**The 42nd Daebak Securities Real Investment Competition - Final Day**
The last stock was sold before the market closed.
The profit on the final day was 23%—a meaningful number that marked a successful conclusion.
"A balance of 3,634,600,000 KRW."
A smile naturally spread across his face at the sight of that amount.
***
**Temporary Office of the 42nd Daebak Securities Real Investment Competition Award Screening TFT**
Choi, an assistant manager, sighed as he scrolled through his monitor with a serious expression.
"Huh. This is strange. This shouldn't be possible."
"Assistant Manager Choi, what's wrong?"
"Manager Park, don't you think something's off about this person?"
"Who?"
"Ha-yeon's Dad."
It was already astounding that he achieved a 3,534.6% return while the KOSPI dropped from 3,000 to 2,780—a plunge of 220 points. But that wasn't the real issue.
"What's strange?"
"He traded every single day, yet not a single stock was in the red. Is that even possible?"
"Are you sure you're not mistaken?"
"I'm serious."
Even legendary investor Warren Buffett occasionally took losses.
"You must've seen it wrong."
"I'm telling you, I didn't."
Manager Park frowned and moved closer.
"Move aside."
As Assistant Manager Choi stepped away, Park's hefty frame took over the chair. He scrolled through the records with sharp eyes. The TFT was established to screen for ineligible winners, reviewing the accounts of all top competitors for any signs of foul play.
His scrolling slowed.
"What the..."
He closed his eyes tightly and then looked again from the top. The overwhelmingly red balance with not a single blue figure gave him an unsettling feeling.
"Manager, right? This is weird."
"Wait. Could this be a server error?"
"Should we check with the IT department?"
"Do it."
As Choi called IT, Park reviewed the data again and started investigating each stock transaction for signs of manipulation or insider trading.
After a while, he scratched his head in frustration.
"Damn it."
The trades had been made precisely as indicated by pop-up alerts, leaving little room for suspicion.
"Manager Park, IT confirmed that the server is functioning normally."
"It is?"
"Yes."
"Then this means it's purely skill."
He furrowed his brows and scrutinized the screen. The all-red transaction history was mesmerizing.
'If he didn't use insider information, this must be pure talent. But the stocks have no common denominator, so it's impossible he had access to all their insider info.'
A man who achieved a 3,500% return without a single loss while the KOSPI plummeted 220 points.
Daebak Securities' Strategic Planning Manager, Park, became intrigued by Ha-yeon's Dad, also known as Kim Jae-gu.
He printed the relevant data and stood up abruptly.
"I need to step out for a moment."
"Where to?"
"To Director Seo."
Park was in a hurry. A talent like this couldn't be allowed to slip away to another firm. He wanted him on Daebak Securities' trading team.
Though he wished he could recruit him under his own department, his division didn't handle trading. He had to think about the company's best interests.
Holding the printed data, he knocked on Director Seo Moon-yeol's office door.
"Come in."
"Director, good afternoon."
"Yes. What is it?"
Seo Moon-yeol, with his graying hair, oversaw Daebak Securities' management department. Known for his meticulousness and flawless execution, he was considered a rising executive.
Human resources also fell under his jurisdiction, giving him the final say in hiring decisions.
Park suddenly felt like a mouse before a cat.
"I'd like to recruit a competition participant as a trader."
"Are you talking about Ha-yeon's Dad?"
"Yes, Director."
"His profit rate is high, but isn't it just luck?"
Seo shot a sharp look at Park, who swallowed nervously and replied.
"The trading pattern suggests otherwise."
"Explain."
Park stepped forward and placed the documents on Seo's desk. The white paper bore only black and red text.
Seo adjusted his glasses and examined it closely.
"What is this?"
"Ha-yeon's Dad's transaction history during the competition."
"With this many trades, he never took a loss?"
"No, sir."
Seo read it again and then adjusted his glasses once more.
"Contact him immediately."
***
**Meanwhile...**
Mondays always felt dreadful to office workers, and I was no exception.
'Maybe it's time to quit.'
I had initially joined Im Han-ul's company to earn quick money, but as my investment capital grew, trading became increasingly difficult.
'Every time I buy, the price skyrockets.'
Investing in large-cap stocks wasn't an issue, but small-cap, low-liquidity stocks limited my profit potential.
'Even dollar-cost averaging has its limits.'
There were only so many trades a human could manually execute. I needed a program to assist my trading, as existing HTS (Home Trading System) and apps weren't sufficient for tracking five stocks simultaneously.
'Learning to code isn't worth the effort.'
I glanced at Park Min-seok, who was typing away at a programming interface.
'Why go far when I have an expert right here?'
"Min-seok."
Wearing a headset, he didn't hear me. I tapped his shoulder and called again.
"Min-seok!"
"Whoa! You scared me!"
He flinched and yelped.
I gestured for him to remove his headset, and he complied.
"What is it?"
"Where can I get a good macro trading program?"
I had searched online, but there were too many ads to find reliable sources.
"What kind?"
"A stock trading program."
Fortunately, our boss, Im Han-ul, was out on a meeting. If he heard this, he'd have lectured me again about quitting stocks.
"Is it complex?"
"It needs to compare five stocks and execute trades accordingly."
"You mean one that controls the keyboard and mouse for trading?"
"Yes. Preferably accessible via smartphone."
"A mobile-compatible trading bot... How about asking my former professor at KAIST?"
KAIST? Suddenly, Min-seok seemed more competent.
"Who is he?"
"Professor Lim Yong-han."
A KAIST professor? This might actually work.
"How about 2 million KRW?"
"I'll ask."
As Min-seok messaged his professor, my personal phone rang.
An unfamiliar number. It wasn't marked as spam, so I answered.
"Hello?"
"Hello, this is Manager Park from Daebak Securities."
"Yes, hello. One moment."
I stepped out of the office to take the call privately.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"No problem. Congratulations on winning first place."
"Thank you."
"Would you consider working for a securities firm?"
"No."
I already struggled with my current capital. The last thing I wanted was to be tied to a company.
"We'll offer a base salary of 3 billion KRW plus incentives."
Tempting, but no thanks.
"Not interested."
I hung up.
'Fifteen billion KRW once put me in jail. Now, people want to offer me billions.'