Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Translation: Godtl
<Gwangun Securities>
"...Crazy."
I gulped dryly as I stared up at the towering skyscraper stretching imposingly into the sky.
Gwangun Securities.
One of Korea's top 10 securities firms.
The kind of company someone who barely scraped into a Seoul university wouldn't dare even look at.
Yet here I was, about to step foot inside.
"I haven't even told my parents yet."
I couldn't believe I'd be working at such a prestigious company, and worried I might just cause trouble before getting fired, so I'd only mentioned going for an interview when leaving home.
"This suit's a bit tight."
Still, since I'd been walking on eggshells at home, I'd completely avoided late-night snacks and desserts, so I hadn't gained too much weight.
But I really should start exercising.
Just climbing the subway stairs left me embarrassingly out of breath.
"Wait, is arriving this early normal?"
After receiving a text to arrive by 6 AM, I'd rushed to catch the first subway.
I'd worried about being the only one there with the office still closed, but that seemed unnecessary.
While my neighborhood had been completely empty when I left, Yeouido was already packed with suited office workers.
'Everyone's rushing to work.'
At securities firms, 6 AM starts were standard.
They had to be - the stock market opens at 9 AM.
Early arrival was necessary for preparation.
Brrrr—
Who'd be calling at this hour?
Checking the number - of course.
It was the Guild Leader who'd gotten me this job.
"Ah! Hyungnim— I mean, C-Chairman?"
[Hahaha! Never thought I'd hear "Chairman" from you. Feels weird. Just call me Hyungnim when we're alone like usual.]
His voice carried the crisp chill of winter air.
[So, did you make it to work?]
"Yes! I'm in front of the office now. But... is this really okay? I feel like I'll just be a burden."
[Hey, if one rookie could tank the whole company, we'd be better off closing shop. Relax. From what I checked, HR placed you in Trading - as a Junior Trader you won't have much responsibility anyway.]
"That's basically salary theft then."
[Still, work hard. Impress your seniors like you did in guild. You know what I mean?]
Meaning: even if you've got nothing to do, at least look busy.
"Yes, Hyungnim. I'll serve with complete loyalty."
[Attaboy. Welcome aboard. We don't do orientation for new hires here. Don't expect that. Better spend that time analyzing more data.]
"Yes, I'll work hard."
[Good. I mailed your character's welcome gift separately.]
"Huh? Wait... that item I said I wanted last time?"
[Sharp as ever. Get inside now. Oh! If anyone asks how you got in, don't mention games, got it? Just say you don't know.]
"Ah, yes, Hyungnim."
[Alright, hanging up now.]
After the call, I felt strangely dazed.
The guildmate I'd gamed with for years, laughed and joked with... was actually a finance CEO.
And he'd hired me.
Just because we played games together.
Most people would never believe this story.
A chilling memory flashed by - him scolding me during raids for failing simple mechanics.
"How should I act when I enter? Bow deeply and introduce myself?"
I'd seen dramas where people shout "I am [Name]!" dramatically.
"No... better not act up."
My plan: attract zero attention and keep my head down.
"Don't go causing any trouble!"
＊＊＊
Each securities firm operates differently, but their trading departments are generally divided into several specialized teams.
There was the prop trading department, which pursued high returns through short-term trading using stocks, bonds, derivatives, and other instruments—taking calculated risks by leveraging market volatility.
The quant trading department, which developed trading strategies based on algorithms and data analysis, executing thousands of trades at once through high-frequency trading powered by AI.
And then there were other teams like market making, forex trading, bond trading, and so on.
A variety of teams existed.
People might assume these traders worked frantically from dawn, but in reality, they could still carve out a short tea time for themselves.
The truly chaotic hours usually began at 8:30 a.m., when the simultaneous opening auction started.
From then until 4 p.m., it was non-stop madness—so hectic they barely had time to use the bathroom.
"Did you hear? A new hire's coming in."
"What, another rookie? They come and go all the time. Some can't handle the performance pressure and quit, while others get high on their own success and leave."
The stock market was nothing more than a state-sanctioned casino.
In such an environment, employees faced relentless performance pressure.
Some inevitably cracked under the strain and left, while others—who simply got lucky a few times and posted good results—mistook it for genuine skill and quit to become independent traders.
That's why securities firms, especially trading departments, had a higher turnover rate than other departments.
But this new hire seemed... unusual.
"HR told me—apparently, someone upstairs handpicked them."
