Chapter 124
Chapter 124
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 124
Chapter Title: Becoming the Thug
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That's when I become the "thug."
Park Sojin, that fucking bitch. Tracking, Day 1.
I had erased the entire world surrounding me.
Now, my universe consisted solely of the crystal-clear mind of Post-Nut Clarity and thousands of charts.
First, I filtered out the noise from the "retail investors" and "institutions" that dominated 99% of the market.
Next, I wiped away the traces of typical "pump-and-dump crews" looking for a quick hit and run.
And finally, I spotted it—the anomalous "something."
It was like a fortress, impeccably managed amid the chaotic battlefield of the market.
Charts where skyrocketing prices didn't crash but held steady within a razor-thin range for months on end.
I had found their "fingerprint."
I'd pinpointed the location of the impenetrable fortress guarded by the "judge" named Park Sojin.
Tracking, Day 2.
Now it was time to estimate the scale of that fortress.
I analyzed the trading data of the stocks they were farming.
They were parasites, sticking straws into host companies and steadily sucking out nutrients without killing the host.
I reverse-engineered the amount of capital needed to maintain their "penned fish farms."
And on Day 3... the attack began.
The two days of analysis were over.
Now, I could read their "fingerprint" perfectly.
Early that morning, borrowing Lee Soohee's body to fire up Post-Nut Clarity, I stopped digging through past data.
Instead, in the real-time flux of the market, I waited for their next prey—the one bearing that familiar "fingerprint."
It didn't take long before it pinged on my radar.
A small biotech stock no one was watching.
Sure enough, they were starting to build their "farm" there.
I slipped in right at the beginning, as they started shaping the chart, injecting more capital than they did and quietly shadowing them.
The price crept up slowly, and retail investors began piling on.
Waiting until their "farm" ripened fully before detonating a bomb at the end? Too risky.
My massive sell orders would eventually light up on Park Sojin's radar, the "judge" herself.
A better way: sabotage them from the start, prevent the farm from ever taking root.
I pulled up the order book for their new target, that small biotech stock.
And wouldn't you know it.
They were stacking a huge buy wall at a specific price level, beginning their "work" to nudge the price up gradually.
I smirked coldly and matched their moves perfectly, erecting my sell wall one or two ticks higher than theirs.
Every time they tried to push the price up 1%, my sell wall crushed the gains.
In the process, I scalped tiny profits from those micro-fluctuations, dipping in and out like a pro.
Against their will, they got trapped in a bizarre box range where the price neither rose nor fell.
The "upward chart" they'd so carefully crafted devolved into a dull "sideways" mess thanks to my interference.
In the end, they gave up on carving out their "farm" as planned, pulling out every bit of capital they'd thrown in that day and retreating.
Gazing at the traces they'd left behind, I muttered in satisfaction.
"Burning every seed they try to sow, before they can even plow the field... way more fun than just plowing it under after the fact."
From that day on, my mornings followed the same routine.
Borrow Lee Soohee's body, activate Post-Nut Clarity at peak efficiency.
Then sit in the "war room" in Paju and clock in for the invisible battlefield.
My strategy was simple and vicious.
"Relentless nibbling."
I no longer snuck into their established farms to steal the harvest.
Now, I turned every patch of soil they tried to seed into a salted wasteland.
Monday, pharma sector.
They started working a specific new-drug developer's stock, stacking a massive buy wall to pump it.
I planted a thicker sell wall one tick above theirs.
The more they struggled to lift the price, the more pocket-change day-trading profits piled up in my account.
Eventually, they quit pouring water into the leaky bucket and withdrew bitterly.
Tuesday, secondary battery theme stocks.
This time, they moved more slyly.
Spreading buys across multiple accounts to accumulate without drawing eyes.
But to Post-Nut Clarity's gaze, all those scattered dots formed one massive "line."
Every time they scooped up shares, I dumped even more into the market, denying any upward momentum.
Wednesday, entertainment stocks.
They tried to ride an idol group's comeback hype to inflate the price.
I'd preempted their accumulation with Post-Nut Clarity foresight, and dumped my holdings precisely at the price they wanted—making them buy from me at a premium.
Thursday, Friday...
For the whole week, I haunted them like a ghost.
Whenever they tried to plow a field, I burned it first.
Whenever they reached for seeds, I salted the earth before they could.
They must be losing their minds.
Having every strategy and plan read and disrupted in real time by an unseen enemy.
A week later, fresh profits stacked in my account.
Now it was time for their response.
I waited for their next move, a cold smile on my lips.
Exactly two weeks.
Right when my rampage had cost Park Sojin's group an estimated 10 billion in losses and my total assets broke past 70 billion, the "response" finally came.
When Choi Yang reported that Investigator Park Sojin had come looking for me, I flashed a predatory grin.
The beast had finally walked into the hunter's trap on its own paws.
Her face, as she entered my CEO office, bore none of the leisure and arrogance from a fortnight ago—only undisguised fatigue and irritation.
"Oh dear, Investigator? To what do we owe the visit to our humble abode this time?"
