A red carpet covered the floor of the hotel meeting room, where two young men with black hair sat stiffly, waiting nervously for someone to arrive.
They were far more accustomed to hoodies and jeans, but today was different. Today, they were here to seek investment for their startup, and so...
2025-09-10 15:31:44 +0000 UTC View PostA few days later.
The torrential rain that had poured down until yesterday had vanished as if it were a lie, revealing a flawless blue sky without a single cloud.
Inside a massive hangar at Sheremetyevo International Airport, a Gulfstream IV business jet, painted in a sleek two-tone l...
2025-09-10 15:31:35 +0000 UTC View Post“As instructed, we converted the Gazprom and Yukos bonds into equity, securing 35% and 30% stakes, respectively.”
Seok-won sat cross-legged on the penthouse sofa where he had been staying, listening to Landon’s report on his arrival in Moscow a few days earlier.
“Except for ...
In the center of the elegantly furnished chairman’s office, Chairman Park Tae-hong sat on a European-style sofa, flanked by his eldest son, President Park Jin-hyung, and the group’s senior executives.
With a cigarette held between his fingers, Park Tae-hong exhaled a cloud of white smo...
In the spacious royal suite, Seok-won, neatly dressed in a suit, sat across from Vladimir Putin, whose sharp eyes radiated intensity as he settled into the plush leather sofa.
Through the wide windows, a cruise ship drifted along the river, and beyond it loomed the strikin...
“I’ll personally instruct the relevant department not to drag things out and to handle this matter quickly. You needn’t worry.”
“Thank you.”
Hearing President Ivanov’s words, spoken with visible satisfaction, Seok-won smiled as he replied.
Then President Ivanov ...
The next day.
Since I had a dinner appointment with Assemblyman Choi Jae-seok, I tried to get through as much work as possible in the morning, even skipping lunch to review reports from each affiliate.
While I was buried in paperwork, Vice Chairman Han suddenly burst through the doo...
The current administration opposed government-led big deals.
However, it did not block privately initiated ones, and so a major deal was struck to resolve the succession issue of the Samsung Group.
The merger of Samsung Bio and Samsung Trading.
Samsung Trading, the core of th...
Inside a private room of a luxury Korean fine-dining restaurant, a serene landscape painting hung on the wall, softly illuminated by ambient lighting.
The refined yet elegant interior set the stage for Seok-won, seated calmly at the low table. A silk tie with a golden pin accent lent a tou...
Choi Ho-geun entered the office with a clipboard in hand, glancing around at his team.
“Have you finished the settlement?”
At the desk cluttered with several monitors, Yoo Seok-hyun, sleeves of his white shirt rolled up, lifted his head and replied,
“It’s almost done....
Until mid-January, the Chinese stock market continued to fall.
Even though Taewoo Group was repurchasing shares to cover its short positions, the stock price kept declining.
“The distrust toward the Chinese market is stronger than I expected. I thought buying back shares would hal...
January 4th saw a massive crash in the Chinese stock market.
Two days had passed since then.
On January 5th and 6th, the market experienced small fluctuations, with minor rises and falls, leading many to believe that the crash was over.
But the major crash was far from finish...
The start of the New Year, 2016.
In Captain Kang’s office, a vice chairman joined him for a New Year’s gathering.
“How large is the rental car company you manage, Captain Kang?”
“It’s the largest in South Korea. We have branches in all regions, including Jeju Isla...
Bin Salman concluded his three-day schedule and returned to Saudi Arabia.
Not long after his departure, Vice Chairman Han delivered some excellent news.
“ The diabetes treatment has officially been approved by the FDA!”
“That should have a positive impact on Centurion...
Busan, Yeongdo District — Hojin Heavy Industries, Yeongdo Shipyard.
This was the very place where, in 1937, Korea’s first modern shipyard was established. It was also where the nation’s first dry dock was built and where the historic construction of the first Korean-...
The Next Day
The Mercedes sedan carrying Seok-won entered the Kremlin, its red walls looming around them.
The car came to a stop in a wide courtyard paved with dark brown stones, situated in front of the Terem Palace, which serves as the presidential residence.
...
2025-09-07 16:26:32 +0000 UTC View PostEast Hampton, Long Island, New York.
