Chapter 47
Chapter 47
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Eve of the Storm (1)
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As if announcing that autumn had fully arrived, the desk calendar featured a watercolor-style illustration.
Ripened fields in autumn, with bowed rice paddies heavy with grain. A golden landscape where a scarecrow stood with arms outstretched, wearing a comical expression.
Beneath the illustration, the grid squares marking each day of September were slashed through in red.
And now, I picked up my ballpoint pen and drew an X in the square with the number 5.
“D-10.”
That day was drawing closer, bit by bit. Lehman Brothers' bankruptcy would fire the starting gun for the subprime financial crisis.
Beyond the calendar came the low murmur of ringing phones and the mechanical whir of faxes assaulting my ears.
The noise included Seo-hee noona and PB Manager Yoo Se-na, along with the rest of the Cocoa Bank crew, rushing about busily.
“Shanghai Capital says they’ll acquire all of Yoo Tae-chon’s shares in Ammunition Securities!”
“The yuan-to-won exchange volume is spiking. These guys swapped 2 billion yuan just this morning!”
“The stock market’s looking rough! The institutions seem to sense something—they’ve gone dead quiet, just watching!”
Shanghai Capital was moving right on schedule. They were burrowing in like an advancing army ahead of the shareholder meeting in about two weeks.
The two of them looked wrapped in anxiety. I opened the fridge door, grabbed the tiramisu inside, and walked over.
“No need to worry at all. Everything’s flowing just as we planned.”
“You sure? If this keeps up, they’ll scoop up the weak links in no time—it could get dangerous…”
“Doesn’t matter. Let them have it. What we’re after… is the invisible link.”
Ammunition Securities—the weakest point in the current circular ownership structure, where affiliates hadn’t been separated.
It was like holding the leather bit at the horse’s mouth. The other side had their eyes on controlling the massive Ammunition Group, using just over a trillion won on top of Uncle and the clan association’s existing shares.
It was exactly like before the regression.
That’s why I could counter it.
“While the enemy’s distracted by the bait, we’ll take the long way around. Stay hidden, no traces.”
My fingertip pointed to the complex diagram on the wall.
Branching from the massive trunk of headquarters were affiliates dangling like fruit.
Tiny, insignificant companies that barely qualified as Ammunition Group subsidiaries, handling piddling businesses.
“Deputy Director. Once the funds are ready, can we snap up those companies’ shares right away?”
“You bet. We’ve already put in calls on the shares held by the policy banks and pension funds.”
Kim Won-cheol popped a spoonful of tiramisu into his mouth, thumping his chest to show his confidence.
“Two trillion won. Just two trillion, and electricity’ll crackle through these dead-as-dirt affiliates.”
“Good. Quietly let the holders know we want to buy—no backtalk. Tell them we’ll execute within ten days.”
“Within ten days… You sound so sure, like you stepped out of the future or something. Well, it’s a solid call.”
In response, I just wore an enigmatic smile.
My gaze returned to the diagram on the wall.
Ammunition Group headquarters. Where all the tiny streams of affiliate shares converged into a vast ocean.
It was almost in my hands now. Just one last hurdle left.
“Alright, time for us to get moving. Connect with the Wall Street finance sharks right away.”
* * * *
A forest of skyscrapers piercing the thick fog toward the heavens—Wall Street.
Inside a glass elevator with a clear view outside, a white man leaned on the railing, gazing at the Charging Bull statue below.
He was the derivatives team lead at the world’s top investment bank, Goldman Sachs.
“The market’s charging like that bull. Couldn’t ask for better. Hope it stays this way forever.”
A world economy like a warm spring day.
The boom felt eternal. Just like that bull, ready to charge at any moment.
“A bit more luck, and making managing director wouldn’t be a stretch.”
The elevator shot up quickly to the top floor.
The bull that had seemed ready to devour all of Wall Street moments ago now looked like a mere copper dot.
Somehow ominous.
“Nick! There you are! We’ve been waiting!”
His subordinate bounced on his toes by the door.
Had something gone wrong?
Nick eyed his face suspiciously, but the guy’s cheekbones were practically shooting skyward with excitement—no mishaps there.
“Lissen? What’s up?”
“Got a Thanksgiving gift! A derivatives buy order for a whopping 200 million dollars! One-month maturity!”
Nick’s eyes bulged at the massive sum.
