Golden Spoon Investment Portfolio - Chapter 450

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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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450. Soon, the bitter winds of Siberia will freeze Wall Street solid.

[Russia Declares 90-Day Moratorium! Ruble Devaluation Enacted]
[Russian Moratorium Declaration Expected to Shake Domestic Economy]
[Russian Emergency Measures Cast Shadow Over Entire Industry]
[Recovery of $3.06 Billion in Loans and Investments Extended to Russia Uncertain]
[Ruble Devalued 33.7%, Dollar Exchange Rate Increased 50.8%]

Like a sudden snowstorm sweeping in at dawn, the bombshell news sent Asian stock markets, including Korea’s, into violent upheaval.

[KOSPI : 261.25
(󰀻21.33)]

The moment the market opened, a tidal wave of sell orders crashed down, and in an instant, the index plummeted over 21 points, collapsing dramatically.
Traders at every securities firm could only stand slack-jawed, watching helplessly as the entire market crumbled before their eyes.

“This can’t be happening…”
“I thought we were finally recovering… and now it’s collapsing again like this.”
“How much further is this going to fall?”

Everyone was too shocked by the horrific sight to do anything at all.
Of course, it wasn’t that they took no countermeasures whatsoever.
The moment news of Russia’s moratorium declaration spread, they immediately rushed to dump all their holdings and placed massive sell orders.
But with buying interest vanishing from the market and sell orders flooding in like a drowning tide, no transactions could be completed, and the index plummeted as if falling off a cliff.

“It keeps falling! Why aren’t you selling faster!”

The manager shouted with veins bulging in his neck, but the traders could only offer helpless responses.

“I want to, but there’s no way to sell.”
“There’s no one willing to buy.”

Seeing the trading screen filled entirely with sell orders, the manager cursed instead of pressing the traders further.

“Damn it.”

He knew all too well that there was nothing he could do in a situation like this.
All he could do was pray that the violent storm would pass quickly.
The manager stared at the market board, which had turned a sickly pale green, and bit down hard on his lower lip.

* * *

Meanwhile, when the stock market plummeted, chaos erupted in the Fund Management Department of Daeheung Venture Capital as well.

“Over 680 stocks are declining!”

As Yu Seok-hyun cried out urgently while watching the monitors, Jung Hwan-yeop, his sleeves rolled up, scratched his head vigorously with a completely serious expression.

“This is insane. The entire market is collapsing.”

With his arms crossed, Jung Hwan-yeop stepped forward and spoke to Choi Ho-geun, the manager, who stood with a rigid expression, staring intensely at the large market board mounted on one wall.

“Manager, shouldn’t we be selling our positions right now?”

Then Hong Jae-hee also spoke, her eyes filled with worry.

“From what I can see, the situation doesn’t look good.”

Noh Hee-won, the youngest member who remained seated at her desk, fidgeting nervously and watching everyone’s reactions, nodded in agreement.
They had invested hundreds of billions of won to purchase stocks, and just days later, this massive crash had occurred—there was no way around it.
Choi Ho-geun was equally anxious, his insides burning with worry.
No matter that the purchase had been made on Seok-won’s orders, as the department head, if anyone in the office was suffering the most, it was Choi Ho-geun.
Part of him wanted to scream at everyone to dump all the stocks they were holding right now.
But he couldn’t do that because the words Seok-won had spoken came flooding back to his mind—the words he’d said before first informing him about Russia’s moratorium declaration.

[There will be temporary shocks, but since we’ve already been battered hard by the foreign exchange crisis, the index won’t fall drastically even if it does decline. So don’t get swept up in the panic—just hold your positions.]
[Are you really sure about that?]
[Trust me.]

Faced with such unwavering conviction, Choi Ho-geun found himself nodding along almost involuntarily.
His concerns remained, but he had decided to trust Seok-won’s judgment.
Yet watching the stock index plummet so viciously, his heart shrank tight with dread.

“How much have we lost so far?”

Ho-geun turned and asked.
Jung Hwan-yeop quickly checked the monitor and answered.

“Approximately 60 billion won!”

At least the losses weren’t catastrophic since we’d started buying below the 300 line.

‘I actually thought I could handle 60 billion won. I must be insane too.’

Thinking this to myself, I let out a bitter laugh and immediately fixed my gaze on the large market board in front of me to check the stock index.
Then, carefully concealing my tension, I spoke with feigned composure.

“The Chairman said this is just a temporary decline and will recover soon. Let’s hold and watch.”

The moment I declared a hold, Jung Hwan-yeop shifted restlessly in his seat.

“Haven’t you heard that Russia has admitted it can’t repay its debts? The bad news is too significant to call this a short-term decline.”

The other team members looked at me with wavering eyes, sharing the same sentiment.
Though I could see my team was shaken, I maintained an expressionless face and spoke firmly.

“I know. But the Chairman has never been wrong before.”
“Hmm…”

Jung Hwan-yeop couldn’t refute that.

“That’s true.”

I placed one hand on my hip and spoke in a subdued voice.

“And even if we tried to sell now, there’s no market for it anyway.”

Jung Hwan-yeop lowered his gaze to check the trading window on the monitor.
With buy orders completely vanished and only sell orders visible, Jung Hwan-yeop smacked his lips and wore an expression of resignation.

“Sigh… Yes, you’re right, sir.”
“Since you said it will bounce back soon, let’s trust and hold on.”

Ho-geun hardened his voice with resolve.
It was both a reassurance to his anxious team members and words he spoke to himself.
Just then, a phone rang, and Ho-geun quickly pulled out his mobile from his trouser pocket and answered.

