Chapter 5
The stock market was a warzone without gunfire.
The price is starting to drop.
Just like a real battlefield, attacks and defenses clashed.
While the market was open, prices repeatedly rose, fell, and rose again.
Whenever the price fluctuated violently, news articles would break shortly after.
[AI Bubble Theory Sweeps Wall Street, AI-Related Stocks Drop in Unison]
Sometimes, it was news that shook the entire stock market.
[Nvidia CEO Donald Huang States in Press Interview, “Nvidia’s performance this year will be the highest in history,” Prompting Stocks to Rise Across the Board.]
Sometimes, a single word from someone’s mouth shook the market.
While these battles raged on.
The lips of those watching the charts went dry, and cold sweat dripped from their brows.
Should I hold? Or should I sell here? What do I do?
Damn it… it’s fluctuating way too much up and down today.
In particular, the moods of day traders closing out their positions within the day rose and fell with the market.
But Kang Hyun was different.
“So the price went up because of Donald Huang.”
Leaning back comfortably, he sipped his coffee while watching the chart on the tablet PC resting on the kitchen island.
It was a composure that could never have been found in him before.
“When I was working at the company, I lived with chronic dry eyes from staring at charts all day. This feels pretty relaxed.”
There was only one reason he could afford to be this calm.
“The price will rise.”
The red aura visible only to his eyes.
It was telling him that Neurodyne Technology’s closing price would end higher.
“If I’m wrong, I can just prepare again.”
In the past, he often made trades where failure meant the end.
But now, he had more than enough capital to try again even if he failed.
That was why he could watch it so calmly.
Time flew by, and soon it was just before dawn.
[The market has closed.]
A notification popped up indicating the market had closed.
And…
[NDT: 39.43 +2.42%]
[Previous Close: 38.5]
After a fierce tug-of-war between buyers and sellers, a massive wave of buying pressure flooded in near the close, leading Neurodyne Technology to finish higher.
“I won.”
Having ridden this buying wave, Kang Hyun won his first personal trade since leaving his job.
[Return Rate: 2.65%]
[Estimated Profit/Loss: ₩79,500,000]
[Estimated Value: ₩3,079,500,000]
Thanks to buying in tranches after the market opened, his return rate was 2.65 percent.
He had effectively earned about 0.2 percent more than the stock’s actual daily gain.
Because his seed capital was large, he raked in nearly 80 million won in profit in a single day.
He had earned an average worker’s annual salary overnight.
However, there was a far greater harvest than that.
“It works perfectly in live trading too.”
His heart pounded.
While trading, he had been perfectly cool-headed.
To feel his heart pounding only after the trade was over was a strange sensation.
Not that it was incomprehensible.
It was just that monumental of an event.
“I can do this.”
Gaining a renewed sense of certainty, Kang Hyun clenched his fist tightly.
Ever since he took up investing as a profession, it had been nothing but pure stress for Kang Hyun.
Especially after falling into a slump, he would practically hyperventilate just placing a single trade.
Yet, that very same act of investing was now enjoyable.
Click!
[Sell Order Executed.]
With that click, his position was closed.
Two weeks had already flown by since he began earnest trading combined with testing his ability.
Counting only trading days, it had been 10 days.
As of today, he had entered and exited positions ten times.
The results were astounding.
[Return Rate: 35.8%]
[Available Cash: ₩4,074,000,000]
Not once out of those ten trades did he incur a loss.
He generated an average daily return of 3.1 percent.
That was a 35.8 percent increase relative to his initial 3 billion won. He had raked in a whopping 1.074 billion won in profit.
“I’ve pulled off an absurd return. If I had achieved this at the company, would my incentive bonus even exceed a hundred million won?”
But this time, every single won of the profit belonged entirely to him.
Out of habit, Kang Hyun opened his trading journal.
Reviewing past trades was the single most crucial task for a trader.
Even when he was at the firm, he would spend his weekends reviewing the past week’s trades through his journal.
It was all to identify any mistakes, see if his strategies played out correctly, and make necessary adjustments.
That discipline remained unchanged even now that he was an independent trader.
“Hmm.”
As he did, something peculiar caught Kang Hyun’s eye.
“Most of the stocks I traded over the last ten days were AI-related, but the sector showing real strength is cloud servers.”
