VVVIP
The SST staff had been immersed in trading all morning.
Siyoon checked their returns from time to time, just in case. They weren't beating the numbers from the mission yet, but they were turning in steady, reliable profits.
Maybe it's time I got started too.
Until now, he had poured his energy into sharpening the SST team's skills. But the hour had come to focus on his own trades.
He was sitting on more than 30 billion won in cash alone.
There was no reason to let that kind of money rot in a bank account.
He pulled up a single stock chart on his monitor.
RK Metal Industries
RK Metal Industries, one of the defense stocks, had been awash with M&A rumors for the past month. They were still little more than whispers, but a resolution felt close at hand.
The company tied to RK Metal was none other than the conglomerate Sunjin High-Tech. A subsidiary of the Sunjin Group, it commanded a market cap in the fifty-trillion-won range and sat at the very top of the domestic defense sector.
Sunjin High-Tech had been aggressively branching out into high-value businesses — not just ground weapons and fire-control systems, but aviation engines and the space industry as well.
Why would a company like that want RK Metal? For one reason only. Its dependence on overseas suppliers for critical metal alloys had reached dangerous levels.
Heavy foreign reliance made it impossible to absorb export permit delays, diplomatic risk, and the like. Swallowing RK Metal Industries would be an opportunity to bury every one of those risks at once.
"But I'd have to actually be able to trust the rumors."
RK Metal Industries was currently trading in the 70,000-won range — a mid-cap company just past the one-trillion-won mark.
And yet the price wasn't moving.
Normally, when rumors like this spread, trading volume would spike as retail investors came swarming in. The absence of any such sign was unsettling.
Should I wait a little longer?
Siyoon gave a small shake of his head and turned off the monitor.
He was on his way back from lunch when the phone in his pocket buzzed.
He answered, and a man's voice came through, taut with nervousness.
"Ah, hello, valued customer. This is Lee Sang-hae, Head of the Wealth Management Division at Saebyeol Bank's Yeouido Main Branch."
Siyoon tilted his head.
What business could a bank possibly have with me?
"Yes... go on."
"First, please forgive me for reaching out without permission. The thing is... I'm calling because I'd like to make you a proposal regarding your account."
"My account?"
"Yes, sir. The funds you currently have on deposit are quite substantial for an individual customer, you see."
"And this proposal would be...?"
"We'd like to adjust your interest rate."
An interest rate adjustment, hm.
Come to think of it, the money sitting in his bank account alone exceeded 32.5 billion won. No wonder they were calling.
"How much are we talking?"
"Ah — my apologies, sir, but that's something I'd prefer to discuss with you in person, if I may."
"Hmm..."
"Our main branch is located in Yeouido. If it isn't too far for you..."
"Fine. I'll come."
"Yes?! You will?!"
"I've got some time to spare right now anyway. So I should just head to the main branch?"
"Ah, yes! That's right. If you'd give us a heads-up, we'll have a staff member waiting to receive you."
"Would now be possible, by any chance?"
"N-now? Of course! Absolutely, we can do now!"
Excitement was practically radiating off the bank employee's voice.
"Yes. Then I'll see you shortly."
"Thank you. Thank you so much, valued customer!"
His ears burned at the man's effusiveness.
But then — Lee Sang-hae? That was his name?
Sang-hae was strange enough on its own.
Siyoon stopped walking and looked over at the warehouse staff.
"Mr. Kim."
"Yes, sir."
"Your name is Kim Chil-sung, right?"
"That's correct, sir."
"And our youngest is Park Yeong-ung?"
"Ah, yes. His grandfather named him so he'd grow up to be a hero, sir."
"I see..."
Come to think of it, both of them had rather distinctive names.
And the bank employee who'd just called had an outrageously distinctive name of his own.
"How odd..."
Siyoon tilted his head again.
He stepped into the ground-floor branch the employee had mentioned — and spotted a familiar face.
Deputy General Manager Shin Gyeong-chul was sitting there, clutching a waiting ticket.
