Full Margin, All-In

I should go all in, right?

I used to think I had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a real talent for investing. Back when I was twenty, fresh out of high school and just starting college. That was when the pandemic hit. The whole world sank into recession, and my family got crushed right along with it. But for me, it was a once-in-a-lifetime golden opportunity. Because that’s when I discovered crypto.

The coin boom was in full swing. I figured if ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I played it right, I could strike it rich. So I fired up a trading app and started poking around. “Dogecoin? What a stupid fucking name,” I laughed, lying on my bed and giggling like an idiot. “Buy it. Right now.”

With the heart of a beast, I dumped every last won of my living expenses into coins. The result? A massive success. In one shot, I made enough to cover four years of tuition. That same summer, the crypto market crashed straight into the abyss. Everyone was checking the temperature of the Han River, but it had nothing to do with me. I’d already cashed out at the absolute top.

Before enlisting, I poured everything into a graphics card company. The reason was simple—I just really liked games. After I was discharged and checked my account…

Ten times my principal. A genuine tenbagger. After that, I kept making smaller trades on the side. So how much did I end up making in total? I was still in my twenties, and my bank account was already sitting on nine figures in cash. I paid off all the loans, handed my parents the smart keys to brand-new cars each, and thought, Yeah. I can live off investing from now on.

So I dropped out of college. From then on, I devoured every lecture and book I could find. Value investing and long-term holds were the basics. Scalping, day trading, swing trading, technical analysis, fundamental analysis, long and short positions—I mastered them all. Once I started paying attention to current events, I succeeded nine times out of ten.

I could probably slap a Yeouido fund manager across the face and still come out on top.

My arrogance pierced the heavens. Convinced that everything I touched would turn to gold, I stuck my hand into futures trading.

“This is guaranteed profit.”

The result? I got absolutely wrecked. I dumped all 2.6 billion won of my net worth into it and got liquidated overnight. My analysis had been perfect, but I failed to calculate human madness. That night, even though I couldn’t hold my liquor, I cracked open an expensive bottle of liquor I’d bought for show and chugged it straight. Then I blacked out.

I probably died right then. Why? Because when I opened my eyes again, I wasn’t in Korea anymore. I was in a completely different world. And in the absolute worst possible situation.

“Baron Goldman. We would appreciate it if you could settle your debts in full soon.”

“We already granted you an extension, yet more than half the principal remains unpaid with the deadline right around the corner. What do you intend to do about this?”

“At this point, the only collateral left appears to be real estate…”

They spoke in polite, refined language, but their faces looked like they belonged to loan sharks. The three debt collectors sitting across from me were pressuring me hard. I silently rose from the sofa.

“Um…”

All eyes snapped toward me. They looked like they were expecting something. I squeezed my eyes shut, took a deep breath, and blurted out at lightning speed:

“I don’t have anything to give you right now so please wait just a little longer I swear I’ll pay it back okay thanks bye!”

Faster than anyone, I spat out the words in one unbroken stream and sprinted toward the reception room door.

“Hey!”

“Don’t you dare run!”

They chased after me, but it was pointless. Too late, you idiots. I’d simulated and practiced my escape routes dozens of times. Bang! I slammed the door shut and locked it. Bang bang bang! The collectors pounded on the door like they were trying to break it down. A furious shout flew through from the other side.

“If you keep running like this, even a noble won’t be spared! If you fail to repay by the due date, we will proceed according to the law. Consider yourself warned!”

I could hear them muttering among themselves.

“Ugh, what kind of pathetic deadbeat is this?”

“We treated him nicely because he’s a noble, and look how shameless he acts. Can’t even beat his ass either.”

“Talk about bad luck.”

Thud. Thud. Thud. Their footsteps faded into the distance. Only after I was sure they were gone did I finally relax.

“Hoo… Made it through another day.”

I wiped the cold sweat from my forehead.

Back when I was in the military, I used to read romance fantasy web novels to kill time. One of them was called I Became the Empress of Business. The female lead was an illegitimate daughter of a ducal house who suffered endless abuse. She hid her talents, got kicked out of the family, then built a business empire and struck it rich. Along the way she got entangled with the male leads and kept winning. A classic refreshing power fantasy.

And I got isekai’d into that novel.

The character I possessed was Allen Goldman, the Baron of Goldfield. He wasn’t even mentioned in the original story. There was an episode where the female lead visited this region to start a business—why didn’t the lord ever appear? After living here for less than a month, I finally understood.

“Because he was already ruined and gone, that’s why.”

The moment I possessed this body, the memories fused together, so I knew this guy’s past. His parents—the previous baron and baroness—had been far too kind. They gave away money left and right, co-signed loans, and even got scammed. On top of that, both of them died young from illness. As a result, Allen was forced to shoulder everything at the tender age of twenty.

