― I, Choi Changgeun, will accept the people's request and unite with the conservative party's Sung Daegyu candidate. I will join forces with him unconditionally and work harder than anyone else for the victory of conservatism.
― I will not forget Choi Changgeun's concession. I will also not forget the spirit of sacrifice of the party members who made this national concession. I will restore the Korean economy, which is facing an unprecedented economic crisis, to its original state. The moment I am elected, I will go to Japan and borrow a large amount of dollars!
I was watching the live broadcast of the joint speeches of the presidential candidates in my grandfather's study.
The sudden announcement of unification shocked me.
The TV showed the flustered face of the progressive party's candidate, Kim Hakgwon.
His expression was in stark contrast to that of the conservative party's candidate, Sung Daegyu.
“Things are getting interesting. The Blue Wind Society must be behind this.”
My grandfather was right.
“I never thought he would play the unification card.”
“There must have been some deal. Given that he mentioned borrowing dollars, he probably received a promise of support from Japan. Right now, the issue of survival is more important than anti-Japanese sentiment.”
“Yes, it's a big deal.”
“Surely Kim Hakgwon won't lose, right?”
“It's hard to predict now. Even though the current administration's approval rating is at its worst, Sung Daegyu has distanced himself from the current administration from the beginning.”
Sung Daegyu had been at odds with the president and pursued his own politics even before becoming a candidate.
Thanks to this, he maintained a high approval rating despite the decline in support for the current president, who was responsible for the IMF crisis.
In the original history, even with the conservative votes split, Kim Hakgwon of the progressive party barely won by a margin of 500,000 votes.
If the votes were consolidated, it would be hard to guarantee a victory for the progressives.
This was the worst-case scenario for me.
Korea still has a strong presidential system.
I don't know what kind of backroom deal the Blue Wind Society made with Sung Daegyu, but it's not good for me.
“If Sung Daegyu is elected, the Blue Wind Society will gain more power. We need to consider supporting Kim Hakgwon.”
“Can we do anything? We can't win just by pouring money. We can't spread money like we used to.”
I had already provided a considerable amount of political funds to Kim Hakgwon's camp. He wouldn't be short of money.
Not only me, but also Song, the chairman of Daehyun, had invested in a 6:3:1 ratio—6 to Kim Hakgwon, 3 to Sung Daegyu, and 1 to Choi Changgeun. Other large corporations had likely bet the opposite way.
If the election ended with Sung Daegyu's victory, it would be a significant blow to both me and Daehyun.
Sure enough, a call came from Chairman Song.
“Yes, this is Kim Muhyeok.”
― You bastard!!!
Chairman Song's loud voice echoed through the phone, covering my grandfather's study.
“Haha.”
My grandfather laughed as if finding it amusing.
“I'll go outside to take the call.”
“No, take it here. I want to see the show.”
With my grandfather's playful permission, I continued the call.
― You bastard. Why are you silent? Speak up. What the hell is going on?
“Sir, I can hear you even if you speak softly.”
― What a peaceful world. How are we going to handle this? What do you mean by regime change?
“I don't know yet.”
― Don't know? Their combined approval ratings exceed 60%.
“I know. Let's just wait and see. We've already made our bets. It's too late to change now.”
A sigh came from the other end of the line, but I calmly added,
“Going to Sung Daegyu now won't change anything. We need to support Kim Hakgwon more. It's best to be number one in Kim Hakgwon's camp. Most large corporations have already rallied behind Sung Daegyu. If Kim Hakgwon wins, it will be a significant reward for you.”
― Haha... All or nothing, huh?
Chairman Song hung up, leaving a long aftertaste.
As I put my phone back in my pocket, my grandfather gave me a signal to speak.
“You seem worried.”
“It's different for us. We have the weapon of dollars, so we're somewhat fortunate...”
“I just gave him options. Ultimately, the final decision was Chairman Song's. Besides, he's not someone who would be swayed by my words. He must have carefully considered everything before making his decision. He probably called to vent his anxiety.”
“Haha, I wanted to see Chairman Song flustered.”
“We need to do something too. We can't let the Blue Wind Society gain the president's power.”
My grandfather nodded.
Like the darkness outside the window, the 15th presidential election was unpredictable.
The attack on Korea was the result of the interests of Wall Street hyenas, who had suffered significant losses in Hong Kong and Taiwan, aligning with those of the U.S. authorities.
Credit rating agencies, including Moody's, committed the atrocity of lowering Korea's credit rating to African levels in one fell swoop.
The announcements by credit rating agencies accelerated the outflow of foreign capital from Korea.
American media repeatedly broadcast that Korea's available foreign exchange reserves were at a level of 2 billion dollars.
Stock prices plummeted, and the exchange rate fell to its maximum extent every time the fluctuation range was widened.
Of course, the government did not sit idly by.
It sent special envoys to Japan and the United States to propose currency swaps, but both sides refused, citing their own positions.
Finally, in December, IMF Chief Kangdshi entered Korea.
Korea had no choice but to engage in a humiliating negotiation.
“Kim Muhyeok here.”
― Hello, this is IMF Chief Kangdshi. Are you Charlie Kim?
“Yes, but... how did you get my phone number?”
― I would like to meet you. Can you come to the hotel where I am staying? In secret, of course.
