New Employees With an Annual Salary of 1 Trillion Won - Chapter 166

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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 166. Breaking Through Limits (1)

I returned from a single trip to the United States after using an enormous amount of funds.

I had invested in Carter Till and Elon Musk, and also poured massive funds into preliminary work for investing in the U.S. real estate collapse.

I had to earn back what I spent.

No matter how well I had persuaded them with good words.

When operating funds decrease, suspicion naturally arises.

So I had to refill what I spent to lead everything according to my plan.

“Deputy Branch Manager, is this all the Iraq-related materials?”

“We’re continuously receiving materials through headquarters and the Asia Branch. The materials sent from headquarters are information obtained through White House personnel, so the reliability is very high.”

A new investment opportunity obtained from my conversation with Carter Till.

Nothing was as profitable as war, and if I could be certain that the Iraq War would break out, I could obtain massive profits.

“America’s anger is certainly still burning hot.”

“The 9/11 terror attack wasn’t on a scale that could be easily overlooked. To quell the anger, a scapegoat is ultimately needed.”

“Iraq seems very likely to become that scapegoat.”

Excessive anger wasn’t necessarily all good.

But for the Bush administration with re-election not far away, it wasn’t entirely bad either.

You could tell just by looking at how President Bush’s approval ratings skyrocketed after the terror attack, and if the current situation was maintained, re-election would be a sure thing.

“Still, it’s difficult to be completely certain that war will occur.”

“Isn’t timing the issue? We need to be able to predict the timing accurately to proceed with investment.”

“Assuming war breaks out, it would be good to invest in oil prices, right?”

“When war occurs in the Middle East region, oil prices are bound to surge unconditionally. And energy and defense stocks are also very likely to rise.”

The Gulf War was a good example.

Right after the war, oil prices soared to nearly $40 per barrel.

And for over 10 years since then, they hadn’t exceeded that price.

“If war breaks out, oil prices could go up to the $40 range similar to the Gulf War.”

“Current oil prices are around $25, so that would be a 60% surge. Through prime brokers, leverage of up to 15 times is possible, so theoretically a 900% return rate is possible.”

Ten times the principal in profit.

Of course, we couldn’t pour all the funds Tiger Fund possessed into it.

But about $3 billion was certainly possible, and Tiger Fund’s operating capital could double in an instant.

“We just need to know the exact timing of the war.”

“Even if not as much as oil prices, we can make big profits with stocks too. Invest in defense and energy stocks, and conversely, airline stocks, hotel and consumer stocks will plummet.”

“They say when war breaks out, heaven and earth switch positions.”

When war breaks out, the market splits in two directions.

Companies that dig oil from underground see big profits.

Conversely, airline companies that fly in the sky are bound to fall.

“When oil prices surge, airline companies’ margins inevitably drop. And in war situations, travelers decrease rapidly, greatly affecting airline revenues.”

“Still, we can’t start short selling from now. We could fall into a swamp of interest. But it should be fine to buy rising stocks in advance.”

“First, we’ll proceed with purchases focused on energy and defense stocks.”

I needed to know the exact timing of war to make oil futures and short selling bets.

It seemed like war would definitely break out within next year, but that wasn’t enough.

I needed more information.

Only then could I predict the timing through the gear structure spinning in my head.

And based on that prediction, I could run the information analysis system to draw a more accurate situation.

“We need to send CEO Carter Till to the United States as quickly as possible.”

“Just sending him doesn’t guarantee he can contract with U.S. agencies.”

“Of course we need to do preliminary work in advance.”

I immediately picked up the phone.

I had received many calls from this number, but I pressed a number I had almost never called first myself.

[Branch Manager, what’s the occasion? So you do make calls first sometimes.]

“I called because there’s something I’d like to discuss. Would you have time for a brief call?”

[I’d have to make time even if I didn’t have any. If Branch Manager is calling like this, it must be something very interesting.]

The voice belonged to Chairman Robertson.

Even though I hadn’t explained anything, he was already answering with an expectant voice.

“I’d like you to structure the information management company we’ll establish with CEO Carter Till so it can cooperate with U.S. government agencies as quickly as possible.”

[What’s the reason for that?]

“To accurately determine the timing of the Iraq War. If we can know when the war will happen, we can expect profits of at least ten times or more.”

[For something like that, I’ll have to step in personally. That’s our Branch Manager for you. I had a good feeling from this morning, maybe it was a signal that I’d receive your call.]

The Chairman hung up first.

Until now, we had only been doing preliminary work preparing for the real estate bubble collapse, but that was a long-term operation that would take at least several years.

So it seemed boredom had been gradually building up.

But the Iraq War was different.

Since it was a situation where it wouldn’t be strange if it broke out tomorrow.

The Chairman also showed interest for the first time in a while and moved personally.

“Since the Chairman has stepped in, CEO Carter Till should be able to contract with U.S. agencies within this year.”

“Even if a contract is concluded, if proper results aren’t shown, it could be difficult to even access important information.”

“That’s CEO Carter Till’s responsibility. However, even obtaining very small clues would be a big help in predicting war timing.”

I just needed one more piece.

With just that piece, even if the entire puzzle wasn’t completed, I could confirm the overall picture.

“And contact the Asia Branch to increase personnel in the Middle East region. There should be a lot of information coming and going from Saudi Arabia especially.”

“I’ll request expansion of local informants and deployment of additional personnel.”

The Iraq War was also an important turning point for us.

It was the last chance to load bullets before the U.S. real estate collapse.

***

Carter Till stayed in Korea for over a month.

He practically lived in the Redline office, raising the completeness of the information management system.

Now that satisfactory performance had finally emerged, he was finally returning to the United States.

