12 Hours After

Translator: Khan

Editor: RED

‘Today…’ I looked at the monitor with my hands on my chin.

[Until the National Assembly breaks down]

[Coffee shops flooded in France]

[The extinction crisis of the Rhinoceros.]

Now that I was so used to it, I could tell right away whether an article would make money or not by glancing at a few keywords.

‘There’s nothing special.’

I then put the cursor over the People Search window. Since the last CKD Entertainment incident, I hadn’t had a name to think about, so I had been trying to name the leading figures in the political and business circles.

‘I’ve used the names of the president, the chief secretary, and the prime minister. Today… let’s put the name of the Minister of the Ministry of Economy and Finance in.

‘The Ministry of Economy and Finance is a department that holds the purse strings of the nation’s administration. Among many administrations, such as the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Government Administration, and Home Affairs, it is known to be the strongest.

‘It’s also the first place where money-making news comes out.’

The name of the Minister of the Ministry of Economy and Finance was Kang Joon-seok. I tried to put the name in.

[Kang Joon-seok’s comeback in October is continuing.]

There was a story of a sudden comeback.

‘Kang Joon-seok… who is this?’

I searched ‘Kang Joon-seok’ in the portal window. A gentle-looking, slovenly man popped up first. Kang Joon-seok, the current minister of the Ministry of Economy and Finance was born in 1955. This was the person I was looking for.

However, underneath it, there was a handsome face that looked thin. Kang Joon-seok, a member of the boy group Eternal, was born in 1992.

‘He is an idol…’ I didn’t know the boy idol because I wasn’t interested.

‘They are all bums.’

I got up from my seat. Then there was nothing to do today. I looked out of the window. The weather was nice. I looked out the window and thought. ‘Well, today… What shall I have for lunch?’

In the past, I was worried about how to put in reports, how to pay back student loans. These days, I was worried about what to eat for lunch, and what to do for dinner.

‘Shall I go eat sushi?’ But when I thought about it, there was one thing to do. ‘That’s right. I have to go to the bank today.’

After the last two sales, I realized that it was stupid to roll more than five million dollars into one account. It was because buying so much in one account had created institutions, foreigners, and ants that traded with me. In this case, I had to split the money and buy and sell the stocks in multiple accounts. Just as a hero wears a mask to hide his identity, I also needed to wear a mask on the stock market and play two roles and three roles with one person.

‘Well… which bank shall I go to?’

Thinking, I suddenly thought of Kim Hye-sook, who I had met the last time I updated my credit card. She was very kind and courteous. I looked for my wallet. There it was, next to the bed. Bottega Veneta. A new wallet cost around $600. Of course, I could buy something more expensive, but I didn’t know much about it, so I bought one of the prettiest ones in my eyes. I found her business card there.

‘Section chief Kim Hye-sook.’

I called her. She answered the phone before the call waiting tone was heard three times.

“I’m section chief Kim Hye-sook. How may I help you, sir?”

———————-

“So you want to create a new bank account and transfer $3,500,000 to it?”

“Yes.”

Section chief Kim Hye-sook greeted me, without knowing what I intended to do. “Oh, thank you very much, sir.”

It was a bit of a flustered, exaggerated greeting that made the recipient embarrassed. ‘Is this her way of doing business?’

There was a saying from a college alumnus who got a job at a bank. He said, “Unlike other companies, in order to rise to a higher position at a bank, they need not only a personal network that touches the upper line, but also a different kind of network, connections with rich people.”

The banking business is a business that borrows money at a low-interest rate, lends money, and earns money by charging interest at a high price. It’s all rich people that have a lot of deposits and a lot of loans. That’s why it’s important for someone who wants to have some accomplishments to have connections with the rich. It is even truer in Cheongdam-dong, where this bank was now located.

“If you just sign here and here, I’ll do it right away.”

As I was in the middle of signing autographs. Kim Hye-sook said something. “Well, if you don’t mind… Can I make a good suggestion?”

I looked at her instead of signing autographs.

‘The VVIP plan? The last time I refused, she stepped back.’

I said, shaking my head. “Oh, I’ll do my investing by myself. The VVIP or something…”

She brought out another story at my words. “No, it’s not like… This is my personal suggestion, apart from the bank…”

She suddenly took a business card out of her arms and handed it to me. It was an unusual business card with red letters on a black background, unlike ordinary white and black business cards.

‘What is this?’ I accepted the business card.

‘G. E.’ Only two letters of the alphabet were written in red on the top left on the business card. No matter how much I looked around the business card, it only had those two letters.

‘What business card is this?’

I was thinking about it, and Kim Hye-sook whispered quietly next to me.

“This is a place where only those whose assets are verified at more than $5,000,000 are eligible to join… It’s a kind of investor social club. It’s a place where young investors gather, like Mr. Han Sang-hoon.”

It looked suspicious. I picked up the business card and asked her, “If it’s a social club… Are you a member of this club, too?”

