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CH179 | GSI
🕑 Added 2025-03-02 03:30:01 +0000 UTCThe next morning.
When Seok-won opened his eyes, he was met with the sight of Kinsley sleeping soundly in his arms, her bare shoulders peeking out from beneath the sheets. A quiet smile tugged at his lips.
As he lay there, memories from the previous night replayed in his mind.
At first, the shoot had felt slightly awkward, but once he got the hang of it, he managed to pose with surprising ease. In the end, the session wrapped up smoothly.
Afterward, as promised, he met up with Kinsley for dinner, indulging in the vongole pasta her friend had recommended.
The food was great, but more than that, he found himself genuinely enjoying her company.
She must have felt the same because instead of parting ways after the meal, they decided to head to a nearby bar for a second round.
What started with light glasses of wine eventually escalated to shots of strong vodka, and the two ended up drinking late into the night.
By the time Kinsley was thoroughly intoxicated, Seok-won helped her back to the hotel where she was staying.
After carefully laying her down on the bed, he knelt to remove her heels, fully intending to leave like a gentleman.
"Get some rest. I’ll be going now."
But just as he turned to leave, Kinsley suddenly sat up and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind.
"Kinsley?"
"Are you really just going to leave?"
When he turned his head, he found her looking up at him with hazy, glistening eyes.
"Stay with me tonight."
A temptation impossible to resist.
Seok-won gently cradled her face in his hands and kissed her deeply.
"Mmm."
Kinsley responded just as fervently, hurriedly tugging off his jacket and unbuttoning his shirt.
As his sculpted, muscular torso was revealed, a breathy sigh of admiration escaped her lips.
Seok-won pulled her in, guiding her back down onto the bed.
And just like that, a passionate night unfolded.
Now, it was the morning after.
As he absentmindedly ran his fingers through her hair, Kinsley slowly opened her eyes.
Her long lashes fluttered a few times before her still-drowsy gaze focused on Seok-won. Upon realizing he was still beside her, her expression brightened.
"When did you wake up?"
"Just a little while ago."
Kinsley pulled the sheets up to cover half of her face and mumbled in a soft, whiny tone.
"You were staring at me before I even washed my face. So embarrassing."
"You look beautiful even without makeup."
"Oh? So you do know how to say sweet things. You sound like a total player now."
"You were the one who seduced me first."
"Hmph."
She shot him a playful glare.
Then, suddenly, she gasped and clutched the sheets to her chest, sitting up in alarm.
"Oh no! What time is it?"
Seok-won reached for the Rolex on the bedside table and checked the time.
"10:20."
"Already?!"
Startled, Kinsley quickly wrapped herself in the bedsheet before scrambling to get out of bed.
"What's wrong?"
"I have an outdoor photoshoot scheduled this afternoon."
"Then you’d better get up and start getting ready."
"Yeah…"
Kinsley nodded, looking a bit disappointed.
In truth, the shoot was at 1 PM, which meant that even if she got up now, she was already running late—she still needed to shower, get her hair and makeup done, and prepare properly.
Ring, ring!
Just then, the sound of her phone ringing filled the room.
She hurriedly grabbed it from her bag, which had ended up on the floor, and answered immediately.
"Hello?"
[Kinsley, did you have breakfast? Should I come pick you up?]
It was her manager, Trinity.
Still holding the phone to her ear, Kinsley glanced toward Seok-won, who was still lying in bed, a flustered expression crossing her face.
"No! I’m not ready yet. I’ll call you when I’m done, so wait downstairs."
[What? Did you forget you have a schedule at 1?]
"Sorry… I overslept."
[You? Oversleeping? That’s not like you. Are you feeling okay?]
"No, I’m fine. I just had trouble sleeping last night, so I went to bed late."
[Alright… then I’ll just come up to your room now.]
Kinsley’s eyes widened in panic as she hurriedly blurted out,
"No, no! I’ll be ready soon, just wait in the lobby lounge."
