Golden Spoon Investment Portfolio - Chapter 359

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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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359. As if anyone with eyes to see would believe that.

By afternoon, the New York Stock Exchange had completely reversed into a bear market, with selling pressure flooding in from all directions.

Ring! Ring!
“Two thousand shares of Microsoft to sell? I’ll place the order, but with the market in such terrible condition, I can’t guarantee we’ll get that price!”
“Sell three thousand shares of AT&T at $22.30!”
“What? Say that again!”
“AT&T, three thousand shares at 22.30!”
“Exxon Mobil, fifteen hundred shares at market!”

The traders gripped their phones and shouted until their voices cracked, or hammered at keyboards as if they might shatter them, relentlessly processing orders.
The sprawling Lehman Brothers Trading Floor resembled a battlefield.
With trades flowing ceaselessly back and forth, fortunes of tens or hundreds of millions of dollars could be made or lost on a single transaction—it was a silent war fought every single day for control of one’s position.
Especially today, with all three major New York indices plummeting simultaneously, the air in the room grew increasingly scorching.
Shouts and curses erupted from every corner, the cacophony so deafening that conversation with the person beside you became nearly impossible, and the chaos only intensified with each passing hour.

“Damn it! My orders won’t execute—what the hell am I supposed to do?”

A trader who had suffered significant losses spat out a crude curse and crumpled his order sheet, hurling it away.
But his colleagues nearby merely glanced at him before returning their attention to their own trades, unbothered.

“How much? It dropped again already? This is driving me insane.”

Lackman, gripping a phone in each hand, furrowed his brow and shouted.

“Sell at that price. Now!”

Lackman slammed the phone down as if to destroy it, then scratched his head furiously while staring at the monitor.
All three indices were plummeting like cliffs collapsing, and the trading window was nothing but a sea of sell orders.
As the losses mounted, even the retail investors who had initially rushed in at low prices began to panic and join the selling frenzy, and Lackman’s lips grew parched.

“Just how far is this going to fall….”

Despite a circuit breaker already having triggered once, halting trading for thirty minutes to calm panicked investors, the fear only intensified, and Lackman could not hide his anxiety that the market might collapse entirely.

***

As dawn broke dimly beyond the window, Seok-won, who had stayed up all night monitoring the New York Stock Exchange’s movements, had just sat down at his desk with a steaming mug of coffee, its rich aroma filling the air.
The Dow Jones Index chart displayed on the monitor had plummeted vertically as if hitting a cliff, closing the session in freefall.

[DJI : 7,409.27
554.26 (-6.95)]

Seok-won leaned back in his chair and muttered to himself with a hint of regret.

“If the market had closed just a bit later, the decline could have exceeded 600 points. What a shame.”

However, observing the continued downward momentum in the futures market, it seemed certain that when trading resumed tomorrow, the index would break through the 7,400 level and fall further.
As I took a sip of the richly brewed coffee from the mug, my cell phone on the corner of the desk rang.
When Seok-won answered, Landon Shore’s voice burst through, brimming with excitement.

[Hahaha! Did you see the Dow Jones plummet over 500 points, just as you predicted, boss?]
“Of course.”
[The impact from Hong Kong’s market decline is one thing, but to predict the exact magnitude of the drop… you’re truly remarkable!]

Instead of responding, Seok-won smiled faintly.

[Investors gripped by fear from the crash continue to dump their holdings, so it looks like the downtrend will persist for a while.]
“As I mentioned before, America’s fundamentals remain strong, so the market won’t completely collapse and will rebound soon.”
[Since you’re predicting it, boss, that’s how it will be. Then I’ll proceed to liquidate the futures positions starting tomorrow, just as you instructed, without getting greedy.]

Seok-won chuckled and replied.

“Do that. Excessive greed only invites disaster.”
[Once I’ve completed the liquidation and locked in the profits, I’ll call you back.]
“Sounds good.”

After hanging up and setting down the phone, Seok-won turned his head to look at the left monitor displaying the Dow Jones futures chart.

