CH343 | GSI

Once the conversation ended, Seok-won stood up first and left the study.

President Park Jin-hyung watched the door close, then turned to Chairman Park Tae-hong—who was already lighting his third cigarette—and spoke with a face full of concern.

“Are you really planning to entrust the reserved funds you converted into dollars to Seok-won?”

While Park Jin-hyung looked serious, Chairman Park leaned back comfortably on the soft sofa, unfazed.

“Worried I might blow it all away?”

Park Jin-hyung leaned forward as he replied.

“This isn't something to joke about. We're talking about 320 million dollars in reserves. You’re not seriously thinking of giving him all of it, are you?”

“That’s the plan.”

Chairman Park answered without the slightest hesitation.

In a situation where a foreign exchange crisis might be looming, it was already risky enough to invest vital group funds—especially in dollars—into something speculative. But the thought of entrusting all of it was deeply unsettling to Park Jin-hyung.

“I know Seok-won is a skilled investor, but giving him the entire reserve is too dangerous.”

Trying to reason with him indirectly, Park Jin-hyung urged caution. But Chairman Park responded coolly.

“Is that how it looks to you?”

Park Jin-hyung nodded urgently.

“If you want to invest, wouldn’t it be better to start safely with half—or even just a third?”

At that, Chairman Park stared silently at his eldest son for a moment, then stood up without a word.

He walked over to a wooden desk behind him, opened a drawer, and pulled out a document envelope before returning to the sofa.

“Take a look.”

He placed the envelope on the table.

“What is this?”

“You’ll understand once you see it.”

Looking puzzled, Park Jin-hyung glanced at his father, then reached out to pick up the envelope.

He took out the documents and examined the contents.

Ogwang Industries
Principal: ₩11,300,000,000
Return multiplier: 5.3×
Profit: ₩48,590,000,000 (excluding principal)

Chunho Steel
Principal: ₩5,000,000,000
Return multiplier: 10.4×
Profit: ₩47,000,000,000 (excluding principal)

Total profit: ₩95,590,000,000
(Nine billion, five hundred fifty-nine million won)

“...!”

Startled by the numbers on the page, President Park Jin-hyung widened his eyes and looked up at Chairman Park Tae-hong.

“W-What is all this?”

Seeing the half-dazed expression on his son’s face, Chairman Park let out a small chuckle.

‘I had the exact same reaction the first time I saw it.’

With a faint, bitter smile, he replied.

“As you can see, it’s an investment settlement report.”

Then, a thought suddenly struck Park Jin-hyung, and his expression turned one of disbelief.

“Don’t tell me...”

With the cigarette still between his fingers, Chairman Park explained calmly.

“I told you before—I once entrusted some money to your younger brother.”

“So this is that money you mentioned?”

“Yes. In less than a year, he managed to multiply it like this.”

“My god...”

Still in disbelief, Park Jin-hyung looked over the settlement papers again and again, as if trying to confirm it was real.

Even Chairman Park had to admit—thinking back on it now, he could only say it was astonishing.

‘So now, I’m curious to see just how much he’ll grow it this time.’

With his unwavering confidence in his younger son, the possibility of losing the money didn’t even cross his mind.

Blowing out a puff of white smoke, Chairman Park spoke with ease.

“At this level, wouldn’t you agree he’s earned the right to manage the funds?”

Then suddenly, he frowned slightly.

“His fees and bonuses are a bit—no, quite—expensive, but he’s a man who keeps his word. So even if he doesn’t make three or four times the money, I’m sure he’ll at least double it.”

Though there was a slight grumble about how Seok-won offered no “family discounts,” Park Tae-hong’s voice was full of conviction.

Park Jin-hyung still couldn’t believe it would be that easy, but with solid proof in front of him, he had no grounds to argue.

* * *

Later that evening

When Seok-won finally returned to his home in Seocho-dong, he kicked off his shoes at the entrance and reached over to flip a switch on the wall.

The lights turned on all at once, brightening the once-dark house.

He casually tossed his jacket over the back of the living room sofa, then headed straight for the kitchen.

Opening the refrigerator, he grabbed a cold can of beer.

Crack! 

As he popped the can open and took a swig, the cool fizz of the carbonation spread from his mouth down his throat and throughout his body, washing away the fatigue of the day.

Seok-won chugged down more than half of the beer in one go. Just as he began unbuttoning his shirt with one hand, about to head for a shower, his phone rang.

He pulled the phone from the inner pocket of his jacket and saw Landon’s number on the screen. Pressing the call button, he answered.

[Boss, is now a good time to talk?]

Holding the phone to his ear, Seok-won grabbed the half-finished beer can again and replied.

“Go ahead.”

[I’m calling because it seems the Quantum Fund has started to unwind its position in the ringgit.]

Seok-won furrowed his brow.

“What’s the current ringgit exchange rate?”

[3.20 ringgit to the dollar.]

“They’ve made a 28% gain, sure, but there’s still more meat on the bone. And they’re pulling out already?”

