Chapter 439 |
When I came to, I saw Grace Rothschild's face. Her expression was filled with pure admiration and curiosity.
“Did you see the future? What is that feeling like?”
How could I possibly describe this feeling?
Her eyes sparkled.
“Did you see a future where we are together?”
“How did you…?”
“Because I felt it from the moment I first saw you.”
She said she could tell if someone would be helpful or not just by looking at them. What on earth did she feel from me?
Precognition is never wrong.
She took my hand.
“Many in the family will oppose it, but it doesn't matter. You have that ability. This is for the glory of the Rothschilds.”
Just as Grant Darrel Rothschild had said he had searched for it his entire life, they desperately wanted this ability.
They couldn't take it from me, but it was possible to draw me into the Rothschild fold.
An Asian becoming a member of a Jewish family…
When I thought about it, it wasn't so strange. In the first place, her appearance alone was far from that of a traditional Jew.
If a people scattered in small numbers across various regions were to insist on pure bloodlines, their numbers would inevitably dwindle. But Jewish society has maintained its identity through matrilineal descent and the Jewish faith.
“Think about it. Think about what you can do with that ability in the future. The Rothschild name will help you in your endeavors.”
The Rothschilds get precognition, and I get the Rothschilds.
What would happen if my assets and the Rothschild family's assets were combined?
Money gains more power the more it is concentrated.
In the financial market, one trillion dollars becoming two trillion is not simply a doubling of assets.
If the scale of assets doubles, the influence grows by more than tenfold.
And I have precognition, while the Rothschilds have connections and a network that stretches across Europe and the United States.
What if these two were combined?
If the Rothschilds had seen the same premonitions I had, they would have earned many times more than me.
If I were to accept her offer, how much more money could I make in the future? 10 trillion dollars? 20 trillion? And what lies at the end of that road?
“People die eventually. No matter how great a person is, they cannot live forever. Only death is fair to all. After you die, have you thought about what will happen to that wealth? More than half of the great families fell during the Great Depression. All they had left was their honor. But if we are together, we can carry on both wealth and honor forever. This was our destiny from the beginning.”
England is a class-based society where royalty and nobility exist. You can tell a person's social status just by their accent. The nobles use their own language and enjoy their own culture.
This was an opportunity to seize not just wealth, but honor and power as well. A completely new life would unfold.
She said in a trembling voice, “Destiny has chosen you. You will have the power to lead the world. And that power will be passed down to our descendants.”
Among the descendants of Meyer Amschel Rothschild, some were born with exceptionally strong intuition, and thanks to them, the Rothschild family has enjoyed over 200 years of glory.
So, would my child have the same ability as me?
I thought of Chairman Im Jin-yong, who was now imprisoned. He had used all sorts of illegal methods, such as convertible bonds and accounting fraud, to inherit the Seosung Group. It was only a matter of degree, but the situations of other chaebols were similar. They all stop at nothing to pass everything on to their children.
The child of a king becomes a king, the child of a noble becomes a noble, and the child of a chaebol becomes a chaebol.
So far, my precognition has guided me in the right direction. It's how I got here. So, the only thing I can do is…
I paused at a sudden thought.
“What’s wrong?”
“Oh Taek-gyu.”
She smiled and said, “Is that a problem? You’re the CEO and the majority shareholder with 80 percent of the shares.”
That was only because Taek-gyu had given up his share for me. The same reason he had entrusted me with the CEO position.
If Taek-gyu saw me now, what would he say? I don’t know for sure, but wouldn’t he have slapped me on the back of the head and told me to get a grip?
Under the hot southern sun, Ellie had smiled brightly at me.
At dinner, Taek-gyu had said something nonsensical again, and Hyun-joo had scowled and gotten angry. Ellie had burst out laughing at the sight. Even then, her gaze was on me.
I remembered what Taek-gyu had told me before.
Seeing the future is certainly an incredible thing. But it doesn't decide my life. In the end, the choice is mine.
The blurry world came back into sharp focus, and I knew for certain what I wanted.
I pulled my hand away from hers.
“Thank you for the offer, but we won't be getting married.”
Her eyes wavered significantly.
“What…?”
I said flatly, “I’ve told you several times. I have a girlfriend.”
For the first time, a crack appeared in her expression.
“You’re going to give up everything for one woman?”
“I have a friend too. Oh! And my friend's sister.”
I have a friend for whom I would give anything, and a lover I want to spend the rest of my life with. My family is there, my life is there.
I already have everything I want. Everything she offered is meaningless to me.
She shot back in a cold voice, “Do you think OTK Company will remain secure in the future?”
“It doesn't matter.”
“What did you say?”
It's natural for political power and capital power to check each other. If a company becomes a monopoly that harms the economy, it is right to dismantle it.
Even if that company is OTK Company.
“What about after you die? Have you thought about what will happen to that wealth?”
“What happens after I die is none of my business. What did my child do to deserve all of that?”
“…”
What I will leave behind is neither a family dynasty nor money. If there is one thing…
I recalled what she had told me earlier.
