Chapter 147

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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[The Chinese government has simultaneously locked down 12 cities including Shanghai.

A panic-buying frenzy is currently sweeping across Chinese cities, and due to insufficient inventory, serious…]

I already knew the Chinese government could take extreme measures.

“But I never imagined they would simultaneously lock down major cities.”

The Chinese government said they were prepared to take any measures to achieve zero COVID.

“Even so, forcibly shutting down perfectly fine cities and preventing people from going outside…”

But that was unexpected.

As expected of China, I suppose.

Extreme yet bold.

“Because of this, all stock markets are shaking right now. The manufacturing industries that couldn’t prepare due to the lockdown order have also taken massive hits.”

It wasn’t just Chinese citizens who got blindsided.

Manufacturing industries that had been operating factories in China all came to a halt simultaneously.

“What about our side?”

“Fortunately, we didn’t build semiconductor factories in China, so there’s virtually no damage. The problem would be shipping. We need to receive goods and transport them via shipping, but since all the factories producing goods have stopped, there’s nothing to transport.”

“However, China also lacks inventory for their own use, so they have to bring goods in from other countries, which means orders have actually increased.”

In other words, shipping wasn’t suffering losses because the incoming order volume made up for any losses.

“By the way, President. With this Shanghai and major city lockdown, Faceweb’s stock price has fallen again. There’s even talk that it might really drop to $200 billion.”

Faceweb briefly joined the $1 trillion club before plummeting.

There had been many incidents.

The biggest was the Cambridge information leak, followed by the Faceweb coin.

Along with these two incidents, PikPik, which our Gwangwoon operates, recorded an enormous number of members through short-form videos, stealing the throne of SNS.

“Of course, Faceweb still has more subscribers than us. 3.7 billion people are registered on Faceweb.”

“What about actual users?”

“Our side has slightly higher traffic. In our Gwangwoon’s case, don’t we have many profitable subsidiaries spread across various areas?”

Faceweb maintains most of its revenue through advertising on Faceweb.

I understand they’re trying various things to escape that, but instead they’re being criticized by investors for wasting money.

“And with the Chinese lockdown order coming down and factories closing their doors, companies won’t be spending money on advertising. That’s exactly why the stock price is falling right now.”

There was a reason the department head was telling me this.

“President. Should we… continue purchasing Faceweb stock?”

Last time, my intuition was intensely illuminating only Faceweb among all of Nasdaq, so I had them purchase in large quantities.

We acquired not just the volume available on the market but also the holdings from major asset management companies.

“……”

When prices drop like this, stopping purchases would be the right move.

But my intuition was still brightly illuminating Faceweb.

Even if Faceweb is an outdated SNS, does this mean it will eventually revive?

“Please continue purchasing.”

***

The employees who finished the meeting in the president’s office moved quickly.

This wasn’t something you could get just by clicking on a computer for the volume you want; you had to find the parties holding the actual shares and negotiate directly.

“Oh? Vice President?”

“Are you here to see the President?”

“Ah, yes. But is everyone done with the meeting?”

“Yes, we just finished and are on our way out.”

“Did the President say anything about Faceweb?”

At the Vice President’s words, the employees had expressions showing they understood why he was asking such a question.

“Yes. He told us to continue purchasing.”

“Then as I thought… is it that?”

The Vice President and the employees.

They all had the same speculation.

“It seems like the President is really trying to acquire Faceweb.”

Otherwise, there would be no reason to selectively purchase Faceweb stock in large quantities when the entire Nasdaq is crashing.

“But will a hostile M&A work on Faceweb?”

“It won’t. They have dual-class shares there. The founder Markus holds 13% of shares, but has 52% of voting rights.”

A system somewhat unfamiliar in our country. Dual-class voting rights.

Even if I hold only 10% of total shares, if I hold dual-class voting shares, I can control the company with just that 10% stake.

“Well, in Europe and America, dual-class shares are firmly established. That’s how they protect the management’s philosophy. Something we can’t even dream of in our country.”

Europe and America have been implementing dual-class shares for a long time already.

But in our country, dual-class shares haven’t been introduced.

“We can’t help it. The hereditary succession culture is too strong.”

Unlike America, our country has a strong hereditary culture. That’s why the potential for abuse is higher, preventing the introduction of this system.

“Anyway, since Markus holds over 50% of voting rights, no matter how much you try to take over the company, you absolutely cannot have Faceweb unless that guy allows it.”

