12 Hours After
Author: FromHell
Date: 2024-06-15T17:21:04.775000+00:00

Chapter 1 - A Strange Fate

“This stop is Yeoksam, Yeoksam, the door to get off is on your right.”

The subway door opened, and I, who was standing by the door, started running forward like lightning.

“Beep!”

Climbing up the stairs, I swiped the transportation card and began to climb again.

I did not exercise much at all, so my breath quickly ran out. The sky seemed to turn yellow, but I could not stop moving. While running, I looked at my cell phone in a hurry. The clock was pointing at 8:50 a.m. It was up to me whether I would be late or not. I kept running without stopping.

The company was right next to the subway exit. If I left the exit, I would see a crosswalk. I only needed to cross one road. I ran up the subway escalator like lightning. The blue sky came into sight, and now being late was up to the traffic lights of the crosswalk. After leaving the subway station, I immediately looked at the traffic lights of the crosswalk. The traffic light flashed green, and there were only three seconds left.

“Ah…”

If I wasn’t Usain Bolt running at full speed, I wouldn’t be able to cross on time. I looked at my cell phone clock. It was 8:52 a.m. I had eight minutes. Thinking about the waiting time for the signal, the game was already over. I was late. I seemed to hear the voice of the section chief, Heo.

“You lazy bastard, that’s all you can do?”

I stood there, balancing on one leg and then the other, dropped my head, and touched my forehead.

“Oh, I…”

I noticed a small yellow and red card right in front of my shoes, which would usually be a flyer saying, “A beauty is on standby for 24 hours’” or “100% Instant Loan.” I would have passed without seeing it, if it had been the same as usual. But the strange words written there caught my attention.

[Pick this up and look at the back.]

[You won’t get in trouble even if you are late today.]

‘What is this?’

I lifted it. It looked like an ordinary card flyer. But it was written in yellow on the red background, ‘Pick this up and look at the back. You won’t get in trouble even if you are late today.’ I giggled with it in my hand.

‘Whoever thought it up… it is clever marketing. Are they targeting people who are late, like me?’

I turned the card around and looked at the back. It said, [Send me your main email address at 919-31413-11721]

‘This is funny…’

The only content was a funny phone number. It did not start with 010, nor did it have four digits at the end.

‘Is it some kind of fun, or a fraud?’

I was thinking of that, and a lot of people beside me started to cross the crosswalk with a quick pace. The light was blue. Without realizing, I put it in my pocket and started running across the crosswalk. It wasn’t to avoid being late, I was already late. It was just because I felt like had to show them that I had run, only to be less late than a minute.

I ran again with my poor stamina. I stood at the door of the company again and looked at my watch.

[9:02]

Two minutes late, breathing hard, this might be excused a little, a little less. I opened the door and went in. I quickly looked for section chief Heo. But I could not see my superior who nagged me every day. Just in time, an employee, Kim, who had joined the company at the same time, was passing by.

“Hey, Han Sang-hoon. You are late, aren’t you?”

I asked him, “What about section chief Heo?”

“Ah… he was hospitalized last night for his appendix.”

I was surprised. “What?”

When he saw me, Kim smiled and said, “You are lucky. If section chief Heo had come to work, you would have been severely told off.”

Kim left and went back to his seat. I naturally put my hand in my pocket. I look at the card and murmured the phrase there.

“You won’t get in trouble even if you are late today…”

‘Coincidence?’

It was a strange thing to call it a coincidence. I turned the card over.

[919-31413-11721.]

Still, that funny phone number was written there. If it had been an ordinary day, I would have laughed at it and passed, but strangely, I was attracted to it.

‘A business email, not a frequent email address… Should I send one that I don’t use much…’

Remembering the old email address I had made during my school days, I wrote it down and texted it.

‘[email protected]’

Bring!

However, as soon as I sent a text message, I got a reply right away.

[Thank you. Free subscription has begun.]

‘Free subscription? Are they sending me some kind of erotic photos?’

Maybe the flyer was a promotion for an adult site. I recalled adult sites I used to access while avoiding my parents’ eyes when I was a kid.

‘It is old-fashioned… Who would pay to see some kind of erotic photo lately? Well, if anyone is caught in something like this, they may pay for it…’

I turned on the Internet window and opened the mailbox I had left behind without using much. There were 999 emails in the left-over mailbox. I clicked on it. There were plenty of familiar spam emails.

[This is team leader Kim Mi-young. You can borrow up to 40 thousand dollars.]

[Car insurance in the news. Check it out now.]

‘These are not going to be…’

But there was an email at the top of the list, with a prominent title. Under the title was written 12 Hours After. It was a simple email.

12 Hours After? Isn’t that an erotic photo?’

I tried to click on it. But I noticed something strange. The sender address was completely empty.

‘What is this?’

There was no sender. I had never received this kind of email before. It reminded me of what I had seen in newspapers.

‘Awareness of emails from hackers.’

‘Virus transmission via email’

‘Clicking one moment starts data hacking’

It seemed that I had seen such an article in the recent social section.

‘What do I do?’

I was worried for a moment and checked the window in the lower right corner. My virus protection’s real-time surveillance was on.

‘There’s nothing to lose.’

I decided to open it with a left-click. Soon the message was open on the monitor. Seeing it, I shouted inside, ‘What is this?’

Chapter 2 - 12 Hours After, Part I

There were only two lines in the email.

[Politics Economy Society Life/Culture World IT/Science Entertainment Sports]

[You can subscribe to only one news item a day.]

The eight categories above were, in a way, categories of a newspaper. The category was a dark blue color, which seemed to be a moving link when I clicked it. I unintentionally moved my cursor over ‘Politics, which was at the top, but the phrase below it bothered me.

[You can subscribe to only one news item a day.]

‘Only one news item a day?’

Just one line of explanation, there was nothing else. I moved the cursor left and right with my chin in one hand.

‘If I have to see one…’

I clicked on ‘Entertainment’ without thinking about it. Soon, a linked article appeared on the window.

[The cause of death of the king of pop, Roger ‘Knight’ Jackson was assumed to be a drug overdose.]

[The king of pop, Roger Jackson was found dead around 8 p.m. Korean time today. According to the U.S. coroner’s autopsy…]

‘What? Roger Jackson is dead?’

I was surprised. Roger Jackson, the king of pop, better known as his stage name, Knight, was one of the most influential artists in the world. As a fan of his, I, had never missed putting “Blue Rain”, one of his hit songs, in my music player’s playlist since college, when I had learned about him.

‘… really?’

I looked for the media that had sent out the article, because sometimes the tabloids that were targeting celebrities, especially in the United States, often posted ridiculous fake articles. However, it was strange. In the news, there was nothing about it, such as the name of the press, the time of the upload, and so on.

‘What…?’

I looked down at the bottom of the article.

[… there is a wave of memorials of fans who honor him all over the world.]

There was no name or email address of the reporter who wrote the article at the end of it. It was absurd.

‘An article is basically written based on trusting the reporter. Even tabloid news that writes stories about UFOs or 911 conspiracy theories as facts, also states where the article was published or who wrote it.’

Nevertheless, this article did not have any such thing at all.

‘What is this?’

I left the news on, clicked on the new window, and pulled out another window. Then I hit ‘Roger Jackson’ on the search engine. Soon an article about him popped out.

[The concert tickets of Roger Knight Jackson in Korea were sold out in three hours. -Union News]

[The old man is not dead. Roger Jackson earned $40 million during his World Tour. -Today’s Media]

[The pop star Roger Jackson, who is about to visit Korea, will release a new song a week from now. -Koryo Daily News]

Most of the articles were filled with stories about his concert in Korea, and his new songs. There was not a single line of articles about his death. I returned to the original article via Alt Tab. The article was clearly reporting Roger Jackson’s death. It was in great detail.

[The direct cause of the death of Roger Jackson was an overdose of Fentanyl, an opioid…]

‘It’s strange…’

I read the article again. But it was a fake news, no matter how I looked at it. It was a very well-made fake news article.

‘If it’s a fake news, they don’t need to make it this well…’

I thought so, and suddenly I panicked.

‘Oh, my God! A Virus!’

At the thought, I hastily turned the page off. As soon as I turned the window off, I launched the vaccine program.

‘This is definitely a spam email, given the fact that they made the fake news so sophisticated. At the same time as clicking, a strange program such as a virus is installed to destroy the computer.’

‘What do I have to do? If I lose my work documents…’

I first unplugged the Internet line, plugged a work USB into my computer, and moved important documents to it. Then, my feet shivering, I waited for the virus protection program to run through the computer. Using three different vaccine programs, I had it virus tested, and I looked at a message on the monitor an hour later.

[No viruses detected.]

“Hoo-oo…” I breathed a sigh of relief.

‘This is enough… there may be no virus.’

After this much work, even the most difficult virus would have been caught in the net. Then a question came to my mind.

‘If it weren’t for delivering a virus… then what was that article?’

I was thinking of it and someone called me.

“Hey, Han Sang-hoon.”

As expected, it was the employee Kim who joined the company at the same time, and who told me about the hospitalization of the section chief Heo.

“Yes, what?”

“Section chief Heo is going to be out of the hospital this evening, and we don’t need to visit him, so let’s go have a drink with the guys who joined the company at the same time.”

I had not had a good drink in a while since I was afraid of Heo. I readily agreed. “Okay.”

——

I woke up from sleep and grabbed my head in the way.

“Ouch, headache!”

The sound of pain came out of itself. I sat on the bed and looked back on yesterday, the first round at the beer pub, the second round at the nearby Tripe restaurant, taking an hour off at the karaoke, and a third round at the folk tavern. I could not remember much after then. I looked around in a hurry. Around the bed, were my cell phone, my wallet, and my briefcase for work. I could relax then. I must have come home safely after drinking too much yesterday.

‘Hoo-oo… yesterday I had beer, Soju, Makgeolli… I drank too much mixed liquor.”

I got up, grabbing my head with a splitting headache, but my stomach hurt. I came to the kitchen, holding my stomach, and put water in a yellow brass pot. It had been eight years living apart from my family. Now I could cook ramen even with my eyes closed. I laid on the sofa, but at the sound of the water boiling, I put in the staple fiber and noodles and waited for it to be cooked. Ramen was soon completed. I took it and put it on the table and drank a spoonful of soup.

“Keuheu…”

Finally, I felt better. I took my phone out of my pocket and started to use chopsticks. I picked up the hard-boiled noodles with my right hand, and turning on my cell phone with my left hand, I opened the Internet window. Then, at the exact moment I brought the noodles to my mouth and started to chew, I spat out them out, because the front page of the portal site was covered with the news that I had seen yesterday.

[Pop star Roger Knight Jackson was found dead in his house…]

[The cause of death of Roger Jackson was Fentanyl…]

[An undying wave of mourning of the world through Blue Rain…]

Chapter 3 - 12 Hours After, Part II

As I wiped my mouth, I read the article carefully.

[American singer Roger Jackson, more famous for his nickname “Knight,” was found dead around 10 a.m. local time in the United States today. According to the coroner, the cause of death is drug abuse…]

There were only a few words different from the article I read yesterday, but they were almost identical. I read a few more articles. As such, they were written in a similar way, only in different expressions. I listed the articles in chronological order.

Roger Jackson died around 8 p.m. Korean time. The first article in the breaking news was exactly 8:12 p.m. I got up from my seat. Heartburn was not important now. I took the laptop lying in a corner of the room, turned on Internet Explorer and went straight into my mailbox. But the email that I had seen yesterday was gone.

‘What? I did not delete it.’

I searched my mailbox more, back and forth, and even the trash can, just in case. But I couldn’t find the email I had seen yesterday. I scratched my forehead. At this point, I thought I was possessed by a ghost.

‘Did I… drink too much yesterday?’

No. It had nothing to do with alcohol. Yesterday, I saw the email at work. Drinking was after work. I stopped for a while on the spot.

‘What the hell is this?’

It was like being possessed by a ghost or a goblin. But then the cell phone in my hand beeped once more.

This was the second time. If I did not get ready now, I would be late. The monstrous Heo would return a day after being hospitalized with appendicitis. Once I put aside the weird email, I started getting ready for work.

——

“It was good without me yesterday, wasn’t it?” Heo stared at me with his mouth flexing. I had no choice but to stand silent. “Hmm? You wanted me to stay in the hospital forever, didn’t you?”

I wanted to tell him exactly what I had in my mind. ‘Yes, you son of a bitch.’

But that would make me even harder to work at the company. I said with my head down, “No… No.”

“Is that so? Who else writes the report like this?” Heo tapped me on the head with the report I had written yesterday.

“What’s wrong with you? If you don’t have sweat for a day, don’t you get to work properly? Huh?”

Heo was stuck in the position of section chief for 10 million years without promotion, while his colleagues were promoted one by one, but then turned around and became our section chief. When we thought about his age, he was practically demoted. But he released his stress on his subordinates. I had to bear his nagging all over.

‘Cause you’re so incompetent that if you do that to me, what will be changed?’

As I listened to him, I thought of something else, but on the surface, I had to answer helplessly with my head down, “…yes”

Heo looked at me with my head down and said, “Return to your seat.”

I returned to my seat with my head down. It had been a year and a half since I had joined the company. In the youth unemployment era of one million unemployed people, I entered the company after barely passing through the job crisis, but the good time was only for the first month or two. I worked overtime every day without being paid, and my salary was small. Every day, I was squeezed by my boss and worked. I had to suffer from severe stress every day.

‘Damn it, I really want to quit.’

I used to talk to myself several times a day, but I couldn’t do it, as I was born with a plastic spoon in my mouth. I had spent four years attending a private university with a tuition fee of over five thousand dollars a semester, and I had to work for several years without income after graduating, just looking for a job.

Far from having saved money, I still had ten thousand dollars left in the student loans that I had not paid back. If I quit my job, I had to worry about the monthly rent right away. So no matter how bad things went, no matter how evil my boss was and if the company was hell, I could not quit.

‘Shit, I’m going to lose my eyes.’

After watching the monitor all day, I blinked and leaned back in the chair. Naturally, the office clock came into my eyes. It was Friday evening at eight. It was Friday night, so-called TGIF, but I couldn’t get out of the office because today our team was working overtime. It was not that special because the nature of our company called us to work on weekends.

Heo said, “Let’s get it over with today. It’s the only way to rest on holidays.”

“Yes~”

“Yes.”

It was like a threat that if we did not do it properly today, he would call us in on the weekend. On TV, people said that the Labor Standards Act had been reinforced, but our company ignored such a thing lightly and pushed employees too hard. However, we could not express complaints. If we did such a thing, we would be labeled as whistleblowers and would be disadvantaged not just by our company, but also by other companies.

‘The law is far away, and the boss is close… It’s not much different than a real gangster…’

I stretched out, thinking this.

Then, I could feel the look of someone staring at me, from the seat Heo was in. Like a spring, I put my hands right back on the keyboard and mouse.

‘Damn it.’

In the company, there was only work, work, work. While this overtime work would not necessarily increase productivity, this company seemed to think that the result would be good, since it pushed employees so hard.

‘If I had a beer at home and watched TV… I’m sure I’d do a better job tomorrow.’

I looked at the monitor with a blank look, thinking of it. But suddenly, in my head, the email I had seen this morning came to mind.

‘The email’

I was overworked all day, and I forgot it, but it was a strange email. It was like someone had seen the future and told me in advance.

‘However… it was gone. What happened? I’m sure I did not erase it.’

If I did not take my eyes off the monitor, Heo would think I was working. I entered my email account. Once again, that email was there.

[12 Hours After]

‘What is it? … Was it an error?’

However, the email was not marked as read. I saw the time they had sent it.

[July 25th, 8:55 p.m.] This was not the email I had seen yesterday, but this morning.

‘It’s a new email, isn’t it?’

I put my cursor over the email and hesitated whether to press the left button for a moment. I could run a virus test, but I was afraid.

[Politics Economy Society Life/Culture World IT/Science Entertainment Sports]

[You can subscribe to only one news item a day.]

My eyes once again went to the phrase “You can subscribe to only one news item a day.” Last time I read it, I concentrated on the words, ‘only one news item a day.’ In other words, it meant “At least one per day” would be sent.

‘Well… it was certainly not a virus. So… what shall I look at this time…’

Rather than hard news such as Politics and Economy on the left, I wanted to touch the news of Entertainment and Sports on the right side. I circled my mouse cursor, and this time I touched the Sports category. Soon a window opened.

[Lotte escaped two consecutive losses with a dramatic come-from-behind victory over Hanwha]

Lotte, Hanwha, they were baseball teams.

‘Is this baseball news?’

I clicked on the window.

Chapter 4 - 12 Hours After, Part III

There was an article in my mail window, which was about the size of a sheet of A4 paper. I began to read it with my chin in my hand.

[The Lotte Giants won a dramatic drama in a match with the Hanwha Eagles. The Lotte Giants, who led 2-0 after a series of mistakes in the early part of the game, chased the Hanwha Eagles down to the wire with a single by the fourth batter Jung Sung-hoon and a double by the fifth batter Kang Yong-jin. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Hanwha pitcher Choi Yong-wook, who had runners on the second and third base, threw two balls and couldn’t withstand the pressure, making a careless pitch, and giving the finishing homer to the sixth batter, Kwon Hyuk-joon…]

After reading the article, I quickly summed up the result.

‘…well, to sum up, Lotte was behind 0 to 2 and then won 3 to 2 at the end. But when is this game?’

I stopped by the sports broadcasting site on the portal site with the mail window left behind. It wasn’t difficult to find a baseball game schedule and the result. There were a lot of baseball games going on tonight, as usual. Among the many baseball teams, including Nexen, SK, LG, and Samsung, I found the schedule of Lotte and Hanwha.

‘The game of Lotte and Hanwha is there…’

There was a red light on it, saying ‘in the middle of the game’. Now, it was at the beginning of the ninth inning. And the score was…

‘Hanhwa 2 vs. Lotte 0.’

I doubted my eyes. It was exactly as it was written in the article.

‘As long as this article goes… Now the turnaround…’

I went back to the sports site and brought in the text broadcasting.

[One-out situation, the fourth batter Jung Sung-hoon comes to the batter’s box.]

I compared it to the current situation while doing an Alt-Tab. It was exactly as it was written in the article. I was a little nervous.

‘Is this really happening?’

– The first pitch is a ball that falls outside. It’s a ball. The second pitch is a fast-faller. It’s also a ball. Jung Sung-hoon is good at picking the ball. The third pitch is a hit. It’s a single. The fourth batter Jung Sung-hoon did a good job in a crisis situation.-

It was just as it was written in the article. I swallowed.

– The fifth batter Kang Yong-jin comes into the batter’s box. Will he be able to save the spark of the last chase? The first pitch is a hit. It’s big, big. Will it go over the fence? Does it pass over?-

‘It’s not going over the fence.’

– The ball is bouncing inside after hitting the fence. The outfielder is hurrying up to catch and throw it. Jung Sung-hoon stops at the third base. It’s a double.-

Runners were on the second base and the third base. I got a little goosebumps. Now, when the fifth batter hit a home run, this article, this prophecy would come true. I muttered unknowingly.

“It’s… it’s real…”

But then a voice came from behind.

“What are you doing? I cannot bear you anymore.”

I was so surprised that I closed the window I was looking at. Behind me was Heo staring at me as if he was going to eat me up.

——————-

After leaving the company, I grabbed hold of my head.

‘Since you do such things at the company, your work results are awful, aren’t they? Huh?’

Heo’s voice seemed to be ringing in my ears. Of course, I was blamed so much because I was watching a baseball game while I was at work. Heo was the superior who was bothering me by catching the mistakes that I did not usually have, and with this one, I would be harassed for a month.

“Hoo—” I sighed.

‘Do I have to do this until I get to old enough to retire? Getting a little bit of a salary, do I have to do this stupid, unceasing, endless work with such a fucking boss?’

This was slavery, slavery! Who would call the Republic of Korea a liberal democracy? Without money, we had to be slaves of our own free will.

‘I want to quit even if I have no debt…’ I was thinking about it.

“Look at the highlights of the day!”

A bald man was watching today’s highlights with his smartphone at the crosswalk in front of the company. As I saw it, I remembered the results of the baseball game.

‘Oh, yes, what happened to the baseball game?’

I picked up my cell phone and skillfully entered the sports page. I looked up the result of the match between Hanwha and Lotte today.

‘The game ends with Lotte 3: Hanhwa 2.’

I murmured once more, “It’s… it’s real?”

I read the details of the game, after the spot in the ninth inning I had seen earlier.

– The sixth batter Kwon Hyuk-joon comes into the batter’s box. The first pitch is a ball that goes far outside. The pitcher Choi Yong-wook is out of control. Is the second pitch a strike close to the inside? Ah, it’s a ball. The referee declares it a ball. The third pitch is a hit. It goes straight out! It’s a home run, a home run! It’s Kwon Hyuk-joon’s finishing home run!-

It was exactly as it had been in the article.

‘What the hell is this?’

I was confused. I went to the mailbox I hadn’t used, and I tried to read it again. But the email had disappeared from the mailbox again this time.

[Click now and you get a 70% discount.]

[Lasik? LASEK? Don’t worry!]

Only unnecessary advertisements were filling up the mailbox.

‘What the hell is this?’

Last time, I thought I had a hangover, and I just passed it, but this time it definitely was not. Apparently, the email was telling me what would happen twelve hours later in the future.

‘What was that flyer then?’

At the sudden thought, I rummaged in my pocket. Dammit! I wore the same pants yesterday, but I could not remember where I had left the card.

‘Did I throw it away?’

At that moment, a blue light came on the crosswalk in front of the company.

‘Tiriri, Tiriri.’

I crossed the street. If I crossed the street, I was right in front of the subway station. It was just the spot where I had picked up the card flyer, stamping my feet as I was late. Across the street, I looked for the card flyer I had seen the other day. But there were only the same flyers as the other ones I had seen.

[100% Instant Loan]

[A beauty is on standby for 24 hours.]

I could not find a flyer saying, ‘You won’t get in trouble even if you are late today.’

‘What was it? It’s…’

I did not know what it was. Was this really a strange fate, like that appearing in the martial arts novels?

‘And tomorrow… Is that email coming too? At 8:55?’

I tried to get into the subway station with that thought. But then, the signboard of the street stall in front of the subway station came into my eyes for some reason. It was a shop that I had been through hundreds of times while commuting to and from work, but it was the first time I ever acknowledged it was there.

‘The ideal spot for Lotto, the second place winner. Toto, Proto Sales.’

I looked at the sparkling light for a moment, then muttered.

“Maybe… slave life… Maybe I can end it…”

Chapter 5 - Is This The Way To Do Proto?, Part I

“Tiriri ~ Tiriri~” The alarm rang.

“Ha—”

I rubbed my eyes, got up from the bed and looked at my smartphone.

‘Saturday morning, 8:30.’

I used to sleep until the sun was up on Saturday, but I had set the alarm early today, because that email was coming soon. I got up, went into the bathroom and started to take a shower. I felt stiff in my back and my neck, as I had been working late last night.

‘They said you would only get a turtle’s neck and a herniated cervical disc from company life…’

I relieved the pain by putting the hot-water shower on it.

‘Sang-hoon, let’s just endure a little bit. Maybe you will change your life today.’

I finished showering and sat down in front of my laptop reverently, as if I were going to work. After the shower, it was 8:50 a.m. I had five minutes before the email arrived. I went to the news section of the portal site for a while.

[Politics Economy Society Life/Culture World IT/Science Entertainment Sports]

The news was exactly the same as the categories of the mail.

‘I’d like to go after the Lotto if I could…’

Yesterday when I had left work, I found that the winning number of the Lotto was in the Life/Culture category. However, there was a problem here, so even if I would choose a Life/Culture category, I would have a very low probability of getting a Lotto winning number.

If I chose the Life/Culture category, something weird might come out, like ‘Today’s Living Point – add salt when the food is bland.’

When an article like that came up, I would get nothing.

‘No matter how much it shows me the future, is this too unkind?’

I waited for the email to arrive very impatiently.

‘It’s 8:55.’ And when the time came, I opened my old mailbox.

[12 Hours After]

It was here. I clicked on it and the contents of the email were the same.

[Politics Economy Society Life/Culture World IT/Science Entertainment Sports]

[You can subscribe to only one news item a day.]

‘It looks like… What is realistic is sports. Toto, Proto! It’s possible!’

I gulped down once and clicked on the Sports category.

‘What’s coming out of it?’

The title of the article was Spanish football news.

[Shocking Defeat of Real Madrid by Deportivo!]

‘Real? Real Madrid?’

[Real Madrid suffered a shocking defeat today. On the second round of La Liga, Real Madrid, where they met the visiting team Deportivo at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, strongly pressured Deportivo in the early part of the game, as if proving an overwhelming power difference, but the mood turned sharply when defender Pepe left the game at fourteen minutes in the first half, receiving a red card and giving Deportivo a penalty kick. As a penalty kicker…]

I scoured the article quickly. Whenever I went to and from work on the subway, I often read articles like these or web novels, so I read the article quickly without realizing it. To sum up, Real Madrid, the strong team, met the weak team Deportivo and was expecting an easy victory, but the game turned around early in the game as the main defender handed out a penalty kick with a red card. With one more goal in the second half, the game was over 2:0.

‘Okay, let’s go get some Toto.’

I began to dress up for my outing. I had heard that I could buy Toto on the Internet, but I decided to look for an offline store. As I had never bought this Toto, Proto, I thought it would be better to ask this and that at the store with the information I had, and then make the best bet. Wearing a short-sleeved shirt, I left the house.

I lived in a studio near Nakseong University Station. When asked why I lived here, the answer was simple: the low rent. In any case, this world was about all the money. Anyway, there was a Lotto store near my studio. I reached the Lotto store with a few steps. When I opened the door, I found a black-faced, scrawny old man guarding the counter.

“Welcome.”

He greeted me roughly with his eyes glued to his smartphone. I thought he was that unkind. I first stood alone in the Lotto Proto. There was a complicated OMR card and a game timetable in front.

‘What the hell is all this?’

I don’t understand anything from my first visit. I called the owner.

“Mister!”

“Yes?” After I called him, he took his eyes off his smartphone and showed interest in me.

“Here… what do I do to bet on the Real Madrid match?”

“Ah…” He came up to me and said, “What do you want to buy? Real Madrid… La Liga doesn’t have Toto, and you have to buy Proto.”

“Proto?”

On my primal question, he first checked the dividend.

“There is a game tonight… Real Madrid vs. Deportivo. 1.08 times to win, 3.01 times to draw, 10.4 times to lose.”

I looked at it and said, “Well… do I have to buy this?”

“Yes, but I don’t recommend it.”

“Why?”

“You only get 1.08 times if you win. You can earn only 80 dollars for a hundred dollars purchase.”

I said, pointing to 10.4 times next to it instead of 1.08 times. “Instead, it’s 10.4 times as long as they lose.”

“Well, that’s because there is a low possibility. Deportivo is either in the bottom, or in the second place from the bottom. Real Madrid can’t lose.”

I recognized it was a good bet. There was a low probability of Real Madrid’s defeat. It meant a high dividend. At the words of the mister, I smiled and said, “I’ll buy this: ten times on the loss of Real Madrid.”

“Are you sure? Really?”

“Yes, I want a big hit.”

“Okay, well… But for the Proto, you have to buy two games tied up. Choose another one.”

I opened my eyes wide to the words.

“Yes? Do I have to buy another game tied up?”

“That’s how the law of our country for the Proto works. You can’t bet on just one game. You have to tie up the Real Madrid game and another.”

I had to think a lot. All I knew for sure was that Real Madrid would lose tonight.

“Ah… I don’t want to bet on another…”

When I hesitated, the mister said, “Well… how about this one? Barcelona vs. Las Palmas. If you buy this in a bundle, you can just skip it.”

Barcelona was also a strong team that was comparable to Real Madrid.

“1.06 times to the Barcelona win. If you pick this one, well… It’s a forced binding, but… Those who play the Proto try to bet on these certain matches when they don’t have anything to choose.”

The dividend of 1.06 times was lower than that of 1.08 times for the victory of Real Madrid. This meant that the winning chance was even higher. I thought for a while.

‘Real Madrid certainly loses… But I don’t know about Barcelona… No matter how strong Barcelona is… It’s possible that anything could happen. But… is the unexpected result going to happen twice a day? What if Real Madrid and Barcelona can’t win at the same time?’

I thought it would be worth a bet. I decided to listen to the man.

“All right, then, I’ll bet on the loss of Real Madrid and the win of Barcelona.”

“Then, on this OMR card—”

With the help of the owner, I bet that Barcelona would win tonight and Real Madrid would lose. The final dividend rate was 11.024 times with 10.4 times multiplied by 1.06 times.

‘Okay, if Barcelona plays the match properly, I will win 11 times my money.’ I thought about it and handed him the ticket.

He asked me when he got the ticket. “How much do you want to buy?”

“One thousand dollars.”

One thousand dollars was half the money in my account.

At my words, he glanced at me and then asked again, “One thousand dollars?”

“Yes.”

He looked at me strangely for a moment. “Okay, I’ll give you a betting ticket for one thousand dollars.”

He picked up the betting ticket for one thousand dollars and gave it to me.

As I accepted it, I thought. ‘What’s the matter…?’

It was later that I learned that the legal bet for Proto for one person was only up to a hundred dollars. In these offline stores, it was an implicit act that happened publicly.

Chapter 6 - Is This The Way To Do Proto?, Part II

Ding~ Dong~

The bell rang once, I heard a happy voice. “Chicken delivery!”

I went out the front door with the cash I had prepared.

“Here are boneless chicken and a draft beer of 600cc.”

“It’s twenty-two dollars, right?”

“Yes, it is.”

I handed the cash to the deliveryman.

“Have a good meal!” he told me.

After the deliveryman left, I sat in front of my computer with chicken and beer. Being a little nervous, I felt thirsty. I opened the cap on the plastic bottle of beer before the chicken.

Chi…

The carbonic acid came out and made a refreshing sound. I tilted the bottle and poured it into the mug. The golden beer flowed out with that wonderful sound. As soon as the foam was about to overflow the glass, I put my mouth on it and inhaled. I drank one shot at a time.

“Kha-” It was nice and cool. After the glass of beer, I felt a little relaxed. I looked at the monitor, slowly pouring beer into the glass this time. The monitor had two windows. One was a window broadcasting Real Madrid vs. Deportivo, and the other was a window broadcasting Barcelona vs. Las Palmas. I opened the chicken box, licking my lips. And I thought about ten thousand dollars.

‘If it works as expected… I’ll make ten thousand dollars today.’

I felt happy with my imagination. My salary was about thirty thousand dollars a year. I got paid more than my peers, but it was not easy to save twenty thousand dollars a year after paying taxes and living expenses for rent. If I could earn ten thousand dollars in ninety minutes of a soccer game, it would be like being hit by a money rush.

‘I’ll be able to pay back my remaining student loans immediately, if it’s ten thousand dollars.’

No, but when I thought of it, it might be better not to pay back my debts. If I would continue to make such a profit, ten thousand dollars would be a hundred thousand dollars, a hundred thousand dollars would be one million dollars, and one million dollars would be ten million dollars. It would not take long. If you knew the future, even ten million dollars was not that difficult. Then I could pay back the remaining debt with a few months’ interest. I did the math in my mind.

‘If I have ten million dollars… I can get two hundred thousand dollars even if the annual interest rate is 2 percent. Even if it’s divided into 12 months… it’s sixteen thousand dollars per month. Or I’m sure it’ll come to seventeen thousand dollars.’

It would not take months. If I held ten million dollars, I would be able to pay back ten thousand dollars in student loans with one month’s interest. I was happy to imagine such a thing. I was half drunk with beer, half drunk with such imagination and began to watch the game. Kick off. As they were in the same La Liga, the two games were played simultaneously with only a minute’s difference. I watched Real Madrid play first.

‘Well… in the article, it must have to be… At the first half, they lead the game, but Pepe will be sent off at the fourteenth minute…’

Just like the article, Real Madrid was pressing the other team with a high possession rate of the ball. But this was natural. If they asked anyone in their twenties walking down the street, they would say that Real Madrid would prevail in this game.

Perhaps the turning point was Pepe’s red card and a penalty kick tribute. Real Madrid was a team that could not lose easily, especially at home, Santiago Bernabeu. It was less than ten minutes since the game had started.

I shifted my gaze to Barcelona. Barcelona was also pressing hard on its opponent. Though the old Tiki-taka days were gone, they were still barely giving any possession of the ball to the opponent with accurate passes and teamwork.

‘Real Madrid will be as prophesied… Barcelona, you have to win.’

I prayed inward, holding the chicken leg. And a few minutes later, it was the fated time. The present time was twelve minutes. Only two minutes were left to the exit. I watched the Real Madrid game with a slight strain. There was also the Barcelona game, but right now, I was more concerned about this side.

‘Will the prophecy come true again…’

Whenever I was nervous, I gulped down the beer. Twelfth minute, thirteenth minute, fourteenth minute… At last, it was the fourteenth minute of fate. I put aside the Barcelona game and set the Real Madrid game at full screen. A striker of Deportivo, who had just received the pass, began dribbling toward Real Madrid.

‘It’s here.’

I clenched a mug of beer. Real Madrid defender Pepe was on the run to the fast-paced striker. I thought he would have a rough foul right away, but the striker shot before reaching Pepe.

‘A mid-range shot? If it is, this is out of the scenario.’

The flying shot flew precisely towards the goalpost. At that moment, I rather wanted the goal not to go in. If it did, my bet would fit in, but the article I had seen would be a lie.

‘No! My ten million dollars!’

It was a relief. The goalkeeper managed to push it out. Corner kick. I sighed.

‘All right. The goal… no, the foul is alive!’

I watched the game with my legs shaking. The players took their positions for the corner kick and prepared for it. The problem was that the game time was still passing in the middle of it. I watched nervously as the game time passed. Fourteen minutes forty-eight seconds, forty-nine seconds, fifty seconds…

“Hurry up and kick it!” I shouted as if I were the coach of the game. After a long pause, the kicker finally took a corner kick. And after a while, at exactly fourteen minutes and fifty-eight seconds, a long whistle rang out.

To be honest, I did not know what was going on. Only, the color of the card the referee approached and gave to Pepe was clearly visible. It was a red card. I shouted loud enough to make the studio shake. “That’s it! That’s it!”

At first, Pepe complained to the referee, but when it didn’t work, he grabbed his head and left the area. The audience of Santiago Bernabeu’s home team also looked frustrated. A Deportivo player was coming in to the penalty kick line.

To be honest, I now had complete confidence in the accuracy of the article. When Roger Jackson died, I was so busy that I could not realize it, and during the last baseball game, I didn’t see it properly due to Heo’s interference at work, but I couldn’t help but believe it when I saw the article coming true with my eyes.

“It goes in. I’m sure!” Just as my cry rang out, the ball left the kicker’s foot and stuck in the left lower part of the goalpost. I clenched my fist tightly.

“Yes!” Now the game was practically complete. It would be 2-0 in the second half, but I wasn’t interested in it now.

‘Barcelona… What about Barcelona?’

I now had the Barcelona game on the main screen. The game there was still 0:0. It was only fifteen minutes since the game had started, so it was understandable. But I wanted to have a fast result.

‘Just in case…’

I hoped it would relieve my worries. I watched the game, tearing apart the chicken and drinking beer.

‘Please! Cheer for Barcelona!’

I was sorry for our country, but it was worth ten thousand dollars. I cheered for Barcelona more than when I had cheered for the World Cup by shouting “Dae~han~min~guk!” And soon I was rewarded. At twenty-three minutes into the first half, Messi, who had received Iniesta’s pass, scored a goal with an elaborate shot.

“That’s good, Messi! As expected, Messi! Thank you, Messi!” I put my hands together and thanked him. If my thanks were working, Messi made a hat trick, scoring two more goals in the first half. I became his fanatic now.

“Yes, Messi is a god of soccer. God Messi, thank you, thank you!”

———————

I turned off the light and lay down on the bed. I was full of chicken, and I felt a little tipsy from the beer. I saw the results of today’s game on my smartphone one last time before I fell asleep.

[Final Scores]

[Real Madrid vs. Deportivo 0:2]

[Barcelona vs. Las Palmas 6:0]

I now had a ten thousand dollars’ Proto receipt in my hand.

‘Yes! I was born with a plastic spoon in my mouth, but I’m done with slavery today. With this money, with this information, what should I do now? Stocks? Real estate? Bitcoin?’

Whatever I did, I could do anything. Twelve hours before others, I could get all kinds of information in politics, economy, society, culture and so on.

‘With this, I can be rich. I can be a great rich man!’

The idea filled me with joy. I imagined myself this way while drunk, and fell asleep.

Chapter 7 - Ten Thousand Dollars, Part I

I opened my wallet. There was a ten-dollar bill and a few one-dollar coins in it. I moved the bill and coins to one side and put the Proto receipt in the rest of the empty space. Then I put my wallet in my sweat pants, zipped it up, and left the house. There were more than ten thousand dollars in my pocket. It made me a little nervous to think about.

‘Hoo… I’ve never carried a thousand dollars before…’

Before going to sleep yesterday, I looked on the Internet and it said that I could get the Proto winnings in two places: a lottery store where lottery tickets were bought and Shinhan Bank. But today was Sunday. The bank was not open. I thought I would go to the bank tomorrow, but I decided to go to the lottery store and get the winnings today because I wanted to get money as soon as possible. Ten thousand dollars was not a small amount of money for me.

‘Isn’t it too much? Han Sang-hoon, it’s just ten thousand dollars. I’m sure others act like this when they have at least a few hundred thousand dollars. The lottery store is just a minute away from my house.’

I came out of the house that way, deceiving myself. I looked around like a thief who had robbed my house. Fortunately, there were few people in the neighborhood on Sunday morning.

‘Let’s go quickly, though.’

I began to walk as fast as I could. I arrived at the lottery store a minute away in thirty seconds. I opened the door and entered the store, and today there was a man there who looked like a customer. The owner, who didn’t even care about me yesterday, reacted right away after looking at me today.

“Oh! Are you here?”

I nodded in a daze.

“I watched the game yesterday, too! You have a great feeling, don’t you?”

“Ah, yes… well…”

The customer, who had picked up a ball-point pen in front of the OMR card and scratched his head, looked at me at the sound and said to the owner. “What’s up, Mr. Jung? Did this guy earn some?”

He seemed quite a regular customer, as he called the owner Mr. Jung.

“Yes, he did Proto for the first time yesterday, but he won eleven times as much.”

“Oh… really? He earned eleven times?”

I was slightly offended.

‘Can he say that to someone else?’

Not knowing I was thinking that, the customer told me. “Oh, did the young friend see some football games?”

I looked at the two people. To be honest, I didn’t really want to get along with these guys. The owner looked a little bit unreliable as his impression seemed a bit shabby, and as the customer’s beard was a little thick, he looked like a gambling addict.

‘… let’s get out of here with the winnings. I will not come back here.’

In the first place, I was thinking of buying Proto by going around to different lottery stores, even if I made money this way. There might be a strange misunderstanding if I won a lot of money each time in one place. I took out the receipt straight up and handed it to him and said, “Please give me my winnings.”

“Okay. Winnings, yes.”

He took the receipt I gave him, and put it in the machine.

“I made sure Real Madrid lost and Barcelona won. It’s been confirmed ten times.” He said that, then suddenly pointed to the back of the store and said, “Come with me.”

I followed him in. There was a small safe inside the store.

‘Now that I think about it, it’s kind of weird. The gambling wins from the country… Can he give it out like this?’

When the owner, who was fiddling with the door of the safe, opened the safe, I stealthily saw what was inside and forgot the idea. There were huge bundles of cash in the safe.

‘How much is that? What the hell?’

Whether I was thinking about it or not, he muttered to himself and pulled a bundle of bills out of the safe.

“Eleven times a thousand dollars… eleven thousand dollars…” He pulled out two bundles of yellow fifty-dollar bills.

“It’s a hundred-page bundle of fifty-dollars. It’s ten thousand dollars for two, right?”

I nodded and got a bundle of the bills. Though they were paper bills, they were quite heavy. I threw them a couple of times into the air. Naturally, I thought so. ‘But are these two hundred?

As if he felt my thoughts, the owner said, as he was closing the safe, “You can count if you want to count. There’s no one here who’ll see it.”

I examined the bundle of bills. The band, on which was written the Bank of Korea, was not peeled off yet. I decided to trust the owner. His appearance was not so good, but the cash in the vault was real.

Inside was a cash bundle larger than the bundle I was holding. If he did business by pulling a few fifty-dollar bills, he would not be able to do business with that much money. I put five thousand dollars in my left and right pocket each. He gave me twenty fifty-dollar bills for the remaining one thousand dollars, counting them out.

“One, two, three, four…”

I got it and came right back to the counter.

The customer asked me, “What are you going to bet on today? Let me know, let me share your luck. I lost yesterday.”

At the words, I shook my head.

“No… No. I’m not going to bet today.”

The owner was a little surprised because I was not betting. “Really? Aren’t you going to bet any more today? There’s Europa League this weekend.”

I was afraid I would be more tempted to stay here.

“I’ll try again later.”

After saying that, I opened the door and left. Right next to the lottery store was a bank with an ATM. It was not a bank that I usually used, but it did not matter if I just used to ATM to deposit. I went inside. Fortunately, there was no one else there to notice.

I put my card in and pressed the deposit button. The deposit bar opened, and I put in the hundred bundle of fifty-dollar bills from my left pocket. After I heard the sound of counting the money, a question was raised.

[Would you like to deposit five thousand dollars?]

[Your deposit is complete.]

I took the second bundle out of my right pocket once more and repeated the task. Then, after depositing twenty fifty-dollar bills, I checked the balance.

[Twelve thousand dollars]

My account, which had only two thousand dollars as of yesterday, had instantly increased by ten thousand dollars.

“All right!”

Whoever saw me or not, I fist-pumped the air. After work, I picked up my cell phone and checked the time. Time was just passing 8:58 a.m.

‘Ah, today’s news must already have arrived.’

I walked home, fiddling with my smartphone at a very slow pace, unlike when I had come here.

In my mailbox, an email had arrived today, too.

[12 Hours After]

I took my finger again to the Sports category without hesitation. Right now, I was going to make more money from Proto.

‘What’s the news coming in today?… I hope there’s more big news like Real Madrid’s defeat…’

I clicked on it in anticipation. But, contrary to my expectation, I could not help but stand there and stare, looking at the screen.

“… what?”

Chapter 8 - Ten Thousand Dollars, Part II

The reason for my surprise was that when I clicked on the Sports category of my email, something else appeared instead of the familiar article.

——————-

[The free subscription period for the Bronze Class is over. To extend your subscription, sign up for the monthly subscription.

Monthly Subscription Method:

If you deposit ten thousand dollars to N bank account 777-777-777-777-777 and receiver 777, You will be subscribed to the monthly subscription service immediately and you will receive a Silver Class Membership Service.

Silver Class Benefits:

You can pick three categories a day, click on the titles. You can click on the article you want. In addition, you can apply for a Gold Class Membership Service.]

——————–

‘What? Bronze? Silver? Class?’

It was like a concept from a game.

‘I don’t see the article which came out. What’s this… Are these guys playing with me now…’

I tried to press the back button. By the way, I was worried that this email might disappear, too.

‘Oh… no. If I go back and never get this email again…’

Then all my dreams and hopes would disappear. I swallowed and read it over again.

‘Free subscription is over… Now, read the article… Do I have to pay ten thousand dollars?’

Ten thousand dollars was just what I made today. But were they asking me to pay it all away? In addition, the account which would receive the pay was also strange. Although N Bank was the well-known bank that everyone in Korea knew, the account number that listed 777 was quite unusual. If I acknowledged the account number, the name of the receiver was even more ridiculous than that. It was 777. That was absolutely ridiculous!

I mumbled, frowning, “What’s this? Is it a kid’s joke?”

But when I looked back at how I had got this email in the first place, there had been countless similar things, including the unknown flyer, the funny phone number, and an email without a sender.

‘…let’s read more.’

I read down further. The term “monthly payment” stood out.

‘The monthly payment is… If I pay them ten thousand dollars, they’ll show it to me for a month. Ten thousand dollars a month… Then… it’s very cheap.’

Of course, there was no guarantee that articles that I received would generate money every time. In the case of the first article of Roger Jackson’s death I had ever received, there was no way to get the money. However, if only one such article as “the shocking defeat of Real Madrid” appeared like yesterday, it would take only one day to get back ten thousand dollars. I put my brain to work.

‘Even if I was lucky yesterday… Wouldn’t two or three of those articles come if I received articles for a month?’

In addition, knowing the result of a game such as Hanhwa vs. Lotte that I had received two days ago, would still make me double or triple the money.

‘Yes, considering that… It’s not very cheap, either. It’s a price that I have to pay anyway.’

I went down the article with that thought. The next thing I saw was the Silver Class Service.

‘I can pick three categories, then I can select a news item after seeing the titles… Then…’

In that case, the expected price was even higher. The Lotto winning number which would appear in the “Life/Culture” was a very low probability, and I had never clicked on it. However, if I had an extra chance, it would be worth taking. In addition, there would be an opportunity for the Economy category that was considered the final boss. I tried to start looking at it later when I had more money, but it wouldn’t be bad to experience it here in advance.

‘All right, let’s make a deposit.’

When I was firmly determined in my mind, I found a way to transfer ten thousand dollars.

‘To transfer ten thousand dollars… I need a certificate for OTP at home.’

I walked faster toward the house. In the meantime, I noticed the last phrase.

‘You can apply for a Gold Class Membership Service.’

I thought, scratching my forehead.

‘What… is it Silver after Bronze, then Gold after Silver?’

If I used common sense, there would be more benefits in the Gold Class.

‘Then how do I apply for the Gold Class? Is there a higher class than the Gold?’

Questions lingered, but right now there was no more information to learn. Since applying for the Gold Class was one of the benefits of the Silver Class, I thought I should sign up for the monthly payment first.

When I got home, I turned on the computer and pulled up the bank certificate for OTP from the desk drawer. I went to an Internet banking site that I usually used, signed in and applied for an account transfer service.

‘The transfer amount is ten thousand dollars, and the account number to receive it is…’

When I hit the numbers 7777 in a row, I questioned myself. ‘By the way… Does this stupid account number exist?’

It was a pretty natural thought.

‘I don’t care. Anyway, I am Alice who came into a strange country after a rabbit. Even if the hat seller leads me to a strange place, I have to follow him.’

I wrote out all sevens with that thought. The receiver ‘777’ appeared in the small window of the “Receiver.” Even though I had prepared myself in my mind, I muttered unknowingly, “Oh, my God… is this something that can even exist in Korea?”

But even if I said so, I was already getting a password through OTP.

[741503]

After inserting the 6-digit OTP password, the message ‘Certified’ appeared. Now, If I just pressed the transfer button, I would get the monthly service as a Silver Class Member. I took the mouse cursor to the transfer button. But at the last minute, I wondered. ‘Is this some kind of fraud or trickery? Some kind of devil makes people make money and gets it back?’

That was what I thought. On reflection, the process was smooth. Even I made ten thousand dollars for three articles received.

‘If I press a cancel button here and take ten thousand dollars…’

Then I could return to reality neatly and pay off the remaining student loans. That was not a bad choice either.

But then my cell phone rang once. “Yiing~”

A text message came in. The sender was the section chief Heo.

[Hey, Han, we suddenly scheduled a seminar tomorrow. I sent you an email, so check it out and prepare a portfolio. Do it right. If you don’t, I’ll take it into the personal performance assessment. You know your salary is raised according to the assessment, right? You’ve already watched a baseball game during business hours, and it has already been considered in the assessment. So, at least to make up for it, do it right, okay?]

The email roused my anger. I threw my cell phone at my computer desk and turned the mouse cursor around.

‘Yes, it’s not fraud. It was an article telling the future. It was a strange fate. It’s a chance God gave me. This is the only way I can get away from him.’

I made a left-click without hesitation.

[You have transferred ten thousand dollars to 777.]

Then, at the same time, the cell phone that I had thrown rang once more. “Yiing~”

I picked up my cell phone. One more message was posted over Heo’s message.

[Congratulations, Han Sang Hoon. You are subscribed to the Silver Class Service. Now you can selectively receive an email at 8:55 a.m. daily for a month. You can now apply for the Gold Class Service.]

Seeing the text message which seemed natural in some ways and quite strange in others, I leaned back into the chair and relaxed. I did not know what was going to happen in the future, but there was only one now. I could tell by my sixth sense that my life would be quite different from before.

Chapter 9 - A Lion With A Loose Collar

I walked up the subway stairs and came back to the crosswalk in front of the company. If I came here, I would look over the ground like I had dropped something.

[Loans for up to twenty thousand dollars on the very next day.]

[A beauty is on standby 24 hours.]

[Call now, 8282 Chauffeur Service!]

But again, there was no more of the flyers that I had seen.

‘And that’s… It must be a chance for only a few of the chosen ones to receive.’

I crossed the crosswalk with that idea. When I took a good rest over the weekend and crossed this road on Monday morning, I thought I would die, like I was crossing the Styx into Hell.

‘Huh, there isn’t much left.’

I felt light on my feet today when I thought about it. I was going to work for one more month and then resign.

‘Beep.’

I swiped an employee ID, came into the company and found the office quiet. I looked at my watch and it was 8:30. Today, I came to work ten or twenty minutes earlier than usual. It was not because I was suddenly fond of the company. It was because something more important happened to me than work at the company.

It was because of the email coming in at 8:55 a.m. I sat in my seat and turned on the computer. Although it was not a work hour, I opened a work screen and turned on another window to enter my email account. The mailbox still contained 999 spam emails.

“Hoo…”

I took a deep breath, stretching my hands out like an athlete before I entered the game.

‘Whatever information comes in, I will quickly analyze it and then find the best way to make money.’

That was my idea. I wiggled my feet slightly and waited for the email to come. Over time, Kim, who had joined the company at the same time, came in, and Heo the loathsome, also came in to work.

“Hey, Han Sang-hoon, you came early today.”

“Hmm.”

It was finally 8:55. It was time for fate. I refreshed my mailbox, somewhat nervous. And after a while, the email came.

[S. 12 Hours After]

But there was something a little different. S. was on the front.

‘What is this?’

I thought about it and clicked on the email. My curiosity was soon solved.

[Silver Class Member Mail]

Ah, it was Silver’s S. I looked down the email.

—————–

[Silver Class Member Mail, Subscription Period left: 30 days.]

[Politics Economy Society Life/Culture World IT/Science Entertainment Sports’]

[You can pick three categories a day, click on the titles. You can subscribe to only one news item a day. Please select three categories. You can apply for a Gold Class Membership. Open the guide.]

——————

The above was as directed. If there was a slight difference, there was a place to check in a square next to the category. It looked like I clicked on them and chose three. But before I could choose, I was curious about the Gold Class guide.

‘What’s better with the Gold Class?’

I clicked on ‘Open’ at the thought of doing it. The closed contents opened, and the guide came out.

——————

[If you deposit one million dollars at N bank account 777-777-777-777-777 and the receiver 777, the monthly service is updated immediately, and you will receive an upgrade to Gold Class Membership Service. We’ll repay you with a service that you won’t regret.]

——————

‘Eh?’

I counted from the zero number of the amount written once.

‘One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand…’

It was one million dollars.

‘One million dollars?’

It was a big, choking amount. It was an amount I could not imagine right now, with two thousand dollars in my account. It would be worth applying for after a few months of saving money diligently in the Silver Class.

‘By the way… What’s the Gold Class benefit? Why aren’t they telling me? They don’t even say what they are going to do if I give them one million dollars… Do they want me to send one million dollars without asking or questioning?’

I wondered such questions, but the phrase in the back, ‘We’ll repay you with a service that you won’t regret’, came into my eyes. In fact, such a remark was a formal one, whether to invite Internet subscribers or to sell mobile phone services, so it was one that I passed by even when I saw it or heard it… but it was written in this email and gave me a strong sense of trust. For some reason, if I sent them one million dollars, it would have a ten million or a hundred million dollar effect.

‘All right, well, I’ll be right there collecting one million dollars in the Silver Class.’

Thinking of that, I closed the Gold Class guide and returned to the article above.

‘I can see the titles of the three categories first, right?’

I first clicked on the box next to the Economy. Then, a line of headings came up below it.

[Economy – President Mario Draghi considers quantitative reduction in case of recession.]

It was definitely huge in size.

‘Isn’t Mario Draghi the president of the European Central Bank?’

He was one of the world’s economic leaders. As he was the EU’s economic leader, the global economy was moving back and forth on a word of his. The quantitative reduction would be a very important bit of news. But I thought I did not need to read this article now, because I only had two thousand dollars in my bank account right now. I then clicked on Life/Culture.

[Life – Tomorrow, rain all over the country. Take your umbrella.]

‘Oh, this is…’

I could get all the news out of the title without having to read the full text. I was hoping to get a lottery number to win, and I was not satisfied with it.

‘No, thinking of it, if the news comes… should we draw lots first?’

Lotto draws took place on Saturday night. So, if I wanted to aim for it, I should choose the Life/Culture only on Saturday afternoon.

‘I had to think more and choose…’

But I learned the lesson this time and it was enough. I clicked on the Sports for the last time.

‘Please, this should be on…’

[Sports – Utah Jazz beats Los Angeles Lakers to clinch third place in the league.]

‘Yes, I got it.’

I almost screamed in the office. As expected, this Sports category was a possible shot. Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Lakers. Following baseball and soccer, it was basketball this time. I remembered seeing it on the Proto OMR card. It remained to see how much power difference of the two they were.

‘Anyway, with this one thing, I can earn quite a bit.’

With that thought, I uttered yells of delight inward. But then, Heo called me. “Ah, Han, regarding the portfolio you sent me yesterday, come here.”

“Ah, yes.” I wondered what the matter was. I approached him, thinking about it.

He pointed to his monitor and said, “Look at this, the letters are too small.”

He was not pointing out the contents, but he was nagging about a little thing.

‘If the letters are small, you can raise their size. Don’t you do it alone?’

But he scolded me with it. “Lately, director Zhang has needed reading glasses. I said you should be writing big, didn’t I? Huh?”

This guy seemed to think I was a stress reliever, and he was trying to feel superior when he saw me panicking about “Yes.” However, unfortunately, I was not the same person I was last week. I said with a straight face. “Oh, really? I’ll do better next time.”

“What?” He was rather surprised by my dignified reaction. He must have been surprised since I had never been rebellious.

He said, embarrassed, “Hey you… if you keep doing this, it will be reflected in the personal performance assessment.”

That came up again. He seemed to think it was a leash that bound me. Well, it was not very wrong. If it went wrong, my yearly salary would be reduced, and my promotion would be affected.

But when I heard him, I rather grinned and said, “Well… then, I can’t help it.”

“What?” Having been fucked twice, Heo could not say anything if he was speechless. He probably did not know that I was no longer so obsessed with my little salary, with this damn promotion within the company.

‘Huh, I’m no longer a dog with a neckline, but a lion. A lion with wings,’ I thought, and I told Heo, “I’ll go back to my seat then. Call me if you need anything else.”

When I said it with dignity, he looked at me blankly and said nothing. I laughed at him and left.

Chapter 10 - Turning Point

‘Tiriri.’

The alarm went off. While looking at the monitor, I looked at the office clock. 12 a.m. It was time to have lunch.

“Let’s eat, everyone. Eat your food,” Heo said first.

When I was at work, there was free time given to eat: lunch time.

“Uggggh…” I got up from my seat and did a long stretch.

Choi, who ate lunch together with, came up and said, “What do you want to eat today?”

I said with a wave of my hand, “Oh… I’ll eat by myself today. I have an appointment.”

“Appointment?”

“I’m sorry. I’ll go out first.”

I got out of the company first, leaving him who had a hurt look. It was to buy a Proto for tonight’s game.

‘Well… Utah Jazz won the LA Lakers by a score of 103 to 95…’

I only remembered the key information, then walked toward the Proto store, just a little distance away from the company. Although it was the company that I would resign soon, I didn’t want such a story to spread around. ‘He bought Lotto tickets and then he left all of a sudden.’

On the way, I stopped by the toast restaurant first.

“I’d like some vegetables, cheese, and ham. I’d like coffee instead of coke. How much?”

After buying toast and coffee, I walked down the street, munching on it. It was inconvenient to buy a Proto because I was stuck at the company.

‘I’ll have to leave the company soon.’

In my mind, I wanted to leave the company as soon as possible, but there were three reasons why I could not. The first was money. Even if I were to be rich soon, it was in the future. I only had two thousand dollars in my hand right now, but if I could not make money for thirty days of subscription due to something such as a road accident or an accident, I would be a beggar. I was planning to leave the company after earning at least ten thousand dollars to extend the subscription period.

The second reason was because of my parents. My parents were very proud of me for getting a job during this difficult time. However, if I suddenly quit, they would have been devastated. So it seemed good that I would tell the truth to my parents only if I had some convincing arguments.

Lastly, I was afraid I would need a loan. I might want to make a loan when I got a big hit of information. I found out on the Internet that workers could easily borrow up to sixty to seventy percent of their annual salary. My salary was about thirty thousand dollars. They said that I could borrow up to twenty thousand dollars, independent of the student loans.

‘If there is a clear winner, I will take out a loan and put everything into it.’

That was my plan. So… In order to maintain my credit, I should be working at the company. Right now yet. I crossed the street chewing toast. Just in front of me, a low-body Lamborghini passed through the broad daylight Teheran Road.

“Bi~ing~.”

I envied him, probably the son of a rich family. I thought, putting all the remaining toast in my mouth. ‘Wait, Lamborghini, Ferrari, or Bentley. I am on my way.’

I went into the Proto store with that thought.

“Welcome.”

The new place was a brightly lit shop where the owner welcomed me. It was much better than that dark shop in the studio near my house.

‘Hmm, yeah. This is what it’s like to do business.’

I went straight to Proto, thinking about it.

‘Let’s see… Utah Jazz vs. L.A. Lakers…’

But the dividend rate was not very good. According to the ranking chart, both the Utah Jazz and the LA Lakers were in the upper-middle class. As their power was near the same, the dividend was not high.

‘I can’t help it.’

I wet my lips. However, I could not help it. Actually, there were not many dramatic games like Real Madrid.

‘Well, I’ll just have to fund the money until something like that comes out, slowly from day to day.’

I first put on a Utah Jazz victory, then found another one, a sure game of nearly one times.

‘Hmm… there is. Jeonbuk Hyundai vs. Jeonnam Dragons… It’s 1.2 times to Jeonbuk Hyundai win…’

It was 1.2 times, low dividend, but not as low as Real Madrid or Barcelona. In other words, there was a chance that Jeonnam Dragons would win. I looked at the ranking table. Jeonbuk Hyundai was the first rank in the K-League, and Jeonnam Dragons was the second in the back. Korean teams did not seem to be as far apart as other countries’.

‘It’s 1.2 times… Let’s bet. I’ll get 1.8 times as much anyway. The first team will not lose to the second team from behind. I can get a loan if I miss it.’

With that in mind, I marked Jeonbuk Hyundai and approached the owner. The owner of the store had a slight smile on his smooth appearance. It was quite a contrast to the man near my house.

“Do you want this way, sir?”

“Yes.”

“How much do you want?”

I said the same amount as before. “One thousand dollars.”

But an unexpected answer came back. “Oh, sir, one thousand dollars is not permitted.”

I asked, opening my eyes in a circle. “Why?”

“Proto has a betting limit of up to one hundred dollars. Sir, it’s illegal beyond that.”

“Yes?” I almost said, ‘They did it for me somewhere else.’

But before that, the owner said, pointing to the OMR card that I had marked. “Look here.”

On the bottom of the OMR card, it was clearly written, ‘You can bet up to one hundred dollars at a time.’

‘What’s that, then… there… Ah…’

Now that I thought about it, everything was strange. A mean-looking man, cash in an unbecoming safe, even a regular customer who seemed to be hooked on gambling… I had thought it was suspicious. It was something quite illegal there.

“What would you like me to do, then? Do you want one hundred dollars’ bet?”

In a daze, I replied, “Oh… yes, please.”

Soon the owner drew out a receipt for one hundred dollars. I walked out of there with it.

——————-

“Ha… It’s real.”

That night, I surfed the Internet at home, looking for everything about the Proto. The conclusion I had come to was like that.

‘More than one hundred dollars is illegal, but there is a place where more is implicitly allowed.’

In other words, they did not accept bets for more than one hundred dollars. It was illegal to do more than that.

When I hit, ‘I want to bet more than one hundred dollars. What should I do?’ in the search engine, the advertisements of illegal gambling sites sprang up one after another.

[We will pay fifty dollars in cash as soon as you sign up.]

[Sure payment, no fraud]

[Compare the dividend rate with the other sites.]

Last time I didn’t know much and crossed the line of the law, but I did not want to make money by committing crimes. I might be caught by the police before making money.

‘Ha, what should I do? I was going to bet tens of thousand dollars through Proto…’

Of course, I didn’t even think about solving everything with Proto. I was just trying to raise funds. The way cash came in immediately was easy and convenient. But as long as it was like this, I should move on to the next level.

‘Well… there’s nothing I can do about it… just like a warm-up… let’s get started now…’

I started looking for an icon in one of the program lists by pressing the Window button.

‘Let’s see… Did I erase it?’

Chapter 11 - The Future In My Hands

“Let’s see… There it is. Still.”

I found the icon of the Home Trading System (HTS) for stocks in the corner of the computer. I clicked it twice. Then a message came out.

[This is the old version. Please download the new program.]

So it was. It was natural since it had not been used for many years. I followed the message’s instructions, downloaded the new program, and looked back for a while.

‘It’s been… three years or four years since I turned on the HTS?’

The first time I became interested in stocks was when I was a sergeant after my short discharge. I took a book from the unit library, one of which was stock-related. Ordinary people described stocks as “a shortcut to ruin oneself,” but the author who had written the book had a different view, though it would be natural to sell books.

‘… stocks are a game of predicting the future, after all. In the future, as a company increases sales and expands its business, stock prices are naturally expected to rise… Some say it’s a gamble to test luck, but that’s not true. Stocks contain gambling elements, but that’s not a big part. In the long run, stocks are a game in which the wise win.’

And when I had seen it, I had been thinking about doing it. ‘The game of predicting the future… It’s a game where the wise win… Shall I try it?’

After leaving the army, until I went back to school, I took advantage of that time to earn money in a part-time job. Then, I saved one thousand dollars until returning to school. I jumped into the stock market with it. And I soon realized, the person who led me down the path of the stock market said the stock was not gambling, but it was gambling. It was a nationally-run legal gambling.

‘No wise man can predict the future perfectly… It’s a gamble. It’s a gamble where the nation is the casino owner… It’s only different that instead of a dealer, the nation is taxing it.’

‘The key to gambling is fun. Is there anything else in the world as interesting as gambling?’

The days when I lost hundreds of dollars were so depressing that I could not taste anything, but on the days when I earned, I was so happy. I used to enjoy other games, but since I started stock trading, I did not look at other games.

After that, I went to school and had a hard time in stocks. I bought a stock that was skyrocketing, and I hit the upper limit price. Without analyzing, I bought a stock and I hit the low limit price. I bought some scamming stocks and rode roller coasters; I bought some blue-chip stocks and held them for a while.

Like that, a year had passed. Only eleven thousand dollars was left in my account. I made a profit of ten percent. It was not a bad grade for a beginner, but it was not even good enough. It was because the KOSPI and KOSDAQ market yield was only about ten percent that year.

‘I worked hard, but… It was like having a monkey pick out any kind of stock…’

The results were a little disappointing, but there was still something to be gained. It was because I came to understand what capitalism was, and I could taste people’s desires, fears, hopes, and despair. Above all, stocks were interesting. Having enjoyed playing games and tasted ten percent profits, it was a very successful game.

‘I would like to do more…’

But just for a year, I cut off my stock trading there. Because I had to go through my senior year in the university, and I had to start preparing for a job.

“That was already… four years ago… Time flies fast…”

While I was reminiscing about the past, the new HTS installation was completed on the computer. I double-clicked it and got into it. As HTS was a new version, its interface changed a lot. Nevertheless, there was something that didn’t change, and the setting I had touched myself, like a list of “Watchlist,” remained the same.

‘Let’s see… How are they?’

I looked around the list.

——————-

Watchlist

LC Electronics $106

Comtubile $172

Andromeda Games

PJY Entertainment $21

Samsung Products $114

Kamgkeum Steel $4

Europhian TV $29

——————–

The stocks in the watchlist were the ones I had traded. I searched my memory one by one from the top.

First of all, LC Electronics was one of South Korea’s two major home appliance companies. I bought it on the recommendation of a stock company, but it was not good. The home appliances such as washing machines, TVs and air conditioners were world-class, but the recent intrusion by Chinese companies seemed to have reflected a little bit in the stock price.

The second stock was Comtubile. It was an unforgettable stock for me. Comtubile was a mobile game maker, and its share price skyrocketed with the game “Summoners Battle,” which was released at that time. I was interested in games, and I also tried the game and invested in the stock because it was fun. I remembered making twice as much money on an investment of three hundred dollars. Actually, it was an ace of the stocks I had bought.

The third stock was Andromeda Games, whose stock price also rose by releasing mobile games. In synergy with the big gains of Comtubile, I bought it in anticipation of a rise in stock price like Comtubile. I remembered that I had lost a bit of money when the game went out. Worse yet, Andromeda Games did not have the stock price anymore.

‘What is it? Is it a bug?’

Even if I double-clicked, nothing came out.

‘What’s wrong with the new HTS? Maybe…’

It wasn’t until I searched the search box for Andromeda Games that I found out why.

[Andromeda Games has accumulated losses for four consecutive years. Audit – adverse opinion.]

[Andromeda Games’ delisting results… They are going to delist it from the KOSDAQ.]

[Andromeda, a mid-size game company, disappeared into the mists of history.]

“Huh.”

Andromeda Games was delisted after making losses four years in a row.

‘After four years, there’s something special going on.’

What was even more surprising was the next stock, PJY Entertainment.

‘Wow, $21? This is, then… I think it cost about $5.’

I looked up the chart. I remembered it correctly. PJY Entertainment’s stock price, which was around $5 four years ago, rose every day for nearly two years and hit $21.

‘What’s going on? What happened?’

I looked for the article.

[Double-up Girls also had a big hit on this single album.]

[With the crucial roles of Japanese members, Double-up Girls is ranked first on the Oricon Chart.]

[Collaboration with PJY and the Double-up Girls.]

Double-up Girls was a girl group I knew.

‘Oh, Double-Up Girls is a girl group of PJY Entertainment.’

It had been around three years since its debut. The Double-up Girls, a multinational girl group made up of members from Korea, Japan and Taiwan, recently made inroads into Japan and was enjoying a good share price.

‘Ah, if I had known Double-Up Girls was part of this company, I would have bought it, too…’

I touched my appetite by moving my mouse cursor. But suddenly, I remembered the phrase that was written in the stock book that I had first read. ‘Stock is a game of predicting the future, after all.’

That thought made me smile.

‘The future, there is no need to predict. The future is in my hands.’

Chapter 12 - The Smell Of Money

“Um…”

I sat tilted and circled the cursor around on the monitor. The email was posted again in front of the monitor.

———————

[Silver Class Member Mail, Subscription Period left: 29 days.]

[Politics Economy Society Life/Culture World IT/Science Entertainment Sports]

[You can pick three categories a day, click on the titles. You can subscribe to only one news item a day. Please select three categories. ]

———————-

My worry was one thing.

‘Economy, Sports… What shall I choose?’

If I selected Economy that gave a source for the stocks, and Sports, I could aim for the small or middle class hit.

‘Politics… is not going to be worth money right now. Life/Culture… I can pick it up for the weekend when they draw the Lotto. World? That’s too far. I don’t know later, but right now… Then I should select either IT/Science or Entertainment… Let’s select IT/Science because it may make a lot of money.’

When I came to the conclusion, I chose the three categories Economy, IT/Science, and Sports. First of all, the Economy news was: [Daehyun Motor Union continues their strike. The worst situation continues.]

Daehyun Motor was the nation’s leading automaker. One of the characteristics of this company was a strong union. It was known that strikes were frequent. I turned on the search window right away.

‘Well… that’s bad news. How long has the strike been going on?

‘What is important is whether the news will act as bad news for the stock. Good news is good, but bad news is also worth money. In Korea, individual investors cannot do the short stock selling for individual stocks, but through futures and options trading, they can similarly bet on the fall of the stock price.’

But this news was not very good news.

[Daehyun Motor has failed to negotiate wages. A full-scale prolonged strike is expected.]

Two weeks ago the strike took place. I saw the stock price on the day of the strike news. The share price that day was just –2%. It was a bad one, but it did not have much effect. It seemed that investors thought it was how the strikes would go every year.

‘It’s a bummer.’

I could not buy or sell stocks on this news. I had to look for another chance. I went on to click on IT/Science.

[Does Space Y open the space-travel age?]

Ah, this was a bummer, too. Needless to click, it would be a science fiction of something which would be ten or twenty years from now. It would be a good article for space scientists and science fiction fans.

‘Next.’

What was left was Sports. I put my last hope on it, but even the last news bit me.

[Alistar Jones tested positive on a drug test.]

It was a UFC news unrelated to Proto. It was about an athlete who took a banned drug. Of course, there was no place to make a penny.

‘Dirty druggies! You’re fucking me, too.’

I drew a total blank today. I had expected this day to come, but now that I came across it, I felt a little flustered. I felt like I did not do today’s job. I comforted myself by closing the email.

‘Let’s not be impatient. If I wait a little longer, I’m sure good luck will come.’

——————–

“Hey, Han Sang-hoon, are you going to eat with me today?”

“Oh, sorry. I also have an appointment today.” I pushed out my lunch partner, Choi.

“What, do you have a girlfriend near the company?” he asked with a tilt of his head.

“No.”

I gave him a slap on the shoulder and got out of the building. The next step was the main bank, S Bank. As soon as I got there, I pulled out the number ticket for the loan. There were two people left. I thought I could get a loan within lunch time. I sat down and waited for my turn to come.

As I sat and waited, such a thought came to me. ‘I can’t believe I am borrowing money for stock trading. Am I doing well…’

After spending all night fiddling with HTS last night, I finally decided to get a worker’s credit loan because stock was a percentage game. If I would earn ten percent with one thousand dollars, it would be just one hundred dollars, but if I would earn five percent with twenty thousand dollars, it would be one thousand dollars. So, if I was sure I was going to win, I should do the full betting, even I got the credit loan.

‘It’s convenient to gather in the Proto, but…’

For a moment, I thought I would go to that illegal Lotto store near my house, but I would rather stick to the law and take out a loan. Later I would be a millionaire, and I did not want to make it illegal, although I could not help it if I did not know it last time. It was not wise to take out a loan and invest in stocks, but at least it was not illegal.

‘Ding dong~’ The notice rang and it was my turn. I stood in front of the loan counter, slightly nervous with the number tag.

‘What if the loan doesn’t happen?’

But my worry was useless. It had been ten minutes since the loan screening. The loan was processed easier than I thought.

“… you’ll get a text during the day when it’s done.”

“During the day?”

“Yes. Probably, you’ll have it in an hour.”

The Internet article said household debts were a problem, but the bank offered loans in just one day if we showed our working certificate and year-end settlement record.

‘The bank originally earns money on an interest basis. A bank’s refusal to lend is like a merchant opening a store and not doing business.’

“The name of the loan is a worker’s credit loan…”

‘Especially, people like me at work are good prey. The employees, the company’s slaves, are less likely not to pay back, and their debts keep them going without thinking about retiring. They will pay a blood interest.’

The idea made a woman with neatly bobbed hair look like a female devil with a sweet temptation. She pointed her finger from place to place with a red manicured nail.

“Here’s your minus account. The balance is zero, but the amount of the withdrawal is twenty thousand dollars. Make sure. The interest rate is 4.5%…”

As I listened to the explanation, I quickly blinked and grabbed myself.

‘I’m just borrowing for a few days, just a day or two to play a quick kill. There’ll be almost no interest.’

I checked the time after I received the minus account issued. There was still about ten minutes left for lunch.

‘I can eat toast.’

I got out of the bank with that idea, with twenty-four thousand dollars in my arms.

———————–

Since then, I checked my email at 8:55 every day. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, however, not only the Economy, but also the IT/Science or the Sports news expected did not appear.

‘Am I unlucky?’

[AAA Investment Fund lowers commission.]

[The same level as humans in the Stone Age, high-intelligence monkey group found.]

[Yoo Jin-hyun sighs as he can’t win even if he throws a good pitch. If the batters help him a little bit…]

Only articles with no connection with money appeared one after another. At this point, I felt cheated.

‘What’s wrong with it now? In the past, there appeared a series of good news that had a connection with money. I took out twenty-four thousand dollars on loan!”

However, there was nowhere to express my discontent. I couldn’t tell if this sender was Heaven’s Garden or Hell’s Pit. Then it was finally Friday.

[Silver Class Member Mail, Subscription Period left: 25 days.]

I bit my lips as I saw the message at the top.

‘It’s been five days, and I’ve earned nothing… Isn’t this just going to cost me ten thousand dollars?’

I shivered slightly and clicked on the Economy category.

[Wrong dividend distribution by Yuhwan Securities: $1 is entered as 1,000 shares. The stock price temporarily hit the low limit price.]

I looked at it with a blank stare for a while. This was definitely a money-smelling article!

Chapter 13 - The Sound Of Money-Making Vibrations

I clicked on the article without hesitation. Soon the text of the article came up.

——————–

[Today, there was an incident where the stock price of Yuhwan Securities fell to the low limit price and returned. At 9 a.m. this morning, Yuhwan Securities, which had been trading steadily, plummeted around 9:30 a.m., plunging to the low limit price of –30%, and then returned to its normal price with the low price purchase, ending the rebound at –3%.

Today’s sharp fall was considered a mistake of order by someone at the time, but the report said it happened due to the mistake of dividends. In the process of distributing dividends to employees, the bank paid 1,000 shares per share by mistake, instead of $1 per share.

The employees of Yuhwan Securities received thirty-five hundred dollars worth of stocks, not $1 per share. The low limit price today came about as a result of selling stocks by several employees who received tens of million dollars worth of shares in the market. The Financial Supervisory Service is investigating this case…]

———————

I read the article and put it together.

‘Well… it’s a ridiculous accident. It was a mistake that the employees sold shares which were accidentally given to them in large quantities. But I don’t think a stockbroker wouldn’t have known this was a mistake… Once he got tens of million dollars in his account, he was selling them like crazy over it…’

But whoever did it wrong or who did it right, it was up to the Financial Supervisory Service or the police. I only had to make money on this case.

‘If I look at the fact, the volume is high at 9:30 and it hits the low limit price. And then it goes back and ends up at about -3%…’

Just thinking about it, I could get a 27% return. I looked at my watch. It was 8:58 a.m., two minutes before the stock market opened, and thirty-two minutes before the incident.

‘I’ll have to get ready soon.’

I manipulated my cell phone and transferred the twenty-four thousand dollars I had lent to my stock account. I also transferred two thousand dollars from my bank account to the stock account. Now, the amount of money I could use was twenty-six thousand dollars.

When I finished loading, I turned on the mobile tracking system (MTS) of my mobile phone. It was a system that carried the computer’s HTS on its mobile phone. It was not like that four years ago, but because it was so simple, people who used MTS were more likely to use it than HTS these days.

Anyway, I put the current price of Yuhwan Securities on my cell phone. 9:00 a.m. came around and the market started. Yuhwan Securities started the sale at a –0.8%. It was an ordinary beginning. But I knew that the stock would hit the low limit price in half an hour.

‘In a moment, hell is unfolding. It will be hell for a man who has shares, but heaven for him who wants to buy it. A stock is that game by nature, a cruel game that separates a person from his or her joy.’

I first checked to see if there were individual Futures of Yuhwan Securities. Unfortunately, it was not listed on the Futures market.

‘Well… I can’t sell it. Instead, the low limit price is aimed at buying.’

Having put my thoughts in order, I pressed the buy button. Oh, there was one more thing I needed to check on before then. I checked the article one more time. At the bottom of the article, the transaction price was written.

‘Today’s trading volume is estimated to be twenty million shares, worth eight hundred million dollars.’

‘Eight hundred million dollars!’ It was much bigger than I thought. The amount I would buy was less than one hundred thousand dollars, so it was like piss in the sea. It meant my order had no effect on the market at all. I put the order in without hesitation. After clicking “buying on margin,” I bought it for twenty-eight dollars per share, which was the lowest price. It was widely-known that stock investors should not invest all the money they had in a stock.

‘Buying on margin is an act of buying more shares on credit with the money I have. If my account has twenty-six thousand dollars, I can buy more stocks on margin. Usually, the smaller the fluctuation, the greater the margin is.’

As Yuhwan Securities was one of the nation’s most successful brokerages, they allowed me to use 30% margin. That meant I could buy stocks equal to 3.33 times what I had. In fact, twenty-four thousand out of twenty-six thousand dollars was borrowed from a bank, so it was like making a debt out of debt. The brokerage lent me three times as much money as I had without paying any attention to whether I borrowed money, saved my salary, or sold my house to raise it.

‘As can be seen in this incident, securities don’t care a bit about the loss of ants, people, in the first place. Or rather, they hope people will lose their money and continue to pour it in. That way, they’ll be profitable. If a bank is a devil who makes a gesture of temptation, a securities company is like a devil who takes away their souls. So, usually, margin trading is a short way to Hell.’

I had a knack for getting out of the devil’s grasp, so I jumped into a fireplace.

‘It’s worth almost eighty-six thousand dollars… Buying.’

I put the maximum amount I could afford at the low limit price.

At that time, Heo called us together. “Hey, everybody, pay attention. We’re going to have a meeting in five minutes about this month’s performance improvement, so, everybody, get your ideas ready, okay?”

‘Oh, that bastard… Will we get an idea just because we’re having a meeting?’

Heo was a typical boss who thought that sitting at a desk for a long time would give him a good idea. It was awful to work for and to have worked for such a boss. I checked the last order I put in and then returned to work. I was still tied to the company, so I could not help feeling uncomfortable. But it did not matter. Soon I would be free.

“Our performance has deteriorated due to other companies’ combined products…”

“It’s a bit difficult because it’s an industrial structural problem, but the more it is…”

In the course of the meeting, I felt a very short vibration in my pocket. ‘Yiing~’

As I was in a meeting, I could not pick up my cell phone. I looked instead at the circular clock in the conference room. The clock struck at nine thirty. I laughed in secret. The vibration that just happened meant I was making a lot of money.

————————

At lunchtime, I was free again, and I turned on the MTS to check my cell phone. The stock price of Yuhwan Securities was surging after a sharp fall, trading in the –4% range.

‘If it was bought at the low limit price…’

I searched for my stock balance.

[Shares: 3092

Buy Price: $28 (-30%)

Purchase Amount: $86,576

Current Price: $38.40 (-4%)

Valuation Amount: $118,732

Profit and Loss: +$32,156]

It went off properly. I earned thirty-two thousand dollars in one day. Considering that my money was only two thousand dollars, it was sixteen times more profitable than my cash alone. After applying for ten thousand dollars’ Silver Class Subscription, I spent five days thinking about it, and I now had more than enough money to make up for it in a day.

‘This is great!’ I fist-pumped the air.

At that time, my lunch friend Choi came and said, “Hey, Han Sang-hoon. What about today? Will you go out and eat alone today?”

I shook my head. “No… No. Let’s go. I’ll buy for you today.”

“You’re buying? What for?”

“No reason. I will just buy for you. What do you want to eat?”

“Oh… really? Can I really eat anything?”

The money I earned today was thirty-two thousand dollars. It was larger than my yearly salary.

I said with a grin, “Today, this brother will buy for you. Let’s get something delicious to eat.”

Chapter 14 - An Ant Looking Up At The Sky

“I ate well, thanks to you. I’ll buy for you next time. Bang-bang!” Choi made a gun with his finger and shot me a couple of times.

“That’s okay. Did you ever buy for me after you said you were going to buy?” I laughed at him.

“Hey, what do you think who I am? I’m going to buy for you next payday.”

Next payday. I was not sure if I would stay at this company until then, but I said I knew for once,

“All right. Go in first. I’m going to go to the bathroom and return.”

Choi leaned in and said to me. “Ah, do your business, chairman.”

He made a fuss since I bought a meal once. He was a funny guy. Somehow, I stopped by the company lobby bathroom after sending him up first. I settled in the toilet and took out my cell phone. Then, I turned on the MTS. The stock price of Yuhwan Securities was fluctuating between –3% and -4%.

‘The article said it ended at -3%… Then don’t be greedy and let’s sell it now and get out of here. Even if it’s a dividend accident, even if it’s a day’s happening… It’s bad news for the company. It may fall for the next few days.’

‘Don’t bet your game where you’re not sure. It is a famous gambling maxim. In particular, it is dangerous to be greedy for a day or two when you have a full bet at the margin…’

‘Then I will sell it without hesitation.’

I sold all my shares at a reasonable price. My account, which had only twenty-six thousand dollars in the morning, had increased by thirty-two thousand to fifty-eight thousand dollars.

‘That’s it.’

This would pay off all my debts and secure a monthly subscription of ten thousand dollars. This meant that I stood on a lever to raise money at a single queue.

‘If this is the way it is, it will be quick to raise ten million dollars… What do I do when it is done?… I’ll move to a nice house… A foreign car, I’ll have to pick one of the best. No, no, no. Do I need to pick just one? I have to have two or three. Those famous hip-hop stars live like that, right? And… oh, yes, I should raise the grade to the Gold Class.’

The Silver Class I was getting was not bad, but if I went up to the Gold, there might be something else where I could earn more money. After I sold the stock, I looked at my watch. There was still about ten minutes left for lunch.

‘I don’t have to go back to work early, breathing the same air as Heo.’

I got out of the bathroom and bought coffee from a nearby vending machine. Then I touched my mobile phone and went to the Yuhwan Securities community on the portal site. There were countless postings in the community. They deserved it, as eight hundred million dollars worth of shares were sold in just one day.

[Wow, what was that? Order mistake? Which rich man put in the wrong number?]

[As if someone accidentally sold it to the low limit price. Only the one who bought at that time might get rich.]

[Who are you? The fool who sold $40 for $28?]

So far, people did not seem to know that it was an accident due to a mistake in dividends. I looked up the news, and even they were on the wrong foot.

[Shares of Yuhwan Securities are trading near the low limit price. Hidden bad news?]

[A sharp fall in Yuhwan Securities is found to be due to a mistake in ordering.]

They were generally aware that someone simply clicked the wrong price or misplaced the sale price. It was not common, but it happened sometimes. In Japan, a securities company sold 610,000 yen worth of stocks to the market, selling 610,000 shares for 1 yen, causing a huge loss. I’d read more.

[I should’ve bought it when it went down the low limit price. That was the best chance of my life. I didn’t get it. Damn it.]

[Hehe, I – I bought some when it was -15%.]

[I, –7%… I should’ve seen it earlier.]

Some people were saying they liked it because they bought it cheap. To be honest, it was a bit of a laugh.

‘Ha-ha. I picked it up at the low limit price and sold it already. You bastards.’

I read more comments. There were some people who were calm in this mess.

[It’s usually hard to pick it up at the low limit price. If not for the strong of heart, it might be because of some bad news.]

[That’s right, if you pick the wrong one, not only will it hit the low limit price on the day, but also the next. I heard that they are going to close the list, but the person who bought will eventually be the winner.]

[Why don’t you just buy now? It’s -3%… If you earn 3%, it’s honey.]

[It is too much. We don’t know yet what kind of hidden bad news it is.]

People talked about what happened today, but no one knew exactly why it happened as a whole. It was like touching an elephant’s leg with their eyes closed and calling it a pillar, touching the waist and calling it a wall, touching the tail and calling it a rope. They would have to wait a few more hours to learn the whole story out of this case.

‘This is… that’s why they are ants… Just looking right in front of their nose… they can’t see the sky.’

Actually, they could not help it. Ants were just ants. Few ants could look up at the sky like I did now. It would have been impossible for me, too, if it were not for the strange fate.

‘Looking at this stuff, I did not see anything when I was a university student… It was so reckless…’

Lunchtime ended while I was eyeing the stock community. I threw an empty coffee can into the wastebasket, turned off the MTS, put my cell phone in my pocket and tried to go up to work. But the cell phone rang once more.

‘What is it?’ I picked my cell phone. There was a text on it. The sender was my mom.

“Tomorrow is Sun-young’s first birthday party. I will go up to Seoul with your dad and stop by your house first.”

Here, Sun-young was the daughter of my cousin. It had been a while since I went to my cousin’s wedding, but she already had her first birthday.

‘It’s been a while. Since I’ll see my mom tomorrow… That’s great. If I’m going to leave the company anyway, I’m going to tell my mom and dad… I’ll have to give them a hint tomorrow.’

I came back to work with that idea.

——————–

The next morning…

“Ugggggh.” I woke up early in the morning without an alarm. Usually, sleeping late on Saturday was my basic setting, but strangely today I woke up early.

‘What’s wrong with me?’

Coming to think of it, it had been from last week to receive an email.

‘Oh, I see.’

For some reason, I was not tense today. Thinking of it, I used to be. The stock market was not open on Saturday and Sunday, so I couldn’t have fun there.

‘… People who bet on the horse races have fun only on the weekend of the game and not on weekdays… Why don’t I race on the weekend? Well, if I think about it, the results of the race will be in the article… Where can I get tickets for the horse races? Culture? Life? Sports?’

Now that I was thinking about this side, I felt like I was only thinking about gambling.

‘Hoo… Am I going to get into trouble like this?’

But if I thought about it, that was right. My life had to be a big deal. Otherwise, I would be kicked at work until I died at the company.

It was not just me. It was the case for all the people who were born with a plastic spoon in their mouths in Korea. Without this kind of life, they could not get out of a lower-class life by paying off a student loan, mortgage loan, and interest on those loans. In a capitalist society, they could not live as a master of their lives and had to die doing other people’s work.

I decided to change my mind.

‘Yes, I’d love a big deal. Besides, I received a strange fate. I’m going to change my life with this. From working as someone’s slave, to being a person who manages someone else.’

Thinking of that, I sat down in front of the computer.

‘Today, the stock market does not open, so what should I look at?… I’ll give a click on the Lotto in Life/Culture…’

When I was thinking about that, the studio doorbell rang. I remembered then that my parents were supposed to come today.

‘Ah, just about when I’m about to do business.’ I dressed quickly in a sweat suit and headed to the door.

Chapter 15 - Ground Bait

“Are you here?” I bowed my head and greeted them.

“Yes, my son. How are you?” My dad nodded and hugged me.

“What in the world is this about?” My mom put down all her things with her eyes on me and started cleaning up the house.

I dissuaded my mom. “Oh, mom, leave it alone. I’ll take care of it.”

But my mom gave me a big slap on my back, and she collected bags of snacks on my desk and underwear hanging on my chair. “Are you on your own? Is this what you’re supposed to do?”

“Why did you hit your son after a long time?” I said, touching my hot back. My mom’s palm marks would be red on my back.

There, even my sister who closed the door said a word. “Why don’t you grow up, you’re almost thirty?”

I saw my sister, Su-Jeong, and asked flatly, “What, are you here, too?”

“Yes, I’m going to do some shopping and go down.”

I didn’t notice it when I was living alone, but it looked a little narrow with all my family in my little studio. I was sorry for my mom, who was hurrying back and forth and cleaning the house, and I joined in the cleaning.

——————

“So, you’re not going to Sun-young’s birthday party?”

“Yes, I’m so tired. I worked late yesterday, too. Tell my aunt I’m sorry.”

“But it’s a family event… You should go.” My mom recommended it again, but my dad held back.

“That’s okay. Sang-hoon is having a hard time at work. Let him rest for the day. And if he goes to the first birthday party, will your sisters and nephews stay still?”

My dad glanced at me. As expected, my dad was the only one who knew my mind. I went on to say what my dad wanted me to say.

“When I go to the birthday party, my aunts and cousins will all get together and ask me if I’m not getting married, or when.”

That was actually a bigger reason than being tired. I knew it was not because relatives were malicious, but that kind of question was uncomfortable for me, anyway. I would like to congratulate Sun-young and my cousin, but I did not want to congratulate them by listening to such stories.

My mom looked at me for a moment, then took out her words. “Yes. Speaking of which… don’t you have any girlfriend these days?”

“No.” I shook my head.

“What about that pretty nurse you met then…” my dad said clumsily.

At the words, my mom, my sister and I stared at my dad. Only then did my dad, who had an inkling, scratched his head and said, “Ah… did you break up? I’m sorry.”

My dad didn’t seem to have any malice, but I had to think about her for a moment. ‘Bad bitch.’

My mom was on my side when it was like this. “That’s okay. She wasn’t good enough for you. She looked like a fox. Sang-hoon, forget about her and meet a new girl. Didn’t you have a blind date lately?”

“I haven’t had time for a blind date lately.”

“Why don’t you have time? You can meet on the weekend.”

“I’m tired on the weekend and need to rest. If I work late two or three nights a week, it piles up… I can’t get rid of my fatigue even if I rest until Saturday night.”

I sneaked out a story about my job. I was determined to cut in on the subject of resignation.

On the way, my younger sister intervened. “It is because you don’t have a girl you really like yet, brother. If you really like her, even if you feel tired, you will run to her.”

I shook my head and told my sister. “It’s because you haven’t worked overtime at work.”

“I am working overtime, too. Do you know how much I was attached to school at the athletic meeting a while ago?”

I retorted to my sister, “It’s not working, it’s playing, compared to working overtime. You’ll have to be nagged by your boss and then you will know…”

My sister had never lost an argument to me since the old days. “I’m nagged, too. These days, students’ parents are my boss, and I have dozens of bosses asking me to do this and that to their kids.”

“Parents… parents still use honorific words for you, but my boss just swears and talks down to me.”

“Stop it. Everyone has the hardest job they are doing.” My dad, who had heard us quarrel forever, stepped forward to mediate. My sister and I shut our mouths.

In the meantime, my mom slipped in a word. “You may then marry after your sister.”

I looked at my sister. “Are you still dating? The… doctor?”

“What is “the”? Maybe he will be your sister’s husband.”

“How long have you been dating? Two years? Three years?”

“It’s four years now. Why aren’t you so interested in your sister?”

“Are you interested in me?”

I did not know why a doctor who made good money liked my sister, but they had been dating for a while. It did not seem to be nonsense to say that he might end up her husband. I told my parents. “I’m fine. If she goes first… It’s not an era to argue about that, but it’s a time people who can marry first can go do so.”

At that remark, my dad cut in. “You can marry, too. You have a good university certificate and a decent job.”

Work. Eventually, the story came out. I drove the story toward the money this time.

“I have a job, but I don’t have any money. I don’t have much money saved, but I have debts…”

“It doesn’t matter what the money is. It’s all about the people,” my mom said.

“These days, women think rich men are good people.” When I said it, I suddenly thought, ‘I’m going to be popular, too.’

My dad clicked his tongue. “These days, young men just say money, money… We used to start empty-handed and finish the apartment…”

“That was dad’s time. It’s been a while. We have to work for almost ten years so we can buy an apartment.”

I took a hint and brought up a story I had prepared, in the name of retirement.

“So… I want to start a business if I have a chance while working at a company. As a salaryman… far from getting married, even dating is hard. I have to have my own business…”

My mom’s eyes grew bigger when I talked about starting a business. “Setting up a business? Will you try that again? Don’t you remember it took you a year to get your job?”

That was true. When I was a senior in university, I was preparing to get a job, but after starting a business, I abandoned trying to find one. At that time, my parents supported me, but I failed. As a result, I managed to get into the company because I was late in finding a job.

My mom said, reminiscing about the time. “You told yourself that in this country, they can start a business when they have money. That’s why it’s hard.”

I said a word quietly. “I know, but… Maybe… I will hit the Lotto winnings. If I happen to get a lump sum… I want to try start-up again.”

“Bah, you can’t do well with Lotto. Don’t think about it. Just go to work. There are a few hundred thousand unemployed young people these days. You’re talking high and mighty.”

———————

“See you soon!”

“We will come again.”

“Don’t forget to clean up.”

“Yes, that’s right. That’s why you don’t have a girl.”

“Don’t talk nonsense and go…”

I sent my family off like that. There had been arguments like this and that, but I had achieved my purpose. Though I didn’t talk about it in public, I’d let out, ‘If I have money, I can start a business.’ I thought I should talk to my parents after a few more chances like this, along with having hundreds of thousand dollars in a bank account.

‘If that happens… I’m sure my parents will be surprised. What else do I have to say, then? As it is now… I think I cannot live with the usual life…’

But it won’t be too late to worry about it, then. Being rich is the first thing.

‘Ah, I was going to see if there was a Lotto article today…’

I sat down in front of the computer again with a sudden thought.

Chapter 16 - An Unexpected Opportunity

Sitting in front of the computer, after I turned on the computer with my toes and opened Explorer, I typed the email address which would receive 12 Hours After.

It didn’t take long. In my company life, if I was just a little late, I was blamed much, and so I had brilliant hands that were comparable to a professional gamer.

‘It was a lousy company life, but I still got what I got.’

Soon the email opened up before my eyes. I glanced at it first and checked the remaining subscription period. ‘Twenty-four days left.’

Then, I perused the categories again.

[Politics Economy Society Life/Culture World IT/Science Entertainment Sports]

Today there was nothing to see except Life/Culture with Lotto winning numbers on it. Even if I knew the Economy news twelve hours in advance, I could not play stocks today. The same went for IT/Science and Entertainment. I decided to play cards in Life/Culture. Just by checking the title, I would know if this was a Lotto article or not.

‘Now, let’s check the title. Tadah Tadah Tadah.’

I was riding the rhythm, and I clicked on Life/Culture. The title said: [You can do it, too. How to manage the timing of a cat’s fur.]

It was a bummer.

“Oops… Dammit…”

I could not help it. Hundreds or thousands of articles were posted every day, and the chance of picking out a single category and winning a lottery was a low fraction of that. It was a lot more likely than buying a Lotto and hoping to win, but it was a very low probability. I comforted myself.

‘Let’s just think of a free lottery scratch every weekend. It’s good if I get the winning numbers, or if not, I can’t help it.’

Now there were two opportunities left. But I did not have anything to choose from. I unconsciously shifted the cursor to Sports. Recently, searching the lottery sites, I found that there was a “Winner List” in which I could predict the correct scores, and a “Long List” in which I could select the outcomes of a match like win/draw/loss, in the Proto, so I could win a bet if I knew the final results.

For example, Winner List Proto for soccer was a game in which I could predict the final scores such as 1-0 or 3-2. Sometimes, when strange scores such as 5-3 or 6-2 were released, I could get a big hit of 500 or 900 times. If I bet with just one hundred dollars, I could make fifty or ninety thousand dollars. It was not a bad sum at this time, when my money was not big.

“Hmm…” I gathered my inner power for a moment, then left-clicked.

[Hongdu Stars founded a professional team for the Battle Survival game.]

It was a bummer, too. The article was about the creation of a pro-gamer team.

‘Ah, these days, e-sports are also included in the sports news… By the way, do the e-sports have any Proto? I seemed to see a match-fixing story before…’

I opened another window to look for the news. There was no such thing as a Proto in e-sports.

[Programmer Ma Sung-seung admitted match-fixing. The e-sports industry is in turmoil.]

There had been match-fixing, but it seemed to have been in a private Proto. Okay. I would pay the stock-trading tax, but I would not like to go to jail for breaking the law.

‘That’s enough.’

I finally moved my cursor to Economy. I thought this was the real thing.

‘Now my main field is stock… Even if I don’t have any information available for money-making today, let’s look at the information and think about how to use it to make money. In the future, I’ll receive this article every day.’

I clicked on Economy with that idea. The title of today’s Economy was Bitcoin.

[Another Bitcoin plunge. It’ll break $10,000.]

‘Ah, Bitcoin!’

In retrospect, Bitcoin was available for 24 hours, not only during the week but also on the weekends. I didn’t pay much attention to when Bitcoin went up or down. However, I should take this opportunity to find it out a little.

‘How can I buy it in my country? I heard that it’s hard to buy it these days because the sanctions are too heavy.’

I searched for more.

[The real-name financial system for virtual currency transactions, the creation of a new account is blocked.]

[The Ministry of Justice still considering to exclude and close the Bitcoin exchange market.]

[Overseas transactions are blocked. If the annual remittance exceeds $10,000, the National Tax Service will be notified of the transaction.]

Bitcoin, which was in full swing, was almost dead because of various government regulations. The market was steadily declining in Korea, and overseas as well. There was no rebound.

‘I’m going to let me know, but… I will not expect too much… There are so many regulations…’

It would have been nice if the time to receive an email had been a little earlier, but I decided to study more about Bitcoin just in case. Maybe there would be a good chance later. No, if I thought about it, it was not a matter of just Bitcoin. Although this 12 Hours After email was appreciated, there was definitely an unkind side.

‘Even if I can see three titles as I became a Silver Class Member, I do not know what news will pop up. So, I have to have a sense of earning money and a sense of action to keep up with the news, like a sprinter in position. Only then will I be able to run out like a bullet when the gunshot goes off.’

‘Well… I’ll have to study more about stocks, Bitcoin… Today… let’s go to the library and borrow some related books and read them.’

I thought that way, a big sound came out of my stomach.

I woke up in the morning, welcomed my family, and could not eat anything while reading the articles, like a student who always put off studying.

‘I have to eat well to study.’

With that thought, I got up from the computer’s seat and walked toward the kitchen. The kitchen was cleaner than ever. That was because my mom cleaned, wiped, and washed the dishes.

‘Even if it’s true… I feel sorry…’

By the way, a pot was sitting on the gas stove in a well-arranged kitchen with a bowl of rice and a plate.

‘What is this?’

I approached the pot and opened the lid. Inside, there was a beef leg bone soup with a savory smell.

‘When did she do this?’

I thought of my mom who had just been here. I sometimes fought with my mom in disagreement, but I knew there was no one in the world who would take care of me better than my mom.

——————–

A few days passed like that. More time went by. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday… I checked my email every morning at 8:55 a.m. But there was no such thing as a large number of money-making cases. If I looked at the news, there was only a string of unprofitable news.

[House prices rise or fall? Where are they going?]

[Interstellar, the Science Story is seen in the movies.]

[Lee Yeon-kyung, the volleyball player, is MOM of Women’s League in China.]

It was not as urgent as before, because there were already fifty-eight thousand dollars in my account. I had earned thirty-two thousand dollars, but I wanted to make more money as soon as possible. At least, when I earned some big money, I would have the power to retire and the justification to do so.

‘I hope something comes up soon. Come on… If I have a big hit, I will do whatever I have to do.’

I spent every day thinking about it. Fortunately, the wait was not long, just a week after the last incident of Yuhwan Securities. Friday, twenty days left for the subscription, another chance came.

———————-

“Ho-hum…”

I yawned and looked at the monitor. It was 8:45 a.m. I had never been late, or near late, these days. It became a habit for me to arrive early and get the email after I got my mind together.

‘It’s a little funny, because I come to work early so I can quit.’

I wiped away the tears in my eyes at the yawn with such a thought. Over time, the company began to get crowded with people coming to work. 8:55 a.m. The email came just around this time, with other procrastinating office workers. As soon as I received the email, I opened it up swiftly, used to this email program after ten days. I moved the mouse cursor to Economy.

‘Today… it’s time to come up.’

Click. However, again, there was an article on real estate that was useless right now.

[Real Estate of Sejong City is the top at the growth rate for this month.]

‘Haah… is there nothing today, too? This week… I’m empty-handed…’

I quickly moved my mouse cursor and clicked on the other two articles. It was because I thought that if the Economy news was not good, others would not be different, too.

“Eh?” I found an absolute opportunity in an article I clicked on without much thought.

Chapter 17 - An Orphan Adopted Into A Chaebol Family, Part I

The category that gave me a golden opportunity was Entertainment. Having received useless real-estate news from Economy, I clicked on Entertainment and IT/Science one after another, and my eyes were wide open when I saw the title of the article in Entertainment.

[Jiwoo Entertainment is acquired by China’s BEU Group.]

‘In the stock industry, an acquisition is a very important event. If one company becomes a takeover bid for another, a huge amount of money will be brought in by a new parent company. In addition, the parent company usually presents a new revenue-generating model to its subsidiary to increase the size of its original business or link it up when it acquires the subsidiary.’

‘Therefore, the acquisition will not only dramatically improve the financial situation of the subsidiary with the parent company’s funds, but also increase sales, resulting in a sharp increase in the financial statements. The replacement of the parent company is an event in which cheap stocks are transformed into gold stocks.’

I clicked on the article without hesitation.

——————

[South Korean entertainment company Jiwoo Entertainment has been acquired by China’s BEU Group. Kim Dong-il, a founder and the largest shareholder of Jiwoo Entertainment, announced today that he has signed a contract to sell 32.67 percent of his stake to China’s BEU Group. This changed the largest shareholder of Jiwoo Entertainment to BEU Group, while Jiwoo Entertainment cooperates with BEU Group’s various Chinese subsidiaries (BPU, Shinhwa Film Company) to secure domestic artists to enter the entertainment business in China.]

——————-

I had definitely heard of Jiwoo Entertainment. I turned on MTS and searched for Jiwoo Entertainment. However, a phrase stood out at the top of the stock market, rather than the price of the stock. The words “Issues of Administration” were written in red.

‘Issues of Administration?’

‘Issues of Administration is a ticket to a company that had been deficit for several years or when it is on the verge of collapse. It is a kind of stigma attached to stocks that lose money for more than a year or when their financial statements have not improved, they are in the process of delisting. It is literally a stock that has received special care.’

‘In general, it is better not to trade stocks attached to such Issues of Administration. This is because they do not know when or how they will be delisted. If the stock is delisted, the stock will be either destroyed or sold out of the market, allowing only a small number of people to trade. In that case, they are traded at a slightly higher price than normal waste paper. There is no guarantee of the future.’

I was troubled for a moment. ‘… this is a dangerous stock.’

I looked up the chart for Jiwoo Entertainment.

“Huh…”

The stock chart had a clear downward curve. Although there were occasional spikes or declines, they eventually had a graph of a linear function with a negative slope, which seemed to be hand-drawn from either the weekly or monthly candlestick chart.

It was $18 three years ago… It’s only $3 right now… a sixth of it… There must be a lot of people who killed themselves.

‘There are usual times when any stock is good or bad.’

However, this stock had steadily been negative over what had happened. I looked up the financial statements. However, they were also very unusual.

‘Huh? But sales are good, right?’

Sales were steady. Or rather, they were growing slightly.

‘Who are the singers and celebrities that belong here?’

I opened a search window and searched for Jiwoo Entertainment. At the top of the list, I could see a girl group, Nine Tails.

‘Oh… Nine Tales belongs to this company.’

A girl group, Nine Tales was the third or fourth popular girl group in Korea. Ha Yeon-seo, the leader, had a remarkable beauty that rarely fell out when they considered the top visuals of the Korean girl groups, so there were few Korean men in their twenties or thirties who did not know about them.

‘Nine Tales are pretty popular, but… what happened to the company with Ha Yeon-seo?’

I found a stockholder notice board of the general portal. There was no better place than this to judge the situation of the company.

—————–

[Oh, it’s down again today… I’m going to the Han River today. I’ll have to go drink some Soju.]

[You idiot, are you holding this stock? Sell it quickly. The winner is the one who sells it first.]

[This stock is finished. Look at the chairman of the company. He is gambling with company money.]

[Oh, poor Nine Tails… They can’t even release a new album because of Dong-il, son of a bitch!]

[I’m a fan of Nine Tails’ Jung So-yeon. I’ll pick up the knife and go to Jiwoo Entertainment. Wait for me, Dong-il, you son of a bitch!]

———————

Looking at the bulletin board, I had a question.

‘Who’s Dong-il?’

I seemed to see the name somewhere, and when I read the article again, I found that he was the founder and major shareholder of Jiwoo Entertainment. He was being criticized by unnamed shareholders because he did not operate the company well.

‘Well, it is normal in the stock market. If anyone is down to a sixth of his wealth, he will want to swear even if he holds onto the chairmanship. Nevertheless, he has to blame his fingers for buying stocks before that, but it is hard for the average person to blame himself.’

Somehow I found a good source here.

‘Chairman Kim Dong-il was gambling with company money?’

‘CEO Risk. It happens often.’

Recently, a director of Peanut Airlines returned on a flight for the U.S. to Korea, as a stewardess made a mistake. At that time, the company saw its market capitalization evaporate by as much as one billion dollars, with a decline of –10% for a week.

‘What the hell did he do?’

I wanted to find out more about the story, but I didn’t have time. It was 8:58 a.m. now. Only two minutes were left until the beginning of the market. It was not enough time to further analyze why Jiwoo Entertainment, which had Nine Tales and Ha Yeon-seo, was doing this. What mattered to me was whether this stock would go up or down.

If there was a rumor of acquisition spreading in the market, the stock price might soar as soon as the market opened, so a decision should be made quickly. I put aside all those specifics and searched for just one more key factor that would affect stock prices right away.

[BEU’s market capitalization.]

‘What’s most important when news of acquisition comes out like this is how powerful the parent company is. An acquisition is a situation similar to when an orphan at an orphanage goes through the adoption process into a family. In some cases, he or she is adopted by an ordinary family, or by a Chaebol family. The former is not bad, but the latter is a sharp improvement in the company.’

I watched the search result. Because BEU was not a Korean company, there was no information about it. Instead, I could look it up on the news.

[… BEU, which organizes the Hallyu (Korean Wave) concert, is a Beijing-based general entertainment company, with a market capitalization of about twenty billion dollars.]

Twenty billion dollars was huge money. If we combined Korea’s leading entertainment companies, ZM, YC and PJY, the total amounts would be less two billion dollars, and its size was ten times larger than those.

‘This is… I have to buy it.’

Of course, I was a little uncomfortable with the Issues of Administration, but it was August now. March, the period when a lot of delisted companies were put out, had passed, and it was not a dangerous time. Although there was something wrong with the company, if the parent company would change this evening, the problem would disappear.

If the money problem was 80% in life, the money problem was 99.9% in the company. I decided to turn on MTS. The time was 8:59 a.m. It was a minute before the market opened. I entered the password and moved my hand to the buy button.

Chapter 18 - An Orphan Adopted Into A Chaebol Family, Part II

Before the purchase of Jiwoo Entertainment, there was one thing I was worried about.

‘What if the initial price is too high?’

‘Someone may have acquired this merger and acquisition information. Brokers and institutional investors who are looking for stock information are sensitive to this information, because it is big money. Prior to that, the major shareholder, his acquaintances, and senior executives also use internal information to trade stocks.

‘Of course, in this case, it is illegal, and if they get caught by the Fair Trade Commission, they will be handcuffed immediately, but that is not so much because they use a nickname account such as a distant relative or acquaintance. The use of a nickname account is not only open to KOSDAQ, but also to the KOSPI.’

Thirty seconds before the opening, I checked how much the initial price was.

‘Isn’t the price running from the start?’

I feel uneasy. Until yesterday, there was no movement, but if the merger and acquisition information were to spread, the stock price could begin at the upper limit price of the market, around +30%. And then, I would not buy a stock, and I could not help but look at the stock at the upper limit price, like a dog chasing a chicken.

‘Please, let it not go up more than ten percent at the start…’

My concern was complete, baseless anxiety. The initial price was $2.94. The deal was about to start at the -2% level.

‘What is this?’

As a result, I was in a situation where I was afraid of getting off and could not buy, rather than worrying about getting up.

‘No, it surely said that the acquisition would take place today…’

Like the incident of Yuhwan Securities, which went down to -30%, and then was over at -3%, there was no clear information. I had no choice but to look at the stock price in a state of anxiety. I checked the article of 12 Hours After again. I scrolled down and quickly scanned the lower part, not the part I read earlier.

——————

[Jiwoo Entertainment has been a stock under Issues of Administration due to a sudden deterioration in financial statements and the recent unreasonable investment failure. It has solved the current financial problems by receiving the funds of the BEU group. According to an official in the company, this M&A was conducted as a secret matter known only to Kim Dong-il and several board members, and employees of the company, including the famous girl group Nine Tails’ members, were also embarrassed to hear this news in the afternoon.

But as if predicting this confusion, Wang Wei, CEO of the BEU Group, who became the major shareholder through the merger, held a press conference at around 6 pm today and said, “We will make generous investments and support for Jiwoo Entertainment to enter China. I expect that the combination of Jiwoo Entertainment’s excellent human resources and BEU Group’s network in China will create a great synergy.” He reassured Jiwoo Entertainment shareholders, Jiwoo Entertainment artists, and artists’ fans.]

——————–

‘This M&A was conducted as a secret matter…’

I was somewhat convinced that people in the company did not know, and it was very likely that this would not have been revealed to institutional investors yet.

‘Institutional investors and foreigners in the first place have little interest in stocks selected as Issues of Administration. If stocks bought with customer’s money are delisted, they will write an apology and explanation.’

‘So… is it just a simple adjustment to go down today? If it is falling as a stock of Issues of Administration… it’s not strange to lose two percent a day… If so, it’s a great opportunity.’

The moment I concluded, the stock market started at 9:00, and the initial price was -2%, $2.94. Unfortunately, the color of the chart was red. In other words, some people were selling their stocks while crying. If they stayed one more day, they might make a profit, but ants could not see a day ahead of them.

I started to buy from there, sharing a little bit of my money, fifty-eight thousand dollars.

‘Yiing. Yiing. Yiing.’ My cell phone was starting to vibrate.

[Buy order is completed.]

[Buy order is completed.]

[Buy order is completed.]

It was the very sound of money-making vibrations that took place at the last meeting. What was a little disappointing was that as it was a stock in Issues of Administration, I could not use a margin account like I did last time. The securities companies implemented the policy in the name of protecting investors, but it was clear that they were afraid of not being able to receive money back if they were delisted, after they lent investors money at margin.

‘Anyway, it doesn’t help a lot…’

I grumbled and continued to put in the buy orders. It was a bit of a pain to do so and I glanced at the other office workers. Everyone was busy with their work. Heo, who was a hindrance in everything, did not bother me today. I put up my work screen and kept buying stocks.

Jiwoo Entertainment’s market capitalization was about thirty million dollars. As it was a very small company in the KOSDAQ, which was crowded with small and medium-sized companies, the stock price edged up 0.1 percent and 0.2 percent with my fifty-eight thousand dollars. But I didn’t care, and I kept buying little by little. But then, by 9:10, suddenly someone else’s buying came in, and the stock price suddenly popped up.

Until just now, it was at -3%, $2.91, but the share prices playing under the negative line turned fast into a plus, at +2%, $3.06. I was a little embarrassed.

‘Who is this all of a sudden?’

The stock that I bought so far was only forty thousand dollars worth, just over two-thirds of the fifty-eight thousand dollars. I still had to buy eighteen thousand dollars more, but the price had gone up because someone else had bought the stock. I swiped through the trading by trade agents.

[The Upper Trading Agents

Duri Finance 168,500

Jinsung Securities 13,100

Merritt 4,000

Jooin Securities 2,000

Kiwi Securities 500]

My account was Jinsung Securities. In a word, I was the second person on that table. But someone was buying stocks at random with a Duri Finance account. I had no choice but to suspect.

‘Someone’s using a borrowed account?’

But there was nothing I could do about it, even if I doubted it. I started buying without looking at the price like before. However, the stock price increased more and more at 3%, 4%, and 5%. I saw every trade volume by trade agents as if a racing player was looking at a rival ahead of him.

Duri Finance 215,500

Hanshin Securities 137,000

Merritt 64,100

PJ Securities 40,000

Jinsung Securities 15,100

Other securities accounts are now scrambling to buy the shares. Now I was sure. Information on merger and acquisition was open on the market. It was just that they didn’t buy it because they were afraid of someone. Then there was only one choice I could make: I would buy shares at market price with all the rest of the money. It was like a customer taking all the money out of his wallet and giving it to a merchant, saying “Give me everything you got.”

But I did not have time to think. I had to buy it cheaper than others.

[Buy order at the market price, full.]

[Buy order is completed.]

My cell phone rang again from my hand. After the buying, I saw my account balance.

Holding Stock

Jiwoo Entertainment

Shares: 19,141

Purchase Price: $3.03(+1%)

Purchase Amount: $57,997

Current Price: $3.21(+7%)

Current Value: $61,442

Profit and Loss: +$3,445

I barely bought the shares at $3.03. I started to buy it when it was at -2%, but it became 1% as I bought it with the price increase.

‘Huh… There was someone who had the information…’

But then, the moment I thought about it, the price of Jiwoo Entertainment skyrocketed, triggering VI, the Volatility Interruption. The current price was $3.33(+11%). The Volatility Interruption was a system that temporarily stopped transactions when the volume of purchases or sales was too high.

‘What is it?’ I saw a trading window. Now it had stopped at the current price of +11%. By the way, the remaining purchase amount was at +30%. It was hung at the upper limit price. I clenched my fist. ‘I hit the jackpot!’

After a while, as VI was released, a little deal took place at the upper limit price of +30%, and after that, the volume of people trying to buy any more stocks was scrambling up to the upper limit price. It was like they seemed to cry out, “Please! Please! Please sell it to me!”

Chapter 19 - An Orphan Adopted Into A Chaebol Family, Part III

“Come on, let’s have lunch.”

It was the lunchtime that I had been waiting for. I got up in a hurry. To be honest with myself, I could not focus on my work this morning. I immediately picked up my cell phone and saw the current price.

‘Jiwoo Entertainment $3.90 (+30%)’

At around 9:10 a.m. this morning, the stock price of Jiwoo Entertainment, which was at its upper limit price, remained flat. I went over to the account balance.

[Holding Stock

Jiwoo Entertainment

Shares: 19,141

Purchase Price: $3.30

Purchase Amount: $57,997

Current Price: $3.90

Current Value: $74,649

Profit and Loss: +$16.652

Today’s profits alone were sixteen thousand dollars. But it was not over here. That was because the shares to buy at the upper limit price had piled up to more than one million, to more than four million dollars. The accumulation of this amount of the stock in the market value of thirty million dollars was no different from saying that today’s price would be at the upper limit price, and that it was going to be the upper limit price for a few more days. I had a rough idea of arithmetic in my mind.

‘The Current Value is $74,000. If it goes to the upper limit price once more, it will be $97,000, and if it goes one more time, it will be $120,000, and with one more, it will be $160,000.’

‘If this successively goes to the upper limit price, it will be compounded hugely later. Einstein said that too.’

‘The greatest invention of mankind is compounding math. Compounding math is the most powerful force in the universe.’

I did not know why the best scientist in the world said that about compounding math, but it was clear that the compounding math had a strong power anyway.

‘If I do this right, it could double in a few days, or even more.’ I grinned at MTS.

Today, my lunch friend, Choi came to me and said, “What’s the matter with you, Han?”

I shook my head while putting in my cell phone. “No, no.”

“No, no? You look like you’re so happy and you’ll die.”

I tried to control my face, but I couldn’t hide the corners of my mouth.

Choi looked at me for a moment, then suddenly stiffened his face, and talked nonsense. “You didn’t tell me. You’ve got a real girl.”

“What are you talking about?”

I tried to shake my head, but he said, “You should have told me, and I told you to eat lunch together all the time, I’m slow-witted. Then go ahead. Just call me when you need me, and introduce me later, okay?”

As he said such a silly thing, I let him do it. I needed my own time alone. I couldn’t do stock trading openly while I was working at the company. I wanted to analyze the stock once again, even for an hour at lunchtime.

“Then I’m going. Good luck. Don’t break up like last time.” Choi left the remark and joined another group. “Hey, let’s eat together!”

He was taken care of.

I left him alone and got out of the company. ‘Where would be good? A place where I can eat alone, without encountering company people.’

I thought of a fast food restaurant two blocks from the company. I would not meet anyone I knew there. There was a fast food restaurant nearby. I walked towards that place and looked at my cell phone.

‘Is the M&A news up yet?’

I searched for Jiwoo Entertainment.

[A girl group, Nine Tails of Jiwoo Entertainment, put off their single album again.]

[Ha Yeon-seo opened the pictures of Boutillian magazine to the public. She showed off the beauty of a goddess. -Jiwoo Entertainment.]

[The concern and expectation of seeing Jiwoo Entertainment]

The stock was at the upper limit price, but there was no article on the merger and acquisition yet.

[Jiwoo Entertainment is currently trading at the upper limit price of $3.90 (+30%).]

Although there had been an article like that, it simply conveyed the fact that the stock was at the upper limit price, but there was no mention of why. I went to the stock bulletin board and looked at the reaction. Just as the stock bulletin board which went to the upper limit price, it was crowded with people.

[Wow, what is this? Why the upper limit price?]

[Without any good news, it went up to the upper limit price. Don’t buy anything like this. You will be in trouble with the wrong purchase.]

[Don’t you know there are a million shares to buy at the upper limit price? It’s because there’s good news. Have you only been in the stock market for a day?]

[Good news? What good news? Are Nine Tails going to AV? I don’t think there’s any good news besides that.]

[What are you talking about? Why is So-young filming AV? Where do you live? I’m going to kill you.]

People speculated about the upper limit price, but they had no access to the real information. They deserved it, too. According to 12 Hours After, the staff members, singers, celebrities of Jiwoo Entertainment didn’t find out until the afternoon. It was inevitable.

‘You poor ants!’

But the more unfortunate ones were those who had sold their shares this morning. It was at the upper price in a few minutes, but they couldn’t wait for it. I looked down a little more to see the comments before the opening today. Going back to that time, what happened today was written in real time.

[Ah, you’re coming down today, you little dog. Get yourself down.]

[This stock is over, and frankly, there’s nothing more to come out of it.]

It was when I bought a few shares little by little, when poor ants were giving me stocks at a low price, not knowing what was going to happen today. There were also some comments written by such people when I saw the bulletin board.

[The bastard Dong-il is going to eat my mid-size car. Have a good fight.]

[I sold it with a loss. I bought it out of the rent. I just have tears.]

‘These are the real poor people, but if I think coldly, I don’t have to pity them. No one can hear them complaining that their pockets were stolen, as they came to eat money from others. A stock market is a zero-sum game in the first place. It’s a game where people rush to eat other people’s money.

‘Therefore, Kim Yong’s martial arts novels say, “Those who do not draw swords will be saved, but those who draw swords will have to be cut down.”

‘The stock market is a modern Murim, and if they wear a sword in Murim, they have nothing to say about being stabbed in the back by an assassin. If they are not ready to be stabbed, they should have a deposit or savings.’

I looked at my cell phone and I arrived at the fast food restaurant I was going to.

“Would you like to order?”

“Give me a big burger set.”

“Is it okay for you to have a French fry with a coke?”

I changed only one thing. “I’d like a cider instead of a coke.”

“I’ll call you up soon.”

I sat down after I had paid. I continued to look at people’s reactions. The mood on the bulletin board was reversed as the stock price rose.

[Why is it suddenly rising?]

[What’s Duri Finance doing? They’re sweeping 60,000 shares at a time.]

[And then Merrit comes in. Whoa. What the hell is this?]

[Someone is going to sweep. It’s +5% right now. Can I buy it?]

[Huh, VI? What the hell is going on? What’s wrong with you today?]

[That’s the upper limit price. Ah, shit. I just sold it.]

[Huh, the upper limit price. What is it? Are the forces all in?]

This was the time when I had finished buying the stock. It was fun to see the reactions of people who did not know anything. At that time, the clerk called for me, “The client who ordered a Big Burger Set!”

Fast food came out shortly after a few seconds of ordering, fitting the name. I went up to the stand, took my hamburger set and sat down. Chewing a French fry in my mouth, the saltiness and crispiness wonderful. I chewed up many French fries and looked up again. It was only in the recent comments that the M&A story was coming out.

[It’s a rumor, an M&A came in from China.]

[Where in China?]

[The Rumor says BEU. Where is it? Is it a company never seen or heard?]

[It’s a fucking big company worth twenty billion dollars. BEU is China’s leading entertainment company.]

Now the information seemed to be coming out. I read the comments a little more. Finally, the comments I wanted began to appear.

[Oh, that’s why it went up to the upper limit price today.]

[It’s not a matter of the upper limit price today. Now it’s a matter of how many times the upper limit price goes.]

[If it’s BEU, I think it’s going to be at least three times.]

[Three? It will go five times.]

It was only then that I read the comments, and I put down my cell phone and began to eat with both hands.

‘OK, it’s done.’

I took a big bite of the burger with the cheese and lettuce on the rice patties, and took a cider with it while chewing. I put the straw in my mouth and sucked it in. Cool cider passed through the straw to my mouth. I gave a soft, long exclamation, feeling the coolness of the carbonation.

“Keu! It’s cool.”

Chapter 20 - Beer With A Little Bubbles

“Uggggh.”

On the weekend, I got up early in the morning and received the email. To be honest, I didn’t expect much today as the stock market did not open, but before that, all the money I had was in Jiwoo Entertainment.

If there was a first law of investment, it was money that made money. There was nothing I could do with no cash and full of stocks. To find the Lotto article in Life/Culture was the best I could do. I could buy it for only $1. But the expected Lotto article didn’t come out.

[Today’s Living Point: wash your hair with vinegar when dandruff increases.]

The probability seemed to be a thousandth or a ten-thousandth.

“Ah, okay. If there’s more dandruff, I’ll use it.”

I checked the email quickly and dropped it. What was important now was how many times higher prices were going to be for Jiwoo Entertainment. I turned on the search window and searched for “Jiwoo Entertainment.”

[Jiwoo Entertainment is acquired by China BEU Group.]

[Now a Chinese girl group? Nine Tails’ agency, Jiwoo Entertainment, is acquired by a Chinese company.]

A day later, each media outlet was reporting an enormous amount of news about the merger and acquisition. It was so secretive that the shock seemed even greater. I read the following comments.

[Wow, BEU. Is this a true story?]

[A child breadwinner Nine Tales, let’s just walk along the flower path.]

[Now, Ha Yeon-seo is going to make a lot of money in China. I envy her.]

Such comments were the first I read. Looking at the mood of the comments alone, this was definitely not the end of just a one-time upper limit price.

‘I have to earn as much as I can.’

I closed the Internet window with that thought.

———————

Days passed again. Monday came after Sunday. Having come to work early today, I only checked the current price once in the morning. Jiwoo Entertainment was full of people trying to buy stocks even before the market started. It was +30% as soon as the market started at 9:00. It peaked at the upper limit price on the chart.

[Current Price: $5.07 (+30%)

Current Value: $97,044]

I just checked the stock balance for a moment and then got back to work. I was so nervous on the first day that I couldn’t work, but today I was happy and excited about everything I did.

Tuesday, likewise, it was at the upper limit price.

[Current price: $6.59 (+30%)

Current Value: $126,139]

For three consecutive days, it was at the upper limit price. If I were a little shaken, I’d sell it. However, stubbornly, not even a share went for under the upper limit price. If I were to sell it, I would be a fool. I decided to put off selling the shares, looking at my account balance of $126,139.

The following Wednesday morning, it was also at the upper limit price.

[Current Price: $8.56 (+30%)

Current Value: $163,942]

Today, Jiwoo Entertainment’s share price began at the upper limit price, too. It had been four days. My account balance, which was worth fifty-seven thousand dollars, had nearly tripled to one hundred sixty thousand dollars. The stock bulletin board was in turmoil.

[Wow, it’s been at the upper limit price for four days. I love China.]

[How much longer do you think it can go? Five days? Six days?]

[We have to go at least 10 days!]

However, seeing such articles made me nervous. ‘There is a proverb in the stock market that says, “The most dangerous time is when the market is at its best”.’

This time, the money was temporarily poured at the favor of a rich Chinese company. ‘The bubble bursts in a flash, but when it falls out, the bubble will also sink in a flash.’

How great was the recent Bitcoin bubble? But the majority didn’t think of getting out of the bubble and selling it.

‘When everyone is drunk on the high price, when they are imagining getting rich, a real professional thinks about getting out and taking a cool profit. The next step for such a skyrocketing stock is a series of collapses with similar slopes.

‘What should I do?’

I was in agony. On Monday and Tuesday, I had not been worried about that much, but as of today, I couldn’t concentrate on my work because of all the worries I had.

Choi talked to me like this. “Hey, Han Sang-hoon. What’s wrong with you today? Did you hear some bad things from your girlfriend?”

However, I had to listen to it since my money was now $163,942. There would be some difference of tens of thousand dollars depending on when and how I sold it. By the way, around 1 p.m., for a moment, the upper limit price was broken by someone’s mass selling. Although other ants rushed in and filled the upper limit price, the fact that the upper limit price was broken for a while was a sign that a collapse could occur anytime. I came to a conclusion.

‘The current price is a bubble. No matter what the Chinese company took over, there’s no reason why the stock value should triple all of a sudden. That’s twice as good. Then, shall I sell it?’

But there was still a huge pile of residuals at the upper limit price. That was because the late-running ants were supporting the price with blind money. I was thinking about it and decided to sell it tomorrow.

‘Yes, beer is the best with a little bubbles on it. I don’t think it’s going to be much of a problem today. Let’s sell it tomorrow. If the upper limit price goes tomorrow, sell it if it comes near the upper limit price.’

I watched the market end with such thoughts. Jiwoo Entertainment had successfully completed four days’ upper limit price.

——

In the end, it was the Thursday of fate. I took a deep breath and watched the market open. But today, it wasn’t at the upper limit price.

[Current Price: $9.76 (+14%)]

Stocks were about to begin trading at 14 percent, half the upper limit price. This meant that the ants had come up at a price that they felt burdened by.

‘All right, let’s sell it here.’

I split the shares into three orders and put them in a sell order. My shares were not much in comparison with the money being traded, so they were quickly sold.

‘Yiing, Yiing, Yiing.’ The sound of the sales rang three times, and I checked my balance.

[Account Balance: $187,156]

$187,156. My account, which had only $58,000 last Friday, had more than tripled in an instant.

‘That’s enough.’

I put my cell phone back in my pocket. After selling the shares like this, I’d be better off not looking back, because I’d be upset if I sold it and it went up more. I worked at the company all day, worked overtime as usual, and got out of there. On my way home, I saw the closing price of Jiwoo Entertainment on the subway leaving work. But it was far below the price I had sold.

[$7.70 (-10.1%)]

‘What is this?’

I looked at the stock price chart today. Starting from the +14% I sold, the share price was +30% in the morning. Perhaps if I had turned on MTS at that time, I might have hit the ground and regretted it. I sold it at 14 percent, but the stock price went to 30 percent. If I had sold it at the upper limit price, the profit would have been more than $20,000. But it was not too bad.

Around 11 a.m. Jiwoo Entertainment’s stock price suddenly went down, and it began to collapse. Although the rare ants rushed in and helped a rebound in stock prices, they were not enough to keep the tide from falling. Stock prices, which had been burning only in the morning, cooled coldly at –10% and ended.

‘The man who bought on the upper limit price this morning… It’s been over -30% today.’

I did not want to go to the stock bulletin board today. There were probably a lot of ants boiling in the sulfur of hell. To be honest, this selling was lucky for me, too. No matter how good a stock trader was, it was impossible to predict all of this. I had no choice but to say that I was lucky.

‘All right, I was not greedy at that time, and I got out of there. It’s like I have been drinking a cold beer with a little bubbles.’

I laughed and put my cell phone back in my pocket. I suddenly wanted a cold beer when I thought of that.

[This stop is Gyodae, Gyodae. The door to get off is on your right.] I just heard the announcer’s voice.

If I was in Gyodae, and if I called a chicken restaurant right now, I would get the chicken by the time I got home. I made a phone call in advance in the subway. “I would like to order. Do you have boneless chicken and a draft beer of 1000cc? Yes, I’d like to have one.”

—————–

In front of my studio, I sat on the bench for a moment and waited for the chicken to come.

‘Boo-woong!’ Sure enough, a man with a red helmet came on his motorcycle.

“Here’s a boneless chicken and a draft beer of 1000cc. Have a good meal!” The deliveryman took the money from me, handed me the chicken, and left.

I entered my studio with the chicken and beer in both hands. I was very happy, thinking of eating the chicken at home. $187,156. If I ate the chicken with my bank account as a dish, the fatigue of the overtime working would disappear in one blow. But there was something in the mailbox, not only on the room 301, but everywhere else.

‘What is this?’

I picked it up. The sender was the Central Election Commission. On it was the face of a big smiling man.

‘Ah, is the local election soon?’

I was not very interested in politics, but I came home with it for once.

“Whoever the mayor of Seoul is…”

I threw the mail away somewhere and then started setting up the chicken and beer in front of the TV, not thinking that the mail I had just thrown away would bring me a lot of money.

Chapter 21 - A Broken Flower, Part I

Friday morning. I finished washing and was ready to go to work as usual. I put my shoes on and went out the door.

‘Oh, wait a minute.’ I picked up my cell phone as if I had forgotten something. What I did was automatic after I picked it up. I turned on the MTS to check my account balance.

[Account Balance: $187,156]

$187,156. My yearly salary was $ 30,000 now. Considering my yearly salary was gradually increasing, I had to collect money without eating or wearing anything for six to seven years to match it. In reality, it was a large sum of money I would normally have to collect for ten years. I made it in just two weeks. It did not make much sense, but the numbers in my account were real. I put my cell phone in my pocket and left the door. I felt good.

——————-

I went into the company. It was 8:30 a.m. I had thirty minutes until the regular rush hour, but the company was well off. It was because everyone came in time. I understood because I did, too. Who would want to come to this company early, which only wanted to make profits by squeezing all the last drops of human strength and mental strength? But on the other hand, I’d rather deserve to work in a company these days.

When I thought, “I should be here,” every day tasted like death. Thinking, “It’s okay to leave anytime,” I felt like a company job was a game quest for time. I also enjoyed the gaze of Heo, who was always staring at me, as if he could eat me.

‘What are you complaining about, man? Tell me if you have any complaints. You’re the slave of the company, not me.’

My account was full, so I thought I was a little generous.

‘Yes, Heo has been rolling here like a dog for over ten years, so he’s got to be like a dog.’

But I thought about it for a while.

“No, if he thinks about the other way around, the better he can be for his juniors, right?’

Park, who joined Manchester United through the teams of a domestic secondary school and a university in Korea, and grew up to be a world-class soccer player, was beaten when he played soccer in school, and promised himself that he would never beat his juniors.

Heo could have done it by saying, “I will stop the bad habit of a boss squeezing his juniors.” However, he did not. As soon as he was stressed out by his superiors, an executive director or a board member, he passed it to his successors. In the end, that was how much a man’s bowl was worth.

‘Bah, he is probably doing it as a ten-thousand-year-old manager. As expected, one should do well to others, whether it is good or bad.’

If he had been good and played the role of mentor; if he at least liked me; even if he respected me, but told me, “Han, cheer up, even if it’s a little hard. You are young and have a future. If you work hard now, I’m sure you’ll see the bright future later,” I might have given him a good piece of information before leaving. ‘Sir, this is Jiwoo Entertainment. Buy some before 9:10 today.’

Heo came to work around the time I thought about it. He looked at me. ‘Why is he coming to work so early these days?’ He looked at me with a glance and went off to his seat. He kicked off his chance today as well, with an eruption of Mt. Fuji. Bye! It was 8:54 while I was thinking about it, almost time to get the email. I locked my fingers together and then stretched a little. I made money yesterday, but I had to earn more money today. The email came in at fifty-five minutes and I checked it out.

[Silver Class Member Mail, Subscription Period left: 11 days.]

The first thing that stood out was the remaining subscription period. 11 days. I had to extend it in a little while, paying ten thousand dollars. It was not a big deal now, but it was still expensive at the price. Ten thousand would be one hundred thousand, one million, and ten million.

‘I’m going to have to increase my money as soon as possible. I don’t want to feel that ten thousand is expensive. I have to get to Gold Class quickly, too.’

‘Gold Class has a subscription rate of one million dollars. If I pay one million dollars, I need at least three million dollars or more to think about the subscription. If I have the information to know the future and I don’t have the capital, I’ll have to suck my fingers.’

‘Yeah, with at least two to three million dollars, Gold Class is possible. I don’t know what’s good for the Gold Class.’

I clicked on the Economy, thinking about it. An article came out, with an economic analysis.

[The National Tax Service says that half the employees are paid less than $2,000 a month, but top 1% are paid $20,000 a month.]

‘Oh, really? Are Half of them paid less than $2,000 a month?’

I almost clicked on it. It was because, despite its lack of money, it was quite an interesting article. However, I only saw the title.

‘Such an article will be read in twelve hours, if it is written by another media. In this email, I can only read articles that are of future value.’

I then clicked on IT/Science.

[In a few days, the giant Super Moon will rise. People in the global community are interested.]

I looked at the article in slight disappointment. IT/Science. I thought something was going to come up, something like Jiwoo Entertainment’s acquisition, but nothing came out.

‘I’ve been clicking for over two weeks, but I can’t keep track of what I want. If I fail to produce results like this, I will have to consider different categories. There might be something in Politics, in Society, in the World, etc.’

I last clicked on the Entertainment article. It was a natural choice for me, having tasted it with the Jiwoo Entertainment case. This time, the entertainment article caught my eye again.

[The actress was stabbed by an unidentified person in front of Choo Hospital in Gangnam, southern Seoul.]

‘Hmm?’

It was not a money-making article. But the name that came out there, Oh Hyun-joo, caught my eye.

‘Was Oh Hyun-joo stabbed?’

Oh Hyun-joo was an actress who competed for the top spot as my favorite female celebrity. With her egg-shaped face, neat eyes, a sharp nose and slightly thin, long lips, she had not risen in years since her debut, despite her dazzling beauty. She showed excellent acting skills in the recent drama “Me and Your Uncle,” which had seen a surge in her profile.

Since then, she was rediscovered with her colorful beauty, which had recently taken up several CFs and started to raise her value. But she was stabbed at a time like this. It was like a flower that had just begun to bloom was broken.

‘What the hell…?’

There was no article to make money today anyway. I clicked on it.

[About 8:50 p.m. today, actress Oh Hyun-joo was attacked by a man in front of Choo Hospital in Gangnam. Oh Hyun-joo, who visited Choo Hospital on the same day, was reportedly assaulted by an unidentified man while on the street in Nonhyeon-ro, where her manager’s car was waiting for her.

The suspect, wearing a mask, approached Oh Hyun-joo, stabbed her upper abdomen a couple of times with a sharp knife, and ran away. The police, who checked the CCTV, are investigating him, citing the fact that he was standing near Unju Station before the crime, and that he was involved in the crime when he saw the manager’s car arrive by the roadside in Nonhyeon-ro. They believe it was a deliberate crime by her acquaintances.]

‘She was stabbed in the upper abdomen a couple of times. Is she all right?’

The story was in the article below.

[She was taken to the emergency room of Choo Hospital, with the help of the manager who was waiting for her and the citizens who were passing by the near street, but her life was reported to be in critical condition because of severe bleeding and fatal wounds.]

“Huh.” I groaned, unknowingly. It was quite a shocking article for me, a long-time fan of Oh Hyun-joo, that the nation’s actress was attacked by an unidentified man, and her life was in danger there. I read the article two or three more times from top to bottom.

‘Huh, what kind of a crazy bastard he is!’

I wanted to deny the contents of the article, but all the articles sent by 12 Hours After were real. The writer and the sender were anonymous, but it was clear enough that they had never published an article that was not true.

‘Ha, how did it happen?’

But that was the time. As I was reading the article with a sigh, a strange idea came to my mind.

‘Wait a minute, what will happen if I stop this crime?’

The crime did not happen yet. The crime was simply what was going to happen in twelve hours. But if I was involved in it, maybe the future would be different.

‘Would it change anything if I call 112 before the crime?

‘If it’s Choo Hospital in Gangnam, it’s just in front of Unju Station. It’s a block away from my company near Yeoksam Station. It’s very close. It takes five minutes to get there.’

It was then that somebody in the company shouted, “Let’s cheer up again today!”

“Fighting!”

“Fighting!”

It was the beginning of work. I could not keep looking at the email anymore. I checked again the timing of the crime in the article.

‘At 8:50 in the evening.’

I checked it once more and then closed the email.

Chapter 22 - A Broken Flower, Part II

I handed over the prepared report to Heo. He scribbled on the report with me. I mumbled my lips a little.

‘If you say something bad, I will beat you and quit the company. Be quiet in a month or two, I want to walk out on my own, so just say okay.’

Heo said, nodding his head as if he had telepathically read my thoughts, “Yes. Return to your seat.”

I looked at the clock. 7:50 pm. It wasn’t official overtime today, but I had a little extra work to do. It was almost three hours after the closing time, 5:00 pm. It was a common occurrence while working for a company.

Getting ready to come back to my seat, Choi came to me and said, “Hey, Han, it’s a TGIF, so let’s go for a drink.”

To be honest, his proposal was very attractive. Since I had not had dinner yet, drinks and side dishes such as Soju, pork belly, Makgeolli and pancake, beer, spicy sea snails with thin noodles, flashed through my head. But I turned down the offer. “Oh, sorry. I have an appointment today.”

Choi frowned for a moment, then suddenly gathered his lips and told me. “Oh, yeah. Sorry, I’m sorry. You have to go, so go!”

I guess he still misunderstood that I was meeting someone. I left him like that. It was more comfortable for me. After leaving the company today, I walked toward Choo Hospital in front of Unju Station, where the crime would take place today.

At first, I thought I would call 112 and check on TV or the Internet at night, but I changed my mind. It was because I felt like I had to check with my own eyes whether what was going on in 12 Hours After was a definite fact, or something could be changed by other variables.

This was a matter of great importance, I thought. It was clear, if not right now, that my assets would swell enormously in the future. In a world where money was a force, a lot of money would bring great power, and in the future, my decisions would have a big impact on the world.

‘What I do, what I say, might be on the news.’

‘There are still “people who make news” in reality: big names in the political arena, such as the president, chief secretaries and the head of the ruling party, and people at the top of the business pyramid, such as the chairman of the group and the board of directors. Each one of their own decisions is on the news and is publicized.’

If I grew up likewise, I would end up in that position. If so, I had to make sure the news from 12 Hours After could be changed by someone’s intervention.

And, apart from such rational thoughts, I also wanted to protect Oh Hyun-joo as a fan. I had known her beauty and liked her since her days of anonymity, when nobody noticed and liked her. It was too bad that such an accident was happening, as she was about to become popular. Even if today’s happening was inevitable, I wanted to resist that fate a little bit.

As expected, it didn’t take long to reach Choo Hospital from the company. After about ten minutes, I walked to the front of Choo Hospital in Gangnam, but I was hungry. I hadn’t eaten dinner and worked overtime.

I looked at my watch; it was eight o’clock. It was about an hour before the crime took place. There was still room. I stopped by the visible ‘Highway Sandwich’ nearby. Perhaps because it was evening, the store was quiet. I approached the clerk and placed an order quickly.

“Please add bacon and cheese to honey oats and some jalapenos to the vegetables, mainly lettuce. I’ll have the sweet onion sauce and the mayonnaise, and the side menu with cookies.”

I took the sandwich I ordered, and sat by the window, where I could see Choo Hospital outside. I sat there for a moment and looked around Choo Hospital. There were people coming and going at Exit 6 of Unju Station, and countless cars were moving up and down on Nonhyeon Road. It was a plain view of Gangnam.

‘Is that what really happens there?’

It was a little hard to imagine there was a crime an hour from now, that someone would stab someone. But the article that 12 Hours After sent me was very clear.

‘Yes, I have to stop that.’

I pressed the call button and dialed the number. The numbers 112 were very easy and simple. However, coming to think of it, the problem was afterward. I hesitated for a moment with the call number 112 on the screen.

‘What should I say to the police? An hour from now, an unidentified man appears and tries to stab Oh Hyun-joo with a knife?’

‘I can’t do that. It’s too specific. How can I make such a report without knowing in advance what’s going to happen in the future? If the police receive such a report, they will first doubt it is a false report, and secondly, even if they think the report is real, they will think that the reporter is someone who knows the crime plan, or at least knows the criminal.’

‘If I call 112, they’ll have my phone records, right? That will make me so tired. Even I am a caller, they may think I’m a weirdo. In the worst scenario, I may be treated an accomplice.’

That was not very good. I erased the 112 that I had written on my cell phone, and I thought of another way.

‘Shall I go find a public phone booth and call them?’

But that was difficult, too. These days there were CCTVs and car black boxes everywhere, so calling from a pay phone booth located on the side of the boulevard was no different from calling with my phone.

I kept on agonizing over the sandwich. When I finished eating, I looked at my watch and it was just about to pass 8:10. The remaining time was forty minutes. I had to do something now to stop the crime.

‘What shall I do?’

Right then, while I was in agony, someone passed in front of the sandwich shop where I was sitting. He was 180 centimeters tall and wore a hat and a black mask. When I saw him, I knew instinctively, ‘That’s him.’

Chapter 23 - A Broken Flower, Part III

The big man paused to smoke. I watched the man from inside the sandwich shop. A closer look found one more fishy thing. Right now, it was mid-August. It was still a time where the last heat of summer was left, but he was wearing a dark windbreaker.

‘He is suspicious.’

I looked carefully at the windbreaker. Something like a stick was creating shading in the windbreaker. Something long made a specific angle. If I had been as usual, I would have thought about a small booklet or a large smartphone.

But this morning, as I saw the article, I understood something as one hundred percent weapon.

[The criminal, wearing a mask, was a 180-centimeter-tall man; he approached Oh Hyun-joo and stabbed her upper abdomen a couple of times with a sharp weapon before running away.]

I suddenly remembered the conversation my dad, a Judo coach, had with me and my younger sister when we were in middle school.

——————-

“Sang Hoon, Su-jeong.”

“Yes, Father.”

“Yes, dad.”

“How many years have you been training in our training center?”

My sister and I had been training in our dad’s training center since we were very young. We used to live in the countryside, but everyone went to piano lessons or the Taekwondo center.

For my parents, who were not well off, sending their own children to their own Judo training center would have been a natural choice, rather than sending them to other private education centers.

“Seven years.”

“Five years.”

My dad scratched his head for a moment when he heard it. He made a face as if the years had passed so fast and said to us, “Well, as I always say, Judo is meant to train one’s own mind and body. You are not learning to beat a person.”

At the remark, I glanced at Su-jeong. At that time, Su-jeong, a sixth grader in elementary school, was tall and shoulder threw boys who teased her with the skills she learned in the training center. It seemed as if my dad had called us to talk about it.

‘I am involved with this because of Su-jeong.’

I grumbled inwardly. I had been learning Judo for seven years, and I had never shoulder thrown anyone except for sparring.

“You really should use Judo techniques only in situations when you can’t help it. You should not use them when someone is making fun of you or just taunting you. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Yes.”

“That’s because I’m worried about you guys. As you know from learning, Judo skills work for the right weight class. No matter how good your skills are, it’s hard to beat a guy who weighs twenty to thirty kilos more then you.”

I glanced at Su-jeong.

‘That’s what he is telling you to listen to. The boys you beat right now will be ten or twenty centimeters taller than you.’

Su-jeong said, feeling a little down when she knew she was the target, “Yes…”

“And now that you know it, that’s enough.” My dad tried to get up from the place, but he said one more thing, as if it had suddenly come to his mind.

“Ah, and when you see someone with a weapon, run away without fail, whatever your weight class is. Even any fighter of martial arts meets a robber with a weapon, the best thing is to run away. No matter how clumsily he wields a weapon, you could get a fatal wound. Okay?”

As I listened to my dad, I asked him a question that suddenly came to my mind. “What about when I meet a robber without a weapon?”

“Then…”

At that time, my mom saw the scene from behind and intervened. “You have to run away then, too. You’re getting caught up in something weird.”

My dad shook his head. “That’s not the spirit of a martial artist.”

But then my mom hit my dad’s back loudly. “The spirit of a martial artist is a mess. It is nothing for the family budget.”

My dad, who was hit in the back, could not say a word.

My mom told me, looking at my dad. “That’s enough. Sang-hoon, you are not going to do the training anymore. As you are in a high school now, you have to study.”

——————

The man was smoking one cigarette after another, nervously. Whenever he moved slightly, I clearly saw the shade in the windbreaker. The long object drew to a concave end as it went up.

‘That’s 100% a weapon. It’s very reckless to confront someone with a weapon with the bare body. I have to call the police, anyway.’

I looked at the clock. 8:20. There was now thirty minutes left until the crime. I had to do something to prevent the crime. But all of a sudden, the man ran for somewhere.

‘What is it?’

Half an hour was still left, and I chased him with my eyes. The man suddenly headed for the subway station.

‘What is it? Why is it so?’

I took the sandwich and went out of the sandwich restaurant. Right then, in front of me, a big van with a triangle star that was taller than most people, stopped.

A moment later, the van’s door opened, I heard a woman’s high and clear voice. “I’ll be back soon. It’ll take about half an hour.”

It was familiar. I thought for a moment where I had heard this voice. ‘TV.’

The moment I had the answer, the time stopped. No, I felt that time had stopped, as a woman with great beauty got off the van. She was tall, but she had a small face. From the neck to the forehead, her skin glowed like a white jade, not to mention her beauty. I was overwhelmed by her beauty and had no choice but to stand there for a while.

In the meantime, she brushed past me, trailing a light perfume. At that moment, I turned my head after her unknowingly, like holding a hot pot and pulling my hands away, or closing my eyes when I saw a pointed object approaching. There could have been no more primitive instinct. I did it for about three seconds as I watched her go into Choo Hospital.

The funny thing was that it wasn’t just me. The people who were around me, men and women, regardless of gender, were out of control looking at her. When she finally opened the hospital door and went inside, the rest of the people started to move again, as if they had finished a task.

“Did you see that? Oh Hyun-joo! She is a total goddess!”

“I’ve seen it. I’ve really lost my mind. I almost drooled.”

“I thought I was really out of time, too.”

“Me, too. She is not a human being!”

So, her beauty was a huge presence, as if she were stopping time for people around her. After a brief pause, I shook my head a couple of times to wake up. In the meantime, the van that had picked her up ran to somewhere with a low exhaust sound. I didn’t come to my senses until I looked at the van.

[After seeing the manager’s car arrive on the side of Nonhyeon road, he went to the crime, and the police started the investigation because they thought it was a deliberate crime by her acquaintances.]

The van had also appeared in the article.

‘That’s the manager’s car. It will be back in half an hour. So, who is the suspect?’

I looked towards the subway. The suspect apparently sneaked into the subway station after seeing the manager’s car. That meant he knew the manager’s car.

‘Who is it? How does he know the manager’s car? Is he a stalker?’

At that time, he appeared from the subway station. I glanced at him. He looked at the front door of Choo Hospital where Oh Hyun-joo had entered, without paying attention to me. He was fidgeting with something in his arms.

‘He’s a 100% criminal.’

Now I was perfectly sure. I picked up my cell phone after falling off the subway station where he was. I was afraid I had no choice but to report it.

‘Let’s just say a man with a knife is standing in front of the hospital. I didn’t see the knife in person, but I saw it in the article. That’ll do me no harm in identifying and reporting.’

When I thought about it, I got 112 on my cell phone again.

‘I might get into trouble for this. However, a woman is about to die, so that’s not the problem.’ With the thought, I pressed the phone button.

“A police officer of 112.”

“There’s a man standing in front of Choo Hospital with a weapon. Can you come over and investigate?”

“A weapon? What weapon?”

“I don’t know well, but the flashing thing looks like a knife.”

Frankly speaking, I didn’t see the flashing thing, but I made up my words entirely on the article in 12 Hours After.

“He has his hat pressed, and he is wearing a black mask and a windbreaker. I’m afraid he is going to stab someone, so please come quickly.”

“Yes, I see.”

I checked the time of the call. 8:30 It was twenty minutes before the crime took place. I watched him on the side of the subway. He was standing near the subway station watching the hospital. In the meanwhile, a police car approached from the side.

It had been less than five minutes since I had called 112. Standing in front of the hospital, the big man looked at the police car and hurried inside the subway when he saw it coming towards him. The two policemen who got out of the police car seemed to see the big man who ran away. The two looked at one another and said something, and one of them followed him into the subway.

Chapter 24 - A Broken Flower, Part IV

I hid myself for a moment and watched how things turned out. The remaining police officer was guarding the entrance to the subway after the other officer chased him down it. I cheered for them in the distance.

‘Come on, Korean police!’

If the big man ran away or was caught, it would not happen that Oh Hyun-joo was stabbed. At the same time, the article from 12 Hours After would be nullified for the first time. I watched there with a slight strain. Well, that was when it had been like that for about ten minutes. The big man was being brought up by the hands of the police officer from the subway station. I clenched my fist.

‘He was caught.’

I watched the scene, still distancing myself from them. I did not want to get in trouble for getting close. The two police officers were talking with the big man in the middle. I watched the scene closely. My eyesight was about 0.7. Because I chose not to wear glasses, I could only view the scene well from a distance.

The big man was about a head taller than the two policemen, but he was stumped in front of them. No matter how reckless he was, he seemed powerless in the face of public power. I looked at him and thought.

‘Good for you, criminal. Be judged by the law.”

But I was on my way. One of the policemen picked up a cell phone while the two policemen and the big man were arguing.

‘Is he calling headquarters?’

My cell phone was ringing. I answered it, staying hidden. “Yes, hello?”

“Sir. This is the 112 police. We’ve got the suspect you reported.”

“Oh, yes, thank God. What was he doing?”

“I think he was a kind of stalker. I can’t tell you in detail. I ran a background check, and he followed a celebrity before. He has a record of being arrested.”

As expected, the big man must have been a stalker of Oh Hyun-joo. I had heard a similar story, in the U.S. or in Japan. A stoker was with a delusion that a celebrity confessed that she loved him who she had never had a hand with, but she ignored him or cheated him while dating with someone else, and then he brutally murdered her with a knife.

‘Urgh, a scary stalker.’

I shuddered a little. But then, the police made a bit of a strange noise.

“Well, fortunately, he wasn’t as dangerous as you thought.”

“Yes? He wasn’t a dangerous man?”

He did not such a long weapon, and he was not dangerous. I pulled my head up with my cell phone and looked at the policeman on the phone. He went on talking without even imagining I was watching him.

“Yes, I don’t think he’s such a bad guy to stab someone like that.”

“No, he had a weapon.” When I said that, the policeman took something long out of the arms of the big man with one hand holding a cell phone that was talking to me.

“Ah, yeah, the weapon.”

But the scene was very strange. It was because the policeman was holding the middle part of the silver-colored object. In my distant eyes, it seemed that he was holding the blade in his hands.

‘Wouldn’t he get blood on his hands?’

I opened my eyes to get a better look at the hands of the policeman. His voice came over the phone.

“What you saw wasn’t a weapon. It was a tripod.”

“Tripod”? Then, when I asked in surprise, the long weapon in the hands of the policeman split into three parts. I was flattened at the moment.

“Yes. This guy didn’t carry a weapon, but he was just carrying a compact camera and a tripod. I think he was going to take a picture of his favorite celebrity.”

‘What? That wasn’t a weapon?’

While I was standing there blankly, the policeman thanked me. “Thank you for reporting it anyway. He wasn’t a felon as you thought, but he was a stalker with a criminal record.”

“Ah, yes.”

Having said so far, the police officer cut off the phone. I put my cell phone in my pocket and approached them. The big man was still at loggerheads with the police.

“What’s wrong with taking pictures of someone I like?”

“Because she doesn’t like you.”

I looked around for a moment, as if I had nothing to do with the scene, like many passers-by around me. I could see a simple tripod in the hands of the policeman who had just spoken to me on the phone. A pink compact camera was also in the hands of the policeman who had followed the stalker.

“I looked inside the camera. There are a lot of photos of Oh Hyun-joo that you took secretly. Let’s go to the police station and say it.”

Judging from the circumstances, this man seemed to be Oh Hyun-joo’s stalker.

‘But then, what about Oh Hyun-joo, who was stabbed in the article? What happened?’

It was a time when I had such a question. Suddenly, the eyes of the big man and the two policemen turned to me.

‘Hmm?’

I was standing by like a bystander who had nothing to do with the incident, but how did they know that I had reported it? Then, the policeman opened his mouth and blurted out, “Wow.”

Now it seemed the same for the other person. “Wow.”

I last saw the big man’s face. He was not wearing a mask, but he was smiling with a very innocent look. “Hehe!”

They were like people whose time had stopped. I felt a strong sense of deja vu.

‘I’ve felt this before.’

I soon realized these people weren’t looking at me, but they had seen Oh Hyun-joo, who left the hospital right behind me, coming. I unconsciously tried to turn around to join them.

But then, there was something in my eyes. Behind the big man who was smiling innocently, a skinny man of the same height with long hair was running. When I saw him, I looked down a little at him. The long-haired man was clearly holding a gleaming weapon in his hands.

I shouted loudly. “That man!”

However, the two police officers were slow to react, probably because of Oh’s magic. The two looked back, but in the meantime, the long-haired man went past the two policemen and ran over to me, towards Oh Hyun-joo behind me. For a moment, my mind went off like a burst.

One thought, ‘I’m the only one who can stop it’ and my dad’s voice, ‘Don’t ever confront a man with a weapon’ crossed.

‘What do I do?’ I was stuck in the spot.

But at that time, there was someone who responded before me and before the police. “No!” It was the first big stalker to be arrested. When he saw the long-haired man that passed him by, he rushed at him in a superhuman move, grabbed his shirt and hung on.

The long-haired man, interrupted while running toward Oh Hyun-joo, shouted nervously and stabbed with his weapon. “You pig!”

The weapon thrust itself into the side of the big man. He was stabbed so deeply that I couldn’t see the silver glare.

“Yaaah!” At that moment, someone’s screams rang out, and the surrounding area became a mess in a flash. But then, as soon as the shiny blade disappeared into the body of the big man, my dad’s voice, ‘Don’t ever confront a man with a weapon’ went away and my tensed body was free.

The control system disappeared, and I jumped at the long-haired man like a ghost. While he pulled the weapon from the waist of the big man, I grabbed his shirt, lifted one leg, and flung him down on the ground with the rebound.

Bang!

The impact reverberated through the ground.

Chapter 25 - The Revised Future, Part I

I opened my hands, stretched them out, and squeezed them a couple of times. I still had a vivid sense of the long-haired lunatic when I shoulder threw him.

‘It still works.’

It had been several years since I had taken off my uniform, but I still had the basic skills that I had practiced thousands of times when I was a kid, while getting scolded by my dad.

A policeman handed me a paper cup containing a green tea bag. “Don’t be nervous, sir, you’re just here as a witness.”

A middle-aged police officer in the back added a word. “Not just that, but if you’re good at it, you might be honored with a good citizenship award.”

“Ah, yes.” I blinked a couple of times. I was still dumbfounded.

“Then, first, about how you reported it…”

I answered the policeman’s question sincerely. The police officer basically regarded me as a righteous man who had defeated the attacker instead of the police. I didn’t supply the particle to my answer.

“Yes, it was an unusual situation anyway. The stalker and the murderer were in one place.”

I nodded. “That’s true.”

The 180-centimeter-tall man in 12 Hours After was not the big man, but a skinny man with long hair. After the chaotic situation, police said the long-haired man was a hair designer for OH Entertainment, which Oh Hyun-joo belonged to.

Having seen Oh Hyun-joo, he fell in love with her at first look. He had met her several times, but every time her manager hit him with a curling iron. He had a grudge and prepared a weapon from long scissors that were cut in half, bringing something familiar to his hands.

The middle-aged policeman seated behind said, clicking his tongue, “What a crazy guy he is! Is a woman that important?”

A young policeman who was listening to the words piped up, “But she’s really pretty.”

He was one of two policemen on the scene. He handcuffed the criminal after I shoulder threw him. When he said that, a middle-aged policeman said, “Huh, it’s all about being a young man.”

“It’s because Assistant Inspector, you didn’t see her yourself. I saw her in person. I know what a woman of matchless beauty is. In the old days, if a king saw her, he was going to cut a mountain to build a palace and dig a lake because of her.”

The remark irritated the middle-aged police officer.

“Stop talking nonsense. Mr. Han came all the way here because you didn’t do your job well. Huh? How can a policeman be slower than a normal person? Huh? If you’re going to ask me, I’m going to cut your salary this month. Do you understand?”

It was the same here for a boss to scold his juniors with “a written apology” and “a reduction in salary.” The scolded policeman came out in a hurry and apologized to the middle-aged senior officer, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

I dissuaded him as I thought of myself in the old days. “Ah, that’s all right. But thanks to your quick response, I caught the criminal.”

At my mediation, the middle-aged policeman said, with a false cough. “Hum, No. Your courage was great. It’s not normal for an ordinary person to catch a criminal with a weapon like that. That young policeman did just clean up after you.”

I asked the police officer, thinking suddenly, “By the way, what happened to him?”

“Who?

“The stalker.”

“Ah, the stalker. I got a call from the hospital earlier. He got stabbed in the side by the weapon, but he had a lot of extra fat on his back, so he didn’t take any damage to his organs.”

Indeed, it seemed that he was not seriously injured because he was overweight.

The old policeman said a word, “It was a lucky break. Apart from that, as he was caught of stalking for the second time, he will be sent to prison.”

“Prison?”

“Yes, he was arrested while secretly taking pictures the other day, just like this. He was released with a warning, last time, but this is the second time. However, the agency requested a favorable arrangement. He got an intellectual disability. We don’t know what’s going to happen to him. We’d like to make the most of this.”

I asked, with one eye wide open. “Does he have an intellectual disability?”

“Yes, it’s not too bad, it’s a little short. Of all the strange things that you pointed out, there is the windbreaker.”

“Yes?”

The policeman grinned, his teeth slightly exposed. “He wears the windbreaker even in the middle of the scorching summer.”

I put my hands on the forehead. There were a couple of such people in the old town. A little short, but not bad. It might have been because of such stupidity that he was able to rush straight in at the sight of the weapon.

‘Somehow, that look was too good when he saw Oh Hyun-joo.’

For now, this seemed to have put an end to all this. I felt sudden fatigue. “Hoo, can I go now?”

At my words, a middle-aged policeman stood up and said, “Oh, yes, of course. Where do you live?”

I answered him, wondering why. “Oh, it’s near Nakseongdae Station.”

He beckoned at my words. “That’s close enough. Hey, policeman Kim. Take him home.”

“Yes, assistant inspector.”

That was great. I was wondering how I would get a taxi in Gangnam late at night, and it was good to be able to get a ride in a police car.

At that time, I heard the door open from the back, and suddenly all the officers in the station stood up.

‘Is a senior officer here?’ I looked back at the thought, and I experienced it for the third time today. Time Stop.

While I was firm, Oh Hyun-joo, who had opened the police station door, looked around and said, “I heard the one who saved me earlier here.”

Then she came up to me and told me, just as our eyes met. “Thank you. How can I repay you?”

Then she held my hands, the soft touch was beyond description. It was like touching a big baby’s hands.

‘I thank you more.’ I almost said that, but I grabbed the string of reason as much as possible and pretended to be dumb.

“No, it’s okay.” It was too hard to think. It was a stiff expression. But I couldn’t say any other words, as I would look stupid if I untied my tongue.

She held my hands and looked up at me with her limpid eyes.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

‘Now my heart is…’ Instead of the crap that came into my mind, I kept my composure as much as possible and uttered plain words. “Yes. No injuries.”

“That’s a good thing. Really.” She bowed to me, unlike a top star, holding my hands and thanking me. “Thank you very much.”

Somehow, I thought I should bow my head to greet her. I saw her raise her head, and I lowered my head afterwards.

“No, I did what I’m supposed to do.”

“I’m grateful.” She bowed her head once more, and we hit each other’s heads. “Ouch!”

She smiled widely, holding her head. The police station in the middle of the night was a bit heavy just minutes ago, but her laughter seemed to brighten up the whole station. With her smile, I felt that what happened today was worth it. If I hadn’t moved today, she’d have been taken to the emergency room at Choo Hospital instead of smiling here.

‘It wasn’t that bad today. I chased a stalker, reported to the police, and shoulder threw an attempted murderer, not bad. All of it.’

That smile on her face seemed to make it all worth it. I looked at her smile, and I laughed unknowingly.

Chapter 26 - The Revised Future, Part II

After greeting me, Oh Hyun-joo expressed her thanks to the other policemen one by one.

“The officers who were on the scene earlier…”

“Oh, well, that was me.”

The policeman who was with me earlier stuttered up his hand. Oh Hyun-joo tried to approach him, but a middle-aged police officer stood in front of him and reached out his hand first.

“I’m his superior, Assistant Inspection Choi Chul-yong. I’m glad you’re okay, Ms. Oh Hyun-joo.”

“Oh yes, I see.”

Just now he had asked what she was like. Now, the man was shaking her hand with his mouth wide open.

I turned my eyes, shaking my head. But then, a small, bald man came up to me. “Can I, uh, talk to you for a second, please?”

‘Who the hell is this guy and what is he trying to say?’ When I tilted my head a little, he quietly took a business card out of his arms and gave it to me.

“I’m… I’m like this.”

‘OH Entertainment President Kwon Oh Hyuk.’

He was the president of OH Entertainment. Considering that the culprit, hairdresser, and Oh Hyun-joo all, belonged to the company, he was in charge of the case. He told me this while Oh Hyun-joo was holding the attention of the police.

“Can we just go out and talk for a minute?”

I nodded, following him out of the station.

He told me, “Nothing much, we want to keep this case quiet. As you know, our entertainment company has an image to maintain and it wouldn’t be very good for actress Hyun-joo, too. Do you understand, sir?”

That was right. I nodded silently.

“So, first of all, we’re going to do this as quietly as we can. I am sure, reporters may contact you in case. So…”

He suddenly took an envelope out of his arms and handed it to me. “If you’d take this and not let the press know…”

I was a person who received. I peeped right into it. There were two cheques of $10,000; it was $20,000.

‘How little! This is the only thing I’ve ever done.’

In the old days, my eyes would have been wide, but now that I had touched such a large sum of money on the stock market, I was not very excited. Still, I tried to close my eyes with this. It was because I didn’t want to make money this way, and I didn’t want to be bothered by this kind of work.

But then Kwon looked at me and said, “I, uh, I’d like to ask.”

He hurriedly took out another identical check out of his arms and gave it to me. It was a total of $30,000.

‘No, I was just going to take $20,000 and not say anything.’

He seemed to have added another one because I had a dull look at the previous $20,000. I did not have to refuse to take more. I nodded. “Yes, well, I see.”

Kwon once again said with a nod to me. “Please do me a favor.”

At the end of the secret deal, Oh Hyun-joo walked out of the police station. She looked at me and came up to me and said, “You’re… you’re a lifesaver. I’m sorry to let you go like this, but may I have your number, please?”

My eyes were stiff. ‘Is this true? Am I picking up the phone number of Oh Hyun-joo?’ But it was a true story.

She rummaged through her bag as if she were trying to get a number from me. But a moment later she spoke in a rather depressed voice. “Now I left my phone in the car…”

“Oh, wait a minute.” I hurriedly took out my business card and handed it to her. As I was about to leave the company, I didn’t think I would need to give my business card for a while, but Oh Hyun-joo would take it.

But this was the time. The man standing next to her stepped forward and took my card for her. ‘What is this?’

I looked at the man, but he avoided my eyes. I remembered seeing him at the spot earlier today. Coming to think of it, he was her manager. He was the manager who drove the Mercedes van. When the manager came forward and took my business card, Oh Hyun-joo stayed still.

I was convinced inwardly. ‘Well, that’s how celebrities do it.’

Then, Oh Hyun-joo smiled one more time and bowed her head. “Thank you once again.”

“Yes.”

After the final greetings, Oh Hyun-joo and her manager and the bald president left the police station in the courtesy van. I watched the van leave and then went back into the police station.

Inside, the middle-aged police officer named Chul-yong was praising her beauty, in old words for his age. “Wow, she is a real fairy.”

“Yes, sir? It’s different after you saw her in person, isn’t it?”

The young policeman, who had been scolded earlier, was relieved to say something. This time, however, even the middle-aged policeman failed to refute him.

“Well…”

I watched the scene with a smile.

A moment later, the staring middle-aged policeman looked at me and said, nodding his head. “You have to go home, don’t you? Policeman Kim. Take him home.”

———————–

The next day, Saturday morning, I got up around eight o’clock, as always. There was quite a lot going on yesterday, so I was so tired, and yet as I woke up at this time every day, my eyes automatically opened. I was a complete morning person now.

“Ho-hum.”

I stretched out, got up, took a shower, and had breakfast. In the meantime, I kept reminding myself of yesterday. Stoker, killer, super beauty, so intense an event in my life that I did not think I would ever forget. I still shook my head two times and thought, ‘It’s okay. Yesterday was yesterday and now I have to work today.’

I turned on my computer to receive an email from 12 Hours After, which was now my main job. It was 8:50 a.m. It was still five minutes before the email came.

‘Today is the weekend. Let’s look at the Lotto.’

I logged on to my email account, thinking that way. But there was an email that I hadn’t seen.

[12 Hours After, Correction Report]

The email arrived at 8:50 p.m., when the incident took place yesterday. I clicked on it.

———————

[Correction Report]

– We’re pleased to inform you that the contents of “Actress Oh Hyun-joo, who is stabbed by a man in front of Choo Hospital in Gangnam” have been revised due to the intervention of the reader

———————

I looked down at the email. It contained my performance instead of the contents of yesterday’s email. ‘The 29-year-old citizen, identified only by his surname Han, overpowered the criminal by shoulder throwing him onto his back, and two police officers nearby quickly arrested him, leaving the criminal’s plan for naught.’

It was not a newspaper that anyone could see, but I was a little moved to see my story on the news. I read the article through, even though I already knew the contents. The correction report only recorded the starkly changed facts.

‘It’s definite there’s no fixed future, and I can change it with my will. All right. It was a good tip.’

‘If I am rolling in more wealth in the future, I may not like the news that comes out in 12 Hours After. When that happens, there will also be a need to actively intervene in the future, as I did yesterday.’

‘Hoo, that’s good. I can modify the future. I think things are getting bigger.’

I leaned back on the chair for a while and closed my eyes. But when I closed my eyes, I could see only the black eyelids at first, and then suddenly someone’s face came to my mind. Oh Hyun-joo’s face was cute with a little bump on her head. I opened my eyes and shook my head a couple of times.

‘Wow, Han Sang-hoon, wake up.’

It was like I was still dreaming, and not really awake. But it was definitely not a dream that she took my number yesterday.

‘Maybe Oh Hyun-joo will call first. She’ll buy me a meal in return for saving her life. Then, what should I do?’

I had a delusion, laughing like that. But even then, I had such negative thoughts. ‘No. Would a top actress like that want to meet a commoner like me just because I saved her once? That’s ridiculous.’

I was like a little girl breaking the petals by herself for a while. ‘She likes me. She doesn’t like me. She likes me. She doesn’t like me.’

After repeating the ideas of affirmation and negation, I came to a third conclusion.

‘No. Whatever it is, shouldn’t I be a competent man for a top actress?’ I turned my head to the monitor with that thought. ‘All right, what’s the news today?’

But then a loud loudspeaker sounded outside the apartment.

“Who will be the new mayor of Seoul?”

After that, I heard someone shouting, “Lee Hee-chul! Lee Hee-chul! Lee Hee-chul!”

I felt a sudden surge of irritation.

‘Ah, they’ve been making a lot of noise the morning weekends. Lee Hee Chul? I’m not going to vote for you. No, who’s the competition? I’ll have to choose him.’

I found the mail from the NEC last time, and the booklet I had thrown away randomly to eat my chicken and beer.

It was the point of the local election season.

Chapter 27 - A Casino That Opens Every Four Years, Part I

I pointed my finger at the middle of my forehead. Eight o’clock in the morning. On my way to work to the subway station in the early morning, the loud music grated on my nerves.

“I like No. 1. Joo Sung-won. I love you~ Please pick #1 Joo Sung-won~ Push me~”

Monday morning. It was a difficult time for anyone in the office, but I had been more nervous today than usual. It was because I couldn’t sleep well while watching the cell phone until late last night.

‘Why did you ask me the phone number if you weren’t going to text me?’

The irritation caused by lack of sleep combined with the high notes grinding my nerves was even more irritating. The source of the sound was in front of the subway station, the ladies in their original clothes were dancing to the rhythm repeatedly to the song, a retelling of the lyrics.

A man wearing white gloves on both hands had a sign reading “Joo Sung-won, No. 1.”

“Please give me a pick.” He turned left.

“Please push me.” He turned to the right.

I bared my teeth at him. There was no bad feeling for the women who were part-timers. Most of them just wanted to pay for their children’s tuition while getting paid for part-time jobs. The subject of my teeth was the name written on the T-shirt they were wearing.

‘Joo Sung-won, the mayor of Seoul now, is now running for re-election. Last time was Lee Hee-chul. I’m sure I will not select either one.’

Now, however, each entrance to the subway station was occupied with cars with numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4. If I selected them like this, I should not vote at all. I shook my head in a flash.

‘Is an election campaign working these days?

‘In a dark era when they couldn’t get any information about what kind of politician he was, he might have been able to win some votes with such a childish campaign. These days, however, they can find not only a person’s career but also his remarks, any incidents, and political activities. Politicians who want to win votes in elections can study policies hard, keep their promises, and clean up their usual behavior.’

“Not that clown thing.”

I was not the only one who hated that sound. Many people, office workers, and students were heading to the subway station early in the morning, frowning at the noisy mess, or putting earphones in their ears.

‘I’d rather select a person who doesn’t do that.’ I went into the subway station with that thought.

——————-

When I arrived at the company, I saw a watch. 8:30. It was almost normal. There were twenty-five minutes left before the email came. I sat in my chair and closed my eyes to sleep. By the way, the melody that I had heard earlier was played automatically in my ears.

‘Please pick Joo Sung-won for No. 1. Push him.’

“Uh…” I gritted my teeth once again.

‘What’s the use of that?’ I used to say that.

However, it seemed to work a little. Now, with the song, it was automatically played along to the rhythm of the ladies. Somehow, I was upset that I lost to the childish lyrics, the repeated tune.

‘Well, let’s see what kind of bastards are out there.’

I gave up sleeping and opened my eyes. Then, I turned on my computer and went to the search site. ‘Seoul Mayor Candidates.’

There were countless sites, news, and blogs. It was a matter of course. The Seoul mayoral election was the focus of many local elections, as it was the biggest.

‘If the local elections are a casino that opens once every four years, the Seoul mayoral election is the biggest VIP room in the country. And, of course, as high as the stakes are, if he wins, the rewards are great.

‘For now, the population of the Seoul City amounts to one-fifth of the total population of Korea. Just by gaining high approval ratings in Seoul, he becomes the nation’s most popular politician. In addition, since Seoul is home to those who lead the entire public opinion due to the nature of the capital city, becoming Seoul Mayor means that he will gain a huge network of connections in political and business circles.’

So it was natural in a way that the former and incumbent Seoul Mayors were always up and down as the next presidential candidates. In fact, some people became presidents after serving as mayor of Seoul.

I searched for some news from the past, not from the 12 Hours After news.

“Let’s see.”

A total of five people were currently in the Seoul Mayor’s office. They were representative of each political party. Three of them had a possible approval rating. The first one that stood out was Joo Sung-won, number one. The incumbent Seoul Mayor was seeking re-election. He was at No. 1 in approval ratings thanks to his easy running of the municipal administration when he had been selected last time.

‘Is the former officer a wise one? Unless something major comes up, he will be elected again.’

I slowly scrolled down. The next one I saw was number two, Lee Hee-chul, a politician with an unusual background. He had served as a pharmacist and CEO of a pharmaceutical company. He was also in second place in approval ratings as a person who had long been a party leader so far. In fact, he was the greatest antagonist of Zoo Sung-won.

‘Well, is there a possibility for this guy?’

I last looked at number three, Jung Kwan-soo, a politician with a four-term parliamentary seat. Of the three, his political career was the longest, but his approval rating was the lowest.

‘Well, I think I’ve seen him before.’

I searched for a little more on the three people. There were no candidates, no pledges that I liked.

‘Do I really have to vote this time?’

I hated low-profile campaigns, but I tended to vote hard. There were no political parties or politicians who I just supported, but I voted with the mindset of fulfilling my duties as a democratic citizen. But this time, there was no one I really wanted to pick. I dropped the search window. I didn’t even want to know more, because I didn’t like the candidates.

But when I lowered the search window, it was 8:55 p.m. Nearby, my co-workers were also preparing to take up positions and work.

‘Yeah, well, money’s the best.’

I shifted my eyes to the email. The first thing I clicked on was the Economy.

[The big distribution dinosaurs. Is their infiltration into the local businesses okay?]

Pass. Next was Entertainment. I had made money, I had had a unique experience. Somehow, I was attracted to it unknowingly.

[Chang Woo-bin was cast in ‘With the Gods,’ the work we expected.]

Pass. I felt like I could not make money today. I circled my mouse aimlessly. Well, that was all right. I already knew from experience that someday there would be news that would be worth money. I then tried to click on IT/Science like a habit. However, when I put the cursor over it, I didn’t click. What I originally wanted to see when I clicked on IT/Science was something like the following:

[A successful new drug development of XX-pharmaceutical with lung cancer recovery rate of 99%!]

[XX Chem developed next-generation batteries with overwhelming efficiency!]

[XX Games hit the jackpot with a new game!]…

Nevertheless, the articles which didn’t make any money came out instead.

[Hidden and pulled out, the principle of cat claws.]

[The world of quantum mechanical geniuses.]

[There’s a great possibility of alien existence.]

I pulled my mouse cursor off IT/Science. I turned it a couple of times on the monitor, with no place to go, and then moved it to Sports, a possible shot, with a mind to get at least $1,000.

But somehow, today, the Politics at the front attracted me. I wondered if I had been listening to their stories since morning. I unconsciously shifted my cursor to Politics and clicked right away. However, the title of the news surprised me.

[The candidates for the next mayor of Seoul are reduced to three.]

I took my hand on my lips for a moment, leaving the cursor over the article. It wasn’t because it was money-making news. Rather, why did the news about the Seoul Mayor come out?

‘Wait a minute, is this…?

I dropped my email and went back to the Politics column in the news window of the portal site. There were thirty days left for the current local elections. Political news was occupied by the local elections.

‘In a way, it is a matter of course. In a democratic political system, elections are a process and a result, an alpha and an omega.’

I looked for other news here. The inter-Korean dialogue was talked out and the issue passed, and the constitutional amendment, which had been discussed until recently, had gone awry. All that remained was local news. Most of them were about the Seoul mayoral race, which was arguably the biggest topic. I soon realized…

‘If I choose Politics for a month, the only thing that’s going to happen is the Seoul mayoral election, right?’

Chapter 28 - A Casino That Opens Every Four Years, Part II

[The candidates for the next mayor of Seoul are reduced to three.]

I read the article. The content was mediocre. It was what I already knew from a report from the established media just now. But I smiled at it. My five senses carried a deep, strong feeling. This was the article to make money. If the Seoul mayoral election was the biggest one in the election, there were real stakes in it. It was a stock, of a political kind.

‘If you ride the waves of a political stock, you could make a lot of money. There’s an upper and low limit price here every day.’

The problem was that I had never touched a political stock before. It was an informal investment in the first place, but when I was in stocks, there was no election. I started thinking, closing the email window.

‘I need to study more.’

——————-

“Welcome.”

I entered the store to a greeting: Waffle, a famous electronics retail store located in Garosu-gil, Sinsa-dong.

“Do you have anything you’re looking for?”

To the waiting staff, I asked, “Is there a tablet PC that works with a pen?”

“Do you mean an iPad?”

“Yes, I’m going to buy it.”

“Oh, there are two main types, common edition and professional one. Would you like to come and see?”

The clerk showed me two kinds of models. They were a little different in size, but I did not know what was good for me now.

“What’s the difference between the two?”

“No matter what, the professional version has a bigger screen and better performance. It’s more expensive.”

“Then give me a professional version.”

“The pen is a separate sale.”

I waved my hands out like a nuisance.

“Then please give me a pen too.”

“Then, would you like a Wi-Fi version? Or do you want to use the LTE version? Every version has a different capacity.”

This was too complicated, and I didn’t want to hear more explanation.

“Just the best one, and the most expensive one, please.”

The clerk grinned at my words, as the best customer was just like this.

“It’s $1,241.”

When I heard the price, I handed over my credit card.

‘$1,241? Is that much for a tablet?’

In former times, I would have opened my eyes in circles, but since I recently started stock trading, I had not paid much attention to the price. In the first place, this tablet was being bought so I could do better. It was a kind of reinvestment. I was going to make tens of million dollars off this tablet PC!

I took my new tablet and settled down at a nearby scenic cafe. The screen was big and bright. When I drew on the screen with a pen, it was like writing in a notebook with a real pencil.

‘All right, well, I’m looking forward to it.’ I greeted the machine and immediately began to write my first notes. What I spent all day studying was political stock. The first words I wrote in my virtual notebook were ‘Politics is basically fraud.’

I put another line next to it, ‘It’s a fraud with a poor story, which is not probable.

‘The basic structure of political stock is like this: politician A who is in the election has ties with company B. The relationship is a thin relationship that is like, ‘A is a high school classmate with the CEO of company B,’ ‘A worked there,’ or ‘A’s brother has been a director at the company.’ Therefore, if A is elected and has political influence, B will improve its performance.

‘But a little thought makes it easy to see that this is a ridiculous story, because the story itself is a reason for collusion between politics and business. It is the nation’s people who voted down the president last year for corruption. The president, who is the most powerful person in the country, also lost control of her family, school or whatever, and when it is found that the mayor of Seoul has given favors to a certain company or intervened in his interests, he should go into forced retirement.

‘It worked in the days when money was flowing in and out without knowing, and the days when people below took care of themselves before the superiors told them to do something. However, these days, government workers who do such a thing will be cut out. So, they are reluctant to deal with where his personal connections are.

‘But nevertheless, the story still worked on the stock market. The stock market fluctuates during the presidential election and also in the local elections. If we find out why a number of stocks have gone to the ceiling, a relative of a leading politician is working for company B.

I put another line on my tablet.

‘But as it is a fraud, I don’t need to deny it. Because stocks are a kind of game to play with prices. It’s crazy. So everyone says, “don’t do it.” But that works in the stock market, because the price of a stock is basically made from a person’s imagination. If they make a deal for $1,000 with toilet paper in the market, it will be $1,000, and if they trade a shell with pearls for $1, it will be $1.

‘If Fireball and Ice Lance meet, Fireball wins, since Fireball is a six-circle magic, and Ice Lance is a four-circle magic. If there’s such a setting in the fantasy world, it’s like the fantasy world is going to roll like that.

‘If politician A is elected, company B’s stock price will rise. There is such a setting in the stock market, and so the world rolls. It’s amazing, but it’s true, and it’s repeated every year.’

I followed up with another line. ‘The political stocks: I only have to trade the leading stock.

‘Here, the leading stock in the market is the most sensitive to good news, simply climbing up and falling down the most. However, the political stock has an argument over the setting of falsehood. If they’re going to play with the political stocks, you’d better play with the leading stock. There are several reasons.

‘First, the forces that manipulate stock prices intensively throw their bullets at the leading stock. Even for fraudsters and stock-manipulating forces, there is a limit to money. Most of them also manipulate stock prices with other people’s money, taking high interest from the private bond market. Therefore, if the manipulation fails, their lives will be in danger. When they climb, they will raise it as well, so the theme will not die.’

‘Second, stocks other than the leading stock can be eliminated during the rally, as the links between politician A and company B are usually weak. In some cases, company B says it is not directly related, and in that case, it drops as quickly as the rising stock that has been classified as a themed stock. They say the market could end before the election is even over.

‘Finally, the simplest, most important reason is that the leading stock is the most popular. In other words, if they’re going to gamble, it’s better to do it at a casino bigger than a local swindler. Fraud is essentially the same.’

I found some of the hottest stocks at the moment, classed as the leading stocks in the political theme, and turned it on my tablet in the form of ‘politician A – company B’ with a short background story.

[Joo Sung-won – Dongbo Construction]

‘Mayor Joo Sung-won once served as an outside director of Dongbo Industry. His New Town Construction Policy is expected to be a good source for Dongbo Construction.’

[Lee Hee-chul – Endo Biologics]

‘Many board members from MaxMedic, where Lee Hee-chul was CEO, are located in this company. Since Lee Hee-chul is a pharmacist and CEO of a pharmaceutical company, Endo Biologics is likely to benefit from it.’

[Jung Kwan-soo – Yurim Industries]

‘Park Myung-won, CEO of Yurim Industries, is a friend of Chung Kwan-soo and a graduate of Seun University. Chung Kwan-soo is often seen with Park Myung-won, president of the National Assembly.’

‘The share prices of Dongbo Construction, Endo Vironix, and Yulim Industries are already shaking. The current approval ratings of the three are: The highest, at 50%, is the current Mayor Joo Sung-won. Lee Hee-chul’s approval rating is 35 percent. And finally, the approval rating of Jung Kwan-soo is 15%, and if there are some variables that will turn this ranking upside down, each representative theme would go up and down violently.’

I wrote another line on my tablet. ‘I will be the best cheater in the world after I go into that fraud.’

I had been clicking on Politics every day since this day, peeking at opportunities, and that opportunity had come faster than I thought!

Chapter 29 - A Casino That Opens Every Four Years, Part III

The next Tuesday, I got an email from 12 Hours After. First, the remaining subscription period was noticeable. Seven days. One week. When this was over, I had to put in another ten thousand dollars.

‘I want to increase a lot before then.’

Now, ten thousand would become a hundred thousand, a million, and ten million dollars later. However, it would be a little unfortunate if ten thousand dollars was spent purely on expenses before it was increased a few times. Before the subscription period ended, I hoped something would come out in a week. I first clicked on the Economy and Entertainment categories.

[AlphaGo dominates the stock market.]

[ZM’s big new idol GRAY. Debut countdown.]

A bummer and a bummer, back-to-back bummer. Well, I was used to it now. I just checked the title with my eyes and moved the mouse cursor. The highlight of the day was Politics. I took a short breath and clicked on Politics.

[Seoul mayoral election. Distribution chart of approval ratings by region.]

When I saw the title of the news, I was half-disappointed, half-satisfied.

“Well.”

What was disappointing was that it was not news that would earn money. What was satisfactory was that the Seoul mayoral election was on the news as predicted. It was not today, but the expectation that money-making news was coming soon made me excited. 9 p.m., when the stock market opened, I then turned on the MTS to search for three stocks: Dongbo Construction, Endo Biologics, and Yurim Industries.

[Dongbo Construction $4.6 (+1.2%)

Endo Biologics $64.20 (-0.5%)

Yurim Industries $54.10 (+0.2%)]

The political theme stocks of the Seoul mayoral candidates were breathing for a while after soaring around the time they registered their candidacy a month ago. That was because the approval ratings of 50 percent for Joo, 35 percent for Lee and 15 percent for Jung remained unchanged. The current situation would have to be reversed in order for the approval rating to rise and fall, and the stock price to change, but that had yet to come.

I made a category called ‘political theme’ in the watchlist and put those three stocks in first place.

‘If I hide in the bushes like a lion in the savannah and something comes up, I will rush in and bite.’

But the article that followed Wednesday made me a little disappointed.

[Gyeonggi governor candidate Kim Hee-chang’s 70% overwhelming approval rating. There’s no counter-offensive.]

The news of Gyeonggi governor was understandable. It was the second largest after the Seoul mayoral election. But I was a little nervous. From now on, there six days left in the subscription period and twenty-eight days left for elections.

‘There’s got to be something going on before that.’

I closed my email with that thought. Fortunately, my wait was not long.

——————-

Thursday, I was sitting in my seat early in the morning, and Choi approached me.

“Hey, Han Sang-hoon. It’s payday today. I’ll buy for you once, as promised!”

I blinked. “Oh, has it come to that already?”

“Has it come to that already? Hey, you’ve been waiting for your payday.”

If there was a single day to wait for in a hellish job, if there was a day when the blessing of a saint came down, it was payday. I had never forgotten my payday before. But I forgot that, and I was focusing on receiving an email. I nodded.

“Oh, I see.” I was late. I had been going to quit before this payday.

Choi looked at my face and said cautiously. “Uh, you. What is it? Did you fight with your girlfriend?”

He had never seen so calm a look on my face on payday. I waved him off. “It’s OK. Go to your seat.”

To be honest with me, it was no longer important for me to receive a few pennies. The money in my current stock account was exactly $217,156.

It was the sum of the money I received from OH Entertainment President Kwon and the money I earned from the merger and acquisition of Jiwoo Entertainment. Just because the stock price moved 2% a day, I earned more money than my salary.

‘Better than that, something has to be come up.’

I clicked on the Politics as I grumbled inwardly. The news that came out today made me suspicious.

[The former secretary of Mayor Joo Sung-won declared “Me Too.” Seven years ago, she was sexually harassed by Mayor Joo Sung-won.]

I looked around in amazement because it was such a shocking news.

‘No, that decent-looking guy?’

But the more shocking the news, the stronger it was. I clicked on the article.

_

Seoul Mayor Joo Sung-won’s former secretary, Kim Soo-hyang, declared “Me Too” through the media. It has caused a huge stir in society. Kim Soo-hyang, who had worked as his secretary, asked the mayor to make an official apology, saying that the mayor had tried to hug and kiss her in the private chambers of the National Assembly when he was serving as a lawmaker.

_

It was an article big enough to drop my jaw.

‘No, is this real?’

But I didn’t have time to think about it. First of all, I had to buy stocks first. I turned on the MTS quickly. I then confirmed the stock price of Dongbo Construction, the leading stock of Seoul Mayor Joo Sung-won.

[Dongbo Construction: $4.70 (+0.2%)]

Dongbo Construction was trying to make a slight rise.

‘It is the stock market that is more sensitive to information than anywhere else. When a rumor starts to spread, the stock market first understands and reacts before any media, faster than any Internet site.’

In other words, this information had not yet been released to the market.

‘This is a huge opportunity to sweep.’

Confidently, I checked my present time with a glare. It was now 8:57. There were still three minutes left before the market opened. I came back to 12 Hours After and read the news over and over again.

_

Mayor Joo Sung-won held an official press conference and denied the allegations.

‘It is true that when I was a lawmaker, Kim Soo-hyang served as a short-term secretary in my office, but I have never done anything to humiliate her.’

Former secretary Kim Soo-hyang’s claim and Seoul Mayor Joo Sung-won’s claim are in disagreement. The controversy is expected to escalate as Joo is now on the verge of re-election.

_

‘He has denied the charges.’

But it wasn’t really important. Once one was caught up in a mudslinging controversy, the image of the subject of controversy was bound to plummet. It was inevitable that the approval rating of Mayor Joo would drop.

‘It was seven years ago. Besides, there’s no witness at all in the private room. Then, this is not something that will come to light in a day or two.’

No matter what the truth may be, this scandal would not easily fade. It was a sure card to shake up Mayor Joo Sung-won. I thought fast.

‘Who will benefit most from the collapse of Mayor Joo Sung-won? Lee Hee-chul, who is definitely second in the list, is his strong opponent. No wonder Lee Hee-chul will rise to No. 1 if Mayor Joo Sung-won loses his approval rating due to the controversy. I have to buy Endo Biologics.’

I went into the watchlist and immediately looked for Endo Biologics’ current price.

[Endo Biologics $64.00 (0.0%)]

Endo Biologics remained the same. The good news was not out yet. It was the right time to buy. According to a preliminary survey, Endo Biologics was a healthy company that had been increasing in sales, making profits and paying dividends every year. I only used 40 percent of credit because it was a small to medium-sized company, but I did not have much trouble even if I went all-in.

At nine o’clock, the market opened. As always, I started buying Endo Biologics little by little. Unlike in Jiwoo Entertainment, no one was moving to compete. It seemed to reflect that the ‘Me Too’ incident was something no one expected. Good. The rarer the information, the more valuable it was.

Having gained some room, I took about an hour and slowly purchased the stock without raising the price. Around ten o’clock, an hour after the market opened, the shares in my account at the end of the purchase were as follows:

[Endo Biologics

Shares: 8,840

Purchase Price: $64.30

Purchase Amount: $542,692]

I had about $210,000, but with 40 percent credit, I was able to buy $540,000 worth of stocks, 2.5 times the amount.

‘Hoo, $540,000, I’ve never held this much…’

I took a deep breath for a moment and watched the trading window. At that time, some stupid person sold off the stock at the market price. The stock price fell to $64.00. My account, which held 8,840 shares, lost $2,652 in an instant. I lost more than my salary today.

‘Oh, it’ll be hard to watch.’

My courage could not keep up with the money I had invested. I turned off the MTS on purpose. I didn’t have to spend all my time on it. That was for ants whose entire wealth depended on stocks, who couldn’t see ahead. However, I was different. I had seen the future. No matter how much the closing price was, by this time tomorrow I would be laughing!

Chapter 30 - A Casino That Opens Every Four Years, Part IV

“It was a good meal.”

I patted Choi on the shoulder as I left the door of the soup bistro. Today’s trading was all finished in the morning, so there was no reason to have a separate lunch.

“Well, it’s a lot cheaper than the last meal you bought.”

“No, it was delicious. I didn’t know there was such a restaurant near the company.”

Choi kept his promise to buy lunch on the next payday. He was a little light, but he was loyal and a good guy. I had some time left when I came back to work after eating. I turned on the Internet and searched for Mayor Joo Sung-won.

[Seoul Mayor Joo Sung-won visits Namdaemun Market for a tour of the public welfare.]

[Description of the New City Project, a pledge made by Joo Sung-won.]

[Mayor Joo Sung-won’s lecture schedule at Yonsei University in the afternoon.]

There was no information on ‘Me Too’ yet.

‘Not yet. This is it.’

I tried to close the window. But before closing, I was so curious about the stock price I had bought this morning. I promised myself not to see it today. In the end, I compromised with myself.

‘Don’t turn on the MTS. Let’s search.’

I searched for ‘Endo Biologics ‘ in the search box. At the top was the current stock price.

[Endo Biologics $63.10 (–1.1%)]

Endo Biologics was bearish in the –1% range.

‘How much did I lose? As I bought $540,000, that would be $5,400.’

$5,400 was almost my three-month salary. No matter how much I knew about the future, I felt a little anxious.

‘Oh no, this is the stock to buy anyway. Let’s just get to work instead of worrying about it. Work.’

After lunchtime, I concentrated on my work as usual. I didn’t watch MTS on purpose. I didn’t think I’d be in my right mind if I saw my salary coming and going in a second. The stock would be at the upper limit price tomorrow anyway. It would better to concentrate on my work than to be stressed about it.

—

It was about two hours after lunchtime. Choi, who was waiting for documents to be printed out in front of the old printer, said something to me, “There is a funny story.”

“What’s the story?” I asked him without much thought. He always bragged that it was an interesting story, with nothing really to say.

“Mayor Joo Sung-won is on ‘Me Too.’” This time, he said it for real.

“What?” I was frightened. Of course, it was not because it was surprising. I knew that because I had seen it in the morning. It was the time that surprised me. “Where did you hear that?”

“It has been running around like a rumor in my college alumni’s ‘Katok’ room. Mayor Joo Sung-won touched his secretary’s butt.”

I looked at the clock. It was just past 3 p.m. The rumor was spreading.

“Isn’t the news up?” I asked him again.

“The news isn’t out yet, but it’ll be up in a minute. In one or two hours? The reason I told you this is because the journalist is my classmate, who is working for a media company.”

“… really?”

When I gathered my lips and stiffened slightly, Choi asked, “Why, did you like Mayor Joo Sung-won? Really?”

“No, I don’t. It’s because it’s shocking.”

“You don’t? Me, too. The guy who looked so gentle… They are all the same.”

The reporter knew. That meant that all the big names involved in the manipulation of the stock prices of a political theme were aware.

I handed over the printer I was holding to Choi and said, “Uh… Hey, please go and hand this over to Park for me.”

“Why do you want someone do your job? Am I an NPC? You give me a quest!” And the rewards to go with it…

“I’m in a hurry to go to the bathroom.”

“What?”

“Please.

I left him the job like that, then went into the bathroom like a real urgent person. There seemed to be no one in the bathroom.

“Hoo.” I took a deep breath for a while and turned on the MTS.

[Endo Biologics $83,20 (+30%)]

The upper limit price. It went off. I went into the stock account.

[Endo Biologics

Shares: 8,840

Purchase Price: $64,30 (+0.5%)

Purchase Amount: $542,692

Current Price: $83.20 (+30%)

Current Value: $735,488

Profit and Loss: +$192,796]

Today’s earnings alone were $192,796. I shook my fist a couple of times.

‘That’s it! That’s it!’

And then I couldn’t control the excitement, so I hit the tile of the bathroom hard.

“Uggggh!” My fist was hurt, but it was good. I was so happy that I didn’t know what to do. I hit the tile a little softer a couple more times. Bang, bang!

‘$192,796 in a day! About ninety months in salary? A hundred months? How many years is in a hundred months? 8 years? 9 years?’

I stopped my mental arithmetic. There was no point to calculate with my salary now. What did those pennies matter now? I went to the bathroom sink and cried out silently, looking at my face. ‘Han Sang-hoon, you’re rich now!’

But then, suddenly, a door opened from one of the bathroom compartments, and Heo, the enemy, walked out of it. “What are you doing?”

For a moment, I imagined hitting Heo on the chin with my fists, saying “Call me for alimony!”. But I did not, because I was generous enough to forgive anyone.

He asked me again, “Why were you hitting the wall of the bathroom?”

At the remark, I said with a smile, “I have no idea.”

When I reacted like that, Heo’s face stiffened. I was sure it should be because I laughed and said, “I have no idea”. In his eyes, I looked like a madman. He looked at me again with a pale face, but I didn’t care and said, smiling, “Have a good day, section chief!”

———————

$409,952.

I looked at the amount in my account. $409,952. A month ago, I split my salary, paid monthly rent, paid communications, cut food cost, and paid back my student loan. However, it now contained $409,952. I couldn’t feel it. But this wasn’t the end. Because Endo Biologics was ready to go to the upper limit price tomorrow. The Internet was a mess after the media made an announcement at around 5 p.m. today.

[Wow, Joo Sung-won’s words are so damn good, and he is such an idiot.]

[That’s what politicians usually do. They pretend to be clean in front of the public and sexually harass a girl who is like a daughter in the back.]

[Isn’t it funny if it’s real? If Mayor Joo Sung-won won re-election, he’d be the president in the next presidential election. He took the secretary’s ass one time and blew the president’s seat off, right?]

[He should have called a prostitute. I don’t understand why he touched a woman who did not like it?]

[It’s because he can’t be politicized if he’s not caught in the act. In any case, living as a politician is not easy.]

In the meantime, some cold comments were seen.

[It hasn’t been confirmed yet, so why are you already making a fuss?]

[Mayor Joo Sung-won, he’s not that kind of man. The secretary seems a little weird.]

[This is political maneuvering by Lee Hee-chul. It’s a dirty ploy to win the Seoul mayoral election.]

[The truth always comes out. We’ll see.]

The political parties were also in turmoil. As the facts were still unknown, the other mayoral candidates Lee Hee-chul and Jung Kwan-soo remained calm, but their party spokesmen were not calm and blamed Joo with an official statement.

“Mayor Joo Sung-won will have to answer for his sexual harassment honestly and clearly in front of ten million voters.”

“Is it really appropriate for someone who is involved in such a messy scandal to become Seoul Mayor, an international city in the global era? Smart voters…”

Mayor Joo Sung-won hurriedly held a press conference as informed in the advance in 12 Hours After and issued a statement saying, ‘I didn’t do it,’ but it was not enough to settle the issue.

‘People are bound to go crazy about the story that a popular person has fallen.’

The situation was a month before the Seoul mayoral election. The sex scandal of Mayor Joo Sung-won, the most likely candidate, was enough to heat up the Internet. The political news section had been painted over with the story of Mayor Joo Sung-won. Even in the Society section, an article like ‘A message about the Me Too movement’ popped up.

In Life/Culture, articles like ‘A woman who is sexually harassed in her daily life. A new novel that tells the story of the socially weak,’ came out.

There were many such articles. This was not different from the entire nation being swept away by the Me Too movement. Stock prices also reflected this tendency, especially when it hit the upper limit price, when the fire was set.

‘That’s enough. We’ll have to go to the upper limit price one more time, right?’

I spent the whole day looking around the political news and the Internet community, thinking that way. It might be a hobby for others, but for me, it was all a collection of data to determine the best time for selling.

Chapter 31 - A Casino That Opens Every Four Years, Part V

I opened the apartment door and went outside. The boulevard there was a city of studio apartments. Garbage bags were stacked under a utility pole with shoddy advertising and vomit on a long, rugged cement road. It was a landscape to offend someone, but I walked out of there with a light step.

“Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. Hmm-hmm.”

Then, realizing that I was humming, I stopped for a moment.

‘Why am I humming?’

Why was it coming out? It was because of a decent account. That’s right, was there anything better than this? I didn’t have to worry about my debts anymore. I didn’t need to be tied up in work anymore. I was no longer a slave. I became a master from a slave. I was so excited about that on the way to work.

As I was walking along the street, I suddenly touched my chest. A thin envelope was in the inside pocket of my suit.

‘I brought it, right.’

This was a letter of resignation. I didn’t want to use it right now, but I had it ready. I would put it in my desk drawer for a while, and when the time came, I would use it.

After doing that, the resignation letter felt like an amulet that made me excited to go to work. When I thought about, I didn’t want to go to high school. However, I enjoyed going to school, around the time of graduation. I also loved the friends I saw every day, and I bowed to my teacher I hated.

It might be because the college entrance exams were decided, and the class relaxed. It was when the hard work was over.

‘It’s all memories.’

This road to work now would be a memory soon. I walked towards the subway. Perhaps because of the Me Too incident that broke out yesterday, there were no women dancing on the subway today. I used to hate it so much, but now I was humming the song inwardly.

‘I love you. I love you.’

In a way, it was all about making money. I got in the subway and stood in line for a long commute. An old gentleman watched the news on his smartphone. On the screen, an announcer with neatly bobbed hair was reporting the news. “The sex scandal involving incumbent Seoul Mayor Joo Sung-won has emerged as a storm of the Seoul mayoral election, and by extension the local elections.”

The old gentleman was listening to the news with his arms folded, but he clucked his tongue. “Chut…”

Mayor Joo Sung-won’s sex scandal had turned the country upside down. It was a nuclear bomb, erupting about a month before the Seoul mayoral election, and made not only those interested in politics. but also those who were not interested in politics blind. Behind me were young people in their twenties talking.

“Did you see the news yesterday?”

“That? The Seoul Mayor?”

“Oh, that was ridiculous.”

“I mean. Life is one shot.”

“But it was cool when Joo Sung-won made a splash in the Seoul mayoral race four years ago. This is how it’s going…”

“When he goes, he goes artistically.”

In this situation, I was sure I would be richer today than yesterday.

———————

When I arrived at the company, I went into the stock bulletin board, waiting for 12 Hours After to arrive. First of all, I looked at the comments of the Endo Biologics I had bought. As it went to the upper limit price yesterday, they were all excited to praise Lee Hee-chul.

[The next mayor is Lee Hee-chul. Oh, yes.]

[When will Joo step down? He must get out of here and Endo Biologics will go to the upper limit price in a series.]

[With this situation, it will go to the upper limit price. There is no solution even if he doesn’t quit now. I wonder if Jung Kwan-soo will get 20 percent.]

[It is a little ridiculous to see people, who were not interested in politics in the first place, become enthusiastic supporters of Lee Hee-chul after buying this stock.]

‘If the stock price drops tomorrow, they’re going to swear. If they try to make money anyway, they have to be quiet in the meanwhile.’

I followed up on Dongbo Construction’s bulletin board. Dongbo Construction, the leading stock of Joo Sung-won, was at $4.60, but it went to $3.22, just above the lower limit price. Various people were venting their passion on Dongbo Construction’s bulletin board. I saw people in despair.

[I lost money worth a mid-size car. Oh, I want to go drink.]

[It is a car, it’s okay. I lost my apartment. I don’t even have the energy to drink.]

[What am I supposed to do? What should I tell my wife? Will I get divorced?]

There were people who were angry.

[Joo Sung-won, you son of a bitch, why do you touch someone’s butt? I’m going to cut off your hands.]

[Why cut his hands? You have to cut his cock.]

[Let’s go together. Can I go to Seoul City Hall?]

And there were people who were mocking those two kinds of people.

[I’ve come to see the mourning house here. Who’s the host? Come and get me Yukgaejang, spicy beef soup.]

[You’re the fools who bought the stock in the first place. Don’t blame anyone.]

[Guys, don’t do this here. Get on Endo Biologics right now! The next mayor is Lee Hee-chul!]

Sometimes I read messages to defend Mayor Joo Sung-won.

[Joo Sung-won is not that kind of man. Trust him and try to hold it.]

[Joo Sung-won is still suspicious. It doesn’t turn out to be a fact. Shareholders, get your cool back.]

They quickly got a rebuttal.

[What’s the coolness? You can find it when you eat the cold soy noodles. It will also go to the low limit price today.]

‘It’s a mess that’s hard to see, and I’m afraid, as I said before, if there’s anything going on in the stock market, and if you can’t afford it, you shouldn’t start stock trading. This is a world where they can cut your nose when you close your eyes.’

I finally looked for Yurim Industries of Jung Kwan-soo, but it was a little different from the two stocks that were clearly divided into the upper and lower limit prices. Yurim Industries also hit the 30% upper limit price when the rumors spread yesterday, but it ended a little ambiguous at the 18% level as the volume of sales tapered out in late trading.

‘Why is that?’

When I thought about it a little, the answer came out because it was politically opposed to the support of Mayor Joo Sung-won and the support of candidate Jung Kwan-soo. If Mayor Joo Sung-won resigned, the remaining votes would go to Lee Hee-chul, but they would never go to Jung Kwan-soo. This was good news and bad news for candidate Jung Kwan-soo. This ambiguous rise was a reflection of the political calculation. Stock prices sometimes would represent these ambiguous social situations as prices.

‘Well, so it is. The best beneficiary is Lee Hee-chul. I did a good job buying Endo Biologics.’

Now I had only one problem… when would I sell Endo Biologics?’ Although the polls had not yet been released, the scandal had likely led to a sharp decline in the approval rating of the mayor.

‘It’s worth the upper limit price at least once more. Endo Biologics is still less than Dongbo Construction.’

Today I decided to aim for the upper limit price once more, and then, when the market was open today and this scandal turned out to be true, it would be perfect. Mayor Joo Sung-won would resign immediately, and Lee Hee-chul, who inherited the votes, would easily be elected. So, I would not sell Endo Biologics even if it were to go to the upper limit price today.

It was 8:55 a.m., as I was rolling my head. I got the email as always.

[Silver Class Member Mail, Subscription Period left: 4 days.]

I had four days left. I needed to get ten thousand dollars out of the stocks to extend it. I opened my email and clicked ‘Politics’ without any worries, but with such expectations. ‘If Mayor Joo Sung-won admits the charge, if there’s any kind of withdrawal from the mayoral race…’

But this time, a much more surprising title popped out than I had thought.

[Kim Soo-hyang, a former secretary of Mayor Joo Sung-won, is known to have secretly contacted a campaign camp member of Lee Hee-chul. More controversy.]

I froze for a moment.

‘What is this?’

After a while, the solid ice melted, and I was in a state of mind.

‘Yes, it’s not yet true that he sexually molested her, is it?’

I thought of the articles I had seen on the bulletin board earlier.

[Joo Sung-won is still suspicious. It doesn’t turn out to be a fact. Shareholders, get your cool back.]

Nevertheless, I had ignored it, as everyone had ignored it. I was unconsciously caught up in crowd psychology. It was dangerous to get caught up in crowd psychology in the stock market. There were times when they all fell down the cliff together while following the crowd. I rolled my head quickly.

‘If this Me Too movement was really planned, if it turns out, what should I do?

‘It doesn’t matter whether it’s true or not. Rather, it is important how the ants will move, and how I’m trading, keeping up with the situation.’

I clicked on the article in a hurry.

Chapter 32 - The Transfer Station

I shook my head quickly, then struck a couple of blows with my hands. It was a physical therapy to find my senses in shock.

‘What happened to this?’

I looked at my watch sideways. It was 8:56, four minutes before the opening. I scanned the article quickly.

[There was a person who became the center of attention from obscurity yesterday. The former secretary Kim Soo-hyang, who declared that she was sexually harassed by the incumbent Seoul Mayor Joo Sung-won, is the main character. She is shocking the political situation once again after circumstantial evidence revealed that she contacted candidate Lee Hee-chul in the past.

It is the netizens who raised the suspicion. One of the members of the ‘watchers’, one of the largest political communities in Korea, has found a picture of Kim Soo-hyang, who is talking with Lee Hee-chul’s aides. This photo was taken at Gwanghwamun Square early last year when the cold weather was in full swing.]

I was surprised because this was the first picture shown in 12 Hours After.

‘What… it shows me pictures, too?’

It was a matter of course in the article, but I was not used to it since it was the first time in 12 Hours After. I looked at it as calmly as I could. The main character of the photo was Lee Hee-chul, who was shaking hands with citizens in a parka and earplugs. They could see the image of King Sejong above, the background seemed to be Gwanghwamun Square, as the photograph explained.

It seemed that there was something going on, because many people were wearing red bands on their heads. Candidate Lee Hee-chul, as many politicians did, seemed to have come to visit and show his face and get pictures taken of him. There were so many people in one picture that I could not tell who was who.

‘This is not looking for Wally. Where the hell is Kim Soo-hyang?’

The former secretary, Kim Soo-hyang, was basically a beautiful woman, with fine lines and a pretty, glazed face, red around her eyes and long lashes. Usually, such a gorgeous beauty was noticeable among many people, but it was hard to see in this picture because there were too many people. I read more.

[The first netizen who wrote about the suspect, ID ‘Yeonwoo Dad’, pointed out ‘a woman with a black shawl in a beige coat on the upper left side of the picture’ as Kim Soo-hyang and claimed that she was talking with Lee Hee-chul’s aides.]

I looked at the upper left of the picture, as was written in the article. I found a beautiful woman with a beige coat and a black shawl standing side by side with two men in suits and overcoats. I zoomed in on her face closely, and she looked exactly like Kim Soo-hyang.

Although she was in the corner, her face was clearly visible because of the good picture quality. But it seemed a little hard to be sure it was her. Even that problem was solved in the article.

[The nickname ‘Yeonwoo Dad’ refuted the rebuke of another netizen disdaining the words ‘A person who resembles’ with the words ‘The beauty mark under the eye is the same.’]

‘I’ve never seen a dot under the eye.’

I turned on a separate window and searched for Kim Soo-hyang. I found it was real. She had a sharp beauty mark on the right lower right corner of her eye. I compared the two pictures that came out of the search with the ones that came out in 12 Hours After by pressing the Alt-tab nonstop. Comparing the dots, all the features looked the same. I was sure. The two were the same. At this point, I felt goosebumps.

‘At the beginning of last year… It was taken almost 2 years ago. How the hell did he find this?’

But there was no time to be surprised. While I was reading the article, the time came at 8:59. It was only a minute before the market opened. Now I had to respond. I skimmed through the end of the article.

[In this controversy, Lee Hee-chul and Kim Soo-hyang both avoid a definite answer, saying, ‘It’s not worth responding to,’ and ‘I don’t remember.’]

‘I don’t remember,’ and ‘to avoid a definite answer,’ are the words that I have often seen used by politicians. Although it is just circumstantial evidence that they planned Me Too, with a photo. However, the stock price has no choice, but to react sensitively to such a thing.’

‘Let’s sell Endo Biologics with a loss first.’

I decided my way to go forward. In order to manage risk, in fact, I was going to sell Endo Biologics anyway. Then I should think about it. I turned on the MTS as I walked to the bathroom. Last time I had been caught hitting the wall by Heo, so I entered a vacant room and closed the door and locked it.

‘I don’t think the news has spread yet.’

I prayed it was so. If this information had been spread, it would not be strange to vomit up the $200,000 I had earned yesterday. By the way, the Endo Biologics, funny enough, was at the upper limit price from the start.

[Endo Biologics $108.00 (+29.8%)]

“Huh.”

I stopped for a moment and looked at it, making fun of my fingers as if I had just touched a hot pot. Remaining volumes began to build up at the upper limit price. 10,000, 20,000 and 30,000 shares. One million, two million, and three million dollars. The accumulated amount was five million dollars. If that was the case, I didn’t have to sell it in a hurry. I looked over my balance.

[Endo Biologics

Shares: 8,840

Purchase Price: $64.30

Purchase Amount: $542,692

Current Price: $108

Current Value: $954,720

Profit and Loss: $412,028]

I made $192,796 yesterday, but today my profit was $219,232. It was the magic of compounding interest, because a profit made a profit. I grabbed my head, but I didn’t hit the bathroom wall as I had done last time. I made more than yesterday, but somehow, I felt strange. I just felt that people’s madness was so stupid and so scary.

If I had not seen this article this morning, I would never have sold this stock, which had been at the upper limit price from the morning. Having had a good weekend celebrating $219,232 today, I would have thought of selling it around Monday. It was scary to think like that. As soon as that news came up, this solid five million dollars wall would soon be broken.

I took my finger to the sell button. To be honest, I didn’t feel comfortable the moment I entered the price at the upper limit price and sold the whole quantity. Since there were five million dollars to buy at the upper limit price, I seemed to be selling at a loss for some reason. If I hadn’t known the future, I would never have sold it today.

‘Who made the policy of the upper limit price? With this much money, we could sell it for +50% instead of +30%!’ I pushed the sell button while cursing myself like that.

‘Please sell some shares to me!’ Everyone wanted to buy the stock. Naturally, my shares of $954,720 were sold out in a flash. Selling was completed. My account was stamped with $626,320. It was a little unfortunate, but I still held my fist, didn’t hit anywhere and just shook it loudly in the air twice.

‘I’ve scored first and then…’ I now thought what to do with this bulging money. In fact, if there were no variables like yesterday, incumbent Mayor Joo Sung-won’s re-election was highly likely. The Me Too that broke out yesterday was just too destructive. However, if the failed attempt turned out to be false, there was a possibility that the destructive power would face the opposite direction. It would be a great blowing wind, a backwind.

‘What happened to Dongbo Construction?’

Suddenly, I was fiddling with the MTS. ‘Dongbo Construction –22.6%’ Dongbo Construction was running toward the low limit price, in stark contrast to Endo Biologics, which hit the upper limit price. It was blue hell where ants dried up blood money, a pallid hell of an endless stream of screams and cries of ants. But I looked at it and thought.

‘This could be a huge opportunity.’

‘People like a heroic story that a popular man goes wrong, but stands up against adversity. If Mayor Joo Sung-won survives this controversy, he’ll be flying like a phoenix reborn.’

I looked briefly at Dongbo Construction’s stock price, which was trading near the low limit price.

The amount now charged to my account was $626,320. Dongbo Construction also allowed 40 percent of credit transactions, as it was a firm company with a solid interior. If not right now, it meant that I could buy it at a very cheap price, as much as $1,500,000 around Tuesday, when the money sold today was taken as margin. If I got on the right track, this train was the one to heaven. I stood in front of the transfer station and thought for a moment.

‘Shall I take a transfer?’

Chapter 33 - The Wind Is Blowing

‘Tadak, Tadak, Tadak.’

I typed more violently and faster than ever. I gave the written document to associate manager Jung.

“Oh, Han Sang-hoon, you’re really fast today. Why did you get so motivated?”

I smiled handsomely and bowed my head. But inwardly, I thought so, ‘Now that you know, stop working.’

Jung looked at the document I had brought for a moment, and he said with a grin, “Good job. Thank you.”

I finished my work quickly. No one would call me for a while, I had enough time to relax. I quickly returned to my seat and saw what I had been searching for.

[Lee Hee-chul visits Gwanghwamun.]

I had a photograph searched for. Among the many photos, there was a photo that Lee Hee-chul, a candidate for mayor, visited Gwanghwamun. The picture, which came out in 12 Hours After, had been posted on the Internet as it was. The netizen “Yeonwoo Dad” also found that connection after seeing this photo. With a mouse cursor, I drew a picture around Kim Soo-hyang standing near a close aide to Lee Hee-chul.

‘Did she really make a deal with Lee Hee-chul?’

‘Political circles are where lies and betrayal are common in the first place.’

She could have made a deal with Lee Hee-chul’s camp on the pretext of her career as a secretary to Mayor Joo Sung-won. I went on to search for ‘Joo Sung-won, accusation.’ There was news coming up soon.

[Mayor Joo Sung-won’s election camp is planning to sue Kim Soo-hyang for defamation and violation of the Public Official Election Act, which is expected to reveal the truth through an upcoming prosecution investigation.]

‘If this was a well-made scheme, Kim Soo-hyang would have expected the prosecution’s investigation. This Me Too is very difficult to refute. It is hard to remember what the average person had for lunch a week ago. Seven years ago, from the perspective of Joo, is virtually impossible to verify his innocence.

‘For the camps of Kim Soo-hyang and Lee Hee-chul, Mayor Joo’s approval rating will plummet even if they last for a month. It is the fulfillment of their intended purpose. However, if they dig into the connection between Kim Soo-hyang and Lee Hee-chul dig before sexual harassment, something may get caught. If such circumstantial evidence is available, the prosecution will also be comfortable investigating.

‘Moreover, netizens cannot ignore it. Joo Sung-won’s supporters are pretty much there in the first place. It is highly likely that Yeonwoo’s Dad is one of the supporters of Mayor Joo Sung-won. As Mayor Joo, who he supports, is under suspicion, there is a good chance that he will actively help.

‘I don’t know if this connection is real or not, but most of all, it is important that Mayor Joo Sung-won has prepared a counterattack. The mere discovery of this connection is likely to keep stock prices from falling further.

My heart leaned toward buying Dongbo Construction. ‘There is no 100% on the stock market anyway. A stock is a game of predicting the future, so they can’t make 100 percent profit without God.’

But I had some information that I got first through 12 Hours After. It was like playing poker with one more ace card than others.

‘Yes, if you hold another ace and don’t bet, you are a fool.’

I saw the stock price of Dongbo Construction.

[Dongbo Construction $2.57 (-21.1%)]

Dongbo Construction was still in a slump. It fell more than 20% to $2.57. I saw Dongbo Construction Chart this time. About half a year ago, Dongbo Construction was walking around at $2.20 to $2.40. It was about that much before it got caught up in the political theme.

‘Then let’s hold the stop loss at –10%.’

‘It would have been worth $2.40 even if it hadn’t tied up as a themed stock in the first place. So even if Mayor Joo Sung-won fails to win the election, the price should be kept at 10% lower than now. If it is cheaper than $2.40, there is an essential problem about the stock itself. Then, from there, it becomes a dark bet without any information. I have to get out before that.’

And, for now, I decided not to use margin. It was too risky to use margin on stocks that went to the low limit price, even if I had an ace. Only a day after trading on margin, the amount of deposit money had not yet reached 100 percent. Like a wizard who was out of mana, who needed a break to use magic again, I had to wait until Tuesday, to get full margin again.

‘Let’s buy Dongbo Construction with cash that I have for now. If I get anything more certain, watching the news until Tuesday, let’s play full margin swing then.’

With that thought, I began to buy Dongbo Construction.

‘If evidence comes out during the prosecution investigation on the weekend, or if Kim Soo-hyang confesses, the stock will fly again as it has fallen. If it doesn’t and it keeps falling apart, I will sell without hesitation, when it reaches -10%.’

$60,000 was a lot of money, but if I looked at the article of 12 Hours After continuously, I would be able to recover soon. The cash I had now was $626,320. I divided up only $616,320, subtracting S10,000, to renew the monthly amount here. There were so many people who wanted to sell it that the purchase was quickly completed.

[Dongbo Construction

Shares: 241,694

Purchase Price: $2.55

Purchase Amount: $616,319]

As soon as I bought it, the stock price went to $2.53 and then went up to $2.57, fluctuating very hard. It cost me $5,000 in a flash. I turned off the MTS. All I had to do now was to trust my bet and wait. I went to Dongbo Construction’s stock bulletin board instead.

[Mayor Joo Sung-won is done. The babies who buy this now have no brains. Do you do charity work?]

[An old stock maxim: don’t get a falling blade. I’m just saying this because I’m worried about you.]

[Is there anyone who buys this stock now? When it comes to $2.00, you can buy it.]

[I have special news of Dongbo Construction. I will erase it in ten minutes. Click quickly.]

[Hey, have you set down a guest who came to the mourning house and not given me Yukgaejang yet?]

It was still a mess. There was no such thing as a proper analysis. It was nothing but swearing, advertising, or ridicule. After a while, I saw a comment pointing to me.

[Wow, who just took 240,000 shares? Some asshole wants this stock worth $600,000.]

I looked at it and thought, ‘You’re a dick because you can’t see any further than your nose.’

There seemed to be nothing more to gain here. I turned off all the relevant windows and came back to work. I also refused to see the MTS. Now that I had finished my bet, I would calmly wait for the result.

——————–

On this day, Dongbo Construction closed at $2.51. It ended at forty cents more than my estimation. If I calculated forty cents per share, I would get the total loss in no time, but I didn’t do it on purpose. If I tried, I would only be sick of. I instead entered the political community “Watchers” where “Yeonwoo’s Dad” was active, and waited for the message to be posted. Around 5 p.m. when the stock market ended, the article came up at the end.

[I’ve got circumstantial evidence that Kim Soo-hyang was close to Lee Hee-chul’s camp.]

And this article quickly became a community topic.

[Wow, this is Kim Soo-hyang. It’s the same beauty mark location.]

[The tall guy next to her is Jung Hyung-soo, one of the core members of the Lee Hee-chul camp.]

[Is this smelling? Let’s dig more.]

[I’ve already finished reporting to the press. It’ll be in the news soon.]

And as was known twelve hours later, this one picture pushed the political situation back into the storm. Mayor Joo Sung-won, who was under political attack here and there yesterday, stepped up his battle lines and launched a counterattack.

“This vicious scheme, organized for the Seoul mayoral election, is a challenge to democracy. Soon the truth will be revealed, and justice will prevail.”

——

On the weekend back, I was a little relaxed and took the 12 Hours After email. Since the stock market was not open, there was nothing I could do, even after seeing the 12 Hours After. I scratched a Lotto in Life/Culture, but it was a bummer too.

[Original team performance schedule of Musical Cats in Korea]

‘I should not expect Lotto at all the time.’

I instead went nowhere on the weekend and constantly watched the news about the prosecution’s investigation, and gathered information while wandering around political communities, including Watchers. There wasn’t much new information. What was interesting was people’s reaction to the comments. A few days ago, many people used to call Mayor Joo Sung-won a shameless guy, but now they were not.

[If Joo Sung-won is innocent, isn’t he really pathetic? He is branded as a pervert all over the country, and he blows up all his careers.]

[There’s a politician’s life at stake. If she insists that she’s been sexually molested through Me Too, that’s all.]

[When I met him at Seoul City Hall, he was very kind and nice. He’s not that kind. It will be revealed in the prosecution’s investigation. Let’s wait.]

Reading the article, I could feel the wind blowing against the direction that had been blowing.

