Golden Spoon Investor

One New York Plaza, Manhattan.

The Eldorado Fund trading floor, located on the 31st floor, was as noisy as ever.

Phones rang incessantly from every direction, while dozens of traders—ties loosened, sleeves rolled up—furiously hammered away at their keyboards or shouted into their receivers.

Ring! Ring!

"2,000 shares! Buy at market price—right now!"

"5,000 shares of GM—buy! No, not GE, I said GM!"

"How much? It went up again already? Damn it!"

"Okay, done!"

Andrew, sporting his signature suspenders, stood at the side, taking a deep breath as he observed the trading floor—alive and pulsing like a living organism.

The heat radiating from the traders and the stock prices dancing like waves sent a thrilling rush through his veins.

Especially on a day like today, when the market was soaring, the adrenaline surged even stronger.

No matter how old he got, he knew he could never leave this world—nothing else could match the high it gave him.

Just then, Landon, dressed in a finely tailored Italian suit, walked up beside him and asked,

"How's the market today?"

Andrew gestured toward the massive ticker board in front of them.

"As you can see, it's on fire."

Landon glanced at the sea of green lighting up nearly every stock and let out a chuckle.

"Just last week, people were talking about another 'Black Tuesday' after that massive crash. And now the market's rebounded and is surging again. It's a complete roller coaster."

"Well, thanks to all that volatility, we made some serious profits."

"Can't argue with that."

Landon smirked, shoving his hands into his pockets as he muttered,

"The more I think about it, the more impressive it is."

"What is?"

Andrew turned his head to look at him.

"You mean the boss? It's impressive enough that he predicted the crash, but what's even crazier is how he knew the market would rebound so quickly and went all-in on long positions. Sometimes, it feels like he came from the future."

Andrew nodded in agreement.

"Exactly. I've been in this game for a long time, and I'd like to think I know what I'm doing. But every time I see the boss make one of his plays, all I can do is be in awe."

Betting in just one direction was tough enough, but watching him seamlessly switch between long and short positions while making massive profits was like watching a pro surfer ride towering waves with effortless precision.

"Woooooah!"

Suddenly, a wave of cheers erupted across the trading floor, snapping Andrew out of his thoughts.

The S&P 500, which had been surging relentlessly since last Friday, had just broken past the 630 mark, setting a new all-time high.

"So it finally broke through 630," Andrew muttered in admiration.

Landon grinned as he watched the real-time profits on their long S&P 500 futures position climb higher and higher.

"If this keeps up, we might end up making even more than we did on the short."

"Looks like it."

After briefly dipping due to profit-taking, the market found strength again and closed at 631.03.

Ding, ding, ding!

As the closing bell rang, the once-raucous trading floor gradually quieted down.

"Ughhh."

"Goddamn, I yelled so much my throat is shot."

Exhausted from pouring all their energy into the day's trading, the team slumped into their chairs.

Watching them, Landon let out a satisfied sigh.

"That was close, but we managed to hold 630."

Andrew, standing beside him, nodded slightly.

"Who knows what'll happen when the market opens on Monday, but for now, it looks that way."

"With the momentum we've got, I don't see it dropping anytime soon."

Landon shrugged.

"Especially since corporate earnings have been coming in strong despite concerns. I'd say there's more room to go up than down."

Just as the two exchanged a satisfied glance, a voice called out from across the room.

It was Eva, the receptionist, pushing a cart stacked with deep green shopping bags, accompanied by several other female employees.

"Eva, what's all that?"

"They're from the boss. He sent them as gifts for the staff," Eva said with a bright smile, her curly red hair tied back in a loose half-ponytail.

"Oh, right. He did say they'd be arriving today. I completely forgot," Landon muttered.

Andrew, staring at the shopping bags overflowing in the cart, gaped in disbelief.

"Wait… you're telling me all of those are Rolex watches?"

"That's right. You know the boss never says anything he doesn't mean."

"I mean, yeah, but… that many Rolexes…?"

Andrew shook his head, struggling to process the sight—luxury Rolex watches, each worth thousands of dollars at the very least, stacked up like they were everyday grocery items.

"Here, these are for you two," Eva said, handing them each a shopping bag.

"Wait, I get one too?" Andrew asked, eyes wide with surprise.

"Of course! The boss made sure everyone got one, not just the traders."

Grinning, Eva rolled up her sleeve and proudly displayed her wrist.

A ladies' Rolex Datejust, its gold bracelet gleaming under the fluorescent office lights, wrapped snugly around her slender arm.

Andrew glanced around—sure enough, every female employee in the room had a Rolex flashing on their wrist.

No wonder they all looked so ridiculously happy.

"Hah! Only the boss would casually buy over 50 Rolexes at once," Landon said, laughing heartily. He had seen plenty of extravagant gestures from their boss before, but even this was next-level.

"Well then, let's see what we got."

