Golden Spoon Investor

The next morning at Daeheung Securities' main trading office, the atmosphere was hectic. As the market, which had previously surged past 740, began to lose steam and volatility increased, the tension in the air thickened.

"What's happening now?"

"Samsung Electronics dropped below 38,000!"

"Are foreigners selling?"

With a worried expression, Manager Song Jong-geun turned to ask Deputy Manager Choi Kang-wook, who was seated at the desk to his left.

"We won't know for sure until the market closes, but it doesn't seem like it," Choi replied.

"Then why is it dropping?"

"That… I can't say for sure."

"Grrr…"

Frustrated, Manager Song loosened his tie and gave an order. "It could be that investors are taking profits from the recent bottom, so keep an eye on the market trends and call around to see if there's any information we don't know about."

"Yes, sir," Choi responded, picking up the phone.

As he observed the large market board mounted on one wall, Manager Song sighed. "Huh, just when the market was climbing steadily, we're back to this mess."

He recalled that Seok-won had made significant profits and sold most of the stocks he had bought at low prices just yesterday.

Glancing over at the desks of the 4th Investment Team, visible above the low partitions, Manager Song clicked his tongue.

"His timing for selling is impeccable. Could he have predicted this?"

If that were true, it would indeed be remarkable.

While the rest of the office was abuzz with frantic activity due to the market downturn, the 4th Investment Team, having sold a large portion of their holdings, was observing the situation with calm.

"The stock price of Korea Electric Power is also weakening," Deputy Manager Jung Hwan-yeop reported.

Manager Choi Ho-geun, who was intently watching the stock price of Okwang Industries on his monitor, asked, "How about the banking stocks?"

"All are down except Misa and Jeil," replied Yoo Seok-hyun after checking his keyboard.

Jung Hwan-yeop leaned over his monitor and asked, "Okwang Industries is dropping too, right?"

"Hmm."

Manager Choi nodded with a stern face, his arms crossed.

As he twirled a pen in his fingers, Jung Hwan-yeop stood up and stepped closer.

"This feels off. Could the market crash like it did a few days ago?"

"Hey, watch your mouth!" Manager Choi snapped, glaring at him.

Realizing his mistake, Jung Hwan-yeop sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, I was just worried."

"Don't you know words have power? You need to watch what you say," Manager Choi scolded.

"Yes, sir," Jung replied with an awkward smile.

Just as Manager Choi was about to turn back to his monitor, Seok-won's voice came from behind them.

"The market might decline again for a while, but there's no need to worry too much."

Today, too, Seok-won was dressed in a sharp, perfectly tailored suit.

Startled by his sudden appearance, Manager Choi and the team members quickly stood up to greet him.

"Team Leader."

Nodding at their greetings, Seok-won continued, "It's just the market digesting some negative news. Let's maintain our positions."

"But if the market falls too much, our losses will be significant. Wouldn't it be better to cut our losses and then buy back in?" Manager Choi suggested.

Seok-won shook his head. "If we could predict price movements with certainty, I'd agree, but it's difficult."

"That's true."

"Besides, we're holding Okwang Industries for the long term, so there's no need to get caught up in short-term fluctuations."

Manager Choi couldn't completely shake off his anxiety about the volatile stock prices, but given Seok-won's proven track record, he didn't press the issue further.

"Let's leave that alone for now. The funds I set aside last time are still held, right?"

"Yes, sir. Since you didn't give further instructions, we've left them untouched."

"Good. We'll continue to manage those funds as before."

"Understood. That's great news," Manager Choi said, his face lighting up.

With a larger sum to manage, there were many benefits, so it was no surprise that he was pleased.

"Later, during our meeting, we'll discuss the specifics. I want to allocate 1 billion won from the entrusted funds for you and your team to trade independently," Seok-won said.

"Are you serious?" Manager Choi asked, surprised.

"Yes."

With a nod, Seok-won smiled and added, "But if you're not confident, you don't have to do it."

Manager Choi responded with a grin, "No way. We'll do our best to deliver results that will satisfy you."

The team had been feeling stifled, like machines, simply executing Seok-won's orders to buy and sell stocks. But now, with a substantial amount of money entrusted to them for independent trading, they couldn't help but feel excited.

While there was some concern about potential losses, hesitating because of that would mean they weren't cut out to be traders.

As Manager Choi and the team members exchanged determined looks, Seok-won reached into his inner pocket.

"And there's one more thing," he said, pulling out four thin envelopes and handing them to Manager Choi.

"What's this?" Choi asked, taking the envelopes, looking puzzled.

"It's a bonus," Seok-won replied.

At the word "bonus," Deputy Manager Jung and the other team members perked up their ears. Manager Choi, still confused, looked down at the envelopes.

"Bonuses are usually given out at the end of the year. Is this early?" Choi asked.

"No," Seok-won said with a smile, meeting the puzzled looks of Manager Choi and the team.

"This isn't the company's bonus. This is from me."

"Pardon?"

Manager Choi blinked in surprise. A personal bonus? This was unheard of.

The team members, who had been pretending to work while eavesdropping, were just as shocked, their expressions blank.

Seeing their astonished faces, Seok-won casually explained, "I received a portion of the trading profits as an incentive, and I'm sharing it with you."

It wasn't common, but sometimes exceptionally skilled proprietary traders (Prop Traders) who made significant profits would negotiate contracts to share a percentage of their earnings with the company. Of course, if they didn't meet expectations, they could lose their position.