"Oh? Siyoon."
He came over at once.
"You have business at the bank?"
"Yes. Just a quick errand."
"Really? Then let me take a number for you. The wait looks like it could be a while."
"Why would you do that?"
"What do you mean, why? You're the reason I'm still at the company at all. Just think of it as a small thank-you."
Shin Gyeong-chul broke into a sheepish smile. He'd nearly been thrown out of the firm over a trading blunder once — and it was Siyoon's help that had pulled him back from the brink.
"That's all right. I'm not here for the teller window."
"Then... why...?"
Just then, Siyoon's phone rang.
"Ah, valued customer, this is Saebyeol Bank. Might you have arrived by now?"
Across the lobby, a male employee was visible by the teller counters. The moment their eyes met, he came practically sprinting over.
"Would you be Mr. Kang Siyoon, by any chance?"
"Yes. That's me."
"Ah, a pleasure to meet you at last. I'm Team Leader Park Yeong-ho of the Wealth Management Division."
He offered his business card. The moment Siyoon accepted it, the man stretched both hands out courteously toward the elevator.
"This way, please. I'll escort you."
As Siyoon followed the employee, Shin Gyeong-chul's eyes went round as saucers.
"Kang Siyoon..."
The employee led him to the division head's office. When Siyoon appeared at the door, the man bowed and came forward.
"Thank you so much for coming, valued customer!"
Lee Sang-hae, the division head, was a middle-aged man. He ushered Siyoon to the sofa, and as soon as Siyoon sat down, a woman who had been waiting in attendance approached.
"Would you care for coffee or another beverage, sir?"
"No, thank you. I only just finished lunch, so I'm quite full."
At that, she fetched a shopping bag she'd clearly prepared in advance and handed it to Siyoon.
"Just a small token of our gratitude for your visit. It's some Luwak coffee, easy to brew at home, and a men's wallet."
Two envelopes inside — one holding the luxury coffee made from beans digested by civet cats, the other a Gucci wallet. Still, it felt a little awkward.
"I haven't even signed anything with you yet. I'm not sure I should be accepting gifts like this."
"It's a token of appreciation we give to every customer who visits our Wealth Management Division. Please don't feel burdened by it."
The woman withdrew.
Having worked in finance, Siyoon had a rough grasp of how banking worked. Customers who kept more than 20 billion won on deposit were classified as UHNW — Ultra High Net Worth — the so-called ultra-wealthy.
VIP and VVIP didn't even belong to the same species.
Siyoon's account held over 30 billion won.
So there was nothing strange about treatment like this.
Before long, he turned to the division head.
"I came during my lunch break, so I don't have much time. I'd like to hear about the rate."
"Ah, of course. Then let me explain right away."
The division head hurriedly spread documents across the table.
"We apply an exclusively high rate to clients like yourself who hold ultra-high-value assets. First, this is the benefit offered for deposits of six months or longer — an annual rate of 5.2 percent."
Siyoon reviewed the prepared paperwork.
Five point two percent wasn't bad, as bank interest went — but it didn't exactly set his heart racing either.
He'd rather invest the money instead.
There was no reason to lock up his capital for interest of less than half a percent a month.
The division head kept up his earnest pitch.
"Early withdrawal is possible, of course. Though the contractual rate would—"
"Anything else?"
"Ah — other options, you say?"
Lee Sang-hae was breaking out in a cold sweat, his face growing stranger by the second.
"If that doesn't suit you... how about having our staff manage your assets on a dedicated basis? Not just a private banker, but investment strategists, tax specialists, legal counsel — we could assemble an entire team devoted solely to you."
Having said his piece, the division head searched Siyoon's face for a reaction.
As expected — not a flicker of interest.
Which just means a crowd of people will be clinging to me, telling me what to do with my own money. How tedious.
"Division Head."
"......Yes?"
"I appreciate the offer. But I'm afraid tying up my money is going to be difficult."