His subordinate must’ve mixed up the analogy. Not some quiet Thanksgiving present—this was Halloween-candy-level shocking.
“200 million dollars? Hell, I could buy a place in Manhattan with this year’s bonus! So who’s this golden client?”
“Well… not on our existing list. The company name’s kinda…”
The subordinate fished out a notepad from his pocket and flipped through it.
He found it quick—a bright incandescent bulb practically lit up over his head.
“<Cocoa>. Weird name, like some agribusiness commodity or something.”
“<Cocoa>? Grain major maybe? Those fund guys are pains in the ass.”
“Nah. Check the nationality—Korean.”
“Wait… hold up, Lissen. Did you say Korean?”
Nick scowled at the word Korea. Grimacing like it soured his mood, he pressed on.
“You know deals with North Korea’s Royal Kim family are too risky, right?”
“Oh, misunderstanding. Not North—South Korea. Seoul-based.”
“South Korea, South Korea…”
Nick recalled his rookie days twenty years back, dispatched to Korea.
Fresh off shedding its developing nation status, the country doing derivatives deals this big felt oddly nostalgic.
He nodded, arms crossed, then snorted.
“Some ballsy guy crawled out of that speck on the map. Taking absurd positions.”
“What do we do? They want an answer today or they’ll shop elsewhere.”
Nick smirked arrogantly.
He jabbed a thumb at the golden metal sculpture of Goldman Sachs’ logo and spoke.
“Passing this up would disqualify you from Goldman Sachs. Right?”
“Who’d turn down free money unless they’re brain-dead?”
“Exactly. They’re handing us cash on a platter. We just skim the fees.”
Nick held out his palm to the subordinate. As soon as a thick binder of documents slapped onto it, he whipped out a pen and signed.
“Process it. One-month maturity—let’s move fast.”
“Warm holidays with bonus party ahead. I’ll get to it.”
After sending off the subordinate, Nick sank deep into his chair. He propped his shoe on the desk, laced his fingers behind his head, and closed his eyes.
Then, as habit, a brown cigar between his lips.
Click—the flame leaped from his metal Zippo lighter, drawing in cozy comfort.
In the pitch-black darkness, the smoke he exhaled danced. Before his eyes, something like a yellow warning light blinked on and off.
“Hoo… Come to think of it, not long ago, some South Korean outfit applied for the opposite—selling subprime derivatives…”
Nick opened his eyes, feeling a dull unease.
Squinting at the monitor’s glare, he started digging for past data.
A few keyboard clacks later, the details appeared.
“South Korea, South Korea. Ah, here—Ammunition Securities.”
Data on Ammunition Securities filled his four monitors.
The mouse wheel barely scrolled a few times before doubt crept onto his face.
“What’s this? Ammunition Securities sold these derivatives… and Cocoa bought them? And…”
A program flashing real-time share changes.
He peered closely at the trading volume on another screen.
Someone… a third force. Had jumped into this mysterious war.
“Shanghai Capital? Sucking up shares in a flash?”
* * * *
“Goldman Sachs confirmed the subprime derivatives sale!”
“Double-check the contract terms, then settle if all good. Wrap it today.”
Tap-tap-tap—the keyboard clacks poured like rain in monsoon season.
Tension rising steadily.
Even knowing the future, was I still anxious? Sweat beaded on my clenched fists, dripping to the floor.
“Huh? Our Chairman, all cocky and confident, sweating bullets over maybe going bust and pedaling a milk cart?”
Kim Won-cheol sauntered over, chuckling coolly. Tension poorly masked on his face too.
“Even if I do, we’ll pedal together. In Flanders’ Dog terms, I’ll play Nero. You be Patrasche, Deputy Director.”
“Ha! So I bust my ass pulling the cart while you sip milk up top?”
“That’s the trust—I know you’ll help. How many bosses offer infinite faith like this?”
We traded absurd banter, Kim Won-cheol and I.
All that was left to do was done. True effort done, the rest to heaven—we’d just watch.
“Uh… uh…! It’s starting!”
Cocoa Bank’s office had turned into a battlefield command center overnight.
The big electronic board showing Ammunition Securities trades suddenly flashed emergency alerts.
“Shanghai’s buying up! Looks like they’re sweeping every seller in the market!”
“Emergency disclosure! Teacher’s Union, Nabor Securities, KJL Investment—their Ammunition Securities shares now under Shanghai’s name!”
