Is This the Moment?
Is it now?
“What are you doing here? Isn't today your day off?”
Siyun asked, tilting his head.
“I moved to Yeouido too. The commute was brutal from my old place, so I've been prepping for this for a month now.”
She unfolded the real estate contract she was holding in her hand, then turned her gaze to Jeombak-i.
“Oh? Is that a robot dog? And it's even wearing a leash—don't tell me... you just came back from a walk?”
“That's how it happened, more or less. Though I don't think there'll be any more walks. Is the place you moved into an officetel?”
“It's an apartment. It's not huge, but the location is prime, so it's a solid investment.”
“So... you bought it outright?”
“I did, but with a bank loan, so I can't quite call it fully mine yet.”
An apartment of her own at twenty-six.
Even with a mortgage, a Yeouido apartment would cost a small fortune. He'd thought she was the meek type, but it turned out she had a shrewd streak too.
“Congratulations.”
“Oh, come on, it's nothing. Anyway, now that we're neighbors, how about that drink you owe me? Today, maybe?”
Siyun hesitated.
Meeting people had always been hard for him. As a child, he'd genuinely tried—but relationships that never went anywhere always ended the same way.
Being unable to show joy or sorrow, anger or delight, turned out to be a far bigger handicap than he'd imagined.
You're not planning on getting close to me, are you?
Watching people drift away one by one, Siyun had made up his mind. He would live a life of his own.
“If it feels like too much, some other time is fine.”
Min So-hee said carefully.
Under normal circumstances, he would have counted that as a lucky escape. But for some reason, today felt like a day for taking chances.
“No. Let's go eat now. You bought an apartment, after all—someone owes you a congratulatory drink.”
“Right now? A drink in the middle of the day?”
“There's no law against drinking before sunset.”
If he had to drink with someone, he figured it was better than a crowded evening hour.
“Alright. Let's go now.”
Assistant Manager Min happily accepted.
****
He left Jeombak-i at home and headed back out.
The place he and Assistant Manager Min went to was a pajeon house nearby. When he ordered seafood pajeon and makgeolli, she looked a little disappointed.
“I wanted to treat you to something nice. Pajeon? Really?”
“I happen to love seafood pajeon. I got to pick the menu, so let's have this.”
“Still. I was planning to properly thank you this time. There's a premium Korean beef place nearby—come on, let's go there right now.”
Min So-hee started to rise from her seat, but Siyun caught her arm and eased her back down.
“Seafood pajeon and makgeolli is plenty. Good value, great taste. What more could you want?”
“Hmm... you're sure? No taking it back later.”
“I'm sure. Deal.”
The food and makgeolli arrived soon after, and they began an impromptu afternoon drinking session. A few drinks in, a flush crept across her face, and she asked,
“How's warehouse duty treating you? You've been looking so much better lately. Way brighter than when you were on the trading team.”
It was true that his circumstances had changed. There was a time he'd been the lowest-ranking employee worrying about getting laid off—but now he held the title of Inventory Management Section Chief and was living comfortably at work.
The bigger event, of course, had been the Bitcoin inheritance.
His life had turned around from that moment on.
Going from nothing to a ten-billion-won asset holder overnight—sure, he could look better. But brighter was an unexpected word.
“I look... brighter? That can't be right.”
At his words, Assistant Manager Min burst out laughing.
“Hah! Not your face, silly.”
“You're making fun of me right now, aren't you?”
“Making fun of you? I couldn't say why, but your whole vibe has changed. You seem so much more alive than before.”
Was warehouse management actually his calling? While he was lost in that thought, Assistant Manager Min asked him something serious.
“Can I ask you something? Why do you keep the people at work at such a distance?”
It was a question no one had ever asked him before.
Answering honestly would mean starting with the car accident from his childhood—and that story was far too long.
“No particular reason. I'm just a selfish person, that's all.”
“Hmm... I don't think that's it, though? Just look at the Jain Tech deal. You're not the selfish type, Siyun.”
“Thank you for seeing it that way.”
Siyun began pouring makgeolli into her glass—then suddenly froze mid-motion.
“What? Why'd you stop pouring?”
Assistant Manager Min looked mildly startled.
But the one more startled at that moment was Siyun himself.
When was the last time I had a drink alone with someone like this?
No matter how he searched his memory, no one came to mind except Bang Yo-han. This was a first—sitting face to face with someone, one on one, sharing drinks.
And it wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as he'd expected.
He tilted his head at the strange feeling, then filled her glass again and said,
“Daytime drinking isn't so bad.”
