Doubling Down
Let's go! He was hitting it off well with the SST staff.
The very fact that they had turned a profit of nearly one hundred percent on their first trade was encouraging in itself.
The current trading capital stood at 30 billion won. If the funds grew, so would the number of stocks they could invest in — and the profits along with them.
They were still rookies, though, and would need time to find their footing. He couldn't say how long that would take, but once they settled in, he planned to grant them the authority to trade on their own. By then, he would be free to devote more attention to his personal trades.
Fifty percent of the SST team's profits, plus the full one hundred percent from his own trading. It was hard to even imagine how large the total would become.
On the monitor, the employees were chatting among themselves.
"Ms. Mi-young, you nailed it today. Eat plenty of beef tonight. Haha."
"Oh, come on. I was only following the Team Leader's orders, that's all."
Watching the screen, Siyoon murmured to himself.
"I hope that day comes soon."
****
The morning session ended, leaving a stretch of idle time. Before he knew it, lunch hour had arrived.
"Let's go eat."
"Yes, sir!"
Siyoon led the way and pushed open the warehouse door. There, standing in front of it, was a middle-aged man with a pale, gaunt face.
"This is my first visit to the warehouse. Am I supposed to ring the bell to get in?"
"Senior Managing Director."
His body went rigid as Siyoon stared at him. For some reason, the man had come down to the basement warehouse with his secretary in tow.
"That's right. It's been a while. I thought I'd take a look around the warehouse, but it seems you were just heading out to lunch."
Senior Managing Director Cha Seung-jin, with his easygoing, affable air, flashed a warm smile.
"Please, come in."
Siyoon sent the employees out first, then ushered the Senior Managing Director inside. The man began surveying the warehouse with evident interest.
"So this is where everything the company uses gets stored. To think I'm only now visiting such an important place. I should be ashamed of myself."
Then he picked up a trading keypad.
"Heh heh. This thing hasn't changed a bit since back in the day. When I was young, I practically lived with one of these strapped to my hand. Seeing it here again, it feels almost novel."
He turned the keypad over in his hands a few times and set it back where it belonged. His gaze shifted to Siyoon.
"I hear things are going well with the Head of Division these days?"
"No problems so far."
"As if there could be, with you handling it. Kang Siyoon, was it?"
"Yes."
"Right. That day is still vivid in my memory — the day you came rolling into the conference room dragging that cart behind you. All seven of the employees who had committed fraud left the company shortly after."
Siyoon remembered that day just as clearly. It was the day the executives of Hansan Securities, Senior Managing Director Cha among them, had convened for an emergency meeting, and Siyoon had barged straight into it. His goal had been to stop Team Leader Oh from resigning; instead, it had become his chance to clear his own name.
"I knew it right then. This one is no ordinary man. I couldn't imagine what kind of courage possessed a new employee to pull a stunt like that."
"......"
Siyoon bowed his head in silence.
"Sometimes a crisis becomes an opportunity. If we hadn't purged that corruption back then, Hansan Securities might never have recovered. As it turned out, airing our dirty laundry only deepened the trust placed in us. The reason Hansan has stood so firm is precisely because of that reckless courage of yours."
Receiving praise like this made him feel awkward, not knowing where to put himself. The truth was, he had done something so reckless only because he'd been prepared to walk out of the company for good. Of course, he had no such intention anymore. The profits coming in through the SST team were far too sweet.
"I heard from the Head of Division just now — your first trade was a success?"
"I got lucky."
"No need for false modesty in front of me. Humility only suits certain people. It's not a fitting description for someone with talent like yours."
"......"
Siyoon's head dipped even lower.
"How's the trading capital? It's time to increase it, wouldn't you say?"
"I would be grateful if you did."
"Sure. Talk to the Head of Division about that."
As Senior Managing Director Cha stepped out of the warehouse with his secretary, he threw a final line over his shoulder.
"See you around."
****
Even over lunch, his thoughts kept turning.
They're raising my trading capital?
Limits were never raised this quickly. At Hansan Securities, the amount was determined by quarterly performance, and the increase varied with the profits earned. The SST team had only just begun. Yes, they'd posted a large gain, but this was their very first trade. Which could only mean one thing — Senior Managing Director Cha had enormous expectations.
How much is he going to add?
As he ate, Choi Tae-wook asked, "Director, you're expecting something this time, aren't you?"
"Hmm..."
"At this point I can read you like a book. Whenever you get your hopes up about something, you cross your legs and slowly roll one foot around. It's a habit."
"Could you maybe stop studying me like that?"
"Haha. Understood. But honestly, is there anyone else who knows you as well as I do?"
"Probably not."
These days, Choi Tae-wook seemed to know him better than Bang Yo-han did. Then Kim Ju-im chimed in.
"Was that gentleman who came by the warehouse earlier the Senior Managing Director?"
"That's right. It'd be smart to remember his face. You won't see him often, but still."
"There was something almost charismatic about him. I suppose that comes with being an executive."
Kim Ju-im had read him exactly right. However friendly Senior Managing Director Cha might look on the surface, he was famous for being sharper than anyone with the knife. Director Park Hyun-wook, who had committed fraud and been thrown out of the company, was a force in his own right — but in front of Senior Managing Director Cha, he'd been nothing but a whimpering puppy. Siyoon could still picture him yelping and groveling at a single word from the man.
And now he was the sole recipient of that man's expectations. There was nothing bad about it — but the more situations like this arose, the more Team Leader Oh's warning echoed in his mind: this is exactly when you watch your back.