[7,348.56 (▼60.71)]

Seeing it had fallen even further than when I’d checked moments ago, the corners of my mouth turned upward.
Then, recalling that Park Tae-hong’s Daeheung Group funds were invested in this bet, I spoke.

“Father will be absolutely thrilled when I show him the settlement statement later.”

***

Vroom.
A red convertible sports car descended the sloped ramp of the Underground Parking Lot, its engine roaring loudly.
It was the Elan, a sports car that Kichang Automobile had ambitiously launched last year.
Built using the design blueprints and production lines directly from Britain’s Lotus company, the vehicle boasted sleek, refined lines that exuded a sexy appeal—quite unlike the boxy domestic cars of the era.
Once parked in an empty spot, the Elan’s owner stepped out of the vehicle.

Humming contentedly.

The man humming a tune while sporting sunglasses indoors—quite the fashionable display—was none other than Jung Hwan-yeop.
Having always harbored a passion for automobiles, when Kichang Automobile unveiled the Elan as a proper sports car last year, he had been so captivated that he’d made a special trip to a dealership just to admire it, practically drooling over the prospect of owning one.
However, at 28 million won, the price was nearly impossible to justify, even for someone like Jung Hwan-yeop who earned considerably more than the average office worker.
Considering that a mid-sized sedan with full options typically cost around 15 million won, one could appreciate just how expensive this vehicle was.
After months of restless longing, when Seok-won generously distributed substantial bonuses early this year, Jung Hwan-yeop immediately purchased the car in cash without hesitation.

Beep.

Jung Hwan-yeop locked the car with a stylish press of his remote key fob, then paused to admire his parked vehicle with a self-satisfied expression.

“Damn. The lines never get old.”

Even standing still, the car gleamed brilliantly—a testament to what expensive engineering truly meant.
Then Jung Hwan-yeop’s expression soured when he noticed a small smudge on the hood.

“Where the hell did that come from?”

Jung Hwan-yeop carefully extracted a handkerchief from his inner pocket and gently wiped away the blemish, taking great care not to scratch the pristine surface.
Once the car gleamed again, he gazed at it with affection, then grabbed his briefcase and headed toward the office, humming cheerfully.
Since the Capital Management Department’s primary function was trading, staff needed to arrive before the stock market opened, making their commute earlier than most.
The one silver lining was having the spacious elevator entirely to himself.
Passing through the quiet hallway and entering the office, Jung Hwan-yeop found that Hong Jae-hee, Yu Seok-hyun, and the new recruit Noh Hee-won had already arrived.

“Good morning, everyone!”
“Welcome, Manager.”
“Good morning, sir.”

Jung Hwan-yeop acknowledged his team’s greetings, set his briefcase on his desk, and took his seat.
Yu Seok-hyun, sitting across from him, then spoke with a smile.

“Did something good happen to you?”
“Does it show?”
“Yes.”

Jung Hwan-yeop puffed out his chest proudly, as if the timing couldn’t have been better.

“I woke up early this morning and took a drive along the Jayuro expressway.”
“Ah. In that new Elan you just bought?”
“That’s right.”

Since any man worth his salt had an interest in cars, Yu Seok-hyun’s expression filled with curiosity.

“So you drove with the top down?”
“Of course. It was early morning, so the expressway was completely empty. I floored it and—man, it was exhilarating.”
“That must have been incredible.”

When Yu Seok-hyun’s eyes betrayed his envy, Jung Hwan-yeop’s shoulders shot up with pride.

“When else are you going to drive a convertible if not when you’re young? You should get one too, Yu. Really.”
“You think so?”

Listening to him continue bragging, Yu Seok-hyun found himself tempted as well.

“You know the production cost is 40 million won, but Kichang Automobile is selling it at a loss of over 10 million won, right?”
“Yes. That was in the newspapers too. They said it’s almost hand-assembled because mass production is difficult.”
“The original model is from Britain’s Lotus, which is famous for handmade cars. Since we brought that over as-is, it’s obvious that assembly line production at the factory is impossible.”
“That’s true.”

Yu Seok-hyun nodded in agreement.

