Golden Spoon Investor

Chương 523: CH524

The first spark of the KOSDAQ venture investment frenzy began with Goldbank. After reaching its peak, the stock suddenly plummeted to half its value, sending shockwaves through the market. Yet, the securities firms' trading halls were still packed with people, buzzing with undiminished excitement.

Many had already experienced the intoxicating thrill of watching a stock soar fifty-five times in just a few months. It was more addictive than any drug—the rush of dopamine, the dizzying sense of euphoria—and few could tear themselves away from it.

Of course, countless others had jumped on too late, buying at the top and losing everything. But on the other hand, some had seized the opportunity and made fortunes overnight. That hope—that they too could be one of the lucky few—drove people to buy and sell KOSDAQ stocks like gamblers at a betting table, not investors.

Then, right after Goldbank's collapse, an even more powerful superstar emerged, reigniting the frenzy around KOSDAQ venture stocks.

[Seum Technologies: 563,230 ▴ 32,025 (+5.6%)]

"What the? It went up again today?"

"Unbelievable. It wasn't even ten thousand won a while ago. How high is it going to climb?"

About fifty retail investors gathered in small groups before the large ticker board in the securities hall, all with their eyes glued to the stock that had become the hottest topic in the KOSDAQ market—Seum Technologies.

"If I'd known this would happen, I wouldn't have sold yesterday!"

A middle-aged woman with a perm and a pearl necklace stomped her feet in regret.

Across the room, a man clutching a rolled-up financial newspaper let out a deep sigh.

"Just look at that trading volume. It's not even slowing down—it's still rising! Damn it. I shouldn't have sold."

Even though many had already made sizable profits of thirty to forty percent, seeing the price keep climbing without showing any sign of decline filled them with greed. They couldn't help thinking they could have made even more.

"With prices up this much already, shouldn't it be losing momentum by now? Why is it still going up?"

A middle-aged man frowned, annoyed that the stock he had sold kept rising.

Just then, another man, Kwon Jinhyuk—who had been forced into becoming a full-time investor after the company he worked for went bankrupt during the IMF crisis—shrugged and replied,

"Haven't you heard? Seum Technologies is doing a stock split."

"Huh? How is that supposed to be good news? Goldbank performed a stock split shortly before its crash. Sounds more like bad news to me."

"That's because Goldbank was just pretending to be an internet company. It was basically propping itself up with debt. Seum Technologies, on the other hand, developed free internet phone technology and even announced a business partnership with some American telecom company—GTE, I think it was."

In fact, Seum Technologies had established a subsidiary in the United States and was collaborating with GTE, a local telecommunications firm, to introduce a revolutionary service that would enable users to make both domestic and international calls at no cost.

When the company made the announcement, the timing couldn't have been better. The internet boom was in full swing, and the news sent its stock price skyrocketing.

As the number of subscribers to its free internet phone service surged—first in Korea, then across the world, reaching hundreds of thousands—the share price kept hitting new record highs day after day.

"Think about it," Kwon said. "People are desperate to get their hands on this stock. Once the split happens, the number of shares increases, the price per share drops, and everyone who thought it was too expensive before will rush in to buy."

"!"

Realizing why the stock was still climbing, the middle-aged man clenched his fist, regret written all over his face.

"Damn it! What am I doing just standing here?"

He bolted toward the counter, desperate to buy back the Seum Technologies shares he'd sold the day before.

With expectations soaring, and news spreading that a famous movie star had made a fortune after investing in Seum Technologies before it went public, public interest exploded even more.

Soon, the company became a black hole sucking in all the market's liquidity. And just before its stock split, Seum Technologies shattered the seemingly impossible barrier of six hundred thousand won per share.

"This is insane."

At his desk, surrounded by multiple monitors, Jung Hwanyeop shook his head in disbelief, muttering to himself.

"What's going on?"

Choi Hogeun looked up from the printed report that Noh Heewon had handed him.

Jung Hwanyeop rolled up the sleeves of his white dress shirt—a habit of his—and swiveled his chair toward Choi.

"Seum Technologies," he said. "That stock is absolutely crazy right now."

"Oh, that one."

Choi set down the printout in his hand and continued,

"It dipped a bit this morning, didn't it? But then bounced right back up."

"Yeah. Once it passed six hundred thousand won, there was some profit-taking, but the buying pressure was still strong, so the sell orders got absorbed almost instantly. At this rate, it looks like it'll close higher again today."

Choi stood up, walked over to Jung's desk, and glanced at the charts displayed on the monitors. He nodded in agreement.

"With that kind of momentum, it's not going to drop anytime soon."

"There was an article saying a famous movie star invested a hundred million won in Seum Technologies and made tens of billions. That news has people even more excited."

At that, Noh Heewon—who had recently started growing his hair out—clapped his hands together and said, "Ah, that explains it."

"I heard about that too. You mean the actor from Three Cops, right?"

"Yeah, and that beer commercial where he does the 'La La La' dance is a huge hit these days. He's doing great everywhere—and now he's even hit the jackpot with stocks. Some people really do succeed at everything they touch."

Yoo Seokhyun spoke with an openly envious look on his face.

"I heard he was friends with the founder of Seum Technologies. He invested to help out because he knew the company was struggling, and it turned into a massive win."

"That's what I heard too."

While Hong Jaehee and Noh Heewon chatted away, Jung Hwanyeop leaned back in his chair, resting both arms behind his head.

"The actor made a fortune, sure, but the real jackpot went to someone else."

Yoo Seokhyun nodded, already guessing who he meant.

"You're talking about the chairman, right?"

