Chapter 1

Becoming the Genius Grandson of a Securities Tycoon - Chapter 1 (1/477)

Chapter 1: The Grandson of a Securities Tycoon (1)

A place where the sky and the earth come closest to touching.

This is neither the 63 Building nor the 120-story Lotte Tower.

It is the humble abode of Cha Gangjin, who struggles with all his might to avoid falling off the cliff.

It is an attic room.

Gangjin, a senior in college, was preparing for the second interview for the RA, a gateway to becoming an analyst.

The English interview required native-level proficiency.

Dressed neatly in a suit, Gangjin sat in a chair, looking at his smartphone on the desk, recording a video.

Behind Gangjin, the bookshelf was filled with thick English books, thick finance-related books, and mathematics textbooks.

- This is a corporate report that I researched and analyzed...

(This is a corporate report that I researched and analyzed...)

- In order to grow into a global company, the CEO must not be a second or third generation with no ability, but a professional manager...

(To grow into a global company, the CEO must not be a second or third generation with no ability, but a professional manager...)

Gangjin pressed the stop button.

"The pronunciation isn't the problem... but I keep getting stuck at this part."

'She sells sea shells by the seashore.'

'The big black bug bit the big black bear.'

'Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.'

'How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood.'

After repeating pronunciation practice sentences for about five minutes, he continued to practice reading the English script he had written fluently.

He kept reading until there were no more stumbling points, and then he began to memorize it with his eyes closed.

- I will explain the content of the report I wrote.

Having memorized the script perfectly, Gangjin finally opened his eyes and pressed the recording button on his phone.

After some time had passed.

"...Phew. Finally, I'm done...!"

Gangjin smiled contentedly as he played back the recorded video.

"Perfect."

Gangjin turned off the recording and relaxed, turning his body from side to side.

A thought suddenly came to mind.

"Wait. They might ask for examples of the problems caused by second or third-generation tycoons in the interview... "

Gangjin picked up a thick book from the bookshelf, which looked like an encyclopedia:

"The History of Korean Securities Firms."

"The most famous example was Current Securities. Current Securities, Current Securities... Which page was it? It was 1997... Ah, I found it."

Gangjin sat in the chair with the book and began to read.

"Rogue grandson. This guy caused Current Securities to go bankrupt. What a pathetic guy. If I were a third-generation tycoon, I would turn the company into a global enterprise. As a rogue, I could fearlessly challenge the tycoons, pick fights, and take everything away. Maybe our personalities don't match."

Current Securities, where Gangjin was scheduled to have his interview the next day, was a company that was reborn in 1997 after a financial overhaul, with all the front-line staff stepping down.

It was also a securities firm that Gangjin really wanted to join.

Gangjin had initially planned to become a math teacher using his major, but after seeing a senior in his college club make billions from stock investments, he changed his mind.

The path to becoming rich in South Korea.

That path was through stocks.

The heirs of the tycoons, who had a different background and starting point from Gangjin.

Gangjin, a poor man without such a background, had to work and study to the point of exhaustion.

Otherwise, how could he become rich?

No, he would even struggle to make a living.

"I'm so lucky to have a good head on my shoulders."

...Rumble.

Suddenly overwhelmed by hunger, Gangjin closed the book and stood up.

He opened the refrigerator, but all he saw were frozen rice in a bag and a few side dishes he had bought from the market.

He considered eating them with the side dishes but then closed the refrigerator door again.

***

A few days later, in the final interview room of Current Securities.

Gangjin sat in front of three interviewers.

In the solemn silence,

Rustle, rustle.

The sound of pages turning was the only thing heard.

The interviewer on the far left looked up and gazed at Gangjin.

With white hair and gold-rimmed glasses, he looked like someone who had spent his entire life in the securities industry.

"Mr. Cha Gangjin. You were the top candidate in the first round."

"Yes."

"With your level of skill, couldn't you go to a larger corporation?"

The interviewer probably expected an answer like this:

- Because Current Securities is the best securities firm in South Korea.

Or,

- I will dedicate myself to making Current Securities the best in the world...

However, Gangjin's answer was different.

"I applied to Current Securities because there are no tycoon heirs here."

"...Tycoon heirs?"

"Yes. In Korean securities firms, there are often examples of tycoon heirs causing the downfall of companies by ignoring advanced financial technology."

"Can you give an example?"

"In 1997, the heir of Current Securities always invested in leading stocks, from low PER to low PBR and blue-chip stocks, one step behind, causing liquidity issues."

Although the incident was in the past and not related to the current staff, Gangjin spoke frankly about the company's shortcomings.

"..."

"In 1998, the heir of Chang Sung Securities, who colluded with market manipulators, caused a customer withdrawal crisis."

Gangjin's answers continued without pause.

"In 2010, the largest financial scandal in Korean history, the options manipulation case, was also a criminal act by a second-generation tycoon who colluded with Japanese Ichi Securities. And..."

"That's enough. It seems you have all the Korean securities firms in your head, Mr. Cha Gangjin."

