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CH215 | GSI
🕑 Added 2025-03-14 03:55:02 +0000 UTCDebra stood in front of the Plaza Hotel’s main entrance, anxiously checking her watch over and over.
“Only ten minutes left. Why isn’t he here yet?”
That morning, she had no choice but to approach him in workout clothes for the sake of getting the interview. But now, she was dressed to perfection— a sleek gray long coat over a blouse, paired with an H-line skirt with a slit. Her makeup was flawless.
As her nerves grew taut, a yellow taxi pulled up to the curb.
The moment she saw Jan step out of the back seat, camera bag in hand, she rushed toward him, exclaiming:
“Jan! What took you so long?”
Jan frowned and shot back, “Do you even realize today’s a holiday? And not just any holiday—Christmas! You suddenly call me in, expecting me to drop everything? Do you have any idea how hard it is to get from Jersey City to Manhattan?”
From the irritation in his voice, it was clear he had gotten an earful from his wife before leaving the house.
“I’m sorry! But this is a once-in-a-lifetime exclusive. We can’t miss it.”
Jan sighed, his expression softening a little at her apologetic tone.
“Wait… You’re telling me the CEO of Eldorado Fund actually agreed to an interview?”
“Yes! I told you!”
She nodded eagerly, then hurried him along.
“We don’t have time for this! We need to get upstairs fast—there’s lighting, mics, and cameras to set up!”
Jan let out a deep sigh and adjusted the heavy camera bag on his shoulder. Then, he waved the taxi receipt in front of her.
“That cab ride from Jersey cost me a fortune, so you better cover it.”
“If we land this interview, the director will approve all expenses without a second thought. Don’t worry.”
Pulling Jan by the sleeve, Debra dragged him into the hotel.
The moment they stepped into the grand lobby—where a towering Christmas tree stood nearly touching the ceiling—Debra made a beeline across the marble floor to the front desk.
Four hotel staff members, dressed in crisp uniforms, were stationed there. As Debra and Jan approached, a blond male receptionist greeted them with a warm smile.
“How may I assist you?”
“I have an appointment with a guest staying in the penthouse. Could you confirm for me, please?”
The male receptionist responded with a polite yet cautious tone.
“May I have your name, please?”
“Debra.”
As she spoke, she placed a business card on the front desk, its surface emblazoned with the CNBC logo.
“Please wait a moment.”
After checking the card, the receptionist picked up the phone and dialed the penthouse.
“Your guest has arrived. Shall I send them up? Ah, understood.”
Debra did her best to ignore the subtle glance he cast in her direction, trying to maintain a composed expression.
But inwardly, she was on edge.
What if he had changed his mind at the last minute?
His agreement to the interview had seemed like a spur-of-the-moment decision, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he had suddenly decided against it.
‘Please, let this work…’
Fortunately, when the receptionist put the phone down, he was still smiling.
“I’ll escort you to the penthouse. Is the gentleman behind you part of your party?”
“Yes.”
“Understood. This way, please.”
He stepped out from behind the front desk and led them to a private elevator on the left.
Even the elevator was larger and more luxurious than the others. But the moment they stepped onto the penthouse floor, it felt like they had entered a completely different world.
Instead of a standard hallway lined with guest room doors, the penthouse level was adorned with enormous floral arrangements and expensive-looking artwork, and the air itself carried a delicate, refined fragrance.
“This way.”
The receptionist gestured to the left.
Jan, who had been gawking with his mouth slightly open, was nudged in the side by Debra’s elbow. Quickly snapping out of it, he followed her as she trailed behind the hotel staff.
Even in the five-star Plaza Hotel, there were only five penthouse suites. And just as expected, the entrance was grand—a massive double door, crafted from the finest wood.
When the receptionist pressed the doorbell, a mechanical click soon followed, signaling the release of the lock.
The door swung open, revealing a towering Black man with an intimidating build—Baucus, Seok-won’s personal bodyguard.
Jan instinctively tensed up, his shoulders shrinking slightly as he muttered under his breath:
“…Debra, you’re absolutely sure we got permission, right?”
“I told you, we have permission.”
Having already encountered Baucus once that morning, Debra forced an awkward smile and gave a small wave.
“Ah. Hello.”
Baucus sized them both up from head to toe before silently stepping aside to let them in.
