A few days later.
I called Manager Han, who had just returned from business in the U.S., to Captain Kang's restaurant.
After eating only greasy American food for days, Manager Han's eyes lit up when he saw the Korean set meal, and he hurriedly shoveled food into his mouth.
"There are so many Korean restaurants in America—why are you eating like you haven't eaten in days?"
"The Korean restaurants in America tailor their food to suit American tastes, so it's greasy and bland for Koreans. Especially, the distinctive spicy flavor of Korean cuisine is completely missing."
With a quick motion, Manager Han tore kimchi with his hands and placed it on top of rice.
Then, with an utterly blissful expression, he savored plain rice with just one strip of kimchi.
"Have you finished?"
"I just need a last sip of scorched rice water before I'm done."
I quietly watched him gulp down the scorched rice water.
The moment he put down the bowl, I slid a plane ticket in front of him.
"You'll need to head to Europe first thing tomorrow."
"I just arrived from the U.S. to Korea today. You want me to fly to Europe tomorrow?"
"The Financial Hub building will be completed soon. But there are too many vacancies. You can't use the Financial Hub as a shared office, can you?"
"You want me to bring European financial firms to relocate their Asian bases to the Financial Hub building."
"Do you think it's possible?"
Crunch!
Manager Han urgently tore another strip of kimchi and stuffed it in his mouth.
Since he had to leave for Europe again tomorrow, he was hurriedly storing the flavor of Korea in his body.
"It's possible. But wouldn't European financial firms alone be insufficient? To fully populate the Financial Hub, how about bringing in Japanese financial firms as well? Compared to Europe, Japanese firms have more vulnerabilities we can leverage."
"If we bring in a few Japanese firms, starting with Nomura Securities, the hub will definitely have more substance. So I'll travel to Europe via Japan then."
"I'll finalize lease agreements with financial firms in Japan and Europe within a week and return."
Returning from a Japan and Europe tour within a week?
It was nearly impossible.
Even on a honeymoon in Europe, a week would only suffice to visit Western Europe and then come back.
"Can you really manage in just a week? You could stay in Europe about two months and still be fine."
"If I eat meals in the car while traveling and sleep on the plane, a week is enough."
"It's okay to take your time. Enjoy touring Europe while you're at it."
"I'm tired of living away from home. I'll finish as quickly as possible and come back!"
Since it involved meetings with financial leaders, Manager Han had to handle it personally.
If Han didn't act, I'd have to, but I had zero desire to do so.
Should I offer some incentive?
There's a magic phrase that could fire up Han's motivation.
"All the achievements related to the Financial Hub will be recorded under your name. That would be an excellent justification for a promotion to vice chairman, wouldn't it?"
"I'll get moving right now!"
Jumping up from his seat, Manager Han bowed his head to me.
He dashed out of the restaurant as if ready to leave for Europe immediately.
***
Taewoo Financial Tower Completion Ceremony.
The tower soared high into the sky, and the sturdy-looking convention hotel was also completed.
More heartening than the news of the tower's completion was the fact that my grandfather had finally returned to Korea from Vietnam after a long time.
"Seeing grandfather's face is harder than seeing the president's. I was worried you wouldn't even attend the completion ceremony."
"As you grow older, you naturally long for home. And if you want to see my face more often, why don't you get married? If you have a great-grandchild, even if you hate it, I'll show up at your house every day."
Ah, so this is what holiday stress felt like on TV.
Where do you go to school? Where do you work? When will you get married? When will you have kids?
Grandfather was the only person who could say these things to me, and hearing marriage talk from him after so long left me dizzy.
"When the time comes, I'll do everything, won't I? But it seems the air in Vietnam suits you well. You look younger."
"Who told you the air in Vietnam is good? Seoul or Vietnam, both are filled with fine dust. I just work with young people's energy and spirit, so it feels like my body and mind have grown younger."
"Since you're in such a good place in Vietnam, why did you come to Korea today?"
"The president is coming, so I must too. If only ministers were attending, I wouldn't have bothered."
The current president, with little time left in office, had decided to attend the completion ceremony in person.
He deeply valued the Financial Hub, and perhaps prompted by the Blue House, an enormous number of reporters filled the venue.
"I can't tell if this is a Taewoo Group event or a government event."
"Isn't that always the case? No matter how times change, businessmen have no choice but to watch the powers that be closely."
"I think so, too."
I agreed with some of my grandfather's words.
But I did not agree that nothing changes even when times do.
If I can create future power with my own hands, then I won't have to suffer through such indignities anymore.
"Keep your expression in check. The president is coming."
The sitting president approached us and extended his hand for a handshake.
Yet, he showed proper respect to my grandfather in his greeting.
We proceeded with the completion ceremony alongside the president, as representatives or delegates from financial firms around the world attended.
Quantum Fund, Berkshire Hathaway, Fintech Bank, Nomura Securities, BNP Bank, and more.
Financial firms from the U.S., Europe, and Japan had gathered in Korea.
Taewoo Group was the one who invited them, and naturally, as the host, I had to welcome them vigorously.
I don't even remember how the completion ceremony ended.
