Specialist

Siyoon clicked his tongue as he watched his assets swelling. So money really does make money.

The profit had already reached 3.5 billion won.

By tomorrow, his net worth ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠would brush past 20 billion without breaking a sweat.

Stock investing was the one thing he'd never doubted himself at. Back in college, he'd won Hansan Securities' mock trading competition twice, and he'd turned the money he earned driving people home drunk on weekends into returns of several hundred percent.

The problem was the seed money. Even a 200 percent return on a 100,000-won stake only yielded 200,000. He would have loved to roll it all back in as capital, but in those days when scraping by day to day was a struggle, it wasn't even enough to cover his living expenses.

Poverty begets poverty — that saying was true. So was the one about money breeding money. Having now put billions to work, he could confirm neither was the slightest exaggeration.

As Siyoon nodded at his monitor, Choi Tae-wook, who had been on his way down to the warehouse, stopped in his tracks and asked, "Director. Something good must have happened to you."

"Why do you say that?"

"You just look that way. Your condition seems great, too."

Well, the market had opened limit-up right at the morning bell — that certainly counted as good news. If he squeezed out more gains from here, it would only get better.

"Can't complain."

"Haha. Then I'll be off on my delivery run."

"Right. Good work."

Siyoon's eyes drifted back to the monitor.

The afternoon, after lunch.

Jinju Energy was still holding firm at its limit-up price.

It'll keep climbing for a few days yet.

He couldn't say with certainty where the ceiling was, but at this momentum, a minimum 200 percent return was already locked in.

While he sat at his desk, his phone buzzed. A text from the bank.

"Hmm...?"

His salary had landed.

But why was it this much?

Come to think of it, Team Leader Oh had mentioned sending him a share of the team's profits. That must have come through together with his pay.

Even so, why so much of it?

General Affairs salaries ran roughly 3.5 million won a month. Which meant about 140 million of this was incentive. He wasn't about to refuse money that was being offered — the more, the better.

He was still staring at the message when a call came in.

He hung up and opened his delivery app.

He'd just pocketed over 100 million won of found money — treating the office was the least he could do.

Minutes after he placed the order, a dozen donuts and coffees arrived. He set aside the extra snacks for Kim the senior clerk and Choi Tae-wook.

"Oh! Thank you for the food! But why on earth did you order so much?"

"Our gangster hyung says he's craving coffee."

"Gangster hyung... you don't mean that..."

While Tae-wook was picturing Team Leader Oh, Siyoon scooped up an armful of food and headed for the Trading Team.

"I'll be back."

"Off you go, sir!"

The trading room — his first visit in a long while.

For some reason, festive music was drifting from inside. He pressed the buzzer, and the door swung open almost immediately.

It was Assistant Manager Min So-hee.

Wearing a party cone hat.

"You're here! Everyone's been waiting for you."

"...?"

"Don't just stand there — come in, come in."

Ushered in by her insistence, he stepped into the office.

Inside, the place was in full party mode. A spread of upscale buffet food lined one side of the room, making the snacks Siyoon had brought look positively shabby by comparison.

I've seen this before.

Early in his career, Deputy Head Shin had once pulled in over 2 billion won in profit, and the department had thrown a party on payday to celebrate. They'd knocked off for the morning, lingered ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠over wine and food into the afternoon, and headed home early.

Thanks to Siyoon recommending the Jain Tech stock, the Prop Trading Team had booked profits in the tens of billions — and this party was a surprise event the Head of Division had arranged himself.

At some point, Team Leader Oh sidled up to him.

"I ask for one coffee and you show up hauling a whole packing house. Hand mine over and come have some wine."

A buffet corner had been set up along one side of the office. There, Deputy Head Shin and the rest of the Prop Trading staff were waving him over.

The feeling was strange — new and bittersweet.

There was a time when he'd been the ugly duckling here. And now, everyone wanted him.

"Siyoon, what are you doing? Come eat before it gets cold."

Deputy Head Shin poured wine and handed him a glass. Before he knew it, a fork had been pressed into his other hand.

"I already had lunch, sir."

"Then at least have a salad. This whole gathering exists because of you — walking out without touching anything would just be rude."

This time, Min So-hee chimed in.

"You know how it works, Siyoon. In a big-profit month, the Head of Division throws the party himself."

"I do."

"And this time, you're the guest of honor. So eat, drink, and enjoy today."

With that, she plopped a party hat onto his head. Apparently the sight of him in it was too much for her — she couldn't hold back her laughter.

