New Employees With an Annual Salary of 1 Trillion Won - Chapter 55

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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 55. Missing Puzzle Piece (5)

The meeting hall was enveloped in a suffocating silence.

It was a silence as if everything at Tiger Fund had come to a halt.

Chairman Robertson opened his mouth after a long period of silence.

“I’ll hand over my position to Branch Manager Mike. Actually, there’s nothing to hand over. Now that headquarters’ funding capacity has become equal to the branch, hasn’t headquarters essentially fallen under the branch?”

“Ch-Chairman!”

“It’s still too early!”

For the first time, the Branch Manager and the Executive Team spoke in unison.

However, Chairman Robertson’s resolve was firm.

“Most of our clients want to transfer their money to the Korea Branch. They trust Branch Manager Mike more than me now. What meaning would there be in holding onto the chairman position in such a situation?”

“I’m not ready yet.”

“It’s not too late to prepare after taking the position. Surely no one opposes this? Is there anyone who would oppose someone who turned a mere 600 million dollars in managed funds into 6 billion dollars?”

Wall Street was ultimately a world where money equals power.

The profits that the Department Manager had generated were results that allowed no counterargument whatsoever.

So even if the Executive Team wanted to voice opposition, they couldn’t open their mouths.

“Those who want to leave are free to go. I won’t stop you even if you leave hand in hand with the clients you brought. Even if more managed funds flow out from here, it won’t make much difference.”

“Chairman, I’m still very lacking. Even though I’ve recorded good results this time, I cannot compare to you.”

The Department Manager’s voice carried sincerity.

Was the current situation not the design that the Department Manager had wanted?

If so, what was it that the Department Manager wanted?

The Chairman must have had the same thought as me, as he immediately asked.

“So what would you like to happen? In this current state, Tiger Fund will have a hard time surviving.”

“Please give me a little time to prepare. Until then, taking on the position of Global Investment Director would be sufficient.”

“You mean you’ll oversee all worldwide investment strategies? The executives would need your permission for any investments they make.”

From my perspective, chairman or Global Investment Director were essentially the same thing.

Only the title was different, but the concentration of actual power in the Department Manager’s hands remained unchanged.

“I would like you to continue staying with us, Chairman.”

“You want me to stay and play the role of a figurehead? Haha, you’re really putting this old man to work.”

“I’m asking you please. I’ll take care of both headquarters and the branch by traveling between the United States and Korea.”

It was essentially a request to take on a puppet chairman position, but.

Chairman Robertson accepted that request with a smile.

“Good. If that’s what you want, then so be it. But I need to say something too. If you take on global investment oversight, the Korea Branch will be vacant. I’d like to place someone I want in that position.”

“Do you have someone in mind?”

“You can decide on the Branch Manager, but I’ll recommend someone for Deputy Branch Manager.”

Was he trying to check my power?

Or was this a proposal to balance power?

Various thoughts crossed my mind, but ultimately the decision lay with the Chairman and Branch Manager.

“I’ll follow the Chairman’s will. I’ll accept whoever you recommend.”

“I recommend the person sitting right behind you as Deputy Branch Manager.”

Everyone turned around in unison.

I also turned my head, but there was only a white wall behind me.

Who was he talking about?

When I turned my head back forward, everyone was looking at me.

“Are you appointing Mister Lee as Deputy Branch Manager?”

“Did you think I wouldn’t know? The Korea Branch’s growth wasn’t created by you alone. I’ve received reports on everything that young man has accomplished.”

Suddenly my name came up.

Was he really going to appoint me as Deputy Branch Manager of Tiger Fund Korea Branch?

I was confused.

I wasn’t even affiliated with Tiger Fund, just an employee of Nexpin.

And becoming Tiger Fund’s Deputy Branch Manager wasn’t part of my plans at all, so I felt strong resistance.

“He’s still lacking a lot in financial knowledge. Would that be alright?”

“What he lacks, the staff can fill in. And the new Branch Manager will coordinate things properly. I just want to properly see the abilities of that young man you keep by your side. Do you think my choice is wrong?”

