Captain Kang's Office.
I clenched my fists tightly as I watched the news.
Seeing me like that, Captain Kang quietly placed a cup of warm water on the desk in front of me.
“The prosecution’s investigation will wrap up quickly. I’ve already heard from our line in the prosecution office.”
“The investigation ending quickly isn’t the issue. The real problem is that such a humiliating scene was broadcasted on TV. A company with 0% debt ratio—what profi...
Chairman Jang Kyung-joon's eyebrows twitched as he looked at the note.
And I knew exactly what that twitch meant.
“They must have thought I would attack you after receiving this note.”
“Did Young-joon really give you this note?”
“Yes. If you want, you can have it fingerprinted. You'll find Chairman Jang Young-joon's fingerprints on it.”
Chairman Jang Kyung-joon clenched his fist, crumpling the note.
Then, with wide eyes, he asked me a ques...
As a five-term lawmaker, he had secured an office in the heart of Gangnam.
The aides working under him were also highly capable individuals.
“Assemblyman! I believe you should take a look at this article from Jeil Ilbo.”
“Bring it here.”
Yoon Hyun-gil put on his magnifying glasses and began reading the newspaper.
The article reported allegations of illegal political funds involving a five-term assemblyman.
“This article is targeting me....
Discussing War Before the Minister of Defense (4)
Tae-soo spoke with confidence.
[I would like to be entrusted with the Jubail Industrial Port construction project.]
Khalid flinched.
[The Jubail Industrial Port project? That’s still in the conceptual stage—there isn’t even a concrete plan yet.]
[I’m aware. But I also know that in a few years, this project will inevitably move forward.]
In his previous life, the public bidding ...
Discussing War Before the Minister of Defense (3)
Chomyung Bank in Jongno
In the office of Chomyung Bank, Choi Mu-ryong furrowed his brows.
"Are you sure? Jangsu Bank received a large-scale investment proposal from an American investment firm?"
A man known as the "Woodpecker of Jongno" stood by.
Choi Mu-ryong’s right-hand man spoke up.
"The rumors are spreading like wildfire."
"How reliable are they?"
...
Discussing War Before the Minister of Defense (2)
Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.
Secretary Song stepped out of the taxi and headed toward the hotel.
Click, click.
Instead of a travel trunk full of dollars, he was dragging an empty one.
"The money was successfully delivered to the Saudi Minister of Finance."
It had been surprisingly easy to meet such a high-profile figure.
The moment they heard that Han Cheong-ho ...
Discussing War Before the Minister of Defense (1)
Tae-soo also greeted him politely.
[I am Kang Tae-soo from South Korea.]
[Pleasure to meet you. I am Khalid bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, the fifth son of His Majesty Abdul Aziz Al Saud, the first King of Saudi Arabia, and I currently serve as the Minister of Defense.]
Khalid introduced himself.
[Rather than standing around here, why don’t we continue our conversation in the reception room?]
<...
“Did you say we shouldn’t sell dollars?”
Chairman Park Tae-hong looked at him, puzzled.
Seok-won nodded as he replied.
“Yes. Not only should we avoid spending them—if we have any surplus funds, now is the time to convert as much of it into dollars as we can.”
President Park Jin-hyung, sitting across from them, frowned and interjected.
“The exchange rate was around 826 won per dollar last year. Now it’s up to 897. That’s a huge jump. You’re sa...
“We’re here.”
From the back, Choi Ho-geun pulled out his wallet and handed a 10,000 won bill to the taxi driver.
“Keep the change.”
“Oh, thank you very much.”
As he got out of the taxi, the driver popped open the trunk and helped him unload his bags.
Since the trip had ended up being longer than planned — and with all the gifts he’d picked up — he now had two large suitcases and a backpack, more than he'd left with.
Once the taxi d...
Having finished my short vacation and returned, I heard the story of how Taek-gyu had cleared the Dungeon of MLM.
Listening to the story, I was reminded of the relatives who had come to my Dongtan house in the past, clinging to me and begging for anything.
After that, they were quiet, and I thought they were living ordinary lives, but who would have thought they would be running an MLM scam.
But there was something I was more curious about than this incident. “So, what ...
