Chapter 15

"Is it about IC Ucalls? What kind of company is that?"

"Oh, this one too seems suspicious. Let's not. Even if I could tell you about it, it's a bit reckless."

"Who said anything about suspicions? I'm just inquiring; I've never even heard of that company..."

"If you're not familiar with it, there's no need. Why would I tell you then? I've made it clear. This is something you shouldn't discuss."

"Looks like this one's wary... Alright, I'll treat you to dinner. Let's go out for a meal, not to the school cafeteria for a change."

"Let's order chicken instead of dining out. I'm only mentioning this as a reliable source I've heard. I'll order chicken, but you might go for a whole poultry farm in gratitude."

"Alright, what you've said is already satisfying. Heh heh."

Lee Sang-hoon extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray and turned to Senior Gyeong-woon for guidance.

"Senior, are you certain about the IC Ucalls source?"

Despite Lee Sang-hoon's presence, Senior Gyeong-woon, engrossed in conversation, eyed Lee Sang-hoon with an apprehensive look, pretending to be well-versed with IC U-Calls. However, upon observing Gyeong-woon's expression, Lee Sang-hoon quickly adopted an air of ignorance, scratching his head and explained, "I had heard from others that the seniors are knowledgeable about stocks, so I became intrigued and contemplated investing."

Senior Gyeong-woon eyed Lee Sang-hoon suspiciously. However, upon scrutinizing Lee Sang-hoon, who he typically looked down upon, he found nothing particularly abnormal and responded skeptically.

"Then I'm not sure; I'm not sure what kind of person I am? It's a confidential story that's only shared with a select few. There's talk that the stock might surge to 100,000 won in one stroke following its operation. Additionally, it's rumored that should it surpass 100,000 won, the next target would be 200,000 won. You seem to be lucky. I'm disclosing this exclusive information to you now. This is something you won't have heard anywhere else. If you make money with IC Ucalls, next time you're back at school, treat yourself to something nice. Understand?"

"Sure, next time I'll treat myself to some chicken. Thank you, seniors."

"Oh, you fortunate soul. Alright, since you've received this exclusive information, please refrain from discussing it with others. We're sharing this information in confidence. Later, once it reaches around 100,000 won, feel free to share it with acquaintances. Understand? Until then, it's best to keep it to yourself."

"Understood, I'll bear that in mind."

Taking Gyeongwoon's emphasized advice to heart, Lee Sang-hoon remained silent and nodded, resolving any uncertainties.

After a brief conversation with the two seniors, Lee Sang-hoon boarded the subway to return home, reminiscing about the information he had exchanged with them earlier.

"If Junhwan and Gyeongwoon know about it, it seems the story is already spreading. Is the stock price going to drop this time after hitting a peak of 28,800 won, just as the book describes? If it does trend downwards, it's rather unsettling."

Lee Sang-hoon pondered the book's contents, hoping that IC Ucalls' stock price would indeed align with the book's depiction. If it did, he could proceed with confidence.

Naturally, despite our confidence in Luho's accurate prediction, as it was based on human behavior, we felt the need for one or two more confirmations. Lee Sang-hoon made the decision to seek confirmation with IC Ucalls.

Upon returning home, Lee Sang-hoon activated the HTS and accessed the chart of IC Ucalls for verification. In accordance with the book's contents, the chart had displayed a consistent upward trend since October of the previous year. Despite a significant downturn in the middle, there was an indication of an impending stock price recovery, and the chart's strength seemed palpable even through the monitor.

"Despite my lack of expertise, it appears to be incredibly resilient."

Toward the end of March, a considerable downturn occurred, but it failed to fully recover by early April. Subsequently, a surge exceeded the previous high today. However, following the upward trajectory, a portion of the gains were relinquished, leaving it to conclude near the previous high.

"In the end, reaching 28,800 won today was accurate. Could there be a substantial drop after this?"

The book offered no further insight. Lee Sang-hoon was uncertain whether the price would plummet to the lower limit similar to Luho or emulate a downward trend.

Drawing a line on the chart based on the wave theory he had studied earlier, Lee Sang-hoon found it challenging to interpret the future stock price trend, despite finding it relatively easy to analyze past charts using this method as a novice.

Even when applying the Fibonacci sequence for calculation, the task proved challenging due to the chart breaching previous highs. While taking 28,800 won as a reference point simplified calculations to an extent, Lee Sang-hoon had not yet effectively employed it to actual stock prices. Consequently, he was analyzing the chart at a rudimentary level, merely drawing lines with the intention of further study.

As Lee Sang-hoon grappled with the HTS, the phone rang.

"Hello."

"It's Heeyeol. What are you up to?"

"I'm studying."

"Studying? What are you studying? We should go out; it's about time this wallflower did something out of the ordinary. Join me for a drink."

"A drink? Who else is coming?"

"It's just you and me. So, come on out. You feeling like a drink after such a long time?"

"Why? Why do you presume that?"

"What shouldn't I feel good about? I'll explain when you get here. Will you come?"

"Alright, I'll join you. Let's meet there."

Lee Sang-hoon agreed to meet Kim Hee-yeol, and as usual, their encounter felt no different from their everyday interactions.

Upon entering their usual bar, Kim Hee-yeol was already present, savoring the complimentary popcorn.

"Why did you call me out? Did you get a girlfriend?"

"A girlfriend? At this stage, if you date a woman, it's with the intention of marriage. You know I'm not thinking about marriage? This is the time to focus on something more meaningful than marriage."

"Something more significant than marriage? Like what?"

