Time passed quickly. The announcement of the successful candidates for the first round of the bar exam was made. The list of successful candidates had all five members of our group, including myself.
On the day of the announcement, everyone gathered for the first time in a while. Bright smiles never left anyone's face.
"It feels great that we all passed the first round together at once. Everyone raise your glasses. Let's make a toast."
Oh Hyeon-woo raised his glass with a smiling face, and everyone raised the glasses in front of them.
"To passing the first round of the exam! To our friendship!"
"Cheers!"
The cheerful sound of clinking glasses rang out. Everyone continued drinking, happily enjoying the joy of passing. Oh Hyeon-woo came up next to me and poured a drink into my glass.
"You said you won't take the exam anymore, right? Do you have any regrets?"
I answered while adding ice to the drink I received.
"Well... Holding onto regrets is just a waste of time. You guys are going to start preparing properly now."
Oh Hyeon-woo nodded and casually looked around at the other three chatting among themselves.
"Today will probably be our last gathering until the second round exam. The school doesn't penalize your grades even if you don't attend classes once you pass the first round."
Korea University's law department did not penalize students' grades for skipping classes if they passed the bar exam while enrolled.
"Yeah, the second round is different from the first round. Preparing for it will be tough. I felt it was better not to do it at all rather than doing it half-heartedly."
"That makes sense too."
Nodding his head, Oh Hyeon-woo spoke as if he suddenly remembered something.
"Ah! My grandfather said he wanted to see you. Make some time for it."
"The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?"
"Yeah, he heard your name and said he wants to meet you. What exactly is your identity? To think my grandfather knows you just by hearing your name."
"...What does he want with me?"
"I wouldn't know. How would I know what my grandfather is thinking?"
Just then, Yoon Jae-ha looked in my direction and cut in.
"Ah! My dad also said he wanted to see you too, you know?"
To think even Yoon Jae-ha's father, the representative of a famous law firm, said that. It seems my name has spread quite a bit. 'Rumors are bound to spread, but this isn't exactly good news.'
I hid my complicated feelings and gave a small nod.
"I should make time even if I don't have it. I'll contact you guys separately soon."
"Okay~" Oh Hyeon-woo took on an amused expression.
"My grandfather has never taken an interest in my friends before. But even Yoon Jae-ha's family too? It's fascinating. What exactly is Kim Mu-hyeok's real identity, haha."
I smoothly avoided answering and changed the subject.
"Are you still thinking about becoming a prosecutor? Will that be okay?"
At that, Oh Hyeon-woo wore a bitter smile on his face and lifted the glass he was holding. I raised my glass and clinked it against his.
"My grandfather wants me to become a judge. But even if I become a judge, it would just be following the exact same path my grandfather walked..."
He downed the drink in his glass in one gulp.
"I want to become a prosecutor and climb to the very top. I don't want to hear people say I succeeded smoothly by riding on my grandfather's coattails. My older brothers all chose to become judges, but no matter how much I think about it, I don't want to do that. I'll have to try to persuade him. Well, even if it doesn't work, I'm just going to go for it anyway. Haha."
I could see Oh Hyeon-woo's anguish within his self-deprecating laugh. I patted him on the shoulder.
"You will do well in whatever position you're in."
"Thanks."
Just then, Myeong-soo squeezed his way over to us.
"What are you guys talking about just among yourselves? We should all drink together. Here, take this. Hyeon-woo, take one! Mu-hyeok, take one too~" Myeong-soo's tongue was already slightly twisted as if he had drank quite a bit.
"Ah! This bastard is acting up again. Are his drinking habits originally like this? How does he become an even bigger mess whenever he drinks."
Oh Hyeon-woo said while shaking his head. However, it seemed he didn't hate Myeong-soo acting like that, as everyone was watching with a smile. Myeong-soo kept clinging to me while whining.
"Mu-hyeok~ My friend Mu-hyeok!"
"Hah..."
I pushed away Myeong-soo's grinning face. Seeing him stick to me so persistently reminded me of something.
"Should I tell you guys a funny story?"
At the sudden remark, everyone looked at me with intrigued faces.
"When we turned twenty, I went to a nightclub for the first time with Myeong-soo, right? But after downing some alcohol, he must have liked the woman who was booked to join our table..."
"Hey! Don't do it. I told you not to!"