M Pizza opened its Jeju branch at the Ceylon Hotel Jeju.
It was the seventh directly managed store and the first in Jeju Island. CEO Im Soo-mi was confident that Jeju Island, being the center of Korean tourism, would be able to attract Asian tourists.
As if proving M Pizza’s high popularity, people lined up for a long time even before the opening ceremony, and many of them were foreigners.
I attended the opening ceremony with CEO Im Soo-mi and cut the ribbon. With that,...
Jeil Group Chairman Ham Soon-pyo, whose real name was Ham Seok-hoon, received Choi Nam-woo’s call.
[…He says he’s interested in investing, so I think it would be good for you to meet him once.]
“Is the 5 billion won confirmed?”
[Yes. I’ve confirmed it myself. He says he’ll invest 5 billion won for now out of 10 billion, but if we talk to him well, it might be possible to get even more.]
It seemed a bit strange that a young man in his 20s would invest ...
Rahman’s Gift (2)
Samwon Construction had lost the trust of the Saudi royal family to the point where they had even received an unofficial letter of protest.
As a result, the highway project they bid for in 1972 ultimately failed and was handed over to a local Saudi construction company, which completed it.
By mutual agreement between the two nations, Samwon Construction’s involvement in the 1972 project was erased from the official records.
Ye...
Rahman’s Gift (1)
A small soup restaurant near the hotel.
It was Jeong Yoon-ah’s idea to come here.
"Oppa, would you like some more kkakdugi?"
"Sure."
She placed a piece of kkakdugi onto Tae-soo’s spoon.
At that moment, a memory surfaced—when he had first returned home, his mother had placed kkakdugi on his spoon similarly.
The meal that day had also been haejangguk.
So Tae-soo asked,
"Don’t young women ...
“Whoa, is this a house?”
A massive wall, over three meters high, stretched endlessly, and the main gate, guarded by six security guards, looked incredibly sturdy.
“So this is the chairman of Haixin Group’s house.”
I had arrived at the chairman’s residence for our meeting.
Even before meeting him, the sheer grandeur of the house made me feel humble.
“I was bragging about being the richest man in Korea not long ago, but this is on a whole differe...
Early morning.
I was the first to receive the newspaper delivered to our house.
A shocking headline dominated the front page.
[Honorary Chairman Jang Young-joo of Hyundai Group Passes Away]
An event that could shake South Korea had finally erupted.
It was a far bigger incident than Captain Kang and I had intended, and there was no mention of my grandfather in the news.
"Haah, he ended up going first after all. Sigh… If he was going ...
Mobile games were a literal goldmine.
With the advantage of easy monetization and the ability to play anywhere, they attracted far more users than PC games.
Yet, the game company CEOs were still hesitant.
I had no choice but to dangle a carrot.
"Taewoo Electronics will cover all development costs for mobile games. In return, we will take a 50% stake in them."
"Covering all the costs is appealing, but isn't taking 50% of the shares a bit excessive?"
Th...
Taewoo Motors' expansion into China was a huge success.
It had been showing an annual growth rate close to 100%.
Both Taewoo Group and Shanghai Automotive were benefiting from this success.
Additionally, the Shanghai faction, where Zheng Hongqin belonged, also shared in the profits.
Given all this, how could they not find me appealing?
Zheng Hongqin even stepped forward before I had a chance to bring up the topic.
"If there's another business you want...
In Midtown Manhattan, between Park Avenue and 8th Avenue, lay 17 densely packed blocks filled with countless hedge funds, big and small.
Among them stood a nine-story building on Park Avenue, entirely occupied by small and medium-sized hedge funds. Traders referred to it as the “Hedge Fund Hotel.”
Bruno Karl, a former JP Morgan employee, had partnered with his former colleague David Iverson to launch a small hedge fund called Goliath. They were renting a modest offi...
March 18, 1997 – Westchester County, New York
Dressed comfortably in chinos and a long-sleeved cardigan, George Soros followed his usual morning routine: after breakfast with his wife, he headed to his study.
There, he scanned overnight market activity on his computer and Bloomberg terminal, then moved on to the morning papers and faxed reports sent over from the office.