Chapter 34 - Winner Takes All

Monday back, it was 8:50 in the morning. I sat a little nervous in front of the computer. I had already put more than $600,000 into Dongbo Construction. Today, I had to respond with great dexterity. I moved my neck from side to side, stretching, crossed my fingers, and then loosened my hands. I opened my mailbox and looked at my watch. When it was 55 minutes, I hit a quick refresh and it arrived.

[S. 12 Hours After]

I quickly moved the mouse cursor and clicked on Politics.

‘Police launched an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment against Mayor Joo Sung-won.’

I grabbed my head. ‘Why is this side coming up?’

The investigation was being conducted on both sides of Mayor Joo Sung-won and Kim Soo-hyang. However, Mayor Joo Sung-won’s side had emerged. It wasn’t the news I wanted.

‘But I’ll see what I can. If Mayor Joo Sung-won confessed, Dongbo Construction must be sold today.’

I read the article. But there was nothing particularly unusual. To summarize the details, the police investigated the mayor, and he denied the allegations while faithfully helping with the investigation. He had already denied it with an official statement, but the article repeatedly reported it. I did not get anything today, but I now turned on the MTS to check the stock price.

[Dongbo Construction +5%]

Dongbo Construction’s starting price started at around +5% from last time. It seemed to have reflected their alleged connection of Kim Soo-hyang and Lee Hee-chul camp. I thought inside.

‘It is not bad timing.’

It was losing forty cents per share yesterday, but now it was earning sixty cents per share.

‘Can I expect +10% today?’

I wanted to, but I still didn’t know the stock price. What was out was a picture. It served as an excuse for a counterattack of Mayor Joo Sung-won, but that didn’t mean he could change the tide altogether.

That was right. Not yet. It was a little bit hard to lose today, but… it was too much to hope for a surge. When I bought stocks, it was myself who should be most vigilant.

‘Usually, a person who buys a stock has a positive fantasy about it. No one wants to lose their money, and they want to make money, even with a little bit of good news. And they think, “Wow, this is a sense of the upper limit price. It’s going to rise again if I hold it longer.”

‘They think it’s incredibly good, and if there’s a lot of bad news, they often deceive themselves. But at the end of that self-delusion, there is nothing left but ruin. They have to be cool. Losing their cool in the stock market is the same as losing money.

‘Oh, come on. If it’s -10%, I will sell it with a loss.’

I looked at the trading window for a moment, thinking about it. The stock price of Dongbo Construction was fluctuating violently, much like a hot political theme. A few thousand dollars went up and down in a few seconds. I decided to turn off the MTS and concentrated on my work.

——

Twelve hours later, around 9 p.m., I took a shower and came out. I opened the refrigerator door and took out a can of beer.

I opened the cap with my fingers, brought the beer to my mouth, and lifted it at a high angle. The pungent carbonation tickled my throat, and the cool beer came into my mouth.

“Ch…” I sat on the sofa, wiping the foam from my lips with the back of my hand. The beer was better than usual. Maybe it was because I worked late today, and I was tired, or I earned nearly $100,000 today.

Shares of Dongbo Construction closed at $2.89 today, up 15 percent from $2.510. With 241,694 shares up 38 cents per share, I made a profit of $91,843. It wasn’t as awesome as it was when I hit the toilet wall, but it was still a huge sum of money. My total account balance also exceeded $700,000 for the first time.

‘$700,000. Let’s move home after this sale. Should I buy a car first? No, first of all, the computer? No, I’ll change that together when I move.’

I turned on the TV, thinking like that. There was a 9 o’clock news coming out on TV. Maybe it was because I slept watching the news late last night.

“In the Blue House today…”

I watched the news without much thought. By the way, I gazed at the news with my eyes twitching.

“It’s special news time. Not long ago, Kim Soo-hyang, a former secretary to incumbent Seoul Mayor Joo Sung-won, caused a big storm in the political world when she declared Me Too. But this time, there is a rumor that Kim Soo-hyang, the main character of the Me Too, had some sort of deal with Lee Hee-chul’s camp, which is causing a stir. Kang Jin-young reports!”

‘What?’

“Today, five days after Kim Soo-hyang, a former secretary, declared her Me Too, H, who identified himself as her ex-boyfriend, has personally tipped off our station.”

The screen changed and a man with a mosaic on his face appeared.

“So since last summer… we met early this year. February… or March, we certainly met. And then we got into a fight about money and we broke up.

“According to him, Kim hated the Mayor Joo Sung-won for her dismissal seven years ago, not for the sexual harassment.”

In the way of the news, the man’s voice and the reporter’s voice alternated. It was a typical style of TV news.

“She thought that the reason that she didn’t succeed in politics was because Mayor Joo Sung-won fired her. So if she saw the face of Mayor Joo Sung-won on TV, she used to swear.”

“Did you ever hear of sexual harassment or anything like that?”

“No, she didn’t say anything like that. Rather, she said, “He kept me away for no reason. So I tried to do better. The more I did, the more he kept me away, and then he cut me for no reason. That’s why I hate him.”

“He added evidence, along with saying she was directly linked to Lee Hee-chul’s election camp.”

“This is a text message that we shared around January 10th.”

The camera kept an eye on the smartphone he showed. There was a story of a lover’s exchange.

‘I’ve got a chance to get revenge.’

‘What revenge?’

‘Mayor Joo Sung-won. Do you know Lee Hee-chul?’

‘I know him.’

‘He’s running for Seoul Mayor this time. I got a good offer from them.’

‘What’s the offer?’

‘You don’t have to know that… Anyways, I’ll screw him this time for firing me seven years ago.’

I opened my mouth as I was reading the text. My open mouth was not closed for a while until the news was over.

“This Me Too has had a huge social impact, coming at a sensitive time of the Seoul mayoral election. If this testimony is true and this Me Too turns out to be a planned campaign ploy, it is expected to have a bigger impact in the future. I’m Kang Jin Young of KVS.”

—————-

Tuesday morning, I deposited $10,000 into an account with 777. As soon as I deposited the money, I got a reply on my cell phone.

[S. 12 Hours After has been extended.]

When I checked the message, I turned to the monitor with my cell phone on my desk.

[Wow, this is how it works. Although the stock price fell for two days, those who lasted won!]

[Lee Hee-chul, you son of a bitch. I got hit twice by the low limit price because of you.]

[Don’t worry anymore. We are going to have the upper limit price twice for today and tomorrow.]

[Is it going to go twice only? Lee Hee-chul is now over. Joo Sung-won is far ahead of them. It is going to the upper limit price for five or ten days.]

Dongbo Construction’s stock bulletin board was in a mess. Although Kim Soo-hyang and Lee Hee-chul camp did not yet announce their official positions, the game was over now that the news broke out on the public broadcaster’s 9 o’clock news.

At 8:55, I got an email of 12 Hours After for the subscription period left of thirty days. When I clicked on Politics, I finally heard the news of Lee Hee-chul’s resignation.

[Lee Hee-chul, the candidate for mayor, will voluntarily step down from his post. ‘This is my fault as I did not manage my surroundings properly, and I will resign’.]

I read the news. The suspicions turned out to be true. One of them must have confessed to the crime, whether it was a campaign worker or Kim Soo-hyang. Lee Hee-chul resigned himself. However, he insisted that the plot was made by a person in the election camp “on his own account.” He cut off the tail of the lizard and went to America for a political trip.

I dropped by the Endo Biologics’ bulletin board where the tragedy would take place today.

[I’m going to throw up what I ate two days ago. Lee Hee-chul, you’re crazy.]

[What kind of election camp staff he is? How did he get caught? If he is going to do this, he should not be caught.]

[You know this is all a lie, right? How can you trust a guy who’s her boyfriend?]

[That’s right. It’s not decided yet. Just keep holding this stock. We’ll see the light soon.]

Things had changed perfectly. Now it was Dongbo Construction’s turn to go to the upper limit price and Endo Biologics’ turn to the lower limit price. It was a bit gruesome, but it was politics. That was what a political theme was.

‘Winner takes all. The losing side is all gone, and the gainer gets everything.’

I watched the MTS. It was 8:57. Dongbo Construction was already at the upper limit price, although the market wouldn’t open for about three minutes. I felt strange.

An emotion of ‘Ah, the upper limit price, Nice!’ and regret ‘I should have bought more as much as I could on margin.’ intersected with Dongbo Construction. However, I could not afford to buy any more, since there was not a single seller today. It was at the upper limit price.

I tried to turn off the MTS. No matter what would happen today, the upper limit price would not be broken. But in the meantime, there was something in my eyes. It was Yurim Industries of mayor candidate Jung Kwan-soo. There was something going on in my mind.

‘… uh?’

In fact, supporters of Lee Hee-chul or Jung Kwan-soo were no different from the group who did not like Joo Sung-won, split in half. If Lee resigned, the rest of the votes would naturally go to Jung Kwan-soo. I first thought of the poll I had seen. Joo Sung-won 50%. Lee Hee-chul 35%. Jung Kwan-soo 15%. If Lee Hee-chul resigned and Jeong received the vote, it would be a 50-50 fight between Jung Kwan-soo and Joo Sung-won.

‘Then…’

The market opened, and Dongbo Construction went directly to the upper limit price. Endo Biologics went straight to the lower limit price. And Yurim Industries was stranded and remained the same.

People seemed to have the following ideas. ‘If Joo were to resign, we have a chance… Now that he’s back, we’re done.’ ‘If Lee Hee-chul resigns, the vote is ours now, right? Ah, he has not resigned yet.’

I thought myself. ‘These people still don`t know that Lee Hee-chul has resigned. Only I know.’

I realized that I had another ace in my hand. Therefore, before someone bought it first, I bought shares of Yurim Industries by spending $700,000 on margin. Of course, this was a bet, too. There was no 100% scenario in the stock market. But this time, it was as I imagined it would be.

Yurim Industries of Jung Kwan-soo went to the upper limit price around 2 p.m., when the announcement of Lee Hee-chul’s resignation came out. It followed Dongbo Construction, which had already gone to the upper limit price at 9:00 a.m. As a result, there were two stocks left in my account, each of which had increased 30 percent from $700,000 to $910,000. Today alone, I received $420,000 in profits.

Now, the Seoul mayoral election had entered a new phase. It used to be three-man go-stop game. Lee Hee-chul was playing a prank and his hand was cut off and gone. Joo Sung-won and Jung Kwan-soo, the two leading candidates, had come up with a picture to determine whether they would win or not….

—————-

“This station is Gangnam, Gangnam.”

In the subway coming home, I was fiddling with my cell phone and saw the news.

[Lee Hee-chul resigned. A bilateral contest going on between Joo Sung-won and Jung Kwan-soo.]

I looked at the title, then smiled. And I thought, putting my cell phone in my pocket. ‘Whoever wins… I’m not interested anymore. I’ve already won.’

Chapter 35 - A Golden Alchemist

The Wednesday that followed, Dongbo Construction and Yurim Industries, which were $910,000 each, showed 28 percent and 22 percent gains, respectively, today. I didn’t get greedy and I sold them here.

‘Sell, sell, sell…’

Of course, it could go up further here. But I decided not to be greedy.

‘The political theme stocks are laughably down when the election is over. The setting of their fantasy world, where magic used to be, is broken and comes back to the real world together, like going home now that the king of demons is dead.

‘At this time, all political theme stocks, including those in which the politicians involved are elected, will plummet. It’s easy to find out when you look at past presidential stocks. Even when it comes to rising, it is likely to soar even more when he or she becomes president, but in reality, it ends in a collapse. No wonder. They are originally stocks made by words in the election. When the election is over, it has to find its place.’

Now, we had about three weeks before the vote.

‘It will shake once more before and after the election, but then it really becomes a hard-to-win slot machine. The answer is not to gamble with low expectations. It’s wise to stay out of it now.’

[Sell order is completed.]

[Sell order is completed.]

[Sell order is completed.]

A series of messages came up. After selling all the shares, I looked at the stock price for a while from the standpoint of a bystander. Dongbo Construction and Yurim Industries continued to flutter as if they were going to hit the upper limit price, and Endo Biologics didn’t think of moving from the low limit price.

‘Some must be blinded by madness and some must be filled with grief.

‘Even I, who had just been in that scam, am a little nervous. Whoever wins, those stocks will return all their gains and find their place after the election. It will be four years before that magic takes place again. It seems silly, but even then, it will repeat the grand finale and the great fall just because someone is close to someone.

‘Then I’ll see you again in four years, friends.’

I said my last goodbye and then deleted the political theme sector altogether, not to be seen any longer. I turned to my account balance instead. The total amount including the cash credit had reached $2,200,000 just before, but it was closer to $1,500,000 after excluding $700,000 spent in credit. To be precise, it was $1,556,832.

I looked around the office. Everyone was busy with their work. No one was looking at me. I was feeling as if I had hit a home run, raised both hands, then clenched my fists and shook them quietly for a while, but violently twice.

‘Good! $1,500,000! $1,500,000!’

‘How many people have ever deposited $1,500,000 or $500,000 in cash in their lives? There will be very little. Most Koreans die without exceeding $300,000 in assets. There are quite a few middle-class people with assets exceeding $500,000, but most of them have one apartment. There won’t be as many people with the money I do now.’

‘I thought I’d never get out of the mudslide for my whole life. Is this a reality or a dream?’

I thought I was walking a little over the clouds. I felt like I had become a golden alchemist.

‘I’m really rich now.’

“Mr. Han Sang-hoon.”

At that time, associate manager Jung brought me back to reality. I looked at him.

“I sent a file on the business messenger. Please do me a favor today, too.”

I nodded for now. I came back and saw the monitor. I took the file from Jung and tried to work. By the way, $1,500,000 glimmered on my empty monitor. I could not type well. I took my hands off the keyboard and looked up at the company ceiling for a moment. To be honest, I seemed to have lost my motivation to work.

‘I didn’t even check my paycheck. I used to check my account every payday ffrequently.’

When I was working at the company under extreme stress, even the only hope I had now seemed to mean nothing. I opened the drawer and took out my resignation letter. I had hesitated to resign for several reasons, but now that $1,500,000 was in my account, I didn’t have to think about it anymore.

‘It would be a hundred or a thousand times better to collect information at that time and think about how to make better use of the news of 12 Hours After. It’s good for the company because I am not motivated anyway. It’s really time to quit.’

I thought of going to Heo with my resignation letter. However, when I tried to do so, two faces came to my mind.

‘Oh, my parents….’

Thinking of my parents, it would be too much to leave the company right now. I put the resignation letter back in the drawer.

——————–

I had no overtime today. As soon as it turned 5 p.m., I got out of the company right away.

Then, Choi waved at me. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I nodded. “Yes!”

I crossed the crosswalk to the subway station as I always did. Instead of going into it, I decided to walk to Gangnam Station. I wanted to think for a moment of what to say to my parents, and it was my habit to walk this little bit when I was thinking of something. I walked slowly toward Gangnam Station. I saw a flashing Lotto ad next to me.

‘Yes, that’s what I saw. I was going to do a Proto… It would have been better if it had been Lotto.’

I was going to leave the company after winning the lottery through Life/Culture, so that my parents wouldn’t be surprised.

‘I wanted to quit when I got Lotto winnings, and was going to start a business.’

I had given them a hint on purpose. But I was not able to get the Lotto winning numbers. I thought I would just have to resign. I had $1,500,000 anyway. I imagined my parents’ reaction when I announced my resignation for a while. As my dad was on my side, no matter what I did, he would get over it.

‘If you really want it, do it.’

The problem was on my mom’s side. My mom, who had always been worried, worried, and more worried about her children, would be surprised if I told her I quit the company. It wasn’t something she would understand. But my mom’s friends used to talk to my mom.

‘My son has been out of work for years.’

‘My daughter has been studying for a government office for ten years.’

They used to say suchthings, so my mom was happy and satisfied with the fact that I got a job. My mom respected my will, but she would worry that I wouldn’t be able to take care of myself.

‘What are you going to do after quitting your job in a world like this?’

What if I showed her $1,500,000? If I showed my bank account, she would listen to me then, because $1,500,000 was not a small amount of money. However, she might say, ‘No matter how much money you’ve made, isn’t this a fluke? Isn’t it best to work in a company?’

Well, from my parents’ point of view, it would be a natural response. I used to listen to people who easily made a lot of money from stocks and Bitcoin, but those people often ended up losing all the money when I listened to their stories a few years later. It was because those who made easy money by gambling could not forget the taste, and ended up gambling it away.

‘Easy come, easy go. Those who have lived soundly all their lives, like my parents, know it well. They have lived much longer than I, and they have seen countless such cases.

‘But I… It’s not a temporary fluke.’

Surely, I was far from such a temporary fluke. Considering how I earned $1,500,000, they were all made by rational reasoning through information from 12 Hours After. The first was through Yuhwan Securities, the second was about the acquisition of Jiwoo Entertainment, and the third was the political theme.

‘My money is going to swell up in a very logical way. My parents may think that even this $1,500,000 will be gone like a bubble tomorrow, but it is not. $1,500,000 will be $15,000,000 and $150,000,000, in a few months or years. But to convince them, I have to let them know about 12 Hours After.’

‘Then, shall I show them 12 Hours After?’

‘I don’t think so. 12 Hours After is like a Narnian world that exists beyond the closet, so it’s kind of bad for me to let my parents know. Even if they are my parents, it would somehow be dangerous to announce the existence of 12 Hours After now. It is only to be kept secret. It’s my own secret.

Even if I thought like that in my mind, I couldn’t find an answer.

‘I don’t know. Let’s go to my parent’s home this weekend, talk about it in person and say that I will start my own business. Then I will respond to the situation. There’s $1,500,000, and I am not going to have a big problem with my parents.’

I came to a conclusion like that. After concluding, I arrived at the intersection of Gangnam Station. There were countless people coming and going at the intersection of Gangnam Station.

‘I’ve heard from someone before that if they have more than $1,000,000, the world shows interest in them, and if they have more than $10,000,000, they feel like everything is working to themselves. I don’t think so yet.

‘Well, I have not spent a penny, even I have $1,500,000.’

I looked at the road for a moment. There were foreign cars of various makes on the road. When I was a high school student, I lived in a rural area, the three German carmakers like Mercedes Benz, BMW, and Audi were very rare, but in this Gangnam area, one did not even look at them. It was so common. Instead, low-body Lamborghini and Porsche were certainly noticeable. I could see some on the road now, yellow Lamborghini, black Porsche. I was watching them and suddenly thought.

‘How much are they?’

Then, I was surprised at myself that I had such an idea.

‘What should I say, Han Sang-hoon? You’re really rich.’

If it were the past, I’d look at those cars with the thought, ‘Who is he, driving that car? He’s probably the youngest son of a chaebol family.’

I was envious. I couldn’t believe I was thinking about how much it was. This seemed to be the power of $1,500,000 in the account. The world would pay attention to me in a little while, and it would be centered on me in a little while.

‘All right, well, let’s earn more until then.’

I picked my cell phone thinking that way, to say that I would go to my parents’ home on the weekend. Right at that time, I got a call from my mom!

I pressed the phone in slight surprise. “Oh, Mom, I was going to call you.”

“Is there something wrong?”

“No, it’s not a big deal. I’m coming home this weekend.”

“Really? Sure.”

“What did you call about? What’s going on at home?”

“No, there’s nothing wrong at home. It’s not that. I have a good story to tell you.”

A good story? I was getting interested and I listened to my mom.

Chapter 36 - Gold Class, Part I

“A blind date is set up for you.”

At my mom’s words, I touched my forehead. ‘She said it was a good story, but it’s that again.’

“I don’t need it.”

“No, listen to the conditions. She graduated from Ewha Womans University and ES… convenience store? She is working at a big company. She has a good educational background, and her work is in the same class as you.”

Workplace. I almost quit today…

“In addition, I heard that she’s living in a nice house. Of course, money is not everything in the world. But I’ve been living my life…”

‘Money. I’ll have more money, too. But before that, I don’t want to see more of this kind of blind date. It’s because it feels so dry that persons meet each other on conditions only and get married in pairs. I want to have a more natural love. I heard I can’t get married with this thought. But I don’t think it’ll be bad if I don’t get married. If not, I will enjoy myself on my salary.

‘Ah, and I don’t need a salary anymore.

‘It’s better. I must have a lot of money. I don’t have to be tied up with anyone now. If I have a girl who I want to live with, I will meet her naturally and marry her.’

“The woman I care about…”

Someone tried to come up in my mind. But at that time, the idea vanished like a mirage when my mom called my name.

“Sang Hoon, are you listening?”

“I’m listening to you.”

“So, meet her once. I am sorry to say no to your aunt who is introducing her to you. Meet her on Friday, and come home Saturday morning, eh?”

I was unable to refuse any more now that my mom had said that. As I had something to say over the weekend, I thought I should listen to my mom this much. “OK, I’ll do it.”

“Yes, don’t feel too much pressure and meet her. If you’re happy on meetng her, you can meet more, or if you don’t like her, never mind.”

“Nay…”

“Yes, her phone number is…”

I got the phone number of a strange woman and saved it. The following repertoire was similar: texting, making an appointment, looking at her face, eating pasta, and talking. I texted the very number. ‘Hello. Nice to meet you.’

I put my cell phone in my pocket without waiting for her reply.

‘If I text a woman like this, I will get a reply about an hour later. Women usually think they look cheap if they reply too quickly.

‘If she does not text me, I don’t have to meet her. I’m glad I have a cause. This is it.’

I walked down the street thinking that way. I had an idea when I walked down the street. I liked Gangnam as well. The building was big and nice, and the women were pretty. There were some of the hottest brands on the boulevard, while restaurants were located inside the alleys.

‘People with a lot of money don’t live in Gangnam for no reason. Gangnam is definitely the place where the times and cultures lead. In that sense, it’s meaningful to live here. I mean, if I live here, I can naturally see the most advanced trends and make use of them. I think I’m going to have to move here. Now my assets are over $1,500,000. It would be better to spend it or increase it in this Gangnam area.

‘So, shall I move here first? It’s a little too much to buy a car right away. I have money, but it could cost a few tens of thousand dollars, or hundreds of thousand dollars.’

Thinking of it, it was a little too much to buy a car now. It would cost at least tens of thousand dollars, or hundreds of thousand dollars. If I had tens of million dollars, it would be much easier to buy a car. However, it would be much more profitable to buy a few more shares with the money. On the other hand, a house was different.

‘If I live on the monthly rent, I don’t need big money for living expenses. Even if I live in a studio worth more than $1,000 a month, I’ll earn dozens of times that a month anyway. The monthly rent is not very high.’

Instead of going home right away, I started looking around Gangnam Station more, focusing on the place where expensive studios were concentrated. The blind date’s reply text came around after I looked around a few studios and went home.

‘Nice to meet you. Han Sang Hoon.’

There used to be a lot of chatter before blind dates, but not these days. I finished texting a Friday evening appointment in a nutshell.

———————

Thursday morning. I sat down in the chair, humming.

“Hmm, hmm, hmm.”

Naturally, I picked up my cell phone and turned on the MTS. I didn’t have any shares, but it was to see my account balance. $1,556,832.

‘Ch… it’s exciting. It’s always new. Money is the best.’

I had become addicted to seeing my account balance like this lately. I couldn’t help it. I imagined endorphins coming out every time.

‘Is this how people who smoke feel?’

‘I don’t smoke, but I think it’s about the same. I know how much it contains, but I keep seeing it, and if I don’t see it, it’s bad, so I look at it again. It’s okay, isn’t it? It doesn’t hurt my health like a cigarette. There is no hangover left like alcohol. If it’s addiction without side effects, I don’t think it’s a bad idea to get a little bit.’

I watched the list of numbers so hard. But then suddenly, I had an idea.

‘Ah, actually, I can apply for Gold Class now, right.’

$1,000,000 was needed to subscribe to the Gold Class. So, it was possible to apply for the Gold Class, since I had over $1,500,000. But to be more precise, the application was possible.

‘If I put $1,000,000 in, then there are only half a million dollars left.’

‘I don’t want to cut back on my seed money right now. Two times as much as $1,500,000 is $3,000,000, but two times as much as $500,000 is just $1,000,000.’

‘At least I have to collect $2,000,000. Let’s do one more trade and then ask for an upgrade.’

I waited for 8:55, thinking about it.

[S. 12 Hours After]

It came.

‘What’s going to happen today?’

I clicked on it thinking that way. But the mail was a little strange today…

‘What?’

[Silver Class Member Mail, Subscription Period left: 30 days.]

The top part of the subscription list was the same with such categories as Politics and Society. What had changed was the lower part.

[You can apply for a Gold Class Membership. Open the guide.]

[Today’s exclusive event!]

[Check it out now! Click Open!]

Two more lines were added under the usual “Gold Class Guide,” the raucous phrase of providing an event. Some of the words even glistened in color.

‘What’s this? It looks cheap.’

But when I started this 12 Hours After, the flyer I had picked up looked poor and cheap. A decent person would never bend his back to pick it up.

‘Is this the concept? Well…’

I clicked to open it, thinking about it. Then, more complicated and noisy advertisements appeared.

[Just for one day!]

[$Gold Class$ 50% off for the first purchase of subscription!]

[Gold Class Membership Service with $500,000!]

[Apply now.]

‘What is this? They’re offering me a discount on my subscription fee. That’s half the price, too.’

After looking at the contents, I didn’t care much about the cheap-looking format. Half the price attracted me. It was just $500,000.

‘Do I have to do it?’

However, $500,000 was also a big sum, one-third of what I had now.

‘But when I know what the benefits of Gold Class are, I can apply for it.’

That was what I thought, and I scrolled down. Then, this email was like reading my thoughts. There were a few more lines on the bottom.

[Gold Class Specials Guide]

[Provides every category news title every day!]

[Two skill points paid immediately!]

[Do you have any complaints about the subscription?]

[24-hour real-time Customer Service is opened!]

[You don’t have to go to the bank! Automatic withdrawal service of the monthly fee!]

[You can apply for Platinum Class!]

I read each line from the top. First, all category news titles were shown.

‘They’re saying they will show all the categories. I don’t have to worry about what I’m going to see now.’

But more noticeable than that was the second line.

‘They’re giving me a skill point.’

Skill points were like some element in the game. Well, I didn’t know anything about this.

‘What skill is it?’

But there was no explanation for that. The words “Privilege Guide” was written, but there was no specific explanation of what was actually there.

‘Are these guys making fun of me?’

That was what I was thinking, and one word just below came into my eyes. Customer Service.

‘Was there Customer Service?’ If there was, I’d like to ask them right now, ‘Where can I use the skill point?’

But I couldn’t find it here.

‘Are they saying that a customer worth $10,000 a month is not a customer?’

I wanted to swear, but I held back. To be honest, 12 Hours After was no different than a lifesaver to me. I was a little sorry I thought that, as I made $1,500,000 on two payments of $10,000.

‘Well… that’s what I’m saying.’

This Customer Service was definitely more attractive than the skill point that I didn’t know was right now. There were so many things I wanted to ask them.

‘Silver, next Gold. What else is there?’

‘Why the hell isn’t the Lotto number coming out.’

‘What’s going on with this news selection?’

No, there was a more fundamental question before then.

‘What are you guys doing here? No, are you human beings? Aren’t you going to be aliens?’

The two lines below it were just so. I didn’t mind the automatic withdrawal. Cell phone charges were the same, and Platinum Class seemed to be on top of it. I tried to scroll up. But then, I saw another line written in very small letters at the bottom.

[This event is a special discount that is only available for the first month of payment, and a list price of $1,000,000 will be charged from next month.]

I gathered my hands for a moment, biting my lower lip.

‘I’ll have to pay $1,000,000 next month, and if I am not so lucky, I can lose all my money.’

‘But I’ve been doing well for the past month. I can do well this month, too. And half-price… $500,000! Wouldn’t it be a job to do?’

I felt my hand on my chin and watched the screen for a moment. But I did not think long.

‘Yes, I increased my money several times with the information of $10,000, and if there would is information at $1,000,000, it would not be hard to increase $1,000,000 to $10,000,000.’

I decided to apply for a Gold Class. The phrase “Apply immediately” flashed in the email. I clicked it. A new page popped up.

Chapter 37 - Gold Class, Part II

—

1. Would you like to pay $500,000 and use the Gold Class service from tomorrow? Y/N

2. You must agree to the automatic withdrawal from Gold Class. Do you agree? Y/N

3. Please enter the bank and number of the account you want to withdraw from automatically.

※ The deposit will be made at 8 a.m. tomorrow. At the same time, you will receive a Gold Class guide.

※ Skills are available from Gold Class. Please check the guide.

※ Please use the Customer Service to change your payment account number in the future and to raise your class up and down.

—

Something was clumsy, but there was a contract coming up. I read it carefully.

‘They’ll give me a guide tomorrow at 8:00. Skill…’

I clicked Y, Y, and entered the stock account number that contained $1,500,000. Then I gulped once and finally pressed the “Application” button.

[Gold Class subscription is complete. Thank you.]

———————-

The next morning, I went to work faster and earlier than usual. I hoped there were few people there at 8:30, but when I came at 8, there was really no one.

‘It’s nice to be able to concentrate.’

I knocked on the keyboard to get the email, thinking that way. But the moment it was from 7:59 to 8:00, my cell phone rang first. ‘Yiing.’

There was a message.

[The withdrawal of $500,000 has been completed. You will be promoted to Gold Class immediately. Please check the guidebook in your mail.]

I entered the mail site at the same time as I watched the MTS on my cell phone. In the stock balance, $500,000 was gone like a ghost. And I had an email fifty-five minutes earlier than usual.

[Gold Class Guide]

These guys did a good job. I clicked on it.

———————

[Skill Guide]

[Starting with Gold Class, you can get upgraded news with active and passive skills added. Each skill can be used and enhanced by investing points. The cooldown time of the active skill is based on the same 30 days as the subscription period. Each skill requires the same skill point as the level up.

ex) 2 Level Enhancement = 2 points; 4 Level Enhancement = 4 points]

———————

Finally, there was a story about the skill that I was curious about. I looked down on the scroll.

———————

[There are currently three different skills available in the Gold Class. Skill points currently not allocated are 2 points.

People search Lv1 (Active Skill)

Search the name of a person to receive additional news. The search term can only contain the last name and the first name of Korean characters, and if you have the same name, you can get other people’s news, and if you don’t have news with that name, you won’t get any news at all. You can change the name you enter every day.

Ranking News Lv1 (Active Skill)

In a specific category of 12 Hours After, you can get a news item that has high cumulative views for one hour. Only available once a month.

Additional News Lv1 (Passive Skill)

Get another news item at 8:55 p.m. The contents are the same as the existing news, and active skills can be used the same.]

———————

I slowly finished reading it. Then I read the information again, going back and forth.

‘I need one point per level. Then I can’t pick one two consecutive times and take the second level… I can only pick two out of three and upload them at level one.’

I went down the scroll a little further. Like in a game of character creation, there was a button next to it.

[Select – Cost 1 Skill Point]

‘Well, I think this is a matter of careful choice.’

I looked at the monitor for a moment and thought about which would be the most helpful. Number one was a little difficult. People Search. Conditions were tricky, as they described.

‘Only by name… I am going to get the same name.’

There was an incident that came to my mind first as I read the explanation. It was the most recent election for the mayor of Seoul.

‘Last time, if I had searched for Joo Sung-won or Lee Hee-chul, it would have been an easy game. But you want me to use it for that?’

It wouldn’t be bad. The last time in the case of the political theme, the Me Too scandal was so nuclear to political news that even if I chose the “Politics” category, I would continue to receive news about it, but I would not have been able to receive it in that particular way.

‘But if I have this characteristic, I will be able to track the news of any celebrity in politics as well as in other fields, like the president, the prime minister, or the high-ranking government official of the Ministry of Finance and Economy. Or I’ll find out what the big company president or CEO, or the big business, or the strong business people are talking about.

‘It looks good. I think I can get a lot more refined information than usual. Money stories. But if the name I’m searching for is not famous, or if it’s too common, I won’t get the information I want.

‘Well… but I think it’ll be very useful if I keep that in mind.’

I went over it a second time. The second skill was ranking news. It would show the news with the highest number of views in the next twelve hours.

‘I don’t think it’s bad. First of all, it’s the hottest news, so it’d be nice to use it well. However, it should be remembered that the hottest news may not have anything to do with money.

‘In addition, it’s only once a month. That’s a bit disappointing, too. The name search above gives me one more news item all month, and only once. It feels a little hard. I think it’s time-concentrated or something.’

I went over the third skill for now.

‘Skill No. 3 is the only passive skill. It’s the simplest, the most intuitive. The news shows 12 Hours After at 8:55 p.m. one more time after 12 hours. Not bad. If I think simply, the chance to make money seems to double. But if I get it in the evening, I’m going to hear what would happen in the morning. Then, it wouldn’t be hard to apply to the stock market.

‘It’s 8:55 p.m., twelve hours from then, it’s 8:55 a.m. the next morning. That means other people will know the news before the market opens. I can’t make money on the news that everyone knows. If this helps, it may only be meaningful when I trade overseas stocks or options, like the United States and Brazil, that are in the opposite side of the world from Korea.’

‘It could be helpful, or shall I move on?’

I agonized for a moment with my arms folded. People Search certainly looked better than the other two. I didn’t have any specific ideas on how to use it right away, but I thought I would get used to it. I was worried about number two and number three.

‘No. 2? Ranking news? Only once? People only click the provocative news: there’s been a mass assault, and there’s a celebrity scandal or an incident. Then it’s no use for me. Number three? Shall I turn my eyes overseas? I have $1,000,000 now, so shall I move on? Shouldn’t it be worth $10,000,000?’

But I was thinking like that, there was something that came through my mind.

‘Wait a minute… Culture… Life category…’

Due to its characteristics, the Life/Culture category was so dense and there were too many topics related to everyday life that there was not enough news to click on. There was no interesting news of an incident that was going to cause a click in time. So, considering the news, there was nothing but an extremely dusky, time-consuming article like.

[You can do it, too. How to manage the time to grind a cat’s hair.]

[Tomorrow, it will rain all over the country. Take your umbrella with you.]

[A woman who is sexually harassed in her daily life. A new novel that tells the story of the socially weak.]

It was not a place where there was news that came with lots of view counts, except for one time, 8:40 on Saturday night. There was only one news that people would click on a lot.

‘The lottery number!’

Chapter 38 - Customer Service

‘That’s right. If I look at the ranking news in the category of Life/Culture on Saturday…

‘No matter how much I think, there’s nothing but a Lotto number. The Lotto number is always on and off the real-time search keywords around 8 p.m. on Saturday. There are so many people looking for it, it can’t be unnoticed. That’s the only news they’ll see in the Life/Culture category of that time zone.

‘If I get Lotto winnings, I can easily afford to pay not only $500,000 but also $1,000,000.” Yeah. If I could go after Lotto in that way…’

I decided to choose the Ranking News this time. Additional News was likely to be more synergistic later on, after being able to use this People Search and Ranking News freely.

‘Then let’s take a characteristic like this.’ I clicked on ‘People Search’ and ‘Ranking News’ once. Then I pressed the “Application” button. A warning window popped up.

[The skill points used cannot be returned. Do you want to choose this way? Y/N]

I hesitated for a moment, but I didn’t seem to have a better choice than this now, no matter how much I thought. I chose Y. The notice window was on top.

[People Search Lv1, Ranking News Lv1 selected.]

[The selected skill is available immediately in the following news.]

‘All right.’

I thought we could use the People Search right away from today, and the Ranking News tomorrow and Saturday, when the Lotto would draw. I went down the scroll thinking that way. Under the description of the skill, there was a “Platinum Class Service Guide.”

[Upgrade your news to a Platinum Class with a monthly fee of $10,000,000!]

[Platinum members will be given five skill points and will be eligible to apply for a Diamond Class Membership Service.]

[When you apply for an upgrade through the Customer Service, the charges will be automatically drawn from the account you specify. The monthly payments service will be immediately renewed, and the Platinum member service will be upgraded.]

[If you apply, we will repay you with a service you won’t regret.]

Gold’s next Class was Platinum, followed by Diamond.

‘Bronze, Silver, Gold, and then Platinum, and Diamond.’

These were the grades I had seen often. And there seemed to be something on top of them. The first thing that stood out was the fee. Platinum charged as much as $10,000,000 a month. I needed at least $20,000,000 to consider whether to pay or not.

‘It would be nice to upgrade, but…’

$10,000,000 was not a sum I could reckon with right now. They were going to give me five points and I could upgrade my skills. That was the story then. Right now, $10,000,000 was too burdensome. I scrolled down a little bit more, and saw the end of the email. At the end of the notice, there was a line:

[Customer Service is open. Customer Service is open 24 hours a day and you can get counseling upon application. Apply for counseling.]

‘Do they run it 24 hours, and is counseling possible immediately?’

As expected, the place where it said “Apply for counseling” glittered.

‘I don’t know how the Customer Service operates, but I think I’ll have to apply.’

I had a lot of questions when I got 12 Hours After. And in recent years, whether on a guidebook or anywhere, I had often seen the words, Please visit Customer Service in the future.

I picked up the mouse cursor and twirled around the place saying, “Apply for counseling.”

‘No, how is counseling possible?’

I looked down at my cell phone with a slight scratch on it. Those who sent me 12 Hours After already knew my cell phone number. If I would apply for counseling, my cell phone would ring right away. I looked around. There was no one in the company.

“Ahem.” Holding my cell phone, I cleared my throat once, then pressed the “Apply for counseling” button.

Instead of the cell phone ringing, a window opened in front of my eyes. Rectangular window, one shining cursor on a white background, and two IDs that I could see. This was a classic messenger app screen that could only be seen in the early ’00s. I was going to write something, but the chatting window popped up first.

[Customer Service – How are you, Mr. Han Sang Hoon? How may I help you?]

‘This way? By chatting?’

I tried chatting to the cursor. I was trying to make sure it worked.

[Han Sang-hoon – Is this the Customer Service that sends the news in 12 Hours After?]

As soon as I post the chat, it took less than 0.1 seconds for me to get a reply.

[Customer Service – Yes, that’s right. Sir.]

I was sure.

‘It’s not… it’s not a human replying.’

It was impossible to type so fast with a human hand. In my mind, words like Machine Learning, Deep Learning, AlphaGo, and Alexani went back and forth. In short, it was artificial intelligence. I asked the counselor about it.

[Han Sang-hoon – Is the counselor who’s answering this question human?]

[Customer Service – We’re both human and not human, Sir.]

A strange reply came back.

‘It’s some bullshit…’

I chatted one more time.

– So what’s the company doing there? Is it a company?

– It’s a company and it’s not a company, sir. We’re publishing the news.

These guys seemed to have set up a Customer Service to play with words. I typed faster.

– Then, is there a place in Korea that sends the news?

– There’s a place in space that publishes the news.

I clapped my hands on my forehead. Being in space was simply an answer for Andromeda.

– So, are you aliens?

– Alien is just a concept of distinction. The universe is one.

‘Oh, come on. The universe is one.’

It seemed wrong to expect a normal Customer Service. I asked another question.

– If it’s from outer space… Do you mean there’s another reader beside me?

– None. This news service is available to only one subscriber, Han Sang-hoon, in space.

Unexpectedly, the normal answer returned this time. I softened up slightly and asked for something else.

– Then what is it? Why are you only sending it to me when you are in space?

– Think about it yourself.

This time, it destroyed my expectations again.

‘Do I have to think about it myself? You’re a very good teacher. You’re a… Well, that’s enough.’

I decided to ask about the news in 12 Hours After.

– Do you have any higher grades? How many more do you have?

-The membership is rated Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Master, Grandmaster, xxxxxx, xxxxxxxx, sir.

This time, a slightly better, normal answer came back. Except for the xxx in the back.

– What’s the next xxxx class?

– That’s a secret.

I put my hand down from the keyboard for a moment because I was a bit dumbfounded.

‘Secret? Then what does the Customer Service do?’

I shook my head and put my hands back on the keyboard.

‘Let’s give up the normal answer. Instead, I am just going to get as much as I can.’

– How do I increase my usable skills?

– Skills naturally open as they go up. Please apply for a class upgrade. Skills become stronger as class goes up. In particular, the skills you get from the Master Class are very powerful, so I recommend you upgrade.

– What skills? Please let me know in detail.

– That’s a secret.

‘They say that I have to do it without telling me what it is. If it’s a Master Class, it’s three grades higher than Gold now. The amount required will also be enormous.’

I followed up with a few more questions.

– What’s the usual way to call Customer Service?

– Send a text message to 919-31413-11721 and you will receive an email for a counseling chat. You can talk 24 hours a day through email.

The telephone number was familiar. When I searched on my smartphone, it was the number I sent when I first applied for a subscription: the stupid number in the flyer. I saved the number for now.

– Is the news only sent in Korean? Will you tell me your news if I go abroad?

– News will only be sent in the subscriber’s native language. Han Sang Hoon’s native language is Korean. We will send you selected news based on the type of media in Korea.

– Can I change the email address I receive the news in?

– You can change it anytime. Please use the Customer Service.

– Can I lower my class or pause my subscription for a while? Just in case I don’t have any money.

– It’s possible. Please contact the Customer Service as well.

A normal answer came to this kind of question. I watched the chat window for a while with my arms folded. I thought I had asked everything that came to mind.

‘I can call them 24 hours a day, if I want to ask them something. Then shall I close the chat window?’

I took the mouse cursor to the upper right x button with that thought. By the way, I suddenly had one more question come up, and I put another line on the chatting window.

– What the hell are you? Are you God or the devil?

As expected, a reply came in less than 0.1 seconds.

– Both a god and a devil.

I should not have expected a proper answer. I closed the Customer Service chat window.

———————

At 8:55. A new email, G. 12 Hours After, came. Silver’s S changed to a G. I clicked on it.

[Gold Class Member Mail, Subscription Period left: 30 days.]

[Politics – Seoul Mayor Joo Sung-won is predicted predominant.]

[Economy – DSR is applied in Full-scale. Is a cold wave coming to real estate?]

[Society – The Four Rivers are coming back to life.]

[Life/Culture – Southern Storm and Thunder]

[World – Chinese Prime Minister visits Japan.]

[IT/Science – Why are Survival Games so popular?]

[Entertainment – Photos of the Goddess Joo-hee of Double Up Girls]

[Sports – Chelsea? Manchester United? The agony of a super prospect.]

It certainly looked different from Silver Class. It showed each news item without having to choose three separate categories.

‘Well, if this is the case… even if I don’t mean it, I’ll have a big chance of getting a good one.’

I went down further, thinking that way. There were more and more changes to the bottom part.

[People Search – Enter name.]

[Ranking News – Use Now (1 available)]

Where there was nothing, there was a place where I could click on the People Search and Ranking News.

‘This is an active skill…’

I was a little concerned about the Customer Service, which was unkind, but it seemed obvious that this email would bring me a lot of money anyway. I clenched my fist, thinking, ‘All right, let’s make a decent living.’

Chapter 39 - Duplicated Winnings, Part I

I swirled my mouse for a moment, with my new Gold Class email in front of me.

[People Search – Please enter a name.]

The cursor was twinkling.

‘Who shall I search for?’

‘To make money by searching for a person’s name, there must be a contact event, like the last mayoral election: Joo Sung-won and Lee Hee-chul, and Dongbo Construction and Endo Biologics. But right now, I don’t know who to search for.’

‘Shall I search for candidates for Seoul Mayor?’

‘But they have already gone up as high as they could and were only waiting to burst. No matter how the news unfolded, it is not far from now. It will not be strange to go down to -20% and -30% on that day, even if there is good news. It’s better to not touch them.’

I came up with a different method of use.

‘I should try to find out who’s going to put in here for the money. Well, let’s do a trial today. Let’s try it out on the famous people.’

I recalled the names of leading figures in the political and business sectors. The incumbent president Ahn Sung-geun, prime Minister Park Jae-gil, deputy prime minister for economic affairs Kim Sun-joong, chairman of Susung Group Ji Chang-woo, and chairman of LD Lee Jae-bak, Kokoa CEO Park Ji-soo, etc.

‘Well… who shall we choose?’

Thinking, I unconsciously wrote ‘Ji Chang-woo’, the chairman of the nation’s largest conglomerate, Susung Group, who was known as the richest man in our country. Writing down the name and pressing the enter button, a news came out at the same time.

[Chairman Ji Chang-woo is directly leading semiconductor industries.]

‘Oh, this is how it works.’

I had a rough idea. From now on, I should continue to search and think about who I should put in here. ‘There’s even a saying that says human resources are all things.’ If I could trace a person’s name, I could get a lot of money.

I went on to the Ranking News item. Unlike People Search,

‘I can use it only once a month and I need to gather information and research on how this will be related to money. But right now, there’s nothing like a Lotto. I have about $1,000,000 now after it has been reduced by $500,000. Therefore, the Lotto which can increase my assets by adding, rather than multiplying, will be very useful.’

‘How much money can I get for winning the Lotto?’

I bought it six years ago, only once or twice for fun as a student. I expected a Lotto article to appear every weekend, but I didn’t know exactly how much the winnings were. I searched on the Internet. The winnings were well documented on the Lotto official website.

[Lotto Winning Amount]

$1,160,000 – 16 people

$1,250,000 – 14 people

$2,650,000 – 7 people

[Lotto Winning Amount]

$1,710,000 – 11 people

$2,390,000 – 8 people

$4,220,000 – 4 people

The Lotto winning amount was different at that time because of the structure of sharing the winning with the winners at the same time. The fewer the number of people who took the grand prize, the more the money they would have, and the more the number of people, the less the money, and so the total money was roughly between $16,000,000 and $20,000,000. That was why it seemed to pay out $2,000,000 if there were close to ten winners and $1,000,000 if there were close to twenty. Just four of them won $4,200,000.

‘When only four people got the grand prizes, they were the luckiest ones among those who won the Lotto, like lightning strikes on a lightning rod. They are literally in luck and by the way, how much is the tax?’

‘Lotto’s tax for the grand prize is 33%. It means that they get at least $700,000 after taxes. If I only get the Lotto winning numbers once on the Ranking News, I’ll easily pay for this subscription fee.’

‘Well, that’s right. With tax reduction, the actual money taken home is from $700,000 to $3,000,000.’

I was thinking about it, but there was a catchy article.

[Those who have been hit by lightning in succession. Those who won the grand prizes in Lotto.]

I clicked on it, thinking about what it was. And I realized through the article that there were ‘duplicated winnings’.

‘Is this…?

Duplicated winnings meant people who had written the same number several times and won the grand prize multiple times.

‘Of course, it isn’t something that happens often. They have to write the same number more than once manually. They have to write a certain number, lowering their chances of winning, and so winning again.’

‘So, duplicated winnings are only possible if they do something that is hard to understand with common sense and have a lot of luck with it, unless they know the winning number in advance.

‘However, I may learn this week’s Lotto numbers through 12 Hours After. If it comes out of the news, it’s no big deal to write the grand prize numbers many times. I know it’s a little silly for someone else, but not for me.

‘I can say that these are the numbers my grandpa gave me in my dream. So, I bought several copies with one number.

‘Anyway, Lotto is a game. If I buy it for $1, the expected price is about 50 cents. No one can say anything about irrational approaches. It’s a game with low expectations built in.”

I did the math again on the premise that I could get the duplicated winnings.

‘The total amount of the grand prize is between $16,000,000 and $20,000,000. This is not how I can touch it. It’s a certain amount of money set aside from the total amount of people who buy Lotto all over the country. But if I know the grand prize numbers, here I can decide how many times I’m going to take the grand prize.’

‘That means I can choose what percentage of the total amount I can take. I’ll take the shares of the luckiest people who are purely first, and of course, the number of winners will increase by as many as I have written, so the first prize will be slightly reduced, but the absolute price will increase because I take it as many as that number.’

I did a virtual calculation.

‘If I set the grand prize winnings to $16,000,000, if fifteen people win, if I get in there and win the grand prize five times… $16,000,000 for twenty people will be divided $800,000 each. I win five times, so $4,000,000 is my winnings.

‘That way, I can pay the subscription fee this month and earn $4,000,000.’

I was getting more and more excited by that idea. It was like I found a shortcut to the goal point. It was Saturday, when there was a Lotto draw tomorrow. It coincided with the day I decided to go home.

‘Yeah, well, let’s use the Ranking News right before I go home tomorrow. When the Lotto article comes out, I’m going to buy a Lotto on my way home.’

I closed my email after reaching that conclusion. I didn’t have any news today that would make money, anyway. After closing the email, I concentrated hard on my work. Now I had a day or two left to quit my job.

Wouldn’t it be better to beautify myself, if I was going to leave anyway? Then, there was a blind date tonight. I decided to concentrate on other chores than making money today. The time I would hunt in earnest would be the week after the issues, my job and my family would be settled.

——————–

“This stop is the Express Bus Terminal, the Express Bus Terminal. The door to get off is on the right.”

I left the place as soon as the subway door opened. It was 8:40 a.m. on Saturday. There were 15 minutes left before the email arrived. The stock market didn’t open on Saturday, and because I got nothing these days in the Lotto I had bet, my tension was a bit off, but today I was more nervous than ever.

‘I don’t want to get a strange article…

‘According to the message, Ranking News of 12 Hours After will show the most-viewed news with an hour’s accumulation, so unless there’s something really shocking on the Life/Culture. In the first place, Life/Culture is a peaceful category where nothing shocking is reported…

‘Unless there’s such a thing as a certain man sexually harassing his juniors or an international pianist committing suicide by himself. There is a high probability that a Lotto number article will appear.’

I waited until 8:55 with my feet trembling. But then I got a call from my mom. ‘Tiriri~’

“Yes, mom.”

“Are you coming?”

“Yes, I’m waiting for the 9:20 bus.”

“Okay, be careful. And… How was your blind date yesterday?”

“Well, it wasn’t bad.”

“How come? Tell me more about it.”

“I think she is pure. I don’t know her well because we only met once.”

“Then, meet her again. Have you contacted her?”

My mom seemed to want me to see another woman again.

“… I’ll tell you the details when I get there.”

“Yes, then.”

I finished the short call with my mom. To be honest, it wasn’t that bad. Since the woman was active, she suggested that we go to see the movie “Six Treasures and the Owner of Gauntlet,” which would be released next week. But somehow, I was not attracted to her. I would have met her two or three more times if it were in the old days, but it was because I was on the verge of making money right now.

‘$3,000,000 to $4,000,000 a day… I won’t be able to live normally anymore… I should go home and tell my parents for sure.’

I looked at the clock with that thought. It had been 55 minutes before I knew it. I got a new email. The news was full of trifles. The market wasn’t open anyway, so it didn’t mean much.

‘All right, well, let’s get it all over with.’

I went on to type Park Ji-soo into the People Search. He was CEO of Kokoa, one of the nation’s leading IT companies. It was also an experiment because there was no news to make money right away. However, suddenly, the news of a racing girl came out.

[Racing Girl Park Ji-soo, showed off the beauty of a goddess in front of the Mercedes Benz.]

‘Oh, well, someone with a different gender comes up. Just in case… As expected…

‘The People Search doesn’t seem to be exactly what I want, especially when similar names are so common.

‘All right, that’s a good example.

I remembered this case and then scrolled down. Here was what was important today, anyway. Ranking News. I pressed ‘Use’ first. There was a message just around the corner.

[Please select the category in which you want to use the Ranking News skill.]

I swallowed once and then chose Life/Culture. Then I closed my eyes for a while, and I opened my eyes gently. The title of the news in front of my eyes was the following.

[What are the winning numbers for Lotto 921?]

“Ch…”

My prediction was hit. I looked around with my lower lip slightly cracked. There were many people at the express bus terminal on the weekend. I shook my fist up and down quietly. Then I shouted inwardly, ‘I got it!’

Chapter 40 - Duplicated Winnings, Part II

As if I was a person who had prepared for a government job receiving a notice of acceptance, I smiled with joy, holding my fist. But after a while, I calmed down my glee in alarm. I had information worth tens of million dollars in my hand, and there were too many people in the terminal. I looked around. There was a pillar in the corner of the terminal. I made my way to the place through countless people. I picked up my smartphone again with my back to the post.

[Ranking News – The top news in the Life/Culture of 12 Hours After – Lotto 921 winning numbers?]

I clicked on the article.

[Lotto 921 is complete. The winning numbers are 2,6,15,22,36,41. The total number of winners is fourteen, with $1,284,610 each.]

$1,284,610 for fourteen people each. I took the Wi-Pad out of my bag and tried to calculate. The total amount of winnings was about $18,000,000. That was a lot of money compared to the average. Many people bought the Lotto this week. But that was why there were a lot of winners, fourteen winners. What was left now was how many times I wrote in the winning numbers. If I wrote the winning number once, the number of winners would be fifteen; if I wrote it three times, seventeen, and if I wrote it five times, it would be nineteen. I calculated each case.

One time – $1,198,960

Three times – $3,173,740

Five times – $4,732,770

The higher the number of winners, the smaller the individual amount I would have, but the higher the number of winners, the larger the total amount I would have.

‘If I win a hundred times…

‘When I knock on the calculator, my total winnings would be $15,700,000 among $18,000,000. But it is too much. If the grand prize becomes 100 times, it will be an issue. No matter how much this age protects individual information, someone will know me, and if he or she makes fun of me, I may become a celebrity. I don’t want that. This time, I will use the Lotto to make basic money to pay the subscription fee for 12 Hours After.’

‘One time – $1,198,960 is big, but it looks small compared to the amount below. Three times? Five times? How many times did the others win?’

I quickly searched through the past articles with ‘Duplicated Winners Search’. There were usually about two times’ duplicated winnings. Most of them were confused by the markings and wrote the same numbers. Five times was the best. A person came out of a real dream or pushed a number to one, because it was a favorite combination. I decided to win five times. More than that, it would be a new record, so there would surely be news.

‘If I win five times, it won’t be new news because it is a tie record. If I start with $6,000,000 seed money, adding $5,000,000 to $1,000,000, it will be a good start. If the money I have is not $1,000,000, but $6,000,000, my parents will be overwhelmed and they will not be able to say anything to me anymore.’

‘All right, let’s do five times.’

I found a lottery shop in the terminal, a yellow billboard between restaurants. Lotto 6/45. I went inside. The owner was listening to something like a lecture on a smartphone, whether I came or not.

“… a foolish man who doesn’t know me, a foolish child without sense, and he has the sense to do evil, but he is ignorant to do good. The words of Jeremiah.”

It was like a Bible passage. It seemed like she was listening to a sermon from a pastor or a priest. It was good. She did not care about me, so I picked up the OMR paper and pen and marked the numbers I memorized there.

‘2,6,15,22,36,41.’

The same numbers, five times. Then, with $5, I handed it to her. “Bill, please.”

The lady who was listening to the Bible sermon finally turned to me.

I was preparing for an answer to a question, “Why did you buy the same numbers five times? You’re less likely to win?”

‘They are the numbers grandfather called me out of my dream.’

It was a bit of a cliché, but there was no such thing as this. By the way, the lady said nothing and took the OMR card I gave her and put it in the machine. She seemed to see someone doing this strange thing often.

Wi-ying! The receipt was drawn and she handed it to me with little attention left on the Bible lecture. She didn’t seem to have the slightest care if the same numbers would win.

‘Maybe later she’ll be surprised to learn that there is someone who won the grand prize in her store five times.’

It was good, anyway. I didn’t want this lady to remember my face. I turned back with a weird Lotto receipt with the same numbers written five times.

‘This small piece of paper is worth $4,700,000.’

That made me shiver a little. I stowed the paper in my wallet. It was time for the bus to go home. I got on. The Lotto drawing would take place at around 8:40.

‘I suppose the same numbers will come up?’

But I thought of a way to confirm my winnings in advance.

‘No… the news would have changed in 12 Hours After?’

12 Hours After, the news should now show nineteen winners, not fourteen winners. I checked my mailbox. As expected, there was correction news.

[Correction news of G. 12 Hours After]

When I checked the time they sent it, it was 9:12. It was the moment I had just bought a Lotto. I clicked on the email.

——————-

[Correction News]

[We inform that the contents of the article ‘The Lotto 921 Winning Numbers?’ sent today has been revised because of a reader’s involvement. The changes are as follows:]

——————-

I looked down at the email. The original contents were short, and the revised contents were also short.

[Lotto 921 has been completed. The winning numbers are 2,6,15,22,36,41. The winners are nineteen people, each with $946,550.]

I took out the lottery receipt in my wallet, now worth $4,700,000. I picked up the receipt and put it in my pocket. It was time to leave, and the bus headed home.

——————-

That evening. My family had dinner together. My dad was smiling.

“I’m glad you’re here after a long time.”

My mom nodded, “Yes, come more often.”

My sister, Su-Jeong, said, looking at the beef fillet sizzling on the fire, “I welcome you, too, if you buy meat like this every time.”

I glared at my sister. “Can’t you just welcome me purely, sister?”

We were ready to fight again, but in the meantime, my mom said, cutting the meat, “This meat is good quality.”

“It’s rated AA. It’s expensive.”

“Why did you buy something so expensive? You always complain about your salary.”

I tried to answer something, but I just stopped talking. It was 6 p.m, before the Lotto draw.

“I just bought it, and it’s been a long time since I came home. I didn’t want to come home empty-handed.”

“Well done, I am eating this beef because of my son.”

“Eat it.”

——

My mom cut out the meat and set it on the front. After a long time, the family conversation naturally moved on.

“So what about the blind date? Your aunt said she was a good girl.”

“I think she’s nice, but somehow…”

“You said before, it was not bad.”

“She is not bad, but I’m not really attracted to her. She feels like a good person, but not my mate.”

“Brother, your mate of destiny is in the movies or novels. Do you know? You have to match each other…”

“Ms. Han Su-jeong, I never applied for a love counseling…”

—

Later, we talked about my job.

“How’s your job been lately? Is it still hard?”

“Yes, I’ve been having a hard time doing my job lately, so I can’t make it good. So, the mood at work is bad, and the superiors always have me work overtime and are hysterical… I don’t know if the company is going well. It’s not like that.”

Both parents didn’t look good at what I said. No parents would feel good about their children’s difficulties.

“Yeah, well, there’s a lot of competition these days. In our times, we used to live okay with a college certificate, but… What’s the matter with the country now?” My dad blamed the country.

“Yes, I saw on the news that young people just quit or move out of their jobs even if they get a job at a large company. If you don’t get the right job, think about leaving and getting a new job,” Mom related a story she had seen on the news.

“If you want to move, you’d better get another year’s experience. Mom, if you move with the experience you’ve been in for only a year, they’ll probably think you’re a man with no guts. You have to spend at least one or two more years and then transfer.”

Su-Jeong uttered a sarcastic remark. I nodded and said something that was not in my mind.

“Yes, but I’m going to go to work a little bit more and find out.”

Then I gave them a hint a little bit.

“What I want to do is start a business… It costs money, too.”

I took a look at my parents after saying that. My parents nodded, too. Both of them knew well that when I was in a senior year, I was about to start a business ahead of graduation and ended my dream because of the cost. I was looking at their faces and said as if I just remembered something.

“Oh. I was going to tell you that. Something strange happened a while ago. Grandfather came out of my dream.”

My dad was surprised and asked, “Grandfather?”

“Yes.”

Mom said, peeling pears for dessert. “What did he say?”

I brought up the story I had prepared. “He didn’t say a word. He came up to me without saying a word, and he held my hand and wrote something with a pen.”

“What did he write?”

“When I saw something, it was six numbers.”

At that time, Su-Jeong stepped in.

“Six numbers? Six numbers, aren’t they the Lotto numbers?”

It was a performance lacking in acting ability with a cliché story, but it seemed to have passed.

“Yes. Even after I woke up, the numbers were clear, so I wrote down the numbers as soon as I woke up. I bought the Lotto as it was this morning.”

I took my wallet out of my pocket. Five receipts lined up on the table with the same numbers.

Without looking at the numbers, my mom put the pear before me and said, “I hope you get the winnings. Then, you can quit the company and do what you want to do.”

My dad nodded. “Well, your grandfather used to love you a lot when he was alive. Every time he called our Sang-hoon, our Sang-hoon… Do you remember?”

To be honest, I couldn’t remember very well. My grandfather died when I was four years old. I had only heard from my parents and relatives many times that my grandfather loved me very much.

In the meantime, Su-jeong, who picked up the Lotto paper, just smiled at it.

“Ha-ha-ha-ha. What if you buy the same numbers five times? You should have changed it one by one. Is this how you’re going to win?”

When I took the Lotto receipt from Su-jeong’s hand and put it back in my wallet, I thought, ‘I’ll win the Lotto, sister. I’ll see you in a few minutes.’

Chapter 41 - The End And The Beginning

“Take it.”

My dad lifted the bottle of Soju. I held out my glass for a drink. The glasses were all full and we hit the glasses briefly, then drank Soju at the same time. The scent of the pungent Soju poked the tip of my nose.

“Ch…”

Tonight, I drank with my dad in the living room after a long time. My dad put chili paste on eggplant and said, chewing hard. “Are you having such a hard time working?”

‘What should I tell him?’

I opened my mouth for a moment, then closed it, and managed to open it again.

‘It’s tough. I can stand the hard times, but I can’t stand the pointless work. I do the same thing all the time, and all I learn is to curry favor with my boss. It’s a life I have been born and lived once, and it is so hard to be a slave to my paycheck…’

In my unconscious mind, I was about to say all that, but I was quick to correct it.

“It’s awful.”

“Well…”

My dad looked down at the empty glass without saying much. I was sorry to see him while I was whining. Besides, he had done the same thing for decades, and I’d only done it for a year. I spoke up again, filling the glass with Soju, “Dad.”

“What?”

“How many years have you been working in the training center?”

“Well… I started it when your mom had you… It’s thirty years this year.”

“What if you put together the time you worked as a coach?”

“Thirty-five years, considering the length of time I worked as a coach.”

‘Thirty-five years is a long time. It’s more years than I’ve lived. My dad has been sweating and teaching others in the training center for such a long time.’

I asked my dad out of pure curiosity. “How did you do the same thing for so long? Aren’t you tired of it?”

My dad looked at the glass of Soju, which was filled to a full extent, and said, “I couldn’t work if I thought I was sick of it. I just thought that this is my karma and I did it.”

This life. My karma. I thought of my job for a while.

‘Is this my life? Is this my karma? If I think so, the answer will come soon. No. It’s right to quit the company. Even if I didn’t get a special fate in 12 Hours After, I’d probably be out of the company. Of course, I would have worked in the company for a few more years because of my debt.’

I asked my dad, “Dad, haven’t you ever wanted to quit?”

At my question, my dad put a full glass in his mouth at once. Perhaps the act said more than words.

“Why not? I wanted to quit dozens or hundreds of times. When parents came and grabbed my neck collar when an elementary student got a nosebleed, or when a bunch of gangsters came and busted up the training center… You remember that, right?”

I answered with a nod. “…Yes.” I remembered some big events because I had been in my dad’s training center since I was young. The scene of parents coming and screaming, the scene of a group of gangsters with tattoos coming and quarreling with my dad. That was just what I had seen, and there must have been a lot of other things.

My dad went on talking. “No, the gangsters were rather cute. If I called the police, they would back off. It was the building owner who was more fearful than the rascals. If I had more trainees, he was going to ask me to raise the rent. At any rate, I wanted to shoulder throw the building’s owner, and use choking techniques… then, I wanted to quit my job, and it was not once or twice. Haha!”

I laughed aloud with my dad for a moment. At that time, he went on to say one more thing.

“But every time, whenever I wanted to beat him coolly, you and Su-jeong came to mind. Well, I didn’t even want to hit him, then.”

At the words, I nearly choked up. I filled my dad’s glass without a word and took my glass and took a one-shot. In the midst of the rising effects of alcohol, I suddenly thought of the question and answer I had with the Customer Service.

– Why do you send me this?’

– Think of yourself.

‘I have never committed a great sin and have not lived doing great good deeds. If there is a reason why I got a special fate, it may be because of my parents’ honesty and sincerity. It’s a special fate that the two should have received, and it seems like I got it instead. If I make money, I will be more filial.’

I once again said to my dad, filling his glass. “You’ve done a great job, dad. Now Su-Jeong and I…”

But that was the time.

“Brother!” Suddenly Su-jeong opened the door and shouted out.

I was so touched by my dad’s words that I was getting drunk, so why was it so much? “What?”

But Su-jeong couldn’t say anything right. “Brother, brother, brother!” She was just calling over and over again.

My dad who drank, and my mom who took the garlic out of the kitchen, looked at her with a kind of a glance. ‘What’s wrong with her all of a sudden?’

I also looked at Su-jeong like that. Suddenly, I saw a wall clock hanging in the corner of the living room. The time was just past nine in the evening.

“Brother, brother!”

I knew what she wanted to say. ‘Did she memorize the numbers before?’

But I said, frowning ignorance. “What’s wrong with you, like a crazy bitch?”

Su-jeong said what she wanted to say. “The Lotto!”

“What Lotto?”

I took the Lotto out of my wallet and put it on the table proudly. Su-jeong looked at it and said with slightly trembling lips.

“2 6 15 22 36 41… Oh, my God, it’s true.”

I acted awkwardly under the influence of alcohol.

“Are you sure it’s true?”

My dad, who had been solemnly telling the old story, also said with his eyes round, “Really?”

———————–

Two days later, Monday…

I left the bank with the door open. And as soon as I did, I called my dad.

As soon as the dial tone disappeared, my dad asked, “Did you get it?”

“They’re in the bank. They don’t even ask for this and that.”

“That’s a relief. But don’t talk about it anywhere. When you say you have a lot of money, you’re bound to get some weird people. We’ll take care of our mouths and Su-jeong.”

“Yes, don’t worry.”

“I hope you’ll finish your work well.”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll hang up.”

I stopped my dad trying to cut off the phone. “Dad.”

“Yes, why?”

“If the owner of the building wants to raise the rent again, let me know. I’ll buy the building.”

“Haha, yeah, I got it.”

After the call, I opened my account that received the winnings through my mobile phone app. The total sum of the Lotto was $4,730,000, and after the 33% tax, there was $3,155,160 in my account.

“$3,155,160.”

It was the first time that I had received such a large sum of money at once, although I had often touched a hundred thousand dollars recently. I made a big uppercut with my fist on the road, like a soccer player who had scored a goal.

“Ch…!” Score, it was another score. The money in my stock account was $156,7300. When the two were combined, it was approximately $4,200,000. $4,200,000 was my new net worth. With that money, it seemed that there was nothing that I couldn’t do in the world.

“Wow…”

I looked up into the sky, whistling. The blue sky looked like it was going to be in my hands right now. I had become a really rich man. I beckoned a visible taxi as I was going down the road. “Taxi!”

The taxi stopped next to me soon. I said my destination in the back seat. “Go to Yeoksam Station, please.”

———————

I entered the office of the company in blue jeans and a colorful polo shirt. Everyone else was surprised to see me. Everyone was frozen in amazement, but Choi, a close friend of mine, approached and asked. “What is it, Han Sang-hoon? It’s your annual paid holiday today. Did you leave something behind?”

Strangely, that was correct. I left something at work.

“Oh, I’ve left something behind.”

I passed him by and approached my seat. I then took out my resignation, which I had kept in the drawer.

When the white envelope came out of the drawer, Choi was surprised. “Uh… you… that’s… no way!”

I passed the frozen Choi, and went to Heo’s desk.

“What are you doing? Why are you here? Did you suddenly get caught in your conscience after applying for your annual paid holiday? By the way, what’s with that look? What the hell?”

“I’m here to talk to you about something.”

“What is it?”

I put my resignation before him and said, “I’m quitting this company today.”

“What?”

I could feel all the eyes in the office on me.

Heo also looked at me with a slight surprise.

“Are you… are you serious? You hit the bathroom wall all of a sudden, huh? You seem to be out of your mind lately, so you are quitting all of a sudden? Is the company a joke? You won’t live long in society with such a mind. Huh?”

That was terrible. He was even saying bad things to someone who said he was leaving.

“If you quit here, you’re done, huh? You can’t stand it here, so where do you think you will be working from now on?”

I didn’t want to hear any more.

“Mr. Heo Young-sik!” When I called his name, he looked at me in surprise.

“Tell me straight, I’m not a person in this company anymore. I’m not your guy. Now that we don’t know each other, who are you talking down to?”

Heo was so surprised that he couldn’t say anything more.

“Let’s see. Maybe… you’ll use honorific language for me the next time we meet. Please do a good job of dealing with my resignation.”

I left the word and turned back. People in the office were staring at me with a slight grin. It must be refreshing to many people, but they still read Heo’s countenance. It was the playful Choi that showed me a little thumbs-up.

‘He is a funny guy.’

I laughed and went to my seat, then stepped out of the company door with only my personal stuff. When I walked out again, I saw the crosswalk where everything had started. I looked up into the sky this time, unlike the time when I had been late and staring at the ground with a sigh. There were countless buildings under the sky in Gangnam. I mumbled at the buildings. ‘How much would that be?’

It would cost tens to hundreds of million dollars. But somehow, even those buildings were likely to come into my hands soon.

However, what section chief Heo Young-sik said moments ago came to my mind. ‘You’re done.’

But he was wrong. He had been so wrong so far, so he was staying in that position.

“No,” I said, shaking my head as if he were in front of me. “I’m starting from now on!”

Chapter 42: Moving

Having resigned coolly and jumped out of the company, I walked toward Gangnam Station in a light step like a butterfly. It was to sign for an apartment that I had seen beforehand. There were a lot of people coming and going in Gangnam Station. I liked this briskness. If I saw a large crowd of young people, old people, handsome people, and ugly people going somewhere, I could feel the bright energy and vitality, although I didn’t know why.

I walked past them and stood in front of a luxury hotel located on the intersection of Gangnam Station. Most of the apartments in Gangnam were located inside the boulevard due to land prices, but these apartments were occupying one corner of the Gangnam intersection. I had noticed this place, a promising apartment with a view of Teheran Road to the south, when I had visited Gangnam Station looking for a place to move last time. I went into the real estate located on the first floor of the office building.

Tirring! The bell on the door rang, and two people in the real estate office looked at me. They were a man in his late 40’s and a woman in her mid-30’s. While the man was staring at me, the woman stood up and asked, “What brings you here?”

“I’m here to see about an apartment.”

“Yes, sir. Would you like to sit here?”

I sat on the leather couch she had indicated.

She said a moment later, bringing me a paper cup with a green tea bag. “Do you have a preferred location or price range?”

“Oh, yes. I’m…” I said, pointing my finger over my head. “Up there.”

Then she asked, round-eyed and with her lips together as if she were a little surprised at what I said, “Oh, yes… It’s a little pricey here…”

It seemed that I did not get rid of my poor tidings yet.

“The monthly rent is between $4,800 and $5,500 with a security deposit $100,000. If you have a deposit of $50,000, it’s about $6,000 to $7,000…”

“How much is it for lease or sale?”

As I said, the female employee was slightly inflexible. “Uh… the lease is between $1,000,000 and $1,200,000… It’s about $1,500,000 to $2,000,000 for sale.”

It seemed that she had not even considered leasing or selling the apartment.

‘Shall I just buy it?’

But I couldn’t. I had $4,200,000 now and I couldn’t spend nearly half of that money on real estate.

‘There are reasons why the rich are forced to pay rent. Rich people hate their money being tied up. They know that money makes money. And so do I. No, even more so, from my perspective, I can get information twelve hours earlier than others.’

“I’ll sign a monthly rent contract. I will have the deposit as low as possible and I’ll pay a lot of rent. So… It’s between $6,000 and $7,000 with a deposit $50,000.”

“Oh, yes. Would you like to see the apartment first?”

“Yes.”

I followed the real estate agent to the apartments upstairs and looked around the rooms that came out on rent. It was good to see. They were wide and clean, more than anything. The view was nice. If I looked out the window, I could see a lot of people and cars moving around Gangnam Station. It was as like I became a king looking down from the top of his castle.

‘All right, if I look at this landscape, I am going to have a good feeling when I make money.’

Thinking, I chose the best view out of the three rooms I saw. Though it was more expensive, I didn’t mind.

“For this apartment, I’ll sign a contract right now.”

“Yes, I’ll call the landlord.”

The woman called somewhere. “Yes, yes. Yes, there’s someone who wants to sign.”

After a while, I didn’t mean to, but I heard a voice over her cell phone. “I’ll be right there.”

I could hear a woman’s voice slightly higher than the female employee. ‘A young woman?’

“Yes. Yes, I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

The woman who had finished the call pointed towards the elevator saying to me, “She’ll be here soon. Let’s go down and wait.”

——————-

I sat in an office seat, sipping coffee the female employee had given me and waiting for the landlord to come. During the time, someone opened the door., and the bell rang again

‘Oh…’ I almost made a noise. A young woman who opened the door. Her face was not visible because she was wearing sunglasses that covered nearly half her face, but she was extremely sexy.

First of all, a long stretch of legs under a short black skirt caught my eyes. Her legs were thin under the knees, but there was quite a bit of weight in the thigh. Her pelvis was so big that the sides of the skirt were likely to burst, while her waist was thin. Maybe her pelvis was large and her waist looked relatively thin. She wore a light pink blouse up, and the chest area was very bountiful. I was instinctively looking at her gorgeous appearance.

‘B? C?’

While I was counting the alphabet, a middle-aged man who had not looked at me suddenly stood up and bowed to the woman.

“Is he here?”

“Yes. The man who is supposed to sign…”

She turned her head and looked at me. I couldn’t feel her eyes directly because of the sunglasses, but I could see the light in them. Now, she looked like a model that had a high nose and good skin.

‘Well… the owner of the apartment is this beautiful girl. Well, the money doesn’t have a separate owner.’

She sat down in front of me. The middle-aged man sat beside her as if he were a eunuch to serve the princess, while the female employee stood with her head down behind her, as if she were a follower.

‘What is this?’

I was thinking about it, and she asked the employee. “Which of the three rooms does he want to sign for?”

“It’s 1204.”

“Well, I guess that room has the best view among the three, right?”

The middle-aged man said, hand in hand. “Yes, it is. This customer has a good eye.”

‘You did not go up with me… ‘ I stared at the man.

Then, she said one more thing. “Well… when are the other rooms going to be let out?”

‘What?’

I realized only after hearing the conversation. All three rooms they just showed me were owned by the woman in front of me.

‘No, the sale price is between $1,500,000 and $2,000,000… Does she own them all?’

At a rough estimate, it was between $4,500,000 and $6,000,000. She looked a little younger than me, but she was richer than me.

“They’ll be let out in no time as well. As you know, a lot of Chinese people who live in Korea these days are looking for high-end apartments.”

The real estate agent groveled before the young woman. There must be some background: a woman who was born with a gold spoon in her mouth, or a celebrity, or a rich daughter-in-law.

“I heard Chinese people use their rooms too harshly…”

“Ah, we’ll take care of that well. Don’t worry too much.”

I looked at her in a slight surprise. But I kept looking down. The top button of the pink blouse was open now. There was a little white flesh in between, and every time she moved, it was seen.

“There.”

“Yes?” I looked up with astonishment.

“Are you going to sign today?”

“Yes.”

“Well…”

She looked at me for a moment and suddenly took off her sunglasses. She had a pretty face, too. My first impression was that her eyes were big and her eyebrows were stretched upward, and a gorgeous rose came to mind. I thought she was quite strong-minded. She looked at me with her naked eyes and said, “Excuse me… May I ask what you’re doing?”

She had to be a little careful about asking someone for a job these days, but had she asked that.

I thought for a moment what to say. I had just thrown my resignation…

Then, the quick-witted middle-aged man next to me came in. “Oh, that’s not a big deal. Since this room has a high monthly rent, we’re just trying to make sure that…”

I decided to speak frankly. “I’m unemployed.”

“Yes?”

“I’ve been at work for a long time, but I quit. But don’t worry, I won’t be behind in rent. Isn’t that why there’s a deposit?”

At my words, the expression of the middle-aged man and a female employee were slightly frozen. Maybe it was because I insisted on saying it to the princess.

On the other hand, the hostess said with a bland smile. “That’s right. I’m sorry. Let’s write the contract.”

——

I looked back for a moment after I left the real estate after finishing the contract. Then I picked up my cell phone, I wrote something in. ‘Lee Ah Young.’

It was the name of the landlord I saw when I wrote the contract. There was no matching model or celebrity. So how did she own three apartments? No, there was a possibility that she might have more, since there were only three rooms at the location. She had apartments that cost between $1,500,000 and $2,000,000, I couldn’t believe she could just leave them like that.

‘Is she just a woman who was born with a gold spoon in her mouth? Or…’

Her beauty was so gorgeous that I could imagine some bad things. I came out to the boulevard and took a taxi. “Where shall we go?”

The destination was fixed. “Nonhyeon-dong Furniture Street.”

——————-

I sat on the mattress a little bit. The mattress was very soft. If I slept here, I would have a deep sleep.

“How much is this?”

To my question, the employee said with a slightly made smile. “It’s made of natural latex and high-end wool, so it’s about $1,200.”

I said, pointing to the bed on which the mattress was raised.

“What about this?”

“There’s a price for this product, too. It’s made of raw wood, so it’s $3,000. If you buy both, I’ll take out $200 and give them to you at $4,000, including shipping costs.”

It was quite expensive, but I thought I would use the money for a good night’s sleep. I had to get up every morning before 8:55 a.m. in the clearest state of mind. If I thought like that, it was all an investment to maximize returns.

“I’ll buy it.”

When I decided to buy coolly, the staff laughed brightly. “Yes, sir!”

I came to this place, a furniture store located on the furniture street of Nonhyeon-dong, as soon as I signed for my apartment. This was to fill it up with furniture suitable for the new apartment. Looking around the store, I saw a chair and a desk for a computer.

“Well, how much will this be?”

“This model costs $900, sir.”

$900. It was quite expensive. It was the price I would once have run away from as soon as I heard the numbers. But I was different now.

“Can I have a seat?”

“Yes.”

I sat down in a chair. It was moderately fluffy and wrapped my hips and waist perfectly.

“This chair is ergonomically designed, so sitting down for a long time doesn’t strain your back, sir.”

I liked it more when I heard the explanation. These items were essential for me to work at home. “Okay, I’ll buy this, too.”

My words made the employee smile once more. I looked around the store more after that. There were some drawers and some standouts, but I was still not sure what else I needed.

‘I bought what’s essential. Why don’t I come and buy another one next time?’

Thinking of that, I headed for the checkout. I had a flash in my mind on my way.

‘Both of them are $4,900. That’s right.’

Come to think of it, my credit card limit was likely to be taken care of. I turned on the mobile phone app to check the credit card limit. My credit card limit was $6,000. It was the limit set when I was a worker. I checked the money and found that I had spent $400 out of $6,000. The remaining limit was $5,600. There was still money left to buy furniture.

‘Hoo!’ I sighed inwardly.

‘I didn’t think I’d spend more than $6,000 before…’

There was something to buy, but I didn’t have any money to spend. I used to take the subway to pay back my loans and save money by buying cheaper meals for $1. Furthermore, I paid off all my loans, since $20,000 or $30,000 wasn’t a lot of money.

I took the card out of my wallet and handed it to the clerk.

“Can I have your address to send the furniture to?”

“Ah, yes. It’s Gwanak-gu…” I unconsciously tried to tell him my original address. “No, no. It’s Seocho-gu, Seocho-daero…” I gave him the changed address.

The staff bowed his head and said, “Yes, thank you.”

——————–

“Leave it here for now.”

“Okay”

Two strong men were leaving behind a desk. The new apartment was a mess. It was complicated with a new bed, a new desk and a chair, and other junk brought from the old apartment. I should slowly make the best arrangement over the next day. I tried to tear open the box of clothes and realized that I had no scissors at home. I threw away the junk at home in the past, but it seemed that there was a pair of scissors there.

‘Oh, my God.’

I thought of the convenience store on the first floor. They would sell scissors there. I took the elevator down to the first floor and stopped by the convenience store to buy scissors.

“Hum, hmm, hmm.” Humming, I pressed the elevator button and waited for a while.

“Ding-dong!” Then the elevator arrived in front of me. I went in there and pressed the button on the twelveth floor and stood there for a while. But when the door closed and the elevator was about to go up, it opened again. ‘What is it?’

It was the same woman I had seen yesterday. The owner of the apartment, Lee Ah-young, was standing there. I was a little embarrassed, but I greeted her first. “Hello.”

She looked at the scissors I was holding and asked me. “Hello. Are you moving in today?”

“Yes.”

She came into the elevator. What was going on? She might have come to see another tenant. I glanced at her as the elevator was going up. Today, she was wearing a black suit and a white shirt. This made her look like a career woman. It was hard to put my eyes on the beautiful curves, but unlike last time, I tried to look to the front or at the ceiling as much as possible.

‘Ding~’ The elevator stopped on the twelfth floor at the sound. I tried to go to my room first, but she was following to get off. She didn’t press the other floor button. When I was thinking strangely, she stood right next to me, in 1203, next to 1204. I looked a little suspicious, and she said, “Oh, I live here.”

‘Does she really live here?’

I recalled the conversation she had spoken yesterday. ‘Well, I guess that room has the best view among the three, right?’

I nodded. “Oh, I see.”

“If you have any questions when you move, call me. I’ll come and let you know.” She left the words behind and went into room 1203. The unusually rich landlady was my neighbor!

Chapter 43: True Or False, Part I

“Tiriri!” At the alarm, I woke up. There was a strange ceiling before my eyes. It was higher than where I used to live. Too high. I got out of bed. I felt a bit chilly in the apartment since it was a 165 square-meter apartment, and there was not enough furniture to fill it.

‘Let’s check the news this morning and go shopping again in the afternoon.’

I walked to the kitchen, boiled the water in the coffee pot, then dropped the coffee and came up to the window. As I rolled up the blinder that was covering the window, the scenery outside the window was revealed. 8:10 a.m. The area around Gangnam Station was crowded with cars and people. People going to work, students going to a private educational institute. I watched them over a cup of coffee.

“A week ago, I was one of them…”

I had mixed feelings. Someone once said, ‘labor is sacred,’ but I didn’t have much sympathy for them because I had suffered from it until recently. Of course, I didn’t have any fun working and didn’t feel rewarded. But most of the time had been forced to endure pain, so it was hard to agree with it.

Suddenly, it occurred to me that I saw a video clip about Chris Rock’s “Life Career” on YouTube in the past.

‘Chris Rock is a famous comedian who everyone knows when they look at his face right now, but when he was young, he worked at a local restaurant cleaning dirty dishes.

‘Wipe, wipe, wipe.

‘The money that earned after he wiped all day and held was only $1,000. But the bigger problem was that washing dishes didn’t make more money if he continued doing it, and even if he became more skilled, there was a limit. So he succeeded by having a comedian gig during the day while dishwashing at night. What he has done since then, movies, dramas, and sitcoms, were all built up during his career.’

Although I was forced to resign because I couldn’t stand my last company, I was not averse to working either.

‘Who doesn’t dream of being at the top of a field? If there’s anyone like Chris Rock that can put their life’s passion into their work, if there’s anything that can be praised and valued by others, I want to do it as a lifetime’s work.

‘It’s good to play, but let’s find out what’s new: a new job that can build my career and create value.

‘When I was in school, I couldn’t start my own business because I was stuck with money, but now I don’t have to worry about money. I can challenge myself to do that kind of work. Challenge. It’s a word I never thought of when I was at work, but now I am drinking coffee leisurely in my apartment. It’s a great blessing to be able to drink coffee in pajamas at this time.

‘People need to be free, too. Thank you. Thank you for sending me the special fate of 12 Hours After… Thank you to someone I don’t know.’

I thanked the person or God who might or might not exist for a moment. I looked up. Across from my apartment was the office building of Susung Group in Gangnam, where Korea’s richest man, Ji Chang-woo, commuted to and from work. It was shining brightly.

‘People live their lives once, and they would prefer to be a person who looks down there, rather than being one of the people who come and go down here. And so do I. Life as a slave is over. I was born with a plastic spoon in my mouth and was forced to live for a few pennies before my eyes, but now I don’t have to.

‘Now I’ve broken the shackles that were tying me up. I will now be the master of the world, the chief of the world, like Ji Chang-woo at the top of that building.

‘Let’s go up there. Up there!’

I looked at the building of Susung Group for a moment and turned my head sideways. There was my new desk and chair. As I sat down on the chair, it felt fluffy. The texture was good when I touched the desk. But on top of that was my old laptop, a low-cost laptop for assignments bought during school days. It had seen good use, but it didn’t fit in with the high-end furniture around it.

‘Today, I will do computer shopping first.’

‘Now, if I do stock trading with $4,200,000, tens of thousand dollars will come and go in a second. Saving money here is like a professional soccer player saving money on soccer shoes. In fact, I don’t have a good eye for furniture like a bed or a desk, and it’s good enough to just have proper ones. However, I’ll have to buy a computer at the highest specifications.

‘Once I take the email.’

So it was 8:55 a.m. I got the first article of 12 Hours After in my new home. I felt at ease because I didn’t have any fellow employees to watch out for.

[G. 12 Hours After]

[Politics – Mayoral candidate Jung Kwan-soo – What has Mayor Joo Sung-won been doing for the past four years?]

[Economy – Housing prices in Sejong City are fluctuating even with the regulations.]

[Society – The Nobel Prize for Literature was canceled in the Me Too Movement.]

[IT/Science – Fourth Industrial Revolution just around the corner]

[Life/Culture – Growing Threat of Fine Dust]

[World – Threat Flight of China against Taiwan]

[Entertainment – Park Seung-gi appeared in the entertainment show Unknown Brother.]

[Sports – How far is Hanwha’s sensation going to go this season?]

I looked through the titles. There seemed to be nothing to make money. Still, I looked at the headlines once again. I had to keep trying to find a link between the articles and the money.

‘Did China threaten Taiwan again? So… is the Taiwanese currency going to be a little cheaper? I’ll check it out in the evening.

‘I’ll also have to catch up on what seems to be nothing. I should develop a habit of watching news so that information can be exchanged directly for money.

I looked down on the scroll.

[People Search – Enter name.]

[Ranking News – Use Now (0 times possible)]

Ranking News had already been used, and only People Search remained.

‘If I want to move from Gold to Platinum, I need to make good use of this People Search. But I can’t get it right now.’

‘How do I link money to this?’

I had such a question, but it was almost 9 a.m. and the market opened. I turned on the MTS and watched how the stock market was going. I didn’t watch it because there was something else. When I saw the volatility of the stock prices, I thought I could find the news that would affect them.

I searched for some of my country’s major stocks, such as Susung Electronics, Mirae Motors, and LC Chemistry, and looked at the Entertainment section without much thought as I had made a big profit on Jiwoo Entertainment. However, there was a stock that fell rapidly in real time among the entertainment stocks.

[CKD Entertainment –6%]

But the stock price continued to fall. -6%, -7%, -8%. There was no end.

‘What is it? Did someone at the agency do drugs?’

I entered the portal site on my laptop to find the news. But there was nothing to look for. CKD’s CEO Do Chan-ki was the No. 1 search word in real-time.

‘What is going on?’

Do Chan-ki was a popular ballad singer in the 1990s. He was a top singer who sang many ballad songs in a mournful voice. While continuing his success as a singer, he produced several singers in the 2000s, and it was so great that he set up a company named after him. That was CKD Entertainment. I immediately did a real-time search. There was a news item coming up soon.

‘CKD Entertainment CEO Do Chan-ki is gay.’

It was an unconventional title anyone could click on.

‘Is he gay?’

I also clicked on the article, as if I were bewildered. The contents of the article were rather shocking.

[CEO Do Chan-ki is gay. The marriage he has is a fake one to hide it.]

I searched the portal site for ‘Do Chan-ki marriage.’ An article was published eight years ago. Do Chan-ki married a beautiful model, surnamed Kim. It had been eight years ago.

‘… Is he a gay who’s been married for eight years?’

It was a little hard to believe. I read the article further. The article presented some evidence that Do Chan-ki was gay. It was the story of an entertainment worker who was propositioned by him.

Pictures of him coming and going from gay clubs. There was no corroboration, but the reporter who wrote the article seemed to have written it with conviction. I saw the article and the MTS in turn. The stock price of CKD Entertainment tried to move beyond –10% to -15%.

‘Is there any need for the stock price to go down because he is gay? These days, there’s been a lot of improvement in the perception of homosexuals.’

However, CEO Do Chan-ki was a ballad singer who enjoyed an era of love songs. There were still quite a few people singing his songs in karaoke rooms, and if he turned out to be gay now, some would be a little uncomfortable. In addition, getting married was a problem. Some fans were likely to be disappointed when it turned out that the person who sang the love song had a fake marriage. I thought, scratching my cheek.

‘Is this true?’

But I suddenly had an idea.

‘Ah, People Search.’

If I looked for an article in 12 Hours After, I might find out whether it was true or not. That was what I thought, and I returned to the mailbox. Still, next to the People Search, a cursor was blinking.

[Please enter a name.]

I clicked on it and put Do Chan-ki right away. Soon an article came out.

[CEO Do Chan-ki rejected that he is gay. He will sue the media for making false rumors.]

Here it was. I clicked on the very article.

[Do Chan-ki, CEO of CKD Entertainment, denied his homosexual report. In response to the allegations, CEO Do Chan-ki said, “It is a false fact that is not worth much consideration,” adding, “The reason why I went to a gay club was to meet a gay composer.”]

I was not sure about this alone and I scrolled it down more.

[CEO Do Chan-ki said, “The rumors have caused irreparable damage to him and his family, and have caused financial damage to CKD Entertainment shareholders by plunging company shares,” adding, “We will sue Keystone Media that reported this the first time.” The stock price of CKD Entertainment fell as low as $2.20 (–25%) today, but recovered to $2.90 (–3%) after CEO Do Chan-ki’s rebuttal interview.]

That was it. I bumped my finger as I was reading the article.

‘That’s enough. There is nothing more to see when an article comes up with this exact price. This is because it’s like looking at the correct answer and solving the problem in front of me.’

I turned on the HTS right away to sweep away money.

Chapter 44 - True Or False, Part II

When I turned on HTS, CKD Entertainment’s stock price was heading for –18%. I saw the trading window.

[$25.20 –18%]

The trade amount was not much. I managed to confirm CKD Entertainment’s market capital, $122,100,000.

‘It is a big company for entertainment, but it is a small company within KOSDAQ. Currently, I have $4,200,000. If I use margin in full, I can buy shares worth $10,000,000. I won’t buy them all, but if I buy them like that, I’ll have one-fifteenth of CKD Entertainment’s shares.

‘The stock traders often say, “I’m going to be a major shareholder in averaging down.”

‘It can be real. However, I want to make money, but I don’t want to be a major shareholder. This is too small a company and let’s not use margin. It’s too risky. If I use margin in full, it can push up the price. I don’t know what’s going to happen then.

‘There is a saying about a butterfly effect. A butterfly’s flying in the U.S. can cause a typhoon in Korea. In a word, even a small number of variables can have enormous effects later on. The situation is even worse now. If I put more than $10,000,000 into a company worth just over $122,100,000, I don’t know what’s going to happen. In other words, the future I saw in 12 Hours After could be distorted.’

‘It’s too dangerous. I’ll buy it with only the cash I have.’

Today’s lowest point was $22. I put a buy order at $22.60, which was one tick above the lowest price. First, $500,000. Then, I watched the Internet articles come up with the stock price. Not long after the first article was posted, the second articles from multiple newspapers came up.

[Do Chan-ki is gay. Fans are shocked.]

[Is Do Chan-ki gay? Pictures of the past are re-examined.]

[Do Chan-ki’s fake marriage to hide homosexuality. What is the truth?]

The first words in the real-time search were Do Chan-gi, and the second was Do Chan-gi and homosexuality. Stock prices continued to fall. I watched it. When it fell to $25, $24, $23 and finally to $22, a series of messages appeared on the top right.

“Buy order is complete, buy order is complete, buy order is complete…”

The $500,000 buy order I had put was quickly completed. Money was falling from the sky and the basket was so full that I couldn’t hold it. I hastily put in another $500,000 buy order.

“Buy order is complete, buy order is complete, buy order is complete…”

Someone was selling stocks cheaply. I could hear the sound of making money.

“Ha-ha-ha, sell more.”

I put in another $500,000 buy order for the third time, singing the joy inside.

“Buy order is complete, buy order is complete, buy order is complete…”

Now the speed of the sale slightly slowed down. The selling trend began to subside. People who used to press the sell button in fear seemed to think that the stock price was not going to fall anymore, because a rich man bought the shares with an amount like $500,000 every time.

By the time the $500,000 was exhausted, other ants were now clinging to my buying order, like soldiers who followed the general. They stood beside the leader who comes up against the enemy’s attack. But I didn’t intend to share my exploits.

‘I can’t give this to anyone. I have to take all this stock. Let’s buy it for a little bit more expensive.’

Now I bought up the stock, slowly and slowly raising the price without showing the best of my ability. As soon as I started to sweep the stock, the stock price rose. My money and my buying changed the direction of the wind. As the stock rose, I bought the stocks more boldly. I made fun of the mouse and knocked on the keyboard as fast as if I was playing computer games.

Those lucky enough to buy at a low price like me, and those who bought stocks along with me, ate 3% and 5%, but I bought them all and boosted stock prices. In the end, when I bought all shares of $4,200,000, the stock was up to –20%. My buying drove up the stock price by 4%.

‘I can’t help it. It’s not a big stock. And now I’m too rich.’

A giant can’t walk around a village without being seen. I was a big hand in the stock market before I knew better. After buying, I saw my account balance.

[CKD Entertainment

Shares: 166,350

Purchase Price: $25.40 (-22%)

Purchase Amount: $4,225,290]

-25% was the lowest price today, but I got the –22% average, buying the shares worth $4,225,290. It would not be a bad result. What was left now was to wait for the stock price to rise. I watched the stock price move for a while. Originally this stock recovered to –3% on its own. Now that I had gotten all the stocks that were falling, the rebound would be stronger.

‘Then, let’s sell it close to -3%.’

With my hands together, I waited for time to pass. As I made a large purchase, the stock price began to rise. Then, around 11 a.m., the stock prices began to rebound sharply, with the news of CEO Do Chan-ki’s rebuttal emerging.

‘CEP Do Chan-ki’s rebuttal. He’s not gay.’

At the same time, my account, which started at $4,225,290, began to increase. $26. $27. $28. Plus $200,000, $400,000, $600,000. And when it reached $29, the highest point in 12 Hours After, I started selling my shares.

I sold them little by little, not like the last time I had bought it. But since the amount was so huge, my selling trend had lowered the price a little more. Still, I was able to sell all my shares and leave about –5%. As a result, about $700,000 increased in my account.

“Clap clap clap!” I got up from the chair with a big hand clapping. I didn’t do that when I was at work, but there’s no one around me right now.

“It was good~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Oh!!!” My voice reverberated throughout the big studio.

“Hi-Woo!” I jumped around in the room. This studio was wide even if I ran around like a madman. Lots of room.

‘I made all the money today.’

The rest of the job was to shop with the money you earned. I dressed up and headed out of the room.

———————–

“How did you get here?”

I answered directly to the greeting words of the employee, “I’m here to take out a new credit card.”

“Are you a worker?”

I shook my head. “No, I heard that one could be issued if assets were above some amount.”

“Oh, well, could you write down your account number and sign next to it?”

I gave the paper to the clerk, making fun of the pen.

“Yes, wait a minute…”

The employee who got the paper from me touched the computer and her eyes grew slightly bigger. Then she glanced at me. I looked back at her. When our eyes met, she hurriedly turned back to the monitor. She typed a few more times.

“Wait a minute, sir.” She sat me down and disappeared. I waited for her to come back. Before her return, however, a woman in her mid-forties came up to me first and said with a calm greeting, “Hello, Mr. Han Sang-hoon. I’m section chief Kim Hye-sook.”

It was not too high, but was definitely a mellow voice. She was like a veteran banker, I was more comfortable just listening to her voice.

“Come this way, please, sir?” She led me off to one side. Her hand pointed to the VIP consultation room. It was the first time that I had come to such a luxurious VIP consultation room, although I had traveled back and forth dozens of times so far.

“Would you like anything to drink? Green tea or coffee?”

“Coffee, please.”

I took out a credit card in the VIP room, by simply receiving VIP treatment. The limit was ten times more than the last time. I had a small annual fee, but I decided to endure it. Why? The reason was the same as why I chose a luxurious studio. It was good, and it was cool. The new premium card had a black background and a silver line.

It was a luxurious design reminiscent of a black Porsche. I held it up for a moment and looked at it from side to side. What was more beautiful than money in capitalism? The card was cool to hold up, and it would be great to swipe it, when I bought shoes and a T-shirt for a few hundred dollars on the Internet.

‘If you buy it here, it’s free of charge. If I buy here, I can get it $3 cheaper with a coupon. Where can I get this benefit?’

It was good-bye now that I had been agonizing over it so many times. I would use and live fit for this card. I put the card in my wallet. But now, my wallet was too shabby. It was a sword made by a black artisan, but the sheath was rusty. I decided what to buy on this sword for the first time. It was a purse, a collection to match the sword.

“Thank you for the issue, sir.”

“Yes.”

My business was done. I tried to get out of my seat. But then, Kim Hye-sook caught me again with that mellow voice.

“You’ve got more than $3,000,000 in assets, don’t you feel bad tying it to your savings account? We have a VVIP investment plan that we’re launching this time…”

“Ah…” That was a voice I was sorry to refuse. But I couldn’t listen to it. I told her. “I’m sorry, but I can’t sign up for it. I’m a self-investor.”

“Oh, is that so?” When I refused once, she didn’t stop me anymore. “Then please contact this number when you have other business in the bank. I’ll do my best to help you.”

She just gave me a business card in a polite way in the end. I accepted the business card. I thought I’d come to the bank more often. Kim Hye-sook treated me politely until the end.

“Good-bye, then.”

——————–

[Correction News]

[We inform that the contents of the article that we sent you today, ‘CEO Do Chan-ki. Not gay. Rejection. He will sue the media for making false rumors,’ have been revised by a reader’s intervention. The changes are as follows.]

I read the correction news. There were a few changes made today. Only one thing today was that the lowest price had changed from $22.50 to the $22.60 that I had hoarded. I grinned at it.

‘The KOSDAQ is too small, too. If the market is controlled with $4,200,000…’

‘I can see that famous super ants’ assets are nearly $10,000,000 or $100,000,000 if they have more. If Korea’s stock market exceeds $100,000,000, the yield will be lowered gradually from then on. That’s because their money is losing their return.

‘I should think about futures, options, or foreign exchange in the future.

‘However, the problem is that I can’t come over there just with the news. No matter who’s name is searched in Korea, there is no change in the price of oil. There is no way that the news that the dollar has gone down can top the rankings.

‘Is it going to change if I am upgraded to Platinum Class?

I thought so, and the driver in front told me. “We’re here.”

I glanced at the taxi meter. The meter was stamped with $4.60. I handed over a $5 note and said, “The change is fine.”

The taxi driver, who was taking the change with his fingers, said with a big smile, “Thank you, sir.”

I walked out of the taxi.

“Hmm~ Hmm~~” I hummed into the huge building in front of me. This was the International Electronics Center next to the Nambu Bus Terminal.

“Let’s see… Where can I buy a computer?”

I followed the directions and found the computer store. As soon as I climbed out of the elevator, a handsome old man stuck to me.

“Anything you’re looking for?”

“Yes, a computer… I’m going to buy it.”

“What do you usually use for your computer?”

“Internet surfing and stock trading. I think the main use will be stock trading.”

“How much is your budget?”

“Don’t spare the budget and please meet the highest standards.”

The old man laughed brightly at my words. “Then the specifications are that the CPU is at the top of the list, 8,700K, and 16GB of RAM…”

He hesitated to tell me the specifications I didn’t know. Then, he pointed to the monitor and said, “Traders actually use monitors better than specifications. They use this dual monitor, which is divided into two screens. How about this one and this product?”

Good. I had seen a professional trader selling with two monitors on a show before.

‘You don’t have to be busy with this, pressing Alt-Tab.’

I spoke with a nod at the thought, “Then do it.”

“Oh, yes, I’ll prepare it for you.”

He tried to turn back, but suddenly he asked another question, “Do you play games?”

Games. When I was in college, I used to live in playing games, but I had been away from them after I had a job for some reason. Well, because I couldn’t afford to play games.

‘Well, the Battle Round these days? I heard it’s popular.’

I said to him. “I play games some time… Yeah, let’s have the best specifications to work in games, too.”

“Then I’ll add two GTX1080TI’s to the addition of 16 RAMs. With these specifications, most games will work well.”

“Yes, please.”

Since I said “Yes, please” every time, he seemed to think that this was the time for him to recommend another monitor. “Ah, well, you still need another gaming monitor to play… to enjoy high-end computer properly, you should use 144Hz…”

I asked him back. “But if the monitors are three in one computer… Don’t you think the desk is a little complicated?”

“If you use it separately between when you’re playing games, and when you’re at work…”

I thought for a moment while listening to him speak, ‘Shall I just buy two computers? For games and the stock trading?’

I thought about it for a while, and then suddenly I started thinking about it. ‘I earned $700,000 today.’

I thought that $3,000 or $4,000 would be enough for the best of computer specifications. It was not going to be over $4,000. I made $700,000 today alone, but it would be a little ridiculous to worry about $3,000 or $4,000.

I said to him. “I’ll just buy two computers for games and the stock trading, with the highest specifications.”

As I spoke, the owner of the computer assembly shop laughed brightly, “Yes, I see. Thank you.”

I didn’t know before, but I realized something lately. Everyone laughed happily in front of big money. Suddenly, I remembered the lines that had appeared in Old Boy: “Laugh, and the whole world will laugh with you. Cry, and you’ll cry alone.”

I laughed along with him. There would be more to laugh about in the future.

Chapter 45 - A Big Hand

I ran and ran. I could see a small house before my eyes. I opened the door and walked in. There was no one. But I couldn’t feel safe about this. I opened a small room door that looked like a bathroom and I went in. With the bathroom tile on my back, I pointed my gun at the door and listened.

‘If anyone comes into this bathroom, I’ll shoot him and kill him.’

I looked sideways at the number of people who remained.

‘Remaining Survivors: Thirteen.’

I would be the first to beat twelve people. But at that time, I could hear someone coming into the house.

I tensed my finger, as if I were going to fire at any moment. But after a moment, the sound of footsteps that had come running into my room stopped.

Tick! There was a strange sound.

What was that? As soon as I thought of it, a round thing that looked like a potato fell into the bathroom.

‘What is this?’

Bang! At the moment, with an explosion, my character fell down and a message popped up before my eyes.

[It’s okay. It’s a day like this. – Twelfth place.]

I lay back in my chair. “Ah, that was a grenade…”

I could have been in the top ten, but I died in vain.

‘Oh, I’m sorry… It’s hard, but that’s funny. Shall I play another game?’

Before doing that, I picked up my cell phone and looked at my watch. 8:45 a.m. It was time to work. I took off my headset without hesitation. Then, using my feet, I rolled the chair sideways. Next to the game computer was a work computer.

This position was my new job. Three seconds to get to work was enough transit time for my new job. I waited for the mail to come in my new workplace. It was 55 minutes and the mail was coming.

[Subscription Period left: 18 days.]

The remaining period was a bit of a concern. $1,000,000 a month was a lot to maintain a Gold Class. If my assets exceeded $10,000,000, that would not be too much, but I definitely had to earn more money before then. I checked the mail by rubbing my hands.

‘Oh, it’s time to come up…’

It really came out in the Economy category. [Jaun Heavy Industries has won a $7,000,000,000 order for nuclear power plants in the United Arab Emirates.]

Jaun Heavy Industries was an industrial company that represented South Korea. I clicked on it quickly.

[Jaun Heavy Industries has won a $7,000,000,000 order from the United Arab Emirates government. Around 2 p.m. on the same day, Prince Ibn Khalid Yusuf of the United Arab Emirates…]

Good news. I looked down at the article. As in the last CKD Entertainment case, there might be a range of changes in the stock price. With that, I could easily earn money. It was like solving a problem by looking at the answer. However, the following was not written.

‘During the bidding process, Jaun Heavy Industries proved its competitiveness in the Korean nuclear power plant business by beating out Japanese and French companies in the competition and winning the bid.’

This meant that I would not know how much the stock price rose.

‘Well…’ I saw the latest chart first. Jaun Heavy Industries was going up and down again and again at +4%, -3%, +7% and -5%. I went to the stock bulletin board this time.

—

[It’s a day to open everything. Will it be shit or a maid card? It will be announced soon. If you’re scared, die.]

[I believe in Jaun Heavy Industries. A $7,000,000,000 order for nuclear power plants, let’s go!]

[Do you think this will work? There must be a lot of ants going to the Han River today.]

—

Ordinary ants were also paying attention to what the bidding outcome would be today. In other words, there were already a lot of people who were in here because of this.

‘This information is already known… The width of the climb is not high..’

I wish I had come in early, and I was a little sorry. But I couldn’t help it. ’12 Hours After just shows what will happen in twelve hours.

‘Then, let’s bet in full in the beginning and eat a little bit.’

Thinking about it, I looked up the market capital of Jaun Heavy Industries, thirteen billion dollars. As one of the leading companies in our country, the market capital was very high. In addition, because of its high credit rating, 30% of the deposit was enough to do margin trading. In other words, the stock could be bought as much as three to one times. I had about $4,900,000. This meant over $15,000,000 could be used if the margin was used.

‘But let’s be careful. It can be dangerous to carry too much money, no matter how big it may be.’

I couldn’t stake everything on an uncertain win. I put Jaun Heavy Industries on the main screen and waited for the market to open. At the start of the market, Jahun Heavy Industries shook greatly, going +3%, –2%, +1%, and –3%. In other words, they might not know whether Zahun Heavy Industries would win the order today. It would be only me and the royal family in the Arab Emirates who knew this result now.

‘The Arab princes will lie down and make money if they buy this stock before they announce it. Well, they still make money lying down.’

As expected, information was money. I didn’t think they were dealing in detail like this.

‘I’ll take the money. The princes.’

I bought shares in the negative whenever it went back and forth. $500,000, $300,000, $700,000… Even if I put it in a lump, it didn’t make much sense because it was so big. This was a huge playground where institutions, such as investment trust companies, insurance companies, banks, pension funds, private equity funds, and foreigners from all over the world, including black-haired foreigners, played heavy competition.

If CKD Entertainment, which I had bought last time, was a slot machine that cost $1, this was like a VIP table. There was a huge difference in the amount of money that could be made. I soon bought over five million dollars.

‘After buying, let’s sell it all when the news is up and running.’

That would not be too risky. After 10 a.m., my purchase amount was $10,000,000. No matter how much I knew the future, I was a little nervous. -1%. $100,000 would fly away in real time if the stock price was pushed down. No matter how much my capability had grown these days, it was hard to not worry. However, I kept my calm and continued to buy.

It was then gathered around $12,000,000. The stock price that had been fluctuating suddenly began to rise. Even if the firm’s information had not been disseminated, it might have been possible that some level of information had been disseminated. Institutional investors, such as pension funds and private equity funds, had to be in touch with someone who could get information from the Arab world, as well.

‘Then it’s a full bet.’

Thinking about it, I bought it with the rest of the money. The total amount I bought was $16,300,000. If something went wrong here, I would suffer a fatal blow. I kept watching the market with a slight strain. The share price fluctuated between +6% and +6%. I looked at the clock. It was two o’clock. I didn’t eat breakfast or lunch, but I watched it, forgetting my hunger. The stock investment was the work of drying up blood like this.

‘I’m so nervous knowing the future, but what about those who don’t know? That’s why they’re selling it cheaply and running away.’

On the way, the stock price began to soar around 2 p.m. and around 3 p.m. I turned on Jaun Heavy Industries on the secondary monitor.

[Breaking News – Jaun Heavy Industries wins a nuclear power plant order in the United Arab Emirates.]

The news came up. The stock price started to go wild since people who wanted to make money were attached to it, while buying it a little bit earlier than others.

‘When should I sell it?’

I thought about it, but I didn’t have a clue. Only God knew how big this was and how much the stock value would be raised. The answer was to eat only as much as my capability.

‘Let’s sell it from +10%.’

When the stock price went above +12%, I sold the stock since I started to earn more than 10%. I sold shares in bundles, but as someone bought them all, the stock price still went up.

‘Is this going to the upper limit price?’

However, it would be very difficult for a massive stock worth thirteen billion dollars to go to the upper limit price. I didn’t have much greed, and I slowly sold the shares as I promised to myself. I didn’t know if it was because of my selling trend, the stock price, which had gone over +12% to +18%, had lowered again to +15%.

I sold the rest of my stock at once. It went down to +12%. When the sale was completed, I squinted my eyes. The total amount of money bought and sold today was $32,600,000. My hands trembled. Even if I held each other together, the tremors would not stop.

‘Hoo, I played a big hand.’

This was definitely a big hand. In particular, I might be the only crazy person who did a day trade with $16,300,000. If I did something wrong, millions of dollars would fly away. If you didn’t know the future, it was hard to bet like this, unless it was a chaebol.

‘Let’s check my winnings today.’

I moved my mouse with trembling hands to look at the account. Today’s income was about $2,119,000. I had about $7,000,000 in my account. I leaned back against the chair with my eyes closed. My tension was relieved. At the same time, I could hear the rumbling sound in my stomach. It was because I skipped breakfast and lunch and concentrated.

‘What should I eat? Ah, chicken. Yes, I’d like chicken. It’s chicken when I win.’

I looked for my cell phone.

———————

“Uggggh.” I groaned a little.

“Are you sick?” the massager above me asked carefully.

“No, it’s okay. Keep it that strong.”

“Yes.”

Spas at a luxury hotel located in Gangnam. I ordered a chicken and ate almost one by myself. And I visited here while I was digesting to reward myself for earning $2,100,000 a day.

“Is there any place that you would like to be treated primarily?”

To be honest with myself, I was not tired. When I was at work, there was no place not to be sick, but nowadays, I only went to my bed and desk like a jobless person every day. I said, pointing to my head. “There’s nothing wrong with my body… I have a slight headache. I had a lot of mental stress today.”

“Oh, yes. Then I’ll use a scent that reduces stress and calms down the customer…”

The massager, like a professional, chose the right scent for me and massaged me very gently.

As I got a massage from her, I thought, ‘Today alone, $2,100,000… my assets are now $7,000,000. I am nearing getting a Platinum Class of $10,000,000 a month… And then Diamond… But it is hard to make more than $10,000,000 every month in the Korean stock market.

‘It’s possible as far as Platinum Class. But more than that, If they ask for $100,000,000 a month starting with Diamond Class, it’s a little bit difficult.

‘They told me they’d give me five skill points next time.’

It would not be easy to pay that, no matter how skills got stronger, but I still had vague expectations.

‘Even if I had a higher class, I haven’t been able to pay for my subscription fees yet.’

That was what it was. There was a corner where my assets would be upgraded, one by one, every time the class went up.

‘If I can afford it, I can upgrade it without fail.’

When I was thinking about it, the massager put a strong grip on my side of the head.

“Ugggh.” I moaned briefly.

The massager seemed to read my thoughts and said, doing acupressure treatment, “I’m sure you’re the type of person who’s thinking a lot.”

I thought it was not a good idea to think while I was getting a massage for relaxation. The massage cost $300 per session. I erased my thoughts and left myself to the massage.

Chapter 46 - G. E., Part I

‘Today…’ I looked at the monitor with my hands on my chin.

[Until the National Assembly breaks down]

[Coffee shops flooded in France]

[The extinction crisis of the Rhinoceros.]

Now that I was so used to it, I could tell right away whether an article would make money or not by glancing at a few keywords.

‘There’s nothing special.’

I then put the cursor over the People Search window. Since the last CKD Entertainment incident, I hadn’t had a name to think about, so I had been trying to name the leading figures in the political and business circles.

‘I’ve used the names of the president, the chief secretary, and the prime minister. Today… let’s put the name of the Minister of the Ministry of Economy and Finance in.

‘The Ministry of Economy and Finance is a department that holds the purse strings of the nation’s administration. Among many administrations, such as the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Government Administration, and Home Affairs, it is known to be the strongest.

‘It’s also the first place where money-making news comes out.’

The name of the Minister of the Ministry of Economy and Finance was Kang Joon-seok. I tried to put the name in.

[Kang Joon-seok’s comeback in October is continuing.]

There was a story of a sudden comeback.

‘Kang Joon-seok… who is this?’

I searched ‘Kang Joon-seok’ in the portal window. A gentle-looking, slovenly man popped up first. Kang Joon-seok, the current minister of the Ministry of Economy and Finance was born in 1955. This was the person I was looking for.

However, underneath it, there was a handsome face that looked thin. Kang Joon-seok, a member of the boy group Eternal, was born in 1992.

‘He is an idol…’ I didn’t know the boy idol because I wasn’t interested.

‘They are all bums.’

I got up from my seat. Then there was nothing to do today. I looked out of the window. The weather was nice. I looked out the window and thought. ‘Well, today… What shall I have for lunch?’

In the past, I was worried about how to put in reports, how to pay back student loans. These days, I was worried about what to eat for lunch, and what to do for dinner.

‘Shall I go eat sushi?’ But when I thought about it, there was one thing to do. ‘That’s right. I have to go to the bank today.’

After the last two sales, I realized that it was stupid to roll more than five million dollars into one account. It was because buying so much in one account had created institutions, foreigners, and ants that traded with me. In this case, I had to split the money and buy and sell the stocks in multiple accounts. Just as a hero wears a mask to hide his identity, I also needed to wear a mask on the stock market and play two roles and three roles with one person.

‘Well… which bank shall I go to?’

Thinking, I suddenly thought of Kim Hye-sook, who I had met the last time I updated my credit card. She was very kind and courteous. I looked for my wallet. There it was, next to the bed. Bottega Veneta. A new wallet cost around $600. Of course, I could buy something more expensive, but I didn’t know much about it, so I bought one of the prettiest ones in my eyes. I found her business card there.

‘Section chief Kim Hye-sook.’

I called her. She answered the phone before the call waiting tone was heard three times.

“I’m section chief Kim Hye-sook. How may I help you, sir?”

———————-

“So you want to create a new bank account and transfer $3,500,000 to it?”

“Yes.”

Section chief Kim Hye-sook greeted me, without knowing what I intended to do. “Oh, thank you very much, sir.”

It was a bit of a flustered, exaggerated greeting that made the recipient embarrassed. ‘Is this her way of doing business?’

There was a saying from a college alumnus who got a job at a bank. He said, “Unlike other companies, in order to rise to a higher position at a bank, they need not only a personal network that touches the upper line, but also a different kind of network, connections with rich people.”

The banking business is a business that borrows money at a low-interest rate, lends money, and earns money by charging interest at a high price. It’s all rich people that have a lot of deposits and a lot of loans. That’s why it’s important for someone who wants to have some accomplishments to have connections with the rich. It is even truer in Cheongdam-dong, where this bank was now located.

“If you just sign here and here, I’ll do it right away.”

As I was in the middle of signing autographs. Kim Hye-sook said something. “Well, if you don’t mind… Can I make a good suggestion?”

I looked at her instead of signing autographs.

‘The VVIP plan? The last time I refused, she stepped back.’

I said, shaking my head. “Oh, I’ll do my investing by myself. The VVIP or something…”

She brought out another story at my words. “No, it’s not like… This is my personal suggestion, apart from the bank…”

She suddenly took a business card out of her arms and handed it to me. It was an unusual business card with red letters on a black background, unlike ordinary white and black business cards.

‘What is this?’ I accepted the business card.

‘G. E.’ Only two letters of the alphabet were written in red on the top left on the business card. No matter how much I looked around the business card, it only had those two letters.

‘What business card is this?’

I was thinking about it, and Kim Hye-sook whispered quietly next to me.

“This is a place where only those whose assets are verified at more than $5,000,000 are eligible to join… It’s a kind of investor social club. It’s a place where young investors gather, like Mr. Han Sang-hoon.”

It looked suspicious. I picked up the business card and asked her, “If it’s a social club… Are you a member of this club, too?”

At my words, she said with her hands waving, “Oh, no. I’m not as rich as that, so I can’t sign up. I just guide those whose assets are above $5,000,000, because the head of this club is recruiting members. I’m just acting as a referrer.”

I looked up at her. She was smiling in an orderly manner, speaking kindly, and had an unknown smile. It smelled a little dangerous. However, stocks were inherently open to danger, and where there was an opportunity, there was a risk.

‘If it’s a social club, it’s a place where information comes and goes. If it’s a social club with more than a certain amount of assets, it’s likely that high-end information will come and go. If anyone tries to cheat on me, I could cheat on them. I have the early information of 12 Hours After. Well, let’s hear what she is saying here.’

I said with a broad smile, hiding my innermost thoughts like Choi, “Wow, thank you. I wish I had investors to share the information with.”

“Oh, really? I’m glad you liked it.”

I spun around the business card and said, “What should I do with this business card anyway? There’s nothing written except two letters…”

“Oh, this club is only open to invited guests. Ho-ho. It only works for those who have been invited to join. When you have time, hold on to the business card for about three minutes.”

‘hold on to the business card and stay for about three minutes?’

I thought so, but she said one more thing, “I’d like you to know, again, that this offer is my personal offer, it has nothing to do with the bank at all. Do you understand?”

She made a polite smile again, a well-drafted smile. Nevertheless, I nodded and picked up the business card. “Don’t worry, it’s a social club. That sounds like fun.”

If this business card were a python to eat me, I would be glad to be eaten, because I was confident I would not melt in there. Even if I were swallowed by this python, I would cut the flesh out of it.

———————-

I came out of the bank and took the business card out of my pocket right away.

“Three minutes.”

Coming out of the bank, I grabbed the card carefully, not crumpling it. Then I lifted up the business card about three minutes later. Heated by body temperature for three minutes, the card was completely white, revealing the hidden writing. There were two words written in the place where G and E were.

[Garden Envy – Information Sharing Club for Top 0.1% Investors.]

‘Garden Envy? Is this a garden of envy or a garden of jealousy?’

Below it was a notice: [This business card serves as an invitation for the first person to come. I hope you have it when you arrive.]

I turned the business card over. The time, “Every Thursday at 7 p.m.”, and the map was there. It was located in a building in Cheongdam-dong. It was not that far from this bank.

‘Well… Thursday is today.’

I didn’t have anything to do at night, and I was glad. I decided to go there tonight.

———————-

“Let me off here, please.”

I got out of the taxi. The building on the map was just ahead. On the first floor was a foreign car dealership, on the second floor was a dessert cafe, and on the third floor was an ordinary building, with an ophthalmology clinic and an oriental medicine clinic, etc.

‘Are they having a secret meeting in this place?’

I looked up at the ninth floor of the building, a place where the secret meetings were held. The word “Lease” was written on the window.

I looked at the clock. It was 6:40 p.m. There were twenty minutes left to enter. I decided to go in first and take a look at it. I went into the building and pressed the ninth floor on the elevator.

The elevator that was going up suddenly stopped on the fifth floor. ‘What is this?’

At the moment, the door opened, and a gentle-looking man stood in front of the elevator. He appeared to be in his late-thirties or early-forties. He looked at me and greeted me, “Hello.”

I bowed my head slightly, in a muddle. In the meantime, he entered the elevator. At the moment, there was a faint smell of Chinese medicine. I saw the floor information: the fifth floor, Shinseong Oriental Medicine in Gangnam.

‘Is he a director?’

I peeked at him. He looked gentle, like the boss. By the way, he did not press another button until the door closed. I asked myself. ‘Is he going to the ninth floor, too?’

Come to think of it, if he had wanted to go to the first floor or the basement level to get off work in the first place, he wouldn’t have gotten into the elevator going up.

The elevator reached the ninth floor and opened with a ding. Only one man in a suit stood in front of us. He was similar in height to me; his skin was dark and his eyes were sharp. In addition, his cheekbones were out there and he looked like a tough guy. When he saw the oriental doctor who was ahead of me, he welcomed him.

“Long time no see, director Shin. Why haven’t you been here lately? It’s an event in your own building.”

‘Your own building?’ This building seemed to belong to that doctor.

“Ha-ha, I like playing with my kids after work these days. How are you?”

“Yes, I ate the Kong Jin Dan you gave me. It was really good, I ate it and lost weight.”

“Ha-ha, that’s right. The next time you go to work, stop by my office first. I’ll give you some more.”

“Yes, director. Go on in.” The man called ‘Director Shin’ went into the hallway inside the building ahead of me.

Now there was only he and I left. He looked at me and suddenly hardened his face and said to me, “It’s the first time I’ve seen you. Do you have an invitation?”

I took the black card out of my wallet and handed it to him. He looked at the card and said with a broad smile as if nothing had happened, “Welcome to the top 0.1% investor’s information-sharing club, Garden Envy!”

Chapter 47 - G. E., Part II

“Will you give me the invitation?”

I gave him the business card. He took something out of his coat. It looked like a laser beam used by instructors of a private educational institute. He looked over the business card and said, pointing to the corridor where the Director Shin was in, “This way, please go in.”

It seemed that the business card would not be returned. I brushed past him. I didn’t know from afar, but when I looked at him closely, I found that he was really muscular. There was also a devil-shaped tattoo on the back of the neck.

‘It’s like a demon guarding a hell gate.’

I passed him and headed into the inner corridor. In front of the curved corridor, this time there was an angel-like beauty.

“Welcome, sir.”

I thought she was slightly younger than I was. In her mid-twenties, her hair was neatly raised like a stewardess, making her little face look smaller. Her features were very so obvious that she looked cocky. She looked at me and said, “Oh, have you come here for the first time? Would you like to come this way?”

She spoke as friendly as a stewardess. Maybe they hired a real stewardess for a while. I approached her. She picked up a black box by the back and said, “All members of Garden Envy use nicknames. If you trust one another, you can use your real names in a private place. However, everyone in the meeting has to use their nicknames. So, you have to decide on your nickname. What do you want to use?”

‘Nickname?’ While I was thinking about it, she took a cell phone out of the black box and held it in her hands, and stared at me. I thought I should decide on my nickname.

‘What shall I use?’ I didn’t have much time to worry about. I gave her my usual nickname. “Duros.” Duros was the name of the dragon in the game Duros De Eternal.

“You’re Duros.” She clicked the cell phone’s keys quickly. It was like she was writing Duros. She finished and handed me the cell phone. “Take this.”

I took the cell phone, a Nebula S9. It was the same model I used. It had only been three months since it came out

“From now on, this phone belongs to Duros. It’s adapted that it doesn’t work as an ordinary cell phone, and you can only receive data with Wi-Fi. If you look inside, there’s an app that they can’t install in a regular market. You can share your information here.”

‘Is she giving me this?’ It was a little surprising, since the device cost a little over a thousand dollars. ‘And this is not a normal reading room, either. They usually require getting paid, but… It gives out money here..’

Giving away such a cell phone worth a thousand dollars meant that they were confident of ripping off more than a thousand dollars from the chat room. I took the cell phone for now. Then she lowered her head, pointing inside the door, and said, “Go in, please.”

I opened the door holding the cell phone. I could hear familiar classical music. I was frightened.

‘How can it be so well soundproofed?’

Just a moment ago, I had no idea there was a song coming from inside. Walking in further, there was a big banquet hall inside, a wedding banquet hall. There was definitely the word “Lease” outside, but the lights were pretty bright. Inside, waiters were traveling around, carrying drinks and various food to the table.

On one side, there was a bar with alcohol. In this way, it seemed like a simple social club. I looked at the people who seemed to be participants. There were about ten people here. They were separated from one another, but there were people who recognized and greeted one another.

“How have you been, Director Shin?”

“Director Kang. How are you doing these days?”

Director Shin was the only one whose background I knew. I approached his back a little and listened to what they were saying.

“Oh, I’ve been asked to come here from China lately, so… I’m going back and forth to China.”

“China?”

“Yes, I don’t want to go, but they keep calling me at a high pay. I’m sure there’s a lot of money in China these days, so I take a plane every weekend. I leave the hospital to the assistant director.”

“How much do you make on your way, going back and forth?”

“They give me about three thousand these days.”

“Oh, I see. Have you improved your Chinese quite a bit?”

“No, no. I hardly speak Chinese. They are looking for a Korean doctor and they prefer to speak Korean. After watching the Korean dramas, they ask me to do the same plastic surgery as a Korean celebrity. We don’t understand each other, and I speak Korean on purpose. The broker likes it better. Communication is done by an interpreter.”

“Ha-ha, I see.”

The person who talked seemed to be a plastic surgeon. Even if it was a secret club, they knew each other’s jobs and their surnames. It had an ordinary aspect.

‘Why did they give me a nickname, anyway?’

I sat alone on the side of the corridor and picked up the phone. There was only one essential app in the mobile phone.

“Garden Envy.”

When I accessed to it, a typical chat application came up. The difference was that a chat room had already been created. The latest message was ‘Mr. Duros is in the chat room.’

I thought I was the newest member. I saw the number of people in it: eighty-two people. I was not sure if it was too much or too little.

‘By the way, why did they give me a cell phone, anyway? If they just installed the application on my phone… Ah…

‘Come to think of it, I recognize that there is a risk of hacking. Especially if it is an app that I do not know what it is. As I have more than $10,000,000 to run by my cell phone, I can’t install this app on it.

‘So they’re giving me a new cell phone. Then I don’t have to enter any personal information… Because they can’t trust one another. Did they create a device like this? That’s a reasonable idea. Who’s the one who planned all this?’

——

By 7 p.m., the time of appointment, people began to come in in ones or twos. There were about fifty to sixty people by eye-count. Some people were a little late, and there seemed to be little sense of duty. I was far behind them and watched them. All in all, they appeared to be in their late-thirties to late-forties. There was no one as young as me.

‘People in their thirties and forties are the main members. In fact, people who are in their forties are dominant?’

I felt a sense of distance for some reason. I watched them, a little apart from them. They greeted each other, got cocktails at the bar and drank. Among them, I could see a familiar face.

‘Who is he…?’ I was sure it was a man I had seen in a historical drama. When the king spoke, the middle-aged actor cried out, “We are honored, Your Highness!”

He was an assistant actor, but I knew his face.

‘This looks like a very normal social club…’ But then, someone approached me.

“How are you?” A man. Surprisingly, he was in his late twenties. His face was slightly red, his eyes large and sharp, with a big hooked nose.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Kaiji. Your nickname?”

‘Kaiji? He got it from a Japanese cartoon.’

I thought he was like Kaiji. I replied, “I’m Duros. Nice to meet you.”

It was a little embarrassing to say the nickname.

“I think you were here for the first time. How old are you?”

“29.”

“Oh, I see. I’m 28. I was invited here, but there’s no one my age. I thought I shouldn’t come to the meeting. But there’s finally someone who’s about the same age today.”

He was a year younger than me. I wanted to be alone, but I got a colleague. I nodded.

“Oh. Nice to meet you. I didn’t know who to talk to, because it was my first time here. How long have you been here?”

“I’m in my third week. I’m not used to it, either.”

This person was not that old either. Still, I asked him because he had been here for two more weeks than I was. “What the hell are they doing here? What’s the purpose of the meeting? How do they share information?”

“Oh, that’s…”

At the moment Kaiji was going to say something, someone came up to the podium. “How are you, Garden Envy Members!” He looked like a man in his early-forties.

“Welcome to the new people today. This is Garden Envy. It’s where investors share information and exchange.”

I looked at him and wondered, ‘Is he the host of this meeting?’

“I’ll put the topics right in for those of you who are here today.”

As soon as he was done speaking, there were phones ringing in the meeting.

They all picked up their cell phones. I also picked up the new cell phone. In the application that I was unfamiliar with, the three topics of this week were written.

[Sept. 5 – Could there be more than ten million tickets for the zombie movie, Train To Seoul? – Future Media.]

[Sept. 8 – Asthma Therapy Effect scheduled to be announced by the San Francisco Society – Jinyoung Pharmaceutical.]

[Sept. 9 – Who will Incheon Airport Duty-Free shops go to – Baekje Hotel, Xian Tourism, Elder DF, Shinyoung Department Store, etc?]

The man on the podium came straight down from the place, leaving his words behind. “Please enjoy the party today.”

Kaiji looked at the cell phone and muttered, “Well, we have three questions today.”

‘Three questions. This is not the place where they pick the stocks that will rise and tell them the answers to attract, like any other stock reading room. The rich are full of doubts.’

‘In other stock reading rooms, they usually leave a message, “Buy A stock. It’s going up. Buy B stock. It’s soaring.” However, when they see the message, they are bound to be suspicious. “Isn’t this an attempt to sell off his shares?”‘

‘On the other hand, if they throw up the topic and let them talk, they’ll think about it and decide whether they will buy it or not. This is much better.’

I asked Kaiji, “Do you usually throw the topic out this way?”

“We don’t expect anything to go up or down, but we try to gather information like this.”

I watched what others were talking about. The subject of conversation was quickly shifted to the stock story.

“Doctor Jang, do you know much about this new drug?”

“Lungs are not my specialty… One of my juniors works for Jinyoung Pharmaceutical. I’ll ask him about it.”

I cut myself into the conversation. I thought if I didn’t get involved in the conversation, I wouldn’t get a benefit.

“I think Incheon Airport Duty Free is bigger than Jinyoung Pharmaceutical. They can make hundreds of million dollars in sales if this is passed. I’m sure institutional investors are also focusing on it.”

“It’s practically put a straw in and to suck up for years… How should I approach this?”

“You have to contact the government officials.”

“There’s a patent screening committee for duty-free shops at the Korea Customs Service, and they’ll decide there. But I don’t think it’s easy. These days, officials haven’t opened their mouths easily.”

‘A patent screening committee for duty-free shops at the Korea Customs Service.’ I remembered the name. However, no more accurate information was available.

A lady, who was more likely to weigh herself than I did, said, shivering, “So, government officials have become too strict under this administration. They are sparing themselves. Enzi, do you have any information? You said your girlfriend was a deputy director.”

The tall man, called Enzi, said with a smile. “Well, I will ask her about it.”

“If you get any information, please contact me first. I’ll pay you for the information.”

“Yes, Do-joon’s mom.”

I realized that some people would get the answer to this question, but they would not say it here.

‘They will say it after they buy the stock.

‘If they have certain information, they will buy the stock first. Then they need to release the information so that they can maximize their profits. The place where the information is released is the application.’

I picked up the new cell phone. There was no dialogue on the application yet.

‘This meeting is… just… fantasy?”

At the moment, that Kaiji beside me came up to me and asked, “What do you think? The source they give us here is not bad. It’s often linked to actual earnings.”

But then, he lowered his voice and added a word, “But there’s no real sharing of information. It’s a place where they can compare their money with each other and say useless things. Sometimes they tell real stories, but… that’s just a few times. Practical information exchanges will be made on the application later, when the market is open.”

I was right. I asked him the thing I was most curious about. “Who, by the way, created this meeting?”

“Oh, haven’t you met him yet?”

“No.”

Kaiji pointed to a corner of the meeting. “That guy. Master T”

I turned my eyes that way…

Chapter 48 - Train To Seoul

I woke up from sleep. I looked at the window and saw the sun coming in between the blinders. I opened the blinders and greeted the morning sun for a while.

‘Whew…’ Even though the warm sunshine had heated up my skin, I still seemed to be dreaming.

‘What was it? Yesterday’s meeting?’

It was a strange meeting. They gave me a cell phone for nothing, but grown-ups used nicknames.

‘… wasn’t it all an exaggerated production? To give a sense of mystery?’

I picked up the cell phone. I saw the conversations they had yesterday.

– It was fun today.

– It was fun, everyone.

There was no stock story, and only a very useless greeting. It was an incomprehensible gathering.

‘The most incomprehensible of all…’

I picked up my cell phone, entered the portal site, and searched for ‘Tak Joon-gi’.

There was a man in his forties wearing glasses. The profile read, ‘Suyeon Travel Director.’

‘Why is he doing this?’

The Master T who hosted the meeting was this person, director Tak Joon-gi. I had been suspicious since I heard that name from Kaiji yesterday.

‘Isn’t Mr. Tak… a person from Suyeon Group?

Suyeon Group was a chaebol in the top ten groups in Korea, in the third generation of the chaebol group set up by the founder Tak Jin-woon during the Japanese colonial rule. Chairman Tak Jin-woon had three wives in his lifetime, and Tak Joon-gi was the second son of his fourth son by his second wife. So Tak Joon-gi was a grandson, far from the center of the group, and the director of a group travel company, not a core business unit like chemistry and electronics.

‘Why is the chaebol III doing this? Because he has too much money? Or he has seen too many comic books?

‘It seems like he is playing this strange geek because he has too much money.

‘Anyway, the information they gave me… what about it?’

All I had to do was earn money. Therefore, I decided to look for the stocks that they announced at the meeting. First, Future Media. It was set to open a zombie blockbuster, Train to Seoul.

‘If it’s September 5th, that’s today.’

‘This is a definite material. A movie distributed by a movie distributor makes money when it hits the box office. I don’t need to look for its earnings surprises. Sales are up by the number of moviegoers. If the first day’s assessment is good, the stock price could rise. However, the stock price is already quite up in anticipation. It’s a little scary to go into since the movie could be awful. Well…’

I watched it for a while, then looked for the zombie film. 8:20 today was the first showing. It was 8:05 now. Fortunately, a movie theater was within a three-minute walk from my studio. I started taking a shower right away.

———————

“Son. Did you finish your pee? Why don’t you come out? Are you all right?”

The man opened the bathroom door carefully, but there was a boy who had turned into a zombie. The man was surprised. The son who had turned into a zombie bit his dad’s throat. “Aaaaaaaaargh!”

At the same time, the woman in front of me screamed. “Oh, my God!”

I also held my hands together, they were a little slippery. They were literally sweaty hands.

‘It’s fun. It’s a well-made film.’

Sometimes the plot was noticeable, but the direction was very good. I was immersed in it without knowing it.

‘I think it’s going to be a good show.’

I held up my cell phone. It was 8:52.

I was almost late seeing the movie. I turned on the app and opened the mailbox. To do this, I got a back seat in the theater on purpose, so as not to let the lights on my cell phone interfere with others. It had only been half an hour since the movie started, but I had a feeling that this movie would be a great hit. 8:55. As soon as I got the email, I put ‘Kang Joon-ik’ in the People Search.

[Thank you for the support of director Kang Joon-ik.]

It was up. I clicked on the article.

[The Director of the zombie movie Train To Seoul, Kang Joon-ik, thanked the audience. The movie released today…]

‘Not like this.’

I ran through the article quickly. What I wanted was a specific number. In the middle of the article, there was the number I wanted.

[Train To Seoul, which was released today, was a big hit today alone, drawing sixty-four thousand viewers from across the country. The combined number of people who made reservations for the evening show are estimated to exceed eighty thousand…]

Eighty thousand viewers on the first day. I didn’t know how amazing it was. I read the article through. Unfortunately, there was no story that Future Media shares had risen by a few percents.

‘Do I have to buy this stock? Shouldn’t I?’

I’d like to buy it if that’s the way it was, but I was reluctant to buy it because of the suspicious meeting.

– Is this a trap? No, no matter how good the information is, we can’t predict the number of viewers. It’s a movie, it’s a novel. It’s the realm of God to predict what’s going to be a big hit…-

I turned on the MTS. Future Media was starting at $42. At +0%, the trading was about to begin. They said they were not sure whether the movie would be successful or not. I would be the only one in the world who knew how many people were watching today at this hour.

But the fact was that it had already been recommended here. Other rich people were paying attention to the stock. Some people already bought and held it.

‘If I go in now, someone’s going to make money. I can’t help it. The information was slower than others, so let’s pay a little premium and buy it. It’s stupid to miss the chance in order to buy it too cheap. It’s too risky to inject all $7,000,000. Let’s buy $2,000,000 or $3,000,000.’

I bought the stock at nine o’clock.

Wi-ying! At the same time as the buy order was completed, the scream of zombies intersected. Geuwoeoeoeoeo!

I kept buying while watching the movie. Wi-ying! Wi-ying! Wi-ying!

The stock price rose gradually after the start of the market. Few people would watch a movie at this time. Someone, including me, kept buying it.

‘Are they the Garden Envy people?’

I was not sure, but they might also be included. In any case, I bought about $2,000,000 worth of stocks from 0% to 5% today. The average price was about +3%. Then I continued to watch the movie.

‘It’s fun until the middle, but it could be ruined after the second half…’

But it was fun until the end. I also liked the occasional gags and humanism. And as I left the movie, everyone else there gave favorable comments.

“Wow, that was funny.”

“I had fun, too. I’ll have my mom see it.”

It was not rational to decide on the purchase after listening to the individual’s assessment, but I wanted to buy more because I also enjoyed watching the movie. I opened the MTS and bought another $1,000,000. The unit price rose to +4%. Now I decided to wait a little while. But in the middle of it, I suddenly remembered.

‘That’s right. What’s the community saying?’

I picked up the second cell phone at the thought. I brought it with me on purpose. I was wondering what they were saying. I caught a Wi-Fi wandering around in the movie theater and entered the ‘Garden Envy’ app. Several chats were coming and going at the beginning of the market on the subject of this movie.

Claudia

– The audience’s favorable. Even the critic I know says this will be a commercial success.

Nobrand

– I’ve seen it, too. It’s going to be easy ten million people. I’m buying too.

Amibo

– I don’t like it.

This looked like an ordinary stock chat room.

‘Well, they took all the forms as they were… It’s normal again.’

I turned on the MTS and saw the stock price. $43.40. Up by +3%. It was normal. I didn’t earn or lose money. Still, I watched the stock price for a while. In 12 Hours After, the number of the first-day audience was 800,000 viewers and it said it was a big hit. But then, the number also came out at Garden Envy.

Triple K

– Mega Cinema Information. First-day results are estimated to be between 600,000 and 700,000. If it’s this big, it’s a big buy.

Between 600,000 and 700,000 people. It was less than 800,000 people, but it was still close.

‘Well, it’s the information of the movie theater. But the information I have is more accurate.’

I snorted and moved on to the stock price with MTS, but then the stock price went up. It was soaring.

[$46.20 (+8%)]

‘What is it this?’ As soon as this chat came up, the stock price went up. Someone must have thought it was credible information. I thought for a moment looking at it.

‘Well…’

———————-

By the end of lunchtime, I was looking at two cell phones, eating sandwiches. First, in Garden Envy, some comments came up.

Dr. J.

– After buying, I put it on the doctors’ community. Thank you very much for your information.

Kim Gum-mo

– I bought it, too, and then I posted it on my law school website. I hope it has a lot of resilience.

Yoo PD

– I heard it was scheduled to be broadcast in Today’s Money.

In this way, they were trying to boost its stock price by burning information. It was a kind of manipulation. According to the MTS, the stock price, which had remained stagnant at 8%, rose 10% and 12% slowly over time.

‘… they’re obviously looking to sell one another.’

However, the stock price continued to rise. 14%. 16%. 18%. I watched it and sold it when my earnings reached $300,000. I didn’t have any solid information. I only ate as much as I wanted. After I sold my stocks in bulk, the stock started to adjust slightly. I looked toward the Garden Envy chat window.

Envymask

– Somebody sold it. Approximately $3,000,000.

Do-joon’s mom

– I’ve bought about $1,000,000. Let’s go further.

Jin Sun-saeng English

– Isn’t it unconditionally holding the upper limit price?

‘I don’t think it’s going to be much higher. But I don’t know. In fact, if the buying money is bigger than the selling money, the stock price goes up.’

However, I didn’t buy it anymore and watched its price trend. The stock started going up higher even after I sold it, as if to go to the upper limit price. But suddenly there was a huge sell-off. The stock price that had gone as far as +22% fell down to +12%.

Do-joon’s mom

– What’s going on?

Jin Sun-saeng English

– Ah, I was so greedy. I’ll sell it with a loss.

Blanky

– I’m –5%… I’m holding it.

There were also people who sold it with a loss. I waited for the market to end. Future media ended at +8%. In other words, some people lost money.

‘Well, even if they’re good at it, they’re rich ants. By the way, biting the source is not bad and the information is fast. It’s a good place for me to stay.

‘It’s just like an information fast reading club. I think that the concept is a bit weird. It won’t hurt if I use them as much as I can. In addition, seeing the resilience of the stock market, these people have their own money and the ability to invest other people’s money. I will buy first and then slowly spread the information to profit and get out.

‘The rich communicate neatly with one another, and the people who come in late complain little. I don’t know if it’s because of pride. If I refer to 12 Hours After, I can shine more and more here and I can affect the people who listen to the rich indirectly.

‘Next is the new drug, and the duty-free shops. I am sure they are good at smelling money here.’

I decided to use these people as my hunting dogs!

Chapter 49 - Competition For Duty-free Shops

I looked out of the window. Even in broad daylight, countless people moved around along the Han River, such as bike riders and badminton players. I watched them for a moment with the strawberry jam in my mouth.

‘Life is good for a jobless person.’

Recently, an exhibition event was held in Gangnam. It was an exhibition with a very explicit title, “I want to be a jobless person”, and it was quite popular. Everyone had that kind of desire, so it was popular. Now, I was realizing that desire myself. Becoming a rich jobless person, I hung out at a cafe along the Han River in broad daylight. Of course, it didn’t mean that I did not do anything.

‘Let’s see.’

I took my second cell phone out of my bag, then turned on the power. I had turned off the power inside the room for fear that there might be some strange device such as location tracking or voice recording. I sealed the camera with black tape. For communication, I used only public Wi-Fi in public places. I thought I was being a little too sensitive, but I had to do this with millions of dollars coming and going.

Windmiller

– By the way, what do you think of Jinyoung Pharmaceutical’s new drug?

Dr.J.

– Dr. Roger Williams in San Francisco is the main presenter, but I can’t find any news searching about it.

I thought of People Search for a moment, but there were two problems here. First, I could only search for names in Korean in People Search. Second, San Francisco was on the opposite side of the Earth. It was questionable whether the news of 12 Hours After would be in time. I should have taken a skill point to receive an article in the afternoon, but I did not. In addition, I could not access foreign newspapers now.

Jin Sun-saeng English

– Dr. J., are you going to skip this one? The stock price is going up.

Dr. J.

– Right now it’s going up with the expectation, but I can throw it up later. In fact, although positive news comes out, it takes some time to actually have a good result. It takes years.

Director Shin

– These days, the bio-stocks look dangerous with bubbles. Be careful.

The second topic, Jinyoung Pharmaceutical, was talkative. There were many doctors at the meeting, but they had different opinions and assessments.

‘I’m going to skip this one.’

I decided to leave Jinyoung Pharmaceutical.

There was a reason why Cao Cao, who was a villainous hero of old, lost at the Battle of Red Cliffs. They could say that the defeat was caused by many things, like being struck by the fire attack, with a sudden southeast wind blowing. But really, it was because they fought on the ships they were not familiar with in the first place.

‘There are many doctors here. I know whether it’s fun or not watching the movie, but bio-stocks are hard for me to touch… I don’t have to go in. Cao Cao had to attack Sun Wu to unify a whole country, but I don’t have to. If the battlefield opens at a disadvantage, all I have to do is not to fight. The stock market opens every day, and I buy other stocks.

‘How about the bidding for duty-free shops?’

Kaiji

– I think the duty-free shop is a big case. Do you have any information?

Days in Leeds

– Has anyone contacted the patent screening committee for duty-free shops at the Korea Customs Service?

As expected, in the Group-Kakao Talk room, they considered the bidding for the duty-free shops a bigger one.

‘There is something that self-employed people say, “Location is ninety percent of the business.”

‘I don’t know if that’s true or not, but it’s clear that the location is important in business. The duty-free shop has a huge interest in it. Incheon International Airport, where duty-free shops come in, has been seeing an increasing number of passengers every year. Once the duty-free shop is confirmed, it will be guaranteed several years of sales. They can put a straw in a honey jar where the honey doesn’t stop.’

Tobias

– Professor Sun Joo-gi of Korea University is the representative here, and he’s said to be very upright. A real scholar. I don’t think we can get any information from him, and we should look at the sideline.

Eumpyu

– There is a high possibility that there is little on the sideline. The judges will only evaluate the data they receive and the decision will be made by the core. If we don’t dig Professor Sun Joo-gi in any way…

‘Oh, professor Sun Joo-gi…’

The hounds brought the prey on their own. I tried to write a search term on the portal site right away.

‘Sun Joo-gi.’

It came out right away. A professor of business administration at Korea University. Chairman of the Consumer Association of Korea and Chairman of the Korea Marketing Association. His career was brilliant. The name was also quite unique, so it didn’t overlap with anyone else. That was great. No matter how strong he was, he would have to be on the news in 12 Hours After.

I went over to stock analysis. A total of six companies had applied for the duty-free shop: Baekje Hotel, T-Land, Shinyoung Department Store, Xian Tourism, Edie Duty-Free Shop, and Elder DF.

Baekje Hotel, T-Land, and Shinyoung Department Store were all family companies of the chaebol, so they were old and had large market capital. There was a high chance that they would be selected. They had built up their business history for a long time, and they had connections with the political and business community. However, it was unlikely that their stock price would increase much.

Xian Tourism, Edie Duty-Free Shop, and Elder DF were relatively small companies. As a result of Korea’s characteristics, they were also built from chaebol capital, but they were a bit far away. The chances of being selected were low, but as their market capital was small, I could get more earnings from this side.

‘Two of the six companies are selected… There’s a one-third chance that they’ll get one right. The chance of getting it all is one-fifteenth.’

If I looked for their stock prices, and all six stocks were very shaky. +15%, –8%, then one day suddenly went to the upper limit price, and the next day, like a ghost, returned its rise.

‘It’s a hot topic.’

At any rate, all six stocks were higher than usual, about 10% to 20%. If one was selected, it would go straight to the upper limit price. If not, it should return the increase immediately. I made a plan.

‘At 8:55 on the day of the announcement. Let’s try searching for the names and when the results come out, go straight to full betting… or don’t touch them.’

I arranged it like that.

———————

I watched the market with a light heart for a few days. The stocks of the six duty-free operators continued to run up and down the road ahead of the selection. A little surprising was the Jinyoung Pharmaceutical I had filtered out. The day before, a story came and went.

Heartbeat

– I’m sure you’ll be getting good news tomorrow. Buy this stock.

That was a story for Jinyoung Pharmaceutical, and it went up +3%, 6%, 9% one morning.

[National Asthma Society – High evaluation of stability of Asthma treatment from Jinyoung Pharmaceutical.]

With such news, the stock price surged to close at 18%.

‘I’m sure there are certain people who have information…

‘But it’s not too bad. I have to filter out things I don’t know very well. There are plenty of opportunities anyway. Warren Buffett, a master of investment and a global lender, has reduced his investment principles to two: First, don’t lose money. Second, keep the first rule. It seems too simple to hear, but the truth is simple: if I increase money without losing it, the compounding amount will be frightening.’

I waited quietly until the day of the duty-free store selection.

———————

“Hoo-hoo-hoo” I breathed like a boxer in the ring.

8:54. It was one minute before the news, six minutes before the opening. I didn’t even think about turning on Garden Envy’s cell phone. What I could believe was only 12 Hours After. That was all I could trust. As soon as it became fifty-five minutes, I immediately took the email and went to the People search. Then, I searched for “Sun Joo-gi.”

[Sun Joo-gi, a representing judge from the patent screening committee for duty-free shops announced the reasons for selection of entry companies of duty-free shops.]

I felt my eyes open wide. I clicked on it.

[Recently, there has been fierce competition among duty-free shops at Incheon International Airport over the selection of duty-free operators. With the controversy over bribery to the screening committee…]

‘Not like this.’

I scrolled down quickly.

[Sun Joo-gi, a representing judge of the committee, said, “We considered the management capabilities of the patent-related zones, the management capabilities of the operators, and the contribution of small and medium-sized enterprises to economic and social development.]

I scrolled down too much and I scrolled up again.

[It was announced around 2 p.m. The finally selected operators are the Baekje Hotel and Edie Duty-Free Shop. These two companies received high marks in the judging process…]

Two names came out. I went straight to HTS. The Baekje Hotel was a hotel conglomerate with the market capital of three billion dollars. Edie Duty-Free Shop was a small company with a market value of four hundred million dollars. I would like to buy the Edie Duty-Free Shop at full margin, but if I bought it with the credit on my account now, the stock price of the small company would go to the upper limit price with only my money.

‘It’s too dangerous. No matter how good the news is, I will buy half there.’

I turned on two HTSs, the original HTS and the new HTS. Each of the six stocks remained the same at a starting price before the opening of the market. They were shaken a lot until a day ago, but it was quiet today. I knew it was Judgment Day, when someone would go to Hell and someone to Heaven. Before I bought, I returned to the article and checked the news.

‘What time will they announce it?’

It would be two o’clock. The market opened, and I began to buy shares in the Edie Duty-Free Shop with one account and Baekje Hotel with the other.

——————-

Dr. J.

– Do you have any information yet? The stock prices are moving at Baekje Hotel and Edie Duty-Free Shop.

Do-joon’s mom

– Baekje Hotel is usually the number one hotel. That’s the reason.

Olaf

– T-Land and Edie Duty-Free Shop seem unlikely. Why did they go up? It’s weird. Someone bought more than $5,000,000. That alone was +6%.

Dr. J.

– Is there a rumor going around at the Edie Duty-Free Shop? Shall we buy it?

Do-joon’s mom

– This is too dangerous, isn’t it? If we go in now, we can lose close to -40%.

Everyone was in disarray.

Kaiji

– I’m not going to bet. It’s too hard. It’s too risky.

Even cute Kaiji, who was one year younger than me, thought it was too risky. That was right. There was a big risk, as there were a lot of stocks that had risen in anticipation. If this would not work, it would go down to the low limit price, –30%. It was a situation of high risk, high return.

‘But I’m different.’

I already had the information. No risk, high return. Countless people came and went before my eyes. I saw a watch at a cafe in a café at Gangnam Station.

It was 1:58 p.m.

It was time to come up. The news said it was announced around two o’clock in the afternoon. Even if I took it slowly, it would come up within twenty minutes. I got the MTS on my cell phone and a news site on my Wi-Pad. And then, around 2:20, joy and sorrow began to diverge.

[Baekje Hotel +6%

T-Land –6%

Shinyoung Department Store –5%

Xian Tourism –12%

Edie Duty-Free Shop +12%

Elder DF –10%]

‘It must be up.’

I searched ‘duty-free shops’ with the Wi-Pad. There was no news yet. In the meantime, two companies’ stocks were decided.

[Baekje Hotel +30%

T-Land –23%

Shinyoung Department Store –22%

Xian Tourism –26%

Edie Duty-Free Shop +30%

Elder DF –28%]

I picked the correct answer on a thirty-six multiple-choice question. I hit refresh on the Wi-Pad.

[Incheon Duty-Free’s new business owners are Baekje Hotel and Edie Duty-Free Shop.]

The news got on the air only then. As expected, stocks were faster than the news. This meant that there was a person who caught on before someone went up to the press, such as investors or reporters on the scene.

‘There are people who are fast, too.

‘Some people use this time difference. So, stocks react faster than news. But even these people don’t know that there is a person whose news is faster than stocks, only one person in the universe, a subscriber to 12 Hours After. That’s me.’

Chapter 50 - Platinum Class, And

[Baekje Hotel]

Shares: 34,020

Purchase Price: $341.00

Purchase Amount: $11,600,820

Current Price: $429.00 (+30%)

Current Value: $14,594,580

Profit and Loss: +$2,993,760

[Edie Duty-Free Shop]

Shares: 120,700

Purchase Price: $58.00

Purchase Amount: $7,000,600

Current Price: $71.50 (+30%)

Current Value: $8,630,500

Profit and Loss: +$1,629,450]

I looked alternately at the two accounts. The hotel allowed the use of a 33% margin as a hotel conglomerate. I made $2,993,760 in profits from purchase of $11,600,820 including credit. Edie Duty-Free used a 50% margin and I was able to buy $7,000,600. The market capital was so low that I couldn’t buy any more. My profit was $1,629,450.

Right now, I had made a lot of money by Baekje Hotel, but in the long run, it was highly likely that Edie Duty-Free Shop would get bigger.

It was the same good news for both, but the size of the two was too different. While the hotel was considered to have set the stage for long-term growth that could be upgraded once more, Edie Duty-Free Shop said the selection itself was a great opportunity to change the company’s fortunes.

The Baekje Hotel would not be able to rise any further after today’s upper limit price as the market capital was too big. But I didn’t know the end of Edie Duty-Free Shop.

My prediction was not wrong.

——————

The next day, Baekje Hotel was traded at $471.90 (+10%), and Edie Duty-Free Shop went up to the upper limit price $92.90 (+30%). I sold all the shares of Baekje Hotel that I held today. The hotel hit the upper limit price and its market capital quickly surpassed five billion dollars, but it was not easy to deal with my stock, which was worth more than sixteen million dollars at the moment.

“Give me a super-combination. Yes, please add pickles.”

I ordered a pizza around 11 a.m. and sold the shares of Baekje Hotel in front of the computer all day, eating it until 3:30 p.m. If I sold them all at once, the price would go down, and as if Hansel and Gretel had fallen bread crumbs on the road, I sold them in small portions, $100,000, $200,000, $300,000 worth of shares. The final profit tally was $4,200,000, with more than $50,000 spent on stock transaction taxes. I paid more taxes in just one day than most employees earned in a year.

‘$50,000… I’m a very sincere taxpayer.’

But there was still a place to pay more taxes: the Edie Duty-Free Shop. Baekje Hotel ended here, but it was highly likely that Edie Duty-Free Shop was just beginning.

——

My prediction was right. Edie Duty-Free Shop, which started at $55.00 and hit $71.50 on the day of the announcement, was $92.90 on the second day, and $120.00 on the third day.

[Purchase Amount: $7,000,600

Current Value: $14,484,000

Total Profit and Loss: +$7,483,400]

Profits alone exceeded seven million dollars. Now that it was here, I was a little worried.

‘Shall I sell here? Or should I just watch it one more day?

‘To be honest, I’m not sure how much duty-free sales will be made and how much it will be set up for operating profit. Some might predict, but that’s also the realm of betting. What the stock price will be like in the future is even more betting.’

I decided not to be greedy.

‘Yes, it may turn to the low limit price. Then I can’t sell fourteen million dollars of shares. Let’s sell them when there are many people who want to buy them right now.’

Having reached my conclusion, I also sold off the shares at the upper limit price of $120.00.

I want to buy it now! Since there were many people who cried out like that, it was not too hard for me to sell my shares. I sold about five million dollars of shares and had about nine million worth left, with only nine million dollars left showing for those who wanted to buy shares at the upper limit.

‘Well, shall I play the major shareholder here?’

I prepared to press the Whole Sale button in the sell order. Nine million dollars of shares were loaded. I clicked the order. Blam!

Shares of nine million dollars were sold at the market price at one time. At that moment, the stock price fell from +30% to +25% and 22%. It was because of the fear that someone would pour in large quantities.

‘Shall I have some fun here?’

I thought it was too mean to do it. It was feeding ants water with money. It was enough. If I did that, the real major shareholder of Edie Duty-Free Shop or the Financial Supervisory Service would directly interfere. I mumbled, “Well, I’m done.”

I now looked at my account. The sales account at Baekje Hotel added $4,200,000 to $3,500,000, and became $7,700,000, while the sales account at Edie Duty-Free Shop added $7,400,000 to $3,800,000, and became $11,200,000. Combined, the two accounts were worth $18,900,000.

“Huh…” Every time I made tens of thousand dollars, I used to hit the bathroom wall, scream, and dance, but now somehow, I got a sigh. Was it this way that I felt like I had an inscrutable pleasure? I got out of my seat, though. I thought I would feel that this $18,900,000 was mine only if I made a ceremony.

“Hoo-oo-oo-oo-oo!” I took a big breath, ran around my 165 square-meter studio, jumped loudly, and then made a noise, combing my pelvis with both hands.

“Hoopee.” My head hurt after shouting so loudly. I lay down on my new bed.

‘$18,900,000… Now I can move on to Platinum Class. I thought it would be easy to earn a hundred million dollars.

‘Famous ant investors earn a hundred million dollars once. It will not be that hard for me, who has 12 Hours After. The problem is the next grade, Diamond. $100,000,000 a month means $1,200,000,000 a year. No matter how much I earn with the news in 12 Hours After, I can’t make $1,200,000,000 a year in the Korean stock market, because of the market capital.

‘If there’s an event like selecting a duty-free shop every day, I don’t know… But two or three times a year? Is this possible? $10,000,000 a month may not be difficult, but $100,000,000 a month…’

I would be bankrupted paying the subscription. But then, I had a natural idea.

‘Ah, it’s time to pay the subscription.’

It had been almost a month since I was in Gold Class. I picked up my cell phone.

‘Then… shall I move on to Platinum this time?’

‘If I pay $10,000,000, I will have $8,900,000 left. I quadrupled this month, with $4,200,000 going to $18,900,000. In other words, $8,900,000 could reach nearly $40,000,000. I think it will be better to change my class this time than to extend the Gold Class paying $1,000,000.

‘Now $10,000,000 a month is easy. Besides, they said they’d give me five more skill points if I upgraded to the Platinum Class. Wouldn’t I earn money easier?’

I was full of confidence. I picked up my cell phone.

‘919-31413-11721’ I texted to the strange number. It would be two days from now that the money from the sale would come into my account.

– I’d like to be promoted to a Platinum Class. Two days from now.

As if chatting with a Customer Service, the reply came right away.

– OK. Please check your mailbox.

————————-

Two days later, eight in the morning. I finally received it in my mailbox.

[Platinum Class Guide]

‘What new skills do I have?’

I gulped down and clicked on it.

[Platinum Class Skill Guide]

[Congratulations, Han Sang-hoon, who is promoted to Platinum Class. Platinum Class can also be used and enhanced by investing points in each skill. The cooling time of the active skill is based on the same thirty-day period as the subscription period. There are currently four different skills available for the Platinum Class. Skill points currently not allocated are five points.

People Search Lv2 (Active skill – two points required)

One more slot for searching for people. It will be available with other passive skills applied.

Ranking News Lv2 (Active Skill – two points required)

In a specific category out of the news in 12 Hours After, you can receive first and second place news with high cumulative view counts in an hour. It’s available twice. It will be available with other passive skills applied.

Additional News Lv1 (Passive skill – one point required)

You will get another set of news at 8:55 p.m. The categories are the same as the existing news, and active skills are also available. This passive skill is overlaid with other passive skills.]

‘Well, as I expected…’

That was what I thought, and I scrolled down. I opened my mouth at the last passive skill.

[Future News Lv2 (Passive skill – two points required)

You are going to receive another news, 12 Days After, at the same as 12 Hours After. Existing news and formats are the same, and active skills are also available. This passive skill is overlaid with other passive skills.]

‘What? 12 DAYS After?’

I thought, of course, there was only one 12 Hours After. It had been doing that since the first news I had received. But, 12 Days After came out. It asked for two points to upgrade from the first appearance.

‘If I get the news twelve days earlier… Certainly, the use of stocks increases… I’ve been doing day-trading with what’s going to happen in twelve hours, but… This will allow me to do short-term and mid-term trading… Then the yield will be double what it is now.’

After watching the news of 12 Hours After, I paid people a premium and bought stocks at a high price, but if I knew the news in twelve days later, it would be possible to buy stocks at a low price and maximize profits.

‘I have to upgrade this skill unconditionally.’

Thinking, I first put two points on Future News Lv2 and pushed down the application. Then, the page was updated.

[Future News Lv3 (Passive skill – three Points required)

You will get another news of 12 Weeks After at the same time as 12 Hours After and 12 Days After. Existing news and formats are the same, and active skills are also available. This passive skill is overlaid with other passive skills.]

Future News Lv3 came up. It was the news in twelve weeks in the future, three months later.

‘I have three points left, so I can choose now. Shall I upgrade this more?’

‘But I don’t think it’s necessary now. In the ten-million-dollar trading, this will be enough for Swing Trading and Day Trading, just knowing the information in twelve days.

‘I will upgrade this Future News Lv3 next time. I think the Ranking News Lv2 is enough for now. Should I put the skill point into the People Search? Yes, let’s do it. I have been using the People Search quite a lot this month, so I need more of it now.’

Thinking that, I put in three skill points to upgrade People Search Lv2 and Additional News Lv1. When the skill investment was complete, a message popped up.

[Congratulations. You’ve been promoted to Platinum Class.]

‘Oh, yeah, yeah…’

I scrolled down. Below was the message.

[Upgrade your news to Diamond Class!]

There was the message I’d seen every time I raised my grade. I thought they expected me to raise my grade every time. I muttered to it as if I were speaking to it, “Yeah, I get it. But I can’t make $100,000,000, either. If I watch the news 12 Years After, not 12 Days After, $100,000,000 every month is too much.”

But then I was dumbfounded by the phrase that followed.

‘What you need for the promotion to Diamond Class is a fixed monthly fee of $10,000,000, and…’

I didn’t make a sound out of my mouth when I saw the skills of 12 Days After, but this time I screamed without knowing it, “What?!”

Chapter 51 - A New Dream

I turned my head around. I could see Gangnam Boulevard out of the window. Countless cars were coming and going, lots of people were coming and going. I liked this landscape. I loved looking down from the high place, looking at people who lived busy.

‘That’s why I moved to this studio.’

Looking out of the window, I suddenly saw myself reflected in the window. I was wearing a neat suit.

‘A suit?’

I tilted my head slightly. I’d never worn a suit since I had left the company.

‘It’s weird, right?’

I looked back at the thought of. But, behind me, there was an office that was not my studio, and it was an open office.

‘What is this?’ I grabbed my head. ‘What happened?’

Far away, I could see Choi scurrying around with a bunch of documents. I approached him.

“Hey, what happened?”

But he looked at me, opened his mouth wide, and said, “Haw… Good morning, boss!”

He folded his back half and greeted me with a folder.

‘Boss?’

“No, what do you mean? What’s wrong with you all of a sudden?” I asked him, and after that, the section chief, Heo, appeared. He was looking around with his face full of boredom as usual, and then his eyes met mine.

‘Oh, my God.’ He had a bad face at all times. By the way, Heo’s expression was strange when he saw me.

“Ah… boss?” Boss. Heo now called me boss, too. “Hey, what are you doing here?” He had a startled look on his face. “Here… sit here, boss.”

He gave me his hands with a wry smile.

“What are you doing?” When I asked, suddenly something behind me hit my knee. “Uh…”

I fell back. By the way, there was a soft chair there, a black leather thing, a so-called boss chair. When I sat down in the chair, two women appeared from the side. They appeared with a huge fan, covering their faces with a thin black cloth, as if they were women in the Middle East. They fanned me in the chair and said, “Is it cool, boss?”

I wondered at the faces of the two women. I got up from my seat and tried to lift the cloth covering their faces. But in the meantime, Heo knelt down before me and handed a report.

“Boss. It’s a report. I need your approval.”

‘Approval?’ Now I saw a stamp and a stamp pad beside me. But I didn’t want to give my approval easily.

‘I can’t give you my approval easily. You did that, too.’

I didn’t even look at the report, and said, “Try again!”, picking it up and throwing it over Heo’s head.

“Yes… yes? Why?”

“The size of letters are too big.”

“Yes?”

The documents were scattered over Heo’s head, and after him, the company executives appeared. Those, who were directors or executive directors that had not been seen often at work, suddenly fell on their knees in front of me and said, “Boss, we have a deal in twelve days. What will happen? Should we sign or not?”

“Boss, we are ready for the merger and acquisition in twelve weeks. Just give us an order.”

‘Order? What order?’

When I cocked my head, they asked me to make a decision and give them an order.

“Please make up your mind.”

“Please give us an order.”

‘What is this?’

Suddenly there was a strong wind coming from the side. The women beside me were fanning too hard. I stopped them, “Wait, it’s too cold. Slowly…”

But they didn’t stop fanning.

“Do it slowly.”

“Ho ho! The boss is so…”

With my words, they made the fan even stronger with a smirk. It was cold. It was too cold, so I had to open my eyes.

I woke up, muttering, “It’s cold.”

Something was howling. There was a cold wind blowing overhead. I looked up with my eyes twitching. The ceiling air conditioner kept blowing. I got out of bed, rubbed my eyes, found the remote control and turned off the air conditioner. It was hot when I fell asleep, but it was cold in the morning. I didn’t know which platform to play.

‘But I’m going to sleep with the air conditioner turned off. Oh, I almost caught a cold in the summer.’

I got up with a slight tremor. It was seven o’clock in the morning, looking at my cell phone. I woke up about an hour earlier than usual.

‘Shall I go back to sleep?’

But I didn’t want to sleep again, for some reason or other, because I had a strange dream. I went to the window holding my cell phone. I opened the blinders and looked out the window, and this time I saw myself in my pajamas. It was a contrast to the way I looked in my suit. I recalled the dream I had just had.

‘Why would I dream like that? Perhaps… is that what I saw yesterday?’

I picked up my cell phone. I called up my personal memo pad. There was a Diamond Class promotion condition written down by me.

[What you need to upgrade to Diamond Class is a fixed monthly fee of $10,000,000, and under the conditions of your qualifications, you have to control one listed company in your country.]

When I first saw it, I was surprised, but I could not look away from it again.

‘What? Suddenly, the qualifications… What the hell…’

I watched the sentence for a moment and thought of the Customer Service.

‘I haven’t talked to him in a long time. He doesn’t have much affection, but he answers what I ask.’

I used my cell phone to call that number, ‘919-31413-11721.’

I send a text to him, “I’d like to talk to you. Please send me an email from the Customer Service.”

The reply came at once. “I sent you an email.”

I sat in front of the computer, turned on the power, and got an email.

[Customer Service of 12 Hours After]

When I clicked on it, the chat window appeared.

[Hello, Han Sang-hoon. This is Customer Service. Can I help you with anything?]

I asked a question that it reminded me of.

[About the qualifications, if I control the listed company, is that okay?]

[Yes, it is. We’ll upgrade you to Diamond Class as soon as you meet the terms and conditions of your payment of $10,000,000.]

As expected, I got a reply in 0.1 seconds.

[Are you saying that I am limited to the country I belong to, then, the KOSPI and KOSDAQ limits?]

[Yes, it is.]

The things that I roughly expected were right.

[I don’t have to hand over the listed company to you, do I? Do I just have to own it?]

[Correct. However, please be aware that the qualification conditions will be canceled, and your class will not be maintained, when you lose the right of management, or when you are expelled from the KOSDAQ or KOSPI.]

‘In a word, I have to buy a listed company and make a good deal of it. I should not get kicked out of the market.’

[So what exactly does rule mean? What percentage of shares should I have? Or do I have to run my own business?]

[You need the largest shares for yourself or your company. You don’t have to run the business as long as you have the requirements of the largest shareholder.]

‘Well… yourself or your company…

‘In other words, even if I buy and hold a share in B with my own company A, it will be recognized as my own. But the word ‘dominant’ goes well with it. The nation’s chaebols are “dominating” other companies with a trick like circular shareholding. Korea’s leading company, Susung Electronics, holds less than 5% of shares owned by Ji Chang-woo. Instead, it has only controlled Susung Electronics indirectly, because he has a 70% stake in Susung Life Insurance, and Susung Life Insurance has a 12% stake in the company.

‘It means that I can rule in a chaebol way… But then… What he wants from me…’

I asked the Customer Service with a sudden thought.

[Do I have to dominate more companies to go up any further than Diamond?]

[That’s a secret.]

I frowned a little, but I didn’t get as angry as before. In a way, even the expensive computer that I did this chatting on was bought because of this 12 Hours After. Instead of being annoyed, I thanked him.

[Okay. Thank you.]

[Don’t mention it. Please continue to subscribe.]

‘Okay, please continue to publish.’

I got up from the chair with my head down. I went to the kitchen, filled my coffee, and came to the window with it. It was time for the sun to rise. Outside the window was much brighter than before. Some offices in the Susung Electronics Building also had lights on. I looked at the office light and thought. ‘Do I have to go back? To that place?’

‘But when I think about it, if I go back as the boss instead of going back zx the employee, it won’t be bad, either. If what I receive in the company is not an order and contempt, but a report and respect, it may be worth going around.

‘Yeah… well, the subscription doesn’t go up, and if they give me an upgrade for my company, they actually give me an upgrade for free.

‘Yes, in fact, even if I have more than $10,000,000, there is no place to spend the money. Though I can buy a lot of real estate, what’s the fun of it? Rather, it would be better to do day-trading with stocks.’

‘Yeah, well, shall I just play a boss-game?

‘But when I think about it, it may not be a boss-game since I can get the news of 12 Hours After, 12 Days After, and 12 Weeks After.

I recalled the sight I had seen in my dream.

‘Boss, we have a deal in twelve days. What will happen? Should we sign or not?

‘Boss, we are ready for the merger and acquisition in twelve weeks. Just give us an order.’

Come to think of it, it would be all right.

‘No… I could be a pretty good boss…’

‘I’ve never done business management and never thought about it, but company management in the first place is to predict the future and act accordingly. With the news in 12 Hours After, I could be a tremendously capable CEO.

‘… Yeah… Then… more than a hundred million dollars… No, it’s easy to make billions of dollars. I don’t have to do stock trading… I can just run the company and make money, right?

I had a flash in my mind. I put my hands in my mouth and thought about what company to take over, and whether it was going to be synergistic with 12 Hours After.

‘Architecture company? Pharmaceutical company? Game companies? I have to have luck if I want something good to happen. It’s hard. Well, then, I am going to have to link to Ranking News and People Search… I don’t know what’s going to come out of the Ranking News. People Search… Is there a company I can develop with People Search?’

I had my mind worked. Soon the answer came out.

‘People Search… a company that does business with people… an entertainment company?’

Chapter 52 - An Investment Firm That Never Loses, Part I

[P. 12 Hours After]

[P. 12 Days After]

I stared at my mailbox. There were two emails: 12 Hours After and 12 Days After. The P in front would be the P of Platinum.

‘It’s so awkward.’

I clicked on the news for the first time in 12 Days After, thinking about it.

[Politics – What is the future roadmap for Mayor Joo Sung-won’s second consecutive term?]

[Economy – Minimum Wage Rise Effect. Job growth? Decrease?]

[Society – Feminism has risen with the elimination of women discrimination.]

[Life/Culture – A review of web novel ‘Save, Road, Life’]

[World – The G2 conflict intensifies when the U.S. presses high tariffs on Chinese companies.]

[IT/Science – Electric Vehicle vs. Hydrogen Vehicle, who will be the winner?]

[Entertainment – Korean pop singers are invited to host the Osaka Hallyu Festival]

[Sports –Is DTD science? Let’s see if it’s real.]

The composition was essentially the same as the news 12 Hours After. I couldn’t find any difference just by looking at the email titles. I skimmed the email from above.

‘I now know Mayor Joo Sung-won was re-elected… How much is the minimum wage up? It’s been a long time since I read a web novel, Save… Is this fun? The U.S. and China are still fighting, and electric cars… The hydrogen car seems to be coming out lately. And the Hallyu Festival in Osaka…’

I searched the portal site for “Osaka Hallyu Festival.”

[Osaka Hallyu Festival is in two weeks.]

That kind of news came out. Surely this was the news in 12 Days After. I went down the scroll a little further.

[People Search – Enter a name – Enter a name.]

[Ranking News – Use Now (One time available)]

This email also had active skills.

[It will be available with other passive skills applied.]

The explanation that read above, seemed to mean this. There were two windows to ask for names, perhaps because People Search was leveled up.

‘Well… 12 days from now, People Search will be available…’

‘Just as it takes time for the main character to get the written guide of the martial arts but to use it, this email also requires a little adjustment period to make money with the new skill. It’s about how to deal with the news.’

I also looked up the news of 12 Hours After today. There was nothing much today.

‘OK, well, let’s take a rest today.’

I left my email and looked around.

‘My Wi-Pad… Where is it?’

Now I saw the Wi-Pad was on my bed. I fell asleep while watching a movie late last night. I laid down on the bed and picked up the Wi-Pad. I went back to the memo, and there was a note saying, “How to become a major shareholder of the KOSPI and KOSDAQ.”

I clicked on it. Inside were the marks and memos that I had written while thinking about what I had done yesterday: Stock listing after start-up… that’s ridiculous. A start-up is difficult, and the listing is even more difficult.

The first note was like that. In fact, I had always wanted to start a business, but that was the story of my college days when I had no money.

‘I have money now, and a lot. I don’t have to go through such a process. Actually, the answer comes in a second, and the reason I’ve scribbled this note is that I once had a desire to start a business in the past, and I wanted to take it back.

‘The real answer is a takeover.

‘Of course, an acquisition is the answer. This is immediately feasible if I invest tens of million dollars. The upgrade to the Diamond Class will also be instantaneous. There are also many stocks on the KOSDAQ with the market capital of less than thirty million dollars. Among them, some major shareholders have shares of less than ten million dollars. If I think about it, I can upgrade to a Diamond Class cheaper than to the Platinum Class.

‘Then what will I take over?

‘It’s better to find out a company that comes up for sale first, then it’s cheap. Common sense is that things they don’t want to sell become expensive. The same goes for a company. If I go to a company that’s doing well, and say, “Sell it to me,” the answer is likely to be “No” or “How much do you think?”

‘Of course, if the majority stake is low, it may engage in hostile M&A, but the process is not smooth, either. Major shareholders will try to protect their shares and the price of their shares will become higher amid a dispute over their stakes. The ants who are holding shares are welcome with a pair of hands, but from the buyer’s point of view, they taste like porridge.

‘Let’s take over a company that’s on the market to be bought

‘However, it should also be noted that companies that are generally in the market are in poor condition. It’s the same with regular ants. The same goes for major shareholders, as they sell when the company is unlikely to make a profit in the future and when the company is likely to lose its value in the future. If a deficit is expected, and there is no way to make money, they will sell it only when there is no way to break even.

‘Then I take over a company that’s healthy among the companies that come out for sale.

This was the final answer, and I put another line in it.

– A company that will have a synergy with the news of 12 Hours After.

‘The acquisition of a company isn’t really what I imagined, but if I try it, the answer would be to take over a company that I could help. Because it will cost a lot of money to buy a company, I should manage it well so that I can make a profit. If I buy it, I can’t ignore it. Moreover, the above class may require more company control: dominate five companies. Control ten, fifteen, fifty…

‘I have to put in the first run well to do it. If the first company successfully settles profits by using the news in 12 Hours After and 12 Days After, I will likely gain confidence in the future.’

The answer to this matter came to some conclusion.

– First of all, People Search and an entertainment company that can have a synergy are top priorities.

That was the end of this memo pad. I began to write a new note down there.

– Then when do I have to take over, with how much?

‘Of course, the more the better. It would be neat to take over a company with the market capital of about $100,000,000, after earning $300,000,000. But it takes too long. Now, as it was when I was handling $10,000 or $100,000, I cannot make such a miraculous profit three times or four times a week. The same was true of the duty-free shop case last time. Whether it is the KOSPI or KOSDAQ, the more money I have, the more it affects the volume of trading, the less profit I will make.

‘This is beyond my power. Jim Rogers said the market in Korea is too small to invest in.’

Well, now I was better than Jim Rogers and Warren Buffett. Even if I had the news of 12 Hours After and 12 Days After, I cannot help the KOSPI and KOSDAQ markets grow. I could make $300,000,000, but it could take a long half year to do so. If there were events such as a duty-free shop acquisition contest every day, it would be possible. After reaching more than $100,000,000, the pace of rapid earnings would slow down. Then it would be too late to secure a Diamond Class.

‘Yes, I might make money faster if I got a Diamond Class, but you don’t have to save too much. Then let’s take over a moderately small and generous company, with the market capital of about $100,000,000 and with a stake of a major shareholder less than $30,000,000. Of course, I would have to earn over $30,000,000, right?’

I circled ‘over $30,000,000’ in my assets. I was confident about this. Whether or not there would be big events like a duty-free shop acquisition, it would only take about a month or two for me to increase my $8,900,000 in assets now. I wrote one last line of notes.

‘By the way… It’s a real game now. Do I have to take over in my name? Or should I set up an investment company?’

I should go to the latter. As a matter of fact, there was too much to care about as the amount of investment exceeded $10,000,000. There was an accounting problem and there was a tax problem. It would not be too difficult to run an investment company in itself.

‘The key of an investment company is money and investment methods, both of which I can solve. I’ll need a few assistants in the process.

‘Assistant…’

I wrote the word ‘assistant’ on the notebook and drew a circle.

‘Assistant…’

I circled the word ‘assistant’ until I could not see it, and then I remembered a name… Seo Ji-hoon.

Seo Ji-hoon was a college alumnus and a co-worker who was with me when I tried to start a business. He was a business administration major, and he was also knowledgeable in the practice of start-ups.

‘If I ask him, I’ll get something.’

I found his name on my cell phone. Suddenly, I recalled the conversation I had had with him. “We’re going to be the legendary start-up duo, like Steve Jobs and Wozniak. Who’s Jobs and who’s Wozniak? Brother?”

I repeated a college entrance exam, and he did not. So, I was a year older than him.

“I’m sorry, but you’re Wozniak. How much do you weigh? 80kg? 90kg? Of course, I’ll be Jobs.”

Ji-hoon had been extremely obese when he was young, so he stayed in shape until he graduated from college. He was pretty cute with that round face and body.

“What do you do if you decide by our looks? You are a science student and I am a student of business administration, so Jobs is me. Besides, did you know Jobs is a business manager, and I’m supposed to be Jobs. Wozniak is a pure engineer.”

“Why do you want to be Jobs? Some people don’t like him. There are a lot of people in Silicon Valley who say he’s evil.”

“The rich are supposed to use a lot of swear words. I don’t hate it. I’m going to make a lot of money, and I will earn a lot of expletives.”

I laughed my head off at the remark, “I’m going to make a lot of money, and I will earn a lot of expletives.” It was because I thought the same.

“Wozniak is pretty rich, too. No, by our standards, he must be very rich. He’s one of the founders of Apple.”

“But he is less rich than Jobs, isn’t he?”

“It’s because he gave away Apple shares to other employees when he was young. In the eighties… When the stock price of Apple was just a few dollars… If he hadn’t given it away, you’d have been rich like Jobs. Jobs got fired from Apple.”

“Well, I’m not still attracted to Wozniak.”

“Then let’s be Bill Gates and Paul Allen.”

“I’m Bill Gates, right?”

I laughed at the thought of the conversation with him. ‘Ji-hoon, what is he doing these days? I haven’t heard from him in almost half a year.’

At that time, we were preparing to start a business and gave up after considering the necessary funds for start-up.

“Dear brother, don’t you have any support from home?”

“No. What about you?”

“Me either…”

Both of us were born with a plastic spoon in our mouths, so there was nowhere to get the money. After that, I got a job first and I couldn’t contact him often because I was busy at work. When I last contacted him, I only heard that he was working somewhere.

‘Umm…’

I sent a text message to Ji-hoon.

– How are you, Ji-hoon? There’s something I want to talk to you about. When will you have time?

I texted him like that and threw my cell phone away. I thought he was busy because he was working somewhere. Then, a reply came right away. Wi-ying!

‘What…?

I got a phone call.

– How are you? I am available at any time.

– Are you not working?

– I’m working, but… anyway, I am available.

There was something wrong with the nuance.

– Do you want to see me today? Now?

– Yes, I do. Where shall we meet?

– Gangnam Station. Exit 9.

– Yes, I’ll go, brother. What time?

————————-

“Yo, Ji-hoon.”

“Brother!”

I hugged Ji-hoon after a long time. Ji-hoon was fluffy when I hug him. I thought he gained more weight than before.

“How are you?”

“Brother, what about you?”

But the moment I tried to answer something, he looked up and down at me and said, “Hmm? You didn’t go to work today, did you?”

I was dressed in sweatshirts and slippers.

‘To others, Gangnam Station is a place where people leave their homes to get to, but to me, it is only my neighborhood.’

I said, scratching my head, “Uh… It’s… Actually, I have a lot to talk about. With you.”

“I have a lot to talk about, too.”

“Yes, then… Did you have dinner?”

“No, I didn’t because I thought you’d buy it.”

“Yes, yes, but before we go to eat… Let’s go together.”

“Where?”

I walked for about a minute with Ji-hoon. No, about thirty seconds. There was my studio.

“Hey, brother… Coffee before we have a meal?”

Ji-hoon saw a coffee shop on the first floor of the building and said that, but I quietly dragged him to the elevator and pressed the twelfth floor.

“Well, this is…”

I did not say anything. It was because if he saw, he would believe. I opened the door and went in.

“Ji-hoon… Come in for now.”

Ji-hoon came into my room looking at me, and he looked around. I wondered what to say. ‘Ji-hoon, I got the grand prize winnings of a Lotto. Five times. But I did the stock trading with the money…’

But before that, Ji-hoon suddenly asked me when he saw the frame of my family photo, “Can I hit you once, brother?”

“Why?”

When I asked him, he cried out, “You said that you were a person who was born with a plastic spoon in your mouth!”

Chapter 53 - An Investment Firm That Never Loses, Part II

“You deceitful man!” Ji-hoon looked at me with a throbbing expression.

I raised my hands and said to him. “Ji-hoon, listen to my story.”

But Ji-hoon couldn’t calm down his excitement. “Don’t you remember when we gave up on our start-ups because we didn’t have much money?”

‘How couldn’t I remember that?’ I answered him, “$50,000!”

“Yes, $50,000. At that time, we had all the ideas, but gave them up on them because we didn’t have $50,000!”

“Yes…”

Ji-hoon said, pointing to the expensive items in my room. “What’s this? What about that chair? What about that computer? Those things on that desk are $10,000!”

I understood this guy’s anger. We gave up on our dreams because of money.

“No, Ji-hoon. Take your time. You know what my parents do. And you came to my hometown. Don’t you remember? I was born into a poor family?”

When I brought up the old story, Ji-hoon’s excitement finally tampered down a bit.

“Oh, it was… it was… That’s right…” Ji-hoon came to my house during vacation. He had a meal at our little more than 99 square-meter house and rode in an old Korean car, my father’s car.

“Then, this is… What is it? What the hell?”

I made my brain work. ‘What should I say? Shall I just be honest?’

But then Ji-hoon suddenly opened his eyes wide and said, “Hey, maybe…”

‘Maybe?’

“Did you buy Bitcoin?”

It was an unexpected question. By the way, I didn’t think it was a bad idea to go with that story. If I said I had increased my money by the stock trading and got the Lotto grand prize five times, it would be a little hard for him to believe.

“Oh, yeah… That’s right. I bought some Bitcoin, in the early days of that.”

I made up a story that I saw somewhere on the Internet and told him as much as I could remember.

“I have a friend who majored in computer among my high school alumni… He told me to buy some Bitcoins before I went to the military, so that I might get a great hit. It was about when I was about to go to the army. I left to join the army after drinking with the money from my part-time job, but there was only $30 left in my account… and I bought it.”

“So?”

“And I forgot. Of course, I didn’t remember when I was in the army, and I was busy going back to school after I left the army. I forgot, but I after I found out on the news recently I remembered I had some Bitcoin. So when I looked through the old computer, I found the Bitcoin…”

“Huh…” Ji-hoon flung out his tongue as if he didn’t believe it. I raised my hands and said, pointing to my studio. “I just sold it. The result is this studio.”

Ji-hoon looked at me for a moment and exclaimed, “Brother…”

“Huh?”

“That’s great! Really!”

I thought inside, It’s good to call you, too.

Ji-hoon had been a very pure and nice guy for a long time. I was a person who personally thought that if I wanted to see a person’s bare face, I should see him drunk. This guy used to drink with me every day in college, and would speak from his heart every time, “Let’s try our best. We can do it. My parents won’t be able to help me beyond college. I’m sorry. The last time I went to your house… Your sister is pretty. Does she have a boyfriend?”

Though he was a little far from subtle or refined, he was naturally a good man. Our school had traditionally been stronger in the liberal arts majors than the sciences, but Ji-hoon had always been a top student at the department of business administration. He was also known for his amazing ideas and knowledge in the start-up club where we met. However, basically, I didn’t have any money.

“So how have you been? I heard you were working somewhere last time.”

“I… I started my own business after all.”

“Really?”

“I started a business invested in by the people around me. But then the idea couldn’t be revealed to others.”

The item we had tried to start was meaningless as soon as we told someone. So we couldn’t even get an investor. In this industry, investors were often forced to take an idea and throw them away.

“But… I just got an investment due to my academic background and my activities at the start-up club. It was a small amount.”

“So?”

“Do you know Mawith?”

“Ah… I think I’ve heard of it.” Mawith was an investment firm formed by large companies, specializing in start-ups.

“But the information was leaked. They started the exact same thing as our business, with greater capital. Of course, we were pushed away, because we didn’t have any money.”

“Ah…”

Ji-hoon said, dropping his head. “So, in a word, I’m doomed. Actually, I was at work today, but… the last remaining developer said he would pull out because he did not receive a month’s pay. So, I just scraped the money out of my account and sent it to him.”

I said, patting him on the shoulder. “It’s okay. If you failed this time, if you try again…”

“But it’s not easy, especially in our country… If someone fails in other countries once, they think he’ll do well next time. However, if someone fails in our country once, they think he will fail again. So I was intending to contact you, not today, but tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.”

“Why?”

“Why? To get a job. You had an interview and got a job; I was going to ask you that. But… I didn’t think you would be coming out with slippers to Gangnam Station.”

I nodded, “Yes, I did…”

While I was being robbed at work, he was living hard, too. The difference was that I had been incredibly lucky. I said, tapping Ji Hoon on the shoulder.

“But don’t be too depressed. I’ll be the new investor.”

“Yes?”

“It’s as I said. I know you well. You were supposed to be a success. You’re going to do better now because you’ve failed once.”

Ji-hoon looked at me with his big eyes. “Brother! Thank you just for talking! Brother!” Ji-hoon acted like he was crying at me.

I talked to him on the back. “Yes, but also, I have a favor to ask you.”

“What’s that? Just name it. I’ll help you with everything.”

“Yes, that’s good. Let’s go out and talk about it.”

“Yes!”

In the end, we decided to unite again. I dressed up moderately and went out the door with Ji-hoon. I was standing in front of the elevator, pressing the down button and waiting for a moment.

“How did you get in here?”

“I picked this place because it was my favorite one, my taste here.”

“I see—”

Then the elevator door opened and a beautiful woman in a black dress appeared. My other neighbor, the landlord, Lee Ah-young. I greeted her first. “Hello.”

She also looked at Ji-hoon and me. “Oh, hello.” She greeted us with a small burp and passed us by. As she did, there was a faint smell of alcohol, along with the smell of perfume.

‘Did she have a glass of wine somewhere?’

I got into the elevator thinking that way and pressed the first floor and waited for the elevator to close.

But as soon as the elevator door closed, Ji-hoon shook his fists again and said, “Wow, who’s that woman? Do you know her?”

“Why?”

“She is so pretty…”

“Oh… yes. I was very surprised when I first saw her. She is very pretty with her pride and elegance.”

“Ah, such a beautiful lady lives here. You look like you are rich now. Seriously. Your neighbor is a celebrity!”

I said, shaking my head, “She’s not a celebrity.”

“Well, I think she could be a celebrity?”

“I’ve searched, too, but she is not an entertainer. She’s just the owner of the building. I’m paying monthly rent from her, too.”

“Monthly rent?” Ji-hoon looked at me with a look of disappointment.

“Yes, the rent is monthly… Let’s go talk.”

————————

“So you want to set up an investment company,” Ji-hoon said, turning over the well-cooked meat on the fire.

“Yes. The kind of company that aims to merge with other companies.”

“There’s a special purpose acquisition company or something like that.”

“I know, but I’m not going to do that, but I’m going to continue to raise capital and invest, and I’m going to own a lot of other companies in the long run. I want to start a parent company like that, okay? I want you to do it for me.”

“That’s what I can do for you. I’ve already set up a company. By the way, how rich are you?”

My assets were not what they were. My current account had about $8,900,000, but that would be more than $10,000,000 in a week or two, anyway. In fact, my biggest asset was my position as a Platinum-Class subscriber of 12 Hours After, rather than money.

When I didn’t answer, Ji-hoon started to calculate by himself. “I met you after you went back to school. And you joined the army… If you got Bitcoin worth $30, then…”

“No, just know I’m rich.” I took a shot of Soju to keep him from calculating. “Cheers!”

We did a one-shot, the same thing in our school days, without anyone to say anything about it. Our start-up club inherited the old club style of our seniors until us, and if we hit the glass, it was a one-shot.

“Ch…”

We filled each other with empty glasses. This alcohol reminded me of the old days. We were going to be Steve Jobs, or Bill Gates.

The days when there was no money and only dreams were there. Since then, we’d all seen bitterness in reality, but now we didn’t have to. Now I had the power to make my dream come true. I was on my way.

Without touching his favorite meat, Ji-hoon told me carefully, “Hey, brother, I would like to prepare the start-up for you, but…”

“But?”

“My parents told me to get a job now, so… I’m a little worried. I’ve been without an income for a while.”

‘Oh, that’s the story.’ I heard a word and understood his situation in a heartbeat. But at the same time, I also realized that Ji-hoon didn’t understand my situation well. I raised my glass and said, “Hey. That’s enough. You’re worrying about some money in front of me. I’ll give it to you. Your salary.”

“Really?”

“Yes, you don’t have to worry about getting a job. You’ll get paid to work. Um… I will give you $5,000 a month, enough?”

Ji Hoon’s eyes grew bigger in what I said.

“$5,000 a month?” Ji Hoon’s hand, still holding a Soju cup, shook a little.

I put my glass to the trembling glass lightly and said, “Yes. I’ll give you that much. Do your best.”

Ji-hoon replied in a slightly emotional voice, “Brother, I’ll do my best to be loyal.”

Chapter 54 - An Investment Firm That Never Loses, Part III

[There was an update error during the modification. I’m sure many of you haven’t seen the published article serially in the system since the alarm went off yesterday. Go back and watch Hanhwa.]

——————–

“Uh…” I got up holding my head. My head ached. I got up from my sofa.

‘Sofa?’ As I saw it now, Ji-hoon was sleeping in my bed.

Looking at him reminded me of a rarity. Drinking Soju, Makgeolli, and beer, I even drank a glass of spirits that I didn’t drink normally.

‘Brother, it’s $800 a bottle. Is it okay?’

‘Don’t ever talk about the price in front of me again. Drink it up. Drink up.’

It was worth having a headache.

‘What time is it now?’

I found my cell phone. It was 8:40. The habit was scary. Even if I drank like that, my eyes opened at 8:40. I sat down on the sofa again with a glass of cold water. Fortunately, today was Saturday, and the stock market was not open. I didn’t have to rush to check the news and sit on the computer. However, I checked the mailbox. In the mailbox, the emails I received last night were still there. The arrival time was 8:55 p.m.

[P. 12 Hours After]

[P. 12 Days After]

As they said, this passive skill was overlaid with other passive skills. After taking the passive skill Additional News, there came two emails at 8:55 p.m., 12 Hours After and 12 Days After.

I tried to look at them by clicking on them. No matter what they sent me Friday night, the news in 12 Days After could be useful. I tried to open the email. There was a ‘read’ sign next to the email. I guessed I had seen the email after drinking so much yesterday.

‘… I’m a big subscriber.’

I looked at all the emails I had gone through with that thought. I didn’t remember anything about yesterday, and there was only bad news in it. I looked at the clock again. It was 8:53.

‘It’s time to look.’

The news 12 Hours After would disappear of its own in just twelve hours. I didn’t know how it worked like that, but it was probably a secret. I took a drink of cold water.

Then, Ji-hoon rolled on the bed and talked in his sleep, “Give me another chance…”

I grinned at him. ‘You must have had a hard time.’

It was sad to see that. In fact, if Ji-hoon was as good as he was, joining a large company was not a big deal. He used to be a top student in the department of business administration. As he grew up in the U.S. for several years when he was young, he was good at English. Even if he couldn’t pick where he wanted to go for a year or so, he would get a good job somewhere. In a way, it was even greater to have chosen a difficult path, leaving the easy path if needed.

‘Though he failed in the end… he’s going to make himself stronger. It’s great that we met here again.

‘In the world, it’s hard to find a competent colleague, and even more difficult to find a trusted colleague. We parted because of our circumstances, but it’s time to join forces again. Of course, it has become an employer-employee relationship, not a “Steve Jobs and Wozniak” partnership, like before.’

It had been a while. I turned my head back to my mailbox. As expected, the old emails were gone.

[P. 12 Hours After]

[P. 12 Days After]

There was a new email. As usual, this email came at 8:55 a.m. Compared to the fact that I couldn’t pick a category when I was in the Bronze Class and only got one news a day, I was now getting twenty-eight news articles. That wasn’t just as useful as twenty-eight times, it was also clear that there was a higher chance of getting news that was worth some money. I quickly glanced through the news.

‘But… not today.’

Unfortunately, there was nothing today despite the twenty-eight-fold increase in probability. I threw my cell phone down and lay down on the sofa again, closing my eyes. I didn’t have to make money every day, but I felt bad because I didn’t have good news to make money.

‘I’m sure he’s alive, too. Shall we take the grand prize in Lotto again?’

————————

“Hurrah-.” Ji-hoon inhaled the soup coolly. “Uh, now you’re well off. How much did we drink yesterday, brother?”

“I have a rare memory, too. I’m glad the bar was near my house, or I almost fell asleep by the side of the road.”

“Of course.”

Ji-hoon finally came to his senses after slapping himself in the face with his hands. It was almost 1 p.m.. “But the view here is really nice, “Ji-hoon said, looking at the scenery outside of my studio window.

I followed him outside and said, “I have to pay for it. The monthly rent is $6,000.”

“$6,000?” Ji-hoon looked at me, his eyes sticking out.

“Yes.”

“Then that beautiful owner of the building that I saw yesterday… Is she making $6,000 a month?”

“It’s $6,000 a month. I think she’s got five or six in this studio building under her name. Of course, $30,000 to $36,000 won’t be the monthly rent every month, but… that’s what she is going to do.”

“Oh, she’s so pretty, she’s got a lot of money… her life must be exciting. If a beauty like that makes $30,000 to $36,000 a month, where would she spend it all? It’s Europe, America, Africa, and I think she’ll have to go abroad every day.”

“Well…” The conversation kept shifting to useless talk. I asked him insinuatingly, “Do you remember everything I said yesterday?”

“What did you say yesterday?”

I put my forehead on. Maybe he forgot all about that.

“Yes, I haven’t called you to drink together in a long time.”

“Yes, I know. Are you doubting me?” Ji-hoon said with curiosity.

I asked him like an interview, “Then why did I call you yesterday?”

“To set up an investment company. I know the field well.”

“And then?”

“You asked me to look for a company to take over.”

“What kind of company is it?”

“Entertainment. Or a company where people are the main players.”

“Yes, that’s good.” I gave Ji-hoon a smack on the back. As expected, he was brilliant.

Ji-hoon tapped his chest and said, “Don’t worry, brother. Who am I? Yes? Isn’t this Seo Ji-hoon, the genius of the ten-year history of the founding club? I met a lot of investment companies while I was a start-up company. I’ve learned a lot about investing in them. Trust me.”

“Yes. I only believe in you.”

“Brother… Do you remember what you said yesterday for sure?”

“What?”

“$5,000 a month.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. I’ll give you a big bonus if you work well.”

“Yes, sir.” Whenever he talked about money, he put the word “sir” on his words.

‘Is this a power of $5,000 per month?’

After he got rid of his hangover, Ji-hoon got up from his seat. “I’m going to go now. Thank you for calling me.”

“Don’t mention it. I’ll start working with you and who will I be with?”

“Yes.” Ji-hoon went to the door with a single smile. “Oh, by the way… What are you going to name your company?”

“Well… I haven’t thought about it yet.”

I thought for a moment. What would be the name? I’d never thought about it. I asked Ji-hoon the other way around.

“What good name do you have?”

“Concept or… Don’t you have that?”

“Concept?”

“Yes. It’s good to name it. We used to do it when we were in the start-up club. What we are going to do with brand-naming.”

I could remember a little bit from back then. “Well… OK. My investment company concept is… An investment firm that never loses.”

Ji-hoon rewrote my words as if he didn’t want to forget them.

“An investment firm that never loses…”

“Yes. An investment firm that never loses. That’s my company concept. I’ve never thought about a specific name before. I’ll think about the name. Think about it, too.”

“Brother. I’ll call you as soon as I get on with my work.”

“Yes, about your salary… I’ll just give it to you as of today. Text me your account number.”

“Huh, oh, really?”

“Yes, just leave your account number.”

“Thank you, my brother.”

——

Ji-hoon thanked me several times and left the studio. It wasn’t long before I got a text message [Seo Ji-hoon, Mingook Bank XXX-XXXXX-XXX].

He sent it fast.

‘He must have been desperate.’

I remitted $5,000 to him right away. I started to close the mobile phone app, but I remembered something.

‘Ah…’

At my thought, I pressed to add the account transfer. I had been putting $3,000 each into my dad’s and mom’s account since last month, as it was time to send the allowance after a month.

‘Let’s see… $3,000 in my dad’s account, $3,000 in my mom’s account.’

After a while after the transfer, my dad called me.

“Sang-hoon.”

“Yes, dad.”

“Did you send $3,000 each for us? I didn’t even use the money I got last month.”

“No, it’s just… it’s a reward for raising your son.”

“No, but there’s too much… Are you all right?”

“Don’t worry about me.”

“Yes, I see. Thank you, son.”

As soon as my dad’s phone was finished, my mom called me.

“Sang-hoon, why did you put so much money in here? We’re fine.”

“No, I’ve got a lot of money, but I can’t be the only one who eats well. I have to be filial at a time like this. Take it.”

“Thank you. Is your new place okay?”

“Yes, I like it. Come sometime.”

“Yes, we will.”

After the call with my parents, I looked down at my cell phone for a while and called my sister.

“Hello, brother?”

“Yes, Su-jeong.”

“Why? What’s going on? I’m busy right now.”

“…Oh, well, that’s a good story.”

“Speak quickly. I came to the cafe with my friends.”

‘Is that a busy matter?’

“I’ve decided to start up again with my former colleague.”

“Really? Will you do it again? Don’t you think you’re going to lose everything you earned with the Lotto?”

I said to my sister, forcing my blood pressure to rise slowly. “I think I’m going to be a little busy in the future anyway. So I hope you’ll be nice to our parents at home, because I won’t be home often to do that.”

“What you’re talking about?” She was asking what I was talking about, even though she understood it.

I spoke in a direct way, “I’ll give you $1,000.”

“$1,000?”

“$1,000 every month. Try to serve our parents both materially and spiritually on my behalf.”

Su-jeong changed her posture in an instant. “I’ll do it, brother.”

‘Bah. As expected.’

“Yes, then, please.”

“Yes, brother.”

At the end of the conversation, I hung up the phone. ‘Money is also a thing of temptation. If anyone shows it, they’re deluded, and if anyone gives it to them, they obey.’

The reason I didn’t realize this was that I was always tempted by money and obedient. However, I was against it now. I would be now the CEO and owner of an investment company, and with this money, I would delude others and make them obedient to me.

Chapter 55 - The Wolf Of Gangnam Street, Part I

I put my hand on the popcorn.

In front of me, Leonardo DiCaprio had a fiery tongue. “Poverty is never noble! I’ve lived as a rich man and as poor man, and if someone asks me to choose between them, I’ll always choose the rich. At least then, when I am in trouble, I can face the problem with at least a $2,000 suit in my limousine and a $40,000 watch.”

I brought the coke to my mouth. Sweet cola hit my throat with thrilling carbonic acid.

“Are you finding it hard to live on because you’re behind in the loan on your car? Then call the customer and sell the stock. Does the landlord want you to leave? That’s great. Pick up the phone and dial it. Does your girlfriend ignore you as a loser? Great! Then turn the dial. All the problems are solved with money!”

The movie in which Leonardo DiCaprio was speaking was Martin Scorsese’s “The Wolf of Wall Street.” This was a story about a trickster on Wall Street who became a huge rich man and then collapsed. I’d seen it before, but I suddenly thought about it and rehashed it again when I decided to set up an investment company in earnest this time.

Leonardo DiCaprio shouted loudly, holding a microphone in his hand. “Let’s hit an out-of-the-park homer with this stock!”

I shook my head with a big chew of popcorn. ‘Ch… this speech scene… amazing.’

I pressed back on the remote control. The movie ran backwards and returned to where Leonardo gave his speech again. The beam project behind me had once again vividly recreated the famous scene.

“Poverty is never noble!”

The place I was watching the movie was one of the rooms inside my studio. I chose this 165 square-meter studio because of the scenery outside, but it was too big for me, who had lived only in a six square-meter studio since I had entered college. Even if I did more shopping and filled it up with furniture, there was a room left.

So I filled one of the spare rooms with a sofa, beam projector, and speakers, and made it a private theater. It cost me about $20,000 to decorate like this, but if I was listening to vivid pictures and sounds, I didn’t think it was a waste of money.

I put my hand to the popcorn once again. I had bought the popcorn and cola at the movie theater in Gangnam Station, three minutes away. I bought only popcorn and coke without watching the movie. Still, I was probably not a bad customer because I boosted their sales. By the way, I had been watching a movie for a long time.

Wi-ying. The cell phone alarm went off. 8:50 p.m.

‘Oh, is it that time already?’

I stopped the movie and came to the front of the computer. I waited for five minutes and received the emails.

[P. 12 Hours After]

[P. 12 Days After]

Right now it was Sunday evening. 12 Hours After was not very useful, but 12 Days After was meaningful. If I knew what was going to happen in twelve days, I would buy shares sometime next week. The sad thing was that I’d been in a shambles for nothing. Twice a day, there were no fish on the line.

‘Let me have a good fish today…’

I had really good news in the Economy category of 12 Days After.

[A contract of $865,400,000 exports of Essen Bio to German Pharmaceuticals]

‘Essen Bio?’

The important thing here was whether or not this company was listed. No matter how good it might be, there was nothing I could do if it was not listed. I immediately typed ‘Essen Bio’ into the search box.

‘There it is!’

Essen Bio was a pharmaceutical company with the market capital of one billion listed on the KOSPI. I read the article then.

[Essen Bio made an announcement on the fourteenth that it has signed an agreement with German drug-maker Leven Science to export its VL360 drug, an antibody drug, for $865,400,000. Essen Bio will receive $30,000,000 in contract fees, $20,000,000 in research fees, and $815,400,000 in technical fees for each step.]

‘A contract worth $865,400,000 from a company with a total of one billion dollars’ market capital.’

It was a big fish. I read down on the article. Unfortunately, there was no talk of the stock price rising or falling. It was okay, though. This was a good enough price to go over the ceiling.

‘All right, I’ll have to buy Essen Bio all week. The official announcement date is the fourteenth.’

The fourteenth was next Thursday. It was Friday, exactly twelve days from today. Just as 12 Hours After, in which there was a variety of news from now to twelve hours later, there seemed to be news from today to up to twelve days from now in the news of 12 Days After. I put ‘Essen Bio’ on top of my watch list. The amount of money I had now was about $8,900,000. A company with a total of one billion dollars’ market capital was the perfect prey.

———————–

The next day, I split the time into small pieces while the stock market was open and bought Essen Bio in the market. At 9 a.m., I bought $400,000 and played games. Then I bought again for $400,000 at 11 a.m. During the lunchtime, I put another $400,000 at 1 p.m., $400,000 at 3 p.m. reading comic books and $400,000 at the close. The total was $2,000,000 through five buy orders.

It was better to buy shares after reading the news in 12 Days After than buying them after watching the news of 12 Hours After, as I could buy shares without raising prices as quickly as before. Essen Bio even fell today, even though I bought $2,000,000 worth.

[Essen Bio $13.40 –0.74%]

My average loss was about 2%. The loss today alone reached $40,000, but I was fine since it was a stock that was going to climb anyway.

‘I’d rather buy a good stock at a lower price. Sell more, you guys.’

Looking at today’s trading trends, foreign investors bought it, but it was sold by institutional investors. The pension funds, which played with the people’s money, had a massive sell-off today.

‘I think the pension fund operators won’t get this information first. Even if it’s a pension fund, it’s only predicting the future with the information they have, not trading it with information from the future.’

Tuesday, I bought the same $2,000,000. By the way, the stock price continued to fluctuate. Foreigners selling stocks in bulk today meant my net loss as of today was over $100,000.

‘It’s all right, it’s all right now.’

I went on with it, though. It would be up next Friday at the latest. I made the same purchase on Wednesday. By the way, the stock price fell again. -3%. I lost $200,000 today alone. I was a little nervous at this point.

‘What… isn’t there going to be a lot of bad news in a week? The contract notice will be released on Thursday.’

I thought it was good to have time, but in 12 Days After, the news didn’t have this problem. In 12 Hours After, there was no time for other variables since time was urgent. So, knowing the results that day I could make a profit with little risk. The news in 12 Days After could be a little dangerous. I didn’t know what was going to happen between the twelve days.

‘Well… I’m going to keep this in mind. I was going to buy splitting it up as much as I could, and then I might get caught up in some unexpected bad news.’

It was $300,000 out of $8,900,000. It was okay because I did not lose a lot yet, but I should be a little careful about buying them all this week.

‘Is it because there’s still no one who’s quick on the information?’

I logged on to the chat room on ‘Garden Envy’ after a long time. I wanted to know what was going on here. When I entered the chat room, the first thing I saw was a notice.

Master T

– We won’t have a meeting this week. Stay focused on your work and see you next week.

– This week, there is free debate, not a discussion topic.

This meeting did not seem to be held every week. I didn’t mean to go back to the strange gathering, anyway. I saw the number of people in the room, eighty-eight. It was more than it used to be. Like section chief Kim Hye-sook, who invited me there, it seemed like there were more people who had been asked by that Master T, Director Tak Joon-gi.

‘It’s… it’s weird.’ I looked at the chat window, thinking like that.

Dr. J.

– I think there will be good news for Yugil Pharmaceuticals around next Wednesday. Buy it now.

Luminous

– Dr. J., what’s the good news?

Dr. J.

– New drug trials in the U.S. It is said that the second phase clinical trials will be good.

Triple K

– Well, doesn’t it take a long time to go on sale, even if the second phase is successful?

Sunnyside Up

– But the stock price will jump. Thank you for the good information. I’m going in too.

In this chat room, there were a lot of bio-pharmaceuticals stories. I didn’t know if it was because there were many doctors or because the pharmaceutical bio stocks were hot. I chatted for the first time, looking at the chat window.

Duros

– Members, do you happen to know Essen Bio? Do you have any good news or bad news?

The doctors stuck to my chat.

Dr. J.

– That is where they develop cures for autoimmune diseases. They exported technology to China last year, and don’t have much these days.

They had a story about what they did just by seeing the name. It was as expected.

Dr. Lee Sang-han

– That contract made good sales last year. It’s a tech company, but I think there is a little bubble on it right now. If it’ were about 10 percent cheaper than now, I would buy it.

I’d already bought $6,000,000. If it was ten percent cheaper, I would lose $600,000. It was a dizzying amount.

Stock Specialist

– I bought it last year when it hit the jackpot. I’ve been holding it for half a year. It’s not fun. After selling it with a loss, I’m going to buy something else.

‘I see.’

The doctors did not seem to know that there was such a contract. But this big announcement was hard to know unless they were an insider. Having grasped the mood, I decided not to buy more shares right away, but watched the stock price a little more.

—

Thursday. Stocks fluctuated between ups and downs before ending in a 0% combination. On Friday, it rose +3%. As I was holding $6,000,000 worth of shares, I recovered about $200,000.

‘Was it just a breeze that the stock price fell the last time?’

I thought so. The next Monday, I bought an additional $2,000,000. The stock price ended in the +1% range.

Tuesday, I used my credit to buy $2,000,000 more. The stock price was +1%. There was no sign of fluctuation. I recovered all the losses today. The last 4$ loss seemed to have been a simple supply and demand problem.

Wednesday. In one more day, there would be good news. There was no further delay.

I used my credit and bought an additional $6,000,000. Total purchases were now $16,000,000 Perhaps because of my buying spree, the stock price rose to +4%. A 4% increase would be normal. It was a little difficult to say if the information was spreading.

‘As I know, some of the major shareholders buy and sell stocks under borrowed-name accounts if there is good news.’ But at this company, there would be decent news. ‘Even sooner than I… they could have bought it twelve days ago.’

Come to think of it, it was more likely. A big deal like this would have made sense twelve days ago…

——

Eventually, it became the Thursday of fate. The stock price was just like that on Thursday. It got down and climbed up, and then around 11 am, Essen Bio reached the upper limit price as the announcement was up.

[An export contract of $865,400,000 of Essen Bio with German Pharmaceuticals]

I looked at my account with a total of +$5,000,000 printed on it and thought. ‘It’s easy. It’s easy.’

But suddenly, I was curious about the reaction of the people at Garden Envy. I dropped by the chat room.

Dr. J.

– Wow. Essen Bio reached the upper limit price. I think I saw it in this chat room a while ago.

Idios

– Yeah, I think I saw it.

Dr. Lee Sang-han

– I’m looking up the chat window. It’s the stock that Duros mentioned.

Sure enough, there was someone who was referring to me. I roughly put it around.

Duros

– No, I just bought a little, $100,000, because the chart looked good. I should have bought it more. Idios, did you have any information?

Idios

– If you bought $100,000, you’ll get plus thirty thousand today. Good.

Dr. Lee Sang-han

– You’re a chart specialist! You’re amazing.

…

‘I actually bought $16,000,000…’

I didn’t say any more. I didn’t want to get noticed for anything.

——

Friday, the next day, Essen Bio started with 27% early in the market, but was up 30% in a minute, hitting the ceiling on it. Putting the two days together, I made nearly $10,000,000. I looked at it and thought. ‘At least the $10,000,000 unit is easy to make.’

Chapter 56 - The Wolf Of Gangnam Street, Part II

I floated my account on the monitor at once. The total number of accounts I’d been running these days was four: Dooly Financial, Hanshin Securities, Kiwi Securities, and Mate Securities. Each held $7,000,000 in shares of Essen Bio, the total was $28,000,000. I checked the remaining volume at the upper limit price this time.

‘Let’s see… How many people want to buy right now…’

Even though it was the upper limit for the second straight day, $5,000,000 was still on standby for those who wanted to buy the stock. It was a large quantity, but I had too many shares.

‘Then, let’s sell it from here.’

I decided to take my foot off. Given the remaining volume at the upper limit price, this stock was likely to go further for the time being. But my stock volume was too big. No matter how if I was a lion, I couldn’t eat all the buffalo I’d hunted by myself. I’d eat deliciously, but leave the rest of the bones for the hyena crowd. Some of the hyenas who came too late might not be able to eat anything and return with their empty stomachs.

Like Hansel and Gretel, who were lost again, I took a piece of bread and sold a tiny bit of the stock I had on the road.

“Sell order…and sell order…”

Not a few tens of thousands, I threw them in four accounts like a Gatling gun. I sold them on a rotating basis. If they knew that a big hand went on a massive selling spree, the ants might run away in confusion.

‘It should not be. Take all my shares, and then make money or not.’

I ate all the flesh and handed the bones over to them. Of course, I didn’t know whether there would be any remaining flesh there, I ate only this much. At around 1 p.m., I secretly sold about $4,000,000 of shares. The remaining shares were $24,000,000. Even after I sold $4,000,000 worth, the remaining volume was the same. That was because even though shares were sold at the upper limit price, the same amount of money was waiting for more.

‘I think it’ll go further.’

——

Thinking so, I took my cell phone, wallet, and even Garden Envy’s cell phone and came out of the studio. If I walked for about five minutes, there was a snack bar. I continued to sell my stocks there, eating ramen and gimbap. Today I became richer than $20,000,000, but what I ate was instant noodles. I couldn’t help it. I had to keep as much tension as I could before I finished working. I also watched Garden Envy’s reaction as I ate.

Bulacell

– Essen Bio, I barely got on the opening price today, and it’ll go further, right? How much longer will it go?

Dr. J.

– These days, if a bio-stock has good news, it goes up in droves. Compared to that, Essen Bio is really a good stock. Last year and this year, they’ve won two mega contracts.

Stock Specialist

– Milestone is a technology export charge. It’s been divided over the years, so it’s like a fixed sale. It won’t be easy to get down even if it goes up further.

Shudderwock

– Be careful, though. The stock price of a company with one billion market capital… it has been at the upper limit price two times in a row. The total market capital has been increased by $700,000,000…

Stinger

– $865,400,000 in sales in one billion dollars’ unit. Because of the nature of pharmaceutical stocks, the operating profit rate is also high. I think it makes sense to be a two-day upper limit price. They have invested some big money in researchers for a few years, and we need to recognize their ability to develop. It’s not just one hit. We have to give it a premium if they hit each time.

The reaction on this side was generally positive. I didn’t need to sell it in a hurry. I decided to take it easy.

———————–

Over the following weekend, Essen Bio was hot all the time. Despite the weekend when the market was not open, the stock bulletin board was crowded with people.

– How far should this go? Three days or four days?

– I don’t think it can go any further because it has a big body. Sell it tomorrow.

– Why can’t it go? Not just anyone can do that export of $865,400,000.

– Would a German pharmaceutical company known for its frugality have signed for nothing?

– Lower limit price, lower limit price. The exciting song.

It was easy to pick people here. Those who usually said it would be going up had already bought the stock. Those were the people who wanted it to go up. Those who said it would be going down were the people who were waiting to buy. They were going to buy it as it dropped.

I also saw the Garden Envy side.

Karachiko

– Essen Bio. Will it go up any further on Monday? Is it too late?

Kim Gum-mo

– I see that they hit the upper limit price twice, so I am sure it will go further. The good news was so big.

Director Shin

– I should’ve taken the ride yesterday when they gave me a little chance at the beginning. I didn’t go in because I was afraid of the upper limit price twice.

There was a constant stream.

Dr. J.

– Did Duros sell it?

There were people looking for me. I talked in moderation as usual.

Duros

– Yes, I ate it properly at the second upper limit.

I didn’t want to draw attention. I just had to use this meeting to my advantage here.

Stock Specialist

– From the looks of the atmosphere, it would have been okay if you took a little more… You did a good job.

Kaiji

– But it hit the upper limit price twice, so he must have eaten about 70%. Duros, Nice shot!

Now, if I would go to the meeting and say, ‘I’m Duros,’ there would be one or two of them welcoming me.

——

After the weekend, Essen Bio shares fluctuated violently as they went through Monday and Tuesday. It went to +10%, went to -2%, ended at +5%, and it started again at +3%, rose to +8%, and closed at +10%. In the meantime, the trading volume also exploded.

Bio shares were receiving keen attention in the market these days, but now that a stock with such good news had emerged, they seemed to have been pinched. But nevertheless, I sold all my stock over two days.

‘I’m all out this way… Sell order’

I took advantage of the news on 12 Days After which I had received. In the future, it might be driven up by people’s greed or by fear, but I decided not to pay attention to it.

There were sayings in the stock market.

“Sell any stock with 70% earnings.”

“Buy on its knees, sell it off on its shoulders, and get out of there.”

‘They mean that we should not be too greedy. A stock can be bought by a buyer when a seller sells it. People who buy my shares are also confident that they can sell them for more than they currently buy it, not to let me earn money.’

That was right. That was enough for me.

‘Everyone, make a lot of money.’

I ended the selling by sincerely thanking the institutions and foreign individual investors that bought $28,000,000 worth of my shares. After all the sales, the amount I’d profited was about $13,000,000. I quickly had $22,000,000 in assets.

“Whi-woo!”

I got up from my chair whistling. A profit of $13,000,000! That was $13,000,000 for just one sale. Neither Warren Buffett nor Jim Rogers would make as much profit as I did now. A miraculous return! I felt like I became a real god of the stock market.

———————-

I looked in the mirror for a moment.

‘All right. Clean shave and a nice suit.’

I wore a suit after a long time. Of course, it was an expensive custom-made suit that was almost ten times more expensive than I used to wear. I tried it on only once and never wore it again. I wore it this time. If I didn’t wear a suit, I would not fit where I wanted to go now.

‘Well… it’s a little bland in a suit like this. I should buy a watch, too.

‘To be honest with myself, I don’t think the original use of a wristwatch is very good in the present age. Why do I have to wear a heavy wristwatch when I always have a good time on the smartphone? I think the use of a wristwatch is actually 99% show-off, not for me to see, but to show it to others. It’s snobbery, but it actually works for snobbery. It’s meaningful.

‘Well, I’ll buy one. Rolex? How much is it for one?’

——

I added a ‘high-priced watch’ to my shopping list. Then I went out of the room and took a taxi.

“Where do you want to go?”

“Daechi-dong. NU Building.”

“Okay!”

There was not much time left to take a taxi. I was going to the car dealership.

————————

I asked, touching the glossy rear-view mirror, “How much is this model?”

“Oh, this model is optionally from $140,000 to $250,000.”

Listening to the words, I thought, ‘It’s not as expensive as I thought.’

If it was $140,000 to $250,000, it was three to four tics when I bought a stock at $20,000,000. I saw the body. There was the Porsche mark, a shield with a black horse on it. That was cool, definitely.

‘Porsche is cool. Good to come this way.’

Benz, BMW, Audi… they were too cheap, and I skipped them. These days, they were common, as professional people bought them at discounts or even people with high-end salaries rode them around. They were not even noticeable in Gangnam. After living in Gangnam for about a year, only Porsche, Lamborghini, Ferrari, or Bentleys got attention from people. That was why I decided to use my experience to buy this brand.

‘Well… let’s look here first… All I have to do is go to Bentley’s, right?’

I excluded Lamborghini and Ferrari for now. I had only driven an old-fashioned dad’s car, and a Bongo car that carried the children from houses to the training center. I drove for the first time in a long time, and I was a little reluctant to drive a sports car. I didn’t know how to drive with such a low body.

It had to be avoided not only for myself, but for others as well. If I drove poorly and ran into someone, the problem would grow. It would cause physical damage to others, not just financially. These days, if someone had an accident, the accident was usually concluded with both parties being mutually at fault. The ratio of 10 to 0 was rarely seen. If the person who crashed my car was a commoner, it would be a matter of great importance to him or her. I didn’t want to do that.

“Can I try it?”

“Of course.”

I sat in the car. The luxurious seats, the grip-perfect handle, and above all, good visibility was excellent. I was holding the wheel and I didn’t know what to say.

“Wow, that’s good… I have to buy this.”

In fact, it was like an exclamation point, but as soon as it was over, the dealer came in. “Then do you want to sign a contract?”

I was holding the steering wheel, and I was fascinated by the horse drawn on it.

“Yes,” I answered right away.

“Oh good!” the dealer told me with a bright smile.

I was going to go to Bentley’s, but I signed a contract before then.

“What’s your name, sir?” The dealer was already trying to fill out the contract.

“Han Sang-hoon,” I told him.

“Yes. Mr. Han Sang-hoon.” The dealer grinned and wrote down my name.

It was enough. I liked this car.

‘Let’s buy this car first.’ I thought inside. ‘I can’t help it. Let’s buy a Bentley next month.

Chapter 57 - A Strange Connection, Part I

I sat in front of the computer and cracked my neck. 8:55. There were two emails coming.

[P. 12 Hours After]

[P. 12 Days After]

I clicked [P. 12 Hours After] first. No wonder I had that much time in 12 Days After. In fact, the news of 12 Days After was perfectly safe to read slowly after lunch. There was a catchy word for me after I received the email: the upper limit price.

[Economy – Upper limit price on the day of the KG F&S listing]

‘All right, all right. This is a big fish, too.’