[It’s me.]

At the sound of Seok-won’s weighty voice, Ho-geun responded promptly with the phone pressed to his ear.

“Yes. Of course. Go ahead, sir.”
[How far has the stock index fallen?]

Ho-geun lifted his gaze toward the large market ticker board as he spoke.

“We’ve broken through the 260 mark. We’re currently at 259.34.”
[That’s fallen enough. Use up the remaining cash reserves and sweep up all the stocks being dumped at bargain prices.]
“…!”

For a moment, Ho-geun wondered if he’d misheard, his expression bewildered as he asked for clarification.

“You’re saying to buy, not sell?”
[That’s right.]

At the immediate confirmation, Ho-geun gripped the phone tightly in his hand.

“There are barely any buy orders visible on the trading screen. The situation is dire.”
[Exactly. That’s precisely why we should buy. Everyone’s panic-selling right now, which means we can acquire at the cheapest prices possible.]

His logic wasn’t wrong.
Yet with the market ticker glowing entirely blue from the selling pressure and fear permeating the market, Ho-geun couldn’t shake the anxiety that this might be a mistake. Injecting such enormous sums—hundreds of billions of won—felt like throwing bundles of cash into a raging inferno.
The hesitation only deepened with each passing moment.
But since the decision rested with Seok-won, Ho-geun swallowed hard and answered without realizing it.

“Understood, sir.”

Whether Seok-won sensed his reluctance or not, his voice remained composed.

[I’ll be boarding a flight shortly. If you need to contact me, use the satellite phone.]
“Yes.”

Hundreds of billions—no, when you factored in the stocks already purchased, the total bet exceeded a trillion won. Where on earth was he going with this kind of capital?
Ho-geun’s extraordinary boldness left Manager Choi Ho-geun’s head spinning.

‘When you consider the funds being managed by the Eldorado Fund in New York, this might be nothing in comparison.’

Having visited the site himself, Manager Choi Ho-geun once again realized just how formidable a figure Seok-won truly was.
The moment he ended the call and pocketed his phone, Jung Hwan-yeop, who had been listening intently, asked in disbelief.

“The President didn’t issue a buy order, did he? Not at this timing?”

Looking around, the team members were also unable to hide their shock at what Manager Choi Ho-geun had been discussing.

“That’s right. Put all remaining cash into buying stocks.”
“Ahhh!”

Jung Hwan-yeop let out a cry as if he’d expected exactly this.

“A full buy-in here?”
“Yes.”
“My heart is racing so hard I think I’m going to develop arrhythmia.”

Manager Choi Ho-geun grumbled inwardly that his own heart was pounding even harder, but outwardly he showed no sign of it and urged them on.

“Stop wasting time and start buying stocks.”
“Everything’s selling, so any order I place will execute immediately.”

Jung Hwan-yeop shrugged as he responded.

“Of course. But you need to buy the maximum volume at the cheapest prices available.”
“Yes, yes.”

Jung Hwan-yeop answered perfunctorily and took his seat.
Manager Choi Ho-geun clicked his tongue and shot him a look, then turned his head toward the large market ticker board.

“Sigh.”

With a tense expression, he exhaled softly, then pulled out a cigarette and lit it, trying to calm his anxious mind.

* * *

“We’ve arrived.”

At Han Ji-sung’s words from the front seat, Seok-won turned his head to the side and caught sight of the Gimpo Airport VIP terminal.
Han Ji-sung, who had exited first, held the car door open as Seok-won stretched out his long legs and stepped outside.
Since his luggage was already loaded onto the private jet, Seok-won proceeded directly toward the terminal building with Han Ji-sung.
After passing through security screening and immigration procedures, he stepped outside the building along the corridor, and his view opened up to reveal a spacious parking lot.
Walking toward the Gulfstream IV private jet standing as if waiting for his arrival, he climbed the trap stairs, where Bella in uniform greeted him with a radiant smile.

“Welcome aboard, sir.”

Seok-won acknowledged the greeting with a slight nod, removed his jacket and draped it over the backrest of the adjacent seat, then settled into his chair.
Bella, who had followed him, retrieved the jacket and informed him of the departure schedule.

“We’ll be departing for New York in twenty minutes. Is there anything you need?”
“A glass of water, please.”
“Understood.”

Bella neatly folded the jacket and placed it in the wardrobe across from him, then headed toward the crew area at the front.
Leaning back against the plush seat, Seok-won turned his head to the side and gazed through the circular window at the various aircraft of different sizes lined up at a distance.
Then he pulled out his phone and called Landon Shore in New York.

The phone rang.

After a brief ring tone, Landon Shore answered the call shortly after.

[Yes, boss.]

Though it was the middle of the night in New York, Russia’s declaration of a moratorium had created an emergency situation, so Landon Shore had rushed to the office.

“How’s the situation in New York?”
[It’s oddly quiet so far.]
“Appearances can be deceiving. Behind the scenes, everyone is scrambling to assess just how severe the fallout from the moratorium will be.”
[That’s likely the case.]

Seok-won lowered his voice slightly.

“It’s quiet now, but soon Wall Street will be frozen solid by the biting cold wind sweeping down from Siberia.”
[…Just hearing those words sends chills down my spine.]
“I’ll be departing shortly. I’ll see you in New York.”
[Yes. I’ll be waiting for you.]

Moments later, the Gulfstream IV private jet carrying Seok-won thrust powerfully down the runway and soared into the brilliant blue sky, vanishing above the clouds.

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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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