Free Web NovelNight fell. The sun had long since dipped below the horizon, and the moon now hung over Manhattan.
I stood in the penthouse owned by Han Kyungyeong, looking out over the glittering nightscape of Wall Street, slowly swirling the liquor in my glass.
The door opened behind me.
I turned.
Han Kyungyeong entered the living room with a visibly exhausted face and tore off his tie roughly as he walked in.
“Ha! That greedy old bastard.”
He collapsed onto the sofa as if his strength had drained out of him and let out a long sigh.
I walked over and sat beside him. I dropped fresh ice into a clean glass, ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) poured the liquor, and pushed it toward him.
“Was it that bad?”
Han took the glass from my hand and, before the ice had even begun to melt, downed it in one go.
It was strong alcohol.
He didn’t even flinch. He emptied the glass completely and set it down with a hard clink.
With an irritated expression, he picked up some food from the table and stuffed it into his mouth.
“I hate this kind of thing.”
I couldn’t help but smirk. He must have really hated it to complain like that.
“So what’s the result?”
“He said he’ll contact us in a few days.”
George Soros couldn’t possibly give an immediate answer. Something like this required time.
I patted his shoulder in acknowledgment.
“You did well. He won’t be able to refuse.”
Han nodded. He seemed to think the same.
“If that organization called Baltiche doesn’t want to surface publicly, they’ll accept your proposal. Ah, and just like you predicted, he countered by threatening to expose your identity. Ridiculous.”
“Tell me exactly how it went.”
I refilled his glass as I spoke.
“So the moment I walked in, that old man says...”
Han summarized his entire conversation with George Soros.
“He denied everything to the very end.”
“Of course he did. The moment he acknowledges it aloud, he could disappear without a trace.”
Han frowned slightly.
“For someone as hardened as Soros to be afraid... what kind of organization is this that they’d go after you?”
I shrugged.
“Isn’t it obvious? We’ve been rampaging through the board they carefully set up. They don’t like that. Especially China. Its growth is certain, and we already secured positions in most of the prime companies. For them, this was the only way left.”
If they wanted to wedge themselves into that space, they had to align with the Chinese government and push me out. It was the natural sequence.
“Even so, I don’t get the Chinese government. How much did we help them when they were struggling? And now they switch sides just like that?”
“That’s how they are,” I replied flatly. “Among the companies we invested in, several have asked us to step aside, haven’t they?”
Han nodded bitterly.
“They can’t withstand the pressure from the Communist Party. We’ve received requests asking us to sell our shares back. But the founders don’t have the liquidity to buy them. So in effect, they’re asking us to hand our stake over to someone else.”
He took another sip. The ice had melted enough to dilute the liquor slightly.
“You’re not planning to sell, right?”
“What do you think?”
“Out of spite alone, I won’t sell. We invested when they were desperate, and now they want us out? No chance.”
Han ground his teeth.
“When this is over, I’ll make sure they regret it.”
“Good. Just organize the companies that made the request. We’ll collect our price later. What about Alibaba and Tencent?”
“No contact from them yet.”
I nodded. At least a few companies would come out ahead from this situation.
“If any of them need support, route funding through another channel.”
“Got it.”
He raised his glass. I clinked mine against his.
“So what now?”
“For now, I’ll limit the battlefield to China. We’ll decide after hearing their response.”
The reason I had gone all the way to the United States to meet President Bush was simple: to prevent the U.S. government from obstructing me at their instigation.
That objective had been achieved.
Now it was time to move to the next phase.
Through George Soros, we had delivered our message. freeweɓnovel.cѳm
Do we escalate to total war? Or do we contain it within China?
Privately, I preferred keeping it limited to China. The board was still too small for a final confrontation.
But in a few years, a far larger game would unfold — one no one could escape.
And when that moment came... perhaps I could sever their heads.
Especially since they were based in Europe. They would not be able to avoid the coming chaos.
“Unexpected,” Han muttered. “I thought you’d go all the way.”
I chuckled.
“Not yet. Cleaning up what happened in China is already heavy enough. If we wait, the opportunity will come.”
“Well, if you say so.”
“Murdoch is working hard exposing them. The Chinese government must be uncomfortable.”
Murdoch was relentlessly using his newspapers to publish exposés on corruption within the Chinese Communist Party.
He didn’t stop there. He tracked down exiles who had fled after the Tiananmen Square incident and aired interviews with them.
For Beijing, Tiananmen was untouchable — a reverse scale.
“First we clean up China. Then we prepare for full-scale war. When that time comes, you’ll be the busiest one. So brace yourself.”
Han exhaled.
“I don’t know what you’re planning, but judging from your eyes, I almost feel sorry for your enemies.”
“Don’t you ever think we might lose?”
Han stared at me as if I’d said something absurd.
“You? Lose?”
He snorted.
“Of anyone, you never fight a losing battle. You might take damage. But you don’t lose.”
“Even against the Chinese government?”
“Are you scared? Planning to surrender?”
He was provoking me deliberately.
I smiled faintly.
“As if. I was just curious.”
“Don’t play dumb. You’re always laying groundwork several moves ahead. Using Murdoch’s media to keep attacking the Chinese government’s morality — you’re trying to trigger factional infighting within Beijing.”
