1988 - Acting
1988 - Acting
Waaaah-!
Listening to the siren sound, New York's white noise, I walked toward 96th Street.
The reason I moved into Harlem was extremely simple.
It was cheap.
And I'd also heard there were many Koreans in Harlem.
Before the regression, the shock was quite significant.
Even though it was cheap, that was only by New York standards, and the Koreans were concentrated around 125th Main Street.
That meant I was isolated alone on 103rd Street among countless Black people.
Who would have thought the distance between 103rd and 125th Street would be that far.
Even though it was just a mile (1.6km), it wasn't easy.
If it weren't for my landlords, Hank and Jessie, it would have been much harder.
'Looks like I can get out earlier than expected.'
But now it's different.
I already have hundreds of thousands of dollars in clean money.
If I push a little, I could probably buy a mansion on the Upper East Side.
I'm thinking of getting out of Harlem as soon as possible, even a day earlier.
"Yo! Chinky! Where you goin'?"
"The bank."
"To rob it?"
"No, you fucker. To get my paycheck."
The local homeless guys warming themselves by a fire in a street drum waved and greeted me.
The ashes inside that drum probably also contain the corporate bonds I destroyed as evidence.
A world where you can light fires on the street.
Thinking about the streets of the future, I can see how quickly the world changed.
"Ooh! You got a job?"
"Yeah. I'll buy some pizza later."
"Really?! Fuck! For real?"
Instead of answering, I just waved and walked on.
Those guys were a kind of radar.
They couldn't physically block gangs, but they were people who identified and relayed dangers in advance.
To survive in Harlem, the street community is essential.
Although in this life, I probably won't see them for very long.
"Good morning!"
"Hello."
"Where to?"
"World Financial Center, 225 Liberty, please."
"Got it!"
On the way to Merrill Lynch by taxi.
While watching the people outside the window, a red dot appeared before my eyes.
Something updated?
'Status Window.'
───────────
<Traits>
[A-0 Gene]
[- Empty -]
[- Locked -]
[- Locked -]
.
.
.
[- Locked -]
Assets Held: $920,214
Roulette Count: 0
───────────
'......?'
You gotta be kidding me.
The 'Locked' changed to 'Empty', and my assets increased.
Looks like the account's profit/loss was applied as the market opened.
Is it a system where locks are released when assets increase?
I can understand that far.
But no, if a lock is released, shouldn't something like a new trait appear?
I don't know what roulette is, but at least give me that.
"......Sir?"
"It's nothing."
Maybe I looked strange poking the air and muttering something, because the taxi driver's eyes seemed very suspicious.
Does he think I'm a junkie?
"Ugh-."
I let out a deep sigh.
If you're going to give me a convenient superpower-like thing anyway, it would be nice if you could talk to me and explain things kindly.
Before I regressed, AI and androids were the trend.
"......."
Hmm.
Come to think of it, even if they gave it to me and I complained, I'd have nothing to say.
I was too shameless.
Let's reflect.
But no, fuck, from a human perspective, it's too unfriendly.......
"Phew-."
Grr.
"Welcome, Mr. Kim."
As soon as I entered the retail department of Merrill Lynch, Diana greeted me warmly.
Simultaneously, people's gazes focused on me, then they quickly went back to busily doing their own work.
"Hello, Diana."
"This way, please."
Right after the market opened.
Isn't this the busiest time of the day?
So I was just planning to sign some papers and pick up my checkbook.
Tilting my head, I followed her into an empty conference room.
"Would you like a cup of coffee?"
"I'd appreciate it."
"Sugar?"
"Two."
Clink.
She brought two cups of coffee on a tray, placed them in front of me, and took one mug for herself.
'......Wow. I suspected it might be, but really?'
In one corner of the tray, 'DK' was written in coffee.
An abbreviation for 'Don't Know'.
Among traders, it's used as a signal that a mutual order was missed.
Since my Status Window proves there's no issue with my assets, it's not being used in its literal meaning.
'I should interpret it as 'there's a problem'.'
