Trainee Y's Sex-for-Favors Scandal Exposed, Short Selling
It was, in simple terms, borrowing shares from institutions and the like. Sell the borrowed shares, then buy them back within the set timeframe and return them. If the stock price drops, you profit; if it rises, you lose.
'But the price can't go up.' Shin Jaewoo's eyes gleamed.
Gangsters or mobsters rarely made the news in Korea anymore. This wasn't the wild Double Eight Year of old; it was the 21st century now. Sure, organized crime existed, but it was something ordinary folks rarely encountered.
'And that's where Kim Dong-su came in.'
Just one connection to that Kim Dong-su. And this country had a hair-trigger temper when it came to sex crime scandals. This one had even more issues that wouldn't fade easily. Plus, there was evidence.
'If the stock price of a company running sex-for-favors doesn't tank, that would be weird.'
It was an entertainment business that traded on image, after all. Every artist under them could take a hit. Shin Jaewoo felt a twinge of sympathy, but he had no intention of backing off. He wasn't content anymore just handing the knife to Han Taeho and watching from the sidelines—he'd grown a lot since then.
"How much...?"
That was the question he'd asked after hearing the report.
Shin Jaewoo's answer had been simple: "As much as possible."
Of course, even saying that, there were limits to the volume. Whether short selling or buying put options, you needed shares to work with. And this whole exposé was just days away.
Han Taeho had come today to give his final report.
'One or two days, tops.'
Securing volume would be tough. And he was only taking a short position on Nimo Entertainment. He had no clue about the affiliated companies. Honestly, a company like Nimo Entertainment, with a market cap under a trillion won, couldn't absorb Shin Jaewoo's firepower.
'At least it's publicly traded.'
Maybe he'd pocket some cash from this himself.
The stock community forums lit up with a new post.
Someone had snapped up a massive put options position. No one knew who, but word spread that Nimo's put trading volume was spiking.
And that was just the start.
News of Nimo Entertainment's plunge hit the wires. The attack was lightning-fast—shorts hammered before positions could fully build. The price cratered. So much volume dumped that the red candles flipped straight to blue.
Panic was spreading. Shin Jaewoo typed his own post there too.
He doubted anyone would listen, but it was his stab at a clear conscience.
"...It's not dropping as much as I thought."
Shin Jaewoo scratched his head awkwardly. The price had been in freefall from his shorts, but now it was creeping back up. Even he, who knew the full picture, felt a shiver.
"Whew."
Everyone was banking on short covering. Sell short, then buy back to cover. Basic supply and demand kicked in, creating upward pressure.
'If there are no other negatives beyond what I dumped, maybe they could hold.'
With the price trying to rebound, even Shin Jaewoo's nerves tightened. And Han Taeho's exposé wouldn't hit today, at least.
Then something rattled him.
"Huh?"
The price rocketed up out of nowhere.
'What the hell?'
Some mystery good news he didn't know about? Then a post popped up: foreign buyers piling in.
It spiked faster than when he'd dumped. Pure panic for Shin Jaewoo.
'This is bad.'
His pupils shook. But it was just a prank—short-lived.
"Eh?"
Shin Jaewoo let out a startled gasp. The buyers who'd been piling in suddenly dumped massive volume.
And the impact was even bigger this time.
Pump and dump in real time. Shin Jaewoo's expression hardened as he watched. His racing heart slowed, replaced by icy clarity in his mind.
'No matter how I slice it, this is...'
Dipping into the game taught him two things for sure. First, he was a bigger fish than he'd realized—his shorts had genuinely crushed the price.
And second.
'If your position leaks in this game, you're done.'
Even pushing the price down, someone could counter-push up. Especially if it was someone who hated him—they'd squeeze him dry the moment they sniffed it out.
'Or you'd have to burn even more cash.'
Shin Jaewoo bit his lip, then chuckled and grabbed his smartphone.
"Yes, Director."
He'd called, and as always, Lee Jinmyeong picked up instantly.
"That thing earlier—was that you, Chief Secretary?"
"Earlier... you mean?"
"The ones who bought Nimo then dumped on the market."
Shin Jaewoo's question dripped certainty. He knew because they'd pumped once, then dumped clean without greed—right when covering could've turned a tidy profit.
'They could've held for covering and cashed in big...'
Just flexed, then bailed. They knew his position. Even if they profited, they didn't maximize—and still dragged the price down. Now at 7,129... no, 7,115.
'Dropped again.'
Relentless bleed. At this rate, it might hit the floor.
His average borrow on the shorts was around 7,900 won.
'Roughly 700-won profit per share?'
Closing now would net about 10% gain. Meaning that much drop.
'Around 2 billion in profit?'
Exercising his reserved puts would've amplified it. Strike around 7,700 won.
'Pulling that now...'
How much more? But better to hold—the bleed continued. And tonight's bomb was looming.
Anyway, the interferer had backed off without a real fight.
'Someone who knows my info but won't tangle.'
It clicked immediately.
"That was... probably Richard."
"Richard?"
"Think of him as the old man's asset manager. The foundation's got big money in his funds too."
Lee Jinmyeong's tone carried irritation, though he tried to hide it.
"Even for him, meddling in your moves like that..."
"It's fine. Net positive in the end."
Shin Jaewoo smiled. True enough.
"But—"
Lee Jinmyeong started to protest, but Shin Jaewoo cut in with orders. Shock rippled back through the line.
"...Good is good."
Shin Jaewoo muttered after hanging up.
Lee Jinmyeong ended the call, his pupils trembling.
'Thought he was all mild-mannered... blood will tell, huh?'
Shin Jaewoo said it was fine. But his follow-up words weren't.
He knew why Lee Jinmyeong was pissed—and promised the same discipline.
'Even an ally blabbing about the director's plays...'
Shin Jaewoo had said it: No loose lips allowed nearby. Even same team, you never knew. Betrayal could come from anyone trusted.
Info that could be a weakness? Clamp it down, no matter who.
Even if it was Richard asking.
"...Looks like the director learned that lesson here."
Not just stock market wisdom. Korea was full of folks getting stabbed by the "trusted" right now.
9 PM Korea time. The 9 o'clock news finally detonated it nationwide.