NOVEL NEXT 85
“Welcome, Manager.”
The next day, at Yuseong Investment Securities’ Leaders Center.
Dokyung bowed his head as he greeted PR Team Manager Lee Seonghyun, who had come to visit the center.
“Oh, Dokyung-ssi. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for the request, and I’m even more sorry for dropping by so suddenly like this.”
“It’s no problem. I don’t have any other appointments this morning, so it’s fine.”
“I’m grateful you say that. This is the producer spearheading this project.”
Dokyung exchanged greetings with the PR team employee who had come with Lee Seonghyun, and then led the two into an empty meeting room.
As soon as they sat down, Lee Seonghyun looked at Dokyung with a serious expression and opened his mouth.
“We saw this while we were planning.”
Lee Seonghyun showed Dokyung the screen of a tablet PC, which displayed Seonjin Securities’ social media page.
[A God Arrives! Seonjin Securities Gangnam VIP Center Senior Manager Lee Donghyuk Appears—How to Handle Our Stock Market in Times of Inflation?]
It was common in this industry to use exaggerated rhetoric to promote guests, but to Dokyung’s eyes, this didn’t seem like an exaggeration.
“Senior Manager Lee Donghyuk…”
“You know him too, right?”
“Yes, it’s impossible not to. He’s one of the three top stars in the industry.”
The VIP Center Director of Taesan Securities, Lee Donghyuk of Seonjin Securities, and Ha Minjae, the Leaders Center Director of Yuseong Investment Securities.
These individuals were stars in the industry, to the extent that they were the highest-paid employees in their respective companies. Their incredible returns and the salaries they received were recognized not just by clients but by the entire industry.
“This is the advertising copy we had prepared.”
Lee Seonghyun swiped the screen to show an image promoting Dokyung’s channel appearance.
[The Rising Star of the Securities World! Yuseong Investment Securities Leaders Center Manager Yoon Dokyung—Tae-Jo-I-Bang-Won? Is It Time to Jump In? Easy Stock Market Reading!]
“‘Rising star’ is a bit…”
“This is just promotional copy. And it’s true that you are a rising star, isn’t it?”
As Dokyung expressed his discomfort, Lee Seonghyun continued speaking as if it were no big deal.
“The problem is that these videos are going up on the same day.”
“The same day?”
“Yes. Seonjin’s is at 8 AM on the 29th, ours is at 6 PM on the 29th.”
The dates were oddly the same in Lee Seonghyun’s words. Of course, Seonjin was uploading their video before the market opened, while Yuseong Investment Securities’ video would be uploaded after the market closed.
“To be honest, I believe in you, Dokyung-ssi. I’ve seen your insight firsthand during the mock investment competition.”
Lee Seonghyun still occasionally recalled Dokyung’s performance from that time. A window clerk boldly talking about stocks he thought were good in front of the company’s top talents.
No, anyone could talk, but the stocks Dokyung had chosen all showed good performance during the competition period.
Not just himself, but various executives in the company and viewers who watched the video had highly evaluated Dokyung.
“But the opponent is too big. We didn’t anticipate this, but as a result, we’ll inevitably be compared to Seonjin.”
Lee Seonghyun’s words were reasonable. On the same day, PBs handling high-net-worth individuals would appear on the YouTube channels of securities firms competing for 2nd and 3rd place in Korea.
On top of that, both channels would be talking about the domestic stock market.
“I’m not sure what they’re going to say, but I suspect the topic will be the same as ours. It’s the only thing people are talking about these days. Everyone’s attention is focused on it.”
Dokyung nodded. It didn’t seem likely that Seonjin would avoid talking about the theme leading the market when everyone wanted to hear about it.
“So, I’ll tell you my position here.”
Lee Seonghyun continued speaking, looking at Dokyung who had a stern expression.
“I’m going to push forward with this project as planned. But I’m fine with that. I’m just managing the channel, and there’s no disadvantage to me if we fall behind here.”
“……”
“But for you, Dokyung-ssi, I think there might be more disadvantages than advantages.”
Lee Seonghyun looked at Dokyung with an expression of concern.
It was a clash with a top industry PB. There was even a story for gossipmongers to latch onto.
