Chapter 7

 Episode 7: Gulf War (3)

"As soon as you transfer your affiliation, your bonus will be deposited into your U.S. account. It's 1.4 trillion won, so that's 140 billion. With four people, each will receive 35 billion."

"You, that's a substantial amount."

"This is the last time I'm giving out bonuses like this. From now on, our team will have differentiated bonus payments. I'm also planning to recruit more people, so you'll need to compete fiercely."

The original method was not to give a lot of food to the caught fish.

I intend to change the bonus payment method by giving more to capable individuals and less to those who do less work.

"When you say differentiated payment, does it depend on performance?"

"That's right. So, everyone, work hard."

"I'll stake my life on it!"

Everyone's expressions changed.

Indeed, money alone is enough to move people.

"Now, shall we make plans for the next investment?"

"What are your plans for this investment? I've pre-selected promising investment opportunities."

Team Leader Hwang Junghoon must have a lot of free time these days.

After making a fortune with crude oil, he probably didn't have much to do. Still, he continued futures trading within the limit I set, as he didn't want to incur losses. During his spare time, he must have conducted research.

"I see that Team Leader Hwang has removed crude oil from his portfolio."

"We're in a war whose end we don't know. I anticipate that the oil market will be in a state of stagnation for the time being. I've concluded that it's not profitable to invest in the oil market under these circumstances."

Everyone nodded in agreement with Team Leader Hwang's words. Not only them, but I assume investors worldwide share a similar opinion.

"But I feel like I might have one more opportunity."

"When you say opportunity, are you anticipating another surge in oil prices?"

"Do you really think oil prices will rise further from here? They're already insane."

"Well, how do you plan to invest in oil then?"

"Just like the Japanese economy was a bubble, I believe the current oil prices are also in a bubble, don't you think?"

"True, but the bubble won't burst until the war ends."

"The moment the United States takes the lead, the war will end in the blink of an eye. And the bubble in oil prices will collapse even faster than it rose."

"Gulf War was a war that showcased the dazzling firepower of the U.S. Air Force. Iraq was completely overwhelmed by the tremendous firepower, and contrary to everyone's expectations, it ended rather quietly."

Of course, very few people made such predictions.

Team Leader Hwang Junghoon was no exception.

"The United States has already recorded a defeat in the Vietnam War. It won't be easy to end the war with just the U.S.'s quantity and firepower."

"But Vietnam was a civil war. Is this war a civil war?"

"No, it's a war between nations."

"Then, can Iraq conduct guerrilla warfare like Vietnam due to the presence of jungles?"

"There can't be jungles in the Middle East."

"Just saying that this is a war that can be finished by firepower alone. It's also a perfect stage for the United States to showcase its firepower."

It was an entirely reasonable fact.

However, doubts about the U.S.'s military power had arisen at this time due to the lingering disgrace of the Vietnam War. Furthermore, Iraq had been in an 8-year-long war with Iran. So, it was somewhat natural to expect that this war would also be prolonged.

"So, do you expect oil prices to drop, Sir?"

"Of course. Because the war will end quickly. And it's not like there's a problem with oil supply right now."

"That's true."

"So, what's there to think about? The moment the news of the U.S. joining the war comes out, place a short sell order for crude oil."

"Are you suggesting we use leverage again this time?"

"Of course!"

The team members were in a panic.

As securities professionals who were well aware of the risks of leverage, fear quickly permeated them.

"Do you not know the heart of a beast? I don't understand why you're so afraid."

"But as you said, if the war doesn't end quickly, we'll lose our entire investment."

"Then we'll make it back. Remember, this isn't a company that prioritizes stability like Taewoo Securities. I'll take responsibility for all the risks, so all of you think about how to maximize your profits."

"Understood. We'll prepare a proposal for executing a crude oil short sell."

Team Leader Hwang Junghoon, surprisingly, quickly agreed.

Thanks to him having already delivered significant profits twice, trust in me had grown.

"Perhaps the United States joining the war will only be possible next year, so don't rush. In the meantime, get accustomed to the U.S. atmosphere and make some investments here and there. You can't just let 2 billion dollars sit idly in your bank account."

"I'll start with conducting research first."

Team Leader Hwang Junghoon gathered the team members.

He efficiently instructed them on the necessary research.

He must have chosen the people well.

Becoming the CEO of the best investment company in Korea wasn't just a coincidence.

If I hadn't paved the way in advance, it would have been Hwang Junghoon, who was destined to become the CEO of an independent investment company.

In other words, I took his opportunity.

As a result, I had to provide him with an even greater opportunity to accumulate substantial wealth.

* * *

A few days later,

I was focused on my SAT studies with the help of an admissions consultant. Additionally, I received assistance from an essay expert and worked on writing an essay every week. It was an incredibly busy time, and my dedicated team was just as busy.

"It seems like you've all been through a lot. Are you all very busy?"

"...Sir, the saying 'it's hard once you leave home' finally makes sense to me now. Without being able to use Taewoo Securities' system, it's an enormous effort just to gather small pieces of information."

"Why are you making such a long story out of something simple? Just ask me to hire some employees."

"Yes! We need more staff."

"In that case, hire around 50 people. If you promise them the best treatment in the industry, you'll get plenty of applicants."

"Is that really okay? If you mention the best treatment in the industry on Wall Street, a salary in the tens of millions is the minimum."