In other words, there's something in this conference room right now.
A recorder or wiretap is the most likely possibility.
If it were Merrill Lynch doing it, Diana wouldn't hint like this, so it must be the SEC (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission)?
Well, damn.
My investment wasn't even that large, and the SEC is coming for an audit over a measly few thousand dollars?
For them to rush in like this in just one day means it's urgent enough to half-shatter procedures.
This must be some kind of record too.
Well, I did sweep up all the out-of-the-money call options the day before gamma exploded, so it would look suspicious to anyone.
I even took those options with no volume from other IBs.
Did this happen because the traders worked too hard for me......?
"Oh, the coffee is good."
Saying that, I gave a small nod.
"Mr. Kim."
"Yes."
"Could you give us a little hint?"
"What kind of hint?"
"How will Bosch turn out?"
Diana really shouldn't act.
Winking awkwardly like that, it really shows way too much.
No, wait.
Anyway, it seems cameras aren't installed yet.
Maybe that's not acting, but deliberately making it obvious?
Still, she's pretty.
Among Wall Street traders, that level of looks isn't common, so that might be why.
"Ah-. Bosch was a real coincidence. It's actually causing me trouble."
"Trouble?"
I drank my coffee and shook my head vigorously.
"I was originally building a portfolio. I planned to attract investors next month."
"......So you were a fund manager. I thought so."
"Not yet. I should say I'm being tested?"
Since things have come to this, leaking grounds for money laundering in the Bahamas to the SEC isn't a bad idea either.
It's better to make them aware in advance than to report after becoming the GP of an offshore fund.
Not sure if information will be shared within the SEC, though.
"The investor wanted to decide the amount after seeing the January-February transaction history, but I just entered mechanically based on the macro data, you see? Then suddenly Bosch....... Ugh-."
"Ahahaha! Anyway, making more money is better, isn't it?"
"Of course it's better. It's just that there's too much noise in the data now."
But it's a bit unfair.
I really didn't know about Bosch.
Why do I have to put on this damn act?
"So when are you thinking of selling?"
"I'll have to wait and see if a white knight appears first."
At my words, she seemed interested, crossing her legs slightly and leaning her upper body toward me.
Her lower body is as solid as her upper body.
I like the black stockings too.
"Are you really going to defend?"
"100%. The U.S. market has been suffering from the aftereffects of Black Monday for too long. From a corporate standpoint, they won't willingly accept a hostile takeover in such an undervalued situation."
Even as I said it, it sounded like a pretty plausible reason.
Although it's a thought fitted knowing the future.
Isn't that why junk bonds, M&A, and stock arbitrage spread like a trend during this period?
"If a white knight does appear, which company would it be?"
"Probably not a pharmaceutical company first. Their cash flows are all a mess. The likely ones are in the chemical sector?"
"Hmm-. Chemicals."
"A company with connections to pharmaceuticals while attempting diversification."
"......The ones that come to mind immediately are DuPont, CI Chemical, but they don't suit diversification, and Unic Carbide can't even cover its own front, so that won't work. I'm not sure."
"That's as far as I can predict too. Sterling Drug will handle it well on its own."
I shrugged my shoulders.
I had no intention of showing off and shouting 'Sodak' here.
There is Sodak Chemical, but who would see that as a bullish factor?
......What on earth was I thinking in the past to believe that would create synergy?
"If my prediction is wrong, I'll just sell to Bosch and exit. In that case, I should only hold until right before the merger approval comes out."
This is the strongest counter-evidence I can present.
If I were an insider at Bosch, I should have dumped it at the tender offer price.
But I'm waiting for a white knight who will pay more than Bosch.
The premise that I got information from Bosch itself collapses.
Therefore, I just need to stay put until the Sodak brothers join the battle.
"As for the investor, well, I have no choice but to be honest."
"Ahaha. Investors won't care as long as you make money for them, right?"
"That might be true at first. If they demand that accidentally achieved rate of return, only I'll suffer."
"That's true too. We hear that all the time whenever we make calls."
