Roller Coaster

Perhaps because of the 5-billion-won buy order, RK Metal closed the session with a modest gain.

The price had wobbled for a moment, but there was no real movement. Half hoping for something, Siyoon checked the stock communities, only to find little reaction at all.

If anything, skepticism dominated.

Since there was no news to be found, he'd browsed the forums anyway — and true to form, they were nutritionally worthless. Stocks, crypto, it didn't matter; the reaction always arrived late, only after the price had already moved.

"I'll know soon enough if I just wait and see."

Muttering to himself, Siyoon switched off the monitor.

A few days later, Saturday.

His phone started buzzing before he was even properly awake. His eyes wouldn't quite open. He fumbled for the phone on his bedside table and pressed it to his ear.

"Still sleeping?"

Recognizing Bang Yo-han's voice, Siyoon finally glanced at the screen. It was already past 10:30 in the morning.

"Isn't it way past your bedtime?"

"Weather's gorgeous. Days like this, you should be out doing something. You planning to sit there all day?"

These days, Bang Yo-han seemed to be enjoying life. A guy who used to spend all his time tinkering with robots was suddenly going out all the time — all because of Koo Hye-young.

"What's this? You on a date with Hye-young?"

"I wish. We're not quite at that stage yet. But I'm working on it."

"Good. Keep at it, then."

He was about to hang up when Bang Yo-han's voice shot up an octave.

"Hey, you. You've never ridden a roller coaster, right?"

"Where did that come from?"

"Or a bungee jump, or rock climbing — you've never done any of that stuff either, have you?"

"Isn't that obvious? Why would I pay money to do something dangerous?"

"So here's my thought — maybe this is your chance to try it once. Who knows? It might even fix whatever's been going on with you."

"......"

It was true that he hadn't done anything high-adrenaline since the car accident. Safety first, always. He hadn't so much as glanced at anything risky. The most dangerous thing he'd experienced in all that time was being a designated driver — and even that was something he'd done out of bare necessity, never by choice.

"I'm taking Hye-young to a theme park this afternoon. We'll ride the roller coaster, the Gyro Drop, that kind of thing. If we have time, maybe the zoo too."

"So you're the one who wants a date. Why are you using me as the excuse?"

"You little punk. A friend goes out of his way to think of you, and that's the thanks I get? So. Yes or no?"

"Hmm..."

Siyoon pushed himself up to a sitting position on the bed.

Would something like that actually help?

It had been a long time ago, but he still remembered what the doctor had told him. A damaged limbic system was difficult to heal — but strong stimulation could provoke a response. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠High-speed sprints and extreme sports sent the heart rate soaring and flooded the body with adrenaline. Maybe, just maybe, it could help him overcome his emotional blunting.

"You're going today?"

"Hye-young said she's free too. That's why I called you."

A roller coaster, huh...

It seemed worth a try, at least. Honestly, he didn't expect much.

"All right. Let's meet this afternoon."

After lunch, Bang Yo-han pulled up to the mixed-use residential complex in his Tesla. The moment Siyoon slid into the back seat, Koo Hye-young turned around and waved.

"Siyoon! It's been a while."

"Yeah. It has."

"So you've never been to a theme park, huh?"

"Guess it just worked out that way."

"Well, let's have some fun while we've got the chance. You know, I've never once seen you get startled. Maybe today's the day?"

She asked with a look of genuine curiosity.

That would be nice. But he suspected it wouldn't come easily.

"We'll find out once I ride it. I'm curious myself."

While he chatted with Koo Hye-young, the car arrived at the Jamsil theme park. Inside, packs of middle schoolers, high schoolers, and college students roamed about in clusters, soaking up every thrill on offer. Couples out on dates and families with children were scattered through the crowds as well.

"There are a lot of people."

Siyoon murmured it as he looked around. It had been a very long time since he'd seen a crowd this size.

When they reached the roller coaster, the line stretched out of sight. Even the wait seemed to delight Bang Yo-han and Koo Hye-young, who bounced on their heels as they queued.

"Whew~ the nerves! Hye-young said it's been ages since she last rode one too, right?"

"Yeah. Two years ago, maybe? I've come with friends before. Ah... my heart's already racing."

Koo Hye-young shivered from her shoulders down, as if electricity were running through her.

"Don't worry. This oppa will protect you."

"I have zero faith in that. You're shaking too."

"M-me? No way..."

The two of them were already wound tight — yet to their eyes, Siyoon looked perfectly calm.

"Siyoon, you don't even seem nervous. And you've never ridden one of these before?"

"What's there to be nervous about? It's just a ride."

Actually, it is a little scary.

He simply couldn't show it. The tension he felt was no different from anyone else's — only the expression was missing.

The line shortened, and before he knew it, it was their turn to board. As they settled into the coaster, an attendant ran a hand along the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠safety bars.

"Pull on your lap bar to check it. If it doesn't move, you're secure. We're departing shortly, so please get ready."

At those words, Bang Yo-han and Koo Hye-young went into maximum-alert mode. The car began to creep forward, and the chain dragging it up the rail clattered in steady rhythm.

Clank. Clank. Clank.

From behind them came the voices of a couple who looked like they were on a date.

"Ahh... here we go, we're climbing."

"Babe, whatever you do, don't let go of my hand!"

"I'm going to lose it. I can't keep my eyes open."

The chorus of voices around him stoked the tension, little by little. Then, at the crest of the lift hill, the coaster paused for a heartbeat —

and plunged.

"WAAAAAH—!"

"KYAAAAAAAH!"

"MOOOOOOM!"

A riot of voices tore through the open air. The coaster whipped left, right, up, and down, hurling itself along the track at ferocious speed.

Stimulation this strong could cure me outright and then some.

He had never in his life felt an impact like this.

