Chapter 8
Several days had passed since the black light appeared.
“It still hasn’t changed.”
The black light had appeared, and he had carefully observed the market.
But everything continued as usual.
AI-related stocks remained strong, and the stocks connected by the black light also continued rising.
“I still don’t know what this means.”
The pattern was different from before, making it difficult to understand.
“I’ll register everything into the system first and start collecting news.”
The assistant program also had a feature that automatically gathered news articles.
It required a constant internet connection, so his computer had to stay on all the time, but that wasn’t much of a problem.
[Collecting information.]
After the registration was complete, a notification appeared.
“I’ll stay away from trading for now. There’s no reason to force trades when something I don’t understand is happening.”
It was the same mistake he had made when he was a beginner.
Trading too frequently only increased risk.
Especially when faced with something unknown, the best decision was to stop trading altogether.
“I’ll focus on preparing the company instead.”
There were many things to prepare before starting his company.
Samil Accounting Firm was already handling the incorporation.
Since it was going to be a family office, there was no need to obtain any special licenses.
The only thing left was hiring people.
“Kwang-ho will be in charge of the quant program, so I told him to recruit the developers he needs.”
That left only the back-office staff along with legal and tax personnel.
“I can outsource the legal and tax work to Samil. That leaves the back office and someone to assist with trading.”
The back office would handle accounting, financial statements, and compliance.
Even though the company would invest only its own capital, regulations still had to be followed.
A trading assistant was also essential.
“I’ll be doing most of the trading myself, but once the assets grow, I’ll definitely need someone to assist me.”
At first, he had considered asking Kwang-ho to do it.
But once Kwang-ho became the head of the programming team, adding trading support to his responsibilities would overload him.
“I can post job openings online for the back-office staff. As for the trading assistant… maybe I should contact some people I know.”
Thinking about how to recruit employees, Kang Hyun organized everything he needed to do.
Yeouido.
The financial center of South Korea.
Although many companies had expanded into areas like Yeoksam and Jongno,
people still thought of Yeouido first whenever finance was mentioned.
It remained a symbol of the financial industry.
Recently, a certain rumor had begun spreading there.
“Did you hear? One of the employees who recently left MJ is starting his own company.”
“MJ? Did anyone important leave recently?”
“I heard he was just a junior.”
“What? How does a junior start his own investment company? Isn’t it some other business?”
“I thought the same thing, but apparently he’s recruiting trading assistants.”
“Where did he get the money to start a company?”
The rumor spread rapidly.
“They say he comes from a wealthy family.”
“No way. I heard he received funding from a foreign investment firm.”
“I heard he’s dating British royalty.”
As the story spread, it became mixed with all kinds of false information.
However, one part of it was actually true.
“I heard he made a fortune with Bitcoin.”
But even the truth was buried beneath so many rumors that it became just another piece of gossip.
Eventually, the rumor reached one particular man.
“How large is his investment fund?”
“I’m not sure, but probably over ten billion won. Even for a family office, you’d need at least that much to start a company.”
“What are you talking about? A family office?”
“Ah, Team Leader Choi.”
When Choi Chang-wook, the head of Team 1 at Clevers Asset Management, asked the question, his subordinate explained.
After listening, interest appeared in Choi Chang-wook’s eyes.
“Sit down. There’s no need to stand. Tell me more about this family office you just mentioned.”
Little by little, Kang Hyun’s existence was becoming known throughout the industry.
Kang Hyun spent his days interviewing employees and preparing to move.
Finding an apartment he liked had been his top priority, and thanks to Kim Mi-ju, it was quickly settled.
“What do you think? Isn’t the Han River view from the living room amazing?”
The famous Han River view truly lived up to its reputation.
Looking out over both the Han River and Seoul Forest was incredibly relaxing.
“The security here is excellent too. Many celebrities and business owners live here, but everyone’s privacy is well protected.”
Privacy was one of the greatest advantages of luxury apartments.
This one also offered some of the highest security standards in Korea.
“And everything you need is nearby, so it’s extremely convenient.”
He liked everything about it.
“I’ll take this one. Also, please find another apartment nearby.”
“Another one?”
“Yes. It’s for my mother. It can even be in this same building.”
“Oh! I actually have another excellent listing available. Would you like to see it?”
