Chapter 3
Translator: Dreamscribe
“Ah. Why did you suddenly press the buy button!”
“Ah.”
Damn.
I screwed up on the very first day.
I was drawn by that impulsive feeling and pressed the buy button like I was playing a game.
“You even pressed it as a market order, so it got executed right away. And do you see this? What color does it look like?”
“Blue light.”
“Exactly. Blue light! That means it's hitting the lower limit.”
“Then what should I do?”
“Well, what can you do? It's not like you lost real money. This is a mock trading, right?”
That was a relief.
She shouted in surprise from the side, so I thought real money was being spent.
“But there's a problem. I told you earlier, right? The reason we junior traders do mock tradings is to be evaluated by our seniors. You need to perform well in the mock trading to move on to the next stage. But you bought it all.......”
Lee Hye-rin was sincerely worried for me while muttering what to do.
“But it's still okay. The mock trading funds, well, you can receive them again anytime. You never know, right? This blue light could turn into a red light anytime. Then you can quickly sell it off. But it might take quite a while for it to turn red...... You heard earlier, right? U.S. interest rate hike. Because of that, all the insurance stocks are dropping right now.”
“Yes. I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s okay. When you’re a new hire, you’re bound to make a lot of mistakes from being nervous. I was like that too in the beginning. Of course, because of this, the senior evaluations might not be good, but Jin-ho ssi, you're just getting started, right? Cheer up.”
Lee Hye-rin.
Is this person an angel?
How can someone be so kind?
It almost seemed like there was a halo shining around her.
On top of that, her innocent beauty made it feel like being in a flower garden when you were next to her.......
Ah. Get a grip.
I came here to work.
Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t even be able to imagine having a one-on-one conversation with a beauty like this.
And to top it off, I already made a mistake on my first day at work.
‘But that feeling really was intense.’
That emotion I felt while playing the game.
That sense that my special ability had activated.
It was under that influence that I pressed the buy button.
‘In the game, the feedback came immediately, either success or failure.’
But the stock market was impossible to read.
Judging from what I’d seen so far, the fact that it was still showing a blue light meant I must have misread something.
Or maybe this ability had nothing to do with stocks from the start.
Maybe I didn’t have a special ability at all, and I just got lucky a few times.......
“Excuse me. Jin-ho ssi? I’ve been explaining really hard, you're not daydreaming, are you?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Hmm. Just judging by your face, it seems like you are off in your own world.”
“.......”
Let’s just focus on work for now.
This place is a jungle full of things I don’t know.
But...... being taught by such a beauty makes it impossible to concentrate.
***
The stock market opening time is 9 a.m.
However, because of the pre-market matching, 8:30 a.m. is considered the real start.
And while the market closes at 3:30 p.m., due to the closing call auction, the final closing price is actually determined at 3:40 p.m.
7 hours and 10 minutes.
It was the duration of a war without gunfire that lasted all day.
Especially in the Prop Trading Department, it was the busiest place in the company.
Scalping.
A high-frequency trading method that executes trades within seconds or minutes, generating profits by following rapid bid-ask fluctuations, that’s what this place was all about.
Even if you held a stock, it was for no more than a week at most, and typically, you had to sell everything before the market closed to secure funds. That was the top priority.
If you wanted to do long-term investments or hold stocks longer than the short term, this department wasn’t the right fit.
For that kind of work, you should go to the Asset Management Team or the Research Team.
Those departments aim for the kind of value investment and growth investment that people love so much. But Team Leader Park Hong-seo had no desire to be in such tedious and boring places.
This massive casino board where red bars and blue bars wrestled every minute and second of the day, playing a game of nerves to suck each other’s money dry.
This place, where dopamine and rage surged every moment, was the source of energy in his life.
If the stock market didn’t exist in this world, he definitely would have headed to a casino.
Or he would’ve been glued to his phone every day doing illegal online gambling.
That’s why he had no interest in the dopamine-charged social media or shorts videos that everyone seemed to be obsessed with these days.
Because this was the only place where a human could fully recharge their dopamine levels.
That’s the reason Team Leader Park stayed at this company.
Can’t he just do it with his own money?
That’s not possible.
When you have the mindset that you’re doing it with someone else’s money, it allows for slightly more rational judgment. But the moment you become obsessed with the idea that it’s your own money, your judgment becomes clouded.
That’s exactly why successful company traders often crash and burn the moment they switch to being private traders.
“Team leader. Thanks for your hard work today.”
“The real work starts now. Have the staff compile the results of today’s trades and calculate the profits and losses. And Deputy Manager Kim, prepare the position report. Did you check for any unusual activity?”
