Side Story 42. A Month Later - Kwon Seong-Il (3)

Inside the KODEX Leverage Management Department of Ilsung Asset Management, Lee Cheol-Woo felt a scream rising in his throat. The speed at which the suddenly emerged big player devoured the sell volume was tremendous.

"Are they crazy? Who are these people?!"

Shouts, which almost sounded like screams, could be heard from the next counter. Lee Cheol-Woo wanted to scream too, but he needed every second to move his fingers more efficiently.

Strictly speaking, ETFs were not stocks. They were artificially created products. They were the products designed to follow stock prices, and LPs[1] like Lee Cheol-Woo's department had the obligation to adjust sell and buy volumes according to market demands of clients.

However, the appetite of the big player, or rather monster, was truly vast. As soon as food was served on the table, it was devoured instantly. It seemed that ordinary quantities wouldn't satisfy this monster's appetite.

Soon, not only Lee Cheol-Woo but all the managers in the department were also waiting for the approval of the department head. Finally, they received an okay sign.

Lee Cheol-Woo swallowed his saliva and cautiously pressed the keyboard. He offered up a dish worth forty-two thousand won a piece, a total of ten million dishes, which amounted to four trillion won.

The moment he saw that even this massive volume was instantly consumed, a gasp escaped from him.

"Wow!"

Who could eat all of this?! But he didn't have time to just sit in awe. The monster's hunger was so intense that continuous offerings had to be made.

***

After the market closed, only silence prevailed inside Ilsung Asset Management's KODEX Leverage Management Department.

What on earth had happened? Understanding the reality was challenging. It was a truly unprecedented event.

By the close of the market, the monster had consumed a whopping forty trillion won, solely in the KODEX Leverage. This meant that the market capitalization of the KODEX Leverage product had grown accordingly.

Despite the bull market where all stocks soared madly, the size of the KODEX Leverage broke into the top ten of all domestic stocks. Even though stock market history was being rewritten again, this was just too much.

Lee Cheol-Woo got up upon receiving a call from the department head. The market had closed, but the real busy work was about to begin. However, the fact that he got a call from the department head meant even he was in shock from the situation.

"What do you think happened?"

"I can't comprehend it."

Lee Cheol-Woo answered honestly. He had witnessed the insane frenzy of a monster. The only description that came to mind was 'insanity.' Spending an astounding forty trillion won just on ETF buying?

Yet, against all odds, the monster's frenzy shattered what seemed to have been an impossible boundary. The mere ETF was not supposed to influence both the physical and futures markets!

ETFs were originally designed to support those markets, but they played a leading role in influencing those markets this time. Hence, both the futures and spot markets surged significantly. This was the power of the astronomical amount of forty trillion won.

“Today, fifty billion dollars flowed into our country.”

“I wasn’t aware. Then, the exchange rate would be…”

Despite such a significant event, everything was chaotic because of the appearance of the monster. A thought suddenly struck Lee Cheol-Woo, and his eyes widened in surprise.

“Did that money come into our product?”

“There’s no other explanation. Who would buy forty trillion won's worth of ETFs? Especially in just one day. The timing is right.”

“Could it be...a Korean with foreign nationality disguising as an individual investor?”

The Jonathan Investment Finance Group had distributed two trillion dollars for social stability to the Awakened. Recently, His collection was traded for one trillion dollars. Moreover, the valuation of leading US companies in the fourth industry and the emerging industry was at least one trillion dollars.

Although figures in trillions were often mentioned that amount less than that wasn’t that impressive, fifty billion dollars was still an astronomical number. Only entities known as hedge funds, hot money, and institutions like pension funds, especially those with huge capital, could move such amounts.

“It’s highly possible. Probably.”

There was a brief moment of silence between Lee Cheol-Woo and the department head. The Korean economy was completely at the mercy of foreigners. Not only did the Jeonil Group swallow the economy of this country, but an external force disguised as an individual also appeared and started making unbelievable moves. They pumped forty trillion won into the ETF... It made no sense.

Although it seemed that their intentions may have amplified the bubbles in the futures and spot markets, what was incomprehensible was why it specifically had to be the ETF. If their goal was really to inflate the bubble, there were many ways to do so. Their decision was the worst of the worst.

This was especially true as Leverage was merely a hedge among influential groups. It was usually kept at a minimal proportion, and the loss ratio hardly ever exceeded one percent.

Lee Cheol-Woo tried to make sense of this nonsensical situation.

“As you know, our stock market is leading the global market.”

When the Korean stock market rose, so did the global market on that day. However, ever since His appearance, this trend changed. The entire world was now focusing on Korea, His homeland. There was even a rumor that Korea might join the UN's Permanent Membership. This was because of the favorable winds brought about by Him.

“The main player in the current surge is our country, isn't it?”

“There's no disagreement on that. Continue.”

“Fifty billion dollars is a significant amount for us, but if we look at it from a macro perspective, consider the top ten global investment firms. They've suffered significant losses from the recent agreement. Although they're defenders with good intentions, the war is now over. They might be getting back to their main business.”

