Golden Spoon Investor

Past 9 p.m., the black BMW 540i carrying Seok-won pulled into the driveway of his family's main residence in Hannam-dong.

Parking the car in the spacious garage, he stepped out, carrying a briefcase in one hand, and climbed the stairs leading to the main entrance.

As May set in, the rising temperatures made the air muggy, and the illuminated garden, meticulously maintained with various ornamental trees, lay quiet and deserted.

Crossing the paved path through the serene garden, he entered the main house, where Mrs. Cho Deok-rae, dressed in a comfortable home dress, was waiting at the front door.

"You're home now?" she said.

"You're still up?" he replied.

"It's not even ten yet. A little early to be in bed, don't you think?"

"True," Seok-won admitted with a sheepish smile.

"I stayed out a bit late because the team and I had a casual dinner to wrap up the week."

"You didn't drink and drive, did you?"

"Of course not. I left the second round to the employees to enjoy on their own. I only stayed for dinner and didn't touch any alcohol."

Only then did Mrs. Cho's expression soften, a sign of relief.

"Good. Even if you drink, never get behind the wheel," Mrs. Cho said firmly.

"Of course. Don't worry about that." Seok-won replied.

Noticing the unusually quiet atmosphere in the house, Seok-won asked her, "Where's Father?"

"He had a meeting or something and said he'd come back late after having a drink."

With his secretary and driver always accompanying him, Cho Deok-rye didn't seem particularly worried.

"Still, your father really needs to cut back on drinking. I understand it's part of his work as a businessman, but at his age, he should start paying more attention to his health."

As her complaints about his father's drinking showed no signs of ending, Seok-won casually placed a foot on the staircase, ready to retreat.

"Alright then, I'll head upstairs now," he said.

"Go ahead."

Taking quick strides, Seok-won went up to his room on the second floor.

Placing his briefcase on the desk, he removed his clothes and stepped into the en suite bathroom for a shower.

Thanks to his consistent exercise routine even amidst a busy schedule, the reflection in the steam-covered mirror revealed a well-toned, muscular physique, more defined than ever.

After drying himself with a large towel, Seok-won changed into comfortable shorts and a white T-shirt before exiting the bathroom.

As he prepared to pull out documents from his briefcase on the desk, his phone rang.

"At this hour? Who could it be?"

He picked up the phone and brought it to his ear.

"Hello?"

[Boss, it's me.]

Hearing Landon's upbeat voice, Seok-won glanced at the wristwatch he had placed on the side and replied,

"What's going on at this hour?"

[There's something I wanted to report.]

"Go ahead."

Leaning back in his chair, Seok-won settled into a comfortable position.

[We've finished liquidating the bond and stock positions, and the profits are finalized.]

At the long-awaited news, Seok-won adjusted his grip on the phone and asked,

[The bonds yielded a 21% return, while the stocks brought in 47%.]

"That's higher than expected for stocks."

[The collapse of several hedge funds and the massive losses faced by major investment banks like Bear Stearns and JP Morgan sent the markets into a tailspin, which worked in our favor.]

"Seeing some hedge funds actually go bankrupt must have terrified the market even more."

[That's correct.]

In the stock market, driven heavily by investor sentiment, nothing spread fear faster than panic.

[After accounting for expenses, we netted $5.08 billion from bonds and stocks combined.]

Hearing the jaw-dropping figure, Seok-won couldn't help but whistle briefly.

Landon, clearly thrilled, continued excitedly,

[Including the profits from the yen trades, the total comes to $5.73 billion from this round of investments.]

Seok-won's face lit up with a wide smile as he responded,

"Not quite. Don't forget about the long positions we've taken on the plummeted investment banks and insurance stocks. Adding that, we'll surely exceed $5.8 billion."

[Ah, you're right. I forgot about those.]

Landon replied with a chuckle.

"Still some work left to wrap up, but great job to everyone."

[It's all thanks to your guidance, Boss. We just followed your instructions.]