“Not at all. He’s someone with better instincts than anyone I’ve ever met.”

“If Branch Manager Mike says so, I should believe it. Anyone opposed?”

A moment of silence followed.

Breaking that silence, one executive stood up from his seat.

“Phew, I can’t stand this anymore. Honestly, I didn’t even lose that much in this market. But I don’t understand why I have to endure this humiliation.”

“Someone made 10 times profit, while you’re acting all proud for breaking even.”

“I’ll just go somewhere else and be done with it. I absolutely cannot stand being pushed around by someone from a country I don’t even know where Tiger Fund is located. Thank you for everything.”

The executive stormed out, slamming the door.

That was the beginning.

Executives who no longer had any attachment to Tiger Fund filed out of the conference room one after another, and in the end, less than half the people remained in their seats.

“Have all the people who wanted to leave gone now? I’ll consider those who remain to be in favor of Branch Manager Mike taking the position of Global Investment Director.”

“Honestly, I also have the desire to follow them out. But I don’t want to run away after causing such massive losses.”

“I entered this industry because of you, Chairman. I don’t want to work anywhere other than Tiger Fund.”

Responsibility, or loyalty.

Or perhaps they simply had nowhere to run.

What was certain was that this situation wasn’t very good.

All the competent and proactive people had left, leaving only the passive ones behind.

But the Branch Manager smiled with satisfaction instead.

He stood up from his seat and walked over to the Chairman.

“May I say a word?”

“Since you’ve risen to the director position, you should naturally state your position, shouldn’t you? How about it, will you sit here and speak?”

Chairman Robertson smiled and pointed to his chair.

Thanks to this, a slight but favorable wind blew through the meeting hall.

The Branch Manager rode that wind and opened his mouth while looking at the executives.

“I’m sure everyone here knows that headquarters’ losses amount to 16 billion dollars. The remaining operating funds, combining headquarters and Korea Branch, total 12 billion dollars. I will recover all losses by the end of the year with these funds.”

The meeting hall stirred for a moment.

Most thought it was impossible.

Chairman Robertson also asked back.

“Can you earn 16 billion dollars by the end of the year?”

“It’s entirely possible. A 133% return rate would do it.”

“You speak of 133% so casually? Of course, you achieved tremendous returns this time, but there’s no guarantee the same thing will happen again.”

Despite the Chairman’s concerns, the Branch Manager remained unshaken.

Instead, he continued speaking with an even more confident voice.

“Naturally, if we invest the way we do now, achieving 16 billion dollars in net profit within this year would be difficult. But if we all unite and approach investment together instead of using existing methods, it’s an entirely achievable figure.”

“Are you saying we should unconditionally follow the direction you present?”

“From now on, I may invest in ways that are difficult for you to understand. Even so, please trust me and follow along.”

Clap clap clap!

Chairman Robertson began to applaud.

Then all the remaining executives followed the Chairman’s lead and applauded, and in an instant the entire conference room was filled with the sound of clapping.

Looking at that scene, one thought came to my mind.

The board called Tiger Fund had now become the Branch Manager’s possession.

Of course, he hadn’t completely owned it yet, but he certainly had the authority to move the board.

“Now that we’ve heard the General Manager’s resolve, shouldn’t we also hear the resolve of the Korea Branch’s Deputy Branch Manager? There might be some who still don’t know who he is, so please give us a brief self-introduction as well.”

Suddenly it became my turn.

I carefully stood up from the folding chair and moved next to the Branch Manager.

The Branch Manager stepped back to make it easier for me to speak.

“I am Lee Jung-hoo. I work under Nexpin, which is affiliated with Tiger Fund. Although my financial knowledge is still lacking, I’m confident that I can read market trends faster than anyone else. Please take care of me going forward.”

Those words didn’t suit my personality.

A confident, almost arrogant tone.

But this was because of the Branch Manager’s advice.

Remembering his words that humility could be seen as incompetence on Wall Street, I spoke my resolve somewhat aggressively.

