The Overly Competent Junior Employee

“I can’t promise you a specific percentage return. If you entrust your assets to me, I’ll do my best to invest in a direction that benefits you, always in consultation with you.”

The next day, Dokyung was struggling with an influx of phone calls since morning.

The aftermath of the DU incident had barely settled, but the power of a YouTube channel with over 2 million subscribers was truly remarkable.

Not only had 100,000 people watched the live broadcast, but the individual video of Dokyung’s market condition briefing had surpassed 200,000 views in less than 24 hours.

And since this morning, calls had been pouring in from viewers who had seen the live broadcast and the video.

It was indeed the unexpected fortune the message had spoken of.

“Yes, please think about it a bit more and contact me again. It’s best to consider it carefully.”

Dokyung sighed as he hung up the phone. Out of over thirty calls, only two customers had actually discussed signing up for PB services.

They had called out of interest, but it would be difficult to make an immediate investment decision. Still, the fatigue was unavoidable.

Knock knock-

With a knock, the door opened and a familiar face entered the room.

“Chairman.”

“Oh my, this boy keeps calling me Chairman. I told you to call me Father.”

The client who had entrusted Dokyung with the largest amount of money had come to visit the office.

Dokyung smiled, stood up from his seat, and bowed to the elderly man.

“I thought you wouldn’t be able to come since you said you were busy.”

“Come now, how could I miss my monthly meeting with our PB Yoon?”

“Would you like some plum juice?”

Dokyung asked as he approached a small refrigerator at the side of the office, and the old man nodded as he sat on the sofa.

“Yes, I like that.”

At the old man’s words, Dokyung grabbed two bottles of juice and some documents from his desk before sitting across from him.

“I saw you on ‘Men Who Read Stocks’ yesterday.”

“You watch that too, Chairman?”

“Of course. It’s nice because they summarize what happened in the market each day.”

Dokyung opened the bottle cap and placed it in front of the old man.

“I’ll enjoy this.”

The old man said as he picked up the bottle and gulped down the juice.

“As expected, our Yoon Dokyung speaks so well.”

“Hahaha. That sounds like you’re saying I only speak well.”

“No! Your skills are good too!”

Dokyung and the old man had known each other for two years, but they had grown particularly close recently.

It was probably the result of increased trust as Dokyung directly managed the old man’s assets and generated profits for him.

“Anyway, did you catch any customers?”

“Haha, you’re the only one among my clients who worries about other clients.”

“I can’t help it. Our PB Yoon isn’t cunning enough, so I’m always worried if he’s earning his keep.”

The old man spoke as if he was genuinely concerned.

“If you quit Yuseong Investment Securities and go somewhere else, who will manage this old man’s assets?”

Dokyung responded to the old man’s words with a smile.

“It’s going well, isn’t it?”

“Yes. It’s going pretty well. Maybe it’s because you’re worrying about me.”

“I’m grateful if you think that way… Well then, shall we hear the report?”

Dokyung nodded and placed the prepared documents in front of the old man.

“I forgot to bring my reading glasses today.”

“Ah, then I’ll explain verbally. In your asset account, out of a total of 4.4 billion won as of last month, 3.2 billion was diversified into 8 stocks, and 1.2 billion was left in cash.”

The old man had more than doubled his initial assets. While others were complaining about the poor market conditions, the old man had not only avoided losses but achieved over 100% returns thanks to Dokyung.

Of course, there was the lucky opportunity of the DU incident, but it was Dokyung who had noticed that situation first, so the old man couldn’t help but have infinite trust in him.

“Right, you explained to me last month that this is how you’d proceed.”

“Yes, in a market like this, having cash on hand makes it easier to respond.”

“So what are you planning for this month?”

“I’m thinking of liquidating our existing position in Yuseong Semiconductor.”

“Oh? I thought you said we’d hold onto that with a low position?”

Yuseong Semiconductor was an inseparable stock for Dokyung, and also his favorite.

“I think it might fall below our current average purchase price this year.”

“Oh my, is the semiconductor industry doing that poorly?”

“Well, Future Electronics is currently rising due to the overseas company acquisition, but once the acquisition is finalized, the stock price will inevitably fall due to the large cash investment.”

