CH342 | GSI

A few days later.

It was the day of the month when the entire family gathered at the main house, so Seok-won made his way to the mansion in Hannam-dong.

At the wide dining table, Chairman Park Tae-hong sat at the head seat. On either side were his eldest son, President Park Jin-hyung and his wife, Madam Jo, and Seok-won himself. Together, they enjoyed a generous meal, engaging in pleasant conversation.

Wearing a light gray vest, Chairman Park spooned up some soup and said,
“This crab stew is spicy and delicious.”

“Isn’t it? The crabs we got this time are full of roe and really meaty. Here—try some of the marinated crab too.”

Seated to his right, Madam Jo gently placed a piece of well-soaked soy-marinated crab onto the chairman’s plate.

“You should try some too,” she said, turning to Seok-won and nudging a portion of crab toward his bowl.

Across from them, daughter-in-law Choi Bokyung looked at her husband, Park Jin-hyung, and said with a sweet, playful tone,
“I’ll serve you myself.”

She picked up a split crab with her chopsticks, placed it onto his dish, and gave him a hopeful glance.

“Thanks,” he replied.

Bokyung beamed with delight at his response.

Watching the couple’s affectionate exchange—even after years of marriage—Madam Jo smiled gently, clearly pleased. Though he didn’t show it outwardly, Chairman Park was quietly warmed as well.

“I heard you’ve been helping your mother with the scholarship foundation lately. How’s that going?”

“Yes, Father,” Choi Bokyung replied. “It’s all new to me, so I’m still clumsy and learning, but Mother’s been teaching me a lot. I’m really enjoying it.”

The Daeheung Group had long been committed to the spirit of noblesse oblige, giving back a portion of their wealth to society. Through the Ubo Foundation, they had supported scholarship programs for underprivileged or at-risk students for many years.

More recently, at Seok-won’s suggestion, they had begun covering school expenses for victims and families affected by the Daegu subway gas explosion.

The scholarship foundation had been personally managed by Madam Jo for years. Now, just as Chairman Park was gradually handing over control of the group to his eldest son, Madam Jo was also preparing to pass on the foundation’s responsibilities to her daughter-in-law.

“It’s good for the company’s image, of course,” Chairman Park said, “but more importantly, it’s meaningful work. Do your best with it. And even when offering help, always treat people with humility and respect. Never forget that.”

“Yes, Father. I’ll keep that in mind,” Bokyung answered sincerely.

Madam Jo, sitting beside her husband, interjected to lift her daughter-in-law’s spirits in front of him.

“She’s so bright and considerate—everyone on the staff speaks very highly of her.”

“That’s good to hear,” the chairman said with a small nod, then turned back to his meal.

Madam Jo gave Bokyung a playful wink as she pretended to fuss with the side dishes, and Bokyung mouthed, “Thank you,” raising her thumb in appreciation.

After finishing their cheerful family lunch, Chairman Park rose from the table and headed to the study with his two sons.

“So, what’s today’s agenda?” he asked.

“It’s ssanghwa tea—it’s good for your health.”

“Well, at least this one’s drinkable. The last one you gave me was practically inedible.”

“They say the best medicine always tastes bitter,”

Gunsan-daek responded cheerfully, brushing off Chairman Park Tae-hong’s grumbling with a smile.

“Madam said she heard you coughing early this morning and made this tea for you. She also said if you don’t like it, maybe it’s time to quit smoking.”

“…That’s enough. You can go now.”

With a sour look, Chairman Park waved her off. As soon as she left, he habitually opened the wooden box on the table, pulled out a cigarette, and placed it between his lips.

He lit it, leaned back against the plush sofa, and stared sternly at Seok-won.

“I heard you were involved in that incident in Itaewon a few days ago.”

Sitting on the right-side sofa, Park Jin-hyung looked slightly startled, as if hearing this for the first time.

“Do you mean the case where two Korean-American men tried to assault a college student they didn’t even know?”

“That’s the one.”

Though Seok-won had intentionally gotten involved, the case had grown into a public controversy, so he knew it was only a matter of time before word reached his grandfather. He answered calmly.

“Yes. That’s right.”

Park Jin-hyung turned his head sharply, eyes wide.

“What on earth were you doing involved in something like that?”

“It just happened—pure coincidence.”

Chairman Park, still wearing a grim expression, asked in a low voice,

“I heard from Secretary Gil that you fought with the perpetrators and even gave a police statement. Is that true?”

“It is, but I wasn’t the one who fought them directly. The bodyguard who was with me subdued them in self-defense when they charged at us.”

“Good god…”

Park Jin-hyung let out a startled breath and quickly looked his younger brother over from head to toe.

“The article said those guys had jackknives. You sure you didn’t get hurt?”

“As you can see, I’m perfectly fine.”

Park Jin-hyung sighed in relief, but Chairman Park, seeing how nonchalantly Seok-won was acting as if it were nothing, only grew more exasperated.

“What in the world were you doing at a hamburger joint in the middle of the night? Don’t you have better things to do?”

“I just missed the taste of the burgers I used to eat when I was studying abroad. I went on a whim, and that’s when everything happened.”

“Ugh.”

When Seok-won called it a coincidence, Chairman Park Tae-hong let out a sigh and rubbed his forehead.

“This time, it blew over without any major problems, but there’s no guarantee it’ll be like that next time. Be more careful from now on.”

“Yes, I will.”

Chairman Park wanted to scold him more harshly, but since Seok-won hadn’t instigated anything—and was arguably the victim—it didn’t seem worth pressing further. He decided to let it go.

He took a sip of the richly aromatic ssanghwa tea, set the cup down, and smoothly shifted the topic.

“Anyway, you’ve all probably heard that the Ministry of Finance and Economy announced yesterday they’ll be accelerating the timeline for opening up the capital market.”

