Chapter 69
Chapter 69
We got into the car and headed to Incheon International Airport.
“What time did you say you were arriving?”
Taek-gyu answered my question.
“Two half past two.”
Hyun-joo’s sister and Ellie are going to come to Korea today with the employees who will be working at Golden Gate’s Korean branch. So this is how I’m going to go out.
Upon arriving at Incheon International Airport, parking and entering the arrival hall, an unexpected scene unfolded.
There were so many reporters in the arrival hall that there was no room for them to walk.
There were three broadcasters KBC, MBS, and SBC, as well as cable, general, and even foreign reporters such as CNN and NHN.
The photo line was set, and bodyguards were even deployed.
Taek-gyu also looked like he did not understand English.
“Does even a Hollywood star visit Korea?”
I don’t know because I’m not interested in entertainment news.
After waiting for a while, the door of the arrival hall opened and foreigners who looked like travelers came out with suitcases.
And it was followed by a black high-waisted skirt, white blouse and glasses-wearing beauty in her early thirties, walking out along with staff who appeared to be her co-workers.
It was Hyunjoo’s older sister.
The moment I was about to raise my hand.
Suddenly, the camera baptized towards Hyun-joo’s sister.
Click click!
The shutter blew non-stop.
Hyun-joo’s older sister tried to exit the arrival hall with her staff, but her reporters surrounded her completely.
“·················ogue.”
What’s wrong with this?
Taehyung said in surprise.
“What happened to my sister?”
“No way.”
Are you Hyunjoo’s older sister?
But unless something goes wrong, the media can’t rush in like this.
Hyeon-joo noona, who was blocked by reporters and could no longer go forward, had no choice but to stop. Then, as if waiting, a dozen microphones with the station logo were pushed forward.
“How do you feel about becoming the first Korean to become the Golden Gate branch manager?”
“Please give me your opinion.
“Do you have any investment plans in Korea?”
“As the head of the Korean branch, what do you think about the future prospects of the Korean market?”
Dozens of questions poured in at once. It was a question posed to the Korean branch manager of Golden Gate, not simply Oh Hyun-joo.
I panicked and looked at Taek-gyu.
“Is Hyun-joo noona the branch manager? did you know?”
Taek-gyu looked more shocked than me.
“no. What does that mean? You’re the branch manager! My sister is the branch manager!”
I muttered as I watched Hyunjoo’s older sister answering reporters’ questions.
“Has there ever been a female branch manager at Golden Gate?”
I was talking to myself, but to my surprise, I heard an answer from behind.
“Jessica is the first woman to become a branch manager.”
I turned around and saw a foreign woman with short brown hair and a suit.
When did she come here?
“Ellie!”
“Shh.”
Ellie put her finger to her mouth and hid her body behind me. She was conscious of the reporters. Fortunately, all the reporters were preoccupied with Hyun-joo’s sister.
Ellie smiled and said.
“It’s been a while. I missed you.”
For the first time since Brexit.
I asked her.
“What happened?”
“It is as you see it. Jessica became the Korean branch manager.”
“·················ogue.”
When she heard that she was coming to Korea, she thought she might get a promotion. But she must have been promoted to the branch manager!
Taek-gyu rubbed his eyes and asked.
“Is this such a big deal?”
“Of course.”
If you are the branch manager of Golden Gate, you can say that he has a higher rank than the CEO of many large securities companies in Korea.
Now I understand this situation.
It is surprising that Golden Gate is entering Korea directly, but a Korean woman in her early 30s has risen to the position of the branch manager.
This is enough to attract reporters from all broadcasters. Hyunjoo noona’s face will appear on the news tonight.
“Sister…
I waved his hand and shut Taek-gyu’s mouth as he was about to scream. If we pretend to know here, there is a high chance that they will be dragged into us.
We stood back and watched the interview as if we didn’t know each other.
Although it must have been an unexpected situation, Hyunjoo noona did not panic and answered the reporters’ questions calmly.
“She became the first branch manager as a woman,” she said. How much is she going to allocate to new hires as female branch manager?”
Hyunjoo noona just cut it off and said.
