Chapter 60
I could not help but think of the past as I stared at Yeonhee Woo lying unconscious. I thought I could not forget the youngsters who died in vain, but their faces were not as clear as I wished now. Time had passed, and I could hardly remember the voices that had called out to me.
“Guild Leader! An S class dungeon has appeared in Hong Kong!”
I had put in much effort to turn them into survivors and had worked especially hard on one of them, the one with the most luck. I smoked a cigarette, which was the first one I had since coming back. I heard Yeonhee Woo’s moans as I blew out smoke through the opened window.
“Don’t move. You have to lie down for at least a week.”
“I should have gone to the hospital if I knew my body would end up like this.”
Yeonhee Woo’s face darkened with a moan as she discovered that she had on completely new clothes including underwear. She did not speak for a while but turned her gaze on the IV attached to her arm.
“You really can do anything.”
It was a non-opiate analgesic, as I could not get her addicted to painkillers.
“Am I slowing you down?”
“There’s a lot to do other than dungeons. Just get well.”
“I saw the computers over there, along with the whiteboard and the bulletins. They’re used for trading stocks, right?”
“Are you interested?”
“I’m rich now, thanks to someone.”
Yeonhee Woo smiled faintly as she spoke.
“What’s your relationship with him? He was friendly and worried about you.”
“You may think yourself healed due to the painkillers but sleep now.”
“I want to, but I’m worried. I have too much money.”
“Where did you put it?”
“I put the bags in my closet. You said I shouldn’t put it into a bank, and I’m worried if I get robbed. I want to check now if I can.”
“…Just place the money in the bank then. It was only a possibility I mentioned.”
“I’m like this now. Can you help me?”
Yeonhee Woo lifted her arm with the IV needle.
“Quests give me points, but…”
I turned my back.
“Do you know where I live? The keys will be in the car…”
Yeonhee Woo continued to explain behind my back.
What she had feared had not happened, as her apartment was the same as it had been two days ago. I brought in the bags containing her clothes, underwear, and cosmetics.
“Thank you.”
Yeonhee Woo had unrolled the bandages on her stomach, and while she seemed a bit embarrassed, she was more surprised.
“It’s healing by a bit.”
“Stay here until you’re fully healed. Tell your family, so they won’t worry.”
“You don’t need to worry about that.”
Yeonhee Woo spoke it was nothing, but I knew the reason for that fleeting bitter smile.
“Are you helping him out?”
She was talking about Jonathan again, and she seemed to have decided on an answer as she looked at me the same way Jonathan did.
“I don’t know what to do with the money.”
“The interest is 17% if you put it into a bank.”
Yeonhee Woo would not know how amazing that number is, as a two-digit interest rate was considered the norm in the era right before the IMF. So, the public placed money in the banks to gain profit, which would be impossible in the future.
“You’re talking about money?! While we’re preparing to risk our lives in dungeons?!”
“Dungeons won’t feed me. I need time to plan and money to achieve my projects.”
Yeonhee Woo smiled and then grimaced from the pain, and I let myself smile a bit. I was opening up a bit to her, as she was following my orders better than I expected. She began to accept herself as an Awakened, and while her mental and physical capacities were lower since neither of us have taken the Trial Tests, it may be a plus for me. I could show her my back and not have to worry she would betray me.
“Don’t touch stocks. Go to sleep.”
***
A female pro golfer from Korea had become an American LPGA champion, and on the same day, Yeonhee Woo could move around again.
Yeonhee Woo was exclaiming while we saw the same scene on the new television set in her apartment. She was looking at the final putt that decided the win, but I was looking at the sponsor logo on her cap.
“Wait until I call you, and don’t forget to train.”
I left her and went to my office. I took out the ledger from the safe before going into the computer room. As I confirmed, it was not only Ilsung, but other chaebols were redistributing their shares amidst the IMF chaos. While it would take a while, it would be difficult to break through their newly appointed and entrenched management If I were too late.
I estimated the deadline to be October, as the stock market would stabilize, and the major chaebols would restore their power.
I turned on several monitors, and the Russian market was going down under the short positions assumed by different groups. While this was still only a skirmish, the battle was intense. Two sides were betting on the premise that Russia MAY go down, and the Isle of Man would be betting on Russian bankruptcy. New York is busy buying out Onider Associates, and it would take them weeks to finish and get in here. (EN: A short position refers to a trading technique in which an investor sells a security with plans to buy it later. Shorting is a strategy used when an investor anticipates the price of a security will fall in the short term.)
I opened the ledger, and my head began to hurt already. The three billion offshore funds were variously distributed among a thousand paper companies, and that meant I would have to check each one and compare the ledgers. The war was beginning in Russia, but for other involved countries such as Europe, and major Asian countries, Oil would become the battlefield.
The good thing was that no one would be paying attention to me, as Jonathan was said to be the victor among the hedge funds that battled in Asia. So, no one would be searching for me. The fire had started in Thailand and burned strongly in Korea. However, the leftover flames went to Russia, and another financial war was beginning.
“Let’s salt the mine first.” (EN: In mineral exploration, salting is the process of adding a valuable metal, especially gold or silver, to a sample to change the value of the sample with intent to deceive potential buyers of the mine.)
***
It was early June in 1998, and Jonathan was in Russia with an invitation he had been waiting for. A luxurious building built in the 18th century was filled with Russian officials and Americans like Jonathan, including a former US president and other distinguished public figures.
Jonathan shook hands with the former president and received praise as the jewel of Wall Street. He looked around with an embarrassed smile. He saw a gold-rimmed banner in the center, and it seemed to be saying this to the participants.
-We are Russia, and how could we be ruined? Buy our bonds, and you will gain profit.
“Who is this?”
A high-class executive from Silverman Sox, who was holding this event, approached Jonathan. He had come here to sell Russian government bonds despite being an American.
“Your coming here is a good sign. I’m Logan.”
He sincerely welcomed Jonathan.
“I know. I’m Jonathan.”
“Congratulations, I heard about Onider. You will be our competitor soon, and how do you like it?”
“It’s amazing.”
“Are you buying too? A chance like this would never come again.”
“I’m shopping now.”
Jonathan held his sample report, which Silverman Sox had handed out to the participants. It also held stickers with a name, and the red ones meant VIP level. Jonathan’s sticker was red.
“You can see that this event is a success, as Russia will gain breathing room. You should hurry before all the bonds are sold since there is not much left.”
The man left, and Jonathan smirked mentally.
‘Does Silverman really believe that Russia won’t go down? How much are they receiving to help maintain this pretense? Laugh while you can, since you’ll be bankrupt soon.’
Jonathan smiled since he had also thought that Russia would not go down until recently, after talking to Sun. It was then Jonathan’s eyes widened as he found the person he was looking for.
He had not come here for only Russian bonds, and he had taken this long flight due to Sunhoo’s advice that had been included in his notes. Jonathan straightened his clothes and approached him. He had learned simple Russian despite his busy schedule for this day.
“Hello, are you Vladimir, Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office?”
Edited by Userunfriendly