First Challenge - Part 3: Illusions

The SK Telecom trade with Mr. Choi's money was my public face – steady, sensible, ticking along with small, predictable gains. It was up nearly 3% by the end of the second week. Mr. Choi seemed satisfied, lecturing me on the virtues of compound interest and long-term holding, blissfully unaware of the other, murkier currents I was navigating.

My real focus was NeoPharm. My initial online whispers had created a low buzz around the stock. Now it was time to push it further.

I knew NeoPharm had released some very early, statistically thin but "promising" results for their NP-007 compound, targeting a niche dermatological condition, a few months back. It caused a tiny ripple then quickly faded. My goal was to re-ignite that spark, but with a more urgent narrative.

The next phase required more than just anonymous forum posts. I needed something that felt a little more… solid. At a different PC Bang, going farther out this time, I drafted an email using a throwaway account.

The recipient: a notoriously gossip-hungry financial columnist for a second-tier online news portal – the kind that thrived on "exclusive tips" and Was somewhat lax in verifying sources. I'd seen his byline plenty of times in my past, usually attached to stories that briefly spiked a stock before it came crashing down. Let's call him Reporter Park.

The email was concise: "Subject: NPHM (NeoPharm) - Big News Coming? Confidential source indicates NeoPharm is in late-stage talks for a major licensing deal with a US pharmaceutical giant for NP-007. Announcement expected within weeks. Potential for significant upside. Might be worth looking into for your readers. - A Concerned Investor."

It was a lie, of course. Or rather, a wild exaggeration built on a sliver of past reality. There was no "late-stage talk" that I knew of. But the possibility was always there for small biotechs. The key was the urgency, the hint of an impending announcement.

While waiting for that seed to hopefully sprout, life continued. My weekends were no longer just about PC Bangs and shadowy online personas. Dad, bless his hardworking soul, toiled endlessly on our small plot of land, growing vegetables that barely kept us afloat. He never complained, but I could see the exhaustion in his eyes, the deepening lines on his face. So, I started helping him more, properly.

Not just the token gestures of a sulky teenager, but real work – weeding, tilling the soil under the hot sun, carrying heavy baskets. My body handled it surprisingly well, though my back ached in new ways.

One Saturday, after hours of working side-by-side, sweat stinging my eyes, Dad clapped me on the shoulder, a rare gesture. "You're getting strong, son. Good worker." His gruff praise warmed me more than any stock gain could.

We came inside, dirty and tired, to the smell of mom's cooking. Dinner was simple – rice, a stew made with vegetables from our own garden, some kimchi. But sitting there, with the satisfying ache of physical labor in my muscles, the food tasted incredible.

I looked at mom , her quiet resilience, Dad's tired pride, and Hana, who was meticulously building a tower out of radish slices.

"Oppa," Hana said, her lisp making 'oppa' sound even cuter, "look! My castle!" She'd built a wobbly, multi-tiered structure.

"That's the best castle I've ever seen, munchkin," I said, ruffling her hair. She lit up. In that moment, any lingering moral quibbles about NeoPharm felt… distant. This was why. This feeling of simple family warmth, the desire to protect it, to make it secure – it was a powerful fuel.

Reporter Park, true to his reputation, took the bait. A few days later, a small, speculative article appeared on his news portal: "Rumblings in the Biotech Sector: Could NeoPharm Be the Next Breakout Star?" It was cagey, full of phrases like "sources suggest" and "unconfirmed reports," but it mentioned the NP-007 compound and the possibility of "significant upcoming catalysts." Crucially, it linked back to some of the discussions my online personas had been nurturing.

The effect was noticeable. The trading volume on NeoPharm, while still relatively low, started to pick up. The price, which had been stagnant, nudged upwards by a few percentage points. On the forums, my personas fanned the flames.

"saviourGojo": "See? Told you something was happening with NPHM. That article by Park validates some of the whispers."

"DayTraderKim": "NPHM is moving! Get in while you can! This is just the start! To the moon! Jajaja!"

My small initial investment of 200,000 won was now up nearly 10%. Not life-changing, but proof of concept.

Now, for the more direct manipulation. I needed to make it look like there was real buying interest beyond just online chatter.

Most stock trading in Korea at that time, even for retail investors, was still done through brokerage firms, either over the phone or increasingly through early online platforms. These platforms were basic. Market depth charts showed buy and sell orders, but the system wasn't foolproof against certain kinds of manipulation.

I took another portion of my café savings, about 150,000 won. From one PC Bang, using a newly created brokerage account under a slightly altered version of my name (it was surprisingly easy to open multiple accounts with minimal verification back then, a loophole long since closed), I placed a series of small buy orders for NeoPharm, stacking them just below the current asking price. These weren't meant to execute immediately, but to create the illusion of strong buying support – a "buy wall."

Then a different brokerage account, I'd place a slightly larger sell order a bit above the current market price. If other small investors saw the buy wall, they might feel more confident buying, pushing the price up towards my sell order.

Once my sell order executed (if it did), I'd quickly cancel the buy wall orders before they could get filled. It was a classic technique called "spoofing," designed to create false impressions of supply and demand. It required careful timing and nerves of steel, as mis-timing it could leave me holding shares I didn't want or selling too early.

This was walking a much finer line. This wasn't just rumor-mongering; this was actively trying to manipulate the order book. The initial rush was intense. My heart pounded as I clicked, watched the order book flicker, cancelled, then reset. Small wins. A few thousand won here, a few thousand there. But it was adding up.

The NeoPharm stock was slowly, undeniably, climbing. Not just because of me – Park's article and the general forum buzz were definitely helping. But my targeted nudges were adding fuel to the nascent fire.

The feeling was a kind of strange , A weird feeling of power , worry and sharp focus. I was no longer just the quiet kid but my dream was to change the world , it was only possible by climbing up on top of it , for that power was essential.

There will be sacrifices but it was necessary if you want to survive in this cruel world one needs to get numb. And with every small success, the justification grew stronger: This is for that. This is what it takes.