I leaned back in my chair, taunting her in the most infuriating tone imaginable.
Her icy glare fixed on me.
"I thought I'd made myself abundantly clear last time, Director. I warned you that you might catch the eye of some 'dangerous' people."
"Well, I did take a little timeout to reflect... but then I realized, hey, I haven't done anything illegal, so why bother?"
"........."
Savoring her silence, I leaned forward over the table.
Locking eyes with her, I asked in the most innocent expression.
"But, Investigator."
"Yes."
"Isn't the Financial Supervisory Service swamped? I can't imagine you have time to leisurely drop in on 'shit-tier' investment firms like ours..."
I paused, then lobbed the killing question to strip away her last mask.
"...So, do you have a... 'side gig' or something?"
At my question, her poker face crumbled like a landslide.
But from beneath the ruins, she flashed a mocking, relaxed smile.
"Well, these days, you can't make it without a side hustle, right?"
She lightly deflected my "side gig" jab by owning it implicitly as a "side hustle."
"Ah, yeah... you're right... you're so right..."
Admiring her brazenness, I shifted my gaze behind her.
Standing there, from the start, was a burly guy whose presence I'd deliberately ignored.
"...Speaking of, who's the hunk in the back? Cousin or something? I didn't think financial investigators dragged around muscle like that."
I nodded toward the "hunk" locked in a death glare with Lee Soohee at my side.
Investigator Park Sojin shrugged nonchalantly.
"Eh, just helps with my 'side hustle.' Don't mind him."
"Hard not to... when he's glaring daggers at my bodyguard?"
"That's just how he is."
She parried every question with vague dodges.
I turned my eyes from her to her "side hustle buddy."
The moment our gazes met, I knew.
His eyes were exactly like those of the gangsters I recognized.
I glanced back and forth between her beefy "sidekick" and my own "human weapon," Lee Soohee, by my side.
Then back to Investigator Park Sojin.
Leaning back, legs crossed, I opened my mouth with an utterly infuriating smile.
"Well, if you say so, Investigator, who am I to argue."
I paused, then added in a mocking tone.
"So, like last time, here to dispense some 'friendly advice'?"
At my provocation, every trace of smile vanished from Park Sojin's face.
She leaned slightly over the table, bringing her face closer to mine.
Her eyes were no longer those of a "judge," but a "hunter."
"Hmm... advice. Sure, let's call it that."
She acknowledged my words coldly.
"But this time, let's make it a bit more... a 'warning,' shall we?"
'Warning.'
That single word froze the air in the room.
She wasn't even pretending to hide her true colors anymore.
Her lame threat made me burst out laughing.
"Kya..."
I sank deep into my chair, crossed my legs, and sneered at her.
"Look at this bitch finally showing her true colors. A warning? And what're you gonna do about it? Bring it."
I beckoned her mockingly with my finger.
"But you know what?"
Leaning forward, I stared straight into her eyes and said coldly.
"If your plans fail... I'll expose every last one of you."
"......."
"You know I can do it. The charts from the last fortnight prove it crystal clear."
For the first time, cracks appeared in her flawless poker face at my final words.
She had no comeback to my counterattack digging right into her sore spot.
Our standoff had entered a new phase.
Blades at each other's throats, one wrong move from explosion.
"Whew, we'll head out for today. As I said... this was just a 'warning.' But remember, Director—this country's not as safe as you think."
With that, Investigator Park Sojin and her "side hustle buddy" left my office.
I stared at the door they'd vanished through for a moment, then asked Lee Soohee behind me without turning.
"What do you think?"
"About what?"
"That beefy fucker just now."
"Borrowing the boss comrade's words... 'shit-tier.'"
Lee Soohee assessed him plainly, without hesitation or exaggeration.
"One-second kill, easy?"
"Yes."
I nodded in satisfaction. Then I asked what I was really curious about.
"How's the sky protection going?"
"Number 1's on it full-time. VP comrade has Number 2, the missus has Number 3, and Number 4 rotates to wherever needed based on the vibe. Missions assigned."
Without me even ordering, she'd already scoped it perfectly and issued directives.
"Mm... I trust you know your stuff there. But fuck up, and you know."
At my veiled threat, she cracked the faintest smile-like expression for the first time.
"Don't worry, I'll handle it."
She wasn't just a "loyal dog."
She was a new "general" in my kingdom.
But she didn't forget to demand extra "payment" for her "labor."
"In return, if this all goes smooth without a hitch... let me have Secretary Choi one more time."
"...You like her that much?"
At my teasing, she licked her lips for the first time, eyes gleaming with raw desire.
"That little bitch... maybe 'cause she's young. So tight, no well's that sweet."
At her blunt review, I grinned.
I realized her lust could be another leash around her neck.
Confidence swelled that I could fully tame this perfect predator.
"Deal."
I stood, stretching.
"Alright, time for workout."
Everything was unfolding exactly as planned, step by step.
The satisfaction of total control made even "running"—which had felt like pure hell just moments ago—start to feel oddly enjoyable.