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The destination Min So-hee had chosen was not the hangover soup place, but a shabu-shabu restaurant.
She dropped vegetables and meat into the bubbling broth and began stirring it round and round. Siyoon watched her quietly for a moment, then asked, "Will shabu-shabu really do? For settling your stomach, I'd think hangover soup would be better."
"You're not teasing me, are you?"
"Tease you? No—I'm just worried about you."
At that, Assistant Manager Min's eyes went wide.
"You mean that? You were genuinely worried about me? Wow..."
After all, Siyoon had been the one who threw the morning market into chaos, and he couldn't help wondering whether she'd taken damage because of it.
"Why? Am I not allowed to worry?"
"Haha. No, it's just... it's the first time I've ever heard you say something like that. It's taking some getting used to."
Min So-hee laughed playfully. "And here I heard the morning market ate you alive. That was just an act, I guess?"
"I did get cooked, actually. Lost ten million won on losses alone. Thankfully I clawed it back in the afternoon."
"Well, that's a relief."
"Still, I can't shake the feeling I got played. That Super Ant traded like he was riding a wave—calm and steady the whole way—while I couldn't even hold a proper position and got dragged around all day."
Min So-hee was a recognized, capable trader, but turning a profit on a day like this—one of those choppy, whipsaw market days—was no easy feat.
The reason Siyoon could post such high returns lay in a trading method all his own, honed through long years of investment dating back to his amateur days.
"Don't look at the money. Look at the numbers."
"I'm sorry?"
Assistant Manager Min fixed her eyes on him intently.
"If you think about it as losing ten million won, your stomach twists itself in knots. But if you think of it as losing a thousand points in a game, it's easy to stay calm. It's just a game, after all. A thousand points—winning them back is fine, losing them is fine too."
"Mind control... I know it matters. But that's easier said than done, isn't it?"
"Practice it over and over, and it'll start to click."
Her gaze deepened little by little. "That's strange. When did you ever figure that out? Come to think of it... don't tell me. This morning..."
"Let's just eat."
Siyoon ladled meat onto the plate in front of her and passed it over. The meal carried on like that, and Min So-hee's mood lifted steadily as it went.
She studied him with a curious expression. "Is something good going on with you these days?"
"Excuse me?"
"Ever since your transfer, you just seem... better?"
"That can't be..."
Siyoon absently touched his own face. The muscles were still stiff, and his inability to express emotion remained as it had always been.
"You're a bit blunt, sure, but you even worried about me, and you talk more than you used to. So I figured something good must've happened."
In truth, plenty of good things had happened. He had inherited Bitcoin from a maternal grandfather who had never once contacted him, and his stock trading was turning in enormous profits. Since being assigned to the warehouse, he'd unexpectedly earned praise from his superiors as well—things that would have been unthinkable in the past.
"Do I really look that way?"
When Siyoon asked, she nodded with a warm, contented smile. With that gentle expression, anyone might have mistaken her for a kindly older sister.
"That's good to hear. That you seem happy."
Near the end of the meal, Assistant Manager Min picked up the bill and headed for the counter—only for the employee to wave her off.
"Oh, the gentleman already took care of it."
Min stared at Siyoon in surprise. "You paid? I said it was my treat today..."
"It's fine. I've had an unusual run of good things lately, after all."
With that, Siyoon stepped out of the restaurant.
A few days later, the warehouse office.
It was a slow day—no inbound or outbound orders at all. Siyoon sat in front of his computer with his stock windows open, analyzing a handful of tickers.
"Director, should I go organize the warehouse stuff?"
Choi Tae-wook asked from the sofa across the room.
"Organize? Organize what? We already did it this morning."
"Ah. Then should I do some cleaning, maybe?"
"The place is spotless—not a speck of dust. What would you clean?"
"Then... should I go make some coffee?"
Siyoon studied him in silence.
Perhaps unsettled by having nothing to do, Tae-wook kept shifting restlessly on the sofa. It was the first time since he'd started work here that the day had been this idle.
"If you've got nothing to do, then study."
"Sorry?"
"You're going to have a rough time keeping up once you go back to school. Do some reading ahead now."
"Still... it's work hours right now..."
"We don't have set break times, do we? Studying when there's no work is fine. Bring a book or two tomorrow."
"Ah—yes, sir. Thank you."
The moment Siyoon turned his eyes back to the monitor, a bell rang outside the warehouse. Tae-wook immediately headed for the door.
He returned shortly and pushed the door open. "Someone's here to see you, Director."
"Who is it?"
"They didn't say their name. Tall, and looks to be in his late forties..."
Tall, late forties?
Could it be the Head of Division?
Sure enough, the man appeared behind Tae-wook before Siyoon could finish the thought. Siyoon shot up from his chair.
"Head of Division, sir."
"Sit, sit. It's not like some great personage has arrived."
And with that, he strode briskly over to Siyoon.
His gaze settled on the screen with evident interest. "Doing chart analysis, were you?"
"Oh—my apologies, sir."
As Siyoon moved to close the window, the man stopped him. "No, leave it be."
He proceeded to scrutinize the monitor from corner to corner. While he did, Siyoon shot Tae-wook a meaningful look, and the young man promptly fetched coffee and a chair.
