Chapter 2

 Episode 2: Taewoo Securities

After returning home from the banquet, I took the passbook out of my bag and placed it in the safe hidden behind my desk. The safe already contained about ten passbooks from various banks.

There was one for my first birthday, one for starting elementary school, and another for graduating. The last one was for achieving first place in the entire school.

When I added up the balances from all the passbooks, there was approximately 7 billion won in total. In my past life, I had spent this money like water as soon as I entered university.

Oddly enough, my grandfather liked it. He believed that grandson should know how to spend when they need to. It was partly because he trusted that I wouldn't cause trouble.

Not to brag, but I had never missed out on being the top student from elementary school to high school. I even entered the top business school in Korea with excellent grades.

"What should I do with this? Should I invest it?"

The truth was, I didn't really need the money. What would a third-generation heir of a conglomerate need with financial struggles? But it wasn't for my sake; I needed this substantial capital to prevent future problems.

During Taewoo Group's bankruptcy, the debt had soared to a staggering 89 trillion won. Of course, that amount was inflated due to betraying executives and the government's deception.

Even so, Taewoo Group was still burdened with significant debt. It wasn't just money that I needed; I also needed other resources.

To sever the ties between rival companies and the government, I needed to have my people. And to build connections, money was essential in the end.

I knew the future. Information equated to money, and turning a modest initial capital into significant money wasn't a daunting task.

The problem was my age. I was only 17. It wasn't an easy task for a 17-year-old student to take the lead. I needed someone with the ability to turn my information into money, my people.

* * *

Taewoo Group had more than 40 affiliated companies, spanning from construction to automotive, petrochemicals, and finance. My grandfather, in particular, emphasized the importance of finance, which is why he established Taewoo Securities over 20 years ago.

With its long history, Taewoo Securities was a massive institution in the financial sector. It ranked among the top three choices for elite graduates aspiring to work in the financial industry.

Sitting quietly at the entrance of Taewoo Securities, I watched the employees entering the building. I couldn't help but note that Taewoo Securities was one of the top three companies where I wanted to work in the financial sector.

My trusted aide, who was anxiously waiting next to me, reminded me, "Master, it's cold outside, and lunchtime has passed."

"Just wait a little longer. Shouldn't the grandson get a chance to see his grandfather's company?"

"If anything happens to your health, we will receive a severe reprimand."

"Just wait a bit longer. It'll be over soon."

I repeated that it would be over soon at least five times. Each time, the faces of my secretary's office staff became paler. Ignoring their expressions, I observed the employees passing through the entrance of Taewoo Securities.

"Oh, A-grade investment skills! It's been a while since I've seen an A-grade."

I quickly noted down the name of the employee with A-grade investment skills on my notepad. The employee listed in my notebook would soon become a member of my dedicated investment team. Even though I hadn't received my grandfather's permission yet, how could he possibly refuse the request of his young grandson accompanied by some cuteness?

Certainly, Taewoo Securities' employees were elites. I had already filled my notebook with names of employees possessing A-grade job skills. Investment skills, analytical skills, coping skills, and more.

However, I had not yet found the person capable of leading them. Someone with S-grade job skills.

S-grade job skills were indeed rare. In fact, I had only seen one person with these skills so far. That person was none other than my grandfather. As befitting the person who had raised Taewoo Group to the third rank in the business world, he possessed S-grade management skills.

I wanted to appoint someone with skills similar to my grandfather's as the team leader.

While I aimed for S-grade skills, they were exceedingly scarce. I hadn't come across anyone else with those skills except my grandfather.

Perhaps I was being too ambitious by searching for someone with abilities similar to my grandfather's. As far as I remembered, there was undoubtedly an exceptional talent among Taewoo Securities' employees who had achieved remarkable feats.

Could they not have joined the company yet? 

Worrying about the office staff, who were turning pale like corpses, I began to stand up slowly. Just as I did, I spotted the employee with S-grade job skills I had been waiting for. Surprisingly, this employee had the same name as the person I had been waiting for.

【Profile】

Name: Hwang Junghoon Age: 29

Affiliation: Deputy in the Overseas Stock Division

Notable Information: Wishing to retire.

Skills: Analytical Skills S, and so on...

Hwang Junghoon.

A person who, in ten years, would become the CEO of a well-known investment company.

He was also a legendary figure who had acquired Taewoo Securities, a subsidiary of the group, and built a large financial company.

He was renowned for his ability to analyze information given to him perfectly and create portfolios that could generate maximum profits.

Handling money in the billions, Hwang Junghoon.

Now, he held the position of a mere deputy and hoped to retire.

I had been sitting here for over three hours to recruit him.

Hwang Junghoon searched for a cigarette from the moment he entered the company.

His face was completely dominated by dark circles, a clear indication of how stressful his current life was.

To give him hope, I moved my legs vigorously and approached him.

"Are you having a hard time?"

"What's a student doing here? Did you come for a field trip or something? But can you see that I want to retire from looking at my eyes? You should study hard and become a prosecutor or a doctor. It's no different from being a laborer to be in securities."

"Just endure a bit more. A great opportunity will come."

"Thank you for saying that, even though I can smell the cigarette smoke. Don't stay here; go to the first floor. There's a desk there where you can inquire about the tour."

Hwang Junghoon was half broken.

If he continued like this, he could quit the company today which would make things difficult for me.

To quickly recruit talent, I immediately went to meet my grandfather.

* * *

My grandfather didn't have any hobbies.

He was so addicted to work that he joked that work was his hobby.

