Golden Spoon Investment Portfolio - Chapter 63

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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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63. You really do surprise me quite often.

Yeouido, Seoul. Daeheung Securities Headquarters.
The Trading Office on the fifth floor bustled with activity from early morning as usual.
Five wall clocks hung in a row, synchronized to New York, London, Frankfurt, Tokyo, and Hong Kong time, while the employees who had arrived began powering up their computers and preparing for work.
As Manager Choi Ho-geun sat at his desk reviewing the numbers displayed on the thick CRT monitor, Hong Jae-hee brought over the market-related materials she had compiled and printed overnight, setting them down on his desk.

“Here are the materials.”
“Thanks.”

Hong Jae-hee bowed her head slightly and moved to distribute copies of the materials to the other team members.

“Let me see…”

Manager Choi Ho-geun straightened his posture and sipped the coffee he’d retrieved from the vending machine, quickly flipping through the materials page by page.

“Woosung is issuing more CP again.”

Upon hearing that Woosung Group, one of the nation’s leading construction companies, planned to issue an additional 50 billion won in commercial paper, Manager Choi Ho-geun’s brow furrowed.

“From what I know, their existing debt is considerable… Isn’t this a bit risky?”

He recalled that just a few months ago, they had borrowed over 100 billion won from the financial sector to purchase the reconstruction site of the mint facility in Taepyeong-dong, Daejeon, leaving him with an uneasy feeling.

“It does seem a bit uncertain, but surely nothing would happen?”

At this time, leveraged financing—expanding business by taking on massive debt—was considered standard practice, so Manager Choi Ho-geun felt uncomfortable but didn’t take it seriously.
And with good reason: Woosung Group was a major conglomerate with multiple subsidiaries including not just construction, but textiles, hotels, tires, and distribution, generating over 1 trillion won in annual revenue, so he couldn’t imagine any problems arising.
Moreover, just a few days ago, a newspaper article had prominently reported that Woosung Group had supplied the most apartments among private construction companies this year, reinforcing his confidence.
As he was about to turn to the next page, a voice caught his ear, and Manager Choi Ho-geun looked up.

“Everyone doing well?”

Yu Seok-hyun walked in wearing a perfectly tailored custom suit, his hair swept to the side, his appearance so striking that one might mistake him for a model, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

“Welcome back, Team Lead.”

Choi Ho-geun and his team members stood to greet me, and I acknowledged them lightly before speaking.

“Nothing unusual while I was away?”
“No, sir. The index continues to move sideways, but fortunately, the stocks we’ve invested in have been steadily climbing.”

Even while in the United States, I’d been receiving regular updates from Choi Ho-geun, so I nodded slightly.
Then Jung Hwan-yeop jumped in with an energetic voice.

“Our active trading positions are also generating solid returns.”
“Ah, I heard. Your day-trading profit margins have been quite impressive.”
“I’m nowhere near your level, sir, but I got a feel for the market while you were away.”
“Seems like your flattery skills have improved too.”

I looked at Jung Hwan-yeop with a mischievous expression, and he took it in stride with a good-natured laugh.

“Flattery? That’s the honest truth.”
“When you first arrived, I could have sworn I heard people calling you an orange parachute.”

Choi Ho-geun beside him suddenly made a choking sound and looked embarrassed, while Jung Hwan-yeop panicked and waved his hands.

“That’s—that can’t be! You must have misheard.”

Watching Jung Hwan-yeop laugh awkwardly and avoid my gaze, I burst into a quiet chuckle.

“I was joking.”
“Right, of course! I knew you were!”

Jung Hwan-yeop, having tried to butter me up only to gain nothing, broke into a cold sweat and quietly retreated.
I turned my head and looked at Choi Ho-geun.

“I’m going up to the executive office. Don’t worry about me—just keep working.”
“Yes, sir.”

As I turned to leave, I remembered something I’d forgotten and stopped.

“Oh, I almost forgot to give you this.”

I handed the shopping bag I’d been holding to Hong Jae-hee.

“I felt bad about just showing up without helping, so I brought some gifts.”

