We met in front of the food alley in Nonhyeon-dong.
Senior Sangyeop was already there.
"Hello."
"Oh, you're here?"
Unlike last time when he was dressed in jeans and a padded jacket, this time he wore a suit. He neatly fastened the buttons of his white shirt up to the neck, wearing a blue tie. He had trimmed his beard and tidied up his hair.
With his large build and bald head, he looked like some gang leader in fancy clothes.
"Are you going on a date later?"
To my question, Senior Sangyeop chuckled.
"No dates. Let's just grab a meal."
"What would you like to eat?"
"I'll pay for today."
"No, I invited you here, so I'll treat you."
Now, I could easily splurge on some beef. Maybe buy a whole one and have it cut into different parts.
"It's okay. I want to buy today."
Senior Sangyeop took the lead and led us into a nearby barbecue restaurant. The sirloin steak was priced at 18,000 won per serving, not too expensive.
"Four servings of sirloin and two bottles of beer, please."
Inside the barbecue restaurant, there was a festive atmosphere as people were celebrating the end of the year. It was bustling with office workers who had just finished work.
Come to think of it, isn't it a busy time for academies now?
"You're not going to the academy tonight?"
"I quit."
"Why?"
"I paid off all my debts."
The beer arrived first.
Senior Sangyeop filled our glasses.
"Let's have a drink."
Cheers!
We clinked our glasses.
The cold beer went down our throats smoothly.
"You said you still had about 2,000 left. When did you pay everything off?"
In response to my question, Senior Sangyeop looked at me and said, "It's all thanks to you."
"What do you mean?"
"You said it yourself. You mentioned that L6 might be discontinued. After hearing that, I did some research myself. I confirmed that there have been several explosions as you said."
Takgyu and I exchanged surprised looks at each other.
"No way, did senior buy Seosung Electronic put options too?"
Senior Sangyeop shook his head.
"No, even after giving it some thought, I didn't think it would go as far as being discontinued."
"…"
This is common sense. Who would imagine that a flagship model selling over 50 million units annually would be discontinued?
"I judged that if problems persist, it is highly likely to lead to a shift towards battery replacement. Even if it's not necessarily the case, if there are any disruptions in L6 sales or if there is a loss of trust in safety, wouldn't the battery manufacturers suffer a great impact?"
Before the recall announcement, Samsung Electronics received deliveries of L6 batteries from its subsidiary, Seosung SB.
"So, what…?"
Senior Sangyeop took a sip of beer and said, "After depositing the money to pay off my debts, I had exactly 700,000 won left in my pocket. I used that to buy Seosung SB put options."
The judgment was correct.
After IM Division President Jo Dong-joon announced that the cause of the explosion was the battery, SeongSB's stock price plummeted.
"How much did you earn from that?"
"150 million."
"Wow!"
Taek-gyu was surprised and almost choked on his breath. I was equally surprised.
Earning 150 million from a 700,000 investment?
In terms of return, that's over 200 times. Is this why once you try options, you can't seem to let go?
Even when we met in Suwon to talk, I wasn't completely convinced. If it were an ordinary person, they would have probably just brushed it off.
I did mention the possibility of failure out of caution, but I didn't miss the opportunity to seize it.
He isn't an ordinary person.
"I paid off all my debts and quit the academy. Then I stopped by the department store to buy a suit."
"Why a suit?"
"You usually wear a suit for interviews."
"Did you have an interview today?"
Instead of answering, Sang-yeop senior asked a question.
"More importantly, how much did you earn?"
"Well, um…"
How much should I say? 10 billion seems a bit much, right?
As I hesitated to answer, Sang-yeop senior said, "Roughly calculating, it should be around 500 billion, right? Isn't that so?"
"How did you… Oops!"
As I gestured to keep quiet, I poked Taek-gyu's side.
Senior Sang-yeop spoke while looking at our faces.
"I found out from a friend in the financial sector that before the incident, a foreign company swept the put options of Samsung Electronics. Could that be you guys?"
