NOVEL NEXT 22
[Yuseong Semiconductor +6%]
As soon as the market opened, Yuseong Semiconductor’s starting price was over 6% higher than yesterday’s closing price.
As a large-cap stock began to rise from the market’s opening, related semiconductor stocks also started to climb.
“Interesting. It’s a communication equipment contract, though.”
Dokyung nodded at Lee Yeon-ji’s comment.
“It had fallen too much. Maybe it just needed a reason to rise? It seems like the market leader’s rise is pulling up both semiconductors and communication stocks together.”
“That’s good. The market will finally have some life in it again.”
Lee Yeon-ji looked at Dokyung with an expression that suggested she was no longer surprised.
“It turned out just like you said during the interview.”
The scene of Dokyung’s interview with Yuseong Investment Securities executives had been broadcast on the YouTube channel, becoming the catalyst for Yuseong Semiconductor shareholders to praise Dokyung.
“Yes. I think it’s Yuseong Semiconductor’s strength. Beyond just memory semiconductors, they’re involved in various businesses and their technology is well-recognized.”
“If I start studying hard from now on, could I become like you, Dokyung-ssi?”
“Pardon?”
“I mean, having an eye for the market.”
Lee Yeon-ji looked at Dokyung with a hint of envy.
“To be honest, I’ve been feeling a bit burnt out lately. That’s why I escaped here.”
From those brief words, Dokyung could understand Lee Yeon-ji’s situation. It was something any office worker might experience.
“You’re doing well, though. Surviving in the Research Center isn’t an easy feat.”
Despite what Lee Yeon-ji said, she probably studied companies even more than Dokyung did.
It was her job, after all, and she would feel the responsibility of money moving based on her analysis.
Lee Yeon-ji smiled slightly at Dokyung’s words.
“By the way, isn’t 10 trillion won an enormous amount?”
As Dokyung and the market had anticipated, Yuseong Semiconductor announced a contract to supply 5G communication solutions to the American company VZ.
Everyone had expected a contract worth 1-2 trillion won, but the disclosed amount pleasantly surpassed expectations.
“To be precise, it’s 9.7 trillion won.”
“Whether it’s 10 trillion or 9.7 trillion! Either way, it’s a huge contract.”
Dokyung nodded at Lee Yeon-ji’s words.
“It seems VZ has decided to make a large-scale investment.”
The world had recently been feeling the need for 5G network investment, which had been halted due to the pandemic.
As face-to-face interactions resumed, customers would demand faster communication networks.
“Honestly, there were rumors about investment, but… I didn’t expect it to be this large-scale. I thought it would be a smaller amount.”
During the era of non-face-to-face interactions and remote work, when tech companies like Amazon and Google were expanding their servers, Yuseong Semiconductor had been working hard to maintain its title as the world’s number one semiconductor company by supplying them with the necessary memory semiconductors.
With the end of the non-face-to-face era and the return to in-person interactions, 5G network construction would become Yuseong Semiconductor’s next growth engine.
“I didn’t predict it to this extent either.”
“Congratulations.”
“Pardon?”
“You know… I’ll tell you what I’m congratulating you on that day, just in case.”
Dokyung nodded with a bright smile at Lee Yeon-ji’s words.
“Please do tell me. I’m curious.”
“You’re really mischie-“
“Dokyung-ssi, may I ask you something?”
As Lee Yeon-ji and Dokyung were conversing, one of the participants cautiously approached Dokyung with a question.
“Yes, what is it…”
“There’s something I’m unsure about among the stocks in my portfolio.”
The employee placed a paper on Dokyung’s table and asked his question, and Dokyung began to answer sincerely.
“Unbelievable.”
Watching this scene, Lee Yeon-ji clicked her tongue, more impressed by Dokyung’s good nature than by the brazenness of the participant who had ignored Dokyung before but now sought his help when needed.
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“Thank you all for your hard work during the competition period.”
At last, it was the final day of the mock investment competition.
As the market closed, the participants who had been maintaining a state of tension looked drained.
Lee Seong-hyun from the PR team greeted the participants.
“We will soon begin announcing the competition results and the award ceremony.”
The participants’ return rates, which had been disclosed daily until two days before the end of the competition, were now kept private. Of course, barring any major upsets, everyone knew who was likely to win.
“Everyone has worked hard.”
As everyone was sprawled out on their desks, exhausted, the office door opened and Vice President Sim Ju-won entered the room with other executives. All participants stood up.
“Vice President, you’ve arrived.”
Lee Seong-hyun hurriedly bowed his head as Sim Ju-won entered.
“Everyone looks tired. If you’re ready, let’s start right away.”
“Yes, understood. Could we ask you to say a few words to the employees who have worked hard?”
At Lee Seong-hyun’s request, Sim Ju-won nodded and looked at the participants.
“I’ve been watching your performances through the videos. Thanks to your efforts, our channel, which used to have the lowest number of subscribers among securities firm YouTube channels, has now reached second place.”
The YouTube series, initially planned for six episodes, currently had five episodes uploaded. With an explosive response upon release, it gained popularity in various stock communities. The entertaining content attracted even non-investors, successfully increasing new subscribers by 20,000.
Moreover, each video averaged 100,000 views, an astounding record for Yuseong Investment Securities’ YouTube channel, which usually maintained 5-6,000 views.
There were participants who showed behavior unbecoming of a securities firm employee…”
At Sim Ju-won’s words, everyone’s gaze turned to Lee Chang-jae.
Recently, despite his poor performance, Lee Chang-jae had continued to act in his usual manner, becoming isolated even among the participants.
