Golden Spoon Investor

A taxi entered the bustling nightlife district of Gangnam, where neon signs flashed brilliantly, and nightclubs and room salons lined the streets. It then came to a stop.

"That'll be 8,200 won, sir," the taxi driver said after checking the meter.

Son Oh-seung, a department head at Donghae Peregrine Securities, who was sitting in the back seat, pulled out a 10,000-won bill and handed it over.

"Keep the change."

"Oh, thank you very much!"

Stepping out of the taxi, Son Oh-seung looked up at the large sign that read "Mulbora" in bold letters.

"Right on time."

Just then, Jo Cheol-rae, a manager who had followed him out of the taxi, glanced around nervously and asked,

"Isn't this a room salon?"

"That's right."

"Why are we…?"

"You'll understand once we go inside. Just follow me."

Jo Cheol-rae had been caught off guard when Son Oh-seung suddenly told him after work that there was somewhere they needed to go.

As he watched his superior walk straight towards the entrance without offering any real explanation, Jo Cheol-rae was left bewildered.

"What exactly is going on?"

He had no idea what was happening, but he couldn't just leave his boss behind and go home either.

Clicking his tongue in hesitation, Jo Cheol-rae quickly followed after Son Oh-seung, who was already several steps ahead.

"Welcome!"

As they stepped into the room salon, a well-dressed waiter greeted them politely.

At the same time, a woman in her early thirties, wearing a revealing dress with a plunging neckline, beamed at them warmly.

"Oh my, Director Son! Welcome."

"Have you been well, Madam?"

The woman, whom he addressed as "Madam," glanced at Jo Cheol-rae, who stood stiffly behind Son Oh-seung, her gaze carrying a subtle air of seduction.

"This must be his first time here. Who is he?"

As Son Oh-seung caught the faint scent of her perfume while she pressed herself lightly against him, he responded with a smug expression.

"He's Manager Jo Cheol-rae, one of my subordinates."

"I see."

With a sultry smile, the Madam turned to Jo Cheol-rae.

"I'm Choi Mimi. But just call me Madam Choi—it's easier that way."

"Oh, uh, yes," Jo Cheol-rae replied hastily, avoiding her lingering gaze.

There was no doubt that Madam Choi was stunning, but something about her felt dangerous. He had a strange feeling that if he made the wrong move, he would end up being the one caught in a trap.

Slipping smoothly out of Son Oh-seung's grasp, where his hand had been resting on her waist, Madam Choi spoke up.

"You're here to see the director, aren't you?"

"Yes. Is he here?"

Son Oh-seung lowered his hand with a hint of reluctance and asked.

"He's in the VIP room right now. I'll take you there—please follow me."

With that, Madam Choi turned and began walking down a hallway lined with plush red carpeting.

Her tight-fitting dress accentuated her slender waist and curvy hips, swaying seductively with each step.

Son Oh-seung leered at her retreating figure for a moment before following along.

When they reached the last room at the end of the hallway, Madam Choi gave a light knock before pushing open the thick wooden door.

"Your guests have arrived."

Stepping aside, she allowed Son Oh-seung and Jo Cheol-rae to enter the room.

"We should have arrived earlier. My apologies."

Son Oh-seung bowed deeply at a right angle, and Jo Cheol-rae, caught off guard, hurriedly followed suit.

He had no idea who they were meeting, but it was clear from Son Oh-seung's deference that the person inside was someone of great importance.

As Jo Cheol-rae straightened up, he glanced toward the center of the U-shaped sofa—and his eyes widened in shock.

Seated between two women, a man lounged comfortably, his presence commanding.

"Enough of that. Just take a seat."

"Yes, sir."

The man gave a curt nod of his chin, and Son Oh-seung quickly complied.

He nudged Jo Cheol-rae with his elbow, prompting him to move toward the empty left-side sofa, while he himself sat down beside the imposing man.

Madam Choi, now seated beside Manager Oh Sang-hyun on the opposite side, reached for a bottle of whiskey and poured drinks for the two newcomers.

"Now that we have more company, should I bring in more girls?"

Before she could finish speaking, the man between the women—Woo Ho-geun—pulled his arms away from them and responded.

"No. We have business to discuss first. Later."

"Understood."

At his subtle cue, the long-haired woman beside him picked up her small clutch bag.

"We'll step out and freshen up."

