The short-selling forces moved astonishingly quickly.
They were the same group who publicly announced the withdrawal of their Tesla short positions to various media outlets.
A major U.S. newspaper ran a front-page photo showing a humbled Wall Street hedge fund manager on one side and a man in traditional Saudi attire standing confidently in front of them.
"Just by looking at the newspaper, you can tell what kind of deal they struck with the Saudi sovereign fund."
"It seems the short-selling forces declared unconditional surrender in exchange for being allowed to buy Tesla shares at a discounted price. I hear the newspaper's choice to run this photo on the front page was also at their request."
People on Wall Street valued money over honor.
Even if their reputation was trampled, they preferred to cut their losses, which is why they submitted such a photo to the press.
"The photo came out really well. It's almost too perfect—makes me worry a little. I hope it doesn't stir up unnecessary resentment among the American public."
"Since the Lehman crisis, there's been lingering animosity toward Wall Street among Americans. The public actually seems pleased to see Wall Street hedge funds bowing to the Saudi sovereign fund."
The Lehman crisis had devastated the U.S. financial market.
Astronomical losses occurred, which were then covered with American taxpayers' money. Yet, no one ever took responsibility for the disaster, so the resentment toward Wall Street was entirely natural.
"From the Saudi sovereign fund's perspective, they've landed a big catch—they must be thrilled."
"I got a call this morning. They said to contact them anytime if another business opportunity arises like this."
"Everyone seems happy. Yet, strangely, the 'King of Shorts' hasn't reacted at all."
"He's probably out of his mind after being betrayed by the hedge fund managers he trusted."
The 'King of Shorts' wouldn't stay idle.
Like me, he had made a fortune during the Lehman crisis. Even if he failed this short-selling scheme, he still had plenty of liquid assets at his disposal.
"Keep monitoring Chanos' movements. He won't just sit quietly after getting beaten like this."
"We'll keep a 24-hour watch. By the way, Tesla's stock has just hit a new all-time high. At this rate, it could surpass $100 before the end of the month."
The pace was astonishing.
Even before the regression, Tesla was a company with a high stock price.
But its true recognition only came after 2020. Until then, the company had been constrained by short-sellers, stuck at around $20 per share for over a decade.
Tesla's dramatic rise was entirely due to my intervention.
By resolving the short-selling problem early, Tesla was able to take off sooner than it otherwise would have.
And with the Saudi sovereign fund as a powerful ally, there was no limit to how high it could soar.
"At this rate, Tesla's stock might surpass Taewoo Motors."
"The stock prices of Taewoo and Kia Motors have also risen, reaching the 300,000 KRW mark. But it's still over three times lower than Tesla."
"Already past 300,000 KRW? That's faster than I expected."
"A large influx of foreign investors occurred, and Middle Eastern capital has been actively purchasing automotive stocks."
The electric vehicle infrastructure in Saudi Arabia had already been completed.
Naturally, Middle Eastern investors were drawn to the EV sector, and this interest extended to Taewoo Motors' stock as well.
"So even if we do nothing, the stock will rise on its own."
"Sales are holding strong, so the stock price continues to climb. If the momentum persists, it's projected to reach 500,000 KRW by next year."
"Already catching up to half of Samsung Electronics' stock price."
"After the financial crisis, Samsung Electronics' stock has been rising steeply. Last year, it hovered around 800,000 KRW, and this year it has surpassed 1,000,000 KRW."
Within the corporate world rankings, the Taewoo Group held an overwhelming first place.
But if we look at individual companies, Samsung Electronics still occupied the top spot, followed by Taewoo Electronics, Taewoo Semiconductors, and Taewoo Motors.
"If we can dominate the electric vehicle market, surpassing Samsung Electronics wouldn't be impossible."
"The revenue gap between automotive and electronics companies is significant. It might be faster to focus on growing Taewoo Electronics to overtake Samsung Electronics."
"Of course, Taewoo Electronics must surpass Samsung Electronics. At least five of our affiliates will have higher stock prices than Samsung Electronics."
Merging the affiliates could have been done immediately if we wanted.
But surpassing Samsung Electronics without resorting to such tricks was meaningful, and to achieve that, we had to keep pushing forward without pause.
"Is there anything you can't do if you set your mind to it, Chairman? I believe it will happen in a few years."
"Belief alone isn't enough. Taewoo Securities is part of that equation as well."
"We're currently holding large-scale events to attract new fund subscribers. We're also preparing promotions with credit card companies."
Confidence radiated from Han's expression.
It was a confidence born from being the number one fund company in Korea.
Taewoo Securities was the only fund that didn't suffer losses during the Lehman crisis, so clients naturally gravitated toward it.
"Well done. How are Captain Kang and the prosecutors moving on their end?"
