Kabutocho, Chuo Ward, Tokyo, was one of the leading financial hubs not only in Japan but also globally.
True to its prestigious reputation, the area was densely packed with the Tokyo Stock Exchange at its center, surrounded by the headquarters of major commercial banks, securities firms, and Japanese branches of foreign financial institutions.
Each morning, the streets bustled with financiers dressed in luxury suits and ties, carrying briefcases in one hand...
There are two primary legal avenues to oust Holmes on the grounds of mismanagement: One is a breach of fiduciary duty lawsuit, and the other is a derivative lawsuit.
Whichever route I chose, one thing was clear—being a shareholder was a prerequisite. And to become a shareholder, I first had to acquire equity in Theranos.
But… There was a small yet significant obstacle standing in my way.
“You’re pushing forward with the investment?”
That obstacle was none...
The next evening.
Once again, I visited the hotel conference room for an idea meeting with Chun Min-jung.
As soon as I walked in, Min-jung bowed her head, tears welling up in her eyes.
“Vice Chairman… thank you so much.”
“This was something we should do as part of employee welfare. And besides, you’re one of Taewoo Group’s core talents.”
“I’ll repay this kindness for the rest of my life!”
As expected, it was a profitable investment...
Two days later, at the Government Complex Building No. 1 in Gwanghwamun.
Deputy Prime Minister Choi Jin-woo laid the report in his hands down on the reception table, unable to hide his surprise.
“Is this really true?”
Sitting on the sofa to his left, Vice Minister Shin Seung-gi met his gaze and replied,
“Yes, sir. I was just as shocked when I received the report.”
He had ordered an investigation into whether Park Seok-won could actually provide the p...
The departure time of the flight to New York was 8 p.m.
After the field inspection wrapped up at 2 p.m., I was left with a considerable amount of free time.
“Let’s use the remaining time as free time.”
After bidding farewell to the field inspection team, I headed straight to the hotel lounge bar.
As expected of a five-star hotel, there were plenty of spacious seats, but I deliberately chose a bar table.
The narrow spacing between seats made it the perf...
Back at the office, I went to find the Director of Planning.
Perhaps because he already knew I had visited the high school concerning Chun Min-jung's younger sibling, he entered the Vice Chairman’s office with a slight smile on his face.
“So, how was your first visit to a high school?”
“It made me glad I never attended one. There’s someone named Cho Young-hee—apparently the daughter of a mid-sized company chairman. Do you know which company that is?”
...
It was late, already past 10 p.m.
A black Equus sedan came to a stop in front of the entrance of the Lotte Hotel in Sogong-dong.
The aide sitting in the front seat got out first, scanned the surroundings, and opened the rear passenger door.
A middle-aged man stepped out, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and with neatly combed hair — it was Choi Jin-woo, the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs.
Lately, his face had noticeably thinned from severe stress, and stre...
As Ha Si-heon left the room, a gentle smile spread across the directors’ faces.
Kissinger was the first to speak.
“I thought all young people these days only cared about their own interests, but it’s fortunate to see someone with such a strong sense of responsibility toward the world.”
The other directors nodded in agreement.
While Holmes quietly clenched her fist, Kissinger spoke to her softly.
“Introducing this to the field is a great opportunity...
The Next Morning
At Kangyoung High School, a parent-teacher meeting was held.
Every parent in attendance was well-known in their respective fields.
However, among them, the person with the strongest influence was Jo Young-hee, the wife of a Deputy Chief Prosecutor and the esteemed daughter of a mid-sized conglomerate's chairman—Chu Young-taek’s mother.
"Is this really a school? Why is my son coming home injured?! He’s supposed to be focusi...
A school could be seen as a hierarchical society.
That was why the term "iljin" (school gang leader) existed.
Although its etymology had little to do with social class, it had become solidified as a ranking system within schools.
At the top were the iljin—the dominant bullies. Below them were ijins and samjins, ranked accordingly.
But there was an even higher class beyond the iljin.
Normally, iljin referred to delinquent stude...