‘The battle between the pursuer and the one trying to maintain distance.’
The fight between Seonjin trying to keep its second place and Yuseong trying to take it.
Of course, some people might wonder what all the fuss was about, but it was significant that centers handling high-net-worth individuals were clashing. Attracting high-net-worth individuals was a business that all securities firms were betting their lives on.
The trading fees from one high-net-worth individual could equal those from 100 clients with lower deposits.
“It would be great if the stocks you recommend go up, but the market has so many variables. If by any chance our side loses, you might face criticism at the company level.”
Dokyung nodded at Lee Seonghyun’s words. The stuffy financial industry would ignite competitive spirit even over such trivial matters.
Especially since Seonjin and Yuseong had been clashing over everything for the past few years, it was even more likely.
“That’s why I came to ask for your opinion. If you don’t want to do it, we can look for someone else. We haven’t promoted it yet…”
“Manager.”
Dokyung looked at Lee Seonghyun with a serious expression.
“In my opinion, I think the other side might be more uncomfortable with me.”
“The other side? You mean Senior Manager Lee Donghyuk?”
“Yes. I’m just a PB with barely three years of experience. The other side is someone who’s next in line to be Seonjin Securities’ VIP Center Director and a star in the industry.”
Lee Seonghyun focused on Dokyung’s words with a surprised expression.
“And from a company perspective, we’re in third place and Seonjin is in second. Who do you think would feel more pressure?”
“Well…”
“If I had to guess, Seonjin has to win just to break even. The same goes for Senior Manager Lee Donghyuk.”
Lee Seonghyun looked at Dokyung with a surprised expression.
“I appreciate that you’re worried about me, Manager. You’re concerned that I might be harmed somehow, right?”
“That’s right. But it seems my concerns were unfounded.”
“Not at all. To be honest, I’m nervous too. But… if this scenario plays out, don’t you think Lee Donghyuk-nim will be more upset than me?”
Lee Donghyuk was a PB who had worked in the industry for a long time. On top of that, a star PB ranking among the top earners in the industry had unintentionally become entangled with a PB of lower seniority.
What if everyone starts comparing the stocks they recommend?
He would have to put a lot on the line in a situation where winning would just be breaking even.
And, the mission Dokyung had received from the message was to achieve 100,000 subscribers for Yuseong Investment Securities’ YouTube channel.
He thought that the more issues there were, the more helpful it would naturally be.
“When you first proposed my appearance on the YouTube channel, I thought about it a lot. The market is so extreme these days. So I started carefully selecting stocks, and I found some promising ones with bright prospects.”
Dokyung had put considerable effort into selecting stocks over the past few days.
“That’s why I like this even more. If the opponent had been someone of the same experience level, I might have hesitated, but I feel rather unburdened. I think I can confidently introduce the stocks I’ve prepared.”
“Really?”
“Yes. So I think you can proceed comfortably.”
“If that’s how you feel, I think we’re a good match.”
Lee Seonghyun smiled as he spoke to Dokyung.
“So, about that. We’re going on a few hours later, right?”
“Yes.”
“How about we show some underdog spirit?”
Underdog referred to the relatively disadvantaged person in any competition, including sports.
A third-year PB competing against a star PB.
Dokyung was the very definition of an underdog.
“Spirit?”
“Well, leave that to me. You just prepare well, Dokyung-ssi. I’ll start promoting as soon as I get back to the office.”
“Alright, understood.”
In a battle where the die had already been cast, Dokyung had no intention of backing down.
He thought he just needed to do well with what he had prepared, and Lee Seonghyun, seemingly pleased with Dokyung’s attitude, nodded with a smile.
⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱
‘Mirae Chemical, huh…’
A few days later, Dokyung was sitting in his office, focusing on a YouTube video.
The video Dokyung was watching had been uploaded to the Seonjin Securities channel, and as expected, Lee Donghyuk in the video was recommending the secondary battery sector, one of the pillars of Tae-Jo-I-Bang-Won. And among them, he was recommending Mirae Chemical.
“Lee Donghyuk is recommending Mirae Chemical.”
Hearing a voice while he was concentrating on the video, Dokyung looked to the side to see a senior colleague sitting right next to him, smiling as he spoke.
