Chapter 231: The Oracle of Delphi (3)
—Just two days after the Delphi Report hit the market, the VSTOXX index surged from 19.4 to 38.7.
The VSTOXX is known as the “fear index” that reflects volatility in the European markets.
Typically, a reading above 30 indicates panic, and above 50 suggests a financial crisis. And now, it's at 38.7.
—Would you say the market is in a state of panic?
—No, not exactly. This spike was driven by an extreme surge in retail investors buying put options. Their preference for “deep out-of-the-money” options inevitably drives up volatility.
—So, you’re saying the fear index is being artificially inflated?
—That’s right.
The media remained calm.
Even as warning signs appeared, they dismissed it as mere “retail investor antics.”
But regardless of what the media said, I quietly stared at the calendar. ‘It’s about time…’
And soon, the long-anticipated bomb exploded.
<"Default Warning Light"... S&P Downgrades Greece to CCC>
Greece’s credit rating plummeted to junk status.
It was an unprecedented event in EU history.
Only then did investors face reality.
The naive optimism of “It’ll be resolved soon” evaporated.
What followed was... a massive capital outflow.
Greece teetered on the edge.
<10-Year Bond Yield Surpasses 14%>
<ASE Stock Index Crashes 40%>
<Major Greek Bank Stocks Plummet 60%>
The European Central Bank (ECB) rushed in with €90 billion in emergency liquidity support, but it was like splashing a cup of water on a wildfire.
There was only one way to put out this massive blaze:
A successful negotiation between the EU and Greece.
<Eurozone Finance Ministers Hold Emergency Meeting... Seeking Solution to Greek Crisis>
I kept a close eye on the outcome of those talks.
To put it simply, Greece was like a crumbling building.
Inside, the EU and Greece were fiercely arguing over who would pay for repairs.
The EU was saying, “Do we have to fund this again? We can’t keep paying for a building that’s never maintained.”
Greece shot back, “By what right do you meddle in how we manage our household?”
Meanwhile, retail investors were stranded on the roof, and ominous creaks echoed overhead.
What would they do in the face of crisis?
Would they set aside their differences and escape together?
Or keep bickering, saying, “It’s still bearable”?
‘They’ll keep fighting.’
That’s what I bet on.
Because that’s what happened in my previous life.
Granted, things could play out differently this time due to the “ant effect” I created...
But if it were that easy to fix, it wouldn’t have come to this.
‘Greece can’t back down.’
Austerity is a harsh prescription.
South Korea was left traumatized by just one IMF bailout—Greece endured two in quick succession.
Now, the people rose up, declaring there would not be a third.
Athens was boiling with anti-austerity protests, and the new Greek government had come to power on that platform.
Meanwhile, Germany and other Northern European nations were also hardline.
“We’ve helped twice already. We can’t just keep helping no matter what,” they declared.
The political tide unfolded exactly as I remembered from my previous life.
<Greece to Hold Austerity Referendum...>
<Creditors Take Hard Line: “No Extension of Payment Deadlines”>
<Greek Referendum Result: 64.7% Reject Austerity... Eurozone Crisis Rekindled>
With the breakdown of negotiations, Greece began its free fall.
<Greece CDS Premium Soars 80%, National Default Looms>
<Banking System Near Collapse, Prime Minister Orders Immediate Bank Closures>
<Stock Exchange Shuts Down for One Month>
Fearing a bank run, the Prime Minister shuttered the banks and froze all foreign transfers.
Even withdrawals were capped at €60 per person per day—but even that was hard to access.
No ATM had cash, and the banks were shut.
The economy ground to a halt.
Imports stopped due to frozen international transfers, leaving supermarket shelves empty, triggering a wave of panic buying.
Businesses launched mass layoffs, and the unemployed flooded the streets.
But as Greece descended into this hellish state, somewhere on the internet, a chorus of celebration erupted.
—728% profit from NBG puts. Now the only thing left is choosing the color of my Lambo.→>>
—WSB Retail Investor Journal: “Where even is Greece?” → Went all-in on the Delphi Report, used father-in-law’s retirement savings → Facing divorce. Just got a call from my father-in-law—he wants five grandkids that look like me.
—Those who doubt the great Sean-man, may you forever remain a wage slave. All in!
It was the retail investors.
They made massive profits off a nation’s collapse and bragged about it without shame.
Naturally, not everyone saw that spectacle kindly.
The Greek Prime Minister, burning with anger, lashed out directly at the retail investors.
“It’s the fault of irresponsible overseas speculators who caused massive capital flight, depriving us of the precious time needed for negotiations!”
They blamed the collapse of the house on the ants on the roof.
The EU echoed the sentiment.
“This collapse in negotiations was largely driven by volatility triggered by speculative forces. That heightened market instability and reduced the space for constructive talks.”
