Golden Spoon Investment Portfolio - Chapter 55

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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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55. Did the team leader perhaps put the check in the wrong envelope?

The following morning, the Trading Office at Daheung Securities Headquarters.
Amid the cacophony of ringing telephones and clacking keyboards, the stock market—which had surged sharply past the 740 mark—began to lose momentum once more, and as volatility increased, the atmosphere grew increasingly chaotic.

“What’s happening now?”
“Sasung Electronics just broke through 38,000 won!”
“Are the foreigners selling?”

Song Jong-geun, his face hardened with concern, posed the question, and Choi Gang-uk, seated at the desk to his left, quickly responded.

“We won’t be able to confirm precisely until the market closes, but it doesn’t appear to be that.”
“Then why is it dropping?”
“I’m not sure either.”
A groan escaped Song Jong-geun’s lips.

Frustrated, Song Jong-geun loosened his necktie roughly with one hand and issued his orders.

“They might be trying to realize profits by liquidating positions they accumulated at the bottom. Keep an eye on market movements and call around to other firms to see if there’s any information we’re missing!”
“Yes, sir.”

Watching Choi Gang-uk immediately pick up the receiver, Song Jong-geun turned his head and fixed his gaze on the large market board mounted on one wall, exhaling heavily.

“Sigh. Just when things were climbing smoothly for a few days, here comes this chaos again.”

Song Jong-geun furrowed his brow and muttered, recalling that Seok-won had generated substantial profits and sold off most of the stocks purchased at low prices yesterday.
Glancing across the low partition toward Investment Team 4’s area, Song Jong-geun smacked his lips with a wry smile.

“The timing of that sale was truly exquisite. Surely they didn’t anticipate this beforehand?”

If that were truly the case, it would be nothing short of remarkable.
While the office moved frantically in response to the market decline, Investment Team 4, having already liquidated a substantial portion of their holdings, observed the situation with ease.

“Korea Electric Power’s stock price has also turned weak.”

At Jung Hwan-yeop’s remark, Choi Ho-geun continued monitoring O-Gwang Industries’ stock price displayed on his monitor and opened his mouth to speak.

“What about the bank stocks?”
“Everything except Misung and Jeil has switched to decline.”

Yu Seok-hyun answered immediately after checking the keyboard.
Then Jung Hwan-yeop poked his head around the monitor and asked.

“O-Gwang Industries is falling too, right?”
“Yeah.”

Choi Ho-geun nodded with a stern expression, his arms crossed.
Jung Hwan-yeop, who had been spinning a pen between his fingers in thought, stood up and approached.

“This feels ominous. What if it crashes like it did a few days ago?”
“Hey, don’t say such unlucky things.”

Choi Ho-geun’s eyebrows furrowed instantly.
Jung Hwan-yeop, who had drawn disapproving looks for his careless remark, scratched the back of his head sheepishly and lowered his gaze.

“My apologies. I was just worried and spoke without thinking.”
“Words have power, you know. You’re good at everything else, but you really need to watch what you say.”
“Yes.”

Jung Hwan-yeop replied with an awkward smile.
Just as Choi Ho-geun clicked his tongue and was about to turn his attention back to the monitor, a voice suddenly came from behind.

“The market might decline again for a while, but there’s no need to worry too much.”

Today, I wore a perfectly tailored custom suit that fit my frame impeccably.
At my sudden appearance, Choi Ho-geun and the team members quickly stood and greeted me.

“Team Lead.”

I nodded lightly to acknowledge their greeting and spoke again.

“It’s simply a process of digesting bad news. Keep your positions as they are.”
“But if it drops too much, losses will mount. Wouldn’t it be better to cut positions first and then buy back in?”

I shook my head at Choi Ho-geun’s suggestion.

“If I could predict price fluctuations accurately, I’d do as you suggest, Manager Choi, but that’s hardly feasible, is it?”
“That’s true.”
“More importantly, O-Gwang Industries is a long-term holding, so it’s better to leave it alone rather than constantly buying and selling.”

Manager Choi Ho-geun couldn’t entirely shake his anxiety over the volatile stock price.
However, since Seok-hyun had already proven his competence through results, he refrained from speaking further.

“Regarding that, the funds I separately set aside last time—they’re still on hold, correct?”
“Yes. Since you haven’t given further instructions, I’ve left them as they were.”
“I decided to keep them under management without withdrawing, so that’s my understanding.”
“That’s correct. Everything worked out well.”