"Execution is just as critical as the strategy itself. Even with good directions, achieving these results wouldn't have been possible without meticulous execution."

Recognizing the dedication and efforts of Landon and the fund team, Seok-won didn't hold back his praise.

Though they weren't face-to-face, Landon felt deeply moved by the sincerity in his boss's voice over the phone.

[With our prior investments included, the fund's total assets have now surpassed $24 billion. What would you like us to do with the money?]

The amount, equivalent to tens of trillions of won, was staggering.

In less than three years, achieving such exponential growth in investment capital was nothing short of extraordinary.

'Knowing future events played a big role,' Seok-won thought, 'but the series of significant incidents that provided opportunities to amplify profits was just as crucial.'

Without these circumstances, even foreknowledge would not have allowed him to multiply his funds so rapidly.

Having already planned his next steps, Seok-won replied without hesitation, "There's another investment opportunity I have in mind. For now, just hold it."

[Do you already have the next move planned?]

With the phone still pressed to his ear, Seok-won smirked, the corner of his mouth curling upward. "A lot of things are going to fall soon."

Landon's voice buzzed with excitement.

[I can't wait to hear more about it.]

"I'll give you the specifics soon, so hang tight."

[Understood.]

Landon chuckled and added, [Working with you, boss, it feels like there's never a moment to relax.]

"Is that a problem?"

[Not at all. The adrenaline keeps me feeling alive, like I'm ten years younger.]

Landon's playful tone made Seok-won smile faintly.

[By the way, the cargo ship you mentioned has been purchased.]

Upon hearing the news, Seok-won's eyes brightened as he asked, "The hull is in good condition, right?"

[It was about to go into dry dock for dismantling, so I had to stop the process and send someone to verify the details.]

Since the ship purchase was arranged hastily under his instructions, Landon hadn't had the time to check everything thoroughly.

"That was a close call. If we were just a little later, we could have faced major losses. Good job," Seok-won said with a sigh of relief.

[Honestly, I was puzzled at first why you'd insist on paying a premium for such an old cargo ship.]

"I can imagine," Seok-won responded.

[But once I learned about the ship's history, I fully understood your decision.]

With a serious tone, Landon continued, [If I had known a historic ship like that was set to be scrapped in China, I would have done whatever it took to stop it.]

"Though there were some bumps along the way, it all worked out in the end," Seok-won replied.

[It did. Oh, the purchase price was finalized at $430,000.]

Equivalent to just under 400 million won, it was a hefty sum for a scrapped ship.

[The Chinese scrap dealer noticed our eagerness to buy and raised the price significantly, but I decided to accept the terms.]

Though it was nearly $74,000 above the original price, Seok-won wasn't bothered.

"It's worth much more than that."

[That's what I thought, so I agreed to the price.]

"It was a smart move. If you'd haggled and delayed the process, any damage to the hull would have been a much bigger issue. You did well."

Seok-won leaned back in his chair and asked, "So, when can we bring the ship to Korea?"

[First, we'll send a team to inspect the hull thoroughly, and then we'll tow it with a tugboat. It'll take quite some time.]

"It's been docked for over 20 years, essentially unused, so it's probably not in the best condition," Seok-won acknowledged.

[I heard that the engine room is so damaged that it can't even function, and unless we replace everything, it won't be able to operate on its own,] Landon reported.

Seok-won nodded lightly, holding his phone in his hand.

"It's unfortunate, but given that it's a ship being scrapped, it's expected," he said.

[That's right.]

"Since we're not planning to put it back into service, let's not push it too hard. Just tow it as is," Seok-won suggested.

[Understood.]

Seok-won added, "But if the condition is too bad, it might look off. Make sure to clean off any rust or dirt to keep it looking presentable."

[We'll take care of that.]

"Also, if possible, I'd like to have it in Korea by early June. Do you think that's doable?"

[If you want it, we'll make it happen, no matter the difficulty.]

Seok-won smiled at the flattery and said, "I'm counting on you."

[Leave it to me.] Landon's voice conveyed confidence.