Wasting no time, Debra and Jan stepped into the penthouse, only to be immediately captivated by the breathtaking view of Central Park stretching beyond the large living room windows.
“Wow…”
It was a sight so magnificent that admiration escaped their lips without thought.
With that picturesque backdrop beside him, Seok-won sat on the sofa, clad in a crisp white dress shirt, engrossed in reading through a stack of documents.
Bathed in the golden sunlight streaming through the windows, his features seemed to radiate even more brilliantly, making the scene look like something straight out of a high-end fashion editorial.
Lifting his gaze from the papers, Seok-won met their eyes and said,
“Right on time.”
Debra, who had been staring absentmindedly, quickly snapped back to reality the moment their eyes met.
“Ah! Yes! Thank you again for agreeing to the interview.”
She internally groaned at herself for fumbling yet again—twice in one day.
‘This feels like meeting a Hollywood heartthrob. How is this man a Wall Street investor?!’
Most big-shot hedge fund managers or Wall Street investors were middle-aged men, but Seok-won—even considering the youthful appearance common among some Asians—was far too young.
‘He could walk outside right now and get scouted by at least three modeling agencies. And on top of that, he’s tall…’
As she muttered to herself internally, her gaze involuntarily drifted to the partially unbuttoned collar of his shirt, revealing a glimpse of his well-defined, muscular chest.
A faint blush crept onto her face.
‘He must work out a lot…’
It made sense. He was often spotted either at the hotel gym or jogging through Central Park.
At that moment, Jan nudged her lightly with his elbow and whispered,
“Debra. What are you doing?”
“Huh? What?”
“He’s telling us to sit down.”
“Oh! I’m so sorry.”
Realizing she had been spacing out yet again, Debra hurriedly apologized and took a seat on the empty sofa to the left.
Jan tilted his head slightly, puzzled by her unusual flustered behavior, but he didn’t comment on it. Instead, he busied himself setting up the camera and adjusting the tripod.
As Jan worked, Debra stole another glance at Seok-won.
He sat with one leg casually crossed over the other, reclining slightly into the sofa. Despite this being his first interview, he looked completely unbothered—not the slightest hint of nervousness in his expression.
Clearing her throat lightly, she finally spoke.
“Ahem. About what happened this morning… I’m sure it must have come across as rude. I really appreciate you taking the time for this despite that.”
Seok-won responded flatly,
“At least you know it was rude.”
Then, without another word, he extended his hand toward her.
Debra blinked, momentarily confused.
“…?”
“You were supposed to show me the list of questions in advance. That was the condition.”
“Oh! Right, of course!”
Realizing what he meant, she quickly rummaged through her shoulder bag and pulled out the question sheet.
It was evident that she had written them down in a rush—the page was densely packed with handwritten notes in pen.
Seok-won scanned the list slowly, carefully going through each question. Then, without looking up, he asked,
“Do you have a pen?”
"Yes."
Without hesitation, Debra pulled a fountain pen from her pocket and handed it over.
Though scratched and worn, the Montblanc pen still had an air of elegance.
Seok-won glanced at it and remarked, "Looks like an old piece."
"It was my father’s. He passed it down to me as a gift when I got into college."
"A meaningful gift."
Nodding slightly, Seok-won set the list of questions down on the table and began striking lines through several of them.
"These are difficult to answer, and there are too many overall. Let’s cut it down to ten."
Debra’s face fell instantly.
"Just ten? That’s way too few. Can’t we do a little more?"
"If that’s a problem, we can end the interview right here."
His sharp, unwavering tone made it clear there was no room for negotiation.
Debra immediately waved both hands frantically.
"No, no! Ten is perfect! Not too long, not too short—just right. Ha ha ha!"
"Good."
With a nod, Seok-won handed the question sheet and fountain pen back to her.
Debra let out a small sigh. Not even half of her prepared questions made the cut, but there was nothing she could do—he was in control here.
By the time she tucked the paper away, Jan had finished setting up the camera and lighting.
"Alright, we’re rolling."
Pressing his eye to the viewfinder, Jan signaled to Debra, who immediately raised the microphone and began speaking.
"Today, we’re joined by the CEO of Eldorado Fund, a rising star on Wall Street."
