CH125

Daehung Securities Headquarters,

5th Floor Trading Center.

In a spacious office with a large market status board mounted on one wall, dozens of traders sat at their respective desks, keeping a close watch on market conditions as they continuously bought and sold stocks.

The Investment Team 4 was also busy working to meet their assigned profit targets.

Jung Hwan-yeop, an assistant manager who had made a nice profit from short-term trades in the morning, had tossed his tie onto the corner of his desk. With the buttons of his dress shirt undone, he sat in a half-reclined position.

If Team Leader Choi Ho-geun saw him like that, he would surely scold him again.

Despite his relaxed posture, his sharp gaze remained fixed on the numbers and graphs constantly shifting on his dual monitors—like a predator searching for prey.

Just then, the team's only female member, Hong Jaee, placed a mug on his desk and said,

"Here's your coffee."

"Oh, Jaee. Thanks."

Hong Jaee gave a slight smile and also handed a cup of coffee to Yoo Seokhyun, who was sitting behind her.

Jung Hwan-yeop picked up the mug and, without taking his eyes off the monitors, blew on the steaming coffee before taking a sip.

As someone with a sweet tooth, he had mixed in two packets of instant coffee, making it strong and rich to his liking.

"How is it?"

"Hmm, it's good."

Jung Hwan-yeop casually gave a thumbs-up before taking another sip from his mug.

The drowsiness that had settled in after lunch gradually faded as the caffeine kicked in, clearing his mind.

Just as he was enjoying his coffee, Team Leader Choi Ho-geun, who had stepped out for a moment, returned with a clipboard in one hand.

"Nothing happened while I was gone, right?"

"No, sir," Yoo Seokhyun replied briefly from his seat.

"I didn't know you'd be back so soon, so I didn't make you a coffee. Should I get one for you now?"

"Thanks, but I had one during the meeting, so I'm good."

Choi Ho-geun waved his hand to decline, and Hong Jaee nodded before picking up the empty tray and heading to the break room.

"And you, what are you doing lounging around like that?"

"Come on, boss. I worked hard this morning, so I'm just taking a short break."

"Break? Lunchtime is already over."

Choi Ho-geun leaned against the back of Jung Hwan-yeop's chair, resting his arm on it as he glanced at the monitors.

"Any interesting stocks on your radar?"

"There are a few, but I'm keeping an eye on them for now."

At that, Choi Ho-geun made a puzzled noise.

"Huh? That's not like you. If you see an opportunity, you usually go straight for it."

"Hey, don't make me sound like some kind of animal. What do you mean, 'go straight for it'?"

"Am I wrong, though? Your specialty is making quick trades—no big hits, just small jabs, right? Like a mosquito."

Choi Ho-geun playfully threw punches into the air as he spoke, making Jung Hwan-yeop scrunch up his face in protest.

"Quick trades? Come on! I hit big wins sometimes too!"

Finding it amusing to tease Jung Hwan-yeop, who seemed genuinely affected, Choi Ho-geun burst into laughter.

"Oh, sure you do. Then why are you hesitating instead of landing another big one this time?"

Jung Hwan-yeop pouted and twirled a pen between his fingers as he replied.

"There's a stock that's caught my eye, but something about it feels off—like someone's manipulating it."

Choi Ho-geun's eyes sharpened with interest.

"You think it's a rigged stock?"

"Yeah. The financials aren't good, and there's no real positive news, yet the price is steadily creeping up. Just looking at the chart, you can tell something shady is going on."

"Which stock is it?"

"Bosung Telecom."

As he answered, Jung Hwan-yeop tapped on his keyboard, pulling up Bosung Telecom's stock chart on the monitor.

"See? Even you can tell what's happening just by looking at this."

Arms crossed, Choi Ho-geun studied the chart carefully, then gave a firm nod.

"The trading volume spikes periodically, driving the price up—it's clear someone's accumulating shares before making a move."

Even to Choi Ho-geun, the stock chart looked undeniably suspicious.

"Bosung Telecom… wasn't there a pump-and-dump scheme involving them before?"

"Yeah, about two years ago. There was a big jump due to a merger-and-acquisition rumor, but then it crashed by half."

"Tsk. Clueless retail investors are probably jumping in again, only to get wiped out."

Choi Ho-geun clicked his tongue in disapproval.

It was clearly illegal, but stock manipulations happened so often in Yeouido's financial world that Jung Hwan-yeop merely shrugged in response.

"Most likely."

Then, as if something had just occurred to him, Jung Hwan-yeop added,

"Oh, and I think Donghae Peregrine is involved in this."

"…!"

Choi Ho-geun, who had been about to return to his seat, abruptly froze at the mention of Donghae Peregrine Securities.

His face stiffened as he turned back around.

"Did you just say Donghae Peregrine Securities is involved?"

"Yeah."

"What makes you think that?"

Seeing Choi Ho-geun's serious expression, Jung Hwan-yeop gave him a puzzled look before answering.

"I was curious about who was behind this, so I asked a friend at the exchange to check. Turns out, all the bulk buy orders are coming from accounts linked to Donghae Peregrine Securities."

"…!"

Jung Hwan-yeop shrugged.

"Which means someone from that firm is involved in the scheme one way or another, doesn't it?"