Myeong-soo belatedly struggled to cover my mouth. Yoon Jae-ha and Oh Hyeon-woo quickly grabbed Myeong-soo and urged me to continue. While Myeong-soo was flailing about, the story ended, and everyone stared at Myeong-soo as if he were a crazy guy.
Myeong-soo glared at me as if he wanted to kill me.
"Bad guy. You jerk."
At Myeong-soo's grumbled words, everyone burst into uproarious laughter.
"Myeong-soo's a real man, a real man!"
I liked that I could laugh with my mind at ease like this, at least when I met with the guys. Because I couldn't always live amidst tension. As I was smiling and tipping my glass back, Han Min-gyeong tapped my arm.
"Let's go get some fresh air. My head hurts."
I followed Han Min-gyeong, got up from my seat, and went outside the bar. I stopped Section Chief Ma, who was trying to approach me after seeing me, with a hand gesture and walked over to her side.
"Congratulations."
Han Min-gyeong, who had been looking at the night streets, turned her head and looked at me. Perhaps due to the alcohol, her face was slightly red.
"It's thanks to you. When I succeed, I'll definitely repay you."
"What do you mean repay? There aren't any other problems, right?"
"Yeah, of course."
"If it's you, you'll be able to pass the second round exam without any problems too. Don't think about anything else and do your best preparing for the exam."
"Thanks, really..."
Before I knew it, a little moisture had formed in the corners of Han Min-gyeong's eyes. I casually turned my head away, pretending not to see it.
"Let's go in, the others are probably waiting. I feel like Myeong-soo's going to make a fuss again."
At that, Han Min-gyeong grabbed my arm as I was about to turn around.
"...We're friends, right?"
"Huh?"
At the unexpected remark, I turned my body back around.
"Not as a friend... How about as a woman?"
Her face was slightly redder than before. I answered as calmly as possible.
"You're plenty attractive whether as a friend or as a woman. But right now I don't have the luxury to get a girlfriend... so I haven't thought about it yet."
Now isn't the time for dating. On top of that, if I became romantically involved with Han Min-gyeong now, the favors I had granted her with the intention of creating a debt could potentially become useless. Han Min-gyeong gave a slight nod as if she had already expected this, wiped the tears welling in her eyes, and spoke cheerfully.
"I guess I'm a bit drunk. Forget what I just said."
I watched her back as she went into the bar first. I stood outside a little longer, pretending to get some fresh air, before going inside.
"What's this! What did you two do outside?"
As expected, Myeong-soo teased as if he had caught onto something. I shook my head from side to side and sat next to Yoon Jae-ha.
"You said your father wanted to see me, right?"
Yoon Jae-ha, who had been talking with Oh Hyeon-woo, looked back at me.
"Yeah. My dad said he's met all my other friends at least once but hasn't met you. You could say it's for management purposes since the other guys are all going into the legal world, but you're a bit unexpected. I even told him you're a guy with no interest in the legal world, yet he still said he wanted to see you."
Actually, this was also one of the reasons I created this group. Oh Hyeon-woo and Yoon Jae-ha's families form a cartel within the legal world. Grandfather had approached them several times too, but he couldn't win their hearts with money.
"Then tell your father that I'll meet Hyeon-woo's grandfather first, and contact him after that."
"Okay! Hey, what are you doing? We won't be able to gather like this until after the second round exam, so aren't you going to drink?"
Yoon Jae-ha poured alcohol into everyone's empty glasses.
"Let's all have a drink! Let's all pass the second round on our first try too! We can do it!"
Everyone picked up the alcohol in front of them and drank. The drinking session continued late into the night. The next day.
I entered Grandfather's study like a morning routine.
"Right. Is the debt collection going well?"
"Yes, I am collecting the ones reaching maturity first."
Grandfather pulled his body toward me as if he felt intrigued.
"Those aren't the type of people who would hand it over obediently, though?"
"Since they were at the point of using private loans, there are indeed many companies that have no money to give. However, the things you secured as collateral are more valuable than the borrowed money, so I told them to choose whether to give that up or pay the money. Most of them somehow scraped together the funds and paid it back. For the companies that still held out, I took the items held as collateral."
Grandfather wore a small smile on his face, as if he liked my handling of the matter. I smiled back and brought up a topic.
"Do you know Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Oh Jeong-seok?"
"Chief Justice Oh? I know him. Are you talking about that stubborn gentleman?"
"Yes, he is my friend's grandfather, and he said he wants to meet me. I plan to go see him sometime soon, but it seemed he already knew I was your grandson."
"He probably knows."
