The late afternoon sun, which had been scorching all day, was dying down as it set in the west.
At a bustling outdoor café, Roy sat alone at a table, his messy brown hair still unkempt. Dressed in an oversized shirt and jeans, his outfit hadn’t changed much since his university days.
“We agreed to have dinner together. Why are you already eating pizza? Were you that hungry?”
Roy looked up, and there stood the familiar face he’d expected.
“You’re ...
2025-01-28 03:30:01 +0000 UTC
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We distributed a new price list to start collecting discarded circuit boards, and Team Leader Park Jong-bum departed for Japan.
As soon as the prices were announced, we were flooded with inquiries from discarded computer businesses, junkyards, wholesalers, middlemen, and even, surprisingly, incineration companies, all eager to get rid of their troublesome circuit boards.
I instructed my employees to buy any and all boards, regardless of condition, and dispatched them to various ...
2025-01-28 03:30:01 +0000 UTC
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"What are you talking about? You're saying we can do the circuit board thing? That it's possible to process them?"
Park Jong-bum's voice on the other end of the line was frantic.
—It's not just that, we can extract gold from the boards! Gold! Copper! Everything! It's on a whole different level compared to the Korean smelters that only extract copper! They say a single CPU can yield at least 0.2 to 0.5 grams of gold! At the current market price, that's 2,000 to 5,000 won. Per C...
2025-01-28 03:30:01 +0000 UTC
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I was in my office, eyes closed, leaning back on the sofa, lost in thought.
"Maru, can you please sit still? You're making me anxious."
"Are you calm? It's been almost a week since you sent the money. Why haven't we heard from him?"
Maru was pacing back and forth, fidgeting restlessly.
The post office had said the express delivery would arrive in three days, and it had been a week since then. We hadn't heard from Park Jong-bum since his last call confirming he had ...
2025-01-28 03:30:01 +0000 UTC
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The top two floors of Chunha Trading's office building were used as dormitories.
There were five rooms on each floor, a total of ten rooms, with four people sharing each room.
Maru and I also lived in the dormitory, each of us occupying a room as company executives.
But it was only in name. We usually gathered in my room after work, drank soju, and fell asleep there.
On June 29th, we were in my room, drinking soju after applying for Park Jong-bum's passport for his...
2025-01-28 03:30:00 +0000 UTC
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CH375
The giant worm gazed at Helag, not attacking, familiar with his scent after so long.
Helag waved it off, signaling it to leave.
He didn’t want the worm to take him to the wall, as it would draw too much attention.
If the worm emerged near the wall, it would alert the city’s defenders.
After waving, Helag cautiously approached the wall, staying alert.
The worm watched Helag disappear, then burrowed underground.
Hearing...
2025-01-27 12:39:49 +0000 UTC
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Daehung Securities Headquarters, Yeouido
A black BMW 540i descended a slope and entered the spacious underground parking lot.
The driver’s door of the parked BMW opened beside a pillar, and Seok-won stepped out in a neatly dressed suit with perfectly groomed hair. Locking the car, he slipped the keys into his inner pocket and walked toward the elevator hall on the opposite side.
Entering an empty elevator that had stopped on the basement level, Seok-won pr...
2025-01-27 03:30:01 +0000 UTC
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Yang Hana looked closely at the other person.
It was a face she had never seen before. He had a plump build, short hair, and wore glasses. His outfit consisted of jeans, a hoodie, and a black puffer jacket.
It was completely inappropriate for this venue.
Since childhood, she had memorized the names and faces of prominent figures in the business world. No one fitting this description existed among the top 30 groups.
No, beyond that, he didn’t even seem like someon...
2025-01-27 03:30:01 +0000 UTC
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Pierce, who had settled at the bar, ordered without asking the instructor.
“Two glasses of Pappy Van Winkle.”
“That, that’s $210 a glass, sir.”
“Then, make it a bottle.”
“Sorry, what?”
“A bottle. Do I need to spell it out?”
“Oh, no. One bottle of Pappy Van Winkle coming right up.”
Pierce glanced down at his wristwatch as if he was in a hurry. Meanwhile, the instructor, James, had to bite his lip. Ordering a whiskey wor...
2025-01-26 07:00:05 +0000 UTC
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What’s the most important thing on Wall Street?
Money.
Thus, the hierarchy is divided based on the ability to make money.
The top tier is the front office.
These people are like nobles in the medieval era.
They meet clients directly, propose deals, and take commissions.
Since investment banks’ clients are corporations, there’s always an opportunity to make money.
In good times, they suggest M&A for expansion; in bad times, they recommend sto...
