February 17th, 1998.
Four days before the WTI futures expiration... but also, the day of Daehwa High School’s graduation ceremony.
–Click, click!
The sound of camera shutters echoed through the auditorium. The place was packed with parents, graduating students, and underclassmen.
I stood in the back, watching it all, and murmured quietly.
“...I’m jealous.”
Daehwa High was half an incubator for my subordinates, but that meant it was also half a school. A normal school, where you laughed and played with friends.
Naturally, the graduation ceremony wasn’t all that different from other schools. After all, the love parents feel for their children is pretty universal.
People laughed, took pictures, and some cried. They all gathered together and threw their graduation caps in the air...
–Grab.
“Young miss! What are you doing back there? Don’t act all stiff, come on out! Ha-yeon!”
A bright smile, a beaming face.
A girl I didn’t recognize called my name and pulled me by the hand.
“...Ah.”
I slowly opened my eyes. There hadn’t been anyone around because of the bodyguards, but when I glanced around, I noticed the men in black sunglasses had quietly stepped back.
It wasn’t Seo Ji-yeon. She was the student council president and way too busy right now to take care of me.
It wasn’t like I really didn’t know her name. It’s just more accurate to say I hadn’t bothered to remember it.
Just... a normal girl. She wasn’t in my class, her grades weren’t good, and she wasn’t planning to join the organization. A civilian, basically.
She might’ve been average by regular standards, but by Daehwa High standards, she was clearly below average.
“Calling me stiff, huh? I’m not that uptight!”
I smirked and pushed myself up from the floor.
–Tap.
Once I stood, I could see a bit more. The area around me was packed with people who clearly wanted to approach. I recognized a lot of familiar faces among the students and parents.
Before I knew it, a confident smile had settled on my lips again.
“Ooh, you're really giving off that young miss vibe now.”
Hearing that, I checked a mirror. The soft, slightly gloomy look in my eyes had sharpened, neatly arranged.
My lips had curled into a natural smile.
“Pfft. What’s that supposed to mean.”
I could more or less guess. Since she wasn’t in my class, she’d probably only seen me during official events (if it’s not weird to say that about students).
Still smiling, I gently patted her on the shoulder and opened my mouth.
“So-yeong, right? Let’s go take a photo together.”
“Ah, yeah!”
Normally, I didn’t like the loud, chaotic group gatherings. But it was graduation. After today, we’d never be equals again—not even nominally.
Besides, I liked taking pictures.
That’s all there was to it. It wasn’t because I was lonely or short on friends, or getting sentimental just because it was graduation.
.
.
.
–Tap tap.
“Ah, I’m late. Where is she? Hmm, young miss? She should be right here...”
Seo Ji-yeon came running in a panic, touching the chair that still held Yoo Ha-yeon’s lingering warmth, tilting her head in confusion.
‘She doesn’t really have any close friends... right?’
Did the kids already whisk her away to butter her up?
***
A little later.
–Sip.
“You’re late, Ji-yeon.”
“Ahaha... Sorry. Still, I’m glad to see you’re enjoying yourself.”
She scratched her cheek awkwardly. I knew how hard she was working, so I didn’t feel like nitpicking.
And well, she was right. I had enjoyed it.
My graduation cap, now a little crumpled from being tossed in the air so many times, sat atop my head. Naturally, any outfit looked good on me, so it wasn’t a problem.
“...Turns out even the kids from other classes weren’t so bad.”
“Right? The ones who didn’t fit in here already dropped out a long time ago. I didn’t expect you to know that girl So-yeong, though.”
Well, yeah. The girl who talked to me had been what you’d call a social butterfly. She just lacked other talents, which is why I didn’t notice her much.
“Her plan was to become a housewife, wasn’t it?”
“Ah, yeah... She ended up getting pregnant early... As you know, our school’s atmosphere is kind of... like that?”
Ji-yeon nodded uncomfortably.
“Because of me?”
“Well, she didn’t say it was because of you. She said it was a good, open environment.”
Hmph. Same thing.
As the unofficial top dog and future owner of the school once we graduated, it was only natural that Daehwa High had taken on a rather... liberal tone because of my personality.
The early marriages were a similar effect.
-‘You looked at the young miss, didn’t you! Huh? Do you like Ha-yeon that much?’
-‘N-no, that’s not it! Really! I swear!’
-‘You’ll prove it in bed. Follow me.’
