Chapter 33
Chapter 33
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Black Monday (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The day after Black Monday.
"How... how could this... this happen...."
Though they'd heard it many times before, never truly believing it would actually occur, the employees gazed at me with eyes filled with a mix of fear and awe.
"Aren't we going to get arrested? This, this...."
I patted the shoulder of the trembling employee and flashed a bright smile.
"It's okay. No one knows but us, right? And we all stayed within legal bounds anyway."
In truth, what I'd done was something very minor.
The aftermath of Black Monday wouldn't differ much from the original history. Sure, dragging the Dow down an extra 2.6% was an incredibly encouraging achievement, but...
The visible results I'd achieved appeared far grander—beyond imagination—compared to what I'd actually accomplished.
Now, what did the people at Daeha Securities see in "me"?
No one had accurately predicted Black Monday. In hindsight, they might think, Oh, that was the cause, but that was it.
Yet I'd openly forecasted the market crash right in front of them and even artificially triggered it.
In other words, to the eyes of Daeha Securities' staff... Black Monday looked like it had happened because of me.
Like a magician's sleight of hand. The real cause lay elsewhere, but by repeating actions and showing the results, people fell for the illusion.
Ah, that person did this, so that's the outcome!
To those who only vaguely understood what I'd done... I was history's greatest genius—and a madwoman.
After all, I'd toyed with the world's stock markets using just a million dollars.
This was how I pursued power.
I would...
Weave an intricate myth so meticulously that no one would dare challenge me.
Even when the 21st century dawned and all my future knowledge ran dry.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ In just that one day of Black Monday, $500 billion evaporated in the U.S. alone. Looking at stock markets worldwide around that time...
The month of October saw a staggering $2 trillion in losses.
Panic selling erupted not just on Wall Street but at the Tokyo Stock Exchange, the London Stock Exchange in the City of London, and exchanges everywhere, one after another.
Hong Kong's exchange in particular plunged -50%. When the Dow cratered by a quarter and Wall Street looked that bad, the scene in Hong Kong—where the index halved—was unimaginable.
Australia dropped -45%, Spain, London, and Japan -30%, Canada—which neighbored the U.S.—-25%...
To reiterate, these weren't drops for a single stock. These were the overall market indices over an entire month. Thanks to that, Daeha Securities employees now averted their eyes whenever they saw me.
Naturally, the U.S. Senate and House were thrown into chaos, with financial hearings held day after day.
In the end, circuit breakers and sidecars were introduced, and the newly appointed Fed Chair Greenspan relentlessly pumped liquidity into the markets.
It all matched the history I knew.
No major impacts yet.
I'd only hastened the panic a bit, but unlike Japan's market—which got hammered consecutively on Friday and Tuesday, shattering it more badly—the U.S. still boasted solid fundamentals.
Solid enough that even Ha Yeong-il's fund raking in $100 million barely made a ripple.
"...Does this even make sense? A hundred million dollars?"
Ha Yeong-il, fresh from wrapping up work on Wall Street, stared at me like I'd risen from the grave. He was the only one who'd heard my plan and predictions in detail, so it was understandable.
Others might not know, but Ha Yeong-il, who handled the trades directly, needed to understand just how far the U.S. market would crash.
"Hehe, see? I told you I'm a genius."
I flashed my usual childlike grin for the first time in ages, and Ha Yeong-il grimaced.
"I always considered myself a rational man who didn't put much stock in superstitions, but... now I get why people turn to gods and omens. What, did you receive some divine revelation?"
I shrugged.
"God gave me this genius brain of mine, so yeah, pretty similar."
"..."
Not wrong. No one in the world was as certain of gods or some transcendent existence as I was. Not even the Pope in Rome had faith this unshakable.
"Anyway, this should be more than enough seed money, right?"
"Plenty to spare. And this is net assets, not invested capital... Factor in the incoming investments soon, and it'll be closer to $300–500 million, not just $100 million."
