Seok-won turned off the shower and stepped out of the glass stall, now filled with steam.
He roughly shook the water out of his damp hair and stood in front of the mirror, revealing his firm chest and clearly defined six-pack abs.
After briefly checking his face in the mirror, he wrapped a large towel around his waist and
stepped into the dressing room.
Lining the walls were built-in wardrobes crafted with luxurious precision, as if an entire high-end department store boutique had been relocated there. Designer clothes from the finest luxury brands were neatly arranged by type.
At the center of the room stood an open storage display, where dozens of luxury watches gleamed from behind a glass case—everything from Rolex and Patek Philippe to Vacheron Constantin, each handcrafted by master artisans.
After tying a Gucci-logoed necktie over his dress shirt, Seok-won stepped into the living room just as the large television opposite him began playing the morning news.
[This is the morning news for January 5th.
In a special weekend broadcast jointly hosted by the three major networks, titled "Gather Gold to Save the Nation," a total of approximately 7,013 kilograms of gold was collected.
Conducted simultaneously across nine major cities, including Seoul and other regional centers the event saw participation from 100,787 individuals, including political figures, celebrities, and media personalities. The gold donated is estimated to be worth about 70 million US dollars.
At donation booths set up in front of broadcasting centers and banks, citizens brought out family heirlooms—baby rings, bracelets, necklaces, and other gold items long tucked away in drawers—
to lend a helping hand in overcoming the national crisis.
The collected gold will be melted into bars and exported abroad to generate US dollars. The
proceeds will then be converted to Korean won and deposited into the accounts of the donors.
In other news—]
Footage of people young and old standing in long lines, carrying jewelry boxes filled with gold to donation booths, filled the screen.
Seok-won's expression hardened slightly as he watched.
"This gold drive… It definitely played a big role in overcoming the IMF crisis."
The gold collection campaign, initially started by the Saemaul Women's Association, quickly
spread nationwide thanks to aggressive promotion by the government and media.
It was reminiscent of the National Debt Repayment Movement during the Korean Empire era, when citizens rallied to help pay off debt to Japan.
This time, it was a spontaneous outpouring of action from the Korean people—wounded in their national pride after being forced to request an IMF bailout under international ridicule for "popping the champagne too early."
The campaign ultimately gathered an astonishing 227 tons of gold—twenty times more than what the Bank of Korea held in reserve at the time.
The foreign currency earned from exporting this collected gold reached as much as 2.2 billion US dollars.
"Considering Korea borrowed about 21 billion dollars from the IMF to weather the financial
crisis, that's roughly 10% of it."
Of course, the amount wasn't nearly enough to repay the IMF loans in full.
But what stunned the international community was that, among all the countries that received
IMF bailouts, Korea was the first where citizens voluntarily stepped up to repay the debt.
It became a pivotal moment that changed the world's view—especially those who had looked at Korea's future with bleak expectations, no different from the other bailout-receiving nations.
"If anything, it wasn't the government or the politicians who overcame the crisis. It was the
people."
If the story had ended there, it would've been a truly beautiful, happy ending. But unfortunately, it didn't.
A few years later, it was revealed that seven major conglomerate affiliates responsible for
exporting the donated gold had evaded taxes amounting to over 2 trillion won through various illegal schemes.
Worse still, some employees committed embezzlement involving hundreds of billions of won.
"The people scraped together even baby rings tucked away in their dressers to help save the
country… and yet traitorous corporations and crooks used that patriotism to secretly fill their own bellies."
The shock and disillusionment among the public when this truth came to light was immeasurable.
Seok-won could still vividly recall the fury he had felt when he learned that the gold he had given —nearly everything he owned before returning to the past—had ended up lining the pockets of corrupt men.
"Why would this time be any different?"
With a bitter expression, Seok-won picked up the remote and switched off the television, which was still airing reports about the gold donation campaign.
***
"I want this matter to proceed as discussed."
"Yes, understood."
After handing back the signed approval documents, Seok-won noticed Executive Director Yoon Ki-hoon still standing in front of his desk without making a move to leave. Raising one eyebrow slightly, Seok-won asked,
"Is there something else you want to say?"
Yoon hesitated for a moment, glancing around nervously, before cautiously speaking up.
"You probably heard that, after Hyunwoo, Saeseong Group also announced yesterday that they're launching their own gold collection campaign."
"So?"
Seok-won leaned back in his chair, making a small triangle with his hands as he calmly regarded Yoon.
"Well, since everyone's getting involved… I thought maybe we should, too."
Seok-won paused briefly before replying in a detached tone.
"Our business is B2B, not B2C. We don't rely on public image in the same way companies that deal with consumers do. There's no real need for us to worry about appearances."
"I… I suppose that's true, but…"
Yoon had clearly expected an enthusiastic "yes," so he looked visibly thrown by the unexpected response. Seeing him falter, Seok-won continued calmly.
"I understand the good intentions—wanting to help a country in crisis in any way we can. But
that should be a personal decision. If the company takes the lead in a gold donation drive,
employees might feel pressured."
He hadn't meant it as criticism, but Seok-won had a point.
Even Yoon himself would feel awkward and self-conscious if the company organized a drive— how could anyone just sit out? Realizing this, Yoon smiled sheepishly.
"I wasn't thinking it through, sir."