“Ah, yes. I was planning to submit it along with the report.”
“Good. I need it as soon as possible so I can draft tomorrow’s market strategy.”
“Got it.”
After giving orders to his team members, Park Hong-seo took a quick break and pulled out a dumbbell from under his desk.
After the market closed, lifting dumbbells to reduce muscle loss even slightly and drinking protein was part of his routine.
And tonight's dinner would be with fresh chicken breast as always...
“.......”
At that moment, someone appeared, hesitating whether or not to speak as they watched his beast-like routine.
“Senior Staff Lee. Do you have something to say?”
“Ah, yes. Team leader. Sorry to interrupt while you're working out.”
“It’s fine. Just warming up. What is it?”
“Well, team leader...”
While teaching the newbie, Lee Hye-rin explained what had happened.
“So the new recruit who joined today ‘accidentally’ bought all shares of a stock? And at market price, too?”
“Yes. He seemed to have made a mistake while receiving training from me. The stock hit the lower limit today, so I was worried he might get too harsh of an evaluation.......”
“I understand what you're saying. Go prepare the briefing. Keep training the newbie as well.”
“Ah, got it.”
Lee Hye-rin.
People say your life reflects your character, and that saying seemed to be made for her.
An angelic appearance with a kind heart.
She didn’t seem to fit well in this ruthless world where people are judged solely by numbers.
‘But he made a full purchase?’
Honestly, can you even call that a mistake?
He tried not to care, but that parachute hire’s sudden move kept stirring his curiosity.
“Why did he buy this?”
The stock that Jung Jin-ho had bought in full was none other than an insurance stock.
A company called JoongAng Insurance, but insurance stocks aren’t exactly attractive picks.
On top of that, with today's interest rate hike concerns, all insurance stocks were flashing blue.
“Was it really a mistake?”
It wasn’t even real money; it was just mock trading using fake money.
If it had been company funds, it would’ve been a problem, but this much wasn’t a big deal.
Still, an unpleasant feeling lingered.
‘A full buy was a mistake?’
Even if it was a market order, he would’ve had to press the buy button himself.
As those thoughts kept circling, Team Leader Park Hong-seo closed his eyes.
‘Enough. Let’s stop thinking about it.’
After all, he’s just a temporary parachute.
There’s no way he’d be entrusted with a senior role when he doesn’t even know the ‘i’ in investment, and the company would feel the same.
So let’s just watch what that guy does.
He’ll leave on his own eventually.
***
“Ugh. It’s already this late.......”
Before I knew it, it was 7 o'clock.
I had arrived at work at 5 a.m. and had been trapped in the company for 14 hours.
But the day really flew by in an instant.
“Time really goes by fast in here. Maybe it’s because this place lives on speed, and we’re constantly on the move.”
In the early part of market hours, the two of us didn’t really have much to do.
But once trading got fully underway, errands came pouring in from all directions.
Of course, I didn’t know anything, so I just followed Lee Hye-rin around and learned.
“Still, Jin-ho ssi, you did really well for your first day. Of course, there was one minor mistake.”
“Are you sure it was minor?”
“Well. You think they'd reflect a single mistake in mock trading into the evaluation of a newbie who just started today? Wait. Team Leader Park might... He’s a very strict person, after all.”
Ah. Team Leader Park.
With muscles that looked like they were about to burst out of his shirt, and an expression that, how should I say this.
He looked like one of those by-the-book officers I saw in the military.
If Team Leader Park had been my mentor instead of Senior Staff Lee Hye-rin...
‘Ugh. Just thinking about it gives me chills.’
Thank you, Hye-rin nim-nim-nim!
“Well then, see you tomorrow, Jin-ho ssi.”
“Ah, yes. See you tomorrow.”
I blankly stared at the back of Senior Staff Lee Hye-rin as she walked away.
Honestly, the workload was even tougher than I’d imagined.
But it was understandable.
This was one of the most coveted securities firms among young rising talents.
I couldn't possibly complain about this being hard.
My mom and dad, who are working outside today to feed this unemployed son, must be having a harder time.
On top of that, the thought that Senior Staff Lee Hye-rin was my mentor gave me even more strength.
I was on my way to the subway station, about to head home.
“Uh.”
I got a call from my benefactor.
I answered with a voice full of tension.
“Answering the call, CEO nim!”
[Sheesh. I told you to just call me hyung when it's just the two of us.]
“But that’s not so easy to do.”
[Punk. Only worked one day and already like this. So, how was it? Tougher than you thought, right? Even for a junior, trying to learn this and that must’ve been exhausting.]
