November 14, 1996.

Two weeks had passed since the IMF’s support began and the exchange rate had broken past 2,000 won per dollar.

Korea had become a lawless zone.

There were laws, but they were useless. The laws were constantly rewritten by those with power and money.

[Bank interest rates raised to 30%... Ordinary citizens dying under the weight of high rates]

[Harsh restructuring demands... Is the ‘lifetime job’ disappearing?]

– Thud.

I kicked a bundle of newspapers left on the roadside.

Cigarette ash covered the entire street. Today, the road was filled with people sighing deeply, and not a single one spared a glance—even as Miss Yoo Ha-yeon walked past them.

That alone told you how serious the situation was.

“Oh, you’re here?”

Seo Ji-yeon, the one who had dragged me deep into the mountains, shamelessly waved her hand like it was nothing.

“Why did you call me out? Hoo, my legs are killing me.”

When I asked bluntly, Seo Ji-yeon tilted her head and answered.

“What do you mean why? You’re the one who gave me this job, Miss. And besides, you came by car.”

That’s true, but...

Since anti-American sentiment was at its peak, I left my personal car behind and came in something shabbier. At least no one threw eggs at me, which I suppose is lucky—but considering that I’m practically a national hero in Korea now, that’s only natural. Judging by the rumors, it’s like I went toe-to-toe with the U.S. itself.

'Should I just slap a giant “Yoo Ha-yeon” label on my car?'

Mmh... Maybe printing out a big photo of myself and decorating the car wouldn’t be a bad idea... Though it might be too soon for Korea.

I shrugged and opened my mouth.

“Did you do everything I told you to, Chief Secretary?”

Chief Secretary—.

Seo Ji-yeon grinned, clearly liking the sound of that, and gave an exaggerated bow.

“Yes, of course. I received the people sent by the former Chief Secretary, finished the handover, and took care of a few companies too, Miss.”

“There must’ve been plenty of people criticizing you for being too young.”

Ji-yeon shook her head vigorously, her slightly oversized sleeves fluttering.

“Ahaha, it’s fine. Everyone in the student council knows I’m close with you.”

“Student council?”

“Oh, I mean the people from school. As you know, the organization’s big now, so there are factions...”

Ji-yeon smiled brightly and gave a rough explanation.

Those from school were °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° “Student Council,” those from Daehwa Group were “Office Workers,” and the Russians were “Mafia,” etc... Two young women in suits talking like this in the mountains—it felt like we were filming a movie.

As I listened to this explanation of my own organization’s factions—of which I had no idea—I tilted my head.

“...Hold on. But we haven’t even merged the organization yet. Aside from the core leadership, everyone’s doing their own thing. Can factions even form under those conditions? I heard the student council side has started splitting, but the others don’t even meet.”

To that, Seo Ji-yeon scratched her head with a sheepish laugh.

“Uh, well, I just decided that now. I’m planning to start dividing them into factions.”

What the hell. Is she saying she’s sabotaging organizational integrity on purpose? Is this treason?

I crossed my arms and stared at Seo Ji-yeon through half-lidded eyes.

“...Explain. Clearly.”

“Ah, no, don’t look at me like that. That’s scary. I’ve served you for how long now—how could I betray you?”

Who knows. The world doesn’t always work the way we expect it to.

“Some people don’t even think of it as betrayal when they stab you in the back. Mm, ask Si-hyun about the details later.”

Though Ji-yeon tilted her head, she quickly added an explanation.

“Mm, anyway... factions are inevitable. You say the organization isn’t merged yet, but the former Chief Secretary brought in a ton of people just yesterday, right? They still need places to sleep, eat, get info, and work... Even among those from the same school, factions form. So it’s only natural that people from different countries would be even more prone to it.”

“And?”

“And, the organization’s just gotten too big. It’s fine for me, but it’s unrealistic to expect the other staff to blindly execute orders from above without knowing anything. You’ve got money and power now, Miss, right? I figured it’s most efficient to divide the power through factions and manage it that way. You said it yourself—true secret organizations don’t exist.”

“Mm, that’s reasonable. Like you said, we’d eventually need to layer information and create filters... Mmh. But that means you’re going to hold the most power, aren’t you? These factions... you’ve got the most overlap. You’re school-based and Daehwa-based, right?”