Maybe by now even I'm making an expression like a normal person?

Gradually, the coaster slowed — and before he realized it, the car had come to a complete stop and the safety bars lifted. Siyoon disembarked first, then turned to watch Bang Yo-han and Koo Hye-young clamber out behind him. Their legs were visibly wobbling; they could barely stand, let alone walk.

"Ah... I nearly died."

"Hnngh... that was terrifying. But Siyoon, you..."

Koo Hye-young's gaze swung toward him.

She was clearly hoping for a reaction of some kind.

"What the heck? You're totally fine!"

"Huh...?"

She produced a small compact mirror and angled it toward Siyoon's face. He looked at his own reflection.

An expressionless face.

Not a shade of color lost, exactly as it had been before boarding.

So it was useless after all.

They rode the Gyro Drop, then the Viking ship. Still, no change in his expression — not so much as a twitch.

They grabbed a quick burger, and while Koo Hye-young browsed a stall of character headbands, Bang Yo-han leaned in.

"Looks like it didn't work, huh?"

"If something this mild could fix me, I'd have been fixed long ago."

"Sigh... what a shame. I had my hopes up."

By this point even Bang Yo-han seemed ready to throw in the towel.

But Koo Hye-young was not.

"Siyoon. One last stop — let's check out the zoo."

"The zoo?"

"There's this terrifying tiger in the indoor zoo here. Honestly, one look at it and I bet you'll flinch."

A tiger, hmm...

Truthfully, he held out little hope. Still — just in case.

They headed straight for the indoor zoo. Beyond a wall of thick, reinforced glass, animal after animal drew the visitors' gazes. On one side, a black leopard prowled in slow motion; a little farther on, a crocodile lifted its head out of the water.

They kept walking, and now a gorilla was pounding its own chest and tearing around its enclosure at speed — when Koo Hye-young spoke up.

"Over there. That's the tiger I told you about."

A crowd had gathered on one side. They stood well back from the glass, observing the great beast from a cautious distance. Just then, a little girl burst into tears.

"WAAAAH—! I wanna go home!"

"It's okay, sweetie. The tiger can't come through the glass."

"Still... WAAAAH!"

The frightened girl wailed, and her mother soothed her.

Sharp black stripes cut across snowy white fur. The white tiger's majesty left no doubt whatsoever that it deserved to be called an apex predator. The tiger seated itself directly in front of the glass, baring its fangs as if to strike terror into the crowd — and more frightening still were its eyes. Two razor-sharp glares fixed on the visitors like a hunter sizing up prey.

"Look at those eyes."

Koo Hye-young said it from a few steps back.

Siyoon moved a single step closer and studied the white tiger.

Whoa... it really is a frightening-looking thing.

Grrrrrrrrrr.

The tiger's low, threatening rumble carried all the way to where they stood. A moment later, its gaze locked onto Siyoon's.

Grrrr...

For some reason, the sound began to die away. The gaping jaws closed. The white tiger, eyes still fixed on Siyoon, lowered its tail, backed away from the glass, and disappeared into its den.

"No way... did it just run away because of you?"

Koo Hye-young asked, her face a portrait of disbelief.

"What did I do? I just looked at it, that's all..."

There's no way that's what happened, right?

A tiger, scared of me? Come on.

A few days later, back at the office. Siyoon stepped into his booth and reviewed the printouts waiting for him — the SST staff's trading records, a full week's worth of results.

Top of the leaderboard: Ahn Hyeoksu. Working his specialty, swing trading, he had pulled in a combined 850 million won across three stocks. Siyoon looked at the faces on his monitor and spoke.

"Thank you all for a hard week's work."

"Thank you, sir!"

"Team Leader Ahn."

"Yes, sir."

"Now that you've won this week's bonus — any plans for it?"

"Ah, haha. I haven't really thought it through yet. I'll probably talk it over with my wife and put part of it toward paying down the mortgage on our apartment."

The bonus Ahn Hyeoksu would receive was four percent of the profits — 33.6 million won. A smile spread across his face.

"The bonus will be transferred today. Paying down the loan is a fine choice, but I'd recommend treating your family to a nice dinner out as well."

"Thank you, sir."

Siyoon turned to the other two staff members.

"Bonuses are paid out weekly, and there will be plenty more opportunities going forward. Don't be discouraged about missing first place this time."

"Yes, sir!"

"I'll see you all next week."

When the call ended, Siyoon's eyes drifted back to the disclosure feed. He'd been waiting for fresh news on RK Metal and Sunjin High-Tech, but for days there'd been nothing.

It's creeping up, though...

RK Metal, which had traded in the 70,000-won range, had now pushed into the 80,000s. But without any concrete catalyst, the stock was drifting rather than moving.

The morning passed with nothing to show for it.

He was walking back from lunch with the warehouse staff when Kim, the senior clerk, looked up from his phone and addressed him.

"Director."

"Hmm?"

"Theme stocks — when the leader stock rises, the other companies in the same category rise along with it. Is that right?"

Lately, Kim had taken a serious interest in stocks. It was thanks to Choi Tae-wook, who had shared ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his knowledge of investing before leaving the company.

"That's the general idea."

"Ah, but here's something strange. I've been watching defense stocks closely these days. Can the follower companies sometimes rise before the leader stock does?"

"It happens, sure... why do you ask?"

"There's this company, RK Metal. The leader stock isn't moving at all, but it keeps climbing on its own."

"!!!"

Siyoon stopped in his tracks and pulled up the stock app on his phone.

Wait — what?!

The price had been in the early 80,000s that morning. Right now, it was surging past 86,000 won.

He pulled up RK Metal's filings immediately.

Having confirmed the contents, Siyoon ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠quickened his pace.

Now it was certain. RK Metal was working behind the scenes to hand the company over.

And that is a real catalyst.