Free Web Novel― “I, Choi Changgung, will accept the demands of the people and unify with the Conservative Party candidate Seong Daegyu. Without any conditions, I will devote myself entirely to this cause and be at the forefront for the victory of the conservatives.”
― “I will never forget Candidate Choi Changgung’s sacrifice. I will also remember the spirit of sacrifice shown by all the party members who have made this unprecedented national concession. I will restore the Korean economy, which is now facing an unprecedented crisis, to its original state. The moment I am elected, I will visit Japan and secure a massive dollar loan!”
I was watching the live broadcast of the joint campaign speeches of the presidential candidates in my grandfather’s study.
The sudden declaration of unification shocked me.
On TV, Progressive Party candidate Kim Hakgwon’s flustered expression was clearly visible— a stark contrast to Seong Daegyu’s composed demeanor.
“Things are getting interesting. The Cheongpunghoe is likely behind this,” my grandfather said, hitting the nail on the head.
“I didn’t expect them to play the unification card.”
“There must have been a deal. Seeing him talk about bringing in dollars, he’s probably secured Japan’s support. Right now, feeding the people is more important than anti-Japanese sentiment.”
“Yes, this is bad.”
“Kim Hakgwon won’t actually lose, will he?”
“It’s impossible to predict now. No matter how bad the current administration’s approval rating is, Seong Daegyu has always drawn a clear line, opposing the president from the start.”
Seong Daegyu had built his political career by opposing the current president.
Thanks to that, even though the incumbent’s approval rating plummeted after triggering the IMF crisis, Seong maintained high popularity.
In the original history, even with the conservative vote split, Kim Hakgwon barely won by a margin of only 500,000 votes.
If the votes were combined now, a Progressive victory could no longer be guaranteed.
For me, it was the worst possible scenario.
The President of Korea still wielded immense power.
I didn’t know what backroom deal the Cheongpunghoe had made with Seong Daegyu, but nothing about it worked in my favor. freewebnoveℓ.com
“If Seong Daegyu wins, the Cheongpunghoe’s power will grow. We need to consider supporting Kim Hakgwon.”
“Is there anything we can do? Throwing money at this won’t guarantee victory. We can’t scatter bribes around like in the old days.”
We had already funneled substantial political funds into Kim Hakgwon’s campaign. Money wasn’t an issue.
I, along with Chairman Song of Daehyeon, had invested following my advice— six parts to Kim Hakgwon, three to Seong Daegyu, and one to Choi Changgung. Other conglomerates had likely bet the opposite.
If the election ended with Seong’s victory, both I and Daehyeon would take a considerable hit.
And right on cue, Chairman Song called.
“Yes, this is Kim Muhyuk.”
― “You brat!!!”
Chairman Song’s thunderous voice filled the entire study, even through the phone.
“Heh.”
Grandfather chuckled, amused.
“I’ll step out to take the call.”
“No, stay here. This sounds entertaining.”
Given my grandfather’s mischievous permission, I continued the call.
― “Hey! Why aren’t you saying anything? Speak! What the hell is going on?”
“Chairman, I can hear you just fine even if you talk normally.”
― “You sound way too relaxed! What are we supposed to do now? A change of government—forget it!”
“It’s too early to say.”
― “Too early? Combine their approval ratings—it’s over 60%!”
“I’m aware. Let’s wait a bit longer. We’ve already placed our bets; it’s too late to switch now.”
There was a sigh on the other end, but I calmly added,
“Even if we rushed over to Seong Daegyu now, it wouldn’t change anything. Keep backing Kim Hakgwon. You’ll want to be his top supporter if he wins. Most conglomerates have already flocked to Seong. If Kim wins, the rewards for you will be enormous.”
― “...Hah... hahahaha...”
Chairman Song let out a hollow laugh.
“We’ve already pulled the trigger. Now we need to focus on what can be done to ensure Kim’s victory. It’s too late for regret.”
― “Right, it was my decision after all. Do you have a plan?”
“I’ll find one.”
― “Fine... ha... it’s all or nothing now.”
With those heavy words, Chairman Song ended the call.
As I slipped the phone back into my pocket, my grandfather gestured for me to talk.
I shrugged.
“He’s quite worried.”
“He’s in a different position than we are. We, at least, have dollars as a weapon....”
“I only offered him a choice. The final decision was his. Chairman Song isn’t someone who acts on impulse; he weighed everything before deciding. He just wanted to vent a little.”
“Hahaha, I wish I could’ve seen his panicked face.”
“We need to act too. We can’t let the Cheongpunghoe seize the presidential office.”
Grandfather nodded.
The 15th presidential election was as unpredictable as the darkness outside the window.
The attack on Korea was the result of Wall Street’s hyenas and the U.S. government’s interests aligning, especially after the heavy losses they suffered in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Moody’s and other credit rating agencies slashed Korea’s national credit rating to near-African levels overnight, prompting massive foreign capital outflows.
U.S. media repeatedly broadcasted that Korea’s usable foreign reserves were down to just $2 billion.
The stock market kept plunging, and every adjustment in currency volatility sent the won tumbling to its daily limit.
The government tried to fight back, sending envoys to Japan and the U.S. to propose currency swaps, but both refused, citing their own national interests.
