An Investor Who Sees The Future

Side Story 5. Aftermath (1)

A resort in Seychelles, Indian Ocean. As it was a private beach connected to the resort, there was no one else but us.

I sat on the beach, watching the thick sunset, and told her what had happened.

Throughout the story, Ellie’s expressions changed colorfully. She seemed to have a lot to say, but she waited until I finished my story.

After a long time, Ellie opened her mouth.

”Superpowers... Do such things really exist in the world?”

This reaction would be normal. Taek-gyu, who believed it at once, is the strange one.

”It’s hard to believe, isn’t it?”

After thinking for a moment, she shook her head.

”No. I believe you.”

”Really?”

”Whether it’s a superpower or intuition, at least you think so, Jin-hoo. Actually, I was curious about why you were so confident about Brexit, the Big One, and this financial crisis... But there was a reason like this.”

Ellie still looked surprised.

It’s understandable to be surprised to find out that what she thought was keen analytical skills and insight was actually due to foresight.

”To be able to see the future...”

”I can’t see everything. Nor can I see what I want to see. To use a metaphor, it’s like peeking through a crack in a window?”

”Still, that’s something.”

”That’s true.”

The money I made speaks for how absurd this ability is. Securities firms set target prices for specific stocks every day and pour out reports on promising industries and the market. But how many of them are correct?

Countless experts and geniuses analyze with all kinds of data and get it wrong, but I got everything exactly right and made a tremendous amount of money.

”Weren’t you disappointed?”

”Disappointed?”

”About the fact that you relied on foresight for investment.”

”That’s also your ability, Jin-hoo. Everyone talks about statistics and analysis, but I bet there are many people who invest based on intuition.”

As long as you make money investing, that’s all that matters. This is practically the physiology of the financial market.

”To think the Rothschild family also had such a secret. It’s more surprising than most conspiracy theories. Why did you refuse Rothschild’s proposal, Jin-hoo? You could have really become the king of a Commonwealth principality.”

”There are a few reasons, but the biggest reason is something else.”

”What is it?”

”Because I love you, Ellie.”

At my words, she blushed and smiled. But soon she gave me a side-eye and pouted slightly.

”But you’ve been deceiving me well all this time.”

I gave an awkward smile.

”I’m sorry.”

”Tsk! Still, since you told me even now, I’ll forgive you.”

Ellie leaned her head on my shoulder.

We talked for a long time under the night sky filled with the moon and stars.

***

Three days later, we moved to Europe.

The moment it became known that new batteries could be made with Geratinium and that Geratinium could be mined from the moon... the world changed.

The media and experts paid attention to how the industry would change due to the JN Battery, and each country hurried to secure space development and Geratinium. This was because Geratinium was considered to be able to replace physical assets such as gold and crude oil in the future.

OTK Company holds the core technology to make this very JN Battery.

Other countries and companies are also hurrying technological development, but OTK Company’s solo run will continue for the time being.

A wealthy investor is welcomed wherever he goes. Leaders of each country scrambled to ask for investment and cooperation, and at the same time expressed their intention to invest in Saemangeum and North Korea projects.

As if chasing after me, the government held investment attraction meetings in every country I went to.

It feels more like an overseas tour than a honeymoon.

I met the Pope in Italy, and a meeting with the Queen was scheduled in the UK. Invitations from European luxury companies also continued. We were receiving global attention as the couple of the century, and Ellie had a beautiful face and a slender figure that could be called a model.

Fashion magazines published articles analyzing every detail of what clothes Ellie wore, what shoes she wore, what bag she carried, and what cosmetics she used, and luxury companies stepped up saying they would sponsor clothes, bags, shoes, watches, etc.

The British media highlighted the fact that Ellie is ’British’ day after day.

Going through this financial crisis, the City of London, the UK’s financial center, was half devastated.

There were two main reasons. One was that British investment banks invested in the collapse of the global economy following Rothschild, and the other was that Rothschild passed on the losses at the last moment.

The British government supplied emergency liquidity by purchasing RPs to prevent financial companies from collapsing. Nevertheless, the bankruptcy of Rothschild-related banks was unavoidable. Brexit also hit the brakes. To jump into space development and securing Geratinium, it is better to remain attached to the EU.

However, since they couldn’t undo it now, the UK maintained an ambiguous stance, neither leaving nor not leaving the EU, and watched the situation.

We visited Buckingham Palace with the hospitality of the Queen of England and toured the London School of Economics and Political Science where Ellie had studied. And after that, we met Ellie’s maternal grandfather and grandmother who live in Cornwall again and greeted them. The place where the two lived was a small village, but thanks to their boasting all over the neighborhood that their granddaughter’s husband was Kang Jin-hoo, all the villagers came out.

After finishing the schedule and sightseeing major tourist attractions in Europe, we took a private jet across the Atlantic and arrived in Washington D.C.

