Chapter 8. The Greatness of My Sixth Sense

On the way into the company,

I could feel people looking at me from all directions.

I am the son-in-law of Changseong Group. I am Yura’s husband….

I had to keep reminding myself of that.

If I had to face all those looks simply as Kang Do-jin, I would have been intimidated.

I would have worried about all sorts of things.

Will these people cause problems for me at work?

Did I make a bad impression on them?

That was probably why my brother-in-law had put his arm around my shoulders.

Since we couldn’t openly say that I was the son-in-law of Changseong Group yet,

He was at least revealing that we had a special relationship so that no one would interfere with me from the outside.

I felt grateful to him once again.

My brother-in-law accompanied me all the way to the Special Strategy Team’s office.

“Hmm… Let’s go in together. I actually have something to say to the special strategy team anyway.”

“Yes, Managing Director.”

When I called him “Managing Director,” he glanced at me and gave a small smile.

One thing was certain.

My brother-in-law had more affection for me than hostility.

I could tell at least that much.

We opened the office door and went inside.

The team members were there.

Just like the enthusiasm I’d seen when they left work last Friday,

They were already working with the same determination today.

“Oh, Do-jin, you’re here? Over the weekend, I…”

The team leader had apparently prepared something over the weekend and continued speaking without even looking toward the door.

Then he turned his head, saw that I had come in with my brother-in-law,

and froze.

Silence immediately filled the office.

The atmosphere became somewhat awkward.

My brother-in-law didn’t seem bothered at all.

He clapped his hands and broke the silence.

Clap.

“Now, it’s nice to see everyone working so hard first thing in the morning.”

“M-Managing Director! Good morning! But what brings you to the Special Strategy Team so early…?”

“I came here to give our special strategy team a major boost in motivation.”

“…”

The team members looked at one another.

It only lasted for a moment.

Then they all turned their attention back to my brother-in-law.

They had already noticed something from what happened during lunch last Friday.

So no one was completely shocked or terrified.

Still, they couldn’t hide their surprise.

Of course, I was surprised too.

I hadn’t expected him to step forward this openly.

“We came all the way here together, so it would be strange to pretend we have no relationship. And I wasn’t planning to hide it anyway. As you probably guessed, Do-jin and I have a somewhat special relationship.”

“…”

Hmm…

This time, everyone couldn’t hide their shock.

Guessing something was one thing.

Having the managing director himself step forward and openly declare that we had a special relationship was something completely different.

And he had even called me “Do-jin” so casually.

Honestly…

I was a little moved.

Brother…

You called me so casually….

“Don’t bother trying to figure out exactly what kind of relationship we have. Anyway, take good care of our Do-jin. If the team produces results with Do-jin at the center, I’ll give each team member a performance bonus of 20 percent of the profits.”

“…M-Managing Director.”

“Of course, if you make losses, it would be difficult to give you performance bonuses. But since I put some thought into creating this team, I don’t think there’s a high chance of losses. You can consider this a gift from the company.”

“…”

It really was a gift.

How do I know?

Well, if the person receiving something is happy about it, doesn’t that make it a gift?

These team members had already been fired up last week.

Now that there was an actual financial reward involved, the heat in their eyes became even stronger.

It felt as though the entire office had caught fire in an instant.

And it wasn’t just the team members.

As my brother-in-law was about to leave after delivering his “gift,” he spoke quietly enough that only I could hear.

“Do your best. If you make a profit, the remaining 80 percent will go to our brother-in-law as your performance bonus.”

“…”

“There has to be enough incentive to make you want to work hard, right?”

“Thank you, Managing Director.”

I was fired up too.

I was determined to make money.

I wanted to give something to Yura with money I’d earned through my own abilities.

After Managing Director Jin Tae-kyung left,

Everyone in the office remained dazed for a while.

They couldn’t immediately calculate just how valuable the gift they’d received actually was.

One by one,

They began doing the math.

“Team Leader? How big of a deal was what the managing director just said?”

“Hmm… Employee Yoon, I think I’ll have to calculate it myself. One thing is certain. This is definitely not normal.”

“I did a quick calculation. Our team’s operating funds are five billion won. If we conservatively assume a 10 percent return, that’s 500 million won. Twenty percent of that is 100 million won. Divide that among the four of us, and that’s 25 million won each. Wow…”

“…A-Assistant Manager. So you’re saying our team performance bonus would be 25 million won, separate from our salaries?”

“That’s assuming a fairly conservative return. If you work at a financial company and can’t make even a 10 percent annual return, you’d be better off just investing in an index. Especially when you have complete freedom with 5 billion won.”

Hmm.

While listening to them,

I calculated it my own way.

500 million won times 80 percent.

400 million won.

So, according to what Assistant Manager Choi said, even conservatively,

My performance bonus alone would be 400 million won…?

Thinking about it this way,

5 billion won in operating funds didn’t seem small at all.

After finishing their calculations, the team members stared blankly for a moment.

Then, all at once,

They turned their eyes toward me.

Their eyes were burning.

“…”

I flinched for a moment.

They looked like they were ready to devour me.

“Jung Do-jin.”

“Yes, Senior…”

“I won’t ask what your relationship with the managing director is. But you want results too, right?”

“Of course.”

“Then is it okay if I teach you in a Spartan-style training regime? Everything I’m saying is for your benefit, so don’t take it personally…”

“Ahem. This time, I don’t think Assistant Manager Choi is wrong. It would be good if all of us succeed together.”

“I-I agree too! I’m lacking in this area, so I’ll handle all the miscellaneous work so Do-jin can focus on his job!”