“You worked hard in Korea. You’re leaving without even getting to tour properly.”

“I can tour anytime. Instead, thanks to the Redline team members, I ate delicious food well every day.”

“We’ll continue to supplement the system while you’re in the United States, so please focus only on U.S. activities with peace of mind. Time is pressing.”

We hadn’t even established the company yet.

And to establish a company, staffing was needed more than anything else.

Facilities, equipment, and buildings could be filled anytime with money.

But finding people to trust and work with wasn’t something that could be done just with money.

“Don’t worry. I’ve already recruited key personnel.”

“While you were in Korea?”

“I used the Stanford network. I brought several school classmates, and they’re forming teams again. As soon as I return, company establishment will be possible immediately.”

Carter Till was indeed systematic.

To think he completed preparations for establishing a company simultaneously with system development in Korea.

“Chairman Robertson has already done groundwork. Contact with high-ranking officials of U.S. agencies will also be easily achieved.”

“I’ve also created an atmosphere in advance through my connections. I’ll definitely secure at least one major contract within this year!”

CEO Carter Till was overflowing with confidence.

It wasn’t baseless bravado, but confidence born from meticulous preparation.

“Then I wish you good luck in the United States.”

“Mister Lee, you work hard in Korea too. I’ll contact you daily, so don’t find it bothersome.”

“Of course. I’ll always be waiting for your contact.”

We shook hands so firmly that our hands went numb.

Only after confirming each other’s trust through the handshake did Carter Till head to the departure gate.

Watching his retreating figure with the Deputy Branch Manager, I let out a sigh mixed with bittersweet emotions.

“Phew, CEO Carter Till is finally leaving.”

“Do you feel regretful?”

“It’s regrettable that the person who could manage RedLine in my place is leaving.”

However, that regret didn’t last long.

As soon as I returned from the airport, an unexpected contact was waiting for me.

“CEO! We received a call from Rollbook US.”

“What’s going on with Rollbook US?”

“The temporary workers there said they wanted to speak with you?”

If they were temporary workers, they must be PayPal’s core members.

They were currently working temporarily at Rollbook US, but had something happened?

“Please connect the call.”

The call was connected to Rollbook US.

And I heard Chad Hurley’s familiar voice.

[Mister Lee! Rollbook’s features are absolutely amazing!]

“Did you enjoy your month of observation?”

[More than just enjoying it, I want to dig deeper, so I’m calling you.]

What did he mean?

I pondered for a moment what he meant by wanting to dig deeper.

“Do you mean you want to be hired as a regular employee?”

[That’s for you to decide, Mister Lee. First, we’re coming to Korea. All of Rollbook’s core features were created in Korea, right? And I heard there are many technologies not yet applied to the US version.]

Chad Hurley was extremely excited.

I could hear heavy breathing through the handset, as if the rest of the development team was crowded behind him.

“I have no problem with that.”

[Then we’ll depart for Korea tomorrow! Let’s go to Korea right away tomorrow!]

One person was leaving and three were coming.

Still, since they had excellent development abilities, there was no reason to object.

“Deputy Branch Manager, three developers will be coming to Korea tomorrow. Please prepare for them.”

“I’ll prepare everything from airplane tickets to accommodation.”

PayPal’s core personnel.

The so-called P-Project members had been visiting Korea quite frequently lately.

It meant they trusted and relied on me that much.

If this relationship continued, I was confident that someday I could make them all my people, so a smile naturally formed on my lips.

***

When I came home after work, my younger brother was lounging around for the first time in a while.

It seemed he had received a short vacation after the baseball season ended, and my younger brother’s body had grown even more massive than before.

“Aren’t you done with your growth spurt yet? How long are you going to keep growing?”

“My body isn’t growing upward but sideways. I’m bulking up from doing a lot of strength training.”

“Can you play in the first team next year?”

“If I work hard, won’t it work out? Still, even though I only sat on the bench this season, I got called up twice.”

It wasn’t that I hadn’t looked into my younger brother’s news.

If it had been a weak team, his performance would have been sufficient for a first-team substitute.

I had even received a report that he had the potential to become a regular starter within a few years.

“What does the team say? Haven’t they decided yet whether you’ll be a pitcher or a batter?”

“For now, I’m focusing on pitching. After all, our team’s pitching staff is a bit weaker than our batting lineup. So they seem to be thinking of using me as a middle reliever.”

“Do you have the skills for that?”

My younger brother suddenly got up from his seat and assumed a pitching stance.

Without anyone asking, he grabbed a towel and pitched with all his might, showing off his physical abilities.

“How’s that? Pretty impressive, right?”

“Your strength has improved, but your knee looks a bit strange? Did you get injured somewhere?”

“Does it show? The 2nd Team Manager’s training is a bit intense. He makes us do duck walks and jumping exercises like crazy. So I guess my knee got a bit strained.”

After living together for over 20 years, I naturally knew my younger brother’s condition.

But his knee was being overworked to the point of being on the verge of injury, beyond just strain.

“Don’t you weigh over 90kg? And he makes you do duck walks and jumping exercises too?”

“He says hungry spirit is important in the second team. And he believes baseball players should be agile.”

Theory and practice were always different.

I thought baseball was about training scientifically based on data.

But when I actually looked, the old-fashioned training methods of overworking the body while shouting about hungry spirit were still prevalent.

“This year’s performance wasn’t great, was it?”

“Still, we barely made it to the postseason. It wasn’t that bad.”

“Next year will be much better.”

“How would you know that?”

Why wouldn’t I know?

From the coach to the players, and even the facilities and training methods.

I was planning to completely overhaul everything based on data myself.

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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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