Lee Cheol-Woo added, “How much they benefited from spending fifty billion dollars today is beyond calculation. But if you wonder why they chose our leverage, it might be to attract even the conservative individuals. The news headline for tomorrow all over the world will be the same.”

Assuming that they had invested an additional fifty billion dollars after already having a substantial position, this money could be bait.

Lee Cheol-Woo remembered a legendary story from financial history. Jonathan Hunter, now known as the Guardian King of Hell and God of Finance, had once shown such a miracle.

“In 1998, Jonathan Hunter purchased Russian bonds worth one billion dollars.”

It was a story too well-known among those in the industry. Anyone studying finance definitely knew about it.

The director nodded. At that time, nobody could predict that Russia would go bankrupt. However, only Jonathan Hunter suspected it. He even confronted the capital forces trying to protect Russia. It was the '98 financial war triggered by Russia.

“And Jonathan Hunter lost that billion, but thanks to that, he reaped huge benefits.”

“Do you think it's similar this time? Do you think they'll further drive the market?”

Lee Cheol-Woo hesitated. After all, it was just an assumption.

“…Considering today… I'm sorry. It's something I've never even imagined.”

“No worries. I thought the same at first. Just checking, do you have a separate account? It's okay. I won't tell anyone. I'm just worried.”

“Yes.”

“Just watch the market and don't invest more. The volatility is unpredictable. Think of the consequences.”

“I've been dying because of the recent housing prices anyway. Thank you for caring.”

“Let’s get back to work. I don’t even think I can go home today. Wait a minute. This is a call from the headquarters.”

The department head answered the call, but as the conversation progressed, his face became increasingly grim. By the end, he looked utterly shocked. Lee Cheol-Woo waited. After a while, the head spoke.

“You know I like you a lot, right? Don't tell anyone about this.”

“…”

“It was Caliber.”

“Excuse me?”

“The one who took a crazy amount of our leverage is Caliber.

The silence was so heavy that it seemed to weigh down the air. Lee Cheol-Woo struggled to speak.

“Wh…wh…why? Why the heck?”

“I don’t know. Maybe something to do with Jonathan Investment Group? A connection between the heroes? I actually don’t know.”

“Then that makes even less sense. Why would he go about it this way…?”

“What is this?”

“What on earth is going on?”

“What the fuck is this?”

***

Huff. Huff.

Seong-Il's breathing was continuous and heavy. Indeed, the saying "money begets money" was true. Was making money always this easy? He felt regret for entering the market so late.

Although the profit rate on his account read six percent, the total profit was approaching 2.4 trillion won. 2.4 trillion won in just one hour!

I should take shots to celebrate this. No, wait, now's not the time for soju.

After all that, he still had funds remaining. If he had placed a high stake in stable assets like leverage, shouldn't he have reserved a bit and aimed for high risk, high return? Diversification in investment was crucial.

As He protected the mainland, I should take charge of my life. It's surely not too late. This is just the beginning!

With excitement in his eyes, Seong-Il began browsing various stock community forums. Then, a particular post caught his attention.

𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Caliber-themed stock?

「Title: Stocks related to the expedition / Caliber theme's leading stock * Hyunji Construction」

What's this Caliber theme about? Is there something I'm not aware of?

「Although Caliber hasn't yet ventured into outer space, his influence as one of the chosen final heroes is undeniable. Every word about the Caliber holds significant sway in the Awakened Association. Regardless of his whereabouts, his reputation within the Association is noteworthy as he holds a respected position on the board.

#Hyunji Construction (refer to the daily chart)

As depicted in the daily chart, Hyunji Construction, representing the Caliber-themed construction stocks, is experiencing continuous growth, breaking its daily highs.

#Kim Joo-Han, the chairman of Hyunji Construction, and Go Hoon, an external director, both graduated from Woojeon High with Caliber. Also, Go Hoon is known to frequent a restaurant that is popularly known as Caliber's favorite, Wondong Sundaeguk (as seen in Go Hoon's KakaoStory update from November 30, 2017).

#Since its association with the Caliber theme, Hyunji Construction has been gaining lots of focus. Given Caliber's prominence, this upward trajectory is anticipated to persist. It's also projected to follow in the footsteps of #Iljoo Construction, one of the top-performing stocks. If Caliber does decide to venture forth, it's foreseen that Hyunji Construction will rise as a leading stock under Caliber's theme.」

Who are Kim Joo-Han and Go Hoo? But since I am Caliber, shouldn't I be investing in Caliber stocks?

Koreans invest in Korea. Caliber invests in Caliber! Of course, Seong-Il didn't pay attention to the cautionary notes mentioned below.

「 *This is the one and only opportunity in human history.

*However, always approach wealth accumulation, especially stocks, with a conservative mindset. It's essential to keep some funds liquid for safer measures.」

1. Liquidity Providers. ☜