Still, I Will Live As The Son-In-Law Of A Conglomerate [EN]: Chapter 52

52. 17th. Tokyo Grand Air Raid (1)

After Henry informed me that the fundraising was complete, we traveled to Tokyo and settled into a high-end restaurant.

I meticulously checked the number of people entering the private room, then stood up and tore off the chin portion of the pre-written mask I was wearing.

“Nice to meet you, everyone. I am John Davidson, the project’s lead designer.”

After the introduction, I scanned the faces of those seated around the table.

Everyone looked at me with puzzled expressions. The Korean observers, with the exception of Park Tae-jin, were visibly uncomfortable. Why else would I have dropped ‘Lee’ from my English name and introduced myself in English? Damn it.

Then, Seon Hae-cheol, who was sitting directly to my right, rose from his seat.

“I am Seon Hae-cheol from Triumph Capital. Please, call me Sun, haha.”

“I am Claire Lawrence from Standard Capital. I’m happy to be working with Triumph again.”

Following them, the Triumph personnel—specifically, those belonging to Henry’s faction—finished their introductions. Then, the Korean observers began to introduce themselves.

Both Taehyun Group and Geumgang Group sent representatives I had never met before. They were likely subordinates of the two group owners. Haedong Group was, of course, represented by Park Tae-jin, but… the person from Shinseong Group was unexpected.

“I am Director Park Tae-gon from the Shinseong Group Secretariat. I hope this will be a fair project that satisfies everyone.”

Shinseong Group Secretariat, Park Tae…gon?

I didn’t know what was happening. Had he already joined the Shinseong Group Secretariat?

Park Tae-gon.

He was a man who had already, or would soon, become a legend within Shinseong Group. Wasn’t he armed with a relentless spirit, a keen sense for numbers, and an integrity that even I, in my past life, admired?

Recommended by Lee Soo-han and selected by Jang Ho-geon, he moved to the Secretariat, which was reorganized into the Restructuring Office during the IMF [International Monetary Fund] crisis. He continued to rise through the ranks in the audit team. With risk management skills rivaling the Walter Model [a sophisticated financial model], he saved the group from crisis and became an idol for Shinseong Group’s 100,000 salarymen [white-collar workers].

After that, Park Tae-gon audited domestic and foreign affiliates and corporations, eventually reaching the peak by becoming the CEO of Shinseong Life Insurance. However, he was ousted from the group by Jang Yong-jae and Jang Soo-yeon simply because he was associated with the Lee Soo-han faction.

Many others were removed in a similar fashion, but Park Tae-gon and I were personally close, so the memory of his dismissal remained vivid. Looking at him now, I recalled what he said when we were drinking soju [Korean distilled spirit] with chicken gizzards at our usual street stall after he was fired.

[“It may sound presumptuous, but I wonder what it would be like if Director Lee was a salaryman like me. If he wasn’t a member of the owner’s family, he would have risen to an even higher position…”]

As a non-mainstream figure, he must have felt a sense of kinship with me, seeing me rise to the top of Shinseong Group. Even though I was the owner’s son-in-law, I worked like a dog, and even then, I was stuck with the garbage department called the Attached Office.

Compared to me, who only cared about himself even in that situation, Park Tae-gon was a true man. Wasn’t he volunteering to open up opportunities for young people in similar situations by not shying away from difficult tasks and achieving results?

Once this project is over, I need to find out how he got into the Secretariat. I had planned to bring him to our group if I took the lead, but I didn’t know he had already joined the Secretariat…

While I was lost in thought, Seon Hae-cheol tapped my shoulder. Embarrassed, I made a fist and coughed dryly into it.

“From today, we will aggressively buy up yen. Whether it’s bills or short-term bonds circulating in Japan, as long as they are A-rated.”

As the person who designed this project, I stood and announced our objective, then turned to Park Tae-jin on my left.

“How is Haedong Group progressing?”

I couldn’t stand the thought of the three groups profiting comfortably, so I requested not only observers but also the mobilization of their Japanese networks. Haedong Group was also involved, and Park Tae-jin spoke as if he had been waiting for the question.

“We plan to move our follow-up team from headquarters to Kansai. We will hand over all the volume collected locally to Triumph Capital. Also…”

Following Park Tae-jin, the observers, including Park Tae-gon, reported each group’s schedule. Even Henry’s direct aides dispatched from Triumph Capital headquarters finished their reports.

Although their skin colors were different, everyone gathered here was united in a plan to burn Tokyo.

“Good. Borrow dollars and marks and buy as many yen-denominated short-term payment products as possible. This must remain a secret known only to us.”

After clarifying our position, I moved on to the next question.

“What’s the situation with the hedge funds?”

“Hedge funds, including Soros’s fund, are all converting their existing dollars and newly borrowed dollars into yen. The only way to survive is the knockout option [a type of option that expires worthless if the underlying asset reaches a certain price], so they are pouring money in relentlessly.”