October 20, 1997.
The stock market reopened after the weekend—and, as expected, it began with another drop.
The giant market boards were awash in a sea of blue, and financial stocks—especially banks and securities firms—were plunging even harder than other sectors.
It was the fallout from the announcement made just yesterday afternoon: foreign exchange operations of 12 merchant banks had been suspended, and they were issued restructuring orders.
...
In the customer hall of Daheung Securities, located in Yeouido, nearly a hundred individual investors stood or sat in small groups, staring helplessly at the massive market ticker that stretched across one wall.
“Unbelievable…”
“Damn it. It’s dropping again today.”
“They said everything would be fine once we got the IMF bailout. So why is the stock market still like this?!”
“How many days in a row has it been falling now?”
“Sigh…”
“I’m doubting Theranos’ technology? Me?”
I widened my eyes and stared at Holmes.
There was an air of innocent surprise in my voice.
Then, Holmes replied firmly.
“You’ve mentioned dozens of times that blood tests using capillary blood sampling are scientifically impossible.”
“But… isn’t that true? It’s an unsolved problem that no one has cracked—only Theranos has made it possible. I was just expressing my amazement…”
H...
Politicians and startups had a surprising number of similarities.
To succeed, both needed investors to fund them.
If a startup succeeded, its investors would demand equity in return for their investment.
In contrast, politicians didn’t pay back with shares—they repaid their debts by sharing their influence.
But there was a key difference.
While startup investments were voluntary, politicians leveraged their political parties to force invest...
Kim Sun-yeop’s supporters were thrown into disarray and held an emergency meeting after hearing that Chunha Trading had agreed to sell its shares to Chairman Kim Hoo-joong.
Although the transaction wouldn’t happen immediately, as Chairman Kim needed time to raise the funds, everyone knew that he would call a shareholders’ meeting as soon as the deal was finalized.
“CEO Kim Eun-mo isn’t here?”
“No, he’s not answering our calls…”
Kim Sun-yeop’s face...
2025-05-25 11:30:02 +0000 UTC View PostAfter the fashion show ended, Henri Vuitton visited his colleague Ralph Warren’s office.
Since they were in the same industry, they had at least seen each other before.
However, they never had much reason to have a deep conversation.
They met at a cruise party hosted by Park Ji-hoon and became acquainted.
When it came to their shared interest in “collecting,” they hit it off.
They both had a tendency to hoard items that bore the marks of time.
H...
To expand F1’s market share, entering the U.S. market is essential.
It’s an undeniable fact that Olivia would play a pivotal role in boosting its popularity.
Even so, I couldn’t shake off a strange reluctance.
Asking her to appear in a documentary seemed reasonable enough.
But recruiting her as a real driver was a different matter entirely.
I soon turned my gaze back to the track.
At the end of Dmitri’s self-promotion.
Henri Vuitton asked me a question.
“Do you know which brand is getting the most attention at this New York Fashion Show?”
“I’m not sure.”
“It’s Gromhatz.”
Oh my!
“Initially, they focused solely on metal crafts, but lately, they’ve started making clothing as well. They’ve preserved their signature ornate patterns.”
“What? Henri Vuitton himself came here?”
He soon reached out to shake my hand.
While we shook hands, Henri winked with one eye.
“When CEO Park brought up family, I came up with this event myself. Of course, it had to be a surprise.”
Ha!
I was genuinely surprised.
“This isn’t an intrusion, is it?”
“Intrusion? It’s the greatest honor.”
“I’m overwhelmed by your warm welcome.”
Henri Vuitton soon shifted his g...
“There are plenty of dogs around the neighborhood. Why buy a gaming console just to raise one?”
“If dogs aren’t your thing, how about monsters?”
“That’s basically like CapsuleMon.”
“CapsuleMon focuses on collection. Mine is more about nurturing… or almost like parenting.”
Yeah, that’s essentially Tamagotchi.
It wasn’t a long-term success, but it did make a splash for a whil...
