CH435 | heir

Cheers erupted through the Financial Tower.

But the celebration couldn’t last long.

Now that Brexit had passed, it was time to get busy scooping up money.

“Vice President Han, aren’t you going to take a look?”

“I’ve been preparing for this for half a year. I’ve built a system that will run smoothly without me.”

“Well done. It’s inefficient for a vice president to try and control everything personally.”

“But after checking the detailed government report on the referendum count, I realized we narrowly avoided a disaster.”

Vice President Han already had the detailed figures in hand.

The vote tallies from England, Wales, and Scotland were written in large print.

“It seems safe to say that the results passed thanks to the large number of votes from England.”

“Everywhere else, except for England and Wales, the majority voted to remain. In London, more than 60% wanted to stay, and in Scotland, over 62% voted the same.”

“Gibraltar had more than 95% of its voters in favor of remaining.”

“Since the most populous region, England, voted to leave, the rest had no choice but to be dragged along.”

We casually call it the United Kingdom, but that isn’t its formal name.

It was a union of several nations, and aside from England and Wales, every other part of the kingdom wanted to remain in the EU.

“Brexit may cause rifts within the United Kingdom, but the likelihood of actual independence movements or secession is extremely low.”

“That’s the same forecast at Taewoo Securities. However, there is one thing that bothers me. Even though Brexit passed through a national referendum, the referendum itself doesn’t hold legal force.”

“The Prime Minister still has to officially declare the withdrawal. But without the referendum, it might have been different. Since a vote was already held, reversing Brexit is impossible.”

In a democracy, the power of a vote was overwhelming.

A vote represented the will of the people, and in a democratic nation, no politician who ignored that will could hope to survive.

Especially when a politician went against a promise that had overwhelming support from their own base—such betrayal would brand them as untrustworthy, ending their political career altogether.

“George, the head of Quantum Fund, has already flown to Britain and begun attacking the currency.”

“The British economy will face severe hardship starting today.”

“Based on our joint research with Taewoo Securities and the faculty at IIT University, we’ve concluded that economic growth will decline between 6% and 4%.”

The damages from Brexit were not limited to just one or two areas.

A crashing pound, a drop in real estate values, rising inflation, increasing debt, and even a shrinking GDP.

Most indicators would decline gradually, but the currency would be hit hard starting today.

“It would be best to hear Britain’s situation directly from someone on the ground. Can you connect me with George?”

“I’ll try right away.”

Vice President Han placed the call to George.

After a long string of dial tones, George finally picked up.

[Busy as hell—why are you calling me now?]

“If you’re tied up, I can always reach out another time.”

[Mr. Kim? I thought it was Vice President Han. If it’s Chairman Kim calling, of course I’ll take the call!]

Though George had answered coldly at first, the moment he realized it was me on the line, his tone softened instantly.

“How are things in the UK?”

[It’s absolute chaos! The pound started swinging wildly as soon as the vote count was being broadcast, and once the results came in, it began to plummet!]

George’s voice was practically brimming with excitement.

When it came to currencies, he was second to none, and now that he was free to play on his favorite battlefield, he could barely contain himself.

“As expected, the pound is taking the first and hardest hit.”

[It’ll drop at least 10%. And the moment the capital from Financial Tower comes into play, it’ll crash by as much as 15%! That means we’ll recover half a year’s worth of preparation in just a single day!]

For the past six months, we had poured enormous sums into groundwork.

Now, all that effort would be rewarded in one day—and from this point on, everything we earned would be pure profit.

“Go ahead and do whatever you want. Opportunities like this in the currency market don’t come often.”

[I’m already using every strategy I’ve been itching to try. The only pity is that the referendum just ended—Brexit itself won’t truly be realized for years to come.]

The withdrawal process was far from over.

Politics would fall into turmoil, and countless attempts would be made to delay it.

But the fact remained: Britain would leave the EU. And that certainty meant we stood to reap enormous profits.

“For now, enjoy the gains. And once Brexit actually happens, won’t that be another chance to profit again?”

[True enough. I’ve been playing only short-term games lately, which has left me a little unsatisfied. I don’t know if the financial firms at Financial Tower enjoy long-term battles, but I’m quite confident in them myself.]

Brexit was the kind of event one could exploit again and again.

Right after the referendum, we could rake in huge profits once. And when Brexit finally unfolded in reality, we’d have another chance to strike big.

“Sorry to bother you when you’re so busy. Please reach out if anything comes up.”

[If it’s Mr. Kim calling, it’s always welcome. I’ll have my fun in Britain for a few months, then return to Korea—and when that time comes, we’ll pop some champagne together!]

“I’ll continue supporting you from afar.”

Even until the very end of our call, George’s voice could not hide his excitement.

Despite his age, he was brimming with youthful vigor. That was how massive a stage Brexit had become.

“Just hearing Mr. George’s voice is enough to tell how high the profits will be.”

“We’ve prepared for a long time. We deserve to enjoy the payoff.”

“But Chairman, no matter how much we profit from Brexit, the window won’t last even a year. Shouldn’t we begin preparations for the next project?”

