An Investor Who Sees The Future

While wedding preparations were in full swing, a visitor arrived from England.

She looked at me and said.

”You don’t look surprised.”

I nodded.

”I thought you would come once.”

Long blonde hair that looked like it was spun from gold and snow-white skin that looked like it had never seen sunlight. And sapphire-like blue eyes.

It’s still an unrealistic appearance that seems not to exist in this world.

However, unlike her previous doll-like appearance, I could now read a little emotion in her eyes and expression.

Until a short while ago, we were fighting with everything we had, but I didn’t feel any particular resentment or hostility from her.

And the same was true for me.She looked at me and said.

”You won. You made the impossible possible and turned dreams into reality. Honestly, I can only say that it’s amazing.”

I asked her.

”I’m curious about one thing.”

”What is it?”

She smiled faintly, as if answering.

”Did you think I blew it up?”

”If not, then never mind.”

She brought up another topic.

”It’s true that we tried to take advantage of the crisis, but financial crises are built on human greed. Even if we stopped it this time, won’t the same thing happen later? Perhaps an even bigger crisis will come in the future.”

In a capitalist system, booms and busts are inevitable. At the end of a boom, there is a bust, and at the end of a bust, there is a boom.

But this time, instead of the bubble bursting and a recession coming, we entered an even bigger boom. As she said, what kind of result will this bring?

”Won’t someone else solve it somehow then?”

There’s no need to worry about things that haven’t happened yet.

She continued to ask.

”In the future, all companies and countries will covet the money and technology you have. Do you think you can protect it all to the end?”

An individual or a company cannot monopolize capital that can move the world and technology that can change the world forever.

Even if we produce JN Batteries exclusively for now, later on, other companies will copy them or find ways to circumvent the patents.

Perhaps they could create even better batteries based on JN Battery technology.

To not fall behind those who are chasing, we must keep running. That’s how human history progresses, through competition.

”I’ll try to protect it, but if I can’t, I’ll have to let it go.”

General Electric, Westinghouse, Standard Oil, Carnegie Steel, MS, Npple, and so on.

These companies changed the world. But some went bankrupt and disappeared, some were forcibly split up, some are barely maintaining their existence, and some are still doing well, competing for the top market cap in the US.

Just as a person dies someday, a company cannot last forever. And the same goes for families. OTK Company and Rothschild are not eternal.

What’s important is how people remember them and what kind of influence they have on the world.

That’s all I hope for.

”You are indeed...”

This was the gap in thinking between her and me. And that gap will never be narrowed.

She closed and opened her eyes slightly.

”Don’t think this is the end. I haven’t given up yet. On OTK Company, or on you.”

I chuckled.

Grace Rothschild stood up from her seat and said.

”Congratulations on your marriage.”

I bowed my head slightly.

”I’ll decline the congratulatory money.”

***

My marriage attracted global attention.

China and the UK both claimed that Ellie was their citizen. It seems they want to make a connection with OTK Company somehow.

The one who welcomed this marriage the most was, of course, Hong Kong.

Hong Kongers were relieved at the news that the richest man in the world, whom even China cannot treat carelessly, is marrying someone from Hong Kong.

But as the wedding approached, I was engulfed in strange anxiety.

My expression darkened, and I gradually lost my appetite. Taek-gyu put his hand on my shoulder and said.

”Get a grip, man! What’s wrong with you all of a sudden? You’re not going to run away before the wedding, are you?”

”No, no, it’s not that...”

”Then what is it?”

”The foresight I saw.”

”What foresight?”

”That the CEO of OTK Company marries a Rothschild.”

At my words, Taek-gyu crossed his arms and said.

”Well, maybe someone will marry a Rothschild later?”

”That’s true, but...”

What if it’s me? What should I do?

Even if you marry for love, divorce happens in life. Divorce is not uncommon in today’s world, but no one gets married with the intention of getting divorced from the beginning.

If this is a predetermined fate, it’s doing something terrible to Ellie.

”Should I hope the foresight is wrong?”

”You should.”

”You’re not going to ask Ellie for a divorce later, are you?”

”Of course not. Never.”

Taek-gyu, who nodded as if satisfied with my answer, suddenly said as if he remembered something.

”Ah! But Ellie might ask you for a divorce.”

