I have only been investing to make money until now.
I haven’t really cared much about the impact it would have on society. But this time, it has completely surpassed that level.
The lives of countless people and the fate of the world are at stake.
Thinking about that suddenly made my head spin.
Why me? I’m only in my twenties.
“I understand that the Big One is coming. But I’m curious, why do you think it’s this year?”
Besides Professor Mohan, there were several others concerned about the possibility of the Big One. However, most believed the likelihood of it happening in the near future was extremely low.
The timing of a disaster is as important as its scale.
The only one who matched the timing I discovered was him.
“To answer that, I first need to talk about my grandmother.”
Actually, there’s another reason why he’s called the Indian. His grandmother is genuinely an Indian.
Professor Mohan’s grandfather was an anthropologist who studied the ecology of American Natives. The Indians, originally the owners of this land, were barely surviving in reservations now.
His grandfather met an Indian woman during his research and fell in love. He married her despite fierce opposition from his family.
So, although he appears to be an ordinary white man, a quarter of Professor Mohan’s blood is Indian.
“My grandmother’s ancestors were shamanic Indians. Since I was young, she told me many stories.”
“What kind of stories?”
“Stories of indigenous myths, history, culture, life… and about this land. My grandmother used to say that a great disaster would fall upon this land, and she said it would happen in September of this year.”
“Really?”
Taek-gyu and I were shocked and looked at each other’s faces. Taek-gyu had his mouth open, looking foolish. My expression was probably not much different.
I consider myself to be a very sensible and rational person.
Of course, I never believed in supernatural powers or superstitions. But one day, I gained an unbelievable ability.
This brought about a question:
Could it be that someone else has a similar ability?
Professor Mohan, perhaps misinterpreting our expressions, cleared his throat and said,
“Hm, well, that’s not the only reason. Considering various circumstances, I came to that conclusion.”
In a way, it was as if he predetermined the outcome and sought evidence to match it. However, thanks to that, he was able to discover things others could not see.
Perhaps Professor Mohan became a seismologist because of his grandmother’s influence.
“Could I possibly meet your grandmother?”
Professor Mohan shook his head.
“She passed away 15 years ago.”
“Oh….”
Thinking back, it’s quite natural.
Since Professor Mohan is in his 60s, his grandmother would no longer be alive.
Since she has passed away, there’s no way to confirm whether she possessed a similar ability to mine.
But for some reason, I felt that she likely did.
“Before she passed away, she left a will urging me to leave California.”
If she truly had foreseen the earthquake, it would make sense for her to warn her grandson to stay away.
“So why are you still here?”
“What would I do running away by myself, leaving countless people in California?”
“I see.”
Professor Mohan smiled.
“Well, even though I say that, this place is relatively safe. The dangerous part is San Francisco.”
I recalled the scene I had witnessed.
The ground had split open, buildings had collapsed; this was likely because it was close to the epicenter. The surrounding areas would also suffer damage, but not in such a drastic way.
Professor Mohan focused on collecting and analyzing data related to earthquakes occurring in the Pacific Ring of Fire to increase forecasting possibilities.
They say that if warned just 10 seconds in advance, 90 percent of casualties from an earthquake could be prevented. Of course, in the case of a real major quake, ten seconds wouldn’t be nearly enough.
“Is related research still ongoing?” Carrie asked quickly.
“Current research has been halted,” I replied, shocked.
“Why?”
“Funding from the state government has stopped.”
“……”
Indeed, money seems to drive the world.
“Well, if there’s money, then research can continue.”
“Absolutely.”
I nodded.
“Thank goodness, I have plenty of money.”
I said this while looking at Professor Mohan and Carrie.
“I will support future research funding. I’ll arrange for immediate assistance, so don’t worry about the money and resume your research right away.”
Carrie was overjoyed, and Professor Mohan also looked thrilled.
“Let’s work well together moving forward.”
“I will certainly do my best.”
If they knew what was to come because of me, they wouldn’t be so happy. However, there’s no need to share that here.
We met an esteemed expert and heard his claims. And I intend to believe and follow them.
Of course, people might think I’ve been deceived by a nutcase or a charlatan, but nonetheless, this will give legitimacy to my actions going forward.
***
After the conversation ended, we left the laboratory.
Now that we’ve secured the prophet(?), the most important issue has been resolved.
I called the company and immediately instructed them to execute the research funding. With a single word, $1 million was wired to Caltech.
Next, I called Chairman Im Jin-yong. It was midnight in Korea, but fortunately, we connected right away.
“I apologize for contacting you at this late hour.”
Chairman Im Jin-yong replied warmly.
[It’s okay. I heard you are on a business trip to the U.S.]
“Yes. There are a few matters to attend to.”
I got straight to the point.
“Do you know when the launch date for Npple Z is?”
Seosung Electronics is competing with nPhone in the premium phone market. They should be monitoring competitors’ developments.
[I believe it’s set for late September.]
“What’s the exact date?”
[We don’t know that yet either. Information about the launch date is classified. The Npple side will likely reveal it during the product announcement.]
Typically, the launch occurs within a week after the product announcement. But I couldn’t just wait until then.
“Is there any way to find out?”
Chairman Im Jin-yong asked me, sounding puzzled.
[Why is that?]
It must seem odd to suddenly be interested in another company’s smartphone launch date.
