Four days later,
Daehung Group’s Headquarters
Seok-won entered the executive suite with his aide, Han Ji-sung, his face set in a hard expression.
The moment he stepped in, the secretarial staff, who had been working at their desks, quickly rose to their feet and bowed.
“Young Master… I mean, Mr. President, welcome.”
Manager Choo Se-young, who seemed to have lost even more hair since their last meeting, hurriedly ste...
March 28, 1996.
A taxi pulled up in front of The Peninsula Hotel, a landmark that had stood for years overlooking the beautiful Victoria Harbour in the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong's most vibrant and bustling commercial district.
A moment later, the rear door opened, and a tall, affable-looking Caucasian man stepped out.
It was Eric Bernas, a former Merrill Lynch trader who had been recruited by Eldorado Fund and was managing multiple offshore c...
"Travel safely!"
With the send-off from CEO Ahn Byung-seok and Director Yoon Nam-ho, who had followed him down to the first floor, Seok-won’s large Mercedes sedan glided smoothly away from the Seocho Startup Support Office.
As the car exited the side road and merged onto the main street, Yoo Hyun-seok, seated beside him, stole a cautious glance at Seok-won before carefully speaking up.
"Excuse me, sir."
Leaning back against the plush rear seat and gazing out the ...
9:00 AM.
Accompanied by his executive secretary, Han Ji-sung, Seok-won stepped into his office.
As the company president, if he arrived too early, his subordinates would feel pressured to come in even earlier. To avoid that, he made a habit of arriving precisely on time.
“Good morning, sir.”
Na Seong-mi and another female secretary, who had been seated at their desks, immediately stood up, clasped their hands in front of them, and bowed.
"Thank you for taking the time to visit our humble office."
Ahn Byung-seok greeted the guests from Daehung Venture Capital with utmost humility, bowing slightly as he spoke.
"I’m Ahn Byung-seok, the CEO of Digital Wave. And this here is our Head of Development, Yoon Nam-ho."
As he introduced them, Ahn took out three business cards and handed them to the visitors.
"Nice to meet you. I’m Park Seok-won. This is Director Yoo Hyun-...
“Lend… lend us the money?”
“Of course, it’s not completely free. But I’m not seeking any personal gain.”
I declared with a solemn expression,
“There are many people suffering all over Korea. I want to use this money to give them the same opportunity you’re getting.”
I continued, seeing their eyes light up with hope,
“I’ll cover the acquisition cost. All you have to do is repay the value of your allocated shares gradually. Aren’t you...
The chaos wasn’t limited to the INO-PHONE booth.
At the Motorola booth, where they had been preparing to launch their own flip phone early next year, shouts of outrage erupted.
"What the hell is going on?! How did someone else release a flip phone before us?!"
"I’ll start investigating immediately."
"Find out which company made this ‘INO-PHONE’ or whatever it's called! There’s no way Steve developed that thing on his own!"
"Understood! I’ll move ...
August in Germany.
Once again, David had been sent to Germany under Kim Min-jae’s orders.
Using his exceptional networking skills, he managed to secure a meeting with the organizing committee of the German Electronics Expo.
He had only one goal—
To increase Taewoo Electronics’ presence at the expo.
David aimed to position the product presentation either first or last in the lineup and secure a prime location for the Taewoo Electronics booth—right at ...
The traditional mansion exuded a serene charm in the late-night air.
Soft lighting illuminated the garden, and at its center, in the pavilion, the Gwanghwamun Bear sat smoking a long-stemmed pipe, greeting me with a warm smile.
"Just as you predicted, Sampoong Group is on the verge of collapse."
"It wasn’t the outcome I wanted, but in the end, that’s how it turned out."
"How did you know? It’s not like Wall Street had any intel about the department store’s ...
The moment when my long-term plan finally comes to fruition is here.
Since the beginning of my tenure, I have nurtured my connection with Rachel, which allowed me access to information about Theranos.
Three days after our meeting at the Metropolitan Club, I called Raymond to accept his offer.
That is, to temporarily take on a consulting role at the family office.
