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CH141 | GSI
🕑 Added 2025-02-17 03:40:01 +0000 UTCThe Next Day,
Hannam-dong, Seoul
As the sun hung high in the sky, Chairman Park Tae-hong, dressed in comfortable loungewear, opened the door to the master bedroom and stepped into the spacious living room.
“You’re finally up. How are you feeling?”
Madam Jo Deok-rye, who had been sitting on the sofa reading a book with bright sunlight streaming through the large glass windows, noticed her husband emerging and asked with a look of concern.
“Yeah. I slept in all morning, and I feel much better now.”
With a small groan, Chairman Park Tae-hong settled into the middle seat of the sofa.
“Why did you drink so much when you can’t even handle alcohol?”
“It just happened.”
“You’re not young anymore. You should drink in moderation.”
“I’m not even seventy yet. What’s wrong with my age? I’m healthier than most young men.”
Madam Jo Deok-rye shot him a glare and replied sharply, “Is that why such a ‘healthy’ man was groaning in bed all morning, too sick to even go to work?”
“…Ahem.”
Feeling guilty, Chairman Park Tae-hong averted his gaze and pretended to be interested in something else.
“Oh, I don’t know how I put up with you.”
Madam Jo shook her head, closed her book, and placed it on the table.
“Gunsan-dae!”
“Yes, madam?”
At her call, the housekeeper, Gunsan-dae, peeked her head out from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron.
“Make some honey water for the chairman to help with his hangover.”
“Yes, madam.”
As Gunsan-dae returned to the kitchen, Chairman Park Tae-hong scooted closer to his wife and said with a grin, “See? You’re the only one who really cares about me.”
“Just drink less, will you?”
As the couple displayed their affectionate banter, the front door suddenly swung open with a clatter.
“Ah, madam.”
Kim Hyung-gi, Chairman Park’s chauffeur, entered in his suit and approached them.
“People from the Walkerhill Art Museum have arrived.”
“What?”
Jo Deok-rye tilted her head in curiosity, and Chairman Park asked, “Isn’t that the museum run by ST Group?”
“That’s right. Mrs. Noh inherited it from her late mother-in-law two years ago and has been managing it since last year.”
Jo Deok-rye turned to face Kim Hyung-gi, who stood in front of them.
"Let them in for now."
"Understood."
As Kim Hyung-gi stepped out for a moment, Gunsan-dae emerged from the kitchen carrying a tray.
"Chairman, here is your honey water."
"Thank you."
Chairman Park Tae-hong took the bowl and immediately drank it down.
His throat had been parched, and the cool, sweet honey water went down smoothly with each gulp.
"Ahhh."
"Drink slowly. They say even water can upset your stomach as you get older."
"Got it."
Setting the half-finished bowl on the table, Chairman Park asked curiously,
"Did you buy a new painting or something?"
"No."
"Then why did the museum send people over?"
"I have no idea."
Madam Jo Deok-rye replied with a puzzled expression.
Just then, a commotion was heard at the front door before a group of people entered the living room, following Kim Hyung-gi.
A woman in her early thirties, dressed in a two-piece suit, stepped forward and bowed politely to the chairman and his wife.
She was Do Hyang-mi, a close aide and secretary to Noh Sun-hwa, the director of the Walkerhill Art Museum.
"Good day, Chairman. Madam."
"Oh my, Manager Do came in person."
Recognizing her immediately, Jo Deok-rye greeted her warmly.
"Yes, it's been a while."
"It has. So, what brings you to our home?"
Jo Deok-rye glanced behind Do Hyang-mi, where four museum staff members, neatly dressed in suits, stood holding two large, carefully wrapped framed paintings.
"The exhibition of the artwork you purchased has ended, so we've brought them back to you."
"I never bought any paintings."
Jo Deok-rye blinked in confusion.
"Ah, your second son purchased them."
"Seok-won did? Why would he suddenly buy art… Oh."
Recalling how she had sent Seok-won to the exhibition in her place, hoping to set him up with the eldest daughter of the Hojin Group, Jo Deok-rye finally nodded in understanding.
"Well, thank you for bringing them."
At that, Do Hyang-mi opened a file folder and handed over a pen.
"Then, please sign the receipt for collection."
"Alright."
As Jo Deok-rye signed at the bottom of the document, Do Hyang-mi bowed politely and said, "Thank you."
