Yamaichi Securities Headquarters, 1 Shingawa, Chuo-ku, Tokyo.
Seated in the president’s office, Fukuwa Nobuo, the 65-year-old president of Yamaichi Securities, was flanked by Tanino Sakutaro, the senior managing director, on his left and Murakami Akira, the chief financial officer, on his right.
Fukuwa, a slender man with gold-rimmed glasses, was known for his typically mild demeanor—so much so that he had earned the nickname "The English...
The large Mercedes sedan carrying Seok-won passed through the entrance security checkpoint and drove straight into the underground parking garage.
The spacious and brightly lit parking area was nearly empty, with only a few scattered vehicles.
As the car smoothly came to a stop, a woman in her late twenties, dressed in a tailored two-piece suit, stepped forward and bowed slightly.
She had a refined and elegant appearance—Kim Ye-rin, the personal secretary of Jo Deok-rye...
[Well… what do you mean by ‘cooperate’…?]
“Tell me the real situation of Hanho Savings Bank. And why you did such a reckless thing.”
Ahn Seok-gil took a deep breath.
[Is that all?]
I said coldly,
“Of course not. Do you really want to push this to the limit? We have nothing to lose.”
I softened my tone.
“Vice Minister Ahn, you know your career in public service ends with this administration. You need to prepare for your future,...
The Next Day.
I arrived at the research lab on time.
Most of the researchers had already started their work for the day, and Advisor Fukuda was waiting for me outside my office early in the morning.
"What brings you here so early? Don’t tell me you’ve already finished writing the report?"
"I only added a few words to the draft you prepared. If I’m going to be paid as a advisor, this much is the least I should do, don’t you think?"
"Let’s talk insid...
"I will do my best to help you become the true master of Myeong-dong."
"Just helping won't be enough. Tell me exactly what I need to do."
"I've heard that you hold a significant amount of corporate stocks and bonds."
"Of course, I own a lot of corporate bonds. Bonds are basically just another form of private loans, aren't they?"
Corporate bonds were often referred to as private loans.
Though the term "private loan" generally carried a different meaning in ev...
Steve finally snapped out of his daze once the food arrived.
As the waiter set the dishes on the table, he seemed to have finished his thoughts and spoke with some difficulty.
"Can this even be called a phone? It looks more like a computer shrunk down to phone size."
"It will be called a smartphone. It will operate entirely through a touchscreen and allow users to listen to music and even watch movies."
"Is that possible?"
"Not right now. This is more of a vision...
2025-03-21 03:50:33 +0000 UTC View PostFebruary 24, 1996.
It was a Saturday, but since the stock market's Saturday closure policy wouldn't take effect until December of the following year, the employees of Daeheung Venture Capital’s Asset Management Department remained in the office through the afternoon.
“Ugh, finally done.”
Jung Hwan-yeop loosened his tie and leaned back, letting out a sigh of exhaustion. Having just finished sorting through transaction slips, he grabbed the mug sittin...
As the wall clock on one side of the room pointed to the end of the workday, the section chief, wearing horn-rimmed glasses, closed the document he had been reviewing and spoke.
"Alright, everyone, start wrapping up and head home."
At that, Bae Myung-wook, an auditor sitting to the left, stretched his arms high above his head and let out a deep yawn, as if he had been waiting for this moment.
"Ughhh."
"Jeez, that was loud."
Moon Chang-seok, sitting beside hi...
Hearing a knock, Choi Ho-geun opened the door and stepped inside. Seeing Seok-won seated at his desk, he gave a polite bow.
"Sir, I have come as you requested."
Seok-won closed the document he had been reviewing and gestured toward the sofa in front of him with a nod.
"Have a seat."
"Yes, sir."
Choi Ho-geun carefully took a seat on the right-side sofa.
In response, Seok-won stood up, walked around his desk, and settled into the main seat in the center...
Hyun-joo noona looked at Taek-gyu and said.
“Lower your voice, it’s noisy.”
Judging by her reaction, it seemed Ellie hadn’t known either. If even her closest aide didn’t know, it’s safe to assume that no one in the company knew.
Although I didn’t shout, I was equally shocked. I never imagined that the word “pregnant” would come out of Hyun-joo noona’s mouth.