“I’m okay with it, but I’m not sure if Goldman will approve. I heard moonlighting is prohibit...
As soon as Ha Si-heon left, Raymond turned his head towards Gerard.
“Do you realize what I have done?”
He eventually decided not to request a redemption.
This question was to verify if Gerard understood the reason.
Gerard confidently replied, “Yes, I know. If Ha Si-heon moves to the family office, we will be able to control him. We can use his abilities to profit, and ultimately, smear his career.”
A satisfied smile spread across Raymond’s lip...
After bringing up the scout proposal, Raymond began to formally set the terms.
“I can’t reveal the name, but it’s a family office operated by a long-time client. They manage about 300 million dollars in assets,” he said.
A family office is an investment firm established to professionally manage the wealth of high-net-worth individuals or affluent families, essentially a private fund.
‘I hope it’s not Kissinger…’
The thought briefly cros...
“You agreed to such an absurd condition?” Gerard asked with a face of disbelief.
It wasn’t unreasonable.
With a clause requiring a penalty payment of 50 billion dollars, there was no way I would have agreed.
But I had also prepared a response to this.
“My obligation under the contract is not to develop a cure but to ‘cooperate’ faithfully. I figured as long as I pretend to make an effort, there wouldn’t be a need to pay the penalty.”
“...
Raymond’s voice carried a creeping chill, but Ha Si-heon shook his head calmly.
“I don’t know what Rachel told you, Raymond. I’m only stating the facts.”
“Are you truly close then?”
“It depends on the definition of closeness. I dine alone with Rachel for half the week; by my standards, that constitutes a relationship.”
“Rachel, she hid that fact from me?”
Anger was now woven into Raymond’s voice. His fierce eyes were emitting a m...
Sunday afternoon at three o’clock.
The car carrying Gerard was stuck in the middle of a New York street.
He had planned to meet his father before his appointment with Ha Si-heon, but due to severe traffic, he was inevitably going to be late.
‘I’m going to hear it again…’
Gerard grimaced, imagining the nagging he was about to receive.
However, his expression soon darkened as he was consumed by another thought.
He kept rememberi...
“Hmm.”
Kim Min-soo smiled, looking around the ornately decorated office.
“I never thought I would rise to this position.”
He stroked the nameplate on his desk.
“Kim Min-soo, President of Hanho Savings Bank.”
Kim Min-soo had spent his entire career at Hanho Savings Bank.
He had been a manager for decades, a hardworking and loyal employee with an impeccable record.
Then, around July of last year, his desk disappeared.
No more w...
The appointment is on Sunday.
Though there are still three days left, I plan not to waste them.
There are numerous matters to handle before meeting Gerard’s father.
“It’s a bit tricky. The tasks I need to solve were clear.”
First, gather information on Theranos.
Second, stop Gerard’s redemption.
Both missions are daunting. Given that Gerard and his father both harbor significant suspicions about me, ‘It can somehow be managed, e...
A few days later, Hanseong Building in Yeouido, Seoul.
In the 10th-floor president’s office of the New Era National Council—an offshoot of the Minpyeong Party—three men were gathered.
The room was modestly furnished, and on one wall hung a large national map displaying the electoral districts finalized just a few months earlier in preparation for the upcoming election.
Sitting on a sofa with his hands resting on the armrests, Party President Kim Jae...
Since it was Sunday, Seok-won woke up a little later than usual. Dressed in a gray cashmere cardigan, he stepped into the garden with a coffee mug in one hand.
"The weather’s really warming up."
Spring was fast approaching. The bare tree branches were now adorned with budding flowers—perhaps due to Gyeongchip (경칩), the seasonal mark when hibernating frogs awaken.
As he sipped his coffee, basking in the sunlight, Seok-won leisurely scanned the garden fill...
"Typically, CDS options are based on bonds as the underlying asset, but using stock indices is quite unusual."
John Porter casually responded to Executive Director Usami’s remark.
"Whether it's bonds or stock indices, the purpose of insurance is the same—to hedge against potential losses."
