“......”

“......”

It was awkward.

White Shark tried hard to keep a poker face as if nothing had happened.

[Yes! White Shark! He’s down! Ah! Orca! Charging in without mercy!]

As the emcee’s commentary and the crowd’s thunderous cheers burst out, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

Meanwhile, Ackman was also standing there nonchalantly…

Herbalife Position (2012-2015)

RIP

The spot where he was standing was terribly unfortunate.

It just so happened to be right in front of the “Ackman’s Grave” zone.

Behind him, tombstones of countless liquidated positions stood in a line, almost as if fallen soldiers were quietly standing behind their general — it was downright eerie.

‘......’

Usually, there’s a customary exchange at events like this.

—Thank you for taking the time to come despite your busy schedule.

—Thank you for inviting me.

However, such a conversation was completely impossible in this situation.

‘Why on earth did you come here?’

This party was only for those who had been invited.

Therefore, the fact that these two were here meant that Gonzalez himself had sent them invitations.

‘Why did he invite those two?’

Actually, this wasn’t entirely Gonzalez’s fault.

Even if they had received invitations, it was also a problem that they came running here without hesitation.

It was at that moment.

The very man who had orchestrated this bizarre situation, Gonzalez, appeared.

“Oh, you came?”

Gonzalez widened his eyes in surprise, unable to hide it. Between the lines, it almost sounded like, “Wow, you really showed up?”

“Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules.”

“......”

“......”

“Are you enjoying the party?”

“......”

“......”

Gonzalez looked back and forth between White Shark and Ackman, waiting for an answer.

It seemed he was hoping for some polite, formal response.

In the end, White Shark forced himself to speak.

“Quite a unique party.”

“Yes, we put a lot of effort into it.”

“......”

I watched this strange exchange and felt genuinely impressed inside.

‘So you can provoke people in this kind of way too.’

I had always prided myself on being somewhat skilled in this area…

But in my case, I only ever used such tactics when it was strategically necessary.

I would stir up my opponent’s emotions only to create an advantageous flow for myself.

However, Gonzalez?

He was doing this even though he had nothing to gain.

Moreover, White Shark and Ackman were both already defeated by me.

They were no longer threats, yet he insisted on dragging them out of the grave, shining a spotlight on them, then burying them again.

‘How should I put this… it’s really refreshing.’

This was a method that had never existed within the bounds of my thinking.

At my age, to learn something completely new…

‘Well, they do say you’re never too old to learn.’

Anyway.

It felt like a whole new world had opened before me.

“I have something to discuss with Sean.”

However, White Shark began speaking bluntly as if he hadn’t noticed any of this.

It was a subtle way of telling Gonzalez to step aside.

Gonzalez gave a bright smile and clapped his fist into his other palm.

“Oh, you mean a private place. There just so happens to be a quiet room. I’ll take you right there!”

Just as Gonzalez was about to turn away, he paused and looked innocently at White Shark.

“By the way, do you have any intention of using violence?”

“......”

This time, even White Shark seemed to lose his composure, his lips twisting wildly.

Then Gonzalez grinned broadly and tilted his head.

“If you do plan on it, we can even lend you some equipment.”

He pointed toward the boxing ring.

There, people wearing a White Shark and an Orca mascot suit were clashing with comically oversized gloves.

To be precise, it was closer to a one-sided beatdown.

The person in the White Shark suit was already on the floor, bound hand and foot, while the Orca was mounted on top, pummeling away relentlessly.

“If the original gets in the ring himself, it would be the highest honor for us.”

“......”

Once again, I was astonished.

‘So there was still more to provoke!’

I had thought the peak had been reached just moments ago…

But as always, there’s always someone higher up.

Realizing all this, I was about to move to another spot when another voice cut in from behind.

“I also…”

It was Ackman.

He had remained silent all this time, as if yielding every line to White Shark, but finally, he opened his mouth.

Actually, this was odd too.

In terms of fame alone, Ackman far outclassed White Shark.

‘Wait, is that still true?’

White Shark had become a meme and the symbol of “White Guilt,” but his fund itself was still intact. Meanwhile, Ackman was barely surviving on an emergency private equity infusion after being forcibly liquidated.

Maybe that’s why.

It seemed like he was hiding behind White Shark…

But this time, he clearly had something he wanted to say directly.

“I also have something to discuss with Sean.”

***

On the way backstage, following Gonzalez.

White Shark was barely keeping his exploding mental state in check.

