An Investor Who Sees The Future

Yuri picked up the wooden chopsticks and pushed the noodles into her mouth.

Slurp! Slurp!

Seeing her eat without pretending to be pretty made me think she was cute.

“They say Udon noodles taste better when eaten all at once without cutting them. Please eat quickly.”

“Got it.”

I didn’t have high expectations just because it was a celebrity-owned restaurant, but surprisingly, the food was good. It even seemed to help with my hangover.

“I came out 10 minutes earlier than our meeting time, and you were already here. Why did you come to Samseong-dong?”

“My friend moved to Samseong-dong recently. It’s near Samseong Park.”

I added that my friend bought a house and we decided to live together.

Yuri’s eyes twinkled at my words.“So, you’re now a resident of Gangnam too, senior. We’ll see each other often as neighbors.”

“Yeah, sure.”

Moved and suddenly we’re considered neighbors. Was she always this friendly?

Most likely not. Once Yuri invited me to a drinking session without knowing that I had broken up with Seon-ah.

Who is dating or breaking up with whom within the company can easily be known through gossip. Not knowing that means she is not someone who gets along well with everyone.

But why is she like this with me?

While talking, she ate diligently, but Yuri put down her chopsticks first.

“Ah! That was delicious.”

Not a drop of broth was left in her bowl.

Why is she eating so well?

As I was about to get up after finishing everything, Yuri took out her card to pay.

“I was going to treat you.”

Then Yuri laughed as she stuck out her tongue slightly.

“I suggested that we should see it, so I should buy it. Senpai, please buy something even more delicious next time.”

It seems like it was their plan from the beginning.

We stepped outside the store.

“I was feeling lonely eating by myself, so I’m glad you came.”

“Don’t you cook at home?”

“I live alone.”

“Oh, is that so?”

As soon as they mentioned living alone, curiosity that wasn’t there before started to arise.

“Is your place nearby?”

“It’s right over there.”

Yuri’s finger pointed to a large apartment complex behind the gallery mall.

What? Living alone in a luxury apartment in Cheongdam-dong by the Han River?

“Would you like to go see it?”

“Huh?”

I was momentarily taken aback by the unexpected suggestion.

What does this mean?

Even though we are in the same department at school, inviting a man to a woman’s home when she lives alone.

This clearly means······?

“The apartment has a nice walking path. There’s a cafe on the top floor for residents where you can drink coffee while overlooking the Han River.”

“Oh, really?”

I quickly adjusted my expression.

I almost got excited for a moment.

“Why are you acting like that?”

“Huh? It’s nothing. Let’s go.”

***

To the apartment complex, it was a short walk.

To enter the complex, we had to use the resident card key. Outsiders couldn’t even get a foot in.

Stepping inside, I felt the grandeur of over 2,000 households in the complex. Cars went straight underground from the entrance, and on the ground level, there were walking paths, fountains, playgrounds, and more.

As it was a large complex and a luxury apartment, the landscaping was well done. It felt like a well-made park.

We walked slowly along the walking path.

“It’s nice for a walk.”

“But don’t you have Samseong Park right in front of your house, Senpai? Isn’t that a better place for a walk?”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

I haven’t actually been inside that park. It’s funny how places near home that are tourist spots are often left unexplored.

“How long have you been living here?”

“I’ve been here since I was young. I went to kindergarten and elementary school around here. I had to move to another place temporarily due to redevelopment and moved back here about six months ago.”

It seems like they got the apartment through a housing association membership. Could it be a property owned instead of rented?

“Why do you live alone?”

“My parents are living abroad due to work.”

I looked around the apartment complex.

“Aren’t the housing prices here expensive?”

Yuri nodded.

“The smallest unit would be around 2.3 billion won.”

Despite the economic downturn, real estate prices are soaring. The rise in Gangnam housing prices is overwhelming.

If it’s an apartment in Cheongdam-dong with a view of the Han River, it’s not surprising.

Still, 2.3 billion for one apartment.

Isn’t this not just expensive but excessively so?

If you have the heart for it, you could probably own several hundred units, but I don’t think it’s cheap in that sense. No matter how much money you have, you might still think instant ramen costing 5,000 won is expensive.

You said it’s the 2000s generation, so is it around 46 trillion won in total? No, even if the smallest unit is 2.3 billion won, adding up the larger units could make it around 6 to 7 trillion won, right?

It’s amazing that such houses are selling. Are people all hoarding around 2 billion won in cash at home?

“At the time of sale, it was still 1.8 billion won. Even then, it was considered high-priced.”

“If you just received the pre-sale rights, you would have made 500 million just by sitting down.”

Making money seems so easy.

What’s the point of working endlessly? Just need to be good at buying real estate. Of course, you probably need at least 10 billion won to start with.

If you can afford to live in such an apartment alone, it’s no ordinary home.

“But really, did you invite me over because you don’t like eating alone?”

“Well, that too, but also because what you said last time bothered me.”

“What did I say?”

Stopping in her tracks, Yuri asked me.

“How did you know that the L6 would be discontinued, senior?”

“······.”

Was it because of this after all?

At first, it would have seemed like nonsense. Then when the announcement of the discontinuation actually came, they must have been shocked.

To put it bluntly, it’s like predicting six correct lottery numbers.

I deliberately told Sangyeop senior, but telling her was a complete mistake.

