12 Hours After

Translator: Khan

Editor: RED

I shook my head quickly, then struck a couple of blows with my hands. It was a physical therapy to find my senses in shock.

‘What happened to this?’

I looked at my watch sideways. It was 8:56, four minutes before the opening. I scanned the article quickly.

[There was a person who became the center of attention from obscurity yesterday. The former secretary Kim Soo-hyang, who declared that she was sexually harassed by the incumbent Seoul Mayor Joo Sung-won, is the main character. She is shocking the political situation once again after circumstantial evidence revealed that she contacted candidate Lee Hee-chul in the past.

It is the netizens who raised the suspicion. One of the members of the ‘watchers’, one of the largest political communities in Korea, has found a picture of Kim Soo-hyang, who is talking with Lee Hee-chul’s aides. This photo was taken at Gwanghwamun Square early last year when the cold weather was in full swing.]

I was surprised because this was the first picture shown in 12 Hours After.

‘What… it shows me pictures, too?’

It was a matter of course in the article, but I was not used to it since it was the first time in 12 Hours After. I looked at it as calmly as I could. The main character of the photo was Lee Hee-chul, who was shaking hands with citizens in a parka and earplugs. They could see the image of King Sejong above, the background seemed to be Gwanghwamun Square, as the photograph explained.

It seemed that there was something going on, because many people were wearing red bands on their heads. Candidate Lee Hee-chul, as many politicians did, seemed to have come to visit and show his face and get pictures taken of him. There were so many people in one picture that I could not tell who was who.

‘This is not looking for Wally. Where the hell is Kim Soo-hyang?’

The former secretary, Kim Soo-hyang, was basically a beautiful woman, with fine lines and a pretty, glazed face, red around her eyes and long lashes. Usually, such a gorgeous beauty was noticeable among many people, but it was hard to see in this picture because there were too many people. I read more.

[The first netizen who wrote about the suspect, ID ‘Yeonwoo Dad’, pointed out ‘a woman with a black shawl in a beige coat on the upper left side of the picture’ as Kim Soo-hyang and claimed that she was talking with Lee Hee-chul’s aides.]

I looked at the upper left of the picture, as was written in the article. I found a beautiful woman with a beige coat and a black shawl standing side by side with two men in suits and overcoats. I zoomed in on her face closely, and she looked exactly like Kim Soo-hyang.

Although she was in the corner, her face was clearly visible because of the good picture quality. But it seemed a little hard to be sure it was her. Even that problem was solved in the article.

[The nickname ‘Yeonwoo Dad’ refuted the rebuke of another netizen disdaining the words ‘A person who resembles’ with the words ‘The beauty mark under the eye is the same.’]

‘I’ve never seen a dot under the eye.’

I turned on a separate window and searched for Kim Soo-hyang. I found it was real. She had a sharp beauty mark on the right lower right corner of her eye. I compared the two pictures that came out of the search with the ones that came out in 12 Hours After by pressing the Alt-tab nonstop. Comparing the dots, all the features looked the same. I was sure. The two were the same. At this point, I felt goosebumps.

‘At the beginning of last year… It was taken almost 2 years ago. How the hell did he find this?’

But there was no time to be surprised. While I was reading the article, the time came at 8:59. It was only a minute before the market opened. Now I had to respond. I skimmed through the end of the article.

[In this controversy, Lee Hee-chul and Kim Soo-hyang both avoid a definite answer, saying, ‘It’s not worth responding to,’ and ‘I don’t remember.’]

‘I don’t remember,’ and ‘to avoid a definite answer,’ are the words that I have often seen used by politicians. Although it is just circumstantial evidence that they planned Me Too, with a photo. However, the stock price has no choice, but to react sensitively to such a thing.’

‘Let’s sell Endo Biologics with a loss first.’

I decided my way to go forward. In order to manage risk, in fact, I was going to sell Endo Biologics anyway. Then I should think about it. I turned on the MTS as I walked to the bathroom. Last time I had been caught hitting the wall by Heo, so I entered a vacant room and closed the door and locked it.

‘I don’t think the news has spread yet.’

I prayed it was so. If this information had been spread, it would not be strange to vomit up the $200,000 I had earned yesterday. By the way, the Endo Biologics, funny enough, was at the upper limit price from the start.

[Endo Biologics $108.00 (+29.8%)]

“Huh.”

I stopped for a moment and looked at it, making fun of my fingers as if I had just touched a hot pot. Remaining volumes began to build up at the upper limit price. 10,000, 20,000 and 30,000 shares. One million, two million, and three million dollars. The accumulated amount was five million dollars. If that was the case, I didn’t have to sell it in a hurry. I looked over my balance.

[Endo Biologics

Shares: 8,840

Purchase Price: $64.30

Purchase Amount: $542,692

Current Price: $108

Current Value: $954,720

Profit and Loss: $412,028]

I made $192,796 yesterday, but today my profit was $219,232. It was the magic of compounding interest, because a profit made a profit. I grabbed my head, but I didn’t hit the bathroom wall as I had done last time. I made more than yesterday, but somehow, I felt strange. I just felt that people’s madness was so stupid and so scary.

If I had not seen this article this morning, I would never have sold this stock, which had been at the upper limit price from the morning. Having had a good weekend celebrating $219,232 today, I would have thought of selling it around Monday. It was scary to think like that. As soon as that news came up, this solid five million dollars wall would soon be broken.

I took my finger to the sell button. To be honest, I didn’t feel comfortable the moment I entered the price at the upper limit price and sold the whole quantity. Since there were five million dollars to buy at the upper limit price, I seemed to be selling at a loss for some reason. If I hadn’t known the future, I would never have sold it today.

‘Who made the policy of the upper limit price? With this much money, we could sell it for +50% instead of +30%!’ I pushed the sell button while cursing myself like that.

‘Please sell some shares to me!’ Everyone wanted to buy the stock. Naturally, my shares of $954,720 were sold out in a flash. Selling was completed. My account was stamped with $626,320. It was a little unfortunate, but I still held my fist, didn’t hit anywhere and just shook it loudly in the air twice.

‘I’ve scored first and then…’ I now thought what to do with this bulging money. In fact, if there were no variables like yesterday, incumbent Mayor Joo Sung-won’s re-election was highly likely. The Me Too that broke out yesterday was just too destructive. However, if the failed attempt turned out to be false, there was a possibility that the destructive power would face the opposite direction. It would be a great blowing wind, a backwind.

‘What happened to Dongbo Construction?’

Suddenly, I was fiddling with the MTS. ‘Dongbo Construction –22.6%’ Dongbo Construction was running toward the low limit price, in stark contrast to Endo Biologics, which hit the upper limit price. It was blue hell where ants dried up blood money, a pallid hell of an endless stream of screams and cries of ants. But I looked at it and thought.

‘This could be a huge opportunity.’

‘People like a heroic story that a popular man goes wrong, but stands up against adversity. If Mayor Joo Sung-won survives this controversy, he’ll be flying like a phoenix reborn.’

I looked briefly at Dongbo Construction’s stock price, which was trading near the low limit price.

The amount now charged to my account was $626,320. Dongbo Construction also allowed 40 percent of credit transactions, as it was a firm company with a solid interior. If not right now, it meant that I could buy it at a very cheap price, as much as $1,500,000 around Tuesday, when the money sold today was taken as margin. If I got on the right track, this train was the one to heaven. I stood in front of the transfer station and thought for a moment.

‘Shall I take a transfer?’