The Magician’s Memorial - Chapter 7



Only Krnovel

Episode 7. Gulf War (3)

“As soon as you change your affiliation, your bonus will be deposited into your US account. It’s 1.4 trillion won, so it’s 14 billion. “There are four people, so each of you will receive 3.5 billion won.”

“You, that’s too much money.”

“This is the last time we give out bonuses like this. Bonuses will now be paid differentially. And we plan to recruit more people, so we will have to compete fiercely.”

It is not a law to feed a lot of food to fish that are originally caught.

We are planning to change the way bonuses are paid so that talented people receive more, and those who do less work receive less.

“When you say differential payment, does it vary depending on performance?”

“that’s right. So everyone, work hard.”

“I will risk my life!”

Everyone’s eyes changed.

After all, there is nothing better than money to move people.

“Then, shall we make our next investment plan?”

“Where are you planning to invest this time? “I selected promising investment items in advance.”

Team leader Han Jeong-hoon must have had a lot of free time these days.

After earning a large amount of money from crude oil, there would have been nothing else to do.

Even though he continued to trade futures as I instructed without losing the principal, he was not making as much profit as before, so he must have researched data in his spare time.

“When I looked at Team Leader Han’s portfolio, crude oil was missing.”

“This is a war that we don’t know when it will end. We expect the crude oil market to remain stagnant for the time being. “Under these circumstances, we decided that investing in the crude oil market would not be profitable.”

Everyone nodded as if agreeing with Team Leader Han’s words.

Not only them, but all investors around the world are probably thinking the same thing.

“But I think I’ll get another chance.”

“Speaking of opportunities, are you expecting the price of crude oil to skyrocket once more?”

“Surely the price of crude oil will rise further here? “It’s still a crazy price.”

“Then how do you plan to invest in crude oil?”

“Don’t you think that just as the Japanese economy was a bubble, the current crude oil price is also a bubble?”

“That said, the bubble won’t end unless the war ends.”

“The war will end in an instant the moment the United States steps in. And the oil price bubble will fall faster than it rises.”

The Gulf War was a war that featured a spectacular firepower show by the U.S. Air Force.

Iraq was helpless against the enormous firepower, and contrary to everyone’s expectations, the story ended rather dullly.

Of course, few people made this prediction.

Team leader Han Jeong-hoon was also the same.

“The United States has already lost the Vietnam War. “It is difficult to end the war with America’s supplies and firepower alone.”

“Because Vietnam was a civil war. “Is this war a civil war?”

“no. It’s a war between nations.”

“Then, is it possible to conduct guerrilla warfare in Iraq because there are jungles like in Vietnam?”

“There can’t be a jungle in the Middle East.”

“You’re saying this is a war that will end if you just push it away with firepower. “It’s also the perfect stage for the United States to put on a firepower show.”

It was such an obvious fact.

However, because the shame of the Vietnam War still lingered, it was a time to question America’s defense capabilities.

Moreover, Iraq has been at war with Iran for as long as eight years. In a way, it was natural to expect that this war would also be prolonged.

“Then do you expect oil prices to fall?”

“of course. Because the war will end quickly. And although there is a war now, there is no problem with the supply of crude oil.”

“Yes, of course.”

“Then what is there to worry about? “The moment news comes out that the U.S. is going to participate in the war, start shorting crude oil.”

“Do we really have to use leverage this time?”

“of course!”

The team members are freaking out.

Since they were securities men well aware of the dangers of leverage, fear quickly seeped into them.

“Don’t you know the heart of the beast? “I don’t know why there’s so much fear.”

“But as you said, if the war doesn’t end quickly, we will lose the entire investment.”

“Then you can earn it again. Everyone, please keep this in mind. This is not a company that prioritizes stability like Taewoo Securities. “I will take responsibility for all risks, so you can only think about how to extract maximum profits.”

“All right. “Then, let’s create a plan to conduct short selling of crude oil.”

Team leader Han Jeong-hoon was quicker to agree than expected.

My belief in myself has become stronger as I have already made huge profits twice.

“It will probably not be possible until next year for the United States to enter the war, so don’t be in too much of a hurry. In the meantime, make some investments here and there to get used to the American atmosphere. “You can’t just keep $2 billion in your bank account.”

“First, let’s start with data research.”

Team leader Han Jeong-hoon called the team members together.

He skillfully instructed his team members to conduct necessary research.

I heard I was good at selecting people.

I didn’t become the CEO of the best investment company in Korea for nothing.

If I hadn’t covered him in advance, he was Team Leader Han Jeong-hoon, who was destined to become independent and become the CEO of an investment company.

In other words, I took away his opportunity.

As such, it was necessary to provide an opportunity to accumulate even greater wealth.

* * *

A few days later.

I devoted myself to studying for the SAT with the help of an admissions consultant.

And with the help of an essay expert, I wrote one essay a week.

It was a really busy time, and the dedicated team was as busy as I was.

“Everyone’s faces are very hurt. “You seem very busy, right?”

“… … Master, I finally understand the saying that leaving home is a hardship. “Since I can’t use Taewoo Securities’ system, it takes a huge amount of effort to find out even a little bit of information.”

“Why are you talking so long about something so simple? “I just ask them to hire employees.”

“you’re right! We need staff.”

“Then just select 50 people. “If you say you’ll be treated like the best in the industry, a lot of applicants will flock to you.”