It was the first time that the upper limit price had been quoted in the first four months of subscription. I clicked on it.

[KG F&S hit the upper limit price on the day of its listing. KG F&S, a subsidiary of South Korea’s comprehensive food company KG Food, reached the upper limit price around 1 p.m. on a buying spree by investors on the day of the listing.]

There was nothing to look at in the article. What else could I look at when it said it was on the upper limit price? I first put KG F&S on HTS. Then I read the article again.

[… it has issued an earnings surprise last quarter as the supply of items to school, hospital and public service meals has expanded. KG F&S, which was shunned by individual investors at the time of the IPO, wrote a reversal story today by reaching the upper limit price today.]

‘Oh, that’s what happened.

‘KG F&S is an ugly duckling becoming a swan. Sometimes there is such a case. It is not easy to list not only on the KOSPI, but also on the KOSDAQ. They need to meet the strict listing conditions, undergo screening, and select listed companies to recruit investors, as well. The process may take from half a year to a few years.

‘So, the performance was not good when recruiting investors and setting public offering prices, but in the meantime, their performance has improved. In some cases, they go to the upper limit price as soon as it is listed. On the contrary, there are many cases where they are listed and plummet. Anyway, the latest KG F&S is the former case. I guess the performance has improved a lot while they have been preparing to go public.’

I checked the market capital. KG F&S, which would be listed today, had a public offering price of $12 with the market capital of $430,000,000.

‘It’s a little small. If it’s $430,000,000, it’s a little burdensome to use all the $20,000,000 I have. Let’s just buy some shares for sale. If I do something wrong, I might buy too much.’

I entered the market with such an idea. The starting price was already about to start at 5%. According to the news of 12 Hours After, it would go to the upper limit price at 1 p.m. I had to complete the purchase before then.

—————————-

[Correction News]

[The upper limit price on the day of the stock of KG F&S which is listed today is changed. We inform you that the content has been revised due to a reader’s involvement. The changes are as follows.]

There wasn’t much change. The time that the upper limit price it reached was changed from 1:00 p.m. to 10:00 a.m. The reason for the change in time was simple. I bought $9,000,000 worth of shares for an hour and raised it to the upper limit price. With so much money, it was easy to raise any stock to the upper limit price, but it was hard to get out. I calculated the money I earned today. I earned about $2,000,000 today. I decided to watch it one more day.

‘It’s a stock going to the upper limit price even if I didn’t buy. It will not go down tomorrow.’

I got up from my seat with that thought. The work ended too early today.

‘There’s no good news in 12 Days After. Shall I go buy a watch?’

—————-

I dressed up properly and left my room. I heard that it would take some time for the signed Porsche to be imported and delivered to me. I would have to take a little more time for a taxi.

I tried to get a taxi out of the studio. But while I was doing that, I got a call. The caller was Seo Ji-hoon.

“Brother!”

“Oh, Ji-hoon.”

“I’m calling to report to you.”

“Yes. How is it? Did you check that?”

“First of all, about setting up an investment company…”

Meanwhile, a taxi stopped in front of me. I got in and said to the driver, “The Mirae Department Store in Samseong-dong.”

“Okay!”

Ji-hoon kept trying to talk. “When I tried a start-up…”

I interrupted his speech. “Hey, do you have an appointment today? Let’s just meet and talk. It’s a long story, anyway.”

“Shall we do that, brother?”

“Yes. Come to Mirae Department Store in Samseong-dong. Let’s meet and talk. We’ll have lunch together.”

“Yes, I see, brother.”

——————-

There were colorful, shiny watches ahead of me. I brought my face close to look at the watches. A staff member was following along.

“This is a Datejust and this is a Submariner. Young people like you usually look for a lot of Submariner products.”

‘Submariner is for a watch for a diver?

‘The words are a little funny. Who wears this expensive watch and goes diving? I’m sure they’re too busy wiping water even if they pour water onto it.’

But by the way, it was pretty. A product with a gold-plated blue background caught my eye.

“How much is this?”

“It’s $16,600, sir!”

It was a lot of money, but it was not much, because I made $2,000,000 today.

“I’ll buy it,” I answered so coolly.

The staffer replied in slight panic, “Sir, I’ll wrap it up now.”

While the staff was wrapping up the watch, the phone rang. Ji-hoon was on the phone.

“Yes.”

“Didn’t you say you’re in the luxury goods department?”

“Yes, the luxury goods department of Rolex.”

“Oh, I see.”

—

Soon Ji-hoon appeared inside the store.

“Brother. Did you buy a watch?”

I pointed to the watch on the staff’s hand. “Yes. Isn’t that pretty?”

“Wow, that’s beautiful! How much is that?”

‘How much?’

I couldn’t remember well because I’d only roughly heard the price.

“Was it $15,000? That much.”

“Wow, brother. Really…” Ji-hoon looked at me with a pretty surprised look on his face. He still didn’t seem to realize that I was rich.

‘Shall I buy one for him, too? Now?’

But I decided not to. I could afford to buy it at a mere $15,000, but I didn’t. Money should be presented as a proper reward when I managed people.

I said with a slight pat on Ji-hoon’s chest. “When the investment company is established, and the first acquisition is successfully completed, I’ll buy you one then. To celebrate.”

“Really?”

“Yes, but if it works out well enough for me to be satisfied. So work hard. You’ll know when you’re working with me, but… It’s nothing if you’re good at your work.”

‘What I’m saying is the $2,000,000 I earned today. I didn’t know before, but now I understand why the rich buy expensive products without a hitch. If Ji-hoon does this well, the $15,000 watch is really nothing.’

Ji-hoon once again said, bowing down, “Just trust me, brother.”

I patted him on the shoulder and said, “Yeah, yeah. Let’s go eat.”

————————

The sliding door opened, and the woman with her hair neatly turned over asked, “Would you like to order?”

“Yes, Omakasero for two. Alcohol is… First, give me a bottle of Asahi.”

“Yes, I see.”

The waitress closed the door and went out. This was a Japanese restaurant located in Samseong-dong. The Japanese restaurant was divided into rooms like this, so it was good to talk about secret stories and business.

I asked Ji-hoon, “So how was it? Did you search?”

“I met some of the investors I had at the start of my business and asked them to give me some advice. But they didn’t believe what I said: that you are a 29-year-old man setting up an investment company with the money he earned from Bitcoin.”

“Well… that’s right. Even you didn’t believe it either.”

“Of course.”

If I had spoken frankly, they would have been more incredulous. An ordinary office worker earned $3,000,000 from five overlapping Lotto winnings and increased the money several times more from stock trading. They would have thought I was a swindler.

“Anyway, I found that I could set up an investment company as soon as people are ready. So I was thinking if I should recruit new people… But one of the people who I was asking for advice indicated that he wanted to quit and join us this way.”

“Really? Who?”

“He’s Jang Sang-jin, a team leader, in his mid-forties, and he is well-known in the start-up investment area. He has a good educational background and a lot of experience. From what I’ve seen, he’s got a very good personality. He’s been investing, but he’s also been a mentor. He seems to have some problem in his company and wants to leave it.”

“Well, is that so?”

‘That’s good. No matter how well Ji-hoon and I could do, we’re 29 and 28. You will need advice from an old and experienced person.’

“Yes. But he was wondering whether our story was real or not. Therefore, he couldn’t talk right.”

“Then ask him to see me. When we meet and talk, he’ll believe me, too.”

“Do you think so?”

“Yes. You can arrange a meeting. If he is really good, I’ll hire him.”

“Yes, brother.”

“Excuse me.” While we were talking, the sliding door opened, and the food began to come in, one by one.

It was colorful, like an Omakase priced at $120 per person, and fancy. We picked out the food one by one. It was delicious all together.

“Ch… it is as if it’s expensive.”

“That is right, isn’t it?”

The main dish, various seafood sashimi were coming out, and Ji-hoon and I were having a beer.

Ji Hoon, who was enjoying the meal, said, “That’s right, brother. I talked to people in the investment industry and heard there’s already a company for sale in Entertainment industry.”

“Really? What company?”

“CKD Entertainment. Do you know a ballad singer? It’s an entertainment company run by Mr. Do Chan-ki…”

“Oh, I know. CKD Entertainment.”

I knew it well because I made some good money when it had plummeted by twenty percent due to the gay rumors.

“He had recently gay rumors. That’s why the stock price was a little bit down lately.”

“Yes, his recent business hasn’t been working out well, and the gay rumors have broken out, and he’s disillusioned with the entertainment business. The news broke and he got a lot of bad comments from the fans who he trusted. He wants to sell the company anyway, and he’s looking for a buyer.”

Anyway, whatever the story was, all I needed was the right price.

“Well, what’s the situation with the company?”

“The situation of the company… is not good.”

“Surely?”

“The company’s income is not very good. A chronic deficit. But it has a good subsidiary, and I think they’re paying off because they’re earning a lot.”

“A good subsidiary? Which company?” I said without much thought, picking up some tuna and dipping it in the soy sauce. By the way, I thought I had heard the same somewhere very recently.

“OH Entertainment. It is a small company they took over after the listing. The company seems to be doing well these days.”

‘OH Entertainment?’

At that time, Ji-hoon said, “The top celebrity of this company is Oh Hyun-joo. You know her, right? She has been on commercial ads lately because she got a big hit on a soap opera, Your and My Uncle…”

I almost missed the tuna I was holding. “Aaaaah…”

OH Entertainment was the same company that Oh Hyun-joo whose life I had saved belonged to.

Chapter 58 - A Strange Connection, Part II

“You know Oh Hyun-joo, right? A beautiful actress.”

I nodded. “… I know her.” It was only two months ago that I had saved her life at the Unju Station Intersection.

“This OH Entertainment was just like that until last quarter, but I heard that Ms. Oh Hyun-joo has been so hot lately that its sales have increased dramatically. These days, she has been working on commercial ads for a new set of cosmetics and a cell phone. There’s no commercial that doesn’t work with her. I also heard that she recently got a role in Chungmuro.”

“Well…” I recalled the moment when I caught the criminal and shoulder threw him down.

‘That’s when I was really…’

As I was reminiscing about the past for a while, Ji-hoon needed to get away.

“Brother, I need to go to the bathroom for a while.”

After Ji-hoon closed the sliding door and went out, I searched my wallet. I had changed my wallet since I made a lot of money, but I hadn’t thrown away the contents inside.

‘… There it is.’

I found a business card inside my wallet.

‘OH Entertainment President Kwon Oh-hyuk.’

That day, the president Kwon Oh-hyuk handed this to me in front of the police station and said, “Nothing else… We want to keep this case quiet.”

He handed me the business card with a check of $30,000 to cover it on request.

‘… that OH Entertainment is a subsidiary of CKD Entertainment. Then if I take over CKD Entertainment, OH Entertainment will be my company, too… I’m sure Kwon will be my man. And Oh Hyun-joo will become a representative entertainer of my company. What a strange connection this is! By the way, they took my phone number and never contacted me…’

If I took the number, I thought she’d text me or thank me no matter how busy she was, but that was it.

‘It was a little disappointing, but… I’m sure there was a reason.’

I put the business card back in my wallet with that thought. Then I checked the stock price of CKD Entertainment on my mobile phone. I’d only had a day trade in the past, and I hadn’t seen a whole chart. The ten year chart showed quite a fluctuation.

‘Umm…’

CKD Entertainment first went public in 2012. It did not go up or down for a while, but started to go up a lot in 2015 and hit a high point in 2016. At that time, the market capital was $360,000,000. Since then, it had been on a sharp decline, and when I had been trading it, it was $120,000,000. Now it was a third of that. It seemed that something had been going wrong for a long time.

‘If I look at this… he’s not selling it just because of rumors…’

——–

Ji-hoon came back. I asked him, “Did you say that the business of CKD Entertainment hasn’t gone well these days? Why is it?”

“Oh, that’s the Chinese drama production business…”

“Ah…” I knew what he was talking about, without even hearing it all. There was a picture that would come out when the three puzzles of China, 2016, and entertainment were put together.

“As you know, the Korean Wave was great in China three or four years ago. So Do Chan-ki and his celebrities went to China and did a lot of events and made a lot of net profit. But…”

I said, cutting off Ji-hoon’s words. “At that time, Hanhanlyeong broke out in China.”

Hanhanlyeong was literally the ban on Korean cultural contents. As South Korea decided to deploy the THAAD system, it was a kind of intangible tariff, set up by the Chinese government to retaliate against it. Once a Korean celebrity appeared on TV only when the TV was turned on, the situation changed dramatically once the Hanhanlyeong was declared. The Chinese government stopped Korean-made dramas, movies, and entertainment programs, as well as advertisements featuring Korean celebrities.

“Yes. Even then, if they said they came from Korea, they sold so well. So, Do Chan-ki set up a corporation to do business in China and invested a lot. The investment was lost in the wake of the Hanhanlyeong. That’s why the stock price has plummeted.”

“Well, he thought it was an opportunity, but it was poison…”

The stock price chart was all understandable. It soared in 2014 and fell sharply after 2016. It was all a chart of Chinese sales coming in like a tide and falling out like a tide.

“The biggest one of them was Shanghai Lover. CKD Entertainment paid most of its production costs, so there was a local location drama in China. The main actor was CKD Entertainment ace Kim Jun-hyung, and the actress is… I heard that she was a very famous actress on the Chinese side. Anyway, they worked hard on the cast and spent about $10,000,000 to shoot all the dramas, but they haven’t been able to air them for three years.”

I searched for ‘Shanghai Lovers’ on my cell phone. The main character’s face was familiar at first sight. Kim Jun-hyung.

“Well, I know this guy, Kim Jun-hyung.”

“Yes, he’s been doing well in the dramas lately. He has been known in China for a while… Just as he tried to pop out of this Shanghai Lover and become a top celebrity in China, he got caught by the ankle. I don’t understand why China let them make a drama and then stopped the show.”

“Well, even if their economy follows capital, their essence is communism.”

Ji-hoon nodded and said, “Yes. I like our country when I think about such things, no matter what politicians fight and do.”

“Yeah, even though the political arena in our country seems to be fighting every day… Maybe it’s better. To make decisions without fighting against a one-party dictatorship… ”

I wanted to say more, but I turned the subject around in fear of a prolonged boring political story.

” I’ll find out more about CKD Entertainment. You, uh… that Jang Sang Jin? Please call the team leader and say that I want to meet him once and talk.”

“Yes, brother. I’ll call Jang first, and I’ll call you back.”

———————-

“Umm.” Back home, I sat in front of my computer and went over the financial statements of CKD Entertainment. The market capital was $120,000,000, the stake of a major shareholder slightly lower at around twenty percent. It was $24,000,000 in simple calculation, but since he wanted to sell it, he would make it a little cheaper.

‘There are a lot of rumors and the new business has not run very well. I think they’ll give it to me with a 5%-10% discount.’

If they gave it to me with a 10% discount, I could buy it right now.

‘This is not a vain expectation. It is common for prices to be adjusted when there is large-scale trading in the stock market. When a buyer is in a hurry, he or she should buy all of his or her shares at a premium, and when the seller is in a hurry, he or she should hand over management rights and sell the stock at a discount rate.

‘I’ll buy it as cheaply as I can. It’s not a dime or two, it’s a million dollars’ unit deal.’

I was thinking about it, but Jihoon called me. “Yes, Ji-hoon?”

“Brother. I’m in touch with Jang Sang Jin. He wants to meet you this weekend, do you have time then?”

“Yes. I do. Then… No, I’ll call him in person. Can you give me his phone number?”

“Yes, brother.”

——————–

Team leader Jang Sang-jin was an elite stock man with a splendid resume. He was forty-two years old and a graduate of the economics department at Seoul National University. After graduation, he joined Kiwi Securities and worked as an analyst before becoming an investment consultant for a large IT company. The recent boom in the IT sector led him to the start-up boom. In the meantime, he met Ji-hoon. He was a veteran with proven ability, as seen by his academic background or career.

———-

Sunday night. I met him at a luxurious Korean restaurant located in Gangnam. Team leader Jang Sang-jin was a decent and polite person, as Ji-hoon had recommended.

“Mr. Han Sang-hoon. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to see you.”

He was quite tall,about 185 cm. His face was slightly thin, but his body still looked strong. Usually speaking smoothly, but when asked or asking, his eyes were glowing with the light. He asked me about my company days at dinner.

“Then, Mr. Han Sang-hoon worked in the industry for about a year. How was it going? What about these days?”

“It wasn’t bad when I first joined the company. But as our competitors developed and hit the mobile phone market, our company was losing its place more and more. So lately, it’s been very, very bad.”

“Oh, that’s what it was.”

Maybe he wanted to find out what I was, and if I was a swindler. He asked me, “So how much do you think the size of the investment company will be?”

“First of all, $30,000,000.”

“First of all, $30,000,000?”

“Yes. $30,000,000 now.”

When the specific amount came out, his eyes changed. It was not out of surprise. It was a look of disbelief, that he could not trust me. It was okay.

‘If he doesn’t doubt it like this here, he should be considered a fool. He is right to doubt, and I am right to dispel it.’

I took out the prepared material and handed it to him. The data was made for me by Kim Hye-sook. I didn’t have any details, but that document would indirectly confirm my finances.

‘If he looks at this, he’ll figure it out right away.’ As she said, Zhang turned over a few pages of documents and changed his eyes again.

“Oh, that’s great. You are an amazing man.”

From distrust to envy… Even this gentleman could not hide the sign of envy. He deserved it, too. Anyone, who had been in the investment business for more than a decade would have dreamed of getting a big hit.

The data changed the mood. I asked him a question, “By the way, why do you want to quit your current investment company?”

That was the only thing I was curious about. That question I’d like to ask if I was an interviewer. However, he was able to answer everything in a cool manner, but he hesitated with his words here for a while.

“Eh…”

I looked at him. If I didn’t get the right answer here, I couldn’t work with him.

But soon, he finally came up with what was inside. “I didn’t get on the right line.”

“Line?”

“Yes. It’s about the situation of our company, so I’m afraid the explanation is long, but… Later, I realized that my achievements have become others’, and that others’ mistakes have become mine. So, if I had a good chance, I wanted to move.”

He talked with extreme caution. I rather liked it. I would rather have hated him if he blamed the company he was in. He might do the same when he came to our company.

‘Well… maybe this cautious nature will help me.’

He looked at me in the eye and said, “I want to work for a company where I work hard, produce results, and am duly rewarded for it. It’s not a company controlled by political gimmicks or anything like that.”

I laughed at the remark. I thought I could work with him like this. I told him in a straight way, “Then, team leader Jang, trust me and participate in our company’s start-up. Your position is vice president. Keep your experience alive, and be my hands and feet in charge of business. I’ll pay you what you want.”

“If it’s a fair reward, how much will it be?”

As expected, he was professional. In the professional world, the number was greater than the word. I took out my pen and wrote down the number on the tissue on the table and handed it to him. His eyes changed once more when he saw it. This time it was definitely a look of joy. He stood up and shook hands with me.

“Then I’ll ask you to do me a favor, boss.”

Chapter 59 - Preparation

I stepped on the accelerator. The new Porsche sped along the road coolly. It was like riding a swift horse with a black mane, with a maximum power of 550 horsepower and a maximum torque of a 78.5 4.0-liter turbo engine.

From the speakers came the bangarang of Skrillex, and I stepped on the accelerator even more strongly. The car moved out in a cool manner. The place I was driving now was Seoul-Chuncheon Expressway. There were not many cars because it was daytime on weekdays. It was the best place to drive, the optimum timing.

It wasn’t because something happened that I was going to Chuncheon today. It was just to get in a new car and drive on the highway. I deliberately opened the window and whistled in the wind. “Hi-Woo!”

It was so cool.

‘125150, 30%, 03%, 30%, $51,000,000.’

It seemed like the numbers that went through my head every day were flying away at once. But while I was driving like that, the cell phones rang one after another.

Wi Ying!

Wi Ying!

Wi Ying!

‘Oh, is that what it is already…’

No matter how much, these numbers wouldn’t let me go. I glanced at the navigation. There was a rest area a kilometer ahead.

—

I drove into it. After pulling into the right position, I walked out of the car with my cell phone.

A man and a woman standing next to my car turned to me. The man looked at the Porsche and the woman looked at me. It was not very wrong to say that the important thing was getting out rather than getting in. I passed the two people and headed for the coffee shop.

“A glass of white chocolate mocha, please.”

I ordered a sweet cup of coffee, picked up my cell phone and turned on the MT. Then I checked my stock balance. The stock balance window was empty.

‘That means…’

I went over to my account balance.

‘Morning profit and loss: +$2,639,424.’

I simply clenched my fist.

‘It’s good.’

All the shares that were up for sale in the morning were sold and came in with money. I calculated the total balance. Now, my accounts were split into eight.

‘$6,300,000, $8,100,000, $4,200,000, $10,000,000…’

More than $58,000,000 came into my account.

‘So I achieved my goal.’

I opened my phone number right away and called someone. The person I called was Ji-hoon who formally became my secretary.

“Secretary Seo.”

“Hey! Secretary Seo.”

“Yes, brother.”

When Ji-hoon called me brother, he corrected himself in an angry voice, “No, sir. I’m sorry, boss.”

“You might get used to it.”

“I’m sorry, boss. I can’t get used to this because I’ve been calling you that since college.”

To be honest with me, I wasn’t used to the title, either.

“It’s okay, but it’s not the two of us anymore. Just be careful when you do that.”

“No, I’ll call you boss from the standpoint of getting paid. And I’d like to unify the title. I’ll always call you boss.”

“Yes, then. By the way, please contact Jang and tell him that I am ready.”

“Ready? Yes, I see, boss.”

Preparation was none other than depositing the payment of capital for the establishment of an investment company.

“Okay, then we’ll go straight to the next step… and tell Jang to start talking with that CKD Entertainment.”

“Yes, I see, boss.”

—–

After finishing the call, I turned on the calendar app and looked at the date. It had been only forty days since I had had a meeting with Vice President Jang Sang-jin.

‘Vice President Jang is so good at his job… I was almost late.’

Jang, who retired from the company after being assured by me, immediately began to set up the company with Ji-hoon. I left most of my work to him, except for a few important things.

‘Vice President Jang, please do your job well on your own.’

With his experience, he was a veteran stockman who was way ahead of me. I was good at predicting the future, but Vice President Jang was much better at the mechanics than me. He used his personal network to bring in some competent and honest people he knew. There was noise from time to time, but when I stepped in, it would be solved on the whole.

‘How much salary do they want?’

I decided to spare no money in buying people when I started a company. I knew the future, but I couldn’t know the inside of a human being. Jang, who had been plagued by factional strife at his previous company, seemed very happy to come to a new job and hire and deploy the people he wanted.

‘It’s made up of great people. The boss will be pleased if you meet them, too.’

Of course, while he was working so hard, I wasn’t just playing. With hard work, I made money through stock trading. It had been almost two months since I came over to the Platinum Class.

To review the performance, I made $31,000,000, with $8,900,000 in the first month, and after paying $10,000,000 for the subscription fee, I went from $21,000,000 to $58,000,000 in total in the last two months. $58,000,000 was good money to pay $30,000,000 to an investment company, pay $10,000,000 subscription fee, and then start the stock trading again.

My capital to run in the stock trading had been reduced because of the investment company, but it wasn’t too bad. More than $30,000,000 could not be run in stocks in the first place.

‘From $30,000,000, it was really hard. I wanted to buy it, but I didn’t have anything to buy…’

Although I was able to trade chasing the only hot news on the KOSPI and KOSDAQ, it was the biggest amount. If I moved more than $30,000,000, the stock price went up and down because of the money. So I chose to invest $30,000,000 in an investment company and increase the money again with the rest.

I would operate an investment company and do the stock trading at the same time. If I kept the Platinum Class, I would still be able to earn $20,000,000 to $30,000,000 per month.

‘After a year or so, if it’s over $100,000,000, I will put it back in the investment company.’

‘Of course, there are variables. When I get to the Diamond Class, something new may happen. If there is, the pace of earning money may change. I’ll know if I get to the Diamond Class.’

——————–

5 p.m. I returned to Gangnam in Seoul after a one-day trip to Chuncheon. There were too many cars in Seoul at this time. It was frustrating to have Porsche locked on a tight road.

‘Ha, my baby can’t run. I can’t run.’

Still, there was a good thing about having a luxury car in Seoul.

‘I’ll change my lane.’

If I tried to turn it around, the other cars stood aside, letting me go first. I never felt that when I drove my father’s car or the training center’s car.

‘Ha… I can’t wait to go home and rest. I’m tired because I’ve been driving too long.’

I was tired but bored standing on the road. I fiddled with the radio. Every time I turned the channel, different voices of DJs were heard.

“The next song I’m going to play is Adele’s Set Fire to the Rain.”

“Love is~ reed~”

“So, what I said to him… Hey, man!”

‘Hmm?’

But a voice that made my ears suspicious.

“The chairman of the Masung Group, Jeon Hee-joong has died.”

I fixed the radio there instead of turning it around.

‘What, the chairman of the Masung Group is dead?’

The Masung Group was a mid-sized South Korean construction company that went in and out of the top fiftieth place in the business rankings. Although it was not a branch of the chaebol, it was still a healthy company that had been steadily building up its performance since it had been founded in the 1980s.

‘No, I thought Jeon Hee-joong was a relatively young man…’

Last time I saw him on the news or in the newspaper, he looked like he was in his forties or fifties, but he died really early.

‘What? Did he kill himself?’

‘That’s usually the case when the rich die early. When a business fails, or when a corruption scandal hits a corner…’

I listened to the news.

“The chairman of the Masung Group Jeon Hee-joong has died of acute heart attack. Chairman Jeon Hee-joong, who visited the fishing area he had visited frequently around 10 a.m. on today…”

It was not suicide, but an acute heart attack. I thought he had bad luck.

‘Heart attack… No, he is a chairman. Didn’t he have a secretary or something like that?’

I was wondering, and the answer came straight out.

“On that day, he was known to have visited the fishing area alone. The person who discovered Chairman Jeon was Kim, who also visited the fishing ground to do the same, and as soon as he found him, he immediately called 119…”

It felt a little strange to hear the news.

‘No matter how much money he has, there’s nothing he can do when he dies…’

I had such an idea, that even I was still too young to die of a heart attack.

——————-

I hardly drove my car and arrived at my studio. I didn’t know before, but I’d learned something these days, that our studio building was crowded with luxury cars. My Porsche was a nice car, but inside it was packed with Lamborghinis and Ferraris, which were comparable to it. There was a Porsche next to my car. Mine was black, and it was red. Only the colors were different.

‘Whose is this? All the neighbors here are rich, anyway.’ I got out of the car thinking that way. But then, the red Porsche next to me blinked its lights.

I turned my head around, and landlord Lee Ah-young stood looking at me. She greeted me first.

“Hello.”

“Yes, hello.” I glanced over her unknowingly as I greeted her. I was sorry for that every time, but I couldn’t help but look at her.

She was wearing a black turtleneck T-shirt and a wine-colored Cashmere coat today. She seemed to have hidden many of her merits. She pointed at my car and said, “I’ve never seen you drive a car before. Do you buy a new one?”

I nodded, “Yes. About a month.”

She came up to her car, touched it and said, “Oh, yes. I just bought this car, and I like it.”

She also seemed to have just bought a car.

‘She is rich…’

I broke away after I greeted her a little. As always, she somehow remained in my mind whenever I met her.

‘Is it because of her gorgeous looks?’

But that alone didn’t explain it well. She had her own charm to attract people.

Chapter 60 - The Emperor’s Throne

I wore a jacket and tie. I opened the locker, put my watch on my wrist, and looked in the mirror.

‘Umm…’

I was myself, and I thought there was something different from when I was at my old company. Of course, there were some changes on the surface. The clothes were changed from carry-on merchandise sales suits to custom suits with high-priced fabric, and my white wrist was also equipped with a shiny Rolex. But not only that, my chest seemed to have gotten a little wider, and my shoulders seemed to have grown. It was probably because of confidence.

‘It’s definitely different from when I was at work.’

At that time, I was stuck for a few pennies, I was pinched by the boss’s eye, and I was in a shabby frame of my shoulder. In a social position, I had locked myself up because of the numbers in my account.

‘Now that I think about it, I didn’t have to…’

I regretted it, but it was already gone. The me from then was gone, and there was only a new one. I mumbled, hitting my cheek twice, “Okay. Han Sang-hoon. Let’s do well.”

While I was doing that, the bell of the studio rang.

He came just in time. I walked up to the front door and opened the door. Outside, secretary Seo Ji-hoon was standing.

“Are you ready, boss?”

I nodded. “Yes, let’s go.”

It was my first day of going to work, not to a company of others, but to a company of my own. Not as an employee, but as a president. I took the elevator down to the basement parking lot with secretary Seo. There was my Porsche. I pressed the key.

Ppivik! The door opened with a sound.

As I was walking toward the driver’s seat, Ji-hoon said, “Wait a minute, boss.”

“Why?”

“Do I have to drive, as a secretary?”

I laughed and said, waving a car key with a shield pattern, “You want to drive this, don’t you?”

Ji-hoon said with a smile, as if his heart had been caught, “That’s true, but wouldn’t it be fair that the secretary should drive?”

“Well…”

Come to think of it, it made sense. When I moved somewhere, I had to look at the stock market, whether it was HTS or MTS.

“I think I’ll need one of those if I try to do business. You find a car among the domestic cars, which a young CEO can ride in…”

“Domestic cars?”

“For business purposes, I will drive a domestic car. Don’t you think people will hate a young man who drives a foreign car?”

“Yes… boss,” replied Ji-hoon, slightly disappointed.

I said, sitting in the driver’s seat, “Don’t be too sad. If you are with me for five years… no, three years, you will drive a Porsche.”

“Do you think so?” Ji-hoon asked, with a slight look on his face.

“Yes. When did you see me lying about the money?” While I was saying that, I suddenly remembered.

“Oh, that’s right,” I said, pointing to the front drawer of the passenger seat. “Open that.”

Ji-hoon opened it. Inside was a box shaped like a cubby. I pointed at it and said, “That’s yours.”

“What is this?”

I looked at him and asked, “What, did you forget?”

Ji-hoon opened the box. There was a shiny watch in it, a watch with a capital R.

“It’s a Rolex. I told you I’d buy you one after this. Have you already forgotten?”

Ji-hoon said, alternately looking at the watch and me, “No, I didn’t forget, boss… I thought it was empty talk then. Really.”

“I keep my word.” I smiled and stepped on the accelerator.

The Teheran Road unfolded as it came out of the studio parking lot.

I said one more thing as I raced down the Teheran Road, “Three years from now, Porsche. That’s not an empty promise, either.”

——————-

It was about ten-minute drive. I arrived at a building located in Samseong-dong. I took the elevator and saw the sign, “Invictus Investment” on the 17th floor.

Our company’s name was on the line. The company name was Latin for invincible and undefeated. I took a deep breath in front of the company. Then I opened the door and walked in. When I entered the company, all the employees inside stood up and greeted me.

“How are you? Mr. President!”

“Hello!”

Greeting by many people, I felt a strange sense of deja vu. When did I see something like this? Come to think of it, it was definitely a scene I had seen in my dream.

‘Mr. President!’

I should add another example of a dream that I had had in my sleep. I shook hands once, walking around the office.

“Good to see you, Kim Joon-soo.”

“Thank you, boss.”

“It’s nice to see you, Shin Ji-yoon.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll work hard.”

“It’s good to see you, Ms. Kim Ji-soo.”

“I am glad to see you, sir.”

Right now, it didn’t take long because there weren’t so many people. The last person to shake hands was none other than Vice President Jang, a man who had done this all on his own.

“You’ve done a great job. I’ll continue to look forward to it.”

“What do you say? Please take care of me, Mr. President.”

After my personal handshake was over, I spoke to the staff with Jang on the left and Secretary Seo on the right. “It’s nice to meet you. Everyone, I don’t know if you believe this story, but I was a normal office worker like you a few months ago. So I know what you want and what you’re thinking while you’re at work.”

The employees stared at me at my words. Most of them had such a look. ‘Is this real?’ Most of the people who followed Jang must not have known about me yet.

I went on to say, “When I think about it when I was at work, I was really forced to do it. It was a very hard time. I was working hard, but my salary was small… There was nothing coming back. All my time at work was painful. So I’m going to have to at least motivate the employees of our company. That’s what I thought. That motivation is not different.”

I took the Porsche key out of my arms. Like people in investment companies, everyone seemed to recognize them.

“This is it. It’s money. The right and means of power are granted to individuals in a capitalist society. I want to motivate you with money. Certainly, I don’t want to say empty words on my lips. I’ve heard them a lot when I was at work, a ‘family atmosphere’. But do they swear at their family members, have them work overtime, have them compete with one another, and have them drop out? Does that make sense?”

Some employees laughed quietly at what I said.

“That’s why I hate such words. I started to like numbers instead of words. I’ll just tell you with numbers only. Words are clever, but they disappear after we hear them; however, the numbers on the bank account are obviously left without telling a lie. Isn’t it so? Everyone?”

They answered all my questions, “Yes!”

“When someone does a good job, I’ll always talk in numbers rather than words when I honor him. Sales, operating profit and net profit are favorite words, right? I’ll think of each of you as my own subsidiary. If I have a subsidiary that makes good sales, operating profit, and net profit, I will give you enough dividends accordingly. Do you understand what I am talking about?”

“Yes, boss!”

“Wow!”

“Yes!”

Everyone answered loudly because their faces were bright. That was good. Enough reward for the good guy would be my way of operating the business from now on. I was sure these people would benefit if they would carry out my orders right.

“Then. Please work hard from now on. I’ll watch. Thank you.”

With the clapping of hands, voices were heard.

“Thank you, sir!”

“I’ll work hard, Mr. President!”

I came into my seat, the boss’s office, listening to the applause. Secretary Seo and Vice President Jang followed me in.

When I heard the door of the president’s office closing behind me, and the applause died down, I sighed loudly, “Hi-woo!”

It seemed to be the first time since being elected class leader in elementary school. I asked Secretary Seo with both hands on my chair, “Did I do well, Ji-hoon?”

“Yes, boss. That was cool.”

“That’s a good word. There’s no word that’s as popular as dividends to the people of an investment company,” Vice President Jang, who was next to him, added in.

I sat down with a grin. “How’s it going anyway? What about the acquisition of CKD Entertainment?”

Jang said with a nod, “Everything is going smoothly. The in-talk has been agreed on, and all we have to do is talk in detail. That’s in our favor. Do Chan-ki wants to sell it quickly. Time is on our side.”

I thumped at the table with my fingers. I should be careful about the sale of stocks or real estate that came out in a hurry.

“He wants to sell it quickly… Do they have any accounting problems, or…?”

“I was worried about that, so I definitely checked. It was neat and tidy.”

“Well…”

Then it was not bad. Although CKD Entertainment declined significantly due to its Chinese business, it was at a reasonable price when considering indicators such as its assets and industry PER.

‘Even if I would buy it a little expensive… I could earn more.’

I said to Vice President Jang with that thought, “Yes, then, I hope you can negotiate well. Tell me as soon as you’re ready.”

“Yes, boss.”

After Jang closed the door and left, I turned around in my chair. The view here was just as good as my studio building. A little different was that this was a business line where companies were clustered, compared to the Gangnam Station, where many commercial buildings were located.

Visible out of the window were the trademarks of KL Construction, Hyundai Bank, and Woori Life Insurance. I sat down in my chair looking at them and said, “Hey, Ji-hoon.”

Ji-hoon came up to me and said, “Yes, boss.”

I pointed my finger at the most visible building of Woori Life Insurance and asked, “How much would that be?”

“Yes?”

I laughed. I didn’t ask him to understand. It was just that the companies on the side of the road were all like items in the stores, so I told him. Invictus, the name of our company was created during the Roman Emperor’s reign. In its literal sense, our company would be the one of the emperor that boasted no defeat. This seat I was sitting in right now would be the emperor’s throne. I sat in the emperor’s throne and looked out for a while, at things that would soon become my territory.

Chapter 61 - Truth Or Falsehood?, Part I

I opened the door and entered the company. It was quiet, a familiar landscape. It was because I went to work at 8:30 like I did when I had been at work.

“The moment he raised his head, his wig peeled off, and it was so funny, but I couldn’t laugh.”

“Hahaha! Really?”

Inside the company, two employees who came to work as early as I did were chatting. As I approached them, the two men, feeling a person nearby, looked at me and bowed their heads hastily.

“Hello! Mr. President!”

“Hello!” I raised my hand and greeted them.

“Hello to you.”

They must have been surprised by the fact that I came to work at all, rather than by coming to work early. It had been almost two weeks since I founded the company, but I had only been coming to work for about three days. I didn’t do that because I was playing. Rather, I didn’t come to work, just to work.

The most important thing I had to do for the company was to get an email and increase the money in my accounts, which would be the capital of our company. I was used to doing that at my studio rather than at the company. So I only came to work like this when I really needed something.

“How are you? Mr. President.”

As soon as they heard the word ‘boss,’ the others gathered one by one and greeted me. Among them was Vice President Jang. He greeted me, too.

“Are you here?”

I, too, bowed down and received the greeting.

“Yes, Vice President.”

It was all thanks to Vice President Jang that even if I didn’t come to work, there wouldn’t be any problems with the company. He was doing his job perfectly. The reason I came to work today was that I had work to do. In front of the president’s office, Ji-hoon stood up when he saw me.

“Are you here, boss?”

“Yes.”

“You’re at work today?”

“Yes. We have a meeting at 10 o’clock today.”

“I thought you were calling in from your home.”

“Oh, I’ll come with you and Vice President Jang. It’s an important meeting.”

Secretary Seo said with a smile, “That’s true.”

I opened the door of the boss’s office and tried to enter, but I thought I’d speak to him.

“Oh, by the way. Don’t interrupt me from 8:50 to 9:10. No matter who comes in, don’t open the door to the president’s office, and don’t connect the phone, okay?”

The reason was, of course, to receive the email. At that time, I had to concentrate on my energy. Ji-hoon followed my orders without saying a word.

“Yes, I see.” If he had been in the past, he would have asked me, ‘Can I ask you why?’

Now, he almost had nothing to ask me back. I thought he was getting closer and closer to be my secretary, rather than a fellow alumnus of the university. After Ji-hoon went out, I waited another ten minutes. Today, the email came again.

[P. 12 Hours After]

[P. 12 Days After]

[How long will the Daehan New Party’s internal feud last?]

[Just before the home loans burst out?]

[Was everyone appointed by some strings? Bank recruitment scandal becomes big news.]

[Warning for strong ultraviolet rays due to clear, hot weather nationwide]

[Ukraine anti-Russian protests]

[The upcoming opening of the 5G era]

[Gang Jun-ho to Samsung?]

[The U.S. concert by the Advancement Boy Band]

I ran both sets of news up and down quickly. There was no news to make money. I put my fingers in both hands and turned my head.

‘Today I got nothing. Well, there’s an important matter today. Let’s focus on that.’

The important schedule for today was the meeting with CKD Entertainment. It was the first step toward taking over the company. Thanks to some talk with the entertainment even before my company was founded, it had been in a rush since it was founded. That was why today, our company and its executives decided to meet face-to-face and negotiate specifically. I looked at my watch, and the time was just past 9:10 a.m.

‘My meeting is at ten o’clock.’

There was a little time left. I tried to surf the web without thinking much about it. By the way, there was someone on the main banner of the portal site. It was Oh Hyun-joo, who had a beautiful face with a neat beauty and fair smile. I clicked on the banner. As soon as I clicked on it, the video of an advertisement for a cosmetics product was released. “White Cleaning Essence, more brilliant than pearl, shining more than Diana.”

I paused to watch the ad through. She was as beautiful as she had always been.

‘Oh, Oh Hyun-joo will be a member of our company.’

It was a strange connection.

————————————–

I got out of the car with secretary Seo. Vice President Jang and two other employees who arrived early followed me. This was the Cheongdam-dong building with CKD Entertainment. Standing in front of the underground parking lot, Seo pressed the up button. Soon the elevator arrived, and I got into it. According to the floor information, CKD Entertainment was using the building’s fifth, sixth and seventh floors. Ji-hoon pressed the seventh, the highest floor. There would be a representative, Do Chan-ki, waiting for me.

I tried to move my eyes away, but there was one more thing that attracted my attention: OH Entertainment on the eighth floor.

‘Huh… here you are.’ It was just a subsidiary, but they were in the same place. ‘Maybe I might see some familiar faces today?’

While I was thinking about it, the elevator went up to the seventh floor. As soon as the elevator door opened, a man in a suit was waiting for us.

“Hello? Are you from Invictus Investment?”

“Yes,” Secretary Seo answered instead of me.

“Come this way.”

—

We walked into the hall under guidance. Inside, there was a large conference room. I, Secretary Seo, Vice President Jang, and two other employees went into it in order. There were people standing in the conference room waiting for me. I skimmed over them without much thought. By the side, I noticed a familiar figure.

He was a short, bald man. He was no doubt the president of OH Entertainment, Kwon Oh Hyuk.

‘Huh.’ We had met in front of the police station, and then we met here again. I glanced at him, but he looked at me and didn’t seem to recognize me. He deserved it. He only saw my face for a minute or two in front of the police station on a dark night. It was right after a major accident in which his company employee tried to stab his company’s actress. He would not have remembered, for he had had no time to mind other people.

‘In addition, he couldn’t imagine that the ordinary office worker at the time would come as a buyer’s representative.’

Even if he remembered, he might have mistaken me for a similar-looking person. Now I was quite different from what I had been at that time. While I was looking at him, a tall man came to me and gave me his hand. He was none other than CEO Do Chan-ki, a ballad star in the ’90s who I had watched only on television. He shook hands with a nice smile.

“Welcome. Nice to meet you.”

His voice was amazingly good. He was one of the most popular singers of his generation. After a brief greeting, we went straight to the takeover. We had a deal about how much they would sell for, and what we would buy for.

“So we’ll sign a transfer contract at the price of $20,800,000, which is a discount of 6% from $22,000,000…” The rough details were already set behind the scenes, so we would make the details today.

“How much is the deposit…”

“The acquisition date is…”

On our side, Vice President Jang played most of the roles. It was pretty obvious he was a lot more experienced than I was here. I didn’t have much to do. So I alternately looked at CEO Do Chan-ki sitting in the middle and President Kwon Oh Hyuk on the side. President Kwon also spoke very little, like me.

It had been almost two years since OH Entertainment was taken over by CKD Entertainment, and he wouldn’t have had the right to speak. He must have come to see who the new owner would be. The meeting, which had started at 10 a.m., was almost finished by noon.

But in the middle of the closing negotiations, Do Chan-ki asked me, “By the way, can I ask CEO Han Sang-hoon a question?”

It was rather sudden. I answered, “Yes, please.”

“Why are you going to take over our company? I don’t think you have anything to do with the entertainment industry.”

That was a good question. Someone who didn’t have anything to do with the entertainment industry suddenly offered to take over theirs. I thought of an answer for a moment. In fact, the key reason was to be promoted to the Diamond Class, but I couldn’t say that. I simply answered, “I think I can manage it well.”

That was true. The entertainment business was simply a human business, so with the news, 12 Hours After, 12 Days After, 12 Weeks After, 12 Months After, and Search People, I could run the entertainment business easier. At that remark, CEO Do Chan-ki raised one side of his mouth and said, “Huh huh… I see.”

That look, and tone of speech seemed to say like that. ‘Will you run the entertainment business easier? I haven’t done a good job, even though I have been in the entertainment business for thirty years.’

”Well…’ I asked him back when I got upset, “Can I also ask CEO Do Chan-ki one question?”

“Yes, please.”

“CEO Do Chan-ki, why are trying to sell this company? It’s a company you raised, named after yourself.”

I wanted to hear the answer in person. No matter how neat it was, it seemed like he was trying to sell his own company, too. If I got a strange answer here, I might break the contract.

But when asked, CEO Do Chan-ki fixed his glasses for a while and collected his lips. Then he said carefully, “It’s a little bit hard for me to say in my own words… It’s because of the case that everybody knows about.”

I thought as I listened to it, ‘As expected, is it the reason?’ The case he was talking about was the recent gay rumor.

He spoke in a slightly trembling voice, “I’ve been in the entertainment world for almost thirty years, but it’s the first time I’ve been so shocked.”

But when I heard that trembling voice, my heart softened slightly. ‘Well, did I ask him a hurtful question?’

Actually, I had already heard about it, and it was like taking it out again and smashing a person’s wound. I turned my head slightly in a sorry mood. But in my eyes, President Kwon Oh Hyuk, who was sitting on the side, was seen. Then, after subtly turning his gaze away, he had five fingers facing each other and hit them.

“The old fans also turned around and blamed me. I was just… I had an indescribable wound at that time.”

The more Do Chan-ki spoke, the more Kwon Oh Hyuk lowered his head and hit his fingers.

I saw that and thought, ‘What is that?’

Chapter 62 - Truth Or Falsehood?, Part II

“We’re here, boss.”

At Ji-hoon’s voice, I raised my head. “Hmm?”

I looked out and saw a row of luxury cars. It was the parking lot of my studio building. I didn’t even know that we had already arrived there, as I was thinking about something. “Oh, we’re already here.”

“Your home is close to the company.”

“Yes, that’s right.” I nodded and sat still for a while, without thinking of getting out. It had been a dozen seconds.

Ji-hoon spoke up, “Boss?” ‘You’re home, aren’t you going to get off?’, was omitted.

I spoke to him, “Hey Ji-hoon.”

“Yes, boss.”

“Today… we had a meeting.”

“Yes.”

“Wasn’t it a little strange?”

“What part do you mean?”

“You know, when I asked CEO Do Chan-ki a question, “Why do you want to sell this company?’”

“Oh, are you talking about it at that time? Well, I had two ideas.”

“What were they?”

“First of all, it was a natural question to ask while buying $20,000,000 worth of goods. Second, it was a little too much to ask, knowing why.”

I laughed at the remark.

‘CEO Do Chan-ki was disillusioned with the entertainment industry due to the gay rumor.’ It was Ji-hoon who delivered the words to me. Still, he was reading my feelings correctly.

“But CEO Do is the one who threw the first punch. Huh-huh-huh. He was suspicious that you can do well.”

I smiled, “Did it sound that way?”

“Yes, 100%. I’m sure that’s what Vice President Jang heard. He pretended to be gentle, but then he looked a little bit like a snake.”

I was right as expected. ‘He is like a snake, so it’s even more questionable.’

“And, then, did you hear his voice shaking when he answered that question?”

“Oh, yes. I was surprised, too. I didn’t know when I heard it, but I thought it had was a shock to him.”

I asked him a key question, “But that shaky voice. Was it real?”

“Yes?” Ji-hoon seemed to have no idea that it was fake.

“I was a little sorry when I heard it, but now I’m thinking… Do I have to say that the situation was weird then? Think about it. At that age, in front of others, in front of his men, he was showing his feelings… It felt like something impossible to me, even at my age.”

Ji-hoon nodded, collecting his lips. “Well, is that so?”

Ji-hoon didn’t understand my story very well. It was not very long since I had been listening to the word ‘boss’, but being the president of a company wasn’t such a light thing.

“Yes. If I were alone with you… but I don’t think I’d ever be able to do that in front of other employees.”

“Well… it sounds like that. Oh, by the way, at that time, what I thought was this guy had a very thick, nice voice even though his voice was shaking.”

That was what I thought, too… “Oh, right. Come to think of it, he’s a singer. He might easily manipulate his voice,” I said it to Ji-hoon and I had a flash of insight. “Wait a minute. Did CEO Do Chan-ki ever act?”

“Ah? Maybe he did?”

We both didn’t know about his best time in the 1990’s, because we were middle school students. We both picked up the cell phone and searched for “Do Chan-ki.” When I took his profile, I found out that he had acted once. It wasn’t a feature film, but he was the main character in a short story, and he played two supporting roles in miniseries. I searched The Northern Part of Eden, the name of the short story he had played as the main character. The news came soon. News from ten years ago…

[Do Chan-ki in The Northern Part of Eden has favorable comments.]

[Director Kim Sung-kyun gives a favorable comment on Do Chan-ki; his performance and vocalization are great.]

[Do Chan-ki has challenged a full-time actor? His splendid ability has been proven.]

Before I said anything, Ji-hoon said first. “Oh, he has acted before, and he got favorable comments?”

“Well. He must have been quite talented in his acting.”

“I searched some articles at that time… he was going to act, but then he set up an agency. I guess he just quit after all this.”

“Well, he is good at acting… Hey, Ji-hoon, If what he said was a lie, wouldn’t there be a fatal problem inside the company?”

If so, it was a big problem. To maintain the Diamond Class, the listed company must be controlled and maintained. If something was wrong with the inside, I might face a downgrade.

“Maybe… But it was neat in accounting. Since he has been selling it too quickly, Vice President Jang has checked it out a few times.”

“Well…”

I stroked my chin for a moment and was lost in thought. ‘If it’s an entertainment company… It’s not an accounting problem, but it may be a human problem.’

I thought so. The reason I started the entertainment company was that it was for all about people. But when I thought about it, I had an idea coming into my mind naturally. ‘Man’s problem… Do Chan-ki… could be homosexual…’

————-

When I got back home, I turned on my computer and typed the name Do Chan-ki on the portal site. Most of the time he appeared in the ’90s. Most of them were with the lyrics he sang during his best years. I went over to the news. The article I was looking for was the one at that time.

[CKD Entertainment CEO Do Chan-ki is gay.] But the article was gone.

‘He said that he was going to sue, so did they take it off?’

I did a search with ‘Do Chan-ki, sue’. However, there was no news that said he had filed a complaint. Something suspicious was going on.

‘What if he’s gay?’

I tried the scenario on that premise. ‘He barely managed to stop the story and the press, but now it has spread to the public. It’s only a matter of time before he loses. Then, he cannot maintain his position as CEO anyway. Before then, he’ll sell it to someone who is a first timer in an entertainment business. It’s a lie that he is disillusioned with the entertainment industry. It’s not that. It’s a situation where he can’t stay in the entertainment world.’

Open-eyed, I thought a little more. ‘Then why did President Kwon Oh Hyuk do that?’

I searched ‘Do Chan-ki and Kwon Oh Hyuk.’ News came up again.

[President Kwon Oh Hyuk set up OH Entertainment.]

I clicked on the article. There I could see the relationship between the two.

[President Kwon Oh Hyuk, who worked as a manager for famous singer Do Chan-ki…]

“Aaaah.”

Then it all made sense. Since President Kwon Oh Hyuk was the manager of Do Chan-ki, he must have known Do was gay.

‘Even the old fans turned around and blamed me… I have an indescribable wound…’ When CEO Do Chan-ki told a lie, Kwon had a guilty conscience and kept his head down and his fingers crossed. Then it all made sense.

‘Do Chan-ki is a homosexual. That article wasn’t wrong.’ When I thought about it, I recognized that CEO Do Chan-ki deceived the public with the news, [CEO of CKD Entertainment, Do Chan-ki, is not gay.]

And he also deceived with the words, ‘I’ve been in the entertainment world for almost 30 years, but it’s the first time I’ve been so shocked.’

‘Oh, my God! If the hypothesis is real, it may be necessary to fundamentally review the contract. CKD is a company named after Do Chan-ki himself. Homosexuality isn’t much of a bad thing, but it’s a big thing that he has been lying through a fake marriage for thirty years. It’s to the extent the entire company is shaking.

‘But I don’t want to break the contract, either. This CKD entertainment is a good company on the surface. Oh Hyun-joo’s OH Entertainment has been doing well. I’ve worked on it for three months, and if I give up now, the promotion to Diamond Class will be too far away. It is not certain when other entertainment companies will be put up for sale.’

‘So what shall I do with this?’

I suddenly thought of the news company that wrote the article. It was the famous Keystone Media, a kite-sniper.

‘They’d know the truth, wouldn’t they? How can I contact Keystone Media?’

Thinking of it, I called Secretary Seo right away.

“Yes, boss.”

“Ji Hoon, do you know Keystone Media?”

“I know them. The Keystone Media are professionals on figuring out on the sportsman or celebrity gossip.”

Ji-hoon didn’t seem to know that they first presented the news of Do Chan-ki. But that was three months ago. “Yes. I need you to call them and let them know that we want to talk with them.”

“Yes, I see.”

“Well, if you just say it, they can’t understand it. Tell them all about our takeover; our company is trying to make an investment worth $21,000,000 and that’s what CKD Entertainment is for.”

“Yes, I see, boss.”

If my scenario was real, Keystone Media would contact me.

—–

Sure enough, I got a call from Secretary Seo ten minutes later. “Boss, that’s weird. Moments ago, I talked to them about what the boss just told me… and they said that they would visit us tomorrow at ten in the morning.”

I got it. “Really? Who’s coming to see us? A reporter?”

“No, not a reporter, but they didn’t tell me the position… The decision maker of their company is coming?”

“Okay.” Any decision maker with a high-ranking could be coming.

“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow at ten.”

“Yes, boss.”

—————————————

I raised my hand and looked at the watch. It was 9:50 am. I had ten minutes left before the meeting with a Keystone Media official today. I was going to meet him and buy solid evidence that the Do Chan-ki was gay. After the purchase, we would negotiate with him over that.

‘It’s kind of mean to shake a person’s weakness, but he tried to hide it and sell it over to me. I will do that. too.’

Outside, with a knock, the voice from the secretary Seo came in. “Boss, this is the guest you promised.”

“Yes, let the guest in.”

I got up from my seat and prepared to greet the guest. The door opened, someone came in, and I almost cried out.

The person who came in had sharp eyes and a nose sharp a ruler. The man also hardened when he saw me. He was Kaiji, whom I saw at Garden Envy. We both recognized each other at once, but secretary Seo was watching behind us. Shaking my hand first, I said to him, “I’ve seen you for the first time. I’m the president of Invictus Investment, Han Sang-hoon.”

He took my hand and replied, “Nice to meet you. I’m Lee Won-jae from Daewon Daily News.”

Chapter 63 - The Master of Falsehood

We faced each other for a moment. In the meantime, secretary Seo closed the door behind us.

I waved at a seat, saying, “Sit down, please.”

He tried to sit down. At that time, I added, “Mr. Kaiji.

At the word Kaiji, Director Lee Won-jae laughed. “You are the CEO of an investment company, aren’t you? Mr. Duros. Then you are good at stocks.”

I said, shaking my head, “It’s very awkward to be called that nickname, especially outside. Please call me by name.”

“That’s same for me, too. CEO Han Sang-hoon.”

“Yes, it’s nice to see you again anyway, Director Lee Won-jae.”

“It’s nice to meet you, too.”

After greeting, an awkward silence passed. After a while, we were going to be doing the same thing.

“What we know… ”

“In the Garden Envy…”

We opened our mouths and ran into the eyes of each other. It seemed we had the same thought.

I put it in order and said, “Let’s put aside what we know about each other in secret in real life or in Garden Envy.”

“Yes, I like that, too.”

It was now roughly arranged. I went over to work. “If you’re a member of the Daewon Daily News, Keystone Media is its subsidiary, right?”

“It was originally an affiliate of a sports newspaper. As you know, Internet news has been on the rise, and we changed the name and turned it into a professional company.”

‘The Daewon Daily News is one of the five major media outlets in Korea. He is 28. If he is a director there at this age, he should be considered a member of the management family. I’m sure the chairman of the Daewon Daily News is Mr. Lee, uh…’

I went to work. “So you’ve heard all about it. I’m going to ask you directly. Is it true or false?”

He smiled at me but didn’t tell me. However, he was here, and it must be true 99%. He deserved it, because he was the one who would buy and sell information. I couldn’t afford to not get an answer.

I started a conversation around, “I don’t know what you think, but I’m actually generous about homosexuality. Rather, I am fond of it.”

Lee Won-jae looked at me with his eyes wide open.

Like I was a homosexual, I continued to speak, “It’s good. If men like each other, there are women left. Instead, women shouldn’t have sex with each other. I’m against that.”

He laughed at my joke, but my face hardened. “Nevertheless, I can’t let anyone fool me, especially in business.”

Director Lee Won-jae nodded with his hard face, while laughing, “I understand.”

“This is our first acquisition since the establishment of an investment company. By the way, if we buy a company that has hidden bad news at a reasonable price and it turns out that it is true later, wouldn’t our company be a standing joke in the investment industry? They would make fun of us, buying it like a fool for the money.”

He nodded again, “Yes.”

“This is our first button. There should not be anything wrong. So I’d like to ask you how many people know that.”

I didn’t say what the fact was, but Director Lee Won-jae soon latched on.

“A lot. People in the entertainment industry know quite a lot.”

I thought of Kwon Oh Hyuk, who was lowering his head. I changed the question, “Then how many people can prove this? People who can destroy it in the media…”

“His lovers… I’m sure it’s like his boyfriends. But we are the only media company with proof. This is something I can say for sure.”

That meant, “Only we have the information, so make a deal with us.”

“Okay. Let’s fix the price. How much will it be?”

“$1,000,000 or $3,000,000.”

I tilted my head slightly, and he said, “I’m sure you’ve guessed, but we’ve made a deal with him. But the deal… we’re supposed to get some money, according to his income.”

I understood it the moment I heard it.

‘These people seem to have signed a contract in which Do Chan-ki gets paid, whether he performs concerts or plays on the night stage, so he can trust them. If he is destroyed, these people will be hurt, too.’

“So if you get the evidence and sign a contract with a condition that you will not release it to the media, it’s $1,000,000. If you get the evidence and you open it to the media, it’s $3,000,000. If you open it to the press, we’ll lose our income.”

‘They will not suffer any damages. That’s it.’

‘To be honest, $1,000,000 or $3,000,000 doesn’t make much difference. I’ll make that money soon. I only have his life and death pass.’

I spoke to him, “I’ll think about it for a moment.”

“Sure.”

I patted my chin and thought hard about CEO Do Chan-ki. ‘If I pay $1,000,000, he’ll survive, if I pay $3,000,000, he’ll be ruined. What shall I do for him?’

‘Let’s see if you’re good at it.’ I remembered him laughing at me. ‘I’ve been in the entertainment world for almost thirty years, but it’s the first time I’ve been so shocked.’

I also remembered his acting to deceive me. My heart leaned slightly toward the “destruction” button. But at that time, I also felt like, “Why did he have to lie so much?”

He was active in the ’90s, a time when people couldn’t even get their hair dyed for a TV show. The perception of homosexuals was so bad that celebrities, especially ballad singers, were coming out like a declaration that they would retire from the entertainment industry. So he might have had to choose to deceive the public.

So he started lying and tried to cover it up. Though he didn’t want to marry, he had to do it, and thirty years had passed since he lied. Now the snowball became so big that he could not do anything.

That’s how I felt about survival again.

I told Director Lee, “I’m thinking about this. Why don’t I meet CEO Do Chan-ki again and decide? First of all, I have to pay $1,000,000 in advance. If I think I’m going to have to reveal it to the press, I’ll pay you $2,000,000 and announce it. How is that?”

Lee Won-jae put his hands together and said, “It’s okay. Just make sure you fill out the contract.”

“Sure.”

———————————————–

I looked at my watch while drinking coffee. 2:50 p.m. I had ten minutes until the appointment. ‘It’s time for him to come… ‘

“How are you, Mr. Han?”

Sure enough. From afar, CEO Do Chan-ki appeared waving his hand. His voice and his face were very nice. He was an impressive specimen for a middle-aged singer.

“What brought you here? You seeing me in a place like this.”

This was a cafe in a hotel located in Gangnam, a strictly soundproofed cafe with the room divided.

I showed my true intentions right away. “Oh, it’s nothing. I think we’ll have to renegotiate this contract.”

CEO Do Chan-ki was surprised at what I said. “Renegotiate? We’ve been doing something… Are you going to change that?”

I said with a stiff face, “Yes.”

At my firm words, CEO Do Chan-ki also solidified his face. “That’s not possible. We made a lot of concessions, but… If you want to go further down the road, we’d rather look for another company.”

I said with my eyes flat, “Then look for another company.”

“No, then… Why have you been negotiating so far? Sure, then!” He tried to get up from his seat in anger.

I took a picture out of my jacket pocket. “But if it doesn’t spread until you find another company, it’s all fine.”

The picture was one of the pictures that were ‘decisive evidence’. It was one of several photos the Keystone Media had. CEO Do Chan-ki’s eyes grew bigger when he saw it.

I spoke to him, “Oh, you acted really well in front of me. You even made your voice tremble. If you were an actor and didn’t have an agency, it would have been a big hit. Is that right?”

“Huh… No… It’s… What the hell?” This time, he spoke with a really trembling voice. It was hard to say that it was an act to shake his hands like that.

“I didn’t know why other entertainment agencies did not step in, in particular, people of different agencies. They should love buying an agency at this price. Why would only our company want to buy it?”

He looked at the picture with trembling hands and said resignedly, “…what do you want?”

“I’ll be honest with you. I don’t intend to reveal Mr. Do Chan-ki’s dirty work to others. I don’t think homosexuality is a crime. But I hope that our company will always be considered a smart company with good deals. But if we buy this at the current price, it will turn up in a few months, and wouldn’t our company be a laughing stock?”

At my words, CEO Do Chan-ki also nodded. He also seemed to admit that he tried to cover up the bad news and turn over the stocks.

“So. I’d like it much cheaper than the original contract, to the extent that it is sold at an oddly low price. Then, we can say something later, like, ‘we already knew that CEO Do Chan-ki is gay. That’s why we bought it cheaply.’”

CEO Do Chan-ki licked his lips with his tongue. “How much… do you want?”

I told him the amount I had in mind, “$17,000,000. Please give me a discount of $5,000,000 from $22,000,000.”

“Yes?” CEO Do Chan-ki’s eyes grew bigger. He deserved it since the total amount was $20,800,0000 that he had already agreed on. But at this price, shouldn’t it be said that his true feelings were contained? True sincerity cost $3,800,000.

CEO Do Chan-ki thought for a while, but soon he said, “OK, then I’ll do that. Instead, this picture… I ask you…”

“Don’t worry, I don’t want to destroy you. Of course, you lied to me at the time, but…”

In my words, Do Chan-ki said with his head down, “I’m sorry, about that time.”

I was sorry to see an adult apologize like that. He might be destined to live like this all his life. I wished he’d come out at the right time.

‘Well, he’s got a fake marriage… It’s going to be hard to pull back now.’

It was his choice.

————–

The next morning. Mr. Do appeared before us with a new contract. I wrote a new contract with the minimum number of people, secretary Seo and Vice President Jang.

After the contract was over, Mr. Do said, “I’d like you to take care of it.”

He greeted me and then disappeared. After he went out, secretary Seo, who saw the new contract terms, said with a wide-open eye. “No, it’s… What happened, boss?”

“What happened? That’s a good thing.”

Vice President Jang also looked at it and spoke with his tongue out, “No, I thought the price I told you last time was pretty cheap, but this was $3,800,000 cheaper. I mean, it’s the best deal ever. I’m sure other investment companies are going to be surprised.”

“That’s good, then. Please pay the balance and proceed with the contract.”

“Yes, I see, boss.” Vice-President Jang still had a look of incomprehension, but he followed my order.

After Vice President Jang left the president’s office, Secretary Seo asked me, “Boss, what kind of magic did you do? Can you just tell me?”

I said in a flat voice, “No.”

CEO Do Chan-ki paid enough for lying. For him, I decided to keep this story to myself for life. Secretary Seo had a sad look on his face, but he didn’t ask any questions.

“Then I’ll go.”

“Yes, go to work.”

Secretary Seo went out the door, and I looked out the window alone.

‘Well, that’s good. The process was complicated, but the result is good, and everything will be good. Now, once the takeover is done, the Diamond Class is mine. My new news…’

When I thought about the news, I had a sudden idea. I opened the drawer and saw the business card I received yesterday.

‘Lee Won-jae, director of Daewon Daily News.’ I thought, turning the business card round and round.

‘He’s a leading voice in the present media. He is the man who controls the current news. And I’m someone who knows the news of the future. I think it’ll be useful to get him under me. He is looking for other people’s weaknesses. So what’s his weakness? Who knows?’

Chapter 64 - President Kwon Oh Hyuk

I quickly typed ‘Director of Daewon Daily News Lee Won-jae’ on the keyboard. After searching, it appeared in the portal window.

[Director of Daewon Daily News Lee Won-jae]

However, there was no other news or such, except for a short profile.

‘If he became a director at twenty-eight years old, he would have been a little bit controversial.’

I certainly remembered seeing such an article. I changed the search term, ‘director, chaebol II.’ There was news coming up soon.

[Controversy is growing over the director appointment of Kang Yu-mi, the daughter of Chairman Kang Joon-gil of Hwa-yeon Asia.]

There was an article about half a year ago. When I clicked on the article, there was a story like that written.

[She is thirty years old and a granddaughter of the founder… At a time when the youth unemployment rate is recorded historical high… The appointment doesn’t match the style of Hwa-yeon Asia, which has emerged as a global cosmetics brand.]

I came back to the keyboard and typed, ‘controversy over Lee Won-jae, chaebol II.’ There was no article on Lee Won-jae, a 28-year-old director. I guessed Daewon Daily News had asked the portal site not to upload any news about him. In addition, no other U.S. company published an article about it.

‘I guess the media are taking care of one another.’

I searched a little more, ‘President of Daewon Daily News.’ The President of Daewon Daily News was Lee Keun-sang. As soon as I saw his picture, I thought he was the father of director Lee Won-jae. The red face, the cut eyes, and the big nose looked exactly the same. If there was a difference, his father looked very old. The hair of Lee Keun-sang was completely white and he had gray eyebrows. He was sixty-two years old.

‘Well… Lee Won-jae is twenty-eight years old and this man is sixty-two years old. There is 34 years difference between them.’

‘If it is a 34-year-old difference, he may not be the first son. Is he the second or third?’

I searched for more. Sure enough, there were two older brothers. The first was Lee Won-sang, the 36-year-old President of Daily Sports. The second was Lee Won-joon, the 34-year-old Executive Director of Daewon Daily News.

‘Thirty-six, thirty-four, twenty-eight years old… Look like he is the last son in this media chaebol.’

The Garden Envoy organizer, Master T, was also a low-ranking member of the chaebol, and there was an odd similarity.

I was thinking about him, and my cell phone rang. When I saw the caller, it was Lee Won-jae. With Lee Won-jae’s face on the monitor, I answered the phone.

“Hello? Mr. Han. I heard you signed a good deal. Congratulations.”

Director Lee Won-jae seemed to know the details of our contract. That certainly made me feel bad.

“….”

“Would you like me to write a piece of good news for you this time? On the contract?”

“News?”

“To celebrate this deal, I’ll write it down well.”

“Keystone Media… I’d like to say no.”

“Haha, don’t look at us so bad. There are many ordinary internet newspapers in our company. I will take good care of it.”

I thought it over. I had a plan to build the Invictus investment into a large and profitable company.

“Well, I think it’s not bad.”

“Yes, I’ll put it on the news in a few days. Then I’ll call you back.”

He ended the call with the last words. I looked at the cell phone with the name floating for a moment. From this approach, he seemed to think that his relationship with me was useful, too.

‘Well… this guy…’

At that moment, I heard a knock twice, and then I heard the secretary Seo’s voice.

“Boss, Vice President Jang is waiting.”

“Please let him in.”

Soon the door opened, and Vice President Jang came in. After bowing to me, he came before me.

“This is the data you mentioned before, on the appointment of CKD’s representative.”

“Okay.”

I received the data he gave me. There were several profiles of CKD Entertainment’s executive director, managing director, and others. I remembered seeing them all at the last meeting. They had their noses in my backside.

‘Welcome, Mr. President.’

‘Please take care of me. Mr. President.’

They showed appropriate reactions for their positions.

I announced that I would not be directly involved in management before I took over the company. Therefore, CEO Do Chan-ki would leave the company and the post of CEO would be vacant. So they were trying to get themselves in that position.

“Is there anyone you can recommend?”

“Well, I don’t know anything about the entertainment business… It’s hard to say.”

I kept passing over their profiles. But among them, the face of OH Entertainment CEO Kwon Oh Hyuk was also seen. I asked, picking up President Kwon Oh Hyuk’s profile, “How’s this guy? President Kwon Oh Hyuk of OH Entertainment, a subsidiary company?”

When I picked an example, Jang only expressed his opinion at that time. “Oh, I looked at him a little carefully, too. I don’t think it’s a bad choice. OH Entertainment’s performance is so good these days. Thanks to Oh Hyun-joo, the star entertainer, but… isn’t it true that he has done a job, anyway? These small and medium-sized entertainment companies can make a big profit, having a star entertainer.”

“Well, how was OH Entertainment acquired by the CKD? President Kwon Oh Hyuk was the manager of CEO Do Chan-ki.”

“They only worked together in the nineties, and then they split up and set up their own entertainment company around 2010. Unfortunately, CEO Do Chan-ki had his own money and used his name to attract investors and started holding large amounts of capital, while Kwon Oh Hyuk had only a career, so he got few investors and started with small amounts of his own.”

“Well, OH Entertainment hasn’t had any well-known celebrities, until the big hit of Oh Hyun-joo recently?”

“Yes. As the financial situation became difficult, President Kwon Oh Hyuk must have sent an SOS to Do Chan-ki, who had an old relationship with him,”

“That’s why it was taken over. And while it was a subsidiary, Oh Hyun-joo got a big hit.”

“That’s right.”

“But then… Should I say that his management skills are a little insufficient? What do you think?”

“However, people in this industry say that he is a little bit more upright than someone in the entertainment industry.”

“What does that mean?”

“Well, I don’t know the details, but… any company would do that. When they’re in need of money, they’re bound to do anything. Especially, in the case of entertainment agencies…”

When Vice President Jang blurted his words. I knew what he was saying.

“But he didn’t like to do it. He has been a very caring person. Even if he doesn’t have a sense of reality, it’s a good style in the long run.”

“Well… ” I thought of him for a moment when he lowered his head down and hit his fingers. Come to think of it, Oh Hyun-joo really didn’t get a big hit for a long time. I had always known her when she had been unknown.

‘Why can’t she get a big hit, though she is so pretty and so good at acting?’ I used to think that. Perhaps it was because Kwon cared about his agency’s entertainment staff and ran it neatly. I scored a good mark in my mind. President Kwon would be seated on the throne of CKD.

“Then, President Kwon will not be bad as the next CEO of CKD.”

“Yes, I think so, too.”

“By the way… What is the stake relationship between CKD and OH Entertainment?”

“It’s a 100% subsidiary. CKD had a 100% stake.”

“Well, why don’t we take this opportunity to merge? I can see that they also used the same building. At the same time, I hope we change our company name to OH Entertainment. CKD itself is named after CEO Do Chan-ki. I think it’s weird for a company that doesn’t have CEO Do.”

“You’re right. It wouldn’t be bad to do. This new OH Entertainment will do better.”

‘I think that’ll do. In fact, there are many cases in which well-known subsidiaries in other industries are disguised as parent companies.’

“Then I’ll appoint him a new CEO. Is there any other problem?”

“There’ll be a little noise. Other people, CKD’s board members will be wondering, because they expect to become the new CEO themselves.”

“But hasn’t OH Entertainment been feeding CKD much lately? From the financial perspective, it looks like OH Entertainment earns and pours it into CKD.”

“That’s true. For that reason, the directors won’t be able to say much.”

“Then there’s enough justification, so let’s go ahead with this scenario.”

“Yes, I see, boss.”

——

After Vice President Jang left, I picked up the phone right away and called Secretary Seo”

“Yes, boss.”

“Call that President Kwon Oh Hyuk of OH Entertainment and make an appointment to meet him.”

“When shall we do it?”

“The sooner the better.”

“Yes, boss.”

About a minute after the call, my phone rang again.

“Mr. Kwon will be here right away. I heard he would be here in time for the boss?”

Mr. Kwon seemed to have been interested in taking the position of CKD’s next president.

“Then ask him to have dinner tonight. Um… today… What shall I eat?” I blurted my words, and said what came to my mind right away, “How about tuna?”

“Oh yes, I see.”

————————————–

I opened the sliding door and walked in. Inside was President Kwon Oh Hyuk.

“Are you here, boss?”

“Oh, good to see you. Mr. President.”

I gave him my hand. He held my hand with his head down and shook it several times. We shook hands and settled down in front of each other. I looked at him, and he looked at me. By the way, he was still not aware of me.

‘What the hell? He still doesn’t recognize me.’

The door opened, and the hostess asked, “Would you like to order?”

“Eh… this one. What about alcohol?” I looked at President Kwon. He said, “Anything is fine.”

I started talking to him after having him take a course and drink for $150 per person. “You have a good reputation in the industry. You take care of your own celebrities well.”

“Ah, I’m overpraised.”

“To be honest, I don`t know much about the internal affairs of the entertainment industry. Don’t you see it sometimes? In the news. Gambling. Sponsors. Drugs… Considering that, I don’t think it would be easy to run an entertainment company. It’s a place where people with strong colors are gathered.”

“Thank you for your knowledge.”

“I think there’s a lot more to it, if you put together something that’s not covered. For example…” I sneaked out the story at that time, “The attempted murder.”

As I said, President Kwon’s eyes grow bigger. “Yes?”

He looked at me with his big eyes. “Ah… Ah-ah.” He made a noise without speaking. He only just now recognized me. I poured the beer served first into his glass as he said, “No, how?”

“What a strange connection, right? I didn’t know how President Kwon would look at me, but I was glad to see you again.”

“No, … I thought you resembled someone. But I didn’t even know that you were the same person that I saw.”

When I filled up his glass, he filled my glass with haste, too. He spoke with a slightly trembling hand. “But then… I heard that you were definitely an ordinary office worker…”

I said with a smile, tinkling a glass with him, “That wasn’t a lie.”

Chapter 65 - An Extra Character Of The World, A Main Character Of The World

After dinner, President Kwon and I walked out of the tuna restaurant. I shook hands with him at the door.

“Then, I’ll ask you to do me a favor, President Kwon.”

President Kwon bowed his head and got my handshake. “No, I’ll ask you to do me a favor.”

While I said good-bye to him, I could hear the sound of opening the car door a little way off from me. I raised my head and saw that Secretary Seo was waiting for me in the distance. When I saw him, I said to President Kwon, “Oh, by the way, at that time… What happened that day will continue to be a secret between us. I don’t want it to leak it out either. Of course, I got a check back then, but OH Entertainment is now my company.”

Kwon recalled things then and said with a quick smile, “Yes, I see.”

I was about to say a real good-bye. But then, he said one more thing, “Boss, then… Should I tell Oh Hyun-joo that?”

Come to think of it, there was one more person who knew this fact: Oh Hyun-joo. I thought about it for a while, and said to him, “Oh, that’s… I think it would be better for me to talk to her in person.”

“Oh, would you?”

‘I’m sure it’ll be more fun. Maybe she’ll recognize me, too. I’m curious about that.’

“Yes. I think it’s better. Oh Hyun-joo does not know that I’m going to be a major shareholder, does she?”

“Of course not. I didn’t know until just now.”

“Yes, then, just keep it that secret. When we meet again, I’ll talk to her in person.”

“Oh, please feel free to contact me whenever you come to our company. I’ll adjust the schedule of Oh Hyun-joo…”

“No, no. We’ll meet naturally anyway.”

Kwon bowed to me once again for the last time. “Yes, I see, boss.”

————————————–

Vice President Jang spoke in front of me, giving me a document that said the contract was complete. “All the detailed procedures are done. The announcement of the contract will be made sometime today. In a week, the boss will officially become a major shareholder of OH Entertainment.”

“Yes. Thank you for your work. I trust that you will take care of the rest without any problem.”

“Don’t worry about that.”

—–

As soon as Jang left the president’s office, my cell phone rang. I picked it up and checked the time. It was an alarm at 8:50. The news 12 Hours After and 12 Days After were coming. Two emails came in just at 8:55.

[P. 12 Hours After]

[P. 12 Days After]

‘It is not long before the P in front of the email will turn into Diamond’s D.’ Thinking that, I clicked on the news.

‘No, no, no, no… No.’

In 12 Hours After, there was nothing. I then looked over 12 Days After.

‘No… um?’ There was just one catchy piece of news.

[Economy – the rebellion of the price of Masung Group]

‘If it’s Masung Group…’

It was the company of Chairman Jeon Hee-joong, who died of a heart attack on a fishing ground last time. I clicked on it.

[Masung group is engulfed in the prince’s rebellion. Since the death of Jeon Hee-joong, Chairman of Masung Group, due to an acute heart attack on the fishing grounds on April 4, Jeon Woo-hyun, the eldest son of Jeon Hee-joong, seemed to take over as the group chairman, but the second son Jeon Woo-jin and several other board members opposed it….]

‘Oh, the chairman died suddenly, it has led to conflicts between people.

‘There’s an old saying, Brothers are not very close in a rich family. That’s not right every time, but it’s common to see brothers fighting over inheritances anyway. If it’s a chaebol group, then it’s a fight at the company level. But it’s been a long time since…

‘There are a lot of people who are fighting among the princes and then split up the whole group. So, these days, the chairman tends to arrange the inheritance before he dies. For the first is construction, for the second is finance, and for the third is fashion. In this way… However, Masung Group Chairman Jeon Hee-joong seems to have caused this problem because he was in his fifties and died suddenly of a heart attack.

‘If it’s a group fight, there’ll be ups and downs in the stock market. The Masung Group is an unlisted group. The Masung Group is a rare company not listed on the KOSPI or KOSDAQ, among the nation’s top fifty companies. That’s a bit disappointing. If it were only listed…’

‘People Search – Jeon Woo-hyun’

‘People Search – Jeon Woo-jin’

I could’ve put both of the brothers in a character search, but this time, I should just go over it.

‘I feel sorry.’ I locked my fingers together, put them behind my head and backed away. ‘I need to make more money.’

During the first month and the second month, I had earned nearly triple, but this month was not good. Of course, I’d already earned $10,000,000 for the subscription fee, but I needed to earn more than that to grow my account and develop my company.

‘Well… it’ll be much better if I get Diamond Class. Every time the grade goes up, it has been true…’

| I turned on the HTS without much thought. If there were any stocks that were skyrocketing or plummeting, I might be able to use People Search in 12 Days After. But around 10 a.m. when the stock price of CDK Entertainment rose 5%.

‘What is it?’ The contract was already up. So, the higher the stock price, the better.

‘Is there any good news on the air?’

I was trying to find out on the Internet, but there was a call. I looked up the phone.

“Boss.”

“Hmm?”

“No, because of the news about our company, I called you.”

“News?”

“In the Internet newspaper, the name of our company and your name are on the air. Would you like to take a look?”

Come to think of it, Kaiji, Director of Daewon Daily News Lee Won-jae said, “To celebrate this deal, I’ll put the news on the air.”

‘Anyways, there’s a public announcement after the market. I think they made the news before then.’

“Oh… Okay. I’ll look for it.” When I finished the call, I immediately went to the search box and typed ‘Invictus Investment.’ I saw the news that was released just a moment ago.

‘Who is the new owner of CKD Entertainment, which has been surrounded by acquisition news?’

The company that uploaded the news might be the media from the branch of the Daewon Daily News. I clicked on the article.

[It is confirmed that the rumored sale of CKD Entertainment is true. Recently, they suffered from a series of business failures and rumors. Do Chan-ki, the representative of the company, has been saying that it is a groundless rumor in the recent acquisition, but it is not true.]

I read the article quickly. And in the meantime, my name came out.

[The new owner of CKD Entertainment is Invictus Investment, a new company with a somewhat unfamiliar name, known to be run by young CEO Han Sang-hoon (29), a new company less than a month old. The capital of Invictus Investment is $30,000,000, and has safely bought the stake of Do Chan-ki, the representative of the company.]

I read it over and over again, focusing on it, because it was the name of the company, the part where my name was in it, and I wondered if it was good or not. But in this article, it just said a new Investment Company took over CKD Entertainment. It simply stated a list of facts.

[… it is noteworthy whether the big deal will be concluded.]

‘He said he’d write it well. There’s not much good to say.’

I looked at it for a moment, but then I thought of CKD Entertainment.

‘Now they know that our company is taking over the CKD Entertainment. That’s why the stock price went up. The rumor of the takeover is good news for a stock price to rise.’

I returned to HTS.

[CKD Entertainment +2%]

The stock price of CKD Entertainment, which briefly ran to +5%, was back down. It was no wonder, as our company had no name and no huge capital. Just like Jiwoo Entertainment, it was hard for the story of an orphan who had been adopted to the home of a chaebol, to come out.

I dropped by the stock bulletin board.

– Finally, a new owner comes out. Thank God. CEO Do Chan-ki, how much did he lose?

– Han Sang Hoon is the new owner? He is young. What’s Invictus like?

– Han Sang Hoon? I haven’t heard of the name. It’s like a rumor. If you buy it now, you’re a fool. Be careful.

My name was already going up and down. I suddenly remembered the chairman being cursed at Jiwoo Entertainment.

– Kim Dong-il, you son of a bitch! Because of you, I lost my house and my car…

I hoped I would do well so that our stock price would not go down in the future.

‘I’m sure I’ll do well.’

I took my eyes off HTS and went back to the news where my name came out.

[It is reported that Han Sang-hoon (29), a young CEO, is running the new company.]

My name appeared in the real news, not in the news of 12 Hours After, and it made me feel strange. I watched the article for a while. But at that time, suddenly a terrible thought flashed through my mind.

“Uh… Wait a minute… This?”

I got out of my seat. First, the rule that the Customer Service had informed me was that the news from 12 Hours After and 12 Days After would follow the rules of the Korean news. My name was on the real news. There was a thing that came into my mind when the two things came together.

‘If I become famous enough to appear on the news every day?’

I tried portal sites with a slight tremor. Slowly, I searched my name each letter on the portal site. ‘Han Sang Hoon’

There were countless news reports of people named ‘Han Sang-hoon,’ me and others of the same name.

‘… why hadn’t I realized that before?’

It was probably because I had always lived as an extra character in this world, as a supporting actor. I’d never thought of it this way, because I’d never lived in the world as the main character, and I’d never imagined my name would appear in the news.

I would become the most famous Han Sang Hoon in Korea. Then I would be able to find out what would happen in my life in the future by 12 Hours After, 12 Days After, 12 Weeks After, 12 Months After and 12 Years After. I could find out everything I would do through People Search.

‘And then… like the chairman of the Masung Group… There is no need to die of a heart attack because I can fix the future.’

I got up from the chair and I looked out of the window. I thought I had finally figured out how to use 12 Hours After.

‘When I become a main character of the world, news will be written about me. And I will know what news is going to be written.’

I shivered slightly at the fact.

Chapter 66 - Han Sang-hoon of Han Sang-hoon

I picked up the phone in the president’s office and said, “Secretary Seo.”

“Yes, boss.”

“Could you come into the room for a moment?”

“Yes, boss.”

Soon Ji-hoon opened the door and came inside. I asked him, “Secretary Seo, you… No, Ji-hoon, you are… Have you ever put your name in the search box?”

“My name?”

“Yes, have you ever searched for Seo Ji-hoon in the search box?”

“No.”

Ji-hoon was shaking his head, but he suddenly remembered. “Oh, by the way, do you know the archer Seo Ji-hoon, who competed in the team event at the London Olympics six years ago?”

I recalled for a moment. A few people flashed across my mind, but I didn’t know their names. “Well, I don’t remember.”

“You might not know him. He was in the team competition only once at that time. Anyways, he has the same name as me, so I cheered and remembered him. When the Rio Olympics came again four years later, I searched for Seo Ji-hoon again, but he failed to make it to the national team. I think that was the first and last time. That’s the reason I searched under my name.”

I nodded, “Well, yeah, yeah… Yeah, I got it. You can return to your seat.”

“… yes, boss.” Secretary Seo cocked his head curiously and went out the door.

Come to think of it, most people were like that. Except for politicians and celebrities, who would search for news in their own names? I thought for a moment.

‘If I could get my own news… Then that news is far more important than other news. All I do is right now is watch other news.’

[CEO Han Sang-hoon has succeeded. The investment industry believes that Han’s prediction was right again.]

‘And when the good news comes up, I am going to push it as I do.’

[CEO Han Sang-hoon has lost. Investment sources say that CEO Han Sang-hoon’s last decision was a mistake.]

‘If there is news like this, I can correct the future accordingly.’

[… he has recorded an evening surprise.]

[… he has recorded the upper limit price.]

‘The other news, such as above, is a secondary indicator that helps me make my judgment; however, all my news has become accurate news that gives me the same result. That’s right, if that’s the case… My news becomes the main dish, and other news is a side menu that makes my news good, a spice.

‘If there is a problem, it is that my name is a bit common. My last name, Han, is the eleventh largest family name in South Korea. The name Sang-hoon is quite common, too. In order to receive my news in People Search, I have to be the most famous Han Sang-hoon in Korea, but there are already many more famous Han Sang-hoons than me.’

I once again put Han Sang-hoon in the portal site window. As expected, the face that I saw earlier appeared again.

‘Ha, ha, by the way… this guy…’

The person at the top of the portal was the same one: Han Sang-hoon, a 56-year-old and lawmaker re-elected three times.

Now that I thought about him, I had seen him on the news sometimes. I saw his face and name, but he just wasn’t important. He had the same name as me, but I had nothing to do with him. But this man had become a great mountain for me. Most of the news when I searched for Han Sang-hoon now was almost eighty percent for him.

[Han Sang-hoon, a lawmaker, voiced criticism at the Blue House.]

[Han Sang-hoon asked National Tax Service Director a question at a parliamentary hearing.]

[No problem with the funding of the Congressman. Rep. Han Sang-hoon’s rebuttal.]

This man was still active as a lawmaker. According to the special news, the lawmaker seemed to have a bit of a “fighting chicken” spirit.” The news about him was coming out in a day or two.

‘Why is he fighting like that?’

There were decent lawmakers who I did not know in the National Assembly, but he was an activist who fought and struggled with other party members.

‘Where is his district?’

I looked for it and it was far from my hometown. He was re-elected three times from the same area. He was young, with a third term and only fifty-six years of age.

‘It is not always the case, but lawmakers who are generally supported by local politics do not easily lose support on any issues.

‘If he is re-elected four or five times, he may be even more of a big shot: Representative of the House, Party Representative, Presidential candidate, President… President Han Sang-hoon…

‘If that happens, my trying to get my name in People Search is over. The news of 12 Hours After, sends the news if the news comes out in Korea. Sometimes my news will appear, but when there is no Ranking News, it will be similar to receiving Lotto number news.

‘This guy is the biggest mountain.’

The rest were mosly professors. Professor of Medicine Han Sang-hoon, Professor of Chemistry Han Sang-hoon, Professor of the literature department Han Sang-hoon… These people were also getting a spot on the news.

[Professor of Medicine at Sungkong University Han Sang-hoon has discovered Alzheimer’s disease-causing quality.]

[Professor of Chemistry at Woojin University Han Sang-hoon, research results on the production of high-resilience nanotubes.]

[Professor Han Sang-hoon at Chungwon University is appointed a judge of the New Chunchun Literature Review.]

The next people were athlete and tennis player Han Sang-hoon, professional golfer Han Sang-hoon, professional gamer Han Sang-hoon… these guys were also getting news from time to time.

[Han Sang-hoon is eliminated from the preliminary round of the World Tennis Championships.]

[Han Sang-hoon, who catches the eagle on the seventh hole.]

[A come-from-behind shot! Han Sang-hoon’s fantastic finish!]

To be honest, they were not top-class athletes that all Koreans knew, but they were also much more famous than I was. Fortunately, there were no famous celebrities. It was celebrities who appeared in the news the most.

‘Internet news usually competitively picks up celebrity news, because the number of clicks is good.’

[Actor Han Sang-hoon is cast in a new drama.]

[Korean Idol Han Sang-hoon, has a romance with a female idol of the same age.]

[Singer Han Sang-hoon Announces new album in September.]

Of course, there were a few big cases.

[Han Sang-hoon, a real-time shot while traveling abroad. A pictorial of everyday life.]

[Han Sang-hoon’s chicken eating show at home.]

[Han Sang-hoon’s Fine Airport Fashion.]

These simple routines were all reported. So, if there was a famous celebrity, he might be even more powerful than Han Sang-hoon, a lawmaker.

‘That’s a relief. By the way, how many businessmen are on the news?’

Come to think of it, few of the nation’s businessmen were as famous as celebrities and politicians. I didn’t know if it was because they were not interested in being public in the first place, but like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, and Warren Buffett in the United States, there were not many famous entrepreneurs, and there was no news about them. It was usually a negative case when a businessman or investor was on the media.

[The chairman of… has appeared before the prosecution today. … suspected of collusion between politics and business… The chairman stood in front of the prosecutor’s photo line in a wheelchair, citing deteriorating health.]

[….. the former director has become controversial because of in-house grooming… The managing director assaulted the employee, saying it was not the basis for accepting customers. He used a lot of abusive language.]

[Mr… has been charged with fraud. Known as the stock rich in Cheongdam-dong… He is known in the investment industry as a genius for stocks, and he has recently attracted tens of billions of dollars from investors.]

Such negative articles were the most common. It seemed that capitalists and entrepreneurs in our country had a negative image of themselves.

‘That’s unfortunate… Is it because there are not many respectable businessmen in our country?’

When I become famous later, I would be treated like that; it made me feel a little sad to think that. I typed ‘a great businessman’ in the search window. A lot of news came up.

[The only person who was considered a great entrepreneur is the chairman of Yuhan Pharmaceutical Company, who was an independent activist during the Japanese colonial rule. He thought of the lack of medicines in our country and set up the Yuhan.]

I read more.

[Yuhan is famous for its company’s ethical management from its founding until now. There is a legendary anecdote that the company was subject to a tax investigation during the military dictatorship, and they didn’t have any fraud or fault. When the chairman passed away in 1971, he returned $40,700,000 to society, except for his granddaughter’s tuition. $40,700,000 in 1971, as of now, is a huge amount. It was not just the words that politicians use to give back to society, but it the real return. He is the man who actually returned something to society.]

He was a great man. I read another article.

[The founder of Shin Yong-ho Kyobo Group, famous for his words, “People make books and books make people,” is the person who set up Kyobo Books in the basement of Kyobo Life Building in Gwanghwamun. The Kyobo Life building is located in avery expensive area, right next to the statue of Yi Sun-shin, where everyone thought a large-scale shopping mall would come in. However, though everyone tried to dissuade him, Shin Yong-ho made a bookstore, thinking, “In the middle of Seoul, there should be one bookstore representing Korea.” Instead of receiving hundreds of thousand dollars in rent, he opened a bookstore that was almost unprofitable. As an independent and prestigious family, he also ranked first in paying inheritance tax in Korea. It is a dignified record, considering other Chaebols are somehow pulling strings to pay fewer inheritance taxes. He was also a person who used the Kyobo Bookstore a lot.]

‘Yes, if I think about it, I could be a great entrepreneur. The reason why Korea has such an image is that most businessmen have made such a choice.

‘If they ask me to choose between the two sides: the one who appears in a wheelchair in collusion with between politics and business, and the other who is praised even after his death, I will, of course, choose the latter. If I become famous anyway, I want to be famous in a good way.’

I was going to start with $300,000,000, but…

In the past, I asked customer service, “Why are you giving me such good luck?”

They replied, “Think about it.”

I recalled the answer. I didn’t think I had all the answers myself, but when I thought about it myself, this luck was too much for me to enjoy alone.

——

Around five p.m., the market was closed, and the announcement came out.

[CKD Entertainment’s major shareholder has changed, and the stock acquisition agreement has been made.]

[CKD Entertainment announced that it has signed a contract to buy shares that involves changing its largest shareholder. The transferor is the CEO, Do Chan-ki. The transferee is Invictus Investment. The total amount for the takeover is $17,000,000.]

After the announcement, other news also reported follow-up stories.

[CKD Entertainment CEO Do Chan-ki, steps down.]

[CKD Entertainment to welcome a new owner.]

[CKD Entertainment welcomes a new era.]

I clicked on them one by one. Sometimes I had news that came up with my name.

[Invictus Investment is an investment company led by CEO Han Sang-hoon.]

About two out of six had written my name. To know my name was now the beginning.

A week after the announcement of the contract, as soon as CKD Entertainment became mine, an email came to me.

[Diamond Class Guide]

Chapter 67 - Diamond Class

I opened the door quietly. There was no one in the company.

‘And so it is.’

It was 7:50 a.m. now, an hour and ten minutes ahead of rush hour. The reason why I came
so early today was because the “Diamond Class Guide” would come at eight o’clock today.

Yesterday, CKD Entertainment was officially taken over by Invictus Investment. At that time,
there was a call from Customer Service that they would send me a guide at eight this
morning. I sat in my seat and took a long, deep breath.

It was always the same; at this point, I used to feel a little nervous. 7:55. Five minutes left. I
snapped my fingers and stretched. But then, the door to the president’s office opened, and

Secretary Seo poked his head in.

“Hmm?” He looked inside the president’s office.

“What? Without knocking?”

He was appalled when he heard my voice. “Boss, are you here? I’m sorry, but I didn’t know you
came to work early, so I thought I just left the light on yesterday.”

“Oh, I came to work early because I had something to do today.”

“You did, I’m sorry.”

Ji-hoon was not wrong since I usually came to work after ten o’clock. However, I came early
today without any special notice.

“It’s okay. Instead, don’t let anyone in before 9:10 a.m. today. Okay? I have to concentrate.”

“Yes, I see. Boss, today, CKD… you know there’s something scheduled at OH Entertainment, right?”

“Yes. That’s why I came to work.”

——

Ji-hoon closed the door, and the “Diamond Class Guide” came after a while. I clicked on it without hesitation.

[Diamond Skills Guide]

[Congratulations, Han Sang-hoon, who has been promoted to Diamond Class. You can use the
points and enhance each skill by investing them. The cooldown time of the active skill is thirty days, a period equal to the subscription period. There are four different skills available for the
current Diamond Class. Skill points currently not allocated are seven.

People Search Lv3 (Active skill – three points required)

There is one more slot for searching for people. It will be available with other passive skills
applied.

Ranking News Lv2 (Active Skill – two points required)

In a specific category out of the news in 12 Hours (Days, Months, Years) After, you can receive first and second place news with high cumulative view counts in an hour (a week, a month, a year). It’s available twice. It will be available with other passive skills applied.

Future News Lv3 (Passive Skill – three points required)

You are going to receive another 12 Days After news at the same as 12 Hours After. Its format is the same as existing news, and active skills are also available the same way. This passive skill is overlaid with other passive skills.]

The first step in the guide was skill selection. It was familiar because it was the third time.

Skills such as People Search, Ranking News, Future News were also familiar, but Additional

News item that sent one more news in the evening had disappeared.

‘That’s, uh, level one must have been full.’

I looked down at the scroll and noticed a new skill.

[Infiltration Report Lv1 (Active Skill – seven points required)

We will send a reporter to a specific target. The reporter will conduct a 30-day intensive
investigation into the target and bring in one article that will not be reported to the established
press after thirty days. When you are sending a reporter, you can specify what to
investigate.]

‘Infiltration Report…?’ It was an interesting skill. I read the explanation over and over again.

‘The reporter will bring it in a month? Not immediately after he or she writes the article?’

It was quite different from other active skills. It also felt outside the rules to bring an article that
would not be reported by established media.

‘How do they want me to use this?’

The problem was that I needed seven points to take the skill. I had seven points, but I
needed all of them to take the skill. If I got this skill, I would have to give up the rest instead.

‘Seven points… but with this explanation, I don’t understand what it is. What does it mean that I
can investigate and I can specify the target?’

I called Customer Service, because they had been explaining the system well, apart from
everything else.

– How are you, Mr. Han Sang-hoon?

I immediately asked, -What’s the target for Infiltration Report? Is it only humans or are most people, organizations, countries, and unique names possible?

– Anything can be the target of Infiltration Report.

– Then, is it possible to investigate stock prices, exchange rates and oil price fluctuations, too?

– Yes, it is.

‘If that’s the case, I could be a rich man without having to do stock trading separately. If I could
learn the information one day sooner, even for a single day…’

– And when will the reporter let me know? Thirty days from now… will the reporter let me know
within thirty days?

– The reporter will let you know thirty days after you activate the active skill.

– So, what if I ask the reporter to tell me the oil price after thirty days?

– Thirty days later, the reporter will give you the oil price at that time. If you ask for the oil price forty-five days later, the reporter can’t tell you that. A correspondent can only uncover past events.

I grabbed my forehead. ‘They don’t give it to me for free. I think that this skill seems to be
focused on the article not being reported by the established media.’

– What does it mean by an article that won’t be reported in the established media?

– It’s an article that literally won’t be reported by the established media. This includes personal
privacy, corporate account books, and national secrets.

I thought it over. ‘Can that make me money?’ It sounded like fun, but I was not sure if it could
make money.

I asked a few more questions.

– What happens to people with the same name?

– Unlike People Search, you can specify the subject of investigation. You can give specific
instructions to the correspondent through age, affiliation, gender, etc.

– Is there a case where a correspondent fails?

– If the content of the investigation doesn’t exist, the correspondent will return empty-handed.

– What if I told him to get the secrets of the universe?

– The correspondent will provide the article only within the limits of human knowledge. The correspondent is human.

‘What?’

Here the atmosphere suddenly died down. I thought it was a ghostly, magical living being
that was a god or a devil, because he was a correspondent for the Future News, and I was
disappointed that they were human.

It might be better for me to buy a reporter for that money. If I gave them a few
hundred thousand dollars to investigate, there would be reporters who would jump into
flames.

– Then wouldn’t it be better if I hired and used a correspondent for money?

– Our correspondent is very, very capable.

– Who’s that correspondent? Let’s look at the profile.

– That’s a secret.

‘I see. Mr. Zero.’

I shook my head. It was interesting, but I was not sure if I should take this skill right now.

I had seven points. This would allow me to upgrade Future News Lv3 and Lv4. Then, in
addition to the news in 12 Hours After and 12 Days After, I would receive four news
articles, including the news in 12 Weeks After and 12 Months After, and the probability of
making money would be increased significantly. Furthermore, it would be also possible
to combine items, such as Ranking News of 12 Weeks After and People Search of

12 Months After.

‘It’s definitely a way to make money. But… the Infiltration Report looks funny, I can’t
make money with it… No matter who I spy on, If the correspondent does something
wrong, I will go to jail. I’m still short of money. I’ll take the skill next time.

‘All right, let’s upgrade the Future News this time, and receive the news 12 Weeks After
and 12 Months After.’

As I was about to turn off the Customer Service window, I suddenly asked one more question.

– What happens if I change my name? Can I continue to subscribe to this news?

I asked this because I wanted to change my name if the lawmaker Han Sang-hoon got too good. But a somewhat shocking answer came back.

– Subscription contract will be terminated if the subscriber’s name is changed.

– Why? The same person is being renamed.

– We’re using only the name when you applied for Silver Class. We can’t keep the service under the changed name. In this case, you must re-sign with a new name.

– What about the contract again? Is it in the Customer Service?

– Please find our ad and contact us again.

– Find the ad?

– Yes, sir. There’s only one ad. It’s created randomly on crosswalks all over the world.

‘No way! How can I find a randomly generated card on crosswalks all over the world?’

– I know the number on the ad.

– Our number changes when a subscriber’s contract is over.

I thought I would try to use the People Search better, but if I changed my name, the news would be cut off.

‘I should become famous myself.’

– All right. Thank you.

– Yes, Mr. Han Sang-hoon. Thank you for your subscription.

After leaving the Customer Service, I upgraded Future News to Lv3 and Lv4 as I had decided.

“Congratulations, sir, you have been upgraded to the Diamond Class.”

A stream of cliched congratulations came out, and a Master Class guide appeared below. I carefully scrolled down.

‘They won’t get any higher subscriptions, will they? It’s too expensive now.’

[Upgrade your news to Master Class! What you need to upgrade your grade to the Master Class is to control five listed companies in your country with a $10,000,000 subscription fee and qualifications.]

Fortunately, the subscription fees did not increase further; the conditions and qualifications increased from one company to five.

‘Five… Yeah, that’s all I can do.’

I already had people and systems. Now I would make more money, buy another company, and repeat it. According to Customer Service, the Future News had a total of nine grades: bronze, silver, gold, platinum, diamond, master, grandmaster, and two others. The Diamond Class was the fifth, and only the middle grade. Customer Service said something was going to come out of the eighth class. I didn’t know what it was, but I wanted to upload it quickly.

‘All right, I’m halfway there. I’ll go to the upper class soon. Five or ten… If I have money, there is no class I can’t buy. Money is all it takes. That’s the demerit and the merit of capitalism.’

It was 8:55 and I received two more news items than usual: 12 Hours After D, 12 Days After, 12 Weeks After, 12 Months After…

‘All right. I can make a long-term plan with this.’

I clicked on the news 12 Months After. First of all, sports news came into my eyes.

[Sport – What baseball teams will reach the 2019 post-season?]

2019. I read other article titles more meticulously. It was far-fetched future news, unlike what I’d seen so far. News that seemed to be nothing at all might also be money…

Chapter 68 - In The End, We Meet Again, Part I

[Politics – What is the report card of Mayor Joo Sung-won one year after re-election?

Economy – The rich-get-richer and the poor-get-poorer, the deepening gap between the Seoul metropolitan area and the locals.

Society – What is the solution to the escalating conflict between the genders?

Life/Culture – Avengers 4 set a new box office record.

IT/Science – Susung Electronics 10 Review.

World – Hunger in Africa is no longer true, but obesity is a growing problem these days,

Sports – Which baseball team will advance to the 2019 postseason

Entertainment – A young playboy won the competition in the Masked Dance King.]

I saw the headlines a year from now without much thought. Money or not, the year-later news was interesting.

‘Mayor Joo Sung-won must be doing well. The conflict between genders is a big problem these days… It’s getting bigger. Will Avengers 4 be released next year? The Masked Dance King is still popular next year. I haven’t seen it in a while…’

In the meantime, my telephone rang. I picked up the phone.

Secretary Seo asked carefully, “Boss, that… Are you done with your work?”

I glanced at the time. It was 9:20. I had a meeting at 10 o’clock today. I closed the mailbox and said, “Yes. Let’s go now.”

“Yes, boss.”

——

I put on my jacket and left. The formal name of today’s schedule was the merger celebration. This was to celebrate CKD Entertainment and OH Entertainment becoming a family and making a fresh start. That was the superficial reason, there were actually two reasons for the event.

The first was to show my face, as the real owner of this company, and the second to show that as the second real owner, I was officially delegating power to President Kwon Oh Hyuk.

Because of Jang’s concern, ‘CKD Entertainment’s directors may complain,’ I was asked to step forward and line them up. It was like the old king appointing a new lord of the realm in front of the nobles.

‘… I delegate my power to President Kwon Oh Hyuk to be the new lord of the realm.’

Of course, in modern times, the king was the majority shareholder, the nobles were the directors, and the lord was the president, but the original structure was the same, although it had been transformed into a language based on capitalism. It was a line-up by power.

—————–

On the way to Cheongdam-dong, where OH Entertainment was located, I saw a luxury car in my eyes while waiting for the signal. From the front of the SUV to the solid-looking body, I liked it. I asked Ji-hoon, who was holding the wheel, “Secretary Seo, what’s that car?”

Following my finger, Secretary Seo answered right away. “That’s a Bentley Bentay.”

I didn’t know when I was in school, but Seo was a high-end car lover. He knew more about luxury models than I did, though he could not afford to buy them.

“Really? That’s a Bentley. I like that one.”

“It’s a Bentley, boss. It’s the best in the SUV’s.”

‘How much is that?’ I was going to ask that, but I just said without asking, “Well, then call the dealer. Buy one for me with the same blue color.” I’d achieved my Diamond Class and I thought that as a prize for myself.

Secretary Seo replied without a word, “Yes, I see, boss.”

I looked at the car for a moment while the signal was running. ‘It’s so pretty…’ But I was on my way, a car in the back took over as Bentley edged ahead. By the way, the car was quite familiar; it was a black silver Mercedes van as tall as a man.

‘That must be…’ It was the car that Oh Hyun-joo was riding in that time when she came to Choo Hospital. I wished it could be, but I was not sure since other celebrities could use the same ride.

Seo said to me, “We’re here, boss.” He drove into the parking lot of OH Entertainment’s office, and the car followed us in it, too. Secretary Seo pulled over to one side. In the meantime, the van also parked about three space away.

‘That must be…’ I tried to get out of my seat and see who was getting out of the van. But before that, Secretary Seo, who was sitting in the driver’s seat, shouted first, “Oh… Oh Hyun-joo. Boss!”

It looked like Oh Hyun-joo. ‘In the end, we meet again.’

I wondered if she would recognize me, or how she would react if she found out. I opened the door and got out. Holding the car door, I looked at the van. Oh Hyun-joo was walking this way with the elevator making a clumping noise.

She was still a great beauty, like her face was shining. Maybe it’d been a long time, but I still couldn’t adapt myself, only managing to stand firmly. And then, our eyes met.

“Huh?” Her eyes grew bigger. At a glance, she recognized me. She looked at me and said, “You… right?”

I laughed instead of answering. President Kwon forgot me, but she didn’t. I slowly approached her. “We meet again. Nice to see you again.”

She looked at me with her mouth covered, like a group of girl fans. “No, really. Why are you here? How did you get here?” She didn’t seem to know I was the owner of this place.

A man appeared from behind her. “What is it is?”

I remembered him after looking at his face: Oh Hyun-joo’s manager. He had taken my business card. His eyes were bigger than hers. “No… you… really?”

I looked at him for a moment.

He looked back at me and muttered my name. “That… Han Sang-hoon… Han Sang-hoon?”

Oh Hyun-joo said, looking at his manager, “Yes, Han Sang-hoon, my lifesaver. You remember that, don’t you?”

At her words, the manager shook his head and said, “No… Ms. Oh Hyun-joo…”

“Yes?” When the manager’s expression was alarmed, Oh also noticed something strange. She looked at the manager and me alternately, and asked, “What’s wrong?”

When asked, the manager looked at me and read my countenance, “I, uh… hasn’t our company changed owners this time?”

“Yes.”

“The new owner of the company… is that Han Sang-hoon.”

“Yes?” Oh Hyun-joo looked at me with big eyes. They seemed to be bigger then when she first saw me.

———————————–

“Then, there will be a word from Han Sang-hoon, president of Invictus Investment, which has become the parent company of our company.”

It was my turn. I took the manuscript I had prepared and went forward. I had almost memorized it, since yesterday, as it was so short.

“… I’ll make sure we don’t spare our full support, including large-scale investment.” I had a few cliches of platitudes nevertheless. There was a thunderous applause every time my words finished. Far away, the singers in their twenties and thirties dyed in yellow and green, the people who were well-painted with pomade, and the bald directors in their forties and fifties applauded harder than others. It was an interesting landscape.

I went on to more formal talk. It was all right, because this position had always been a ritual in which the king revealed his face and offered his lord the land. Ceremonies were the most important thing in form.

“In the future, we will actively communicate with President Kwon Oh Hyuk…” While I was talking, I caught a glimpse of Oh Hyun-joo on one side. Everyone in this place was looking at me, just like Oh Hyun-joo. When I saw her, of course, she kept eye contact with me. I said for a moment without taking my eyes off her. “I’ll try to grow this company even further.”

Clap clap… Oh smiled and clapped. By the way, the manager behind her was a bit suspicious. He clapped his hands, but with his head down. It reminded me of Kwon, who hit his fingertips with his head down.

‘What’s wrong with him?’ With that thought, I finished what I had prepared. “OH Entertainment’s directors, employees, and artists, please take care of the company well.”

Clap clap… I came back to my seat with the applause. My turn was over and the ceremony continued.

“This time, we are going to welcome Kwon Oh Hyuk, who will lead our merged OH Entertainment. There will be a word from the new president.”

Kwon climbed onto the podium, held down the microphone a little, and began to speak, “Today is a very special day. Announcing OH Entertainment’s new beginning…”

As expected, it was not very interesting. I glanced back at Oh, pretending to listen to Kwon’s speech. Oh was looking at Kwon, who stood on the podium instead of me. She looked quite happy.

‘How long have they two been working together? I’m sure they are happy now because they met unknown to each other, and President Kwon has become a big man in charge of CKD Entertainment.’

But then the manager looked at me, and flicked his head around. This was the second time.

‘It’s weird. Is there something wrong with me?’ I pondered over the reunion in the parking lot that had just been there.

‘No, really. Why are you here? How did you get here?’

‘Yes, Han Sang-hoon, my lifesaver. You remember that, don’t you?’

When I thought about the conversations, Oh Hyun-joo remembered my name and my face. However, she apparently didn’t even know that Han Sang-hoon was the new owner of the company.

‘Have she been busy filming lately?’

It could be understandable since I didn’t take over this company under my own name, but I took it over through Invictus Investment. Although the notice was published and an article was published, only one or two of six articles published used my name. If people around her didn’t tell her, she wouldn’t know. But the manager knew I was Han Sang-hoon.

‘No… you… really?’

‘That… Han Sang-hoon… Han Sang-hoon?’

And he also knew that the new owner’s name was Han Sang-hoon. He just didn’t know they were the same. His response was similar to Kwon’s. There could be nothing wrong with him in the process. We just said hello to each other in case we were late in the ceremony.

I went a little further back in time. That day, that night, when I thought about it, I remembered him taking my business card instead.

‘Don’t tell me… Intercept? Did he take my business card and throw it away?’

It made sense to think so. She took my phone number to thank me, but I never heard from her.

‘I spent the whole day waiting to get a text message!’

I looked at the manager again. He was away from his seat. Just in time, Kwon ceremonial speech was ended. “… our OH Entertainment hopes to take advantage of this and become a global entertainment company.”

Then, people started to applaud and I also clapped. I didn’t hear a single speech, but I mechanically clapped along.

Chapter 69 - In The End, We Meet Again, Part II

Five boys with yellow and brown hair said with open hands at once, “Hello! We’re… Hearts Hunter’s!”

This was the so-called “idol-like greeting.” It was amazing to see what I’d only seen on television in front of my eyes.

“I’m Sungjin, the leader. I’m in charge of dancing and singing in the team.”

“I’m Franz. I’m in charge of rapping on the team.”

“I’m Maha. I’m in charge of dancing on the team.”

To be honest, I wasn’t interested in boy bands at all. Maybe that was why it was the first time I’d seen them.

“Yes, it’s nice to meet you.”

The group of boys passed by, bright-looking girls came up and said hello, “Please take a good look! Uptown Girls.”

I was greeted again by idols. Unlike boy bands, I was familiar with famous girl groups, but these girls were also my first time. Nevertheless, like any girl’s group, their beauty was outstanding. Walking along Gangnam Boulevard, men’s eyes were sure to follow automatically. Each of them had a separate pose and self-introduction.

“Venus Serin!”

“Jupiter Sujin!”

“Mercury Ha Young!”

‘Isn’t this the concept of Sailor Moon? I shook hands with them even AS I thought about it.

“Yes, it’s nice to meet you, please have a good performance.”

I looked around after being greeted for a long time.

Heh… Secretary Seo was looking at the Uptown Girls with his mouth open slightly. “Secretary Seo!”

When I called his name, he looked at me in surprise, “Yes, boss?”

“After this is over, I want you to look into all the names of the trainees, actors, singers, group entertainers from OH Entertainment, and report to me. ”

“Yes, I see.”

Just in case I said one more thing, “Not their stage names, but their real names. Okay?”

“Yes, I see.”

Many actors, singers, entertainers, and trainees shook hands with me. Everyone said they were celebrities, but it was my first time seeing them. There were so many people I couldn’t remember seeing anywhere.

‘But television only shines on successful entertainers… There are more than 100 new girl groups a year, right? Celebrities on television are handsome, pretty and colorful, but there are very few people, really. The public is only seeing the good side of the entertainment industry.’

At the end of the handshake, I could hear a murmur in the distance.

‘What is it?’ As soon as I glanced over, a handsome young man walked over, looking at me.

Kwon, who had been quiet, said, “CEO Han, this is Kim Jun-hyung.”

‘Oh, this man.’ Before the merger, Kim Jun-hyung was a CKD ace. I’d seen him many times in the movies, or in the dramas.

He came up to me, bowed his head and offered me a handshake. “Thank you, CEO. I’m Kim Jun-hyung. I look forward to your kind cooperation.”

He was a handsome man, and he looked good and bright. His smile was a good thing for women.

‘I heard that the work he had taken in China was blocked by Hanhanlyeong and was unable to come out.’ I shook hands with him and said, “Did you act in a recent historical movie?”

“Oh, yes. You mean the Wind and the Waves?”

“Yes, the Wind and the Waves. I watched you play the role of the prince.”

“Thank you. I will continue to work hard.”

At the end of my greeting with Kim Jun-hyung, I got a sense of who was coming to me.

Clump clump. The owner of the heavy shoes was none other than Oh Hyun-joo, the best actress of OH Entertainment.

“Good to see you, Mr. President.”

“Glad to see you, Ms. Oh.”

We exchanged greetings only briefly. It was supposed to be something that didn’t exist. When others were looking at us, we should be first acquaintances. Like this, after finishing greetings with all the celebrities, I entered the president’s office of OH Entertainment with President Kwon.

“You did a good job, boss.”

“It was nothing. You did a good job, President Kwon. Anyway, we’ve got a rough arrangement. As I said before, I’m not going to interfere with the company’s affairs directly. President Kwon, I want you to do well on your own.”

“Yes, boss.”

“But sometimes, I may recommend people or not recommend them.”

“Recommend or not recommend?”

“Yes, I don’t know anything else, but I’ve always been pretty good at judging people. I’m confident. So, if I think someone from the company is going to be fine, I’ll contact you sometimes if I want to. Not often but sometimes… At that time, please review my opinion carefully.”

Kwon quickly blinked his eyes and bowed his head, “Yes, I see, boss. I’m sure of what you’re saying.”

He was looking at me as a bit of a mystery. I deserved it. At the age of 29, I was the head of a thirty million dollar investment company. When we met at the tuna restaurant, he had asked me, “Excuse me… May I ask what your father does?”

That was how he asked me.

‘It’s amazing. The email which comes every day is amazing.’

This was the end of all the official work. I was about to call in Secretary Seo, but I remembered the last thing I had to do. “Oh, by the way. That… manager.”

“Manager?”

“Please call the manager of Oh Hyun-joo in here. I have something to talk about with him.”

Kwon didn’t know what the situation was, but he replied without a word, “Yes, I see, boss.”

—————

The door opened, and the man came in without a word. It was none other than Oh Hyun-joo’s manager.

I pointed to a seat. “Sit down.”

He sat down at my order, but his hands were trembling on the armrest. He was a little nervous. It seemed that a guilty conscience needed no accuser.

I asked him, “I wanted to ask you something, didn’t I hand you my business card for Oh Hyun-joo back then?”

When I said that, he came out of his chair and suddenly knelt down. “I’m sorry. I received the business card at the time, but…”

I didn’t keep him down on his knees. I raised him up, but he kept begging. “But I didn’t expect you to be this big. I’m sorry…”

He was right. I wasn’t a rich man with authority then. I said, easing his mind, “It’s okay. I didn’t call you to blame you.”

“Yes? Then…”

“Please take a seat. I’d like to ask you a few questions.”

At my words, he sat in a chair with his head down. I asked him, “Usually, it’s a manager’s job to block the approach of the public, right?”

“Yes. First of all, I limit people’s personal contact with a star. I don’t know what Oh Hyun-joo is doing.”

He just tried to stick to the manager’s duty. I couldn’t say anything about that. “Then what did you do with my business card? What did you say to Oh Hyun-joo?”

“I threw away the business card and gave her another phone number.”

“Really? What did Oh Hyun-joo say?”

“She said that she sent you a text message, but you didn’t reply… She’s said it many times because it’s weird. So, I was making excuses.”

She must have sent me a text message, a number of times. ‘She texted me as she asked me my number.’

I changed the subject around and asked, “Did Oh Hyun-joo not read the countenance of her boyfriend?”

“Oh Hyun-joo has never been in love with a man since her debut. The company itself has been managed well, but she is so passionate about her work.”

I was happy, but deliberately hardened my face. If I was happy to hear that, the manager might have a weird imagination.

Funnily enough, the manager looked at my stiff face and apologized again, “I’m sorry. Oh Hyun-joo was scheduled to shoot the CF, and she had to audition for the movie…”

I dissuaded him, “Ah, that’s all right. I understand everything. I’ve been at work in a company. First, you had to do your job, no matter what the situation was.”

At my words, the manager stayed still with his head down.

I asked him something else, “How old are you anyway?”

“I’m 34.”

More than I thought. He was five years older than me. “Are you married?”

“Yes. I have two sons and a daughter.” He seemed to say, “I have a wife and children, so please take good care of me.” He looked at me with that kind of expression.

‘That’s not why I asked you.’ “Oh, yes, I see… So what happened last time was just… Let’s consider it as having happened. Instead, bring it well this time…”

I took my wallet out as I spoke my words ambiguously, and I handed it to him.

‘Han Sang-hoon, CEO of the Invictus Investment.’

The new business card changed its name and my position. As the business card changed hands, the attitude of the recipient also changed. This time, he politely took my business card with both hands. “Yes, I see, Mr. President.”

“And please tell Oh Hyun-joo that you memorized the wrong number, so the text message went wrong… I don’t want to be a person who ignored the message even after I got it from a superstar.”

“Yes, I see. I’ll explain that actively.”

I laughed and tapped him on the shoulder. “Yes, then, please continue to do your job well. ”

“Yes, sir.”

“Oh, and don’t change the company’s policy because of this. I don’t want you to.”

“Yes?” said the manager, lifting his eyebrows.

“I want you to stop the public from approaching her from now on. Oh Hyun-joo is the top saleswoman of our company.”

He finally understood me. “Oh, yes! I see.”

————————————–

On the way home. I got a text message on my cell phone.

-CEO Han Sang Hoon. This is Oh Hyun-joo. My manager forgot your phone number, so I couldn’t send a thank-you message. So I want to say “thank you” again. Thank you for saving me then!-

I sent her a reply with a smile… and I saved her number under her name Oh Hyun-joo in my phone list.

About that time, Secretary Seo asked, “Where would you like to go, boss?”

‘Company? Or home?’

“Home. Let’s go home,” I said to him.

“Yes, boss.” Secretary Seo picked me up and headed to my studio. I didn’t go home to rest; rather, it was going to work. OH Entertainment’s acquisition ended in success this time. What I had to do now was to make money again.

‘Five companies ruled by a parent company are needed to reach the Master Class. To achieve that, I need much more money than I have now.’

Chapter 70 - The Boss’s Home Working, Part I

‘Let’s see…’ I put my accounts on my computer at once: $4,800,000, $5,500,000, $6,200,000, $4,000,000, $7,000,000, $3,100,000, $7,500,000, $1,000,000.

The total amount of money in my eight accounts was about $40,000,000. This amount of money was left after investing $30,000,000 in Invictus Investment.

‘I made $20,000,000 last month, and did I pay $10,000,000 for the subscription?’

I looked at the details of the sale. That was right. In the first month and the second month, I was confident that I made $20,000,000 in net profit, but this month I made only $10,000,000. It wasn’t because I couldn’t trade, but because I didn’t get caught in a big event like a duty-free competition. I couldn’t help it.

‘There are only three or four big events a year. If money doesn’t move, I can’t make it. That’s what the stock market is originally. But nevertheless, I am optimistic about the future. I have eight news stories a day. All investments are so, but as long as the yield is good, assets tend to increase rapidly.’

I clicked on all the news items one by one: D. 12 Hours After, D. 12 Days After, D. 12 Weeks After D, D. 12 Months After. I quickly glanced through the headlines.

[The detonator of the household debt… The signs of the declining fortune of the Star Wars series… The limits of the smartphone are… Jung Sung-woo’s move to Lotte…]

I’d seen the headlines every day for four months. I’d just come to know what it was. I rolled my eyes quickly, dug out a gemstone, and stopped moving my eyes.

[The Blue House called Youth Unemployment Countermeasures Committee… Suzy Electronics announced Q2 earnings surprise!]

[Economy – Suzy Electronics announced Q2 earnings surprise!]

‘I got one!

‘Every company in the country has to report every quarter how it spent money, what business it made and how much it earned in the process. Of course, stock analysts predict quarterly reports of companies that have a significant impact on stock prices, using the slogan “earnings surprise” when they have an outstanding record.’

I glanced up. [D. 12 Weeks After]

‘It is now September and the news in 12 Weeks After is just the time since the announcements of companies’ second-quarter earnings are scheduled from late October to mid-November.’

I clicked on it.

[Suzy Electronics recorded a second-quarter earnings surprise. Nov. 15. Suzy Electronics announced a surprise performance of $618,800,000 in sales and $21,000,000 in net profit in the second quarter.]

I read down more articles. ‘I’m sure the stock price is written.’

It was right there. [In a surprise move that exceeded analysts’ expectations, Suzy Electronics closed at $16.40, up 20%.]

I searched for Suzy Electrons with HTS.

[Suzy Electrons $9.90]

Suzy Electrons was trading for less than $10.

‘60% profit in three months…’

In fact, it would be a huge profit. If general investors saw this article, they would have sold their house and car, and taken out a loan. But I was different. I was not a general investor. If I said that I would earn $24,000,000 by investing $40,000,000, I would have to pay $30,000,000 for the subscription fees. It would be a loss. Therefore, I had to figure out how to get things done in my mind.

‘Nov. 15th – a 20% jump in Suzy Electronics, rising to $16.40.’

‘If this is done, I can make a profit on other news outlets in the meantime and earn 20% of the money in the short term on this day. If I make a profit of more than $10,000,000 for the subscription fees, I should do it this way.’

I picked up my cell phone and I turned on the work schedule application.

[‘Please enter your password.]

I typed in my password with a combination of capital letters and lower letters, and numbers and special symbols, and I entered the application. Then on November 15th, I wrote it down, ‘SE 164.’

‘It’s a kind of code. If anyone sees this, they won’t know what it is. I’m the only one who can think of this: Suzy Electronics, $16.40.’

After I wrote the note, I looked at another schedule. It was written ‘October 28th, YF 222.’ I decrypted the code right away from it. “Yoosung Food. $222.”

There was also an event on October 10, “AAAOO.” I saw it and decrypted it right away. “Announcement of Als Aluminum’s Obtain Order. ”

The price wasn’t written, but there would be good news anyway. I arranged the good news in this way. Just by looking at a couple of letters, I could trade them. It would be obvious that I would make much more money than before, if I could fill this calendar like this.

‘The closest thing is… TRETUP’ Late this month, one was scheduled for Sept 27. It was the oldest cryptogram. I thought for about three seconds and made a sentence out of the initial consonant, “Taegwangbangjik’s Real Estate Trading hits the upper limit price.”

Taegwangbangjik was an old textile company in the province. It was established in the ’70s, like a textile company, but it owned real estate in good land in the local metropolitan area. In fact, in the ’70s, it was just a factory outside the city, but after a while, it became a land of gold. They decided to sell the land for $240,000,000 this time.

‘Their market capital is $180,000,000. So, if they buy that stock now, it’ll be worth more than $2.40 for $1.80 in cash. Sometimes some old stocks have that gold buried in the mud. People don’t buy such stocks because they’ve been walking sideways for ten to twenty years that way. There’s an expensive piece of land, but they don’t know when it’ll be sold. They don’t know when the money will come in. However, I know the date.

‘On the twenty-seventh day, I’m going to buy it slowly, unless other news comes out.’

I closed the calendar app. What should be done next was to use People Search. I entered the major portal site with the mailbox of 12 Hours After turned on. There was a business memo here. It was not a minor mail that came, but a major mail with many people’s names.

[List of OH Entertainment artists.]

When I clicked on it, there were profiles of artists belonging to OH Entertainment.

[Oh Hyun-joo (25) – Actress

Kim Jun-hyung (24) – Actor

Sung-jin (22) – Idol

Franz (21) – Idol

Maha (22) – Idol]

I clicked the first one of Oh Hyun-joo at the top, academic and family relations, personal information came out quickly.

[Oh Hyun-joo]

[Real name: Oh Hyun-joo

Age: 25

Education: Ji Seong Elementary School, Ji Sung Middle School, Seoul Arts High School

Family Relations: parents and her younger brother]

– As you can see, it shouldn’t be leaked. President Kwon asked me to be careful.-

It was understandable why Secretary Seo said such a thing in his email. This was too detailed to be a simple profile.

[Acting Performance: 9

Appearance: 10

Professional Mind: 9

Speech Ability: 7

Fashion Sense: 3

Artistic Talents: 4

Singing Ability: 5

Dancing Ability: 0

From evaluating various abilities, Appearance is very outstanding, and she is good at acting. Her passion for acting is also very strong. She has a naive personality, and it’s hard to shine among the strong-colored actresses. Her role in acting should be well suited. She lacks artistic talents and it’s hard to expect her to perform as a multi-player. A small face, good in shape, but we shouldn’t let her wear clothes without a coordinator. It’s also hard for her to sing. However, never make her dance.]

There was also a personal assessment such as.

‘What is this? Did Kwon evaluate it? At the audition?’

When I asked him for the profile of OH Entertainment artists, I said that there would be cases I would recommend or not. When asked, he seemed to prepare his personal evaluations, too. It was accompanied by assessments from the office. He wanted me to see how it looked different from his own.

‘I didn’t ask him to…’

It was a lot of fun looking at profiles, but I did not ask it to see this. All I needed was a name. I wrote ‘Oh Hyun-joo’ in my People Search in 12 Weeks After. An article was up soon.

[Oh Hyun-joo – The Goddess of Coffee.]

I clicked on the article and saw Oh Hyun-joo in her overcoat with a coffee. Looking around, I could see something like a filming device. It was like shooting something to end a movie and crank in.

‘It’s not a big deal…’

I went to see the news in 12 Months After and wrote ‘Oh Hyun-joo’ there as well.

[Oh Hyun-joo – She had excellent acting as a villain.]

This time, it was drama news. Reading the article, I knew it would be around next spring. The content was not much. She played the villain as the title suggested, but she also played the villain well. That was a good article.

‘She can’t dance.’ I shut the window, muttering to myself. Oh seemed to be doing well next spring. I intended to verify each and every artist in this way. If there was good news, I would push it; if there was bad news, I would cut it off. When I became as famous as Oh Hyun-joo or Kim Joon-hyung in the future, I would use this skill on myself!

———————

The next morning, I got up at eight, as usual. I got up rubbing my eyes, picked up the phone and called Secretary Seo.

“Yes, boss.”

“Yes, it’s me. How’s the company doing?”

“Nothing special, but… The stock price of OH Entertainment fell a little bit.”

“Really? How much?”

“About 2%…”

Ji-hoon seemed to have not done much stock trading.

“Oh, that’s like going down when someone sells it.”

“But when I looked it up… Some people have been looking for a negative opinion after our company recently acquired it.”

“Really? Why?”

“They say that someone who had nothing to do with entertainment suddenly burst in.”

From the surface alone, it was not a wrong idea. however, they didn’t know that I was holding onto the future news.

“Well, that’s all right. If we show something in performance, the stock price will go up.”

“Is that right?”

“Well. Anyway, I’m not going to work today. Tell Jang to do a good job of increasing the number of staff and employees, and look for other companies to take over.”

“Yes, boss.”

—————-

After the call, I sat in front of the monitor. I still had about fifty minutes left. I left my work computer on and pushed my chair over. I moved to the game computer with a high-end use with two 1080TIs and played a game.

——–

8:50 arrived. I whistled while moving the chair over in front of the work computer. It turned 8:55, and the emails came. I searched for a mail without thinking much. Then, one of the emails caught my eyes.

“Hmm?” Receiving future news had become a daily routine, I’d been getting into a habit, but this was a little different.

‘This is… a big case? No, maybe… It could be a lot of money…’

Chapter 71 - The Boss’s Home Working, Part II

I read the mail again with my eyes twitching.

[D. 12 Days After]

[Politics – Is it because of the National Assembly’s collapse the Blue House or the opposition party?

Economy – This year’s real growth is zero percent, excluding semiconductors

Society – Earthquake safety insensitivity needs to improve

Life/Culture – The sales volume of the cartoon ‘To Get Away From The Earthquake’ has surged.

World – Just before the extinction of African rhinos

IT/Science – How do animals know about earthquakes in advance?

Entertainment – China’s unauthorized plagiarism is all right?

Sports – Shim Kwon-sung won the third round of the regular tour]

Three of the seven news stories included the word “earthquake,” in Society, Life/Culture, and IT/Science. I twirled my mouse.

‘… a coincidence? No, I don’t think so.’

But no matter how much I thought about it, it didn’t look like that. The sudden rise of these unusual headlines meant that there had been an issue once in recent years.

‘Earthquakes… earthquakes.’

‘Natural disasters such as earthquakes are a big deal for the nation and for the parties directly affected, but they serve as opportunities in the stock market. If it is the earthquake theme, the stocks of earthquake-free buildings, civil engineering companies needed for reconstruction, and companies that make structural materials for earthquake-resistant designs will benefit from the upper limit price.’

‘If there’s a real earthquake, it’s a big problem.’

I decided to find out how big the earthquake is.

‘Life/Culture – The sales volume of the cartoon ‘To Get Away From The Earthquake’ has surged.’ It’s likely that some publisher would make a fortune.

‘IT/Science – How do animals know about earthquakes in advance?’ This news would likely be really interesting science news.

I clicked on the fourth, ‘Society – Earthquake safety insensitivity needs to improve.’ And as always, I quickly scanned the article.

[The damage from the earthquake could be serious… The expansion of civil awareness… We should be alert by taking an example from Japan.]

But, there was no key factor saying when the earthquake happened. From the beginning to the end of the article, it was full of lessons on what to do when an earthquake would happen. With this article, I didn’t know whether the earthquake really happened and when it happened.

‘Shall I wait a few more days? The news may be in 12 Hours After and 12 Days After, not in 12 Weeks After and 12 Months After. But that’s the only possibility. What I’m looking at is a news story in 12 Days After. As the news in 12 Hours After covers the news from now to 12 hours later, the news in 12 Days After covers the news in 12 days from today. Therefore, the news of the earthquake could hit today.’

‘What shall I do?’ I was thinking for a moment, and I could see the skill windows at the bottom: People Search and Ranking News. Come to think of it, both had ways to screen earthquake news. First of all, the Ranking News was intuitive. If there was an earthquake that could blow through the whole country, earthquake news should be the No. 1 news within twelve days. However, the Ranking News was only available once a month.

Now I was able to use the Ranking News in 12 Weeks After and 12 Months After, so it would be more efficient to watch it.

‘Let’s search for the name first.’

People Search was a little bit of a detour, searching for the names of people associated with the earthquake. I turned on the portal site and went over to the Internet to search for ‘Ministry of Public Safety and Security,’ an institution established after the sinking of MV Sewol, but it disappeared in only two and a half years.

[… the Ministry of Public Safety and Security was abolished after being absorbed by the Ministry of Public Administration and Security…]

I did a search again with ‘the Ministry of Public Administration and Security’. The minister of the Ministry of Public Administration and Security was Hwang Chang-gyu.

‘Well… It’s a pretty rare name. However, he is a minister and his name will be on the top of People Search.’

With that thought, I went straight to the People Search.

[Minister Hwang Chang-gyu visits to console the earthquake victims personally.]

Yes, I got it! I clicked on it.

[The Minister of Public Administration and Security, Hwang Chang-gyu… Last Tuesday, an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.2 occurred in Wonju around 10 a.m… We’ll set up a task force to check the situation of the earthquake… I promise to support the earthquake victims…]

‘An earthquake of 5.2 magnitude in Wonju. 5.2 is a very large scale. It is rare to find such an earthquake in our country. Huh… This has made the news an issue…’

I looked at a calendar. Today was Wednesday. In twelve days, it would be Tuesday. But the article mentioned ‘last Tuesday,’ and given the expression, I could infer that this was not Tuesday after twelve days, but Tuesday after five days.

’10:00 a.m. next Tuesday.’

As soon as I set the time, I went to the portal site and tried to search for ‘ earthquake theme stock.’ Nevertheless, I had an idea before that. ‘Wait… is there anything I can do for them?’

Knowing that there would be an earthquake, if I just made money from it, I would feel guilty.

‘But how?

‘An earthquake is simply a natural disaster. We can’t stop it from happening without God. However, there may be a way to reduce the damage by giving a report to the police.’

I came back to 12 Days After and read the article. I was wondering if there was the detailed information of the damage.

[The walls of the old house are cracked, the columns of the studio are damaged, and fortunately, there were no casualties…]

I breathed a sigh of relief in that ‘there were no casualties.’ No casualties were reported.

‘Well, that’s good. So… I got to think of a report.

‘There was no loss of life. Then the rest of the problem is usually a money problem at that time, which I can solve. But, just in case, if I report them, and if it causes confusion, the butterfly effect may kill someone. I don’t want to receive the email of ‘Correction News – Death occurred due to the subscriber’s intervention.

‘Okay. Let’s make money now, and later…’

While I thought about it, I searched ‘earthquake theme stock’ on a portal site. As expected, there were a series of these stocks.

So, first, you make money, and then…

The theme stocks were also on the rise.

[Seyun Geological – Earthquake improvement specialist construction company

Junyoung Tech – Bridge support, steel casting material manufacturer

Ace Construction – Construction of special self-governing system for civil engineering

Five Metal – Seismic design nuclear valve manufacturer

Nine Reno – Public wireless network operation for firefighters, police, emergency medical institution

Jangyeon Construction – Special technology for earthquake-resistant design

Daejun Gas – National gas digestion facility manufacturing, disaster safety related stock]

‘The theme stock of the earthquake is like a theme stock, and once an earthquake has occurred, there is no way to improve its performance or to do anything. The stocks involved are already jumping. What’s more relevant is Seyun Geological, Junyoung Tech, and Ace Construction. The companies behind have no reason to jump, even if the earthquake occurs. However, those are the theme stocks, and if they push them to the upper limit price, they will go up without any reason. So, we can’t ignore them.’

I decided to buy the three stocks and the other four stocks in small quantities.

‘If I do not do split them up, the stock prices may rise due to my buying $40,000,000.’

‘Let’s slowly divide it until Monday.

‘No matter how advanced the technology is, there is no technology to predict an earthquake that will happen tomorrow. Even if I slowly buy them in lots so that the stock price does not rise, there won’t be a difficult situation because the stock price has gone up in advance.’

I thought so and started to buy the earthquake theme stocks in the watchlist.

————————–

Five days later, Fate Day. Tuesday. I got up as usual and watched the news.

‘Okay, yeah.’ I saw the news and took my coffee to the next seat, where the computer for the game was. My money had already been put in the stock market, so I did not need to turn on the HTS separately. As I was wearing a headset on my head and untying my hands, Secretary Seo called.

“Yeah, what?”

“Vice President Jang has a new company on the list. Can I send you a report by email?”

“Oh yeah? Um…email.”

When I was worried for a while, Secretary Seo added a word, “You’ll have to come to work, and see the new recruits, too.”

I looked at the calendar. I had not gone to work for a week because of the earthquake-related stocks.

“Shall I?”

“If the new employees don’t know who owns this company, wouldn’t it be a little bit strange?”

“Okay, I’ll be at work, then.”

“Shall I come and get you?”

“No, I’ll go. You don’t need to come and go back.”

“Yes, boss.”

I decided to go to work. I went to the dressing room, put on a suit and took a Porsche key.

———————

“Hello, this is Kim Ju-han, a new employee.”

“Yes, I’m glad to see you.”

“Hello, a new recruit, Jung Ju-mi.”

“Nice to see you.”

I was greeted by new employees. Invictus Investment was adding more and more people. In addition to OH Entertainment management, which we had acquired, it also invested in stocks, in bonds, and directly in companies that were not listed. These were all left to Vice President Jang, because I was not in charge of the work.

Of course, it was smaller than my personal investment of $40,000,000 to buy OH Entertainment, rolling the remaining $15,000,000, but I needed more people to do this. As I received greetings from other employees, Vice President Jang also came out and greeted me.

“Are you here?”

“So you found a company we could take over?”

At my words, Jang said with a smile, “Please look at this, boss.”

Jang handed me the report he was holding, and I took it.

‘What on Earth did he find?’

In fact, the company I wanted from him was a bit tricky, because I wanted a company that had to be small and could generate synergy with entertainment. I took the report and tried to get into the office. But then, with some rumbling sound, I felt the whole building shake.

“What is it?” Vice President Jang as well as Secretary Seo was surprised. To be frank, I was surprised, too.

‘Even Seoul is pretty shaken, right?’

The 5.2 earthquake was greater than I thought. All the employees were confused.

“What is this?”

“Should we go outside?”

At that moment, everyone’s cell phone rang at once. Wi-ying! Everyone listened to their cell phones.

-Watch out for safety after an earthquake occurrence. An aftershock of 5.2 magnitude hit 6km west of Wonju, Gangwon-do, Korea Meteorological Administration.-

Now everyone knew that there was an earthquake in the Republic of Korea. Some of my stocks might be at the upper limit price.

“An earthquake?”

“5.2 magnitude?”

Secretary Seo said to me, his eyes widening slightly. “What do you want us to do, get out of here?”

I reassured them. There were no casualties from what I saw in the article. The damage to property was only on the outskirts of Wonju, that was all. I said in a loud voice so that all the employees could hear me, “It’ll be all right. Don’t be so surprised, let’s get back to work slowly.”

To be honest, it normally would have been hard to be so calm. However, I knew it was safe here.

Chapter 72 - Chapter 72. The Boss’s Home Working, Part III

There was silence inside the company, and it seemed that everyone was stunned. It was very uncommon for an earthquake to be in the middle of Seoul. Everyone was standing and looking around, holding chairs or desks. I was the only one without any tension. I accessed the portal site after picking up my cell phone.

[Breaking News: 5.2 earthquake in Wonju]

[Earthquake evacuation tips]

[Beware of aftershocks]

The portal window was completely covered by the news of the earthquake, and the news was pouring out. Even without turning on HTS, the rise of the stocks I’d picked seemed to be visible. While I was on my phone, the staff came back to their senses, because as I said, the vibrations didn’t come again. I looked back. Secretary Seo still seemed to be stiff.

I patting his shoulder and said, “It’ll be all right,” lifting Jean’s report.

“I want to hear about the report, Vice President Jang.”

Jang bowed his head and said, “Yes, boss.”

I went into my office with Jang.

Jang closed the door and said, “I’ve lived in Seoul for nearly forty years… but I’ve never experienced this kind of shaking.”

I could stay calm because I already knew what would happen. I nodded, “I hope nothing big happens.”

It would not be a big accident, since I didn’t receive any correction news. I went to work and listened to Jang’s report. I honestly didn’t expect him to bring a list of takeovers so quickly.

There were two conditions for the companies I asked him to find.

First, the company’s market capital should be small enough to be able to be taken over with only the funds remaining in Invictus Investment. I decided not to transfer any more money to the Invictus Investment until the amount of money I held increased to $100,000,000. Therefore, I told him to search for a small company that we could take over only with the rest of the money after buying OH Entertainment.

Second, it should be the same type of entertainment company as OH Entertainment or a company that could create synergy with this company. I needed five companies to rank up to the Master Class, but if we incorporated any companies into the subsidiary recklessly, it would be difficult to manage them. It was better to take over a similar company and create synergy with the entertainment company, rather than a construction company, a pharmaceutical company, and so on.

I asked Vice President Jang, his report in his hand, “So what you brought is a company that meets the conditions I offered, right?”

Jang said with his head down, “Of course, boss.”

I opened the report and it was an analysis of a Bule E&M company.

[Analysis Report]

‘Blue E&M? I’ve never heard of it.’

Looking at what was behind the topic was E&M, Entertainment and Media; it seemed to be an entertainment business.

‘Another entertainment agency?’

I looked down. Its market capital was only $60,000,000. The majority shareholder’s stake was 25 percent. At $15,000,000, we could buy all of them. Even after taking over OH Entertainment, the company still had that much money left in Invictus Investment. I looked down further.

[Major Business: Entertainment agency, running Sapphire TV]

Only then did an acquainted name pop out.

“They are the operator of Sapphire TV channel, right?”

“Yes, boss.”

Sapphire TV was an Internet personal broadcasting platform. The trends started with European TV, the nation’s No. 1 broadcaster, and as the personal broadcasting market grew bigger, several Internet broadcasting stations rushed into the turmoil. Sapphire TV was a small broadcasting station that survived by securing a certain share among the latecomers.

“What’s the market share of the Sapphire TV? I think it’s 10%?”

“About seven percent. European TV is taking 50%, Coconut TV is taking 20%, foreign platform Fowlert 10%, and YouTube 10%. Sapphire Television is next.”

‘7%, it’s a lot less. That’s why its market capital is $60,000,000.’

“Well… it’s the fifth-ranked company, but it is also in charge of an agency…”

“Yes. The agency is just beginning to take off. It’s been less than a year since it started an agency.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes, there is also a little funny story. You know a comedian, Oh Sung-kyun, don’t you?”

I tilted my head, “I don’t.”

“Yes, it seems right that you don’t know him. He was shining in his debut year and then he disappeared from the screen.”

I typed Oh Sung-kyun on the portal site and a profile popped up. He was 35 years old, and looking at his face reminded me of him. He imitated an orangutan with an orangutan-like face. But it was only once. I didn’t remember seeing him anywhere else.

“But this guy started broadcasting on the Sapphire TV, and it seems to be a lot of fun.”

“Well, I guess he had more awareness than a regular streamer.”

“Yes, that’s why they signed a contract with him and set up a company, so he called in other fellow comedians, worked as a planner, and manages his own personal broadcasting.”

“Oh… So, he has been serving both personal broadcasting and agency.”

“Yes.”

‘The idea itself is not bad, and there have been quite a few of these singers and comedians who have been transferred to full-time streamers or YouTube, because their income is good.’

“So, do you recommend combining our project with them and creating synergy?”

“Yes, I do. We could send out some of the entertainers from OH Entertainment later on to do personal broadcasts.”

I thought about it.

If Oh Hyun-joo and Kim Jun-hyung, famous celebrities, were put into such small personal broadcasts, there would be nothing good. They might feel a bit awkward and less mysterious on personal broadcasting. But newcomers were different. It would be a new opportunity for comedians who could not catch an opportunity to appear on TV, or idols that were less popular with the public.

“Well, the idea is fresh.”

Jang bowed his head at my words. “Thank you, boss.”

I looked at the financial statements, but it was so bad. There was a lot of debt, no assets. Sales were irregular, so they just managed to break even. It was hard to keep up with the market capital of $60,000,000.

“Who is the CEO of the company here?”

“He is quite young, forty years old. It is said that President Ahn Yong-gyun is quite unusual by the people in the industry.”

“Why does he want to turn over the company?”

“He’s a little different from CEO Do Chan-ki. He doesn’t want to sell his shares and leave the business, he wants to stay invested. He has been asking us to invest in them through a third-party allotment capital increase instead of handing over a certain stake to us…”

“He wants to run the company, though he will be pushed to the second largest shareholder, right?”

“Yes, his career is interesting. He was the first founding member of European TV, but he left the business because of his disagreement with the CEO. He has been in this market from the beginning to now. He started the agency as a side branch, as I said.”

“Well, then he’d like to get revenge on his own. He wants to beat European TV with his own Sapphire TV.”

“Yes. He thinks that the company has not grown up because of simple financial power. Therefore, he is looking for investors who have money, but are not willing to touch his management. He has no financial resources and he can not afford to pay corporate bonds or CBs. It is his ambition to take the investment and defeat European TV.”

‘Revenge is also the main motivation for some people.’

“He looks like a funny guy, just listening to the story. These days, the market capital of European TV is probably $600,000,000.”

“Yes, about $580,000,000.”

“Well, if he succeeds in getting revenge, the Sapphire TV is going to jump ten times as high as it is now. We’ll be able to recoup ten times the investment.”

“It won’t be easy.”

“Yes, that’s good. Let’s have a meeting with him. And… please contact President Kwon of OH Entertainment and ask him to talk with them. It would be good to listen to Kwon in the field of entertainment.”

“Yes, I see, boss.”

——

Jang bowed his head and went out of my office. I picked up my cell phone and turned on the application. In fact, I sometimes watched private broadcasts. Inside was European TV, Coconut TV, Fowlert, and YouTube, but not Sapphire TV.

‘It’s in fifth place. If we grow it right, it’ll be a jackpot.

‘Personal broadcasts have been continuously rising these days. It’s been nearly a decade since it started, and now it seems that personal content is getting more and more in the limelight. These days, children’s number one dream is not a doctor, not a judge, but a streamer. No matter how latecomers they may be, they share pie when the market grows. The market capital is small, and there are elements that create synergy. It doesn’t seem bad.

‘Yes, let’s make a try. $15,000,000 is cheap.’

I might earn $15,000,000 today. At the sudden thought, I turned on the HTS. Four of the seven earthquake-related stocks were at the upper limit price. In particular, the major three stocks of Seyun Geological, Junyoung Tech, Ace Construction, which were the most invested in, were all in the upper limit price, as they were directly related to the earthquake. It was really fun to see the chart. The stocks that had been going up and down at +1% and -1% in the morning were at the upper limit price after this earthquake.

‘Actually, an earthquake doesn’t mean sales are up. A theme stock is usually this way. The earthquake has no relation with the earnings of a company, but the stock price goes up to the upper limit price. It’s a combination of man’s imagination and greed, no different from a scammed stock made by nature’s craftsmanship.’

I opened my account at once. With $40,000,000 plus credit, the entire account, which had invested $60,000,000, was marked in green. ‘$2,000,000, $2,400,000, $1,800,000…:

All in all, it was about $15,000,000 in profit. It was just the amount needed to buy Blue E&M. If only we could predict natural disasters, making money was an easy task like this.

‘Then shall I make a harvest?’

I sold half of the stocks at the upper limit price of the day, and I arranged out those that didn’t go to the upper limit price and only went at ten to twenty percent.

‘Because theme stocks usually play out focused on the leading stock, the winner continues to win.’

There were countless buy-orders at the upper limit price. It meant that there were a lot of people who were willing to make money, saying “Since there is an earthquake, I’m going to make money from it.”

I didn’t want to say anything about it. That was what I was doing, too. However, I was the one who would win this game.

—

[Sell order is completed. Sell order is completed…]

I won, won, and won. It took about an hour to clean up the trades.

‘It’s easy. It’s too easy…’ I ended the sale by whistling. The stocks at the upper limit price were half gone, just in case it would go up tomorrow. I closed the HTS after every sell order. I earned more than $10,000,000 today. It used to be hard to live in the world before, but these days the world was just easy to live in.

—————————————————————————————

Notice:

I’m sorry to inform that I won’t upload the s about a week for the family vacation. Stay to be always healthy. See you later.

Chapter 73 - The Boss’s Home Working, Part IV

I clicked the mouse a few times. There were various numbers floating on the monitor.

+15.4%, +7.5%, -3.2%…

It was the earthquake theme stocks that were left behind after earning $10,000,000 yesterday. Some were trying to go further, while others were trying to get off their high.

‘Then let’s sell them out here. Or… Shall we hold them a little more? This is frankly a gamble. A theme stock is based on people’s psychology, so we don’t know when or how the stock price will move.’

I looked at the stock bulletin board.

[There’s no earthquake that comes and goes just one time. An aftershock is coming. Hold your belt tight.]

[If it hits another 6.0 today, the stock price will go up to the upper limit price right away.]

[“An aftershock is coming?” You son of a bitch! There are a lot of people who have lost their homes in Wonju right now.]

[I don’t care if there’s an earthquake or not in Wonju. I live on Jeju Island.]

‘There are people like this at all times, who want to make money. They don’t care about whether others lose their homes or lose their lives.’

I also made money from the earthquake-themed stocks, but I didn’t want an earthquake to come again.

‘I feel like I’ve become a bad person for some reason…’

I didn’t want to hold any more shares because I thought so. I slowly pressed the sell button.

‘Sell, sell… and sell.’

Around 1 p.m., I made about $7,000,000 in the afternoon. The total was $17,000,000 this time. It was a huge profit, but I ended up doing my ceremony with a light fist. These days, I had made this much profit two or three times a month, and I felt a little numb.

‘Will it be a little different if it’s more than $100,000,000?’

However, I would have to go and find it out in the future. After the sell-off, I went to the portal site and searched for ‘Earthquake Damage’.

[Houses are falling apart.]

[New one-rooms are cracked.]

[The walls of the dormitory collapsed and the students were evacuated.]

There were articles like this. It was as 12 Days After had said.

‘Despite everything, it’s fortunate that the matter didn’t go any further.’

I looked around the articles without much thought. But in the meantime, it stood out.

[Donation for victims of the earthquake in Wonju.]

If it had been like the old days at work, I could have said, “I am sorry, but I’m too busy making a living.” However, this time it was somehow disturbing.

‘I made $17,000,000 this time… Shall I donate a little to give my name to the world?’

It seemed to be a good idea. If I wanted to let the world know my name, I would like to let them know in this way. I just wanted to be someone who could share my fortune with the world rather than the luckiest good-looking man. I picked up my cell phone and called Secretary Seo.

“Yes, boss, what’s going on?”

“Oh, Ji-hoon, do you know…”

“Yes?”

“There are people who donated hundreds of thousand dollars on the news…”

“Yes.”

“How much do you think will be memorable?”

“Well, at least three hundred thousand dollars?”

‘Three hundred thousand dollars is too little. Yesterday’s sales commission alone is likely to exceed three hundred thousand dollars.’

“If you make it bigger than that?”

“Well, the more you donate, the more memorable. Especially if you get first place, they will remember. Ordinary people only remember gold medals.”

‘That’s right. First place. People pay attention to the first place in a single-viewed list.’

“Well… yeah? I get it.”

“Do you want to donate, boss?”

“… See BKS News tomorrow at 9:00.”

I lay half down on the sofa and watched the news.

[… the President urged the National Assembly to discuss the bill, saying that the bill must be handled this year.]

When I checked the time, it was about 9:40.

“It’s time to be on…’

At that moment, the waiting news came out.

[The following are the people who sent donations to our BKS News to raise money for the earthquake victims in Wonju.]

I watched it. First came the amount of money and the names of people who had sent the donations above the screen.

[$50,000 from the residents of Boram Apartment, $300,000 from all employees of Kisung Electronics, $20,000 from Kim Chan-yong, $12,000 from all faculty and students of Jisung Elementary School.]

The announcer, with well-organized bobbed hair, read out the sums for the people who sent the donations in a fine voice. I watched him for a moment. When it came to the third page, my name also appeared. I gathered my hands and waited for my name to be called.

[$3,300,000 from Invictus Investment CEO Han Sang-hoon.]

Han Sang-hoon. I felt weird listening to my name. I couldn’t believe my name was called by the public broadcaster News at 9.

“$3,300,000.”

By the way, was it my mistake? The voice of the announcer, who had been calling out other names without a wobble, seemed to have faltered slightly when he said three million, three hundred thousand dollars.

‘Because it’s more than anyone else.’

I didn’t mean to compete with the people for donations, but the $3,300,000 I had donated was the biggest sum, anyway. At this rate, someone watching this show would remember my name once.

‘And… if there’s ever been a name for a public broadcaster like this… There will be times when it’s called again. These days, the replay service is active and video clips are uploaded on YouTube.

‘These days, it is hard to hide whether it is good deeds or bad deeds. Right now it’s all over the news, but there will be times when the name ‘Han Sang-hoon’ comes up in the media.

‘So this is how it’s done… Let’s increase the money again. If I want to pay $10,000,000 in monthly subscription fees and make a profit, I shouldn’t let the money rest.’

I turned on the calendar application. Four days from now, on the timetable, was written ‘TRETUP.’

“Taegwangbangjik’s Real Estate Trading hits the upper limit price.”

Five days from now, Taegwangbangjik would sell its forty-year-old golden land. What was regrettable was that its market capital was only $180,000,000 in total. Now I had earned $17,000,000 from $40,000,000, I donated $3,300,000 and so had $53,700,000 left. If I invested this much money into the stock market, it would be a great disaster and a sudden declaration that I was engaging in hostile M&As.

‘I have met the most difficult section again.’

Before paying $30,000,000 to Invictus Investment last time, I felt it when I ran $60,000,000; my country’s market faced a glass ceiling at the $60,000,000 barrier. In this section, there was an unearned stretch of no further increase. This was the point where returns no longer increased with money moving on the KOSPI KOSDAQ.

Of course, thanks to 12 Weeks After and 12 Months After, the opportunity to make more money increased. With the $50,000,000 I had now, I could take full advantage of the news. So even if my assets were $100,000,000 or one billion dollars, I could invest only $50,000,000.

‘Well… I will have got to get into another market after all.’

I sat on the computer and moved the mouse to turn off the screen saver and found a folder located on the right top. There was a folder that plainly said “Study.” I double-clicked it all. Inside there were many categories.

[Hong Kong Hang Seng]

[China Shanghai]

[Japan Nikkei]

[U.S. Dow]

[U.S. Nasdaq]

[Gold Futures]

[Oil Futures]

[FX Trading]

‘All of them are large markets far above the KOSPI’s trading volume. The Korean stock market is no different than my playground now. If I want to raise the money I have now, I have no choice but to raise it in a larger market. It’s time to get into the world-class stage.’

The first reason I had been reluctant to enter was that I was not familiar with these markets compared to KOSPI and KOSDAQ, and secondly, with only the world news of 12 Hours After and 12 Days After, it was not efficient for me to challenge. Now that I had the news of 12 Weeks After and 12 Months After, it was worth challenging the world markets.

‘But I am afraid that this time is a little ambiguous. Is it going to be good?

‘Every country has a different time to open its stock market. It is usually set during the day, and it is natural. If the stock price fluctuates during the night, investors will not sleep comfortably. But the email of 12 Hours After comes only at the time set for Korea.’

‘Wherever you go, it will be sent at Korean time,’ Customer Service had said.

‘If you enter the US market … the email coming at 8:55 am will be night news, and the email coming at 8:55 pm will be daytime news. I will have a little trouble with the time difference. I have to sleep at night.

‘With this time difference, is it going to be okay?’ Suddenly I had a thought, ‘If I am worried about the time difference, I can do an experiment now.

‘If I go abroad, I will have a time lag in Korean stocks. If I experiment with this, I may be able to adapt to overseas stocks.

‘Yes, I’ve never been abroad to make money. Let’s not go to a very far country, but one very close…’

I was thinking about it when the phone rang. It was Secretary Seo. I picked up the phone and answered.

“Congratulations on your debut on the broadcast.”

“Oh, yes, thank you.”

“$3,300,000… it was overwhelming, and the announcer seemed a little surprised.”

I thought it was a mistake, but it seemed real.

“Really? Well, yes, by the way.”

“Yes, boss.”

“I’ve been thinking of traveling somewhere for about two nights and three days… You want to come with me?”

“Well, I’d appreciate it if you could take me.”

“So, where do you want to go? I don’t like it too far, but I love it close.”

“Isn’t it nice that Japan is well?” he said. “It’s close, clean, well-guarded, and they have good food. The yen’s been cheap lately.”

“Japan?”

‘Good. I like sushi and ramen. But, just thinking about it a little, Japan is not good because we are in the same time zone. Korea and Japan have no time difference at all.’

“Oh, no Japan.”

“What? Why?”

I couldn’t say there was no time difference. I thought about it and got something good to excuse.

“Oh, the radiation, I don’t want to be exposed.”

“Oh, really? I’m a little bit reluctant, too.”

I chose the closest of the study lists, where there was a time difference.

“Hong Kong, let’s go to Hong Kong.”

“Hong Kong? Good. When will you go?”

“Tomorrow, right away.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Yes, find out what flight we can be on.”

“But it’s a little expensive—”

“I’ll pay all the expenses.”

“Yes, sir!”

When I finished the call, I put down my phone and looked back at the Study folder.

‘I’m going to the global market if my assets exceed $100,000,000.’

‘I need at least $100,000,000 for the subscription fee and to increase the capital of Invictus Investment. It will be done soon. Frankly, the KOSPI and KOSDAQ are now my personal pockets. I can get $20,000,000 to $30,000,000 at any time from them.’

I put Taegwangbangjik on the watchlist. I would buy it in Hong Kong tomorrow.

Chapter 74 - The Boss’s Overseas Duty

I opened my eyes, and a strange room came into my eyes. I got up from the bed. When I went out through the living room in my bedroom, the balcony was decorated with flowers. Standing on the balcony and looking out, I could see the view of Hong Kong at a glance.

I was at a five-star hotel suite in Hong Kong. The accommodations were quite expensive, but it seems to be as good as it cost. I stood there for a moment, staring at the whole of Hong Kong, and came back in the room. The clock said 7:05. Considering my habit of getting up at 8 o’clock every day, the time was perfectly the same. There was an hour’s time difference.

‘Then 8:55 is 7:55…’ At any rate, I thought we could act according to the biological clock.

‘Then, shall we go eat?’

———-

I took a quick shower and headed down to the hotel restaurant. The dining was excellent, like a five-star hotel’s. It was hard to choose what to eat. I was going to overeat in the morning if I tasted them all.

I ordered the roast rice on the main menu with the nameless meat side dish and vegetable fried rice, a slice of pizza and a salad, then took a cup of morning coffee. The oddly sweet fried rice and the unknown meat side dish and vegetable fried rice were excellent.

I was having a meal, and Secretary Seo sat in front of me, with his plate full of food.

“You’re here, boss?”

“You got up early, too?”

“You know, I go to work at eight o’clock every day.”

“Oh, yes.”

Secretary Seo had been an hour ahead of others in the company. He went to work at eight every morning. I’d instructed him to do so whether I went or not. That was because it was the right time for me to receive the email at 8:55. In return, there was a clause that stated that he could leave work two hours earlier than others, limited to when I didn’t go to work. Since taking over OH Entertainment, I had hardly gone to work these days, so Ji-hoon probably headed home early.

“What do you do when I don’t go to work? You have time all day.”

“I usually study. I’m studying economics again… I’m studying stocks, too. Ah, I’m studying coding again these days.”

“Coding?”

“Yes. I started to back when I started my own business, but I’ve started it again lately.”

“Really? Wasn’t it just a start-up business?”

“I needed to do some coding to communicate with the developer. That way, I could talk.”

“Yes… …you’ve lived a hard life handling the computer, too?”

“Yes, the end is… it’s bad.”

“Oh yes, but you’re still doing well. I’ll ask you for advice if I take over a software company.”

“But these days, the software is so structured that dinosaurs eat it all. I don’t really want to recommend it.”

“Really?”

“You know, the computer programming is what these guys do… So like the Mawith that caused our company to go bankrupt, they run into the IT business these days, if they think they can earn money there. Big companies come after us, beat us up and take ideas away. In the meantime, they say to us, ‘Why isn’t there a great start-up business in Korea?’ I think it’s funny.”

“By the way, who made the Mawith such an investment company?”

It was Ji Hoon’s enemy, and I’d like to pay it back if I could.

“NK.com.”

However, the enemy was quite strong.

“NK?”

“Yes”

‘NK.com is a portal site with a 90 percent share in Korea. It is the king of the software field.’

“What the… Does such a large company play the gangster thing?”

“That’s right.”

“Huh.”

‘But come to think of it, in fact, all the big companies in our country do that. When bakeries are money, they do bakeries; when the flour-based food is money, they do it; they do everything to make money. IT software is just following the procedure. It’s only been an industry for twenty years, so it’s only a little late.’

‘The market capital of NK.com is twenty billion dollars? Thirty billion dollars? Ji Hoon’s revenge is likely to be difficult right now.’

“Isn’t this the place you’re supposed to come to with a beauty, instead of bringing me?”

“That’s better for me, but you know, I’ve been too busy, quitting the company and starting a new company. I need to be fresh. I’m okay. It’s good to be outside. Hey?”

“If the boss likes this… but by the way, the woman, your girlfriend then…”

There was only one girlfriend he knew. I raised my finger and said, “Ah… stop. That’s no.”

I didn’t want to think about my ex-girlfriend. It ended so badly.

Ji-hoon took notice and apologized right away. “Oh, yes, I’m sorry, boss.”

I chewed the end of the pizza and said, “And you? Do you want a date?”

“Well, I’m a little more comfortable now, so I’m thinking of a blind date.”

“Umm… a blind date.”

“But if I name our company, I’m a little worried about it because I don’t think the girl likes it.”

I wanted to say, “What’s wrong with our company?”, but I couldn’t. If he said that he worked for Invictus Investment, everyone might think he was working at an unnamed company. In fact, our company was a small company that did not fit the specs of Ji-hoon.

“But you still get paid a lot of money.”

“If I say I get paid this much, she’ll think it’s a lie. I can’t even bring my salary statement on a blind date.”

I said, smiling, “That’s true.”

I got up from my seat after emptying all the coffee. Ji-hoon was emptying half of the plate he had brought, but I couldn’t wait. It was 7:55 soon.

“I’ll go up first.”

“Oh. Are you going to meditate again?”

“Yes, just decide what to do for lunch.”

“Yes. Hong Kong is a place for shopping and eating. I’ve already organized all the restaurants around us.”

Ji-hoon talked about lunch while eating breakfast. I had to admit the food cravings of this guy…

————-

Back in my room, I sat at the table and turned on my laptop. It was 7:55. Four emails came just at that time. I read them one by one. It was not uncomfortable at all. Then I turned on HTS. The Korean market was about to open. When I placed a buy order in Taekwangbangjik, I was finally certain. ‘All I have to do is check the time difference, and if I have Wi-Fi, I can work anywhere.’

The working environment was not so different from hotels in any country, or my studio.

“Italia, Spain, England… and before that, I have to go to America, especially Wall Street.”

———-

“Oh, I’m full.”

The trip to Hong Kong became almost an eating trip, perhaps because the person who came with me was a gourmet and glutton. From the first day to the day I left, I ate a lot of food that I couldn’t remember: Dim sum, Wantangmyeon, Pojaypani, and some food which was so hard to pronounce. I always returned to the hotel with my stomach full. Tomorrow, I would go back home after my trip to Hong Kong.

I traveled around Hong Kong and in the meantime I bought Taekwangbangjik after breakfast, before lunch, and after lunch, then ended buying the stock.

‘Now, when I arrive at Korea and the good news comes up, all I have to do is sell it.’

For two nights and three days, I spent my money without paying attention to expenses, but when I thought of the money I would earn in Korea, it would be nothing.

‘If I would find a place I like, it would be okay to come here and live for a month or two.’

I picked at my cell phone thinking that way. It was 7:50 p.m. In five minutes, there would be an afternoon email. Laying on the sofa I went to my mailbox. However, I was so full that I couldn’t concentrate. I scanned the news faster than usual.

[Heavy rains from this afternoon]

[AI’s progress is a threat to people.]

[Kim Kuk-joo is nominated as the grand prize winner of this month’s play, Comedian.]

[New record of simultaneous access to Steam]

[New Wi-Pad Review]

I was so sleepy that I just checked and turned them over quickly.

‘Hmm?’ I looked up because I thought I saw something unusual on the news 12 Months After.

[IT/Science – The sales of Kai Games’ new fantasy War Ground is number one. Steam sets a new record for concurrent users.]

That was the keyword that I was concerned about. “Steams sets a new record for concurrent users.”

‘Steam is the largest game service company in the world. Setting a new record for concurrent users here is no different from being the hottest game in the world.’

I clicked on the article.

[Local game company Kai Games made a big hit, renewing the number of simultaneous users of its new fantasy, “War Ground,” also called FWG; it added fantasy themes to the recently popular battle royale genre, and received a great response from both existing battle royale genre fans and fantasy gamers.]

‘Kai Games? I seem to have heard of it.’

I turned on my laptop right away and searched for ‘Kai Games’. Kai Games was a small company listed on the KOSDAQ. Its total market capital was $120,000,000. It’d been on the list for about six years now. It was a genre that was popular at that time. It was a mid-sized game company that hit the jackpot several times, such as playing AOS games, making smartphone puzzle games, and creating MMORPGs.

‘But… did the game from this company set a new record of concurrent users? It’s a piece of huge good news. Its worth will rise ten or a hundred times more.’

It was one of the best news. When I saw the news, the article also came up: “Kai Games challenges the world market with its new fantasy War Ground this year.”

‘This winter? Then there’s not much time left. By winter… then how many shares can I buy? The market capital in total is $120,000,000…’

‘I’m usually reluctant to buy shares by raising the stock price, because my earnings go down that much. But I have to buy this even if the stock price goes up because of the amount of money I have. As soon as the sell order comes out, I have to buy it. This is an opportunity for a company at $120,000,000 to become a billion-dollar company.’

I turned on the HTS and immediately put ‘Kai Games’ on the watchlist.

‘When should I buy it… in winter? Even if I pay the subscription fee twice or three times, I’ll have $100,000,000. Then, with all that money?’

After I thought about it, I realized, “This is not about buying stocks and making short-term gains!”

I picked up my cell phone and sent a text message to Vice President Jang.

‘Vice President, put aside other things, but analyze Kai Games and report to me by tomorrow. As soon as I get back home, I’ll go to the company. I want to get the report as soon as possible.’

Hong Kong and Seoul. The distance was great, but the reply came right away.

‘Yes, boss. Can I ask you why?’

I sent back a reply shortly, “I’ll tell you tomorrow. Just to tell you in brief, I’d like to buy this company. Even with hostile M&As, I’ll make it mine.”

Chapter 75 - The Commons of Stocks and Novels

“Are you here?”

I entered the company in a line of greetings, wearing jeans and a sweater. The employees were not surprised by that, because sometimes I went to work dressed like that. But they were a little surprised that even Secretary Seo went to work in his private clothes. Ji-hoon was always dressed up in a clean suit. But I brought a carrier, and they guessed that we had been somewhere, but come back in a hurry.

I sat down in the office and soon Secretary Seo came in with Vice President Jang.

“Did you have a good vacation?”

“Yes, it was good. Oh, I bought a gift for Vice President Jang. Secretary Seo.”

In my words, Secretary Seo took out the watch box he had and handed it to Vice President Jang.

“No, you don’t have to do this…”

“I think we were the only ones having fun when you were working.”

Vice-President Jang took the watch box and opened it. “Oh, it’s beautiful.” He was usually rather grim, and looked a little surprised by the splendor of the watch. “Thank you, boss.”

Perhaps he’d be more surprised to know the price of the watch, but it’d be better for him to look it up and know than me letting him know.

“Please work hard in the future, and as I said before…”

“Yes, I have it ready.” Vice President Jang handed me the report at his waist.

Kai Games Analysis Report

I took it and turned it over page by page. Its market capital was $120,000,000. Sales had increased and decreased, but it had been jagged. The CEO Shin Dong-woo was a young man, just forty-four years old. He started out as a game developer for big game companies such as JC and worked on a big project, and at the age of 34, he founded Kai Games. He developed Full 3D MMORPG New Earth Online, which was popular at the time, and listed in the market after it came out.

Since the company was listed, it had not achieved much. When the new game came out, the stock price went up in anticipation. However, when it opened, it was only so-so, so the stock price went down. The same situation had been repeated again and again.

‘That’s great. This new game is the best, but maybe everyone thinks it’s no big deal again. It is similar to a Rice Barley Game.’

‘Barley, barley, barley, barley, barley.’ If someone gives out barely five times, the person who catches barley usually predicts that it will come out again next time. But this time, it’s really nice. The person who catches it is the real owner.

I saw the most important stake situation.

Zhiyuan Limited 24%. The top shareholder was a Chinese company.

I looked at it and said, “The top shareholder is Chinese?”

Vice President Jang explained it to me. “Yes. Three years ago, they did the capital increase with consideration of a third party when they imported New Earth MMORPG. It’s a way to get it back, while giving out royalties.”

Whether it was an entertainment company or a game company, Chinese capital had come in quite a few times. It seemed like that was the case with the Kai Games.

‘I have to be a major shareholder in order to be recognized for control. Their stake is 24%…’

This was a real boon. I wanted to incorporate it into my subsidiary rather than just making a profit. That would help me upgrade to a Master Class, killing two birds with one stone. I looked down.

Shin Dong-woo 18%.

Shin Dong-woo, the company’s founder, was the second-largest shareholder. It was not much for being the founder.

“The founder does not have a huge stake. That’s probably because of the dilution of the Chinese company coming in, right?”

“Yes, boss.”

‘He’d better keep his stake as the CEO. That way, he’ll have the desire to work. If he sells his stake now, it could disrupt the development of the game…

‘It will hurt more if the stock price rises later. The game may have a negative effect. The reason why parents raise their own children is that love is the first thing, but the second thing is that they expect their children to be good to them.

‘I guess the answer is to contact the Chinese people anyways.’

I came to a conclusion. It’d be better if I were to become a major shareholder in this company, and had no problem with the game’s development.

‘Okay. Then I’ll ask Jang to…’

I looked down further, thinking that way, but I didn’t think much. I had already come to a conclusion. But there was a familiar name for the third major shareholder, Tak Joon-gi.

“Tak Joon-gi 5.6%.”

“He is the Master T of the Garden Envy, and a grandson of Tak Jin-woon, founder of Suyeon Group.”

I had muttered the name out of my mouth without realizing it. But when he heard it, Vice President Jang gave me a further explanation, “As you can see, he is one of the successors of Suyeon Group, and a travel agent’s director. He is also a big hand in the stock investment business, who’s been working here and there because he likes to invest in stocks.”

I knew a lot about that. But nevertheless, I pretended not to know.

“Oh, I see… the heir apparent of the Suyeon Group…”

“Yes, but in the investment industry, his yield is quite high, and he is called Midas’ Hand. He makes a lot of bold investments and a lot of profits.”

“Ooho…”

‘Come to think of it, what he says is right. Tak Joon-gi is in this Kai Games, too. He is good at stocks. The stock price will start to fluctuate in the winter.’

At that time, Vice President Jang said one more thing, “It’s a rumor, but it is known that he works with forces that manipulate stock prices to maximize their profit margins.”

‘Forces that manipulate stock prices… does he mean Garden Envy?’

It was not an open force that operated publicly. However, it was correct that they rigged the market.

“Oh, he is an unusual person.”

“I heard his personality is quite unique, too.”

“How?”

“Well… I don’t know the details. In any case, according to rumors, he often spoke and behaved unlike the grandson of the chairman of a large company. That’s why he’s treated like an abandoned son in the Suyeon Group, and I know he’s quite behind in the inheritance ranks.”

‘He is a mysterious person. Maybe we’ll meet in the real world, like Kaiji. I might be making a deal with him about his 5.6 percent stake.’

With that thought, I read the report thoroughly and carefully. It was also written about the game. “Battle Royale Genre Fantasy War Ground to be released in December.”

‘It’s mid-December, so it’s too close. It’s mid-September, and if it’s released in December as scheduled, it’s only about three months away. They’re still in the development phase, so no one knows if it’s going to hit the jackpot or not.

‘The stock price of Kai Games is struggling ahead of the new release. Usually, game stocks go up in anticipation of the new releases, but people find out if games are fun or not after the release.

‘If that happens, the stock price will go up. And when it’s released, it goes out of control. Fantasy War Ground will be a huge hit all over the world, and the value of Kai Games will be different then.

‘Because of that, we have to make a deal before then, there is a high chance that this $120,000,000 company will become a company worth a billion dollars. The money I have in my account is about $55,000,000!’

I picked up my cell phone, thinking about it.

[Taegwangbangjik $36.50 +29.8%]

I found that Taekwangbangjik, which I made a partial purchase in while touring Hong Kong, was at the upper limit price. I corrected my thoughts.

‘No, I have about $60,000,000 in my account right now. Until then, I will increase my money as much as possible, and acquire it at an appropriate price.’

Having reached my conclusion, I put the report down next to me. There was a report on the ‘Blue E&M’ I had received last time. I spoke to Vice President Jang, “Have you been in contact with the Sapphire TV… or Blue E&M?”

“Yes, boss. I contacted him while you were in Hong Kong.”

“What did he say?”

“He was very pleased with our contact. He seemed desperate for new investment.”

“Yes, then… just tell him the Blue E&M is under consideration. Let’s play games with him a little bit. Now we should focus on the acquisition of Kai Games.”

“Do you think so?”

“I think… this Kai Games is more likely to grow rapidly, and there’s good news coming in December. Let’s target Blue E&M after the acquisition of Kai Games. If you think about it, personal broadcasting is good while being connected with entertainment, but don’t you think it’s better to connect with games? ”

“Is that so?” Jang seemed to be a little weaker in that area because he was older.

“Yes, there are a lot of game shows in personal broadcasting.”

“Aha, I didn’t know that.”

“Anyway, let’s make Kai Games the first priority and try to take it over. Mr. Jang, please contact the Chinese company first. Let’s start by wondering if they’d like to transfer their shares.”

“Yes, I see. How much do you think about the amount of the transfer?”

The Chinese company’s stake was roughly $28,800,000. I opened my four fingers and said, “Up to $40,000,000.”

Vice President Jang was a little surprised. “Yes? Then the premium is over 30%… Don’t you think that’s a little bit high?”

Of course, it was a lot more, compared to the price right now. But 30 percent would just go up in a day. I said, “That much, I’m sure this company, this game will be a success. So please work with the idea of bringing this into our company.”

“Yes, boss,” Jang bowed his head and left the room.

Seo, who was standing by him, spoke to me, “Boss, will this Fantasy War Ground be a real success?”

“Yes, I thought so when I saw it.”

“I’ve been looking for a video on YouTube, and… I don’t think it’s going to make a lot of money. There are too many battle royal genres these days… Can it get a big hit?”

To be honest with myself, I wouldn’t have been so sure just by watching the video. In the first place, games, novels, movies, and blockbusters might be quite predictable. However, it was near the realm of God to predict a big hit that would dominate the times. Still, I spoke in a confident voice, “It looks good. Wouldn’t it be fun to play battle royals in a fantasy world?”

Ji-hoon said with pursed lips, “I played a game from this Kai Games company when I was a student… I didn’t feel anything great.”

But when I heard that, there was an anecdote that came to my mind in the past. I said with a low voice, “Hey Ji-hoon.”

“Yes?”

“Didn’t I tell you before? People in foreign countries say to a person who failed once, ‘You failed last time, so you will do well this time.’ But Koreans say to a person who failed once, ‘You failed last time, so you will fail again this time.’ ”

“Oh, yes…”

“That’s what you look like now.”

“Yes,” Ji-hoon nodded, his eyes stiff.

I looked at him and said, “I think. Stock investing is similar to fiction.”

“Yes? What do you mean…?”

I sat back in my chair and said, “When both have a reversal, it’s the most dramatic.”

Ji-hoon tilted his head as if he was not sure what I was talking about.

“Think. When is the most delightful time in martial arts novels? Isn’t it the time when the main character, who has been ignored every day, ends up wielding marvelous martial arts?”

“Yes.”

“Then, if the game company, which has only produced unpopular games every time, suddenly comes out with a blockbuster…”

“Ah,” Ji-hoon looked at me with his mouth slightly open.

I pointed my finger at the ceiling and said, “At that time, the stock price will show a very dramatic rise.”

Chapter 76 - A Young, Part I

I saw the calendar application go off.

[AAOOO]

I’d already memorized it by looking at it several times, so I knew it.

“Announcement of Als Aluminum’s Obtain Order., OK.”

After aiming to take over Kai Games, I was busier than ever. Surprisingly, because of the money, I didn’t think money would actually be a problem after the Platinum and the Master Class, but this time I was in a bit of a hurry. It really was a matter of money. I wanted to make more money.

‘Money is magical. It makes even rich people fret.’

‘Then I’ll sell the Daeshin Battery until the 5th, and then I’ll buy Als Aluminum.’ As I was thinking about it, the phone rang.

“Boss, this is Vice President.”

“Yes, please come in.”

——

Soon Vice President Jang opened the door and came in. He had a carry-on in his hand.

“I’ll be back soon then.”

“Yes.”

Vice President Jang decided to travel to Shanghai, instead of me, to visit Zhiyan Limited, the parent company of Kaisoft. Zhiyan Limited had a branch office in South Korea, but the decision maker was in mainland China.

At the words, “We’d like to buy a stake in Kai Games,” they had replied, “Then come to China.”

That’s why Vice President Jang decided to go there himself. We asked for a deal, but they set the negotiation table. That did not mean there was no intention of selling.

“As I’ve said before, I’ll ask you to make an agreement as much as you can, even if they call it expensive.”

“Yes, boss.”

I was counting on this deal to be made, because they had a reason to sell. “I’m sure you’ll be smart. Unlike three years ago… they’re probably suffering from the Hanhanlyeong.”

“Yes, boss, I’ll focus on that.”

‘The areas blocked by Hanhanlyeong are cultural content industries such as tourism, games, and entertainment. In the case of tourism, Chinese people come to Korea and spend money. If they stop doing so, there is nothing to lose except Korea, and entertainment or games imported from Korea. They banned the cultural contents with intensity.

‘On the other hand, items such as semiconductors and electronic components were left untouched. Because while imports of tourism and cultural content are simply areas where only Korea takes the money, semiconductor and electronic components play a large role, they become money for those who sell them all. In a world, they were angry, saying “Why did you do this to me? Apologize!”, but they also said, “I’ll take this, not that.’ It’s very cleverly protecting their own interests.

‘Sometimes, of course, there are also people who lose money in China in the process. They are companies that have invested in Korean companies in the cultural content business.’

Zhiyan Limited was such a case. They imported Korean games to China and sold them there. They paid royalties and bought a Korean company to take them back. However, the import of Korean games was recently blocked by the Hanhanlyeong.

‘This is in our favor, and they must be anxious.’

That was my idea. Of course, they would have thought of holding it a little bit more after seeing the potential of Fantasy War Ground, but these people wouldn’t know it would be a big hit around the world, either.

‘Maybe they will bet a little bit more expensive.’

That would be enough, if I could make more money and cover it. I decided to make as much money as I could until Fantasy War Ground was released. First, I would buy Kai Games using the capital increase of Invictus Investment, and then I would buy more Kai Games with the rest of my money.

‘This is a very big prize. This opportunity is worth $100,000,000. No, it’s going to be more than that. Yes… then… it wouldn’t be a job to break the Master Class, would it? If I have the money, the acquisition is a matter of procedure.’

I thought so, but the phone rang again.

“Boss.”

“Your order, the Bentley, is here.”

“Oh, yeah?”

The Bentley, which I had signed the contract for after acquiring OH Entertainment last time, seemed to be here. I had checked out all the options and spent nearly $400,000, but if I had the idea of buying the Kae Games at that time, I wouldn’t have bought it. But it was late to regret it now.

“Then when we get off work, let’s go over and take a look.”

“Yes, boss.”

————————————–

I saw my new car, a Bentley Bentayga. Unlike Porsche, it was slightly lighter, and had a rather profound look. That was great, but I was a little bit concerned. With this money, I could have bought a couple of hundred thousand more shares in Kai Games. But if I thought that way, I would die without spending any money.

The dealer came up to me and apologized, “I’m sorry I’m late. This model was so popular that our orders have been piled up, Mr. President.”

‘The price of this car is at least $340,000, but the order has been piled up. As expected, the economy is said to be in bad shape, but only for the working class.’

I waved the car keys with the ‘B’ symbol on the wing, and said, “I’ll head home with this car. Secretary Seo, you can go home, too.”

“Yes, boss.”

I took my new Bentley and headed home. A Bentley was definitely the car that everyone stayed out of its way, even in Gangnam. Even in a situation where they struggled to go first, they saw my car and made way so I could pass.

“That’s convenient.”

‘Although having a lot of money doesn’t mean happiness, it seems to make a person feel comfortable.’

On the street or at home, money made me comfortable. I came into the parking lot of my studio in my new car. A Bentley was also rare in our studio parking lot, which was full of expensive cars. I could feel the sense of getting out even here, where the rich were everywhere. I opened the door and got out of the car, and a strange voice reverberated in the parking lot.

“A Young!”

‘What’s this?’

“A Young!”

The voice was heard once again.

‘A Young?’

I turned my head towards the sound. A tall blonde woman was holding on to the car door and shouting. “A Young!”

It was a strange situation. I looked up at it. From a closer look, the blonde woman wasn’t dyed but real white. Her skin was white, her nose was tall, and she was a typical white beauty. She was slightly shorter than me, but her legs seemed to be longer than mine.

‘Is she a model?’

I was wondering, and she shouted once more, “A Young!”

Her voice seemed to be in a hurry. I walked closer to her, and she let go of the car door. She was holding someone in the passenger seat, a person whose face I knew. It was Lee Ah-young, the owner of my studio.

‘Huh? Ah!’ I now realized, ‘A Young was Ah-young.’

‘If we write Ah-young in English, it will be about A Young. If a foreigner with poor Korean pronounces it, it will be like A Young.’

The white beauty kept trying to shake her, “A Young!”

But she didn’t seem to be conscious of what was going on.

‘What’s wrong with her?’

By the way, as I got closer, I smelled alcohol. I could not be sure what kind of alcohol was, but it smelled like fine alcohol anyway.

‘What? Is she drunk?’

I’d seen her come in one day after drinking, and so it was today. As I approached, a blonde beauty looked at me and spoke to me first, “Can you help me?”

She seemed to be asking for help because she couldn’t move Lee Ah-young.

“Yes, sure.”

I approached her and gave her my back. The blonde helped me to get her on my back. The combination of perfume, alcohol, long hair, and soft touch came all at once as she got on my back. She was a little heavier than I thought, but it wasn’t that difficult for me, who had carried men on numerous occasions in judo. I carried her on my back and walked toward the elevator. The blonde followed me and hit the up-button of the elevator.

Soon the elevator arrived with a chime, and I got into the elevator with her on my back.

The blonde beauty spoke to Lee Ah-young on my back in English, “A Young, what’s your address?”

But Lee Ah-young was completely insensitive. She couldn’t even answer.

I told her the number of the floor, “Twelfth floor.”

She hesitated a little when she heard me. Maybe it was because my pronunciation was weird. I was good at reading and listening, but I was not good at speaking because of improper education in English in Korea. I tried to say it again, but before that, the white beauty pressed the 12th floor.

‘Did she understand me?’ I was thinking, and she said to me, “How do you know that?”

I thought it probably seemed a little suspicious for her because I knew the address. I answered very briefly and simply, “I’m a neighbor,” instead of telling that she was my landlord and I was living next door to her.

“Ah~ okay.”

She must have noticed the word ‘neighbor’. I came to her room with Lee Ah-young on my back. But again, there was trouble: the room password. Even I didn’t know it. I said to the blonde, “I don’t know the password.”

“Ah!” She was also embarrassed. We had brought her to her room, but we couldn’t get inside.

‘Should I take her to my room first?’

As I was thinking, suddenly the white beauty stepped forward and began to press a password outside the door.

“Hmm. Wait a minute.”

‘525720’ I watched it without realizing it, but she didn’t think of pressing the password and clicking the asterisk.

‘In our studios, we all have to press the asterisk at the end of the password.’

Sure enough, there was an indication that the password was incorrect. The white beauty said with a tilt of her head, “Isn’t this it?”

Once again, she pressed ‘525720’ and stayed still. In a little while, it would say it was wrong again. I could no longer wait, and I pressed an asterisk at the end of the password. ‘525720*’

The door opened with a chime. She exclaimed in surprise, “Oh! Thank you.”

I was surprised, too. ‘You don’t know the address, but you know the password?’

I had to take her inside the room anyway. I went into the room with Lee Ah-young on my back.

Chapter 77 - A Young, Part II

‘What…!’

Lee Ah-young’s room was more of a mess than I thought. On the sofa were dizzying amounts of clothes, and on the table were bags of cookies and bread.

‘She’s been acting like she’s cool… but she’s worse than I am.’

But there were some things that made the room more chaotic than such junk; the paintings in the room, which appeared to be figures, things, metaphysical modern arts. I had no idea of what the pictures were or what they meant. On one side were white canvas and oil paints. All of them seemed to have been painted by Lee Ah-young.

‘Was she once a painter, or just a hobby?’

It was too good to say it was a hobby. I was thinking about it when Lee Ah-young, who was on my back, groaned.

“Uhhhhhhhhhhh.” With the smell of alcohol, hot breath came into my ear. My face was burning red.

‘Damn it.’ I was angry somehow. ‘What’s the matter with her? What is she going to do when other men see her?’

I found the bed. As I lived next door, I found the bedroom without difficulty; the structure of her room was the same as mine. I put her down on the bed.

“A Young, are you okay?” the blonde beauty asked, touching her forehead. Ah-young kept fidgeting about her neck, as if the Polo T-shirt she was wearing was uncomfortable. The blonde beauty grabbed her T-shirt and stripped it off. At the same time, her voluptuous chest and the dark green bra surrounding it were revealed. I turned my head away to keep my manners. By the way, there was a mirror on the other side of the bed.

‘Is it a cultural difference?’

The white lady didn’t care much about whether a man was in the same room or not. She even unwrapped Lee Ah-young’s skirt and dropped it down her legs. A dark green, colorful set of panties with black stockings and bras was in sight.

For about three seconds, I unconsciously saw it, but this was torture. I closed my eyes and put my hand up there. Then I could hear Lee Ah-young’s voice. “Well, it’s cold…”

I thought I didn’t need to be here anymore. I said to the white woman, “I’ll go.”

She replied, “Ah, okay.”

I opened my eyes as I couldn’t leave the bedroom with my eyes closed. Fortunately, the white lady pulled up a blanket from the tip of Lee Ah-young’s foot to her neck. I could look at her without guilt.

Lee Ah-young looked at the white lady with her slightly loose eyes and spoke in English and Korean mixed words, “Well? Jessie? Why are you here?”

It was a typical voice of “I’m drunk” with a slight rise in the end. I looked at the blonde and said, “Please take care of her.”

Then I left the bedroom, leaving the words behind. But, behind me, I heard another voice from Ah-young.

“Huh? It’s Oppa next door?”

I opened my mouth wide. ‘What?’

She’d been weird since we first met.

‘Hi, how are you?’

‘Did you buy a new car?’

‘Please send the monthly rent to this account.’

She was a woman who was just too businesslike to say these words, but she called me “Oppa”.

I left her room and went right into my room. I untied my tie and sat on the couch. I repeated what she said. “It’s oppa next door?” I was so…

I thought there was something very fragile about her now. Above all, it was too dangerous to drink to the extent that she could not control herself. The fact that such a beauty did not put much attention on herself meant that anyone could take her.

‘She’s been walking around like that… what’re her parents doing? She’s a very rich woman at that age… living alone away from her parents. She has a white friend… then… is she a kind of black-haired foreigner?’

It was odd at any rate…

—————————————–

The next day, I turned on the HTS to clear up the shares I had held. It was no more, no less, just $10,000,000. It was the day to pay the subscription fee due in two days.

This month’s performance… I earned about $35,000,000. This was a record update. It was helpful to get two pieces of information from the news in 12 Weeks After. Perhaps next month, the rise would be even steeper. With the news from 12 Weeks After, the news in 12 Months After would be provided in the calendar application, too.

‘All right, let’s increase the investment for Invictus as soon as next month, add two more subsidiaries, and run straight to the Master Class.’

—-

After the stock sale, I returned to the mailbox to do the rest of the work. What was left was People Search. I could pick a time zone just twice a day, and search for people’s news. I looked back at the list that Secretary Seo had sent me last time and typed search words “Kang Hyun-woo: 23, an actor and model” in the news 12 Months After.

He looked handsome.

‘But… the name is so common…’

I tried it once again with that thought.

[Kang Hyun-woo’s second half Super Save.]

There was a goalkeeper with the same name. The unknown was the problem. The news was stolen by someone with the same name. I went on to see the next profile.

[Eun Soo-min: 22, a would-be Idol.]

‘A would-be idol… 22?’ She was a little late for an idol at 22. I typed it with my head slightly cocked. But the following news came up. [Eun Soo-min took the stage with an amazing groovy rap in the Idol Manager 108.]

‘Oh!’ I clicked on it.

[Eun Soo-min, 22, received attention for her great rap skills on the popular idol management program “The Great Nation’s Idol Management Program, the Idol Manager 108.” In the personal mission, she perfectly performed FutureY’s “White Happiness” to captivate judges and viewers. Her performance was so overwhelming that she was chosen as the clip of the month on the Internet and was ranked seventh in the vertical rise.]

‘Idol Manager 108 is a famous program. It is a popular survival program that brings together would-be idol members from each agency and makes their debut as a girl group. It’s great to have won seventh place here. Keeping this ranking will make her debut as a project girl group and virtually guarantee her success.’

I searched ‘OH Entertainment Eun Soo-min’ on YouTube. There was a video. It was like a freestyle rap on a stage, and despite being a woman, the powerful voice and clear pronunciation were impressive. All the comments were complimentary.

– Wow, when is she going to make her debut? She’ll chew on all the fake rap kids when she comes out.-

– That’s amazing. She has a pretty face… and she’s good at rapping.-

I read more articles.

[Rap teacher Leo praised Eun Soo-min’s rap and said, ‘There is no problem for her to be a solo rapper. After leaving her agency OH Entertainment, Eun Soo-min, who had been practicing alone as a private trainee, ended up crying over the compliment.]

‘Hmm? Did she leave her agency?’

I did more searches. The next season of ‘Idol Manager 108’ would be held early next summer.

‘Did she leave in the meantime?’

I picked up my cell phone and called President Kwon right away. Kwon answered my phone immediately, “Yes, boss.”

“How are you?”

“I am fine.”

I exchanged a few clichés and went straight to the point.

“By the way, isn’t there a trainee named Eun Soo-min?”

“Yes, sir, do you know her? She’s a trainee.”

“Yes. I’ve been interested in her personally, and I looked into her through YouTube and the like.”

“Oh, did you?”

“Yes. But she’s quite old. Didn’t you have her debut?”

“No, that’s not true. She’s good enough… Last time, she was on the verge of debuting, and the project was up. It’s been two years.”

“So… you don’t have a new contract with her?”

“On the basis of her ability, I’d like to renew her contract… but she seems to be a little tired. She’s been practicing here for almost seven years as a trainee, but… her debut last year was canceled.”

“Well, I think she has some star quality…”

“Do you see that?” As I said before, Kwon believed that I had a strange foresight.

“Yes. I saw her on YouTube. I’d like to keep her in our company a little longer.”

“Is that so? If you think so, I’ll consider it as well.”

“Yes, please.”

I finished the call and returned to the mailbox of 12 Hours After to read the article again. By the way, there was another mail in the mailbox. It was none other than the correction news. The future seemed to have changed with a word I said to Kwon.

[Eun Soo-min, who had been practicing for eight years at OH Entertainment, ended up crying over the compliment.]

‘Hoo, she’s crying at the end of the day.’

The story was a little different, but there must be a lot of things in it. Anyway, it was okay because she got seventh place as a member of our company. The young woman would be one of OH Entertainment’s next stars.

‘That’s good. I got one.’

I was using the People Search for characters like this, because I was looking for news for OH Entertainment every day in 12 Months After. I had two slots and two more months, and I would be able to search for all our artists, but the Ranking News was becoming a little bit jittery. Since I had won the lottery, I’d had a chance to use it. However, today, I was a little disappointed by the news, which had only many view counts.

[Politics – The sex scandal between the current party leader and his female secretary.]

[Economy – Government announcement of 9.10 measures in the newly selected overheated area.]

But this month, I still had hope in the 12 Month After and Ranking News. The hottest news in 12 Month After might be something of money, because the category I chose was IT/science, and if I had any new technology news, I might be scraping up money. However, the most watched news was ‘Fantasy War Ground’.

[Fantasy War Ground rewrites a new history of the game. It is the second best-selling PC game ever.]

‘It must have been a big hit! This little company got second place in game history. I absolutely have to take it over. I will ask him once more when Vice President Jang finishes the meeting and comes back.’

——–

That evening at six o’clock, as I had been waiting, Jang called me, “Boss, I am in Shanghai. I finished my first meeting today.”

“Oh, really? What did they say?”

“They were all so eager to sell it and I put it off for a day. I’m going to see them tomorrow and take the negotiation to our side.”

“Well, well done, but don’t push too hard. After all, it will be in our hands. Pull it hard when you pull it. I really want to buy this company.”

“Yes, boss, don’t worry.”

‘The deal is going to work as expected, because we know their weaknesses, no matter how expensive it is, and they won’t be able to keep overbearing us out of the way.

‘Okay, then, let’s add Sapphire TV here… if the three things such as entertainment, personal broadcasting, and games are combined, it will be synergistic.’

I applauded myself and thought about it, but the doorbell of my room, which did not ring frequently, rang.

‘Who is it? I didn’t give do anything for a courier.’

It wasn’t obvious until I turned the doorknob.

‘Oh, the landlord.’

When I opened the door, I saw Lee Ah-young standing there. She was wearing a big T-shirt with training pants and a comfortable outfit. But apart from that, yesterday’s sobbing figure was nowhere to be seen, and she again greeted me with a restrained, provincial look.

“Hello.”

“Oh, yes. Hello.”

She opened her mouth with a little shame, though. “Well, I heard from my friend yesterday that I was on your back…”

I nodded and said, “Oh, yes. The white girl asked for help in the parking lot, so I carried you home.”

“Thank you. How can I thank you?”

“Don’t mention it. It’s okay. If there’s anything we can do to help our neighbors, we should help.”

Lee Ah-young answered politely with her head down. “No, thank you. I’ll give you a separate thanks. Thank you again, anyway.”

‘I don’t need thanks…’ But before I could say anything more, she left with those words and went back to her room. I looked at her back for a moment. I recalled what she had just said, “I’d come home on your back…”

It was very different from yesterday.

‘You? Where’s Oppa going?’

I closed the door with that thought. I added ‘strange’ to her category: rich, beautiful, glamorous.

Chapter 78 - Second Takeover

I heard the sound of the doorbell. I knew who rang the bell. It was none other than Lee Ah-young, the landlord, who was now outside my room. A text came from her during the morning today, two days after the incident.

– Can I ask you when you come home after work today?-

At the time, I was watching HTS at home. I didn’t go to work, so I didn’t need to come back home. Nevertheless, I left a reply with the time when others left the office.

– I’ll be back at six o’clock in the afternoon.-

If I said I was home, I might look a little pathetic. In fact, I was working harder than others at home.

– Good, I’ll stop by your room after 6 p.m.-

‘Why?’ I cocked my head and replied.

– Yes, I see.-

I took a look in the mirror, fixed my neck with a false cough, and opened the front door. Outside the door, the owner of the apartments, Lee Ah-young, was showing off her gorgeous beauty again today. “Hello.”

“Hello.” She seemed to not have put on any make-up, though her lips appeared to be slightly swollen, but it made me rather excited to see.

‘I don’t think there’s a girl who’s this pretty in OH Entertainment, except Oh Hyun-joo… She’s good enough to be a celebrity. I don’t know what her job is. Even if she doesn’t have a job… she’ll be fine. Maybe with the monthly rent coming out of this studio building, she lives a life of luxury.’

I was thinking about it, and she handed me something she had brought. “Well, take this.”

But what stood out more than what she handed over was her robe. She was wearing a long soft cardigan today, which was quite similar to the color of the dress I had seen then. I could recall the image of a white lady taking off her drunken pants. I was a bit stiff.

Then she said, “I made cookies in return.”

I received them and said mechanically, “Thank you. Did you make them yourself?”

“I was going to take a little off the rent, but I thought it was too impersonal.”

It was a little funny to say that she would cut my rental fee. She was also rich at around $10,000,000, but considering the money and stocks at the Invictus Investment, my assets had recently exceeded $100,000,000. I laughed inwardly, but I didn’t show it on the outside.

“Oh, yes, thank you.”

“No, I have to give you many thanks, enjoy them.”

She left and went into her room, next door to me. I came back to my living room with the cookies she had given me and sat down in front of the TV. The cookies she had made looked pretty cute. Various animal patterns were painted on a round background. I tried them, and muttered unconsciously, “… They’re not very good…”

To be honest, they weren’t as good as the cookies sold at the convenience store. They were a little hard and not that sweet.

‘She’d rather buy them for me.’

However, considering that a rich woman did this herself, this one seemed to have more affection for her neighbor. So I ate some more of the bad cookies in consideration of her sincerity.

—————————————-

I looked out of the window. The snow of the rafters was touching the window. I looked at it and said, “It’s November, and it’s snowing.”

Secretary Seo, who was holding the wheel, confirmed, “That’s right.”

It was now mid-November, two months after signing a contract with a Chinese investment firm to buy Kai Games, and a day after the disclosure.

“So when is the meeting?”

“It’s at 2:00 p.m.”

“Shall we go right after lunch?”

“Yes, boss.”

Today I was on my way to see Kai Games management. As I said to President Kwon Oh Hyuk last time, I was going to Kai Games and held an event to show the king. ‘I give you the estate of OH Entertainment.’

‘Whoo, this is the second one.’

Of course, it wasn’t all smooth sailing to get here. It took two months, and during those two months, I’d been more focused on stock trading than ever. Even after acquiring Kai Games, I wanted to buy more shares. I wanted to eat this amazing item by myself.

Then one day, a call came from the Financial Supervisory Service.

‘Is it the poison that the stock turnover ratio has been too high to maximize returns ahead of the acquisition? No. Actually, if I think about it, I’ll just have to say that what’s coming is here. With such crazy returns on the table, it is something that I’d come across one day or another.’

I tried to put on a brave face as much as possible, as I hadn’t done anything illegal. Sure enough, they looked at my accounts, IPs, computers, and so on.

But they rather complimented me.

– That’s an amazing return. We didn’t get it right, but… This is…we’ve never seen an individual make such a big profit with an IP alone.-

– You’re a genius in investment. Really.-

– No charge.-

It was natural because I just traded stocks on the future news. It wasn’t stock price manipulation, it wasn’t news manipulation. I just bought stocks that would go up first, and sold them ahead of others. Rather, the transaction process was neat; whether up or down, I bought it, split it up, and sold it over and over again. I had only used a very formal method of reducing risk.

Most of the people who surveyed me looked at me in doubt at first, but later said, “I envy you.” They told me, even secretly, that if I could just give them one good source… They seemed to want to ask me like that.

‘The people of the Financial Supervisory Service are also people, so why wouldn’t they want money? They aren’t able to trade stocks because of their profession.’

I was rather worried that they would ask for the purpose of the monthly subscription fee of $10,000,000 rather than the record of stock trading, but it never happened. Whether the people of the Financial Supervisory Service were authorized to do that, or were not willing, or the Customer Service had blocked it by secret forces…

In any case, no one asked for the whereabouts of the $10,000,000 every month. As a result, I had only gained fame among government officials for my predictive genius, and being neatly good at stocks. I was cleared of any charges, but even if I was innocent, there was a point in this that I would have to run my business legally clean, whether it was individual money or company money.

I said to the secretary, “Secretary Seo, how is it going with the reinforcement of the legal team?”

“Jang says it’s going to take a while, he doesn’t know any legal professionals. He seems to be working with his past contacts.”

“Well, if he doesn’t know them, he’d better be careful.”

“Yes.”

I looked out the window and thought about the advice of Jang. I consulted with Jang, who had many experiences, during the FSS investigation.

“The Financial Supervisory Service has come to my house.” I did not want to reveal my personal history, but I said it was an important issue.

At the end of my words, Vice President Jang said, “If you are proud of yourself, it will not be a big deal.” At the same time, he gave a slightly different opinion, “If you can, you’d better make connections in politics, as well. It will be good in the long run.”

If it was a little wrong, it was an illegal and cohesive connection. However, it seemed to be a good thing to get on the line in reality, because if I got out of the eyes of government or government officials, I might make an unnecessary problem for me or my company. If I didn’t have to exchange something worthwhile, I should also be open to politicians if I could.

‘Politicians…’ I was not very attracted, but I couldn’t help it. I thought if I made a lot of money, it would be all done for me.

While I was thinking about it, Secretary Seo drove the car through Cheongdam-dong and into Samseong-dong, where the sign ‘Kai Games’ was visible in the Samseong-dong building.

I thought, ‘Now this is our company’s, too’ as I picked up my phone and went to the Kai Games stock board, a day after I had announced the acquisition. On the bulletin board, the reviews about our company were mainly followers.

– Invictus? What is this? Do they have any money? They’d better have someone with money to make it a success. Please keep investment and advertising tight.-

– I’ve never heard of or seen this company. The Chinese company tried to earn money through this game company, but they seemed to given up and sold it.-

– Looks like this company recently acquired OH Entertainment. Better than the Chinese company.-

– This company bought entertainment and a game company. Han Sang-hoon? What the fuck? 29? Fucking little bastard.-

Stock bulletin boards were always a mess. The swearing was also habitual.

‘When the stock price rises, these people will cheer…’

I checked the stock price this time, and it seemed to rise slightly after we announced that our company had acquired Kai Games, then it turned around and went down that day. The public still didn’t seem to know our company’s name, but the acquisition itself was likely to make our company famous. Kai Games’ new Fantasy War Ground would bring huge profits to Invictus Investment, Kai Games, me, and all of us.

‘Okay, then we will go straight ahead and proceed with the Blue E&M.’

I clenched my fist with all my strength, and in the meantime, Seo drove into the building with Kai Games, and pulled over in the underground parking lot.

—————————————

I went into Kai Games with Secretary Seo.

“Welcome, CEO Han.”

Inside, the CEO of Kai Games, Shin Dong-woo, was waiting for us. I shook his hand, “Nice to meet you, Mr. Shin.”

He was quite large, about six feet tall, and fat. He was nearly three hundred pounds. His face had a typical round shape. He looked gentle with his glasses. The preliminary report of Vice President Jang said, His game development ability is excellent, but he is a CEO who shows a slight lack of management. He was good at development, but his activity seemed to be a little low.

He opened his hand and said, “Come with me, the directors are waiting for you.”

I followed him to the inner conference room and entered; there were a lot of people waiting for me.

‘Huh, another handshake storm.’

I thought about it and went inside. But inside, I saw a familiar person. Everyone stood up to see me, but he was sitting alone and looking at me arrogantly. He was Master T, Tak Joon-gi of Suyeon Group…

Chapter 79 - Master T, Part I

Shin Dong-woo, president of the Kai Games, introduced me to each of the directors of the Kai Games.

“This is the chief of development general.”

“This is Chae Joong-sun. Nice to meet you.”

“Thank you. I’m Han Sang Hoon.”

I held his hand and waved it, but I put my attention on Director Tak Joon-gi, who sat in the back.

‘I thought I’d see him someday, but… I didn’t think that was going to happen today.’

He was the third-largest shareholder of the Kai Games, but he didn’t seem to directly interfere with management, similarly to me. He also didn’t have a formal title, like an outside director. But today, he showed up with the directors at this meeting where we greeted one another.

‘Has he come to see who became the first major shareholder?’

I tried to sneak a look at him, but every time Mr. Shin showed up with new faces and introduced them to me.

“This is Kim Young-ji, the finance director.”

“Nice to see you.”

“Yes, good to see you.”

By the end of the greetings, it wasn’t until the last minute that Tak Joon-gi stood up. As he moved, I could see the people next to him flinching away. They bent over and gave way to the king, as if they were the followers. Tak Joon-gi was moving forward.

CEO Shin also stood aside and said, “This is Tak Joon-gi, our third-largest shareholder.”

He only had a 5 percent stake, but they treated him as a superior. Perhaps the fact that he was the third generation of a chaebol family, and that he was a big hand in the investment industry, was a big factor. I faced him. He was quite tall, about 180cm tall, slightly taller than me. I looked up and met his eyes.

Looking closer, his image was definitely different from when I had seen him from a distance in the Garden Envy. His eyebrows were thick, his nose was big and slim, and he felt like a big man as a whole, but his eyes were small and long, so I could not tell what was inside. In addition, his lips were thin and small, so he seemed to be rather petty.

He extended his hand and said, “I am Tak Joon-gi, it’s good to see you.”

As I had done when I had met Kaiji outside last time, I greeted him, “I’ve met you for the first time. I’m Han Sang-hoon.” I spoke as if there had been no business in the Garden Envy.

He looked at me and said, his eyes shining, “Yes, Mr. Han. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

The look was like saying, ‘I know you have been to Garden Envy.’

‘What the…?’

I tried to find out what his intention was. “Oh, really? Where did you hear my story…?”

At my words, he laughed and spoke vaguely, “Here and there.”

I thought, letting go of his hand in moderation. ‘This man… he’s certainly a man who I should be careful of.’

If Garden Envy was a den of snakes, then this person was the huge snake that moved them, a python. I shook hands with him last, and then followed Mr. Shin’s guidance and went up to the top of the podium.

“Now, Han Sang-hoon, who is a major shareholder of our company, will say something.”

I made the same inaugural address that I had done for the inauguration for OH Entertainment; I just changed the name to Kai Games.

“.. and full investment and support to Kai Games…”

There was no need for procedures such as having delegation ceremony like OH Entertainment. Shin Dong-woo, the founder of the company, was already at the center of the company.

“I’m confident of the success of the Kai Games…”

While giving a speech, I took a peek at President Shin Dong-woo. He looked at me in a friendly manner. Like OH Entertainment, I said, “I’m not going to touch any game development. Just make a good game.”

As I had said so, he was now able to devote himself to developing the game without any interference. I heard that the Chinese board of directors asked many things and interfered in game development.

– You shouldn’t have this white bone.-

– Let’s do this in red.-

– Please do something that will work in China.-

They had been giving such orders, and he had been quite stressed. Now that all the Chinese board members had resigned after taking over the company, President Shin Dong-woo had no one to tell him what to do with development. It was natural for him to thank me, because I had drawn thorns out from his eyes. He would be more concerned with development.

“… I’d like to ask you…”

As soon as I was done, everyone clapped enthusiastically, to impress the new owner. But one person, Director Tak Joon-gi, was like leader Kim Jeong-eun in North Korea, crossing his palm up and down and clapping slowly. He was using that manner, ‘Let’s see how you do.’

‘Oh, yeah. You’re a royal family. Is that it?’

He had probably lived being clapped at rather than clapping. After the meeting with the board members, I followed Mr. Shin’s guidance and looked around the entire company. Looking back at the game developer, it was certainly exciting. When I saw the games up on the monitor, I could see Fantasy War Ground, the big hit of the future.

“It’s a new genre of Battle Royale, which has transformed modern war into a fantasy fight with swords, bows, or magic instead of guns. We’ll be in CBT soon for the regular users.”

‘This game will be the ultimate hit that will captivate gamers all over the world.’

I’d been looking around the whole company like that.

“Then I hope you work hard to the end.”

“Yes, of course!”

——

After a last-minute goodbye with Shin, I returned to the underground parking lot.

As soon as I got into the car, Secretary Seo said, “That Fantasy War Ground looked so interesting when I saw it in front of me. I think it’s going to be a big hit.”

I nodded, “Sure. I told you that it’s going to succeed.”

Secretary Seo looked at me in a rear-view mirror. “I think you have an amazing perspective. Really.”

“No, no.”

But then my cell phone rang, and a text came in. It was an unknown number, but I could tell who sent it by looking at the text.

– This is Master T. I would like to see you at the cafe on the second floor, in front of the Kai Games. Duros.-

Director Tak Joon-gi, Master T, wrote the text and sent it with my nickname in the Garden Envy. He knew that I had attended the meeting he had hosted.

‘But how did you know that?’

I had time to recuperate and reflect. I’d only been to the meeting once and never given my name there. I’d only seen him once in the distance. He was surrounded by people and didn’t even have time to see me.

‘What possible scenario…’

There were only two possibilities that I could think of right now: first, Kaiji, Director Lee Won-jae, made a statement to him. Second, Section-chief Kim Hye-sook, who had given me an invitation to Garden Envy, sold the information.

‘… Who was it?’

I was thinking about it, Secretary Seo started the car. Of course, it was time to get off work. I stopped him, “Secretary Seo, wait a minute.”

“Yes?”

“Wait here for a moment… No. Go on home. I’ll get off here.”

“Yes?”

“It’s because I’ve got some personal business to do around here. Go ahead.”

At my words, Secretary Seo tilted his head, but he obeyed my order.

“Yes, sir. Boss.”

I crossed the crosswalk at the green light. On the second floor of the building across from Kai Games, there was a large dessert cafe, as Director Tak Joon-gi had said. I thought as I entered the building, ‘Why is this guy calling me… …what the hell is he trying to do?’

I doubted him. But no one could cheat on me. I had an eye for the future. Even if someone was trying to tie me up with a lie, I was confident that I would resist it. Entering the cafe, Director Tak Joon-gi waved his hand at me from the inside corner. I approached him and sat down and said, “Why did you ask me to meet you?”

At my words, he grinned and said, “No, well… It wasn’t because of something. I just wanted to see you personally. As you know… I like excellent investors. By the way, you are a 29-year-old man with $60,000,000 assets. It was very interesting.”

He seemed to know only with the assets of Invictus Investment.

‘It’s $160,000,000, not $60,000,000.’

He couldn’t have imagined I had earned $60,000,000 more in my personal accounts in two months after investing $30,000,000 into Invictus Investment. Even if he was a member of the royal family, a human was only a human being. No person with power could know the future. That meant, no matter how much he held his form in front of me, it just seemed ridiculous in my eyes.

He said, tapping his finger twice against the window where the Kai Games looked. “I’d like to ask you, by the way. Why did you buy this company?”

I answered simply, “I think it’s a good game company.”

He looked at me with his snake-like eyes, having hands on his chin. “Is that just about it?”

“Yes. I enjoy investing in game companies. Isn’t the sale all for the game company? It’s good because it’s simple. If the game hits, the stock price goes up. If it fails, it goes down. I approached it in that sense. Especially this beginning… it is considered to be a work of both stability and novelty by mixing fantasy with the popular Battle Royale genre.”

He didn’t seem to know much about the game. Even though he was in his forties, I felt like he couldn’t understand anything when I was talking about the Battle Royale genre.

‘But if he were a son of a rich family, would he have played a game? He was probably golfing and traveling abroad at that time.’ I asked him the same question, “Why did you buy this company?”

He once again said with a sizzling smile at my words. “I’m confident that I can sell it and make money.”

I asked him implicitly, “Well… did Director Tak have a good view of the game, too?”

If he pretended to know here, he was 100% lying. But he began to laugh openly at my words. “Hahaha!”

As I tilted my head, suddenly he looked straight at me and said one more thing, “I don’t know the game.”

It was a remark that I didn’t understand with common sense. He didn’t know the game, but he bought the game stock.

But he twinkled his eyes and said, “But I still know the stock. You know, stocks are a kind of pyramid scheme, a trick game.”

At the remark, I thought once again, ‘This man is a dangerous man.’ But nevertheless, I decided to listen to him more.

‘A crisis is an opportunity in the stock market. If this person tries to put me in danger, that will be an opportunity, too.’

I grinned at him and said, “That’s right.”

Chapter 80 - Chapter 80. Master T, Part II

Tak Joon-gi and I were different ages, but the conversation was quite good, because we had something in common: being competent investors.

“I’m confident that I can sell any stock for more than that.”

I laid down my eyes and said, looking at my face in a cup of coffee. “That’s the same with me. I’m… I always play the winning game.”

But there was a critical difference between us.

He opened his eyes and smiled. “Yes. Anyway, the goal is that someone buys my stock for a lot more than the price I paid? Somehow.”

He and I seemed to be quite different in how capable investors were. “Somehow” was like he would scam a stock.

– There is a rumor that there is an operational force for scamming stocks next to him.- I remembered Vice President Jang’s remark.

In contrast to that precisely, I would have to say, “I am the investor who recognizes the future stock price, and you are the investor who makes the future stock price.”

‘If the FSC heard about this, he’d go straight to the cell. But he says it in a place like this, but it may be an expression of confidence. He’s still a member of the Suyeon Group.’

– If you’re close to politics, you’ll find it convenient in many ways.-

‘Suyeon Group has never been out of the top ten in the business rankings for sixty years. Of course, there must be a decades-old connection with the political side. No matter how much director Tak Joon-gi is treated as an abandoned son in the Suyeon Group, he will be protected in passing.’

I said to him, “Then, did you make the Garden Envy for that?”

“Haha, no, no. That’s not all. As I said before, I like competent investors. So… I made it interact with them.”

As he said, his tone was a bit different than usual. He didn’t want to tell what he knew, what he thought, or anything.

I said with a nod, “Okay, I see.”

“I don’t know what Han will be like, but I’m pretty lonely. Especially, I don’t really feel that much of a connection with those people,” he said, tapping a couple of times on the window.

I looked out the window. Outside was a group of high school students, ordinary people such as grandparents, mothers, and babies. People who were not necessarily specific to a group.

I asked him, “Those people?”

He smiled back at me and said, “Why not?” He held his hands forward and said, pointing one finger up and one down. “Who reigns above, and who is ruled below. I don’t want to have any connection with those inferiors.”

It was a little creepy to hear that.

‘This man…’ I laughed a little because I was dumbfounded.

But when he saw my face like that, he laughed profusely. “Ha ha ha! I think we are the same class. From the first time I saw you, I felt it.” Then he suddenly turned a straight face and made a strange swear, “Bugs, dog-pigs. I hate those vulgar things very much. I like people who are rich and capable, like Mr. Han.”

I was quite surprised inside, but answered deliberately, sipping a cup of coffee. “Thank you for your good words.” I glanced at him and I had a rough idea of what he was like.

“I can’t help but think you look good. It’s not easy to make sixty million dollars at the age of twenty-nine. You are a genius. That’s why I have to think like that. It’s why I’m here today. You don’t come to Garden Envy these days. Instead, I came to see you. I happened to be the majority shareholder of the same company, but when the judgment of Han and my power are combined… maybe we can do something bigger.”

‘Something bigger…’ I nodded for now. “Yes, maybe.”

But around this time, a giant man at the back of the cafe stood up next to Director Tak Joon-gi. After feeling him, Tak looked back and gestured to him, “Oh, okay. Go ahead and wait.”

The big man passed me on the way out of the cafe. He seemed to be Tak’s secretary.

“I think you’re busy, but our conversation is too long.” I tried to end the conversation.

‘Bugs, dog-pigs.’ Just after hearing his remark, it wasn’t very pleasant to be in front of this man.

“No, I’m not too busy… Such a fool doesn’t differentiate whether he has to intervene or not!” He even said such harsh things to his personal secretary. I had seen such an article before. ‘A secretary of the chairman of a large company is treated as less than a human being.’

At this point, I became very disgusted with him. Naturally, humanely, he might have thought that I was the same kind of fellow who was born as him, who stood above others from the beginning, ruled over others. But I was born in an ordinary house, made friends with ordinary people, and had lived. I’d been standing on top of others since I had met a strange fate, but I’d never imagined myself like that.

I thought, ‘How can I fuck him?’ There was an answer nearby. I asked him, “By the way, what are you going to do with your stake in Kai Games?”

“Kai Games?”

“Yes”

“Oh, I see… actually I had a plan with my Chinese friends… but since you bought this company, I had to abandon the plan.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, and so, I will hold this stock a little more… because Mr. Han, the genius of the investment, bought this company.”

“Oh, I see. I’d also like to buy your stake if I could… I mean.”

“My stake?”

“Yes. If I want to participate in management, I’m afraid I’m a little bit short with the Chinese stake.”

“You’re not taking part in management…”

I started lying here. “That was a lie.”

“Yes?”

I laughed and said, “It’s common sense if a child has his toys, he does whatever he wants. But after buying thirty-eight million dollars worth of goods, if I can’t get my hands on them… that will be ridiculous. Of course, I’ll be in management. I’ll be involved in game development a little bit, and I’ll take out the people I don’t need. It’s management efficiency. It’s management efficiency.” I said something he’d like to hear.

Sure enough, he laughed again in my words. “Ha ha ha! Right! That’s right! We can’t afford to buy thirty-eight million dollars worth of stuff and put it in the house.” And then he said with a straight look. “So, you want to buy my shares?”

‘He had a dramatic change in his expression.’ I said with that thought, “Yes, I will increase my stake by nearly 50%, change some board members, and put the right man in for the audit… then it’s easy to raise the stock price again.”

“Yes.”

“That’s why I’d like to buy the shares of Director Tak. I could buy a stake in the market… but wouldn’t it take a little while? Ants may be involved in the deal.”

He looked me in the eye and said, “Well… how much do you want to pay for it?”

That was the point. I brought up what I had in mind. “I bought $28,800,000 for $38,000,000. I bought it at a premium of about thirty percent. I’ll buy your shares at the same premium.”

In my words, Director Tak was quite surprised. “… at the same premium?”

“Yes, I will.”

His reaction was already expected.

‘Usually, the shares of the first and third largest shareholders differ in equity, but even if they are the same amount, they are not of the same value. The majority stake in the group is because it has the power to control the group as a whole. Of course, even the three largest shareholders can exert influence on the stake, but they cannot dominate the company this way or that way. But I will buy it at the same premium, paying almost five to ten percent more.’

“Well… it’s certainly not a bad price.” He really began to think about it. Whatever he had planned with the major Chinese shareholders, it would not have been easy for him to take thirty percent profit for a total of five percent of the shares so neatly. It would not be bad for him to get this offer because his plan went awry with my coming.

He looked at me with an expression of “Is that too good a condition?” He was not a fool to take a step back, seeing the conditions.

I said one more thing he wanted to hear, “As Director Tak said, if the power of Mr. Tak, Suyeon Group, and my strength are combined, we can do bigger things. I hope you’ll accept this offer as a down payment for me to start a good relationship with you.”

He laughed longer than ever at my words. I thought he was a human being who liked this kind of thing as well, a man who liked to reign and control others with power.

“Well, then, I can’t take it all. I’ll accept a twenty percent premium and give them over to you, because if we’re going to have a good relationship, I’ll have to show my respect.”

‘Huh! Twenty percent is much more than normal for the third major shareholder.’ I thought, but I reached out my hand, “Thank you, Director Tak.”

‘Of course, this price is hugely cheap considering the success of Fantasy War Ground’.

Director Tak did not even know that he had just signed a foolish contract, and said, “Don’t mention it. You increase your stake, I make money; this is win-win for each of us.”

“Thank you very much, Director Tak.”

‘Pah! You are a loser. Two months from now you’ll know how cheap you have been selling stocks.’

As we finished shaking hands, his cell phone rang once.

“Well, the stupid bastard… I’m going to have to go.”

“Yes, I’ll send you a proposal.”

“Yes.”

I hoped the conversation would be over right here. Since I had done my business with him, I want him to disappear.

But Tak was putting on his coat and said something else, “Ah, by the way, I was going to tell you something.”

“What?”

When I tilted my head, to my surprise, he said, “The other company that you have, CKD…”

He brought out the CKD story. He didn’t know that the name had already changed.

“Yes.”

“Have you changed the president of the company lately?”

“Yes, I changed the name to OH Entertainment.”

He raised his head slightly and said, “Oh, yeah? Is that why he did it?”

He said things I didn’t know. I was dumb, but he lowered his voice and said another word quietly. “Mr. Han, I’m old enough and I’m working for the group, so I know a little more about this story. So, let me give you a little bit of advice.”

‘What is he going to say?’ I watched his mouth.

“Wouldn’t it be a little difficult for you to run the entertainment company so hard?”

I frowned and said, “Yes?”

“I think it was better when there was a representative of Do Chan-ki there before, in many ways.”

I cocked my head one more time. “In what way?”

He slapped my shoulder and said, “You know that, don’t you? Hahaha.” He laughed again and turned around and said, “Then I’ll see you again next time, Mr. Han.”

Chapter 81 - Master T, Part III

“The acquisition of the shares has been completed,” Vice President Jang said as handed me the document.