Upon hearing this, Manager Choi Ho-geun brightened visibly.
A larger amount under management meant numerous advantages, so his reaction was justified.

“We’ll discuss the specifics in a meeting later, but I want you and your team members to handle the trading autonomously with one billion won from the entrusted funds.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”

I nodded slightly and spoke with a light smile playing at my lips.

“Only proceed if you’re confident about it.”

Manager Choi Ho-geun responded with a smile of his own.

“That won’t happen. While perhaps not to your level, I’ll do my best to deliver results that satisfy you.”

The high performance was gratifying, but mechanically executing stock trades under Seok-hyun’s instructions had begun to feel stifling and tedious.
Yet now, being entrusted with a substantial sum and granted autonomy in trading, he couldn’t help but feel elated.
Of course, there was concern about potential losses, but hesitating over that would disqualify him as a trader.
Watching Manager Choi Ho-geun and his team members light up with enthusiasm, I reached into my inner jacket pocket.

“And there’s one more thing I wanted to mention.”

I withdrew four thin envelopes and handed them to Manager Choi Ho-geun.
Receiving them somewhat unexpectedly, Manager Choi Ho-geun looked at me with a puzzled expression.

“What is this?”
“Bonuses.”

At the mention of a bonus, Jung Hwan-yeop and the team members perked up their ears.
Choi Ho-geun tilted his head curiously as he gazed down at the envelope he’d received.

“Performance bonuses are usually paid at year-end. Did this come early?”
“No.”

I continued to face the bewildered Choi Ho-geun with a smile still on my face.

“The performance bonus will come separately later. This is something I’m giving you personally.”
“Pardon?”

Choi Ho-geun blinked in surprise.
A personal bonus given out of the blue like this was something he’d never heard of before.
The team members, who had been pretending to work while eavesdropping, wore equally bewildered expressions, clearly not yet understanding.
I glanced at the astonished Choi Ho-geun and the team members before speaking casually.

“I agreed to receive a portion of the trading profits as an incentive, and I’m distributing that to you.”

Among proprietary traders who generated investment returns by managing company-owned accounts, it was uncommon but not unheard of for exceptionally skilled performers to sign contracts dividing profits with the company at a certain ratio.
Of course, in exchange for guaranteeing favorable conditions, those who failed to meet performance expectations had to vacate their positions without mercy.
Choi Ho-geun was greatly surprised to learn that I had secured terms that would be impossible without exceptional performance and ability.

‘I always wondered why discretionary authority over fund management seemed unusual, even for a parachute hire. So this was the reason.’

Though it was quite an extraordinary arrangement, considering the competence I’d demonstrated thus far and my background as a direct descendant of the owner, it made sense.
Choi Ho-geun spoke carefully, gauging my reaction.

“Team Leader, that incentive is yours. You really don’t need to do this….”
“It’s fine. We’re one team, after all.”

I smiled and looked around at Choi Ho-geun and the team members.

“This achievement was accomplished by pooling our efforts together, so we should share it as one.”

Choi Ho-geun was deeply moved by how I looked after them despite the separate performance bonus that would be coming. There was no need to concern myself with them.
The other team members felt the same way, their eyes reflecting genuine admiration for the thoughtfulness and magnanimity that belied my youth.

“Thank you.”

As Choi Ho-geun bowed slightly in greeting, Jung Hwan-yeop and the team members followed suit, expressing their gratitude.

“Thank you so much, Team Lead!”
“You’re taking such good care of us too… You’re really amazing!”

Faced with an outpouring of thanks, Seok-won responded matter-of-factly.

“If you all continue to deliver strong results, I’ll keep rewarding you with bonuses like this. Let’s work hard together.”

At that, Jung Hwan-yeop’s eyes sparkled as he asked.

“You really mean it?”
“I promise.”

At Seok-won’s words, Jung Hwan-yeop clenched his fist toward the air.

“Yes! Suddenly I’m bursting with motivation!”
“You’re something else, aren’t you? It’s all about the bonus, right?”
“Of course. Don’t you like it, Hong Jae-hee?”
“I like it too.”

All the team members were thrilled, but Jung Hwan-yeop was by far the most childishly exuberant.
As he began dancing around the office with shoulder shimmies, Choi Ho-geun let out a groan.

“Ugh.”

Unable to bear the sight, Choi Ho-geun covered his face with his hand and bowed his head to Seok-won.

“My apologies, Team Lead.”
“It’s great that everyone’s motivated. Now let’s get to work.”