Landon reached into his shopping bag and pulled out a signature green Rolex box. He flipped it open, revealing a stunning blue-dial Rolex Submariner two-tone model.

Meanwhile, the rest of the trading floor erupted in excited chatter as employees unboxed their own Rolexes.

"Holy crap, it's actually a Rolex!"

"This is insane!"

"Wait… this isn't replacing our bonus, is it?"

"Hah! You really think the boss would pull something like that? Give him some credit!"

"Dammit… I just bought this exact Submariner last month… ugh."

"Oof, that sucks."

"Of all the models, why did I have to get the exact same one I already own?!"

"Hey, I'll take it if you don't want it."

"Are you crazy? That one's steel, and this one's a two-tone with gold! I have to wear both!"

The man practically lunged at his colleague, as if about to grab him by the collar, sending laughter rippling through the crowd.

Andrew chuckled at the scene before glancing at his wrist. He removed his old watch and strapped on the Rolex Submariner he had just received.

"Looks good," he murmured with a satisfied grin.

***

January 7, 1996.

At a private hangar in Miami International Airport, a sleek Gulfstream IV sat on the tarmac, its fuselage painted in a striking two-tone of Nautical Blue and Crystal White, preparing for takeoff.

Inside, Seok-won reclined comfortably in his seat by the large cabin window, his phone pressed to his ear as he chatted with Donald Trump, with whom he had played a round of golf the day before.

"I had a fantastic time, thanks to you," Trump's voice crackled through the line.

"I feel the same way. You mentioned your handicap was three, but I think you were being modest. You were on another level—I could barely keep up."

Trump, who had scored two birdies during their game, let out a hearty laugh.

"Hah! I just got lucky yesterday. Three is the right number."

"Your drives were incredible, too. Even Maless was impressed—said your stance and power were so good you could go pro."

"Well, if nothing else, I do take pride in my driving game," Trump replied, clearly pleased with the compliment.

Seok-won smirked silently before speaking again.

"Let's hit the course again sometime if you're up for it."

"Absolutely. Just give me a call anytime," Trump answered, his tone now casual and friendly.

After chatting a while longer, Seok-won ended the call and set his phone down on the table in front of him.

"I debated for a long time, but in the end, golf made it easy to build rapport," he mused.

First, it was Barrack Obama. Now, Donald Trump.

Forging strong ties with men destined to become the most powerful figures in the world's leading superpower would be invaluable for his future.

More importantly, maintaining these relationships was crucial because, during their time in power, two world-shaking crises would unfold.

"The global financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic… Two catastrophic events that were nightmares for most—but for me, they'll be once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to make an unimaginable fortune."

When disaster struck, having close ties to the world's most influential leaders would be an incredible advantage.

Just then, Bella, the flight attendant, approached with a tray and set a glass down on the table.

"Your gin and tonic, sir."

"Thank you."

"Is there anything else you need?"

Seok-won gave a slight nod to indicate he was fine, and Bella informed him that takeoff was in ten minutes before turning and heading toward the front of the cabin.

As he gazed out at the airport scenery through the window, he took a sip of his gin and tonic. Just then, his phone vibrated on the table.

[Boss, it's Landon.]

"What's going on?"

[I wanted to check in with you about something.]

"Go ahead."

[A moment ago, Steve Jobs called me directly with a proposal.]

At the unexpected name, Seok-won, who had been lounging comfortably, immediately sat up and gripped his phone tighter.

"You mean the Steve Jobs? The founder of Apple?"

Landon answered without hesitation.

[Yes, that's right. After being ousted from Apple years ago, he started a workstation computer company and founded Pixar, a 3D animation studio. Eventually, he returned to Apple as an advisor.]

The story of Steve Jobs being forced out of the company he created had once been a sensational event in Silicon Valley.

Regaining his composure, Seok-won furrowed his brows.

"What kind of proposal did he make?"

[He wants to sell 1.5 million shares of Apple through a block deal.]

"...!"

Seok-won's eyes widened in disbelief.

"He's selling his Apple shares?"

[Yes. 1.5 million shares—it matches the exact number he received when he sold his computer company back to Apple, along with a $380 million cash payment.]

Apple, which had been losing market share and struggling to stay afloat, had desperately searched for a next-generation operating system to turn things around. Ironically, the company they chose belonged to the very man they had once expelled—Steve Jobs.

'Apple's unique identity had always been him. It was inevitable that they'd turn to him in the end.'

Despite having been forced out, Jobs had always maintained a deep attachment to Apple.

Yet now, he was trying to sell all of his shares.

Something big was happening.

"I'll fly to New York immediately. We'll discuss the details in person."

[You're not returning to Korea?]

"No."

[Understood. I'll be waiting.]

Ending the call, Seok-won pressed the call button on the table with a firm expression.

Bella appeared almost instantly, smiling warmly.

"Yes, sir. Did you need something?"

Seok-won looked up at her and spoke in a calm but resolute tone.

"Tell the captain—we're going to New York, not Seoul."