“Recruitment will be done according to the rules, and we will select talented people, regardless of gender,” she said.
“It is known that there is a gender discrimination problem within Golden Gate, so do you have any plans to give more opportunities to female financiers?”
Reporters followed and asked questions.
Staying up all night is not enough if you answer every single question. Bodyguards stopped the reporters, and Hyun-joo’s older sister walked through them with her staff.
A car was waiting outside her arrival hall, and Hyunjoo sister got on board and her car left immediately.
The remaining reporters searched for other subjects of coverage. Golden Gate employees who had not yet left the arrival hall were targeted.
“I would like to say something about Governor Oh Hyun-joo.”
“Do you know anything about the future plans of the Korean branch?”
I told Ellie.
“Go quickly.”
As I was going ahead, Ellie naturally came to my right and folded her arms. It felt soft and warm.
When I was startled, she said, squinting her eyes.
“The reporters are watching from behind.
“Ah······.”
If you walk around like this, you wouldn’t think you’d be a Golden Gate employee.
Disguised as lovers, we exited the arrival hall and crossed the road to the parking lot. Ellie didn’t release her arms until she got to the front of her car.
“·················ogue.”
But was it necessary to do this?
It seems that nobody knew from the beginning that they were Golden Gate employees.
* * *
On Teheran-ro between Yeoksam Station and Seolleung Station, there are two 38-story buildings whose exterior walls are all covered with blue glass.
Both are owned by the Asian branch of Golden Gate, and Chase Southwell bought and built a large building and surrounding land at a bargain price during the IMF crisis.
Among them, the Korean branch is expected to enter the building on the right. In front of the building, cars and reporters from the broadcasting station were packed. In the vicinity of the building and at the entrance to the underground parking lot, employees of a private security company controlled access.
As we drove in there, a security guard stopped us in front.
“Entry is prohibited except for officials.”
Ellie took her employee ID card out of her pocket and handed it to me, and I showed it to the security guard.
“I am a Golden Gate employee.”
The security guard who checked the employee ID opened the breaker. When I parked in the underground parking lot and went up to the lobby, a staff member was waiting.
“I have heard from the manager. You’ll be here soon, so I’ll guide you first.”
Apparently we arrived first.
We took the elevator and headed straight to the top, the 38th floor. Although internal construction is in full swing in the entire building, the construction of the office of the branch manager has already been completed.
All the furniture and appliances were brand new.
Taek-gyu looked around and said.
“It’s great here.”
There was an office and a living room in the spacious space, and there was a bedroom, a shower room, and a dressing room inside.
“·················ogue.”
Is it the management’s warm consideration to keep working without leaving work?
After a while, Hyunjoo’s older sister came in. I didn’t know it before, but the signs of fatigue were evident.
Hyunjoo noona sat down on the sofa as if she had collapsed.
“It’s been a while, both of you. How have you been?”
Taegyu said.
“When did you become a branch manager? Why didn’t you tell me beforehand?”
Hyun-joo’s older sister looked apologetic.
“sorry. I was going to meet you today and tell you in person, but I didn’t know that the media noticed it first.”
Anyway, it’s something to celebrate.
“congratulations.”
“What congratulations. It’s all thanks to you, after all.”
“Is it because of me?”
Hyunjoo’s older sister smiled.
“If it wasn’t for OTK Company and K Company, there would be no branch establishment in Korea, and I wouldn’t have been able to become the branch manager.”
I was quite surprised by that.
“Did Golden Gate really come to Korea because of OTK Company?”
Hyunjoo nodded her head to my question.
“About half of that. The cash currently held by K Company is not at a level that branches can afford. In addition, future IPOs should be considered.”
The companies in which we hold shares are growing day by day. Soon, they will be listed on the exchange one by one.
The brokerage company hosting the IPO can attract customers and collect commissions.
Only companies owned by OTK Company will be listed on overseas markets, but most companies owned by K Company will be listed on the KOSDAQ. For Golden Gate, you don’t want to miss either one.
Hyun-joo’s sister put a cigarette in her mouth and lit it.
“Did you know that the entire financial world is paying attention to OTK Company after Brexit?
“Yes.”
