IWSF – Ch 279

“It’s fate that we met like this, so out of courtesy, I decided to sign up for a $100,000 fund.” It wasn’t a very large amount, but he was deeply moved just by the fact that he had sold me a fund.

After having coffee at a nearby cafe, we headed to JPMorgan headquarters together. I had taken pictures in front of the building before, but this was my first time coming inside.

“I will guide you upstairs.”

“No, thank you. I’ll wait here.”

“Yes, then I’ll bring the documents down right away.”

I asked them to keep my visit a secret.

Taekgyu looked around and said, “So this is JPMorgan headquarters.”

The official name is JPMorgan Chase Bank.

It’s a giant financial group that owns both investment banks (IB) and commercial banks (CB). Its position in the global financial world is second only to the Golden Gate, and it also has a branch in Korea.

Taekgyu said, “I don’t feel well, so I’m going to the restroom.”

“Okay.”

I sat in the lobby and watched people come and go.

Perhaps because they work in the center of world finance, everyone seemed elite. Their expressions revealed a strong sense of pride.

How much money moves through this place in a day? And how many people cry and laugh because of it?

Unlike domestic securities firms that are like frogs in a well, the power of global IBs is beyond imagination. With just one report, they can easily make an individual stock soar or plummet.

I, too, am capable of that. It means the power I have in the financial market has grown that much.

Like the butterfly effect, a small action can lead to big consequences. This is even more true for people with great influence. Just take Vance Willis, for example, if it hadn’t been for me, he wouldn’t be alive right now.

Looking at it that way, I might have unknowingly changed the course of history in this world. And won’t I continue to change it in the future?

Lost in such pointless reverie, I sensed someone approaching from across.

I looked up and saw a woman standing in front of me.

She didn’t look like a teenager, and she seemed a bit younger than me, maybe around twenty-one or twenty-two?

Long blonde hair down to her waist, a small, snow-white face, a high, straight nose and red lips, and clear, large eyes. She was wearing a yellow dress, and her exposed arms and legs were transparently clean and pure white, as if she didn’t get much sun.

Her appearance didn’t quite fit this place. Though, I guess the same could be said about me.

She looked at me and said, “Nice to meet you, Mr. Kang Jin-hoo.”

Even though I was wearing a hat, she recognized me at a glance.

I greeted her, “Hello.”

Being approached by strangers who act friendly is now familiar to me.

She smiled and said, “This is quite surprising. I heard you were in Manhattan, but to see you here. Is it just a coincidence?”

I asked her back, “If it’s not a coincidence?”

She naturally sat down opposite me.

“Nothing just happens in this world. There’s a reason for everything.”

Her British accent and gestures conveyed refinement and elegance. Black-suited bodyguards stood within arm’s reach.

Is she a well-bred daughter from a wealthy family?

No, there was too much pressure for that. More like a noble feeling?

What was even more surprising was her appearance. It was like looking at a meticulously crafted wax doll. She boasted beauty that was so unreal and perfect.

Looks are an important factor in gaining favor.

“I thought we would meet someday, but I didn’t expect it to be today. I’ve heard rumors about you for a while now.”

“What kind of rumors?”

“The L6 explosion, Brexit, the US presidential election, even the Big One. I thought you would fail at least once, but you succeeded in everything. And this time, you found the spy chip and triggered the US-China trade dispute. I’ve wanted to ask you if we ever met, how is it all possible?”

I nonchalantly replied, “Let’s just say I’m lucky.”

“If that’s luck, then the goddess of fortune must be with you.”

“I doubt it.”

She gave a soft smile.

“I like lucky people. Luck is something you can’t buy no matter how much money you have. Perhaps your value as a person lies not in the money you have, but in your luck. Or maybe there’s something else that surpasses even that luck.”

At those words, I stared straight at her. She did not avoid my gaze.

She spoke as if joking, but her words hit the nail on the head.

The reason I’ve come this far is not because of money, but because of my precognition. If it weren’t for that, I would just be living a very ordinary life.

Maybe I would be graduating from university around now and getting a job in the financial sector, or maybe I would still be a job seeker. But the precognition that day changed everything.

Taekgyu protected Bantcoin, and we became world-class billionaires. And Ronald became president, and the US was able to prepare for the Great Earthquake.

“You’ve changed a lot of things. But the biggest thing you’ve changed is probably yourself. Who would have imagined that a young Korean man with nothing would rise to this position?”

Her emerald green eyes sparkled. Her gaze seemed to look down on me and naturally compelled me to tell the truth.

What kind of life does one have to live to possess such an aura?

Well, it’s none of my business. No matter who she is, I have no reason to feel intimidated. It’s not like I have to beg her for anything.

“What are you trying to say?”

“I just want to know about you. What kind of person you are, what you like, what you’re going to do in the future.”

“……”

Does she have a crush on me?

I was thinking about whether I should tell her I have a girlfriend, when she stood up.

“We’ll meet again soon. Until then, goodbye.”

“Wait a moment.”

As I jumped up and stepped forward, the bodyguards behind her immediately moved. At that moment, she raised her hand, and they stopped.

“After talking this much, isn’t it polite to introduce yourself?”

At my question, she smiled as if intrigued and said, “Now that you mention it, I haven’t told you my name. I’m Grace Rothschild.”

That was the end of her answer.

She went out the main door and got into a Rolls-Royce Phantom waiting in front. I stood there watching the car door close and the car drive away.

“‘What the heck is going on?’ Kang Jin-hoo thought.”

I was startled by the narration that suddenly popped up.

“Jeez! You scared me. When did you get here?”

“Just now.”

Taekgyu, who had somehow come to my side, asked, “Who was that woman?”

