A few days later, the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan, New York.
The spacious penthouse bedroom, with its thick blackout curtains drawn, was enveloped in a deep, silent stillness.
Seok-won, who had been sleeping in the center of a bed large enough for three or four people to lie on comfortably, slowly lifted his heavy eyelids.
As he sat up in bed, the sheet that had been covering his body slid down.
Rubbing his stiff eyes, Seok-won habitually reached for the Patek Philippe wristwatch he had left on the bedside table next to the bed.
[9:34]
Normally, he would already have been up and moving around by this time.
But because he had been tossing and turning until dawn due to jet lag, he had ended up oversleeping.
"Every time I travel back and forth, adjusting to the jet lag isn't easy."
Seok-won let out a bitter smile as he completely threw off the sheet and lowered his feet to the floor.
Slipping into the neatly placed slippers, he pulled aside the balcony curtains with a face that still hadn't fully shaken off sleep.
Swish!
As if it had been waiting, the dazzling morning sunlight poured in and brightly illuminated the room.
When he opened the glass door and stepped outside, the lively air of New York greeted him.
Before his eyes spread the magnificent view of Central Park, where lush green trees formed a dense forest in the middle of Manhattan's towering skyscrapers that stretched high into the sky.
Gripping the glass railing with his hand, Seok-won gazed out as if admiring the streets of New York and the peaceful Central Park.
On the road below his feet, yellow taxis blared their horns noisily, while New Yorkers holding coffee in their hands hurried along the streets with expressions as if they were the busiest people in the world.
Watching the bustling scene, Seok-won felt the reality of having returned to New York again and turned around with a light stretch.
A short while later, after taking a quick shower and coming out, Han Ji-sung, his executive secretary, was waiting and gave a respectful bow.
"Have you woken up?"
"Even though it's not my first or second time coming to New York, adjusting to the jet lag isn't easy. How about you, Manager Han?"
"I also had a hard time because I couldn't fall asleep."
Before the large balcony window where bright sunlight streamed in, breakfast had already been set out.
As Seok-won walked over, Stone, the penthouse's dedicated manager, pulled out the chair slightly to make it easier for him to sit and attended to him.
"This is lemon tea with a bit of honey added."
Like the veteran he was, having served only VIP guests at the Plaza Hotel for many years, Stone had prepared the lemon tea for him, noticing that he looked slightly tired from the jet lag.
A rich butter aroma drifted from the golden-brown brioche toast, and it was accompanied by maple syrup in a small glass bottle and fresh berries.
There was also a generous spread that included thick sausages, smoked salmon, and salad.
Seok-won cut a piece of toast, placed it in his mouth, and after tasting it, nodded with a satisfied expression.
"Mmm, it's delicious."
Stone showed a slight smile and then stepped back so as not to disturb him while he ate.
Seok-won pleasantly filled his stomach as he picked up the newspaper placed on one side of the table.
Surprisingly, it was a Korean morning newspaper from today. It had been brought for him after arriving on a passenger flight from Seoul that landed at dawn.
[SA Oil Begins a New Start with Executive Leadership Reshuffle!]
When he opened the business section, the headline printed in large letters caught his attention.
It was an article that reported in detail the results of SA Oil's extraordinary shareholders' meeting held over the weekend.
There was a photo of the newly appointed President Hyun Dong-jin standing side by side with the executives who had been elected along with him, and below it, the article was filled with positive and highly expectant commentary about Seok-won becoming the major shareholder and taking over the management control of SA Oil.
Seok-won recalled having a deep conversation over a meal with President Hyun Dong-jin and the executives who were to be newly appointed before the extraordinary shareholders' meeting.
"You all have long built your careers at SA Oil and have great affection for the company. You'll be able to lead it well, just as I expect."
After finishing his meal while reading the newspaper, Seok-won set down his fork, and right on cue, a warm espresso was offered to him.
As he took a sip of the coffee with its slightly nutty aroma and savored the taste, Landon entered the penthouse living room under Stone's guidance.
"Were you in the middle of eating?"
"Because of the jet lag, I overslept a bit. I've just finished anyway, so don't worry about it and have a seat."
Seok-won gestured with his eyes toward the empty seat across from him.
"Well, with a fourteen-hour time difference, it certainly won't be easy to adjust."
As Landon sat down naturally with one leg crossed, Stone approached and asked,
"What would you like to drink?"
"Ah, just bring me a cup of coffee as well."
"Understood."
Landon looked back at him and began to speak.
"As you instructed, we have finished all negotiations for the stake sale with the Chinese state-owned enterprise Kweichow Moutai."
At the news he had been waiting for, a glint appeared in Seok-won's eyes.
"I thought it would take a little longer, but it wrapped up quickly."
"I thought so as well, but perhaps Vice Chairman Hu Jintao used his influence properly. The other side accepted most of our demands without much disagreement, so we were able to conclude the discussions smoothly."
At that moment, the conversation paused briefly when Stone brought over the espresso.
"Mmm, this tastes good."
"Right?"
Watching Landon take small sips of his coffee, he leaned back in his chair and asked,
"The terms are the same as what we discussed last time, correct?"
"Yes. Out of the 61.99% stake held by the Guizhou Provincial State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, it was finally agreed that 15% would be sold to us through a block deal for 135 million dollars."
"So that comes to about 45 yuan per share."
"That's correct."
