"80% accuracy?"
Ha Si-heon's statement spread throughout Goldman.
"That's what he said."
"Do you believe it?"
"It's not that I believe it, but he did predict three live deals…"
"So, he's saying he could predict eight?"
The MD's eyes narrowed, resembling the look one might give an adult who claims Santa Claus is real. Noticing the MD's trust rapidly evaporating, the VP quickly defended himself.
"Oh, no, I'm just relaying what I heard…"
"Enough with the useless talk. How did he predict those three live deals?"
"Well…"
The VP hesitated. Ha Si-heon's only explanation had been his supposed 80% accuracy rate. But if he repeated that claim, he'd look like an adult who believes in Santa Claus.
"I'm not sure. He must have his reasons, but he hasn't disclosed them."
"Hmmm…" The MD propped his chin. Predicting three deals from the start seemed miraculous. But the MD was a highly realistic person who didn't believe in Santa.
"Must be due to connections."
Ah!
When a company prepares for an IPO, it sends RFPs (Requests for Proposal) to multiple investment banks. If he had a friend working in the healthcare department of another bank? If he used that information to compile a list? It was a very plausible explanation.
"But that's not what matters now." They had to inform Pierce of the final selection by the end of the day.
"The new guy has the advantage, right?"
"Yes. The healthcare associate looked pretty sour about it."
"What's going on with the healthcare department?"
"It seems that Rhino is having a meeting with the VP and is quite angry."
"Understood."
The MD from that department went directly to Pierce.
"Is it true that your new hire predicted three live deals? I was curious, so I thought I'd take a chance on him."
After that, a line of MDs came to visit Pierce, each placing their bets. Now, all they could do was wait for the outcome.
The next day, 10 a.m.
Pierce returned from the meeting and announced the results of the wager.
"The client chose Sean's teaser."
It was Ha Si-heon's victory.
No one was surprised by this news. After all, the decision had been made by a judge Pierce had bought off. MDs around the office sighed in relief.
"Phew, is it finally over…"
The wager had been a tug-of-war between two titans. Now that the wager was settled, so was the power struggle.
However, the peace didn't last long.
"I heard Rhino ran to the M&A department?"
Within an hour, word spread.
Rhino stormed into the M&A department, threw Brent's teaser at Pierce's feet, and exclaimed, "I can't accept that this list lost."
He refused to accept the outcome.
Pierce shrugged his shoulders.
"Don't take it up with me; it was the client's choice."
"No, this is an MD issue." Rhino spun around, pointing at an accomplice with his finger.
Mason, the perennial second place in the M&A department.
"Let's see if the result would be the same if another MD stepped up."
It was a declaration of a second round.
And two days later…
Three live deals from Brent's list came through.
What? Three???? 3/10?
This wasn't a joke.
—
In just two days…
Pitching ten deals and landing even one is considered a success. But three? That was an extraordinary success rate.
The rumor of Brent being the "real winner" spread rapidly within the company.
—
– Scored three goals but still lost, seriously.
– But the new hire also landed three live deals, right? Isn't it a 3:3 score?
– Predicting other people's live deals doesn't count; that's not Goldman's score.
– True score (only self-made goals count): 3:0.
– Other score (counting goals pointed out by others): 3:3.
More people began claiming that Ha Si-heon's score wasn't legitimate. The most vocal opponents were associates who had bet their salary against Ha Si-heon. For them to keep their wages, Ha Si-heon had to lose.
Then, a new update came through.
"Pierce has been summoned by the executive."
"There was a deal you missed due to your distractions."
The executive, who had never liked Pierce, seemed delighted.
"Of course, not every deal translates into results. But there's a big difference between failing despite your best efforts and missing opportunities because of a trivial wager. If not for Rhino, Goldman might have suffered a significant loss."
Pierce had no rebuttal. He hadn't anticipated a counterattack in this manner.
"There's a project at the London office that could use your help. How about assisting them through November?"
With public opinion on his side, the executive extended Pierce's one-month probation to two.