Seok-won smiled good-naturedly and turned toward his private office, closing the door behind him.
Once the door shut, Choi Ho-geun glared daggers at Jung Hwan-yeop, who was still dancing around with the team members.

“You’re going to make me age prematurely.”
“Hehe.”

Jung Hwan-yeop brushed it off with a carefree laugh and sidled up right next to Choi Ho-geun, grinning.

“Manager, how much is in the envelope?”
“I don’t know, you fool. Check it yourself.”

Choi Ho-geun, shaking his head as if to say there was no stopping them, distributed the envelopes he’d received from Seok-won one by one to his team members.

“It looks thin, so maybe it contains a check like the last time you gave us money for the company dinner?”
“It could just be ten thousand won bills.”
“Come on. You can tell there aren’t many bills in there just by looking.”
Jung Hwan-yeop shook the envelope in his hand as he spoke.

“How much do you think he gave us?”
“Last time at the company dinner, he put a million won in each envelope, so it should be around that amount this time too.”

At Hong Jae-hee’s words, brimming with anticipation, Jung Hwan-yeop offered his speculation.
Then Yu Seok-hyun, sitting at his desk, objected with a skeptical tone.

“A million won is my entire monthly salary. Since this is a personal incentive he’s distributing, I doubt it would be that much.”
“No, no, he’s the chairman’s son, after all. He hands out such large sums for company dinners—surely he wouldn’t put in less than that?”

As Choi Ho-geun listened to his team members’ conversation, he too discreetly felt the envelope with his fingertips.
Though he didn’t show it in front of the team, he was equally curious about how much was inside.

“So, shall we check how much it actually is?”

Jung Hwan-yeop hummed a little tune as he opened the envelope.

“Ooh! It really is a check.”
“Really!”

Hong Jae-hee broke into a wide smile, and Yu Seok-hyun’s face filled with anticipation.
Though Choi Ho-geun pretended otherwise, his eyes remained fixed on Jung Hwan-yeop’s movements as he pulled the check from the envelope.

“Alright, moment of truth~”

After confirming the amount written on the check, Jung Hwan-yeop suddenly widened his eyes and froze.

“…Huh?”
“What’s wrong?”

Hong Jae-hee asked eagerly.
Jung Hwan-yeop slowly lifted his head, his expression completely dazed as he stammered.

“Th-there’s an extra zero on this?”
“What are you talking about?”

As Choi Ho-geun, exasperated, pressed for clarification, Jung Hwan-yeop held the check forward so everyone could see it.

“This isn’t 100,000 won—it’s a million-won check!”
“…Pardon?”

In that instant, every team member present doubted their own ears.
Choi Ho-geun’s eyes trembled violently as if an earthquake had struck, while Yu Seok-hyun stood frozen with his mouth agape.
Hong Jae-hee’s cheeks flushed crimson with excitement.

“Really?”

In the meantime, Yu Seok-hyun hastily opened his envelope and spoke in a trembling voice.

“It really is a million-won bearer check!”

Choi Ho-geun, finally snapping to attention, hurriedly withdrew the check from his envelope to verify the amount.
Just as Jung Hwan-yeop had said—million-won checks, and not just one, but twenty of them.
Faced with a sum greater than his annual salary, Choi Ho-geun gasped involuntarily.

“I’ve never seen a million-won bearer check before…”

Hong Jae-hee murmured in a trembling voice.

“Jung, how much is in your envelope?”
“Fifteen million won.”

Choi Ho-geun then turned to look at Yu Seok-hyun and Hong Jae-hee.

“What about you two?”
“We each have ten million won.”

Yu Seok-hyun glanced at the checks in Hong Jae-hee’s hands as he answered.
In total, it came to fifty-five million won.

“You don’t think Team Lead accidentally put the wrong checks in, do you?”

Hong Jae-hee spoke with her face flushed with excitement, gripping the checks tightly as if afraid someone might snatch them away.

“They’re all one million won checks. There’s no way that happened.”

Jung Hwan-yeop, who had recovered from the shock the fastest, gave a thumbs up without hesitation.

“Whew! I knew you were cut from different cloth.”
“You said he was some greenhorn who parachuted in.”
“When did I say that?”

Hong Jae-hee shot him an annoyed glance, but she was no match for Jung Hwan-yeop’s shamelessness.

“Ahem.”

At that moment, Choi Ho-geun glanced around discreetly and cleared his throat.

“It’s work hours and there are other employees around, so don’t make too much noise.”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”

Yet even as Choi Ho-geun cautioned his team members, he couldn’t hide the corners of his mouth gradually rising upward.

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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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