The opposition party launched a political offensive day after day over the nuclear phase-out issue.
There was no shortage of pressing issues piled up in the National Assembly, like livelihood bills and supplementary budgets, but the nuclear phase-out controversy seemed to be swallowing everything whole.
And, unintentionally, I was at the center of that controversy.
Voices of discontent erupted from the ruling party, which was on the defensive, but perhaps due to some kind of learned experience, no one protested directly to us.
Should I consider this fortunate?
Protests by environmental groups continued in front of the company. One group even raised funds to run advertisements on broadcast stations and in newspapers highlighting the dangers of nuclear power. The newspaper ads featured images of the ruins of Fukushima and pictures of animals with grotesquely deformed bodies.
It seemed the number of protesters doubled after that ad ran.
Taekgyu looked down at the protesters and said,
"It's not like we're arguing to increase existing nuclear plants; we just invested in Traveling Wave Reactors. Since they can completely burn spent fuel rods that are difficult to process and store, isn't that more eco-friendly?"
"The environmental groups' stance is that all nuclear power is unacceptable, whether it's light-water reactors, heavy-water reactors, or TWRs."
It's natural for people to fear what they don't understand well.
No matter how severe the fine dust gets, people might think it's bad for their health, but it doesn't instill terror. However, radiation brings a wave of fear, regardless of its actual harm.
So, some might think that thermal power plants spewing fine dust, exhaust fumes, and greenhouse gases are better than nuclear power plants with even a 1 percent chance of an accident. And indeed, there's no 100 percent guarantee that an accident won't happen.
When will truly perfect, eco-friendly, and safe energy emerge?
I received a call from Professor Kim Ho-min.
[Investing in Traveling Wave Reactors. I never imagined.]
"I don't know if it was the right thing to do."
[It was the right thing. It was something someone had to do. No one thinks nuclear energy is completely problem-free, but no one thinks getting rid of it will be problem-free either. If we have to use it, we should think about how to use it as safely and efficiently as possible.]
"The government doesn't seem too happy about it, though."
Professor Kim Ho-min laughed out loud.
[Haha, since when did you care about the government?]
"That's true."
If I had worried about the government's opinion, I probably wouldn't have been able to do anything until now.
[Among the countries that embarked on nuclear phase-out, except for Germany, the others have effectively reversed course. They simply can't meet their electricity demands without nuclear power. Seen that way, TWR is the best option in the current situation.]
"Will people think so too?"
[It will take some time. Thinking should change as circumstances change, but altering a set course is not easy. Inertia tends to set in with anything you do. Especially since politicians have their pointless stubbornness.]
Globally, the nuclear power market was experiencing a boom.
Unlike thermal power plants that anyone can build, only a few countries possess the technology to construct nuclear power plants.
The countries actually capable of exporting are the United States, Russia, China, France, Japan, and South Korea – these six nations.
Among them, four are permanent members of the UN Security Council, and Japan is the world's third-largest economy.
South Korea, having built its technology from scratch, competed for contracts against these powerhouses in the global market. While China might lead in price, South Korea was technologically ahead and had the experience of winning the UAE nuclear power plant contract.
Therefore, it was considered sufficiently competitive.
However, it faced difficulties after the government's nuclear phase-out declaration, and the news that OTK Company had invested in Rosatom was the final blow.
Talk immediately arose that the Czech nuclear bid was lost, and the UAE notified that it would switch nuclear plant maintenance from a private contract to a competitive bidding process.
Countries pursuing or planning nuclear power construction all turned their attention to Russia.
Russian government officials and Rosatom representatives eagerly used my name to promote Russia's nuclear technology and the Traveling Wave Reactor experiments.
While the TWR might not be perfect technology, it is superior to existing nuclear power plants in every aspect. Therefore, the future nuclear market will likely be dominated by TWRs, not light-water or heavy-water reactors.
Although the exact timing is uncertain, Professor Petrov's team succeeding in the TWR experiment is a foregone conclusion. If you can't be the first mover, you have to be at least a fast follower.
In other words, if developing the technology independently is impossible, quickly joining hands with Russia is the wise move.