Hong Jae-hee’s eyes sparkled the moment she heard the word “gifts” as she accepted the shopping bag.

“Oh my! Team Leader! You really do have great taste!”
“You didn’t need to bring anything, but thank you for this.”

Though Choi Ho-geun spoke apologetically, he too couldn’t hide his pleasure at the gesture.

“It’s nothing too special, so don’t feel obligated—let’s just share them.”
“Thank you!”

Jung Hwan-yeop bowed his head promptly and answered with enthusiasm.
Seeing this, Choi Ho-geun shot him a look as if he wanted to click his tongue, then bowed to Seok-hyun.

“Thank you for thinking of us.”
“Thank you, Team Leader!”

As the other team members voiced their gratitude in unison, Seok-hyun smiled and turned toward the corridor.
Jung Hwan-yeop promptly approached Hong Jae-hee and thrust his face close to hers.

“Jae-hee, what’s the gift?”
“Ugh, back off a little, Deputy Manager.”
“Just shake it a bit. Is it heavy? Or light?”

Watching Jung Hwan-yeop’s mischievous behavior beside an exasperated Hong Jae-hee, Choi Ho-geun pressed his forehead with his hand.

“When will that guy ever grow up?”
“Just give up, sir. You know Deputy Manager Jung has always been like that.”
“Ugh.”

At Yu Seok-hyun’s words, Choi Ho-geun sighed and checked the watch on his wrist.

“We have about twenty minutes until the market opens, so go ahead and open them.”
“Yes, sir!”

Hong Jae-hee opened the shopping bag and placed four wrapped gift boxes on the conference table.

“The three long ones must be for the guys, and this square box here looks like Jae-hee’s gift.”

One stood out distinctly in shape, making it easy to identify.

“Since there are no separate names written on them, they must all be the same.”

Yu Seok-hyun picked up the elongated gift box, turned it over in his hands, and promptly tore open the wrapping paper.

“It’s a necktie.”
“Hey, doesn’t it look expensive? Our team leader is actually a chaebol heir—he wouldn’t just bring anything random, right?”

The deep blue necktie with a subtle brand logo looked unmistakably luxurious at first glance.
Hong Jae-hee, scanning the brand logo with keen eyes, let out a small exclamation of admiration.

“My goodness. This is a French luxury brand.”
“What!”

Jung Hwan-yeop checked the tag on the back of the necktie and his eyes widened in surprise.

“Wow, it really is.”
“Wait, let me open mine too.”

Hong Jae-hee eagerly opened her gift box, and a fragrance emerged from within.
The perfume was also from a French luxury brand, and recognizing it instantly, Hong Jae-hee spoke with a flushed, excited face.

“I wanted this so badly, but I gave up because it was too expensive!”

Choi Ho-geun and Yu Seok-hyun then unwrapped their respective gift boxes and pulled out the neckties inside, their faces beaming with joy.

“Jae-hee! Look at this. Does it suit me?”

Jung Hwan-yeop removed his old necktie, replaced it with the new one, and asked with a self-satisfied expression.

“Clothes make the man, as they say—just changing one necktie and the person looks completely different.”
“Hehe, right! A third-generation chaebol really is different in every way.”
“I was truly moved. After the bonus last time, I never expected you’d give us gifts like this.”

Hong Jae-hee spoke while holding the perfume bottle carefully with both hands.

“But isn’t a luxury brand necktie more expensive than the formal suit I’m wearing?”
“It very well could be.”

Yu Seok-hyun, fundamentally a small-time operator, swallowed hard at Hong Jae-hee’s response.
While everyone else buzzed with excitement over the unexpectedly expensive gift, Choi Ho-geun glanced beyond the partition to gauge the reactions of other team members.
There was no point in drawing attention by making a fuss about it.

“Ahem.”

Choi Ho-geun cleared his throat softly and calmed his excited team members.

“The market opens soon. Let’s wrap this up and head back to your stations to prepare for trading.”
“Yes.”
“Understood, sir.”

