The number of SAVE fund subscribers was growing by the day.
David had successfully recruited over 80 people from the list I gave him, once again proving his remarkable skills.
"David! Do you want your bonus deposited into your account, or would you prefer cash?"
"Already? There are still 20 more people left. I plan to recruit all 100 and claim the extra bonus as well."
"Forget 20—just meet two more people, and I'll give you the additional bonus."
I handed David two photographs.
"Who are they? One of them looks really familiar."
"The U.S. presidential election is this year, right? Don't you think we should throw our support behind one side?"
"Well, since we're based on Wall Street, supporting a candidate would definitely make our lives easier later on."
It's often said that Wall Street funds U.S. elections.
Indeed, an enormous amount of campaign funding came from Wall Street donors.
Since SAVE Investment was a Wall Street-based firm, it wasn't unusual for us to provide financial support.
But this wasn't just about the company.
The man who would win this election in 1992 was the same person who would win again in 1996.
And when the Asian Financial Crisis hit, he would be the one in office.
That meant it was crucial to get on his good side now.
"We're backing Clinton."
"Boss, are you sure about this? After the Gulf War, Bush had an approval rating of over 80%. Most people still believe he has the upper hand for re-election."
"Isn't there more to gain from supporting the underdog? Besides, the gap between the two is narrowing by the day."
Thanks to the Gulf War victory, President Bush's approval rating had soared.
But Clinton was focusing his campaign on the economic recession that began in 1990.
His slogan, "It's the economy, stupid!", positioned him as the best candidate to handle the crisis.
Not that any of that really mattered to me.
I already knew Bill Clinton would win—and that he would win again in the next election.
"Okay, so how much are we donating to Governor Clinton?"
"If we're going to do this, we need to make it count. A solid $10 million should do the trick."
"A donation of that size will definitely make his campaign happy. But honestly, this seems too easy. Anyone could donate $10 million."
"That's why we'll also build a long-term relationship."
A connection with Clinton wasn't something I needed immediately.
I had to lay the groundwork now so that when the financial crisis hit, I'd have a powerful ally.
"So, who's the other guy? I don't recognize him at all."
"That's because he's not American—he's Russian."
"Russia? From an American perspective, that's… complicated."
"The Cold War is over. What's there to worry about? Even McDonald's has entered Russia. Besides, the person in that photo isn't all that important—yet."
"What's his name?"
"Vladimir Putin. A former KGB officer turned politician."
Would it really be necessary to establish a connection with Putin?
I had been debating this for over a year, but ultimately, I came to the conclusion that the more connections, the better.
After all, Putin would rule Russia for the next two decades.
And right now, this was the lowest point in his political career.
"You're not just asking me to meet Putin, are you? You want me to fund him as well?"
"He's probably an independent politician at this point. That means this is when he needs funding the most."
"How much are you thinking of giving him?"
"If we offer too much, it'll only make him suspicious. Around $5 million should be enough."
"$5 million for an independent politician? Do you really think he'd accept that kind of money just like that? There's no justification for it."
"It's your job to find a justification, David. Figure out a way to provide the funding and create a link between him and SAVE Investment."
David fell into deep thought.
Meeting a former KGB officer turned politician was no small burden for an American like him.
"Understood. I'll handle it personally. And when I establish a reason for the funding, I might use your name indirectly."
"As long as neither Taewoo Group nor my name is mentioned outright, that's fine."
"I'll frame it as funding from a Korean company that plans to enter the Russian market in a few years."
"You know safety comes first, right? Don't take unnecessary risks and get yourself hurt."
"Don't worry. One of my specialties is survival!"
My main objectives in Korea were almost complete.
I had entrusted David with external affairs, and the scholarship program within Korea had been set up to function independently through the foundation.
"Manager Han, start preparing to return to the U.S."
"Are we finally heading back?"
"I need to start preparing for enrollment."
"Oh, and how's that thing I asked you to arrange coming along?"
"You mean the preparations for early graduation?"
I wanted to graduate as soon as possible and join Taewoo Group.
By finishing my four-year degree in just three years, I'd gain an extra year—but to do that, I needed top grades.
"I've selected seven Harvard economics graduates. From now on, they'll handle all your reports, and you'll only need to review them. As for exams, we've gathered past questions from each professor and are currently analyzing their patterns."
"So basically, I'm buying my grades. Not exactly my first choice, but I don't want to waste four years rotting in school."
"I completely understand, Boss. I mean, you've already built a company the size of SAVE Investment—what's college compared to that?"
I was well aware that my actions right now were something people would condemn.
The only consolation was that Manager Han at least understood my reasoning.