“Is that what you mentioned in yesterday’s broadcast?”

“Yes. As a result, Yuseong Semiconductor, being in the same semiconductor industry, is likely to take a hit as well. The semiconductor field is known for its severe industry cycles…”

The old man nodded at Dokyung’s explanation.

“Alright. Do what you think is best, PB Yoon. Then how much profit will we make if we sell that?”

“We’ll know for sure when we liquidate the position tomorrow, but I expect we’ll see about a 16% return.”

“It’s the largest portion of my portfolio, isn’t it?”

“Yes. It makes up over 40% of the portfolio, which amounts to nearly 2 billion won.”

The old man nodded, seemingly satisfied with making over 10% profit on the stock with the largest weight in his portfolio.

“And I’m thinking of liquidating our position in semiconductor materials and parts and reinvesting.”

“Reinvest? Where?”

“If we liquidate this, it’ll amount to about 2.4 billion won, and adding the cash we’ve been holding, I’m thinking of putting about 3 billion won into T Oil.”

“T Oil? Hasn’t that already risen as much as it can?”

The old man’s doubt was reasonable.

While global inflation was driven by various complex issues, the rise in oil prices due to supply instability caused by war accounted for the largest part.

As a result, fuel prices continued to rise, and naturally, the stock prices of oil companies that refine crude oil and sell gasoline and jet fuel skyrocketed.

“It’s currently in a correction phase.”

“So hasn’t it already hit its peak and come down?”

T Oil, which Dokyung mentioned, had risen over 30% in a short period and was now declining as people believed it had risen as much as it could.

“It’s currently about 14% down from its peak. I see this correction as the last chance to take a position.”

The old man looked at Dokyung as if asking for an explanation, and Dokyung nodded and continued.

“Currently, T Oil’s refining margin is expected to be around $15 per barrel.”

The refining margin referred to the profit left after deducting transportation costs, operational costs, and other expenses for oil companies.

In other words, T Oil was making a profit of about $15, or 19,000 won, for each drum of petroleum products sold.

“That’s high, isn’t it?”

“Yes. It’s six times higher profit than last year.”

The old man seemed surprised at Dokyung’s explanation.

While people vaguely sensed it when gasoline prices skyrocketed, oil refineries were essentially sitting on a gold mine overnight.

“Middle Eastern oil-producing countries are saying they’ll increase oil production… Won’t oil prices stabilize soon?”

“The production increase plans from oil-producing countries are just to match current demand.”

“Isn’t that enough? We don’t need more than…”

“China’s lockdowns have been lifted.”

Dokyung began to address the old man’s doubts with a confident expression.

“As cities that were locked down due to COVID-19 spread are reopening, related industries will start operating again.”

“…”

“We’ll see a pent-up effect.”

The pent-up effect referred to the phenomenon of explosive increase in suppressed demand, and China had been forcibly suppressing demand due to lockdowns.

In simple terms, it meant that revenge spending could occur.

“When Russian crude oil and natural gas are completely phased out globally and demand in China revives…”

“Do you think oil prices will rise again?”

“Yes. They’ll rise at least until next year. They’ll seek more oil than usual demand.”

The whole world was scrambling to secure oil resources. Everyone wanted to build up more inventory than they usually needed.

“So until next year…”

“Even if oil prices fall, refinery margins are already looking good for next year’s performance. Especially for T Oil, since a state-owned company from a Middle Eastern oil-producing country is the major shareholder.”

“Good. I was going to entrust it to you anyway, but when I hear your explanation like this, I always end up being convinced.”

The old man laughed heartily. Dokyung was always grateful for the old man’s jovial nature. There was no greater satisfaction than gaining a client’s trust and making decisions that benefited them.

“I’m always grateful to you.”

“What are you saying! I’m the one who should be grateful. Let’s see. I’m busy today too. These days, our company is having raw material issues, so I’m moving around personally.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Well then, proceed as you’ve said, and we’ll meet again next month. I’m counting on you.”

“Yes. Take care, Chairman.”

Dokyung escorted the old man to the main entrance on the first floor and then returned to his office.

