There Are No Villains in My Regression - Chapter 172



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There is no villain in my return 172

In society, Shinwoo was famous as a star prosecutor, but not among the executives within the Kangho Group.

When Olivia and the CEOs of each affiliate company first signed a contract, Shinwoo’s image was that of a rookie CEO.

But as time went by, I came to regard him more and more as the god of investment.

That’s no wonder, because the direction he presents has never been wrong.

Just before the financial crisis broke out in the second half of 2008, the capital was predicted in advance and increased several times.

During the economic downturn, the company expanded its business, significantly expanding into the insurance and semiconductor sectors.

What is even more surprising is that Kangho Investment & Development, the core of Kangho Group, has not even been listed yet.

“Sir, we have received several offers from overseas hedge funds to invest.”

Shinwoo refused without even needing to confirm.

If you just need money, you’ll do it differently.

Now is the time to prioritize the direction of the business over money.

‘If it’s money, I can earn it better.’

Shinwoo’s gaze turned to the economic newspaper on the table.

[International Oil Prices Rise, Will High Oil Prices Continue?]

It temporarily fell to $30 per barrel in the aftermath of the financial crisis, but soared back up to $100 per barrel thanks to the production cut agreement and economic stimulus.

This rise in oil prices continued until the first half of 2014.

However, the reason why Shinwoo continues to watch oil prices is that these high oil prices only last for a day, but there was a time in 2010 when negative oil prices were renewed.

It’s hard to guess the exact timing, but Shinwoo started betting on a gradual decline in oil prices.

This included not only Gangho Investment Development’s funds, but also Shinwoo’s personal funds.

“Marcel. Bet another billion dollars on oil prices falling.”

Marcel hesitated, unusually for his age.

– Mr. Kang. I have already bet 1 billion dollars. And the loss alone is over 20%. Even though contango has occurred, there is still no room for further decline.

Contango is a phenomenon in which the price of a futures contract increases as the expiration date approaches, and decreases as the expiration date approaches.

This is interpreted as a signal that supply is sufficient to meet demand, which is a sign of weak oil prices.

But oil prices are still rising.

“I don’t care about the current price. I plan to invest all the money in my account.”

-… … You mean the whole 5 billion dollars?

The cash in Shinwoo’s account is a whopping 5 trillion won.

It is personal assets, not capital of Kangho Investment Development.

Marcel did not try to persuade Shinwoo any further and did as he was told.

That’s $2 billion invested in a falling oil price position.

The following month, when oil prices rose above $100, an additional $1 billion was injected.

And finally, Yuga’s head, which had been rising to the ceiling, began to fall.

In an instant, it fell to the $70 level, and Shinwoo’s investment, which was a loss, turned into a positive amount.

But it didn’t stop there.

“Invest the remaining $2 billion as well.”

-Okay, Mr. Kang. I’m telling you this because of our long relationship, but the oil price decline will be very temporary. There are rumors that Saudi Arabia will take more drastic measures in the face of weak demand, rising interest rates, and unexpected oil supplies from the US, Iran, and Russia.

“Then please do as I say even more.”

Marcel gave up on trying to persuade Shinwoo.

And starting the very next week, oil-rich Saudi Arabia drastically reduced its oil production.

Everyone expected that oil producers’ profits would recover as demand outstripped production, but the results were just the opposite.

Brent crude prices fell to around $40 a barrel despite Saudi-led OPEC production cuts.

Many traders bought oil blindly, believing that prices would never return to such low levels.

The day before option expiration.

The price moved at an odd angle.

It plummeted vertically like a bungee jump and approached the $1 mark.

Futures traders and hedge funds around the world were shocked.

[Why is the oil price moving like this? Why is it falling so low when production is being reduced?]

[Crazy. It broke through $0! It’s negative oil! Does it make sense that you get money instead of oil?]

This is an unprecedented situation.

Shinwoo, who knew the history, calmly contacted Marcel and instructed him to organize all positions.

I got a call late at night, but Marcel was already awake, his voice full of excitement.

– Mr. Kang. Did you know this was going to happen? No, you couldn’t have invested like this without knowing it.

“If you are asking why the price is negative, it is because of the rollover cost.”

The futures price of oil includes storage costs.

Rollover costs have increased dramatically as storage costs rise sharply when prices fall and supply exceeds demand.

