Chapter 80
Chapter 80
Translation: Godtl
"Oil prices have dropped again."
"Is it because of Trent?"
"Yes. President Trent strongly criticized OPEC this time, accusing them of deliberately manipulating oil prices. Thanks to that, prices fell in the short term."
It wasn't just any country.
When it came straight from the mouth of the U.S. President, it was inevitable that prices would be affected.
But there was a problem.
It was fine that prices moved because of Trent.
The issue was that certain entities started taking positions a full 30 minutes before those price fluctuations occurred.
"And without fail, these kinds of issues always follow."
"So they're either shorting or going long to secure profits in advance?"
"Yes. Our securities firm's overseas traders, as well as employees from other firms, seem to suspect the same—that President Trent might have directly intervened."
It might sound like a conspiracy theory, but those who've been in the U.S. market long enough know.
They know just how deeply political figures are involved in the stock market.
Of course, not many stir up issues as frequently—or as suspiciously—as Trent, but this was still just speculation.
And it was likely to remain nothing more than speculation.
Because there was no institution in this world that could investigate the U.S. President.
On top of that, our country had strict regulations regarding stock holdings by high-ranking public officials.
But the U.S. was surprisingly lenient in comparison.
And Trent had been revealed to hold stocks in various companies, exploiting legal loopholes to avoid full disclosure—earning him plenty of criticism.
Which only made the suspicions grow stronger.
That the U.S. President was playing the stock market for personal gain, lifting and dropping prices at will.
"Well, it's not just the U.S. This kind of thing happens in most countries. It's just that the U.S. has a global impact, so it draws more attention."
"True. If the leader of a nation wants to line their own pockets, who's going to stop them? Besides, thanks to Trent, we're making some money too, aren't we?"
Rewarding those who helped in his election while padding his own pockets—it was practically tradition.
Kangsung and our Gwangun were among the companies that had benefited from such favors.
"Ah, right. What did G-Mart say?"
"They've agreed to all of our proposals."
"No way. Seriously? That's surprising. I was sure they'd refuse."
Just like my brother had said, I'd thought the same.
Even when I first sent the proposal, our department staff had assumed Kangsung would reject it.
"But I guess even they see Lupin as a threat. Their growth is no joke."
Even though they're called the Big Three, everyone knows the truth.
If things keep going like this, Lupin will dominate overwhelmingly.
"Honestly, the business structure isn't bad. If we integrate it well with Nation of Late-night Snacks' system, we might be able to curb Lupin's rapid expansion early on."
"Do we have the right person for it?"
I was already handling securities and the exchange.
Taking on another business venture on top of that seemed like too much.
"I'll find someone suitable and put them in charge. And if they hit any roadblocks, I'll have them consult you. Give them some advice when needed."
"Understood. And the costs will be covered by headquarters?"
"Yeah. Our group's overflowing with cash right now. Far from losing money anywhere, everyone's making insane profits."
That meant the group itself could decide how to utilize those funds.
But my brother had given me full authority over all financial decisions.
Transferring funds through a securities firm would require a rights offering and be entangled in various complex regulations.
But this way, I could directly decide how to move the group's money without going through such complicated procedures.
"First, allocate a set amount to the businesses you're running. Even after that, there's still money left over—over a trillion won, in fact. The executives suggested that if we don't have an immediate use for it, we should park the funds elsewhere for now."
"Where?"
"The US market. They say it's historically stable right now. Almost no volatility."
Back when I first entered the securities industry, storms raged almost daily. But after every storm, doesn't calm always follow?
The US stock market was no different.
Though it had been tossed about by various upheavals, it was now showing extremely stable indicators.
"They say the VIX is at its lowest level in history. Rather than just sitting on safe assets, they're suggesting we diversify the funds there since the returns are quite solid right now."
The executives had apparently done their homework.
Hyungnim simply showed me a list of stocks.
Starting with inverse VIX ETFs, it listed stocks expected to yield stable long-term returns.
Given the staggering amount—a full trillion won—it was impossible to dump it all into one place.
