Money Keeps Piling Up No Matter How Much I Spend

Chapter 201

Translator: Dreamscribe"Did Jin-ho really tell them to scoop up all these stocks?"

"Yes. Everything is being carried out under CEO Jung Jin-ho's direct orders."

Chairman Hwang Dae-woon blinked as he looked over the list of stocks Kwangwoon Securities was accumulating. Every single one was tied to Trump.

They were all Trump Theme Stocks.

"How much is all this worth? We've blown past the trillions of won mark like it's nothing."

Tens of trillions of won were being poured into the market as they spoke.

"Didn't everyone say putting money into the stock market right now is insane?"

"That's correct. The collapse of the Chinese regime has shattered the global economy. That's why everyone is parking their money in Safe Assets. But CEO Jung Jin-ho is pulling money out of Safe Assets and moving it into the U.S. stock market."

Contrary to the aggressive, beast-like tendencies he had shown in the past, Jin-ho had kept his money sitting in Safe Assets for a surprisingly long time.

"But he made a killing off that too, didn't he?"

Why were Safe Assets called Safe Assets in the first place?

Because their volatility was low.

But those very Safe Assets had skyrocketed in price the moment China collapsed.

"He decided this was the peak and dumped everything. Now he's shifting his assets into the next play."

"So you're saying Jin-ho already knew these Safe Assets would hit their peak?"

"Yes. He predicted the collapse of China. That's why he parked his money in Safe Assets long before it happened. Now he's decided Safe Assets have run their course, and he sold everything at the High Point."

Jin-ho hadn't abandoned his beast-like instincts.

It only looked that way on the surface.

He had known Safe Assets would break through their ceiling and moved ahead of everyone.

"But no matter how I look at this, it doesn't make sense. Why on earth is he buying Trump Theme Stocks? Aren't those basically worthless?"

"They are. They're all sitting at their All-Time Low right now. With Hillis heavily favored to win, every Trump Theme Stock has plummeted."

Scooping up Trump Theme Stocks was a baffling decision.

Wasn't Hillis's approval rating crushing Trump's?

America was already in a frenzy over the prospect of its first female president.

"What happens to those Theme Stocks if Hillis wins?"

"Since these are companies that emerged to capitalize on Trump and his MAGA supporters, there's even a possibility of Delisting."

"And Jin-ho is still buying up shares in those companies?"

"Yes. He's been sweeping up Theme Stocks tied to every Campaign Pledge Trump has put forward."

"What about the other firms? What's Wall Street saying? Are they buying up Trump Theme Stocks too?"

"No. Everyone is still piling into Hillis Theme Stocks."

Hwang Dae-woon tilted his head once more.

"So our Jin-ho is the only one going against the current?"

"Yes. The more well-connected players already know that Kwangwoon is scooping up Trump Theme Stocks. But none of them are changing course."

"Because it's too late to reverse?"

"The consensus is that even if we waged an all-out media war with our outlets, it would be nearly impossible to turn this around. That's why Wall Street isn't reacting much either."

Jung Jin-ho's reputation had changed dramatically from what it once was.

Where once nobody knew his name, now everyone on Wall Street did.

The God of Investment.

That was his nickname.

But even on Wall Street, where they practically worshipped him, this particular move seemed impossible to accept.

"Of course, there are rumors that the Bear Funds who follow CEO Jung like zealots have also aggressively entered the Theme Stock market."

"Still, they're far from the mainstream."

"Correct. The general consensus seems to be that buying Trump Theme Stocks right now is madness."

In truth, the opinions of outsiders didn't matter much.

"What does everyone here think?"

"Well...... no matter how many times we've gone over it, there's simply no way Trump can win. The whole world is on Hillis's side. The collapse of China was the nail in the coffin. But......."

"But?"

"Since it's none other than CEO Jung Jin-ho who chose Trump, we believe there must be a reason behind it."

Hwang Dae-woon smiled at that.

"That's exactly what I wanted to say. This isn't just anyone's call. It's our Jin-ho's."

Then there had to be something to it.

What that something was, nobody could say.

"Why don't you ask him directly, Chairman?"

"Me?"

"Yes. All this time, we've only tried to guess what CEO Jung is thinking. We've hardly ever asked him outright."

That was because the Kwangwoon Group and the securities division had been kept strictly separate.

Whatever decisions Jin-ho made, Hwang Dae-woon never interfered.

Because Jin-ho had always proven himself through results.

"Hmm."

But this time, even Hwang Dae-woon was curious.

What on earth had Jung Jin-ho seen that made him so certain Trump would win?

* * *

"It's been a while since we came here. Right?"

"Yeah. We used to come all the time."

"Heh. That's all your fault, you know. Part of it's because the company grew and we got busier, but your face is plastered everywhere now."

"That's because headquarters keeps pushing my face out there."

"Marketing is everything these days. Brand image too. That's why we had no choice but to put you front and center!"

Hyungnim and I used to come to this pork belly place all the time.

But my face had become so well known through the media that going to places like this freely was no longer an option.

"So today, I went ahead and rented the whole place out. Eat in peace."

"It feels kind of strange, though. Part of the charm was the noise and the crowd."

"Right? The background noise added to the flavor. But what can you do? That's the price of fame."

It didn't quite taste the same as it used to, oddly enough, but it was still good.

"By the way, hyungnim."

"Hm?"

"If you've got something to say, just say it."

"What? Ahem. W-what would I have to say?"

"Have I only met you once or twice? When you start doing things you never normally do, there's always a reason."

"......."

Hyungnim hemmed and hawed for a moment, then casually slipped in the question.