"What? Seriously?"
"Yeah. They said not to make a big deal out of it. It'll just be a headache if the whole department finds out."
"Wait, if they were placed by someone upstairs... the chairman's family?"
"Probably."
It was like a tactical nuke had just dropped in the otherwise quiet trading department.
Performance was everything in a securities firm.
But at the end of the day, it was still a company—meaning office politics were inevitable.
And in any company, parachute hires were an inescapable reality.
Honestly, it would've been stranger if there hadn't been any until now.
"Did you know about this, Team Leader Park?"
"I only found out yesterday."
Team Leader Park Hong-seo gave a curt reply while filling his cup to the brim with coffee.
He wasn't the type to drink coffee often—seeing him pour a full cup like this was a first.
The employees in the breakroom stayed silent, sensing it was best not to disturb him until he left.
"Damn, Team Leader Park seems extra prickly today."
"Well, the trading department's already a chaotic mess, and now they've dumped a parachute hire on him. Must be pissing him off. Never seen him drink that much coffee before."
He was the kind of guy who loved working out—didn't drink, didn't smoke, and avoided even soda, let alone coffee.
But today, something must've really gotten under his skin.
"What if this parachute hire starts acting like a spoiled prince and wreaks havoc the moment they arrive?"
"What can we do? Just grin and bear it. Or are you gonna pick a fight? Team Leader Park's the one who'll be suffering the most anyway."
That was the scary thing about parachute hires.
If they acted high and mighty, backed by their connections, all you could do was endure and watch.
"I wonder what they look like. If they're handsome, maybe I'll try to charm them."
"Pfft. Good luck with that."
Just as they were leaving the breakroom, speculating about the mysterious newcomer—
"Huh?"
Near the office entrance, they spotted a man fidgeting nervously, looking lost.
＊＊＊
"..."
Team Leader Park Hong-seo glanced sidelong at Jeong Jin-ho, who stood stiffly with his hands neatly clasped.
He should've been analyzing data and reviewing overnight overseas news and market fluctuations—but now, he had to deal with this sudden new hire first.
The situation didn't sit well with him.
Because everyone had their own routines.
"Is this your first time working in finance?"
"Ah, yes. That's correct."
"Have you done any mock investments? Any prior investment experience?"
"No... But if you teach me, I'll work hard!"
"..."
This was a complete rookie who needed to be taught everything from the ground up.
Still, he could understand why HR had dropped this parachute here.
Though there was a mountain of work to do from the early hours, junior traders didn't have much on their plates.
They mostly ran errands, practiced with mock investments, and slowly learned from the senior traders—that was the nature of the position.
So they'd dumped him here to marinate.
Whether you bother to train him slowly or not, just keep him around.
'Once he gets somewhat familiar, they'll probably transfer him to another department.'
Gaining a bit of experience as an employee before suddenly being moved into a team leader position—
It was the textbook parachute route.
In other words, he wouldn't be sticking around this department for long.
"Deputy Lee."
"Yes, Team Leader."
"Jeong Jin-ho here is now a junior trader, so make sure you guide him properly."
"Yes, understood."
Deputy Lee Hye-rin, still blissfully unaware of the terrifying truth about the new hire, was beaming. No doubt thrilled to finally escape being the youngest on the team.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Deputy Lee Hye-rin. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me."
"Yes. I'm Jeong Jin-ho. I look forward to working with you."
This wasn't Hye-rin's first time handling a new recruit.
A few had come before, but none lasted long before bolting.
And for good reason.
You had to arrive by 5:30 AM at the latest to prep for briefings and handle all the meeting setups.
On top of that, the workload only intensified over time.
This was a place where trading happened by the second. If you were slow fetching the data seniors needed, you'd get an earful about losing money because of you.
After all, this was a high-stakes casino where hundreds of billions moved daily.
And that wasn't all.
After enduring the junior phase, you faced performance pressure—enough to make anyone lose their sanity.
"First things first: coffee. Traders run on the stuff. We have to set it up right before meetings. Oh, and Team Leader Park doesn't drink coffee, so skip his!"
"Got it."
Fortunately, this newbie seemed eager.
He was even jotting down everything Hye-rin said in a small notebook.
At least the first impression was good.
"You'll also need to prep materials. But don't worry—they won't ask you to analyze or create anything from scratch right away. Junior traders are more about learning than doing. Still, you'll need to study every briefing document that comes out daily."
