Golden Spoon Investment Portfolio - Chapter 337

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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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337. In any game, there are always winners and losers.

At the Securities Trading Floor in Nihonbashi, Tokyo.
About a dozen retail investors sat in chairs or stood, their eyes fixed on the massive ticker board that dominated one entire wall.
The stock market had been declining steadily for some time now, and everyone’s expressions reflected that grim reality.

“Toyota’s dropping too.”

A middle-aged man wearing a fedora and holding an economic newspaper in one hand responded to the complaint from the man in the floral shirt.

“When the yen rises, export prices for automobiles have no choice but to climb. What can you expect from Toyota?”

At that, the man in the floral shirt clicked his tongue in frustration.

“Ah, looks like I’m getting beaten today too. Guess I’ll have to hit the pachinko parlor later.”
“That’s just how stocks are—sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.”
“The way you’re talking, it sounds like your stocks are doing fine?”
“They’ve dropped a bit, but compared to other stocks, mine are holding up better.”

The middle-aged man shrugged and offered his counsel.

“That’s why I keep telling you not to get greedy chasing big gains. In times like these, dividend stocks help cushion the blow. Didn’t I tell you to load up on them?”
“Tch. Life’s all about one big shot anyway. A real man should always be aiming for the big score.”

The man in the floral shirt rose to his feet with a disgruntled expression.

“There’s still time before the market closes. You’re leaving already?”
“My stomach’s upset. Think I’ll go grab a cigarette.”

Just as the man turned to leave with a curt reply, the crowd suddenly began murmuring.

“What’s going on?”
“Why are they suddenly acting like that?”
“Who knows?”

The man turned his head in confusion, following where people were pointing with their raised arms, and his eyes widened in surprise.

“Huh?”

Nomura Securities, Daiwa Securities, Nikko Securities, and Yamaichi Securities—which had been holding up relatively well in the declining market until moments ago—were now plummeting in unison as if by agreement.

[Nomura Securities: 1410.9 (
▼198.4)]
[Daiwa Securities: 799.2 (▼86.7)]
[Nikko Securities: 672.1 (
▼118.5)]
[Yamaichi Securities: 693.7 (▼66.6)]

When the Unknown Photographer reflexively glanced at the Middle-aged Man, the composure he’d been displaying moments before vanished entirely as he bolted upright from his chair and spat out a curse.

“Damn it all!”

It was understandable—he had invested considerable money in Nomura Securities, which was now crashing hard.

“Look at that drop! Thank goodness I sold Nikko Securities this morning.”
“Did some bad news break? It’s falling way too much.”

As the stocks plummeted as if reflecting all the corrections other securities had endured while holding firm, everyone’s attention converged on the monitors.

“Isn’t that dangerous?”

The man in the floral shirt glanced sideways at the Middle-aged Man.
The Middle-aged Man’s face flushed crimson as he hurled the financial newspaper he’d been holding to the floor.

“Damn!”

He then rushed frantically toward the window counter located deeper within the trading floor to sell his Nomura Securities shares.
As he grabbed the Female Secretary and urged her to sell his stocks quickly, the man in the floral shirt let out a derisive snort.

“Acting all superior just moments ago, and now look at him.”

* * *

At that same moment.
While my team members were successively selling shares of Japan’s Big Four Securities Firms, the Fund Management Department Office was brimming with heated energy.

Ring! Ring!
“Nomura Securities selling 2,000 shares at 1,400!”
“Nikko at 670, no, 669—1,500 shares executed!”
“Okay.”

In the warzone atmosphere of the trading floor, Manager Choi Ho-geun stood with his arms crossed, staring intently at the massive market board across from him. He turned his head and spoke.

“Jung. How much have we sold so far?”

Jung Hwan-yeop checked one of the several monitors on his desk and answered loudly.

“Combined across four stocks, we’ve exceeded 30 billion yen.”

In Korean won, that was well over 300 billion—a staggering sum that would normally have been difficult to use to significantly crash the stock prices of the Big Four securities firms all at once.
But with the yen appreciating and the Nikkei falling for days, investor sentiment had grown considerably depressed. When massive sell orders flooded in, panic spread like wildfire.
Terrified investors, like impalas fleeing a predator, rushed to dump their holdings, amplifying the downward spiral.
Manager Choi Ho-geun nodded and issued his order.

“Good. Don’t hold back—keep pushing hard while the momentum is with us. Drive those prices down decisively!”
“But sir, if we use all our ammunition now and the stock rebounds, won’t we be in trouble?”

Jung Hwan-yeop asked with concern etched across his face.
They’d already burned through more than half the capital they’d scraped together by maxing out leverage against the funds deposited at Goldman Sachs, so his worry was justified.
But Manager Choi Ho-geun answered without the slightest hesitation.

“It doesn’t matter.”
“Sir?”

Caught off guard by the unexpected response, not just Jung Hwan-yeop but the entire team looked at him with puzzled expressions.

“We’re just the primer that ignites the collapse. The real bomb is being prepared separately. Don’t worry.”
“What do you mean by that, sir?”

Hearing this for the first time, Jung Hwan-yeop’s face filled with questions as he pressed for clarification.
Manager Choi Ho-geun flashed a grin, his teeth gleaming.

“In a few days, you’ll naturally understand what I’m talking about.”

My curiosity only grew, but since he didn’t seem likely to answer even if I asked, I could only smack my lips in disappointment.
In any case, now that Jung Hwan-yeop understood that we weren’t recklessly throwing everything at the wall without a plan, he nodded his head.