Taeyang Group (6)
Rahman greeted Park Jung-hwan with the elegance befitting a Saudi royal.
"I am Rahman bin Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. The twelfth son of Khalid, the Minister of Defense of Saudi Arabia, and grandson of His Majesty Abdulaziz Al Saud, the founding King of Saudi Arabia."
They took great pride in honoring their ancestry, proudly reciting their lineage along with their names.
However, to those unfamiliar with Saudi customs, it was a ...
Taeyang Group (5)
The groundbreaking ceremony for the Cheongil Hotel in Euljiro, Seoul, was coming to a close.
“Wishing the Cheongil Hotel endless prosperity,” President Park Jeonghwan concluded.
Clap clap clap clap.
The prominent figures from political and business circles attending the event enthusiastically applauded.
Park Jeonghwan lightly raised his hand in acknowledgment and stepped down from the podium.
“Now, it...
Taeyang Group (4)
Jang Junyong of Geumsan said,
“Han Cheong-ho from Cheongil sent out invitations to the groundbreaking ceremony for Cheongil Hotel—to politicians and business leaders—on the exact same date and time as this event. Everyone probably went there.”
It was a deliberate move to sabotage Tae-soo’s event.
A petty and cheap trick.
“Jangsoo Bank must have received an invitation too. Why did they come here instead of Han Cheong...
Taeyang Group (3)
“What’s that?”
Everyone focused on Tae-soo.
“Put the money earned in Saudi Arabia and the surplus funds into Han-soo’s investment company.”
The investment company Han-soo established in the U.S. had already been used for money laundering.
The money made from arms smuggling and military supplies in Saudi Arabia flowed into the investment company.
That money then went back into Jangsu Bank as investment cap...
Taeyang Group (1)
Han Cheong-ho was anxious.
He had tried every possible way to silence Oh Young-soon.
Finally, they reached an agreement:
Taeyang Group (2)
As Secretary Park’s report continued, Han Cheong-ho slammed his fist down on the desk.
“Kang Tae-soo— that bastard is launching a chaebol group?”
“Yes.”
It was unbelievable.
He had locked down all bank loans, so how on earth had Tae-soo managed to grow so much?
“That slippery eel! Somehow slipped through without a loan!”
But once the eel slips away, all you have to do is catch it again.
...
Cracking Park Jung-hwan’s Secret Vault (4)
“I don’t know.”
Oh Young-soon shook her head.
“You saw it yourself. The code here is so complex that no one can open it.”
“That’s right. The code is complicated. Instead of ID verification, you need a 16-digit code to enter, a 16-digit personal safe number, and a 16-digit safe opening number.”
“Yes. The code is a meaningless combination of letters and numbers. Without it, you can...
Cracking Park Jung-hwan’s Secret Vault (3)
Song So-ri spoke.
“I was hiding near the main gate of the Geumsan Hotel today. I saw Han Cheong-ho storm out, furious. It felt so satisfying. I’ve never seen that look on his face before.”
Han Cheong-ho wore the face of a defeated man.
“I was happy. I thought, If only Dad could have seen this. I was grateful to you for making him look like that.”
“It’s nothing.”<...
Cracking Park Jung-hwan’s Secret Vault (2)
“Have you forgotten? The one sent by the Saudi minister. Whose hands did you send it with?”
It was sent with Kang Tae-soo.
Han Cheong-ho whispered subtly.
“You think he didn’t open it?”
It had clearly been sealed properly.
Even the royal seal of Saudi Arabia had been stamped neatly.
They had gone so far as to press the wax seal firmly shut to ensure its security.
“...
Cracking Park Jung-hwan’s Secret Vault (1)
Jang Maldong twitched his lips.
“Of the three things you came here for, I’ve figured out at least one. It’s this, right?”
He gestured with his fan toward a stack of documents he’d been sorting through.
“That’s right,” Tae-soo replied with a grin.
Jang Maldong gave a triumphant laugh.
“You’ve picked out some real gems.”
He pointed to the documents one by one with...