Meeting the Bedouins (4)
The Bedouins exchanged puzzled glances.
Even the chieftains seemed taken aback.
Then, the Corino chieftain spoke up.
[We’ll pass. Go to the Harkonnen tribe instead. We concede.]
The Harkonnen chieftain followed suit.
[We also concede. It would be best if you became Corino’s guest instead.]
Tae-soo grinned and raised his voice.
[Wouldn’t it be disappointing for a guest to arrive empty-handed...
Meeting the Bedouins (3)
The Bedouin warrior glared at them fiercely.
He wore a turban and layered leather armor, and at his waist hung a shamshir—a curved sword known in English as a scimitar.
[This is a battlefield. All outsiders must leave!]
Song Chang-jun quickly translated.
Tae-soo raised his voice.
[We are here to dig wells! For the Bedouins!]
[Wells? For us? What nonsense is this?]
The Bedouins’ expressions sh...
Meeting the Bedouins (2)
Tae-soo turned his head, looking for Song Jin-gu.
Under the shade of a palm tree, Song Jin-gu was sprawled out, legs stretched, muttering curses nonstop.
"Is that the car Elder sent?"
"How the hell should I know?! This is my first time in the Middle East too!"
Song Jin-gu snapped irritably, then suddenly froze.
Realizing his mistake, he shot up from the ground and shouted,
"I’ll go check! Hold on a se...
Meeting the Bedouins (1)
Jang Mal-dong had no choice but to answer.
"He used Park Tae-jong."
"Is there a possibility that Park Tae-jong is the one backing him?"
"It's highly unlikely," Jang Mal-dong stated firmly.
"As Park Tae-jong moved down to Pohang, he distanced himself from Park Jung-hwan’s policy discussions. He was completely unaware of the emergency 8.3 private loan freeze measure."
"Hmm... Kang Tae-soo’s backer won’t be...
The ribbon-cutting ceremony proceeded as planned.
Still in a daze, I went through the motions, only grasping the situation once the white cloth covering the signboard was pulled away.
[Trump Model House]
That was the name of the project.
At that moment, a long-buried memory surfaced in my mind.
Back in the mid-90s, my grandfather had helped Trump construct a building in the U.S.. In return, he had been allowed to use the Trump brand name for a project i...
Inside an office in Myeong-dong.
Team Leader Park pulled out a cigarette.
Just a few days ago, his subordinates would have rushed to light it for him.
But now, there was no one left by his side.
Click! Click!
Even his lighter refused to cooperate.
The flint must have been worn out—no flame emerged. With the unlit cigarette still between his lips, Park slumped back into his chair, burying his head.
Then—
BANG!
The door...
Three months into 1999
Time flew by.
With countless mergers and acquisitions, Grandpa and I were so swamped with work that we only saw each other when we finally returned home.
“Taewoo Telecom seems to be sponsoring something unusual. I thought we were just funding a sports team, but I didn’t expect us to create an esports team.”
“It’s far more effective than sponsoring traditional sports teams. Thanks to that, Taewoo Telecom is now leading KS Teleco...
After leaving the penthouse, Seok-won took the elevator with his aides and headed straight to the business meeting room at the Plaza Hotel, where today’s meeting was scheduled.
The room, luxuriously decorated with large floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Central Park and furnished with fine wooden furniture, already had Landon waiting inside, accompanied by the fund’s legal advisor.
After a short wait, the Microsoft representatives arrived, guided in by McGregor, the gener...
January 6, 1997.
Bill Gates, CEO of Microsoft, had cut his holiday break short and returned to the office earlier than usual. Sitting at the head of the conference table, he frowned and spoke with restrained irritation.
“So you're saying Hotmail wants to postpone the meeting?”
The low, clipped tone of his voice barely concealed his annoyance. It was only two days before the scheduled acquisition meeting—having it suddenly canceled at the last minute...
Because of the snow that fell last night, Central Park was completely blanketed in white.
Seok-won, seated alone and enjoying his brunch while admiring the snow-covered landscape through the expansive glass windows, put down his fork and knife and wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin.
At that moment, a hotel staff member in uniform quietly approached him from the side and asked,
“Shall I clear this for you?”