I took the document, which read that Tak Joon-gi’s six point five million dollar stake was redeemed at around eight million, adding a premium of twenty percent.

“Then our stake will be?”

“It’s twenty-nine point four percent.”

“Okay, now move our employees, traders, and buy Kai Games.”

“How many shares shall we buy?”

“Up to 50%.”

“Up to 50%?”

I glanced at the calendar. Fortunately, the Fantasy War Ground CBT, scheduled for December, was delayed by about a month and a half due to the Kai Games situation.

“Yes, please buy it until January of next year, even if the price goes up a little bit. When you put up a public notice, please tell them we are buying shares to stabilize the management situation.”

“Yes, I see.” Jang bent his head and started to head outside.

I caught him once. “Ah, Vice President Jang!”

“Yes?”

“How did you feel about Director Tak?”

“What do you mean?”

“What was your impression or something?”

Jang recalled him for a moment and said, “Well, he looked like an ordinary chaebol third-generation: self-confident, upbeat style, but a little bit arrogant, too.”

“Well, I see.”

“By the way, he complimented you a lot, saying that you’re competent.”

I was not so happy to get praised by him many times. I said, nodding my head, “Oh, yes. I see.”

——–

After Mr. Jang left, I stood up and looked out the window. At lunchtime, a lot of celery people came out of buildings and flocked to the alley restaurants. As I saw it, I suddenly recalled Director Tak who spoke those words, “Bugs, dog-pigs.”

‘I only thought such a person were in novels.’

Well, considering the people on the news lately, I thought Tak was one of them and not a very unusual case.

‘It’s probably the tip of the iceberg that’s on the news…

‘If we see a cockroach at home, it’s usually said that there are hundreds of cockroaches in the house. Considering the news reports of a chaebol who plays the ridiculous power trip just once or twice a year, we can roughly guess how many chaebols actually think of ordinary people as bugs and dog-pigs. The press is on their side in the first place, so if we think about the silence of the press, it’s a very small number of people on the news.

‘If it’s on the news, it may be for political reasons, or pressure from their competitors… for that reason.’

Suddenly I thought of Lee Won-jae, the director of the Daewon Daily News. The guy…

I didn’t know how Director Tak Joon-gi had known my name, but it might be one of the two. Lee Won-jae of the Daewon Daily News, we knew each other’s identity, might say that, or Section Chief Kim Hye-sook, who gave me an invitation, might say that. Either way, whoever said it could be a big problem for me later, especially later, when I would do a big job with Tak.

If either of these two were keeping an eye on me, I might be in trouble. One of these two people was the owner of a company that was good at information, and the other one was the one who knew how my main accounts worked.

‘What shall I do?’

I fiddled with my cell phone. There was ‘Lee Won-jae’ on the list. However, I could not ask him, “Did you say that?” I saw Kim Hye-sook by pulling up the list. If it was her, I could ask her plainly.

I called her, thinking, ‘Then, shall I dig from here?’

Before the connecting call rang three times, Section Chief Kim Hye-sook answered my call. “Uh, Mr. Han. What’s the matter?”

It was as if she had been waiting for my call. I said to her, “Not different. I’m calling to ask you about Garden Envy.”

She seemed to be quite surprised to hear the words Garden Envy coming out of my mouth.

“Uh, hold on a second,” she paused, then went on again, “You mean Garden Envy, Mr. Han?”

It seemed to her that this was still a secret.

But I spoke with a slight squeeze on her. “Section Chief, please be honest with me.”

“Oh… yes, of course,” she said. She had always been with the fine accent, but her voice sounded a little wobbly.

“Have you ever sold my information to them?”

“Yes? What does that mean?” She asked me as if she had been misinformed. It was a common tactic used by people who needed to think about what to say.

“It is as I said. Don’t change the subject. Have you ever mentioned my name, my age, my gender, my appearance, that sort of thing, to Garden Envy? Have you ever done it, or not?”

“I’ve never done it, sir. I’m not talking about your personal identity anywhere. That’s ridiculous.”

“Really? So how did they know my name?”

“Well… I’m sure Director Tak Joon-gi has a wide network of investment connections. Maybe that’s why he recognized you.”

But her words were a little strange. I never said it was Director Tak Joon-gi who knew my name in Garden Envy. I made a point of saying, “I never said that the person who knew my name inside the Garden Envy was Director Tak…”

When I said that, she said in fright, “Oh, well, since Director Tak is the host, I think he’s the one who recognized you. That’s how I guessed it.”

It was somewhat awkward. The way she talked was unnaturally shaken. 99.9%. I was convinced that it was her.

If she had really guessed, she should have had to have a little time to think about it for at least a few seconds after what I said. However, the fact that Tak’s name came out of her right away was that she had been thinking about him since I started questioning her.

I said in a cold tone, “Oh, yes, I see.”

“Mr. President, I think you have a misunderstanding… please don’t misunderstand.”

“Ah, yes, I see,” I hung up coldly.

‘Business is based on credit. We have to trust each other to work together. This Seo-kwang Bank is close to me, and I made the biggest deal with them. But she has let loose my personal information. She may be a spy of Mr. Tak and sell my information again.’

I picked up the phone and said, “Secretary Seo.”

“Yes, sir. What would you like for lunch?”

I guessed that was exactly what he thought, as it was lunchtime. I said to him, “No, let’s make one phone call and go eat. Why don’t you put me on the phone with the manager of the Cheongdam branch of Seo-kwang Bank?”

—————————————

After lunch, I went back to the company parking lot, chatting with Seo. Pressing the up-button to hold the elevator, while waiting, I asked Secretary Seo, “So, how is Chang-wook doing?”

Chang-wook was one of the junior members of our founding club.

“He went back to his hometown. He just passed the civil service exam.”

“Oh really? That’s great. It’s hard to become a public servant these days.”

“I thought he would pass because he studied hard. He used to say he prepared for the seventh-grade civil servant level, but it turned out that he had to lower it to ninth grade.”

“Yes, these days, students at Seoul National University and Yonsei University are also trying to take the seventh-grade civil servant exam. It wouldn’t have been easy.”

The elevator stopped in front of us. I went in and said, “How about Min-seo, who was popular in the business startup club… she was pretty?”

“Oh, Min-seo. She asked me, but I forgot. She called me once last weekend. Personally, she wants to see the boss.”

“Me? Why?”

“She’s been putting applications in all over the big companies, apparently, but she’s failed and is snooping around our company.”

Even if she was the junior member of the startup club, I didn’t like her snooping around our company, after she failed out of the big companies.

“Talk to her, I’m busy and it’s hard. Instead, I want her to put in a formal job application.”

“Then she’ll be disappointed.”

“No, is our company an alternative company to poke at when she fails at some big companies? I don’t like that, either.”

“That’s the same with me, too… I’ll tell her to put in her job application.”

“Yes, Vice President Jang will take care of it well.”

Employees would bow when I came into the company. I tried to get into my president’s office with those greetings. But one of the staff members followed me and said, “Mr. President, you have a visitor.”

“Who…?

“The Cheongdam branch manager of Seo-kwang Bank …”

It was a little surprising. I called him before lunch, but he was already here. When I went inside, waiting next to Seo’s seat was a man with gray hair and a suit. in his sixties.

“Hello, President Han, I saw you at our branch last time. I’m Lee Hyo-eun, the manager of the Cheongdam branch of Seo-kwang Bank.”

I opened the door to the president’s office and said, “Oh, yes, come in.”

He told me as soon as he closed the door to the president’s office. “As soon as I heard that you were going to close your account and transfer all of your deposits, I came in a hurry in surprise.”

He would have had to do that, because few people like me made tens of million dollars of deposits and hundreds of million dollars in trading.

I shook my head and said, “Oh, yes. I couldn’t help it, either.”

“Yes? What do you mean by that…”

“I will no longer deal with Seo-kwang Bank… At least I’m not going to make a deal with the Cheongdam branch.”

“Yes? Why? President Han, can you just think it over again? We’ll take you back on better terms.”

He spoke to me as if pleading, but that was just what this was: Gapjil, to overuse one’s power.

I felt like I was doing Gapjil like this way. But there was no way to I would put my deposits in a bank where they sold my information. I couldn’t keep my money where such people were. It was a legitimate act.

“I don’t think that’s possible. Seo-kwang Bank has a big credibility problem.”

“Then, President Han. Could you at least tell me why? If you say the reason, we can reflect on ourselves, make improvements, and do it.”

At the words, I thought about Section Chief Kim Hye-sook, hitting the table twice for a moment. If she had been honest that she had been forced to reveal things, because of Director Tak or Suyeon Group’s power… at least I wouldn’t have hated her. Rather, I would have felt a little she was a poor woman who was forced to speak out under the influence of the chaebol and its third generation.

However, she said, “No, I’ve never done it, sir. It’s nonsense that I have been talking about you.”

‘I hate people who lie to me, especially when it comes to work.’

I told the branch manager her name. “I am a little bit uncomfortable to say it, but ask Section Chief Kim Hye-sook. She’ll know why.”

Chapter 82 - Meet An MBE Super Ant

“Meet An MBE Super Ant. Let’s meet for the first time in the new year of 2019. It’s Han Sang-hoon, the young CEO of Invictus Investment.”

At the end of the MC’s remarks, the audience applauded. I swallowed once and then moved on. It was a recording show that had already finished rehearsing once, but I was quite nervous.

The young and beautiful MC spoke eye to eye. “I’ve hosted “Meet An MBE Super Ant as an MC, but I think he is the youngest CEO ever. Excuse me, how old are you?”

“I am thirty this year.”

“You are CEO Han Sang-hoon, who turns thirty this year, has founded and has been running an investment company called Invictus Investment, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Oh, that’s great! You started your own company when the other guys were looking for a job.”

“Yes, I’ve dreamed of starting a business since I was a student. I’ve been lucky to be able to follow my dream.”

“So, how much are the current assets of the Invictus Investment you founded?” The male MC said, looking at the manuscripts that had been prepared. “What? Seventy-five million dollars?” He already knew, but he was good at acting.

Even the audience was sold when they saw his performance.

“Seventy-five million dollars?”

“At that age?”

“In the world!”

The murmurs were heard gradually.

‘This is not including the money in my personal accounts…’

The male MC went on to say, “At the age of thirty, a CEO. Seventy-five million dollars in assets. Then, the viewers and audience may have an idea. Let me ask you a little rudely. What’s your father doing? Running a company? Or…”

“My father runs a judo training center in a normal manner.”

“Oh, really? Then what about your grandfather?”

“My grandfather used to be an ordinary farmer…”

“Did you have a lot of lands, then?”

I laughed and waved, “No, that’s not it at all.”

“So, were you not born in a rich family?”

“Correct. I should say that my home is a little less than the middle class of moderate wealth. It was just a normal home.”

“Then, you’re a self-made man. Can you tell me a little bit about what happened?”

“I’ve had quite a bit of luck in the beginning. It’s hard to go into details.”

It was really hard to go into details. However, there was a prearranged manuscript before the recording.

“You mean Lotto or Bitcoin or something?”

“Oh, yes. Those things…” I let the early stories crumble in this way. There was a difference between what I said here and there, and it was not something that deserved to be said. I went on to say, “That’s how I got started with five million dollars in capital.”

“Wow!” The audience seemed to be focusing on five million dollars rather than my story itself.

“But, it became seventy-five million dollars?”

“Yes…”

There was no problem saying something else, but when I lied, my mouth seemed to be burning. Currently, my assets in January 2019 were around two hundred million dollars, not seventy-five million. The assets of Invictus Investment were the seventy-five, and the other one hundred twenty-five million was in my personal accounts.

The female MC asked me, “Then, it’s five million dollars growing to seventy-five million… Approximately fifteen times over. So it was all increased by investments?”

“Yes.”

“That’s a little hard to believe.”

At the words of the female MC, the male MC cut in. “I know. Some people were recently arrested for faking their own success stories. Do you do Facebook or Instagram?”

I shook my head, “No, I don’t do that.”

“Why? Aren’t many young people doing it?”

“I don’t have the time to do that.”

“Huh… if you’re going to do that, I am going to go in right now. I am wondering if there might be luxury real estate or foreign cars bragging.”

‘It is only for swindlers trying to cheat by showing off their own financial resources. He who has real money, and he who makes money, have no reason to do such things.’

I shook my head and said, “I don’t like doing that much.”

“Oh, you don’t like foreign cars or luxury real estate?”

“No. I like a good house, a good car, and everything. It’s just that I don’t want to brag about it. It doesn’t look very good in the world these days. That’s my opinion.”

The female MC nodded and said, “You have a sound mind. You seem a little distant from a con artist, just by looking at what you’re saying.”

I said honestly, “Yes, I’ve never encouraged anyone to invest. Instead, I would rather ask individual investors not to invest in stocks.”

As I said, the MCs as well as the audience, looked quite surprised. I was on a stock-related broadcast and told them not to do it.

“That’s amazing. Don’t do stocks?”

I nodded with conviction, “Yes.”

“You’ve earned tens of million dollars in stocks, and you tell others not to do… It’s a bit ironic. Can you tell me why?”

“First of all, individuals have difficulty accessing key information that affects the rise and fall of stock prices. Their information acquisition is often a day or two slower than others.” This was the case with people like me.

“Secondly… there are quite a few people who arbitrarily manipulate stock prices…” This referred to someone like Director Tak Joon-ki.

“In that sense, it is very difficult for individual investors to make money in the stock market. So I want to tell them not to invest in stocks.”

Of course, just because I told them not to do, there would be no one who would not. Everyone in the audience was like that right now. They paid careful attention to “I made seventy-five million dollars,” but they would ignore my words, “Don’t invest in stocks.”

‘The one who wants to do the stock trading will do it in the end, and the one who doesn’t want to, won’t do it, even if others recommend him to do so, I think.’

“Then, why did you set up an investment company? Don’t you attract funds from other investors?

“Our company neither receives nor recommends investment from ordinary investors. Invictus Investment is my personal investment company that runs on my own assets.”

“Oh, I see. It’s a private investment company that doesn’t take investments from others.”

“Yes, I was going to run the fund alone, but… it’s too big to do that. I was just set up a company because I needed help from others to take over another company.”

“So, you’re saying you won’t accept any investment from the public in the future?”

“Correct. First of all, until it I’m running about a billion dollars, and I start investing abroad in earnest, I’m not going to do that. I don’t need that much money right now.”

The male MC opened his eyes wide and said, “A billion dollars?”

“Yes.”

“You’ve got about seventy-five billion in assets now; that means you’re going to have to make ten or fifteen times more profit.”

I said bluntly, “That’s about it.”

The male MC laughed and said, “Haha, if that happens, I’ll invest in it right away. No, then please take my money!” At his words, the audience giggled.

“Yes, by then, I’ll be back on this show. But before that, I’d like to do well with my own money. I don’t need any money until I invest overseas.”

“You’re very confident. A billion dollars!”

I raised my head and said, “Maybe not that far. Five years at a stretch, maybe two or three years at a short.”

Actually, I was expecting it to happen within a year, but I said so for now. Five years, two or three years, it seemed to sound crazy to them.

The male MC also smiled and said, “Huh. That would be a great thing to do.” He squinted his eyes and looked at me. After a moment he said, “I’m going to invest in it right away. No, please take my money!”, but he did not believe me at all.

‘Huh! You think it’s ridiculous that you’ve been hosting this show as an MC for a few years on Economic TV. Half a year from now, I won’t accept your money even if you ask me to take it.’

The female MC turned the spotlight around. “The company that you made that way has taken over two companies, OH Entertainment and Kai Games. I don’t know what you’ve seen and invested that way…”

“I choose a company that I know well and that I will know well.”

“What you know well and what you will know well?”

“Yes.”

“Do you have a little bit deep knowledge in entertainment or games?”

“I think I can judge people pretty well and I am also very interested in the games. So I invested in entertainment and game companies.”

The recording continued. At first, I was quite nervous, but as time went by, I grew accustomed to the broadcasting.

“What if you could tell us the secret of successful stock investment?”

“I watch the news a lot”

“News”?

“Yes, the news tells the present story, but over time it becomes the past. In the past, there was some news that led to a rise in stocks, and that’s what I’m focusing on. I spend a lot of time predicting what the news will be like in the future.”

“I see.”

“If you could recommend a stock…?”

“It’s a little bit too much to say… …but both of the companies we’ve invested in are promising.”

“OH Entertainment and Kai Games?”

“Yes. I think they’re both going to have a storm surge this year.”

“You said that you don’t take any investment from other people’s money, so you’re recommending companies you’ve invested in?” the male MC asked rashly.

‘This guy is just not likable!’ I thought about it and spoke a little out of the script. “To be honest, I think it’s a little absurd for analysts to recommend people to buy this and that. If it’s a really good stock, they should buy it themselves. Why would they let a person make money? I simply bought stocks that I thought they were good, and I can’t tell you because I don’t own any other stocks.”

My comments made the audience quiet. I was sure they’d all bought a lot of stocks that someone had recommended. I carried on my talk.

“In the case of Kai Games, I bought the shares of the first major shareholder and the third major shareholder, and then I raised my stake to sixty percent through the open-market purchase. I’ve spent my money. Spending my own money to buy stocks is the clearest and most certain recommendation, isn’t it? If the stock prices fall, I’m the one who loses the most.”

The female MC nodded and said, “That’s true.”

I spoke clearly to the camera watching me, “Watch the stock prices of OH Entertainment and Kai Games this year. You’ll soon find out whether I’m telling you the truth or not.”

“Thanks for your time.”

—————

I was coming out of the broadcast and asked Secretary Seo, “How was it?”

“You were good. Just like that! There was an impact.”

“What are the reporters saying?”

There were also quite a few economic journalists here. That was why I responded to the show in the first place so that my name and our company names would show more on the news.

“First of all, I heard they liked it because they have a lot of stuff to write about, ‘CEO Han Sang-hoon’s confident interview. What will happen in the future?’ ”

‘In these securities broadcasts, big hands usually say vaguely in this way, “Oh, yes, but it can climb, it can take off.” That’s what they say because they might be wrong later.’

But I looked at the camera and made a confident promise that the prices of the stocks I had bought would rise.

“If things go well, you’ll be a hero, but… if they don’t, you might become a swindler in no time…,” Secretary Seo said cautiously.

But I said bluntly, “Yeah. Okay, this is a bet too. A hero or a con artist. Let’s see what happens.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

I patted Secretary Seo on the chest and said, “Look, do you see me losing on the bet?”

Chapter 83 - CBT

———————————

“Kie-e-e-e-e-ek!” The dragon, flying through the clouds, roared toward the sky. From there the man who was looking down rises from the dragon’s back and jumps towards the ground. He begins his free fall through the wind. When things like houses, hills, trees, and rivers on the ground become clear, he pulls on the rope he is holding. The parachute on his back is unfolded and he stops his free fall and slowly drifts down to the ground. His target is to fly toward a small town just a short distance from the castle. However, a muscular Orc with green skin right next to him is coming with his parachute open. The two look at each other in mid-air, and both of them hit the ground.

The two scramble on the ground almost at the same time and look at each other. In the meantime, an axe is shining next to a tree stump. The two run for the axe, no matter who comes first. The man manages to grab the axe in place of the muscular Orc by a tenth of a second. Then he rushes toward the terrified Orc warrior.

At the same time, the phrase Breathtaking Fantasy Battle Royale! Fantasy War Ground CBT Grand Opens! appears.

———————————

‘They’ve done a good job expressing the contents of the game in a short time.’ I looked down at the scroll. I could see the check box for “CBT Tester Winning.”

‘CBT stands for ‘Closed Beta Test,’ which refers to a game that is tested by a number of gamers before the game is released. It’s a kind of rehearsal. Usually, most successful games will be almost outstanding at this point. As I expected, Fantasy War Ground will receive tremendous acclaim from here. If it’s a world-wide hit, it should be good!. ‘

I put my name and phone number next to the confirmation cursor and pressed the “OK” button. “Name is Han Sang-hoon…” However, I met the phrase, “We are sorry that you didn’t win the lottery for the CBT. Please wait for the upcoming OBT.”

I failed out of my own company’s CBT. I picked up the phone right away and said, “Secretary Seo.”

“Yes, boss.”

“Call Kai Games, ask them for a Fantasy War Ground CBT key.”

Secretary Seo said, “CBT key?”

I said in a slightly sullen tone, “Yes, I failed.”

“Ha, no, these guys, don’t they know the name of their major shareholder?”

“They would have picked one at random. Get one anyway, and you get one, too.”

“Me too?”

“Yes, it’s our company’s game. You should try it.”

“Yes, sir.”

‘Of course, in one way or another, the game would succeed because correction news didn’t come. Just in case, I asked the Customer Service. There is no time limit for the correction news. So whenever the future changes, they’ll send it to me. I just want to see how the game works with my eyes.’

I got a call about a minute after I had called Seo. It was Shin Dong-woo, CEO of Kai Games. He telephoned me and apologized, “Mr. President, I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize.”

“Our staff chooses testers randomly. They didn’t know you are the president… I’m sorry. We’ll text you the closed beta key right away.”

‘He’s been really good to me. I’ve raised my stake in the company to 60% and didn’t say anything, so maybe he’s been a little nervous. “If I don’t do this right, I’m going to be fired as a founder.” Steve Jobs was also fired from his company, Apple, with less equity in his company.’

Of course, I didn’t intend to fire him. I just wanted to get enough of the success of the Fantasy War Ground by myself.

“Oh, that’s okay. I understand. I’m applying on the Internet, and I can’t get special treatment. I should have told you in advance.”

“No, I’m sorry.”

“No. By the way, how’s the CBT, getting ready?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Yes, then, please continue to work hard.”

“Yes, sir.”

He said the same thing one after another and stayed still. He seemed to think he couldn’t hang up until I hung up first. I poked out my lips and pressed the call-end button. According to the text message, there were 20 beta keys like “XGKMPK2125 KEWN2385KJ.”

‘I just need one…’ I sighed as I entered a beta key. A message appeared soon. “Congratulations! You’ve won the CBT for Fantasy War Ground!”

Soon the game download window popped up. I started to get in. It was ten minutes after ten AM. The trade had ended early today, and I would spend my time playing the game that I had invested in.

In the meantime, Seo called again, “Boss, Shin Dong-woo sent me the CBT key right away. Do you want me to send it over?”

“Oh, no. I just got it on the phone myself. I got my keys, too.”

“Oh, yes. And Vice President Jang wants you to come to work.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes, because of Blue E&M and personnel affairs.”

After buying a stake in Kai Games, I reached out to the next company, Blue E&M. The work went smoothly because they wanted to attract more investment.

“Well, aside from Blue E&M, what’s the matter with personnel affairs?”

“It’s not a problem, but there came some sort of guidelines for hiring young people.”

“Where? Government?”

“They’ve come from two different places at the same time; from the government, from Seoul City.”

“Well, it’s because of the youth unemployment.”

“Yes. It gets worse and worse.”

I knew it better than anyone. In recent years, I seemed to have seen the keywords “Youth Unemployment” in the category “Politics” and “Economy.”

“So, they want us to hire more young people? They’re cutting corporate taxes?”

“Yes, that’s what it sounds like. So the Vice President wants to talk to the boss himself about this.”

“Ummm…”

The game was being downloaded in front of my eyes, but I couldn’t refuse Jang’s request to play it.

“I’ll go. Now.”

“Will you?”

Come to think of it, I had a job at OH Entertainment, too. I thought I could stop by the company in the morning to receive reports, and go to OH Entertainment in the afternoon.

“Yes. And tell President Kwon, I’m going to OH Entertainment in the afternoon.”

“Yes, sir.”

I got up from my seat after finishing my phone call. ‘I have to go to work, go to work.’ I combed my hair and dressed in a suit, and looked out the window. It was snowing. After seeing the snow coming, I went out of the studio with a thick coat. By the way, Lee Ah-young was coming out from next door. She wore white pants, a light blue sweater, and a white parka on the outside. She looked like a big rabbit.

She looked at me, “Oh, hello.” She greeted me first and was a little tense. Because of the last time’s happening, I felt a little more familiar with her than before.

“Hello.” We stopped in front of the elevator together.

She asked me, “Are you going to work now?”

“Oh, yes.”

“Do you usually go to work at this time?”

Going to work at 10 AM was certainly not a normal situation.

“Ah… that’s different then.”

She nodded at my words. “Oh yes.”

‘What does this lady think of me? I’m having free time at work?’

But then, she said, “I like being the CEO of a company, too. you can go to work at your own time.”

I looked at her in slight surprise, “How did you know?”

She answered my question briefly, “I saw the TV program…”

“Ah!”

There was only one TV show that I’d ever been on: Meet A MBE Super Ant.

‘Did she see that? It’s not a program that a young woman would watch.’ I was thinking about it, and she kept asking, “No matter what, it’s better for an individual not to invest in stocks, right?”

Come to think of it, she was quite rich, perhaps looking for other investment sources besides real estate. Then, she might have watched the TV program.

I told her, “Yes, I don’t recommend it. Especially, Ah-young, don’t you major in fine arts ?”

She was surprised at me this time, “How did you know?”

“I’ve been in your home, though I didn’t mean it.”

She opened her mouth wide, “Ahh…”

We knew each other better than we thought. In the meantime, the elevator opened in front of us and we both got in. I spoke to her as I pressed the ground floor for the parking lot, “A stock may have a fifty percent winning rate in a field that one knows well. As for arts, we don’t have any listed stocks. Stock doesn’t suit an artist very well.”

She said with a slight smile at my words, “Well, I’m not even called an artist yet. I’m, I’m still, I’m a graduate student.” She even brought up her personal story.

“Oh, I see.” So, I also brought up a story I was curious about. “Who’s that white girl, then?”

“Oh, she was a roommate in college.”

‘Roommate? Was that why she knew her password? Come to think of it, there are a lot of people like that. Maybe she’s such a person who has the same password for homes in the U.S. and Korea.’

“I graduated from college in the U.S. Then I came to Korea for a while… I went out to have fun with her, and… that’s what happened.”

‘As she graduated from college in the US, she is not a foreigner with black hair.’

“Yes, I see.”

In the meantime, the elevator reached the ground floor and we went to our cars.

“Yes, then.” She bowed her head to send me off.

“Yes.” I also raised my hand goodbye.

———————————

“So, the capital increase by issuing new shares for Blue E&M will be completed sometime next week.”

Blue E&M was a case of being short of money, so we decided to make a third-party paid capital infusion. Blue E&M, which had been struggling with lack of funds even when it was trying to start a new business, received our funds while it was in a tight corner.

“Yes, I’ll… I’ll talk to you in private, but the Blue E&M…” I saw the report that Vice President Jang brought in. The CEO’s name was Oh Seong-gyun.

“Tell CEO Oh Seong-gyun to reorganize the service centered around Fantasy War Ground’s launching this time.”

“Well… it will be not bad for synergy between subsidiaries.”

“There’s synergy between companies, but just tell them it is going to be a big hit. Tell them to get ahead of European TV. I’ll tell Kai Games to give full support.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And the next one is…”

Jang took out the second report he was holding and put it in front of me. It was a bit of a stiff issue compared to what we’d been talking about before, whether it was a game or an Internet broadcasting.

“It’s an issue both for the federal government and the Seoul City Government.”

Chapter 84 - Self-Fulfilling Prophecy, Part I

I accepted the documents that Vice President Jang brought: one from the Ministry of Employment and Labor, and the other from the city of Seoul. I turned them over. There were stories like ‘Extended Employment for Youth by Small and Medium Business’ and ‘Youth Unemployment Countermeasures by Seoul City.’

By the time I read all of them, Jang said, “You know, with youth unemployment becoming a problem recently, policies are pouring in.”

I suddenly remembered the last talk I had had with Secretary Seo. What about Min-seo, a junior member of the business startup club? She wanted to meet the boss because she couldn’t find a job. Everyone was in a difficult situation because they didn’t have a job. It seemed to be getting worse and worse, even though it was directed at me.

“If we hire a young man, they will give us benefits… It’s not a bad suggestion: do good work, and get a subsidy. Vice President Jang, what do you think of?”

“I think it’s good, but…”

“But?”

“They are not very many people needed in the company. That’s why I asked the boss.”

I looked back at the report and said, “What do you mean they are not very many people needed in the company?”

“It means we don’t have work for them right now. Maybe it’s just a waste of labor charge. It’s also a problem when training new employees.”

“But it’s a good cause. If we join them, we might be able to appeal to the government, to politicians.”

“Yes, that’s the case, but it’s a matter of the cost.”

I studied it with my chin up. It reminded me of the time when an investigation was conducted by the Financial Supervisory Service. I passed it without much trouble, but if anything was wrong, I might be in danger.

‘Even if it costs… …if I think of this as some kind of investment too, I think it’s not bad. The cost itself isn’t much anyway, I can deal with it myself. It’s worth it if we hire young people and make ourselves some credit, because we have to donate where the jobless are.’

I looked up at Vice President Jang and said, “This is… Let’s do it.”

“Do you think so?”

“Yes. Didn’t you say that last time? In order to become rich in Korea, we have to be close to civil servants to a certain extent.”

“Yes, I did.”

‘What he says is true. If we divide the economy into two categories, not like the canonical cohesion, the big axis is the government and the other is the market. They have no choice but to rub together in various fields. In addition, they say that they live on taxes, but because public officials also wield power, businessmen are forced to read their countenance. This will be about buying a favor without giving the politicians and the public officials money directly.’

“… let’s make it hot. Don’t pretend like we’re getting a grant. Let’s be at the top of the list, whether it’s the Ministry of Employment and Labor or the Seoul City Government. So let’s implant a good corporate image for the civil servants.”

“Yes, sir.”

“By the way, is there anything else you need when we add more people?”

“Oh, I think there’s a space problem.”

“Ahh…”

Our office, which was quite spacious when we first came in, had been expanding to a point where it seemed a little messy recently. I said, pointing up with my fingers, “Isn’t it empty upstairs still?”

“Yes, boss.”

“Then we’ll rent there. Would that be enough?”

“We’ll have empty space for a while.”

I just thought about it and said one more thing, “Oh, and just in case, could you ask them how much the sale price of this building is, and if they’re willing to sell it?”

‘Even if this isn’t the case, our company is bound to grow bigger and bigger. It wouldn’t be bad to buy the building itself rather than making a fixed outlay on rent.’

“Yes, sir.” Vice President Jang excused himself and left the room.

After he went out, I glanced down at the report he had brought. If we had ties to the political community, it might be helpful to pressure people such as Lee Won-jae of the Daewon Daily News and Director Tak Joon-gi of the Suyeon Group. I looked at the report with my arms crossed and turned to the monitor.

Come to think of it, now they might start the CBT. I knew the future roughly, but I still wanted to know what the direct evaluation was like. I searched for Fantasy War Ground and looked around the responses from game webzines, game communities, and famous game strippers. As it was a great hit, it was good for the whole.

– It’s refreshing. I’m going to do this for a while.-

– It’s fun. I hope there’s no more lag.-

– As the above says, there is some server lag. I could do it without it. Since we’re in the CBT, this is going to get better, right?-

I turned on the HTS and saw the stock price of Kai Games. The stock that used to play in the +1% range in the morning was around +4% by the time they were with the CBT.

‘Okay, it’s going well.’ Kai Games’ stock price had been rising ever since I had taken over. The reason for this was that even after receiving the volume of first major shareholder, the Chinese company, and third-largest shareholder Tak Joon-ki’s in block deals, I had continued to buy more and more shares until my stake reached sixty percent of the shares, and so the price had risen more than thirty percent since my first purchase.

Of course, it wasn’t a real gain for me, since I used my money to raise the price. By the way, as I kept buying shares, there was a rumor, “The major shareholder of Kai Games knows a great deal of good news to himself without anyone else knowing, and that’s why he continues to buy.” The strange rumor turned around, and the ants joined the buying spree and the stock price continued to rise.

‘It’s nothing, it’s just that I bought it because I knew it was going to be a success… Now that the CBT has started, some of the game’s leading players, who know the game well, must have figured out what the big news the major shareholder knows is: the game is really fun. Game players are all about fun. Watch out for Kai Games and OH Entertainment.’

It was becoming more and more true to say, “Pay attention to OH Entertainment and Kai Games.”

‘The problem is OH Entertainment…’ OH Entertainment was the first stock I had acquired, but it continued to fall even after the acquisition. The drama that was tied up in China still hadn’t unraveled, and with the exception of Oh Hyun-joo and Kim Jun-hyung, no celebrities had been able to achieve good results. Therefore, on the OH Entertainment Stock Bulletin, there were written many swears and complaints directed at Mr. Kwon, our company, and me in various ways.

-Kwon Oh-hyuk, you bald ass, you’re an old man. It’s like his management skills are like his hair numbers.-

-What are these boys, Invictus? Did they take over to pay for their dowry?-

-What is it that Han Sang-hoon is doing with his company?-

Of course, it wasn’t that I didn’t have anything to do. I was doing the People Search for the entertainers and prospects of the company every day, and giving the orders, “Do this for this guy and that for that guy.” But I usually saw the news in 12 Months After, and gave the orders, so it took longer for the effects to be reflected in the stock price.

‘The Idol Manager 108 airing, which is expected to be a big hit this summer, still has half a year left. The stock price may fall a little further by then. I don’t like that. I want to be more famous.

‘If I say, “This is going up,” it goes up. And if I say, “That’s going up,” that goes up; I am going to be such a huge investor, so that when I hit “Han Sang-hoon” in the People Search, I’ll have a better chance of coming out.

‘Should I buy more shares of this stock then? In fact, whatever happens, the price goes up when someone buys it. My stock goes up when I buy it. So, it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. My prophecy of ‘OH Entertainment stocks will rise’ can be realized, by raising the shares by myself.’

‘Can I talk to President Kwon about this?’ As it happened, the board meeting was scheduled for 2:00 p.m. today.

I picked up the phone and called Secretary Seo.

“Yes, boss.”

“Call OH Entertainment and tell to President Kwon that we’ll have lunch together at 1:00 PM, and then we’ll go to the board.”

“Yes, boss.”

———————————

Kwon asked me over the sizzling, boiling sausage stew, Budae Jjigae, “So, you want to buy more shares in our company?”

I looked around for a moment. There was no one around listening. “Yes. Originally, the shares of Do Chan-ki were a little small for a major shareholder. I am trying to increase my stake further in order to stabilize the management and boost the stock price… about ten percent more.”

‘This is a huge good source. If the general public hears it, they can sell their houses and sell their cars to buy the stock. If I had seen the news on future news, “OH Entertainment parent company, Invictus Investment, will increase its stake,” I would have bought it right away. I’ve been trading stocks on the news, but now I will be a subject of creating news like this.’

“Shareholders will like it. Yes, I see, Boss.”

Lifting some cooked ramen, ham, and noodles from the Budae Jjigae, and putting them on my plate, I said, “By the way, how many shares in OH Entertainment do you have now?”

“I have about 2.6 percent.”

It was small. That was what he had left after he handed over OH Entertainment to CEO Do Chan-ki in the old days by taking some shares instead of cash. Of course, it was worth around three million dollars, but it was too small a share for a company-run president.

“Then, I think it`s okay for you to increase your stake before the company begins to buy its shares in earnest.”

“Me too?”

“Yes, as you know, if we sweep ten percent of the market, the stock price will rise smoothly. It’s like breaking news that only you and I know. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to increase your stake now and think you’re getting a bonus. If you buy it, you can say that you’re responsible for management. It’ll be okay to stock up on your annual salary and loans.”

I spoke for him from the bottom of my heart; it was a 100% favor. Moreover, as I believed in him, I had set a pretty high salary for the CEO of a small company, so there was a chance that he had cash and high credit.

Kwon nodded and said, “Yes, I think so.”

But his words were a little weak. I advised him one more time. “Of course it’ll cost you the money you’re saving for education, but make sure you buy it. If I put in an order saying ‘Go!’, Invictus Investment will start the buying in less than a week. You have to buy it before then.”

But then, Kwon said, “Yes… but sir!” I looked at him, and he continued, “I’m single…”

I tried to pick up the ramen with chopsticks, but I was surprised and apologized to him. “Oh, I didn’t know that. I’m sorry.”

“Ha-ha, that’s okay. At my age, it’s normal to think I’m married.”

He was about forty years old. I guessed I had a stereotype picture of him. I didn’t say that anymore. I didn’t know how he hadn’t been married yet, but he also had a CEO title and quite a bit of money, so it wouldn’t be difficult to marry. I was a little bit concerned about his baldness, but I was sorry anyway, I rolled my head around to change the topic. Come to think of it, there was something I wanted to ask Kwon. I carefully opened my mouth to what Director Tak Joon-gi said before he left our meeting. “By the way, President Kwon, the CKD where you were at in the previous years…”

Chapter 85 - Self-Fulfilling Prophecy, Part II

“When you were in CKD… were there any sexual offerings or something like that?”

I spoke softly. It was a very low and small voice, but when the words came out, Kwon opened his eyes wide and looked around. He was afraid there was someone listening, but I’d already seen to that when I was talking about stocks earlier. There was no one sitting around here.

Instead of answering my question, he said to me, “Why are you asking such a question?”

I grabbed the ham on my front plate and said, putting it in my mouth. “Someone’s talking. He used to be offered sexual services by CKD, but now he is sorry since he doesn’t get any sexual offerings,” I invented deliberately. Actually, Tak Joon-gi didn’t say that directly, but he was inferring that. When I brought up the story like that, there was a reaction.

“That’s… that’s….” Kwon blurted out his words and wondered what to say. As before, he had no talent for lying.

I said in a confident tone, “There were sexual offerings, weren’t there?”

As I spoke, Kwon couldn’t say anything. It was a silence to admit the truth, but that was not enough. I questioned him, “Are there still?”

When the word “still” was told, he finally opened his mouth, “No! No, it doesn’t happen now. Never.”

“Was there before?”

“I’m not sure if there was, but when our company was a subsidiary, they had a request. I refused until the end, but it’s true that there was such pressure.”

Thanks to Kwon’s protection, it certainly seemed that celebrities belonging to OH Entertainment had been shunned, including Oh Hyun-joo.

“Is Do Chan-ki the one who asked for it?”

“We were a subsidiary, but we were still another company with a very different system. Do Chan-ki was the only one who could make such a request.”

I recalled him in front of me during the negotiations. I frowned and said, “He was also being discriminated against for sexual reasons… he sent others to that place.”

At my words, Mr. Kwon opened his eyes wider. Maybe he thought I didn’t know that CEO Do Chan-ki was gay.

“Well, it’s a common case. Black people who are discriminated against for being colored do slave rap. When they get hurt, they get to be annoyed, but it’s human beings who easily bother others.” Kwon once again remained silent. “Well, I see. Anyway. That’s not happening right now, is it?”

“Mr. President, I can tell you that at the risk of being the president. There’s been pressure now and then, but… I turned it down.”

“Where does that pressure come from? Exactly.”

“PD, senior press officials, or chaebols.”

“Is there a Suyeon Group among them?” I said, thinking of CEO Do Chan-ki. But that was wrong.

“… there was no Suyeon Group.” I thought it was odd, but he added a word, “But I don’t know. Most of the chaebols… they usually contact us through their agents. Everyone is watching these days, they don’t want to get hurt.

‘Well… I see,’ I nodded.

Kwon noticed my countenance. I didn’t mean to blame him, but the atmosphere seemed to have gotten too heavy.

I said to him, “I see. I was just curious when I heard that story, but I’m glad it doesn’t happen anymore.”

“Oh, yes…”

I stood up and said, “Then let’s go to the board of directors.”

“Sure,” said Kwon, as I stood up.

I said a word to him in case, “Oh, by the way, what I said about the stock… It’s not official. It’s not even fixed yet. Whatever you do, it’s your choice, but… I never said anything.”

Just in case, because I could be caught doing insider trading. I, of course, saw him only once during the hearing before the appointment of the president, but even that ended in suspicion, so I’d better be careful.

Kwon took my words as they were and said, “Don’t worry. Mr. President. Actually… I recently bought an apartment and can’t afford it. I’ve already got enough loans.”

“Oh, did you?”

Then there was nothing to watch out for. I left the Budae Jjigae restaurant with him and walked slowly toward OH Entertainment, three minutes’ walk from here. As we were on the way, a familiar van was passing through the alley we were walking through. The high black Mercedes van was Oh Hyun-joo’s Mercedes.

“Oh, that?” I said, looking at it.

Kwon confirmed, “That’s right. She’s back from shooting ‘The Running Star’.”

“Oh, did Oh Hyun-joo appear in the Running Star?”

The Running Star was one of the national entertainment shows airing on Wednesday evening: a talk show with very high ratings. I rarely watched TV, but it was a program I watched.

“Yes, she went out with her fellow actors to promote a movie.”

“Oh, I see. When can I see her?”

“She filmed it today, so it’ll probably be out in about four weeks.”

“Oh, I see.”

Then it was time. The Benz van suddenly stopped on the side in front of us. Oh Hyun-joo got down from there and ran over to us, waving. “Hello, Mr. CEO and Mr. President!”

She always had a great look, a beauty that seemed to make the whole world beautiful, a beauty that shone with its own light. She ran to me like a puppy welcoming its owner and asked, “Mr. CEO, what are you doing here?”

“Oh, I have a board meeting today.”

She put her hands together and said, “I see!” As she seemed a little tense, it seemed that this was something good to her.

Kwon asked her, “What about the shooting? Did you do well?”

“It was great. The producers and MCs were so nice to me. I had a lot of fun filming without any pressure.”

‘There are four MCs for the Running Star, and all four are men. A man has no choice but to be nice to her by instinct. Her beauty is so magical.’

‘Ah… the world is unfair…’ I felt a little sad to see her beauty.

‘The world is so unfair that someone may try to die, but if a woman is born with the same beauty as her, most of the men who exist in the world, and even women who are not jealous, are easily obedient.

‘Perhaps it is more powerful than money. They say that if they show babies a picture of a handsome and beautiful woman, even the babies prefer them. I think everyone would like her.’

She stopped next to me and started walking in step with us. “What were you two talking about?

To be honest with us, we were talking about stock insider trading and sex offerings. But I couldn’t tell such a story in front of her.

“Uh… I mean…” Kwon was caught off-guard here as well.

I replied, “We were talking about the board agenda.”

We walked to the side of her van. Oh Hyun-joo’s manager greeted me first, “Hello, Mr. CEO,” and then greeted Kwon, “Hello, boss.”

Oh Hyun-joo said goodbye to us there, “I’m going to go to lunch. I haven’t had breakfast, and I’m hungry because I’ve been filming.”

I opened my hand and said to her, waving from side to side, “Yes, goodbye.”

On the contrary, Kwon gestured up and down, “Yes, go in.”

“Yes, then, work hard,” she said and got back in her van.

When I recovered my consciousness, there were quite a few people around me.

“Wow! Did you see her? It’s Oh Hyun-joo, Oh Hyun-joo.”

“Really. The real her is prettier.”

There were also words about Kwon and me.

“Why are those people pretending to know Oh Hyun-joo?”

“Well… I guess he’s a rich guy. Did you see the watch?”

“Which one?”

“The hairy one.”

“Huh, is he her boyfriend?”

Come to think of it, there was a tax on her beauty, a tax for being famous. That was right. She almost got stabbed by a stalker… I thought of that time after a long moment and laughed.

———————-

“The strategy for the second half is to do this, so is there anyone else with something to say?” As the board meeting was going on, I raised my hand only once. About half an hour after the board meeting of directors began, I raised my hand and everyone’s attention was on me.

“Oh, Mr. CEO.”

“It’s nothing much. There’s the Idol Management 108 for this summer, right? I want to put a lot of our trainees in there.”

“We’ve got two who will appear on that show.”

Two? Two was too few.

“Aren’t there more trainees? Try to find out who can go, and get as many as possible into the show.”

The reason for my stubbornness was simple. I’d seen the news at least ten times in the entertainment category of 12 Months After. I’d never seen such frequent news in the entertainment category before. In other words, it would be a big topic that would hit the entertainment industry this year. It might be a good opportunity for OH Entertainment, which had failed to have a girl group hit in recent years.

“There are some girls who are not very good at it…”

“It’s okay to be a little short on their skills. It could be an issue. Of course, I’m sure our board members have good eyes to see, but… think about it. How many people read a prize-winning novel in the spring literary contest, where professors are on the panel of judges? Instead, tens of thousands of web novels are judged by the number of views. Times have changed.”

All the directors listened to me. I went on to say, “Consumers’ assessment is more vital than professionals’ assessment. I think this Idol Management 108 is going to be a huge hit. Of course, you’ll need to raise their skills to the highest level before that, but then you’ll have to leave them up to the public to evaluate. Singers… especially if they’re an idol, they may not survive even if they are good at it, but only survivors are the ones who are really good at it.”

The directors were not able to argue with me. It was because the idols they had produced in recent years had failed, rather than I was right; it was the main reason for them to be silent.

The director who was in charge of idol groups said, “Yes, then, we’ll change our policy according to CEO Han Sang-hoon says. We will send out more trainees to Idol Management 108.”

I now looked down at the report with my arms crossed. To be honest with myself, I didn’t think much of it anymore. I’d seen the future news and I’d said everything I wanted to say. But this was just one thing I would do. OH Entertainment would be cruising this year.

[Idol Management 108, a trainee Lee Joo-hyun got into the top 12.]

[The rank of Lee Yoo-jin from Nove Entertainment is suddenly raised.]

[Idol Management 108 is about to confirm its debut members; who will be in the final members?]

‘I’ve been watching dozens of these articles. By now, I’m sure there’s a lot of correction news on what I just said on the way.’

I clasped the air a couple of times and opened my palms. It was as if the future were in my hands.

Chapter 86 - News Maker, Part I

I took turns watching the left and right monitors and quickly made fun of the keyboard. Hundreds of thousand dollars of stocks came and went in seconds, but I was now quite used to this.

‘Hey, guys, just buy this!’

I looked at the account balance and the stock window. I almost sold out, but one account, which earned +40% and $1,200,000 from buying $3,000,000, was not close to the upper limit price.

It was lunchtime, but the sell order was pushed back. ‘Then shall I just get out of here?’

I had just unloaded $3,000,000 worth of shares at the market price. The stock price was falling. If a big hand like me sold out a large number of shares, there was chaos between ants.

‘Hey guys, well, work hard, then.’ I turned off the HTS and got up. As always, my account was cruising. I had been earning between $30,000,000 and $40,000,000 each month in a stable manner. Thanks to this, even though I paid $10,000,000 in monthly subscription fees, my accounts had risen to $120,000,000. There’d been so much money these days that almost all of it was not even used. In fact, only about $30,000,000 to $40,000,000 was needed to play on the KOSPI and KOSDAQ.

‘Of the $80,000,000 left… first of all, to buy the fourth and fifth companies, I am going to increase the capital to Invictus a little bit. Should I buy a building with what I have left… overseas options are still too much for me…’

I opened an account for overseas options and was practicing with about $100,000 in it, but the earnings were not as good as I expected. First, I’d had unhelpful news, rather than economic news, in the category of the World.

[An Indian man who hasn’t cut his hair in fifty years.]

[Three Pandas were born in China.]

Secondly, even if they came out, they didn’t reflect what they were in stocks.

[OPEC proposes oil reduction.]

[The U. S. presses China, the yuan’s exchange rate is on the rise?]

This might be because there were so many market participants compared to the Korean stock market, and the variables were also complicated. But I practiced for now because I would need to enter this market in the long run. Before I went out for lunch, I turned on the calendar application and looked for stocks to go after.

‘TBES NG’

“Well… earning surprise… Nature’s Gift…” I knew, but I couldn’t quite remember what ‘TB’ was in the front. What was it?

I stared at it hard, and soon I remembered. “Aha, the best! The best earning surprise of Nature’s Gift.”

I remembered. A month ago, that was what the Future News article said. It was the best earning surprise all the time. Nature’s Gift was the number two health-functioning food company in Korea. Recently, sales of health-functional foods made by mixing red ginseng and several medicinal herbs were rising as they became hugely popular on home shopping. Gift sets seemed to have been selling like hot cakes in the last quarter of last year as Chuseok, the Korean Thanksgiving Day, overlapped the end of the year. So, in the fourth quarter of last year, they literally achieved their best sale record.

‘When it comes to good sales, even if they hear not to buy it, they are willing to buy. Let’s buy some today. What’s disappointing is the total amount of their market capital. The total is only about eight hundred million dollars, so I don’t think I can buy that many shares. Then let’s buy about thirty million dollars, with a target profit of about ten million!’

I set a target like that, and then I made my own purchases and hung up a little more on the limit buying.

‘Limit buying refers to buying and selling automatically when the market price reaches the condition I want. Of course, it’s less efficient than what I do myself; if someone other than me sees the way I work, they will say, “What’s this guy? How does he know the stock price in the future?” However, this is unavoidable. It’s a secret that I have to keep to myself until I die.’

After buying a little bit, I caught sight of the stock price of Kai Games. On the third day of the CBT of the Fantasy War Ground, Kai Games’ stock price was slowly rising. Maybe it was because of the ants who played the game and had an inkling that it would be a big hit.

I got up from my seat and left for lunch. Suddenly, I went into the Kai Games stock bulletin board with my cell phone.

– Fantasy War Ground. This is fun. I will buy more shares as soon as I get paid my salary.-

– The reviews are good and it has a good Gamer’s Rating. It’s a big hit.-

– It’s been thirty years since I’ve played games, and I feel like this is it. Hold it tight!-

– The major shareholder bought a lot… Han Sang-hoon seems to be an able man.-

At last I saw an article praising me. I grinned at it. Then, in the meantime, a text message came in from Secretary Seo, ‘Boss, two days from now, Ahn Yong-kyun, CEO of Blue E&M will come to thank you. Please come to work then.’

I wrote back, strolling around Gangnam Station. ‘Yes, I see.’

——————————-

“Thank you, Mr. CEO. I’ll do my best not to harm your name.”

“Yes. I hope you’ll continue to do well.”

“Yes, sir.”

After he went out of the president’s office, Vice President Jang congratulated me, too. “Congratulations, boss. This is the third acquisition.”

“Thank you. You have done a good job, Vice President.”

This was after the investment in Blue E&M was completed. Only two companies were left until I reached Master Class. I said to Vice President Jang, “So there’s no more to invest in?”

“I’ve been looking for something, but… there’s no business that fits exactly what you want. They’re all too big or too dangerous.”

“What’s left of the money?”

“Nearly none.”

Invictus Investment had nearly run out of money to invest in Blue E&M and buy a stake in Kai Games in the market. I stroked my chin and thought, ‘If I get a higher grade, the benefits are good, but…’

Even now my personal account was stably earning money. Kai Games, invested in by Invictus Investment, would soon surge. I wouldn’t have to overdo it or buy a company that was big enough to run with the seed money. It was all just a matter of time. It might take half a year.

“Yes, I see. Don’t overdo it and look for it slowly. I’ll give you a capital increase as soon as you find it.”

“Yes, boss,” Jang answered me and left the president’s office.

‘All right, so this is done… I’ll make more money. If I have money, it’s nothing to take over a company. It’s a procedural matter anyway…’ I turned on HTS thinking to buy more shares of the targeted Nature’ Gift. I’d already bought ten million dollars worth of the stock for the previous two days.

‘I’ll buy another ten million dollars worth today. After the weekend… if I buy another ten million dollars by next Wednesday… The evening surprise news is coming up that day.’

A rough schedule worked itself out. I made up my mind and checked the stock of Nature’s Gift in the stock window. Nature’s Gift was undergoing some strong adjustments in the -6% range today, perhaps because of the fatigue, it had been up to for a while. It was a pretty depressing report card for the ants. Of course, I didn’t mind. Maybe I was losing around six hundred thousand dollars today. But I didn’t feel even a little emotional, because I knew it was not a big deal, and it was going to go up eventually.

‘It’s better to buy it cheaply when the stock price goes down.’ I bought more shares, thinking that. But, strangely enough, the sell orders continued.

‘Umm…?’ I thought it was a little strange, but I kept buying more shares. To be honest, I was a little overconfident. After all the winning streaks, even I kept looking at the sell orders, I thought, Why are they selling their stocks like such a fool? Let’s see. I’m going to buy twenty million dollars more from now on, and it will finally go up.’ I thought so and I continued to buy the shares. I changed my accounts to buy and as expected, the stock price went up.

-2%. There was no stock that would not go up if I bought. There were not very many poker players as big as me in the first place. But then, about half an hour later, all of a sudden, there was more selling, and -22% of the time, the lower VI (Volatility Interruption) was caught at -30%.

‘Uh?’ I finally stopped buying, feeling a little queer. ‘What is this?’

In the meantime, the stock price was at -30%. It had been pushed to the lower limit price, and the sales residuals had begun to pile up at the lower limit price. I already bought over thirteen million, so I had lost nearly four million dollars today alone.

‘This… this is something happening.’ I turned on the Explorer calmly. Even though four million was big money, this was also money that could be easily recovered in a day or two. Of course, it would be hurt a little if the thirteen million that I put down was blown away.

‘A company worth eight hundred million dollars is not going to go bankrupt in a day or two…’ I thought so and went into the portal site and searched for ‘Nature’s Gift.’ Two or three articles appeared.

[A person was found dead after taking Nature’s Gift Healthy Food.]

‘Oh, my God.’ Someone must have died from eating the healthy food. I touched my forehead. If this was it, I couldn’t guarantee if it was a company worth eight hundred million in total.

‘The earning surprise news is next Wednesday… In the meantime, I can’t believe this is happening.

‘It’s like winning a Lotto, running for a bank and being hit by a truck. But this happens sometimes in the stock market. This is the bad news when I’m waiting for a signal, but someone hits me behind.’

“No, they have to write this up in the article of the earnings surprise!” In the future news, it only said, ‘The best earning surprise of the fourth quarter of last year.’

I came back to the stock window with my lips pursed. The lower limit price was piled up to more than ten million dollars. This was the lower limit price, I had nothing to do.

‘I am going to have to be a little bit more determined tomorrow, too. I might lose anywhere from a third to half of the thirteen million. Ah, I haven’t been so alert lately… If it is the earning surprise news, it isn’t a hundred percent good news.’

I watched it, reflecting, but I recalled the stock price that was being adjusted in the -6% range at the beginning of the market. Maybe a few people knew last quarter’s earnings surprise. That’s why the stock price kept going up… So, did some people know the bad news today, too?

I thought so. Come to think of it now, before it was announced to the press, someone had hurriedly disposed of their shares. I felt slightly offended by that thought. I went back to the portal site and looked for more of the death story. Now, ‘Nature’s Gift’ was already hot enough to be at the top of the real-time search word list. I looked in the order in which the news came up. The first press to report the incident was ‘Light Economic News,’ but it was a familiar name.

This was definitely the company that first released an article with my name on it when I bought OH Entertainment. It was the company operated by Lee Won-jae, director of the Daewon Daily News.

I turned my eyes on the monitor and looked at my cell phone.

Chapter 87 - News Maker, Part II

“Hmm…” I watched the HTS. Nature’s Gift was not thinking of coming out of the lower limit price.

‘Today’s not a good day to escape unless there’s a correction or a rebuttal news! The loss must be fixed as soon as the loss is made. It would be better to try to recover from the loss quickly than to obsess over the loss.’

I picked up the calendar application again, and only a week after the sale of Nature’s Gift, it was written with ‘FMMULPSC.’

‘F&M Media’s upper limit price on success in China…’

F&M Media was a company that provided webtoons and web novels. It was not long after it was listed, but it was reported that its webtoons had become popular in China and it went to the upper limit price.

‘Yes, this is confirmed to be at the upper limit price…’ This one was comfortable and nice, too. I started buying it with the money I’d used to get into Nature’s Gift. The loss would be made up here. I changed my target and bought F&M Media. Of course, at the same time, I watched Nature’s Gift sneakily. Since $13,000,000 of sell-order residuals were accumulated, it was worrisome. The stock price didn’t even move from -30%.

I looked at it and I thought, ‘By the way, how could she die from eating healthy food? A healthy person?’

‘Health-functional foods are foods that literally assist health. It’s a combination of red ginseng and some things good for health; it’s not a medicine…’

And it was a little strange that she died after eating it. While I was trading the stock, I went to the portal site with a different window.

[Nature’s Gift]

[Power Red V of Nature’s Gift]

[Death by Power Red V]

There was nothing else to search for. Real-time search words were full of them on the portal main News. I clicked one of the articles in spite of my bitterness.

[A woman in her sixties died of septicemia after taking Power Red V of Nature’s Gift.]

As usual, I read only the core keywords.

[Power Red V with red ginseng and probiotics.]

[Caution is needed as the ginsenoside of red ginseng can cause fatal side effects with similar estrogen effects in menopause women.]

[Probiotics are living germs that can disrupt the immune system or adversely affect the metabolic pathways.]

[She was known to have had diarrhea and blisters after taking it.]

[Death from septicemia. She had no other disease than high blood pressure and adult infirmities.]

I thought I knew the story roughly, but I still wondered if this would kill a person. Even in the article, it was said that the correlation was unclear.

[Red ginseng and probiotics have been designated safe foods and approved as health-functional foods. Also, whether any other substances have been introduced into the product manufacturing process should be closely examined.]

‘Surely, it would be too much to conclude at this stage that she died from eating this healthy food. But stocks are essentially fed on dreams and hopes.’

It was true that the article was published today. [A death occurred after eating the health-related food from Nature’s Gift.]

‘If there is a clear correlation between death and health-related foods here, or if there is anything in the manufacturing process that shouldn’t have gone into it; either way, there is a lower limit price. Once the compensation for damage is paid, no one will be willing to eat the company’s products for the time being.’

‘It’s too big…’

I searched again for the first article to report this. What was slightly strange was that it was Light Economic News, one of the Internet news companies run by Director Lee Won-jae.

‘This might be…’ If it was as usual, I would have passed it, but when I knew the background of this person, I was a little suspicious. ‘If there’s a chance to make tens of millions of dollars from a single story… He’s a man who can write this.’

I clicked on the article in the Light Economic News. Here, too, was the story of the side effects of red ginseng, the dangers of probiotics in the front. It only added at the end, ‘It is being questioned. It’s possible. It seems so.’

It used ambiguous expressions like these to make it look like she died after eating this.

‘100% sure, it was written with that sort of nuance.

‘It’s just in case the company files a lawsuit. If this article is not true, there will be victims: first of all, Nature’s Gift company itself and its shareholders, including me. So in case of a lawsuit, they will say, ‘We only had reasonable doubts as a media company,’ and they created a loophole to escape. Even if it turns out to be a lie later on, the media company itself will not suffer much damage.’

That was what happened in the ’80s when the beef tallow scandal of Samyang Ramen happened. At that time, Samyang Ramen used beef tallow instead of palm oil, which became a huge incident with reports that it was using industrial tallow.

In fact, it was often just beef oil for Koreans who enjoyed eating it, but because they did not eat it in the U.S., it was found to have been classified as industrial tallow and using industrial oil in the ramen. At that time, the incident grew into a wave and Samyang Ramen lost its market share.

I didn’t know if the shares had been listed at the time, but if they had been, they must have gone down to the lower limit price. It was later discovered that the industrial tallow was deliberately used in the 1960s for people with insufficient animal oil consumption.

‘They tie it up completely, and then they hit it with an out-boxing…’ I now returned to HTS and saw the recent sales of Nature’s Gift.

‘Hmm?’ I had deep doubts. Since about two weeks ago, the amount of short stock selling had increased considerably. According to the sales trend, institutions bought stocks, but foreigners sold a lot of shares. Ants couldn’t get in on the short stock selling; in a word, it was the foreigners who sold. To be precise, they were people who used foreign securities companies.

‘Are these pure foreigners? If they are black-haired foreigners…’ During the two weeks of the short stock selling, the stock price went up. This was because pension funds and other institutions made large purchases.

‘I’m sure they were told the performance of the company is great. Like me. The stock market is always like that. A crisis is an opportunity, an opportunity is a crisis. The bait of good performance seemed delicious, so they came in, but traps were all about it.’

I looked at the volume of the short stock selling, which was similar to the volumes sold by foreigners.

‘They are a bait and an angler…’ I picked up my cell phone and searched for ‘Lee Won-jae.’

I’d tried to ask him once, ‘Did you sell my name?’ but I had quit. However, I would like to ask him this time, “What happened to this news? Is it a scamming stock?”

But it was also true that I didn’t want to get involved with this guy. I felt sorry for him to call and ask, and I thought for a moment, ‘Should I do or not?’

But then I got a phone call from Lee Won Jae.

‘What is this?’ I looked around with my cell phone, up and down. ‘Is there a surveillance camera here?’ I thought about that, but I got the call.

“Hello? Long time no see, CEO Han.” His voice came over the telephone.

I replied with as much calm as possible. “It’s been a long time since I saw you.”

“How are you, CEO Han?”

“I’m always doing great. By the way, what did you call about?”

“It’s no different… but I’ve contacted you because we have a good item on our side.”

“A good item?”

“Yes, a good item.”

In other words, there was good information for the media to sell. I looked at the HTS, and Nature’s Gift wasn’t thinking about moving, at -30%.

‘Don’t tell me… do you mean this thing?’ I said as if I didn’t know, “What item do you have? You seem to have a good item, if you’ve called me.”

“It’s because it’s a little big. We can’t put it all in our basket. Ha-ha-ha!”

It must be a lie that they couldn’t put it all together. They could use a loan if the information was 100% correct. This guy doing this meant that my financial strength, enough money to twist the stock price, was needed.

‘If news and money were combined in the stock market, it can have a tremendous effect. News gives probability, money gives reality.’

“Please be a little more specific. That way, I’ll know whether I’ll buy something or not, right?”

“If you spend about twenty million dollars, you can expect to get six million dollars in expectation. The price is twenty percent of your profit. Would you like to buy in?”

Upon hearing that, I quickly drew up a scenario, on the premise that what he was selling was Nature’s Gift.

‘I spend twenty million dollars… they can’t go on the short stock selling because it’s at the lower limit price. They’ll tell me when to buy and when to sell. They’ll write a good article and send it out. That’s it. Because it is at the lower limit price, they’ll get 30% if it goes back to the right price.’

“Can you wait a minute? It’s a big deal and I’m worried.”

“Yes, sir.”

Once I had bought time like that, I rolled my head, thinking hard.

‘First of all, they make the short stock selling and leak fake news to make it go to the lower limit price. Then, they collect the shares again from the lower limit price and send out the rebuttal news. This is a scenario which they can make money twice, once at the above and the other at the bottom. If this happens, the vulnerable ants will be left stranded.’

‘If the ants hear that a woman died, there’s no ant that wouldn’t want to sell, as the sell-order residuals are piling up at the lower limit price. When they manage to sell their shares, they will say that she survived, and the stock price will go straight to the ceiling. So the result is that ants are at a high point when they grab the stock, and if they sell, the story of flying is established.’

I thought, ‘What should I do? Someday a rebound will come. Should I wait until then? But I didn’t know when that would be. Then, should I climb up when the rebound comes?’ They will sell it as good, then they will say, ‘She really died.’

‘Perhaps the man who set up this operation has already won the prosecutors, police, and other media over to his side. Surely this is a web woven by others. It’s too much to try anything more here.

‘Then, shall I negotiate with them? To make a few hundred thousand dollars?’ But that’s not very good, either. Anyway, I’m earning tens of million dollars if I am not in this. It’s no big deal to earn tens of million dollars from scamming a stock on someone else. I don’t want to do that paying a 20% commission.’

I said to him, “No… I don’t think I need to.”

“Oh, really?” answered Lee Won-jae in a slightly regretful tone. “Then I can’t help it. I’ll call you back if I have something good next time.”

“Yes.”

After the phone call, I called Secretary Seo right away and said, “Seo Secretary.”

“Yes, boss.”

“Are there people who filter out wiretaps?”

“Yes.”

“Please contact them and have them scan my office and our entire company.”

“Yes.”

————————————-

“Clean. From the president’s office to the bathroom… Everything.”

“Oh yes, thank you for your good work.”

‘It must have been a coincidence, then. Just when I was about to call, I got a call from him.’ I looked outside, thinking that way. In the distance, the sun was moving west, through the woods of the buildings. I looked at my cell phone and Nature’s Gift ending at the -30% limit.

‘The fisherman was fishing… and I got caught in a hook while passing by? It’s not very big, even if it costs me thirteen million dollars. I just need to shake it off and get up, but the problem is… I’m in a bad mood.’

I thought, ‘How can I drag the angler into the sea?’

Chapter 88 - News Maker, Part III

Chapter 88. News Maker, Part III

I leaned over the sofa and watched the TV. On TV, a reporter was explaining something in the background of the National Assembly.

“… the controversy is likely to continue in the future.”

I looked at it and thought, ‘Well… it’s time to be on the air.’

Sure enough, the announcer had a chance. “Healthy functional food good for the body, you’ve all heard it before, haven’t you?” It was on the air. The announcer went on and on. “But recently, a suspected case of dying from eating healthy food has shocked consumers. It was covered by a reporter, Jeon Gook-hwan.”

The screen changed and someone’s interview video was released right away. “She was a healthy person. The doctor said her blood pressure was a little high, but other than that, she was healthy…” He was the husband of the dead woman.

A reporter wearing glasses said, lifting a long red bottle, “But after she drank this, she died?”

It was a mosaic but I’d been looking for it all day and I could see it right away; it was Power Red V of Nature’s Gift.

“She has itched all over since she took this, and then… suddenly…”

“Mrs. Hong, who was normally healthy, but when she was sixty years old, buying and eating this health food led to her death. One month after taking this product, she felt itchy, and she had an unknown cause of blisters, and died of acute septicemia.”

“The manufacturer countered right away.”

“Our company produces all of our products on the recommendation of the Food and Drug Administration. There is no evidence that she died from taking this product.”

There was also an interview for a doctor in a gown, saying, “… the chances are low. However, reports of side effects have been reported, and the FDA notes that it could cause serious diseases such as fungal infections…”

The news seemed to last almost a minute.

“… the police have launched an investigation to determine the exact nature of the case.”

When I saw it, I thought, ‘Even tomorrow, I can’t sell the stock because it was just on the eight o’clock news. Thirteen million is small money for me, but big money as well. I’m not sure if this stock of Nature’ Gift is being manipulated, but if it’s a scammed stock, I’ll probably lose at least half of the money. If I can make the short stock selling, I’ll be able to do it.’

‘When the true cause of death by taking this health-functioning food is revealed… In fact, it wouldn’t be strange to delist it directly…’

But it wasn’t very likely. I found it very difficult to reveal such a pharmacological causal relationship, as I had been looking for the news either before or after work. If this red ginseng and probiotics had an element that could kill people directly in the first place, it wouldn’t have been sold.

I drew a scenario. ‘Once the crash is right, because a person died and the news came out… But it’s going to be an easy game to play if they make a crash here and then buy the stock at a cheaper price and give it a reversal. Now that the police investigation has begun, there will be a series of articles about it: once they push it with negative articles, later they will give it positive articles and a reverse, the situation will turn around.”

‘It’s a matter of timing… but the knives are held by the press covering this. When are they going to use the knives?’

I thought about Director Lee Won-jae. ‘That guy…’ To be honest, he was not very likable. Although he was not as cruel as Director Tak Joon-gi, treating ordinary people like dog pigs, he was a bit creepy in that he made profits by the manipulation of information.

‘Maybe he could’ve been a good colleague… I know the news in the future, and this guy can send out the current news. If we worked together, we could create a lot of synergies. However, there are too many problems working with this guy. The biggest problem is that he is basically not reliable.

‘I just want to buy this company and get out of here. However, the Daewon Daily News is an unlisted company, not a company which can be bought by money, as it was formed from the flow of capital from a large company in the first place. It would be more likely I could buy the parent company. That will cost me a billion dollars.’

I was thinking about it and suddenly I thought, ‘Should I buy a media company? A major media company, such as the Daewon Daily News, may be too much, but the Internet newspaper, a newspaper company that has a clean record, is likely to be affordable. Major companies, whether in the U.S. or South Korea, are all slightly connected to the media, trying to manipulate public opinion to their advantage.’

Our company would continue to grow, too, and I thought we’d better keep a friendly press company on it. In addition, if I got to Master Class, I would get the ‘Undercover Report’ skill.

I didn’t really know how it worked, but the Customer Service said, “Our correspondent is very competent.” Even if I were to grasp the information, wouldn’t it be good for me to have a media channel to report it through?

Come to think of it, most of the news I would be looking for would be special editions, a lucky press that would accept all such special editions. If it could be, it’d be better to be mine, too.

I texted Secretary Seo right away when I thought, ‘Okay, fine, then…’

– Get in touch with Vice President Jang and tell him to check out media companies which we can invest in. I’d like a listed company, but it would be okay for even a non-listed company.-

The reply came quickly, -Yes, boss.-

‘If I have a media company, it may be able to rig my future news a little. For example, a month from now, if there is the news, “Ballad singer Koo Jung-chan and girl group Chae So-young’s love affair,” it could explode a week later. Sometimes, it could send out the news, “CEO Han Sang-hoon of Invictus Investment has another big investment hit this time” or a compliment. Then the possibility of Han Sang-hoon appearing on the news in 12 Hours After will be increased…

‘Okay, then, do it…’

I picked up my cell phone and looked at the clock. It was 8:53. I didn’t know time was passing by because I was watching the news. I stood in front of my computer and prepared to receive emails.

[D. 12 Hours After]

[D. 12 Days After]

[D. 12 Weeks After]

[D. 12 Months After]

As expected, the four emails came. But when I looked at them, a sudden thought came into my mind, ‘Maybe… I can set the timing.’

‘If I can tell when an angler is going to lift the fishing pole, I can make up for the loss. What’s needed to set the timing is names. First, Nature’s Gift owner, Won Young-sung, has no response at this moment, but chances are high that he will open his mouth in a police investigation or something like this.’

If I tracked him, something might come out. I put his name on the list first, and the names of the Minister of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, the head of the Food and Drug Administration, and so on. I would be putting these names on the ‘People Search’ in turn from time to time.

[The health functional food that has been issued is harmless…]

[There is little correlation with this death…]

From these people’s mouths, if such stories came out, it would be the time of the rebound.

Lee Won-jae had said, ‘If you spend twenty million dollars, you will get six million.’

‘It means that if I spend a few million dollars more on top of my thirteen million, I can make up for the loss, averaging down… Of course, it may be better to just make sure of my loss in a cool way and focus on other stocks, but it’s a matter of pride. I haven’t lost a single time before, but this time I will lose.’

‘OK, let’s look at the situation and think about the averaging down of the stock. If this is a real scammed stock… I can’t fuck myself up alone.’ I watched the news, thinking that way.

In the news of 12 Months After, I got a good news story. [AS Jin, the defense industry has been taken over by Susung Electronics.]

‘All right, it’s good for Susung Electronics to take it over. Big hit… the date is September 10th next year.’

On the calendar, I wrote my initial thoughts like that way. ‘ASJ TO SE’

‘Next September is a little far away, but then this stock will benefit me greatly.’

I lost money today, but I felt comfortable with the thought that I got one of these big bites.

‘Yeah, this is a little unfortunate, but anyway…’ I closed my mailbox, thinking that way.

‘Then what am I going to do today? Shall I watch a movie? I’ve been a little busy lately, so it’s been a long time since I watched a movie in a private theater. After watching a comedy movie I can laugh at, the stress will dissipate.’

I took a can of beer out of the refrigerator and tried to pick up a cookie and head to the private cinema.

But then, strangely, I heard someone pressing down on my studio keypad.

‘Who is it?’ I was a little creeped out. I was the only one who knew my home password. But someone was pressing the keypad to enter my studio.

‘A thief? Or…?’ There was not much money in my studio. I didn’t like luxury goods in the first place. If I had a valuable thing, it was a hundred thousand dollar high-end watch. Come to think of it, that might be enough. I walked around, wondering if I could use something as a weapon.

Then, outside, a voice said, “Why isn’t this working?”

As soon as I heard the voice, I could tell what was going on. “Huh, this lady, really…” I put the beer I was carrying on the shelf and opened the door.

Outside, Lee Ah-young looked at me with her eyes slightly lifted and said, “Uh? Oppa next door? Why are you coming out of my studio?”

‘Why does this lady go around like this all the time when she can’t even drink?’

I told her, “This is my apartment, yours is next door.”

“Huh?” She looked next to herself. “Oh, I see. I’m sorry, oppa,” she said in an embarrassed voice.

She said that she was sorry, but I didn’t think she would remember. I looked at her just to see if she got in. She stumbled in front of her door as if she was going to fall down, before she managed to enter her password.

‘525720*’ I spoke out the password. To be honest, I couldn’t forget it, because I had it memorized.

She was lucky enough to type her password correctly. The door opened with a click.

When I saw it open, I started to close the door and go back into my apartment. But then she collapsed on the spot with a thump.

‘Huh…’ I waited a moment for her to get up. But she didn’t stand up, her hair all over the ground like that. It was January now, and cold in the hallway. Even so, there might be aftereffects if she slept here. ‘She could have a stroke…’

It would not be so beautiful to think of such a beauty having such a thing happen. I was forced to approach her and get her up. She was drunk and clung to me.

‘… I can’t help it.’ I entered her studio with her back and legs in my arms, the so-called “bridal carry.” I could feel a strong sense of deja vu. No wonder. I did the same thing last time. But there was a difference from last time: there was no friend watching Ah Young.

I laid her down on the bed in her bedroom. She still had a flamboyant beauty and a sexy body. The strings of my reason faded slightly.

‘If I think about it, she came to my studio first, right? Is this… does she like me?’ It was a strange theory.

Suddenly, she brought her hands to her eyes and muttered, “Mom… Dad…”

Chapter 89 - News Maker, Part IV

I looked at her in amazement. Now I saw teardrops forming on her long eyelashes.

‘Is she crying?’ It made me feel guilty to see her cry. I didn’t do anything, but I had a funny idea. I said to her, “Ah-young, are you awake?”

She was crying without an answer.

‘What the hell… suddenly crying for her mom and dad?’

I looked back. There was a tissue on her dressing table. I headed to the dressing table to get it. But there was a picture there. First to stand out was the young Ah-young, wearing a school uniform. Unlike now, she had no makeup on her face. She looked so innocent.

I had thought she had a little face surgery. She hadn’t.

There were people behind her who looked like her mother and a father. Her father was handsome, and her mother was also a beauty. She was smiling happily between the two, holding a bouquet of flowers. It looked like a high school graduation ceremony.

I caught a few more details in the picture: her father’s watch and her mother’s ring. It made me sulky. This lady was definitely born in a rich family. I looked at it and took some tissues and went to her side. Her face was about to look slightly funny as the mascara spread sideways in tears. I called her name.

“Ah-young.”

She had no words. In the meantime, she seemed to have fallen asleep. I wiped her tears away with a tissue. Then I muttered unknowingly, “Don’t cry… why do you cry? You are super glamorous, a pure beauty, a rich girl with about ten million dollars, but you’re crying so sadly. If you cry, all Korean girls should cry.”

That was how I felt. I’d been rich since I met a strange fate, but my life had been a series of hardships before that. Even if I tried, I couldn’t get out of debt. It wasn’t until high school that I got help from my parents. To face the world alone was the fate of ninety percent of men and women in Korea.

‘Even a rich girl might have a hardship sometimes, but…’

To be honest, if she didn’t have to suffer from money, what else was wrong with her? Having wiped away all her tears, I covered her with a blanket. I was sure she was pretty stuffy in her out-of-the-way suit, but it was her job. I didn’t have the confidence to take it off like her friend before. No, to be exact, I was not confident of taking just that off comfortably.

‘I’ll go then.’ After work, I tried to get up from the seat. But then she grabbed me by the sleeve.

“Don’t go.”

I tried to think as objectively as possible. But no matter how much I thought about it, the woman in the bed was telling me not to go.

Again, a strange scenario was drawn, and then she said one more word, “Daddy.”

The word made me calm down. ‘This time, who are you calling daddy?

She must be mistaking me for her father. I quietly took off her hand that was holding my sleeve.

‘I’m not your father.’ I just turned around and left her alone. I didn’t think what the animal in me would do if I stayed anymore, so I went back into my apartment before I could think of doing anything more strange.

My beer and cookies were still on the shelf. I picked them up. The beer was still cold, as it was just taken out of the fridge. If I thought about it, it took about three minutes to come back from her room. It seemed to be about three hours. It looked like I’d been to a room of time and spirit. Instead of going to my private cinema with that cold beer, I just came over to my couch and opened the cap.

A little foam came out with the sound of carbon dioxide. While drinking, I thought about Lee Ah-young from just minutes ago. It didn’t look so good that a grown woman cried out for her mother and father. I didn’t know the details.

‘Have they divorced? Is that why she told me not to go, because her father abandoned her mother? Or… ‘

Instead of watching a movie today, I spent time drinking beer on my own, thinking up scenarios.

——————————–

The next morning, I received the future news at home without going to work. I filtered out the money-making news quickly, and in the People Search of 12 Hours After, I searched for “Han Joong-gil”, the current head of the Food and Drug Administration. A piece of news popped up.

[Chief of Food and Drug Administration, Han Joong-gil ordered to investigate all of Nature’s Gift Products.]

I screamed, “This is it!”

This was him. He was the key man who could give a reversal to Nature’s Gift. I searched for this person’s name on the news in 12 Days After.

[Chief of Food and Drug Administration, Han Joong-gil, visited Osong Bio Research Center.]

There was other news. It was a little disappointing, but it was not bad because it gave me a clue to the reversal. If I did well, I might be able to paint the stock price before the forces could draw a picture. In the news of 12 Weeks After and 12 Months After, I also searched Han Joong-gil, as systematically, the future news might come in the news of 12 Weeks After and 12 Months After. But nothing important came up. Of course, the probability was low.

‘In the end, this game will be over on the news of 12 Hours After or 12 Days After…!’

I turned on the HTS while thinking about it. With the rhythmic ticking of nine o’clock, Nature’s Gift was at the lower limit price again today. I got hit by -30% twice in a row, so my money invested was cut in half right away. So far, I met only the upper limit price, but as I was with the lower limit price twice in a row, I certainly felt it. Stocks was a scary game.

‘Is my loss roughly seven million dollars?’ But I didn’t do the calculations in detail. Instead, I focused on buying F&M Media, which would go to the upper limit price soon time.

‘I can make it again. I can make… fifty million dollars this month… No, let’s make sixty million dollars.’ I was so enthusiastic about the sale with that mind.

—————————–

I walked into her bedroom with Lee Ah-young in my arms. I felt a strange sense of detachment.

‘What is this? I’ve done this before.’

I tilted my head and put her on the bed. She was smiling in a good mood. I looked at her and thought, ‘Are you laughing because you like it after drinking? You don’t even know I’m suffering because of you?’

Angry, I picked up the quilt and roughly covered her up and tried to leave. But then, Lee Ah-young grabbed my sleeve, “Don’t go.”

I looked down at her coldly at the words. ‘I’m not your father.’

But this time she opened her eyes and told me, “Oppa, don’t go. Play with me.” And then she pulled me into her own bed. I lost my reason and I stripped her of her clothes as her friend had done. She black bra over her pale skin. I took off my coat and tried to run over her. By the way, at that time, I was suddenly hungry.

‘Why am I hungry in this situation?’ But I was really hungry, even with the half-naked Lee Ah-young in front of me. I was so hungry that I opened my eyes. I could see the ceiling.

“Ah.”

‘I’ve done this before, for some reason…’ As I thought about it, I picked up the cell phone sitting at my bedside. It was 5:30 p.m., which was usually dinnertime. After selling out by 3:30 p.m., I fell asleep for a while and slept until now. Somehow, it was a dream that left me with regrets. No, to be precise, yesterday’s regret came out as a dream.

‘Uh… I should forget it. Let’s go get dinner. I’ll look for some Nature’s Gift news while I eat.’

I got out of bed and changed into a light suit. But then my apartment bell rang.

My parents, Secretary Seo, and the owner Lee Ah-young would ring the bell. The first three would call me before they would come. So, it was Lee Ah-young who was pressing the bell. I looked at the door for a moment.

‘Does she remember yesterday?’ Come to think of it, it wasn’t as bad as the last time as she was, because she came to her apartment by herself.

‘Does she remember something very strange?’ If she did not look at the whole story but just put together the short stories, she might have a huge misunderstanding.

‘No way…!’ I opened the door at the same time. Sure enough, Lee Ah-young stood with both hands together.

She greeted me as usual. “Hello.” She didn’t seem to really misunderstand as her voice was calm.

I received her greetings in a dutiful manner. “…Yes, hello.”

She hesitated for a moment and told me, “Well… thank you yesterday.”

I told her, “Ah… do you remember?”

She said, making tongs with her thumb and index finger, “A little bit, frankly, I can hardly remember… I feel like I saw you yesterday, too.”

I laughed inwardly, ‘”You” again? Yesterday you called me your dad.’

Whether I thought that or not, she said, pointing to one side of the hall with her finger. “So I saw the recording of yesterday…”

I glanced over there. Come to think of it, there was a CCTV at the end of the hall, facing the entire corridor. Everything must have been recorded in the CCTV: she pressed my password on my apartment, could not get in, pushed her own password, and fell asleep on the spot.

The CCTV probably kept track of me hesitating and leaving her room quickly. There was nothing to be misunderstood. She bowed her head and said, “I think I’ve given you another excuse.”

I looked at her for a moment and nodded, “It’s okay. Neighbors have to help each other.”

She shook her head and said, “No. This is the second time… I’m sorry, I don’t have anything to say…” she admitted as if she were really sorry.

I drew out my words carefully, “Well, I don’t want to tell you what to do, but try to behave yourself a little bit more. It’s not good for a woman to be walking around drunk on her own. I don’t think it’s going to be good.”

As I said, she said with her hands together, “I’m sorry. I rarely drank alcohol when I was in the United States… I recently came to Korea and made friends.”

‘Aha, Korean-style drinking culture is not adaptable?’ I spoke to her politely in spite of the thought, “Yes, I mean… you should drink as much as you can handle. From now on.”

She said, lowering her head, “Yes.”

I thought it was done at this. I tried to close the door.

But then, before the door was closed, she told me, “Hey, I’d like to ask you something.”

‘What? Does she remember something strange yesterday when I saw her in bed?’

Still, I didn’t do anything wrong yesterday that would have stung me. I replied with my head tilted, “Tell me.”

But she raised an entirely unexpected question. “Do you know a company called Nature’s Gift?”

Chapter 90 - News Maker, Part V

I hardened my heart and looked at her for a moment. It was strange that she brought up a stock story all of a sudden, but it was also Nature’s Gift! I replied, of course not saying that I had thirteen million dollars tied up in it, “Yes. I know that it’s a stock that’s plummeted recently due to rumors, but… Why?”

She stared at me, “That’s…” She hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Have you had dinner?”

I was just going out because I was hungry. “No.”

“Then, can we talk over dinner? I’ll buy dinner.”

I couldn’t refuse this beautiful woman when she looked up to me with her eyes wide. I was curious about her situation, and so I nodded, “Yes.”

“Then… is there anything you want to eat?”

Originally, I was thinking about eating alone, such as Kimchi Stew or Sundae Soup, but I would have to change the menu, having dinner with such a beautiful girl.

“Salmon Sushi…” It was an inadvertent mention, but she got it right away.

“Oh, I know a restaurant where they are good at. Then I’ll… get ready to go out. I’ll see you in this hallway in ten minutes… no, fifteen minutes.”

I nodded, “Sure.”

She went back into her apartment, just like that.

I was lost in thought after closing the door. ‘What is it? Why would she ask about Nature’s Gift? Did she get bitten while she was doing the stock by herself?’

I thought she might be. Come to think of it, she talked about what I said on the air and talked about stocks for a while. At that time, I remembered having such a conversation.

“If you’re not an expert, you’d better to not do stocks.”

“That would be nice, wouldn’t it?”

‘Did she do the stocks alone after she had said she would not? After all?’

‘Whether an expert tells them to do the stocks or not to do it, the person who is willing to do it is set on playing them.’

“Hmm… so she was upset to see the loss, so she drank…”

I came to my senses a little bit thinking about the scenario, but I remembered that she said, “Mom… Daddy…”

‘Wouldl a woman who loses in a stock cry out for her mom and dad?’ I didn’t think so. ‘Then, what the hell?’

I would hear it from her mouth in a minute, but it was hard for me to wait. I wandered around my room for a moment and suddenly realized that I was in a sweatshirt. Still, it was a date and I couldn’t go out like this. I went to the dressing room and changed quickly, dressing for a date with a beautiful girl.

I came out of my apartment slightly earlier than the appointed time. Just as I did, Lee Ah-young came out of hers. She was in a stylish all-black fashion: black coat, black boots, and a black bag. Her face, on the other hand, was white, a stark contrast. She was usually pretty, but she was really beautiful, dressed in all her might.

Somehow my mouth didn’t fall off, so I said, beckoning to her, “Let’s go.”

—————————————-

“This way…”

I followed Lee Ah-young along the alley of Garosu-gil in Cheongdam-dong. I could see a restaurant on the side of the alley, a fish tank on the sign, which had the symbol for “Fish” in Chinese characters.

“There.”

It looked luxurious at first sight. I walked in there with her. Meanwhile, five or six men in their twenties passed by. I felt that their eyes fall on Lee Ah-young naturally.

‘Men are all the same. Unless they have their own woman next to them, they turn to beauty.’

‘Wow, she is so pretty,’ I could almost hear them shouting inwardly.

Then Lee Ah-young told me, “I’m glad I made a reservation. I called in a hurry…”

I said, nodding my head, “Oh, yes.”

Now the men looked at me and had a gaze like ‘Who’s that guy? What’s he dating a beautiful girl like that?’

‘It’s because I live next door, I muttered inside, entering the restaurant. When I entered the restaurant, a female part-timer approached me and asked, “Have you made a reservation?”

Lee Ah-young, who was following behind, said instead, “Lee Ah-young.”

The female part-timer also paused for a moment after seeing her. I guessed even a girl was charmed by a beauty.

.

“Oh, wait a minute. This way.”

Lee Ah-young and I entered a room under the guidance of the part-timer. Lee Ah-young seemed to have been here a lot. She picked up the menu and told me, “Here, this is delicious…”

She explained them one way or another. She seemed to have the taste for the gourmet.

“Then, I’ll do as recommended by Ah-young.”

“Yes, then.” She called in the part-timer and deftly placed an order. “… please.”

“Thank you.”

After the order-taking part-timer left, I looked at her, and she looked at me. A moment of awkward silence followed, and she spoke first.

“Ah, I’d like to say thank you again. I’ll buy this dinner, but I wonder if it’s enough to thank you.”

“Yes, that’s fine. It’ll be a bit of trouble if it happens again.”

“Ah, yes. I’m sorry. I didn’t know my drinking capacity.”

“Yes, you should learn it. The culture of drinking is very different between America and Korea.”

“Yes.” She opened the conversation first, so I naturally spoke.

“By the way, why did you ask about a company called Nature’s Gift? Did you buy the stock at any time?”

“No, it’s not that…” She blurted out her words, and then said, “I was wondering what Han Sang-hoon thought about this crash.”

When I heard that, I thought first, ‘This is the first time I’ve been named… So far, such as oppa and daddy were only called.’ But even thinking about it, I recited ordinary words on the outside. “I think… it’s good value, but no matter how hard it is, there’s been a death. It’s worth a crash before it’s factual.”

She spoke with a nod, “I see… I see, but… didn’t you feel like this… this was a manipulation?”

I was even more surprised than when I heard the name of the stock earlier. So I said, “How did you know that…?”

Then she opened her eyes wide and said, “That’s what it looks like to the professionals, too, isn’t it?”

I shook my head, “No, I’m not certain, but… I thought it was a little weird, but before the news came out, there was a lot of short stock selling. That sort of thing…”

She blinked for a moment, took something out of her bag and handed it to me. “Would you like to take a look at this?”

It was a small bag the size of a palm. I took it and checked its contents. There were three ID pictures in there. But there was someone I knew the face of. One of the three pictures was Master T, Director Tak Joon-gi of Suyeon Travel.

I thought as I looked at it, ‘What, how does she know this guy?’

Besides, the other two looked familiar, too. I was sure I’d seen them somewhere. I looked at her.

Then she said, “Maybe this crash… was made by these people.”

‘I was thinking that way, too. How does she know this?’ I hid that thought and hinted to her, “Who are these people?”

She said, pointing at each picture, “This is Lee Won-joon, Director of the Daewon Daily News, the successor to the Daewon Daily News…”

‘Oh… this is Kaiji’s brother.’ I thought I saw him somewhere, but he was Lee Won-jae’s brother.

She went on, “This is Tak Joon-gi of Suyeon Travel, a big hand at investment.”

I nodded.

She pointed to the last person and said, “And this is Kang Ju-hyuk. He doesn’t have a title, but his nickname is Newsmaker.”

“Newsmaker?”

“Yes. He’s really good at making news and raising and lowering stocks. That’s why he’s making a lot of money out of it.”

I looked at the pictures and asked her, “Why are you telling me this?”

“I was wondering if there’s any way to punish these people.”

I lowered my eyes for a moment. I didn’t like these guys either.

‘But why does she want to punish these people?’

I looked at her and asked, “Why? You didn’t buy any stocks of Nature’s Gift… Do you have anything to do with this company?”

She shook her head, “No, that’s not it.”

“Excuse me.” But it happened that the part-timer brought us some food and our conversation was cut off for a moment.

“Enjoy it,” Ah-young said to me, looking at the fancy food that came out. “Then let’s have dinner and talk. The salmon in this restaurant is really good.”

———————-

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

She walked out the door, accepting a receipt from the part-timer. Come to think of it, it had been a long time since I ate something with other people’s money.

“How was the dinner?”

“It was delicious,” I said honestly. It tasted good, but it was a little small. It was a restaurant with a bit of female preference, so the amounts on the menu were small.

She knew it, too.”A little bit small, right? For a man to eat.”

“Oh yes, a little.”

“Uh…”

We walked along the Garosu-gil for a moment towards the public parking lot where my car was parked. I waited for her to bring up the stock story again. She didn’t talk more about the stock any more in the restaurant.

‘What the hell? How does she know them, and why is she trying to punish them?’ It was harder to bear and I tried to ask her.

But then, she suddenly stood up and said, “Oh, this bar is very good.”

There was a strange restaurant, I could not tell if it was a bar or an eatery.

She said, “Would you like to eat more if you’re still hungry?”

I nodded, “Yes, I would.” Actually, I was going to go home and have another ramen.

——-

It was really nice inside. All those sitting around were men and women or people who were likely to be lovers.

This time, Lee A-young ordered again, “I want one Paella.” However, she brought up the subject of alcohol in advance. “Would you like some wine?”

‘You were drunk yesterday? But again?’ But that idea passed in a second. A beautiful woman asked me to drink first, and I couldn’t refuse. I nodded.

A sommelier came with a simple snack, gave a performance, poured the glass, and left.

She picked up the glass first. I followed suit. As I saw this, I thought she really loved drinking.

But after a sip of the wine, she suddenly said, “They are my parents’ enemies!”

Chapter 91 - News Maker, Part VI

The alarm rang, and my eyes flipped open. I had slept on the sofa and felt sick.

‘I couldn’t even sleep in my own room as I liked…’

I came to the bed muttering inside. Lee Ah-young was sleeping soundly on my bed, still in the all-black fashion she had worn yesterday, still attractive. Seeing her sleeping, there was no difference between her and an angel. I just wanted to slap the angel on the cheek.

“Gee…” I was looking down at her. Her cell phone began to ring inside the blanket she was covering, and the angel opened her eyes… then met my stare.

“Mommy!” She was greatly surprised.

I looked at her with my eyes wide and said, “This is the third time. You know that if you have three strikes in baseball, you are out, right?”

She looked around and told me, “Did I… did I get carried up yesterday, too?”

I nodded and said, “You really don’t know how much you can drink. Your drinking capacity is two glasses of wine… maybe two or three glasses of Soju… It’s about a can of beer. Don’t go to a drinking party. If you’re forced to, just drink cider.”

That was true. Last night, she had just two glasses of wine and blacked out so much that she called me oppa.

She put her hands together and said, “I’m sorry. I usually drink better than that, but I thought I was more drunk with the atmosphere yesterday.”

The mood was good yesterday until she had had a drink.

She got out of bed and tried to fold the blanket she was covering.

“Oh, leave it alone.”

“But I’m sorry…”

“If you’re sorry…” I was going to add something, but I changed the subject. “By the way, do you remember what I said yesterday?”

She said with her head tilted, “What did you say yesterday?”

“Yes, I said, “Don’t dream of your revenge.” Don’t you remember?”

She was more surprised, “Revenge?”

I thought she had been completely blacked out. ‘That was after she had a drink…’

I thought for a moment about what had happened last night.

———————————–

“They are my parents’ enemies. They’re…”

I said to her in amazement, “Enemies?”

She hesitated for a moment, then emptied the wine from the glass in a gulp. It didn’t seem right to her, but I refilled her glass, apparently because she wanted to be brave. The second glass would make her black out, and she kept talking about it. “Yes. Do you know… Go-young Food?”

I had never heard of it and I shook my head, “No.”

“That was… that was my parents’ company. It was a company that delivered food supplies to public institutions. It was great at one time and my father worked really hard. So it was listed on the KOSDAQ… and we were once well-off.”

‘Was her source of wealth a grocery store?… she says that she was once well-off… By the way, she lives well now, and she must have been doing really well back then.’

“But it was three years ago. Our company had a temporary difficulty because our major client went bankrupt. My father got some kind of deal at the time.”

“A deal?”

“Yes, I don’t know the details well, but I think it was some kind of deal with the company’s stock price.”

‘Sometimes a major shareholder’s help or at least approval is needed when conducting an operation for a scammed stock.’

“But my father refused because he cared more about his company and his employees than anyone, however…” She took a drink of wine once more.

‘If I think about it, I should have restrained her at that point, but I never imagined she would black out to the point where she would become unconscious.’

“One day, however, one of the products we were supplying was found to contain deadly colon bacillus. The news went up as if it had been waiting, and my father’s company was quickly destroyed. The stock price had plummeted, the deal had been cut off, and some investigation had started… My father couldn’t stand it.”

She gulped down the glass once again. “I should have been beside him… but I didn’t know at all because I was in America. When I got home… the last words in the suicide note I saw were… ‘Oh, my daughter, I didn’t do anything shameful.’”

She tried to hold back her tears, but she couldn’t. I quickly pulled out a kerchief and handed it to her. She wiped away her tears and said, “I heard about it from my mother later. The newsmaker came and tried to make a deal with my father, something strange started to happen when it broke down. But in the end, they did what they wanted. The company was kicked out of the KOSDAQ and quickly ruined. My mother was doing everything she could to protect her property, but… in the process, she found a tumor on her body.”

She emptied the rest of her glass and told me, “Oppa.”

I opened my eyes wide and looked at her. The word “oppa” came back.

‘She’s drunk.’ But it was too late by then.

“I thought about it when you helped me twice before. This oppa is a good man. This oppa is trustworthy. Besides, you know stocks well, don’t you?”

“… yes.”

“So, avenge them, instead of me. Please take revenge for my parents. I’ll pay for it with all I can.”

I shook my head, “No, it’s hard.”

“Why?”

“Revenge is not an easy thing to do.” I thought of a few scenarios and shook my head once again. “Don’t forget your revenge. They’re… they’re far more rich and powerful than you are. I know you feel bitter, and want to avenge your parents, but you’d be better to file a complaint with the police or the prosecution.”

“That’s not possible. At that time… my parents asked for help from the police and the prosecution. But they didn’t help at all. Rather, they were swayed by the media and treated my parents as criminals.”

I listened quietly, then said, “So, it’s hard. If they’re… I’m sure there’s quite a bit of a connection. So give up revenge.”

————————————–

“You told me all yesterday about your parents… the stories then.”

She said, incredulously pointing to her chest, “Did I?”

“Yes.”

“Whew,” she sighed. “I was just going to ask you how I could punish them…”

“I heard it anyway and I’ll tell you again… Don’t dream of revenge. It’s hard.”

As I said, she lowered her eyes for a moment and said to me, “… I know that.”

It was a little pitiful to see.

She looked at me and bowed her head, “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. I really won’t drink again.”

I nodded, “Ah… yes.”

She bowed to me and left my apartment. I laid down on my bed after she went out. ‘It’s comfortable here, too.’

There was a little trace of her perfume left. Suddenly, I thought, ‘This is the second time… and I wonder if she’s swearing about it like a eunuch.’

But it was not my style to do something with a drunken woman. She wouldn’t want it, either, and I thought about her for a moment, ‘I understand the situation, but it is absurd for her to seek revenge.’

I thought I had about ten million dollars left over. If I hit this financier, Tak Joon-gi, with the money, it was like hitting a rock with an egg. Considering the power of the politicians, businesses, and media which were helping Tak Joon-gi, it might be surprising that she had the word ‘revenge’ in her mind. She went to study abroad early, so she might not know much about Suyeon Group… or their power and status…

‘I don’t want her to lose money for doing something weird.’ I was thinking about it, but I remembered my situation.

‘Oh, my God,’ I got up like a spring in bed. It was no time to worry about others. I had $13,000,000 tied up in the stock, but now it might be $6,000,000.

‘I can’t believe I lost seven million dollars.’ Seven million dollars was not small money, although it could be earned back from other stocks.

‘I have to get out of here somehow…’

—–

As soon as the news came at 8:55, I went straight to the People Search. Then, in 12 Hours After, and 12 Days After, I wrote the KFDA chief, Han Joong-gil. It came up on the news of 12 Days After.

[KFDA announces the results of the Nature’s Gift investigation.]

I clicked on it with my eyes open. Then I quickly skimmed the news.

[The KFDA, which launched a full-scale investigation into Nature’s Gift, announced its findings at 2 p.m. on Sunday, following the death of a customer taking Nature’s Gift product last week.]

I swallowed and looked down. If there was a bad result here, I would sell the stock as soon as possible and get out of here. Whether or not the result was manipulated, I had to consider that the forces of the short stock selling would end this trade.

Unlike the Go-young Food of the parents of Lee Ah-young, if there was a good story, it could be said that the forces would take a profit at the low price once, and one more profit at the high price.

‘Director Lee Won-jae offered me such a deal and it’s probably the second case, but…’

It was as expected.

[We couldn’t find any direct cause of septicemia, and we can’t blame Nature’s Gift for careless management.]

This was the second case! If it was the 23rd, it was this Friday. ‘The announcement is at 2:00 p.m. this Friday; shall I average down until then?’

I turned on HTS to check the stock price of Nature’s Gift. It had been hit twice by -30% in a row, and it was still trying to start today in the -6% range.

‘The point is where to fall down, and where to get up… In fact, it should be said that the operational forces are making some calculations. As they see how bravely the ants are coming in with a large amount of money, from above, then they stop or raise it. So, by no means are ants allowed to make a profit from the scammed stock, except for the lucky few ants; even most of them play in this game and end up losing money.’

But I had a sure card. Positive news from public organizations at 2:00 p.m. on Friday would certainly bring a short-term rebound.

‘Then let’s pay attention to it then…’ I turned to other stocks as I thought about it. ‘Then I have to work hard to make up for the loss…’

——–

I quickly broke my vow. Kai Games, which I had spent nearly eighty million dollars on, was starting at +6%.

‘Oh, they must be in the middle of the CBT…’

I believed everyone was just beginning to appreciate it. In fact, six percent was also a surge, but it was just a small start, considering how Kai Games would grow. If my expectations were true, Kai Games would give me a return of nearly a thousand percent within this year. I went to the Kai Games Stock Bulletin.

– The ants who are selling now! Did you sell after you tried this game? It’s a masterpiece compared to everything in the last ten years. All the reviews of the testers are great. They usually criticize domestic games, but this is different.-

– Han Sang-hoon has had a great eye, since he suddenly bet eighty million. It has kept going up.-

– I hear he’s a genius investor, and I think it’s real. I’m going to hold it in trust with CEO Han.-

Seeing that made me feel much better.

‘It’s super blue-chip, too. It may be shaken for a moment, but it must continuously go up.’ At the same time, as I was thinking about it, Kai Games’ stock price went up to +7%,+ 8%, and the +9%.

I looked at it and thought inside, ‘Yes, this stock will upgrade me to one more level. Come on, keep going up.’

Chapter 92 - A Dragonfly Flown From A Spider’s Web

I hit my finger at the table and looked at the monitor.

[F&M Media +30%]

The F&M Media that I bought was going straight to the upper limit price as it was on the news 12 Days After. It would be a scene where ordinary people would applaud and cheer, but for me, it was a daily routine, so I sat in silence. I only thought of it to the point.

‘Well, this has restored all the losses I had at Nature’s Gift.’

I turned to Nature’s Gift. Since the story of the death had occurred, Nature’s Gift had hit -30% on Monday, -30% on Tuesday, and yesterday, Wednesday, it was over-exploited and rebounded by +5%. But it was fighting again today at -3%.

At this moment it went down to -6%, and then -3%; it was completely up and down. At the ant level, it was a stock that could never be predicted. But it was obvious that someone was smiling at this: the architect of this scammed stock.

‘Master T? I’m not sure, but… maybe.’

Tak Joon-gi was not the only one scamming in our country. However, there would be few people who could afford to plot against a company worth eight hundred million dollars. Only Director Tak Joon-gi or someone of that rank would be able to do it. Suddenly, I searched for ‘Go-young Food’.

[Intestinal hemorrhagic colon bacillus was detected in the Go-young Food product delivered to the school.]

[Angry parents went to Go-young Food to protest.]

[Lee Kang-san, president of Go-young Food, left a suicide note and hung himself.]

[Procedure to abolish the listing of Go-young Food.]

There was a lot of bad news. When I looked it up, there was a Go-young Food chart still showing. It went public in 2010 and was delisted in 2016. In 2013, its market capital reached $200,000,000.

‘I don’t know much, but their family assets are at least thirty million dollars, and if they have more money, could be as high as a hundred million. The real estate they have now is definitely not shabby…’

Before the delisting, the company was moving in and out of the $100,000,000 range before the news broke.

‘I can’t believe they delisted the company of the market capital at a hundred million. Their gains must have been substantial.’

I came back and saw Nature’s Gift, and all of a sudden the stock price which played at the minus range suddenly surged to +10%. I looked at it and thought, ‘Should I sell it now? If this is the case, the losses can be fixed at about half price.’

I took the mouse cursor to the sell button and held it back. This rebound seemed to say, ‘Is it painful? Sell it now. I’ll make up for some losses.’

It looked as if it was beckoning. I was probably the one who had gotten bit the worst. I had bought $13,000,000 on the news of the earnings surprise.

‘The more I think about it, the angrier I get.’ I didn’t know who these guys were, but I was angry at the thought of them taking my money.

‘I’ll see you tomorrow, you bastards…’

I put the cursor back.

‘There will be a definite good news tomorrow, news from the Food and Drug Administration. This is news from a state agency, which there is public confidence in, so there must be a rebound. It means that I can sell it at a better price than now. If I get to average down on good timing, I may come out with a profit.’

‘Yes, let’s wait until tomorrow, no matter what the price is today…’

I turned off HTS, thinking about it.

————————-

Friday. I slowly read the news at 8:55 and sold F&M Media gently at the start of the market, 9:00 a.m. The stock price started at +16% on the news that the martial arts novels serialized on this site will be adapted to games and dramatized in China, but I began to sell the stocks without being more greedy. I had bought more shares than initially scheduled with the idea of making up for the losses I had had at Nature’s Gift.

‘I’m sorry. I’ll only eat this much.’

+20%, about to hit the ceiling today, the stock price fell on my selling spree. Some ants fell out in astonishment at my selling position. Seeing it, I stopped the sale and waited for a while. The rest of the residuals would be sold in the afternoon, or next Monday. After this sale, I moved back to Nature’s Gift. Nature’s Gift was playing in the -1% today. I watched it carefully.

‘The result will come out at two o’clock in the afternoon. The forces who have scammed the stock will one hundred percent already know the result by connections to the Food and Drug Administration, and then there will be a rebound. At that time, I will get to average down.’

I was thinking about it. But around eleven o’clock., the stock price suddenly began to fall by eight percent.

‘What is it?’ I searched for Nature’s Gift.

[A second victim was found after eating the product of Nature’s Gift]

[Breaking News: The report of the second side effects of the product of Nature’s Gift.]

“What?” I shouted, surprised. I clicked on the article.

[A forty-year-old woman, Shin, suddenly has a faint fever with dizziness.]

[She is known to have taken Power Red V recently.]

[It is known that she was hospitalized after her examination.]

The second victim, but it was not really big news.

‘No, no symptoms are written, but she was hospitalized?’

But it certainly was news that was going to make investment sentiment worse. The news was from Catch News, a medium-sized Internet news company.

‘… if they are given money, they’ll write a story for it… even if it’s not the line of the Daewon Daily News.’

And this second victim, Shin, identified only by her surname, could be easily hospitalized by manipulation, since the first victim was dead. I looked at the stock window, -12%. No matter how much it was, Nature Gift was still a company with a market capital of four hundred million.

‘If they put someone in the hospital and move forty-eight million dollars…’

There was nothing they could not do. I could tell by looking at the Go-young Food case that those who scammed a stock were people who could easily kill a person for money. -16%, -18%, I thought as I watched the stock price continue to fall.

‘Isn’t this the last ant-fooling thing they want to do before it turns upside down at two o’clock?’

I recalled the proposal that Lee Won-jae had made to me: ‘If you spend about twenty million, you’ll have six million in profit.’

The time might be right now to receive the item. Thinking about it, I ventured into buying. Stock prices went down -20%, -24%, with almost panic selling, but I was calm and modest. I bought in small quantities, but when I was trying to get the shares, there was another one who came in and took it. The stock price began to rebound without falling further on my and his buying. -22%, -20%…

‘This… this guy?’

I tried to buy up the shares with a handful, ‘Buy two million dollars worth.’ When I ventured on betting big, the selling stopped for a while. But at the same time, at -18%, someone took nearly a million dollars worth.

‘That’s him!’ It was heavy pulling, and I was starting to buy competitively with a buyer who I didn’t know. -16%, -14%, -12%.

‘It’s very… very clear it’s an operation.’

There was no need to watch any more. I kept buying stocks and the stock price continued to rise after our two big hands made large purchases. It went up to -6%, -2%. In the end, the stock price had risen back to the level of just before the news of the second victim came out.

I stopped buying here for a while, to manage the risk I might not know about. Looking at the clock, it was 11:30 a.m. I watched the stock price move, breathing for a moment. The stock price was taking a short break near the no-change range. I waited for a moment with a buy-order at -5%.

‘It’s going to be two o’clock soon… The stock price will rebound…’

I watched it quietly. The stock that had just been violently shaken was idle for more than half an hour. I picked up my cell phone and went to the stock bulletin board without taking my eyes off the stock window.

– What the hell is this? It went down and went up.-

– I got fucked by a single blow today. It’s a totally scammed stock.-

– It just dropped off as soon as the news came out, and the main driver of the forces is driving badly. Hey, main driver, let’s eat together.-

‘Usually, the number of comments on the stock bulletin board is the same as the index of stock price spikes. So is the intensity of the comments.’

– I’ve been a shareholder for three years and I can’t stand this any longer. I’ll report it to the FSS.-

‘Some say that, but frankly, it is very unlikely that an operational force will be captured. In the first place, there has to be a victim, and there is a media outlet reporting it. It is difficult for the FSS to prove how the stock price was manipulated.’

I suddenly remembered what Lee Ah-young had said: He’s a newsmaker. The picture she had showed, with a dry figure, long and raised hair, piercing eyes with lateral lines, and pale skin.

‘He was like some kind of lizard man…’

I watched the stock window as I thought about it. Today’s lunch was pizza. When I traded stocks, even a rich man like me couldn’t eat properly.

‘What the hell is money?’

But it was hard to do anything else right now with tens of million dollars at stake.

‘I’m going to have the best dinner tonight when this is over.’

I watched the stock price with that promise to myself. It was around 2 p.m., the appointed time. At 1:54 p.m., the stock price suddenly began to soar, +8%, +12%. +16%. There was no news yet, but the stock price would go up first.

‘I feel sorry for the Korean ants.’

Most ants probably wouldn’t even know if the FDA announced it today. Even the fast-informed ants would not know about the ministry’s announcement. They could not know the result, unless there was some personal acquaintance with the FDA. The stock price hesitated for a while, at about +22%. Then at 2:00 p.m., when the news broke, the +30% upper limit price rolled up. I watched it with my arms crossed.

‘I bought a little over ten million dollars this morning, didn’t I?’

As I had roughly calculated, it was in the range of profit-making. I had succeeded in averaging down. Now I had to think about when I would get out of here. If I thought simply, it had to go a little higher than it was now. As it hit the lower limit price twice, and there was a rumor once… the product image was already gone and consumers wouldn’t buy it.

The public only remembered the story of the day when an incident happened, and not the story of the days afterwards. If later on, they say it’s not fair, Nature’s Gift was already imprinted on most of the public as ‘a health food that a person ate and died.’

‘Then, even if suspicions are cleared completely, they cannot sell it.’ Thinking about it, I began to sell moderately here. This was a spider’s web that someone had laid out anyway. If I was caught, I should be satisfied with my safe return.

But since the biggest fish survived, the guys who ran the operation must have been pretty fucked up. As the press and the KFDA had been working together, they must have done a lot of work designing this.

I had lost nearly ten million dollars early today, but I had made a slight profit now. Therefore, those who ran the operation missed out on ten million, right before their eyes. I sighed in relief, and they sighed in regret. But even though I got out safely, I didn’t feel good.

‘These guys… I don’t know exactly who they are, but if I have a chance, I want to make them cry. If I have a chance…’

Chapter 93 - Spring, Part I

I looked out of the window. The green buds were coming out one by one through the ragged branches. I looked at it all and declared, “It’s spring!”

Secretary Seo, holding the steering wheel, agreed, “That’s right!”

Time passed and it was March, springtime. I opened the window to enjoy the warm spring sun. But rather than the good feeling of the warmth of the spring sun, the displeasure acridness of smog hit me. I closed the window right away.

“Ah, I think the smog is too much these days.”

“That’s right.”

“Is there no way we can solve it?”

“Wouldn’t it be a Nobel Prize if we could?”

“… that’s right. If I had a company like that, I’d invest my entire fortune. I’m sure it would hit the jackpot.”

Upon hearing the remark, Secretary Seo said in a slightly funny way, “Three hundred million dollars?”

I said, looking at Seo’s round face in the rear-view mirror. “Hmm? Three hundred million dollars?”

“Yes, three hundred million dollars. That’s what it said in yesterday’s article. It’s three hundred million dollars in the boss’s fortune.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Haven’t you seen it?”

“No, when did that happen?”

“I texted you yesterday, and I said you had some news in your name.”

Come to think of it, I had a text message yesterday. It was while I was eating with my sister and my parents.

– Boss, there’s an article with your name on it. I’ll send a link.-

I just looked at it and forgot. I picked up my cell phone and searched for Han Sang-hoon in the search window. Then I moved on to the news section.

[An Assemblyman, Han Sang-hoon made a bitter speech to the tyrannical presidential office of the Blue House.]

As expected, he was the first to appear. National Assemblyman Han Sang-hoon was still working hard. He was rather outspoken in his words and actions and was popular with supporters as a delightful and refreshing member of the National Assemblymen. Of course, people on the other side said, ‘His conduct is not neat and he is not qualified to be a National Assemblyman,’ but by his actions, public awareness was growing.

[Does National Assemblyman Han Sang-hoon hold the power of the party? There are even news reports that he could appear as a party leader.]

‘Hmm…’ scrolled down, thinking. CEO Han Sang-hoon, not National Assemblyman Han Sang-hoon, was hung at the fifth article.

[Kai Games’ Fantasy War Ground has been a big hit, and it has surged in the last few days.]

I clicked on the article.

[Kai Games’ Fantasy War Ground is gaining popularity, as it has broken the record of simultaneous users in a day. In the midst of the recent boom in Battle Royale genre games, the company also topped the number of simultaneous users on the global game provider platform Steam, beating all its competitors.]

First of all, the game was a big hit, like the future I had seen. If I went to a PC room in Gangnam, most people were playing Fantasy War Ground from Kai Games, and sometimes even I did. I dressed my character in pretty clothes, and if I spent my money on my company’s game, I would take this and that, and it would come back to me, like a payback.

[… the stock price of Kai Games responded to this. It has been rising rapidly since the open beta test. It is Han Sang-hoon, CEO of Invictus Investment, who is smiling the most. CEO Han Sang-hoon, who took over Kai Games from a Chinese investment firm late last year, has increased his stake to sixty percent through in-market purchases after absorbing other major shareholders’ shares.]

The other major shareholder here was Master T, Director Tak Joon-gi. He might have thought he sold his shares at a good price, but now his stock was almost four times higher than back then. I didn’t know for sure, because I didn’t have a chance to meet him, but I was sure he was going to be very upset, because the shares he had sold at seven million dollars were now worth thirty million dollars.

“You don’t play games, but you said you were playing games. Does that make sense?” I kept scrolling, making a sarcastic sarcasm that Director Tak Joon-gi wouldn’t hear.

[In total, Invictus Investment’s current stake is valued at $264,800,000, and CEO Han Sang-hoon, who owns 100% of Invictus Investment, is said to have more than $300,000,000 in assets, including his other companies OH Entertainment and Blue E&M.]

Ji-hoon seemed to think that my fortune was three hundred million after seeing this last sentence. Of course, this did not include the money in my personal accounts.

“By the way, who wrote this article?”

It was an article about me, but I didn’t even see where it came from. I scrolled up and looked up who wrote this article. This was from the company of Kaiji Lee Won-jae, Director of Light Economy News. I saw it as I pulled my chin.

Well, actually, it was news that would come out. Fantasy War Ground’s big hit and Kai Games’ surge was a good piece of material to write, but it troubled my mind a little bit as it came from this company.

‘He’s a black-hearted guy.’

I wondered if there was some strange intention behind it. I said to Secretary Seo, “Did they get in touch with our company when they sent this news?”

“Yes, they did. They were trying to write this article and asked me to review it. So I read it and it didn’t have a bad story to tell. I told them to write it.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes.”

I turned my head out of the window and nodded, “… Okay.”

“What’s wrong? I read it and it was good. Boss?”

I shook my head and said, “No. you did a good job.”

Secretary Seo thought he did something wrong. But he had only carried out my order faithfully: ‘If the news with my name on it isn’t very bad, let it go.’

I wanted to be more famous.

“By the way, how’s the acquisition of Oracle News going?”

“Vice President Jang says it will be finished by the end of the month.”

“Umm, it that so?”

Oracle News was a small to medium-sized Internet news company.

At my order, ‘Get one media company we can invest in, not to sort out whether it is listed or not,’ Vice President Jang brought me the lists of some companies.

There were a lot of companies on the list, probably because of the hustle and bustle of Internet newspapers these days, and I picked a news company that was as clean as possible. That is, as neutral as possible without the influence of big companies or anyone else.

Oracle News, which meant a prophet, was a bit strange since I’d become the owner who received the future news. Perhaps Oracle News would send out a little ‘future prophecy’ news to match its name in the future, by an anonymous contributor who hid his identity.

“But not that, uh… no progress on the acquisition of another company?”

“He says there are no sales. I wonder if Vice President Jhang is picky about the terms…”

“Well, then I’ll have to say that he should relax the terms, not to take care of the synergy, but just take it over if there is a decent company.”

“Will you?”

“Yes. I’ve succeeded in making this investment. I’ll be a little aggressive.”

I decided to buy two companies to qualify for Master Class, even if they were rather expensive. The assets of Invictus Investment were going to be over three hundred million dollars, as was used in the article, and I was rolling around a hundred and fifty million. To be exact, there were less than fifty million in my personal accounts. I was earning enough money now, but if I were to upgrade here one more time, I’d have to upgrade to a higher grade, as well…

——

The car stopped for a moment at the intersection of Shinnonhyeon Station. It was almost at my apartment.

“So what else is our schedule for this week and next week? Is there another thing I’ll have to come to work for?”

“You don’t have to come to work… but you have to go to Seoul City Hall.”

“Hmm?”

“I told you last week. There’s an award ceremony Seoul City wants to give you next Wednesday.”

“Oh, yes, you did. Will the ceremony be at Seoul City Hall?”

“Yes.”

I said, putting my fingers on my head, “Well… I didn’t expect to get a prize at my age.”

Our company recently received an award, as it had been selected as a model case for the Youth Job Creation Project hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. It was none other than Joo Sung-won, the incumbent Seoul Mayor. It was a funny coincidence that I had made a lot of money on the theme of the Seoul Mayor in the past.

Vice President Jang had said, “As you may know, even if I do not have to say it, current Seoul Mayor Joo Sung-won is considered the top candidate for the next presidential election. His approval rating has been rising even more recently.”

Mayor Joo Sung-won’s approval rating had risen further recently. I didn’t know whether he was doing well in municipal administration or not, but it seemed true that the rumors that had made the whole nation shake during the last Seoul mayoral vote last year were rather beneficial.

“Please meet him and make sure to open a relationship with him. Mayor Joo Sung-won was reportedly surprised at the CEO’s investment performance, and more, at your age.” Jang told me, ‘If you want to succeed in Korea, you have to be close to politicians to some extent.”

He seemed to say even more under his words. Frankly, I didn’t like the fact in itself, but in reality, I couldn’t help it. I didn’t want to be held back by government officials and politicians for nothing, either in investment or in business.

‘Well, I’m going to go say hello, and I’m sure I’ll have an acquaintance with him… I don’t know how he’ll help me later. Who knows if he will be president two years from now? It’s a good start. We’ll meet as an award-giver and an award-receiver.’

While I was thinking about this and that, Secretary Seo drove the car into our parking lot.

“Well, you did a good job.”

“Don’t mention it! Goodbye.”

I got out of the car and took the elevator. My apartment was now something I was quite used to, and it really felt like ‘my home’. If I wanted to spend money, I might be able to move to a place like a luxury villa in Seocho-dong, or a rich town in Hannam-dong, but I felt most comfortable paying rent here.

Ding-dong!

At the sound, I came out of the elevator and promptly ran into my landlord, Lee Ah-young. She had jeans and pink knitwear on, and was holding a big bag containing picture materials. She looked like a graduate student at a college of art.

I bowed my head first and said, “Hello.”

She, too, bowed slightly to me and replied, “Hello!”

‘It won’t happen again’. As she had said, after she had slept at my apartment before,
she had never been so drunk again.

“Are you going to school?” I asked her briefly.

She said, “Yes,” and passed by, leaving the word behind.

‘Well, she begged me for help, but I didn’t do anything for her, so did she get upset?’

But there was no way I could help. There was a rather intense encounter, but we now felt like we were back in an ordinary relationship.

‘Well… maybe this is normal…’ I entered my apartment with such a thought.

Chapter 94 - Spring, Part II

Outside the window, I could see Seoul City Hall, which looked like a wave spread across the wide lawn.

“Ahem.” Reflexively, I adjusted my voice and arranged my collar. In a few minutes, I would meet Joo Sung-won, one of the most popular candidates in the presidential race. I’d rarely been nervous lately, but now I was a little skittish. The car Secretary Seo drove headed towards the parking lot of Seoul City Hall.

But in the meanwhile, Secretary Seo looked out the window and said, “Wow, that’s the same car as the boss’s.”

I turned my head and looked over. A Bentley Bentay was right next to our car. It was the same kind of car as my baby. Only the black color was a little different.

‘A three hundred thousand dollar car…’ It was a car that no one could run easily. I tried to sneak a look at the car through the window, but the shading was so thick that I couldn’t see inside.

‘Who is it?’ The moment I thought about it, the car pulled ahead of our car and drove into the parking lot first. I asked Secretary Seo, “Is there more than our company that is receiving today’s award?”

“I think there are about four of them?”

“That must be a president’s car for someone else.”

“Oh, I think so. Come to think of it, no one can easily drive the car like that.” Secretary Seo, who had driven into the parking lot, asked me, “Shall we go, boss?”

“Yes.” I started walking with Secretary Seo after we got out of the car, when a slightly familiar voice was heard in the distance.

“Who is this?”

I looked over there. To my surprise, there was Master T, Director Tak Joon-gi standing by the black Bentley.

“I did not expect to see you in a place like this, CEO Han.”

Next to him, I could see the giant bodyguard I had seen last time.

“Oh, yes, it’s been a long time.” I forced myself to smile and say hello to him.

He came up for a handshake, and I complied. “How are you? I’ve heard a lot about you from the news and from the people in the industry.”

“Oh, did you?”

“Yes, especially the Kai Games is amazing.”

He brought up the story of the Kai Games with a smile on his face. His mouth was smiling, but his eyes were not. It meant that even if he said so on the outside, he was burning inside. The stock price of Kai Games was up twenty percent more than last week’s gains, exceeding four hundred percent in gains.

‘Oh, yeah, you feel uncomfortable.’ I thought so on the inside, but laughed on the outside. “Yeah, well, I thought we’d make it good, but… it’s been more successful than expected. As you know, a movie or a game should be a good time, shouldn’t it?”

“Ha-ha-ha, that’s right! You’re very lucky, CEO Han.”

After I spoke with some humility, he turned it off as luck. It must have hurt his self-esteem that he sold his shares cheaply.

‘Yes, you think so, you idiot.’ I nodded as I thought. “Yes, I am. By the way, Director Tak, what brings you here today?”

“Oh, I’m here to get the prize today. The Youth… something.” He turned his head and saw the big secretary.

The man said, “It’s a Youth Employment Campaign, sir.”

“Oh, that. That.” He wasn’t a representative of Suyeon Travel, he was just a major shareholder. He had the title of director, but I didn’t know exactly what he did. Maybe it was just a title for the founder’s grandson, but he was here for the prize.

‘Aren’t all these awards given to the representative? No, maybe… Maybe these prizes might go to the Suyeon Group.’

“Let’s go, then. It’s nice to meet you like this, CEO Han.”

“Ha-ha-ha, yes.” I went up to Seoul City Hall with him, with some slight discomfort.

“Oh, good to see you, Director Tak.”

“Who are you?”

“This is Koo Chan-yong of the A Solution. We met before at an investment presentation.”

“Ah… I remember. You were in Internet security, right?”

“Yes, sir. Thank you for remembering me.”

‘Oh, shit.’

Before meeting Mayor Joo Sung-won, Director Tak Joon-gi was quite popular among the businessmen who were appointed to get the prize. A white-haired man with a completely shaved head also came to bow his head.

“Hello, Director Tak, I’m Go Soon-gil of Jangmun Construction. How’s your father?”

“Yes…”

‘To be sure, the influence of the chaebol on our country is enormous. If the nation’s total market value is eighteen hundred billion dollars, half of that is nine hundred billion dollars, said to be the total value of chaebol affiliates. When they try to do business, they have to be connected to a chaebol. Director Tak Joon-gi is supposed to be treated like this just because he was born with the surname Tak.

‘It’s not fair…’

Meanwhile, a woman with a neat business look approached and said, “CEO Han, and Director Tak, come this way.”

The five winners followed her into the mayor’s office. Inside, Mayor Joo Sung-won was waiting for us.

“Happy to meet you, everyone.”

Mayor Joo Sung-won was quite handsome, seeing him in person. He had a big nose and a big mouth and usually had a smiling face. I thought he looked like a popular middle-aged trot singer in the picture, but he was more than that.

‘Well, they say that a politician is not much different from a celebrity.’

“Come here, please,” he beckoned to us and said.

Before he could say anything further, the beautiful secretary introduced us one by one.

“This is Director Tak Joon-gi of Suyeon Group.”

Mayor Joo Sung-won also opened his mouth right away when he heard the words ‘Suyeon Group.’ “Oh, you’re from Suyeon Group! Nice to meet you.”

Director Tak Joon-gi also bowed to him. “Happy to meet you, Mr. Mayor.”

‘He’s not a man who will bend his head to anyone… He acts like a king everywhere, and he seems to bow before power. Considering the relationship between former presidents and chaebol owners, it is somewhat convincing. Every administration has a close company and a non-friendly one. The political inner story is unknown, but a company’s rise and fall are determined as a result of its closeness and intimacy.

‘They say that he is the asshole of the Suyeon Group, but he is quiet here.’ While I was thinking about this, it was my turn.

“This is Han Sang-hoon, CEO of Invictus Investment.”

Mayor Joo Sung-won, after hearing my name, said, “Ahhh, CEO Han Sang-hoon.” He shook hands with me more firmly than before. “You’re amazing for your young age.”

“That’s too much praise,” I replied modestly.

“You’re from a poor family, aren’t you?”

“Ah… Yes.”

“But it’s great that you have built such a great fortune. We’re from the same hometown.”

“What? The same hometown?” I thought of my hometown Chungcheong-do for a moment. ‘Is this person from Chungcheong-do?’

But he said, “I’m also from a poor family. Ha-ha-ha!”

The laughter was clear and cheerful. It seemed to be coming out of pureness that was not like a politician. I shook his hand with a smile.

After meeting with the mayor individually, we had an award ceremony inside the mayor’s office. If it had been a school day ceremony, students would have been the audience, but now reporters were the onlookers. Mayor Joo Sung-won took the award document and handed it to me, and I looked at the camera, holding that.

The cameras flashed. After the award ceremony, we had time to eat together. We had pizza and spaghetti together at an Italian restaurant near Seoul City Hall.

‘Get as close as you can get.’ As Jang advised, I talked to Mayor Joo Sung-won as much as I could. I didn’t know if Mayor Joo Sung-won came from the same hometown, but he talked to me throughout the meal, as if he favored me.

“Then, CEO Han, what do you think will happen to our economy?”

“It’s not going to be easy. I think the competition between China and the United States, our biggest trading partners, is going to get worse…”

Asking about our economy, not about the Seoul administration, he surely had a big dream to be a presidential candidate.

“Well, that’s a long shot. I hear politicians say that it won’t last very long because of the political elements in the United States.”

“No, in small terms it will be, but it is certainly going to be a long-term one because it’s a matter of 21st-century supremacy, beyond economic matters.”

Mayor Joo Sung-won was very interested in my words, so I gave out as much knowledge as possible.

“Over the next year, in fact, the pressure from the U.S. will intensify until China gives in with the white flag. The U.S. is bleeding, but it’s booming right now, so they’re going to try to beat China to the top even if they have to use their physical strength.”

It wasn’t just a prediction, it was from 12 Weeks After and 12 Months After, a mixture of what I had read on the news. Therefore, someday, he would say, “CEO Han Sang-hoon said that… It really fits.” There would be times when he would think about it over the next twelve months.

“Well, then it won’t be easy for our country, either.”

“Yes, but at the same time, a crisis is an opportunity. In the process, our country will also have a chance.”

After lunch, Mayor Joo Sung-won said goodbye to us, “Thank you again for your cooperation in our campaign. Goodbye, then.”

“Thank you, Mr. Mayor.”

“Goodbye, Mr. Mayor.”

Certainly, the power of the Seoul Mayor seemed to be enormous. I also looked at him eye-to-eye until the end. When I saw him laughing at me, the quest that Vice President Jang had given me, ‘Stay close to the current mayor of Seoul, the next presidential candidate,’ seemed to be finished completely.

‘All right, next time we meet, I can pretend to know more.’

While I was thinking about it, Director Tak Joon-gi greeted me. “It was nice to meet you again after a long time, CEO Han Sang-hoon.”

“Yes, Director Tak, I agree.” I also returned a formal greeting to Director Tak. But, when I said goodbye, the way he looked at me was a little strange. It was like a snake’s eye for prey, something creepy and sticky.

‘In some ways, he is an unpleasant guy.’ I walked toward the parking lot where Secretary Seo was waiting, thinking about that.

“You’re back, boss.”

I replied, loosening the tie I was wearing. “Yes, let’s go. I pretended to be nice in front of the mayor, and I’m tired.”

By the way, then, Seo said, “Boss, there’s a reporter here who wants to interview you.”

As he spoke, someone appeared behind Secretary Seo.

“A reporter?” I looked at him in surprise.

Chapter 95 - An Assassin

Behind Secretary Seo, a middle-aged man appeared. I stared at him with a dryly; he had long, raised hair, sideways slanting sharp eyes, and pale skin. He looked just like a lizardman, a lizardman. I tried to think of his name for a moment. I couldn’t remember the name, but I did remember the nickname Lee Ah-young had told me: Newsmaker.

I was thinking about that, and he extended me his hand and said, “Nice to meet you, CEO Han. I am Kang Joo-hyuk.”

Just at that moment, I thought of that name: Kang Joo-hyuk.

“Ah… Yes.” I held his hand and shook it a little reluctantly.

‘Jaeil Economy? That’s not going to be the Daewon Daily News. By the way, why is he…?’

At the moment, he smiled and said, “First of all, congratulations on your award!”

“Oh, thank you.”

“Well, I have to interview one of the winners of this award… I really wanted to interview the CEO, so I was talking to your secretary. Would you be able to take an interview?”

Behind him, Secretary Seo had a triumphant look on his face, as if he said, “I’ve got one, boss.”

Well, he deserved it, because I’d been saying to Secretary Seo for a long time: let me be exposed to as much media as possible, whether it’s our company or my name.

But the problem was that the person he had brought was a very, very dangerous person.

‘Secretary Seo doesn’t know what this guy is doing.’

I turned to reporter Kang Joo-hyuk and said, “Why did you think of me… there is like Director Tak Joon-gi, of Suyeon Travel.”

“Ahh… Director Tak Joon-gi? He’s from Suyeon Group, so he’s a little…” Kang nudged his face at me and spoke with his voice down, “These days, readers don’t really like the way a man born in a rich family is posted. We can’t have click counts on it. Besides, I heard he is a tough guy.”

‘I know Kang has been working with Tak for four or five years.’

They had been colleagues from the time they broke down Go-young Food. This man lied without a blink of an eye. It was an amazing skill, in a way.

I also told him as naturally as I could. “Oh, that could be, because these days are a time of relative deprivation.”

“Yes, and I wanted to get an interview with CEO Han, not someone else. I heard you were talking to the mayor earlier. You are from a poor family, right?”

“Yes, well, yes.”

“That’s good. I guess. Rather than saying that the third generation of chaebol won a prize for spending money, it would be better for the CEO of a poor family, who is thirty years old, winning the prize for hiring a lot of young people. Isn’t this a good picture, CEO Han?” he said to me with a rather stupid smile.

I looked at him for a moment. ‘This guy… is the one who’s been ordered to come by Tak Joon-gi, though he thinks he has not been found out.’

I knew his true identity through Lee Ah-young: the Newsmaker who makes news to sway stock prices and extort money from ants. As I knew he was an assassin, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to listen to him.

‘It is possible to avoid daggers or trajectories just by looking behind you. If I’m good, I can make a counterattack.’

“It sounds like… that’s a good story. All right. Let’s do the Interview.”

He bowed to me and said, “Really? Thank you, CEO Han!”

Secretary Seo behind him opened his thumb. I looked at it and thought inside, ‘Huh… it’s not an eel you’ve caught, man. It’s a viper.’

“What do you usually see when you look at stocks?”

“I’m more likely to see their future growth potential. Stocks are what grows after eating dreams. I tend to try to predict the future as much as possible.”

“Oh, I see. But isn’t the future unpredictable by people?”

“It’s not just impossible. Don’t you think that futurologists like Alvin Toffler are amazingly predicting the future? I don’t think it’s impossible, but I’d like to say it’s very difficult.”

“It’s very difficult?”

I said, nodding my head, “Yes. But if I succeed in that difficult thing, the profit is very high.”

“Oh, that’s a good word.”

He wrote down as he listened to what I was saying. That looked very familiar. I was sure he’d been working as a reporter for a long time.

“And finally, please say something to the young people at this time.”

“Me?”

“Yes. tell some kind of blessing or some prickly advice to the young men of this age, as a successful man in your thirties.”

At the words I stroked my chin for a moment and said, shaking my head. “No. I don’t want to say that much.”

“Then…?”

“I just want to cheer them up… that’s all I want to tell them.”

The reporter, Kang Joo-hyuk, stared at me for a moment and said, “But why don’t you tell them something a little bit specific? You’re a good predictor of the future. Tell them, ‘Don’t waste your life. What about designing your future? For example, how about learning Chinese? Or why don’t you learn coding?’”

I shook my head strongly and said, “I don’t want to. I’ve been successful at an early age, but… that’s because I’ve had some luck, too. It’s not entirely my ability.”

That was not a word of humility. Without the news of 12 Hours After, I wouldn’t have been able to do this.

I went on to say, “They all have their own reasons, and to tell an unspecified number of people to do this or that, I… I think it’s arrogant. I think it’s irresponsible. So… I just want to cheer them up, no matter what the young people do. I want to say that.”

He quickly typed with his hands. “Then do whatever you want, and do it well?”

But I didn’t like it. “No, I don’t want to say, ‘if you work hard at anything, it will be done.’ I think that’s a lie, too. Some things don’t work, even if we work hard. Of course, sometimes it’s helpful to step back and rest.”

Reporter Kang Joo-hyuk stared at me.

I went on to say, “So I just want to say, ‘Whatever you do, I cheer for you. Cheer up. There are times when luck comes to life.’ That’s all I want to say. I got a little bit of wealth at this age, but… I think that’s largely due to luck.”

“Hmm,” Kang Joo-hyuk raised his lower lip and said as if he were somewhat dissatisfied, “Is that so? I see.”

I didn’t know if it was because he didn’t have enough for an article, or because it was different from what he thought.

“Then I’ll finish the interview with this. The content of the interview will be adapted to the best possible level, and it’ll be on our weekly magazine and Internet site in about a week.”

I nodded, “Yes.”

Reporter Kang Joo-hyuk put his laptop in his bag.

I was looking at him. ‘What is this? Is that it?’ I thought so. As soon as I broke up with Director Tak Joon-gi, he asked for an interview, and I thought something was going to come up with a strange offer, but there was no such thing.

‘… is he just here to see me today? Is this a pre-investigation?’

But just then, he said, “By the way, this is a personal question…”

I opened my eyes wider. “Tell me.”

“Who do you think will be chosen as the Old City Regeneration Project maker of Seoul City?”

I said with my eyes blinking, “… what?”

“Don’t you know Mayor Joo Sung-won’s pledge?”

“Aha… the Old City Regeneration Project.”

‘It was the biggest, number one pledge of Joo Sung-won. Such a pledge is to rejuvenate the Old City spirit by demolishing old buildings in Seoul City, creating new buildings and new commercial districts. To be honest, there are no good pledges like development or redevelopment. It’s the kind of commitment that the real estate agents like, the residents like, and everyone likes.

‘That’s why Dong-bo Construction, in which he was an outside director became a leading stock at the time of the Seoul mayoral election. Usually, most political theme stocks focus on who will be elected before the election, and what the elected will do after the election. It’s a so-called policy theme. Now that it’s been a little over half a year since Mayor Joo Sung-won was elected, it’s time to start the engine.’

I asked him, “Has it been under way lately?”

“Oh, didn’t you know that?”

Frankly speaking, I didn’t know. There was no such news in the future news. Even without such news, my calendar application was already covered with a treasure map made of initials, so I didn’t think to look for it.

“As soon as he was elected, everyone has asked him to keep his promises. It’s been a radical development lately, the first redevelopment project in Jung-gu… They’re even close to selecting a business operator.”

“Aha… and does it include Dongbo Construction?”

“No, Dongbo Construction was not on the list, because the mayor used to be an outside director there… I think he just left them out, as he was afraid of preferential treatment.”

“Huh.”

‘These days, if they have connections, it might be a negative factor since the people around watch that carefully.’

“Then…?

“About five have been nominated… ” He took a piece of paper out of his sleeve.

‘Oh, now you’ve revealed your true mind.’

I could see the paper as a dagger, not the paper itself, but a dagger trying to stab me.

“The most likely ones are Bisang Construction and Jinyang Development here. It’s compressed by these two…”

I asked him, “Where did you hear that?”

“Haha. Well, I could hear things here and there… while I was working as a reporter. It’s a rumor. Haha.”

‘A rumor? Not one you made up?’ I didn’t think the nickname “Newsmaker” was made for nothing.

I furtively said, “Oh… so I’ll have a good chance if I just pick one here. Isn’t that going to be pretty easy?”

He said with a real smile, “Of course!”

Maybe he thought he nearly got the fish, he seemed to be laughing like that. However, I was not a person to be caught easily.

‘Pah! Can you hook me up?’

I thought how to sink this guy under the sea, below the surface of the water. That way, he would probably not even be able to shed tears of grief.

Chapter 96 - Spider Hunting, Part I

[Are you really from a poor family?]

[I don’t know exactly what the definition of a poor family is, but my family was not well-off. We were about the average of Korea, or a bit below. I never had enough pocket money when I was in elementary, middle, and high school, and all my college tuition was covered by student loans.]

[Then you’ve always had a craving for wealth since you were a child?]

[It wasn’t that much when I was young. All I had to do was buy Tteokbokki (spicy Korean rice cake) at a snack bar with my friends and enough pocket money to play games together in an Internet cafe. It was the same in college, and the yearning for money started when I was getting a job and making money.]

[You’ve made money, and you’ve got a craving for it? ]

[Yes. The reason is…]

I scrolled down and looked at the article with my chin on my hands. What I was looking at was none other than my article by newsmaker Kang Joo-hyuk. He said it would take about a week, but within three days, an article was posted on the Internet.

[I think I’ve gained a lot of wealth at this age because of luck.]

[CEO Han Sang-hoon quietly finished the interview in a humble tone.]

After I read over the article with my own quick reading ability, I thought. ‘Not bad.’

To be exact, he wrote about me as a young man’s idol, a young CEO in his thirties, as a case of a black hen laying white eggs.

‘I’m sure he is surely a reporter…’

At the end of the article, there was also a by-line, ‘Another article by reporter Kang Joo-hyuk.’

I turned in that direction.

[How long will the gloomy shipbuilding industry last?]

[OPEC’s increase agreement. How will it affect the domestic economy?]

As an economic reporter, he wrote very ordinary articles.

‘Working as a reporter… does he do that?’

But now I saw there was an article like this: [Seoul City’s Old City Regeneration Project has had a rough voyage from the start with the selection of business operators.]

I clicked on it. The article was about the process, and the controversy, of selecting business operators for the Old City Regeneration Project.

‘Well, surely… does he get his sources from working on the front lines?’

I imagined it for a while: when he was working as a reporter, there were times when he had information with which he would make tens or hundreds of thousand dollars, a few million dollars, or tens of million dollars, if he just got the right capital. However, his salary was low. Then, of course, he might want to sell the information to someone who was going to pay the right information fee and make the right use of it.

‘A person like Director Tak Joon-gi… If he is Director Tak Joon-gi, good news is worth buying for tens of thousand dollars for a small amount, and hundreds of thousands of dollars for a large amount. Kang could get more money out of it. An ordinary office worker would make such a deal or two, and the taste would have unbearably been sweet and ecstatic. But such news doesn’t come out every day, or very often. It would come out at most once every two to three years. He wants to make money, but there is no news.

‘So he goes so far as to manipulate the news or make news that never happened. The Newsmaker…’

It was a rough-drawn scenario, where someone like Tak Joon-gi might have seduced him in the process.

‘Then he gets involved with the second and third son of the Daewon Daily News…’ As I was thinking of that, I could hear a three-tap knock from outside the door.

“Come in,” I said.

There were only two people who could knock at my door without going through Secretary Seo’s phone: Seo himself, and Vice President Jang. Soon, the door opened and Jang came in, holding quite a large quantity of A4 paper.

“Boss, I’ve got the report you asked for.”

I got up from my seat and took it. “Oh yes. Thank you.”

It was quite heavy to receive as there was a lot of it.

‘Why don’t I receive them by email?’

I would like to, but I preferred to read it by circling, underlining, taking notes and scribbling on paper. That way I could concentrate. I put them on my desk, and I spread them out. There were five company reports: Bisang Construction, Jinyang Development, Hanbit Construction, City & Scene, and See V Construction.

Chang went on to say, “The selection of operators and the announcement of operators, are a complete secret. so I couldn’t figure out at all who and how they were doing it.”

“Well, that’s a sure thing.” I said on the outside, but on the inside, I thought, ‘Tak Joon-gi and Kang Joo-hyuk may know.’

Jang asked me, “Boss, are you going to invest in the related stocks of Old City Regeneration Project?”

“I’m just going to review it.”

Jang nodded and said, “Certainly, stock prices have been fluctuating a little lately with the expectations.”

I tapped on the reports on my desk, “Well, what kind of company do you think would be a good choice?”

“From what I have personally seen, it’s not just a development, but a comprehensive redevelopment that changes the Old City. I know that the most experienced Bisang Construction, Jinyang Development, or Hanbit Construction are the most likely ones here. The other two are start-ups, so they are going to be a little more difficult.”

Bisang Construction, Jinyang Development; the two matched the companies recommended by newsmaker Kang Joo-hyuk. Only the other one, Hanbit Construction was different.

I nodded and said, “I see… Thank you very much for your work.”

“Not at all. I’ll go then.”

“Yes. Have a good day.”

—-

I turned to the reports on the desk, and suddenly, in thought, caught Vice President Jang as he was going out of the door. “Oh, by the way, how’s the Oracle News going?”

“Oh, that’s going as well as the boss said.”

I said, nodding my head, “Oh, I see. Please continue to work hard for that, too.”

“Yes, boss.” Vice President Jang bowed his head to me and closed the door.

Left alone, I read all five company reports, from financial statements, the company’s history, CEO’s biography, and so on. I thought the same thing: It seemed like there was a high chance that Bisang Construction or Jinyang Development would win the first business contract.

Although Hanbit Construction had its own capability, I was concerned that it was an unlisted company. Seoul Metropolitan Government might not deliberately push the two companies to manipulate stock prices, but the listing itself meant that the market recognized their construction capabilities to some extent.

‘But it’s not impossible at all, so let’s remember.’

I went to the HTS monitor.

‘Bisang Construction +4%’

‘Jinyang Development +3%’

The two stocks were rising side by side today. Looking at their chart for the recent month, it was almost the same. It was timing when the theme was about to start, after coming down and going up together.

‘Why would he give this information to me? Did he want me to join the operation?’

‘If the buying is finished, it may not be bad in itself. As can be seen in Garden Envy, the release of information to the rich is always a good source of income. There are countless stocks on the KOSPI and KOSDAQ, and of course, people don’t know the whole deal.’

‘Just as something needs to be promoted to be sold, the more publicity there is, the more likely it is that the price will go up. It is particularly helpful to people like me who are rich and who invest in stocks.

‘Being attracted by the idea that it’s a big hit if it is selected as a business operator, if I buy a stock, the stock price will go up. That’s why everyone in Yeouido acts like a famous investor: first of all, they want to show that they are good at stocks. Second of all, they are going to buy some stocks, and then they give some recommendations to others and leave.’

The chart showed that both stocks had been walking sideways in the past year. Of course, it went up and down during that time, but if I averaged the chart and drew a line, I would draw almost a horizontal line.

‘The fact that they have made this horizontal line… that they’ve had a lot of time to gather…’

Dong-bo Construction was the main theme stock of the Seoul mayoral election, but it was only a fantasy created with a business card, “Working as an outside director to attract ants.” People with deep knowledge of the industry might have found that Bisang Construction and Jinyang Development were better for the redevelopment project.

‘In particular, I’m sure anyone who’s operating a scammed stock must know.

‘If I think so, I’d better not invest at all. That’s what happened in the early part of the year, in the Nature’s Gift case, but it’s very difficult to deal with spiders in their web. Back then, I only managed to come out alive, but I couldn’t think about how to handle the spiders. Even now, if they have cobwebs here, it won’t be easy.

‘It will be bad if I don’t have solid information.

‘But I have the future news. If something is scratched out of here, I could be stronger than a spider with a web. Then let’s gather some more information… and think about whether or not I’m going to fight here.’

I’d already received this morning’s news. If I got the future news in the evening, it would be the beginning of an information war. I went to the stock bulletin board first, as I had time. First, I looked at Bisang Construction.

– Bisang Construction, let’s go up riding the Old City Regeneration Project of Seoul City.-

– Look at the latest sales figures. Jinyang Development is no match.-

– Mayor Joo Sung-won, if you have eyes on, please raise the hand of CEO Jung Gi-woong, do it when I talk gently.-

Jung Gi-woong was CEO of Bisang Construction, forty-five years old. It was believed that as the CEO of a construction company he belonged to the younger generation.

Next was Jinyang Development.

– Jinyang Development, let’s go to the upper limit price tomorrow!-

– This business operator should be Jinyang Development. They’ve done a great job recently on the project to redevelop the Old City in Gwangju.-

– Seo Hak-bum, don’t you have a connection to Seoul City? If you’ve worked for more than thirty years, you may have a connection.-

Seo Hak-bum was said to be the CEO of Jinyang Development. He was 68 years old, close to seventy, but ran the company energetically.

‘I don’t know who’s going to make the selection and presentation, but… I know the names of the two of them… and if I search their names, I’ll find something.’

My prediction was just right.

———————————————

That night, I waited in front of the computer for 8:55 p.m. I used to see the afternoon news a little bit late because it was a long way from the opening of the stock market, but I waited for the news for today and received the news: D. 12 Hours After, D. 12 Days After, D. 12 Weeks After, D. 12 Months After.

Every news had two slots to write down names. This was due to a level-up in People Search. I wrote Jung Gi-woong and Seo Hak-bum in each of the slots. But there was an unexpectedly big fish. When I saw the article from the People Search, I touched my lips.

‘What’s this?’

Chapter 97 - Spider Hunting, Part II

“Hoo…” I took a deep breath and sat down in front of the computer. As usual, I read the future news. In 12 Months After, there was good news in the Economy section.

‘All right, the price of soybeans is plummeting, and the stock prices of manufacturers of cooking oil are soaring. The related stocks…’

I put some stocks in the calendar application and turned on the HTS. My account still contained $20,000,000 worth of shares: shares with a 35% return. I put them into the sell order at a moderate price, and I moved my gaze.

[Bisang Construction +1.8%]

[Jinyang Development +2.5%]

Both stocks rose steadily, rising nearly twenty percent from their low point. Now was the time for the theme stocks to move. Only alert institutional investors with fast information and quick-sighted ants were attached. The timing of the information which I had heard was fast enough. The media hadn’t even announced that there were five candidates selected yet. Newsmaker Kang Joo-hyuk gave me a good bait, ‘Try this one. If you come in now, you’ll be able to take 10% profit easily.’

‘The Old City Regeneration Project is a project worth hundreds of million dollars, and once selected as a business operator, people selling for several years will be negligible. In other words, even if stock prices more than double, it is not strange at all. Whether it is selected as a final business operator or not, just the expectation is enough to rise thirty to forty percent. Ten percent is an easy-to-take if the spider doesn’t do anything strange…

‘In this situation, these two stocks must be considered to have terrible spiders already camped out. It’s easy for them to kill one or two people during the operation. They may lose money if they try to eat it at ten percent. In the case of such stock manipulators, they monitor who buys stocks and how they buy them, so they also have a system to lower the stock price if ants buy them and raise them if ants sell them.

‘Basically, it’s right not to go in. That’s common sense. It’s true that ants or anyone else should not buy them. If they can earn money by any means, they will lose in the long run. This is like a designed poker game. A fool plays an honest game, while a hoodwinker plays seeing all the cards. Once or twice, even if they are lucky enough to win, they are forced to lose all after all.

‘But I’m different. I have a hidden Joker card which came from the last People Search, and even if they see my cards, they’ll be damned if I take it suddenly. If only one condition is met… Once the ‘one condition’ has been confirmed, I can give these guys the big shit right away, though I don’t know when right now.’

I continued thinking, twirling my mouse cursor.

‘So, shall I go to war or not? All I have left is my decision. I don’t have to do it for money. I’m making good money anyway.

‘If I think about Director Tak Joon-gi who said, “Dog pigs, I’m not with those vulgar people…” and when I think about Lee Ah-young saying, “These men are my parents’ enemies,” I should go to war, not for money, but for justice.’

I pondered this and that scenario.

‘Yeah, well, even if I’m not satisfied with that condition… There’s no chance I’ll lose money. If I can do justice without risk, it’s right to join the war. Yes, no matter how much I have traded with future value, it’s true that I’ve brought in the money of countless institutional, foreign investors and ants. Then, at least, at the level of reward, I need to correct the market order.’

Having made up my mind, I put just two accounts on my multi-monitor. Usually, I ran my eight accounts and used the undercover technique so that big hands would not know if I came in, but this time I decided to reveal my presence on purpose.

To let them know that I was in battle, I started buying both Bisang Construction and Jinyang Development with two accounts. Due to the recent surge, there was quite a lot of waiting to be sold, but I bought them all. ‘+3%, +5%, +8%’

The two stocks, which used to run in the +2% range, jumped to 10% because I bought them like crazy. I stopped buying there and watched the trend for a while.

– Wow, today is the day to surge.-

As stock prices soared, ants stuck closer at +11%, +12%, +13%. But the stock prices didn’t go up anymore, because I didn’t buy them any more. The stock prices were back on track of +12%,+11%, +10%. No one bought more, and no one sold more. But I was sure there was someone out there watching me over the monitor, watching my account.

‘Well, they can’t move with this?’

I stopped buying and called Vice President Jang. When the call-waits were about to come out three times, he answered my phone, “Yes, boss. Is there anything you want?”

“Vice President, how much money do we have available?”

“We don’t have much money because we spent too much money on buying a stake in Kai Games…”

“Oh, then I’ll give you a capital increase tomorrow. Please prepare a team for large short-stock-selling with the money. I want a few fast-paced traders.”

“A large short-stock-sale?” Vice President Jang said in surprise. I’d ordered him to buy this and that, and find out which company to take over, but it was the first time I had told him to prepare for a large short-stock-sale.

“Yes, a large short-stock-sale.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll do as you say.”

After the phone call, I looked at the HTS window again, holding my cell phone. The stocks were trading at +8%, slightly lower. It was a typical situation where only ants remained, and caused confusion after big hands came in and let go of them. I touched my cell phone and called up the phone book for Kang Joo-hyuk.

There was a phone number that I had exchanged during the last interview.

‘I’m sure he’s watching…’ After a little thought, I sent a text message.

– Hello, reporter. Thank you for the article. You did a good job on my story. Thank you, and I also appreciate the information about the Old City Regeneration Project. I’m already making quite a profit, but it looks like it’s going to go up further. I’m going to buy more watching the situation.-

I wrote it there, but after agonizing, I put in one more line.

– Please let me know if you have any more information. It’s likely that the stock price will eventually change depending on who the final business operator is.-

Then I sent the text message.

‘What’s he going to say?’ I looked up at HTS, thinking that. There was no rush to sell.

‘Shall I go for lunch, then?’

I got up from my seat, got dressed quickly, and then stepped out the door. I was going to go in front of the elevator, and I was about to press the down button. The elevator just happened to open in front of me. Lee Ah-young who opened the door and showed up. I bowed my head and greeted her, “Hello!”

But at my greeting, she said in a business-like manner, “Yes, hello,” and then passed me.

I looked at her back. Normally, a hip line that ran from the waist to the waist would have caught my eyes first. However, today, her drooping shoulders came into my eyes first. Somehow her shoulders looked lonesome.

‘She’s a single daughter, but her parents are dead.’ It seemed to be because I knew such a background.

“Hmm…” I looked at her and turned to the elevator. The elevator door was about to close.

“Oh, my God.” I quickly pressed the down button to open the door again and get into it. But then, my cell phone rang. It was a text from Kang Joo-hyuk.

I thought about Lee Ah-young who just passed me by. ‘If she knows that I’m texting her enemy… What would she say?’

I checked the text. – Oh, no problem, CEO Han. It was nice to write a good interview. When they saw the CEO’s story, everyone gave good comments. I’ll let you know as soon as I get more information about the Old City Regeneration Project.-

“Bah! Are you going to let me know right away?” I grinned as I spoke to myself. He would not tell me right away. Or maybe he already held all the information. But it was okay. If it was a deceitful game, I was stronger. Just as they were hiding the real information from me, I would not tell them, ‘I’m getting the future news.’

—————————————–

Two weeks had passed since then, three weeks before the announcement of the Old City Regeneration Project.

The stock prices of Bisang Construction and Jinyang Development both were fluctuating. This was because the news had started to come out slowly, and all the ants were attached to the policy theme. When they heard there was a strong possibility of Bisang Construction in the market, the stock prices moved like that.

[Bisang Construction +7%]

[Jinyang Development -8%]

If they heard Jinyang Development was ahead, the stock prices were the following.

[Bisang Construction -9%]

[Jinyang Development +6%]

As such, stock prices turned around in just one day. By the way, I bet $10,000,000 each early, and I had a 10% profit in both stocks. It was as expected.

‘If I eat here and go out… well, I’m a winner. It’s a small win.’

It might be a bit demure, but I didn’t sell. I didn’t just come in here to make money. I watched it as I bought and sold other items on the calendar. But in the meantime, there was a text message, ‘A reporter Kang Joo-hyuk.’

I thought, -Here you are!- I looked at the text;it was quite long.

– How’s the CEO doing? I’ve been covering the Old City Regeneration Project in depth. These days, government officials are sensitive about leaking information. They really don’t talk. But since I asked them persistently, one of the members of the selection team quietly said that Jinyang Development is more likely than Bisang Construction.-

I clapped my hands when I saw it. “That’s enough.”

It was the moment when the Big Fuck that was going to keep these guys in the deep water was loaded. I read more text messages.

– So, if you want to invest, you’d better invest in Jinyang Development. Of course, as you know, it’s not 100% sure. CEO Han.-

I muttered on seeing it, “Yes, of course, it’s not 100% sure.”

‘There’s no 100% future in the world.’ That was true for me and for them.

Chapter 98 - Spider Hunting, Part III

I watched the monitor gently. The HTS was on the monitor, and the stock prices of two were up on the HTS.

[Bisang Construction -2%]

[Jinyang Development +1%]

The two stocks were briefly flat after a sharp rise. I managed the HTS to find out the latest trading volume of Stock Lending and Borrowing in both stocks.

‘Stock Lending and Borrowing is a preliminary process for a short stock sale, in which a person who does not have the shares borrows the shares from a person who has them. He has not sold them for public sale yet, but he will hit it if he keeps doing so. It’s a gun that is supposed to be loaded before he shoots.’

“Umm…” Huge amounts of Stock Lending and Borrowing were piling up equally in both stocks, like a military base on the brink of war.

‘The moment they fail to be selected as a business operator, mountains of bombs will be fired for a short stock sale. When bad news hits a short stock seller, stock prices will fall even further. It’s like pouring oil on the souls who suffer in hellfire.

‘It’s quite cruel. Someone laughs, somebody cries. It’s going to happen in three weeks.’

I picked up my cell phone and looked for the text message from a reporter Kang Joo-hyuk not long ago.

– If you want to invest, you’d better invest in Jinyang Development.-

I pondered, ‘This guy… doesn’t he expect me to think the other way around?’

‘There is a story about the hero Cao Cao from the Three Kingdoms. When Cao Cao, who lost the battle against the Red Cliffs, retreated, there was smoke rising up behind him. Then his adviser advised him, “The smoke rising is proof that the enemy is eating. We have to go somewhere there is no smoke.” But Cao Cao said, shaking his head, “No, the enemy would have predicted that I would think of it. The rising smoke is a trick, and we have to go where it isn’t.” So, Cao Cao went to a place where the smoke rose. But, unexpectedly, he met enemies there. Zhuge Liang predicted that Cao Cao would think too much into, and he simply deployed soldiers there.’

I recalled the meeting with Newsmaker Kang Joo-hyuk and the interview. The mood was good during the whole time, when I greeted, had an interview and said hello after I broke up with him.

Come to think of it, if Lee Ah-young hadn’t told me, “This is the Newsmaker”, I might have thought of him as a really just a reporter who wrote an article to spread my name.

I was sure he thought so too, and made sure that his information had not been exposed at all. He might think of me as “the hero Cao Cao” but he wouldn’t think we were enemies’.

‘So… maybe this information… is a sure dagger… No, it’s a poisoned dagger.’ I wrote a scenario: I didn’t know how they got the inside information, but these people knew that Bisang Construction was a strong candidate for a business operator. They were trying to send me to the road of death, to Jinyang Development.

‘All right, then…’ I began to sell off my shares in Jinyang Development.

“Your sell order is completed…”

Jinyang Development, which used to play at 1%, fell to -1%, -2%, and -3%, unable to beat my selling power. I had so much in my hands that I got a reduced profit every time I sold. But it was okay. All-out war was in three weeks later anyway. It was just children’s play now.

‘All right… I’m going to have to get ready for the real fight.’ I picked up the phone and said to Secretary Seo, “As soon as Vice President Jang returns from his business trip, call him to the president’s office.”

“Yes, boss.”

After a while, I could hear a knock outside.

“Come in.”

Soon Jang came in and bowed his head. “Did you call me, sir?”

I asked him, “Do you have the team I ordered set up the other day? A team for short stock selling. Did you arrange it?”

“I’ve prepared the fastest traders.”

“Good job. Good job!”

“By the way, it’s time for the Stock Lending and Borrowing… Which stock would you like to bet on?”

“Please apply for the Stock Lending and Borrowing at Bisang Construction.”

As I said, he spoke with his head tilted, “Do you meant Bisang Construction?”

I nodded, “Yes, I’d like you to apply for the Stock Lending and Borrowing at Bisang Construction, just as much as you can.”

“… Yes… but boss,” he had a little bit talk on my words.

“Please tell me.”

“I heard that Bisang Construction is also quite powerful… Don’t you mind? If we put a short stock sale on it, but if it is selected as a business operator, our losses will be quite large.”

It was an understandable concern. I said, with the utmost reassurance of him, “It’s okay. Please be sure to prepare for it to go right away if I say ‘yes’.”

Jang seemed to be unsatisfied with my order, but he only said, “Yes, boss.”

After Jang left, I sold Jinyang Development once again, not to have attention to me. The stocks in both accounts were dispersed through the transfer of securities. Two men came in, and eight went out. It was a doppelganger art, to hide who was moving.

‘They don’t know what I’m doing with this. No, even if they knew… they wouldn’t know what I mean.’

———————————–

Three weeks later, Thursday, two days before the announcement of the selection of the Old City Regeneration Project, I started working in front of my computer as usual, as soon as it was nine o’clock.

‘Let’s buy now… and sell it a week later…’

The stocks we were trading now were neither Bisang Construction nor Jinyang Development. I was just trading by opening a treasure box on the calendar application. Of course, I did not let the stock prices of Bisang Construction and Jinyang Development out of my sight.

[Bisang Construction +2%]

[Jinyang Development -3%]

I watched the two stocks go back and forth with a sideways glance.

[Bisang Construction -3%]

[Jinyang Development +4%]

The two stocks were going back and forth between cold and hot water, as if they were playing leapfrog.

‘Then let’s get into the water…’

After I finished trading today, I moved my attention to two stocks.

[Bisang Construction +5%]

[Jinyang Development +4%]

Both shares were in the positive territory around 10 a.m. A day from now, one of the two would go to heaven, and one would go to hell, but they seemed fearless.

[Bisang Construction +9%]

[Jinyang Development +5%]

But Bisang Construction was going to hit a bit more.

‘Are the forces showing up little by little?’

It didn’t matter to me whether or not. No matter how the spiders were encamped, they were in my grasp. I poured out my Bisang Construction shares for now.

“Your sell order is completed at market price…”

The stock price fell on my selling power to + 8%, + 7%. And yet, there was someone who took it.

“Wow!” The guy took all the shares, ten million dollars worth.

‘Certainly, they are sitting here.’

Even though the shares worth ten million dollars were poured in, it was still in positive territory, at +2%. It was not an amount an ant could take. I was sure that those, who were a hundred percent confident that Bisang Construction would be selected, took it. Having sold all the shares of Bisang Construction, I picked up the phone and called Vice President Jang.

Tiriri tiriri, he answered the phone on the second call. “Yes, boss.” It was faster than before. He was nervous. He also knew the selection would be completed two days from now.

I spoke to him, “Bisang Construction. Please make a short stock sale today and fill it up to 0.5% of the total market capital.” The price is, of course, at the highest possible one. Okay?”

“Yes, sir.”

“And as I said… apply for a public announcement right away.”

“Yes, sir.”

After I gave the order, I only cared about selling my shares again. Around 5 p.m., an announcement was made for Bisang Construction.

[The announcement of a short stock sale: Invictus Investment holds 0.51% shares of all shares in the market for a short stock sale.]

‘The announcement of a short stock sale is made when the share amount of a short stock sale is more than half a percent of the total market capital.’

Now the investors across the country would know that there was a short stock sale for Bisang Construction, including Director Tak Joon-gi and Newsmaker Kang Joo-hyuk. The stock bulletin board was a mess.

– What the hell? Some crazy guy put a short stock sale at half a percent of the total market capital.-

– Invictus Investment? What is that company doing?-

– Uh, this is a famous company for a good investment. We’re fucked, aren’t we?-

– That’s right. This company has had a big hit on the Kai Games… but they put a short stock sale in here… and I’m nervous…-

I could see such a comment among them. – What’s this? They know the inside information, and they put a short stock sale off. I’ll check out Invictus Investment.-

I muttered at them, “Check it out. What’s coming out of it…”

Then I picked up my cell phone, not another, but just before the battle, to make fun of them, I sent a text message. – Dear reporter Kang Joo-hyuk, if you have time, can I talk to you?-

But I got a reply right away. -Yes, I can, sir.’

I called right away and could hear his voice, “Oh, CEO Han, How are you?”

“Oh, yes, reporter. How have you been?”

“Yes, of course.”

After the usual conversation, I asked him, “By the way, I’m calling to ask you one more time about the selection of a business operator for the Old City Regeneration Project. Do you have any more information?”

“Oh, no, except that Jinyang Development is the most likely one.”

“Yes, I see… I’ve made a big bet on Jinyang Development, as the reporter said. I’ve bought a lot. Not only that, but… I’ve also put a short stock sale in for Bisang Construction. I thought this would be a good opportunity to double the profit.”

“Oh, you did.”

‘Bah! You’ve already seen it.’ The operating guy must have seen the stock announcement.

“Oh, but this isn’t a hundred percent certain… What if Bisang Construction is selected?”

“Oh then this bet is a failure, and I would think I’m unlucky. Could it be anything, but I have a sense that the selection of this developer is Jinyang Development.”

“Haha, really? Shall I buy some shares in Jinyang Development?”

“It wouldn’t be a bad idea to go there together.”

“Oh, I’m just saying that. I don’t trade any stocks because I have no courage.”

It was a lie. He might have put his money in Bisang Construction.

“Oh, really? Then, watch what kind of cards we will have.”

“Yes, CEO Han, I hope you do well.”

The phone was cut off as the last words were told. For a moment, I looked at the flashing cell phone of “a reporter Kang Joo-hyuk.”

‘I don’t know what their tone will be like when I talk to him in two days.’ As I thought about it, I put my cell phone in my pocket.

Chapter 99 - Spider Hunting, Part IV

It was the last trading day, a day before the announcement of the Old City Regeneration Project on Friday. I was just looking at the calendar app today and paying attention to my money. I did not touch the two stocks, Bisang Construction and Jinyang Development. I just watched the movement, ‘+6%, +2%, -4%, -7%, -2%, +3%.’

Both stocks went up and down and were seesawing violently. I saw the stock window of Bisang Construction once or twice in the meantime. As I looked at the stock window, there was a sale on every asking price. That was the short stock sale, the sale just over the asking price. It might not all be ours, but a certain portion would be the short stock sale being made by the team set up by Vice President Jang.

‘Well… they’re doing great.’

I went to Jinyang Development this time. There was a considerable amount of short stock selling in Jinyang Development. I didn’t know who was there, but some people bet on the decline of Jinyang Development.

‘Anyone who knows that Bisang Construction will be chosen will do that.’

Both stocks were now up nearly 60% from the start. If they were not chosen here, the lower limit price should happen twice. If anyone was betting now, he was a man of pretty strong mind. Or, he would know the result in advance. It was the closing time of the market.

[Bisang Construction -7%]

[Jinyang Development -9%]

Both stocks closed lower with adjustments. It seemed that the ants ran away because they were afraid that they might go to hell as a result of the weekend. Both of them also had a significant amount of short stock sales. With this, the betting was over. The city government’s ambitious announcement of the first operator of the Old City Regeneration Project would be at 3 p.m. tomorrow. Depending on the name of the company standing there, the joys and sorrows of the two stocks would be mixed on Monday.

————————————–

I looked at the screen with popcorn in my hand.

Ewan McGregor, whose feet were caught in moving trees said, “I’ve seen my death. I’m not dying like this.” Then the tree let him go.

The movie on the screen was Tim Burton’s “Big Fish”. It was one of my favorite movies. I’d seen it ten times so far, but I saw it again.

‘It’s a masterpiece.’

I was absorbed in the movie.

‘Sometimes false fantasies are better than the truth. Especially when it is made of love.’

I watched it all until the end. I was touched every time I saw it.

“Hoo… Tim Burton is a genius.” I came out of my private theater after I finished watching the movie. When I came out, I found out my cell phone was ringing.

Woo-woong. I received the phone call; it was Secretary Seo. He said in an urgent voice, “Boss, we’re in trouble.”

“What’s the matter?”

“It was announced as Bisang Construction was selected as the business operator.”

Pretending to be slightly surprised, I said, “Oh, really?”

I glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. It was 3:43 p.m.

“Yes! That’s why Vice President Jang called you several times, but you did not answer the phone.”

“Ahh… yeah. I turned it off to focus on the movie.”

“No, we’re up to ten million dollars in our short stock sale.”

“It’s okay. It’s common to lose money on the stock market. A stumble may prevent a fall. Last month alone, the total market capital of Kai Games went up by twenty million.”

“No, but…”

“I’ll call Vice President Jang again anyway.”

“… yes, boss.”

After talking on the phone, I picked up my cell phone. I’d got four missed calls while I was watching the movie.

-Vice President Jang-

-Vice President Jang-

-Vice President Jang-

-Secretary Seo-

I guessed Vice President Jang was a little surprised… I called right away.

Tiriri. “Yes, boss!” He answered my call this time just before the telephone rang twice. I thought he’d been waiting for my call. “Did you hear the news?”

“Oh, yes. I heard from Secretary Seo. Was Bisang Construction announced as a business operator?”

“… Yes. What should we do about this? We have to buy back the shares we put out for the short stock sale.”

‘If someone borrowed other people’s shares for a short stock sale, he has to buy them back and pay them back. The problem is that we can’t buy back the shares of Bisang Construction as from tomorrow, the upper limit price will march continuously upwards.’

“Next Monday… No, I can’t guarantee it on Tuesday, either. It may go straight to the upper limit price and we will not be able to buy it again.”

‘When such good news comes out in the market, it goes up two or three times. In addition, there are people who wanted to scam it openly here, so it will go up higher than usual. After going up further, they will pass over the rest to the ants, who then will make an explosion.

‘But before that, surely, the forces that are driving up the stock price as they want to sell it at a high price, so they will lead the stock price to the upper limit. The forces are trying to monopolize profits by making it impossible for ants to buy even a hundred thousand dollars. However, our company made a short stock sale worth ten million dollars. This means that we have to buy while crying and eating mustard only after the stock price goes up a lot.

‘What if there’s no other variable…’

I said soothingly to Vice President Jang, “I bet, but I lost… It’s common for investors, is it?”

“Yes, but…”

‘Jang seems a little shocked by the fact that my decision was wrong. I am sorry for the fact that since stocks have been rising according to my foresight, he has trusted me wholeheartedly.

‘Didn’t we have to put in a short stock sale?

But if I thought about it later on, this was also a necessary process. I spoke to Vice President Jang, “A general can’t win every time. Let’s shake off this failure and focus on our next investment.”

Jang spoke in a way that seemed helpless, “… yes boss, but the amount of money that we put up for a short stock sale… ”

“Just buy it back at a reasonable rate… We could lose ten million dollars, but there is nothing to do. We have to put up with it.”

‘A short stock sale is a very burdensome investment for those who make it. If you buy a thousand dollars worth of stocks and then get delisted at worst, you could lose a thousand dollars, but if the stock price goes up higher, you can lose more and more money. That’s why the situation could be twice as bad if it goes up to the upper limit price for two days or three days.’

Jang spoke in a sad voice as if he had suffered a loss himself. “… yes.”

‘He’s also loyal.’ I liked that. I liked the way he thought about the company money as his own money.

‘I’ll give him an extra raise when this is over.’ He was still getting the highest salary in the industry, but I would have to raise it a little bit more here.

“Yes, then, that’s what you know, and don’t get too upset.”

“Yes, boss.”

After I finished my phone call, I let out a long breath, “Hoo…” I pretended to be surprised, to be sad, I tried my own way, but I didn’t know how good it was.

Because I knew in advance that Bisang Construction would be chosen.

“It’s hard to lie, but that reporter did it very well.” I went over the phone records.

Two days ago, I still had a record of talking to the reporter Kang Joo-hyuk. Newsmaker, this guy was good at lying without changing his face, “I don’t know much about Director Tak Joon-gi.”

I thought about him. ‘You must be very excited right now.’ Maybe he was having a big party. The operation was going well, as I had made a big short stock sale for Bisang Construction, and I told him that I had also bought Jinyang Development, which I hadn’t actually bought, because I’d taken their short stock sale for Jinyand Development. So far, everything I had done had been according to the scenario they’d mapped out. But they couldn’t have known that the scenario they had put together was just part of my scenario.

‘Then, when do I pull the trigger?’ I sat on the sofa and thought for a moment, when it would be the most dramatic, which would be most effective in destroying my enemies…

—————-

That Monday,, at the same time the market opened, Bisang Construction ran to the upper limit price, +30%. Equally obvious, Jinyang Development came out at the lower limit price of -30%. It was no surprise as I watched it, hawking as I normally did. What I was worried about was that the forces in Bisang Construction were eating out of here, as Kang Joo-hyuk said, ‘There’s nothing one hundred percent in stocks.’

Bisang Construction hit the upper limit price, but they could sell it off here. But soon, I shook my head. ‘No, that’s impossible.’ It was like not racing with a four-card, not getting a call with a jackpot, or not picking up a hard paddle on the floor.

When I looked at the volume of transactions, the stock was rarely traded. Even the luckier ants would not sell at this price.

‘All right, so… I’ll sign the queue today. Shall I watch tomorrow?’ Thinking about it, I picked up my cell phone and sent a text message, ‘Q’. Just one word to someone.

————————————–

Tuesday, it was the same. Bisang Construction was at +30% and Jinyang Development was -30%. If there was a slight difference, Bisang Construction was rarely sold, whereas Jinyang Development was being traded little by little. Now that the lower limit price had been hit twice, the price was back in its proper place.

I began to sweep up Jinyang Development here. Jinyang Development, which was at the lower limit price, fluctuated a little due to my purchases. They probably thought, ‘Thank you for buying me at this price.’

The ants that had failed to make a bet put their shares right on my purchase. Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and today when the result was announced to them, it must have been a hell of four days to get here. Well, there was nothing they could do about it, as they had put their money into a contest they had not been sure about.

I saw the stock price of Bisang Construction. It was stuck at the upper limit price. ‘They are going to eat it all the way to the end.’ I glanced at the clock. It was 9:30 a.m., and it was show time in a little while. I picked up my cell phone and called Vice President Jang.

“Yes, boss.”

“What’s the team for the short stock sale doing?”

“Oh, they are watching… they can’t buy it because it’s at the upper limit price. If the upper limit price is broken tomorrow…”

“Oh, come on, there’s still a large amount of Stock Lending and Borrowing left, right?”

“… Yes? Yes.”

“Please tell them to get ready for another short stock sale.”

“Yes?”

I said this honestly, “I overheard a story coming out of the media… Maybe the situation will turn around.”

“… but the result has already been announced…”

“I can’t go into details. Instead…”

But then, for a moment, the upper limit price on Bisang Construction was broken.

I said urgently, “Now, tell them to put more on the short stock sale.”

Vice President Jang said, “… Yes, sir.”

However, perhaps our team for a short stock sale didn’t sell much today. The stock price of Bisang Construction, which had just been at the ceiling, fell vertically in just a few seconds and plunged into the lower limit price.

‘It’s unexpected…’ I tilted my head. It was faster than I thought. I thought it was going to take a few minutes, but it turned off in a few seconds. It meant that the impact of the article was intense. I tried to log on to the Internet. At the top of the portal site, there was an article: [Joo Sung-won, Mayor of Seoul, announced that there was corruption involved in a project to select a business operator for the Old City Regeneration Project.]

I looked at it and put my lips together. “Oh, did the Mayor himself announce it?”

Chapter 100 - Spider Hunting, Part V

I was rather surprised to see the title of the article. I already knew what was going on in the article. I was probably the first to know that there was corruption involved in the selection process. What was surprising was that Mayor Joo Sung-won, the chief of the Seoul administration, revealed the corruption in person.

‘Well… it’ wasn’t an easy decision to make.’

I was going to click on the article to see more. ‘No, this isn’t the time.’ First, I turned to HTS. Bisang Construction was at the lower limit price in a few seconds. On the other hand, Jinyang Development was hanging around at +14%, the lower limit price was lifted. If Bisang Construction failed to be selected as a business operator, the likely company would be Jinyang Development. It was a simple calculation, but the market participants didn’t know it, or they didn’t have money even though they knew it.

‘I have the money.’ I immediately started buying up Jinyang Development. I didn’t have to look at the stock window of the asking price of the market.

‘$1,000,000.’

‘$2,000,000.’

‘$1,500,000.’

‘$3,000,000.’

I just shot the money in. The stock price went up and turned around thirty seconds after I had started placing the buy orders. Ants were creeping in. I put a buy order of twelve million dollars at the upper limit price. It was the end of Jinyang Development’s price fluctuation. Opportunities wouldn’t go round for those who had heard the news belatedly. There was no one to fight against my twelve million dollars in the first place. With this move, I picked up all the money off the street.

I turned my eyes again, with the article I had seen earlier. ‘What the hell happened?’ I wondered how it was different from the future article I had seen. The future news I had seen a month ago was this.

[They issued an arrest warrant for Jung Gi-woong, president of Bisang Construction. Is the Old City Regeneration Project disrupted?]

I searched for “Jung Gi-woong” by People Search, and in the news of 12 Months After, an article came out. I didn’t know how he got through the competition, but the article said that in January next year, Jung Gi-woong, president of Bisang Construction, bribed Seoul government officials and won the Old City Regeneration Project. It was a typical corruption case in civil engineering, and only the CEO would be arrested, without business interruption.

With this article, it seemed that the forces who entered Bisang Construction would have made money, according to their own scenario. It would have been almost a year since the corruption would be uncovered, but it would take only a month until they disposed of shares at the abnormally-high price. That was why I decided to shorten the period of nine months to expose them.

I scraped the article, memorized it, discarded it, and reconstructed it, like a new article. Then, if I sent the data with a “Q” sign, it was ready to spread to every city government official. I was an anonymous contributor, but I had exposed who had been involved in the corruption scandal, and how the officials received money, and how much they received in detail. The Seoul Metropolitan Government had investigated because the contents were so detailed.

And if they investigated this case on the basis of the submission, they could not deny the question, “Did you ever receive gold bars worth three hundred thousand dollars as a bribe from Jung Gi-woong at the Carlton Hotel in Yeouido around December nineteenth of last year?”

There was no denying it, so this was the result.

[Joo Sung-won, Mayor of Seoul, disclosed the corruption involved in the Old City Regeneration Project business operator selection process.]

What surprised me here was that Mayor Joo Sung-won himself became the main disclosure. He admitted a case where his own men committed corruption. If it turned out poorly, he was bound to be damaged.

I read the article, just picking the important stuff.

[Today I found out that there was corruption in the selection process, and I confirmed who was involved and contacted the media right away… I wasn’t directly involved in the bidding process, but I also felt responsible and…]

According to the article, he chose to make himself clear, even if he was damaged by the fallout. I thought he did a good job. If he came straight out with this, people who doubted him, asking, ‘The mayor is the top official, and is he also someone who took the money?’, would hesitate.

Since the disclosure came out three days after the business operator had been selected, there had not been a significant tax leak. Maybe this would be a blessing, just like the last fake Me Too case. ‘The public’s assessment of a politician’s story is not always as close as 1+1=2, or A, B, C, and D.’

I looked at it and thought, ‘He is a man with good political sense. Maybe he’ll really be the next president.’ I thought I was getting more connected to this guy.

Then, I got a call from Vice President Jang. “Boss.”

“Yes.”

“I’ve got the team running the short stock sale in a hurry… but they couldn’t sell. It went straight down to the lower limit price too fast.”

I said as if I was sorry, “Well, we can’t help it, but it’s okay. Don’t we still have our shares to sell anyway?”

“Yes, we have.”

We were still in possession of the shares we had sold off with a short stock sale since the greedy wouldn’t sell at the double price. But now they were all too impatient to sell it.

“This will hit the lower limit price twice from now on… No… if the results of the police investigation show up wrong… maybe it’s a delisting issue.”

“Yes.”

Bisang Construction was to be pressed down, and Jinyang Development was to be raised. Now, the forces that stuck to Bisang Construction were going to suffer from the situation we had experienced before. The shares of Bisang Construction they had bought a lot were heavily piled up at the lower limit price and they could not sell them, while Jinyang Development, which they had happily put a short stock sale on, was at the upper limit price, and they could not buy it back. Their speed on the road to Hell was doubled.

I made it clear to Vice President Jang. “Pour in all the remaining shares for a short stock sale. Do you understand?”

Now it was like the lion biting the gazelle’s throat. Jang would pile up sales on the asking price so that the stock price of Bisang Construction would never rise. He would do it until the operational forces were completely out of breath.

Vice President Jang, who had been depressed only a few days ago, spoke in a lively voice, “Yes, sir! I’ll do as you order!”

——

After I finished talking to Vice President Jang, I thought of a few faces for a moment: Master T. Tak Joon-gi, Newsmaker Kang Joo-hyuk, Kaiji Lee Won-jae, and his brother, who looked similar to Lee Won-jae.

By now, their faces were probably as red as the stock window of Bisang Construction.

‘You will have to vomit up all the money you have earned from sending others to Hell so far… You not only have to vomit everything you’ve eaten, but you’ll also have to squeeze out the gastric juice, too. Not only me, but other institutional investors and foreigners are anxious to complete a short stock sale.’

I picked up my cell phone. If I could, I’d like to call and tease them. ‘Ha-ha. Who’s the loser now?’

Well, come to think of it, there was no reason I couldn’t call. Kang Joo-hyuk and I weren’t enemies on the surface. We were rather close friends, an informant and an investor. Even his advice was correct, “I think you should invest in Jinyang Development.”

‘Well, then, let’s get on the phone.’ I picked up my cell phone and pressed the call button to him. It was not out of line to thank him. Recalling the conversation he and I had, of course, I should thank him. There was a crisis, but I hit a grand slam to turn the tables around.

Tiriri… Tiriri… Tiriri… Tiriri… The call tone kept going on around twenty seconds.

‘Is he not answering the phone on purpose?’

I didn’t know why he did not answer the phone, but I was sure there would be a big fuss going on over there. I stopped calling his phone, just leaving a text message.

– Have you seen the news today, reporter Kang? I’m very lucky. I thought I’d lose a lot of money three days ago, but on the contrary, it’s a big profit. Please call me sometime. I’ll buy you a good meal.-

I texted him like that, but after sending him the text, I suddenly thought, ‘No, by the way… if I buy a meal, can he even eat it? Because of this incident, reporter Kang Joo-hyuk may lose not only money but other things.’

As far as I’d been dealing with Bisang Construction, I felt the operational forces had put in at least thirty million dollars here. Considering their short stock sale of Jinyang Development, it seemed that they were running around with about fifty million in capital. At this rate, they wouldn’t get half of half of their money. The money might be from Tak Joon-gi or the equivalent of a big hand in the shadows.

‘They must be going insane after losing thirty or forty million dollars, because until just now, they thought they would make that much money. After they lost the money, the shock will be added. If someone has to take responsibility for the swing of sixty to eighty million dollars, maybe the arrow will go to the man who made the news.

‘Where did this information leak out? How did you handle it? Did you bet on the other hand? Did you want my money?’ That might be the case.

‘Well, if that happens… These are people who think human lives are worthless. He may be buried in one of the nation’s numerous mountains where no one knows, or he may have a swift suicide caused by the stock investment failure, and hang himself. Of course, someone else will stand by with a knife in the process. But what can he do? He gets what he deserves.

‘Because of his manipulation, others have already hanged themselves. There is Lee Kang-san of the president of Go-young Food, Lee Ah-young’s father. In addition, how many people across the country will die after their stock investments fail?’ When I thought of that, I didn’t feel sorry for him. It was only natural for a devil to go to hell.

But then, my cell phone rang. It was none other than Kang Joo-hyuk.

‘Did he see my text now?’ I wondered while I was lowering my cell phone for a moment. I didn’t know what to say at first.

Saying, ‘Poor reporter Kang’, would be overly chatty. Or, saying, ‘Thank you, Mr. Kang’, I could get right to the point.

I pressed the call button and held it to my ear. But, unexpectedly, an urgent voice came out of him, “CEO Han, please spare me.”

‘What is it in such a hurry?’ I could roughly guess, but I pretended not to know, “What’s wrong with you, Mr. Kang?”

He spoke in an unbecoming rambling way. “No, this announcement…”

“You mean the corruption of the business operator?”

“Yes. Isn’t that what you… planned?”

“What?”

He used his power of reasoning as a Newsmaker. “No… you put a short stock sale on Bisang Construction… After all, you’re the winner.”

But there was no evidence. “No, I just… I heard what you said, and I thought Jinyang Development has a high possibility and I did it…”

He took a breath for a moment, then told me, “Are you serious? You prepared a short stock sale of nearly twenty million dollars just after listening to me?”

I answered calmly, “Yes, I thought Jinyang Development was a strong candidate. I just found out that there was corruption in Bisang Construction. As you know, the only companies we have are a game company, an entertainment company, and a private broadcasting station.”

He clicked his teeth and replied, “Ah… yes, I see. I see…” He seemed to be frightened.

‘At least… now that it’s gone wrong… he knows a problem is coming.’ I thought at this time, ‘If this guy’s dead, is that an ending? That’s a little bad ending. The main body of this case is in a deeper side: Daewon Daily News and Suyeon Group.’

I pressed the recording button on my cell phone and said to him, “Well, what’s wrong? Please be honest with me, Mr. Kang.”

Chapter 101 - Spider Hunting, Part VI

I listened intently. If reporter Kang Joo-hyuk said something here, I might ferret out a dark secret above it.

Reporter Kang Joo-hyuk said in a trembling voice, “No, I don’t know… I don’t know, but CEO Han…”

Maybe because of his fear, I thought he was a little out of his mind.

I spoke in a calm voice as much as I could, “Yes. Say it.”

“Could I… see you in person?”

“In person?”

“Yes.”

“That’s nice. I was going to buy you a meal, but…”

“Where… where there are many people… did you say you live in Gangnam?”

“Yes, it’s near Gangnam Station.”

He continued to speak in a trembling voice, “Oh, I see. I see. Gangnam Station is crowded. That’s great. That’s great. I’ll get back to you. Let’s meet and talk in person.”

“… yes.”

After I finished my phone call, I looked at my cell phone for a moment. ‘A devil must be afraid to be dragged down to Hell.’ However, there was not much I could do to help him. The corruption had already been exposed, and investors across the country were rushing in with knives and forks for Bisang Construction. The stock price of Bisang Construction would inevitably be expected to fall for some time even after hitting the lower limit price.

That was not the only thing.

‘Jinyang Development, where they made a downward bet, would bring in not only institutional investors, foreign investors, but also ants who smelled the sweets. In this case, ants are scarier because they irrationally buy the stock and hoard it until it the bubble bursts.

‘The losses are fixed. This is already spilled water. There’s no way I can help him…

‘Of course, I may spare him if I pay my own money to make up for the losses on the other end. But that’s ridiculous. With that money, I would rather give support to children starving to death in Africa on the other side of the world. Even if he stretches over my trouser legs, there is no turning back. He knows that, too, if he’s sane.

‘Now that I heard his voice, I think he’s out of his mind, and he’s calling me… It doesn’t mean anything. The only way he can live is to turn himself in and go to jail. That might be better. He could at least save his life if he were in jail.

‘In American drama, when they go to prison, they die by another inmate. Well, our prisons aren’t that bad. The next time I meet him… I’ll have to try and persuade him that way, “Turn yourself into the police and confess everything you have done to manipulate stock prices in the past. Tell them who the owners of the money are and pay for the price of sin. Then at least you won’t be buried in the hills or forced to kill yourself.”

‘Then, Lee Ah-young’s parents will also be able to recover their honor. She may also shed the depression caused by her parents’ death.

‘The news must be a better gift for her than any flowers…’

I put down my cell phone, thinking pleasant thoughts.

————————————-

“Mayor Joo Sung-won himself said that there was corruption in the selection process of a business operator.”

I lay on the sofa and watched the news with my chin up. In the end, the corruption news on the selection of the business operator was carried by the nine o’clock news. As a political magnate, the focus was more geared toward the Mayor Joo Sung-won and who had taken bribes, rather than Bisang Construction and Jung Gi-woong, who had given them.

It was all done by subordinates of Mayor Joo Sung-won, but the news reported the reaction of politicians and the ones of the public.

“The opposition parties have strongly insisted that Mayor Joo Sung-won is responsible.”

“Joo Sung-won, the mayor of Seoul, should take responsibility for the incident and step down on his own…”

“People are showing some mixed reactions to the incident.”

“Maybe the mayor is responsible, too.”

“There are a lot of Seoul government officials, and he can’t know everything, can he? I think it’s more believable that he exposed it on his own.”

I looked at it and thought, ‘That’s what I expected, too.’

Mayor Joo Sung-won’s move, where he hit first, was not bad. I nodded and found the remote control. Well, I’d seen all the news I wanted to see, so…

“This is the following news. There’s a disclosure that stock price manipulators have intervened in the stock of Bisang Construction, in the corruption case of the Old City Regeneration Project. I’m a reporter, Jeon Gook-jin.”

Such news came out. ‘… what?’ I watched more alertly.

In the news, a modulated voice and the reporter’s voice alternated.

“After all… it’s going to be Bisang Construction. Let’s buy it for six months, pass it on to the ants and leave.”

“You’ve known this since six months ago?”

“Yes. Yes. … since six months ago…”

But I was familiar with that modulated voice.

“One informant, who asked for anonymity, revealed the specific operation schedule and methods.”

“It was all… it was all a squeeze-and-pitch go-stop. It was done by talking to government officials. Being selected as a business operator… Competitors should also be invited to become bridesmaids, and then choose Bisang Construction, so let’s double the share price and come out. Like that.”

‘… this guy… reporter Kang Joo-hyuk?’

Reporter Kang Joo-hyuk, who had talked on the phone earlier, was overloaded despite his voice modulation.

“He said the corruption case turned the operation into a blister.”

“It… should have gone to the upper limit price today, but it went to the lower limit price, so it was ruined. Who’s going to take responsibility? Who’s that?”

I thought he was the one who stammered his voice and repeated the same thing twice.

‘Has he made up his mind to expose it all to the media?’

Perhaps this was wiser. The last time, we looked at the case of Go-young Food, where public power did not protect citizens, either. It would have been difficult for the forces to use its power if he were to make the matter public this way. He was a reporter, so maybe this side was easier and more comfortable…

“In addition to the case of corruption, stock price manipulation… There’s a constant stream of noise surrounding Bisang Construction. I’m reporter Jeon Gook-jin, for BKS News.”

I watched all the news with my eyes wide. At the end of the news, my cell phone rang. It was Secretary Seo. I took it.

“Yes, what?”

“Boss, we’re in trouble.” Secretary Seo made a slight fuss.

“Why?”

“The prosecution says… our company will be investigated about the stock price manipulation as well.”

“Ah.” Come to think of it, our company was also involved. Our company also traded Bisang Construction, although we moved in the opposite direction from the operational forces. I said bluntly, “Yeah. Okay. So when are they coming? The prosecutors.”

“They’ll be here tomorrow.”

“So I’ll see you tomorrow when I get to work.”

As I spoke calmly, Seo’s voice was also slightly lowered, “Yes, boss… By the way, are you okay?”

“Well, our company… almost lost it.”

Our company was clean. I’d already anticipated this scenario. We had also sold all the shares of Bisang Construction before the surge, like we didn’t know there was going to be a spike.

“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yes.”

—————————–

A middle-aged man asked me, “So, CEO Han Sang-hoon, you ordered a short stock sale because you didn’t think Bisang Construction would be selected?”

His eyes glared at me.

‘You are the prosecutor and your look is great.’ I said, thinking about that, “Yes. I thought Jinyang Development and Hanbit Construction were much more likely than Bisang Construction. Therefore, it was too much to expect the share price of Bisang Construction to rise by fifty percent. It was definitely a bubble and I wanted to make a falling bet… I ordered a short stock sale.”

He said, looking at the share price of Bisang Construction, which was at the lower limit price of -30%. “So you did it. You must have made a lot of money today, right?”

After all, we were the final winners.

“Yes, but… until yesterday morning, it was a loss. And then the corruption news broke, and I was lucky to make a dime.”

I turned my head and looked at Vice President Jang beside me, eye to eye. “That’s why I’ve been discussing this with Jang all weekend. I told him what to do when the loss got bigger. Isn’t that right, Jang?”

Vice President Jang also nodded and carried on, “I really thought we were going to lose money. After the announcement of the business operator selection over the weekend, I thought we were in trouble. So I talked to the boss on the phone and discussed how to reduce the loss. If you look it up, you’ll have the call record. It’s okay for you to listen to the conversation.”

We had certainly exchanged such calls on the weekend.

‘What should I do with the short stock sale, boss?

‘It’s okay. Sometimes we lose money when we invest.’

It was hard to believe that someone who lost on the gambling used such a trick. The prosecutor also confirmed the point and nodded.

A man, who appeared to be an investigator for the prosecution, brought in a lot of papers and said, “I’ve talked to the team about the short stock sale, and they said they were still waiting on Monday afternoon to buy back. They tried to buy back after the news on Monday, but they couldn’t because it went to the lower limit price so fast.”

Upon receiving the report, the middle-aged prosecutor nodded, “Yes, I see. You almost lost your money, but the disclosure came out and you made a fortune…”

The disclosure was done by me, but that process was beyond anyone’s knowledge. They would not look for me when I exposed massive corruption in the first place. Mayor Joo Sung-won, the leading candidate for the next presidential election, was protecting me.

“Yes, thank you.”

This was going to be neat. I watched them go out of the company with my arms crossed. Vice President Jang went after them. I watched him for a moment.

‘What’s wrong with him?’

Then, about ten minutes later, he came back and told me, “I don’t think it’s going to be any problem at all. The prosecution has decided to devote its energy to tracking down those who bought stocks rather than us.”

I guessed he had followed the prosecutor and been told that. “Really?”

“Yes. He said those who have manipulated the stock prices this time are quite a big force. I think the prosecutor is very interested in them.”

That was great. In fact, Newsmaker Kang Joo-hyuk was nothing more than a long-term horse. Tak Joon-gi, Lee Won-jun, and Lee Won-jae should be brought up, so the case should be solved properly. I thought of the three men in a prison uniform. It was quite a contrast to holding a glass of champagne at Garden Envy.

‘They have to pay for their sins.’ That was when I was thinking about it. My cell phone rang once more. When I looked at it, the caller was Lee Won-jae of Daewon Daily News.

It was Kaiji.

‘Oh, I am a popular man.’ With such a thought, I took my cell phone and headed for my office.

Chapter 102 - Spider Hunting, Part VII

I came into the president’s office and looked at my cell phone. I didn’t know what this guy meant or what he was thinking, but he was most likely connected to this case.

‘… why the Hell…?’

In any case, there was no reason not to answer the phone. I pressed the call button.

“How have you been, CEO Han? I’m Lee Won-jae of the Daewon Daily News.”

“Yes, Mr. Lee. Long time no see.”

“Yes, it’s been a long time. How have you been, Mr. Han?”

The voice of Director Lee Won-jae was nowhere near as bad as Kang Joo-hyuk’s.

I answered implicitly, “Yes, of course. How are you?”

“Yes, I’ve been doing well, too. Haha.”

I was slightly surprised to hear a laugh coming over the phone.

‘Are you laughing?’ He might not have touched on this case. ‘If it’s not, then why are you calling me?’

I asked him, “By the way, what made you call me?”

“It’s just…” He blurted his words out, “I’m calling to thank you.”

I asked back, “Thank me?”

He brought up words to me. “Yes, well, this is about Bisang Construction and Jinyang Development.”

I spoke in the most obtuse tone of voice, “Ah, yes. But why… are you saying ‘thank you’?”

“Isn’t this a painting done by Mr. Han Sang-hoon?”

As expected, this guy thought I was behind the scenes, like reporter Kang Joo-hyuk, the prosecutor, and so on. I couldn’t help it.

‘In a mystery novel, people who benefit from a person’s death are the most likely to be questioned. This incident has resulted in tens of million dollars of profits for our company and me. It’s just that I screwed up the operational forces.’

I just hit them with the money they hit me with, and that was all that happened. I was as consistent to him as I was to others I didn’t know. “No. How did I, the president of an investment company, find out about the corruption and know the information in advance? I was lucky to make a bet on the wrong side.”

“Ah, was it that so? I thought it was unlikely, but you are the one the money went to. Haha. I’m sorry, I just doubted.”

He said so, but he didn’t seem to believe me 100%.

‘Bah, you are the man of a fox.’

But I had a question: why did he say “thank you” to me? I asked him, “But why… did you say ‘thank you’ to me? Did you buy Jinyang Development, too?”

“No. I bought Bisang Construction, not Jinyang Development. I should’ve sold it when it went to the upper limit price yesterday. I was so greedy that I got the lower limit price. I put in a million dollars. I don’t know how much I can get back.”

He bought the stock of Bisang Construction worth a million dollars, but he still thanked me. It didn’t make sense.

I asked him, “So, how come you’re grateful to me?”

This fellow said something I could not understand. “Oh, I made more than a million dollars.”

“What are you talking about…?”

Director Lee Won-jae told me, “Haha, well, it’s difficult to say right now, but read the article later. Ah, CEO Han, will you keep hitting the short stock sale for Bisang Construction?”

“… I’m sorry to tell you, but it’s about our company’s profit. I’ll keep hitting it.”

“Oh, I see.” That was also a strange reaction. He was happy the price of his stock would go down. It was quite strange. He left a strange remark until the end. “I see. It was nice to talk to you on the phone after a long time. I think our relationship is a good one. I don’t know what CEO Han might think, but… If you have any further requests for us, please contact us immediately. I’ll send out a well written article.”

I answered briefly, “Yes.”

After I finished my phone call, I put down the cell phone.

‘I got the loss, but made a bigger profit; thank you for hitting the short stock sale to the stock I bought.’

There were a lot of strange words. I thought of them in silence. ‘What is a possible scenario for this…?’ Come to think of it, there was only one. ‘Don’t tell me… Is that it?’

———————————–

That evening, there was an article on the Internet.

[Jung Gi-woong, president of Bisang Construction, confessed to all charges.]

It was as expected. Since the data I had circulated was so accurate, there was no way out.

I read the article.

[… He has been acquainted with Seoul City Hall for ten years, and when he was among the selected candidates for this project, he was in contact with them.]

‘With the mayor admitting this, the lower limit price for Bisang Construction is fixed again tomorrow. It has hit the lower limit price twice so far, but there is a long way to go down, since it’s risen so far. It is nothing more than a bubble bursting. Now that the CEO has committed a crime, it’s proper to go below the usual price.’

I looked further down the article.

[… However, he has denied any recent stock price manipulation. President Jung gi-woong says he expected the stock price to rise if Bisang Construction was selected, but he didn’t really share the information with anyone.]

He denied stock manipulation. I looked at it and thought, ‘He is lying.’

‘In the case of the stock price soaring with a good source, such as Bisang Construction, it is usually required to be approved by major shareholders. When its stock price soars, and major shareholders sell off their shares, the operational forces have a burden, too. Of course, some stocks go even higher after major shareholders sell their shares, but most of them take the same steps.’

I thought of the presidents of the small and medium-sized construction companies who had bowed and scraped to Tak Joon-gi at Seoul City Hall.

‘President Jung Gi-woong must have known that if his company was chosen as a business operator, the stock price would rise even more than normal… I don’t know what the price would have been…’

I read all the articles to the end. In the comments of the articles, in general, political ones were the main focus.

– Mayor Joo Sung-won, who is the main hall of bribery, step down!-

– The mayor himself revealed the corruption and had no sin. I think he’s stopped the wrongdoings of Seoul Metropolitan Government.-

The public seemed to be interested in this.

‘What I’m curious about is how the stock manipulation scandal is going on.’

Suddenly, I picked up my cell phone and searched for reporter Kang Joo-hyuk. I recalled the conversation I had had yesterday, ‘CEO Han… please spare me. Gangnam Station? It’s nice to have a lot of people. I’ll call you back.’

He said he would contact me again, but I hadn’t heard from him.

‘What’s going on?’

He seemed to have contacted a broadcasting company last night, but it was not enough to get a clear pass.

‘He might have stimulated the upper line…’

Come to think of it, it was a game-changer of his own: “Look, I can expose myself to the press, to the police. Don’t touch me.”

‘But… what if they ignored that message? I have an ominous premonition. I hope that no matter how evil he is, he will not be buried in the hills or thrown into the West Sea with stones in his boots. I want him to go to the police station, court, and prison, and pay for his crime. In the process, it’s good if he says the name, Tak Joon-gi. But somehow… I don’t think that’s going to happen.’

Considering Lee Won-jae’s strange phone call today, it was clear that something was happening below the waves. ‘Read the article later.’ However, it should be said that his decision was already made. Whether it was the police or the media, it was about the timing and how it would be revealed to the public.

‘Well… what the Hell… what’s going on?’

———–

It didn’t take long for my question to be solved. Around 8:30 in the evening, I waited for nine o’clock without playing a game or watching a movie. It was to watch the nine o’clock news from BKS. I was hoping that something more might come out today. However, there was some news on the main screen of the smartphone and portal site, which was picked up without much thought.

[Kang Joo-hyuk, a reporter for Jaeil Economy, committed suicide after disclosing about the stock price manipulation in Bisang Construction.]

I saw the title, and I groaned a little. Ah…

‘Is this what happened in the end?’ I thought the disclosure yesterday might have killed him. There would have been no guarantee of living if he hadn’t made the disclosure. I read the article.

[Kang Joo-hyuk, a report at Jaeil Economy, wrote a suicide note revealing stock price manipulation, and lit charcoal in his car.]

If it were as usual, I would’ve thought, ‘That’s how he went.’

However, this time, I thought, ‘Did they give him sleeping pills and light charcoal to kill him?’

I continued reading the article.

[… According to the suicide note, he was the brain of the stock manipulation team, and he planned what businesses they were going to manipulate, how he would run the news, how he would run the funds…]

I scrolled down further and looked at it. His death was sorry, but more important was the upper line. I found a name, a cash cow at the heart of stock manipulation. I soon found a familiar name.

[… he conspired with Executive Director Lee Won-jun of Daewon Daily News, and Park Soo-young, president of Seree Investment, to collect Bisang Construction shares…]

Looking at the name, Lee Won-jun, I thought, ‘The reason why Lee Won-jae liked it is this…’

When I spoke to him earlier, there was only one scenario that brought to mind his elder brother, Executive Director Lee Won-jun of Daewon Daily News. I didn’t know him well, but Lee Ah-young had pointed to Lee Won-jun, not Lee Won-jae, as her enemy, so it would have to be true that Lee Won-jun was closer to the stock manipulator. Lee Won-jae heard the story and invested a million dollars. But Lee Won-jun, the center of the forces, might have invested nearly ten million dollars, possibly more.

‘He lost more than ten million dollars and he’s caught in stock price manipulation… If so, he is likely to be excluded from succession to the Daewon Group. The chances will be much greater for the third son, Lee Won-jae. If such stakes are raised there, a million dollars is a very small amount of money.’

He knew his brother was going to be arrested away, so he liked it. As expected, they didn’t have close relationships in a rich family. I saw the following name. ‘Seree Investment? What’s this?’

I searched the name in the portal window. It was actually near my company. It was an investment company located in Gangnam. ‘Seree Investment, total market capital, five million dollars.’

By the way, I didn’t know anything else, but looking at it just one time, it gave me a rough idea: it was a lizard cutting off its tail.

Five million dollars? More than fifty million dollars had been transferred, just looking at what I saw. I came back to the article again. In the will, there was no such thing as Tak Joon-gi or anything like that.

‘Did they manipulate the will… or…?’ Nothing was left to write a novel now. I read the article to the end.

[Police say he appears to have committed suicide because he couldn’t overcome his guilt.]

I repeated that when I saw it, “He couldn’t overcome his guilt?” I was dumbfounded. Anyone who couldn’t overcome his guilt never did this. It was definitely a fabricated situation, maybe even by the police who had done the investigation. Suddenly I recalled Director Tak Joon-gi, who was making a mean smile and him saying, “I’m not with those vulgar things…”

He had never been mentioned in this case of the dead reporter Kang Joo-hyuk and Director Lee Won-jae. I looked at the clock. It was 8:45, five minutes before the second future news would come.

‘… this guy… even if he didn’t get caught now… Let’s see what will happen in the future.’ I sat down in front of the computer, thinking about that.

Chapter 103 - Spider Hunting, Part VIII

As always, there were four emails today. I clicked the one, D. 12 Hours After, on the top of the list.

[Politics Economy Society Life/Culture…]

Under the following news, there were two People Search slots.

[Personal search – please write a name.]

[Personal search – please write a name.]

I searched for Lee Won-jun first.

[Lee Won-jun, director of the Daewon Daily News, denied involvement in stock price manipulation.]

There was an article like that. It would come out within twelve hours from now. It was supposed to be an article that would come up tonight or tomorrow morning.

‘His name was in the will… but he denied it. However, can he deny it in the prosecution’s investigation, if it starts?’

I followed up with a search for Tak Joon-gi.

‘No news is found.’ It was said that there was no news, which meant that there was no news of the same name.

‘I don’t know the search result for the name Joon-gi, but Tak is not that common a surname.’

I did the same search for Lee Won-jun on 12 Days After.

[Lee Won-jun, executive director of the Daewon Daily News, was arrested without bail.]

Lee Won-jun was finally put behind bars. I followed up with the name Tak Joon-gi.

[Director Tak Joon-gi of Suyeon Travel supports the travels of children of multicultural families.]

But oh my! On the other hand, good news came on the side of Tak Joon-gi.

‘Has he… escaped from this?’

I searched for the news 12 Weeks After.

[Lee Won-jun, the third generation of Daewon Group, was sentenced to five years in prison and five million dollars in fines.]

Director Lee Won-joon was eventually sentenced to prison. On the other side, Tak Joon-gi was in the news for going abroad.

[Director Tak Joon-gi, visiting Chengdu, China, leading the travel business for China.]

I entered the last email, 12 Months After, drumming the chair with my finger.

[Lee Won-joon, the head of the Nam-gu office in Incheon, visits a restaurant for senior citizens.]

Lee Won-jun was completely replaced by other people’s news. It was a common name, so it was appropriate.

[Director Tak Joon-gi visits his grandfather’s grave.]

There was news that Tak Joon-gi had visited his grandfather’s grave. I clicked on it. There was a picture of Tak Joon-gi getting out of the car.

‘If it’s his grandfather… the chairman of Suyeon Group, Tak Jin-woon…’ This day seemed to be a memorial day for Chairman Tak Jin-woon. There was a row of black luxury cars around the so-called ‘Chairman Car,’ as if it proved the power of Suyeon Group. I looked at it for a long time and then closed the email.

‘All right, That’s it.’ I didn’t know what was going on in the details, but in any case, the true secret seemed to have ended without being revealed.

‘However, more than 90%, it is Tak Joon-gi… or 99% sure, if I think of what Lee Ah-young said.’ The black secret was not revealed and it seemed to have ended in a state of indeterminacy. Although Lee Won-jun of Daewon Group, one of the heirs of the media conglomerate, was arrested and sent to prison, Tak Joon-gi was not mentioned at all.

‘Is this the power of the Suyeon Group?’ I didn’t know how far they were connected to the prosecution, the police, and the media. I was angry right now, but I couldn’t do anything about it.

“That bastard needs to be fully destroyed… but he is protected by the Suyeon Group. Is there any proof that he can’t get out of?”

I had a sudden idea: an active skill worth seven points, “An Investigating Correspondent” which could be obtained when I attained the Master Class. Last time, I’d put it off to get the news of 12 Weeks After and 12 Months After, but if I had that skill, I might be able to dig up the dark side of something.

‘Our investigator is very competent’, the Customer Service said, and so it must be…

‘So… let’s take over two more companies as soon as possible. If I get that skill… something might unravel.’

There had been many things going on, but I’d been trading, writing down the good news on my calendar. Even I paid ten million dollars for the monthly subscription fee, I earned at least twenty million, or as much as forty million, every month. My cash was nearly two hundred million dollars at this point. In addition, Invictus Investment, which had a sprawling sixty percent stake in Kai Games, had nearly three hundred million dollars in assets.

‘Vice President Jang said there were no proper sales, but…’ It would be done if I could buy one business, whether there was a proper sale or not. Now was the time to assess efficiency; I’d have to raise the class at the cost of more money.

‘That’s what I am going to do later… and all I can do now is…’ I could squeeze out the money he had tied up in Bisang Construction, and the short stock sale in Jinyang Development. Even if he was a third-generation chaebol, tens of millions of dollars was not small money.

‘Bah! Even if the law was avoided, the money lost could not be avoided as long as it entered the market.’ I closed my email window, thinking about that.

————————————-

The next morning. Bisang Construction began the day at -27%. I got a feeling that someone was trying to prop up the starter with money. Soon, however, the bomb of a short stock sale fell on top of the asking price, because our company, Invictus Investment, and other companies didn’t let it go up. Therefore, Bisang Construction went directly to the lower limit price within one minute.

‘This will hit the lower limit price from now, until it’s cut in half.’

Our funds for a short stock sale were already making more than a thirty percent profit, but I was going to keep the reins on. I would let those who loved money taste Hell here. I went on to look at Jinyang Development.

“Uh?” Jinyang Development was fighting a battle around the upper limit price of +25%. I understood. Even if Bisang Construction was undertaking a great fall, it didn’t mean Jinyang Development would be selected as a business operator. It would take at least a few months to re-select a business operator. Perhaps Jinyang Development might be excluded from the next selection. Their construction capability was excellent, but the impact of the Bisang Construction corruption case had been so great that the new candidate group was likely to be completely new faces.

‘They think that the upper limit price twice is a little bit too much.’

I roughly calculated the amount remaining to the upper limit price. ‘$50,000,000… or about $60,000,000.’

Betting this much wasn’t too lethal. I swapped my accounts and quickly bought the shares. $500,000, $700,000, $1,000,000….

The stir was transmitted to the market right away.

‘Is this going to the upper limit price or not?’

The long-suffering ants were right back on my buying spree. I was just looking for the right timing, and then I put in the buy order of $5,000,000 in the upper limit price. Of course, all the remaining shares were sold out, and Jinyang Development hit the second upper limit price. It was a bit of a forced upper limit price, but it was not nonsense. Ants would understand, a big hand was pushing up.

But the ones who had put a short stock sale here would suffer saying, “No, some bastard pushed the price higher…”

‘If I lose a little bit here, I will still push it to the upper limit price once or twice…’

They must have been excited when they had made a short stock sale, but now it would be quite painful to try to pay the shares back at a price that had more than doubled. The buy orders were piling up on my five million dollars: thirty thousand, sixty thousand, one hundred twenty thousand dollars… These ants were also enough to torment the forces behind the short stock sales.

So, after all, Bisang Construction hit the lower limit price again today. Jinyang Development did not move on the upper limit price. Tak Joon-gi and Lee Won-jun, who had poured money into this stock, must be in great pain.

“Okay, well, that’s enough…” I decided to return to my usual routine and trade other stocks. I thought I would make tens of million dollars this time, but what I usually earned was actually more. I called up my mobile phone calendar app and found a code that was used as an initial consonant. ‘TSJS 120% SC’

‘The total sales of Jangsung Steel were 120% higher compared to last year with the supply contract.’

In the meantime, the doorbell of my apartment rang.

‘What is it?’ The bell rang in broad daylight. I pondered it. I didn’t order a package. My parents came and went last week. I didn’t even call Secretary Seo. Then only one person who came to mind: Lee Ah-young. It seemed to be her.

‘She must have seen this article… because there was some big news yesterday.’ One of her three enemies committed suicide and pointed to the other in a suicide note. She must have felt something strange.

I went up to the front door. When I opened the door, there was Lee Ah-young, of course. She wore blue jeans and a white T-shirt, and looked really pretty. As expected, the completion of fashion was appearance, but it was not the time to indulge in her good looks.

I asked her, “Why are you here this morning?”

She said to me in a direct way, “I saw the article.”

I had a rough guess, but I asked back, “What article?”

“You know what I’m talking about. Don’t have an air of innocence. I’ve looked up all the details of Invictus Investment’s short stock sale for Bisang Construction.”

That was the story, too. She said, standing in front of the front door. “What the hell did you do?”

For a moment, I looked behind her. There was no one in the hallway, but her voice resonated well. I gestured, “Come in.”

She stared at me for a moment, then came into my apartment.

I spoke cliche, “Would you like something to drink?”

“No thanks. Tell me more than that. What’s going on?”

I lowered my eyes and stroked my chin. ‘Do I have to tell her the story?’

There was no possibility of her telling this story to anyone else. They were her enemies, but I was afraid she would do something dangerous after hearing the story. That was what worried me.

I said in an indirect way, “… it’s a long story to talk about…”

She said, standing next to the sofa in the living room, “Tell me the long story. I don’t have class today, anyway.”

“… don’t you think I’m busy?”

“You don’t usually go to work.” She also knew I wasn’t very good at going to work.

‘What, do you watch me commuting?’

I told her, “Traders like me… often work at home even if they don’t go to work.” I pointed to my computers with a look.

She glanced at it and turned back as if ready to leave. “Then next time you’re free…”

I caught her like that, “No, I’ll tell you. Sit down. Instead…”

She gave me a slight glance and said, “Instead?”

“Never talk to others.”

“I can’t talk to anyone, if it’s not Sarah in the U.S. and Sarah can’t speak Korean. You saw that, right?”

Sarah? The white beauty’s name must be Sarah. I approached the refrigerator with a nod. “Do you really want nothing to drink? It’s a long story.”

“Well, I’d like a glass of juice, please.”

I took the grape juice out of the refrigerator, filled a glass and handed it to her. Suddenly, I remembered her getting drunk after drinking two glasses of wine. I wet my throat first with juice and then began to talk. “So this story starts… when I went to Seoul City Hall to accept a prize.”

Chapter 104 - Spider Hunting, Part IX

Lee Ah-young was sitting on the sofa listening to me.

I looked at her and said, “It was Newsmaker Kang Joo-hyuk who appeared at the time. I could recognize him at a glance by the photos you had showed me. A lizardman-like impression.”

She said with her eyes wide open, “Lizardman?”

“Oh, he looked like a lizard.”

“Aha…”

“So I listened to him, and he leaked some information about Bisang Construction and Jinyang Development, saying Jinyang Development had a strong possibility. So I thought it was a trap.” I told her the story that had been going around so far, except for the fact that I’d been receiving the future news. “In the meantime, I overheard rumors elsewhere.”

“What rumors?”

“During the project, a construction company presented bribes to Seoul government officials. When I heard that, I assumed it was Bisang Construction and they were trying to tie up with the stock manipulators.”

“So you put a short stock sale for Bisang Construction?” She seemed to know basic stock concepts, such as a short stock sale.

‘Think of it… Go-young Food had huge short stock sales before it was delisted.’

I said, nodding my head, “Yes. If it was heard even in my ear, I was sure there would be trouble later… That was what I thought. So I ordered my company to make a big short stock sale on Bisang Construction. First of all, I thought we were going to make a big profit, and second of all, I was to fuck up the stock manipulators who’d bought a lot of these shares. Of course, everything didn’t work out as expected. I thought the corruption would come to light before the announcement of a business operator.”

She listened to me, her eyes blinking. She seemed to believe everything I said.

“With the announcement of Bisang Construction at the end of the week, our company began to suffer huge losses. I thought, ‘Should I come forward and make a tip, even if I take a little bit risk?’ But fortunately, it seemed like a righteous man reported the corruption to the Seoul City.”

Of course, “a righteous man” was me, but I kept it a secret. No matter if Tak Joon-gi was the enemy of her parents, there was no need to give out unnecessary information. That was a problem for me, and it would be a burden for her, too. It was better for her not to know.

“So… after everything, the forces that invested in Bisang Construction suffered huge losses… They’re fighting among themselves…”

I said, nodding my head, “Yes, it seemed that way. As a result, the most powerless Kang Joo-hyuk died, and then the next weakest, Lee Won-jun, was arrested, and the strongest, Tak Joon-gi, is… Well, he’s going to lose a lot of money.”

Listening to me, she asked, “…will Lee Won-jun be arrested?”

Oh, I unknowingly told her future news. I made a rough excuse, “That’s what it’s going to be. If you watch this… It looks like that’s how the traffic is organized. Kang Joo-hyuk, his tail was cut when he died, and Lee Won-jun… he’s trying to deny it, but he will fail, and Tak Joon-gi has been protected by Suyeon Group or something.”

“Yes… I see…” Lee Ah-young was lost in thought as she looked at the glass of grape juice she was holding. She was thinking of complicated thoughts. One of her three enemies died, and one would be in a cell, but she was not excited.

‘And revenge… of course.’

I looked at her like that and told her, “One of your enemies is dead anyway, and the other is going to jail… There’s a good chance… and I’ll squeeze blood out of the other one. He’s a third-generation chaebol, so he’s not directly harmed, but he’ll be financially hurt this time. He can’t do that for a while.”

Not only that, once I got my Master Class, I would crush him completely, so he could never make a complete comeback.

Lee Ah-young, who was listening to me, nodded silently and asked me, “Yes, but… why did you help me get my revenge?”

I was talking excitedly so far, but I was slightly speechless there. “Well, first of all, it was helpful for our company. And after hearing your story, I’ve wanted to fuck up these guys at least one time. I didn’t know who was going to die, and who was going to be taken to the police station.”

She smiled at me a little. Then she lifted up her glass and drank all the remaining grape juice, stood up and said, “I see. I’m sorry I came all the way not giving you any notice. I was so surprised to hear the news. And I was curious. I had to come.”

I gathered my lips slightly and said, nodding agreeably, “No, it’s okay. The story of your parents’ enemies was on the news… I’m sure if it was me, I would be here too, especially we… live right next door.”

“… Thank you for your understanding, oppa. This… this is the revenge you’ve gained for me.”

Listening to that, I opened my eyes wide, and looked at her and asked, “Well, you’re not drunk after drinking grape juice, are you?”

“What?”

“It’s the first time you’ve called me oppa while awake.”

She exclaimed, her eyes jumping, “Oh, did I? Did I?”

Did the question refer to ‘Did I call you oppa after drinking now’? Or, ‘did I call you oppa last time?’

I didn’t know what question she was asking for, but I simply answered, “Yes.”

She flushed slightly, then lowered her head for a moment, then lifted it up and said, “I’m not drunk. I’ll just call you oppa from now on. Is that okay?”

I liked it better, too. “Yes, please.”

“Yes, oppa. I’ll call you oppa from now on. When you call me, please take out Ms.”

“What? You want me to take out Ms.?”

“When you call me, you say Ms. Ah-young. It’s so awkward. Just make yourself comfortable and call me by my name.”

“Ahah… I’ll do that. Ms. Ah-young. No.” I filtered her request for a moment, then corrected it. “I will, Ah-young.”

She smiled at my words. At this time, when I thought about her, who had been arrogant and overbearing when I had first met her in real estate under this apartment, she really changed a lot.

“Then I’ll go. I came over at night and asked… Thank you for being honest with me, oppa.”

Not everything was honest, but she seemed to believe so. That was good for me and for her. I told her at the door, “Anyway, what I said today is a secret.”

“I know. I… I don’t talk about my parents. Don’t worry about that.”

She seemed to be honest. ‘Usually, it’s hard to share a sad story, even if we can easily share a good story with others. It’s hard to bring up a story like that, because others feel pressured unless they are really trustworthy.’

‘But why am I…?’ Suddenly, that question came to my mind, but as she said, maybe the three times she was drunk had played a crucial role in gaining credibility. I saw her off at the front door.

“Then go in.”

“Yes, oppa.” She gave me a very polite and formal bow, and went right into her apartment next door. I peeked at her back and shut the door. In the corridor, I heard the sound of pressing the keypad and then the door closing.

I came back to the living room and lay down on the sofa. I could feel the body heat from the seat where Lee Ah-young was sitting just now. I thought about her for a moment. Two out of three of her enemies died or went to jail. The other one was fatally wounded.

‘Will she feel a little lighter now that I’ve avenged them?’ Come to think of it, when she left, it seemed that her shoulders were slightly raised from behind.

‘Yes, not a hundred percent, but she’ll feel a little less heavy about her parents.’

When I was thinking about that, my cell phone, laying on the table, rang. I went there and picked up my cell phone. There was a text message. The sender was Lee Ah-young next door.

– Oppa, I just said thank you. It’s practically like you’ve avenged them. I’ll buy you another meal. Just say anything about the menu. I’ve been to some famous restaurants with my friends these days.-

I looked down at it and sent a reply.

-All right, if you don’t drink.-

——————————

I heard a knock on the door.

“Yes, please come in.”

Vice President Jang opened the door and came in. Sweat was beaded on his forehead.

“Oh my! Did you walk?”

He took out his handkerchief and said, tapping his forehead, “Yes, the meeting place was a nearby cafe, so I thought I’d walk a little bit, but… I am sweating like this.”

I glanced out of the window. The sun was shining. “It was hot last summer, and I think it’s hotter this year.”

“That’s right, sir.”

July 2019, it was pretty hot these days. I told him, “By the way, what happened? What did they say?”

“They didn’t say yes right away, but I could see they were shaken. As you said, research and development costs were so high that the deficit was huge and there were no results… I guess it was a situation where the stock price fell and bonds weren’t sold. I think they’ll accept our investment, if we preserve the independence of the researchers.”

“Yes, I want you to be clear about that. We’re not going to touch any of the research, and we’re only going to focus on profitability; show them the examples of Kai Games, OH Entertainment, and Blue E&M.”

“Yes, sir.”

After Jang left, I patted the chair and thought, ‘All right, if only these couple of companies come to me, it’s Master Class…’

The aggressive search for a company to take over in order to get a Master Class had paid off. We’d done enough research, so they would take in our investment. It would give me a lot of benefits.

‘All right. Everything goes on smoothly.’

After the incident of Bisang Construction and Jinyang Development, I made up my mind. It was the first achievement in two and a half months.

‘Two and a half months. It is usually about ten weeks. Well, then…’

I remembered searching for the news in the past. I did a search for Lee Won-jun.

[The court sentenced Lee Won-jun to five years in prison and a fifty-million-dollar fine for manipulating stock prices in the first trial.] Information that was searched for in future news was similarly posted.

