Chapter 219: It Might Be Dangerous

Just as Han Gyeong-yeong was staring intently at the monitor screen, the office door swung open without a knock.

“Boss, it’s happened!”

At the urgent report from his subordinate, Han Gyeong-yeong tore his gaze from the monitor and looked towards the door.

“I know. Keep monitoring the situation,” he replied.

After a moment of contemplation, Han Gyeong-yeong gave his orders.

“And only bet half of the spare funds on a short position. We need to cover some of our losses.”

“Understood, Boss!”

Once his subordinate left, Han Gyeong-yeong let out a deep sigh. But it was only a brief respite before he fixed his eyes back on the monitor.

Though he pretended to be calm for the sake of his employees, inside he was just as anxious; it felt like his blood had turned to ice.

The Nasdaq, having already dipped once, was like a rollercoaster, luring in the small investors with its ups and downs.

Finally, all the major investment banks and institutions on Wall Street began to offload their holdings, dumping the remaining stocks onto the market.

From that point on, it was a battle of who could escape first.

Venture capitalists and institutional investors were already celebrating huge profits, while individual investors faced inevitable losses.

“My God! This is insane!”

“Don’t get too worked up,” cautioned another.

The Nasdaq was experiencing an unprecedented crash.

In just a few days, the index plummeted nearly 25% from its peak, and no one could predict how low it would go.

At Dream High Investment headquarters in the U.S., employees were answering calls with excitement in their voices.

Han Gyeong-yeong observed the traders through the glass walls of his office, his heart racing in sync with theirs.

Snapping back to reality, he checked the time on his wristwatch.

Lowering the blinds and turning back, he picked up the phone and dialed.

* * *

The panic that started in the U.S. swept through Asian stock markets, including Korea.

The bubble in the soaring KOSDAQ began to burst like the Nasdaq had.

Trying to catch a glimpse of the KOSDAQ graph, he flipped through a newspaper in his Myeong-dong office.

His phone suddenly rang, filling the quiet office with noise. He put down the newspaper to answer.

― Mu-hyeok!

Hearing Han Gyeong-yeong’s excited voice through the receiver made him frown.

“Hyung, take it easy. My ears aren’t deaf yet,” he replied.

― “That’s not the point. Things are chaotic here.”

Just hearing his brother’s tone painted a vivid picture of the atmosphere in New York, and a smile crept onto his face.

“What’s the situation there?”

― “It’s complete chaos. Individual investors seem ready to riot at any moment, and the great escape has already begun.”

“I saw this coming. But what’s the reason that Wall Street veterans, who had been so passive, suddenly started throwing things away?”

The Nasdaq bubble burst months later than expected.

The reason was simple: someone had been holding back the stock price decline, and the heavy hitters on Wall Street had simply been watching.

There were those who helped, but most banks were cautious.

They merely watched their stocks rise without selling or buying more.

― “Rumor has it that Bear Stearns and Deutsche Bank were the first to start secretly selling off. There are no permanent alliances in Wall Street. That’s a glass-like union that can shatter at any moment.”

Once someone started selling, others had no choice but to follow suit.

If you waited too long to sell, you risked losing the initiative to competing banks. You couldn’t afford to sit on your hands, whether due to someone’s request or pressure.

Even if it was a union of European nobility, that didn’t matter. The sight of UT Investment Bank so readily accepting proposals made him sneer.

“This is our chance to shift the balance of power in Wall Street towards Dream High. Many funds will inevitably incur losses from this crash. Some securities firms or banks are bound to collapse.”

― “Hmm… Will Washington allow us to acquire banks?”

“Is the presidential candidate finalized yet?”

With only a few months until the election, both the Republican and Democratic parties had no choice but to respond sensitively to the Nasdaq crash.

― “Yeah, it’s the showdown between Bush and Al Gore, just as you predicted. It’s too close to call, and no one knows who will win. Just a few months ago, everyone thought the Democrats would sweep the election.”

A broad smile crept onto his lips. The political climate was in his favor.

Knowing the future, he was sure about whose hand he would shake, so there was no reason to make any missteps.

“They will extend their hand to us. With the current atmosphere, other investment banks won’t be hastily acquiring others, and the presidential candidates cannot afford to allow the stock market to collapse. Then we can discuss our demands.”

I had no idea where this crash would end. Unlike last time, when it descended gradually, this decline was swift.

“It’s likely to drop more than 50% from the current market rate. Start slowly acquiring the stocks of the companies I mentioned as they hit the market.”

He slowly listed off companies that continued to grow even after the bubble burst.

This was a price that wouldn’t come again except during this crash.

Whether securing management rights or simply investing, it was a great opportunity.

“Especially Qualcomm. Make sure to acquire it aggressively with the intention of securing management rights.”

― “Qualcomm? What kind of company is that?”

No one knew about smartphones aside from him. So it wasn’t yet a company that Han Gyeong-yeong would be aware of.

“Qualcomm is a top priority on the list I’ll give you. The others will be more of simple investments than securing management rights, but… that can change at any time.”

Time would reveal all.

What he initially thought was a mere collapse of the long-built-up bubble was actually the start of revealing the negative aspects that had long shrouded the U.S. economy.

― “Got it. But how’s Korea doing?”

Just then, Eva Zhu entered the office. After greeting her with a wave, he continued his phone discussion.

“The attack on Il-sung has begun, and soonn temporary shareholders’ meetings will be approved like dominos. And let’s not even talk about the chaos in KOSDAQ; it’s no less than what’s happening in the U.S.”

― “Really? Well, if the U.S. collapses, the whole world will.” Important matters will be reported immediately.

After finishing his call with Han Gyeong-yeong, he turned to Eva, who looked eager to speak.

