38. Variables
When I woke up, Lee Eun-joo and Seo Hyun-sook were lying on either side of me. The bed felt a bit cramped, so we'd fallen asleep pressed as close together as possible. I must have drifted off while savoring Eun-joo's voluptuous breasts and Hyun-sook's sleek body. I need to upgrade to a bigger size, I thought. It was too tight for three people anyway—and who knew if it would be three or four down the line.
After the passionate night with Eun-joo yesterday, she usually woke up before me to prepare breakfast, but now she was out cold, dead to the world. Hyun-sook always trembled pitifully whenever Eun-joo and I got intimate, but it was still too soon for her.
By the time I washed up and came out, Eun-joo was already up and making breakfast. It was simple—mostly toast. She even prepared Hyun-sook's breakfast and lunch in advance.
I slipped behind Eun-joo, caressing her breasts and gently circling her nipples.
"Ahh."
Stimulated by my touch, she clamped her legs together, feeling my hands while still focusing on cooking. The sight was utterly endearing.
"No porridge today?"
"Yes. I think we can skip it from now on. I'll prepare something packed with nutrition instead."
Eun-joo had made galbi-tang for Hyun-sook, loaded with ginseng and jujubes—it looked invigorating just from the sight.
"With you taking care of her like this, she'll recover in no time."
Their relationship seemed solid enough to put my mind at ease. I'd worried there might be friction given Hyun-sook's personality, but so far, she remained utterly obedient to me.
Hanla Textile
-20% amount, total 1,083,000 shares purchase complete
After heading to school with Eun-joo, I took a seat at the back of the lecture hall. I needed to trade stocks even during class today, so I picked a spot hidden from the professor. Kim Ye-rin and Heerin gathered around me. They'd been approaching me more since last week.
"Hey, you're here? I gotta trade stocks right now—make sure the prof doesn't spot me."
"Huh?"
Ye-rin looked a bit surprised but propped up her book to shield me anyway. Heerin called over two burly guys to block the view in front of me. She really knew how to handle men.
Thanks to them, I bought stocks without the professor noticing. With my capital around 1.3 billion after selling Sehan Heavy Industries again on Friday, I spent the hour carefully making my purchases.
Now around 3 PM, it'll hit +20%, giving me about 35% profit.
From then on, I chatted enjoyably with Ye-rin and Heerin while listening to the lecture. What if I'd gotten closer to Heerin in my past life? The thought crossed my mind. But memories of her brutal betrayal made it hard to include her in my harem. Sure, I'd gotten perfect revenge via the time loop, and the incident with Young-hoon had eased some resentment—unfortunately. She was still pretty with a great figure, but her personality didn't inspire trust. She was nice to me now because I was on top; if I fell, she'd turn in a heartbeat. It felt like she loved my power, not me.
Of course, I couldn't read every woman's mind. Even with Ye-rin, Soo-min, and Eun-joo—whom I loved—would they stick with me if I hit rock bottom? Who knew.
Lost in such thoughts, the day flew by until the general elective was over. I headed to the library, fired up my laptop, and checked the stock site.
"Gasp!!"
What the hell?
Before my eyes was the chart for Hanla Textile, the one I'd bought that morning. It was holding at -13%.
Hanla Textile: -13%
Nothing had ever deviated from my predictions before, but the trading volume had ticked up slightly. I waited until 3:30 just in case, but it closed at -15%.
The future had changed.
Why?
I went straight home. The next day arrived.
I skipped school. With the variable in play, I planned to let this week loop away. Without touching my holdings, I checked Tuesday's stocks I'd planned to buy.
Medic: 6,400 KRW
-25%
Same as in the time loop.
I watched without buying. Per my knowledge, it would rise from 2 PM, peak at +20% by 2:30, and close that way. Sure enough, it climbed from 2, hit +20% at 2:30, then fluctuated until close.
Without my purchase, the future stayed as I knew it.
Wednesday came.
AP Soft: 6,300 KRW
-20%
Hanla Textile's slight rise on Tuesday bumped my assets to 1.4 billion. I bought 220,000 shares of AP Soft. It should hit the daily limit at 1 PM.
Time passed. 1 PM came—no change from -20%.
Why? Why does it stall when I buy?
This threw a wrench in my asset-building plan.
Maybe?
A hunch hit me. I sold all my holdings. Thursday arrived.
Your profile bio: 1,800 KRW
-27%, 550,000 shares purchase complete
With 1.4 billion in assets, I only bought for 1 billion this time. Last week, 900 million traded normally and made 1.3 billion.
Around 3 PM, Your profile bio surged as expected. I started selling. It hit +25%, but due to the volume, I closed at +20% profit.
My hypothesis was correct. Over 1 billion caused too much market impact, freezing the movement.
Now, daily profits capped at 1 billion per trade. More precisely, per stock—since power plays and manipulations meant big players wouldn't pump if I front-ran their profits.
Exceptional cases like LK Chemicals with breaking news would profit regardless, but those massive swings were rare yearly. Most moved on institutional or foreign capital flows. I'd been siphoning their gains. Over 1 billion alerted them, so they held back.
Korea's market had multiple power blocs; trading three stocks at 1 billion each daily could still grow capital further.
My original plan assumed pulling big money even past 10 billion, but apparently not. I aimed for 1 trillion for business expansion—the road felt longer now.
Still, earning over 1 billion daily meant 200 billion yearly if focused.
Friday confirmed: 1 billion investment yielded 40% profit.
From now on, more time per stock. Larger amounts took longer to buy/sell, and only three per day.
I scoured charts, memorizing three daily stocks and timings. Not hard—previously, all-in on one sufficed.
Recent variables like Hyun-sook's incident or this week's stock glitches forced extra loops. But viewing it as life's spice seemed healthier for the mind.