-But now, the oil price is actually decreasing. Shouldn’t the price be rising instead?

“Normally, that would be the case. But China’s crude oil imports, which it had been building up for strategic reserves, have disappeared. That’s enough to temporarily push prices down when futures expire.”

There is certainly an intention on the part of China or China-related hedge funds.

Shinwoo changed the position he had organized back to buy.

-Are you buying again?

“The era of high oil prices is just beginning.”

The profits earned by Shinwoo and Kangho Investment Development from this negative oil price situation amount to trillions of won.

Shinwoo’s personal wealth exceeded 10 trillion won, and Kangho Group suddenly became one of the top three cash-holding companies in South Korea.

And then something unusual happened.

Many investment companies at home and abroad have begun to follow Kangho Group’s investment strategy.

This phenomenon became an opportunity to elevate the status of Kangho Group.

But not all things are good on Shinwoo’s path.

Kim Tae-seok, whom he had followed like a grandfather, was found collapsed in the company hallway.

He was rushed to the hospital but was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.

As I entered the hospital room, Kim Tae-seok was lying on the bed with his face ashen.

When he found Shinwoo, he smiled with a wrinkled face.

“You must be busy, why are you here?”

It seemed like he was trying to act casually while talking, but Shinwoo couldn’t bring himself to do so.

Choi Ji-sang, Jang Dong-gi, and Jeong Ho-yeol were all with him before he laid the foundation.

As I get older, I find myself missing meetings more often and taking more time off.

However, since I often had meals with Shinwoo or went on business trips abroad, I didn’t know that he would suddenly collapse like this.

“Have you eaten?”

“I’m dying of frustration trying to eat hospital food.”

“But if you think about your health, hospital food is better.”

Kim Tae-seok looked at Shin-woo with a quiet smile.

Judging from his facial expression, he definitely didn’t look like he was about to die.

“Don’t worry so much. I may be wrinkled now, but I have lived through childhood, youth, middle age, and old age. I have already lived a long life.”

“I’m currently looking into overseas hospitals. Don’t give up yet.”

“Give up? It’s compliance.”

Kim Tae-seok sighed deeply and leaned back on the bed.

The only thing left in his place is a photo of him with his deceased wife.

“It’s actually good. I’ll finally be able to see you again. That scared old lady must have been scared waiting alone in the afterlife.”

Shinwoo sat next to the bed.

No matter what he says, Kim Tae-seok has already accepted his fate.

All Shinwoo can do now is listen to his story.

Most of it was about his wife, but there was also some about real estate investments he made with Shinwoo.

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“Thanks to you, I was able to travel to America without any problems. I’ll say it again, thank you.”

“No, I was the one who received a lot of help.”

As I listened to her ramblings, the interview time came to an end.

“Next time I come, I’ll bring you your favorite sundae gukbap to-go.”

“Okay. I’d like some soju too.”

Shinwoo met with a doctor before returning home.

I asked about Kim Tae-seok’s condition, but his expression was not good.

“Pancreatic cancer has no early symptoms, so it is difficult to diagnose early. By the time you came to the hospital, the tumor had already spread to a point where surgery would be difficult. The pain must have been severe. Right now, all we can do is control the pain with painkillers.”

The doctor’s estimate is that it will take at most a month.

“I hope you can spend as much time with your patients as possible.”

The very next day.

As promised, Shinwoo brought home a bowl of sundae gukbap and a bottle of soju.

The hospital room is noisy.

Jang Dong-gi and Choi Ji-sang, who arrived first, are talking to Kim Tae-seok.

However, there was already a half-open bottle of soju and a piece of meat on the hospital bed.

“Hey. You’re here. Do you want sundae gukbap too?”

“Oh my, you all caught me.”

Shinwoo joined as a new member and shared a drink with them.

The alcohol might taste bitter today.

As I opened the bottles one by one like that, before I knew it, there were a lot of empty bottles piled up.

Jang Dong-gi reflexively took out a cigarette and put it back in his pocket.

“Whew. I don’t know what to say.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Just. I don’t know what to say when they say that the person you love dies first.”

The atmosphere that had been cheerful until just now has calmed down.

Everyone here is a person who has lived their lives as they pleased.

No one is used to this situation.

Kim Tae-seok laughed heartily.