By December, IMF Managing Director Michel Camdessus arrived in Korea.
The country had no choice but to endure humiliating negotiations.
“Kim Muhyuk speaking.”
― “Good day. This is IMF Managing Director Camdessus. Are you Charlie Kim?”
It was a call from the very man whose face dominated the TV news these days.
“I am, but... how did you get my number?”
― “I’d like to meet. Would you come to my hotel? Discreetly.”
“Is that an order?”
― “Of course not. Who would dare order the owner of Dreamhigh Investment? I simply wish to speak privately and pass along a message from the U.S. administration.”
“I’ll call you back.”
― “I’ll be waiting.”
I hung up.
The voice over the phone was nothing like the domineering tone he used on Korean TV, where he spoke even to the President without hesitation.
I called Han Kyungyeong.
“Hyung, Camdessus wants to meet me. Do you know anything about this?”
― “...The U.S. administration must’ve sent him. He’s probably going to ask you not to help Korea during the currency crisis.”
“Hmm...”
― “At this rate, your name might show up in next year’s Forbes. The Treasury couldn’t stop that. ‘Charlie Kim’—no detailed profile, but still.”
Forbes, to me, was no better than tabloid gossip. Their “richest people” list was incomplete, missing countless hidden fortunes.
Still, the numbers were convincing enough for most readers.
If Middle Eastern royals, the Rothschilds, and the Rockefellers were included, the rankings would be completely rewritten.
“As long as my real name, Kim Muhyuk, stays out of it, I don’t care.”
― “You’re ranked #1; I’m #2. Does that even make sense?”
“Hahaha. Crazy, isn’t it? You’re flying back tomorrow, right?”
― “Morning flight.”
“You might be swarmed by reporters and dragged straight to the Blue House. Congrats, you’re a celebrity now.”
― “Oh, come on...”
“What do you mean ‘come on’? I’m actually sugarcoating it.”
Han Kyungyeong’s fame had spread globally.
For Korea, a Korean-American like him was a rare ray of hope.
Even the Korean envoy negotiating with the U.S. had tried to meet him, though Han declined.
“Just flash them a polite smile.”
― “Got it.”
I hung up and called for Chief Ma, then headed to Camdessus’s hotel.
Avoiding him wouldn’t solve anything.
The hotel lobby was empty, clearly cleared in advance.
“Nice to meet you, Charlie.”
Camdessus extended his hand first.
I shook it.
“An honor. I usually only see you on the news.”
“Haha, I’m embarrassed to hear that from the world’s richest man.”
We sat down. Camdessus glanced at Chief Ma standing behind me and whispered,
“I’d like your bodyguard to wait outside.”
“He’s ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) part of me. If he can’t hear it, I’m not interested either.”
Seeing my firm refusal, Camdessus sighed and handed me an envelope.
“A personal letter from President Clinton.”
I passed it straight to Chief Ma without opening it.
“You’re not going to read it?”
“Later. I’d rather hear why you wanted to meet. And how you got my number.”
“Then I’ll deliver the U.S. administration’s message first: ‘We strongly request that you do not assist Korea during this foreign exchange crisis. If you do, you will bear full responsibility.’ That’s what Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin said.”
“Should I take that as a threat?”
I still hadn’t completely severed the links to my ghost companies, but backing down once would make me a target for every hyena on Wall Street.
Camdessus quickly waved his hands.
“No, no. Secretary Rubin was a bit blunt, but he simply means there’s no need for you to help. You won’t gain anything from it.” freeωebnovēl.c૦m
I had no intention of helping the Korean government anyway, but I crossed my legs and stroked my chin as if contemplating.
‘So they don’t have any leverage on me. I never planned to help, but I might as well get something out of this...’
Camdessus patiently waited for my reply, a far cry from the man who bullied the Korean government.
Finally, I nodded.
“Fine. But I expect the U.S. not to interfere with whatever I do in Korea.”
“Let’s share fairly, shall we? Unlike Hong Kong—don’t eat it all by yourself.”
His words carried a sharp edge.
I smirked.
“That’s not quite fair. I worked with Wall Street. I just reacted faster to the situation. It’s not like I went against them—just made a different choice.”
His eyes flickered.
“If I offended you, I apologize. Just a joke. Dreamhigh’s aggressive investments are famous, even in the U.S.”
“Tell the U.S. government I’ll agree. But in return, they’ll owe me a favor. Just one, to be decided later.”
“What kind of favor?”
“One that’ll be good for both the U.S. and Wall Street. If they don’t like it, they can refuse.”
“Understood. I’ll pass that along.”
“Pleasure meeting you. Let’s do this again sometime.”
“The honor was mine.”
We shook hands and parted.
On the way back to Pyeongchang-dong, Chief Ma finally spoke.
“That was really the same Camdessus from TV?”
“Hahaha. It’s funny, isn’t it? The so-called head of the International Monetary Fund, which calls itself the World Bank, is just a U.S. puppet.”
“He was completely different from his TV image.”
“Of course. He knows exactly what kind of power I hold. The Korean government doesn’t yet—or if they do, they’ll still try to suppress me with authority. Unlike the U.S., they’ll have to learn the hard way.”
A cold smile spread across my face.
< Meeting with the IMF Managing Director > End