“Please.”
After viewing both apartments,
he liked them equally.
“I’ll buy them.”
The two apartments cost a total of seven billion won.
Money really disappeared quickly once you decided to spend it.
But Kang Hyun didn’t mind.
When else would I have the chance to repay my mother?
He could afford it now.
“Oh, right, Mr. Choi. Have you heard?”
“Heard what?”
“It’s about Mr. Jung Sang-woo… the one who sold you the building.”
“Oh? What happened?”
“I heard he sold it because he lost a fortune gambling.”
That was more or less what Kang Hyun had expected.
Now that it was confirmed, it reminded him just how dangerous gambling was.
“His father caused a huge scene because of it.”
“His father?”
“The building originally belonged to his father before it was transferred to him. When he found out it had been sold, he came all the way here demanding that we reverse the sale.”
“Haha. That must have been difficult.”
Once a contract was signed, there was no undoing it.
“I’ve already sent the deposit. We’ll proceed on the agreed date.”
“Thank you very much.”
“Not at all. Take care.”
Leaving the real estate office, Kang Hyun looked up at the sky.
When he was still working at the company, he had never noticed how beautiful the clear blue sky really was.
“The weather is nice.”
He had never felt better.
The office renovations progressed quickly.
Since the fifth floor had already been used as office space, adding the new interior wasn’t difficult.
After buying office furniture and equipment and spending busy days preparing everything,
an entire month passed.
During that time, Kwang-ho resigned from his company and joined the office.
“Wow… it’s actually starting to look like a real company.”
“Not bad, right?”
“Not just not bad. This setup is almost top-tier. Honestly, the inside looks much better than I expected.”
“The building itself is old, so the outside looks a little worn.”
“Still, the important thing is that it’s your building. Man… if I had just held onto my Bitcoin, I’d probably own a building or two myself by now.”
“You still have your apartment.”
“Yeah… I guess.”
Kang Hyun smiled as Kwang-ho sighed with regret over Bitcoin.
“Did you finish registering the company?”
“Yeah. The corporation was officially established a few days ago. Now I’m looking for brokerage partners.”
“Which one are you thinking about?”
“Hanbit.”
Hanbit Securities.
One of the three largest securities firms in South Korea.
Both of them had once dreamed of working there because of the enormous trading volume they handled.
“With your capital, you’ll be a major client for them.”
“I also got acquainted with the manager of Hanbit Bank’s Gangnam branch when I bought this building. He said he could introduce me, so it’ll make things easier.”
“I’ve always thought this, but you’re basically the perfect example of a type-J personality.”
“Haha. Only when I’m working.”
“What about overseas trading? Now that you’ve hired me, the company will be trading directly too, right?”
“Yeah. I’m planning to use IBKR.”
Interactive Brokers was one of the most convenient brokerage firms for professional traders.
Large stock trades, leveraged futures, and foreign currency transactions were much easier through brokers like them.
“Man… a brand-new company partnering with Hanbit and IBKR? Once people hear this, Yeouido is going to explode with rumors again.”
“So the rumors have already spread?”
“You’re not in the industry anymore, so you probably haven’t heard. People in Yeouido have been talking about you nonstop ever since they found out a former MJ employee started a family office.”
He had expected as much.
After all, he had contacted former acquaintances while searching for a trading assistant.
Rumors spreading from there had been inevitable.
It doesn’t matter.
He hadn’t done anything illegal.
More importantly, he no longer cared what other people thought.
Their opinions couldn’t affect his life anymore.
The only thing that mattered now was what came next.
“Oh, right. Here.”
Kang Hyun took a business card from his pocket and handed it to Kwang-ho.
“What’s this?”
Kwang-ho examined the elegant card.
KH Capital
Lim Kwang-ho
Head of Quant Systems
Realizing it was his own business card, he grinned.
“Haha! I finally have a Head title.”
“I’m counting on you.”
“Likewise.”
The two friends shook hands.
While the office renovations were nearing completion, Kang Hyun attended a meeting with Hanbit Securities.
“I’m Han Chae-kyung, head of the VIP Team. It’s an honor to meet you today.”
The woman introducing herself looked to be in her early thirties.
She gave off the unmistakable impression of a successful career professional.
After shaking hands with her, the others introduced themselves as well.
