The White Knight

Study of Kim Seok-jun's home in Seongbuk-dong.

The only sound in the room was the rustle of pages as he flipped through the documents I had handed him. The silence hung heavy in the air.

When he finally set the report down, Kim Seok-jun fixed me with a long, piercing stare — the look of a man who couldn't quite believe the numbers in front of him.

"So... exactly how much did you make?"

His voice trembled as he asked, and I answered flatly.

"27.2 billion won."

"......"

"The original capital in SJ Holdings' investment account was around 23 billion, so technically that's a return of 118 percent. Even after taxes, it's more than double the principal."

Kim Seok-jun's jaw dropped.

He was a man who never lost his composure, but this time his face betrayed him completely. And no wonder — barely half a month ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ago, that money had been buried in steel and shipbuilding stocks.

"Before we go any further — when exactly did you rotate positions? I received no report of it."

Kim Seok-jun's eyes sharpened.

Here it comes.

I straightened in my seat and met his gaze head-on.

"That's actually what I need to discuss with you. I instructed Director Jung Tae-sung not to report to you in advance."

Kim Seok-jun said nothing, simply staring at me. The air in the study grew cold.

"From where I stand, I couldn't accept a system in which an operator acting under my orders then has to seek a second approval from you. That's dual authorization."

"......You knew, then."

"You didn't expect me not to, did you?"

Kim Seok-jun cleared his throat awkwardly and looked away.

"Fair enough. Still, I never imagined you'd turn Director Jung into your man in a single stroke. That one's a stubborn sort."

"Director Jung is a loyal man. If anything, I feel guilty for forcing him to choose between you and me."

I went on without dropping his gaze.

"So if you intend to reprimand anyone over this, reprimand me. He was simply following my instructions. Director Jung did nothing wrong."

A beat of silence passed.

Then a smirk spread across Kim Seok-jun's lips.

"Heh. Well done, young man."

"......"

"You know how to handle people. Cover your subordinate's slip-ups and take the blame yourself as the leader — very good. Though in the name of evaluating you, I seem to have put poor Director Jung through unnecessary stress."

He chuckled heartily and nodded.

"Very well. I was thinking too small. Director Jung is yours now, body and soul."

"Thank you. And going forward, on any matter critical to the company's fate, I'll always seek your counsel first."

"Good. Consider the traffic issue settled."

Kim Seok-jun turned his eyes back to the report.

"Now then — explain the rest. How does a portfolio turn a profit this absurd in two weeks?"

"The market told me where it was going."

"The market?"

"China will keep growing, but its pace had become reckless. I judged that from Beijing's perspective, they'd have no choice but to play the tightening card to cool things down."

"Tightening, hm..."

"Yes. They'll brake hard for a short stretch to smooth ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠out the ascent. And when that signal comes, cyclical stocks like steel and shipbuilding take the hit head-on."

Kim Seok-jun nodded. The logic held.

"So I decided ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the smart move was to take the profit now and sell at the peak. I pulled out the full 23 billion — principal and gains together — and deployed it in stages into IT, biotech, and environmental stocks, led by Seogyeong Telecom."

"And how many days has it been?"

"Two weeks."

"And in just two weeks you cleared a hundred percent return? Is that even possible by any sane measure?"

Doubt and awe flickered together in Kim Seok-jun's eyes.

I shrugged.

"I got lucky."

"Lucky?"

"I went in expecting the IT market to revive — large-scale capital expenditure by the telecom companies, that sort of thing. And then the government went and designated satellite DMB as a next-generation growth engine."

"Hah."

"Seogyeong Telecom rode that straight to seven consecutive limit-up days, up over 140 percent in a matter of weeks. The biotech rally on the bird flu scare was a bonus."

The truth, of course, was that the SJ Holdings account was merely the tip of the iceberg.

The 10 billion won I had personally borrowed in Bukchon had more than doubled as well, and by now it had swelled into a sum I could scarcely fathom myself.

Enough that the 100 million won in monthly interest I owed Bukchon now felt like pocket change.

Needless to say, I kept that part to myself.

"And that's... explainable as mere good luck?"

"That's the only explanation I can offer. Because it's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the truth."

"You really are..."

Kim Seok-jun clicked his tongue.

"They say luck is a skill in itself, but you didn't sweep up those stocks on luck alone. It's almost frightening."

The way he looked at me had changed.

"So — what will you do with the money? Keep it in play?"

"No. First I plan to pull 5 billion from the gains and transfuse it into Shinhwa Weltech."

"Hmm, right. You said you'd start developing Shinhwa Weltech in earnest this year."

"Yes. The analytical equipment Director Park Jin-hyuk requested and the line expansion are both urgent. Strike while the iron is hot, as they say."

"Fine. That one's yours to handle as you see fit."

Just as Kim Seok-jun, looking satisfied, moved to close the report, I spoke up.

"One more thing, sir."

"Go ahead."

"In my judgment, the relatives will make their move sometime in the first half of this year."

Kim Seok-jun's hand froze.

"Move? You mean an attack?"

"Yes. Timing-wise, there's no better window than right now."