That’s usually how it went. I, infamously known as a relationship wrecker, seduced quite a few boys and turned them into celibate fanatics. Those who didn’t give their hearts to me ended up melting into their girlfriends like iron in a furnace.
That girl was one of those cases. I heard she married her childhood friend.
“Tch...”
I felt a bit jealous.
This is why I don’t like social butterflies. If you’re going to act all friendly with me, then at least only be friendly with me. I like people who love only me above all else.
For example...
“...Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Oh, just... I’m grateful. Technically, there’s no reason you need to stay by my side.”
“Well, considering how close Secretary Lee Si-hyun used to be with you, and how rarely we see her these days... I’d rather make up any excuse just to be next to you. It’s my own selfishness.”
Hmm. I doubt someone like her, who’d jump into fire for me, would act just out of selfishness.
It’s not ordinary love. The feelings Seo Ji-yeon has toward me are borderline fanatical. If she ever thought something—even something she desperately wanted—would harm me, she’d cut it out immediately.
Still, pointing that out wouldn’t be very trusting of me.
I sipped my coffee and flipped through the newspaper. Since I’d attended the graduation ceremony despite my schedule, there was a ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ lot to catch up on.
[WTI Futures Near $2... Oil Market in Panic]
[Can’t Get a Refund on Futures... Retail Investors Confused by Spot Prices, Bought at $3 Only to Sell for Free]
“Ugh, there really are so many stupid people in this world.”
A sneer tugged at my lips. Didn’t they learn not to grab free stuff without checking?
Ah, maybe it’s because we’re just now entering the IMF era. People don’t know better yet. The world used to be more savage—and romantic—back then.
“...For the record, Daehwa Securities didn’t accept contracts from people like that. We decided it was better to protect the group’s reputation here in Korea. Though we did send out a press release packaging it as a feel-good story... It’ll take time for the coverage to catch.”
“That was a good call. For financial markets to grow, they need trust. Even pyramid schemes offer high returns at the start. If we’re stingy, we’ll look cheap.”
Just like how modern monetary economies depend on state power and trust, a modern financial market can only expand with public knowledge and reliability.
There’s a reason older Japanese people used to stash money in drawers—they still remembered when the government froze personal bank accounts.
–Tap, tap.
“Daehwa Group must always appear competent and trustworthy. Even if we pull tricks behind the scenes, at least on the surface, we need to be reliable partners—or the kind who’ll die before breaking a contract. That kind of thing.”
Reputation is everything for a trader. Emotional inefficiency, if you break it down, is actually a finely honed survival strategy for humanity. There are more important things than short-term profit.
“Yes, I understand.”
After saying that, Seo Ji-yeon hesitated a moment before speaking up again.
“Um, young miss.”
“What?”
“Congratulations on your graduation.”
A soft smile.
I chuckled quietly and gave a slight nod.
“Thanks. I guess I won’t have much reason to come back to this school anymore. That’s a bit sad.”
“You barely came to school anyway.”
“That’s why it’s sad.”
You only go through school life once. Well, twice in my case, but the memories from my past life are just old stories now.
I’ve built so many new connections in this life—there’s no reason to stay fixated on the previous one.
–Rattle.
While I was resting for a moment, a rolling wardrobe filled with my clothes approached. It held only the outfits I wore for company business, selected from among hundreds of garments.
“I brought your suit. Graduation’s officially until three, but if you want to eat lunch first, you’ll need to leave by 2:40. We should head out now. Or... would you like to stay longer? I can adjust your schedule if you’d prefer.”
Worried that I might want to spend more time with the others, Seo Ji-yeon scribbled in her planner as she spoke.
“It’s a shame I won’t see many of them again, but the ones I’m truly close to are coming to work with me anyway. Like you.”
“...Somehow it already feels like I’ve become a corporate slave. I mean, I don’t mind since I’m working for you, but still.”
“Ahaha, it’s nice seeing familiar faces at work. Of course, we have to keep personal and professional strictly separate—but everyone’s good at that, right?”
–Rattle.
I picked out an outfit I didn’t usually wear—something clean and stylish. It was made of soft silk, comfortable and form-fitting.
Unlike the rigid structure of men’s suits, this was a stylish women’s ensemble. One I didn’t normally wear at the company.
“Should I tie a ribbon instead of a necktie?”
Seo Ji-yeon asked, but I gave her a breezy smile and shook my head.
“No need for a tie.”
This would be more than enough for today.