“Yes, please.”
Seok-won nodded as ...
Three-Cushion Shot in One Go (3)
Jang Mal-dong’s mind worked quickly.
He clicked his abacus beads and smacked his lips.
"It’s exactly the kind of front I need, but..."
He let out a groan.
Clearly, he was torn. But at the same time, he didn’t seem to dislike the idea entirely.
"If you’re not interested, just forget it."
"Let me think it over. What’s the rush? I need to do some calculations too, don’t I?"
"You...
Three-Cushion Shot in One Go (2)
In the grand home of Myeong-dong’s financial mogul, Jang Mal-dong—
The stern-looking seventy-year-old elder sat on a silk cushion, fanning himself leisurely.
"Kang Tae-soo is here?"
Jang Mal-dong nodded slowly as he continued fanning.
"Ah, of course. A real man wouldn’t waste time when presented with such a golden opportunity."
He glanced at the man in hanbok standing beside him.
At the me...
Three-Cushion Shot in One Go (1)
Han Cheong-ho's study door was firmly shut.
Standing outside, Secretary Song clenched his eyes shut.
The sounds of objects breaking continued to pour out from beyond the door.
Crash!
Bang! Thud!
Clatter!
After a while, silence finally settled over the study.
"Come in."
Carefully, Secretary Song opened the door and stepped inside.
As expected, the study was a complete mess.
A small bar in Namcheon-dong, Busan.
There, I was sharing drinks with the Commissioner of the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency.
"Thank you for accepting my request."
"Of course, I had to. You took care of my son—returning the favor is the least I could do. Besides, cracking down on gangsters is part of the police’s duty. Even if you hadn’t asked, I was already planning to go after them soon."
Commissioner Lee Kyung-sik had two children...
The Myeong-dong private loan market had always been underground.
However, if they registered as loan companies, their operations would become legal.
Of course, they would have to pay taxes, but in return, they could expand beyond Myeong-dong and extend their reach to all of South Korea.
"Are you saying we should go legit?"
"Enter the third-tier financial sector. If Japanese loan companies are making their move, there’s no rea...
The last day of 1998
The chaotic year of 1998, overshadowed by the national financial crisis, was finally coming to an end today.
All subsidiaries of Taewoo Group had already held their year-end closing ceremonies, and even the planning office staff had left early for the day.
"Director, you should head home early as well. I’m about to leave myself."
"This is the first time I’ve seen you leave work on time, Executive Director."
"I must be giving you a ha...
Eunma Apartment in Daechi-dong, Gangnam, Seoul.
Located in one of the wealthiest areas in Gangnam, the third floor of this apartment shopping complex housed the headquarters of Hanbo Group.
People were often shocked to learn that the headquarters of a major conglomerate—recently bumped up four spots in the corporate rankings to 14th place—was not in a gleaming high-rise but rather occupying a single floor of an apartment complex.
In fact, this was the...
Completely blindsided by Seok-won’s gesture, not only Trevor but even Landon, seated beside him, wore a stunned expression.
Landon was about to speak up, but upon seeing Seok-won’s calm and composed demeanor as he faced Trevor, he realized this wasn’t some impulsive whim. Quietly, he closed his mouth.
Trevor, still visibly in shock, leaned forward slightly, as if to make sure he had heard correctly.
“You’re saying… if I write the amount we need on that check, ...
Swoooosh.
Hot water streamed from the showerhead, cascading down over his firm muscles.
Broad shoulders, a trim waist, and sharply defined abs — everything about him was sculpted to perfection.
It wasn’t the kind of bulked-up physique you get from simply building muscle for show. His body had perfect balance, the kind that reminded one of a statue crafted by a renowned artist — beautiful in its symmetry and detail.
On top of that, hi...
Next is the facility tour.
“This is the lab.”
As the door opened, a dazzling white world greeted us. In a space reminiscent of a sterile room, researchers in white coats were bustling about.
On the experiment table were neatly arranged pipettes, test tubes, and various chemicals, and the researchers were engrossed in data analysis in front of monitors.
However, once again, no one looked at the strangers.
I mingled among the people and closely examined th...
