Free Web NovelIn Mexico, a massive capital outflow of foreign funds began to erupt.
It was triggered by the looming crisis surrounding the Mexican peso.
On that single day alone, $6 billion exited the Mexican central bank.
But that was just the beginning.
On the 22nd, Mexico expanded its fluctuation range for the dollar exchange rate and executed another devaluation measure.
At the beginning of 1994, the exchange rate was 3.1 pesos per dollar.
By the time Han Kyungyeong signed the contract with Goldman Sachs, it had already fallen to 3.5 pesos.
No one on Wall Street expected the newly elected government, which had won the August general election, to devalue the peso.
By early next year—if my memory was right—it would hit 7 pesos to the dollar before maturity.
A single gamble had yielded more than fifty times the return.
― Muhyuk, you were right.
Han Kyungyeong’s voice was trembling.
“Ha...”
A sigh escaped me without realizing it.
Even knowing the future, it was impossible not to be nervous.
All the tension evaporated in an instant.
― When do we liquidate?
“Let’s wait until January.” fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
― Whew... From now on, I’ll do whatever you say. Just tell me when to pull the trigger.
“Okay. Let’s talk again later. Keep monitoring the trend.”
― Got it. Until we close, I won’t let down my guard. Don’t worry about that.
The call with Han Kyungyeong ended.
Maybe it was because the tension had broken, but sleep crept up on me.
‘If it goes the same as in the original timeline, we’ll see about $15–20 billion in profit.’
Thinking about the gains, I unknowingly fell asleep.
* * *
Goldman Sachs Headquarters.
“What the hell is going on?!”
Tommy, the CFO, burst into Peter’s office.
Peter, spaced out, jumped to his feet.
“What do you mean something happened with the peso?!”
“The ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) Mexican government has devalued the peso.”
Tommy’s face turned white as a sheet. He pressed a hand to his forehead.
“What’s the current rate?”
“It's 4 pesos to the dollar. The market hasn't fully reacted yet, but who knows how much it’ll drop by tomorrow.”
“The contracts we signed were based on 5 pesos, right?”
Peter asked in a trembling voice.
“Did he seriously predict this?”
“Ridiculous. How would some rookie hedge fund have known something we didn’t? How much did we take in total?”
“We sold half to clients. The other half... we kept.”
“Ha...”
Tommy let out a deep sigh.
“Have they contacted you?”
“No. Not yet.”
“How far do you think it’ll drop?”
Peter did the math silently, then cautiously answered.
“At least 5 pesos. At most, 7.”
“Let’s wait. If it drops below 5, contact them and suggest liquidation. It was your contract, after all.”
Tommy subtly shifted the blame to Peter.
“But the executive who signed off was you—”
“What are you talking about? It’s in your name.”
The next day, however, another peso devaluation was announced. They could no longer play the blame game.
Massive amounts of dollars had already left Mexico, and with another devaluation, there was no stopping the peso’s collapse.
In the end, Tommy instructed Peter to contact Han Kyungyeong.
― Hello.
Before James could finish speaking, Peter jumped in with an overly cheerful tone.
“Hey~ James! It’s Peter!”
― Oh, Peter! Been a while. What’s going on?
“That... that contract from before.”
― Hm? What contract?
James pretending not to know grated on Peter’s nerves, but he couldn’t show it.
All the executives in the room were staring at him.
“The peso one. Aren’t you going to liquidate? You’ve made a profit—now’s a good time.”
― Ah, right, that one. But we’ve still got time before maturity, don’t we?
“About a month. But you never know what could happen. I suggest you close now. Just some advice from a seasoned Wall Street senior.”
Laughter came through the receiver.
― Hey, Peter. I still remember the look in your eyes when you mocked me back then. Senior? Please. See you in January.
And the call cut off.
“James! James!”
Peter frantically called his name, but of course, there was no response.
Still half in shock, Peter was snapped back to reality by an executive’s voice.
“What did he say?”
“Sorry?”
“Is he going to liquidate?”
“Uh...”
“You’re killing me. Spit it out.”
“He said, ‘See you in January,’ and hung up.”
Groans filled the office.
“What are we going to do now?”
Tommy demanded in frustration, and Peter looked up and glared at him.
“Why are you asking me?”
“Who else would I ask? You brought in the contract.”
“Ask the insane Mexican government what they were thinking! You’re the one who signed the contract, Tommy. Don’t push this on me.”
“What?!”
The chairman, who had been silently watching, finally clicked his tongue.
Tommy, about to say something, shut his mouth.
“It doesn’t matter who signed the contract. The question is—can you fix this?”
Neither Tommy nor Peter could answer.
Fix it? There was no fixing this.
“Peter, you’re fired. And Tommy, so are you. You’re both responsible for this.”
At the chairman’s cold declaration, Peter accepted his fate.
Nodding quietly, he left the office and returned to his team.
He couldn’t bring himself to say anything in the face of their resentful stares.
“...I’m sorry.”
* * *
The new year of 1995 arrived.
The peso’s fall continued into the new year.
― Hyung, let’s close now. Sell it all.
“Okay! One second.”
Han Kyungyeong was giddy following Kim Muhyuk’s command.
A day after liquidation began—
“Muhyuk, we’re done!”
― The profit?
“It was supposed to be $26 billion, but by the time we finished, it dropped a bit. We netted $25 billion.”
― Good work. Take a break for a while, hyung. You left the stock investments to the staff, right?
“Yeah. I don’t have the bandwidth to deal with stocks now.” frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
― Right, stocks are just for show. You did great. Focus on futures and options. We’ll begin again soon. Rest up and take care of your health.
