Chapter 56
Gillian was so excited that he couldn't sleep at night, and he grabbed the phone as he sat up in the bed.
Gillian: Jessica, you must be still awake, too.
Jessica: Yes. You're awake, too?
Gillian: Check the schedule of the U.S. Deputy Minister of Finance.
Jessica: He'll visit Moscow tomorrow.
Jessica immediately replied with joy in her tone. Gillian was amazed by Jessica's forethought, and he was even more surprised at the investment proposal's estimations and originality.
Jessica came over to Gillian's room late at night since he had called her. She had brought a handful of data documents and began organizing them on the table.
"The stunning thing about the investment proposal is that it deals with much more than just the numbers," Gillian said.
"I know right! It even contains the behavior patterns of the major player too," Jessica responded.
They were not talking about the U.S. Deputy Minister of Finance's visit to Moscow as that could be confirmed by a simple phone call.
He continued, "According to the proposal, the U.S. Deputy Minister of Finance's request for a meeting will be declined by the Russian prime minister's chief secretary."
"That's right. That secretary doesn't understand the current world and still lives in the Cold War. He would think that it's an insult for the prime minister to meet the Deputy Minister of Finance. I agree wholeheartedly with the proposal's prediction."
Jessica handed Gillian some documents, and they were still warm from the printer. Jessica was like a genie's lamp as she prepared exactly what he wanted even though Gillian didn't tell her to.
An elite like this was getting stuck in a call center just because she was a woman? Wall Street is obsolete and deserves to be defeated by a rookie like Jonathan.
Gillian smiled delightedly and turned his gaze at the documents that summarized the personal history and the remarks of the Russian prime minister and his chief secretary. In addition, Jessica had found multiple pieces of evidence for what the proposal predicted would happen in just a few lines.
Gillian commented, "If the Deputy Minister of Finance's request is rejected, it'll make quite a ripple."
The U.S.had been the top dog in global economics due to the strong force of the Pentagon. However, the power mechanism had changed when the U.S. government realized that there was a better way to control the world besides relying on military firepower. Instead, they became stronger thanks to leveraging capitalism.
If Russia refused the U.S.'s demand, then…Gillian couldn't take his eyes off the proposal and the data Jessica added.
"What if we take a short position for the ruble now…and what if the calculation of the proposal is accurate…" Jessica said.
"What if the predictions are incorrect? Do you want to risk everything on a single Russian's behavior pattern? The investment proposal clearly states that its prediction is just for a reference and focuses on trends further in the future," Gillian replied.
Jessica disagreed, "But the repercussions are too big. The proposal is even indicating that there's a possibility of the IMF rejecting to bail out Russia."
"Let's see the other documents."
Gillian maintained a calm tone with a teacher-like mindset, and Jessica suddenly mentioned something out of the blue.
"Have you read it?"
Gillian obviously knew what 'it' was as everyone, even those not involved in the finance field, was interested in the book. A newbie had earned more than twenty billion dollars using only four hundred thousand in half a year! It was a historic record that would never be broken.
"Jonathan?" Gillian questioned.
"Yes, there was an impressive statement: 'It is the time to look at people, not numbers.' Compared to the number that fluctuates easily from policy, people don't change their thought processes, biases, and prejudices. I concentrated on the fact that policy drives numbers and people drive policies," Jessica declared.
"How could you memorize stuff like that already? The book just got published a few days ago. I didn't know you were such a big fan of Jonathan," he responded.
"I've seen him quite a lot, and he was always depressed when he came to the stock exchange. You wouldn't have run into him since you were at Morgan Group, right?" she asked.
He replied, "This reminds me of the phrase 'Don't judge a book by its cover.'"
Jessica smiled meaningfully at Gillian, and he waved his hands.
"Okay, let's stop talking about Jonathan. We'll only become jealous," he said.
"No, that's not the point," she stopped him.
"You're saying that it fits this situation, right?" he questioned.
"Yes," she answered.
He looked at her. "Jessica."
"Yes?" she replied.
"There are many investment techniques in the world, and Jonathan has found one that suits him best. You said that Jonathan was always depressed before, right? People only see success, not failure. You've seen how much failure and despair Jonathan went through before he found the best investment technique," Gillian said.
Jessica responded, "Haha, but you said you've never experienced failure."
"I haven't failed, but I've made a mistake that I shouldn't have," he said bitterly.
If Gillian didn't join the Morgan Group and gone to New York, he wouldn't have been stuck on this small island. He felt a bitter taste in his mouth.
"I'm not worshiping Jonathan. It's just that his success story makes me dream. I'll find my own method, so could we move on?" Jessica asked.
Gillian and Jessica stayed up all night going through the investment proposal, and Gillian felt like he was back in his student days when he would enthusiastically debate over one assignment. Therefore, he didn't feel restless even at dawn.
Some more time passed. While Gillian had advised Jessica not to believe in others' results too much, he couldn't stop looking through this until it was nine o'clock in the morning. He had worked so hard to find a flaw in the investment proposal as if he was an editor, looking for a typo. But it was perfect. Just as hundreds of cogwheels entangled together to complete a clock, every piece of evidence in the proposal like numbers, policies and players proved the premise that Russia would go bankrupt. Moratorium!