As if they had rehearsed it, all the women stood up at once and exited the room.

"Let me know when you're ready for them to come back," Madam Choi said with a smile before closing the door behind her.

Now, only the four men remained in the spacious VIP room.

For a moment, an awkward silence hung in the air.

Jo Cheol-rae, sitting stiffly beside Son Oh-seung, shifted nervously, his eyes darting around the room.

Then, his gaze met Woo Ho-geun's.

He froze.

Immediately, he dropped his eyes to the floor.

"What was your name again?"

"J-Jo Cheol-rae, sir."

Sensing an opportunity, Son Oh-seung quickly chimed in.

"He's one of the top short-term scalping traders—not just in our firm, but in all of Yeouido. Easily among the best five."

"Hmm."

Woo Ho-geun exhaled, contemplating this information.

Woo Ho-geun, who had been gazing intently at the tense Jo Cheol-rae, spoke in a slightly languid voice.

"You know who I am, don't you?"

Jo Cheol-rae cautiously lifted his head and replied carefully,

"You're Woo Ho-geun, the Executive Director of the Corporate Planning Office at the headquarters, sir."

"You know me well."

Woo Ho-geun nodded smugly, basking in his own importance.

Watching him act so self-important, Jo Cheol-rae thought to himself,

'How could I not know? He's the infamous troublemaker son of the chairman, whose name pops up in every financial gossip rag whenever he gets bored.'

Though the company's secretarial office tightly managed his affairs to prevent leaks, Woo Ho-geun was well-known for his messy private life.

In fact, since he was the heir to Donghae Group—the parent company of Jo Cheol-rae's brokerage firm—he was an unavoidable topic of interest.

"Did you hear? The chairman's son got caught leaving a hotel with another celebrity."

"Which celebrity?"

"You know, the one from the latest soft drink commercial."

"Wasn't it a model last time?"

"You think he only has one sponsor girlfriend? I heard the secretarial office spends a fortune just to keep reporters' mouths shut."

Recalling this very conversation he had with his colleagues over cigarettes just hours ago, Jo Cheol-rae suddenly felt uneasy and lowered his gaze.

"Let's have a drink first."

Woo Ho-geun picked up a straight glass, prompting everyone to raise their own.

Jo Cheol-rae quickly grabbed the glass that Madam Choi had poured for him earlier, holding it with both hands as he clinked it against the others'.

He then turned his head slightly to the side and downed the strong liquor in one go.

"Ugh."

A sharp burn scorched his throat as the warm liquid slid down his esophagus.

Standing up immediately, Jo Cheol-rae grabbed the whiskey bottle and refilled the empty glasses, starting with Woo Ho-geun, who occupied the seat of honor.

"I'll pour for you, Manager Jo."

Pleased by Jo Cheol-rae's quick-wittedness, Woo Ho-geun took the bottle and refilled his glass himself.

"Thank you, sir."

Jo Cheol-rae politely extended his glass with both hands, receiving the drink directly from Woo Ho-geun.

After the first round was complete, Woo Ho-geun leaned back and asked,

"Scalping… that's the kind of trading where you make dozens of transactions in an hour, right?"

Once again, Son Oh-seung interjected smoothly,

"It's not just about making frequent trades—it involves monitoring price movements by the minute, even by the second, and buying and selling at the right moments to generate profit."

"So, it requires quick reflexes and sharp judgment?"

"Precisely."

Watching Son Oh-seung hype him up so enthusiastically, Jo Cheol-rae felt an inexplicable sense of unease.

'Why is this guy acting so different from usual?'

From the moment Son Oh-seung had dragged him along without explanation, something had felt off.

Now, as he sat in this room, he felt as though he were perched on a bed of nails.

"Perfect."

Woo Ho-geun, seated arrogantly, scanned Jo Cheol-rae from head to toe as if evaluating a product.

"I'm planning to start a new operation. Are you interested in joining me?"

Jo Cheol-rae looked puzzled at the sudden proposition.

"What kind of operation…?"

Before he could finish, Son Oh-seung interjected sharply.

"If the Director asks, the only response you need is, 'Yes, sir! Just tell me what to do!' Why all the questions?"

"But…"

A sense of foreboding washed over Jo Cheol-rae, making him hesitate.

Being asked to do something without knowing the details felt utterly unfair.