“Is this an order?”
― Of course not. Would I order the owner of Dream High Investment? I just want to meet quietly and also convey a message from the U.S. administration.
“I'll call you back.”
― I'll be waiting.
I hung up.
Kangdshi's authoritative voice, which was now being broadcast on TV, sounded completely different from what I had heard over the phone.
Kangdshi, who remained calm and spoke his mind even in front of the Korean president, was the same person.
I called Han Kyungjeong.
“Bro, Kangdshi wants to meet me. Do you know anything about it?”
― Hmm... He must have received instructions from the U.S. administration. He'll probably ask you not to help Korea.
“Hmm...”
― Your name might appear in next year's Forbes magazine. We negotiated with the U.S. Treasury, but they can't prevent your name from being published. Charlie Kim. They won't reveal detailed personal information, though.
Forbes is a magazine that, in my opinion, is no different from a tabloid, always publishing sensational articles like the 'World's Richest People.'
The ranking is only half-complete, missing the names of hidden billionaires.
Still, it feels impressive to read the detailed asset statements.
If the names of the hidden billionaires, including Middle Eastern royalty, the Rothschild family of Europe, and the Rockefeller family of America, were included, the Forbes ranking would undoubtedly be completely replaced.
“Fine. As long as my name isn't Kim Muhyeok, I don't care.”
― You're number one, and I'm number two. Does that make sense?
“Hahaha. I'm going crazy. Are you coming to Korea tomorrow?”
― I'll arrive tomorrow morning.
“You might be surrounded by reporters at the airport and immediately summoned to the Blue House. Congratulations, you're a celebrity now.”
― No way...
“No way? This is just a toned-down version of what I said.”
Han Kyungjeong's name had spread not only in America but worldwide.
The existence of Han Kyungjeong, a Korean-American, was like a ray of hope for the Korean government.
A politician who went to the United States as a special envoy to negotiate with the U.S. government even requested a meeting with Han Kyungjeong, though he was refused.
“Do your best and come back.”
― Okay.
After hanging up with Han Kyungjeong, I called Manager Ma and headed to the hotel where Kangdshi was staying.
This was not something that could be solved by avoiding it.
The hotel lobby was empty, as if they had been informed in advance.
“Nice to meet you, Charlie.”
Kangdshi, who recognized me, extended his hand first.
I shook his hand and greeted him.
“It's an honor to meet you. I only see you on the news.”
“Haha. It's embarrassing to hear that from the world's richest man.”
We exchanged pleasantries and sat down to continue the conversation.
Kangdshi glanced at Manager Ma, who was standing behind me, and spoke in a low voice.
“I would like the security guard behind you to leave.”
“He's part of me. If there's something he shouldn't hear, I don't want to hear it either.”
Kangdshi, seeing my firm refusal, made a helpless expression and handed me a letter.
“It's a handwritten letter from President Clinton.”
I took the letter and passed it to Manager Ma.
“Aren't you going to read it?”
“Later. I want to hear the reason you asked to meet me today first. And how you got my phone number.”
“I'll start with the message from the U.S. administration. ‘Please do not help Korea's foreign exchange crisis. If you do, all responsibility will be on you,’ said Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin.”
“Is that a threat?”
I hadn't completely severed the connection to the phantom company.
But if I made a concession here, they would undoubtedly pounce on me like hyenas.
Kangdshi waved his hand, looking a bit flustered.
“No. Secretary Rubin was a bit direct, but he meant that there's no need to help. It would be of no benefit to you.”
I had no intention of helping the government from the beginning, but I pretended to think about it, rubbing my chin.
‘They must have found some leverage. I had no intention of helping anyway. Maybe I can get something out of this...’
Kangdshi waited silently for my response, despite the length of my deliberation.
It was hard to believe this was the same person who had been so aggressive toward the Korean government.
I soon nodded.
“Alright. In return, do not interfere with anything I do in Korea.”
“I hope we can share appropriately. Don't eat everything alone, like in Hong Kong.”
Kangdshi's words had a hidden edge.
I twisted my lips into a smile.
“The phrase ‘eat everything alone’ is a bit harsh. I clearly moved with Wall Street. I just made a quicker judgment based on the situation. I didn't act against Wall Street, did I? We just made the same choice.”
Kangdshi's eyes wavered.
“I apologize if I offended you. It was a joke. Dream High's aggressive investment is famous even in the United States.”
“Please convey to the U.S. administration that I will comply with their request. In return, I want you to grant me one favor in the future.”
“What kind of favor?”
“It will not be a bad deal for the United States and Wall Street. You can refuse if the request is unreasonable.”
“I understand. I will convey that.”
“It was nice meeting you. I hope we meet again.”
“It was an honor.”
We shook hands and parted ways.
On the way back to Pyeongchang-dong after leaving the hotel, Manager Ma spoke for the first time today.
“Is that the same person who appeared on TV? The IMF Chief, Kangdshi.”
“Hahaha. Isn't it funny? The chief of the International Monetary Fund, which claims to be a world bank, is just a lackey of the United States.”
“He looked completely different from his TV appearance.”
“Of course. They know what power I have. The Korean government doesn't know yet, or even if they do, they'll try to suppress me with their authority. They're a different country from the United States. They'll come to their senses after a harsh lesson.”