Atonement (2)
Rich folks get screwed over all the time, and with the Jewish community pouring all their fury into it as one, things wrapped up lightning-fast. If it had been the insane $65 billion scale from my past life, maybe not, but at just $5 billion this time, the outcome was pretty reasonable.
"Woooah! Today I realized justice is alive and well! God bless America!"
"Thank you, thank you..."
Well... it was pretty unfair for Arthur Andersen, who got slapped with a $1 billion fine just for backing the clown show. Serves 'em right for not living honestly. Oh, and for the record, JP Morgan got hit with a $1.5 billion fine too—for allegedly turning a blind eye to the Ponzi scheme (they really had no clue, so even more unfair). Add in the other accounting firms involved and Madoff's personal assets, and you get about $3 billion total... more than enough to cover all the victims and then some.
We all thought we'd eat the losses for sure, but getting principal back plus some interest? No wonder everyone's cheering.
Everyone was happy in the end—except the few investors who knew it was a Ponzi and jumped in anyway, the scammers themselves, and JP Morgan, who seemed extra salty about it.
I watched the whole spectacle from a luxury New York hotel, gazing down at Wall Street.
"See that? That's me."
I stretched my arms wide and flashed a cocky grin. A refreshing morning breeze swept over my body.
Seo Ji-yeon, whom I'd decided to keep by my side for summer break, gulped hard. Admiration gleamed in her eyes.
"Whoa... $5 billion. Do you have any idea how much that is?"
I crossed my arms and nodded.
"Feel free to praise me more!"
Clap clap clap.
"You're amazing, miss! You did this all by yourself? Uncovering a scam no one even knew about—I'm so glad I hitched my wagon to you, Ha-yeon miss..."
She bowed low in gratitude, but hey, it felt good.
"Want something? I'm in a great mood today, so I'll grant a little wish."
"I'm fine, really. As long as I can keep serving by your side from now on..."
"Aw, so modest."
Seo Ji-yeon shook her head, fists clenched tight.
"Not modest at all. I'll work by your side forever. And honestly, all I've done is tag along. The real hard work of attending you outside was done by younger sis Yeon-ha even more..."
My external secretary, Choi Yeon-ha, nodded eagerly. Was she angling for recognition too?
"Mm, got it. Fine, I'll grant both your wishes. Happy now?"
"..."
.
.
.
Their empty wishes to me were pretty amusing. Choi Yeon-ha chose to drift away physically, while Seo Ji-yeon chose to get closer. Not a difference in loyalty, but in ambition.
"I'll respect that, Yeon-ha."
"...Thank you."
She'd work as my secretary for a few years, snag a nice severance, then shift to an honorary role. Retiring before 40 was a bit of a waste, but not worth clinging to, so I approved.
"Mind if I ask why you chose that?"
"Don't wanna work anymore. And at least women should marry before thirty..."
Anxiety clouded Choi Yeon-ha's face. She figured she'd either die an old spinster or from overwork.
"...Ah."
Yeah... fair enough. Not wrong, really.
I nodded, thinking of the Showa Foundation crew who'd aged decades in months from the stress. In this business, no matter how big you are, stress—the occupational hazard—is brutal on your health. Just look at Seo Ji-yeon's dad with his stress-induced baldness.
Yeah yeah, hair loss is serious business.
Hell, it's weirder that Seo Ji-yeon, seeing that at home, still begged to be my secretary.
"Hehe... bathing with miss..."
I patted the back of the muttering, giddy Seo Ji-yeon. My faithful followers were growing by the day.
This shall be a statute to you forever: On the tenth day of the seventh month, both the native and the foreigner living among you shall fast and do no work at all.
Judaism has a day called Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. On the 10th of the seventh month in the Hebrew calendar, they fast, do no work, and repent their sins.
For the record, it's written in Hanja as Day of Great Atonement, but that's very different from Christianity's vicarious atonement (paying for sins on behalf of another). It's more like "great sin atonement," hence just called the Day of Atonement.