"Are you referring to the match-fixing issue? We started by conducting a full investigation of all players in the Taewoo Electronics gaming team. Fortunately, none of the players were involved. We even checked bank accounts and SNS activity, but found no trace of wrongdoing."
That was fortunate—at least the Taewoo Electronics team had no connection to match-fixing, so their final honor remained intact.
"What about players from other gaming teams?"
"There are at least three confirmed participants, and more than five additional pro gamers who have some involvement."
"Not as many as I expected."
"This is just from the first round of investigation. If we dig deeper, we'll likely uncover more participants. Team Leader Chun has volunteered to assist as well."
No one loved games more than Chun Min-jung.
She loved E-sports to the point of analyzing matches frame by frame.
"How exactly is she going to help? Is she going to build an algorithm to find those involved in match-fixing?"
"I haven't heard the details, but she says she can filter out matches that are suspicious for match-fixing."
"We should hear it directly."
"She actually came to headquarters today to report to you in person."
"Ask her to come in."
Team Leader Chun Min-jung entered looking drawn and pale. She wore clothing that looked almost like formal mourning attire, which made her appear even more somber.
"Team Leader Chun, are you all right?"
"How could they do such a thing? To take part in match-fixing for a few million won—how could they? Did they not realize they were betraying the fans who trusted and supported them?"
Chun Min-jung spoke, her voice trembling. She looked deeply wounded; her fists were clenched tight.
"We must make sure the players who betrayed their fans face legal punishment. But how can we distinguish the matches that were fixed? Are you using artificial intelligence?"
"There are patterns in gameplay. If one player uses Build A, the opponent might respond with Build B to counter—professionals memorize these patterns. Our AI has learned all the builds, and it can identify matches where a player's behavior significantly reduces their chance of winning."
I knew the capability of the AI well.
But was it possible to analyze every match in less than a day?
"The number of matches must be in the tens of thousands at least—has the AI already analyzed all of them?"
"There wasn't time for that. So I only analysed the matches that seemed unusual to me, and among those, I was able to identify the ones most likely to involve match-fixing."
"You remembered every match?"
"Not just official matches, but exhibition and event matches as well. It's not that my memory is special—most dedicated fans remember them."
Chun Min-jung even played the related footage for me.
Some of the matches showed both players trying to lose on purpose after receiving match-fixing proposals. They would deliberately sacrifice their units or use disadvantageous builds to throw the game.
"If you submit this evidence, the prosecution will investigate the players and even check their family accounts. Don't worry about this anymore—it will only weigh on your mind. Focus on the League of Champions."
"I will. But there's one last favor I'd like to ask."
"Anything."
Her voice was soft, tinged with longing.
I was ready to listen and fulfill whatever she asked.
"Even after the Starcraft pro scene ends, could you help make a path for the players to work in related fields? I want those who didn't participate in match-fixing to be able to show they can succeed."
"Of course. We'll enable personal streaming on platforms like YouTube so players can communicate with fans, and we'll continue hosting small-scale tournaments so they can participate. We'll make it so they can earn even more than they did as professional players."
"Thank you. I'll head back for today."
She usually insisted on having idea meetings, but today she left with her shoulders slumped, clearly not wanting to think about anything else.
"Team Leader Chun has collected all the evidence. Now have Captain Kang handle the second investigation and submit the materials to the prosecution."
"We'll finish all investigations by the end of this week at the latest."
The players who participated in match-fixing were truly foolish.
If they had only waited patiently, the era of personal streaming would have arrived, allowing even lesser-known players to earn substantial income. Yet they were desperate for just a few million won—throwing away tens of millions they could have earned later.
***
The King of Short Selling, James Chanos.
The hedge funds that had been collaborating with him on the short-selling had turned their backs in an instant.
His deputy, William, worried because Chanos hadn't left his office, forced the door open and stepped inside.
But what he saw was nothing like what he expected.
Chanos wasn't drowned in sorrow from the betrayal—he was smiling.
"Sir, are you… alright?"
"Why? Do you think I've lost?"
"I wouldn't say you lost—just that you were betrayed."
"Being betrayed doesn't mean one has lost. The game isn't over yet."
William briefly thought of Tesla's stock price.
It had nearly doubled since the short-selling began.
To any observer, the short sellers had clearly lost—but Chanos refused to admit it.
"Do you have some trick up your sleeve?"
"Madness eventually bursts forth. The IT bubble did, the Lehman collapse did. Tesla will follow the same path. Or rather, it won't just be Tesla—there will come a time when the entire Taewoo Group explodes like a bomb, mark my words."
"You think it's not just the electric car market, but the entire Taewoo Group is a bubble?"
"It's a bubble. Right now, it may look like we've lost, but if we endure and wait, eventually it will be our victory."
Chanos' eyes were full of venom.
And the target of his hatred wasn't Tesla, nor the Saudi sovereign wealth fund—it was the Taewoo Group.