But that was just a weak excuse.
No sound house crumbles under the feet of ants.
And the ants? They stood tall.
—Q. Who’s really to blame?
1. 30 years of Greek government corruption (3%)
2. The EU’s brutal austerity policies (2%)
3. Retail investors who shorted with 9999x leverage (95%?)
—Retail investor’s crimes: Spotting an incompetent government, making money, and posting screenshots.
—When institutions make money? “Risk management, smart investing.” / When retail makes money? “Market disruption, antisocial behavior, gambling.”
Retail investors all had their reasons, but the market had already branded them as a threat.
And at the center of the controversy stood me.
—At this point, one can’t help but wonder: Was the Delphi Report a prediction—or a self-fulfilling prophecy?
—Ha Si-heon’s report stirred so many followers that it triggered events that might never have occurred otherwise. So perhaps it wasn’t a forecast of what would happen— But rather, the prophecy itself made it happen?
‘A self-fulfilling prophecy…’
I smiled in satisfaction.
Because that is the true nature of the ancient Delphic oracles.
Just look at the perfect example in Greek mythology: the tragedy of Oedipus.
‘After hearing the prophecy that “you will kill your father and marry your mother,” Oedipus left his home to avoid that fate. But on his journey, he killed his father in a chance encounter and unknowingly married his mother, Queen Jocasta of Thebes, thus becoming its king.’
If he had simply ignored the prophecy—?
If he hadn’t left home in the first place, the tragedy never would have happened.
But by leaving his adoptive parents behind, he ironically fulfilled the prophecy by killing his biological father and marrying his mother.
In that way, self-fulfillment only intensifies the fear of a prophecy.
In that sense, I secretly welcomed the suspicion.
But I couldn’t admit it openly, so I maintained my innocence on the surface.
“I’m being wrongfully accused! All we did was transparently disclose information. We had no intention whatsoever to manipulate the market or steer it in any particular direction. In fact, we aimed to prevent the worst-case scenario by issuing a preemptive warning.”
Of course, such an explanation wasn’t nearly enough.
The media frenzy refused to cool down.
—There are growing speculations that the Justice Department and SEC may launch an investigation. If any collusion is found, Ha Si-heon and the Delphi Institute may be prosecuted for market manipulation.
Now we were even facing legal action.
‘Really catching fire now.’
Greece had become excellent kindling.
It felt like the right time to shift to the next phase.
But then—
The door burst open with a loud bang as someone rushed in.
Pale-faced, gasping for breath.
“Hey! What the hell is going on here?!”
It was none other than Gerrard.
***
Ever since he’d taken on the heavy responsibility of interim CEO, Gerrard had been buried in company affairs day and night.
And yet, he knew everything about Ha Si-heon’s moves.
It was impossible not to.
It was so loud, even plugging his ears wouldn’t have helped.
At first, it had seemed like just a lighthearted episode.
One day, his father Raymond had bombarded him with phone calls like a storm.
—What the hell is going on?!
He checked what it was about—and saw the photo his father sent.
A shot of Ha Si-heon and Rachel at the MET Gala.
—In public... dressed like that... just the two of them...!
Gerrard calmly responded that he’d look into it himself, then immediately called Rachel.
But her response was shockingly composed.
—Sean said it was the biggest favor he’d ever ask of me...
“A favor?”
Unless it was blackmail, there was no way Ha Si-heon had asked for a favor.
But Rachel said firmly:
—Sean would never blackmail me.
‘There’s someone on this planet Ha Si-heon wouldn’t blackmail?’
And yet...
Looking back on the fox hunt incident, Ha Si-heon had been unusually kind to Rachel.
‘Don’t tell me he’s trying to hit on my sister?’
Gerrard’s blood was boiling.
Sure, part of it was concern for his sister—
But what really bothered him was how Ha Si-heon, who had promised to help him inherit the family legacy, was instead tailing Rachel around to galas.
Then, not long after—
<The Truth Behind the ‘Asian Gatsby’! The Orca Scam Unmasked!>
National news and tabloids exploded with stories about Ha Si-heon.
It was about how he had taken down a scammer who had deceived both Hollywood and the financial world.
‘First Theranos, then Valeant, and now the Asian Gatsby?’
At this point, it seemed like catching scammers was his hobby.
When Gerrard heard the news, his blood boiled even more.
‘Is now really the time for this crap? You said you’d help me become CEO... and now this?!’
But just then—
The situation suddenly flipped.
<Justice or Market Manipulation... Ha Si-heon Accused of Exploiting Government Agencies>
Rumors were spreading that Ha Si-heon’s real motive behind exposing the scammer was to use the Justice Department for personal profit.
‘This... this is bad.’
For Gerrard, it was a deadly blow.
