Chapter 70: The Rewards of Success
Chapter 70: The Rewards of Success
< The 1st Gold God Game Tournament. >
"What kind of name is that?"
"What's wrong with it?"
< Vaccine Phase 1 Trial Passed >
There’s no greater peace for an investor than watching their stocks climb.
"Jong-yeop."
"Yes."
Lee Jong-yeop, who had by now grown accustomed to life in America, answered.
I hadn't taken him to New York since I planned to stay at Ellie's house, but as my executive assistant, he accompanied me for most other things.
From my morning bike ride to work, to my commute home in the evening, and even when I had a beer.
"Let's buy a yacht."
"A yacht?"
A yacht, the epitome of luxury goods.
It was something I'd thought about buying several times but had always decided against.
"I want to experience it, even if I end up regretting the purchase."
I said it after much deliberation, but Lee Jong-yeop took it in stride.
"Since you hadn't bought one until now, I just assumed you didn't like the ocean."
"Oh, really?"
"You should have a yacht."
"What if I don't even use it once a year?"
"Isn't buying useless things for a high price a rich person's hobby?"
As the New York stock market rose, I found myself with more money to spare.
My previous resolve to keep a hundred million dollars as a last resort for my retirement now seemed laughable.
- Total Assets: $18,125,978,531
$18.1 billion.
This didn't even include the call options that were generating significant profits, nor had I invested my entire fortune in the New York Stock Exchange.
The Earth Resource business was also running exceptionally well.
‘The chaebols in Korea must be taking quite a hit. It doesn't get better than this.’
I bought a yacht that was on the market for a low price due to COVID-19 for twelve million dollars.
I hired a captain for the day and set sail.
"This is nice. Truly... this is paradise."
The cool breeze and the birds.
I watched ships returning from voyages on the distant sea and even cast a fishing line.
It felt like leaving the stuffy land behind to be in the free ocean, surrounded by nature.
‘It felt like I was finding myself through travel.’
Why had I spent the last two years traveling the world after hitting it big with crypto?
While there was joy in seeing new places, I didn't know what I truly liked.
I'd also pondered how I should live my life from now on.
In the end, I had my fill of seeing the world.
I came to think that life is about enjoying the things and hobbies you love.
Drinking a can of beer on the yacht while gazing at the blue sea completely melted my stress away.
"Jong-yeop."
"Yes."
"Let me tell you a special story about my trip to India."
"Oh?"
"There were some things I thought about while wandering through the slums of India..."
* * *
- Paul: The lobbyist you hired, Joel, is remarkably skilled.
- Paul: The senators stepping in has been a great help.
Phase 1 of the clinical trial for the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Biolife quietly began.
It was the first clinical trial for a COVID-19 vaccine, starting with a scale of several hundred people.
- Paul: Dr. Lee Ho-yeon has reassessed it internally. He says that even with a conservative estimate, it should be over 80% effective.
- Kim Shin: What about side effects?
- Paul: We don't anticipate anything serious.
I heard the news about the COVID-19 vaccine.
However, I wasn't entirely optimistic.
There are many hurdles to overcome for a COVID-19 vaccine to be developed successfully.
Beyond the stability and efficacy of the vaccine itself, we'll have to compete with other pharmaceutical companies.
‘Hmm... if my stock investments succeed, I'll be able to give Biolife a little more support.’
There wasn't much I could do against global pharmaceutical giants with my current wealth.
If I had more money, I would gain that much more power and influence.
‘My perspective on the world has certainly shifted to a much higher plane.’
* * *
Jim was a rather capable manager at Goldman Sachs.
His dream was to make a name for himself by managing fund returns well, and then eventually run a private equity fund under his own name.
His life changed after he learned about Bitcoin.
"Buying pizza with 10,000 Bitcoin? The guy who sold and the guy who bought are both out of their minds."
He had dismissed it as just another piece of common gossip on Wall Street.
But five years later, the cryptocurrency market had grown to a size that could no longer be ignored.
"Jim. I'm hearing complaints from your clients."
"Sir?"
"They're saying your returns are too low compared to Alan's."
True to a financial firm, they discriminated strictly based on performance.
Every morning, he would look in the mirror and see patches where his hair had fallen out due to stress.
‘What about Bitcoin?’
From then on, he turned his attention to the cryptocurrency market and began to invest little by little.
At first, he made small profits by selling Bitcoin whenever its price rose. Then, he quickly realized something.
‘Why am I working so hard to invest?’
Was there any need to buy and sell coins someone else had created?
He could just hire a programmer and issue his own coin.
"Join me. We'll make a fortune."
Finding investors wasn't difficult with the connections he'd built working at a financial firm.
He made millions of dollars just by issuing a coin and getting it listed on an exchange.
As his network in this field grew, he began to collaborate with cryptocurrency exchanges.
He was able to secure a steady stream of profits by providing coins to exchanges before they were listed.
The solid cartel he had formed began to change in 2017.
It was a time when all coins, starting with Bitcoin, were skyrocketing uncontrollably.
‘The coin I sold last year, or the year before. The one that made me a million dollars is now worth fifty million?’
He lamented the lost opportunity only for a moment.
Jim thrived like a fish in water, earning hundreds of millions of dollars.
"A stablecoin?"
"Yes. A coin to vitalize crypto trading. This is what will bring in the big money."
He met Kwon Do-jin, who had quit Apple to jump into the crypto industry, and they launched many projects together.
Then, as 2017 came to a close, the crypto bubble burst all at once.
"Damn it! Billions of dollars were right in front of me!"
