Golden Spoon Investor

The next afternoon.

Though a day had passed, the stock market continued its relentless decline, unable to recover from the shock of the Financial Real-Name System's implementation.

The office was in complete disarray, with phones ringing non-stop.

"How much lower can it go?"

"Damn it! No matter how many orders I put in, none of them are going through. What am I supposed to do?"

"We're done for."

Investors, desperate to offload their stocks in a market devoid of buyers, were throwing everything they had at any price just to get rid of their shares. This desperate selling drove prices down further, creating a vicious cycle that only deepened the fear and panic.

As the entire market plunged into despair, there was one team that stood out with a different atmosphere—Seok-won's Investment Team 4.

"The index has dropped another 20 points today, currently sitting at 673.57," reported Yoo Seok-hyun, who was monitoring two screens at once, his large frame contrasting with his sharp focus as his eyes darted between the fluctuating numbers.

Seok-won, who had rolled up his shirt sleeves and was standing with his arms crossed, turned to Jeong Hwan-yeop, who was staring intently at a stock chart. The usual mischief was absent from Jeong's face as he turned to report.

"Korea Electric Power Corporation's stock is at 16,500 won per share."

"Samsung Electronics has also dropped to 19,300 won," added Choi Ho-geun, his bloodshot eyes reflecting his stress.

Despite the tense atmosphere among his team, Seok-won remained calm. "It's going to drop further. Wait a bit longer."

"Understood," Choi Ho-geun replied, nodding in agreement. He knew it wasn't the right time to buy just yet. "Catching a falling knife is madness," he thought to himself as he watched the index continue its steep decline.

"Let me know the moment Samsung Electronics hits 19,000 won," Seok-won instructed.

"Yes, sir," Jeong Hwan-yeop replied, returning to his focus on the screens.

As the team hunkered down, watching their monitors intently, Seok-won recalled a conversation he had once had with Manager Oh.

----

"How many shoes did you polish today?"

Seok-won, who was polishing shoes by lightly brushing them with a lighter, looked up at the familiar voice. Manager Oh, with a toothpick in his mouth and his hands in his pockets, strolled over and perched himself casually on a plastic chair. His behavior was so natural that Seok-won, for a moment, was at a loss for words.

"Oh, you polishing shoes again?" Manager Oh asked.

"I just did it two days ago. What's the rush? How about some coffee instead?"

"This is a shoe shine, not a café," Seok-won grumbled as he turned to the coffee pot and started boiling water.

"Hey, do you know how many times I've polished shoes here? You should at least treat your regulars with some respect."

"That's why I'm making your coffee, isn't it?"

As Seok-won prepared the instant coffee with a sigh, Manager Oh let out a dramatic sigh.

"What happened to that cute kid who used to work here? Now all that's left is this grumpy guy. That kid was smart—fun to tease!"

"Cute? Sure, my parents passed away early, but I've managed fine on my own. And calling a guy cute—is that a compliment?"

"You used to react so easily, it was fun to tease you. But now that you've grown a bit, it's not as fun anymore."

"This is a shoe shine, not a playground," Seok-won replied, shaking his head at Manager Oh's antics.

The water boiled, and Seok-won quickly stirred the coffee into a paper cup and handed it over. "Here's your coffee."

"Oh, thanks."

Taking a sip, Manager Oh's expression relaxed with pleasure. "Sweet. This is just the way I like it."

As he savored the coffee, Seok-won glanced at him cautiously. "By the way, are you alright?"

"About what?"

"ST Telecom's stock has taken a huge hit today."

With a sudden grin, Manager Oh replied with a swagger, "I've learned a few things in this business."

"And what might those be?"

"No matter how hard it rains, those who need to go will still go."

"...?"

"And when others are scared and selling off, that's when the real money is made."

Seok-won was puzzled. "But the news says ST Group's chairman might be under investigation by the prosecutors."

"He might be," Manager Oh replied nonchalantly, his shoulders shrugging.

"That could be a big deal."

If the chairman was arrested, wouldn't the company's stock continue to drop?

But Manager Oh, unbothered, explained, "Sure, the owner risk might cause some noise for a while, but it's not like ST Telecom's fundamentals have been seriously damaged."

"That may be true, but still…"

"Even if the chairman gets arrested, it's not like people are going to stop using ST Telecom because their LTE service is the best around, right?"

Just as Manager Oh said, ST Telecom's network was the most reliable and their service the most convenient. Even if the chairman was arrested, it was unlikely that people would stop using their service. In fact, the early adoption of LTE had caused a surge in subscriptions and premium plan upgrades.

Recently, ST Telecom's stock surged past 100,000 won per share, thanks to this optimism.

"Noise is just that—noise," Manager Oh said, dismissing the concern.

"..."

"And when the noise passes, what do you think will happen?"

Feeling like a student being quizzed by a teacher, Seok-won hesitantly replied, "The stock will probably bounce back even higher to make up for lost time."

Manager Oh's grin widened. "Exactly. Once it's been held down, it springs back even harder."

Taking a final sip of his coffee, Manager Oh continued, "Remember when the Financial Real-Name System was suddenly implemented and the market crashed?"

"Yes."

"Back then, Samsung Electronics dropped to 19,000 won per share."

"Really?"

Seok-won's eyes widened in surprise.

"That's a dirt-cheap price."