Even in this area, long renowned as an affluent enclave, stood the mansion of George Soros, a Wall Street titan.
A private beach, shielded from prying eyes, stretched directly in front of the property, while tall, densely planted t...
2025-09-07 16:26:24 +0000 UTC View PostInside the Blue House presidential office, with the steep cliffs of Inwangsan visible through the window, President Kim Jae-chun looked up from the large wooden desk at Chief Secretary Woo Chun-il, who was standing before him.
“So, the Daehung Group wants to acquire the Gimpo reclaimed la...
2025-09-07 16:26:15 +0000 UTC View PostThursday, September 24, 1998.
In the CEO’s office, where the wide East River could be seen flowing gently beyond the panoramic windows lit by bright sunlight, Seok-won sat on a leather sofa with his legs crossed.
On either side of him, Landon and Andrew sat with rel...
2025-09-07 16:26:07 +0000 UTC View PostThe following morning, the tenth-floor conference room of the New York Federal Reserve once again filled with Governor Chris Murphy and the heads of Wall Street’s biggest banks.
The meeting, which resumed early in the day, dragged on without pause, even through lunch, which was delivered ...
2025-09-07 16:25:27 +0000 UTC View PostSeptember 22, 1998.
In the heart of Wall Street, the world’s financial center, stood the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Unlike the glittering skyscrapers towering high around it, the building’s overall appearance was stark and unadorned. Completed in 1924, it w...
2025-09-07 16:25:19 +0000 UTC View PostMonday, September 21, 1998.
The entire Wall Street was wrapped in suffocating tension as the opening bell approached.
Shocking news had spread over the weekend: Jacob Wisemann’s LTCM, once celebrated like a rockstar on Wall Street for years, had lost half its assets...
2025-09-07 16:25:08 +0000 UTC View PostSeptember 4, 1998.
Seok-won sat back on a soft leather sofa, one leg crossed over the other, wearing a custom-tailored suit that fit him perfectly.
Through the wide panoramic window beside him, the East River shimmered under the sunlight, and beyond it the Brooklyn sk...
2025-09-07 16:25:01 +0000 UTC View PostSeptember 2, 1998.
New York, Manhattan, with skyscrapers packed tight.
A tall, broad-shouldered man in a dark gray suit pushed open the wooden door and stepped inside. It was Dan Perry, Chairman of Merrill Lynch.
“Good morning, Clara.”
“Good morning,...
2025-09-07 16:24:54 +0000 UTC View PostAugust 19, 1998, Wednesday.
Long Island, New York, LTCM Headquarters.
Bright sunlight poured through the wide floor-to-ceiling windows into the spacious private office.
Jacob Wiseman, the CEO, sat in the center seat of a leather sofa. On either ...
2025-09-07 16:24:46 +0000 UTC View PostBy late 2015, with less than a month left in the year, the plans I had laid out were steadily moving forward one by one.
“The FDA is about to approve the diabetes treatment. It hasn’t been officially announced yet, but David managed to get the information from an insider. They’re in ...
The weather in 2015 was strange.
Even though it was already November, the temperature wasn’t dropping—it was actually rising.
And as if that weren’t odd enough, rain kept falling almost every other day.
But the weather wasn’t the only unusual thing.
Like sudden...
[U.S. G-7, IMF Discuss Loan Support After Russia Pledges Government Reforms]
[White House: No Additional Financial Aid Without Economic Reform Commitments]
[“No More Reckless Moral Hazard,” IMF Chief Dismisses Expectations of Russian Bailo...
2025-09-07 12:02:09 +0000 UTC View Post[Russia Declares 90-Day Moratorium! Ruble Devalued]
[Domestic Economic Impact Expected from Russia’s Moratorium]
[Emergency Measures in Russia Cast Shadows Over Entire Industry]
[Recovery of $3.06 Billion in Loans and ...
2025-09-07 12:02:04 +0000 UTC View PostAugust 16, 1998
About 400 kilometers northwest of Moscow, in the small town of Valdai with just under 10,000 residents, the Russian president’s summer residence was located.
Nestled in a dense forest, the villa stayed cool during the summer and was surrounded by lak...
2025-09-07 12:01:58 +0000 UTC View Post