The plan was to distribute it across multiple sectors.
"It's true the market is more stable now than ever before."
Despite the uncertainty surrounding President Trent, the market remained steady.
The reason was simple.
Though President Trent held the world's greatest power, becoming the US president didn't mean he could do whatever he wanted.
Without control of the Senate and House, none of the policies he wanted to push through could proceed.
While the Republicans had secured some seats, the Democrats held a comparable number, making policy implementation difficult.
Paradoxically, this created a counterbalance that kept Trent in check, preventing wild stock fluctuations and maintaining stability.
"So right now, wherever we park the money, it should stay stable—"
That was when it happened.
I was about to pick out some stocks from the list to suggest to Hyungnim when—
The paper I was holding suddenly burst into flames.
Startled, I flung the list onto the table.
"What—what's wrong?"
Once I threw it down, the paper was perfectly fine.
But just a moment ago, it had truly been burning.
"..."
Should I pick it up again?
I hesitated.
Because I had a feeling that if I did, I'd see the illusion of flames again.
Wasn't the important thing the message behind that vision?
"Hyungnim, for now, don't put the money anywhere. Just hold onto it. I'll discuss it with our team and get back to you."
The more I used my intuition, and the more time passed—
The more varied the ways it communicated with me became.
'But this one felt way too real.'
The problem was that my intuition had upgraded to the point where it could override my very senses.
Before, I had relied on vague feelings.
Now, the warnings—or favorable signs—were so clear that anyone could see them.
'Then how much more is it going to upgrade from here?'
＊＊＊
VIX.
The Volatility Index.
Also known as the Fear Index.
The lower the VIX, the more stable the market, indicating minimal fluctuations. Conversely, a high VIX meant the market was gripped by fear.
Extremely high: 40.
Moderately high: 30.
Normal: 20.
But the current U.S. VIX index was a staggering 11.
This was the lowest VIX reading in history.
"These days, traders must be yawning nonstop."
"Exactly. Can the VIX really be this low? I've genuinely never seen numbers like this before."
"Of course not. It's unprecedented in U.S. history. It just shows how extremely stable the market is right now."
It felt like the market had weathered countless storms and grown into an unshakable giant.
Everyone was viewing the market with optimistic eyes.
"That's why products like XIV are skyrocketing, right?"
XIV was an inverse VIX product.
With the U.S. showing historically safe index levels, everyone had started pouring money into inverse ETFs.
Products betting that the market would remain as stable as it was now.
In the past, people would have scoffed at the idea of investing here, but now it had become the most popular product in the U.S.
"By the way, our CEO must be really bored. With market volatility this low, there's nowhere to put money to work."
"That's why lately he's barely glancing at the stock market and focusing solely on corporate acquisitions and collaborations."
"Honestly, I think this is better. Back when he was actively investing in the stock market, he'd pull all-nighters. And we underlings got dragged along for the ride."
"Ha. But I still miss it sometimes. The days when the CEO would gather us all and personally direct operations to clean out the market."
Physically exhausting, sure—but there'd never been another time when dopamine surged through them so intensely.
So truthfully, they'd been missing it lately.
Those days of executing split-second day trades under CEO Jeong Jin-ho's orders, shaking the market before exiting in triumph.
But these days, there were no more department-wide strategy meetings like before.
Unless something major came up, CEO Jeong Jin-ho didn't even come to work.
Last time, he'd gone an entire week without showing up.
"Probably the same today, right? Looking at yesterday's U.S. market and today's domestic market, there's literally zero movement."
"Same with Bitcoin. Back when global crises kept erupting nonstop, I kept wishing things would calm down. Now I'm almost hoping for something to happen."
Rumors were circulating that even Yeouido traders had mostly stopped coming to work. At this point, they might as well take a group vacation—just as that thought flickered through their minds—
"Department Head!!"
An employee burst into the office in a panic.
"What's wrong?"
"The CEO is summoning us!"
"What? The CEO came in?"