Noticing his hesitation, Woo Ho-geun let out an amused chuckle.

"No, no. You're the one who'll be executing the plan on the frontlines—you should at least know what it is."

With a meaningful expression, Woo Ho-geun looked directly at Jo Cheol-rae, who remained cautiously silent.

"You've heard of Boseong Telecom, haven't you?"

"...."

"I have some connections with one of the major shareholders. Apparently, there are a few positive developments coming their way soon."

"...!"

"It's a golden opportunity. I figured it'd be a waste to let it slip by, so I called you in."

At that moment, Jo Cheol-rae immediately recognized this for what it was—a market manipulation scheme.

Stock price rigging was nothing new in the financial world; many had long engaged in artificially inflating stock prices to cash out with a profit.

However, with a third-generation chaebol like Woo Ho-geun personally orchestrating it, this was bound to be far bigger than a simple pocket-money scheme.

His breath quickened involuntarily, and for a moment, his mind went blank.

But only for a moment.

As a seasoned veteran in Yeouido's financial district, Jo Cheol-rae quickly regained his composure.

Noticing the subtle shift in his expression, Woo Ho-geun smirked in satisfaction.

"Your job," he continued, "is to use the borrowed-name accounts and funds that Manager Son has prepared to repeatedly buy and sell shares, pushing the stock price to our target level."

"You mean you want me to conduct matched orders?"

"Exactly."

Woo Ho-geun grinned, revealing his white teeth.

"If you really have the skills people say you do, this should be a walk in the park."

Jo Cheol-rae swallowed dryly as Woo Ho-geun leaned in and spoke in a smooth, persuasive tone.

"Do this job well, and I'll make sure you and Manager Son are fully covered."

"...."

"On top of that, I'll throw in a big bonus—one full stack."

A "full stack" meant 100 million won.

A glimmer of greed flickered across Jo Cheol-rae's face at the irresistible offer.

"So, what do you say? Will you join me?"

When Woo Ho-geun pressed him again, Jo Cheol-rae hesitated for a moment before finally nodding.

"If you entrust me with the task, I'll do my best."

"Good. That's what I like to hear."

Hearing the expected answer, Woo Ho-geun grinned as if he had anticipated it all along.

***

The Next Morning

Dressed in slacks and a crisp white dress shirt, Seok-won descended from the second floor.

As usual, Park Tae-hong, the chairman, was sitting on the living room sofa, reading the morning newspaper.

Approaching him, Seok-won greeted politely.

"Good morning, sir."

"Mm."

Chairman Park Tae-hong lowered his newspaper slightly, revealing only his eyes, and gave a short reply.

"You're up already? But what's with your outfit?"

At that moment, Jo Deok-rye entered the room carrying a tray with a bowl of herbal medicine for the chairman.

Seeing Seok-won's attire, she asked in concern.

"Don't tell me you're heading to work already?"

"Yes. My business trip to the U.S. lasted longer than expected, so I have a lot to catch up on."

As she handed the herbal medicine to her husband, Jo Deok-rye's face showed a hint of sympathy.

"Oh dear, but you just got back yesterday. You haven't even adjusted to the time difference yet. You should take at least one day off before going in."

Just then, Park Tae-hong, who had downed the bitter herbal medicine in one go, placed the empty bowl on the table with a loud clunk and retorted.

"Rest? Nonsense! He's had plenty of time to relax. Now he needs to make up for it."

"Oh, stop acting like you're out to ruin the poor boy. He was on a business trip, not a vacation!"

Realizing he had no good comeback, Chairman Park grumbled and avoided his wife's piercing gaze.

"This stuff is too bitter."

"There are candies right there. Have one."

"It tastes worse every time. I swear they're making it intentionally awful."

"Then take it up with the herbal clinic."

Jo Deok-rye's curt reply was in stark contrast to the warm smile she gave Seok-won.

"Breakfast is ready. Make sure to eat well before you leave."

With that, she picked up the empty bowl and headed to the kitchen, where their housekeeper, Mrs. Gunsan, was preparing the meal.

Chairman Park, realizing he had lost the argument, smacked his lips in frustration before turning to Seok-won.

"You don't have any urgent matters this morning, do you?"

"No, sir."

"Good. I need to discuss something with you. Come to the study before you head to the office."

Although curious about what it was, Seok-won figured he'd find out soon enough and simply responded,

"Understood."