2025-01-26 06:55:01 +0000 UTC
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Training room.
A lecturer in his late 30s, with a grim smile, throws out the final mission.
“From now, I will give you five years’ worth of financial statements from an anonymous company. Based on this data, complete a three-statement model.”
Every newcomer goes through an Excel boot camp during the summer.
And now, they’re being ordered to use all the skills they’ve learned over six weeks to create the ultimate Excel model.
The files provid...
2025-01-26 06:50:00 +0000 UTC
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The “event” was the final agenda, so I’ll have to wait a little longer.
[There are concerns about market volatility, but surprisingly quick recovery…]
I was half listening to the speaker when suddenly, the man sitting in the row ahead of me turned around to look at me.
A familiar face.
He’s the Vietnamese guy who was assigned to the same department.
‘Was his name Phuong?’
Phuong’s eyes were rolling, trying to seek a...
2025-01-26 06:45:00 +0000 UTC
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A lump, swollen and protruding around the jawline and beneath the ear.
The lymph nodes were swollen.
‘Is my immune system weakened?’
When immunity weakens, inflammation can occur, and that can cause the lymph nodes to swell.
Lymph nodes are places where immune cells gather.
Come to think of it, I had been feeling extremely fatigued lately.
I was falling asleep during the day, and suddenly my hands and feet would lose strength.
‘Let...
2025-01-26 06:40:00 +0000 UTC
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What does Goldman Sachs do?
Most people think Goldman is a securities company.
They believe it issues securities and deals in stocks.
That’s wrong.
Goldman is not a securities company but an investment bank.
Simply put, it’s a bank for corporations and investors.
So, what does a bank for corporations and investors do?
It’s hard to explain in a few sentences, especially since our clients don’t deposit money with us, unlike retail banks.
A...
2025-01-26 06:35:04 +0000 UTC
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Beep, beep, beep
I’m dying right now.
I’m so weak I can’t move a finger.
I can’t even breathe on my own, relying entirely on machines.
Huff, huff, huff
Anyone who’s experienced a respirator will understand.
How terrible it feels.
Even when you breathe, oxygen doesn’t come immediately.
You can only breathe at the pace ...
2025-01-26 06:30:02 +0000 UTC
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E-star.
This is a gaming show held in South Korea, considered one of the three major gaming exhibitions in Asia alongside the Tokyo Game Show in Japan and China Joy in China.
This year, it was larger than last year, with more participating companies, indicating the growth of South Korea’s gaming market.
OTK Games set up a booth for Lost Fantasy M at the show. More importantly, OTK Games’ representative and the father of the Lost Fantasy series, Ichikawa Shigeru, would...
2025-01-26 04:10:05 +0000 UTC
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CH373
Even as Helag was tossed around, he held onto the dagger tightly.
The giant worm hadn’t expected its prey to be so troublesome.
No matter how it thrashed or swallowed, Helag wouldn’t go down.
After struggling, the worm seemed to give up, letting Helag remain.
But soon, Helag realized the worm’s intent.
It began swallowing dirt and rocks, which rained down on Helag.
In Titan form...
2025-01-25 12:30:02 +0000 UTC
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[Lecture Hall]
As we waited for class to start, Jack and I sat side by side. I thought he seemed lively, probably because of the rugby talk. But he seemed deep in thought, almost like he was always immersed in his own world. Just how much time had passed?
He leaned in close, lowering his voice as if he were sharing a huge secret.
“But you did decorate, didn’t you?”
“Decorate what?”
...
2025-01-25 07:23:57 +0000 UTC
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I talked with Faber late into the night. Unsurprisingly, most of our conversation was about work.
“With 50,000 units, there’s definitely some pressure.”
Even if we just stamped the Ultimate logo on them, they’d sell out in no time. But a collaboration with Gucci is different. A 100,000 won hoodie can target a broad range of consumers, but a 3,000,000 won jacket must appeal to a more specific, elite demographic. So, the planning, design, and sales approach would inevitabl...
2025-01-25 07:23:49 +0000 UTC
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After returning from Italy, I headed to Faber’s place early in the morning. Thankfully, he seemed to be up already.
“Since you were on a business trip, you should have done some sightseeing. Why are you back so soon…?”
“My lead designer got a job offer. I was so anxious, I couldn’t focus on anything else.”
At my joke, he gave a small smile.
“May I come in?”
“Of course.”
It was a hotel, but still technically someone else’s place...
2025-01-25 07:23:39 +0000 UTC
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“If you desire a large estate or property…”
“Let’s not talk about it.”
After Faber’s reply, Gilbert stayed silent for a moment.
