An Investor Who Sees The Future

Hyunjoo asked me,

“Do you realize how reckless this investment was?”

I lowered my head like a high school student getting scolded by their teacher.

“I don’t know what gave me the confidence to do it, but it was too risky.”

“Yes, I know.”

Putting all the investment into a product with only one surety and a fixed term now seems like a foolish move when I look back.

Even if the decision to end it was certain, without timing it right, it would still be a big failure.

Even if Seosung catches people and tells me to know more about derivative products, I wouldn’t have been able to do it.

What if the decision to end it wasn’t made that day at the executive meeting?

If the decision to end it had been delayed a few more days, we would have lost nearly 10 billion and gone down the Han River.

Even now, just thinking about it makes me shudder and I silently pray for Vice Chairman Lim Jin-yong, who made a bold decision.

Seems like she saw a hint of reflection, Hyunjoo gently remarked,

“Still, the outcome is what matters. Investing 130 billion and earning 672 billion is a fact. Nobody can achieve such results in a short period. In that sense, it’s remarkable.”

Finance prioritizes results over processes.

As long as it’s within legal boundaries, it’s all about making money, no matter the means, as long as it leads to profit. If it goes too far, you’ll be labeled a speculator and face criticism.

Hyunjoo looked at me and asked,

“Let’s say Taekgyu is doing that, but Jinhoo, why do you want to invest?”

I didn’t start with any specific goal in mind, and the same goes for now. Of course, having money is good. In a capitalist society, material wealth equals happiness.

I earned an unimaginable amount from the first investment. The money I have now is more than enough for a lifetime. What’s the point of making more money from here?

However,

I have capital and ability.

In a scenario where the board is set up, should one be satisfied with just this much?

I don’t know why I have this ability. It could be as Taek-gyu said, that a dormant superpower within me has awakened, or maybe the universe helped me, albeit without my fervent desire.

Either way, living an ordinary life as before seems unlikely now.

I thought of the great investors who conquered the market. Peter Lynch, Benjamin Graham, John Templeton, Carl Icahn, Warren Buffett, and so on.

They triumphed in the market with their own investment strategies, becoming legends.

I may not have the same investment strategies as them, but I do have foresight.

Broadly speaking, foresight is also one of the investment strategies. Intuition and luck are undeniable factors in investments.

“I have conviction.”

“What kind of conviction?”

“The conviction that this is what I can do best.”

Hyunjoo smiled at the response.

“The financial industry is not as easy as you think. It’s a place filled with experts and scammers. I’ve been working here for almost 10 years, and I’m still learning about the market. I wish I could stop you from jumping into this field, but…”

Investing inevitably comes with significant risks. If you dislike that, you can just deposit your money in a bank and live off the interest.

What will we experience in the future?

At that moment, Taek-gyu opened the front door and walked into the yard. Hyunjoo looked at him through the living room window.

It was a sincere look of concern for her younger brother.

“I know very well what you’re worried about, Noona. Whatever happens, Taek-gyu won’t be harmed with you by his side.”

Hyunjoo murmured softly. “I’m grateful that you’re by Taek-gyu’s side.”

Opening the front door and entering the living room, Taekgyu handed a cigarette and a card to Hyunjoo Noona and grumbled.

“Please don’t ask your younger sibling to buy cigarettes. Mom wants me to quit.”

“I’ll quit when the time comes. More importantly, there’s something I’ve wanted to say for a while.”

Hyunjoo Noona said while taking out a cigarette.

“Aren’t you thinking of changing the company name? The pronunciation of OTK Company is a bit… different.”

Despite my empathy, Taekgyu seemed puzzled and asked, “What’s wrong with OTK Company?”

If mispronounced, it becomes Otaku Company.

However, the company was founded by Oh Taekgyu. When examined closely, many companies are named after their founders.

McDonald’s was founded by McDonald, JP Morgan by John Pierpont Morgan, and Moody’s by John Moody. On the other hand, when there are two or more business partners, they often share their names.

HP was founded by Hewlett and Packard, Baskin-Robbins by Baskin and Robbins, Rolls-Royce by Rolls and Royce.

We could change OTK Company to OTKJH Company or O&K Company, but…

I recalled the vision I had on a drunken night. I said I would become the CEO of OTK Company.

There’s no need to change the name and disrupt the vision.

“Let’s respect the founder’s opinion and stick with this.”

Hyunjoo Noona nodded as if she had no choice.

“What about the future plans?”

“I’ve been thinking about it… acquiring company shares and turning OTK Company into a holding company, and establishing an investment company in Korea.”

What would financial experts think about this plan?

“What do you think, Noona?”

Fortunately, Hyunjoo nodded.

“It’s okay. It depends on which company you choose and how you go about the acquisition.”

“I’m concerned about that part.”

“Don’t rush. There are plenty of opportunities. Let me know if you need any information.”

“Okay.”

Taekgyu said, “Let’s go eat after we finish talking. And you haven’t eaten yet, right?”