I shook my head.
"N-no way. How could we have the money to buy that many put options?"
"Right. That's what I thought too. But then…"
Senior Sang-yeop pointed at Taek-gyu.
"This guy mentioned he has around 10,000 units of Bitcoin, but he lost the encryption key. What if he finds that key? With that amount of Bitcoin, it's enough to buy up the put options, right?"
"…"
For a moment, I wondered if this person also had some kind of superpower.
It couldn't be possible, could it? Did he figure out all this with just some bits of information?
Since it's all speculation, there's no certainty. Maybe he's just taking a guess?
I chuckled and extended my hand.
"Oh, senior, even as a joke…"
Senior Sang-yeop calmly spoke while having a drink.
"According to that guy, the company that bought up the put options is likely to be a Japanese company."
"Japanese company? How does that concern us…"
"You know why? It's because it's OTK Company."
"…"
Senior Sang-yeop pointed at Taek-gyu.
"Your friend's name is Oh Taek-gyu, right?"
*Cough! Cough!*
While drinking beer, Taek-gyu coughed to make himself heard. If he figured out this much, saying it's no longer relevant would be useless.
I chuckled disheartenedly and said, "Impressive."
"It's not that impressive. I just picked out the possibilities."
Despite his bear-like appearance, he was quick-witted and sharp-minded.
I had momentarily forgotten. This person is a genius recognized even at Korea University.
I set down my beer glass and looked at Senior Sang-yeop.
"Is that why you wanted to see us?"
"Thanks to that, I've paid off all my debts, so I thought I should express my gratitude."
If the truth were to come out, our names might be splashed across the newspapers tomorrow. Twenty-something youths who made a fortune by investing in derivatives during the stock market crash.
It might be something we'll have to face someday, but not now.
"Can you keep it a secret?"
Senior Sang-yeop pretended to zip his lips.
"Of course. I promise as the former club president."
Since he tends to keep things to himself, it's safe to trust him. There aren't many people you can easily believe if they talk about it elsewhere.
Just then, charcoal came in, and the meat arrived.
*Sizzle!*
Amidst the quiet, the meat sizzled with a sound.
Senior Sang-yeop picked up a lightly cooked slice of loin and said, "What's your plan now?"
"What do you mean?"
"Funds are well prepared, so you're planning to invest properly, right?"
"…"
How did you know?
I feel embarrassed as if my inner thoughts have been exposed. Do you really have superpowers?
"Why do you think that?"
"If not, there would have been no need to establish a corporation."
"Ah…"
That was not for investing, but Taek-gyu set it up to sell off Bitcoin.
It's not unreasonable to think that way if you don't know the circumstances.
Senior Sang-yeop looked at me and said.
"I thought so since I saw you in the Club. Jin-hoo, you're going to make it big. I didn't know you would accomplish such a remarkable thing."
"Really?"
I joined the club in my freshman year of college. Unlike now, I was just an ordinary freshman back then.
"To beat the market, you need something beyond just calculations and analysis. Luck, intuition, or insight could be necessary."
Senior Sang-yeop said while sipping beer.
"As you know, I've been investing based on mathematical analysis of a company's intrinsic value, stock fluctuations, charts, and trends. And I've generally been successful."
Using his mathematical talent, the senior created his analytical method and dived into the stock market to maximize profits and minimize losses, making tremendous gains.
"But in the end, I failed. Any thoughts on why?"
"Maybe you just had bad luck?"
Who could have imagined that the company he invested in would fall victim to a scam and lose billions?
"Maybe it was luck… Not entirely wrong. So what does it mean to have good luck? Why didn't I have that luck? It took me a long time to realize. There are too many incalculable things in the market. It's filled with numerous emotions and variables that are intricately intertwined. Trying to mathematically solve all these is impossible. While you can calculate the movements of celestial bodies, you cannot calculate human madness."
I nodded my head.
"That's a quote from Isaac Newton," Taekgyu asked.
