Chapter 421 |
After hearing what Hyun-joo said, the thought wouldn't leave my mind.
I'd been dating Ellie for quite a while, and now we were living together, seeing each other every day. In a way, we were as good as married, and other people thought so too, but actual marriage was another matter entirely.
“Marriage, huh…”
It wasn't that I hadn't thought about marriage before. My mother had even been nagging me to do it quickly if I was going to do it at all.
Ellie was three years older than me. It was possible she had already been thinking seriously about marriage.
Hearing me, Taekgyu nodded his head for no reason.
"Hmm, so my dear friend has reached the age where he's thinking about marriage. To think the snot-nosed middle schooler I knew has grown up so much. I'm so proud."
"...I wasn't snot-nosed back then, either."
And why are you the one who's proud?
"Stop talking about that!"
How long is he going to keep milking my first love story?
"Can't you see I'm being serious right now?"
"Just get married then. What's there to worry about?"
"If I get married, what will you do?"
"What do you mean, what will I do?"
"Are you going to live alone?"
"Huh? Weren't we going to keep living together even after you got married?"
"..."
Okay, so he's one obstacle to my marriage.
But there was a far, far bigger problem, one that couldn't even compare to this.
"What is it?"
"It's about the ability I have."
"Precognition?"
"Yeah. If we get married, don't you think I should tell Ellie?"
Taekgyu was shocked.
"What?"
He was the only person who knew I had precognition. Whether he believed me or not, it was probably better for fewer people to know about something like this.
"What about the trope where the protagonist hides his powers?"
"And I'm supposed to hide it forever?"
"Do you really have to tell her?"
"If I had hidden this ability from you, how do you think you would feel?"
Taekgyu thought for a moment before answering.
"Hmm, I'd probably be disappointed? I think I might even feel betrayed."
"See? That's what I thought."
I had succeeded in countless investments and saved the United States from a crisis. And now, I was treated as a brilliant investor and an American hero. But when you got down to it, it was all thanks to my precognition.
When I thought about it, it was an unbelievable ability.
I had no confidence I could even explain what this power was, and I had no excuse for having hidden it.
How would Ellie react when she found out the truth?
"Besides, you've told a lot of lies."
"That's the problem."
While others studied hard to get perfect scores, I saw the answers with my precognition and got a perfect score. The fortunate thing was that this was investing.
If it were an exam, there would be a moral issue, but investing was different. Whether you used financial engineering and analysis or just threw a dart at a board, you make money if you're right and lose it if you're wrong. It's not like you're competing against others.
The problem wasn't that I used precognition to do well on a test, but that I pretended I did well by studying hard.
Startup investments, Brexit, the Big One, the Nishida Securities order error, TWR, the Saemangeum development, and so on.
I invested in things I saw with my precognition, then packaged them with other plausible reasons and explanations. It wasn't just hiding my ability; I was actively deceiving people.
"Can't you just keep it a secret?"
Of course, that's what I thought at first, too.
But...
"That would mean I'm continuing to deceive her. If I'm not going to hide it until the day I die, isn't it right to tell her before we get married?"
"Why?"
"Because getting married means you trust your partner."
Marriage is a social contract, with accompanying responsibilities and rights.
I had signed countless contracts in my life. And on a single one of those contracts, hundreds of billions, even trillions of won had moved.
Compared to those contracts, marriage was just as, if not more, important.
Taekgyu blinked as if he didn't understand.
"It's that serious?"
"Think about it. In an extreme case, what would happen if I died in an accident or from an illness?"
Even if they were complete strangers the day before, the moment they marry, they share each other's assets and future.
Until now, my mother would have been the heir to my fortune of hundreds of trillions of won. But the moment I marry, Ellie would become the primary heir.
If we didn't even have enough trust to share the truth, was there any point in getting married in the first place?
And if she found out that her partner didn't trust her, would Ellie really be able to accept that?
After hearing my side, Taekgyu nodded.
"Hmm, this is a more complicated problem than I thought."
"I told you."
When and how am I supposed to tell her?
Taekgyu patted my shoulder, trying to console me.
"It's okay. You have a lot of money."
"...Get lost."
Unsurprisingly, that was not comforting at all.
As I sighed to myself and continued to ponder, Taekgyu spoke up.
"But isn't there something important missing from this story?"
"What?"
Taekgyu looked at me and asked.
"Has Ellie said she wants to marry you?"
"Ah..."
Right. I haven't asked her that yet.
***
After arriving at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Henry cleared immigration and walked out.
A Rolls-Royce Phantom was waiting in front of the airport. An employee opened the door, and Henry got in.
The car headed for the Golden Gate headquarters on Wall Street. As he arrived, he could see people in suits bustling in and out of the main entrance.
Henry went up to the CEO's office. An elderly gentleman in a suit and glasses was sitting there. His name was James C. Goldman. He was Henry's grandfather and the CEO of Golden Gate.
"It's been a while, Grandfather."
"It must have been a long trip."
James looked at Henry with a proud expression.
"How does it feel, with the wedding approaching?"
Henry smiled.
"I feel like the luckiest man in the world."
James burst out laughing at his grandson's words.
"I can see the happiness right on your face."
He had been surprised at first to hear that they were having a baby.