Soros's fund managed about $1 billion right now. Ha Yeong-il's had skyrocketed from an obscure boutique fund to a mid-tier hedge fund overnight.
Especially if they widely advertised nailing Black Monday—it'd be a huge boost.
"That said, the New York market's stabilizing faster than expected. On Black Monday itself, I really thought America was done for..."
Ha Yeong-il looked at me anew.
Not only had I predicted Black Monday, but I'd foreseen how the U.S. would weather the chaos afterward.
"$100 million? That's still grabbing a decent haul without getting too greedy. Exactly 100x, right?"
Original capital around $1 million... Sure, we'd spent some prepping the groundwork, but 100x was a solid take.
We'd used massive leverage from the start, so this was the minimum we'd aim for.
"We could've... no, we could've made way more. The market was in shambles for days, not just one."
Ha Yeong-il looked a bit regretful but seemed to understand my judgment, saying no more. The rest of the profits had been spent building connections.
Short-selling or options trading meant someone else always lost. Raking in too much right now was risky.
Of course, that didn't mean we hadn't earned it. We'd made it, then given some back. In reality, it'd been $700–800 million, not $100 million?
"Felt pretty good, huh? Those high-and-mighty types groveling to a young Asian trader."
He grinned and nodded.
"You bet. It was... incredible. Man, those banks and funds I always looked up to were all on the brink of bankruptcy, begging a rookie fund manager."
If they actually went bust, we wouldn't get paid, so I told him to take just enough. Not freebies, of course—they owed it all back.
"Next time, no mercy. They'll figure something out even if they bankrupt."
Honestly, it was a shame. Money never got boring, no matter how much you made.
Ha Yeong-il probably felt the same.
"Yeah. Heh, self-capital at $100 million already..."
The fund had grown, and they wouldn't get another chance like this.
When I'd invested personally, it was $10 million; for the official hedge fund, $100 million...
Next time, we could probably handle $10 billion in profits. By then, we'd have the power to protect it.
My eyes gleamed as I nodded slightly. It was time to run a full-fledged hedge fund.
"This should be safe to advertise now. We've built connections with investment banks and other funds... Should have plenty of hires lining up, and credibility too. Right?"
"Haha, yeah. Even before coming back to Korea, people were swarming the fund. Took a whole month to finally see your face, miss."
"Hire the ones who listen well first. And I know it sounds ridiculous, but as ethically sound as possible."
At that, we all burst into hollow laughter.
"Hahaha! That's a good one."
A conscientious person on Wall Street?
No such rare species existed. Even if they did, they wouldn't join Ha Yeong-il's fund.
Only one type would join a fund that became Wall Street legend overnight with insane strategies and leverage...
Ambitious young people hungry to become legends themselves.
"Ha, yeah. But you get what I mean?"
"Yes, yes. People who won't harm the fund or do outright illegal stuff?"
Exactly.
Surprisingly, on Wall Street... just skirting the law adequately made you conscientious.
.
.
.
After Black Monday passed... I lay tumbling on the bed, lost in thought.
Truth be told, I wasn't all that conscientious. Just a typical fund manager, faithful to my desires.
"Still... maybe I'll try living virtuously this life."
Virtue seemed fine. True mercy belonged to the strong, not the weak, and with enough money and power, pretending to be good was far better.
I wasn't some movie superhero... A knife to the gut would kill me just fine. No need to make enemies needlessly.
"...Miss. Am I misunderstanding what 'virtuous' means?"
Lee Si-hyeon, sitting on the bed massaging my shoulders, shot me an incredulous look. She'd shed her suit for a tank top and dolphin pants, modestly exposing just enough to look good.
"Nope. You're understanding it right."
I pulled out a crisp 10-million-won check and tucked it into Lee Si-hyeon's cleavage. Her toned body shivered faintly.
"Whoa, it works. See? Now I'm virtuous too, right?"
"..."
Whew.
Life was too easy.