Chapter 200: Domestic Dispute (3)


200 tons of gold didn’t actually cost as much as I expected.


“Two billion dollars? That’s an amount I can easily afford.”


Well, to be honest, it’s a burden even for me. A little over two trillion won in Korean currency. It was almost entirely collected through nationwide voluntary donations, so of course, it’s a huge amount.


Still... compared to the gold prices I remember from the 21st century, it’s dirt cheap. Besides, once the profits from Pfizer come in, I can more than make up for it.


“...And what exactly are you planning to do after buying that gold?”


“Mm, obviously the first thing would be to make a life-sized Yoo Ha-yeon figure. A statue... or should I say a solid gold monument?”


“Seriously?”


“...Actually, I’m not sure. Making it entirely out of gold might not fully capture my beauty. Wax or a proper sculpted statue might do better.”


“That’s what you’re worried about?”


This was serious business.


If I wasn’t careful, it would just reek of nouveau riche vulgarity instead of looking stylish. Maybe adding gemstones could help, but that would stray from the original purpose.


“Well, it’ll stay inside the house for a while anyway. If I change my mind, I can just melt it down and remake it. Or maybe I’ll just stack the gold bars somewhere. That could look nice too.”


“Huh? Knowing you, Miss, I’d bet you’d rather put it in a company lobby or right in front of the school gates so everyone could admire it. Maybe even make something like a golden bunny-girl statue.”


–Thud.


“Ow!”


“...Calling the great Yoo Ha-yeon’s bunny-girl statue ‘something like that,’ really? And don’t get me wrong, I would like to do it, but I’m not stupid enough to try something like that in the current climate.”


If I publicly displayed a golden statue of myself, the public reaction would be far from favorable. Even if it’s unrelated to the fact that I paid off the national debt, using that “noble” gold to make an idolized image of myself?


People had donated wedding rings, family heirloom rings, even Cardinal Kim Soo-hwan’s cross from his cardinal inauguration, and national athletes’ gold medals were sold off... and I’d melt all of that down just to make a golden statue of myself?


I’m not insane enough to announce that publicly. That would make me look like some lunatic dictator ruling Korea with money...


And I’m not a lunatic dictator. Sure, I am ruling Korea with money, but that’s different.


***


In the end, buying gold wasn’t all that difficult.


–Bang!


Daehwa Trading Company.


One of Korea’s few general trading corporations.


It was also one of the core subsidiaries of the Daehwa Group, historically second only to Daehwa Construction in importance...


But right now, standing before me pretending to be angry, its spine bent like a snapped twig.


–Hoo.


Wearing a suit, I looked down at the major executives of Daehwa Trading with a cold stare.


“I’ve been watching the gold collection campaign. I... happen to enjoy reading newspapers, and I’ve been quite entertained lately. Lots of touching stories.”


“Ah, Miss. Actually, this wasn’t just us—”


–Crash!


At my signal, the male bodyguard beside me slammed a golf club down, making the entire room tense up.


Most of my bodyguards were women, so this man was one of the few, and he was particularly brutal—filtered and tested to the extreme before being hired.


“....”


Hmm, maybe he’s an ogre. I ordered it, but the table ended up half-broken.


A bit startled, I crossed my legs and kept my voice calm, almost gentle.


“Sure, everyone participated. Of course. I’d never expect Daehwa Group executives to be brainless.”


“Yes, yes! That’s correct. And we acted quite conscientiously—”


The executive looked at me nervously, clearly aware that using the word “conscientious” was laughable here.


I decided to indulge him.


“Mmm, so you have brains, but no eyes? Can’t even recognize who’s standing in front of you.”


“....”


I sighed and shook my head with a disappointed expression.


Right now, I had every right.


The right to be arrogant.


“Skimming company funds and being this brazen in front of me? I’m curious, what was your plan when you eventually got caught? Oh, or were you so confident you wouldn’t be caught?”


Normally, yes. That’s why they did it.


But... from a corporate standpoint, this is unforgivable. Not only illegal, it’s practically embezzlement.


“But you did get caught. By me. You know there’s no way you can talk your way out of this, right? The audit report spelled it all out—you just buried it.”


“...We apologize. We’ll return it immediately.”


“That’s a given.”


–Tap, tap.


“So, what now? Can you handle the consequences?”


No one answered.


They only glanced at each other nervously.


“Oh, I see. You’re just hoping to bury it quietly, huh? Really, gentlemen... did you think I’d let this slide just because we’re familiar?”


