Golden Spoon Investment Portfolio - Chapter 82

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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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82. My thoughts are different.

Walkerhill Hotel, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul.
A sleek black BMW 540i pulled up and came to a halt before the hotel’s grand entrance.
The doorman stationed at the entrance, impeccably dressed in a crisp blue uniform and white gloves, caught sight of it and approached with a welcoming smile.
As he gently opened the driver’s side door by its handle, Seok-won stepped out, his long legs extending from the vehicle as he adjusted his bespoke suit.
Seok-won handed over the keys along with a banknote as a tip, and the doorman accepted it with both hands, bowing slightly.

“Thank you.”

Having entrusted his car to the valet, Seok-won strode purposefully through the gleaming golden revolving doors and into the hotel lobby.
True to its status as one of Seoul’s premier luxury hotels, the expansive lobby was adorned with polished marble flooring, while an ornate crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, its brilliant light adding an air of refined elegance.
Natural light streamed through expansive windows, illuminating the entire lobby, and carefully curated paintings and sculptures by renowned artists were tastefully displayed, elevating the atmosphere further.
Though it was a weekday afternoon, Seok-won observed numerous guests seated comfortably on sofas in conversation or standing before the concierge desk speaking with staff members. He crossed the lobby and headed directly toward the elevators.
Surveying the four elevators arranged in pairs on either side, Seok-won noticed one on the far left descending into the lobby and positioned himself before it.
Seok-won rolled up his sleeve to check the watch on his wrist, then lifted his gaze to the floor indicator above the elevator.

[5, 4… L]

As the elevator doors opened, Seok-won stepped aside.
Two men exited, and one of them recognized him, coming to an abrupt halt.

“Park Seok-won, fancy meeting you again.”
“…!”

Turning to face the man, Seok-won’s brow furrowed slightly.
However, he quickly composed himself and addressed Woo Ho-geun before him with a measured tone.

“Indeed. What a coincidence.”

Seok-won’s gaze briefly swept over Oh Sang-hyun, who stood behind Woo Ho-geun.

“I heard you became director of the Management Planning Office. Belated congratulations.”

Woo Ho-geun, standing with both hands thrust into his trouser pockets, shrugged his shoulders.

“It looks a bit odd, I’ll admit, but Father said that if I’m going to inherit the group, I need to learn the business from the ground up, step by step. So that’s how it is.”
“Business is practical experience, after all. It’s the right approach—better than jumping into a major position from scratch without knowing anything.”

The reasoning was sound enough, but somehow Woo Ho-geun heard mockery in it.
Interpreting it as a subtle jab—that Chairman Woo Yong-gap didn’t trust him and had placed him in the director position precisely because of that doubt—Woo Ho-geun’s expression hardened slightly.
With his pride wounded, Woo Ho-geun deliberately adopted a sarcastic tone and picked a fight.

“I heard your older brother Jin-hyung was promoted to president of Daeheung Textiles. You must be quite disappointed.”

Seok-won saw through the transparent provocation and let out an inward scoff.

“That’s something to celebrate, not be disappointed about.”
“No, that’s not it. You haven’t even made executive yet, but your older brother Jin-hyung has become president of the group’s flagship subsidiary—the very foundation of the conglomerate. He’s essentially confirmed as the successor.”

Woo Ho-geun laughed bitterly, his eyes narrowing as he subtly twisted the knife.

“I hear you’ve been working hard at the securities company, scrambling to produce results. You’ve become like a dog chasing a chicken, staring up at the roof—completely out of your depth.”
“I don’t know why you’re so interested in my family’s affairs, but I’m fine with it, so there’s no need for your concern.”

He meant it sincerely, but Woo Ho-geun interpreted it as Seok-won putting on airs because he didn’t want to appear weak in front of him.
Woo Ho-geun’s smile deepened, his eyes narrowing further as he spoke.

“Get in touch sometime. I’ll buy you a drink to cheer you up.”

Growing tired of hearing more nonsense, Seok-won muttered under his breath.

‘Whether it’s fear or disgust, the result is the same.’

Seok-won glanced at his wristwatch and made a gesture suggesting he was busy.

“I have an appointment, so I’ll head out first.”

Just as he was about to step into the Elevator, Woo Ho-geun—convinced that Seok-won was leaving out of shame—raised his pinky finger with a triumphant expression.

“Coming to the Hotel at this hour—are you meeting a woman? Is she pretty?”

Seok-won stopped abruptly, his brows furrowed, then turned back with an expressionless face.

“Unfortunately, I’m here on business.”
“Ah, I see.”

Woo Ho-geun’s lips twitched as he let out a smirk.

“Speaking of which, are you still dating that woman you saw at the swimming pool last time? No, actually, you clearly looked like you were just having fun, so that can’t be it.”

Seok-won’s cold gaze cut through the air like a blade.

“You think everything comes easy because you were fortunate enough to be born into a chaebol family, and the whole world lies beneath your feet? But that’s an illusion. It takes only a moment to lose everything you’re holding and plummet into the abyss, so you’d better keep your wits about you.”

Seok-won continued, a cold smile playing at his lips.

“Especially, you should manage your… less impressive lower regions better. If you end up in a scandal, imagine how disappointed Chairman Woo would be.”
“You bastard! What did you just say!”

Woo Ho-geun flared up and bellowed, but Oh Sang-hyun behind him hurriedly grabbed his arm.

“Please calm yourself, Director.”
“Let go of me!”
“This is a hotel lobby. Please consider the eyes around us.”

At those words, Woo Ho-geun glanced around and noticed the people in the lobby murmuring and staring at them because of the sudden commotion.
In that moment of hesitation, Seok-won casually raised one arm slightly and boarded the elevator without a care.