There’s no way President Jeong Jin-ho didn’t know that.

Yet he was continuing to purchase Faceweb stock.

“Don’t you think the President has something separate in mind?”

“Well, a sparrow can’t know the intentions of a phoenix.”

“Right, no matter how much we rack our brains, it’s impossible to read the President’s blueprint. Just do as we’re told. Like we always have. So let’s all get moving.”

“Yessir!”

The employees moved busily again.

Vice President Kang, who had come to ask what intention was behind gathering Faceweb stock, also gave up on the thought.

One thing he’d learned while being under Jeong Jin-ho was that you don’t need to know all the reasons.

It was better to just turn off your brain and follow orders.

But sometimes he was curious.

What on earth could the President, who was shaking the world in the palm of his hand, be thinking normally?

***

‘Ah. I want to play games.’

These days, weekends are what I look forward to the most.

The time spent gathering at the building together and running raids together is happiness itself.

In doing so, I realized something.

That I too was gradually falling into a rut.

“………….”

I still remember when I first joined the securities company. Those greenhorn days when I knew nothing.

Following only my intuition, I did day trading and my position kept rising, and just like that, I instantly became president and have now grown the entire group.

If I found out all the reasons, I wouldn’t be able to handle Jeong Jin-ho’s terrifying plan on my own.

And there was one thought that kept coming to mind.

‘Haven’t I done enough by now?’

Intuition is a superpower that tells me which choice is the most correct.

At first, I just made decisions based on whatever tingling feeling came.

And every time my intuition proved right, every time stocks rose sharply, the pleasure I felt was indescribable.

Now it had taken over my sight, hearing, and even smell, showing me images clearly.

It distinguishes which stocks are good and which are bad.

It’s as if the intuition upgraded itself.

That’s how I made countless decisions, and that’s how Gwangwoon completed its massive group.

“……………”

But at some point, doubt crept in.

Am I really utilizing intuition well?

Am I not just being dragged along?

It was after such doubts arose.

That this is enough.

That there’s nothing more to achieve.

“Oppa, oppa!”

“Hm? Ah, yeah. What?”

“What are you thinking about so deeply that you don’t answer when I call? Do you have something on your mind? Don’t tell me it’s work? You came out saying let’s eat out after so long, and you’re only thinking about work again?”

“Hey, let him be. Do you know how busy your brother is? On top of that, even the media praises him as the CEO representing our country, yeah? Hahaha!”

The good thing about succeeding was definitely my family’s reaction.

Before, I was an idle good-for-nothing who only ate meals and played games, but now I was a legendary securities man who started as a new employee and amassed tens of trillions in vast wealth.

“What was everyone talking about?”

“Nothing much. It’s been a while since our family went on a trip. Same for me, and you’re too busy, oppa. I thought maybe we should pick a day and all go together sometime.”

“We’re fine. Mom and Dad are doing well traveling together. Still, it would be nice to go together as a family. Hmm.”

My parents seemed to secretly want the whole family to travel together.

Come to think of it, when was the last time I properly rested?

I’d been running forward without rest, so I’d barely ever taken a proper vacation.

“Sure. It would be nice to go together. I’ll try to set a date.”

At my answer, my sister was staring intently at me.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Tss. It’s strange, I tell you.”

“Why?”

“You look like someone who’s had a reality check, how should I say it. It’s like looking at the expressions of people who are about to retire. I see it sometimes at my company. Your face is exactly like that.”

I blinked.

I’ve felt this for a while, but my sister really reads people’s inner thoughts well.

Or maybe I’m just bad at managing my expressions.

“But oppa, you’re still young. Plus you like working. So I don’t think you’d retire. Do you have some kind of worry? Is it because of Hye-rin unnie? A relationship problem?”

“…It’s not that.”

“Well, even if I knew what you’re worried about, how could I give advice? The worries at your level are things an ordinary person like me can’t even imagine.”

“It’s not particularly like that either.”

“Really? Then that’s good.”

“………..Huh?”

My sister was smiling cheerfully while taking something out of her bag.

“Ugh. Someone was handing out books at work today, giving out some weird thing. You don’t read books these days, do you, oppa?”

“Instead of books, I read hundreds of pages of reports every day.”

“Those aren’t books! You need to cultivate food for the soul!”