For Tak Joon-gi, similar news was on the air.

[Director Tak Joon-gi of Suyeon Travel is visiting Chengdu, China, and does a direct inspection of the travel business in China.]

‘Bah! No matter how good you pretend to be okay on the outside, I know that it’s rotten inside.’

Bisang Construction and Jinyang Development, as I had painted, one crashed, and one soared. My company and I had doubled our money, and by that amount, Tak Joon-gi would have lost twice as much.

“But this is not all, you son of a bitch. You did such an awful thing, and you’re going on a trip to China?”

‘If I get Master Class, I’ll give you one more spanking. So I’m going to put you in the same prison as Lee Won-jun. Even if you went on a trip to China, you won’t be able to go to your grandfather’s memorial service, you son of a bitch.’

I looked out the window thinking that. And then, there was a phone call. I answered the phone, “Yes, Secretary Seo, what?”

Beyond the phone, I heard Secretary Seo’s voice, “Boss. Your girlfriend’s here.”

Chapter 105 - A Hundred- Thousand-Dollar Vacation

I lay on the bench and looked at the Wi-Pad. What was on the screen was the company that would be my fourth takeover target.

[Semi-annual Report of Hyun Young Pharmaceutical]

It was a mid-sized pharmaceutical company with a total capital of one billion dollars, listed on the KOSPI in 1985. However, the semi-annual report was very unfavorable. The financial statements were loaded with red numbers indicating a deficit. Although its operating profit was still ongoing, the expense of the research and development budget was going to be enormous.

‘But… that is until this year.’ Joint therapy, which had in development for five years at a cost of hundreds of million dollars, would be approved by the U.S. FDA early next year. It was widely believed that their market capital would be at least double. That widely-accepted theory would come true. I knew that.

‘Chairman Shin Jae-eun and his family’s stakes are 25.4%… If they are roughly converted, that will be about two hundred and fifty million dollars. So I need to have more than that to be recognized by 12 Hours After as a major shareholder… A foreign investment firm, JM Partners, has 9.8%, Duri Investment & Securities has 7%, and pensions and funds have 3%…’

We had already talked with JM Partners and Duri Investment & Securities. From the two investment firms, we would buy up their shares with a five percent premium, while the remaining shortfall would be increased with a third party-allocated paid-in capital increase. The only problem was that Chairman Shin Jae-eun was worried about management interference. “I know CEO Han Sang-hoon is a good investor, but we don’t want to be under anyone.”

I understood that. It had been listed for fifty years, in business since the time of the Japanese colonial rule, when it had sold an ointment in Hanyang. If a complete stranger came in here with his money and said, “Hand it over,” they would not hand it over easily. So, we had to sweat quite a bit to explain that we would not touch management and it was just for investment purposes.

However, Chairman Shin Jae-eun held out to the end saying, “I can’t believe it. You’re going to spend over $300,000,000, and just let it go?”

‘Whew! Should we buy it at market price? Shall we fight it out with a real hostile M&A?’ We’d been through a crisis like that.

“Look at Kai Games, Blue E&M, and OH Entertainment. We have never touched their management.” Thanks to Mr. Jang’s persistent persuasion, we finally got his consent, “… Let’s do it, then.”

It was a relief. If we had tried to do a hostile M&A, we would have paid at least double the money. If we fought with the collateral of Kai Games, which was running toward a market capital of a billion dollars, we would have won in the end, but only the others caught in between would have gotten good things.

‘All right, then, as soon as I take this over, I’ll be in the Master Class…’

There was one more good thing about Hyun Young Pharmaceutical; it had another forty-million-dollar subsidiary called Hyun Young Bio Farm on the KOSDAQ. Although it was a small company, it was still a listed company. Hyun Young Bio Farm’s major shareholder was Hyun Young Pharmaceutical, and I was Hyun Young Pharmaceutical’s major shareholder. Naturally, I became the one who ruled the two companies. This point was clearly approved by the Customer Service.

‘Okay, then, this is done.’ I picked up a glass of green mojito from the small podium beside the bench and took a sip. Then, I turned on the MTS.

‘Let’s see how it’s going?’ But then, two white hands with red manicures came down on the Wi-Pad.

“Ah…” The moment I was checking, the Wi-Pad disappeared from my hands. As I lifted my head, there stood Lee Ah-young, wearing a red bikini, with her hand on her waist.

“You decided not to work here, oppa.”

I naturally shifted my eyes to her fantastic figure. Even in plain clothes, she was super glamorous, her body having excellent lines. As she was wearing a bikini, she was a beauty herself. In addition, the emerald beaches spread out in the background, and looking at the seagulls flying around was a gorgeous picture.

She was right. It was not good to be here for summer vacation and think about work. I had to rest when I took a break, and I would be able to work well when I went back to work. I stood up from the bench and said, “Ahh… Yeah. Sorry.”

She spoke to me with her hands on her waist, “One more time, and it’ll be confiscated.”

She had a slight frown on her face; it was rather cute. I stood up and said, “I got it. I got it.”

She said, pulling my hand, “Let’s go play at the beach, together.”

I headed for the beach, which was naturally lit up by her gentle touch. This was Hawaii. It was a place with a beautiful view of heaven and earth, and I had fun with Lee Ah-young, who had become my girlfriend here, leaving things off my head. It was simple to explain how she became a girlfriend.

At that time, she had said, “I’ll buy you another meal.” And I had said, “All right, if you don’t drink.” We met again with text messages, ate and talked together, and became more and more friendly. Living right next door, we sometimes visited each other’s place, exchanged texts, dated again and again, and ended up like this.

“Oppa, borrow that one, a couple-tube, that will be fun!”

I didn’t know it until we got to know each other, but she was a brighter person than I had thought. On purpose, she had a high-handed attitude for strangers. She told me that she was shy and that she was wary of the people she met. She had been arrogant when she wanted to be close to someone.

Well, it was okay. She was good to me anyway, and she was cute and charming. Of course, she was the peak of her appearance and physical beauty, which kept other women out of touch. I jumped into the sea with her, holding a couple-tube.

Above the sky was a warm sun and blue sky, and below was a clear sea where starfish could be seen. The waves went up and down pleasantly. I mumbled, holding Ah-young’s hand, “Ha, I think this is heaven.”

It was true. The place was good, and a person with me was good. I felt as if I was in heaven. I heard her voice in my ears. “Me too, oppa.”

——————————–

I walked through Honolulu with pineapple juice in one hand and Lee Ah-young in the other. As a world-class resort, there were plenty of things to see in the city. I looked at it and asked her, “So, what do you want to eat for dinner?” I was pretty hungry after playing in the water all day.

She asked me the other way round, “Oppa, did you happen to see that program? Do you know Gourmet Street, which was broadcast some time ago? The edition in Hawaii?”

I tilted my head. “Well, I think I’ve heard of it…” I didn’t know what it was, because there were so many Mukbangs (eating shows) going on these days.

“It’s a delicious restaurant, and it cooks all kinds of fresh seafood in Hawaiian style.”

“Oh, really?”

Most of the trip schedule had been arranged by her. I had been busy trading and working at the company every day, but she had a lot of time, because it was her vacation. She didn’t complain about scheduling the trip by herself.

“Then, I’ll arrange all the hotels and restaurants, oppa.” She loved to choose such things. That fit me well, as I was annoyed with doing such things.

“They mix tuna that they caught up the same day in Hawaii with a special sauce to make Poke.”

She was very aware of gastronomy and knew what was delicious and so on. If I thought about it, it was fair to say, it was gone now, but when she was a child she was the only heir to Go-young Food. What was surprising was that she was also a glutton. She hid it a little bit for a while, whether she was ashamed of it during the first half of the romance, but she soon revealed it.

“Do you want me to order this one, too? I think you’re going to feel it’s a little bit short.”

She ate more than a man, using my excuse. It was amazing to watch her eat a lot, but she didn’t gain any weight even though she ate so much. I thought it was important to be born in shape.

She said to me, hopping in place, “It’s expected, isn’t it?”

‘Whatever I eat, it’s delicious to eat with her.’ Then, while we were walking toward the restaurant, she paused for a moment. She raised her head and looked from place to place.

“Well, this is it, you see it?”

I said while picking up my cell phone, “What did you say the name of the restaurant was?”

‘Turning on Google Maps, I’ll know where it is.’

But instead of giving me the name of the restaurant, she approached a lady on the street and asked in perfect native English, “Excuse me, is there a Nicor’s Peer 38 around here?”

“Thanks. Bye.” After chatting with the local lady for a long time, she wrapped her arms around me again.

“Let’s go, oppa. We’ll be there in a few minutes.”

I told her, “I envy you.”

“What?”

“Your fluent English.”

I heard that she went to America to study, not only in college but also in elementary school. Four years in elementary school, four years in college, eight years in total. When she was in college, she went to America to study art, but when she was in elementary school, she went there to learn English. As she learned it when she was young, her pronunciation was really good.

I helped out with chores at my father’s training center at that age. She was born to a rich family, but I was born to a poor family. Now I had more money, but some things would not change for life.

“Well, you’ll do well after a few months.”

I shook my head and said, “Well, is it even possible in a few months?” I’d already tried it in the hope of advancing into the U.S. or abroad in the future.

“I’ll teach you. I’ll stick around you like this.”

I said with a slight smile, “Huh… Yeah.”

I walked down the street with her again. She peeped at the cell phone I was holding. I put my cellphone in my pants, which I had turned on to look for Google Maps earlier. She didn’t really like me looking at my cell phone. It was my fault. I kept checking stock prices even after I had come to Hawaii. Although it was a habit of stock investors, I felt sorry about that, too. I thought while putting my cell phone in, ‘Well, I made an algorithm to trade automatically, so it’ll work, but…’

Before I went on vacation, I had programmed the stocks to be traded automatically without me. Even without me, my computer would buy stocks according to the good news written in my calendar and sell them when they went to a certain price. Of course, it was not as good as doing it myself, so I was giving up about a hundred thousand dollars a day.

I was rich, and Ah-young was rich, too. Therefore, we did not spare any travel expenses from hotel to eating and playing, but in fact, the biggest expense was that I didn’t trade the stocks myself. However, I decided to take it. If I did care that much for the money, I wouldn’t be able to take a vacation for the rest of my life.

‘A hundred-thousand-dollar per day vacation… What an expensive vacation.’ But it was cheap at the price. There were a fancy Honolulu City and an ultimate beauty holding my arm. For this, a hundred thousand dollars every day was cheap at the price.

Chapter 106 - Regular Report, Part I

The alarm rang. I opened my eyes, stretched my hand and turned off the alarm by grabbing the cell phone that the alarm was ringing on. If I turned off the alarm, today’s date would come out: July 12, 2019.

‘Well… I have to go to work today.’ Today, I had an important item, the regular report of Invictus Investment, to review and evaluate the investments made by it.

I got out of bed. The blanket rolled up, and I felt a sense of resistance. Looking next to me, Lee Ah-young held my blanket like a baby. I lifted the quilt, covered her bare shoulders, and stood up from my side.

At that time, a sharp pain went past my waist. “Ugh…” I got out of bed, patting my back like a 90-year-old old man. I’d been on vacation for a week, back for two days. I’d been doing too much lately. I looked at the clock. It was 7:40 and I saw Lee Ah-young still lying on my bed. No matter how romantic we were, I should have my own time at 8:55.

‘I’ll go to work early and get an email from work.’ Thinking so, I went to the bathroom and took a shower first. When I came out of the living room, Lee Ah-young was rubbing her eyes. I asked her, “Are you awake?”

“Uh… are you going to work today?”

“Yes. I have something important to do today.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, I’ll go to work first, so get some more sleep.”

“What about breakfast?”

“There’s a toast house in front of the company. I’m going to eat there.”

“Toast? Wait a minute. I’ll do it for you.”

“What? We don’t have bread or a toast machine in my apartment.”

She got out of bed and said, packing her underwear, “It’s all in my room.”

“… yes.”

I went to the dressing room, got dressed, picked out my watch, put on my skin lotion and roughly styled my hair, and packed my bag with my Wi-Pad and laptop. I was ready to go to work, and looking at my watch, it was 8:30. It was only two blocks from the office. It was very close, but now I had to leave to get an email.

As soon as I thought, ‘I have to get out of here now,’ my room’s keyword was pressed. Soon the door opened, and Lee Ah-young brought a toast cut for good use on a plate, and a cup of strong coffee.

“Not late, oppa.”

“Oh. I think I can eat this and go.”

But toast was a bit unique. Bread was the same bread, but the toppings were sp,e that I couldn’t see in Korean franchises. There were things like strawberries and blackberries on the nuts.

“What’s this? It’s unusual.”

“It’s original Chicago style.”

Chicago was where she had been studying abroad. I took a bite of it and it was delicious. The maple syrup on the bread went well with toppings.

“Well, it’s delicious.”

“That’s it, right?”

Whether the Chicago style was compatible with my taste, or it was because of the sensibility of the only daughter of a food company, anyway, it was really delicious. Thanks to the taste of toast, and the short time, I quickly finished the toast.

“It’s delicious. Thank you. Thanks for setting it up.”

Lee Ah-young curled up and smiled cutely.

I drank all the remaining coffee and told her, “I’ll go. You’re going to…”

“I am on vacation.”

“You are a student; that’s good. I’ll get out.”

She kissed me on the cheek and said, “I wish you a pleasant day, oppa.” She acted like she was trying to see me off at my house.

“… Aren’t you going home?”

“Ah… I thought I’d watch the drama of a newly married couple.”

She smiled and walked out the door with me. Then she went into her room and said, “Well, I hope you do well.”

I said to her, reaching out my hand, “Yes.”

——————————————-

I went to work at our office after a long time. Secretary Seo was in front of the door of the president’s office, as usual. When he saw me, he stood up and asked, “How was your vacation?”

“I got a little tan, right?”

“Yes. And…” He glanced up and down at me. “You went to rest, but somehow… you look more tired than usual.”

“Hmm? Really?”

As I asked, he said, with a slightly insidious smile, “It seems that your energy has been sucked out…”

At times like this, He was Seo Ji-hoon, my junior in college, not Secretary Seo.

“You…” I slapped him on the shoulder with my fist.

He said, running away, “Hahaha, I’m joking. I’m joking.”

I also smiled and said to him, “What about you? Where have you been on vacation?”

“Bangkok.”

“Bangkok? Thailand?”

“No. Just in the room. I was just at home.”

“Why? You’d better go abroad when I go out. I gave you enough of a bonus, right?”

That was true. I gave my entire staff a vacation bonus for this holiday season. Vice President Jang and Secretary Seo were directly given thirty thousand dollars each.

“Oh, that’s well saved for my future.”

I said with my arms crossed, “What’s wrong with you? You should use it. Do you have any problems with your family? Did your parents give security for someone?”

Secretary Seo shook his head at my words, “No.”

“Let me know if there’s anything like that. I’ll take care of it all if it can be solved with money.”

“No, that’s not what happened. You know that. I prefer playing at home to going somewhere.”

Well, he’d been a houseboy for a long time. I had raised his salary from five thousand to ten thousand dollars a month. His annual salary had already exceeded a hundred thousand dollars. Of course, I paid a lot of year-end bonus and vacation bonus. I was very careful not to cause any problems by skimping on money.

“… yes. But don’t stay home too long and get out of there. You should go out and have a new experience.”

He smiled and said, “Yes, boss.”

“So, when is today’s meeting with the presidents?”

” At eleven o’clock.”

“Well. Yeah. Don’t make the presidents who come in advance wait too long… Just call them into the president’s office. I will have a little talk with them.”

“Yes, boss.”

———————–

I spent my time going into the president’s office, getting emails as usual, and trading by myself. Before eleven o’clock, the presidents of our subsidiaries arrived here, one by one. The first to come was Ahn Yong-kyun, president of Blue E&M. He came half an hour earlier than his appointment time.

“Hello, CEO Han. How have you been?”

“Oh, yes. How are you?”

We greeted each other. More than that, I could see a little box he was holding.

“Yes, it’s… it’s red ginseng. I was worried that you might be sick in the summer heat.”

“Ah… yes.”

He humbled to himself the most among the presidents of subsidiaries I’d ever invested in. I thought it was because he was in the most financially demanding position.

“Secretary Seo.” I made a gesture for Secretary Seo and received the red ginseng gift. I was not interested in these things, but if I would give it to my parents, they would like it.

“How are you doing these days?”

“As a result of intensive pushes of Fantasy War Ground, the share of our company in the game market has jumped from 7% to 12%.”

“Oh, that’s great!”

The Internet broadcasting market was growing every year. Top company European TV had also had its stock price go up a lot recently. Blue E&M also rode the wave and recently watched its share price soar.

“Sit down.” I offered him a seat, but a second visitor Shin Dong-woo, CEO of Kai Games, came in.

“How have you been, CEO Han?”

“Yes, you’re busy these days, right?”

He said with a big smile, “Yes, a little…”

He had to be pretty busy, not a little bit. Fantasy War Ground was such a big hit that it was booming all over the world. He must have been very, very busy managing the company or traveling abroad. There was nothing to say about the stock price. The company’s market capital, which was only a hundred and twenty million dollars when I had taken over, was now eight hundred million. It had risen more than six times. As a result, it had become the best investment for me and for the Invictus Investment.

CEO Shin Dong-woo also shook hands with Ahn Yong-kyun, who was first here. “President Oh is here, too. How are you?”

“Oh, yes, I’m doing great, thanks to you.”

The two had already been acquainted: one was making games and one was broadcasting, as I had instructed, so I arranged the collaboration earlier.

“You two are here, and we’ll soon have three more. Let’s go to the meeting room.” I led the two to the ready-to-be convention hall.

On the way, Vice President Jang joined me, too. “Ah, you are here, presidents?”

At 9:45, the third person, my personal best friend, Kwon Oh-hyuk, president of OH Entertainment, arrived.

“How are you?” He came up and bowed his head to me. He looked at the two presidents who were there first. “Oh, I’m late. I’m sorry. Presidents.” He said hello to me one more time.

“No. You’re early.” He was not late, but two other presidents came very early.

I greeted him, “How are you these days?”

“You know, boss. The preview of “I’m Going to See You Tomorrow” was very good. The audience liked it, and the critics raised their thumbs.”

“Oh, really?”

“I’m Going to See You Tomorrow” was a melodramatic film starring Oh Hyun-joo, the star of OH Entertainment. The movie they had cranked in last year was about to be released.

I nodded, “That’s great! How is Ms. Oh?”

“Yes, of course. She’s greatly looking forward to this movie. She thinks it will be the most successful film of her own career.”

“Oh, really? I’ll see it to fill her expectations.”

He lowered his head several times and showed me his shiny bald head. “Oh, thank you very much, boss. I’ll give a word to Hyun-joo.”

I nodded, “Yes, please.”

After the three existing presidents took their places, I looked around them and said, “Oh, I don’t know if you’ve heard, but there are two more people coming today. First is Chung So-young, president of the media company Oracle News, and next is Shin Jae-eun, chairman of Hyun Young Pharmaceutical.”

Everyone had no response when “Oracle News” came out, but when it came to Hyun Young Pharmaceutical, their eyes changed slightly. To be sure, the ten-million-dollar Internet newspaper company and a billion-dollar mid-sized pharmaceutical company seemed to have different weight. Around 10:50, two CEOs appeared in the conference room, as I had predicted.

A woman in her forties was first, contrasting with three middle-aged men. Chung So-young, CEO of Oracle News, greeted me in a lively voice, “Hello, CEO Han!”

She had something mature sexy to fit in her forties. Red lipstick and red suit looked really good on her. It was also fair to say that the three CEOs who were here first couldn’t take their eyes off her.

‘Everyone has a wife and children… Come to think of it, President Kwon is single.’

She just happened to sit next to Kwon Oh-hyuk. I thought they looked good together.

‘Is CEO Chung married?’ I was not sure.

Finally, at 10:55, Shin Jae-eun, chairman of Hyun Young Pharmaceutical, in his sixties with perfect gray hair, made his appearance. The contract with Hyun Young Pharmaceutical was not yet finished, but since the agreement had already been reached verbally, he decided to come to greet me and other presidents. “Hello, CEO Han. And a lot of bosses.”

When he came in, Ahn Yong-kyun, president of Blue E&M, quickly stepped aside and said, “Sit here, Mr. Chairman.” Then he went to the last seat and sat down.

Chairman Shin Jae-eun sat in the seat without saying a word.

With this, the CEOs of a total of five listed companies and one media company I invested in, gathered together. I said, gathering my hands together, “Good to see you, ladies and gentlemen.”

Chapter 107 - Regular Report, Part II

“So … as a result, we’ve made a three hundred and sixty percent return on Kai Games, eighty percent on Blue E&M, and thirty percent on OH Entertainment in the first and second quarters of this year,” Vice President Jang explained by turning the point beams around, and as he spoke, the five company presidents never took their eyes off him. In fact, Jang was as powerful as me in our company, just as the Emperor’s second man had more power than the king of other kingdoms; his title was Vice President, but he had to be virtually above other presidents.

“As a result, the assets of Invictus Investment have also risen by two hundred and sixty percent, and I think this is due to all your hard work.”

Clap clap clap clap… Each president gathered their hands and applauded. They would all be applauded in their company, but here they were applauding. By the time the applause had died down, I had words for them.

“And as I said, two more companies have become our subsidiaries. First, as you know, Hyun Young Pharmaceutical is a long-standing and traditional pharmaceutical company that has achieved long-term results in the Korean market. Recently, they’ve been knocking on the international pharmaceutical market through new drug development. I’ve decided to invest this time as I highly approve their growth.”

Chairman Shin Jae-eun and his white hair rose slightly and greeted me and other presidents who were younger than him. “Nice to see you all. As CEO Han Sang-hoon said, our company Hyun Young Pharmaceutical has been leading the way to the international market from Korea. During the process, we met CEO Han Sang-hoon and Invictus Investment, who have made successful investments, and made a decision to work with them.”

Clap clap clap clap… The audience applauded again, especially Ahn Yong-kyun, president of the Blue E&M, Sapphire TV, applauded a little too much. He clapped overlong and applauded. He seemed a bit of an idiot.

Shin Jae-eun, who had been solidifying his face all the time, laughed a little. He turned to me and said, “To be honest, there was a bit of doubt when I first got the offer, but I’m relieved to see the presidents who are doing so well. I’ll ask you for your help.”

I bowed my head a little bit and extended my hand. I hurried to stand up and received his greeting. Clap clap clap clap… Once again, the applause echoed. From what he said, he didn’t seem to be sure what the development of their new drug would be like. I knew they were doing their best, but they would have to get the approval of the FDA in the US, which was famous for its strict screening standards.

If they had known about the success of their new drug development, they would have bought their own shares to the best of their ability. As was the case with the Kai Games, I was more likely to believe in the success of the company than the owners of the invested companies were. No, to put it right, I knew more than to “believe.”

“The next announcer is President Chung So-young of Oracle News, the new leader of the Internet news industry.”

Chung So-young got up from her seat. At the same time, the eyes of the other presidents turned to her. The mature sexiness flowing out of her seemed to attract their attention.

“Hello, presidents. I am Chung So-young of Oracle News. We received a large investment from CEO Han Sang-hoon last month and became a subsidiary. Please take good care of us from now on.”

It was a short greeting, but it seemed to attract more attention from the three middle-aged men.

I said afterward, “You know, I want to create some synergy between the companies I’ve invested in. Wouldn’t it be better if we could invest in and help each other from an investment standpoint? Blue E&M is playing the role of the bridge now…”

At my words, President Ahn Yong-kyun bowed deeply.

“I want my subsidiaries to create some synergy together, with games and Internet broadcasting, and Internet broadcasting and OH entertainment, in that way. In that sense, I’m not saying it directly, but the reason I invested in Oracle News… You know that.”

Everyone nodded at what I said.

‘Whatever they do these days, the news soon becomes an advertisement. As a game is released, when a new drug comes out, and as a new drama is released, they put a great deal of energy into the advertisement.’

“I’ve already talked about the advantages with President Chung So-young when I invested. Share your contacts today, and be sure to help one another do business.”

I didn’t say it directly at the end, but I made it clear: If anything happens, give the news to Oracle News first!

It was also good for me to see the future news. ‘The more news comes from our company, the more likely it will be to appear in future news. If anything is in the news of the future, we can deal with it, good or bad.’

“Then, let’s finish our regular report, and go eat together.”

—————————————-

During the following meal time, I talked with Shin Jae-eun more closely than the other presidents. As I had already had quite an acquaintance with other presidents, I thought that I should get acquainted with Chairman Shin Jae-eun.

“Well, I see. Your father ran a Judo training center?”

“Yes, I suggested he retire, but… even now, he’s almost sixty years old, and he’s still motivated to work. ”

“Oh, I see.”

“Yes, so I recently bought him a building that he had rented… He has been bothered by the building owners all his life, but now he is the owner of the building.”

“You are a devoted son, CEO Han.”

I smiled and nodded. “I’ve received something, so I have to answer for it; it’s a son’s responsibility.”

“Oh, I see. CEO Han Sang-hoon, what’s your age this year…”

“I’m thirty.”

“You are very young, and you are very successful.”

“Don’t mention it.”

But then, Shin asked me with his eyes glinting. “I’m sorry to ask you a personal question, but… are you married, by any chance?”

“No. I’m still single.”

“Then the woman you’re dating…”

This was a real personal question. I hesitated for a moment, then said, “Recently, I have had one.”

“Ah… I see.”

Chairman Shin Jae-eun licked his lips with his tongue, as if it was a bit disappointing. I didn’t know what it was. But if I had said no, he would have taken a picture of someone from his phone and shown it to me, a daughter or a niece. Now that I had invested three hundred million dollars in Hyun Young Pharmaceutical, if I would enter his son-in-law, I would gain more than that. I watched him sipping soup.

‘I thought he was just talking to me as an acquaintance. He is not just an old man.’

I turned to President Kwon Oh-hyuk on the other side, for fear of further stories coming out that way. “President Kwon.”

“Yes, boss.”

President Kwon Oh-hyuk was actually a bit down today, because it recorded the lowest return among the three companies. The thirty percent rise in the first and second quarters was also quite high, but it looked relatively less since even Blue E&M, let alone Kai Games, had elevated like a rocket. But that would also be different in a little while.

“The… Idol Management 108 is about to start filming, right? What about the trainees’ practice…?”

“They have been practicing hard for this program. You can look forward to it.”

‘The upcoming Idol Management 108 is a TV show that creates idol groups through Internet voting, making it one of the hottest topics in the entertainment industry this year.’

“Okay. If two or three of our people are finalists in the last group, it’s a big hit. Please pay as much attention to that side as possible.”

“Yes, boss.”

‘In particular, the program is designed to bring together Korean, Japanese, and Chinese trainees from all three countries at the same time, so it will be very popular during the selection process in the Japanese and Chinese markets, as well as the Korean market. If it succeeds here, it will be a dramatic turnaround for OH Entertainment, which has had a bad result for years in the idol business.’

“And because it’s a public event anyway… Even with Ahn Yong-kyun…” That was what I was saying.

“Yes, sir. Did you call me?” President Ahn Yong-kyun, who was at the next table, ran up and stuck close to me. I had talked low, but he heard it.

I said with a dingy smile, “Oh, you’ve been listening. You know about Idol Management 108, right?”

“Yes, of course, sir.”

“Is there any way Sapphire TV can push them?”

“There’s a lot were can do. I’ll try decorating the main banner and famous BJs with this content.”

“Yes, then, especially…” I glanced at President Kwon as I said that.

President Ahn Yong-kyun continued, “Of course. We’ll do our best to support OH Entertainment’s trainees. Our BJs have amazing skills at gathering public opinion.”

“Yes, then…” I glanced at Chung So-young. She nodded like the president of the media company, blinking even if I didn’t say a word. In a few weeks, she would put out the news like this:

[A fresh look at Heo Yoon-mi from OH Entertainment]

[Special event launching at Sapphire TV for Idol Manager 108]

At the end of my talk, Chairman Shin Jae-eun also said to President Kwon Oh-hyuk. “Oh, Hyun-joo is from OH Entertainment?”

“Yes, Chairman. Our company name is OH, which is named after my name Oh Hyuk, but it also means Oh Hyun-joo’s. She is a key representing celebrity.”

“Oh, I see. I have to choose a new advertising model for our company’s eye drops this time, and Oh Hyun-joo seems to fit in because she has a bright and positive image. There is an audition next week. If you have free time, come and take the audition. I’ll inform them as well as I can.”

“Oh, of course. I’ll surely send her, Chairman!”

Upon hearing that, I saw President Chung So-young once again and she nodded once again. From the time the ad was released, it would now appear in a banner ad for Oracle News.

‘The more companies, the more synergies we have. If there’s more to come….’ But suddenly, I had an idea, ‘When this thing gets bigger… it’s a whole chaebol system, right?’

‘All the nation’s chaebols are tangled up like cobwebs in this way. It seems to outsource to another company, but it is outsourced to his son’s company. It seems to put an advertisement with another company, but leaves the ad to his daughter’s company. In the end, even though it seems to be investing, it doesn’t spend money, and ends up forming its own league with its own money.

‘As our five companies are together, it is like this. There is no need to mention chaebols, which have hundreds of subsidiaries in terms of equity ties. Maybe that’s the future of Invictus Investment: an emerging tycoon.

‘… and then, when I am a Master Class… then the Grand Master Class… What’s the condition? If they ask me to rule ten, not five…

‘If we go that way, our company may turn into a kind of Invictus Holdings, a holding company, up from a general investment company. I will become a chairman, and Vice President Jang will become a new president who will manage the subsidiaries.

‘Well… what will happen?

‘Investment in Hyun Young Pharmaceutical will be completed next month. The future news will be upgraded and become a Master Class. There’s no justification for upgrading all the time, but experience has shown that the higher the class, the stronger my power becomes. I want to hold the stronger power.

‘Grand Master Class… and then like xxx… That’s the unknown class…

‘According to Customer Service, the unknown class has a much stronger skill than the previous classes. I don’t know what it is, but I really want it…’

Chapter 108 - I’m Going to See You Tomorrow

I carefully took the soup to my mouth. I was a little nervous, as I was not very good at lying. But if I ate it, I had to say it was good whether it would taste good or not. By the way, I said it from the bottom of my heart, “It’s delicious!”

Lee Ah-young, who was watching my face carefully, smiled brightly, “Really?”

I said, nodding my head, “Yes, where did you learn to do soybean paste soup while you were in America?”

“I just learned from the Internet.”

I’d been living on my own for almost ten years. ‘It never tasted like this when I tried…’

She certainly seemed to have been born with a gold hand in cooking. I had breakfast with a simple side dish, including soybean paste soup, sunny-side-up fries, and kimchi.

“It’s all good. Did you learn all this by yourself when you went abroad to study?”

“No. I bought most of my food when I went abroad to study. I liked the American style. But when I came back to Korea, I remembered the home meals my mom used to cook… and I’ve tried this and that.”

“Well… I see.”

I had breakfast with her like that. It was good to have a girlfriend right next door. Of course, sometimes it was a little burdensome. I even drank coffee from her mixer. In the meantime, the alarm went off. It was 8:50 a.m.

“I’ll go. It’s time to work.”

“Can’t you just take a day off and hang out with me?”

I shook my head, “No, I can’t.”

‘If I don’t work, I miss a few hundred thousand dollars a day. Even though I’ve already become wealthy, with hundreds of millions of dollars, I can’t afford to let go of my work. Will I be able to give up this even if I become worth a few billion dollars? Probably not…’

Consoling her, as she was slightly downcast, I said, “When the market ends, let’s go to the movies in the afternoon.”

“Really?”

“Yes, the movie theater is right next to us anyway.”

“Then what will we see? What kind of genre do you like, oppa?”

“Anything. I don’t care much.”

“Then I will choose what I want to see.”

“Yes,” I agreed thoughtlessly, then left her room and came back to my own apartment. The computer was already on. I sat down and accepted the email, 12 Hours After.

“Umm…” These days, I did not take the news 12 Hours After into account much. The running money was so big that I didn’t pay much attention to the short-term news 12 Hours After. These days, my main focus was on the news 12 Days After or 12 Weeks After. They would give me enough time to analyze the power of the news and to gather more shares.

I was humming and pressing the news 12 Days After. By the way, some interesting news came out.

[Politics – The constitutional amendment should not be delayed any longer. A proposal was made for a simultaneous vote with the general election.]

[Economy – The stock price of Hyun Young Pharmaceutical surged according to the change in the largest shareholder.]

[Society – An intensely hateful society. What’s the problem?]

On the Economy category, there was news about Hyun Young Pharmaceutical.

“It’s our news, isn’t it?”

I clicked on it.

[Hyun Young Pharmaceutical has been on a sharp rise on news that it will change its largest shareholder. Invictus Investment (CEO Han Sang-hoon), a mid-sized investment company, recently completed a large-scale stock purchase, followed by a third party-allocated paid-in capital increase to become the largest shareholder of Hyun Young Pharmaceutical…]

I could see my name in the news, too. I grinned. ‘Now I’m also in the future news.’

I felt like I was becoming the main character in the world. If I made ten, twenty, fifty, and a hundred companies that I could rule here, I would be on the news even if I didn’t like it. If I searched for myself in People Search, I might be able to get some news like [CEO Han Sang-hoon’s business trip to China…] and [CEO Han Sang-hoon’s investment is on the right track again.]

‘Not only that, right now I am young, and I see only 12 Months After, but when I get older, if I receive the news 12 Years After, I may get the news like [Chairman Han Sang-hoon dies of lung cancer.]

‘Then, twelve years early, I can take a lung cancer test, prevent it first, or have surgery. In the case of lung cancer, the survival rate is more than seventy percent if found in Stage One, but less than five if found in Stage Four. I’ll live a few more years than I originally could. It’s easy to avoid a traffic accident by simply changing my schedule for that day.

‘All right. All right. It’s going well.’ I also typed in my name in People Search, with that idea.

[Han Sang-hoon, the representative of a party, says the Blue House has to show willingness for the constitutional amendment.]

However, I was still behind a politician Han Sang-hoon. In terms of recognition, he seemed to be a mountain which I needed to cross over.

‘A politician versus a businessman… I can’t help it, but… As a CEO of a company, if I were compared to the representative of a party, I will have to become a chairman of the nation’s top five conglomerates. Will it take ten years?

‘It won’t be that far. No, ten years is just the time it takes in light of what I have in terms of my current Diamond Class. The higher the class, the shorter the time it will take to establish my empire.

‘All right, two weeks from now, it will be done.

‘The contract will be concluded next week, and the paid-in capital increase will be completed next week, too. When I consider the last time, when I got to Diamond Class, I will receive a “Class Notice” twelve hours from the time the stock is fully transferred. I’ll be stronger when I get the Master Class.’

———————————-

“All right, here… I am going to buy six hundred thousand dollars worth at the closing price, and it’s over.”

I got up from my seat with my last order today. I was supposed to go out with Lee Ah-young after the market closed: a movie theater date. I opened the door right away and rang the doorbell next door, Lee Ah-young’s. In fact, I knew her password thanks to her friend Sarah, but I didn’t let her know that because she had never told me directly.

“I am done with my work today.”

“Really? Let’s go right away. It’s a 3:50 movie.”

“What kind of movie?”

“It’s ‘I’m Going to See You Tomorrow,’ a romantic movie.”

When I heard it, I said, slightly opening my mouth, “Ahh… I’m Going to See You Tomorrow…?”

“I’m Going to See You Tomorrow” was a film starring Oh Hyun-joo. A few days ago, it was mentioned by President Kwon Oh-hyuk at the regular report. He reported that the preview was good. Oh Hyun-joo was my favorite actress and I said to President Kwon Oh-hyuk, “I’ll make sure I see it.” But for some reason, I felt uncomfortable going to see it with my girlfriend, Lee Ah-young.

Lee Ah-young, who looked at my eyes, said to me, “Don’t you like romantic movies?”

“No… No. It’s okay. Let’s go see it.”

“Uh…” She looked up at me like I was strange, but she didn’t ask me any more questions.

——————————–

Oh Hyun-joo was up on the big screen. She looks back at the male main character with a pure face and speaks her lines, “Tomorrow… I am going to see you tomorrow.”

I watched the movie without touching the soda I had bought. I had two thoughts while watching the movie.

‘First, Oh Hyun-joo’s beauty is great, and she’s really good at acting. I’ve known her since she was unknown, but she seems to be doing better recently. She plays the main character of the tragic actress, and she seems to have become the character herself.

‘The second thought is rather a snobbish one: “No, this…Who is the production company? If it’s a listed company, the stock price is going to jump.” This is definitely a big hit. Just as I benefited from the zombie movie “Train to Seoul” in the past, I can earn a few million dollars if I invest in the production company. Oh’s agency, OH Entertainment, is also likely to rise a lot, before the surge of Idol Manager 108. It’s amazing.’

After the movie, the lights came on and the ending credits went up. I saw Lee Ah-young sitting next to me. “That’s funny, isn’t it?”

However, she was not able to answer at all. She was covering her mouth and crying a little. I looked around, found a napkin that came with the nachos I had bought when I came into the theater, and handed it to her. She wiped it around her eyes and told me. “It’s so… moving, oppa, isn’t it?”

“Sure.”

I thought I was being a little bit parched. With a tragic story of lovers, a touching reunion, and a break-up again, the wonderful story, I just thought about who the production company was…

‘Now I can’t cry at anything…’ I waited for her to stop crying, thinking about it. After a while, I left the theater with her arms crossed. She still didn’t seem to be out of touch.

“It was really fun, oppa!”

“Yes, let’s come and see it again.”

“Yes!”

It was only 5:30 now that the movie was over. Now we would have to go to dinner.

‘What shall we have for dinner?’ I was thinking of it, but she asked me. “By the way, the actress was really good at acting. What’s her name, oppa?”

“Ah… Oh Hyun-joo.” For some reason, just saying the name to a girlfriend next to me made me feel a little guilty. Maybe it’s because she was my ideal type.

“Really? I’ve only seen her in commercials… and I’ve never seen her act before, but she’s quite good at acting.”

I nodded. “Uh… she’s famous.”

“Really? What else did she shoot? Do you know her well?”

I already knew her personally and I decided to speak frankly, “Oh… That’s right. She’s actually a member of OH Entertainment, our subsidiary. The old drama, ‘The Uncle of You and I’ is also famous.”

Of course, I did not say either she was my ideal type, or that I had saved her from danger.

“Oh, I see… She is from your company. The Uncle of You and I? I’ll have to see that, too.”

I nodded, then quickly turned the subject around. “Yes. By the way, where are we going to eat today?”

————————————-

A week later, a public announcement was finally made.

[The third party-allocated paid-in capital increase is completed, accompanied by a change in Hyun Young Pharmaceutical’s majority shareholder.]

At the same time as the disclosure, the stock price of Hyun Young Pharmaceutical jumped twelve percent. I went to the stock bulletin board.

– Wow, is this investment of Invictus Investment real? Let’s go to the double.-

– Who is Invictus Investment? What is it?-

– This is the company that earned a lot with the reverse betting on Bisang Construction.-

– They had a big hit with Kai Games. That’s great.-

When we took over a company before, they used to say -Who the hell is this company we have never seen and heard about?-

And the stock price did not go up, but it fell. Compared to now, it had totally changed.

– Is this the company run by the stock genius, CEO Han Sang-hoon, right? It’s already fixed to earn double.-

-Han Sang Hoon must have smelled money again. But it’s not a game company or an entertainment company, but a pharmaceutical company?-

– He’s a real genius. He doesn’t seem to care about what the company is.-

There were many comments praising me on the bulletin board. Now, my reputation seemed to be spreading to stock investors as well. It should be, because Invictus Investment was becoming an investment company which had never lost since I first set it up.

‘OK, now I’m slowly gaining fame.’ I laid back a little in the chair while watching the bulletin board.

———-

A week later. I finally got it: the Master Class Guide!

Chapter 109 - The Master Class

I took a shower early in the morning, got dressed, and left the apartment. As I walked out of the apartment, I saw Ah-young’s apartment next door.

‘She is sleeping now, right?’

I’d been in and out almost every day lately because I’d been eating breakfast, but it was a pass today. I told Ah-young, “I’m afraid I’ll have to go to work early tomorrow, because I have something important to do.”

Ah-young sometimes wanted to be with me, but she didn’t protest when I said, “It’s important.” That was a good thing, it was cool. I took the elevator down to the basement and drove my Bentley out of the underground parking lot. The intersection of Gangnam Station was quiet at 6:30 a.m. Gangnam Station, where my apartment was located, and Nonhyeon Station, where the company was located, were just two blocks away. If there was no traffic, I would be there in ten minutes.

Hmm~ Hmm~ I hummed and drove Bentley. On the other side, a yellow Lamborghini passed me by.

‘Well… is that low car worth driving?’ I didn’t know because I’d never ridden one. ‘This time, my class will be raised… Shall we buy one?’ I changed my mind after thinking about it. ‘Yes, if I get the Master Class today, I’ll go with Secretary Seo and book a Lamborghini.’

What I felt from my recent relationship with Ah-young was that my consumption pattern was still unchanged. Of course, as I got more money, I bought this and that without looking at the price tag, but I didn’t spend much money on the luxury items as I just thought, ‘Why do I need that?’

Since I was a child, the DNA from growing up in a poor family was so deeply embedded that it was not easy to spend money. Ah-young, on the other hand, knew a lot about luxury goods and bought them with the monthly rent she received. She’d learned to spend money reasonably since she was young.

‘Yes, I’ll spend some money, too… I make too much money, but I don’t spend it.

‘The rich are good at spending money. If the rich earn money and do not spend it, the money will not circulate in the market. Of course, I’m paying money in the form of “salary employment,” but that’s a little short of it. I have to spend more money to feed others.

‘I will buy a Lamborghini… the one I saw at the Bentley store the other day. What was it? Flying Spur? I’ll buy another one, too.

I thought of things to spend more money on while waiting for a short signal.

‘Money… where should I spend it?’ Come to think of it, there was one thing I wanted to try since I was young: owning a club.

‘I’ve seen that in a web novel before. The main character who returned to the past became the owner of a club and managed a soccer team. Was it… “A Club Owner from the Future?”…’

I used to go to K-League soccer field with my family. I didn’t know about our Chungcheong-do team now, but it was still quite weak at the time, so I remembered that they had lost the game helplessly to the Seoul metropolitan team that day.

‘Wait a minute… If I get the news in 12 Years After…’ I had a rough idea of the sports category in the news 12 Years After-the list of 2030 World Cup national team.

‘If I get a piece of that news, I can set up the future national team players to our team in advance. Of course, the growth process is important for athletic ability, but we can’t deny that talent takes precedence.

‘If I do that, it would be a lot like holding onto a big stock.’

‘No, it might be better to advance to the EPL like the novel. If I get an article or two, like [2034 FIFA Best 11] or [2038 Ballon d’Or Winner], I can order a scout, “If you go to a place called Santa Fe Rosario in Argentina, you’ll find Lionel Messi. Get him.” or “If you go to an island called Madera in the west Atlantic, not mainland Portugal, you’ll find Cristiano Ronaldo. Bring him in.”‘

I might be able to build up a team that way.

‘They say that since Juventus hired Ronaldo last year, the stock market in Italy has increased by 30%.

‘Then I can sweep up rising stars with a small amount of money. I’ll just need the club to have a perfect youth education facility. How much does an EPL club cost?’

I had such fanciful thoughts as I arrived at my company. I was trying to get into the basement parking lot of the company, and I saw a car which I was used to: a Genesis, the most expensive Korean-made large car. It was my car when I was a working stiff. I pulled over and waited for a moment for the car to stop.

Soon Secretary Seo came out and told me, “Oh, boss. You came to work early?”

“Yes. I have something important to do today.”

—-

I took the elevator with him. Secretary Seo pressed the seventeenth floor with the president’s office. The fourteenth to the seventeenth floor were all embedded with the logo of our company, Invictus Investment. Originally, only one floor was used, but it increased as the company grew and had more employees.

‘Oh, yeah, before I buy an EPL team…’

“Secretary Seo, does the landlord still want to sell this building?”

“The last time Jang asked indirectly, he said he wanted to sell it at a price higher than the market price.”

“Really?”

“Our company is so popular that… He thinks this would be an opportunity and he is asking for ten million dollars more than the market price.”

“Well… that is a little bit detestable.”

“Right.”

“We’ll move out of here. There are vacancies in Gangnam these days.”

“That’s right.”

I arrived on the seventeenth floor while I was talking to Secretary Seo. I spoke firmly to Seo, who sat down in front of the president’s office. “Today, I don’t want to see anyone before 9:10.”

“What about Jang?”

I shook my head and spoke decisively, “Not even Vice President Jang. Today, if he has a report, just let him wait.”

Secretary Seo nodded, “Yes, boss.”

As soon as I entered the president’s office, I turned on the computer and took a seat.

I’d been eating the breakfast Ah-young made every day, and so I felt a little hungry, but I held back. Today was an important day. At 8:00, the email arrived.

[Master Class Skill Guide]

I clicked on it without hesitation. There was a familiar phrase inside.

[Congratulations, Han Sang-hoon, who has been promoted to Master Class. Master Class can also be used and enhanced by investing points in each skill.]

It was repeated, but I still read it carefully to see if there was any difference.

[The cooldown time of an active skill is based on the same thirty-day as the subscription period. There are currently four different skills available for the Master Class. There are ten skill points that are not currently allocated.]

I’d been given ten points this time. ‘Ten points.’ I looked further down the scroll, rethinking the number briefly.

[People Search Lv3 (Active skill – three points required)

There is one more slot for searching for people. It will be available with other passive skills applied.

Ranking News Lv2 (Active Skill – two points required)

In a specific category out of the news, you can receive first and second place news with high cumulative view counts. It’s available twice. It will be available with other passive skills applied.

Future News Lv5 (Passive skill – five points required)

You will receive another news 12 Years After with the existing news. Its format is the same as the existing news, and active skills are also available the same way. This passive skill is overlaid with other passive skills.]

[Infiltration Report Lv1 (Active Skill – seven points required)

We will send a reporter to a specific target. The reporter will conduct a thirty-day intensive
investigation into the target and bring in one article that will not be reported to the established
press after thirty days. When you are sending a reporter, you can specify what to
investigate.]

There was nothing really new or different in the skills. There was nothing to worry about. I made a quick decision. ‘Let’s get this straight. Tak Joon-gi is a problem, too. I don’t know what kind of obstruction I’m going to have from him.’ Come to think of it, I was a little lucky in the last Bisang Construction, as the future news had an article about the corruption case.

‘If Jung Gi-woong had been caught a little over a year later, not next February, I wouldn’t have been able to implement justice. If I have this news, I can even get “the news that doesn’t appear in the article.” I now have the power to make news and articles that don’t appear in articles through Oracle News.

‘Okay, let’s take Infiltration Report, investing seven points. I’m still using the others enough.’

What was a bit disappointing was that I wanted to get the news 12 Years After. I was curious, but it was simply a matter of curiosity.

‘It is a far-fetched future thing like science fiction news, and it won’t make money. Of course, it will be necessary to plan for a long time, but it won’t be too late when my assets are over a billion dollars, after I get my Grandmaster Class later.’

I took the Infiltration Report right away. Then, its description was changed.

[Infiltration Report Lv2 (Active Skill – ten points required)

We will send a reporter to a specific target. The reporter will conduct a fifteen-day intensive
investigation into the target and bring in one article that will not be reported to the established
press after fifteen days. When you are sending a reporter, you can specify what to
investigate.]

Nothing else had changed, but thirty days had been shortened to fifteen. I knew it would be getting better, but I didn’t know how much it would be getting better.

‘Let’s use it once.’ My remaining points were three. The remaining skills were People Search and Ranking News.

‘These three points are… for People Search.’ I invested them in People Search to match my score. Ranking news had been used every month, but it didn’t work often, because there were times when it became money and times when it didn’t. On the other hand, People Search was useful in one way or another. The slots were not short, but they might not be enough if I thought about them in the future. Now there were thousands of people I had directly or indirectly hired.

‘All right, then, like this.’

A congratulatory message came out when I took a skill, [Congratulations. You’ve been promoted to Master Class.]

And a follow-up notice was there, [Upgrade your news to Grandmaster Class! A ten-million- dollar subscription fee is required for the promotion to Grandmaster Class.]

Fortunately, the subscription fee did not change, either. Ten million dollars a month was not a small amount of money, but it was fully affordable now. The next thing that mattered followed.

[In addition, as a qualification, you have to govern more than ten listed companies in your own country, with the combined market capital of the listed companies exceeding ten billion dollars.] Now, it was demanding specific market capital, as well as the number of companies I would have under my wings.

I made a rough estimate. ‘What I now control now is one billion dollars of Hyun Young Pharmaceutical and eight hundred million dollars of Kai Games. If I add up the rest… will it be approximately two billion dollars?’

That was about it. It meant I would have to put more than eight billion dollars more under me in the future so I could go up.

‘Well, it’s not very difficult. It’ll just take a while. I thought I could make it in a few years. In a year or two, if I did well…

‘All right, all right, then…’ I went down the scroll further, thinking about it. But it finished with a phrase that I had never seen before.

[You have selected the Infiltration Report skill for the first time. Reporter Crow will come to see you. Please specify the place and time to meet.]

Chapter 110 - Crow, Part I

I read it again with my lips gathered. ‘They’re sending me a reporter?’

It was a little strange to me, who had only been receiving emails online since I first got 12 Hours After. I would meet someone offline!

‘Crow? Is the reporter a crow? Does he fly over to me and give something? I didn’t think so. The Customer Service said, “Our reporter is a very competent person.”

‘Then… this Crow… is it some sort of nickname?’

I looked a little more down.

[Please specify the place and time to meet.]

The cursor glittered down. I didn’t think much and I tried to write, ‘Invictus Investment Headquarters. President’s Office.’ But I took my hands off the keyboard, stroked my chin, and looked at it.

‘This guy’s from 12 hours After… I’ll keep him as secret as I can… like the email 12 hours After.’ I thought for a moment, and then I wrote something down on it.——–

At 10:30 a.m. I left the president’s office.

Secretary Seo asked me, “Are you going out? Do you want me to help you?”

I shook my head, “No, it’s personal.”

“Oh, okay.”

I went to the underground parking lot alone and drove a Porsche west. After passing Banpo Station and Express Bus Terminal Station, I stopped at the National Library. I parked at the side of the road and went up on the hill next to me. Under the hot, sweaty August heat, I arrived at Montmartre Park. I settled on a shaded bench and looked at the clock.

10:55 a.m. It was just five minutes until the appointment.

I looked around. There were few people in the park in broad daylight, except for some of the residents who were taking their dogs for a walk. There was no chance of me encountering someone I knew here. When the Crow came, we would talk and part like strangers in the movie “Mission Impossible,” like the cool spies who hid each other’s identity.

I sat on a bench and recalled a scene from the movie. After a moment, a black figure began to approach in the distance, and I had to give up such expectations. ‘What’s that…?’ I could see a tall man walking toward me, wearing a black suit and a black overcoat. The coat was made of some materials, its surface covered with irregular fur. The word that came to my mind when I saw him was “Crocodile.”

Good. The concept was right. But the problem was that it was in the middle of a heat wave that was over thirty-five degrees. I was about to die in a half-sleeve right now, but the man was in a full suit and black overcoat.

One woman who was taking her dog for a walk saw him and said, “Minky. Don’t go that way. Let’s go home. Let’s go. Quickly.” She caught up the leash. The dog leapt up and down in surprise.

I stood firm for a moment and watched him. ‘No, no way…’ The moment our eyes met.

He was tall, about 190cm. His skin was white and his face was odd. The eyes were black and long like Asians, and his nose was high and big just like Europeans. Up and down, his lips resembled those of Africans.

‘What, is he a mixed-blood person?’ Thinking that far, I suddenly felt fear beyond the sense of wonder. A mixed-blood foreigner in this heat was dangerous. I tried to leave, but as soon as I got up from the bench, he said in a deep, low voice, “Is this Han Sang-hoon?”

I spoke to him, not trying to leave, “… yes.”

Then, as if he were a medieval knight, he said, kneeling before me on one knee, “Hello, I am Crow. I’ve been ordered to be the servant of Hang Sang-hoon from today on.”

His manner was excellent. I put my fists on my head. It was the picture I had seen in the spy movie.

‘Is this Crow?’

‘Are you Han Sang-hoon?’

‘All right, let’s start the story.’

——–

Sitting side by side on a bench, looking into the air, my idea of having a private conversation with him was completely shattered.

I didn’t have the confidence to look around, but at the same time, I was sure everyone would be watching me like, ‘What the hell are those crazy people?’

‘If I had known this would happen, I should have asked him to meet me at 4 a.m.’ I spoke to him with my hands on the brow, “Yes, nice to meet you. Please sit down.”

I offered him a seat next to me, and he just sat right next to me. The hairs surrounding his coat touched my skin. Apart from being hot, this was like we were mad coworkers. I gestured and pushed him to the edge of the bench.

“Sit a little bit far away, all the way to the edge.”

“Yes.” Fortunately, he followed me well. “Master.” He even used the title of master.

‘Oh, my God, is he a madman from another dimension?’ I glanced at him, thinking that in my mind.

He was staring at me hard. I said, gesturing forward this time, “Look up ahead. Don’t look at me.”

“Yes, master.” He turned his eyes forward.

Now, there was a painting I wanted. I, like him, turned my eyes forward and said, “Okay, let’s talk like this.”

“If the master wants it…”

Now, the word “master” kept bothering me.

“And… instead of the master… please call me boss.”

“Yes, boss.”

‘All right. He’s a good listener.’ This was good. He corrected himself right away.

I spoke to him without turning my eyes, as if speaking to myself from afar, “Isn’t it hot?”

“It’s very hot.”

“By the way, why are you wearing such a coat?”

“This is our basic dress, boss.”

“Who’s chosen that basic outfit?”

“My boss.” He must have a boss.

“… That boss is a strange man…”

He spoke in a very obtuse way, “Yes, I think so.”

“What’s the boss doing?”

“He’s in charge of us.”

“We…?”

“Crows.” Crow seemed to mean group rather than name.

“Are there any more crows besides you?”

“Yes.”

I asked in amazement. “Are you saying that there are more people in action now in this world?” In this question, there was a nuance, ‘There’s another madman like you?’

But he continued to speak in an obtuse tone, “I’m the only one in this world who’s ever been sent.”

“This world?”

“Yes.”

There was a conversation going to Andromeda. I remembered the conversation I’d had with the Customer Service. I knew from experience that this question was pointless to pursue. I turned the subject around.

“The… about the basic dress, if I told you not to wear it, you might not wear it, right?”

“Yes, of course, sir.”

“Then… …next time, don’t wear that coat. Just wear a suit.”

“Yes, sir.”

I glanced at him, and he was looking forward, not even giving me a glance, as I commanded.

‘Isn’t this a person? Really? Is he a robot?’ At the moment, he took a white handkerchief from his coat and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“That… If it’s hot, take it off. That coat.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Umm… that shirt, too.”

“Yes, boss.” He took off his coat and shirt and put them on the bench.

Looking closely, it was the feathers of a bird hanging on his coat, a crow’s feathers. I thought I had taken the wrong skill.

‘Can this slightly broken robot investigate something well? I’d rather get the news 12 Years After and plan a long-term corporate investment.’ I asked him, thinking about it, “Are you a reporter?”

“Yes. A reporter, that’s what they call me in the world. When I am paid for, I do the work of providing information, Boss.”

“Price? What’s the price?”

“That’s a secret.” This guy also used the same words. I thought it had something to do with Customer Service.

“… that’s what I’m paying for?”

“No. It’s the employer’s responsibility. I understand you’re already paying a large subscription fee to our employer.”

The employer was like the side sending emails, including Customer Service.

“Well, yes…” I muttered to myself.

Then he said, “Yes, boss.” That was how he took my words to himself. He was very polite.

‘If I say, “Go ahead and do three back-dumblings and push-ups at the handstand a hundred times,” he will at least try.

‘I like that point… but I wonder if he’ll do a good job of investigating…’

I asked him, “Do you know about stocks or the economy?”

“What are you asking…”

“If I ask you to find out what a company’s performance this quarter is like…”

To my question, he spoke in a confident voice, “Of course. I’m competent.” That was what the Customer Service said, and he said that he was capable of it.

I looked around from here. Everyone who was going to run away in amazement earlier had run away, and the newcomers were just walking around the park in a free and easy way. Now we looked like just an ordinary businessman and a tall foreigner.

I spoke to him, “Well, then, I’ll ask you this: During the recent Bisang Construction scandal and stock price manipulation, who ordered the stock price manipulation; how did they launder the money and spend it on stock price manipulation; is there any evidence of collusion with the president of Bisang Construction, Jung Gi-woong; how was reporter Kang Joo-hyuk killed, and how are they related to the delisting of Go-Young Food. Please investigate all the information about them.”

I said this and looked at him slightly, wondering if there was any chance he would say, ‘There are so many things you want at once.’ So I added a word after putting it together. “In a word, I want you to investigate everything about this Bisang Construction and the stock price manipulation case.” I looked at him.

He told me without turning his eyes to me, “Is that your request this month?” He was serious.

I turned my eyes forward again and said, “Yes. Please organize the details and let me know.”

“Yes, boss.” The answer was refreshing.

I didn’t know what the result would be. For a moment, silence ensued, and I asked him in a vague question. “By the way, how the hell can you tell me about the findings? By email or do we meet again like this?”

By the way, there was no answer coming back. I looked sideways, but he was gone. The coat on the bench was gone, too.

‘What is it?’ I looked around the park. I couldn’t see the black clothes.

‘I only looked away for a few seconds… How come…?’ It was like a scene from a spy movie. I looked around for a moment as if possessed by a ghost, and finally gave up.

‘He appeared briefly and then vanished… well… I’ll have to ask Customer Service.’

I stood up thinking about it. Now I saw a black feather left on the spot where his coat had been placed. I lifted the black feather of a crow. I thought of the name while touching it with my hands.

‘Crow…’

Chapter 111 - Crow, Part II

After Crow left, I came down the hill again. I drove away the Porsche that I had parked in the parking lot of the National Library, and went back to my apartment, passing through Seoul National University of Education Station. I threw my sweaty clothes into the laundry basket and took a shower. I washed away the sweat and turned on the air conditioner. The cool breeze of the air conditioner blew away the remaining water from my skin and made me feel a few times cooler.

“Hoo… it was hot last year, and it seems like it’s getting hotter every year.”

Well, if I thought about it, one of the most recent stocks I’d been trading was that kind of stock. [Due to the scorching heat, demand for air conditioners has soared. The stock price of Ilsung Electronics hit the upper limit price.]

And the theme stocks also occurred. [Increase in demand for power due to heat. Blackout related stocks are all up.]

On reflection, I had known in the spring that this summer would be very hot.

‘It turns out I’ve been thinking about buying stocks and memorizing the names of the stocks… Even though I’ve earned tens of million dollars, I’ve not thought much about the stories behind them.’

As I lived on numbers, I tended to overlook the side that touched my daily life. I stood in front of the air conditioner for a long time, cooling myself down and thinking about Crow. Strange things abounded. First of all, apart from his clothes, I couldn’t know whether he was a white, a black, or a yellow man, along with his mysterious words and his appearance. ‘He’s… that’s really weird.’

I sat down at my computer desk. The computer for trading was still on. Today was the day I received the Master Class Guide, so instead of trading myself, I set the automatic algorithm trading system and went to work.

‘… It’s all going well.’

I left the computer alone, slid over in front of the game computer and turned it on. I opened the mailbox by floating an Internet window and opened a link to Customer Service through the email 12 Hours After. The chat window appeared soon.

– Hello, customer Han Sang-hoon. How may I help you?-

The Customer Service welcomed me with its usual kindness. In any case, the greeting was friendly.

‘The problem is that their answers are unkind.’ I asked what I was curious about, thinking about it.

– How do I get the results from the request I made to Crow?-

As expected, the answer came in 0.1 seconds.

– After thirty days, you will meet face to face and receive a report when the investigation is complete. Please specify the time and place to receive the report through this email.-

I guessed I would have to meet like that every time and get the report.

‘This is burdensome to me… But if that strange basic outfit is somehow resolved, it won’t be too difficult to meet.’

I decided to ask them something else.

– Is there any possibility that Crow can get caught while he’s working? For example, as he investigates someone, getting caught by the target.-

– That’s not going to happen. Crow is a very able reporter.- There was a firm answer.

I looked at it and thought, ‘He’s a very able reporter… but he seemed unfamiliar with the word “reporter” itself.’

He had said to me, “I’m a man who sells information for a price.”

When I heard the explanation, I felt more like a spy than a reporter. At any rate, he seemed to be professional as far as his job went. I took the mouse cursor to the top of the chat window. I had asked everything I could ask; I didn’t think I’d get a proper answer if I asked more. But I decided to turn the cursor and just ask the Customer Service things that came to my mind. No matter what I asked them, they would answer.

– What kind of country is Crow from?-

There was a longer answer than I expected.

– I understand that when Crow became a Crow, he destroyed all his identities, such as age, name, and nationality. His nationality is now meaningless.-

It wasn’t exactly an answer which resolved my question.

– He said that he’s been sent to this world, and isn’t he a man of this world?-

– He is a man of this world and he is not.-

It was a biggie, a secret of the Customer Service. It was answered to a certain extent.

‘So he’s not an ordinary person.’

The one sending this email certainly seemed to be on the border between reality and unreality, like Crow was rather unrealistic.

– Who is Crow’s boss?-

– Crow’s boss is Master Crow.-

‘Master Crow?’ Crow’s boss name seemed to be Master Crow, the man who put him in the odd coat of fur, the one even the strange Crow said was strange.

– What the hell is this Master Crow?-

This time there was an even stranger answer. -Master Crow is the owner of ‘Darker Dan Black’ and one of the strongest in the world.-

‘Darker Dan Black? Master Crow? The strongest in the world?’

Those words were a little funny.

– What’s strong?-

– People who know information are strong. He has a lot of crows and a lot of information about the world.-

‘It is not likely to be wrong, saying that he is strong. The reason why I’m strong right now is that I know the future. It doesn’t mean simply being socially strong.’

I followed that point. – Is he physically stronger than me? If I shoulder throw him in the Judo training center…-

– He won’t be beaten by you. He will know which way you’ll jump if he plays Judo with you.-

– Oh, really?-

I felt as if I was in touch with something outside the world. I asked one last question out of curiosity. – The Master Crow, can I see him?-

– I know that he is very busy at this moment. I don’t think you’ll be able to meet him.-

When I looked at the reply, I felt a little bit disconcerted and scrolled up a little bit.

– I understand… he destroyed all his identities.-

– He will know which way…-

– I know that he is very busy.-

– I don’t think you’ll be able to meet him.-

There were all speculative answers.

Usually, this Customer Service had spoken conclusively.

– It is…-

– Yes.-

– No.-

Customer Service was secretive and looked completely innocent, but it seemed to be unsure here.

‘That’s unusual…’

I turned off the chat window here, and for a moment I leaned back in the chair and thought about Crow.

‘I was so embarrassed when we met, and I didn’t think… Now that I think about him, I feel a little sorry for him. He was wearing that kind of outfit in the world these days, and he followed as I ordered… Maybe he has been working under some strange contract.

‘If Crow brings the result a month from now, I’ll buy him a nice meal and talk with him. I don’t know the Master Crow, but I want to be a good boss. After all, this is the end of the Master Class adaptation.’

I caught a glimpse of the automatic trading program on the computer next to me.

‘Today, there is nothing to sell, but something to buy’ The split-buying actually made little difference, whether I was forced to touch it or not. Sometimes the computer was better than if I did it myself.

‘Then today… shall I take a break to call Ah-young and go out for a date with her?’ Come to think of it, Ah-young said she was going to her relatives’ house in the countryside today.

‘Well, then…’ Ah, there was one thing I was going to do today: buy a new car. I’d received the Master Class and I would buy another car. I picked up my cell phone and called Secretary Seo.

“Yes, boss.”

“Secretary Seo. Take the car and come to my apartment. Let’s go buy a new car.”

“What kind of car… do you mean?”

“This time, I’m going to buy a sports car, like a Lamborghini or Ferrari.”

“Oh, yes. I’ll be right there, boss!” Secretary Seo answered jubilantly.

In fact, I just thought myself, ‘Shall I drive a sports car this time?’ but Seo Ji-hoon was more interested in cars than I was, so if I wanted to buy a car, he would like it more than I did.

‘By the way, when I had started my company, I had told him I’d let him have a Porsche in three years.’ There were two years left. Thinking about his salary now and his salary going forward, he would definitely have Porsche in two years.

‘No, at that time… I’ll just buy it for him as a celebration of three years’ service… and I’m sure he’ll be very happy.’

I waited for Secretary Seo to come, thinking about it. Not long after, the cell phone rang. I answered and told him, “Yes, I’ll be right down.”

He came really quick. It was close by, but he must have been excited to buy a car.

————————-

I looked around the dealership of the Lamborghini with Seo. Sometimes in Gangnam, I’d seen them go by, motor rumbling, but it was really pretty seeing them shine like this.

“This is an Aventador, sir.”

“Oh, that’s?”

“It’s a Uracan model.”

The salesman was a handsome man in his thirties. He was no older than I was, but he followed me and explained everything in detail.

“This model is a Midship equipped with a 6.5-liter natural intake V12 engine. The power output is 700 horsepower. It takes 2.9 seconds to get up to 100 kph. You can get up to 200 kph in 8.6 seconds and up to 350 kph…”

When I heard that, I thought frankly, ‘There’s no place to drive at 200 kph… no, it’s illegal to speed in the first place.’ There was no place in Korea to drive a sports car like that. I could only drive slowly between cars in Gangnam. It was the irony of a sports car.

‘But I didn’t buy it to run.’ The reason for buying it was that it had beautiful colors, smooth curves, and strong angles. It was purely aesthetic.

Secretary Seo came up to me and whispered, “It’s the hottest model in the world, Boss.”

It looked like it. It was really pretty. If I put it next to the Porsche Panamera and Bentley Bentay, it was going to be another good addition to my collection.

“So how much?”

“The factory price is five hundred and fifty thousand dollars…”

I didn’t listen to the numbers after that. I nodded and said, “I’ll buy this Aventador.”

My words brightened the salesperson’s face. Secretary Seo seemed to get vicarious satisfaction. I would let him do the test drive.

The salesperson gestured into the store, “Would you like to come over here for a moment?”

It must have something to do with the paperwork. I started to follow him in, but someone greeted me. “CEO Han, I am seeing you in a place like this. It’s been a long time.”

It was a familiar face. This was the third Lee son of the Daewon Daily News, Director Lee Won-jae, Kaiji.

For once I felt nothing wrong with him on the surface. I said to him with a slight salesman’s smile, “Yes, Director Lee, long time no see.”

Chapter 112 - CEO Lee Won-jae

Director Lee Won-jae said to me with a big smile. “Are you here to buy a car, CEO Han?”

I nodded slightly, “Yes.”

The woman standing behind him stole my attention. She had white skin, round eyes, and long eyelashes. Even if I didn’t want to look, her own color was so intense that I couldn’t take my eyes away from her. I would rather ask openly than pretend not to know. “Who’s this behind you?”

“Ah… this is my secretary. Secretary Kim.” He looked back and gestured, “Say hello. This is CEO Han Sang-hoon of Invictus Investment.”

At his words, the woman, Kim, approached and greeted me and extended her hand. “Hello, CEO Han. This is Kim Soo-ah, who is serving CEO Lee Won-jae.”

I shook hands with her. I didn’t think this beauty was chosen solely for her job as a secretary. She was wearing a suit now, but the skirt was very short. I felt like she’d been chosen for something more. I introduced my secretary as a courtesy, “Have you seen Secretary Seo before?”

“Ah… Yes.”

Lee Won-jae nodded at Secretary Seo, but he seemed not to remember him. Secretary Seo approached him and greeted him first, “I have seen you for the second time. I’m Secretary Seo Ji-hoon.”

“Yes, Secretary Seo.”

As I was looking at the two of them greeting one another, I felt a strange sense of change. ‘What is this?’ After a moment’s reflection, I soon realized what it was: Lee Won-jae’s title had been changed to CEO!

I turned my head and asked him, “Did you become a CEO?”

“Oh, yes. I just became the CEO of Daily Sports, where my older brother used to be. My older brother went into the headquarters of the Daewon Daily News.”

I nodded, “Oh, I see. Congratulations!”

“Thank you, CEO Han.” He smiled at my congratulations. The person that came to mind at this time was his other brother, Director Lee Won-jun. He must be suffering from this scorching heat inside the prison now.

‘The second one’s lost and the first and third one have moved on.’ Something seemed to be changing in the Daewon Daily News after Lee Won-jun was put in jail for the Bisang Construction stock manipulation scandal. Maybe he was thinking, ‘if only my older brother were gone as well…’

I asked him, “CEO Lee Won-jae… are you here to see the cars?”

“Yes. Because I’m the head of a company now, I’m here to buy one that matches my position.” He looked quite happy. He kept on laughing and telling me, “Ah, if you have time, would you like to have a word with me?”

This guy was unreliable, but sometimes he was useful.

“Yes, I will.”

As I nodded, he gestured to the beautiful secretary, “Secretary Kim.” It meant, ‘don’t follow me’.

I thought he was trying to have a secret conversation. I also winked at Secretary Seo.

The secretaries were left behind, looking at each other furtively.

I also spoke to the dealer in the distance, “I’ll finish the contract in a little bit.”

He bowed his head without a word. He seemed to be well aware of how powerful his clients were.

———–

The two of us settled in chairs outside the Lamborghini store.

“By the way, you’ve been doing really well lately. Hyun Young Pharmaceutical, I never imagined it.”

“We were only right to ask each other.”

“Yes, but now the assets of Invictus Investment are… a billion dollars, right?”

I turned my eyes to the cars on display without affirmation or denial. I just thought, ‘What’s he trying to say?’

“That’s great, CEO Han. How did you make such a sudden growth in assets…”

I answered without much thought, “Well, I was lucky.”

However, he spoke with a strong denial, “No. I don’t think so. I think CEO Han Sang-hoon is the most talented person of our age.”

Someone might be flattered by these compliments, but I was not. To be honest with myself, I’d been proud a little bit at first, but after the time I’d had with Vice President Jang and with some presidents under me, such praise was familiar enough to me. I replied with a smile, “Am I?”

“Yes. Since I was a kid, I’ve met a lot of business people… I’ve met a lot of successors from big companies like Susung, Mirae, GL, and Suyeon Group. When I was young, I was brought to meet them by my father, and later, I met them because of business.”

“… I see.” I looked at him. I thought his words were true.

‘Well, Daewon Daily News is one of the top four media outlets in Korea. The collusive ties between the media and chaebols are painful to talk about. His father must have been close to the chairmen of the conglomerates, and he seems to have made his son familiar to them, just like Lee Won-jun and Tak Joon-gi… It may be one of the examples where the friendship between chaebol heirs ended badly.’

He went on, “But… in my opinion, they were not capable… but they seemed to take advantage of their parents. I think they don’t bet. They all know only how to maintain what they inherited.”

I listened carefully to what he was saying.

“Their families are in their third and fourth generations now. Even if the founders are giants who accumulated wealth themselves in the Sixties and Eighties, their grandchildren are not. Well, frankly, they’re the lucky ones.”

He was making quite a dangerous remark.

‘Why is he saying that? If I think about it, he is the same…’

I was thinking about it, he said as if he were reading my thoughts, “I know that I might be seen as a person like that, but… I actually think I have only one ability.”

“What ability… do you mean?”

“The ability to see people.”

I laughed a little bit inwardly, ‘Hmm… really?’ Still, I didn’t express it.

He went on and on, “In my eyes, CEO Han Sang-hoon is very special. You are betting on success, and you’re betting again. All the other chaebol’s sons and daughters are busy taking care of themselves… but CEO Han Sang-hoon is different. I don’t know if it’s because you were born in a poor family.” As he said that, he looked into my eyes and waved his hand hastily, “Oh, that is a compliment. To be honest, I’m also from a rich family, so I don’t understand everything. I think that mindset is really different from the third or fourth generations of chaebols. CEO Han Sang Hoon is different. You are brave and the results… continue to come out.”

I didn’t know if he was good at discerning people, but I thought he was right about me. I was brave because I knew the future. He had known me before I had set up Invictus Investment. So even if he didn’t know the existence of 12 Hours After, he would have known that I was doing things like miracles.

‘There’s nothing I can do about it. Even if I hide 12 Hours After perfectly, I can’t hide the results that come out, especially to people who have been watching me since the beginning.’

“That’s too much.”

He continued speaking, “So, my conclusion is that CEO Han Sang-hoon… is more competent than the children of other conglomerates. And… I think his future is brighter.”

“Thank you for your kind words.” I continued to be modest.

Kaiji kept on, his long, thin eyes even thinner. “I’ve been sure recently. CEO Han Sang-hoon will probably become a bigger person than the chaebols now. So….”

It was a familiar pattern. Too familiar, bringing up the main idea after cheering the other up with compliments. I looked at him and thought, ‘What do you want?’

However, there was an unexpected answer.

“From now on, I’ll be under CEO Han Sang-hoon.”

“Yes?” I spoke to him with my eyes wide. “What does that mean?”

“It is as I said. As you know, our media company should always have connections with big companies. That’s what I’ve learned from my father since I was a kid.”

“… so?”

“I told you last time, I want to be more friendly, and beyond that, I think that the Daewon Daily News will be my company, and I should go under CEO Han Sang-hoon in the long term.”

I studied him. Certainly, from a long time ago, I had been eager for his ability, and moreover, his background: the name of Daewon, one of the four major domestic media companies. I recently acquired Oracle News, but it was just a small company working Internet news. No matter how much I grew Oracle News, it was just a commercial success.

I would not be able to surpass the Daewon Daily News, which had dominated the four major media positions for more than fifty years. If it were listed in the market, I would buy it. However, all four major Korean media companies were unlisted. It was justified on the basis of keeping the neutrality of the press, though that was a lie. I looked him up and down.

‘This guy’s got a good sense. No… Should I say he is lucky? He met me at Garden Envy, which I attended for just one day…’

It was not a bad deal. If the Daewon Daily News came under me, I could be more powerful than I had. There was one more thing that needed to be decided before that.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think you’ve been chosen as the successor to the Daewon Daily News.”

“… that’s true.” He looked around for a moment. There was no one around. But he lowered his voice anyway. “So, I have something to say. Recently, my second brother went to prison, and the power structure has been reorganized inside the Daewon Daily News: the people on my brother’s side, and the people on my side. Of course, there are more people on my brother’s side. But if CEO Han Sang-hoon helps me a little, it will not be so difficult for me to take over the company. ”

‘In the end, that’s the story.’ I didn’t think he would have sat down with me to praise me, either.

He kept talking. “I was born in a rich family, but I was born as the third son. Because of a wall that couldn’t be overcome no matter what I did, I was desperate, until recently, my second brother was defeated. Then I saw hope. I want to step aboard the ship with CEO Han Sang-hoon. Please help me, and I’ll help you.”

His motivation was understandable, and the outcome of the deal was not bad… if I could trust him.

“I understand what you are talking about. If there’s anything we can help each other with in the future… we’ll help each other and talk more.” I spoke to him like that, but it meant ‘I’ll act according to your wishes’.

But he brought up something right away, “Yes!. For that reason, I’m going to help you first.”

“What kind of-”

He said, “Director Tak Joon-gi is moving.”

Chapter 113 - An Orphan Whose Adoption Is Dissolved

I opened my eyes wider and looked at him. ‘Why did the name Tak Joon-gi come out here?’

So far, his name never came out, like Voldemort in Harry Potter, but now it came out of his mouth. It was like admitting that Tak Joon-gi was a wire-puller for the Bisang Construction.

‘This is news that has not been reported in the established media. It means he is going to take risks, too.’

But he was also mindful of the fact that I designed the plan. I said, without admitting anything. “What the hell does that mean?”

Director Lee Won-jae replied after a moment of silence, “Well… during the incident of Bisang Construction… it was Tak Joon-gi who led the stock manipulation with my younger brother. I received the information indirectly and joined it with a million dollars.”

“… I see.”

As I said that, he hesitated for a moment and asked me, “Didn’t you already know that, CEO Han?”

“Yes. I didn’t know.” I said firmly. The path I got the information from was my girlfriend Lee Ah-young, and then it was from the future news 12 Months After. These were factors that I couldn’t reveal to anyone.

“I see. Anyway, they say that Director Tak Joon-gi lost nearly a hundred million dollars in this Bisang Construction case. He was convinced that the business operator was going to be Bisang Construction… He bought lots of shares for Bisang Construction and made a massive short stock sale for Jinyang Development. He suffered huge losses.”

He spoke down as if the words were very secret, but I knew all about them, too. Only the hundred million dollars was slightly higher than I expected.

‘Someone was greedy for stock and his predictions went wrong, he lost everything he had. He must have been very greedy.’

“Although he has not expressed his anger outside… he’s been looking for whoever uncovered the corruption in the Bisang Construction. He seems to think of CEO Han Sang-hoon as the prime suspect.”

“Me? Why?”

‘He will not find any evidence. To find the evidence from Mayor Joo Sung-won, who exposed the incident, he has to chase down the exposer Cho Sang-wook, who reported the contents of 12 Months After, and find out the delivery man who delivered the data to his mailbox, and a person who made a secret request, hiding his identity. That way, he’ll find out he’s a Chinese. I know that the Chinese man, who came to Korea from Jilin Province to study, is a friend of Seo’s, but even if it’s me, it would be hard to find him!’

“He didn’t find any evidence, but… he’s firmly convinced, because Han Sang-hoon who made the most money from the incident.”

“That’s… That’s right, but it’s just a coincidence…”

“I don’t think he believes in the coincidence. That’s why he thinks Han Sang-hoon planned this… and he is trying to retaliate.”

“To retaliate?”

“Yes.”

“What kind of…?”

“Well, I don’t know, but you have a few companies and he’s trying to scam one of those companies.”

“Ah, I see, I didn’t see Director Tak Joon-gi like that. He is more unusual than I thought.”

“He hates to be a loser, so… after this incident… he seems to think that he has failed, he has lost…”

“Hmm…”

‘I have already told Crow to find out what happened in the incident, and he is going to do it. Tak Joon-gi has bad luck. I don’t know what he is trying to do, but as soon as we get some information from Crow, I will have to take his hands and feet out, before he does anything strange.’

I nodded, “I see… Thank you for the information.”

He added a word to my reply. “CEO Han, be careful. I’ve known him since I was a kid, but he is a man who is really greedy, and could be quite brutal if he wasn’t occupied by his own greed. The hundred million dollars he lost this time was a lot of money for him. I understand he even used private debts, with the shares of Suyeon Travel as collateral this time.”

I wrote down one point in my head here, ‘He used private debts as collateral with the shares of Suyeon Travel.

‘If a major shareholder uses private debts as collateral… if the stock price plummets and the mortgage was short, it will have to be paid back, even by giving up the shares. Maybe I can make a huge profit at the same time that I put Tak Joon-gi in prison.’

I spoke to him, “I don’t know what’s wrong with him, but… anyway, thank you for letting me know. I’ll pay attention.”

“Yes, CEO Han.”

I looked at him. As I had seen him so far, he was a bit pompous, but not a villain like Tak Joon-gi.

‘Maybe he can be my colleague, if he builds up more trust with me.’

As I was thinking of that, he suddenly spoke up again, “Well, by the way, CEO Han Sang-hoon. Our Daily Sports is making a corporate announcement at the end of the year. It’s KOSDAQ.”

“Oh, really? Congratulations!”

“Thank you, but I don’t think there’s going to be any kind of trouble with demand. I think it would be better if CEO Han Sang-hoon invests. These days, Invictus Investment is very popular among investors. The price of the offering will be higher just with the CEO Han’s participation.”

That was true. Now that Invictus Investment was on a roll of success, if our company bought some stocks, there were investors who would buy them.

“Well, maybe I will.”

“So, I’d like you to go over it.”

I looked at him. ‘Yeah, well, you want me to spend some money… you think you have given me a lot of information.’

Unfortunately, I also knew most of it already. It was a little short of being favored. However, it was true that a name, which no one had brought up, was on the table, so it might be appreciated. I nodded, “Please send us a proposal. We’ll check it out.”

He bowed his head, “Thank you, CEO Han.”

Finally, we got up from our seats.

“I’m sorry I took so much of your time. I was going to come and talk to you about this in person around next week, but I happened to meet you in a place like this.”

“No, that’s okay. I came here to see a car because I had time to spare. I’ve already chosen one. Please have your time and take a look around.”

“Yes, CEO Han.”

——————

Two more days had passed since that day. I went to work two more days in a row, checking the subsidiaries. I was wondering if something strange might happen. But there were no signs of that. Fantasy War Ground was cruising on and on, and “I’m Going to See You Tomorrow” starring Oh Hyun-joo was on the rise. My subsidiaries’ stock prices were also a bit on the rise. I didn’t smell anything strange.

‘What can he do if he gets busy?’ Although Tak Joon-gi was a third-generation chaebol, he was behind in his succession process. If the entire Suyeon Group, which had a combined market capital of fifty billion dollars, moved on, it would hard for me to handle, but the one who controlled only Suyeon Travel was no match for me. My assets were already heading toward a billion dollars… of what was known. He used to look pretty strong, but it was just because he was with the name Suyeon.

‘He was no match for me in the first place.’ I decided to spend a little more time thinking about it. In a month, Crow would bring the information. Then I would get him out of the capital markets completely.

‘Lee said Tak used private debts with his own shares. Well, then I’ll press the counter-deal again.’ I picked up the phone and called Secretary Seo.

“Yes, boss.”

“Please call Vice President Jang to come see me.”

“Yes…” Secretary Seo tried to answer me, but changed his words, “Ah, Vice President just came by.”

“Oh, really? Please let him in.”

“Yes.”

Over the telephone, I heard him say, “Come in.”

Jang came in with a knock. I told him, “I was going to call you, this is good.”

“Oh, were you? I have something to report, boss.”

As he told me he had something to report, I thought, ‘What happened to the other company?’

Vice President Jang asked me politely, “What do you have to say?”

“No. Tell me first. What report?”

When I asked, he held out the report he had brought to me and said, “I haven’t been looking for a long time, but recently, a good sale came to the market and I wanted to let you know.”

“Really? What is it?” I accepted that and there it was written: Report on Jiwoo Entertainment.

‘Jiwoo Entertainment?’ It was an unforgettable name to me. The company that had once been sold to a Chinese company and given me a huge return when I started getting the news 12 Hours After. It was an orphan adopted by a chaebol family.

‘Did I make about a hundred thousand dollars?’ Now it was a small sum of money, but it had been a huge sum for me, who had been unable to pay back my student loans at that time. It was one of the first contributors to my quitting the company.

I pretended to know something, “But wasn’t this company sold to a Chinese company? Is it on sale?”

“Yes, sir. It was sold to the BEU last year, but the situation in China is not good, so I guess it came back on sale.”

Fortunately, it did not seem that there was anything strange or wrong with the company. “Oh, really?”

“Yes, from the BEU standpoint, they were going to create synergy in both the Korean and Chinese markets with this company, but… the situation in China is so complicated these days… they’ve decided to reduce their overseas investment and collect the amount invested.”

“But in only a year?”

“I don’t know anything about it, but they are showing a rush to sell it regardless of the price. That’s why I said it was a good opportunity, since Jiwoo Entertainment is stronger than OH Entertainment in boy and girl groups. I thought it would be nice to buy it and connect it to OH Entertainment.”

The Chinese financial market was fluctuating these days. There were strange signs here and there in the wake of the prolonged trade war and exchange war with the U.S. The BEU seemed to be trying to dissolve the adopting an orphan a year after it did so.

“First of all, I’ll review it.”

“Yes, boss.”

I accepted the report. In the meantime, Jang added another word, “Boss, by the way.. what were you trying to say?…”

Come to think of it, I had something to say to him, too. “Ah… you’re right. We still have a team for short stock sales, right?”

“Yes, boss.”

“Please get the team ready again.”

As I said, Jang blinked for a moment, then bowed. “I’ll do as you say, sir.”

Chapter 114 - Screening

Chapter 114. Screening

I sat at my desk and reviewed the Jiwoo Entertainment report sent by Vice President Jang. The stock price of Jiwoo Entertainment recently had been in a downward spiral. According to the report, “They have been looking for activities in China ambitiously since they were acquired by the Chinese firm BEU, but they have performed worse than expected in the aftermath of recent changes in the stance of investment companies in China and the prolonged Hanhanlyeong.”

‘Their market capital is $25,000,000? It was like $30,000,000 when I bought it…’ I searched the stock price when I had been an employee, not a CEO. It was about $30,000,000. Then, it rose to $80,000,000 at some point. The move came shortly after it was acquired by BEU.

‘Ah, I sold it at this time.’ I looked at the chart and recalled the past for a moment. Now, even when I made $5,000,000 or $6,000,000, I was not impressed, but I cheered like I had the whole world when I earned $100,000 at that time.

‘It’s the greed of men…’ I tried to move the graph further with a smile on my face. Jiwoo Entertainment had been falling ever since it had hit $80,000,000. It was not very strange. No matter how the major shareholder changed, if it did not generate synergies, the value of the same company could not be maintained at more than twice as high. The stock price, which had soared, had fallen to $50,000,000 and stayed around the price for a while, and then it continued to fall again, until it reached $25,000,000 after half a year.

‘It’s way down from the time BEU took over.’

I guessed it didn’t work out really well. Jiwoo Entertainment’s main stars were a girl group, Nine Tales, and Ha Yeon-seo. They were famous for their visual appearance and ability, but they were not supported by the agency. It might not have improved since the owner changed to a Chinese company. I remembered that the CEO was abused, “Kim Dong-il, you son of a bitch! Don’t you feel sorry for Ha Yeon-seo?” Once again, I went to the stock bulletin board again.

– Jang-shin, you son of a bitch! Ha Yeon-seo is so poor since she was sold to China.-

There were some similar curses written. Only the name of the abused changed.

‘Jang-shin? Is this the president of the company?’

Listening to the story, the girl group Nine Tales seemed to have gone to China to release an album in Chinese and run events here and there across the continent. However, there wasn’t much success.

‘They have no luck… if we take over this company and let President Kwon take care of it… I think it’s not bad. President Kwon Oh-hyuk is famous for caring about his agency’s celebrities. If they get new management, they’ll be able to shine again.’

‘All right, then…’

However, I had a sudden thought: ‘Tak Joon-gi is moving.’ It was the advice Lee Won-jae had given me. If it had been the same as usual, I would have approved this deal without much thought, but now that I heard about it, I was ready to check everything.

‘What’s the probability that Tak Joon-gi is involved here? Is this is a Trojan horse?’ The probability was not that high, since this was a Chinese-based company, so it was going to be hard for Tak Joon-gi to touch.

‘I’m afraid it’s a little difficult… let’s be careful for now, but let’s pay more attention to the internal controls.’ I decided to do so. If he attacked our companies, there was a possibility of doing something about it with the existing companies. I had to stop that. I brought a notepad up on my cell phone. The notepad had three names on it: Jang Sang-jin, Shin Jae-eun, and Shin Dong-woo.

The three were none other than the main people in our companies: Vice President Jang of our company, Shin Jae-eun of Hyun Young Pharmaceutical, and Shin Dong-woo, CEO of Kai Games, were the most important people. I searched these people twice in a row yesterday evening and this morning. I might get some news because of the same names. As a result, the three men were clean. There was little content.

[The hidden power of Invictus Investment.]

[The little giant who leads a mid-sized pharmaceutical company.]

[The person who represents the creativity of the Kai Games.]

There were only good articles about them.

‘All right, I’ll search for these people tonight, and I’ll be starting on those people from this evening.’ They were the presidents of OH Entertainment, Blue E&M, and Oracle News. ‘Kwon Oh-hyuk, Ahn Yong-kyun, and Jung So-young.’

What really bothered me among those was President Kwon Oh-hyuk and OH Entertainment. Since the entertainment business was a business about people, there were times when they were greatly shaken by small issues, especially if the entertainer who was responsible for most of their good fortune, like Oh Hyun-joo, was shaken, the stock price could collapse.

‘After those three, I’ll scan the entertainers of OH Entertainment again. I’ll see what’s going on.’

Of course, I’d searched all of them in the past, but I’d overlooked one thing: the Butterfly Effect. I’d been watching the future news and making changes. If I hadn’t seen the news of the future, I wouldn’t have been playing with Tak Joon-gi, so I’d say that the present was the future I’d changed.

And the future would continue to change, because of me. So even if I’d already seen it, I needed to re-check it periodically. The good news was that the number of slots had increased to three by raising the level once this time. For that reason, I was able to search fifty percent more efficiently than before.

‘No matter who tries to attack me, I have the best shield.’ By the way, as I thought that, I suddenly got a strange idea, ‘Wait a minute, is he going to do something physical?’

I didn’t know, but there were still violent organizations in our country. Although they weren’t as open as they once were, it was true that they still existed. This Tak Joon-gi was a person who could have a connection with such people. Kang Joo-hyuk wrote a suicide note and committed suicide, but there were some things that were not clear.

I wandered around the office and thought, ‘Is it possible for Korea in the twenty-first century? A normal person would not do such a bold thing … but he’s lost a hundred million dollars… he’ll lose his temper and do something strange …’

I was suddenly worried about that. I could defend the CEOs by searching in People Search. But people like my family were not famous, and I could not search for them in People Search. If they were killed in a strange way, it would be news, but if they disguised it as an accident, they would not come out in Person Search.

‘What do I do then?’

There was also my girlfriend, Ah-young. Because of Go-young Food, she had a grudge against them. If Tak Joon-gi knew she was with me, he would think she had asked me for revenge. Actually, it was true, but it wasn’t just because of her request that I had trampled on Tak Joon-gi. She was not one that would get on the news if I searched for her name, either.

‘It’ll take a month. If a month passes…’ I was thinking about it, I had another thought, ‘Oh, by the way, Ah-young was supposed to go to America…’

Come to think of it, she was originally scheduled to go to the United States this August. Sarah and Ah-young would travel across the United States, from New York to Los Angeles. However, as she recently started dating with me, she was almost inclined to cancel it. I picked up the phone right away and dialed.

She answered my call before the phone rang three times. “Yes, oppa. What’s for? Aren’t you working now?”

“Ah-young, you are scheduled to go to America for the rest of your vacation, right?”

“Yes.”

“I think you’d better go anyway.”

“Really? Are you sure you’re okay with it?”

I liked being with her because we were in the middle of a fire of love, but I thought it would be comfortable to send her to the U.S. right now.

“No, I’m afraid I won’t be in Korea, because I have a business trip abroad in the middle of the month. If I don’t send you to America and I go abroad, it doesn’t mean anything.” I made an excuse that way.

“Okay…” She gave it a little thought, but soon agreed. Breaking the promise with her friend Sarah must have bothered her, too. The trip would go until fall, when a new semester would begin. By then Crow would bring me some information.

‘All right, this is enough.’

I went on to call my sister.

Turr, turr, turr… My sister really didn’t answer my phone. Fortunately, when the connection tone was repeated around ten times, she answered the phone, “What?” She got the phone in a slightly sleepy voice.

When I had started giving her an allowance of a thousand dollars a month, she said, “brother, just tell me,” but these days she had returned to her original position.

I said, scratching my forehead, “Sujin, what are you going to do for the rest of your vacation?”

“Well, I have no plans.”

Last time, I had heard from my parents that my sister, who was an elementary school teacher, had broken up with her boyfriend, a doctor, and was staying in the house with nothing to do during the vacation.

“If you don’t have anything to do, why don’t you take our parents to Europe for the rest of your vacation?”

“Europe?”

“Yes, you can go to the south of Italy, France, Spain, or Russia, Finland, and Denmark, and I’ll pay all the expenses.”

My sister changed her voice. “Really?”

“Yes. It’s vacation season anyway… and take our parents to Europe as soon as possible. I’ll pay the plane tickets and even the cost of the hotel… I’ll give you a Visa card, and can you handle everything?”

My sister was completely restored to life, “Yes! I will, brother!” Anyway, she was only nice to me when I gave her money.

“It’s a condition to take our parents with you. You can’t go alone, and only if both our parents want to go…”

My sister said, cutting off my words, “Don’t worry! You know dad can’t say no to this, right? It’s my daily routine to hang out with mom these days, so I’ll take both of them along!” she declared in a confident voice.

“Yes. Then I will rely on you.”

“Yes!” My sister hung up with a lively voice. That was it. Those who could be exposed to physical danger would be abroad for the next month.

—————————

That night, I met Ah-young and set up the schedule for the United States.

“Are you sure it’s okay?”

“Yes, have a good trip.”

———

“Brother, I got three tickets for a flight to Rome. I was sorry for the first class, so I bought the business class.” I received a report from my sister, and I felt so relieved to send the four abroad for a month.

I decided to concentrate on the presidents for the rest of the period. It was actually this way that the possibility was high. ‘Kwon Oh-hyuk, Ahn Yong-kyun, Jung So-young.’

The first day passed without much trouble.

[President Kwon Oh-hyuk announced Vision 2019.]

[Ahn Yong-kyun is aiming for a gold medal in freestyle at the championship.]

[The announcer Jung So-young looks elegant.]

It was a little bit sad that the two behind were not famous or had common names, and they were pushed away by others. But the more there were, the more I put their names in People Search the next morning: Kwon Oh-hyuk, Ahn Yong-kyun, Jung So-young.

Out of these three people, one person had a strange piece of news. I looked at it for a long time. “What’s wrong with him? Why is he…?”

Chapter 115 - Invisible Danger

I read the title of the article once again.

[CEO Ahn Yong-kyun of Blue E&M sold his 7% stake in the market.] The content was simple and clear: Ahn Yong-kyun, the head of Blue E&M, Sapphire TV, sold a 7 percent stake.

I clicked on the article. It was quite empty like a public statement. It only included just the title.

[He sold 7% of his shares on Aug. 25, the company said in a regulatory filing.]

‘Sold 7%?’ CEO Ahn Yong-kyun had been invested by our company at that time, and his stake had become very low. He was a CEO, but in fact, he kept his position because I retained it, and his shares were very small.

‘I know his current stake is under 10%.’ I floated another window and quickly saw Blue E&M’s financial statements. It was simple to check the major shareholders’ stakes.

Invictus Investment 34.4%

Ahn Yong-kyun 9.2%

It was as I remembered. CEO Ahn Yong-kyun had only 9.2%. I reflected about back when I had taken over. Blue E&M’s total market value was about sixty million dollars at the time of acquisition. At that time, the company acquired seven and a half million, half of his fifteen-million-dollar stake, from Ahn Yong-kyun, and twenty million was made by a third party-allocated paid-in capital increase to become a major shareholder.

As a result, our company held twenty-seven and a half million of the total market capital of eighty million dollars. Ahn Yong-kyun had about seven and a half million. The share ratio was thus 34.4% and 9.2%, and that was what had been coming down so far.

‘But he sold 7%… If 7% is sold, Ahn Yong-kyun’s stake will sink to 2.2%. Of course, many hired CEOs don’t have even one percent. However, he is a founder, and his stake rate is going down to an embarrassing level. Why the hell…?’

That was what I was curious about. Why did he sell it?

‘Usually, the sale of stakes in major shareholders or CEOs in all companies is bad news. If the owner of the company sells the shares, the individual investors will naturally think, “Do they know it’s going to fall, so are they selling it?” It is common sense to give it a suspicious look.’

I tried to think of other reasons. ‘Maybe he’s selling because he needs quick cash, like Kwon Oh Hyuk, who bought a house in Gangnam.’

But I didn’t think so. Blue E&M’s share price had recently risen so much that its market capital was around a hundred and sixty million. So, Ahn Yong-kyun’s shares were worth roughly fifteen million. Even if he needed quick cash, he could take out a loan against the stock. It wouldn’t have been necessary to sell the shares.

‘He wants to stay out of company management, or… is it because there is a really bad thing coming? … or maybe?…’

There was one more scenario that would create bad news.

CEO Lee Won-jae had warned me, “Tak Joon-gi may go into one of the companies you have.”

And I thought about Ahn Yong-kyun.

‘Would you like to sit here?’

‘Do you have anything to say?’

He was the one who showed a peculiar weakness to strong arming. I thought of the construction company president bowing to Director Tak Joon-gi. ‘Hello, Mr. Tak. Hehe, I used to play golf with your father…’

A scenario popped up. A servile person to a strongman, and a third-generation chaebol of Suyeon Group…

“Umm…” But it was just a hypothesis. So far, nothing was certain. I had a conviction but there was no evidence. I only checked the date he would dispose of his shares. ‘August 25th.’

It was still almost a month away. In the meantime, I had to get more information. If there was something harmful to our company going on, I would block it before then.

——————————–

The next morning. I got ready to go to work and went into Ah-young’s apartment. She prepared breakfast for me as usual. I spent time having breakfast and drinking coffee with her before she would leave for the U.S.

“So what time is the flight?”

“11 A.M.”

“Then there’s not much time left?”

“Yes, I’ll send you off and get my things sorted, and then go out.”

“Really? Um…” I stared at her, in case someone was trying to do something on the way to America. “… Do you want me to give you a ride?”

“No, oppa, didn’t you say you have to go to work today?”

“But I can drive you to Incheon International Airport for a while.”

“It’s okay. The limousine bus is coming right by my door anyway.”

That was right. If she walked about a minute from her apartment, there was a limousine bus stop to Incheon Airport. Considering her movements, Gangnam Station, Limousine Bus and Incheon Airport were all crowded with people. It would be much safer than driving her myself.

“Yes. Then… have a good trip.”

Ah-young didn’t know what the reason was, but she seemed to know that I was worried about her. “Yes. Don’t worry. I’ll stay in touch with you.”

I got a kiss from her and left her house.

‘Yeah, well, if I think about it… Ah-young and I haven’t been together long, and we’ve barely been exposed.’

That was how it was. Even my parents recently called me on the phone and asked, “Have you been seeing anyone lately?”

The only person who saw me with her and knew I was dating her was Secretary Seo, who was on my side. Even if Tak Joon-gi tried to do something strange, it would be difficult to target her.

‘Yes, I’m sure everything’s okay. My family will leave the day after tomorrow…’ I took the elevator down to the underground parking lot, thinking about it. There were three cars in the parking lot: the Porsche Pana Mera, the Bentley Bentay and the recently bought Lamborghini Aventador, worth over a million dollars in total. I took the Bentley car key out of my pocket and got in.

Lamborghini was not often taken care of, even though I bought it not long ago. Especially when commuting to and from work, our employees came to work and decided to work hard, so they might be a bit disappointed if the owner was riding in a sports car. Bentley was expensive, too, but there was a gentle side to it.

Br-br-br- I started the car and left the parking lot. As I got out, a black Korean-made SUV followed from the parking lot. Normally, I wouldn’t have thought much, but the car caught my eyes. The first was that I hadn’t seen it very often in my parking lot. To be honest, there were few Korean cars in the parking lot. Most of them were large cars. But that was a medium-sized SUV. It was not a car I could see often. The second was that it had a very strong sun-tan. It was broad daylight, but only the shadow of the driver could be seen. Of course, if it were normal,

I would’ve thought, ‘Who’s here to visit?’

But the warning of CEO Lee Won-jae made me a little sensitive.

‘No way, it might not be.’ I drove the car thinking that way. From Gangnam Station to Sinnonhyeon Station, Sinnonhyeon Station to Nonhyeon Station, but the car kept coming into my rearview mirror.

‘… is it the same way to go?’ It was no wonder. The road I was going to work, was the one they would take if they were going to go to Cheongdam-dong or Dongho Bridge or Seongsu Bridge.

“Umm…” I turned my car slowly towards the parking lot of our company but kept an eye on it. But somehow, the car passed behind me rather slowly than the others. It didn’t follow my car to my company, but somehow, I felt like it was watching whether my car went into the company.

“Huh…” I got out of the car, clicking my tongue. This was the first time I’d ever imagined someone would follow me on my way to work. I had thought this could happen when I had fucked up Director Tak, but… I should have finished him with Joo Sung-won last time.

Last time was the problem. The prosecution had only caught people around him. They had not caught the biggest fish.

‘I don’t know if they didn’t catch him or they could not, but…’ Most of the world’s affairs were vaguely bounded by what they did not and what they could not do.

‘It only takes a month to arrive at the final destination…’ Actually, a month was enough. The current situation was a time limit game, on the assumption that Crow was competent.

‘A month…’ I came to the president’s office on the top floor of the company, thinking about that.

Secretary Seo looked at me and stood up to greet me, “Are you here?”

“Yes.”

Suddenly I looked at him and remembered Director Tak Joon-gi and the big man who was guarding him. For some reason, I could imagine a two vs. two tag match between a certain CEO and a secretary, and a director and a secretary.

‘I think I can suppress Tak Joon-gi lightly, but the secretary’s a problem… he’s ten centimeters taller than me. If somehow I took him down and if I use the tightening technique… No, but the strength… his body is too big.’

No matter how hard I tried to calculate, I didn’t get an estimate. And at the heart of the matter, there was this guy with his eyes wide.

“Umm? Aren’t you going in?”

I spoke to him, “Secretary Seo, have you done any physical training lately?”

He smiled at me and said, “Haha, you know, boss. I don’t like that kind of stuff by nature.”

That was right. He was a typical nerd who had been digging books and computers for a long time. His relations to sports and violence was close to zero

“Ha… Okay.”

I walked into the president’s office and looked at my chair for a moment. However, there was someone who came to mind suddenly. I picked up the phone and called my father.

“Yes, son, why did you call me?”

“How are you getting ready for the trip?”

“I am going to be with your mother and sister, like a bodyguard.”

Just in time, that word ‘bodyguard’ came out.

“… I wish you could come with us, by the way.”

“I’m sorry, I’m busy.”

“Well, yeah… I understand. There are hundreds of people who get paid by you, and I can’t help it.”

“Yes… but dad.”

“Yes.”

“You know Jang Geun.”

“Jang Geun? Why?”

“Didn’t you say he quit coming by to be a bodyguard or something?”

“Yes, he’s doing it. Sometimes when he comes home from Seoul, he drops by the training center.”

“Oh, that’s great, dad. You know his number, right?”

“Yes, shall I get it for you?”

“Yes.”

“Yes, just a moment…”

Jang Geun was the best fighter our training center had ever produced. He won a silver medal in the world championships in his early twenties. He was a heavyweight monster. However, a car accident broke one of his hands unfortunately, and he retired.

“If it hadn’t been for the accident, he would have gone to the Olympics.”

He might not be as good as he had been at his peak, but that was a problem at the world-class level, at the Olympic level. I went back to the simulation, ‘Not Secretary Seo… but with him?’

There was no need to stay together. While I was behind him, Jang Geun would blow through Tak Joon-gi’s guard on his own like a sheet of paper, and would easily subdue the magnate standing behind him.

“Yes, here’s his phone number. I’ll tell it to you now.”

I answered with a big smile, “Yes, dad.”

Chapter 116 - Season Two

I looked at the monitor, my chin on my desk.

[The opening of Fantasy War Ground with Sapphire TV is successfully completed.]

[Sapphire TV will support Idol Management 108]

I had read so many articles over a year, I didn’t need to click them; I could grasp the contents in my mind. Then I changed the search terms to ‘Blue E&M’

Soon there were a few more articles.

[In the era of one-person media, European TV and Blue E&M are skyrocketing in anticipation of a growing market.]

[Blue E&M hit a new 52-week high. How far can it go up?]

They were about Blue E&M stock about to go well. There was no problem on the surface. No, to be precise, there was no problem at present.

‘But why …? Why? Really personal? Does he need $15,000,000 for personal reasons? Or just for profit? Or is he afraid that it will go lower than now?’

Blue E&M’s shares had nearly doubled since I had invested in it. Although there was a connection between Kai Games and OH Entertainment, Blue E&M rose because European TV, the frontrunner, went up. I checked the latest short stock sale through HTS. Certainly, the number of short stock sales had increased slightly in recent days. It might be said that it was simply betting on overheating, but it seemed that the timing was something strange.

‘Well, if there’s a good reason, he’ll report to the major shareholder, our company first; but if he doesn’t report… I’ll find it out myself, faster than he does.’

I have drawn up a list of names of the major directors of Blue E&M, including President Ahn Yong-kyun. Now, these people would all go up to my People Search and be searched for a few days.

‘Okay, so from this evening…’

It was then that the phone rang. It was Secretary Seo.

“Yes, why?”

“Well… boss.” By the way, Secretary Seo’s voice sounded a little strange.

“Why? Is something wrong?”

“No, I have a visitor. His name is Park Jang Geun.”

I spoke in a good tone, “Oh, let him in.”

Soon the door opened and a 190-centimeter tall man came in. I looked up at him. The two of us, eye-to-eye, grinned.

I said with my arms open, “Wow, Jang Geun! How long has it been?” I approached him and hugged him. But because he was so big, it was like hugging a statue. I patted him on the back a couple of times. His whole body was like steel. “How are you?”

He looked down at me and said, “Yes. How have you been?”

“Yes, it’s as you can see.” I beckoned to the inside of the president’s office, especially the front window, which had a good view outside. Beyond that, we could see the scenery of Gangnam district at a glance. It was a symbol of success, and I turned my head and looked at him. I was not short, as my height was nearly 180 centimeters, but I needed to look up this guy.

“By the way, when did you grow up like this? When you were a middle school student, I thought you were similar or a little small…”

“Well, since I was in the third grade in middle school… after you stopped coming to the training center. I’ve been growing ever since.”

“So… I remember you… when you were in elementary school, you fought with Sujin.” In elementary school, he was also on the list of who my sister used to beat. Now he weighed more than twice as much as my younger sister. That was as it had happened.

Jang Geun smiled at the same time. “I did. Back then.”

Looking at his smiling face, he looked just like he did when he was in elementary and middle school.

“But it’s nice to see you after such a long time.”

“So am I, brother. I really envy you being so successful like this.”

“Haha…”

“No. Every time I drink with my friends back home, we talk about you. You are the richest man in town. Everybody is saying that you bought a building for your dad. The coach, your dad, bragged and talked a lot.”

“Ah, yes. It was a filial duty. Sit down.” I offered him a seat.

In the meantime, the door to the president’s office was closed. It looked like Secretary Seo was watching us secretly. ‘Ah, a muscular man over 190 centimeters came in… he might wonder who this is.’

I opened the door he had closed, and called Secretary Seo, who was about to sit down. “Secretary Seo.”

“Yes?”

“Come in, you too.”

He was going back to his original position, but he listened to me and came into the office. “Yes, boss.”

“Secretary Seo, sit down.”

Secretary Seo stood uncomfortably, perhaps because of Jang Geun’s presence, and then sat down slightly away from him.

I introduced him to Jang Geun. “This is Park Jang Geun, my hometown junior, who used to go to my father’s training center. And… What year was it? The championship?”

“It was 2011.”

“Oh yeah. He was the silver medalist at the World Judo Championship. He’s working as a bodyguard now, and this is…”

I then introduced Secretary Seo. “He is my colleague. We were in the same club in college, and we were trying to start a business, and… then, this is Seo Ji Hoon, who came in as my secretary.”

They had been close to me for a long time, but each of them had a different time zone. According to my introductions, both of them greeted one another.

“Good to see you.”

“Good to see you.”

They shook hands with a short greeting. It was a perfect contrast between the two now. One was a study bug who had never missed being at the top of the class from college admission to graduation. The other was an athlete who has been evaluated as a promising athlete since middle school and had reached the world’s top level.

‘I wonder how the king in old times used to feel when he saw a warrior and a civil servant.’ I thought that in my mind, and spoke out to my secretary, “I’ve already told Jang Geun… I called in Jang Geun as a bodyguard. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but just for a month.”

Secretary Seo asked me, “A bodyguard?” he asked me, with a glance at Jang Geun. “Why…? You’ve never said you needed a guard before?”

“Oh, well, I was just wondering if I needed something, just to protect myself.” I didn’t say anything specific. It was just my conviction, and I didn’t need to make Secretary Seo nervous.

I turned my head and said, “So… Jang Geun. I want you to guard Secretary Seo and me for a month.”

As I said, Jang Geun said in a loud voice, “Don’t worry about it.”

At the same time, Sed pointed to himself with his fingers, “Me too?”

I nodded, “Well, you’re all following me all the time. If danger threatens me, it could threaten you, too.”

‘In fact, if something is threatening us, this guy will be in more danger. To be honest, I have the confidence that I could protect myself. It’s been a while since I put on my Judo suit, but I still have the skills that were drummed into me. The reason I hired Jang Geun is that it’s a more sure card. By breathing for ten seconds, I can earn enough to pay his salary.’

Secretary Seo scratched his forehead with his mouth closed for a moment and might be thinking, ‘I could be in danger?’

I said with my hands crossed, “That’s what happened anyway. I hope you two get to know each other. I think… you’re about the same age?”

The two looked at each other and exchanged words.

“I’m 29.”

“Oh, me too.”

“You’re just the same age. Have a good relationship as friends.”

“Yes, brother.”

“… yes, boss.”

“I’ll start working today. Brother, how should I call you from now on?”

“Boss or CEO… call me one of the two.”

“Yes, boss.” Jang Geun had seen me since he had been very young, so the title seemed to be a little awkward, but he soon got used to it. “What’s the traffic like on your way to work? What about the car? What about the number of cars? What about your car?”

“Porsche, Lamborghini, and Bentley.”

“Yes.” He’d started to take full charge of security.

‘There’s an old saying, “If a man loses his money, there is no good person.” If it is a money-obsessed person like Tak Joon-gi, he might have a strong grudge against me, strong enough to do something illegal. Jang Geun will protect me from him and be a good shield.’

—————————

Two more days had passed since then. Jang Geun naturally melted into the role of my bodyguard. He followed me wherever I went, and he guarded me unseen. I felt much more comfortable in his presence. Jang Geun was powerful from practicing judo, but I also liked that he was reliable, because he was my hometown junior.

I had known Jang Geun since I had been in elementary school, and his parents too. Likewise, with the opposition, Chang Geun showed a similar loyalty to me, as he regarded my father as a master and spiritual leader. I thought he was a little awkward with Seo.

And, sometimes he talked with Secretary Seo, “What’s your major then?”

“I’m in economics. So Jang Geun hasn’t competed again since the accident?”

Later, I saw them talking.

“It’s better to eat with the boss anyway. It’s mostly expensive and delicious.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Yes, but the boss doesn’t save any money on that, so don’t feel pressured.”

“The boss may feel a little burdened if I decide to eat fully.”

I’d even seen them talking like friends. That was good. In the past, I was sorry about leaving Secretary Seo alone, but it would be nice if the two of them got together and got to know each other.

In addition, I got a call from Ah-young from abroad.

“Oppa, I didn’t think much of it, but now I’m on Wall Street in New York, and I’m thinking of you. I’m renting a car from here to Los Angeles tomorrow.”

And I got a contact from my family. “Son, it’s mom. I am very happy. Rome has so much to see. Even if I stayed here for a month, I would not see everything. It’s fun to see everything and the food is so good. Thank you, son.”

This ensured the safety of those offline. What was left now was an online fight.

‘It’s August 25… when the blue E&M shareholder’s sale is announced…’ The second-largest shareholder was required to issue a public notice within five days of the change in his stake. That meant he could sell his shares Tuesday. The 20th was not far away.

‘What the hell is his reason to sell?’ I went on to track down President Ahn Yong-kyun and the directors of Blue E&M through People Search on the future news. Sometimes I wrote down my name, and on the off chance, I wrote down the name Tak Joon-gi. I was in the process of doing so when an article was caught in my hand.

“Aha, this is it!”

It was Season Two of spider hunting. Last time he cut the tail and ran away, but this time I would really be putting an end to him…

Chapter 117 - BJ Kippa

Tiriri, tiriri. The alarm went off. I got out of bed, rubbing my eyes. After taking a shower, I took the milk out of the refrigerator, poured it into the bowl, and then took the cereal out of the cupboard and started eating it. Normally, I wouldn’t have done this.

‘Eat this while I’m away.’ It was the cereal that Ah-young had bought for me. While I was eating cereal, I picked up my cell phone for a while and texted Ah-young, who was on the other side of the globe. -How are you? I miss you.-

And for about ten seconds, I looked at it. Seeing that the number “1” next to the letter was not erased, it seemed that she was sleeping or driving.

‘Where is she now?’

Ah-young was on a transcontinental trip with her best friend Sarah, like Thelma and Louise, from the east to the west of the United States. Every time she left one town, the time difference changed, so it was hard to tell what time she was at now.

‘She’ll reply when she sees my text.’

After a quick meal, I brushed my teeth and put on my clothes, and arranged my head. Wi Yi-ying, just in time, the phone rang. I got it, “Yes. I’ll come out now.”

——

After I got ready to go to work, I went out of the apartment. In the hallway of my apartment stood a 190-centimeter-tall giant, Jang Geun.

He looked at me and greeted me, “There’s nothing wrong, boss.”

I gave Jang Geun a pat on the shoulder, “Yes. Good job.” I took the elevator with him.

When I arrived at the underground parking lot, Secretary Seo was waiting for me with the engine running. “Are you ready?”

“Good morning.”

After I got in the back seat, Jang Geun looked around from up there and then got in the passenger seat.

“I’ll leave then.”

Secretary Seo drove out of our parking lot. In the meantime, Jang Geun kept looking around. Watching him do his job, I turned to my cell phone. I didn’t need to check if anyone was watching me or if any car was following me.

‘It was good to hire him.’ A week after hiring Jang Geun, three of us were going to work together. I might behave fastidiously, but I was going to do this for a month, until Tak Joon-gi was behind bars. Of course, all this was done under the assumption that the Crow was doing a good job. If he were to squint his eyes, and say, “I’m sorry. I failed to collect the information you requested,” all would be for naught. I might have to fight a long battle with Tak Joon-gi, constantly gripped by anxiety. Only if he was successful would my attack be possible.

‘I hope he’s doing well…’ Instead, I had almost perfected my defense. I’d hired Jang Geun, and I’d already blocked all attacks that would come based on the future news.

Upon entering the company, I called in Vice President Jang and confirmed, “How is everything about what I told you going?”

Jang bowed his head and said, “I’ve prepared everything you said, boss. Just give me the order.”

I went into the president’s office with a nod. The showdown would take place two weeks from now.

————————–

I watched HTS with my arms crossed; to be precise, I watched the stock window of Blue E&M. ‘Normal trading volume. No unusual buying agents, no selling agents…’ I peeped at the clock with a slightly sleepy eye. It was 11:30 a.m. on August 21, and the day of the showdown had finally come… but it was quiet.

‘There’s supposed to be a sell-off today.’ After I saw on the news 12 Weeks After, Ahn Yong-kyun, president of the company, had announced on Saturday that he had sold his shares. Under a related law, the first major shareholder was required to make public his shares as soon as they were sold, while another major shareholder was required to make a public announcement within five days. In short, if he sold his shares, he should clean up his shares from today. But the stock window was quiet, as if nothing happened, but I was still sure.

‘Well… let’s wait a little longer. The correction news has not arrived yet. The deadline for correction news is one month before or after the incident. So, as soon as there’s a change in the news within a month, there’s correction news. The news was reported to me about twenty-four days ago, so if the future changes, there must be correction news.’

‘Yes, more than that…’ I checked how much the volume of the short stock sale had increased recently. The volume of the short stock sale, which had been increasing slowly since the beginning of the month, had been increasing quite recently. The picture fitted perfectly enough to impede normal stock price rises.

‘Why doesn’t this guy change his ways… After starting a short stock sale, he created bad news and dragged down the stock price. From Go-young Food to Jinyang Development and this one, they were all the same pattern. It was natural for stockpickers to have a chance to earn money according to the rise and fall of the stock price, but the point was that I’d already figured it out.

‘If I know where to come in, it’s easy to use that power against them, like judo.’

I suddenly recalled the description that the Customer Service had used when describing the Master Crow: He would know where you’re going to grab him…

It was something magical, but it was good anyway. All I had to do was to wait for his subordinate, Crow, to do a good job.

Then, suddenly, the stock price of Blue E&M started to fall, because of the bomb that went off somewhere. ‘Yes, he is moving.’

On the surface, it looked like a tired ant had fallen out of the short stock sale, but knowing the background, it seemed to me that CEO Ahn Yong-kyun, who was working with Tak Joon-gi, was selling his shares. It might be 99%. What was unique about this case was that the company’s CEO, Ahn Yong-kyun, was holding his hand.

They had done the same thing during the last Bisang Construction. When they were working the stock, they usually joined hands with representatives, or at least they implicitly allowed them to participate. I was the de facto majority shareholder of Blue E&M now, but as CEO Ahn Yong-kyun was working instead, that was why they seemed to hold hands; the two joined hands and would fuck me up and take my money.

‘I don’t know why he made that decision, but… he didn’t pick the right owner to wag his tail in front of.’ Of course, he thought otherwise. Invictus Investment was still an emerging company, although it had recently grown rapidly. In his eyes, the name Suyeon, which had been one of the pillars of the Korean economy for fifty years, must have been looked bigger than the new rookie. It wouldn’t be long before he realized his choice was wrong.

I watched the stock window and checked the stock price to be pushed. I picked up the phone and directly called Vice President Jang.

“Vice President Jang, as I said, secure our stake in Blue E&M.”

“Yes, boss.”

‘Stock manipulators usually want to paint their own way. To raise, lower, and repeat it, they make individual investors uneasy, greedy, and drive them into hell. But this time it will be different. Blue E&M is my company, my playground, although I don’t manage it myself. I won’t allow them to play with fire here, even if he is the founder of this company.’

——————————

On August 25th, I left the president’s office.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, boss.”

Standing behind me, Secretary Seo and my bodyguard Jang Geun followed me. On the way, Secretary Seo made a phone call, “Yes. I’m Seo Ji Hoon, secretary of CEO Han Sang Hoon of Invictus Investment. Yes. The CEO said he’s visiting the company today. Yes. Oh, no big deal. He’s just coming to get a report.”

Secretary Seo said so, but Ahn Yong-kyun, who heard it, must be distracted. He’d already sold out his shares, but he suddenly heard that the owner was coming. The owner usually didn’t even go to work at his own company.

————————–

As expected, he asked, “… What brings CEO Han here?” His face was a little pale.

I spoke to him, “No, I was passing by, and I’d like to say hello.”

“Yes, I see.” He uttered a slightly reassuring remark, but all the anxiety didn’t seem to go away.

‘Huh, it seems like a guilty conscience needs no accuser.’ I went around the company once, thinking about it.

In the meantime, Blue E&M’s major directors came to me and bowed their heads.

“It’s been a long time, CEO Han. What brings you here?”

“This is Kim Seok-hyun, the financial director. Do you remember me?”

I’d never showed my face before, but it revealed who the real owner of this place was. I looked at them and said to President Ahn Yong-kyun, “Oh, while I’m here, I’ll talk to the directors. I’d like to talk with you about the current situation.”

“Ah… Yes.”

I sat on one side of the conference room like a boss who had come out for a random check. The other directors rushed in and sat down. They were not too many, as it was a small company.

I told them, “Nice to meet you, Blue E&M directors. I’d like to say ‘thank you’ to you all first. We’ve almost doubled our revenue in a year since we invested in Blue E&M, even though we’ve been a little slow lately.”

I glanced at Ahn Yong-kyun when I said, “even though we’ve been a little slow lately.”

Ahn Yong-kyun, who had caused the stock price to slow down for a few days, quickly rolled his eyes to the left and right. He looked anxious about what I was going to say.

I kept going on and on, leaving him alone, “The Idol Management 108 seems to be going well. The ratings are good and the Idol support is good… President Kwon Oh Hyuk of OH Entertainment is also satisfied. I don’t know if I said it myself, but I also appreciate your efforts.”

“Don’t mention it…” They were at a loss on how to answer my compliments.

Here I brought up the subject, “And the next project… My Big Television.”

‘My Big Television is the first big project of Sapphire TV, created by connecting with one of the comprehensive channels. It is a format in which celebrities are invited and send private broadcasts through Sapphire TV. Here, famous BJs from SapphireTV will also join in. The program will provide fresh content, while Sapphire TV provides platforms and BJs. That is the agreement.’

“I think this is one of the most important things to do with the future of Sapphire TV… Did you get the BJ list?”

One director answered me quickly, “Yes, CEO Han.”

“Please show me the list.”

“Yes, sir.” He lowered his head, went out of the meeting room like a shot, and came back with a piece of paper.

I accepted it. There was the ID at the top: his real name was Jung Chil-yeon, known as BJ Kippa. A week from now, during a live broadcast with a girl group, and when girl group fans as well as other viewers were gathered, he would make a big problem that I didn’t even want to talk about. So, the company’s operations would be paralyzed for a while, there would be a strong sanction from the Korea Communications Standards Commission, and the human nuclear bomb would cost the company tens of millions of dollars of total market capital.

I held it with one hand, snapped the index finger of my other hand and said, “Isn’t this BJ Kippa… a little bit of a problem?”

Chapter 118 - You’re Fired

Two weeks ago, I set up a list of directors for Sapphire TV, including CEO Ahn Yong-kyun, and wrote down the names on a daily People Search: Ahn Yong-kyun, Kim Jung-kyun, and Park Kyu-seok.

But there was no news related to it. Only articles regarding CEO Ahn Yong-kyun were there.

[CEO Ahn Yong-kyu sold all the shares he held.]

[Ahn Yong-kyun, the founder of Blue E&M, will leave the company.]

Only such news came out.

‘It’s obvious that something’s happening…’ That was what I thought, and I changed the direction. ‘Blue E&M’s main business is Internet broadcasting… Did they get into trouble with Internet broadcasting?’

The answer came out soon. I picked some of the best BJs on Sapphire TV. Then I tried to put the real names of the BJs in order by fame. BJ Won-kyu, Lee Won-kyu, BJ Night Princess Han Chae-young… and around tenth place, BJ Kippa Jung Chil-yeon.

Then came the answer. Early next month, on a general programming channel, BJ Kippa, who had been popular for his usual violent broadcasts, would have a collaboration with the “My Big Television” program, and he would sexually harass a girl group in front of a thousand viewers. It was radical. Somehow, the details were not given. The article cut some content and showed the only part of the rest… [He exposed his penis…]

That was how it was described. Of course, it went crazy. In the past, when a band did similar things on live television, all live broadcasts were turned into delayed broadcasts, but there would be no such device on Internet broadcasting. Why did he do this all of a sudden? The guy must have conspired with Tak Joon-gi and Ahn Yong-kyun.

In the past, when someone had paid him tens of dollars on the Internet, he had shaved his head with a hair trimmer, or he had quarreled with people on the street, or he had done a crazy broadcast. By that standard, if someone would pay a few hundred thousand dollars for something, he would do it without hesitation. If he was a BJ in the top ten on European TV, the number one in the industry, he might refuse, saying, “I can do it in a few months.” But Sapphire TV was smaller than European TV. This lunatic was not in the top ten.

“I’d like to take BJ Kippa off the list, and BJ Cherry Hyang, and BJ Bbakbbak.”

I tackled all the BJs in the list, even the problematic or alternative BJs, in front of the board of directors, including President Ahn Yong-kyun. They seemed a little surprised at my remarks. In particular, Ahn Yong-kyun’s face was slightly pale. It seemed his card was blocked.

Another director who didn’t know the circumstances asked me, “What’s this about, CEO Han?”

“I sometimes watch Sapphire TV, too, but these guys… a bit messy. BJ Kippa usually does a lot of strange things. The show of BJ Cherry Hyang is too erotic. BJ Bbakbbak has been swearing too much. So I hope you will take them off the list. I’m sure a lot of viewers are going to come over to us. I’m afraid something bad will happen.”

“Oh, yes, but…”

I turned my head and said, looking at President Ahn Yong-kyun, “President Ahn, how do you think? Let’s get these guys out.”

It was a little cruel, but I decided to ask him openly and waited for his answer.

“No, I think it’ll be fine. These guys are usually violent, but… I’ve talked about it enough in advance.” He said so in a cold sweat. It seemed that he decided to keep his path to the end.

“Hmm… really? Are you thinking like that?” I was a bit blurred. Everyone would say nothing if I went strong from here, but I decided to let it go. I was still not supposed to know the news about the CEO’s stake sale. “What do you think, other directors? I still want to be safe.”

At my words, the directors rolled their eyes fast. ‘Who would they choose, the founder or the first major shareholder?’

They might be worried between their CEO or an investor. But that was just for now, because CEO Ahn Yong-kyun had already sold most of the shares he had. He was just waiting for a public announcement. Then the force would be turned on me rapidly. I kept it for now without a final blow.

“Then please talk to one another and report back tomorrow. I’d like to change the list. I prefer more gentle and comfortable ones than the ones who do the provocative broadcasts.”

That was all I said, and I got up with Secretary Seo and Jang Geun. I was just passing by today, so there were only a few board members present.

—————————-

That afternoon, there were two news stories at Blue E&M. The first one was one that I’d seen, [CEO Ahn Yong-kyun’s 7% stake was sold.]

The second news was the new one, [The stake of CEO Han Sang-hoon of Invictus Investment is 6.7% and Vice President Jang Sang-jin has 0.3%.]

The reactions of the investors who saw it were mostly like this:

– The stake of a major shareholder has increased. Why did CEO Ahn Yong-kyun sell? Is it personal?-

– CEO Ahn Yong-kyun must have handed over his shares to CEO Han Sang-hoon and Vice President Jang Sang-jin… Whether it’s bad news or good news? Anyway, Investment genius CEO Han Sang-hoon has increased his private stake. It’s good news, right?-

Individual investors seemed to think that this was simply adjusting our holdings in the company. Vice President Jang and I had only picked up what he had sold, but there was such an opinion among them.

– Maybe Han Sang-hoon tried to kick Ahn Yong-kyun out of the company, and this happened.-

In some aspect, their guesses were right, like the net of the sleeping man catching fish. It was not a very wrong guess. No matter how he started a business, no matter if he was a CEO, his power was much lower if he didn’t have a stake in it. His position could be changed by me at any time. There was a real reaction from Blue E&M.

“Boss, you have a call.”

“Who?”

“This is Kim Jung-kyun, vice president of Blue E&M. He wants to talk to you secretly.”

“Really? Put me through to him.”

When I answered the phone, he said in a bright voice, “How are you, boss? I’m Blue E&M’s Kim Jung-kyun.” The voice was familiar, and I matched it with his face.

“Oh, yeah. I saw you this afternoon, right?”

“Yes, boss, nothing but, I agree with what you said today.”

He clung to me quickly and told me such a story. It was a kind of loyalty pledge. CEO Ahn Yong-kyun sold his stake and he was no longer at the CEO level. If he disobeyed me, I could change him any time.

‘You’re a quick-witted man.’ It was not a bad thing to be quick to notice, if he had proper judgment.

“When I heard about it, other directors felt the same way. Everyone’s saying you’re right.”

“What did CEO Ahn Yong-kyun say?”

“I’m not sure. He left work early today because he was sick.”

‘Did he go to report to Tak Joon-gi?’

“Yes, I see. Anyway, I really want the BJ list to be changed a little. I want them not to be on the show. I’m a little…”

“Yes, I think so, sir. I’ll try to make sure that’s the case.”

“Thank you, I’d appreciate it.”

“Yes, boss.”

‘In any case, that BJ Kippa won’t be on the show in the end. If Kim Jung-kyun can’t do it, I’ll do it myself. In addition, if this is done, I’ll ban him for the rest of his life. I don’t want him to be on Sapphire TV again.’

—————————

The next morning, at 8:55 a.m. I had some correction news when I received the emails.

[The sexual harassment scandal of BJ Kippa we sent you on August 7th has been corrected by the involvement of a reader…]

Kim Jung-kyun, vice president of the company, must have gathered the directors and confirmed he was out, as I had said.

‘All right, I’ve stopped this…’

I then turned on the HTS and saw the chart of the Blue E&M. Perhaps today was supposed to be a decline in the stock price. The sudden sell-off of the CEO’s stock would be a surprise to the ants, and they would dump their shares, too. Vice President Jang and I took the entire stake and offset the concern. The asking price was at the range of +4%.

‘It was traded at -4%. Then, Tak Joon-gi would have done a huge sell-off with the short stock sale since the short stock sale, which bets on falling stock prices, would benefit from lower stock prices. The short stock sale that has proceeded over the last month is probably the work of Tak Joon-gi. But from today on, he won’t be able to benefit any more. Both of the planned bad news are blocked.

‘That’s not the only thing. If stock prices go up, he should suffer another loss.’

As the market opened, Blue E&M started trading at +4%.

– Han Sang-hoon bought this stock. It should be a big hit.- The news brought a lot of people to buy the stock.

‘Now Tak Joon-gi has to buy back shares that are more expensive, eating mustard in tears. He has been fucked twice, and he must be getting feverish.’ As I thought about it, the phone rang. I answered the phone and heard Secretary Seo’s voice, “Boss, CEO Ahn Yong-kyun is here.”

I thought he’d call, but he came to see me himself.

‘Hmm… what will he say?’ I told Secretary Seo with such thought, “Let him come in.”

Soon, the door opened and Jang Geun came into the president’s office with CEO Ahn Yong-kyun. Jang Geun was supposed to come in together with anyone, for whatever reason. Most people wouldn’t be able to do anything stupid when a 190-centimeter muscular man was watching them from behind.

CEO Ahn Yong-kyun said to me, lowering his head, “Well, I’ve decided to do what you wanted.”

I had already known through the correction news. “Oh, that’s great.”

“And… selling that stake of mine… was because of my personal circumstances. I should have told you in advance. I needed quick cash in a hurry.”

As I listened to him, I thought, ‘He’s lying to the end…’

In fact, I thought he could speak plainly, because I had known all along. I had come all of a sudden and stopped BJ Kippa, and I had bought back all of his stake. I didn’t say anything, but all the circumstances were in my favor, like the case of Bisang Construction. But the difference from the last time was that I no longer intended to be consistent with my ignorance.

I spoke to him, “Yes, I see. Let me ask you just one question.”

“What?”

“How much did Tak Joon-gi say he would pay you?”

His face was pale when the name came out, and he couldn’t say anything. In fact, it was just a bomb. I already knew. I meant to shut him up.

I continued, “I don’t want to talk too long. You can leave the company by yourself next week… or I’ll open an emergency board meeting next week and fire you.”

When I invested in any company, I had said ‘I don’t touch management or personnel management’, but there was only one exception; when they did something wrong that would obviously result in a loss to our investment. This time, he had nothing more to say, as I had caught him conducting just such an operation.

Ahn Yong-kyun, who had received a fatal blow, answered, his body shaking, “No… what the hell… how…”

I said to Jang Geun with a nod, “Jang Geun, take him outside. I don’t want to see him any more.”

“Yes, boss.” At my words, Jang Geun approached him, grabbed his armpits and almost carried him out of the president’s office.

——-

This was the end of the defense. Now it was time to attack. That afternoon, a message came at just the right time

.

-Crow has completed his mission. Please decide where and when to get the report.-

Chapter 119 - Strangely Excellent

Tiriri, my cell phone rang. I went through my pants and picked up my cell phone. It was Vice President Jang.

“Boss.”

“Yes, Vice President Jang.”

“Blue E&M CEO Ahn Yong-kyun has just given us his resignation. He is going to quit his job and live in seclusion.”

“… I see.”

In the end, Ahn Yong-kyun seemed to have decided to leave the company on his own. It was late, but it was a reasonable choice. There was no point in enduring it. If he had had a stake, he could have persuaded directors and investors to resist, but he couldn’t do anything with a two-percent stake.

“Yes, but it’s strange that he quit so suddenly…”

Vice President Jang was also not aware of the situation of Ahn Yong-kyun. Well, there would be only a few people in the world who knew: me, Ahn Yong-kyun, and Tak Joon-gi, who had designed the scheme.

“But… there was a rumor.”

“What rumor?”

“The CEO Ahn Yong-kyun regrets being invested in by us… That’s the story.”

“Really? Why?”

“At the time, didn’t he sell us half of his stake, seven and a half million, when we invested in him?”

“Yes, he did.”

“But now that it’s doubled… it’s a pity for him. I guess that’s what he thought. That’s fifteen million now.”

I snorted, “No, he was short of money in the first place, so he asked us to invest… but did he say so?”

He hadn’t had any money then. Now that the company was doing well, he must have thought, ‘If I hadn’t sold out then it would have been worth twice as much as now…’

I had saved him from the sea, but he would have turned into my enemy.

Vice President Jang spoke to me in a cautious tone, “… people are cunning animals, boss.”

“That’s right.”

Until a few minutes ago, I thought, ‘Even Vice President Jang doesn’t know why he really quit.’ However, he might know the more important reason: money. It might be the main reason he had joined hands with Tak Joon-gi. Blue E&M’s stock price had doubled since I had taken over, so it had been walking on the flat rates. Although he used to say, “This is what I like,” in the end, he seemed to think, “If I work hard for a company with a lower stake… it will be only good things for others”, and so he had decided to do the stock manipulation.

‘Well… that’s what it was…’ I was thinking about it, but Vice President Jang told me, “Then who should we appoint as the next CEO?”

The next CEO? I briefly recalled the vice president, Kim Jung-kyun. When he had seen the situation had changed, he had called me quickly, and said, “I support your opinion, CEO Han.” However, I couldn’t give him the CEO position right away. I had also felt something through the case of Ahn Yong-kyun: people couldn’t be trusted completely.

“… let’s run the company through the acting vice president… but we will open a board meeting and talk and pick him to manage it slowly.”

“Yes, then… do you want me to send you a list of directors?”

“Yes, and if there’s anyone outside who’s okay, please check that out, especially among those who have experience from European TV or YouTube.”

“Yes, boss.”

While talking on the phone with Vice President Jang, Seo’s car arrived in front of the National Library of Korea.

Seo said, “We’ve arrived, boss.”

I put my cell phone in my pocket and said, “Yes, this will take about half an hour.”

“Yes, boss.”

I nodded and stepped out of the car. Jang Geun followed me like a shadow. I said to him, “As I said… everything you hear from now on… is a secret, okay?”

“Don’t worry, boss. That’s basic as a bodyguard.”

I clasped him on the shoulder with a smile, “Yes.”

To be honest, I didn’t believe him, as this guy just because he was my bodyguard. He was a junior of the training center I had known since elementary school, and he had been a pupil of my father, so I only believed in that. If he had been another bodyguard, I wouldn’t have brought him here at all. I told him ahead of time on my way up to Montmartre Park.

“Oh, and… I’m going to meet someone now… Don’t be too wary of him.”

“What kind of person do you mean?”

“He’s a foreigner, similar to you. He’s a little odd-looking, but he’s not a weirdo… No, he’s weird, but he’s not dangerous. Don’t worry too much. Just mind someone else.”

“Yes, boss.”

—

I went up to Montmartre Park with him. I briefly recalled my first encounter with Crow in late July, when it had been so hot. But now in August, the trees, which had been scorching hot, were gradually changing color.

‘It’s almost autumn.’ But before the summer was over, there was something I had to do: send Tak Joon-gi to jail. I looked at the other side of the road for a moment, instead of going up to the park. There I could see the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office, the very building that often appeared on the nine o’clock news when political bigwigs or conglomerate heads were taken away. It was not long before Tak Joon-gi would be coming in and out of the place.

I sat on the bench in Montmartre Park. It was the very bench I had met Crow the other day before. Not long after, Crow appeared. Fortunately, the stupid furry clothes were not there. Nevertheless, he was still visible. So was his race’s strange appearance, and he took the same action.

I thought he’d come close to me, when he suddenly kneeled down and said, “How have you been for the last month, boss?” performing the classic subordinate greeting.

Come to think of it, it’d been like this before. I stood up from the bench and spoke urgently, “Get up… get up.”

Crow then stood up, as if he had not done anything. I caught a glimpse of Jang Geun, who was standing slightly away. Jang Geun, who usually didn’t change his facial expressions, also looked a little surprised when he saw Crow. I nodded slightly and marked OK with my fingers. I said to Crow, “It’s been okay.”

“Next time, you know that modern greeting, just a quick nod?”

“Yes, boss.”

“That’s how we say hello to each other.”

“Yes, boss.”

“Sit down.” I pointed to the bench with a gesture. Crow sat in the same place. I also sat down and said to him, “So, how was the investigation? Did it go well?”

As I asked, Crow took a brown envelope out of his arms and handed it to me instead of answering. It was thick, almost bursting. I opened it for a moment. There was a pile of A4 paper inside. Originally I was going to check the contents right here, but that would be too much. It would take me hours to read all of this.

‘I think he’s capable, but his sense is strange.’

I told him, “First of all, thank you, but… Do you know how to write emails?

He answered, “Yes, of course.”

‘Of course,’ it was a natural story, but I didn’t think it was natural for him.

“Then, I hope I can get it by email instead of doing this next time. It’s a little… cumbersome, it’s a waste of paper.”

Crow, for the first time, rejected my request. “I’m sorry, but I can’t.”

“Why?”

“We have to meet our client in person and deliver the information. It’s a rule.”

“Oh, really? A rule?”

“Yes. We have some rules to follow. Master Crow has chosen them… and he likes things a little classic. So, when we give information, we need to meet the information requestor in person and deliver the information. Not just emails, but even handwritten mailed letters… everything like that is impossible.”

“Well… I see. That’s a very… like a crow.”

At my words, Crow lowered his eyes for a moment, and said, “I see. I’ve… I’ve just realized that.”

Either way, I couldn’t help but accept that the rules were like that. It was me who felt sorry. I turned my head back to the report. Despite the large amount of paper, the title page read: ‘The outline of the Bisang Construction stock price manipulation case. P11.’ ‘The circumstances of the reporter Kang Joo-hyuk who killed himself. P132.’…

The table of contents was arranged that way. If I only wanted to see what was needed, I would find it in no time.

I said, putting the documents back in the envelope, “Thanks for all the work you’ve done, Mr. Crow.”

“Yes, boss. Is there anything else you are requesting this month?”

“… No, I haven’t thought of anything yet.” That was what it was. It was just when I started the war with Tak Joon-gi, and I’d have to figure out what was lacking. There was no such thing yet. I would read this report and call him back.

“I’ll be sure to call you by the end of this month. Please take a break.”

“Yes, boss.”

I picked up the envelope. But then, I remembered my thought of last time, ‘Next time, I’ll buy him something delicious and talk about it.’ So I turned to him again and tried to speak, “Oh, by the way, if there’s anything you want to eat…”

Once again, he had disappeared from the scene. There was no sign of him at all. I turned my head. Again, he was not anywhere in the park, it was like I was haunted by a ghost. I got up from my seat. Then I called Jang Geun, who was standing far away.

“Jang Geun.”

“Yes, boss.” Soon Jang Geun came running fast.

“The man I was with… Did you see where he went?”

“… no, I was on lookout for a moment…”

“Well… yeah…”

He was already gone like a ghost. It was all right. I’d already got what I wanted, so I could ask him slowly next time if he wanted anything to eat. I was sure I would be calling him once a month anyway…

—————————

When I got home, I spent my time analyzing Crow’s report. Crow’s report had two surprises. First, the report’s letters, which I naturally thought was printed out, were not printed at all, but written by a pen-and-pencil. The letters were neat, but slightly different from one another. All of them looked to be written by a pen.

‘What the hell is this? Is this the classic rule?’ It would have taken several more times to write all of this with a pen than to type.

‘Huh, he is literally a reporter; a reporter in the classical sense.’ These days, a simple sports article was completely human hand-operated, compared to an AI’s use.

‘That’s great… but what’s greater…’ The second was that the contents were vast but accurate. He was truly very capable. Some of the things I had asked were there. ‘How did he know this?’ It was an extraordinary level of information compared to his bizarre appearance and behavior.

‘Customer Service was right…’ I couldn’t help but accept it. With this information, it would be very easy to send Tak Joon-gi to hell. It wrote about his crimes in detail. It would be difficult to write this accurately even if Tak Joon-gi were asked to confess everything.

‘It’s strange in many ways… although this one is strangely excellent.’ When I read the report, I thought about it and laughed.

Chapter 120 - Implementation of Justice, Part I

Tadak tadak tadak. I quickly moved my fingers, and then got up from my chair with my eyes blinking.

‘Hoo, this is work.’ For three hours, I’d been writing a document. It was a contribution article to the press. As the material that Crow had given me was so large, it was quite difficult to abbreviate it into a contribution article. But still, I’d done this over and over again.

My motive was twofold: first, there were elements in this report that I was curious about. Among the reports, there was the following content.

– President Jung Gi-woong of Bisang Construction has been making contacts with Seoul City officials for many years, and he knew it would be advantageous while selecting the business operator. However, he could not afford to buy stocks due to his personal debt. At that time, stock price manipulators, including Tak Joon-gi and Kang Joo-hyuk, came into contact with him. President Jung Gi-woong was offered $5,000,000 in gold in exchange for allowing them to manipulate stock prices. $300,000 was paid in advance, and changed in the Sun Precious Metal on Jongno three-ga to gold bullion and distributed as bribes to Seoul City officials.-

It contained information on the connection of Tak Joon-gi and Jung Gi-woong.

– Reporter Kang Joo-hyuk threatened to expose all the facts on Tak Joon-gi to the BKS network. However, Tak Joon-gi responded with a photo of his daughter returning home and threatened him back. Kang Joo-hyuk, seeing the photo of his daughter, surrendered and accepted the suicide offer. Instead of taking the blame for the stock manipulation, he signed a contract not to touch his family. The contract and Kang’s original will are in Kang Joo-hyuk’s Google Mail account.-

It also included the process of Kang Joo-hyuk’s suicide. I could write a document without getting tired while reading this long report, because it was so fun.

The second reason I stuck to writing this document was that I was running out of time. I could see from the inside story of Kang Joo-hyuk’s suicide that Tak Joon-gi was someone who could actually kidnap and kill someone.

It was obvious when he had threats, and it had worked. A day or two from now, my parents and Ah-young who had gone abroad would return home. I wanted to make Tak Joon-gi a national star before that, able to do nothing. I took a cold bottled water out of the refrigerator, gulped it down, and sat down in front of the computer again. I would finish this work today, and I would send Tak Joon-gi to hell tomorrow.

——————————

Tiriri tiriri. I opened my eyes to the ringing alarm. I had been working on the document until late yesterday, so I had a slightly sore back and my eyes, but I got up right away. I had a lot of work to do today. I washed, ate, put on my clothes as usual, and said to myself, “Let’s go.”

I went to work with Secretary Seo and Jang Geun. On my way to work, I talked to Secretary Seo, “Check Oracle News CEO Jung So-young’s schedule today and ask her to come see me in the morning if she’s free.”

“Yes, boss.”

I opened my mailbox as soon as I entered the president’s office. There was an email that I had sent to myself yesterday. Attached to it was a document that would destroy Tak Joon-gi. I downloaded it to my desktop for now. I could throw it right into the media if I wanted to, but I decided to put up with it a little bit. Because this document I had written contained not only Tak Joon-gi’s name, but also high-ranking officials of the prosecution, police, and media who had protected him.

I didn’t know that when I started writing it yesterday, but this document was not a sniper rifle, but a mortar that would sweep away everyone in the vicinity. So I decided to discuss it with Jung So-young and let it out. If I had sent it out, I wondered whether Oracle News would be able to manage it, so there was a little bit of a question.

“Boss, CEO Jung So-young will be here as soon as possible, before ten o’clock.”

“Yes.”

At 8:45, upon receiving the report, I turned the HTS on as usual and read the future news.

‘Well, yeah, Sung & A has an earnings surprise…’

Then suddenly I had a strange idea, ‘Wait a minute, what happens if I search Tak Joon-gi today?’

I was going to publish an article about Tak Joon-gi. Meeting with Jung So-young to discuss the matter was just a matter of procedure, and he should be a star on the nine o’clock news today, if nothing unusual happened in the middle. I tried writing ‘Tak Joon-gi’ in the People Search of 12 Hours After. There was an article.

[The key person to the corruption scandal in Bisang Construction and manipulating stock prices is Suyeon Group’s third generation, Director Tak Joon-gi.]

That was just the article I wanted to see. I clicked on it. The content of the article was not much different from what I had put on the desktop yesterday. It was only rewritten so that everybody could have a clearer picture of the proceedings.

It was a little funny that the future I made was on the future news. I read more of it. The prosecution, the police, and the senior press officials I’d been thinking about a little bit, were all real names. It seemed that the mortar must have gone out instead of a sniper gun.

‘That’s what happens in the end.’

It was decided after half an hour.

“Are you calling, CEO Han?” Wearing a soft beige suit, CEO Jung So-young of Oracle News visited me. She looked over the documents I presented her.

“Oh, my God… What is this?” At first, she was a little surprised, but soon, she recovered her composure and told me, “I’ll… I’ll get it out there, sir. Of course, it’s not that it’s not a burden to our company, but… We need to be able to get this out. It’s the press.”

I agreed, nodding to her, “That’s good. Don’t worry too much about external pressure. If Oracle news gets stuck somehow… I’ll use another means.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then I will send you an email as it is written. Please let the article out today.”

“Yes, sir.” After the meeting with me, Jung So-young opened the door and left.

——

It was time. Secretary Seo grabbed the door of the president’s office and told me, “Well, boss.”

“Hmm?”

“While you were just talking to Jung So-young, another person asked for a meeting.”

“Who?”

“Well… Director Tak Joon-gi of Suyeon Travel. He wants to come and meet you around eleven o’clock.”

“Really?” I was a little surprised. He was moving himself.

‘Hmm…’ If I thought about it, it was no wonder. Last week, I said to Ahn Yong-kyun, the former head of Blue E&M, “How much did you decide to receive from Tak Joon-gi?” Now that I had said that, he must have known that I knew all his intentions and strategies. He must have been certain about the Bisang Construction.

‘The man who’s going to jail tonight… is coming to see me?’ I thought of it, but nodded to Secretary Seo, who was about to close the door. “Yes, let him come.”

“Yes, boss.”

“Oh, wait.” I stopped him.

“Jang Geun. Come in for a second.” Instead, I called Jang Geun into the president’s office.

Jang Geun replied to me in his peculiar, masculine low voice, “Did you call me?”

I felt somewhat relieved to hear his voice. I spoke to him, “At eleven o’clock, there’ll be someone who looks like a very skinny person, someone who seems to have money from foot to head.”

“Yes.”

I swallowed and said, “That’s my enemy.”

Jang Geun lowered his eyes for a moment, then nodded slightly and said to me, “Yes, boss. Don’t worry.”

—————–

Tiriri tiriri. I got a call from Secretary Seo. I didn’t need to check who came.

“Let him come in.”

The door opened and Director Tak Joon-gi came in as usual.

Before he’d say ‘Oh, who is this,’ he had been overly chatty… but he was keeping his mouth shut today.

It was worth seeing. So I did it this time, “It’s been a long time, Director Tak.”

In the meantime, there was a commotion in the back.

“You can’t get past me.”

“If I have to?”

“Do it if you can.”

Jang Geun and Tak’s secretary, two giants were facing one another. To be honest, I was more interested in it than I was in Director Tak Joon-gi. Tak’s secretary had a huge body size, but he had a small head compared to Jang Geun. In addition, Jang Geun was a master at judo, and had won a silver medal at the World Championship. The giant’s secretary was wearing a suit, a shirt and a tie, which was no different than saying “kill me” to a judo expert. Without recognition, I was thinking, ‘Once they fight…’

Unfortunately, Mr. Tak intervened, saying, “That’s fine. Get out.” He waved, and it ended.

The situation was settled, and only Jang Geun entered the president’s office. Jang Geun stood behind our visitor.

Mr. Tak told me if he felt burdened, “Can’t you ask him to stay out of here?”

I shook my head, “No. Something might happen. I’m confident that I will not lose fighting you one on one,, but I don’t know if you are going to use anything weird…”

Tak said with a frown, “You mean I’m wielding a knife in someone else’s office?”

“I thought you might,” I said right after. “As far as I investigated.”

As I said that, Tak’s eyes grew bigger. No wonder. That must have been the biggest question he’d ever had, ‘How did he know?’

I told him, “The more I know about you, the scarier you are. My first impression was a little bit like that.”

Whatever I said, he told me, “When I came here today, I came here for a truce.”

“A truce?”

“… Yes. A truce, I won’t touch your company any more. The short stock sale that went into Blue E&M will be returned at a higher price at my own expense.”

“That’s a matter of course. You bet, and if you lose, you throw up. If you’re a stock trader, you should accept that.” I added one more word to that, “Didn’t you go through Bisang Construction already?”

He lost his composure by bringing up the story of Bisang Construction. “What?” He got up from his chair, as if ready to beat me up at any moment.

But then, as Jang Geun came forward, he had no choice but to sit back down, his face flushed. That big man’s secretary was no match, and if it was a normal-sized Tak Joon-gi, Jang Geun could throw him up in the sky and play with him.

I said pointedly, “Don’t be angry. If you get angry here, only you will be hurt here.”

He sat back in his seat in a fit of rage. He had lost a hundred million dollars, but he had to come down from his anger himself. Jang Geun’s forearm was the size of his leg. It was very reliable.

“Let’s do it anyway, let’s call a truce. I won’t do anything that will do you any harm in the future. Let’s make sure we don’t care about each other again. Let’s live without knowing each other, and let’s stop the bad relationship.”

I clicked on the table for a moment and said to him, “It’s not a bad story. I don’t want to get involved with Mr. Tak anymore. I made some money, but there is not just Mr. Tak’s money in the market.”

Then I mumbled my words and added some more, “But… there’s one thing I need to do. I’m afraid I’m going to hurt you.”

He replied curtly, “What’s that?”

I said with a big smile, “Implementation of Justice.”

Chapter 121 - Implementation of Justice, Part II

Tak Joon-gi furrowed his brow and blurted out, “What?” He must have understood, but he pretended as if he hadn’t.

I once again said, “Implementation of justice.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

I glanced at my monitor. There on the desktop, there was a file of Tak Joon-gi. He would not know, even if he died, that the file with his name on it was now on my computer’s desktop.

I spoke to him, “I’m going to expose all your misdeeds to the press today: deflecting corruption charges, managing stock manipulation funds, tailoring and encouraging suicide in the midst of it. In fact, it was just murder. I will expose everything that happened in the past in Go-young Food and Bisang Construction.

When the name of Go-young Food came up, his eyes bulged, “No… that’s… how…” ‘How did you know?’

But it was my secret, getting the future news, to get a glimpse of everything that had happened in the past. It was my secret, my own power.

Mr. Tak was shaking before that power. Fear had dampened his spirit. “Don’t do that. What the hell… Why… why would you do that? What are you getting from… Is that what you…”

“Well…” I chose something to tell him for a moment, but somehow, it was like what I had said to the Customer Service before. -Why did you give me this power?-

-Think of yourself.-

It occurred to me to think of myself. It was strange. So I told him, “Maybe it’s like… the nobility’s duty, noblesse oblige. I think it’s like that. As it’s usually the nobility who have power, it takes more power to implement justice…”

“What the hell are you talking about?” There were many questions with “what” that he had been repeating.

Therefore, I let him know exactly. “Tak Joon-gi, you were born rich in Suyeon Group. Money, of course, is power. You could have done anything with it. If you had had a little good heart, you could have lived by the code of noblesse oblige. Don’t you think so? Huh? You could have helped the helpless with money, and no matter how much you ate, no matter how much you used, you could have spent your whole life using it.”

I went on. “If not, you could have lived for yourself. If you had studied, you could have studied abroad; if you had exercised, you could have hired the best trainer, and you could have done the arts, couldn’t you? You had plenty of time and money, but instead, you used that power to rob weaker people in a very mean way.”

I swallowed once and then said last, “And yet, you don’t know you were blessed, yet you’ve treated people who were born poor like dogs. No, you should not. You must not. A lot of people aren’t given the least chance; they’re struggling to catch the least chance. But have you taken away even that? I can’t stand to see it, so I’m going to fix all that for you. That’s the implementation of justice.”

He shuddered. “Even if you do… what do you think will change? It’s a world of the law of the jungle, anyway; nothing will change just because you’re doing it!”

“Yes, you might think so. The world is different for everyone who sees it. But even if you think so, you shouldn’t have attacked me. The law of the jungle? That’s good. Do you think the man you’re looking at, sitting in front of you, is weaker than you are?”

I glared at him as I said that. He did not say anything. I shook my head and said, “I’m sorry, but no. Considering what’s happened so far, you will know. You and I have fought, and who’s been winning? You’ve always won before, and you thought you’d win again… However, you picked the wrong opponent this time. You picked the wrong one! You chose me.

“So. I mean, let’s make it something that didn’t happen. I picked the wrong one, so let’s make it as if it did not happen.”

I laughed dumbly at his remark. “No. What do you mean, if you fail to bet, it’s common sense that you pay. If you’re a stock trader, take it for granted. Don’t beg me! What else have others, who you have taken all their money and life from, had to complain about? I don’t think so.”

He spoke with a complete abandonment of his face, “I… I did wrong. So forgive me. Let’s just… let’s make it something that never happened. Huh? Everything that’s happened so far…”

-It is too late for you to plead now. President Jung So-young has already received the data from me. It could be floating on the Internet even now.-

I replied to him, “I’m sorry, but it’s already too late. Go find a lawyer. Well, you might avoid life imprisonment. The courthouse is loose these days. You might get out when you’re seventy.”

When I said that, he seemed to be tearing at his face with both hands for a moment, then leapt to his feet. His face was flushed with anger. He had been asking for forgiveness just now, but the sorrow was not there any more.

“All right, the implementation of justice, whatever… let’s see if it works! I know that Oracle News is under you. Do as much as you can, even I don’t know how much you’ve got, son of a bitch…” he trembled and cursed.

When he spat out a curse, Jang Geun took another step forward. I raised my hand to stop him. Today was not a day for physical struggle.

Tak Joon-gi opened the door and left my office.

After he went out, I thought for a moment about him and President Jung So-young. Although Jung was a strong woman, Tak Joon-gi was a tough opponent too. ‘Well, if there’s any chance that Oracle News can’t let it out…’

Oracle News had some stake in the Internet, but that was it. It was not treated as a major yet. ‘If Oracle News is interrupted… maybe it’ll take longer…’

I didn’t like that. That madman was crazy and I didn’t know what he would do. I rolled my head for a moment. ‘In the 12 Hours After of today, there was news about him…’

But I couldn’t be sure a hundred percent sure about that. Even if the news was up, it might not be headline news. Director Tak Joon-gi might once again use his power to escape like a loach, like a lizard. It was a matter concerning several important people, including prosecutors, the police, and even media conglomerates. If they cooperated and played defense, Oracle News might end up fighting alone.

‘It should not be this time. I’ll definitely cut off his breath this time.’ I picked up my cell phone and found the phone number of Lee Won-jae. I tried not to get him involved, but this couldn’t be helped. I called him right away. Tiriri Tiriri Tiriri. As soon as the call waiting was over, I spoke in a low, solemn voice, “CEO Lee Won Jae.”

“Yes, CEO Han. What’s the matter?”

Before I went straight to the point, I brought up the old conversation. “Do you remember what you said before? Do you still think I’m going to be stronger than the third generation of other chaebols?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Then come and prove it.”

“Yes? What is it?”

“Come and bet. Show me all the chips you have, and bet where I want you to bet as a sign of loyalty.”

“I don’t know what that means, but… I’ll be there soon.”

—————————

Opening the door, CEO Lee Won-jae came in. Maybe it was because of the rush, and his face turned red, so he looked more like Kaiji.

“CEO Han.”

“CEO Lee.”

I showed CEO Lee Won-jae a file of Tak Joon-gi on the desktop. He understood me right after he saw it.

“… it’s a bomb, a nuclear bomb.” He was sensible enough to read it and call it a nuclear bomb. I said mortar, but it was a similar nuance.

I spoke to him, “So, are you going to help me drop the bomb?”

He looked at me and said, “What do I get from this?”

“My trust.”

“Trust…?”

I nodded, “Yes. If you do this, you might go head-to-head fighting with Suyeon Group. I’ll trust and support you. You chose me over Suyeon Group.”

“… can I have a moment to think about it?”

“Sure.”

He stood for a moment in front of the glass with a panoramic view of Seoul outside the president’s office. Perhaps that was the most important moment, for him to choose me, or the Suyeon Group. If he failed in this bet, he would lose his chance to make his way to the majors. I watched him for a moment. He was in the greatest agony of his life.

He came to me about three minutes later.

‘Three minutes… a little short for a life bet.’

He said, “Let’s do it. No, I’ll do it. Based on this data… I’m going to publish an article through all the media that I control.”

He made a good choice. There was also a saying, ‘They think for a long time, and they make a wrong move.’ However, if it was a good decision, what about three months or three minutes?

I spoke to him, “I’ll email you the file.”

He nodded, his mouth tight, “Yes.”

“Yes, then. I hope you will take good care of it.”

“Yes. In return, I hope you’ll take good care of me from now on.”

I nodded, “Yes, of course.”

‘There is a famous quote by French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre: “Life is the C of B and D.” Life is the Choice between Birth and Death. Life is a choice every time. Whether it’s stacked or not, people go on choosing their own life every time. Of the choices, one of the important things is when you choose a person. Who are you going to be friends with, who are you going to be courting, who are you going to marry? One’s life fluctuates as one decides.’

Today was the day when the lives of the two people who chose me changed a lot. I approached the window and looked outside. I thought, ‘The fate of the two men is divided here. One chose me as his enemy, and one chose me as his companion. Since the two men’s choices are the opposite, the results of the choices will be stark as well. I’ll bring one down, and one up, like the god of fate holding the scales of balance.’

I looked at my palms, and opened and closed my hands twice, before looking out the window again.

Chapter 122 - Implementation of Justice, Part III

I stood and walked around the president’s office with my arms crossed. “Umm…” I picked up my cell phone. When I looked at my watch, it was 12:30 p.m. It had been about three hours since Jung So-young had taken the file on Tak Joon-gi.

‘It’s about time it got out…’ I searched for ‘Tak Joon-gi’ while thinking about it. ‘Oh!’ It was up.

[The hidden wire-puller of the Bisang Construction corruption case is the third generation of Suyeon Group, Tak Joon-gi.]

It was a special article from Oracle News. Looking at the posting time, it was 12:26 p.m. It was a hot article that had been posted less than five minutes before. I went through the contents quickly. To be honest, I had nothing to read. It was practically as good as the original article. I looked for more comments that were lower than the article.

‘Is it too early to run comments…’ But it was baseless anxiety. There were already quite a few comments on the unconventional title, as it had surprising contents.

– Wasn’t this the case that ended in spring… but the hidden wire-puller is from the Suyeon Group?-

– Why don’t the third generations of chaebols have the right conscience?-

– The reporter who killed himself was murdered, too. Huck! It’s too scary.-

– He seemed to be caught last time, but as he was from Suyeon Group, the prosecution hid it.-

– The prosecution is a party to a plot, too. Let’s lock them up all.-

Director Tak Joon-gi was also listed in the real-time search. It started in eighth place. It was a good debut. By this evening, he would definitely be in first place, so that people all over the country would know his name. ‘Just as vampires die when they see sunlight, villains naturally perish when their misdeeds are revealed to the public.’

I waited a little while with my hands together. But about half an hour after the story came out, more news was posted on the portal’s main website.

[Close-up coverage: Kang Ha-joon and Han So-jin are colleagues and lovers.]

‘What?’ Kang Ha-joon was famous for his looks and so-called comic strip, and Han So-jin was a beautiful actress who was famous for being a natural beauty since she was a child. But both of two were dating. It was an amazing story. ‘Really?’

It was an attractive title. To be honest, I had no choice but to click on it. The article showed two people wearing black masks and getting into the same car. It was definitely 100%. In fact, the two were a little short on acting skills, so they were treated like B-list actors, but one was from an idol group, and the other was a child actor, so their recognition was high.

‘I think I saw two of them starring in a mini-series… Did they start dating each other during the shooting?’

I looked up at the article. It was written by Today S., a celebrity gossip news company. It was a well-known media company and rival of Keystone Media, which was run by CEO Lee Won-jae.

I was just looking at it and suddenly, I thought of a conspiracy theory, ‘They put this out to cover it up.’

‘No. Is this done by what Director Tak Joon-gi orders?’ When I heard that story before, I was half confident, ‘Oh, I guess it just happened.’ However, the timing was really weird.

I saw the picture again. The photo showed both of them in a long-sleeved, thin shirt. I looked at the bottom of the picture, and it was written, ‘At the office where Kang Ha-joon lived around March…’

‘They had covered it in March, and yet now they showed it. Why so? Maybe they received some money to do so.’ I could not think of another reason. I came back to the portal site and looked at the ranking list, “First place Kang Ha-joon, second place Han So-jin, fourth place Han So-jin, and seventh place the passionate love of Kang Ha-joon, and tenth place Today S.”

Five of the top ten were search terms related to two people. Tak Joon-gi was way behind in the push. He didn’t even appear on the portal’s main news.

‘He is not going to die as it stands.’ It was somewhat expected. Tak Joon-gi was very used to playing with the public in the media. It was strange to be beaten to death by sitting there. But the method he used was just unexpected.

‘How much money did he spend for the passionate love of Kang Ha-joon?’ The bitter smoke screen was quite thick. I suddenly thought of the worst scenario. ‘Maybe… the Oracle news article was forced to drop…’

I wrote Tak Joon-gi in the search box.

[The hidden wire-puller of Bisang Construction corruption is the third generation of Suyeon Group, Tak Joon-gi.]

Fortunately, there were still Oracle news stories left. But it was weird. Usually, when there was this big article, other articles were lined up like those.

[Director Tak Joon-gi of Suyeon Travel is the real controller of Bisang Construction Stock Price Manipulation.]

[There was separately an influential person behind the stock price manipulation of Bisang Construction-the black shadow of the Suyeon Group.]

[The third generation of a chaebol who manipulated the stock price! The secret hobby of Director Tak Joon-gi.]

That was how they were supposed to send out the replicated news. Now that it was all money, but it was quiet this time.

‘Is it because the source is limited or… Where and how does the external pressure come from?’ If I thought about it, Tak Joon-gi might not be the only one trying to cover up this article. It contained a prosecutor, a high-ranking police officer, and two media executives. There were quite a few people who didn’t want the truth to come out to the world.

I was going to ask Secretary Seo, but I picked up my cell phone myself. I then found the number of Jung So-young, president of the company, and called her. However, the recording was heard, “I am on the phone right now,” and the beep sound followed.

She was on the phone somewhere: whether she was calling or taking a call from. Either way, she was busy.

‘President Jung So-young is doing her best.’

I thought CEO Lee Won-jae should come forward to end this game. I went to the homepage of the Daewon Daily News and the Daily Sports website to check if there was any news on this side. But there was no such news yet. I felt uneasy. I had just seen him saying in front of me, “I’ll do it myself.”

That was what he had said right here, but on his way back to work, he might have changed his mind, ‘The Invictus Investment is a rising sun… However, it is not enough to compete against Suyeon Group.’

Ahn Yong-kyun, former CEO of Blue E&M, betrayed me for that reason. But I decided to trust him, because he was born a third child and grew up under the yoke of his brothers.

Even he had said, “There’s a chance of a fight with my elder brother,” but objectively, it was true that he was behind his elder brother, Lee Won-sang, who was seven years older than him, and had much more experience. Lee Won-jae’s seat as president of Daily Sports was inherited from his elder brother. Even if he tried, his father and countless other directors who had supported the first son were unlikely to regard his potential as high.

‘A person with an inferiority complex has to make an adventurous move.’ I thought so and decided to wait calmly. In fact, it had only been about an hour since he had left here. Considering that President Jung So-young had taken the file of Tak Joon-gi and had aired the news three hours later, he should be given a little more time.

Soon after, there was a phone call from President Jung So-young, “Did you call me, boss?”

“Yes. I was wondering if there was any external pressure coming from somewhere else.”

She was silent for a moment when I said, and then she went on, “I can’t tell you, I don’t have much, but… Anyway, my staff and I decided to fight back.”

“Really? Um…” I thought for a moment and said to her, “It may be a little hard on your mind, but please wait. I’m sure reinforcements will come.”

“Reinforcements?”

“Yes.”

“… Yes. I see.”

I said one more word to her, “By the way, please make a list of all the people who have pressured you today, including their names and titles.”

“… Oh, yes.”

It was a war. Last time, I told President Ahn Yong-kyun, “How much did Tak Joon-gi give you?” Ever since I had said that, I’d already prepared myself. I would not hide myself any more. I would go out into the world and smash everything, whether it would be prosecutors, police, media, or chaebols, if they did something harmful with their dirty work to Invictus Investment and me. I had the will, and the power to do so. It was 1:00 p.m.

“What about your lunch, boss?”

“Buy me a hamburger, a Big Mac set.”

“Yes, boss.”

I ordered a hamburger instead of going out to eat, and I kept monitoring the Internet. Still, the portal site was occupied by “Kang Ha-joon, Han So-jin,” and Tak Jun-ki had no follow-up stories.

“Hmm…” I was a little bit nervous, around 1:50 p.m., at last, a new article came out on the main screen of the Daewon Daily News.

[The dark shadow of the third generation of a chaebol. The hidden wire-puller of the Bisang Construction stock manipulation is Director Tak Joon-gi of Suyeon Group.]

This was a bit unexpected. ‘Huh, I thought it would be from Daily Sports.’

CEO Lee Won-jae must have persuaded his father. The fact that the Daewon Daily News published such an article was effectively a declaration of war, and showed determination to get through the pressure of Suyeon Group. Apparently, because it was a major article, it went directly to the portal’s main site.

Director Tak Joon-gi climbed back up the search word list, starting at tenth, then seventh, fifth, and eventually was ranked third. He was right after Han So-jin and Kang Ha-joon. It was a bit disappointing that it didn’t get first place, but I was convinced as I had also tried to put my name on the news in 12 Hours After. Without a big accident, it was hard for a business figure to become the top in a real-time search list.

‘It’s easy to win the top spot just by manipulating stock prices because the image of a third-generation chaebol is so low.’

Somehow, the article appeared in the Daewon Daily News, and a series of follow-up articles came out looking for a click count.

‘When the Oracle News sent it out, they kept quiet, but…’

It was amazing. There were thousands of comments in an hour. If I had used the Ranking News on the political side this morning, it would have been showing this article.

—————————

At 3 p.m., Director Tak Joon-gi finally topped the real-time search list. In both politics and economics, Tak Joon-gi’s face came out. By the way, in the meantime, there was more news.

[Director Tak Joon-gi denied allegations of manipulation stock prices.- the last time I saw Kang Joo-hyuk, a reporter who committed suicide, was three years ago.]

I clicked on it. There was also an interview with a leading media outlet.

[The reporter Kang Joo-hyuk came to the travel agency for an interview three years ago, so I only answered after lunch.]

[I have an acquaintance with Jung Ki-woong, president of Bisang Construction, and no direct contact.]

[Operators who have invested in Bisang Construction have nothing to do with me.]

In that way, everything in the article was being negated.

I grinned at it. “As expected….”

In the first place, in the file, there was only information Tak Joon-gi could deny. There was a conviction of ninety-nine percent, but there was no clear evidence to confirm whether it was real or not. However, there was separately physical evidence.

I went into my mailbox and downloaded file two of Tak Joon-gi to my cell phone. Here was where it would turn up everything he had denied.

‘Pictures of evidence of Tak Joon-gi and Kang Joo-hyuk’s contact.’

‘Messages exchanged with President Jung gi-woong in advance.’

‘Evidence of direct control of operators involved in buying shares of Bisang Construction.’

It was all in there; the evidence that the strangely competent Crow had brought with him. I sent it to Jung So-young and Lee Won-jae, attached to emails.

– Finish him off with this.-

Chapter 123 - Implementation of Justice, Part IV

The incident went dynamic. Another counter-article came out two hours after Tak Joon-gi’s counter-interview at 5 p.m.

[I don’t have any acquaintance.]

[I never did.]

[I can’t remember.]

However, an article with evidence contradicted everything that Tak Joon-gi had said. The Internet comments went crazy.

– Wow, this son of a bitch is lying without licking his lips.-

– He’s a real jerk. He thinks common people are pigs and dogs, so he is lying like that.-

– Wow, is the third generation of Suyeon Group manipulating stock prices? We need bamboo spears to kill him.-

– We don’t have to pick up bamboo spears. I think the judge will take care of it.-

– I think there are murder threats and conspiracy to commit murder… I’d like you to make a stern judgment, Your Honor.-

At this point, he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. These days, Internet public opinion was very scary. If the people’s court went like this on the Internet, the judiciary would be affected as well. I scrolled down and read them one by one.

– I’m mad hearing this. Let’s boycott the Suyeon Travel.-

There was also such a story written. We had never done a boycott properly in our country, but it was still interesting. If people went so far as to boycott Suyeon Travel, Tak Joon-gi would lose all his remaining money.

‘Oh… yes.’ I checked the stock price of the Suyeon Travel, long after the stock market was over. Today’s trading was generally good. Shares of Suyeon Travel, which had been rising in the plus or minus two percent range early in the day, plummeted by -6% at around 12:30 p.m on the news of Oracle News. Even a small Internet news article would have done the same because of the words “stock manipulation.” On the KOSPI and KOSDAQ, it would cause a delisting without allowing any excuses if the owner manipulated stock prices.

‘Even Tak Joon-gi didn’t manipulate the stock price of Suyeon Travel.’ If he had done something strange with Suyeon Travel, he would be dead. Investors must have been scared, too. However, after a while, the stock price bounced back a little, as there was no follow-up article. There was low-cost buying in a situation where the truth was not known. It stayed level a moment, and around 1:50 a.m., at the same time that the article appeared in the Daewon Daily News, it plunged to -18%. There was also a difference in public confidence. Suyeon Travel shares ended with a -24% plunge.

I suddenly remembered the conversation I had had with Tak Joon-gi: ‘What do you get from doing this?’

At that time, I had confidently said, “implementation of justice,” I made a lot of money, too. This was because Vice President Jang had put up a short stock sale on Suyeon Travel.

‘Well, if the Suyeon Travel itself doesn’t have any big problems, it’ll rebound, but…’ However, Crow’s report said Tak Joon-gi secretly used his shares of the Suyeon Travel as collateral when buying Bisang Construction shares. The embezzlement and breach of trust were also scary negative factors that could cross the threshold of delisting. It was highly likely that it would also be revealed if an investigation was launched.

I picked up the phone and called Secretary Seo, “Get me through to Vice President Jang.”

“Yes, boss.” As requested, Secretary Seo connected the phone to Vice President Jang, who was sitting in his office.

“Did you call me, boss?”

“Vice president, how’s the short stock sale team doing?”

“They have made a big profit today.”

I didn’t mention the name of the stock, but Vice President Jang knew. They’d been putting a mark on the Suyeon Group since almost a month ago.

“Let’s go a little stronger. I read the article and I don’t think it’ll be able to rebound until next week, at least.”

“Yes, boss.”

Come to think of it, it was quite similar to the tactics of Tak Joon-gi. It was a way to make money by putting in a short stock sale, making news, and plunging stock prices. However, there was a fundamental difference: Tak Joon-gi had manufactured bad news that was not true and had sent it out to the world, and I had revealed the bad news that had been hidden.

—————-

Tiriri, tiriri, tiriri. I opened my eyes. When I got out of bed and looked at my watch, it was an alarm ringing for me to see the email at 8:50 p.m.

‘How long have I slept?’ This evening, I had dinner with Secretary Seo and Jang Geun together, and as soon as I got home, I fell asleep. It must have been because I had been worried about handling the case against Tak Joon-gi all day. Still tired, I stood up, rubbing my eyes.

I had to go to the computer as intended by the alarm, but instead, I sat on the sofa and turned on the television. I wanted to see what the nine o’clock news said. I put the afternoon email news off a little bit, because it didn’t hurt much if I watched it a little later.

‘I’ll look at it as soon as it’s over, though.’ I watched the news with such thoughts. As it became a hot topic, the first item was naturally the news about Tak Joon-gi.

[In April of this year, there was an incident that shook Seoul City. It was a stock price manipulation case, a breach of trust by Bisang Construction. Three months after the case was closed, a new suspect is in the spotlight. Kim Yoon-soo reports.]

I watched it with my hands behind my head and my legs crossed.

[Tak Joon-gi, a director of the Suyeon Group, has been a very active individual investor and…]

The nine o’clock news clearly listed everything that had happened today.

[Director Tak Joon-gi denied the article, but it turned out that in the following articles…]

I had two thoughts when I saw it. The first was that now Tak Joon-gi was done. As his evil deeds were so starkly exposed on the nine o’clock news, he was completely done. He wouldn’t make it back. Even if it was the Suyeon Group, they couldn’t stop this.

The second thought was, ‘This… what I did is on the nine o’clock news.’ Thinking about it, it was true. The start was just fucking up Tak Joon-gi, but now it was on the nine o’clock news. And was the nine o’clock news the end? Every Internet community was making the best of the articles in which Tak Joon-gi’s bad behavior was being denounced. The event I had planned was becoming a hot topic for the country. I didn’t mean it to, but it happened.

‘Well, the power of the media is sure strong…’

In the past, I had met with Lee Won-jae in the president’s office for the second time.

“First time seeing you. I’m Han Sang-hoon of Invictus Investment.”

“I’m Lee Won-jae of the Daewon Ilbo.”

Since then, I’d been thinking that as my power to know the future and the current power of the media met, they could display tremendous synergy. If I intended to do so, I might be able to sway public opinion.

“… We are afraid that he’s going to run away. We are determining who will have custody of the investigation.”

While I was thinking about it, the news on Tak Joon-gi finished up. I was watching the news, but it didn’t stick with me, probably because I knew everything, or I expected it.

‘Of course, he should be in custody. We can’t let that trash in human form walk around.’

I turned off the television and walked toward the window. If I looked outside the window from my apartment, I could see Gangnam. There were so many people coming and going. All of them must have known what happened today, what happened to Tak Joon-gi…

Someone was with a family and someone was with a friend, and they might have talked about it.

‘Did you see the news, Mom?’ ‘Yes, it was scary. That’s what the third generation of chaebol did.’

‘Wow, he is a son of a bitch. But even if he had so much money, would he still want more?’

As I thought about it, suddenly, I felt a little scared. ‘Maybe… all of them… I can instill my thoughts in… I can falsely deceive the public, if I want, or I can honestly guide them. It is easy to release future information through the Daewon Daily News and Oracle News.’

Once again, I returned to my question and the answer from Customer Service.

‘Why did you give me this opportunity?’

‘Think of yourself.’

I muttered to myself, “Think of yourself…”

Perhaps it was not just evading an answer, but a reply to inspire me to ask questions on my own. ‘Surely this is such a great force, letting me see into the future. I can have goodwill without limit, or with an evil will, I can bring about great destruction. If I don’t think for myself, it could be a catastrophic event.

‘Tak Joon-gi was a piece of filth, so it is natural to bury him… but I’ll have to be as careful as I can when it comes to other things. Especially when I spread the news of the future on modern media…’

As I was thinking about this, the cell phone on the sofa rang. Wi yi-ying. I went and picked it up. There was a message from Ah-young. The long text said, “I arrived in LA after a month and I am enjoying my last few days of vacation with Sarah. Many men have made passes at the two of us, but I have turned them down. I miss you.” I grinned at it.

‘By the way, she doesn’t know the news about Tak Joon-gi yet. What will she say when she sees the last enemy go to jail?’ I started to reply to her with such thoughts.

But there was another text message. The sender was surprisingly Tak Joon-gi, and he had sent a text himself at 8:42 a.m.

‘What is this?’ 8:42 a.m.? It had been before the alarm woke me up. He had sent a text message, but I didn’t see it because I was sleeping.

I opened the text. It was as long as Ah-young’s, but I didn’t want to see this very much. From beginning to end, it was full of vicious curses and threats and abuse. I scrolled down quickly. It was a fine-grained text, so I could see the speaker’s intentions just by looking at the last sentence.

‘… Watch what will happen. I will avenge myself. You son of a bitch!’

I guessed he had not been under arrest because he had texted me on his cell phone. I was looking at the text. ‘Do it if you can in jail.’ I was going to reply, but I didn’t want to send it.

‘Shall I classify it to the spam mail?’ I thought, but I decided not to. Only one text came at 8:42. After tomorrow, he would not be able to send a text message anyway. He could not take his cell phone to prison.

‘Well, I’m a little nervous, though.’ I thought he might do something strange before he went to prison tomorrow.

‘… Do I do a search on the news in 12 Hours After?’ This was what I was trying to prevent something. I turned on the computer, got the email and wrote ‘Tak Joon-gi’ in the People Search.

“Hun?” Something surprising happened, different from what I thought. I clicked on the article right away. After reading the article carefully, I bit my lower lip and thought, ‘This… this can’t be right?’

Chapter 124 - Implementation of Justice, Part V

I read the title of the article again with my eyes blinking.

[Director Tak Joon-gi of Suyeon Travel jumped to his death.]

It was a shocking article. I read it slowly, swallowing.

[Director Tak Joon-gi of Suyeon Travel, who was accused of manipulating stock prices and murder, jumped from the top of the headquarters building of Suyeon Travel and died.]

After seeing the first line, I found my cell phone instead of reading the article. The news I was watching was news in 12 Hours After. Tak Joon-gi would die within twelve hours. No matter how evil he was, I could not make a man die.

‘Do I have to call Tak Joon-gi to convince him not to kill himself? No, he will not listen to me… Then, should I call 119?’ To call 119, I needed to know the exact time when he would be going to make the jump. I read more about the article, especially the time he jumped off. He had died at 9:18 p.m.

[Police said Tak jumped off from the roof of his own Suyeon Travel building at 9:18 p.m. today and died.]

I felt a slight chill in my body. I was just watching the nine o’clock news. I picked up my cell phone, and it was 9:24. It was already too late. Six minutes ago, Tak Joon-gi was already dead.

‘Even he threw himself off, if I had reported in a hurry, he would have been able to survive, wouldn’t he?’ I thought of that, but it was written in the article.

[119 crew members, called by a number of passers-by who were traveling around the Suyeon Travel Building, were dispatched to check his condition, and deduced that he had immediately died after the jump…]

They said that he had jumped from the roof of the building, so he must have died immediately. I put my phone down.

‘Huh, of all occasions, at that time…’ 12 Hours After did not match its name. Sometimes it would release the news of 6 Hours After, 3 Hours After, and 1 Hour After. That exactly extended up to the news of twelve hours, but it aired the future news from less than thirty minutes this time. Because I watched the news late, the future news became the past news.

‘… if I hadn’t seen the nine o’clock news…’ If I had read the future news as soon as I had woken up at 8:55, I would have known twenty minutes before Tak Joon-gi died. Now, it was too late. Tak Joon-gi died six minutes ago. This was not the future news, it was the reality.

I went back to the portal site and searched for ‘Tak Joon-gi.’ The news of his death hadn’t come up yet.

‘If it’s six minutes, they will collect the body soon.’

He was dead. I thought about him for a moment, leaning back in my chair. ‘He didn’t even raise his eyes to kill anyone… I’m not sorry to hear that he is dead, but he should have been sentenced by the law.’ However, whenever I thought that Tak Joon-gi had committed suicide, I felt a strange sense of resistance, a strange sense of conflict in my mind.

‘What is it…? Why…’

Strange as it was, I picked up my cell phone and saw the text sent by Tak Joon-gi once again. This seemed to have been sent by himself. It was a text full of curses and malice, ‘… I’ll pay you back. You son of a bitch.’

I read the sentence over again. ‘A man who is going to take revenge on me… committed suicide?’

That was the source of my sense of conflict. I checked the time the text had been sent: exactly 8:30. He had killed himself at 9:24, less than an hour since he had sent the text.

‘He was determined to avenge himself, but within an hour, he killed himself. Revenge is a powerful motivator for a person.’ I was a little unconvinced.

‘Too angry? Did he jump off since he couldn’t handle it anymore?’ I didn’t think so. He wasn’t such a man. He had a style that was cold to others, but very attached to himself. Reporter Kang Joo-hyuk, likewise, chose to kill himself after being cornered, but Tak Joon-gi was not a man to commit suicide.

‘Maybe… it’s not a suicide, but murder?,’ I thought. He had many enemies. If others found out that they had lost all their money because of him, there were those who would go after him with a sword. My girlfriend Ah-young was so weak that she could not think of doing it, but she also brought up revenge when she was drunk.

‘If someone called him to the roof and pushed him off… Maybe…?’ There might be more written in the article. I read more articles.

[The police found a suicide note on the rooftop of the Suyeon Travel…] So, there was a suicide note. If there was a suicide note, it only meant that there was a suicide, or that it was disguised as a suicide.

[The will contains an apology for all the victims who suffered losses due to his stock manipulations…] By the way, the contents of the suicide note were strange.

‘He wouldn’t say he was sorry to anyone. What a lie! Of course, he was good at lying and it might be… ‘ But the thought was awkward. I thought about his death with my arms crossed. Some time later, even in reality, there was news around 9:50.

[Breaking News – Director Tak Joon-ki jumped to his death from his own company building.]

It appeared twenty-two minutes after his death, and was fast enough to be “breaking news.” However, it wasn’t that fast for me.

————–

The next morning, as usual, I put on my clothes and left the apartment.

Jang Geun was waiting for me, and said, “Let’s go, boss.” I took the elevator with him, but the silent Jang Geun first brought out the story as he pressed the button on the first basement floor. “Boss, did you see yesterday… the news that Director Tak Joon-gi died?”

‘Of course. I’d have seen it the fastest in the world!’ Thinking so inwardly, I answered briefly, “Yes.”

“… I see.” Thanks to the words, “Tak Joon-gi is my enemy,” Jang Geun must have been paying attention to him.

The enemy was dead, and it was very awkward.

Secretary Seo, who was waiting for us in the parking lot, also brought it up, “Did you see the news yesterday, boss? I was surprised.”

It was not too much. Yesterday, Tak Joon-gi climbed to the top of the real-time search list; one for the article of his corruption at 4 p.m. and one for the article of his death at 9 p.m.

“When I saw him before, he was really… never going to kill himself…” Secretary Seo had seen him several times before. Tak had always maintained a strong and arrogant attitude.

I told Secretary Seo, “… I think so, too.”

Secretary Seo replied, turning the wheel, “Is that right, boss? Well, he had lived in luxury as a third-generation chaebol, and if he went to jail and sat there, it would be hell for him.”

“… Yes…”

Then, suddenly, Secretary Seo said, “Ah! Don’t tell me… it might happen to be!”

I asked him, “What is it?”

“Maybe… he didn’t want to go to jail, and he disguised himself with a pinch hitter. He might turn himself into someone else.”

I shook my head, “I don’t think so.”

It was once said that a notorious con artist, Cho Hee-pal, died in disguise in China, but that was only possible in a foreign country. No matter how weak our nation’s public power was, he could not change and kill a person.

“He could find a similar person…”

“There was no time to pick a man. The article was at 12:00, and he died at 9:00.”

“Oh, I see.”

Jang Geun, who was next to me, also said a word, “Maybe if he were going to take that route… he was not going to be thrown down, but burned to death. But if they check his dental history, they’ll find it.”

Tak Joon-gi was surely dead, but I suspected more than that, that he was intentionally killed, a case of him being murdered. There were a lot of people who would be damaged if Tak was left alive. Perhaps there were some people who were at ease after his death.

Moon Hee-sang, a prosecutor at the Seoul District Prosecutor’s Office, was a representative of the case. He was the very person whose real name was written on the information Crow had brought; he was the person who had investigated and reported the case of stock price manipulation in the Bisang Construction to the upper managers of the investigation. He was supposed to get $700,000 in cash secretly from Tak Joon-gi. However, now that Tak Joon-gi was dead, it was highly likely that the investigation would be disrupted if prosecutors started to investigate one another.

‘I’d like to see the suicide note of Tak Joon-gi directly…’ I was very curious about the suicide note that had apologized to someone. However, the suicide note was not released to the press. If it was not released to the press, I couldn’t get it from the future news.

————-

“Hmm…”

“We are here, boss.” The car that Secretary Seo drove arrived at the company in no time. I decided to put aside the business of Tak Joon-gi and focus on my work. I had work to do today.

I spoke to Secretary Seo in the elevator, “Call Vice President Jang and tell him to come to the president’s office.”

“Yes, boss.”

I called Vice President Jang about Suyeon Travel. With the bad news, the man that held 30% of the company, being resolved, it might rebound.

Secretary Seo brought Vice President Jang to the president’s office.

“Did you call me?”

“Yes, Vice President Jang. Did you see the news yesterday?”

Tak Joon-gi’s name didn’t come out, but Jang replied immediately, “Yes, I saw it. I ordered the short stock sale team to wait and see.”

“Good job. Please be flexible about the short stock sale, whether you will buy back or watch, when you see the market.”

“Yes, boss.”

To that end, I turned on the HTS when I finished responding to the death of Tak Joon-gi.

‘Yes, let’s forget about Tak Joon-gi, I’m sorry to hear that he is dead, but… Now that the man who’s gonna die is dead, that’s enough. Let’s earn money as usual.’ To make money as usual, but the mystery of Tak Joon-gi’s death lingered in my mind. I hit the desk with my fist. ‘I wonder…’

A person worthy to die was dead, but it was so strange to think about it. I picked up my cell phone and turned on the calendar app. Once I unlocked the complex patterned lock that only I knew, it was heavily illustrated with when to buy and what to sell, and the road map to make money. This month was packed to the point where there was nothing more to fill.

‘Yes, this is enough money this month.’ Thinking so, at 8:55, when I received the email, I scrolled right down to the bottom without even looking at the title of the article. There was a phrase written there, “Do you want to call Crow? (One time remaining).”

Chapter 125 - A Natural Result, Part I

I sat cross-legged on the bench and looked up at the sky. The sky seemed to be high today. I felt that autumn was coming.

‘Autumn…’ While I was looking at the sky like that, Crow, who had appeared before me, bowed his head at me. “You called for me, sir?”

It was a perfectly normal greeting. Wearing a plain suit, he just looked like a foreigner on a business trip abroad. At this point, I thought I would meet him elsewhere, where there were a lot of people. I said to him, recommending a seat next to me, “The last survey was really good. The quality of the content, the quantity… was impeccably good.”

He said, with a slight bowing of his head, “Thank you.”

“I have to appreciate it. I’ve been able to handle a lot of things thanks to the data.”

“I’m glad I was of help.” He seemed to be a modest sort.

“What have you been doing for the past two days?”

“I worked.”

“Work?”

“Yes.”

I said with my head tilted, “Really? Aren’t you supposed to rest when you don’t have a request?”

“No. Master Crow doesn’t really like Crows playing. We have to keep working.”

“What do you do?”

At my words, he lowered his head slightly and looked at the ground and said, “Everything that’s going on in the world is our job.”

“Really? Without a break?”

“Yes, we don’t rest, like the world is running nonstop.”

‘Umm… It’s a pity that he can’t rest and work. If I were a boss, I would’ve given him a cool reward vacation.’ Come to think of it, there was nothing I couldn’t give.

“Then I won’t give you a vacation, but would you like a separate reward?”

He smiled, his white teeth exposed at my words. His brown skin made the teeth stand out. “It’s all right. I’ll take only your words.”

I was going to give him about ten thousand dollars. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes, it’s okay. I can’t even use it if I get the money.”

“You can’t use it?”

“Correct.”

“Then… where did you sleep and what did you eat?”

“There’s a separate sleeping area, and there’s food.”

“Is that so?”

I lowered my eyes slightly and blurred my words, and he said, “Don’t worry, sir. I’m getting enough of a reward for my work as a Crow. No, that’s too much.”

“Enough of a reward?”

He said, looking at the different grasses in Montmartre Park, “Yes. Enough reward.”

“What’s the reward?”

“That’s… that’s not mine to say.”

I guessed I went too far without realizing it. I wasn’t going to pry anymore. “Yes, I see. By the way, I have a new request.”

He looked at me as if he had waited for this. “What is it?”

“The man named Tak Joon-gi, who I asked you to investigate before… He’s dead.”

Crow acknowledged bluntly, as if he had guessed it, “I see.”

I kept saying, “But the death… is a little strange. The media and the police say he committed suicide, but as far as I know, he wasn’t someone to do that. He texted me before he died, and it wasn’t a text that anyone who had decided to commit suicide would send. And the letter he wrote… I’m not convinced.”

Crow was listening to me silently. I went straight to the point, “So, I wonder, if he really committed suicide, and if it’s not a suicide, who killed him? If he was killed, why? And… I want to see if it’s related to me.”

“… Yes, sir,” Crow nodded.

I saw him and said hurriedly as he had a habit of disappearing at the mere mention of a request. “Well, by the way, Mr. Crow.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Is this request going to take a month, too?”

“Yes…”

It was rather simpler than the previous request, so I thought the investigation period would be reduced. I spoke to him, “I see. Okay. Please take care of it. Oh, and…”

“And?”

I said one last thing, “What kind of food do you like? Let’s eat together next time.”

“… I eat anything.”

“What do you like more than just eating?”

“I don’t know. Not really…”

“Then I’ll take care of it. Let’s not meet in the park next time, let’s have a meal together at a restaurant.”

He nodded, “Yes, sir.”

Now it was time for him to disappear. I looked at him for a moment. By the way, he just got up from his seat and walked across the street. I thought it would be one of the two, flying up into the sky, or hiding out into the ground, or something, but it was normal.

‘Huh, that’s… that’s weird… He is gone if I don’t see him, and if I am watching him, he walks away. Is he a spy of Schrodinger?’

There was something mysterious and unknown about him, but there was one thing for sure: he was competent. In a month, I would know the truth about the death of Tak Joon-gi.

—————————–

I returned to my daily routine after I left the job to Crow. Unlike me, public attention quickly faded away from Director Tak Joon-gi. It took only one day to get there, and the stock manipulation incident, which had shaken the Republic of Korea, cooled down in just one more day as he had committed suicide, and written a suicide note in which he had admitted his guilt. No matter how evil he was, it was not in our country to point fingers at a dead person.

The angry public quickly disappeared. Tak Joon-gi, the name went up and down for another day, but that was it. If anyone really killed him, it would be fair to say that he achieved his intended purpose. His death eliminated many things that had to happen. First of all, the investigation of the people on the list was lost. Some of the conscious reporters wrote, ‘The Tak Joon-gi incident didn’t end in death.’ However, it would be impossible to conduct a proper investigation. Even if they were investigated, it was enough to evade in the way of denial…

‘I don’t know.’

‘That’s a one-sided claim.’

‘Tak Joon-gi did it by himself.’

It was not like they could take a dead person and ask him questions. The stock price of Suyeon Travel also rebounded. Tak Joon-gi’s death was a good cleaner. The stock market was such a scary place. It was ironic to think that Tak Joon-gi himself was a man who shook stocks while shaking others’ lives.

I thought about the stock price of Suyeon travel, which plunged -24% yesterday, but was able to rebound by +15% today. ‘If Tak Joon-gi himself saw this, what would he say?…’

The short stock sale volume would have been repurchased by the team in a moderate way. We didn’t get much profit, but it was okay. It was one of those devices meant to fuck up Tak Joon-gi, rather than make money in the first place. The man who I was about to shaft was dead. There were a variety of opinions about this on the stock bulletin board.

– Wow, I’m glad Tak Joon-gi that son of a bitch is dead.-

– I sold it yesterday. I had to last just one more day.-

– The bet I had yesterday at the closing price went off. Honey.-

– But he had a conscience, since he was dead and he preserved the shareholder’s value.-

– No, he wouldn’t have done it in the first place if he had had a conscience. The son of a bitch was a dog. It’s a clean ending because he killed himself.-

There were many stories about Tak Joon-gi. There was such a story in the middle of it.

– By the way, who’s going to get his stake in Tak Joon-gi? He’s not even married.-

– I’m a little curious about that. I’m not sure of the correct answer. Maybe the Suyeon Group has taken it back. He was a son of the Suyeon Group anyway.-

There was such a story written. It was natural to think that way. In the first place, they threw a travel agency at Tak Joon-gi, who was low in the order of succession of Suyeon Group.

In addition, the official announcement was also made in Suyeon Travel.

[Suyeon Travel has nothing to do with the deviations of Director Tak Joon-gi. There will be a public announcement soon regarding major shareholders.]

That was about it. I looked at the announcement and thought, ‘…This is how it ends. Is it…?’

That was how the world seemed to forget him in just one day. I didn’t forget. The day Crow would return, in just a month, would be the twenty-ninth of September.

—————————-

The last two days of August, I visited Incheon International Airport for two days in a row, to greet those returning home. First, on August thirtieth, my family returned home. My family gave me gifts that they had bought from all over Europe.

My mother had bought a perfume from Italy. “Son, this is the one most Italian use. Italian men are the most popular in Europe. So I bought it.”

“I’ll try it, Mother.”

My father had bought a wine bottle from France. “They only sell it locally, so we couldn’t buy it in our country even if we pay. I bought this because I thought this would be good for my rich son.”

“Thank you.”

And my sister gave me a soccer uniform that she had bought in Spain as a present. “My brother, this is a Real Madrid uniform. I got the best-looking one, Gareth Vale.”

“… I like Barcelona.”

“Hmm? What’s the difference?”

In any case, I was glad they returned safely. Tak Joon-gi, who had been a threat, was dead, so my family would be safe.

———-

On August thirty-first, the second day, Ah-young also returned home. She had bought a pair of luxury sunglasses for me. “I bought these from a duty-free shop… because I thought they would look good on oppa.”

“Yes, thank you.” She had bought something just as nice as a rich daughter.

Come to think of it, there was also a present I had prepared for her. “Oh, Ah-young. I guess you didn’t know because you were in America… about him.”

“Who?”

“The last remaining one, Tak Joon-gi, is dead.”

Ah-young covered her mouth with both hands as her eyes grew bigger. “Why?”

“At that time, he got away in the spring… but this time a scandal sheet exposing all his past evil deeds came out. So he jumped from the roof of his building and killed himself.”

I excluded mentioning what I had done. As usual, Ah-young didn’t need to know everything. It was rather good for her.

“Really?” It must have been a little strange for her, too. “Oh, he… he didn’t seem to die… but he killed himself.”

“No matter how bad a man is, if his sins are exposed to the world… By the way, there was a story about Go-young Food. The police are also going to re-investigate.”

“Really?”

“Yes. If it goes well, you’ll get your parents’ honor back.”

When she heard that Tak Joon-gi had died, she didn’t look happy, but at the remark, she had a pretty bright look. “Yes… That’s great… good!”

Ah-young’s father had written such a will after he died: ‘I’m innocent, my daughter.’

It was a suicide note, which, if I thought of it now, was truly desperate, unlike Tak Joon-gi’s. When the results of a re-examination of Go-young Food came out, everyone would know that what he had said was true.

As I left Incheon International Airport with my arms linked with Ah-young, I thought, ‘It is a natural result.’

Chapter 126 - A Natural Result, Part II

“Well, so… in your opinion, it’s better to go with this person than an outsider?”

“Yes, we don’t have enough veterans because it’s only been ten years since the Internet broadcasting business was created. It’s hard to say that it’s been verified, even if we hire a person from another company. So even if someone comes, it’s hard to say that it’s a sure thing. If you pick Kim Jung-kyun, you’ll at least feel secure.”

Kim Jung-kyun was the one who had come and stuck to me when the position of Ahn Yong-kyun had been shaken. But I couldn’t pick him for being good at flattering. Ahn Yong-kyun had used to crawl in front of me like a dog.

I nodded for now. “Well, then I’ll search for him… no, I’ll think about him and let you know as soon as possible.”

“Yes, boss. And about the acquisition of Jiwoo Entertainment?”

“Yes?”

“The price has been agreed upon at the price we talked about. On the Chinese side, it seems like they need something to show to the Communist Party, rather than the amount. So I think I can carry it at a low price.”

“It’s good.”

“This side needs a new CEO, too. The Chinese CEO will go back to China as soon as the investment is over.”

“Let President Kwon have an additional position, or have one of the OH Entertainment directors be the president and give him a promotion.”

“Yes, then I’ll do that, boss.”

“Yes.”

After lowering his head, Vice President Jang left the president’s office. I folded my fingers over my head, then breathed a sigh and muttered, “There’s no end to this. It’s endless.”

In September, after the incident of Director Tak Joon-gi had finished, I had thought I could relax a little, but instead I had been busier than usual. I saw the calendar on the desktop. If what was stored in a cell phone was a secret treasure trove, this was my true schedule. Other than the “Blue E&M’s new CEO appointment ceremony” and “Jiwoo Entertainment’s merger and acquisition,” which had been discussed just now, the entire schedule was set in succession. The next schedule was ‘IPO Institutional Investment Briefing of Lee Won-jae.’ However, the name was not properly written.

‘What was the name of the company?’ I couldn’t remember it very well, but I had to go. This was a promise. CEO Lee Won-jae had sided with me in an important match-up, so I would go out and give him an investment commitment. The reputation of me and Invictus Investment had increased in the investment world these days, and they would have the potential to get a good price just by showing off my face. If someone did me a good thing, I would pay him back. It was about keeping my trust.

‘Ah, I’d like to take a break… but I’ll have to go to this one.’

But then, the phone rang. I answered the phone.

“Boss.”

“Yes?”

“I got a call from MBE. They’re asking if you can make another appearance in ‘Meet the Super Ant.’”

“Ah… that?”

“Yes.”

Come to think of it, I remember having a fight with a male announcer in the past.

“I’ll think about it if it’s over one billion dollars.

“Oh really? One billion dollars? Hahaha, if that happens, I will invest first.”

One billion dollars. A few days ago, my assets were at that level, because the value of my Kai Games’ stake had grown. I wanted to go out and press his nose. ‘Look, it took less than a year, didn’t it?’

“You first appeared in the new year… It’s been just eight months. You go out in front of the camera again. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to show off that you made a breakthrough.”

“Yes… when is that?”

“It will be filmed on the first Wednesday of next month. It will be aired on the last Thursday of next month.”

“… yes. I’ll do it.” The schedule had increased by one more.

“Yes, boss. I’ll tell that to the television producer.”

“Yes.”

In the early days of investing, there had not been much to do. There was a lot to do these days because of the increasing number of subsidiaries and our reputation. Even leaving miscellaneous affairs to Vice President Jang as usual, it would be difficult to make hundreds of thousand dollars by clicking a few times at home without going to work. It wasn’t a good thing to do.

————————–

September fifteenth, 8:55 p.m., I sat on the couch watching television without getting an email today. The emails had killed Tak Joon-gi, but it wasn’t something to regret about.

“BKS Nine o’clock news.”

I looked at the familiar logo. My chest was supporting a pale face with long hair. I asked, stroking the long straight hair from top to bottom, “It sounds fun, doesn’t it?”

Ah-young, who was in my arms, looked up at me and said, “You have to come out well.”

“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”

Originally, the nine o’clock news wasn’t something for couples to watch, but there was something special to watch for today, Ah-young’s interview.

A day before, Ah-young called me. “Oppa, I got an interview request from a broadcasting station. Shall I go?”

“Interview? Where?”

“BKS. It’s the nine o’clock news.”

“Oh, really? Is this about your father?”

“Yes, they wanted to ask me how I felt at the time.”

The re-examination of Go-young Food was quickly over, as the information Crow had brought was so accurate. Police conducted a reinvestigation based on the information, and the innocence of Go-young Food and President Lee Kang-san was quickly revealed.

“It wouldn’t be bad to go out and talk about it. You wanted to get your parents’ honor back. BKS nine o’clock news is public television’s main news. Don’t you think a lot of people all over the country will see you there? I think it’s a good opportunity.”

Ah-young listened to me and thought for a moment, “Yes… I do. Okay, I’ll do it, oppa.”

She had decided to do it. The result was what was coming out today, now.

“Here’s the next news: the controversy over the delivery of food and garbage food of Go-young Food, which made the world buzz four years ago. But it turns out it was actually a victim of stock manipulation. Oh Jae-min has covered it.”

I was excited to see it. “Oh, yes.”

Ah-young covered her face with shame. “What do I do?”

Ah-young’s interview scene was inserted around the middle of the news clip. “It’s a good thing the truth has come to light right now. I hope it doesn’t happen in the future.”

About fifteen seconds, it was a short interview, but I couldn’t take my eyes off it. My girlfriend on TV was so pretty. I looked down at her face, ignoring the television. But she wasn’t turning her head towards me at all.

“Why don’t you look at it?”

“I can’t see. How’s it going? Did it come out well?”

I smiled instead of answering. It was very unrealistic of me to think that the beauty on television was buried in my arms. I told her, “You’re good. You’re prettier than an announcer.”

Although she didn’t see herself because she was so embarrassed, Ah-young said, “Most of all… people should have seen it…”

————

Her wish became a reality, more intense than expected. The next day, there was a commotion on the Internet because of Ah-young, who was called ‘The Go-young Food Daughter’ or ‘The Manipulation Interview Girl.’ The TV clip which was seen most again was Go-young Food news. It was a strange phenomenon that the nine o’clock news overtook other entertainment programs to top the list of views. I’d watched it several times, too. “I’m glad the truth is revealed now. I hope it doesn’t happen in the future…”

There was a commotion when I saw the comments.

– Wow, the real goddess, the goddess.-

– This is nine o’clock news? Not a drama? That’s a normal person? Not a celebrity?-

– I think she can slap a female celebrity on the cheek with her beauty.-

– Let’s stop interviewing and do acting.-

– Go-young Food? Where is it? I’ll eat all three meals with it in the future.-

There were some comments saying, ‘Have you seen the news?’ but happily, many people had found out that Ah-young’s parents were innocent.

‘Good for her.’ I scrolled down, thinking about it. By the way, those comments were noticeable.

– Wow, goddess, let’s be mine, Ah-young.-

– Don’t talk bullshit. She’s already my girlfriend.-

“These bastards…”

When I used to do mergers and acquisitions and sell-offs, I’d received countless bad comments.

‘Who is Han Sang-hoon?’

‘The bastard’s buying this?’

‘You son of a bitch! Take out your short stock sale.’]

However, even more than those, these comments were worse. It didn’t seem like it was very pleasant to have a girlfriend on and off the Internet.

———

On September twentieth, I visited a mausoleum where Ah-young’s parents were buried. I didn’t want to, but she asked me to come with her. If I thought about it, it was less burdensome than in visiting her living parents. While she burned incense and prayed, I also joined my hands by her and prayed silently, ‘I’ve avenged. Please watch your daughter from heaven and protect her.’

After that, I went out of the place with her in my arms. Suddenly, she asked me, “What did you pray for?”

“There’s nothing to say to dead people. I told them to get along well in heaven and take good care of their daughter.”

“Umm… really?”

I nodded. Then Ah-young said, “I told my parents that the man next to me is my boyfriend and… I told them he is the one who avenged them, and he’s a grateful person.”

I did not tell her I was the one who sent off Tak Joon-gi, but she seemed to know it intuitively. At the time of Bisang Construction, it was she who had come to visit and asked what was going on.

I didn’t tell her I did it, but she knew it. She didn’t ask me outright, either. If we fully understood each other, we didn’t have to say it.

‘You knew about it, too.’ By the way, I thought of it, but she added a word, “And I also told my mom and dad, ‘Maybe… I don’t know yet.’”

“About what?”

She tapped me in the chest with her slender arms. “About what?”

The only word that came to mind was ‘marriage,’ which she seemed to be thinking about already, even if we had been together for a while. I didn’t force myself to say the word. This, too, should be something we should think about, but not talk about for a while.

————

September went on and on, and it was finally September twenty-eighth. At last, the day came. In my busy September schedule, it was a special day. It was the day Crow would report, the day to solve the mystery. I booked the most expensive room in the deluxe hotel buffet and waited for him.

‘I’m good at eating anything.’ For someone who answered like that, I didn’t know what he would like, so I prepared everything. It was a response to his words.

At the appointment time, Crow appeared before me, “Hello, sir.”

I greeted him more warmly than ever, “Welcome, Crow.”

He was holding a large envelope at his waist. I looked at it and he held it out to me.

Chapter 127 - Dream of Crow, Part I

“How do you like it?”

At my words, Crow nodded, “It’s delicious, sir. It’s really good.”

I smiled in satisfaction. “Oh, good.”

“It’s an amazing place. I can take and eat as much food as I want.”

He seemed to have never had such a buffet before. I told him, “You can have it any way you like. Take it easy.”

He filled almost six or seven plates, and finished them all. It was a great amount of food. What was interesting was that at first, he took seafood, sushi, sweet and sour pork, dried pollack, bulgogi, pizza, spaghetti, various dishes, and in the second half it was all reorganized with spicy chicken.

Watching it, I told him, “Do you think the chicken is right for you?”

“Yes. This is… delicious. It’s a sweet, sour taste.”

“Well, let’s have Chi-Mac next time.”

“Chi-Mac? What’s that?” He was familiar with other people’s secrets, but he didn’t know that.

“Chicken and beer.”

“Oh, I see. I’ll have to eat whatever the boss buys me.”

Crow finished speaking and ate the chicken as well. Secretary Seo and Jang Geun tended to eat pretty well, but Crow seemed to be totally different. After a long meal, I broke up with him in front of the front door of the hotel.

“I had a good meal today. I’ll leave.”

I nodded, “Yes, Crow.” I slapped at the envelope I was holding. “Thank you for your hard work on this.”

“Yes, boss. I hope you call me again next month.”

Crow bowed to me as usual. But his form was a bit awkward. He’d eaten so much that even if he was a giant, he would feel a little uncomfortable.

I smiled at him and started to turn back. But then Crow caught me, “Ah, boss.”

“What?”

“You must use the eye patch, according to the usage.”

“Eye patch?”

“Yes. It’s in the envelope. I’ve attached the instructions for use, so be sure to follow them.”

I looked in the envelope. There was an eye patch, as he said. “Ah… Yes…” I looked up, but he had vanished at that moment.

—————————-

When I got home, I took out all the contents of the envelope. Inside was a pile of A4 paper, a little thinner than the last one. The amount was a little small, but it was the same report, a report in the self-written style that Crow seemed to use.

‘This is it…’ I then lifted the black eye patch. I didn’t know the black one, but now I saw three black crow feathers on each side. It was like a mask. I felt like I was going to have a nightmare if I slept with this on. There was a brochure next to the eye patch that read ‘Description’. I opened it up.

———————–

Dream of Black-feather

Legendary Jewelry

Passive Skill

Dream of Crow (I) – It shows what you want to see in time and space that has passed. It will only be activated during a seven-hour sound sleep.

If reality is a dream, and a dream is reality, all that remains human is a story.

———————–

I read it and blurted out, “What?” It was a strange manual for someone who was familiar with such instructions as ‘Please be careful when using this device.’

I looked at it alternately with the eye patch on it. Except for the strange words, the point was that it would only be activated during a long sound sleep. I thought the instructions Crow had mentioned probably meant this. When I slept with this on, it was like it would show me what I would like to see.

‘Then I have to get a good night’s sleep’

I turned the manual around. At the back, it said, ‘All dreams come true only once.’

“I know that, man.”

I lay on the bed with the eye patch and report, putting the manual aside. Then I read the report one page after another.

‘Report on the death of Tak Joon-gi.’

It went directly to the point. I started to read it slowly.

———————–

I’d read all the reports.

“Huh… oh…”

I put it by my bedside, then picked it up again and put it under my bed. I thought I would have to read it one more time tomorrow, and burn it right away. This report was too dangerous. Just because of my curiosity, I had Crow find it out, but it was too dangerous.

“It wasn’t… it wasn’t suicide, either.”

I looked out of the window. Nine in the evening, the buildings in Gangnam were emitting brilliant lights. It was my favorite view of the day. But even today, it felt creepy that someone fell from a building like that and died. Just then, my cell phone alarm went off.

Wi yi-ying. I was slightly surprised at the sound. I was so nervous. I looked at my cell phone. There was a text from Ah-young.

– How was the meeting? The French wine your father bought for you, shall we drink it today?-

I looked at the text and thought, ‘It’s nice to have a romantic night after a long time, but I have to sleep well today for about seven hours.’

I answered her.

– I’m sorry, I have something important today, so I don’t think so. Tomorrow… or the day after tomorrow, let’s drink it then.-

I deliberately stressed the word “important” so Ah-young would not stubbornly persist. Fortunately, it worked. Perhaps thanks to her father, who had been a businessman, she did not disturb me when I stressed that it was “important.”

– Okay. Let’s drink it when you have time.-

—

After exchanging text messages, I came right into the living room, did fifty squats, a hundred buffet tests, and thirty push-ups. Then, I took a half-bath, heated up the milk, drank about half a cup, and lay down on the bed. It was ten o’clock. I usually went to bed around eleven or twelve o’clock. I didn’t know if I was going to fall asleep, but I tried to go to sleep wearing the eye patch Crow had brought me.

But, of course, I couldn’t fall asleep. Maybe it was because of the shocking story I had seen earlier, or because I ignored the usual sleep cycle and went to bed early.

‘Ha… shall I count sheep?’ Come to think of it, it’d been a long time since I tried to force myself to sleep. Instead of counting sheep, I thought of my sister. I’d always indulged in quarreling with my sister, but I’d never had a real hard time fighting. I thought, lying on my bed. ‘What a scary world… money…’

By the time I thought about it, I could feel the wind blowing. There was no draft coming in from somewhere. I could feel the wind blowing all over my body.

‘What is this?’

As soon as I thought, I realized that the wind was not blowing. I was going through the air, the black sky. Looking down, there were shiny buildings in Seoul. I could see long stretches of streams and bridges, and the lights that lit it up.

‘Cheonggyecheon?’ The moment I thought that, I was sitting somewhere on a small tree. Looking around, there was a garden below me. It was also a small garden, suitable for the size of a tree. Beyond that was dark air. This was the garden on the roof of the building. I realized, this was the roof of Suyeon Travel. I also realized the fact that I was dreaming. It must have been the eye patch right that Crow had handed me.

‘This… this is a lucid dream?’ I looked around, thinking about it. I could not move my body, but I could look around. There was a man in a suit on one side of the garden, of well-heeled stature and well-balanced figure. Even though he was in his forties, he didn’t have any fat.

I thought, ‘He’s more handsome than anyone I’ve ever seen on the news. He’s a little cold, though.’ Soon the roof door opened and two men came in: Tak Joon-gi and his secretary, a big man. Tak Joon-gi got red in the face and approached the man.

“Brother!”

The man called “brother” looked back on him, and he said, “Did you have to call me, too, Joon-gi?”

“I’m sorry. It was so… the situation was so urgent.”

I was slightly surprised to see this. It was the first time I’d ever seen Tak Joon-gi say, ‘I’m sorry,’ sincerely.

The man nodded and said, “Well, I heard the story, but I can’t help you. According to the article, you can’t get out of it. I can’t help you on this one. I’ll give you the best lawyer possible. The judge was …not easy to choose. Anyway, if you go to trial again, it’ll be like ten years. I’ll adjust it, and you’ll be able to get out in about seven years.”

“Seven years? Seven years! It will be the end if I’m in prison for seven years, brother!”

At his words, the man shook his head, “It’s not the end. After prison, go abroad and live there, whether it is America or Europe. My father is going to do that for you, but it seems like your father wants to kill you. But I’m sure he’ll let you roll in the dumps. You are his son.”

Here the relationship between the two was revealed. They were cousins.

Tak Joon-gi even knelt to his cousin brother. “That can’t be true. Please, brother, I’ll ask you this. You can do it for me. You can do it for nothing!”

The cousin brother shook his head, “I’m sorry, Joon-gi. I told you before. The prosecution and the reporters are not that different from all of us businessmen. I can save you if I want to, but then, wouldn’t I owe them too much?”

“I’ll pay you back for that. I’ll live somehow…”

At his words, the cousin replied with a smile, “You’re going to pay me back? I already know you’re a debtor. It’s rumored in Myeong-dong. I heard a person from Suyeon Group does not pay back his debts. Do I have to listen to that story? Fuck you!”

The cousin, without changing his face, cursed. That was even scarier.

“Because of you, Suyeon Group already owes a lot all over the place. That’s because your mother covered you up. If it had not been for your mother, you wouldn’t have inherited this place and you would have just been thrown out.”

When he said ‘this place,’ he thumped the garden with his shoes. This place seemed to mean nothing but Suyeon Travel.

“But I gave you one for letting it go, and you have hurt the name of Suyeon Group, and you’ve been doing this shit? No, let’s say that’s the case, but you used to be a son of a bitch. By the way, did you expose it all?”

Tak Joon-gi pleaded with him after he heard the words, ‘son of a bitch.’ “I’m sorry… I’m sorry, brother. It’s… It’s… It’s because I got caught once by a weird guy.”

“A weird guy?”

Then, my name came out. I gulped and looked at them. I didn’t know if Crow swallowed.

“He is Han Sang-hoon, who set up an investment company. He is a lowly person, but he has some connections…”

Chapter 128 - Dream of Crow, Part II

“Han Sang-hoon. He… he made me do this.”

His cousin spoke with his eyes squinted, “Well… Han Sang-hoon… I think I’ve heard of him.”

“It’s Invictus Investment. He is a guy who is running a little company.”

Now that the Invictus name appeared, the cousin only pretended to know. “Ah, Invictus? Is that an invincible investment or what? I’ve heard about it, too. They’re making a lot of money as soon as they touch something? A game? With that kind of thing, he’s an ordinary person?”

An ordinary person? I guessed there were other people who were not ordinary people.

“Yes. He is just a son of a country hick who runs a training center; I don’t know how he grew up.”

I regretted when I heard it. The last time I saw the news 12 Hours After, I thought, ‘If I call now, he might live…’ Just for a moment, I had been trying to save him.

His cousin received my name and asked Tak Joon-gi, “How did you end up with that country boy?”

“… It’s a long story. I met him the first time at Garden Envy…”

At that, the cousin said with a big smile, “Are you still doing that? The copy show?” He called Garden Envy a copy show.

‘Then, is there an original?’

Tak Joon-gi mumbled. He seemed to be angry at his cousin’s constant disregard, too. He just couldn’t express it.

‘He must have had a hard time holding back what he wanted to say when he was acting like a king everywhere.’

“… whatever it is. Yeah. That lowly bastard fucked me up.”

“Well, Mr. Tak Joon-gi from heaven has been punished in the information war by an ordinary person… That’s strange to me.”

“He’s hiding something. How did he handle the prosecution, how did he handle the reporters? He knew all the information I thought I was under perfect control.”

“Hmm, really? Han Sang-hoon… he’s a funny guy. I’ll have to meet him, too.” His cousin was more interested in me than in the begging Tak Joon-gi.

Tak Joon-gi told him again, “Just save me. I’ll pay you back soon. You know I’m good for it. It’s just this once… that I made a mistake.”

His cousin retorted coldly, “Two times. One at Bisang Construction, and another at Blue E&M.”

“The second time… I was in such a hurry. I was blinded by revenge… I was pushing ahead with my work so quickly…”

“Whatever the reason, isn’t two enough? What if grandfather was alive and saw you now? For the first one… maybe grandfather would forgive it. Of course, if you were an ordinary person, you’d be out in one shot, but he’d have forgiven it once, but twice… not twice. If grandfather saw this, maybe.” He raised his right hand and tapped on his left wrist. “He must have sent me a sign.”

Tak Joon-gi’s eyes opened wide. I didn’t know what it was, but it was likely cutting the relationship or the equivalent.

He went on, “Joon-gi. Grandfather has always won since the Japanese colonial era. He always won against the Liberation Army, the U.S. military, the military dictator, and the democrats. And that’s what has made Suyeon Group what it is. We were born with the DNA of victory. But defeat… defeat is only for an ordinary person. Now, you’re not the right person for Suyeon.”

Tak Joon-gi finally couldn’t stand it any longer. He looked at his cousin with a spiteful glance and said, “Stop talking about that floating cloud! You’ll help me or not, tell me!”

But his cousin brother didn’t bat an eyelid at the sight. He just shook his head and said, “Good lawyer. Seven years including probation. That’s it.”

“If I can’t accept that?”

His cousin replied with a smile, “If you can’t accept it, do you have another option?”

Tak Joon-gi said, flashing his eyes, “You know, listen up. You’re mistaken if you think I’ve been digging around for any other company’s information. It’s our company that I’ve been researching more closely than any other company over the last twenty years. It’s Suyeon. The reason why I raised so much money in the first place was to make Suyeon mine. My last target was Suyeon.”

‘Ah…’ I opened my mouth wide when I heard that. ‘Did he try to swallow Suyeon?’

I was spreading my beak because I was in a crow’s state. Tak Joon-gi was a man even more ambitious than I thought. It was understandable since he was born in a rich family and raised money like that. It was for the prince’s rebellion. If he had truly tried to attack Suyeon, he would have needed much more money in the end.

“But I’ll give it up here. I’ll give Suyeon’s seat to my brother, and I won’t cross it again. Just help me this time.”

“If I refuse?”

“I’ll tell all about the vice chairman of Suyeon Electronics before I stand in court. All I’ve investigated!”

At the words, the one eye of the vice chairman of Suyeon Electronics, Tak Mun-su, grew larger. He had never revealed his feelings before, and his eye was filled with anger. But it was only for a moment. He came back to his original face and unfastened his arms and approached Tak Joon-gi. Then he slapped Tak Joon-gi on the shoulder and said, “Joon-gi. Let’s just say one thing. That’s probably why you lost. Talking about how you feel, and shedding all your feelings, you were struck by an ordinary man. You must not be exposed when you have a winning card, or you could face a counterattack.”

I suddenly thought of Tak Joon-gi, who had been speaking so openly in front of me. ‘Dogs! ‘ Perhaps, if I hadn’t heard that, I would have regarded him only as a third-generation git of a chaebol. Tak Mun-su’s words might not be very wrong.

He went on, “It’s the same now. If you wanted to threaten me, you should have prepared some more certain measures and then made a threat. Like a rough-and-tumble amateur, if you thrust your sword at me in anger, would I be afraid? It’s funny.”

After speaking, Tak Mun-su walked up to him and stood opposite him. Then, Tak Joon-gi’s secretary, who had been standing motionless behind him, walked over behind Tak Mun-su, like a guard.

Tak Mun-su said to Tak Joon-gi, “The hostility is to show itself in a perfectly victorious state like this.”

Tak Joon-gi alternated between Tak Mun-su and his secretary in amazement.

Tak Mun-su now spoke frankly, “Have you ever thought it was strange? Why did the vice chairman of Suyeon Electronics intentionally come to the rooftop of the Suyeon Travel building? Because of you? Because I feel sorry for my cousin who was going to be in court?”

He shook his head and said, “No. I haven’t liked you since I was a kid. If you don’t want to roll in the dumps, you’ll have to go to the next world. Goodbye.”

After he finished speaking, he gestured to Tak Joon-gi’s secretary who was standing next to him, the very hand gesture of his right hand tapping on his left wrist. The big man walked straight toward Tak Joon-gi.

Tak Joon-gi alternated Tak Mun-su and his secretary in amazement. “No… well, this is… you…”

Nevertheless, his secretary continued to walk toward Tak Joon-gi.

“Bo… Bosung, come on. You’re my secretary, you’re my bodyguard. Why…?”

Tak Joon-gi took a backward step, but his secretary caught him by the neck and lifted him up. He grabbed him and brought him to the railing.

Tak Joon-gi spoke to him in a voice that didn’t come out very well, “Bo… Bosung… please… please.”

