Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Translation: Godtl
"Ah! What do you think you're doing suddenly hitting the buy button?!"
"Ah."
Oops.
I'd already screwed up on my first day.
Drawn by that impulsive feeling, I'd pressed the buy button as if playing a game.
"And you even placed a market order, so it executed immediately. Plus, see this? What color does this look like to you?"
"A blue light."
"Exactly. A blue light! It's hitting the lower limit, see?"
"So what do we do now?"
"Well, what can we do? It's not like you lost real money. This is just mock investment, right?"
If that was the case, then it was a relief.
She'd startled me with her sudden outburst—I'd thought real money was disappearing.
"But there is a problem. Didn't I mention this earlier? The reason we junior traders do mock investments is to be evaluated by our superiors. You need good performance in mock trading to move up to the next level. But now you've gone and bought all of this..."
Muttering "What do we do?" under her breath, Lee Hye-rin was genuinely concerned for me.
"Still, it's okay. The mock investment funds can be reset anytime. Who knows? This blue light might turn red at any moment. If it does, you can just sell quickly. Though it'll probably take a while for that to happen... You heard earlier, right? The U.S. interest rate hike. That's why all the insurance stocks are dropping right now."
"Yes. I'm sorry."
"Don't be. New employees are bound to make mistakes because they're nervous. I was the same way at first. Of course, this might not leave the best impression on the seniors, but Jin-ho, you're just starting out, right? Hang in there."
Lee Hye-rin.
Was this woman an angel?
How could anyone be this kind?
I swear I could see a halo glowing around her.
And paired with her pure beauty, being near her made me feel like I was standing in a flower garden...
Ah. Get a grip.
I came here to work.
Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't have even dreamed of having a one-on-one conversation with a beauty like her.
And on top of that, I'd already made a mistake on my first day.
'But that feeling was really intense, you know?'
That emotion I'd felt while gaming.
That sensation, as if my special ability had activated.
Drawn by it, I'd pressed the buy button.
'In games, the feedback was immediate—either success or failure.'
But the stock market was utterly incomprehensible.
From what I could see so far, the light was still blue, so I must have misread the situation.
Or maybe this ability had nothing to do with stocks in the first place.
Perhaps I didn't have any special ability at all—maybe I'd just gotten lucky a few times...
"Hey. Jin-ho? I'm trying my best to teach you here—you're not zoning out on me, are you?"
"Absolutely not."
"Hmm. Just looking at your face, I can tell you're lost in thought."
"..."
First things first—focus on the work.
This place was a jungle filled with nothing but things I didn't understand.
But... with a beauty like her teaching me, I couldn't focus at all.
＊＊＊
The stock market opened at 9:00.
But with the opening auction, the real action started at 8:30 AM.
And while the market closed at 3:30 PM, the closing auction meant the final settlement price wasn't set until 3:40.
Seven hours and ten minutes.
That was how long the soundless war raged each day.
The prop trading department was the busiest in the company.
Scalping.
A method of ultra-short-term trading, where positions were held for mere seconds or minutes at most, capitalizing on rapid price fluctuations—that was what this place was all about.
Even if you held onto a stock, the longest it would stay was a week, and usually, selling everything before the market closed to secure funds was the top priority.
If you wanted long-term investments or preferred holding stocks for more than just short periods, this department wasn't for you.
That kind of thing is for the asset management team or the research team.
Those departments aim for the value investing and growth investing strategies that people love so much. But Team Leader Park Hong-seo had no desire to be stuck in such trivial, tedious places.
Day after day, every minute and second, watching red and blue candlesticks wrestle in a battle of wits, sucking money out of each other in this colossal casino—this was where his vitality thrived.
This was the place where dopamine and rage recharged with every passing moment.
If the stock market didn't exist in this world, he would've undoubtedly headed straight for a casino.
Or maybe he'd have been glued to his phone, drowning in illegal online gambling every day.
That's why the dopamine-fueled SNS and short-form videos everyone was obsessed with lately didn't even register in his eyes.
This place—right here—was where human dopamine could be fully charged.
And that was why Team Leader Park stayed at this company.
Why not just trade with your own money?
That wouldn't work.
When you're dealing with someone else's money, you can make slightly more rational judgments. But the moment you start thinking of it as your money, your judgment gets clouded.
That's exactly why traders who perform well at firms often crash and burn the moment they go independent.
"Team Leader, you worked hard today."