***
August: Back to the U.S.
In August, I returned to the United States.
I moved my belongings out of my place on Wall Street and transferred them to the mansion I had purchased in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Before I knew it, September arrived, and the new semester began.
I focused on both my studies and scouting potential recruits among my peers and seniors.
By mid-September, however, I briefly returned to Wall Street.
George from Quantum Fund had reached out, expressing his desire to meet with me.
When George arrived at SAVE Investment, he immediately pulled me into a hug as soon as he saw me.
"The exhausting war is finally over!"
"Congratulations on your victory against the British."
"What do you mean 'congratulations to me'? SAVE Investment is one of the victors as well!"
Allies who fight together inevitably form strong bonds.
It wasn't a war of bloodshed, but on Wall Street, money was worth more than blood.
Having secured victory in a high-stakes financial war, George held onto me for a long while before finally moving on to discuss the spoils of war.
"Once again, congratulations. Your return on investment from this war is 50%. I would've given you more, but those who joined earlier naturally deserved the bigger share of the spoils."
"50% is more than enough for me."
I had invested $6 billion.
A 50% return meant I had earned a staggering $3 billion.
"Not to make excuses, but even as the one who led this war, my return was just over 60%, and my actual earnings were only $1 billion—far less than what you'll be receiving."
"Only $1 billion for leading a war against Britain? That seems a little low, don't you think?"
"If this were a one-time battle, I could have taken a bigger share. But we still have many wars ahead, don't we? Some of the early investors have already walked away with multiple times their initial capital."
As expected, George was already preparing for the next war.
And, of course, I was ready to join as well.
"Then I suppose I'll have to join in from the very beginning next time. Are you planning to attack the European foreign exchange market again?"
"I'm thinking of making Germany my next target. The French franc is overvalued, so I plan to short the Deutsche Mark and go long on the franc. However, this time, I won't be forming an alliance. Everyone will have to act independently. You can choose to follow my lead and buy francs, or simply watch from the sidelines."
"So you won't be forming alliances with other hedge funds this time?"
"I'll take the lead, but it's up to them whether they follow. I can't take responsibility for everyone forever, can I?"
I could see the cunning in George's tone and expression.
Of course, I was only able to see through him because I knew the future.
His true plan in this operation was to stab the hedge funds in the back.
The moment they followed his lead and poured massive amounts of money into the French franc, he would dump all of his own holdings, cashing in his profits before anyone else.
I kept my thoughts to myself, forcing a smile as I continued speaking.
"I'll discuss it with my team before making a decision."
"Do as you please. The choice is entirely yours."
How could he change so quickly in just a few minutes?
The camaraderie we had built during the war against Britain had completely vanished from his demeanor.
This was exactly how Wall Street operated.
No permanent allies. No permanent enemies.
"Thank you for your advice. And also, I appreciate you lending your name to the foundation."
"No, I should be the one thanking you. Thanks to you, I managed to save a significant amount in taxes."
Quantum Fund had donated 10 billion won to the Taewoo Scholarship Foundation, under its own name.
But in reality, that money had come from my pocket.
The tax benefits, however, had gone to Quantum Fund.
That was why George was thanking me.
"If all I get in return for using Quantum Fund's name is a tax break, then I'd say I've made an excellent deal."
"Does the name even matter? Feel free to ask me for this kind of favor anytime."
We continued our conversation, both of us hiding our true intentions behind a mask.
Even as we exchanged words, I kept up a pleasant smile.
I even walked George out of the building, maintaining my friendly facade until the very end.
***
As soon as George stepped outside, I immediately called for a meeting with Jeffrey and Manager Han in the conference room.
"Quantum Fund is planning to stab Wall Street in the back. What should we do? By the way, I'm the only one who knows about this."
"What? What do you mean? Are they withholding your earnings?"
"No, the settlement was handled properly. My return was 50%, and I'm receiving $3 billion in profits."
"A 50% return is extremely high. Then what do you mean by saying they're planning a betrayal?"
The U.S. economy was in terrible shape.
Most hedge funds were relieved if they could just avoid negative returns.
Even for SAVE Investment Company, which managed $4 billion internally, the return was only around 20%.
And that was only thanks to the tips I had provided along the way.
"George has set his next target on the French franc. But from what I can tell, he's just pretending to buy—he's actually planning to sell it off."
Team Leader Han immediately grasped the situation and explained it in simple terms.
"So if other hedge funds follow Quantum Fund and start buying francs, the price will rise, and that's when he'll dump his holdings."
That was exactly the situation, and Team Leader Han figured it out instantly.
He truly had top-tier analytical skills.
"What's the best move for us?"