As they conversed, a 500cc beer arrived. Not particularly fond of alcohol, a single 500cc bottle was sufficient to create a convivial atmosphere. The two, sipping their beers, began their discussion after Kim Hee-yeol initiated the conversation.

"I opened a stock account."

"It always seems to come back to stocks in the end, doesn't it?"

Lee Sang-hoon casually informed Kim Hee-yeol, knowing that there shouldn't be any difficulty in opening a stock account.

"Indeed. Did you purchase IC Ucalls?"

"Yes, I did. It's nerve-wracking to buy stocks. My heart was racing and I felt unsure when I made the purchase. But after securing it, it felt like winning the lottery and becoming wealthy in an instant. That's why I wanted to meet with you. When I have such feelings, I believe it's best for us to meet, isn't it?"

At that moment, Lee Sang-hoon felt a sense of unease. Earlier that afternoon, when Gyeong-woon mentioned that he had purchased IC Ucalls and discussed it with another senior from graduate school, Lee Sang-hoon couldn't shake the feeling that it was a rash decision. It was evident that if there was a decline mentioned in the book, it wouldn't be a nominal 1-20% drop, at the very least a moderate plunge. In the case of Luho, there was a rapid 1/7 drop, followed by a rebound, and now it was at 1/10. If IC Ucalls was akin to Luho, the plunge would likely be at a similar level.

Lee Sang-hoon suspected that Kim Hee-yeol had ventured into a stock territory that he ought not to touch.

"Hey, that's outrageous. Why did you buy it?"

"Why? Junhwan advised me to invest in it."

"Junhwan? Explain exactly what he told you. Such a rumor also exists. Just hear it out but don't take it to heart. Are you really going to invest again? This is reckless. I'm going to sell it off."

"Why? Do you have an idea?"

"No, I'm clueless..."

Lee Sang-hoon hesitated to discuss the book, unable to disclose that it suggested a decline after hitting 28,800 won. He lacked substantial knowledge about the market's trends and the company's value. Therefore, he had little substantiated evidence to persuade Kim Hee-yeol.

As Lee Sang-hoon faltered in articulating himself, Kim Hee-yeol offered a reassuring smile.

"Hey, buddy. Are you concerned that I might forget you? Let's have a drink, my treat. Don't fret too much; everything will be fine with a drink in hand."

"Where did you get the money from? We all know you're financially strapped."

Kim Hee-yeol's family had never provided him with spending money. Lee Sang-hoon, his closest friend, was unaware that Kim Hee-yeol had diligently saved up money from part-time jobs since childhood. The real question was how Kim Hee-yeol, who hadn't worked part-time before, managed to have enough money to invest in stocks and buy drinks.

"Where did you get that money from? To be investing in stocks? Tell me, where did it come from? It's odd for a guy who hasn't previously worked part-time to have such funds."

"Writing this down. If I say it, I think I'll get an earful from you..."

Lee Sang-hoon, who had a peculiar belief that speaking improperly and hitting himself was a form of self-discipline, began to train Kim Hee-yeol.

"Come on, tell me. Are you really not borrowing any money?"

"Just... just..."

Lee Sang-hoon was startled when Kim Hee-yeol couldn't respond properly.

"You. You're borrowing money from this little guy. Who did you borrow from? Jun-hwan made it sound like a joke, but who gives out money like it's nothing? How much did you borrow? It's insane. Ugh. What am I going to do with you?"

"Why? I didn't just blindly follow Junhwan's story and invest. I did my research too."

Kim Hee-yeol sulked, feeling unjust as Lee Sang-hoon went on a tirade.

"You stay put. I need to talk to you..."

Lee Sang-hoon picked up the phone and called his friends one by one, turning it to Park Sung-jin, a friend who couldn't join him because of work, during their last outing.

"Hey. Heeyeol got into an accident. Come over quickly."

"Hey, what's with this? I just wanted to meet you, and now I'm calling everyone else?"

"You're still young. You deserve a scolding. Why are you borrowing money and investing in stocks, you rascal? Why can't you be like everyone else?"

"Oh really? I've heard some things too. Why can't you believe me? I made the purchase because I was confident. Seriously."

"Alright. When the others arrive, let's discuss this together. I'm certain that when the rest of the gang is here, you can talk in front of everyone and persuade us. Then I'll believe you."

After receiving Lee Sang-hoon's phone call, the friends gathered at the bar with Lee Sang-hoon and Kim Hee-yeol. Even Park Sung-jin, who normally worked late, arrived with a loosely tied tie upon hearing about the accident.

Once everyone was present, Lee Sang-hoon started addressing the group.

"Hey, guys. I borrowed money and invested in the company Junhwan mentioned. What am I going to do about this?"

"Ah, you're crazy. Who did you borrow money from? How much did you borrow?"

In a trembling voice that seemed to make his head sink into his shoulders, Hee-yeol Kim spoke as if he was being surrounded and interrogated by all his friends.

"Credit cards...I took out some credit card loans."

"What? You took out a card loan? This is serious."

"Hey, calm down...Hee-yeol, how much did you borrow with the card loan?"

"300..."

They all responded in subdued voices. However, unlike the others, Lim Gyu-chan asked Kim Hee-yeol in a gentle tone.

"It's okay, just be honest. Did you only borrow 3 million won?"

Kim Hee-yeol only gazed at Lim Gyu-chan without acknowledging his other friends. Sensing that Kim Hee-yeol was focusing on him, Lim Gyu-chan nodded and even smiled, encouraging him to speak.

Hee-yeol Kim spoke with determination upon seeing Lim Gyu-chan's smile.

"I borrowed 5 million won."

"You fool."

Im Gyu-chan flung a bowl of popcorn from the counter at Kim Hee-yeol's face.