It must be true, since the Triumph representative confirmed it. This gamble is a game where the one who secures more yen first wins, so we need to secure as much volume as possible.

“Officials from the Bank of Japan and the Ministry of Finance, and those in the Marunouchi financial district, believe that the current exchange rate will not collapse. But the Tokyo Grand Air Raid, which seemed impossible, was successful. Let’s show them hell on earth again.”

I sat down and filled my glass with alcohol, and the others followed suit.

“I would like to honor General Curtis LeMay, the architect of the original Tokyo Grand Air Raid, with a toast. Stone Age, what do you think?”

I raised my eyebrows with a smirk, and people chuckled and nodded or made circles with their hands.

The Korean observers, including Park Tae-jin and Park Tae-gon, seemed to have heard that Curtis LeMay had said during World War II, ‘I will turn Japan into the Stone Age!’

“I’ll lead the toast.”

Holding my glass, I cleared my throat and shouted loudly.

“Stone!”

“Age!”

At that moment, the curtain rose on the second and last Tokyo Grand Air Raid of the 20th century.

***

From the day after the company dinner, we began buying yen-denominated short-term payment products, using dollars and marks, starting with the initial funds prepared in advance.

It had already been a month since rumors, mixed with slander, had begun circulating in the Marunouchi financial district that foreign capital was looking down on Japan and rushing in.

Today, January 16, 1995, after the new year, we were still repeatedly shopping for yen in Japan.

A restaurant in Kobe, where we gathered for lunch and a mid-term check-up.

Park Tae-gon, whom I met there, paused eating his eel덮밥 [eel rice bowl] and put down his chopsticks.

“If we finish today’s schedule, we will have acquired 2.5 trillion yen, Mr. Davidson. Will we continue buying tomorrow?”

I, too, put down my rice bowl and chopsticks, wiped my mouth under the mask, and said.

“No, Mr. Park. We have secured enough volume now. If it gets any bigger than this, it will be difficult to manage.”

Thanks to Henry’s pre-arrangements, everything would be over after we completed the afternoon schedule. There was no reason to remain in this place, which would become a living hell tomorrow.

Not knowing my intentions, Park Tae-gon tilted his head.

“I heard that these bets leverage at least five times. But why did Triumph only increase it to five times?”

“Excessive greed leads to disaster, Mr. Park. Even though we are an American investment company, we have borrowed about 20 billion dollars to buy yen. There are more than a few places on Wall Street that are calling us crazy right now.”

Even Triumph, a giant investment company, could not raise more funds than this due to internal conflicts. Henry had signed a side agreement to issue CBs [convertible bonds] to the four Korean chaebols [large conglomerates] and repurchase them with speculative profits, on the condition that he would donate all of his personal assets to the company if he failed in this deal.

‘It was all thanks to my uncle, Claire, and me that this was 추진한 [pushed forward]. I have to repay Henry for his kindness.’

Henry accepted the condition simply because I had suggested this plan and restored his estranged relationship with his daughter, Claire. He said he wanted to be a proud father and a dignified friend.

Park Tae-gon, unaware of these details, nodded with a firm expression, but I felt uneasy about lying to an old friend.

Still, he would have to be grateful to me for the rest of his life after today. Because I would be the person who saved his life.

***

After finishing work, we went to Tokyo and had pizza and canned beer from room service in the room we had booked at the Imperial Hotel.

Park Tae-jin swallowed the pizza he had been chewing and smiled.

“Eating this reminds me of Yahoo, 형님 [older brother/friend]. We drank cola back then, haha.”

“That’s right. Our nephew has a good sense. Thanks to him, the Yahoo investment was successful, right? Haha.”

Seon Hae-cheol laughed, but I had come up with that idea thanks to a Korean-Japanese man who ran an IT business in Japan. Wasn’t my pizza time with Jerry Yang a hijacking of that man’s pizza time with Jerry Yang?

He didn’t place much value on being Korean, but he was an interesting person because he changed his Japanese wife’s surname to his own and naturalized to protect his surname. I’ll be meeting that person soon; what kind of 모습 [appearance] will he show?

After we finished the pizza, we drank whiskey as a palate cleanser. Seon Hae-cheol swirled the whiskey and ice in his glass and said.

“Park Tae-gon, that guy, is more picky than he looks? The other group observers were quietly doing what they were told. It was a good thing I pretended to be a Korean-American.”

“He was the kind of person Shinseong would send. I should keep the mask as a souvenir now.”

Park Tae-gon… he’s a reliable person when he’s a colleague, but he’s a headache if he’s an enemy, so I need to bring him into my fold when the time comes. I need to extract his Aegis shield-like risk management skills from Shinseong Group.

Seon Hae-cheol nodded and sipped his whiskey.

“Still, that’s it. I heard from my friends on Wall Street that Soros has become Henry’s 들러리 [supporting actor/extra] this time, and it’s a big rumor on Wall Street. This is the first time Henry has looked so scary.”