****
Monday afternoon.
Siyun had just finished lunch and sat back down at his desk when a message arrived from Bang Yo-han.
The photos showed the Wolmido shoreline, a sunset over the water, and dishes snapped at a raw fish restaurant.
Did it work out?
He called, and the line connected almost immediately.
“What happened? You went dark all weekend.”
“We went to Wolmido over the weekend, then Sunday we caught a movie and hung out all day. Been busy. Sorry.”
“And the drive went well?”
“Oh yeah. Good thing I have a good friend. Best weekend I've had in a long time.”
“Glad to hear it.”
He'd worried the date might have crashed and burned, but it turned out Bang Yo-han and Koo Hye-young had agreed to take things slow and get to know each other.
The guy who used to know nothing but robots.
Seven years of unrequited love was finally turning into something real—and for some reason, Siyun felt proud.
“You started your new job today, right?”
“Yep. I'm actually on the clock right now.”
“Got it. Let's talk later.”
Bang Yo-han couldn't bring himself to hang up.
“Thank you... really, Siyun.”
“For what?”
The call ended, and Siyun turned his eyes to the monitor. Several theme stocks he'd been tracking were already displayed on the screen.
Not for investing—just idle curiosity. He'd been skimming through KOSDAQ names when his gaze caught on the renewable energy theme.
A handful of stocks had crept up modestly during the morning session.
He'd been watching closely, half-suspicious, and sure enough—the small caps were rallying in a way that felt anything but ordinary.
Click.
He scoured the online financial news, but there was nothing on the theme. When he checked the renewable energy watchlist again, three more names had started climbing.
Green Nexus +2.3%
Wave Energy +3.1%
Green Natures +3.5%
All of them quiet as graves that morning.
That settled it—the renewable energy small caps were rallying in unison.
But the sector leader hasn't moved...
Small caps moving first in a situation like this? That was a signal.
No news yet.
But the money flow had arrived first.
Which meant policy could follow. The classic case of small caps moving ahead of an official announcement.
Six renewable energy theme stocks were now up.
Siyun's fingers sped across the keyboard.
He immediately pulled up Jinju Energy, the sector leader, on his monitor.
Every other small-cap theme stock was surging, but Jinju Energy alone sat at –1.4% with no sign of trading volume stirring.
Is this the moment?
If the small caps were being bought as a positioning play, then Jinju Energy would likely explode upward soon—though only if the policy was actually announced.
“Whew...”
Siyun exhaled slowly, weighing it.
Theme stocks were violently volatile—a single news line could send them soaring or cratering, so caution was only natural.
Policy announcements, too, often amounted to nothing but unreliable tabloid rumors. He'd seen plenty of traders poke at a theme on pure speculation and plunge straight into the abyss.
But risk always existed in investing. If you wanted returns, you couldn't let a buying window like this slip by.
Mind made up, Siyun keyed in the order quantity and moved his mouse toward the buy button.
The decision was made.
All that remained was execution.
Click!
One click of the mouse completed the market buy order.
The total position: five billion won.
****
Quitting time came, and Choi Tae-wook began tidying up the office.
It was already past six, but he showed no intention of leaving.
“Why aren't you going? It's quittin' time.”
“Ah, well—you're still here, Section Chief. How could I leave before you...”
“I'm fine. Go on ahead. I just have something to check.”
“No, sir! I'll leave when you finish your work!”
He appreciated the thought, but the deliveries were all done—there was nothing left for Choi Tae-wook to do. And it wasn't like he was earning overtime pay.
Siyun stood and opened the office door.
Then he addressed Choi Tae-wook, who was still sweeping the office floor.
“Good work today. See you tomorrow, Staff Choi Tae-wook.”
Only then did the young man sheepishly scratch the back of his head and file out.
“Understood! Then I'll see you tomorrow!”
“Right. Get some rest.”
Only after Choi Tae-wook was gone did Siyun sit back down at his computer. He could have checked the market from home, but somehow his feet wouldn't carry him out the door today.
“...Did I make the right call?”
He muttered to himself as he checked Jinju Energy's profit-and-loss figures.
Eight renewable energy theme stocks had all closed up five percent or more that day—but Jinju Energy alone had finished at –3%, bleeding his account into the red.
He kept digging through the financial news, but there wasn't a whisper of anything.
And so the hours crawled by.
Then, at seven in the evening, a lead article appeared on the portal sites.
The instant his eyes landed on the headline, Siyun felt his whole body go rigid.