A Wall Street Genius's Final Investment Playbook-Chapter 68

"Let Sean handle the markup."

This was Pierce's directive at the tail end of the meeting.

‘Markup' refers to the skeleton of an Excel document.

A rough draft indicating chart placement and data positioning.

Based on that draft, Dobby and I were tasked with creating an Excel file that would perfectly satisfy Pierce.

Originally, markup was under the purview of Jeff, Pierce's right-hand man and VP.

But today, for some reason, it was passed on to me.

Apparently, Pierce had important matters to discuss with Jeff.

While I was sweating over deciphering Pierce’s atrocious handwriting, I overheard their conversation from above.

"The Swanson deal in progress still needs our support."

"You mean Epicura, sir?"

"Exactly. Medallion is increasing its stake and requesting a meeting…"

The moment I heard this, I felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

‘Epicura… I've heard that name somewhere before…'

Even as a regressor, I don’t remember every single corporate name in the stock market.

But my instincts were strongly signaling that this was crucial information.

I struggled to recall the details, and just then, a key clue was given.

"It seems even Epicura is anxious. They’re rushing the sale of Harbor Lobster and requesting a revaluation of Toscana Garden."

Toscana Garden.

The most famous Italian restaurant chain in America.

The moment I heard that name, a small, involuntary laugh escaped me.

I suddenly remembered how I knew Epicura.

‘Right, that’s what it was.'

I couldn’t believe I had forgotten such a significant event.

Well, I had some excuse for it.

This wasn’t an incident in biotech but in the food service industry.

It wasn’t my field of expertise, so I hadn’t recalled it immediately.

But on reflection, this was exactly the kind of incident I had been searching for.

An event that would shake not only Wall Street but the entire United States.

An incident that even the general public, typically indifferent to stocks, would take interest in, sparking heated discussions.

If I could make a name for myself through this incident…

The Theranos board would undoubtedly reach out to me out of curiosity.

I couldn’t afford to let this opportunity slip away.

***

"May I take charge of that project?"

The moment Ha Si-heon spoke, a chilly silence descended upon the conference room.

Pierce and Jeff, who had been exchanging an animated discussion just moments ago, were left speechless, staring at Ha Si-heon.

Their expressions were anything but ordinary.

Pierce’s face hardened, and Jeff, his right-hand man, turned deathly pale.

"No way…"

Jeff managed to mutter, only to be met with Ha Si-heon’s resolute response.

"Yes. I’d like to use my selection privilege for this project."

Jeff involuntarily closed his eyes tightly.

He felt as though he’d just been handed a death sentence.

‘So, it’s come to this, after all.'

Jeff was well aware of the deal between Ha Si-heon and Pierce.

Once a month, Ha Si-heon was granted the right to choose a project of his liking.

In return, Ha Si-heon consistently provided information with an 80% accuracy rate.

Thanks to this, Pierce had achieved record-breaking performance and was on the verge of an executive promotion.

Just a few more months, and Pierce would be an executive, and Jeff himself could be promoted to MD.

He’d finally be able to work independently, free from being someone else’s subordinate.

Everything had been progressing smoothly towards the end…

And yet, at this critical juncture, Ha Si-heon made an unexpected move.

‘No way… Pierce wouldn’t actually grant his request, would he?'

Jeff cast an anxious sidelong glance, gauging Pierce's reaction.

Deep furrows appeared on Pierce's brow.

Eventually, he asked a question in a calm voice.

"Do you know that Epicura is in the food service industry?"

"Yes, I'm aware."

"It's far removed from your field of expertise…"

Even if Ha Si-heon’s 80% accuracy rate continued to hold, it was strictly within the realm of biotech.

Yet, the project he now desired lay in the food service industry.

Epicura was a food service management company with numerous franchise restaurant chains under its umbrella.

Moreover, it was embroiled in a complicated power struggle between its management and hedge funds.

In this domain, Ha Si-heon’s strongest assets—his medical background and algorithms—meant nothing.

‘Why on earth…?’

"I’d like to gain experience in a different industry."

"Experience, huh. Is that really all?"

"To be honest, the appeal of working with a company that owns renowned brands is also a factor."

"Epicura isn’t that big of a deal, though!"

Jeff, unable to hold back, interjected into the conversation.

"It's merely a Fortune 300 company!"

Jeff’s remark didn’t mean Epicura wasn’t a significant company.

Rather, it implied that it wasn’t prestigious enough to justify Ha Si-heon using his selection privilege.

However, Ha Si-heon responded calmly.

