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CH284 | GSI
🕑 Added 2025-04-06 03:51:51 +0000 UTCChairman Kwak Dong-hoon of Saseong Group placed his coffee cup down, his expression one of surprise.
“So, you're saying that the head of the Wall Street hedge fund, Eldorado Fund, is actually Chairman Park’s second son?”
Receiving his gaze, Yom Geon-woo, the chief secretary seated on the right-side sofa, replied.
“That’s correct. Since it operates solely with private funds and does not accept any external investments, it would be more accurate to call it a family office rather than a hedge fund.”
“Was it established to manage Chairman Park’s slush funds?”
It was a natural assumption. After all, among major conglomerate leaders, there were few who didn’t have large sums of hidden assets overseas—including Saseong Group itself.
“At first, I thought so too. But after digging deeper, I found that wasn’t the case.”
“If it’s not a slush fund, then what is it?”
Chairman Kwak tilted his head in confusion.
“It was a family office created entirely with Park Seok-won’s personal funds from the beginning.”
Chairman Kwak furrowed his brows slightly as he listened.
“Park Seok-won… You mean Chairman Park’s second son?”
“Yes.”
Recalling the young man’s face from a past business federation meeting, Chairman Kwak spoke with a hint of surprise.
“As far as I know, that kid is quite young.”
“He just turned twenty-nine this year.”
“He’s not even thirty, yet he had enough money to establish a fund like that? Did Chairman Park give him a large inheritance early on?”
“Well… I couldn’t believe it at first either. But take a look at this.”
Chief Secretary Yom placed a thin file in front of Chairman Kwak.
With a puzzled expression, Chairman Kwak glanced at Yom before reaching out to open the file.
Inside, a newspaper article from the U.S., dated several years ago, was attached alongside a translated copy.
[Powerball Jackpot Hits in Texas!]
After five consecutive draws without a winner, the Powerball jackpot had soared to a staggering $190 million. And now, the lucky winner has finally emerged.
The Texas Lottery Commission announced that the winner is a male foreign student in his twenties residing in Massachusetts—Seok-won Park.
The winner had the choice of receiving the prize as an annuity over 29 years or as a lump sum after taxes. He opted for the lump sum payment of $119.7 million.
A large USA Today article featured a black-and-white photo of Seok-won holding a panel that read "$119,000,000" while posing for the camera.
Chairman Kwak’s eyes widened in shock.
“Wait… Are you telling me that this lottery winner is Chairman Park’s second son?”
"As hard as it may be to believe, it's true."
"This is absolutely ridiculous..."
Chairman Kwak Dong-hoon lowered his gaze, carefully examining the newspaper photo.
Though the image was in black and white and further blurred from copying, it wasn’t difficult to recognize the East Asian man holding the prize check as Seok-won.
Even if that weren’t enough, there was no reason for Chief Secretary Yom Geon-woo to fabricate such an absurd story just to deceive him. It was only logical to accept it as fact.
"Hah..."
Chairman Kwak let out a stunned exhale.
"Winning a $119.7 million lottery... Chairman Park’s second son must be incredibly lucky."
Even for a conglomerate chairman, that was an amount of money not easily handled, making it a reasonable reaction.
Watching Chairman Kwak’s reaction, Yom Geon-woo leaned forward slightly.
"The truly astonishing part comes next."
"...There's more?"
"Do you know what Chairman Park’s son did with his winnings?"
"You just said he used it to establish a family office."
Chairman Kwak asked with a puzzled expression, to which Yom Geon-woo responded with a serious look.
"He started with investments in European government bonds, then successfully shorted the Mexican peso and bonds by predicting the financial crisis. On top of that, he recently participated in the speculative attack on the Japanese yen. Every investment he touches turns to gold, and now, he's considered one of the most closely watched investors on Wall Street."
"...What?"
Chairman Kwak, who had unconsciously straightened his posture, sat there, mouth agape.
"You're telling me Chairman Park’s second son did all of that?"
"Yes. You must be familiar with George Soros, the hedge fund titan."
"Of course. The man who brought the Bank of England to its knees."
"That very George Soros publicly praised Park Seok-won in an interview, calling him an outstanding investor who made even greater profits than he did in the yen attack."
Chairman Kwak knew all too well the reputation of George Soros.
Hearing that such a financial giant had recognized Seok-won’s abilities suddenly made him see the young man in a new light.
"You’re aware that Daehung Group has been operating a private jet recently, aren’t you?"
"I’ve heard about it."
Some members of the business federation had scoffed, claiming that only the top five conglomerates should own private jets. When the hostile takeover incident erupted, they had mocked Daehung Group, saying the company was too busy playing around with luxuries instead of focusing on management, which had led to the crisis.
"But it turns out the jet wasn’t bought with company funds—it was a personal gift from Park Seok-won."
"...Is that true?"
"Yes. The aircraft’s maintenance and operations aren’t handled by Daehung Group either. Seok-won set up a separate private company for that."
"This is unbelievable. Giving someone a private jet as a gift… He must be making an enormous amount of money."
The more Chairman Kwak listened, the more incredulous his expression became.