“Haha. Who am I to say anything like exhausting? And seeing everyone working so hard made me feel respectful too. You must have been incredibly busy too, hyung, so how did you even play the game?”
[Thanks to you. When I was away on business trips or swamped with work, you took good care of the guild. Even when we did raids, you stepped up as raid leader and gave orders, it made things so much easier.]
“Oh man. I don’t think I can do it like you. I feel like I’ll pass out as soon as I get home.”
[Look at this guy. Don’t tell me you’re not planning to log into the game? I’ve already logged in and been waiting for you.]
“Gasp. I’ll be right there.”
[Yeah. Everyone’s worried. Saying the youngest, who used to haunt the game like a ghost, suddenly disappeared.]
“Then I better hurry even more. Please wait just a bit!”
I ran toward the subway station in a hurry.
Busy, busy.
The life of a modern man!
***
Around 6-7 AM, you can hear crying sounds here and there.
A harmony made of sighs from office workers facing another workday.
But not everyone’s like that.
The traders.
On weekends when the market is closed, their hands tremble.
They’re no different from gambling addicts itching to get back into the casino.
Well, there are probably exceptions.
But more than half the traders Team Leader Park Hong-seo had seen so far were like that.
All of them were dopamine junkies.
“.......”
As always, Team Leader Park Hong-seo arrived early and checked through the documents.
What had happened overseas today?
He went through various checks while drinking his morning coffee no, morning protein.
“Good morning, Team Leader.”
Soon, team members began arriving one by one.
“Meeting in 15 minutes, everyone. Be ready.”
“Yes, sir!”
After finishing the morning briefing and revising the strategy they had set up the day before, Team Leader Park returned to his desk after giving instructions.
“.......”
One minute left until the market opened.
Even after working in this field for so long, this moment always brought the most tension and excitement.
Will my strategy work?
Can I win again this time?
His fingertips were itching like crazy.
Drrrrrr-!
As the signal announcing the market’s opening rang out, Team Leader Park moved his hands swiftly.
He scanned the market across the multiple monitors in front of him, and his brain began spinning like mad.
When his strategy hit the mark, the sense of accomplishment and dopamine were indescribable; on the other hand, when it missed, the anxiety was enough to make the hand holding his cup tremble.
Immersed in this world where you go from hell to heaven within just a few minutes, the closing bell always seemed to arrive before you knew it.
“Ah.......”
Moments like these felt like a child unable to leave an amusement park, lingering in disappointment and emptiness when the fun was over.
“Team leader. Should I send over the data now?”
But there was no time to daze off.
Today had ended, which meant it was time to prepare for tomorrow.
“Yeah. Any anomalies?”
“Some stocks saw a fairly significant rise today. I’ve sent a file with the details.”
“Thanks.”
Team Leader Park Hong-seo checked which stocks had suddenly surged today, and which had faced unexpected declines.
Identifying the reasons behind these large fluctuations was a key part of their job.
As he scrolled down the list with a clack of the mouse wheel.
“......?”
One particular stock caught his eye.
A very familiar name.
“Wait. This is.......”
Just in case, he checked the mock trading results of the new hire he had seen yesterday.
As expected.
[JoongAng Insurance +15%]
“Heh.”
Team Leader Park let out a chuckle without realizing it.
15%?
In just one day?
The reason for JoongAng Insurance’s sudden rise was none other than its dollar bond holdings.
Typically, insurance companies invest a significant portion of their assets in overseas bonds, and due to concerns over rising interest rates, most of them were hit with negative news, leading to widespread drops in the sector.
But today, JoongAng Insurance alone surged upward.
The reason was that their holdings of U.S. Treasury bonds were three times higher than those of their competitors. On top of that, they had a high proportion of floating-rate bonds.
So while all insurance stocks had fallen yesterday, JoongAng Insurance had also dropped along with them, but due to its unique strengths, it was the only one to hit a high point today.
And that stock was held by that parachute hire.
He even went all-in on it.
It was a shame that it was only a mock trading, but for some reason, a thought crossed his mind.
‘Did he really hear yesterday’s meeting and make that judgment himself?’
Yesterday, Team Leader Park Hong-seo’s team had discussed the strong NFP, CPI, and dollar strength.
Probably every trader in the company had expected insurance stocks to fall.
The data supported that, and it turned out to be true.
But the parachute had discovered the hidden gem within that data all on his own.
‘She said it was a mistake.’
No matter how he looked at it, it didn’t make sense.
He went all-in on a single stock, out of all the countless options out there, he picked JoongAng Insurance and bought it at market price?
‘......Was it really a mistake?’