I opened my eyes around noon.
“Ugh!”
My head was throbbing as if it was about to split. I should have drunk moderately yesterday.
But where am I?
Seeing the manga scattered on the floor, I realize it’s Taek-gyu’s house.
As I sat there unable to collect my thoughts for a while, Taek-gyu spoke.
“Did you sleep well? I ordered a burger for your hangover.”
“······.”
I didn’t order it because you wanted to eat it, did I? If I knew you needed a hangover cure, I would have ordered yukgaejang or jjamppong!
However, being the recipient, I quietly sat down and tore open the burger wrapper.
“What happened last night?”
“That······.”
I met my ex-girlfriend and had a premonition of something.
I hesitated as if about to speak but stopped.
If I said that I foresaw becoming the CEO of OTK Company, would they misunderstand and think I’m trying to steal their company?
I had no such intention at all, but to avoid misunderstandings, I veiled my words.
“I don’t remember well.”
Taek-gyu looked puzzled.
“Then what about our oath from last night?”
“What oath?”
“Swear upon our friendship!”
I blocked the burger fragments flying out of Taek-gyu’s mouth with my hand.
“Okay, let’s eat first and then talk.”
I drank on an empty stomach, so I’m feeling hungry regardless.
As I unwrapped the hamburger, I asked a practical question.
“Have you ever invested?”
“I haven’t, but you have.”
Taek-gyu is far from finance. He didn’t invest in cryptocurrencies for profit but received them in exchange for online game characters and equipment.
He probably didn’t expect it to hit the jackpot.
Well, if betting on WTI together counts as investing, then it’s an investment.
Fortunately, I have some experience in investing.
I joined the “Practical Investment Club” as soon as I entered school, studied, opened an account, and made some direct investments.
The problem is…
“But it was just playing around with a million won.”
The bigger issue is…
“I blew half of it.”
After investing diligently, I lost 500,000 won. In terms of returns, that’s a whopping 50%.
“Still, you studied business at a university in Korea, so you must have learned something, right?”
“I only completed one year.”
When people hear business studies, they think it must be a grand learning experience, but in the first year, there are only three major courses. And even those are theoretical fundamentals at a surface level.
Most of the knowledge I have now is from activities in student clubs.
“How much is in your account now?”
“About 12.55 million dollars.”
“Approximately 13.8 billion won?”
“Not with your money, it’s exactly 13 billion.”
Thanks to buying WTI, I gained 630,000 dollars.
Ordinary people can’t even dream of such a huge sum in their lifetime. What could we possibly do with this money?
In terms of investment, the size of capital is extremely important.
To earn 1 billion won with 10 million won, you need to make a profit of 1000%, but with 100 billion won, just a 1% profit is enough.
This is why Taekgyu could easily earn 700 million won by investing in WTI.
Well, having a large capital also means losing big when you lose, but it’s probably better than living hand to mouth.
“Well, where should we start then?”
Taekgyu was burning with enthusiasm. Although I had known him since middle school, it seemed like the first time seeing him so enthusiastic.
Why would someone with 13 billion won want to invest, feeling unsatisfied?
Even just living off the interest could sustain a lifetime.
“What would you want to do if you made money?”
Upon my question, Taekgyu blinked and replied,
“What should I want to do?”
With money, the possibilities are endless. It’s just that people cannot do things due to lack of money.
“Like buying a nice house or a car.”
“I can afford this house, and I like my current car.”
Taekgyu eats whatever food, wears whatever clothes available. Besides hobbies, he doesn’t spend much elsewhere.
“Then why do you want to earn money?”
Taekgyu said as if it was obvious,
“The more money you have, the better.”
“······.”
It’s hard to argue against such a valid point.
“It’s also fun.”
Originally, it’s fun to earn money. But it’s not fun when you lose it.
This time, Taekgyu asked me, “What about you? Is there something you want to do with the money you earn?”
“I’ll let you know later.”
To invest, you must first make predictions.
Just like the last time, a hologram should appear before my eyes. But it is unclear when and how it will appear.
I recalled the situation at that time. It wasn’t certain, but it felt like an automatic response when I came across specific information.
Can I really predict financial matters as Taekgyu suggested?
“For now, I need information.”
***
I told my mother and decided to stay at Taekgyu’s house for a while.
For several days, I sat in front of the computer and read through all the recent economic articles. I meticulously examined the major stocks listed on the stock market by market capitalization ranking.
Every day, an overwhelming amount of information came up. In investment, information was as crucial as capital.