"That may be true, but we've never structured a contract like this before. It's difficult to determine how the option should be set up."
John answered nonchalantly.
"I...
David of SAVE Investments.
Not only was he in charge of talent acquisition, but he also handled various lobbying efforts and external affairs.
With his exceptional social skills, he had built a strong network in the U.S.—and now, even in France, his charisma remained just as effective.
"When it comes to wine, nothing beats France, right? I went ahead and secured an entire stock of Romanée-Conti from the region."
"Tonight is going to be a real treat! Lately, it's...
These days, I really have no idea where the time goes.
With so many projects in motion, a single day felt like a minute, and before I knew it, April had arrived.
I started the month with a call from Steve.
Although he usually communicated with the development or design teams, this time, he called me directly.
[The software development is complete. This is on a whole different level compared to the phone software we’ve seen so far.]
"You've done a great job...
"Thank you. Truly, thank you."
President Hwang Young-chul repeatedly bowed his head.
For a small company, funding was always a problem.
But now, with a major corporation offering financial support, how could he not be overjoyed?
"You said you wanted to receive 100 million won in investment?"
"Yes. 100 million won is sufficient for development costs."
"Will 100 million won be enough? I'll invest 1 billion."
"Did you say 1 billion?"
"Is th...
The X-Cop security guards grabbed Kim Han-sang and dragged him out through the back door. He was quiet when he was being held by the security guards, but as soon as they let him go outside the door, he started shouting again.
“You assault people like this in a country ruled by law? I’m a lawyer from a law firm!”
Anyone listening would think being a lawyer is a government post.
Ellie said with a bright smile.
“That’s good to hear. I’m a lawyer too.”
I was startled by what I heard.
To think something like that happened between them on the opening party day!
The next day, coming to his senses, he formally confessed his feelings. Hyun-joo noona said she would take time to think about it, and he waited anxiously. But from some point on, she started avoiding meetings and drawing a line.
Henry covered his face with both hands.
“It’s all my fault. If only I hadn’t made a mistake that day…”
Listening ...
The one thing I demanded from Ahn Seok-gil was simple:
To actively publicize the dire financial state of Hanho Savings Bank to both the government and the media.
And the effect was immediate.
“This is chaos.”
I watched the news about Hanho Savings Bank with a satisfied smirk, a glass of soju in my hand.
After silencing the bank’s executives with a surprise audit and revealing the extent of their bad debts through the media, Korea was in an uproar.
<...
"You should start by selling Hanbo Group's stocks. If that's not enough, I can point out a few more companies for you."
"Is there some issue with Hanbo Group? It ranks 14th among conglomerates. Plus, Hanbo owns an enormous amount of real estate."
That was the common assumption—
That real estate conglomerates never go bankrupt.
But Hanbo wasn’t just in the land business.
"Do you know why Hanbo originally entered the real estate market?"
"I’ve heard t...
President Park Jin-hoon was trying to tame me.
If the mobile phone business completely failed, he believed he could maintain a regent-like role even after I became chairman.
Because of that, I was able to secure a lot.
Not only did I acquire the mobile phone business team, but I also managed to recruit 30 additional employees from Taewoo Electronics.
Thirty people might not seem like much.
But they were the elite—the most capable employees in Taewoo Electr...
Taewoo Group had always been a company that bought and used technology rather than developing its own.
As a result, Grandpa knew very well how lucrative technology royalties could be. At the mention of receiving royalties, he even gazed lovingly at the flip phone.
"Of course, the current flip phone we’ve developed won’t achieve a 30% operating profit margin. Most of its components are purchased from other companies, and we even have to use externally developed software."
...
As Seok-won reviewed the latest European news on the Bloomberg terminal installed on one side of his desk, there was a knock at the door. Na Seongmi opened it and stepped inside.
"Sir, Assistant Manager Han Jisung is here, as you requested."
"Let him in."
"Yes, sir."
After giving a brief reply, Na Seongmi stepped out. Not long after, a lean man who appeared to be in his late twenties walked in.
Approaching the desk, the man bowed at a precise 90-degree angle...