"Where would you like the paintings to be hung?"
"We’ll decide on that later. Just leave them standing in the living room for now."
"Understood."
Do Hyang-mi gave a courteous nod and gestured to the staff accompanying her.
The museum staff carefully set down the framed paintings and propped them neatly against the wall.
"Then, we’ll be on our way."
"Thank you for making the trip all the way here."
Do Hyang-mi gave another slight bow before exiting with her team.
Once they were gone, Chairman Park Tae-hong furrowed his brows.
"Seok-won bought paintings?"
"I told you—I sent him to that exhibition in my place to meet the Hojin Group’s eldest daughter. He must have bought them then."
"He had no interest in the woman he was supposed to meet, but he had no problem spending money on paintings?"
"Well, what can we do if he didn’t like her?"
Jo Deok-rye waved her hand as if telling her husband to drop it, then picked up the receiver and dialed her second son’s number.
After a few rings, Seok-won answered.
[Yes, this is Park Seok-won.]
"It’s me. You’re not busy, are you?"
[No, it’s fine. Is something wrong?]
"Why do you always assume something’s wrong just because your mother calls?"
Hearing the slight disappointment in her voice, Seok-won chuckled.
[Haha, of course not.]
"It’s nothing serious. Walkerhill Art Museum just sent over two paintings, saying you purchased them."
[Ah, I meant to tell you in advance, but I forgot.]
"Did you really buy them?"
[Yes, I found a couple of pieces I really liked at the exhibition, so I bought them.]
"I see. Where should we place them?"
[Just hang both in my room. I already cleared space on the wall for them.]
"Got it. You’re at work, so I won’t keep you."
[Alright.]
As Jo Deok-rye set down the receiver, Chairman Park, who had been waiting beside her, immediately asked,
"What did he say?"
"He said he bought them himself."
Chairman Park turned to Kim Hyung-gi, who was still standing nearby.
"Unwrap them. I want to see what he bought."
"Yes, Chairman."
Kim Hyung-gi carefully removed the layers of protective wrapping, ensuring the paintings weren’t damaged.
One featured a black-and-white depiction of a Coca-Cola bottle, while the other portrayed Marilyn Monroe with her blonde hair, rendered in a style where the colors appeared to bleed into one another.
"What the hell is this? These don’t even look like proper paintings!"
Chairman Park scowled, visibly unimpressed.
Unlike him, however, Jo Deok-rye, who had always enjoyed art exhibitions and classical music, immediately recognized the artist. Her eyes widened.
"Oh, come on. Can’t you tell? These are Andy Warhol’s works!"
"Who’s that?"
"You don’t know Andy Warhol? He’s one of the most famous American pop artists of the 20th century."
"Pop artist or whatever—looks like a child’s doodle to me."
Chairman Park Tae-hong scoffed.
"The colors are garish, and I don’t see why anyone would hold an exhibition just to display this."
Jo Deok-rye considered explaining how significant Andy Warhol was in the art world but decided against it. She knew it would only fall on deaf ears.
"So, how much do these go for? A few hundred million won?"
"A few hundred? If they’re authentic, they’re worth at least several million dollars."
"What?! You’re telling me this is worth millions—just for a lousy drawing of a Coke bottle?"
Chairman Park’s face twisted in disbelief.
"Andy Warhol’s work challenges the distinction between high and low culture, reflecting and transforming contemporary perspectives and societal values—ah, never mind."
Seeing her husband’s completely uninterested expression, Jo Deok-rye sighed. Explaining would be pointless.
"So, this Andy guy painted them, and they’re ridiculously expensive. That’s all I need to know."
"Exactly."
Jo Deok-rye knew that the Coca-Cola painting alone was worth several million dollars, while the "Shot Sage Blue Marilyn" beside it could easily exceed ten million. But she kept that detail to herself.
Then, realizing the combined value of both paintings could be nearly twenty billion won, she turned to her husband, eyes wide with shock.
"Surely, they’re not originals?"
"Since when do museums sell fakes?"
"…That’s true."
It was a ridiculous thought, even to her.
Besides, since Do Hyang-mi, a close aide to Director Noh, had personally delivered them, there was no doubt they were genuine.
"But where on earth did Seok-won get the money to buy two of these?"