[Why? Is there some reason I can’t come up?]
Trinity’s sharp question made Kinsley freeze for a second. She stole a quick glance at Seok-won before forcing a casual tone.
"Of course not! It’s just that I’ll be down soon anyway, so there’s no need to trouble yourself."
It was a flimsy excuse, and she knew it.
Trinity clearly sensed something was off but decided to let it slide.
[Oh… okay. Fine. I’ll wait in the lobby lounge, so hurry up and come down.]
"Got it."
Ending the call, Kinsley let out a deep sigh of relief.
"Seems like you have things to do, so I’ll head out first."
Seok-won, who had been quietly listening, spoke as he got up from the bed.
As he pulled back the sheet and stepped out, Kinsley’s face flushed bright red at the sight of his bare body.
Dressed in nothing but underwear, his physique was nothing short of perfection.
It wasn’t just about having well-defined muscles—his body was toned and sculpted from consistent training, naturally drawing her gaze.
Even the simple act of putting on his pants and buttoning up his shirt was effortlessly captivating.
"Can I call you again?"
"Were you planning not to?"
Kinsley immediately tilted her head in playful defiance.
Seok-won smirked at her straightforward response. Without hesitation, he picked up a pen, jotted down his personal number on a notepad beside the bed, and handed it to her.
"Here’s my number."
Then, pulling her face gently toward him, he pressed a light kiss to her forehead before stepping back.
"See you around."
Grabbing his jacket in one hand, he exited the room.
Kinsley stared at the closed door with a lingering expression before snapping herself out of it.
"Wait! I don’t have time for this!"
She jumped up from the bed and rushed into the bathroom.
Catching her reflection in the mirror, she groaned at the sight—smudged mascara, disheveled hair sticking out in all directions.
The realization that Seok-won had seen her like this made a wave of embarrassment wash over her.
"Ugh, seriously."
But there was no time to dwell on it. Quickly, she turned on the shower, letting the warm water cascade down over her head.
* * *
Meanwhile, in New York, USA
Skyscrapers lined Wall Street, their reflections framed like artwork in the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Seated comfortably on a plush sofa, Rodney, the CIO of Quantum Fund, stroked his chin thoughtfully before speaking.
"So, the Eldorado Fund—no, Park Seok-won—is offloading a massive stake in Netscape?"
At his gaze, Ian, the Chief Manager of Quantum Fund, gave a small nod.
"That’s correct. Since the stock split, Netscape's share price has climbed back over $100, and it appears Mr. Park has been gradually selling off his stake ever since."
"He invested in Netscape from the very beginning, right?"
"Yes. He has a personal connection with the founder, Tom Harper. From what I’ve heard, the company was practically built using Mr. Park's money."
"His first venture investment turned out to be the hottest stock on Nasdaq. Talk about luck."
"Indeed."
Even if gold was lying right at one's feet, it was useless unless recognized.
But to not only spot such an opportunity but also take it all the way to a Nasdaq listing in just over a year? That required an extraordinary vision and an unmatched drive.
"I knew he wasn’t ordinary from the first time I met him, but I never imagined he was this sharp."
Rodney recalled his first encounter with Seok-won at an LTCM business seminar, smacking his lips in quiet admiration.
Taking a sip from his cup, he set it down and spoke again.
"Since he invested early and secured shares, his average cost per share must be ridiculously low."
"We don’t have the exact figure, but it’s likely below $10 per share."
Rodney's expression shifted to one of renewed respect.
"So even at $10 per share, that’s a tenfold return."
"That's right."
"With that kind of profit, it makes sense that he’s cashing out now to manage risk, doesn’t it?" Rodney crossed one leg over the other.
Leaning forward slightly, Ian responded thoughtfully.
"That’s what I considered as well, but Netscape’s stock is still on a strong upward trend. If he simply held onto it, his profits would continue to grow. Selling now seems almost premature."