But Oh Hyun-joo was more than worthy of becoming a daughter-in-law to the Goldman family. And now that she had even given birth to a great-grandson to carry on the family name, it was as if a great fortune had rolled right in.
James patted Henry's shoulder.
"I sent you to Korea to learn the business, and you came back having found the most important thing of all."
***
As the head of the Golden Gate branch and the third-largest shareholder of OTK Company, Oh Hyun-joo was well-known on Wall Street.
Until now, her husband was known only as an American who worked at OTK Company, but as they prepared for the wedding, it was revealed for the first time that he was part of the Goldman family.
The public couldn't hide their surprise at the fact that Henry was the grandson of the Golden Gate CEO.
Henry, along with James, toured all of New York, meeting with financial figures and politicians to greet them and invite them to the wedding.
The executives of leading commercial and investment banks, investors who moved massive amounts of capital, and politicians including the governor and mayor of New York congratulated them on their marriage and said they would make time to attend the ceremony.
During a private dinner with his grandson, James casually brought up the topic.
"It seems you've had plenty of rest. When do you plan to begin your successor training? Seeing that friend of mine, Chase, enjoying his retirement makes it hard for me to wait any longer."
James had built Golden Gate into the world's largest investment bank. But he felt he could no longer perform as well as he used to.
Failing to keep up with the changing times meant falling behind. That's why he was beginning to weigh the timing of his retirement.
It's harder to step down from a position than to rise to it. Fortunately, he had a dependable grandson to succeed him.
'Is all that's left to pass everything on and rest?'
Undergoing successor training meant returning to New York, where the headquarters was located.
When Henry hesitated to answer, James gave a benevolent smile.
"If it's because of your family, don't worry. I've already found someone suitable to head the Korean branch, and I've prepared the position of Chief Investment Officer for the equities division for Hyun-joo."
If Hyun-joo had heard this herself, she would have been astonished.
No matter how much Korea was the world's 11th largest economy, it couldn't compare to the United States. The US had a GDP more than 12 times larger than Korea's, and as the center of global finance, the scale of capital in motion was several times larger than that.
Therefore, going from the head of the Korean branch to the Chief of Equities at the headquarters was an unprecedented promotion.
After a moment of thought, Henry carefully opened his mouth.
"Grandfather, you always said that the most capable person should sit in the CEO chair at Golden Gate. Has your opinion on that changed?"
James nodded.
"Of course. I chose you as my successor not because you are my grandson, but because I believe you have the capability for it."
At those words, Henry's expression hardened with resolve.
"In that case, I will not become the CEO of Golden Gate."
"...What did you say?"
For a moment, James thought he had misheard.
"What did you just say?"
This was the grandson he had naturally assumed would succeed him. He hadn't forced him. Henry had chosen this path himself and had been working toward it until now.
Golden Gate was a colossal investment bank that served as a pillar not just of America but of global finance. Its single word or a single report could shake the world economy.
And he was refusing that position.
"Why? Give me a reason I can understand."
"Because there is someone better suited for that position. For the future of Golden Gate, I believe it's right for that person to take the seat."
James knew of one such person.
"Are you talking about Kang Jin-hoo?"
"No. I'm talking about Oh Hyun-joo."
At the unexpected answer, James looked dumbfounded.
"Surely your judgment hasn't been clouded by love."
Henry shook his head firmly.
"I am in love, but I am not so foolish as to let it affect my professional judgment."
"Don't tell me Hyun-joo asked for this?"
"She doesn't even know I'm thinking this. This is simply the conclusion I've reached after watching her for a long time."
Henry spoke with even greater conviction.
"Grandfather, you taught me that good investment is about using people well, and about putting people more capable than yourself in the right positions. That's why I want to make Hyun-joo the CEO of Golden Gate. There is no one as suited for that role as her."
As CEO, James had received regular reports about Oh Hyun-joo.
She had joined Golden Gate's headquarters as a trader, and after her abilities were recognized, she moved to the Asian branch and excelled in the M&A division. Then, on the strong recommendation of Chase Southwell, she became the head of the newly established Korean branch.
If she became CEO, she would go down in history as the first person to join the company as an employee and rise to the very top.
The basic principle of American companies was not to discriminate based on race, gender, or nationality, as long as the person had the ability. But how many companies could truly practice this?
The financial world, in particular, was a conservative group. If an Asian woman were to become CEO in such a place, how would people react?
He didn't know for sure, but there would likely be many who viewed it positively.
As for her professional competence, it was beyond question. The Korean branch, despite being new, was posting the highest rates of return among all branches and the headquarters.
Most importantly, Oh Hyun-joo was the third-largest shareholder of OTK Company and the sister of its second-largest shareholder. Kang Jin-hoo also trusted and followed her.
Considering OTK Company's current and future impact on the global economy, her becoming CEO might be the best choice for Golden Gate.
On top of all that, Oh Hyun-joo was now a member of the Goldman family. There was no reason not to make her the successor.
James felt a shock, as if he had been hit on the head with a hammer.
'Why didn't I think of that?'
Perhaps he had been too caught up in the idea that he had already designated a successor, and too blinded by his prejudice against her being an Asian woman, to see clearly.
In a way, his grandson had made the correct judgment.
"If you make Hyun-joo the successor, what do you plan to do?"
Henry said confidently.
"I want to support Hyun-joo in every way so she can lead Golden Gate well. That includes taking care of our child."