“Is that okay? “When it comes to the best treatment in the industry on Wall Street, an annual salary in the hundreds of millions is standard.”

Annual salary in hundreds of millions?

Have they already forgotten that they received billions in bonuses?

Well, it’s only natural that I was working for an annual salary of 20 million won.

“All we have to do is hire talented people who receive enough salary. “Please bring your resume to me as soon as you receive it.”

“Do you plan to select the master yourself?”

“They said they were full of talent and everything was good about personnel management. You can’t just pick anyone. ah! And ask them to include a photo with their resume.”

In the United States, it is illegal to attach a photo to your resume.

But I needed a photo of the face to confirm the details.

“I will receive your resume after consulting with a lawyer to avoid any legal problems.”

“If you submit your resume to a Korean corporation, there won’t be any major problems.”

“We will proceed like that.”

There are many people who want to enter Wall Street.

However, the wall on Wall Street was high, and only the highest-level elite could not overcome it.

There will certainly be an abundance of talented people who have outstanding abilities but cannot overcome the high walls of Wall Street.

My thoughts were correct.

SVAE Investment Company, which was established less than six months ago, received quite a few resumes.

“Master, 130 people have applied so far. “Here is my resume and photo.”

“I applied more than I expected. “How many people do you need to run a company properly?”

“At least 10 people, the more the better.”

“Leave your resume behind.”

I put the resume aside and only checked the photos.

You can get more detailed information just by looking at the photo than what is on your resume.

‘Wall Street is definitely different. Everyone’s basic abilities are pretty good.’

Most applicants had at least one level B or higher work ability.

However, I intend to make SAVE Investment Company the best investment company in the world.

Therefore, talent with at least level A work skills were needed.

“oh! Level A analysis skills! People like this should be elected right away. Math grade A? Investing is a numbers game, so you need math skills. Let’s pick him too. Oooh! Another A grade!”

After all, people should play in big water.

They camped out in front of Taewoo Securities for hours and caught Han Jeong-hoon among three people with only A-level work skills.

There was an abundance of Class A people on Wall Street in the United States.

A whopping 20 people! However, it was difficult to find someone with S-level work ability.

There was only one person.

However, his abilities are a bit ambiguous.

‘The affinity is S-level. ‘How can I use this?’

What does it matter whether there is a place to use it or not?

If you have S-level work ability, you should recruit them first.

‘It’s a waste to give it to someone else!’

I organized the resumes of 21 people and presented them to a team leader.

He checked the numbers on his resume and opened his mouth.

“Are you a successful candidate in the first round? “We will conduct the second interview here.”

“What kind of interview is it? Just pull them all out.”

“Are you talking about 21 people? “The office we are in now is too cramped for 10 people.”

“Then we can just find a new office. Or, you can just buy a building.”

Team leader Han Jeong-hoon’s eyes changed when he looked at me.

Even if they don’t say it, ‘I’m a third-generation chaebol, so money may be precious!’ It was just this kind of look.

“No, what’s the big deal about buying a building when you’re making trillions of money?”

“First, we will contract and expand to the office next to our current office. And if the oil investment succeeds next year, we will look for a building then.”

“Do by that way. “You can’t buy just any building, so please work hard.”

“But do you really select all the people over 20 without interviews?”

“Do I have to go through an interview to find out? “If you look closely, you will find the answer.”

“… … All right. “I will notify you of your acceptance right away.”

“You can go to work only after the office expansion construction is completed, so please take your time.”

The expansion of manpower has come to an end.

Adding the 21 new employees to the existing 4, we have a total of 25 employees.

The number was still insufficient.

It’s all because our company’s name is less widely known.

That will resolve itself over time. Because your investment will continue to be successful.

* * *

Time passed quickly in America.

No matter how you split 24 hours a day, it’s never enough.

Under the supervision of a consultant who came to work at 5 a.m., I prepared non-stop for the SAT, language test, and essay.

Meanwhile, 1990 passed and it was January 1991.

And today, January 17th, was the start of the famous Operation Desert Storm.

“Are you ready?”

“We mobilized all employees and started short selling oil prices.”

It’s been a while since I visited SAVE investment company.

On days like today, no matter how much I look at the book, it doesn’t catch my eye.

“If the U.S. military is deployed, oil prices will plummet. “Let’s just eat twice as much and skip it.”

“If oil prices surge, the $2 billion margin could be liquidated in an instant.”

“It won’t happen, so trust me.”

This futures transaction also pulled the leverage to full.

All employees were trembling because trillions of dollars of money could go to waste in one move.

What difference would that make?

The stakes had already been placed, and there was no choice but to wait for the results to come out.

Because I’m bored just waiting. Tick! I turned on the TV.

“News about the Gulf War is about to break out.”

“Isn’t war-related information classified? Would you like to come out with breaking news?”

“We will promote it extensively at the government level. “They want to show how strong America’s firepower is.”

As soon as he finished speaking, breaking news broke out.

[The world’s first stealth fighter, the F-117, penetrated the heart of Iraq, and B-52 bombers and Tomahawk missiles devastated the center of Iraq.]

Iraq has been in an eight-year war with Iran.

Although the war ended in a ceasefire, it was known as an Iraqi victory.

Iraq suffered great damage from the long war, but it was also Iraq that had stockpiled a lot of war materials.

Iraq was devastated in just one day.

The center of Iraq was devastated by all kinds of bombings, and the moment this image was broadcast, oil prices began to shake.