"...Russia will really go bankrupt. I want to meet the team that made this investment proposal," Gillian's voice was imbued with deep sincerity.
"There must be a lot of people like you, boss," Jessica said.
Gillian smirked inside and thought, There must be a lot of people like you, Jessica.
He sent Jessica back, then prepared to go to work. He washed himself from head to toe thoroughly as he was planning to stay in the office and sleep there. The proposal was perfect, and he had to figure out how to maximize the profit based on it. That was why his salary was so high.
Gillian packed his underwear and left the hotel. He even left his phone behind like the hunters did before entering the dungeon.
"Dungeon?" Woo Yeon-Hee's eyes widened as she had never dreamed of going there after just one day.
"Go to Gim-je in Jeollabuk-do province first," I said while laying back in the passenger seat.
She seemed to wonder why we were going there instead of the mental ward in Hwasung.
"There's a map in the glove compartment in front of you," she said.
When I closed my eyes after handing her the map, she started the car.
Woo Yeon-Hee woke me up at the rest area and looked at me in surprise as I only bought snacks and water. Then, she stopped in front of the truck stall. It wasn't because she wanted to buy music tapes. Instead, she was staring at a cheap kitchen knife, and I could see what was on her mind. I wanted to slap the back of her head, but her skull was tiny.
"Your hands will crack first if you use that."
The owner of the stall only blinked after hearing my words.
"I told you that there you won't need to wield a knife against a monster," I said after coming back to the car.
"I could be left alone or abandoned," she spoke hesitantly.
I suddenly asked, "What do you think is the easiest way to die?"
"Huh?" She looked at me.
"You said you thought about it a lot," I replied.
She looked away before mumbling, "Sleeping pills."
"Have you tried it?" I questioned.
"As you can see, no. I'm here, alive," she answered.
I shook my head and took a small iron case out of my bag.
"Take it with you as a talisman," I said.
Woo Yeon-Hee opened the case and just looked at the syringe quietly. I didn't need to explain when to use it, and she started the engine again and entered the highway. She didn't talk to me, perhaps because I was closing my eyes. There was no music, and only the wind was loud as she drove.
"We're here," she finally said.
We were passing by Gim-je Interchange (IC) when I opened my eyes. She was clutching the steering wheel like a sword. There was more fear on her face than she had when she had looked at the knives. We passed the urban district, and I saw endless rice plants that were spaced out at regular intervals as the rice transplanting season was over. After a long ride on the rural roads, we reached our destination.
"Park there, and open the trunk," I said.
We were at the base of a hill, and Woo Yeon-Hee got out of the car. While I was taking out the backpack and sleeping bag that looked like the ones I had lost in the dungeon, I heard her breathing heavily.
"Turn around," I said.
The backpack was as big as Woo Yeon-Hee. I couldn't see her face after adjusting the length and I tied the rolled sleeping bag to the loops attached to the bottom. I could only see her legs, and she was too weak as she couldn't remain still under the weight.
"Everything is in the backpack. There are better knives in there than the cheap ones you saw at the rest area. Use it when you need to," I said.
It was only then that Woo Yeon-Hee realized what was going on, and she burst out in a surprised voice, "I'm a healer! You're not telling me to go in alone, are you?"
"Do you even know where the dungeon is?" I asked.
"..."
"So go find the dungeon first. The method is simple. Step on as much ground as you can until the system notifies you," I continued.
"And if you find it, do not even try to open it and come down right away. Then, call me. If you open it out of curiosity, we will both die," I emphasized while grabbing her shoulders.
"...then what happens?" Her voice trembled.
I replied, "Monsters will come out. No one in the world can deal with those, not even the military. They will kill us."
Of course, it wouldn't happen because the dungeon closed after the first person to enter died in the dungeon. I had placed walls to not only block civilians from accessing but also in case someone escaped from the dungeon.
I even warned her with my eyes wide open, "Keep in mind that you must never open it. Never."
Chapter 57
I told Woo Yeon-Hee not to think about coming back before finding the dungeon entrance. Could she find it? Finding the dungeon point that was the size of a foot required an iron will and luck. If she succeeded, she would be the second person to find the dungeon after me. That was the main purpose of sending her up alone, but it didn't matter as long as she didn't give up easily.
She needed to get used to the dark, and there was nothing more appropriate than this place to test her will and limitations. A night on the hill was terribly dark and frightening.
The day when the government approved our purchase of ANC and Blue Rock's fund business was also the day when people began to finally demand that someone take responsibility for the Korean financial crisis. All sorts of hearings were held at once under the pretext of debate and conglomerate restructure by the National Assembly.
I had to head to Gangnam right after school due to what my father told me in the morning. He had mentioned that he loved his new company, Jeon-il Investments, even more as they shared the same name. He called me there, so I had to wear a cap to hide my face. There was no chance of running into the busy Jamie, but there was a possibility of encountering those who had come to my office building.
Anyway, it was my first time stopping by the headquarters, and the expensive company logo on the building was quite impressive. There weren't many visitors since civilians had no reason to come here. However, the few guests I saw in the building looked like key players in the Blue House or in the political or finance field. Therefore, the overall atmosphere between them was solemn as a religious facility.
