Outside, darkness had settled deep and heavy, while the grand strains of Beethoven's Symphony No. 3, "Eroica," filled the spacious living room, emanating from a high-end tube amplifier and speakers.
Seok-won leaned back into the plush leather sofa, eyes closed, immersing himself in the powerful performance.
At home, he was dressed comfortably in lightweight trousers and a thin sweater.
He held a glass of deep red wine in one hand, swirling it slowly in rhythm with the music, completely absorbed.
As the symphony approached its climactic crescendo, the vibration of his phone on the table suddenly interrupted the moment.
Bzz… bzz…
Seok-won opened his eyes slowly and picked up the phone, checking the name displayed on the screen.
Setting his wine glass down on the table, he straightened and pressed the call button.
"Did you arrive safely in New York?"
[Yes. It's good to be back home, as expected.]
Seok-won smiled slightly and walked over to the audio system, lowering the volume.
The once-majestic music softened, now serving as a gentle background.
"You worked hard in Russia. I was going to let you rest a few days—what's the reason for calling?"
[That's what I intended, but all the revenue settlements have just finished, so I'm giving you an update.]
Seok-won's interest piqued at Landon's cheerful tone.
"How much did it come to?"
[Excluding the yen bets placed separately by the Japan office, we achieved a 31.5% return.]
"That's over thirty billion dollars, then."
[Precisely $34.714 billion. After deducting various costs, it comes down to about $34.02 billion, but even then, it's a staggering sum.]
Seok-won's lips curved into a subtle smile, mirroring the excitement in Landon's voice.
Yet he maintained his composure, speaking with calm understatement.
"Well, that's not a bad result."
Astonished, Landon let out an exclamation over the phone.
[This is the highest return since the fund's establishment, and yet you're so composed. Truly impressive.]
If he had been alone, Seok-won might have cheered until the house shook, but instead, he restrained the laughter threatening to escape, keeping his calm as he replied.
"I've placed bets exceeding a hundred billion dollars. Even if we didn't win big, we had to at least make that much."
[Laughs] "Ha ha ha, you're absolutely right."
Landon chimed in, matching Seok-won's tone.
[Knowing this, I could've been a bit more aggressive with leverage. I feel a bit of regret.]
But Seok-won showed no hint of regret.
"Since we were betting on multiple positions simultaneously, if even one had gone wrong, the entire position would have collapsed. This level was just right. Had we pushed our luck further, we might have hit a jackpot but ended up wiped out, unable to cover a margin call."
Landon, recalling the struggles, shivered at the memory.
[True. Placing bets over a hundred billion dollars is no joke. Until Russia declared the moratorium, the Dow and Nasdaq kept rising, forcing us to inject collateral—sometimes in the tens of millions or more—two or three times a week. Each time, it felt like my blood was boiling dry.]
Unlike Seok-won, who had complete confidence, Landon had only been cautiously optimistic about the moratorium's likelihood, so his nerves had been stretched thin.
Seok-won walked back to the sofa, picked up his wine glass, and leaned against the bar table by the window for a better view.
"And we haven't finished closing all the bets yet, so there's no reason to be disappointed."
[Heh heh heh, indeed. Thanks to liquidating positions right at the bottom and switching to long, as of today, the Dow has gained 19.1% and Nasdaq a staggering 31.3%.]
Hearing Landon's cheerful voice, Seok-won took a sip of wine and said,
"As I mentioned before, with the Fed continuously cutting rates and injecting massive liquidity, combined with the still-heated dot-com craze, the synergy will push the stock market sharply upward."
[I agree.]
"We're just at the beginning of a major bull run. Don't unwind the positions—keep them as they are."
[Understood.]
Finishing the remaining wine, he set the glass down, keeping the phone at his ear.
"And the stocks I gave you last time—are we still accumulating them?"
[We're sweeping up the shares exactly as instructed. Though, with such large purchases, the prices have already risen considerably. Shall we pause for a moment here, and then resume buying if prices dip again?]
Pushing hundreds of billions of dollars into a concentrated buying spree naturally raised concerns about overpaying, since the stocks were already skyrocketing.
But Seok-won knew exactly how much companies like Microsoft, Dell, Oracle, and Intel would soar in the coming years riding the dot-com boom, so he spoke as if it didn't matter.
"Even though the prices have risen, this is still the cheapest they'll ever be. Don't worry about the price—focus on scooping up as much as you can, as quickly as you can."
Landon tilted his head in confusion. Although prices had jumped 20–30% since the initial accumulation, Seok-won insisted it was still cheap.
Yet all the stocks Seok-won had marked were prime beneficiaries of the dot-com boom. More importantly, seeing his urgency, Landon trusted that there was something he hadn't yet grasped, and followed the instructions without question.
[Understood.]
"And make sure $14 billion of the profits we earned this time is transferred to my account in the Cayman Islands."
[That's a significant sum. What do you plan to use it for?]
A deep smile spread across Seok-won's face as he answered,
"There's an incredible fire sale happening in Korea. I'm going shopping."
***
Daejeon, Defense Science Research Institute.
Director Son Sang-bong, wearing horn-rimmed glasses and streaked with gray hair, sat on a sofa with Dr. Kwak Yoon-shin, the head of the missile division, engaged in a serious conversation.