Choi Ho-geun folded his arms and gave a heavy nod as he listened to the explanation.

The fact that large trades were being executed through Donghae Peregrine Securities accounts meant that someone on the inside was helping facilitate them.

At the time, it wasn't particularly unusual for brokerage employees to be involved in stock manipulation schemes.

Of course, it was illegal, but within Yeouido's financial district, it was an open secret—something everyone knew but turned a blind eye to.

Yeouido was a battleground where multiple stock manipulations, both big and small, played out every month. It was the kind of thing one could easily ignore.

However, what caught Choi Ho-geun's attention was the fact that Donghae Peregrine Securities—an entity that Seok-won had been closely monitoring—was involved.

As Choi Ho-geun stared silently at the Bosung Telecom stock chart with a complicated expression, Jung Hwan-yeop cautiously asked,

"Something wrong?"

"It's nothing."

Choi Ho-geun hesitated for a moment before speaking again.

"Gather everything you've found on Bosung Telecom and bring it to me."

"Are you planning to get involved in this?"

"I'm just a little curious."

He brushed it off as if it were nothing.

But the way he avoided giving a direct answer only deepened Jung Hwan-yeop's suspicion. Still, he didn't press further and simply nodded.

"Understood. By tomorrow, right?"

"The sooner, the better."

That was his way of saying he couldn't wait until tomorrow.

Clicking his tongue, Jung Hwan-yeop straightened up from his relaxed position and got ready to work.

"I'll organize the information and bring it to you after the market closes."

"Alright. Good work."

Choi Ho-geun gave Jung Hwan-yeop a light pat on the shoulder before returning to his seat.

Sitting down at his desk, he pulled up the Bosung Telecom stock chart again and studied it carefully.

There was no doubt about it—it was a rigged stock.

***

[Barings Bank Collapse Mastermind Brad Cooper Arrested]

Brad Cooper, the Singapore branch manager responsible for the collapse of Barings Bank—the oldest commercial bank in the UK—was arrested at Frankfurt Airport last Sunday (12th).

German authorities reported that Cooper, who had arrived with his wife on a Royal Brunei Airlines flight from Brunei, was taken into custody upon landing at Frankfurt Airport.

Following the arrest, Singapore immediately requested his extradition, as Cooper had an outstanding warrant for forgery charges.

However, since Cooper is a British citizen, he has expressed a desire to be sent to the UK rather than Singapore, setting the stage for a legal dispute over his extradition.

Meanwhile, Barings Bank, which suffered an astronomical loss of $1.12 billion due to Cooper's actions, has…

Sitting at his private office desk, Seok-won put down the evening newspaper after reading about Brad Cooper's arrest. He murmured to himself,

"A variable appeared, and I thought history might change… but even though it was delayed, things are still unfolding as they should."

Originally, Cooper had gone into hiding at a Malaysian beach resort before surrendering a week later and boarding a flight to Frankfurt.

This time, however, he had remained in hiding for three weeks, making Seok-won wonder if his own involvement had altered history.

Although the overall flow hadn't changed significantly, the mere fact that events were starting to shift—even slightly—bothered him.

Still, a slight delay in Brad Cooper's capture wouldn't cause any major issues.

However, if something like this were to happen at a critical moment when a significant bet had been placed, it could lead to disaster.

Knowing this, Seok-won lightly tapped his fingers on the desk and murmured,

"I'll have to be more careful going forward."

Just then, there was a knock on the door, and Na Seongmi, dressed in a two-piece suit, stepped inside.

"Director, Team Leader Choi is here."

"Let him in."

"Yes."

After responding, Na Seongmi stepped out. Shortly after, Choi Ho-geun entered, holding a file folder in one hand. He gave a brief nod of respect before standing straight.

"What's the matter?"

"I have something to report."

"What is it?"

Without a word, Choi Ho-geun placed the file folder on the desk.

"Take a look at this first."

"...?"

Seok-won glanced at him with curiosity before straightening his posture and picking up the folder.

Flipping through the documents quickly, he immediately recognized that the stock in question was being manipulated.

His eyebrows furrowed as he lifted his head to look at Choi Ho-geun.

"Why are you showing me this?"

Meeting Seok-won's gaze, Choi Ho-geun answered calmly,

"As you've likely noticed, someone is in the process of acquiring shares to manipulate the stock price."

Seok-won leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, his expression indifferent.

"So, are you suggesting we step in early and take a cut?"

"That's an option, but there's something else that caught my attention, which is why I'm bringing this to you."

"And what is that?"

"It seems that Donghae Peregrine Securities is involved in this."

At that, Seok-won, who had been listening with a disinterested expression, twitched his eyebrows slightly.

"Did you just say Donghae Peregrine Securities?"

"Yes. Given that numerous trades are being executed through dozens of their accounts, it's clear they're deeply involved."

Seok-won's interest was suddenly piqued, and his eyes glinted with curiosity.

"Is that so?"

He picked up the file folder again, flipping through the pages one by one before asking,

"What's the name of the company being manipulated?"

"Bosung Telecom."

"Hmm… That name sounds familiar… Oh!"

As he furrowed his brows, trying to recall something, a sudden realization flashed through his mind, and he let out a quiet exclamation.