Street 10

The next day. 

As predicted by the senior, Goldman was ablaze with rumors about Ha Si-heon. 

The source of the rumors was the trading floor. 

Traders arrive earlier than anyone. 

Lately, due to the unfavorable atmosphere, it had become common to arrive by 4:30 AM, but even past 5 AM, one person hadn't shown up. 

"That guy's been fired, I tell you. His P&L has been tanking for days." 

"Phew, what are we going to do about our teddy bear?" 

P&L (profits and losses) refers to one's earnings and losses. 

A trader's performance is revealed in exact numbers the moment the day closes, and the 'teddy bear', who was absent, had been performing poorly. 

"He's not gonna keep this cushion, is he?" 

"His headset was kinda different, though." 

While impatient colleagues were dividing the spoils, Teddy Bear walked in, frowning. 

"Fuck, I'm not dead yet." 

The colleagues quickly put the loot back down, and Teddy sat at his desk, pressing his temples. 

The smell of alcohol lingered around him. 

"What the hell did you drink?" 

"That idiot went there, didn't he? The welcome party." 

"Pfft! He really went there? That place?" 

Goldman encouraged all employees to attend the welcome party, but there was no way traders who worked early in the morning would attend. 

There was only one reason Teddy went. 

His P&L was disastrous. 

"See, I told you to manage it better." 

"It's all about mental strength. You can't just stay down after falling once." 

"But to actually go there? Tsk tsk." 

The room filled with sneers, but Teddy remained unfazed. 

Instead, he wore a confident expression, stretching his neck as he spoke in a languid voice. 

"Ha, it's not that… yesterday, Pierce showed up." 

"Pierce? No way…" 

"Don't tell me, the Lich King?" 

Using a famous person to boost one's own status is an ancient tradition in human society. 

"Why would Pierce go there?" 

"Did he get scammed or something?" 

"I'm betting hallucination! What kind of drugs was he on?" 

"I don't know. Today I need to perform well! I might have to offer 500 to Pierce." 

"What, did you make a bet?" 

The traders' eyes lit up. 

Betting is a trader's favorite sport. 

However, betting every day inevitably depletes the topics. 

The last bet that excited them was during Ramadan. 

They had needed fresh ideas, like 'How many push-ups can the starving Muslim analyst do?' 

This news gained enthusiastic support. 

"Aaagh! I should've gone! Pierce, really?" 

"How could I miss this! Is it too late to join now?" 

"Too late. It's already closed." 

But they weren't the type to give up easily. 

This is Wall Street, after all. 

"Then I bet 100 that Teddy loses everything!" 

"I'm in for 200 that not only does he lose money, but Pierce won't even remember his name!" 

"I'll bet 300 that even if he wins, Pierce won't remember him!" 

Even if they weren't directly involved, there were plenty of ways to bet. 

They could collateralize existing bets. 

In other words, derivative bets. 

In the midst of the commotion, "What's all the fuss about?" 

Their boss walked in. 

He's a VP, nicknamed 'the Senator.' 

"Well, you see, Teddy here…" 

Upon hearing the rumor, the 'Senator' immediately opened his wallet. 

"I'm in. 1,000!" 

"Ohhh, that's our Senator!" 

"The same amount as Pierce!" 

The 'Senator' had also been struggling with poor performance lately and feared the chopping block. 

The problem was that the traders had sensed it and were subtly ignoring him. 

If he presented the same amount as Pierce, he could ride on his coattails. 

"Alright, I'm off." 

The 'Senator' walked away with satisfaction. 

Every Monday morning, there was an interdepartmental meeting. 

At these meetings, the 'Senator' showed that he was still standing strong. 

"Well, you see, Pierce…?" 

And so, the rumor spread beyond the trading floor and reached other departments. 

The ones most sensitive to it were the MDs, who held the same rank as Pierce. 

"Does that rookie have something?" 

A top-performing rival had bet a thousand dollars. 

Perhaps the rookie had some unusual skills or connections. 

"Hold on, I've got something urgent." 