"How can I help you today?" The receptionist in the lobby asked. In her eyes, I was an ordinary college student.
I quietly replied, "I came to see my father, and his name is Na Jeon-Il."
"Oh, you must be the deputy head's son. Could you please wait in the VIP room? It's over there."
The smile on her face was a bit off, as if she was wondering about my age. I waited for my father, looking at the view in the lobby.
A group of people got out of the elevator, and I could tell who the center was at first glance. Although the current Minister of Economy and Finance was among them, everyone was walking at the same pace as a middle-aged man with a Jeon-il badge. I recognized that he was one of the two Korean directors in Jeon-il who was in charge of either the legal or accounting department. Whichever one he was, he had been optimized to manage the firm in Korea and had greatly contributed to getting the company in the center of power. When I looked at them with curiosity, my father arrived.
"You got here at the best timing. Do you know who they are?"
My father continued speaking like he didn't expect me to reply.
"They are the directors of this company, and the Minister of Economy and Finance is with his subordinates. Have you heard of that position?"
"Yes, father," I responded.
"How does it feel seeing him in person?" he questioned.
I answered, "That we're all humans in the end. Things seemed unreal on monitors."
I didn't know what answer father wanted, but he smiled contentedly.
"I thought you would only be interested in sports, but I guess you also watch the news, right? Have you had lunch yet? Most likely, right?" he asked.
"Yes," I replied.
"Wait here for a minute," he said while looking out the front window outside the lobby.
A car belonging to the minister was parked there, and my father hastily walked out. I saw him bowing to the minister, who seemed much older than him, through the front window. The minister disappeared into his car after tapping my father's shoulder and shaking hands with the Korean director.
Then, my father came towards me with the Korean director. When I saw that he was walking side by side with the director, I had a hunch that my father was trusted to a great extent in this company. I stopped trying to hide from the director since it wasn't likely I'd meet him in my other persona. I took off my hat and stood firmly like a soldier.
"Hello," I politely greeted them. When I raised my head after bowing, I saw Father's fleeting smile.
"You have such a handsome son. I'm jealous. Which university do you go to?" the director asked.
Father replied, "He's still in middle school."
Of course, the director looked at me in surprise and fell silent for a moment.
"Haha! You have nothing to worry about since your son is so healthy, trustworthy and polite. He's perfect. So, you're a middle school student, right?" the director questioned.
"Yes, I'm attending Shin-eung Middle School," I replied.
"Oh, I graduated from there! Hahaha!" The director laughed out loud.
My father widened his eyes since he wasn't aware of it. Then, the director took ten bills out of his wallet and handed them to me. Each bill was worth ten thousand won.
The director smiled. "I'm giving you this so you can become a great person like your dad."
I was the one who wanted to give him money and tell him to keep up the good work.
Father seemed very happy, and he was smiling ear to ear.
"You must've wondered why I called you here," he said.
We were walking on the street.
"I have things to tell you and to do. Also, I wanted to show my son the headquarters of the firm before I get reassigned," he continued.
"You are getting reassigned?!"
I was genuinely surprised.
"I didn't get fired. I was promoted two ranks higher and haven't told your mom yet. I'm going to surprise her tonight," he responded.
"To where?" I asked.
"We're heading there right now," he replied.
The first thing that came to mind was the Daehoo Group. They were being reorganized now since the grace period ended at the end of April. They were managing a number of layoffs and merging affiliated companies. Father used to be a bank teller, so if he was reassigned to Daehoo, he would be placed in Securities. This department was about to be incorporated into the future Nae-il Finance Group.
"How was your trip? I've been busy, so I just briefly heard from your mom," he said.
"Thanks for sending me. It must have been a tough decision," I replied.
"Haha. You talk like an adult. It's nice to see you all grown up. I was just a troublemaker when I was your age. So where did you go?" he questioned.
"I went to Hwasung and Gim-je," I answered.
"Did you have enough money? You didn't even use the credit card," he responded.
"Yes," I said.
"Your mom worried a lot, but I didn't. Even though you're young, you would understand that Korea is going through a tough time since you watch the news. Do you know why the IMF crisis occurred?" he asked.
"..."
"Corporations in Korea borrowed foreign money recklessly as exports were going well at that time. They wanted to expand themselves by borrowing more and more, but all of a sudden, exports began to fail. You should study the reason why," he continued.
It was then that I noticed that today was the day I had been waiting for since I went back in time. Compared to the past, this day had occurred approximately two years earlier. My heart started beating faster in anticipation of getting my own talisman and good luck charm. In the past, my father had been waiting for me at the bench in front of the supermarket, and it was the weekday after I entered high school.
Anyway, since the closing time for banks and stock firms was nearing, I ran with my father without knowing why. I opened a stock account in the stock firm and another one in the Korean Exchange in the bank.
"You know that I work at a foreign company, right?"
My father's voice pulled me out of being stuck in my past memories and back to reality.
"Yes," I answered.
He questioned, "What did your mom say?"
"She only said it was the best company," I replied.
"She's not wrong, but that's why it's sad. You wouldn't understand what I'm saying now, but when you do, let me know. Then, I'll have a drink with you," he said.
