An Investor Who Sees The Future

Articles about the raid on K Company flooded the foreign and internet press. Since the Brexit incident, K Company has established itself as the most famous investment company in Korea. When news spread that such a company was raided and its CEO, Park Sang-yeop, was summoned by the prosecution, public attention turned to it.

The prosecution responded as if anticipating the criticisms.

“The raid was conducted according to standard procedure.”

“Similar to the timing, CL Chemicals and Lite Shopping were also raided.”

“Concrete tips regarding tax evasion were received, and investigations are ongoing.”

“There is absolutely no political motive.”

Conservative media outlets, including the three major TV networks, flooded articles in support of the government.

In particular, the Joongilbo newspaper openly criticized K Company.

“K Company, Respect Korea’s Rule of Law!”

Moreover, considering the simultaneous raids on major corporations at a similar time, there is no doubt that the procedures followed were standard.

It is natural for the prosecution and tax authorities to investigate companies suspected of illegal activities and tax evasion.

If there is no wrongdoing, facing the investigation with dignity should suffice. Politicizing and influencing public opinion under the guise of political objectives is misleading in essence.

It must be remembered in a democratic state that no company is above the law.

The story did not end there.

Subsequently, news broke that the parent company of K Company is called OTK Company, and the CEO of OTK Company was urgently arrested at the airport.

“K Company Established with OTK Company’s Funds”

“OTK Company CEO Urgently Arrested at the Airport”

“Revealed to be a 20-year-old Korean youth”

“The prosecution initiates a rigorous investigation into OTK Company in connection with the Financial Services Commission”

“Options trading suspected through insider trading at OTK Company”

[Expressing a strong position on cracking down on financial crimes]

OTK Company, despite its global reputation, has been relatively unknown until now. The fact that it is a subsidiary of K Company was surprising enough, but compared to the fact that the CEO is a Korean youth in his 20s, that was nothing.

The impact of this article was much greater.

The internet literally exploded with discussions.

– A Korean youth in his 20s made billions during the L6 explosion and trillions during Brexit? – And he’s just a high school graduate?

– How did he manage to establish OTK Company with that money?

– How did he earn that much money?

– He even acquired Chrysler this time.

– It’s a total jackpot!

– But why was he arrested?

– Well, what crime did he commit?

– Seems like he just angered the authorities.

– What will happen to the investment in the U.S. automotive industry now?

Reporters rushed to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office with cameras and microphones in hand.

The prosecutors gathered the reporters and announced the progress of the investigation.

“OTK Company was founded in a tax haven, and the source of its initial capital is unclear. Moreover, suspicions of profiting unfairly through insider trading have been confirmed. We discovered his entry into the country and arrested him at the airport. Currently, we are intensively investigating violations of foreign exchange management laws and financial transaction laws.”

At the same time,

The Chief Prosecutor, Hong Man-ho, received a phone call at the Presidential Blue House. Bewildered, he asked,

“W-what? Are you telling me we have arrested the wrong person?”

[Yes. The CEO of OTK Company is Kang Jin-hoo, not Oh Taek-gyu.]

“······.”

The fact that the CEO of OTK Company has been arrested is already known worldwide. As OTK Company is associated with the Ronald Election Camp, even the US political scene is in an uproar.

What if it is revealed that they are investigating the wrong person altogether?

Hong Man-ho felt cold sweat dripping down his back.

“If we mess this up, the prosecution will be turned upside down.”

***

OTK Company sent emails to all domestic and foreign media outlets, announcing a major announcement.

As if that wasn’t surprising enough, an urgent report came in from a National Intelligence Service agent who had been surveilling the company’s surroundings.

They had caught some suspicious individuals around them, only to find out that pictures of themselves were taken. It turned out they had not just been loitering around for a day or two.

“It seems like they have been surveilling us continuously!”

“What nonsense is this?”

Surveilling the NIS agents surveilling them?

NIS Director Yoon Se-won was astounded.

This kind of response was completely unexpected. Typically, when a regime targets a company, the company tends to comply.

One wrong move could lead to a situation where one side tears the other apart until the end.

Politics and economics never move separately. Therefore, even if they momentarily confront each other, they eventually find a compromise.

Search and seizure or arrests of top executives are common even for large corporations. However, that usually doesn’t turn the government and the company into enemies.

