The Magician’s Memorial - Chapter 328



Only Krnovel

328. Filling the barn (2)

The new year of 2010 has arrived.

My grandfather still hadn’t returned from Vietnam, so I spent the New Year in Captain Kang’s conference room, cooking and eating ramen with CEO Han.

“Isn’t ramen a bit off since the New Year? How about going out and eating instead?”

“But I also added dumplings for the New Year. And what about ramen?”

Hello!

Just complain for a moment.

We ate the ramen and drank a glass of cool cola to wash our mouths.

“Is the warehouse project progressing well?”

“First, we are starting from the Japanese side. We are making plans by referring to the project carried out during the Kobe earthquake.”

“Don’t touch the yen, but focus on targeting manufacturing companies.”

“If there is an economic crisis, won’t the yen fall?”

“Because the yen is so unpredictable. Company stock prices are actually easier to predict.”

The yen fell immediately after the Great East Japan Earthquake.

As time passed, the yen actually began to rise.

This was partly because Japanese funds that had gone abroad returned to Japan, and because the Japanese government also implemented various policies to defend the yen.

However, I remembered that Japanese stock prices fell by more than 20%.

Therefore, it was possible to make more profits by targeting stock prices rather than the yen.

“We will proceed like that. But now, shouldn’t we also start paying attention to local elections? Will the National Economy Party be able to leave a meaningful result this time as well?”

“This time too, we will have to expand our power based on Gyeonggi Province. Fortunately, the National Economy Party is very popular in Gyeonggi Province, so re-election will be possible, and there is a high possibility that we will be elected in more regions than in the last election.”

In Gyeonggi Province, the National Economy Party received more support than the two major parties.

This was inevitable because factories of various world groups were being built in Gyeonggi-do.

Taewo Group’s semiconductor factory and automobile factory were also being built in Gyeonggi-do, so Gyeonggi-do was growing day by day.

“Still, if Governor Choi Jae-seok is to move toward his next goal, shouldn’t the National Economy Party achieve meaningful results in other regions beyond Gyeonggi Province?”

“So, we are secretly using social media and portal sites to promote the National Economy Party. We will be able to get at least 3 to 5 percent more votes.”

“Wouldn’t that be enough? We need to use more aggressive methods to increase the power of the National Economy Party.”

The National Economy Party is different from before.

Awareness has definitely increased, and support has become stronger.

And because it had a solid regional base in Gyeonggi-do, it was ready to become a major political party.

“So this time, I think I’ll use a slightly more provocative method.”

“Are you thinking of using the negative method?”

“In the past, the prosecution line or Captain Kang employees had to move around diligently to collect information, but these days, there is no need for that. Information is coming in on its own just by staying still.”

“Are you talking through SNS and messenger?”

More than half of the Korean people were using the services provided by Taewo Group.

Most people using smartphones were using SNS and messenger programs, and Taewoo Group managed the data center that stored that information.

“The world has gotten better, hasn’t it? Now is the time when we can sit still and find out information. Of course, it’s possible because we’re Taewoo Group.”

“Isn’t the risk too great? Even if it is known that Taewo Group has accessed politicians’ information, something difficult to handle could happen.”

“It’s okay if it’s not revealed. And we have no intention of taking direct action. If we get the two major parties to slander each other on their own, no one will suspect us.”

As CEO Han said, it was also a big risk.

But it was also not a problem as long as I didn’t get caught.

This was possible because Taewo Group’s network system was so strong that even the Korean government could not penetrate it.

“It will take quite a bit of effort to move without arousing suspicion.”

“In fact, we only need to spread a very small amount of information to the two major parties. They will act as loudspeakers. Of course, they will use social media algorithms to help spread the rumor even better.”

This does not mean that personal information will be used indiscriminately.

All it took was enough information to fuel the rumors that were already going around.

If we destroyed the evidence that we had accessed the information, there would be no way to talk about it.

“Is this a strategy to increase the corruption of the two major political parties and present the National Economy Party with a positive image?”

“The hatred toward the political world has already gone too far. The people want a new political party, and wouldn’t the National Economy Party be an alternative?”

“There is a high expectation that this election will be very closely contested. In order to turn this structure into a three-way war, it is only possible to present a grand vision at the party level.”

It was impossible to win the election with only negative attacks.

You must have a vision that can capture public opinion, but you can win the entire election.

“It is said that this election is one in which young people are very interested. Perhaps that is why both major parties made many pledges for jobs. But is there any political party that has achieved as much success as the National Economy Party?”

“However, most of the job creation is taking place only in Gyeonggi-do. Although you will receive tremendous support in Gyeonggi-do, you may not receive a great response in other regions.”

“We need to show hope that other regions can benefit as much as Gyeonggi-do.”

Some called the election a form of fraud.