Although he hadn't made as much money as he'd planned, the cryptocurrency boom had created the market he desired.
He built a solid cartel that covered everything from coin issuance and distribution to profit recovery.
‘I don't know if coins or blockchain technology can change the world. But one thing's for sure—they'll change my future.’
To him, who had been on a winning streak, Kim Shin's existence was a thorn in his side.
"If he won't cooperate, I'll have no choice but to break him with force."
* * *
It was purely by chance.
Typing my name into YouTube was a mistake.
- The Retail Investors' Idol
- Kim Shin's Investment Method. "Shine in the Darkness."
- The Next Warren Buffett
- The Korean Tiger Roaring on Wall Street
- Those Who Follow Kim Shin Shall Be Showered with Money.
All sorts of YouTube videos.
I knew that nationalistic "K-pride" videos were trending.
But there were a ton of videos about me, and some even had over two or three million views.
- Kim Shin Spotted at a San Francisco Burger Joint!
"And this one was uploaded just three or four days ago."
Yet it already had over three million views.
It certainly felt like I had become a celebrity.
"Jong-yeop. Don't people usually feel uncomfortable about the rich?"
"Well, that's usually the case for people who amassed their wealth illegally."
"What about me?"
"In your case, you're young and single. I think times have changed, and people see you as a role model."
"A role model?"
"Seeing you succeed makes them think, 'I can succeed too.' Or perhaps they feel a sense of vicarious satisfaction from watching your success."
It was hard to fully understand, but I figured it was just an internet trend.
Watching the videos about me on YouTube...
"Are you scared of the stock market falling? Of course you are. This past February and March, the market was at its worst. It's a natural instinct to feel fear."
"But what about Kim Shin? He pinpointed the exact issue. Look! The Fed is printing money. The U.S. government is printing money. How can the stocks not go up?"
"This is what investing is. Buying undervalued blue-chip stocks. We have to watch and learn."
"Do you still think Kim Shin succeeded by luck? Did you fail because you don't have that luck? No. Athletes aren't the only ones who sweat and toil. The global investment market... to make a profit here, it takes more than ordinary spirit and determination."
Watching these YouTube videos, I felt like I could respect this person named Kim Shin too.
Even a video of me enjoying the yacht had been filmed from somewhere.
With COVID-19 spreading, I thought the public would mock me for indulging in such luxury as a rich man.
- It's a yacht!
- He looks so cool enjoying the sail.
- Water sports are really fun.
- But it seems pretty modest for how much he's worth.
- He's never been one to spend money recklessly. He donates in the U.S. and in Korea.
- He was poor when he was young... He deserves to spend a little and live comfortably.
- Ten million of us dirt spoons are cheering for you, Kim Shin!
It felt like the public knew my personal history all too well.
* * *
The Donghak Ants.
Investment in the U.S. stock market from Korea had apparently surged.
Even when American companies recorded an earnings shock with simultaneous declines in revenue and profit.
- Let's goooooo!
The stocks I had purchased, like Apple, Microsoft, and Tesla, continued to soar.
Although I hadn't revealed the specific stocks, it seemed they had made educated guesses based on my investment style.
In Tesla's case, the purchase amount was so large that it was bound to become public knowledge.
"Tesla is requesting a meeting."
"Why?"
"Because you've acquired 7.8% of their shares."
Lee Jong-yeop informed me that Tesla had been contacting us consistently.
He said they wanted to confirm if I intended to join the board of directors and were prepared to discuss various management matters.
"Nothing from Apple, right?"
"No, sir. They're a massive corporation with a huge market cap. Even though the investment amount was large, your stake isn't that significant."
For a car company, Tesla was quite large, but it still felt more approachable.
"I have no intention of meddling in the management of a company that's already doing a great job."
"Should I tell them that?"
"Yeah. But if we have time, let's go tour the factory. It sounds like it would be a good experience."
I was managing the Earth Resource business and focusing on my stock investments.
While figures like the unemployment rate were hitting all-time highs.
- New York Stock Market on the Rise
The stock market continued to climb, fueled by the Fed's money printing.
- Paul: I have good news. It looks like the phase 1 trial will be a success.
- Kim Shin: Already?
- Paul: Yes. They're reporting that antibodies have been produced in the 200 participants of the phase 1 trial.
The vaccine made by Biolife passed the phase 1 clinical trial.
- Kim Shin: Is Biolife the only one that's made a COVID-19 vaccine?
- Paul: Not exactly. Moderna has a vaccine that began trials on March 16th. Pfizer began its experiments on March 17th.
Just as Dr. Lee Ho-yeon had said, Moderna and Pfizer were apparently developing their vaccines using the mRNA method.
Moderna was a company I had invested eight hundred million dollars in, which was 4% of its market cap.
Regardless of which company developed the vaccine, it was good news for the world.
- Kim Shin: The race for a vaccine seems fierce.
- Paul: It is.
We hadn't announced the vaccine's development and progress externally because the probability of failure was high.
Expectations for major corporations like Pfizer were said to be much higher in the clinical trials.
- Paul: Nevertheless, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has expressed surprise at Biolife's vaccine successfully creating antibodies.
- Kim Shin: I suppose so. Regardless of Biolife, when do you think a vaccine will be available?
- Paul: Even if the clinical trial period and procedures are expedited as much as possible, I expect it will take at least eight months.
In any case, it was good news for overcoming the COVID-19 crisis.
And the next day, an exclusive story broke in USA Today.
- Biolife Likely to Pass Phase 1 Clinical Trial for COVID-19 Vaccine.
It was a Korean company unknown to most Americans.