"As if that kid’s ever short on money. Do you know how much he’s taken from me over the years?"
Chairman Park grumbled, sulking.
"For that amount, he could’ve bought four of these. Damn, thinking about it makes me sick."
"What are you talking about?"
Jo Deok-rye tilted her head, confused. She had no idea her husband had entrusted a significant sum to their second son for independent investments.
"It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it."
His evasive response made her narrow her eyes.
Something about the way father and son were keeping secrets from her didn’t sit right, but she decided to let it go—for now.
Still, if these were indeed authentic, they were staggeringly valuable. Could they really just hang them in Seok-won’s room like ordinary decorations?
***
Meanwhile...
After ending the call with his mother, Seok-won set his phone down and glanced at Kim Jung-sik, who was sitting on the sofa to his left.
"Sorry about that."
"It’s no problem, Director."
Leaning back against the sofa, Seok-won asked,
"Where did we leave off?"
"I was just saying that all the yen short-selling option contracts have been finalized."
"Ah, right."
He gave a small nod and gestured for Team Leader Kim Jung-sik to continue.
"We secured an average entry price of 80 yen, using 3x leverage, for a total position of 25.2 million dollars in options."
"It's a shame we couldn't leverage more, but since the higher-ups capped it at 3x, there's nothing we can do."
Seok-won clicked his tongue in disappointment.
Unlike him, however, Kim Jung-sik was already overwhelmed by the sheer size of the bet, which had ballooned significantly with reinvested profits. His anxiety was through the roof.
Even now, a slight fluctuation in the yen’s exchange rate meant gains or losses of hundreds of thousands of dollars in an instant. If the position got any bigger, he wouldn’t be able to sit still for even a second—his stress would probably shave years off his life.
"How’s the exchange rate movement today?"
Kim Jung-sik, still looking deeply concerned, answered,
"The Bank of Japan’s unexpected rate cut and the government’s currency stabilization measures seem to be having an effect. The yen has recovered to 80 and is moving sideways for now."
"They’re throwing out countermeasures, but once a strong yen trend takes hold, it’s not easy to reverse."
Kim Jung-sik grumbled internally, "Then why the hell did you take a short position against it?"
Of course, he didn’t dare say that out loud, but his stiff expression gave away his thoughts. Seok-won smirked slightly—he could read him like an open book.
"But a prolonged yen rally will put enormous pressure on Japan. A major shift is bound to happen soon."
"I really hope so."
Seok-won wished he could tell him outright: An agreement like the Plaza Accord is coming soon. But of course, that wasn’t something he could share.
Instead of addressing his subordinate’s worries, Seok-won reached into his inner jacket pocket, pulled out several slim envelopes, and placed them on the table.
"Take these."
"What are they?"
"Bonuses."
"Sorry? What do you mean all of a sudden?"
Kim Jung-sik’s eyes widened in surprise.
"The company’s performance-based incentives will be distributed at the end of the quarter, but this is something extra from me. Share it with your team members."
"Thank you, Director!"
Without hesitation, Kim Jung-sik accepted the envelopes.
The unexpected bonus instantly brightened his expression—a stark contrast to the tense face he had just moments ago.
Seok-won smirked slightly and leaned back against the sofa.
"If there’s nothing else, you can go now."
"Understood."
Clutching the bonus envelopes carefully, Kim Jung-sik got up and left the room, closing the door behind him.
Once he was alone, Seok-won also rose from the sofa and moved over to his desk.
He moved the mouse, bringing up the stock chart for Boseong Telecom on the monitor.
[Boseong Telecom 26,300 ▲ 1,860]
Having shaken off retail investors, the stock was now surging past 20,000 won, rapidly approaching the 30,000 mark.
"They're probably dreaming of a jackpot right about now, but I can’t just let that happen."
Seok-won grinned, flashing his teeth as he stared at the price chart. Then, he picked up the phone on his desk.
[Yes, this is Choi Ho-geun from Investment Team 4.]
"It’s me."
[Ah, yes, Director.]
"Dump all the shares immediately—sell everything at once."
[Understood.]
Since prior instructions had already been given, Choi Ho-geun obeyed without hesitation.
As Seok-won put down the receiver, he leaned back into his chair, his eyes gleaming with anticipation as he watched the market screen.
"It won’t be a fatal blow, but it'll hurt. A lot."