"Please, have a seat here, sir."
"Well. Thank you."
Tae-wook tactfully slipped out of the office.
Seated, the Head of Division lifted his coffee cup but never took his eyes off the monitor. After watching the chart for a long while, he murmured half to himself.
"Jain Tech, hm... They cut battery heat output with that electrode coating technology recently. Worth keeping an eye on. Yes, Will Space isn't bad either. They've got a small satellite test launch planned for next year. Might not hurt to check in on it ahead of time."
Having spoken as though delivering a report, he turned his head toward Siyoon.
"So. I hear you had a bit of fun with Factory Robotex a while back?"
"......"
How does he know that? The sudden question made Siyoon feel as though his body had frozen solid—but his eyes didn't waver.
"No need to be so alarmed. I happened to hear it over a meal with the new Manager Jun, who just joined. I've given the man a firm talking-to, so there's nothing to worry about. Besides, a General Affairs employee trading a little stock—hardly a problem, is it?"
No, it wasn't a problem.
But word getting around wouldn't do him any favors either. Talk of how much money some employee had made would only breed pointless irritation all around.
Thankfully the Head of Division had gagged it at the source, so Siyoon's mind settled. The man wasn't the type to go blabbing about things that weren't his business.
"Thank you for looking out for me, sir."
"Thank me? I only survived a major crisis thanks to you. That's what colleagues do—help each other out."
Then his face grew troubled. "Any thought of returning to the Trading Team?"
"No, sir. Not yet."
"I see. I understand. With skill like yours, you could earn plenty without wasting your feelings managing up and down the chain of command. Still, I can't help feeling it's a waste. A man like you rotting away in a warehouse like this—it defies sense."
The Head of Division recognized Siyoon's trading ability to a considerable degree. But with Siyoon unwilling to return, his face was clouded with regret. After a long internal struggle, Siyoon spoke.
"If my staying at Hansan Securities is becoming a problem..."
"No. Don't even say such a thing."
The man cut him off flat.
"If you leave the company, the Senior Managing Director will be sorely disappointed. He'd blame me for letting such a valuable talent slip away. Whew... just imagining it gives me a headache."
Ever since Siyoon had reported Manager Kim's embezzlement, he had caught Senior Managing Director Cha Seungjin's eye. And the Head of Division, who had no choice but to stay in the Director's good graces, was desperate to prevent Siyoon's resignation by any means necessary.
"You know Team Leader Oh is fond of you, don't you?"
"Yes... I do."
"Right. So for Team Leader Oh's sake if nothing else—don't you dare say you're leaving the company."
Then he cast a glance around the office.
"I had the facilities replaced through the General Affairs Team Leader. Anything still lacking? Come to think of it, should we be enlarging this office?"
"No, sir."
"Of course you'd say that. Honestly, Team Leader Han thinks far too small. He's not skinning a minnow with a paring knife—when you're redoing the place, you make it a size bigger."
"The space is plenty large as it is, sir."
"Ah. Then that's a relief..."
The consideration was appreciated, but the sheer scale of it weighed on Siyoon. The man looked ready to convert the entire warehouse to above-ground space if Siyoon so much as asked.
Rising to his feet, the Head of Division said, "In any case, if you need anything, tell Team Leader Han. He'll see to just about anything."
"Thank you, sir."
Halfway through turning to leave, the man pivoted back to Siyoon once more.
"Oh, and one more thing. If you had to pick between Jain Tech and Will Space—which would you put your money in?"
At the question, Siyoon sank into careful thought. Team Leader Oh's words came back to him—the remark that the Head of Division might come seeking advice one day.
Don't tell me... is that exactly what's happening right now?
"With limited capital, I believe I'd choose Jain Tech."
"Why so?"
"Long term, Will Space is unrivaled in aerospace, but I'd estimate the company needs at least several more years before it turns a profit. Jain Tech is different. They have an excellent battery research facility, and the moment their funding comes through, I believe they're positioned to grow explosively at any time."
The man nodded, his expression grave. "Jain Tech... I see. Well then, keep up the good work."
And with that, the Head of Division left the office.
A few days later.
Seated at his computer, Siyoon was reviewing regulatory filings on his HTS terminal when he spotted one he hadn't seen before.
Resolution on Third-Party Allotment Rights Offering
Purpose: Business expansion and securing operating capital
Jain Tech?
A rights offering?
This was the news Siyoon had been waiting for.
He'd believed that the moment the company secured funding, explosive growth would follow—and right on cue, the announcement had broken.
"Is there a news article yet?"
Nothing on the portal sites either. He went straight to the electronic disclosure system to check the details.
Rights Offering Details
Amount to be raised: 50 billion KRW
Use of proceeds:
— Domestic production line expansion
— Advance procurement of raw materials, etc.
The moment he finished reading, he opened his trading window. The market's reaction hadn't yet gathered momentum.
This is it.
His hand closed around the mouse without hesitation.
The instant he placed a market buy order, the confirmation chime sounded.
Your buy order has been filled!
"Whew..."
A long breath escaped Siyoon's lips of its own accord.
The total amount he had invested in Jain Tech: 3 billion won.