Some say that elections are a battle to see which politician is best at deceiving voters by using the pretty wrapping paper of hope and expectation.

So all we had to do was throw the pretty wrapping paper to the National Economy Party.

National Economy Party politicians were able to attract votes just by taking advantage of it.

“If we push the National Economy Party to attract a new factory, it will be possible.”

“Wouldn’t it be enough to change voters’ minds if we just threw in a TDK battery factory, a new data center, and a small iPhone device factory?”

“I think the National Economy Party will be successful in this election if it comes out with the image of not only making promises in words like the two major parties, but showing them through action.”

Starting with this local election, the National Economy Party will take a leap forward.

And it would be an election in which Governor Choi Jae-seok would perfectly establish himself as a presidential candidate.

* * *

A few days later.

A very important guest came to Korea to meet me.

The identity of the guest I personally met at the airport was George, CEO of Quantum Fund.

“Thank you for your hard work coming all the way. I should have gone to America to visit you. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t say that. If Chairman Kim wants to meet you, I’m ready to fly to Antarctica. He’s a very grateful person who makes us money, so why can’t we go somewhere?”

Representative George’s words seemed sincere.

He was really grateful and enjoyed meeting me.

“Would you like to eat first?”

“You are welcome wherever Chairman Kim guides you! We also talk about business at restaurants, right?”

I responded with a smile.

Representative George got into the car rather bluntly and left.

“Hurry up and get on. I’m sick to my stomach wondering what kind of business Chairman Kim called me for.”

“I think this is a business you’ll really enjoy.”

We arrived at the restaurant run by Captain Kang.

Only after finishing a simple meal did I get to the point.

“Are you not planning on waging a currency war with the country again?”

“Oh my! You’re really bringing up my favorite business story. I’m always welcome. Where do you plan to target?”

“Wouldn’t it be fitting for Representative George’s reputation to reach from Greece to southern Europe and all of Europe?”

“I ate a lot, but my mouth is already watering.”

It was CEO George, who gulped down a glass of water and swallowed his saliva.

His face was so flushed that he looked like he was on the verge of exploding, and he gestured with his hand as if telling me to continue talking.

“As a result of Taewoo Group’s analysis, it is predicted that Greece will be on the verge of bankruptcy within one to two years at the latest.”

“I heard that the number of tourists visiting Greece has decreased significantly since the Lehman crisis. But will there be a national bankruptcy?”

“We expect that Greece will face a financial crisis even bigger than what Korea experienced from the IMF.”

“Europe is currently tied to the euro. If Greece falls, southern Europe and all of Europe will be shaken. Hehehe.”

Representative George understood the situation right away.

He was the most knowledgeable person in the world about exchange rates, and he had already done this countless times.

“The stake may be bigger than you think.”

“The bigger the stake, the better, isn’t it? Also, it’s strange that the stakes are small even though we are in business together with Chairman Kim.”

“The minimum stake is likely to be $300 billion. Since the stake is so large, the preliminary work will likely take about a year.”

$300 billion was well over 300 trillion won in Korean currency.

Even if only half of that was received, it would be 150 trillion won, which was enough to secure the financial soundness of Taewo Group.

“A year of preliminary work doesn’t take that long. The problem is where and how much money to raise?”

“You only need to pay the participation fee for the Quantum Fund. Taewoo Group will fully take care of any insufficient funds.”

“It’s not because of lack of money or lack of planning, but there’s only one reason why you want to work with me. Should I just take the lead?”

Representative George read my mind right away.

Maybe because we’ve done business together a few times, he figured out his role.

“I would like to envision Quantum Fund taking the lead in this project. Taewoo Securities will likely participate in the form of a consortium.”

“What would anyone do if it were a face madam? But would Taewoo Securities be able to raise the insufficient funds with just the power of Taewoo Securities?”

“We plan to raise funds on a large scale at Taewoo Securities and use all of Taewoo Group’s in-house reserves. If that is not enough, we will also seek help from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund.”

“I’m not in a position to worry, but isn’t this a too bold decision?”

Even CEO George seems reckless.

Well, it was a fight with everything on the line.

It was something that a manager leading a huge organization called Taewoo Group should never have done.

I was able to make this bold decision because I was confident that I would win unconditionally.

“It’s also a project that I have a lot of confidence in.”

“Chairman Kim said he was confident, so I think the Quantum Fund will have to push a bit too hard. I will bring in all my spare funds and invest them in this project.”

“Once this project is over, Representative George may be called the devil in Europe.”

“What better nickname for a Wall Street investor than the devil? Hehehe.”

We had a drink and made detailed plans.

As expected, CEO George was someone who was well-versed in such matters and made a plan right away.

We decided to finalize the rest of the plan by sending CEO Han to the United States on a business trip, and ended today’s meeting.