“Whew…”

Although persuading clients was part of the job, it was always tiring and hard to get used to. Thinking that time would resolve this, Dokyung let out a deep sigh of relief.

He checked his phone, which he had put on silent during the conversation with the old man, and found a welcome message.

Dokyung called the person who had sent the message.

“Pro Yang, I’m sorry. I was in a meeting with a client.”

-…

“Yes, I watched it when I got home yesterday. Thank you again.”

-…

“I’m free on weekends. Yes, yes.”

-…

“Pardon?”

Dokyung couldn’t hide his surprise at the words he heard from the other end of the line.

⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱

“Pro Yang, from now on, don’t change things suddenly like this. Give me a heads up.”

These days, there was someone who was regularly invited to stock programs like “Men Who Read Stocks.”

“Oh, come on, hyung. You always say the same things wherever you go anyway. We’ve only changed it a little bit, you can just do what you always do.”

“Hahaha, is that right?”

Jo Hyun-seok, who smiled good-naturedly at Yang Dae-sun, was one such regular guest.

Jo Hyun-seok was a professor at a local university in Korea, but market participants called him Dr. Doom or Doom Hyun-seok.

Doom meant destruction in English, and Jo Hyun-seok was Korea’s representative market pessimist.

Whether the market was good or bad, he appeared on stock broadcasts and economic programs almost daily, saying that the market outlook was gloomy.

Naturally, pessimists always tended to become stars, and when this global economic recession hit, many people followed him, saying his words had been right.

“So, today I just need to debate?”

“Yes, you’re now known for representing the market retreat theory.”

“Then who’s on the opposite side?”

“Someone who says we should keep investing in the market. An employee from a securities firm.”

“Hahaha, that fellow is going to get a good scolding from me today.”

“Don’t be too hard on him. He’s a newbie.”

“What?”

Jo Hyun-seok frowned at Yang Dae-sun’s words.

“A newbie?”

“Yes. He’s a PB who’s been wearing the PB badge for less than half a year.”

“Is this guy trying to embarrass me? If you want me to debate, at least give me a sparring partner of equal caliber…”

“Hyung, you recently published a book, right? You need to win decisively for the book to sell well.”

At Yang Dae-sun’s words, Jo Hyun-seok, who had been complaining until just now, closed his mouth. Then he started to clear his throat.

“Ahem, ahem. Is that so?”

“Of course. He’ll be here soon. You should get your makeup done first.”

At Yang Dae-sun’s words, a staff member came and took Jo Hyun-seok away, and Yang Dae-sun let out a sigh.

“As expected, Pro Yang is perfect for dealing with Dr. Jo.”

As Park Sung-jin, who had been watching, approached and spoke, Yang Dae-sun shook his head.

“Even flattering him is getting tiresome now.”

“Hello.”

As the two were deep in conversation, a familiar face entered the studio, and smiles that weren’t there moments ago appeared on the faces of the two hosts.

“Oh, Dokyung. Welcome.”

“Dokyung-ssi, welcome.”

“Thank you for inviting me again.”

As Dokyung bowed his head, the two waved their hands.

“No, no. After you appeared, viewers were clamoring about when you’d be on again. The response was so hot.”

“Really. Even my acquaintances were asking when Yoon Dokyung would be on again.”

Dokyung smiled at the exaggerated words of the two.

“I’ll do my best.”

“Is this my counterpart for today?”

As he was chatting with the two hosts, a familiar voice was heard, and Dokyung turned his head. A celebrity he had only seen on screen was now standing before him.

“Professor, hello. I’m Yoon Dokyung.”

Dokyung, with a seemingly nervous expression, took out his business card and handed it to Jo Hyun-seok, who received it with an arrogant expression.

“Hahaha, you have a good look about you. I heard you’re a newbie.”

At Jo Hyun-seok’s words, Dokyung bowed his head.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“No need to be so nervous. I’ll go easy on you today, so let’s have a good debate.”

Jo Hyun-seok said this as he extended his hand, and Dokyung grasped it.

‘Look at this. His hand is dripping with sweat.’

Jo Hyun-seok curled up the corners of his mouth as if he had found good prey and began to apply pressure to the hand he was shaking.