Golden Spoon Investor

Chapter 555: CH556

As of today, two weeks after the presidential election on November 7, the outcome of the 43rd U.S. presidential race remains shrouded in uncertainty.

According to the vote count, Republican candidate George W. Bush, the governor of Texas, received 50,456,002 votes (47.87%), placing him behind his opponent, who secured 48.38%.

However, Governor George won 271 electoral votes across 30 states, defeating the Democratic candidate, who secured only 266.

At one point, the Democratic candidate even made a congratulatory call, and it seemed the results were settled. But then the situation flipped when it was revealed that tens of thousands of ballots in Florida—one of the key battleground states—had been invalidated due to a computer error during tabulation.

The Democrats immediately withdrew their concession and demanded a manual recount in four Florida counties.

With George holding 246 electoral votes and the Democratic candidate holding 262, the election now hinges entirely on who secures Florida's 25 electoral votes—a turning point that could reverse the outcome of the entire race.

Both parties are clashing fiercely, refusing to concede even an inch.

Meanwhile, as disputes over manual recounts and certification deadlines intensify, the uncertainty surrounding how the situation will unfold continues to dominate market sentiment. As a result, the New York stock market remains unable to break its downward trend, with all three major indexes hitting new yearly lows.

The screen then shifted to footage of staff from both campaigns, surrounded by reporters, submitting legal filings to the state Supreme Court.

Seok-won sat on the leather sofa in his living room watching the CNN report.

"Of all times… something like this has to happen now. Talk about terrible timing."

In a collapse like this, the government or the Federal Reserve would normally intervene by injecting liquidity or taking emergency measures to stabilize the market.

"But with economic indicators coming in so strong and inflation fears rising, the Fed can't make a move."

That left the U.S. government as the only entity that could act. But the outgoing Davidsson administration was already deep in lame-duck territory, with no political strength left to address the crisis.

The newly elected president and political leadership would normally take charge.

Unfortunately, as CNN was showing, thanks to the computer tabulation error in Florida, the winner had gone undecided for more than two weeks. Both parties were locked in an all-out political brawl, leaving no one with the bandwidth to worry about the collapsing stock market.

"Even if the dot-com bubble was bound to burst eventually, the damage could've been contained. But the political chaos in the U.S. struck at the worst possible moment, making that impossible."

He had wondered about this for years.

The United States was the strongest nation in the world. No matter how inflated the dot-com bubble had been, why had the government watched helplessly as the market melted down?

"So it wasn't that they refused to intervene… they couldn't."

Multiple disasters had collided at once, making the collapse even more severe.

"In any case, neither party can drag this deadlock out forever. One way or another, the election results will be finalized soon."

Of course, he already knew who the next occupant of the White House would be.

"Once the winner is confirmed, the political climate will stabilize. They'll have no choice but to step in and support the market. That's where the short-term bottom will form."

But it would only be a short-term bottom. Once optimism vanished for good and cash dried up for the struggling tech startups, mass bankruptcies and forced delistings would hit. The Nasdaq would plunge again, breaking through the floor and sinking even further.

"It's inevitable that uncompetitive companies get weeded out when a bubble bursts. But the process is brutal."

Already, countless billions of dollars had evaporated into thin air as the market collapsed.

Wall Street was suffering, and millions of ordinary Americans who had invested their savings were facing devastation.

But the survivors—the companies strong enough to endure this ordeal—would rise to dominate the internet era and grow into giants.

"When everything has fallen into the basement and no one is looking back… that's when I'll use the profits from this cycle to scoop up their stocks and trigger another jackpot."

He was thinking of acquiring shares of the future "Magnificent Seven"—the companies destined to control the market and the global economy—at bargain prices. The thought put a deep smile on his face.

"If I'm remembering right… Amazon, which I sold at ninety-eight dollars, will fall to six dollars. Even if I buy back the same stake I sold, that's a profit of more than ninety percent."

He had cashed out at the peak before the bubble burst, profited heavily from his short positions, and now planned to clean up again by buying from the bottom and enjoying the rebound.

Watching him harvest every upside while everyone else on Wall Street suffered catastrophic losses would certainly drive people mad with envy.

But that was the market—pure survival of the fittest. For every winner, someone had to lose.

He knew the jealousy and resentment would be endless, but it didn't bother him in the slightest.

Just as he finished organizing his thoughts, his phone vibrated on the table. He answered immediately.

[It's me, boss.]

Landon's voice sounded even brighter the further the three major U.S. indexes fell. Leaning back into the soft sofa, Seok-won asked:

"Did something happen?"

[Nothing serious. I just have one thing to report.]

"Go ahead."

[Chairman Fuller is flying to Seoul to meet you.]

Seok-won narrowed his eyes slightly.

"You mean Fuller from Bear Stearns?"

[Yes.]

Landon replied with a small laugh.

[Since you're the one with the authority, it looks like he's coming in person to cancel the options contract.]

