Chapter 74
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Gun-Ho made his decision .
He transferred his 1 . 1 billion won from his Kookmin Bank account to his stock account .
"I now see the other player's cards . "
Gun-Ho started purchasing EE-HWA Construction stocks from 10 AM that day .
"Its stock price was 900 won and now it is over 1,000 won . Only God knows whether the price reached its peak or would increase more . I have six more months until the presidential election . I bet it will keep going up until then . "
Gun-Ho had been sitting in front of the computer monitor and purchasing stocks . Around 3 PM, Gun-Ho verified his stock account to see how many shares he now had and how much their market values were .
"EE-HWA Construction 300 million won, and Samok-Jeong Company 50 million won . Let's stop right here for today . "
Gun-Ho calculated how much he could earn if he would sell his shares now .
"The stock price hasn't increased and the selling will incur 1,200,000 won for stock trading fees . So the net result will be -1,200,000 won . It's not bad . "
Gun-Ho spent 350 million won today in purchasing stocks . If he would sell these stocks, he would have to pay trading fees of 1 . 2 million won, so it would be a loss for him .
"Hmm, I didn't have breakfast and lunch today . "
The next day, Gun-Ho skipped his lunch again and logged into the stock trading website and placed offers to buy the same stocks .
"The stock candlestick is showing that the stock price has declined . The loss from the amount I invested yesterday is over 5 million won . I will do 'averaging down' to bring down the average cost . "
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Gun-Ho invested 400 million won more in stocks that day .
Gun-Ho took a break on the third day .
The stock market became slow .
"I might have to stay invested longer-term with this stock to make money . Did I make a mistake by investing in this stock?"
Gun-Ho believed the price of stocks related to the Four Major Rivers Project would keep fluctuating until the presidential election .
Gun-Ho spent one week to invest all his 1 . 1 billion won in the stocks: 70% of EE-HWA Construction and 30% of Sammok-Jeong Company .
"Let's not swing between hopes and fears every day because of its constant price fluctuation . The presidential election will be held in December . I will stay in the library reading books by then!"
Gun-Ho looked himself in the mirror . He seemed to age rapidly during the past week . His eyes were sunken and he could see dark circles under his eyes .
"I skipped meals and ate only lomein for a week… that's why . "
He spent most of his time in the National Assembly Library of Korea reading books . He usually picked the books related to economics or management: Power Shift, Revolutionary Wealth, Currency Wars, and 7 Habits of the Rich . He also enjoyed the books like How to Bid at Auction, Buy Land Even With Debt, Choice China Made, etc .
"Success or failure . "
Gun-Ho was lost in thought while walking in the square in front of the National Assembly Building in Yeouido Island .
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"This is certainly a good hand as long as there is no variable . "
Gun-Ho was dying to know whether his stock's price dived up or down .
"What if it went up or down? So what? If it went down I would feel really bad, and if it went up, I would desperately want to sell . I have to wait until the presidential election day . Those who bought stock on credit or with a loan would get antsy . I am different . I invested in stock with certainty . I should be calm . "
Gun-Ho considered those people a fool, who invested in stock with a loan or on credit, especially those people who invested everything they had .
"I bought the QM Steel stock for 30 million won last time and sold it at 3 million won . What if that 30 million won was all I had and it was also a loan? I would obviously have become a person with bad credit . "
Gun-Ho imagined himself still working in a factory and borrowing 30 million won to invest in the QM Steel stock and losing most of it . He thought he wouldn't have wanted to continue his life any longer and he might have committed suicide if that happened .
"Investing in the stock market is a very dangerous activity . That's why Chairman Lee said I shouldn't invest in the stock market unless I am certain . "
Gun-Ho thought Chairman Lee had wise eyes .
"He might not have a high academic degree, but his attitude toward the society is extraordinary . His eyes resemble Byung-Chul Lee's eyes—the founder of Samsung that I saw in a picture . "
When he had invested in the stock market while he was working in a factory, he wanted to check the market every single hour, literally . He couldn't concentrate on his work at the factory and he once hurt his hand while handling an injection molding machine .
He could feel calm this time because he didn't have any debt and he invested 1 . 1 billion won . Even if the stock price dived down to half of its price, he would still have 550 million won in hand .
Gun-Ho was still walking in the square in front of the National Assembly Building when someone called his name behind his back .
"Are you Gun-Ho Goo?"
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It was Min-Hyeok Kim, Gun-Ho's hometown friend; Gun-Ho went to the same elementary school with him and he hung out with him until his junior high even though they didn't go to the same junior high school .
"Oh, Min-Hyeok . What are you doing here?"
"I saw you at the library earlier, but I was not sure if it was really you . You gained some weight but you didn't change much . What do you do?"
"Nothing . I'm unemployed . What do you do?"
"I used to work in an office, but now I am studying for an exam to get a level-7 government job . "
"Really? Why did you quit your job?"
"Whew, I couldn't see my future with that job . I think a government job is the best in this country . I used to work in a quality assurance department in a mid-size company . I had to work till late at night all the time and couldn't see myself growing there . "
"I see . The level-7 exam is hard to pass, right? Why don't you try the level-9 exam instead?"
"I am actually preparing for both . "
"You should have started earlier . It's kind of late to start at our age . "
"I know, but if I can get a government job then it's still good . The problem is that it's not easy to pass the exam . It's really stressful . Haha . "
"You will be fine . You went to Kookmin University, didn't you? I think you will pass . "
"Thank you for saying that . Why do you stay unemployed? I thought I heard you were working somewhere . "
"I had a business in China and came back to Korea not long ago . I am still thinking about what I want to do . "
"Oh, I see . Give me your number . I still live in Bucheon . Here is my number . "
"Thank you . Call me once you pass the exam!"
Gun-Ho gazed at Min-Hyeok's back blankly .
"I hope he can pass the exam . If I remember correctly, his father is a bus driver . I guess he is trying so hard to get out of the inherited poverty . Going for the government job exam is maybe the right choice for him . People say that if you pass the level-9 government job exam you can be proud of yourself, and if you pass the level-7, then your family will be proud of you . Haha . "
Gun-Ho let out a sigh and smiled bitterly .
Gun-Ho continued walking in the square .
"What if MB is not elected?"
Gun-Ho shook his head thinking he would be elected for sure .
"What if MB dies of an accident? I read from some book that when one of our former presidents, Syngman Rhee was a presidential candidate, the two opposing presidential candidates—Dr . Byeong-Wook Jo and Dr . Ik-Hee Shin died unexpectedly while running for president . "
Gun-Ho found himself staggering at the thought of the possibility of MB's sudden death .
"I need more training in controlling my mind . It has been only a week since I bought the stocks, and I am already feeling anxious . "
Gun-Ho couldn't concentrate on books at the library because he was distracted by all sorts of what-if thoughts .
"I can't go on like this . Let's go on a trip abroad . I will go to Japan . "