The nervous, flustered Debra from earlier had vanished. In front of the camera, she was every bit the professional journalist—crisp voice, clear enunciation, and sharp, engaging eyes.
"First, could you introduce yourself to our viewers?"
Seok-won met the camera with an unhurried gaze, his voice smooth and fluent in English as he spoke.
"I’m Seok-won Park, CEO of Eldorado Fund."
"You’re originally from South Korea, correct?"
"That’s right. Some people confuse it with North Korea, but I assure you, I come from South Korea—America’s ally."
A small smirk played on his lips as he delivered the joke effortlessly.
Debra had expected him to maintain a rigid, formal demeanor, so his lighthearted remark caught her slightly off guard.
Still, she kept the interview moving.
"Could you give us a brief introduction to Eldorado Fund?"
"Eldorado Fund is a global investment firm that manages assets across various markets worldwide."
"Not long ago, George Soros—the legendary investor and founder of Quantum Fund—testified before Congress. During the hearing, he mentioned that a firm had outperformed him in yen investments, which created quite a stir on Wall Street. That firm was yours, wasn’t it?"
At her comment, a subtle smirk crossed Seok-won’s lips.
"That’s… not entirely accurate."
"Oh? And why is that?"
"If you're looking solely at foreign exchange gains, that might seem true. But Mr. Soros had already made a significant profit by selling knock-out options beforehand. So, technically, he earned far more than I did."
Debra, anticipating this, immediately followed up.
"Since we’re on the topic—it's been reported that Eldorado Fund also made substantial profits in Japan through currency options recently. Is that true?"
"To be precise, we dealt with knock-in-knock-out options."
"There are claims that Japanese export companies suffered heavy losses due to excessive penalty clauses in these contracts. What’s your take on that?"
It was a sensitive topic, but Seok-won remained composed, his voice steady.
"Since these options exist to hedge foreign exchange risks, it’s only natural that both parties accept certain penalties. In fact, given the circumstances and the specifics of the contracts, Japanese firms actually had several advantages."
With his fingers interlaced on his knee, he continued in an unhurried tone.
"Otherwise, why would these companies have voluntarily signed the contracts? No one forced them. The real issue was that the yen, which had been surging, suddenly plummeted. That’s what turned our profits into their misfortune."
For someone giving his first-ever media interview, Seok-won spoke with remarkable poise—so much so that Debra found herself momentarily astonished.
"Is there seriously anything this guy can’t do?"
Even if he had rehearsed in advance, it was hard to imagine him handling it this flawlessly.
"I see."
Flashing a professional smile, Debra smoothly transitioned to the next question.
As the interview continued, they soon arrived at the final one.
"We’re already at the last question."
Debra couldn’t hide her disappointment.
"What’s your outlook on the U.S. stock market?"
"If you have spare money, even just a hundred dollars, I’d recommend investing in the stock market. In the long run, I see strong potential."
Noticing the emphasis he placed on long-term, Debra's eyes gleamed with interest.
"So, does that mean you have a bearish outlook in the short term?"
Seok-won nodded and replied, "That’s right."
Debra, slightly disappointed by how uneventful the interview had been so far, immediately sensed she had stumbled upon a real scoop. She instinctively leaned forward.
"Could you elaborate on why you think that?"
"As you’re aware, the ongoing federal government shutdown is the main reason. Wall Street seems to view it as a minor issue that will soon be resolved, but I see it differently."
Debra quickly countered, "The market did dip due to the shutdown, but it rebounded after the Fed’s decision to cut interest rates, didn’t it?"
"That’s true," Seok-won acknowledged, his tone turning more serious. "Rate cuts are certainly a positive factor, but they don’t address the core issue—the shutdown remains unresolved."
"Still, many believe the White House and Congress will reach a compromise by the end of the year," Debra pointed out.
"That’s just an optimistic assumption. The shutdown is still ongoing, and I believe a resolution won’t come easily. In fact, we might be looking at the longest government shutdown in U.S. history."
Debra’s eyes widened in surprise at the starkly different outlook.
"Do you really think that’s possible?"
"Unfortunately, yes," Seok-won said, nodding gravely.
"That’s why we’ve positioned a portion of our fund’s portfolio in short positions."
"!"
Stunned by this unexpected exclusive, Debra’s eyes widened even further.
TL/n -
Writing is a gift. Pass it on.