According to that information, stock prices, oil prices, gold prices, exchange rates, bond yields, etc., fluctuated.
These days, the disclosure system was well developed, and institutions and companies were obligated to release important information.
As a result, with just a few clicks, I could easily investigate positive and negative factors.
The problem was that the information I could access was information everyone could access. And information known to everyone loses its value as information.
Whether good or bad, prices had already factored in the news.
Stocks with good news were already high, and those with bad news had already dropped.
Acting based on disclosed information was likely to backfire.
I needed information that others didn’t know about, like the bankruptcy of Mountain Hill or the OPEC production cuts.
However, I stared at the monitor all day until my eyes felt like they were about to pop out, but nothing came to mind.
“Any response yet?”
“None at all.”
All I’ve discovered is that the government’s economic policies are a mess and the economy is as difficult as it was during the IMF crisis.
“Even if we predict, things won’t just happen immediately. Take it slow.”
“…”
Am I being overly impatient?
Thinking that way, Taekgyu spoke.
“But don’t we need to write the contract before doing anything?”
“What contract?”
“The agreement to split the money in half.”
“Isn’t it better to receive such things from the other person?”
It was a kind suggestion.
If he was the type to break promises, he wouldn’t have sent me 500 million won in the first place. That’s why I wasn’t worried even though I had entrusted 800 million won to Taekgyu’s account.
Nevertheless, Taekgyu insisted on writing a contract and handing it to me. The contract stated that Taekgyu would take full responsibility for any losses, while profits would be split equally.
“My sister insists that the closer the relationship, the more certain things like this should be done. You should sign too.”
We both signed the two contracts and split them up.
I folded the contract and put it in my wallet, then turned off the computer and got up.
“I should have a cup of coffee.”
When I opened the fridge, it was filled with beer, cola, juice, and more. Unlike me, who likes coffee, Taekgyu insists that all drinks must be sweet.
No wonder he gains weight.
As I debated whether to go out for coffee, my phone rang.
Ding dong!
It was a number I had never seen before. Is it spam?
I decided to answer it anyway.
“Hello.”
[Is this Kang Jin-hoo’s phone?]It was a woman’s voice.
“Well, yes, but who…?”
[Oh! This is Shin Yuri, senior.]“Shin Yuri…?”
[Yes. Do you remember me?]I recalled the new student I saw at a drinking session. Maybe it was because of her blonde hair, but I remembered her quickly.
“How did you get this number?”
It’s a phone I got after my discharge. That’s why not many people know this number.
[I asked Minyoung senior.]“Oh, I see.”
This brat just freely gives out other people’s personal information.
“Where are you right now, by any chance?”
“I’m in Gangnam…”
Then Yuri’s voice perked up.
“That’s great. I’m in Gangnam too.”
“Oh, really?”
But what’s so great about that?
“What are you doing right now?”
“I’m about to go out for coffee.”
[It’s even better. I was thinking of having coffee too. If it’s okay with you, would you like to go to a cafe together?]“Oh?”
Suddenly meet up? Why?
[Where in Gangnam are you?]“I’m near Eonju Station.”
[Then how about Lidia Coffee Lab in Nonhyeon-dong? It’s close to where you are, senior.]Since I was planning to go out for coffee anyway.
“Got it. How long should I wait?”
I hung up the phone and quickly got dressed.
Taekgyu, who was playing a game, asked, “Where are you going?”
“I’ll go have some coffee and come back.”
“On your way back, buy some lunch boxes at the convenience store.”
“······.”
I have plenty of money, let’s eat something good.
***
The cafe Yuri mentioned wasn’t too far from Taekgyu’s house.
About a 15-minute walk?
After crossing the crosswalk and walking up the hill, a large building in the middle of the hill came into view.
A woman in her early twenties, wearing a padded jacket, was sitting at an outdoor table near the entrance. Her slim legs in tights peeked out from under her short skirt.
As she brushed her hair back and looked at her smartphone, she stood up as I approached and greeted me.
“Hello, senior.”
“Oh, hi.”
I raised my hand in greeting.
Under the warm sunlight, the hair sparkled in a golden hue.
Among the Business Administration students, there aren’t many with such flashy hairstyles. The atmosphere at Korea University is conservative, and since the professors are strict, students tend to be cautious.
Back then, it was dark and I couldn’t see clearly, but in the bright light, she was quite a beauty. I think I know why Kyeongil was so friendly to her.
By the way, why did you want to see me?
