New Employees With an Annual Salary of 1 Trillion Won - Chapter 10
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 10. Why Does It Work? (5)
A gear of a form I’d never seen before.
Unlike the bizarre dissonance, the speed of the gears was gradually increasing.
I immediately understood what this meant.
“I will invest in Dream Rain and Saera Technology.”
“Really? Your voice sounds very determined. Do you have something to rely on?”
I looked at the transparent gear wheel again.
Though it was extremely dangerous and had cracks everywhere, its speed was gradually increasing.
And it seemed to have enough durability to last at least a few months.
“I want to invest in the development potential of the IT industry.”
“That’s right! It’s an industry the government is pushing, so we should trust it and invest! Our youngest employee is really bold, which is great.”
“I don’t think we’ll lose money at the very least.”
A gear wheel on the verge of going out of control.
Just looking at it made me feel like breaking out in hives, but there was no more certain investment opportunity than this.
As long as we pulled out before the gears broke, it was a guaranteed successful investment.
“Is Employee Lee really doing this too? Then I should do it as well.”
“Department Manager, you want to join too? When I suggested we do it together, you said no.”
“I may not trust you, but I trust the youngest employee. The youngest employee has good instincts.”
“If the youngest employee is doing it, I’ll join too. Let’s invest all the bonus I received this time.”
“Assistant Manager Oh too? The more people who join in, the more stocks are bound to rise.”
The entire department rushed in.
Rather than trusting me, it seemed everyone was thirsty for financial investment.
The reason didn’t matter. As long as I could lead and control the department members’ funds.
To do that, I needed to create one variable.
A variable that could minimize risk while maximizing efficiency.
“Even if this investment goes wrong, you can’t blame Employee Lee. If anyone is thinking of doing that, drop out.”
“Investment is ultimately an individual choice, isn’t it? Of course, there’s no reason to blame Employee Lee.”
“Department Manager! But why are you leaving me out? You should say they can’t blame me either.”
“If it goes wrong, it’s Manager Kim’s fault. If it goes well, it’s thanks to Employee Lee. Remember that.”
“Department Manager!”
At the Department Manager’s half-serious words, Manager Kim shouted loudly, but no one paid attention to him.
“So to invest in stocks, do we need to go to a counter?”
“What era do you think we’re living in to go directly to a counter? One phone call is enough.”
“Assistant Manager, you’re also an old-fashioned person. These days, you don’t even need a phone call. You can invest in stocks with a click on the internet. It’s called a home trading system.”
“Can anyone do that?”
“Not just anyone, but if you open an account at a securities company and apply for usage, that’s it.”
The world has really improved.
An era where you can invest in stocks through the internet.
But if you can do it through the internet, wouldn’t it be possible to invest in stocks through mobile phones someday?
Along with this thought, a gear wheel came to mind.
But perhaps due to insufficient information and knowledge, the gear wheel didn’t work properly, and there were quite a few empty gears.
It must mean it’s not time yet. If I keep learning, I’ll fill all the missing gears.
“How about we go to a securities company right now?”
“Is it okay during work hours?”
“Let’s think of it as having lunch a little early. And let’s break away from GL Group-style thinking. Being able to use time flexibly is our department’s advantage, isn’t it?”
There were still 15 minutes left until lunch time.
There were still unfinished company life routines left.
Since the variable I had summoned hadn’t arrived yet, an uncomfortable feeling gradually began to emerge.
“Department Manager is right! But which securities company will you go to? Wouldn’t it be better to use one with low fees?”
“There’s a securities company in Yeouido where my college classmate works as a branch manager. Let’s all go together.”
Following the Department Manager, all the department members got up and moved toward the door.
At that moment, the variable I had created arrived.
The powerful variable called Branch Manager Kang Dong-ju.
“Are you all going somewhere?”
“Ahem, we were going to have lunch outside to celebrate the bonus.”
“Ah, I see. Then, may I join you for lunch? I have something to discuss, and I’ll pay for the meal.”
The variable called Branch Manager was added.
Since it was a variable I had created myself, I could accept it without difficulty.
But rather, the other department members had trouble with the variable.
Everyone was in an awkward posture, looking around,
and when this atmosphere continued even at the restaurant, the Branch Manager stepped forward first.
“Is there something wrong? You’re all so quiet.”
“Department Manager, let’s just be open about it. Branch Manager might be able to help, don’t you think?”
“You seem to have concerns. Please tell me. If it’s something I can help with, I’ll help you.”
“Everyone was trying to do financial investment with the bonus they received this time. We were going to open accounts at a securities company to invest in Korean IT company stocks.”
“Hahahaha! I see.”
The Branch Manager covered his mouth with his hand and looked at me.
He squinted his eyes as if to keep the email I sent secret.
“You should have said so earlier. I can help a lot with financial investment. So where are you planning to invest?”
“We’re planning to invest in Dream Rain and Saera Technology.”
“Hmm, those are companies with quite good rumors circulating in Korea these days.”
When positive words came from the Branch Manager’s mouth, all the department members breathed a sigh of relief.
Although they said they had done research, it couldn’t compare to the materials that Wall Street private equity funds receive.
So the Branch Manager’s positive reaction made the department members feel relieved.
“I won’t particularly discourage you from investing in IT. However, it would be good to think about whether there might be problems later.”
“What kind of problems do you mean?”