Seok-won unconsciously found the corners of his mouth lifting upward when he realized that he had secured as much as a 15% stake for just a little over 100 million dollars in a company that would later record an astonishing stock price increase exceeding 10,000% and rise to the position of an emperor stock in China.
"Good work. Let's proceed with signing the contract right away without dragging things out."
"Understood."
Landon glanced at him over the rim of his coffee cup.
"By the way, I didn't know you were interested in liquor companies, Boss."
Seok-won let out a short chuckle and replied.
"I do enjoy drinking, but if it were for a hobby, I would have acquired a winery in France or California's Napa Valley rather than shares in a Chinese liquor company."
Then Landon asked with a puzzled expression.
"Then why did you even ask Vice Chairman Hu Jintao, a key figure in the Chinese regime, for help to purchase shares of Kweichow Moutai?"
"Because it's obviously a stock that will rise significantly in the future, so I secured it in advance while it's still cheap."
Unlike Seok-won, who answered as if it were nothing, Landon looked even more confused.
"Are you saying the stock price of Kweichow Moutai will rise significantly?"
"That's right."
Seok-won nodded with a confident expression.
Although Landon had witnessed Seok-won hit enormous jackpots several times through extraordinary investments while staying by his side for a long time, he still could not understand how a liquor company's stock could generate such huge profits.
Especially since if Seok-won said it would rise a lot, it meant they could earn at least three or four times the return, which made it even harder for him to understand.
"Although it has the advantage of producing Moutai, which is called the national liquor in China, most of its sales are domestic. Moreover, since it's considered a premium liquor in China, the demand is limited. So how can the stock price possibly rise?"
Seok-won grinned, revealing his white teeth.
"You're correct"
"Pardon?"
Blinking in confusion at the unexpected remark, Landon looked puzzled.
With a playful smile lingering at the corners of his mouth, Seok-won began explaining the reason he was predicting the stock price would rise.
"When people in China give special gifts or hold high-end banquets, the one thing that never fails to appear is Moutai. It's said that nearly half of the liquor produced is used by government agencies or major corporations for hospitality and gifts."
"Hmm. Is that so?"
"That's why ordinary Chinese citizens also recognize Moutai as the finest liquor, unlike other traditional baijiu. In other words, they think of it as a luxury item, like Royal Salute, which is called the king of whisky."
Seok-won said this as he sipped his espresso.
"As China's economy grows and the income level of its people rises, wouldn't they naturally want to try drinking their own country's premium liquor, Moutai?"
"Well… anyone who drinks alcohol would probably think that way."
"Out of China's 1.4 billion people, even if only half of them—or no, just one-tenth—drink one bottle of Moutai a year, that's 140 million bottles."
"…!"
Landon let out a low exclamation at the sheer scale of China's domestic market, which could only be described as insane.
"On top of that, Moutai that has been aged for many years—like top-tier whisky or wine—can be extremely expensive. They say the longer it ages, the deeper the aroma and flavor become, but more than that, if you buy it and store it, the price naturally rises. Because of that, it's often used as a financial investment tool or even given as a bribe when making requests."
After listening, Landon thought it over carefully before soon nodding with a look of understanding.
"As you said, if consumption increases along with China's economic growth, then there is certainly room for the stock price to rise from where it is now."
Rather than simply rising, it would actually record a staggering surge exceeding 10,000%. But knowing that no one would believe it until they saw it with their own eyes, Seok-won chose not to mention it.
"Not only that, but since it pays out more than 70% of its net profit as dividends, the dividend yield is very high. If we hold it for just a few years, we'll recover the entire principal investment and still have plenty left over."
"I wondered why you suddenly decided to purchase shares in a Chinese liquor company, but as expected, you had your reasons."
Seok-won nodded and naturally changed the subject.
"By the way, what happened to the investment funds that the Saudi Arabian royal family said they would send?"
"I was actually about to report that. Yesterday, I confirmed that 9.3 billion dollars had been deposited into the fund account, excluding the valuation of the SA Oil shares we received first in kind."
Landon adjusted his posture as he sat up straighter and asked,
"Even after deducting the remaining fees, it still comes to 9 billion dollars, which is quite a sizable amount. Where are you planning to invest it?"
At that, Seok-won answered immediately without hesitation, as if he had already thought it through.
"Use as much leverage as possible and place short bets on the Nikkei and major Japanese banks."
"Do you mean all 9 billion dollars?"
"That's right."
With a slightly concerned expression, Landon leaned forward in his seat.
"Because of the bubble collapse, the Nikkei has already fallen as much as it could. Do you think it will drop even further from here?"
At that, a deep smile formed on Seok-won's lips.
"When people think it has already hit the bottom, that's when the final crash tends to arrive."
"...Then how far do you expect it to fall?"
Meeting his gaze directly, Seok-won spoke as if casually tossing the words out.
"If the market moves as I expect, the Nikkei will plunge below 8,000."
"…!"
Landon's eyes widened, and as if he suspected he had misheard, he asked again to confirm.
"D-did you just say that the Nikkei will break below 8,000?"
Unlike Landon, who could not hide his bewilderment, Seok-won nodded with an extremely calm expression.
"You heard correctly. The final collapse that comes when people think it's all over and let their guard down is always the most terrifying and shocking."
Hearing Seok-won speak so casually about something so enormous, Landon unconsciously swallowed dryly.