“Understood. Then I’ll keep selling until the account is empty.”
“Do that.”

Jung Hwan-yeop swiveled his chair toward the monitors and rolled his neck gently from side to side.

“If there’s no limit, why don’t we have some fun unleashing a selling barrage.”

Excitement blazed in Jung Hwan-yeop’s eyes as he prepared to break free and charge forward.

“You heard the manager! Don’t hold back on volume—dump everything in and make sure the chart can’t climb back up with its tail between its legs before the market closes!”
“Yes!”
“Understood!”

Then came the relentless sound of keyboards being hammered and voices shouting orders into receivers.
As Manager Choi Ho-geun’s team unleashed another coordinated barrage of selling, investors who feared further price drops began rushing to cut their losses, and the wave of selling intensified.
Even the modest low-price buying pressure that had been trickling in panicked at the accelerating decline and withdrew, sending prices into free fall.
In the end, all four stocks plummeted more than 15%, plunging straight downward.
Standing with his arms crossed, Manager Choi Ho-geun tilted his head slightly to gaze at the Indonesia Stock Market chart displayed on the monitor, a meaningful smile spreading across his face.

[IDX : 449.81 (
37.06)]

* * *

Usami, his eyes bloodshot from days without proper sleep, remained frozen in place, unable to tear his gaze from the monitor.
He had exhausted every method available to prevent the Indonesia Stock Market from falling below 450 points, but it was all in vain.
The moment the exchange rate broke through 4 rupiah per dollar, it was fair to say everything was already over.
Once it became clear the Indonesian government could no longer defend the rupiah, corporations stopped bringing export revenues back into the country, and commercial banks ceased dollar exchanges entirely, pushing the situation toward complete catastrophe.
In his desperate attempt to slow the Indonesia Stock Market’s collapse, he had instead incurred tens of millions of dollars in additional losses.

“…It’s all over now.”

Usami’s shoulders sagged limply as he regretted not having refrained from buying Indonesian stocks at the end.
But now there was nothing he could do about it.
Then, breaking the silence, a phone rang loudly, and Usami lifted his head.

Ring. Ring.

Usami hesitated for a long moment before answering, but when the bell rang again, he reluctantly stretched out his arm and picked up the receiver.
As expected, a heavy, subdued voice flowed from the other end of the line.

[It’s me.]

It was Yamakawa on the other end.
Usami’s face hardened as he looked down at the floor and responded.

“Yes. Please go ahead.”
[You know why I’m calling.]
“…Yes.”
[I won’t waste words. Clear your desk and vacate your position by today.]
“P-President.”

Struck by this thunderbolt, Usami gasped sharply.

[I’m only going this far because of the history we share.]

He knew better than anyone that he had inflicted catastrophic losses on the company—losses for which no amount of words could atone.
So Usami could only lower his gaze in dejection, unable to offer any response.

[Your severance will be processed normally, so understand that.]

Usami forced his reluctant lips apart and answered.

“…Thank you.”

Yamakawa, having nothing more to say, coldly hung up the phone without another word.

Beep. Beep. Beep…

Listening to the mournful dial tone, Usami set down the receiver, slumped into his chair, and let his head hang weakly.

* * *

Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul.
Late at night, with few people around, Seok-won sat across from his bodyguard Bockus at a Burger Queen Store, speaking on his mobile phone.

[As soon as the Indonesia Stock Market broke through 450 points and fell further, I sent payment requests to all the securities firms that had entered into option contracts with us.]

In response to Porter’s words, I sat with one leg crossed and answered in English.

“How are they reacting?”
[Having to pay out another billion dollars on top of last time, they must be in a terrible state. According to the rumors I’m hearing, Usami, the executive director at Nomura Securities who pushed through the contract, has already submitted his resignation.]
“Hmm. I see.”
[I suspect that before long, we’ll hear similar stories about other securities firm executives stepping down because of the contracts they made with us.]
“In any game, there are always winners and losers. It’s unavoidable.”
[That’s true.]

Porter agreed and then asked.

[What should we do once the money is deposited?]
“This time, have it all transferred to the Headquarters account.”
[Understood.]

After ending the call, I folded my phone and slipped it into my pocket.
Just then, Driver Ju Geun-sung arrived carrying a plastic tray piled high with hamburgers and french fries, setting it down on the table.

“I’ve brought the hamburger set.”

Looking at the wrapped hamburger and cola, my expression showed that my appetite was stirred.

“Looks delicious. Everyone, help yourselves.”
“Yes! Thank you!”

Ju Geun-sung sat down in the empty seat next to Bockus and spoke with a bright smile.

“By the way, you seem to really love hamburgers.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Well, it’s just that… for several days now, you’ve been coming here for late-night meals and staying for over an hour each time.”

Ju Geun-sung scratched the back of his head with one hand.
It was understandable for him to think that way, since I’d been stopping by the hamburger shop for over a week now, sitting here for more than an hour before heading home.
In truth, I preferred spicy hangover soup to hamburgers, but I was deliberately spending time here eating late-night meals every day for a different reason.
However, unlike my memories from before the regression, the date when the incident should have occurred had already passed without anything happening, and my tension gradually eased.

‘Could it be that the flow has been disrupted because of me?’

If that were the case, it would have been a stroke of luck.
Just then, a young couple who appeared to be college students entered the store. The man left the woman at a table and walked toward the restroom.
At that same moment, three rough-looking men pushed through the glass door and stepped inside.
Two of them glanced around before their eyes met, and they immediately headed toward the restroom.
Seok-won’s face hardened instantly at the sight.

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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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