Third-Generation Chaebol

Inside an office in Myeong-dong.

Team Leader Park pulled out a cigarette.

Just a few days ago, his subordinates would have rushed to light it for him.

But now, there was no one left by his side.

Click! Click!

Even his lighter refused to cooperate.

The flint must have been worn out—no flame emerged. With the unlit cigarette still between his lips, Park slumped back into his chair, burying his head.

Then—

BANG!

The door slammed open, and Lee Young-han strode into the office.

"No one left to light it for you? Thought I'd lend a hand. After all, you served my grandfather for over twenty years—the least I can do is light your last cigarette."

"…So, you've been watching."

How else would Lee Young-han have known his lighter wasn't working?

Only now did Team Leader Park realize that the entire office had been under surveillance.

"Of course I've been watching. That's why I'm here. Funny thing—there wasn't a single person stopping me on my way up."

"Just get it over with. No need to drag this out."

"But wouldn't it be fitting to offer one last smoke instead of incense for your final moments?"

"I don't care for dramatics. Just kill me."

Park had already accepted his fate.

He had sided with Executive Director Lee Joon-su in a bid to take over Myeong-dong, but in the end, Lee was arrested.

The Japanese loan sharks had pulled out of Myeong-dong entirely, choosing to focus on third-tier financial businesses instead.

Meanwhile, Ohseong, the gang he had counted on, was being crushed by the Busan police.

Rather than coming up to Seoul, they were too busy running for their lives.

"I really want to know… why did you side with Lee Joon-su?"

Park had been Grandfather's most loyal follower until the very end.

"If you hadn't made yourself my enemy, I would've considered handing Myeong-dong over to you."

"Myeong-dong isn't a place you can inherit—it's a place you have to take. Chairman Lee taught me that."

Young-han felt frustrated.

If only his grandfather hadn't hidden him away, he and Park could have taken control of Myeong-dong together—even expanded into third-tier finance.

"If you wanted to seize it yourself, then you shouldn't have teamed up with Lee Joon-su!

That would've made this fight far more favorable for you."

"You're probably right. If I hadn't joined Lee Joon-su, Kim Min-jae wouldn't have helped you."

"…Then why did you still side with him?"

"I had no choice. Unlike you and Lee Joon-su, I had no blood ties to the Chairman."

Park had always lived with a sense of inferiority.

He watched as Chairman Lee took care of Lee Joon-su, despite all his reckless behavior.

He saw Young-han inherit a fortune of over 10 billion won, simply because he was the Chairman's grandson.

It had boiled over inside him.

To become the true master of Myeong-dong, he believed he needed the legitimacy of blood ties.

That was why—despite knowing that Lee Joon-su had murdered Chairman Lee—he still chose to side with him.

"Blood ties? Give me a break. Grandfather always said he would entrust Myeong-dong to you—he was practically obsessed with the idea.

That's why he never let me set foot anywhere near it."

"If Chairman Lee had officially handed Myeong-dong over to me before he died…

Then, maybe, I would have looked after you, just like before. But things didn't turn out that way.

So I had to make a choice."

"Then at least make the right choice!"

"…Can I ask for one last favor?"

"…What is it?"

"When I die, scatter my ashes into the sea.

I don't deserve to face the Chairman as a whole body."

A single tear slid down Park's cheek.

It wasn't a tear of regret.

Nor was it repentance.

It was grief—for Chairman Lee.

"I'm not going to kill you."

"…What?"

"Just get lost. Never set foot in Myeong-dong again.

Disappear."

"…You're really letting me live?"

"If I kill you… how could I ever face Grandfather?

You were the one he cherished the most.

How could I possibly do it with my own hands?"

Park let out a hollow chuckle.

"You're still too soft. That won't do for the master of Myeong-dong. Even if it's family, you need to be able to sever ties when necessary."

"Are you seriously trying to give me advice right now?"

"At least now, I have something to say to the Chairman. I can tell him I used my life to teach you one last lesson."

THUD!

Park stomped his foot down hard.

Using the force to propel himself up, he sprang to his feet.

The bodyguards immediately stepped forward, shielding Lee Young-han.

But Park wasn't aiming for Young-han.

He lunged toward the window.

Like a diver leaping into water, he deliberately positioned himself headfirst as he plunged.

"Fuck! Even at the very end…! Aaaaaaah!"

Young-han screamed, gripping the windowsill as he looked down.

His eyes filled with tears as he took in the gruesome sight below.

* * *

Young-han had officially become the master of Myeong-dong.

It was Dimon who brought me the news.

He considered himself a patriot—and was even more invested in this fight than I was.

"The title of 'Myeong-dong's master' may have been decided, but Japanese loan sharks are still running rampant in Korea.

They're locked in a cutthroat price war, but because they keep pumping in money from Japan, the fight never ends."

"The interest rates have dropped to the 30% range, haven't they?"

When Japanese loan companies first entered the market, rates were as high as 60%.

But then, the Myeong-dong Three launched their third-tier financial businesses, deliberately offering lower rates to outcompete the Japanese lenders.