“The only reason Johann Fust's name is remembered is because he lent money to Gutenberg.”
Professor Kiran Mohan, who accurately predicted the Big One; Professor Nikolai Petrov, who developed TWR; Professor Kim Ho-min, who developed the OTK battery.
They will go down in history as great figures. If I am remembered as the person who helped them, wouldn’t that be enough?
That is the role of an investor, after all.
“What about the future you saw?”
What happens now if I don't follow the premonition?
I wasn't sure. Well, it would work out somehow.
She looked at me and said, “You’ll regret this.”
I smiled at her.
“Do you know what happened to everyone who’s said that to me so far?”
***
Kang Jin-hoo left in the car he had arrived in.
The old man in the wheelchair watched him go from the window.
“Is it alright to just let him go like this?”
“Don't worry.”
He now knew the secret of the Rothschild family, a secret no one else knew. Of course, if he were to speak of it anywhere, it would be treated as just another conspiracy theory, like all the others.
Grant Darrel Rothschild said, as if sighing, “There isn't much time left.”
He was clinging to life with the help of modern medicine, but he didn't have much time left. More importantly, the intuition that had guided him until now was slowly dissipating.
Now, he was just waiting for the time to burn his final flame. What would be left after that flame was extinguished?
He had led the family through the extreme changes following World War II. While other influential European families fell, the Rothschilds grew and prospered.
The fallen live on their past glory, but the glory of the Rothschilds continues to this day.
But the limit was approaching, and the world was beginning to change again.
Grace Rothschild gave a faint smile.
“No one can defy destiny.”
***
The UK was still in the throes of the Brexit issue.
Every Briton wanted to know how this would end, and the media was no exception.
Since arriving in the UK, Kang Jin-hoo had made no comment on Brexit and had avoided contact with the press. But that didn't mean there was no way to know his thoughts.
Kang Jin-hoo had come to the UK in the first place to discuss the relocation of ArcIT's headquarters. While the decision would be made by the management, it wouldn't be far off to assume that their conclusion would ultimately reflect Kang Jin-hoo's thinking.
A crowd of reporters was gathered in front of the ArcIT headquarters.
Fortnum McKellen, a reporter for the Financial Times, was one of them. The reporters shared coffee and tea as they talked.
“What do you think Kang Jin-hoo will do?”
“He could move the entire corporation and headquarters to Europe, or just move the corporation and keep the headquarters here.”
“What about just staying in the UK?”
“If he was going to do that, he wouldn't have come in the first place.”
“What happens if ArcIT leaves the UK?”
“Then we have to assume a no-deal Brexit is happening.”
“The worst-case scenario.”
“What on earth is Prime Minister Kane thinking?”
He had criticized former Prime Minister May's deal as foolish and humiliating and had openly pushed for a no-deal Brexit.
At this point, it was hard to tell if this was a brinkmanship tactic to get what he wanted or if he simply wanted to jump off the cliff.
The EU, for its part, had made it clear there would be no more negotiations and no more Brexit extensions.
As things stood, there seemed to be no way out.
The problem was how far the shock of a no-deal Brexit would spread.
Investment banks were concerned about the uncertainty, and capital was already leaving the UK. Over a trillion pounds in assets had already moved overseas.
It wasn't just assets that were shrinking. Jobs disappeared along with the money, and young people who couldn't find employment left the UK for Europe and the United States.
McKellen clicked his tongue.
“How on earth did Britain end up in this state?”
Kang Jin-hoo also visited the Goldengate UK branch in the City of London and met with the branch manager and executives. Goldengate also remained tight-lipped about the current situation.
When Kang Jin-hoo, after finishing his meeting, announced that he would hold a press conference at the ArcIT headquarters with President Peter Kazuyo, stock prices and the pound fluctuated wildly.
“All this fuss over one man, Kang Jin-hoo.”
The reason was his immense influence, but a bigger reason was probably that the UK financial sector had become vulnerable to external shocks.
The reporters who had been waiting outside swarmed into the building.
The BBC interrupted its regular programming for a live emergency broadcast. The people of Britain paused what they were doing and watched the broadcast.
The eyes of the British people were fixed on the young Korean's lips.
Kang Jin-hoo spoke briefly.
“ArcIT will remain in London.”
At those words, the reporters let out an unconscious sigh of relief.
“Any questions?”
The reporters all raised their hands in unison, and Kang Jin-hoo pointed to one of them.
McKellen stood up and asked, “Mr. Chairman, do you believe that the possibility of a no-deal Brexit is low?”
At that, Kang Jin-hoo shook his head.
“I’ve always wondered, why do you ask me that?”
“Pardon?”
Kang Jin-hoo turned to the camera and said, “Brexit was decided by the British people. Whether a no-deal Brexit happens or not is also for the British people to decide. The Brexit vote is over, but the no-deal Brexit is still in progress. The future of Britain does not depend on my words, but on your hands. If you do not wish for the worst to happen, then act to prevent it from happening.”