They were fired up.

The team members were.

And so was I.

I nodded.

“Teach me everything you know. I’ll absorb all of it.”

“…You’re prepared for what that means, right? I have a family I need to support.”

“Haha. My child is about to enter university, so I also…”

“I-I want to buy my own house too…”

“…Of course.”

Everyone had something they wanted.

Results.

From this moment on,

We were moving with one purpose.

My success was the team’s success.

And the team’s success was directly connected to the team members’ salaries.

Thanks to that,

The team leader poured his knowledge into me.

I asked him to tell me anything important, even if it was difficult.

Assistant Manager Choi also stayed right beside me and explained everything he knew about finance.

Especially the practical side.

“If we’re going to focus on trading, I think we should make trades worth at least 100 million won. There’s no point learning how to handle smaller amounts now if we’re eventually going to manage a much larger amount.”

The Special Strategy Team decided to start with trading.

It was the easiest and yet most difficult option.

Everyone could do it.

But not everyone could make money.

In other words,

We had entered a market where skill determined everything.

Everyone was worried.

But they all realized that there wasn’t much else we could do with 5 billion won.

Without taking risks, it was difficult to make meaningful profits.

And nothing was as free from restrictions of time and location as trading.

We couldn’t use 5 billion won for angel investments.

and we couldn’t manage other people’s money without having any results to show.

Besides, my senior had considerable experience, so he said he could help me.

“I think this would be the best approach. This week, let’s focus on gaining trading experience with 100 million won. At the same time, we’ll learn how to find the information we need, what we should focus on, and so on.”

“I agree. Especially since Assistant Manager Choi has a lot of experience in that area.”

Trading was also the most familiar direction for me.

When I was still a minor, I’d received my parents’ permission and turned 100,000 won of allowance into 1 million won in just a few months.

Then why didn’t you keep doing it?

Because I was confident in my ability.

Instead of spending my study time focusing on investments,

I thought it would be much more efficient to enter Seoul National University, get a good job, earn a high salary,

and then start investing.

Ten times 100,000 won.

Ten times 1 million won.

Ten times 10 million won.

Even then, I’d only have 100 million won.

But what if I started with an annual salary of 1 billion won?

What if I multiplied that by ten?

Of course, those were all excuses.

The truth was that I simply enjoyed playing with my friends back then because I was confident I would succeed anyway.

I was convinced that I could become rich later by earning a high salary and investing then.

Anyway,

What I was trying to say was this:

Now that I had been given 5 billion won as starting capital,

The time had finally come to show the skills I’d been sharpening back then.

I’d learned quite a lot after entering the economics department.

Of course, I hadn’t even been there for a month.

Still, I’d gone to my professor, received recommendations for various books, and learned a great deal.

That was why my advisor had been so disappointed when I told him I was taking a leave of absence.

Five days of Spartan training began.

Everyone was enthusiastic.

And I kept up with them.

Actually, I went beyond simply keeping up.

I produced results.

But instead of being happy,

Everyone looked disappointed.

“Ah… Don’t tell me it was beginner’s luck. It would’ve been better if it had happened when we were managing a larger amount of capital instead of just 100 million won…”

“Team Leader, I don’t think it’s simply beginner’s luck. Of course, luck played a big part, but his entry points are fairly consistent, and he cuts his losses without hesitation. Even experienced traders who’ve been trading for years have trouble cutting losses cleanly…”

My current return was around 20 percent.

I’d already made 20 million won.

But whenever you invest,

One thought always follows.

What if I’d invested 5 billion won instead of 100 million?

But—

I wasn’t particularly disappointed.

As time passed, more and more data accumulated.

Even after going home, I kept gathering information every day.

My sixth sense was becoming more precise.

The reason my current results weren’t even higher was because I was deliberately spending more time studying rather than focusing solely on immediate trades.

This was why I’d said my sixth sense was such a cheat-like ability.

The entire workweek passed.

Everyone wanted to keep working together over the weekend because they were so motivated.

But because they were wary of the managing director, we decided to continue the following week.

Weekend.

I asked Yura for her permission.

“Would it be okay if I spend some time studying this weekend…?”

“Of course. Do-jin, studying doesn’t mean you’re not spending time with me. And isn’t it attractive when a man focuses on his work? You’re the head of the family, working hard for your family. I’ll make you delicious snacks from time to time.”

“…I love you.”

“Me too!”

She’s an angel.

Thanks to her—

“I’ll be back.”

Smack.

“Good luck!”

Monday came.

Rather than feeling pressured or wanting to run away,

I was fired up with motivation.

My experience trading stocks as a minor,

my brief experience at university,

and the enormous amount of studying I’d done the previous week.

I wanted to show them what my sixth sense had become after combining all of that.

Right before work began,

The office was filled with a solemn atmosphere.

“Are you ready, Kang Do-jin?”

“Assistant Manager, I’ll prove that our team members’ time wasn’t wasted.”

“Ahem. You don’t need to put too much pressure on yourself. Assistant Manager Choi doesn’t expect too much right away. He’s just happy that you’re taking your first step.”

“Ha… I’m nervous. What should I do? Should I go buy some coffee?”

Our team had become completely united.

If we simply looked at the situation from the front,

It would have been better for Assistant Manager Choi to trade directly himself.

But everyone silently understood that doing so would defeat the purpose.

So—

Everyone was watching me trade.

How could I feel pressured?

I would show them how their experience could be put to use.

But then—

Damn…

Having several billion won in starting capital really was intimidating.