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CH24 | DI
🕑 Added 2025-02-16 02:40:01 +0000 UTCFree Time.
Free enough that I wonder if this is even okay.
“Is there any other staffing to do?”
I ran over to Jeff as soon as I spotted him, but today again, he just responded irritably.
“Just stay on standby until there’s news.”
“I can handle other projects simultaneously.”
“That’s not your decision to make.”
He’s right.
Staffing is the VP’s authority.
And Jeff, who holds that authority, keeps me on standby.
If, by any chance, Pierce successfully closes a deal, I’ll have to handle the live deal.
“This is driving me crazy…”
I have nothing to do.
For someone with limited time, having to kill time endlessly is gut-wrenching.
“Sean! Where are you going?”
“I’m off to get some exercise.”
I’m not sure if it’ll help, but taking this chance to look after my health can’t hurt.
With that thought, I slowly head to the gym, but as soon as I enter, people rush toward me.
“Sean! What brings you here at this hour?”
Seriously, this popularity of mine.
This is my daily life these days.
Even in Goldman, and in bars near Wall Street.
Whenever they see me, a crowd gathers.
Of course, they’re not here because they like me.
They’re only interested in one thing.
“Any news about Pierce?”
Rumor has it that if a live deal from my list goes through, Pierce will make it to the executive level.
Since I made the list myself, they think I must have some remarkable foresight.
“I don’t know anything about Pierce’s situation either.”
“Still, you’ll pull through with at least one, right?”
Seven out of the ten items on my list have already hit.
Now, there are three left.
They’re asking about the chances of Pierce securing a live deal among them.
“But didn’t you guess correctly on the last one that passed FDA? How did you do it?”
“I made the decision based on medical knowledge.”
“Come on, give us the real answer.”
They don’t believe me, as expected.
Well, it makes sense.
If every doctor could predict biotech stocks, who would stay in hospitals?
“Of course, that’s not all. There’s a certain pattern to it.”
“A pattern? Wait… are you a quant?”
Quants are strategists based on statistics and mathematics.
Wall Street is filled with people who boast about predicting specific companies’ revenue and stock prices based on things like the number of parked cars or credit card transactions.
Simply put, there’s a certain algorithm.
“Figures, this happens again.”
Just like in my past life, everyone tries to explain miracles with science.
“Do you have some kind of secret sauce?”
“Secret sauce” is a commonly used term in the industry, meaning a unique competitive edge only you have.
Even if you use the same ingredients, only those with a secret sauce can run a successful restaurant.
“So, you do have one, right? What is it?”
“I’m afraid I can’t disclose that. I need it to make a living…”
“Fair enough. But with this level of accuracy, do you really need to stay at Goldman? With stocks, becoming a billionaire shouldn’t be out of reach…”
“To be saying this kind of thing…?”
A straightforward, ordinary person.
In terms of Pangyo, he’s a guy who’d be content with just the real estate profit — no greed.
Unfortunately, as someone rooted in Wall Street to the core, I have no intention of settling for that.
What I truly aim for isn’t just Pangyo-level profit.
I need to earn enough to shake a whole nation, using Pangyo as a mere stepping stone.
What’s essential for that is reliability.
And to gain that reliability, I have to leverage Goldman.
“No word from any headhunters?”
“Well? You’d make several times more on the buy-side… want me to set you up?”
Wall Street is largely divided into two sectors:
The sell-side and the buy-side.
The sellers and the buyers.
Companies and investment banks selling stocks or securities belong to the sell-side.
Hedge funds, private equity funds, and others that buy these securities are on the buy-side.
Salaries and bonuses on the buy-side are overwhelmingly higher.
If I switched now, I could make several times what I earn at Goldman, but that would be a foolish move.
“Because that would cost me later.”
Joining the buy-side requires signing a non-compete clause.
Since there are plenty of people who’d learn the secrets and then start their own funds, they impose a waiting period to prevent that.
If I went over for a bit more money now, I’d have to wait six months to two years after leaving before I could start my own fund.
So, I can’t go to the buy-side.
As soon as I leave Goldman, I have to establish my own fund.
Without any intermediate steps.
“There’s still a lot to learn here.”
“Don’t you think it’s a waste, though? You could still try stocks, like EIC…”
“I’m considering it.”
“Knew it! Am I right?”
“So, if that happens, can you share your picks?”
Greed filled everyone’s eyes.
It’s proof that my true strategy is starting to work well.
Then, among the greedy faces, I saw one familiar one.
“Oh, senior?”
It’s the guy I made the salary bet with.
He insisted on waiting for the ‘final result,’ claiming it wasn’t time to settle.
Technically, he wasn’t wrong.
I didn’t score any actual goals in this round.
