Chapter 52 - An Investment Firm That Never Loses, Part I

Translator: Khan

Editor: RED

[P. 12 Hours After]

[P. 12 Days After]

I stared at my mailbox. There were two emails: 12 Hours After and 12 Days After. The P in front would be the P of Platinum.

‘It’s so awkward.’

I clicked on the news for the first time in 12 Days After, thinking about it.

[Politics – What is the future roadmap for Mayor Joo Sung-won’s second consecutive term?]

[Economy – Minimum Wage Rise Effect. Job growth? Decrease?]

[Society – Feminism has risen with the elimination of women discrimination.]

[Life/Culture – A review of web novel ‘Save, Road, Life’]

[World – The G2 conflict intensifies when the U.S. presses high tariffs on Chinese companies.]

[IT/Science – Electric Vehicle vs. Hydrogen Vehicle, who will be the winner?]

[Entertainment – Korean pop singers are invited to host the Osaka Hallyu Festival]

[Sports –Is DTD science? Let’s see if it’s real.]

The composition was essentially the same as the news 12 Hours After. I couldn’t find any difference just by looking at the email titles. I skimmed the email from above.

‘I now know Mayor Joo Sung-won was re-elected… How much is the minimum wage up? It’s been a long time since I read a web novel, Save... Is this fun? The U.S. and China are still fighting, and electric cars... The hydrogen car seems to be coming out lately. And the Hallyu Festival in Osaka...’

I searched the portal site for “Osaka Hallyu Festival.”

[Osaka Hallyu Festival is in two weeks.]

That kind of news came out. Surely this was the news in 12 Days After. I went down the scroll a little further.

[People Search – Enter a name – Enter a name.]

[Ranking News – Use Now (One time available)]

This email also had active skills.

[It will be available with other passive skills applied.]

The explanation that read above, seemed to mean this. There were two windows to ask for names, perhaps because People Search was leveled up.

‘Well... 12 days from now, People Search will be available...’

‘Just as it takes time for the main character to get the written guide of the martial arts but to use it, this email also requires a little adjustment period to make money with the new skill. It’s about how to deal with the news.’

I also looked up the news of 12 Hours After today. There was nothing much today.

‘OK, well, let’s take a rest today.’

I left my email and looked around.

‘My Wi-Pad... Where is it?’

Now I saw the Wi-Pad was on my bed. I fell asleep while watching a movie late last night. I laid down on the bed and picked up the Wi-Pad. I went back to the memo, and there was a note saying, “How to become a major shareholder of the KOSPI and KOSDAQ.”

I clicked on it. Inside were the marks and memos that I had written while thinking about what I had done yesterday: Stock listing after start-up... that’s ridiculous. A start-up is difficult, and the listing is even more difficult.

The first note was like that. In fact, I had always wanted to start a business, but that was the story of my college days when I had no money.

‘I have money now, and a lot. I don’t have to go through such a process. Actually, the answer comes in a second, and the reason I’ve scribbled this note is that I once had a desire to start a business in the past, and I wanted to take it back.

‘The real answer is a takeover.

‘Of course, an acquisition is the answer. This is immediately feasible if I invest tens of million dollars. The upgrade to the Diamond Class will also be instantaneous. There are also many stocks on the KOSDAQ with the market capital of less than thirty million dollars. Among them, some major shareholders have shares of less than ten million dollars. If I think about it, I can upgrade to a Diamond Class cheaper than to the Platinum Class.

‘Then what will I take over?

‘It’s better to find out a company that comes up for sale first, then it’s cheap. Common sense is that things they don’t want to sell become expensive. The same goes for a company. If I go to a company that’s doing well, and say, “Sell it to me,” the answer is likely to be “No” or “How much do you think?”

‘Of course, if the majority stake is low, it may engage in hostile M&A, but the process is not smooth, either. Major shareholders will try to protect their shares and the price of their shares will become higher amid a dispute over their stakes. The ants who are holding shares are welcome with a pair of hands, but from the buyer’s point of view, they taste like porridge.