Father pointed to the head office of the Korean Exchange Bank in front of us with his chin.
"I start working there tomorrow. Do they look good?" He smiled.
I followed my father's gaze and looked at the building. I had not heard that Jeon-il had purchased the Korean Exchange Bank. Originally, a German firm joined as the largest shareholder in the Korean Exchange Bank, and people started talking about it a lot. Then, the Daehyun Group's debt issue arose and the Credit Card Crisis broke out in 2003.
"The Korean Exchange Bank is your company's? I didn't know that," I said.
He responded, "You're quite interested in my work. You still surprise me despite being my son."
Jamie hadn't mentioned this in the report, and she only talked about the empty warehouse. Therefore, I thought she would use the remaining funds carefully…Her choice must have been the Korean Exchange Bank.
"I pushed for it hard. Well, I don't know if I did it right."
Father spoke in a self-deprecating tone and led the way as if nothing had happened. The employees of the bank's head office already knew his face, and after greeting them, he began the speech he had given in the past.
"When a country goes bankrupt, people like us suffer, not the higher-ups who led us to ruin."
He said the same thing as he did in the past, but he was wearing a suit instead of a vest with a supermarket name on it and he wasn't hiding his sadness like that day. His gaze was deep as he looked at me.
"I hope you know how our country ended up in this situation and pay closer attention to the economy in the future," he said.
"I hope you understand why I got fired and pay closer attention to the economy in the future."
The past and the present were intersecting.
Chapter 58
"Let me know when you decide what stocks you want to buy with that money. We'll have a long conversation about it." Father said while putting a million won into my stock account.
I answered calmly, "I'll study a lot."
That was perhaps the answer my father wanted to hear.
"Are you…crying?" he asked.
Some might say the current interaction between my father and I was a trivial domestic event that wouldn't overall impact Korea and the world. However, everything had started from here. It was surprising that the incident had occurred inexplicably years earlier. In the past, it happened after the IMF crisis was over.
In the past, I froze after seeing the one million won in the account and bought a beginner's comic book for stock trading, called 'Introduction.' Then, I made an obvious decision as the dot-com boom from the U.S. came to Korea during that time and the Korean stock market also rose. Of course, my stock account grew rapidly, and, in March of 2000, I was busy bragging about it to Seong-Ho and pretending to be an adult.
However, any firm could become the next hope for the future in that era if they were a ) company. Koreans were fanatical after hearing amazing stories of instant millionaires after the IMF crisis exhausted them with failure. I didn't know at the time that even monkeys could get lucky and make a profit. I lived in a fantasy for a few days and misunderstood that I had a great talent for earning money easily.
When I looked back now, my actions felt ridiculous. In fact, I had even asked my father for additional investment funds. I had become a successful high school trader and used all the stock knowledge learned from comics and websites.
"Really? But I'm not just giving the money away this time. I'm lending it to you."
Father wouldn't have known it was just a bubble. He probably meant to enjoy the moment but instinctively knew that his child's luck as a beginner wouldn't last long. Shortly after that, things turned down, and, in April of 2000, the ceiling collapsed. Right after the American dot-com bubble burst, the Korean stock market also began to fall. I did the same thing after my studies every day. I stayed up all night staring at the monitor of my computer after the markets closed instead of doing homework. On the day the amount of money in my account became a quarter of my initial amount, my father entered my room quietly.
"You will need to pay back the money I lent you by next week, son."
What do you think I did as an unfaithful son who lost his father's precious two million won? I burst into tears at his words like the day I was notified of my father's death. However, Father was cold to me.
"Then borrow it from your mom. I really need the money now," he said.
"How can I do that to Mother?" I continued sobbing.
He replied, "Give me your allowance, and I'll take away your CD player, phone and computer. You know that these are not nearly enough to pay me back, right?"
"..."
"You better tell your mom. Don't pretend you're a grown-up, and your mom may forgive you and give you the money if you act nicely," he continued.
Later, I slowly came to realize that my father was reproducing a minuscule version of the IMF. I was able to decide on my future path and set a goal. I had a dream school and a major I desperately wanted to be admitted to, and I worked hard to get into a prestigious university.
After finishing my military service, I prepared to study in England and entered Wall Street after being impressed by Gillian, the instructor. I devoted my youth to small victories and losses, and when my schoolmates started their families one by one in my thirties, I was deported to Korea after losing my company's money. Then, the gate opened, and I was thrown into the Trial Tests.
Although I lost disastrously on Wall Street, I survived the Trial Tests based on the experience of defeat. The reason I managed to return here was all due to…this account. Yes, everything began from the moment I received this account, so this was the start of the butterfly effect.
「1,000,000 won」
When others carried pictures of their lovers or children like a talisman, I carried this account record with seven digits of money. It motivated me to stay alive whenever I wanted to die, and just before my return, it had been ripped and stained with blood.
However, I now had a new one in a plastic envelope. My precious talisman was finally back.
"Thank you, Father," I said solemnly.
My phone rang when I arrived at the office with my new bankbook. Woo Yeon-Hee's voice was weak and almost indecipherable. However, she managed to mumble a sentence that I could understand.
Yeon-Hee: I…found…it…...