"Though the exact figure is unknown, word on Wall Street is that Eldorado Fund’s assets exceed at least $10 billion."
Chairman Kwak’s eyes widened in shock.
"...Did you just say ten billion dollars?"
It was an almost unbelievable amount.
Winning the lottery was shocking enough, but turning $119.7 million into more than a hundred times that in just a few years? That was beyond extraordinary.
"It’s just speculation, but considering Eldorado Fund’s track record, I believe their assets are at least in that range."
"Incredible. So this is why Chairman Park refused the help offered by Hyunwoo Group and us."
Chairman Kwak gaped in genuine admiration.
"In fact, during the battle with Daehung Group, it was Park Seok-won, the second son, who took full control of the situation and led the response."
"I had a feeling. The way he not only defended so skillfully but even launched a counterattack—it was nothing short of exceptional."
Nodding in understanding, Chairman Kwak suddenly asked,
"You said Park Seok-won is twenty-nine years old, right?"
"That’s correct."
"Tsk. What a shame."
At those words, Chief Secretary Yom Geon-woo looked at him in confusion.
"What do you mean?"
"My second son just got engaged, so that’s out of the question. That only leaves my youngest daughter… but she’s only seventeen. The age gap is too big. Otherwise, he would’ve been the perfect son-in-law."
Chairman Kwak furrowed his brows, genuinely regretful.
Well, Yom Geon-woo had to admit—if it were up to him, he’d want a son-in-law like Park Seok-won too.
"Park Seok-won… I have a feeling we’ll be hearing his name a lot from now on."
Leaning back against the sofa, Chairman Kwak murmured to himself.
* * *
Chuo Ward, Tokyo, Japan
– Sumimoto Corporation Headquarters
The office was filled with the incessant ringing of telephones and the loud whir of fax machines spitting out documents from business partners.
In the non-ferrous metals division—handling everything except iron, including copper, zinc, lead, and tin—employees were scrambling through another busy day.
"Yes, yes. If you send us the letter of credit, we’ll process it immediately."
"What? The shipment isn’t fully loaded yet? How did that happen?"
"Five tons of lead? Hold on a moment."
Amid the chaos, a man sat at a desk near a sunlit window, his face tense. Four CRT monitors were mounted on his desk, their screens flashing constantly.
He appeared to be in his late 30s, with a lean build and sharp features—this was Sugihara Takashi, the manager in charge of copper at Sumimoto Corporation.
For over a decade, he had been handling copper trading, moving enough volume to account for 5% of the global copper market. With such influence, he had earned the nickname "Mr. 5 Percent" among copper traders.
Despite the grand title, Sugihara was an ordinary salaryman in every aspect—except for his piercing gaze.
His eyes, slightly bloodshot from lack of sleep, were locked onto the copper spot price displayed on his monitor. Nervously biting his nails, he watched the numbers intently.
[LME Copper Cathode: 2,654.8 USD ▼ 45]
Copper prices had been on a steady decline since yesterday. Seeing the continued downtrend, Sugihara muttered a curse under his breath.
"Damn it..."
Sumimoto Corporation was currently holding 1.2 million tons of copper—a massive volume, exceeding 8% of the world’s annual copper production. Under normal circumstances, they only kept around 400,000 tons in inventory, making this an unusually large stockpile.
With such a huge position, every drop in the international copper price meant mounting losses. The accumulated losses had already reached tens of billions of yen.
And that didn’t even include their losses in the futures market, which had further multiplied the damage.
It was all because of Sugihara’s miscalculation.
Reports had been circulating since late last year, warning of an impending decline in international copper prices due to economic downturns in Asia and an oversupply issue.
But Sugihara refused to believe them. Instead, he had bet against the reports—on a price increase.
The result? A catastrophic loss.
If the situation wasn’t reversed soon, not only would he lose his proud nickname, "Mr. 5 Percent," but his entire career—built through years of effort—would go up in smoke.
"I can’t let that happen."
Clenching his lips tightly, Sugihara picked up the phone.
With the ease of someone who had done this many times before, he dialed a number in New York—reaching out to a trader named Cody Brother.
As the ringing tone echoed in his ear, his face grew tense with anxiety.
Finally, the line connected.
Suppressing his nervousness, Sugihara spoke in a calm, controlled voice.
"Cody, it’s Sugihara."
[Calling me at this hour... you’re looking to buy futures, aren’t you?]
"That’s right."
Still holding the phone to his ear, Sugihara’s eyes remained fixed on his monitor, where the price of copper continued its downward trend.
"What’s the current trading price for July copper futures?"
[It's barely holding at $1.139.]
As expected, copper futures had fallen further in anticipation of the price decline. Confirming this, Sugihara adjusted his grip on the receiver and quickly got to the point.
"Sell July copper futures, same as yesterday."
[Hold on a sec.]
The sound of rapid keystrokes echoed through the line as Cody executed the order. A moment later, he returned.
[Okay, it’s all in.]
"Thanks."
With a short reply, Sugihara immediately hung up.
His eyes went back to the monitor displaying copper spot prices. His face was tense, his fingers once again nervously biting at his nails.
Then, as if pleading with the market itself, he muttered under his breath:
"Please go up... please!"
