Chapter 58: This is Crazy! It’s Madness!

Time flew by quickly.

The results for the first round of the bar exam were announced. All five of us, including myself, made it onto the list of successful candidates.

On the day of the announcement, we all gathered after a long time.

Smiles bloomed on everyone’s faces.

“It feels great that we all passed the first round together. Let’s raise our glasses and make a toast!”

Oh Hyeon-woo lifted his glass with a smile, and everyone followed suit.

“To our success in the first exam! And to our friendship!”

“Cheers!”

The cheerful sound of clinking glasses rang out.

Everyone continued the drinking party, reveling in the joy of their success.

Oh Hyeon-woo approached me and poured some alcohol into my glass.

“Didn’t you say you’re not taking the exam anymore? Don’t you feel regretful?”

I answered while adding ice to the drink I received.

“Well… there’s no point in holding onto regrets. It’d just be a waste of time. You guys will be preparing in earnest now.”

Oh Hyeon-woo nodded and glanced at the other three who were chatting amongst themselves.

“This will probably be our last gathering until the second exam. The school doesn’t penalize students who’ve passed the first round if they don’t attend classes.”

Korea University’s law department didn’t penalize students who passed the bar exam during their studies if they didn’t attend classes.

“Yeah, the second round is different from the first, so it’ll be tough to prepare. I think it’s better for me not to do it half-heartedly.”

“I guess you’re right.”

Oh Hyeon-woo, who had been nodding, suddenly spoke as if he’d just remembered something.

“Oh! My grandfather said he wanted to meet you. Find some time, will you?”

“The Chief Justice?”

“Yeah, he heard your name and said he wanted to see you. What’s your deal anyway? Even my grandfather knows your name.”

“…What does he want with me?”

“How would I know? Do you think I can read my grandfather’s mind?”

Just then, Yoon Jae-ha chimed in, looking in my direction.

“Ah! My dad also said he wanted to meet you!”

Even Yoon Jae-ha’s father, the head of a famous law firm, had said such a thing.

It seems my name has spread quite a bit.

‘It’s inevitable that rumors would spread, but it’s not good news.’

Hiding my complex feelings, I nodded slightly.

“I’ll make time even if I don’t have any. I’ll contact you both separately soon.”

“Okay~”

Oh Hyeon-woo’s expression turned amused.

“My grandfather has never shown interest in my friends before. And even Yoon Jae-ha’s family? This is interesting. Kim Mu-hyeok, what’s your deal, aha.”

I subtly avoided answering and changed the subject.

“Are you still thinking about becoming a prosecutor? Will you be okay?”

Oh Hyeon-woo’s face showed a bitter smile as he raised his glass.

He clinked his glass with mine.

“Grandfather wants me to be a judge, but becoming a judge would just be following the same path he walked…”

He downed his drink in one go.

“I want to become a prosecutor and reach the top position. I don’t want to hear that I rode on my grandfather’s coattails. My older brothers all chose to be judges, but no matter how I think about it, I don’t feel like doing that. I’ll try to persuade him, but even if it doesn’t work, I’m going to go for it anyway, heh.”

Oh Hyeon-woo’s self-deprecating laugh revealed his inner struggle.

I patted him on the shoulder.

“You’ll do well in any position.”

“Thanks.”

At that moment, Myeong-su butted in between us.

“What are you two talkin’ about? We should all drink together! Here, have some! Hyeon-woo, take this! Mu-hyeok, you too~”

Myeong-su’s tongue was already a bit twisted, indicating he’d had quite a bit to drink.

“Ah! This bastard’s at it again. Is this his usual drunk behavior? How does he become even more of a nuisance when he drinks?”

Oh Hyeon-woo said, shaking his head. Still, everyone seemed to enjoy Myeong-su’s antics, watching him with smiles.

Myeong-su kept clinging to me, whining.

“Mu-hyeok~ My friend Mu-hyeok!”

“Sigh…”

I pushed away Myeong-su’s grinning face.

His persistent clinginess reminded me of something.

“Want me to tell you a funny story?”

At my sudden words, everyone turned to me with interested faces.

“When Myeong-su and I turned twenty, we went to a nightclub for the first time. He got drunk and when a girl came over for booking…”

“Hey! Don’t! Don’t tell them!”

Myeong-su belatedly tried to cover my mouth, flailing about.

