As I hung up the phone, Taek-gyu, who had been listening beside me, quickly asked.
"What were you just talking about?"
He must have noticed from my reaction to the call that it was something serious. I summarized what Ronald had told me.
Taek-gyu's eyes widened in a circle as he shouted.
"Someone has leverage on the President of the United States and is blackmailing him? This isn't some Hollywood movie."
It really was the kind of story you'd only see in a movie or a Netplay drama.
"Don't tell anyone."
Of course, no one would believe it even if he did.
"Ah, okay."
"What kind of scandal is it?"
"I don't know. But it must be something that should never get out."
During the Big One, he had shown that he wasn't even afraid of impeachment. But that was because of his confidence that an impeachment would not easily pass.
Then, this scandal must be much more serious than that.
"If they think Ronald is in the way, why didn't they just expose it?"
"A sword is most dangerous when it's not drawn."
Ronald's current approval rating is over 70 percent. In California alone, it's close to 90 percent.
People want the people they like to succeed and the people they dislike to fail.
If someone were to try to impeach Ronald, there would surely be a strong public backlash. Once you draw a sword, you must kill your opponent, and in the process, you can get hurt yourself.
"They probably don't want their identities to be revealed either. If they can get the desired result without bloodshed, there's no need to push their luck."
It's better to keep Ronald in his position and make him move as they wish.
"If they can control the President of the United States from the shadows, aren't they practically the unseen power that rules the world? What if they order him to launch a nuclear bomb at Russia or start a war with China?"
"That's impossible."
The system of democracy is not that flimsy. If Ronald tried to do something outrageous, neither Congress nor the media would stand by.
"If it came to following such an order, Ronald would choose to be impeached instead. They'll probably be satisfied with tying his hands and feet."
Even as I said it, I could hardly believe it. It would probably sound more convincing to say that Ronald was suffering from paranoia or delusions of grandeur.
"In any case, this makes one thing clear."
"What's that?"
"That there's something behind the interest rate hike."
Taek-gyu said with a serious expression.
"Wait a minute. So, to sum it up, there's some power within the US administration, and they're the ones leading the interest rate hike?"
"That's right."
"I know that too."
I had vaguely felt it before, and the moment I heard Ronald's words, I knew for sure.
"If my prediction is correct, it won't end with just an interest rate hike. No, this is just the beginning."
"Then?"
"Something else will happen."
What on earth is happening now, and what is about to happen?
I suppressed my anxiety and said.
"I need to look into it more."
***
Trading using non-public information in the financial world is illegal. But even if it's prohibited by law, such things happen all the time.
Information is bound to leak from somewhere. And if you've come across the information in some way, it's strange to just sit still and not trade.
If you knew that your assets would plummet tomorrow, how many people would just stand by and do nothing?
If they knew that the US benchmark interest rate would rise by 0.75 percent, they must have taken some action beforehand.
As per my instructions, Senior Sang-yeop analyzed the stock market, while Team Leader Seo Sang-won, Yuri, and other team members meticulously analyzed the foreign exchange and bond markets.
Everyone stayed late and devoted themselves to their work.
The first to report was Team Leader Seo Sang-won.
"European funds have been pulling out of emerging market bond and stock markets for the past six months. It seems they have been continuously selling so as not to alert the market. The top selling banks are HSBC, Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland, and Standard Chartered. It seems other funds have also moved, but it's difficult to track."
Money doesn't have a name tag, so finding out who the owner of the money is is not an easy task.
"It seems the European funds moved first, and then the American funds followed."
"That's correct."
Just as I expected.
Where did that money flow to?
"Ah! And this is something I found out during the investigation, but Albert Management sold off all its assets, including stocks and bonds, last month."
"That vulture fund?"
"That's right."
Albert Management, founded by Carl Albert Singer, is the most aggressive activist hedge fund investing recently.
Since it's a private company, it's not known where it received its funding.
I smiled to myself.
No wonder it grew so fast.
I gathered the team leaders and held a meeting.
"As you know, the market situation is unusual. Please meticulously check the financial status of our subsidiaries, and if there are any unstable elements, make arrangements to sort them out in advance. Instruct them to convert all cash on hand into dollars, divided up so as not to alert the market."
CarOS, Faceit, OTK Games, etc., also operate in emerging markets, and their profits there naturally come in the local currency.
"The exchange rate has already risen too much. If we exchange now, the loss will be quite large."
"It could rise even more in the future."
At my words, everyone's expression became serious.
Selling emerging market currencies and buying dollars meant that the crisis, far from subsiding, would only get bigger.
Senior Sang-yeop asked cautiously.
"Do you have something in mind?"
"I'll tell you when I'm a little more certain."
"Understood."
The next incident happened sooner than I had thought.
It was Brexit.
***
The Brexit vote ended more than three years ago.
But negotiations over the UK's withdrawal from the EU are still ongoing. The British House of Commons once again rejected the Brexit deal and asked the EU for an extension of the negotiation deadline and a new negotiation.
This had happened several times before, so it was nothing new.
But the President of the European Commission rejected this and criticized the UK.
"The EU has already waited long enough. The UK must take responsibility for what it has done. Further negotiations are meaningless."
There was a good reason for the EU to take such a strong stance.