"Pfft! Now that I look at you, you're actually kind of cute?"

"You're enjoying teasing me, aren't you?"

"Oh, come on — teasing? When there's a party, you commit to the party. You're the star of it today."

Amid the small talk, the Head of Division made his way over.

"Director Kang. A word, over here."

"......Yes, sir."

He rested a hand on Siyoon's shoulder and steered him toward a corner, as though there were something private to discuss.

Once they were out of earshot, the Head of Division pulled the garish party hat off his own head. Then he asked, gravely:

"Still the same answer?"

"I'm sorry?"

"About coming back to the Trading Team. I thought perhaps you needed more time."

The Head of Division still wanted Siyoon back. He never said it outright, but the numbers made the rounds — through the Deputy General Manager's line, Siyoon was quietly generating over 10 billion won in personal investment returns.

The man wanted Siyoon for one reason only.

Performance.

The Trading Team's results became his results, and if he meant to climb higher than a directorship, the person he desperately needed right now was Siyoon.

Siyoon's refusal was simple.

In General Affairs, his personal investing was unregulated. The moment he rejoined the Trading Team, that freedom would evaporate.

And there was one more thing.

The warehouse had become something special to him. A tiny unit, but working alongside Kim the senior clerk and Choi Tae-wook had taught him a great deal.

So this is what it's like to actually belong somewhere.

For the first time in his life, he felt a sense of belonging. Eating together, working together — giving up the satisfaction they shared was no small thing.

"I'm grateful that you believe in me, sir. But I'm not considering a return to the Trading Team."

Siyoon drove the stake in firmly, as if to end the discussion.

Yet the Head of Division's expression didn't so much as flicker, as if he'd anticipated exactly this.

"I see. I understand. Honestly, I'd have felt the same in your shoes. Rejoining the team would only get in the way of your personal investing, wouldn't it."

Not the reaction he'd expected.

The Head of Division pressed on.

"So I've been thinking. What kind of arrangement would help the company and help you? And then an idea came to me."

He snapped his fingers.

"A Special Team."

"I'm sorry?"

"A team built from the ground up for a specialist like you. Naturally, the profit share can't be the same as an ordinary employee's. Say... fifty percent of the gains?"

"......!"

"It's already been broadly agreed with the Senior Managing Director. Let's keep this between the two of us for now."

Si yoon was too stunned to speak.

Nothing showed on his face, but his scalp prickled.

"Think it over. You ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠have all the time you need."

With that, the Head of Division turned away, clapped his hands toward the staff, and raised his voice.

"Everyone, enjoy! Today's a special day!"

The next day.

Siyoon arrived at the warehouse office and sank deep into thought.

Fifty percent of the profits?

The Head of Division's proposal was unprecedented in the entire history of Korean securities firms.

It exceeded even the 40 percent paid to the Trading Team. And this money wouldn't go to a team — it would be paid to Siyoon personally.

It was called a Special Team, so presumably it wouldn't be folded under the Trading Team either. Meaning his personal investing could continue, free and clear.

"The Senior Managing Director signed off on this too?"

Well, of course. A proposal this radical was never something the Head of Division could decide alone. The man sat in the Senior Managing Director Cha's line — the two of them must have hashed it out together.

He had no interest in office politics.

But money, on the other hand...

"Good morning, Director!"

"In early again today?"

Kim the senior clerk and Choi Tae-wook had arrived.

"Yeah. Had something to check."

"Is something the matter, sir?"

"Hm?"

"You seem... unusually serious today?"

At Tae-wook's words, Siyoon ran a hand over his own face. His facial muscles were still locked tight. He tilted his head.

"Tae-wook. You can read my moods now?"

"Ah... honestly, at first I couldn't tell at all. But after spending so much time with you, I get a gut feeling about it?"

For some reason, those words landed on him like something moving.

And his deliberation only deepened.

I don't want to leave the warehouse. But the Head of Division's offer is tempting...

As he stared at the monitor, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the market opening was drawing near.

Yesterday, Jinju Energy had closed at its limit-up. Today, he hoped for the same.

Nine o'clock struck, and the market opened.

Siyoon's eyes locked onto a single point on the screen.

A dot limit-up. The stock had opened pinned at its ceiling and ended the game before it began.

He shifted his gaze to the monitor beside it.

5 billion invested, 6 billion earned.

An enormous profit — yet something told him this wasn't where it ended.

Scrolling through the ledger, he found himself recalling what the Head of Division had said yesterday.

"We're going to build a Special Team."