However, Pierce couldn't accept this.
"I'll make up for it immediately."
He meant to cover the lost performance by securing other deals. Naturally, this wasn't accepted.
"It's not about the numbers. This incident has dampened employee morale."
"If you're truly taking responsibility, then accept the consequences."
In this situation, Pierce had only one choice: to refuse to admit fault.
"It's too soon to conclude. Live deals could still emerge from the new hire's list."
Pierce's offense was "neglecting performance due to trivial distractions." If the new hire's list delivered results, that offense would be nullified.
The executive, however, sneered.
"Ha! Do you honestly believe that's possible?"
"The new hire is no ordinary rookie. You've seen his talent for predicting live deals."
"Isn't there another reason for that?"
In Goldman, the dominant theory was Ha Si-heon's "connections theory." The core belief was that Ha Si-heon had "gathered information through connections, creating the illusion of a miracle."
Pierce, too, was a believer in the connections theory. But now, he couldn't back down.
"It's too early to make assumptions. We can wait and decide based on the outcome."
"How long will you keep waiting for a miracle?"
"Two weeks."
"..."
"Just give me two weeks, and I'll show you."
"And if you can't show anything?"
"I'll accept any consequences."
The third round had begun. This time, it was a match between Pierce and the executive.
Pierce is heading to London for two months…
***
It seemed almost certain.
MDs who heard the news from London were taken aback.
"Pierce is leaving for two months?"
Something was changing. They wanted to ask Pierce directly, but…
"He's out in the field…"
Pierce was currently unavailable, busy pursuing real deals with Ha Si-heon's teaser. Meanwhile, Rhino began making rounds through various departments.
"So, which side are you betting on in this round?"
It was déjà vu. Rhino was bringing up the bet in the same way Pierce had.
"I haven't bet on either side…"
"Then place your bet now. Which side do you think will win?"
"Haha, I'm not sure. Things are busy…"
"Think it over. I'll come back tomorrow."
The MDs were caught in a dilemma. After the second and third rounds, the positions of the titans had shifted. Should they stick with their original alignment or switch sides?
This question distilled into one: Who would be the next executive?
The deciding factor was none other than the new hire's list.
If even one live deal emerged from that list, Pierce would avoid punishment and rise to an executive position. But if none came through, Pierce would head to London for two months, giving Rhino the chance to take the executive spot.
Those feeling the heat asked Jeff about Pierce's progress, but…
"I don't know any details either."
"But there's always a sense, right?"
"A contract isn't about a sense; it's about a signature."
They could gather no hints.
Yet doing nothing left them uneasy.
"Get that list!"
The MDs sought out Ha Si-heon's teaser. Acquiring it wasn't difficult since Ha Si-heon had left it lying openly on his desk, oblivious to anyone secretly copying it.
Flip, flip!
Reading the teaser themselves, the MDs were somewhat impressed. For something the rookie put together for the first time, it was impressively polished. It included complex valuations, showed no modeling errors, and sounded fairly convincing.
But would a client really open their wallet after reading this?
"Pierce won't mention it was written by a rookie."
Pierce was an MD renowned for his stellar track record, called the "Lich King" since no deal died in his hands. Surely, he could land at least one deal.
But… healthcare?
Pierce hadn't handled any healthcare deals in nearly two years due to his strained relationship with Rhino. He didn't know the industry's specific nuances or current trends. Moreover, his usual clients were entirely unrelated to healthcare.
It was a situation where he'd have to break new ground.
Will the rookie's recommendation bring success within two weeks?
A decision had to be made.
The next day, Rhino appeared.
"Well?"
"Well, naturally, you, as a healthcare expert, would have the advantage, haha!"
Some took the opportunity to switch to Rhino's side.
"I… I don't know. Of course, you have the advantage, but this world is full of strange surprises…"
Others cautiously showed support for Pierce.
No matter which side they chose, they were all equally anxious. The line had already been drawn. Was this the right choice? The outcome depended on the rookie's list.