But then, the secretary said just one word. “Let me say one thing too, Mr. Director. When did you ever treat me like a man?”

“Ah…” Tak Joon-gi tried to say something, but the secretary threw him over the safety bar on the park’s rim without waiting for more.

“Aaaargh!” A high scream reverberated through the air, then quickly subsided. It was a terrible thing.

Tak Joon-gi’s secretary came back to Tak Mun-su and lowered his head. “I’ve taken care of it, as you ordered, Vice Chairman.”

“Yes. I saw it, too. Good job. You sure you turned off the camera?”

“Yes. I’ve checked it several times.”

“What about a suicide note?”

“I’ve prepared it.”

Tak Mun-su clapped him on the shoulder and said, “Yes. You’ve been working hard as a secretary under such a bastard. I’ll compensate you properly.”

Tak Joon-gi’s secretary bowed to Tak Mun-su. “Thank you, Vice Chairman.”

“Now, let’s get out of here before it gets noisy.”

“Yes, sir.”

Tak Mun-su started to turn his head. Then, he looked at me and stopped for a moment. “Huh?”

Tak Joon-gi’s secretary asked him, “What’s wrong, Vice Chairman?”

Until now, I didn’t think he saw me. But then he asked, “No, why… is a crow here?”

I realized then that he was looking at me. I opened my eyes wide with astonishment, and at the same time, I fell out of bed.

——

Thumping… I gasped, my heartbeat sounded in my ears. I took off the eye patch, and I swore without knowing it, “Oh, my… fuck.” Maybe it was the shock of seeing the murder with my own eyes, or the side-effect of the eye patch. I looked out the window and the darkness was subsiding outside. I picked up the cell phone on my bedside and looked at it. The time was 6:48 a.m.

At 10 p.m. I’d tried to fall asleep, so it was about seven hours’ sleep. I lifted the eye patch. ‘It’s… it’s real.’

I didn’t know if it was real or made, but it was a really vivid dream, to the point of being indistinguishable from reality. I recalled the phrase that was written in the manual. ‘If reality is a dream, and a dream is reality, all that remains human is a story.’

I got up from my seat, shivering. Then I picked up the bed sheet and lifted Crow’s report under it. ‘Report on the death of Tak Joon-gi.’

There was a self-written version of what I had just seen.

‘The person who ordered the murder, Vice Chairman Tak Mun-su of Suyeon Electronics.’

‘The person who executed the murder, Jung Bosung, secretary of Director Tak Joon-gi.’

‘Killing place. – On the roof of the Suyeon Travel.’

‘The time of the murder…’

Not only that, but all the conversations were recorded like a script in a movie.

—

Tak Joon-gi: You know, listen up. You’re mistaken if you think I’ve been digging around for information on other companies. It’s our company that I’ve been researching more closely than any other company in the last twenty years. It’s Suyeon. The reason why I raised so much money in the first place was to make Suyeon mine. My last target was Suyeon.

Tak Mun-su: Joon-gi. Let’s just say one thing: that’s probably why you lost. Talking about how you feel, and shedding all your feelings, you were struck by an ordinary man. You must not be exposed when you have a winning card, or you could face a counterattack.”

—–

By all appearances, this was too dangerous. It not only listed the facts, but this document was too detailed, as if looking at the situation and recording it.

‘This document… may bring a deadly threat to the viewer.’ I decided to dispose of this document. I picked up my cell phone and only wrote down the key things, specific places, and times in the notepad, and brought it to the kitchen. I lit a gas fire on the stove and ignited the document. Before the smoke came out, I ran to the bathroom with it.

I turned on the ventilator and waited for the burning document in front of the toilet. The fire that had started on the top of the document burned it all down. I held it until it was all burnt and threw it in the toilet when only the tip was left. I went back to the bed, having handled the document with speed.

The eye patch was still on the bed. I lifted the eye patch. On the surface, it was just a rustic eye patch. I looked at it for a long time, and put it in a drawer.

“Whew…” I didn’t know why, but I had to sigh. I burned the report away, but what I had seen in my dream was not so easily forgotten. I picked up my cell phone and unconsciously typed in ‘Tak Mun-su.’ It came up right away.

‘Vice Chairman Tak Mun-su of Suyeon Electronics. Suyeon Group’s first heir.’

It was a photo of the man who had directed the killing with an indifferent face. I looked at the face and suddenly remembered what he had said: ‘Hmm, really? Han Sang-hoon… he’s a funny guy. I’ll have to meet him, too.’

Chapter 129 - That’s How It Turns Out

“I hope Director Kim will lead the company as the new CEO of Blue E&M in the future.”

As I said, the eyes of the man standing in front of me grew large. He got up from his seat and greeted me with a wave of applause. “I… really? Thank you! Thank you, Boss!”

The man giving the bow was Director Kim Jung-kyun. After the sudden retirement of former president Ahn Yong-kyun, the very person who clung to me during his last visit to Blue E&M became a new CEO who would sort out the mess and lead the company again.

I gave him a handshake, “Yes. I would like to ask you to do well.”

He grabbed my hand with both hands, deeply grateful. “Yes, Boss. I’ll work hard!”

“Detailed procedures, such as annual salary negotiations, can be discussed with Vice President Jang.”

I picked up the phone and spoke to Secretary Seo outside, “Secretary Seo.”

“Yes, boss.”

“Director Kim… No, please show CEO Kim to Vice President Jang.”

“Yes, boss.”

“Oh, and when you come back, please bring Jang Geun to my room, as I have something to talk with him about.”

“Yes, boss.”

I gestured CEO Kim out the door. He once again bowed to me and left the office. I went near the window after sending him out. The weather was so nice today. The autumn sky was so sunny. I stood with my arms folded and looked at it for a long time. Namsan Mountain, the flowing Han River, cars traveling along the road, and buildings were reflecting the sunlight.

I was looking at the tall buildings. Suddenly, I thought of Tak Joon-gi, who had disappeared screaming into the dark.

I frowned slightly. If it was a dream, I’d call it a nightmare. Having seen Tak Joon-gi die so vividly, whether he was the enemy or not, the sight seemed to be haunting my mind for a while; the face of Tak Joon-gi, who had flown over the air in horror, and the face of Jung Bosung, who had thrown him off.

That secretary…

I recalled the last words the secretary had said before he had thrown him off, holding the neck of Tak Joon-gi: “Mr. Director. When did you ever treat me like a man?” Come to think of it, the nature of Tak Jun-ki to ignore others, had cost him his own life.

‘Well… his secretary… his name is Jung Bosung.’ In retrospect, I’d met him many times. I had been at a cafe when I had first met Tak Joon-gi, and I had also met him at a parking lot at the award ceremony of the Seoul Mayor. And finally, just outside this president’s office recently, he had been blocked by Jang Geun as he had tried to enter. Come to think of it, I had been so close to the murderer. That thought gave me a slight shudder.

‘I don’t want to run into him again.’ But I thought I might run into him again. I didn’t know how he had been closer to Tak Mun-su than to Tak Joon-gi, but as Tak Mun-su had muttered in his dream, ‘Hmm, really? Han Sang-hoon… he’s a funny guy. I’ll have to meet him, too,’ I might see him standing next to Tak Mun-su.

‘Umm…’ When I was thinking about it, I heard a knock from outside the door. I said loudly, with my eyes outside the window, “Come in.”

Soon the door opened, and Secretary Seo and Jang Geun came in.

“Did you call me, boss?”

By the way, the scene was strange right now. In the building, the president was standing with his bodyguard. It reminded me of the nightmare again somehow. I turned around, shaking my head. “Hey, Jang Geun.”

“Yes, boss.”

“You… don’t betray me.”

“Yes? What’s that…?” As I spoke, Jang Geun opened his eyes wide.

I smiled at him like that and said, “I’d like to make you be a full-time employee from today on.”

“A full-time employee?”

“Yes. You’ve been here for two months as a temporary worker. Now sign a proper contract and get paid by me.”

His expression lit up, “Ah! Yes, boss.”

During the two months Jang Geun had worked, nothing happened, but I decided to keep him by my side. There were times when his very existence was helpful. Perhaps something unusual could have happened during those two months, but it hadn’t, because of him. Maybe someone had tried to do something, but when they had seen Jang Geun, they might not have done it because they had been so nervous.

“The annual salary… you’ll start with a hundred thousand dollars. The holiday bonuses, the year-end bonuses, I will give whatever I like. Did you hear about it from Secretary Seo? It shouldn’t be small.

‘It’s really not going to be bad. I usually pay bonuses for the money I earn from stocks, or for the company’s earnings, and I will give tens of thousand dollars to my key aides, whether Secretary Seo or Vice President Jang.

“Oh, yes. There’s a title issue… …and calling you Jang Geun every time is something strange. Bodyguard Park is a little long… so I’m just going to make you my second secretary.”

“Second secretary?”

“Yes, but you’ll do the same thing, and only your title will be Secretary Park. It’s because I’m comfortable with it.”

“Yes, boss.”

I added with a wink to Secretary Seo beside me, “Secretary Seo, you heard that, right? As usual, Secretary Seo will be the secretary in charge of job support, and Secretary Park will be in charge of security.”

“Yes, boss.”

“Yes, then. I’d like to ask both of you to do well.”

The two men bent their heads at my words. I had an idea when I saw these two, ‘Ability is important when I have a lower person, but the more important thing is loyalty. No matter how good he is, I will not be able to tell him to be a good man if he is not useful to me in moderation. If he has good abilities and is less loyal, he can be harmful to the master.’

Suddenly, I recalled the names of the traitors in the Three Kingdoms: Lü Bu, Mi Fang, and Shi Ren… ‘It is better not to let traitors in, regardless of their ability. Like Ahn Yong-kyun, if found, they will be dealt with immediately.’

“Now, go back to work.”

“Yes, boss.” The two secretaries answered and left the president’s office. If they had the advantage, it was none other than the time I shared with them. Secretary Park Jang Geun, was a big guy who had played with me in the neighborhood since I was five or six years old. He was a local junior who I knew for ten years, before I had gone to high school.

Secretary Seo Ji-hoon had met me at the club for the first time when we had been sophomores in college. So far, for ten years, we had been drinking, clubbing, gone to the army, and started our own business together.

Both were people who had seen and shown good and shameful aspects between us since we had been young. As a result, the two were really reliable people. They’d been humanly interacting with me since I had had no money.

‘The two are Guan Yu and Zhang Fei… no, rather Zhuge Liang and Zhao Yun.’ While I was thinking about it, the phone rang.

“Boss.”

“Hmm?”

“Vice President Jang wants to see you.”

“Oh, yes, please let him come in.”

Soon Vice President Jang opened the door and came in.

“Have you met with new CEO Kim?”

“Yes, boss. I put his salary a little lower than what you had said, but he agreed to it with a big smile.”

“Did I call too much?”

Jang said with a slight smile, “Yes, boss.” He was one of those who thought I set salaries too high for anyone, even himself.

“Yes, you did well. It’s okay if he was satisfied. Our company saves money.”

“Yes, boss. What about the inauguration ceremony?”

“Let’s make it small. I don’t want to have a big party, as Ahn Yong-kyun left under a dark cloud. Let’s go to a nice place and have dinner with the directors of Blue E&M. I will cheer CEO Kim, and let them take care of the inauguration ceremony.”

“Yes, boss.” Vice President Jang lowered his head and turned to leave the president’s office.

I caught him, “Ah! Vice President Jang.”

“Yes?”

“I’d like to ask you a few questions…”

“Please tell me.”

“Did you hear about the death of Tak Joon-gi of the Suyeon Group?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Did you hear anything extra? Well, the back story, the reaction of the Suyeon Group… Things like that.” I knew the inside story of the incident, but I had to ask Vice President Jang. I was wondering how things were going around in public.

“As far as I heard…” After a moment of muddling, Vice President Jang asked me, “Boss, have you read Our Twisted Hero?”

“Oh, I know. Isn’t that the story of the captain of the school gangs, Eom Suk-dae, being bullied as he hurts other students?”

“When you look at the ending of the book, the main character says, “That’s how it turns out,” while he sees the character being taken away by the police. That’s what they say.”

I repeated his words, “That’s how it turns out…”

“Yes. He’s been in trouble in the Group since he was a kid. He’s invested well a few times, and increased his money, but… he recently committed suicide after going through all this and that and getting into debt and becoming a criminal. Although they do their best in the Suyeon Group to keep their mouths shut as much as possible, they have similar reactions.”

“Well, I see.”

“Yes, do you have any more questions?”

“Oh, yes. Let me ask you one more question. What kind of reputation does that Tak Mun-su of the Suyeon Electronics have?”

His answer was rather unexpected. “I know he’s a very good man. He has a good sense of business and a great skill with mercenaries, so he was named as the Group’s successor early on, his subordinates are following him on their own. I hear he is very good-natured. He is said to be very good to mere employees, without being like a third-generation chaebol.”

“Oh, oh, really?”

“Yes, so the people of the investment sector says that it is worth investing in Suyeon Electronics and Suyeon Group after seeing Tak Mun-su. For business, systems are important, but the most important thing is human beings.”

“Well, yes…” I tapped my chin and nodded, and dismissed him, “Then, go out and work.”

“Yes, boss.”

When Jang stepped out and I was left alone in my own office again, I typed in Tak Mun-su on the portal site. A familiar face, the very face I had seen in my dream; the way he had tapped his left wrist with the right hand, lingered before my eyes.

‘He’s… he’s very good-natured?’

Vice President Jang was a shrewd man when it came to industry information, but that was what he had said.

I shut the portal window, astonished despite myself.

Chapter 130 - The Second Appearance

“So… they want to buy a stake in Kai Games?”

“Yes.”

“How much?”

“About fifteen to twenty percent. They are not interested in management either, they just want to strengthen their grip on Fantasy War Ground in China.”

“Oh, that’s the way it is here.”

I lifted the document on the desk. It said ‘Tencent,’ China’s IT dinosaur. Tencent, the world’s largest Internet company, with a market capital over a billion dollars as of October 2019, was famous for buying stakes in other companies abroad with the money it earned in its own country.

There was no place where Tencent’s money had not been put into a company that had made a popular game, such as Riot Games of League of Legend, and Supercell of Clash of Clans. Now that Fantasy War Ground had hit the global jackpot, it seemed like they were drooling over there.

I looked down at the report. “The price is not bad.”

“Yes, boss. Not bad, but… I think they’ve made quite a lot of bets.”

“Umm…”

I calculated silently. Fantasy War Ground, which had launched its Open Beta service in March, had accumulated more than twenty million in sales in six months. The market capital of Kai Games was well over a billion dollars, nearing 1.6 billion. It was about to reach two billion. The value of the stake by Invictus Investment, which had held a powerful sixty percent majority Kai Games before the release of the game, would also exceed a billion dollars.

‘But twenty percent of 1.6 billion is three hundred twenty million. They’re going to buy this for five hundred million…’

It was not a bad suggestion. Our company needed to get our money out of there and would use it elsewhere. I was sorry to CEO Shin Dong-woo, but there was no guarantee that the next game would be as successful as Fantasy War Ground.

‘I’ll have to sell it…’ But while I was thinking about it, I returned the document to Vice President Jang and said, “Once, drag on the deal and refuse it.”

“Yes?”

“Let’s say that the timing of our exit {recovering the amount of investment} is about the middle of next year. There’s still a console release for PlayStation and XBOX, and by then, we’ll be selling more on Steam. If we sell it now, it’s a little early.”

I knew because I had already searched Shin Dong-woo in the People Search of 12 Months After.

[CEO Shin Dong-woo of Kai Games was surprised to see the forty million tickets sold by FWG Steam.]

Fantasy War Ground was still selling. In another half a year or so, the stock price of Kai Games was going to jump even more, to at least two and a half billion dollars, and maybe three to four.

“Let’s talk about it again then.”

“Then I’ll do as you say, boss.”

“Yes.”

After Jang left the office, I thought for a moment about Tak Joon-gi. He’d had a five percent stake in the Kai Games. ‘Even if he hadn’t done things here and there, he could have made about two hundred million if he had had this.’ Come think of it, Tak Joon-gi had also had his own story, which is why he had made such a hard bargain.

I still recalled his lines, fresh as ever: “You know, listen up. You’re mistaken if you think I’ve been digging around for any other company’s information. It’s our company that I’ve been researching more closely than any other company over the last twenty years. It’s Suyeon. The reason why I raised so much money in the first place was to make Suyeon mine. My last target was Suyeon.’

When I had first seen him at the Garden Envy, I had thought, ‘Does the third generation of a chaebol invest in stocks? They’re not short of money.’

However, he also had something to buy with money. It was the Suyeon Group. So did Lee Won-jae of Daewon Daily News, but there seemed to be a sort of sense of deprivation or inferiority for those who were not chosen to be the successor of the conglomerate.

As I thought of Tak Joon-gi, I naturally thought of Tak Mun-su, a man who killed people without a wink in the back, but who was praised in the front.

‘How can he do that?’ He would have an incredible amount of self-control. Come to think of it, even then, there was little change in his facial expression throughout the whole process of dealing with Tak Joon-gi.

However, just once, when Tak Joon-ki threatened him: “I’ll tell them all about the vice chairman of Suyeon Electronics before I stand in court. All I’ve investigated!”, there was only anger in his eyes, but it quickly disappeared.

‘Well, he is a cold man… but on the other hand, he has a lot of shit,’ I thought. Maybe the shit might be helpful to me again. Tak Joon-gi had knelt down to him for it.

I thumped on the table and thought, ‘No matter what I think, there is no good place to use Crow. I need him only for this side. He only investigates the past incidents and brings the information… He only gets some hidden information. Later, if things change… but right now I can only think of this side.’

I entered the email, opened 12 Hours After and took the cursor on the bottom to the Crow Summoning Link, ‘Do you want to call Crow?’

Opportunity had returned this month, too. Once a month. I didn’t have anywhere to send him, so I should use him here.

‘Please set a location and time to summon.’ I was writing out “tomorrow evening” there, and suddenly I recalled what Secretary Seo had said: ‘Boss, you’re shooting MBE tomorrow.’

‘When exactly did he say the shooting would be?’ I couldn’t remember. I picked up the phone and asked Secretary Seo, “Seo secretary.”

“Yes, boss?”

“When do I start shooting tomorrow?”

“It’s starting at 1:00 p.m. It is going to be over by 5:00 p.m.”

I remembered the shooting had taken about three hours when I had first appeared. This was my second shoot this time, so I was more familiar with it, so it would take less.

“Oh, yes.”

When I finished my phone call, I wrote down “6 p.m. tomorrow evening.” ‘The place is…’ After thinking for a while, I wrote, “Jamwon Han River Park.” That’s it. Tomorrow I would have Crow investigate a guy called Tak Mun-su who was a murderer on the inside, a good character on the outside.

———————–

“The first guest of October 2019 of ‘Meet the MBE Super Ant,’ is the brightest star in the investment industry recently. His name is Han Sang-hoon, CEO of Invictus Investment.”

With applause, I moved forward and sat down on a chair in the middle of the stage. On the other side was the young and beautiful female MC and the male MC with a long mustache. It was the same as last time. It was a good thing for me to avenge. I greeted the MCs, the audience, and the camera, with a big smile.

“This is our second invitation this year, since last January. How have you been?”

I nodded my head when asked by the female MC. “Yes. I’m doing well. I’m a little busy, and a little tired.”

At my words, the male MC spoke up, “Blessed that you’re so busy. Blessed that your company’s growth has been so great lately.”

He only read the script, but he also had a very different attitude. Last time, although he said, “A billion dollars? In five years? That’s funny,” the equity value of Invictus Investment had already exceeded that amount.

The female MC said, while looking at the camera, “The last time I introduced you as a miraculous story about Invictus Investment, which started with a capital of five million dollars and got fifteen times larger in only a few months. At that time the value of the company was seventy-five million. However, I’m going to have to tell you something even more amazing today. The equity value of Invictus Investment now stands at as much as 1.43 billion dollars.”

Everyone was surprised at the huge sum.

“It’s about nineteen times greater then the assets of last time. You’ve achieved greater growth than last time.”

As soon as the female MC said it, the male MC continued, “You’re amazing, really amazing. I’ve been broadcasting business TV for twelve years… I think you are the one who has gotten the best grade.”

It was an ad lib which was not in the script, somehow he was changing himself to take a submissive attitude. I was also going to feed him a piece of unwritten ad lib, but in advance, he abased himself, so I was a little reluctant to do that.

“As I expected, the investment plan was fit and I’m glad.”

“The investment plan, can you tell the audience what it was?”

“Oh, actually, it’s the second time if I talk to you here… in January, I told you about what kind of stocks will be promising this year. I’d like to show you the January show…” I snooped at the camera as I said that. Of course, this was what was in the script.

Following my script, the female MC said, “Then, let’s take a look at the reference.”

My appearance on the screen in January was shown.

“I’m a little bit afraid to say this… but both of the companies we’ve invested in are promising.”

“OH Entertainment and Kai Games?”

“Yes, I think both of them are going to have a storm surge as of this year.”

Even the closing comment was that. “Watch OH Entertainment and Kai Games share prices this year. You’ll soon find out whether I’m telling you the truth or not.”

The male MC marveled at that, “Yes… really. Since then, OH Entertainment has doubled. Kai Games is ten times bigger. It’s almost there. Is there anyone who watched January’s broadcast and invested in it? They must have had a big hit!” The male MC said so, but frankly, few would have followed it. Even if a thirty-year-old young man appeared and said to buy this thing, few people would listen to it. Of course, the few who had believed what I said would have had a big return.

The female MC asked me, “At that time, you recommended it with confidence. That was all right.”

“Yes.”

“Then, is there anything you can recommend today?”

I thought it over and said, “Well, as I said at the time, I’m not sure except for what I’ve invested in… so I’d like to tell you what I bought this time. Blue E&M and Hyun Young Pharmaceutical were added to my portfolio with the last stocks…”

Some of the audience suddenly bowed down. It looked like everyone was looking at their cell phones.

“I think these two are also the kind of stocks that can jump over the next few years.”

These days, there were many people who would trade stocks through MTS because it was good. Now it was 1:30 p.m. The market was still open. I couldn’t turn on the MTS right now because I was filming the broadcast, but perhaps the stock prices of Blue E&M and Hyun Young Pharmaceutical would have gone up a bit right now.

Some of the guests were just buying them. It was wise, to think about it. Even if they didn’t have any information, if this was on the air, ‘CEO Han Sang-hoon took over this stock,’ there would be a lot of ants that would buy these stocks. If they bought them now, after I did, they would be in the fast group.

‘They’re such smart guys.’ I continued to record the show, watching them.

————————–

The recording ended earlier than I thought. After the recording, the male MC came first to say hello personally, “Whew, CEO Han, I was rude on the last broadcast.”

In the end, I couldn’t say a word to the male MC. Throughout the shoot, he continuously said, “CEO Han, You’re amazing. You’re great.” Therefore, I couldn’t swear at his smiling face.

“Oh, yes. Well…” That was how I just sent him away.

Then the female MC came up and said hello to me, “Thank you for your hard work today, CEO Han.”

Her name was Shin Min-sun, the bobbed goddess of MBE. She was pretty, a smile on her face and her long hair moving across her back with each step she took. I had no choice but to be friendly to the beautiful woman. “Thank you, Min-sun, you worked hard too.”

But then, she came up to me and handed me something. “This one.”

I took it. That was her business card, and said, ‘MBE announcer Shin Min-sun.’ When I looked at her with it in my hand, she winked a little and said without making a sound, “Please contact me.” Then she twitched her hips and disappeared to the other side.

“Huh…” I stood dumbfounded with it, and Secretary Seo came up and said, “Boss.”

I put the card in my pocket in surprise, and said to him, “Hmm?”

“Well, the producer says… the director’s here, and he wants to see you for a moment.”

“Director of MBE?”

“Yes.”

‘You will be close to the press’ was our company’s motto. I nodded, “Well… yes.”

Chapter 131 - An Invitation Letter

I said I would meet first, and then I lifted my wrist and looked at the clock. It was 4:10 p.m. and my meeting with Crow was at 6 p.m. I thought it would be okay to meet up for an hour or so, and make a noise. If he would offer dinner, I would have to refuse it. I told Secretary Seo that I had a previous engagement.

“I think I’ll be fine for about an hour. Where should I go?”

As I said, Secretary Seo looked around. “Wait a minute. Producer Sung said he’d show us.”

Just then, a skinny guy with glasses appeared and spoke, “CEO Han and Secretary Seo. How did you decide?”

Before I said anything, Secretary Seo spoke for me, “It’ll be fine for about an hour.”

“Oh, I see. I… This way.”

Me, Seo, and Park, who had been waiting discreetly by, followed him through the halls of the broadcasting company.

On the way, producer Sung told me, “Well… CEO Han.”

“Yes?”

“Was there anything uncomfortable with today’s recording?” That was what he was asking. He might be afraid that I would say something weird when I would meet his boss. Before the recording, he used to yell.

“Camera five. Aren’t you awake to the full mind?”

“Hey!”

“What’s wrong with him? Get rid of him.”

He was a mouse in front of his boss, who had been handling the staff like catching mice.

I spoke to him, “Oh, I’m good. I was a little nervous the first time, but this was the second time and I was able to relax.” I added a word to it, “And all the staff did a great job.”

“Oh, they did. Thank God.”

A superior’s scolding of his juniors had become a trauma to me, and I still didn’t feel very good about the sight. For a moment, I thought about my days at work. ‘How’s section chief Heo doing, by the way?’

Then, Producer Sung pointed to a waiting room. “This way, sir.”

At that moment, the door opened and a gray-haired man came out. Producer Sung looked at him and, of course, greeted him with a bow. “Ah, Bureau Director. This is CEO Han Sang-hoon of Invictus Investment.”

He then introduced the director to me, “CEO Han. This is Director Park Myung-chul of MBE.”

Director Park Myung-chul, who appeared to be in his sixties, shook hands with a friendly smile. “Happy to meet you, sir.”

“Oh, yes. Nice to meet you.”

“Let’s go in.”

I went in with him. But when Director Park Myung-chul saw Secretary Seo and Secretary Park who was about to come in, he told me, “CEO Han.”

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry, but I have something to tell you secretly. Can I ask the two of them to stay out for a while?”

It was a courteous request. I gave a wink to Secretary Seo, and Secretary Park. The two who had received my sign stood out in the waiting room. Director Park Myung-chul shut down as soon as I entered the waiting room. I was a little curious now that I was here. ‘What the hell does he want to talk about secretly?’

“Sit down please.” He offered me a seat. As I sat there, I was thinking about this and that. ‘Is it about advertising? Or… a personal investment consultation? Did he have a loss a little bit while he was stock trading?’

When I sat down, he asked, “How was your shoot today?” Somehow, the question was the same as Producer Sung. It was a cliche question.

I gave a cliche answer, “Yes, I liked it. Everyone did a good job.”

“You’re thirty this year? That’s great.”

Again and again, I’d heard this praise a hundred times before. ‘Hoo… that’s boring…’ I thought about it, but I answered, “That’s too much praise.”

Since MBE was a business TV show that represented our country, the director position had a very strong influence.

Of course, I didn’t need anyone to notice me making money, but I wanted my name, Han Sang-hoon, to be well received by the public. That way, I would continue to be good to the press. That way, when I searched my name, Han Sang-hoon, in the future news, it would come out more often.

‘All right, he’s a director, I’ll give him an hour’s attention.’ I made up my mind with the thought.

Then he glanced at me, and said, “Well, it’s not that I’ve called CEO Han…” As he said that, he took a piece of white paper out of his arms. “This one. I was asked to give it to CEO Han.” It had a bit of a three-dimensional effect.

‘A letter envelope?’ I narrowed my eyes and received it. The moment I caught it, I felt something prickly. A close look showed a gold pattern on a white background. ‘Umm…’ I turned it round and round. At the center of the envelope, there was a golden-colored ‘R’ that flashed. ‘R… R… Rugal?’ I didn’t know what it was.

I asked Director Park Myung-chul, “What’s this…?

“As you can see, it’s a letter. I know it as a kind of invitation letter… you look at it once, I don’t know the details. It’s just… from above… Hmm. The person I know just asked me to deliver it.”

He was quick to mend his words with a cough, but I heard for sure. ‘From above?’ No one in the broadcasting company was higher than the director. That might be the kind of person who had actually put him in charge. It should be said that he sent it to me.

‘So, it is sent to me from the owner’s side of MBE… Which company owns MBE? Susung? KJ? Myung Jin? LC? Or… Suyeon?’ I couldn’t remember well.

“Then be assured you have definitely delivered it…”

Rather, he stood up first and gave me his hand again. As a result, I had no choice but to stand up, hold his hand and shake it. I think it took about a minute or two to get there. It was different from the hour I expected.

“Then, I hope you will have a long march flushed with victories. Please come on our television show more often.”

“Oh yes.”

The purpose of Director Park Myung-chul was only that, from beginning to end. I looked at the letter and put it in my arms for now. As soon as the director and I came out of the waiting room, Seo and Park, who were sitting in a chair in the distance, also rose in surprise.

“Then, CEO Han. Take care.”

“Yes, Director.”

Seeing him go away after sending me off, I thought, ‘How many people can use the Director of MBE as a delivery boy?’ Such a man would be very rare.

——————————-

“Then, I’ll go to the Jamwon Han River Park…” Secretary Seo started the car right away. While he was holding the steering wheel, Secretary Park entered “Jamwon Han River Park” into the navigation. It seemed that the teamwork of the two was getting better.

While Secretary Seo was driving along the road, I pulled the envelope out of my arms, opened the flap and pulled the letter out of it. At the same time as I saw the first sentence, I glanced at my two secretaries. ‘Umm…’ Secretary Seo was busy driving, and Secretary Park was watching something out the window. Having checked it, I read the sentence in the letter again. ‘Invitation – Garden Royale’

“Was it R of Royale that was stamped on the cap….?” It said Royale now. In the colloquial form, it was Garden Royale. There was something that came naturally to my mind: Garden Envy.

‘That’s right… I’m sure it’ If I thought about it, then in my dream, Tak Mun-su had told Tak Joon-gi, “Are you still doing the copy show?”

‘So… the Garden Envy… the copy of this Garden Royale? So the person who sent this…

Tak Mun-su.’ I naturally thought so.

At that time, Tak Mun-su said, “Han Sang-hoon… I’ll have to see him, too.”

Because he said it, I thought about it and looked down.

‘On Saturday evening, November third, we invite you.’

‘Your Sponsor: CEO Jang Han-sul of KJ Shopping.’

However, the person who sent it was not from Suyeon Group, but from KJ Group, which was also one of the top twenty conglomerates in Korea. Jang Han-sul was also the next chairman of the Group.

‘…this …this is the person who used the Director as a delivery boy…’ I was going to search it as soon as I got out of the broadcasting company, but I didn’t need to search it separately.

‘It must have been that branch.’

I didn’t know why all of a sudden, Jang Han-sul from KJ was asking me to meet him. But roughly, a picture was drawn. At this Garden Royale meeting, Tak Mun-su would be there.

‘Maybe… Jang Han-sul was the one who granted the request of Tak Mun-su.’

Tak Mun-su also knew very well that I had had a fierce fight with Tak Joon-gi. He would have thought I might be on high alert if he called me. I looked down more. ‘The place…’ But the place was a bit strange.

‘Myeon office of Su Dong-myeon in Namyangju City, Gyeonggi-do Province’

‘Myeon office?’ It was strange that the next chairmen of some big companies would be having a party at a country office. But one more word was written below it.

‘If you are willing to participate, please have this letter in your possession at the correct time and place.’

“Willing to participate…”

I looked at the letter for a long time and then folded it back into my arms. In the meantime, the car passed through the Jamsu bridge and arrived at the Jamwon Han River Park. This was where Crow was summoned to at this time. Watching the Han River, I tried to eat my chicken and beer, so I looked at my watch and saw it was 5:20. I had about forty minutes left. I said to the secretaries. “Oh, by the way. Is there a mat in this car?”

“None…”

“Then get it from somewhere as soon as you go. Order me three fried chickens with seasoning, and garlic, and 1,500cc of draft beers… this will be eaten by me and my guest. You have to order your meal separately.”

“Yes, boss.”

I waited for Crow to come, looking at the Han River, which was flowing by, early on. After a while, the beers and three chickens arrived faster than Crow.

Korrr… Maybe because I ate lunch early before shooting, I was hungry. I couldn’t stand the smell of chicken. But still, I waited, as Crow was more useful to me than anyone else. Besides, I was not sure, but I felt like there was going to be a lot more work ahead for Crow to do. Before long, I could hear his familiar voice beside the river.

“Did you call me, sir?”

Chapter 132 - Garden Royale, Part I

In the distance, the red sunset fell. The autumn wind blew gently, and the Han River flowed smoothly. Children kicked and played with soccer balls, and students in school uniforms were buzzing past on their bikes. Old people in colorful climbing suits played badminton in pairs. I watched it while drinking beer with Crow.

Crow, who was watching it all, said “This is good, sir.”

“Yes. This is how people in Seoul enjoy their leisure time.”

“I see. Most of all… look good to be peaceful.”

I glanced at him. He had a strange look on his face, as if he was reminiscing.

‘Umm…’

He said, holding up the neatly stripped chicken bones, “And this fried chicken is really good.” He was holding a piece of spicy chicken with a lot of red seasoning on it.

After filtering out the chicken from the last buffet, I once again picked the seasoned chicken from the choices of fried, seasoned, or garlic chicken.

“Oh, yeah. This is called seasoned chicken… It is the most popular and delicious food you can eat in Korea. Most Koreans eat it at least once a month. It’s popular food.”

“I see.” He nodded his head and tore the chicken apart. If I watched him doing this; he looked like a foreigner who came to play on the Han River.

“By the way, that’s great. That black eye patch…” As I spoke, Crow silently ate the chicken. “It was like magic. There’s been a lot of VR stuff coming out these days, but… they are not vivid as that.”

Then, he looked at me and said, “… it’s just a dream made up. Sir, don’t get absorbed in it too much.” His blue eyes were quite serious.

I lifted my eyebrows and nodded, “Sure.”

Crow ate all three chickens. I’d eaten about a piece or two of each kind, but he was a real glutton. ‘I thought three would be enough… …but I should have ordered one or two more.’

“I’ve had a good meal today, sir.”

“Yes. I watch you twice a month, so let’s eat something delicious and talk.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then let’s get to the point… and what I want to ask you to do this time…” As I said that, I looked around. There was no one who could hear the conversation near our mat. “Do you know Tak Mun-su, vice chairman of Suyeon Electronics, who came out in that dream?”

“Yes.”

“His weakness. Can you investigate his weaknesses and evil deeds? From what I noticed, he looked quite different from the inside.”

“… what exactly do you mean?…”

“Well… about something corrupt or to kill people in the process of becoming vice chairman or when he has served as vice chairman…”

However, Crow, who was listening to me, was reluctant. “That’s… that’s going to be a little difficult, sir.”

“Yes?”

“If I’m going to investigate, I need such specific factors as a certain place, a certain time and a certain incident, etc. If you ask me to do a background check on him, that’s not what I can do.”

‘Umm…’ I thought about Tak Mun-su for a moment. ‘a certain place, a certain time and a certain incident…’

Before I came here, I had already investigated Tak Mun-su for myself, but he had a very neat past. No story had been written that he had abused his power, nor had he been told that he had benefited in an unfair way. With only the information from the portal, he was completely clean.

There’s a lot of praise for him in the industry, said even Vice President Jang. In addition, the news given to the public was really good and beautiful.

“There’s no such thing as a peculiar case.”

“Then I can’t start an investigation…”

‘What shall I do?’ I thought for a moment, then suddenly I got an idea, ‘Maybe, I can use the dream again.’

“Can I get the data that Tak Joon-gi prepared to attack Suyeon Group?”

“Do you mean the data Tak Joon-gi prepared?”

“Yes, he said in the dream. His ultimate goal was Suyeon. He was a member of the Suyeon Group, although he had a low ranking as a successor. If he decided to shoot inside and collected information, he’d be able to collect the details of the corruption that Tak Mun-su wanted to hide.”

“….. yes, then, is that my job to collect data of the dead Tak Joon-gi?”

“Yes. Is that possible?”

“Yes, I think I can.”

“Then I ask you, to be exact, all the information that Tak Joon-gi had for his corporate offensives. Please bring it to me.”

“Yes, sir.”

But, in the meantime, my cell phone rang in my pocket. I picked it up and it was Ah-young who called.

“Wait a minute,” I tried to ask for his understanding, but he was already gone, as usual.

I answered the phone in a slight embarrassment, “Uh, Ah-young?”

—————————

The elevator opened with a sound. I walked towards my apartment through the hallway. Then the next door opened, and Ah-young poked her head out. “You’re here, oppa?” She tied her hair whether she was in the middle of her work. It looked so cute.

“How? How did you know that?”

“You said you were coming. Besides, I know if it is oppa or not, when I hear the footsteps in the hallway.”

“Hmm, really?” I had been about to enter my password, but instead approached her and kissed her lightly. “I’m sorry. I’ve been so busy lately. I can’t even show my face to my girlfriend often.”

“You can’t help it. Besides, I’ve been busy too.”

I had been busy, but she had also been pretty busy preparing for her graduate work.

“So, how’s your graduate work?”

“Not bad.”

“Not bad?” As I asked, she picked up her cell phone and showed me the desktop. There was a figure on a colorful tree where people were angry, clapping, lost in thought, sad, and terrified.

“I’m working hard, but the professor doesn’t like my work, so… I don’t know what he wants.”

I thought with a nod, ‘Modern art…’ I didn’t have much thought, but sometimes such works were traded for a few or tens of million dollars among chaebols. ‘Art is tax-free, and it is a great means of investment. It is a reason why all the wives of large corporate leaders run one small art gallery.’

I told Ah-young playfully, “When it’s done, isn’t it going to be a few hundred thousand dollars, teacher?”

Ah-young smiled cutely and said, “I’m still unknown, so it’s going to be difficult. Not everyone has as much money as you.”

“You don’t know yet. A foolish rich person may buy it for a few hundred thousand dollars.” As I said that, I pointed to my chest with my thumb.

She laughed again at what I said, “No thanks. I have enough money! Anyway, you said you had dinner, right?”

“Ah… yes, but I ate a little less.” I didn’t know I’d order three chickens and wouldn’t eat much.

“Oh, then go in and wash first. I’ll make something for you in the meantime.”

“Yes, then.”

Ah-young went into her apartment, ruffling her tied hair. I pressed in my password and came into my apartment. When I came in, I felt tired somehow. It was the second time, but filming was still hard.

‘I didn’t know it when I was talking to Crow, but was it because of the Chi-Mac?’

I undressed, hung it on the sofa and headed straight for the shower. I took a hot shower, so I felt a little less tired. During a shower, there was a noise outside. Ah-young must have come into my apartment. I finished my shower, toweled myself dry, put on my underwear, pants, and a T-shirt, and came back to the living room. Something savory reached my nose.

“What is this smell?”

Ah-young was standing behind the sofa and told me, “Walnut pie.”

“Walnut pie? Well, the taste would be good.”

But then, she swirled around. “Oppa, what’s this?” She had a small piece of paper on her hand.

‘What’s that? A business card?’ At the moment, I realized. That was a business card of MBE announcer Shin Min Sun, which was in my pocket.

“Ah… that.”

Ah-young’s tone was slightly changed. He voice was slightly cold. “Is this a business card, right?”

“That’s… a business card.”

‘What the hell? Did she go through my pockets?’

“But why was it on the floor of the living room?”

‘Ah…’ I remembered just now, as soon as I had come in, I had taken off my pants and whipped them around the sofa. That must have fallen on the floor then.

“Oh, that. I got it today and put it in my pocket. It must have fallen from my pocket. It’s nothing. After the filming, the female announcer gave it to me and I received it.”

“Well… did you get it on business?”

“So it was.”

I said so, but I was a little bit conscience-stricken as the face of Ms. Shin, who was winking and saying, “Please contact me,” came to mind, and that red skirt that shook from side to side every time she took a step.

However, I told Ah-young, “You can tear it apart or you can throw it away. I don’t think we’ll see each other again anyway, for a while.”

“Uh.” Ah-young squinted her eyes and looked at me, and put the business card back in my pocket. “You have to give and take a business card. You should know somebody’s phone number when you work together. I believe in you.”

I loved her for believing in me.

But then she said one more thing, “But be careful. I believe in other women, too. They might even chase my man.”

The sense of a woman was scary. I nodded, “Yes.”

——————————

Tiriri tiriri tiriri. The alarm went off. It was seven in the morning. It was my alarm, but Ah-young got out of bed first.

“Oppa, I’m leaving. I should have done more work yesterday, but I came home early to spend time with you. I’m going to school early today. Have a separate breakfast.”

“Okay.”

She got up, kissed me on the cheek and went to her place, as if she were a writer being chased by a deadline. Left alone, I woke up rubbing my eyes.

‘Umm… what’s the schedule today?’

It had been a while since I’d taken a rest while trading at home, but I would ask Secretary Seo. I came to the living room, opened the refrigerator, and drank a glass of cold water. As I saw now, the clothes I took off yesterday on the sofa were still there. I lifted my pants. In the pocket of the pants, there was a business card of ‘MBE announcer Shin Min Sun.’

When I saw the business card, I crumpled it up and put it in the wastebasket. I was sorry, but I liked Ah-young. I didn’t want to give up my faith. Then I tried to put it in the laundry basket.

‘Oh, my God.’ On the way, I suddenly remembered that there was a more important document in the coat. After a search, I found that it was still in the pocket inside: an invitation to Garden Royale, with a golden ‘R’ on it. I tried to open it again. What bothered me was the last phrase, ‘If you are willing to participate, please be holding this letter in the correct time and place.’

“Hmm…” I examined it, and then I came back to bed with it and put it under the mattress. If the old Garden Envy was a den of snakes that couldn’t become dragons, Garden Royale would be a meeting of people who became dragons.

‘Garden Royale…’ I lay in bed and thought about it.

Chapter 133 - Garden Royale, Part II

‘Okay, let’s sell it all at the closing price today.’

I sold the stock that I was holding using the keyboard and mouse. The last sell order was completed. I calculated that the money I had earned today was about three million dollars. Even though the money was what ordinary people might not earn in a lifetime, I reacted calmly on seeing it.

‘Uh… my eyes hurt.’ I just rubbed my eyes at that idea. When I looked at the monitor all day, my eyes used to be dry. It would be fair to say that it was a professional disease. When my eyes were a little looser, I turned and checked the date today. It was October twenty-sixth. October was already over. As for summing up the account this month, I made about forty million dollars, this month a little better than other months.

Rather than being good at it, the news of 12 Hours After and 12 Weeks After was just good, but I’d made some improvements and I’d been gradually mixing up single-stock futures and options to increase my profit margin these days. Due to the nature of the news of 12 Hours After, there was not much news that could be used for single-stock futures and options, but it was sometimes usable as a bonus.

What was a little bit disappointing was that the news in 12 Hours After was not specialized for the economy, but also covered the Spanish tomato festival, the war with ISIS in the Middle East, and a Mexican-born white calf; they were so heavily mixed that it was difficult to be efficient right now unless something was changed.

‘As for the new excellent companies like Kai Games and Hyun Young Pharmaceutical…’

Such companies would dramatically increase my assets, a company releasing a game to dominate the world, or a company making new drugs. But such news didn’t come out. It was natural, if I thought about it. Such companies couldn’t come out often in the first place. But if I thought about it the opposite way, it was hard for such a company to avoid my eyes now.

As I had seen almost all the news that had been on for almost a year, a company that had been often mentioned in the news was bound to be captured by my eyes. Until then, I would have to accumulate cash quietly. ‘There is a stock proverb that says, “Don’t be disappointed that you don’t have the chance, but be wary that you’re not prepared.”

‘Then let’s go home now for today. I don’t think there’s work to do.’ I picked up the phone thinking that. “Seo Secretary”

“Yes, boss.”

“I don’t have anything on the schedule this afternoon?”

“No.”

“Then I’ll go home. Get ready to leave the office with Secretary Park.”

“Yes, boss.”

After the phone call, I put on my overcoat and came out of the office. Outside, both secretaries were also ready to leave work.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

I asked Secretary Seo in the elevator, “Do I have work to do tomorrow?”

“Yes, boss. There is a welcoming ceremony for the new recruit. And you have an award ceremony for the outstanding employee.”

“Oh yes… what about the day after tomorrow?”

“You have a photo shoot and an interview with the Fortune Magazine the day after tomorrow.”

“Ah… I see.”

In the past, there used to be more days away from work than at work, but these days it had been the opposite. There were few days without a schedule, as I had more companies and more people to manage. Even if I delegated a lot of work to Vice President Jang, there were some things I had to do.

“What did Fortune Magazine say? How rich am I in the country?”

“They say you’re in twenty-seventh.”

“Really? Twenty-seventh?”

“Yes.”

‘It’s probably decided by only the exposed shares. A 100% stake in Invictus Investment, worth of 1.3 billion dollars. Of course, I have personal assets, but so do others. Or, if I think about it, I have to say that I have a small amount of unexposed assets.

‘I have no real estate, no vaults containing a bundle of cash, no assets overseas, no paper company. However, the people of Susung, Mirae, K, and LC, who have lived as men of great wealth in Korea for decades, possess many buildings, land, and artworks under borrowed names. There are even people who were found to have stocks of their own companies under borrowed names. So, this twenty-seventh place means that I am comparable to what the rich have now on their hands. In fact, it is obvious that my ranking would be a little lower, because I have honestly showed the money I have.

‘It’s probably much less than Tak Mun-su of Suyeon or Jang Han-sul of KJ Shopping…’

I searched for ‘Fortune’s one hundred richest people in Korea, last year’ on my cell phone on my way home.

[Vice Chairman Tak Mun-su of Suyeon Electronics, ranked tenth, inherited 3.64 billion dollars.]

[Chairman Jang Han-sul of KJ Shopping, ranked 15th, inherited 2.78 billion dollars.]

The third generations of the chaebols, now in the Fortune Magazine, had two or three billion dollars. But this was not the end, because they had inherited only some portion from their parents. Tak Mun-su’s father Tak Woo-kyung, chairman of the Sueon Group, had twelve billion dollars, and Jang Han-sul’s father Jang Chul-yong, chairman of the KJ Group, had ten billion dollars, so the money would naturally go to them in time.

‘Hmm…’ I thought about the invitation letter to Garden Royale, which was still at home. ‘Now they put me in the Royal Family… Is that it?’

I hadn’t made up my mind yet whether I would go there or not.

One thought, ‘Shall I go and meet them? I can see what they are playing with,’ and the other thought, ‘I’m sure they are elitists. What am I doing talking to them there?’ came up alternatively.

————————–

Late October, I met Crow in our parking lot, who had returned from his investigation. He brought me a slightly thinner report than usual. The title of the report was ‘Internal Survey Data of the Suyeon Group of Tak Joon-gi.’ To be honest, I was a little disappointed with the thinness of the report, but I didn’t express it.

“Thank you for your good job, Crow.”

It was not because Crow hadn’t been able to work, but because of the lack of research by Tak Joon-gi.

“Yes, sir.”

After Crowe vanished into the air, I returned to my apartment with it and began to read it. The data that Crow had investigated, to be exact, was thin, but there were some things to read.

‘The CEO of Suyeon Chemical is sponsoring Lee Hye-shin, a beautiful entertainer.’

‘The president of Suyeon Telecom lost thirty million dollars in FX futures.’

‘Kim Chan-yong, director of Suyeon Electronics, is a key figure in the anti-Tak Mun-su faction’s rebellion.’

‘Lee Jun-hee, chairman of Suyeon Fashion, a figure of anti-Tak Mun-su, says, “If I rise in revolt, he will stand on my side.”‘

But to be honest, it wasn’t enough information to attack the Suyeon Group. In particular, there was no such information like a critical blow to Tak Mun-su. ‘With this…’

I read it with my head tilted, thinking as I read.

Tak Joon-gi’s remark, ‘My final goal was Suyeon,’ was nothing more than a last attempt to blackmail Tak Mun-su. It was nothing more than bluffing, no matter how many times I looked at it; he couldn’t take the chairmanship by knocking down Tak Mun-su.

‘It’s either one of the two. There’s really no such thing, or… he didn’t document it and he just kept it in his own mind… It must be a big secret.’

I turned over the report thinking that way. However, there was a slightly unusual sentence written in the last line, on the last page, ‘The nuclear bomb will be fired when Tak Woo-kyung dies or is about to die.’

‘Is this…?’ Tak Woo-kyung was the chairman of Suyeon Group, which he was currently leading. He was a tycoon of the Korean business community, who often appeared on TV. He was also an uncle of Tak Joon-gi, and the father of Tak Mun-su. It was clear what the words were saying. Tak Joon-gi had been writing a scenario. When Tak Woo-kyung would die and Tak Mun-su would appear at the front, he would expose something that would be a nuclear bomb in the succession process and then he would succeed at the position.

‘How old is Tak Woo-kyung?’ I picked up my cell phone and searched for him. He was seventy-one years old. He had gray hair, white eyebrows, and was completely white, but he looked quite healthy. ‘I don’t think he’s going to die right now.’

Well, Tak Joon-gi probably thought ahead ten or twenty years when writing this scenario. However, he had been caught by me and his everything had been cut off, and Tak Mun-su had killed him.

‘Well… that would be the only chance. Usually, when a king dies or is about to die, the nation becomes confused, since there’s a fight between the princes over the next king. The subjects line up behind the princes, and even before the king’s death, they have a battle for their lives in each faction. Recently, Chairman Jeon Hee-joong of Masung Group was a good example. While fishing, he died of a heart attack on the fishing grounds, causing the princes to battle among themselves.’

Now my question shifted to the next. ‘How’s the inheritance going on?’

‘Korea will apply a maximum tax rate of 50% when the inheritance exceeds three million dollars. Mr. Tak’s fortune is more than ten billion dollars, according to Forbes last year. Well, I don’t know how much money he has concealed. At any rate, it’s the amount when I look at the stocks that have been revealed. When Tak Woo-kyung dies, he has to pay five billion dollars out of ten billion dollars in inheritance tax, by selling off shares of Suyeon Group.’

‘If I attack then… it might be possible to take the Suyeon Group. It’s going to be hard, but… …it’s worth a try…’

I flicked the last sentence of Tak Joon-gi with my fingers. I was not sure, but I might be the one to implement the plan of Tak Joon-gi and become the head of the Suyeon Group.

‘The more I think about it, the more strange it is. It was an ill-fated relationship when he was alive…’ As I thought of that, I lifted the bed metrics and threw the document under there. As a result, naturally, the letter that was left there caught my eyes: the invitation letter from Garden Royale.

I took it and looked at it again. ‘On Saturday evening, November third. We invite you…’

The date of the appointment was not far away. As I watched it, I decided. ‘Maybe, this could be a chance at tens of billions of dollars…’

The inviter was Jang Han-sul, but Tak Mun-su would be there. I decided to go there and have a talk with him. He would definitely treat me with a well-organized smile, but seeing him in person might be different from what I imagined.

I then checked the place again. ‘Myeon office of Su Dong-myeon in Namyangju City, Gyeonggi-do Province’

‘No, but… what the hell are they doing in a small country office?’

I should be fully prepared for my safety. ‘Well… I’ll have to go with Secretary Park. And before that…’

—————————-

Nine p.m, I entered Han Sang-hoon into the People Search. Of course, when I typed it in, it was usually National Assemblyman Han Sang-hoon who came up on the portal first. These days, the opposition party had become weak, and he was still doing well with his strong voice.

‘Let me pass over you this time.’ I pressed the search button thinking about it.

‘Oh!’ Fortunately, my own article came up first on the news in 12 Weeks After.

[Han Sang-hoon, the twenty-seventh rich man in Korea, visited the Children’s Cancer Foundation in person and donated three million dollars.]

“Ah. This!” Last week, I had decided to donate three million dollars for the Children’s Cancer Foundation I had happened to see while surfing on the Internet.

“Secretary Seo, look at my schedule to visit there,” I said. This was why I got the story. ‘Ah, I’m going to the Children’s Cancer Foundation in three weeks.’

‘If I attend that meeting, and something goes wrong, there’s going to be correction news, as the dead can’t make a direct visit to the Childhood Cancer Foundation. All right, with this, I secured my safety.’ With that thought, I threw the Garden Royale’s invitation letter back under the mattress.

Chapter 134 - Banquet Of Dragons, Part I

I looked out the window. It was a dark country road, similar to the scenery I used to see on my way to my grandmother’s house when I was young.

‘Well… is there something in this place?’ As I thought of that, I asked Secretary Seo, who was holding the steering wheel in front of me.

“We’re almost there, right?”

“Yes, boss.”

“Hmm…”

On November third, I came here to Sudong Myeon, in Namyangju City, Gyeonggi-do. I had responded to the invitation of Garden Royale. It was the same during the invitation of the Garden Envy, but it was a strange invitation. The third generations of Korean chaebols, who would soon take over the conglomerates, were meeting in this rural area. As for me, it didn’t make sense. But somehow, my Bentley, driven by Secretary Seo, entered the Dong office.

Entering the office, Seo said, “It’s weird, boss.”

“What is it?”

“I think there’s no one here. If it’s the Dong office, it’s still the center of the town, but isn’t it normal for one or two people to be around?”

The office seemed to have recently cleaned up, as if it had been refurbished, but the lights were off and there was no indication of a person being around. It was 6:40 p.m. It was only a little early for the 7 p.m. meeting, which was odd.

“Let’s get out first.” I got out of the car with Secretary Seo and Secretary Park.

Two men in suits came up to us in the dark Dong office, more precisely to me. They came up to me and asked, “Are you CEO Han Sang-hoon? And who are these two?”

“They’re my secretaries. Can they come to the meeting?”

“Yes. Just one person.”

I gave an eye to Seo and Park, respectively. Secretary Seo took a step back, and Secretary Park approached and stood next to me. If they tried to do something strange to me, they would be rolling on the asphalt floor in a second or two.

But they didn’t, just reaching out to me. “Will you show me the invitation letter?” was the only thing they asked.

I took out a prepared invitation letter from my inside pocket and showed it to them. When the man saw it, he lifted his collar and said, “CEO Han Sang-hoon is here. Please send a car.” He radioed somewhere. Soon, from somewhere, a Bentley, the same type of my car, came into the parking lot. As I stared at it, one of them indicated the back seat and said, “Please get in.”

“Oh, wait a second.” I stood for a moment and checked my mailbox on my cell phone. I was wondering if there was any correction news. But it wasn’t there, and it meant I would be healthy in three weeks and visit the Children’s Cancer Foundation.

‘It’s going to be all right.’ I took the back seat with Secretary Park. When I got in the car, the driver, who looked a little older, greeted me and said hello. “Well, I’d like to ask a favor from you, Mr. Chairman.”

I didn’t know, but he was like a hired driver for this banquet. He drove off along the country road again.

I thought, ‘Where are we going? A hidden villa?’ Then, I saw a river. It was no different than Bukhan River.

‘… perhaps…’ But my guess was true. There was a huge cruise ship on the river ahead, brightly lit. I’d seen it on the Han River from time to time. No, I thought, it was bigger than that one.

The car stopped at the ferry near the river. There were people in black suits waiting here, too.

“CEO Han Sang-hoon, we’ve been waiting for you.”

There was no room for other people to interfere. I got on the boat with Secretary Park, while they held the wheel. Soon the boat made its way toward the cruise ship flashing its lights on the Bukhan River.

———–

The inside of the cruiser was the extreme of splendor. The men on guard were handsome, and the women carrying food and drinks were beautiful. The bar was lined with champagne like Dom Pérignon and Armand de Brignac Champagne, and all the furniture filling the inside were antiques that seemed difficult to measure.

‘It’s gorgeous, but who’s going to pay for this?’

I tried to pay attention to the people inside, rather than the splendor of everything. There were quite a few familiar faces in this cruise. What was slightly different from my expectations was not just the business people here. Political and media figures were also here.

‘He’s the chief editor of the Koryo Daily News.’

‘He’s the son of a former president, isn’t he? What does he do now?’

There was also a very familiar face, Lee Won-sang. He was the elder brother of Lee Won-jae, who looked like Kaiji, considered to be the next owner of the Daewon Daily News.

‘Well… he’s here, too?’

Somehow, they felt similar. Tak Mun-su was in Garden Royale and Tak Joon-gi was in Garden Envy. Lee Won-sang was in Garden Royale and Lee Won-jae was in Garden Envy.

‘This is a place only the people who will be the next powers of the Republic of Korea will be invited to.’ This was the banquet of dragons, as it was said. I took a glass of champagne from a wandering beauty and overheard them talking.

“So what do they say the constitutional amendment is going to be?”

“It won’t be long before it passes. The presidential system will be maintained, with a two-term presidency, two four-year terms, and the National Assembly will be reorganized into an interlocking electoral system. The president and Son Hae-jin, the party leader, talked behind the scenes.”

“Well, now we will have to talk about the next presidential election.”

“Yes, if the amendment is passed, we have less than a year and a half left before the presidential election.”

On one side, there was the talk of politics; on the other, economics.

“So, do you think the price of oil will go up?”

“Yes, the U.S. will continue to destabilize the Middle East in order to check China’s Belt and Road Initiative. It will be the same with India and Pakistan. If the waist is cut, there is no Silk Road.”

“Ah, then they are selling shale oil at a high price – they are going for the effect of killing two birds with one stone. Trump warned OPEC that oil prices are too high.”

“He’s just saying that to get popular with the public. He says it’s hard to live in the working class because of the high price of oil, but he’s actually only making it more expensive.”

Those were stories that seemed to be helpful if I listened carefully. I looked up at the sky. Some birds flew, I couldn’t tell whether or not they were migratory birds.

‘… birds are flying… Then… I’m sure they wouldn’t be surprised if a crow flies around.’ I thought of an eye patch I kept at home. ‘If I feel something is not enough after I hear and see things here, I’ll ask Crow to show this again through my dream.’

Then, suddenly, I heard a voice that drew my ears. “How about Han Sang-hoon?”

My ears pricked up suddenly. ‘They’re talking about me.’ I turned my eyes at the sound. It was the table where the political story came out.

“Han Sang-hoon is not bad. I think he has the potential.”

“Isn’t he a shallow guy?”

“He is a shallow guy and there is possibilities. These days politicians are popular only when they’re far from authoritarianism.”

‘Ahh… not me.’ Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, it was not me who was being talked about here, but it politician Han Sang-hoon.

“There’s a good chance that Joo Sung-won will come out for the ruling party, since the other runners have already lost. If there are no other variables, Joo Sung-won will come out. The opposition party is interesting. It’s hard to predict the situation here. There’s Han Sang-hoon, but there’s also Lee Soo-won, or Jung Kyung-wha.”

“Wouldn’t it be a little hard for Jung Kyung-wha? In the past, she mangled an image of female politicians.”

“No, we can’t say that she is not possible because she’s a woman. It’s different from one person to another. Chancellor Merkel of Germany has been in office for more than a decade.”

‘Huh… Han Sang-hoon is doing great.’ Rep. Han Sang-hoon, who had the same name, was now mentioned as a presidential candidate. If that happened, it would be a little bit too bad for me. My plan to find my name on the news 12 Hours After and explore the future could be sealed for a few years. No one in Korea, even top celebrities, could beat the president’s name.

I thought, sipping champagne from the glass, ‘If he is going to be in the presidential election… or if he is going to be a representative for the opposition party, I’m going to have to investigate him through Crow. How much dust will it come out?

‘This is why the prosecution and the media become powerful in our country. If they investigate some politicians, something should come up. So the law sometimes becomes a dog of power, and sometimes a dog that bites the power.

‘The press is also the same. If the approval rating is high, they write good articles; if it gets lower, they beat the president with editorials and articles. So the president, the pinnacle of the power, is being investigated by those people at the end of his term and goes to prison. I don’t have the political power to wield the law, but I am confident that I could wield the media better than anyone else.’

I was thinking that, and a man in a black suit came up to me and asked, “Are you CEO Han Sang-hoon of Invictus Investment?”

I nodded, “Ah. Yes.”

“Your inviter, Chairman Jang Han-sul, would like to see you.”

I looked at him for a moment and nodded slowly. That was what I came here to do. At the dragon’s banquet, I would be swallowed up and see what was in its stomach. When Tak Jonn-gi tried to swallow me whole, he was dug up from the inside and died. No matter how big a dragon they were, they would not be able to swallow me. I followed him through the cruise ship with Secretary Park.

His destination was a cabin on the cruise ship. He made it difficult when he saw Secretary Park in front of the cabin. “I’m sorry, but you can’t accompany him inside.”

I looked back at Secretary Park and nodded. No correction news had come. I’d checked two or three times since I had boarded this ship. I walked inside. There were seven people in all.

I knew all those people at a glance. They were all faces that should be recognized at a glance: Chairman Jang Han-sul of KJ Shopping, Chairman Ko Jin-hee of JISUNG Fashion, President Kim Shin of Susung Planning, Vice Chairman Jung Sung-soo of Mirae Motors, President Ha Ji-yeon of Hotel Baekje, President Huh Joon-ik of LC Construction and Vice Chairman Tak Mun-su of Suyeon Electronics.

‘Every one of them…it’s a group of princes and princesses.’ The people here were simply those who could be the next heads of the nation’s conglomerates.

‘These guys are all here… what the hell are they talking about?’ I was thinking that, and the host, Jang Han-sul, who had invited me, rose from his seat and held out his hand to me. “Ah. CEO Han Sang Hoon, you are here. Nice to meet you.”

At that time, a person next to him stood up and asked, “Who are you?”

He was none other than Tak Mun-su, with the same face I had seen in my dream.

‘You already know.’

I was thinking that but Jang Han-sul introduced me to the other six. “This is CEO Han Sang-hoon, CEO of Invictus Investment. Recently, the market capital of companies he runs has risen to over a billion dollars, right?”

“Ah yes.”

It was a story of property from the first meeting. ‘That way I’ll be able to sit at this table…’ I formally greeted them with such thoughts. “Nice to meet all the presidents and the chairmen. I’m Han Sang-hoon, the CEO of Invictus Investment.”

Chapter 135 - Banquet Of Dragons, Part II

“Then, we’ll leave.”

“Yes.”

I looked out the window in the back of the car. The outside landscape moved back from the country office to the country road. I was silently reminded of that line. ‘Oh, that’s weird.’

Well, then, Secretary Seo in front of me opened his mouth.

“Boss.”

“Hmm?”

“Well…”

Secretary Seo glanced at me in the rearview mirror and hesitated and told me, “Please talk to me. How was it? What was the luxury villa where the rich got together like?”

I looked at my wrist. Now it was half past eleven. Secretary Seo had waited here for more than four hours. It must have been boring. “First, it was not a luxurious villa.”

“Is that so?”

“It was a luxury cruise floating on the Bukhan River.”

“Aha.”

“It was good. The drinks were expensive, the food was delicious, and there were many famous people.”

Secretary Park, who had been silent at the time, added, “Lee Na-yeon was there.”

Secretary Seo exclaimed in astonishment, “Really?”

Lee Na-yeon was not affiliated with our company, but she was one of the top stars, comparable to Oh Hyun-joo. I asked in amazement, “Really? I didn’t see her.”

“Yes, boss. When you went inside that cabin, I was on standby outside… a beautiful woman was coming by, and I turned around and saw it was Lee Na-yeon.”

The top actress must have been aboard the luxury ship. ‘Why was the actress there…’

As I was thinking that, Secretary Seo said, “Wow, I envy you, boss. Please take me next time, not Secretary Park.”

Secretary Seo seemed to be serious. ‘I took Secretary Park for a reason…’

I said with my arms crossed, “Well… I don’t know if I’ll come back here.”

“Why? Didn’t you like anything?”

“No. It’s not that I don’t like it. It’s just… It’s just that I don’t fit in there.”

“Well, in terms of money, you’re as good as them, aren’t you?”

“That’s right, but…”

That was all I had to say, and I said nothing more. When I closed my mouth, Seo didn’t ask any more questions. I didn’t need to explain any more. Secretary Park would tell him everything he wanted to hear when I was away. I thought again about the meeting that had just happened. ‘It was very unusual.’

—————————

At the meeting where I was introduced, I was greeted with surprise.

“Ah, this is Han Sang-hoon, the main character of the storm, right?”

“Does every company you touch succeed so well?”

“That’s what our people say. A genius has appeared in the market.”

“That’s right, genius. That’s what my men say. He’s a genius.”

They didn’t recognize my face, but they knew my name and my company’s name. They knew our company’s recent rapid growth and it seemed they had an informant that brought them their information.

Chairman Ko Jin-hee of JISUNG Fashion, who was in her forties but had the twenty-year-old skin, asked Jang Han-sul, “How did you know Chairman Han Sang-hoon and invite him?”

Jang Han-sul answered with a sly smile, “I was curious when I heard the news about him. Have a seat, please.” He offered me a seat.

As I sat there, I saw Tak Mun-su sitting on the opposite side. He would be the one who had told everyone else the news. But he sat indifferently, as if he didn’t need to look at me.

‘Well… it must have been him who wanted me here…’

I sat down and asked them, what I was most curious about. “You often get together like this, don’t you?”

In my words, President Kim Shin of Susung Planning, answered shortly, “About once a year.”

“Aha. So are you all acquainted, except for me?”

He nodded, “Yes, but I didn’t meet them here at first.”

At my words, Vice Chairman Jung Sung-soo of Mirae Motors asked, “Didn’t everyone meet here and there?”

Everyone nodded at that. Lee Won-jae used to say that before. I didn’t know how it happened, but they were entangled by marriages. Each of the seven had a different family name and company, but whether they were cognate or married, they were all close or distant relatives.

‘I’m the only outsider…’ If I thought about it, it was natural. There were only a few who had made a billion dollars by their own efforts in our country. So these chairmen showed interest in me.

President Ha Ji-yeon of Hotel Baekje asked me, “Where did you study?”

“I graduated from Sungkyunkwan University with a degree in information and communication engineering.”

“Oh, I see. But you set up an investment company?”

“I’ve been dreaming of starting a business since my school days, though it’s a little bit different.”

President Huh Joon-ik of LC Construction got involved. “Oh, you majored in science. Even if I had other kids run my account, the graduates of Harvard or Seoul National University economics are the worst, and there’s someone else who’s better at stocks.”

Jang Han-sul nodded, “Yes, it is true.”

They exchanged questions with me for a while in that way. They asked me this and that, as if this was a hearing. However, it was mostly about investment and company management, because they were all CEOs.

I tried to tell them as much as I knew by the present information. It was because I’d been watching the future news every day, and I had a lot of future information in my head. So when I was talking, I had to add maybe’s to everything.

“I think the retaliation against THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) will be completely lifted as of this year. Maybe.” I told them what I really thought. “I think Trump will win re-election. That’s what I assume when I run a company. It would go before and after the U.S. presidential election without any drastic changes.”

“Oh, I see.”

The funny thing was, these people took my words quite seriously, perhaps because of the achievements I had.

“CEO Han Sang-hoon thinks so. It’s a little different from our staff. I’ll have to think about it again.”

‘I’m just saying what comes to mind…’ It would be a little funny if my words changed the strategy of Mirae Motors. As I talked to them, I continued to be conscious of Tak Mun-su. He only clapped at other people’s stories, but he didn’t talk to me in person.

‘Well… he really wanted to see me once. Is this it?’

But it finally happened. “You have such great insight. CEO Han Sang-hoon,” he said to me.

I naturally turned my head to him and replied, “That’s too much praise. Vice Chairman Tak Mun-su.”

Tak Mun-su smiled and spoke to me.

—————————

‘So what did he say…’ I rubbed my chin and looked back at my conversation with him. No matter how much I thought about it, there had been nothing unusual. He had just talked to me about investment and management, nothing else.

I had been trying to figure out when a nuclear bomb would hit in the middle of the conversation, if I could. There had been no such thing at all, possibly since other company representatives were watching. Therefore, he might not have brought up something sensitive first. I had only had a very normal conversation with him.

What was amazing was that as I had been talking to him, I had felt it. ‘This man… is really a good man.’ He had had some kind of charisma. He had had the charm of leading people. If I had not seen him hitting his wrist in the dream, I would have thought of him as a good man. But I couldn’t put a good man and an abettor of murder on the same line, no matter how evil Tak Joon-gi was.

‘It was weird… really…’

But now that I thought about it, all six other CEOs had something that attracted people’s attention. I could feel their natural leisure. They had been born in a rich family and had lived running toward the top, without any ups and downs of life. It was a little different from me.

At the end of the meeting, Jang Han-sul, the host, handed me his business card, ‘Chairman Jang Han-sul of KJ Shopping.’ He said, “Nice to meet you today, CEO Han Sang-hoon. I’ll call you directly next time.’

To be honest, I didn’t think this was a suitable place for me, either. I wouldn’t be able to get along with these people after all. But it was worth attending. It was such a high-level gathering place that Crow could gather some information. That was what it was today.

—————————

‘The constitutional amendment for two four-year terms… The next presidential candidates are Joo Sung-won for the ruling party, and Han Sang-hoon, Lee Soo-won, and Jung Kyung-wha for the opposition party.’

I picked up my cell phone, went to the portal site, and searched for ‘the constitutional amendment.’ Some news came up soon.

[Discussion over the power structure of the National Assembly on the constitutional amendment has been slow to make a difference.]

[The people are behind the debate on the constitutional amendment, and it turned into a pie fight for lawmakers.]

[Two four-year terms? The parliamentary government system? What will happen to the presidential system?]

The constitutional amendment had been making little progress since last year. I had forgotten, but they must have been talking. I went on to the future news. I hadn’t seen the second one today. At 8:55, as the news had arrived, I had been in the cruiser.

I entered the future news of 12 Months After and put ‘Park Hyung-joon, the name of the incumbent president’ in it. These last few days, I had stopped tracking the names of the president for the search of other CEOs and celebrities. There was news coming up.

[Lame-duck phenomenon with one year left in President Park Hyung-joon’s term?]

I clicked on it. The article was news of July 2020, after nine months. The last presidential election was 2017. If it properly worked, it should be done by 2022, but it said only one year left in the president’s term. It was just as the people who had been talking on board the ship had said.

‘Certainly, inside the political world, it’s been talked about.’

Soon, the Korean constitution would be amended to limit a president to two four-year terms. Then, two years later, we would have a presidential election. Depending on who would become president, it would affect me for four or eight years.

‘This is definitely… I need to get my hands on it.’ I closed my cell phone, thinking about it.

Chapter 136 - Second Moving

I tapped on the desk and looked at the screen. There was a notepad on the monitor, with four names on it: the ruling party – Joo Sung-won; the opposition party – Han Sang-hoon, Lee Soo-won and Jung Kyung-wha; the second opposition party – Kwak Ji-won, Ahn Sang-jin. They were the six most likely presidential candidates under the current circumstances. The names I had heard on the cruise were four, but I arbitrarily added two more here.

‘Well… if the constitutional amendment is passed, there’s about twenty months left until the presidential election.’ I was not sure who would be the next president right now. Politics was so variable that no one knew what would happen. Right now, the people knew they had two and a half years to go to the presidential election. So an article predicting the next presidential election coming out was still in the distant future.

‘I’ll know who it is going to be in eight months.’ With twenty months left, if eight months passed, I would know who would be the president through the news in 12 Months After.

‘Then let’s move on; when someone I don’t like comes up, I’ll dig him up.’

But I thought it might be a little late if I moved then. ‘Politicians have as big a mouth as the chairmen of a large corporation. Especially if there’s something dirty, they become desperate to stop it. In particular, it will be blocked at the party level when it is time for the presidential candidate to rise and fall. If it is the ruling party, the president would be protected first.’

I changed my mind. ‘I don’t have a place to send Crow. Let’s dig up information on all six of them from now on. Crow can only be used once a month. It will take half a year to investigate all six. In addition, if they enter the election, someone may appear to be a sensation during the middle of the election.

‘When I get some information, I will hold and expose it at the most dramatic time while watching the presidential race. Is there anyone who is a politician who doesn’t have anything to do with it? If I put the Crow on them, something will pop out in no time. Even if he becomes president later, the information will be useful. I will be a big hand to shake the presidential race.

‘The first target…’ I searched for ‘Han Sang-hoon’ in the portal window. At the top of the list, Rep. Han Sang-hoon appeared. ‘I hope you’ll be my first target. I don’t have any bad feelings towards you, who has the same name as me, but frankly, for my benefit, you should be put on the inspection table first.’

My introduction ‘CEO Han Sang-hoon of Invictus Investment’ was under his. I couldn’t help that for now.

‘If something bad comes up, your political career will be finished. However, I’ll do the same for others, so don’t be too disappointed.’ I went on to search for any suspicious things that Rep. Han Sang-hoon had done in the past.

‘Bingo.’ As expected, something came out right away. [Rep. Han Sang-hoon, who was on the list of Gu Soon-gil, took a breather after the acquittal.]

I clicked on it. [Han Sang-hoon, who was on the list of candidates for Chungjin Construction, was found not guilty this morning.]

“Ah, this case.” Looking back now reminded me of the Gu Soon-gil List incident. Two years ago, a construction company CEO named Gu Soon-gil had committed suicide before being questioned by the prosecution. He had called a few lawmakers before he had been questioned, but they all had refused to help him, and he had committed suicide and had written down all their names in a suicide note. ‘Han Sang-hoon $200,000, Kang Yong-joon $140,000, and Ji Jeong-hwan $100,000.’

When the person had died, all the people written there had been found innocent. This had been a clear case, and Crow could dig it out.

‘Then I’ll start with this first.’ With that thought, I entered the email and decided where to meet Crow.

‘Well… it was delicious there.’ It was one of the restaurants near my place, and I would buy him unlimited spicy chicken.

Tiriri~ There was a phone call; it was Secretary Seo.

“Hmm?”

“Vice President Jang is here.”

“Oh, please let him come in.”

“Yes, boss.”

Soon, Vice President Jang came into the president’s office and said hello. He asked me as soon as he came in, “So, have you made up your mind?”

“Oh, I was going to talk to you. Have a seat, please.” I sat him down and took a report out of my desk. It listed the views of several buildings. I said, pointing to a building there, “I like it. What do you think?”

It was a building near Samsung Station, one of the candidates for our new office. The relocation of the office building had been under discussion since early this year. Invictus Investment, where Jang had first attracted acquaintances and hired around twenty people, had grown to one hundred and fifty employees.

Fortunately, the building now had had a vacancy, so we had increased the size of the company by increasing the number of rental floors, but now that we couldn’t do that anymore, we decided to relocate the office. It was not a lease, but a purchase.

“Oh, this is the place I thought was the best. But… it’s expensive…” Vice President Jang had always had a habit of buying things cheap. He had been an investor his whole life, so it was natural, but there was something that didn’t suit me.

‘It’s the difference between someone who’s sure his assets will increase every day and someone who isn’t.’ I told him, thinking that, “Vice President Jang, don’t think so much. Kai Games is up four percent today. Its market capital is 1.6 billion dollars, and our company’s share value must have gone up more than thirty million dollars. You don’t have to find something that’s too cheap.”

Vice President Jang smiled and nodded at my words. “You’re right, boss.”

“Then why don’t you go with me tomorrow… or today?”

“All right, boss.”

I nodded with a satisfied smile. Vice President Jang brought up the following agenda. “And for the next one, Jiwoo Entertainment will be managed by President Kwon Oh-hyuk himself. He says there will be no problem for its size. I’ll deal with it as long as the boss confirms it.”

“We’re at ease with that. Tell him to do that.”

“Yes, boss.”

“Then go and contact the building. We’re going to see it today and make an appointment.”

“Yes, boss.” After bowing, Jang left the office.

———

The acquisition of Jiwoo Entertainment was completed smoothly. The seller wanted to sell it quickly, so if we checked a few things; there was nothing else to check separately.

‘All right, so I will own six companies with this.’ There were four more to reach the Grandmaster Class. In fact, the total market value of ten billion dollars was much more important than the number of companies now.

‘Ten billion dollars… if the market value of Kai Games and Hyun Young Pharmaceutical goes up more than two billion dollars each… It will be about five billion dollars temporarily. However, it is still short of five billion dollars.

‘A company worth five billion dollars…’

‘The easiest way is to list Invictus Investment. Whether it is an IPO, KOSPI, KOSDAQ, or just listed, it is highly likely that it would be valued at two to three billion dollars. Because my reputation in the investment industry has been strong these days, the premium will be quite high.

‘There are still a lot of people asking me to take care of their money. If our company is listed, they will be anxious to buy our company’s stock. But I don’t want that, because if I have an initial public offering, I will have to share my profits with unknown shareholders. I have won one hundred percent of my own money, anyway. Therefore, I want to grow by monopolizing a hundred percent, rather than drawing in other people’s money for a few billion dollars right now.

‘So I’m done with the IPO. I’ll take one or two more companies like Kai Games and Hyun Young Pharmaceutical…’ Thinking of that, I suddenly entered an email, clicked the news 12 Months After, and scrolled down. I then went into the Ranking News.

‘I didn’t use it this month.’ I had a chance to use Ranking News once a month. To be honest, I had used it to check what the hottest news in 12 Months After was because even if I had used it, I had not had anything very good. If it was the hottest news in 12 Months After, whether it was any politician, entertainer, new technology, new product, new medicine,or so forth, it might be money.

‘Ranking News… category… Economy.’ I clicked it and pressed OK. There was more surprising news than I had expected.

[AI Company FutureSync is taken over by Amazon at two billion dollars.]

‘FutureSync?’ I’d heard of this company. It was an AI company started by IT geniuses in Korea. ‘But will it be sold at two billion dollars?’

I read the article about the news of twelve months from now. I searched for FutureSync.

[Futuresync, the ideas of the future becomes a reality.]

On the homepage, it said its capital was five million dollars, unlisted.

‘Then, the five-million-dollar company will be sold for two billion dollars to Amazon?’ It meant that within a year, they would develop something huge. ‘This is really… walking gold.’ On the Ranking News of 12 Months After, it got the top, and it was certainly shocking news.

I clicked on the article to read the full text. The content was as it was titled; Amazon bought a hundred percent stake in FutureSync. It was exactly 2.02 billion dollars.

‘This… this is what I need to buy first?’ I was thinking that, the phone rang. I picked up the phone and answered.

“Boss. Vice President Jang called me and said, ‘We are welcome at any time.’”

I went through the article once more as I listened to him. I memorized the article quickly. I said to Secretary Seo as I closed the window, “Oh really? Then get ready to go out right away. You guys get ready, too.”

“Yes, boss.”

——————————-

Vice President Jang, my two secretaries, and I wandered around the building, listening to the explanation of the staff in charge. The staff explained while walking around the first floor of the forty-story building.

“As you can see, the bank and the cafe on the first floor have a long-term contract. So does the family restaurant on the second floor. Up here, they are all offices, but there are almost no vacancies.”

Then we went up, and up.

“Our building is an eco-friendly building with a BIPV installed on an incline of fifteen degrees between floors, increasing the light collection rate. There’s a company that just got out of contract, so you can choose anything between the twenty-sixth and fortieth floors. You can rent the remaining floors again.”

It was the case in the portfolio, but I liked all the floors. I decided to buy, especially when I saw the penthouse above the top floor.

“This is seven thousand one hundred and seventeen square feet. As you can see, it has a fitness center, a spa, a swimming pool, and a theater. But the rent’s so high that it’s been vacant for months now. You can rent it separately, or to one of the people in the company…”

The person in charge looked at me, smiled and said, “I think you could buy it.”

I looked around the house, listening to him. It was definitely good. It was like a house belonging to American celebrities, or rich people. The house had a perfect swimming pool, a tennis court, a fitness center, and a spa. I especially liked outdoor spas. I thought it would be great if I took a hot bath here and had a glass of wine with a night view.

“You’ve seen all of our building. Think about it and…” The clerk in charge kept following me and muttering.

I cut him off. “I’ll buy it.”

“What?” the clerk asked me back, astonished.

I replied in a clearer voice, “I’ll buy this building. Please prepare the contract.”

Chapter 137 - Seven Months Later

“This is their suggestion.”

Vice President Jang handed the document he was holding to me. I took it. On the upper left, there was a blue mark that said ‘Tencent’ in English. Underneath it was a phrase that read ‘Kai Games Acquisition Proposal Guide.’

“The last time I turned down the offer was in October last year, right?”

“Yes, it was.”

“Well, it’s been almost seven months.”

“Yes.”

It was now early summer in May 2020. It had been almost a year and a half since the release of Kai Games’ Fantasy War Ground, which started CBT early last year. Fantasy War Ground, which had been a hot topic since its release, dominated the game market that year and was still competing for the top spot in global market share until this year. The market capital of Kai Games was two point four billion dollars, twelve times higher than the price I had first bought it at. Our company’s value, which had a sixty-three percent stake, had reached one and a half billion dollars.

‘Then let’s see how much they’ve offered?’ I took the proposal, and my eyes grew slightly bigger and I muttered, “Oh, my God.”

‘Of the 63% stake held, if we sell 20% of them, they will pay $600,000,000.’

‘Of the 63% stake held, if we sell all the 63% stake, they will pay $2,000,000,000.’

“They’re paying two billion dollars to buy our stake.”

“Yes, that’s right. I was a little surprised to see it.”

“Oh, the Chinese are so magnanimous. Is this the spirit of the continent?”

“I can’t believe they’re going to add five hundred million dollars more in premium. But that’s how confident they are that they’ll make a profit from the business in China.”

I worried myself for a while. Originally, I was only trying to sell a twenty percent share and get the cash to buy another company, but the five hundred million dollars’ premium was big. I was seduced by the money.

‘Premium’s a matter, but… it’s more about what the stock price is going to be. In any game, the trends will change like water flowing over time.’

The popularity of the Battle Royale style of game, which had been a big hit, was slowly decreasing. Fantasy War Ground was one of the latecomers, so the number of simultaneous users was still steady, but by the end of the year, it was expected to gradually reduce. I’d already checked that in the ‘IT/Science’ category.

‘I’ll consider selling them all. Of course, if I sell all of my shares, the ownership of Kai Games will be removed from me. In a word, it means that I will be far from the condition of “dominating a company worth ten billion dollars in total value” to reach the Grandmaster Class. But if I get two billion dollars in cash… it wouldn’t be too hard to buy a new five to six billion dollar company. The key is money anyway.’

“I’ll think about it for a little bit, and then I’ll talk to you again.”

“Yes, boss.”

“How’s Hyun Young Pharmaceutical doing?”

“It’s good. FDA approval is in progress, so it should be on the market soon.”

“That’s great. I want them to finish it well. Give my words to them.”

“Yes, boss.”

Vice President Jang went out of the president’s office with his head down. Hyun Young Pharmaceutical also went through the procedure I had expected, so the new drug passed the FDA’s Phase Three and was waiting for a license to sell. Hyun Young Pharmaceutical, which had a market capital of just over one billion dollars at the time, had reached nearly three billion dollars for about three days on the news of the FDA’s approval, but now stood at a little over two billion dollars.

Come to think of it, the ladies and gentlemen who had been watching their cell phones on the set…

I remembered my second shot of ‘Meet the MBE Super Ant’ last year. That day, I had told them, “Blue E&M and Hyun Young Pharmaceutical have been added to the last stocks.” And then, as soon as they had heard my words, there had been a bunch of men and women who had bought the stocks with their heads down. If they had bought Hyun Young Pharmaceutical, they would probably have doubled their money.

‘But… if they had bought Blue E&M?’ To be honest, Blue E&M was a bust. Blue E&M, which had increased its market share by collaborating with the entertainment industry and games, had been pushed back by European TV using the same method. Share prices would have been in the plus or minus ten percent range if they had bought them. Although it was not a loss due to its business structure, it did not grow very much.

Of course, something might change if I made a big investment, but frankly, Blue E&M had not been so affectionate after the case of former CEO Ahn Yong-kyun. No, to be more precise, it now seemed a little less interesting as a thirty million-dollar company. Now I had two companies worth a billion dollars.

‘Our prospect is ready to make a result.’ FutureSync, which had been found in October last year, was an AI translation company. Based on big data, the company would bring together past translated documents and would translate them into more sophisticated versions. The system had a more sophisticated structure than Amazon or Google.

‘So they’re going to pay two billion dollars to buy it. It will be this month or next month that the system is completed. Around two months after its completion, it will be announced to the AI Society in Silicon Valley, and the person in charge of Amazon’s AI business there will report to Jeff Bezos, the richest CEO in the world.’

I’d already bought an eighty percent stake for fifteen million dollars last year. I didn’t know how much the offer would change, but it would probably go similarly. The business was going well. I would soon be a rich man wielding a company worth ten billion dollars, reaching towards the Grandmaster Class.

I got up from my seat. I had traded occasionally in the morning and had met Vice President Jang in the afternoon; everything I had to do today had been done. I came out of the president’s office and said, “Secretary Seo, Secretary Park, I’ll go home first.”

Secretary Park, standing outside, said goodbye to me, “Please go in, boss.”

By the way, Secretary Seo stood up and followed me. “Well… boss.”

“Hmm?”

“Are you going to sell Kai Games?”

‘Why is he asking me this? He does not usually ask this…’

I looked at him for a moment, and said, “Follow me for a moment.”

“Yes.”

I stood in front of the elevator with him and pressed the up button. The elevator stopped and Secretary Seo and I went into it. The elevator had buttons for the first floor to the fortieth floor, and on top of them was a button that said ‘P’. I pressed the ‘P’ button, and soon the voice of the machine said, “Please enter your password.”

I pressed a few floors quickly, ’32, 18, 7, 3, 22, 15.’ The voice told us the floor I was going to, “Penthouse.”

———

The elevator stopped at the penthouse on the top floor of the Invictus Building. I undid my tie and threw it over the sofa, and said, taking a can of beer out of the refrigerator, “What do you want to drink?”

“No, I’m on duty, and… I have to drive.”

“You can drink anything other than beer.”

“Then I’ll have orange juice.”

I took out a pack of orange juice and threw it at him, and then came out to the outdoor terrace with him. May was when the wind got hot. I thought as I looked at the pool next to the terrace, ‘It’s about time we play in the water.’

When I was thinking about that, Secretary Seo asked me, “Well, why did you call me?”

I took a sip of beer and said, looking at the long stretch of Seoul, “You tell me the truth.”

“What?”

“You bought some Kai Games, didn’t you?”

As I said, Secretary Seo answered honestly, “Yes.”

“How much did you buy?”

“I don’t know how much I have bought.”

“You don’t know how much you’ve bought, and you’ve put all your payments in there?”

“Yes. The bonus, and all of them…”

I said with a laugh, “Then how much is it now?”

“It’s just over four million dollars.”

I laughed at the words. Secretary Seo and the people who had bought Hyun Young Pharmaceutical during the shooting, were overlapping. Secretary Seo had been with me since I had started my company, so he had been able to imitate me since the very beginning. I suddenly recalled the promise I had made with him: ‘If you’re by my side, you’ll drive a Porsche in three years!’

So, I told him, “Yes, four million dollars would be enough to buy a Porsche and drive it.”

Upon hearing that, Secretary Seo answered me instead of drinking orange juice, “Well, thank you, boss. No… brother Sang-hoon. Thank you very much.”

I looked at him with some surprise. It had been a long time since Ji-hoon called me by my name in a suit. I felt a sense of incompatibility at the words, and told him, “Are you… are you quitting your secretarial job?”

“Yes. I’ll only be working until next month.”

“To start a business?”

“Yes.”

As expected, he had spent two years sitting next to me in a secretarial position, learning English composition or computer programming. I had known he was going to leave me someday.

“Well, yes… but I don’t think things will go well without you.”

“I have taught Secretary Park all about the duties as a secretary starting three months ago.”

“Three months ago? That long ago?”

“Yes, three months ago, I made up my mind, and told Secretary Park.”

“What, then, am I the only one who didn’t know?”

“Yes, boss. I’m sorry.”

I knew who the next president would be in twelve months, but I didn’t know my secretary would quit in a month. That was the irony of my ability.

“Well, I can’t stop your dream, either. That… doesn’t fit my philosophy.”

“Thank you for your understanding.”

“Then instead… accept one thing, my wish.”

“What do you mean?”

“Sell a 51% stake in your company to me and start it up. To be precise, I will start out as an early investor.”

“Yes?”

“It will be good for you. You will have a strong supporter, and four million dollars is a lot of money, but it’s like nothing in the startup world. Do you really think it will be enough when you’re in IT?”

“Then, I’d appreciate it.”

“Yes, and you have to go public within three years. How about that?”

“I’ll try.”

I patted him on the shoulder. “Yes, try your best.”

But then, Ji-hoon asked me, “Well, by the way, brother, are you selling Kai Games?”

I looked him up and down at the question and said, “Wow, you became a complete stock investor.”

“I’ve been with you for two years, and the sparrow near a school sings the primer.”

“Is that so?”

I drank another beer and then thought about Kai Games, which gave me the biggest return, one more time. But it seemed to be time to part.

I made up my mind here and told him, “Just to let you know… it’s a deal worth a billion dollars.”

“Yes.”

“I’m going to sell all our stake. As Tencent will come in instead of me, it is not going to plunge, but… in the long run, the outlook…”

As I said it, Secretary Seo said, “I believe in you. Before you leave, I’ll sell out quietly.”

It meant selling the stock and leaving, but somehow it sounded like leaving the company. I answered with regret, “Well, yes. Thanks for your two years’ service, anyway. You go out and do a good job. Report to me while you do it.”

Secretary Seo, no, my university colleague Seo Ji-hoon, bowed to me and said, “Yes, big brother. I hope you’ll give me a favor in the future, too.”

Chapter 138 - The King Of The Present Age

“Wow, that’s good.” Ah-young liked it like a child, sitting on a tube and splashing water with her feet. “I don’t even have to go to the hotel… I think this place is better than the hotel!”

I watched her with a satisfied look, drinking a cocktail. I had bought this penthouse last fall, so it was the first time that the pool was filled with water.

Ah-young had grown up in a wealthy family and had been abroad since she was a child, but no matter how much she had been, she had never experienced playing in the water in the middle of the buildings in Seoul.

I asked her, “So, how are you doing these days?”

“What?”

“Becoming an announcer.”

“Ah, it’s going well. Have a look at this.” She cleared her throat for a moment and spoke to me with correct, clear pronunciation. -Hello, everyone. This is the nine o’clock news for BKS on Saturday, May Second. Today’s first news: former lawmaker Kim Eun-jae has been named the new chief of staff to the president. After joining politics and serving as a re-elected lawmaker, he failed to win the nomination race, but he is said to have been trusted by President Park due to his unique affinity and political sense.”

She was good. If I closed my eyes and listened, I would have believed that a real incumbent announcer had just spoken to me. She was talking to me on a yellow tube, in a blue pool, wearing a red bikini, and it just didn’t feel that way.

‘… she is really good.’ I think so, and she asked, “How about me? Am I good? Do you think I’m going to be an announcer?”

After graduating from art school, she suddenly thought of being an announcer. When her father had been found innocent in the past, she had looked up a video of herself, and the female announcer who had proudly announced the news looked so cool. It was too sudden a career change, but she had enough qualities to be an announcer. She was beautiful, and she was in good shape. Of course, she had not even known how to say ‘Hello, ladies and gentlemen,’ but she had quickly gained her skills, going to an announcer academy near her school.

However, I said to her with an ignorant look, “Well… I don’t know.”

“Hmm… really? That’s weird… because my teacher complimented me a lot these days.”

“It might be better if you keep doing it, but isn’t the written test more problematic than the practical examination? What about the Korean proficiency test?”

“I’ve been working hard on that lately. My scores on the mock test are also increasing.”

According to her, she had been doing well at school until she decided to pursue her career as an artist. She had just majored in art because she had liked it better. Her English score had been perfect from the beginning. She could have briefed the news in English in the first place.

“Oh, well…” I nodded.

‘… it’s really going to work, isn’t it?’ When she had first started doing it, I had thought it was a fling for a rich girl, but if she passed the written test, which I thought was the biggest barrier, she might actually become an announcer. In particular, she would be an announcer in a general programming channel, which had a low competition rate. In that field, appearance was preferred to ability. If she said she went there, she would pass the exam.

The problem was that I didn’t like her being an announcer. I had felt it the last time in ‘The Shock Interview Girl,’ but I hadn’t really liked my girlfriend being famous. When she became an announcer, she would become very popular again, as she was pretty.

‘I can’t stop her from doing this…’

I’d been talking indirectly about this before. “Well, do you need to be an announcer, leaving art as your major?”

But every time she said, “As I said before, modern art…”

I didn’t know what the real reason was, but she seemed to have been disillusioned after seeing something dirty in the domestic art world. She said that the professor’s eyes became the standard of art.

“I wish I could be a webtoon writer. I’m not going to do pure art.”

So that was how it ended. She studied abroad and graduated from graduate school. It was a bit of a waste, but I had to admit it was her choice. Even if she did that, she would not have any problems.

Then, Ah-young suddenly said, “But, oppa. Isn’t it a little bit big living alone here?”

“Oh, that’s right,” I answered, and then added right away, “But it’s great. It’s good to have a big theater, and it’s good to get used to. And I like high places, originally.” That’s all I said and no more.

She’d been talking more and more about marriage these days. She then asked, “By the way, are you expecting a guest in the evening?”

“Yes.”

“Who?”

“A business person.”

“Hmm…” She squinted at me. That was not too much. These days, for some reason, a lot of women dashed after me, starting with the MBE announcer, including a dentist, a department store worker, a former middle school classmate, and even a new employee of the Invictus Investment, wherever I went.

“I’m supposed to meet him here. If you want to see him, meet him. He is a big foreign guy.” He was none other than Crow. After meeting him a few times, Ah-Young knew of his existence.

“Really? That important foreign guest you spoke to me about then? Shall I prepare dinner for him? What does he like?” Even after moving here from next door, she would still cook for me once in a while.

“Chicken.”

“Chicken?”

“Yes. He likes chicken.”

“Then I’ll do it for you. Less greasy. You look a little fat these days. You shouldn’t get adult diseases in your early thirties.” She worried about my health so often these days.

“… yes.”

————-

That afternoon, I asked, looking at Crow who was ripping off the chicken leg, “How about it?”

“I think it’s lighter than usual. It’s the same with the sauce. But it’s delicious. It’s a little different from the greasy ones. Where is this chicken from?”

Crow had become an expert on franchised chicken these days. It was because he had a chicken party with me every month when he came to take a request.

“They don’t sell it, but a chef made it for us.”

“I see. I think the chef is good at it.”

“Well… if she were a chef, she’d rather…”

“What?”

“No. I was talking to myself. I think it’s the first time I have asked you to come to my new house here.”

Crow replied, looking at the pool over the table, the garden, and beyond them, the night view of Seoul. “Yes, sir. It’s… It’s like the castle of kings.”

I asked him, ” Kings?”

“Yes, sir. You’re like a king.”

‘It’s not very wrong. I’ve been feeling that way, a little bit, since my fortune became over a billion dollars. I am a king made by capitalism. There is nothing that I can not do because I have money, and the people around me bend their heads. Even if I don’t want to, if I have a lot of money, I become a king. This is the age.’

Nevertheless, I talked about democracy to Crow, “However, South Korea is a democratic country. There’s no king. There’s a president.”

Crow nodded and said, “… president. Yes, I know that.” In fact, what he had been doing for seven months had been investigating the next presidential candidates.

I continued, taking out the documents he had assembled. “Today is the second report for Rep. Han Sang-hoon.”

What I received today was the second report of the investigation of Rep. Han Sang-hoon. I had already confirmed that Rep. Han Sang-hoon had received money from the dead man during the “Goo Soon-gil List” incident, by the first report of the investigation seven months ago. Of course, it was a bribery case.

However, as he had said in that incident, “I don’t even know him,” there would be added perjury. If this was revealed, he was sure to be hit hard as a politician.

But I didn’t release it right away, because it had already been a case of “not guilty” by the Supreme Court. If it was exposed again, it would put pressure on the legal profession. ‘Even if the truth is yes, it becomes no if the judiciary says no.’

Furthermore, Rep. Han Sang-hoon was a former prosecutor, who graduated from Seoul National University’s law school. Numerous judges were his university seniors, colleagues, and juniors, and he was a real power of the opposition party. Therefore, there was no guarantee that it would be accepted as true if I exposed it. So I decided to add one more thing.

Rep. Han Sang-hoon had been said that before he became a lawmaker, when he was a prosecutor, he received sex entertainments and freely visited hostess bars because he was captivated by the charms of a woman. However, since he became a lawmaker, he had been so scared of reporters’ eyes that he couldn’t do so, so he changed his secretaries and slept with them. So I got Crow to dig up this rumor, too. The more weaknesses I knew, the better.

Crow told me, “Yes, following the last time… it contains the information you want. You can see it by the Dream of Crow if you want.”

I said, nodding my head, “Yes, I’ll look at the contents and… I’ll do it.”

But when I saw it, my face was slightly flushed and I shook the document a couple of times. ‘Oh, my God. This is completely a sex story.’ The report clearly stated that a middle-aged lawmaker was having an affair with his secretaries. If I slept with the eye patch on me, I would be watching a sex video.

‘Where the hell did he do this?’ It was the National Assembly’s office in Yeouido. ‘Is the National Assembly’s office a motel? I didn’t pay taxes for this.’ I was paying tens of million dollars a year in taxes. Taxes were high, as profits were high.

‘In any case, one more weakness is added.’ Rep. Han Sang-hoon was married and already had three children. If this turned out, his presidential dreams would be no different than being thrown overboard. Of course, the adultery law had been abolished these days, and even though there had been generous understanding of infidelity, with this alone, he would lose about ten percent of the voter base during the presidential election. Rep. Han Sang-hoon could never be president, if I made a move.

‘The question is, when will it burst? Let’s see who the president will be next year and make a decision.’

Today was May Second, 2020. The next presidential election was scheduled to take place on May Second, 2021. So by tomorrow morning, I would know who the next president would be.

There were three slots in People Search. If I wrote down each name, ‘#1 Joo Sung-won #2 Han Sang-hoon #3 Kwak Ji-won,’ such articles would appear.

[Joo Sung-won, former Seoul Mayor, was elected president!]

[Presidential candidate, Han Sang-hoon, failed to win the presidential election.]

[Presidential candidate, Kwak Ji-won, had a breeze instead of a gusto.]

That way, the articles would appear. If I didn’t like the result, I would step up and change the next president.

‘Shall I buy a presidential theme stock? What was the stock related to Mayor Joo Sung-won? What kind of construction was it? Was it development?’

Suddenly, I remembered seeing the future news and buying stocks during the Seoul mayoral election. At that time, I had bought, sold, and changed stocks after watching the news about who would become the mayor of Seoul, but now I had reached the point of deciding who would become the president.

‘I’ll decide the next president…’ Come to think of it, I was the king of the present age. I was the one who could wield information of the future, and who would know all the information of the past. The President would not be able to touch me either, since I would appoint him.

I rubbed my hands and thought, ‘All right, let’s see who the next president will be tomorrow…’

Chapter 139 - King Maker, Part I

Tiriri tiriri tiriri… The alarm went off. I woke up, my eyes opened, I took a shower, shaved, and dried my hair. I walked to the kitchen, but suddenly I thought I would like to eat the cheesecake. There was some chicken porridge and side dishes that Ah-young had left together yesterday when she had made chicken, but I turned around and headed straight to the dressing room. I got dressed up for work, and headed to the elevator inside the house. Pressing the down button, I waited for a moment, and soon the elevator came and opened.

Ding-dong. I got in there. And when I saw the button on the elevator, I got in trouble for a while.

‘First floor or thirtieth floor?’ I soon finished my worries and pressed the first floor. The elevator went down and stopped on the first floor.

The door opened, and some of the employees who saw me said. “How are you, sir?” Some others stuttered in amazement, “Hello, bo… boss.” Some people greeted me calmly and neatly.

I raised my hand. “Yes, hello.” After receiving their greetings, I headed to the cafe on the first floor. I usually sent a secretary to buy rather than come down like this, but I stopped by once in a while. I wanted to check that business was going well. Fortunately, the cafe was crowded even in the morning.

‘With this, the offices are not going to be vacant, because their business is going well.’

There was a line at the place where the order was received. I stood in line without a word.

“Did you hear that? Section Chief Park applied for a housing subscription and got it.”

“Really? Where?”

“Sungsu-dong, he can only see the tip of the Han River in the kitchen, but the premium is $300,000.”

“Really? A big hit!”

“That’s why he stopped nagging the employees these days.”

“Really? Well, that’s good, then?”

“But maybe that’s why he is not really interested in things these days, and he doesn’t have much enthusiasm. We are also losing strength… I’m not sure if this is good.”

I thought as I listened to it, ‘Who’s Section Chief Park?’ Our company had grown to a considerable degree and we had many section chiefs. I would find out if I looked it up.

“Mr. President!” One of the female employees, who was chatting, was surprised at me being there. The woman next to her also stepped back, covering her mouth, “Uh.” She was surprised that the president of her company was lined up behind her.

I raised my hand to greet her. “Hello.”

The women stepped aside for me. “We want you to make an order first, Mr. President.”

“No, it’s your turn now.”

The two looked back. There was no one in front of them. They bent their heads and ordered what they wanted. Then it was my turn. In front of me was a young part-timer who seemed to have just graduated from high school. She didn’t seem to know I was the owner of this building. Just seeing that the female employees who were older than me greeted and called me, “Mr. President,” she seemed to think I was their superior.

“I’d like a piece of cheesecake, and a glass of white chocolate mocha Grande, please.”

“Yes.” After I finished my order, I stood in the cafe for a moment and waited.

Meanwhile, a handsome man with combed hair came and said hello. “I’m Kwon Hyuk-jin from the overseas investment department. I greeted you at the last welcoming party for new recruits.”

“Oh, you look familiar. Are you adapting to the company?”

“Yes, boss.”

But after that greeting, a woman with a strong perfume came to me and said hello, “I have seen you for the first time, Mr. President. I am Kang Soo-jung from the real investment department.”

“Oh, yes…”

I was greeted constantly. Thanks to that, there were two lines in the cafe. I was a little embarrassed, but not too badly. I usually stayed in the president’s office to analyze the news and trade stocks, so I had employees who hadn’t even seen my face once. It wouldn’t be bad to show my face like this from time to time. Shouldn’t I let them know who was paying their salaries? With countless greetings, I got back on the elevator and arrived on the thirtieth-floor president’s office.

“Are you here?”

“Are you here, boss?”

Two secretaries welcomed me as always. One of them would quit within a month, but I asked Secretary Seo implicitly. “How are your preparations going?”

“They are going well, boss.”

I stared at him, then turned to Secretary Park. “Secretary Park.”

“Yes, boss.”

“Don’t quit.”

At my words, Secretary Park smiled and said, “Yes, boss. I don’t earn as much as Secretary Seo and I can’t quit.”

Park was quite close to Secretary Seo, and knew that Seo had bought stocks after me with the salary he had received and become a rich man worth tens of millions of dollars.

I laughed and said jokingly, “Don’t quit, even if you’re richer than Seo. He’s going to have a hard time starting a business. When he leaves home, he will know how valuable home is.”

Secretary Park giggled at my words, and Secretary Seo slightly lowered his head.

I said, hitting him on the shoulder, “I’m kidding, man. Try hard.”

Only then did Secretary Seo speak with a slight smile, “Yes, boss.”

I’d known him since his school days; he had enough ability enough to go out and succeed. I believed in him. He would certainly succeed, and the four million dollars I’d decided to invest in him would come back double.

‘If it doesn’t work, I’ll make it work.’ To be honest with myself, I had the power to make something impossible to work succeed, unnoticed.

“Then do your work.” I was going to go into the president’s office with the cheesecake and coffee I had just bought, leaving the words behind, and said one more thing, “Ah! Secretary Seo.”

“Yes, boss.”

“By contacting Director Jung, tell him to check if there is a section chief who recently signed up for a housing application in Seongsu-dong. Let Director Jung go and give him a shoulder massage, and ask if he doesn’t want to work because of the apartment.”

“Oh, yes.”

Coming into the president’s office, I turned on the computer while drinking coffee. The last computer in the president’s office cost a few thousand dollars, but the new computer cost nearly fifty thousand dollars. It was a supercomputer set with three monitors. Of course, it was all about surfing the Internet or working on it, but I did it anyway. The information that came and went to this computer was worth a billion dollars.

‘Especially the information that’s coming in today… how much is this? I can sell it for tens of million dollars to anyone who wants to know who will be the next president.’

I recalled the Banquet of Dragons last year. The members who had a secret party on the Bukhan River would probably be very sensitive about who the next president was and what their policies would be. They would modify their group strategy according to that.

‘I can’t sell it, and I don’t want to sell it.’ I watched the time while eating cheesecake. It was 8:40. There was still about fifteen minutes left.

‘Who will be…’

I once again took out the list I was investigating. ‘The ruling party – Joo Sung-won; the opposition party – Han Sang-hoon, Lee Soo-won and Jung Kyung-wha; the second opposition party – Kwak Ji-won, Ahn Sang-jin.’

I had found out the deadly weaknesses of Han Sang-hoon, Lee Soo-won, and Ahn Sang-jin, one by one, using Crow. If I made up my mind, they were the ones who I could destroy. If any of these people were elected, I’d blow their chances without hesitation. They had a history of committing corruption and lying to the people.

On the other hand, there had been bad rumors about Seoul Mayor Joo Sung-won, who had an acquaintance with me, and about Jung Kyung-wha and Kwak Ji-won, but it would be strange if there was no such thing for politicians l. All of them were found to have been truly innocent by the investigation of Crow.

‘I wish one of Joo Sung-won, Jung Kyung-wha, or Kwak Ji-won will be president. Then, I don’t have to change the President with my own hands. Frankly speaking, changing the president with my hands is a little onerous. If the new president doesn’t manage the country’s affairs well, I’m responsible, too. Of course, politicians who are full of corruption and pretense should be hanged, but at least, I hope a good president will be chosen by the people’s choice.’

At 8:55, an email came. As soon as I received the email, I went to 12 Months After and wrote down three of the most likely people, ‘Joo Sung-won, Han Sang-hoon, Kwak Ji-won,’ in the People Search. When I saw the news, it was just one news with all three names on it.

[Joo Sung-won topped the list with 40.7% of the votes, becoming the twentieth President of the Republic of Korea. Second-ranked Han Sang-hoon, 33.1%, third-ranked Kwak Ji-won, 20.1%.]

I muttered at it, “Oh, this… this is it.”

In fact, it was more surprising to me that Rep. Han Sang-hoon would run for president than Joo Sung-won’s election. Lee Soo-won and Jung Kyung-wha of the same party were also powerful people, but becoming a presidential candidate after defeating them, he was a politician with potential. There were a lot of crumpled corners behind him, but I thought of the actions I had to take right away seeing this result.

‘I should have a closer relationship with Mayor Joo Sung-won on the grounds of those things… but I will punish Han Sang-hoon immediately. Although Han Sang-hoon fails in the upcoming presidential election, he is still in his late fifties. It is not unusual that he will have a second chance to be a presidential candidate then. I’m going to punish him here so that he can’t make a full comeback.’

To punish him, I had prepared a complete scenario. The beginning would be a sexual affair with a female secretary. Disclosing that he had been filming the sex at the National Assembly office in Yeouido would give the first blow. Of course, Rep. Han Sang-hoon would not stay still. I was sure he would guard all over the place. But then, I would expose the list of Goo Soo-gil and completely destroy him. When the two were combined, it would be hard for him to stop them. Both cases had clear evidence in the first place, so it would be hard to get out of them unless he covered the eyes of the people.

‘All right, then…’ I picked up my cell phone and looked at the call number of Lee Won-jae, who was now the head of a listed company. He had helped me in the last incident of Tak Joon-gi, had been invested in by me and had a strong relationship with me. I phoned him.

Tiriri, tiriri. By the time the phone rang twice, he answered, “Hello, CEO Han Sang-hoon.” The head of a company received a phone call faster than any secretary. Of course, he must have been surprised to see my name.

I asked him with a big smile, “CEO Lee, are you okay to run the company?”

“Yes, I’m in a good position now. What’s the matter?”

“I’m trying to bury a politician…”

“Who… do you mean?”

“Rep. Han Sang-hoon, with the same name as me.”

“Oh, he’s… but he’s one of the presidential candidates, isn’t he?”

“That’s why I called CEO Lee Won-jae. Will you do that for me?”

He hesitated for a moment, then told me, “Could you send me the source?”

I lifted the phone for a moment and looked at it. ‘This guy…’ Then I told him once more, “You have to tell me if you will do it or not. Then I’ll send it to you. Are you going to make this a trial?”

When I went strong, he dropped his tail right away. “… No, I will, CEO Han. Please send me the source in my email. When should I write it?”

“As soon as possible.”

“Yes, sir.”

When I finished my call, I sent him an email with the file I had prepared. The email for Rep. Han Sang-hoon was a complete declaration of death as a politician. But after sending the email, there was another email for the correction news.

I saw it and thought, ‘Ah, I see. If the Daewon Daily News blows it up here, Rep. Han Sang-hoon will not be a presidential candidate.’ I read the correction news, thinking about it.

[The correction news: This morning, the article of Joo Sung-won who was elected the twentieth president was changed due to the involvement of the subscriber.]

I slowly read it, but there was something in it that was different from what I had expected.

“Eh?”

Chapter 140 - King Maker, Part II

The content of the article was quite different from what I had expected.

[Lee Soo-won won the twentieth presidential election with 38.8% of the votes, Joo Sung-won 36.1% and Kwak Ji-won 21.2%.]

The president was changed from Joo Sung-won to Lee Soo-won.

‘What the hell is going on?’

Lee Soo-won was a sixty-two-year-old third-term politician who had competed with Han Sang-hoon in the opposition party for the next presidency. His district was Gongju, in South Chungcheong Province, and he was a typical wealthy local farmer. His father was a lawmaker in Gongju, but he was elected three times from the same place. Unlike Han Sang-hoon, a former prosecutor, he was considered a politician to the bottom of his bones.

I thought with my hands on my chin. ‘Well… it’s the butterfly effect. This guy… pressed Mayor Joo Sung-won… It’s ironic that someone who didn’t even beat Han Sang-hoon comes out in the presidential election and beats Joo Sung-won. Is there some sort of human relativity?

‘It’s not uncommon. Just as characters in a game are bitten and bitten like scissors and rocks, there’s nothing strong about someone in the real world, instead of someone weak. Joo Sung-won is a decent and good-looking man. When he faces Han Sang-hoon, the image of a fighting chicken, it feels like he’ll score even if he laughs.’

‘However, he doesn’t look good when he plays against Lee Soo-won. Lee Soo-won is really good at “politics,” is different from Han Sang-hoon, who is a little stiff. He has the power to bring the decent Mayor Joo Sung-won into the mud.’

Come to think of it, Mayor Joo Sung-won seemed a little weak in that regard, too. In the past, he had had a hard time in the Seoul mayoral election because he had been stricken by the Me Too movement.

‘Well… if I do this, the president changes… But Han Sang-hoon would have been better. Lee Soo-won is not a character for the president… Well, that’s great. I was going to punish him too, so… I’ll have to punish Lee Soo-won first.’

Lee had been involved in controversy over military service corruption for several years, both himself and his son. Crow had found out that he and his son had dodged military service by subordinating a doctor. In the ’70s, he simply failed the medical examination for military service with the diagnosis of skin disease by a doctor who was a tenant of his father’s building. It was an unlikely way to do so these days, but that seemed to have been enough at that time.

In the ’70s, the doctor in charge was over 50 years old, so he had soon been dead and it was difficult to take issue with him again, but his son was different. His son broke his limbs and had surgery on his right crossbar ruptured, but it was all a lie. He gave $400,000 to a doctor in charge and $100,000 to a nurse, put on another person’s X-ray photo, and changed the video of the surgery, so he was exempted from military service. I’d seen it all in real time by the eye patch.

“Wouldn’t it be too much for my son to go to the military and spend two years there?”

“Yes, sir, there should be a difference in military service. Is it possible to stick them together with someone from Harvard and someone who didn’t even go to college?”

“Anyways, please do a good job, Dr. Kim.”

“Don’t worry, Mr. Lawmaker. I’ll do it for you well.”

“Yes. If you make my son get through this, you will have a lot of patients in this city.”

“Don’t say that. I am going to do it from my heart.”

Crow’s research showed the list of the hospital, the doctor, and the real patient who was swapped in for his picture. They were all listed. If this went off, of course, Lee Soo-won would also be defeated. Military service corruption was an issue that would inevitably cause anger for people like me, who had spent two years in the military.

I called Lee Won-jae again right away.

Tiriri~ Tiriri~ Tiriri~ Tiriri. This time, when the phone rang four times, he answered the phone, “Ah, CEO Han.”

“Yes. Have you received the email?”

“Yes. As soon as I got it, I moved it to the posting department. Now that your document will be posted by someone, the article will be published sometime this week.”

“Have you done it already?”

“Yes, sir. I took care of it without delay.”

I slapped my forehead. ‘He is faster at times like this.’

“Do you have a problem? I can deal with your document as just ignoring it…”

“No, no. Just proceed. Someone must have seen what I sent you.”

“Yes, I moved it and all the people in the political department have already…”

‘Crow’s information is believed by everyone who has seen it, as it’s too accurate.’

“Well, then, don’t force them to stop it, but first… just let it proceed.” I decided to punish Han Sang-hoon first. I could send Lee Soo-won right away, but if political issues erupted too much at once, the public’s eyes could be distracted.

“Well, then… I’ll do that for now,” CEO Lee Won-jae spoke to me in a rather trembling voice. Still, it would be burdensome for him to blow a candidate for the next presidential election.

I spoke to him, “CEO Lee Won-jae.”

“Yes?”

“When this is over, you and I will probably be on the same boat with the next president. Then, your position in the Daewon Daily News will be elevated, right? Trust me and proceed.”

CEO Lee Won-jae listened to me and his trembling voice subsided a little. “Oh, yes, sir. I know that and will proceed.”

After I finished my phone call with Lee Won-jae, I put it down. Then, I searched for Lee Soo-won in the portal window. A man in his sixties was grinning.

‘This guy’s the next president? No way.’

After Han Sang-hoon, the next would be Lee Soo-won. I decided it like that.

————————

That evening, the sniper article of Rep. Han Sang-hoon that I had planned appeared in the Daewon Daily News.

[The affair with Han Sang-hoon’s secretaries.]

It was a much lower-level article compared to the sex story Crow had brought, but it was still enough to arouse public attention.

– Wow, in Yeouido? Awesome!-

– Not one, but three. Are you a lawmaker trying to fuck?-

– Mr. Lawmaker, I’m disappointed as you’ve talked about women’s rights… Isn’t this sexual violence caused by power pressure?-

Rep. Han Sang-hoon denied like that, ‘I never did.’ But the story was so detailed that few believed it.

-If you get caught in a lie, your hands will be cut off.-

-I’ll know even if this kind of article does not come out. Han Sang-hoon looks like he’s going to cheat on us.-

-No, just speak up, “I did it with my secretary.” I know you used to go to hostess bars freely when you were a prosecutor.-

‘That’s enough. In the first place, this was a preliminary effort to discredit Rep. Han Sang-hoon. As seen in the Clinton and Lewinsky cases, sex scandals are good for the talk, but they are a bit weak to deal a fatal blow. The real one is the list from Goo Soon-gil.

‘All right, well, just let Rep. Han Sang-hoon go like this… for Lee Soo-won, let’s leak it around a month later.’ I was thinking about it, and I had suddenly an idea. I did the People Search again on the email that had come at 8:55 p.m., to make sure that the corrections news was real. By the way, it was real.

[Lee Soo-won, the twentieth president, is elected by a margin of 2% with Seoul Mayor Joo Sung-won. What’s the reason of the difference?]

In 12 Months After, there was such an article to come up.

‘That’s ridiculous…’ I clicked on the article thinking about it. But there was something interesting about the story.

[While there were other factors in the voting, the controversy over an extramarital child of Mayor Joo Sung-won, which was held a month before the presidential election and had largely dislodged supporters, was a major factor. The negative strategy of Rep. Lee Soo-won has accurately worked against Joo Sung-won, who had the image of the model student.]

I looked at it and muttered, “An extramarital child?” Surely it was an amazing story. The right-looking mayor of Joo Sung-won had an extramarital child. To be sure, the share of Joo Sung-won, which had more than 40% of the vote, was only slightly lower.

‘Is this what Lee Soo-won used to attack Joo Sung-won?’ In the last article on the election of Mayor Joo Sung-won, there was no controversy over an extramarital son… But judging from what happened, Lee Soo-won certainly seemed to have dug this way. I went to the portal site and searched for ‘an extramarital child of Joo Sung-won.’ Not a single such story was told. There was not even a rumor. If there had been one, I’d have sent Crow last time.

‘Is it a real one or a fake one?’ I didn’t know. I had met him once, and I’d had a pretty good impression, but I couldn’t tell what was inside.

‘I’ll check this out, too. Crow’s resting…’ Real or fake, I needed to be sure. I arranged a meeting with Crow and sent him for an inquiry over there.

————————

That weekend, Rep. Han Sang-hoon’s sex scandal continued to make headlines, but things got bigger as one of his former secretaries stepped up. One woman, who asked not to be identified, made the revelation by saying, ‘First of all, Rep. Han Sang-hoon tries to reach out to all secretaries.’

As I always felt, touching politics often produced unexpected reactions no matter what happened.

Rep. Han Sang-hoon again tried to get by in that way this time. ‘I don’t know.’ It was rather expected.

I took out the ‘List of Goo Soon-gil’ here. I sent the OK sign and the Daewon Daily News released an article. [Re-investigation of the list of Goo Soon-gil: Rep. Han Sang-hoon received money from Mr. Goo.]

In the last trial, Rep. Han Sang-hoon insisted, “I don’t know. I can’t remember. I’ve never done that,” but everything he had said was completely turned over. He was pushed into a defensive corner. After he’d already been branded as a liar, the Goo Soon-gil List case had been added.

President Park Hyung-joon invoked an independent counsel investigation to determine whether he feared the administration would pass in the next presidential election. Han struggled to escape from the independent counsel investigation, but when a reinvestigation was made, the case turned upside down after a former close aide to President Goo Soon-gil testified under the pressure of the prosecution. So, Rep. Han Sang-hoon, who was considered the next presidential hopeful, died politically just a month after I had shot an article through the Daewon Daily News.

Now, with this, the ‘Han Sang-hoon’ position in the People Search was entirely mine. Rep. Han Sang-hoon would occasionally be brought up as a politician whose career had tanked because of bribes.

————————

By the end of May, when the political death of Rep. Han Sang-hoon was confirmed, I pulled out the next card. Whatever next was, I went to punish Lee Soo-won directly. I didn’t have to hit him twice, because there was already a weak link – a doctor who had received $400,000 and a nurse with $100,000.

‘Rep. Lee Soo-won is a time-tested politician and he can lie to the end, but it is almost impossible for the doctor and nurse to overcome the pressure of the prosecutor’s investigation. The report even shows how they received the money.’

CEO Lee Won-jae also published Crow’s report with provocative headlines this time. [Does the photo of a Cruciate Ligament Tear belong to the son of lawmaker Lee Soo-won?]

It was a fatal article that hit only the exact place where it hurt. Once Rep. Lee Soo-won denied the report like Han Sang-hoon did, “It’s a controversy that’s not worth responding to.” But he had already been eliminated from the presidency in the future. ‘Joo Sung-won 48.2%, So Kang-sup 30.7% and Kwak Ji-won 21.2%.’ Han Sang-hoon was not on the list, and Lee Soo-won’s career would also be dead in a few days.

‘Who’s So Kang-sup? By the way… Mayor Joo Sung-won has become president again.’ His approval rating was higher than it used to be. This time, voter turnout was close to 50%. I removed Han Sang-hoon and Lee Soo-won, and all the remaining political opponents were gone. Because of the butterfly effect, he almost failed to become president, but then he took his place anyway.

I looked at it and thought, ‘Hmm… so shall I just go on like this?’

But then, Crow came to see me with the report on the extramarital child of Joo Sung-won, which had been ordered a month ago.

Chapter 141 - The Birth Of The Dark Secret

Rep. Lee Soo-won’s case was released shortly after the first news article was published. Before the prosecution investigation, the frightened nurse gave an interview first. “The doctor made such an offer, ‘all you have to do is say nothing and get paid money.’ At that time, I was divorced and raising a child alone without a father… $100,000 was too much for me. I’m sorry.”

The nurse blew it first, and the doctor quickly turned himself in. “Mr. Lee was so powerful in our area that it was hard to refuse his request. I had to make a living… I’m really ashamed of myself as a medical man…”

‘No, he said that he did it form the bottom of his heart…’ I knew everything about the conversation, but now he said it was hard to refuse the request.

‘What a lie he is spouting now.’ Anyways, the doctor and the nurse, who had been directly involved in military service corruption, appeared as witnesses and Rep. Lee Soo-won was driven to the extremity right away. There were ten million reserve soldiers in Korea who had served in the army in a normal manner. His son, who ran a business after graduating from Harvard, was going to be dragged into the army instead of heading into corporate business. As the military medical examination of his son was found to be false, Lee Soo-won himself began to be suspected of military service corruption, even though I didn’t touch it. [The military service corruption of the son of Lee Soo-won. Is it just about his son?]

This, in any case, completed a list of matches of the future. In the original scenario, Mayor Joo Sung-won became president, and as the opposition camp lost two of its presidential hopefuls, they raised their voices (This is political oppression and target investigation!). However, clear evidence was found, and they were not supported by the public.

By the way, the most prominent figure in the opposition camp who shouted ‘This is political oppression and target investigation!’ was So Kang-sup. He drew ahead of Han Sang-hoon and Lee Soo-won, and came in second. [Joo Sung-won 48.2%, So Kang-sup 30.7%, Kwak Ji-won 21.2%]

To be honest, I thought of him as such. -Yes, it’s a targeted investigation, but wouldn’t I find something if I investigated him?-

How could all the politicians in our country be the same? If there is no corruption, can’t they do politics without corruption? I was not sure if there was anyone who wouldn’t show up any matters if I sent Crow to investigate for three months. So, to be honest, I was a little tired because there was no one who had no weakness. Not even Mayor Joo Sung-won, who I was pushing in my heart.

‘The extramarital child… the extramarital child…’ Following the last controversy over Me Too movement, he had a lot of scandals with women. I recalled the time when I had gone to Seoul City Hall and met him. If I thought about it, the first impression I had when I met him was ‘He is as handsome as any trot singer.’

He was really handsome for his middle age. In addition, he had a fantastic political career as Gyeonggi Province Governor and Seoul Mayor, and would become the next president. Women deserved to stick to him, but at the same time, he had a clean, familial image.

During interviews and during documentaries about him, he used to come out as the perfect husband who loved his wife and his two sons. So Mayor Joo Sung-won had a little boring but exemplary image.

That image was a mixed blessing. There was solid evidence that a lawmaker, Han Sang-hoon, enjoyed with his secretaries in the past, but the public didn’t care all that much.

‘I knew that guy would do that.’

‘He did it when he was in the prosecutor’s office, and he would do it when he became a congressman.’

No one was talking about his retiring from politics. Some of his supporters would say, ‘Heroes enjoy the pleasures of flesh, and he could do that! Did he have sex with three secretaries? He had a great spirit.’

In the case of Mayor Joo Sung-won, however, his image was so clean that if he even touched a secretary’s butt, he would be nailed to the cross and surrounded by the crowd.

‘Is it good or bad to have a good image?’ While I was thinking about it, Crow eventually brought a report on ‘Joo Sung-won’s extramarital child’.

“This is what you asked for, CEO Han.”

For some reason, I don’t want to see this report. That was because I liked Mayor Joo Sung-won first of all, and second, I was a little tired of seeing dirty politicians. I thought for a moment, taking Crow’s report envelope. ‘What else do I do when the real thing is out here? Do I have to send him, too? Or, do I have to let him off? However, I sent them to hell as soon as their corruption got caught? Yeah, that does not equitable… but… if I blow him, someone else will pop out. What about him? Will he be clean even if I dig up stuff on him?’

At any rate, this was an endless question. ‘I hope not…’ I accepted the report in the envelope, thinking about it. After reading it carefully, I sat on the couch thinking about it for about half an hour, then picked up my phone and called Vice President Jang.

“What’s up with you, boss?”

“Didn’t you tell me that you have a direct line to contact the Seoul Mayor last time?”

“Yes, there is a man who worked for a securities company who has gone into politics, and is with Mayor Joo Sung-won. He is like a private economic tutor to Joo Sung-won.”

“Oh, really? So I guess he’s one of his closest aides?”

“I suppose he is.”

“Then, tell him to give my message to Joo Sung-won secretly.”

“What’s your message to him?”

“I want to see the mayor because of his daughter in the U.S… Just tell him that.”

“Ah, I see. Mr. President.” Vice President Jang said nothing more, started to hang up, and suddenly said one more word to me, “Mr. President.”

“Yes?”

“But Mayor Joo Sung-won… doesn’t he have two sons?”

“Oh, yes, so… Think of it as some kind of code, and just tell it to him that I’d like to talk to him about his daughter.”

Even this time, Jang seemed to think the boss was doing something weird, and he answered with a slightly curious voice, “… yes, sir.”

—————

On June 2020, I met Mayor Joo Sung-won at a traditional tea house near Seoul City Hall. “It’s been a long time, Mr. Mayor. Ever since I won a prize… It’s been almost a year.”

Mayor Joo Sung-won greeted me with a big smile, “Yes, CEO Han Sang-hoon. How have you been?”

“I have been good.”

“Good for you. Have a seat,” He offered me a seat and said, “Aide Kang, you should go out and have a cup of tea.” He had the man next to him leave the teahouse.

I nodded to Secretary Park, who was slightly apart. So in the end, there were only Mayor Joo Sung-won and me in the teahouse. Now, this tea house was the perfect place for the mayor of Seoul to have a private meeting. It was a long cylindrical structure, but the place where it was located was hard to see from anywhere, making conversation impossible to steal.

‘Well, when everyone in Seoul knows his face… It’s worth having a place like this.’

As I was thinking, Mayor Joo Sung-won, poured tea on my glass tilting the kettle. “Well… you want to talk to me about my daughter…”

“Well… there is no one to hear and the place is good, so I’ll tell you straight.”

When I said that, he began to concentrate on my words, his eyes gurgling. So, I spoke frankly, “It is I who recently blew up Rep. Han Sang-hoon and Rep. Lee Soo-won.”

Phu-hup! Upon hearing the remark, Joo Sung-won who had taken his mouth to the glass, spat out while drinking tea, something not proper to his dignity.

I handed him the tissue on the table and said, “Are you all right?”

Mayor Joo Sung-won took it and said, wiping around his mouth, “Oh yes, it’s a little shocking news…”

“Yes, well, I understand. Can I just keep talking?”

Mayor Joo Sung-won nodded.

“There are a lot of reasons, but… first of all, I think they’re basically not qualified to be president.”

“Oh, yes, did you?”

Mayor Joo Sung-won looked at me with great tension. In fact, he was the one who had been brought the most joy for the past month. His biggest political opponents, the greatest stumbling blocks to becoming president, fell on their own, receiving a fatal blow leading to their retirement from politics. He might have been thinking, ‘I’m no different than a president already. Next year’s presidential election is a piece of cake. I should prepare a plan for a second term in four years.’ However, in front of him was the man who had dumped his political opponents… but he had asked to meet him because of his daughter. It looked complicated in his head.

I told him, “In addition, they were people who were against my interests. even if they were elected. Do you understand what I mean?”

“Ah… I got it.” He was very nervous.

“But in the meantime, one of my informants brought up the problem of your daughter.” I took a piece of paper out of my arms and handed it to him. There was a girl who looked like Mayor Joo Sung-won, tanned. “Her name is Rachel Ling. She seems to have been adopted by a Chinese family in the U.S. That’s good because it’s more natural than being adopted by a white or a black.”

Mayor Joo Sung-won mumbled with the picture in his hand, “This is the first picture I’ve ever seen.”

At this point, he confessed. Well, he might have guessed it when I had called him here.

He told me, “So… what do you want, CEO Han?”

I spoke to him, “To be honest, I also have a complicated mind. I’ve investigated all the presidential candidates, and they’re all dirty. So I was wondering what to do, but… I just don’t know what politics is. I’m a businessman, and I am going to choose my interests.”

“Interests?”

“Yes, I thought… Mayor Joo Sung-won could talk to me freely as president in the future. That’s what I thought.”

The remark slightly brightened the tone of Mayor Joo Sung-won. “Oh… did you?” He spoke to me now with a polite tone, “Then what do you want from me…”

I looked at him, and said, “I don’t think ‘What do you want’ is appropriate to say in person. Well, wasn’t the country noisy in the past because of the influential persons behind the curtain? I don’t want to be that kind of person.”

He nodded as he listened to me silently.

“All I want is… just… I want you to subscribe to one more news.”

“News”?

“Yes. Among the Internet news companies, there is Oracle News. I don’t know if you’re familiar with it, but…”

Mayor Joo Sung-won cocked his head. He didn’t seem to know.

“It’s a bit of a small newspaper… but anyway, please pay attention to it, from the news to the editorial.”

“From the news to the editorial?”

“Yes. While you are in politics, please read the Oracle News every day. A politician cares about the media. Isn’t that a good thing? It’s a kind of communication.”

Mayor Joo Sung-won nodded, “You’re right.” There wouldn’t have been any other option since he was in a risky situation, and his career was facing an end.

“Then, I would like you to subscribe to it well. It’s Oracle News. If you do well with that, I’ll take you through the presidential race.”

He was the man who would be president in the first place, but I put on airs here that I would make him like that.

Mayor Joo Sung-won stood up and said, “I would like to ask you a favor, CEO Han Sang-hoon.”

I laughed and got up and took his hand, “No, I’ll beg it of you.”

———

After the meeting with Mayor Joo Sung-won, I called CEO Jung of Oracle News in a car Secretary Park was driving.

“Yes. Sometimes I’ll need to touch some editorials in my own way. Are you all right with that?”

“Of course, sir.”

“Oh, yes, then, please understand that.”

“Yes, boss.”

With that, I had set up a channel to send a message to the next president of the Republic of Korea. I would write an article on Oracle News, and the next president would see it. It was a perfect request method, without a beginning or end.

‘Okay, with this, for the next five years or nine years, politics is on my side.’

I looked out the window from the back of the car. The car driven by Secretary Par was passing by the Banpo-daero. I could see the Han River and the buildings outside. I looked at it, held my hand, and opened it. I just realized that I had birthed a dark secret to control South Korea beyond Seoul.

Chapter 142 - The Man Who Holds His Destiny In His Hands

I sat in the chair and clicked my mouse. At the top of the portal site, there was such news.

[The big change in the next presidential race: who can stop the lead of Mayor Joo Sung-won?]

The presidential election was a year away, but other media outlets had already begun to predict the victory of Joo Sung-won. It was not very difficult at this point. They might not know if lawmakers Han Sang-hoon or Lee Soo-won still active, but they were removed by me.

Joo Sung-won, who would originally win the election with a seven percent difference from Rep. Han Sang-hoon, would meet an easier opponent in the changed future, widening the gap to nearly twenty percent, and would be elected president.

I thought, spinning the handsome middle-aged face of Mayor Joo Sung-won on the Internet site, ‘Do well and give me a favor in the future.’ After thinking about that, I came back to the main portal site and wrote in “Han Sang-hoon” this time. There was news in a row about Rep. Han Sang-hoon.

[Former lawmaker Han Sang-hoon was convicted of bribery and perjury in the first trial and sentenced to five years in prison.]

[Perfect witnesses and evidence came out; can former lawmaker Han Sang-hoon really appeal?]

‘I think the story of Han Sang-hoon will continue for a month or two. Since he was a big politician in his own way, he can’t just disappear. However, this may be the last time he is the talk of the town. Five years in prison, or three to four years in prison, is while Mayor Joo Sung-won becomes president. No matter how nice Mayor Joo Sung-won is, he can’t just leave his political opponent an out. He won’t make a comeback.’

That meant the ‘Han Sang-hoon’ news would be mine completely. I went into the four news of 12 Hours After, 12 Days After, 12 Weeks After, and 12 Months After, and typed my name on them. All the news of 12 Hours After, 12 Days After, and 12 Weeks After had news about Rep. Han Sang-hoon.

[Rep. Han Sang-hoon decided to give up his appeal and accept his prison sentence.]

[How will the opposition party handle the absence of Rep. Han Sang-hoon?]

But in the news of 12 Months After, my name came out. [CEO Han Sang-hoon bets two billion dollars to take over FutureSync once again after Kai Games.]

‘Politicians are similar to celebrities. When they are up, the public eye is focused on them, but when they are forgotten, they are easily forgotten. Now, for at least a few years, Han Sang-hoon, who is more famous than me, will find it difficult to be heard.

‘All right, now… one of the three slots of the People Search in all the news is fixed for Han Sang-hoon. It’s mine…’ I thought so. Now my every move would be recorded in the future news and it would come to me.

[CEO Han Sang-hoon is entering the overseas market]

[CEO Han Sang-hoon once again has a great success.]

I would leave the good news as it was, and would make a change to the bad news until the correction news was made.

[In the crash at Kangnam Station, Han Sang-hoon, CEO of Invictus Investment, got involved.]

[A big loss in the transaction of the Invictus Investment.]

This had effectively made me invincible. Although I had some harm coming, I would be able to avoid it.

[CEO Han Sang-hoon died in a raw bolt from the clear sky while walking down the street.]

Then, I would just have to watch a movie at home that day. I was now the man who held my destiny in my own hands.

——————————–

At the end of June 2020, when the political matters were ended, Secretary Seo, who had been by my side for a long time, left the company as announced.

“Thank you for everything you have done for me, Mr. President.”

“Yes. You have had a good job.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. President. If I think everything you’ve done for me, I should stay beside you for my whole life, but…”

“No. It’s not that I don’t know you, and don’t worry about things. Secretary Park is better than you.” I said, pointing to Secretary Park standing next to Secretary Seo.

“Yes. That’s a relief. Mr. President, I’ll go now.”

“Yes. If you find yourself in trouble, tell me as soon as possible.”

“Yes, boss.”

I said good-bye to Secretary Seo in the president’s office. I felt relieved, but sorry that he left, but I thought one day he would help me greatly outside the company.

After Secretary Seo left, I asked Secretary Park, “Now, what will you do? It will be a little boring for you out there alone.”

Secretary Park answered me, “I don’t work for fun.”

“Hmm. You are right, but as you can see, you will have 99% of the time to wait when you are in your secretary’s office. Decide what to do, whether you will watch a movie on your tablet, watch a drama, read a web novel, or just read a book. I won’t say anything about that if you do it waiting. Just be quick when you work. That’s all I want.”

Secretary Park bowed to me and said, “Yes, boss.”

“Then it’s starting today. Shall I give you a test? What’s my schedule today, Secretary Park?”

“Just one. You are scheduled to do a contract with Tencent. You have a meeting with a few executives of Tencent’s investment division today at 11 a.m., and our Vice Presidents Jang, Director Jung Hyung-suk, and Director Kim Hoon-il will be with you.”

“Ah, yes. Okay. Return to your work.”

I sent him to his seat and sat down in my chair. Countless numbers were coming and going on the three monitors in front of my seat.

‘6 shares of MediGenetics were bought at $124.’

‘7 shares of MediGenetics were bought at $125.’

’14 shares of MediGenetics were bought at $126.’

One side was buying shares automatically.

‘4561 shares of NXN Games were sold at $4.75.’

‘1560 shares of NXN Games were sold at $4.74.’

‘2225 shares of NXN Games were sold at $4.73.’

One side was selling shares automatically.

In fact, all I was doing was watching it. ‘How is it going?’

It had been two years since I had started Invictus Investment. Vice President Jang and I had brought in AI sales algorithms used by Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, and Nomura Securities, and modified them for our company. It was the same for my personal account.

Of course, using the news of 12 Weeks After, I decided how much the upper limit price would be and how much I would buy before then. However, the detailed trade was supposed to be automatic. These days, computers were better at this kind of trade than I was, so I had no more work to do.

Even I had said to Secretary Park, “I won’t say anything about that if you do it while waiting,” but in fact, I did the same. Even though I usually went to work, I spent my spare time watching movies and dramas, or playing games, all the while the automatic program was continuously making a few hundred thousand dollars.

Actually, it didn’t matter if I played in the penthouse on the roof. However, I waited in the president’s office, wearing a suit for an important meeting. I was afraid it might look too light for other directors, including Vice President Jang. It was to keep a minimal amount of courtesy.

‘It’s eleven… two hours away. Then what shall I do…’ I picked up my cell phone and entered Google Play without thinking much. But there was a banner standing out.

‘Thank you for winning first place in sales for the new NXN Games, Seven Legend.’

Seven Legend was the very game of NXN Games I had put sell-order to today. NXN Games was a small game company that had been listed not long ago. Twelve weeks ago, I had seen such news, ‘NXN Games’ Seven Legend is the top seller of Google IOS,’ and had put it in the trading algorithm. Perhaps this stock had earned me at least a million dollars. I watched it.

‘Is this so much fun?’

I had two hours left until the meeting. I downloaded it and tried to execute it. “Seven Legend” was a collection of RPG games. I was fed up with such games, but good graphics and well-made characters were interesting. I tried it a little while touching my cell phone. However, an SSS-class character did not come out with the first free ticket.

‘Well, how much do I have to pay to get it?’

I charged about ten thousand dollars right away and tried to pull it out. All SSS-class characters became mine. However, I was ranked around two-hundredth on the server. If I looked at the release date, it had been three days. After spending ten thousand dollars and touching it for thirty minutes, I was two-hundredth place. It was ‘Pay to Win.’ If I spent money, they would raise my rank.

‘Well, let’s do a little more.’ I made an extra charge of five thousand dollars more. This time, I pulled out the equipment along with the character. As I pulled out the equipment without stopping, I found weapons, helmets, armors, bracelets, and shoes. All the equipment was rated as SSS. After spending six thousand dollars, I was in tenth place on the server. It was amazing that there were nine people above me.

‘Well… there’s someone else besides me who spends six thousand dollars on a game. By the way, what makes me tenth place?’

Now that I searched, I needed Runes. I spent about four thousand dollars more and set the SSS rating up to Runes. Come to think of it, I was in second place after I had charged a hundred thousand dollars and played this game for about two hours. These days all games were like this. No man could beat me no matter how much they tried. When I got second place, my eyes naturally went to first place. The ID of first place was ‘The Celestial Dragon.’

‘What is he doing? Is he a BJ of a game?’ While I was thinking about it, the phone rang. Looking at the clock, it was eleven o’clock, the meeting time. I turned off the game I had spent a hundred thousand dollars on for two hours, and I just erased it right away. This kind of game, which I could be strong right away with money, was no longer interesting to me.

‘After this contract, I will take Ah-young on a trip to Europe. I was the only one who couldn’t go to Europe after sending my family there last year.’

I picked up the phone and answered right away, “I’m coming now.”

———————–

Later that month, I eventually signed a contract to transfer the 63% of shares held by Invictus Investment to Tencent. It was the highest deal in the history of Korean game companies, exchanging as much as two billion dollars in cash. The press sent out a stream of news.

[A huge jackpot from Invictus Investment, worth two billion dollars.]

[Han Sang-hoon, who invested a hundred twenty million dollars in the Kai Games, earns two billion dollars.]

[The return rate is sixteen times higher; stock genius Han Sang-hoon stands as a big hand in the investment world.]

[What is the next investment target of CEO Han Sang-hoon, loaded with bullets worth no less than two billion dollars?]

To be honest, there was no place to spend two billion dollars right away. I ordered Vice President Jang to invest only in very conservative, safe bonds. Without a sure card like the Kai Games or FutureSync, I was not going to move.

Warren Buffett, the genius of investment, once said, “There are two principles of investment. First, don’t lose money, and second, keep the first principle.”

If I saved two billion dollars in cash now, chances would come someday. An excellent opportunity would arise to make another big upgrade.

Chapter 143 - Three News, Part I

“Then while I’m away, I’d like you to take good care of the company.”

“Yes, boss. Don’t worry.”

I patted my vice president on the shoulder and said, “Yes. I’m not worried. You have been doing well.”

“Thank you for your words. Have a good trip then.”

“Yes.”

As I nodded, he said goodbye to Ah-young behind me, too. “Ms. Ah-young, have a good time.”

“Yes, Vice President Jang.”

After saying goodbye, Jang got back on the elevator and pressed the button. Soon the elevator went back up, upstairs where the company was.

I turned around and said, “Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

Ah-young took her carrier in one hand and held my hand in the other. I walked through the parking lot with one hand holding her hand and the other hauling a carrier. In our building’s underground parking lot, there was my own private parking lot separate from the company’s. There were six cars in all in my private parking lot: a Porsche Panamera, a Bentley Bentay, a Lamborghini Aventador, a Ferrari 812 SuperFast, a Bugatti Divo, and a Rolls Royce Ghost.

I was not interested in collecting cars, but I bought the six of them whenever there was a big deal. Every car had become a milestone in time, honoring some accomplishments. I had bought the Porsche when I had started my business, the Bentley when I had taken over OH Entertainment, and the latest Rolls-Royce when I sold Kai Games to Tencent.

Ah-young asked me, “What are you driving?”

“Today… this.” I took the key out of my pocket and pressed the button. The Bugatti Divo lit up. It was one of forty limited cars in the world, and cost about seven million dollars. At the time of production, they were completely sold out to the owners of Bugatti Siron, but one of them came to me when a rich American died. I got into the Bugatti and started the car.

The AI asked me, “Nice to meet you, driver Han Sang-hoon. Please tell me where you’re going.”

“Incheon International Airport.”

“Incheon International Airport confirmed. The estimated travel time is fifty-eight minutes.”

‘Fifty-eight minutes will be enough time to look around the duty-free shop.’ I stepped on the accelerator.

Br-br-br-. Bugatti Divo roared down Gangnam Boulevard.

In July 2020, I made a two-billion-dollar big deal with Tencent and went on a trip to Europe with Ah-young. It had been almost a year since I had gone to Hawaii with her. In the meantime, my assets had increased by several billion dollars, but no matter how much money I had, I had been too busy to move. But this July was a good chance.

First of all, the company’s workload had been reduced a lot by selling Kai Games, and because of the introduction of algorithm sales for the stock trade, it was able to trade stocks in just one or two hours overseas. After screening with the future news, there was nothing important going on. In recent weeks, I’d been putting my name and Vice President Jang’s name in the People Search and found nothing there.

So I boldly planned a month-long trip to Europe. It was a thirty-day trip going from Italy to Switzerland, Germany, France, Spain, and Portugal. It was the same trip I sent my family on last summer. At that time, I couldn’t go out because of this or that, but I ended up going a year later.

Ah-young, who was sitting next to me, was quite excited. “What a trip to Europe with oppa! I’ve always wanted to go, and my dream came true!”

Even though she was studying as an announcer, she immediately accepted my proposal to go abroad. I didn’t know if it was an expression of confidence that she could become an announcer even if she coasted along, or if she didn’t want to be an announcer. Anyway, I liked it, as I didn’t really want her being an announcer in the first place.

“That’s right. It’s good to be out of work, too. Guide me well, and translate for me, too.”

It was my first time in Europe, but she said she had been there a couple of times already; once when she was young, and once when she was in college. She was the daughter of a rich family, after all. Now her fortune was only a hundredth of what I had, but when we arrived at Incheon International Airport, we took a step on from leaving the country and walked into the duty-free shop a little early.

She grabbed my arm and said, heading somewhere, “Let’s go to the Gucci store first.”

‘How does she know this big duty-free store? It’s just amazing.’

‘Can’t we just pay taxes, doing the shopping in Korea?’ It was my thought, but she enjoyed shopping at the duty-free shop like it was a great game, so I had no choice but to join in. She said that it tasted like making money if she bought the same thing cheaper. I hadn’t looked at the price of anything I’d wanted to buy since my fortune had reached over a billion dollars, with or without taxes.

Then, while walking through the duty-free shop, Ah-young suddenly pointed her finger and said, “Oh, that sister.”

“Hmm?”

I turned my head and there was Oh Hyun-joo’s face big up there.

“She is a good actress then, isn’t she? She’s from your company, right?”

I nodded, “Ah… yes.” Oh Hyun-joo was my old ideal type. Having been on a stormy activity for any drama or movie until early this year, she had recently taken a little break from her work and often shot advertisements. One of them seemed to be hanging in this duty-free shop.

“I don’t usually approve of anyone else.”

“Hmm? What don’t you approve of?”

“Beauty. But I think she’s really pretty.”

I said as calmly as I could, “Ah. Yes.” I was afraid she would know that I used to be a fan.

Maybe it worked, and Ah-young looked at Oh Hyun-joo’s face for a moment and turned to Gucci’s store. “Let’s go, oppa. I have a lot of things I want to buy.”

“Oh, yes.”

———————————

The trip to Europe was really good. The exotic scenery, the food, the people, all were good. In Europe, we were treated like royalty if there was enough tipping wherever the tourist industry had developed. After seeing good things, eating delicious food, and doing something interesting, I spent my dreamy days with Ah-young.

Of course, in the midst of that, I never stopped watching the future news. It was like a ritual that I couldn’t help. Like the Muslims prayed three times a day, I had my own times; once at 8:55 a.m., and once at 8:55 p.m., as I made Ah-young not disturb me. So I received news continuously in Europe. I got stock-related news as usual.

[Jinsung Electronics was taken over by Susung Electronics.]

I searched for my name and received my news.

[CEO Han Sang-hoon of Invictus Investment visited the Children’s Cancer Center again this year and donated five million dollars.]

‘The last time I went there, the atmosphere was warm and nice. I am going again.’

By the way, it was unusual. It wasn’t that frequent, but during the month of my trip here to Europe, I had three wonderful news stories, surprising, but very close to my life.

———————————

I received the first surprising news in Italy, the first destination of the trip. We were eating authentic Naples pizza and pasta, and walking near the digestive and trevi fountains. I saw the news while she was in the bathroom. It hit me in the head.

‘No… wait… this… really? Is this possible?’

I read the news again. It was nothing to look at now. ‘Well… yeah… sure… it’s not impossible.’

Maybe it would be good news for me. I remembered the time of the incident on the news. ‘Next year, April 2021… So, it’s only about nine months from now.’

The first news was in nine months. Maybe it was a big opportunity for me.

———————————

I received the second amazing news in a hotel in the Swiss Alps. As usual, I was tired after an active night and fell asleep. I woke up early in the morning rubbing my eyes, took my cell phone and headed right for the hotel’s minibar. Then, I took out a bottled water and looked at the future news quietly. Phu-hub! I spilled water on my chest as I read the news from there.

The second was really amazing and important news. I thought for a moment with the news in front of me. ‘No, this is… do I have to go back home? Now?’

The price of a plane ticket was not a big thing for me. But as I watched the news again, I soon regained my composure. The second news would come true in just one year. That was because it was exactly July 2021. I thought, ‘Yes, this will happen in a year, anyway… even if I go home now, there’s nothing I can do…’ Thinking so, I quickly memorized the contents of the article and then closed the email. I couldn’t help it even if I got into a fuss from now on. I decided to memorize the contents of the article and concentrate on enjoying my overseas trip again.

‘Yes, it’s not too late to go back to Korea and take measures against this.’

But even as I enjoyed my trip, I couldn’t help thinking about the news. Perhaps this second news was a matter of great importance to our company…

‘Should I say something to Vice President Jang? No, it will be in twelve months. That’s too early. Rather, if I do it now, it will have side effects…’ I admonished myself like that. It would be after twelve months; I didn’t have to be too hasty.

However, Ah-young realized that I was different sometimes. “What are you thinking these days? What’s wrong with your company?” She asked.

Of course, whenever I got asked, I said, “No. I’m just… thinking it’s working well without me.”

That was how I cooked up a good reason. Ah-young didn’t say anything more to me. At this time, I could still look normal to her, until the third news came.

———————————

I received the third news in Barcelona, Spain, where we arrived at the end of the trip. It was a city of the oceans, the home of football with my favorite F.C. Barcelona team. I was fascinated by the beauty of Europe all over again; the beautiful city, the people, and the F.C. Barcelona Camp Nou. The two news stories I had read sometimes wandered through my mind, but even thinking about them, I traveled around the beautiful Barcelona beaches with Ah-young.

‘Oh, that’s next year. Let’s just enjoy our trip now.’

In the taxi back to the hotel, I accepted the email again, Ah-young having fallen asleep because she was tired. After getting the news as usual, I searched for ‘Han Sang-hoon’ in the People Search, and saw some very surprising news.

‘No… is this… possible?’ I looked at Ah-young sleeping next to me. ‘This is just impossible,’ I thought.

Chapter 144 - Three News, Part II

I looked up the time when the third piece of news happened. The third news event would take place on the twenty-first of August, 2020. It was just four weeks from now. The two preceding news were in nine and twelve months respectively, but this one was in just four weeks.

‘No, I mean, it doesn’t make any sense.’

I saw Ah-young once. She had been walking on the beach for a while, so she was asleep without knowing what happened. I read the title of the article once again.

[Top star Oh Hyun-joo’s secret early morning date. The other person is Han Sang-hoon, president of Invictus Investment?]

Then I read the article.

[Top star Oh Hyun-joo has been found to be in love with Han Sang-hoon, the president of Invictus Investment. He is a young CEO who earned four million dollars in his early thirties, and the Invictus Investment is also a major shareholder of OH Entertainment, which Oh Hyun-joo belongs to. The two are known to have met frequently at official events of Invictus Investment and OH Entertainment, and such ties appear to have led to their recent romantic relationship.]

In the middle of the article, there was a picture of the blue Bentley and Oh Hyun-joo in the passenger seat. The license plate was not listed, but the blue Bentley was my second car. It was a car that was usually used to show the CEO’s presence, as it was a large SUV.

‘Is this… real? Or is it… a rumor?’ As I thinking about that, Ah-young tossed and turned in bed for a while. “Uh…”

I closed my cell phone in a hurry. Then Ah-young leaned her head against my shoulder. I looked out the other window for a moment. I looked at the scenery and thought again, ‘This is ridiculous.’

I liked Ah-young and she liked me, too. This trip made me feel that way more and more. But after four weeks, I would have a love affair. Unless there was some magic in four weeks, it would not be possible. I thought for a moment about the time on the news. ‘August twenty-first… if it is…’

It was the second anniversary of our company. There would be a gathering of all our company and our subsidiary CEOs. Although I did not know the details of the event, there was a high possibility that celebrities of OH Entertainment would attend it.

‘So… something would happen then?’ While I was thinking about it, the taxi arrived at our hotel. I took some cash out of my wallet and handed it to him.

“Gracias,” I appreciated it.

“Muchas gracias,” he also thanked me.

Ah-young, who was sleeping on my shoulder, heard his voice and woke up.

“Uh… I fell asleep.” Rubbing her sleepy eyes with her hands was so cute. It was the time to show my affectionate expression as usual. But I didn’t, because the article I just saw bothered me. I just came up to the hotel suite on the elevator with her arms crossed. On the way, I glanced at her. Still, she still seemed sleepy.

So, as soon as I entered the hotel room, I told her, “Are you tired? Sleep first. I’ll go to the cafe and get some work done.”

“Work?”

“Yes, it’s an important thing for the company.”

She didn’t like me thinking about work when I traveled, but she didn’t argue when I said it was important company work.

“Well, I see, oppa…”

I got my laptop and took the elevator back down to the hotel lobby. I then took a seat in the corner of the cafe, opened an email and called Customer Service right away.

– Welcome, customer Han Sang-hoon.-

There was no need to show the formal greeting to the AI anyway. I asked the question right away. – Not all the news from the future news is true, is it?-

All the news in 12 Hours After was not correct. 12 Hours After sent news which would release or might come out in twelve hours. A prime example was the weather forecast. [It will be windy and gusty on Tuesday, the twenty-fifth.]

Even so, there was a perfect sunny day. The answer from the Customer Service came back, – Of course. Truth is different for all viewers.-

It was too obscure and I changed the question. – Sometimes the weather forecast is wrong, and everything is not true, is it?-

– Yes, we just deliver the news that might happen in the future.-

What I thought was true.

‘Yeah, well, maybe the news I saw today is just a rumor…’ But now that I thought about it, I had a question. ‘Well, shouldn’t I have received the correction news automatically?’

Wrong weather forecasts didn’t mean that the correction news would come. I wrote it right in. – Why didn’t you give me the correctional news?-

– We only correct changes made by the intervention of the subscriber.-

‘Yes… there is one more thing to know.’

There were detailed rules in the correction news: news would come out only once, and the correction news would come for the news I had read for a month.

‘Only the news that I intervened in and changed comes gets correction news.’ I remembered that fact firmly. Then, I closed the Customer Service window and thought for a moment. ‘It is true that there will be news about a love affair between Oh Hyun-joo and me, anyway. It’s also true that she gets in my Bentley… or a month later, I will change my mind and have an affair with Oh Hyun-joo. Or… it’s not true… but it’s just a rumor.’

Either way, the first or the second scenario was not very good for me.

—————————–

In August, I returned home after a long trip with Ah-young. To be honest, I couldn’t enjoy the end of the trip. After reading the third news, I was so restless that I couldn’t play well with Ah-young.

Ah-young also felt it and asked me, “What’s wrong with your company, oppa?”

However, I made up a story and avoided a direct answer. “Just a little something happened to the company.”

It wasn’t just empty words. While the third news was the most shocking, the first and second news was also very important. As soon as I got home, I called in Vice President Jang and checked them out.

“As I mentioned before, did you buy a grade A or higher in government bonds or corporate bonds with most of the funds we got from Kai Games, right?”

“Yes.”

“What about the proportion of domestic or foreign stocks?”

“About fifteen percent.”

“What’s the proportion to foreign stocks by country?”

“50% in the United States, 15% in Shanghai, 15% in Hong Kong, 10% in Japan, and 10% in India and other developing countries.”

“I see… then, in the next half year, reduce the share of domestic and overseas stocks to the 3% level.”

Vice President Jang asked me in amazement, “Three percent?”

“Yes. Invest the remaining funds in defensive stocks in the economy, like communications, or grocery stocks. Please transfer all the money to gold, silver, dollars, and U.S. government bonds. We are going to take an extremely conservative investment position.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And… I’d like to give two orders for Vice President Jang at the same time.”

“Please tell me.”

“First, I’d like to buy two companies that are defensive in the economy by the end of the year.”

Vice President Jang nodded at my words.

“… All right. Two defensive companies in the economy.”

“If their business is stable and they have good cash-generating power, that’s all. The market capital should be less than $300,000,000. It doesn’t matter if it’s a little expensive, so please find something.”

“Yes, boss.”

“And secondly, when the two companies are finished being taking over… I’d like to sell Hyun Young Pharmaceutical.”

Vice President Jang was greatly surprised at what I said. “Hyun Young Pharmaceutical?”

“Yes. Now that our company’s income has exceeded a billion dollars, I think it’s not too bad to sell it now.”

Mostly, Vice President Jang had not argued with me, but he got me this time. “But, Mr. President, they have passed phase three and now they are starting to sell. I don’t think it’ll be difficult to make three or four billion dollars of the market capital if the sales figures start to be recorded.”

To be honest, I thought so too, until I came back from my trip last month.

“Yes, I think so, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to be too greedy. Of course, it would be better to sell for a good price, but… within a year… no, I’d like to find the buyer and sell it within this year.”

Jang, who listened to me, pondered my words and asked me, “Well, Mr. President.”

“Yes?”

“Do you see the global stock market going negatively in the long run?”

I looked at him for a moment and thought, ‘Shall I tell Vice President Jang?’ But it was a year from now. It was so weird to predict that. I hesitated for a moment, then told him, “For the most part, I see it that way, anyway. Please be prepared to execute the two I told you about as soon as possible.”

“… yes, sir.”

I checked him once more, as he was about to say goodbye. “After acquiring two defensive companies in the economy, then we sell Hyun Young Pharmaceutical. We don’t sell them until we take them over.”

I needed to maintain my grade, so this order was important. To maintain the current Master Class, I must have five listed companies. Jiwoo Entertainment came in, but Kai Games went out, so I had five companies. If I sold Hyun Young Pharmaceutical and its subsidiary Hyun Young Bio, there would be only three left. I would have to increase the number of companies to seven and then I would sell two to maintain my grade.

At my words, Vice President Jang once again bowed his head. “I’ll keep it in mind, sir.”

After Jang went out, I sighed. ‘This will get me out of some big trouble.’

I picked up my cell phone, took out a timetable, and wrote some letters on April tenth, 2021, the day the first news would come out. On July second, 2021, the second news would come out, I wrote ‘D-DAY.’

Both days would be an important turning point in the operation of our funds in the future. So far, I had earned two or three million dollars a day with the algorithm program after reading the future news of which companies would go to the upper limit price and which company would be taken over. However, on those two days, I would be playing some billion-dollar games.

‘There’s a big game going on… until then… I need to gather as much money as I can.’ I closed my cell phone at the thought. The company’s fortunes were important, but I did not feel nervous right now, because it was still nine months or a year away.

‘Well, I will get everything ready by then.’

I cared more about the event in the near future than that. The second-anniversary event for our company was scheduled to take place just three weeks from today…

Chapter 145 - The Second Anniversary Of The Foundation, Part I

I looked blankly at the monitor.

[Hyun Young Pharmaceutical +4%.]

Hyun Young Pharmaceutical rose today as well. Since the passing of new drug’s clinical trials, there were far more positive days than negative days. The share price, which used to be a billion dollars when I bought it, was currently above two billion dollars and rising. As I went into the stock bulletin board, there were generally good comments.

– You know it’s hard to get recognized by the FDA, right? This comes from Hyun Young Pharmaceutical’s forty years of experience.-

– Third-phase pass isn’t the end, but the beginning. If you hold onto it for three years, you’ll be rich.-

– It’s going to be easy to reach a market capital of four billion dollars. I recommend active buying.-

My name was also among them.

-Does Han Sang-hoon have a golden hand? Whenever he buys, he earns two or three times more than the original money.-

-I think he has made over $500,000,000 from Hyun Young Pharmaceutical. That’s amazing.-

-He’s a real genius. He did a good job at Kai Games, and I’m going to buy anything else he buys again.-

And there were comments like this:

– If you’re going to buy after Han Sang-hoon, shouldn’t you just buy Invictus Investment?-

– Invictus Investment is not a listed company. They don’t receive any funds from individual investors.-

-Then, we can just hold it until Han Sang-hoon sells Hyun Young Pharmaceutical.-

– I see. Let’s just buy it and stay with Han Sang-hoon until he sells.-

I looked at it and thought, ‘I am going to sell it in a little while…’

I was concerned about the fallout of the big event next year. There was a high chance that the stock market would not be good next year, regardless of the categories of the stock. Hyun Young Pharmaceutical, which had been piling up a bubble due to the development of new drugs, would be equally affected. The company itself was not bad, but the money that arrived in a hurry would go out the same way.

‘I wish I could sell it at the highest possible point, but… Let’s find out where to sell it… If I look for the best time to sell with the future news… The selection of buyers is next.’

As I thought of it, the phone rang. I picked up the phone and answered, “Yes?”

“Boss, here comes Vice President Jang.” Secretary Park’s voice was much lower than Seo’s. It was a little awkward at first, but I was getting used to it.

“Yes, let him come in.”

“Yes, boss.”

Soon the door opened and Jang and his secretary came in.

“Boss, these are the reports I mentioned before.” Jang was empty-handed, but his secretary held up some A4 papers that looked quite heavy.

“Ah, put them down there,” I said, pointing to one side of the desk.

Vice President Jang’s secretary put it down on the edge of my desk. Thump! The desk was shaking a little.

“Thanks. I’ll review them and talk to you again when I have done so,” I nodded to them.

“Yes, boss.”

The two bent down their heads a little and left my office. I opened out the reports in a fan shape on the desk. The names of the companies were on the covers. I looked them over.

‘CoA Infrastructure, Songjin Brewing, Roha Game, Taejin Gas, Changhae Food…’

There were about a dozen files. These economically defensive stocks. Defensive stocks meant ones that consistently post steady sales, whether the economy is good or bad. Largely, that meant companies that produced living necessities, such as alcohol, tobacco, food, electricity, gas, and cell phones, which are essential to life, and did not decrease or increase sales sharply.

I chose these because I was worried about the repercussions of the big incident next year. Even if the stock market would be fluctuating, these stocks would not fall much. This was not buying to make money, but to keep five listed companies I had to own. I would buy these to maintain my Master Class, since if I sold Hyung Young Pharmaceutical, I would also lose ownership of its subsidiary, Hyun Young Bio.

It was a bit fortunate was that my other three companies – OH Entertainment, Jiwoo Entertainment, and Blue E&M – were also defensive stocks. The entertainment industry stocks, like Kai Games, had seen a steady rise in domestic demand, despite the poor global economy. So, I didn’t have to sell them. They were just less than $200,000,000 in total market capital.

I made a document to share from the reports I had received for the companies and their CEO’s: CoA Infrastructure and Kim Sang-kwan; Song Jin Brewing and Kam Jinseong; and Roha Game and Lee Kang-hyun.

In this way, they would all go in the People Search once. There was nothing to worry about the stock prices going up and down. I would be taking a look at what the CEO’s future looked like, and then I would put in an offer for all the good companies. Then I would buy the stocks if they would accept my offer on the best terms. If anyone bought a stock following me, thinking it would be another Kai Games or Hyun Young Pharmaceutical, this time it would be a disaster for them. I was not buying them because I thought the stocks would go up.

‘No… but at least I’ll avoid the sensitive stocks in the economy. Isn’t that a disaster? Maybe if they are a little smart, they will realize that the market might be in danger in the future.’

That was what Vice President Jang said as soon as he heard my instructions. In any case, this was how I would disperse my money. The same was true of FutureSync, which had recently been on the news. Originally, I had intended to raise the price by gently teasing them and refusing the offer of Amazon, but I would do it only once or twice and then sell it right away in dollars. Then, if I could hold on to safe assets like dollars and U.S. government bonds, gold and silver at the moment of the showdown, I might have a big chance to multiply my wealth many times more than now.

I connected the names of various companies and CEOs, then saved and sent them to my cell phone. I would look into the future of these people tonight.

‘All right, let’s do this.’

Apart from future preparations, there was something that kept bothering me. The second anniversary of the foundation was just two weeks away. The second-anniversary event was scheduled to be held by renting out a nearby hotel for one day. And Oh Hyun-joo was also supposed to attend that day. Not long ago, I personally called President Kwon Oh-hyuk and asked him about that.

“President Kwon, are there any celebrities coming to the event?”

“Yes, Vice President Jang asked me to invite some. The two top actors of our company, Oh Hyun-joo and Kim Jun-hyung, will host the show. There will be a Nine-Tails’ performance, which has recently become part of our company.”

Oh Hyun-joo was even one of the main MCs for the event. When I had been abroad, Vice President Jang must have handled it like that. Now I couldn’t tell her not to come.

“Oh, I see. Okay. See you then.”

“Yes, boss.”

I thought about that, recalling the conversation with President Kwon Oh-hyuk. ‘No, whether she comes or she doesn’t… That I have an affair with her… doesn’t make any sense.’

I still liked Ah-young. I had been wary of a big fight with Ah-young before and after traveling abroad, but it didn’t happen. After the trip abroad, Ah-young had been studying hard at her alma mater’s library again to be an announcer, and I had been busy preparing for the future, so we didn’t have much time to see each other. I thought of another possibility.

‘Is Ah-young cheating on me? If I can change my mind, there’s only one. No matter how much I like her, I can’t forgive a woman who is cheating on me because of another man.’

But since last year, she had almost tried to play the role of a wife, going beyond loving me as a lover, taking care of my health and my schedule to the extent of being a little burdensome.

‘No, that’s impossible. I might cheat on her, but she would not. No, that’s not it.’

I crossed my mind over there, ‘If Oh Hyun-joo is actively seducing me, it may be.’ It had happened a lot since my fortune was revealed recently in Forbes. Starting with Shin Min-sun, the single-haired announcer, scattered women were running at me, and it was very hard to resist temptation every time.

Oh Hyun-joo was proud of herself as an actor, but perhaps there might be a strong desire for a high-class life there. She had the life of a celebrity who didn’t know when or what would happen to her. She might try to grab on to me and keep a splendid lifestyle for the rest of her life. I didn’t trust myself, either, when I thought about it.

‘What if Oh Hyun-joo tries to seduce me? What if she hands me her room key at the hotel where the foundation ceremony is being held?’

I thought of Ah-young first, but I was not sure if I could resist that. Oh Hyun-joo had a truly attractive original beauty. But I soon firmed up my will. ‘No, no. No matter how lovely a beauty who seduces me is… I can’t do that. I’d rather break up with Ah-young first and then meet another woman.’

I didn’t want to do anything that would hurt Ah-young right now.

—————————–

A week was left before the foundation ceremony. I occasionally put my name and Oh Hyun-joo’s in three slots for People Search as well, along with the CEOs of the companies to be acquired.

[CEO Han Sang-hoon’s Invictus Investment sold overseas stocks. What’s their intention?]

Such news came out, but from Oh Hyun-joo, on the contrary, .the scandal news came out.

[Top star Oh Hyun-joo had a secret early morning date, and her partner is Han Sang-hoon, president of Invictus Investment?]

It was the same title as the news I’d seen before. I grabbed my forehead. ‘What the hell is wrong with me?’

The content of the article was the same. Oh Hyun-joo was seen riding in the blue Bentley. I looked at it and thought. ‘Wait a minute, this picture came out… it means the paparazzi was in the hotel parking lot.’

Oh Hyun-joo had become more popular with fans of the drama and was becoming a target of paparazzi. They would have known that she would come as an MC at our company’s second anniversary. I picked up the phone right away.

“Secretary Park.”

“Yes, boss.”

“The hotel that will hold the second-anniversary ceremony a week later.”

“Yes.”

“Tell them to tighten up security for paparazzi, to the level of warding them off. Make sure that if a paparazzi is caught, they won’t ever have a relationship with our company and its affiliates.”

“Yes, sir.”

About half an hour after the call, the correction news came.

[The correction news – ‘Top star Oh Hyun-joo has a secret early morning date, and the partner is Han Sang-hoon, president of Invictus Investment?’ has been modified by the reader’s intervention. The modifications are as follows:]

I read it. However, all the changes were taken out of the picture, and only two more lines were added to it.

[We were able to identify Oh Hyun-joo, who was moving in a blue Bentley owned by CEO Han Sang-hoon. The car carrying her arrived at Oh Hyun-joo’s office located in Samseong-dong and did not move until the following afternoon.]

Perhaps, it was more stimulating than photography.

‘No… what the hell is this?’

Now it was even more ambiguous that I had an affair with her. It had become even more unknowable.

—————-

A week later, I went to attend the second anniversary of the Invictus Investment, still without knowing what was going to happen.

Chapter 146 - The Second Anniversary Of The Foundation, Part II

I donned a shirt, put on a jacket, and wore a bow tie instead of the usual long tie. Then I stood in front of the mirror and looked at myself.

“Ahem…”

Today was the second anniversary of Invictus Investment. It was a huge event attended by not only our employees, but also key members of our affiliates, and was actually a year after the first time I thought of having dinner with a few executives at a restaurant near the company on the first anniversary. Naturally, I was the main character of the event, as the founder and CEO of the company, and the owner of a 100% stake. I picked up the script lying in front of me, sat down in a chai,r and read it out again.

“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I’m Han Sang Hoon, CEO of Invictus Investment. Today, I welcome you who have come to our company’s foundation ceremony.”

Thanks to my practice starting a few days ago, I could speak well without missing a single letter. If I was not too nervous, I would handle my turn well.

‘I did a great job in front of the TV cameras seen by tens of thousands of people. Let’s not get too nervous about this in front of my company’s people and affiliates.’

That was how I held myself together. In fact, it was highly likely that the people who were the most nervous today were not me, but the executives and employees of the affiliates. It had been a long time since they had a chance to see me, because I had a house on the roof of my company and I was not very well-traveled outside Invictus Investment. Among them, there would be people who would bring me a bundle of presents, and prepare comments to make themselves look good.

‘But I won’t change anything for them… No, come to think of it… There was a case like Blue E&M. There are certain, crucial times when a gift or flattery works.’

When I appointed a CEO or an executive, I actively looked into the future through the People Search, but there were many times that the ability of a person was not much different from the others. If A and B were alike, I chose one of my favorites, because I was human, too.

‘At any rate, today, they are going to bother me. It is to be expected. Everyone’s going to stick to me or Vice President Jang looking for one more word. Let’s just do what I need to do. By the way… about Hyun-joo, how do I deal with that?’

The issue of the scandal was still unsolved.

‘What if she says something weird in my ear today? Can I say no?’

If I came with Ah-young, the temptation might be blocked in the first place, but since the previous threat from Tak Joon-gi, I had never brought her into public view, to protect her personal identity.

Ah-young also didn’t tell anyone that she was the girlfriend of a man worth four billion dollars. When she took the announcer test, she told me, “Don’t put any strange pressure on the broadcasting company when I take the test. I want to do this with my own ability.”

In fact, if I put pressure on them, it would be to stop her… She succeeded, anyway.

‘Ha… What should I do? No, I’m the only one who needs to be strong. No matter how tempting Oh Hyun-joo may be, I just have to refuse,’ I thought as the phone rang. It was a call from Secretary Park.

“Boss, are you ready?”

“Oh, yeah. I’m going to take the elevator now. Wait for that and catch it. Let’s go down together.”

“Yes, boss.”

I came to the elevator of the penthouse with the script in my hand and pressed the down button. The elevator came up and stopped at the ‘P’ level. I was the only one who could get in and out of the ‘P’ floor in this building. The elevator went down and stopped once on the middle floor. There was Secretary Park, who got in when he saw the elevator coming down from the “P” floor.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

I took Rolls-Royce’s car key out of my pocket and handed it to him. On reflection, I would probably ride the Bentley or Rolls-Royce because it was an official ceremony attended by people from the affiliates. The blue Bentley Bentayga was one of my favorites.

‘It was in the picture.’ It was creepy that it was in the future news. Most of all, someone had filmed it. I asked Secretary Park, “How’s the paparazzi cutoff going today?”

“Very good, sir. That’s what I’ve been doing this morning.”

“Good job.”

Soon after arriving at the underground parking lot, the door opened and I walked out toward the parked Rolls Royce. As I was riding the Rolls-Royce today, there would have to be a change in the correction news.

However, I did not receive it again, because of the rule that correction news would only come out once a day.

——————————-

“… ladies and gentlemen, I hope you enjoy the event and meal prepared tonight, and have a good evening. Thank you.”

At my words, there was thunderous applause.

Those in the front row, from the executives and employees of Invictus Investment, Hyun Young Pharmaceutical, OH Entertainment, Jiwoo Entertainment, to the Blue E&M directors; all the high-ranking people were applauding hard. Anyway, power and money were scary. Those who were old enough to have a million dollars or even ten million dollars, were clapping their hands hard, as they were afraid I would not see them being enthusiastic.

I bowed slightly to them and stepped down from the podium. On the way down, I saw Kim Jun-hyung and Oh Hyun-joo, who were the MCs today. At any rate, they were both handsome and pretty, and seemed to draw attention from the people around them, especially Oh Hyun Joo, showing off her gorgeous beauty to the point that they could feel it. She came in a dress that was quite chest-deep today. It was a heartbreaking dress that literally demanded attention. I thought as I came down from the podium, ‘Huh… this could be big trouble.’

My seat was at the very front of the event hall. It was the place where Vice President Jang, President Kwon Oh-hyuk, Chairman Shin Jae-eun of Hyun Young Pharmaceutical, President Kim Jung-kyun of Blue E&M, CEO Chung So-young of Oracle News, and CEO Lee Kang-hyun of FutureSync sat. When I got back to my seat, Kim Jun-hyung and Oh Hyun-joo exchanged lines as they hosted the event.

“So far, there has been a greeting from CEO Han Sang-hoon of Invictus Investment. That was a very good speech. What’s next? Hyun-joo?”

“Yes. Next time, there will be a performance by Jiwoo Entertainment’s representative girl group Nine Tails, which is becoming a global group reaching beyond Korea, China, and Asia.”

As top actors, the two MCs did well. If I thought about it, it was an event with a script and a screenplay. While I was looking at the two, I glanced over at Kwon Oh-hyuk, sitting on my left. He was looking at the two MCs in satisfaction. He deserved it, too. President Kwon Oh-hyuk was expanding OH Entertainment with the two of them.

‘Well… yeah. They are his two most reliable people.’

I turned my eyes back to the two again. Oh Hyun-joo was the one who caught everyone’s eyes, even if she was just walking the street. However, she was indeed really pretty today.

———————————-

After the event, the dinner followed. There were some adjustments at the table. Vice President Jang went to meet other company directors, and the older chairman Shin Jae-eun apologized and asked to go home first, saying he felt uncomfortable. Then two MCs, Kim Jun-hyung and Oh Hyun-joo, took the two seats that were now open. Oh Hyun-joo sat right next to me in the seat of Vice President Jang. As soon as she sat down, she smiled and greeted me.

“How have you been, Mr. President?”

I received it in a slightly quivering voice, “How are you, Hyun-joo?”

“Yes, thanks to you.”

The word “thanks” was customary as usual, but her words contained sincerity. Thanks to me, she was hosting this event as an MC. I’d been a fan, and there was a good story with her, and I would have said something nice if I had been normal, but I could not be close to her because of the scandal news. I turned to the other side, where Chung, the head of Oracle News, was attached to the handsome Kim Jun-hyung.

“I watched the drama with pleasure last time. Jun-hyung, whenever I look at you, I think your acting skills continue to grow.”

“Haha, thank you.”

I wanted her to be associated with the single Kwon Oh-hyuk, but unfortunately, she didn’t even turn her eyes to him.

‘Well, I guess she has a taste for younger men.’

Anyway, her eyes were too high, and it was hard to get married at her age. Chung was also a woman with a rather pungent charm, but there might have been a reason why she had not married. Then, Oh Hyun-joo asked me one more time.

“I know you’re busy, Mr. President, but do you still do judo these days?”

“Ah, I don’t have time to practice judo, but I run lightly.”

“Oh, I see. I am sorry to hear that. A CEO who’s good at judo is really cool.”

‘Is this how the scandal starts?’

I said, pointing back at that thought, “I have a friend around me who is better than me.”

Behind me was Secretary Park, standing like a pillar.

She looked at Secretary Park and spoke in a peculiar soft voice, “Aha, I see.”

I answered in a dutiful manner, “Yes.”

But then, suddenly, Oh Hyun-joo brought her face near my ear, and whispered something to me in a small voice so that even Secretary Park could not hear it.

———————————-

“Let’s go, boss,” Secretary Park awakened me.

“Ah… yes.”

I looked at the banquet hall where all the events of the second anniversary of the Invictus Investment were over, and thought, ‘I shouldn’t do this next time. No, I can’t do it at all… Every two years… No. I’ll do it every five years.’

After the meal, all that remained were countless handshakes, greetings, and much flattery. I had to suffer for a whole day because they’d try to leave a strong impression with me. It was expected, but it was still a tough day.

I said with a long sigh, “Hu-huh. Let’s go.”

I glanced around the banquet hall. I wanted to know where Oh Hyun-joo was. But she was not visible in the banquet hall. Maybe she got out first. On the way to the hotel’s parking lot with Secretary Park, I recalled the words she had whispered in my ear. ‘Thank you very much then, Mr. President.’

She didn’t try to seduce me, but just gave her sincere thanks to me. So, in the end, nothing happened. I now headed to the Rolls-Royce with Secretary Park, not the Bentley. The scandal in the news appeared to be the hoax of a rogue paparazzi.

‘But if it’s on the future news, it’s definitely newsworthy. I will see the news tomorrow. If anyone’s poking me in my name, they’ll never work as a journalist again.’

I had been struggling for a few weeks because of this, ever since I had gone abroad. I felt like I had bit the dust. Secretary Park ran first and opened the Rolls-Royce’s back door.

“Please get in.”

“Yes.”

Just then, a blue Bentley Bentayga passed slowly in front of our car. I naturally looked at the people riding it. All I could see was the right side and the person who came into my eyes was the one sitting in the passenger seat, Oh Hyun-joo.

“Uh…?”

It was only then that I realized… there was one more person at this meeting who drove a blue Bentley Bentayga. A stupid reporter thought it was my car, so he wrote an article naming me!

Chapter 147 - The Second Anniversary Of The Foundation, Part III

I looked at the distant blue Bentley. The future news article said that Bentley entered Oh Hyun-joo’s house and didn’t come out for a day. That would happen if someone were her lover. I stood there for a moment, grinning unknowingly. I thought she might be interested in me, but it was just my imagination.

But… when I thought about it, it would be weird that a beautiful woman like Oh Hyun-joo didn’t have a boyfriend. Anyway, I was a snob these days. I thought all women would like me because I had money.

These days, so many women rushed at me, so I seemed to be a snob. I was laughing self-mockingly, when I had a thought. ‘By the way, then… Who the hell is driving that?’

When I thought about it, there was a problem.

‘Wait… even if I stopped the paparazzi, the news came out, which I is that I was at Oh Hyun-joo’s house for a day. It means there’s paparazzi near the parking lot of her house.’ The paparazzi was originally here in the hotel parking lot. But because I blocked him, he moved to Oh Hyun-joo’s house, so the news still came out.

I spoke to Secretary Park in a hurry, “Get in the car and chase that car.”

Moving quickly, Secretary Park asked me as he nimbly got into the car, “That car?”

“Yes, the one that looks just like my car. That Bentley.”

“Yes, I see.”

Secretary Park started the car quickly and pulled out after it. However, it was not easy to catch up with the Bentley ahead of us. The hotel parking lot was crowded because the event was getting over. The Bentley was about to disappear from sight.

Secretary Park told me, “Boss… I’m afraid I’m going to miss it.” The Bentley pulled out of the hotel lot ahead of us.

Secretary Park asked me, “What do I do?”

However, I knew the destination of that car. In the last article, it said, [We were able to identify Oh Hyun-joo, who was moving in a blue Bentley owned by CEO Han Sang-hoon. The car carrying her arrived at Oh Hyun-joo’s office located in Samseong-dong and did not move until the following afternoon.]

I told Secretary Park, “… drive towards Samseong-dong for now.”

Our car kept moving. In the meantime, I searched for the house of Oh Hyun-joo on my smartphone. Surprisingly, an article showing her home address came straight out on the Internet.

[It is known that Oh Hyun-joo lives in Suzy Ritzville, Samseong-dong, where the Han River is visible at a glance.]

I saw it and thought, ‘A celebrity has no personal life.’

“Suzy Ritzville, Samseong-dong.”

“Yes, boss.”

I said one more word, “Drive as fast as you can.”

“Yes, boss.”

No matter how crowded Seoul’s roads were, if Rolls-Royce was running, people were bound to make way for it. If they had a fender-bender and the responsibility was fifty-fifty, they might pay more than their own car. Driven by Secretary Park, our Rolls-Royce even stormed off the road. Secretary Park usually drove safely, following the law and proper morals. However, after I ordered him to drive as fast as he could, he did so with zero morality, ignoring the road regulations. At times like this, it seemed that an athlete’s original beastly nature, which had always been suppressed, rose to the fore.

After driving for a long time, he told me, “I see the Bentley over there, boss.”

We had almost caught up. Soon our Rolls-Royce, guided by Secretary Park, brushed past the Bentley on the right. I could see Oh Hyun-joo from my seat. She was talking to the driver, not looking away at all. I tried to see the driver’s face beyond her, but it didn’t work.

Secretary Park asked me, adjusting the speed, “Well… what do you want me to do? Shall I keep following the car?”

I thought about it for a moment, then said to him, “… No. We’re going first. Let’s go to the office.”

“Yes, boss.”

Secretary Park headed to Oh Hyun-joo’s office faster than the Bentley, as I ordered. Meanwhile, I thought about the driver she was talking to excitedly. ‘Well… who the hell is it?’

The first person that came to my mind was Kim Jun-hyung, who had hosted the event as an MC today. He was a handsome actor who was as popular as Oh Hyun-joo. Recently Hanhanlyeong was being lifted and he was making tens of million dollars across China. In addition, he could easily buy a car like the Bentley. He was a young, handsome, and rich man.

‘Wait a minute, then it’s more troublesome. It’s a love affair between the top stars of our company.’

Of course, it was not a flaw to meet someone these days, but there was a huge difference on how our company managed them or not. Both had been in romance dramas so many times that if an article would come out a little bad, enthusiastic fans who had fantasies about them might turn their backs.

‘But then… Doesn’t President Kwon Oh-hyuk know about this?’

I picked up my cell phone and called President Kwon Oh-hyuk. Tiriri tiriri tiriri tiriri tiriri tiriri…

President Kwon Oh-hyuk received the call quickly. “Yes, boss. What’s the matter?”

I hesitated for a moment, not knowing what to say at first, and then I asked him, “Ah… Mr. President. It’s just personal curiosity. Does Oh Hyun-joo have a boyfriend?”

He seemed quite embarrassed by the sudden question. “Yes? Why are you asking me that?”

I just realized that the question could be a little misleading. “Ah. No, I’m just asking as an investor. I am afraid that Oh Hyun-joo might have a scandal.”

He said, slightly slurring his words, “Well… There is no such problem.”

President Kwon Oh-hyuk did not think it was an issue, so he was clear on things. I didn’t want to stop or disturb other people’s love, but celebrities were people who could make tens of million dollars come and go on their own behavior. At the very least, he should know that, if not me. That way, he would be on the lookout for paparazzi in the future.

Kwon asked me again, “But why are you asking me this?”

I wanted to tell him the whole story. But then, Secretary Park interrupted, “Boss, we are here.”

I told Mr. Kwon, “I’ll call you back.”

After saying so, I hung up the phone. Our car entered the office building parking lot. The bar blocked our car first as we tried to get into the parking lot. A white-haired security guard with a creased face came forward. We met unexpected difficulty, and we came up with some conversation.

“We are here to see the residents for a while.”

“What house number did you come to see?”

“It’s a bit private.”

The security guard saw Park, who was very big and dressed in a suit, and Rolls Royce Mark in front of the car, and just opened the bar with a greeting, “Welcome.”

It was a bit embarrassing, but it worked out fine anyway. The Rolls-Royce slipped into the parking lot. This office-style apartment was quite luxurious but a little small, as it was located right next to the Han River. The parking lot was also worth a glance. Secretary Park pulled over in the right place, and I folded my hands together and waited for time to pass.

—

Before long, the blue Bentley, which looked just like my car, came inside. The car happened to stop right in front of my car. I watched closely who got out. Oh Hyun-joo who got out first. She got out of the car and stood in front of the elevator, wearing a long overcoat over her gorgeous dress. But in the meantime, the driver was not moving.

‘What? Is this a way to avoid paparazzi?’

It seemed that they would take their time due to the eyes of the residents. Even after Oh Hyun-joo went home on the elevator, the car did not move, nor did the driver walk out. I watched a little more with patience. But then, Secretary Park said something.

“Boss.”

“Why?”

“Don’t look back, but look in the rearview mirror. There’s a guy behind us with a camera.”

I didn’t look back at what he said, but looked at the rearview mirror. It was now apparent that there was a person holding a long lens camera between two cars, snooping over this way.

I said without hesitation, “Go take that away from him.”

“Yes, boss.”

Secretary Park opened the door and approached him. I also got out of the car a little late and followed him. The man carrying the camera faltered in astonishment as a big man approached him.

“What… what is it?”

Realizing that his camera was his target, he tried to hide it behind himself, but it was meaningless resistance to Secretary Park. Park snatched the camera in an instant with his hands of a judo world championship medalist and gave it to me. The structure was unique because it was a camera for reporters, but the SD card was the same as others. I took out the SD card with the pictures in it.

The captured paparazzi shouted at me, “You… what the hell? How can you take something from someone like that? That’s expensive, man!”

I put the SD card in my pocket and asked him, “It’s expensive? How much is it?”

“Three… No, fifty thousand dollars!”

Fifty thousand dollars. When I heard that, I handed it over to Secretary Park and said, “Return it.”

And I added, “After smashing it into pieces.”

Upon hearing the second order, Secretary Park crashed the camera into his knee on the spot. The camera broke into two pieces, and he threw the two pieces on the ground. The camera was smashed once more, and the heavy foot that came down after probably didn’t help. When the paparazzi saw this, his face turned white and he couldn’t say anything.

I took my business card out of my wallet, threw it at him, and said, “I am Han Sang-hoon of Invictus Investment. You tried to hurt my company. Call me if you don’t want the money for the camera. Let’s see who’s going to end their life.”

The paparazzi sank down on the spot.

I turned back, leaving him behind, and said, “Let’s go.”

“Yes, boss.”

I came back to our car. For now, there would be no scandalous news. Now all I had was curiosity. Still, the blue Bentley remained motionless in place. I looked at it for a moment and thought, ‘… I’m curious, but that’s enough… with or without a boyfriend, it is Oh Hyun-joo’s private life. Let’s tell Mr. Kwon that Oh Hyun-joo is dating someone, so please pay more attention to her privacy.’

Having so concluded, I opened the back door of Rolls-Royce and said, “Secretary Park. Let’s just go.”

“Yes, boss.”

I tried to get back into the back seat. But then, the Bentley’s left door, the driver’s side door, opened. I tried not to watch, but I couldn’t help but see who was coming out of there.

Chapter 148 - The Couple

I carefully watched the man who got out of the Bentley. It was none other than Kwon Oh-hyuk, president of the company. I gazed at his shiny head with my eyes narrowed, and fell into great confusion.

‘No, why is Kwon coming out of there? Wait, so Kwon just wanted to take Hyun-joo home…? Why did he wait here, then?’

At that moment I realized that President Kwon Oh-hyuk was the one who was dating Oh Hyun-joo. When I realized it and my body was frozen, President Kwon Oh-hyuk came up to me and said, “Well, sir. I’m sorry I lied.”

I remembered the conversation I had just had with him when I came arrived.

‘Does Oh Hyun-joo have a boyfriend?

‘Well… there is no such thing. Why are you asking me that?’

President Kwon Oh-hyuk knew whether Oh Hyun-joo had a lover or not, but he lied because he was her lover.

‘Yes, this is what happened.’

I put my game face on. Everything that had happened in recent years passed like a shadow-picture lantern. I went to Spain, I saw the news of the scandal, I thought it was me, I felt sorry for Ah-young, I tried to adjust it so that it wouldn’t be scandalous for two weeks, and I followed Oh Hyun-joo to find the paparazzi.

It made me laugh. I stood there laughing. I had watched the news a month ago and now it was going on today. It was so ridiculous.

——————————

I looked out of the window holding a glass of beer. Outside the window, over the Han River, I could see downtown lights in the northern part of the river. I looked at it and said, “The Han River possesses a charm of its own.”

Kwon, who was sitting in front of me, replied, “Yes.”

Not too far from Oh Hyun-joo’s home, in a bar, I had a beer with Kwo. In any case, the future had changed. Oh Hyun-joo’s boyfriend wasn’t at her house, but drinking with me right here.

“I’m a local person, so I didn’t know why the Han River had a premium for a long time. However, it makes sense now.”

“That’s right.”

President Kwon Oh-hyuk couldn’t say much, he answered only in a single sentence, ‘that’s right.’ It seemed that his shoulders were much more slumped than usual.

I spoke to him, “Why are you doing that, Mr. Kwon? Love is not a crime.”

“No, but don’t you usually hate lying to yourself?”

I looked at President Kwon Oh-hyuk for a moment, extended my glass and said, “Well… it’s case by case.”

Kwon Oh-hyuk quickly pushed out his own glass and clinked our glasses together. “Yes, sir.”

“As you say, I naturally hate to be fooled by others. But… for some reason, I’m not angry about this. It’s just so… It’s amazing. Is it because both of you have known each other for a long time? The story is deep. Anyway, that’s right. I’m not angry, so don’t be so nervous.”

“Oh, yes, boss.”

The two of us gulped down the rest of the beer. As the glasses clinked down, Kwon beckoned the owner right away and brought another 500cc glass.

I told him, sipping a beer that was bubbling over. “So, let’s hear the story. When did you two meet?”

“The fact that we became lovers… I think it’s been about half a year.”

“Oh, really?”

It had been quite a while, half a year. President Kwon Oh-hyuk told his love story in a dutiful manner.

“… as you know, Hyun-joo was a very early member of our company, and the only one who’s recently grown to be a top star. I’ve been watching her since the beginning, the only one to watch her. It’s been going on and on, so… this is how it turned out.

I nodded, “I see.”

Then, I suddenly remembered a story about when I had gone to OH Entertainment. It was already two years ago, but certainly then, when President Kwon Oh-hyuk gave a speech following me, Oh Hyun-joo was looking at him with her hands together, like a fan watching a celebrity. Even then, I had thought, ‘They two have a strong sense of fellowship.’ However, I didn’t expect it to advance to love.

It might be because of the age difference between the two, and the difference in appearance: Kwon Oh-hyuk, who was in his early forties and short, while Oh Hyun-joo was in her late twenties and beautiful. They reminded me of the beauty and the beast. But true love seemed to transcend all that.

Kwon went on to say, “In fact, I’ve had this feeling for a long time… but I’ve avoided it. Because I don’t think I’m a match for Oh Hyun-joo. About half a year ago, we were drinking wine together after an event. Oh Hyun-joo asked me to be lovers… and I failed to refuse.”

“Ah… I see.”

Oh Hyun-joo even asked him first. In a way, she didn’t look like a top star. The secular condition was thrown aside and she wanted to date someone who supported her. It was unrealistic, but beautiful.

I spoke to him, “That’s a beautiful story. I’m sure both of you must be happy. You know each other well, so you can help each other.”

At my words, Kwon finally relaxed. “Yes, that’s right… We’ve been working like one body for about five years. When you’re working, it’s good to have a supporter who can understand your work. Hyun-joo and I help each other.”

I suddenly felt envy when I heard that. And then I naturally thought of Ah-young studying to be an announcer at her alma mater.

‘Umm…’

President Kwon Oh-hyuk continued, “No matter what, I’ll be more careful in the future. I’ve been trying to avoid the paparazzi. I didn’t expect to be caught and helped by the CEO.”

“Oh, yes… Please be careful. I’ll support your relationship.”

“Yes, boss.”

I couldn’t talk to Kwon Oh-hyuk, but in the future, he wouldn’t get caught up in a scandal, because I would look ahead and stop it. This time, I came in person and took away the camera. I would just tighten it up remotely to prevent any news from coming out at all, no matter what would happen next time, whether it would be through Jang Han-sul of the KJ Group or via Lee Won-jae of the Daewon Daily News.

——————————–

That week, Saturday afternoon, I sat on the sofa and hit ‘Oh Hyun-joo’ in the search window. There were no articles about Oh Hyun-ju and me at all. The process was a little complicated, but somehow it succeeded in stopping the story of me and Oh Hyun-joo’s scandal. The paparazzi who had taken my business card, had not called for the camera to be replaced. I didn’t know whether he did it intentionally or not.

‘It ended not happening.’

I tried to close the window at the thought. However, there was a notable article on Oh Hyun-joo. To be exact, there was a prominent photo.

[Oh Hyun-joo, the nominee for best actor at the Baeksang Arts Grand Prize, has a sweet dress.]

The main subject of the picture was Oh Hyun-joo, who was naturally seated among the actors. However, I could see Kwon Oh-hyuk sitting in the audience seat in the composition of the photo. It was an accidental cut with two lovers. Kwon Oh-hyuk was looking at Oh Hyun-joo with his hands together. He seemed nervous, as if he were the candidate for an acting award.

‘Maybe, it’s… it’s time they were dating. He is waiting to see if his lover, the top star he has raised, will get the prize.’

In this way, it was understandable that Oh Hyun-joo had come to rely on President Kwon Oh-hyuk. She was a beautiful woman, and she had a great sense of work as an actor. She picked Kwon Oh-hyuk as the best person to help her with her job. It was about taking love and work at the same time.

‘She is so wise.’

I hoped there would be someone around to support me when my business would grow; to be precise, a woman who would support me. I put down my cell phone and looked at the back of the sofa. Ah-young was writing something with a pen in her chair in my living room.

I called out to her, “Ah-young, come here.”

Ah-young looked at me, and flipping her pen. “Uh? Why?”

“Well, come here.”

She had applied for the second open recruitment, and was studying at my apartment over the weekend.

I told her straight away, “Do you really need to be that announcer? Do you want to do that?”

I’d been thinking about it for a long time, but it was the first time I had talked to her so seriously.

As she saw my seriousness, she also replied quite seriously. “I’m not sure… but I don’t have much to do after I put down art. It’s so pointless to just go shopping all the time and travel abroad all my life. I want to be a person who contributes to society, too.”

“Well… Do you want to be an announcer because you want to be someone who contributes to society?” If it was what she intended, I couldn’t say anything. Thinking about it, I brought up another story. “Ah-young, do you know what the biggest problem is in our society?”

“What?”

“It’s hard to solve even if I gave out my entire fortune.”

“Particulates?”

“Particulates… is a problem, but there is a problem more key than that. Low birth rate. If there’s no one to breathe in the particulates, wouldn’t there be a problem?”

“That’s… That’s right. But why are you saying that to me?”

I said as calmly as I could. “I mean, it’s good to be an announcer and have a great career, but it’s also good to be a great wife and a great mother, enormously contributing to society”

Ah-young looked at me for a moment, and said to me, “Oppa, that’s…”

I didn’t talk indirectly this time. “Ah-young, I’m going to take on a more important job in the future. Our country… No, I might be working globally beyond our country. Then… I think I’ll need someone at home to support me both physically and spiritually. Of course, I’m sorry to ask you to help me at home instead of doing what you want to do in the gender equality community…”

But before I was done, Ah-young interrupted, “I’ll do it, oppa. If you really want that, then the announcer thing… I can’t help it.”

I opened my eyes wide and looked at her. “Really? Are you okay with that?” It was a little surprising for her to give up so unexpectedly quickly.

“Yes. To be honest with you, I don’t think oppa wants to marry me, so it’s something I’ve been trying to prepare.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I have my life, and I couldn’t count on you. So I did this.”

As I was listening to her, I pondered and said to her, “Move here. Like you said… It’s too big to live alone here. Let’s live together for half a year, and if I like you, and if you like me… Let’s make some time and go home.”

“Home?”

“Yes. My home. My hometown. The house where my mom, my dad, and my sister are.”

Chapter 149 - Preparation For The Main Game, Part I

Doi~ Doi~ Doi~ Doi~. I looked toward the dense forest. A strange-voiced bird kept calling out.

‘What kind of bird is that crying like that?’ I wondered, as a gray-haired middle-aged man told me, “Come this way, Mr. CEO.”

“Oh yes.”

I followed him to the factory in front of me. This was a dumpling factory located at the foot of a mountain in southern Gyeonggi Province. It was where the main products of Changhae Food, a KOSDAQ-listed company, were produced. Inside the factory, women in aprons, latex gloves, and caps were constantly moving their hands.

“Our facilities have all been certified for HACCP. As you can see, it’s very fresh and hygienic. We manage our staff thoroughly.”

I looked from place to place under his guidance. Vice President Jang and Secretary Park accompanied me, watching carefully. Something came into my eyes: the “Mix Dumplings” series. When I was living alone, I remembered buying them in bulk because they were cheap and delicious. It had been a while, since I’d been eating only good things these days, but when I was a poor self-inflicted child, I thought, ‘It’s a great deal on the cost-to-benefit ratio.’

I asked him, “Mix Dumplings continue to grow in sales, right?”

“Yes. Although we’re not growing as explosively as we were at the beginning of the launch, we’re seeing a steady stream of revenue. We are planning to diversify our products, from Hong Kong-style dim sum to Japanese-style yaki dumplings. We were trying to acquire a nearby production line if we had a little more cash.”

‘Well, we can invest some money then.’ I looked around the production line a little more, thinking about it, and then walked out.

“Good to see them.”

The middle-aged man asked me, his hands clasped before him, “Then, when will you decide?”

“We’ll review it and contact you within a month.”

“Yes, Mr. CEO.”

As I said goodbye, I checked his name again, embroidered on his work suit: Woo Hae-jin. We left the factory and got into our car parked in the spacious parking lot. As soon as I got in, I told Vice President Jang, “It looks good. What do you think?”

Vice President Jang told me, “There was nothing I didn’t like.”

Changhae Food had a market capital of $150,000,000. It was a small but profitable company that had never had a deficit since its founding. Most of these food companies were for domestic use, so there was no particular reason to invest in them, but with the success of their Mix Dumplings, Woo Hae-jin, the president of the company, was eager to enter China and Southeast Asia.

I said to Vice President Jang, “It’s good to have dumplings and personal snacks. These days, people are not married anyway, and even if they’re married, there’s no one to cook. This market is bound to grow. I want to look at it positively.”

Vice President Jang nodded. “You are right. Then, shall we proceed with the acquisition process immediately?”

“No, one more thing…”

I picked up my cell phone. I went to the mailbox, opened the future news and made an appointment with Crow. I was going to call Crow and ask him if the financial structure of Changhae Food was really neat and if the money was not going to be useful to the boss Woo Hae-jin. It was neat on the finance side, but there were companies that sometimes cheated on the finance side. Crow would make it perfect. It was a kind of double-verification system that even verified the morality of a CEO.

I spoke to Vice President Jang, “A month or so… I’ll think about it more, and make a final decision then.”

“Yes, boss.”

That period was the month that Crow’s investigation results would come out. It was September 2020 now; there were still about ten months left before “D-Day”, so I still had time.

“Well, I’m done today. What’s up for next week?”

“Next week is Songhae Brewing, near Chuncheon, Gangwon-do.”

Songhae Brewing was also one of the companies in our company’s shopping cart. Like Changhae Food, BPS was growing and one of the defensive stocks, due to its focus on domestic demand with no deficit and accumulated net profit.

‘In some cases, the worse the economy is, the more people drink alcohol, and the stock price tends to rise.’ I didn’t know if sales would actually increase.

“Well, yes. Anyway, how’s the sale of Hyun Young Pharmaceutical going?”

“We are in contact with them carefully, not releasing much information. We are spreading rumors that the reason for the sale is because of other giant M&As. That way, we’ll get the right price.”

“The right price?”

“We`re now worth eight hundred million in terms of stock price, but I think we should get one to one point two billion dollars for a future growth and management premium.”

“One to one point two billion dollars…” I nodded. Jang was a very capable man, especially since he didn’t know the future. I certainly put emphasis on it! “But not too late, let us sell it early next year at the latest. It doesn’t matter if the price is a little lower.”

“Yes, boss.” While bowing, Jang looked at me curiously for a moment. It would have been strange for him to suddenly acquire two defensive companies and get rid of a successful company in a hurry. Although he had walked the elite course since graduating from Seoul National University’s economics department, there were many things that would happen beyond reason. What would happen next year was that kind of thing. We had to be fully prepared for such a thing, which was hard to predict without knowing the future. This all was thorough preparation to turn the crisis into an opportunity.

‘Next week is Gangwon-do… I’m not driving, but I guess I will be a little tired. Songhae Brewing…’ I recounted the name and told Vice President Jang, “What do they usually sell?”

“Fifty-year-old Makgeolli is the main product. These days, Makgeolli is diversifying its variety by putting chestnut or banana scent into it. I hear young people drink it a lot these days.”

“Really? When we get back to Seoul, let’s go to a nice bar instead of dinner and have a drink with the Makgeolli. It might be more important than a tour of the factory.”

Jang smiled cheerfully and agreed, “Haha, yes, sir!”

——————————

“Please go in.”

“Oh, yes.”

I stepped into the elevator at the send-off of Secretary Park. Pressing the “P” button, a mechanical voice came out, “Please enter your password.”

I pressed a few floors quickly, ’32, 18, 7, 3, 21, 15.’

The voice of that machine tone came out once again. “The password is incorrect. Please enter it again.”

‘Huh? Wrong?’ I took a deep breath. This time, I pressed the floors that were passworded correctly, ’32, 18, 7, 3, 22, 15.’

“Penthouse,” it spoke the floor I was going to, and the door closed itself. It quickly arrived at the penthouse.

When the door opened, I could see Ah-young wearing an apron, her arms folded. I raised my hands and said, “I’m here!”

She saw my red face and said to me, “You drank a lot today, didn’t you?”

“Hmm? Uh-huh. Vice President Jang was so happy that his daughter won first place in school. He kept eating a lot. Even if his position is lower than me, he is older, and I couldn’t get out of there.”

She took off my jacket and said, “But drink moderately, oppa. Would it be okay for a man to do something big to get around like this?”

When I heard that, I said with a big smile. “You’re doing well.”

“What?”

“The role of a wife.”

Ah-young was untying my tie, and she hit my chest with the palm of her hand. “Enough!”

I looked at her with a real smile. It had been a month since Ah-young had moved here. First of all, we were getting along without much dissatisfaction with each other. Before, even in the last apartment, her home was next door and we almost lived together, so we got used to each other.

I asked her before I went into the shower, “Could you make a hangover soup, like dried pollack soup, tomorrow morning? Well, I guess you learned something about it at the academy.”

She had changed her school from the announcer’s to Korean Cooking. She looked at me and said, “I’ve already done the dried pollack soup.”

“Really?”

Ah-young said, lifting her apron slightly. “Yes. I was going to make dinner, but oppa said that you were going out for a drink after dinner. So, I prepared some hangover soup.”

“Oh, yes. Good job! My Ah-young is smart.” I kissed her a little. Her soft lips touched my lips, and caused a fire. I tried to put my hand inside the apron.

Ah-young pushed me right away and said, “Ahoo, the smell of drink! “Please wash yourself and come back.”

“Oh, yeah, okay.” I nodded and headed for the shower. It had only been a month since we lived together, but I thought we could live together at this rate…

——————————–

In November 2020, I acquired both Changhae Food and Songhae Brewing. In the press, my investment had become a hot topic in the public, as I gave a premium to the existing investors to take over their shares, and did the capital increase by issuing new stock for the shortfall.

The media sent out the following news:

[Han Sang-hoon, CEO of Invictus Investment, an investment genius, has acquired Changhae Food.]

[The acquisition of Changhae, CEO Han Sang-hoon is going into the food industry.]

[Hang Sang-hoon’s acquisition of Songhae Brewing follows Changhae Food.]

[What is CEO Han Sang-hoon’s innermost thoughts, buying a series of small and medium-sized companies?]

Ant investors responded to the questions.

[Now let’s buy them. If we hold them for three years, we’ll be rich, right?]

[Twenty times of Kai Games, three times of Hyun Young Pharmaceutical, double of OH Entertainment, If we follow Han Sang Hoon, we’ll be rich.]

[I trust CEO Han Sang-hoon and I will sell my apartment and buy them. Let’s go turn our lives!]

They responded like that. Stock prices also jumped temporarily. This was a celebrity effect. In the past, Warren Buffett was found to have bought a company in Korea, which led to a slight rise in stock price due to the institutional ants that followed him. The situation now was very similar to that.

As I was looking at it, I thought, ‘I’m not sure if they are going up…’

In the first place, I didn’t pick the stocks to rise, but not to come down. At the same time, I went ahead with the sale of Hyun Young Pharmaceutical. Originally, I had capped my $800,000,000 stake at $1,200,000,000, rather high for the market; but for now, I canceled it. It was because the profits from the new drug from Hyun Young Pharmaceutical was gradually rising, as it was selling in the U.S.

My shares, which used to be worth eight hundred million, were trading at about 1.1 billion these days. I couldn’t sell it at the same asking price after the price went up. I put it up for sale at a real estate agency, but like a Gangnam apartment seller who saw the price rise, I took it back and put it back up at 1.5 billion. Although the price had gone up three hundred million dollars, someone was still willing to buy it. I thought the stock of Hyun Young Pharmaceutical would go up even more by the end of the year.

‘July next year…’ I made that trade, keeping D-Day in mind. I bought and sold the companies in the first place, and all of this was in preparation for the main game that would come in July next year.

Chapter 150 - Preparation For The Main Game, Part II

I sat curled up in the chair, watching the screen. On the big screen, a man in a tight black costume shouted, “The revival of Birdman Phoenix by shooting a nasty and destructive film. Children with pimples are going to cry. One billion dollars is easy to make around the world. You’re a great actor. You save people from a boring, miserable life. You surprise people, and make them laugh, and cry.”

“Whoop…” I exclaimed at it. The movie, which was showing in my private movie theater, was Birdman, a 2014 film. It received the best picture award at the Academy Awards. It was more like an art film than a commercial one, but somehow I found it new and fun every time I saw it.

Ah-young, her head against my shoulder must have had a similar idea. “It’s funny for some reason. I don’t know what they’re talking about.”

“Yes, I’ve seen this movie five times, but I can’t remember all the messages. It’s just… every time I see it, it’s always new and fresh and amazing. Is this what they call a cinematic quality?”

“Hmm.”

And then, in the meantime, I got a text message on my cell phone. It was Secretary Park. -Mr. President, we’re all here.-

I looked at the clock in the upper right. It was 10:20 a.m. ‘The appointment is at 11 a.m., but they’re forty minutes early.’ Even the latest person came forty minutes early. I told them to come slowly so I could watch a movie with Ah-young this morning, but everyone came early. They probably thought they’d look good if they showed their face even ten minutes early. It was a kind of loyalty competition. Even if I told them not to do that, they did it on their own.

‘What shall I do? Shall I make them wait as long as they want? Or… do I have to go down there?.’ I thought about for a moment, then patted Ah-young’s thigh and said, “I think I should go down. Watch the rest of it alone.”

“Huh? Already?”

“Yes, other presidents are already here.”

“Really? Can I help you?”

“No. You watch a movie. All I have to do is dress up and go down.”

“Okay, oppa.”

Heading across the living room from the private theater, I went into the bedroom and entered the dressing room inside. I chose one of the dozens of shirts hanging in my closet, put on pants, a tie, and a jacket. Then as I was going out, I suddenly saw it snowing out the window, and I put on a long coat. It was a kind of cosplay, since my home and company were in the same place, and I had no chance to get caught in the snow outside, but I donned it in respect for the season.

Dressed up, I picked up my cell phone and called Secretary Park. “Yes, I’m heading down.”

“Are you coming down now?”

“Yes, they’re all together, so I’ll give them a laugh, too.”

“Yes, boss.”

After the call, I came out of my dressing room, out of my bedroom, walked across the living room, out the front door, into the elevator across from the front door, and pressed the down button.

——————————–

“Then I’ll finish my regular report for the second half of the year.”

When Jang’s words were over, there was big applause. I glanced from side to side. President Kwon Oh-hyuk of OH Entertainment, Chairman Shin Jae-eun of Hyun Young Pharmaceutical, President Kim Jung-kyun of Blue E&M, CEO Chung So-young of Oracle News, CEO Lee Kang-hyun of FutureSync, and President Woo Hae-jin of Changhae Food and President Koo Bon-gil of Songhae Brewing who were the most recent people gathered here, were applauding enthusiastically.

‘Umm…’ I watched this for a moment. As the applause died down, I opened my mouth, “I’ve heard your report well.” I just said a word, and everyone’s eyes were on me. I went on to say, “All of you are doing great, but I’d like to ask for a few things. First, President Kwon Oh Hyuk of OH Entertainment and Jiwoo Entertainment.”

Not knowing he would be the first to be called, Kwon Oh-hyuk said with a hurried bow. “Oh yes, boss.”

“Are you trying to re-enter China for Nine Tails?”

“Yes, sir. Hanhanlyeong is being taken down and we are going to make a big leap now.”

‘Well, it’s not a very wrong story.’ I said, poking up the report in front of me. “But are you trying to set up a joint venture between Korea and China?”

“It is essential to work with the Chinese to get through the Guānxì in China.”

‘Guānxì is a Chinese word for “human networking or human relationship.” In business, it specifically means a connection with the Communist Party. As for all businesses, the entertainment business in particular is one that has to work with people, and we have to read the countenance of the Communist Party a lot. If we look disgusting to them, we can’t do business at all.

‘A few years ago, Fan Bingbing, the top star in China, was suddenly gone in a moment. It is almost impossible for a Korean entertainment company to enter China unless it cooperates with Chinese locals. Therefore, President Kwon Oh-hyuk is not wrong, if this is usual business.’

I spoke to him, “Will the establishment of a joint venture take place in… April next year?”

“Yes.”

“Well, why don’t you just slow it down a little to September.”

“September? But then it doesn’t fit my celebrities’ schedules…”

“I know. But… I think it’s better to put it off until September.”

At my words, Kwon Oh-hyuk looked a little surprised. I’d never really told him what to do in his business. This was the first time that had I intervened in management in earnest. President Kwon Oh-hyuk spoke to me with his head tilted, “But Mr. President, considering our trust…”

He seemed to be reluctant. With the lifting of Hanhanlyeong recently, celebrities from OH Entertainment and Jiwoo Entertainment were selling like hot cakes again. If a joint venture between Korea and China was established, a new world would unfold. Therefore, he was blinded by immediate interests. But I told him clearly. Although I had a close personal relationship with President Kwon, I couldn’t be that way in business.

“I think you should put it off until September next year.” Then I told him what I really thought, “The financial market may be a little unstable around the beginning of next year. That’s why I am doing this.”

Kwon nodded for now. “… yes, boss.”

He looked a little sullen at the thought of delaying his ambitious project. However, in a little while, he would thank me, as he would avoid a crisis. I then spoke to President Woo Hae-jin of Changhae Food.

“President Woo Hae-jin?”

“Yes, sir.”

“You said you were buying a frozen food factory in China.”

“Yes, boss.”

I rummaged through the report, “When is it…”

“I’ve been planning it for around June of next year.”

“Well, I’d like you to postpone that until September of next year.”

“… Shall I do so?” Woo Hae-jin seemed to have made no decision yet.

“Yes, please. Maybe you’ll get it for a little cheaper.”

“Oh yes. I’ll do as you say.”

At the end of our conversation, Koo Bon-gil, president of Songhae Brewing, asked me, “Mr. President, our company has been planning to invest in a foundry factory in Hiroshima, Japan, early next year, so should we postpone it a bit?”

“The foundry was the Makgeolli foundry, right? Are lots of Japanese people looking for it these days?”

“Yes, sir.”

I rolled my head for a moment, then replied, “That’s all right. Go ahead with the original plan.”

“Oh, yes, boss.”

“And…” I rummaged through one or two more reports, “CEO Lee Kang-hyun?” I called his name.

“Yes, Mr. President.” The young CEO popped his head out at me at the end of the table. He was the only one here who was younger than me. Though he was only one year younger, he was also the first person younger than me on this table.

I spoke to him, “How much time is left for the AI conference?”

“In twenty days, sir.”

“I see. Will it be held in Silicon Valley?”

“It will be held in San Jose,” he spoke in a rather tense voice. He was afraid I was going to tell him what to do.

“Yes, then. Have a good trip.”

“Yes?” He opened his eyes wide and replied quickly, “Ah, yes!”

The technology of FutureSync was already complete. All we had to do was promote it. Then, the world’s number one, Amazon, with a current market capital of thirteen hundred billion dollars would contact us to buy it.

‘The USA… If I have time, shall I go? AI is often found in the future news.’

After the regular report, while all the CEOs and presidents were still dressed up, the gray-haired Chairman Shin Jae-eun came to me and spoke down, “Mr. President.” He looked a little cautious.

I answered him, “Yes, Chairman Shin.”

Then he carefully pulled out the words. “Are you going to go ahead with the sale of our company’s stake?”

I said, nodding my head, “Yes. I think the seller will be chosen within a month or two.”

“But… Then… Are you taking a bad view of our company’s prospects?” He must be worried that I was selling his own company.

I shook my head, “No, that’s not why.”

‘In fact, Korean pharmaceutical stocks are highly priced, and they tend to be more expensive than sales and cashable assets with future value as collateral. So even now, there are a lot of stocks that are highly priced with such stories – they’re working on a cure for cancer, they’re on the verge of dementia treatment, and they’re cutting cancer off before they get it with gene scissors.

‘However, these things are good only when the economy is good and when they can dream. When a bank asks a company to pay back a loan immediately, the account receivables cannot be recovered, and the customer is ruined, the bubble will be the first to be burst.

‘Hyun Young Pharmaceutical is a company with some substantial results, but by that time it is likely to be swept away by the atmosphere and the prices of pharmaceutical stocks will fall as a whole.’

I sold it out of concern for that. I spoke reassuringly to the aged chairman, Shin Jae-eun. “We need to secure some cash, so we’re selling it. I think the new drug sales will continue to increase, so don’t worry too much, Chairman Shin.”

He sighed with relief, as if he had heard a fortune-teller’s story. “Oh, I see. All right, sir.”

To be honest, I didn’t know what the stock price would be like after I sold it. There was a high possibility of a fall by the middle of next year. That was why I had bought companies that sold dumplings and made drinks. They were cash-rich companies instead of bubbles.

Looking back on it, it was like just after the 1997 IMF, and during the subprime crisis of 2008, that I was able to become the richest person in Korea. When everyone was in a recession, if they had held cash, it would have been easy to get rich. Whether it had been an apartment in Gangnam, a shopping mall, or a stock, the sales had come cheap.

‘As always, we should not be disappointed that we don’t have a chance, but that we are unprepared. History repeats itself.’

Chapter 151 - Preparation For The Main Game, Part III

With the proposal in front of me, I tapped on the desk without thinking before looking up. Before me stood Vice President Jang, Director Kwon, Director Kim, and a tall, blond-haired, blue-eyed foreigner, beside him.

I spoke to him, “I’ve received your proposal.” At my words, the foreign Director Kim translated it right away. “The executives and I will think it over and talk about it.

The white man nodded at Kim’s subsequent remarks.

I stood up and shook hands with him. I asked him, “What hotel are you staying at?”

The man answered right away, “Intercontinental Seoul, next to COEX.”

And again, Director Kim translated right away.

‘I heard that too.’ I told him, thinking about it. “I see. It’s your first time in Korea, so you can take a rest and take a tour from place to place. The Jongro is good, and the nearby Seolleung and Jeongneung Royal Tombs are worth seeing.”

Listening to Director Kim’s interpretation, he covered his hand with his own and told me, “Thank you for welcoming me. I appreciate it.”

I nodded and said to Director Kim. “When he goes out, get a taxi for him.”

“Yes, boss.”

After the four men went out of the office, I came back and looked at the proposal. As always, the core of the proposal was written at the end-$1,500,000,000.

I looked at it and thought, ‘It’s bigger than I expected.’

As I closed the proposal and looked at the cover page, I could see the logo on the top left, which said ‘Pfizer’ inside the sky blue circle. It was the company famous for Viagra, and a global pharmaceutical company, with a market capital of more than three hundred billion dollars. It’d only been a few weeks since I found out about this.

[Does CEO Han Sang-hoon get a big hit once again? Pfizer contacts Invictus Investment to buy Hyun Young Pharmaceutical.]

The sales of Hyunyoung Pharmaceutical’s new drug for arthritis were gradually increasing in the U.S., and Pfizer seemed to be excited when I put it up for sale. The size of the companies including Tencent, Pfizer, and Amazon that we had been dealing with, had reached a ceiling. There were not many companies that could buy a company just by throwing away a billion dollars in the first place.

‘Well, how much more do I call it, then? I thought $1,500,000,000 was a little high…’

I grabbed a pen and wrote ‘$1,600,000,000’ at the top of the report.

‘The proposal is one and a half billion… let’s raise it by a hundred million. If news of [CEO Han Sang-hoon got a big hit! He sold Hyunyoung Pharmaceutical for $1,600,000,000] comes out in the future news, we’ll proceed, but if news of [CEO Han Sang-hoon failed to sell Hyun Young Pharmaceutical. Pfizer expressed reluctance to the counter-proposal,] comes out, let’s offer a compromise price at around $1,550,000,000.’

‘As always, persuading these global corporate buyers is harder than I think. Even if its market capital is hundreds of billions of dollars, they don’t like to pay an additional hundred million dollars. In the old saying, it says, “The haves are doing more so.” However, the more I invest, the more I think I have to change the saying to “The haves get a lot more.”‘

‘The global financial market is truly bloodless and tearless, and the bigger it is, the more it is like that. At first glance, one and a half billion looks good, but Pfizer must have picked this price to satisfy the seller’s mind and buy it cheap.’

‘All right, let’s make a deal with them. How much can we get more?’

Of course, I was the one who was standing in the lead in this negotiation. I would know the news from the future. I circled the price of $1,600,000,000. But in the meantime, the alarm went off. It was five o’clock. The alarm was for the alumni meeting. When I saw it, I stood up as I turned the alarm off.

‘It’s already five o’clock.’ Thinking about it, I came out of the president’s office with my overcoat on.

Secretary Park stood up and bowed his head.

I spoke to him, “You know there is an alumni meeting today, right?

“Oh, yes.”

“Get ready to go down there. I’ll go up and come back in a second.”

“Yes, boss.”

——

I took the elevator to the top floor. Ah-young was waiting for me at home. She asked as soon as she saw me. “How was it, oppa?”

“What?”

“Did you have a good conversation with the American?”

Ah-young had been getting to know what was going on in our company lately. I didn’t mean to say anything, but she asked me this and that since she had decided to become the queen helpmate.

I said softly, “Director Kim did a great job.”

“Hmm… really? So are you going to learn English or not?”

“I’m thinking about it.”

“Why?”

“I guess it’ll take too long to learn. Honestly, it doesn’t cost me much to use a good interpreter. There are people like Director Kim.”

“But it’s better if you do it yourself. I’ll teach you well, oppa.”

“All right. I’ll think about it.” I nodded and pulled the Rolls-Royce key from the car key box, two consecutive letters of capital R on the keychain. “By the way, I’ll be going right back down. I am a little late.”

“The alumni meeting?”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure you don’t mind going alone?”

“I have to go alone.”

Ah-young looked at me and put her arms around me. Last time she told me, “Do I have to go to the alumni meeting as a bride-to-be?”

Considering the fact that she said that, it seemed undesirable to leave her behind. I told her, “To be honest, I am not going to the alumni meeting today. It’s a similar meeting.”

“Really? It is not the alumni meeting?”

“Yes. It’s just that they call it that, so I call it that, too.”

“Really? That’s a weird meeting.”

I nodded. “It’s very strange. The people who gather there are just strange.”

But when she heard that, her eyes glistened. “Really? That would be fun. Strange people are funny.”

I snorted. “It’s not funny, it’s not that good. They’re boring weird people.”

“Really? But why are you going there?”

“For Business… I’m not going there because I want to go. But sometimes what I hear from them helps me do business.”

“Hmm… well, then, goodbye, oppa.”

I kissed her lightly and then took the elevator to the parking lot on the first basement floor. Secretary Park was waiting for me. I tossed the Rolls-Royce car key to him and said, “Let’s go.”

“Yes.” Secretary Park took the steering wheel, drawing a long breath. “Hoo-hoo.”

I saw Secretary Park’s face through the rearview mirror. He was usually the owner of a stiff face, but he seemed a little more firm today.

“Why? Are you nervous?”

Park spoke frankly, “Yes. I’m okay when I go to other places. However, I am nervous when I go there.”

“Well… is this the third time?”

“That’s right.” As he said that, he drove the Rolls-Royce out of there.