At that, Park Jin-hyung’s face stiffened slightly as he responded.

“Because of that, the exchange rate, which opened at 898 won yesterday, plunged to 877 won right after the announcement.”

“Seeing the exchange rate swing by 22 won in just a single day… Like your brother said, the foreign exchange market has been unusually volatile this year.”

“If someone had exchanged 10 million dollars in the morning without knowing what was coming, they would’ve suffered over 200 million won in forex losses by day’s end. Exporters must be having a hell of a time.”

Even Daehung Group, which had converted all its spare capital into dollars, wasn’t immune to losses from the falling exchange rate.

But Seok-won looked at his father and brother and spoke calmly.

“The market jumped because investors are expecting foreign capital to flood in once the capital market opens further and more dollars are converted into won. But it’s just a short-term reaction.”

“You’re saying that because the underlying problems—like the widening current account deficit and falling exports—haven’t been solved yet, right?”

Seok-won gave a faint smile at how accurately Park Jin-hyung had identified the issue.

“Exactly. And now… there’s one more new variable in the mix.”

Park Jin-hyung immediately narrowed his eyes.

“A new variable? What do you mean?”

Chairman Park Tae-hong also looked on with curiosity, holding a cigarette between his fingers.

“They’re hedge funds—sweeping across Southeast Asian countries like a swarm of locusts.”

“……”

“You probably know Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia have already been hit. The next targets will likely be Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.”

President Park Jin-hyung leaned forward, clasping his hands on his knees.

“But Hong Kong is the financial hub of Asia, with nearly a hundred billion dollars in foreign reserves. No matter how aggressive these hedge funds are, would they really dare to touch Hong Kong?”

Chairman Park Tae-hong nodded, seemingly in agreement.

Unlike the other countries that had been overwhelmed by currency speculators, Hong Kong had a strong economy. More importantly, having long served as Asia’s financial hub, its bankers were well-acquainted with Wall Street’s speculative tactics.

Because of this, many believed that while other Southeast Asian nations were falling one after another, Hong Kong would remain a safe haven.

“Of course, it won’t be an easy target. But on the flip side, if they do manage to break Hong Kong, the profits would be far greater than those from smaller nations. That’s even more tempting, isn’t it?”

“……!”

With surprised eyes on him, Seok-won shrugged.

“And after toppling one Southeast Asian country after another, their greed and confidence must be sky-high. To them, Hong Kong probably looks like a plump, juicy prey.”

As they listened, it really did start to seem like a plausible scenario.

President Park Jin-hyung gulped nervously, and Chairman Park Tae-hong’s face hardened.

As the atmosphere in the study grew heavy, Seok-won continued in a calm tone.

“And if they’ve worked their way up from Thailand, then the final destination might very well be Korea.”

“Even the hedge funds wouldn’t dare touch Japan so easily. If things unfold the way you’re describing, Korea could indeed be next.”

Seok-won turned his gaze to Chairman Park Tae-hong, who had been quietly listening to the conversation.

“That’s why I’m suggesting this: instead of letting the group’s spare funds sit idle in U.S. dollars, why not entrust them to me and let me manage them?”

“What?”

Chairman Park Tae-hong furrowed his brows and straightened his posture.

“You want me to entrust you with an investment again, like last time?”

“Yes. You saw for yourself how I performed last time. I’ll double it for you by the end of the year.”

He held up two fingers as he promised a return, prompting Park Jin-hyung to look stunned.

Even a con artist wouldn’t ask for money in such a half-hearted way.

But unlike him, Chairman Park Tae-hong—who had previously entrusted his money and watched it multiply—looked intrigued.

“What are you…?”

“Double the return. Is that a sure thing?”

Chairman Park cut off his eldest son and leaned forward.

Seok-won puffed out his chest with confidence.

“You know what I can do. And that’s the minimum. If things go well, it could triple or quadruple.”

“Oh? Is that so?”

Chairman Park licked his lips in thought.

President Park Jin-hyung, clearly alarmed, looked between the two and tried to stop his father.

“Father! What if something goes wrong and you lose everything?”

“Didn’t your brother just say it’s a sure thing?”

Chairman Park’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

His expression resembled that of a gambler who believed he’d found the next golden stock.

“This is it. This stock is going to explode!”

“Proof? My gut says so!”

President Park Jin-hyung was so baffled by his father’s out-of-character behavior, he was at a loss for words.

As he stood there in a daze, Chairman Park looked back at Seok-won and asked,

“So, where do you plan to invest?”

“You know I’ve been personally running a fund, right?”

Chairman Park’s eyes lit up.

“You’re planning to dip into currency speculation, aren’t you?”

As expected of a group chairman, he immediately grasped Seok-won’s intentions from just one sentence.

In truth, Seok-won wasn’t just dipping in—he was acting as one of the major players in the Southeast Asian financial crisis. But there was no need to explain further.

“Money’s practically rolling on the floor. It’d be foolish to let an opportunity like this pass.”

Chairman Park crossed his arms and thought for a moment before raising his head.

“This time, it’s company funds. I can’t decide on my own, so I’ll have to discuss it with the executives and get back to you.”

In Korean chaebols, the owner’s decision was often final, so if Chairman Park agreed, it would essentially be a done deal.

Still, since it involved company reserves, following proper procedure was necessary in case legal issues came up later.

“Go ahead. But I won’t wait too long.”

“You’ll have the funds wired within a week—or three days, at the latest.”

Even before any discussions, he was already talking about wiring the funds, making it clear that he’d decided to go along with Seok-won’s proposal.

“That works.”

While Seok-won replied coolly, as if he’d expected nothing less, President Park Jin-hyung watched the two with a face full of worry.