In response, the Japanese firms had no choice but to lower their own rates.

"But a simple game of attrition takes too long.

We need to drive them out of Korea as soon as possible. Who do they think they are, setting foot in our country like this?!"

I could feel the fury in Dimon's voice.

"...So, what exactly are you suggesting?"

"We hit them at the source. Let's use SAVE Investment Company's funds to strike at their base. And with help from Quantum Fund, we go after the yen again. If we push the exchange rate down, it'll become too costly for them to keep sending money to Korea."

It was a drastic move.

And it proved just how deeply Dimon was invested in this war.

But after considering it for a moment, I realized—

It wasn't a bad idea.

"Shaking up the yen a little using SAVE Investment's capital…

That could actually work."

"All we need is for George from Quantum Fund to go on TV and say just one sentence:

'The yen is currently overvalued.'

That alone would send the yen into turmoil."

George's words carried massive weight.

Plus, he had already attacked the yen once before.

Even just pretending to take action would be enough to rattle the market.

"It would destabilize the Japanese loan industry, for sure. But it wouldn't be enough to wipe them out completely."

"Then tell me—do you have a better plan?"

"It's a method we've used before… but there's still a way to make it work again."

Dimon's eyes narrowed.

"You're not talking about derivatives, are you? That worked last time only because of the earthquake—we got lucky with the timing."

In just a year, an even greater disaster would strike.

The dot-com bubble.

A financial catastrophe that would shake not just the U.S. and Korea, but Japan as well.

"Try selling IT-related derivatives to the Japanese loan firms."

Dimon scoffed.

"After what happened last time? You really think they'll fall for it again?"

"This is an era where IT stocks are surging 20% in a single day. In the U.S., the IT frenzy has become outright mania. Do you really think Japan isn't paying attention?"

"Now that you mention it, even housewives and students are buying IT stocks these days."

The IT bubble wasn't happening for no reason.

Every expert agreed—the internet era was coming.

By now, most households already had internet access, making the hype seem justified.

"That's why they'll be tempted by IT-based derivatives. If we promise a 300% return, they won't be able to resist."

Dimon's expression darkened.

"But for this to work, IT stocks need to crash.

And right now, the entire world is moving toward an IT-friendly future. Do you really think the industry will fail? If this goes wrong, SAVE Investment could go bankrupt."

I smiled.

The fact that even Dimon was worried only confirmed one thing—

The Japanese loan firms would take the bait.

"The IT bubble has to burst. The industry will keep growing, but stock prices are rising way too fast. A major crash is inevitable to correct the market."

Dimon took a slow breath.

"How much do you plan to sell?"

"$30 billion should do. That's enough to wipe out the Japanese loan companies."

By 1999, the exchange rate had stabilized.

At one point, it had nearly hit 2,000 won per dollar, but now it was holding steady around 1,200 won.

Still, $30 billion was over 35 trillion won.

Even the deep-pocketed Japanese lenders wouldn't be able to withstand that.

"I trust you. I'll develop and sell the derivatives."

"Leave it to Team Leader Han—he's been through this before."

"But won't Han's face be too recognizable after last time? Couldn't that backfire?"

"That's exactly why we should use him. It'll stir emotions. Some of them will be so eager for revenge, they'll rush to buy in. Make the contracts two-year terms—that should be perfect."

Dimon swallowed hard.

It felt like he was a freedom fighter preparing for battle against the enemy.

I could practically feel his tension.

* * *

By May, everything was falling into place.

George made his statement, attacking the yen on my request.

As the yen wavered, the flow of Japanese money into Korea slowed.

That's when we introduced IT derivatives.

For the Japanese loan firms, this must have seemed like the perfect chance to turn things around.

In less than a month, they had signed over $10 billion in contracts.

And with IT stocks still skyrocketing, more and more loan firms rushed to buy in.

May had started on a high note—things were going exactly as planned.

But then, my grandfather suddenly summoned me to his office.

"There's somewhere you need to go with me. A guest is arriving from the U.S., and you must accompany me."

"A guest from America? Must be someone important."

"You could call him a valuable business partner. I helped him out when he was going through a rough time."

I didn't ask any further questions and simply followed my grandfather.

As someone who had studied in the U.S., it made sense for me to welcome an American guest.

If it were someone truly significant, the media would already be all over it.

Since there hadn't been much noise, I assumed it wasn't that big of a deal.

We rode together toward Yeouido, where a massive model house stood, awaiting its grand opening.

"Soon, our guest will arrive here. Be prepared."

My grandfather and I were handed white gloves.

In our other hand, each of us held a pair of scissors, standing ready for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Just as everything was set, the mystery guest finally arrived.

The moment he stepped out of the car—

I felt as if lightning had struck my head.

I shouted in shock.

"Trump?! Why is he here?!"

Standing before me was none other than Donald Trump, the man who would go on to become the 45th President of the United States.

And he was here in Korea—not for politics, not for business, but as a personal guest of my grandfather.