Golden Spoon Investment Portfolio - Chapter 79

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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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79. Just say the word, and I’ll do whatever you need.

Yeouido, Seoul. Daehung Securities Headquarters.
The 5th Floor Trading Center hummed with frenetic energy—traders shouting orders and telephone bells ringing incessantly as the market machinery churned relentlessly forward.

Ring! Ring!
“Buy more Cheonho Steel!”
“Additional purchase of Hyunwoo Construction? Understood.”
“The momentum’s with us today. Raise the bid!”

The market had digested the shock of last year’s financial real-name system and was now burning hot again. The traders’ voices crackled with vitality, reflecting the electrified atmosphere.

“Sell 30,000 shares at 21,000 won.”

Jung Hwan-yeop, cradling the receiver against his shoulder, kept his eyes locked on the monitor as he entered the order.
The buy orders queued at 21,000 won evaporated in an instant, and the shares sold through rapidly.
The stock price, which had hesitated momentarily under the flood of selling pressure, soon resumed its strength, holding steady in the 21,000 won range.

“Phew.”

Jung Hwan-yeop, who had channeled every ounce of concentration into the trade all morning, exhaled softly without thinking as the tension drained from him the moment the transaction closed.

“Made some good money?”

Choi Ho-geun, who had appeared behind him at some point, tapped his shoulder lightly with a playful grin.

“See for yourself.”

Jung Hwan-yeop shifted his upper body slightly to the side, and Choi Ho-geun, glancing at the monitor screen over his shoulder, broke into a satisfied smile.

“You’ve earned your lunch today.”
“More than that, actually.”
“Right. The guy who brings in money is king. Good work. Want me to massage your shoulders?”

Choi Ho-geun wiggled his fingers playfully as he teased.

“That’s fine. If I slip up even a little, they’ll catch me like a cat catching a mouse.”
“Then just keep making money.”
“I’d like to, but it’s not that simple.”

Choi Ho-geun narrowed his eyes as he watched me pout and grumble.

“Is something bothering you?”
“That’s sudden. What do you mean?”
“Usually you strut around with your shoulders back, putting on all kinds of airs. But today you’re being unusually quiet.”

Choi Ho-geun examined me carefully, his gaze suggesting I should spill whatever I was hiding.
Then Hong Jae-hee, who had been sitting at the desk behind us, interjected.

“That’s right. Jung Hwan-yeop, are you feeling unwell today?”

At that, Choi Ho-geun reached out and placed his hand on my forehead, tilting his head.

“No fever.”

I responded to their teasing with a sullen expression.

“Come on. Just because I’m me doesn’t mean I have to make a fuss about everything.”
“You’re doing something you don’t usually do, so it’s weird.”

Choi Ho-geun stood with his arms crossed, studying me seriously.

“Are you really worried about something?”

Yu Seok-hyun, sitting beside me, wore a concerned expression as well.
Under the weight of my teammates’ gazes, I scratched the back of my head and opened my mouth hesitantly.

“It’s not that. I’ve just been feeling disillusioned lately.”
“What do you mean?”

Choi Ho-geun asked, clearly confused.

“I’ve been working hard for two days straight and made just over 2 billion won, but the stocks you invested in have already gained over 1 billion won just today. The gap is so vast I can’t even bring myself to compare them. It’s left me feeling hollow.”

At that, Choi Ho-geun responded with an exasperated tone.

“What am I supposed to say?”
“I’m being serious about this.”

Choi Ho-geun clicked his tongue as he watched Jung Hwan-yeop bristle in protest.

“Jung, are you the same as the team leader?”
“That’s right. When you see things like this, it shows that Jung really does have quite a bit of pride, doesn’t it?”

Following Hong Jae-hee’s interjection, Yu Seok-hyun also nodded his head.

“I’d like to take your side whenever possible, but this doesn’t seem right.”

Jung Hwan-yeop, who had been looking dejected at his team’s reaction, furrowed his brow and protested.

“What’s wrong with me! Even like this, my swing trading skills are second to none!”