[I'll send you the contract copy for the ship purchase by fax once we hang up.]

Seok-won finished the call and stood up, checking if the fax machine installed on one side of his desk was properly powered on.

"In the days when I used to live, I could have just checked everything on my smartphone without needing to open email or anything. This is really a hassle," he muttered.

However, it was still an era when smartphones were non-existent, and the internet was barely accessible, so he had no choice but to use the fax machine.

The fact that he could even have a fax machine installed at home was a luxury only someone like Seok-won could afford.

There was also the option of using a PC communication service via a telephone line and modem, but in his view, it was so slow that it was frustrating beyond measure.

"Sigh... It'll still be a few more years before high-speed internet networks are established. How will I endure until then?" he sighed.

As he muttered to himself, the fax machine whirred to life and started printing out the contract copy that Landon had sent from the U.S.

To Seok-won, even this seemed incredibly slow.

Once the final page was printed and the fax machine stopped, Seok-won, who had been observing with his arms crossed, grabbed the papers and checked them.

The contract, written in English, detailed the purchase of a 15,200-ton cargo ship from a Chinese scrapping company for $430,000.

On the last page of the contract, two black-and-white photos of the cargo ship, which was in a dock for scrapping, were attached.

The photos captured the ship's bow, and though it was faint, the ship's name, "SS Meredith Victory," was written in large white letters.

Seeing that, Seok-won smiled deeply to himself and muttered under his breath.

"The ship of miracles is finally coming back to Korea."

The SS Meredith Victory Seok-won had purchased was the very same cargo ship famously known as the "Ship of Miracles" for its role in the Hungnam Evacuation during the Korean War. Despite its modest size of just 15,000 tons, it successfully evacuated over 14,000 refugees, making it a symbol of hope and survival during the war.

In the original course of history, the ship went on to serve in the Vietnam War, but it faded into obscurity over time. It was eventually neglected and sold for just $355,900, where it was set to be scrapped and lost to history after a turbulent and storied existence.

The SS Meredith Victory, which had once carried countless refugees fleeing the relentless advance of the Chinese forces during the Korean War, bringing them to safety and creating the Christmas miracle, was tragically set to be dismantled as scrap in a Chinese shipyard. It was an absurd and sorrowful end for a vessel with such a powerful legacy.

However, this time, thanks to Seok-won's efforts and his refusal to let history forget, such a heartbreaking fate was averted. By taking action, he ensured that the ship would not meet its end as scrap metal, preserving its historical significance and its role in the miraculous escape.

TL/n -

The SS Meredith Victory was a United States Merchant Marine Victory-class cargo ship, constructed during World War II. Despite being designed to carry only 12 passengers and a crew of 47, the ship is renowned for executing the largest humanitarian rescue operation by a single vessel in history.

In December 1950, during the Korean War, United Nations forces were retreating from the port city of Hungnam in the face of advancing Chinese troops. Amidst this military withdrawal, approximately 100,000 Korean civilians sought evacuation to escape the impending threat. Captain Leonard LaRue of the SS Meredith Victory made the extraordinary decision to offload nearly all cargo, including weapons and supplies, to accommodate as many refugees as possible.

On December 23, 1950, the ship departed Hungnam with over 14,000 refugees crammed into its five cargo holds and main deck. The conditions were extremely challenging: the ship lacked adequate sanitation facilities, sufficient food and water supplies, and had no means of self-defense. Despite these hardships, the voyage was completed without a single casualty, and five babies were born during the journey. This remarkable feat led to the ship being dubbed the "Ship of Miracles."

In recognition of this extraordinary humanitarian effort, the SS Meredith Victory was awarded the title of "Gallant Ship" by a special act of the U.S. Congress, signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1960. The U.S. Department of Transportation described the mission as "the greatest rescue in the history of mankind."

The legacy of the SS Meredith Victory serves as a testament to the profound impact of compassion and leadership during times of conflict, highlighting the ship's pivotal role in saving thousands of lives during a critical moment in history.