———————————

A private bar located in Cheongdam-dong, known to be opened only for foreigners and celebrities on weekends. But even though today was a weekday, it had opened. They rented out the entire building, including this hall in the basement. Garden Royal had their second gathering of the year. I drank only a little, just a cocktail, trying not to get drunk. I didn’t open my mouth much here, but I kept my ears open.

Someone said, “What does KJ think about it?”

“Joo Sung-won 6, So Kang-sup 3, Kwak Ji-won 1.”

“So it’s about the same. Joo Sung-won will be president, right?”

“We can’t help it. Han Sang-hoon and Lee Soo-won went away like that, and there isn’t another adversary for him.”

As the person who had sent Han Sang-hoon and Lee Soo-won away, I only listened without saying much.

“If we don’t have any variables, we’ll have to line up on the side of Joo Sung-won.”

“But he keeps talking about big corporate tax increases in his pledges. Is that okay?”

“No, after getting him elected, we have to control him not to do that. Besides, his term has been reduced to four years. Let’s tolerate him for a year or two and when the talk about re-election comes out, we will scare him.”

People here weren’t too afraid of the president. They had the mindset, ‘The president will be there for just four years, but money is eternal.’

When I saw them jeer at the president and his pledges who the people would elect, they were not people I would like. Nevertheless, it was necessary to keep their conversation in mind. The information that came out here was very high-end. Even if I knew the future news, I needed to keep one or two keywords in mind for my searches. I listened to their conversation politely.

But then someone called me, “By the way, CEO Han.” I looked over; it was Ko Jin-hee, the chairman of JISUNG Fashion. “Why did you buy a food company recently?”

President Huh Joon-ik of LC Construction also joined in at the remarks. “Oh, I heard that too. Why did our Midas buy it? Will that go a few times too?”

Those who led the nation’s big businesses also had no idea of the looming crisis. Even though they were at the top position, Korea was still only a puppet in the global economy. They couldn’t know what would happen in the future.

I thought for a moment. ‘How many people know this in advance? Perhaps the head of American politics, some of those who are at the peak, and others who lobby the politicians, Jewish capitalists coming out of conspiracy theories…’

I just said with a smile. “It’s delicious. Have you ever tried Mix Dumplings?”

Ko Jin-hee shook her head. “No.”

Of course not. She was born a princess and must have not eaten frozen dumplings.

“It’s delicious for the price. It’s easy to cook, so it’s popular with college students and self-employed people. If we expand to China or Southeast Asia, we’ll probably sell more.”

Ko Jin-hee said with a nod, “Oh, I see. I’ll tell the maid and try it.”

Huh Joon-ik spoke with admiration, “CEO Han Sang-hoon, you have a background from the common people and know what ordinary people like. That’s great!” I did not know whether it was a compliment or an insult.

‘I’d say it’s a compliment, but…’

This was my third time attending this meeting, so I had a rough idea of the characters of the next CEOs. These people basically thought they were nobles, different from ordinary people, and they didn’t even think it was a problem. Therefore, they did not think much of speaking out someone’s background, except for the only one.

A moment later someone spoke in my ear. “You don’t have to pay attention to that. He does it because he does not know anything.”

I looked up. It was none other than Tak Joon-gi’s cousin, Tak Mun-su of Suyeon Group…

Chapter 152 - Preparation For The Main Game, Part IV

I looked at Tak Mun-su and thought, ‘I don’t know if this person is a good person or a bad person.’ On the surface, no one was as kind and good as this. If I hadn’t seen him killing in the crow’s dream, if I’d been invited here, I would have thought this person was a truly trustworthy man. I bowed my head slightly to him in appreciation, for the moment.

Tak Moon-soo received it with a soft smile.

‘Umm…’ I didn’t know if it was because I’d seen it through the dream of Crow before, but every time he laughed, I felt like he was being pretentious. He was like a mannequin with a well-made smile. I watched the others, sipping the cocktail I was holding. The other CEOs of this group had weaknesses, every one. They were excessively narrow-minded, excessively ostentatious, excessively luxurious, excessively detached, or excessively cautious. However, if I thought about their characters the other way, they were also human. They were rich people with billions or tens of billions of dollars of assets, but Tak Mun-su did not feel that way well. It was like dealing with a computer.

He might have thought, ‘I’m going to comfort Han Sang-hoon. Then I can give him a good image,’ after Heo Joon-ik said what he had.

In a way, he seemed to be very capable, or very impersonal. He was somehow an odd character. I thought, ‘How will he react next April?’

I thought of the secret code “TWKC” written on the timetable at the time. That was the first news I saw on vacation when I went to Europe. [Tak Woo-kyung’s condition is critical and he is unconscious after a heart attack.]

‘If his father, who is hale and hearty, suddenly falls into a death crisis, he will face a great ordeal. If Tak Woo-kyung dies, he’ll pay an inheritance tax of 50%. Currently, Chairman Tak Woo-kyung’s assets are worth more than ten billion dollars. Tak Woo-kyung has been dodging inheritance taxes by giving out the prime businesses to Tak Mun-su and providing him with a lot of work to do, but it has not been enough to pass over that much money.’

He might have thought his father would live another ten years. However, even the richest man in Korea could not escape death. Of course, he wasn’t dying right away.

I kept searching for Tak Woo-kyung and found that he didn’t die after losing consciousness from the heart attack. [The cause of the heart attack of Tak Woo Kyung’s heart attack is an acute myocardial infarction.]

[Chairman Tak Woo-kyung is hospitalized in the VIP room of Seoul National University Hospital. He is unable to move, but conscious.]

But considering his age, it was highly likely that he would not last much longer. I felt Tak Mun-su might lose the smile at the corners of his mouth.

‘Hmm…’ I glanced at Tak Mun-su, downing the rest of the cocktail. Maybe it was because they were cousins. Looking at him reminded me of the face of Tak Joon-gi. Then, I recalled the data that Tak Joon-gi had investigated, and the will that was written there: When Tak Woo-kyung dies, I will detonate a nuclear bomb.

I thought I would be busy sometime in April and July next year.

—————————-

I brought my hand to the mouth of the dragon sculpture. The water from the mouth was very hot.

‘Is it too hot?’ I then put my hand in the outdoor bath. The water was just right as it cooled a little in the cold wind. ‘That’s enough.’

I turned my head and said, “Everything is ready here.” Then I threw away the robe I was wearing and went in. It was just the right temperature.

“Oho!…” I looked up at the sky with a shout. The winter sky of December was visible at a glance. Thanks to the hot, open-air heat of the outdoor bath, I could watch the scenery while completely naked. Ah-young appeared with a tray in her hands.

“How do you feel? Is it warm?” She was only wearing a long towel.

“If you don’t come in quickly, you’ll catch a cold.”

“Yes, wait a minute.” Ah-young put the tray down next to me; a gourd bottle with some Japanese words, cider cans, and fish cake skewers were on the tray.

“What are they?”

“The outdoor bath reminds me of Japan, so I prepared them. They are hot fish cake skewers and sake, Mr. CEO.”

“Oh yes. They look good.”

Ah-young came into the bath with her hands on the tie of the towel. Then she asked, pouring sake to the glass, “So, what are you going to do with one and a half billion dollars?”

I corrected her words by taking a glass from her. “Not one and a half, but 1.58 billion dollars.” I opened the cider can with my other hand and poured it into her glass.

“Does that make any difference when the numbers get so big?” She told me.

“Well, eighty million dollars is huge.”

Ah-young and I tinked glasses and took a one-shot of the sake. A hot fire poured down my throat. I breathed deep, as if I could exhale that fiery energy. “Hoo…”

Yesterday afternoon, I had signed a contract to sell the stake in Hyun Young Pharmaceutical owned by Invictus Investment to Pfizer for 1.58 billion dollars. I tried 1.65 billion dollars as a counter offer, but after looking at the failed deal in the future news, I called it at 1.6 billion dollars, and it was counter-offered at 1.58 billion dollars. I decided to sell it there without dragging things out further.

First of all, it was not a bad price, and second, I decided it was time to raise the cash. So, I sold it. As a result, Invictus Investment had secured 1.58 billion dollars from Pfizer, following up on the two billion dollars from Tencent gained from selling Kai Games to them. A total of 3.58 billion dollars was no doubt enough to say that the ammunition for the next battle had been secured.

Ah-young handed me a fish cake skewer and said, “So what are you going to do with 1.58 billion dollars?”

“Well… I’ll have to invest somewhere else.”

“Umm, are you investing again?”

“Yes, money is bound to rot if it stays still.”

There are two main enemies for the rich. The first is taxes, and the second is inflation. Although the tax goes out, it only does so if money comes in. If money stays still, the expense going out is inflation, chipping away at the value of each dollar every day. As a result, most rich people don’t hold much cash for a long time. Most of them invest in stocks, bonds, or real estate, even if they are in debt. This is because they know that there is a greater increase in asset value there than the decrease from the inflation rate.

Ah-young asked me, “What are you going to do with your continued earnings?”

It was a simple, but quite essential question. I thought it over, and replied, “First of all, I will be the richest person in Korea. That way, I’ll be able to live without anyone’s help. I’m thinking of running out there for now. And then I think of something else.”

As I said that, I recalled the gathering of the Garden Royale the other day. If I was not at the level to overpower all of them, I could not be said to be at the peak of Korea.

“Well, okay. What are you going to buy this time?”

“Well, I’m not buying anything this time. I’m thinking of selling it.”

“You selling?”

“Yes. There are some financial products that sell things that I don’t have: sell them first and buy it later and give it back.”

“Well, is it… Is this a short stock sale? That’s too bad. I thought I’d buy it too, if you were buying something.” Everyone around me was talking about the same thing.

I told her, “No way. Investors don’t make money by copying someone. You can make a quick buck, but you’ll end up losing it. Just be ready to go to my parents’ home next month. That’s your best investment.”

Ah-young replied, pouring sake again to my empty glass. “Well, I got that!”

In the meantime, I chewed a fish cake skewer she had given me. It tasted better than expected. “Wow, this is delicious.”

“That’s right, isn’t it?”

Ah-young had been learning in the culinary academy for half a year. Her skill had been rapidly improving. Whether her major in art helped her with her dexterity or not, she had her own talent for this.

“Yes, if I do this for your parents, I’ll be accepted right away as good at cooking.”

“Are they ready for this?”

“Yes.”

To be honest, my parents rarely opposed what I said now. I had bought them a big building and made them secure in their old age. Therefore, if I said something, it would usually go, “Yes, do it however you want.”

Of course, welcoming a daughter-in-law was a different matter, but I thought they’d like to see Ah-young as well. She had been really nice to me lately. I was sure my parents would agree, if she were in their eyes.

Ah-young said, leaning against my shoulder. “Then shall I have some side dishes when I go there? They can try them.”

“That wouldn’t be bad, either. My parents don’t like to go out to eat, even for expensive food. So if they see their daughter-in-law serving rice and side dishes this way…”

But then my cell phone on the back of the dragon’s head rang. I reached out and picked it up. When I pressed the call button, Vice President Jang gasped and made a loud noise.

“Boss! We have a big deal.”

“Big deal? What’s the big deal?”

To be honest, I didn’t have anything big to do. I’d already know if there was a really big deal through the future news. I spoke calmly, “What’s the matter, Vice President Jang?”

“Oh, I got a call from Amazon. They want to take over FutureSync.”

‘Oh… that’s it.’ I took a deep breath and shouted, “Really? From Amazon?”

At any rate, it was the hardest thing to pretend to be normal. When I made an agreeable response, Jang said even more excitedly, “I heard that at the last Silicon Valley conference, a senior executive at Amazon was impressed by FutureSync’s technology. They say the Amazon M&A team will come to Korea soon to bargain.”

I stood up from the open outdoor bath and said, “Oh, really? That’s great. I am going to sell it soon.”

I decided to go through the sales process without further dragging on this time. The year was about to change from 2020 to 2021. I didn’t have any more time to relax.

“Then we’ll prepare an M&A negotiation team right away.”

“Yes, Vice President. I ask a favor of you.”

When I finished talking, I put my cell phone back in place. Ah-young was looking up at me. “What’s going on?” she asked.

I hugged Ah-young’s shoulder with one hand, and said, lifting up a sloshing glass of sake with the other hand, “Everything is going well.”

“Hmm. You’ve never really lost…”

“That’s why I named it Invictus Investment, because I have not been defeated.” I drank a second glass of sake. Now all the preparations were over. It was time for the fire-breathing dragon to rise.

Chapter 153 - In A Repeated History

I opened my eyes, finding that Ah-young was not in the bed. I got up from it and walked out of the bedroom. The sharp smell from the kitchen irritated my nose. I rubbed my eyes and said to the kitchen. “You woke up early, didn’t you? Is it kimchi stew today?”

I could hear Ah-young’s voice from the kitchen. “Yes. I’m trying tuna kimchi stew today. Wash yourself and eat.”

“Yes.” I was about to head to the shower when I suddenly looked outside. Thick snow was falling from the sky, blanketing Seoul in white. I looked at it silently with my arms crossed.

Ah-young touched my shoulder and asked, “What are you thinking?”

“No, I just… thought it was snowing a lot.”

“It will be spring soon.”

I repeated Ah-young’s words, “Is it going to be spring…?” It seemed that it had not been long since the New Year’s countdown took place, but it was already mid-February. “Did it happen already?”

As I said that, Ah-young patted me on the back and said, “Mr. President, you’ve been so busy lately that time seems to be running faster.”

I had indeed been a little busy lately. As the year changed to 2021, I worked harder than usual. I finished the sale of the FutureSync, checking the subsidiaries. However, the knowledge that there was a tsunami coming soon, seemed to make me nervous. In any case, all the work settled in a cool way. I sold a 51% stake of FutureSync to Amazon for 1.2 billion dollars and took the cash. As a result, my company had nearly five billion dollars in cash.

The media wrote such articles.

[About five billion dollars in cash alone. What’s the next step for Invictus Investment?]

[CEO Han Sang-hoon, preparing for some giant M&A, will load five billion dollars into bullets.]

[What’s the next target for CEO Han Sang-hoon? Is it about to acquire a global pharmaceutical company?]

But I had not moved, not touching the money. It was not the right time yet. Besides, I couldn’t move easily, as there were many eyes watching me these days.

‘The more information is spread, the less valuable it becomes.’

I was about to move quietly so that others could not notice. I asked Ah-young, “What are you doing today? If you don’t mind, shall we go somewhere today?”

“I’m going to go shopping with your mother and sister today.”

My eyes popped wide. “Oh, really?”

“Yes, I told you two days ago. Your mother will come up today and I will be attending to her by going shopping.”

Come to think of it, I might have heard it. I asked, “Then… shall I come with you?”

“No, oppa, don’t come. If you don’t come, I can become better acquainted with them.”

I looked at her and nodded, “… yes.”

Ever since she had visited my parents’ house, Ah-young had been quietly getting into my family. Fortunately, both sides liked one another. We were gradually moving toward marriage, although we didn’t mention the word ‘marriage’ directly.

‘If lovers have faith in each other, as always, they don’t have to take it out of their mouths and say it.’

I made up my mind to get married later this year or early next year, when the incident in the summer was over.

——————————-

At 8:30 a.m., I took the elevator down to work in the president’s office. “Good morning.”

“Good morning, boss!” Secretary Park greeted me.

“How’s it going?”

“Oh yes. Nothing much. We got a call from MBE. They want you to appear in ‘Meet the Super Ant’ again. Viewers’ requests are pouring in.”

I could guess the story roughly. They bought Changhae Food and Songhae Brewing along with me, but the price went up slightly and it didn’t go up any more, so they’d like to ask me why.

“Tell them it’s difficult. I’m so busy.”

“Yes, I see, boss.”

To be honest, I wasn’t too busy to go on the show again, but I said that for now. The only thing the public wanted to hear from me was that Changhae Food and Songhae Brewing would go double or triple.

But to tell the truth, it would be good if both stocks did not fall. Even the price that had gone up after the people bought these stocks was likely to vanish. It was better to shut up when I couldn’t talk. Moreover, I was didn’t want to see the announcer with bobbed-hair who had tried to seduce me by giving me her phone number.

Before going into the president’s office, I told Secretary Park. “Ji-hoon is coming today, isn’t he?”

“Yes, he is.”

Seo Ji-hoon, who had worked as a secretary until last year, had phoned me and said, “I will drop by your company. It’s not for any matter, but for a startup interim report and a New Year’s greeting.”

“Yes, it’s been a while since the three of us have had a meal.”

“Yes.”

Entering the president’s office, I read the future news, searched for news in my name, and turned on the HTS to activate the automatic trading algorithm, as usual. The computer brought in more money by trading stocks, as I had programmed it.

To praise myself, I’d made a lot of donations to children who had cancer, soldiers who had been disabled while serving in the military, or children who gave up college because they didn’t have money. I had started this because of my reputation, but now that a few billion dollars had come into our company, I was doing it because I thought I had to. It was noblesse oblige.

Of course, even if I would take a shower at home with a bunch of money, or would spend it around the entertainment district in Gangnam, the email of 12 Hours After would come, and Customer Service would not say anything. However, I felt that if I did not return this money to society after making money through great luck, it would not make sense somehow. I had enough money for the rest of my life, and I was sure I’d make more in the future.

Around lunch time, the telephone rang. I picked up the phone in anticipation of the loud voice of Secretary Park. But what I heard was Seo Ji-hoon’s voice, which was slightly higher than his.

“Mr. President, I’m here.” He must have picked up Park’s phone and said it himself.

“Come in,” I said with a smile.

Soon the rather frivolous Seo came in and greeted me. “How are you?”

I clapped him on the shoulder, and said, “I’m always fine. By the way, you’ve lost a lot of weight.”

“I’ve been so busy lately that I don’t have time to eat.”

“Yes, you should be busy, as you are working with my money. Sit down.”

Seo Ji-hoon took a seat in the president’s office.

“So, are things going well?”

“Yes, we’ve got all the manpower we need, and now we’re starting to develop. Please take a look.” He handed me a few sheets of A4.

‘Chat apps with big data collection and utilization.’

This was one of the ideas I used to think about when I had been preparing for a start-up with him in college.

“Do you really want to try this again?”

“Yes. I have enough capital this time, so I’m going to try it again.”

“Well… the problem at the time was capital and regulation.”

“Even advanced countries, which value personal privacy, have recently removed restrictions under the condition that they should have with a user’s consent. Wouldn’t Korea follow them?”

“Well, I feel that Korea is a bit conservative in regulation…” As I was saying that, I suddenly remembered that I would be able to make some adjustments to domestic policy. So I corrected what I was going to say and said to him, “But since a new president will be chosen this year, a little change might be made. Try hard first. Only those who are prepared can take the chance.”

“Yes.”

I put the report aside. “So where are you going to set up your company?”

“It’s in Pangyo. There are a lot of people with abilities sitting there.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Oh, that’s what I wanted to ask you.”

“What is it?”

“We are thinking of buying an office. The rent we’re about to pay is very high, and it’s better to start by buying an office with a few hundred thousand dollars than to pay for fixed expenses…”

“Wouldn`t it be better to do it on a short-term lease?”

“Shall we?”

“Yes. In my opinion.”

He said, nodding his head. “Hmm… as expected.”

“As expected?”

“No, there’s been a rumor going around these days; you have been just disposing of all the stocks you have and holding cash only. Therefore, I think the economy is going to be a little bad.”

I nodded and looked out of the window. “The nature of things is really fun. It’s like every new thing that happens, but if we look into the past, there’s definitely a similar thing, so history repeats itself, I think it’s true.”

When I suddenly came up with a history story, Ji-hoon listened to me quietly. I kept talking. “When the economy is in a boom, people get wet with sweet dreams. House prices go up every day, and stock prices go up. The factories are running fast, and a new building is just around the corner. But when that dream doesn’t come true, when the products from the factory aren’t sold and they pile up in stock and the new building’s empty, it becomes a nightmare.”

I said with my hands on my chin, “But nevertheless, people repeat it. Looking at modern world history, it’s all the same. In any country, they’ve all experienced it once, especially in Northeast Asian countries. They’re very similar. They’re diligent, their enthusiasm for education is high, and their culture is too much alike. They’re basically manufacturing-based, export-based countries. When a buyer disappears, they will be hurting soon.”

I swallowed and kept talking. “Japan had its peak in the 1980s as they crossed to the U.S., but after the Plaza Accord, they lost thirty years. Korea copied Japan and its chaebol-dominated government grew with great success, but growth has been stunted since the IMF hit the country in the 1990s. The captain didn’t let that happen.”

Ji-hoon asked me, “The captain?”

“Yes. America. Needless to say, the United States is the current head of the economic system.” I asked him, “Think about it. Where will that happen next?”

Japan, South Korea… the next country was obvious.

Ji-hoon saw the answer right away. “Do you mean China?”

I kept talking, looking out the window. “The Plaza Accord was a blatant U.S. attack on Japan, and the foreign exchange crisis was also done at the connivance of the U.S. In the first place, the lack of foreign exchange means using dollars. And that’s exactly what China is like now. When Deng Xiaoping died in 1997, he told his successors that they should crouch in front of the U.S. for the next hundred years. But do you think his will is being followed now?”

Ji-hoon shook his head at my words.

I told him, “Go rent an office for now. The owner of a building will not be comfortable.”

Chapter 154 - . Sell China

February 2021. As usual, I sat in the president’s office and watched the monitor. When it rang, I picked up the ringing phone right away. I could hear Secretary Park’s voice. “We’re all here, boss.”

I got up from my seat, fixed my jacket and left the office. Secretary Park accompanied me. Instead of taking the elevator, we went down just one floor using the emergency stairs. Right below the president’s office was the conference room. I walked in and said to Secretary Park, “What about wiretaps or anything?”

“I’ve checked everything.”

“Yes. Good job.” I entered the conference room with that remark. Inside the conference room, four people were standing waiting for me: Vice President Jang, Director Kim, Director Chung, and Director Kang. The four people had all been the core of the company that had been supporting me since the founding of Invictus Investment. They bent their heads to me and greeted me, “Are you here, boss?”

I sat in the chief’s seat at the end of the table, gesturing at the same time. “Sit down, please.”

The four executives sat down at my instruction. I then winked at Secretary Park and he came forward and said, “Before we start the meeting, Vice President Jang and all the directors, please take out your cell phones and give them to me.”

Vice President Jang and the directors looked up at Secretary Park and then at me. I nodded. They rummaged through their pants and took out their cell phones.

“Please understand. Today’s meeting is a serious matter, so I have to pay special attention to security. It’s not that I don’t trust you, but the smartphones can be used deceptively. I’ll return your cell phones right after the meeting.”

As I spoke, four people bent their heads. Secretary Park took them one by one, bowed to me and left the main conference room. Now there were only five people left in the big conference room, including me. I took a look at the left and right sides. Vice President Jang and Director Chung on the right, and Director Kim and Director Kang on the left, all looking at me in a slightly nervous state. It was the first time since the company had been founded that key members were suddenly called in and their cell phones taken.

“Ahem.” Once I cleared my throat, I said to them, “The reason I asked you to come today…” Naturally, all four people’s eyes were on me.

“Starting today, I’m making a bet on the company’s best fortune. If we win here, Invictus Investment will be a company that will be ranked one of the nation’s top businesses, but if we fail here, we’ll probably have to close.”

Someone gulped. I continued carefully. “The biggest issue of our time, I think, is the hegemonic war between the United States and China. This is a huge, invisible war, fighting over the hegemony of the world. 2018 was three years ago. I think that’s where Donald Trump started the U.S.-China trade war when he started imposing tariffs on China. And of course, at the time, it looked like it was being properly sutured, expanding imports of U.S. products, removing state subsidies from several companies and strengthening the yuan. China accepted U.S. demands.”

They were listening to me in silence. I went on, “However, I think the end of the negotiations was not the end of the U.S. war with China, but the beginning of the attack. Let’s think of Japan in the 1980s. The Plaza Accord forced the yen to appreciate, but since then, Japan has been on a downward spiral, losing price competitiveness at high exchange rates. The merchandise that used to be selling well did not.

“In the meantime, Korea, which had relatively low exchange rates, took advantage of the opportunity to take the position of Japan and achieved tremendous growth. However, Korea fell into the same situation as Japan in the 2010s. China’s low-cost workforce and low-exchange rates have put all of Korea’s major industries at risk, whether it’s consumer electronics, shipbuilding, IT or chemicals.”

As I talked, all of them nodded. Up to this point, it was something that anyone in the investment industry could find in textbooks.

“Two years ago, in 2019, China ended up appreciating the yuan under pressure from the U.S. That temporarily led to China’s short-term bull run, with its purchasing power increasing and its stock prices rising. But so did Japan’s. Even after the Plaza Accord, Japan also had a boom for several years. Was that not so?”

Vice President Jang agreed here. “Yes, sir, it was.”

“But now China is going through the same situation. The forced appreciation of the yuan seems to have improved the purchasing power of the people, but exports are worsening. In the midst, the debt for the high growth rate that they’ve been using to support their growth is holding back. If China’s economy is shaken a little bit here, it’s going to be attacked by international speculators, including hedge funds in the U.S., with the approval of the U.S. government.”

At my words, Director Chung told me, “But Mr. President, the hypothesis is problematic. America’s imports and China’s exports… If it’s enough to shake the system… even if the U.S. were to hit China, they would suffer a lot too.”

I nodded. It usually came as a rebuttal to this hypothesis. “There’s a saying that you get a big victory instead of losing a small amount of money. I think the U.S. will make enough sacrifices to maintain its global hegemony, because it’s China. Let’s think of Japan, which went through the same thing. Japan has no nuclear weapons, and has little power but its navy to protect its island. Even the U.S. Pacific Fleet is stationed there. In fact, the U.S. allowed Japan to live together. Japan hasn’t attacked the U.S. since the Pearl Harbor air strike in World War II.”

I tapped the table twice and carried on my words. “But China is different, and it is no wonder. China is a country with great potential. They have a huge population and a great zeal for education… and they have nuclear weapons. Like the former Soviet Union, they can be a competitor, challenging American hegemony. They were actually going to do that. However, I don’t think the U.S. will tolerate that.”

Jang added to my remarks. “That’s what I think. If the U.S. is looking for a country that can make things at a really low price, there’s another alternative besides China. In the same Pacific region, there’s Indonesia with the world’s fourth-largest population, and there’s India, a little bit further, going beyond China to the top of the population. China is too big to grow together. I think the U.S. could break the momentum down here.”

I continued, clasping my hands here. “Looking back, there’s been a lot of strange signs in the Chinese economy lately. Jiwoo Entertainment, which we acquired, was one such case. A large Chinese company bought a Korean company at a high price and sold it in a hurry. The company had no problem at all. There’s been a little bit more of that strange thing going on lately, so… I think the collapse is not far off. I have a hunch that…”

Director Kang blurted out, his eyes narrowed, “The collapse?”

“Yes. The collapse. Chinese companies have blocked it with debt, but they may eventually go bankrupt, from small companies to big ones. Then there’s going to be a problem for the banks, too. I think that’s going to create a credit crunch, and that’s going to cause the yuan to fall steeply. China will go through the same foreign exchange crisis as our country did in the IMF, but the United States will turn its eyes. China will not breathe comfortably for years.”

Director Kang told me, “Mr. President, isn’t it dangerous for our country, too? Our country has become more dependent on China than the U.S. in recent years.”

I nodded. “Of course. Our country will also have a big crisis.”

“Then let’s move the money to safe assets…” When he said that, he stopped talking. He was the one who had turned our Invictus Investment’s cash into gold and silver…

I smiled. “That’s what Vice President Jang has been doing since the middle of last year; selling your company, reducing investment, transferring assets to safe assets. I was going to do this much and just watch, staying away from the casino table for a while. But as time went by, I was more and more convinced. I’m sure the crisis in China’s economy is just around the corner. So, I started thinking, not just about curling up, but about being aggressive.”

It was an honest remark. After the news I had seen half a year ago when I was traveling abroad, news about China continued to pour in from the “Economy” and “World” categories.

I put my hands flat and came to the point. “Listen carefully. In the next few months, our company will short sell the yuan and China. I am going to buy asset puts in China, regardless of whether it is in the U.S., Singapore, Hong Kong, or it is direct foreign exchange investment in the FX market. We will invest all of five billion dollars that we have in cash.”

As I spoke, the directors, as well as Vice President Jang, were stunned.

“All five billion dollars in cash?”

I answered calmly, “Yes.”

Vice President Jang also spoke up cautiously. “Boss, isn’t that too dangerous?”

Director Kang also said, “There is a saying that even God doesn’t know the exchange rate. Boss, you’re planning too risky an investment.”

Director Chung joined the group. “The yen has stabilized since the Plaza Accord. Will the yuan fall like that?”

I told him stories based on what I had seen in the future news. “The yen was able to hold out because the U.S. allowed Japan to live together with them. They let them live through the lost thirty years, and then they went through a painful deflation. But China is different. The U.S. thinks of China as a real threat. So it’s probably going to lead to a state bankruptcy. They will take away its G2 status and will not let it recover for years at the same time.”

As I spoke, Director Chung couldn’t object any more. I talked about more future knowledge here. “If we think about the International Monetary Fund (IMF), we can see that our country was also raised by the U.S. and died by the U.S. We gained weight rapidly when the foreign exchange came in, but was almost twisted to death when it escaped. But then they saved our country’s life. For the U.S., Korea is a good listener. If the sheep is mild, the owner simply cuts the wool and raises it again. But what if the sheep grows too big? And what if it wants to attack its master? The owner might kill the sheep that grew too big. I think that’s what’s going to happen.”

At what I said, Vice President Jang and the directors only rolled their eyes at each other and couldn’t speak any more. They couldn’t disobey me in the first place. Our company never received any investments from anyone. There was no other shareholder or such person to oppose my decision.

I spoke clearly here, “Sell China, that is the keynote of our company this year. You know that; please move on it!”

Chapter 155 - Sell China, Part II

After the meeting with the company executives, our company began to buy China-related short-selling assets, such as FX yuan selling, Shanghai Stock inverse leverage, and Hong Kong Hang Seng foot option, very quietly and secretly. We joined hands little by little if they were betting on falling Chinese-related assets in various markets – Korea, the U.S., China, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

Originally I had planned a very aggressive FX foreign exchange transaction, but Jang’s dissuasion shifted my mind to diversified investment. “If you do that, you could lose your entire fortune in real time.”

The future news for me did not exactly say what the yuan would be on which date and month, or where the Shanghai Index would be. All I could see was the approximate direction. As Jang said, falling assets could go up in a day or two. If I were very unlucky after making an extreme bet, the loss could be too big to handle. In other words, the worst-case scenario was not only about losing money, but also about being demoted back to the Gold or Platinum Class. It might take years to come back. So I carried out the sale of Chinese assets on a somewhat common-sense level, though it seemed to be crazy to the general public. I was sorry, but it was okay.

‘Originally, all economic cycles are like four seasons, so there’s reconstruction after the crisis, there’s a boom after the reconstruction. In any economy, once it’s ruined, it’s just a rip-off. If I buy the items cheaply with the money I earn then, I will earn several times as much money during the economic reconstruction. After it goes down, when it goes back up, I’ll make a lot of money twice. So if I can figure out the inflection point of an asset, if I know the timing of the seasons, I can sweep the money completely.’

And I was getting the timing right. ‘It will be July of this year.’

Perhaps some of the global hedge funds were aware that the summer of the global economy would be over, and that a harsh winter was coming after the fall.

According to reports from several directors, they were hearing such news.

[China Inverse Leverage is getting a little pricey.]

[Personal foreign exchange dealers are selling the yuan at a little less than the stated exchange rate.]

[Hedge fund Yellowstone has decided to dispose of its shares in Alibaba. The discount rate is quite high.]

They were seeing strange signs not only in our company, but also elsewhere. The Garden Royale Spring Conference in March also had such stories. I did not say anything, especially when it came to the future news. The third and fourth generation of chaebol who attended the meeting also talked about China.

“We`ve decided to scale down our Chinese distribution business a bit.”

“Why?”

“Some of the directors tacked the business plan, and they said the atmosphere was weird. This year, China’s economy could be in a bit of a slump, so we cut back on our investment.”

As I listened, I had thought, ‘A bit of a slump? It’s not a bit of a slowdown, but the Great Depression. The directors are idiots. No… not idiots, maybe they are too smart.’

Some directors who had tackled the issue might have made a correct prediction, but failed to give him proper advice, as I read the owner’s countenance.

‘The owner is motivated to run a business, no one can say, “We need to withdraw now.” Even if they say it directly, they should say it properly so that it doesn’t hurt the owner’s feelings. Directors have a high salary, but they’re all contract workers. If they save their position, they can earn one or two more years’ salary. In any case, the future is an area of uncertainty for humans.’

The directors might not want to be responsible for that alone, saying ‘It has to be this way. It has to be like that.’ It would be safe and good to avoid danger saying, ‘It could be this way. It could be that way.’

“How much did you cut?”

“70% or so.”

‘You should’ve reduced it to zero.’

Although they were at the top of the nation, none of these people were actively moving, even though they noticed some signs. It was inevitable. No matter how much they were aware of this situation, it was hard to think The Great Depression was coming to China.

And as I watched them, there was also a personal bias problem for these people. Unlike his great-grandfather, grandfather, and the generation who had founded large companies on bare ground, the third and fourth-generation chaebol lacked the spirit of challenge and looked toward stability.

They only took the so-called ‘safety bread’ that would win an economy of scale with inherited money. Betting their good fortune, like their ancestors, did not go well. That might be how the nation’s economy had grown.

“There’s going to be a slowdown in China? Our group’s economic research team says that it will be fine. What do you think, CEO Han?”

Some of them asked me for my opinion, but I just replied like a real professional investor, “It could be dangerous. I think it’s better to be careful.”

This was the way people predicted the future of asset prices, regardless of stock and real estate.

‘I think it’s better…’

‘You’d better do it…’

They would say something in vague terms. It would be good to be right, or it would be bad to be wrong. They would not mind if it was right or not. In fact, it was just a vague statement that they could escape from easily.

Someone who had a good grasp of my psychology said, “Come on, CEO Han. Please talk about it honestly. You’re the best professional here. Up or down, what is it?”

It was a management-like breakthrough, but I managed to get away with it. “Nobody knows about the future. There’s a saying in the stock market: stocks are not forecasting, but responding. Watch how the economic indicators in China come out, how the exchange rate moves and how the stock market flows. Respond carefully. Then at least you won’t lose.”

I was a little bit conscience-stricken when I said that. I didn’t predict the future, but knew it regardless. And the economic indicators were not at all reliable because China was a country that had authoritarian aspects in economy and politics, and so they often manipulated statistics to make a good impression on their superiors. In fact, the economic indicators were still coming out good now, just five months before the date. They didn’t know how rotten it was in the real world.

In the meantime, Tak Mun-su gave me some support again. “Don’t be so hard on CEO Han Sang-hoon. He’s not even our sole adviser.”

He was always a good man to me. I didn’t know why he did that for me. However, it was hard to believe that he was a good man. I had seen him say “Let him go” on the roof of Suyeon Travel. I couldn’t regard him well because of the way he had tapped his wrist with one hand.

He still had a friendly face, and when I looked at him, I naturally thought ‘Will that smiling expression go on until the fall?’

——————————-

In April, two scheduled events took place. First, Tak Mun-su’s father, Tak Woo-kyung, was taken to the emergency room for acute myocardial infarction, as the news had said. He was quite healthy for his early seventies, but suddenly he had a heart attack. As the owner of a large company, a medical professional would have been assisting him. In any case, life and death seemed to be in the hands of providence.

Of course, if I had a heart attack, I would have gone to the hospital and been lying down, but most of the few people who were able to understand when Tak Woo-kyung was taken to the hospital would have thought like so:

‘If Tak Woo-kyung dies so suddenly, there’s a problem with the inheritance tax.’

‘So, what happens to Suyeon Group’s succession process?’

However, such news never came out in the media. It seemed that Suyeon Group was checking on it so that it would not be an issue.

I recalled Tak Joon-gi’s words, “When Tak Woo-kyung dies, I will look for a chance,” but I decided to watch the moves for now. There was something more important in the near future. I’d been busily spending every day watching and listening to Chinese stories on the future news, and getting reports from directors about investments, rather than following their moves currently.

The second scheduled event was none other than the presidential election. The presidential vote was on the second of May. Another presidential race was held about a month before the vote. Just as I prepared the way, Mayor Joo Sung-won was definitely in first. In the People Search, Joo Sung-won was the constant winner.

What was a little sad was that Mayor Joo Sung-won would face a major crisis as soon as he was elected president. He came up with an ambitious pledge to ease regulations, support low-income families, enhance welfare, support small businesses, and promote start-ups. He would not be able to complete that pledge to help the Korean economy once it started staggering due to the financial crisis in China.

[President Joo Sung-won visited Sejong City and ordered all preparations to prevent damage by the financial crisis.]

[President Joo Sung-won will check whether the savings bank is insolvent.]

[President Joo Sung-won provides public funds to companies on the verge of bankruptcy.]

‘In fact, there is a certain level of luck in managing state affairs, but he doesn’t seem to be very lucky…’

As I knew the results anyway, I didn’t pay much attention to the presidential election itself, but I found out what happened afterwards.

‘The presidential election will be held on May Second… So, when will he be taking office? Previously, a new president took office about two months after the vote. This time, with the constitutional revision reducing the current president’s term by a year, the voting is in early May and his term will immediately begin in late May. So, Joo Sung-won will take office as president in late May, and just two months later, he will face a financial crisis originating from China.’

Seeing that, I decided to help him a little bit while I was busy.

——————————-

“Secretary Park, call Chung So-young, CEO of Oracle News, and have her come see me today.”

One day in April, I called Chung So-young to the president’s office.

“Did you call me, boss?” CEO Chung So-young appeared in a vividly colored suit, as always. Although she was growing older, she seemed to be getting more attractive. I knew it was not common, but sometimes there were lucky women like her.

‘Why is she still single?’ I told her, thinking about it. “I’d like to put a story I want on Oracle News, as I said last year.”

“What kind of editorial do you want?”

“It’s about the economy. The title is…” I hit the table a couple of times with my fingertips and said, “How can we respond to China`s financial crisis? I’d like to do that.”

She said, with slightly wider eyes, “Are you going to write it yourself?”

I nodded. “Yes. I’ll write it. But it’s a secret, absolutely a secret. Don’t let it slip outside.”

“Yes, sir. If you send us the manuscript, we’ll send it out after we do the proofreading.”

“Yes, please.”

After Chung So-young left the president’s office, I began writing the manuscript right away, based on what I had seen in the future news. It was an editorial that actually showed the President how to get out of the crisis by managing the state. And the next president, Joo Sung-won, would certainly see the article, as he was still on my leash.

Korea’s large trade volume with China made it impossible to avoid the impact of the economic crisis in China, but he might at least take measures to ease the shock if he managed the state affairs this way.

There were two benefits that I could gain from this. The first was to win the trust of President Joo Sung-won. If he saw the editorial in Oracle News go right, President Joo Sung-won would trust me more and rely on me. Then it was clear that my influence on the government would grow even bigger. Second, for a simpler reason, I was also a businessman. If the country did well, I would do better in many ways!

Chapter 156 - Sell China, Part III

Above the empty A4 paper, only the cursor was flashing. I faced it and breathed deeply, my arms crossed.

I’d seen a lot of news over the past few years, whether it had been future news or real news, but it was not easy to write my own manuscript.

‘How can Korea respond to China’s financial crisis?’ After picking out the title and staring at the monitor for almost an hour, I turned to the right to check the current time. It was 2:00 p.m. I called in Chung So-young, and I said confidently, “I’ll send you the manuscript before you leave today, so please review it right away.” However, when I tried to write it, not a single line came out easily.

‘I said it would be there before you leave, so I have to write it within three hours or four hours at the latest… Is this what writers who suffer from writer’s block feel like?,’ I thought, my arms still crossed.

‘Shall I ask her to extend the deadline a little bit? I’m going to stop by a quiet cafe and write something tonight. Even if that’s the case, CEO Chung So-young won’t criticize me. No, I said that this morning. If I ask for an extension, my authority as the president of the parent company will be reduced. Let’s just do it. No, there’s something important going on at the company, so I could say that. Now I’m handling a billion dollars of money, and it’s more important. It’s quite thinkable. That’s right… but if I put it off like that, I won’t be able to write it.’

I’d been fighting inside myself, I took a long breath, reached for the keyboard, and managed to write the first sentence. ‘The biggest topic running through the world in this era is the hegemonic war between the U.S. and China.’

—————————-

“The biggest topic that runs through the world in this era is the hegemonic war between the U.S. and China. You wrote this?” Ah-young asked me when she looked at me while looking at the Internet page with my editorial on it.

“Yes. How is it?” I said, nodding my head.

“I think you wrote it well. It’s a difficult story, but I can read it easily.”

“It’s probably because experts touched it up. It wasn’t this good at first.”

“That’s great, though. You wrote and posted it this way.”

“But writing is harder than I thought.” I smiled a bit bitterly when I saw her.

“I agree. I think I’d have a hard time writing that long. Well done, our CEO. Anyway, you wrote a good article.” Ah-young came behind me and massaged me on the shoulders.

“Hoo… but I think I’ll probably have to write three or four more times,” I said with a sigh.

“Hmm? Why?”

“Well… because of patriotism?”

“Patriotism? What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Ah-young did not understand clearly what I was talking about, but I didn’t tell her the inside story.

“There is. It’s like… Oh, and it’s a secret that I wrote this. Don’t tell even my family or anyone else.”

“… really? Hmm. Okay.”

At my serious tone, Ah-young tilted her head, but accepted my words for now. The editorial in Oracle News was a very secret communication channel.

‘If this turns out to be my direct talking to the president, I may be caught off guard and criticized by the public. Good or bad, our people don’t have very good feelings for hidden power. In the first place, hidden power negates representative democracy.’

In any case, I regularly wrote and released the following editorials until the election and the inauguration.

[The Korean government should cut back on corporate investment in China.]

[We must be fully prepared for the financial crisis originating from China.]

[We must reduce our excessive credit and shake off false entries.]

[Now is the time to tighten up rather than invest.]

Then, the results came out, and it worked!

——————————-

President Joo Sung-won, who was inaugurated as the twentieth president of the Republic of Korea in May 2021, had already put the brakes on investment into China by the government, which was implemented at the same time he formed a cabinet. Everyone was surprised. Most newly inaugurated presidents had committed to holding power while checking other powerful agencies such as the National Assembly and the prosecution office. However, he unexpectedly did something to stop overseas investment.

This caused a lot of controversy. Even a media outlet in favor of President Joo Sung-won referred to it as a “weird act,” while opposition parties criticized it, calling it an act that ruined economic exchanges with the second-largest GDP country. Even when several Chinese companies failed to repay debts from bond maturities in June, criticism of the president did not abate. Many people criticized President Joo Sung-won for making a dangerous bet that ignored China, the G2, and the hegemonic countries.

Then July came.

——————————-

On July first, I sat in the conference room and was briefed by four of my closest aides.

“Most of the Chinese Inverses in the U.S. have been bought.”

“Nikkei-listed ETFs are also nearing the end of their buying sprees.”

“We’re close to our goals of buying dollars and selling the yuan.”

Five months after our first meeting in February, the investment of five billion dollars I had distributed to them was nearing completion.

“Yes, thank you all for your hard work. Please cheer up until the end,” I said in front of them. This was the beginning of the catastrophe.

But in the meantime, Director Kim, who did not understand what was going on, asked me, “Mr. President, will it be okay? Is China really going through a credit crisis?”

He still looked unsure. It was a little sad that he couldn’t trust me, but it was not something I couldn’t understand. China was the world’s fourth-largest country, with a population of 1.3 billion, and its GDP was in the midst of fiercely pursuing the United States. China’s political system was authoritative and stiff, but it also had an efficient side.

“There is also a saying, ‘Too big to fail’. We are making a little profit right now, so why don’t we stop taking it from here?” he went on to say.

So far the investments had been making a little, a little bit of income. This was because the Chinese government, which had recently seen companies going bankrupt and felt threatened, actively sought to rescue them. Of course, the investment was worth five billion dollars, so its income was worth ten million dollars.

“If the Chinese economy makes a comeback, we will suffer catastrophic damage.”

As he said, we could lose hundreds of million dollars, or a few billion dollars once we started to take losses. Those who had made 30%, 40%, 70% and 120% of profits dozens or hundreds of times would become beggars if they took 99% losses. Right now, the investment situation in Invictus Investment was ready to lose 99%. But I wasn’t worried. All the global future news was covered with China-related news, so what were the variables? Even in the Sports category such news came up: [Kim Kyu-hwan, who entered China, suffered a plunge in the yuan, and his salary plummets as well.]

That was what was going to happen. I didn’t give him a broad rebuttal. The future was inherently unknown. Director Kim was also a veteran of investments who had rolled over on this side. I understood what he meant.

I said to him, “I understand what you are saying. ‘Too big to fail’ could be true. But I’d like to think that it is not uncommon for a big horse to die, but it is impossible for two suns to float under the sky. The U.S. won’t let China grow big. What has happened in the last three years, since the U.S.-China trade war in 2018… I think it was a sort of preparation for the United States to hit China properly.”

When I said that, Director Kang slipped in this time. “Well, I agree with the CEO. I’ve been looking at Wall Street’s reaction as I invested in the U.S. To my surprise, this is happening in the U.S., too. Hedge funds are checking the yuan and China’s credit defaults. Some of them are already on sale. If they sell the yuan and play the media further, China’s credibility will deteriorate dramatically.”

Listening to what he said, I thought, ‘That’s what I expected, too.’

Other than me, there seemed to be others who had predicted the collapse of China. Hedge funds on Wall Street have no blood or tears, only thinking about yields. People in this industry don’t even blink at the death of anyone. One of the most famous people in this line is George Soros, who earned astronomical profits from selling Japanese yen during the Kobe earthquake and selling pounds when Britain withdrew from the ERM. This person has an interesting nickname, a widow-maker. It was because he predicted a national credit crisis or currency depreciation. He played the media, as he mentioned a national sell-off, the country’s unemployment rate would soar, and the heads of families would kill themselves, creating widows.

‘A widow maker…’

I thought for a moment that I might be given such a nickname. Although I was very young, I remembered things from the IMF. People around me moved away; on the other hand, there were people who came to the small Jugong Apartments near my house. My father was worried about closing the judo training center. My mother could not find even a part-time job at a restaurant. The gloomy atmosphere was all over society.

But now China looked exactly like that. At this rate, it was certain that there would be a number of unemployed people in China, people who would commit suicide, people who would suffer from depression, and families who would break up. I might be considered one of the people who caused the situation!

So I ordered, “By the way, keep our investments confidential.”

They would come to light anyway, but I wanted to hide the fact that our company had preemptively sold China before other hedge funds. In the first place, a short stock sale was an act of betting on the depreciation of something, which could be very painful for the person or nation directly involved. I just read the tenor of the times and moved on, but I didn’t want to get a nickname like a widow-maker.

Vice President Jang also spoke up, “There’s a saying that when you make a profit from the original sale, you should keep your mouth shut. That’s good for us, but it’s going to be very unfortunate for someone.”

I nodded, clasped my hands, and said, “Then I hope you all know, and keep trying.”

I got up from my seat after the short meeting. There was an anxious atmosphere that other people, including Director Kim, who had argued against me, could not rid themselves of, but I ignored it. It was not far off, anyway.

——

And then one day, the D-Day alarm went off on my cell phone calendar app, and the catastrophe started.

Chapter 157 - Sell China, Part IV

The modern economic system is made of credit. We can buy rice, buy shoes, or take a taxi somewhere with a piece of paper featuring a great man from the Joseon Dynasty because there is a belief that it is worth that much.

These days, with the gradual development of fintech, even cash is rarely used; we recognize and exchange our assets by the numbers on monitors and smartphones. Using only the digital symbols on the display, we pay taxes, put in gas to our cars, and travel abroad. The problem is when this credit cracks.

If the money we have is just a fragment of a paper with a portrait on it, if the numbers in our accounts are really nothing more than a digital symbol, our society will collapse in a second.

I sat on the bed and looked out the window. Far away, the sun was rising and the sky was turning red. I looked at it with my arms crossed. I looked down at my cell phone once. The current time was 7:59. The moment it turned into 8:00.

Tiriri tiriri tiriri… The alarm went off and the word “D-day” appeared on the screen. I stared at it, then turned off the alarm. I could hear Ah-young’s voice behind me. “Good morning!”

It was a normal day when I saw Ah-young and the sun outside the window.

“Good morning.” I laughed as I received Ah-young’s greeting.

“Oppa, do you have anything you want to eat today?”

“I don’t want anything to eat… Just make it simple. I’m going to eat a little and go down.”

“Going to work today? All right. Just wait a minute.” Ah-young tied her hair and started cooking while humming, her back turned red by the sun. What a peaceful landscape it was. Looking back at history, all credit crises occurred during these ordinary days.

On a day where everything was considered to be going well, one suddenly collapses, the other collapses, and because of them, one big thing collapses, and many of the things that relied on it fall, fall, and fall. That’s why, historically, people know that it’s happening all the time, but they can’t stop it. These things come to us more secretly than people think.

———————————-

After eating the breakfast that Ah-young had made, I took the elevator to work. Secretary Park, who was guarding the president’s office, was slightly surprised and greeted me. “Are you here, boss?”

“What are you surprised at?” I asked him.

“Oh, you don’t have anything scheduled today, but you’re at work.”

Today was one of the days there was no official schedule. These last days, shareholders’ meetings, meetings of subsidiaries, and welcoming meetings of new employees had kept me so busy, and I’d had no day off at all… but there was nothing scheduled for today.

On such days, I would usually watch a movie with Ah-young at home and play with her while eating, or I would drive my car somewhere else. So, it was no wonder that Secretary Park looked strangely at me when I came to work, after looking at my timetable.

“Ahh… That’s right. I was thinking of something I had to do yesterday,” I said, blurring my words.

“What do you mean? What time will it be?” Secretary Park asked me, once again in full professional mode.

“Oh, well… I’ll tell you later.”

There was no work for me at the moment, but it would happen very quickly, and a lot. That was why I came down in advance. I was going to come and sit down before they came looking for me.

“Yes, boss.”

I nodded to him and then went into the president’s office. When I entered, I found the clock on the wall saying 8:48. I sat down and turned on the computer. It was 8:49. After booting up, I went into the mail site, put my ID and password in, and went to the mailbox. There were just four emails coming in.

[M. 12 Hours After]

[M. 12 Days After]

[M. 12 Weeks After]

[M. 12 Months After]

I opened the email of 12 Hours After.

[Politics – President Joo Sung-won said the Great Depression from China would not affect us as much as possible.

Economy – Shanghai Index Falls, Chinese version of Blackman Day. The domestic stock market is also in a tailspin.

Society – Korean-Chinese people lining up in front of the bank.

Life/Culture – People who make money in a crisis. Commenting on the movie ‘Big Short’.

World – Shanghai and Hong Kong Stock Markets crash. People are devastated.

IT/Science – Did an AI’s rebellion, or Automatic Trading Algorithm cause the big crash?]

Sure enough, there was a complete commotion. Except in the sports and entertainment category, there was only news about the financial crisis from China. I muttered to myself when I saw it, “It’s a big problem…”

I had known all about it in advance, but today, I felt different. From today on, there would be no count of failing companies, failing owners, fired people from companies, those who had invested and would lose their entire fortunes, and those who would suffer from depression and give up their own lives.

I closed my mail, took my cursor to my own HTS and double-clicked it. Usually, I turned on the HTS at this time to have the AI do the algorithmic trade, but I didn’t do that today. My timetable app, which had served as a treasure map, was completely empty for a while. Starting today, there were no surging stocks, whether it was the KOSPI or the KOSDAQ.

[Anti-cancer drug of Jaesung Pharmaceutical passes phase two of clinical trials and its stock price reaches the upper limit price.]

[Six consecutive trading days of rise due to a drop in the price of fluorescence-based pulp.]

[Pien Games gets first place in sales in new mobile games.]

Instead of the news that would be coming out, such news was so prevalent.

[Woojin Construction hit two consecutive low limit price.]

[The institutions are pouring out of Roskut.]

[Foreign investors have sold stocks for fear of a credit crunch.]

Therefore, I couldn’t trade, but it didn’t matter. In the first place, I made only a small amount of money, about forty million dollars this month, but when the news came out today, I would make hundreds of million dollars a day. It would soon become a reality.

The Shanghai Index, which opened at ten, with an hour’s difference from Korea, started trading at a level one percent down due to increased corporate bankruptcies recently. It gradually declined two and then three percent, and trading continued at that point.

Usually, investors talk about adjustments if the Composite Stock Price Index falls around one percent, two percent they say is a slump, and three percent is a sharp fall.

China’s Shanghai market started with an adjustment and was heading for a crash just an hour after the market opened. I propped my elbows on the desk, put my hands together and watched it. By now, the money I had bet on falling stock prices and the Chinese yuan was going up sharply. Around eleven o’clock, when the Shanghai Composite Stock Price Index reached -4%, something seen only once a year, I got a phone call.

“Boss, Vice President Jang wants to visit.”

“Please let him come in.”

Vice President Jang came to see me with a slightly excited look.

“Boss, the big incident happened.”

“… Oh, yes. I’m watching it, too. The Shanghai Composite Stock Price Index is four percent off.” I replied in a rather surprised tone. Of course, it was just me acting.

Jang did not seem to care much about it. He just told me what he knew. “There’s news today that the Bank of China has refused to raise money for a bankrupt local state-run company. If this is true, it’s going to have a huge impact.”

What he called the Bank of China is not the general name of China’s banks, but the state’s bank in China, such as Korea’s BK Bank or Duri Bank. In Chinese characters, ‘Bank of China’ in English is literally the bank that represents China. But the bank didn’t stop state-run corporate bankruptcies. In short, the country was not going to pay for the collapse of state-run corporations.

“… that’s a surprise.”

I continued to give a lame performance, but Jang continued to speak regardless of whether it was due to the importance of the immediate issue.

“Yes, it’s a surprising story. If this is true…”

But then, the Shanghai Composite Stock Price Index, which was on my monitor, dropped in a straight line to -7% in one second and -9% in another three seconds, where the Index stopped. Vice President Jang and I shouted at the same time:

“Circuit break!”

“Circuit break!”

Circuit break refers to when market investors’ fear is so high that when stock prices fall excessively, the trading venue of the market temporarily stops trading. Too much variation can make people greedy, scared, and lose money.

Vice President Jang muttered, “The Shanghai Index is down nine percent…”

At the same time, the KOSPI had also entered the -4% range. Korea had also tripped the circuit break at -5%. It was the same in Japan, -4%. The situation in Southeast Asia was similar.

Vice President Jang was confused. “We have a big problem. No, boss, we…”

I spread my hands a couple of times and then together as I opened them up. Vice President Jang exclaimed in a jubilant voice, “Boss, we have a big hit!”

But I watched the monitor with my face fixed. Then the telephone began to ring. Tiriri tiriri~

I answered the phone and I could hear Secretary Park’s voice. “Boss, Director Kang wants to see you… Oh, and Director Kim… Oh, and Director Chung is here, too.”

“Please let them come in.” I hung up on that remark.

Soon three men came in and shouted out:

“This is awesome, boss! The Chinese Inverse ETF we bought at Nikkei has a profit margin of more than thirty percent!”

“The FX is a lot too! The yuan’s trading is temporarily stopped! I can’t imagine how much revenue it would be if it resumed!”

“The U.S. doesn’t have a market open, but it’s already fluctuating. We’ll be making tens of million dollars this very evening!”

I replied calmly, acknowledging their excitement, “Yes, that’s great! My guess was correct. But just like I said before, don’t get too excited. We just sold yuan and Chinese stocks in line with international speculators. Do you understand?

They nodded, but couldn’t hide their excited looks. Our company’s money, which was now spread around the world, was sweeping up money all around the world.

“Go back to your place and see what’s going on. I’ll be doing that, too,” I told them.

“Yes, boss.” After coming to the president’s office in person so excitedly, they bowed to me solemnly and returned to their desks.

After they all went left the office, I took my hands, looked up at the office ceiling, and let out a long, exhaling breath. “Hoo-woo…” I told them to hide their excitement, but I was the one whose heart was beating faster than anyone else’s!

Chapter 158 - Sell China, Part V

After D-day, China went crazy. Companies went bankrupt and collapsed one after another, and the stock price indices tumbled. The exchange rate also went mad, falling repeatedly. The Chinese government tried to patch things up, but it was not enough.

Even the Chinese people, who usually succumbed to the authoritarian government, did not care about it during their money-losing cases. They began to take their money and things out of the market against advice; stock or real estate, it did not matter. Goods released to the market quickly ran out, and the credit that supported the economic system began to crack.

Global hedge funds, smelling blood in the water, didn’t miss this point. From the United States, from Europe, from Japan, they flew in like a pack of sharks, smelling blood, and upon seeing the bleeding whale, they began biting brutally.

[Larry White, CEO of Red Rock Investments says that China’s slowdown will deepen. He recommends selling the yuan.]

[John Tepper, CEO of Tri Partners, says that the Chinese market crash is now beginning and real estate is even more dangerous.]

[Ray Walker proposes investors exclude the Chinese market from their portfolio.]

[Kazuo Yamaguchi, a senior researcher at Nomura Securities, says that it is time to convert the yuan into yen or dollars.]

They had sold the Chinese stocks and the yuan first, and then said that. This was a kind of psychological warfare, a slogan for building a common front. They first sold off and then played the press, and not only the rest of the world’s institutional investors, but the many, many ants were on their side. This put more of their money into a selling position, thereby maximizing their profits. It was a very vicious way to cut the flesh and pour salt on it, but it certainly made them money.

Having been in a selling position in China sooner than anyone else, I made a lot of money every day thanks to their efforts. I had meetings with four key members in the conference room every day, and listened to their reports:

“The U.S.-listed Shanghai Index Inverse has soared! Given the dollar gain, we expect to see bigger profits.”

“The yuan has plunged again. Profits are exploding in the FX market!”

“The yen has risen again today. The Japanese government, which was trying to lower the yen, is flustered, but it’s good for us.”

It was hard to check all the income coming from this. Overnight, I was making hundreds of millions of dollars. The three directors shouted excitedly whenever they reported to me.

“It’s a record profit!”

“The boss will be the richest man in Korea now!”

“The yuan is going down, but the dollar is soaring. It’s as good as earning money twice!”

Even the polite Vice President Jang said, “Boss, we are creating legends in the investment industry!”

It was indeed a legend. This legend would be left to be republished in the Korean investment industry later. I was gradually becoming the god of money in that myth. But then again, I asked them to hide the fact that our company was in a selling position vis-a-vis China. I didn’t want to be branded by the public as the man who brought about the Chinese financial crisis…

Even if I made money, I didn’t want to get named a widow maker. Considering that our country would be affected in the future, we had to keep our mouths shut. I couldn’t just laugh as everyone around us was crying. I instructed the four core members to keep it all a secret.

“Yes, boss.” They, too, knew the severity of the incident, so they absolutely obeyed me.

“This is awesome! Mr. President!” What we had achieved was only between ourselves, and that was how we agreed to keep it.

A month passed like that.

————————

“Oppa, by the way…” Ah-young said, putting coffee in front of me. “Are you all right these days?”

Holding up the ice Americano glass she gave me, I replied, “Uh? What?”

“No, China has been going crazy lately. That’s why our nation’s main stock index keeps dropping… I am wondering if your company is okay.”

The condition of our company was more than good. I said with a smile, “It’s okay. I’ve been managing the risks.”

“Hmm, really? Well, thank God!”

“Why did you worry?”

“No, this and that companies are all going to collapse. I thought our company was having hard times, too.”

I replied, recalling my subsidiaries for a moment. “Well. Some of them will be difficult. Maybe.”

The aftermath of the Chinese financial crisis had hit Korea harder than expected.

[In the financial crisis originating from China, the biggest victim is China, and then Korea.]

There was a report like that. Many companies had gone bankrupt because they had put investments in China, or they had lost the money they were supposed to receive. The stock price index was reflected this, and the KOSPI and KOSDAQ were still falling, day after day.

In addition, the won, which had a high coefficient interconnection with the yuan, had been falling a lot, further accelerating the market decline as foreign investors, who were worried about foreign exchange losses, had left. The same was true of my subsidiaries, so stocks like OH Entertainment, Jiwoo Entertainment, and Blue E&M quickly fell by two-thirds.

It was okay, though. These companies had very small market capital. Although there were several tens of million dollars of losses, that amount of money was being earned back every day in the overseas markets. The only possible problem was Hyun Young Pharmaceutical, which had been sold to Pfizer. As all the other pharmaceutical stocks burst, Hyun Young Pharmaceutical also lost its market high of one billion dollars and was about to be halved. So, I was a little sorry, but I thought, ‘It was a good thing I sold…’

Changhae Food, a dumpling maker, and Songhae Brewing, a liquor maker, found their places after a brief fall. Everyone knew that these companies, which sold goods in Korea for Korean raw materials, had no significant elements to lose in the face of a global crisis. Ah-young also knew what stocks our company had.

“That’s right, oppa. That OH Entertainment stock fell a lot. Is that okay?”

“It’s all right. It’s pretty low, but… we are making that kind of money somewhere else.”

“Really? Well, thank God.”

In the meantime, the cell phone in my pocket rang. Tiriri tiriri tiriri… I gave Ah-young a wink and picked up the phone. When I looked at it, it was none other than President Kwon Oh-hyuk.

I answered the phone thinking, ‘He acted as I expected…’ “Hello, President Kwon.”

“Boss. It’s me, Kwon Oh-hyuk. Can I talk to you for a second?”

“Yes.”

Kwon spoke in a slightly trembling voice. “Well, do you think we’ll be alright, boss?”

I said, reassuring him, “Yes, I know OH Entertainment has been impacted badly by this financial crisis, but if you wait a bit, you’ll be able to get over it. You haven’t invested heavily in China since the last joint venture was postponed, have you?”

I had brought up the subject at last year’s regular report. Back then, President Kwon Oh-hyuk had been very sorry and noted he’d have to reschedule our celebrities. However, his attitude was completely different now.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you first. Thank you, boss! I managed to avoid the risk because you blocked investment in the Chinese companies at the time!”

I spoke to him, “Hold out for a while, even if you lose a little bit of the reserved money. Sales to China will be down a little, but… think about opening a path to Japan, the U.S., Europe, and South America during this time.”

He answered me quickly, “Yes, sir. I’ll do that!”

President Kwon Oh-hyuk said goodbye to me and hung up the phone. I looked at the phone for a moment. Dealing with China across the sea, countless companies in Korea were like OH Entertainment.

President Joo Sung-won, who saw my editorial, had been busy making his own efforts, but there was a limit. He had only been in office for two months. It wasn’t something that he could have prevented, even if he had prepared for it for two years. At the sudden thought, I picked up my cell phone and read the political front page.

[President Joo Sung-won met with representatives of small and medium-sized businesses, and discussed future measures.]

He was busy solving this financial problem, as I’d seen in the future news before. I didn’t know how helpful my advice would have been going forwards…

‘I think the Blue House will keep wondering what I’m going to say. I’ve been leading him well so far. He’ll be curious about the next crisis, right? But now there’s nothing else I can tell him… No, there is.’

I drank a coffee, and came up with the following editorial title to be posted on Oracle News: A crisis is an opportunity. In the financial crisis from China, Korea has a chance to make another leap.

In fact, our country was very similar to manufacturing in China in areas such as tea, chemicals, shipbuilding, electronics, and so forth. However, our country would be naturally doomed if China grew big. It wasn’t long ago that the sweet money used to drive up trade with China, but in fact it was a long-term chokehold on our country.

At that time, there were tens of thousands of semiconductor engineers who were offered three to five times the salary they would be paid in Korea. We could compete with Japan because of its similar weight class, but Korea could be under pressured by China. China was different.

Their side had a structure that completely crushed our country with its large population and larger land mass. So, China’s recent crisis was a bad thing for Korea in the short term, but it was a boon in the long run. Naturally, we should prepare well now.

‘Well, that’s the way to write it. Don’t be so embarrassed right now, but let’s get ready and take the chance to make another leap… Then the president will understand.’ As I was thinking about it, I turned my mind to our company. ‘Oh, by the way, our company needs to prepare for the next step, right?’

I called Vice President Jang right away.

“Yes, boss.”

“Vice President Jang, let’s start thinking about the next step. It’s a little early, but it’s not bad because it’s fast.”

“The next step?”

“Yes. Now, have some of our directors check the status of Korean companies’ investments in China: how much a company invested in what field, and what the size of the asset is, and what the impact is when it went bad.”

“Oh, yes, I see.”

This is the benefit of betting on a fall. When they stopped, I could earn money; hungry companies that need cash sell cheaply in the market.

I started preparing for the next move, while others were still upset about the incident.

Chapter 159 - Sell China, Part VI

I put my hand on the table and looked down at the reports lying there. There were four very thick reports in front of me. I was going to take a look at them one by one, but when I saw the numbers written in them, I covered them up again. Then, I looked up and said, “I will read them slowly when I have time. Just give me the summary. How much did we earn?”

Everyone turned their heads to the left and right at my words. I said as I turned to the report titled ‘Status of Japanese Market Investment – Director Kang Ki-wook’. “Let’s start with Director Kang.”

Director Kang nodded and said, “As ofl today, we’ve earned 3.1 billion dollars.”

I then turned the next report and said, “What about Director Kim?”

“It’s about 5.9 billion dollars.”

“What about Director Chung, then?”

“It is about 8.8 billion dollars.”

I nodded and last looked at Vice President Jang.

Vice President Chang told me the answer before I asked. “We’ve earned 15.4 billion dollars in foreign exchange transactions so far as of today.”

I put the numbers together in my mind. “So, it’s about 33.2 billion dollars, right?”

At that enormous amount, everyone forgot to speak for a moment. We’d made such astronomical amounts of money in the last few months. If I could have made my own bets without anyone noticing, I would have pocketed more money than this.

I nodded, “All right. Let’s get organized now. Take a look at the atmosphere and finish your investments.”

The end of the year was approaching. In December 2021, I decided to stop investing and take my profits. Five months after the Great Depression in China, the chaos still continued, but the value of their assets, which had plummeted, was gradually stabilizing. It was due to the Chinese government’s extreme prescription.

In the early days of the Great Chinese Depression, the Chinese government, which had an authoritarian political system, first sought to stabilize things with news and fabricated statistics made to the people, but once they were exposed as false, they simply fueled the asset market crash. When protests broke out in many parts of the country and even security problems were raised, the Chinese government finally acknowledged their situation and actively began to resolve the issue.

Quietly, they led movements like the “gold collecting movement” in Korea during the IMF, bent their pride and asked for help from abroad. They tried to defuse the financial crisis by opening their hands to even Japan, which they had been hurling muck at over historical issues, and to Canada and Australia. As a result, they got a loan under some pretty humiliating terms, and they put out the urgent fire. After a few months of getting news for the future, I knew the crash was going to stop at around this time.

“Yes, boss.”

“I’ll do that, boss.”

The members of this secret meeting moved quickly, like my hands and feet.

I said one more word to them. “However, let’s leave the money earned in foreign currency for now. I don’t think things in Korea will get any better for a while.”

It was true. After China, it was Korea itself that suffered the most from China’s financial crisis. Korea was basically a country that lived on exports. China was the country with the highest proportion of foreign exports, and Korea also suffered a huge loss due to the financial crisis. As the won depreciated, the dollar, yen, and euro were temporarily more valuable.

“Yes, I see, boss.”

Putting together the reports, I said, “By the way, how about the atmosphere of other investment companies these days?”

Director Chung spoke first. “They are in turmoil. They’ve all been grabbed by the collar by investors, and have been criticized… They are in a fuss.”

Director Kang continued his words. “There is a rumor in the market that there is no one who earned money but the person who bought the Inverse. It’s true to a certain extent.”

Korea’s stock price index also underwent a correction of more than thirty percent during the Great Chinese Depression. It was negative thirty percent talking, and most ant investors nearly went broke, as they had invested mostly in small stocks. Large-cap stocks with sound financial structure had a floor to settle at even if they fell, but small-cap stocks didn’t have such a thing. A loss of seventy or eighty percent would deal an ant a non-recoverable blow.

Jang also added, “Yeouido is also in a chilly mood. There was a story yesterday that one of them jumped in the Han River and died. It was a pity.”

These were all the reasons why we managed our facial expressions even after earning thirty-three point two billion dollars. No matter how good it was, it was not good when someone died and others were despondent.

“Well… I see. All right. Then, please go back to your desks, and make some profit from your work.”

The whole group bowed to me and said, “Yes, boss.”

—

While everyone was about to return to their offices, I only called in Vice President Jang by hand. After the other directors went out of the conference room, I asked, “So, did you look it up?”

“I’m looking for it now. What a mess the market is in. Please wait a little longer.”

What I was looking for now was a blue-chip in crisis. Although the term “blue-chip in crisis” itself was a little contradictory, it often existed in these circumstances. Such businesses had been doing well and making good money, but they had lost a lot of money by mistake during this Chinese crisis. Now that the financial crisis was coming to an end, it was time to buy the good companies at a cheap price.

There is an old stock maxim that said, ‘If you hear that someone committed suicide because of an investment failure, start buying then.’ When someone loses his entire fortune and tries to die when he or she is under extreme stress, the market is at the bottom. It’s a little cruel, but it’s true to some extent. A new bud sprouts from the dead body of an ant.

Of course, I didn’t order the purchase solely on that maxim. In the future news, there was hopeful news like this.

[The collapse of KOSDAQ has reversed. Will it end up in a long decline?]

[KOSPI has a positive move after five months. Can it be a hopeful move?]

[Foreign investors return after five months. They say that even considering foreign exchange differences, Korean stocks are cheap.]

At first, I thought about investing in mainland China, but I decided to buy cheap Korean stocks and Korean companies because it was not easy for me to invest in foreign countries. It was difficult for me to control them because China had been moving back and forth on political issues.

In addition, it was also good for raising the rating for future news. The future news only dealt with companies listed in Korea. I was going to run from here right up to the Grandmaster Class. If possible, it would be better to get to the weird grade of the XXX series.

“Yes, I see. I hope you keep working hard, then.”

“Yes, boss.”

As of November, my four henchmen had been quietly withdrawing their investments from the global market, with billions of dollars of profit. Around the time I took the profits, China and the global market gradually regained stability, including South Korea. South Korea, which had suffered a plunge for months and had recalled fears of “the days of the International Monetary Fund,” took a deep breath.

It was President Joo Sung-won who benefited most from the process. As soon as he took office in May, he had restricted investment in China, and was severely criticized at that time.

‘It’s so random.’

‘He is ignoring China.’

‘It is a diplomatic discourtesy.’

But now he received tremendous praise for what he had done, described as “excellent insight” and “brave acting power.” His approval rating was in the seventy to eighty percent range, very high, and it was believed that he could make it easier to manage state affairs over the next few years. It was a good thing for me, as President Joo Sung-won and I had a kind of partnership.

Furthermore, President Joo Sung-won would now rely more on me. Now that he’d received much praise for this, he would earnestly read the articles from Oracle News even if I stopped making new ones for him.

———————–

In December 2021, I received the email at 8:50 and read the news as usual. And at the end, I searched through the People Search and got the news again. The first person I wrote in was Joo Sung-won.

[President Joo Sung-won visits the Gumi industrial complex, and he gets a report on manufacturing.]

After reading the news, I wrote ‘Kim Jin-pyo’.

[Kim Jin-pyo, deputy prime minister for economic affairs. We are watching the global economy. Korea will be stabilized.]

“Hmm…” I stroked my chin for a moment and read the second news. Finally, I wrote ‘Han Sang-hoon’. The first two people changed every time, but my name was always fixed. I got some news for myself from there. In 12 Months After, there was such news.

[Han Sang-hoon of Invictus Investment is the man who became the richest person in Korea at the age of thirty-two.]

[Korea’s richest man, Han Sang-hoon, CEO of Invictus Investment.]

[A genius investor astonishes the world. From a poor family, he becomes the richest man in the country.]

In the end, it seemed like my assets were going to be revealed. I kept it as secret as I could, but it was impossible due to the nature of the corporation’s tax payments. As I read the last three news and put my cell phone on the sofa, I said to myself, “Whoa… that’s how it turned out there.”

I became the richest man in the country, but to be honest, the excitement was just so, as I knew my future.

‘This is what could happen at any time. After all, it was only a matter of time.’

I knew all the news in my name, and it was hard not to be this rich. If anyone could get the future news and had the will, they could be rich like me.

‘33.2 billion dollars! Now no one can stand up to me in Korea. Even the president has become my puppet.’

At any rate, I was satisfied to be at the top of the Republic of Korea.

Strength meant freedom. I was stronger than anyone else and I didn’t have to read anyone’s countenance; I didn’t have to follow anyone’s orders. I could do anything I wanted!

Chapter 160 - Fake News, Part I

December twenty-fifth, 2021, Christmas….

South Korea had been hit by the cold economic crisis from China, but nevertheless, trees were hung and carols were in the air all over Seoul. I went on a date with Ah-young to Jongro. The first in a long time. I had been busy working for a while, running up and down between my penthouse and the company, and I was a little stuffy.

Ah-young had said to me, “Do you want to go to Myeongdong Cathedral with me?”

Ah-young had no religion, but the atmosphere around Myeongdong Cathedral on Christmas Day was good. So I went down to the old streets of Jongro with her, having a meal, drinking coffee, stopping by Myeongdong Cathedral to pray, and enjoying a date. It even snowed a little, a White Christmas, and was more picturesque.

“This is good, oppa, isn’t it?”

“Yes. It’s better because it’s snowing.”

There were so many people around Myeongdong Cathedral on Christmas. There were many believers who came to pray, but there were also many couples who came to enjoy a date, just like us. Watching so many people, I inwardly thought, ‘Couldn’t someone recognize me?’

However, it didn’t happen. Some people looked at our couple, but they were mostly looking at Ah-young.

“Wow, that woman’s pretty.”

“Hey, did you see that? Isn’t she a celebrity?”

It was like that every time. I was famous in my own way, but I was only popular among investors and businessmen, and didn’t seem very well known to the general public. In the first place, I was only famous for the title, “Han Sang-hoon, a genius stock investor from a poor family and a rich man,” so few people could match Han Sang-hoon by looking at my face. When someone looked at me on the street, they would consider me a “social beginner from a rich family”.

‘Wouldn’t this be the last winter to be able to walk around the streets like this?’

In a few months, it would be known that our company had taken a selling position in China well before the July crash, and that I had become the richest person in Korea. ‘People usually remember only the first place, they do not know the second and third place.’

When it was known that I had made more than thirty-three billion dollars by anticipating the fall of China, now having more money than any conglomerate owner, people would remember my name and even my face. Everyone would want to know who the title of Korea’s richest man belonged to.

That would make me difficult to get around like this. If anyone said, “The richest man in Korea is going there,” they would try to see my face at least once. Maybe some people would be willing to do something weird. All of a sudden, they would ask for a handout, or threaten me…

‘Well, come to think of it, that’s really bad…’

It was a little sad to think it would be even harder to walk down such a normal street anymore. But, I’d already become the richest man in the Republic of Korea. This was a kind of tax that followed fame. Wasn’t there a man who acted like that to Ah-young? She paid taxes on beauty, and I paid taxes on the title of Korea’s richest man. It was unavoidable. Maybe it was the same thing as fate.

Four years ago, on the crosswalk to work, this may have been scheduled the moment I picked up the flyer that told me I was not going to be scolded for being late today…

‘Fate… I can’t help it. I can’t help it.’ As I thought about it, Ah-young asked me, “Oppa, what are you thinking?”

I answered roughly. “Uh? No. Maybe it’s snowing, so I thought it was nice to have warm days.”

Ah-young might be a little disappointed to know that it would be difficult to have such a normal date in the future.

“Well, I see. I will go to the bathroom, wait here.” Ah-young left the words and went into a building in the Myeongdong Cathedral.

I watched her go and thought, ‘We should go abroad for our date next year.’

“Huh?” A man in his forties with short hair and glasses looked at me. I looked back at him. When our eyes met, he opened his wide. “Isn’t it CEO Han Sang-hoon?”

There was a person who had recognized me after all. I had thought that no one would recognize me, but when there was someone who knew me, I felt I was going to be bothered.

I thought, ‘Shall I pretend I don’t know?’

But he spoke with a tone of conviction, “Invictus… is right, isn’t it?”

I thought it impossible to tell a lie, so I looked around and spoke a little lower, “That’s right.”

The man was quick-witted. When I showed that I didn’t like crowds, he also quieted down. “Nice to meet you, Mr. CEO. I’m reporter Ko Yoo-sung for the Jungdo Economy News.”

As he was a reporter for the economy, he had recognized me. He went on to say, “I saw you from a distance the other day, don’t you remember me?”

I shook my head. While working at the company, I sometimes ran into reporters, but I couldn’t remember where I had seen him at all. “I am sorry, I don’t remember you.”

“When President Joo Sung-won was mayor of Seoul, you came to receive the prize. I saw you then, a year or two years ago. Haha!”

“Oh, you did.” I gave a cursory answer and tried to leave. Ah-young was in the bathroom right now, but she would be back soon. Not all of them, but some reporters would dig into other people’s private lives whenever they could to make money, just like the paparazzi who were chasing Oh Hyun-joo, and the loyal dogs of Lee Won-jae of the Daewon Daily News.

Sure enough, he asked me questions. “This incident in China has had a huge impact on our country. Many companies in Yeouido have been in trouble this time. Didn’t Invictus Investment invest in China?”

As a reporter for the economy, it was an economic question, but I didn’t really intend to take an interview. I didn’t want to go around saying I was the richest man in Korea.”

I told him roughly, “Well, I’ve invested in China.” It wasn’t a lie, but it omitted the direction of investment.

“Oh, did you? You must have had a pretty big loss…”

But when the question came out, I saw from a distance that Ah-young was coming out of the building she had entered. As before, I didn’t want Ah-young to become famous.

I said with a slight nod, “Yes, but I don’t want to be interviewed here. I’m here to play.”

He wanted to ask me something more, but I walked away from him and toward Ah-young. After I ignored him, he didn’t follow me any further.

Ah-young asked me, “Do you know him?”

I shook my head and said, “He is a reporter. Let’s go. Don’t show your face. You might appear on the Internet news.”

“There doesn’t seem to be a camera or anything.”

I glanced at him. He was watching me from afar, but his look was a bit strange. As Ah-young said, there didn’t seem to be any camera.

Needless to say, the reporter Ko Yoo-sung wrote an article about me. I received it the next morning. As usual, I wrote my name on the news 12 Days After, and I got a strange piece of news. [Did Han Sang-hoon, who has been on a roll, take a big loss from investments in China?]

There had been no such news in the future news so far, but the coincidence made on Christmas Day seemed to have created a new butterfly effect. I read the article.

[… CEO Han Sang-hoon is known to have suffered a huge loss from his investment in China. CEO Han Sang-hoon, who became a big investor in the investment industry after a series of big hits such as Kai Games, Hyun Young Pharmaceutical, and FutureSync, made a large-scale investment in China, and recently lost most of the money he has earned so far, falling to the Great Chinese Depression… Faced with such difficulties, he visited Myeongdong Cathedral to pray for the power of his faith.]

I put my hands on my forehead as I saw the article. He spun a novel out of nothing.

‘I said a word or two of that… Did he write this?’

On the one hand, it was amazing, and on the other, I thought it could be true. It was only natural that an investment company had lost money in the last half year, and it was not a new story. In addition, I somewhat answered him, so as to be misunderstood. Of course, it was wrong to write about me with such words.

‘Yeah, this article will have some view counts. I’m sure there are a lot of people who want to see me go bankrupt.’

As usual, the public was very fond of stories about those went bankrupt. They didn’t like to show it outright, but it was a very popular thing for them to say that someone who had been doing well went bankrupt. A young man in his early thirties, who was from a poor family and had been on a roll, was the target of jealousy. If I went to the Internet, I could easily see people who made bad comments about me.

– The company he worked for and his educational background are all second grade; it seems like he was just lucky.-

– I think he has good employees. I heard that the person below him, Vice President Jang, deals with all the practical affairs.-

– He was a lucky guy. That’s it.-

I thought about the article. ‘Shall I stop it from coming out? It’s not true…’

On the contrary, however, it would be more dramatic if the article that I was bankrupt came out first, and the news came out that I became the richest person in Korea later. I could screw those who thought, ‘Oh, he is bankrupt. I already knew he is going to be like that.’

‘Yes, let’s leave it alone. Now I’m a celebrity, but I can’t always have good news, can I?’

This is what all the heads of the nation’s large corporations were going through. Once they do something, they had to live with the bad comments.

—————————–

The day after Christmas, the news did not come up yet. It took time to write and publish a story. But, strangely enough, someone knew first that the news would come out.

Tiriri tiriri tiriri… I got a call from Lee Won-jae of Daewon Daily News. I took it without much thought. He used to say hello to me at the end of the year, even when everything was okay.

“How are you, Mr. CEO?”

“I’m fine. What about you?”

“I’m doing well, too. By the way…” He hesitated for a moment and then went on. “There is a piece of strange news.”

The word ‘strange news’ got me straight to the point. He seemed to have received the news before anyone else, despite not being an affiliate of the Daewon Daily News.

He went on. “CEO Han has lost a lot of money by investing in China…”

I thought to myself as I listened to it, ‘Why? If it’s real, are you going to cut me off?’

But then, something passed through my mind. Maybe this stupid false news might be helpful for me.

Chapter 161 - Fake News, Part II

‘There is an old saying that if a prime minister’s dog dies, they pay respects to the deceased, but if he dies, they don’t pay tributes. When he is alive, they are under the influence of authority, and when a dog dies, they go to offer their condolences to the family in mourning. But when he dies, no one will be there; it points out the nature of those who stick to him according to their own interests.’

In retrospect, I had met a lot of people like that since I started the Invictus Investment.

‘Hang Sang-hoon bought a bitcoin with that amount he won the Lotto, and he had a big hit.’ When the rumor spread, suddenly I got a call from a college colleague, and he asked me, “Why don’t you invest here while I have a good investment item?”

An old elementary school classmate who I did not remember came to my company after a few years and said, “There is a good piece of land on Jeju Island. Why don’t you buy it?”

I fended them off with a firm determination, as I didn’t want to deal with flies running at my money. Three years had passed since then. Naturally, I had made relationships with so many people, both those involved in work and those not involved in work. They were not like my old classmates saying, “I heard you won a lotto. Let’s share it together,” but there were quite a few people gathered by their interests.

‘Maybe this false news of “Han Sang-hoon is bankrupt” will be an opportunity to uncover the true connections that will stay be by my side even when I’m not good.’

Lee Won-jae told me, “If this is a lie, I’ll cut it off from my position.”

As I heard that, instead of saying, “It’s a novel,” I cleared my voice “Ahem,” for a moment and said to him in a dull and slightly gloomy way. “… Well, when does that article come out?”

“Yes?” Lee Won-jae looked a little surprised.

“Well… even if that article comes out… I can’t help it.” I said to him after that.

“Yes? Then…”

And what would follow after that was an unvoiced “Is this true?”

However, he didn’t say anything more.

I spoke to him, “… thank you for calling anyway. I have a meeting, so I need to say goodbye.”

“Oh, yes, sir.”

I hung up the phone and laughed. I didn’t say yes or no, but this was good enough to be misunderstood that I had lost a lot of money investing in China. There would be a reaction in either direction after the article was published. I decided to watch it for a while.

————————–

That evening, the news came out in the end. [Han Sang-hoon, who had been on a roll, took a big loss from investing in China.]

I didn’t know how Lee Won-jae accepted my response, but he didn’t seem to have cut the article. I read the article and the comments. As expected, such comments were written:

– He had been on a lucky roll, but now he is bankrupt.-

– An overnight millionaire can be completely ruined in a moment. He who lives by luck dies by luck.-

-Have you seen anyone who’s been rich after winning the Lotto? So is he. We’re going to go to the abyss of life because of the good times.-

– The recent dumpling and makgeolli companies which he bought are also losing stock price support. He has been lucky enough to win, but now he is showing his real ability.-

Of course, there were favorable comments.

– He has earned a few billion dollars, and I’m sure he is richer than you, no matter how much he lost.-

– When he acquired Kai Games and Hyun Young Pharmaceutical it was a really good choice… but he can’t always win.-

– The Great Chinese Depression was really hard for anyone to predict. I guess Invictus Investment got caught up in it, too. Han Sang-hoon has the ability, so he’ll make a comeback.-

– There are so many people who commit suicide and lots of companies which went bankrupt in Yeouido; an investment company can’t help it.-

I thanked them very much for writing good comments, those who had never seen me at all. But most of the comments were reacting like ‘That son of a bitch is ruined. That’s great. It’s good.’

But in the eyes of the public, this article that I had lost a lot of money must have been read with great confidence, since all the people who had invested in it lost money. They didn’t imagine that I had put up a short sale on assets in China.

‘It wasn’t really a disaster, but it was a huge hit.’ I had made more than thirty-three billion dollars in profits, but it was only me and four key members of the Invictus Investment gathered in the conference room who knew the fact. Even Secretary Park, who had gathered people in the conference room, didn’t know that. I had proceeded with this project in secrecy, as I did not want this information to get out in advance.

Of course, a few working-level officials who had made investments in the company would know to some extent that we made money by putting up a selling position, as they were the ones who pushed the sell button themselves. But they did not know that we were all in on the sale position.

‘Usually, to take a selling position is a common way to hedge when avoiding risk.’

They would have been thinking only to the extent of it, ‘Because of CEO Han, the company must have lost a little bit less.’ Other departments would not have thought that we had all taken the selling position. Only five people, including myself, knew that I had become the richest person in Korea at this time. There was no one about to open their mouths, since I had put down the order to keep silent on all media about any investment contents in China.

In addition, I said one more thing today: “Don’t deny the news that our company has lost money.”

With this, I’d become a temporary loser who had been dealt a huge loss after investing in China. The truth would come out soon anyway, but by then I intended to take a look at other people’s feelings. But it went faster than expected.

“Oppa. Is this true?”

The person who lived with me, Ah-young brought her smartphone first. I was embarrassed. To be honest, she was not the subject of this test, because I couldn’t imagine her leaving me for any reason. I shook my head.

“No, that’s not it. It’s fake news.”

Ah-young narrowed her eyes and said, “Really? You’re not pretending to be okay in front of me, are you?”

Ah-young used to ask me, “I heard that China is difficult these days. Is your company okay?” Now that such news just came out, she could misunderstand.

I strongly denied it. “No. Look at the back. There’s a story about how I went to the cathedral to borrow the power of faith. I went there to play because you asked me to go. I think the reporter invented this.”

Ah-young looked at her smartphone more, and only then did she nod. “Ahhh…”

Ah-young looked surprised at the first part of the article and rann to me. She breathed a sigh of relief. “Hooo, thank God. I was starting to think I would have to sell my apartment building again.”

The very apartment I used to live in. Both Ah-young or I had moved to this penthouse for quite some time, but she was still receiving the monthly rent there.

I told her, “Why did you sell it? You said it was your parents’ legacy.”

The building was the last legacy left for Ah-young before her mother died of cancer. It meant more to her than just property.

“No, but, if you were ruined, I was going to try to sell mine to help. I could get ten million dollars if I sold it in a hurry. I was wondering if you could get back on your feet with that.”

“It’s okay. It’s okay.” I said, waving my hands. But inwardly, I was happy, since her words seemed sincere.

‘Ah-young has passed.’

As we had lived together for a year, I knew that the scenario of ‘So now you’re a beggar, then I’ll leave. Goodbye!’ was almost impossible with her mind and heart.

However, I got calls from my parents after Ah-young.

“Is that true? Your mother is worried.”

“Is the news true? Your father is worried.”

“Oppa, is that true? Really? Our parents are worried.”

My family was just talking about their great worries, whether I had been ruined or not. I was extremely grateful to them. ‘As expected, my family loves me.

‘Among the families of the heads of large corporations, it is said that even parents, brothers, and sisters are fighting because of money.’

However, my family was far from that. It was a good thing, though.

———————————-

The next day, I went to work as usual. In front of the president’s office, Secretary Park was waiting for me.

“Are you here, boss?” He was much the same as usual.

“Secretary Park,” I spoke to him.

“Yes?”

“Did you see the news?”

“To be honest, I don’t see it often,” Park said with a slightly awkward smile.

“Really? Um…” I thought for a moment and decided to play a joke on him. “Somehow our company might get tough.”

But when I said that, he said, “Oh, I saw that news; we’ve lost a lot of money investing in China…”

“Yes. Did you see that?”

“Yes.” Secretary Park nodded shortly. He probably watched the news yesterday and decided not to show me his reaction, just in case I would be depressed.

‘This guy’s reliable, too.’ I told him, thinking about it. “By the way, our company might be ruined. And you might get fired.”

Secretary Park said, slightly lowering his head, “I see… In any case, I’ll stand by you until the end. I’ve been working on good terms, so I can work for a few months without pay…”

At any rate, this guy’s reaction wasn’t funny.

I said with a smile, “It’s a joke, man. How could we be ruined? Our company will go for another thousand years.”

——

A few hours after going to work, I got a call from Ji-hoon, my former secretary who was running a startup company. “I saw my article about you… Are you okay?”

I played a joke on this fellow, too. “No, it’s not okay. Maybe I’ll have to get back the investment I made to you.”

“… are you serious?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, that’s… That’s how it turned out. If you do, I’ll return the investment right away. I’ll try my best to help you. Due to your advice not to buy an office… huh…”

As he said that, he noticed something a little strange. I already told him a few months ago, “Business will be bad. There will be a big incident.”

I was the one who had given him a warning.

“Ha-ha-ha. You saw it. I can’t lose.” I couldn’t stand it, and I laughed.

“Huh… on the person who called… I was worried about you!” Ji-hoon grumbled. I could feel the present secretary and the former secretary, thinking of me from the bottom of their heart.

‘Both of you have passed.’ That was why I had kept them at my side.

I thought, ‘Well… after all, there’s no one stabbing me in the back. Is it because they don’t believe the article is true? I thought it was a funny trap… but I’m sorry no one got caught…’

——

But that was only for a short time. A few days later, the trap caught more big fish than I thought it would.

Chapter 162 - Fake News, Part III

People seemed to love stories of a person’s ruin. I was able to realize that all over again this time.

[Invictus Investment’s failure to invest in China has resulted in a huge loss.]

The news, which came out a few days ago, reached the top of the news list in days. As the number of views increased, a follow-up article appeared.

[Invictus Investment, which had been on a roll, is facing a crisis.]

[A big mistake for the arrogant genius? CEO Han Sang-hoon’s investment in China has lost a lot of money.]

Nothing had changed. These were novels that said our company had invested in Chinese companies and had lost a lot of money because they had gone bankrupt. It wasn’t a very unlikely piece of writing. There were so many investment companies that had lost money in investing in China, so they made our company one of them. In fact, it was more unrealistic to predict the Great Chinese Depression in advance and hold a selling position half a year ago.

When I had started this project in the first place, even my closest aides had tried to stop me.

“It’s dangerous, Mr. President.”

“It’s too low a chance to bet our company’s future on, Mr. President.”

“Please think again.”

Now that it had happened, if someone had gone back a year ago and bet five billion dollars on the Great Chinese Depression, everybody would have pointed fingers at him because he was crazy. Even though it actually happened.

In any case, the rumor of Han Sang-hoon’s ruin continued and continued even after the new year was bright in January 2022. There were a series of follow-up articles, followed by rumors. But I didn’t respond very much, as all the people I cared about knew the truth. More than that, I decided to concentrate on exploring the companies that were going bankrupt.

Obviously, there would be good business in Korea, which had temporarily been credit-tight. I calmly looked for the opportunities quietly, reading the current, future news. However, even if I read the news a year from now, there was not much hopeful news. Due to the government’s hurried response, the urgent fire was put out for now, but the economy and asset prices still showed no signs of rebounding. The whole world had fallen into a swamp of long-term depression.

‘Well… maybe I shouldn’t rush to buy assets…’

As a result, neither I nor the company had much to do.

‘An investment company is lives on the buying and selling, whether it is a recession or a boom.’

However, the economy was now completely dead and crawling on the floor. There was nothing to sell, nothing to buy. I decided to wait for a little more time after holding my breath.

——————————

I looked at the screen with my arms crossed.

“Daughter, go on ahead; we will talk to each other like men.”

On the screen, Michael Keaton, who played Vulture, was performing so hard. Today’s film was a blockbuster hero movie that had been out for quite some time, and I’d seen it over and over again. Not to see Spider-Man, but to see the villain, Michael Keaton. He was also one of my favorite actors from “Birdman,” which I had recommended to Ah-young before. Tom Holland, who played Spider-Man in the film, was said to have been genuinely terrified by Michael Keaton’s eyes, and didn’t have to act that out.

‘It’s so fantastic.’ As I was admiring it, a text message came in. I glanced down.

It was from Secretary Park. – Boss, we have a visitor. It is Director Bang Young-woo of KJ Products.-

I saw the text and thought for a moment, ‘KJ Products? Why from there?’ I got up right away. It had nothing to do with me, but had to do with Jang Han-sul, who would be the next chairman of KJ Group.

I had a gut feeling. ‘She sent out another high-ranking official as a mailman.’ He came to our company as a postman for Garden Royale.

“Huh.” I closed my mouth and looked down at it. I was going to watch a movie quietly because I wanted to stay home from work. However, I could not help but go down, because an executive was here. The Garden Royale’s invitation was like registered mail, I didn’t let anyone else take it.

“It’s a funny part…” I paused the movie and replied to my cell phone. – I’ll be there in a minute.-

I got up and headed to the closet. It took about forty seconds to get out of the private theater and walk across the living room to the closet. In the meantime, I was worried about what to put on. Anyways, I just had to go down and accept the invitation.

‘Do I have to wear a suit?’ After a moment of thought, I got on the elevator, dressed in jeans and a shirt. But when I looked in the mirror in front of the elevator that was going down, my hair was a little disheveled and my beard was unshaven. It was because I hadn’t thought of going to work this morning.

‘.. It’s a little disrespectful, but… I don’t care anymore, as I’m also the richest person in Korea. Do I need to look at anyone’s notice?’ I came down to the floor with the president’s office, thinking about it.

A middle-aged man was waiting for me in front of the president’s office.

I reached out to him and said, “I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. I am Han Sang-hoon from Invictus Investment.”

“This is Director Bang Young-woo of KJ Products. Nice to meet you, CEO Han.”

I came into the office with him. Knowing everything in my heart, I spoke to him, “By the way, what brings you here?”

Sure enough, he took out an envelope from his arms that said ‘R’ and handed it to me. “Nothing, but our Chairman Jang Han-sul asked me to deliver this…”

I said, accepting that, “Yes, please tell her I received it.”

His business was over. I was going to finish the meeting right there. I had to go back up and finish watching the movie I had started.

But he took out one more word, “Yes, and… she asked me to ask if you’re okay these days.”

At this time, I answered in a blunt manner. “Yes. Well. I’m good.”

I thought it was just a simple hello, and I told him, “Please say hello to her and wish her a happy New Year.”

“Ah… yes, CEO Han. I will do it.” But strangely, he looked at my face as he said it, and smiled.

I realized just now that the regard he had just made was not a simple greeting. After he left, I just replayed the situation, holding the invitation from Garden Royale. ‘If you’re okay these days…’

Jang Han-sul, who sent the invitation, also seemed to be paying attention after hearing rumors that Han Sang-hoon had gone bankrupt. So when she sent that fat executive, she asked him to ask me how I was doing and watch if the rumors were true or not. Meanwhile, I came down in jeans, with my hair disheveled and beard unshaven. Perhaps, it would cause a misunderstanding on her side, as well.

‘It’s strange that I’m constantly getting misunderstood…’

Or maybe it was all because people wanted me to go bankrupt. ‘People often see what they want to see, and believe what they want to believe.’

The rumor ‘Han Sang-hoon is ruined’ met the expectation of ‘I wish it would be real,’ and it caused such misunderstandings.

‘No, if I think about it… it is polite to not say anything if she is really worried about me. At some point, there are people who enjoy other’s mishaps when they are in trouble, and pretend to comfort them on the outside. If it’s Jang Han-sul, I’m sure she is that type of human being.’

After watching me for more than a year, Jang Han-sul was a jealous person. Even though she was from one of the richest families, she didn’t like seeing others doing well. I looked at the invitation from Garden Royale.

‘Shall I not go there now?’

For a year or so, I had attended the showy social gathering of the top class, but now it was getting boring. I was going to tear it apart, but instead, I stopped and gently opened the envelope.

Now it was a gathering of people whose assets were lower than mine, but they still had some decent information on Korea. They would have been similar to me in the way they coped with this credit crisis. They would try to buy a cheap but good company.

——————————

Garden Royale’s New Year’s party…

‘The economy runs in recessions and booms. During boom times, jobs are added, incomes rise, and asset values, such as real estate and stocks, rise. The working class is well off and the rich are better off. IN contrast, in times of recession, massive layoffs occur, income decreases, real estate is auctioned off, and stocks fall. The common people find living hard, but the rich are still well off.’

That was what I thought here. Unlike ordinary people in the outside world, there was no shadow of recession on their faces. In a way, it was natural. At first glance, the rich seemed to only make money during the economic boom, but it was not true. In times of recession, all assets came cheap in the market.

‘During a recession, businesses go bankrupt, real estate and stocks are very cheap, and the working class can’t buy or do anything, since they don’t really have any money. It is the rich who buy assets cheaply at that time: people with cash, or people who have the credit to borrow cash. They may not make crazy profits from selling position bets like me, but they also make money slowly. If they stand still, someone dies and disappears. All they have to do is pick things up cheaply with the cash they have. Then, prices naturally go up during the boom at a price so high that ordinary people will not dare to look up.’

“How has KJ been these days?” Jung Sung-soo, vice chairman of Mirae Motors, asked.

“Well, it’s hell. Our business in China is so hard,” Jang Han-sul, chairman of KJ Shopping, answered.

But even as she said that, she had a smile on her face. Perhaps because they had already suffered decades and years of depression with vested interests, they might have recognized that a crisis was an opportunity.

This time, Ko Jin-hee, chairman of JISUNG Fashion, asked Huh Joon-ik, president of LC Construction. “Mr. President, how about LC Telecom? Don’t you think it’s the best time to buy?”

Huh Joon-ik answered, “Just wait a little longer. The ants’ selling with a loss isn’t over yet. If it reaches $240, you can buy it, and you won’t lose in the long run.”

‘They, too, have been squeezed out of their assets, but they can bear it. They’ve lost tens of millions of dollars in the financial records, but they can live without the money. If they wait, the price goes up again. They have a lot of cash and credit in Korea, so all they have to do is buy assets that have come down at a steady pace. It is only the clumsy rich who crumble in times of crisis.’

This time, President Kim Shin of Susung Planning asked, “Hey, CEO Han, how about your company? There’s been a strange rumor going around these days.”

I looked at him and could feel that he saw me as one of the clumsy rich. I said with a slight nod, “It’s not easy.”

Also, instead of lying, my words led them to more misunderstandings. He laughed at my words. He seemed to think I had lost a lot of money, because of the article.

‘I’m not the one who is a clumsy rich, but you, I thought, but didn’t say it. They would find out in time that they were wrong.

In the meantime, Kim Shin kept talking, “You won’t get an invitation if your assets fall below some amount. Be careful, CEO Han.”

I answered with a smile, since it was really funny, “Ah, yes.”

However, it seemed that I looked a little crazy. Jang Han-sul came closer to me and asked, “What’s the matter, CEO Han? Is it really hard these days? Did you invest a lot in China?”

I said it almost with a sigh, “I invested a lot, almost all-in.” It was not a lie, either.

The eyes of Jang Han-sul were getting bigger. “Oh, really? Then…” She couldn’t say any more.

Ko Jin-hee looked around and said, “What kind of attitude is that? Are you going to kick him out of here since CEO Han has lost some money? What a pity!”

And then finally, Tak Mun-su appeared and said, “We can`t kick Han Sang-hoon out, even if it true.”

I looked at him. He always spoke well of me, as usual.

“He used to give us advice sometimes. We’ve been helped before, so we should help him in times of need. Don’t you think?”

But when he said that, he suddenly hit his wrist with one hand. The gesture brought back old memories. It was definitely the sign that he had used when he had sent off Tak Joon-gi…

Chapter 163 - A Lion And A Hyena, Part I

A Rolls-Royce, driven by Secretary Park, rolled down the road elegantly. I sat in the back seat and looked out the window. In the distance, I could see a building with the word ‘Invictus’ in orange. We were nearly home. I stared out of the window at our building, and said a few words, “I’ve a bad feeling…”

Surprised by what I said, Secretary Park asked me, “Yes?”

I shook my head and said, “No, no. Drive.”

“Ah… Yes.”

Secretary Park kept driving after I spoke, and I turned to our building again. As I watched our building getting closer and closer, I thought of what Tak Mun-su had said to me in the Garden Royale where I had just been, ‘He used to give us advice sometimes. We’ve been helped before, so we should help him in times of need. Don’t you think?’

When the words came out, the others added a word or two.

“Yes, Chairman Tak is right a hundred times.”

“Haha, I agree.”

From the point of view of their dialogues, these were very good stories. When a person was in trouble, they wanted to help him. But there was something bothering me, and it was the gesture that Tak had made as he had said it, the act of hitting his wrist with the other hand. I’d never seen it in real life, but I’d seen it once in a Crow’s dream, when Tak Mun-su had removed Tak Joon-gi. I thought about the hand gesture.

‘Maybe it meant… to break relations.’

If Tak’s words were false and his gesture was genuine, the situation just a moment ago was quite the opposite of his words.

“If you really invested your entire fortune in China and became a beggar, we would break relations with you.”

“Yes, Chairman Tak is right a hundred times.”

“Haha, I agree.”

I thought of the atmosphere then. It wasn’t even a good time to laugh, but they did. Perhaps the gesture was a code they shared among themselves, or a kind of meme made in a long relationship.

‘And I was teased by what I didn’t know…’

Tak Mun-su was very careful and never did anything that could damage him, including his own image getting worse. He probably did it thinking I hadn’t even recognized his hand gesture. He was right. If I had really seen the gesture for the first time at the party, I probably wouldn’t have even thought it was strange, just a quirk.

I would have thought, ‘Every time, Chairman Tak Mun-su has a good word for me.’ But there, he had made a mistake. I had seen that gesture, and I had known what the meaning of it was. So I had been able to accurately read the atmosphere of the time, the fact that he was making a fool of me by reversing his words and gesture.

‘You had some bad luck. It has been perfect for you so far, but it didn’t work.’

I’d always looked at him with suspicious eyes and a little wonder. He used to say and do good things in front of others, while killing his cousin behind the scenes. However, I was convinced that his image was completely trained, and he was a monstrous human being. He was respected by his subordinates, praised by the public, but it was probably the result of a perfectly made mask, a result of deception; pulling it off required great skill.

‘Certainly, compared to Tak Mun-su, Tak Joon-gi wasn’t enough… to fool others while managing his own image.’

In retrospect, his cousin, Tak Joon-gi, had been a very human being compared to Tak Mun-su. He showed his greed for what it was. Of course, he had tried to hide as much as he could, but when I looked at him, I could see the real him. Thus, he had been defeated and killed by Tak Mun-su.

I thought of the Crow’s dream once more. There was a line that suddenly caught me. ‘We were born with the DNA of victory. But you were defeated… Defeat is only for the general public. Now you’re not the right person for Suyeon Group.’

Come to think of it, Tak Mun-su had that style, contemptuous of a loser. Maybe that was why he said that and gestured unconsciously when he heard I had lost a lot.

‘He acts as if he’s never been defeated before.’

But when I thought about it, I thought that might be true. Since he was born a legitimate successor of Suyeon Group and lived as a prince, there was no chance he could feel defeated. Tak Joon-gi was a bastard and had always lived as an underdog, so there was an inferiority complex there, but Tak Mun-su had no such thing. As a result, he might have never really suffered a defeat. No matter how many others explained it, he could not understand what he had never gone through.

‘He’s never been defeated before… That’s Invictus… It’s our motto…’ When I was thinking about it, the Rolls-Royce, driven by Secretary Park, arrived at the basement parking lot of our building.

“Boss, we are here.”

“Thank you for your work.”

I got out of the car with that remark. I received the Rolls-Royce key from Secretary Park, separated, took the elevator, pressed “P,” and then pressed the password.

“Penthouse.”

The elevator carrying me headed to the top of the building. I kept thinking about Tak Mun-su on the way.

‘The one who despises the loser… But then… if he becomes a loser, what kind of expression will he have?’

In any case, after today, I decided not to attend the Garden Royale meeting again.

When it turned out, ‘Han is not doomed, but has become the richest man in Korea,’ an invitation would come, but I decided not to go. After this last incident, I felt once again that I was an external man and a unique species that came from the outside. I didn’t mean to mix with them in the first place, but I thought I had been polite meeting with them two or three times. However, I was very offended by the message, ‘Without money, you can’t play with us any more.’

After all, it was not me who didn’t have real money, but them.

—————————–

On January twenty-eighth, I went to work at 8:30 early in the morning. It was the day when the final report was released.

I told Secretary Park on my way to work, “Tell Vice President Jang that I’m here.”

“Yes, boss.”

After I said that, just five minutes later, Vice President Jang came to the president’s office.

“As I said before, we closed the last deal in the U.S. market early this morning. As the details are complicated, I’ll e-mail them to you. It’s like this if I just report the results.”

He put forward the thin report he had in his hand. It must have been impressively complex to have left the thick report unread. That was great. I was not interested in the details anyway.

“Yes, you did well.”

I nodded and read the short report. The amount of money written in the accounts the company earned was around 36.7 billion dollars. My assets now stood at 45 billion dollars, including the money I originally had and the profits from my personal accounts. With this, I became the richest person in Korea at once. There was an overwhelming gap of nearly thirty billion dollars to second place. I was really at the pinnacle of money, the god of investment in Korea.

After looking at the report for a long time, I raised my eyes and said to Vice President Jang. “I see… So… What I told you about last time, searching for a new M&A…”

“Yes, boss.”

“Let’s go on slightly more relaxed conditions. We’ve earned this much, we don’t need to be frugal.”

‘Looking at the future news, the prices of assets in Korea, regardless of real estate, have neither gone down further nor gone up over the next year. They walk sideways while at the floor. Of course, if we drag it on a little longer here, it’s painful for the troubled companies, but I don’t think we can afford to buy them very cheaply. So, I have decided to buy now to achieve the Grandmaster Class. If I get it, I can even get the news 12 Years After, so I can plan and manage investments in the longer term.’

“If you think so, I’ll find out right away.” Vice President Jang bowed to me.

“Yes, I hope you’ll take care of it well.”

After Jang left, I thought about the Grandmaster Class. ‘Twelve years from now… Then I can predict the next economic crisis and make another leap forward.’

Before the Chinese financial crisis, there had been a rumor circulating in the stock market a few years ago: ‘The economy is in a 10-year cycle: the South American financial crisis in 1984, the East Asian financial crisis in 1998 and the global financial crisis in 2008. The global crisis comes about every ten years, and it hit China in 2021.’

If I knew the news in twelve years, I would know when I could make another big bet.

‘By 2030, I’ll have two hundred billion dollars and make a thousand billion dollars in the next crisis. Then maybe I will be the richest person in the world, or perhaps the richest man in human history… the king of investment, the historic rich man who makes his name in history, such as Mansa Musa, the king of gold; Andrew Carnegie, the king of steel; and John Davidson Rockefeller, the king of oil; I’m really living in history now. My name will now appear in the textbooks.’ My heart sped up when I thought about it.

‘Of course, to do that…’ I turned my eyes to the bottom right of the monitor and checked the time. It was 8:52. The future news was already here. I looked at the future news and searched for my name as usual, just in case something would happen. No matter how rich I was, it would be over if my plane crashed or I got cancer. I would be invincible if I prevented it in advance. Fortunately, the search results were no big deal.

[CEO Han Sang-hoon of Invictus Investment is on a roll.]

That was my daily routine; it was about winning every time. I nodded and thought about the remaining slots. ‘I will search for Joo Sung-won with one slot; what about the other one?’

I stared at it without much thought, and suddenly I searched the name that came to my mind… Tak Mun-su!

But, strangely, there was a piece of funny news. [Suyeon Electronics acquired Ullim Electronics, Chairman Tak Mun-Su’s leadership will be tested for the first time after being on the front line of management.]

I saw it and said, “Oho!”

I had not yet tried to fuck him over, but now I had a chance. I picked up the phone and said to Secretary Park, “I’m sorry, but call Vice President Jang back to my office.”

Chapter 164 - A Lion And A Hyena, Part II

I called over Jang over the phone, and in the meantime I checked the contents of the article. The acquisition date for Ullim Electronics, which was written in the article, was June 2022, so it was about four months from now. I looked at it and thought, ‘It’s… a little vague, but… they may or may not have started negotiations now. However, it would not be time for the negotiations to end. If that was the case, rumors would have already taken the lead in the current news.’

I went on to check the price of the negotiations.

[Suyeon Electronics buys 38.1% of Ullim Electronics, which was formerly owned by its majority shareholder, for 1.652 billion dollars.]

In the meantime, the phone rang. I remembered that number 1.652, then lifted the phone while closing the email window.

“Please let him come in.”

Soon Vice President Jang, who had just left, came back into my office. “Did you call me?”

“Oh, yes. Well… Do you know Ullim Electronics?”

“Yes, I do. When I was working for another company, I went to the company to visit.”

“Oh, I see. That’s great,” I said with a big smile.

“By the way, why?”

“I’m just wondering what this company looks like.”

“Oh, yes. As far as I know…”

Jang began to relate what he knew. Ullim Electronics was established in the early 1990s and used to make cassette tapes, CD players, and MP3s according to the evolution of the music market. When the market died as smartphones came out, the company quickly turned to the electronics business.

Although it was difficult in the beginning due to decreased sales, its sales had increased rapidly as markets for the smart car had grown. It was a company recognized worldwide for its technological power and know-how built up since the 1990s. According to the search, the current market capital was three billion dollars. Originally, it used to be worth seven billion dollars before the financial crisis from China, but now it was just half-price.

I said while looking at the chart, “It has been getting a lot cheaper lately.”

Vice President Jang also nodded, “We’ve been having a hard time in manufacturing lately, but this company is particularly bad. Something’s wrong with it on the inside.”

“I see. But basically, they have the technology, and the future looks bright for smart car parts companies.”

Vice President Jang agreed, “Yes, I think so.”

‘Yes… so did Tak Mun-su want to buy it?’

As expected, I was not the only one who was looking for an M&A item cheaply after the Chinese financial crisis. Tak Mun-su was watching for this kind of sale. Come to think of it, the reason I went to Garden Royale last time was to get information about M&A. Of course, all I got from it was insults instead of information, and Tak Mun-su never let this kind of information out. I had to admit that he was thorough, but this time he had been caught by me.

‘If Tak Mun-su is coveting it, it’s not a bad company. I don’t need to look for a company to take over… Let’s take advantage of his insights rather than to try to find a company to acquire.’

I spoke to Vice President Jang, “Then, let the directors know about this company and tell them to be mindful of its acquisition.”

“Oh, yes. So, how long do we have to get information?”

I thought for a moment, ‘Even if it’s not being negotiated right now… at least Suyeon Electronics will be watching. Then… we have to take action as soon as possible.’

“As soon as possible… Can I have it by four p.m. this afternoon?”

Vice President Chang nodded, “… I think it’s possible to get rough information by then.”

“Then, do it. Please call the directors to the boardroom at four.”

“Yes, boss.” After bowing to me, Vice President Jang left the president’s office.

After he went out, I turned back to the monitor, looked at the Ullim Electronics’ chart and checked the key points once again: five months from now, 38.1%, 1.652 billion dollars… and the CEO’s name is Oh Kyu-seok…

———————-

“They say they’ve lost all their investments in China.”

At four p.m. that day, I sat at the top of the conference table as scheduled, and was briefed by the directors.

“All the Chinese companies that signed big supply contracts have collapsed… There’s no way for them to collect their sales receivables.”

“Some of the clients are alive, but they just barely. Even if they get paid in yuan, they’ll barely be able to make up for the deficit considering the exchange rate has fallen.”

To be sure, there was a reason that a company valued at seven billion dollars fell to three billion dollars. Listening to the reports, I looked at Vice President Jang.

He advised me by summing up the information. “Of course, there is still a lot of bad news. But that’s a problem for all of our manufacturers right now. If there’s nothing worse to be done here… It’s an opportunity to buy a good company at a low price.”

‘He’s right. It is a company with technical skills and had good sales. In the era of smart cars, the electronics business is getting bigger. It is only temporarily shaken by the wrong investment now, and once the global economy recovers, its stock price will rise. So, Suyeon Group’s working group decided to buy it…’

I asked the directors with such thoughts. “What about the major shareholder’s intention?”

Director Kwon, who sat around the corner, replied at my question. “What’s unique about this company is that its founder, Oh Kyu-seok, is neither married nor has any successor. He set up his own company, and it has grown this much. I know that he will be seventy years old next year. Just in case, he has prepared a succession plan… Stocks are probably not disposed of… There is a story that when he dies, he will make a foundation and give the money back to society.”

“I see. How much would be good if we bought it?”

As expected, Director Park answered, “The major shareholder’s stake is 38.1%, and if we consider the current share price, that is 1.4318 billion dollars. But given that the current founder has been in business for more than thirty years and has a high stake, shouldn’t we put in at least 1.5 billion dollars in premium? That’s what I think.”

His guess was similar to the price Tak Mun-su bought it at…

I looked around the directors and said, “Yes, I see. Then let’s try to get in touch with him. If not for acquisition, just tell them we’d like to invest, and they will not take it badly because they have experienced a record deficit for a few consecutive quarters.”

Vice President Jang nodded, “Yes, I think so.”

“Well, then, Vice President Jang, I want you to team up and move on this. This is it.”

When I was finished, all the board members bowed to me and said, “Yes, sir!”

———————-

From that day on, the race for the acquisition of Ullim Electronics by Invictus Investment began.

They also responded favorably, ‘The chairman wants to clean up the equity relationship before he dies.’

Oh Kyu-seok was a prominent figure who had founded the company alone in the 1990s when he came out of a large company and grew it, but now he seemed to have realized his age. Next year he would be seventy, and he seemed to have slowed down a little, saying it was enough when he saw the Chinese financial crisis gripping the company.

Further squeezing the board members, we found that Suyeon Group’s offer had yet to come. That was a relief. If the negotiations had been under way, our late arrival would have been a little disadvantageous. In contrast, we took the lead!

As soon as I saw the future news, I moved and it worked. The seller had an intention, and I did a strong push, so the acquisition proceeded quickly.

Vice President Jang gave me a quick report as soon as things went on. “It has been proposed that we will take over all of Chairman Oh`s shares. However, his successor is President Jang Jin-suk, and he wants to continue the business with a 3% stake.”

When I received the report, I said with a nod, “Let’s follow our tradition.”

“Yes, boss.”

Our tradition was to invest only and not run the business. As long as there was no big harm in falling stock prices, the news from the future showed that whoever came in and did the job now, he was destined to take the role of ‘the hero who saved the company from the crisis.’ It would not be a poison, but a Holy Grail filled with holy water.

“Then we will make a deal and go into details of the negotiation at 1.5 billion dollars.”

I nodded. Tak Mun-su bought it for 1.652 billion dollars, so it would be a reasonable price to buy around there.

——

But one day, a surprising call came to the president’s office.

“Boss.”

“Hmm?” Secretary Park’s voice was a bit tense when he said that. It was not like him.

“Well. I got a call from Suyeon Group’s secretary.”

“What?”

“Tak Mun-su wants to speak to the boss directly.”

“Really?” I said with a slight surprise. I thought there might be some friction with Suyeon Group, but I didn’t know Tak would call me personally. I spoke to Secretary Park, “Put me on the line.”

“Yes, boss.”

After the coordination between the secretaries of both sides, Mr. Tak officially spoke to me. “Hey, CEO Han, how have you been?”

“I have…”

“Why did you leave so fast during the last meeting? You should drink a little more before you leave.”

“I had a slight cold.”

I had a rough talk with him while I thought, ‘When is he going to talk about Ullim Electronics?’ About two minutes later, Tak Mun-su began to speak. “Oh, by the way…”

‘It’s coming!’ As soon as I thought of it, he said, “There’s a rumor going around that Invictus is going to take over Ullim Electronics.”

I said with a big smile, “Oh, it’s spread…”

It was expected. It was natural for Suyeon Group to keep an eye on Ullim Electronics.

“Is that true?” He was probably asking that, knowing that our company had put in an offer.

“Yes,” I answered dutifully.

“Oh, really? Is your company all right?” He still seemed to believe that our company was suffering a huge loss from its investments in China.

“Oh, yes. A crisis is an opportunity,” I answered with a big smile.

But then, he suddenly opened his heart. “To be honest, I was watching this company, too.”

‘I know, you bastard.’ I thought to myself, and I put my brain to work more. ‘This sly person shows his true heart. Why the hell?’

“It was a company that matched our Suyeon Electronics’ vision.”

I responded to the best of my ability. “Oh, so it was.” It was actually sarcastic, but he didn’t know at all.

“Yes, that’s why. Can you hand it over to our company?”

I realized only then why he was being honest.

“Hand it over?”

“Yes. We’d like to take over Ullim Electronics.” He declared war, saying he wanted to take it over.

‘Oho… look at this,’ I thought. In a way, he swallowed the bait. He thought I had lost a lot of money on investments in China, but he couldn’t imagine that I had become a super power with forty-five billion dollars in cash.

‘But even if there was no loss in China, he couldn’t think I’d go to a face-to-face confrontation with Suyeon Group.’ I told him, thinking about it, “I don’t think that’s going to be easy on our part, either. I’m sorry, Mr. Chairman.”

When I said that, a short yet long silence continued on the other side of the phone.

“…”

I was sad since this was not a video call. He would never have imagined that I would refuse here. He’d always been a lion in a savannah. But when a hyena suddenly tried to bite the lion, he couldn’t help but be embarrassed.

“Well… Is that so? I see…” he managed to answer me.

I thought of some things to fill his ears. Now it was time to tell him who was going to a lion in this meadow, and who was going to be a hyena…

Chapter 165 - All-out War, Part I

I concentrated on the voice coming from beyond the phone. “Do you really have to do that?” he asked.

Tak Mun-su had a slightly different way of speaking, though it was fine. It was slightly higher than usual, and slightly faster than usual.

‘He got riled up.’ I thought and focused, just to pick out the words Tak Mun-su would like to say. “Yes. We’ve been tracking Ullim Electronics for a long time. I don’t want to give it to anyone.”

“…”

Once again, there was a brief silence. He said nothing, but I expected him to be shaking with rage. Tak Mun-su had also been tracking Ullim Electronics for a long time, and he wouldn’t want to hand it over to anyone. However, to all observers, we, Invictus Investment, were the first to put an offer in for Ullim Electronics. If they came in now, it would give the ugly appearance of a big company interfering with the takeover bid.

‘But I originally followed you.’ I was thinking about it with a big smile, as Tak Mun-su said, “As CEO Han says so, I’ll be honest. Our company has been watching this company for a long time. And, considering our Suyeon Electronics and synergies, it’s a necessary company. I really want to buy it.”

He began to be more honest than I thought. In Garden Royale, he used to have good words all the time:

“Oh, really? That’s great.”

“That sounds fun. That’s good.”

“That’s a good idea.”…

However, he was dry and sharp when it came to his interests.

I spoke to him, “Really? Then what? We’d like to take this over, too. If we compete with Suyeon Group…”

When I blurred my words, he spoke with delight, “Right. I don’t want that either. If CEO Han makes a big concession this time, I’ll thank you very much.”

He must have thought I would lower my tail at the power of the Suyeon Group. I told him, “No, I don’t have a mind to make a concession. I was going to say that if we competed with the Suyeon Group, our acquisition price might go up…”

“What?”

He had to show off his embarrassment in the end. He must have never thought I’d ask for a head-on confrontation.

“I didn’t expect Suyeon Group to be aiming for it. It means that Ullim Electronics has high potential. I’ll put in an offer at a higher price than I originally thought. If you want to participate in the acquisition deal, you’ll need to bring a lot of money.”

When I said that, he couldn’t stand it any longer. “CEO Han, what you are saying now sounds like you’re going to compete with our Suyeon Group. Are you sure?”

I thought for a moment here. ‘Tak Mun-su is trying to put pressure on me here. Should I lower my head and stab him in the back? Or should I raise my head stiffly and have a direct confrontation?’

No matter how much I thought about it, the latter suited me. I answered in a dutiful manner, “Then I can’t help it.”

He finally showed his anger to me. “Yes. I can’t help it if CEO Han says so. You and your company have become enemies of me and our Suyeon Group today.”

“I’ll give it back to you, as it is. You and Suyeon Group have become enemies of me and our Invictus Investment.”

When he heard the remark, he laughed out loud, “Hahaha! Okay. Okay. I’ve been thinking that you were an unusual person since I first met you, but I can’t believe you are going to do this… I really didn’t imagine it. How dare you defy Suyeon Group…”

He still seemed to think he was stronger than I was. I replied to him, “Me too. From the first time I saw you, I thought you were an unusual person. But… you were just as good as I expected.”

“What?”

“… you’ll soon know what I mean.”

“Okay, what a surprise to me in many ways. All right, let’s see how long you can hold out after turning our Suyeon Group into an enemy.”

“I’m also looking forward to it.”

After the violent call, I put down the phone, and thought, ‘I was just going to get outboxing and only tease him, but somehow it turned out to be an all-out war.’

He had always played the role of a good man when he was wearing a mask, but when he took it off, he revealed his greed, pride, and anger without mercy. He might have thought I’d lower my tail if he revealed himself like that. He would never do it unless it was for his interests.

He was trying to take advantage of me by threatening me. He was like a lion, kicking out at a hyena that was trying to steal his prey. But the problem was, I wasn’t the one to give in to that. If he was a lion, I was a rhino, and if he was a rhino, I was an elephant. Now, I was stronger than anyone in Korea. But he didn’t know it…

‘All right, if we’re going to an all-out war, I need to get ready, right? I don’t want to be bothered and have to prepare in advance.’ I thought for a moment with my arms crossed. ‘How will he attack me?’

Suyeon Group had a close relationship with the political community, having ruled as a chaebol in Korea for fifty years. Perhaps that was the fastest way forward. But the current president Joo Sung-won was on my side…

‘All right, let’s start with the shield.’ I picked up the phone and said to Secretary Park, “Contact CEO Chung of Oracle News. I have something to write about.”

“Yes, boss.”

When I finished my phone call, I went straight into writing the manuscript. ‘Market monopoly of large enterprises – A key problem that weakens the competitiveness of Korean companies.’

I picked the title, and on the first line of the A4 paper, I wrote it down.

‘The content is criticism of Suyeon Group… I don’t need to mention the Suyeon Group, but I need to remind them of the Suyeon group.’

With this, the Blue House would also cooperate in the manner of one being unaware of something. Come to think of it, regardless of what kind of government they were in, they tended to meet with big companies and fight one another first.

“I’m the president and I’m a living power, so please cooperate for five years. Please pay a lot of taxes on time. Don’t increase the number of unemployed people, huh? Hire a lot of employees, and don’t retire them too early, okay?”

“Yes, sir. But the presidency is five years, and we have money forever. The judges, prosecutors, and reporters who have received our company’s money are lying in the streets near the Blue House, so please be moderate. Okay?”

However, as soon as the current administration entered the country, the problem in China exploded and the process had been delayed a little. Now that we were at a stable stage, there was a chance that they could tie up the Suyeon Group. On top of that, President Joo Sung-won’s presidency was very strong.

Originally, the first-year President had great power because of his high approval rating, which currently was higher than when he had been elected, thanks to his preemptive handling of the Chinese issue. If he cooperated with me, I was very unlikely to be attacked in the political world.

‘All right, well, I am going to defend that side like this… Next is the attack. Where shall I dig?’

But when I thought of the attack, something popped into my mind. Tak Mun-su’s father, Tak Woo-kyung had been hospitalized in a VIP room on the top floor of a hospital under the Suyeon Foundation since he had fallen to a heart attack last year. At that time, the news came out.

[Chairman Tak Woo-kyung of Suyeon Group is in critical condition due to a heart attack.]

[Chairman Tak Woo-kyung is not conscious, but his life is fine.]

However, there were no more follow-up stories. Now as the year went by, strange rumors were coming out. ‘Chairman Tak Woo-kyung was already dead when he had a heart attack. However, they did not announce his death to reduce the inheritance tax.’

‘I am a little bit sorry for attacking someone else’s life and death… But I can’t help it when his son turns out to be my enemy. In war, I must attack the enemy’s most fatal spot. His cousin, Tak Joon-gi also said, “I will detonate the nuclear bomb when Tak Woo-kyung dies or is about to die.”

I don’t know what the nuclear bomb is yet. Anyways, when Tak Woo-kyung dies, it is an opportunity. If that happens, Tak Mun-su will have to pay an astronomical inheritance tax. Currently, Tak Mun-su’s personal assets are only worth two billion dollars. His father has assets worth more than ten billion dollars, and they were predetermined to go to Tak Mun-su. He has been treated as one of the richest men in the country. If he loses half of his father’s assets, he really becomes a minnow who is no match for me…’

‘If it’s the VIP room on the top floor of the Suyeon Foundation Hospital… I’m sure the security is tight. The doctor must have been paid tens of million dollars, and the nurses get paid hundreds of thousand dollars a year. Especially if there is a big secret concerning Tak Woo’s life and death…’

However, there was something that the top floor of the Suyeon Foundation Hospital could not stop: a crow’s eye flying in the sky. I opened my mailbox of 12 Hours After and put the cursor on the Crow Summoning Link at the bottom. ‘Would you like to summon the Crow? (One time is left).’

This month’s Crow summon was left unused. When the negotiation with Ullim Electronics was under way, it was part of the necessary verification process that had begun when we had taken over the former Changhae Food, finding out if there was anything rotten inside. It was a needed investigation for a certain CEO-me before taking over a company…

‘But this time… I don’t mind skipping…’

The executives who had investigated this case all said:

“Chairman Oh Kyu-seok is respected both outside and inside the company.”

“There is no spouse and no heir, so the equity relationship is clean.”

“When he retires, he is going to build a foundation to donate.”

Of course, its reputation was not great, but if Suyeon Electronics tried to take over it without saying a word, its finances would be clean.

‘Please specify the location and time to summon.’ I took my mouse on the flashing cursor and wrote, ‘the penthouse on the top floor of the Invictus Investment Building, 7:30 p.m. today.’

————————–

At 7:30 p.m. today, the next evening…

“Did you call me, sir?”

I met Crow on my outdoor terrace. It was from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., while Ah-young called in a Pilates instructor from the gym into the penthouse to take private lessons. There was no one else who could see our meeting. I gave him the summary I had prepared for a quick request.

“Please investigate this guy, and find out whether he is alive or dead. If he is dead, how are they keeping it secret… Please find out.”

The summary also showed Tak Woo-kyung lying in the hospital room. Crow read my summary and nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Then, I’ll ask you for a good investigation. And please leave quietly so that Ah-young won’t find out when you go out.”

“Yes…”

I purposely turned my head so that he could quietly disappear, and watched the night view of Seoul in the distance for a moment. Soon there was a flapping sound where he had been standing. When I looked back, there were only one or two black feathers drifting down, and Crow was gone.

Chapter 166 - All-out War, Part II

I buttoned up my shirt and put on my jacket. Ah-young came in with a tie and stood in front of me.

When I lowered my head, she hung it around my neck and said, “Oppa, you are full of spirit today.”

“Really?”

As I answered, she smiled and said, “Yes. I know when I see it.”

I looked at her and nodded. “I’ve been working at an important thing lately.”

“You’re the one that says every day is important to you.”

“Well, that’s true. But this time, it’s really important.”

Her face changed slightly when I spoke a little seriously. “Really? Hmm… Is there anything I can do for you?”

“Would you like to help me?” I thought for a moment what she said that. ‘Do I have to have her go to America for a while?’

I wondered if Tak Mun-su might inflict some strange harm on my acquaintances. I myself had been using People Search every day, so even if it happened, I could prevent it. However, Ah-young and my other family members and acquaintances were not so famous, and even if they were attacked by an unidentified person, they might not appear on the news. Even if I did the People Search, they would not come out on the news.

“Tell me anything. I’ll do anything for you.”

I looked at Ah-young and said, “… Don’t wander around late at night.”

“Eh? Don’t walk around late at night? I’m not a kid!”

Unlike Tak Joon-gi, however, Tak Mun-su was naturally scrupulous. He was not a man to physically attack others when his circumstances were not in his control. She would not have to go to the U.S.

“There’ve been a lot of weird people lately. Don’t go anywhere late at night, stay with me at home.”

“Hmm. Okay. If that’s what you want, I’ll do it for you, Mr. CEO.”

I left home after a slight kiss on her cheek. On the elevator, I looked in the mirror. I remembered her words, ‘Oppa, you are full of spirit today.’ I must have been nervous without realizing it. No matter how strong I was, Suyeon Group and Tak Mun-su were not easy opponents. While its electronic sector was slightly pressured by China’s recent collapse, the group’s market capital exceeded a hundred twenty billion dollars when the chemical sector fared well.

Of course, less than twenty percent of the group’s shares were owned by the family. Still, personal connections and business networks that had been created across Korea for nearly fifty years had spread throughout the country. If we went to an all-out war, I might be damaged too!

‘Should I have gone in with my head down? I could just step on it slowly anyway…’

But if I thought about it, one way or another, the people over there, at KJ, Susung, Mirae, Suyeon, were destined to run into me. The future news wanted me to continuously buy listed companies in the country. If I grew bigger in our country, I would some day run into the chaebols. It was inevitable. Although this happened because of the bad relationship that started with Tak Joon-gi with the Suyeon Group and his fight for pride, it should be said that it only happened a little sooner.

“Are you here?”

I arrived at work with a greeting from Secretay Park. I replied, “Secretary Park.”

“Yes?”

“Shall we choose another secretary?”

“Why…?

“You may find it hard to handle things alone.”

“Yes?”

“You are going to be busy going forward. Think about it.” I came into the president’s office, leaving the words behind me. I then sent a text message to CEO Chung So-young. – When will the article come out?-

As soon as I sent it, I got a reply. – I’ll let it out sometime tomorrow morning, Mr. CEO.-

Checking might be the most important, whether the president was on my side. It was necessary to fight with the Suyeon Group. I got the future news at 8:50 and searched for important names: Han Sang-hoon, Tak Mun-su, and Oh Kyu-seok of Ullim Electronics. There was no other news in 12 Hours After. When I saw 12 Days After, the news showed the competition to acquire Ullim Electronics.

[CEO Han Sang-hoon is taking over Ullim Electronics.]

[Vice Chairman Tak Mun-su reaches out to Ullim Electronics.]

[Chairman Oh Kyu-seok yells for delight at the fight between Invictus Investment and Suyeon Group.]

‘In the end, Tak Mun-su seems to have rushed into the race to acquire Ullim Electronics. In fact, when this happens, the winner becomes Chairman Oh Kyu-seok, as the article suggests; I also have to compete with Tak Mun-su in price. Tak Mun-su offered at 1.652 billion dollars. If I bet more than 1.7 billion dollars, I’ll win.’

I searched the news 12 Weeks After, thinking about that. Along the way, there were articles like this:

[CEO Han Sang-hoon has been pushed out of negotiations with Ullim Electronics, and the purchase has been canceled.]

[Ullim Electronics ended up with 1.9 billion dollars in the arms of Vice Chairman Tak Mun-su.]

[Chair Oh Kyu-seok sits on the money seat at 1.9 billion dollars. We recall the myth of a salaryman.]

‘1.9 billion dollars?’

Tak Mun-su must have been fixated on Ullim Electronics. It was nearly three hundred million dollars more than he had originally intended to spend, yet he still bought it.

‘Then do I have to offer two billion dollars?’ As I was thinking about it, the telephone rang.

“Boss, I got a call from President Woo Hae-jin of Changhae Food.”

‘What’s going on?’

I spoke to him in wonder. “Put me through.”

Soon, I could hear the voice of President Woo Hae-jin. “Boss… I’m Woo Hae-jin.”

“Oh, yes. How have you been?”

“I’m doing well, but I’ve got a business problem, and I’m calling you.”

“What is it?”

“Well, Elmart has suddenly canceled its dumpling contract.”

Elmart was, needless to say, one of the subsidiaries of Suyeon Group. I put my hands on my forehead.

“Really?”

“Yes… they’ve been getting dumplings from our company for a few years since they found our company. They suddenly canceled the contract this time, saying that it was an agreement between the representatives. So, I asked who the representatives were and what kind of agreement the representative did not know could be… And then the name, Invictus Investment came up…”

“Ha…” I laughed for a moment because I was dumbfounded. But I soon hardened my voice. President Woo Hae-jin was serious, and I could not laugh. “How much in sales do you deliver to that Elmart?”

“It’s about seven percent, if we add the Elmarts nationwide and its small supermarkets.”

‘They are trying to abuse their power.’ I told him, thinking so. “… yes. Don’t worry too much, and just calm down and try to cushion the impact by securing online shopping or sales channels. I’ll try to do something about it.”

“Oh, yes, please, Mr. CEO.”

After I finished the phone call, I bit it in, pulling my lower lip.

‘He is doing something worse than I thought. He didn’t seem like that.’ But this wasn’t all. There was a call from Kwon Oh-hyuk, president of OH Entertainment, around 11 a.m.

“Mr. CEO, I… I’ve had a strange experience.”

“What happened?”

“Do you know Nine Tails of Jiwoo Entertainment?”

“Yes, of course.” Nine Tails was a group of girls who were exclusive to Jiwoo Entertainment alone when I was an ordinary office worker.

“The Nine Tails recently signed a school uniform commercial contract and were supposed to stamp it next week. However, I suddenly got a notice that they would cancel the contract. So I asked them why… They tried not to give me an answer, but they finally answered, ‘You should ask your CEO. If you call Invictus Investment and you’ll find out.’”

I asked without further notice. “Is the school uniform company a subsidiary of Suyeon Group?”

“Ah… yes. Winner School Uniform is a brand under the Suyeon Group.”

“… I see.”

“Do you have any idea about this?”

Of course, I had. Tak Mun-su must have ordered the whole group to cut off all contracts with our subsidiaries. I told him calmly, “President Kwon. Listen to me. I think there may be a couple of things like this in the future.”

President Kwon Oh-hyuk seemed quite surprised. “Yes?”

“I can’t tell you everything that’s going on right now, but… anyway, that’s what’s going on. So, if there’s one or two of these things going forward, don’t worry too much, stay calm and be patient.”

“Oh, yes, I see…”

But when he said that, I felt a little uneasy about Kwon’s words. So I said one more word to him. “President Kwon.”

“Yes?”

“You believe me, don’t you?”

“Sure, I do. Well… I’ve been with you for a long time.”

“Yes. Then trust me, and don’t worry too much. I’m not going to go very long on this one. Our Invictus Investment and I are strong.”

At that, the tone of President Kwon Oh-hyuk’s voice became lighter. “Oh, I see. I’ll know and act like that.”

“Yes.”

After the phone conversation, I thought with my fingers tapping on the table. ‘This is happening faster than I thought.’

It was just yesterday that I spoke to Tak Mun-su, and this pressure came in just one day. I could see how well the Suyeon Group was arranged.

‘What a 50-year chaebol it is! It has a great power to control. Even though there are so many companies in it and it is so big… The group runs very well like that.’

Korea’s octopus-style chaebol structure started from the time it was in the military, so it was definitely elaborate. With a small amount of money, it extracted maximum efficiency, gained the influence of the owner, and at the same time the employees would give the owner a profit. That was how it was designed.

‘But I can’t lose, either. If Suyeon’s strengths are in size and connections, my company has strength in money. It has forty-five billion dollars in cash that can be used immediately. It’s hard for Suyeon, or precisely for Tak Mun-su. The Tak family is the owner of Suyeon Group, but not all of it belongs to the Tak family. If I look into the Suyeon Group, they are divided along 30% foreigners, 20% institutional investors, 10% national pension funds, 20% ants, and so on. No matter if they are owners of a hundred twenty billion dollars of assets, there are limits to what they can do, especially since under the current state Tak Woo-kyung is unconscious.

‘All right, let’s start slowly.’ I called in Vice President Jang, as we needed to bring weapons to war.

—

“Are you calling, sir?”

I spoke to him with my hands together on the table, “We have foreign money collected after investing in China, don’t we?”

“Yes, boss.”

“I think we need to exchange the money to Korean won slowly now.”

“Are you trying now? You said that we would hold on to a little bit more for the original foreign exchange gains.”

“That’s what I said. But this time, I think a war is going to happen inside, not outside the country.”

“War…?”

Vice President Jang didn’t know that I had started a war with the Suyeon Group yesterday. I put my hands together and said to him, “It’s war. Call up all the directors. We’ll be a little busy from now on.”

Chapter 167 - All-out War, Part III

In the conference room, where the directors sat on the left and right sides, I said, “To be frank with you… our Invictus Investment is about to go to war with Suyeon Group.”

As soon as I was finished, everyone started murmuring. Choi, sitting in a distant seat, asked me, “Well, sir. What do you mean?”

“Of course I’m not talking about a war of gunfire. It is a conflict competing for interests in Korea. That’s what I mean.”

“With Suyeon Group?”

“Yes.”

Director Kwon, who was on the far side, raised his hand. “War with the Suyeon Group… Isn’t this a complete battle between David and Goliath? If possible, we have to avoid…”

It was a natural response. The directors sitting far away from this table were still unaware that our company had a pile of nearly forty-five billion dollars in cash. I’d kept it a secret even within the company. I spoke to him, “In fact, to be honest, the war has already begun.”

“Yes?”

“I heard from Changhae Food and OH Entertainment today. Suyeon Group’s dealers decided to unilaterally cancel their contracts.”

At my words, the directors on the far side of the table, as well as Vice President Jang, Director Kang, Director Kim, and Director Chung, who were sitting on the near side, looked at me. It was surprising news to people who knew that our company had 45 billion dollars.

“Why on Earth?”

I didn’t say anything about that; Tak Mun-su and I had a personal dispute because of the Ullim Electronics acquisition, and now we were in this kind of business-to-business conflict. I gestured to Director Kang instead of talking about it. He turned the data he was holding to his side. The title of the data was ‘Report on the current status of investments in China.’

I said to the directors sitting further away. “You should read this first.”

The other directors sitting far away, besides the four of me, were even more surprised than when they learned of the war against Suyeon Group.

“Eh?”

“Is this… real?” Now the mood was changing a little. They seemed to think that it was a fight worth trying if we had forty-five billion dollars!

I told them, “I’m sure our directors are well aware that the nation’s chaebol controls their entire groups with a small stake from the owner. So it is with Suyeon Group. They control the entire group of a hundred twenty billion dollars with a stake of only eleven billion dollars from Tak Woo-kyung and three billion dollars from Tak Mun-su. Of course, if they add the stakes of relatives and old household vassals, the total would be about twenty billion dollars, but it would be worth a try with our forty-five billion dollars, wouldn’t it?”

As I said that, some of the directors nodded. But in the meantime, another director raised his hand. “But, sir, wouldn’t it be okay to invest in a foreign country with this money? I am curious about your intentions to go to war against Suyeon Group.”

It was a good question, but I couldn’t give a clear answer to it, either. The final purpose of the series was to buy a company that exceeded ten, twenty, thirty, or fifty billion dollars among domestic listed companies; that way, I could get the future news of XXX Class, beyond Grandmaster.

“Because I want it.”

At my simple answer, Vice President Jang assisted me. “We have an advantage in expanding our business here, anyway. It’s easy to get information and communicate with the government. If we say we’re going to grow in Korea with forty-five billion dollars in cash… Even if it’s not Suyeon Group, we will be in conflict with other chaebols.”

Now that Vice President Jang and I said so, no one was arguing any more, as we were the two people who had made the key decisions of our company in the first place. A plan might not proceed if I said go and Vice President Jang disagreed, or if I refused to do so, but it had never stopped when he and I cooperated. This was because I had a hundred percent stake, and I, who knew the future news, and Vice President Jang, with his years of experience, whom I trusted, were the left and right brains of Invictus Investment.

I looked around at the directors and said, “So, I’d like to ask you to look into the problems of the Suyeon Group, its governance weaknesses, its financial soundness, and the status of its investments in China. I want to find the weak links of Suyeon Group, cut them off and make them ours. So go and investigate everything in the Suyeon Group.”

“Yes, boss.”

I said one more thing when I saw the directors bowing down. “And until I move on, let’s keep this data, the fact that it’s written in this document, a secret. Let the enemy look down on us. That way, we can fight to our advantage when we’re in a real battle.”

When I said that, they repeated in loud voices, “Yes, boss!”

————————

So, I had called the directors together to prepare them for war with the Suyeon Group. However, it was no exaggeration to say that the month of February that followed was “one-sidedly beaten.” Following Changhae Food and OH Entertainment, there was also a call from Oracle News.

“Boss, Suyeon Securities said it would terminate the banner ad contract by this month… So I asked if it was just a condition problem. They said the problem was that our company received Invictus funds. What the hell is going on here?”

“Oh, I see. I heard that Songhae Brewing is looking for a place to advertise its new chestnut rice wine. I’ll talk to them. Replace the empty banner seat with that.”

“Yes, boss.”

And then a while later, Blue E&M also contacted me. “If you’ve watched our broadcasts, there are BJ’s commercials before our broadcast. But three out of the five ads were cut off in a row. All the advertisers were talking about Invictus… It’s our problem, but… it’s a matter of income distribution for BJ’s.”

“Oh, don’t worry too much. I’ll contact OH Entertainment and get their incoming ads to connect with the Blue E&M.”

“Oh, yes. Then, I’ll trust you and tell the BJ’s, sir.”

“Yes, it won’t last long.”

Then, there was a call from Vice President Jang. “Boss, we got contacted by Ullim Electronics. They said that Suyeon Electronics has expressed its intentions to take them over.”

“Really?”

“Yes. That’s why we are in trouble with our acquisition. We were going to spend about 1.6 billion dollars to buy… but Suyeon Group just interfered and… we don’t know how much they are going to spend.”

I knew that it was 1.9 billion dollars.

“Hmm… I see. Okay. Let’s spend a little bit more.”

“Yes, boss. But…” Vice-President Jang made a point of saying something that didn’t sound like him. “It would be good for you to think about it again. If Suyeon Electronics decides to take over Ullim Electronics… I don’t think we can stop it. No matter how much money we spend… It’s going to be difficult.”

“Why?”

“If we look at the sales structure of Ullim Electronics, we can see that there are a lot of contracts to supply goods to Suyeon Group. So if we were to take over…”

“Then they’ll cut off the receiver?”

“Yes, I think so.”

Vice President Jang was not wrong. Advertising contracts that had been in place were also being cut off, and it was absurd that a company that was in a war with Tak Mun-su would supply goods to Suyeon Electronics.

“Moreover, all the companies where the consumer goods used by Ullim Electronics are supplied are related to Suyeon Group… If pressure comes on them, Ullim Electronics’ profit margin will be much lower.”

I thought about that when I heard Vice President Jang. I was going to put in two billion dollars to see if I could win, but…

‘In any case, Tak Mun-su and Suyeon Electronics will not do business at a loss. Even if they buy it with 1.9 billion dollars, it must be an earning bet. However, that may be limited to Suyeon Electronics. If our company spends two billion dollars to buy the company, its value will be much lower than that, because of the Suyeon Group. I can pour in money and take over… But it’s going to be a painful victory. What I am going to buy is a temporarily cheap, promising company. If the price becomes more expensive and the prospect gets dark because of Suyeon Group, there is no need to buy it.’

I spoke to Vice President Jang. “All right. Don’t pull our feet out of the race, just keep in touch with them.”

Vice President Jang bowed to me. “Yes, boss.” But even though he said that, he had a dark expression. He had taken my side last time at the board meeting, but he seemed to be thinking, ‘This fight is against us. There’s nothing to help us.’

I didn’t blame him. So far, we’d lost some contracts, it was hard to take over the company, and in many ways, our company had been pushed back. But I sent him back out, pretending I didn’t see his expression, since I had the power to know the future, forty-five billion dollars, and the ability to magically figure out the current information.

Throughout February, until the end of winter, our company had to stay busy defending and handling Suyeon Group’s attacks. But in March, when the last cold snap of spring disappeared. Crow was back with the secret of the life and death of Tak Woo-kyung, chairman of Suyeon Group.

————————

One day in March, as soon as I went to the office, I called in Vice President Jang through Secretary Seo.

“Did you call me, boss?”

I put him in front of me and first asked about the directors. “So, how’s the information collection going for Suyeon Group?”

“Ah… We have not found any particular vulnerabilities, but… for now… we’ll keep doing it.”

“Well, I see.”

“And yesterday, I was asked to contact Ullim Electronics. Now we need to confirm the acquisition price. What do you want me to do, sir?”

When he asked, I turned my head slightly and brought up another story. “In fact, in the past, I had a personal conversation with Vice Chairman Tak Mun-su of Suyeon Group.”

“Directly with Tak Mun-su?”

“Yes.”

He was quite surprised to hear me saying that I had exchanged phone calls with Tak Mun-su. But when I thought about it, the only other contact between me and Tak Mun-su was Garden Royale. Garden Royal was an absolutely secret existence.

“At the time, Tak Mun-su said to me, ‘When you buy Ullim Electronics, it will be just a normal investment, but when we buy it, it will generate synergies and be good.”

Vice President Jang nodded with his mouth slightly open. “… I see.”

I looked at him and said, “But now that I’m thinking about it… Tak Mun-su is right.”

“What?”

“It would be synergistic if Suyeon Electronics and Ullim Electronics met. It would be much better than if a simple investment company like us buys and runs it.”

“Ah… Yes.”

Vice President Jang put on a sour face. I thought he felt a little strange as I praised Suyeon Group, which I had set up as an enemy.

“So, Vice President Jang…”

When I called his title, he answered with his head down. “Yes, boss. Tell me.”

At that time, I told him what I really thought. “Let’s hand over Ullim Electronics to Suyeon Electronics, and let’s buy Suyeon Electronics.”

Chapter 168 - All-out War, Part IV

My eyes were hot. I brought my hands to my eyes, rubbed them, and looked back at the table. There was a schematic on the table more complicated than a spider’s web. This was a diagram of the Suyeon Group shares. Fifty companies with the name ‘Suyeon’, such as Suyeon Electronics, Suyeon Chemical, Suyeon Life Insurance, and Suyeon Construction, were intertwined like an earphone put in a pocket. To that extent, I didn’t know where to begin, so I raised my head and asked, “So, who is the weakest link here?”

Vice President Jang, who was sitting beside me, answered, “There’s no such thing as a weak link. In particular, the key pillars of the Group, such as electronics, chemicals, life insurance, construction, and shipbuilding are closely organized to defend their managerial rights, so they should be regarded as similar if we attack any side.”

“Hmm… it’s not easy.”

“Yes. In fact, the cross-shareholding structure of the nation’s large corporations is the work of the best scholars in Korea. It’s designed to be a very stable structure. Even if other capital comes in and tries to reach out to the company’s management, the other side can work together to keep it from happening.”

“I see…”

I nodded as I thought, ‘If I pour out all forty-five billion dollars, we’ll win. Of course, if I just try my best, they won’t be able to stop it.. The market capital of both Suyeon Chemical and Suyeon Electronics, which are twin-head carriages of Suyeon Group, is forty billion dollars. But then again, it is a painful victory. The price will go up in the process of buying. I can take ownership of the company, but in the process, I will make the other shareholders rich, including Tak Mun-su.’

I changed the question. “Then here. What if the current chairman, Tak Woo-kyung, dies? Is there a company that gets weak?”

Vice President Jang’s eyes changed with my question. He mumbled, alternately looking at his cell phone and schematic, “If he does…”

The Suyeon group was largely divided into two groups: a company owned by his father, Tak Woo-kyung, and a company owned by his son, Tak Mun-su. Originally, Tak Woo-kyung had most of it, but over time, the stakes in the company controlled by Tak Mun-su gradually increased. In the meantime, there were ridiculous convertible bonds, mergers at the level of breach of shareholder value, and an unfair trade.

But they were all blindfolded by the previous administration, so Tak Mun-su somehow had half of the Suyeon Group without paying a penny of tax. It went on and on, right after the fall of Chairman Tak Woo-kyung.

‘If he dies, he won’t be able to use those.’

As I thought of that, Vice President Jang concluded. “Then, I think we should attack Suyeon Construction.”

Suyeon Construction was a company with 23% stake in Suyeon Electronics, and Tak Woo-kyung was a major shareholder.

“If Chairman Tak Woo-kyung is dead, Tak Mun-su, who will receive the inheritance must pay tax in cash or in shares. But since there is no cash to pay, he has to pay it in shares, but he won’t be able to pay it with a stake in Suyeon Life Insurance, which he has a lot of. If Tak Woo-kyung controlled the Suyeon Group through Suyeon Construction, Tak Mun-su was designed to rule the group through Suyeon Life Insurance.”

I pointed to the arrows in the diagram and replied, “I see. If we go on a hostile M&A, if Tak Woo-kyung dies, Tak Mun-su will be forced to choose between construction-electronics or life-chemicals, right?”

“Yes, boss.”

“There, Tak Mun-su will lean toward protecting life and chemicals?”

“Yes. In the first place, Tak Mun-su took over the Suyeon Life Insurance with tricks, and that’s how he shifted the weight of the group towards life and chemistry. He would never give them up. So he is going to sell off the construction company that Tak Woo-kyung had, and the stake ratio on the construction and electronics side will be lowered.”

“Okay. Starting now, let’s have the directors buy Suyeon Construction and Suyeon Electronics quietly. At the same time, talk to the other major shareholders of Suyeon Construction and Suyeon Electronics.”

“Yes, boss, by the way… this is all based on the premise that Tak Woo-kyung is dead. In his latest article, he is lying down and watching movies…”

I said after a pause, “He’s already dead.”

“What?”

“You’ll find out in the next few days.”

“Is that true?”

I paused for a moment over his remark. ‘Facts change each moment. Some facts are near the truth, but they are denied, and some facts are close to lies but considered truth by the people who speak them.’

I said, tapping my chin, “… I will make it a reality.”

————————

In March 2021, I started a full-scale counterattack. First, I bought shares of Suyeon Construction and Suyeon Electronics in the most obvious way. In a very unobtrusive manner, I bought shares little by little at a level that was not very noticeable, that did not raise the stock price, and that was not met with the 5% reporting requirement. Then I moved using my personal account that I had kept for a while.

I bought shares of both companies, as Han Sang-hoon and as the owner of Invictus Investment. Suyeon Electronics’ share price had fallen considerably due to the financial crisis in China. It was a big company, so it was a little less affected, but it had stayed at a fairly low price throughout the year, so there was no pressure to buy it.

‘The counterattack has begun. But we’re going to use harassing tactics to make sure they don’t care about this.’

I also wrote editorials consistently through Oracle News. ‘How long will we overlook the illegal inheritances of large corporations? We need to clean up the existing abuse.’

It was an editorial aimed right at Suyeon Life Insurance, and Tak Mun-su’s trick-using inheritance. Since Suyeon Group stopped advertising for Oracle News, it had now returned to them with the same. Of course, Suyeon Group would despise it, “Oracle News? What kind of dog barks at us, it’s just a small pet.” However, they did not know that this was the news that the president was most attentive to.

————————

In the following April, the presidential office of the Blue House responded to the steady stream of editorials on Oracle News.

[We will reinvestigate the illegal inheritance of Suyeon life Insurance with the independent counsel.]

[Tax Investigation of Suyeon Construction]

A fire dropped on the foot of Tak Mun-su. In fact, for him, the fight with our company was basically a fight for pride. It was at the level of spending a little more money on Ullim Electronics… but this was a different problem. The independent counsel was a dangerous thing that could shake Tak Mun-su’s status, and once the tax investigation hit, the company itself reeled under the blow.

When I looked around the Internet community, the reaction was generally like this:

– President Joo Sung-won, you are doing good. Let’s clean up the existing abuse and build a just economy.-

– Suyeon Life Insurance was handed over too easily. We need to look into it properly this time.-

– Suyeon Construction was also famous. Rumor has it that the unit price was adjusted and the remaining money was received through borrowed-name accounts. Everyone in the industry knows about it.-

It seemed to be because President Joo Sung-won had a high approval rating and high popularity. Of course, like blue frogs, some people said other things…

– What’s going on? Was Tak Mun-su against President Joo Sung-won?-

– You know, there are companies that get beaten up in every administration. During Ko Jin-yong’s reign, the Taesoo Group was hit, and during the last Park Hyung-joon period, the Susung Group went back and forth to the Supreme Court. Maybe this time, it is the Suyeon Group.-

– But I guess there’s something ugly in it. Didn’t they give Joo Sung-won money for the presidential election?’

However, most of the comments were like this:

– President Joo Sung-won is a man of integrity, Suyeon Group deserves to be hit.-

Public opinion moved that way. I looked at it and thought, ‘I think President Joo Sung-won kept his loyalty this much. Or is he still afraid of the information I have?’

Either way, it was good. I was sure this had made it easier for me to attack. It was true even if we looked back at history. Not as much as during the former military dictatorship, but even after the military dictatorship, all the big businesses that seemed to be disliked by the government had been robbed. During the IMF era, the difference between survival and failure depended on whether they received subsidies from the government or not.

I bought shares of Suyeon Construction cheaply, even as the stock price collapsed in the face of the tax investigation, while calling for pleasure in my heart. ‘If Tak Joon-gi is alive… he might have complimented me for being very good.’

Blowing up with bad news and picking up stocks cheaply… this was what my rival, Tak Joon-gi, used to use. He must have wanted to do this to prey on Tak Mun-su, his cousin. It was a little ironic that I, his enemy, was doing this, but life was ironic…

————————

In May, while shares of Suyeon Construction and Suyeon Electronics were being purchased and the independent counsel investigation of Suyeon Life Insurance was under way, I succeeded in building another bomb.

“Mr. President, this is what you asked for.” I got a second piece of data from Crow.

“Thank you. Crow, I’ve been so busy lately that I haven’t even eaten chicken with you, but I’ll buy you a decent meal next time.”

“You’re welcome.”

—

The second data was on Hong Yong-pyo, Tak Woo-kyung’s doctor. The first report showed how he disguised the death of Tak Woo-kyung, and kept it secret, but I had Crow dig into him further, because I thought it was necessary to target this person if I published a sure article.

The second report looked into how he, a medical science professor at Seoul National University, left school and took office as head of the Suyeon Medical Foundation Hospital, what he did, how he exploited his medical residents and pocketed bribes during his previous years as a professor, and how many times and where he went to salon rooms.

After I put it all together, I made a phone call to make all of this a fact. “It’s been a long time, CEO Lee Won-jae.”

“Ah yes, CEO Han.” But his voice was begrudging when he answered my phone.

“Well, do you still think I’m screwed?”

“Oh, no. What are you talking about?” By his denial, I seemed to have hit the mark.

“… yes, anyway. I’m calling because I need your strength again. It’s about… the death of Tak Woo-kyung.”

“Pardon me?” He was surprised.

“Yes, of course, it’s a huge bomb for Suyeon Group. But this is a fact like the last request. I’ll send you some data that can reassure you.”

“But… no matter how much it is a fact, it’s…” He, too, was afraid to fuck the Suyeon Group openly.

“It’s the last step. If this is successful, half of the Suyeon Group will be mine. Then, I’ll visit your father and persuade him that Lee Won-jae will be the next CEO of the Daewon Daily News.”

“But this is… too dangerous. If I do this and something is wrong, I…”

“CEO Lee Won-jae, we’re already in the same boat, and the wind is blowing in our direction. You know, Suyeon Group is under the tax investigation by the independent counsel. Are you going to get off here when the fair wind is blowing?”

“…” He forgot to speak for a moment. Perhaps he was still affected by the rumor that Han Sang-hoon was doomed.

“CEO Lee Won-jae, I’ll give you a choice.”

“What…?

“You can trust me and send out an article now. Or, you can get my fax and send out an article then. There is no option not to publish an article. It’s one of the two.”

“Yes?”

“Maybe you’ll see.” As I said that, I took a document out of the drawer: ‘Report on the status of profits from investment in China.’

“If you look at this, you’ll publish an article that I want.” It was the very document that showed forty-five billion dollars in revenue.

I spoke with the document in my hand. “It’s your choice. Jesus said so in the Bible. He was resurrected three days after his death, and said, ‘I will give a great reward to those who believe in me without seeing me, and a small reward to those who try to put their hands on my waist.’ What are you going to do? Shall I send you a fax or not?”

After much trouble, he said, “I just believe you. I’ll publish it as soon as you send me the source.”

I said with a satisfied smile, “Yes, then I’ll e-mail you the contents. Write them down quickly and let it go.”

“Yes, CEO Han.”

Chapter 169 - All-out War, Part V

I picked up the phone. “Secretary Park.”

“Yes, boss.”

“Come in for a second.”

“Ah, yes.”

Soon, Secretary Park opened the door and came in. I handed him a piece of paper, which read, ‘Hello, are you the wife of Hong Yong-pyo? Your husband will be in trouble in the near future. We can help you to some extent. Please think about it and let me know.’

Secretary Park said, lifting it, “This is…”

“Send this to the number written next to it. And if you get a reply, you can patch it through, and… she’ll reply in two or three days. She’ll contact us in a week, at the latest.”

Secretary Park put the paper in his pocket and replied, “Yes, boss.”

———

The next morning, the Daewon Daily News published a super-specialized edition, featuring the article, ‘We dug into the controversy over Tak Woo-kyung’s death, and the hidden truth.’

It contained information about the VIP room on the top floor of Suyeon Foundation Hospital, which Crow had been investigating for two months: the time when Tak Woo-kyung had actually died, the names of the doctor and the nurse who had confirmed he was dead, the reason why Suyeon’s Future Strategy Team kept it a secret and pretended he was alive, and so on.

Almost instantly, the Internet was going crazy.

– Wow, is this a true story? Did they turn a dead man into a living one?-

– By the way, is this even possible?-

– It’s possible. In Korea, if a doctor does not declare death, he is not legally dead even if he can’t breathe and he has no heartbeat.-

– Although he was biologically dead, a doctor can make him alive physically.-

Of course, there were people who predicted this story.

– This kind of rumor has been around for a long time, and that’s the way it is. Isn’t this what everyone used to hush up?-

– Everyone knew all about it, but since Suyeon was so powerful, they kept quiet.-

– The Suyeon group has tried to take off some of Tak Woo-kyung’s assets and then they would declare him dead. However, the Daewon Daily News disclosed it first.-

– Tak Woo-kyung’s check recently paid to repair Tak Mun-su’s house. What does this mean?-

There were other such stories, too:

– Isn’t Daewon Daily News a hound of a big company dog? Why did they publish this article?-

– Suyeon might be fighting with Susung or Mirae. I don’t think Daewon Daily News would have worked alone.-

– Suyeon is being investigated for tax scandals by the independent counsel; they seem to be in someone’s bad books.-

– I don’t know who that someone is, but Suyeon is in big trouble. I’m afraid Suyeon Group will be disintegrated in midair.-

I was shaking the nation’s political and business world behind the dark curtain. I would split the Suyeon Group in half and disintegrate it in midair, as written in the comments. I would take only the good companies there. I would kick out anyone with the surname of Tak.

After the article was published, public attention was focused on Hong Yong-pyo, head of Suyeon Foundation Hospital, the doctor of Tak Woo-kyung, who was responsible for all of this. He did not confirm or deny the report, but remained consistent with no action taken. I knew it was going to go that way. He was a professor at Seoul National University’s medical school in Korea, but this was a matter worth a billion dollars. It wasn’t something he could handle on his own.

‘Maybe he’s under a lot of pressure from Suyeon Group.’

According to Crow’s investigation, he was supposed to receive a large sum of bribes from the Suyeon Group in return for keeping the secret. He had already received six million dollars in cash, and then he would get another four million dollars a year to keep Tak Woo-kyung ‘alive’ in the hospital.

The money paid to the doctor was four million dollars a year, so hundreds of million dollars a year were designed to somehow be transferred from Tak Woo-kyung’s wallet to Tak Mun-su’s.

I was about to ask Crow to investigate that, if Hong Yong-pyo, the head of the hospital, finally denied it. But things didn’t go that way.

The very next day, Secretary Park told me, “I got a reply from the doctor’s wife. She is asking what she should do and how we could help.”

I said, nodding my head, “Please put me through.”

“Yes, boss. I’ll go and connect you.”

“Okay.”

Soon, Secretary Park brought me a smartphone. “Press the call button and you’ll be connected.”

I glanced at him, then pressed the call button. Soon someone answered the phone. “Hello?”

“Hello.”

She spoke in a rather cautious voice. “Well, are you the one who contacted me two days ago?”

“That’s right.”

“I’m sorry, but can I ask you what you’re doing?” She seemed to be in a pretty tight state. The public eye was focused on her husband.

“It doesn’t mean much now, does it? The point is on whether your husband will survive or not. Isn’t that right?”

“That’s right, but…”

“The news doesn’t have a specific amount right now, but the media already has the information about your husband receiving six million dollars. If I am willing to expose it, the prosecutor will trace the source of the money.”

She voice quavered at my words. “It’s not six, but four million dollars. I just received the money and have kept it.”

Crow even investigated the fact that Hong Yong-pyo, head of the hospital, had a young lover in her late twenties at the Apgujeong-dong OfficeTel.

“Ah, two million dollars would have gone to the young lover. The prosecutor is going to look there, too.”

“The young lover?”

“Yes. Your husband did not receive four million dollars. It was originally six million dollars. If you dig in, it’ll all come out.”

“Is that… is that so?” At this point, her voice changed slightly. Inside the fear, a strange voice came out with a slight mix of anger.

“Yes, the tenant of Apgujeong Blueville OfficeTel 405 is a young woman, right? She’s not just a tenant, but your husband’s lover There’s two million dollars in that safe.”

She didn’t question who I was, how I knew it, or any more about it.

“Is it really…?

“Yes. As I know, you planned to invest in the Officetel.”

“Yes, that’s right. What a prick she is,” she said, as if she were going to the Officetel right now and rip off the young woman’s hair.

I said, calming her down, “Ah, you’re so excited, whatever may become of your husband, your son and daughter should not be harmed by this.”

The son was attending Harvard and the daughter was attending Stanford.

“Of course, as you have the basic assets, there would be no problem, but this is a money matter of a billion dollars. If your husband is accused of breach of trust or perjury, would you be able to pay tuition to the United States?”

“What? A money matter of a billion dollars? My husband just accepted their request.”

“Yes, I know, but that’s how the law works. Do you know that the Suyeon Group is saving hundreds of million dollars in taxes because of your husband?”

“…” She couldn’t talk for a moment.

“The circumstances are already revealed, and the prosecution will come to your house soon. You know that Suyeon Group has been hit by both the prosecutors’ investigation and the tax investigation. Convince your husband to turn himself in, and he will be treated decently. He’s going to get a good sentence. Let him say, ‘I couldn’t help it under pressure from the Suyeon Group. I couldn’t refuse.’ That’s how it is.”

“Then… will that happen?”

I answered right away, “Yes.”

But to be honest, I didn’t know about the legal work. But nevertheless, I said so, because I didn’t want Crow to go back and forth for another month or two. It was the cleanest thing for me if the head of the hospital would turn himself in. It would not be bad for him. If he denied it anyway, I was going to reveal some more details through the Daewon Daily News and Crow.

However, she said, “I’ll think about it.”

So I said one more thing, “I’ll give you a week. Turn himself in, or he will be plastered with news on the Internet. I’m also moving the Daewon Daily News. You know the English version of the Daewon Daily News comes out in the United States…”

“Yes, I understand. I’m sorry.” When I talked about her son and daughter, she immediately changed her words defensively. I had a rough guess after receiving Crow’s report.

“Well, it’s a week. Please do it as soon as possible. I can’t stop all the reporters.”

“Yes.”

After that, I looked down at the cell phone for a moment. The cell phone was an old-fashioned one, which seemed to be rather heavy. I lifted it up and asked, “Is this…? I asked Secretary Park.

Park replied as he bowed his head, “It’s as you expect.”

I handed the cell phone over to him and said, “So I’ve never seen this.”

He said, putting it in his arms. “Yes, boss.”

Ever since this day, the battle for the truth of Tak Woo-kyung’s death had continued. Some of the brave press had made follow-up reports, and Suyeon Group did some media play, ‘It’s a biased report, it’s defamation.’ But it was really funny in my eyes. No one in Korea could lie to me, no one could escape my eyes.

————

Two days later, Hong Yong-pyo, the head of the hospital, finally turned himself in. “I’m sorry to betray the doctor’s duty. However, while serving as the head of the hospital, it was impossible to reject the offer from the Suyeon Group.” In this way, he cut his tail as much as possible while making Suyeon Group bad guys.

He didn’t really look good, perhaps because he was so harried by his wife at home. In any case, he exposed the inside story of Tak Woo-kyung’s death, including the time of his death, the reason why he had died, and those who were there.

The doctor was interviewed by the media and said, “The patient is dead”, and it led to a public death declaration. Now, Tak Mun-su and other heirs had to pay inheritance taxes of five billion dollars, half of ten billion dollars of Tak Woo-kyung’s assets. President Joo Sung-won and the National Tax Service would move fast, as they were struggling with insufficient tax revenues due to the Chinese financial crisis.

Shares of Suyeon Construction and Suyeon Electronics, which were heavily owned by Tak Woo-kyung, fluctuated after rising and falling, since they didn’t know whether his death was a boon or a bad thing. However, I already knew that Tak Mun-su would dispose of his shares in electronics and construction for the tax payment, and I bought the fluctuating stocks at low prices.

I smiled as I watched the operation to disintegrate Suyeon Group proceed as planned.

Chapter 170 - All-out War, Part VI

Vice President Jang handed me the report. I lifted and read t. However, before I saw the amount in the report, he told me first, “We have 4.26%, 871.5 million dollars in Suyeon Construction, 3.66%, 1.158 billion dollars in Suyeon Electronics.”

The figures were correct, and the exact amount was written in the report.

“I see. There’s been a lot of news lately for the Suyeon Group, so it’s been a good buy, hasn’t it?”

“Yes, sir.”

I just nodded as I listened. I didn’t say anything like ‘Yes, we were going to buy it, and we were lucky.’

It’d already been four years since Jang was with me. After our company bought a company’s stock and waited, a stream of good news came out. On the other hand, before we tried to buy something, bad news came out one after another.

In the first year or two, he might have thought, ‘Oh, my boss is lucky’, but after four years of watching it, he must have known that I’d planned and implemented all of these things. After all, I had asked him, “When Tak Woo-kyung dies, where do we attack?” Therefore, Vice President Jang would have had no choice but to realize that I had ordered Daewon Daily News to publish the news. But I didn’t say anything about it, nor did Vice President Jang ask me about it. He was quick-witted. He didn’t ask anything that would make me uncomfortable.

“We have bought more than 3% of both stocks, have they noticed anything about it?”

“There’s been so much trading for the past few days… But if they kept a close eye on it, they would probably know that there was buying in bulk at a certain branch. However, they would not know it was us.”

I pondered the words. ‘They would not know it was us. Really…?’

“Okay. Let’s just buy it up to five percent anyway.”

“Yes, boss.”

‘Five percent is important because there is a requirement for disclosure of the majority shareholder when a company holds more than five percent of the shares in another company. This is an important juncture, whether for hostile M&As or for general investment. “Who owns five percent of this company” is a factor that moves stock prices. Most of the time, when they make a general investment, they tend to go in openly advertising, “I’m going in. I’ll buy this. I’ll buy more from now on.” In public announcements, when the notice, “This is a five percent stake purchased by a super ant,” comes out, other ants rush in saying, “That stock should be good,” and the stock price goes up.

‘It’s a kind of halo-effect trading method, not only for the popular super ants in our country, but also for Warren Buffett and other world-famous investors. I don’t know if it is intended. In contrast to this case, hostile M&As are very quiet and unnoticed.

‘If the story “Someone is seeking the management rights of this company. Now that he’s bought five percent, he is likely to buy ten or twenty percent,” goes around, ants, institutions, foreigners, and others can all buy together and raise stock prices. Of course, when I get out of there, I can get money by stabbing other people in the back, but what I want now is not money, but the ownership of Suyeon Electronics and Suyeon Construction, which I can use to jump to the Grandmaster Class in one move.’

“So, have you talked to other major shareholders? Did you contact RMI?”

‘RMI stands for Red Moss Investment. As a global hedge fund, it is famous for quietly buying shares if a company is in crisis, and selling it at high prices when the company is normalized.’

In the case of Suyeon Electronics, when the stock price staggered during the 2008 financial crisis, it really got stuck like a moss at that time, buying a seven percent stake and keeping it so far. It was the second largest shareholder after Suyeon Construction, which had an eleven percent stake.

When Suyeon Electronics said, “We’d like to appoint Tak Jun-won as managing director,” these people had voted against it saying, “He is from Tak’s family and he is too related to the group. We are against the plan.” When Suyeon Electronics had said, “We’ll give you a dividend of three percent, since this year’s operating profit is good,” they countered them by saying, “Three percent is too small. Let’s do four percent.” They had been irritating to the Suyeon Group.

But the enemy’s enemies were allies, and if I gave them money, they were very likely to be on my side. In the first place, hedge funds were ones who pursued money without everlasting allies or enemies at the gambling table.

Jang answered, “I’m in a quiet contact without first showing our intentions to buy. But… if they find out we’re looking for management rights, they’ll probably make it very expensive.”

“Hmm… Okay. But let’s have a reasonable approach to buy unless it’s too expensive.”

“Yes, boss.”

‘If I buy five percent in the market and seven percent from RMI, I become a major shareholder, beating the eleven percent of Suyeon Construction. After RMI, the National Pension Service has about three percent, and it is likely to take my side, or at least stay neutral, as the president appoints the chairman of the National Pension Service. If I write an article to the effect of, “The National Pension Service managing the money of the people should focus on profitability, without an appraising look of a large company,” they’ll know and behave like that by themselves.’

“Then let’s talk about the construction side. Tak Woo-kyung has over twenty percent here. Wouldn’t it be possible to attack a little further until the inheritance tax payment starts?”

“That’s right, but Tak Mun-su…”

At that time, the telephone rang. I raised my hand, asked for permission from Vice President Jang, and answered the phone. “What is it? I told you not to call me when I am talking to Vice President Jang.”

Secretary Park answered as he was scolded, “I called you because it was a big thing. I was thinking you and Vice President Jang should listen.”

“What is it?”

“Vice Chairman Tak Mun-su of Suyeon Group says he’ll come here himself.”

“He’ll come here himself?”

When I said that, Vice President Jang was also quite surprised.

“Yes.”

“When?”

“He wants to see you as soon as possible, when you have time.”

I thought for a moment, ‘Hmm… Does he think the fire is on his foot now? He seems to be in a corner and trying to negotiate.’ I didn’t mean to make a deal. But I wanted to meet him and see how embarrassed he was. ‘If he comes and kneels down, I can be a little generous with the rest of the company.’

“Well… we’re not going to have lunch together… Tell them to come tomorrow afternoon at about three o’clock, after we finish eating and digesting.”

“Yes, I see.”

I put the phone down and told Vice President Jang, “Did you hear that?”

“… yes. The vice chairman of Suyeon Group, Tak Mun-su, is coming…”

“… that’s right.”

Vice President Jang stared at me, but he didn’t open his mouth, even if he had a lot of questions to ask:

‘How do you know Vice Chairman Tak Mun-su?’

‘Is it related to this takeover?’

‘Why is Tak Mun-su coming all of a sudden?’

In any case, his patience was good. I muttered to him, “The vice chairman of a large company is coming by himself, so he must be in a hurry.”

Still, he didn’t ask me about personal matters. He only asked about things related to this work. “Well, do you think tomorrow’s meeting can bring about a change in our company’s keynote?”

I answered him firmly, “No. Whether I meet him or not, we do our job. Tomorrow’s meeting is going to be a private one.”

After I replied, Vice President Jang lowered his head and said, “Yes, sir!”

———————-

The next day, 2 p.m…

I had Seolleongtang for lunch with Secretary Park and talked to him on my way back to work. “Secretary Park, do you remember what happened in the old days? I told you when Tak Joon-gi came here that the guy who was coming to our company today is my enemy.”

Apparently, at that time, I said: At eleven o’clock, there’ll be someone who looks like a very skinny person, and who seems to have ditched money from head to foot. He’s my enemy.

Secretary Park remembered that. “Yes. I remember, boss.”

“It’s my enemy who is coming today; Tak Mun-su, chairman of Suyeon Group.”

“I was guessing.”

“I just happen to be enemies with the Tak family.”

“If we look at the novels of martial arts or something like that, it’s common to take revenge for relatives.”

“Oh, yes, but…”

I thought in my heart when I said that, ‘The relationship between the relatives was not very good.’

Their relationship was actually quite bad. Even Tak Mun-su was the one who had killed Tak Joon-gi. Tak Mun-su didn’t start the war with me because of Tak Joon-gi’s vengeance. If I thought about it, I would have to say that I was trying to get revenge for Tak Joon-gi.

‘Oh, my God. I am still connected to Tak Joon-gi even when he is dead. He’s already dead, and he’s probably in Hell, but I’d like to meet and talk to him again if I had the chance, about his cousin, Tak Mun-su.’

———————-

Around 2:50 a.m. following, the waiting call rang.

“Boss, Vice Chairman Tak Mun-su of Suyeon Group is here.”

“Let him in after searching for concealed weapons.”

In fact, Tak Mun-su didn’t even have a knife in his pocket, but if he had, it would have already come out on the future news.

“What the fuck is going on?”

“It’s the boss’s order.”

“That’s okay. Director Kim, stay calm.”

There was a brief high noise outside, but after a while, Tak Mun-su opened the door and came in with Secretary Park. I got up from my seat and greeted Tak Mun-su.

“Welcome, Vice Chairman Tak, you’ve come to this place while you’re quite busy.”

Tak Mun-su stared at me. ‘While you’re busy’ meant an independent counsel who had started the special investigation. But there was nothing he could do except stare at me.

Park, standing in the back, spoke coercively, “When I said that I was going to search Vice Chairman Tak Mun-su, the directors of Suyeon Group hated that, and there was a bit of noise.”

“Aha, I see. You should be a little gentle.”

“I did it gently.”

I put Tak Mun-su in the middle and had a conversation with Secretary Park like that. I neglected him in his presence. But then I offered him a seat. “Sit down, Mr. Vice Chairman.”

This way, I remembered the time when Tak Joon-gi had come to our company. At that time, the building was not in Samseong-dong, but Nonhyeon-dong, which we used to rent out, but the situation was the same. Tak Joon-gi had been hit by me, and had come and told me, “Let’s make a truce.”

‘Cousins are doing the same.’ I looked at Tak Mun-su with such thoughts. He was staring at me as if he would kill me. I said to him with a real smile. “So you wanted to see me… What brings you here, Vice Chairman?”

Chapter 171 - All-out War, Part VII

“There is no need to greet each other; let’s talk about our business.” Tak Mun-su sat in front of me and looked at me with his hands together.

“Our business? What do you mean?”

“The business between you and me.”

“… What happened to Mr. Tak and me?” I pretended not to know.

“Wasn’t the tax investigation by the independent counsel all your intended work?” he challenged me directly.

‘… Was he notified? No, the president wouldn’t have opened his mouth, so… it’s a guess, or maybe he’s sounding me out.’

Thinking that, I stared at him and said, “The intended work? Isn’t that government’s job? What authority would I have as CEO of an investment firm to plan a tax investigation or an independent counsel?”

He also gazed at my face and replied, “I was surprised, too. How did you make the VIP move…” To his surprise, he seemed to think of me as the mastermind behind the regime. There was no evidence, but he made such a conclusion with the circumstances alone. It was so amazing.

‘But if I say no, what can he do?’

I shook my head and said, “I can’t believe I made the VIP move. It’s nonsense. Of course, I’ve been hoping for that a little bit. I hoped Suyeon Group would get into a bit of trouble.”

He stared at me. I also stared at him.

“It was natural. Your Suyeon Group cut off advertising to our subsidiary, and cut off our distribution business, right? How would I like such a company? I told you. If Suyeon Group has Invictus Investment as an enemy, we have no choice but to have Suyeon Group as an enemy, as well. Therefore, I…” I blurred my words. “I had that wish. I want the government to step out and hold the ring on the big companies. But it happened BY ACCIDENT.” I deliberately cut off the word ‘by accident’. I never said, ‘I’m controlling the president,’ but I showed my real intentions a little bit.

Tak Mun-su listened to me and said, holding hands together, “I apologize for that.”

I was quite surprised to hear that. ‘Is this guy apologizing?’ It was not like him.

‘He must have been scared of the special prosecutor.’ I thought, as he kept talking.

“I just ordered my employees to press you to get the upper hand in the bid to take over Ullim Electronics. By the way, the lower ones were so loyal that… That’s how it turned out. When I finished acquiring Ullim Electronics, I was going to let it go.”

He looked like he was dropping his tail slightly. To be sure, even if he was the vice chairman of a large company, the prosecution and the National Tax Service seemed to be something he feared. But I didn’t like his words much, either.

‘Aha, he insists that he didn’t do anything wrong, but it was his followers’ fault, and he was going to let us go after the acquisition? Bah! How do I know if it’s true or not?’ I looked at him with sharp eyes.

“As I said before, Ullim Electronics has a good synergy with our Suyeon Electronics. It’s something we’re dealing with right now.”

I laughed inwardly at the words. ‘Yes, I know. So, I decided to buy Suyeon Electronics as a whole.’ But that was still a secret…

“The growth potential of Ullim Electronics was something that we couldn’t miss, either. Wouldn’t it be natural for an investment company to seek profit?” I replied to him.

Although we didn’t intend to take over Ullim Electronics anyway, our company had yet to pull out of the acquisition race, by all appearances. We called 1.7 billion dollars, two hundred million dollars lower than the 1.9 billion-dollar-bid made by Suyeon Electronics, and it meant that we were already out of the deal since I knew the result, but I was trying to keep the eyes of Tak Mun-su while remaining tense until the end.

Tak Mun-su said with a slight tone down, “Yes, I understand that, but CEO Han Sang-hoon, think about it. Did we have to be blush like this? I just wanted to get along with you, and buy the company cheap. Then, wouldn’t it be nice if I put more ads in your company? If you’d been on my side, our group would have been able to help your company in its entirety.”

‘Bah! He is funny. He can’t help me. I’m richer than he is, son of a bitch.’

While I thought that, he continued, “I’ve heard that you’ve become a rich man worth thirty billion dollars. You didn’t invest directly in China, but you put a short-sale in assets. That’s great. Now that you’re officially the richest man in Korea, you need to get help from the Korean business community to run the money.”

I opened my eyes slightly. Although there was a difference of fifteen billion dollars, he knew that I had become the richest person in Korea.

‘… He knew it.’

In fact, it was unstoppable. The number of people who knew that I had become a rich man with forty-five billion dollars had gradually increased. Besides the last four directors, I showed the other directors the data myself. In addition, I had recently converted foreign currency into Korean money after realizing the profits. It was not a dime or two, but big money, billions of dollars. This was why rumors, even if not accurate data, had been circulating.

‘It’s only a month and a half before it’s published. It was fast, so he apologized… and did he come in with a little bend of the knee?’

No matter how much I thought about it, he was not a character who would say ‘I apologize for that.’

As long as I was found out, I said without any further notice. “So, now that I’m stronger, you’ll come out cooperative. Is that it? Even though you’re strong on the weak and weak on the strong, this is very awkward, Vice Chairman.”

When I made a public accusation against him, he opened his eyes wide and came back to his true face. “You’ve become stronger? That’s not true. Of course, I know you have a lot of cash. But that’s not all. You’re still young, so you don’t know, but the power of our Suyeon Group is not just what you see.”

“Aha, is that so?”

He told me when I was sarcastic. “Okay, I was going to say good things, but I can’t help it. I don’t know how you persuaded the VIP, but we’re not afraid of the VIP in the first place. The independent counsel and the tax investigation will both end up in the right line. I know you tried to hold me back with it, but Suyeon Group isn’t that easy. That’s it, okay?”

I already knew that because I’d been searching the future news under the name ‘Tak Mun-su’. The independent counsel and tax investigation bombs poured into Suyeon Group would be delayed for several months before paying a few million dollars in fines. I didn’t know the details, but all of them on stage, whether they were prosecutors, judges, lawmakers or NTS chief, would be directly or indirectly influenced by the Suyeon Group.

No matter who the president was, he seemed to have been unable to take it out. Suyeon Group’s illegal succession had smelled very awful, but it had already been concluded under the previous administration as “legitimate.”

‘The law of our country is extremely difficult to bring back and overturn once again, if I don’t use my hands.’

I spoke to him, “Vice Chairman Tak seems to know the outcome of the prosecution’s investigation…”

He lifted his chin slightly and gave a pompous look, as if the prosecutor was in his hands. I said another word to that face, “Anything can change, according to my instructions.”

Then, his eyes changed slightly. Secretary Park had already done the body search, and now I spoke to his face. “I’m going to be honest. Suyeon Group is great. There’s a lot of connections in the political and business circles, like a cancer cell. But I have the power to cut it off. The prosecutor? They are scary. But you know what? Why is the prosecutor so scared? It’s because no one comes out with fault. On the contrary, if I investigate them, will there be nothing? Who’s up there? The chief prosecutor? Something like that? Even when the president comes, he can’t stop me. Do you understand?”

He was staring at me, overwhelmed by my words.

“Didn’t your beloved cousin tell you, ‘Don’t fight with Han Sang-hoon?’”

When the mention of his cousin came out, his face changed instantly.

I said, looking at his face like that, “You should have listened. At least you should have avoided me. No matter what I was, you couldn’t just stand still after declaring a war.”

“No… I didn’t mean to make you an enemy.”

“I didn’t want to make an enemy of you, either.”

“No, then why? Is it because of Ullim Electronics? I’ll give it up.”

“No, it’s not because of the Ullim Electronics. I have forty-five billion dollars, and there are lots of things to invest in all over the world.”

“Then why? Why would you do that?”

Then I opened my one hand and said, tapping on the other wrist with it. “Don’t try to fool me, because I hate it a lot.”

He looked as if he had seen a ghost. “How do you know…”

‘He only showed me once in reality.’

Recalling the Crow’s dream, Tak Joon-gi even said to Tak Mun-su: “He’s hiding something. How did he cook the prosecution and the reporters? He knew all the information I thought I was in perfect control of.”

If he had taken that remark a bit more seriously, he wouldn’t have had to turn me into an enemy like this. But with that remark, Tak Mun-soo said so at that time: “Huh? Han Sang-hoon… he’s a funny guy. I’ll have to meet him too.”

‘I’m a funny guy? But he doesn’t know I’m using magical powers.’

Tak Mun-su gave me a wild excuse. “It’s just a habit of my hand. It’s just…”

I shook my head and said, “If you’re not being honest with me, I don’t need to talk about it.” I turned my head and said, “Secretary Park. I think I’m done talking to the Vice Chairman, so… take him outside.”

But then, he interrupted us, “Wait, I’m not finished yet!”

‘What else do you have to say?’ I looked at him.

Then he went on, “I know you’re buying a stake of Suyeon Construction and Suyeon Electronics. That’s why you spread the rumor of my father, right?”

I thought as I listened to him. ‘… He knows this, too. Does he have a firm belief or is there any evidence? It doesn’t matter either way.’

“Let’s say yes. Then, what can you do as my enemy?”

“I don’t know why you’re eyeing our company, but it’s stupid, I assure you.”

“… why?”

“Our company will never give the largest shareholder’s position to you. National Pension Service? Good. It wouldn’t happen even if they took your side. All right? Let’s not lose steam in this useless fight, and if you want to fight to the end, I have no choice but to show you the true power of Suyeon Group. Understand?”

I paused for a while after hearing his words, not because I was scared of his threats, but because the words “the true power of Suyeon Group” were interesting.

“… Okay. Let’s see,” I said, my arms crossed.

“Okay, that’s how you’re going to end it, right?”

I said bluntly, “I will decide depending on what you do.” It was a very honest answer. The fate of Tak Mun-su was going to be decided upon by my decision. If he did well, he’d pay inheritance taxes, run the company again with half of the Suyeon Group, and if he didn’t do well, I’d send him to jail with the maximum murder charge.

Tak Mun-su glanced at me, then opened the door and left the president’s office.

Even after I said “I will decide depending on what you do”, it was a bad start. I grinned behind him as I watched him leave.

Chapter 172 - All-out War, Part VIII

Shortly after Tak Mun-su left the president’s office, I sat for a moment with my arms crossed and lost in thought. ‘Did he realize his situation a little bit now?’

The arrogant next chairman of Suyeon Group was a mouse in front of me. I grinned to think of how flustered he was in front of me. Abruptly, I picked up my cell phone right away and called Vice President Jang.

Tiriri tiriri tiriri… He soon answered the phone.

“Vice President, it’s me.”

“Why did you call me, sir?”

“I think we need to speed up the purchase of Suyeon Group a little faster. He knows that our company is buying shares in Suyeon Group.”

“Who are you talking about?

“Tak Mun-su, vice president of Suyeon Group.”

“Ah… I see. You finally met him today.”

“Yes.”

“Hmm… He knows that… then we’ll have to buy more quickly, before he gets ready for something.”

“Let’s buy them up to 4.99%, and then we’ll talk to Red Moss Investment.”

“Yes, boss.”

‘When a hostile M&A starts, the stock price has the same meaning as the height of a castle wall. The lower the price, the better the offense, but the higher the price, the better the defense. Just as it is difficult for an attacker to attack from beyond a high wall, it is difficult to build a stake by buying high-priced stocks.’

After the phone call, I thought of what Tak Mun-su had just said: ‘If you say you’ll fight to the end, I have no choice but to show you the true power of Suyeon Group.’

“The true power… What the fuck?”

‘I have forty-five billion dollars. If he collects cash from all of the affiliates of Suyeon Group, would it amount to that? I don’t know. What’s certain is that he can’t stop me. Whatever he does, I can look into his future, as well as mine. It means that no matter what defense he’s using, I can know in advance and block it. This is like an unfair chess game. I know what my opponent will do, and he doesn’t know what I’m going to do. It can’t become a fight from the beginning.

‘Then, let’s see how he will act cute.’

I leaned back in my chair, thinking about it.

——

This week, Suyeon Construction rose six percent and Suyeon Electronics rose eight percent range. It was an unusual rise in the Chinese financial crisis, as Vice President Jang, as instructed by me, bought shares in large quantities. After I bought the tight stake of 4.99%, I moved on to the next phase; this was the deal with a global investment company, Red Moss Investment.

—————————

June second, 2021…

I had a meeting with the Red Moss Investment at a hotel in Seoul. As it was a big deal, worth over two billion dollars at market price, seven percent of a company with the market capital of thirty billion dollars, key members came from Red Moss Investment’s U.S. headquarters.

“In the U.S., we have heard of Han Sang-hoon’s great fame.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it.”

The negotiation, which was made up of translations, was beautiful in the language itself, but was fierce in the contents to such an extent we complained during the break.

“They’re really terrible.”

“They know that the management rights of Suyeon Electronics will go over to us if we get their stake, and they raised the price.”

“Well, we tried to pay a good price anyway.”

“They are specialists at this kind of negotiation. Let’s be patient and talk more.”

In the end, however, the first round of the negotiations ended with big differences. Red Moss Investment made a huge price hike, knowing that I was really looking for the management rights of Suyeon Electronics. Even I, who had forty-five billion dollars, was reluctant.

‘After all, they will sell it, but they are being nasty.’ I grumbled and wondered if there was anything I could do.

‘How can I fuck them? In fact, strictly speaking, they weren’t even Americans. It was a multinational company whose CEO was Indian and CTO was Swiss.

‘Do I have to explode another one to take down the stock price of Suyeon Electronics? But I’ve already done everything I could: the independent counsel, the tax investigation, and even the news that a major shareholder is dead; so, what else could I do? Ha… It’s hard to bring it down further from here. It has been down a lot because of the Chinese financial crisis in the first place.’

Now the stock price of Suyeon Electronics was going to rise, even if it stayed still. The world’s economy was getting better little by little after the crisis. In addition, Tak Mun-su could do something; a buy-in to boost its stock price. In that sense, it was a little strange. For a week after the meeting with me, he remained silent, without a peep. It was a very strange thing.

If he had really known that our company was buying shares, if he had even found out that we had set up a negotiating table with Red Moss Investment, he should have done something more, but nothing happened. If I were Tak Mun-su, I would at least have been shouting loudly at the media friendly to Suyeon Group, ‘Han Sang-hoon of Invictus Investment is going to buy Suyeon Electronics!

‘He has to do anything he can to raise the stock price… but why is he doing that? If there is a possibility, I can guess that he is now secretly securing a stake. Is he going to race with me, who has forty-five billion dollars? Is that it? Really?’

The exact circumstances were not known, but it was only drawn out of that scenario at this point.

—————————

June fourth…

A guest with ripped eyes, a hawk nose, and a red face, visited me. As old as he was, he looked like Kaiji. He was CEO Lee Won-jae.

“How are you, CEO Han?”

“How have you been?”

“I’m fine.”

He had a pretty bright face. It seemed that the article that revealed Tak Woo-kyung’s death last time became the special edition of the year, as it was finally confirmed to be true. He handed me the small bag he had brought to me and said, “It’s a small gift.”

I said as I received the bag, “What’s this…?”

“Open it and you’ll find out.”

“Wow!” I exclaimed. It was a DVD collection of all my favorite movies: Big Fish, From Hell, and Bird Man! It wasn’t just a regular DVD collection, but they were all signed.

“These are the autographs of director Tim Button, Johnny Depp, and Michael Keaton. In the old days, you told me about your favorite movies. I chose them from our affiliate, the film magazine company, and I brought them to you.”

I lifted the DVD collection and looked at it. It was just the kind of gift I liked.

“It’s a little weird to buy expensive things for the richest man in our country, so I thought you’d prefer this.” He told me the truth, knowing that I had become the richest man in our country. It was not unusual for him to know that, given the information power of Daewon Daily News.

I nodded, “Oh, I really like it. Really!”

“I’m glad you like it.”

“It’s very kind of you to give me a gift considering my tastes, CEO Lee.”

He spoke with his head down. “Thank you. I’d appreciate it more. Thanks to my last job, my father gave me an implicit response. It seems almost certain that I will be the next CEO of the Daewon Daily News.”

I said, gathering my mouth a little, “Oh, I see! Congratulations!”

He said, half folded up, almost as if he were bowing. “It’s all thanks to CEO Han. Thank you!”

“Not at all. It was all because you trusted me and followed me.”

Come to think of it, he too would have taken quite the burden to publish the article. If he had written the article, but Tak Woo-kyung had walked out of his bed alive, it would have been a disaster for him. The Daewon Daily News would have faced a massive attack from Suyeon Group, or a massive lawsuit, and CEO Lee Won-jae would have ended his career there.

I knew the future, so I pressed him to choose with the verse of the Bible, but it was a matter of whether he really lived or died. Having made such a bold bet, he deserved recognition from his father.

“If you are the next CEO of the Daewon Daily News, I would feel much better. I’ll be able to go with you when I do this or that.”

“Anytime, please call me. I’ll do what you want right away.”

When I heard that, I thought for a moment what I wanted. ‘What I want? What’s there?’

There was no such thing as that. I let it out without much thought, as if I wanted Red Moss Investment to be a little obedient.

“There’s nothing special… but Red Moss Investment’s guys in the negotiation are terrible, and I would like to see the problem solved.”

“Ah, Red Moss Investment? It is probably the second largest shareholder of Suyeon Electronics, right?”

“Yes. You know that well, don’t you?”

“Red Moss Investment is famous for hunting for a company in our country.”

“I see.”

“Red Moss Investment… But I don’t think we can help you, either. Eight years ago, they ate the Shinheung Bank and ran away. If we bring up the controversy, or even if we attack them morally, it won’t work.”

“Yes, they only look at money in the first place. They’re not ones who would blink at what the nation’s media say.”

“They only look at money… Then, do you have any method to lower the price further?”

“I’ve thought about that, too, but I’ve already used all my cards. So I decided to pay for it even if it was a little bit expensive.”

“… I see. Well, I’ll send an email to reporters and have them bring anything if anyone knows about Suyeon Group’s weakness. I owe you a favor, and I have to pay you back somehow.”

I looked at him. To be honest, I was not sure what more he could do for me. But nevertheless, I nodded. The more cards, the better.

“I’d appreciate it.”

“Yes, CEO Han.”

Chapter 173 - All-out War, Part IX

The negotiation with RMI, which had begun in early June, rapidly progressed as it entered mid-June.

‘If we try to negotiate too cheaply, RMI may turn towards the Suyeon Group.’ Vice President Jang, who had been usually stingy, came out like that, and I agreed.

‘Yes, then. Let’s buy it for 2.7 billion dollars.’

‘The premium is nearly five hundred million dollars. If this financial crisis is over and I put my hands on it, I’ll be able to bridge the gap in no time. The combined stake of 4.99 percent and the RMI stake of 7.3 percent is more than twelve percent. That’s more than eleven percent of Suyeon Construction, the majority shareholder. Suyeon Electronics, one of the cores of the Suyeon Group, is in my hands.

‘Everything’s going smoothly. And when that happens… I’m going to have to fire Tak Mun-su, right?’

I’d already thought about who would succeed Tak Mun-su.

‘Shall I pick one of the directors of Suyeon Electronics? No, they’re all under the power of Tak Mun-su, so they’re not going to listen to me. So, shall I scout around in the other group? Well… maybe it’s better to bring in someone neatly from abroad…’

However, it happened that my plan was twisted.

———————–

On the eighteenth of June…

When I was in the office, I glanced at the future news as usual. It had been almost a year now since the financial crisis originating from China took place. Now, hopeful things had come out of the news of 12 Months After.

[The international economy, which has been staggering since the Chinese financial crisis, has moderate recovery.]

[KOSPI retakes the 2,300-point line. Does the financial crisis nightmare end?]

[This will also pass. The credit crunch of rising nations is unraveling. Korea also has a won rally.]

I looked at it and thought, ‘Well, I’d better use forty-five billion dollars if I can in a year. First of all, I’m going to buy Suyeon Electronics and Suyeon Construction. Then, I’ll swallow other companies I find, one by one.’

After seeing the future news, I went on to do People Search in my name. [CEO Han Sang-hoon of Invictus Investment bought a seven percent stake in Suyeon Electronics for 2.6 billion dollars and became the largest shareholder of Suyeon Electronics.]

I nodded at it. There was not much to see the content. As I had my will, it was natural that it would be realized as it was.

‘All right, well, that’s what happens.’

I was thinking about what to put in the next name, but I put in Tak Mun-su. I didn’t know what the cornered mouse might do.

[Tak Mun-su, with the help of Deep Blue Corporation, managed to keep the management rights. Suyeon Electronics’ management battle goes into the second round.]

There was such news. I frowned.

“Deep Blue Corporation?”

It was a company I’d never heard of. I read it. [Invictus Investment, which has emerged as the largest shareholder, has proposed dismissing CEO Tak Mun-su, but he managed to stay in the position. Suyeon Construction, which owns an eleven percent stake, and Deep Blue Corporation, which owns a five percent stake, expressed rejection. Tak Mun-su and Deep Blue Corporation vowed to wage a showdown on CEO Han’s hostile M&A in the future, heralding a prolonged management dispute over Suyeon Electronics.]

I thought as I watched the news.

‘What happens if this is like… If I want to push it all the way… I need to buy shares from the public by increasing the share price, or I need to finish the purchase of Suyeon Construction… However, it is difficult to attack Suyeon Construction immediately. In any case, Tak Woo-kyung has a twenty percent stake in Suyeon Construction… If they drag it on for years to pay the inheritance tax in installments …

‘This makes it very complicated. The period of global bargain sales in the financial crisis is only a year away. I can’t hold it that long. I can shorten the time by giving them money, but then I will be giving Tak Mun-su a large sum of money. There would be no harm in Tak Mun-su’s eyes. Suyeon Electronics and Suyeon Construction were major companies in his father’s generation anyway. It’s not a bad thing for him to play defense against me here, and then spend a lot of money to build up Suyeon Chemical.’

“Deep Blue Corporation? What the hell is this?”

I searched ‘Deep Blue Corporation’ on the portal site. Nothing came up. I searched overseas portal just in case. By the way, nothing came out of it. Only the news related to Jaws movies, tuna catching fish came out.

‘How is this possible? I can’t find anything about the company on the portal site. However, the company bought a 5% stake in Suyeon Electronics, right? Besides, it threw a friendly vote for Tak Mun-su…?

I thought it over. ‘Tak Mun-su knew that I was doing a hostile M&A, but he didn’t defend the share price, and he didn’t get involved in negotiations with the Red Moss Investment. In the meantime, a secret company bought shares and votes in favor of Tak Mun-su… It may be…’

There was only one thing that came to mind: a paper company. It was made of foreign assets of Tak Woo-kyung’s hidden money. Rumors circulated that the nation’s chaebol would mostly hide their black money in tax havens such as Liechtenstein, the Bahamas, Monaco, and the Cayman Islands. So far, it had been nothing more than a conspiracy theory.

‘… in such an urgent situation, did he take out a bundle of money from the wardrobe? Then, it is roughly in line with the true power of Suyeon Group, like Tak said.’

“Is the true power the money which has been put in tax havens?”

‘That could be right, but that’s all that explains it when I put together the puzzles. Then I think I’ll have to dig up Deep Blue Corporation…’

I thought I’d send Crow. However, the existence of Deep Blue Corporation could not be found at all now. I didn’t know if Crow would accept this mission. I needed a little more specific data to assign Crow to the task.

‘Well… what shall I do?’ I was thinking about it and suddenly I remembered Lee Won-jae, who had visited the other day. He had given me a pledge of loyalty, and had said, “I will look into the weaknesses of Suyeon Group in my own way.”

I called him right away. He answered my call before the telephone finished ringing. It was faster than Secretary Park outside the door.

“CEO Han.”

“Can you speak with me now?”

“Yes, of course. I’ll take your call twenty-four/seven.”

“Last time we talked about Suyeon Group, right?”

“Yes.”

“The… the paper company, the tax evasion, do you have any data on a company called Deep Blue Corporation, including a ghost company?”

“Oh, I’ll check it out right away and get back to you.”

“Yes, please.”

After the call, I wondered if it’d been ten minutes. I got a call from Lee Won-jae again.

“CEO Han, I found it.”

“What did you find?”

“Deep Blue Corporation is based in Gibraltar, England. In the past, I heard it made a deal with Suyeon Construction. There was an article on our side.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes, I’ll send it to you now.”

“Oh, yes… By the way, isn’t that on the Internet?”

“Ah, this was a 2009 article that came out at the time and went down a while later. Do you know what this means?”

That meant Suyeon Group had put some pressure on it. There was something fishy about it. Lee Won-jae sent me two articles. The first article was entitled Suyeon Construction withdrew its copper mining business in Chile and sold mining rights to Deep Blue Corporation for two hundred forty million dollars.

The second article was entitled Suyeon Construction has been sucking its fingers after the bus left; the mine has been exposed to a massive vein of copper, valued at 3.2 billion dollars.

I read two lines of articles, and the story fit perfectly, if this Deep Blue Corporation here was Tak Wook-kyung’s paper company.

“So, Suyeon Construction sold it cheaply even though they knew a vein of copper was going to come out.”

“Maybe that’s right.”

For Tak Woo-kyung, this might be a huge benefit. That was because Tak Woo-kyung only had a 20% stake in Suyeon Construction, but he owned 100% of Deep Blue Corporation. If Suyeon Construction found the copper vein valued at 3.2 billion dollars, the share of Tak Woo-kyung would be six hundred forty million dollars, but if Deep Blue Corporation found it, his share would be 100%.

I said, scratching my forehead. “Ha… this is a total ant-fucking thing… It’s a breach of trust. Did the prosecution remain motionless at that time?”

“There was a commotion at the time, but… as you can see, all the articles went down… They said that an independent counsel would be held, but it seems to have failed.”

“It’s really dirty.”

‘At any rate, there are more dirty stories if we dig them up. If the copper mine had really been found by Suyeon Construction, the ants with the shares would probably have tasted the upper limit price once or twice. They never do anything that gives money to ants.’

However, Lee Won-jae spoke as if it was not a big deal. “I’ve heard there’s a lot of this going on in the construction industry. Our construction companies build a lot of buildings overseas. For example, if they build a building with three hundred stories, if the list price is ten billion dollars, they pretend to bid at eight billion dollars, and they deposit one billion dollars into the owner’s account secretly. From the standpoint of the builders, they made a successful bid at one billion dollars cheaper, and the owner gets one billion dollars back; it is good for one another.”

‘Those who lose out here are good ant investors. They pay to the national pension, and they buy blue-chip stocks in our country. Even if they invest in large companies, it is no different from being swindled. It is a good thing for only the major shareholders. The financial statements are neat, so no one can say anything.’

Lee Won-jae spoke as if he were talking to himself. “I heard there’s a lot of stuff on the shipbuilding, too… The shipbuilding cost a few billion dollars.”

I replied, shaking my head, “I see.” I didn’t want to hear any more dirty stories. “Thank you anyway, CEO Lee Won-jae.”

“I’m glad I helped you. If you have any questions, please contact me anytime.”

“Yes.”

After I finished my phone call with CEO Lee Won-jae, I leaned back in the chair for a moment. ‘I thought I’d get it done in moderation, but… they are all the trash, aren’t they? If this is true, Tak Woo-kyung and Tak Mun-su are parasites that completely suck up the Korean people. They turn a deaf ear to the roar of the ants with breaches of trust, and they do not pay taxes, using tax evasion. Doing business in Korea, they are just chasing after their own interests.

I changed my mind. ‘I’m going to take the root out.’

I calmed my anger for a moment and thought coolly of my next move. First, I turned on my email and called Crow. It was a paper company, but since the article contained more information besides being in Gibraltar, it would be worth searching for.

‘If Deep Blue Corporation turns out to be the paper company of Suyeon Group, it’s the end of Tak Mun-su. If Oracle news publishes the special edition, President Joo Sung-won will handle it, because it’s a matter for the country.’

Indeed, in a corner, Tak Mun-su had used the worst method. He was in crisis, and he had exposed his own illegal activities.

‘… maybe he thought he’d never get caught.’

The best thing he could do last time was to give up the game and leave. But he resisted and did more dirty work, not knowing that I was controlling the chessboard.

‘… with this, there is the only thing left to do. I will have to capture all the cards perfectly.’

Chapter 174 - All-out War, Part X

July fourth, 2022…

Invictus Investment ended the negotiations with RMI; the final price was 2.72 billion dollars. It was rather expensive, but I decided to pay for it. Time was more precious to me. At the same time, I continued to pursue Tak Mun-su persistently with the help of Crow and Lee Won-jae. ‘It’s easy to catch a rat if I know where it’s going to run.’

—–

July twentieth, 2022…

“This is what you asked for.” Eventually, Crow came back again, with a very thick report.

‘Interpol can’t handle this. Did he go all the way to Gibraltar on the other side of the world?’, I thought so, but I didn’t bother to ask. The way Crow worked was not something I should ask. I took it and read it.

“Hmm… it is as expected.” There were some expected results written. The representative’s Deep Blue Corporation’s representative was Han Sung-jin. His family name was Han, like me. He was Korean, and it was a sure proof, which they couldn’t get rid of, and I searched the name ‘Han Sung-jin’ on the portal site. There was a lot more news than I thought.

‘Sung-jin is common.’

I changed the search name after considering that to ‘Han Sung-jin, Suyeon.’

“Bingo.”

I saw an old article that had been published in 2005. [Suyeon Life Insurance appoints new executives and directors. The financial director is Han Sung-jin.]

However, the name had never been mentioned since 2005. It seemed that he left the company in the meantime.

‘The former financial director of Suyeon Life Insurance suddenly left the company and set up an investment company with some money that nobody knew where from, and just in time, Suyeon Construction sold the copper mine. So he bought it, and he found that the mine had the enormous vein of copper. So he made a lot of money from the profit margin and set up Deep Blue Corporation. Then, because the old owner was in crisis, he bought a lot of shares to help him. He spent nearly two billion dollars to keep his loyalty… If he said that in front of a judge, he would naturally go to jail.’

‘All right, then…’ I read more of Crow’s report. By the way, there was something different than I expected: the amount. ‘Huh?’

“Tak Mun-su has seven billion dollars, does he?” It was more than I thought. This was definitely an amount that I had to feel burdened by. Even though Tak Mun-su knew I was the richest man in the country, it was enough for him to shout out that what I was doing was a waste of time.

Crow said bluntly, “Looking at the money coming and going… Maybe that’s not all. If you look at page seventy-nine, you’ll see more details.”

It was now apparent that he had been exchanging money with other companies several times. He had been exchanging money with Heschbra, Tinkerbello, and other companies I had never heard of, like Deep Blue Corporation.

‘… this is deeper than I thought.’

But it was rather good. This was all a result of criminal dealings. The deeper the root, the more painful it would be when extracted. Now that I’d figured out all the cards that Tak Mun-su had, I’d looked at what the best benefit would be for our company.

‘Shall I explode it now? No. Tak Mun-su must be buying shares of Suyeon Electronics right now. When he’s done… Let’s burst it at that time. If the redemption on Deep Blue Corporation’s assets is done, the shares could come out cheap. If I buy it at a lower price, our company’s position will become stronger.’

All the information was collected, and all their cards were predicted. According to my plan, I slowly moved Vice President Jang and our company directors; Chairman Lee Won-jae; the media companies affiliated with the Daewon Daily News and Oracle News; as well as President Joo Sung-won, who was receiving it directly.

——–

And on July thirtieth, we completed the contract with RMI. At the same time, prominent articles came out.

[Invictus Investment bought a 7% stake in Suyeon Electronics from RMI. It is on the rise to the position of a major shareholder.]

[Han Sang-hoon, a genius investor, purchased shares in Suyeon Electronics. Is it a simple investment, or a hostile M&A?]

[CEO Han Sang-hoon, who threatens the status of the chaebols, takes over Suyeon Electronics.]

At the same time, the share price of Suyeon Electronics surged. People’s reactions were largely like this:

– Han Sang Hoon became a big man. Is he aiming for Suyeon Electrons?-

– The recent death of Tak Woo-kyung has made the management rights unstable. I think that’s a good shot.-

– But didn’t they say Han Sang-hoon was ruined by his investments in China? Where did he get the money to buy it?-

– I’m curious, too. It seems that he was not ruined like the rumors said.-

Some of the public believed that I had collapsed after investing in China. But that was where it went. After August, several media outlets published articles.

[It is known that Invictus Investment made forty-five billion dollars after investing in China.]

[Invictus Investment didn’t buy, but sold. They had a big hit during last year’s financial crisis. They earned forty-five billion dollars.]

[A dramatic reversal; CEOHan Sang-hoon rises to Korea’s richest position.]

When the news came out, there was a complete commotion. I was placed at the top of the list of rich people in Korea, where only the chaebols had been lined up.

– Wow, that’s amazing. In his thirties, did he earn forty-five billion dollars by himself?-

– I heard that he knows the future, but I’d do it if I had that ability.-

– I’ve never heard of Han Sang-hoon before. Is he famous?-

– He’s been a big man in the investment area for years.-

My name, Han Sang-hoon, did not come down from the top of the search word list all day long. Now I had become, in name and reality, the richest and most famous businessman in Korea. Seeing all the communities, bulletin boards, and chat rooms on the Internet all over my name, I realized that power. If Rep. Han Sang-hoon hadn’t lost his seat, he still wouldn’t have been able to beat me.

—–

Then on August tenth, there was a general meeting of major shareholders on the same day. It was a general meeting of major shareholders, which was expected to announce the results of the first half of the year. I participated there as the biggest shareholder. That was where Tak Mun-su still held his post as vice chairman.

————————-

“It’s a nice building,” I looked up and said. Up above I could see the red logo of Suyeon.

Vice President Jang, who was seat beside me, looked at me and said, “By the way, what are you going to call the company?”

“What?”

“I am talking about Suyeon. Are you going to keep the name?”

I thought when I saw the Suyeon logo. “Huh, it’s a chicken rib.”

That was what it was. Suyeon Electronics, however, had maintained its fame for nearly forty years after it started its business. Even in global markets, they had recognized electronic products, so it was a little bit too much to throw away the brand name. However, maintaining Suyeon naturally reminded me of the Tak family. It was not a good name for me as I’d been putting up with them all this time through thick and thin, high and low, ever since Tak Joon-gi.

I looked at the logo and said, “I’ll think about it a little bit more, and I’ll make a decision. Let’s take over the management first.”

“Sure.”

I entered Suyeon Electronics building with Vice President Jang and Secretary Park. In the hall, which we were guided into, there was a general meeting of major shareholders.

“The results of the first half are generally in recovery… We are expecting to see a faster recovery after the Chinese financial crisis.”

It seemed like we were here in time, not too early or not too late. I stormed into the place with a deep breath. When I entered, everyone in the room was looking at me. So was Tak Mun-su at the same. I spewed out what I had to say right there. “How are you, Vice Chairman Tak, other major shareholders, directors, and investors of Suyeon Electronics? As you’ve all seen in the article, I became the largest shareholder of this company by buying a 7% stake in RMI and a 5% stake in the market. I don’t have much to say because this assembly was planned when I wasn’t here, but as one of the largest shareholders, I’d like to have a special shareholders’ meeting in the near future.”

The man who hosted asked me, “For what purpose?”

“This is for a large-scale change in personnel accompanied by the dismissal of representative Tak Mun-su.”

I turned my head and glanced over the name tags. Except Tak Mun-su, there were more people with names that started with “Tak.” “If you have the last name Tak, please be prepared. Blood is thicker than water. Some chaebols seem to value money more than blood…”

As I said that, I looked at Tak Mun-su on purpose, who had killed his cousin. His eyes went wide, but I turned my gaze and said, “I still believe in blood ties. I hope you know that and resign yourself so that you won’t have to make any noise. Don’t you think it’s better to quit on your own than to be fired?”

After I said that, Tak Mun-su, who couldn’t bear it, stood up and shouted, “Do you think that’s going to work?” However, it was just an empty echo.

The people around went along with me. This meant that everyone knew who was stronger. I looked at him and said bluntly, “Yes. It’ll be done by my will.” Then, I looked at the people beside him and said, “Unlike Tak Mun-su over there, if you don’t have the last name, I’ll give you a choice. It’s a choice that you should be loyal to me. Everyone read the article that I have forty-five billion dollars.”

Everyone’s eyes were on what I was saying. Generally, anyone sitting at a shareholders’ meeting knew the weight of money, and the meaning of money.

“Let’s go back to the past here. How much was it four years ago? Four years ago, when I was an ordinary office worker, I had negative total assets. I’d been saving a small salary, but… I had a student loan left.”

As I said that, I had a slight laugh in the memory of the past. But soon, I stopped laughing.

“But now, I am the richest man in Korea. This is all a fact. Unlike anyone, I’ve all told the truth. Go home and… no, please pick up your phone and search. I’ve been interviewed several times since I founded Invictus Investment in 2019, so you’ll find all the records.”

But at my words, no one looked down to see their cell phones. Everyone was focusing on how my lips moved and what the echoes in my vocal cords were.

“I’m a self-made man who has risen from empty hands to the top. It’s different from someone who was born with a golden spoon and kept it. Then think about it. Who’s more likely to own this company? Who will maximize the interests of shareholders? Who’s going to lead Suyeon Electronics to greater success?”

Even the directors with the last name Tak were keeping their eyes on me.

“So, I suggest holding an extraordinary shareholders’ meeting. As I said before, this is for a large-scale change in personnel accompanied by the dismissal of representative Tak Mun-su.”

Then someone shouted, “That’s great! If CEO Han Sang-hoon leads our company, it would be much better.”

After the shouting, the other raised his hand and said, “I, too, will leave my shares to Han Sang-hoon for voting rights. Please lead us, CEO Han!”

After the two of them came out, there was a flood of noise.

“Me too!.”

“Me too!”

“I’ll join you, too!”

The general meeting of shareholders quickly turned into a concert hall in a flash. This was a concert by popular singer Han Sang-hoon. Tak Mun-su and his family were bewildered.

I thought as I looked at the commotion, ‘Well, with this much… Even if he has a friendly stake from the paper company… I think I can beat him.’

By the time the roar subsided, I said with my head down, “Then, everyone, I’ll see you at the next extraordinary shareholders’ meeting.”

I turned my head, leaving the words behind. People in the room shouted after me as if they were fans shouting for an encore after the performance.

“Thank you, Mr. CEO!”

“I’d like to join you, too. Mr. CEO!”

“I’ll see you then. Mr. CEO!”

I walked out of the main hall listening to their shouts.

Chapter 175 - The Snare Trap

Returning from the shareholders’ meeting, I set out on the very next project.

What Tak Mun-su should unveil next, when he had been given a fatal blow during the general meeting of shareholders, was the emergence of Deep Blue Corporation. ‘You didn’t expect this, did you?’ He must be thinking that, but it would also be mistaken.

I collected Crow’s research and made two more articles.

The first version was focused on “How Deep Blue Corporation has hurt Suyeon Construction shareholders’ profits and funneled money into Tak Woo-kyung’s pockets.” The targets were the stock investors of Suyeon Construction. This would incur investors’ anger, as it was a clear breach of trust, in which the CEO had extorted money that was meant to go to shareholders. In addition, it was enough to create distrust in the whole Suyeon Group.

The second version was focused on “How Tak Woo-kyung evaded taxes while establishing Deep Blue Corporation.” The targets were ordinary people who lived faithfully paying taxes, and current government officials and President Joo Sung-won, who were struggling with insufficient tax revenues.

The first version was scheduled to appear in the economic media, including the Daewon Daily News, while the second version was to be released on Internet news by Oracle News. When this went out, there would be a lot of repercussions on both sides.

I sent Crow to the Cayman Islands to add heat to the fire, as I didn’t know how far the potato vines were connected. As soon as it came out, I would write follow-up articles and make the people feel that Suyeon Group was a hub of corruption.

———————

August fifteenth, 2022, the Liberation Day…

Before the extraordinary shareholders’ meeting, the media, including the Daewon Daily News and Oracle News, once again hit Suyeon Group. The reactions blew up like fire.

– Wow, Suyeon Group is a real scumbag. Huh, Tak Woo-kyung…-

– Tak Woo-kyung is a very meticulous man. He does tax evasion both when he lives and dies.-

– Is Suyeon Group a company in our country? Let’s dismantle it this time and send it abroad. Why are they doing business in Korea without paying taxes?-

– We should not blame a food truck. I can’t believe a big company has been doing tax evasion for billions of dollars.-

Deep Blue Corporation had already purchased a considerable stake in Suyeon Electronics, but less than 5%. However, it was now impossible to come to the fore. If they raised their hand at a shareholders’ meeting, a crowd of reporters would rush in.

I laughed and thought, blocking the last hole of the fleeing mouse. ‘If Deep Blue Corporation is blocked… how will Tak Mun-su react? Now that he’s lost his hands and feet, there’s nothing more he can do, right?’

But that was my illusion. A mouse with all the holes blocked eventually chose to run directly to a cat. That evening, I searched the news under my name as usual, but I got a strange piece of news. [CEO Hang Sang-hoon of Invictus Investment was attacked by an unidentified man.]

I opened my mouth wide, “Huh…really?” But I soon came to my senses. ‘Isn’t this also one of his methods, as expected? If anyone who plays baduk together and realizes he can’t win, the only method he can nullify the game is to dump the baduk board upside down.

‘It was supposed to happen… It is now impossible to block my M&A with the normal methods; of course, protecting their equity with a paper company is not the normal way to do it, either. However, when I die, there is no one to run the company instead of me, since Invictus Investment is 100% owned by me.

‘My property will also be scattered to my family like Tak Woo-kyung’s, and the M&A will come to nothing. Without me, President Joo Sung-won or CEO Lee Won-jae can’t defend our company. So, even if it is risky, Tak Mun-su decided the last means, after which the reward is certain.

‘… the vice chairman of a large corporation, after everything, did this.’

After all his methods were blocked, he finally crossed the line. He did what he shouldn’t do. It was probably because he couldn’t accept his defeat. If he had suffered one or two defeats so far, he would have known how to step back from unavoidable circumstances. However, he did not. Having never lost before now became his weakness.

‘All right, well, let’s see where and how he will attack.’

I read the article. [CEO Han Sang-hoon of Invictus Investment is in critical condition after being attacked by an unidentified man. August twenty-fourth, Han Sang-hoon, who had returned from a pediatric cancer charity event at a hospital in Gangnam, was ambushed by an unidentified man who was waiting with a knife while waiting for an elevator in his own Invictus Investment building.]

August twenty-fourth was about a week from now. I thought about the schedule for that day. ‘Apparently, there is a pediatric cancer charity event. Getting out of the Invictus building these days… He picked a good day because I have few external events.’

I held a regular pediatric cancer charity event twice a year; once in the first half and once in the second half. I wasn’t a charity worker like Jesus who told them, ‘Don’t let your right hand know what your left hand is doing,’ so a single search was enough to let the public know my schedule.

‘Dinner schedule: when I finish there, I come back to the parking lot of the Invictus building. It’s just that far that Secretary Park accompanies me. He does not follow me to the elevator. If I take the elevator up, it’s the house where Ah-young is waiting. The criminal seems to be aiming for that, too.’

‘By the way, who is the killer?’

I scrolled down a little more. [… after confirming CCTV, it is known that the killer is a giant, about 190-centimeter-tall… Based on this, the police will investigate…]

That was roughly right. The height of the guy who had been escorting Tak Joon-gi was 190 cm. I hadn’t seen him since the Crow’s dream, but he probably was resting with a proper reward from Tak Mun-su. It was not easy for a person to kill. If I thought about in that context, no one except him was as qualified for the job. He already had blood on his hands. I didn’t know how Tak Mun-su talked him into doing this.

‘… I’ll have to catch him and have him confess everything. With that, Tak Mun-su will be completely out of society as an attempted murderer, and if I do well, I can make the guy talk about the murder of Tak Joon-gi, also a successful murder. With two, Tak Mun-su will have to live in a cell until he is old and dead. In this case, no matter how much he whines in a wheelchair, the judge won’t let it go.

‘It’s the worst scenario for Tak Mun-su… I wouldn’t have done this much either… but I can’t help it now. I’ll have him eat his meals in a cell for the rest of his life.’

Tak Mun-su didn’t know he was in a trap. The more he tried to escape, the more the snare tightened. If he had cut off one foot and run away, he could have lived. However, he tried to destroy the trap, and he would be finished.

I called in Secretary Park the next day, after I knew Tak Mun-su’s plan.

“Secretary Park. Do you remember what my father used to say?”

“What do you mean?”

“Never fight an enemy with a weapon.”

“Oh, I remember.” He grinned as he thought of the old days.

“What do you think of that?”