Hyunjoo shook her head, “I want to, but I have to go back to Hong Kong right away. My flight is at 2 o’clock, so I should start getting ready.”

It seems she rushed to Korea, leaving everything behind because of her younger sibling. Does this kid even realize how worried his sister is?

Hyunjoo called a taxi in front of the house. We walked out to see her off.

“Take care, sis.”

“Have a safe trip.”

Before getting into the taxi, Hyunjoo reached out her hand to me.

“I’m counting on you for the future. OTK Company’s CEO, Kang Jinhoo.”

I smiled and held her hand.

“I’ll do my best, sis.”

As before, we electronically signed the corporate ownership transfer documents for submission.

“If it’s 3%, you can take it from my shares.”

Taekgyu nodded at my words.

“Since you’re my sister, it’s right to take it from my shares. It’s good to have a controlling stake of 80%. You know, there’s something like the 80/20 rule.”

“Pareto’s Law?”

It is a term frequently used in business administration. However, why does that come up here? It’s not like having an 80 percent stake means you only have to do 20 percent of the work.

“Anyway, now that the issue with my sister is resolved, what’s next?”

“I need to find someone to handle the investment company.”

I need someone who can move according to my plans, like a fish. It would be great if they have both the skills and credibility.

As I don’t have much connection in the finance industry, for now, I have informed Hyunjoo sister about it. I also asked her for information regarding recent market trends.

Before the day was over, an email arrived. The sender was Hyunjoo sister from Golden Gate.

“I selected and attached only the useful information among what we discussed. Take a look and let me know if you need more.”

The email had three PDF files attached. It seems she had organized and sent the important ones separately.

“Wow!”

It’s good to have someone I know in Global IB for things like this.

I printed the documents using the printer. When I viewed the files digitally, I didn’t realize the volume until I saw them printed on A4 paper.

I was reading diligently on the living room sofa when Taekgyu came downstairs.

“What’s that?”

“The documents Hyunjoo sister sent.”

“What kind of documents?”

“Internal reports from Golden Gate. It’s advanced information that’s not easily accessible unless you’re involved.”

Taekgyu blinked.

“Is it okay to secretly take internal documents? Won’t there be consequences if caught?”

I replied, shaking the documents.

“Don’t worry. We officially received it, not obtained it sneakily. Remember, we are key clients of Golden Gate?”

OTK Company uses Golden Gate as its corporate account. It has a staggering 672 billion won deposited in that account. As a top-tier client, they can request and receive a variety of information.

Taek-gyu nodded as he heard the explanation.

“Let me see it too.”

I handed him the bundle of papers I was holding. Taek-gyu briefly skimmed through it and handed it back to me.

“There’s nothing special here, just take a look.”

Of course, all the contents were in English since they were documents from Golden Gate. Just so you know, his English skills are at a level that can be used for gaming.

Taek-gyu asked in amazement, “Can you read everything written there?”

“No.”

I wasn’t born abroad, nor do I have any experience studying abroad. However, I studied hard for the college entrance exam and TOEIC, so I can read and speak English decently.

“So, I’m just skimming through it.”

“What if you come across unfamiliar words?”

“I skip them or look them up on my phone.”

There are many specialized terms used in finance that even Americans may not know. But more importantly, numbers and graphs are key.

“What’s the content about?”

“It’s about recent market trends, mainly focusing on the Fourth Industrial Revolution.”

“What’s that? I’ve heard about it occasionally, but I don’t really understand.”

“It means moving towards an era of automation where everything is interconnected through the advancement of robotics and artificial intelligence beyond the digital society.”

Taek-gyu looked puzzled.

“I don’t quite understand.”

“Yeah, me neither.”

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is currently underway across various industries. As it is still in its early stages, it is difficult to provide a clear definition.

Aligned with the restructuring of industries, money is also swiftly moving.

Just like water flows to lower places, money flows to where profits are in the financial sector.

After reading the materials, it seems like the Golden Gate area is responding in various ways, but I have doubts about how well our country’s investment banks are performing.

I hope they are not too distracted by the money earned from the ants to pay attention.

I spent several hours carefully reading the materials in that state. Concentrating hard made my head ache, and I felt something coming to mind vaguely.

Is it because of my mood?

It seems like it’s about to become visible soon…

Ring!

At that moment, the phone rang.

Looking at the screen, it was Senior Sangyeop.

“Oh!”

I had been meaning to contact him for a while, but various things made me forget. I hadn’t even properly thanked him for the great help last time.

I answered the phone.

“Hello.”

[Oh, Jinhoo. I sent you a message a few days ago, did you not see it?]

“I’ve been a bit scattered lately. How have you been?”

[Haha, I’m always like that. Can we meet when you are free? How about tonight?]

All the important things have concluded.

“Sure, what time is convenient for you?”

[Where are you right now?]

“I’m in Gangnam, at a friend’s house.”

[Is that the same friend who came with you?]

“Okay.”

[Then I’ll head over there, let’s meet around 7 in the evening. Bring your friend along. Last time you treated me, this time it’s on me.]

“Got it, senior.”