Yuri looked at me meaningfully. If I try to explain now, she will continue to doubt.

Fortunately, I had expected such a question even before she asked it and had prepared an answer.

Casually, I said, “Didn’t you see that on the gossip site? Three days after buying it, the L6 exploded.” My words left Yuri perplexed.

“Yeah? Is that so?”

“Yeah. It was chaos with bombs or whatever from then on. I mentioned that because it came to mind.”

Yuri chuckled as if puzzled.

“Oh, really? That’s what it was?”

I asked as if I didn’t understand English.

“What did you think it was then?”

“I thought maybe the senior had heard information from a supplier or somewhere in advance.”

“… Although I was wrong, I feel a bit embarrassed.”

I chuckled dryly.

“Haha! Who would tell me something like that?”

But precognition will tell me. I hope they tell me one more thing within a few days.

Whether my doubts were completely resolved or not, Yuri’s expression returned to normal.

“Nevertheless, it would have been nice to know about the discontinuation in advance.”

“Changing phones is quite a hassle.”

With a feature phone, you only need to transfer contacts, but with a smartphone, you have to transfer contacts, photos, music, and more.

The L6 was discontinued after a recall. As a result, buyers had to visit the store twice to exchange their phones.

“Rather, my mom is upset because her stocks in Seosung Electronics dropped. She said she would have sold them earlier if she had known the L6 would be discontinued.”

How many shares do you have anyway? You don’t have hundreds, do you?

“She’s gotten a bit better.”

“But she’s still in the negative. What do you think, senior? Would it be better to sell now?”

After some thought, I replied, “If it were me, I’d probably continue holding onto them.”

“Why?”

“Even if there’s a setback for now, by the time the next model comes out, it should recover.”

Yuri chuckled.

“After going through something like that, do you think people will still buy Seosung Electronics phones?”

“Surprisingly, consumers have strong loyalty to the Seosung brand. Most opted for exchange programs instead of refunds. You’re the same. And Seosung’s main focus is not smartphones or electronics, but semiconductors.”

I recalled the internal report from Golden Gate that I read before arriving.

One of the core aspects of the Fourth Industrial Revolution is connectivity. The Internet of Things (IoT) means everything is connected. For this to happen, semiconductors are essential in each product.

Semiconductors are an oligopoly industry with inelastic supply. Increasing demand doesn’t easily lead to increased supply, and decreasing demand doesn’t easily lead to decreased supply. Therefore, demand increase immediately leads to price hikes, and demand decrease leads to price drops.

“As time goes on, if semiconductor demand keeps increasing, it won’t decrease. As the world’s largest semiconductor company, Seosung Electronics will benefit.”

It was my own words, but it sounded plausible. I must be pretty impressive, right?

Yuri looked at me skeptically.

“Are you sure about that?”

I shrugged.

“It’s just my personal opinion. I’m not a financial expert.”

Yuri smiled broadly.

“Those so-called financial experts often get it wrong. Fund managers can’t even match the market returns.”

Now that I look, a dimple appears when she smiles. I feel like poking it.

“Beating the market is that tough.”

“Anyway, listening to the senior’s advice, I should hold onto it rather than sell.”

I was surprised.

“Do you have some too?”

“Yes. I used my allowance during the recent crash to buy 20 shares.”

“…”

Happiness may not be based on academic performance, but university admissions are. In Korea, most students are admitted based on their scores on the national college entrance exam and school grades. However, with each change in the education system, various admission methods have emerged, including some that could be considered loopholes.

In other words, some people buy their way into university even with slightly lower grades.

I wonder if this person also entered university that way?

Upon discovering their wealth, you can’t help but view them through colored lenses.

Regardless, living alone in an apartment worth over 2 billion won, buying stocks worth over 20 million every month for pocket money, suggests they come from an affluent household.

Who are their parents? How were they raised like this?

It would be strange to ask such questions, right?

We walked slowly, having various conversations. Usually, Yuri talked while I listened.

“Are you returning to school next year?”

“Well, I’m not sure.”

As we continued walking along the path, we saw an elderly lady with white hair and a hunched back approaching from the opposite direction.

She wore a floral-patterned hat and a thick fur vest.

I remembered our grandmother in the countryside welcoming her grandson. She passed away now, though.

The elderly lady looked at Yuri with a knowing smile.

“Oh, it’s been a while since my dear grandniece visited.”

Yuri stopped and politely greeted her.

“Hello, grandmother. Are you out for a walk despite the cold?”

“I can’t just stay at home all day; my joints will ache.”

She glanced at me and asked, “Who’s this young man? Your boyfriend?”

To avoid any misunderstanding, I quickly interjected.

“It’s just a senior from school.”

Grandmother murmured as if she didn’t hear me.

“Oh, the young lady is old enough to get married by now.”

Yuri blushed bright red.

“Married? Oh no, grandmother. I’m still only twenty.”

“Hehe, back in our days, at that age, we were already married, giving birth and all. Buy yourself some delicious treats with this money,” the grandmother said, pulling out a folded 5,000 won bill from her pocket.

Yuri reached out her hand.

“It’s okay. I have plenty of money.”

And she really did have a lot.

While other young adults spend their allowance on clothes or drinks, she would buy over 20 shares of stocks worth more than a million won each with her allowance.