His name had gone up and down several times before, but this time it was different.
That’s 30 billion dollars. Seosung Electronics made an amount equivalent to a year’s net profit in the foreign exchange market in just one month!
“How long are you planning to hide?”
Following Sang-yeop senior, Hyun-joo’s older sister was also known to the media.
In order to find out the owner of the OTK Company, you need to read the certified copy of the corporate register stored in Della Island.
However, while OTK Company was sweeping money in the foreign exchange market, K Company was sweeping money in the derivatives market. The markets were different, but the way they invested was pretty much the same.
OTK Company currently owns 98 percent of K Company’s shares, and both companies trade through Golden Gate.
In the end, if you search around Golden Gate and K Company, the names of me and Taek-gyu are bound to come up. Besides, there are many people who already know who we are.
“It will be a matter of time before we know, but not yet.”
The Republic of Korea is a democratic republic, and it is stipulated in the constitution that it does not recognize any special social class.
However, in reality, there are distinctly special classes.
The chaebols created after the Korean War continued to accumulate wealth, run businesses, and dominate Korean society for generations.
“What will happen if my identity is revealed?”
Currently, OTK Company’s assets exceed the market cap of most chaebol groups in Korea. However, regardless of the amount of money they had, their influence on Korea was minimal.
In Korea, politicians, chaebols, and the media are intertwined with each other to form a solid cartel.
Just by looking at the exchanges, you can easily see how powerful that power is.
How many companies are not affiliated with chaebols in the top 20 by market cap on the KOSPI?(Read more @ wuxiax.com)
On the other hand, in the US, start-ups such as Gubble, Facenote, and AMZ are taking their place, and even in China, new companies such as Alijini, Tengent and Baidu have risen to the top of the market cap.
Could it be that all the founders of Korea are playing around and only the chaebols have worked so hard to achieve this result?
This is not to deny the role of the chaebol in the development of Korea. It is true that chaebol companies such as Suseong Electronics and Eunsung Motors were active in the global market and led economic growth.
However, there were side effects that prevented the growth of new companies other than the domestic market monopoly and chaebol affiliates.
In such a situation, if you have money… No, because you have money, there is a high possibility that you will be a target. We who do not belong to the cartel will be constantly checked.
In the process of making money, we have never done anything particularly legal. But if you walk, it’s the law.
At the time of the L6 crisis, even though there was no physical evidence, didn’t the Financial Supervisory Service investigate the case only with heart disease?
Laws can be changed or created at any time. What was legal until yesterday becomes illegal today when the law is changed. This kind of thing is not uncommon.
After hearing my story, Ellie asked with a surprised expression.
“Then what should I do?”
“If I go into that cartel, the problem is solved.”
You can use money to support politicians and build connections with chaebols and the media. As an emerging financial conglomerate, it stands alongside industrial conglomerates.
Hyunjoo’s older sister said.
“The simpler way is to get married.”
I nodded.
“That’s fine.”
It will be difficult to find a way as sure and secure as marriage. If it’s me, wouldn’t even the top five chaebols be willing to accept me as a family?
“Hey, are you married? Jinhoo is still young.”
At Eli’s words, Hyunjoo’s older sister said calmly.
“What does age have to do with arranged marriage?”
The concept of love marriage was coined less than 100 years ago. Until then, marriage was a family contract. Marriages of chaebol families are still the same today.
I laughed bitterly.
“You know what Eunsung Cha Group, the second-largest financial group, did to our house.”
I have no desire to enter the cartel, let alone get married.
Eunseong-cha seized the technology that his father had worked hard to develop, and in an instant, the company his father had dedicated his life to nurtured.
His father could not withstand the shock and died.
When my identity is revealed, everything that happened to my house will be known.
What will happen to Eunseong Cha when I find out that I am the son? Will you apologize to me or will you try to break me down?
Hyunjoo’s older sister said.
“What are you going to do?”
“You have to be something that you can’t even touch.”
If it was me in the past, I would not have dreamed of confronting a chaebol group. But now things have changed a lot.
Taek-gyu asked.
“Is it possible?”
I said looking down at the huge city beneath my feet.
“You will find out.”