Grandfather observed me for a moment before continuing.
"Everyone who needs to know probably knows about sending Su-man into exile abroad. But what are you planning to talk about when you meet him?"
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Oh Jeong-seok had stepped back from the front lines, but he was still the man at the pinnacle of the court cartel. He wouldn't be a huge help right away, but I intended to get on his good side.
"For now, I want to make a good impression on him."
"He isn't an easy person. Having been at the peak of the judiciary branch, he doesn't trust others easily."
"Yes. But I still plan to face him head-on. Since he asked to meet first, he must have some level of curiosity about me."
Grandfather nodded.
"Don't think about trying to clumsily buy his favor with money. He is a gentleman lacking nothing."
"Yes."
The conversation paused for a moment. Grandfather stared at me silently.
"Do you have anything else to say?"
I shook my head.
"No. I will be taking my leave now."
Leaving behind Grandfather, who had a somewhat lonely expression, I went up to my room. Sitting on the bed, I made an international call. — Hello. Han Gyeong-yeong's voice could be heard through the phone.
"Brother, it's me." — Oh, Mu-hyeok.
It's been a while.
"How are things over there?" — Going well.
We hired some staff too. Oh, and the people you mentioned still haven't shown up on Wall Street.
"It's nothing urgent right now, so it's fine. Have you gotten close to the people in the financial district? Don't skimp on money and spend it freely." — Yeah, I'm going to parties and familiarizing myself with their faces.
Ah, and you know we paid Andreessen some money not long ago, right? But it seems a guy named James Clark or something is hovering around him.
James Clark.
He was the person who founded Silicon Graphics. If things went according to how they originally were, Andreessen would have founded a company with this person, but I had already beaten them to the punch. The future was smoothly changing.
"Keep a close eye on him. Visit frequently, and make sure to check if he's wasting money." — Okay, Boss!
Han Gyeong-yeong answered playfully. Now it was time to bring up the real business.
"Brother, from now on is important. Is there anyone nearby?" — No, I'm alone.
What is it?
"What do you think would happen if the Mexican government decides to devalue the peso against the US dollar?" — ...
What?
Crazy, why would the Mexican government do something like that unless they've gone mad?
"And if the Mexican government does that crazy thing?"
Han Gyeong-yeong didn't speak for a while. After a moment, as if he finished organizing his thoughts, his voice raised. — If that really happens, trust in the peso will hit the rock bottom, all the foreign investors will pull out... the economy will fall into a panic. Han Gyeong-yeong immediately understood my words properly.
I thought to myself that I was right to bring him in. Just because I know the D-Day, how well could I invest on my own?
"December 20th and 22nd. There will be two devaluations of the peso. Let's imagine betting 300 million dollars maximized to the highest leverage at that time. Would there be a financial firm willing to take that?"
I heard him suck in a breath of air over the receiver. — Wait a minute. Are you suggesting we gamble right now? You want to bet using 300 million dollars as a margin?
"You understand well. That's why I told you to get familiar with the big financial firms. Is there any place that would take it?" — Hah...
Just how many steps ahead are you looking? This is crazy! It's a crazy thing to do!
Han Gyeong-yeong shouted in excitement. I smiled and added to him.
"December 20th, 22nd. Peso devaluation. Use this to leverage as much as you possibly can. If we lose, let's go to the Han River together." — This much is certain.
Regardless of the outcome, you are a total madman. How much prep time do we have?
"As soon as possible. Finish the contract before August. After the general elections in August, there will be people who start catching on. It will be too late by then." — Got it.
I'll need to negotiate the contract terms with financial firms that are willing to take it, so I'll contact you before signing.
"No. Handle the contract yourself. You're more of an expert than I am. I just gave you the information. If I was going to do it myself, why would I have sent you there?" — ...
"I trust you, Brother. You just need to trust me."
I hung up the phone without waiting for an answer. Han Gyeong-yeong's abilities were being put to the test. Because if he couldn't take the profit even after monopolizing the information, there was no need to keep him in that position.
Another week passed after that. I headed to Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Oh Jeong-seok's house to meet him. The place I arrived at was such an ordinary apartment that it seemed rather shabby to say it was where a man respected by all judges lived.
"Hello, I am Kim Mu-hyeok."
Chief Justice Oh Jeong-seok's eyes were exploring me.
"Nice to meet you, I am Oh Jeong-seok."
< This is Crazy! It's a Crazy Thing to Do! > The End