Free Web NovelHan Kyungyeong was glaring at the monitor with bloodshot eyes when, without even a knock, the office door burst open.
“Boss, it’s blown up!”
At his subordinate’s urgent report, Han Kyungyeong lifted his head from the monitor toward the door.
“I know. Keep watching the situation.”
After a brief thought, Han Kyungyeong issued an order.
“And bet only half of our spare funds on short positions. We need to cover some of the losses.”
“Yes, Boss!”
When the subordinate left, Han Kyungyeong let out a deep sigh. But only for a moment—soon his gaze was once again locked on the monitor.
He pretended to stay calm so as not to amplify the staff’s anxiety, but inside he was just as uneasy, feeling like his blood was drying out.
The Nasdaq, which had once broken its upward momentum, lured in retail investors like a rollercoaster with repeated rises and falls.
And finally, all the investment banks and institutions on Wall Street dumped most of their holdings onto retail investors and threw the rest into the market.
From that point on, it was a battle of who escaped first.
Venture founders and investment banks were already celebrating with huge profits, while individual investors had no choice but to suffer massive losses.
“My God! This is insane!”
“Don’t get excited.”
The Nasdaq was plunging in an unprecedented collapse.
Within just a few days it had fallen nearly 25% from its peak, and no one could predict how much further it would go.
At Dreamhigh Investment’s U.S. headquarters, employees were answering excited phone calls in loud voices.
Han Kyungyeong was watching through the glass wall as they traded. His heart was pounding with the same thrill.
Regaining his composure, he checked the time on his wristwatch.
He lowered the blinds, turned around, sat in his chair, picked up the phone, and dialed somewhere.
* * *
The panic that began in the U.S. swept through stock markets in Korea and the rest of Asia.
The bubble of the KOSDAQ, which had soared sky-high, started to burst just like the Nasdaq.
I was flipping through a newspaper in the Myeongdong office, watching the graph of the KOSDAQ bounce wildly.
A cell phone rang loudly in the quiet office. Putting down the daily paper, I answered the call.
— Muhyuk!
At the excited voice of Han Kyungyeong over the receiver, I frowned.
“Hyung, talk softly. I’m not deaf yet.”
— That’s not what matters! It’s crazy over here right now.
Just from his excited voice, I could read the atmosphere in New York. A smile naturally spread across my face.
“What’s the mood like over there?”
— Absolute chaos. Individual investors are on the verge of rioting, and the great escape has begun.
“As expected. But why did those old men on Wall Street, who had just been watching, finally start dumping?”
The Nasdaq bubble had burst several months later than I originally remembered.
The reason was simple. Someone had been arbitrarily propping up the market, and the big players on Wall Street had just been sitting and watching.
Some had given minor help, but most banks didn’t overextend themselves.
They simply held their rising stocks, neither selling nor buying.
— Rumor has it Bear Stearns and Deutsche Bank started secretly selling first. There’s no such thing as eternal allies on Wall Street. Their alliance is like glass—it can break anytime.
Once someone started dumping, the rest had no choice but to follow.
If you were late, you’d lose the initiative to your competitors. With no profit, no one could keep holding just because of someone’s request or pressure.
Even if that alliance was the so-called European aristocrats.
Thinking of UT Investment Bank, which had suspiciously accepted my offer so readily, I sneered.
“This is our chance to seize leadership of Wall Street for Dreamhigh. With this crash, countless funds will suffer losses. At least some securities firms or banks will go bankrupt.”
— Mm... But will Washington allow us to acquire banks?
“The presidential candidates are already decided, right?”
With the election only a few months away, both Republicans and Democrats couldn’t help but react sensitively to the Nasdaq crash.
— Yeah. Just like you predicted, it’s Bush ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) versus Al Gore. They’re neck and neck, and no one knows who will win. A few months ago everyone was predicting a landslide for the Democrats.
A deep smile tugged at my lips. The timing was good.
Since I knew the future, I knew exactly whose hand to take, leaving no reason for a misstep.
“Then they’ll reach out to us. In this atmosphere, no investment bank will recklessly acquire others, and the candidates can’t allow the stock market to collapse. When that time comes, we can name our price.”
Even I couldn’t know where this crash would stop. Unlike the slow collapse of the last time, this one was falling fast. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
“It’ll definitely drop more than 50% from the current level. Start slowly buying up the stocks of the companies I list, beginning with those available on the market.”
I carefully read out to Han Kyungyeong the list of companies that would continue to grow even after the bubble burst.
It was a once-in-a-lifetime price, never to return.
Whether securing management rights or simply investing, it was a golden opportunity.
“Especially Qualcomm. Accumulate it aggressively, with the mindset of taking over management control.”
— Qualcomm? What company is that?
No one but me knew what a smartphone was. So of course Han Kyungyeong had no reason to pay attention to Qualcomm yet.
“Qualcomm is the top priority on that list. The rest are just investments for now... though that could always change.”
Time would reveal the truth.
The Nasdaq crash, thought by many to be just a bursting bubble, was in fact the spark that would expose the darker side of the U.S. economy.
— Got it. But what about Korea?
At that moment, Eva entered the office. I raised my hand in greeting and continued the call.
“The attack on Ilseong has already begun, and soon the domino effect of extraordinary shareholders’ meetings will be approved. And the KOSDAQ? It’s chaos—worse than America, if anything.”
