The Korean Economy Can't Even Match a Single Foreign Company

At the Ilhyeon Securities executive meeting, Executive Director Oh Mun-guk presented the performance figures for the Buy Korea Fund.

"To date, the Buy Korea Fund has surpassed three hundred thousand subscribers and five hundred thousand accounts. The rate of new subscriptions continues to climb, and we expect that trend to hold for some time yet."

Every executive in the room hung on his words. Nothing mattered more to Ilhyeon Securities than Buy Korea, so every eye and ear was fixed on Oh Mun-guk.

"The fund has already gathered roughly three hundred billion won. Full-scale operations begin next week, and we will disclose daily performance through public announcements."

"Remember: set the starting index at one hundred and announce it every morning at nine without fail."

"Yes, sir. We will calculate it out to two decimal places and release the figures rigorously."

Kim Seong-ho nodded and motioned for Oh Mun-guk to take his seat. Then he addressed the rest of the executives gathered around the table.

"A large sum has come in over a short period, and the number of accounts has exploded. But we cannot be satisfied here. I want every one of you focused on breaking one million accounts and one trillion won before the year is out."

"One trillion…"

The words slipped out of someone's mouth in a soft gasp. To them, crossing the trillion-won mark within the year still sounded like a dream.

Yet what was a dream to some was already reality to another.

Kim Seong-ho looked at the officers who clearly doubted whether the target was even possible.

"It is by no means an impossible goal. If anything, it is the most realistic target we could set."

He turned his head toward Managing Director Yu Ji-ho, who oversaw public relations for the entire Ilhyeon Group.

"The impact Buy Korea generates is only going to grow from here. Release the second commercial we prepared."

"Understood."

Yu Ji-ho answered with a faintly flushed expression. Unlike the others, the man responsible for publicity could already foresee exactly what kind of effect the second Buy Korea advertisement would produce.

Kim Seong-ho swept his gaze across the remaining officers once more.

"After the second commercial airs, we will expand the Buy Korea campaign to other securities firms as well. Our first partner will be Shilla Future Asset, a company with which we already share deep ties. They will join us in the Buy Korea marketing."

"You mean Shilla Future Asset will also sell the Buy Korea Fund?"

"Yes."

He explained to the puzzled executives.

"If we are the only ones shouting Buy Korea, the effect will not last long. But if the securities firms participating in the market raise their voices together, the impact will multiply without question."

The confidence in Kim Seong-ho's tone left the officers with no room to voice any discontent. Buy Korea itself had sprung from his mind; they had no grounds to stop him from inviting others to join.

"Then I will look forward to better results at the next meeting."

He finished speaking and rose from his seat. Before leaving he turned once more to Managing Director Yu Ji-ho and repeated the earlier instruction.

"The second commercial. See that it is prepared without a hitch."

"I will take personal charge of it."

Only then did a satisfied look settle on Kim Seong-ho's face. He said he would see them at the next meeting and left the room.

The moment he was gone, every executive turned on Yu Ji-ho with questions.

"Just what is this second commercial that has everyone so worked up?"

"Are we blanketing newspapers and broadcasts again?"

"What on earth is in it that has the president this concerned?"

They all stared at Yu Ji-ho, faces full of curiosity. Whether he found their reaction amusing or simply enjoyed the moment, the managing director calmly straightened the documents in front of him, stood, and looked down at the officers still fixed on him.

"Check the nine-o'clock news commercial slot this evening and see for yourselves."

"It's airing tonight?"

"Yes."

Yu Ji-ho bowed and left the conference room. The remaining executives could only exchange bewildered glances. Only Executive Director Oh Mun-guk was already moving busily, preparing for everything that would follow the second commercial.

Kim Seong-ho sat side by side with Lee Gyeong-eun, both of them facing the television.

"Auntie, you can head home now."

Lee Gyeong-eun spoke to the housekeeper who had finished peeling fruit and was heading toward the kitchen, telling her she was free to leave for the day. The woman untied her apron, bowed to the couple, and said,

"Then I'll see you both again tomorrow."

Once she was gone, Lee Gyeong-eun turned to Kim Seong-ho with a suggestive tone.

"I'm planning to gradually cut back on her hours."

"Why? Is she not to your liking?"

He assumed the housekeeper who had just left had somehow fallen short. Her meaning, however, was entirely different.

"I like her very much. She's excellent at her work and cooks beautifully—she's wonderful."

"Then why reduce her hours?"

"I thought I might start taking care of the housework myself."

"You, Gyeong-eun?"

Kim Seong-ho, fruit still in hand, turned to her in surprise.

"Do you even have the time? You're already drowning in work as it is."

He worried whether someone simultaneously running both Ilhyeon Hotel and Ilhyeon Department Store could possibly have the energy left to manage a household as well. Lee Gyeong-eun, however, answered as if it were nothing at all.

"I'm already planning to scale my duties back little by little. I'll keep the decisions and leave the rest to the people under me."

"And you're sure that's all right?"

"It's fine. I think I'll actually work more efficiently that way, and the companies will run more smoothly too. And…"

She hesitated a moment, then lowered her head slightly. Looking down at her, Kim Seong-ho thought,

Have I loaded too much onto her?

In the previous life she had never carried this many responsibilities. He had no real measure of how much she could endure.

I may have put too heavy a burden on her.