There, we met President Ronald after a long time. He welcomed us with the First Lady.

”Congratulations on your marriage.”

”Thank you.”

The expected financial crisis did not come, and the US economy normalized smoothly.

With the bankruptcy of hedge funds including Albert Management and the bailout application of J.P. Morgan, the aftermath in the financial market continued, but everyone seemed to be expressing expectations for the new market that would open in the future.

In both capital and technology, the United States is second to none. Americans were confident that they would win in future space development and industrial competition.

As the economy entered a recovery phase, the road to the presidential election was smooth. The Republican primary was practically a formality. The presidential election would likely be the same.

After the schedule in Washington D.C. ended, we moved to Detroit. We met with the management of Karos and OTK Games to discuss future business directions.

But since it was strictly a honeymoon, we also went to the Great Lakes, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Yosemite National Park, and LA Disneyland.

I was exhausted, but Ellie dragged me around with the determination to ride one more thing, and eventually we came out after watching the fireworks.

Professor Mohan and Carrie personally drove us around for a tour of downtown LA. Perhaps because Hollywood is adjacent, LA was like a huge movie set.

Ellie was delighted to see the places and buildings that appeared as movie backgrounds.

At the request of students, I also gave a lecture at Caltech. Everyone expressed great expectations for the changes that would occur in the future.

Wherever we went, people’s attention was focused on us, but we enjoyed our trip to the fullest without caring.

***

After finishing her shower at the hotel, Ellie came out wearing a gown and lay down on my arm. I could smell the shampoo from her slightly wet hair.

”We’re finally going back to Korea tomorrow.”

”Was the trip fun?”

”Of course. There probably hasn’t been anyone who had a fun honeymoon like us.”

I haven’t gone on such a long trip since I started working in earnest. I left the company work to Taek-gyu and Senior Sang-yeop and enjoyed the trip without thinking about anything.

Fortunately, the company ran well without me.

”I want to see everyone soon.”

”We video called a few days ago.”

”Still, it’s not the same as seeing them in person.”

That’s true. I feel like I miss Taek-gyu too for some reason.

”I miss home too.”

We are building a house to live in Saemangeum.

Around the year after next, we’ll have to move the company and move house, but until then, we plan to continue living in our current house.

”What if I go to work and my desk is cleared away?”

This must be a worry that all office workers have.

”Then come to our company. I’ll put a desk next to mine.”

At my words, Ellie said jokingly.

”Hmm, is that a scout offer? My salary is expensive.”

I want to bring her over out of greed, but I don’t think Hyun-joo noona will let her go. Ellie also looks good working with noona.

When we go to Korea, daily life will begin again. It will be busy for a while, right?

Ellie looked at me and asked.

”You’re going to keep investing in the future, right Jin-hoo?”

”I suppose so.”

An investor’s main job is investing. It would be hard to sit still when there’s an opportunity to make money.

”You’re already the richest man in the world, and you’ll make even more money in the future. What are you going to do with all that money?”

”Well.”

I thought of the Rothschild family.

”Rothschild used that ability to maintain the family’s wealth and influence. Couldn’t I do the same?”

Wealth is the basis for gaining more wealth. The current financial market makes that possible. The wealth I possess might be passed down through my bloodline for generations, becoming a family more famous than the Rothschilds.

Ellie smiled.

”But you won’t do that, Jin-hoo.”

I nodded.

”That’s right.”

The reason I made this much money is because one day I was able to see the future.

”I still question why I got this ability, but at least I don’t think it’s an ability given just for me to eat well and live well alone.”

”Then?”

”Couldn’t I be of some help to the world?”

Ellie nodded.

”You’ve already been helpful enough to the world, Jin-hoo. With the Big One, and this financial crisis, you’ve probably saved the most people in the 21st century. You even received the Nobel Peace Prize.”

”Like that, I might be able to give more help in the future.” One of the common things said when pointing out the problems of capitalism is that ’the rich got richer and the poor got poorer’.

However, this statement is wrong.

It is true that the rich got richer, but the poor did not get poorer. Over the past few decades, extreme poverty has decreased, wars and civil conflicts have decreased, the GDP of underdeveloped countries has increased, more people have access to basic medical services, and average life expectancy has increased significantly.

Things that only nobles or chaebols could enjoy in the past have now changed into things that many people can enjoy.

All of this is because the world’s wealth has increased and technology has advanced. I have the most wealth in the world. Even if I spend lavishly, I won’t be able to spend all that money. Even if I live in a big and nice house, the space I can use at once is limited. Even if I have many nice cars, I can only ride one car at a time.

”I plan to try to make the world better than it is now.”

In the past, it would have been enough for me to decide alone, but not anymore.

I looked at Ellie and asked.

”I think it will be hard alone, will you help me?”

She nodded readily.

”Okay.”