Chapter 435 |
The Rothschilds, once an ordinary Jewish family, began their rapid rise in the 18th century after gaining the trust of King Wilhelm of Prussia.
However, Europe at the time was in a period of great turmoil. Prussia was defeated in the war against Napoleon, and the Rothschilds, too, faced a crisis.
Breathing a sigh of relief with King Wilhelm's return, the Rothschild family sent their sons across Europe to organize an international financial network.
Even after that, the crises never ceased. The family was split into several branches by its descendants, and the World Wars broke out.
The Great Depression of 1929 was the worst economic crisis humanity had ever experienced. Countless individuals and corporations went bankrupt.
Afterward, World War II erupted, engulfing all of Europe in the flames of war. Jews in Nazi-occupied territories had their property confiscated and were massacred in concentration camps, but the Jewish families who had moved to Britain and the United States survived and grew their influence.
Since then, there have been no wars that shook the world to the same extent, but numerous crises continued in the financial sector: two oil shocks, the dot-com bubble, the global financial crisis, and so on.
With every crisis, some fell while new fortunes were made. But the Rothschilds remained the Rothschilds.
In the world of finance, no family has as long a history or as much influence as the Rothschilds.
Even excluding those that fell, several branches of the Rothschild family remain today. One can still easily find the Rothschild name among European entrepreneurs and financiers. But the Great House that everyone thinks of is the one in Britain.
“The current head of the Rothschild family is Grant Darrel Rothschild.”
He became the head of the family in the 1970s.
Grace Rothschild is his great-granddaughter.
“Have you ever met him?”
At my question, Vice Chairman Bain shook his head with a smile.
“He doesn’t leave his mansion. He handles all his affairs from within. Even within the family, few people outside of his inner circle have ever seen his face in person.”
In fact, almost nothing was known about him besides his name. Even his birthdate is unclear. It is only estimated that he is around 80 to 90 years old.
Well, secrecy is practically a Rothschild tradition.
After the conversation ended, I expressed my gratitude to Chairman Warren Buffett and Vice Chairman Charlie Bain.
“Thank you for your time. Thanks to you, some of my questions have been answered.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Vice Chairman Bain said as he shook my hand.
“I enjoyed the conversation as well.”
After seeing the two of them off, it was just Taekgyu and me again.
There's always a reason for a crisis.
After a crisis ends, one can list a hundred reasons why it had to happen. But before a crisis occurs, how many people can accurately predict its scale and timing?
The Rothschild family “luckily” avoided countless crises.
Was it really because they were lucky? Or was there another reason?
Taekgyu spoke.
“So you’re saying there might be someone in the Rothschild family with precognition, just like you?”
“I have to consider it a possibility.”
It is said that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. If so, does a highly developed intuition become precognition?
There’s no rule that says I’m the only one in the world with this ability.
Come to think of it, this isn't the first time. Professor Mohan's grandmother also accurately foresaw the Big One.
The job of economists and investors is to predict the future. They are often right and make a lot of money.
After World War I, the Allied powers imposed the Treaty of Versailles, which demanded enormous reparations from a defeated Germany. John Maynard Keynes, a British economist who participated in the treaty negotiations, prophesied, ‘If we aim at the impoverishment of Central Europe, vengeance, I dare say, will not limp.’ And exactly 20 years later, his words became reality.
Even in cases like this, people usually think of it as brilliant intuition, not precognition.
That’s because it’s common sense to think that something like precognition couldn’t possibly exist in reality.
But what if you know that it does exist? Naturally, you would think of precognition first.
If that's the case, how much do the Rothschilds know about this ability?
This is all just an assumption, my own thought. If I want to know the truth, there's likely only one way.
I recalled Grace Rothschild's words. She said if I came to Buckinghamshire, she would tell me what I wanted to know, didn't she?
“I have to go to the UK.”
“You’re just going to go because she told you to? What if they kidnap you?”
