December arrived.
The tumultuous year of 1998 was coming to an end.
Even restaurants, which had been struggling due to the economic crisis, were enjoying a brief respite as people cautiously opened their wallets for year-end gatherings.
I had also rented out a large restaurant for Chunha Trading’s year-end party, attended ...
My call with Chu Min-jeong lasted until sunrise.
It felt like barely an hour had passed, but the sun was already up before I knew it.
[Oh? It’s already this late. I need to get ready for work.]
“Don’t go in today—just work from home. I’ll inform your department.”
[No, it’s fine! I should still go in. I...
Chu Min-jeong possessed two exceptional skills.
One was programming.
The other was algorithms.
I had always thought of algorithms as just a method for solving problems.
Before my regression, they were widely used in advertising, music recommendations, and various other fields.
But Min-jeong’s algorithmic pro...
The 2002 World Cup drama had finally come to an end.
Just as history had written, South Korea finished in an impressive fourth place, making the tournament a spectacular success.
And when a drama becomes a hit, its lead actors’ value naturally skyrockets.
But Taewoo Group had already signed contracts before the drama ...
July 14, 1997.
Dressed in a roomy shirt and thin cotton pants, Seok-won opened the fridge, took out a round ice cube, and dropped it into an old-fashioned glass.
He then selected his favorite bottle of Johnny Walker Pure Malt 15-Year-Old from the display, poured it into the glass, and checked the Rolex on his wrist...
Quantum Fund Headquarters, 7th Avenue, Manhattan, New York.
In the spacious office, George Soros sat in the center of a large sofa, flanked by Rodney, the CIO, and Ian, the Chief Manager. The three were engaged in conversation.
“I thought they’d focus all their energy on defending the currency, but now they’r...
The investigation began with the explosive news report.
Terms like “defective semiconductors” and “shredders” were unfamiliar to the general public, but the 1 trillion won figure was enough to capture their attention.
Kim In-ha and his brothers were the first to be investigated.
Reporters bombarded Kim In-ha with que...
July 8, 1997.
The office of Daehung Venture Capital's Fund Management Department had decided to wait and observe the market until buying pressure resumed. It was calm, but a slight tension hung in the air.
Everyone was sitting at their desks, resting, but keeping a sharp eye on their monitors, ready to start tradin...
A female staff member in a neatly arranged hanbok began setting the dishes down on the table.
The meal consisted of rich and nourishing dishes like king crab porridge with perilla seeds and mushrooms, nine delicacies platter (gujeolpan), sea cucumber and shrimp in vinegar sauce, and even wild ginseng—perfect for restoring strength and b...
The Asset Management Division office at Daheung Investments was buzzing with activity from early morning.
Beep! Beep!
“Sell 200 contracts at 5,500!”
“What? I can’t hear you—say that again!”
Team members clutched their receivers, raising their voices, but trades weren't going through as eas...
Even amidst all this chaos, there were those cheering.
They were none other than Epicura’s shareholders.
For them, it felt like a continuous string of dazzling, dreamlike days.
Epicura’s stock price, which had once plummeted to rock bottom, making it hard to even recover the principal, had now…
Grown wings a...
The next morning, I checked social media on my smartphone.
It was to gauge the impact of last night’s broadcast.
‘This is… way bigger than I expected.’
Overnight, the internet had exploded with an overwhelming number of memes, spreading at an incredible speed.
And all those memes converged on a si...
Finally, the long-awaited day of my debut has arrived.
Today, I must defeat White Shark and establish myself as a genius rookie.
However, there is a serious obstacle in my way.
That is none other than White Shark’s overwhelming reputation.
White Shark is a top-tier figure, ranked just below Buffett a...
The next evening, at 7 p.m.
“Mr. Slater, this way.”
Dex Slater arrived at the CNBC broadcasting station and followed the staff’s guidance to a familiar waiting room.
While receiving light makeup, his mind was filled with complex thoughts.
‘How will Epicura respond?’
The recent exposé wa...
“You’re good at this.”
I expected it, but racism is truly top-tier in terms of incendiary power.
After White Shark exposed that “Epicura sold Harbor Lobster, which has many Black customers who aren’t profitable,” the internet became a sea of flames.