“What’s the atmosphere like in Hong Kong and Japan?”

A broad smile spread across Eva’s face.

“It’s a huge hit.”

As the Nasdaq index approached 8,000 before crashing, it was impossible to predict how far the repercussions would spread.

“The U.S. will continue to lower interest rates. We need to prepare countermeasures in advance. Leave Hong Kong to Peregrine, and you’ll need to head to Japan yourself, Eva.”

Until he mentioned the U.S. and Hong Kong, Eva’s eyes had been calm, but they widened at the mention of Japan.

“Japan?”

“Make sure to ruthlessly enforce the contracts with Japanese banks and insurance companies, even if they prefer bankruptcy. Show those who mocked us what you’re capable of.”

He intended to teach Japan a lesson they wouldn’t forget.

Eva’s face was graced with a chilling smile as she contemplated the future. I wore a similar sardonic grin.

Yes, that’s Eva. Finally, the memory of her I held onto was resurfacing.

The relentless army of hedge funds that trampled on Korea, Eva Zhu.

In my previous life, it was Korea; now, it was Japan.

“What’s the goal?”

“For Japanese banks to surrender and for us to acquire the companies we want, along with their funds.”

Even with Il-sung’s active lobbying, the Japanese government was still negotiating with Taiwan due to its ties to Korean companies.

But suddenly, they shifted gears and began negotiating with Il-sung instead..

The intelligence team believed they had nearly reached a preliminary agreement.

This was something utterly unexpected. It meant someone was aiding Il-sung..

This had to be stopped at all costs. If Il-sung dominated the globaal semiconductor market, the time to face it would only prolong.

I had no intention of creating such variables.

“There won’t be any support from Wall Street this time. We have to rely purely on our finances and strength. The seeds we’ve sown are finally ready to sprout.”

Eva nodded, a look of resolve on her face.

Having been through one rough situation already, I was even more concerned for her. But this was a necessary task.

“If it’s the Boss’s orders.”

“It might be dangerous. Along with the existing security team, I’m sending a mercenary team from the U.S. headquarters to Japan. No matter how inconvenient it is, follow the bodyguards’ advice whenever you meet someone.”

“Got it.”

In Hong Kong and the U.S., the banks planned negotiations within manageable limits.

But Japan was different. They might choose bankruptcy if they surrendered, but if they fought to the end, he intended to force them into a corner.

After being hit hard by the Wall Street and Dream High alliance, the Japanese economy had partially recovered thanks to the IT bubble.

Perhaps not wanting to taste that disgrace again, the Japanese government began reforming its banking structure. But this attack wouldn’t allow anyone to stop it.

No one could predict what desperate moves the cornered Japanese banks would resort to.

Those insidious folks would surely attempt to carry out acts of terror against Eva. Therefore, thorough preparations were a must.

“By the way, Boss, how far do you think the Nasdaq will collapse? I just can’t imagine it dropping below 50%, no matter the decline.”

Though I had mentioned to Han Gyeong-yeong that the Nasdaq would crash below 50%, I wasn’t entirely confident. I pondered a bit at Eva’s question.

The Nasdaq, which had originally climbed to around 5,000, slowly fell to 1,000 over two years.

But this time was different. With such a steep rise compared to before, the fall would be equally rapid.

I couldn’t predict how far it would drop or how long it would take, but I had a rough estimate.

“I think it’ll drop below 1,000. How long it takes is uncertain, but it will take over a decade to recover.”

As I made the claim that the Nasdaq would crash to levels where it nearly grazed the bottom, doubt crossed Eva’s face. I couldn’t help but smile at her reaction.

“Those are just my predictions, but you know I’ve never been wrong, right? It’s bound to happen.”

“That’s true, but… the figures seem too outrageous to take seriously.”

Eva shook her head in disbelief.

“Anyway, it seems like Korea will also suffer immensely. I wonder how far it could have dropped if there hadn’t been a lower limit?”

With the KOSDAQ index crashing as well, the impact would soon become evident. I nodded slightly in agreement.

“There’s no helping it. It’s the Kim Hak-gwon government’s missteps. To weaken the power of large corporations, they’ve directed policies towards fostering ventures and small businesses. But there will be companies that survive. It’s merely a bubble; in time, IT companies will lead the way.”

“Well, that’s the inevitable flow of the times.”

Eva left the office to prepare for her trip to Japan.

I remained alone in the office to start organizing the upcoming events.

A few days after Eva left for Japan, I received a call from the Blue House asking me to visit.

“Welcome.”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

Kim Hak-gwon looked more haggard than when we had last met.

He occupied his position and waited for me to speak first. After letting out a deep sigh, Kim Hak-gwon parted his lips.

“The reason I called you today isn’t anything out of the ordinary. I mentioned I’d grant you one request, didn’t I?”

“Yes. I said I would help if I could.”

It was a way to repay him for allowing me to witness my grandfather’s passing.

Kim Hak-gwon, hesitating to speak, bore deep lines on his forehead.

“It hasn’t been easy to rebuild the economy. People don’t realize how challenging it has been.”

Just as he said, no country had recovered as quickly from a crisis like Korea had.

It was the result of the efforts of Kim Hak-gwon’s administration and the sacrifices of the people. But now, it was crumbling again after just a year.

Thus, it would be hard for Kim Hak-gwon to accept.

“Do you have a way to overcome this crisis?”

It was merely the bursting of a bubble that was destined to burst anyway. This was an unavoidable bomb that I couldn’t stop either.

I shook my head slowly and replied.

“This situation was predicted and unavoidable. I also have no means to prevent it.”

Disappointment washed over Kim Hak-gwon’s face at my calm response.