NOVEL NEXT WORLD 42
“Let’s see how the others are doing first…”
Three days later, Dokyung arrived at work at 7 AM as usual, checking the group chat rooms of other PBs and analysts.
“Assistant Manager Choi Woojin is so thorough in his posts.”
Dokyung was looking with interest at the group chat room operated by Choi Woojin.
Choi Woojin was posting market outlooks to his clients, focusing on potential events in the market using his information network.
“Subscriber count… 90 people…”
Choi Woojin’s group chat room had 90 subscribers.
Dokyung had been invited over the weekend, and even excluding the branch manager Ryu Tae-hwa and headquarters compliance team members who were there for monitoring, there were over 80 clients.
“And not all clients join the group chat room.”
As expected of the Seongnam branch’s star PB, it was safe to assume he had over 100 clients under management. Moreover, since Choi Woojin’s PB service had a minimum subscription amount, he must be handling an enormous amount of funds.
[Yuseong Investment Securities Seongnam Branch Yoon Dokyung / 42 subscribers]
Dokyung returned to his own chat room and chuckled at the subscriber count displayed at the top.
“It’s just the beginning.”
Although Dokyung managed nearly 70 clients, about 40 were subscribed, excluding those who were reluctant to join the group chat room.
When he individually notified clients last weekend that he would create a group chat room, they were quite pleased.
Reactions ranged from “Is it finally happening?” to “I’ll be looking forward to it.”
It was pressuring, but since he had requested to do this himself and the clients were waiting, Dokyung started typing, determined to do his best.
[Here’s the stock market outlook for the fourth week of February. The financial market conditions for the first half of the year remain gloomy…….]
Dokyung drafted this week’s market outlook in a word processor and sent it to Ryu Tae-hwa.
[Branch Manager Ryu Tae-hwa: Good job. It seems you’ve looked closely at the compliance regulations, even though it’s your first time.]
Dokyung clenched his fist and smiled at Ryu Tae-hwa’s reply via messenger. Then he started to reply.
[Me: Thank you. I familiarized myself with the compliance regulations over the weekend.]
Compliance referred to internal regulations, which were particularly important in the securities industry where Dokyung worked.
He had to attach a “compliance notice” at the end of the announcement, stating that there was no financial conflict of interest with the recommended companies and that the company did not hold shares in those stocks.
This was a crucial matter as it involved money transactions, and by attaching this notice, they could obtain disclaimer-related clauses, which could be used as evidence for legal responsibility in case of future litigation.
[Branch Manager Ryu Tae-hwa: Good. It looks fine to post as is. Well done.]
[Me: Yes! Thank you.]
With Ryu Tae-hwa’s green light, Dokyung returned to his group chat room and posted the prepared outlook.
A moment later, as the number of people who had viewed the post increased, Dokyung smiled.
“No contact means there’s no problem, right?”
Knock knock-
Just as he was thinking this, the door opened with a knock and Choi Woojin entered the room.
“Your outlook was good. I copied it and posted it in my room too.”
“Oh? Really?”
At those words, Dokyung checked Choi Woojin’s group chat room and found that he had indeed shared the outlook Dokyung had posted.
“Assistant Manager Choi Woojin…”
Receiving Dokyung’s touched gaze, Choi Woojin shook his head in alarm.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I’m grateful.”
“What’s there to be grateful for…”
Although Choi Woojin acted and spoke like this, Dokyung knew he had done it to promote him.
After all, there was no reason to distribute another seller’s promotional flyer in what was essentially his own sales territory.
“All prepared for the market?”
“Yes. Now that I’ve finished the most demanding task, I feel quite relaxed.”
“Let’s grab a coffee.”
“I’ll prepare…”
“No, no. From the vending machine.”
Choi Woojin said this as he headed out, and Dokyung followed.
“It’s unusual for you to drink vending machine coffee.”
“The morning air is cool and pleasant. I wanted to drink outside.”
The two headed to the break room, which was set up like a terrace on one side of the building, and stood in front of the vending machine.
Although March, the threshold of spring, was just a week away, the weather was still cold.
Perhaps because of this, it seemed no one else was visiting this place besides the two of them.
“Coffee?”
“Yes.”
As Dokyung nodded, Choi Woojin inserted coins and got two cups of coffee, then approached where Dokyung was sitting.
Dokyung was smiling brightly while checking his phone.
“What’s up? Seeing something fun?”
As Choi Woojin’s voice reached him, Dokyung turned off his phone screen and shook his head.
“Ah, no. I was just looking at a message.”
In fact, a message he had been waiting for over the past few months had arrived, but he couldn’t tell Choi Woojin about it.
