Chapter 15
Chapter 15
The black-haired investor awakened as a superhuman 015
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Today, the numbers on the screen continue to turn red.
Today, especially, my heart started beating faster and faster.
This unique, chaotic atmosphere.
I was familiar with this tension, like something terrible was about to happen.
I was reminded of the chaos of last August, when the US-China trade war was at its peak.
The market had been open for over thirty minutes, but the fear showed no signs of subsiding.
Rather, it made the market even more volatile.
The flood of sell orders was reminiscent of a tsunami. The market's movements were sharper than ever.
At this rate…
That's when it happened.
[ (Emergency Alert) Circuit Breaker Activated
Activation Time: 2020-03-09, 09:34:00
Content: A Circuit Breaker has been activated due to a sharp market decline. All trading will be temporarily suspended for 15 minutes. Please be aware of additional market volatility. ]
'Here we go.'
Before I knew it, my fist was clenched.
Swish, swish—
While everyone else was tearing their hair out, I punched the air.
The cafe customers looked at me strangely.
I made eye contact with one of the men, and we exchanged awkward smiles.
The Circuit Breaker had been triggered.
Hadn't I been waiting for this moment all along?
The moment I checked the skyrocketing return on my options account.
A thrilling reward washed over me.
But stay calm.
It's as if bundles of money are flying right in front of my eyes, which is why it's even more important to regain my composure.
'Until I finish closing out, it's just digital numbers.'
Whether it's profit or loss, it's just data until it's confirmed in the account.
This position had only just caught fire.
It's not just a passing flame.
I know this position will get bigger. The real game starts now.
I'll be watching to see how far this fire will burn.
Sure enough, as soon as the Circuit Breaker was lifted, it started to burn again.
Whoosh—
I saw Marcus arrive, and I closed my laptop and got up from my seat.
Marcus's appearance reminded me of another obvious fact.
The people of Wall Street are all outstanding in appearance.
The men are like models, and the women are like Barbie dolls.
His graceful and confident walk, like a model on a runway, was bound to attract the attention of the female customers in particular.
The spectacle of women's eyes naturally following him was not unfamiliar to me.
Whenever I was with him, women always flocked to him.
"The market situation is a total mess."
Marcus said as soon as he sat down.
And we watched the market situation together.
It was such a huge mess that we forgot how much time had passed.
It was Black Monday.
The Dow Jones suffered its third-largest daily drop in history.
Oil prices plummeted 24%, the biggest daily drop since the Gulf War, and the S&P 500 suffered its biggest daily drop since the 2011 European debt crisis.
In addition, the 10-year Treasury yield fell below 0.5% for the first time in history.
His expression, "total mess," was spot on.
"Who knew the Wuhan Pneumonia would spread this far? Don't you think?"
He even gave a hollow laugh, as if he was fed up.
When it looked like the market was about to close, he finally seemed to notice me.
"Why don't you just come work for my father's company? I've been wanting to say that for a long time."
His tone was frustrated.
I couldn't help but laugh.
I had sent him an investment proposal, too.
And there was no way he didn't know about the rumors that had been swirling around me lately.
To him, too, I must be the epitome of ruin, just as I am to the other alumni.
I put down my coffee cup and said,
"I didn't call a busy person just to chat. I came to talk business."
Marcus stared at me with a look of surprise.
A look that seemed to question whether I had anything left to offer.
It was honest, but at the same time, I could feel a deep concern and genuine interest, so there was no reason to take it badly.
But he seemed to have gone off on a tangent.
I could tell from the way he touched his chin and glanced at me that he was pondering something.
I chuckled and said,
"Don't worry, it's not an investment."
"No, if there's anything I can do to help you personally, just let me know."
"Then can you help me, not your father?"
Marcus frowned for a moment and closed his mouth.
Something that would have been unthinkable in the past.
Especially now, no one will take my hand, the symbol of ruin.
That's only natural, and it's even worse to be upset about it.
At least in this industry.
For him, just not ignoring my call and showing up here was enough to say he'd done his duty.
While he was being uncharacteristically cautious, I got straight to the point.
"Review this for me."
I placed a heavy bag on the table.
It was a bag containing all the documents needed to establish a hedge fund.
* * *
In the field of fund establishment and asset management.
