It Was Just Luck

It had been nothing but luck. That was all it was.

The division head's gaze darted between Siyoon and the chart glowing on the phone screen. Viewed from any angle, the situation was absurd.

Siyoon's entire career amounted to eight months on the Trading Team — and even that had been support work, never actual trading. He'd touched indicator analysis and position monitoring only on the rarest of occasions; most of his time was spent playing errand boy for Manager Kim and Deputy Head Shin.

The one most flustered by all of this was Team Leader Oh. He spoke with an expression that plainly said none of this made any sense.

"Director. Kang Siyoon is a rookie who's never once participated in a trade. No matter how urgent things are..."

"Then what is it? What's your basis for saying it'll rebound?"

Brushing past Team Leader Oh's protest, the division head pressed Siyoon again. The sum at stake was enormous, and more than anything, a decision had to be made right now — he was grasping at straws.

Siyoon explained, eyes still on the chart.

"I've been watching GL Energy closely for the past week. The crash in oil prices triggered a short-term shock, and I've been checking the timing for a bottom-fishing entry as well."

Then he lifted his head and turned to Team Leader Oh.

"As I understand it, Deputy Head Shin mainly trades swing positions. He opened the long position before yesterday's close, correct?"

Team Leader Oh still wore that bewildered look. When he answered with a silent nod, Siyoon murmured on, almost as if talking to himself.

"Deputy Head Shin manages around 5 billion KRW, and he's down 1.2 billion — so yes, that puts him right in that range. Which means... he got fooled by the buy pattern..."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

The division head's voice rose.

"The sell wall broke just before yesterday's close. From three o'clock onward, program trading flipped to net buying, and foreign buying picked up as well. On top of that, the classic institutional box-breakout pattern showed up — anyone could have been fooled by it. Deputy Head Shin probably expected the rebound to come this morning."

It was rare for a veteran like Shin Kyungcheol to pile into a single unhedged position. It meant he had overestimated his own skill.

Even so, none of it was easy to accept.

Why gamble like that in the first place?

The division head raised his voice again.

"So what's the reason? Down over 20%, and you're telling me it won't bleed out at the daily limit low — that it'll rebound? What exactly are you basing that confidence on?"

Perhaps because of Siyoon's flat, unbothered demeanor, the division head had gotten the wrong idea. Unless a man was a god, a hundred-percent right answer did not exist.

"I'm not confident. It's simply my analysis. A similar situation occurred two years ago, and a certain refiner rebounded on the same pattern back then. The rebound zone I projected is 22,700 won. And that zone hasn't arrived yet."

The current price was 24,100 won.

The moment that would decide everything was fast approaching.

Just then the door opened and a secretary appeared.

"Director, the Risk Management Team is here."

"Send them in."

Two men strode in at a brisk pace — Risk Management Team Leader Kwak Yong-hoon and his senior staff member.

Without even a moment for introductions, the bald Team Leader Kwak planted himself in front of the division head.

"It appears the position hasn't been closed out yet, sir. You need to make a decision immediately. VAR has already exceeded the limit three times over, and the market closes soon."

Kwak suppressed his emotions as much as he could. But there was no stopping the sweat pouring down his face. For some reason, the division head hadn't moved an inch.

"Director... you have to cut it right now. Even if not all of it, you should at least close out seventy percent. It's a single unhedged position. If it closes at the daily limit like this... the losses could top 2 billion KRW."

"Hoo......"

The division head covered his face with both hands.

Whenever profits or losses crossed a certain threshold, the authority to close positions passed to the division head himself. Overflowing profits he would have welcomed with open arms — but this was the opposite situation.

"Director..."

Kwak's face looked ready to burst into tears.

Forcing himself to ignore the man, the division head turned his gaze to a monitor mounted on the wall. GL Energy's price was displayed there in real time.

23,900 won.

23,650 won.

No confirmation was necessary — GL Energy's stock was plunging steeply toward the daily limit low.

Staring at the screen, the division head began rolling his stiff neck. Then he closed his eyes. It was an emergency by anyone's standards, yet for a long while he simply held that pose.

"There is truly no time left. Please, even just a portion—"

Kwak's voice cracked out, half pleading.

Only then did Division Head Jeong Chan-soo open his eyes.

Whether he had finished deliberating or not, his voice came out clear and certain.