“Is that so? Seems like good news. By the way, aren’t you cold?”
“Ah, thank you.”
Dokyung received the paper cup from Choi Woojin and warmed his hands with its heat.
“I like this cold air too, just like you, Assistant Manager Choi Woojin. When I breathe it in through my nose, it feels like my head is clearing, you know?”
Choi Woojin smirked and sipped his coffee, as if agreeing with Dokyung’s words.
“How is it?”
“I think I’m starting to get used to it now.”
Dokyung always understood exactly what Choi Woojin meant, even when he asked questions without context. This made Choi Woojin like Dokyung even more.
“So you mean you weren’t used to it until now?”
“Yes. I think so…”
“It seems like it’s been quite eventful, though.”
“I’m trying to restrain myself now. I’m fine, but I feel sorry for the clients.”
“Why? Have there been complaints?”
“No, it’s not that, but they’ve entrusted their money to me. Won’t they be anxious?”
Choi Woojin nodded and looked at Dokyung.
“That could be. Most clients are satisfied as long as you make profits. But there are always clients who worry like you’re concerned about.”
“Yes, that’s why I’m planning to reduce my external activities for a while.”
“Good thinking. The economy is so bad right now. Let’s start by finding psychological stability for the clients.”
“Yes.”
“Hah, anyway, you’re doing well, I’m doing well, but there’s no good news.”
“Good news?”
As Dokyung asked, seemingly not understanding, Choi Woojin drew a circle with his hand.
“This, I mean this.”
“Ah…”
“I heard our company’s operating profit this year is 950 billion won.”
Yuseong Investment Securities, ranked third among domestic securities firms, had increased its operating profit compared to last year.
The Big 3—Taesan, Seonjin, and Yuseong—had annual revenues exceeding tens of trillions of won.
Their rankings were determined by “operating profit,” which evaluated how much profit they made from their revenue, and joining the “1 trillion club” by exceeding 1 trillion won in operating profit was a very important indicator for securities firms.
“The president made such a fuss about joining the 1 trillion club in operating profit this year, but we failed.”
Taesan Securities, firmly holding onto first place in operating profit, had achieved over 2 trillion won in operating profit, as if mocking other securities firms. Seonjin Securities, in second place, had achieved 1.4 trillion won in operating profit and was being fiercely pursued by Yuseong Investment Securities.
“And over 60% of that is from client trading fees.”
Indeed, perhaps because Yuseong Investment Securities primarily handled affiliate business, their revenue excluding client trading fees wasn’t particularly high.
Other securities firms generated significant revenue through financial businesses or investing company money, but Yuseong was still far from that.
That’s why the company had high expectations for the WM Division, which dealt with individual clients.
“I bet they’ll start squeezing us first.”
“I’m not so sure. I think it might be the opposite.”
“The opposite? Why, did you hear something?”
At Choi Woojin’s words, Dokyung shook his head.
“No. Where would I hear anything? It’s just my intuition.”
“Yoon Dokyung’s intuition… Is something big really coming? I believe in Yoon Dokyung’s divine sense.”
Bzzt-
At that moment, both of their phones started ringing simultaneously, and as Choi Woojin checked his phone, he looked at Dokyung with a genuinely surprised expression.
“Looks like I made a good bet on Yoon Dokyung’s intuition?”
Dokyung smiled as he watched Choi Woojin speak to him with wide eyes.
⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱
“It’s here.”
Two weeks later, Dokyung had brought his mother and younger brother to a place in Seoul.
“Is this… really our house?”
His mother looked at Dokyung in surprise, while his younger brother Dojin was looking around the house with a dazed expression.
“Yes. It’s not a lease, it’s really our house.”
Even with Dokyung’s words, his mother and brother still had disbelieving expressions.
On the day he went out for coffee with Choi Woojin, the long-awaited message had arrived, and its contents were about compensation.
[Your investment philosophy has moved us. This is the VIP service.]
[Just compensation will be given to you, who has beautifully won the battle against the pessimist.]
[P.S. After receiving this compensation, another reward we’ve prepared will be given once more.]
At first, he had wondered what the “just compensation” mentioned in the message might be, but he could roughly guess based on the timing.
And on that day when he was talking with Choi Woojin in the break room, the “just compensation” that Choi Woojin and Dokyung had been hoping for was given.
“Yuseong Investment Securities writes ‘new history’ in sales, throws bonus party.”
“Yuseong Investment Securities: ‘To boost employee morale, meaning to grow together.'”
“Branch manager earning more than CEO emerges. The protagonist is Ha Min-jae, branch manager of Yuseong Investment Securities Gangnam Leaders Branch.”