One MD left the meeting and headed straight to his department. 

"That guy who went to the welcome party yesterday! The Asian one, what department is he from?" 

"I'm not sure about the department, but…" 

"He's from the Emerging Markets department!" 

A quick-thinking junior responded, and the MD immediately contacted HR. 

[Requesting staffing for the Asian rookie from Emerging Markets.] 

It wasn't a request; it was a notice. 

[Understood.] 

[Where am I in line?] 

[Fifth. It's closing now.] 

Even when working rookies hard, there are limits. 

There are only 24 hours in a day. 

There's only so much one person can handle. 

This MD barely made the cut. 

"Are you calling that Asian kid to our department?" 

"We'll see." 

"Then why…?" 

"We'll know once we push him hard enough." 

No one knew why Pierce was interested in the rookie. 

But if they worked him directly, they'd find out soon enough. 

If he turned out to be useful? 

They could snatch him away. 

If he wasn't much? 

There was still value in the situation. 

If Pierce really wanted that rookie, they could extract something in return for not poaching him. 

"Either way, there's no loss." 

The MD hummed a tune as he walked away. 

Meanwhile, the person who had just sent that email was sweating. 

It was Liliana, who was in charge of Ha Si-heon. 

"Liliana! Is it ready yet?" 

"I'm sorry! Please go ahead without me for today…" 

Until the department transfer was complete, she had to manage Ha Si-heon's schedule, but with the flood of requests since morning, she hadn't had a moment to breathe. 

[Sorry, but Ha Si-heon is no longer available for staffing…] 

As she typed, she could hear the voices of her seniors behind her. 

"This is a bit much, isn't it?" 

"How many departments are looking for him?" 

"Has this ever happened before?" 

"No way. Most departments don't even remember the names of their rookies." 

Rookies are usually invisible. 

But at this moment, every MD in the company was searching for a single rookie. 

It was the first time in Goldman's history. 

***

Today is my first day at work. 

Though 8 AM would be early enough, I came out at dawn and have been hanging around the office. 

'I thought a change of environment might help.' 

But my mind is still unsettled. 

Of course, it's because of the translucent screen I saw yesterday. 

[Date of Death: March 11, 2023] 

[Remaining Time: 3,468 days] 

[Survival Rate: 0%] 

I was surprised, but oddly enough, I accepted it pretty easily. 

After all, if time could be reversed, why couldn't a hologram screen pop up? 

What matters more than its realism is checking its functionality. 

The hologram screen couldn't be touched. 

Thinking it might respond to voice commands, I tried shouting various keywords, but there was no reaction. 

No matter what I did, nothing changed. 

'I thought there would be something, though.' 

But nope. 

There really wasn't anything. 

The translucent screen disappeared a minute after it appeared. 

It feels like it shows up every day. 

So, what's the conclusion? 

I receive a death notice every midnight. 

And that's it. 

"Sigh…" 

I sighed deeply and opened Google. 

Wondering if there might be someone who had experienced something similar, I spent the whole night searching, but so far, there was no useful information. 

However, this time something quite interesting popped up. 

["Are you aware of the 'Death Clock'?] 

I scrolled down the page. 

Remember the fact that you will die soon. 

It is the most useful tool for helping with difficult decisions. 

-Death is the most effective catalyst for change. 

This is a key to success, as shared directly by Steve Jobs. 

Death is not something to be feared. 

Rather, it is an opportunity to turn crisis into… 

The website was listing the benefits of the death clock. 

You can prioritize quickly, become more decisive, use time meaningfully, and take action without delay, and so on. 

At the end, there was a link to download an app. 

'Well, I already have this feature built-in, don't I?' 

Moreover, my clock shows a survival rate. 

It's 0% for now, but once a cure is developed, it should go up. 

While I was trying hard to stay positive, 

"Sean?" 

My Vietnamese friend, Phuong, arrived. 

"Why does your face look like that? Didn't you sleep?" 

How could I sleep with an expiration date right in front of me? 