"Was my selection privilege limited to biotech?"

There was a subtle edge to his tone.

To Jeff, it sounded like, "After everything I’ve done to boost your performance and bring you to the brink of an executive promotion, are you seriously going to go back on our agreement now?"

And, frankly, it wasn’t wrong.

Jeff couldn’t deny that much of their success was thanks to Ha Si-heon.

But.

On the verge of his own MD promotion, Jeff didn’t want to take on such a risky and uncertain project.

He desperately hoped Pierce would find a reason to reject Ha Si-heon’s request…

As Jeff looked at Pierce with pleading eyes, Pierce finally spoke.

"Of course not. You’re free to choose any field."

Jeff’s heart sank at Pierce’s response.

"I’m just curious about your real reason."

"As I said, it’s for the experience."

"This is not your typical project."

M&A department work was broadly divided into two categories: mergers and acquisitions, and corporate advisory.

Mergers and acquisitions were relatively smooth. It involved connecting buyers and sellers who already had mutual interest, so major issues were rare.

Even disputes over pricing could usually be resolved through negotiation.

Advisory work, on the other hand, was different.

Sometimes, it involved defending against hostile takeovers, essentially becoming a shield for management under attack.

It was like someone drawing a sword and holding it to the management's throat.

Goldman would enter such high-stakes battles, where victory and defeat were clear-cut.

Epicura happened to be in precisely this situation.

To make matters worse, Epicura wasn’t even Pierce’s client.

Another MD had passed on the project to Pierce, deeming it too overwhelming to handle.

This meant it was exceptionally challenging, with the slightest mistake potentially spiraling into a catastrophic situation.

And now… Ha Si-heon wanted to get involved?

Jeff felt another wave of dizziness washing over him.

"For the client, this is a matter of life and death. It’s not something to approach out of mere curiosity."

Pierce’s words hinted at rejection, but Ha Si-heon didn’t back down.

"It’s not mere curiosity. From the beginning, I joined the M&A department to gain ‘experience.' I made that clear. I requested my selection privilege for opportunities like this. It’s simply that no suitable case had come up until now."

He was implying that he had joined this department specifically with cases like this in mind.

Even his selection privilege agreement with Pierce had been crafted for this very moment.

In other words, rejecting this proposal would be a breach of their agreement.

‘No way…'

Surely, he wouldn’t approve this.

Jeff cast another anxious sidelong glance at Pierce.

But… Pierce appeared to be seriously considering it!

This couldn’t be allowed to continue.

“Absolutely not! Assigning a completely inexperienced rookie to such a sensitive matter as a corporate control dispute? That’s nothing short of negligence! Especially Sean—he’s the last person who should be involved!”

Jeff desperately emphasized the risks of involving Ha Si-heon.

At this, Ha Si-heon frowned.

“Why am I especially unsuitable?”

His expression was one of utter incomprehension.

But from Jeff’s perspective, he had no choice but to prevent Ha Si-heon’s participation.

“You’ve caused enough trouble in the past!”

“Me?”

Ha Si-heon tilted his head slightly, furrowing his brows.

He genuinely seemed to have no recollection.

After a brief pause, he spoke again.

“Are you perhaps referring to the incident from early on after I joined? That was a bet initiated by Mr. Pierce himself, wasn’t it?”

“…”

Jeff was momentarily at a loss for words at Ha Si-heon’s indignant defense.

It was true—Pierce had been the one to propose the bet against Brent.

"Still, you turned what was just a simple bet into a company-wide upheaval! That was your doing!"

Ha Si-heon had poured fuel on that small spark over and over again, eventually turning it into a massive chaos that engulfed the entire Goldman organization.

It became the most unprecedented political scandal in Goldman’s history.

That incident had driven Rhinos to leave the company, and multiple MDs from other departments resigned out of fear of Pierce’s retaliation and transferred to other banks.

And in just a couple of months, Pierce would ascend to an executive position.

When that happened, Goldman would undoubtedly face another wave of ruthless purges.

The one who had nurtured the spark into a wildfire was none other than Ha Si-heon.

And yet, the very instigator of that chaos merely shrugged his shoulders.

“Wasn’t that over six months ago?”

He dismissed an incident that had wiped out numerous key executives at Goldman as if it were a trivial episode from the distant past.

Jeff, stunned, replied, “Six months? What about the trouble you caused more recently?”

“Are you referring to the Genesis incident?”

Once again, Ha Si-heon claimed innocence.