While the president’s term is fixed, in the current atmosphere, the next government is likely to emerge from the Korean National Party.

Even large conglomerates like Seosung Group with a market capitalization of hundreds of trillion won and Eunseong Cha Group with over a hundred trillion won market cap bowed their heads to the president’s words. Despite OTK Company’s fame, its market capitalization is only around 50 trillion won.

“Surely they wouldn’t underestimate this much…”

Yet, why does this ominous feeling persist?

As Yoon Se-won pondered, he realized the difference between OTK Company and the conglomerates.

Korean conglomerates dominate the entire group with a minority stake. For instance, even if you combine all the shares of Seosung Group’s executives, it would only amount to around 3 percent.

By using this 3 percent through circular investments, they exert influence on all subsidiaries. This leaves their control and succession vulnerable.

Moreover, most conglomerate leaders are not immune to embezzlement and breach of trust issues. If stringent legal scrutiny is applied, half of conglomerate leaders would likely be arrested.

Furthermore, conglomerates seek to amend laws in their favor and hope for government support.

In short, they have many weaknesses and desires, hence they are cautious of the government.

So, what about OTK Company?

During the L6 crisis, it is estimated that more than 1 billion won worth of put options were purchased. So, where did that money really come from? And were there really no illegal activities during all the investments made so far?

There is no one who is completely clean. When you investigate, surely at least one flaw will come to light.

But… what if there are no weaknesses? What if there is nothing to feel guilty about?

Currently, there are two things that could cause trouble for OTK Company. One is the issue of corporate espionage, and the other is the possible arrest of Oh Taek-gyu.

“Surely they wouldn’t consider exposing corporate espionage, right?”

Two years ago, it was revealed that the Prime Minister’s Office of Public Service Ethics conducted extensive corporate espionage against civilians. It could have been a problem that would topple the government if exposed, but North Korea conducted a nuclear test. As a result, major broadcasters and conservative media stopped reporting on the espionage case and focused solely on the North Korean nuclear issue.

Thanks to this, it was possible to wrap up the case by just removing a few low-level employees involved in the espionage.

Will they be able to smooth things over like that this time as well?

Yoon Se-won spoke with Prosecutor General Hong Man-ho.

“Is there any way to prevent a press conference?”

[How should I phrase that?]

In the past military regimes, even if it meant deploying special forces, they would just remove him by force. But in today’s era, such actions are impossible.

“What about arresting Kang Jin-hoo? He is the CEO of OTK Company. Can’t you just arrest him?”

Hong Man-ho said in an agitated voice.

[Do you understand the current situation of the prosecution before suggesting that? What kind of court orders are you going to request? Shall we demand an arrest warrant for the CEO who is already in custody? Will halting the press conference be possible if Kang Jin-hoo is arrested? What about Oh Hyun-joo? Should we also arrest the Golden Gate Korea Branch Manager? Then should we arrest Park Sang-yeop and Ellie Kim too?]

“…”

Correct. Arresting Kang Jin-hoo alone will not solve the problem.

[Please let the National Intelligence Service handle the National Intelligence Service affairs.]

Hong Man-ho finished speaking and hung up the phone.

“Damn it!”

The situation was much more serious than he had thought.

Yoon Se-won quickly gave instructions.

“Contact Kang Jin-hoo directly! Stop the press conference by all means!”

***

As a press conference approached, I spoke to Senior Sang-yeop.

“If I don’t come back before the presidential election, invest as instructed. If there are any changes, I will communicate through the lawyer.”

“Got it.”

If Diane wins, the Andole Rally will unfold, but if Ronald wins, the world economy will once again be in turmoil. It’s a big opportunity for us to make a lot of money.

Noona Hyun-joo asked while smoking a cigarette, “Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

I admit I am a bit nervous. I’m not a celebrity, and I never expected to hold a press conference in my life.

“When Taek-gyu returns, please tell him he did well during his absence.”

“Just a moment. My hair is a mess.”

Elli reached out and smoothed my hair. Then she looked at my face and smiled softly.

“You look great today. Have a safe journey.”

“Thank you.”

It feels like I’m about to do something really significant.

The K Company employees were watching me from behind as I spoke to Senior Gi-hong before leaving.

“I’m sorry for not saying anything before, Senior.”

Senior Gi-hong awkwardly smiled. “No, that’s okay. Well, it could happen. I still can’t believe it.”