"The real work starts now. Have the associates organize today's trading results and calculate the P&L. And Assistant Manager Kim, prepare the position report. Any notable incidents checked?"
"Ah, yes. I was actually planning to submit it along with the report."
"Good. We need to strategize for tomorrow's market, so make it as fast as possible."
"Yes, sir."
After giving instructions to his team, Park Hong-seo took advantage of the brief break to pull out the dumbbell stashed under his desk.
Post-market, his routine was to mitigate muscle loss—even if just a little—with some dumbbell exercises while sipping protein.
And for dinner tonight, as always, it would be fresh chicken breast...
"..."
Just then, he noticed someone hesitating, unsure whether to interrupt his beastly routine.
"Assistant Manager Lee. Something to say?"
"Ah, yes. Team Leader, sorry to bother you while you're working out."
"No, it's fine. Just loosening up. What is it?"
"Well, Team Leader..."
Lee Hye-rin explained what had happened while she was training the new hire.
"So, the new hire 'accidentally' went all-in on a single stock? And at market price?"
"Yes. It seems he made a mistake while I was training him. But since the stock hit the lower limit today, I was worried he might get an unfairly negative evaluation..."
"I get what you mean. Go prep a briefing. And keep training the newbie."
"Ah, yes."
Lee Hye-rin.
They say a person lives as they're made, and that phrase fit her perfectly.
An angelic face, a kind heart—she didn't seem like someone who belonged in this ruthless world where people were judged solely by numbers.
But an all-in purchase?
Honestly, could that even be called a mistake?
He tried not to dwell on it, but his curiosity kept getting piqued by that parachute hire's sudden move.
Why did he buy this?
The stock Jeong Jin-ho had gone all-in on was none other than an insurance stock—Central Insurance.
Insurance stocks weren't exactly the most appealing picks to begin with.
And today, with interest rate hike fears looming, the entire insurance sector was drowning in red.
Was it really a mistake?
It was just a mock investment with fake money anyway.
If it had been company funds, it would've been a problem, but this? Whatever.
Still, something about it nagged at him.
An all-in purchase as a mistake?
Even if it was at market price, he must've clicked the buy button himself.
As these thoughts began to spiral, Team Leader Park Hong-seo closed his eyes.
'Stop thinking about it.'
After all, he was just a temporary parachute hire passing through.
He had no intention of entrusting a senior position to someone who didn't even know the first thing about investment, and the company surely felt the same way.
So whatever that guy did, he'd just observe from the sidelines.
He'd leave on his own soon enough.
＊＊＊
"Ugh, it's already...?"
Before I knew it, the clock showed 7 p.m.
I'd been trapped in the office for 14 hours since arriving at 5 a.m. that morning.
Yet the day had passed in the blink of an eye.
"Time really flies here. I guess that's what happens when speed is life—everyone's constantly moving at breakneck pace."
During the early market hours, the two of us didn't have much to do.
But once trading activity picked up, errands came pouring in from every direction.
Naturally, I knew nothing, so I just trailed after Deputy Lee Hye-rin like a lost puppy, learning as I went.
"Still, Jin-ho. You did remarkably well for your first day. Though there was one minor mistake."
"It really was minor, right?"
"Pfft. Would they really count one slip-up in mock trading against a new hire's evaluation? Wait... Team Leader Park might actually... He's notoriously strict."
Ah. Team Leader Park.
With muscles straining against his shirt and a demeanor that—how should I put it—
He reminded me of those by-the-book officers I'd seen during military service.
If Team Leader Park had been my mentor instead of Deputy Lee Hye-rin...
'Ugh. Just thinking about it gives me chills.'
Thank you thank you THANK YOU, Deputy Hye-rin!
"See you tomorrow then, Jin-ho."
"Ah, yes. See you tomorrow."
I blankly stared at Deputy Lee Hye-rin's retreating figure.
The workload had been far more intense than I'd imagined.
But of course.
This was the coveted securities firm where all the young hotshots wanted to work.
I couldn't possibly complain about it being tough.
Not when my parents were out there working even harder to feed this good-for-nothing son of theirs.
Plus, the thought of having Deputy Lee Hye-rin as my mentor gave me extra motivation.
As I walked toward the subway station to head home—
"Huh?"
My savior was calling.
I answered with my most professional voice.
"Jin-ho speaking, President!"
[Sigh. I told you to just call me hyung when we're alone.]
"But it's hard to get used to."