"So, the engine development isn't going smoothly, then?"
Meeting his gaze, Dr. Kwak, his face etched with fatigue, replied,
"Yes. To launch a warhead twice as heavy as the current Hyunmoo missiles over a longer distance, we need a completely new solid-propellant rocket engine with significantly greater thrust. There are many challenges."
Director Son nodded heavily.
"That makes sense. You have to start from scratch, even the design has to be completely new."
Dr. Kwak exhaled, his voice tinged with frustration.
"We have no choice but to tackle it head-on, developing each step from the ground up. That requires more funding and research personnel than we currently have."
Hearing this, Director Son let out a low groan, his expression showing reluctance.
"I understand it's difficult, but with the IMF crisis, the entire country is in a tough spot. Increasing support isn't easy. To be blunt, it's not just about getting more funding—we're struggling just to prevent budget cuts."
Dr. Kwak let out a quiet sigh.
"Ha… I understand. I was just venting a bit, hoping to make my frustrations known."
Seeing Dr. Kwak brush his coarse, tired face with his palm, Director Son's expression softened with a tinge of guilt.
"I'll speak directly to the Minister and see if we can somehow secure additional support for your team."
"Do you think that's possible?"
"We'll do whatever we can."
Dr. Kwak, who had been slumping in his seat, visibly brightened.
"Thank you, Director."
"I'm not doing this for personal gain, but for the country. That's what this position is for, isn't it?"
Dr. Kwak Yoon-shin looked at Director Son Sang-bong with eyes full of gratitude.
He had no idea how reassuring it was to see someone willingly step forward, even with such a difficult task.
Despite his modest salary, one of the main reasons he had stayed at the institute all these years was because Director Son was at the helm.
After discussing the clandestine development of the Hyunmoo-2 missile under the secretive Vinik project for quite some time, Dr. Kwak finally rose from his seat.
Once the door closed, Director Son sank deep into the sofa, his body slumping like a soaked rag.
A heavy silence filled the room as he let out a long sigh and stared at the ceiling.
His thoughts drifted back to the view of the research institute building he had seen on his way home last night.
Although it was late, most of the windows were brightly lit.
Under that glow, he could vividly picture Dr. Kwak and countless other researchers at the defense institute, tirelessly working day and night.
They devoted themselves entirely to research, driven solely by patriotism, even under harsh conditions.
It pained him deeply that he could not adequately support their sacrifices and efforts.
The worn-out research equipment, limited budget, and insufficient compensation left him feeling powerless to help in meaningful ways.
Knock, knock.
The sound of a knock pulled Director Son from his thoughts, and his executive secretary entered the room.
"Director, a guest from Daehung Venture Capital has arrived."
"Oh, I see."
Rubbing the bridge of his nose with his fingers, Director Son replied in a slightly subdued voice,
"Please show them in."
"Yes."
The secretary quietly cleared the cold coffee cups from the table and stepped out.
Moments later, the door opened again, and a tall, well-built man in a perfectly tailored suit entered, accompanied by his executive secretary, Han Ji-sung.
Director Son noted to himself that this was the second son of the Daehung Group chairman, and one look was enough to tell he had the unmistakable air of a wealthy young heir.
He straightened in his seat.
"Welcome."
In response to his greeting, Seok-won smiled and extended one hand first.
"Pleased to meet you. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to see me."
Contrary to his initial impressions, Seok-won was polite, earning a warm, approving glance from Director Son as they shook hands lightly.
"Shall we have a seat first?"
Director Son Sang-bong gestured, and Seok-won, along with his assistant Han Ji-sung, settled onto the leather sofa.
"What would you like to drink?"
"Coffee… I just had some, so maybe not. Please give us green tea."
Director Son glanced briefly at him, and Seok-won nodded in agreement.
"Green tea works for us as well."
"Very well. I'll bring it right away."
Once the secretary left, a brief, slightly awkward silence filled the room.
Director Son cleared his throat softly and then spoke first.
"I must admit, I was a bit surprised to hear from the Minister that you, Mr. Park, wished to meet with me."
It made sense—Daehung Group had no defence-related subsidiaries; their business was primarily in textiles and distribution.
"That's understandable. There's essentially no connection between Daehung Group and the Defense Research Institute."
Director Son nodded in agreement.
Seok-won, who had been sitting with a relaxed posture, now turned serious, his gaze fixed directly on the director.
"The truth is, I am bringing a shipment from Russia, and I believe there will be many areas where we can cooperate with the Defense Research Institute. That's why I came to see you."
"…?"
Director Son furrowed his brow at the unexpected statement.
Was this someone here to spout nonsense? He felt a flicker of irritation, but considering he had been introduced by Minister An Yong-guk and had heard that Seok-won had close ties to the president, he restrained his anger and replied carefully.
"I'm not sure I fully understand what you mean."
"The shipment coming from Russia is a Proton rocket."
"Ah… I see."
Director Son initially replied half-heartedly, dismissing the comment, but as soon as he recalled what a Proton rocket was, his eyes widened.
He straightened his upper body and asked again, his voice tense.
"Did you just say…?"
Seeing Director Son lean forward, clearly surprised, Seok-won allowed a faint, knowing smile to appear on his lips.
"I said it is a Proton rocket."