"Exactly. As you all know, our company made an angel investment in Seum Technologies under the chairman's direction—and we own thirty percent of its shares."

"That's why Bluehole Securities was the lead underwriter when Seum Technologies went public."

"Right."

Jung straightened up in his chair with a small grunt.

"Even if we calculate based on yesterday's closing price—six hundred thousand won per share—how much do you think our stake is worth?"

Yoo Seokhyun did the math quickly in his head, then his jaw dropped.

"It's over one hundred eighty billion won."

"Whoa!"

"Seriously?"

Hong Jaehee and Noh Heewon's eyes widened in shock.

"What's even more surprising," Jung Hwanyeop continued with a shrug, "is that we got that thirty-percent stake for just three billion won."

He leaned back slightly, a hint of admiration in his tone.

"And judging by how things are going, there's no telling how high Seum Technologies' stock will climb. That's the truly incredible part."

"Whew, you're right," Yoo Seokhyun said, letting out a low whistle.

"Just like with Goldbank, the chairman's ability to spot venture companies that can turn into ten-baggers is unreal."

It was a talent few could even dream of imitating.

"He's already famous in the States too," Hong Jaehee added, eyes sparkling. "He caught the dot-com wave early, investing in Netscape and Yahoo before anyone else, and made astronomical profits."

Yoo Seokhyun nodded in wholehearted agreement.

"It's hard enough to get one investment right, but everything he touches turns into a massive hit. It's unbelievable."

"Of course it is! He's our chairman," Noh Heewon said proudly, nodding enthusiastically.

"Venture investments aside," Jung Hwanyeop added, propping his chin on one hand, "it gives me chills watching how perfectly he times the market—he knows exactly which stocks will soar."

"Look at the current list he gave us. Every single one of those stocks has tripled or quadrupled already. No matter how hard I work all day—buying and selling, glued to the screen—I can't even make a fraction of what the chairman earns from a single trade. It's enough to make you feel useless."

"Tsk, tsk. There you go again," Choi Hogeun said, glancing at Jung with mild annoyance.

"I told you before: a sparrow can't chase a stork without tearing its legs apart. You can't compare yourself to the chairman."

"Still, calling me a sparrow feels a bit harsh, don't you think?" Jung protested, lips jutting out.

"Fine," Choi replied dryly. "Then I'll upgrade you to a pigeon."

"They're too fat to fly!" Jung shot back in mock indignation.

The other team members who overheard their exchange turned their heads away, trying hard to suppress their laughter.

Clapping his hands lightly to regain everyone's attention, Choi Hogeun spoke up.

"The chairman's made a huge profit from his investment in Seum Technologies, so if we want to prove our worth, we'd better at least hit this month's targets—even if we can't match him. Enough chatting. Time to make some money!"

"Yes, sir!"

As everyone returned to their desks, Choi sat back down at his own, moved his mouse, and pulled up Seum Technologies' stock window on his monitor.

[Seum Technologies: 613,500 ▲ 12,250]

Watching the stock price climb relentlessly—devouring capital from the KOSDAQ market like a massive black hole—Choi stared at the screen with growing unease and muttered quietly to himself.

"When a mountain rises high, its valley is bound to be deep… If this thing collapses like Goldbank did, it might drag the entire KOSDAQ market down with it."

Having spent more than a decade in Yeouido's securities world, Choi knew that when something rose too fast, it often ended worse than falling short. And to him, Seum Technologies' meteoric surge had already gone beyond reason—it was a frenzy.

***

"I'll think about this a little more before making a decision."

"Understood."

Yoo Hyunseok bowed politely as he received the approval folder back, then straightened up and left the chairman's office.

As the door clicked shut, Seok-won picked up the teacup on his desk and took a sip of coffee. Just then, his phone started vibrating.

He set the cup down, picked up the phone, and immediately answered the call.

"Landon? What brings you to call at this hour?"

[There's bad news.]

Hearing the heavy tone, Seok-won frowned.

"What is it?"

[Remember how I told you the polling numbers for Congressman Obama's Democratic primary race in the 1st district weren't looking good?]

"You said the opponent's support rate was over 70%, while Obama's name recognition was only around 11%."

[That's right.]

It wasn't even his approval rating—only 11% of voters even recognized Obama's name. The number was shockingly low.

Still, since Seok-won already knew Obama wouldn't even make it past the party primary to reach the general election, he wasn't particularly surprised.

But what came next made his face harden.

[I just got confirmation—his opponent's son was shot and killed last night.]

"…!"

Seok-won's eyebrows shot up.

"Are you sure about that?"

[Yes. The local news has already reported it as breaking news.]

"Hmm."

A low hum escaped Seok-won's throat.

[With his approval already trailing far behind, this kind of tragedy will only draw sympathy votes toward the other candidate. Honestly, it's safe to say the primary is as good as over.]

"That's true."

Seok-won replied with a faint, bitter smile, then adjusted his grip on the phone.

"What's Obama's team doing now?"

[From what I've heard, they suspended all campaign activities immediately after hearing the news.]

"Naturally. If they kept campaigning after the opponent's son was killed in a shooting, there'd be a huge backlash. That's the wiser choice."

Seok-won sighed softly.

"Alright. Keep me updated if anything new comes in."

[Will do.]

After hanging up, Seok-won leaned back in his chair and murmured to himself.

"Must be hard on him… it's practically over before the first vote was even cast."

He did feel sorry for Obama, but like solid ground after a storm, Seok-won knew this would ultimately strengthen Barrack Obama's resolve.

"Maybe without this failure, he wouldn't go on to make history ten years from now—as America's first Black president."