From Russia's perspective, since it cannot handle all the global nuclear power orders alone, it would likely want to bring South Korea into its camp as an ally for technology standardization and market expansion.
Japan moved first. Prime Minister Okazaki directly contacted President Vysotsky and agreed to hold a Russia-Japan summit soon.
Sang-yeop senior arranged to meet with the CEO of KHNP (Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power) and nuclear construction companies regarding this matter. However, just the day before, the KHNP CEO notified his non-attendance.
"Did something happen?"
To my question, Sang-yeop senior replied in an irritated voice.
"What happened? He's just watching the government's mood. Because the higher-ups are extremely displeased right now."
Until now, I hadn't particularly paid attention to the government when making investments. Though I went through all sorts of trouble after getting on Park Si-hyeong's bad side.
An investor should act when there's an opportunity to make money right in front of them. Especially if it's a technology that benefits everyone.
But to think they'd be displeased simply because it doesn't align with the currently pursued policy. Seeing this, I'm glad OTK Company is an American corporation.
"It's not just the investment in Russian nuclear power, but they seem thoroughly peeved that there was no notification to the government side."
I was dumbfounded.
"They're acting like children."
"If our side had notified them first and at least pretended to consult, they could have created a pretext to shift policy. But at this point, doing so would make them look like they're yielding to OTK Company's pressure after being criticized by the opposition. In short, the optics wouldn't look good to the public."
"Should I consult with the government for every investment from now on?"
Sang-yeop senior shook his head.
"Is there a need? You're past the level where you need to worry about the government anymore."
***
When I opened my eyes from sleep, I saw a beautiful woman with brown hair sleeping beside me, breathing softly.
Careful not to wake Ellie, I got up and went to the living room. Taekgyu was asleep on the sofa, likely having fallen asleep while gaming.
Come to think of it, you could probably say he has the easiest life in the world.
I took a beer from the refrigerator and went outside. Soft lighting illuminated the dark garden. I sat on a chair and drank the beer.
As I was lost in thought alone, someone hugged me from behind. I felt a warm, soft touch.
"Why did you come out?"
"I woke up and Jinhoo wasn't there."
Ellie was wearing loose pajamas. A completely different feeling from when she's working in a suit. Most importantly, only I get to see this cute side of her, I suppose.
"It's not too cold at night anymore."
"True."
The weather had indeed warmed up a lot.
"What were you thinking about all alone?"
"It's nothing."
Ellie took the beer I was drinking and took a few sips.
"You'll get scolded if you lie."
Not wanting to be scolded, I spoke honestly.
"I was thinking about the kind of impact my investments are having."
In the past, no one would have cared where I invested. But now, everyone paid attention to my investments and carefully watched the resulting changes.
In the world, perhaps only Warren Buffett and I possess this level of influence.
"True. The term 'OTK Effect' has even emerged."
"…"
Though people just seem to call it the Otaku Effect.
"This is probably because I've made too much money."
"You really have made a lot."
Autonomous electric vehicles, batteries, pornography, pizza, architectural design, and so on. Currently, OTK Company's value is well over $1 trillion.
If the VRMMORPG made by OTK Games is released, construction in San Francisco and Silicon Valley begins, and the Traveling Wave Reactor experiment succeeds, how will the company's value change in the future?
$2 trillion? $3 trillion?
"What on earth should I do with all this money?"
I can't spend it all, nor can I give it away to someone else. As long as I have 'Oracle', there's likely no one who can handle this money better than me.
Ellie probably guessed why I was having such thoughts at this time of night. Perhaps that's why she asked a question that hit the nail on the head.
"Jinhoo, are you not interested in politics?"
"It's not that I'm uninterested. I vote regularly."
The economy and politics always move together. What politicians consider most important are economic indicators like unemployment and growth rates.
"Successful businesspeople usually tend to establish connections in the political sphere, don't they?"
"That's right."
Throughout history, East and West, capital power has coveted political power beyond the market.
Crassus, who formed the Triumvirate, was the richest man in Rome, and Han Young-joo, the founder of Eunsung Group, ran for president. The same applies to his son, Im Seung-yong, who inherited Eunsung Heavy Industries.
