Translator: Khan

  Editor: Aelryinth

  I watched the monitor gently. The HTS was on the monitor, and the stock prices of two were up on the HTS.

  [Bisang Construction -2%]

  [Jinyang Development +1%]

  The two stocks were briefly flat after a sharp rise. I managed the HTS to find out the latest trading volume of Stock Lending and Borrowing in both stocks.

  ‘Stock Lending and Borrowing is a preliminary process for a short stock sale, in which a person who does not have the shares borrows the shares from a person who has them. He has not sold them for public sale yet, but he will hit it if he keeps doing so. It’s a gun that is supposed to be loaded before he shoots.’


  “Umm…” Huge amounts of Stock Lending and Borrowing were piling up equally in both stocks, like a military base on the brink of war.

  ‘The moment they fail to be selected as a business operator, mountains of bombs will be fired for a short stock sale. When bad news hits a short stock seller, stock prices will fall even further. It’s like pouring oil on the souls who suffer in hellfire.

  ‘It’s quite cruel. Someone laughs, somebody cries. It’s going to happen in three weeks.’


  I picked up my cell phone and looked for the text message from a reporter Kang Joo-hyuk not long ago.

  – If you want to invest, you’d better invest in Jinyang Development-

  I pondered, ‘This guy… doesn’t he expect me to think the other way around?’


  ‘There is a story about the hero Cao Cao from the Three Kingdoms. When Cao Cao, who lost the battle against the Red Cliffs, retreated, there was smoke rising up behind him. Then his adviser advised him, “The smoke rising is proof that the enemy is eating. We have to go somewhere there is no smoke.” But Cao Cao said, shaking his head, “No, the enemy would have predicted that I would think of it. The rising smoke is a trick, and we have to go where it isn’t.” So, Cao Cao went to a place where the smoke rose. But, unexpectedly, he met enemies there. Zhuge Liang predicted that Cao Cao would think too much into, and he simply deployed soldiers there.’


  I recalled the meeting with Newsmaker Kang Joo-hyuk and the interview. The mood was good during the whole time, when I greeted, had an interview and said hello after I broke up with him.

  Come to think of it, if Lee Ah-young hadn’t told me, “This is the Newsmaker”, I might have thought of him as a really just a reporter who wrote an article to spread my name.

  I was sure he thought so too, and made sure that his information had not been exposed at all. He might think of me as “the hero Cao Cao” but he wouldn’t think we were enemies’.

  ‘So… maybe this information… is a sure dagger… No, it’s a poisoned dagger.’ I wrote a scenario: I didn’t know how they got the inside information, but these people knew that Bisang Construction was a strong candidate for a business operator. They were trying to send me to the road of death, to Jinyang Development.

  ‘All right, then…’ I began to sell off my shares in Jinyang Development.

  “Your sell order is completed…”


  Jinyang Development, which used to play at 1%, fell to -1%, -2%, and -3%, unable to beat my selling power. I had so much in my hands that I got a reduced profit every time I sold. But it was okay. All-out war was in three weeks later anyway. It was just children’s play now.

  ‘All right… I’m going to have to get ready for the real fight.’ I picked up the phone and said to Secretary Seo, “As soon as Vice President Jang returns from his business trip, call him to the president’s office.”


  “Yes, boss.”


  After a while, I could hear a knock outside.

  “Come in.”


  Soon Jang came in and bowed his head. “Did you call me, sir?”


  I asked him, “Do you have the team I ordered set up the other day? A team for short stock selling. Did you arrange it?”


  “I’ve prepared the fastest traders.”


  “Good job. Good job!”


  “By the way, it’s time for the Stock Lending and Borrowing… Which stock would you like to bet on?”


  “Please apply for the Stock Lending and Borrowing at Bisang Construction.”


  As I said, he spoke with his head tilted, “Do you meant Bisang Construction?”


  I nodded, “Yes, I’d like you to apply for the Stock Lending and Borrowing at Bisang Construction, just as much as you can.”


  “… Yes… but boss,” he had a little bit talk on my words.

  “Please tell me.”


  “I heard that Bisang Construction is also quite powerful… Don’t you mind? If we put a short stock sale on it, but if it is selected as a business operator, our losses will be quite large.”


  It was an understandable concern. I said, with the utmost reassurance of him, “It’s okay. Please be sure to prepare for it to go right away if I say ‘yes’.”


  Jang seemed to be unsatisfied with my order, but he only said, “Yes, boss.”


  After Jang left, I sold Jinyang Development once again, not to have attention to me. The stocks in both accounts were dispersed through the transfer of securities. Two men came in, and eight went out. It was a doppelganger art, to hide who was moving.

  ‘They don’t know what I’m doing with this. No, even if they knew… they wouldn’t know what I mean.’


  ———————————–


  Three weeks later, Thursday, two days before the announcement of the selection of the Old City Regeneration Project, I started working in front of my computer as usual, as soon as it was nine o’clock.