‘Let’s take over a company that’s on the market to be bought

‘However, it should also be noted that companies that are generally in the market are in poor condition. It’s the same with regular ants. The same goes for major shareholders, as they sell when the company is unlikely to make a profit in the future and when the company is likely to lose its value in the future. If a deficit is expected, and there is no way to make money, they will sell it only when there is no way to break even.

‘Then I take over a company that’s healthy among the companies that come out for sale.

This was the final answer, and I put another line in it.

– A company that will have a synergy with the news of 12 Hours After.

‘The acquisition of a company isn’t really what I imagined, but if I try it, the answer would be to take over a company that I could help. Because it will cost a lot of money to buy a company, I should manage it well so that I can make a profit. If I buy it, I can’t ignore it. Moreover, the above class may require more company control: dominate five companies. Control ten, fifteen, fifty…

‘I have to put in the first run well to do it. If the first company successfully settles profits by using the news in 12 Hours After and 12 Days After, I will likely gain confidence in the future.’

The answer to this matter came to some conclusion.

– First of all, People Search and an entertainment company that can have a synergy are top priorities.

That was the end of this memo pad. I began to write a new note down there.

– Then when do I have to take over, with how much?

‘Of course, the more the better. It would be neat to take over a company with the market capital of about $100,000,000, after earning $300,000,000. But it takes too long. Now, as it was when I was handling $10,000 or $100,000, I cannot make such a miraculous profit three times or four times a week. The same was true of the duty-free shop case last time. Whether it is the KOSPI or KOSDAQ, the more money I have, the more it affects the volume of trading, the less profit I will make.

‘This is beyond my power. Jim Rogers said the market in Korea is too small to invest in.’

Well, now I was better than Jim Rogers and Warren Buffett. Even if I had the news of 12 Hours After and 12 Days After, I cannot help the KOSPI and KOSDAQ markets grow. I could make $300,000,000, but it could take a long half year to do so. If there were events such as a duty-free shop acquisition contest every day, it would be possible. After reaching more than $100,000,000, the pace of rapid earnings would slow down. Then it would be too late to secure a Diamond Class.

‘Yes, I might make money faster if I got a Diamond Class, but you don’t have to save too much. Then let’s take over a moderately small and generous company, with the market capital of about $100,000,000 and with a stake of a major shareholder less than $30,000,000. Of course, I would have to earn over $30,000,000, right?’

I circled ‘over $30,000,000’ in my assets. I was confident about this. Whether or not there would be big events like a duty-free shop acquisition, it would only take about a month or two for me to increase my $8,900,000 in assets now. I wrote one last line of notes.

‘By the way... It’s a real game now. Do I have to take over in my name? Or should I set up an investment company?’

I should go to the latter. As a matter of fact, there was too much to care about as the amount of investment exceeded $10,000,000. There was an accounting problem and there was a tax problem. It would not be too difficult to run an investment company in itself.

‘The key of an investment company is money and investment methods, both of which I can solve. I’ll need a few assistants in the process.

‘Assistant…’

I wrote the word ‘assistant’ on the notebook and drew a circle.

‘Assistant…’

I circled the word ‘assistant’ until I could not see it, and then I remembered a name… Seo Ji-hoon.

Seo Ji-hoon was a college alumnus and a co-worker who was with me when I tried to start a business. He was a business administration major, and he was also knowledgeable in the practice of start-ups.

‘If I ask him, I’ll get something.’

I found his name on my cell phone. Suddenly, I recalled the conversation I had had with him. “We’re going to be the legendary start-up duo, like Steve Jobs and Wozniak. Who’s Jobs and who’s Wozniak? Brother?”

I repeated a college entrance exam, and he did not. So, I was a year older than him.

“I’m sorry, but you’re Wozniak. How much do you weigh? 80kg? 90kg? Of course, I’ll be Jobs.”