“Branch Manager Ha Min-jae receives 5.28 billion won bonus. Crowned ‘salary king’ within the company.”
Although the company had failed to reach its promised goal of joining the 1 trillion club, it rewarded its employees for recording the highest sales in the company’s history.
Dokyung too received a hefty bonus when March came.
“Hyung, you said your annual salary was 40 million won… You didn’t secretly invest in stocks behind the company’s back, did you?”
“Oh come on, Dojin, Yoon Dojin! Do I seem like that kind of person to you?”
“Well, not really, but…”
Dokyung’s base salary was 40 million won due to his low seniority.
However, like most securities firm employees, he received a salary based on performance, and Dokyung had received over 200 million won in performance bonuses just a year after becoming a PB.
Although his trading turnover rate wasn’t high, he was handling large sums of money, and by attracting some of the clients’ profits into product subscriptions, he had maximized his BEP (break-even point). On top of that, the company had generously paid up to 300% of the base salary as a performance bonus, allowing him to earn a large sum in a short period.
And as the message had promised, the reward they had prepared arrived.
[Congratulations to customer Yoon Dokyung, who has received just compensation from the company. This is the VIP service.]
[In addition to the just compensation, as you have moved many people with your own philosophy, our great reward will be given if you visit the location below.]
[March 9, 2021, 10 AM, Seoul Central District Court Auction Courtroom.]
As always, it was a message that didn’t clearly state the reward, but it was enough of a hint for Dokyung, who took a day off and went to the auction courtroom as indicated by the message.
And today, they were able to meet this house.
“I bought it at auction, Mom.”
Dokyung approached his mother, who was still looking around the house with a dumbfounded expression.
“Auction?”
“Yes. It’s nice, isn’t it?”
“Nice doesn’t even begin to describe it… It’s so spacious.”
It was an apartment with three rooms and a living room, and even Dokyung was surprised when he first saw this house at the auction courtroom.
The location was excellent, and it wasn’t a very old apartment, but it had failed to sell four times at auction.
It was surprising that such a good house had failed to sell four times, and another surprising thing was that, as if by agreement, everyone participating in the auction showed no interest in this house.
And on that day, Dokyung’s bid was the only one.
Just as the message had assured, it was an incredibly generous reward for Dokyung.
“Don’t be too surprised. It’s an 800 million won apartment, but I bought it for 400 million.”
“4-400 million?”
At Dokyung’s words, his mother and brother spoke simultaneously, seemingly surprised.
“Come on, what you should be surprised about here isn’t the 400 million won. It’s that I bought an 800 million won place for 400 million.”
“Where did you get 400 million won from…”
His mother asked in a tone that suggested she wouldn’t be able to live in this house comfortably unless Dokyung gave her an answer.
“Of course, it’s a loan. Two-thirds of this house belongs to the bank. The rest I covered with the bonus I received this time.”
“Dokyung…”
“You like it, don’t you?”
“Like it? I never imagined I’d live in a house like this again in my lifetime.”
It seemed that his mother had also become pessimistic after his father’s business failure.
“Why not? Your younger son will soon be a legal professional, and your elder son is a securities man working for a domestic conglomerate subsidiary.”
“Still…”
“Let’s stop living in monthly rentals or leases. I’m tired of living alone too. I want to live with my family at home.”
Dokyung took out a card and handed it to his brother.
“Dojin, take Mom to look around the electronics store tomorrow.”
“Hyung…”
“Come on, if you act like this too, I can’t feel the satisfaction.”
At Dokyung’s playful words, his brother smirked and accepted the card.
“I might spend a lot.”
“That’s fine, buy whatever you want and whatever Mom needs. But!”
Dokyung raised his index finger as if there was a condition.
“When you buy, get the best. We’ll use it for 10, 20 years.”
“Got it.”
“Mom, you heard that, right? We’ll be renovating everything soon, from wallpaper to flooring. Buy everything you need to match this nice house.”
At Dokyung’s words, his mother looked like she might burst into tears at any moment.
“Not yet, Mom. Cry later when I do something even bigger for you. Today, let’s smile.”
At Dokyung’s words, his mother nodded and smiled, and both Dokyung and Dojin smiled brightly as they looked at their mother.
“Let’s go! There’s a famous meat restaurant next door. Let’s eat dinner there today before we go home.”
Dokyung said this as he walked ahead, and his mother and brother watched his back, shaking their heads as if they couldn’t stop him.
“Let’s go, who could stop your brother’s drive?”
“You two! Let’s hurry up. I’m hungry!”
His mother and brother followed, smirking as if they didn’t really mind Dokyung’s behavior.