Unfortunately, he had zero competence. Everything he touched turned to loss. The result was endless debt collection, neglected territory management, local disputes, and complaints. Four years passed like that, and all the servants left except for one.

“Come on, if you’re going to isekai someone into a romance fantasy, at least give them a cool character, right?”

You know—the Northern Archduke, the Southern Admiral, the Crown Prince. Why did I have to end up as the broke-ass version?

In most possession stories, the protagonist uses their past-life knowledge to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠overcome the crisis. But the truth was… I was useless here too. What could a guy who dropped out of college to trade possibly know? Modern knowledge? This wasn’t the Middle Ages. Major cities had old-fashioned cars rolling around, people used telephones, and countless factories were operating. There were even things that resembled computers. So showing off with shallow modern knowledge was impossible. My science was hazy on the periodic table, and I’d ditched math ages ago. I knew absolutely nothing about magic or magitech engineering.

So even after getting isekai’d, all I can do is run from debt collectors.

But that miserable life was finally about to end.

Because I know the story.

If I could just hold on a little longer, a massive opportunity would arrive. Smiling inwardly, I was heading back to the office when I ran into a familiar figure.

“You’ve been through another round of debt collection again, I see. Young Master Allen… I mean, Master.”

“Yeah. Well, it’s not exactly new.”

The only servant still remaining in this family that could go bankrupt at any moment was Mariel Clevier. We’d played together often as children, and the moment she became an adult, she came to work as a maid.

I was about to walk past when I stopped and asked, “Hey, Mariel. Your family was a baronet house, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“If you’re only staying because my parents helped your family while they were alive, you can stop. There was never any actual debt between us. You have so much work, your wages are overdue, and you even have to see ugly scenes like that. There’s no need to suffer for no reason.”

Mariel let out a small sigh.

“If I leave, how will you manage living alone in this huge mansion, Master?”

“Well… somehow?”

I shrugged theatrically. A tiny smile bloomed on her lips.

“I am truly grateful for the grace you showed us in the past, but it isn’t only because of that sense of obligation. I…”

She trailed off with a look that said she’d almost said too much.

“Hm? You what?”

“Ah, anyway. I have no intention of leaving on my own.”

Her firm answer made me chuckle helplessly. “Alright, got it.”

I’d tried to send her away with words, but deep down I was incredibly thankful. She was handling the duties of a head maid without even receiving a salary. When I hit it big this time, I’ll have to reward her generously.

With that promise in mind, I headed to the office. Creak— I entered the desolate room. The only furniture left was an old desk and a single chair. Anything that could be sold had already been taken by the debt collectors.

Thump! I collapsed into the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠chair and looked down at the desk. Debt collection notices. Complaint documents from the territory residents. A ledger drowning in red ink.

“Goddamn it!”

Swoosh! I swept my arm across the desk and knocked everything off. The papers scattered across the floor. With the surface now clean, I spread open today’s newspaper. Flip! I immediately turned to the business section.

“It should be about time…”

I scanned the articles one by one. “Where is it, where is it…!”

My eyes landed on a short article tucked away in the corner.

I shot up from my seat. “It’s here! This is it!”

What was the original novel’s title again? I Became the Empress of Business. It was obvious. Any business Rachel touched—whether by choice, force, coincidence, or fate—would explode into massive success. If I’d had any talent, I would’ve started a business myself, but how the hell was I supposed to know how to generate electricity? I knew nothing.

But even here, humanity’s greatest masterpiece existed—the one where, in theory, even a chimpanzee could become a chaebol.

The stock market.

All I had to do was click “buy” on the businesses the female lead Rachel would build, and money would print itself. I was sick and tired of the endless humiliation and oppression.

“It was around this time. The moment her first company gets listed.”

Rachel’s first venture was in mining. She’d invented a magitech rock drill by incorporating a unique magic circle of her own design. In the early days it was treated as nothing more than ordinary mining equipment, but one week after the company listed, the empire-shaking invention known as the magic amplifier would be developed. Immediately after, news would break about the discovery of an arcanium vein—the core material for that device.

The problem was that the vein was saturated with dense mana. Ordinary mining tools couldn’t even scratch the rocks. That was when the magitech rock drill drew attention. It shattered the bedrock as smoothly as if it had been made specifically for mining arcanium. The magic circle’s mana waves supposedly neutralized the dense mana in the area.

Anyway, the female lead’s mining company would skyrocket and rake in enormous wealth.

“…That was the early episode.”

And right now, I was standing at the launchpad of a rocket headed for Mars. Scrape— I pulled an envelope out of the drawer and placed it on the desk. I opened it and took out the documents.

“All-in with full margin, huh.”