If she actually found the dungeon, it would be a memorable day not only for me but also for her! A week had passed since I had sent Woo Yeon-Hee up the hill. Until yesterday, I thought she had given up, so I searched her house and her family's house. However, there was no trace of her return. My phone rang about the time I thought it had been long enough. I had demanded that she walk as much as possible during the day and to resist the dark at night while surviving with the prepared food. I had not asked her to survive with nothing like the special forces, and I just wanted her to find the dungeon entrance by herself.
Seon-Hu: Wait right there.
I headed to Woo Yeon-Hee's location with her car immediately. She was sitting down where we had separated. She didn't seem to have enough strength to even block the headlights with her hand and move, but I saw her faint smile. She was truly enjoying the light.
She had changed into the sweatsuits I put in her backpack as an extra, but the clothes were stained in blood and ripped off so much that I could see her underwear. Her hair was a mess, but she was smiling brightly. If the villagers saw her, they would've brought her to the psychiatric hospital. I knew why she smiled like that because my fellow Awakened and I had also smiled like that, too. It wasn't just because she succeeded in survival; it was because she had gone forward. I helped her to the car.
"The…the backpack… lost it…I'm…sorry…" she mumbled.
It didn't matter.
"B…but… this…"
Woo Yeon-Hee took out an iron container with a syringe out of her pocket.
"Did you see the System message saying you discovered the dungeon?" I asked.
"Y…es…" she replied.
"Good job, Woo Yeon-Hee. You can sleep now, and we'll talk more in Seoul…"
It was then a message suddenly popped up, and I read it with raised eyebrows.
[Woo Yeon-Hee has invited you to her party.]
[Would you like to join?]
"What is this…"
I turned my head to look at Woo Yeon-Hee, but she was already unconscious after sending the message. Of course, there was no answer from her as she fell into a deep sleep.
It was the next day, Saturday, and she was still sleeping at the spot I laid her down yesterday. Her face seemed much better and the sound of her breathing was calm. Her eyes were shaking underneath her closed eyelids as she must have been dreaming.
There was a desktop in the workout room where Woo Yeon-Hee was asleep, but I went into the computer room. I wasn't going to touch her until she woke up by herself. There were three emails from the Isle of Man, the New York company and the private detectives.
The Isle of Man email:
「Subject: Investment proposal confirmed.
We confirmed Russia's refusal of the U.S. Deputy Minister of Finance's request the day after receiving the proposal from you. We were deeply impressed with the accuracy of the analysis and projections, and your data on Russia's foreign currency reserves decreasing despite an increase in repayments of international debts helped us a lot. Moreover, the data you attached stating that Russia has an active balance of payments which is ten percent of their GDP and that their foreign exchange reserves are decreasing helped us to a great extent. Russian funds are currently being transferred into Swiss banks, and we are planning to announce Russia's moratorium on transferring foreign currency out of domestic banks from late July to early August. Based on this, we are aggressively investing in short-term Russian government bond swap transactions from now to early July.
In addition, we are:
1. Devaluating the Russian ruble.
2. Decreasing stock prices in major European and North American countries.
3. Decreasing the prices of major Asian currencies.
4. Decreasing oil prices.
We are also proceeding with a portfolio, and it's based on these decisions. If we push on, Russia might declare a moratorium earlier than the expected time. However, the hedge fund Long Time Capital Management (LTCM) is holding a large number of Russian government bonds. The amount of derivatives they deal with banks worldwide exceeds one trillion dollars, and Russia's moratorium declaration will lead to a global economic crisis for the LTCM. Hence, we request an additional proposal, and if possible, we would like to freely share our opinions with those involved in the proposal. I'll wait for your reply.」
Click. Click.
I sent a reply and checked the next email from New York.
「Subject: A major player would be better than a bunch of minors, right?
Jeffrey Kay brought in an investment firm that became independent from the Gold of America (GOA) last year. It's called Onider Associates, and they are managing three funds. I thought you wouldn't need much explanation since you already know. They have three hundred elite managers from Ivy League, Wall Street, and major English financial firms with another thousand employees. If the acquisition goes smoothly, we will have to manage fifty billion dollars of their client's deposits on top of ours, so a hundred billion dollars in total. Plus, our eighteen billion will have to be added. Sun, the total would be a hundred eighteen billion dollars, and it would be manageable only barely with just Onider Associates. The government is suspicious of the management structure of the New York firm, so we should hurry up on the acquisition before they change their minds. I have attached Jeffrey Kay's report, so contact me as soon as possible. If you confirm, I'll strengthen the sales department and receive new customers. The phone's even ringing now. It must be a billionaire asking me to double his money.
Attachment: Onider Associates.ppt」
Click. Click.
I replied to Jonathan and opened the next email from the private detectives.
「Subject: No Subject
No content
Attachment: fifty photos.」
The other email was also from the private detective, but it was not from the same company as the previous email. I had asked to find Kim Cheong-Soo, who also went by the first name, Brian.
「Subject: Request completed.
No content
Attachment: Brian Kim.ppt」
I immediately sent an email to Kim Cheong-Soo's address happily, and I sensed someone's presence at the door. The sound of the keyboard wasn't loud, but it seemed that Woo Yeon-Hee woke up. She popped her tired face into the room.
