CH79 - OTK CEO

In the hotel room, there was a fax machine, computer, and printer installed. We all gathered around and processed the incoming documents. Hyunjoo, who led the negotiations, carefully reviewed all the documents, while Ellie checked for any legal issues one by one. As the final decision-maker, I reviewed the documents that were placed in front of me and approved them.

However, it doesn't mean that we handle everything ourselves. We decided to consult Golden Gate headquarters regarding the CarOS relocation, and Golden Gate's M&A experts flew to Italy to negotiate with the FCA Group.

For smaller tasks that could be delegated, K Company was mobilized.

I had a conversation with Senior Sangyeop after a long time.

Senior Sangyeop greeted me warmly, saying,

[I hear about the news through Ronald's SNS.]

"…"

Unlike Diane, Ronald actively used SNS for his election campaign. If you searched Ronald's name, OTK Company would automatically come up as a related search term.

"Sell us a bit less…"

Well, we would welcome that even if it means achieving victory that way.

"How are things on your end?"

"I finished moving recently. When will you come back to Korea?"

"As soon as things wrap up, we'll all go in together."

"Come back quickly. It's boring here without you in Korea."

"Got it. We'll talk more in person."

While we had some flexibility, Hyunjoo was stretched to the limit, even if she had two bodies. She didn't even have time to sleep, taking power naps every 15 minutes and throwing herself into work. Taek-gyu, who was less particular, said, "It's not like we're at the office, at least dress comfortably."

Unlike us, who wore training clothes or jeans, Hyunjoo was in her usual high-waisted skirt and white blouse, with her hair neatly tied back and fixed with a pin, working diligently with a straight back and poised posture.

"Don't let your guard down."

Honestly, she is very diligent in self-management. Even though she knows she should learn from others, she doesn't think she can do it when it comes down to actually doing it.

"Double-check one last time."

"Yes."

Hyunjoo carefully checked each clause of the agreement handed to her, Ellie, when suddenly my phone vibrated on the table.

Zzzing!

An unknown number is displayed on the screen.

Could it be from the Diane Camp?

As I hesitated to answer, Ellie asked, "Why aren't you picking up?"

Ellie looked at me with a suspicious gaze.

"Could it be that glass girl or something?"

"…That's impossible."

What on earth is a glass girl or something like that?

The number seemed to be from the United States.

I decided to answer the call.

"Hello."

[Long time no see, Mr. Kang. It's James.]

The caller was none other than James C. Goldman, the CEO of Golden Gate.

What could he want from me?

"Yes, hello."

[The U.S. political scene is in an uproar because of OTK Company. I heard you rejected Diane's proposal.]

Rumors spread quickly indeed.

I asked him, "Who do you think will become the president?"

[Rationally, it would be Diane, but people don't always act rationally, do they?]

Diane is rational and calm. She explains her policies based on clear evidence and persuades others.

On the other hand, Ronald is emotional and impulsive. Rather than providing solid evidence, he simply raises his voice to assert his beliefs. Will there be articles pointing out errors in his speech right after he speaks?

However, emotional outbursts often resonate better with those who feel they are being harmed, rather than logical persuasion. Even if there are some minor errors, would that really be a big deal?

[If OTK Company had not sided with Ronald's camp, I would have been confident that Diane would win. But now, I'm not sure how it will turn out.]

"I received a lot of help this time." If it weren't for James, it would have been difficult to get in touch with Ronald.

[I have one request to make.]

"What's the request?"

[I would like Mr. Kang to take care of Henry. I hope OTK Company will accept.]

"Excuse me?" I was taken aback by the unexpected job offer.

[There's nothing for me to learn from you.]

Unlike professions like lawyers or doctors, investors don't require certifications. Anyone with money can enter the financial market. While there are elites who have received systematic financial investment education for a long time, there are also those who stumble into investing. I am surely the latter. If there were shortcuts and saints in investing, I would definitely be classified as a saint. I haven't even graduated from school, let alone an MBA.

James chuckled upon hearing my story.

[It's not about being smart just because you've learned a lot. Life, like investments, doesn't always go by the textbooks.] Just like seeing Hyunjoo, you can tell that Golden Gate is brimming with top talents from around the world.

Despite that, if they ask someone like me instead of Golden Gate, there must be a good reason, right?

"Does Henry know about this?"

[I also want this opportunity. It's rare to have a chance to work with a legendary investor.] Saying this much, it seemed inappropriate to refuse. I nodded my head.

"Understood."

Henry is older than me and his financial knowledge surpasses mine by far.

I hope I won't be blamed later for ruining his grandson, right?

[Too much has been revealed about Mr. Kang. It's better to start preparing slowly.]

Since coming to the United States, I have been disclosing and moving around, revealing my identity in various places. I don't know from which side the information leaked, but the media revealed that the CEO of OTK Company is a young Asian man in his 20s.

Generally, the atmosphere was dubbed as 'Kadara Communication'. This is because it's hard to believe that a young man in his 20s could have caused such a big deal.

Anyway, it's only a matter of time before my identity is revealed.

After ending the call and putting down the phone, Taekgyu asked me.

"Who was it?"

I talked about the phone call just now and asked Hyunjoo for her opinion.

"Would it be okay to accept Henry?"

After a moment of thought, Hyunjoo said,

"It's not a bad offer. If James C. Goldman marked him as a successor, then he should be able to handle his share well."

Taekgyu nodded.

"Right. We need some employees too. Is it reasonable for a company with over 50 trillion in assets to be run by just the three major shareholders?"

"······."

