After the meal, Chairman Park and Duke Grosvenor stepped outside the building.
Although it was previously difficult to have a serious conversation due to the distance,
“……”
Walking side by side now, it wasn’t much different.
The conversations, carefully avoiding the core matters,
Nevertheless, the two soon found a common interest.
“I hear you sponsor the McLaren F1 team.”
“It’s my only pleasure these days.”
Th...
[That’s just an optimistic outlook. The government shutdown is still ongoing, and I don’t think reaching an agreement will be easy. The federal government might... That’s why part of our fund’s portfolio is in short positions.]
Sitting on the penthouse living room sofa, Seok-won picked up the remote and paused the VCR while watching the edited interview that Debra had brought him.
Dressed in black dress pants and a long wool coat, Debra sat down on the sofa to his left a...
From the afternoon onward, snow began to fall again, blanketing the entire city in white.
Seok-won stood in front of the glass window in his penthouse living room, sipping warm coffee as he gazed down at the city, now covered as if with a white blanket.
Bzzz—
As the vibration alert went off, Seok-won set his mug down on the table and took out his phone to answer the call.
[This is Lee Cheol-gyun. Are you available to talk?]
At the deep voice on the other e...
Bzzzz. Bzzzz.
The loud vibration of a pager jolted Debra awake. She stirred, then abruptly sat up, startled by the unfamiliar ceiling above her.
Frantically scanning the room, she realized she wasn’t at her modest apartment—a single-bedroom unit with a small living area. Instead, she was in a lavish penthouse suite, far more spacious and extravagant.
And right beside her, lying fast asleep, was Seok-won, his well-defined, muscular torso exposed.
The media’s reaction was swift.
The same media outlets that had been demanding I be punished for illegal gambling suddenly turned me into a role model for self-made success.
The story of Chunha Trading and me, rising from the bottom of society to become a mid-sized enterprise, was a convenient narrative for the establishment to push on the public.
“See? Even a high school dropout can achieve this level of success. What’s your excuse?”
“The economy might be to...
2025-03-15 03:50:00 +0000 UTC View Post“Hello, it’s a pleasure to meet the lucky winner.”
Having decided to go public, I contacted a well-known weekly magazine, revealing that I was the jackpot winner and requesting an interview.
The magazine was ecstatic and immediately dispatched a reporter after verifying the certificate from the casino.
I met the reporter, a woman in a beige suit, at a trendy cafe. She looked at me with sparkling eyes, making me slightly uncomfortable.
“Nice to meet you, I’m P...
2025-03-15 03:45:01 +0000 UTC View PostChairman Kim Tae-joong summoned his chief secretary.
Knowing exactly why he had been called, Chief Secretary Kim entered the room with his head bowed.
But instead of angry shouting, he was met with a long sigh.
"Sigh… What the hell is that boy thinking? Seo Wootae isn't someone who should go down like this."
"Young Master Min-jae seems to have been determined to take action."
Chief Secretary Kim had already reported the situation to the chairman.
He...
Chief Secretary Kim Taek-hoon of Taewoo Group was envied by many.
It was a common sentiment among secretarial staff in other conglomerates whenever they had to clean up the messes left by their second-generation chaebol heirs.
Kim Taek-hoon even took pride in it.
Unlike other corporate families, the owners of Taewoo Group were clean.
With this sense of pride, he always stood tall, and his job never caused him much stress.
But today…
He received news...
A significant number of people showed interest in me.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that every single attendee at the banquet approached me in an attempt to establish a connection.
In my past life, their reactions had been the same—at first.
But when Taewoo Group fell into crisis, not a single one of them answered my calls.
That was why I never considered them colleagues or friends.
This was a predator’s den, where everyone was either hunting o...
89th Street, Manhattan, New York.
In front of the Guggenheim Museum—famous for its spiral architecture that expands as it ascends—the scene was bustling with people, despite it being well past closing hours.
It was because the NRDC year-end charity gala was being held there tonight.
Luxury vehicles carrying attendees arrived one by one, and among them was the limousine carrying Seok-won and Debra, smoothly pulling up to the venue.
Draping a lig...