“That’s very true. No matter how strong you are, it’s not good to fight with someone who uses a weapon. Even if it’s a weak old man or a slim woman with a knife, the basic rule is to not fight. Well, I’ll win somehow, but if I’m unlucky, if I get hit in the wrong spot… I could lose my life. If he is a trained expert, it’s 100% better to run away.”

“Well, I suppose so.”

I recalled my old memory for a moment, after I saved Oh Hyun-joo, four years ago. At the time, I shoulder threw a man with a deadly weapon, but if I was told to do it again, I didn’t know whether I could.

“How about you?” I asked Secretary Park again.

“What?”

“What about you, if you are facing an enemy with a deadly weapon?”

“If I have a long handkerchief, I can safely subdue an ordinary man.”

“Well, what if he’s an expert? What if he is a giant like you and a man using a knife?”

“Well… I think it’s not easy either. It depends on how good the expert is, but it’s going to be a life-threatening fight.”

I stroked my chin. “I see…”

Perhaps because I suddenly brought up a weapon story and my father’s words, Secretary Park asked me with his head tilted. “By the way… why are you asking me that?”

———————

On August twenty-fourth, 2020, it eventually became D-Day. The Bentley, carrying me, entered the underground parking lot of Invictus Investment building. Secretary Park pulled over the Bentley to the spot where it was supposed to be. I walked out of the car and Secretary Park bowed to me, handing me the Bentley key with both hands.

“Thanks for your work.” I took the Bentley key and raised my hand slightly to say goodbye to him. I then stood in front of the elevator, throwing the key into the air a couple of times.

I pressed the up button and waited for the elevator to come down for a second. At that moment, I turned my head at the sound of someone running towards me. There was a giant in a black mask charging with a shiny weapon. If I was an ordinary man, I couldn’t move properly being surprised, but I took out a taser gun I had hidden without a moment’s hesitation and shot him. The taser gun fired and hit his chest, and the giant collapsed on the spot with a flop.

Looking down at him, the policeman who had been playing me, lifted my suit slightly, and said,

“Cleared, senior superintendent.”

‘Cleared, senior superintendent.”

When I heard the radio, I turned my head and saw the man standing next to me. Senior superintendent Shin Hyun-chul spoke to me in a soft voice. “As you can see, it’s cleared, Mr. CEO.”

I had been looking at the situation, and I pointed to the CCTV screen. “That guy should not die. He might try to kill himself.”

When he heard me, he reassured me, “Oh, don’t worry, sir. He can’t bite his tongue because of the effect of getting hit by a taser. Plus, I think my men are doing a good job cleaning up.”

As he said that, Seo Joon-sik, the detective who had played my part (his age and physique were similar to me, but his voice was so different that he had decided not to speak) took off the giant’s mask, sealed his mouth with the gag he had prepared, and carefully handcuffed him.

I asked senior superintendent Shin Hyun-chul, “Then, can I go down and see him?”

He looked a bit embarrassed, but soon nodded. “Let’s go together, then.”

————

I went down to the parking lot with him on that elevator that the detective had called down. I found that the unidentified man who had been trying to attack me was still struggling on the floor. I glanced at his face; he was the very one I had seen in the Crow’s dream, the same man who had killed Tak Joon-gi.

‘… surely.’

I only glanced at him, and then nodded slightly at senior superintendent Shin Hyun-chul. As he had done a good job, an article praising him would be in the Oracle News. I didn’t know the ranks of police officers, but if there was anything to be promoted, the top position would be his. Several police cars were coming into our company’s parking lot. I looked over and gestured at Secretary Park standing next to him. He came over to me at once.

I said, pointing to the assailant still struggling on the floor. “What do you think about what would have happened?”

“I saw him charging with a knife… I think I’d have won, even if I’d had to fight.”

“Hmm. You told me it’d be better not to deal with even an old man or a woman with a weapon.”

He spoke with a shrug of his shoulders. “There’s a class difference, though.”

I replied after listening to his confident voice. “Hmm… I didn’t expect to tell you the same story as my father. Don’t fight with a knife guy, either. You have to stay with me for a few more years, and just in case, you should not be stabbed.”

Secretary Park replied, smiling bashfully, “Yes, boss!”

Chapter 176 - Taking The Spoils Of War

I answered the phone, “Yes?”

“Boss, I have a call from senior superintendent Shin Hyun-chul.”

“Put him through to me.”

“Yes.”

While Secretary Park was connecting him, I cleared my voice for a moment. Shin Hyun-chul, who had a thick voice, greeted me, “Hello? CEO Han, this is Shin Hyun-chul.”

“Ah, yes. What is this regarding? While you’re busy, you call me like this.”

“No, please don’t say that.” The more he talked to me on the phone, the more he took a submissive attitude. I didn’t know if it was simply because I was the richest person in Korea or because of pressure from the Blue House, but somehow, I could see more and more of him trying to be nice to me. “I’m fine. Rather, I am afraid of taking your time.”

“No, I’m fine. But for what?”

“I’m calling to report on the progress of the investigation. As you said, I’ve looked for connection points with Suyeon Group and I found that he had the experience working there. He’s keeping his mouth shut right now, but I’ll work hard and get him talking.”

Although it hadn’t spread to the media yet, this was quite a surprise case for the police, as well. It was a murder case aimed at the head of a company, who was in a fight for a stake with another company.

“That’s what I thought, too… Suyeon Group… All right. Please keep digging.”

“Yes, sir, keep taking care of yourself. Since it’s an attempted murder case, I’ll take responsibility for making him confess.”

“Please do your best.”

After finishing the call, I looked at the phone for a moment. ‘Let’s see how competent the Korean police are.’

Anyway, he would say everything, since right after the incident, I put Crow, who came back from the Cayman Islands, on this case. It would be better for the police to do it, but if they couldn’t get him to confess, I would.

———————

On September twelfth, Suyeon Electronics’ extraordinary shareholders’ meeting was held. I was there, accompanied by Vice President Jang. However, Tak Mun-su, the current president and the main character of the dismissal of the CEO, did not attend the meeting. It was somewhat foreseen. Now that Deep Blue Corporation turned out to be Tak Woo-kyung’s paper company, the outcome of this vote was no different than what was already obvious.

Tak Mun-su seemed to have decided to concentrate on forming his own defense team rather than coming here and getting fired. He was accused of illegal inheritance, tax evasion, and even attempted murder. The extraordinary shareholders’ meeting went on. Because of the Tak family, there was no unanimous vote, but the suggestion to dismiss the CEO was overwhelmingly passed.

After this, Tak Mun-su was completely out of Suyeon Electronics. The person who took the seat was Kim Jang-hoon, who was a little further away from the center of Suyeon Electronics. According to the story, he had spoken directly to Tak Mun-su and incurred his hatred, so he was close to losing his position. I rather highly valued that and decided to appoint him as temporary president. His life was part of the irony of fate. After a little more time, I thought I’d bring in a professional manager from the outside and put him in the position.

With this, anyway, I got what I wanted. It was one of the top companies in Korea, and had global competitiveness. The process was quite rough and complicated, but it paid off. Finally, Invictus Investment had set the stage for a leap into the world.

———————

On September twentieth…

In the end, Tak Mun-su was arrested. Police eventually obtained three letters of the name “Tak Mun-su” from the criminal, although they did not say exactly how, according to police chief Shin Hyun-chul. Now he had a fight in court over the sentence, which was for the maximum of life imprisonment. Of course, he hired a top judge-turned-lawyer. So I wrote an article on the Oracle news: ‘We should show the strictness of the law; we should not accept one law for the rich and another for the poor.’

‘Even if Korea is divided into three powers, it is true that the president is the most influential person in general. Even if the National Assembly is not currently an opposition party, it is widely believed that the ruling party has no choice but to give in to the president’s power, and that the court and the case law have come to the president’s attention.’

A few months ago, I kept shouting to President Joo Sung-won, ‘I will attack Suyeon Group. Hit it and arrest Tak Mun-su1’; he would understand my intentions. If he joined me on to this point, I would keep him in the presidency for another four years.

———————

Two days after Tak Mun-su was arrested, on September twenty-second, Secretary Park called me. “Boss… There’s another person on the phone.”

But his words were a little strange because there were a variety of people calling me.

“Another person?”

“He’s called Tak Woo-sung, but he is from the Tak family…” It made sense. The other Mr. Tak had called me.

‘Tak Woo-sung… If it’s him, he must be…’ I quickly move my keyboard to search for him. ‘As might be expected.’

I recalled some old memories. Tak Woo-sung, as I roughly guessed from his name, was Tak Woo-kyung’s brother, Tak Mun-su’s uncle, and Tak Joon-gi’s father. After Tak Mun-su’s arrest, he seemed to be the head of the family, or its spokesman.

Holding the phone, I wondered what he was going to do…

“Okay, put him through.”

Before long, a heavy voice flowed into my ear. “Ah. Are you CEO Han Sang-hoon?”

I was wary of him for a moment. ‘Is this old man trying to play the second round in a nasty way?’ Fortunately, however, such concerns were soon resolved.

“… We think there was a mistake on the part of our family. I’d like to negotiate with CEO Han Sang-hoon.”

“What kind of negotiation?”

“A kind of… surrender negotiation? We no longer intend to fight with CEO Han. Who’s stronger… has already been revealed. Just let us take care of some of our work.”

What he brought was the surrender document of the Tak family. At the same time Tak Mun-su was arrested, the Tak family seemed to realize that the game of power was all over except for the shouting.

I asked him, “What are the specific conditions?”

“I’ll email it to you right away. Please look it over and review it. Can I get a reply?”

“… yes, I will.”

—

I received an email from him. The contents were long, but to sum up, I could say it said, ‘The Tak family will sell all of its stakes in Suyeon Electronics, Suyeon Construction, and its affiliates, and withdraw from its authority. Please leave the insurance and chemical lines to us.’

Now that Tak Mun-su had been arrested, they no longer had the heart to resist me, and they seemed to have decided to split the remaining shares between the two. I thought they might be covering their faces right now. It was a big crack in the status of Suyeon Group to lose Suyeon Electronics, but it was no exaggeration to say that Suyeon Group without Tak Mun-su was a completely new place of opportunity.

I consulted with Vice President Jang for a few days and then accepted the offer. It was necessary for the Tak family to leave without any noise to run Suyeon Electronics and Suyeon Construction smoothly in the future. No matter how the fight ended, an enemy could not live in the same house.

I wrote back to Tak Woo-sung and sent him back a roadmap for the settlement of the shares. With my stamping them, the long and fierce fight between me and Tak Mun-su lasting for nearly half a year ended with me buying Suyeon Electronics and Suyeon Construction.

———————

I searched Tak Mun-su in the news in 12 Months After. His trial began shortly after, and after a year’s preview of the news, it was unlikely that he would be able to look outside while he was alive.

‘This time justice was implemented, though it was justice with a little pressure behind it.’ I closed the future news email after reading it. After doing that, I breathed a long sigh, because there was a mountain of reports next to me. The financial crisis from China was gradually coming to an end, and there was a need to quickly normalize Suyeon Electronics, which had gained a new owner.

‘Let’s work hard then.’ While I was reading those reports, Vice President Jang came in to see me.

“Vice President Jang is here.”

“Please let him in.”

Vice President Jang came in and greeted me, “You have a lot to review, boss.”

“Well, I should do at least this much work. Isn’t it Vice President Jang and the directors who are busier than me?”

Vice President Jang smiled and nodded. The remark was true. Suyeon Electronics and Suyeon Construction were both dinosaur companies with a market capital of thirty billion dollars. There was a lot of work to do after the war.

“We are looking for key personnel for Suyeon Electronics. Suyeon Construction is in the process of acquisition; the two sisters of Tak Mun-su, Tak Jin-hee and Tak Sun-young, agreed to pay off the inheritance tax with the stake in Suyeon Construction. We can buy the shares from the government. We’re going to get the status of a major shareholder right away.”

I asked him when I heard that, “When will that be?”

“It should be early in November.”

“Oh, I see. Please proceed as quickly as possible.”

“Yes, boss.”

I hastened him because of the Grandmaster Class. The conditions for attaching the Grandmaster Class were “ten billion dollars in equity value, and ten listed companies.” The condition of ten billion dollars in equity value was easily exceeded when I acquired Suyeon Electronics, but as for the ten listed companies, the number of companies I owned was short, since Suyeon Electronics had only one listed subsidiary.

That was seven companies. Suyeon Construction was the parent company of typical octopuses, so there were a lot of subsidiaries, such as Suyeon Fashion, a clothing brand; and Dream Box, which was in the movie theater business, as listed companies. If I put those three together, the total number became ten. As soon as the acquisition of Suyeon Construction was completed, I would be given the Grandmaster Class.

‘I wonder what kind of skills there will be when I become Grandmaster Class…’

Come to think of it, there was only one thing I knew, what I had seen last time: the news of 12 Years After.

So far, there had been no need to do so because of the idea of “a year at a time of investing,” but there was a need to move looking five or ten years ahead to run a large group like Suyeon Electronics.

‘And besides… I’m curious about what will happen ten years from now. At that time, there may be things such as electric cars becoming mainstream, the smoke disappears, general space travel becomes possible, VR technology develops, and the game is passed on to later generations.’

I sat on the chair and imagined for a moment about what would happen ten years from now with joy.

Chapter 177 - Unexpected News

A man with horn-rimmed glasses, white skin, and neat hair asked me, “Why did you keep it a secret?”

“I didn’t mean to keep it a secret, but other investors except me were in a very difficult situation back then. I thought it was not good manners to let our success out.”

“So, you kept the profits secret in order to respect other investors.”

“Yes, I did.”

He mumbled over what I said and put something in the notepad. “I see. You kept the profits secret in order to be considerate of others.”

‘Forbes is one of the economic magazines that started in the U.S. If we look at the characteristics of this economic magazine, they are good at ranking things; “The World’s Most Valuable Sports Club” or “The World’s Highest Profit-Grossing Company.”‘

The theme of the interview now was ‘Korea’s 100 richest people.’ And I was the one at the apex of the ranking table.

“Did you have any other reason to take over Suyeon Electronics?”

“After I finished investing in China, I looked everywhere to acquire a local company. Along the way, I noticed Suyeon Electronics. I tried a hostile M&A because I judged that the shares were undervalued and that the equity structure was weak compared to the future potential. The result was successful.”

“By the way, many things happened to Suyeon Group in the process? There was news of the owner’s death, the issue of tax evasion, the arrest of the next chairman, and so on. What do you think of those things?”

I looked at the interviewer with my arms crossed and said, “… I thought I was lucky; they made the stock price very cheap.”

“But the timing was so exquisite that some say it was all done by CEO Han Sang-hoon… What do you think about this?”

I said with a smile, “That’s ridiculous. Of course, I made a lot of money, but I was the owner of an investment company, and Suyeon Group was a chaebol company for over fifty years. How can an investment company owner do such a thing against a chaebol? I’m sure dilettantes made it up.”

“I see.” He nodded and typed something more into the notebook.

“And what’s your next plan?”

“I’m going to do more M&A for a while. Although the whole world was staggered by the Chinese financial crisis, it is gradually getting better. If there’s a good company, I’d like to buy some more and try to build things together.”

“You intend to grow your company.”

“Of course. I’ve become the richest man in Korea, but I’m still a young chick in the global market. I’m going to challenge the global market, starting with Suyeon Electronics.”

“Oh, I see. You became the richest person in Korea, but you are still hungry. You want more money.”

I said there, with a slight gesture. “No, the nuance is something wrong… I don’t think that’s right.”

He asked me instead of teasing with the pen. “What…?

“… that part, ‘I want more money.’ I’m actually more obsessed with success than with money.”

“Success?”

“Yes… doing something well, anticipating things, acting in line with them, finally getting the results I want. Money is just a result. Actually, since three years ago, I’ve not been so obsessed with money since I had more than ten million dollars in my account. Since then, I’ve never been able to do anything because I couldn’t afford it.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes, I have hundreds of times more assets now than I did then, but… I don’t really live a luxury life. So ‘I want more money’ is not really right; I want to be a little more successful. I think that’s a more appropriate expression. I do not think it’s a matter of money, but I would like to say that… just as much as making money from now on, I want to succeed in spending it.”

“That means… are you talking about a charitable business?”

“Yes, well, Bill Gates would be my role model. I’d like to try to solve hunger, cure incurable diseases, and so on.”

“Oh, I see. That’s a great idea. So here’s the end of the official interview. Is there anything else you want to say?”

“Not really.”

“Yes, then I’ll stop here. Thank you for your interview, Mr. CEO.”

I stood up with a nod. Secretary Park came up, handed me my overcoat and said, “Boss, during the interview, there was a call from Vice President Jang.”

“Yes.” I received the phone right away and made a call. Vice President Jang answered the phone right away.

“Boss, did you do well in your interview?”

“Yes, what made you call?”

“It’s nothing special, but I was going to report the progress of the two deals in motion.”

“Oh, say it.”

“First of all, as soon as the inheritance tax is paid, we will take Suyeon Construction, adding to the existing shares of 4.99%. In the case of Tak Mun-su… well, we should have seen the result of the trial. It seems that his relatives are talking about disposing of him, too. His lawyers are the best, but it is not a good story out there.”

‘It is an open fact, but judges are not always neutral. They look after whether the accused is a person with a lot of money, a person with little power, or a person with power. They also consider the president and the public.’

Tak Mun-su had money, but he had lost favor with a person in power and was considered the third generation of an evil conglomerate to the public; therefore, a judge could not even lighten his sentence from their point of view.

“They think it will not be easy for Tak Mun-su because of his overlapping cases and strong public opinion. So there’s talk of the Tak family making him give up his inheritance rights. If a major shareholder is put in prison for more than twenty years, that will be a problem.”

When Tak Mun-su’s downfall was confirmed, the remaining heirs of the Suyeon Group began to bite him, like a group of sharks attacking an injured colleague. Although they did not seem eager to take control of Suyeon Group openly like Tak Joon-gi, it seemed to be the best time for them when Tak Mun-su went to prison.

Except for Suyeon Electronics and Suyeon Construction, the other parts of Suyeon Group were in danger of being torn apart again from a fight between the Taks. I didn’t mean it to go that far, either.

“… Well, I see. Anyway, let’s leave it to them and just do our job. How’s the CEO selection process going?”

Maverick Turner, former vice president of Intel, and Shin Jae-chul, former CTO of Susung Electronics, both of them said they were interested in the position of CEO of Suyeon Electronics. I think it would be nice if both of them were brought to our company, talked with us, and we could make a decision.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea. Let me know when the meeting schedule is fixed.”

“Yes. The next is about FC Sejong.”

“Ah, yes,” I said, my eyes gleaming.

“Needless to say, they welcome your investment and would like to meet with you and talk to you as soon as possible.”

“Good, then I’ll go down to Sejong City, and talk about the stadium, too.”

“Yes, please.”

Soon after the acquisition of Suyeon Electronics was completed, I was going to pick a car as a reward, but I chose a soccer club, FC Sejong, instead. FC Sejong was the first professional sports club to be created since the inauguration of Sejong City, but it had not been able to find a sponsor for a while, so Sejong City was acting as the owner of the club.

Sejong City grew bigger and bigger, and now it was a big city with a population of eight hundred thousand people, but it was still difficult to operate the club with the taxpayers’ money. FC Sejong was short of staff and players, and it was in a position where it had to borrow other players’ ballparks, so it was in the lower division even in the lower leagues. In the meantime, I decided to be the main sponsor of FC Sejong. It was a kind of expensive hobby.

‘Why isn’t there a computer game that makes a club grow by taking over as a manager?’

I was going to spend my money on building a stadium, and bringing in a coach and staff.

‘Three years? No, I have to bring in talented prospects, and in about five years, it will be the top club in Korea. Of course, I know who will and how they become outstanding players in the future, so it will be easy to run. I am an owner who sees the future of the team.’

After I finished talking to Vice President Jang, I smiled and put my cell phone in my pocket. ‘It sounds like fun.’

“Shall we go then?” Secretary Park approached me and asked.

I nodded.

————————-

On my way home in the car driven by Secretary Park, I looked out of the window with my arms folded as usual. Along the way, a large electronic display of a building was showing a series of fashion ads of Suyeon Fashion, a subsidiary of Suyeon Construction. It was a company that would end up in my possession.

I looked at it and thought. ‘… in the future news, what’s the news for the clothing business? The bigger the company, the more work I would have to do. Whether it’s electronics, construction, or fashion, there will be more places that need my insight. I can even see the movie box office in advance.’

In the past, it was a way to buy and sell stocks in line with a successful movie, but now I would be the owner of the distributor. ‘… I’ll have to watch the news more closely.’

I now had to do some work as a manager as well as an investor, because I had more companies to run.

‘It’s easy to manage. I’m going to make a decision anyway. If I know the future, I can always make the right decision. Now, I will soon get the Grandmaster Class, and receive the news for 12 Years After… Whatever the news is, it can’t escape my hands.’

I thought about it when I got in the back of the car that Secretary Park was driving. But that was my arrogance. When I got home, there was news waiting for me, something I had never imagined.

————————-

“Are you sure?”

Ah-young nodded. I did not know what to do and scratched my head for a moment. She gave me an additional explanation.

“I haven’t had a period in two months… But sometimes I do. So I wasn’t quite sure, but the doctor told me it’s real.”

Ah-young was pregnant. This was the most shocking news I’d heard recently, since the future news didn’t warn me. But coming down from the shock, I realized that it wasn’t bad news. On the contrary, it was very good news!

I said, holding her hand, “Yes. That’s great. These days, there are a lot of couples who are worried about getting married and having problems, but we’re starting with no such problems, right?”

“Yes, I’ve heard of that lately…”

I looked into her eyes and said, “I was so busy with my work that it was delayed. Let’s set the wedding date as soon as possible. You don’t want to wear a dress with your belly out because of a baby, do you?”

Ah-young nodded and gave me a subtle look.

“Don’t you like?”

“No.”

“I want you to make the proposal right again.”

I said with a smile. “Oh, yes, yes.”

I was going to become a father. Maybe it was bigger news than me buying Suyeon Electronics this year!

Chapter 178 - Grandmaster Class

November, 2022…

It was almost a month and a half after I heard of the pregnancy. It would be quick, but it was rather late considering that it was originally planned at the time I had decided to live together. The wedding ceremony was held modestly in the company building, with only relatives and close acquaintances, because I didn’t want my family exposed to outsiders.

“Congratulations, Mr. CEO!”

“Congratulations, son!”

“Congratulations, brother!”

“Congratulations, boss!”

Ah-young and I finished the wedding ceremony safely after receiving congratulations from those present. The honeymoon was scheduled to travel to Australia and New Zealand over fifteen days. I wanted to go there for three to four months, but this time, things got in my way again. There was the acquisition of Suyeon Construction and the rebranding of Suyeon Group to deal with.

“Vice President Jang, please take good care of the company while I’m away.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll arrange for you to proceed as soon as you get back.”

——

The acquisition of Suyeon Construction went very smoothly. The negotiations did not last long, as the Tak sisters tried to prepare for the upcoming second round, a dispute over management control of another company, by disposing of the shares quickly. Suyeon Construction was going to become my company in December, just in time for the end of the honeymoon. The real problem after the acquisition of Suyeon Construction was rebranding.

There were big problems in managing the Suyeon Group companies that had come under my wing. The first problem was that the name Suyeon had become a byword of corruption (though I had bought it cheaply due to that), and the second problem was that I had to differentiate my companies from the companies of the Tak family, half of the severed Suyeon Group.

Like the brand view box of movie theater, where a company did not have the name Suyeon, even though it was a subsidiary of Suyeon Group, was fine, but there was a need to change its name elsewhere. With a completely new name, I thought for a bit about using our company name of Invictus, but the arrogant, absolute, and competitive nature was only appropriate for the name of the investment company. “Invictus Electronics” and “Invictus Construction” didn’t really fit.

“I’ll think about the name of the new company in Australia.”

“Sure. You might come up with something when you are walking through Mother Nature.’

With so few things left, I left for Australia with Ah-young. To be exact, three of us left, as I didn’t know whether my child was a son or a daughter. On the plane to Australia, on my first class seat, I listened to Ah-young’s belly for a moment.

“How about? Can you hear something?”

“No. Not yet.

Ah-young’s slim belly was slightly rounder than usual. It made me feel more and more like a father.

“My doctor said I will be able to hear it in a month or two.”

“Really? I’m a little sad.”

“Don’t be sad. It’ll be out in a few months anyway.”

I listened to Ah-young’s belly and thought to myself as I looked out of the window at the sky.

‘My baby, please come out healthy. Then I’ll bring all the world for you.’

—————

December 2022…

After the honeymoon, Vice President Jang finished the acquisition process so that I could sign off, just as I had instructed.

“So did you think of a name?”

“Ah… To be honest, some came up during my trip, but there was absolutely nothing I wanted to use. So I could not decide. ”

“I see. Well, let us think about a little more time. If it is difficult for the boss to decide, we can organize a team of expert advisers and set a new name. ”

“… okay. Let’s finish the acquisition at once. ”

“Yes, boss…”

I signed a contract to buy Tak Mun-su’s sisters’ and relatives’ shares. As a result of that, Invictus Investment had ten listed companies worth sixty-three billion dollars in total, including companies in the KOSPI and KOSDAQ.

The evening when the contract was concluded and the announcement was made, I got an email, ‘Grandmaster Class Guide’, which I had waited for a very long time.

—————

I was sitting in my seat with my arms folded, after telling Secretary Park not to let anyone in.

‘Hoo… come to think of it… It took me a really long time to get up to Grandmaster Class.’

I seemed to have easily reached to Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, and Master, but it took a lot of time to attain the Grandmaster Class. It was probably because there were so many people who I had to deal with in the process of growing. On the political side, there was Rep. Han Sang-hoon and President Joo Sung-won. On the economic front, there was the Tak family.

‘But… wouldn’t it be easier to do so next time? I still have over thirty billion dollars left. With that money, I can take over a global company. It will be easier if it goes through a little light ironing process, like Suyeon Electronics and Suyeon Construction.’

At 8:50 a.m., I got the email, ‘Grandmaster Class Skill Guidance.’ I clicked on it right away and the old familiar phrase welcomed me. [Congratulations, Han Sang-hoon, for being promoted to the Grandmaster Class. The Grandmaster Class can be used and enhanced by investing points in each skill.]

I scrolled down. [There are currently five skills available in the Grandmaster Class. There are twenty-one skill points not currently allocated.]

The score given this time was twenty-one. ‘Twenty-one points… It’s a blackjack number. If there are five skills, by the way, I think there’s one more point added.’

I looked further down the scroll, remembering the number.

[People Search Lv2 (Active skill – four points required)

One more slot for searching for people. It will be available with other passive skills applied.

Ranking News Lv2 (Active Skill – two points required)

In a specific category out of the news in 12 Hours After, you can receive first and second place news with the highest cumulative view counts in an hour. It’s available twice. It will be available with other passive skills applied.

Future News Lv5 (Passive skill – five points required)

You are going to receive another news item 12 Years After, along with the existing news. Its format is the same as the existing news, and active skills are also available the same way. This passive skill is overlaid with other passive skills.

Infiltration Report Lv2 (Active Skill – ten points required)

We will send a reporter to a specific target. The reporter will conduct a 15-day intensive
investigation into the target and bring in one article that will not be reported to the established
press after fifteen days. When you are sending a reporter, you can specify what to

Investigate.]

So far, this was exactly what they had distributed before. But, there was one more section.

[Global News Lv1 (Active Skill – ten points required)

We send the version of the news in another country than your home country of ‘Korea.’ The setting can be changed within twelve hours, and after making the change, the country’s news will be available starting with the next email. The news format is the same, and the content is translated automatically. Skills can be used in the same way. However, if you use People Search, you have to write it in the language of that country for accuracy.]

‘Oho… Global News…’ Just in time, it was the skill I needed most. In order to enter the global markets, news from the ‘World’ category was not enough. I read it in detail. ‘It’s turning the news into the news of other countries… If I switch to America, the next news will be completely about American politics, economy, world, culture… and People Search will be changed like that, too. Then, can I search for Donald Trump or something?

‘Every time my rating goes up, the new skill is very good. Now with this, I can search for people like the U.S. President and the head of the U.S. Federal Reserve, who is often called the president of the world economy. These are people who can rattle the world economy with a single word, or a choice of words. If I keep watching these people’s news, global investment and company management will be easy.

‘… wait a minute, then…’ But now that I thought about it, I had a sudden idea. ‘In the global news… I need to search for my name.’

The benefits of making my name appear on the news had been verified. Just by searching my name, I could gain a lot of foresight, but it was currently still limited to the Korean press.

‘Let’s make the foreign press think of me when they hear Han Sang-hoon. That would be easier than working abroad. On the other hand, how can I let spread my name? What is the best way to make my name known in foreign countries?’

Come to think of it, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to name a company after myself at all.

‘When the company grows up, it will naturally remind them of my name, too. That’s right. It wouldn’t be bad if I used my name Han Sang-hoon as it was… Sang-hoon Han in English… SHH Group.’

I decided my company name, SHH, that simply.

‘There aren’t many companies in Korea that use their own names, but it happens often overseas. HP, one of the dinosaurs in the IT industry, is a company created after the last names of its founders William Hewlett and David Packard, while Nestle, which is famous for chocolate milk in Korea, is also named after its Swiss founder. Cargill, the world’s largest grain company, is also named after the founding family. Let’s do SHH Company then. Then, as the company grows, my name will be recognized by people around the world.’

I decided to name my company more simply than I thought. Now, the Suyeon Group under Invictus Investment would be changed to SHH.

‘Then I’ll have to allocate the points.’ I thought about how to allocate twenty-one points. For now, five points for the fifth stage of future news and ten points for global news must be used unconditionally. These two should be the meaning of this level-up. What was left was six points. The six points were perfect for People Search and Ranking News.

‘Then all twenty-one points will be completely used.

‘Reducing Crow’s time may also mean something, but not right now. And in my experience, I felt sorry for a month when Crow was in full use, but when I was not using him, I had nowhere to send him. If I raise it up during the next level-up, I can use him intensively when I need him in full use, but I think it’s right to hold off right now, because there are other better skills.

‘Then let’s go like this.’

I checked four sections and pressed the ‘OK’ button. A familiar congratulatory message appeared.

[Congratulations! You have been promoted to the Grandmaster Class. Upgrade your news to an Exxxxx Class! What is needed to be promoted to the Exxxxx Class is a ten million dollar subscription fee and, in qualifying terms, control of more than twenty listed companies in your country with a combined market capital of more than four hundred billion dollars.]

I read it with great care. What first stood out was that the class names, such as “xxx,” has been changed to the one letter, “E.”

‘What is it? E? E.T.? Alien? Are they saying that aliens are moving in, or what?’

But that alone was not enough to know. I concentrated on the next condition.

‘Twenty listed companies… Total market capital of four hundred billion dollars. Currently, our nation’s largest conglomerate, Susung Group, is about to reach a market capital of four hundred billion dollars. So, in order to become that “E” class, I have to raise our company to the largest conglomerate in the country. Hmm… Okay, it’s not a bad goal.’

——

I finished my promotion to the Grandmaster Class with that thought. It was 8:35 when I finished the promotion. Now, in fifteen minutes, the upgraded “Grandmaster Class” news would come. I waited for it with my hands folded together.

‘I wonder what a global newspaper is like, but for the news 12 Years After I am more curious about what will happen after twelve years…’

I was very curious, both as an investor and as an individual. I waited for the email to come at 8:50 like a child waiting for a sci-fi movie.

Chapter 179 - Chapter 179. The Future of Twelve Years Later, Part I

At 8:50 in the morning…

Ever since I had received a strange fate four years ago, I’d always been in front of my computer at this time, but I didn’t think I’d ever been as excited as I was today.

‘I remember the old days, when I was at work, and I first got this email.’

I opened the email box thinking about it. There were five emails in all in the mailbox: Gm 12 Hours After, Gm 12 Days After, Gm 12 Weeks After, Gm 12 Months After, and Gm 12 Years After.

When I saw the five emails, I clapped and pulled my hands apart.

‘I have more work to do.’

I grabbed the mouse and moved the cursor to Gm 12 Years After. However, I thought, ‘No, I’ll see the best one last time,’ and I pulled the cursor back up, and I took it to Gm 12 Hours After, and clicked. In 12 Hours After, the news didn’t change much, except that it said, ‘State Setting: Korea. Change?’ at the bottom.

‘This is the new active skill… the state setting window. If I keep this, Korean news will come out… I can change the country by pressing the change button next to it?’

I pressed the change button. The names quickly listed out in the order of the major countries, ‘U.S.A., China, Germany, England, France, Japan…’

If I changed the setting here, it seemed like there would be future news for the country in the next news.

‘I see… it’s simpler than I thought. Apparently, if there’s urgent news, I just have to change it right away.’

Having learned how to use the new active skill, I nodded and checked the articles one by one. If there was anything important, I took notes. And finally, I brought the cursor over to the news Gm 12 Years After.

‘What’s it going to say?’ I clicked it with anticipation. The contents immediately flowed out.

[Politics – There was a violent struggle between the ruling and opposition parties in the National Assembly, and some wounded men were brought out.

Economy – Now, ordinary people can also travel by train from Busan to Lisbon.

Society – VR games causing low birth rate?

Life/Culture – The next work of the writer of ‘From Hell’ will probably be a fantasy game.

World – A man with a fifty-year-old beard in Turkey is recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records.

IT/Science – NVIDIA’s GTX 6080Ti launch. What’s the initial price?

Entertainment – Actor Shin Seung-joo wins the Baeksang Cultural Prize.

Sports – LG Twins win 2024 Professional Baseball League!]

I looked through the articles one by one, starting from Politics first. To be honest, the title was very boring. Nevertheless, I clicked on it.

‘There’s no reversal, either.’

The contents of the article were the same; only the name of the legislator that was struggling had changed. Someone pushed someone, someone ran off with the gavel.

‘… Politics haven’t changed. After a few years, they’ll have a physical fight.’

I closed the article while reading it. Fortunately, the economic news was a pretty good one. I clicked on it.

‘Oh… at last… we can cross Siberia by train across North Korea.

Inter-Korean relations had been good and bad in recent years, depending on political situations; they continued to do so every time, but it looked like they would gradually improve. The railway to North Korea had been laid quite a while ago, but for some time, civilians were not allowed to enter, only imports from Russia and China, and exports from our country.

‘However, in the near future, it seems that the ride will be changed for civilians. In a word, it means that civilians can also cross North Korea. They can’t go around North Korea at will there, but they can pass by rail. But what year is this?’

I checked the date.

[It will be in service from June, 2024.]

If it was 2024, it would be an article two years later. It was positive news, not too far away.

‘June 2024… If I invest in economic cooperation stocks by then, I’ll see a strong return. But isn’t unification possible by then? I know that’s really hard work. If we go back and forth like this, we’ll be able to do it some day. Our country will have land twice as large and a population 1.5 times as large as South Korea’s, if the two Koreas are unified. It means that our country will have a basic physique that can compete properly with such countries as Germany, France, Britain, and Japan.’

Not yet done, I clicked on the following article, [VR games cause low birth rates?]

It was news I could guess roughly. When I clicked, it revealed the simulations of cyber model men and women, similar to real life. Needless to say, they were great looking. ‘… I think they’ve made a copy of a celebrity…’

These days, as this developed, free love gradually disappeared and more and more people were becoming immersed in VR. ‘It seems to be getting worse in the near future when technology is developed. Should I invest in VR technology? Well, that’s not exactly good news for society, though.’

Next was Life/Culture news, and it was a Web novel-related one.

‘It seems that they see a fantasy game in the future… It was popular when I was a kid, and it seems to still be popular in the future. However, any genre novel depends on which writer is writing, just as the flavor of any dish depends on which cook is cooking. No matter how old a genre is, every time a new writer comes out, a new piece can be born.

‘Umm…’

I glanced at the remaining articles.

‘GTX6080? Well, I’ll have to change my computer when this comes out. LG eventually won the game. Congratulations. Shin Seung-joo? Who is he? Is he a future celebrity? I’ll write that down and let President Kwon know.’

I went through all the articles like that. However, did I have high expectations? Aside from the news, “Increasing economic cooperation with North Korea,” there was no other news that said, “Wow, this is the future world.” I pursed my lips slightly and thought, ‘Well… if I look at it further, I’ll find something interesting. Maybe it’s because there’s no particularly catchy news today in 12 Years After.’

As I thought of it, I looked down into People Search. Seeing that, there was nothing to be disappointed about.

‘I have this. What am I doing twelve years later?’

I wrote the three letters of my name, Han Sang-hoon there. A strike came immediately this time. [Chairman Han Sang-hoon of SHH Group ranks first in the chaebol rankings.]

‘Finally… I got good news. It is the news that the name “SHH” which I just set after receiving the Grandmaster Class Guide, will top the list of chaebol rankings. In other words, our company will take the top position, beating all the chaebols that are now in existence, such as the Susung, Mirae, LC, and Hanhak groups. It is saying that SHH, which now has only sixty billion dollars, will have over three hundred billion dollars, and it will crush the Susung Group.

‘Hmm… as expected.

‘In a way, it is natural. With the ability to know the future, Crow that can learn things like a ghost if it is present information, People Search through which I can search for people and know everything, and Ranking News which can report only the hottest news, it is only a matter of time before I rank first.

‘Yes, it’s only a matter of time. Let’s see when this article is…’

It was an article dated January 2025. It was about two years and three months from now. It meant that if I would not do anything weird, that was what would happen.

‘Hmm. All right. Two years and three months.’ I tried to lower my gaze further by thinking about it. But then, the phone rang. I looked at it.

‘… I absolutely told him not to call unless it’s a real emergency.’

I picked up the phone while closing the email window I was looking at.

“Why?”

“Boss, your wife says she has a little fever since this morning, but the boss’s cell phone is off.”

Ah-young was sick. I jumped up from my seat.

———————–

A large obstetrician near the house…

“Please say ahh~’”

“Ah~”

Standing behind Ah-young, I shivered nervously with my arms folded. Then, finally, I couldn’t bear it any longer and asked the doctor, “How is she, doctor?”

“Well, looking at the patient’s symptoms and the weather these days… I think it’s just a cold.”

I came up with the next question. But before I said it, my wife spoke first, “Is everything all right with the baby?”

“Yes, it’s fine. Your wife is in the stabilized period. The baby will not have any problem. You just have to think about the prescription… Take a few days off at home, and then I’ll give you a prescription if your symptoms are getting worse.”

That was a relief. I swept away my surprised heart. The same seemed to be true of Ah-young.

“Thank you, doctor.”

“Thank you, doctor.”

As I was about to leave the doctor’s office, suddenly I said to the doctor who examined Ah-young.

“Doctor.”

“Yes?”

“Could you be my wife’s dedicated doctor during her pregnancy?”

“A dedicated doctor?”

“Yes. I hope you could accompany Ah-young until she gives birth, and take care of her health.”

The female doctor made a rather obnoxious expression on my words. “But I’m employed in this hospital…”

“Yes, I know, but as you know, I’m quite rich. So… instead of this hospital, I’d like to give you more than that and monopolize your time.”

The doctor’s eyes were shaken when I talked about the pay.

I thought, ‘She’ll come over to us if I tell her the amount.’

“Now that she’s three months pregnant, she has seven months left, right? I’ll give you one million dollars if you help my wife give birth safely as a dedicated doctor for seven months. What do you think?”

My words brightened her face. “Yes. I’ll do it. I will.”

One million dollars in seven months was surely a little too much for her, but it was no different than just cent for me. I gave that amount on purpose so she could not turn it down. And I added one more option. “If you help my wife have a healthy birth… I will continue to hire you. For your information, I’m going to have about three children.”

She recognized my words right away, and bowed deeply to me. “Ah, I see. I’ll do my best to take care of Madam’s health.”

My wife, who had been looking at the whole process, gave me a slightly odd look, but I looked at her and shrugged my shoulders slightly.

‘If I want to take care of my family’s health, this is a small amount of money.’

Chapter 180 - The Future of Twelve Years Later, Part II

From the hospital, on the way home, I said, holding my wife’s hand. “It’s just as well that it is a simple cold.”

“Yes.”

“You have to be careful, though. Just like the doctor said, don’t go anywhere today and get some rest. Okay?”

My wife nodded twice.

“If you’re sick again, call me right away.”

“Yes, by the way, why did you turn off your cell phone? I kept in touch.”

“Oh, I had something important this morning.”

“Uh… really? Is it on now?”

I lifted my cell phone and showed it to her. There were still ‘three missed calls’ on it. “Yes. Sorry.”

“It’s okay. But I called your secretary and it was connected right away.”

“I’m glad it was.” I nodded and said to Secretary Park, who was driving in the front seat. “Good job, Secretary Park. Thank you.”

With a slight nod to the rearview mirror, he answered, “Not at all.”

——

Park continued to drive. Soon the car carrying us arrived at the company building. Then, as soon as we got out of the parking lot, he said, “Ah, boss. Well… this is a very ambiguous time to go, but I think we’ll have to go out again. The next meeting is up.”

“Ah, we have a schedule, right?”

“Yes. Time is up. You can go up and down, but you have to come down almost immediately.”

“Then I’ll just send my wife up, and return.”

“Yes, boss.”

My wife looked at me and asked, “What’s going on? Is there anything you need to do?”

“Yes, you know the new companies? I need to go and say, ‘I’m your master.’ I should show them my face, and receive a vow of loyalty.”

I had an important job today, the meeting with representatives of the newly acquired Suyeon Construction. My wife was so sick that I forgot for a moment. I said, pushing the elevator’s up button.

“Well, everybody will be nervous.”

“That’s right. By the way, we will have a company dinner tonight.”

“A company dinner?”

“Yes. A big deal is done and I decided to buy a good meal for Vice President Jang and the directors…”

Today, I was determined to get drunk after a long time. However, I was sorry to have to leave my sick wife alone.

“Shall I just eat dinner and come back? You’re sick.”

“It’s okay. It’s a light cold. A company dinner is a job, too. Don’t drink yourself unconscious.”

At the words, I said with a big smile, “Hmm. Don’t worry. I’m a pretty strong drinker, as I’m different from anyone. To come back, being drunk and riding on someone’s back…”

My wife slapped me on the arm and said, “That’s enough. All of a sudden, you’re telling the old story…”

“Why? It’s all our memories. Well, if it weren’t for those things, we wouldn’t have been married like this.”

“Hmm. Is that so?”

She seemed to think of the old days when she had been drunk and carried by me; she smiled and laughed. Soon the elevator arrived and stood in front of us.

“Anyway, I’ll be back before ten. Take good care of yourself.”

“Yes.”

—

After sending my wife home, I came back to the parking lot where Secretary Park was waiting.

“If we go now, will we be late?”

“We’re not going to be late, but I think we need to drive a little faster.”

“Then let’s go a little faster. Let’s go.”

“Yes, boss.”

———————-

At the Suyeon Electronics building, not too far from the Invictus Investment building…

As soon as I entered the parking lot and got out of the car, Vice President Jang came out to greet me.

“Are you here, boss?”

“Yes. Have you all met?”

“Yes.”

“How was it?”

“They are all nervous. I think they are worried about what kind of person the boss is like and how they can look good.”

“Aha. What about the Tak family?”

“Most of them were fired. There are a few people left in bookkeeping, but they’re practically gone. The people who came today were either chosen as substitutes or only those who will be chosen.”

“Well, that’s great.”

I headed for the elevator with him. In front of the elevator stood the loyal men of Invictus Investment; Director Kim, Director Jung, Director Kang, and so on. They looked at me and bowed.

“Are you here, boss?” They held an elevator for me.

“Yes, let’s go,” I replied, gesturing for them to go. While we were going up to our destination in the elevator, I told Vice President Jang, “I’ve been thinking about the name of this company this morning.”

“What is it?”

I brought up a story that I had made up. “I was reading the newspaper this morning, and my name appeared in the article, as a genius investor.”

“It is common, isn’t it?”

“Yes, but… it wouldn’t be bad to just name it using my name. There’s a brand we’ve built up, so far, Sang-hoon Han. I thought about naming it the SHH group. Vice President Jang, what do you think?”

At my words, Vice President Jang said, “It’s a little simple, but it’s not bad. To name it after the founder… is not too common for Korean companies, but…”

His assessment was, in fact, “just so.” I agreed with that. It was just so. It was not good, it was not bad, except for having the company named after me would be helpful in People Search.

‘But if it wasn’t for People Search, I wouldn’t have named it SHH.’ I told him, thinking about it. “Well, I see.”

Then, slightly turning my head, I asked the other three directors, “Directors, what do you think?”

“I think it’s good. If it’s your opinion, there’s no other opinion.”

“I like it, too. Even the boss has a lot of fame overseas.”

“It’s a good idea to name it after the boss.”

The three spoke to me in rather flattering voices. And as I heard them, I thought, ‘How many of these people think it’s actually good? One? Two?’

There weren’t many people who could say ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea, boss.’

‘… of course, even if there were different opinions, I would have pushed ahead with it. Anyway… SHH is good.’

Then, the elevator door opened. The directors went out first and beckoned me. “This way, boss.”

I asked as I walked along with them, “So, how many people did you say I would meet today? Seventeen people?”

“Yes, exactly seventeen people.”

Including Suyeon Electronics, Suyeon Construction, and its subsidiaries, the total number was seventeen. This was due to the chaebol’s unique octopus-style expansion, which ranged from toy companies for children to companies that supplied popcorn, nachos, and baked squid to the view-box theaters. Usually, these companies were distributed to the relatives of Tak family, in such a way, ‘You’re one of Tak family, take this.’ Among them, there were also many companies that were used for tax evasion.

In other words, it was the legacy of Tak Woo-kyung.

“I think it’s inefficient to keep everything together… I think we should combine them in a proper way.”

“Yes, I think so, too. Once all the remaining Taks are out, we are going to sort out the equity relationship.”

“That’s good.” I walked down the hall nodding my head.

Director Chung, who was walking ahead, opened the door of the hall as he said, “This way, boss.”

I walked in that direction. Inside, a total of seventeen people stood, waiting for me tensely. They said, lowering their heads in unison as I walked forward at a moderate pace, “I’ve seen you for the first time, boss.”

I stopped at the top seat and studied them. As Vice President Jang said, they were looking at me with tense eyes. I grinned at them. I would be a little nervous if I was normal, but I knew my future. I would not fail. The soon-to-be SHH Group companies would see tremendous growth in the coming years. I opened my mouth with a confident tone of voice, “Nice to meet you all.”

———————-

The elevator door opened, and I entered the house with care. A voice came from the inside.

“You’re early?”

Soon, my wife in her pajamas came to see me.

“Didn’t you sleep?”

“No. What about the company dinner? Didn’t you have that?”

“No, I did, but… I didn’t drink much.”

My wife sniffed the air around me for a second, and she nodded. “Hmm. That’s true.”

I said with a wave of hands. “Don’t take the smell. The baby in your belly will smell the liquor, too.”

It was ten past nine. As soon as the dinner began at 7:30 p.m., I quickly made progress, drank only moderately, and came back home to see if my wife was okay.

“What about the fever? Are you okay?”

“Yes. I’m much better. I think a day’s sleep will make me feel better.”

“It sounds great. Go get some rest. I’ll take a shower.”

After taking a shower, my wife was already sleeping in bed. She might have waited for me even though she had been sleepy. I lay quietly beside her, lest I wake her up. Then, I picked up my cell phone. ‘… It’s 9:20…’

At 8:50 p.m., an email would have arrived. I was going to read it, but being mildly drunk, I gave it up. I didn’t think it would work out well even if I would look at the news.

‘I’ll have to read the two emails together tomorrow morning.’

I fell asleep thinking about it.

———————-

The next morning…

When I woke up, I found that there was no wife beside me. I went out of the bedroom and went to the living room. There was a noise in the kitchen.

“Ah-young, are you cooking?”

“Yes.”

I went there. I could smell something tasty.

“It’s yukgaejang, hot spicy meat stew. Eat and go.”

“How about your cold? Are you okay?”

“Yes, it’s still a little chilly, but I think the fever’s almost gone. I don’t have a headache.”

I approached my wife and touched her head. Apparently, the fever had gone down.

“Good.”

“It must have been a simple cold.”

“Good. When the doctor comes next week, listen carefully. You are pregnant. You should be careful every time.”

“I get it. I get it.”

——

I went to work after eating the yukgaejang that my wife had cooked for me.

“Good morning.”

“Good morning, boss.”

After saying hello to Secretary Park after I arrived, I turned on the computer and opened the email box. There was still the email which had arrived at 8:50 p.m. yesterday; ‘Gm 12 Hours After, Gm 12 Days After, Gm 12 Weeks After, Gm 12 Months After, Gm 12 Years After.’ I quickly read it. Then, at 8:50 a.m., five more emails came in again. By the way, in these future news that I read in a series, I found something strange.

‘Wait a minute…’ What is this?’

The more I read the email, the bigger the idea grew. With the email open, I mumbled, holding my hand on my chin.

“What the Hell is wrong with this?”

Chapter 181 - The Future of Twelve Years Later, Part III

I mumbled, with my arms crossed. “It’s so strange to see…”

In my mind, watching the news over and over, a hypothesis floated up. Such a hypothesis was unlikely, but not entirely impossible. “No way…”

I touched my lower lip at the articles before me. But in the meantime, the telephone rang.

“Yes.”

“Boss, twenty minutes from now, we have an interview for the next president of Suyeon Electronics in the conference room. Shin Jae-chul, former CTO of Susung Electronics, and Maverick Turner, former vice president of Intel, both came early and are waiting now.”

“Okay. We’re also seeing someone in the afternoon, aren’t we?”

“Yes, he is the interim president of Suyeon Construction. Vice President Jang wants you to move on to greet him right away.”

“… Okay. I’ll get out of here.”

“Yes, boss.”

After the call, I looked at the mailbox with the future news and closed it. Right now, right after the acquisition of Suyeon Group, there was too much work to do.

‘… my hypothesis is not sure yet. After work… let’s get the news one more time in the evening and think again. Maybe… it’s a coincidence.’

I got up from my seat after thinking that.

————————

I asked with my hands together. “Yes, I heard you well. Lastly, do you have anything you want to say?”

“I first joined Susung Electronics in 1992, just thirty years ago. I’ve been in this industry for a long time, and I’ve got some insights.”

I thought as I listened to him, ‘Hmm… really? Insight? Perhaps it’s more important to listen to me than that. No matter how insightful he is, he can’t be better than me, because I look at the future.’

“If CEO Han Sang-hoon and other directors of Invictus Investment choose me as president…”

A middle-aged man with half his hair going white spoke in front of me like a politician shouting for pledges. Shin Jae-chul, former CTO of Susung Electronics, and a graduate of Seoul National University’s Department of Electronic Engineering, joined Susung Electronics as a mere worker without a particular background, and climbed to the company’s top rank. But he, too, was caught up in a fight inside the group and was known to be not very good at finishing with the group.

“I will use my experience and try to run the company wisely, so that next year’s operating profit is up twenty percent from now on.”

I looked at him with great care. It was not a company worth just a penny or two, but thirty billion dollars. I could not leave it to just anyone.

“… I’ll do it.”

At the end of his speech, I nodded to him. “I heard your speech well. Then, I’ll discuss it with the board and let you know as soon as we make a decision. As you know, it hasn’t been long since our company acquired Suyeon Electronics, so it’ll take a while.”

He replied quickly, “It’s okay. I’ll wait. Mr. CEO.”

As expected, he had the sense to quickly tell me the answer I wanted because he had been in the Susung Group for a long time.

“Yes, I’ll let you know the result in two months.”

The reason was that there were two candidates for the next president. It would take two months for Crow to dig in the backgrounds of two people.

“Yes, sir.” He nodded to me and left the interview room.

I asked Vice President Jang, who was sitting next to me. “How do you think of him?”

“I thought he’d be a little speechless as he has a Ph.D. in engineering, but he is a good speaker. Should I say he has charisma?”

I lifted the profile before me and replied, “In addition, he went to the U.S. to get an MBA at the expense of the company.”

“It’s like someone from Susung Group was making efforts to raise him to president or vice president.”

“But he was pushed out in the middle?”

“Yes, the company is… a jungle.”

In fact, Vice President Jang was a man who had been forced out of the company after being embroiled in a political fight. ‘An evil may sometimes turn out to be a blessing in disguise.’ Now he would get ten times the salary he had used to get, I thought as I shifted the profile of Shin Jae-chul, former CTO of Susung Electronics, to the side.

‘Well, he’s a victim of offitics… I don’t think he was in the same situation.’

The next profile had a picture of a typical Caucasian blond man.

“Next… he’s Maverick Turner from the United States.” Director Kwon said, sitting apart a little bit. “He is a former vice president of Intel, and everybody knows him in the electronics industry.”

I’d heard of him quite a few times. I gestured, “Please let him in.”

————————

“I’ll go then.”

“Yes, sir. Please go up. Thank you for your hard work today.”

“You too.”

I broke up with Secretary Park in front of the elevator, rubbed my eyes and sighed. Today was quite a tiring day. In the morning, I made a series of interviews for one and a half hours per person, and in the afternoon, I called in Suyeon Construction’s interim president to talk about short-term management policies and the spin-off of subsidiaries.

After dinner, I even discussed with the directors the idea of renaming the companies I had just acquired to SHH. I’d been working hard all day, but I would continue this hard schedule for a few more days. It was not normal to take over Sooyeon Electronics, worth thirty billion dollars, Suyeon Construction, also worth thirty billion dollars, and dinosaur companies worth sixty billion dollars in total.

The elevator door opened, and Ah-young, who was waiting at the front door, said to me, “You’re late?”

“I worked overtime a long time.”

“Are you tired?”

“Yes, but it’s fine. It’s nothing compared to the overtime I used to work in the old days.”

That was true. Even this overtime was different from the one that had been at “the level of squeezing people.” First of all, the intensity of work and the length of time were different, but now I did not have to notify anyone, because I was the owner.

“Hmm, then? When you were a low man in the old days?”

“Yes.”

Ah-young accepted my jacket from me and asked, “Can you tell me more, then?”

I shook my head. “I don’t want to tell.”

I really didn’t want to talk about it. Even now that I was the richest man in Korea, I didn’t want to recall the hardships I had experienced at that time. I changed the subject right away.

“How are you feeling, anyway?”

“I’ve had a good rest for two days and I think I’m almost well.”

“Good to hear that. But you should rest until tomorrow. Don’t go anywhere else, okay?”

“Okay, oppa.”

I took off my pants and picked up the phone that was in there. It was just 8:42 p.m. ‘It’s time for the evening news to come.’

I was drunk yesterday, so I put off watching until this morning, but today I didn’t want to delay for a moment. I had a theory to verify. I went into the shower and said, “Don’t worry about me and rest. I’m going to take a shower and do some more work in the study.”

“Huh? You have more to do?”

“Yes. Work never ends.”

————————

After taking a shower, listening to the sound of the TV in the bedroom, I headed to my study. I turned on the computer and opened the email box. There was five news from ’12 Hours After’ to ’12 Years After.’ I clicked the news 12 Years After this time, before any other news.

‘No way, this time again?’ Thinking about it, I read the news.

[Politics – Is there any variable to President Joo Sung-won, who is likely to be reelected?

Economy – The global stock market stretches itself. Is the Chinese nightmare over?

Society – Where is a teacher going to stand in the holographic age?

Life/Culture – A VR aquarium, walk into the sea.

World – Mexico’s Popocatepetl volcano explodes again after six years.

IT/Science – Space travel costs could be lowered to $50,000 within this year.

Sports – FIFA’s 24/25 season best eleven.

Entertainment – 2025 Grammy Awards, the star’s glittering figures.]

And, looking around at the news that came out, I thought. ‘This time again? That’s right, isn’t it?’

This time, there was no news to deviate from. I went over it from the top, one by one.

‘Politics – Joo Sung-won’s re-election story… Since he was elected last year, this is the 2025 news.

Economy – Is the Chinese nightmare over? This is news that could come out this year. This year or next…

Society – Holograms will be commercialized around next year. Then this is news that will be released in two or three years.

Life/Culture – A VR aquarium can still be built today. It’s just a level difference.

World – The volcano erupted in 2018… It exploded again after six years, which will be 2024.

IT/Science – $50,000 for space travel? Now it costs $200,000, so it won’t be long.

Sports – 24/25 season best eleven.

Entertainment – 2025 Grammy Awards.’

All of them were all the same. I got the Grandmaster Class yesterday and until this afternoon, the four “12 Years After” news I received were all without exception. Obviously, it was news until twelve years from now, but there was no news coming out after 2026. I stroked my chin and thought. ‘What the hell? Errors?’

But it could never be an error. Future news such as a knife clearly showed what was specified.

‘At first, I thought I was just unlucky and they didn’t come up with a science fiction story.’

There was only one possibility in this situation. ‘Since 2026… Did something happen where there’s no news coming out?’

That was the hypothesis I’d been thinking about since this morning. I searched ‘Han Sang-hoon’ in the People Search.

[Han Sang-hoon, CEO of Invictus Investment, is Korea’s richest man in 2025, too.]

As expected, my news was not available after 2025. The same went for searching for President Joo Sung-won or actress Oh Hyun-joo. Every news was talking about what they did until 2025. No news had come out since 2026.

‘What would have happened?’

But then, there was something that came into my eyes: Ranking News, which was below the People Search, and would show the most viewed news during the designated period, first and second place.

‘… First and second place in the news that they’ve seen the most in 12 years…’

Cooldown time was once a month, anyway. I pushed the Ranking News and activated the active skill. Then, two lines of news came out. I saw it and swore loudly in spite of myself, “Goddamnit all…”

Within twelve years, the first and second biggest news stories in our country were as follows:

[The Chinese nuclear bomb hit Washington, leaving the U.S. capital in ashes.]

[The U.S. nuclear bomb hit Beijing, estimated ten million civilians dead.]

Chapter 182 - An Ominous Illusion

I rubbed my eyes and looked at the monitor again. However, nothing changed. What I saw was clear. Four years from now, exactly on February sixteenth, 2026, the U.S. and China would fire nuclear missiles at each other. It didn’t say who shot it first, or anything like that, but it was a fact that the two countries shot nuclear missiles, which flew to their capitals and caused tens of millions of deaths.

And then the news was cut off.

‘Washington and Beijing… where both have core political leadership… But that’s the beginning. Nuclear weapons are indeed the last means. They prepare for the extinction of human civilization as soon as they used. So there’s no way they would have fired only one shot. Washington and Beijing were just the beginning. They must have shot dozens or hundreds of missiles at major cities, including New York, Shanghai, Los Angeles, and Hong Kong.

‘And there is a high possibility that our country is also caught up in it. Our country is an ally of the United States, and North Korea is an ally of China. Although there has been a stage of harmony and exchange between nations since 2018, neither side could have refused to participate at a time when the U.S. and China were at war. If the U.S. and China go to war, it is a foregone conclusion that the Korean Peninsula will become a sea of fire, and the news could no longer come out.

‘Perhaps nuclear bombs would have been fired at big cities like Seoul, Busan, and Incheon in South Korea, and places like Pyongyang, Hamhung and Chongjin in North Korea.

‘… this is how it’s going to be. No, maybe…it might have been destined to be like this.

Conflicts with the United States and China had continued since 2018. The two countries had begun with a trade war, followed by a currency war, resulting in the economic crisis in China last year. As a result, the U.S. took some of the cards it wanted, such as opening up its markets in China, resolving trade imbalances and blocking the Chinese government’s intervention, but it earned the strong antipathy of the proud Chinese people. So, recently, the relationship between the United States and China was actually in the process of entering a Cold War, as the American-Soviet Union did in the 20th century.

‘I heard that an American and a Chinese warship just passed in the South China Sea, right?

The occurrence of military tensions in the South China Sea had been so frequent since 2018 that it was no longer even news, yet they had avoided head-on collisions every time.

‘But… I guess some day in 2026, they won’t do that anymore.’

Come to think of it, it seemed to be a recurring axis of history. Such things were common in modern and contemporary history, given the birth of a new and fast-growing nation, conflicts, trade wars, economic crises, and wars following the global economic crisis. But the different thing about the last war and the upcoming war is that it is a war that was going to wipe out civilization, so badly that it would not even bring out the general news.

‘February sixteenth, 2026… is doomsday. Everything breaks down, everyone dies.’

As I thought about that, I stood up from the seat, closed all open windows above the monitor, and turned off the computer. I came out of the study and into the living room, from the living room to the bedroom where my wife was. She sat in bed watching the television on the wall, turning to me and said to me, “Are you done?”

I sat next to her, speaking in a quivering voice, “Haw… Yes.”

My wife stared at me and said to me, “What’s wrong? This job must be really difficult.”

“Hmm?” I tilted my head.

“Oppa, you are a little weird.”

I said, touching my face, “Am I?”

“Yes. Usually, you have a bright, confident look on your face no matter what the difficult task is. But your face looks a bit dark today.”

My wife knew me well. “… I can’t always be confident.” In front of World War III, where nuclear weapons come and go. I took the hands of my wife, Ah-young, with the latter words omitted.

My wife looked at me and said, “It’s okay, oppa. You’ve been doing a good job. You’ll be able to do your next job well.”

“Ah… Yes.”

My wife put my hands over her belly. “Baby, did you hear that? Your dad is working hard for you, worrying about you. When you come out into the world, you have to be filial to your dad. Okay?”

At my wife’s words, I smiled on the outside, but I couldn’t laugh on the inside. A pregnant wife and the baby that would come out soon… but in a few years, the end of the world would come. My child might see the end of the world, two years after seeing light in the world. With that thought, I could never laugh easily.

“You must be tired and go to sleep, oppa. Think about your work tomorrow.”

“Ah… Okay.”

We turned off the TV and the lights of the living room, and tried to sleep. However, I couldn’t sleep at all.

‘What shall I do? If there’s a nuclear war… Is Jeju Island a safe place? No. Jeju Island also has a naval base. I have to leave our country. If China and the U.S. go to war, the entire Korean Peninsula will be in flames. So where should we go? Europe? I don’t know what will happen to Europe. Most of them are allies of the United States, so how will Russia react? No, a safe place, regardless of that… is Switzerland, New Zealand, or Canada? No, why don’t I just buy an uninhabited island on the Atlantic side?’

I mapped out some scenarios. “From now on, I will make a private land and a private villa while pretending to invest in a safe place overseas. No matter how I decorate it on the outside, I will dig up to ten stories below the ground to create a shelter for nuclear war. I will prepare guns, bullets for emergency situations, and to be self-sufficient in clean air, food, and water for decades. Then, we can live under any circumstances. My child may not know what the sun is or what a friend is, but he or she will survive anyway.”

‘Yes… then… Let’s get ready from now on. Northern Canada… or the Pacific Islands… No, the Atlantic Ocean is better than the Pacific Ocean. Let’s search there first.’

I thought about it one way or another. Starting tomorrow, I would prepare for it secretly. While I was thinking about it, my wife was fast asleep. But I couldn’t seem to fall asleep today. I got out of bed, leaving my sleeping wife alone.

Out of the bedroom, through the living room, I walked out into the garden outside the house, located in the middle of the city center. It was November and the wind was quite strong, but I walked across the garden without regard to it. At the end of the garden, where I could see the night view of Seoul, I stood watching. ‘… I thought it wouldn’t be a problem for me anymore…’

I had become the richest man in Korea, had stronger connections than anyone else in Korea, and had the power to know the future, which had reached its highest point. So, I had been thinking not so long ago that I wouldn’t have any difficulties in my life. But World War III with nuclear weapons was coming!

It was terrible that the future would be gone, even though I could know all the future. I looked at the night lights of Seoul for a moment. If I looked from here, I could see the Suyeon Electronics building in the distance, which had become mine.

‘I was going to build step by step here, and I was going to have the emperor’s territory, but…

‘I am sad to learn that all of this that I can see now will be burned to ashes, that my assets will be blown away, and that this beautiful landscape will disappear. All the people who live with tears and smiles in this huge forest of buildings will die, too. This civilization, which has been built for hundreds of years, will disappear in a moment.’ I was thinking about it, but I bit my teeth.

‘How can I stop the war? I cannot sit down quietly like this. I can build a shelter somewhere on an uninhabited island to keep me and my family alive, but that won’t end well, either. When the civilized world is destroyed, my money, and my ability to see the future will surely be useless. Yes, I can’t let that happen. I can’t just run away.’

I thought about a few things that I could do specifically. ‘I’m going to have President Joo Sung-won… No, no. The alliance between our country and the United States is unbreakable by President Joo Sung-won. If he breaks it by force, he will be impeached. Then, what shall I do now?

‘Realistically, our nation cannot be saved by tampering with Korean politics. It’s a miserable situation as a sovereign state, but that’s the reality. After reunification, we can say like Switzerland which did during World War II, ‘We are neutral. Do it among yourselves, whether it is a nuclear war or whatever.’ Now, our country and North Korea are standing like vanguards of the U.S. and China. Neither country has a choice yet.

‘Well, why don’t I go to America and lobby actively? Whether the Senate or the House of Commons… If I can, I have to target even the president. If I send Crow over there… How about China? I may have a chance in China. Although it used to be really hard, after the economic crisis, the Chinese political community has become a bit more flexible.

‘If I dig that way, there will be a chance.

‘Then, let’s enter the U.S. and Chinese markets, and dig into political connections. And then, whatever I’m lobbying for, whatever I’m doing, I will try to stop the U.S.-China war. If I use Crow to do something there, I’ll find something out.

I concluded so. The power I had now was great. Though the U.S. and Chinese governments were tough, if I went all out, I could stop the war. Of course, it would not easy, but…

Suddenly I remembered what my wife had just told me. ‘It’s okay, oppa. You’ve been doing a good job. You’ll be able to do your next job well.’

I clenched my fist. ‘Yes, I can’t let this place, where my family and many friends live, be destroyed. Let’s do it whether it’s working or not. Try it and then think about the next best thing.’

I turned around after thinking about it. Then I returned from the garden to the living room, from the living room to the bedroom, and next to my sleeping wife, laid down my cold body, and warmed myself with a blanket. My wife and the child in her womb knew nothing about this and were asleep.

I looked at her for a moment, then closed my eyes, and slept. I had to sleep, no matter how disturbed I was, I had to sleep well and wake up to do my job properly tomorrow.

Chapter 183 - Future News Of The United States

“Good morning.”

“Good morning, boss.”

I greeted Secretary Park vigorously and told him, “Please tell Vice President Jang to come to the president’s office around 9:10.”

“Yes, boss.”

I came into the president’s office and turned on the computer. It was 8:50 a.m. I read the future news and did People Search in my name, and I wrote down what would be helpful in the news. 12 Years After still showed just the news of three years later. It might be by February sixteenth, 2026 that the news would normally come out. It was three years and three months from now.

‘… that’s not going to be easy, but it’s a fight worth trying. I will expand my market dominance in the global market, earn money, expand my influence in the United States and China over the next three years and three months, and then change the future catastrophe to come.’

I thought the crash of China was a disaster, a catastrophe. It was just nothing compared to what would happen in the future.

Last year’s crash was largely part of the U.S.-China trade war. At that time, some investors killed themselves and the media screamed as if there were a war going on, ‘China will collapse and our country will be ruined, too.’ But here, the U.S.-China war without the letter “trade” would become a disaster. Not just a few investors who had chosen to kill themselves after losing money, but ordinary people who lived their normal lives would die. At that time, the press wouldn’t even be able to talk. Most of them would be dead or run away.

‘After World War II, it has been a safe world. If I talk about a disaster, THIS is a real disaster. Whoo… I should build an underground bunker, too. Of course, I will try my best to prevent the war, but at the same time, I will have to build an underground bunker in a safe third country. There should also be a so-called ‘Plan B.’ If I can’t stop the nuclear war by February sixteenth, 2026, I’ll move there with my family and acquaintances and some talented people needed for survival. Then, at least we can survive.

‘As the richest man in Korea as I am now, I may not enjoy a luxurious life, but there is a saying, “As long as there is life, there is hope.” If I hide there and spend a few years, I may be able to set foot in the civilized world again. But I don’t know if it’s going to be inhabitable because of radiation.

‘There are many movies and games about dystopia, such as Waterworld, Mad Max, and Fallout. What’s common there is about radioactivity; animals, plants, and even humans are strangely deformed by radioactivity. As the bombs are going off right now, the fallout will be a problem. In addition, there are nuclear power plants. In fact, radioactive contamination is possible without a nuclear bomb. If a missile is fired at the other’s nuclear power plants, it will be contaminated by radioactivity. As we can see from Chernobyl far away and Fukushima close by, if it becomes contaminated by radioactivity, it becomes completely uninhabitable.

‘The U.S. and China also have huge amounts of nuclear power plants. China has about two hundred and thirty nuclear power plants, but most of them are on the east coast. As fine dust is coming from the west wind, Korea is also doomed when radiation is released. Japan, and even Australia or New Zealand may be a land where life does not exist, if we look far away. Nuclear war and radioactivity are scary. Extreme destruction can occur even if we don’t get hit by a single bomb.

‘… is there really no way to escape?’

With that in mind, I went to the new ‘State Setting’ option at the bottom, now reading ‘State Setting: Korea.’

‘Come to think of it, news may come out in the U.S., China or a third country, twelve years later. Our country is small, but it is still big. Even in the United States alone, there are islands in many places around the world, such as Hawaii, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands… if it is going well, I can hear the news of the island.’

I changed the setting to ‘US’ while thinking about it.

– The change in state settings is completed. The next news will be from the United States.-

I nodded, looking at it.

‘Okay, let’s see what the future news of the United States is like.’

As I thought about it, there was a call. Looking at the clock, it was 9:10. It was Secretary Park. I picked up the phone and said right away, “Please let him come in.”

Soon, Vice President Jang came into the room and bowed his head. “Did you call me, boss?”

I went to the main point right away. “I thought a little bit about the interview for president of Suyeon Electronics yesterday.”

“Yes.”

“If we want to keep up with the global era, we’d better hire a global talented person… That’s what I thought.”

Vice President Jang understood who I was talking about as soon as possible. “Then we’d better pick Maverick Turner rather than Shin Jae-chul… Is that what you’re saying?”

“Yes.”

Maverick Turner was a successful engineer at Intel, a man who had built a reputation in the global market for years as a manager. Vice President Jang and other directors recommended that to me, citing it as his strong point.

“I see. Maverick Turner will make a splendid debut of SHH Electronics on the global stage. He’s very well known in the market.”

Jang once again talked about his reputation in the market. But the reason I picked him wasn’t the point. It was because of his background. He was a man born and raised in a prestigious family in the United States. He graduated from Harvard, and his father was also from Harvard, and his mother was from Yale; he was from a typically wealthy American family.

The highlight was his brother, William Turner, who was a member of the Democratic Party and a member of the Senate. So, if I appointed him to the position of president and talked to him, I could naturally extend my influence to the political world of the USA!

I spoke to Vice President Jang, keeping it a secret. “If you have no objection, I’d like to do so.”

“Yes, sir. I will know that’s what you do. But then… They were supposed to be notified in two months? What should I do?”

“In two months… Well… I was trying to think a little bit. I’ve made a quick decision and it’s good to let him know quickly. Needless to say, it’s better for Mr. Turner as well as Mr. Shin Jae-chul. Then, Mr. Shin can get another job sooner.”

“Oh, I see. Then, I’ll speak to him before Mr. Turner returns home.”

“Yes. And… there is something else.”

“Yes.”

“If you know anyone who is acquainted with a Chinese person in power, please check it out. I want such a person who has a special relationship with the Chinese side somehow.”

“Pardon me?”

“No, it’s nothing special; I’m trying to invest in China.”

“Well, didn’t you say you wouldn’t touch China because of the political situation?”

Jang had been very sorry about that since the Chinese financial crisis. It was a direct investment in China. Actually, I used to think like that. I had earned forty-five billion dollars with the selling position for China. It would have been better to reinvest in China, which was the main force, not Korea, which was indirectly affected by the financial crisis. But I couldn’t predict the political situation in China at that time, so I decided to reinvest in our country only as a safe bet and as a country where I could receive future news. It had become Suyeon Electronics and Suyeon Construction.

I replied to Vice President Jang, “Ah, I did. However, we can’t succeed if we are afraid of failure. I would like to try some business in China now. Since we took over half of Suyeon Group, we have to be involved in the Chinese market. SHH will also do business with China a lot in the future.”

“That’s true. All right, boss. Then I will contact Mr. Turner, and get a person who has acquaintance with a Chinese power broker. And… do you want me to do anything else?”

“No, I don’t. Please accomplish those two first.”

“Yes, sir.”

——————-

That evening, I received an email of 12 Hours After, which was somewhat changed.

[Politics – New York State’s deregulation of marijuana legalization.

Economy – By the power of contents, Netflix sets a new high stock price.

Society – Drone-based drug delivery, how far has the Mexican cartel evolved?

Life/Culture – How to make twelve sandwiches using toast.

World – Arctic ice increases again. Polar bears recover their habitat.

IT/Science -How to join NASA for space travel dreamers.

Sports – The Buffalo Bills lead the east by beating the New York Jets.

Entertainment – Justin Bieber gets divorced for the second time, his fans turn their backs.]

It was news entirely for the United States.

‘I am a little unadapted. But it will be useful if it comes out like this.’

I scrolled down a little more. There was a phrase in the People Search section that had not been visible, ‘When you receive news from a certain country, the name of the People Search should be written in the country’s main language.’ I had been given that guidance when I received the grade-up.

Without hesitation, I wrote down the name ‘Donald Trump’ in it. If I chose the most famous person in the world right now, it was this person. He was the man who had won reelection and had been leading the United States for five years. Sure enough, there was news about President Trump.

[President Trump will ask for the right amount of money instead of helping rebuild China.]

‘Ha… it’s still about China…’

Trump, who had pointed to unfair trade with China since his first election five years ago, was in fact the main culprit behind the Chinese financial crisis. Of course, it was not just his intention, but it was an open fact that Obama, his predecessor, had also done everything he could to keep China in check. The U.S. political community, both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party had agreed, but his radical remarks and actions were enough to provoke the Chinese politicians and the people.

‘… there’s a war coming that way. He really didn’t know that.’

He must have thought that China would never use nuclear weapons. He put as much pressure on China as possible. It was his way of negotiating. Just like he had used on North Korea, he put maximum pressure on the other side of the negotiations, and then worked the deal by loosening the pressure little by little. It was quite efficient, but it could offend the other party. That was a sad point, especially when I thought about what would happen in the future.

‘Anyway, it’s not a bad start. I can see in advance what the president of the United States will say. All right, so let’s keep track of it and what’s next. Who should I put in the other two in People Search? U.S. Vice President? Or the next presidential candidate? Who to pick?’

I went back to the portal site, searched for this and that in People Search, and put it back into the future news using that name. And that way, over the next three years, I studied what would happen in the United States and China.

Chapter 184 - To Prevent The End Of The World, Part I

After changing the setting of my future news to the United States, I received US news for about a month. I had only received the future news of Korea before, but I began to receive the future of the United States. So even if it was the news of 12 Months After, a year later, there was a lot of amazing and fresh news. The interesting thing was that there was news in the US after 2026. It was just one. And… it was pretty weird news.

[Politics – General Duke’s forty-second birthday party is held.]

That was really strange news. Most of the time, the political news in the U.S was like this:

[Claudia Moritz of the Senate condemned Trump’s tweet] or Defense Secretary Howard said, [“The military tension in the South China Sea…”]

However, suddenly, the story of a general’s birthday party was in the news.

‘What is this? What the hell? Why is the general’s birthday on the news?’

I clicked on it.

[General Duke celebrated his forty-second birthday on July thirteenth, 2030. After the Great Recession of 2026, General Duke, who has built up our army at the top of the South with outstanding leadership…]

After reading the article, it seemed that a general named Duke was establishing a position in the south of the United States, and pretending to be a king.

‘It is a story that can only take place in a dystopian movie, but it is worth playing king if he is a general who commanded a mechanized division when a nuclear war broke out and the government collapsed. In other words, he will become president without having to go through a coup.

‘General Duke’s army must have avoided the nuclear weapons…

‘Now that the U.S. has become this way, there is nothing else to say. If Seoul and Pyongyang are destroyed by nuclear weapons, the military might take control of one or two metropolitan cities and establish a military regime. To elect the president by vote is the story when it’s peaceful. In wartime, guns soon become power.

‘But a general’s birthday is political news… This is no different from the old hostile North Korea.’

Anyway, it was alright, as there were many useful things in US news. In particular, the People Search was very effective. By far the two most frequently used figures in the U.S. were U.S. President Donald Trump and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. These two were literally superpowers that controlled world politics and the economy, and if I searched under their names, I would find such news.

[It’s obvious that Donald Trump is strengthening his sanctions against Iran, and oil prices are rising.]

[Jerome Powell, chairman of the FRB, remarks hinting at more dollar releases to ease the financial crisis.]

Every word they said had a tremendous impact on markets around the world, with international oil prices rising and dollar indexes falling. And in fact, it was like finding a treasure trove to me. I realized that their words and the market actually became synchronized, so I called in Vice President Jang.

“Did you call me?”

“Oh yes. I’d like to set up my own team.”

“Team?”

“Yes. An international futures trading team. They should be quick-handed and quick-witted. About ten people?”

Of course, I used to do futures trading sometimes, when I was lucky to have news to bet on in the “Economy” section. But now that I was able to search for names in English, I needed to actively trade. This was because I was able to earn a lot more than what I used to receive from the Korean news, and make forty to fifty million dollars a month by buying and selling the KOSPI and KOSDAQ in advance. Compared to the futures market and the foreign exchange market, KOSPI and KOSDAQ were just small mom-and-pop stores.

“Ah… yes. I’ll go ahead and get twenty people’s applications.”

“Yes, please.”

——————

Jang brought in twenty profiles around three days later. “When I said it was the boss’ team, everyone was dying to join it.”

“Oh, was that so?”

There was a rumor going on across the investment industry, beyond our company: If CEO Han Sang-hoon is pleased with you, an annual salary of a few hundred thousand dollars is basic.

The rumor was true, although there had been many false rumors in the investment industry. Vice President Jang, some directors, and the secretaries who had stayed by my side had all become rich with millions of dollars. Therefore, working on my direct team was no different from a high-paying, high-speed promotion.

“That’s just twenty people. I’ll pick only ten people who I like.”

“Yes, boss.”

———-

I made my own futures trade team through interviews. What these people did was trade futures all day, twenty-four hours a day. I gave them an account, each containing a hundred million dollars, and set up a strategy based on news from the United States.

“By February next year, the dollar will go down, and the oil prices will go up. Only sell and liquidate dollars and buy and liquidate oil prices. I’ll settle the profits at the end of each month and give you one percent. Anyone who loses for two months in a row will be fired immediately. Go run.”

I let go of ten traders, as if to untying the hounds. My hounds traded frantically for a 1% bonus. Since the seed money was a hundred million dollars, they could make tens of thousands to hundreds of thousand dollars in just one or two months. In fact, some members of the team made me ten million dollars in a week. They earned a hundred thousand dollars at the end of the month just by their share of this profit. It wouldn’t be necessary to say that other members around them were stimulated, and burned to perform.

By all means, it was good for me. This was much more profitable and comfortable than making blind money from individuals on the KOSPI and KOSDAQ. With my guidelines alone, the team could earn at least a hundred million dollars, to as much as five hundred million dollars a month.

Watching them, I recalled the interview I’d had with Forbes before:

‘Do you need more money?’

‘No, I just want more success than more money.’

It was a slightly greasy, beautiful answer, but now things were a little different. I certainly needed more money. To increase my influence in the U.S. and China’s political circles, astronomical levels of lobbying must follow. Therefore, I set a rough road map.

‘Three years to the next collapse… I will make an astronomical amount of money in the first year, start lobbying in the second year, and in the third year, I will lobby all the politicians in the U.S. and China.’

——————–

December, 2022…

Ah-young was brought in to be diagnosed before childbirth delivery. I expected them to put gel on her stomach and look inside with ultrasound, but it didn’t happen.

The female doctor who had become Ah-young’s dedicated doctor after receiving one million dollars in a lump sum payment, told us, “These days, genetic technology has developed, so with the mother’s blood, we can identify her genetic traits.”

Rubbing the stomach for ultrasound testing was only done until the 2010s, and in the 2020s, they were able to diagnose almost any disease by collecting just a drop of blood. Come to think of it, I had heard such news in the future news about two years ago. [The upper limit price of Sejin GC. Patented gene kit for fetal diagnosis.] The future of the past was now the present.

“Well… let’s see.” The doctor, who had seen the results of the test, nodded. “She’s healthy. The baby doesn’t have any genetic modifications or deficits, she’s fit for size and weight, and she is growing well.”

We spoke in chorus, “Good to hear!”

Then she looked at us and brought up a rather abrupt story. “Well, did you buy something like a baby’s suit?”

‘No, we still have a few months to get the baby out, but do we have to buy it already?’ I told her with such thoughts, “No, not yet.”

“Really? You’d better buy pink baby clothes. These days, we have many pretty pink ones.”

As soon as I heard that, I realized why she had brought up the story of baby clothes. ‘It’s a girl!’

“I see.”

In a few months, my daughter would be out, a healthy and pretty daughter. But in order for her to grow healthy, there was something I had to do: world peace. Looking at the future news, the U.S.-China nuclear war did not seem to have happened as planned.

Between them, of course, there were signs of war going the way that it was.

[Increased friction between the U.S. and China.]

[China warns the U.S. not to sell weapons to Taiwan.]

However, there was no specific news like this.

[Because of this, we decided to fight a war.]

[… the destroyer fired first.]

Rather, a week before doomsday, there was some news.

[The U.S. gives a gesture of reconciliation to China.]

[The U.S. and China will meet at the G20 meeting.]

Therefore, it was hard to say it was a planned war. In the first place, neither would have wanted such an ending that would devastate the world. Both of them wouldn’t have wanted it, but it seemed as if one side fired a nuclear weapon, and the other automatically fought back with it, and then brought about the end of the world.

So maybe, if I dug this way, I could stop the future war even if I didn’t have to pay for it. So while I was making money for world peace and expanding my company, I began my own spy campaign, because I had the most capable spy.

———-

“Did you call me, Mr. CEO?”

I saw Crow on the roof of my house. I spoke to him in a slightly heavier tone than usual. “I think you’ll be a little busy in the future.”

“It’s okay. Just give me the order. I’ll be happy to do whatever you want me to do.”

I handed him the data I had prepared. It was a profile of the U.S. president, the Chinese president, and key figures of the U.S. and Chinese forces. That was all I could find on the Internet.

“For these people, please find out details, particularly about political weaknesses, and information about nuclear weapons. I’ll look at the results of the report, and I’ll make a request again.”

“Yes, sir.”

I said one more thing to him as he was about to disappear into the air as usual. “Please pay special attention to this mission. Crow, maybe…”

As I said, Crow paused and looked at me.

I was going to say something to him, but I changed my words for a moment and asked him, “Crow, you said you don’t talk to anyone else, did you?”

“Of course. I don’t talk to anyone else in the world except you.”

That was enough. I told him, “Okay. Crow, to be honest, every civilization on this planet may be destroyed within three years.”

“… I see.”

Crow took the words more casually than I expected. I felt as if he had been through this kind of thing once or twice. I looked at him and instead of asking him anything more, said, “This is to stop it. So, please take extra care and do well.”

Crow listened to me for a moment, thought of something, and then answered, “All right, sir. I’ll do my best, just like the CEO said.” After he finished the remark, he left the place.

For the next three years, I would do my best in the sun and in the dark to prevent the end of the world…

Chapter 185 - To Prevent The End Of The World, Part II

‘Most people in the world usually live with extra energy left on their own. If people have 100% power, some lazy people use 60% to 70% power, while ordinary people use 70% to 80% power. Those who hear the word “diligent” only use 80% to 90% of their energy, but they don’t live every day with 100% of their energy.

‘Living fiercely every day is stressful and makes people forget about their fundamental vitality. So people leave so much extra energy behind. But then, when a crisis comes, when they are pressed for time, people explode with extra energy to produce maximum efficiency. Even if they are stressed in the short term, they know that they should work hard at this time, which will help their life in the long run.

I’d worked harder than ever since I had found out that the end of the world was coming. ‘Some say that it needs a perfect plan, and with only a short time to do great things.’ I had both; it was a perfect plan built on the future news, and a short time where the end of the world would happen in three years.

I took the elevator down to the floor with the president’s office. When I got off the elevator, walked down the hall, and came to the president’s office, Secretary Park stood up and greeted me. “Are you here, boss?”

And at the same time, in the back, a cute woman in her twenties, with white skin and glasses, bowed with her head down, saying the same greeting in a rather trembling voice. “Are… are you here, boss?”

I said to the two, with a loosely closed fist. “Oh, yes. Let’s try our best today, Secretary Park and Secretary Lee.”

In my words, the two once again spoke, lowering their heads at the same time.

“Yes, boss.”

“Yes, boss.”

The new secretary was Lee Ji-sun, who was recently nominated as my second secretary through an open recruitment. The special feature was that she could speak English, Chinese, Japanese, and German at the level of native speakers, thanks to her residence abroad with her diplomat father. She was hired to fill Park’s weakness: he could speak only one language, just like me, even though he was perfect as a bodyguard.

“Then, first of all, Secretary Park, contact Vice President Jang and get the advertising proposal, and Secretary Lee, contact Mr. Turner to get the answer about what I asked him about last time.”

The two, once again, answered at the same time under my orders, “Yes, boss.” “Yes, boss.” before they grabbed their phones.

I saw that and went into the president’s office. It was Vice President Jang who got in touch with me first.

“Boss, I sent it by email. Please take a look at it.”

“Yes.”

———–

I received the email sent by Vice President Jang through the company email. There was an attachment that said, ‘SHH Group Advertising Proposal One.’ I downloaded it.

“With the world’s best technology.” It was Kim Jun-hyung, the star of OH Entertainment, who walking forward and putting out his hands. As Hanhanlyeong has been called off, he had become one of the top stars in the Chinese region.

Then, Oh Hyun-joo said as she walked out, “With the world’s best service.” She had recently been nominated for best actress at the Cannes Film Festival, and had started to show her face and name to the Western world.

The two global stars in China and the West took turns talking about the given lines, which were somewhat trite, but still formal lines such as “trust with customers” and “a win-win company.” Kim Jun-hyung and Oh Hyun-joo said the last line in chorus, “A New Age, A New Enterprise, SHH Group!”

I looked at it and thought, ‘Not bad. It’s kind of boring and normal, but… with Suyeon Group in such a state of collapse, it’s better to move on to the image of a model student.’

I sent a reply to Vice President Jang: “Okay, you can run the ads right away.”

‘The ads will be broadcast heavily over the air for several days on cable TV and YouTube. My SHH group will be the largest company in the country in three years. I’m going to be a new chaebol. In order to properly imprint the new name SHH, I will push ahead with this first greeting to the people.’

——–

When the matter with Vice President Jang was over, Secretary Lee contacted me.

“Boss.”

“Yes. Please speak.”

“Mr. Turner says it’s possible anytime. What you have to do is to inform them of your departure date a week or two before you come to the U.S.”

“Okay, I got it.”

It was for a dinner with his brother, Senator William Turner, which I had asked Maverick Turner for, after he had been newly named CEO of Suyeon Electronics. It was the first step into the U.S. political world.

‘Okay, his older brother is a senator. Good for me, anyway.’

As I was thinking that, Secretary Lee said, “Boss, please talk casually. You talk casually to Secretary Park, who is older than me, and it’s weird if you talk to me in a polite way.”

I listened to her for a moment, and then I answered, correcting myself. “Okay, then I’ll talk to you casually from now.”

“Yes, boss, please. That’s convenient for me.” Secretary Lee spoke in a cute, fine voice, in contrast to Secretary Park, who was rather hard.

I felt that the combination was good.

‘I’d better use Secretary Lee when I deal with others a little bit more gently. I will use Secretary Park when I deal with them a bit harsh.’

I told her, thinking about it. “Okay, then, could you ask Kim Min-chul, president of View Box, when the Chinese report will be ready?”

“Yes, boss.”

I had decided to contact the Chinese political side through the subsidiaries of SHH Construction, which had been making inroads into the Chinese consumer market for twenty years. China had a structure in which politics and the economy were closely aligned with. Doing business in China and expanding was almost the same as getting close to Chinese politicians.

So, anyway, the electronics side was in the United States, the construction side in China, and I began to touch both political circles. Of course, if I got close to them, I would not be able to say something like “Don’t fight!”

The conflict between the U.S. and China was not something that could be controlled by individuals. The fight between the U.S. to maintain the Pax Americana empire and China to emerge as a new one was a historic trend. I was only trying to prevent the conflict from escalating into a war. Of course, it would not be easy to influence it directly.

Even if I was holding the leash of President Joo Sung-won, I could not command President Joo Sung-won to reorganize the Capital Defense Command or buy more fighters or upgrade the missile defense system, since the lives of its people depended on the national defense.

However, even if I failed to do so, it was my opinion that if I were to be close, I might find some way to stop the war through Crow. Crow’s ability was the best one to play against the two superpowers.

————————-

I focused on creating cash through Invictus Investment by making SHH Group a hub for networking in global politics, like an investment company. My direct futures trade team created not long ago through Vice President Jang became the cash-generating leader. The trading team, which moved according to my guideline, ‘Buy oil, sell dollars,’ had produced tremendous results during the first month.

“Mr. Kim Tae-gon, you’re at the top of this month’s earnings rate of return. We’ll pay you $387,000 in bonus depending on your records.”

“Thank you, Mr. CEO!”

The incentive was 1%, so the money he had earned this last month was 38.7 million dollars. Even if there was a guideline based on the future news, it was obviously a huge achievement. The other nine traders also made profits, whether big or small. There was not a single person who lost money, so the total money earned was close to two hundred million dollars. It was a level of profit that a middle-size business could make in a year.

If the other company saw it, they would say ‘How did they do that? Aren’t they gambling?’

It was a tremendous yield. But I decided to push ahead with it, regardless of others’ envy and jealousy. I felt like I was in too desperate a situation to care about someone’s eyes right now. I mainly focused on buying new companies with the money I had earned. Based on the news of 12 Years After, which only showed three years later, I had purchased companies that could grow rapidly after one to two years.

“Director Chung, I’ll give you a budget of two billion dollars for Koryo Shinyak. Go ask them.”

“Director Kang, could we take over EastAgent, with about four hundred million dollars? Go talk to them.”

That was how I did. ‘Most things that cannot be solved by money are solved by more money.’ No matter what would happen in the next three years, whatever Crow brought back, I prepared so that I could put a lot of money into it.

I would fulfill the condition of the next class, XXX: Twenty listed companies and a market capital of four hundred billion dollars, if possible, in the process. I didn’t know what new technology would come out of XXX, but once I leveled up, I could have Crow investigate twice a month.

Crow was now working hard every month, going to and from the United States and China. If the number doubled, the chance of stopping a nuclear war would also double.

———————–

As I was busier than ever, my wife gave birth to our daughter Seo-hyun safely in May, 2023.

“Congratulations, Mr. CEO. The mother and child are both healthy.”

I was overwhelmed with joy. There had been times when I had earned billions of dollars a day, but I had never been so happy and emotional like this. I became a doting daddy for my daughter just a day after she was born. I thought I could do anything for my daughter. If I could spend all my money on my daughter, I wouldn’t mind spending it at all.

‘How can she be so pretty?’

I fell in love with my daughter Seo-hyun, enough to forget for a moment the company which I had been so eager for. But that didn’t last long, either. As much as I loved my daughter, I was worried that her future might disappear.

‘That’s what everyone does. Everyone has two feelings about what they value. The first is pure love, and the second is to be afraid that the love will disappear.’

However, I bravely decided to face the unrest. ‘Yes, I can make it.’ I made up my mind with my daughter in my arms; I would give my daughter a bright, hopeful future!

Chapter 186 - The Underground Kingdom Of Iceland

I listened to Vice President Jang’s voice on the phone. “What do you want me to do?”

“Let’s give them another ten million dollars.”

“Then, I’ll make Pure & Nature your company within a month after signing the contract.”

“Please.”

“And the next one; the president of Yosung Foodville suddenly changed his words. He had roughly agreed to the sale last time, but now he says it’s too cheap.”

I gathered three fingers and touched my brow for a moment and said, “Now that the negotiations are going on, he’s suddenly greedy for money.”

“I think so.”

“Well, please wait a little bit. I’m going to make the meat a little bit softer.”

‘It’s good to negotiate with me, but it’s not acceptable to negotiate and change your words. It has been almost a year since Suyeon Group was smashed, and now there is a rumor going around in the industry and in public that I have destroyed Suyeon Group and Tak Mun-su; sometimes a rumor going around the market is true. Nevertheless, the president of Yosung Foodville seems to have overlooked that.’

“Ah… I see.” At my words, Vice President Jang didn’t ask any more questions, and just answered softly. “Then I’ll wait a little while, knowing it will happen.”

“In a week or so, he is going to be a little more polite.”

“Yes, boss. The next one is…”

Vice President Jang started to continue. But then, a long cry was heard from the room outside. I was so surprised that I said to him, “Wait a minute.”

He replied in a slightly amused voice, “Yes, boss.”

After asking him to be excused, I looked back. My daughter Seo-hyun, who seemed to have just fallen asleep, was bursting into tears as if she had never done so before. I began to soothe the wailing Seo-hyun, holding her in my arms.

“Why, my baby? Why?”

But Seo-hyun didn’t stop crying. In the meanwhile, my wife came in, opening the door.

“Seo-hyun, Mom’s here.”

I handed over the crying Seo-hyun, and then picked up the phone again.

“Vice President, please, keep talking.”

Jang continued without delay. “This is from Vice President Chung Yong-kyun of the View Box. The opening ceremony of the hundredth View Box store will be held in Shanghai, and it is said that party secretary Jiang Fengyi is attending the event. Chung asked me if you might not want to attend and say hello to him at that time. He heard that they wanted to see you.”

Shanghai was the central part of China’s economy before or after the Chinese financial crisis. I needed to meet the party secretary for the first time there.

“I see. When is the event?”

“It’s the seventeenth of next month.”

“I see. Well… let’s go on a business trip to China, then. Why don’t you accompany me?”

“I’ll join you on that day.”

“And… do you have anything else on the agenda?”

“No, sir.”

“Okay.”

After I finished talking, I turned my head. My daughter Seo-hyun was rolling her eyes gently in her mother’s arms, as if she had not cried.

My wife looked at me and said, “Don’t be stubborn and go to work. I’ll take care of Seo-hyun.”

“Yes…” I was going to tell my wife something, but I nodded reluctantly. Actually, there was a mountain of work to be done, but seeing my daughter was putting me off going to work because I was so happy.

“Yes, then…” I said in a slightly sad voice, kissing my daughter in her mother’s arms. “I’ll be back from work soon.”

‘All fathers will be the same, but my hard work is for my daughter. My case is a little different from other fathers.’

———-

Donning a suit, I went to work. Secretary Park and Lee welcomed me, “Are you here?”

I raised my hand and said, after receiving their greetings. “Secretary Park, I am going to Shanghai on the seventeenth of next month.”

“I just got a call from Vice President Jang, and added it to the timetable.”

“Oh, really? Then you two need to get ready, okay?”

“Yes, boss.” “Yes, boss,” the two answered at once. I nodded and started to go into the president’s office. But then, Secretary Lee grabbed me.

“Boss.”

“Hmm?”

“I had a call from Paul Ocean. He said that everything was ready, so he hoped you could come and confirm it.”

“Hmm… really? ” I stood in front of the president’s office and thought for a while. “I think I’d better go and get back before I go to China. Leave a message for him that I’ll visit next week, no, two weeks from now.”

“Yes, boss. He sent you an email, so check it out.”

“Yes.”

“If you have any difficulty with English, let me know…”

I said, shaking my hand. “I am a victim of a typical Korean-style English education. I can’t speak English, but I can read it like a native.”

The secretary said with a slightly knowing smile, “Yes, boss.”

———

I went into the president’s office with that remark. After a month of work, Secretary Lee quickly adjusted herself to her secretarial work. She was smart enough. I went to the mailbox. When I opened the mailbox, I found an email from Paul Ocean, just like Secretary Lee had said.

‘Sir, I’ve found the right area.’

I clicked on it. It said, ‘It’s a sheep ranch near Reykjavik, and the landowner is Olavir Hardarson. He says he is willing to sell it if paid a reasonable price.’

I read the name aloud, “Olavir Hardarson.”

‘Looking at the ‘son’ ending his name, he is exactly a typical Viking descendant with that Icelandic name.’

I read the email further. ‘…I don’t think I can find a better place than this, considering the circumstances and the ground around. I hope the boss comes and looks at it. When the contract is completed, our people will start construction. P.S., I’m enclosing the pamphlet I mentioned last time.’

I received the attached file in the email. It was a picture file. Written on the front of the picture file was “Doomsday Preppers”, which meant “people who are preparing for doomsday.” What appeared in the file looked similar to a structure commonly found in model houses of apartments in Korea, which were equipped with living rooms, bedrooms, and so on.

But what this differed from them was that this real estate model would be applied to the basement of Iceland. Paul Ocean was quite an eccentric, rich man with assets of ten million dollars, far less than myself. However, he became obsessed with science fiction about the end of the world, and started to build a shelter for himself and then sell them to others.

I didn’t know whether his business went well or not; it was probably the latter. There were not very many nerds like him. But he was taking this seriously anyway, and I happened to be able to find him, as I was preparing for a nuclear war with Plan B.

‘Okay… if I make a shelter here… we can last at least thirty years, right?’

‘Iceland has been seen in the news continuously, after I searched around fifty countries in the state setting of the future news. In addition, many of the conditions are good. Located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean on the other side from the United States and China, it has nearly the same area size as our country, but has a population of less than four hundred thousand people. It is similar in that all the people living in Wonju City, Gangwon Province, are scattered and live all over our country. In addition, natural resources are abundant, the ground is secure, and there is nothing for anyone to attack during the World War. Therefore, Plan B has been set up there.

‘The price is between three million dollars and fifty million dollars. In fact, I am willing to spend more than a billion dollars if there is a nuclear war. No, I can actually pour all my money into it. If a nuclear war breaks out, it will all become a piece of waste paper. What does it mean?

‘I have budgeted a maximum of fifty million dollars for now. That’s not much for me. My futures trading team, which I have doubled the size of, make two hundred million dollars a month. If I’m sure I can’t stop the nuclear war by the end of the day, I’m willing to move to Iceland early and expand the level of building my kingdom underground. Iceland is a country with advanced finances, so if I say that Korea’s richest man will come, they will welcome me.’

——————–

Time passed again, and it was December 2023. About two years was left until doomsday. I’d been making money and building personal connections in the American and Chinese political worlds, but as time went by, I put a little more weight on building a shelter in Iceland. Every time I saw the information Crow brought, I thought, ‘I can’t stop a nuclear war this way. They are both thinking about a nuclear war.’

“Mr. CEO, here is this month’s report.”

“Crow, thank you very much.”

The December report was about Harry Carterfield, chief of Naval Operations. The report was virtually full of U.S. state secrets, making it more of a spy’s intelligence document.

‘… if I sold it to the Chinese government for money, I’d get tens of millions of dollars.’

The information was that sensitive. Anyway, when I read the US defense confidential information, I found that the U.S. actually thought of China as an enemy, and was drawing up war scenarios. Nuclear war wasn’t an option, but as super-power versus super-power, they had it in mind to use force.

The problem was that China was the same way. China also had an intention to extend the blockade in the South China Sea and move on to the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Furthermore, they had a plan to occupy Taiwan as their territory.

‘Hoo… I can’t stop a nuclear war… but there will be a war. I haven’t done it yet, but I feel more and more skeptical. This is perhaps the way the wheels of history will roll. Whether I am the president of the United States or the president of China, I wonder if I can stop this war.

‘Do I really need to establish a kingdom in Iceland? I’ll be king… Seo-hyun will be raised as a princess…’ I had such a queer imagination, and then I giggled. I didn’t think that would be too bad. I would throw myself into this as much as I could, and I would have to find happiness there if I could not. I really thought so at this time, though I changed my mind soon.

Chapter 187 - IPO, Part I

“Hoo-hoo…” I heaved a sigh and lifted my head up. Above the sky, an airplane flew away. I looked at it and asked Secretary Lee beside me. “So, how many minutes are left?”

“We have forty-five minutes to get on board.”

“… forty-five minutes.” Even though I had been tight-scheduled, I had forty-five minutes left. I recounted the time and said, “Secretary Park.”

“Yes, boss.”

“My first task for next year is to buy a private plane. Get me started on the purchase as soon as I get home.”

“Yes, sir.”

‘I’ve increasingly grown to dislike waiting these days. To be exact, I have come to hate wasting time. For forty-five minutes now waiting for the plane, the world will be on the verge of collapse. If I buy a private plane, the problem will be solved. If I think about it, I should have bought one earlier.’

Because of the nature of my work, I couldn’t think of buying a plane even though I had become the richest person in Korea; all my work had been done with a few clicks in the office and a few meetings with directors. It had been only the last few months that I had been abroad frequently.

Once again, another plane passed over the sky.

I lowered my head and looked ahead. White, yellow, black… people of various races came and went. This was the John F. Kennedy Airport in New York.

Yesterday, I’d had dinner with Senator William Turner, brother of Maverick Turner, and talked about this and that. It was based on SHH Group’s increased investment in the U.S.. Senator William Turner was very pleased to have me as his supporter: he would promote it like this, “I brought in an investor from Korea who will create jobs.” In any case, a politician was always hungry for money, whether in the U.S. or Korea.

I lifted my cell phone. It was seven p.m. on December thirty-first, in U.S. time. I mumbled in the middle of watching it, “Korea must have already had a bright new year, 2024. Time flies so fast.”

Secretary Park answered quietly, “That’s right.”

While I was working around the world like that, the year changed to 2024. Doomsday was two years away. However, nothing had changed. News was still going out until February 2026. Crow worked hard, but he didn’t find any clues to the nuclear war. If it was after the nuclear war, he could bring something, but for now, he brought only the present facts.

‘What if I release the classified information Crow brought? What would be the aftermath? The U.S. and China would not sit still. When dealing with Korean chaebols, I was able to spread information secretly, but I would not be able to reveal military secrets and deceive the eyes of U.S. and Chinese special agents… Then maybe I could raise a political issue. However, it would be better than a nuclear war… this should be considered one of the last methods.

‘I’ll go as planned. I need to increase my influence by investing the remaining money in the U.S. and China for the next two years, even if I’m shopping for companies on both sides.’

Even SHH Group had a large base in its global market, but its business sectors were fixed, and it was limited in its ability to expand. In order to penetrate the US and Chinese markets, it was necessary to invest directly: that is, to go there with money and buy a local company. But to do that, one thing must be done first, and that was the IPO of Invictus Investment; in a word, to list Invictus Investment on the KOSPI. Currently, Invictus Investment had one big problem in acquiring U.S. and Chinese companies. It was not a money problem, but the future news!

According to the rules, the future news only recognized the value of the company’s shares listed in the Korean market. No matter how many foreign companies I had bought, the future news had not given them credit for raising my grade. I spent money, but my grade didn’t go up. It was a big problem for me. But there was a way to resolve the problem at once; it was the listing of Invictus Investment.

After that, if Invictus Investment bought foreign companies, their value would be reflected in the stock price of Invictus Investment, which was listed in the KOSPI, and it would allow me to acquire foreign companies and raise my grade at the same time. To be exact, as soon as it went public, my grade would go up. Currently, our company had more than forty-five billion dollars in cash alone and its equity value was over ten billion dollars. So, the pure cash assets and stock value exceeded fifty-five billion dollars. Furthermore, if we included SHH Electronics and SHH Construction, which were worth more than thirty billion dollars each, it exceeded a hundred billion dollars!

‘As soon as Invictus Investment go public, I will have that ‘Exxxxx’ Class. Then the foreign companies that we take over will become the ones that support it.’

———————

Shortly after returning to Korea, I called up Vice President Jang and the board members. I sat down at the top seat, with Vice President Jang next to me, and said to the board members, “I’m sure everyone knows today’s agenda.”

As I said that, I looked at the document in front of me. Right there was a document titled ‘Discussion on the listing of Invictus Investment to the KOSPI.’ In fact, this kind of story used to come out in the media regularly ever since it was revealed that I had become the richest person in Korea.

[Korea’s richest man, CEO Han Sang-hoon, when will your company be open?]

[Love calls continue for to CEO Han Sang-hoon.]

[Investors with a bundle of money waiting for CEO Han Sang-hoon.]

I had a 100% stake in Invictus Investment and had enhanced the value to ten times, twenty times, fifty times, a hundred times, and four hundred times. People who were jealous of the value were grumbling. In fact, I had wanted to keep Invictus Investment private and receive indirect investments, and in that way, I would have raised the stock prices of the companies I had bought.

Over time, however, other institutions and individual investors had found that they were just side dishes, since Kai Games and Hyun Young Pharmaceutical had lost their stock values since I had sold them. In the end, as time went on, the only place where the money poured in was Invictus Investment. Of course that was what I had intended for a long time. The key to it all was my monopoly!

“Now, I’d like to have our company listed, and grow it into the largest company in the country. Does anyone have any objections to this?”

As I spoke, a director raised his hand and said, “Mr. CEO, by the way… Why are you suddenly trying to make an IPO? Our company is now in full cash and profitable right now.”

That was a very good question. Actually, I didn’t want to do the IPO, either. I also wanted to monopolize the profits of our company. But it was necessary to raise my grade within two years. If I hadn’t seen the future, this IPO would not have been planned at all. I put forth a rather compelling reason, “I felt that funding was necessary for the planned investments, and there is a strong public opinion that wants an IPO…”

Saying that, I felt a little guilty, because it was a total lie. Even if the first reason was so, the second reason was even more so. I was a public opinion maker, not a public opinion listener. But nevertheless, since I said so, no one interrupted me.

Everyone seemed to accept it, thinking, ‘If the CEO says like that…’ Of course, one or two of them probably had in mind, ‘It’s weird to think so…’ However, in the end, they would also agree with me, thinking, ‘Everything the CEO does has a big meaning.’ They’d been watching my winning streak for years, just like Vice President Jang. During the financial crisis in China in the previous year, it was even stranger that the short sale was preemptive.

One of the directors asked, “Then, how much do you want to make public?”

“I’m not going to do that much, only ten percent of the current stake. I will keep holding ninety of it.”

In the first place, the IPO was a necessary procedure to break through the rules of the future news. I would not tolerate anyone buying a stake in our company and interfering in internal affairs, so only ten percent would be released to the market. Anyone who managed to buy our company’s shares would have great luck.

Once upon a time, a dentist living in Omaha, Nebraska in the U.S. invested several thousand dollars in a neighbor’s investment company, and earned millions of dollars, because the neighbor was Warren Buffett, and the investment company was his company, Berkshire Hathaway. Like that dentist, anyone in Korea would be able to make profits up to ten to a hundred times easily if they bought our company… on the condition that our company existed two years from now.

“Then I will know all of you decided to do that… Do you have any other problems?”

“I’m sure everything will be okay. Our finances are so transparent… If I make a prediction, I am sure there will be a huge crowd.”

A director raised his hand and said, “There won’t be any trouble with the FSS. The government workers say that this administration is strangely positive about our company.”

‘I know.’ I laughed and said, thinking along, “We pay a lot of taxes and they like us. Let’s try to get the IPO done as soon as possible.”

———————

Our company immediately started to work in advance for the IPO. Vice President Jang had a lot of experience in the IPO sector, so he led the way smoothly. The Financial Supervisory Service opened the door as if it was waiting for our company to do an IPO. As a result, our company was scheduled to go public on the KOSPI in July 2024, half a year after deciding on the IPO.

The media made a fuss ahead of the IPO, which was still half a year away:

[Invictus Investment enters the KOSPI!]

[Investors are already flocking to the Invictus Investment, which will be listed on the KOSPI!]

[The market capital of Invictus Investment will easily exceed a hundred billion dollars.]

The reaction of ant investors was also hot:

– Wow! Invictus Investment will be listed. It’s really awesome.-

– I’ve only followed Han Sang-hoon and bought what he bought. It’s so good. I will put my whole wealth in it.-

– I’ll sell every stock I have and load the bullets.-

The IPO boom was guaranteed. In order to achieve the “Exxxxx” Class in half a year, I had completed the process of finalizing the acquisition of domestic listed companies. With just Invictus Investment listed, the condition of twenty listed companies would be completed.

‘If I get that Exxxxx Class, I’ll be able to send Crow out twice a month. That will be much more likely to stop the nuclear war. In addition, I saw it contained… something extraordinary, right?’

I recalled the conversation with Customer Service in the past. Customer Service had told me, ‘In particular, the class above xxxxxx has a very strong skill and we recommend you achieve it.’

The Customer Service sometimes said crazy things that I didn’t understand, but they never lied.

‘A new skill in the Exxxx Class may help in the nuclear war… I don’t know what it is, but as Customer Service said, a very powerful skill could help solve the problem.’

I went back to work, waiting for our company to be listed, and for my future news to rise in grade. I had been busy buying and selling futures, making investments going back and forth between the U.S. and China, and occasionally stopping by Iceland to check the shelter. As I worked hard to avoid the coming end, time went by so fast.

Not long after my daughter Seo-hyun’s first birthday, our company finally made an initial public offering, and I was able to get the Exxxx Class…

Chapter 188 - IPO, Part II

“Mom and dad, please hold her and I will take a picture of you.”

At the guide’s words, my wife and I posed with Seohyun in our arms. A female employee with a camera approached and took a picture of us. We heard a ‘click’, and the host said with his arms wide, “Then, it’s Seohyun’s Doljabi, a birthday-grabbing fortune telling ritual that everyone’s been looking forward to.”

In May 2024, on the occasion of Seo-hyun’s first birthday, I used a floor of the company building and held a celebration. The host was a famous comedian from OH Entertainment; when I put in a phone call, President Kwon brought him over right away.

“Will you take Seo-hyun over here?”

We brought Seo-hyun to a place, led by the host. On the table, which was beautifully decorated, there was a judge’s stick, a stethoscope, a microphone, a soccer ball, silk, a mouse cursor, a pencil, a postcard, and so on.

“Then before you start Doljabi… What would you like Seohyun to catch?”

I looked at the things lying down. To be honest, it was the silk that caught the most attention, which meant “long life.” But I chose an easy answer.

“I like whatever Seo-hyun holds. I will fully support whatever she wants.”

“Haha, I think Seo-hyun can do anything if the richest man in Korea fully supports her!”

‘That’s true. My daughter Seohyun was born to a rich family. However, I don’t intend to raise her by saying yes to everything. All the people I fought against until I got here were from rich families, and had a lack of humanity. No matter how precious my daughter is, I can’t raise her like that.’

“Seo-hyun’s mom, what about you?”

“I like anything, too, if that’s what Seo-hyun wants.”

“I see. Seo-hyun is very lucky since she has generous parents. Then let’s start Doljabi!”

My wife carried Seo-hyun over in front of the miniatures, holding her in her arms. Seo-hyun looked at them curiously, then grabbed the pink microphone.

“Oh, Mike! She got a microphone! I guess Seo-hyun is interested in art or broadcasting. The hard work is done by machines, and the brain work is a promising job for today’s computer-generated artists.”

While the host was talking hard, I glanced at the people who were gathered at this party. My mother, father, sister and brother-in-law, relatives such as an uncle and his wife, their younger son, a first aunt and her husband sitting down, and relatives of my wife were all seated at the opposite table.

Behind the family and relatives were Jang and some board members, Secretary Park, Secretary Lee, some people of Invictus Investment, President Kwon of OH Entertainment; former Secretary Seo Ji-hoon, who was independent and working hard; and some old hometown friends. They were the ones who had been forged for a long time through blood ties, territorial ties, and school ties. I counted the people. It looked like there were roughly fifty of them.

‘I can carry them on my private jet in two trips. I can hire a few more people like doctors, electricians, and programmers, who are necessary to survive.’

Iceland’s fifty-million-budget underground bunker was nearing completion. It had residential facilities that could accommodate up to a hundred people, food for nearly thirty years, a semi-permanent generator, water and air purification system, and crop cultivation system.

Not only that, but there were also play and exercise facilities, such as a library, computer room, board game room, theater, fitness center, and basketball court so that bunker life wouldn’t be boring. There was no shortage of residents. I had a plan to spend another two hundred million dollars to expand in the middle of next year, half a year left to doomsday. At that time, money would no longer mean anything.

‘With a hundred people, it will not be very lonely to live underground.’ While I was thinking about it, the host’s words resonated with applause at the party. “Clap!”

In the meantime, my wife whispered in my ear. “What’s wrong, oppa? Laugh it up!”

I had been thinking of the end of days and the shelter, and I looked a little bad. I joined the clapping with a faint smile. After all the events were over, I talked to Vice President Jang and the directors about business during the meal. There were not many days left for the IPO of Invictus Investment.

“So there’s no problem with the procedure?”

“We keep talking with the Financial Supervisory Service, and they say there’s nothing wrong with it.”

“What about demand?”

“It’s enough. We all expect it to be the best IPO ever.”

“That’s good.”

———-

The IPO went smoothly, on scale and schedule. Next month Invictus Investment would be listed on the KOSPI. At the same time, I would be up to the next class. That kind of thinking gave me a little hope. I walked away to a table where my former secretary Seo Ji-hoon was eating with Secretary Park and Secretary Lee. I slapped Ji-hoon on the shoulder and said, “How are you, President Seo? How’s your job?”

Ji-hoon looked up at me and said with a big smile, “It’s hard, but it’s worth it.”

I said, sitting next to him, “Oh, really?”

“Yes, it’s a very good thing to be running my own company. Even in the middle of a hard time, there’s something worthwhile to do. Should I call it fidelity? So I’m working hard with all my passion.”

“That’s great. Do your best. You go public and give me back my investment, too.”

“Yes, boss. Maybe the middle of next year… or by the end of next year, we’ll have a decent result.”

‘Late next year…’

“Oh, I see.”

By then, the end would be months away. Perhaps Ji-hoon’s results would fade away within a few months of seeing the light of the world. However, I didn’t have to move my concerns to others. I spoke in a voice as bright as I could, “That’s great! Try hard until the end.”

Ji-hoon answered me in a cheerful voice, “Yes, boss! I’ll make sure to meet your expectations.”

I felt much better when I saw his vivacity. I thought I should work with a more positive mindset.

Ji-hoon suddenly slapped Secretary Park on the shoulder while eating next to him. “By the way, the working environment for Park has improved significantly since I worked.”

“Really? What? Nothing’s changed.”

He spoke with Secretary Park in front of him. “You paired him up with that beautiful girl; you should have done that when I was here.”

At his words, Secretary Lee turned her head with a smile, and Secretary Park looked at him with a sideways glance.

“No, it was just a skill-based selection. Secretary Lee speaks foreign languages very well.”

“That’s what it is. Boss, when I was with you, you didn’t go on a business trip overseas. You’ve been to Shanghai and New York lately and…”

When he spoke the end of his words ambiguously, Secretary Park spoke for him, “Iceland.”

“Yes, I heard that you also go back and forth to Iceland a lot.”

I answered briefly, “Yes. Because our company is a global company now.”

“That’s great. You’re going abroad together. And the secretaries will sleep in the best hotels, right?”

I nodded, “Of course.”

“I envy them. I wanted to go to New York and Shanghai. Iceland is good, too.”

“I had nothing to do with that. The timing was not fit for you. You can take a vacation from your company.”

“No, I can’t. I need to roll over my company and give it back to the boss with ten times the investment.”

I nodded. I could see that Ji-hoon was crazy about his work. Overseas travel would not come to his attention. He had only come since today’s event was my daughter’s birthday party, and I had sent him an invitation myself.

Ji-hoon continued, putting oranges in his mouth, “By the way, why is Iceland… Why are you going there? I heard it’s a financial powerhouse.”

“Ah… for investment.”

“To an Icelandic company?”

“No… some kind of real estate investment.”

Secretary Seo said with his eyes blinking, “Oh, I see. Do you invest in real estate these days?”

“Yes, it’s kind of a vacation home…” I said with a slight grin. “Some day… I’ll take you once I have a chance.”

Ji-hoon replied cheerfully, unaware of my inward thoughts. “That’s good. I look forward to it.”

——————–

Next month, June 2024…

I left for Iceland for a while, with the IPO just two weeks away, since I got a call from Paul Ocean: ‘The bunker is completed.’

I arrived at Leica Beak after taking my private jet; my bunker was about two hundred kilometers from there. I looked around. Certainly, it was built in a secure structure, strong enough to survive a nuclear war.

Paul Ocean asked me through Secretary Lee. “What do you think, Mr. CEO? Are you satisfied?”

“Yes, it’s very satisfying. It’s a lot better than I expected.”

Paul Ocean laughed at my compliment. He was quite proud of this as the CEO of “Doomsday Preppers.” By the time we had finished looking around the air-raid shelter, he asked, “But, Mr. CEO, do you really want to expand it? It’s still the world’s best and largest for an individual bunker…”

I heard that and told him, “Yes, but please get ready.”

As I said, he was quite surprised, “Oh… really? Yes…” Even he, who took this job as a profession, had no idea that there would be a nuclear war in the next few years.

“Then I’ll draft a new design and send it to the CEO as soon as possible. If the plan is drawn up, the additional contract as stated in the first contract will be made, so you will have to pay us a penalty when you cancel it.”

“Yes, It’s okay. Please proceed like that.”

‘If there is a nuclear war, everything outside the bunker is useless. Even my billions of assets won’t have any value, no reason to try to save money on them.’ I certainly thought so at this time.

——————–

Two weeks after returning from Iceland, I concluded the KOSPI listing process for Invictus Investment as scheduled. Inside the Korean Stock Exchange, I cut a long string of ribbons with scissors and received a congratulatory message from its executives. Invictus Investment, which was listed on the same day, started at $150 per share and went straight to the upper limit price. That was when Invictus Investment was recognized as a company worth more than a hundred billion dollars.

‘Invictus Investment +30%.’

It was refreshing to see the number written in blue next to our company’s name, +30%. I’d only seen other people’s stocks come and go since we had got a special fate back in the past, and I finally got to see our company at such a high price. I looked at it and thought. ‘No matter how the world is ruined, this scene will be a beautiful memory at this time.’

I walked out of the stock exchange thinking that way. That night, after paying tribute to Vice President Jang and the directors who had worked so hard, paying their bonuses and drinking heavily, I came back home. But still, I told my wife to wake me up at seven the next day. I had to get the guidebook for the next class of ‘Exxxxx’ tomorrow at eight.

——-

The next morning, after I woke up from my wife’s biological alarm, I rubbed my sleepy eyes and forced myself to go to work. I waited until eight o’clock, drinking hot honeyed tea that my wife had prepared for me. And then, after looking at the guidebook that came along, I couldn’t help but doubt my eyes. “What?”

And after looking at it for a long time, I picked up the number two phone and said, “Secretary Lee.”

“Yes, boss.”

“Contact Paul Ocean, and tell him he doesn’t need to expand the shelter under the new contract… Why don’t you cancel it right away?”

Chapter 189 - ‘E’ Class

“Yes, boss. I’ll contact Iceland right now.”

“Please.”

I put down the phone and turned my head back to the monitor. There was a guidebook for the new class on the screen. I had read it all the way through, and then I read it from the beginning again.

[Editor Class Guide.]

[Congratulations. Han Sang-hoon, who has been promoted to Editor Class. As we have announced since the beginning of your first paid subscription, your Editor Class will have a godly capability, unlike those below. From now on, not only can you read the future news passively, but you can actively change it yourself.]

I looked at it with my arms crossed. If this was true, the future news would become a totally different concept.

[New active skill ‘Edit’ targets already issued news and will edit the news as it is named. Edited news, as soon as it’s edited, changes the universe in time for events in the news. ‘Edit’ is controlled by ‘openness’, but it can have a powerful impact on your world immediately, so please use it carefully.]

I read it twice, but I still couldn’t get the hang of it. I looked down at the scroll.

[There are four skills available in the current Editor Class. Thirty skill points are not currently allocated.]

The skill points given to me this time were thirty.

[People Search Lv4 (Active skill – four points required)

There is one more slot to search for a person. It will be available with other passive skills applied.

Ranking News Lv3 (Active skill – three points required)

You can receive first, second, and third place news with high cumulative view counts in a specific category. You can use it three times a month. It will be available with other passive skills applied.]

The rating of the future news, which was at the bottom of the Ranking News, was not visible. Therefore, it seemed that I couldn’t see the future beyond twelve years from now.

‘Is twelve years the end?’ I went down the scroll with that thought.

[Infiltration Report Lv2 (Active skill – ten points required)

We will send a reporter to a specific target. The reporter will conduct a fifteen-day intensive
investigation into the target and bring in one article that will not be reported to the established
press. When you are sending a reporter, you can specify what to investigate.]

‘I’ve already seen this.’

The key was at the end.

[Edit Lv1 (Active skill – thirteen points required)

Attempt to edit the published news. Editing is limited by ‘number of characters’ and ‘probability items.’ Edited news, as soon as it’s edited, changes the universe in time for events in the news. Edited news doesn’t come back from the future news. Other news that has been altered by editing will not have correction news. You can use it once a month.]

‘It changes the universe… What a grandiose thing it is…’

Anyways, that was great. I happened to have a future to change, a nuclear war that would bring the end of the world.

‘But… then… can I really make the nuclear war disappear by typing in a few words?’

Come to think of it now, I wondered if this was really feasible.

‘Maybe I canceled the bunker expansion too soon. If I say I am going to rebuild it, that’s enough. Why don’t I be a little fickle when I have already paid fifty million dollars and will pay another two hundred million dollars? Anyway, this is possible once a month, so let’s use it right now.’

Deciding that, I allocated skill points for each skill. When I looked at it, four points were needed for People Search, three points for Ranking News, ten points for Infiltration Report, and thirteen points for Edit. It was exactly thirty points.

‘There’s nothing to worry about this time.’

After allocating the skill points, I pressed the OK button. Soon a message followed, ‘Congratulations. You have been promoted to Editor Class. Upgrade your news to Pxxxxxxxx Class! What is needed to be promoted to Pxxxxxxxx Class is a subscription fee of ten million dollars. The qualifying terms are to control more than fifty listed companies in your countries with a combined market capital of more than four trillion dollars.’

“What?” When I saw it, I opened my mouth wide.

‘The condition of more than fifty listed companies is okay but… four trillion dollars? It was four hundred billion dollars earlier, but now it’s ten times as much.’

Before that, the total market capital of the KOSPI that Invictus Investment of four hundred billion dollars was listed on was only two point four trillion dollars now. Creating a four-thousand-billion-dollar company on the KOSPI was more like saying that the nation’s economy should almost be doubled.

“It’s… it’s impossible…” I muttered like that and soon realized, ‘No… No… What if I use this ‘Edit’ skill to make money?’

‘If the world is not destroyed, I may soon earn four trillion dollars. Why don’t I edit the stock price of Invictus Investment to the upper limit price after searching under my name? No, but before that, what if I intervene in the foreign exchange market and edit the exchange rate? Maybe it will be possible in a few days. It is very easy to do it that way. Rather, it may end up achieving the rating faster than I got to Silver.

‘Is Pxxxxxxxx Class the next Editor Class? How many x’s? Eight? That’s a word of nine characters. If I think about it a little bit, one word will be complete.

I picked up my pen and wrote ‘Pxxxxxxxx – Total nine characters’ on a notepad. That was the way it was. I was going to think of something, but I couldn’t.

‘Let’s think about this in a little while. Let’s edit something first.’

Thinking that way, I finished the rating upgrade and closed the email with the guide.

——-

Thirty minutes later, at 8:50, I received the upgraded emails, from “E 12 Hours After” to “E 12 Years After.” I first clicked on the news of 12 Hours After.

[Politics – Rep. Ahn Joon-sung urges economic cooperation with North Korea.

Economy – Invictus Investment’s fourteen percent rise on the second day of listing.

Society – The rise of the A.I.: Is the white collar class falling?

Life/Culture – In the low yuan era, cheap overseas travel to China.

World – The Arab Spring: will democracy come to Saudi Arabia?

IT/Science – Will the successful PS VR4 continue to be a big hit this time?

Sports – FC Seoul easily overpowered FC Sejong, 2-0.

Entertainment – Comedian Kang Seung-hyun is arrested on charges of illegal gambling.]

I could see the active skills that had been collected so far under the articles.

[People Search – 1. 2. 3. 4.

Ranking News – Enabled

Crow Summon – Summonable (two times are left)

State Setting: Korea]

And there was another new skill.

[Edit – Activate]

I looked at it vacantly and clicked on the ‘Activate’ button. Then, as the usual cursor soon turned into scissors-shaped one, the comment where “Activate” was written changed.

[Edit – Click on the article you want to edit.]

I turned the scissors-shaped cursor up and round.

‘… can I just change anything?’

I searched from top to bottom for an article I wanted to change.

‘Invictus Investment’s fourteen percent rise… I can’t change this. In Society and Life/Culture, there are only columns. If the PlayStation is a big hit, it’s good to me, too. Oh, here it is…’

In Sports, there was an article titled FC Seoul easily overpowered FC Sejong, 2-0. FC Se-jong was my club. When I first took over, I had pledged that I would go beyond Korea to become the best club in Asia. However, I didn’t pay attention to it, because not long after the decision to take it over was made, I found out that the end of the world was near. Thanks to the money I poured into it during the first season, it went up to the first division, but it was hovering around the bottom as my interest was cut off prematurely.

‘Shall I edit this, then?’ I put the scissors-shaped cursor on the article, I stopped for a moment thinking, ‘Oh, I can only do this once a month.’

‘But… if I click on this, the opportunity will be lost?’ With that thought, I called out the Customer Service in a long time.

-[Hi, how are you? Subscriber Han Sang Hoon, what can I do for you?]

I didn’t want to talk long with this guy. I went to the point.

– I have a question for this editing skill. If I click on the article, will the opportunity be consumed there?-

[No, the editing skill will be completed when the subscriber has pressed the registration button after the article has been edited.]

It was good. That meant I could experiment with other articles.

‘OK, that’s good enough.’

I tried to close down the Customer Service window, but in case there was anything else I wanted to ask, I minimized it and came back to the article. I clicked on the article of ‘FC Seoul easily overpowered FC Sejong, 2-0,’ with the scissors-shaped cursor. Strangely, a sentence appeared at the top of the article: [100% probability – probability cannot be modified less than 50%.]

‘Is the probability… 50%? What does that mean?’

Anyway, I scrolled down further and read the article.

[FC Seoul easily won one victory after beating FC Sejong 2:0. FC Seoul, which left for Daejeon in the eighth round of the K League 2024 season at Daejeon World Cup Stadium at 6 p.m., shook FC Sejong’s net with Lee Jae-sung’s heading goal in the fourteenth minute and Kang Hyun-sung’s mid-range shot in the thirtieth minute.]

The article was ordinary. The content of the article was no different from what I usually saw. There was only one difference: I could move the cursor between the lines, like I had turned on a word processor.

‘Hmm… Shall I change that FC Sejong beats FC Seoul?’

I changed the first sentence, ‘FC Sejong easily won one victory after beating FC Seoul 2:0.’ Then, the caption at the top changed to, [0% probability – Current article cannot be posted.]

‘What is it? Is it impossible for our team to beat FC Seoul?’ But in this way, the content written in the rear part would be nonsense, since the team and the players didn’t match first.

‘They didn’t go to Daejeon for an away game in a match…’

I rewrote the third sentence first, ‘FC Sejong, which met FC Seoul at home stadium in Daejeon, in the fourteenth minute in the first half…’

After I edited the article there, I recalled the names of the aces and strikers of FC Sejong for a moment, ‘Who are our aces these days?’

Then, I wrote again, ‘Koo Hyun-mo shook FC Seoul’s net with a heading goal and Ji Ho-sung’s mid-range shot in the thirtieth minute.’

But still, the probability was zero percent.

‘What the hell is wrong with this?’

While I was looking at it, I suddenly searched the portal site for ‘Koo Hyun-mo’ and ‘Ji Ho-sung’. There was news of the coming. [In the match against FC Jeonbuk, Ji Ho-sung’s toe was fractured by a tackle from the opposing defender; four weeks injury.]

FC Sejong’s ace Ji Ho-sung was unable to appear in the match because of a broken toe. I put another name in place of Ji Ho-sung.

‘Recently, I hear that midfielder Kim Sang-jin is good at it. Okay, let’s search for the name.’

I tried Kim Sang-jin in place of Ji Ho-sung. ‘Koo Hyun-mo shook FC Seoul’s net with a heading goal and Kim Sang-jin’s mid-range shot in the thirtieth minute.’

And then finally, the top comment changed like this, [84% probability- Current article registration is available – Register]

‘Oh, it’s only possible if the changes are correct. And eighty-four percent probability… It’s hard for our team to beat strong team FC Seoul 2:0… But it’s not impossible.’

In any case, the changed news seemed to have to be over fifty percent likely. I clenched my fist,

‘If this is the case, I can get rid of the nuclear war right here.’

Chapter 190 - The Savior Of The World

After testing the Editing skill with a soccer game, I decided to move on to the real one I wanted to edit, the nuclear war that would take place two years from now. I got out of the news of ‘E 12 Hours After’ and moved on to ‘E 12 Years After.’ The way to bring in the nuclear war news was simple, to use the Ranking News.

The first and second highest news items I’d seen in the twelve years list had never changed, because after that news, there was no more news being printed. I scrolled down and went to the Ranking News. I could now see all the first, second, and third places. I clicked on them without hesitation.

[No. 1 – U.S. nuclear bomb hits Beijing. Ten million civilians are estimated dead.]

[No. 2 – China’s nuclear bombs were launched and Washington, D.C. was left in ashes.]

[No. 3 – Defcon One issued. The whole nation is in a state of war (Breaking News)]

After the first and second places I had seen last time, the third place was that my nation was in a state of war.

‘The enemy is probably North Korea, China… and maybe… Russia?’

The details were unknown. What was certain, however, was that the nation’s civilization would collapse to the point that no more news would be available after the next war.

‘I hope it will be stopped…’

I activated the active skill ‘Edit’. The cursor changed into the scissors-shape.

‘Well… but what shall I edit? There is no point in changing the war in Korea. If a nuclear bomb falls on China anyway, the nation will end up in a war because of the nuclear power facilities on the east coast. If I edit, it is number one or number two.’

‘I’ll have to get rid of the first shooter. I’m sure one of them shot first and the other one retaliated. But which side shot first?’

But for now, there was no way to know.

‘Then shall I go to number one news, since there are more view counts on it?’

I clicked on the first article. As it was a breaking news, the full text wasn’t that long.

[100% probability – probability cannot be modified less than 50%.]

[A nuclear bomb believed to have been fired from the Pacific Ocean, dropped in the Chinese capital, Beijing. All of the key administrative bodies, including the palace of the president, were destroyed, with an estimated ten million civilian casualties.]

I read it for a moment. ‘But how do I fix this? Should I get rid of it all?’

I went to the end of the sentence and pressed the Delete key to get rid of the article. Where there was news, there was no news, only a framework. And at the same time, a notice came up,

[42% probability – Current article cannot be posted.]

The probability was forty-two percent.

‘… forty-two percent. It’s not impossible to disappear right now, but it’s not easy to make it go away.’

Seeing this, it seemed that the nuclear war had not just happened by accident.

‘Forty-two… forty-two…’ I muttered the figures in my mind. But if I thought positively, it didn’t seem to be a bad number again.

‘It means that if I raise it by eight percent, it will work. Then what should I do? How do I increase the probability by eight percent?’, I thought my arms crossed. As the relations between the United States and China would improve in the future, the probability would gradually rise. That way, the article could be deleted in a few months, if not immediately.

‘So… I’m not going to start by getting rid of this article…’ Suddenly, at a thought, I looked up. I changed the state setting from Korea to the US, and I closed the email.

——————–

That evening, I got the future news set for the United States of America. I went to the People Search and wrote ‘Donald Trump’ on all the news. Of course, U.S. President Donald Trump’s articles appeared. While I was watching Donald Trump’s news, I found the news I wanted:

[E. 12 Days After – Donald Trump has repeatedly pressed China to not to slow down its financial opening.]

[President Donald Trump said during a White House press conference at ten a.m. that ‘China is delaying the opening of its financial market. In view of this, the Chinese seem to be failing to learn a lesson from the last financial crisis, and if it is delayed further, it could create another financial crisis for them.’ China’s Foreign Ministry has replied, ‘It is rude to ignore the country’s 1.5 billion people,’ and has indicated China will not cave in to any pressure from the United States.]

In any case, there was no good story. I clicked on the article with ‘Edit’ and touched it slightly. I started to edit with the first sentence. ‘President Donald Trump said in a White House press conference at 10 a.m. today that he was concerned that China was slowing down its financial opening a little.’

I patted my chin and muttered, “Well, good. Gently, softly…”

I tapped the keyboard once again. This time was the second sentence. ‘President Trump has urged China to act responsibly, insisting that China, which caused the financial crisis, should reduce its imbalances and increase its stability by opening up its finances.’

‘It’s good. It’s much softer.’

I also corrected the Chinese response to this. ‘The Chinese Foreign Ministry has expressed its understanding of the U.S. position and will try to open its market and strengthen fairness in line with President Trump’s demand.’

‘Is it enough?’

I looked up. [Fifty-seven probability.]

It was breathtaking but safe. I read the corrected article again, and thought, ‘It’s hard to get rid of the nuclear war overnight, but if I do a little bit like this, I can raise it by eight percent.’

I checked the news date for the last time and pressed the “Register” button. A message appeared soon, ‘Edited article has been registered. If you press the ‘Publish’ button, it will immediately apply in the future. Do you want to publish the edited article?’

I pressed the “Yes” button, and got another message, ‘Edited article has been posted. The future news of the edited article does not have any correction news.’

I thought as I closed the message. ‘Obviously, this is the news in five days. Actually, it is at ten a.m. five days later in the U.S… what is that in Korean time?’

——————–

In the evening, six days later…

I search for “Trump, China” on a Korean portal site and got a news article at eight o’clock. It was the speech of President Trump.

‘All right, this is it.’

I clicked it right away. The video began with the words of an announcer. “Yesterday at ten a.m. local time, there was an official press conference for President Trump at the White House. The news conference drew attention as President Trump, who has been pressing China with his hard-line stance, made an unexpectedly soft remark. Correspondent Ha Ji-seok reports from New York…”

The screen changed and showed President Donald Trump. He talked to the camera, “China’s financial opening is more beneficial to China than to any other country. China should open its market as soon as possible to increase fairness and show responsible behavior for triggering the last financial crisis.”

Unlike normally, he was being extremely polite. If it were the way it was, he would say something like, “Why don’t you keep your promises? You said that you would open your financial markets. Didn’t you hear me? So, we’re going to push you one more time because of the financial crisis.”

But that line was changed by my hand six days ago; I changed what the President of the United States would say, with my own hands. On top of that, the Chinese side’s answer was also changed like I wanted. “China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi says he understands President Trump’s concerns and they will work harder to change the country’s financial markets to meet the needs of the world.”

‘It’s… it’s amazing, isn’t it?’ While I was thinking about it, the correspondent continued, “… President Trump’s change may be intended to improve U.S.-China relations in the future. I’m correspondent Ha Ji-seok from New York.”

I thought as I listened to the correspondent’s voice. ‘I’m sure… this is a score. This is a small, but big step. If I continue to smooth the relationship between the two countries in this way, friction between the two will decrease and eventually, war will be far away.’

I was sure. ‘In a few months, I’ll be able to increase the probability by at least eight percent…’

——————–

Since then, a few more months passed. In the meantime, I had not asked Paul Ocean to continue the bunker expansion work again. I was confident that I could prevent the future nuclear war. Every month, I gathered news from the U.S. president and the Chinese president for speeches and news conferences, and I changed the lines that came out of them to fit my taste.

‘Okay, here… China is going to pocket its pride a little bit…’

“China announces its efforts to open up its finances, being aware of its own priorities and set to achieve shared growth in line with the global era.”

I could get the hang of it after revising the articles a few times. I was getting used to making the probability move. If the probability was too close to a hundred percent, I decorated the reality more beautifully according to my tastes, and if it was less than fifty percent, I changed the reality little by little. Under the limit level, I manipulated reality to my desires.

On the morning of December fourth, 2024, the day before the U.S.-China nuclear war, I finally managed to get rid of the nuclear war story, which had risen to a fifty-four percent probability.

——————–

8:55 p.m., the night I deleted the nuclear war article…

In my study, I received the future news with a slight tremble. As soon as I got it, I opened the news of 12 Years After. More than any other news, there was just one piece of news that showed the year. [Sports – Chelsea won the 2028/2029 English Premier League.]

I didn’t have to click it to find out what it was. This was the 2029 news, which would be three years after the original nuclear war. When I saw the news, I stood up with my fist clenched. “It’s done!”

I had finally stopped the end of the world! Hopping with joy, I ran out into the room and shouted outside of my study. “Ah-young!”

Outside the study, from the living room, I heard my wife’s voice, “What?”

I ran in that direction. My wife was sitting on the sofa and watching television with our daughter Seo-hyun in her arms. I approached my wife and shouted, “Ah-young! Seo-hyun!” I hugged my wife and my daughter Seo-hyun.

The sudden hug made my wife laugh and she said, “What’s wrong with you all of a sudden?”

My daughter Seo-hyun looked for her mother as I held her, “Mamma!”

I gave Seo-hyun a long kiss on the forehead. Now the crisis of the end was over. The Invictus Investment Empire would continue, and my daughter Seo-hyun would be the daughter of the emperor and grow up happily.

My wife asked me, “What’s wrong, oppa? What’s going on? Did a good thing happen?”

I looked at her. When asked by my wife, I couldn’t reply, ‘The world was about to be destroyed, but I stopped it!’ I just smiled and hugged my family again.

Chapter 191 - The Emperor Who Has Become God, Part I

“Today is the day when your alumni are coming from America, isn’t it?”

“Yes. It’s been years.”

My wife spoke to the fullest of her expectations. She hadn’t even been outside since she had given birth to Seo-hyun, and I’d decided to invite her American college classmates to Korea to play with her. While my wife was outside, my mother and father, who came from my hometown, would take care of Seo-hyun.

“That’s great. Where are you going when your American friends come?”

“I have a lot of friends who are new to Korea. I will take them to Bukchon Hanok Village, Insa-dong Culture Street, and Gyeongbok Palace… At night, I want to go to Cheonggyecheon.”

“Okay, and which hotel did you get?”

“I’ve got one right near Cheonggyecheon.”

“If there’s anything you want during the play… call Secretary Park. He will provide it. Do you want me to put him on as a chauffeur or as a bodyguard?”

My wife hated that. “No! I don’t want to make them feel a sense of incompatibility. My friends have been already saying that I got married to a chaebol. I’m just going to get together like in the old days, have a beer, and have a chat, like in college.”

I said with a smile, “Yes, then.”

Looking out the window, the sky was a little dim with thick clouds. Now, it was mid-February 2025. The cold hadn’t gone yet.

“By the way, isn’t it too cold today?”

“It will be okay. The weather forecast says it’s snowless and sunny today.”

“Well, have a good time then. Give my regards to Sarah.” Then, I bowed my head and said to my daughter Seo-hyun, who was being held by my wife. “Seo-hyun, I’m going to work.”

“Dad~mom.” Seohyun beckoned me with a medium pronunciation of ‘Daddy’ and ‘Mom’.

I kissed Seo-hyun, then took the elevator, waved to my wife, and went to work in the president’s office.

“Good morning, Secretary Park.”

“Good morning, boss.”

“Are you here, boss?”

I greeted the two secretaries, and the sweet aroma of coffee stung my nose. I said, looking at the take-out coffee cup in front of Secretary Lee.

“Secretary Lee.”

“Yes?”

“Is that white chocolate mocha coffee?”

“Yes. How did you know?”

“It’s a cafe coffee in our building, I should be able to guess it. Buy me one of the same.”

“Now?”

Secretary Lee tried to get up from her seat, but Secretary Park suddenly stood up at my words.

“Then I’ll go and come back.”

I looked at Secretary Park and Lee in turn. ‘What is it? Is it a chivalry’s mind? Is he trying to look good to her? What’s going on between the two of them?’

Anyway, I only needed to drink some coffee. I nodded, “Yes.”

“Do you want just coffee? What about a sandwich or a muffin?…”

I shook my head. “That’s okay. I’ve had enough breakfast that my wife prepared. Just coffee is okay.”

“Okay.” Secretary Park went to buy coffee.

I asked Secretary Lee, “Do I have anything important scheduled today?”

“Yes. Today is the day when the trading team reports. It’s scheduled for eleven a.m.”

“I see.”

I came into the president’s office and turned on the computer leisurely. It was 8:20 and there was still about half an hour left before the future news would come. I spent time watching YouTube videos. Soon, Secretary Park, who had gone down to the cafe on the first floor, came in bringing coffee.

“Thank you.”

Secretary Park bowed his head, opened the door, and left. At that moment, I could see that Secretary Park and Lee had made eye contact. I sipped my coffee and thought, ‘Will it be a problem if those two have an office romance? I don’t know. What if there’s a problem? I can prevent it before any matter happens…’

At 8:50 a.m., the future news came. I opened every email as usual. By the way, there was a catchy news. [Life/Culture of E 12 Hours After – This afternoon, we had a sudden gale and snowflakes. It was the recorded snowfall in Seoul.]

I muttered when I saw it, “Hmm? They forecast today’s weather would be okay, didn’t they?”

I clicked on the article. It was reported that there was heavy snowfall in Seoul around this afternoon, causing traffic to be paralyzed; it was very cold with strong winds and was definitely not the right weather to go somewhere.

‘Don’t tell me…’

I came to the portal site and searched for the weather today. It said that today’s weather would be very bright and getting warmer.

‘Ha… the weather forecast is wrong again…?’ I picked up my cell phone right away and tried to call my wife, but instead, I set the alarm to call my wife at 10:30. Then I looked up the rest of the future news. The most interesting news to read these days was 12 Years After.

‘Wow! A small American pharmaceutical company invented a liver cancer treatment. Is it a company listed on the NASDAQ?’

‘These are all investment news. I can buy a company before positive news comes out, or if SHH Electronics or SHH Construction can dominate it, we can start developing it first. If I have a twelve-year timetable of the future, it’s not too difficult to create an investment company with the four trillion dollars needed for the next step. There is a lot of news that I can enjoy even if it’s not about money…

‘MMORPG via VR? The story that could come out of a game fantasy novel becomes a reality. They can decorate an avatar to become a completely different person. I should try it when it comes out.

‘In the future, there are things going on that would only come from science fiction. Of course, it is due to all my hard work. This is thanks to the elimination of the nuclear war.’

After last December, once the new skill ‘Edit’ was used to get rid of the article about the nuclear war, news after 2026 continued to flow out. Although the U.S. and China’s war of nerves continued, they stopped at taking their own profits. It was the start of a new cold war.

In the meantime, Korea had received both love calls and checks from the U.S. and China at the same time. President Joo Sung-won seemed to have avoided the checks and walked a tightrope while eating the carrots. According to the news of 12 Years After, the next president came from the same party as President Joo Sung-won.

‘Ahn Hyun-joon… It is Ahn Hyun-joon of the same party who will be chosen to replace President Joo Sung-won, who has served eight years. He is now Anyang Mayor, but he’ll be working as governor of Gyeonggi-do later. Who is the president? I’ll have to meet him on the pretext of investing in Anyang some time.’

I made a schedule on my timetable: Meet Anyang Mayor Ahn Hyun-joon within the next month.

‘I’m going to meet him and if I like him, I’m going to make him the next president, and if I don’t like him, I’m going to change it. It’s easy for me to change. I can send Crow to check his background, but before that, I can bring him down by editing the probability. It is not hard to bury a person if I want to.’

I looked down the article and saw the ‘Edit’ skill at the bottom, and thought, ‘This skill is too powerful.

‘It’s really a different skill from the ones that have come out so far. Since I can edit the future myself, it is completely different from passively reading something and responding to it. Manipulating reality is nothing but an ability that is close to God. I have dreamed of becoming an emperor… with this, I’m a god.’

———————-

The time passed and it was 10:30. The alarm went off.

‘Well… shall I stop the wind with editing, and let it not snow. She must have been looking forward to it today. But I don’t know if the probability will allow it. In most cases, probability becomes magnanimous if time is far away. Just as it is certain to fall to the ground if a mobile phone in hand is released right now, there is a possibility that the wind and snow that the Korea Meteorological Administration did not expect at this time may be near the Korean Peninsula. Furthermore, to be honest, it’s a little bit too much to use a month’s skill for my wife’s one-day vacation. In fact, this ‘Edit’ skill, if I used it well, would be a skill worth a few billion dollars.

‘Yes, it’s a waste to use it to change the weather. I should persuade Ah-young to change her schedule.’

I picked up the phone and called my wife, “Honey.”

“Yes?”

“I think you’ll have to cancel taking your friends to Bukchon.”

“Why?”

“It’s going to be windy and snowy this afternoon. It will be the worst ever.”

“No way! The weather forecast for today is going to be nice.”

“As you know, the weather forecast is often wrong. From the information I just received, that forecast is wrong.”

“Really?”

“Yes. It’s hot news from the Daewon Daily News. The traffic is going to be confused because of the snow today. Just hang out in Gangnam. I’ll change you to a better hotel here. Go to Bukchon after the weather clears up tomorrow.”

“Hmm…” My wife was worried for a moment, but she soon followed my words. “Okay, no problem.” She knew from experience that I was more often right than the weather forecast.

“Then, switch to a Gangnam Tour today and play here. I might be able to show my face to your friends when I have time.”

“Yes.”

After completing the conversation with Ah-young, I proceeded with the next item on the schedule.

“Let’s go, boss.”

“Yes.” I headed to the trading team, accompanied by Secretary Park and Lee.

——

“Boss, we welcome you!” About thirty people greeted me in unison as I entered.

“How have you all been?” I asked, waving my hands.

“We have been fine, sir!”

The trading team somehow was bright and cheerful. I thought it was because every word I said would end up with hundreds of thousands of dollars in rewards.

“Okay, let’s cut it short, and look at your accomplishments first.”

I reached out into the air. Director Park, who was in charge of the trading team, came running up and handed me a report. Watching it, I glanced at the trading crew and said, “You’re not doing very well this month, are you?”

As I said, I saw everyone was slightly intimidated. But in fact, I wasn’t disappointed, and I wasn’t angry, because I knew it was going to be like this. A month without great volatility was bound to yield less.

“It’s okay. You can make a lot of money next month. Anyway, I’ll give you the incentives I promised.”

At my words, some clenched their fists with a happy look, some cracked their lower lips with an angry look. That was good. ‘As the rewards are different depending on the results, people work hard.’

I set the agenda for next month. “We are going to buy oil next month. The target price is…” I pretended to be thinking for a moment. “About $84.50. Think of that as the highest price and buy it.”

I told them using the figures I had seen in the future news. After my instructions were given, the trading team nodded with a determined look. My soldiers would probably make quite a fortune next month.

After finishing my morning schedule like that, I came back to the president’s office. Instead of sitting in front of the computer, I looked out the window. Outside the window, it was starting to snow slowly, as I had seen on the news of 12 Hours After. It would be a little cold outside, but it was a beautiful view from here. I watched it for a moment with my arms crossed. Then I muttered to myself, “Everything is perfect…”

Chapter 192 - The Emperor Who Has Become God, Part II

‘As it has been, I like the forest of buildings. And I like to look down from that tall building even more.’

I looked outside again today from the top floor of the building, my arms folded. Today’s landscape was quite different from what I usually saw. Nearby, I could see a big park, and in the distance, a forest of large buildings bigger than Gangnam. I looked at it and thought, ‘Certainly the original is better.’

The nearby park was Central Park. What was far away was the forest of buildings in New York City where Spider-Man webslung through in the movie. The place where I was standing was the top floor suite of a five-star hotel built by Trump, the former president of the United States.

I thought, sipping champagne from a glass, ‘I’ll buy a vacation house near here to come and take a rest with Ah-young and Seo-hyun sometimes.’

I came to New York to attend SHH Electronics’ new product conference, but I wasn’t interested in the conference, because I knew the results in advance. The new hologram phone would have a tremendous impact on the market, and it would boost SHH Electronics into a leading player in the smartphone business. I would sit in the front seat and give them some applause.

I was rather more concerned about meeting with the American reporters after the conference. My name was now very well known in Korea, but not in America yet. My name needed to spread further, so it would appear frequently in the newspapers, and so I could expand my U.S. career.

Fortunately, the American journalists seemed very interested in me, too. The story of a man who was born into a poor family, and became the richest man in Korea and the owner of Korea’s largest investment company seemed to be drawing keen attention, even in the mainland of capitalism. As soon as I set up my U.S. schedule, the American press was in contact, trying to make an appointment with me.

‘Win-win is what this is.’ As I thought about it, I once again sipped some champagne and looked out of the window. But then, behind me, I saw a big, tall shadow. A big man had come into a hotel room reserved by me without making any sound with the door closed.

But I wasn’t surprised at all. It was Crow who had showed up. He had appeared with a thick document as usual.

I said, raising my glass slightly, “Leave the document there, and come here. Let’s have a drink. How about?”

Crow left the document he carried on the sofa as I said, and instead picked up a glass of champagne.

“If the CEO recommends it.”

I filled Crow’s glass with champagne which I had taken from the hotel bar. Even though I hadn’t seen the price, it was probably over $3,000. Then I said, tinking a glass with him, “Crow, you have a good job.”

“Don’t mention it.”

We drank to one another. The pungent carbonic acid, rich fruit scent, and a slight aroma of alcohol were fantastic.

I asked, pointing out the window with a glass of champagne. “The night view of New York is great. You were here last year, weren’t you?”

“No. It’s my first time in New York. I’ve only been back and forth in Washington a lot.”

“Ah… I see.”

Last year, when there was a nuclear war crisis, Crow traveled to and from the U.S. and China every month. However, he seemed to be new to New York, too.

I said, as if Central Park were my front yard. “This is New York City, the capital of the world.”

Crow looked at the night view of New York with his exotic eyes for a moment. “What a splendid sight…” He then added, “It’s very good that this place has not been burned to ashes.”

I smiled and nodded. Only Crow knew that I had known the end of the world in advance, and that I had stopped it. So when I talked to Crow, I felt free, since I had never told my wife that the end of the world was coming. I was slightly intoxicated and repeated the remark, “That’s a relief. Thank God.”

Crow said, filling my empty glass, “You’ve done a really big job.”

I laughed at his words. Crow was the only one who could congratulate me on my achievement.

“Well, I did it for myself and to save my wife and my daughter.”

Crow nodded and said as if he had just remembered. “Ah, by the way, Master Crow called to congratulate you.”

“The… the boss?”

“Yes, and he congratulates you on having power to compare with God.”

“Umm…”

Master Crow must have found out what abilities I had. I thought about the mysterious character, and said, “Please give him my thanks.’”

Crow drank all the remaining wine and said, “Yes, I will.”

Only after that did I approach the document he had brought.

Crow spoke on my back, “I hope this investigation will be helpful for your work.”

The words were based on ‘I apologize for not being helpful during a nuclear war.’

“Oh, don’t mind that. Crow, the information you brought wasn’t used to stop the nuclear war, but it really helped me. It’s true.”

Crow spoke in a rather light voice, “Then, I am glad.”

“Yes. Next month… I’ll see you in fifteen days.”

“Yes, Mr. CEO.”

After hearing the words, his presence disappeared. I lifted the document Crow had left behind and thought, ‘Even when I have God’s power now, Crow is still very useful.’

—————-

“Mr. Han, Mr. Han.” Ignoring the microphones of the flocking reporters, I calmed them down and took a seat. Then, I gave some reporters a chance to ask questions.

“How would you rate this conference?”

I answered deliberately using automated voice recognition translations for the next generation of cell phones from SHH Electronics. When I spoke in Korean, the voice came out in English immediately and clearly.

“It’s very satisfying. SHH’s next generation of mobile phones will lead the next generation of mobile phones with powerful holographic capabilities.”

“How is your relationship with President Maverick Turner?”

“I have a hundred percent confidence in President Turner. As you’ve all seen today, he sometimes looks like Steve Jobs’ reincarnation… Steve Jobs with a lot of hair.”

At my words, some reporters burst out laughing.

“Do you intend to increase your investment in the United States?”

“Of course. If you’ve seen this conference, you’ve foreseen the tremendous growth of SHH in the United States. So have I. I am going to increase SHH Group’s investment in the U.S., and I will personally invest in a U.S. company, too.”

When I talked about my personal investments, the eyes of the reporters were wide. Whether it was in Korea or in USA, news of money coming in was something to write home about.

“Can you tell me which company it is?”

I said with a smile, “That, of course, difficult.”

“Please, give me some least hints.”

I hinted at the reporters, making them as curious as possible. “You’ll find out about it before long.”

But in the meantime, there was a reporter who asked me a serious question.

“Mr. CEO, you are known to be close to Maverick Turner’s brother, William Turner. There’s a saying that you intend to use him in the U.S. government as a lobbyist. What do you think about it?”

I looked at the reporter who asked the question. ‘What is this guy, a political journalist mixed up?’

A little misrepresentation might harm me or the Turner brothers. I answered moderately, “No. I just talked to the senator of New York because I was trying to invest in New York.”

“Are you serious? You’re going to have dinner together tonight.”

‘Where did he get that information?’

I looked at the microphone held by the reporter as I thought about it. It said ‘BNC Media.’

‘BNC…’ I memorized it and told him, “Yes. I’ve been invited to join them. I am sorry if I got clumsily caught up in their family dinner.”

The reporter wanted to ask me something more, but another reporter stepped in. “Mr. CEO, the FutureSink you sold to Amazon is now valued at five billion dollars. Do you have any regrets that you sold it at too low a price?”

I went over to that question easily. “No. With the money I earned at the time, I made dozens of times more by investing in China. The deal was good for Amazon and me, too. It was a win-win deal.”

—————

After the press conference, I spoke to Secretary Lee who was following me. “Secretary Lee.”

“Yes.”

“This the first time I’ve heard of BNC Media, either small or new. Find out about the company’s stake here.”

“Yes, boss.”

Today’s question had the potential to be a problem with my future course of action. I intended to forestall it.

‘First, I will press it with money, and if I can’t finish it… I will edit it…’

That evening, I had dinner with Maverick Turner and William Turner, as the BNC Media reporter had asked about.

“So what kind of person is the new president, Edward Pittman?”

“In a way, he’s more aggressive than Trump. President Trump used to exaggerate all the time, but he was much more cautious about what he did. But on the other hand, President Pittman is normally a placid man, but sometimes he does something drastic.”

“Well… I see.”

Now it was March 2025. Originally, it would have been the aftermath of a nuclear war. It meant that former President Trump was a problem, but now President Pittman was responsible.

I used some negative expressions, “I think President Pittman is a little bit dangerous about the matter of China…”

William Turner seemed to think the same way, as well. “Yes, I think so, too. It’s good to pressure China, but he goes too far. I think it’s better to ease military tensions.”

I looked at him. It was my third meeting with him so far, and he was prudent, bright and above all, kind. It was a quality not seen in the previous and current U.S. presidents.

I said with my hands together for a moment, “President Turner, could you leave us for a moment? And you too, Secretary Lee.”

At my words, President Maverick Turner and Secretary Lee left the room.

I spoke to Senator William Turner, using that simultaneous interpretation app, “Senator Turner, I hope you will listen to me carefully and think about it.”

As I made them leave and said that, Senator William Turner looked at me with a slightly nervous look. “What… what do you want to say?”

I told him what I really thought, “Somehow, I think… you should be aiming for the next presidential election.”

“Pardon me?” Senator William Turner was not only half surprised. It was that kind of response, ‘I had that idea, too, but I didn’t expect it to come out of your mouth.’

I took out the document I had prepared and handed it to him. t was the political weaknesses of the current U.S. president, whom Crow had investigated. As soon as he received the document, which would make it impossible for President Pittman to be re-elected, he grasped at a glance the importance of what was written there.

“It’s…”

I hinted to him. “How about it? Why don’t you try it with me?”

Senator William Turner spoke in a rather cautious voice, “But the presidential election is four years away…”

I said, holding hands together, “It is because we have four years left that I’m telling you.”

In four years, there would be plenty of time to satisfy the probabilities in “Edit.”

I spoke to him in a firm voice, “Senator Turner, please become President of the United States in four years. I will help you.”

Chapter 193 - The Emperor Who Has Become God, Part III

Lifting Seo-hyun, I said, “Seo-hyun, papa.”

Seo-hyun copied me, moving her cute cheeks. “Paba!”

I replied with a big smile on my face, “Yes, Seo-hyun. Papa.”

“Paba!”

I lifted Seo-hyun a couple of times and laughed, “Oh, yeah, you’re good. My daughter.”

My wife, who was watching, asked me, “Oppa, what would you like to call our second child?”

I looked at my wife with Seo-hyun in my arms. “Well?” And after thinking for a moment, I turned my head again and asked Seo-hyun, “Seohyun, what should I name your brother?”

Seo-hyun looked at me and said, “Pa ba..”

I smiled and said, touching Seo-hyun’s cheek, “No, not me, your brother’s name.”

My wife was in her second pregnancy. Ah-young’s gynecologist advised us to buy a nice robot toy for the child this time. It was a boy.

“Well, how’s Se-hyun? Han Se-hyun.”

“Seo-hyun and then Se-hyun?”

“Yes.”

“It’s not bad. By the way, oppa, why do you have to name them after SHH?”

In fact, that secret was hidden in Seo-hyun’s name. Seo-hyun Han. SHH, the initial name was the same as mine. It was a long-term arrangement for Seo-hyun and her soon-to-be-born brother. Even if the SHH Group was inherited, its owner’s initials would be the same.

“Won’t that be good in the long run?”

“Why? Are you trying to get our kids to run a company?”

“… if they want.”

As I had said during Doljabi, I was going to let my children do whatever they wanted to do. I would let them study if they would want to, I would let them do art if they would want to, and I would let them be athletes if they wanted to.

‘Doing what they want to do is the source of happiness.

‘However, in Korea, the sons and daughters of a chaebol often run them after their parents. It may not be in foreign countries, but a professional management system has not yet been established in our country. I think it would be a little difficult to leave my billion dollars to someone else. So, it’s practical to assume that Seo-hyun and the second in the womb will manage our company. Then, it may be helpful in many ways later to set the same initials.’

“… if you think like that, do it. Se-hyun is also a good name,” my wife agreed with me.

I looked at Seo-hyun and said, “Seo-hyun. Your younger brother’s name is Se-hyun.”

Whatever I said, Seo-hyun reached out and grabbed my nose. “Paba!”

That lovely look gave me a big smile. In the old days, my mother and father used to say, ‘You should have your own child to understand a parents’ feelings.’ I was getting to know their mind these days.

‘I could do anything for Seo-hyun and Se-hyun, even at the expense of everything I have.’

I looked at Seo-hyun and thought, ‘Whatever you do or run our company, I need to make the three letters, SHH, famous. That’s the only way to see the future.

‘I should make their names, Han Seo-hyun and Han Se-hyun, appear in the news. Of course, they may still appear as “a daughter of Han Sang-hoon” or “a son of Han Sang-hoon,” but that’s not enough. Only when their names are in the news, will I be able to get the news right through People Search. That way, I can take care of my children’s future.’

I kissed my daughter on the forehead, thinking, ‘Seo-hyun, whatever you do, grow up healthy. I’ll protect you for the rest of my life.’

But then, my daughter made a weird smell.

“Oh, my princess. You pooed!”

I laid Seo-hyun down carefully, and got ready to change her diaper. But my wife stepped forward and said, “I’ll do it, oppa. Aren’t you going to work today, anyway?”

I looked at the clock. It was 8:35. I was definitely late. Even if I was going down in a hurry now, I would arrive just in the fiftieth minute when the future news would come. In fact, I didn’t have to go to work, and I could see it in my study. I thought for a moment whether I should go to work or not.

‘Well… ah… I am supposed to get a job report from Secretary Lee.’

In the meantime, my wife took over Seo-hyun from me. She took off her diaper like lightning, and changed in her new diaper. I’d tried it myself, but I couldn’t keep up with my wife. Watching her, I stood up from the seat. I would have loved to stay more with my daughter, but I had a lot of work to do.

——————-

I sat in the president’s office and looked at the monitor. As always, from 12 Hours After to 12 Years After, there were five emails.

‘Let’s see…’

These days, I read the mail more carefully. Besides reading and interpreting information, I had to see if there was anything else to edit.

‘Well… there’s nothing to edit?’

Now I had three big goals. The first was to gain power that reached even the United States and China. The nuclear war was blocked by my efforts, but the tension between the two superpowers was constantly a problem for our country. America’s fight to keep the world’s power, and China’s desire to become a new power, was really the matter of the twenty-first century, and the brief pause did not end the conflict.

Starting with the project to make the next president of William Turner, I was going to extend my reach to the United States and China and increase my influence. It would be almost impossible to make them puppets like our president, but with the right level of influence plus the “Edit” function, it would be enough to play with them.

‘When I get the American news, I’m going to search for the current U.S. president and William Turner.’

My second goal was the unification of our country.

‘As we know from the history of the late Joseon Dynasty, no matter how hard we try to solve the problem through diplomacy, the problem is not solved if a nation has no power. In order to have the right to speak in international politics, Korea must have a strong national power, equivalent to the U.S., China, Russia, and Japan.

‘And that’s not done with just our current half-country, South Korea. Only when we achieve peaceful reunification through exchanges with North Korea will we have the power to confront other countries with dignity by growing our population, defense, and economic power.

‘The search term must be the name of the president of our country, and the North’s leader.

‘Fortunately, there’s a lot of news for the two. I will choose the news and lead our country along the path of reunification. It’s not a normal job, so it’ll take about ten years. Before that, the first goal of taking power in the U.S. and China should be preeminent.

‘It’s not easy, but… it’ll mean something.’

The third and last goal was to achieve the final grade, P Class. I was actually content with the strength I had now: the level of money unrivaled in the country, a personal connection with the president, the power to receive the future news and manipulate events, and even the perfect spy to dig up everything that had happened in the past.

There was little I couldn’t do now. The power was so close to God. However, there was still a yearning for the next class. The last grade, the last force, whatever it was, I wanted to have it, even if I didn’t need more power.

‘Next class is P… If I could get it, I’d probably…

‘The method to get the next grade is money. I can make money just like I used to. As I make money, the asset value of Invictus Investment will grow, and as soon as I meet the rating conditions, I will naturally get it. Right now, I’m a complete expert in making money. It’s not only possible to decode future news, but also manipulate it.

‘The next goal is to make four trillion dollars. Amazon in the U.S. is worth about two trillion dollars, so twice that. It is like saying that I will have the largest company in the world, but it’s not that hard for me. Whatever I do, I know the future twelve years from now. Making money is now a matter of me going to the place where the treasure chest is buried and taking it out. It takes only a little time, not a difficult task at all.

‘It will naturally be done if I run a company. Sometimes, if I touch an article, and if I have a jackpot, it’ll happen a little faster.

‘It’s actually going to take more time than the two preceding things. Since day one, I’ve had money, so I can do anything. If I achieve the first and second goals, it will be accelerated. The expansion of influence in the U.S. and China will almost certainly lead to an increase in my earnings. Unification with North Korea is a factor that could cause a boom in the nation’s stock market.

‘If reunified, the war crisis, which will never happen as long as I am around, will be eliminated completely, eliminating the traditional Korea discount, and the domestic market will nearly double rapidly. For example, my subsidiaries, Changhae Food and Songhae Brewing, will have a huge market for dumplings and makgeolli. Though unification will be a shock in the short term, foreign investors will come to a unified Korea, which combines cheap labor from North Korea with excellent South Korean technology.

Jim Rogers, a legend in the investment world, used to say repeatedly “If I could invest only in North Korea, I would invest all my assets.”

I thought, half lying in the chair in the president’s office, ‘Then, let’s edit the news on the U.S. side this month. The starting point is here, right?’

While I was thinking about it, the telephone rang. I answered it and heard Secretary Park’s voice over the phone. “Boss, Secretary Seo… No, Seo Ji-hoon is here.”

“He is here already?”

Today’s meeting was scheduled, but he came twenty minutes earlier than the appointed time. Park spoke in a rather playful way.

“Shall I have him wait outside?”

“No, tell him to come in.”

Ji-hoon came in quickly. He was slightly thinner than usual, and I could clearly feel the energy of his overwork.

“How are you, boss?”

“I am good. You have something to ask for your work, right?”

“Nothing but… this big data-driven app.”

“I heard it’s all developed.”

“Yes, but I think I’ll need some data. I was wondering if you could help me a little.”

“Hmm… What kind of data do you need?”

“Any data is fine if I can make money. Our app can generate algorithms on its own with just about any data.”

“Really? Um…”

I thought for a moment, about the articles I had seen in the news of 12 Years After. Within three to four years, the “big data-based medical industry” would grow, and large companies would be born there. Maybe I could grow Ji-hoon’s company like that.

“How’s the medical industry?”

“It’s good. It’s even better on the DNA side.”

“Is that so? Then, there’s a cancer clinic that I regularly sponsor. I’ll put you through to the clinic. That’s enough, right?”

Ji-hoon answered in a happy voice. “That’s good, boss! That would be great!”

His words gave me a good laugh. If he liked it, so did I. Our company had a 51% stake in his company.

Chapter 194 - The Emperor Who Has Become God, Part IV

“They’re ready. Let’s go, boss.”

I followed Secretary Park with a nod. President Kwon Oh-hyuk of OH Entertainment followed me. He seemed nervous, as I looked at him still fiddling around with his tie. I said, lightly putting my hand on his shoulder. “Don’t be too nervous, President Kwon. All you have to do is smile and talk about work.”

“Ah, yes.”

Passing through a few red pillars and pushing through a door bearing two golden dragons, a neat-looking middle-aged man was standing before us. He opened his arms and told me something in fast, high Chinese. “… Han Shèzhǎng.”

What I understood was the last word, ‘Han Shèzhǎng’ which I had been often called in China. I could make a rough estimate of what it meant, without having to listen to the interpretation of Secretary Lee.

I responded to him in the Chinese that I had practiced this morning. “Rènshí nǐmen hěn gāoxìng.” It meant, ‘Nice to meet you.’

He shook hands with me and offered me a seat opposite him. The person facing me was Longjingquan, the Shanghai Party Secretary. He was a promising politician who had grasped Shanghai’s power at a young age. Shanghai was capitalistic enough to be called the economic capital of China, so he was the best target for me to gain a foothold into Chinese politics.

“Rènshí nǐmen hěn gāoxìng.” He greeted me and Kwon with a smile, as our side was the one holding the money.

‘Although not official, the Chinese Communist Party usually divides into three factions: the Communist Youth League of China run by Hu Jintao; the current leader Xi Jinping’s fellow Princelings, the Crown Prince Party; and Jiang Zemin’s Shanghai Clique. With Xi Jinping’s prolonged rule, the power of the Communist Youth League of China and Shanghai Clique was greatly reduced, but the financial crisis recently helped them to rise again.’

I was thinking of keeping China’s nationalist hardliners in check by pushing this Shanghai Clique. In this way, I would benefit the economy and reduce the security threat to our country. Since Longjingquan was the next leading figure in the Shanghai Clique, just working with him and enhancing his stature would help me achieve my goal. To him, I, who was the richest man in Korea, and the owner of a 1.2 trillion dollar investment company, would be also helpful. He seemed to be well aware of that, too.

I spoke to him through Secretary Lee, “There’s a saying that the ground hardens after the rain. There have been tough times in recent years, but I think China’s economy is going to get back on its feet.”

I was a little sorry that I was saying such a thing, but I was serious about it. China was still a country with 1.4 billion people and great potential, although it had been hit hard by the U.S. for its rapid growth.

Secretary Lee conveyed the words of Longjingquan, the Shanghai Party Secretary. “In the process, I hope President Han, Korea`s richest man, will help us a lot.”

“Of course. Ah… Before I start talking about business, I have a present from Korea. Please take it.”

I looked at Secretary Park as Secretary Lee continued the words I had prepared. Secretary Park brought him the gift box he was carrying. Inside it was a Goryeo celadon-style teacup and kettle set. The teacup had a crane on it, and the kettle was shaped like a turtle. The color had the unique jade color of Goryeo celadon.

“I have heard that the Chinese like tea, so I prepared it.”

The teacup of the Goryeo celadon seemed a little different to his eyes, who had seen so many high-end goods as a power of the Communist Party.

“Oh, yes.” He looked at the teacup with a grin, and opened the turtle’s back. His eyes widened slightly. He looked at me and said, “They’re so beautiful in color. Thank you, President Han.”

I thought as I listened to him, ‘He is a person who has come all the way up here, avoiding the checks of the Princelings of the Crown Prince Party.’

There was a USB in the turtle he just saw, which had the information Crow had gathered, needed for him to rise higher in the Communist Party. It wasn’t my preferred way of doing things, but it was essential in China, where the state media was still powerful and freedom of speech was not high.

I replied, “The turtle is a symbol of longevity, isn’t it? I think… If you drink tea from this kettle, you’ll live longer.”

He seemed to have understood my message 100%. “Thank you for the precious gift. Let’s take the tea from this kettle and drink it today.”

At his thin smile, I recalled Senator William Turner on the other side of the world.

‘Most people who have come up to this position have similar aspects. Their background, personality and appearances are different, but there is a strong desire for power. I give a sword to a man of ambition, and he will brandish it himself. And then, gradually, he will be subordinate to me.’

I moved on to the next item on the agenda, as if nothing had happened. “Then let’s talk about the opening of the hundredth View Box. President Kwon of OH Entertainment, who’s sitting next to me, will explain the event.”

——————–

My first goal, my power expansion in the U.S. and China, went ahead as scheduled. If I tracked Senator William Turner in the U.S. news and Longjingquan in the Chinese news, I could easily see their progress. There was no immediate news of them taking office as the U.S. president or as premier of China, but they would soon be if I worked on it.

‘It’s only a matter of time before I get power in the two countries. It means that I will become a world power, beyond Korea. What I want will happen, and what I don’t want won’t happen.’

I then turned toward the second goal: peaceful reunification with North Korea.

North Korea wanted to keep its economy open, although there were complicated problems that could not be compromised with South Korea, such as communism, and a hereditary succession. It was moving slightly from pro-China to pro-U.S., with a long period of U.S. economic sanctions and looking at the financial crisis of its ally, China. Ideology used to be important in the past, but as times changed, economic power became more important.

‘In any case, the fate of South and North Korea are similar. It’s something the superpowers are aware of. Historically, the situation on the Korean Peninsula is always the same.’

In the old Joseon dynasty and the Gwanghaegun era, it was a matter of choice between the Qing dynasty and the Ming dynasty; at the end of the Joseon dynasty, it was between the Qing dynasty and Japan; during the liberation period it was between the USA and USSR, and now it was between USA and China.

‘In order to avoid this constant conflict, the Korean people have no choice but to be strong themselves. That can never be done in an environment where South Korea and North Korea antagonize one another. How can the nation become stronger when it is pouring tens of billions of dollars into the 38th Parallel, and it is difficult to exert all its energy out of the sea? The reality is that we cannot overpower even Japan, let alone the U.S., China, or Russia.’

I was busy trying to break this point.

————-

“What about it, boss?”

I pushed the pad I was holding forward, and said, “It’s good just in this way concerning economic cooperation.”

Chung So-young, the president of Oracle News, ruffled her bobbed hair and focused on the part I pointed at. “I see.”

“There was a coercive statement urging large companies to participate, but they’ve changed a little bit, right?”

What had I pointed out was an editorial in Oracle News, which I’d drafted, and a professional reporter had edited a little. Before publishing, the article needed to be passed over by me for final approval, and then it would be placed on the Internet. When President Joo Sung-won saw this, he would base his policy with this.

“Ah, yes. It had a little strong expression, and I was afraid that it would be against the friendly readers from the big corporations. I toned it down a bit. Should I change it back to the original?”

“Yes. Let’s go to the original.”

“Yes. I’ll do as you say.” Chung So-young bowed her head and started to leave.

I looked at her back and told her, “President Chung.”

She looked back at me. I added, “Don’t consider the big companies too much. Our company is the largest.”

Chung once again bowed her head to me. “Ah yes, boss.”

——

After Chung went outside, I picked up the phone and called Secretary Park.

“Yes, boss?”

“I think I’ll have the meeting today after a long time.”

“The meeting?”

“You know the meeting, right?”

“Ah, yes, I see. I will tell the executives of each company.”

“Yes, please. The date is…” I looked at the calendar and said the date I wanted. “We’d better do it next Thursday. The place is… Let’s go to the hotel lounge like last time. It was comfortable and nice.”

“Yes, sir.”

The meeting was none other than what had been previously called the Garden Royale. I didn’t bother to call it by that name now, but the people attending were the same. They were the third and fourth generation of big corporations, except for one person, Tak Mun-su. Ever since Tak Mun-su had been arrested and sentenced to twenty years in prison, I hadn’t heard any word from the meeting again, but when our company’s market capitalization exceeded a trillion dollars, I started calling them back. I wanted them to cooperate with what I wanted to do. In the past they used to treat me as a newly rich man, but now I was really rich, and they were just so-so.

The purpose of the meeting was simple. As I wrote in my editorial, I was going to encourage them to invest in North Korea. Pulling the president in using an editorial, pushing big business owners in meetings, and doing so, everything would go as I planned, and as I wished.

Having sent President Chung and Secretary Park to work separately, I checked the remaining schedule. I was finished for today.

‘Shall I go home then?’ I got up from my seat. These days, I often went home as early as possible after work, since I missed my daughter and son. Four-year-old Seo-hyun, who had just started to speak, and one-year-old Se-hyun, who just passed Doljabi, were the center of my life. I simply packed my bag and headed for the door.

“Where are you going?” The two secretaries outside got up from their seats.

I sent them down with my hands and said, “Home. I’m going home.”

“Yes, boss.”

Leaving my two secretaries, I stood in front of the elevator and pressed the up button. Soon the elevator arrived, and I got in and pressed the penthouse floor where my family was waiting.

I had served as the leading investor in the global economy, the secret power that drove global politics, and as the owner of a company with thousands of employees… but my favorite position was right there, the father of Seo-hyun and Se-hyun.

“Penthouse.” At the same time as the mechanical voice spoke, the door opened and the voice of my daughter Seo-hyun chimed out, “Wow, it’s Dad!”

I caught my daughter, who was running at me extremely fast. “You will be hurt. Slow down!”

From within came my wife with Se-hyun. Thanks to her natural beauty, she was still pretty and lovely.

“You left work early.”

I hugged Seo-hyun and looked at Se-hyun, who was being held by my wife. While earning a few trillions of dollars, sometimes I had a scream-pleasing moment of pleasure, but I didn’t think there was a happier time than when I was with my family at home.

Chapter 195 - A Miracle Is Needed

I wore a tie and put on a jacket. After looking in the mirror, I left the dressing room, went through the living room, into the children’s room. There were Seo-hyun sleeping like an angel, Se-hyun, and my wife taking care of the children. I looked at them for a moment. As my wife felt my presence, she turned her head, and spoke in a small voice so as not to wake the children.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes. How about Se-hyun?” I saw Se-hyun lying on the bed. He was just three years old, but last night he had been crying without sleeping, so my wife and I had a hard time taking care of him.

“Well, now, he is sleeping well… If he does it again today, I’ll take him to the hospital.”

“Yes.”

“What about breakfast?”

“Never mind. I’ll go down and get some food.”

“I’m sorry. Today is an important day, but I can’t do anything for you…”

I shook my head. My wife and I were the ones who couldn’t sleep last night because of Se-hyun. “No, I’m sorry. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

My wife smiled at my words and said, “Can you do what you want?”

“Of course. I can do everything I want.”

‘Usually, these words are an expression of self-confidence when someone else says them, but they have a slightly different meaning when I say them. I really don’t have anything that doesn’t work out my way.’

“I’ll be back,” I said goodbye to my wife and left the children’s room. As I came to the front door through the living room, there was my collection of car keys. I bought this and that, and now there were about twelve of them, but it was very small compared to my wealth.

‘Today, I’m going to have to go with a more solemn concept, right?’

I picked up the Rolls-Royce key, with the two capital R’s overlapping, and headed for the first basement floor. My two secretaries were waiting for me in the parking lot there.

“Are you here, boss?”

I threw the Rolls-Royce key I had brought to Secretary Park and said, “Yes. Let’s go.”

After checking the key’s logo he had received from me, Secretary Park ran to the Rolls Royce’s driver’s seat. Secretary Lee also followed him to the back seat of the car.

Getting in the back seat, I said, “Let’s go!”

Engine purring, the Rolls-Royce left the Invictus building and sped down the boulevard through Gangnam. While Park was driving, I asked Secretary Lee, “So, how many people are attending the meeting?”

Secretary Lee looked into her tablet and said, “They’re almost all there. First of all, all of our executives are present. All the representatives of the subsidiaries are here, and some high-ranking officials from overseas branches are here to attend today’s meeting.”

“Yes, they should not miss it today.”

Today was the relaunch day of Invictus Investment. Over the years, I had been making money at a tremendous rate and buying back companies from the United States, China, Japan, and Europe, which had led to a huge increase in the number of subsidiaries, many beyond my control. So, I had decided to divide the companies according to Vice President Jang’s recommendations.

The business part would be divided into an investment firm and turned into a subsidiary, with Vice President Jang taking control, and I would become the chairman of Invictus Investment Holdings as the company’s owner, managing the subsidiaries as a whole.

Not long after Park started, we could see the company building with the ‘Invictus’ logo embedded in the building.

For the second Invictus building, I set up a separate business here for Vice President Jang, who had long devoted himself to the company.

———————-

There was a large crowd of people in the hall. I pushed my way through them and greeted the hero of the day. “Congratulations, President Jang!” It was a bit awkward to call my former vice president a president!

“Thank you, Mr. Chairman.”

I also felt awkward to hear him call me Chairman. “I’m sure you’ll do well in the future.”

He bowed his grayed head, shaking my hand. “I’ll do my best. Please watch.”

After greeting President Jang, I proceeded along the event hall with my two secretaries. Everywhere I went, people came up to me and bowed their heads. “How have you been, Mr. Chairman?”

This might seem a little servile, but in fact they were some of the best people in their fields. In their companies, everyone was ruling as a boss. They just bowed their heads because I was the emperor. That meant they were as good as kings and empresses.

As I greeted them, I engraved their names and faces in my mind. I regularly scanned for people using People Search, but I didn’t know what was inside them. Sometimes only when the kings of the subsidiaries were called in and I was greeted like this would the empire would be maintained, though some kings did not need such a loyalty process.

“Big brother, congratulations on becoming the Chairman.”

I looked at Seo with my arms crossed, and said, “I also congratulate you on becoming the president of a listed company!”

“It’s all thanks to you.”

Ji-hoon, who had been my secretary, was now the respectable president of a KOSDAQ-listed company, thanks to his efforts and my help. The stake of the company was divided into seven of me and three of him. He had tried his best, but it had still been a difficult situation to succeed in with only that, so I had helped him some more.

For his business, I had arranged a hospital for data, wrote editorials to revolutionize regulations, and put more investment in at the right times. Of course, I got my money back out of his company when his company went public. The promise I had made to him in the past, “If you’re with me, you will ride a Porsche,” was completed hundreds of times over. With a thirty percent stake in the company, he could now buy more than a hundred Porsches. I’d had a few trillions of dollars by special fate, but he had also gained a special fate since he had been close to me in college.

I patted Seo on the shoulder and said, “Don’t be satisfied here, and work harder. Half of the money that you got from the IPO is ants’ money. You have to take responsibility and work hard for other people’s money. Don’t think about flirting with that, or when the stock price goes down, you will be blamed.”

“Don’t worry about that, big brother. I’ll work hard!”

After that, Kwon Oh-hyuk, president of OH Entertainment, came up to me and greeted me, “Mr. Chairman, congratulations!”

I was very happy when I saw him. “Ah, President Kwon. How are you these days? It’s not easy to raise your kid, is it?”

“Haha, that’s right! However, it’s worth raising her, because she is so pretty!”

He had recently married actress Oh Hyun-joo, despite being in his mid-forties. Oh Hyun-joo’s fans were a little shocked that she had chosen a fat-bellied man without hair as her husband, but as Oh Hyun-joo stepped up directly and said, “This man loves me most, and he helps me a lot with my work,” it was received warmly after the announcement.

These two were kings, too, but they were among the more special kings. Compared to SHH Electronics and SHH Construction, their market capital was not that big, but he was treated better within the group for being a member of the company’s early days and for being closer to me. After all, they were the founding fathers of my empire.

Towards the end of the meeting, Maverick Turner of SHH Electronics also said hello. “Mr. Chairman, congratulations!” In his fourth year in Korea, he now knew how to speak Korean quite well.

I replied to him, “How was your business trip to the U.S.? Did you see your brother?”

“My brother told me to say hello to you.”

His brother, Senator William Turner, was gradually gaining ground as the next presidential candidate in the United States, so I could ‘edit’ him in the next one. The more his presence grew, the higher and closer his probability came to 50%.

Shaking the current U.S. President two or three times over a scandal would build up enough possibility before the next presidential election. The U.S. President would be also made by me. There was no need to mention the benefits from that.

“But when I went to the U.S. this time, I heard something funny.”

“What?”

“On Wall Street, there is a rumor that you are going to take over Apple to create synergy with our company.”

Apple, which had enjoyed the best of the 2010s, had been struggling in the 2020s. Since Steve Jobs’ death, there had been no real innovation, but the biggest factor had been our company, SHH Electronics. It was not surprising. Apple predicted the future, but I looked at the future. They could not be a match for me.

Mr. Turner asked me, “I thought it was just a rumor… but it’s true that Apple has been looking for another owner these days, so I thought it might be possible. What’s the truth, Mr. Chairman?”

Instead of answering his question, I asked him something else, “The total market capital of Apple is… 1.4 trillion dollars, right?”

“Yes, it’s about 1.46 trillion dollars. It came down a lot.”

‘1.46 trillion dollars…’ I thought about that amount for a moment. Currently, the total market capital of the affiliates I owned was 3.6 trillion dollars, and if I used the cash I had to buy Apple, the total value of the companies under my command would be over five trillion dollars. That meant I could reach the last P Class in a single moment.

“Why would I have to buy Apple? At this rate, it’s only a matter of time before SHH takes over the market.”

Apple was a company that would only get cheaper over time. I didn’t have to buy it now.

President Turner nodded and said, “I see, Mr. Chairman.”

President Jang, who was today’s main character as well as one of the founding figures, grabbed the microphone and said, “Thank you, distinguished guests here today.”

I listened in anticipation of what he would say. But then, Secretary Park looked for me, “Mr. Chairman.”

I looked at him with a slight frown. He was interrupting me at this important moment!

“I got a call from your wife.”

“What?”

“Well, I think you should take it yourself.”

I got a cell phone from him, and I heard my wife’s voice, “Oppa, Se-hyun…”

At the few words of my wife, I was frozen, but I soon came to my senses. I said to Secretary Park, “Let’s get out here. Drive.”

———————–

A university hospital near my house…

A doctor in a white gown stuttered and said, “Mr. Chairman… So… It’s…” He looked very nervous.

“Just tell me the point.”

He swallowed once, and said, “It’s a pediatric brain tumor.”

I asked, covering my crying wife’s shoulders, “So, is it curable?”

“He needs to have surgery as soon as possible. But his tumor is growing in a dangerous place. It won’t easy…” The doctor blurred the last word.

I pressed him, “What’s the level of difficulty?”

But hopelessly, the doctor shook his head and said, “It won’t be easy… It’s almost a miracle for a baby to come back from the surgery without side effects…”

It was a task that needed a miracle. That meant there was a near zero percent probability. I was mesmerized, even touching my wife’s shoulders.

Chapter 196 - The Last Class

“What’s wrong?” My parents came to the hospital that night. I went out of the room for a while after leaving my nearly exhausted wife Ah-young to them. I thought I could clear my mind if I got a little fresh air. While I was walking the hallways, a nurse greeted me, “Mr. Chairman, hello?”

I bowed my head and received her greeting. She asked me in a bright voice, obviously not knowing the situation. “What brings you here today? There’s no charity event.”

“… it’s personal.”

I answered roughly like that, and then got out of the hospital. I had a lot of mixed emotions. I’d spent tens of millions of dollars on the Rare Cancer Foundation, but my son had that rare cancer. I looked at the sky and thought, ‘If there is a God, answer me. I didn’t ask for anything, but I’ve been working hard to split the time and the money. It’s not too much to give it back like this.’

However, there was no reply at all. I dropped my head. But I soon raised my head with my fist clenched. It was no use blaming God. I had to come to my senses. No matter how hard I thought about it, I was the only one who could solve this problem.

‘Han Sang-hoon, let’s think about what I can do now.’ I thought of my abilities once more. ‘If I call in reporters right away and have them write an article about my child, my son’s name will appear in the future news.

‘Somehow, if I edit it there…’

However, I was not sure if the probability would be supported. Se-hyun’s brain tumor was malignant and it not well positioned. Even if he had the surgery, his chances of survival would be very low.

‘There’s a very high probability of side effects. But once I edit it to something like “There are no side effects, and he managed to survive”… If I edit it that way, it might go up to 50%. I’ll have to try that for now. T

‘There is still a final grade left. When I get the next P class, there may be a way.’

I thought about the acquisition of Apple.

‘It’s not impossible to make a deal with all the remaining available money in our company. But the problem is, no matter how much Apple has fallen and is worth in the market, its market capital still exceeds a trillion dollars. Even if the money problem is solved, it will take at least a year to avoid the U.S. anti-trust laws. In a year, Se-hyun may not be alive. The same is true of companies other than Apple. It would be less burdensome to buy a small company, but it would still take months.

‘That’s not going to work… So the only way to do this is to…’

‘The only way is to inflate the value of the listed company now. In terms of our equity relationship, the parent company, Invictus Investment Holdings, is of course the highest. Of the total 3.6 trillion dollar value, it has 2.8 trillion dollars by itself, as it has not only cash, but also interests in non-listed companies in Korea and overseas.

I picked up my cell phone and tried to calculate things. The answer came soon.

‘If I temporarily raise our stock price by fifteen percent, it will work. But it is very difficult to raise our company’s stock price. It has already become the largest company in the world at 2.8 trillion dollars, and the price is very stable. No matter how great an earning surprise there is, it will only rise by three to four percent and will not move beyond that. It is natural since the market capital of our companies is more than fifty percent of the total amount of the Korean market. Even if the media were manipulated to raise its stock price, it would not move more than ten percent.’

‘Then, there’s only one way to go. Though there are some side effects, I have no choice but to use that method.’

——————–

The next day, with slightly bloodshot eyes, I called in Secretary Park and Lee first.

“Both of you, come inside.”

My two secretaries quickly came into the president’s office. I took out two pages of the document I had prepared. One was for the phone numbers of high-level officials at the nation’s banks, such as Duri Bank, Shinhyun Bank, and BK Bank, while the other was for the contact numbers of overseas banks such as City Bank, JPMorgan Chase, and Deutsche Bank. I handed over the domestic list to Park and the overseas list to Lee.

“Both of you, call each of the phone numbers you have received. Tell them I want to see the bank presidents myself as quickly as possible. It’s for a loan of billions of dollars.”

The two secretaries returned to their seats and began to work, as each instructed. The results came quickly.

“Mr. Chairman, Kim Ji-hoon, president of Duri Bank, wants to visit you in person.”

“Mr. Chairman, JPMorgan Chase will send the head of its Korean branch over this morning.”

It was a natural response. It was not a penny or two, but a chance to make money on billions of dollars. My plan was to buy back our company’s shares. It was a way to raise the market capital by repurchasing our company’s shares, which I had thought up a few years ago as a way to gain an “E” class. I could raise the price fifteen percent in a short period of time. After my purchase, the stock price would go back on track, but as I did so, it could break through four trillion dollars temporarily.

The reason I called in the bank presidents was to secure as much ammunition as possible. I had about three trillion dollars, but I only had about ten billion dollars in cash because I owned it all in stocks and real estate. It was an unimaginable amount to the public, but with just that, I couldn’t raise our company’s stock by 15%. Therefore, I was thinking of borrowing money using the stocks and real estate for collateral.

“The president of BK Bank asks when he can visit you.”

“The president of Deutsche Bank says he will send the vice president to Korea. If he gets on board now, he’ll arrive tomorrow. He’s asking if you can wait until then.”

This was going to be easy, as the bankers were impatient to lend me money. I called Lee Won-jae, the CEO of the Daewon Daily News, and arranged a meeting with him.

“It’s been a long time, CEO Lee.”

“Yes, boss. No, you’re the chairman now, aren’t you? Mr. Chairman, why did you call me?” He also did not seem to know much about my son.

I spoke in plain language, “My second child is now hospitalized at Gangnam Hospital with a malignant brain tumor.”

“What? A brain tumor? Oh, my God.”

When he was muddling his words, I said right away, “Please send some reporters to cover it.”

“Yes?” Lee Won-jae was quite surprised at my words.

I didn’t want my family to be on other people’s tongues, so I’d completely blocked them from being exposed to the media. Because of that, he just found out that Se-hyun had a brain tumor.

“Do not directly cover Se-hyun or my wife, so that they are not exposed to the media, but cover the person in charge of the hospital or the doctor. Let them announce that the son of the nation’s richest man has a brain tumor.”

“Yes… but why?”

I didn’t want to spend any time explaining it. “Please just do it. Okay?”

As I said it grimly, he answered, “Yes. I’ll do that today.”

“And one more job you have to do is…”

“Yes?”

“Please spread a rumor gently and modestly for investors to notice in three days.”

“What rumor?”

“Please spread a rumor that I’ve decided to buy back our company’s stock, and that I will buy back between thirty and a hundred billion dollars’ shares.”

“Oh, yes, I see.”

After I finished the phone call, I went on to call my wife Ah-young.

“Oppa? What?” Ah-young answered my call, clearly exhausted.

I spoke to her in a confident voice, “Ah-young, don’t worry too much. I’ll do everything.”

A few days later, news about Se-hyun began to emerge from the various media outlets, including the Daewon Daily News.

[Chairman Han Sang-hoon’s son is battling a brain tumor.]

[Bad luck for Han Sang-hoon, the luckiest man in the world.]

I searched for Han Se-hyun in People Search. Tragic news about my son came out. [CEO Han Sang-hoon’s son ends up dying during a brain tumor operation.] However, I took it in and played scissors with the Edit skill.

[Han Se-hyun, the son of CEO Han Sang-hoon, eventually died after surgery for a brain tumor. CEO Han Sang-hoon, who has usually made a large donation to the Childhood Cancer Foundation…]

I quickly began editing it in the direction I wanted, [Han Se-hyun, the son of CEO Han Sang-hoon, has revived dramatically after surgery for a brain tumor. Surgeons saved Han Se-hyun’s life by performing a clean operation on a dangerous tumor, amazingly without any aftereffects.]

However, the probability was six percent. I revised the article again, [Surgeons managed to save Han Se-hyun’s life.]

The probability rate to succeed while leaving behind the aftereffects was twenty-three percent. This was far short of fifty percent. It couldn’t be edited. No, before being edited, the possibility was too low. ‘Is the surgery’s success rate this low?’ I was desperate.

I finally decided to try the second method.

‘After achieving the final grade… if not, when the chances are high that the surgeon will be able to make the most of his life, I will make this edit. That would be the best way. Even if Se-hyun is more likely to die.’

———————

A week had passed since Se-hyun had been diagnosed with a brain tumor. He had stayed in the hospital room.

After my wife heard the doctor’s advice to operate as soon as possible, she told me, “Let’s set the date of the operation as soon as possible.’

However, I dissuaded her saying, “Let’s put it off for a week.”

My wife, who had never objected to my opinion, couldn’t agree with it this time. “What the hell? We have to do it as fast as we can, so there’s a better chance of a successful surgery.”

It was natural since our son’s life was at stake. But I still put off the surgery by a week if I were to pin my hopes on the last grade. In the meantime, the loans had been executed. I had President Jang’s team buy back our company’s shares from my personal window as soon as the money came in, an amount in the billions of dollars.

A company with a market capital of 3.8 trillion dollars had begun to move at my direction. One percent, two percent, three percent, the fact that our company’s share price rose three percent meant that the total value rose nearly a hundred billion dollars, similar to when the former Suyeon Group back then.

– What’s this? Why is the Invictus Investment so high?-

– Isn’t there something hidden in there?-

People reacted like that, but there wasn’t any really good news.

However, it had just risen by force for my goal. The next day, it also went up three percent. Now, people were starting to think about it, ‘Let’s buy it; they must have some good news.’ The ants joined the chase. The rumors which the Daewon Daily News had spread might have been in the ears and mouth of some investors. Rumor had it that I was buying back our company’s shares with a hundred billion dollars. The next day it rose three percent again.

When it rose three percent each day for three consecutive days, I ran an article through the Daewon Daily News. [It is true that CEO Han Sang-hoon is buying back the company’s own shares. The amount has yet to be decided, but it will be close to a hundred billion dollars.]

When the article was printed, the next day it jumped by seven percent, even if I didn’t spend my money. Finally, with more than four trillion dollars from the share price of the company I owned, I got the final grade in my hands.

Chapter 197 - Miracle

I looked at HTS with my arms crossed as the market closed. [Invictus Investment Holdings +7.2%.]

It was 3:30. The market closed, and I relaxed. There was an article on HTS. [The rumor that Chairman Han Sang-hoon bought back shares of Invictus Investment Holdings was found to be true. It had a seven percent increase for today.]

I glimpsed it and came back to see the market capital of our company. [… three trillion and four hundred thirteen billion dollars; four hundred forty billion dollars of SHH Group; three hundred twelve billion dollars… ] It was definitely over four trillion dollars.

‘Surely today is a day that deserves to remain in economic history, even if it’s only for a moment…’

However, this stock price would not last long; it was because I artificially raised it by releasing money. Right now, even if the rating was up, it could go down anytime.

I picked up the phone and called President Jang. “President Jang, you didn’t pay for it today, did you?”

“Mr. Chairman, I’ve been waiting for your call, and I have not bought any shares back today.”

“Yes, then, please defend the share price as much as possible tomorrow so that it won’t fall further below -3% from today’s closing price.”

“Yes, I see, Mr. Chairman.”

After finishing my instruction, I went to my mailbox. ‘Anyway, since I’ve met the requirements, there must be a guide, right?’

As I expected. There was a final grade guide in my mailbox: [P Class Guidebook.]

‘This is my last hope. If something doesn’t change here, there is no hope for Se-hyun. Please…’ I thought, and waited until eight a.m. the next morning.

——————-

Seven o’clock, the next morning…

I went to the hospital where my wife and son Se-hyun were hospitalized early. My wife complained to me when she saw Se-hyun lying on the bed in the hospital bed.

“Oppa. So when did you get a call from the U.S.? How long do I have to wait?” Ah-young asked, because I had told her the reason for the delay was that I had contacted a top-notch medical staff in USA.

“They said that they would contact us by this morning. Let’s listen to them and decide today, whether we operate here, or go to the U.S. to have it done.”

Actually, there had been an answer a half-hour after the inquiry. ‘The results of the surgery are almost the same in the U.S. and Korea. When it comes to pediatric surgery, Korean doctors with good hand skills may perform better.’

I was going to decide by looking at the guidebook that would come at eight o’clock today. Ah-young turned to Se-hyun at my words and stroked his head. It hurt my heart to see it. In the meanwhile, the alarm went off at eight o’clock sharp. I stopped by the bathroom for a moment and accepted the email guide. ‘Publisher Class Guide.’

I read the class guide carefully.

‘Really?’

After being in shock for a while, I soon came back to my senses, came out of the bathroom, and headed back to the hospital room. I called Ah-young, who still looked sorry for our son, “Darling.”

“Hmm?”

“I got the call from the United States. They said that it would be better to do it here. Let’s operate today.”

————————-

In front of us stood a middle-aged man with a little thin hair on top. He was Choi Moon-seok, a top authority on pediatric brain tumors and a professor with the most surgical experience.

I said to him, “I heard the sooner the better. Is it possible to do it today? If you can produce the best results, I’ll pay all the expenses.”

At my words, Professor Choi said, “I see. Mr. Chairman, I’ll schedule the surgery right away this afternoon, at 5:00 p.m.”

Ah-young asked, “How long will the surgery take?”

Choi replied thoughtfully, fixing his glasses, “About 12 hours… Maybe longer.”

Ah-young once again looked at our bedridden son, Sehyun. Our young baby’s twelve hours of major surgery seemed to have worried her. When I saw her expression, I said, holding her by the shoulder, “Don’t be anxious. Everything’s going to be fine.”

Ah-young nodded, holding my hand, taking comfort at my words. I once again left her and my son in the hospital room. I walked across the hall, through the exit, and out into the parking lot. There was my car, the Bentley, in the parking lot. I opened its door and said, “Notebook!”

Secretary Park, seated inside, gave me the laptop that I had prepared.

I said, taking the laptop, “Please stand outside for a moment.”

Nodding, Park stepped outside the car and closed the door. I turned on my laptop, caught the Wi-Fi, and went to my mailbox.

[P. 12 Hours After]

There was an email that I had received after achieving my final grade this morning. I scrolled down to the bottom. There was a new active skill, ‘Publishing An Article.’

I looked at the skill for a moment and recalled the guide I had read this morning.

[Publisher Class Guide]

[Congratulations! Han Sang-hoon, who has been promoted to Publisher Class. You are finally on the final grade of the future news. Congratulations! Unlike the ratings below, Publisher has an ability beyond God. Your ability is infinite. Don’t forget that there’s only one huge responsibility followed by great power.]

[There is only one skill currently available in the Publisher Class. Skill points that are not currently allocated are a hundred points.]

[Publishing An Article Lv1 (Active skill – a hundred points are required)

It published a new article. The publishing is not limited by letters and probability, and as soon as it is published, it changes the universe in time for the event in the news. The news that has been published does not appear in the future news again, and the universe, changed by the publication of the article, does not appear in the future news as correction news. There is no limit on the number of times.]

‘There’s no limit for letters, probability, and the number of times…’

It was just a divine ability. I clicked ‘Publishing An Article.’ A window in the shape of an A4 paper appeared in front of me. There were two lines of sentences:

[Probability %] [Enter an article.]

But there was a probability part. ‘No, it says that there is no limit, right?’

I checked the time for a moment. It was 11:04 a.m. I wrote down an article.

[There was a shower around 11:10 a.m. today in southern Seoul.]

It was a very short article.

[Probability 2.4%]

The probability was 2.4 percent. It was less likely that Se-hyun would undergo surgery and survive without aftereffects. I left it as it was and pressed the “Issue” button. Then a warning message appeared, [The probability is too low. Too low a probability could bring chaos to the world. Do you still want to issue it?]

A warning message appeared, but did not seem to stop it. I was going to issue it but changed the article a little bit. [There was a local shower for about a minute around 11:10 a.m. today in southern Seoul.]

The revised version increased the probability rate to 4.3%. I issued it here. Looking at the time, it was 11:07. I waited for three more minutes. But in three minutes, outside the car, there was really a shower. I could see Park standing close by, and then evacuating to the hospital overhang.

‘This is how it works.’

I came back and pressed the ‘Publishing An Article’ button. This time, I wrote an article for my son. [The operation of a brain tumor on Han Se-hyun, the son of Han Sang-hoon, chairman of Invictus Investment, has been a huge success. Han Se-hyun, who was diagnosed with malignant brain cancer not long ago, had the operation for a brain tumor and fully recovered from the surgery he received at Gangnam B Hospital.]

The probability was 4%, as I had seen before, but in the meantime, I had a different idea, ‘Wait, why don’t we have the surgery?’

It said, “There is no aftereffect,” but perhaps there would be some surgical traces left. I changed the article. [A miracle happened once again for Chairman Han Sang-hoon of Invictus Investment. The brain tumor of his son Han Se-hyun, who has been fighting it, disappeared before the surgery. Choi Moon-seok, the doctor in charge of Han Se-hyun, said, “This is a miracle and a unique case to report to the medical community.]

The probability was 0.0003% after writing it that way. It was simply impossible. But nevertheless, I pressed the “Issue” button as it was. [The probability is too low. Too low a probability could bring chaos to the world. Do you still want to issue it?]

There was a warning tone, but I ignored it and published the article. How could there be chaos in the world when our innocent son was healthy? When I wrote the second article, it stopped raining outside. Looking at the clock, it was exactly eleven ten.

——

“I hope you’ll take good care of my son, then.” “Please take good care of him, Professor.” We said, holding Choi’s hand.

Choi nodded and said, “I’ll do my best on my honor.”

——————

We sat in a waiting chair outside the operating room and decided to wait for our son to come out after twelve hours. However, about twenty minutes after Choi had entered the operating room, the door to the operating room opened, and Professor Choi walked out of it. I was dull, but Ah-young got up in surprise.

“Professor! What is going on?”

At her question, Choi was embarrassed and puzzled, “I… I don’t know what to say…”

His stammer made Ah-young misunderstand. She was on the verge of fainting, but he avoided the situation with his words, “I began to operate, but the tumor was missing from the video. I checked a few times to see if I saw anything wrong. The tumor’s really gone. The structure of his brain is the same as that of a normal child.”

“So… my Sehyun is…”

At Ah-young’s words, Choi said, scratching the back of his head. “He is perfectly healthy now. Maybe it’s… I think this is a miracle that should be reported to the academic world.”

It was just like what I had written. Ah-young, hearing the words, looked back at me and shouted,

“Did you hear that, oppa? He said it’s a miracle! Sehyun is healthy!” Even though I had caused the “miracle” myself this morning, I was moved by her voice.

——————————

I sat in the chairman’s office and looked out the window. In downtown Seoul, I could see my territory at a glance. I looked out the window for a long time.

The telephone was ringing. I went up to the phone and answered it.

“Mr. Chairman, it’s a call from President Jang.”

“Okay, put me through.”

Before long, I could hear Jang’s voice, “Mr. Chairman, there’s a bad thing going on.”

He spoke urgently, but I took his words calmly, “What’s going on?”

“It’s Haejo Fisheries that we invested in. An ocean fishing boat was hijacked by pirates near the Indian Ocean. Although it has not yet been revealed to the media, there are rumors that there are casualties. If this turns out, I think the stock price is going to plummet.”

I got some keywords and wrote them down in my head, ‘Haejo Fisheries, Indian Ocean, hijack, pirates.’

“Yes, I see. Don’t worry too much. It could work out unexpectedly. Well, the pirates were nice, so they just let them go.”

“Pardon me?”

“No, just don’t worry too much about what didn’t happen.”

“Oh, I see. Mr. Chairman, I’ll look at the case and report it again.”

“Yes.”

There was another phone call coming in, frighteningly enough the moment President Jang’s phone was finished. This time, it was Secretary Lee.

“Mr. Chairman, Maverick Turner, president of SHH Electronics, has requested a call.”

“Okay, put me through.”

Soon, I heard the unique, foreign voice of President Turner.

“Mr. Chairman, it’s me.”

“President Turner, what’s the matter?”

He spoke with his voice down, “It’s not about my company, but it’s about my brother.”

It was about the U.S. presidential election. Senator William Turner recently won the first place in a vote of the party’s primary, and was nominated for president candidate according to my own will.

“Please keep talking.”

“My brother said he wants the chairman to come to New York once more and help him before the presidential election. What do you think?”

I told him, “Oh, I see. Well… I’m so busy that I can’t go to America… Tell him exactly what I’m saying, ‘I’m so busy in Korea that I can’t go to America. I understand the anxiety ahead of the presidential election, but don’t worry too much. My prediction is 99.9% sure of your winning the election.’ That’s how it is.”

At my words, Turner was a little bit nervous, but he answered, “Ah… Yes, I see.”

However, just after putting my phone down, I got another call. This time it was the cell phone in my pocket. I lifted it and saw it was Ah-young.

“Yes, Ah-young, what?”

“Oppa, we are scheduled to go to an amusement park this weekend with Seo-hyun and Se-hyun.”

Not long ago, Seo-hyun turned six and Se-hyun five. Both were very healthy.

“I know.”

“But according to the weather forecast, there’s a lot of fine dust today, so I think it would be better to put off.”

“Well, by the way, wasn’t Seo-hyun and Se-hyun both very excited? Wouldn’t they be disappointed if we postponed it suddenly?”

“That’s true, but there will be a bit of a dust storm, and I don’t want to take the kids out.”

“Well, let’s wait a little longer. We still have three days left until our trip. The weather forecast is often wrong, right?”

“That’s true, but…”

“Let’s wait until the day before. If there is too much fine dust on the day before, let’s go to the aquarium.”

“I got it.”

After I finished talking to my wife, I stretched out long. I had many things to do today, as a human and as a god.

I turned on the computer and opened my mailbox. The email ’12 Hours After’ came to me as it always did. I opened the email and scrolled down. Then, I clicked ‘Publishing An Article’ button at the bottom. In front of me, there was an empty sheet of A4 paper. I looked at it, took a deep breath, and then began to type.

I created the future. I created the miracles.

The End

Chapter 198 (END)

Writer’s Reviews:

First of all, I would like to thank you. Thanks to the readers, who read my lack of writing; I have finished my fourth book! I’ll always remember that.

As I said earlier, this is my fourth book, and I still don’t think writing a novel is easy. I always feel this. Personally, I started to feel weak around the 150th chapter. It has not been easy to write since then. I thought it would be better to take six books from the beginning or divide them into two parts and take a break.

This time, I wrote a series, but I couldn’t handle it in the second half. I’m sorry about that. I used to post it on the day I finished my epilogue, but this work has been so hard that I had to take a day off.

It has been the most popular piece of my writing, and at the same time, it was the most regretful piece of work. After writing and posting, I always thought ‘I should write something like this,’ or ‘I should try to develop something like this,’ or ‘I could write something more specifically here,’ or ‘I’d like to reduce that a little bit.’

I work for a company, but I’ve tried to write, edit, and post it on the Munpia. It has not been easy. When I was writing my previous Master Hunter K, it was really easy to write because I had no job then. I think it was difficult this time because I was always running out of time.

The future news of this article I originally thought of about a year ago. When I wrote my previous novels, I used a theme of going back to the past, a time shift, but I’ve never written about a future foreseeing, so I made a decision to write this genre if I could. We had a contest in April in Munpia, so I participated in it with this novel.

The motive was a horror cartoon based on future news, which I saw when I was in elementary school. My memory was dim, but in the animation, the main character had a paper newspaper every day, and it had the future news. I decided to convert it into something that would be in line with the Internet news standard.

As you can see, I took the League of Legends rating except for the last two, and Editor and Publisher. I thought they were the sources that I’d take to the end. As the abilities grew, I conceived the idea of the character’s power and assets growing together, and I wrote it on the basis of that, before the last two grades.

The last two rating scenarios, the U.S.-China nuclear war, and the rare cancer of his son, were actually must-not subjects in web fiction writing, but I chose them as subjects to showcase the power of the last two parts. In the first place, the main character was so strong that I couldn’t pull the story out unless it was that special. It was not bad to finish at around a hundred eighty episodes, but I still had leftover material. So I tried to use it without paying any attention to my grades, since it was material that I would like to release, and a scenario that I wanted to use. I am satisfied, but I’m a little sorry to those of you who have dropped out on the way.

By getting the last two ratings, the main character has a pure divine ability. Some of you worry about chaos or confusion at the end of the story, but it’s just a part that I put in as a cautionary note that the power of this kind of manipulation is so strong that it could destabilize the world if he mismanages it. If the probability is not limited, he can pop his fingers a few times and destroy the world. The main character, Han Sang-hoon, has a pretty wife, a daughter and a son, so he will use it carefully.

From April to November… I feel relieved but sorry to have finished the series after more than half a year. I think I wrote it in my previous reviews that when I was in middle school and high school, I used to read genre novels, but I haven’t read any genre novels in the ten years since then. A few years ago, when web novels appeared, I thought there was this new kind of novel, and I became a reader, and a writer, and then wrote four books.

I’m sure many of you remember the genre novels of ten years ago, but there weren’t many contemporary fantasies of this kind at that time. Most of the time, I read pure fantasies, martial arts novels, and so on. So, I was going to write that kind of pure fantasy. It’s been ten years since I came to the web fiction world, and I found that all the pure fantasies were dead, and there were only a fusion or a modern fantasy. Since the pure fantasy was not popular at all, I tried to write a modern fantasy to see if my writing would work or not.

That’s how I have written three novels so far. Except for Master Hunter K, there has been a reversal of the order of host and guest. So, the next novel will go back to its original version, and even if I can’t write a pure fantasy, it will go toward a fusion fantasy. Originally, I announced that I would release my next novel as a game fantasy. Due to the nature of the genre novel, I don’t think I need to use the game format. So, I’m going to go to a fusion fantasy similar to the previous Master Hunter K.

Now, when I think about it, I think it’s a personal achievement and a lucrative hobby. But now I’ve won a big prize after writing this novel, and I’ve changed my mind a little bit after getting too much love from you. It is no longer right to write with such amateurish ideas. I will reduce my stubbornness a little bit, and get closer to my readers with a little more professional writing, for the fun of my readers.

So, I’ll return to you with the next novel, which reflects that aspect. It’s something that readers might like more. In a month or two, after recovering my physical and mental strength, I’ll be back after I’m finished with the idea of my next novel.

Thank you so much again for reading so far!

See you in the next novel!

================================================================

Editor’s Note: And so the novel is completed! It’s been interesting to read along as I edit it, and get drawn into what originally seemed to be another money-grabbing ‘I’ve got a cheat’ fantasy. I have to say I enjoyed the aspects of him administering justice with his power more then how he accumulated it.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 - A Strange Fate
Chapter 2 - 12 Hours After, Part I
Chapter 3 - 12 Hours After, Part II
Chapter 4 - 12 Hours After, Part III

Chapter 5 - Is This The Way To Do Proto?, Part I

Chapter 6 - Is This The Way To Do Proto?, Part II

Chapter 7 - Ten Thousand Dollars, Part I
Chapter 8 - Ten Thousand Dollars, Part II
Chapter 9 - A Lion With A Loose Collar
Chapter 10 - Turning Point
Chapter 11 - The Future In My Hands
Chapter 12 - The Smell Of Money

Chapter 13 - The Sound Of Money-Making Vibrations

Chapter 14 - An Ant Looking Up At The Sky
Chapter 15 - Ground Bait
Chapter 16 - An Unexpected Opportunity

Chapter 17 - An Orphan Adopted Into A Chaebol Family, Part I

Chapter 18 - An Orphan Adopted Into A Chaebol Family, Part II

Chapter 19 - An Orphan Adopted Into A Chaebol Family, Part III

Chapter 20 - Beer With A Little Bubbles
Chapter 21 - A Broken Flower, Part I
Chapter 22 - A Broken Flower, Part II
Chapter 23 - A Broken Flower, Part III
Chapter 24 - A Broken Flower, Part IV
Chapter 25 - The Revised Future, Part I
Chapter 26 - The Revised Future, Part II

Chapter 27 - A Casino That Opens Every Four Years, Part I

Chapter 28 - A Casino That Opens Every Four Years, Part II

Chapter 29 - A Casino That Opens Every Four Years, Part III

Chapter 30 - A Casino That Opens Every Four Years, Part IV

Chapter 31 - A Casino That Opens Every Four Years, Part V

Chapter 32 - The Transfer Station
Chapter 33 - The Wind Is Blowing
Chapter 34 - Winner Takes All
Chapter 35 - A Golden Alchemist
Chapter 36 - Gold Class, Part I
Chapter 37 - Gold Class, Part II
Chapter 38 - Customer Service
Chapter 39 - Duplicated Winnings, Part I
Chapter 40 - Duplicated Winnings, Part II
Chapter 41 - The End And The Beginning
Chapter 42: Moving
Chapter 43: True Or False, Part I
Chapter 44 - True Or False, Part II
Chapter 45 - A Big Hand
Chapter 46 - G. E., Part I
Chapter 47 - G. E., Part II
Chapter 48 - Train To Seoul
Chapter 49 - Competition For Duty-free Shops
Chapter 50 - Platinum Class, And
Chapter 51 - A New Dream

Chapter 52 - An Investment Firm That Never Loses, Part I

Chapter 53 - An Investment Firm That Never Loses, Part II

Chapter 54 - An Investment Firm That Never Loses, Part III

Chapter 55 - The Wolf Of Gangnam Street, Part I

Chapter 56 - The Wolf Of Gangnam Street, Part II

Chapter 57 - A Strange Connection, Part I
Chapter 58 - A Strange Connection, Part II
Chapter 59 - Preparation
Chapter 60 - The Emperor’s Throne
Chapter 61 - Truth Or Falsehood?, Part I
Chapter 62 - Truth Or Falsehood?, Part II
Chapter 63 - The Master of Falsehood
Chapter 64 - President Kwon Oh Hyuk

Chapter 65 - An Extra Character Of The World, A Main Character Of The World

Chapter 66 - Han Sang-hoon of Han Sang-hoon

Chapter 67 - Diamond Class

Chapter 68 - In The End, We Meet Again, Part I

Chapter 69 - In The End, We Meet Again, Part II

Chapter 70 - The Boss’s Home Working, Part I

Chapter 71 - The Boss’s Home Working, Part II

Chapter 72 - Chapter 72. The Boss’s Home Working, Part III

Chapter 73 - The Boss’s Home Working, Part IV
Chapter 74 - The Boss’s Overseas Duty
Chapter 75 - The Commons of Stocks and Novels
Chapter 76 - A Young, Part I
Chapter 77 - A Young, Part II
Chapter 78 - Second Takeover
Chapter 79 - Master T, Part I
Chapter 80 - Chapter 80. Master T, Part II
Chapter 81 - Master T, Part III
Chapter 82 - Meet An MBE Super Ant
Chapter 83 - CBT
Chapter 84 - Self-Fulfilling Prophecy, Part I

Chapter 85 - Self-Fulfilling Prophecy, Part II

Chapter 86 - News Maker, Part I
Chapter 87 - News Maker, Part II
Chapter 88 - News Maker, Part III
Chapter 89 - News Maker, Part IV
Chapter 90 - News Maker, Part V
Chapter 91 - News Maker, Part VI

Chapter 92 - A Dragonfly Flown From A Spider’s Web

Chapter 93 - Spring, Part I
Chapter 94 - Spring, Part II
Chapter 95 - An Assassin
Chapter 96 - Spider Hunting, Part I
Chapter 97 - Spider Hunting, Part II
Chapter 98 - Spider Hunting, Part III
Chapter 99 - Spider Hunting, Part IV
Chapter 100 - Spider Hunting, Part V
Chapter 101 - Spider Hunting, Part VI
Chapter 102 - Spider Hunting, Part VII
Chapter 103 - Spider Hunting, Part VIII
Chapter 104 - Spider Hunting, Part IX

Chapter 105 - A Hundred- Thousand-Dollar Vacation

Chapter 106 - Regular Report, Part I
Chapter 107 - Regular Report, Part II
Chapter 108 - I’m Going to See You Tomorrow
Chapter 109 - The Master Class
Chapter 110 - Crow, Part I
Chapter 111 - Crow, Part II
Chapter 112 - CEO Lee Won-jae

Chapter 113 - An Orphan Whose Adoption Is Dissolved

Chapter 114 - Screening
Chapter 115 - Invisible Danger
Chapter 116 - Season Two
Chapter 117 - BJ Kippa
Chapter 118 - You’re Fired
Chapter 119 - Strangely Excellent

Chapter 120 - Implementation of Justice, Part I

Chapter 121 - Implementation of Justice, Part II

Chapter 122 - Implementation of Justice, Part III

Chapter 123 - Implementation of Justice, Part IV

Chapter 124 - Implementation of Justice, Part V

Chapter 125 - A Natural Result, Part I
Chapter 126 - A Natural Result, Part II
Chapter 127 - Dream of Crow, Part I
Chapter 128 - Dream of Crow, Part II
Chapter 129 - That’s How It Turns Out
Chapter 130 - The Second Appearance
Chapter 131 - An Invitation Letter
Chapter 132 - Garden Royale, Part I
Chapter 133 - Garden Royale, Part II
Chapter 134 - Banquet Of Dragons, Part I
Chapter 135 - Banquet Of Dragons, Part II
Chapter 136 - Second Moving
Chapter 137 - Seven Months Later
Chapter 138 - The King Of The Present Age
Chapter 139 - King Maker, Part I
Chapter 140 - King Maker, Part II
Chapter 141 - The Birth Of The Dark Secret

Chapter 142 - The Man Who Holds His Destiny In His Hands

Chapter 143 - Three News, Part I

Chapter 144 - Three News, Part II

Chapter 145 - The Second Anniversary Of The Foundation, Part I

Chapter 146 - The Second Anniversary Of The Foundation, Part II

Chapter 147 - The Second Anniversary Of The Foundation, Part III

Chapter 148 - The Couple

Chapter 149 - Preparation For The Main Game, Part I

Chapter 150 - Preparation For The Main Game, Part II

Chapter 151 - Preparation For The Main Game, Part III

Chapter 152 - Preparation For The Main Game, Part IV

Chapter 153 - In A Repeated History
Chapter 154 - . Sell China
Chapter 155 - Sell China, Part II
Chapter 156 - Sell China, Part III
Chapter 157 - Sell China, Part IV
Chapter 158 - Sell China, Part V
Chapter 159 - Sell China, Part VI
Chapter 160 - Fake News, Part I
Chapter 161 - Fake News, Part II
Chapter 162 - Fake News, Part III
Chapter 163 - A Lion And A Hyena, Part I
Chapter 164 - A Lion And A Hyena, Part II
Chapter 165 - All-out War, Part I
Chapter 166 - All-out War, Part II
Chapter 167 - All-out War, Part III
Chapter 168 - All-out War, Part IV
Chapter 169 - All-out War, Part V
Chapter 170 - All-out War, Part VI
Chapter 171 - All-out War, Part VII
Chapter 172 - All-out War, Part VIII
Chapter 173 - All-out War, Part IX
Chapter 174 - All-out War, Part X
Chapter 175 - The Snare Trap
Chapter 176 - Taking The Spoils Of War
Chapter 177 - Unexpected News
Chapter 178 - Grandmaster Class

Chapter 179 - Chapter 179. The Future of Twelve Years Later, Part I

Chapter 180 - The Future of Twelve Years Later, Part II

Chapter 181 - The Future of Twelve Years Later, Part III

Chapter 182 - An Ominous Illusion

Chapter 183 - Future News Of The United States

Chapter 184 - To Prevent The End Of The World, Part I

Chapter 185 - To Prevent The End Of The World, Part II

Chapter 186 - The Underground Kingdom Of Iceland

Chapter 187 - IPO, Part I
Chapter 188 - IPO, Part II
Chapter 189 - ‘E’ Class
Chapter 190 - The Savior Of The World

Chapter 191 - The Emperor Who Has Become God, Part I

Chapter 192 - The Emperor Who Has Become God, Part II

Chapter 193 - The Emperor Who Has Become God, Part III

Chapter 194 - The Emperor Who Has Become God, Part IV

Chapter 195 - A Miracle Is Needed
Chapter 196 - The Last Class
Chapter 197 - Miracle
Chapter 198 (END)