Motivation
The SST employees who had passed the first stage now faced a mission befitting the second.
If they couldn't survive on their own, without anyone's help, their life at Hansan Securities was never going to be a long one anyway.
"Do I seem too cold to you?"
Even at Siyoon's question, no one answered. Silence stretched for a long moment before Yang Miyeong looked into the camera and spoke.
-May I be honest with you, sir?
"Of course. Go ahead."
She hesitated briefly, then opened her mouth.
-We've made substantial profits thanks to your guidance. According to the trading records, our total earnings come to 6.5 billion won. I have a friend who works at another securities firm, and he told me that generating returns like this in such a short time is impossible. He said it would take a miracle.
"And so... what exactly is your point?"
-We're a team that's only just getting started. We're still finding our rhythm together, and I don't understand how this kind of competition helps us build teamwork.
When she finished, Yang Miyeong's lips trembled slightly. It sounded as though she had finally forced out words she'd been holding back.
Siyoon studied the expressions on the monitors.
Everyone seemed to be thinking the same thing.
Yang Miyeong wasn't wrong. They operated as a team and moved toward the goals the team set. But she had misunderstood one thing.
"It sounds to me like you dislike competing against your own teammates. Am I right?"
-...Yes.
"When you work together, you grow attached. You weather crises side by side, hit your targets, feel a sense of accomplishment—and with that comes a sense of belonging. You made 6.5 billion won, so I imagine you're thinking it right now. We're amazing."
-...
"Thirteen people have left the trading team since I joined it. That happened in just eight months. I'm telling you this because you seem to have a misconception—no one is going to take responsibility for your trades."
The employees' faces stiffened even further.
He'd only meant to show them the reality of the trading desk; he almost hadn't included the part about the thirteen resignations.
But it was the truth.
Unfortunately so.
"I want the SST team to become the best. I want us to make history at Hansan Securities—history that will never be made again. If that's too much pressure, you're free to walk away on your own. You all seem to have a lot on your minds, so I'll give you time to think. Enjoy your lunch, and I'll see you this afternoon."
With that, Siyoon left the booth.
The morning was spent reviewing the inventory ledger.
With Choi Tae-wook's position vacant, Assistant Manager Kim had gone out on a delivery run.
At eleven o'clock, the warehouse bell rang.
When Siyoon opened the door, a new employee stood there.
"H-hello! I'm Park Yeongung. I'll be working in the warehouse starting today."
A man in his early twenties with round, chubby cheeks.
The moment he laid eyes on Siyoon's face, his whole body went rigid.
"It's fine. I don't eat people, so no need to worry."
"Director Kang Siyoon... is it, sir? I'll be sure to serve you with the utmost—"
"No need for any of that. Just deliver whatever comes in on request, and you'll do fine. And whatever Team Leader Han told you? Forget all of it."
"......"
It was obvious what Team Leader Han must have said without even asking. Something about serving the Director well, no doubt.
"I've read your résumé, but I see no warehouse experience."
"That's correct, sir. I was just discharged from my military service. But I'll learn as hard as I can."
Hansan Securities' warehouse was his first-ever job.
With no prior experience, his rank was entry-level Staff.
Fortunately, he was younger than Assistant Manager Kim, so there shouldn't be any friction there.
The new hire was still frozen stiff, so Siyoon used the spare time to walk him through the warehouse.
"Unless there's a huge shipment coming in, things don't get busy here. As you can see, everything's organized by category. Office supplies with office supplies, electronics with electronics."
"Ah, yes, sir."
"Assistant Manager Kim will cover the rest. Oh, by the way—do you own a suit?"
"Yes, sir. Several."
"Don't show up for deliveries dressed however you like. Keep it clean. Keep it presentable."
"Yes, sir. Understood."
While he was giving the tour, Assistant Manager Kim returned to the warehouse. He asked,
"I take it this is the new employee."
"Yep. Fresh hire. Train him well—let's get along going forward."
"Understood, sir."
With that, Siyoon took the new employee to the cafeteria.
Today's menu was premium pork bone soup.
As they ate, Siyoon observed Assistant Manager Kim closely.
At first he'd seemed a bit clumsy, but these days he carried himself like a proper manager.
"Let's take it slow today—walk the building and learn where each department is."
"Yes, sir."
"Starting tomorrow, you'll deliver items alongside me. The layout might be confusing at first, but you'll pick it up fast once you've been around a few times."
"Yes, sir. Understood."
He was still frozen stiff.
Assistant Manager Kim noticed that Siyoon's face was the reason.
"The Director isn't as scary as he looks. So there's no need to be so tense."
"Exactly. My face may look like this, but I'm not a bad person."
With that, Siyoon turned to the new employee.
"If anything's ever weighing on you, come talk to me anytime. Neither Assistant Manager Kim nor I are the abrasive type."
"Thank you... sir."
Only then did some of the tension ease from the new hire's expression.
That said, the warehouse staff weren't the problem right now. It was the SST employees who weighed on his mind.
They wouldn't all quit on me... would they?
Back at the warehouse after lunch.
He stepped into the booth and turned on the monitors, where the SST employees appeared lined up in a row.
Good—none of them ran.
Siyoon spoke into the microphone.
"Did everyone enjoy lunch?"
-Yes, sir. Did you enjoy yours, Team Leader?
"Of course. That's what all this is for—to make a living, after all."
Silence fell once more.
After letting the moment hang, Yang Miyeong finally opened her mouth.
-I think I was the one who had it wrong all along.
Something about it felt unsettling.
-It's been an honor to become a member of the SST team. I joined a special team that carried all of Hansan Securities' expectations on its shoulders, and I truly believed I had become a special employee myself.
"......"
-I turned your words from this morning over and over in my head, and I realized... I'm really nothing at all.
