The Magician’s Memorial - Chapter 284



Only Noblemtl

284. Babpsae with torn crotch (3)

A quiet restaurant located in Jongno.

It was the favorite restaurant of the Chief of Staff to the President who invited me.

There was no one but us in the large restaurant, as all the guests had been dismissed, and it didn’t stop there. We were even taken into a room at the very end.

“Chairman Kim is here! Doesn’t the restaurant have a very nice atmosphere? This is a restaurant I only introduce to people I care about.”

“The atmosphere is very nice. The interior has an old-fashioned yet modern feel.”

There is no need to fight from the beginning.

I just randomly praised the restaurant, whatever came to mind, and sat down.

“Did you have dinner?”

“I just had a quick bite to eat.”

“Then all we have to do is look at the drinking table. Get the drinking table ready!”

The President’s Chief of Staff shouts harshly.

It may have been something he said to an employee outside, but it felt like he was speaking harsher to put pressure on me.

Do you think I’ll be scared just by shouting?

He was overflowing with confidence, perhaps because he was sitting in the position of Chief of Staff to the President, a powerful position.

“Let’s have a quick drink and talk. It’s a good drink, so it will go smoothly.”

“I will drink well.”

A whiskey that doesn’t go well with the restaurant’s atmosphere or snacks at all.

Although it was a high-quality whiskey, it was an unsuitable combination for pajeon.

Just by looking at the choice of alcohol, you could sense that the President’s Chief of Staff lacked sense and that he had a pushy personality.

“Now that I’ve had a drink, I’ll speak frankly. I understand that you have a very close relationship with the Americans.”

“I went to school in the U.S. and worked on Wall Street for a while, so I have some friends, but not that much.”

“Why are people like that? Do I really have to say something like this? The National Intelligence Service also tried to investigate Chairman Kim, but the United States came in with a check! Who would believe a person managed by the U.S. government if he lied about having no close ties to the United States?”

Why are there all these people?

It was so absurd that I couldn’t even laugh.

“Are you admitting that you tried to inspect me? Investigating civilians is completely illegal.”

“Since when do you say that the head of a large company has been a civilian? And we haven’t even been able to inspect it. How can we proceed further when the US government is blocking it?”

“I won’t hide that I have close ties to American politicians, but it’s a little unpleasant that they tried to inspect me.”

“A young man is so offended by something like this. Isn’t it all for the good of the country?”

I heard that the power of the President’s Chief of Staff is above heaven.

However, instead of treating the chairman of Korea’s No. 1 business group like a subordinate, he was treating him like a complete servant.

“First of all, I want to know why you asked to meet me.”

“Hmm, isn’t the exchange rate going crazy right now? It has surpassed 1,400 won, and if it goes up any further, the country will suffer. So, we want to proceed with a currency swap with the United States, and Chairman Kim asked for some help, so I called you.”

What I am saying is that I called you to express my regrets.

That’s not just a disappointing thing, it’s a difficult thing called currency swap.

A currency swap refers to an agreement to exchange the value of the won for dollars.

It was also an agreement that could be used as a panacea when the exchange rate was soaring like it is now.

The moment the currency swap agreement is concluded, the exchange rate, which was 1,400 won, will drop by at least 10%.

That wasn’t the only benefit.

When a currency swap is concluded, it also affects stock prices, so it was an agreement that was of great help to the falling KOSPI index.

“How can an agreement between countries be made through the power of an individual? That is a very difficult request.”

“Of course, I am not asking Chairman Kim to step forward alone. I am asking that the government of the Republic of Korea will also act and provide only a little support. Isn’t that something that can be done if you are a citizen of the Republic of Korea?”

If this is a talent, it can be called a talent.

A knack for making the other person feel bad every time you say a word.

Every time the President’s Chief of Staff spoke, my stomach was boiling.

“It is a difficult task. If you get involved in inter-state affairs for no reason, you will face the consequences of being part of the Taewoo Group. And it is something you cannot do even if you want to.”

“I know very well what you want. Are you really going to ask me to do it with my bare mouth? They say that the heads of large corporations are also businessmen, and that is not wrong. I will entrust one of the Four Major Rivers projects to Taewoo Group, so please come forward.”

The Chief of Staff to the President speaks patronizingly.

This statement was also quite annoying.

Of course, we know that the Blue House and the President’s Chief of Staff are concerned about the country’s development and future, but it was difficult to come out like this.

“Taewoo Engineering & Construction is currently overloaded. We cannot receive any more orders.”

“Do you do construction on a one-day basis? Doesn’t that mean you should subcontract and only collect the commission?”

“Such construction methods are avoided at Taewoo Construction.”

“You’re asking for something else. Just tell me what the young man is spinning around like this. What can I give you?”

Any project could be easily solved with government support.

However, if I received a project with interest, it would become a problem the moment the government changed, so I had to refrain from doing so.

We had to demand something that would not be a problem even if the government changed, and such demands did exist at Taewoo Group.

