Free Web NovelChief Justice Oh Jungseok.
He had been appointed during the Fifth Republic but never bowed to the regime. He wielded the gavel according to his convictions, not politics.
That earned him deep respect from many in the legal world.
After a brief greeting, I stood before him. He said nothing—just stared. No offer to sit. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
I didn’t avoid his gaze.
Only after a long pause did he lower that probing stare.
“Sit.”
“Thank you.”
Once I was seated, his wife brought out tea.
“You’re Hyunwoo’s friend, right? Hoho, you’re quite handsome.”
“Thank you.”
“Ahem.”
As Oh Jungseok cleared his throat, his wife chuckled and left the room.
So the rumors were true—he was known for being a devoted husband.
Watching her retreat with a faintly displeased expression, Oh Jungseok turned back to me and picked up his teacup.
“Drink.”
I lifted my own cup with a neutral expression.
“The aroma is excellent.”
He didn’t reply. Just kept drinking while watching me closely, as if trying to dissect my psychology.
Finally, after setting his cup down, he broke the silence.
“You’re said to be Chairman Cheon of Pyeongchang-dong’s grandson.”
I lowered my cup as well.
“Yes. He’s my maternal grandfather.”
“And how’s Chairman Cheon?”
“Still going strong.”
“Is that so? Good to hear.”
He was circling. Testing me. Trying to provoke some tension. I didn’t find it amusing.
How long did he plan to keep this up?
Just as it began to grow dull, he threw a direct pitch.
“What’s your reason for getting close to Hyunwoo?”
“Getting close? Me?”
He nodded, adjusting his glasses with a piercing gaze.
He was checking for any cracks in my composure.
“We’re in the same department. Became friends naturally, that’s all.”
“Sure. You could call that genuine friendship. But forming that group? That felt... calculated.”
“Well, I just thought it’d be nice to stay close with friends I get along with. That’s all there is to it. Hyunwoo’s the one who leads the group, anyway.”
“...So you’re saying there was no ulterior motive?”
His expression said he didn’t believe a word of that.
I didn’t bother lying to deny it.
“If I had to admit to something... well, once you're out in society, even friendships come down to gains and losses. So I figured if I happened to meet good people by chance, it’d be wise to keep them around.”
“But that doesn’t apply now?”
“No one knows how far Hyunwoo will go in a few decades. Who knows what’ll happen to the group? I’m investing my time where I can see a return—and as you know, I’m quite busy.”
Oh Jungseok seemed to be trying to read me. But there was no need for me to fake anything.
No matter how I acted, I wouldn’t come off like your average twenty-year-old.
In fact, I was studying him.
The way he kept fidgeting with his glasses seemed like a long-ingrained habit. His expressions were disciplined, but there was no hiding the glint in his eyes.
“I heard about how you cut your uncles down in one stroke. That caught my attention. Thought I’d meet you for myself. I assume Chairman Cheon mentioned me?”
“Yes.”
“Probably not in flattering terms.”
“Haha...”
I gave a sheepish laugh.
The curiosity on his face was now unconcealed.
“That face of yours finally looks your age. I never had reason to get close to Chairman Cheon. Met him a few times, sure, but that was it.”
“You don’t need to think of this as an extension of that. He and I are not the same.”
It was a bold thing to say, possibly too bold.
He went quiet for a moment before deliberately changing topics.
“I heard from Hyunwoo that you don’t intend to take the bar exam anymore.”
“That’s right. Passing the first round is one thing, but I don’t think it’s right to sit the second round half-heartedly. Not for myself, and not for my friends.”
A faint smile flickered across his face.
“You’re right. If you ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) had sat the second round without any real intention of becoming a legal professional, it would’ve been an insult to the others who worked so hard for it.”
Then came a more pointed question.
“So, what are your plans? Planning to follow in Chairman Cheon’s footsteps and become a king of the underground economy?”
“Do you think those companies back then could’ve operated at all without people like my grandfather?”
“I’m not trying to undermine Chairman Cheon. I lived through that era too. He played a role. But let’s be honest—his methods were extreme.”
“Wasn’t everyone extreme back then? State power, legal authority, financial interests—they were all violent.”
“Hmm...”
He let out a sigh at the mention of legal authority.
He knew too much to deny it.
“Because people survived those violent times, we now have this era. Where we choose to live in society is up to us. But the world awaiting Hyunwoo and me will be different.”
“So you’re saying you’ll follow your grandfather’s path.”
Was that disappointment in his voice, or was I imagining it?
“That’s part of it, yes. But I don’t plan to stay in the shadows. I think the time has come to step into the light.”
His gaze shifted again.
I could see my own smiling face reflected in his glasses.
“The world’s changed. So must we. Of course, I won’t abandon the underground. Where there’s light, there’s shadow. Leave the void unfilled, and chaos will follow.”
“Hmph... you’re quite ambitious. This could be interesting to watch.”
“I look forward to your guidance.”
“What guidance can an old man like me offer? I’m just wasting away, reading the news.”
He waved his hand dismissively.
After a long conversation, I left his apartment.
Before getting into the car, I looked back up at his floor.
Oh Jungseok was a man of pride. He might not crave wealth, but he valued his reputation above all else. Or maybe it was more accurate to say—power.
People thought of him as someone who stood by his convictions. That wasn’t entirely true.
He would make his move when the IMF crisis hit and chaos ensued.
And he’d be someone who could lend me his strength.
* * *
Under my orders, Han Kyungyeong had begun research on the Mexican peso.
“It’s overvalued, sure, but a devaluation? Isn’t that a stretch...?”
For now, he had no choice but to trust me.