In that tense atmosphere, Ha Si-heon's first pick landed a deal.
*
The plan I've been working on for so long is finally bearing fruit—better than I expected. Let's remember: my goal isn't to simply win a wager.
I have only one objective from the start.
To spread the rumor among Wall Street and the elite circles that Ha Si-heon is a genius rookie.
The strategy has two main stages:
One, prove my genius.
Two, spread the rumor among the elite.
The second stage has been highly successful so far. Every MD at Goldman, who frequently meets with CEOs and major investors, is watching my teaser.
Now, all that remains is to prove my genius.
Of course, I'm no actual genius. But coming from the future, do I really need to be a true genius? With an 80% accuracy rate, people will call me a genius whether they like it or not. So, I've been promoting my 80% success rate with all my might. Yet the world is truly unforgiving—no matter how much I try to explain the truth, no one seems to believe it.
'How can I make them believe this…?'
My strategy is simple: the so-called "Pangyo Project."
Humans instinctively distrust good news. No matter how true it may be, they're bound to doubt it first. Who would believe it right away if I claimed that land in Pangyo would jump from 1 million KRW per pyeong to 50 million KRW?
But how about now?
The once-private live deal I pinpointed is now going public. The land that was valued at 1 million KRW per pyeong has now risen to 1.5 million KRW.
And now, it's jumped to 2 million KRW.
And then to 3 million KRW.
I've sparked a small miracle, but it's not enough. As history has proven time and again, humans tend to throw stones at anyone who performs miracles.
In fact, while hiding out in the bathroom, I could hear whispers all around me.
"Did you hear the rookie landed another IPO? Must be his connections, right? Isn't that cheating?"
"What's so surprising? That guy's an opportunist. Just look at how he rigged the game to cash in as much as he could…"
"He only started this bet because he was bragging in front of Brent, saying he could do better, right? Classic behavior…"
I've been getting quite a bit of criticism lately. Well, I suppose it's fortunate that my personality isn't exactly great, so it doesn't feel entirely unjustified.
The important thing is that no one believes in my predictions.
But a short time later…
The fourth stock pick from my report landed a deal. Spirogen is a company developing next-generation antibody-drug conjugate technology. I predicted that, given its cancer treatment potential, a major pharmaceutical company would inevitably acquire it. And, as private equity firms do, I suggested buying this promising company early to sell it off later. Now, news had come that the company was indeed acquired.
Just as I had foreseen—sold off to a major pharmaceutical company!
At this point, people started rereading my report a few more times. In Pangyo terms, the land that was 1 million KRW per pyeong just reached 3.5 million KRW. My report had even specified that exact 3.5 million KRW figure, supported by complex market conditions, numerous formulas, and financial models.
This is math.
Moreover, it's already hit the mark four times. Could you ignore this?
— No way…
– There's got to be a reason. Maybe he's got connections in that field…
– Just ignore it.
Humans are like this. Even when a miracle appears before them, they just can't believe it. Does a white horse with a horn make it a unicorn? Until the miracle happens, it's just an odd-looking white horse. One miracle, even two, can be dismissed as coincidence.
But…
Now, Pangyo's land price has soared to 11 million KRW per pyeong, exactly as the unicorn predicted.
How did he…?
– Connections, maybe…
– That's impossible!
Even connections couldn't explain this miracle. FDA approvals are not something connections could reveal in advance. Numerous hedge funds with far more capital than I had tried and failed to obtain such insider information. And yet, I got it right?
Rumors began to shift.
— Could he actually land all eight?
– Are you listening to yourself? That's impossible.
But he's actually getting them right…
I could feel a growing uncertainty in their gaze. Not that they're ready to treat me as a unicorn, but that's fine. Only five of the eight picks have succeeded so far.
Today marks the sixth.
This unicorn claimed to know all eight answers, and six have come true. Still don't believe it?
Well, I don't mind.
Tomorrow brings another day. Will they still be able to hold out against belief when the time comes?