Chapter 38: Bad Things (2)

“Also… there’s something important. It has to be the Alpha Fund, not Hayeon, that takes center stage. It’s better for the fund to have the title than for an individual to monopolize the fame.”

Later, I’ll have to absorb the fund, and if Hayeon has all the fame, it could cause conflict.

Ha Jusung will handle things, but you never know with people. I have to manage Hayeon well so that he doesn’t harbor any other intentions.

Originally, locking your door at home isn’t to prevent thieves, but to prevent kind neighbors from becoming thieves. Hoping that Hayeon will be given the best reputation on Wall Street and won’t betray me is a bit unreasonable.

“Besides, I trust Hayeon, but I don’t know about his abilities.”

“Hmm, that’s true. I was worried that Youngil might make a mistake and cause trouble, so now I’m relieved.”

Ha Jusung, who has grown older and become somewhat resigned to reality, nodded. For him, these words would be even more reassuring.

In any case, it means that even if Hayeon’s abilities fail, I won’t dismiss him.

“Oh, and how’s the investment bank doing?”

“Because of the time constraints, I haven’t spent much time on that. Still, the framework is roughly in place… let’s see.”

Ha Jusung handed me some documents as he spoke. I scanned the documents, reviewing the plan.

‘Good.’

It was a decent structure for a beginner. I particularly liked the fact that, considering Daeha Securities’ weak talent acquisition capabilities, they focused only on important matters.

“Good, the front can stay as is.”

“Whew, the lack of people is the problem. As always.”

Right. Unlike South Korea after the IMF, it’s currently suffering from a talent shortage. Even those who only graduated from college could get a job in most workplaces, and if they were students from prestigious universities, the companies were the ones begging.

Later, there will be more talent than I can count, but the time when Daeha Securities needs talent is right before the IMF.

“Right, there’s one thing to modify. Still, create an M&A department. This seems promising later.”

Investment banks also have departments that lead mergers and acquisitions.

They also work with the legal team to find ways to circumvent various complicated laws, and to skillfully ‘prepare’ the target company so that the client can successfully acquire it.

It will be a useful tool when attempting mergers and acquisitions in Daeha Group later. For inexperienced people to do this… Daeha Group’s size is no joke.

“Yes, I understand.”

Ha Jusung, unaware of my plans, nodded without much thought.

Before leaving Daeha Securities and heading home, Ha Jusung saw me off and said,

“But is what you mentioned earlier still valid?”

“What?”

“Gathering your close friends from school and getting them jobs at the company… Have you made some friends?”

I did say something like that…

Friends, friends…

I sighed and shook my head.

“I’m too outstanding, they’re not on my level.”

“Well, that’s to be expected.”

…What’s with that look?

“I have many friends… Sihyeon, and Mr. Kim Haeik, in a way, is also my friend. There’s no conflict of interest. There’s no age difference between friends originally.”

“Even if you include missy’s secretary, there are only two people.”

“Quiet, I’ll make friends when I go to middle school. Then, I’ll gradually meet kids my age.”

“I wonder about that…”

This is the truth.

Later, a genius who will emigrate to the US and build a big tech company is around my age. I heard he was bullied in middle school, so I have to somehow become friends with him and bring him over.

He happens to really like games, so I think we’ll get along well. I know his personality is a bit dirty, but I think it will be fine if I take good care of him from now on.

It might seem like I’m the one clinging to him, but I can’t help it. He’s that valuable.

He was the world’s richest man even without the perks of a past life.

Some time ago, that is, until 1986, the famous American political scientist Robert Dahl, who served as the president of the American Political Science Association, defined power as follows:

A person with power can force a person without power to do something they wouldn’t otherwise do. Power is the force that makes that possible…

It was something I already had ingrained in my bones, but I really felt it when I came into this life.

“Give me an Americano, lots of ice, cold.”

“…This is an insult to coffee, missy.”