"Thank you for taking the time to do this interview despite your busy schedule."
Debra’s face was slightly flushed, likely from the excitement of landing an unexpected exclusive.
"Jan, the recording went well, right?"
"Of course."
Jan pulled his eye away from the camera’s viewfinder and made an "OK" sign with his fingers.
Turning back to Seok-won, who was still seated with one leg crossed over the other, Debra hesitantly asked,
"Revealing that you...
Debra stood in front of the Plaza Hotel’s main entrance, anxiously checking her watch over and over.
“Only ten minutes left. Why isn’t he here yet?”
That morning, she had no choice but to approach him in workout clothes for the sake of getting the interview. But now, she was dressed to perfection— a sleek gray long coat over a blouse, paired with an H-line skirt with a slit. Her makeup was flawless.
As her nerves grew taut, a yellow taxi pulled up to the curb.
Despite requesting protection from the casino and being cautious, it was impossible to silence tens of thousands of people. As I feared, news of the $50 million jackpot started spreading.
Such a large jackpot, the first in years, was a hot topic. Even newspapers in countries unrelated to the incident reported it briefly.
And when rumors spread that the winner was Korean, even Korean TV news started covering it.
“I had always dreamed of achieving great success and appear...
“This is annoying.”
I muttered, collecting the chips that had just poured out of the slot machine.
“Why? That’s over 10 million won.”
I glared at Maru, who was already calculating the money, and sighed.
“It’s not fun.”
The thrill of gambling came from the unexpected victory, the triumph over the machine or other players.
But my intuition was ruining everything.
It was too easy. I knew when to pull the lever at the slot machines, when t...
2025-03-14 03:45:01 +0000 UTC View PostThree days had passed since I joined the company, and the weekend had arrived.
I boarded a train at Changwon Station, heading for Seoul. Sitting next to me was Captain Kang.
"Those lunatics are certainly talented. Especially the one from the National Tax Service—he managed to uncover not only the factory manager and executives’ tax evasion but also a list of companies associated with them."
"There’s one more thing we need to look into."
I handed two photos to...
The Next Day.
I arrived at the factory, reeking of alcohol.
After drinking until morning, the entire staff was groaning in pain. The factory manager and executives had gathered in the cafeteria, gulping down hangover soup prepared by the kitchen auntie.
"Deputy Manager Kim, you’re here? Come have a bowl with us."
"Factory Manager, you look completely fine. I feel like throwing up just from walking. You really are incredible."
I even rubbed my hands togethe...
On the first day of the new year, Chairman Kim Tae-jung boarded a plane.
His destination? Hanoi, Vietnam—where he planned to inspect the newly built factory.
As always, Chief Secretary Kim accompanied him.
“Chief Kim, isn’t my grandson remarkable?”
“I truly didn’t expect him to ask to start from the factory.”
“He understands that gaining diverse experience will prevent executives from looking down on him.”
Taewoo Group functioned muc...
The scene of the hearing was broadcast live through the National Assembly channel.
Of course, though it was live, very few people actually bothered to watch it in real-time. After all, the important parts would be on the news in the evening.
However, interest suddenly surged with the news that Kang Jin-hoo would be appearing.
Who is Kang Jin-hoo?
He’s the most famous investor of the 21st century, and the wealthiest person in the world, not just in Korea. He’s a...
768 Fifth Avenue, New York.
Debra, her long brown hair tied back in a loose ponytail, stood anxiously by the fountain across the street from the Plaza Hotel, a large shoulder bag slung over her shoulder.
She kept glancing at her wristwatch when she finally spotted a blonde woman in a hotel uniform, a coat draped over her shoulders, hurrying across the crosswalk.
It was her friend and source, Sara.
"Over here!"
Debra raised her hand and calle...
“Um…did you graduate?” I asked, still flustered.
Ju-hee nodded. “Yes. I was looking for a job and contacted Chunha. They said they needed researchers.”
Our encounters in Japan and later at Hanyang University had seemed like a strange coincidence. I hadn’t expected to see her again after receiving the sampling technology. But here she was, working as a researcher at our company. And…
I looked at Maru incredulously.
