"Rather than calling it a prediction, the way you kept pushing your opinion on me... It feels exactly like you knew beforehand that the real-name financial system would be implemented this year. Am I wrong?"
I calmly looked back at my grandfather without avoiding his gaze.
"Anyone could have predicted it. It was clearly stated in the campaign promises too. But everyone was just caught up in the thought that it would never be implemented, so they didn't look at it properly. That was the difference between them and me."
At my words, Grandfather seemed speechless and just stared at me for a while. Then he suddenly started laughing loudly.
"Hahaha. How fun. This is fun. The difference between you and me. Are you saying you saw what I could not see?"
I knew that would work. I smiled in a relaxed manner.
"Not just you, Grandfather, but all the conglomerates and the vested interests must have thought the same way. Trusting in that, the President used the extreme method of an 'emergency decree', which hasn't been invoked even once since the Third Republic, to carry it out by surprise."
Grandfather, wearing a satisfied expression, nodded and agreed.
"Mu-hyeok, you are right. We might have turned a blind eye even while knowing it. Still, I never expected it to be this fast."
"I didn't think it would be this fast either."
"Hah, no need to play innocent. Still, it's a relief that you kept telling me, so I cleared out most of the anonymous accounts. If not, I would have almost lost a lot of money..."
Grandfather trailed off and fell deep into thought for a long time. Meanwhile, I also looked around Grandfather's study by myself and got lost in my own thoughts. Under the slightly dark brown desk lamp, a few small specks of dust were floating around.
'He must be thinking of siphoning his assets overseas like before. It took too much time to get that back...' Just as I was agonizing over whether there was a good method, Grandfather opened his mouth.
"Mu-hyeok."
"Yes."
"I think I have already given you enough money, so now I will hand over all the shares I own to you."
"Pardon?"
"I was planning to watch you a bit longer before handing them over, but I feel like you will use them well. You can sell them to make cash, or you can keep holding onto them. You figure that out on your own."
These were the shares he hadn't handed over to me until the day he died. Grandfather, who held shares in most of the large companies in our country, also owned many shares at the very top of the circular investments. This was an asset that could absolutely never be compared to money.
"It will be the last gift I give you while I am alive. Do you understand what I mean?"
"Yes, thank you."
I bowed my head and sincerely expressed my gratitude. Grandfather looked at me with a pleased expression and said.
"How do you think things will play out starting tomorrow?"
"It will probably... fall into extreme chaos. Not just the large corporations, but the small and medium companies, and even the regular citizens will all flock to the banks to withdraw cash, making it crowded. It might even reach a point where the banks don't have enough money to pay out."
Grandfather nodded at my words.
"The stock market will also crash. But... that kind of chaos probably won't last long. In a situation where most citizens are doing all their financial transactions under their own names, the chaos will quickly settle down, and I think there's a high chance the stock market will continue its boom again."
"Hoh..."
"In the end, the ones taking the damage will be the shares and secret accounts managed under borrowed names by the conglomerates, and the funds of the loan sharks. That will become the problem. It will lead to a situation where they try to siphon their secret funds overseas."
A shadow was cast over Grandfather's face.
"I think we can't stop funds from leaking overseas in the end. However, it is true that the real-name financial system is necessary. It is bad news for you and me, Grandfather, but..."
Even after that, I continued my conversation with Grandfather for a long time.
"What is the meaning of this?"
The President's speech announcement was flowing out from the TV. The Chairman's office of Ilseong Group with a heavy atmosphere. The cold gaze of Seo Yong-geon, the head of Ilseong Group, was looking at his chief secretary, Lee Seok-min.
Gulp.
Manager Lee Seok-min swallowed dry saliva and kept his head bowed without answering.
"Try and answer me. Didn't you say there was absolutely no way the real-name financial system would be implemented?"
"I am sorry."
"Don't give me that nonsense about being sorry. What is the countermeasure? I'm asking why the people we planted in the Blue House didn't even give us a hint!"
"There was no contact."
At that, Seo Yong-geon distorted his face and threw the documents he was holding onto the desk.