“Making cars isn’t a charity. They can’t keep selling at a loss forever. They’ll definitely raise the price soon, so buying before that happens is basically making money. Trust me.”
“Now that you mention it, that does make sense. But it’s so expensive…”
“Even if you don’t have cash right now, we salaried workers have a wonderful financial service called installment plans. What’s there to worry about? There’s even a saying—you buy a car with courage, not money.”

As Jung Hwan-yeop continued his persuasion, Yu Seok-hyun found himself halfway convinced.

“Should I really do it?”
“Yes! Come on, man! A real man just goes for it!”

At that moment, Hong Jae-hee wedged herself between the two men and slapped a stack of documents onto the desk with a thud.

“Isn’t installment debt? You’re saying something reckless.”
“Ah. Miss Hong doesn’t understand because….”
“Deputy Manager Jung.”
“No. A sports car is a man’s dream!”
“Deputy Manager Jung!”

When Hong Jae-hee raised the corners of her eyes sharply and glared, Deputy Manager Jung Hwan-yeop finally closed his mouth in displeasure.

“Really now. Seok-hyun, stop thinking useless thoughts and look at this—it’s the material I mentioned yesterday.”
“Yes, I will.”

Watching Yu Seok-hyun answer timidly, Deputy Manager Jung Hwan-yeop shook his head.

“Already being controlled like this—what’s to be done? Poor fellow.”

Then Manager Choi Ho-geun, who had arrived at some point, struck his back with the palm of his hand.

“You fool. If you’re going to imitate a playboy, do it alone—why are you trying to drag the reliable Yu Deputy Manager into it?”
“Not an orange, but a playboy! That’s too much.”
“Why. Are you embarrassed when I call you a playboy?”

Deputy Manager Jung Hwan-yeop nodded quickly with an aggrieved expression.

“Of course. Unlike those kids who rent cars to show off, I boldly paid cash and bought my own car, didn’t I?”
“How proud you must be.”
“And Elan is really making money by buying now, right?”
“Buy one car and suddenly you’re a Kichang Automobile salesman. Why don’t you just transfer there? Next you’ll be buying stocks too.”

Manager Choi Ho-geun chuckled and jibed.

“Actually, a few days ago my savings account matured, so I bought Kichang Automobile stock. How did you know?”
“What?”

Manager Choi Ho-geun asked back with a startled expression.

“Don’t you know there are rumors of Kichang Automobile’s bankruptcy?”
“Ah. Manager, are you day trading stocks?”

Jung Hwan-yeop puffed out his chest with unwarranted confidence, as if he hadn’t a care in the world.

“Automobiles aren’t just any industry—they’re a pillar of the national economy. Even if they wanted to go under, they couldn’t possibly default. The financial sector will step in soon enough, mark my words. When they do, the stock price will bounce right back, so we need to buy at these bargain prices while we can.”
“You didn’t see what happened to Hanwha Group? They believed in too-big-to-fail and still went bankrupt.”
“No, no, Kichang Automobile is different, I’m telling you.”

Manager Choi Ho-geun clicked his tongue, looking at this madman as if he’d lost his mind.

“Don’t come crying to me later. Sell when you get the chance.”
“I’m a securities trader people know down on Yeouido, but I can’t tell the difference between shit and miso paste here.”
“You swing trades well enough, but that doesn’t mean you’re good at analyzing companies.”
“Yes, yes. Don’t worry.”

Manager Choi Ho-geun tapped his chest in frustration, but Jung Hwan-yeop brushed off whatever anyone said without concern.
Just then, the phone rang. Yu Seok-hyun picked up the receiver and spoke with someone on the other end, then his eyes widened as he turned to face both men.

“Manager! Kichang Automobile and all eighteen of its subsidiaries have just been designated as subjects under the Insolvency Prevention Agreement!”

Jung Hwan-yeop started in shock and repeated the words back.

“Is that really true?”
“Yes. The Ministry of Finance and Economy just made the announcement.”
“Damn it!”

Jung Hwan-yeop rested his hand on his desk, deflated.
Watching from beside him, Manager Choi Ho-geun clicked his tongue as if to say I told you so.

“Some eye for the market you’ve got.”

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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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