They really brought a lot of people just to meet me.
Every person there was an expert in their respective field, and the meeting progressed smoothly.
“If you choose Hanbit, we promise to provide the highest level of service. As you know, our trading system is among the fastest and most secure in the industry.”
Hanbit’s strengths were obvious.
As one of Korea’s largest securities firms, its systems were among the very best.
“And if you ever require financing, we can offer special VIP interest rates.”
They continued presenting one advantage after another.
He already knew all of this.
In truth, he had already made up his mind before attending.
There isn’t a better domestic broker than Hanbit.
After listening to the presentation, Kang Hyun made his decision.
“I look forward to working with you.”
“We’ll do our absolute best.”
Just like that, Hanbit became his domestic brokerage partner.
The day before the office officially opened, Kang Hyun visited the office.
“Hey, you’re here.”
“What? Why are you already here?”
Kwang-ho was already sitting at his desk, working on something.
When Kang Hyun walked over, he saw programming code displayed on the monitor.
“I’m improving one of the tools I’m developing.”
“You officially start tomorrow. You should spend more time with Ah-yeon.”
“We’ve practically been together for a month straight. I need a little freedom too.”
“Oh please. You’re the guy who’s always glued to her.”
“You wouldn’t understand the struggles of a married man.”
“I was married until recently too.”
“Now you’re single. A rich single guy.”
Kang Hyun chuckled.
He always felt relaxed whenever he was with Kwang-ho.
“So why did you come?”
“I’m transferring funds to the broker today. It just feels more exciting doing something like this at the office instead of at home.”
“Really? You could’ve just clicked a button at home.”
“You have no sense of romance.”
“Romance, my foot. How many are you selling?”
“Three hundred.”
“Wait! Let me take profit on mine before you dump yours.”
“That would be insider trading.”
“If I cared about that, I wouldn’t be working for a family office.”
Since a family office managed only private capital, it wasn’t regulated like public investment firms.
What Kwang-ho was doing wasn’t an issue.
“The price will probably dip a little before going back up anyway. Why not sell?”
“I’ve been short-term trading ever since I sold five hundred. This is enough for me.”
“Suit yourself.”
As he said that, Kang Hyun pulled out a chair, sat down, and logged into the exchange.
He had already transferred the coins from his cold wallet.
Three hundred Bitcoin had already arrived.
[Account Value: ₩55,688,826,900]
Looking at the 55.6 billion won balance made him feel at ease.
“You done?”
When Kang Hyun asked, Kwang-ho tapped his screen a few times before pumping his fist.
“Nice! Five percent profit. You can sell now.”
Kang Hyun smiled at his friend’s excitement and turned back to his own screen.
Then…
“Hm?”
A blue light suddenly began shining from Bitcoin.
The blue light gradually became stronger…
before turning completely black.
The black light then spread outward like a giant web, connecting itself to countless other cryptocurrencies.
This…
It looked exactly like the black web he had seen inside Kwang-ho’s prototype Trading Assistant program.
At first it was blue. That can only mean one thing. A decline.
And it was glowing far more intensely than before.
Even stronger than the blue light that had surrounded Jung Sang-woo.
Jung Sang-woo’s light was much weaker, yet within just a few days he ended up like that because of gambling…
What would happen if the light was even stronger?
The end of the Bitcoin cycle? That’s the most likely explanation. If Bitcoin’s cycle ends, the rest of the crypto market will crash along with it.
Bitcoin had always gone through massive bull markets followed by devastating crashes.
Crypto investors called those periods “cycles.”
If the cycle ended,
it meant the entire cryptocurrency market was about to collapse.
Once Bitcoin, the market leader, fell, the rest of the coins would naturally follow.
By the time he reached that conclusion, he finally understood what the black web represented.
“Once you sell, if the price dips for a bit, I’ll buy back in.”
Kwang-ho casually remarked.
Kang Hyun immediately answered in a firm voice.
“Don’t.”
“Huh? What’s with that serious look all of a sudden?”
“Don’t buy Bitcoin for a while. Got it?”
“At least tell me why.”
As Kwang-ho asked in confusion, Kang Hyun placed his sell order and spoke.
No…
He made a prediction.
“I think the crypto cycle is about to end.”
This is the end of Chapter 8.