"Is this the only way you can do your job? Have you grown old too? If that is the case, tell me anytime."
"I am sorry."
"Hoo... What about the secret funds?"
Lee Seok-min hesitated and answered.
"...It looks like about three hundred billion won will be tied up."
"Hah, three hundred billion?"
"Yes... It seems there is absolutely no way to recover the accounts under people who do not exist. I think we will be able to recover the accounts under the names of the employees or their families."
Seo Yong-geon rubbed his forehead as if his head was aching.
"Hoo... For now, recover those at least and bring them to me. And let's think about the rest slowly."
"Understood."
Meanwhile, Chairman Song of Daehyun Group was also watching the President's real-name financial system announcement at his mansion.
"Hah... That child's words were right..."
Chairman Song muttered with a feeling of dejection.
"Because I don't have ties in the Blue House, I didn't know about this beforehand... This is my karma, karma. Right, how are the kids doing?"
"I will try contacting them."
"No, just leave them alone for now. They must be out of their minds right now, so I shouldn't give them a headache too. They will take care of it well on their own."
"Yes."
"Contact Chairman Cheon's side and call that child Kim Mu-hyeok over tomorrow. I have something to talk about with him."
The secretary bowed in greeting and left the place.
"Hah... I must have grown old too... I've become stubborn. So stubborn..."
Because the announcement was made in the evening when the banks were closed, the area in front of the banks was crowded from dawn with people trying to withdraw cash. Of course, before the banks opened, the large corporations and the big hands of the private loan businesses had already withdrawn all their money.
And... when the bank doors opened a little later than the scheduled time, the banks were paralyzed by the people's inquiries to the point where they couldn't handle proper work. The stock market as well, as soon as the market opened, more than a thousand stocks started at the lower limit price. Literally, the Republic of Korea was shaking.
'Just as expected.' Taking a step back from the center of that chaos and watching the situation, I headed to Chairman Song's mansion in Jongno to meet him. A short while later, after arriving at Chairman Song's house, I was guided by the secretary waiting at the entrance and entered the study.
"We meet again, Chairman."
"You're late. Hurry up and come sit."
I laughed inwardly at his impatience, which was different from before, and took a seat.
"So, how did you know about the real-name financial system? Did Chairman Cheon tell you?"
As if he was in a great hurry, Chairman Song threw a question at me as soon as I sat down. I gave a shrug.
"I simply predicted it."
I said the exact same words I had said to Grandfather to Chairman Song.
"Hah~ A prediction... Are you saying that you, a mere twenty-year-old, figured out something no one could predict? The thoughts of the President, who is like a hundred-year-old snake and an absolute master of politics?"
"It was obvious if you just took a small step back and thought about it."
Chairman Song let out a laugh that sounded both dejected and dumbfounded.
"Seeing how you predicted what even the supposedly smart people in our company couldn't, the ones who were smart for nothing were them, not you."
"That is not true, Chairman."
"No. This time, I learned from you. Useless stubbornness clouded my vision. Otherwise, I would have at least predicted something like this."
I didn't give any other answer and kept silent. But Chairman Song didn't care and continued speaking.
"Come to think of it, you asked another question back then. Was it about our country falling into default?"
At this question, I also flinched a little.
"That was asking about all countries as a whole, not just our country. Aren't quite a lot of countries placed in that kind of danger? Especially developing nations or most countries in Africa."
"That might be so, but the words you said keep refusing to leave my head. The words that our country would go bankrupt."
"Hahaha..."
I tried to laugh and gloss over it, but Chairman Song was not such an easygoing person who would just let it pass roughly. Examining my face with its awkward smile, he made a strange expression.
"This will be fun to watch too. By the way, are you dating anyone right now?"
"Excuse me?"
When I looked at him in bewilderment, Chairman Song smirked with a face full of playfulness.
"If you don't have anyone, there is a girl among my granddaughters who is turning eighteen this year. Do you have any intention of meeting her?"
Eighteen years old... Chairman, that's a crime.
"Ha, ha. I have no thoughts of dating yet. And I want to meet someone naturally rather than through an introduction."