This was mixed with my genuine feelings.
Fuck Regulation D and the like!
I won't take investors.
Whether individuals, institutions, or pension funds.
I thought pension funds would watch heavily from the sidelines, but no.
Pension funds actually acted more harshly than individual tycoons.
"Could you wait a moment? The checkbook should be ready soon."
"Sure."
Diana smiled brightly and left the conference room.
And after about 10 seconds, I felt the era with my whole body.
Since there are no smartphones, there's really nothing to do.
I should have brought a book.
Diana entered the conference room right next door.
"I'll take these."
Then she picked up the documents and checkbook lying on the table, shrugged her shoulders, and spoke.
She cooperated, but she had no reason to particularly look good for the SEC employees.
Above all, they were making her work during the busiest morning hours without even throwing a single coin her way.
"......Very well. Thank you for your cooperation."
One of the men sitting in the conference room took off his headset, let out a deep sigh, and replied.
"What do you think?"
"I think the defensive logic is sufficient."
"Putting aside the white knight issue, if he actually receives investment, we should consider that fact."
"You know I was opposed from the start, right? If he were an insider, he would have accumulated in larger quantities at a broader price range."
The man who appeared to be the superior listened to his subordinates' opinions while stroking his beard.
Although hidden by the beard, his forehead was deeply furrowed, suggesting a wry smile.
"Right. I agree. My misjudgment."
"What about tracking?"
"Risk level Tier 1, tracking only."
"So we're withdrawing?"
"For now, yes. What else can we do. Damn it."
"Understood."
"This sucks."
It seems an incredible coincidence and luck overlapped.
Thought we finally caught a lead, but it's a bust.
We rushed procedures, installed wiretapping equipment without upper-level approval, and there's no result?
A written explanation is certain when we go back, but there's also nothing more we can do here.
If he really holds and endures, sanctions or lawsuits become impossible.
All that's left for them is to observe when he sells and confirm if he actually becomes the manager of an offshore fund.
The SEC employees sighed and got up from their seats.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
And Diana, who re-entered the adjacent conference room, smiled brightly.
"Could you sign these documents?"
"Is a margin loan and starter check also possible?"
"Of course! Absolutely! Please wait a moment!"
Margin loan.
Simply put, it's a negative balance account using stocks as collateral.
Each one of those is entirely the bank's profit and incentive.
That was the reason to care more about the client than the SEC, which doesn't give a single penny.
She quickly went out and gathered the documents.
And before entering the conference room again, she unfastened two more buttons on her shirt.
The Hudson River visible right after exiting Merrill Lynch's glass dome.
And the Statue of Liberty.
Sunlight reflects off the waves, scattering in all directions.
I walked while admiring that beautiful scene.
Even though I hadn't walked far, the scene was soon cut off.
Two huge buildings were blocking my view and the sky, even though the space should clearly be empty.
"Ah......."
The world is all connected.
The 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake created the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the currency crisis created the 1998 LTCM bankruptcy crisis, the LTCM bankruptcy crisis accelerated the 1999 dot-com bubble, and all of that piled up to cause the 2007 subprime crisis and the Great Recession.
9/11 was the same.
Although the beginning may have been America's layered karma, that single event changed too much.
People began to suspect their neighbors, classes divided, and those who commercialized division and opposition began to succeed.
In the end, it reached a point where you had to divide to succeed.
"What bullshit......."
I spat on the ground.
So what am I supposed to do about it?
No matter how much wealth I accumulate, I can't change the world.
If I can't even do anything about North Korea, what about America?
There's nothing as futile as a yellow monkey shouting in this damn 'United States of America'.
'......First, I need to get a house a bit away from here.'
That's all I have to do.
The margin loan limit is 50% of the appraised assets.
Roughly, I can use as much as I want within about $450,000.
"Welcome! Where to?"
At the taxi driver's question, I looked up at the twin buildings still blocking the sky and opened my mouth.
"Trump Tower."
I don't care.
Enough to move to where the biggest beneficiary of 9/11 lives.