Humans always desire more than what they possess.
Recently, it has become more common to exert influence on the political sphere using money rather than directly entering politics.
This was, in fact, what practically all Korean chaebols did.
In the case of Seosung Group, it lobbied politicians across the board. It also nurtured numerous talented individuals through scholarship programs. They might come to work for Seosung Group, but they also advance into politics or the legal profession.
Pro-Seosung figures are positioned in the centers of power, whether it's the executive, legislative, or judicial branch. Depending on the situation, they serve the interests of Seosung Group, not the nation's interests.
No matter how crucial Seosung Group is to the Korean economy, no one would think this is right.
There was a time when various systems competed. The American political scientist Francis Fukuyama declared that human history ended with the victory of liberalism.
While there's some debate about whether that statement is correct, currently, almost all countries, including developed nations, have adopted democracy politically and capitalism economically.
These two are the pillars supporting the state. Therefore, political power and capital power must maintain balance and check each other. Capital power must not reign over political power.
"And I'm not confident that I will always make the right choices."
The purpose of investment is to make money. As long as there are no illegal acts in the process, it is inherently valid.
However, politics isn't clearly black and white. There is no single right answer as to whether nuclear phase-out is right or wrong, whether to implement free school meals, or whether tax increases or tax cuts are better.
Just as actions thought cool in youth can become an embarrassing past later in life, things believed to be right now might turn out to be wrong later.
When Russia sold Alaska to the US, they rejoiced at selling the frozen wasteland for a high price. Conversely, the US government was criticized by its people for buying useless land.
I shook my head and said,
"I have no intention of controlling the country with money. And I shouldn't."
Ellie looked at me and smiled.
"You know what? That's what I like about you, Jinhoo."
"Really?"
I stared intently at Ellie for a moment.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Because you're pretty."
Then Ellie's face instantly turned red.
"W-what is it, all of a sudden? You're making me embarrassed."
I drank the rest of my beer and said,
"Well, the problem is whether they realize I have no such intention."
Heo Chang-min was originally a labor and human rights lawyer. He fought against the tyranny of large corporations, defended workers' rights, and represented those who stood against the dictatorial regime.
Thanks to the efforts and sacrifices of countless people, South Korea was able to overthrow the dictatorship and achieve democratization.
And that former lawyer now occupied the presidential seat.
The President of South Korea holds immense authority. Yet, even that power struggled to control capital power.
Governments changed several times through elections, but the chaebols remain chaebols, then as now. There was even talk that power had shifted to the market.
Korea was once called the "Republic of Seosung." Many believed that even if Korea collapsed, Seosung would not, but if Seosung collapsed, Korea would. Therefore, Im Il-kwon and Im Jin-yong, who controlled Seosung Group, were essentially controlling Korea.
However, that saying has now vanished. Not because Seosung Group's power has weakened. It's because a super-giant corporation has emerged, large enough to dwarf Seosung Group.
That is OTK Company.
OTK Company was entirely different in structure from the chaebol groups thus far.
No matter how large Seosung Group is, the stake held by the Im Jin-yong family is less than 10 percent. However, the government holds a much larger stake through the National Pension Service.
Chaebol groups controlling entire conglomerates with small stakes have vulnerable governance structures. Therefore, they inevitably have to be mindful of the political sphere.
Political power remains a formidable force checking capital power. That's why they can summon chaebol leaders to hearings and berate them, and investigate various corruptions to have them arrested.
However, OTK Company received no external investment at all. Kang Jin-hoo's control, holding an 80 percent stake, is solid.
With no plans for an IPO, this control will likely last until his death.
Kang Jin-hoo appeared on the investment scene five years ago. In just five years, he amassed the greatest fortune in human history.
His wealth surpassed that of Carnegie or Rockefeller at their peak, and there was talk of it exceeding the fortunes of the Saudi and Abu Dhabi royal families.
What will happen five years from now? And five years after that?
President Heo Chang-min recalled the young man he had met a few months prior and muttered,
"Perhaps, in the future, this country might be swayed by the hand of one man."