"Tsk, this guy. I'm just telling you to meet her, alright? I'm not saying this just because she's my granddaughter, but she is pretty!"
Although he said it like a joke, it seemed he was half-serious, as Chairman Song smacked his lips when I kept refusing.
"Hmm, do not harbor the illusion that you can marry an ordinary person and be happy. That is a fantasy."
"I am still young, am I not? I do not want to be tied down by an arranged marriage."
Suddenly, I thought of my ex-wife. She was the very first person to abandon me and leave when I collapsed, but she was someone I had truly loved and even married. 'I probably won't get involved with her this time.'
Even while thinking that was a good thing, it left a slightly bitter taste in my mouth.
"Come to think of it, we haven't talked about your mother. Do you happen to remember anything about Mi-sook?"
I shook my head and said.
"She passed away when I was young, so I have no other memories. I have only seen her in pictures."
Chairman Song's face became faint with nostalgia as he recalled the past.
"Mi-sook was a truly kind child. I still remember how she used to hold my hand with her small hands and smile..."
I figured he would know her since Grandfather and Chairman Song were close, but listening to Chairman Song's words, it seemed he had been quite close with my mother.
"I heard that child who always listened so well to Chairman Cheon suddenly left home one day because of a man... Has it really been that long already? Time is truly heartless. Mi-sook is gone and now you are here..."
A sigh filled with remorse echoed inside the study.
"That ruthless bastard. No matter what, to drive out the youngest daughter he cherished so dearly in such a cold manner... Only to end up feeling so heartbroken about it now..."
Chairman Song, who had trailed off, looked at me with pitiful eyes and said.
"Did you say the culprit hasn't been found?"
"Yes..."
I had already asked Hyeon-seong's father to look into that incident anyway. No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't understand how the two of them passed away so suddenly... He said he would look for the records, so I was planning to wait and see.
"Hmm... So much time has passed that I'm not sure if it will be of help, but I will try to use my power as well."
"Thank you."
At his words where a knot in his heart could be felt, I did not bother refusing and nodded. Chairman Song gave a faint smile toward me.
"You can go now. Come see me every week starting next week. Talking with you is fun for me too."
"Yes, if I have no special schedule, I will come see you. I have my own schedule too, after all."
"What?"
Chairman Song, who looked at me with a bewildered face for a moment, soon burst into hearty laughter.
"Hahaha. Right! That's how it should be. Just because I tell you to come and go as I please, you shouldn't just answer 'Yes' unconditionally. The more I look at you, the more I like you."
I also replied with a smile.
"Still. This old man gets quite lonely. If you have nothing special going on, come visit often. Keep me company and talk. Got it? There's no one who says everything they want to say in front of me like that. Not even my kids, nor my grandkids."
"Yes, I will come see you as often as I can."
When I came outside, a welcoming face was waiting in front of the study. It was none other than Chairman Song's grandson, Song Hyeon-su.
"Oh, Brother."
"Are you done talking? Do you have time to talk with me too?"
I nodded.
"Yes. But I won't be able to stay long. I have an appointment."
"It will only take a moment. Let's go to my room."
Song Hyeon-su's room was in the same location as my room at Grandfather's house, so it made me laugh a little.
"Sit comfortably."
As I sat down, Song Hyeon-su brought up the topic in a casual tone.
"What did you talk about with Grandfather?"
"Hmm... Just this and that? I think he makes time for me because my grandfather asked him to."
"Hahaha, no way. Do you think my grandfather would let someone into his study just because someone else asked? He's not that kind of person."
A subtle gaze was staring intently at my face. I maintained a calm expression.
"We don't talk about anything much. Just old stories, stories about what happened with my grandfather, things like that?"
"Hmm... Is that so?"
"Ah! He also talked about you, Brother. He told me to get close with you, you know?"
"What? Hahaha."
The third-generation chairman of Daehyun, Song Hyeon-su, who would later seek out the companies that were torn to shreds and cast aside, gathering them back under the name of Daehyun. The weights on the scale in my heart were swaying back and forth. Should I take his side, or should I not?
Weighing which side would be more beneficial to me.
< Season of Harvest. > The End