anwhile, Pierce was eavesdropping on the entire conversation between Ha Si-heon and Brent.
The more he listened, the more intrigued he beca.
"Interesting."
Every newcor who tried to get into Brent’s good graces chose the sa thod: groveling.
Because the easiest way to elevate soone is to lower yourself.
But Ha Si-heon was the exact opposite.
By elevating himself, he was actually elevating Brent even more.
I’m from d school, so I have a lot of interest in this field.
—Oh, d school?
In reality, the power dynamic was flipped.
Brent was delighted to be acknowledged by a d student.
And that wasn’t all.
"He's steering the conversation."
Brent thought he was in control, but the actual driver of the conversation was Ha Si-heon.
After covering his na, background, departnt, and hobbies, Ha Si-heon even said,
You could probably help us with our work too.
Of course, that was an empty statent.
There was no way Brent would actually take action.
But,
"Not bad."
For a newcor, this level of performance was comndable.
Maybe above average.
With such quick thinking and fast hands, he might prove useful.
"Is there one more?"
Just as he was asking the instructor for the next candidate,
Ha Si-heon, who had been nothing but courteous until now, changed his attitude.
—From my observation, about 80% of the companies I keep an eye on always have so news about deals. But the bio-pharma industry is a bit unique, isn’t it?
—It seems that expertise plays a larger role here compared to other fields.
Suddenly, he was acting out of arrogance, relying on his dical background, right in front of an industry veteran.
Is this just youthful arrogance?
It felt off to dismiss it that easily.
This was the sa rookie who had just expertly maneuvered the conversation.
And despite his sudden boldness, he was still being unfailingly polite.
This wasn’t a personality flaw but rather a statent coming from an over-reliance on his expertise.
It was as if he were deliberately making this claim.
His actions reeked of intention.
"Does he have sothing to gain from this?"
No.
Wall Street is a macho environnt.
In most places in Arica, a senior colleague who embraces an arrogant newcor might be seen positively, but on Wall Street, that would only make him look soft and weak, inviting ridicule.
If Ha Si-heon continued making such audacious remarks, Brent wouldn’t just sit by.
As Pierce’s thoughts reached this point, his eyes widened.
"Could it be… that was his aim?"
There was only one way for Brent to protect his reputation: to put that cocky kid in his place.
He had to show the rookie the harsh realities of the field firsthand.
And to do that, he'd have to bring him into his own departnt.
If Ha Si-heon wanted to move to the healthcare departnt, this was the fastest route.
The real challenge would co next.
He’d have to prove his skills under imnse pressure.
Even if he perford admirably, people might still say, "Is that all you’ve got after making such bold claims?"
"This situation couldn’t possibly turn out well… Unless…he displayed overwhelming talent."
If he displays enough skill to be acknowledged even by those with a biased perspective, this situation could turn into a favorable opportunity.
"There's no way that will happen."
"Excuse ?"
"It's nothing. I just had a ridiculous thought for a mont."
As Pierce chuckled and shook his head, the instructor looked puzzled.
Pierce had a tendency to get ahead of himself.
He often saw moves that didn’t even exist.
"There’s no way soone like that exists."
No matter how confident soone is in their abilities, that was too bold.
No, bold wouldn’t even begin to describe it.
If that was truly a calculated move, that person was insane.
"But still…"
There were plenty of insane people on Wall Street.
The big shots at the top were all out-of-the-ordinary madn.
He knew this because he had t them.
The ones ruling from the top of Wall Street weren’t there because of genius intellect.
There was a bigger common denominator than knowledge, strategy, or experience.
It was courage.
Big players always took absurd actions without hesitation.
This kind of courage couldn’t be trained; it was a natural-born talent.
Was this guy just an arrogant rookie?
Or was he an out-of-the-box monster?
There was no ti left to ponder.
If left alone, that guy would end up in the healthcare departnt.
If Pierce wanted to snatch him, this was the mont.
"Should I steal him first and figure it out later?"
"Excuse ?"
When the instructor turned his head, Pierce was already gone.
***
I need to be taught a lesson.
That’s why I worked so hard to provoke and act arrogant, practically begging for soone to "discipline" .
And finally, that effort paid off.
Brent, with a sour look on his face, said sothing like this:
"When you actually try it, you'll realize that theory and knowledge have their limits."
"Is that so?"
"You’ll see soon enough."
This was an invitation to the departnt.
Judging by his expression, he was ready to move imdiately, perhaps even tomorrow.
Well, it wasn’t going to be that difficult.
All Brent had to do was complain to his superiors about the lack of personnel and point out that there just happened to be a d school graduate without a departnt.
‘He’ll probably make my life miserable for a while… but that’s only temporary.’
What’s the most important thing on Wall Street?
Money.
If I rack up achievents and make a ton of money, Brent’s superiors will start to like .
Then Brent will have no choice but to like too.
Rember, the most important thing for is ti.
I need to transfer to a high-volu departnt as soon as possible, prove my abilities, et clients, and gather future investors.
Thanks to my efforts just now, I’ve shortened my waiting ti by a few months.
I’ve already made this much progress, so who cares if Brent whines a bit?
As I quietly celebrated my small victory,
"I see you're having an interesting conversation."
A stranger’s voice interrupted.