Plus, I just put you in charge of the Russian personnel too... Staying in the Chief Secretary position while holding all that influence? Sure looks like a power grab.

“Well, yeah... That’s right. I want to enjoy some power too. Is that bad?”

Seo Ji-yeon puffed out her chest with pride as she answered.

Hm.

Mmm...

There’s nothing wrong with that.

“But still, it’s kind of cheeky for someone like Seo Ji-yeon.”

– Bonk.

“Eek!”

I lightly flicked her forehead and looked around the mountain.

Dry autumn leaves rustled underfoot, and the road looked freshly cut and rough. Off in the distance stood a suspiciously out-of-place mansion—that must be where our Russian friends would live.

It’s not Seoul, so transportation’s a bit inconvenient... but it should be fine. I’m paying them enough.

'Still, I need to keep an eye on Alpha Fund...'

For now, it’s better to prioritize Korea. I’ll let Charles stay aggroed for a bit. Finance people aren’t idle enough to obsessively track down who really owns ten billion dollars.

Right now, I have to focus on the most urgent matter: a bargain sale that might never come again—and must not repeat.

“Oh, right. I had something to ask you. About that corporate M&A project... We’re going through Daehwa Investment Bank for it, right?”

“Yeah. We’ve got some kids who just finished training at BBB, so send them. It’s a bit early to throw them into real work as soon as they become experts... but we’ve got enough money, so it’s fine.”

Since there’s no need to negotiate opinions—which is usually the hardest part of M&A—the difficulty is way lower. The other side will probably beg us to buy their company. For the investment bank, this is practically a feast.

“Mmh, dividing tasks on something like this is important... Who should we assign it to...? Could you maybe recommend someone?”

I chuckled and gave her a pat on the shoulder.

“That’s your job. You’ll get cursed out like crazy, but isn’t that why you’re the Chief Secretary?”

Miss Yoo Ha-yeon must always be admired, praised, and respected.

Not because it’s my personal preference. That’s just how this world works. If someone else takes the blame—handles the dirty work like restructuring or reworking the personnel system—then the next person can work in peace.

“Sigh... I can already hear them calling me a parachuted bimbo...”

“Well, they’re not wrong.”

A girl not even twenty years old, holding hiring authority over dozens of elite employees? There’s no parachute like this one.

“Agh, that’s when you’re supposed to offer words of comfort.”

Hm, comfort, huh...

– Tug.

I grabbed Ji-yeon’s tie and pulled her into my arms. I pressed her face into my soft chest and gently patted her hair.

“There. Comfort. Feels nice, right?”

“...Ugh.”

Aw, she likes it.

As I stroked Seo Ji-yeon like a pet, I glanced over at the Russian researcher beside us. He looked delighted as he enthusiastically decorated what would be his house. I heard he was in research, but why does he have such a muscular build?

“Why a mountain though? Are you burying people out here or something? I hate bugs...”

“It’s not just that... But the surroundings are a bit sensitive. We held a fair vote. I actually wanted to build it near your place, Miss, but... they’re all introverts...”

Introverted? Those people?

I stared blankly at the mafia-looking men sawing away at planks. Male or female, they were all absurdly fit.

“Well, in the chaos that was post-collapse Russia, anyone who didn’t maintain themselves properly died...”

“Ahh.”

“And I also heard Si-hyun has a hobby of training her subordinates... Anyway, it’s not a bad thing to be healthy, right?”

As someone who works on Wall Street, I nodded naturally.

Wasn’t there a famous fund manager whose hobby was rock climbing? If you had to pick one essential trait for fund managers, it wouldn’t be “investment skill” but rather health.

If Warren Buffett had died young, he wouldn’t be a legend. No matter how talented someone is, if they’re in poor health, they’ll collapse from overwork before they even make associate.

“Oh, and I had one more question. Can I ask?”

Seo Ji-yeon whispered cautiously into my ear.

“Sure. Since when have you ever cared about my opinion, anyway?”

“Well... why are more than half the people we brought in this time scientists or engineers? I thought we’d be getting bodyguards... And... quite a few of them seemed suspiciously tied to the defense industry.”

“Oh, I intercepted some people who were supposed to go to North Korea. So yeah, we’ve got quite a few who used to work on nuclear development. Ahaha, why are you so scared? It’s a project we did together with the ANSP, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

I’m doing so much for world peace.