– Running a business based on skin color? What is this, 181...
Dex Slater appeared in a program called ‘Capital Insight’.
Although it was a relatively unknown show, there was one reason why White Shark chose it.
It was the quickest platform to schedule an appearance.
And there, he once again raised suspicions about Epicura.
[For years, I’ve been claiming that there’s ...
Meanwhile, at Shark Capital Headquarters.
Employees were glancing cautiously at the CEO’s office on the second floor.
Beyond the transparent glass wall stood Dex Slater, the Great White Shark.
At first glance, his expression appeared calm.
But upon closer inspection, a peculiar aura of menace seemed to seep thro...
Only 27 days left until the shareholders’ meeting.
Once again, we gathered in one place for a strategic meeting. As usual, the campaign strategist was the first to stand and summarize the current situation.
“First, let me update you on the status of institutional investors. Shark Capital currently holds 40% support, while we ...
Epicura’s report was written in a format that added its own opinions to the contents of White Shark’s report.
It quoted White Shark’s criticisms verbatim and immediately expressed Epicura’s stance alongside them.
For instance, it went like this:
<Toscano Garden does not add salt when boiling pasta.>
...
The title of the report released by Shark Capital was identical to that in a previous life.
<Saving Toscana Garden>
This report sharply criticized the operational status of Toscana Garden, the flagship brand of Epicura.
Its purpose was clear.
To highlight the incompetence of the current CEO Whitmer and the b...
About a week has passed since the press conference.
The Great White Shark remains silent.
“Isn’t it strange? You’d think they’d at least release a rebuttal…”
Dobby muttered nervously beside me.
During the conference, the Great White Shark failed to respond effectively to our bet.
However, enoug...
After the press conference, Dex Slater, also known as the Great White Shark, calmly issued instructions as he looked back.
“The meeting will be held in two hours.”
The unexpected directive made the staff’s eyes waver.
Typically, in such situations, an emergency meeting would be convened immediately.
But wait...
On the day of the press conference.
We held a meeting with a proxy solicitation advisor prior to the event.
These are the people who communicate with shareholders and run campaigns to secure votes in favor of specific agendas…
In simple terms, they were like election strategists.
“There are now 60 days left un...
On Monday, Pierce and I headed back to Florida.
This trip was expected to take a bit longer.
A rather important task was waiting for us.
First, there was a scheduled press conference.
After remaining silent since the sale, Epicura was finally going to announce its official stance.
Whitmer had prepared thor...
I searched my memory and organized everything I knew about Bitcoin.
The developer of Bitcoin was Satoshi Nakamoto.
Although the name sounded Japanese, no one knew his nationality, age, or any other personal details.
Because of this, various conspiracy theories had emerged.
Some even speculated that Bitcoin was secretl...
His father’s sudden declaration blindsided Jung Ho-young.
“Study abroad? Just like that? Why should I? You promised that once I got into college, I could do whatever I wanted!”
“And ‘whatever you wanted’ turned out to be manipulating prosecution investigators for personal matters?”
“What’s wrong with that? ...
As usual, Seok-won arrived at the office in the morning, handed over his linen jacket, and said,
“Could you get me an iced Americano, please?”
“Of course. The usual—extra strong, right?”
“You know my taste well.”
When Seok-won replied with a light chuckle, Na Seong-mi gave a small bow with a smile.
June 24, 1997.
Summer had arrived early, and for days, a scorching heatwave had pushed temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius.
Although the temperature dipped slightly at night, the heat that had accumulated in the city’s asphalt roads and concrete building walls during the day radiated back out, leaving many peop...
Monday morning, June 16, 1997.
President Park Jin-hyung of Daeheung Textile had just arrived at the office and was sitting at his desk as usual when his close aide, Chief Secretary Oh In-hwan, knocked and hurried in.
“Sir, Taehwa Shopping has just issued an announcement that they’ve filed for court receivership...
Westchester County, New York.
As he sat at the breakfast table, picking at his bacon, scrambled eggs, and hash browns, George Soros’s brow furrowed as he read the Wall Street Journal. An interview with Syed, the Malaysian Prime Minister, caught his eye:
… To counter the predatory acts of George Sor...