"I felt anger towards them while studying, so I remember them."

"I see. Then let me ask you this. If the chairman's grandson were to become your superior, what would you do?"

"The tycoon heirs I mentioned are those without ability. If they have ability, I would naturally support them. There must be a reason for a tycoon's heir to join a securities firm as an employee."

"But what if your superior is a rogue without ability...?"

Gangjin smiled and answered.

"Then, I would first recommend that the interviewer resign."

"Excuse me?"

"Because this company will go bankrupt soon."

The first interviewer's expression changed to 'Oh, look at this guy.'

The second interviewer whispered to the third interviewer and tapped the documents.

"Mr. Cha Gangjin."

"Yes."

"Let me ask you one more question. If a situation like the 9/11 terrorist attacks or the subprime mortgage crisis occurred, and you could make a huge profit from put options, what would you do?"

"Your question is flawed, sir. We can't predict the future. But if such a situation were to occur..."

The interviewers focused their attention on Gangjin.

"I would continue my usual work. I might take the profit when the time is right."

"What if that profit comes from other people's blood and tears?"

"In a crisis, there's no time to think about blood and tears."

"Why not?"

"Securities is a zero-sum game. When someone loses, someone else gains. In a crisis, I would take the gain without hesitation. And I would use that gain to create institutional measures to prevent future unfortunate events."

The interviewer's eyes narrowed.

'Cha Gangjin, is it? He has a strong belief in his principles.'

Finally, the last interviewer nodded and asked.

"Let's say you join Current Securities. Where would you invest?"

"I would..."

Gangjin looked directly at the interviewer and answered.

"I would invest in investment banking (IB), which uses the most advanced financial techniques to hunt for companies."

"IB? You mean you would invest in corporate raiders?"

"Corporate raider is the term used by the target. I prefer to call myself a shareholder activist. If possible, I want to turn Current Securities into an investment bank."

"..."

"An investment bank that dominates not only the United States but also Europe and Asia. Isn't that what a true securities firm should be?"

A moment of silence filled the room.

Then,

"Ha ha ha ha!"

The first interviewer, with white hair and gold-rimmed glasses, burst into hearty laughter.

***

A few days later.

The awaited text message arrived.

Congratulations on passing the final interview.

Passed.

When he checked on his computer, he found out he had passed as the top candidate.

"I did it...!"

Time passed, and the day of his first day at work arrived.

With a pounding heart, Gangjin, who had tossed and turned and finally given up on sleep, got up.

In the early morning, Gangjin put on his suit neatly and set off for work.

'I need to remember the layout of the building by arriving early.'

An hour later, standing in front of the company's main entrance, Gangjin took a deep breath.

"That place is now my company."

The building, located amidst a forest of skyscrapers, looked peaceful and quiet in the early morning.

A sense of excitement washed over him as he gazed at the tranquil morning scene.

But then,

"Hey, hey...! Wait, wait!"

A foreign car came zigzagging from the nearby intersection.

And in the next moment,

The car veered onto the sidewalk and hit Gangjin.

Screech!

'What?'

Gangjin's body soared into the air.

Then,

A loud thud and a brief, terrifying impact.

'Damn it...'

Gangjin's consciousness gradually faded.

***

Knock, knock, knock!

The butler knocked gently on the door.

"..."

The room of Lim Jaejun, the grandson of Current Securities Chairman Lim Byungdal.

There was still no response from inside.

Knock, knock, knock!

The butler knocked again, but there was no sign of movement.

Silence.

'Why is he like this...?'

It had been a week since Jaejun was discharged from the hospital,

and he still hadn't come out of his room.

Not only that, but there was no sound at all.

'Could he be... reflecting on his actions?'

The butler laughed at the idea of reflection.

'No way. He's a rogue.'

Behind the butler, two housekeepers approached with a tray of rice, soup, and neatly arranged side dishes.

"Master. I've brought your meal."

The butler pressed his ear to the door,

"...Leave it here."

The low murmur startled the butler.

He then looked at the housekeepers behind him and whispered,

"What did he just say?"

"Leave it here?"

"Yes, did I hear that right?"

The two housekeepers nodded simultaneously.

The butler, looking bewildered, gestured to the housekeepers to place the food in front of the door.

"Master. I'll be back in an hour. You must come out today."

"..."

"Chairman is returning today."

"..."

"He's coming straight from the airport."

"..."

"You need to eat and gather your strength for Chairman..."

"...I understand."

'I understand?'

The butler's gaze immediately turned to the housekeepers.

They both nodded again.

"Did he just use honorifics?"

"Yes, it sounded like it..."

The butler sighed worriedly at the polite response from the room and gestured for the housekeepers to follow him down the stairs.

At the halfway point, the butler turned his head back towards Jaejun's room and muttered,

'I didn't imagine it, did I...?'

Confirming the butler's receding footsteps, Gangjin burst into laughter.

"Master..."

After the accident on his first day of work, Gangjin opened his eyes in a VIP hospital room.