"Well, this was before Samsung became a powerhouse in semiconductors and smartphones, so it makes sense. But still, it was nearly halved from 31,000 won, so it was definitely cheap."

Manager Oh put down his empty cup and, as was his habit, pulled out a cigarette.

"I'll light it for you."

"Go ahead."

As Seok-won lit the cigarette, Manager Oh playfully ruffled his hair.

"What's this? You're being cute today."

"Consider it payment for the story."

"Ah, so there was a reason."

Manager Oh chuckled before continuing his story.

"Despite people scrambling to buy Samsung Electronics before the crash, as soon as the price tanked, no one wanted to touch it. They were more focused on offloading their shares, even at a loss."

"Just like now?"

"Exactly."

"But that time, it was because of the uncertainty surrounding the Financial Real-Name System. People sold out of fear of the unknown," Seok-won pointed out.

Manager Oh snapped his fingers. "True, but did the Financial Real-Name System change the fundamentals of companies like Samsung or Korea Electric Power?"

"Uh…"

Unable to argue, Seok-won fell silent.

"At first, everyone was dumping their stocks, but a few days later, they realized the mistake, and the market rebounded sharply, rising until the IMF crisis."

Blowing out a puff of smoke, Manager Oh added, "Those who boldly bought the fallen stocks reaped huge profits, while those who hesitated watched the prices skyrocket, unable to do anything but suck their thumbs."

His eyes followed the smoke as it dispersed, then focused on Seok-won.

"Remember, when an opportunity presents itself, those with the courage to seize it will emerge victorious."

----

At that moment, Seok-won snapped back to the present, hearing someone call his name.

"Team Leader! Team Leader!"

He turned to see Choi In-ho speaking urgently. "Samsung Electronics just hit 19,000 won."

Realizing the moment he'd been waiting for had arrived, Seok-won's eyes lit up. "What's the index?"

Yoo Seok-hyun, still seated, swiveled in his chair to respond. "It's down another 7.90 points, sitting at 665.67."

Confirming that the market had bottomed out, Seok-won issued his order without hesitation. "Start buying up all the stocks we discussed!"

Choi Ho-geun looked shocked and asked, "You mean, start buying even though the decline hasn't stopped yet?"

"This is the bottom. Start buying now!" Seok-won urged them with a firm tone.

Though uncertain, Choi decided to trust Seok-won's judgment and quickly got to work. "You heard the man, let's move!"

Following the pre-arranged plan, the team sprang into action, placing their buy orders.

"Hey, it's me. Buy 15,000 shares of Samsung Electronics at the current price!"

"Purchase 10,000 shares of Korea Electric Power at market price."

"Place an order for 5,000 shares of Okwang Industry!"

As Choi and the team frantically shouted orders into their phones, Seok-won muttered to himself, "I can't wait to see how strong the rebound will be after this correction."

The more intense the decline, the stronger the recovery. His eyes gleamed with anticipation.

"Okay, got it," Jeong Hwan-yeop said, letting out a breath as he set down the receiver.

"That was the last of it. All shares have been bought."

Standing behind him, Seok-won unfolded his arms and replied, "Good job."

Exhausted, the team slumped in their chairs, their faces showing signs of weariness.

"Tomorrow is Liberation Day, so rest up, and we'll meet again on Thursday. Oh, and here."

Seok-won pulled a folded envelope from his back pocket and handed it to Choi Ho-geun.

"What's this?" Choi asked, puzzled.

"Money for a team dinner. You all worked hard, so have a drink on me," Seok-won replied with a smile.

"Aren't you coming with us?"

"A good boss knows when to step aside. Let's save the big celebration for after we've sold everything. Tonight, just grab some dinner."

With a wave, he dismissed the notion and disappeared into his private office.

As the door closed, Yoo Seok-hyun nervously voiced his concern. "We just bought over 20 billion won worth of stocks. Are we sure this is okay?"

It hadn't hit him while he was placing the orders, but now that it was over, the fear was setting in. "What if the market drops even further?"

Hong Jae-hee, looking pale, whispered in agreement, dreading the thought of what might happen if things went wrong.

Choi Ho-geun, though worried himself, tried to maintain his composure for the sake of the team. "I'm sure the team leader must have a plan."

Trying to lighten the mood, Jeong Hwan-yeop stretched his back and changed the subject. "All that tension has made me hungry. How much is in that envelope, boss?"

Yoo Seok-hyun and Hong Jae-hee leaned in with curiosity.

"Considering it's just for dinner, it's probably a few 10,000 won bills."

Choi Ho-geun replied with a tone suggesting they shouldn't get their hopes up too high as he opened the envelope and pulled out its contents.

But instead of the blue 10,000 won bills, he found ten crisp 100,000 won checks.

Choi Ho-geun gasped, and the rest of the team looked on in shock.

In a time when the average monthly salary for corporate employees was around 1 million won, it was a surprising amount.

"Wow! It's a check," Hong Jae-hee exclaimed.

"We could eat dinner, drink all night, and still have money left over," Yoo Seok-hyun added, laughing.

"See? Being a chaebol heir has its perks," Jeong Hwan-yeop said with a grin.

Choi Ho-geun, still in disbelief, glanced toward Seok-won's office before turning to his team. "Tonight, we're having beef instead of pork!"

"Sounds good!"

"It's been a while since I've had a proper meal."

"Count me in," they all agreed.

For the moment, they set aside their worries and hurried to finish their work, looking forward to the evening.