"So...... you know Trump?"

So it was about the Trump Theme Stocks he'd been scooping up.

I'd more or less expected this.

"Apparently the rumors are spreading on Wall Street that we're accumulating Trump Theme Stocks. But everyone's reaction is negative. They can't understand why we're throwing away tens of billions of dollars."

Right now it was tens of billions, but soon it would grow to hundreds of billions.

Because over a hundred trillion won was in motion.

"I'm not here to oppose your decision. I've never once doubted you, not even once. Even if we lose every last cent on this, I won't hold it against you in the slightest. I'm just curious, that's all. Because like everyone else is saying, even from where I'm standing, Trump doesn't stand a chance in this Presidential Election."

Hyungnim was the person in this world who believed in me the most.

No matter what dangerous investment I had undertaken, he had never once tried to stop me.

And that was why he was trusting me and going along with it this time too.

Which was exactly why I wanted to give him a clear explanation of why Trump was bound to win this election.

"......."

The problem was that I didn't know either.

My Intuition had confirmed it for me multiple times.

The winner of this Presidential Election was Trump.

But as for exactly how he would win, I had no way of knowing.

Because my Intuition didn't speak to me directly.

"Is it hard to talk about?"

I tried to think of how to explain it, but no good answer came to mind.

"It's just...... I'm not sure how to put it myself."

"Yeah?"

'My Intuition told me so, so you just have to trust me completely!'

It wasn't as if I could say that.

"I'd just appreciate it if you could trust me one more time."

"Haha. Of course I trust you. I was just asking out of curiosity. If it's hard to answer, you don't have to. I don't need to know everything."

"I'm sorry, hyungnim."

"Don't be. If you're not saying, I'm sure you have your reasons."

I felt a pang of guilt, wondering if I'd soured his mood for nothing, but hyungnim tossed back a drink as if nothing had happened and immediately changed the subject.

"Enough with the stiff work talk. I've had more than my fill at the office. Actually, we just got a proposal. The American Guild is suggesting we set up a Trinity Guild in Europe......."

Typical of us, him and me both.

Suited-up finance men by day, but outside the office, just two guys who loved their games.

* * *

"Any word from Kwangwoon? Still nothing?"

"No. Nothing so far."

"What about that thing I told you to look into last time?"

"We looked into it, and it's true. Kwangwoon has spent well over tens of billions of dollars buying up every stock tied to you, sir. Wall Street is laughing about it, saying Kwangwoon has finally lost their minds."

Wall Street's reaction made perfect sense.

Even Trump himself would have laughed at Kwangwoon's behavior.

"What about the polls? No chance of a reversal?"

"No. Hillis is far ahead. But there's still hope. In the last Presidential Election, your vote share was even lower, and you still won."

That had only been possible because of America's electoral system.

If the outcome had been decided purely by popular vote, Trump would never have become president.

"You're telling me I need to pray for another miracle like that? Things are a lot different now."

"Even so, it would be good to stay hopeful....... Besides, the fact that Kwangwoon is betting on you must mean there's something to it."

But what exactly was Kwangwoon banking on?

Was there something that even Trump himself didn't know?

"Then shouldn't they at least give me some kind of signal? Why are they handling things like this?"

In response to Trump's impatience, President Aiden had said this:

When the time comes, you'll know.

That's just how Kwangwoon operates.

"When the time comes, I'll know......."

But he still couldn't see it.

If they were going to send a signal, what form would it take?

"For now, you need to focus on Campaign Rally activities. If President Aiden is right, then Kwangwoon will handle their part, and you just need to do the best you can on yours."

Trump had no choice in the matter.

All he could do was trust and wait.

And so, today too, he threw himself into the Campaign Rally.

"Butler, Pennsylvania, is one of the regions that strongly supports you, sir."

"Even now?"

"Yes. It's a deeply conservative, Republican-leaning area. Your approval rating there is over 70%. That's exactly why it's a must-hold."

Visiting a region that supported him for a Campaign Rally was always a pleasure.

No matter what he said, the crowd answered with cheers and applause.

That was why places like Butler always held nothing but good memories.

"I've been feeling weighed down lately. Might as well recharge here, at least."

"Absolutely. The supporters are already gathered in full force, so speak to your heart's content. In particular, you need to push harder on the issues we've been attacking head-on: political correctness and unfair trade."

"Right. If America wants to stand tall, it needs to be America First."

Trump stepped before the waiting supporters in high spirits.

And then he bellowed that he would make America great again.

"Woooooo!"

"Trump! Trump!"

The crowd chanted his name, whipping the atmosphere into a fever pitch.

But even amid all of it, Trump felt a weight on his heart.

All these people supported him, yet the polls told a different story, with Hillis in the lead.

The doubt crept in.

What was Kwangwoon trying to do?

What did they want?

Was there really some divine masterstroke that he simply couldn't see?

If so, then what on earth was it.......

Bang!

Turning his head mid-speech, Trump felt something tear past him at tremendous speed. Then came the sound of the gunshot.

"...?"

Stunned, he reached up and touched the side of his face, where something seemed to be running down.

Sure enough.

Blood.

"Wh-what is this......."

"Sir!!"

The Secret Service rushed in and threw themselves around Trump.

Bang! Bang bang!

Gunshots and screams continued to erupt, but in that moment, Trump snapped to full clarity.

Could it be...... was this what Aiden meant by Kwangwoon's move?

"!?"

Feeling something scorching surge up from deep within his gut, Trump raised his fist high into the air.

In the chaos of everyone scrambling for cover, every camera swung in unison toward his arm, thrust skyward.