[Orca! He shows no mercy! Are we having shark fin soup tonight?]

The annoying commentary wouldn’t stop.

His neck stiffened, and his blood pressure was about to burst.

At least the room Gonzalez guided them to had perfect soundproofing — that was a relief.

[Who told you to be born as White Shark—]

The moment the door shut, the noise cut off completely.

Finally, his mind, which had been almost paralyzed, began to return bit by bit.

“Well then, please feel free to talk.”

Just then.

As Gonzalez was about to leave, he suddenly stopped at the door and turned back.

“Oh, excuse me, but may I take a picture?”

“A picture?”

“Yes, just in case we might need evidence later… I’ve had a few drinks, so my testimony might not sound credible.”

In other words, if something were to happen to Ha Si-heon, he would need a photo as evidence.

While suppressing his surging blood pressure, Gonzalez casually pulled out his smartphone and snapped a picture of the three of them before finally leaving.

‘Ha, so the staff are the same as him.’

All this time, he had wondered, ‘How do those employees manage to endure under such a crazy boss?’

At least, he felt like he finally got an answer to that question.

Meanwhile, Ha Si-heon briskly walked over to the table, picked up a remote, and turned on the large TV hanging on the wall.

“There’s a broadcast I really have to watch right now. Can we talk after it’s over?”

Without waiting for a reply, he was already flipping through the channels.

The screen showed a live broadcast of Aaron Stark’s rocket launch.

Space and aerospace were far from Ha Si-heon’s main field, yet he was completely absorbed in the screen.

[The Space Z Eagle 9 rocket is now entering its launch countdown…]

While Ha Si-heon was absorbed in the broadcast, White Shark glanced stealthily over at Ackman.

‘I didn’t expect to see you here either.’

He conveyed his thoughts through his eyes, and Ackman lowered his gaze to the floor, keeping his lips tightly sealed.

He didn’t want to say anything.

In truth, there was no need for words to guess why Ackman had shown up here.

‘In the end, he’s thinking the same thing as me.’

White Shark and Ackman had something in common.

They had both been utterly defeated by Ha Si-heon.

And one more thing.

Both of them were members of the Triangle Club.

‘Triangle Club.’

It was a place where only the titans of the hedge fund world gathered — the so-called Olympus of the industry.

And yet…

The once godlike White Shark and Ackman had now both suffered humiliating defeats at the hands of a newcomer whose firm hadn’t even been open for a year.

Naturally, this turned the entire club upside down.

—I wonder if the two of you even deserve to keep attending this gathering.

—Losing to a newcomer is bad enough, but in front of such a large public audience…

—At this rate, the club’s prestige itself will be shaken!

Voices calling for their expulsion poured in, but the club president was a stickler for the rules.

—The rules are clear. We select the top six from each faction.

The Triangle Club was internally divided into three factions.

First, the “Strategists.”

Their philosophy was: “Move nations, not stocks.”

They primarily focused on macro strategies and geopolitical issues.

Second, the “Activists.”

Their principle: “Create pressure to create change.”

They mainly focused on corporate governance reforms and event-driven strategies.

Third, the “Architects.”

Their motto: “The market is a system. Code the chaos.”

They designed strategies based on quant and technical analysis.

The activist faction, which included White Shark and Ackman, was relatively new.

Even though the two of them had lost to Ha Si-heon, there was no one yet who could replace them, so the club couldn’t just throw them out recklessly.

—Even so… If only they had lost quietly, maybe we could’ve looked the other way.

—You made too big of a scene. You should’ve kept it modest, tsk tsk.

Whenever he heard things like that, White Shark wanted to scream inside.

‘As if I wanted to make it that big!’

It hadn’t been White Shark who blew up the Epicura incident in the first place.

It was that madman, Ha Si-heon.

—And to lose to such a newcomer, of all people…

—Then, did any of you predict even one word that guy said? Try going up against him yourself. I guarantee you’ll end up even more embarrassed than I was. You don’t have to look far — just look at Ackman!

-...!

After the Herbalife incident, Ackman barely said a word at meetings.

It was inevitable.

Before he got crushed himself, Ackman was the one who laughed at White Shark the most.

—Even if it was unexpected, he’s just a rookie, isn’t he? With your experience, you should’ve crushed him. You didn’t even win overwhelmingly, tsk tsk.

And the result?

Ackman suffered an even more humiliating defeat than White Shark.