So that’s why she even quit smoking?
Come to think of it, the coffee in front o...
I returned to the U.S. after a month.
From the Changwon parts factory to the audit team and the technology research lab—so much had happened that it felt like a year had passed. But in reality, it had only been a month.
I allowed myself a brief moment of nostalgia before heading straight to SAVE Investment Company, where Team Leader Han and Jeffrey were waiting for me.
"Jeffrey, what brings you here? Shouldn’t you be focusing on your startup? Why are you spending your...
Most of the patent task force members came from STEM fields.
To join the technology research lab, one had to have either a Ph.D. or at least ten years of experience at Taewoo Electronics.
Given their expertise, they quickly realized that implementing smartphone technology would be difficult.
As a result, most of them focused on patenting foldable phone technology, which could be developed with the current level of technology.
Among them, Park Jun-il stood out the m...
WilmerHale—one of the top five law firms in the United States.
For any lawyer, it was considered the dream workplace.
Getting in was incredibly difficult, yet today, a lawyer who had been with the firm for less than three years submitted his resignation.
"Hey, Park! Why are you suddenly quitting? Is it the salary? There's no third-year lawyer making as much as you!"
"I’m satisfied with my salary."
Lincoln, one of the few partner attorneys at WilmerHale, ...
The vast public parking lot along the Han River was eerily desolate, with only a handful of cars scattered across its expanse. The absence of people and the heavy, overcast sky created a chilling atmosphere, as if snow might start falling at any moment.
Breaking through the darkness, a bright pair of headlights illuminated the area as a BMW drove into the lot.
The vehicle traced a wide arc before pulling up beside a lone white Accent sedan parked off to the side.
As the e...
As everyone struggled to hide their confusion, Executive Director Yoon Ki-hoon, seated to the left, adjusted his glasses and asked for confirmation.
"You’re not just withdrawing funds from two companies, but rather liquidating everything except Jo Sang-beom’s Virus Research Lab and Jin-hyung Machinery?"
Seok-won paused briefly before responding in a calm tone.
"That’s right. I reviewed the companies we’ve invested in, and aside from a few, most are operating quite...
January 22, 1996
– Hannam-dong, Seoul
Although Daehan (大寒), the coldest period of the year, had passed, the bitter chill still lingered. Outside the large living room’s floor-to-ceiling windows, the garden lay blanketed in a thick layer of white snow.
Chairman Park Tae-hong sat on the sofa, sharing tea with his wife, Madam Jo Deok-rye.
As steam gently rose from his teacup, Chairman Park set it down and leaned back, unfoldi...
“Oh, wait a minute.” Maru frowned, deep in thought.
“Did you remember? Who is it?”
Maru said hesitantly, “I think I saw him in a video…”
“A video? What video?”
Maru shook his head. “No, it can’t be. Never mind.”
“What are you talking about? Explain.”
Maru scratched his head. “You know that porn video we found in a secondhand VCR, the one with the woman who looked like Lee So-hyang? There’s a man’s face at the end, and...
In January 1998, Park Sol finalized the negotiation with the government, agreeing to a three-year restriction on capital repatriation, and began establishing the investment company.
With the government’s assistance, he easily obtained the necessary permits and gathered his dirty money from all over the world into the designated account, accumulating $1 billion.
An unknown figure named Baek In-hwi was appointed as the CEO. No one had ever seen his face, and there were no record...
A heavy silence filled the study as Chairman Woo Yong-gap sat with a cigarette between his lips, his expression stiff and unreadable.
After a moment, he turned his gaze toward his son, who had just dropped an unexpected bombshell, and spoke in a subdued voice.
“So, you’re saying we should take over Mido Department Store through a hostile acquisition?”
Woo Ho-geun leaned forward and replied, “Yes. As outlined in the report, the Daheung Group’s owner family holds ...
Two days later
Seok-won and Landon boarded a private jet and flew to California. At Pixar’s headquarters in Emeryville, Seok-won finally met Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple.
Jobs sat across from him, dressed in his signature outfit—a black turtleneck, Levi’s jeans, and New Balance sneakers. His hair was cropped short, and though Seok-won didn’t show it outwardly, he couldn’t help but feel a thrill.