“As expected of a young person, you’re full of spirit. Very good. I’ll be watching you from now on. And if you ever have any difficulties, come find me anytime. If Mike General Manager gives you trouble, you can come under me too.”

“Chairman! How can you try to take my person like that! I absolutely cannot give you Mister Lee.”

“Haha, now that you’re sitting in the General Manager position, are you already bullying this old man? This is why they say old people should just die.”

The Chairman stood up from his seat with a joke,

and patted both the Branch Manager’s and my shoulders, revealing his true feelings.

“Thank you. If it weren’t for you two, Tiger Fund would have closed its doors today. So go ahead and do whatever you want to your heart’s content.”

“Thank you.”

“We’ll work hard.”

With those words, the meeting came to an end.

Following the Chairman, all the executives left the conference room, leaving only the two of us in the spacious area.

“Somehow it ended up like this.”

“Did you have the General Manager position in mind from the beginning?”

“Actually, I was contemplating. Whether to take the chairman position or the general manager position. I thought the Chairman would definitely offer me the chairman position.”

The Branch Manager had already predicted the flow of the meeting.

Ah, should I call him General Manager now instead of Branch Manager?

“But why did you choose the general manager position instead of chairman? Wouldn’t the chairman position be better for overturning the board?”

“Even if you get hold of the board, what’s the point if you don’t have the power to maintain it? Wall Street seems to run only on money, but to protect that money, you need connections built over a long time. I’m still lacking in that area compared to the Chairman.”

For the first time, the General Manager honestly revealed his weakness.

Well, if you’re in a position responsible for America’s Top 3 Funds, Investment Capability alone wouldn’t be enough.

“I thought making money was all there was to it.”

“To maintain a Fund, you need to maintain relationships with various institutions like Political Circles, the Federal Reserve, and so on. You need to do Lobbying when necessary too. It’s much more natural for the Chairman to step forward than for me to do it. Royal succession procedures originally take time, you know.”

It seemed like a choice to establish legitimacy.

The General Manager appeared to have set up a strategy to naturally inherit the chairman position over time, rather than immediately.

“But won’t it be a bit difficult? There didn’t seem to be many remaining executives.”

“Not at all. Actually, now is much better. In crisis situations, people who follow passively are better than those who move proactively and cause problems.”

“That’s true, passive people wouldn’t voice opposing opinions either.”

“Exactly. Right now, it’s more important to move quickly with people who follow my words. Once the crisis passes, I can fill the positions with proactive talent again.”

The General Manager already showed clear signs of fatigue.

It was natural since he would have to make all investment decisions himself from now on.

“You’re really going to be busy from now on.”

“Employee Lee will be the same. Oh, should I call you Deputy Branch Manager now?”

“Employee, representative, Deputy Branch Manager… Honestly, I don’t even know what my position is right now. I’m still not sure if I should take the Deputy Branch Manager position.”

I accepted it for now since I couldn’t refuse in that situation.

But I still hadn’t figured out what I should do or how as Deputy Branch Manager.

“Employee Lee just needs to do what you’re doing now. Just providing direction is enough.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Now, let’s move on to what Employee Lee does well. I’ve scheduled a meeting with Google Executives. Let’s go together.”

The time had come to create a new game.

The bubble collapse had destroyed the IT market’s framework.

It was our turn to take the lead and create a new framework from the ruins.

Annual Salary 1 Trillion New Employee Chapter 55

E-book Publication Date | 2025.11.27

Author | Seo Oh

Publishers | Heo Heung-beom, Park Geon-won

Publishing House | Poten

Address | [04783] 10th Floor, 8 Yeonmujang 11-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul

Phone | 02-6320-8500

Fax | 02-6320-8585

ISBN | 9791175305892

List Price | 100 won

ⓒ Seo Oh 2025

This e-book is a copyrighted work protected by copyright law.

This e-book is published under the author’s contract, so unauthorized reproduction, copying, distribution, and sharing are prohibited without written consent from both parties.

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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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