"I got a master box. I thought you'd be waiting…Oh my gosh!"
Chapter 59
A master box! It was a class right below a challenger box, and the System was generous to the second place.
"Ah…" Woo Yeon-Hee became speechless after seeing the row of ten computers in the room.
"Have you seen your clothes on the table?" I asked
"The ones in a paper bag? Those are mine?" she questioned.
I replied, "Take a shower first."
I checked the rest of the photos the private company had emailed me while Woo Yeon-Hee was taking a shower. None of the others being pictured seemed important. I then asked her if she was the second pre-Awakened, but she wasn't. In other words, there was a high possibility that one of the Eight Evils or Eight Virtues received the reward. I suspected that either the First Evil or the First Virtue got it.
However, considering that Woo Yeon-Hee was the second person to discover a dungeon, no one else had the misfortune of discovering a dungeon before her. Not yet.
She came out with wet hair, and, despite her previous wounds, her skin was now perfect due to her pre-Awakened regenerative powers. Even though she wore minimal makeup, it was smooth with no blemish. She might have thought that she was born with nice skin, but we Awakened didn't even need wrinkle care in the first place.
"Come and sit here," I said.
I didn't ask what happened on the hill as it had taken a week for her to find the entrance, so it was obvious what she had gone through. She looked frail but was filled with determination. I handed her a pen and paper. She remembered writing her father's information the other day and asked me what to write down.
"Open the status window and write down what you see including the skill list and trait information," I said.
"Status window."
Woo Yeon-Hee mumbled and began writing down, and this was the information:
[Name: Woo Yeon-Hee
Mental Strength: F (20)
Total points: 50
Trait(1) Skill(3)]
[Empathy (Trait)
Effect: The user can unpredictably feel the target's emotions.
Class: F (0)]
[Anxiety Healing (Skill)
Effect: The user can heal the target's fear, but cannot use it on oneself.
Class: F (0)
Cooldown: 24 hours]
[Physical Healing (Skill)
Effect: The user can heal the target's physical body, but cannot use it on oneself.
Class: F (0)
Cooldown: 5 minutes]
These were expected, and I was waiting for the last skill that came from the master box.
[Mary's Hand (Skill)
Effect: The user can dramatically nullify the target's incapability to fight.
Class: F (0)
Cooldown: 24 hours]
There was no question as Mary's Hand was something that would come out only from the master box. Woo Yeon-Hee's codename was already decided. It would be Mary.
If there were any A or S class hunters with the codename Mary, I would've remembered it right away. If so, I would've grasped the explanation of the potentially A-class skill 'Mary's Hand.'
"It's important to understand what the System means in the skill description. If the word 'nullify' is something we commonly know, then it may be a double-edged sword. However, I think this skill would be exceptional if there's a gap between the skill user and the target. Do you understand what I'm saying?" I said.
"You're talking about our teamwork, right?"
She was correct.
I continued, "I think the skill transfers the target's injury to yourself. Can you see the class? 'F(0)', right?"
Woo Yeon-Hee nodded.
"The risk is high at first, but it will decrease as your skill class increases along with other factors like effects, duration and cool time. We'd better start training here today. How're you feeling?" I questioned.
"Not too bad."
Woo Yeon-Hee seemed nervous from what she felt from me and her own tension on top of that. We never got used to pain; we only learned how to endure it. It was better in combat as adrenaline helped, but when we tested skills, we focused on the pain and irritation. I went to the workout room and opened the drawer. Woo Yeon-Hee followed me and expressed the same astonishment she had in the computer room as she saw syringes, ampoules and plastic medication bottles.
"As you already know, I'm not a healer. All I can do is reduce your pain."
I said while drawing up an analgesic ampoule with the syringe. Then, I placed it in a metal container. I had a feeling that she would need a direct injection rather than oral pills as injections worked faster.
"You know what I'm about to do, right?"
I asked Woo Yeon-Hee, and she nodded, her eyes round. What was the best way to make myself incapable of fighting? Her bones would crush if I asked her to punch me like a weighted bag in the boxing gym. I walked up to her and gave her a dagger.
"Here, take this. You wanted to have one. It's more expensive than you think."
"...Seon-Hu?" Her eyes widened.
I put the dagger in her hand and moved her to the washroom. It was difficult to remove blood from the carpet, and the room was still filled with steam from the shower Woo Yeon-Hee took earlier. She trembled as she came with a dagger in her hand as I expected. I didn't want to rush her.
I explained patiently, "This is how things will go. You'll stab me, and when I give you the signal, you'll use Mary's Hand. I should call it to transfer, as you'll receive my injury. You'll suffer from horrible pain."
"..."
"I use all of the space on this floor and most of the rooms on the floors above and below us are empty because of the IMF crisis. So, you don't have to hold back your screams."
I took out the syringe from the metal container.
"Try your skill and stick it in your thigh. I guarantee it will reduce your pain right away," I said.
Woo Yeon-Hee was placing her hand on the chest as if she wanted to check how fast her heart was beating.
"Let's take off our clothes first."
I removed my shirt and hung it on a towel rack. Woo Yeon-Hee was hesitating because it may be embarrassing, but her real reason came from the dagger. The tip of the dagger was shaking with her whole arm.