The unexpected news left Seok-won looking a little stunned.

"I didn't think Fuller himself would move… Bear Stearns must be really desperate."

[It's not just Bear Stearns.]

"What do you mean?"

[AIG, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs—basically all the major Wall Street firms that have options contracts with us. Their CEOs or senior executives are all heading to Korea to meet you.]

"…What?"

Seok-won widened his eyes in disbelief.

"You're telling me all of them are actually coming here?"

[Yes. With the index futures and put-option stocks losing more than half their value, the amount they owe us keeps getting bigger. Their feet are practically on fire.]

"Well, even so… this is a bit much."

Still holding the phone, Seok-won let out a breathless laugh.

[Bear Stearns alone owes nearly a billion dollars when you combine the put options and index futures. And with the stock market still dropping, their losses will only grow. Of course they're desperate.]

Landon's calm tone made Seok-won let out a small laugh.

"Well, when you put it that way, I guess it makes sense."

[That's why I'm planning to take the private jet to Seoul today.]

"You're coming too?"

Landon replied as if it were obvious.

[You can handle everything by yourself, of course. But I still think it's better if I'm there with you when you meet them.]

"That would be for the best."

[Then I'll call you again once I land in Seoul.]

"Do that."

After ending the call, Seok-won couldn't help but laugh under his breath.

The idea that the proud CEOs and senior executives of major Wall Street firms were scrambling to fly all the way to Korea just to meet him was both surprising and strangely satisfying.

And while it did seem like Landon was mostly coming to watch the big Wall Street names grovel, having him by his side was still reassuring.

"This is getting interesting."

A pleased smile crept onto Seok-won's face.

***

The next day.

Under a perfectly clear sky with not a cloud in sight, the tall control tower overlooking the wide airport grounds was as busy as ever, keeping aircraft safe during takeoffs and landings.

"Good work tonight."

"Thanks. Have a good shift."

After the night-shift senior let out a big yawn and walked off, Oh Hyun-deok gathered the notes he had written during the briefing and headed to his station.

On the large console, radar screens displayed the flight paths of various aircraft over Gimpo Airport, with flight data updating in real time.

Beyond the wide glass window in front of him, the runways and taxiways stretched out in a clear view.

Hyun-deok poured himself a strong mix-coffee into a mug, set it down at his window-side desk, and pulled a thick headset over his ears.

"Alright. Let's get to work."

He began his shift, lifted the mug, and took a long drink.

The rich aroma and the mix of caffeine and sugar jolted his brain awake and warmed his body.

"Gimpo Tower, this is Alpha Delta Two Two Three requesting clearance to land."

Hearing the pilot's call over the dedicated frequency, Hyun-deok set down his mug, brought the microphone to his lips, and responded in fluent English.

"Alpha Delta Two Two Three, this is Gimpo Tower. Wind two-seven-zero at three knots. Cleared to land on one-four right. Watch for birds in the airspace."

"Roger."

Moments later, a white Bombardier business jet descended smoothly and touched down on the runway with elegant precision.

"Never seen that one before. Maybe some Middle Eastern oil tycoon?"

Checking the flight data, he saw the aircraft had departed from New York. So probably not an oil magnate.

Just then, another transmission came in, and Hyun-deok pushed aside his thoughts to listen closely.

"This is Charlie Beta Foxtrot Zero Five Three, do you read, Gimpo Tower?"

Looking at the monitor, he saw that this one, too, wasn't a commercial airliner but another business jet like the one before.

With a puzzled look, Hyun-deok verified the data and quickly responded.

"Charlie Beta Foxtrot Zero Five Three, turn left fifteen degrees from your current heading and land on runway three-two right!"

"Roger."

This one was also a private jet arriving from New York.

Two business jets arriving back-to-back was unusual. At Gimpo Airport, you might see one private jet in an entire week. Seeing them arrive consecutively like this was rare enough that Hyun-deok shrugged and muttered to himself:

"Well, that's odd. Maybe I should buy a lottery ticket after work."

But the surprises didn't stop there.

Before long, yet another private jet from the United States requested landing. Then another. And another. One high-end private jet after another kept appearing, each more expensive than the last—aircraft he almost never saw at this airport.

By the time the sun was sinking toward the far end of the runway and the sky began glowing orange, nearly a dozen private jets were lined up on one side of the vast parking apron, nose to tail.

Staring out the tower's glass wall at the lineup, Hyun-deok tilted his head with a bewildered look.

"What in the world is going on…? So many private jets in a single day?"

TL/n -

The "Magnificent Seven" is a nickname investors use for seven giant U.S. tech companies that became so large and influential that they started driving most of the stock market's gains and shaping major parts of the global economy.

Here are the seven:

Apple

Microsoft

Alphabet (Google)

Amazon

Nvidia

Meta (Facebook)

Tesla

These companies earned the label because they dominate their industries and hold enormous power over technology, consumer behavior and investment flows.