Past Life Returner 15
“You’re going to pay out a dividend?”
“No, even if I have a 51% share, it would be difficult to pay the profits to a Korean minor.”
“I can do it if necessary.”
“The funds will be tracked. Jonathan, you must have realized it by now, but I do not like attention, especially in my country.”
Jonathan started to say something but closed his mouth.
“My parents do not know what we are doing. I’m not meeting you but playing basketball with some classmates right now. Can you understand if I say it like this?”
“Sun, you’re something. But you’re right, it is true that you would receive a lot of attention. It’s not just your country. However, being famous would help us, and actually is necessary.”
“Jonathan Investments, that’s our company’s name. Your name is listed as the CEO.”
Jonathan seemed to have understood my meaning, and he mulled things over after scratching his head. The food we ordered arrived as he made a decision, and I could smell the steak now after reading his emotions.
“Can I do that? I have to acknowledge you even if I did not want to. You did the planning, and I did the trading, but even juniors can do trading with a rigged game. What I’m saying is that your directions were everything.”
Jonathan of the future and the one here were two clearly different people, but one thing remained the same. He had a conscience that was rare among Wall Street elites, as he had not lost it even when I knew him in my other life, that shell of a human being, driven only by revenge. That was why we could become comrades, and I looked at him again.
“You can have all the fame that comes to Jonathan Investments. Think of it as payment for using your name and me having more shares.”
Jonathan hesitated, but no one in Wall street would refuse fame. A famous celebrity’s words held power to change the stock prices of a company. Then, what about someone who was one of the pillars in the financial world? There was a reason people said that earning money was low class and earning fame was high class.
“About the land in this country.”
“…Are you really all right with that, Sun?”
“That conversation is done. Anyway, there is no way to buy land in this country under our company’s name. Foreigners and foreign firms are fundamentally blocked from buying real estate here.”
“For now?”
“If the financial crisis comes to this country, the real estate market will open.”
Since the country would need dollars, I would be able to manipulate the laws. Jonathan stared at me as I explained to him the next step. He was not touching his steak, and me saying to eat before the food gets cold seemed useless.
“Sun, I now do not question your assertion that your country will go through a foreign exchange crisis. However, I want you to clarify your intentions. It was only twice, but you succeeded beyond anyone’s wildest dreams in two fields, the stock index futures and the foreign exchange market. But now, real estate?”
“Jonathan, real estate is only a small part. We’re going to participate in any market we could make a profit.”
My words caused a stir in Jonathan’s eyes, and his pupils held me with a frightened expression. His eyes asked, how much from here, and to what extent. Was fifty billion dollars not enough for me? His surprise was turning to astonishment, and I may have seemed to him to be a devil at this moment.
I had to ensnare him before he ran away in fear.
“I know that I’m a bit greedy and smart.”
I even smiled, but Jonathan’s expression remained stony as he grew serious. I waited until he opened his mouth. A heavy silence filled the room, and the restaurant’s classical music changed the tune a number of times.
“Sun, you and I, we’ll be fine, right?”
“Why, do you think I’ll eat you up? I’m just greedy. How can I not be when a chance to earn money is in front of me? It would be unnatural not to grab that opportunity.”
“But you…”
“I’m thirteen, but do you see me as that age? It’s only a number written on documents. Forget my age, since you have to consider me as an equal colleague for us to work together.”
“I’m not saying that. I’m saying that…you’re special.”
“As I said, I know that. But that’s not a reason to be scared of me.”
My words seemed to have hit the spot as Jonathan swept back his hair with a rigid face.
“You acknowledge that you scare people?”
“Of course. I made four hundred thousand dollars into fifty billion in two months with two calculations. What could be scarier than that in a capitalist society?”
“I know that it wasn’t luck. You’ll go farther in the future. I can’t imagine how much you’ll earn.”
I expected Jonathan’s shock, as he had been holding things in for a while.