One thing is always connected to another. The US interest rate hike dealt a direct blow to Southern Europe, which was already suffering from a financial crisis. Greece was already receiving a bailout and was implementing an austerity plan as demanded by the EU. But when talk of additional austerity came up, public sentiment exploded.
The radical left-wing coalition led by Greek Prime Minister Andreas Simitis announced that, like the UK, it would hold a referendum on withdrawal from the EU.
"In the current EU system, only the major powers like Germany and France are benefiting, while many countries are groaning under debt."
This was a fundamental problem of a single currency.
In the past, the value of the German mark, with its high national credibility and current account surplus, would have risen, while the value of the Greek drachma, plagued by crisis, would have fallen.
But since the two were tied to the same euro, Germany's currency was undervalued despite its strong exports, while Greece's currency was overvalued despite its financial crisis.
In other words, the single currency of the euro is a structure that is advantageous to Germany and disadvantageous to Greece. For this reason, there have been many arguments in Greece that in order to escape the financial crisis, they must abandon the euro and return to the drachma.
Greece has held a referendum on the pros and cons of the EU's austerity plan before, but this is the first time it is asking about withdrawal from the EU.
If the "yes" vote is high, Grexit will occur following Brexit.
The problem is whether Greece can withstand the shock of leaving the EU.
"We can just hold out until we get the desired negotiation result, just like the UK. We will not make a bad deal!"
If this situation is left unattended, there is no guarantee that Spain, Portugal, Italy, and others facing similar difficulties will not follow suit.
From the EU's perspective, it must take a firm stance against the UK to strengthen its internal unity.
The EU issued an ultimatum to the UK.
"The UK has only two choices. Accept the deal and leave the EU, or leave the EU without a deal."
***
With the shock of the interest rate hike, Brexit, and the EU crisis overlapping, the financial market looked as if it had been hit by a bomb.
The already shaky stock market plunged again as a no-deal Brexit showed signs of becoming a reality.
The doomsayers on TV raised their voices, saying that this was just the beginning. A financial crisis would begin next year.
As expected, the person who received the most spotlight was Professor Nouriel Roubini of New York University. True to his nickname "Dr. Doom," he poured out gloomy forecasts.
"The global economy has nine problems. Only two of them have occurred so far. The economic slowdown is continuing, and the risks are getting bigger. Central banks around the world have almost exhausted their means of stimulating the economy. The most serious problem is the decoupling of the financial market and the real economy, and the decoupling of the US economy and the global economy."
***
Ellie, who came home from work after 10 p.m., threw herself on the bed without even taking off her coat.
"You're always coming home late these days."
"You know what the situation is like right now. It feels like hell is unfolding when I go to work. It's scary how much we're losing every day."
If Golden Gate is like this, the situation at other financial companies must be even more serious. It's as if they've farmed hard for a year, only to have a flood right before the harvest.
"Hmph, I want to quit my job."
"Are you really going to quit?"
"Will you support me, Jin-hoo?"
"Of course."
Ellie spread her arms and hugged me.
"No. I want to support you, Jin-hoo."
Being held like this, all my worries seem to disappear.
"What do you think about this situation, Jin-hoo?"
I chuckled.
"Everyone is curious about my thoughts these days."
The market hates uncertainty the most. In a situation where anxiety is growing like this, people want to know the future by any means necessary.
That's why I've been flooded with interview requests lately.
Reporters from home and abroad have camped out in front of the company, randomly grabbing employees and asking for my thoughts and OTK Company's response.
I said to Ellie.
"I'm going to the US for a few days."
"Is something wrong?"
"I want to ask for some advice from my senior."
***
Athens, Georgia, USA.
In the quiet small town stood a small five-story building. It was a common building that could be seen anywhere, and since it wasn't prominently displayed on a sign, people driving by would pass without knowing which company was in this building.
Surprisingly, this was the headquarters of Berkshire Hathaway, the largest investment company in the United States and currently the 6th largest company in the US by market capitalization.
Warren Buffett, the greatest living investor and one of the five richest people in the world, came out to the main gate to greet me warmly.
"Welcome. Welcome to Berkshire Hathaway."
I bowed politely.
"It's been a while, Chairman."
"Let me introduce you to the staff."
As I stepped inside, the staff applauded and welcomed me. I greeted each and every one of them.
Despite being a massive company worth over $500 billion, Berkshire Hathaway has only about 60 employees. This is a very small number compared to the thousands, or even tens of thousands, who work at investment banks. But each and every one of them is, without exaggeration, the world's top financial elite.
But I have made much more money. That's probably why they are all looking at me with such respect.
"You must be hungry from the long trip. Let's go eat first."
Warren Buffett showed me his car and said.
"This is a new car I just got. What do you think?"
I gave him a thumbs up.
"It's a great car. I think you made a good buy."
His new car was none other than CarOS's AD3.
I rode in the car driven by Warren Buffett to a pancake shop near the company. He must have been a regular, as neither the owner nor the customers were surprised to see Warren Buffett. They were surprised to see my face, though.
We had a simple lunch there.
"Ah! I forgot and left my 5 million dollars behind."
"Excuse me?"
"Isn't it at least 5 million dollars to have lunch with Chairman Warren Buffett?"
He burst out laughing at my joke.
"Haha! We also accept credit cards, so you don't have to worry."
Taek-gyu seemed to have remembered something.
"Is this, by any chance...?"
I nodded.