Afternoons were usually reserved for reading or working on his papers, which aimed to organize and a...
Devon entered his family home after a long time.
He wasn’t afraid of anything in the world, but there was one exception—his father.
Perhaps that’s why.
Loitering around the yard for no reason, he eventually headed to the workout area.
Since all the equipment was adjusted to suit his father.
“Ugh.”
Devon had to adjust all the weights.
Despite being old equipment, they were meticulously oiled.
Thanks to that, even when pulling wi...
A Toast with a New Colleague (4)
Tae-soo raised his glass.
“Shall we call it a night with this final drink?”
Jang Jun-yong stood up from his seat.
Tae-soo had no choice but to follow suit.
“Final drink? Nonsense. We go all the way. On a night like this, it’d be disappointing if the younger one tapped out first.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m Jang Jun-yong of Geumsan. This is nothing. I can’t stand weak talk at a mome...
A Toast with a New Colleague (3)
Han Cheong-ho’s Study.
Han Cheong-ho sat in his chair, gazing out the window.
Knock, knock.
"Come in."
"Father, you called for me?"
A tall and handsome young man entered.
His pale complexion, cold and sinister eyes, and thin lips gave him an air of cruelty.
He was Han Il-kwon, Han Cheong-ho’s son.
"Why are you still out at this hour instead of staying home?"
"Father, I...
A Toast with a New Colleague (2)
Park Jung-hwan spoke to Cha Ki-beom.
"Take the president of Samwon Construction to the Central Intelligence Agency."
"What do you intend to do?"
"Kang Tae-soo personally handed this guy over. What do you think that means? It means he wants us to strip Samwon Construction clean."
An official letter was sent to the Saudi government to resume construction.
Since Samwon Construction had been acquired by Ta...
A Toast with a New Colleague (1)
While Kim Hwan was flustered by the unexpected call, Tae-soo spoke calmly.
[I called to ask if there's any available time in the chairman’s schedule.]
"Oh, you should have contacted us earlier. The chairman's schedule is completely full, and there isn't a single free moment for the next week. In fact, he'll be leaving by car in just 30 minutes."
[Thirty minutes is enough. May I meet with the chairman briefly?]
...
I attended the inauguration and then returned to Korea.
Other than having the best seat in the house and enjoying a great view, there wasn’t much to gain from the trip.
With so many people in attendance, there was no real opportunity for conversation—I had to settle for firm handshakes and brief greetings.
But then, something unexpected happened.
"Vice Chairman, the media response has been overwhelmingly positive. The fact that you were the only Korean business...
January 9th.
The CES event was in full swing in Las Vegas.
Electronics companies from around the world were unveiling a variety of products, but today, all eyes were on Apple and Steve.
It was all because of a rumor that had been circulating for months.
"Apple has created a completely different kind of mobile phone."
Steve was obsessive about security, but he couldn't completely prevent leaks of the iPhone prototype photos.
Instead, i...
I continued to massage my grandfather’s shoulders.
Then, all of a sudden, he brought up a different topic.
“By the way, it's about time we started the inheritance process. After acquiring Hyundai Semiconductor, the group's overall stock price has dropped significantly.”
His shoulders suddenly tensed up.
While a drop in stock prices could be advantageous for inheritance, it had a negative impact on everything else.
“As soon as the inheritance process ...
News of the Thai government’s surrender, delivered in the early morning hours, was met with cheers from hedge funds across Wall Street, who raised their glasses in a victory toast.
The Eldorado Fund was no exception. The entire office was buzzing with excitement after making a massive profit from shorting the Thai baht.
“Good morning!”
“Morning!”
Jung Hwan-yeop placed his briefcase on his desk and exchanged a wry smile with Choi Ho-geun, taking in the fes...
“Sold 30 at 7.4!”
“Okay, done!”
With the New York foreign exchange market now open, the currency trading team of Eldorado Fund was in full swing under the command of team leader Tyler.
“BOT is putting in massive baht buy orders!”
Rolling up his shirt sleeves and wearing a headset, Tyler looked over at the trader who had just spoken.
“How much are we talking?”
“Just over 360 million dollars.”
Tyler, who had been standing, be...