I don't particularly believe in God, but as an Easterner living in America who socializes with whites, Ha Young-il had to at least pretend to be a devout believer, so he knew his theology pretty well.
Anyway, this year's Yom Kippur was a day packed with sinners.
Ha Young-il felt it when he visited the Showa Foundation to check in. Rich families and poor ones alike wailed in grief.
The trust binding the Jewish community had shattered. What they'd believed in and followed was a false golden calf.
Sobs echoed from every home he passed. Thankfully, financial losses were minimal, but the emotional scars from the past months ran deep.
"...You've come, Director Ha."
A cracked voice from fasting—no water allowed. Steven Spielberg looked at Ha Young-il with gloomy eyes.
"Mm, just to clarify, I'm a director, not the representative. That's someone else."
He said it with a slight smile, but Spielberg's expression stayed downcast.
"Eh, close enough. Sigh... must've been tough dealing with all those idiots who dumped their fortunes into the scam."
He spoke self-mockingly. A few Hollywood actors and even a Nobel laureate got hit, but Spielberg's own stature was no joke. His fame had soared with Schindler's List and founding the Showa Foundation.
He was now one of the names always mentioned among successful Jews.
"...I acted because I hated antisemitism, but all it did was sow division among our own. I know it's not my fault... but it still doesn't sit right."
He murmured without expecting a reply, his voice heavy with worry. And rightly so—the scam only came to light after the foundation's audit.
"Still, it wrapped up well thanks to you all. Ending Jewish business with Jewish hands, right?"
"Ha, what Jewish hands? It was you guys and the law firm..."
Spielberg sighed. But his complexion looked a bit better than before.
Now that the Madoff Fund was proven a scam from the start, the Showa Foundation had done the right thing. If it had blown up a few years later, who knows—suicides might've spiked.
Ha Young-il shuddered at the thought.
'Miss' had always been exceptional since childhood, but her recent moves were on another level—what the hell was in that head of hers? Razor-sharp judgment, flawless execution, and foresight like she could see the future...
No wonder Yoo Ha-yeon never worried about betrayal. Who could betray someone like that? Hell, even the betrayal might just be dancing in her palm.
"Anyway, that's that. The Showa Foundation funds will be diversified. Half into Alpha Fund... you'll get a nice cut for your troubles."
No sarcasm—just genuine goodwill.
"...I'll gladly take the money, director."
So Ha Young-il thanked him personally.
"This feels like a sin we've committed ourselves. Blindly throwing money at a scammer just because he's 'one of us'... that's how this happened."
Not just Spielberg—leading rabbis echoed the same: This is the sin of the Jews we committed and abetted.
It synced perfectly with the wildfire of Jewish nationalism stirring self-reflection, all tilting in Alpha Fund's favor. Ha Young-il couldn't help but shiver.
That Jewish nationalist movement... Yoo Ha-yeon's fingerprints were everywhere from start to finish. You'd think she was half-Jewish Korean.
"...Yeah, some are even saying this is God's blessing to the Jewish people. He sent kind neighbors to atone for our sins... ridiculous, right?"
Only God can erase sins. Calling this "atonement" bordered on blasphemy, even sacrilege. Spielberg and other Jews probably didn't mean it that way—more like kindness from helpful outsiders.
But... in capitalist society, money is God.
So Ha Young-il decided to interpret it his way: The God of Gold—not Judaism's God—had atoned for their sins.
"Well... theologically, it's not total nonsense."
"True, but... doesn't sit well with you, does it? Handing achievements from hard work to another faith's god feels like a slight."
Ha Young-il let out a dry chuckle. Surprising from a Jew like Spielberg, but the irony was even funnier.
Because it was half-true. Profiting by serving something you don't even understand—what else to call it but false faith?
.
.
.
That afternoon, Ha Young-il tallied the funds pouring into Alpha Fund and nearly stopped breathing.
$15 billion.
Alpha Fund now held over $15 billion.