I looked up to see a middle-aged man dressed in a t-shirt and jeans standing there.
He looked absolutely out of place in casual clothes.
‘Who the hell is this guy?’
While I and the other rookies were puzzled, Brent’s reaction was different.
He pulled himself together and took a respectful stance.
"Mr. Pierce! What are you doing here?"
"Have we t before?"
"Yes! During my internship, I helped with the Scion Capital pitch!"
"Oh, did you? You weren’t one of the ones who ran away, were you?"
"No, sir! I actually applied for the M&A departnt. But you didn’t call …"
M&A departnt.
Judging by Brent’s reaction, this man’s rank was Managing Director.
His na was Pierce.
As I quickly went through my mories based on the clues, sothing ca to mind.
‘Could it be… the Lich King?’
A few rumors ca to mind.
So said he was the crazy guy who could revive dead deals or the monster who hunted corporate raiders.
It seems those rumors were true.
Because by now, a number of associates had already gathered around us.
They rushed over when they heard Pierce’s na.
"Why is Mr. Pierce here…?"
"Why, am I not allowed to co to a place like this?"
"It’s not that… but this is a place mostly frequented by newcors."
I want to hear this too.
Soone of his reputation should be hanging out in more upscale places, so why is he lurking around here?
And on top of that, soone as high-ranking as him is paying attention to Brent.
"I happened to overhear, sitting nearby. You were having an interesting conversation."
A sense of foreboding hit .
"It was a rather intriguing topic. You were saying you could read the market through experience, while the rookie was saying theory and knowledge could do the sa."
Brent’s face hardened.
He, too, must have had the sa bad feeling.
And that feeling turned out to be right.
"How about a bet with ?"
"A bet? What are you talking about…?"
"Rather than just debating, why not settle it with an actual challenge?"
Brent’s face turned pale.
There was nothing to gain from such a contest.
Even if he won, there’d be no benefit, and if he lost, it would be humiliating.
"This rookie doesn’t know anything! It’s just ignorance speaking…"
"Exactly! Isn’t it interesting to compare the eyes of an ignorant rookie and a seasoned associate? Surely, you’re not afraid of losing to a rookie?"
"Of course not, but… I’m busy with a big deal right now…"
As Brent hesitated, Pierce suddenly turned his head toward .
"What about you?"
I definitely didn’t want to participate.
Why did I bother flattering and provoking him all this ti?
This wasn’t just about beating Brent.
I needed to go to the healthcare departnt to be "taught a lesson" and then suddenly erge as a standout genius rookie.
I’ve already laid out the groundwork, so there’s no reason to gamble on this.
"The senior is right. I don’t know anything yet."
"For soone who doesn’t know anything, you seed quite confident. Didn’t you say you had an 80% success rate? Was that just bluster?"
"I ant to say that I was curious to see if it was luck or skill. It could have just been luck."
"Great! I like testing luck too."
This guy never intended to ask for our opinions in the first place.
In this situation, I had to stick with Brent.
Neither of us wanted to do this, so what could he do?
‘Just hold out until he leaves.’
That’s what I resolved to do.
But then—
Thud!
Pierce put his glass down on the table and pulled out his wallet.
He took out a wad of cash and held it between his fingers.
His gaze turned to the spectators around us.
"I’m putting $1,000 on the rookie winning."
"Damn."
The associates’ eyes changed.
They had the eyes of hyenas that had found prey.
Those who joined this bet would later brag about "betting with Pierce" as a kind of heroic tale.
This was bad…
"Then I’m putting $50 on Brent!"
"Co on, $50? That’s petty! I’m putting $100 on Brent!"
" too, $100!"
"I trust Mr. Pierce’s judgnt and put $500 on the rookie!"
"Hey, hey! Soone needs to keep track of the bets!"
Shouts erupted from all sides, and bills waved through the air.
"I’ll keep track!"
"Who just bet on the rookie?"
"Wow, traitor! You should back your fellow rookie!"
"I trust Mr. Pierce’s judgnt!"
"But I really don’t have the ti…"
Brent tried to protest, but his voice was drowned out by the excitent of the betting.
And ?
I just gave up and kept my mouth shut.
This montum couldn’t be stopped by just one or two people.
The bet had already beco a foregone conclusion.
So now I had to prepare for what ca next.
‘This isn’t looking good…’
There’s no benefit in setting myself up for a direct confrontation with Brent.
If I lose this bet?
There’d be no reason to recruit soone without the necessary skills into the departnt.
If I win?
That would an Brent lost to a rookie.
That wouldn’t just be his personal embarrassnt, it would disgrace the entire departnt.
No way they’d bring in soone who embarrassed their lord.
That would an any chance of transferring to the healthcare departnt was gone.
My two hours of effort would have gone to waste.
‘Well, that’s that.’
It stings, but dwelling on it now would just be a waste of ti.
I need to figure out why this happened.
Why would soone as high-ranking as him randomly show up at a rookie’s welco event, and why would he co here specifically to ruin the pretty picture I’ve carefully painted?
It’s not like he has ti to waste on things like this.
‘What’s he trying to gain from this?’
I tried to read Pierce’s expression, but our eyes t.
Avoiding it would have seed strange, so I kept looking, and Pierce smiled.
From the greed in his eyes, I could tell.
His target was .
But why… exactly?
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