Had he been at the company, this kind of data would have been fed to him directly through the research center.
Operating as an individual trader, however, meant Kang Hyun had to spot and dig up these nuances all on his own.
“I really need to establish the company soon. Once Kwang-ho officially joins, this kind of research will be handled in no time.”
Even while grumbling, he did not pause his review.
“Hmm, so the ones showing weakness are the companies providing actual services with AI models? Come to think of it, even when I was at the firm, our internal research suggested that consumer-facing service providers were overvalued.”
AI was rapidly permeating modern society.
As a result, the AI industry was hailed as a critical economic driver transforming both the present and the future, naturally sending valuations soaring.
Nvidia, which held a near-monopoly on AI semiconductors, claimed the number one spot in market capitalization on the Nasdaq, and the broader semiconductor sector entered a supercycle.
The market expanded daily, and those who invested in related sectors accumulated vast wealth.
“Something similar happened in the past, too.”
Pessimists compared the current market sentiment to the dot-com bubble of the early 2000s.
They viewed the rise of AI as analogous to the evolution of the internet, believing that history was bound to repeat itself.
“Whether this bubble is real or not remains to be seen, but if the day comes when the market collapses because of it, that will be my ultimate opportunity.”
A bursting bubble didn’t just leave victims in its wake.
It bestowed unimaginable wealth upon those who looked to the future and invested wisely amid a brutal market.
The most widely known public example was Michael Burry, who famously predicted the “Big Short” during the Lehman Brothers crash.
“I need to look into the correlations and investigate this thoroughly.”
Over the weekend, Kang Hyun paid a visit to a real estate agency.
Jingle!
“Welcome. How can I help you today?”
“I’m Kang Hyun. I contacted you earlier.”
“Ah, you’re the president looking for an office space, right? I’ve been expecting you. You’re much younger than I expected.”
Kim Miju, the owner of Mirae Real Estate, was somewhat surprised when she saw how young Kang Hyun was.
Is he born with a silver spoon? Since he said he was looking for an investment firm office, I assumed he’d be on the older side.
Kang Hyun’s appearance, far younger than she had anticipated during their initial phone consultation, came as a fresh shock.
However, she didn’t let any of it show on her face.
“Well then, shall we head out in my car? I’ve selected a few excellent properties.”
“Sure, sounds good.”
Following Kim Miju’s lead, Kang Hyun headed over to Yeoksam-dong.
While Yeouido was the first place that came to mind regarding finance in South Korea, plenty of funds and small-to-medium investment firms were also nestled in Yeoksam.
The first location they visited was on the eighth floor of a financial office building, boasting a great view and close proximity to the subway station.
“The investment firm that used to be here made a fortune and moved to a bigger place, so the site has great energy. Excellent feng shui.”
That was half right and half wrong.
It was true that the previous tenant was an investment firm.
Except they hadn’t moved because they made a fortune; their CEO had vanished into thin air after getting caught embezzling.
“Let’s look at another place.”
“Ah, right.”
They toured a few more properties like that.
There were places he somewhat liked, and quite a few that were completely out of the question.
Though it varies slightly by neighborhood, the monthly rent averages around five million won.
It aligned reasonably well with the market research he had conducted beforehand.
Since he had no intention of starting on a massive scale from the get-go, the overhead cost for the office itself wasn’t substantial.
As he stood there deliberating, Kim Miju spoke up.
“If the monthly rent is making you hesitate, looking into Seongsu-dong might be a good alternative. Shall I show you some properties over there?”
Kim Miju had jumped to her own conclusion that Kang Hyun was sweating over the high monthly rent.
That wasn’t the case at all, but checking out Seongsu-dong didn’t sound like a bad idea either.
“Sure, let’s take a look there too.”
The two got back into the car and drove over to Seongsu-dong.
“Seongsu is highly popular these days, so the core areas are packed with young crowds. However, the outskirts don’t have much foot traffic yet, making it peaceful and perfect for an office.”
“I see.”
Her assessment was spot on.
Upon arriving at the outskirts of Seongsu-dong, the scenery of a still-quiet old city district unfolded before him.
I didn’t know a place like this still existed in Seoul.
He quite liked the tranquil atmosphere.