“Let’s cut to the chase. Jonathan, will you continue to work with me? As an equal colleague and not as the puppet of an Asian genius kid. If so, please eat. You’re more nervous than usual now.
***
I ate my steak, as proficient with knife and fork as an American, and empty dishes piled up in front of Jonathan. His expression lost its rigidness when he really could not eat anything more. People needed to eat first, and when we entered dungeons, most of the supplies we prepared had been food.
“Divide the company, using my shares as collateral. If you want to, you can invest in as many common shares as you want.”
“Right now?”
“I’m saying that we should start preparing slowly.”
“I understand what you’re saying. How and how much exactly are you thinking about when saying division?”
“The more complicated the structure, the better. I want us, as the original owners to be undiscoverable. Aren’t there people who do such things?”
“There are.”
“The structure has to be confusing enough, so even they do not know what they’re handling, which means that you’ll have to go through many firms.”
“You’re saying we should create hundreds of paper companies. It’s definitely not my area. What’s the reason for going so far?”
“Fifty billion dollars draws too much attention. What will happen if the funds go above five trillion?”
Jonathan did not say I was crazy, and he seemed to have decided to think of money only as numbers after making his choice.
“Of course, I’m only making a joke.”
I said in a joking tone, and Jonathan did not think of my words as one and asked a question. Of course, I had not been making a joke…
“Can we control that? Sun, I know that you’re a genius, but we’re only two.”
“We will get busier until we create an organization and have capable personnel. Everything begins with dividing the company. As you have said, with layers of paper companies underneath us.”
“I’m helping to plan the biggest heist imaginable.”
Jonathan smiled faintly, and he seemed to have regained enough control to see the humor in the situation.
“You overexerted yourself. We will form a task force when entering Hong Kong. Do not worry about their abilities, but only their trustworthiness and loyalty.”
“You don’t care about their abilities?”
“Yes.”
“…Then, there are some friends I know.”
“We’ll bring them in as the main team of the taskforce and fill in the other positions.”
“If we bring in results from Hong Kong, let’s takeover two medium investment firms. For example, the Wolf firm, where you worked.”
Jonathan let out a joyful scream, and from the way he quickly shut his mouth, it happened without him realizing it.
“You said to maintain my health until August?”
“That’s why you have to start finding people. Give them as much as you need, and I’ll leave everything up to you. Bring in the best and make agreements with outside operators if necessary.”
“Agreements? Money will triumph over loyalty.”
“That’s what I’m saying. Bring them with twice, three times the usual pay, like Jeffrey Kay.”
“You…know everything.”
Jeffrey Kay, the firm hunter. His name was respected in the M&A field, and he was also famous for having the highest annual income in his field. (EN: Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) is a general term used to describe the consolidation of companies or assets through various types of financial transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, consolidations, tender offers, purchase of assets, and management acquisitions.)
“He would save us money, but do not allow him access to how our company works.”
“Since we’re going to separate it?”
“His use is only for takeovers.”
“You’re speaking of something from my dreams, like saying that Jeffrey will work under me.”
To be more exact, Jeffery would think that he was hired by an investment firm with fifty billion dollars in funds.
“Once you finish dividing our company, I want one of them to be named Jeonil and have it entered in this country. With that firm, I’ll start purchasing things here.”
“What’s the name for?”
“It’s my father’s name.”
“Will you tell your parents? Shouldn’t they know?”
“Of course, I’ll make sure they live comfortably. I’ll tell them when the time is right. And Jonathan.”
“Yes.”
“Let’s work hard now so we won’t be swallowed up and spoiled by our money. Then, won’t all the wealth in this world be ours?”
While Jonathan’s body had been weary and his spirit almost broken down when he came to Korea, he was smiling as he left. We had built trust. I will buy the dungeon and conquer it after the foreign exchange crisis when the real estate market would be open to foreigners.
The Aliens Landownership Law would be completely revised in May 1998, but things would speed up. I will intervene.
Edited by Userunfriendly
(EN: Yes, Sun is the devil. ^_^ )