"The one who discovered gravity?"
"Yeah. It's quite a famous saying in the financial world."
Newton was well-known as a physicist, but he dabbled in various fields as well. By the way, that quote was said after he invested in the South Sea Company and lost all his assets.
Ruling the market is a mix of fear and madness. Even the most rational person finds it hard to stay calm and see the truth within it.
"Jinhoo, you have that kind of intuition. That's why you were chosen as the next chairman."
I remember when my senior warned me that I would have to take responsibility for the aftermath after he finished his drink.
Senior gulped down the rest of his beer.
"Now tell me the outcome."
"What outcome?"
"I told you. I wore a suit today to go for an interview."
I was quite taken aback. Was the interview he mentioned happening right here?
I was surprised. My senior, whom I had trusted and followed since my freshman days, was now asking me to hire him!
"What do you think?"
I asked with my eyes, and Taekgyu answered with a glance.
"Let the CEO handle it."
That's true. Making decisions is the CEO's job.
I thought rationally.
While I had acquired a fortune of 67.2 billion, it paled in comparison to the financial giants moving tens of trillions.
There is a cheat code called foresight, but even with that, it's not as easy as one might think for two people in their twenties to make a living together. That's why I asked for help from my older sister, Hyunjoo…
Financial investment is a battle of numbers. Corporate financial statements and consensus are filled with all sorts of numbers, and new derivative products are created with advanced financial engineering.
Sangyeop, a senior at Korea University, possesses exceptional mathematical analytical skills to the extent that he is hailed as a genius even within the university. And undoubtedly, his abilities will be helpful for what I am trying to accomplish.
I had already thought that I needed someone, and now that such a talented individual has come voluntarily, isn't it a good thing?
"Are you speaking sincerely?"
Sangyeop nodded solemnly.
"Of course."
From a certain point, Sangyeop wore a firm expression. Standing tall with his shoulders back and head held high.
It was as if he was a new employee preparing for an interview. His presence in a suit from the start showed his determination to be in this position.
Democracy is one person, one vote, but capitalism is strictly one dollar, one vote. Even playing on the same board, the side with more money is decidedly advantageous.
In essence, the reason he contacted me is that, in one way or another, I have billions of capital.
One might see this as someone coming to leech off me, but rather, I liked that aspect.
Recognizing an opportunity to make money and seizing it is a fundamental skill for a finance person, isn't it?
Korea University, Mathematics Department, Park Sangyeop.
Excluding the aspect of foresight, he excels in every aspect more than me. Am I truly capable of accommodating this person?
"I am the current CEO of OTK Company. I need someone who can move like a fish according to my vision. Do you think you can do it well?"
"Even if you are my junior in school, I will make a clear distinction in work, so don't worry. I think working under a competent person, despite their young age, is far better than working under an incompetent one."
Perhaps in the future, I might end up hiring a seasoned veteran with decades of experience in the finance industry. If I can't accommodate this person, would I not lack the qualifications as a CEO?
After finishing my thoughts, I reached out my hand.
"It's a pass. Welcome to OTK Company."
TL/n -
In the late 17th century, Newton invested heavily in the South Sea Company, which was a British trading company. The company was initially formed to trade with South America, but its stock became wildly speculative and inflated during the South Sea Bubble of 1720. The bubble was driven by irrational exuberance and the promise of enormous profits from overseas ventures, even though the company's actual prospects were dubious.
Newton, who had initially been skeptical of the stock, decided to invest in it after seeing its rapid rise. At first, he made a significant profit, but as the bubble continued to inflate, he became more involved. When the market crashed and the South Sea Company's stock value plummeted, Newton suffered tremendous financial losses. He famously remarked that he could calculate the motions of celestial bodies but not the madness of crowds.
The South Sea Bubble is often cited as an example of speculative frenzy and market irrationality, and Newton's experience serves as a reminder of the risks inherent in speculative investments and the limitations of even the brightest minds in predicting market behavior.