As the team members collected their gifts and returned to their desks, Choi Ho-geun made his way back to his own.
Seeing the monitor screens still frozen before the market opening, Choi Ho-geun glanced subtly around while seated in his chair.
Then he held the necktie he’d received as a gift up to his neck and examined himself in the small mirror kept on the corner of his desk, smiling contentedly.

“It’s nice, probably because it’s expensive.”

* * *

As I passed through the door the Female Secretary opened and entered the president’s office, Choi Jin-woo, seated at his desk, greeted me warmly.

“Have a seat there.”
“Yes.”

Choi Jin-woo rose, gesturing toward the sofa with one hand.
Once I settled onto the sofa on the right, Choi Jin-woo walked around his desk and took the seat of honor.

“What will you have to drink?”
“Coffee, please.”

Choi Jin-woo turned his head and spoke to the Female Secretary standing at the door.

“Make that two.”
“Yes.”

As the Female Secretary left the room, Choi Jin-woo leaned back and turned his gaze toward me.

“I thought you’d take a few days off before coming back, but you’re here right away. Aren’t you tired?”
“I’ve been away for over two weeks, so I needed to return promptly.”
“Did you handle everything that needed to be done in the United States?”
“Thanks to your support, I was able to achieve satisfactory results.”
“That’s good to hear.”

Choi Jin-woo gave a small nod and continued speaking.

“You’re aware that the stock market has been moving sluggishly, fluctuating up and down during that time.”
“Yes.”

Choi Jin-woo interlaced his fingers and cast a meaningful gaze toward me.

“It unfolded exactly as you predicted. The crash last time, and your insight into accurately grasping the market—it’s truly remarkable. I found myself impressed once again.”
“I was simply fortunate.”
“Ha, since it’s just the two of us here, you don’t need to be so modest.”

The Female Secretary knocked and entered, setting down two cups of richly aromatic coffee before the two of us, then left again.
Choi Jin-woo lifted his cup and took a sip of coffee as he spoke.

“By the way, you’re aware that the Chairman is gifting you half of his stake in Daehung Venture Capital, aren’t you?”
“Yes. I heard about it yesterday.”

Though I felt some surprise upon hearing it directly, I had anticipated it to some degree and accepted it calmly.

‘By gifting me a stake in Venture Capital rather than Securities—a smaller operation—he’s signaling that he wants to see if I’m truly capable.’

And considering that my older brother Park Jin-hyung, an executive director, had already received a portion of Daeheung Textiles’ shares last year, this wasn’t an exceptionally large inheritance.

‘By handing me the Venture Capital stake while letting the group go to my brother, he’s drawn a clear line.’

Since I had no great ambitions regarding the group anyway, it was better to settle things clearly like this now rather than risk a conflict between brothers later over inheritance matters.

‘His mention that my brother would be promoted to president of Daeheung Textiles by year-end was probably part of that same intention.’

I cleared away the stray thoughts crossing my mind as Choi Jin-woo continued speaking.

“The Chairman has high expectations for you.”
“There’s still much I lack.”

Choi Jin-woo spoke with a gentle smile on his face.

“You’re doing an excellent job. If you continue like this, there won’t be any difficulties ahead.”

His eyes gazing at me were filled with satisfaction.
As Choi Jin-woo reached for his teacup again to take a sip of coffee, I opened my mouth with a composed voice.

“There’s something I need to tell you.”
“Don’t hesitate—go ahead and speak.”

With that, I faced Choi Jin-woo and spoke seriously.

“During my trip to the United States, I received a fund entrusted to me.”

Choi Jin-woo’s expression showed slight surprise, and he exclaimed with admiration.

“Remarkable—you’ve brought back results even while abroad. The more entrusted funds we receive, the better, since we earn commissions on them.”

Then he asked with a joking laugh.

“It’s not some astronomical sum exceeding a billion won like what the chairman entrusted, is it?”
“It’s slightly more than that.”
“…!”

Choi Jin-woo froze mid-sip, his eyes blinking as he stared at me.
Then, wondering if he’d misheard, he asked again.