Though he did frequently engage in frivolous behavior and careless actions, Jung Hwan-yeop was a skilled trader who would be ashamed to place second in swing trading—buying and selling stocks within short timeframes—within Daehung Securities.
Choi Ho-geun, standing with his white shirt sleeves rolled up, was a master of scalping, buying and selling stocks for extremely brief periods multiple times a day.
The fact that these two were on the same team was out of consideration for Seok-won, the chairman’s son.
Choi Ho-geun nodded and spoke.

“Yeah, I know Jung is capable. But the thing is, the scale between you and the team leader is just different, isn’t it? Even setting aside the fact that he was born with a diamond spoon in his mouth, his skills are just too absurd.”
“It’s the difference between a soy sauce dish and a proper bowl.”

As Hong Jae-hee chimed in with an irritating quip, Yu Seok-hyun also nodded.

“Exactly. He’s on a different level altogether.”
“Hey, you two really mean it!”

Somehow Hong Jae-hee and Yu Seok-hyun, who kept adding their own jabs from the sidelines, were even more irritating than Choi Ho-geun.
Jung Hwan-yeop, with veins bulging on his forehead, glared at the two of them, but since what they said wasn’t wrong, he could only smack his lips in frustration.
Choi Ho-geun patted Jung Hwan-yeop’s shoulder and spoke.

“There’s a saying that a sparrow chasing a stork ends up splitting its crotch. When I saw two stocks that seemed to be picked at random skyrocketing like crazy, I just let it go.”

At Choi Ho-geun’s words, spoken with a half-enlightened smile, Jung Hwan-yeop felt an intense headache wash over him.

“Ugh.”

Choi Ho-geun glanced at Jung Hwan-yeop and tossed out his words casually.

“And there’s no need to be jealous—the results your team leader produces are added to our team’s overall performance anyway.”
“…!”

Watching Jung Hwan-yeop’s ears perk up, Choi Ho-geun continued in a subtle tone.

“Which means our year-end bonus this time around will be quite substantial.”

At that, Hong Jae-hee, who had been listening, clapped her hands and brightened visibly.

“Oh my! That’s absolutely right.”

Yu Seok-hyun tried not to show it, but couldn’t hide the smile spreading across his lips despite himself.
Jung Hwan-yeop’s eyes sparkled as though his earlier gloom had never existed, and he looked toward Choi Ho-geun with a question.

“It’ll be more than last year’s year-end bonus, right?”

His voice brimmed with anticipation, and Choi Ho-geun shrugged.

“There’s still a long way to the year-end, but as long as we don’t forget what we’ve already earned, shouldn’t it be even more?”
“Hehe. Of course you’ll produce even better results. Your accuracy rate has been 100% so far, hasn’t it?”

At how quickly Jung Hwan-yeop had shifted his attitude at the mention of bonuses, Choi Ho-geun threw a reproachful remark his way.

“Weren’t you just saying moments ago that the gap in performance was so discouraging you had no motivation to work?”
“You said it yourself, sir. That giving up makes things easier.”
“Good grief. You’re impossible.”

Choi Ho-geun shook his head with a wry smile, as if to say, “Of course that’s how it is.”
Just then, Seok-won’s voice suddenly came from behind.

“What’s everyone so cheerful about?”

Startled, Choi Ho-geun turned around to see Seok-won, who had gone up to the executive office, stepping into the partition wearing a perfectly tailored custom suit and smiling.

“Nothing much, sir.”

As Choi Ho-geun answered, Jung Hwan-yeop quickly rose from his chair and approached, rubbing his palms together as he asked warmly.

“Team Lead, you’re here. Did you enjoy your lunch?”

Seok-won, unaware of anything amiss, smiled and nodded.

“The CEO and I went to a Japanese restaurant nearby and had eel rice bowls. I didn’t realize there were so many good restaurants in this area.”
“Well, of course. Eel is very good for men.”

Choi Ho-geun shot a look of exasperation, trying to signal him to stop, but Jung Hwan-yeop, whose eyes had already turned toward the bonus, stubbornly ignored the glance.

“If there’s nothing urgent, come to my office. I have something to discuss with you.”
“Yes, of course.”

As Choi Ho-geun responded, Seok-won turned and entered the private office right beside him.

“Ugh, you scheming bastard.”
“What? Why?”
“You and I will have a separate meeting later!”

Choi Ho-geun raised his fist slightly toward Jung Hwan-yeop before following after Seok-won.