“This is the building. The exterior looks a bit dated, but the interior has been completely remodeled and laid out beautifully. Best of all, the maintenance fees here are dirt cheap compared to Gangnam or Yeoksam.”
Kim Miju kept emphasizing the financial advantages.
Was that why?
He’s staring intently at the building. I knew it, he really was hesitating because of the price.
As Kang Hyun looked up at the building, she continued her supplementary pitch.
“The vacant space right now is on the fifth floor. There’s even a cafe on the ground floor, so every morning when you come to work, you can grab a cup of coffee and head straight up—”
“How much is this place?”
“Ah, the deposit is 30 million won with a monthly rent of 3.5 million, but if you increase the deposit…”
“No. Not the rent.”
“Pardon?”
Leasing an office under a jeonse agreement was highly unusual.
Since almost everyone rented through monthly leases, Kim Miju stared at Kang Hyun with a face that clearly asked what on earth he was talking about.
Looking directly back at her, Kang Hyun spoke.
“I want to buy the building.”
Kim Miju’s eyes went wide.
When he first laid eyes on the building.
What the…?
Kang Hyun doubted his own eyes.
Because the building was glowing vibrant red, as though it were engulfed in flames.
Why is it glowing red? On top of that, this light is even more intense than the one that came from Kwang-ho.
It was the most brilliant radiance he had witnessed to date.
By now, he knew exactly what that signified.
It means the value of the building is going to skyrocket.
Stocks emitting a red glow saw their prices surge.
While he couldn’t say for certain regarding people just yet, considering how it correlated to rising stock values, a person’s value would likely ascend in the same manner.
There was a high probability that buildings operated under the exact same mechanism.
I’m buying this building.
He didn’t deliberate for long.
The first priority was verifying its market value.
“Uh… you want to buy the building?”
“Yes. Could you check if the owner has any intention of selling?”
“I can, but… are you aware of the market price for this building? Although prices around here are lower than Yeonmujang-gil, it’s still well over ten billion won.”
Ten billion won.
In the past, it would have been an unimaginable sum, but not anymore.
“Yes, the price is fine. It would be best if you could check the owner’s willingness to sell first.”
Sensing the absolute lack of hesitation in Kang Hyun’s demeanor, Kim Miju instantly realized her assumption had been entirely wrong.
He wasn’t hesitating on the office lease because he lacked the money—he just didn’t like the spaces?
Concluding that she had completely misjudged him, Kim Miju hurriedly pulled out her smartphone.
“Please give me just a moment then. I’ll get in touch with the owner right away.”
As Kim Miju stepped away to make the call, Kang Hyun kept his gaze fixed on the building.
Since I’m expressing interest out of the blue, I might have to pay a premium. If the local market rate is around ten billion won, should I expect to offer another five billion?
As he was calculating the potential cost, a shift occurred in the building before his eyes.
“Huh?”
The crimson glow that had been radiating as intensely as a deep sunset just a moment ago suddenly began to fade.
Watching the transformation, a sudden realization flashed through Kang Hyun’s mind.
Is it showing me how much profit I stand to make?
The method to verify this hypothesis was simple.
Fourteen billion won?
The color deepened slightly.
Yet compared to its initial brilliance, the difference was unmistakable.
Thirteen billion won?
The shade grew even more pronounced.
Twelve billion won.
Finally, the entire building was completely saturated in the same deep, sunset-red glow as before.
So this is the fair purchase price. I just need to combine my day trading gains and liquidate a tiny fraction of my crypto.
Just as he reached a conclusion, Kim Miju approached him.
“I managed to reach the owner, but they’re currently abroad, so it’s a bit difficult right now. They’ll be returning to the country in about a week and suggested setting up a meeting then. Would that be alright with you?”
“Of course. Let’s arrange a schedule then.”
Giving his reply, Kang Hyun looked back up at the building.
The structure that would become his very first piece of real estate and the launchpad for his company continued to radiate a brilliant red aura.
If this ability holds true, the value of this building is going to climb massively.
From stocks to people, and now to real estate.
Though many aspects remained shrouded in mystery, Kang Hyun decided not to overthink it.
There is no reason to hesitate.
It didn’t matter if real estate wasn’t his area of expertise.
Equipped with this ability, he feared no new challenge.