Standing in front of the Theranos headquarters, I unconsciously tilted my head back to take in the building.
A modern, sleek exterior.
I couldn’t help but let out a bitter smile.
‘They sure are clever about things like this.’
This building had been used by Facebook just three years ago.
Of course, Holmes had been fully aware of that when she moved Theranos’s base here.
It was a calculated move, meant to evoke the association tha...
Epicura Headquarters.
In the conference room, a CNBC broadcast was playing.
— Whitmer’s actions defy common sense. At this point, his immediate dismissal is certainly an option!
—No way, not without a successor lined up. But with how things are going, it might actually be better to leave the leadership vacant than to have a crazy CEO like him at the helm!
—Still, Whitmer has been considered a stable figure until now. What could possibly be driving him to...
<Who would have thought lobsters had middle fingers too?>
On the 29th, just a week before the emergency shareholders’ meeting proposed by Shark Capital’s Dex Slater, Epicura forced the sale of Harbor Lobster.
Ignoring the earnest pleas of shareholders to wait just one more week, the sale was pushed through unilaterally.
Amidst criticism pouring in that CEO Whitmer’s autocratic tendencies had been laid bare…
...
After the 13D disclosure, Shark Capital officially requested a meeting with Epicura’s CEO, Whitmer.
Whitmer wanted the advisor Goldman to be present, which led Pierce and me to board a plane to Florida once again.
“I’m Dex Slater.”
“I’m Clarence Whitmer.”
“I’m Dave Pierce.”
While the three exchanged greetings, I quietly stood behind them.
Naturally, as a low-ranking employee, I had no need to introduce myself, but well, that ...
After the conference call with Epicura ended, there was a man who angrily threw his phone and erupted in rage.
It was none other than the portfolio manager (PM) of Capital Research Group.
“Shit, is this bastard out of his mind?”
Capital Research Group held a whopping 15.42% stake in Epicura.
Just four months ago, it was only 9%, but they had increased it in anticipation of a real estate spin-off.
However, CEO Whitmer was firmly opposed to the idea. ...
If Pierce tried to get rid of me, I had to get rid of him first.
It wouldn’t be easy to eliminate the MD boasting the department’s top performance and a potential future executive.
But, it wasn’t impossible either.
“I don’t really want to waste unnecessary time on this…But if there’s an obstacle in my path, whatever it is, I must remove it.”
As I was pondering this, Pierce smirked.
“I don’t believe you, but the plan itself i...
Using the President to Set the Stage (6)
Tae-soo nodded.
"This is regarding administrative procedures, diplomatic processes, and special agents."
"Hmm?"
"The construction project was originally awarded to Samwon Construction. If I recklessly restart the project, it could cause issues from multiple angles. The Saudi royal family might also take issue with it."
"That makes sense."
"So, I’d like Your Excellency to send an official lett...
Using the President to Set the Stage (5)
As Park Tae-jong opposed the idea, Kim Jeong-rim quickly intervened.
It was to help fulfill Han Cheong-ho's wishes.
"What are you saying right now? Think back to when we were building the school and roads. Let’s put our trust in him just this once. If support is needed, we can all pitch in little by little. Isn’t that what sipsi-ilban (十匙一飯) is all about?”
‘That’s rig...
Using the President to Set the Stage (4)
Park Jung-hwan turned to Han Cheong-ho.
"Chairman Han, Cheongil will have to step up this time."
Han Cheong-ho quickly protested.
"Your Excellency, this is unfair. Samwon Construction took on the overseas project, and I merely used my connections to help them secure the bid with good intentions. As you know, Cheongil is already facing significant difficulties because of this matter."
He continued.
...
Using the President to Set the Stage (3)
Beside Jang Joon-yong stood Kim Hwan, the chief secretary.
Kim Hwan glanced at Tae-soo with a subtle smile before leaning in to whisper something to Jang Joon-yong.
Jang Joon-yong shifted his gaze toward Tae-soo and raised a hand.
“Well, well, look who we have here! I’d expect you to be in Gangwon-do, yet here you are. Ha-ha-ha! In any case, good to see you.”
“How do you do? This is our first ...