“Can I ask you to ease regulations related to artificial intelligence, autonomous driving, and electric vehicles?”

“Was Taewoo Group interested in that as well? It is difficult to deregulate an industry where the market has already developed, but deregulation of an industry that has not even started is of course possible. The Blue House and the ruling party will do our best.”

The more unfamiliar a field is, the lower the level of interest.

The field I mentioned was an industry with very low interest because it was not in the commercialization stage.

That is why the Chief of Staff to the President was able to give a confident answer.

“I don’t know if I can help, but I will do my best to help the currency swap negotiations go smoothly.”

“Just making an effort is not the end. If the currency swap negotiations go wrong, the promises mentioned above will become nothing.”

“How much do you expect from the currency swap?”

“But wouldn’t it take at least $30 billion to put out an urgent fire?”

$30 billion was equivalent to 40 trillion won.

From the U.S. Federal Reserve’s perspective, it may not have been a very large amount of money, but it was definitely not a currency swap on a scale that could be abused.

“Hmm, what if currency swaps were possible up to $40 billion?”

“Isn’t the amount more the more the more the more the better? If we can achieve that, we will give our full support to the Taewo Group.”

“It’s okay to give full support. However, Taewo Group has plans to acquire several more large companies in the future.”

“Ah! You’re asking the government not to interfere with the acquisition. Of course, if that’s your request, I’ll grant it. Isn’t that too little to ask for? We could help you acquire the company cheaply by implementing a big deal policy at the government level. That’s right.”

It was a very sweet offer.

However, it was like a double-edged sword, and if I accepted that offer for no reason, I could have hurt my hands as well.

“It’s okay. We plan to acquire a foreign company, not a Korean company.”

“It’s a pity. It’s not just foreign companies that are having trouble these days. I hope you’ll pay some attention to Korean companies going bankrupt as well. Of course, I’m not interfering with Taewo Group’s management policy, and I just wish you would do the same.”

“We will be watching with interest. And we will do our best to ensure that the currency swap is concluded as soon as possible.”

“I would be grateful if you would do so. I will pour you another drink.”

Is it because of the alcohol involved?

Or is it because I promised help with the currency swap?

The president’s chief of staff’s tone of voice, which had been used to offend people, had changed to become much more polite.

That said, I have no intention of continuing this relationship like this.

* * *

After finishing my schedule with the President’s Chief of Staff, I headed to Captain Kang’s office.

President Han Jeong-hoon was already resting comfortably on the sofa with his tie loosened.

“Why are you doing this instead of going home?”

“It’s because I feel most comfortable here. And I was waiting because I was curious about what the Chairman discussed with the President’s Chief of Staff.”

“Wow, I get really tired when I meet people in politics.”

He threw away his suit jacket, loosened his tie, and sat down on the sofa.

Who would imagine that the chairman and president of Taewo Group are resting in this position?

But we were used to this, so no one was surprised.

“The Blue House asked me to move to conclude a Korea-US currency swap.”

“The exchange rate is in turmoil, and as foreign influence continues to decline, stock prices are plummeting, so it seems that the Blue House is also in turmoil.”

“It seems like they are trying to mobilize everything they can because they can solve the current problem once and for all if a currency swap is concluded.”

“This is the first time I have seen a case where the head of a group is asked to do government work.”

“He said it happened often during his grandfather’s time. So I promised to do it.”

A president sat with his back straight.

This was because concluding a currency swap was not an easy task.

“Are you sure you don’t mind? This could immediately destroy the friendship you worked so hard to build with the American VIP.”

“To prevent that from happening, we need to give each other what we want.”

“Do you really need to suffer a loss for the government? Were you promised something great?”

“As compensation, we received a relaxation of regulations on the business promoted by Taewoo Group and a promise not to interfere with Taewoo Group’s affairs in the future.”

“Is that all? It’s an extremely small reward compared to a currency swap.”

I moved my hand up and down towards the boss.

It was a hand gesture indicating to lie down again in a comfortable position.

“If you try to gain too much from the government, there will be setbacks. It is better in the long run for us to lose a little. And this negotiation is not necessarily a bad thing for us.”

“I have to say I’m disappointed, but I don’t know what you’re saying is not bad.”

“It’s not necessarily a bad thing to create an image that we are indebted to the U.S. government. It will help us when the time comes to acquire an American car company.”

A CEO looked at the ceiling for a moment, lost in thought.

Then click it with your finger! He made a noise and stood up again.

“If we take the initiative to acquire an American automobile company, the U.S. government will naturally try to sell it to us at the highest price possible.”

“That’s right. But on the other hand, if the U.S. government makes an offer to us first, wouldn’t it be possible to acquire it at a cheaper price?”

“Now that we’re in debt, the U.S. government might ask us to buy an American car company!”

“Of course, I’m not sure that’s what will happen, but it’s a very possible scenario.”

You could think of it as running a hope circuit.

However, since it was not a completely unlikely scenario, the Blue House’s proposal was accepted.