Woo Yeon-Hee took off her top and lowered her gaze while putting her arms around her chest. Yea, it made sense because a week on the hill wouldn't make her into a hunter. She picked up the dagger she had put on the ground to remove her clothes.
"You'll stab and be stabbed. Are you ready?" I questioned.
"Yes," she answered.
I held her hands which were grabbing the dagger. Then, I pulled it to a spot on my abdomen slightly angled away from the pancreas. A cold piece of metal touched my flesh.
"Stab as hard as you can," I said.
Woo Yeon-Hee closed her eyes tightly and grimaced. However, she didn't push it right away. I had to shout at her to stab me.
"Stab!"
Shikk-
I felt a burning sensation in my stomach and clenched my teeth.
Woo Yeon-Hee's face was right in front of me. Her face was covered with indescribable emotions, and her eyes were filled with tears.
"Good job. It…ugh…got the…right spot," I grunted while looking into her eyes.
It hurt like hell, and I grabbed the dagger handle. She was leaning against the bathtub, and tears fell from her eyes like how my mom reacted when first saw the tattoo on my father's chest. I pulled out the dagger, and my body began to tremble which I couldn't control.
I sat on the floor, and blood was gushing from the stab wound. She was staring at the blood flow along with the tiles like it was alive and looked at me as her voice grew louder.
"Now?"
"No…wait…" I barely managed to respond.
Since I didn't decide to cut out my eyeball, I had to wait for more blood to pour out. The anticipated chill covered my body, and my vision became blurry as my body shook more severely. The System message that I had been waiting for looked hazy at the moment. It wasn't because of the steam that filled the washroom, but…
[The Man Who Overcomes Adversity has been activated.]
It was then everything became clear, and the tremors all over my body subsided.
"Now," I shouted.
Woo Yeon-Hee was waiting for me, and her scream filled the air with a new message.
"Ahhh! Ahhhhhhh!"
[Woo Yeon-Hee used Mary's Hand.]
I felt my muscles jump and power flooded me since my Strength and Agility had increased by one class due to the activation of the Man Who Overcomes Adversity. It was only possible to temporarily forget about the pain and recover my wounds slightly, but I couldn't completely heal like this then.
Meanwhile, Woo Yeon-Hee's scream continued as she lay down on the tiled floor. Blood came from her stomach and was mixing with mine.
"We don't die from that. It just hurts like crazy," I looked down at her.
Woo Yeon-Hee slowly raised her pale face and desperately looked at me.
However, there was only one thing I could tell her.
"Use the syringe, Woo Yeon-Hee."
Chapter 60
Looking at the unconscious Woo Yeon-Hee reminded me of the past. I thought I wouldn't forget about the youngsters who died, but their faces were not as clear as I wished. It had been a long time, and only the sounds of them calling me lingered inside me.
"Guild Leader! An S-class dungeon was found in Hong Kong!"
I put so much effort to make those punks into genuine human beings and worked especially hard on one of them, the guy with the greatest fortune.
I smoked a cigarette for the first time since I returned. I heard Woo Yeon-Hee's moans as I blew smoke out of the window. Then, I stubbed it out on the window frame.
"Don't move. You have to stay in bed for a week," I said.
"I shouldn't have gone to hospitals if I knew my body could heal faster than the ordinary people. I could've just held it in."
Woo Yeon-Hee frowned with a groan as she realized that she had on completely new clothes including underwear. She noticed after turning herself around. She looked down at herself and became silent for a while. Then, she turned her attention to the IV line in her hand.
"You really can do everything," she said.
I injected her with non-opioid analgesics as I couldn't continue giving her narcotics.
"Am I slowing you down?" she asked.
I shook my head and replied, "There are more things to do besides the dungeon. You should focus on getting better for the time being."
"I saw computers in the other room with whiteboards and posters. They're used for stock trading, right?" she questioned.
"Are you interested?" I asked.
"I'm rich now, thanks to someone," she smiled faintly.
"How are you related to Jonathan? He seemed pretty close to you and cared about you a lot," she continued.
"You must feel you're recovered, but it's only because of the painkiller. Stop there, and go to sleep," I stopped her.
She retorted, "I want to sleep, but I'm so worried since I have too much money."
"Where did you put it?" I questioned.
"The bags are still in my closet because you told me not to put it in the bank right away. I'm worried if I get robbed, so I want to check now if I can," she replied.
"...Then just put it in the bank then. A tax audit doesn't happen that easily with only two hundred million won. It was only a possibility I mentioned," I said.
"But I can't in this condition. Could you do me a favor then?" Woo Yeon-Hee asked while lifting her hand with the IV line.
"Quests give me points, but…" I turned my back.
"Do you know where I live? The key is in the car…"
Her explanation continued behind my back.
What she was worried about didn't happen as her room was exactly how it looked two days ago. I returned to the office with the bags that held two hundred million won in cash, her clothes, underwear and toiletries.
"Thank you. It must've been annoying," she said.
Woo Yeon-Hee had unrolled the compressive bandage on her stomach. She seemed a little embarrassed but was more surprised.
"It's healing little by little."
I said flatly, "Stay here until you're fully recovered. Call your family so you don't get into any trouble."