‘You like her?’
M...
“Man, it’s been ages since I’ve been back in Korea.”
I returned after three months, once the secondhand electronics components business was stable. After enduring Shenzhen’s 40-degree Celsius summer days, Korea felt like heaven.
“Korea is definitely better.”
My status had changed drastically. I now commanded thousands of employees worldwide, generated trillions of won in annual revenue, and had amassed 5 billion yuan in just two months thanks to the restored IC...
2025-03-13 03:55:01 +0000 UTC View PostRodney, the CIO of Quantum Fund, sat alone at his office desk, which faced a large window overlooking Manhattan’s towering skyscrapers.
With his neatly combed hair, Rodney sat with his arms crossed, closely monitoring the movements of key stock indices on the four monitors set up on his desk—the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500, the NYSE Composite, and finally, the Nasdaq.
All four indices had hit bottom and were now rebounding sharply, quickly recovering the losses...
December 22, 1995
New York, USA
A Gulfstream IV business jet, painted in a crystal white and nautilus blue two-tone scheme, gently touched down on the runway of LaGuardia Airport in Queens under the guidance of air traffic control.
The private jet taxied slowly along the asphalt-paved taxiway before coming to a full stop at a spacious parking area.
As the airstair lowered, Seok-won, dressed in a brown cashmere coat,...
I asked Jeffrey and Team Leader Han how we could best take advantage of the situation.
It was a difficult question, and after a long silence, Jeffrey finally spoke up.
"If we can pinpoint the exact moment of betrayal, we could make an astronomical profit."
"I disagree with the vice president," Team Leader Han countered.
"Yes, we could make a profit, but we'd earn the resentment of not just Quantum Fund but the entire Wall Street."
It was a clear divide betwe...
The number of SAVE fund subscribers was growing by the day.
David had successfully recruited over 80 people from the list I gave him, once again proving his remarkable skills.
"David! Do you want your bonus deposited into your account, or would you prefer cash?"
"Already? There are still 20 more people left. I plan to recruit all 100 and claim the extra bonus as well."
"Forget 20—just meet two more people, and I’ll give you the additional bonus."
I hande...
The Taewoo Group Scholarship Foundation worked swiftly.
In less than a month, it had selected 100 students and distributed scholarships, nearly ₩300 million flowing out of the foundation.
With a ₩20 billion capital fund, ₩300 million wasn’t a significant amount.
However, this was just the first round of scholarships. I had already selected recipients for the third round, and today, I reported this to...
Before attending the hearing, I met Chairman Im Jin-yong.
“How was the hearing?”
He looked utterly exhausted, having been sitting in the witness seat from early morning until late.
“Being scolded all day by different people has left me completely drained.”
I nodded.
“If you did something wrong, you should naturally be scolded.”
Chairman Im Jin-yong gave a bitter smile.
“I have nothing to say about the past. We need to make sure th...
"Did you say nouveau riche standing on the edge of a cliff?"
Receiving the gaze, Soros curled his lips into a sly smile and said,
"Or perhaps the expression 'a flock of sheep covered in thick wool' might be more fitting."
"……."
Leaving Rodney, who seemed to understand his words with a sparkle in his eyes, Soros rose from the sofa and headed toward the home bar in one corner of the study.
Opening a bottle of whiskey, he half-filled a tumbler with ice befo...
The sudden blaring of a phone ringing shattered the silence of the early morning.
Ring— Ring—
Seok-won, lying alone in his spacious bed, turned over before reaching out and grabbing his phone from the nightstand.
His voice was still thick with sleep as he answered.
"Hello?"
[Mr. Park, it's Baikel.]
Even over the phone, the weight of the moment was palpable.
Sensing that something was wrong, Seok-won immediately sat up straight and ...
December 15, 1995
Washington, D.C., USA
It was late at night, but the White House was brightly lit and bustling with urgency as the deadline for the budget agreement loomed just a few hours away.
Inside the Oval Office, the official workspace of President Clinton, four men were seated together, with the illuminated Rose Garden visible through the large windows.
Seated at the center of the plush sofa, President Clinton surveyed the...