"What do you mean by that?"
-I've been intoxicated by that 6.5 billion won. I thought I was someone. But all I actually did was execute trades exactly as you instructed. I'd forgotten that.
She paused for a moment, then fixed her gaze on the camera.
-I will compete. Even if my rivals are my own teammates—I want to survive this competition.
There wasn't a flicker of hesitation in Yang Miyeong's eyes.
After a morning of agonizing, her conclusion was to stay with this team. Siyoon regarded her face quietly for a moment before speaking.
"Then let me make you one promise. When you survive this competition, Miyeong, you'll be a far stronger version of who you are right now."
-I'll give it everything I have.
Silence settled again, and Siyoon looked at the remaining two employees.
"Anyone else?"
-I'm in as well.
Go Guhyeon forced open the mouth he'd kept clamped shut.
-I'll treat this round of trading as a battle against myself.
Siyoon nodded.
"Good. Hyeoksu—do you need more time?"
-......
He was the only one with actual experience, yet Ahn Hyeoksu looked deeply troubled. At last, he forced his lips apart.
-You said we'd have to leave the company if our returns fall short... I'd like to know the cutoff.
"The cutoff is 500 million won. You've all been doing live trading, and I believe that level of profit is well within reach."
-Whew...
Ahn Hyeoksu let out a long, slow breath.
The truth was, he had no choice.
It came down to one of two things: give up right here and now, or at least trade first and then walk away. In the end, having settled the matter, Ahn Hyeoksu spoke.
-I'm in as well.
And so all three employees resolved to take part in the individual trading mission.
"Good. Trading begins now. Go long, go short—your choice. Scalp or swing—also your choice. The only restriction is this: your trading capital is capped at 5 billion won each."
The moment the words left Siyoon's mouth, every SST employee's eyes snapped to their charts.
Evening, after work.
He finished dinner and set his laptop on the low table. He never brought work home—but today, there was no way he could stop thinking about the SST employees' performance.
SST Division — Day 1 Results
Yang Miyeong: +12,100,000 won
Go Guhyeon: −5,200,000 won
Ahn Hyeoksu: +1,050,000 won
Pathetic numbers.
Yes, the afternoon session had been sluggish—but this fell far short of anything he'd expected.
The minimum threshold is 500 million won...
At this rate, it was hard to see any of the three clearing the cutoff.
Not that he intended to cut anyone the instant they missed the 500 million mark. He simply wanted them to grow faster.
But this was serious.
5 billion won in capital, and returns like that.
Go Guhyeon was even in the red.
"Hah..."
His head throbbed.
If things went on like this, he might really have to build the team from scratch.
Woof!
At some point, Jeombak-i had climbed onto his lap.
"What?"
Woof!
The LED screen covering Jeombak-i's face lit up with an image of a 50,000-won banknote.
"Money? What do you want me to do with money?"
Woof!
Hah-hah-hah-hah!
It seemed to be trying to signal something.
But Siyoon couldn't make heads or tails of it.
This time a carrot appeared on the LED screen.
"A carrot? You want to eat a carrot?"
Grrrrr...
As he kept staring at the screen, a thought slammed into his head like a lightning bolt.
That's it. The carrot!
This mission had nothing but the stick—no carrot at all.
There was no incentive strong enough to motivate the employees.
And yet, how strange.
How on earth did Jeombak-i read his worries like that?
"Be honest with me. What are you, really? Are you actually a robot dog?"
Hah-hah-hah-hah!
The carrot on the screen vanished, and the eyes it now drew were a smiley face. Siyoon reached down and stroked Jeombak-i's head.
"Thanks anyway, buddy."
The next morning.
Siyoon entered the office booth and switched on the monitors—and the SST employees' faces were a portrait of misery.
"'Good morning' doesn't quite seem to fit today."
-Team Leader...
Dark circles hung under all three of their eyes.
The fruit of yesterday's brutal returns.
"Before the morning session opens, there's something I need to tell you."
At Siyoon's words, all three stared into the camera at once.
"I left something out yesterday. Tomorrow, on the third and final day, I'm giving a reward to whoever posts the highest profit."
-A reward, sir?
"Completely separate from the company's incentives—a cash prize from me personally. The amount is 50 million won."
-!!!
The employees nearly jumped out of their seats.
Color slowly began creeping back into faces that had been gray with exhaustion. The clock struck exactly nine.
"Market's open. I expect today to be better than yesterday."
The instant Siyoon finished speaking, identical voices began firing through the speakers on repeat.
-Buy order filled!
-Buy order filled!
-Sell order filled!
-Sell order filled!
It was enough to make his ears ring.
Yesterday they'd barely traded at all; today they hammered their keyboards like professional gamers.
Morning and afternoon alike, the SST employees traded without pause. And the results were not bad at all.
SST Division — Day 2 Results
Yang Miyeong: +345,200,000 won
Go Guhyeon: +202,000,000 won
Ahn Hyeoksu: +98,500,000 won
Just as expected, Yang Miyeong was topping the board, and Go Guhyeon had flipped from the red into the black.
One day remained.
Yang Miyeong and Go Guhyeon could plausibly hope to clear the 500-million-won threshold—and even beyond that, both had closed out the day with steady, disciplined trading.
The problem was Ahn Hyeoksu—the one with actual experience—whose performance looked shaky. Tomorrow, he'd need one big swing.
Either way, today was a happy day.
The SST employees' skill was about to translate into profit, and half of that profit would belong to Siyoon.
Yang Miyeong and Go Guhyeon were beaming. Ahn Hyeoksu's face, meanwhile, looked a touch grim.
As Siyoon's gaze passed over them one by one, he spoke.
"Good work today, everyone. See you tomorrow."