"Don't worry about that."
She said it as if it was nothing, but I knew the reason for her fleeting bitter smile.
"Are you helping him?" she asked.
She was talking about Jonathan again, and she seemed to have determined an answer as she looked at me the same way Jonathan did.
"I don't know what to do with the money," she said.
"The interest rate will be seventeen percent if you place it into a bank," I replied.
Woo Yeon-Hee wouldn't have known how amazing that number was. That two-digit interest rate was considered the norm prior to the IMF as Korea's economic growth had been steady. Therefore, the public saved up every penny and placed it in the banks to gain profit, which worked well back then. However, it was impossible later. The two-digits could be only seen when one put billions in hedge funds.
"Why are you talking about money with that condition?" I asked.
"Dungeons don't feed me. Being a rich swan makes me think a lot."
She smiled and grimaced immediately due to pain.
Swan was a newly coined term that appeared during the IMF, and the word made me smile a bit. I was certainly opening up to her as she followed me better than I expected. She began to accept herself as an Awakened although her mental and physical capacities were lower than the average as she had not gone through Trial Tests. This fact could be an advantage for me since I could feel safe with my back to her. I didn't have to be on the lookout that she would betray me.
"Don't even think of doing stocks. Stop talking nonsense and sleep," I said.
It was the heyday of the two heroes with the last name Park who helped Korea forget the sorrow of the IMF for a while. One of them became the Ladies' Professional Golf Associatin (LPGA) champion in Delaware, and on the same day, Woo Yeon-Hee no longer needed to lie down in bed.
"Wow!" She burst into cheers. While we were watching the same scene, our perspectives were different. She was looking at the final putt that decided the victory for Park, but I was looking at the sponsor logo on her hat.
"Wait until I call you back. Don't forget to train yourself."
I left Woo Yeon-Hee behind, took out the ledger from the safe and went into the computer room. As I confirmed, all conglomerates corporations including Ilsung were restructuring their shares amidst the IMF chaos. It wouldn't be completed in a day or two, but it would be difficult to break through their governance structure if I missed the timing. I estimated the deadline to be October. Their dominance would be solidified as the stock market stabilized.
I turned on several monitors, and the Russian market was going down under the short positions assumed by different groups. Although it was a skirmish, the battle was fierce. One side was that Russia wouldn't go bankrupt, and the other side, which was led by the Isle of Man, was betting on Russian bankruptcy. New York was busy acquiring Onider Associates, so it would take a few more weeks for them to join this war.
I opened the ledger, and my head was pounding already. The remaining three billion offshore funds were distributed in various ways to over a thousand paper companies. In other words, I had to check each one and compare the ledgers. The war was starting in the Russian market, but soon, in other involved countries like major European and Asian countries, oil would become the battlefields.
The good thing was there was no power keeping an eye on me. Everyone agreed that Jonathan won the battle with hedge funds over Asia. Hence, there was no force chasing me by using private detectives. The fire had started in Thailand and burned strongly in the final destination, Korea. However, the embers left behind had spread to Russia, and a financial war had begun there.
"Let's raise the stakes first."
It was early June in the year 1998, and Jonathan was in Russia after receiving the invitation he had been waiting for. There were not only Russian political and military officials but also Americans such as Jonathan in the splendid buildings that were built in the 18th century. There were former U.S. presidents and other distinguished public figures from America.
Jonathan shook hands with the former U.S. president and was praised as a Wall Street Diamond. Then, he looked around with an awkward smile. A banner with a golden border grabbed his attention, and it seemed to be saying this to the attendees.
- We are Russians, and we will never be ruined. Buy our bonds. We guarantee you will gain tremendous wealth.
"Oh my gosh, who is this."
One of the senior officials at Silverman Sox who hosted the event recognized Jonathan, then approached him. He was also an American who flew to Russia and sold Russian bonds for the government.
"It's a good sign that you're here. I'm Logan."
He was genuinely pleased to see Jonathan.
"I know. I'm Jonathan."
"Congratulations. I heard about Onider Associates. Jonathan Investment will become our competitor soon, and how do you like this event?" Logan asked.
Jonathan replied, "It's amazing."
"Since you're here, why don't you buy one too? This chance will never come again," Logan said.
"Yea, I'm already shopping now."
Jonathan held his sample report, which Silverman Sox distributed only to the participants for the event. It also held stickers with a label, and the red one meant VIP class which Jonathan had on his sample report.
"As you can see, the event will be a success. This will give Russia room to breathe. You'd better hurry before it's sold out. There's not much left."
Logan left, and Jonathan snorted at his back.
Does Silverman actually believe that Russia won't go down? How much commission do they receive to help maintain this pretense? Fifty million? A hundred million? It must be easy to earn money, right? Keep smiling while you can because you'll be bankrupt soon.
Jonathan laughed because not too long ago, he thought Russia would never fall. Then, Jonathan's eyes widened as he found the person he was looking for.
The bonds were not the primary reason why Jonathan flew to Russia, and he had endured a long flight due to Seon-Hu's order. He straightened his clothes and approached the guy naturally. He had learned simple Russian despite his busy schedule for this day.
"Good evening, are you Vladimir, the Chief of the Presidential Executive Office?"