"S-sir! Then how about we raise the annual rate by another half a percent?"
His face had gone desperate.
Siyoon glanced at his watch. It was about time he got back to the office.
"No. That's quite all right."
Siyoon rose from his seat, and the man hurried after him to the door.
"Sir...!"
"You're putting me in an awkward position..."
"No, no — this! You're leaving behind the gift we prepared for you."
"That's fine too."
"Please, I insist. Accept it. You came all the way to our bank in person — if you simply walk away, I won't be able to forgive myself."
"Hmm..."
Out of excuses, Siyoon accepted the shopping bag.
Lee Sang-hae followed him all the way down to the lobby. When Siyoon had grown distant, the man bowed deeply at the waist.
"We humbly look forward to serving you in the future!"
Back in the warehouse office, Siyoon set the shopping bag on the sofa table.
"Director, what's that?"
"The bank gave it to me and told me to take it. One for Mr. Kim and one for Yeong-ung. Take your pick."
The two employees came crowding over.
"Whoa~ a Gucci wallet? And this is... what, exactly?"
Park Yeong-ung asked with wide eyes.
"Some kind of luxury coffee made from cat droppings, apparently. I've never tried it myself. Oh right — didn't Mr. Kim say he's a coffee maniac?"
"I am, sir, but..."
"Then Mr. Kim takes the coffee, and Yeong-ung takes the wallet. Settled."
"We couldn't possibly, sir. How could we accept something this valuable..."
"That's exactly why you should take it. You warehouse staff are worth far more to me than any of it."
The two men looked deeply moved.
"Thank you, Director! Thank you, sir!"
Siyoon slipped into his booth and turned on his monitor. The SST staff were still hard at it, focused on their trades.
Everyone's working hard.
After checking in on the team, he pulled up a news feed on one monitor and the regulatory filings for RK Metal and Sunjin High-Tech on another.
Still nothing noteworthy.
The rumors were circulating, but with no confirmed good news, jumping into a trade was a hard call.
"What's the word over here?"
Just in case, he opened a stock community forum.
A month ago it had been buzzing with RK Metal chatter, but the noise had already withered to silence. He searched the keyword anyway.
Only a scattering of posts remained.
The RK Metal Industries rumors seemed to be fading into oblivion.
"Hmm... if the good news does land, this could be a monster play, though."
For days, the stock prices of RK Metal and Sunjin High-Tech refused to move.
He kept the filing windows for both companies open on his monitor. He was watching other stocks too, but something about this one niggled at him — too good to simply throw away. Had his instinct fired again?
And then, the moment came as he stared at the screen.
The RK Metal filing he'd been waiting for appeared.
Former Auditor: KL Accounting & Legal
New Auditor: New Hope Accounting & Legal
Reason for Change: Enhancement of accounting transparency and strengthening of internal controls
The auditor was being replaced?
And it wasn't the only filing.
Resigning Officer: One Inside Director
Reason for Resignation: Personal circumstances
An inside director stepping down...
There was no mention of the board, and no plan for a successor either. It wasn't an M&A-related filing, but it was hard to just scroll past. The company was tracing the exact footsteps of a firm preparing itself for a sale.
Did they start moving before the absorption merger?
He immediately checked Sunjin High-Tech's filings — and there it was. An annual business report and a filing concerning the appointment of an auditor.
Auditor: New Hope Accounting & Legal.
The very same firm RK Metal had just switched to.
Which meant the groundwork had already been laid, quietly, beneath the surface.
That's right. My instinct doesn't miss.
He opened the trading window without a moment's delay.
RK Metal Industries' price was still sitting exactly where it had been.
If he was going to buy, now was the perfect moment.
Ta-da-da-dat!
He placed a market buy order.
Starting with 5 billion won for now.
Buy order filled — RK Metal Industries
There was no rush to add more until the next piece of news dropped. He decided to wait it out a little longer.
"Feels pretty good."
Still in his chair, Siyoon rolled his neck a few times and loosened up his shoulders.