Yoon Jae-ha and Oh Hyeon-woo quickly grabbed Myeong-su, urging me to continue.

By the time I finished the story, while Myeong-su was struggling, everyone was looking at him as if he were crazy.

Myeong-su glared at me as if he wanted to kill me.

“You jerk, I’ll kill you.”

At Myeong-su’s grumbling, everyone burst into laughter.

“Myeong-su, you’re a real man!”

It felt good to be able to laugh like this, letting my guard down, even if only when meeting my friends.

After all, one can’t live in constant tension.

As I was laughing and drinking, Han Min-kyung tapped my arm.

“Let’s go get some fresh air. My head hurts.”

I got up from my seat and followed Han Min-kyung outside the bar.

I gestured to stop Manager Ma, who was about to approach me, and then went to her side.

“Congratulations.”

Han Min-kyung, who had been looking at the night street, turned to face me.

Her face was a bit flushed, probably due to the alcohol.

“It’s thanks to you. I’ll definitely repay you when I succeed.”

“What repayment? You don’t have any other problems, right?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“You’ll be able to pass the second exam without any problems. Don’t think about anything else and focus on preparing for the test.”

“Thank you, really…”

Tears had welled up in Han Min-kyung’s eyes.

I pretended not to notice and slightly turned my head away.

“Let’s go back inside. The others will be waiting, and Myeong-su will probably start acting up again.”

But Han Min-kyung grabbed my arm as I was about to turn back.

“…We’re friends, right?”

“Huh?”

I turned back at her unexpected words.

“What about… as a woman, not just a friend?”

Her face was even redder than before.

I answered as calmly as I could.

“You’re definitely attractive, both as a friend and as a woman. But I don’t have the capacity to have a girlfriend right now… I haven’t even thought about it.”

Now is not the time for dating.

Moreover, if I were to enter a romantic relationship with Han Min-kyung now, it might nullify the favors I had done for her, which could be seen as trying to create a debt.

Han Min-kyung nodded slightly as if she had already expected this answer. She wiped away the tears in her eyes and spoke bravely.

“I must be a bit drunk. Forget what I just said.”

I watched her back as she entered the bar first. I stayed outside for a bit longer, pretending to get some air, before going back in.

“What’s this! What were you two doing outside?”

As expected, Myeong-su was stirring things up, speaking sarcastically.

Shaking my head, I sat down next to Yoon Jae-ha.

“You said your father wanted to see me, right?”

Yoon Jae-ha, who had been talking with Oh Hyeon-woo, turned to look at me.

“Yeah, Dad said he’s met all my other friends once, but not you. It’s understandable for the others since they’re all entering the legal profession, but you’re a bit of a surprise. He said he wants to meet you even though I told him you’re not interested in the legal field.”

Actually, this was one of the reasons I organized this gathering.

Oh Hyeon-woo and Yoon Jae-ha’s families form a cartel in the legal world.

Grandfather had tried to approach them several times, but he couldn’t win their hearts with money.

“Then I’ll meet Oh Hyeon-woo’s grandfather first, and then I’ll contact your father to let him know.”

“Okay! Hey, what are you doing? We won’t be able to gather like this until after the second exam. Aren’t you going to drink?”

Yoon Jae-ha poured drinks into everyone’s empty glasses.

“Let’s all have a drink! Let’s all pass the second exam in one go! We can do it!”

Everyone picked up their drinks and drank.

The drinking party continued late into the night.

The next day

I entered Grandfather’s study as part of my morning routine.

“So, is the debt collection going well?”

“Yes, we’re starting with the ones that have reached maturity.”

Grandfather leaned towards me, seeming interested.

“They’re not the type to give up easily, are they?”

“Many companies don’t have the money to pay, since they had to resort to private loans. But the collateral you secured is more valuable than the money lent, so I told them to choose between giving that or paying the money. Most of them managed to scrape together the money somehow. For the companies that are still holding out, we’ve taken the collateral items.”

Grandfather seemed pleased with my handling of the situation, a small smile appearing on his face.

I smiled back and broached a new topic.

“Do you know Chief Justice Oh Jeong-seok?”

“Chief Justice Oh? Of course, that stubborn old man.”

“Yes, he’s my friend’s grandfather, and he said he wants to meet me. I’m planning to meet him soon, and it seems he knows I’m your grandson.”

“He probably does know.”