Turner Capital is expected to be in the top 20.
Pinnacle Ventures, a mutual fund that made a name for itself 15 years ago.
In 2018, Summit Growth, a private equity fund, also entered the central stage as a client and partner of Turner Capital, showing off its power.
Considering that Turner Capital's corporate value is at least $700 million and that it is a privately held company that has not received outside investment.
Marcus.
So, Marcus Turner, he's what you'd call a golden spoon in Korean terms.
If you expand it to include the entire Turner family, which is also heavily involved in real estate, they have secured their own little kingdom in this New York land.
At Wharton, guys like him were my classmates.
That's probably why I, an ordinary Korean immigrant, stood out even more among them.
To them, I was like the minimum standard they couldn't afford to lose to.
I met Marcus again the next morning.
He was at the meeting place before me, in a different mood than yesterday.
Articles of incorporation, bylaws, operating agreements, incorporation documents, state registration documents, offering circular, etc.
The documents I had asked him to review yesterday were piled high on the table.
He was so focused on them that he didn't even notice I was there.
He finally looked up.
"Who did you have do this?"
His eyes were sparkling as he asked me that out of the blue.
"Are there any parts that need to be revised?"
I answered and sat down.
"Everything is perfect. My father said it couldn't be more perfect."
He had a smile on his face.
The slight pity I had detected yesterday seemed to have disappeared.
He must have been convinced that I, who had almost completed the hedge fund establishment process, was not going to fall as easily as the rumors suggested.
It requires accurately reflecting the requirements of regulatory agencies.
And it must be perfectly satisfied without any legal disqualifications in all legal matters such as the Federal Securities Act, the Investment Advisers Act, state laws, tax laws, and anti-corruption laws.
It takes several experts several weeks to put together the basic incorporation documents alone.
And it included a financially engineered offering circular.
From his perspective, and from the general perspective of the industry, this work would have been going on for at least two months.
The truth was, it had only been a day—
"That must have cost a lot?"
"As long as it's perfect. Can I get this approved in two weeks?"
"If it's a matter of that, the company you hired would take care of it, right? Why us?"
"Let's just say I have personal reasons. Please make sure it gets approved in two weeks. I don't care how much the expedite fee is."
"I'll take care of it... but there must be a reason why you're in such a hurry?"
"Of course there is."
I gestured to the screen of his pad, which was turned on to one side.
The market has become more volatile as an unprecedented event has occurred.
Whether it goes up or down.
The huge fluctuations are compared to waves.
He couldn't be immune to the thrill that surfers feel when they want to ride the giant waves.
That's why his eyes, as he looked at the chart on the pad, had also changed to a serious look.
That look didn't change when he turned his gaze to me.
Running the family's company under his father versus running an independent hedge fund.
It goes without saying which would be more interesting to him, who is still in his prime.
But people like him from established families can't decide things for themselves.
They've been raised that way since they were kids.
They have to follow the instructions of the family chairman.
And following those instructions is the way for people like him to receive the greatest rewards.
I've never seen anyone turn that down.
A class with no reason or justification to take risks.
The envious look he had on me was only for a moment.
He returned to his original calm look and said,
"You know I'm always rooting for you, right? I'll make sure it gets approved in two weeks."
"Thank you."
He stopped me as I got up.
"Hedge fund name. You have to fill in the blank."
I thought for a moment and replied.
"AlphaMind Fund."
It will be the first fund launched by AlphaMind.
* * *
The next morning, when I came out of the shower.
The screen of my phone, displaying an alert, caught my eye.
Breaking news from early in the morning.
「 World Health Organization Declares COVID-19 a Pandemic
(WHO Declares COVID-19 a Pandemic)
The World Health Organization has declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic.
As of the date of the announcement, approximately 118,000 cases of COVID-19 infection and approximately 4,291 deaths have been reported worldwide.
The World Health Organization said, "This is not just a public health crisis, it is a crisis that affects every sector, and every sector and individual must join the fight."
It also strongly urged all countries to take immediate and strong public health measures and urgently called for international cooperation to rapidly contain the spread of infection worldwide.
March 11, 2020, 06:30 EDT
By Bloomberg 」
'What was coming has finally arrived.'
As of this moment, the Wuhan Pneumonia outbreak has become a COVID pandemic.
Officially—