A salary in the tens of millions?

Have they already forgotten that they received tens of billions in bonuses? Well, they were working for a mere 20 million won in salary just the day before yesterday.

"As long as we hire capable talent commensurate with their salary, that's enough. Bring me their resumes as soon as you receive them."

"Are you planning to hire them yourself, Sir?"

"They say talent is everything, and personnel management is everything else. You can't just hire anyone. Oh, and ask them to include a photo on their resumes."

Attaching a photo to a resume is illegal in the United States. However, I needed a photo to verify detailed information.

"I'll consult with a lawyer to make sure there are no legal issues before we receive the resumes."

"If we receive the resumes through our Korean subsidiary, it shouldn't be a major problem."

"We'll proceed that way."

There are plenty of people who want to break into Wall Street. However, the barrier to entry on Wall Street is high, and without being top-tier elite, it's impossible to surmount that barrier. Talented individuals who possess the necessary skills but have been unable to break through the high wall of Wall Street will undoubtedly abound.

My thoughts were accurate. Within just half a year of its establishment, SVAE Investment Company received quite a number of resumes.

"Sir, 130 people have applied so far. Here are the resumes and photos."

"More people applied than I expected. How many people do we need to run the company properly?"

"At least 10, and the more, the better."

"Leave the resumes and go."

I pushed the resumes aside and focused on examining the photos. You can learn more detailed information from photos than what's included in a resume.

"Definitely, Wall Street is different. Everyone here has quite impressive basic skills."

Most of the applicants possessed work skills at least above a B-level in one or more areas. However, I intended to make SAVE Investment Company the world's top investment firm, so I needed individuals with a minimum of A-level skills.

"Oh! Analytical skills are A-level! We should hire someone like this right away. Math is A-level? Since investments involve numbers, math skills are necessary. Let's hire this person too. Oh, another A-level!"

As expected, people need to play in deep waters. After playing for several hours in front of Taewoo Securities, I finally managed to reel in three people with A-level work skills.

On Wall Street in the United States, A-level people were abundant. There were a whopping 20 of them! However, it was hard to find individuals with S-level work skills.

There was just one person with S-level skills, but the abilities were somewhat ambiguous.

"His people skills are S-level. How can I make use of this?"

Whether there's a place to use it or not doesn't matter much. If someone has S-level work skills, you should hire them first and then see.

"It's not like you can just let someone like that go to waste!"

I organized 21 resumes and handed them to a team leader. He confirmed the number of resumes and then spoke up.

"First-round qualifiers? I will proceed with the second interview here."

"What kind of interview do you want to conduct? Just hire all of them."

"Are you saying all 21 of them? The current office space is too small for even 10 people."

"Then find a new office space. Or maybe buy a building."

Team Leader Hwang Junghoon's gaze changed as he looked at me. Even without saying anything, his eyes seemed to convey, "As a third-generation chaebol, you may not realize how valuable money is!"

"No, I earn money by the billion, so buying a building is no big deal."

"First, I'll extend the office space by contracting the office next door. And if next year's oil investment is successful, I'll consider buying a building at that time."

"Go ahead and do that. You can't just buy any building, so work hard in the meantime."

"But really, you're planning to hire over 20 people without any interviews?"

"Do we really need interviews? We can figure it out by observing them."

"All right. I'll send out the acceptance notifications right away."

"Take your time because we can't start working until the office expansion is completed."

The process of expanding our workforce was nearly complete. With 21 new hires plus the existing 4 employees, we now had a total of 25 staff members.

We still had a shortage in numbers, but that's because our company name hasn't spread widely yet. It will resolve itself with time. We'll continue to make successful investments.

* * *

Time passed quickly in the United States. Twenty-four hours in a day were never enough, as I relentlessly prepared for exams like the SAT, language proficiency tests, and essays, under the supervision of a consultant who arrived at 5 AM.

In the meantime, 1990 turned into January 1991. Today was January 17, the day the infamous Desert Storm operation began.

"Are we ready?"

"I've mobilized all our employees to start oil futures short-selling."

I visited SAVE Investment Company after a long time. On days like today, even reading books didn't help.

"If the U.S. military gets involved, oil prices will plummet. Let's make just double our investment and get out."

"But if oil prices suddenly surge, the $2 billion collateral could be liquidated in an instant."

"That won't happen, trust me."

For this futures trading, we used full leverage again. Every single employee was trembling at the thought that the profits they had made could turn into bubbles at any moment.

Would it make any difference? We had already placed our bets, and all we could do now was wait for the results. So, I turned on the TV.

"The Gulf War news is about to break."

"Isn't information related to the war classified? Will it be breaking news?"

"The government will promote it extensively. They want to showcase the strength of the U.S. firepower."

Before the conversation could even finish, a breaking news report was issued.

"The world's first stealth fighter, the F-117, penetrated the heart of Iraq, while B-52 bombers and Tomahawk missiles reduced the central part of Iraq to rubble."

Iraq, which had fought an eight-year war with Iran, ended the war with a ceasefire but was essentially declared the winner. Despite suffering significant losses in the prolonged war, Iraq had stockpiled a substantial amount of military equipment.

Now, in just one day, the heart of Iraq turned into a wasteland. The central part of Iraq was turned into ruins with various types of bombings, and as soon as this news spread, oil prices began to fluctuate.