With a knock, Choi Ho-geun opened the door and stepped inside.

“Please, have a seat.”
“Yes.”

Seok-won rose from his chair, gesturing toward the sofa with one hand, and walked to the coffee pot by the window.

“Would you like a cup of coffee?”
“I’d appreciate that.”

Seok-won smiled slightly, tore open an instant coffee packet, poured it into a cup, and added hot water in the right amount.
He stirred it a few times with a teaspoon to dissolve it properly, then picked up the cup with both hands and headed toward the sofa.

“Here, have some.”

As he set the cup on the table, Choi Ho-geun bowed his head respectfully.

“Thank you, I’ll enjoy it.”

Having my superior personally pour my coffee felt genuinely burdensome.
Unaware of such reservations, Seok-won settled into the center seat with his usual composure and asked in his characteristic tone.

“How does the market look today?”
“The bull market continues. As long as no unexpected variables emerge again, the stock index should comfortably surpass the 1,000-point mark within this year.”

Seok-won nodded slightly and spoke.

“That would mean breaking through 1,000 points again for the first time in five years, wouldn’t it?”
“That’s correct.”

During the so-called “three lows” phenomenon of 1986 to 1989—triggered by low dollar values, oil prices, and interest rates—Korea experienced unprecedented economic prosperity.
As exports surged and the economy expanded, the stock market flourished as well, with the index that stood at 139 points in early 1985 achieving the remarkable feat of breaking through 1,000 points in just four years.

There was even a saying that stocks would inevitably rise if you bought them.

But flames that burn so rapidly extinguish just as quickly.
As companies could reap enormous profits from mere listing, even unqualified firms recklessly went public, while existing listed companies excessively increased their capital, until the problems finally erupted.
Peaking at 1,007 points on April 1, 1989, the index began its decline, and within eighteen months it had plummeted to 566 points—cut in half.

It was during this period that the term “empty account” first emerged.

Investors who had recklessly borrowed to buy stocks saw their accounts unable to withstand the downturn, triggering forced liquidations that cascaded all at once and amplified the losses further.
Countless people who had dreamed of sudden wealth lost everything in an instant.

Seeing how the index broke through 1,000 points again and then, like a mirror image, the IMF arrived shortly after—it was truly ironic.

Observing such patterns, the saying that history repeats itself seemed far from mere coincidence.
Clearing away his wandering thoughts, Seok-won opened his mouth as he observed Choi Ho-geun, who was quietly waiting for him to continue.

“The reason I asked to meet separately is because there’s something I’d like you to help me with.”
“Please, just tell me what it is.”
“But it’s not company business—it’s a personal request.”
…!

Seok-won picked up the teacup before him, took a sip of coffee, and spoke calmly.

“Of course, if you’re not comfortable with it, you don’t have to do it.”

Though he said refusal was an option, no employee possessed the audacity to disregard the words of Seok-won—not only his direct superior but also a blood heir to the owner.
The perceptive Choi Ho-geun immediately grasped that this was no mere request, but rather an inquiry into whether he was willing to come under Seok-won’s wing and become one of his people. He swallowed hard.
With Park Jin-hyung as the established successor, Seok-won would never inherit the chairmanship, but he was destined to secure a pivotal position within the group or receive a substantial share and establish his independence.
To place himself under such a man would be tantamount to grasping a golden rope.

‘To let this slip away would be sheer folly.’

Choi Ho-geun straightened his posture, his thoughts crystallizing with remarkable speed, and responded.

“Just say the word, sir.”

Seok-won, who had anticipated exactly this response, smiled at the man’s evident eagerness.

“It’s nothing particularly difficult. There’s no need to be so tense.”

He leaned back against the sofa and continued, his gaze fixed on Choi Ho-geun.

“I’d like you to provide me with a detailed understanding of the equity ownership structure and debt situation across all subsidiaries of the Donghae Group.”

Choi Ho-geun’s expression shifted to one of mild bewilderment at this unexpected directive.

“The Donghae Group, sir?”
“Yes.”

Seok-won gave a slight nod, his voice taking on a grave tone.

“Specifically, I’d appreciate it if you could ascertain precisely what percentage of controlling shares Chairman Woo Yong-gap and the other owners possess, and how those shares are distributed.”
“…!”

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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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