“The only thing you can offer is money. But the problem is, I can earn that myself.”
“…….”
“How can we be partners when our roles overlap? Don’t you agree?”
“Money is something that’s better to have more of…”
“Is that the best answer you could come up with after all tha...
2025-01-25 07:23:30 +0000 UTC
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The next morning, at Park Ji-hoon’s house.
I was on a call with Yang Eok-gwan.
With Queensman drawing significant attention, it was time to prepare for the next step.
(There are a total of three brands available for acquisition at low prices.)
Unfortunately, all three were names I was hearing for the first time.
The fact that they were on the verge of acquisition meant they were on shaky ground.
If they ended up collapsing because they couldn’t ho...
2025-01-25 07:23:19 +0000 UTC
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A cloudless, clear weekend morning.
Chairman Park Tae-hong emerged from the master bedroom, dressed in a short-sleeved polo shirt and stretchy black pants.
“Are you leaving already?”
Jo Deok-rye, sitting on the living room sofa bathed in bright sunlight streaming through large glass windows, looked up from her book and tea to glance at her husband.
“Yes. I’ve been away from the golf course for a while, and my putting seems off. I thought I’d go early to p...
2025-01-25 04:13:02 +0000 UTC
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CL Group Chairman Yang Jun-mo’s granddaughter, Yang Hana.
Her father, Yang Ho-young, is the president of CL Chemicals, and her mother, Hong Eun-joo, was a famous actress. The wedding of a second-generation conglomerate heir and the era’s top actress was quite the sensational event at the time.
Yang Hana inherited her mother’s charisma and looks, making her beauty rival that of most celebrities, enhanced by careful grooming.
When she appeared in a CL Group promotiona...
2025-01-25 03:30:01 +0000 UTC
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My mother said, “I told Soo-mi to contact me whenever she has a chance to come to Dongtan. I was really grateful for her help when I stayed at the hotel last time.”
President Im Soo-mi smiled and replied, “I was just planning to drop off a cake, but she insisted I have a cup of coffee with her.”
“Since you’re here, how could you just leave? Please, sit down.”
On the table were a cake that seemed freshly bought and some instant coffee.
Guest hospitalit...
2025-01-24 03:30:01 +0000 UTC
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Next Day.
As the coffee in front of him slowly cooled, Manager Choi Ho-geun sat silently on the sofa, gazing at Seok-won.
With neatly groomed black hair, sharp eyes, and a defined nose, his face exhibited perfect proportions, rivaling those of actors or models.
Wearing a white shirt paired with a luxury tie, holding a folder in one hand, and glancing downward, he exuded a refined and sophisticated air.
Moreover, having graduated from Harvard with h...
2025-01-24 03:30:01 +0000 UTC
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CH371
In his spatial ring, the first and second tablets lay side by side.
Both tablets were identical in size, but their contents differed entirely.
Helag grew more curious about the tablets’ origins and creators.
The murals offered no clues about the so-called divine messenger.
Helag wondered if more tablets existed; it was all unknown.
Before he could ponder further, the plaza changed.
As Helag stored the second tablet, the...
2025-01-23 12:30:01 +0000 UTC
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At the same time, in a high-end Korean restaurant in Jongno-gu.
In a private annex of a luxury Korean restaurant built in the traditional hanok style, Chairman Park sat across from Koo Hyung-gi, the Chief Presidential Secretary and one of President Kim Sung-kyu’s closest confidants.
A low, wide table was laden with over forty dishes, a feast fit for dignitaries. Koo Hyung-gi smiled warmly and began the conversation.
“President was absolutely delighted with the gift you p...
2025-01-23 03:30:02 +0000 UTC
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Chairs of conglomerates often create controversy, say they will take responsibility and step down, only to return quietly.
However, Han Min-goo stepped down from all positions in the group and firmly stated there would be no return to management. Although Han Chan-young had received long-term successor training, the sudden departure left everyone in confusion.
Before leaving the company, Han Min-goo gathered the presidents of each subsidiary and asked them to fulfill their roles...
2025-01-23 03:30:01 +0000 UTC
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Seok-won's shocking statement left Landon & Andrew unable to hide their bewilderment.
The peso had already dropped more than 10% due to speculative attacks.
And yet, to say that it would be halved from here was an idea too absurd to grasp.
Leaning forward in his seat, Landon asked incredulously, "Did you just say the peso would be halved?"
“That’s right,” Seok-won replied calmly.
Seok-won calmly picked up his teacup, took a sip, and placed it back down ...
2025-01-22 03:30:01 +0000 UTC
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