At my words, she said with her hands waving, “Oh, no. I’m not as rich as that, so I can’t sign up. I just guide those whose assets are above $5,000,000, because the head of this club is recruiting members. I’m just acting as a referrer.”

I looked up at her. She was smiling in an orderly manner, speaking kindly, and had an unknown smile. It smelled a little dangerous. However, stocks were inherently open to danger, and where there was an opportunity, there was a risk.

‘If it’s a social club, it’s a place where information comes and goes. If it’s a social club with more than a certain amount of assets, it’s likely that high-end information will come and go. If anyone tries to cheat on me, I could cheat on them. I have the early information of 12 Hours After. Well, let’s hear what she is saying here.’

I said with a broad smile, hiding my innermost thoughts like Choi, “Wow, thank you. I wish I had investors to share the information with.”

“Oh, really? I’m glad you liked it.”

I spun around the business card and said, “What should I do with this business card anyway? There’s nothing written except two letters…”

“Oh, this club is only open to invited guests. Ho-ho. It only works for those who have been invited to join. When you have time, hold on to the business card for about three minutes.”

‘hold on to the business card and stay for about three minutes?’

I thought so, but she said one more thing, “I’d like you to know, again, that this offer is my personal offer, it has nothing to do with the bank at all. Do you understand?”

She made a polite smile again, a well-drafted smile. Nevertheless, I nodded and picked up the business card. “Don’t worry, it’s a social club. That sounds like fun.”

If this business card were a python to eat me, I would be glad to be eaten, because I was confident I would not melt in there. Even if I were swallowed by this python, I would cut the flesh out of it.

———————-

I came out of the bank and took the business card out of my pocket right away.

“Three minutes.”

Coming out of the bank, I grabbed the card carefully, not crumpling it. Then I lifted up the business card about three minutes later. Heated by body temperature for three minutes, the card was completely white, revealing the hidden writing. There were two words written in the place where G and E were.

[Garden Envy – Information Sharing Club for Top 0.1% Investors.]

‘Garden Envy? Is this a garden of envy or a garden of jealousy?’

Below it was a notice: [This business card serves as an invitation for the first person to come. I hope you have it when you arrive.]

I turned the business card over. The time, “Every Thursday at 7 p.m.”, and the map was there. It was located in a building in Cheongdam-dong. It was not that far from this bank.

‘Well… Thursday is today.’

I didn’t have anything to do at night, and I was glad. I decided to go there tonight.

———————-

“Let me off here, please.”

I got out of the taxi. The building on the map was just ahead. On the first floor was a foreign car dealership, on the second floor was a dessert cafe, and on the third floor was an ordinary building, with an ophthalmology clinic and an oriental medicine clinic, etc.

‘Are they having a secret meeting in this place?’

I looked up at the ninth floor of the building, a place where the secret meetings were held. The word “Lease” was written on the window.

I looked at the clock. It was 6:40 p.m. There were twenty minutes left to enter. I decided to go in first and take a look at it. I went into the building and pressed the ninth floor on the elevator.

The elevator that was going up suddenly stopped on the fifth floor. ‘What is this?’

At the moment, the door opened, and a gentle-looking man stood in front of the elevator. He appeared to be in his late-thirties or early-forties. He looked at me and greeted me, “Hello.”

I bowed my head slightly, in a muddle. In the meantime, he entered the elevator. At the moment, there was a faint smell of Chinese medicine. I saw the floor information: the fifth floor, Shinseong Oriental Medicine in Gangnam.

‘Is he a director?’

I peeked at him. He looked gentle, like the boss. By the way, he did not press another button until the door closed. I asked myself. ‘Is he going to the ninth floor, too?’

Come to think of it, if he had wanted to go to the first floor or the basement level to get off work in the first place, he wouldn’t have gotten into the elevator going up.

The elevator reached the ninth floor and opened with a ding. Only one man in a suit stood in front of us. He was similar in height to me; his skin was dark and his eyes were sharp. In addition, his cheekbones were out there and he looked like a tough guy. When he saw the oriental doctor who was ahead of me, he welcomed him.

“Long time no see, director Shin. Why haven’t you been here lately? It’s an event in your own building.”

‘Your own building?’ This building seemed to belong to that doctor.

“Ha-ha, I like playing with my kids after work these days. How are you?”

“Yes, I ate the Kong Jin Dan you gave me. It was really good, I ate it and lost weight.”

“Ha-ha, that’s right. The next time you go to work, stop by my office first. I’ll give you some more.”

“Yes, director. Go on in.” The man called ‘Director Shin’ went into the hallway inside the building ahead of me.

Now there was only he and I left. He looked at me and suddenly hardened his face and said to me, “It’s the first time I’ve seen you. Do you have an invitation?”

I took the black card out of my wallet and handed it to him. He looked at the card and said with a broad smile as if nothing had happened, “Welcome to the top 0.1% investor’s information-sharing club, Garden Envy!”