Chapter 21

With a quiet Jonathan in front of me, I continued to go through the documents. He seemed to have given his all to set up the complex labyrinth of paper companies, as the relations between the more than a thousand paper companies were as convoluted as you could imagine. Circular shareholding and holding structures were arranged in a complex manner to make the reader’s head spin.

The firms that had done this for us were following the laws, but the sum total became illegal when we assembled the complete structure. Ironically the firms that had actually done the deed had broken no laws, but we had by merely planning and designing this golden Puzzle Box.

“So, these are the originals. May I have them?”

Jonathan slowly nodded. The connections were complicated enough that even a few missing pages would need years of investigation to find the missing links. Without this ledger, even we would not know how much funds were going into where, in what way.

Therefore, this ledger was a key of sorts and the only documents that proved we were the owners of those companies. We moved to the copy machine, as Jonathan needed copies.

“Do you regret this?”

“No, Sun. I’m just letting things happen after meeting you. We made so much money that it feels unreal.”

While Jonathan was saying such things, his face was as rigid, when he first took out the documents.

“Jonathan, it will be at least three years before a tax investigation, and there is a high possibility that it won’t happen. Even if it does, what’s the probability that everything will be discovered?”

“What if the worst happens? If someone steps on our tail…”

“If that day comes, let’s stamp them out with money.”

“Stamp them out with money?”

“We’re doing these things to earn money for such operations.”

“I don’t know what comes first and what comes later now.”

“Here, have them.”

I handed the copies to Jonathan. The sound of the copy machine whirring did not stop, and I started to cross check the documents that had been copied with the accounts that held much of our funds. Our paper companies were spread all over the global tax havens, such as the Cayman Islands, Bahamas, Switzerland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Bermuda, and Hong Kong. Then there were core companies such as Gold Wish, established in the Bahamas, a small island country southwest of Florida.

Rich people were living like royalty in large manors that were surrounded by palm trees, but how many of them had the dollars that had been poured into Gold Wish?

The monitor screen brightened, and the Bahamas account opened.

[Registered Business Name: Gold Wish]

[Account Balance: $ 3,000,000,000]

Then the transfer history of how the 3 billion dollars were collected was shown. Five paper companies owned Gold Wish shares, and the firm names in the transfer history matched those in the documents.

All the paper companies were like this, and Jeon il Investments, which will enter Korea, was the same. Jeon il Investments will be established in the same manner as Gold Wish, which means that five paper companies will invest equally to Jeon il.

The plans to place 10 billion dollars in Jeon il Investments had been finished, despite the fact that the funds would have to be deposited in messy divided amounts.

“You confirmed the Bahamas account, right?”

I asked Jonathan.

“Gold Wish?”

Of course, Jonathan knew the name of the core company that had its roots in the Bahamas.

“Yes, it’s clean. You must have paid a lot of commission fees.”

“Dirty means clean in this field.”

“Where did you learn expressions like those, Sun? Anyway, I’m also satisfied with the results. If that’s not art, what is?”

“What firms made them?”

Jonathan named several legal and accounting firms that would do anything for money. I selected one of the firms that were in charge of the final division process.

“It would be better to buy this firm out and place it under Jonathan Investments.”

“While shopping is nice, you will run out of funds if you buy everything you want. There are only 10 billion dollars left in the New York company.”

Jonathan smirked at having said only 10 billion dollars, and it was the first time his expression loosened after being rigid for so long.

“After October, our coffers will be full.”

“October?”

“I wish that you’ll stay here with me until then.”

“What about the New York company? Do I trust the desk team?”

“What does it matter when the orders come from here? The problem is whether they will follow orders without doing anything else, as I had emphasized loyalty.”

“I’m sorry for saying this, but they are failures who have been fired after losing huge amounts of money for their firms and clients.”

Jonathan meant that according to his calculations, they had been crushed down by their failures and would not risk their only lifelines by disobeying our orders. I nodded and moved to the safe.

“You must be tired, so please find somewhere you can rest. Also, use only cash and not credit cards from now on.”

The safe unlocked with the crisp sound of heavy bolts being thrown, and there were stacks of ten thousand won bills inside.

“Like criminals?”

“Like real billionaires.”

“Same difference.”

Jonathan was right. I still remembered a scene from a Korean film. While I did not remember the title, the movie was about a rich family’s private lives. The film’s protagonist was the secretary for the family, and one day had a chance to go into the safe where the family’s slush funds were stored. It was a large walk-in safe, and ten thousand won bills filled all the shelves. The old woman, who was the head of the family, then tells the protagonist that he can take as much money as he wanted. While the protagonist had not done so to the end, Jonathan took the bills.

He put bills in his pants pockets and inside his jacket and briefcase, but the amount was less than ten million won. (EN: Approximately $10,000 US)

“I’ll check in to a hotel.”

“Ok, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Can we meet?”

“It’s school vacation.”

Jonathan looked at me with astonished eyes, as he seemed to forget often that I was still a teenager.

***

I went to the building the next day, among those wearing suits despite the summer heat. The identification they wore like slave collars around their necks said in clear letters Daemin Bank. I went through the lobby with them and also rode in the same elevator.

The first floor of the building was rented by Daemin Bank, the biggest bank in Korea. However, the entrance ordinary employees and the customers used went directly outside, they could not go through the building lobby. It meant that I was riding the elevator with board members or special employees.

I noted that they were too young to be board members and lowered my gaze. I saw band-aids on their thumbs and forefingers, which covered their fingernails. Those were traces of battle! They must be Daemin Bank’s Foreign Exchange Management Team. This building had the best online system in the second half of 1997 because of them.

As I placed my ID card on the control panel, the light on the 34th floor where my office was lit up. The men in suits seemed to be aware of me, but the man with the team leader ID card lowered his guard at my young face and casual wear. His lips opened.

“If we fail today, a written apology won’t cut it. Get something today.”

“Yes.”

“Yes.”

The responses were immediate and mechanical, and the elevator began to move.

“Deputy Kim.”

“Yes.”

“Has it come in?”

“Yes?”

“What do you mean by that? The information leaked from Deutsche Bank, aren’t you in charge of that?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“Can’t you do something right? Are you still asleep?”

“I’m sorry.”

“How is it going?”

“It’s in.”

“That’s a lie, right?”

“The information was legitimate. A single group monopolized the position on July 1st, and that group would have liquidated on July 2nd.”

“Wow…a single group got everything? Are they gods?”

The man exclaimed and shook his head. The man was not alone, and several others questioned the information. They were talking about what we had done to the Thailand Foreign Exchange Market in early July.

“You can’t get the specifics?”

“As you know, transaction history…”

“All right. We have to chase them down. Deputy Kim.”

“Yes.”

“Do you have anything else?”

“There are no similar movements in the Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore.”

“If they got it all, they must have made loads of money. So, only Hong Kong is left.”

“Yes.”

“The attack on Hong Kong has started, but there isn’t any news about it yet.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t trade in the morning market.”

“The morning market?”

“Didn’t you hear me? They are gunning for Hong Kong! Come to the meeting room as soon as you finish the preparations. Let’s go after them.”

They are coming for us? I remained indifferent. The same thing would be happening in all the elite banks around the world, especially those whose pockets had been emptied by us!

However, how could they follow us when we are already divided into hundreds of paper companies?

Edited by Userunfriendly