“Time is scary, hyung. Now you read me instantly.”
The once naïve Han Kyungyeong now saw through my strategy at a glance.
“Enough nonsense. Tell me clearly what I need to do next.”
“First, prepare funds that cannot be traced under any circumstances. About one hundred million dollars.”
He narrowed his eyes.
“You want every link to us severed?”
“Yes. Prepare to burn one of the shell companies if necessary.”
His expression tightened.
“Burn it entirely? What are you planning?”
“It’s only in my head for now. I’ll tell you once it’s concrete.”
“Always scheming...”
“And keep monitoring Wall Street. Soros isn’t the only one. Their pawns are spread everywhere.”
“That’s routine work. Don’t worry. But how long do you think this fight will last?”
The question sounded casual, but there was concern beneath it.
The longer it dragged on, the heavier the damage.
“It has to end quickly. If it drags, the Chinese government won’t have room to retreat. We have to overwhelm them all at once and force them to step back.”
We needed to give them an exit that preserved their pride.
“Let’s finish this first.”
“Do we really have to shake The New York Times?”
“Why? Feeling generous?”
“No. I just wonder if there’s any reason to antagonize them further now that Soros is out.”
“Hyung. We paid an extra 1.5 billion dollars for Dow Jones. If it had only been Soros, that wouldn’t have been necessary. The name ‘The New York Times’ was the real issue.”
Understanding flashed across his face.
“We took a hit. We can’t just let it slide. And if we can damage the credibility of The New York Times while tying down the neocons’ movements, it’s a card we must use.”
He clicked his tongue.
“You’re ruthless.”
“By the way, did you set up the meeting with the Sulzberger family?”
“Yes. Meeting Sulzberger Jr. in a few days.”
“At that meeting...”
I explained to him the second method to shake The New York Times.
* * *
A few days later, Han and I arrived at The New York Times headquarters in Manhattan to meet Sulzberger Jr.
His secretary, who had been waiting at the entrance, escorted us inside.
We passed through the bustling lobby, took the elevator up, and arrived at his office.
“He’s waiting inside. I’ll leave you here.”
The secretary departed.
We entered.
Sulzberger Jr. was staring intently at his computer monitor.
Without standing, he spoke.
“Ah, welcome. I’m finishing something urgent. Would you mind waiting?”
He didn’t even wait for our response before returning to his keyboard.
Trying to seize the initiative.
Han and I exchanged glances and silently smiled. It was transparent.
We played along and sat on the sofa.
Thirty minutes later, he shut down his computer and approached us.
“My apologies. Something required immediate attention.”
He dipped his head slightly, though his expression showed no real regret.
Han responded evenly.
“No problem. Please, sit.”
He gestured casually, as if he were the host.
Sulzberger Jr. paused for a brief second before sitting.
“What brings the owner and CEO of Dream High to see me?”
So he knew.
“You know who I am?” I asked.
“In New York, no paper rivals The New York Times in investigative capability. Dream High Investment appeared like a comet. And its owner remains shrouded in mystery. If we don’t investigate that, we’re not journalists.”
His pride was obvious.
“And yet you didn’t publish anything.”
“There was no proof. Only circumstances. Like chasing a ghost. We learned nothing except that you are the owner.”
He had dug deeply.
“Even through your Korean branch, we tried. But someone kept blocking us. No one would speak. That only made me more determined.”
“Keep trying,” I said calmly. “If you can.”
His brow tightened at my tone.
I shifted my gaze to Han.
Han began.
“Let’s skip the small talk and get to the point.”
Sulzberger cleared his throat.
“Why did you request this meeting?”
“We’ve heard that George Soros and his followers are withdrawing their investments from The New York Times. Advertising as well. We came to offer assistance.”
“Assistance? Was acquiring The Wall Street Journal not enough? Are you now setting your sights on us?”
“Are you selling? If so, we might consider acquiring.”
Han’s tone was ambiguous.
Sulzberger’s expression darkened.
“We have no intention of selling The New York Times.”
“For a company with such debt levels, that confidence is impressive.”
“...We can resolve it.”
“Surely that solution isn’t investment from Carlos Slim?”
Sulzberger stiffened.
“How did you—”
“How we know is irrelevant. If that’s true, it’s not a good choice.”
“....”
“You’re negotiating a 250 million dollar investment in the form of convertible bonds, correct?” frёeωebɳovel.com
Sulzberger frowned.
“Negotiations are ongoing. I cannot comment.”
If Carlos Slim exercised those rights, he could instantly become the largest shareholder.
Even then, he couldn’t seize control from the Sulzberger family due to their Class B shares. Perhaps that was why they saw it as acceptable.
“Carlos Slim is a man of considerable greed. Can you truly trust him?”
Morgan Stanley, which held 7% of the Times, had publicly criticized the Sulzberger family’s governance structure and demanded reform.
They had joined hands with Soros — and then let go.
Now Soros was blocking further investment.
That left Slim as their option.
“Trust is irrelevant,” Sulzberger replied coolly. “No one can threaten our control.”
I had remained silent.
Now I spoke.
“Do you happen to know? Maurice Greenberg, chairman of AIG, will soon step down. And at the same time, he plans to accumulate shares of The New York Times.”
I smiled slowly.
“You understand why, don’t you?”