Manager Choi was amazed to realize that Seok-won had secured such a contract, something only possible for those with extraordinary skills.

'I thought it was strange that he was given so much discretion in managing the funds despite being a newcomer, even if he did come in with connections. Now it makes sense.'

Though the situation was highly unusual, given Seok-won's demonstrated abilities and his status as the chairman's son, it was understandable.

With a cautious tone, Manager Choi said, "Team Leader, this is your incentive. There's no need to—"

"It's fine. We're a team, after all," Seok-won said, smiling as he looked around at Manager Choi and the others.

"This is a team effort, so it's only right to share the rewards."

Manager Choi was deeply touched by Seok-won's gesture of sharing his bonus, even though the company would later give out its own performance bonuses.

The other team members were equally moved, impressed by the young leader's thoughtfulness and generosity.

"Thank you very much," Manager Choi said, bowing slightly, followed by expressions of gratitude from the rest of the team.

"Thank you, Team Leader!"

"Wow, you even think of us… You're really amazing!"

As the thanks poured in, Seok-won responded calmly, "If we keep delivering good results, there will be more bonuses like this, so let's keep up the hard work."

Deputy Manager Jung's eyes sparkled as he asked, "Really?"

"I promise," Seok-won said.

Deputy Manager Jung pumped his fist in the air, exclaiming, "Oh! I suddenly feel so motivated!"

"Really, Deputy Manager? It's just because of the bonus, right?" another team member teased.

"Of course! And you don't like it?" Jung replied.

"I do, too," another agreed.

The whole team was in high spirits, but none more so than Deputy Manager Jung, who was so excited that he started dancing around the office. Manager Choi sighed deeply, covering his face with one hand.

"Ugh."

Unable to watch any longer, he bowed to Seok-won in apology. "I'm sorry, Team Leader."

"It's okay. I'm glad to see everyone so motivated. Let's get back to work," Seok-won said, smiling as he left for his private office.

Once the door closed, Manager Choi turned and glared at Deputy Manager Jung, who was still dancing.

"You're going to give me gray hairs at this rate."

"Hehe."

With his usual cheeky grin, Jung sidled up to Manager Choi. "Manager, how much do you think is in the envelope?"

"I don't know, you idiot. Why don't you check for yourself?"

Manager Choi shook his head in exasperation and handed out the remaining envelopes to the team members.

"Since the envelope is thin, maybe it's like the last time when he gave us checks for the team dinner," one of the team members speculated.

"It could just be some cash."

"Come on, it's definitely a cheque. I'm betting it's similar to last time, at least 1 million won," Deputy Manager Jung guessed.

Listening to the conversation, Manager Choi also ran his fingers over the envelope, curious about how much was inside, even though he tried not to show it.

"Well, let's see how much it is," Deputy Manager Jung said, humming as he opened the envelope.

"Ooh! It's a cheque!" he exclaimed.

"Really?"

"Yes, really," Jung confirmed, grinning widely.

Manager Choi, who had been pretending not to care, couldn't take his eyes off the envelope as Jung pulled out the cheque.

"Alright, let's see what's inside~" But as Jung read the amount written on the cheque, his eyes widened in shock, and he froze.

"…What?"

"What's wrong?" Hong Jae-hee asked, impatiently.

Jung slowly raised his head, looking dazed, and stammered, "It's… there's an extra zero on this cheque."

"What are you talking about?"

When Manager Choi asked, Jung held out the cheque for everyone to see.

"It's not 1 million, it's 10 million won!"

"…What?"

For a moment, everyone around was stunned, not believing what they were hearing.

Manager Choi's eyes trembled with shock, and Yoo Seok-hyun's mouth hung open.

Even Hong Jae-hee's cheeks flushed red with excitement.

"Is this… real?"

In the meantime, Yoo Seok-hyun quickly opened his own envelope and confirmed in a trembling voice, "It's true! It's a 10 million won cheque!"

Finally snapping out of his daze, Manager Choi quickly checked the amount on the cheque in his envelope. Just as Jung had said, it was a 10 million won cheque, and not just one, but twenty of them.

It was more than his annual salary, and he couldn't help but gasp. "I've never seen a cheque for 10 million won before…"

Hong Jae-hee muttered in a shaky voice.

"Jung, how much is in your envelope?" Choi asked.

"Fifteen million," Jung replied.

Choi turned to look at Yoo Seok-hyun and Hong Jae-hee.

"And you two?"

"We each have ten million," Yoo Seok-hyun said, glancing at the cheque in Hong Jae-hee's hand.

Altogether, they had 55 million won between them.

"Did the Team Leader put the wrong cheque in the envelope?" Hong Jae-hee asked, her face flushed with excitement as she clutched her cheque tightly.

"There's no way. They're all 1 million won checks, so it's not likely a mistake."

Deputy Manager Jung, who had recovered first, gave an enthusiastic thumbs-up. "Man, he's really on another level."

"Weren't you the one calling him a spoiled kid just the other day?" Hong Jae-hee asked, glaring at him.

"When did I ever say that?"

Rolling her eyes, she knew better than to try to win against Jung's shamelessness.

"Ahem."

Just then, Manager Choi glanced around and cleared his throat.

"It's work hours, and other employees are around, so let's not be too loud."

"Yes, sir."

"Understood."

But even as Manager Choi tried to keep the team in cheque, he couldn't hide the grin tugging at his lips.

They all felt the same—they were beyond excited, and the generous bonus had filled them with renewed energy.