At this point, you’d think the other members would realize something…

—I don’t let my guard down.

All he got in return was ridicule.

After laughing at them for a long time, the members finally changed the topic.

About Ha Si-heon’s initiation test…

To become a new member of the Triangle Club, you had to pass certain trials.

You had to clear the tests set by each faction.

And those tests went like this.

For the Strategists.

“Shake a nation-level economy without regulatory sanctions.”

For the Activists.

“Lead a nationwide campaign to victory.”

For the Architects.

“Predict a black swan event and profit from it.”

Every one of these was a tough, nearly impossible task.

But Ha Si-heon had already cleared all these conditions even before receiving an invitation.

—This is unprecedented. Should we consider this as having passed all the tests…?

—No. The Triangle Club’s initiation test is a rite of passage that requires official recognition and consent from existing members, isn’t it? In this case, we should design a new test.

In the end, they decided to conduct a completely new type of test this time.

White Shark had come in person to deliver this news.

Ackman’s purpose was likely the same.

‘We need to tell this guy about the test.’

Both of them wanted Ha Si-heon to pass this test.

The reason was simple.

‘I can’t be the only one to suffer!’

They knew Ha Si-heon would come up with some absurd, outrageous method again.

During that process, the other Triangle members would undoubtedly be humiliated too.

‘They all need to get a taste of this too.’

That was the only way to restore their damaged pride.

[Success! The Eagle 9 is now descending! The landing legs are deploying…! Landing successful! This is a historic moment!]

Upon hearing that the rocket recovery had succeeded, Ha Si-heon turned off the TV with a satisfied expression.

Then he looked first at White Shark.

“So, what do you want to talk about?”

“There’s something I need to tell you about the Triangle Club.”

Normally, there would’ve been some beating around the bush before getting to the main point, but White Shark went straight to it.

‘Let’s end this quickly and get out of here.’

He was already exhausted enough.

He wanted to minimize his contact with Ha Si-heon and escape this wretched party as fast as possible.

“I assure you, it’s information that will help you. But there’s a condition.”

This was about providing details necessary for joining the Triangle Club.

Even if he wanted Ha Si-heon to pass, he couldn’t just give it away for free.

So he mentioned the “condition” and then shut his mouth.

Normally, at this point, Ha Si-heon would’ve asked, “What condition?”

“Condition, huh…”

Ha Si-heon gave a small smile and replied.

“Then no thanks. I won’t listen.”

A completely unexpected reaction.

“Well then, enjoy the rest of the party.”

"...?"

Ha Si-heon turned around without any hesitation and started walking toward the door.

At that moment, Ackman quickly blocked his way.

“It’s about the rules for accepting new members into the Triangle Club. You can’t find this information anywhere else. Are you really sure you won’t regret leaving now?”

Ha Si-heon glanced at Ackman, then looked back at White Shark and smiled.

“A condition is something the more desperate side inevitably has to accept, isn’t it?”

What he meant was crystal clear.

‘Who’s the more desperate one here?’

Ha Si-heon took it a step further.

“Well, we’re not strangers… In the spirit of old times, I can hear you out, but I’m actually quite busy too. So, there’s a condition for me to listen.”

It was absurd.

They were offering valuable information, and yet instead of being grateful, he was demanding a price to even listen.

Truly, he was a vicious bastard.

They had met countless vicious people in this world, but Ha Si-heon was on a whole different level.

However.

There was only one thing motivating White Shark right now.

‘I can’t be the only one to suffer!’

They absolutely had to unleash this mad dog, Ha Si-heon, on the other Triangle members.

Once they experienced it firsthand, they’d all understand.

—White Shark’s defeat wasn’t simply due to a lack of skill.

—That, against a madman, there is no answer!

So White Shark suppressed his disbelief and spoke with difficulty.

“What is the condition?”

“Hmm, I’ll just put it on your tab as a debt for now.”

In Wall Street terms, a “debt” holds a significant meaning.

It meant that no matter what the other party asks later, you must grant them one request.

‘That also means I’ll have to keep getting involved with this guy…’

Honestly, he hated it.

But for White Shark right now, something else was more important.

‘I absolutely can’t be the only one to suffer.’

In the end, White Shark made the hard decision.

“Fine, I’ll accept the debt.”

Then Ha Si-heon looked over at Ackman.

When Ackman also nodded, Ha Si-heon finally opened his mouth, as if doing them a huge favor.

“Alright then. I’ll listen. What is it?”