"True. With Microsoft announcing its web browser development, you’d expect the momentum to slow down… yet the stock keeps climbing. It went up again today."
"It’s already back up to $109 per share, and most analysts believe it will break $110 within days."
Rodney, who also expected the bullish trend to continue for a while, gave a small nod.
"If not for Mr. Park's sell-off, the stock would have already surpassed $110."
"No doubt about it."
Rodney leaned back with a thoughtful "Hmm."
"You said he’s sold more than three million shares?"
"That’s what we’ve confirmed so far, but there could be more."
When a major shareholder dumps that many shares, it usually triggers a price drop or at least some weakness in the stock.
Yet, the fact that Netscape's stock remained on an upward trend showed just how strong the buying demand was.
"Considering he’s already sold this much and is now trying to offload the rest through a block deal, could there be something we’re missing?"
Ian voiced his suspicions, his expression doubtful.
A block deal was a large-scale transaction where a major shareholder, looking to avoid disrupting the market, secured a buyer in advance and executed the sale at an agreed price after regular trading hours.
While Seok-won had been steadily selling his Netscape shares in the open market, Andrew was arranging a block deal to move a large portion at once.
To do so, they had discreetly sent proposals to a select group of institutions and hedge funds—including Quantum Fund.
"Have you found anything concerning?"
Rodney narrowed his eyes as he asked.
"We’ve been monitoring closely since we learned about the sell-off, but aside from Microsoft emerging as a competitor, there doesn’t seem to be any major red flags."
"Same here. Even if Microsoft is entering the web browser market, considering Netscape's overwhelming technology and market share, they should maintain their dominance for at least a few more years."
"I agree. Investors seem to recognize that, which is why they’re still buying up Netscape shares."
"Then we can only assume he’s cashing out while he can."
Rodney muttered to himself before turning his gaze to Ian, who was seated on the sofa to his left.
"The block deal offer was at $105 per share, right?"
"That’s correct. Given today’s closing price, that’s a $4 discount per share."
"It’d be a shame to pass it up."
Rodney crossed his arms, deep in thought.
The appeal was undeniable: a bulk purchase at a discount on a stock that was still climbing.
At any other time, Rodney would have jumped at the opportunity without a second thought. But the fact that Seok-won—one of the few people Rodney truly respected in the business—was offloading his entire stake kept nagging at him.
"Aside from us, the proposal was also sent to Wall Street investment banks like Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan, as well as hedge funds and even Japan’s NTT. If you’re interested, you’ll need to decide quickly."
"NTT? Isn’t that a Japanese telecom company?"
"That’s right. As a telecom firm, they have some level of interest in internet browsers. And even though the bubble has burst, they still have plenty of cash reserves, meaning they have the capacity to buy in."
Just as Ian had pointed out, Netscape was currently the hottest stock on Nasdaq—so it made sense that major players would be interested.
Rodney wrestled with his thoughts for a long moment before finally making his decision.
"It’s tempting, but we’ll sit this one out."
"Are you serious?"
Ian looked at him in shock.
"There don’t seem to be any red flags, but I just can’t shake the feeling that there’s something off about Seok-won liquidating his entire stake."
Rodney spoke, his brow deeply furrowed in concern.
Ian, still reluctant, made one last attempt to persuade him.
"As you said earlier, it could simply be a matter of cashing in profits. Maybe you should reconsider?"
But Rodney’s mind was made up.
"Even if it means missing out, I’d rather avoid a deal that feels wrong."
"Understood."
Realizing that Rodney’s decision was final, Ian backed down.
Rodney folded his arms and tapped his fingers against his bicep, murmuring to himself.
"Selling off his entire stake so suddenly… Whatever his reason, I suppose we’ll find out soon enough."
Comments
Jarod lane
It’s good to see him outside of work. Maybe add a couple friends/girlfriends