"Still, I suppose it wouldn't look great if we were the only company not participating in the
campaign."
Seok-won shrugged as he said it, and Yoon paused again.
He didn't say it aloud, but his expression clearly asked, Then what exactly do you want us to do?
As Yoon stood awkwardly, Seok-won suddenly spoke, as if struck by an idea.
"We don't want to burden our employees, so I'll just make a donation myself as the company
representative."
"You, sir? You're donating personally?"
Yoon's eyes widened in surprise.
"Yes. And if any employees want to participate, they can go directly to the public donation events being held by the broadcast stations and donate individually."
"If you're making a donation, then we executives should at least join in as well. That would
present a better image, wouldn't it?"
"Who said I was donating gold?"
"…Sorry?"
Yoon blinked in confusion.
"You said you'd make a donation…"
"That's right. But I never said it would be in gold."
"Then…?"
Still puzzled, Yoon stared at him. Seok-won responded with a completely composed expression.
"What's the goal of the gold donation campaign?"
"Well, to melt the gold into bullion, sell it overseas, and bring in foreign currency."
"Then there's no need to go through all that trouble. If I just donate dollars directly, that saves time."
"Ah… I see."
"I'll donate, say, ten million dollars. That should be enough to uphold our reputation, don't you think?"
Yoon inhaled sharply, eyes going wide.
"T-Ten million dollars?"
"Well, anything less wouldn't really make much of an impression, would it?"
Unlike Executive Director Yoon Ki-hoon—who looked so shocked he'd forgotten to breathe—
Seok-won appeared completely unbothered.
Yoon, wearing an awkward expression, couldn't help but think this wasn't just about maintaining appearances; this donation would outright humble every other business leader involved.
The exchange rate had dropped from its peak, but it was still unstable, hovering around 1,500
won per U.S. dollar. That meant Seok-won's ten million dollar donation was equivalent to a
staggering 15 billion won. No wonder Yoon was floored.
"Considering how desperate both corporations and the government are to secure dollars, that
amount is worth far more than it looks."
But what truly left him speechless wasn't just the size of the donation. It was the fact that
someone—no less than a third-generation chaebol heir—was offering that kind of foreign
currency during a national financial crisis without blinking.
Then it hit him.
Not long ago, Seok-won had merged Ilhan Bank with Hanseong Bank and was set to acquire the resulting mega-bank. That explained everything.
"He's not just some typical chaebol heir."
Realizing that, Yoon silently nodded to himself. Just then, Seok-won spoke, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"I'll make the donation tomorrow. Have PR prepare a press release and circulate it."
"You mean, issue a story to the media?"
"I'm not a saint. When you donate that kind of money, there's no reason to keep it a secret,
right?"
Seok-won said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"I mean, sure, I have patriotic intentions and want to help the country. But this isn't a refundable gold deposit—it's a full-on donation. I might as well get a good public image out of it."
"Y-You're absolutely right."
"But don't make it look like I'm bragging. Be tasteful about it."
"Understood."
Given how sensitive the public was during this difficult time, even a massive donation could
backfire if it came across as flashy or arrogant.
"If there's nothing else, you're dismissed."
"Ah, yes."
Yoon gave a polite bow and quickly exited the office.
Now alone, Seok-won gently rubbed his chin, a look of serious contemplation on his face.
"Hmm… What should I do?"
Until a moment ago, it hadn't seemed like such a big deal.
But the more he thought about it, the clearer it became: if things went on as they were, someone shady would inevitably end up profiting off the gold that citizens had selflessly donated.
"People are already suffering because of the IMF crisis. Imagine how betrayed they'd feel if they learned their hard-earned gold had just fattened someone else's pockets."
Even if that weren't the case, the sheer contrast between the people doing everything they could to save the country, and those exploiting the situation from the shadows, was sickening.
"I can't let that happen."
Having made up his mind, Seok-won picked up the phone on his desk.
He scrolled through his saved contacts until he found the number for Choi Jin-woo, the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, and pressed the call button.
After a few seconds of ringing, the line connected.
"Hello?" came a weary voice.
Even from a short greeting, Seok-won could tell the man was completely drained. It might not have been the worst of the crisis anymore, but the pressure clearly hadn't lifted.
"This is Park Seok-won."
[Ah, President Park. What brings you to call me?]
As the Deputy Prime Minister answered the call with warmth, Seok-won spoke calmly.
"I hope I'm not interrupting your busy schedule."
[Even if I'm drowning in work, I'd obviously take a call from the man who helped save this
country.]
Deputy Prime Minister Choi Jin-woo chuckled, making a light-hearted joke.
"You're going to make me blush if you keep saying things like that."
[It's not just me—everyone at the Ministry of Strategy and Finance knows the country would've gone bankrupt if it weren't for you.]
"I have something important to discuss. Would you be able to spare a little time?"
[If you ask to meet, I'll make time even if I don't have any. But I doubt you're calling me without a reason. What's this about?]
"I'd rather speak with you in person."
Choi Jin-woo gave a silent nod of understanding.
[Very well. Why don't you come to the Gwanghwamun government complex tomorrow afternoon?]
"Just let me know what time works best for you, and I'll be there."
[I should have a short break around 1 PM. Let's meet then.]
"Understood. I'll see you at 1."