“When I come back, let’s have a drink and talk in detail.”

“Sure. Let’s do that.”

“I’ll be back.”

I left everyone behind and headed to the press conference venue. Suddenly, the phone in my pocket rang. The number was not displayed on the screen, possibly due to caller ID restriction.

I had a vague idea of where the call might be from. How did they find out this number?

I decided to answer the call.

“Hello.”

A distorted male voice was heard.

[Please stop the press conference.]

“Who is this?”

[It’s a matter that can be resolved through negotiation. It would be best not to do anything you’ll regret.]

“What negotiation?”

[If you have something you want······.]

“Fine, convey clearly to the one who asked me to call.”

After composing myself, I spoke politely.

“Negotiations have been off the table since the moment you touched my friend. Let’s see who comes out on top until the end, you bastards.”

[Wait a minute······.]

Bang!

I threw my phone to the ground without needing to hear any more and stomped on it completely destroying it.

***

The lobby of K Company’s building was packed with reporters. Not only domestic broadcasters but major newspapers, as well as foreign media like CNN, BBC, NHN, CCTV, were also present.

A stage for the press conference was set up by the stairs, with a 100-inch TV screen connected to computers placed nearby.

I stepped onto the stage.

Countless cameras captured my face. Some of them were probably broadcasting live.

Tonight’s news would be filled with my face, but I wouldn’t be able to watch it lying on the couch.

I stared at the cameras and spoke.

“I am Kang Jin-hoo. Thank you for gathering here despite your busy schedules. You are aware of K Company being raided and OTK Company’s CEO being urgently arrested at the airport for investigation. I will now deliver a statement on behalf of OTK Company.”

I first mentioned the fact that K Company employees were under surveillance.

“It has been confirmed that not only call records but also financial transactions were monitored, along with keeping track of the surroundings.”

A reporter raised their hand.

He was a journalist called the trumpet of the media, MBS.

“How can you be so sure it’s surveillance?”

“Let me show you directly.”

I turned on the TV and displayed some photos. The pictures showed a man and woman walking near the building and the homes of the employees.

As I flipped through the screen, although the dates were different, the same faces continued to appear.

“I will send these photos to each media outlet separately. If you verify who they are and where they belong, you will understand.”

After discovering that we were under surveillance, we enlisted a professional security company to find those conducting the surveillance.

Among the security company staff were former National Intelligence Service or special forces personnel, so they understood the field better than anyone else.

In short, we were surveilling the surveillors.

“If there are crimes, they should be called in for investigation. Public officials tracking civilians’ movements is clearly illegal surveillance. Once their roles are confirmed, those people, as well as all related organizations they belong to, should be held accountable.”

Clack clack!

The journalists were taking notes on their laptops and posting news online in real-time.

“K Company was surveilled by the National Intelligence Service and subjected to search and seizure by the prosecution and tax authorities. Its CEO, Park Sang-yeop, was brought in for intense investigation. So, what exactly did they uncover? This can only be seen as politically motivated investigations. Moreover, the prosecution is currently detaining and investigating the OTK Company CEO without any evidence.”

A journalist shouted, “Isn’t the CEO of OTK Company detained because there are suspicions? Making such announcements when the results of the investigation by the prosecution have not even been released yet is clearly politically motivated, isn’t it?”

It was none other than a journalist from our country’s biggest newspaper, Joongilbo. It was a great question fitting for a leading figure in the press.

“The most important fact is that the person currently under investigation and detention is not the CEO of OTK Company. Arresting someone without even properly identifying them shows that the prosecution is tailoring the investigation to suit the current administration’s preferences, doesn’t it?”

The journalists all had a puzzled look on their faces when I spoke.

In a way, this was a bigger deal than the illegal surveillance by the NIS. The arrest of OTK Company’s CEO had become a global media issue, and the prosecution had even made a statement regarding the allegations.

But to think they had arrested the wrong person!

If this is true, questions about what the warrant was requested for, how it was issued, who gave the order, one after another, will become a problem.

The journalists bombarded with questions.

“How can you be sure of that?”

“Then who is the CEO of OTK Company?”

“Who are you?”

“What is your relationship with OTK Company?”

I looked at dozens of cameras. Then, smiling towards someone who was watching me, I said,

“I am the CEO of OTK Company.”

(TL/n: I feel like the author wrote this scene after watching ironman, lol)