“No, that’s not it.”


“Then resign. I’ll guarantee your lives.”


“....”


But these pathetic men just exchanged glances again, none of them speaking up. I even knew some of them personally—how disappointing.


“Well, fine. Since I was the one who brought this up, I’ll offer you a solution. You weren’t caught by anyone else, right? Then go public, throw your subordinates under the bus, and bow your heads. Like you said, you ‘kept within the lines,’ so you might survive if you shove other companies into the fire first.”


But then the Vice President finally spoke, biting his lip.


“That... won’t be possible.”


“Why? Because you’re all in this together?”


I asked calmly, even though I already knew the answer.


“...I’m sorry, but yes.”


“Mhm. So you don’t want to take responsibility, but you don’t have the guts to expose the others either. What the hell are you doing as executives? Forget directors, Vice President—what are you even getting paid for? My grandfather put you in this crucial position for this.”


“If we betray them, other companies will never work with us again. If a general trading company becomes the enemy of the entire business world, it won’t just ruin our network. Please, Miss, understand.”


“Ahahaha, that’s funny. Oh, I do understand. Even on Wall Street, morality and trust are separate things. People who scam others still have to trust each other.”


In martial arts novels, honor and morality were separate; in business, it’s the same.


Trust in this world has nothing # Nоvеlight # to do with morality. For example, Swiss banks that hide criminals’ money aren’t exactly moral, but they’re highly trustworthy.


I understand that. People are more reliable when they follow strict personal rules than when they shift according to vague moral standards. If I were making deals, I’d rather deal with trustworthy villains than “good” people.


However...


“Do you really need to give trust to someone you’re about to eat alive?”


“Pardon?”


I smiled sweetly.


“People love honor and trust, sure. But they throw it away the moment it stops being convenient. Do you gentlemen keep those stiff suits on even in bed?”


After crushing their spirits for a long while, I finally got to the point.


“Don’t pretend otherwise. You stab small businesses in the back all the time—take their technology, poach their talent... Isn’t that what big corporations do?”


–Tap.


I laced my fingers together, resting my chin on them, and swept my gaze across the room.


“You understand, right? Size is relative. Don’t stay trapped in your little pond. Negotiation and trust only work between equals. The times have changed.”


“....”


Silence.


They were slowly piecing it together, dragging up the last bits of their sanity to truly grasp what I meant.


I am Yoo Ha-yeon.


And I am rich.


Richer than anyone in Korea, to an unprecedented, incomparable degree. And this was only a fraction of my true wealth.


So... I don’t need to make complicated alliances with minnows. I can just swallow them whole.


“W-wait. Miss, you don’t exactly have the qualifications to invest in Daehwa Trading...”


He must mean I have no legal authority. True, I’m just the youngest daughter of the Daehwa family, and Korea doesn’t recognize any aristocratic class.


“That’s fine. That’s why I’m buying gold.”


“...Gold?”


“Mm. You all have plenty of gold, don’t you? If we use that, putting money in is easy. After all, isn’t this how trading companies make money? Buy cheap, sell high.”


–Clink.


I rolled a coin with my fingers, a 100-won coin spinning lazily, and let my gaze drift away as if this was just casual shopping.


“We bought gold cheap by squeezing it from the people, and now we’ll sell it expensive to the richest tycoons of Wall Street.”


The Vice President looked startled at the implication of taking a direct loss.


“Y-you mean you’re just giving us the money?”


Well, Daehwa Trading will soon be mine anyway. It’s just moving money from my left pocket to my right.


But I smiled playfully and let my words hang with deliberate vagueness.


“Mhm, not exactly. I’ll explain later. For now, just focus on this—sell me the gold.”


.


.


.


As I said, responsibility and authority are two sides of the same coin.


Sure, some magicians can fool you with sleight of hand, but normally, that’s how people see it.


“If I’m taking on the Bank of Korea’s responsibility, it’s only natural that I take its authority as well.”


The gold that should’ve gone into the Bank of Korea’s vaults will instead fill mine—with their permission.


And why not? The Bank of Korea is broke. Laughable as it sounds, Korea’s central bank is dirt poor right now.


But think about it—


I’m already adjusting national monetary policy on my own, acting as the lender of last resort for collapsing corporations, and now I’m handling the treasury’s cash flow.


What do you call that?


You call it a central bank.


So... I’m already a living central bank.