His personality was such that people only stuck around when he was performing well.
“And there were participants who exemplified what it means to be a member of a securities firm.”
Sim Ju-won looked at Dokyung with a slight smile.
“However, I believe it was due to the stress you all experienced during the competition, and I will erase any unfavorable impressions from my memory. The competition has ended, but I believe opportunities will come if you work hard in your respective positions. Thank you for your hard work.”
As Sim Ju-won bowed his head, everyone in the office applauded him.
“Now, we will announce the competition results and the winner.”
As Sim Ju-won finished his greeting, Lee Seong-hyun gestured towards the screen, and moments later, the participants’ results began to appear.
“The winner of the 1st Yuseong Investment Securities Employee Mock Investment Competition, with an average return rate of 25.36%, is Yoon Dokyung-ssi!”
Dokyung raised both hands as his name was called, and applause for him filled the room.
“Yoon Dokyung-ssi, please come forward.”
As Dokyung stepped forward at Lee Seong-hyun’s request, another round of cheers erupted.
“Congratulations!”
Dokyung smiled brightly as he looked at Lee Yeon-ji, who congratulated him louder than anyone else.
Vice President Sim Ju-won approached and handed Dokyung a large panel with “Winner” written on it, along with a bouquet of flowers.
“You’ve worked hard.”
Dokyung briefly set down the bouquet and shook Sim Ju-won’s outstretched hand.
“Thank you.”
“Dokyung-ssi, congratulations. Could we ask for a few words?”
As Lee Seong-hyun handed him the microphone, Dokyung took a deep breath.
Although he had been confident for the past few days, actually winning and standing here brought a new sense of accomplishment.
“I’d like to express my gratitude to all the senior colleagues who have been with us for this long period.”
Dokyung bowed to the participants he had spent about a month with, and they smiled at his gesture.
“The past three months have been a major turning point in my life.”
The events of the past months flashed through his mind like a kaleidoscope.
“I am a securities firm employee who lives on the trust of clients.”
As Dokyung began to speak after catching his breath, everyone focused on his words.
“Throughout this competition, I acted as if every trading decision I made was visible to our clients.”
Sim Ju-won, who was listening to Dokyung’s speech, looked at him with an intrigued expression.
Before his final words, Dokyung glanced at Lee Chang-jae, who was watching him with a stern face from the side.
“I believe trust has now become the most important criterion for clients. I will study more fiercely and diligently. Based on what I’ve learned, I will strive to become a securities firm employee who can be of help to our clients. Thank you.”
As Dokyung finished his speech, a thunderous applause erupted, and he approached the participants he had worked with.
Everyone came to Dokyung’s side and began to congratulate him sincerely. Well, all except one person—Lee Chang-jae watched the scene, packed his belongings, and left the office.
* * *
‘I thought I needed to gain experience as a PB first to become a fund manager.’
‘I’ve been investing in real assets for several years. I believe I know what kind of advice clients need most.’
Sim Ju-won, Vice President of Yuseong Investment Securities’ WM Division, felt nostalgic as he sat looking at the interview cards.
The image of an employee he had met in an interview room years ago, where he had been a panelist, was still vivid in his mind.
Although his credentials were unimpressive compared to other applicants, his gaze and confidence still lingered in Sim Ju-won’s memory.
‘He had a look that made me want to hire him and see what he could do.’
Despite strong opposition from other interviewers, Sim Ju-won couldn’t give him final approval but recommended hiring him as a branch operations staff member, the highest position his authority allowed.
It was a decision made to give a promising individual a chance to grow in the industry, and now, two years later, he was sitting in front of Sim Ju-won again.
“It was the same this time too.”
‘Yuseong Semiconductor has a weapon. It’s 5G communication equipment.’
‘The capacity issue you mentioned could be a statistical trap.’
Each answer demonstrated how thoroughly he had studied the stocks in his portfolio.
Knock knock-
As Sim Ju-won was lost in memories, he looked towards the door at the sound of knocking.
“Come in.”
As Sim Ju-won spoke, the door to the vice president’s office opened, and a familiar face entered. Sim Ju-won stood up.
“Welcome.”
“Thank you for inviting me.”
The person who had come to see Sim Ju-won was Dokyung. As Dokyung bowed his head in greeting, Sim Ju-won nodded with a smile.
“No need for formalities, we still have things to discuss, don’t we? Have a seat.”
At Sim Ju-won’s invitation, Dokyung sat down. Sim Ju-won went to his desk, picked up two document envelopes, and sat down across from Dokyung.
“I thought this might be the moment you’ve been waiting for over the past month, so I wanted to discuss this first before we talk about how you’ve been doing.”
At Sim Ju-won’s words, Dokyung took a deep breath and looked at him.
“I have two job transfer forms approved by the board of directors. These positions are ones I thought would suit you based on what I saw during the competition. Of course, if you don’t like either of these, you can choose a different position.”
Sim Ju-won spoke as if he had already thought about where Dokyung should go.
“Whichever of these two you choose, I believe you’ll do well. Your performance in the interview two years ago and in this competition was excellent.”
“Thank you.”
“One is in the fund team…”
“Vice President.”
Sim Ju-won, who was about to explain the documents, looked up at Dokyung as he called out to him.
“I truly appreciate your consideration for me. However, I’ve already made up my mind on my way up here.”
Dokyung spoke to Sim Ju-won with a confident gaze, as if he had already finished deliberating. Sim Ju-won, who seemed surprised by this choice, soon smiled and nodded.