He had already entrusted her with two affiliates—Ilhyeon Hotel and Ilhyeon Department Store—and on top of that she was launching entirely new ventures. She was energetically pushing forward both a coffee franchise and a duty-free business tied to the hotels. Once those projects reached their final stages she would still have to prepare overseas hotel chains and warehouse-style discount stores. Most people would call even one of those tasks overwhelming; she was shouldering two at once. Of course she might feel the strain.

I took it for granted.

In his drive to seize the Ilhyeon Group he had pushed her too hard. Moreover, she had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠only recently recovered from major surgery. Instead of lightening her load he had kept piling on more. While he berated himself, Lee Gyeong-eun's thoughts were elsewhere entirely.

"It's been quite a while since the operation, and the hospital already said I've fully recovered, remember?"

"Yes. Just recently Section Chief Kim Chang-mu said you could live exactly as you did before."

"Exactly. And while you were talking with the hospital director that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠day, I asked something separately."

"Separately?"

When he looked at her in puzzlement, her face flushed red. Not understanding the sudden shyness, Kim Seong-ho watched as she lowered her head again and absently traced the sofa with a fingertip.

"Is something bothering you? Are you unwell somewhere?"

"No."

She answered in a loud voice, then hastily shook her head and waved both hands.

"I'm perfectly fine."

Her exaggerated reaction only made him more suspicious. He had not expected a simple question about her health to provoke such a response.

"Gyeong-eun. Is something really wrong?"

At the concern in his voice she flushed deeper and dropped her gaze once more. Fingers still rubbing the sofa cushion, she finally forced the words out.

"My body is back to normal… and work isn't really a problem. So… I thought maybe it's time we… started thinking about a child. So…"

Kim Seong-ho's eyes widened. He stared at her with a blank expression.

So that's it. A child… We can have a child now.

The idea had never once crossed his mind. It struck him like a hammer blow to the skull. In the previous life Lee Gyeong-eun had left him before they ever had the chance to consider children. Whether by choice or circumstance he had lived alone afterward, a life utterly divorced from ordinary family existence. Even after the regression, children had simply never entered his calculations. First came revenge; second came the desire to live a long, happy life at her side. That had been the entire list.

"We've been married for a fair while now, so the older folks have started asking… whether there's any news yet…"

"Did Father or Mother ask?"

She lifted her head and answered.

"No. Mom and Dad never brought it up."

"Then who… Don't tell me it was my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠parents?"

She nodded.

"Yes. A few days ago when I called to say hello, your mother asked if there was still no news…"

Her voice grew smaller and smaller with embarrassment. Kim Seong-ho's expression hardened.

"I'll speak to my parents myself. Don't worry about it."

"Speak to them? About what?"

Her head had been drooping again; now her eyes sparkled as she looked up at him. He regarded her with an apologetic face.

"I'll tell them you're doing important work and they shouldn't pressure you. And if they ever call or say anything, tell me right away. Don't bottle it up and suffer alone."

"No, that isn't what I—"

"I'm sorry. You shouldn't have had to hear that kind of talk."

His apologetic manner only made her brow furrow. That was not the reaction she had wanted at all.

"Pressure? What pressure are you talking about?"

The cheeks that had been pink with shyness a moment earlier now puffed out in indignation. Her face reddened for an entirely different reason.

"When did I ever say I felt pressured?"

"Isn't that why you brought it up?"

"No!"

Every trace of embarrassment had vanished. She glared at him as though horns might sprout from her head. He still looked completely lost. Then something seemed to dawn on him; his eyes widened in sudden realization.

"Don't tell me… you actually want a child…"

"Don't tell me? What don't tell me! When did I ever say that after we married we should just live the two of us without children?"

"Well, no, but… I simply never thought about it… a child…"

He stumbled over the words. Seeing him flounder, the anger drained out of her. She sighed, then wrapped both arms around his and said,

"I'm not saying we have to have one right this second. Just that we shouldn't wait too long. Looking at my brothers and sisters, it seems better to have children early. Look at my eldest sister-in-law—she had her kids young, so even though our oldest nephew is already in college she's still young herself."

"…That's true."

"So let's think about it before we get any older. All right?"

"If that's how you feel… then I'm glad as well."

He gazed quietly down at Lee Gyeong-eun, who had buried her face against his arm again in fresh embarrassment.

Yes. We can have a child…

Once more he felt the difference between this life and the last as he looked at her.

Lee Gyeong-eun, who had been hiding her face against his arm, turned toward the screen the moment the commercial began. When it ended she looked at Kim Seong-ho with an astonished expression.

"Our entire stock market is only worth as much as one Japanese company? Is that really true?"

"Yes. It's a fact."

"Even if you add up the whole of Ilhyeon Group?"

She seemed so shaken that she leaned back slightly and kept firing questions at him. He nodded and answered.

"Not only Ilhyeon—if you take every single company listed in the Republic of Korea and add their market values together, the total still amounts to no more than one Japanese telecommunications firm. That is the reality."

"That can't be…"

Her words were not a denial of what he had said; they were a denial of the reality that the combined market capitalization of every Korean company could not even match a single Japanese one.

"This… is reality."

"Even if Japan is richer than we are, this is still…"

Only moments earlier her face had been flushed with talk of children; now it had gone hard and cold.

"This is unacceptable. Tomorrow ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I'm going straight to Ilhyeon Securities and opening another fund account. Even after the last commercial I still had my doubts, but knowing we can't even match one Japanese company—I can't just sit still. I have to put my own money in and help our country get back on its feet."

The commercial had left her unable to remain idle. And she was far from alone.

The moment the advertisement aired, the same explosion of feeling erupted across the entire nation.