But I knew. My grandfather's only hobby was me.

Even now, when I appeared, he would stop whatever he was doing and hug me.

"Our Minjae, what's going on? You never even come to my study because it smells like books."

"Grandfather, I have a favor to ask."

"Well, if it's our puppy's wish, I have to grant it. A toy? A game console?"

"I want to study finance properly."

"So, did you come to Taewoo Securities today? Well, you're almost in high school, so it's time to start studying finance."

All my schedules were reported to my grandfather.

In my previous life, it felt like surveillance, but now it felt like love for me, the third-generation heir.

"With the allowance you gave me, I want to try investing."

"That's excellent. How should I buy stocks for you?"

"I want to do it actively and create a dedicated team."

"A dedicated team? Haha. You seem really eager to try it out. Alright, what can this old man do for you?"

"I want to have a few employees from Taewoo Securities by my side."

A 17-year-old forming an investment dedicated team.

In an ordinary household, it might have been taken as a joke, but our family was far from ordinary.

And in chaebol families, this was not uncommon.

Not all of South Korea's top 100 stockholders included a significant number of high school and middle school students.

It was an educational style where children were encouraged to study finance from a young age, with stock accounts opened for them.

"Do you want to have a few employees by your side?"

"I've selected some employees in my own way. I want to invest with these employees whose names are written here."

"You've already made plans. Alright, give it a try. But there's a condition. Even though I'm the chairman, I can't just place employees next to you without their consent. If the employees don't want to be with you, I'll have to send them back to Taewoo Securities."

"Don't worry about that. I'm confident!"

My grandfather looked at me with a satisfied smile.

But his eyes didn't show great expectations.

He probably just hoped I would learn something through investing.

"Since you're going to invest, do it properly. Stay for a while."

My grandfather opened the safe under the desk.

Inside were gold bars, bonds, passbooks, and among them, he took out one passbook and handed it to me.

"It's a passbook with 1 billion won in it. Combine it with your allowance and try investing together."

"Thank you so much, Grandfather!"

I gave my grandfather a kiss on the cheek.

1 billion won and a kiss.

It was a great deal. I would earn money, be a dutiful grandson, and make a profit.

* * *

The next day, the four Taewoo Securities employees I had selected came to my house. They didn't seem very enthusiastic, probably because they thought they were here to play a role as an investment teacher for the chairman's grandson.

"Hello, I'm Kim Minjae."

"Yes, yes. Nice to meet you. I'm Hwang Junghoon, an assistant at Taewoo Securities."

Assistant Hwang Junghoon was the highest-ranking among them. I intentionally assembled the team with relatively junior employees. I couldn't just remove higher-ranked employees all of a sudden, and the higher their position, the more difficult it was for me to have them follow my lead. So, most of them were assistants and associates in their late twenties.

"Please, have a seat. Ma'am, could you bring some refreshments, please?"

Orange juice and cookies were set on the table. They were all too distracted by the grandeur of a chaebol's mansion to pay much attention.

How should I roast and boil (motivate) these people?

First and foremost, I needed to make sure they didn't perceive me solely as a child.

"I'm planning to start investing, and I'd like your help." I said.

"It might not be much, but we'll do our best." One of the four employee spoke.

"May I ask a question first?"

"Of course."

"Where should I invest right now to make the most money?"

Four securities company employees briefly looked at each other.

They must be thinking about how to explain it at the student's level.

"You can invest in real estate or even in electronics companies to obtain stable returns."

"What if I want to make risky investments rather than stable returns?"

"I think it might be a good idea to focus on investing in emerging markets."

The four securities company employees currently felt the situation was awkward.

I had already chosen a topic to dispel the awkwardness.

"I want to invest in the Japanese market."

"Right now, the Japanese market is overvalued. You could potentially incur significant losses."

"When you say 'overvalued,' does that mean it's inflated like a balloon?"

"It's like a bomb that could explode anytime. It might never explode, but..."

"What if it explodes after March this year?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"I heard that the Japanese government plans to implement a total loan cap around that time."

The Japanese bubble economy had started in the 1980s. At one point, 8 out of the world's top 10 companies were Japanese. However, it was also the time when they were about to enter a lost decade. The catalyst for that was the total loan cap, which was set to be implemented soon.

In a few short months or at most a year, the Japanese stock market would collapse. Real estate would plummet in value, and bankruptcy would become rampant among companies and individuals.

"So, you're saying that after March, you want to invest in the Japanese economy under the assumption that it's on a decline? That kind of investment strategy is very risky."

"Hwang Assistant, do you also think that the Japanese economy is overvalued right now?"

"Well, yes."

Assistant Hwang Junghoon turned his head, avoiding a direct response. His purpose was likely to gain support from other securities employees. However, the answers from the others were quite different from what he had anticipated.

"If the total loan cap is implemented, there's a possibility of an explosion. The Japanese government has raised interest rates from 2.5% to 3.25% four times since last year."

"With interest rate hikes and the total loan cap, it could indeed deflate the bubble."

"If they had implemented the total loan cap two to three years ago, it might have been different, but doing it now is like pushing the detonator."

These were the answers I wanted. These employees with A-grade analytical skills were living up to my expectations. Of course, as a third-generation chaebol, I had a higher likelihood of receiving the answers I desired, as they would want to make a good impression on me.

"In that case, please help me set an investment direction assuming that the bubble in the Japanese economy is about to burst."

"To establish an investment direction, we need to know the exact amount of your investment capital."

"It's around 22 billion won, and all money is in dollars."

"Did you say 22 billion won?"