“All I did was invest in my own way. It was others who made a fuss about it. That’s hardly my fault, is it?”

…

Jeff was so exasperated by his shamelessness that he was rendered speechless.

Ha Si-heon had provoked major investors, pulling in massive amounts of money, only to engage in an insane all-in strategy by funneling it all into a single stock.

Moreover, he’d leaked his investment plans, turning all of Goldman into a frenzied casino.

And now he was saying it wasn’t his fault, just others overreacting?

“Don’t tell me everyone overreacted for no reason! Don’t you remember inciting a survival game among associates under the pretense of recruiting investors for some sham fund?”

Ha Si-heon had stirred up fierce competition among associates, calling it an investment recruitment campaign.

Even in this instance, Ha Si-heon remained composed.

“At the time, you said it was fine. Now reinterpreting it against me feels unfair.”

“Your… your personality is the problem! That tendency to drag everyone around you into chaos!”

Ha Si-heon was a walking disaster.

If there was even a small spark along his path, he’d inevitably turn it into a raging wildfire.

And now, such a person wanted to dive into a corporate control dispute—a situation where sparks were flying in every direction?

Just imagining it was terrifying.

Jeff was once again convinced during this exchange:

This guy absolutely couldn’t be involved in this project!

But Ha Si-heon remained unfazed.

“That was all extracurricular. Have I ever caused such issues in the work itself?”

“…”

Jeff’s mouth was once again left agape.

Surprisingly, Ha Si-heon was extremely diligent when it came to his work.

He handled tasks swiftly and accurately, and even Pierce was impressed with his meticulousness.

Jeff had expected Ha Si-heon to make a mistake at some point.

But astonishingly, Ha Si-heon only caused trouble outside of the department, while internally, he quietly delivered impressive results.

In fact, up until now, neither Pierce nor Jeff had raised any issues with his external antics.

They had decided it was better to let him vent his energy outside the company, as long as he was doing his job well. It would have been hard to argue against his performance.

But in the end, the feared event had come to pass. Ha Si-heon was now preparing to stir up trouble within the department.

‘What can I do…?'

Jeff squeezed his eyes shut.

This was something he had foreseen the moment the privilege was granted. In fact, it was strange that Ha Si-heon had remained quiet until now.

"So, are you going to refuse my request?"

It seemed like the devil who had been promised was finally coming to collect the debt.

‘Even if I stop him here… would he actually accept that?'

Moreover, even if he was stopped here, Ha Si-heon could easily cause chaos elsewhere.

Could they be sure that the project in question wouldn’t cause a bigger problem than Epicura’s advisory?

Just then, Pierce made his decision.

"I won’t stop you from participating, but there are conditions."

"Conditions?"

"There are three basic rules," Pierce said, raising one finger at a time as he outlined the conditions.

"First, I’ll review all the materials you create beforehand. Second, you won’t speak unless you’re specifically invited during client meetings. Third, since you have no experience in this field, you’ll bring in one seasoned associate to assist you."

Pierce had agreed to Ha Si-heon’s participation, but the specific conditions made his intentions clear. Rather than allowing Ha Si-heon to cause chaos, Pierce preferred to give him what he wanted but with a form of control in place.

"If you break any of these conditions, you’ll be immediately excluded. What do you think?"

He had secured grounds to dismiss Ha Si-heon if necessary. Jeff was concerned whether Ha Si-heon would accept these constraints, but to his surprise, Ha Si-heon simply smiled and agreed.

"Yes, I understand."

After Ha Si-heon left,

"Are you really going to let him do this…?"

Jeff turned to Pierce, but froze when he saw him.

"Don’t worry too much. I’ve got him under control."

Pierce quickly composed his expression, but Jeff had already seen the faint smile on Pierce’s lips.

It was just a fleeting moment, but Jeff knew he hadn’t imagined it.

"Anyway, the actual work will be handed over to an experienced associate, so it shouldn’t be a major issue."

"But this one’s particularly tricky…"

"On the contrary, that might make him more useful."

Pierce’s gaze was intense.

"You know, something feels off about this whole situation."

Two months ago, Pierce had met directly with Epicura’s CEO.

From the start, there had been something suspicious about the whole thing, but neither Pierce nor Jeff had been able to find a solid lead.

Pierce’s comment suggested that Ha Si-heon’s bold personality might actually help solve this problem.

"Even so…"

Who could solve something that even Pierce hadn’t figured out?

Yet, in Pierce’s eyes, there was a glimmer of hope.

"His way of thinking is so unique. Maybe… he’ll discover something we missed."