“……………”

My sister handed me a nicely wrapped book while smiling.

She was very brazenly pawning off a troublesome book onto her brother.

***

-Should we go on a trip?

-Hm? Suddenly?

-Thinking about it, I never did any nice events for you, and because of work, I don’t think we’ve ever comfortably gone on an overseas trip together.

-It’s okay. I’ve never once felt disappointed about that. Do you know how amazing my boyfriend is!

Hye-rin… would it be strange to call her that now?

Actually, officially dating Lee Hye-rin also happened quite naturally when I think about it.

One day, while eating at the udon restaurant, drinking and everything continuing…

Not like modern couples where someone confesses and then they start dating,

It really transitioned naturally into a serious relationship.

But becoming a couple didn’t change much.

Aside from secretly dating at the company sometimes, both of us were busy with work.

Well, it was mostly because of me being crazy about work.

-Still, if you really say you’re okay, I’d love to go on an overseas trip too.

She said she was fine on the outside, but Hye-rin probably wanted to go around here and there with me like a normal couple.

She’s someone with lots of energy after all.

-I’ll look into travel destinations.

-Okay, me too!

After ending the conversation, I took a shower first.

“…………….”

After showering, my head feels clear, at least for a moment.

Maintaining that blank feeling while sitting at the computer and playing games seemed to fill the emptiness.

Ding~.

A text came then. Did Hye-rin send it?

-Oppa, did you read the book I gave you?

It was my sister.

“Ah.”

That’s when I looked at the book on my desk and furrowed my brow.

“Why did she pawn off something like this?”

She suddenly said food for the soul was important, but what she actually gave me wasn’t something to read seriously.

[Life’s Answers]

A so-called random page book, with one or two sentences written on each page, sometimes with just a single letter.

If you have a concern, you randomly open to a page and get advice from the phrase there.

That’s how you find life’s answers.

I’m not making this up—that’s what it says in the book introduction.

“I thought she was giving me some philosophy book or something.”

I was about to just stick it on some dusty bookshelf, but since I received it anyway, I thought I might as well flip through it once for fun.

“Hmm.”

I don’t particularly have expectations, but,

“Do you have any advice to give me?”

What kind of advice do I need?

There are various things.

Whether to quit this job that I’ve grown tired of.

Or whether to force myself to continue.

And how I should utilize this intuition.

To what extent does this ability work, and so on.

Honestly, it was advice no one in the world could give.

Let alone a book like this being able to give me advice……

“Ugh.”

It was right then.

While trying to open to any page of the thick book, suddenly a tingling current flowed through my fingertips.

“….?”

I stopped at that point and slowly opened the book.

[Now is the time for change.]

“!?”

Goosebumps instantly covered my entire body.

Is my intuition showing me this phrase right now?

I quickly closed the book.

“Are you talking to me right now?”

I ran my hand over it again.

This time too, a tingling signal came to my fingertips at a certain point.

I opened the book again.

[Pointless questions are not good.]

“……!?”

Was it really answering me?

No. Even so, the answer was somewhat ambiguous.

Is it really saying yes, or is it truly telling me not to ask pointless questions?

“………..”

I frowned.

Because a dull pain suddenly came from my temples.

“What’s happening.”

This pain, I knew it well.

It was a phenomenon that occurred when I used my intuition too much.

If it got worse from here, a smell like an overheated engine burning would pierce my nose and pain would rush in to the point where I couldn’t control my body.

“Ah. Could the pointless questions thing be because of………”

This reason?

“Then…….”

I thought briefly about what question to ask. Actually, there wasn’t much to think about for long.

“Should I quit work now and retire? These days, investing according to intuition, using intuition intentionally for something rather than just following it—it feels like I’m being dragged along. So I’m gradually becoming doubtful about company work. It used to be really enjoyable. I think I’ve done enough for hyung-nim by growing the company this far. Should I just live like a man of leisure? I’ve earned enough. Like the old days, just playing games all day in my room. Forgetting everything else. What do you think? Wouldn’t that be more fun?”

After saying all that, I had a reality check for a moment.

Plus, the question was too long.

I should summarize it from the beginning, shorter.

“!”

But the moment I closed the book, a feeling struck me.

And intensely at that, as if it was pouncing on my hand.

I hurriedly opened the book again.

[Don’t pull that bullshit.]

“…………”

It was a tougher book than I expected.

<End of Chapter 147>