“Just do as you usually do. Just like every day, just like you do every day, just say ‘have a good day’ and that’s enough.”

It was a meeting and a life that was too short to be sad about.

Kim Tae-seok leaned against the bed and examined their faces one by one.

“I wish I was 10 years younger. What a pity.”

Kim Tae-seok, who had just fallen asleep, fell asleep.

“Oh, really. Even an old man sleeps well.”

Jang Dong-gi rubbed the tip of his reddened nose.

I cleaned up the place where I had eaten, covered the bed with a blanket, and left the hospital room.

The meetings in the hospital room continued like that every day.

Although it was no different than usual, Kim Tae-seok’s condition worsened day by day.

I lost weight rapidly and had to take painkillers to sleep a lot.

I came back several times only to see his sleeping face.

“Are you here?”

Kim Tae-seok changed into his going-out clothes just in time for Shin-woo to arrive.

“Are you going out?”

“You seem to be in good shape today. You should take a look around the store at a time like this. Can you come with me today?”

“Of course.”

Kim Tae-seok walked briskly, leaning on a cane, as if he had returned to the state he had before he got sick.

I left the hospital and arrived at [Golden Real Estate].

Even after he joined the Gangho Group, he came here once a week to rest.

It’s a place like a hideout where I sometimes drink with Shinwoo and others.

“Looking at it this way, this place is as old as I am. Tsk tsk.”

As they opened the door and went in, the stuffy, unventilated air greeted them.

Kim Tae-seok walked into the office and opened a small safe.

Inside are his wife’s belongings, including an album.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Yes. Go ahead.”

“When I die, cremate me along with these albums and scatter my wife’s ashes in the same place you scattered them.”

Shinwoo nodded.

Kim Tae-seok smiled as if the answer itself was enough.

I swept the worn-out desk and chair and headed outside.

“The more foolish you are, the more miserable you become.”

And the place they went together was a hill overlooking the redevelopment of Soryong Village.

After he sold, construction progressed considerably.

Now it is difficult to even tell where Kim Tae-seok’s blue-roofed house was.

He opened the lid of the soju he had prepared and poured it into a paper cup.

The only side dish is the kimbap I bought on the way here.

The two shared a glass of soju each.

“Ugh. Good.”

Kim Tae-seok said while looking down at the place that used to be the Little Dragon Village.

“Land, you know. It’s like a river. The more it flows and gathers, the higher it rises and prospers. If you look at where people live, the value of the land is revealed.”

He finally tried to tell Shinwoo what he knew.

“That’s why I joined Gangho Group. People gathered there. Whether you like it or not, a place like that tends to make big waves. And so far, my predictions have been right. It’s sweeping South Korea like a huge wave.”

“Thank you for your kind words.”

“I wish I could have seen the end.”

It’s not fear.

It’s just the regret of the one who leaves first.

Shinwoo looked blankly at Kim Taeseok.

“Shall I tell you in advance what’s coming?”

“That would be funny. I could read other people’s minds, but I couldn’t read yours.”

Kim Tae-seok tried to listen to Shin-woo’s story as if it were a drinking snack.

“Kangho Group will grow several times larger than it is now. The foundation for this will be future growth areas such as semiconductors, AI, and secondary batteries.”

“I see.”

“By that time, Kangho Group will be more well-known than the name Republic of Korea. The affiliates will also become so diverse that it will be difficult for me to handle them alone.”

“Heh heh. You were already thinking that far?”

Shinwoo nodded calmly.

“Na Jae-chang will be elected president in two years. I will personally support him in his election. When his term ends, the economy will face another crisis, but we will use it as an opportunity to grow even further.”

“You speak as if you have seen the future.”

Kim Tae-seok poured soju into his paper cup.

Shinwoo continued talking without paying attention.

“In 2018, there will be a North-South summit and the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Of course, that doesn’t mean unification will happen. It will just make things harder. In 2020, a virus that started in Wuhan, China, will spread across the world, killing many people. It’s just horrible. And as for Korean movies that you like, Parasite won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and other big awards like the Golden Globes. The cultural content of this small country is growing incredibly.”

“Huh? What are you…….”

Jorururuk-

Shinwoo picked up the bottle of soju that was spilling on the floor.

And then he looked at Kim Tae-seok and asked.

“Is there anything else you would like to know about the future?”

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