"True. If I were on the attacking side, I'd strike before Sunjin Group recovers any further — before Chairwoman Kim Ja-young has her seat secured."

I nodded.

Soon the entire country would be in an uproar. An impeachment crisis, with a general election on top of it.

Every eye in the nation would turn to Yeouido.

And when the public's attention is fixed elsewhere, that is precisely the ideal moment for a family to tear itself apart in the mud.

Kim Seok-jun's expression turned grave.

"I'd like you to make some preparations, sir."

"What sort of preparations?"

"I'm still a minor, and a student. I can't step out in front."

I looked him straight in the eye.

"I want you to be our white knight, sir. To appear publicly as a friendly shareholder bloc coming to the defense of Sunjin Group's management."

Kim Seok-jun fell into thought for a moment, then gave a slow, weighty nod.

"Very well. That role suits me perfectly. I'll prepare for it thoroughly."

"Thank you. When the time comes, I'll liquidate all our positions and acquire a stake in Sunjin Sangsa."

"And I should be paying visits to the old guard."

Kim Seok-jun murmured, half to himself.

"There are elders who served the late Chairman. If I gather their voices behind Chairwoman Kim Ja-young, we'll win the war for public opinion."

"Yes. And please step up our contact with the government as well."

"Leave that to me."

There it was. Live ammunition was being stockpiled, and the division of labor with Kim Seok-jun was complete.

Now all that remained was to do my own work quietly — and wait.

I had just come home and gotten out of the shower.

The phone I'd tossed onto the bed rang insistently.

The name on the screen was Han Jae-yi.

Toweling off my wet hair, I pressed the answer button.

"Hello."

Han Jae-yi's voice crackled through the receiver, buzzing with excitement — a pitch high enough to shred my eardrums.

I didn't need to see her to know. At this very moment she'd be punching numbers into a calculator with a grin stretched from ear to ear.

I sat down on the edge of the bed with a faint smile.

Seogyeong Telecom — the stock I'd pointed her to — had logged limit-up day after day. She'd earned every won of it.

"Congratulations. So no more worries about tuition, then?"

"Glad to hear it. Made the hard work worth it."

Han Jae-yi went on gasping in wonder for a good long while.

Then, abruptly, her voice turned serious.

I brushed back my wet hair and threw the question right back at her.

"What do you think, senior?"

I smiled.

"Then that's exactly what you should do."

Relief washed through her voice.

Truthfully, after the decisive tips I'd given her, she could have latched onto me for good — but instead of depending on me, she insisted on judging for herself.

Sell without regret the moment you believe you're at the top. That was her principle.

Few people have the discipline to actually live by it.

I wanted to praise her decisiveness. At the same time, I decided it was time to let her stand on her own.

"Senior."

"From here on out, I won't be handing you information anymore."

It may have sounded like a cold declaration.

But Han Jae-yi took it unexpectedly in stride.

"Not hurt?"

I listened quietly to the voice on the other end.

She was the real deal, no question.

The self-respect to hold her ground even in the face of temptation — that was what I liked about her.

"Good mindset. Then let me give you one last hint — no, just one remark."

"Things are about to get loud in this country. And when they do, the stock market will crash."

"Yes. That's your opening. Your last opening."

Soon the impeachment crisis would paralyze Yeouido, and the stock market would spiral into panic.

And before that shock had even settled, China's tightening — the China Shock — would come crashing down, driving the KOSPI through the floor and into the basement.

But.

The bottom arrives at the very peak of fear.

By year's end, all of these headwinds would vanish as if by magic, and the market would soar toward new all-time highs.

Whoever caught the start of that V-shaped rebound would be the true winner.

"Right. And which direction that opening points — that's for you to figure out."

"Yes, let's call it homework."

"I manage just fine on my own, thank you. Anyway, talk to you later."

"If you know, then keep your promise."

The promise that she'd come work for me one day.

I reminded her of it.

"Good. Then get some rest. Talk later."

Click.

I hung up and set the phone on the nightstand.

Quiet settled over the room once more.

I walked over to the bed and flopped down, letting myself fall rather than lie. The soft mattress wrapped around my exhausted body.

"...Haah."

A long sigh drifted up toward the ceiling.

I was tired.

Not once since my return had I allowed myself a single day of true rest.

The acquisition of Shinhwa Weltech, the contest of wills with Managing Director Kim Seok-jun, the process of winning Jung Tae-sung over to my side, the standoff with the Bukchon moneyman.

It had felt like sprinting at full tilt along the edge of a frozen cliff.

And far more is coming.

This was only the beginning.

The relatives' attack, the battle for control of Sunjin Group, the building of my own empire.

The road ahead was long and treacherous.

And yet.

"One day... I can afford to rest, can't I?"

I closed my eyes slowly.

Just for today — no thoughts, just rest.

Bzzzt—

The very instant the thought crossed my mind, my phone vibrated.

Checking the screen, I found a message from Jung Tae-sung — his regularly scheduled intelligence briefing.

"Aigoo, fine. Rest can wait. This is no time for it anyway."

I pulled myself together, got up, and sat back down at my desk.