Candidate Kim Hak-gwon did not answer my question right away.
However, I could roughly guess what kind of answer he would be thinking about as a politician.
He would want to make a mark in history.
"If you overcome the IMF crisis within your term and improve the inefficient corporate culture of the large conglomerates, wouldn't you be remembered as a good president even after your term?"
"Hehehe. A good president... "
"The corporate culture of Korea has been heavily influenced by Japan. The demands made during this IMF crisis ultimately seemed to me like a call to reform the system from the Japanese way to the American way."
American companies often secured funds through bond issuance and the stock market rather than bank loans.
What the IMF wanted was for Korean companies to share their profits with speculative capital, primarily from the United States.
If South Korea's capital market were fully opened, that path would be open.
"It may be humiliating, but such an opportunity won't come again. There will be significant resistance from the large conglomerates, but with the IMF as an excuse, the government will have no choice but to pay attention. Just implement the policies you want. That's all."
Candidate Kim Hak-gwon listened to my words until the end.
"Thank you for listening to my presumptuous words until the end."
"Hehe. No, it was helpful. Many of my thoughts align with yours. There are other aspects as well. My advisors and bureaucrats are busy defending the conglomerates, but you've scratched my itch."
My words might not change the policy much, but I've thrown a small stone.
If they reflect on my words even once when injecting public funds, that would be enough.
The meeting with Kim Hak-gwon continued for quite a while after that.
* * *
Eva arrived in Hong Kong and began to gather detailed information about Peregrine using her network.
Rumors of bankruptcy were already widespread in Hong Kong's financial sector.
"Eva?"
"It's been a while."
"Hahaha. I thought you had disappeared and gotten married somewhere in Hong Kong, but here you are again."
"Thanks to you, I've learned a lot. Daniel."
Eva unexpectedly ran into her former boss, Daniel.
"Did everything go smoothly? Do you still think I abandoned you?"
"Well, you didn't give me any help. But thanks to that, I met a good boss, so it's fine now. Have a good time."
Daniel was taken aback by Eva's words but did not stop her.
Eva left Daniel behind and looked around for someone.
When she found the person she was looking for, she approached him with a smile.
"Andre?"
The man, who was talking to someone else, turned his head at the sound of his name.
"Do you know me?"
"Isn't it Andre Lee, the director?"
"Yes, but..."
"Then I came at the right time. Hello, I'm Eva. Nice to meet you."
Eva introduced herself with a bright smile and extended her hand.
Andre Lee shook Eva's hand, somewhat taken aback.
"Would you like to have a drink with me after you finish your conversation with the person you're talking to now?"
Andre's eyes scanned Eva for a moment.
"...Sure. Just wait a bit."
"I'll wait."
Eva left the table and sat in front of the bartender.
"A Snow White, please."
After ordering her favorite cocktail, Eva looked around.
People she had seen when she worked at the bank were engrossed in their own conversations.
'Back then, I worked hard to expand my network here.'
She chuckled and took a sip of the cocktail the bartender handed her.
"Did you wait long?"
When Andre Lee approached, Eva's cocktail glass was about half empty.
"No, I lost track of time being back here. Please sit down."
Eva pointed to the seat next to her.
Andre sat down, guided by her hand.
"But how do you know me? I've never seen you before."
"How many people in Hong Kong's financial sector don't know Andre Lee, the director of Peregrine?"
"Hahaha. You're flattering me."
Andre Lee.
The director of bonds at Peregrine.
He was a Korean-Canadian mixed-race person, born to a Canadian father and a Korean mother.
He was also directly responsible for Peregrine's bankruptcy.
"One of my usual drinks, please."
Andre ordered from the bartender and looked at Eva with a sly expression.
"So, what brings a beautiful lady like you to me?"
"What's the rush?"
Eva knew Andre's gaze but responded playfully.
Just then, the bartender brought the drink Andre had ordered.
"Shall we have a drink and talk?"
Eva raised her glass.
"Sure."
Andre also raised his glass.
After taking a sip of the cocktail, Eva casually said,
"There are rumors that Peregrine is in danger, circulating in Hong Kong's financial sector..."