“I’ll explain in detail later. It’s essential, so I’m asking for your help.”
Fortunately, he didn’t press further.
[Understood. I will check as much as I can.]
“Thank you.”
As soon as the call ended, my phone rang. The caller was Ellie.
As soon as I answered, she asked,
[Are you at Caltech right now?]
I was taken aback by Ellie’s words.
“Wait! How did you know?”
[One of the Caltech students posted a photo on FaceNote. They said you came to their school. A few articles came out too, titled ‘OTK Company CEO Visits Caltech.’]
“Ah…”
It felt like some kind of paparazzi situation.
[Now there’s a fight in the comments between MIT students and Caltech students over the fact that you went to Caltech before MIT.]
“…”
Why on earth?
[So why did you go to Caltech?]
“I had some people to meet. By the way, there’s something I need to tell you, Ellie…”
I wasn’t sure how to say it.
It’s probably better to say it quickly, right?
[What is it? Go ahead.]
“About the summer vacation. I’m sorry, but I think we have to postpone it.”
After a moment, Ellie asked,
[Why?]
“Something came up.”
Ellie was silent for a while, seeming shocked. She had been so excited about going on vacation…
[Is it something important?]
“Yes, very much so.”
A moment later, Ellie tried to sound cheerful as she said,
[Aw, then there’s nothing we can do. Instead, promise me that once you’re done with that, we’ll definitely go on vacation.]
“I promise. Let’s talk more when we meet.”
[When will you return to Korea?]
“I’ll leave tomorrow.”
I told her to send my regards to Hyun-joo noona and hung up the phone.
We drove back to Silicon Valley for another five hours. It felt like a quick trip, yet a whole day had passed.
“I’m so tired. Let’s eat first.”
We parked at the hotel and headed to a nearby restaurant. Despite the late hour, the buildings were lit up, and the city was bustling.
At night, the energy felt even more alive.
I pulled my hat down, worried people might recognize me, and sat in a corner. Inside the restaurant, people of various ethnicities interacted freely, exchanging conversations and information.
This diversity and connectivity must be the strength of this city.
While our meal was being prepared, the beer arrived first.
Taek-gyu asked, “What are you going to do now?”
I took a sip of my beer and replied, “I need to start thinking about that now.”
***
I hadn’t notified anyone, but the fact that I was in Silicon Valley soon became known. Meeting requests flooded in from all over.
Entrepreneurs, investors, politicians, and more.
To meet them all, I would need to stay here for at least a month.
I politely begged off and boarded my flight back to Korea. Throughout the return trip, I thought about what needed to be done.
Two months might seem like a long time, but it was woefully insufficient to prepare for a large-scale disaster.
I skimmed through my notes again. Professor Mohan discussed the risks of the Big One throughout the book and demanded government measures.
The key issues included evacuating the population in the most dangerous areas closest to the epicenter, constructing shelters for displaced people, stockpiling relief supplies for immediate support, and establishing rescue plans.
During the over ten-hour flight, I reviewed printed materials I had prepared in advance and prioritized my tasks.
By the time we landed at the airport, I reached a conclusion.
“I need money.”
“How much?”
“A lot.”
There were many expenses during this time, but income had been minimal. While OTK Games paid out quarterly dividends, it was nowhere near the needed amount.
Fortunately, the value of the companies I had shares in had significantly increased. Just Karos alone was valued at over $100 billion.
Upon landing in Incheon Airport, we took a car to Gangnam. Before entering the OTK Company building, we stopped by the Golden Gate building first.
When we went up to the branch manager’s office, I saw Hyun-joo noona at work.
“Did you have a good business trip?”
“What about Ellie?”
“She went to a branch for a bit. She’ll be back soon.”
Taek-gyu handed me an envelope he had been holding.
“I brought a gift for you, noona.”
Still, in the midst of all this, I bought two packs of Dunhill 1mm at the duty-free shop as a gift for my noona. There’s no better gift for a smoker than this.
Hyun-joo received it without declining.
‘Well done.’
We sat on the sofa. The secretary brought out coffee.
‘Are you very busy?’
‘Always.’
Hyun-joo immediately opened the duty-free cigarettes, put one in her mouth, and lit it.
‘I know you’re busy, but I’d like to ask you for a favor.’
‘What is it?’
‘I plan to issue bonds.’
There are two main ways for a company to raise cash: selling stock and issuing bonds.
Bonds have the advantage of receiving fixed interest, much like a deposit, but since there’s no principal guarantee, you might not get your money back if the company fails. The case of Hoseong Savings Bank is a typical example.
Therefore, the creditworthiness of the issuing company was crucial.
Hyun-joo said, while smoking.
‘Corporate bonds?’
‘Yes. I’m thinking about a 3-year maturity, dollar-denominated. Please decide on the interest rate and payment method, noona.’
‘If it’s OTK Company bonds, there should be quite a demand. How much are you thinking of?’
’20 billion.’
At my words, Hyun-joo was taken aback.
’20 billion dollars? Not won?’
‘I said it’s dollar-denominated.’
Though it’s termed as 20 billion dollars, at this level, it’s not just corporate bonds; it’s like issuing government bonds.
Hyun-joo asked, looking bewildered.
“Where do you plan to spend that much money?”
“I have places to invest.”
“Invest?”
I spoke with confidence.
“I’m thinking of investing for the future.”
Go