“Can’t I rest in Korea?”
― No. You absolutely can’t come to Korea for the time being.
At Kim Muhyuk’s firm tone, Han Kyungyeong sighed and hung up.
“Hehehe.”
Leaning back in his chair, Han Kyungyeong couldn’t stop the laughter spilling from his lips.
He could still see the changed faces of the people who had mocked him just last summer.
‘Did you know? Did you really predict this more than six months in advance?’
That’s what one of the executives who replaced Tommy and Peter asked him.
‘I’m no god. Everyone knew the peso was overvalued. I just bet on it—and I won.’
That’s how Han Kyungyeong replied.
After finishing the liquidation, he walked out of Goldman Sachs headquarters—this time, sneering at them.
“...What the hell is that kid Muhyuk’s deal?”
Han Kyungyeong murmured to himself, eyes fixed on the empty air as he smirked.
* * *
Sitting on the bed, I stared blankly at the ceiling.
Even knowing the future, having everything fall into place so precisely gave me such a thrill that I couldn’t keep my body still.
Yes, this is it. Twenty-five billion dollars.
Even at today’s exchange rate, that’s twenty trillion won.
If I calculate it using the 2,000-won-per-dollar rate during the IMF crisis—it’s fifty trillion.
‘Does Grandpa have more money than I do now?’
A laugh slipped out of me.
And this was only the beginning.
Only one of many future opportunities had passed.
In this war between someone who knows the future and those who merely predict it—I could never lose.
How can you lose a game when you start with the other player’s cards already exposed?
“Chief Ma.”
Ma Gwajang, who had been waiting outside, opened the door and entered.
“I’ll be meeting the loan bosses in Myeongdong one by one. Schedule those. Any news from Cheon Sooman?”
“Nothing notable so far.”
That man couldn’t possibly stay quiet forever.
Maybe sending him abroad had been a mistake?
“You can’t instill fear in Australia. Not like the pain Cheon Suhan is feeling right now.”
Suhan was practically broken at this point.
He had even attempted suicide out of unbearable fear, but failed thanks to others in his room.
“We can kill him. But the same method won’t work.”
“Hm... What about a hit-and-run?”
“He barely ever leaves the house. And even if he did, it won’t be easy. The Chairman has eyes there too.”
I clicked my tongue quietly.
Grandpa was the problem.
He knew about Suhan’s condition but never once brought it up to me.
But killing... that carried a different weight.
At least while Grandpa was alive, I didn’t want to inflict that kind of pain.
Because I knew what it was like to lose family.
“Let’s keep watching. He’ll move eventually. He’s not the type to just give up.”
“Understood.”
Just because he couldn’t return to Korea didn’t mean I was about to forgive him.
A few days later—
I visited Noh Ikseon, the Snake, in his office.
The arrogance he had during our first meeting was completely gone.
“Now that Cheon is gone, it’s finally hitting you, huh?”
He didn’t react at all to my condescension.
“Say something. Are you finally seeing reality?”
“If I was rude before, I apologize.”
“If you weren’t useful to my plan, I would’ve smashed you like a hammer. There won’t be another chance, so choose wisely.”
“Understood.”
That was enough of the stick—now time for the carrot.
“You said you didn’t want to step into the spotlight, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“Good. Then start recovering all loans. No new lending for now. Collect everything by next year.”
“...Sorry?”
Noh looked confused by the sudden order to shut down operations.
“The government’s policy is going to change. Before that happens, we need to sort the funds. You said you’d stay in the shadows—so you’ll have to go even deeper now.”
“Understood. If that’s your order.”
“It may not make sense now, but you’ll get it later. I’m entrusting the shadows to you.”
“Thank you.”
Relief appeared on Noh’s face.
I decided to test him.
“Have you heard from Cheon?”
He answered immediately.
“He contacted me before leaving the country. Told me not to contact him again, then hung up.”
“This is your last chance. If you ever pull something behind my back again, you won’t even get to retire quietly. Remember that.”
I stood up to leave.
“You’re close with the Myeongdong loan sharks, right?”
“Pardon? Yes. I’m on good terms with most of them.”
“Keep building those relationships.”
“Yes, sir.”
I left Noh’s office and got into the car.
Ma Gwajang, who never asked questions, finally spoke from the driver’s seat.
“Is there a reason you’re keeping someone you can’t trust?”
I smiled faintly and looked at him.
“Those Myeongdong bosses have been rolling in this industry for decades. Their connections and networks are no joke. Starting from scratch with someone new would take years. If someone like that’s willing to go underground just from a little fear? That’s a win.”
“...Understood, Boss.”
Ma Gwajang said no more. The car began to move slowly.
I leaned back in my seat and gathered my thoughts.
The Lending Business Act would arrive in 2002, but by then, Japanese capital would already be prepared and waiting. That was when the private loan industry fell under Japan’s control.
But this time, I planned to fast-track that moment through lobbying—and seize the lead.
Even if private finance entered the formal system, loan sharking wouldn’t vanish completely.
Noh had agreed to stay in the shadows, so I’d leave that side to him. As for the remaining two bosses, I’d assign them one legitimate lender each.
“We’ve arrived, Boss.”
Ma Gwajang’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
As I stepped out of the car, Boss Shin Seongil came over to greet me.
“Young Master, welcome.”
Behind Shin Seongil, his subordinates were lined up respectfully.
In that moment, I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep my face calm.
Behind Shin Seongil, bowing slightly—
‘Why the hell is that bastard here?’
< The Result of the Bet > End.