"Understood!"
His crisp responses were another plus.
As she continued explaining, there was a brief pause.
"By the way, where did you go to school?"
"Ah... university?"
"Yes. One of the SKY schools, I assume? Or maybe we're alumni?"
"...Jinseon."
"Jinseon?"
Hye-rin blinked, her brain short-circuiting.
Where the hell is that?
"It's in Seoul."
"Oh. R-right."
How did someone from that school even get in here?
Does that college have connections with this company?
"Anyway, the meeting's starting. Let's head in."
"Ah, yes."
***
"This time, the U.S. NFP came in way above expectations, right? And with the CPI announcement adding to the volatility, how's FX looking?"
"The dollar index is holding strong above 105. The Fed's hinting at rate hikes, so it'll likely climb further. Meanwhile, the yen's sticking to loose policies, so we're looking at yen weakness."
"What about foreign investors?"
"The current foreign buying trend is heavily concentrated in the electronics sector. It appears to be reaching overbought territory. In Kangsung Electronics' case, the P/E ratio has exceeded 12x, so there might be short-term valuation pressure."
"If foreign buying continues to pour in, we'll start seeing losses on our opposite positions. We'll need some risk management. We should take short positions and prepare hedges too. Consider covering through ETFs or futures."
"Yes, Team Leader."
It's clearly the same Korean language, yet...
I couldn't understand a single thing they were discussing.
Still, I pretended to listen attentively while jotting down every unfamiliar term in my notebook.
In the meeting room, team members diligently gave their briefings and reports, while the Team Leader issued instructions on today's buy/sell timing based on their updates.
How should I put it?
It felt like watching some kind of game.
Like a raid leader meticulously explaining strategies to party members before entering a dungeon—that kind of vibe.
Somehow, it felt familiar.
"Alright. Let's survive another day."
With that, everyone quickly scattered to their stations.
I was about to discreetly follow Deputy Lee Hye-rin when the Team Leader called both of us.
"Deputy Lee. Show our new employee Jeong the ropes on mock trading today. Start with the basics."
"Yes. Understood."
Deputy Lee Hye-rin came to my assigned desk and opened the trading program together.
"You've done mock trading before, right? I actually won a mock investment competition this company hosted back in college. That became a great credential too. Have you tried it, Mr. Jeong?"
"...No."
"Ah~ So you're the pure practical type then. Not one for simulated trading."
"..."
I couldn't bring myself to say I'd never invested at all.
If I did, after the shock at the university earlier, this would be a one-two punch of humiliation.
"'Why do mock trading?' That's an excellent question. We can't just hand company funds to junior traders and tell them to invest, right? So we make them gain experience through various tasks until they become seniors. And mock trading serves as an evaluation tool too."
I hadn't even asked anything yet, but Hye-rin was already answering unspoken questions.
Still, I did learn why they make us do mock trading.
"Do good mock trading results mean promotion to senior?"
"Yes. Ultimately, securities firms don't care about anything else. Performance is everything. No matter how good someone is at analysis, communication, or office politics—in the end, the best is whoever makes the most money."
That was both the merit and flaw of performance-based systems.
Beep beep beep—!
A loud alarm suddenly echoed through the office.
The market had opened.
"Whoa..."
The previously quiet office instantly transformed into chaos as everyone sprang into action.
Phones rang from every direction, the air filled with frantic mouse clicks and keyboard clatter. The monitors placed throughout the office displayed what looked like a collective artwork of human frenzy.
"This is when us grunts feel most useless. We've got nothing to do until the seniors request materials. That's why we gain experience through mock trading like this. Let me walk you through it step by step."
Amidst this madness, Hye-rin began teaching me the program from scratch.
But at some point, her voice stopped registering.
'Huh? What's...?'
Charts I couldn't comprehend.
Stock listings I'd never seen before.
An endless sea of red and blue indicators.
And this electrifying thrill spreading from my fingertips through my entire body.
'Why do I suddenly feel like this?'
A "feeling" was overwhelming my mind, stirring an intense impulse.
Specifically about one stock Hye-rin was using as an example—the one currently showing a blue indicator.
If this were a loot box, I was absolutely certain it would drop premium items.
If this were equipment enhancement, I felt utterly convinced it would succeed.
'W-wait a second.'
Before I knew it, my hand moved toward the mouse like a man possessed.
Click—.
The buy button was pressed.