When the meal was finished, Siyoon rose from his seat.
"Let's head back."
"Yes, sir! Thank you for the meal!"
****
Evening, after work.
A large box sat in front of his front door.
"What's this?"
He checked the return address: Yeoui Real Estate. The agent had mentioned he'd send over a robot vacuum — it looked like it had arrived.
The moment Siyoon appeared, Jeombak-i came trotting over, tail wagging.
Woof!
"Having fun without me, huh?"
Woof woof!
He carried the box into the living room. Slitting it open with a utility knife, he found two smaller boxes inside. Checking the model printed on them, he saw they were the latest robot vacuums.
These should have the floors covered.
The 73-pyeong apartment was absurdly large for a man living alone. Compared to the goshiwon and studio where he used to live, it was practically a palace. He'd wanted a spacious home, so he was satisfied — but the truth was, cleaning it had become a burden.
He unboxed both vacuums and switched them on. A voice chimed out.
"Battery low. Charging required."
The robots promptly rolled off on their own toward the charging dock and began to charge. But Jeombak-i's reaction was anything but calm.
Grrrrrr.
WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF!!!
The robot dog barked furiously at the charging vacuums.
"Aren't you two supposed to be on the same side? Robot to robot?"
Even at Siyoon's words, Jeombak-i couldn't settle down. Siyoon picked him up and asked, "What's gotten into you?"
Only after Siyoon stroked his head did Jeombak-i finally calm down.
"Don't tell me you're jealous?"
Huff! Huff! Huff!
AI or not, could a robot really understand an emotion like jealousy?
"A robot getting jealous — isn't that a bit much?"
Grrrrrr.
Jeombak-i bared his teeth again.
"Fine, okay. I get it. I get it."
Only after he'd coaxed the dog down did peace finally return to the living room.
****
A few days later.
He spent the time hunting for new stocks.
Nothing worth getting into.
The market itself had lost its direction. The index was flat, but the trends in individual stocks were short-lived and unstable. He'd checked the news too — no solid catalysts, just the same known issues cycling through again and again.
While he sat in his booth, Yang Mi-young spoke up.
"Team Leader. About those new stocks you mentioned."
"Yes. Are you finding anything?"
"The three of us have been digging hard, but we're not seeing anything that stands out."
On the off chance, he'd assigned the task to the SST staff as well, and they had come to the same conclusion.
Can't just sit around doing nothing, though...
There was only one way for a trader to generate profit: trade. If there were no stocks worth buying, then he'd simply have to pick the ones worth shorting.
Siyoon pulled up several stocks on one of his monitors — names whose charts he'd analyzed just the day before.
SmartLink.
CoreMetal Company.
Myungha Mobility.
SmartLink was an AI platform company whose stock had surged on news of an "AI solution supply contract" — overvalued relative to its actual earnings. CoreMetal Company produced raw materials. Commodity prices had entered a downtrend recently, and a disclosure had just been posted announcing that some of the largest shareholders were selling off their stakes. It was a stock that deserved to fall.
And last, Myungha Mobility — an EV parts manufacturer that had chased the rally late, tagging along behind the market leaders. After its first surge it had been moving sideways, and the trading volume was shrinking. The stock looked uneasy.
Having reviewed all three, Siyoon muttered to himself.
"Short selling, huh..."
The truth was, securities firm traders disliked betting on a decline. Structurally, shorts carried unfavorable risk-reward. Most short-trade profits were quick and repetitive; you had to execute over and over just to scrape together a gain. Meanwhile, if the stock so much as hit its upper limit, there was no answer at all. Even a gap-up at the open could make cutting losses impossible.
After some deliberation, Siyoon addressed the SST staff.
"Let's get lunch and pick this up in the afternoon."
"Yes, sir!"
****
Even over lunch, he kept running the analysis in his head.
Short selling is the only answer.
In the end, Siyoon made his decision: he would bet against the stocks he'd analyzed.
He walked into his booth in the warehouse office and powered on the monitors. The SST staff, back from lunch, were already waiting.
"Did everyone enjoy their meal?"
At his question, Yang Mi-young answered with a flustered look on her face.
"Team Leader. Our trading capital right now..."
Wondering what was going on, Siyoon clicked on [Account Overview]. Something had changed, and now that he looked — the trading capital itself had been revised.
₩60,000,000,000
Sixty billion...?!
Just that morning it had been 30 billion. He'd gone out for lunch and come back to find it doubled. Come to think of it, Senior Managing Director Cha had dropped by the warehouse a few days ago.
He did say he'd increase the funds.
Even so — sixty billion, just like that? Doubling the capital within a matter of days was impossible at Hansan Securities. This was the Senior Managing Director's power, plain and simple. There was no other way to read it: a declaration of intent to push him all the way.
"Well, this works out. I was actually planning to swing big today."
"Sir?"
"Today, we're going short."
"Short... selling?!"
"We can't sit around sucking our thumbs just because the market won't move. When the company has expectations, it's our job to meet them."
Despite Siyoon's words, the entire SST staff only blinked, offering no real response. He understood. These were employees who had barely tasted live trading; short selling might be more than they could stomach.
"There's nothing to worry about. All you have to do is exactly what I tell you."
"Team Leader..."
"Responsibility for the trades rests with me as well. Even if we take a loss, I'll answer for it."
Even after his persuasion, the employees stayed frozen. Paying them no mind, Siyoon checked the stocks displayed on his monitor and spoke.
"Let's get in."