This time, it was his turn to be surprised. When I told him her name, Taekgyu’s mouth dropped open.

“Huh! Rothschild! Isn’t that a famous conglomerate family?”

“You know about them too?”

“Of course. Is there anyone who doesn’t?”

He’s unexpectedly knowledgeable about history for an otaku.

“They often appear as the mastermind in manga and anime, how could I not know? When it comes to conspiracy theories, isn’t it always Rothschild?”

…Is that why?

The Rothschilds are a Jewish financial conglomerate family.

They have been around for 250 years, and are a family that once dominated the European financial world, a name that inevitably comes up when studying history and economics.

Although their influence has greatly diminished compared to the past, they are still known to possess immense wealth.

While the assets of other conglomerates that own shares in listed companies are transparently disclosed, the Rothschild family is so shrouded in secrecy that it is not clear exactly how much assets they have.

“There’s even talk of 50 quadrillion won.”

“That’s a bit far-fetched.”

That claim came up once in a book and has been passed around as if it were fact.

After 1000 trillion, it’s 1 quadrillion. Just 1 quadrillion won is more than the total assets of the world’s top 100 richest people combined. And 5 quadrillion won is more than the combined value of KOSPI and KOSDAQ in Korea.

It is impossible for undisclosed assets to be that much. Still, they probably have around hundreds of billions of dollars.

Of course, even that is an astonishing amount.

Could the only ones comparable to the Rothschilds be the House of Saud or the House of Abu Dhabi?

“But why did that woman come here?”

“She probably came for business.”

There’s a story that JPMorgan’s founder, John Pierpont Morgan, received funding from the Rothschild family. Perhaps because of that, Rothschild and JPMorgan still maintain a deep relationship.

Anyway, is that woman a member of the Rothschild family?

As I was thinking that, Taekgyu tapped me on the shoulder and said, “I’m telling Ellie.”

I was taken aback by those words.

“Huh? What did I do?”

Taekgyu wagged his finger. “Remember this, my friend. Beautiful women are dangerous.”

“……”

Is that why you only date 2D girls?

Anyway, what does she mean by “we’ll meet again”?

***

The three-day US-China summit ended, and the leaders of both countries announced the results.

First, both sides agreed to stop escalation. The United States postponed tariffs on the remaining $250 billion of Chinese exports that it was going to impose, and China also postponed additional tariffs on US agricultural products that it was going to impose. In addition, they agreed to immediately resume imports of soybeans and corn.

This much was somewhat expected. But the key was advanced industries and intellectual property rights.

Until now, China had limited foreign ownership in all industries to 50 percent. However, for advanced industries such as IT and telecommunications, they agreed to increase this to 70 percent.

And for electric vehicles, they decided to completely abolish the equity restriction regulations.

For CarOS, this opened the way to enter China without setting up a joint venture.

They also agreed to gradually abolish tariffs on automobiles and advanced products, and in addition, to reduce the US trade deficit with China by expanding imports of US energy and agricultural products.

The leaders of both countries announced the agreement in front of the media.

Ronald spoke with his characteristic exaggerated gestures.

“Chairman Zhang is a very wonderful person, and China is the United States’ most important trading partner. Our conversations were very enjoyable.”

Chairman Zhang Pinghua also said, “China will continue to pursue the policy of reform and opening up, and further open the market door wider. Opening up and cooperation are important driving forces for international economic and trade. China’s steps towards a community of shared future for mankind will not stop.”

***

I received a call from Hyunjoo noona.

[It seems like the trade war is taking a breather for now. I thought they would clash head-on, but the result is unexpected.]

In fact, Zhang Pinghua had consistently taken a hardline stance on the trade war.

He even said, “In the West, if you are slapped on the left cheek, you turn the other cheek, but in China, if you are slapped on the left cheek, you immediately slap back.”

Therefore, most experts were negative about the possibility of a deal.

[I expected them to refrain from escalation, but I thought it would take months or more to resolve the issues of advanced industries and intellectual property rights.]

Although detailed negotiations are still pending, the negotiations have been settled. This was possible because the Chinese side made significant concessions.

Regarding the various incidents that had occurred so far, they drew a line saying they were issues for individual companies, but since the Chinese government had set the policy, it was as if the companies would act accordingly.

Weihua and TZE are undergoing investigations by the US government and will take corrective measures for violations and compensate for infringement.

And they decided to establish compliance monitoring teams composed of US personnel at their headquarters. These teams have investigative authority in the event of intellectual property infringement. Zhou Auto, who admitted to technology theft from CarOS, was also included here.

As news of the negotiation settlement spread, the world breathed a sigh of relief, and the stock market rose sharply.

[How did you know it would be settled?]

“I just thought they wouldn’t drag it out for long.”

I had a feeling that way from before, and after meeting Chairman Zhang Pinghua, that feeling became even stronger.

I felt that he wanted to wrap up this issue as quickly as possible.

Experts cited the US midterm elections as another variable.

However, although Ronald’s approval rating had declined again after the Big One, it was still close to 70 percent. With the Republican Party’s control of both the House and Senate in the midterm elections being almost certain, there was not much reason to drag out the trade dispute until then.

[Anyway, thanks to you, we made money again.]

Golden Gate and K Company, which had bet on the rise in advance, made quite a hefty profit.

I hung up the phone and took a breath, when another call came in.

It was none other than Chairman Zhang Pinghua.

He is scheduled to leave for Jakarta for a summit with ASEAN leaders. It must be to reassure allied countries.

Chairman Zhang Pinghua conveyed his words to me through an interpreter.

[The Chinese economy is not a small pond, but a big ocean. In a big ocean, there are many days with strong winds and blizzards. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be a big ocean.]