“I think so too. I didn’t know Henry was that kind of person…”

I shuddered as I answered. 20 billion dollars is several times the total assets of Haedong Group, isn’t it? He not only used his personal assets but also put up the assets of his 물주 [sponsor/sugar daddy] as collateral and went all-in.

While I was straightening my slumped shoulders and drinking, Seon Hae-cheol chewed on jerky and said.

“By the way, why was Kobe Port shaking so much? It was nerve-wracking.”

As Seon Hae-cheol grumbled, Kobe Port had indeed shaken quite a bit. That was the biggest reason why I stubbornly ignored Park Tae-gon’s recommendation and came back.

“I’m not the only one who felt that way. I don’t think I can live comfortably in this country.”

“That’s true. I often come to visit and feel aftershocks, but this is the first time it’s been this strong. Even Osaka Airport was shaking.”

Park Tae-jin and Claire also seemed uneasy about what they had experienced at Kobe Port. We had finished our work well, but it seemed like we needed to change the atmosphere.

“There’s nothing we can do about it. It’s land built on the border of tectonic plates.”

Japan is located on the Circum-Pacific belt where the Eurasian Plate, the Philippine Plate, and the Pacific Plate meet. Naturally, earthquakes and tsunamis occur frequently.

The Japanese who have lived on this land all their lives may be used to it, but the three people besides me had no choice but to feel uneasy.

When I threw out a ridiculous joke, Seon Hae-cheol scoffed.

“Oh? Our owner, you didn’t doze off during science class and studied hard?”

“That’s why he entered Seoul National University as the top student in the humanities, 형님 [older brother/friend]. His graduation grades weren’t good, though.”

My grades in this life were so bad that I couldn’t have imagined them in my past life. I was obsessed with investment and business planning, but it was a flaw that I barely exceeded an average of B+ compared to my previous life, which was all A+.

“What should we do if our owner’s grades are only that good? All of our company members graduated summa cum laude from the Ivy League.”

Claire also giggled and teased me as she listened to Seon Hae-cheol and Park Tae-jin’s conversation. Damn it.

“Claire, you too… it’s better to be good at work than to have good grades. The Mexican currency speculation went well, right?”

In the meantime, all the work done in Mexico was settled. As a result of 정리 [settling/closing out positions] from the beginning of the year when it exceeded 7 pesos per dollar, the net profit was 1.1 billion dollars, so I had something to brag about.

When I pointed that out, Claire stuck her tongue out at me.

“You know it, owner. Give me a bonus when this is over, 후훗 [hehe].”

“I’ll give you a lot when the settlement is over. I’ll expand the office and increase the number of employees. How about it?”

We exchanged silly jokes for a long time, then came out of the bar when it was closing time and went to our respective rooms. Would everyone be able to laugh it off lightly like tonight when tomorrow comes?

***

“Go to sleep first. I’ll sleep later.”

“I understand, 도련님 [young master]. Don’t stay up too late; you have a schedule tomorrow.”

After sending Park Tae-jin to the bedroom, I opened a bottle of cognac and filled a glass.

When I brought the glass to my nose, Jang Ha-yeon came to mind. The cognac scent we drank together back then was sweet…

It’s not quite the same, but I desperately wanted this scent I’m smelling now to last forever.

So that the stench of blood that countless people will shed, the blood that will engrave guilt, does not seep into my nose even in the slightest.

As I slowly emptied and refilled the cognac, the dark sky gradually turned blue.

While I was staring blankly at the blue sky and erasing the darkness that had fallen in my heart, I felt a presence behind me.

“도련님 [young master], aren’t you asleep?”

“Ah… yes.”

When I turned around, Park Tae-jin was looking at me with pitiful eyes.

“You must be very worried.”

“That’s… right. I’ve made such a mess; how can I not be worried, haha.”

Park Tae-jin put his hand on my shoulder as I laughed awkwardly.

“Everything will be alright, Seong-min.”

“형 [older brother/friend]…”

“You did your best. Everyone made their own choices and decisions. Don’t feel burdened.”

Is he saying that because he knows what’s inside me, or is he saying that because he sees me, who is twenty-five years old now, carrying a heavy burden? I don’t know which one it is, but his warm words were erasing the darkness that seemed would not be erased.

He looked at me silently, then lowered his hand and bowed his head.

“I have committed a rudeness, 도련님 [young master]. Keep running forward like today that starts every day.”

“Thank you, 형 [older brother/friend].”

As soon as I finished speaking, there was a loud knock on the door.

I went to the entrance and opened the door, and Seon Hae-cheol shouted with a blank expression.

“It 터졌어 [exploded/happened]!”

“터졌다뇨 [exploded/happened]?”

When I asked, pretending not to know, Seon Hae-cheol shouted again.

“Kobe! There was an earthquake!”

What was coming has come. The Great Hanshin Earthquake.