[You brat. After just one day of work. So how was it? Tougher than you expected? Even as a junior, you must've been swamped trying to learn everything.]
"Haha. Who am I to complain? And seeing everyone work so hard was actually inspiring. You must've been crazy busy too, hyung—how did you even find time to game?"
[I had help. Like when you managed the guild whenever I was away on business or swamped with work. Even during raids, you'd take charge as raid leader and call the shots—made things easy for us.]
"Whew. I could never be like you, hyung. I feel like I'll pass out as soon as I get home."
[Listen to this punk. Don't tell me you're not logging in tonight? I'm already logged in and waiting.]
"Gasp. I'll rush right there."
[Yeah. Everyone's worried. They're saying the ghost who practically lived in-game has disappeared.]
"Then I'd better hurry. Please wait just a little longer!"
I broke into a run toward the subway station.
Busy, so busy.
The life of a modern man!
＊＊＊
Around 6-7 a.m., you can hear groans everywhere.
A harmony created by office workers sighing before another workday.
But some don't join the chorus.
The traders.
The ones who tremble on weekends when the markets are closed.
They were no different from gambling addicts itching to get to the casino.
Well, there were probably some who weren't like that.
But of all the traders Team Leader Park Hong-seo had seen so far, more than half had been exactly that.
All of them were dopamine-crazed lunatics.
"..."
Team Leader Park Hong-seo arrived early again today, checking through documents.
What fresh chaos had unfolded overseas overnight?
As he ran through his various checks, he sipped his morning coffee—no, scratch that. His morning protein shake.
"Good morning, Team Leader."
One by one, his team members trickled in.
"Meeting in fifteen. Get ready."
"Yes, sir!"
After the morning briefing, he adjusted the strategies they'd prepared the day before, issued instructions, then returned to his desk.
"..."
One minute until market open.
Even after all these years in the game, this was the moment that made him the most nervous, his hands trembling.
Will my strategy work this time?
Can I win again?
His fingertips tingled so badly it was maddening.
Ding-ding-ding—!
The moment the opening bell rang, Park's hands flew into motion.
His eyes darted between the multiple monitors spread before him, scanning the markets, his brain working at a frenzied pace.
When his strategy hit, the rush of dopamine and indescribable triumph—and when it didn't, the bone-deep dread that made his coffee cup rattle in his grip.
In this world where you could swing between heaven and hell in mere minutes, closing time always arrived before he knew it.
"Ah..."
At times like this, he felt like a child lingering outside an amusement park after closing, torn between reluctance and emptiness.
"Team Leader, should I send you the data now?"
But there was no time to space out.
Today was over—time to prepare for tomorrow.
"Yeah. Anything unusual?"
"A few stocks surged significantly today. I've sent you the data file on them."
"Thanks."
Park Hong-seo checked which stocks had unexpectedly skyrocketed today—and which had taken an unforeseen nosedive.
Figuring out why these fluctuations happened was their core job.
As he scrolled through the list, his mouse wheel clicking steadily—
"...?"
One stock caught his eye.
A very familiar one.
"Wait. This..."
On a hunch, he pulled up yesterday's mock investment results from the newbie.
Sure enough.
[Central Insurance +15%]
"Hah."
Park let out an involuntary scoff.
Fifteen percent?
In a single day?
The sudden spike in Central Insurance's stock price was due to one thing—its dollar bond holdings.
Most insurance companies allocated a significant portion of their assets to foreign bonds, and with interest rate hike fears looming, the sector had taken a hit, dragging most insurers down.
But today, Central Insurance alone had surged.
The reason? Their U.S. government bond holdings were three times higher than competitors'. They even had a hefty share of floating-rate bonds.
So while yesterday's market had dragged all insurance stocks down together, Central Insurance's unique strengths had let it hit a peak today—alone.
And this was the stock that parachute kid had picked.
He'd even gone all-in.
It was a shame it was just a mock investment, but Park couldn't help wondering—
Did he actually listen to yesterday's meeting and make his own judgment?
Yesterday, Park's team had discussed the strong NFP, CPI, and dollar strength.
Every trader in the firm had probably expected insurance stocks to drop.
The flood of data had screamed it—and they'd been right.
But that parachute kid had spotted the hidden pearl in the muck.
I called it a fluke...
The more he thought about it, the weirder it seemed.
Out of all those stocks, he'd picked Central Insurance and gone all-in at market price?
...Was it really just luck?