“Since our work is intertwined with electronics. Dream Rain is a telecommunications network installation company, and Saera Technology is a PC communication-based service. I just mean it wouldn’t hurt to be careful.”
This was why I had called the Branch Manager.
During the GL Group era, an Assistant Manager from the New Technology Development Department had been dragged to the prosecutor’s office for stock trading using insider information.
The Department Manager’s face turned pale, probably remembering that incident.
“It would be hard to call it insider information, wouldn’t it? Our department doesn’t actually have substantial exchanges with them, does it?”
“Still, you never know. Hmm, I can help you with that problem.”
“How do you mean?”
“I can open an account for you at Tiger Private Equity. If you trade through that account, there won’t be any problems. Externally, it will appear as if the fund operated it, so there won’t be anything to find fault with.”
“We’d like all the employees to invest together through the fund account!”
I stepped forward and spoke up.
Pooling the department members’ funds together.
And if I could control that account, I could also manage departures.
“I’ll create one for you.”
“I’m sorry for causing so much trouble.”
“For hardworking people like you, I can certainly go to this much trouble. And individual investors have difficulty receiving good treatment from financial companies. But our private equity fund has partnership contracts with many financial companies in Korea.”
The department members looked burdened.
To completely turn their hearts around, I raised my voice once more.
“Are there other benefits as well?”
“Various benefits exist. First, you can execute stock contracts much faster than individual investors, commission discount benefits are possible, and transactions only available to institutional investors like block deals are also possible. Of course, you probably won’t be making such large-scale transactions.”
The department members showed interest at the mention of commission discount benefits.
And in Manager Kim’s case, he showed interest in a different direction.
“Then would short selling also be possible? Isn’t short selling the flower of stocks? But in Korea, it’s difficult for individuals to access short selling.”
“Of course it’s possible. But I wouldn’t recommend it. I don’t want to see you lose the bonus you earned by staying up all night to short selling.”
“I wasn’t saying I’d do it right away. Hehe.”
“Ah! And we’ll also share some of the research information that Tiger Fund provides. The reliability of our research information is very high even on Wall Street.”
A proposal with absolutely no downside.
The other department members seemed to think the same as me and nodded, and the Department Manager quickly made eye contact with us and agreed.
“We gratefully accept your good proposal. I didn’t know you thought of us this much.”
“As someone affiliated with a private equity fund, shouldn’t there be at least this much benefit? But please don’t let word get out.”
“We’ll definitely keep our mouths shut.”
“Well, even if word gets out, there’s nothing problematic about it, but still, good is good, isn’t it?”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“I’ll open a private equity fund account so you can trade stocks starting today. And just in case you might think this way, since you might think our fund is swallowing your money, I’ll also create a separate contract.”
Everyone waved their hands at the Branch Manager’s words.
“What would a famous Wall Street fund want with small change? We’ve never thought that way.”
“Still, it’s better to be clear about money matters. And if we notice any strange investment directions or warning signals, we’ll let you know in real time. Of course, where you invest is entirely your choice.”
“Thank you. But didn’t you say you had something to discuss with us?”
The Department Manager remembered what everyone else had forgotten.
There must have been a reason why the Branch Manager visited our office today.
“Ah! The thing is, we can’t keep calling it Product Development Department 3 forever, can we? I’d like to decide on a company name and expand the scale a bit more.”
“We should decide on a company name, but how much are you talking about in terms of scale?”
“To be honest, expanding the company’s scale will increase its value. But that’s not the only reason. I’m very concerned about your health. I heard you’ve never left work on time. How much longer can you endure in this environment?”
The Branch Manager’s words seemed truthful.
He appeared to be concerned about both the company’s value and our health.
However, expanding the scale was a very sensitive issue for the department members. It also meant their shares would decrease.
It wasn’t the direction I wanted either.
When people increase, the system becomes unstable.
And when routines break, the order within me also collapses.
Minor delays, complicated procedures, uncontrollable variables.
All of that becomes inefficiency and acts as stress.
“Honestly, if we were thinking about the work environment, we would have changed jobs long ago. But we gave up the environment and chose short-term results.”
“I know well what you’re worried about. That’s why we won’t add personnel to Product Development Department 3. Now and in the future, the patent-related shares will continue to be yours. However, I’d like to create a subsidiary organization under Product Development Department 3 to reduce unnecessary work.”
There was no reason to refuse this.
Our department would remain as it is.
“Wouldn’t Employee Lee Jung-hoo’s opinion be most important? May I ask the opinion of our department’s key figure?”
“Of course. What do you think, Employee Lee?”
Did I react too sensitively?
The Department Manager sitting next to me asked for my opinion.
“If the compensation system, equity structure, and department environment don’t change, I’m fine with it.”
“Then let’s select employees to handle work excluding core duties. And I’ll leave the staffing of Product Development Department 3 entirely to you. If you need additional personnel, please let me know anytime.”
It was a negotiation that everyone could be satisfied with.
Actually, it couldn’t even be called a negotiation, and it could be seen as the private equity fund entirely accommodating our convenience.
“Ah! Since I left the staffing to you, I can at least decide the company name, right?”
“Of course you should. We’ll accept whatever name it is. Everyone agrees, right?”
“Yes, that’s fine!”
The company name wasn’t important at all.
As long as the department members didn’t leave, I was prepared to accept any name.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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