The smile on Andre's face disappeared.
"Shit."
Andre muttered in Korean.
"What are you trying to do?"
His response to Eva was in English. Eva smiled strangely and spoke in Korean.
"You're not cursing at me, are you?"
"You speak Korean? No, I was just talking to myself."
Eva's smiling face contrasted sharply with Andre's stiff expression.
"You can decide whether to curse or not after hearing my proposal. How do you know I won't be your golden parachute?"
"Hmm..."
"I know your abilities. You probably didn't imagine the Asian financial crisis would happen. Thanks to that, Peregrine, with its ten-year history, is on the brink of bankruptcy."
"Are you here to mock me?"
"Oh, no need to react so strongly. I'm here to make a proposal. I want to acquire Peregrine."
"Acquire?"
Andre's stiff face turned to one of surprise.
"You know that if I say I want to acquire a bankrupt company, it's because I value the company's name. Wouldn't it be better to receive a severance package from me rather than the company disappearing without any severance pay?"
"Severance pay..."
Andre frowned, seemingly hurt by his pride. Eva smiled seductively.
"Your pride is hurt, I see. Andre, Peregrine is the company you destroyed with your own hands. Before you assert your pride, you should worry about how you're going to live."
"..."
Andre couldn't answer.
"It will be difficult to make a comeback. Which company would hire you, the person who brought down Peregrine, the most famous investment firm in Hong Kong, if not Asia, in an instant?"
Eva felt a thrill.
It felt great to be in a position to look down on Andre Lee, whom she couldn't even look at when she was in Hong Kong.
"I'll give you one million dollars. I need internal documents."
"Internal documents?"
"Yes. How much debt there is, how many bonds can be recovered over time, how complex the shareholding structure is, and what the weaknesses of the chairman are. That kind of information."
Andre's face now showed shock.
Eva spoke as if humming a tune.
"The amount of severance pay I give you will depend on the quality of the documents. You could receive one hundred thousand dollars, one million dollars, or even more. Think about it."
With that, Eva got up from her seat.
"And it's not good for your wife, who you recently married, to look at me like that. Isn't it unfair to your wife at home? Anyway, I'll wait for your call. Here's my business card."
Eva placed her business card in front of Andre's drink and turned away.
Eva immediately went to the hotel and called her boss, Kim Mu-hyuk.
- Hello.
Hearing Mu-hyuk's voice on the other end of the line, Eva exclaimed excitedly.
"Mu-hyuk!"
- Eva? How's Hong Kong? It's been a while since you went back.
"It's fantastic."
- How's the progress?
Eva detailed everything from her approach to Andre to the information she had gathered so far to Kim Mu-hyuk.
- You're doing well.
"Hehe. I'll bring Peregrine into your arms. Just wait."
- Sure. Good job.
"I'll keep you updated if anything unusual happens."
Eva jumped into bed with a thrilled heart.
She was beaming with a smile.
* * *
I smiled slightly at the disconnected phone.
'She sounds very excited. It seems going back to Hong Kong is good for her.'
Noticing my smile, Park Dong-soo asked,
"Wow? What is it? A woman?"
Coming out of my thoughts, I raised the drink in front of me and said,
"A woman, yes..."
"Who? A crush! Bring her to me. I can tell if a woman is right for me."
"As far as I know... it's not like that at all. Isn't it time to settle down?"
"What? No. I'll live and die as I am. Who will take on my karma?"
Shuddering, Park Dong-soo drank the strong liquor in his glass in one gulp. He didn't want to pass on his uncertain future to the next generation.
"Once this matter is settled, there won't be any major risks. Then you can reconsider."
"There are no organizations in Korea that can match us now. There are a few minor ones left, but they're no match for us. Still, the side effects of the rapid integration are showing."
Park Dong-soo had forced the major organizations across the country to submit using his vast capital.
There were a few that resisted, but he brought them into the fold by showing his strength.
While it couldn't be called a single organization yet, it was taking shape.
"In such times, it's good to create an external enemy."