  ‘Let’s buy now… and sell it a week later…’


  The stocks we were trading now were neither Bisang Construction nor Jinyang Development. I was just trading by opening a treasure box on the calendar application. Of course, I did not let the stock prices of Bisang Construction and Jinyang Development out of my sight.

  [Bisang Construction +2%]

  [Jinyang Development -3%]

  I watched the two stocks go back and forth with a sideways glance.

  [Bisang Construction -3%]

  [Jinyang Development +4%]

  The two stocks were going back and forth between cold and hot water, as if they were playing leapfrog.

  ‘Then let’s get into the water…’


  After I finished trading today, I moved my attention to two stocks.

  [Bisang Construction +5%]

  [Jinyang Development +4%]

  Both shares were in the positive territory around 10 a.m. A day from now, one of the two would go to heaven, and one would go to hell, but they seemed fearless.

  [Bisang Construction +9%]

  [Jinyang Development +5%]

  But Bisang Construction was going to hit a bit more.

  ‘Are the forces showing up little by little?’


  It didn’t matter to me whether or not. No matter how the spiders were encamped, they were in my grasp. I poured out my Bisang Construction shares for now.

  “Your sell order is completed at market price…”


  The stock price fell on my selling power to + 8%, + 7%. And yet, there was someone who took it.

  “Wow!” The guy took all the shares, ten million dollars worth.

  ‘Certainly, they are sitting here.’


  Even though the shares worth ten million dollars were poured in, it was still in positive territory, at +2%. It was not an amount an ant could take. I was sure that those, who were a hundred percent confident that Bisang Construction would be selected, took it. Having sold all the shares of Bisang Construction, I picked up the phone and called Vice President Jang.

  Tiriri tiriri, he answered the phone on the second call. “Yes, boss.” It was faster than before. He was nervous. He also knew the selection would be completed two days from now.

  I spoke to him, “Bisang Construction. Please make a short stock sale today and fill it up to 0.5% of the total market capital.” The price is, of course, at the highest possible one. Okay?”


  “Yes, sir.”


  “And as I said… apply for a public announcement right away.”


  “Yes, sir.”


  After I gave the order, I only cared about selling my shares again. Around 5 p.m., an announcement was made for Bisang Construction.

  [The announcement of a short stock sale: Invictus Investment holds 0.51% shares of all shares in the market for a short stock sale.]

  ‘The announcement of a short stock sale is made when the share amount of a short stock sale is more than half a percent of the total market capital.’


  Now the investors across the country would know that there was a short stock sale for Bisang Construction, including Director Tak Joon-gi and Newsmaker Kang Joo-hyuk. The stock bulletin board was a mess.

  – What the hell? Some crazy guy put a short stock sale at half a percent of the total market capital-

  – Invictus Investment? What is that company doing?-

  – Uh, this is a famous company for a good investment. We’re fucked, aren’t we?-

  – That’s right. This company has had a big hit on the Kai Games… but they put a short stock sale in here… and I’m nervous…-

  I could see such a comment among them. – What’s this? They know the inside information, and they put a short stock sale off. I’ll check out Invictus Investment-

  I muttered at them, “Check it out. What’s coming out of it…”


  Then I picked up my cell phone, not another, but just before the battle, to make fun of them, I sent a text message. – Dear reporter Kang Joo-hyuk, if you have time, can I talk to you?-

  But I got a reply right away. -Yes, I can, sir.’


  I called right away and could hear his voice, “Oh, CEO Han, How are you?”


  “Oh, yes, reporter. How have you been?”


  “Yes, of course.”


  After the usual conversation, I asked him, “By the way, I’m calling to ask you one more time about the selection of a business operator for the Old City Regeneration Project. Do you have any more information?”


  “Oh, no, except that Jinyang Development is the most likely one.”


  “Yes, I see… I’ve made a big bet on Jinyang Development, as the reporter said. I’ve bought a lot. Not only that, but… I’ve also put a short stock sale in for Bisang Construction. I thought this would be a good opportunity to double the profit.”


  “Oh, you did.”


  ‘Bah! You’ve already seen it.’ The operating guy must have seen the stock announcement.

  “Oh, but this isn’t a hundred percent certain… What if Bisang Construction is selected?”


  “Oh then this bet is a failure, and I would think I’m unlucky. Could it be anything, but I have a sense that the selection of this developer is Jinyang Development.”


  “Haha, really? Shall I buy some shares in Jinyang Development?”


  “It wouldn’t be a bad idea to go there together.”


  “Oh, I’m just saying that. I don’t trade any stocks because I have no courage.”


  It was a lie. He might have put his money in Bisang Construction.

  “Oh, really? Then, watch what kind of cards we will have.”


  “Yes, CEO Han, I hope you do well.”


  The phone was cut off as the last words were told. For a moment, I looked at the flashing cell phone of “a reporter Kang Joo-hyuk.”


  ‘I don’t know what their tone will be like when I talk to him in two days.’ As I thought about it, I put my cell phone in my pocket.