That's a valid point.

If Henry joins, will we finally have our first employee? Hyunjoo, looking tired, took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes, saying,

"For now, bring him in."

"Yes."

***

Henry was staying in the next room with the security guards. I went there and said, "I just heard the news."

Henry smiled and said, "It's an honor to work together."

We moved together. As Henry entered, Hyunjoo stood up and reached out her hand.

"Welcome to OTK Company," she said. Blushing, Henry shook her hand and replied, "Thank you. I look forward to working with you."

Before the greetings were even finished, Hyunjoo placed a stack of documents in his arms.

"Let's start working right away," she said.

"Ah, I understand," Henry replied, hurriedly taking off his coat and sitting down. His upper body looked sturdy, likely from regular exercise. Taek-gyu whispered to me, "We're lucky not to be under her."

I nodded in agreement, "Indeed."

* * *

In the aftermath of Brexit, K Company became the most famous financial company in Korea.

Until now, the Korean financial market has been nothing but a playground for foreigners. While foreign IBs and PFEs made astronomical amounts of money in real estate, stocks, bonds, and derivatives, Korean financial companies did not reap significant profits from abroad.

However, within just two years of its establishment, the company swept through the global derivatives market and amassed nearly 5 trillion won.

The media extensively covered this fact, making CEO Park Sang-yeop a celebrity. He was even hailed as the "Warren Buffett of Korea."

K Company, which was once just a small venture capital firm, had grown to compete on par with major IBs. It was rare for a company, apart from the top five conglomerates, to have such significant cash reserves.

How this money would be used became a matter of great interest. Would they continue venture capital or acquisitions, or would they reinvest in the financial market?

Actually, there were many doubts about the true identity of K Company.

There is no doubt about Park Sang-yeop's investment prowess. However, the source of the initial investment capital was unclear.

With 98 percent of the corporation being owned by a foreign company, the identity of this company remains unknown. Who could have provided the funding?

Not only the media but also business circles and political circles showed interest in K Company. The financial industry was especially nervous about the emergence of a new financial conglomerate.

Are they foes or allies?

Are they competitors or business partners?

Even the conglomerates showed vigilance. Above all, the startups owned by K Company were the main concern.

The startups entering the new industries thrived daily with the support of K Company.

While it wasn't clear immediately, it was certain that these startups, in which K Company holds shares, would disrupt the domestic industries monopolized by conglomerates in the future.

No one wanted a new competitor to emerge. They had to either crush them before they grew too big or acquire them. However, with K Company's financial power backing them, it wasn't easy.

The conglomerates collectively pressured the government to investigate and regulate K Company. Soon enough, the Blue House took action.

The current president, Park Si-hyeong, received strong support from the business sector during his election and continues to do so while in power. Therefore, he readily granted their wishes.

The president instructed the head of the National Intelligence Service, Yoon Se-won.

"Investigate the company called K Company."

The National Intelligence Service is originally an agency that collects information for national security. Given the nature of the armistice country with North and South Korea in confrontation, its importance cannot be overstated.

However, the reality was a bit different.

Since the previous government, the president's close aides had been appointed as heads of the National Intelligence Service, taking on the role of the regime's watchdog.

The National Intelligence Service secretly began its investigation into K Company. Not only the CEO Park Sang-yeop, but all employees were placed under surveillance.

It was more of illegal surveillance than an investigation, yet no one found it suspicious.

Although several instances of illegal surveillance had been brought up before, all had been swept under the rug or not even prosecuted by the prosecution.

Everything is for the country, so where could there be illegality? Simply because the source of funds seems to be related to North Korea, everything was tolerated.

Not long after the investigation began, it was possible to uncover several facts that had not been revealed before.

Since its establishment, K Company has had a deep connection with the American IB Golden Gate, conducting all financial transactions through Golden Gate.

In addition to investing on its own, K Company also handled business entrusted by OTK Company separately. This meant that K Company had a close relationship with OTK Company.

"Could it be… that OTK Company is supporting K Company financially?"

The list of employees included the names Oh Taek-gyu and Kang Jin-hoo. However, these two received huge salaries but did not even show up at the company. And Oh Taek-gyu's Noona is none other than Oh Hyun-joo, the head of Golden Gate's Korean branch.

Things seemed to be unraveling.

"Who are these people exactly?"

At that point, it was revealed that OTK Company, in collaboration with Republican candidate Ronald, would invest $2 billion in the American automotive industry.

All this happened after Oh Taek-gyu and Kang Jin-hoo left for the U.S.

The following article was even more shocking. The CEO of OTK Company is in his 20s and of Asian descent.

The National Intelligence Service retrieved Park Sang-yeop's call records. He changed numbers several times and frequently communicated with Kang Jin-hoo and Oh Hyun-joo.

Calls were confirmed before and after Brexit and even recently.

"Keep digging into Oh Taek-gyu and Kang Jin-hoo."

In addition to call records, financial transactions were also investigated, revealing crucial evidence. Records of funds transferred domestically by OTK Company were found from two years ago.

They sent 1.3 billion won to Kang Jin-hoo twice and a whopping 13 billion won to Oh Taek-gyu!

Buoyed by all the illegally gathered information, Yoon Se-won could draw a conclusion.

"OTK Company was actually Oh Taek-gyu Company!"

The reason Park Sang-yeop became the CEO of K Company also became clear. It was because Kang Jin-hoo introduced his senior from school, Park Sang-yeop, to Oh Taek-gyu.

Everything fit together like clockwork.

"Oh Taek-gyu is the CEO of OTK Company!"