“They wouldn’t be crazy enough to do that.”
Precognition isn't something that can be forced out of someone.
Inviting someone means taking responsibility for their safety and well-being. Considering my wealth and fame, they wouldn't dare to harm me.
If anything happened to me, the United States wouldn't just stand by.
Taekgyu nodded.
“True. It’s probably worth going just to uncover the truth behind the conspiracy theories. Go and dig into it thoroughly.”
***
At dawn, before the sun had risen.
I was out for a walk with Ellie. The reason I woke up and came out at this hour was to see the sunrise. Since it was early and not a famous sunrise spot, there were very few people around.
We walked along the promenade, still cloaked in darkness. The seawater crashed against the rocks, creating white foam.
Ellie stretched her arms out wide.
“Hmm, Jeju Island really is nice.”
I see her face every day, but she’s beautiful no matter how many times I look. Her bright smile is especially charming. I feel like she would have been great in other commercials too.
When I went to the army after breaking up with my ex, I never imagined I would meet a girlfriend like this.
If she found out that I got this far thanks to my precognition, what would Ellie think?
“I’m sorry, but can we postpone our trip to Hong Kong for a little while?”
At my words, Ellie stopped walking.
“Why?”
Ellie had been excited about visiting the school she attended and the good restaurants in Hong Kong. I had been planning to propose to her with the night view of Victoria Harbour as our backdrop.
For me to suddenly cancel must have been a huge disappointment.
“I think I need to go to the UK for a bit.”
“Are you suggesting we go to the UK instead of Hong Kong?”
Ellie had spent her university years in the UK.
I gave an awkward smile and shook my head.
“Ah, it’s for work, so I think I have to go alone. As you know, things are a bit complicated in the UK these days.”
“Well, that’s true.”
Ellie, who had looked sullen, soon managed a smile.
“Alright. Then grant me just one wish.”
I nodded.
“I’ll grant you anything.”
“Really? You promised.”
Ellie brushed back her hair, which had been tousled by the sea breeze.
At that moment, the sun began to rise slowly over the horizon. The sea gradually turned red. We held each other's hands tightly and watched the spectacle.
“Alright, I’ll tell you my wish now.”
“Go ahead.”
Ellie wrapped her arms around my neck and said,
“Kiss me right now.”
***
I stopped by Seoul briefly before heading to London on my private jet.
The official reason was to meet with the management of our subsidiary, Arqit, and to survey the British financial market.
This was my first time going to the UK since it became known that I was the CEO of OTK Company. While I hadn't had a particular reason to go until now, it was also true that I had intentionally avoided it.
As it happened, the UK was in great turmoil ahead of a no-deal Brexit. The news that I was visiting Britain in such a situation sparked a fierce controversy.
The Financial Times, a British daily business newspaper with over 100 years of tradition, ran a front-page article with the headline, ‘Kang Jinhoo is Coming to Britain.’
After a half-day flight, I arrived at London Heathrow Airport.
As I came out after clearing immigration, the first thing that greeted me was a barrage of camera flashes. Shutters and lights went off ceaselessly, and microphones reached me before people did.
“What is the purpose of your visit to the UK?”
“What are your thoughts on a no-deal Brexit?”
“Please share your opinion on the British economy.”
“Do you have anything to say to the British people?”
My bodyguards held back the reporters, and I walked out of the airport.
A car and a person from the Golden Gate UK branch were waiting.
“Welcome to the UK. I am Oliver Taylor. It is a great honor to be assigned as your aide.”
“I’ll be in your care during my time in the UK.”
I got into the waiting car. The car, fittingly for Britain, was a Rolls-Royce Phantom—though, like Bentley, it passed over to Germany a long time ago.
The fact that the steering wheel was on the right side was a stark reminder that I was in the UK.
“Have you visited the UK before?”
I nodded.
“I came to London once before.”