"GL Energy... we hold through the end of the day."

A beat of silence fell.

The decision was so shocking that everyone stood frozen, mouths agape, unable to utter a word.

"Director... what did you just..."

Shouldering past the stunned Kwak, Team Leader Oh stepped toward the division head.

"I think we should do as Team Leader Kwak says. It's true that a nine-figure loss is hard to stomach, but closing out even now would..."

"Enough. We hold."

"......"

The division head's tone was unshakable.

With that one sentence, not a single person opened their mouth again.

But the uncomfortable stares all landed on Siyoon. The two team leaders were silently glaring holes into him.

I just gave my opinion, that's all...

Siyoon quietly looked away.

And so the hours crawled by.

The clock slid past three in the afternoon. The monitor on the wall was still a sea of red sell signals. The division head and every team leader held their breath, glued to that screen.

Finally unable to bear it any longer, Kwak's voice climbed into a shriek.

"It broke below 23,000! Director... please!"

Then it happened.

The price of GL Energy, which had been cascading down like a waterfall, came to a dead stop.

It stopped at 22,800 won.

Down 27 percent.

And then, slowly, it began to climb.

"What the..."

Everyone was on their feet, riveted to the monitor. The price, which had been inching upward, suddenly started shooting higher.

"Is this real? It's rebounding?"

"Yes... climb. A little more. Just a little more!"

The division head and the two team leaders clenched their fists and started cheering. Siyoon, expressionless as ever, watched the numbers surge up the screen.

GL Energy had begun its rebound before the closing bell — and the rebound zone landed almost exactly where Siyoon had predicted.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

The market closed.

GL Energy, expected to sink to the daily limit, had climbed all the way back to –12.5 percent before trading ended. Cheers erupted through the director's office before anyone realized it.

"That's it! We're good — we're good!"

"Kang Siyoon, you son of a—!"

Unable to contain his joy, Team Leader Oh threw Siyoon into a headlock.

Khk. Khk. Seriously, this man...

Back in the warehouse, Siyoon opened his laptop. GL Energy's chart filled the screen.

"How did this even happen?"

A stock down 27 percent rarely rebounds. Most of the time it finishes at the daily limit, and a further decline the next day is all but guaranteed.

The timing of the rebound hadn't strayed far from his projection either. He'd pegged the recovery zone at 22,700 won, and the climb had started at 22,800 — practically a bull's-eye.

What if it had closed at the daily limit instead? Just imagining it made his knees weak. While he sat there thinking, his phone buzzed.

"Sorry?"

"I just... the director asked me a question, so I answered."

Excitement rang through Min So-hee's voice. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Her delighted face was easy to picture.

"It was just luck... Anyway, I'm glad it worked out."

"You really don't have to..."

Siyoon tilted his head.

Well, fair enough. A meal ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠as thanks is something I can accept.

The next day, Siyoon arrived at work and got started on his duties. Checking where the day's deliveries were headed, whether supplies were running low, tidying the stacks in the warehouse — and through it all, one thought refused to leave him.

Don't tell me something went wrong.

Yesterday, GL Energy had rebounded hard near the daily limit and closed there. Cases like that usually carried into a strong uptrend — but a nagging unease wouldn't go away.

Finished organizing the goods, Siyoon dusted off his hands. Best to check that first and put his mind at ease.

He pulled his phone from his pocket and opened the stock app to check GL Energy's price.

"......Thank goodness."

Only after seeing the price climb was Siyoon able to breathe easy. Deputy Head Shin's entry price was 31,300 won, so the position had at least broken even.

The market had been open for ten minutes. At this rate, even the daily limit high looked within reach.

Siyoon checked the request queue in the inventory management system and loaded the cart right away. He was leaving the warehouse and heading for the elevator when someone shuffled toward him, every ounce of energy drained from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠their steps.

It was Deputy General Manager Shin Kyungcheol.

He walked up and simply stared at Siyoon with a hollow, dazed face.

"Kang Siyoon..."

Tears were streaming down his cheeks. Then, without warning, he dropped to the floor and grabbed Siyoon by the trouser leg.

"Sniff... thank you... thank you so much... hnngh!"

And with that, he broke down sobbing.

Siyoon stood there with his hand still on the cart, wondering what kind of ordeal this was supposed to be.

Ha... I've got a delivery to make.