The chef I hired for the mansion trembled. Because of the family’s watchful eyes, the mansion was built small, so they hired fewer people…

Naturally, the chefs working in my house had to be versatile. It means they’re highly paid. Especially, since the cuisine I wanted wasn’t available here yet, I hired foreign chefs.

“Hey, it tastes good this way!”

The Italian chef, in charge of my meals and desserts, was facing his greatest challenge today.

Because, as I was nearing the end of elementary school, the nanny allowed me to drink coffee. Upon hearing that, I jumped for joy and immediately requested an iced Americano from the Italian chef.

“……No one in America drinks Americano cold, what are you talking about? And it’s not summer, it’s the middle of winter…!”

Right, Americanos became popular in Korea after Starbucks entered the country in 1999. It’s still only popular in America.

“Well, then it’ll start now. Go make it quickly.”

Upon hearing that, the chef pulled his hair out and strode into the kitchen. A short while later, the aroma of coffee, along with Italian curses, could be heard from the kitchen.

“Damn it, those f*cking Starbucks guys ruined coffee! Adding water to coffee!”

It was the angriest I’d seen him since I met him. Maybe he was only that angry when he saw pineapple pizza…

-Thump.

“…The cold drink made with coffee beans and water is ready.”

The Italian, whose face was contorted as if he was being tortured in real-time, brought out the iced Americano with trembling hands.

“Hehe, it looks like I’ve become a bad person. It’s nothing, calm down. Is it because the chef made it? It has a good ‘flavor’.”

I smiled brightly and enjoyed the aroma of the coffee. The chef stared at me, as if disgusted.

“No, it’s probably the worst thing you’ve done this year, missy. Please, don’t use words like ‘flavor’ and ‘aroma’ for this… muddy water.”

The worst thing I’ve done since the New Year wasn’t planning to betray my family or trying to hire Sihyeon’s close friends as killers, but asking the Italian to make me an iced Americano.

The chef is playing a prank.

“Hmm, good. I should add this when I start a cafe business later. The founder of iced Americano, that would make a good advertisement.”

“Missy, my father in Sicily might send an assassin after me, so please stop…”

I sipped my Americano and happily hummed a tune.

‘It’s been almost 10 years. I missed it.’

Warm drinks are nice, but sometimes you have to drink cold coffee like this.

Because someone skilled made it, it was even more delicious. Is this the taste of power?

Well, there was a minor incident…

In any case, my long-awaited morning routine was completed when I turned 11.

My morning routine of reading the newspaper with coffee.

‘Actually, warm coffee is better.’

I was trying to tease the chef, but it seemed like he would quit if I kept it up, so I decided to just drink warm latte.

[Alpha Fund surpasses $500 million in assets under management…]

The Wall Street Journal featured my booming fund. I was happy, but I felt a pang of regret that I wasn’t featured prominently and that there wasn’t any praise for me.

[President Jeon Duhwan steps down… The end of the 5th Republic]

[McDonald’s opens its first branch in Korea…]

‘Oh, this just came out. I should take Sihyeon there later.’

Because censorship was greatly relaxed, reading the newspaper was quite entertaining.

At that moment, Sihyeon came with a mountain of documents.

“Ah, Sihyeon. Did you bring everything I told you to?”

-Thump.

“Ugh, yes. What kind of work is this… my back aches to death.”

The documents Sihyeon brought with a grumble contained people’s names, faces, and other personal information.

It was a list of freshmen at major universities in Seoul, a list of Daeha Group employees, and so on. Currently, personal information protection laws are deficient, so such atrocities could be easily committed.

So the universities just released the student rosters?

“It’ll be hard to get this later. I need to put this all in my head now.”

“…Can you really memorize everything if you look at it like that?”

“I can.”

I flipped through the documents like precious treasure, storing the personal information of hundreds and thousands of people in my head. In South Korea, connected by school, blood, and regional ties, there’s nothing better than this for people’s weaknesses.

That’s why having perfect recall is so convenient.