Grandfather glanced at me briefly before continuing.

“Everyone who needs to know probably knows about Su-man being sent abroad. So, what do you plan to talk about with him?”

Chief Justice Oh Jeong-seok, though retired, was still at the apex of the court cartel.

It wouldn’t be of immediate help, but I planned to gain his favor.

“I just want to make a good impression for now.”

“He’s not an easy person to impress. As someone who was at the top of the judiciary, he doesn’t trust others easily.”

“Yes, but I still want to give it a try. He asked to meet me first, so he must be somewhat curious about me.”

Grandfather nodded.

“Don’t try to win him over with money in a clumsy way. He’s not lacking in anything.”

“I understand.”

The conversation paused for a moment. Grandfather stared at me quietly.

“Do you have anything else to say?”

I shook my head.

“No, I’ll be going now.”

Leaving Grandfather with a somewhat lonely expression, I went up to my room.

Sitting on the bed, I made an international call.

“Hello.”

Han Gyeong-yeong’s voice came through the phone.

“It’s me, brother.”

“Oh, Mu-hyeok. It’s been a while.”

“How’s it going there?”

“It’s going well. I’ve hired staff too. Oh, and the people you mentioned still haven’t shown up on Wall Street.”

“That’s fine, it’s not urgent. Have you made friends with the people in finance? Don’t skimp on spending, use it liberally.”

“Yeah, I’m going to parties and getting to know faces. Oh, and you know about the money paid to Anderson recently, right? But it seems like someone named James Clark has been hanging around.”

James Clark.

He was the founder of Silicon Graphics.

Originally, Anderson would have established a company with this person, but I had already made the first move.

The future was changing smoothly according to plan.

“Keep a close eye on him. Visit him often and check if he’s spending money unnecessarily.”

“Okay, boss!”

Han Gyeong-yeong answered playfully.

Now it was time to get to the real business.

“Brother, this next part is important. Is anyone around you?”

“No, I’m alone. What is it?”

“What do you think would happen if the Mexican government devalued the peso against the US dollar?”

“…What? Are you crazy? Why would the Mexican government do such a thing unless they’ve gone mad?”

“If that crazy thing actually happens, then what?”

Han Gyeong-yeong was silent for a while.

After a moment, as if he had finished organizing his thoughts, his voice rose.

“If that really happens, trust in the peso would hit rock bottom, foreign investors would all pull out… the economy would fall into a depression.”

Han Gyeong-yeong quickly grasped the implications of what I was saying.

I thought to myself that I had made the right decision in bringing him on board.

Just because I know the D-day doesn’t mean I can invest well myself.

“There will be two peso devaluations, on December 20th and 22nd. Let’s say we bet 300 million dollars with the highest possible leverage at that time. Do you think there’s a financial company that would accept that?”

I heard a sharp intake of breath on the other end of the line.

“Wait a minute. Are you suggesting we gamble? Bet 300 million dollars as a margin?”

“You understand well. That’s why I told you to get acquainted with the big financial firms. Do you think anyone would take it?”

“Sigh… How many moves ahead are you seeing? This is crazy! It’s madness!”

Han Gyeong-yeong shouted excitedly.

Smiling, I added,

“Peso devaluation on December 20th and 22nd. Try to leverage this information as much as you can. If we lose, we’ll go to the Han River together.”

“One thing’s for sure, regardless of the outcome – you’re really insane. Preparation time?”

“As soon as possible. Finish the contract before August. After the August general election, people will start to notice. By then, it’ll be too late.”

“Alright. I’ll need to negotiate contract terms with financial firms that might accept. I’ll contact you before finalizing the contract.”

“No, you handle the contract yourself. You’re the expert, not me. I’ve given you the information. If I were going to do it myself, why would I have sent you there?”

“…”

“I trust you. You just need to trust me.”

I hung up without waiting for a response.

Han Gyeong-yeong’s abilities were now being put to the test.

After all, if he can’t capitalize on having insider information, there’s no need to keep him in that position.

Another week passed.

I headed to Chief Justice Oh Jeong-seok’s house for our meeting.

The place I arrived at was an ordinary apartment, almost too modest for someone as respected in the legal world as him.

“Hello, I’m Kim Mu-hyeok.”

Chief Justice Oh Jeong-seok’s eyes were scrutinizing me.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Oh Jeong-seok.”