But who cares about the game now?
The racehorse that ran diligently has suddenly transformed into a unicorn, becoming a biotech stock master.
At this point, something more important than winning has emerged.
Building connections with the unicorn.
If you get close, they might share a stock pick with you someday.
Most seniors have already shifted to this mindset, but this one guy held out until the very end.
That ends today.
“Actually, I was about to pass this to you…”
“So you’re finally acknowledging it?”
“Haha, it’s not that I didn’t acknowledge it. It’s just that people around me kept telling me to wait a bit longer…”
“Well, let’s say that’s what happened.”
I took the cheque he handed me.
And, the moment I returned to the M&A department, I announced I was heading out again.
“I’ll just head to the bank.”
“Deposit complete. Is that all for your transactions?”
“No, I’d like to make an international wire transfer.”
“One moment, please.”
While the clerk looked for the necessary paperwork, I checked my account balance.
$7,293.21
I planned to transfer $7,000 of that, meaning I’d have to get by on $290 until my next paycheck.
“Guess I’ll have to tighten my belt a bit…”
Of course, this isn’t my total net worth.
The gambling funds I’ve accumulated so far add up to about $113,000.
The separate loan I took out shortly after my return is around $100,000.
My original assets? About $3,000.
Yeah, my entire net worth was just $3,000.
During this period, I was struggling financially.
The small amount my father had saved up during his life went toward hospital bills and tuition, and I had to take out student loans for med school.
In fact, I’m still paying off those student loans.
“Please fill out this form here.”
I filled out the wire transfer form and handed it over, and the clerk began typing away at a snail’s pace.
While waiting, I pulled out my smartphone and started a search.
<Bitcoin Price: $130.23>
Right, I’m about to dive into crypto.
It won’t cover the costs for developing a cure, but I’d be a fool not to buy some.
Just happens I could use some seed money too.
“The timing couldn’t be more perfect.”
In my past life, I didn’t make money off crypto, so I don’t remember the exact prices, but I do recall the major incidents that shook the market.
One of those incidents is happening right now.
From now until December, Bitcoin’s price will skyrocket from around $100 to over $1,000.
A paper published years later described this as price manipulation.
It claimed that two Bitcoin-buying bots, named Markus and Willy, inflated prices with fake trades using coins they didn’t own.
Another expert explained that as China entered the market, demand surged, only for it to plummet when the authorities implemented regulations.
But, well, the truth doesn’t matter.
What’s important on Wall Street?
Money.
Whatever the reason, who cares?
The key fact is that in a matter of months, it’s going to skyrocket tenfold and then crash.
That’s one of the reasons I set up this whole salary-bet scheme.
It won’t return to this price range again until 2017.
I need to squeeze out as much as possible while I can.
If I miss this window, there won’t be another chance to make money off crypto for the next four years.
“All done. The transfer will take three to seven business days.”
It’s only 2013, just ten years ago, yet there are so many inconveniences.
This isn’t a time where you can buy crypto with a few clicks.
Creating an exchange account and getting verification documents processed took several days.
I nearly gave up more than once, honestly.
And now, I even have to make this transfer manually.
“Another waiting game, huh…?”
By December, this money will have multiplied tenfold.
It’s a good thing, but…
Being told to just keep waiting when you’re on limited time is maddening.
Even now, I remain idle.
When I spotted Jeff and stood up, he ignored my gaze and swiftly turned his body away.
What does he think he’s doing?
“I’m stepping out for a bit.”
“Again? Where to?”
“The Ethics and Compliance Department.”
Goldman employees face a lot of restrictions on stock trading.
This is because those working at an investment bank have access to various types of corporate information.
In other words, there’s a risk of insider trading.
In my past life, I didn’t invest in stocks at this point, so I didn’t know the details of the restrictions, but since I had the time, I decided to check it out.
“We have a restricted list for employee investments. You can check by calling the 1-800 number listed here. Any stock you hold must be kept for a minimum of 30 days, and short-selling or day trading is not allowed. All transactions…”
More restrictions than I expected.
Options and short-selling are completely banned, and any stock purchased must be held for at least 30 days.
Meaning, even if it tanks, I can’t sell it off.
“Additionally, if any investments are within the same group, you must go through a verification process with the department head.”
“Does that mean I can’t trade in the same industry at all?”
“Occasionally, a supervisor’s signature may resolve it, but that’s very rare. All transaction details are regularly reported to the SEC.”
This is a bit troublesome.
If I join the healthcare department, it means I won’t be able to trade biotech stocks.
“So, if I want to make money, I’ll need to switch departments…?”
My original department preference was healthcare.
It’s the best department to prove my abilities and would make it easy to pose as a genius.
But if I actually go into healthcare?