In fact, as soon as the feed promoting Dokyung’s appearance was posted on Yuseong Investment Securities’ social media, word had been spreading through the securities industry.
While there were gossipmongers everywhere who loved to talk, this industry, where competition between companies was particularly fierce, was especially bad.
Perhaps because it was such a rigid and conservative industry, there were few instances of direct confrontation, making this event nothing short of a spectacle for them.
“Sunbae…”
“It’s not just me. Look at the Team Leader over there.”
At his senior’s words, Dokyung slightly rose from his seat to look at Seo Jeonghwan, who was concentrating on something with earphones in his ears.
“The Team Leader is watching this video too.”
“Really?”
“He told us not to show it to you because it might put pressure on you, but I bet he’s quite concerned himself.”
And those gossipmongers had started spreading rumors, framing it as Yuseong vs. Seonjin.
There were even baseless rumors that Yuseong was trying to embarrass Seonjin by targeting them with a less experienced PB after seeing the notice about Lee Donghyuk’s appearance.
“So, what do you think about Mirae Chemical, Dokyung-ssi?”
The senior colleague threw a mischievous question at Dokyung.
“It’s good. It’s undoubtedly a good company.”
“Undoubtedly a good company? But it sounds like you think now isn’t the right time?”
“The entire secondary battery sector is overvalued.”
Of course, this had been said for the past two years.
Every year, despite being called overvalued, secondary battery stocks had risen explosively.
“Mirae Chemical is actually doing business, you know.”
“They’re doing business, but their capacity seems too small. They’re making money, but I wonder if they’re investing too little in this area.”
“That’s true. Since Mirae Group has their electronics division, they’re a bit passive when it comes to investing in batteries.”
Mirae Chemical was undoubtedly an excellent company that supplied finished battery products to global electric vehicle manufacturers.
However, their production capacity was too small, and they showed a passive approach to investment, which had prevented their stock price from rising much.
As a result, they were considered the most undervalued in the secondary battery sector.
“No finished vehicle manufacturer would buy batteries from a company with poor production capacity. Especially when there are Chinese and domestic companies with better technology.”
“That’s true. But in terms of picking the most undervalued stock at a time when secondary batteries are rising…”
“Yes. The market is shooting up as soon as it opens.”
Whether due to the broadcast’s influence or not, Mirae Chemical’s stock price was rising as soon as the market opened.
“Whenever that guy recommends a stock somewhere, it shoots up the next day. That’s the power of a star.”
“That’s why I’m a bit displeased.”
“Displeased?”
The senior looked at Dokyung questioningly.
“Yes. If they had recommended the stock after the market closed, at least investors would have had time to study it.”
Dokyung didn’t want to think negatively, but if by any chance they had uploaded the video before the market opened aiming for a reaction like the current market, he considered it a very unfavorable move.
“But if you upload a video like that an hour before the market opens, it clouds individual investors’ judgment. The stock price rises at a star PB’s word, people get anxious, and they end up entering with less study…”
“That’s true… Is that why you set your time for after the market closes?”
“Yes. I requested that. I thought it would be better if people could make their own judgments before the market opens the next day…”
The senior chuckled at Dokyung’s words.
“Looks like Seonjin and Lee Donghyuk might have something to worry about.”
“Pardon?”
“No, it’s just that our ace seems to be serious. I was worried because the opponent is Lee Donghyuk, but it seems that was unnecessary concern.”
With those words, the senior began to focus on his own work, and Dokyung looked at him with a puzzled expression before smirking and turning back to his monitor.
‘I just need to do well with what I’ve prepared.’
Dokyung thought this and began to concentrate on his work.
After working for a while, Dokyung packed his bag and stood up when it was time.
Usually, he was the last to leave the office, but today he was the first to pick up his bag even before the end of the workday.
“I’ll be going now.”
As Dokyung greeted everyone, the team members stood up and looked at him. He couldn’t help but chuckle at Team Leader Seo Jeonghwan’s unnecessarily solemn expression.
“Have a good trip.”
“Yes, Team Leader. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Dokyung-ssi, fighting!”
Han Dahyun cheered, showing her fist, and Dokyung bowed his head in greeting before leaving the office.