I had visited with Taekgyu while traveling. In just a few years, so much had changed. In that time, I had become the world's richest man, and Britain had decided to leave the EU.
As we were leaving the airport, protesters were demonstrating fiercely on the street. On one side were EU flags, and on the other, the Union Jack. The protests on both sides were intense, and police were stationed in the middle to prevent clashes.
The signs they held read, ‘Kang Jinhoo Get Out of Britain,’ ‘Go Back to Korea,’ and ‘Speculators Go Home.’
Taylor said to me,
“You don’t need to pay them any mind. This is something the British people chose for themselves. It’s just that no one wants to admit that they’re the ones who created this situation.”
The glory of the British Empire, once known as the empire on which the sun never sets, had vanished.
Germany, which they had defeated twice, had overcome the scars of war to become the leader of Europe, while Britain had lost its footing within the continent.
For Britain, having to follow the lead of Germany and France within the EU was nothing short of a humiliation.
They decided on Brexit to reclaim their past glory, but it only brought about greater chaos. When the vote concluded, everyone thought the UK would leave the EU immediately. But more than three years later, nothing had been resolved.
Politicians were still fighting over whether to leave the EU or not, and if so, how.
Brexit was a misfortune for Britain and Europe, but for me, it was a stroke of luck. Thanks to it, I earned over 30 billion dollars, and that money became the foundation for my investments in Caros and the Rust Belt.
If the event of Brexit had not occurred, OTK Company would not have been able to grow this much.
“I saw an article on the way here, criticizing me for making money off a national misfortune.”
At my words, Taylor let out a small laugh.
“British financial firms have done far worse in other countries. It was the same when Korea went through its foreign exchange crisis.”
Money has neither good nor evil. It simply flows in search of profit.
He asked me cautiously,
“What do you think will happen to the UK? Will a no-deal Brexit really happen?”
A hint of anxiety was visible in his expression and tone. Most British people were likely feeling a similar anxiety.
The EU is fundamentally an economic community. To maintain it, the free movement of goods, capital, and labor is crucial.
Brexit means that the UK is breaking away from this single market. From now on, British goods entering the EU, and EU goods entering Britain, will have to go through customs.
Tariffs are an issue, but so are the customs procedures. As these are new procedures replacing ones that were previously omitted, it is impossible to gauge how much of a restriction there will be on imports and exports, or how much time it will take.
British companies were on high alert, as they might not be able to receive necessary materials and parts on time. Companies with factories in the UK were scrambling to purchase and stockpile as many materials and parts as they could from Europe.
Ordinary citizens were also panic-buying necessary clothing, home appliances, and non-perishable food from Europe in preparation for price hikes due to tariffs or import blockades.
However, if customs procedures are to be established for EU products, there is one problem that must be resolved first.
Britain is an island nation, so the sea acts as a natural barrier. The problem is Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland, which is British territory, is attached to Ireland, and there is no border wall between them.
This means that Irish products can enter Northern Ireland without customs, and from Northern Ireland, they can flow into England, again without customs.
If a no-deal Brexit becomes a reality, they would have to start by building a wall on the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Is such a thing even possible?
“I don’t think the worst-case scenario will happen, but I don’t know for sure myself.”
“But didn’t you accurately predict Brexit, sir?”
I gave a bitter smile.
“I was just lucky.”
The UK is a traditional financial powerhouse. It’s no exaggeration to say that all the world's major financial firms are gathered in the City of London. Hong Kong, a former British colony, became the financial hub of Asia largely due to that influence.
The UK is still the world's fifth-largest economy and the head of the Commonwealth. But will it be able to maintain that influence after leaving the EU?
These concerns had already manifested as a negative impact on the economy. After Brexit, the pound continuously fell, fanning inflation.
The car slowed down due to the protesters.
The clashes between the two sides grew more intense, and curses flew from all directions.
Taylor spoke as if letting out a sigh.
“Where has Britain's pride gone?”