And not long after the scandal broke, his uncle barged into his office, sneering.
“You should’ve been more careful with your connections. How can we appoint you as official CEO when you’re tied to someone causing this much trouble?”
Gerrard had already declared his partnership with Ha Si-heon before the family committee.
But now, if Ha Si-heon ended up labeled as “a shameless man who exploits government agencies for personal gain” or if his reputation fell any further—
Then even Marquis, who had teamed up with Ha Si-heon to launch an AI-driven veterinary hospital business, would get dragged down with him.
And if that happened, Gerrard would have to “take responsibility,” just as he had boldly promised earlier.
Which meant: he’d lose the CEO seat.
Furious, Gerrard called Ha Si-heon again—
But Ha Si-heon sounded completely unbothered.
—Oh, don’t worry. This is all part of the plan. Anyway, about the veterinary hospital data I mentioned earlier...
Without any explanation, he dumped a load of AI-related work on Gerrard and ended the call.
...?
At that point, Gerrard began to give up.
This was Ha Si-heon, after all.
There was no way he was actually cornered.
He must have a plan.
And even if it really was a crisis, Ha Si-heon was the kind of person who could overcome it on his own...
But then, a few weeks later, Greece collapsed.
—Behind all of this were retail investors and Ha Si-heon!
Ha Si-heon was now being blamed as the man who bankrupted an entire country.
But no matter how much Gerrard grilled him over the phone, Ha Si-heon just brushed it off like it was nothing.
So Gerrard had no choice but to drop everything and come here in person.
“What the hell is going on?!”
And yet Ha Si-heon responded as calmly as ever.
“You must be busy—no need to come all this way. Everything’s fine on my end, so you just focus on your duties.”
“Duties? You think I can work right now?! Just being associated with you is enough to get me fired!”
“Because of me?”
“Don’t you get how Delphi Institute is perceived right now? If people find out I’m affiliated with an organization carrying this kind of disgrace, I won’t survive either!”
At Gerrard’s outburst, Ha Si-heon gave him a wounded look.
“A disgraceful organization, you say… Everything I did was for you, Gerrard. Hearing you say that is a bit hurtful.”
“For me? You’re saying this was for my sake? How the hell does any of this help me?!”
While Gerrard stammered in disbelief, Ha Si-heon responded boldly.
“I told you, didn’t I? I’d make you CEO by any means necessary. And that’s exactly what I’m doing right now.”
“W-What the hell are you even talking about?! What does any of this have to do with Marquis?! And toppling an entire country just to hand over a company—how is that even remotely justifiable?”
But Ha Si-heon merely shrugged.
“Surely you don’t think Greece collapsed because of me? I merely pointed out a country that was already destined to fall.”
“What—! But now the entire world is in turmoil because of that!”
“Blaming me is just a stretch. Don’t worry. Even if the Justice Department does investigate, they won’t be able to prove anything.”
“No, it’s not about a guilty verdict! It’s your whole attitude that’s the problem! You should at least express some regret, or say you’ll be more careful in the future!”
After causing an international incident of this magnitude, a hint of remorse was the least he could do.
At the very least, he could have posted a statement saying he’d proceed with caution from now on.
But Ha Si-heon shook his head.
“It’s not the right time yet.”
“Not the right time?!”
“There’s an old saying in the East. ‘Once is chance, twice is coincidence, three times is fate.’”
Ha Si-heon spoke with that uniquely unsettling smile of his.
It sounded ridiculous.
And yet… there was something ominous in it.
“Three times? Don’t tell me you’re planning to do this three times?”
“Exactly. We’re only at the ‘coincidence’ stage. To validate the power of the Delphi Oracle, we need at least three examples.”
“You—You’re insane…!”
Gerrard was at a loss for words.
Ha Si-heon had just declared that he planned to topple three nations.
But then—
Something else from their conversation caught Gerrard’s attention.
“You said we’re at the ‘coincidence’ stage…?”
By that metaphor, he’d already brought down two nations.
Ha Si-heon nodded.
“That’s right. The first was Malaysia.”
That was true.
Even before Greece, Delphi had already brought down one government.
They’d handed a scammer—linked to the Prime Minister’s slush fund—over to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The second had been Greece.
And the third…
“No way…”
A country’s name flashed through Gerrard’s mind.
As his face turned pale, Ha Si-heon offered a cheerful smile and answered lightly.
“Yes. I told you from the beginning, didn’t I?”
“This is...”
He had suspected it—
But Ha Si-heon really was insane.
And once someone’s lost their mind, no amount of persuasion can bring them back.
Despite Gerrard’s efforts, he couldn’t change his mind.
The next day, Delphi Institute published a new report.
<Black Swan Alert: Potential Crash of the Chinese Stock Market>
The third country Ha Si-heon planned to bring down—
Was none other than China.