“What did you just say?”

I answered calmly to his gaze.

“I said the amount is larger than what the chairman entrusted.”

Park Tae-hong had entrusted 15 billion won.
Hearing that I’d received an even larger sum, Choi Jin-woo couldn’t hide his bewilderment.

“How much exactly is the entrusted amount?”

As he set down his teacup on the table and asked, I answered immediately.

“One hundred billion won.”
“A hundred?!”

The moment Choi Jin-woo heard the sum, his eyes widened in shock and his voice rose involuntarily.

“A hundred billion won, you said?”
“Yes, sir.”

Choi Jin-woo was so taken aback by the way I nodded and answered so casually that he could barely form words.

“What on earth is this all of a sudden…?”

Flustered, Choi Jin-woo was so startled that he grabbed the teacup he’d set down moments before and drank the scalding coffee in one go, then burst into a violent coughing fit.

“Cough! Ugh, ugh.”

I quickly pulled a tissue from the box on the table and handed it to him.

“Are you alright, sir? Here, use this.”
“Th-thank you.”

After taking the tissue and wiping the coffee from his mouth and shirt, Choi Jin-woo, still reeling from the shock, stammered out his next question.

“So… you’re saying you brought a hundred billion in trust from the United States? For real?”
“Yes. It will be deposited into our team’s account within four days.”
“Ha ha, this is absolutely absurd…”

The fact that it was real, not a misunderstanding, made it even more shocking.
After exhaling several times, trying to come to terms with the situation, Choi Jin-woo suddenly leaned forward and asked.

“How did you bring such a massive sum? Don’t tell me this is the Chairman’s money again.”

It was such an incomprehensibly large amount that the misunderstanding was understandable.
When Choi Jin-woo looked at me expectantly, I shook my head.

“No, sir.”
“Then where exactly did this money come from?”

When he pressed me urgently, I deflected with a prepared explanation, as I’d planned beforehand.

“I came to know about the Hedge Fund through an introduction from a mentor I studied under while in the United States, and I’ve been entrusted with managing a portion of their capital.”

The Hedge Fund that Seok-hyun was referring to was none other than the Eldorado Fund.

“A mentor, you say… Are you perhaps referring to Professor Philip Frank from Harvard University?”

Park Tae-hong had bragged so incessantly about how Yu Seok-hyun was a particularly favored student of the renowned economist Professor Philip Frank, a Nobel Prize laureate in Economics, that Choi Jin-woo immediately recalled it.

“That’s correct.”
“Indeed. If it’s Professor Frank, then that’s certainly possible.”

Choi Jin-woo nodded as if convinced.
Of course, Professor Frank knew nothing of this arrangement, but it wasn’t as though Choi Jin-woo would call to verify it directly, so I maintained an unflappable facade.

‘I’ve made him work hard enough on papers—he won’t say anything if I trade on his name once.’

While I was thinking this, Choi Jin-woo continued to marvel, saying he had no idea the connection ran so deep.

“It’s not easy to do that even for a student, but it seems he holds you in particularly high regard.”
“Well, yes….”

I laughed awkwardly and muttered inwardly.

‘If anything, he cares too much.’

He contacted me so frequently and was such a nuisance that I already regretted giving him my mobile number.
Choi Jin-woo looked at me with newfound admiration and spoke.

“You never cease to surprise me, bringing in such a massive sum.”
“Would it be acceptable to manage the newly secured capital as well?”
“Of course it would. With a hundred billion won, the commission alone would be substantial—there’s no reason to refuse, is there?”

I responded with an expression that said I knew he would say that.

“Then I’ll take that as your approval.”
“Is there anything else you need help with?”
“It’s sufficient for now. The market should be opening soon, so if there’s nothing else you need to discuss, I’ll be heading down.”
“Yes, go ahead and check on things.”

With a slight bow, Seok-hyun rose from his seat and left the president’s office.
Left alone, President Choi Jin-woo stared blankly at the empty sofa where Seok-hyun had been sitting moments before, muttering to himself.

“I can only say he’s truly remarkable.”

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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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