“See you next time.”

Woo Ho-geun, grinding his teeth and glaring at him fiercely, spat out a harsh curse as the elevator doors closed.

“Bastard!”

A hotel staff member approached, alternating his gaze between Woo Ho-geun, whose face was flushed with anger, and Oh Sang-hyun, whose expression was awkward.

“Sir, is there any problem?”
“Get out of my way!”

Woo Ho-geun, his face burning crimson, shoved the staff member aside and strode away, swinging his arm broadly.
Oh Sang-hyun let out a small sigh and quickly followed after him.

Meanwhile, in the elevator, I pressed the floor button and clicked my tongue in annoyance.

“Of all people, I had to run into that bastard.”

It irritated me, but I decided to think of it as bad luck being purged before something important.
As the elevator arrived at the 15th floor and the doors slid open, I stepped out.
I walked a short distance down the corridor lined with crimson carpet and stopped before the guest room at the far end.

Ding dong.

After pressing the bell and waiting a moment, the sound of a lock disengaging echoed, and the guest room door opened to reveal a foreigner with gold-rimmed glasses and neatly combed hair—Andrew.

“Welcome.”

Andrew greeted me with a broad smile.

“It’s even more delightful to see you here in Korea.”

When I extended my hand, Andrew shook it lightly and stepped aside.

“Please, come inside.”

Andrew’s guest room was a royal suite with a bar table and two bedrooms.
Upon entering, my gaze was immediately drawn to the expansive Han River view visible through the spacious living room windows.
Landon Shore, who had been sitting on the sofa, rose quickly and approached me.

“Welcome, boss.”

I exchanged a warm handshake with Landon Shore and greeted him.

“The Pacific crossing wasn’t too taxing, I hope?”
“The jet lag is a bit troublesome, but thanks to traveling on a private jet, I’m not exhausted.”
“Being away from the trading desk where we can’t let our guard down for a moment, coming all this way actually feels like a vacation to me.”

Andrew added with a touch of humor from beside me.
Andrew, who had been somewhat stiff at our first meeting, had grown considerably more relaxed through our successful dealings together.
Seeing these two reliable faces, I smiled faintly.

“Then I’m sorry to do this to you. We’re about to discuss business.”

Andrew burst into hearty laughter.

“As it happens, my wife has been pestering me to move out of the complicated Manhattan and into our estate on Long Island. To make that happen, I need to build up a solid track record.”
“Ah! That house? I’ve also seen the photos of the estate Emma picked out—it’s a magnificent Victorian-style mansion with an indoor riding stable.”

Landon Shore snapped his fingers and spoke up.
Emma was Andrew’s wife’s name, and the naturally charismatic Landon had already met the couple several times and was getting along well with them.

“Everything about it is wonderful, except the price is steep.”
“How much is it?”

When Seok-won asked with curiosity, Andrew answered with a somewhat embarrassed expression.

“It’s just over 4.5 million dollars.”
“Then once we finish this job and receive the bonus, you’ll be able to buy it without much difficulty. When you have a housewarming party later, don’t forget to invite me.”

I subtly hinted that this was a major deal that could net several million dollars in bonuses, and Landon and Andrew’s eyes sparkled with interest.

“Let’s sit down and continue our discussion.”

Landon belatedly offered seats, and I moved to the sofa in the living room and sat down.
In the meantime, Andrew poured coffee from a silver kettle on a mobile tray into a teacup and brought it to me.
Then he sat down with me in the middle and facing Landon.
Sensing the curiosity in both men’s eyes about what kind of scheme I was about to propose, I opened my mouth with a calm voice.

“You all probably know that Luis Donaldo Colosio, a leading presidential candidate from the ruling party in Mexico, was assassinated last March.”
“With only five months left until the presidential election, and to be assassinated during a campaign rally—it caused quite a stir.”

Since it was a recent event, Andrew also recalled it without difficulty and added his thoughts.

“Mexico’s political situation was already unstable, and with such an incident occurring, the peso has depreciated by over 10 percent and remains weak even now.”

Then, a thought crossed Andrew’s mind, and he looked at me and asked.

“You’re not thinking of shorting the Mexican peso, are you?”
“You’ve got it exactly right.”

Upon hearing my answer, Andrew showed a slightly skeptical reaction.

“Many investors have already sold pesos in massive quantities, and the exchange rate has dropped significantly. Wouldn’t entering the market at this point be too late?”
“I share that concern. We could generate profits, but the returns wouldn’t be particularly substantial.”
“I truly believe that as well.”
“…?”

At my words, the two men fell into contemplative silence, wondering if they had overlooked something crucial.
Andrew, finding nothing immediately apparent, spoke carefully as he studied me.

“Mexico has adopted an exchange rate system that pegs the peso to the US dollar. To defend the rate, they’ll need to deploy their foreign reserves, but Mexico is not Britain.”

Landon Shore added his agreement.

“The Bank of England at least had accumulated reserves to sustain itself before finally capitulating. But Mexico, lacking sufficient foreign currency reserves, has likely already reached its breaking point against the coordinated assault of those targeting its weakness.”
“Of course, we can’t treat Britain and Mexico identically. Wall Street is already buzzing with rumors that the Mexican government will devalue the peso imminently.”

Watching both men nod, I spoke with grave certainty.

“My assessment differs.”
“…?”
“The collapse isn’t already underway—the true plunge of the peso is only beginning now.”

Landon Shore’s eyes widened in surprise at my unexpected declaration.

“You’re saying the peso will fall further from here?”
“Precisely.”

I smiled darkly as I delivered the assessment.

“At minimum, it will decline by another fifty percent from current levels.”
“…!”

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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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