If we wanted to generate returns immediately after Brexit, the right move was to start preparing now.

Of course, I had already mapped out the next operation long ago.

“Our next battlefield will be the United States and China.”

“Since the stage involves two great powers, the spoils must be enormous. But may I ask why you’ve chosen the U.S. and China as the next battlefield?”

“Trump. Because I am certain Trump will become the next president of the United States.”

“I don’t quite understand. Even if Trump is elected, what major upheaval could occur between the U.S. and China?”

Vice President Han couldn’t grasp my reasoning.

In fact, no expert at the time could foresee what was about to unfold.

Unless one had lived through the future, it was nearly impossible to predict just how radical Trump’s actions would be.

“Right now, Trump is campaigning under the slogan ‘America First.’ If he becomes president, a full-scale U.S.–China trade conflict will begin.”

“Trump has indeed promised stronger protectionism, but would he really go so far as to provoke a trade conflict with China?”

“I’m softening my words by calling it a conflict. It will be harsh enough to call it a trade war, considering the severity of the sanctions he will impose.”

The struggle for hegemony between the United States and China—

It was an inevitable course of history.

Even if Trump weren’t elected, the timing or scale might shift somewhat, but the U.S.–China trade war was bound to happen.

China, with its massive population and production power, sought to seize dominance.

In the process, it ignored patents, stole technology, and engaged in practices the U.S. could not possibly overlook.

Of course, the United States wasn’t always in the right either.

It exercised excessive power, though in different ways from China.

Between the U.S. and China, the question of who was more at fault wasn’t the issue.

The only question was how we should move in order to extract the greatest gains.

“So you’re saying the conflict will escalate to the level of a trade war.”

“The United States has always crushed its rivals mercilessly. China will be no exception.”

“If they handle China the way they once handled the Soviet Union or Russia, they’ll likely pursue a strategy of isolating China from the global economy.”

“It will start with heavy tariffs on Chinese imports. I expect at least a 20% increase.”

China’s greatest competitive edge lay in its pricing.

Once tariffs pushed prices higher, Chinese products would inevitably lose their competitiveness.

Even with its massive domestic market, losing ground in the super-sized American market would deal a serious blow to China.

“If the U.S. strikes like that, China won’t sit idly by.”

“China will retaliate by imposing tariffs on America’s core exports—agricultural goods and automobiles.”

“That will certainly slow China’s growth. After the massive stock market crash, its manufacturing sector was already hit hard. If the U.S. raises tariffs on top of that, the damage will only deepen.”

For ten years, China had experienced relentless growth.

Even now, it continued to grow steadily, but it was no longer able to maintain the same pace as before.

“This round will require extensive research. Preparations must be handled with precision.”

“Let’s build our strategy on the assumption that China and the U.S. will impose retaliatory tariffs of more than 20% on each other.”

“Proceed cautiously, assuming at least a year of groundwork will be necessary. In the meantime, profits from Brexit and oil will be enough to cover our base returns.”

“Brexit alone will generate more than a year’s worth of profits. True, the returns may not be as high as those from the oil wars or a shorting attack on China, but that doesn’t mean any firm in Financial Tower will walk away.”

Returns might dip for six months to a year.

But if we endured that stretch, the colossal opportunity of the COVID era would arrive.

Any financial firm that abandoned Financial Tower in hesitation now would live to regret it bitterly.

***

A few days later.

A call came through on a secure phone known only to a select few.

The caller was none other than Saudi Arabia’s new crown prince, Bin Salman.

[Can you talk now?]

“Of course. I’m taking this call in a completely secure location. You can speak freely.”

[Whew… the purge is more or less complete. We’ve recovered over a hundred billion dollars in illicit wealth from more than five hundred royals and high-ranking officials.]

“You’ve done well. Now Saudi Arabia can finally take its next step forward.”

[Can you believe it? Over five hundred people had amassed more than a hundred billion dollars through corruption. When I first saw the documents you gave me, I doubted it—but they really were holding that much.]

Bin Salman’s voice carried a sharp edge, tinged with deadly intent.

As the newly appointed crown prince, the betrayal of the royal family and ruling elite weighed on him even more heavily.

“You’ve purged the past. All that’s left now is to prepare for the future.”

[I know… but it’s not so easy to put my feelings in order. I won’t be at ease until we recover every last cent hidden overseas.]

“The worst of the fire is out. Now it’s just a matter of tracking down the embers and snuffing them out.”

[If I can wrap this up before the year ends, I’d like nothing more than to share a drink with you.]

“Just say the word. I’ll fly to Saudi tomorrow if I have to.”

[Hearing your voice has already calmed me down a little. I’ll be in touch again soon.]

There was a new aura of authority about Bin Salman.

It was the authority of a crown prince who had successfully carried out a purge.

Yet despite his rise, his trust in me hadn’t diminished—in fact, it had only grown stronger.

Soon, the clash for global dominance between the U.S. and China would erupt.

And I had succeeded in securing the best possible ally: Saudi Arabia.