"Yes. And he's ordered the entire Prime Grade department to assemble—not a single person missing."
"...!"
The employees exchanged glances.
They could feel it too.
That CEO Jeong Jin-ho was gathering everyone for the first time in ages.
What could that mean?
It meant something extraordinary was about to happen.
"Everyone, get ready and head up immediately."
"Yessir!"
The quiet office suddenly buzzed back to life.
＊＊＊
"It's the same with U.S. securities firms. Domestic investors, foreign investors—everyone's pouring the most money into one place right now: XIV. They're continuously investing in inverse products, so an enormous amount of capital has flooded in."
I carefully reviewed the materials the employees had hastily prepared.
All markets entering a period of stability meant there were no stocks crashing dramatically—but none soaring dramatically either.
A stable market was good, but investing here now might yield lower returns than a savings account.
That's why I'd landed on inverse VIX.
A volatility inverse product.
It meant betting that the market would remain exactly as stable as now—or become even more so.
"So I suppose our group was also planning to diversify and allocate funds here. Even if we invest in what's currently called a safe asset, there's no volatility there—it's just letting the money sit and rot."
I thoroughly scanned through the trending inverse VIX ETF products currently on the market.
With everyone and their mother creating and selling similar ETF products, the market was flooded with them.
"..."
It was exactly the same as yesterday.
Just like the list my hyung had shown me, all these products were beginning to burn fiercely in flames.
I set them down on the table before the fire could spread to me.
The strange thing was, the moment I let go, the flames vanished as if they had been a lie.
"What do you all think? Does this product seem okay?"
"At this point, it might be the best investment method available. The VIX has never been this stable before. Since you can't make money going short or long, everyone's pouring their funds into this product. The outlook is that the VIX will drop even further."
In truth, all these inverse products should be considered short positions.
They're betting that the VIX will fall even lower than it is now.
"But what if it rises?"
"Even if it rises a little, it probably won't lead to significant losses. It could always drop back down."
But I had seen it clearly.
All these products burning in flames.
If they weren't just red but actually burning, didn't that mean they were in an extremely dangerous state?
"What about products that assume the VIX will rise?"
"If it rises just a little, then perhaps—"
"Not just a little—what if it rises drastically?"
"Are you referring to a long-term rise?"
"..."
Director Seo's words didn't evoke any particular feeling in me.
"Are you... perhaps talking about a short-term VIX spike?"
Then, it hit me like a bucket of ice water dumped over my head.
"Yes."
"B-but a short-term VIX spike is impossible right now. If something like that were to happen, it would mean an absolute bomb has gone off—"
Literally.
Isn't all the money concentrated in inverse VIX right now?
Everyone believes the U.S. stock market is safe, so the funds have flocked there.
"But you just said it yourself. All the money is pooled there. Doesn't that also mean it's overconcentrated? How much capital can our securities firm currently deploy?"
"About 1 trillion won. Funds are tied up in various investments, so that's the amount we can move immediately."
But 1 trillion won felt far too insignificant.
Sure, it was a lot of money, but it wasn't enough to satisfy my gut feeling.
"What if we increase the capital here?"
"We can bring in funds from headquarters. If we open accounts under our securities firm's clients and deposit money there, we can transfer the funds to invest on their behalf."
"Then open the accounts first. Let's get that money transferred to us."
"W-wait a minute, Chairman. That would mean we'd be handling over 2 trillion won. If you're predicting a short-term VIX spike, investing the entire 2 trillion in products that go against that would be difficult."
It was a matter of volume.
But we didn't necessarily have to invest in products.
"If the VIX spikes in the short term, wouldn't the shockwaves affect other stock prices as well?"
"Short-term, yes, probably."
"Then that's fine. Instead of dumping all the money in one place, let's spread it around and pull it out strategically. There are plenty of stocks in the U.S. market, right? Enough to absorb 2 trillion won."
"Chairman, what you're saying—"
Director Seo and the other employees turned pale.
"Y-you're planning to day trade with 2 trillion won?"