After all, he was face-to-face with a true leg...
Outside the large floor-to-ceiling windows, snow was falling in a pristine white curtain. Inside the spacious penthouse living room, Seok-won, freshly returned from Miami, sat on the sofa with Landon.
“So, he thinks there’s no future for the company under interim CEO Jeff Collier’s leadership, and that’s why he’s planning to sell off his entire stake?”
Seated to his left, Landon nodded.
“Yes. Despite the company’s struggles, Collier recently managed to sec...
Taewoo Group collapsed due to the foreign exchange crisis, primarily because of its massive debt.
I knew this because I came from the future, but Advisor Fukuda had predicted the situation solely through his own analytical skills.
"Are you the grandson of Chairman Kim, who has come as the new General Director?"
"Allow me to introduce myself formally. My name is Kim Min-jae, and I have been appointed as the General Director of the research institute. I am also Chairman Kim Ta...
2025-03-19 03:40:00 +0000 UTC View PostThe Chairman returned to Korea three days ahead of schedule.
He went straight to the office from the airport and called for an emergency executive meeting.
“I heard the last executive meeting was interrupted. Is it true that CT Bank has agreed to loan money for the Changwon Factory’s debt?”
“Yes, that’s correct. CT Bank has agreed to provide a 400 billion won loan on the condition that it is used to repay the Changwon Factory’s debt. The interest rate is signi...
The old man stared at me like a starving wolf.
His gaze alone was enough to make my skin crawl, but I had weathered countless storms—I could withstand it.
“I understand the power Myeong-dong holds. But let’s be honest, it’s not what it used to be. The Financial Real-Name System two years ago dealt a heavy blow, and relying solely on loan sharking and real estate has its limits.”
“So?”
“I’ll carve out a new path for you.”
“And you’re s...
Congressmen who had questioned Kang Jin-hoo had to repeatedly apologize or deny their past allegations.
In a phone call, Chairman Im Jin-yong burst into laughter.
[There were so many times I wanted to retort every time congressmen talked nonsense, but I never thought I’d actually witness such a situation directly. So this is what vicarious satisfaction feels like.]
[No, you did very well. They need to experience it to realize that there are people they can’t control. ...
He started strong right from the beginning.
“OTK Company has invested tens of trillions of won in the United States. But why is it that you haven’t made any significant investments in Korea?”
I was wondering when this issue would come up. It’s a problem the media has been harping on since before.
I answered based on principle.
“OTK Company established an investment firm called K Company with its capital, and has been continuously investing in Korean compa...
One New York Plaza, Manhattan.
The Eldorado Fund trading floor, located on the 31st floor, was as noisy as ever.
Phones rang incessantly from every direction, while dozens of traders—ties loosened, sleeves rolled up—furiously hammered away at their keyboards or shouted into their receivers.
Ring! Ring!
"2,000 shares! Buy at market price—right now!"
"5,000 shares of GM—buy! No, not GE, I said GM!"
"How much? It went up...
At the request of Donald Trump, who was eager to receive the payment as soon as possible, both parties met the following afternoon to finalize the contract.
In a small conference room at the Plaza Hotel, adorned in a grand and ornate Baroque style with a large chandelier hanging from the ceiling, representatives from both sides sat facing each other across a long table.
Although the contract had already been meticulously reviewed and drafted by Landon and the fund’s legal advi...
In front of the New York Stock Exchange, where a massive American flag hung prominently.
Dressed smartly in a pantsuit, Debra stood in front of the camera, microphone in hand, delivering her report.
"Before the market opened today, GE announced that it had placed an order worth $4 billion for passenger aircraft from Boeing.
GE stated that this purchase was part of its strategy to expand the aircraft fleet of its su...
“That should be enough, right?” I said after ending the call with Lee An-jin.
Maru looked at me incredulously.
“$20 billion? $100 billion? Aren’t you exaggerating too much?”
I scratched the back of my head.
“I got carried away playing the mysterious investor’s representative… It’s okay, it’s okay. It’s normal to exaggerate a little during negotiations. We have to appear stronger than we are. And if things go wrong, we can always say the invest...