Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport, Illinois, United States.
On one side of the parking apron of the not-so-large airport stood a Gulfstream IV private jet, its fuselage painted in a two-tone combination of Norton Blue and Crystal White, proudly displaying its presence beneath the scorching midday sun.
The temperature was so high that heat shimmered up from the asphalt like waves, but inside the private jet—where the air conditioning was running—the atmosphere was comfortable enough that the heat could not be felt at all.
Seok-won sat in an ivory-colored leather seat, speaking on the phone with Barack Obama, whom he had met the day before.
[After receiving the birthday gift you sent, Nelly was absolutely delighted.]
"I'm glad to hear that. I put quite a bit of thought into choosing it."
Just then, the stewardess Andrea approached and spoke in a small voice so as not to interrupt the call.
"Here is the Dom Pérignon you ordered."
With that, she filled the crystal glass Seok-won held out with champagne.
As the golden liquid rose in the glass, tiny bubbles floated upward, making the faint sound of carbonation bursting.
Seok-won glanced briefly at Andrea as she quietly stepped away, then focused again on the voice coming from the other end of the phone.
[From what Michelle told me, it's a limited-edition teddy bear that's hard to get. You don't have to give such expensive gifts in the future.]
"It just seemed like the teddy bear would suit the cute little princess, so I gave it as a present. And it's not that expensive, so please don't feel burdened by it."
Seok-won replied as if it were nothing.
The retail price alone was 1,500 dollars, and since it was a limited edition that was difficult to obtain, a hefty premium had been added, making the actual market price far higher.
But to Seok-won, it was hardly worth mentioning.
"Just in case someone later tries to accuse you of accepting a bribe, tell them it was a gift from the godfather."
At Seok-won's joke, Obama burst into cheerful laughter.
[Haha. That's a good idea.]
Then Obama lowered his voice, his tone turning serious.
[Yesterday, when I returned home, I told Michelle that I had decided to run in the federal Senate election.]
"Judging by your voice, it sounds like you got her permission."
[She did get angry when she first heard it, but in the end, she told me that if it was truly what I wanted, I should go ahead and try.]
"That's a relief. If Michelle had opposed it until the very end, it would have made things much more difficult."
Obama responded as if in agreement.
[All the more reason I must do my best and win this time, if only to avoid disappointing my wife again.]
"I'm sure you'll achieve a good result."
Seok-won lifted the crystal glass and brought it to his lips.
The moment the cold carbonation touched the tip of his tongue, a refreshing yet rich fruity aroma spread through his mouth.
Savoring the taste of the champagne as it left a crisp, lingering finish, he spoke casually.
"Tomorrow, 100,000 dollars will be deposited into the campaign support account."
[What do you mean, all of a sudden?]
Setting the crystal glass back down, Seok-won replied as if it were nothing.
"You may still have plenty of time before the election, but if you want to make your face known and gain support not only in Illinois's 13th district but across the entire state, you'll have to start moving diligently from now, won't you?"
[I suppose that's true…]
Since it was far from an easy task, Obama let out a low, contemplative murmur.
"To open an office and promote yourself ahead of the competing candidates, you'll need money. Start by using the 100,000 dollars first, and later I'll send as much additional support funding as you need."
It was an enormous help, but just as Seok-won had said, campaigning across the entire state of Illinois required far more money than a state senate race could ever compare to.
Producing a single promotional video and airing it as a television advertisement costs more than one million dollars. It would hardly be an exaggeration to say that elections were fought with money.
Naturally, Obama did not possess that kind of wealth, so the very first problem he faced after deciding to run was how to raise campaign funds.
Of course, Seok-won had already offered to support his campaign financially, but with the primary still far away, reaching out for help so soon felt far too shameless.
So for the time being, he planned to take out a bank loan to handle the urgent expenses and seek out other sponsors to make up for what he lacked.
'Even so, I was worried about whether I could secure the necessary funds before the full-scale primary campaign begins.'
As if he already knew about the situation, Seok-won stepped forward first and offered to contribute the large sum of 100,000 dollars. Obama felt both apologetic and quietly relieved.
[It's shameless of me, but I'll gratefully make good use of it.]
"It's nothing. Isn't helping when it's needed what real friends do?"
[You're right. It may not be much help, but if there's ever anything you need from me, just say the word.]
"I'll be sure to do that."
Holding the phone in his hand, Seok-won lifted one corner of his mouth in a faint smile.
[Then travel safely back to Korea, and let's meet again when time permits.]
"Yes. I'll call you again later."
As Seok-won set his phone down on the table, Manager Han Ji-sung, who had been aboard the private jet with him, rose from his seat as if he had been waiting and approached.
"This was sent from the Eldorado Fund."
When Seok-won accepted the folder and opened it, a plan filled with all kinds of charts and numbers appeared inside.
It had been prepared by the heads of each division at the Eldorado Fund—including Landon, Andrew, and Dan—who had all put their heads together to determine how the short-betting positions would be constructed.
Just as he had instructed, they planned to use five times leverage, bringing the total investment to a staggering 800 billion dollars.
Of course, the Eldorado Fund and the assets he personally held were worth far more than that, but much of it was tied up in long-term investments. As a result, the cash that could be mobilized immediately amounted to only about 160 billion dollars.
Even that alone exceeded the annual government budgets of many smaller countries, so it could hardly be considered a small sum.
'To put it bluntly, with this level of capital, if we really wanted to, we could recreate the Asian Financial Crisis.'