Ji-hoon had been extremely obese when he was young, so he stayed in shape until he graduated from college. He was pretty cute with that round face and body.

“What do you do if you decide by our looks? You are a science student and I am a student of business administration, so Jobs is me. Besides, did you know Jobs is a business manager, and I’m supposed to be Jobs. Wozniak is a pure engineer.”

“Why do you want to be Jobs? Some people don’t like him. There are a lot of people in Silicon Valley who say he’s evil.”

“The rich are supposed to use a lot of swear words. I don’t hate it. I’m going to make a lot of money, and I will earn a lot of expletives.”

I laughed my head off at the remark, “I’m going to make a lot of money, and I will earn a lot of expletives.” It was because I thought the same.

“Wozniak is pretty rich, too. No, by our standards, he must be very rich. He’s one of the founders of Apple.”

“But he is less rich than Jobs, isn’t he?”

“It’s because he gave away Apple shares to other employees when he was young. In the eighties... When the stock price of Apple was just a few dollars... If he hadn’t given it away, you’d have been rich like Jobs. Jobs got fired from Apple.”

“Well, I’m not still attracted to Wozniak.”

“Then let’s be Bill Gates and Paul Allen.”

“I’m Bill Gates, right?”

I laughed at the thought of the conversation with him. ‘Ji-hoon, what is he doing these days? I haven’t heard from him in almost half a year.’

At that time, we were preparing to start a business and gave up after considering the necessary funds for start-up.

“Dear brother, don’t you have any support from home?”

“No. What about you?”

“Me either...”

Both of us were born with a plastic spoon in our mouths, so there was nowhere to get the money. After that, I got a job first and I couldn’t contact him often because I was busy at work. When I last contacted him, I only heard that he was working somewhere.

‘Umm...’

I sent a text message to Ji-hoon.

– How are you, Ji-hoon? There’s something I want to talk to you about. When will you have time?

I texted him like that and threw my cell phone away. I thought he was busy because he was working somewhere. Then, a reply came right away. Wi-ying!

‘What...?

I got a phone call.

– How are you? I am available at any time.

– Are you not working?

– I’m working, but... anyway, I am available.

There was something wrong with the nuance.

– Do you want to see me today? Now?

– Yes, I do. Where shall we meet?

– Gangnam Station. Exit 9.

– Yes, I’ll go, brother. What time?

————————-

“Yo, Ji-hoon.”

“Brother!”

I hugged Ji-hoon after a long time. Ji-hoon was fluffy when I hug him. I thought he gained more weight than before.

“How are you?”

“Brother, what about you?”

But the moment I tried to answer something, he looked up and down at me and said, “Hmm? You didn’t go to work today, did you?”

I was dressed in sweatshirts and slippers.

‘To others, Gangnam Station is a place where people leave their homes to get to, but to me, it is only my neighborhood.’

I said, scratching my head, “Uh... It’s... Actually, I have a lot to talk about. With you.”

“I have a lot to talk about, too.”

“Yes, then... Did you have dinner?”

“No, I didn’t because I thought you’d buy it.”

“Yes, yes, but before we go to eat... Let’s go together.”

“Where?”

I walked for about a minute with Ji-hoon. No, about thirty seconds. There was my studio.

“Hey, brother... Coffee before we have a meal?”

Ji-hoon saw a coffee shop on the first floor of the building and said that, but I quietly dragged him to the elevator and pressed the twelfth floor.

“Well, this is...”

I did not say anything. It was because if he saw, he would believe. I opened the door and went in.

“Ji-hoon... Come in for now.”

Ji-hoon came into my room looking at me, and he looked around. I wondered what to say. ‘Ji-hoon, I got the grand prize winnings of a Lotto. Five times. But I did the stock trading with the money…’

But before that, Ji-hoon suddenly asked me when he saw the frame of my family photo, “Can I hit you once, brother?”

“Why?”

When I asked him, he cried out, “You said that you were a person who was born with a plastic spoon in your mouth!”