake.

“Pleased to meet you. I’m Mason Acott Jr.”
“I’m Choi Ho-geun.”

After shaking hands with him, Manager Choi Ho-geun gestured to the employees standing stiffly beside him, appearing somewhat nervous.

“These are the colleagues who came with me.”
“I’m Jung Hwan-yeop. It’s a pleasure.”

Starting with Jung Hwan-yeop, the two others standing in line introduced themselves in turn. Mason shook hands with each of them one by one, then spoke in an upbeat voice.
Mason shook hands with each person one by one, then greeted them in an energetic voice.

“We were stuck in traffic for over thirty minutes. We’d heard the rumors, but I never imagined it would be that bad.”
“I was already stuck on the road for over 30 minutes. I’d heard a lot of rumors about it, but I had no idea it would be that bad, so I went through quite an ordeal.”

Jung Hwan-yeop, the sociable manager, answered with a smooth laugh.

“I’m starting to think you’re right.”
“I really thought that’s what I needed to do.”

Mason finally burst out laughing at Jung Hwan-yeop’s fed-up expression.

“Right. I almost forgot. Here’s my business card.”

Mason handed out business cards to Manager Choi Ho-geun and the staff members, continuing his introduction.

“I’ll be taking care of your guidance while you’re in New York, so please don’t hesitate to ask if there’s anything you don’t understand or are curious about.”
“I see. Thank you very much.”

Manager Choi Ho-geun accepted the business card and carefully tucked it into his inner jacket pocket.
Though their pronunciation was slightly awkward, Mason was relieved that everyone had at least a decent grasp of English conversation, and he pointed upward.

“Shall we head up to the office now?”

Mason led the way, walking ahead of the group.
When they exited the elevator on the 31st floor, the first thing to greet them was a reception desk bearing the golden logo of “Eldorado Fund” in English.
Eva, seated at the reception desk in a sleek uniform, rose to her feet with a smile playing at her lips.

“Welcome.”

Mason then turned to face the group and spoke playfully.

“This red-haired beauty here is Eva, the face of our fund. You might say she’s like a beacon that brightens our dreary commute.”
“Oh my. Thank you for the compliment, but I’m afraid I’ll have to decline any date requests.”
“When will you finally accept my sincere devotion?”
“Maybe in about a hundred years?”

Eva laughed lightly and parried his words with ease, then glanced at Manager Choi Ho-geun and the staff members behind her and asked.

“Are these the guests visiting from Korea?”
“That’s right. You’ll be seeing these faces for the next month, so remember them well.”

Eva gazed at the group standing bewildered and unadapted to American workplace culture with an amused glint in her eyes, then flashed a sultry smile.

“I hope you have a wonderful time in New York.”
“Ah… yes.”
“Thank you.”

As Eva winked, closing one eye, Jung Hwan-yeop and Yu Seok-hyun found themselves nodding in a daze, their faces flushed without realizing it.

“You two, snap out of it.”

Hong Jae-hee jabbed both of them in the ribs and shot them a reproachful look.

“Ouch.”
“I poked you because you said it hurt. Hmph.”

Yu Seok-hyun, who had been grinning widely, flinched and hastily corrected his expression.
In the meantime, Mason walked past the information desk toward the inner entrance, removed the access card hanging around his neck, and held it up in his hand.

“You need an access card to enter the office. We’ll issue yours today as well, so use that and make absolutely sure you don’t lose it.”

Mason then held his access card up to the reader mounted above the handle, and with a click, the lock disengaged.
As I opened the door and followed Mason inside, the first thing that caught my eye was a magnificent view of the East River with passenger ships drifting across it, visible through the large floor-to-ceiling window on the opposite side.

“Wow.”

Hong Jae-hee let out an involuntary exclamation, her mouth falling open.
In the vast space before such a spectacular view, roughly a hundred traders were busily conducting transactions.

“This is our fund’s trading floor. Unlike JP Morgan or Goldman Sachs, where hundreds of people work packed together like ants, I can confidently say our individual returns are significantly higher.”

Mason explained with evident pride.
Apart from the picturesque backdrop and slightly better facilities, the trading floor looked much the same as it did in Korea.
But the scale was far larger than expected, and Manager Jung Hwan-yeop lowered his voice to whisper.

“Didn’t you say the fund owner is our president?”
“That’s right.”

Manager Choi Ho-geun answered without hiding his bewildered expression.

“But the scale is bigger than I expected. Isn’t there more staff here than at the Daehung Securities Headquarters Trading Center?”
“Well… yeah.”

Mason, who noticed the two men conversing in Korean, approached and asked.

“What are you two discussing so intently?”

Manager Choi Ho-geun quickly answered to avoid any misunderstanding, since speaking in an unfamiliar language in front of a foreigner could appear rude.

“Ah. We were just saying how surprised we are that the fund’s scale is larger than expected.”

Mason then puffed out his chest and replied.

“It’s the hottest hedge fund on Wall Street, managing hundreds of billions of dollars. Of course it would be.”

Manager Choi Ho-geun blinked, wondering if he’d misheard, and asked again.

“I’m sorry… how much did you say they manage?”
“I don’t know the exact figure, but it’s at least hundreds of billions of dollars.”

At this casual response, Manager Choi Ho-geun’s pupils dilated noticeably.
The shock rippled through the other employees as well. Jung Hwan-yeop let out a whistling breath and asked.

“I think I misheard, but did you just say hundreds of billions of dollars?”
“…that’s what I heard too.”

Manager Choi Ho-geun answered with a dazed expression.

“Wait, hold on. Just ten billion dollars—how much is that in Korean won?”
“The exchange rate went up, so when we converted last time it was 830 won per dollar…”

Yu Seok-hyun quickly did the mental math beside him and swallowed hard.
Then, stammering, he looked at Jung Hwan-yeop with trembling eyes.

“That comes to roughly 8… 8.3 trillion won.”

At a figure that made one doubt their own ears, Hong Jae-hee’s mouth fell open.

“8… 8 trillion?!”
“Did you calculate that correctly?”

Skeptical, Jung Hwan-yeop double-checked, and Yu Seok-hyun did the mental math once more before nodding.

“Yes. That’s correct.”
“Good heavens.”

Jung Hwan-yeop turned to Manager Choi Ho-geun with wide eyes.

“Isn’t 8 trillion more than the market cap of the entire Daeheung Group?”
“…probably so.”

Manager Choi Ho-geun answered, still looking utterly bewildered.

“Surely not all of this money is the Chairman’s, right?”
“No way. That couldn’t be. Since it’s a hedge fund, the capital must have come from other investors.”

Jung Hwan-yeop waved his hand dismissively in response to Yu Seok-hyun’s question.
Even by common sense, no matter how wealthy Seok-won’s family was, it was inconceivable that he would personally possess such an enormous sum.
The market capitalization of Saseong Group, the largest conglomerate in Korea, was 19.77 trillion won, and even combining all the top ten group listed subsidiaries didn’t reach 54 trillion won—so the reasoning was only natural.

“Still, it’s truly shocking that he’s personally managing such a massive fund on Wall Street. Wouldn’t you agree, Manager?”

Manager Choi Ho-geun nodded silently.
Even when he’d been in Seoul, he’d thought Seok-won was impressive, but now a powerful conviction seized him—perhaps Seok-won was an even more formidable figure than everything he’d known until now.

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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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