[Yes. I started getting suspicious when the ringgit rate stopped falling and began moving sideways over the past few days. Turns out the Quantum Fund was buying up ringgit in large amounts to close their positions.]

A major player like the Quantum Fund shifting positions would undoubtedly have a major influence on the ringgit’s direction.

Knowing that, Landon had immediately contacted him.

“Is there any variable we missed that could be influencing the exchange rate?”

[I’ve been looking into that closely, but so far, nothing concrete has turned up. In fact, Malaysia’s government is putting out only negative news for the ringgit—like the complete ban on short selling in the stock market and halting multibillion-dollar construction projects. I really don’t get why this is happening.]

Indeed, unlike Thailand or the Philippines, Malaysia had refused to seek help from the IMF and was taking a hardline stance against currency speculators, which generally painted a bleak outlook for the ringgit.

Even so, with someone as sharp and sensitive to money flow as George Soros leading the Quantum Fund, Seok-won couldn’t simply dismiss their decision to shift positions.

“What about the other hedge funds? How are they moving?”

[Some firms have scrambled to follow the Quantum Fund and started buying ringgit again, but most are still holding their positions and waiting to see how things play out.]

“But once it seems the exchange rate is shifting direction, they’ll act quickly.”

[Yes. If they hesitate, not only will their profits shrink, but they might also take a loss. So they’re likely to move fast.]

There was so much short selling in the ringgit that if liquidation happened all at once, the currently inflated exchange rate would crash. That made it a tense game of nerves.

As Seok-won stroked his chin, wondering what George Soros’s intentions might be, a sharp idea flashed through his mind.

“Maybe it’s to go after a bigger target.”

[A bigger target… Are you talking about Hong Kong?]

“Exactly.”

Adjusting the grip on his phone, Seok-won spoke again.

“Even for the Quantum Fund, Hong Kong isn’t an easy opponent. To go to war with them, they’d need to consolidate their strength first.”

[Now that you mention it, that does make sense. If this is preparation to take on Hong Kong, everything the Quantum Fund’s doing right now fits perfectly.]

“On July 1st, Hong Kong is set to be handed back to China after 156 years. Looks like they’re planning to strike during the confusion surrounding that transition.”

Landon let out a quiet gasp.

[Trying to attack during the power vacuum when neither the UK nor China can easily intervene—what a cunning snake.]

“It’s only natural to strike when your opponent is at their weakest. That’s the basic rule of any battle.”

[Then shouldn't we hurry to unwind our own positions in Malaysia?]

Landon's voice showed his growing anxiety.

But Seok-won paused to think, then lightly shook his head.

“No. For now, keep the positions as they are.”

Landon replied with a tone of concern.

[But if the Quantum Fund does target Hong Kong, won’t all the other funds pull their money out of Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia and rush over there?]

Unlike the anxious Landon, afraid they might miss their window, Seok-won remained calm.

“If the Quantum Fund is really waiting for the power vacuum during Hong Kong’s handover, they won’t move until mid-June at the earliest.”

[Because moving too early might prompt British intervention, right?]

“Exactly. And Britain holds a grudge against George Soros. If they sense anything, they might jump into the fight for revenge. The Quantum Fund will want to avoid that at all costs.”

[I agree with you.]

It was only natural to expect that Britain would be grinding its teeth over the Quantum Fund—after all, the proud British Empire had suffered a major blow to its prestige.

“Then we still have about a month left, so there's no need to rush.”

[That's true, but the ringgit has nearly bottomed out. It’s hard to imagine it depreciating further. Wouldn’t it be better to just cash out now?]

“I see things differently.”

[You believe the ringgit will drop even more?]

“If my projections are correct, it’ll fall to 4 ringgit per dollar.”

From the other end of the line, Landon couldn’t hide his shock.

[You’re saying it’ll drop another 25%?]

“Yes. Given how hardline the Malaysian government is acting, it’s only a matter of time before they roll out strict capital controls to prevent further currency outflows. When that sends the exchange rate into another major swing, that’s when we cash out and exit.”

Though there was still some lingering unease, Landon nodded at Seok-won’s confident tone.

[If that’s how you see it… understood.]

“Still, keep a close eye on the Quantum Fund’s movements—just in case.”

[Will do.]

Landon gave a short reply before naturally changing the subject.

[Oh, and about the attempted murder case you mentioned last time—I’ve handed it over to our lobbying firm in Washington and three citizen groups.]

Seok-won’s eyes lit up at the long-awaited news.

“They’re worth the money, I assume?”

[Absolutely. These groups wield considerable influence—not only in Congress but also within the White House. With them applying pressure, the Pentagon or law enforcement won’t be able to sweep this case under the rug.]

Rather than filing a direct lawsuit, Seok-won had changed his strategy based on Landon’s advice: lobbying lawmakers and White House officials, and using citizen groups to generate public pressure to ensure justice was served.

[The only downside is the cost—very effective, but expensive.]

“You said it would cost $15 million for all three groups combined, right?”

[That’s correct.]

Seok-won’s voice dropped to a calm, resolute tone.

“I don’t care how much it costs. Just make sure those bastards pay for what they did.”