— Makes sense. When America collapses, the whole world does. I’ll report immediately if anything big comes up.
After ending the call with Han Kyungyeong, I looked at Eva, who clearly looked eager to speak.
“How are things in Hong Kong and Japan?”
A wide smile spread across Eva’s face.
“Jackpot.”
The Nasdaq had collapsed right before breaking 8,000 after passing 7,000. The ripple effect was unimaginable.
“The U.S. will keep lowering interest rates. We need countermeasures prepared. I’ll leave Hong Kong to Peregrine, but you’ll have to go to Japan yourself.”
Eva’s eyes, calm until I mentioned Hong Kong and the U.S., went wide at the mention of Japan.
“Japan?”
“Enforce the contracts with Japanese banks and insurers mercilessly. Even if they’d rather choose bankruptcy. Show those who mocked us exactly who you are.”
I intended to fix Japan’s arrogance once and for all.
Eva’s lips curved into a cold smile as she pictured the coming future. My own mouth mirrored hers with a grim grin.
Yes, that was Eva. The true Eva I remembered.
The merciless vanguard of private equity that trampled Korea in my past life.
This time, it would be Japan.
“What’s the target?”
“Surrender of Japanese banks, acquisition of the companies we want, and money.”
Despite Ilseong’s active lobbying, the Japanese government was negotiating with Taiwan simply because Ilseong was Korean.
But suddenly they had pivoted to negotiating with Ilseong.
Our intel team judged they were close to a deal.
Something completely unexpected. It meant someone was helping Ilseong.
This had to be stopped. If Ilseong dominated the global semiconductor market, it would take far longer to deal with them.
I had no intention of allowing that variable.
“This time, there’ll be no help from Wall Street. We’ll do it purely with our own money and power. The seeds we’ve planted are finally sprouting.”
Eva nodded, her face heavy with determination.
Having endured hardship once already, she tugged at my heart, but this was something that had to be done.
“If it’s the boss’s order.”
“It could be dangerous. On top of the usual security, we’ll send an extra mercenary team from the U.S. HQ to Japan. Follow the security team’s guidance at all times, no matter how inconvenient.”
“Understood.” freeωebnovēl.c૦m
In Hong Kong and the U.S., I planned to negotiate within the banks’ tolerance.
But Japan would be different. If they surrendered, fine. If not, I’d pressure them so hard bankruptcy would look like mercy.
Japan’s economy, already battered by the Wall Street–Dreamhigh alliance, had recovered somewhat thanks to the IT bubble.
The government had also started reforming banks to avoid another humiliation. But this attack would be unstoppable.
Who knew what desperate Japanese banks might attempt?
Those shadowy types would surely resort to terror against Eva. Full preparation was essential.
“But boss, how far do you think the Nasdaq will fall? Even with the decline, I just can’t imagine it dropping below 50%.”
I had told Han Kyungyeong it would collapse below 50%, but even I wasn’t completely certain. At Eva’s question, I pictured it in my mind.
Originally, the Nasdaq had risen to about 5,000, then slowly slid to 1,000 over two years.
But this time was different. The climb had been steeper, so the fall would be faster.
I couldn’t predict exactly how far or how long, but I had a rough guess.
“I think it’ll fall below 1,000. I don’t know how long it’ll take, but recovering will take more than ten years.”
At my words, Eva’s face filled with doubt. I smiled at her expression.
“Just my prediction. But you know I’ve never been wrong. It will happen.”
“I suppose... but that number is so absurd it’s hard to believe.”
Eva shook her head in disbelief.
“Anyway, Korea’s damage must be serious. Without price-limit rules, who knows how far it would’ve crashed.”
The KOSDAQ index had plunged as well, and the aftermath would soon be obvious. I nodded slightly in agreement.
“There’s no helping it. It’s the Kim Hakgwon government’s mistake. To weaken the conglomerates, they poured policies into nurturing venture and small- to mid-sized businesses. Still, some companies will survive. It’s just the bubble bursting. In the end, IT companies will lead the future.”
“True. That’s the tide of the times.”
Eva left to prepare for Japan.
Alone in the office, I began organizing the things to come.
A few days after Eva’s departure, I was contacted by the Blue House and went to visit.
“Welcome.”
“Yes, Mr. President.”
Kim Hakgwon looked more haggard than the last time I saw him.
He sat in his chair of authority, waiting. After a heavy sigh, his lips moved.
“...The reason I called you today is simple. That time, you said you’d grant me one request, didn’t you?”
“Yes. If it’s something I can do, I promised to help.”
It was my repayment for being allowed to stay by my grandfather’s side in his final moments.
Kim Hakgwon’s brows furrowed deeply as he finally spoke.
“I struggled to revive the economy. People don’t know how hard that was.”
He was right. No country had recovered from the foreign exchange crisis as fast as Korea.
It was the result of the Kim Hakgwon government’s effort and the people’s sacrifice. Yet all of that was collapsing again in just one year.
For Kim Hakgwon, it must have been unbearable.
“Do you have a way to overcome this crisis?”
The bubble had burst, as it always would. Even I couldn’t stop this bomb.
Slowly shaking my head, I answered.
“This was a foretold man-made disaster. I have no way to stop it.”
At my calm reply, disappointment spread across Kim Hakgwon’s face.