Phuong didn't bother waiting for my response. 

Instead, like a meerkat, she restlessly glanced around. 

"Is no one here?" 

"Just take a seat." 

"And how would I know which seat to take…" 

"The one with the envelope." 

There was an envelope with a corporate card inside at each seat. 

I used that as a clue to guide Phuong to her seat, but she started looking around like a meerkat again. 

"We're not getting laid off again, are we?" 

"Rookies should be fine." 

"And how would you know that?" 

"If they were going to fire us, they'd do it all at once. Why bother splitting it up?" 

My words didn't seem to calm Phuong down. 

"Then why is no one here…?" 

The Emerging Markets department was empty. 

There was a major conference, so everyone was away on business trips. 

Originally, there should've been a senior handling the new hires, but they had been abruptly fired. 

The public execution wasn't limited to just rookies. 

At this time, Goldman was mercilessly cutting the bottom 10% from all departments. 

'Well, there's no need to mention that.' 

It gets unnecessarily complicated when people ask for your sources. 

Phuong would find out in a few days anyway. 

"Isn't it nice that no one's here? It's free time." 

I contacted the IT department to check if my account had been set up and immediately logged into various terminals. 

Bloomberg, FactSet, S&P Capital IQ, and so on. 

These are services that provide high-quality news and data. 

"What are you doing?" 

"Researching data." 

I can't afford to waste time. 

I need to gather necessary materials while things are quiet. 

Clickety-clack! 

I was engrossed in work for a while when, ding! 

The company-provided BlackBerry buzzed. 

Yes, I had a BlackBerry. 

Even in 2013, when BlackBerry was famously failing, the finance industry clung to the ugly device until the very end. 

An email had arrived. 

Staffing refers to being assigned to a project. 

It meant I had been assigned to an M&A project for the Retail Group. 

"Staffing?" 

"Yeah." 

"Lucky you…" 

The envy in Phuong's voice soon shifted to anxiety. 

"Wait, does that mean people without staffing will be fired…?" 

"No, it doesn't." 

"Then why haven't I gotten anything yet…?" 

"It's Monday, right? They're probably in the weekly meeting." 

"True." 

"You might have to wait a few days." 

It's rare to get staffed on the first day. 

Usually, it takes a day or two. 

In my previous life, I didn't get my first project assignment until three days later. 

'But this time, it's on the first day…?' 

There's only one reason that comes to mind. 

Pierce's bet. 

Maybe Pierce mentioned me to his friend, and out of curiosity, that friend requested me. 

But even so… something feels off. 

I rested my chin on my hand, lost in thought, when— 

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! 

The notifications went off one after another. 

All of them were from my phone. 

"More staffing?" 

"Yeah." 

"Doing well, huh?" 

Phuong's voice had turned icy, and I instinctively turned my head. 

In that moment, I flinched. 

'Where did that meerkat from earlier go?' 

Her smirk lifted on one side, and her eyes were sharp and cold. 

Phuong had gone dark. 

That's how things are around here. 

The moment one person moves ahead, everyone bares their teeth and aims for that person's back. 

"Good for you, right?" 

I ignored Phuong's sarcasm and checked my emails. 

And for a moment, I almost cursed. 

Here's what the emails said: 

This meant I had been assigned to five projects simultaneously. 

It was like they had decided to grind me into dust. 

No, a rookie can't handle this workload to begin with… 

Yeah, this is impossible. 

New hires are usually assigned to a maximum of two projects. 

This clearly had Pierce's influence behind it… 

A smirk crept onto my face. 

Now I could see what was going on. 

'I thought I was getting caught up in something annoying…?' 

This bet might actually be an incredible opportunity. 

If I use it wisely, I could dramatically shorten my timeline. 

But I need to be careful not to make any rash decisions. 

I need to confirm whether my guess is correct… 

"Mr. Ha Si-heon?" 

A familiar voice called out. 

It was Liliana. 

I was planning to go see her anyway, so she saved me the trouble. 

Let's find out. 

Is this really the opportunity I think it is?