Standing outside the Goldman Sachs headquarters, he took a deep breath.
Even at the door, he hesitated, fiddling with his phone.
‘I trust you, hyung. So you trust me.’
He could almost hear my voice.
Gripping his briefcase tightly, Han Kyungyeong stepped inside.
He was shown to a meeting room where, shortly after, a team lead he’d met at some parties entered.
“Hey, James!”
“Peter! Been a while.”
After a warm greeting, the meeting began.
Han Kyungyeong pulled out the product proposal from his briefcase and placed it on the table.
Peter smiled and began reading it.
With each page, his eyes widened.
“You really did your homework. I’m impressed. This is thorough. I see you in a new light.”
“Thanks. So what do you think? You in?”
“No bank’s gonna take this. Who’d take such a crazy bet?”
Han Kyungyeong let out a sigh.
‘As if I didn’t know that already.’
He was just as bewildered as Peter.
“Maybe there’s a misunderstanding. I’m betting on the peso dropping—by more than 5 pesos against the dollar.”
“What?”
Peter flipped back through the proposal and stared at Kyungyeong like he’d lost his mind.
“You serious?”
“Phew... so, are you going to take it?”
“This isn’t something I can decide alone. What’s the volume?”
“Up to $300 million. If you won’t take it, I’ll have to shop around.”
Peter’s jaw dropped.
“Wait. I’ll bring someone in.”
He shook his head in disbelief as he stepped out.
Alone now, Han Kyungyeong’s palms were soaked with sweat.
‘Only a fool would turn this down, goddamn it.’
Soon, Peter returned with several others.
“Hello, I’m Tommy, CFO.”
It seemed he had already been briefed. He studied Kyungyeong curiously.
“This kind of product takes time. To mature in January, we’d need to structure Mexican bonds... Did you say the trade volume was $300 million?”
“Yes. I intend to leverage it to the maximum using $300 million as margin.”
Tommy nodded, though there was a faint smirk on his face.
The staff combed through the proposal for any poison clauses.
Eventually, after confirming there were no issues, Tommy’s face lit up and he extended a hand.
“We’ll take it all. No need to go bank-hopping. Dreamhigh Investment, was it? Looks like we’ll be seeing a lot of each other.”
They shook hands and signed the contract.
Tommy couldn’t stop smiling.
He was probably already imagining his bonus from this deal.
After everything was finalized, Han Kyungyeong left and looked back at the Goldman Sachs building for a long moment.
It had been a day that called for a stiff drink.
* * *
— Kim Muhyuk, you bastard!
I was jolted awake by a phone call at dawn.
Kyungyeong’s voice was slurred—he’d clearly been drinking.
“Hyung... it’s the middle of the night here.”
— Damn you. I signed the contract today. That was insanity. You know how much those guys laughed at me? First time I realized you can be humiliated with just a look.
“Hahaha.”
— Don’t laugh. Maturity’s set for the end of January.
“Well done. What kind of leverage?”
— Thirty-to-one.
“I knew I could count on you.”
A $300 million margin leveraged into a $9 billion bet.
Han Kyungyeong had gone above and beyond expectations.
— Haa... can I just come back to Korea?
“Not yet. When you come back, it’ll be in glory. People will sing your name. Hang in there. You did great.”
— Three hundred million... I just bet a lifetime’s worth of money in one go. Fuck, this is insane.
He must’ve wrestled with this for a long time. But in the end, he chose to trust me.
Because of that, I could now prepare for what was to come.
“This is just the beginning. Don’t crumble already.”
We talked for a long while before hanging up.
Wide awake now, I reached for the glass of water beside me.
‘How much has the peso dropped already?’
There were still plenty of opportunities to make money.
I reviewed the plans while watching the sky gradually lighten.
Time flew.
I met with Yoon Jaeha’s father. Unlike Oh Jungseok, he seemed pleased that I’d become Cheon Taesan’s successor.
The key difference? He already liked me.
Chairman Song Youngjoo eventually held a press conference and formally announced his retirement. It aired live.
At the end of June, my four friends all sat the second round of the bar exam.
They could always try again next year, but the goal was for all four to pass this time.
On the way to pick them up after the test—
As I stared out the window, lost in thought, my phone rang.
“This is Kim Muhyuk.”
— ...
I could hear breathing, but no voice.
Who was it?
“This is Kim Muhyuk. Please speak.”
— Muhyuk oppa... It’s Jiyoung.
Cheon Jiyoung. Cheon Suhan’s daughter.
“Oh, Jiyoung. It’s been a while. Something wrong?”
No matter what Cheon Suhan had done, I couldn’t bring myself to hate her.
— Um... Do you have time?
From the sound of her voice, it seemed she had learned what her father had done to me.
“I’m busy today, but tomorrow works. Do you want to come to the house?”
— Huh? I can come over?
“Of course. Stop by sometimes. Keep Grandpa company. He really misses you. Let’s meet at my place tomorrow afternoon.”
— Okay.
After hanging up, I stared at my phone for a long time.
I’d struggled with how to treat Jiyoung.
In both timelines, she’d always been the same. That made it harder.
The car stopped, snapping me out of my thoughts.
As I stepped outside, heat hit me in the face.
Was this summer especially hot?
I looked at my friends’ faces, exhausted from the exam, and erased all thoughts of the phone call from my mind.
We agreed to meet again for celebratory drinks when the results came out in September.
The next day—
Cheon Jiyoung visited Pyeongchang-dong.
She no longer had the confidence or playful charm she once carried.
“Oppa... I’m sorry...”
She burst into tears before we could even say hello.
< Only a Fool Would Turn This Down > End.