If it weren't for my grandfather helping with the guest reception, I might have barely survived. Otherwise, I would have been breathing in a hospital emergency room instead of a hotel.
"Thank you for your hard work. Most attendees were guided to the convention hotel. Guests who booked elsewhere are under the protection of Captain Kang's security team."
"I'm so relieved the hotel is right next door."
I was staying at the newly completed convention hotel.
It was located right next to the Financial Tower, and unlike a typical hotel, it was designed for financial firms. The number of suites and regular rooms were almost equal, a unique structure.
"George, the head of Quantum Fund, contacted me saying he wants to meet briefly. It would be best to postpone until tomorrow morning."
"I can't delay meeting with George. I'll meet him right now."
"Then I'll bring him here."
Only a few representatives attended the event in person, and one of them was George, the head of Quantum Fund.
Even while doing well in Europe, George made time to visit Korea, so no matter how busy, I had to meet and talk face-to-face.
"Mr. Kim! You've lost half your face since last time. Well, dealing with so many financial firms will do that to you."
"Mr. George, you look well."
"Thanks to you, we're doing very well in Europe. So how could I look otherwise?"
The European debt crisis was still ongoing, and the market promised gains for at least another two or three years.
Quantum Fund would have jumped into the European debt crisis even without my suggestion, but thanks to me, they were able to enter faster.
"Taewoo Securities is slowly withdrawing from Europe. Honestly, I'd like to keep profiting with you, Mr. George, but as you know, Taewoo Group isn't just financial firms, so we need to manage our image carefully."
"From your perspective, that's unfortunate, but it's good news for Quantum Fund. We'll be sure to make good use of your share."
"It would sting if someone else profited, but if it's you, Mr. George, then I wholeheartedly welcome it."
I wasn't just saying this casually.
Though it couldn't compare to how much I helped Quantum Fund, I had also received a great deal of support from them, so I meant it sincerely.
"So, after Europe, where do you plan to strike next? I'm ready to join your next operation as well."
"It's still a long way off. I'll tell you once the European debt crisis has ended."
"So, you do have something in mind! Even if you asked me to go to hell with you, I'd follow—so just say the word when the time comes."
The employees of Taewoo Group had a great deal of trust in me.
Especially among the executives who had spent years at my side, that trust was even stronger.
But perhaps the person who trusted me most wasn't anyone inside Taewoo Group, but rather George.
He believed in me so deeply that, if I pointed at gochujang and called it ketchup, he would agree without question.
"For now, enjoy the spoils of the European debt crisis. IT will continue to be strong as well, so if you invest solely in IT, you won't take a loss."
"You always give me good news, but I feel I need to bring some bad news this time."
"Is something wrong?"
"Not exactly. But it seems that most of the financial companies that moved to the Financial Hub plan to return to Hong Kong or Singapore once their contracts end in five years."
There were two representative cities for Asia's financial hubs:
One was Hong Kong, and the other was Singapore.
Hong Kong overwhelmingly held the top spot, with Singapore following behind.
But I had forcibly upended that relationship.
By moving Asian headquarters from Hong Kong and Singapore to Korea, Seoul had swiftly emerged as a financial hub city for Asia.
It wasn't something to celebrate unconditionally.
Hong Kong and Singapore had become financial hubs organically, whereas in Seoul's case, I had forced the transformation—making the justification and connections much weaker.
"There's a saying in Korea: 'In ten years, even rivers and mountains change.' But isn't the pace of change even faster these days? Now, even five years is enough for a complete transformation."
"So you're confident you can make Seoul into a true financial hub city?"
"Korea will undoubtedly offer strong policy support. But before that, don't you think something is likely to go wrong in Hong Kong first?"
It's been fifteen years since Hong Kong was handed back from Britain to China.
Although it has reverted to Chinese territory, Hong Kong still functions almost like an independent city-state.
But China would never simply sit back and allow it to remain that way.
Gradually, the mainland will intervene more forcefully in Hong Kong.
Eventually, Hong Kong, too, will become a city under communist rule.
"Do you think China will move to control Hong Kong?"
"Until now, other Chinese cities lagged far behind Hong Kong in GDP, but that gap is shrinking drastically every year. There's less and less reason for China to preserve Hong Kong's autonomy."
"Hmm, if Hong Kong does shift into a communist city, it'll certainly lose much of its appeal as a financial hub."
For now, Hong Kong served as a gateway to mainland China.
But as new gateways appeared elsewhere, Hong Kong's value would inevitably decline with time.
"And, in the end, wouldn't a financial hub naturally arise wherever the money gathers? If we can show them that there are big rewards to staying by my side, they'll remain in Korea even if we try to send them away."
"You're right. Financial firms ultimately follow the money. If they can make money, they'll set up shop anywhere—even in Antarctica if necessary."
Which comes first, the chicken or the egg?
To build a financial hub, financial firms must gather.
Where financial firms gather, money is sure to follow.
Conversely, wherever money accumulates, financial firms will flock.
If you raise both the chicken and the egg, there's no need to worry about which comes first.
We had already forcibly gathered the financial firms, so now, as long as I made sure money flowed here, the financial hub would thrive naturally.