Seok-won thought this as he scanned through the documents with sharp eyes.
Even if the Japanese government did not launch a massive cleanup of non-performing loans, dumping the yen along with the stocks of Japan's leading banks and corporations with this much capital would inevitably shatter both the exchange rate and the Nikkei.
'At this rate, the global foreign exchange and stock markets might suffer an even bigger shock than what I remember from before the regression.'
If the Iraq War and the Japanese government's massive non-performing loan cleanup exploded simultaneously on top of the already weakened market support caused by his large-scale short betting, the decline would be far greater and far deeper.
'If that happens, we'll be able to generate even greater profits.'
A deep smile spread across Seok-won's lips.
"Alright, you can return to your seat now."
"Yes, sir."
When Seok-won turned slightly to the side as he spoke, Manager Han Ji-seong, who had been standing the whole time, gave a short reply before walking back and sitting down in a seat diagonally behind him.
After carefully examining the contents of the document with intense focus, Seok-won picked up his phone again and pressed a saved speed-dial number.
After a few rings, Landon answered the call.
[Yes. Go ahead, Boss.]
"I've just reviewed the documents you sent."
[We put our heads together to maximize the potential profits, but I wasn't sure whether you would approve.]
Seok-won sank comfortably into the wide seat with a satisfied expression.
"It was excellent. In particular, targeting not only the Japanese megabanks but also construction, real estate, and retail-related stocks—where a large number of companies are likely to fall behind during the non-performing loan cleanup process—as short-betting targets was an outstanding judgment."
At Seok-won's praise, Landon replied with a bright smile.
[I'm relieved to hear you weren't dissatisfied.]
Seok-won soon wiped the smile from his lips and issued an order in a firm voice.
"Then let's begin the betting exactly as planned."
[Understood. It seems we'll be quite busy for a while.]
"Since there are already many eyes watching us, the moment we take action, everyone will quickly realize that we've started short betting. So instead of wasting time trying to hide the position, move boldly and focus on completing the bets as quickly as possible."
[With this much capital moving around, it would be harder to keep it hidden anyway. As you said, it would be better to finish building the positions in a short period of time.]
"That's exactly what I mean."
[Then I'll begin the work immediately.]
"Go ahead."
After ending the call, Seok-won set his phone down and took a deep breath.
Thinking about the massive event that would soon shake the global economy—causing foreign exchange and stock markets around the world to fluctuate violently—his heart began to pound rapidly, and his chest stirred with excitement.
The way dopamine surged through him before such a large bet made it clear that Seok-won truly possessed the innate temperament of a trader.
"Or maybe gambler's blood runs through my veins."
Seok-won let out a small chuckle and downed the remaining champagne in a single gulp.
The sensation of the bubbles bursting in his mouth jolted his mind awake with a sharp clarity.
A short while later, the private jet gradually increased its engine output. Carrying Seok-won aboard, it surged down the long, straight runway and lifted powerfully into the air, soon disappearing among the pure white clouds.
**
At the same time, Manhattan, New York.
Inside Landon's private office, which overlooked the wide East River and a ferry pier through its large floor-to-ceiling windows, the air was thick with tension.
Andrew, the CIO, and Dan Baradan, the senior investment chief, sat stiffly on the sofa with hardened expressions, watching Landon as he spoke on the phone with Seok-won.
"Yes. Understood. If any changes occur along the way, I'll report them immediately."
As Landon lowered the phone from his ear, Andrew shifted impatiently in his seat and asked,
"What did he say?"
Landon lifted his head and looked back and forth between Andrew and Dan, who were seated on either side of him.
Both men were unable to hide the excitement on their faces as they anticipated the massive new play Seok-won was about to launch.
Landon, whose blood was equally boiling with anticipation, curled one corner of his mouth upward as he answered.
"The boss has given the order. Starting now, we begin the operation according to the plan we prepared in advance."
At that moment, Andrew's eyes gleamed.
"An 800-billion-dollar bet. Wall Street is going to be turned upside down again."
"Not just Wall Street. With a bomb like this suddenly dropping, the Nikkei—already barely able to stand on its feet—is going to go into outright convulsions."
Dan grinned widely.
"I'm just worried the shock might be so great that the Japanese government will withdraw its plan to clean up the non-performing loans."
Landon responded with a relaxed attitude, as if it were nothing to worry about.
"According to the boss, they're in a situation where they'll have no choice but to push through with the cleanup of the non-performing loans, even if it means the stock market gets smashed. So there's no need to worry about that."
Andrew also shrugged as he spoke.
"Even if the Japanese government gets scared and backs down, the stock market will still take a hit from the shock of the short betting and the Iraq War that's about to break out. So the fact that we'll make money won't change. The only difference will be how big the pot we walk away with turns out to be."
"True enough."
None of the three had even the slightest doubt that Seok-won's bet would succeed this time as well.
After checking the time on his watch, Landon spoke.
"Once we start placing the bets, Wall Street investors and hedge funds will soon catch on and begin moving. Some will follow us like schools of small fish trailing behind a whale, while others will bet against us. So move quickly and make sure we finish building our positions as fast as possible before that happens."
"Understood."
"It'll be interesting to see how they react."
The two men each gave their responses, then rose from the sofa and left the office.
After the door closed and he was left alone, Landon stroked his chin and wore a look of anticipation, wondering just how massive a profit Seok-won would generate this time—and how greatly it would shock Wall Street.