”...”

This bastard.

***

We booked the Ceylon Hotel wedding hall for the wedding.

To invite everyone who wants to attend, we have to coordinate the schedule at least a few months in advance, like with Hyun-joo noona.

It seemed like it would get endlessly big if we did it big, so we tried to keep it small by inviting only family and acquaintances, but nevertheless, there are hundreds of guests.

I put my head together with Ellie to select the attendees and sent out invitations. We fairly excluded all politicians.

A few days before the wedding, Ellie’s family and relatives from abroad arrived in Korea.

Ellie’s parents came from Hong Kong with her grandmother, and Ellie’s maternal grandfather and grandmother, who live in Cornwall, UK, also visited Korea.

Ellie introduced them to me.

”Grandfather is British, and Grandmother is French.”

The white grandfather with a bushy white beard held my hand and laughed heartily.

”My goodness! To think that the Kang Jin-hoo I’ve only heard about is my granddaughter’s husband. This is the most amazing thing I’ve experienced in my life.”

And there was also a beautiful woman with blonde hair and brown eyes. She looked two or three years younger than Ellie.

She looked at Ellie and smiled broadly, saying.

”Congratulations on your marriage, Ellie.”

”Thanks, Marie.”

Ellie introduced her to me.

”This is my cousin Marie. Specifically, my grandmother’s younger brother’s daughter.”

I calculated for a moment. Is she a second cousin?

She shook hands with me gladly and said.

”Hello. I’m Marie Rothschild.”

”Rothschild?”

Ellie explained.

”Yes. In English, it would be Rothschild.”

I was surprised.

”Rothschild?”

Ellie nodded.

”Why are you so surprised?”

”Wait, wait a minute. So Ellie’s grandmother’s surname is Rothschild... I mean, Rothschild?”

”Yes. Although it changed to Ilia after she got married.”

As I stood blankly as if shocked, Ellie tilted her head and asked.

”Is this something to be so surprised about? Although the surname Rothschild is not common in Europe, it’s not that rare either.”

I burst out laughing without realizing it.

”Haha.”

Ellie asked, puzzled.

”Why are you laughing?”

”It’s nothing.”

Ellie was a Rothschild. To think it was such a simple matter.

The foresight seems to be correct after all.

***

One day before the wedding.

I spoke with President Ronald on the phone.

[Fed Chairman Robert McClay and three Federal Reserve governors have resigned. The announcement will go out tomorrow.]

”I see.”

As the financial crisis was resolved safely, Ronald’s approval rating soared again. Even within the Democratic Party, there was talk that there was no need to even try for re-election.

[Today must be the happiest day of your life.]

”The wedding is tomorrow.”

Then he said as if he had been waiting.

[That’s exactly why I’m saying it.]

”...”

I think I’ve heard something similar somewhere. Was this originally American humor?

[When are you coming to the US?]

”I’ll stop by for my honeymoon.”

[We have a lot of catching up to do, let’s have a drink when you come.]

***

”Okay.”

The day of the wedding.

President Im Soo-mi rolled up her sleeves herself and gave instructions to the staff, and my mother, dressed finely in hanbok, expressed her gratitude to each person who came.

Kyeongil and Min-young, my college friends, also came.

”Congratulations. You’re a married man now.”

Kyeongil looked at me with envious eyes.

”I’m jealous. So jealous. I’m more jealous of you getting married than having a lot of money. I want to marry a woman like that too.”

Kyeongil, who was saying that, saw Marie Rothschild and his eyes widened.

”Gasp! Who is that woman? Can’t you introduce me to her?”

Min-young dragged Kyeongil away instead of me.

”Stop talking nonsense and let’s go in.”

Chairman Warren Buffett officiated the wedding.

He greeted the guests in clumsy Korean. When I was investing in stocks with Senior Sang-yeop in a college club, I never imagined that the Sage of Athens would officiate my wedding.

I entered the wedding hall first.

A moment later, Ellie entered with her father.

Ellie wore an off-shoulder wedding dress that revealed her shoulders and collarbone. The snow-white dress emphasized her slender waist and became fuller towards the bottom.

Her hair was tied up to reveal her pretty ears and slender neck, and a veil decorated her brown hair.

I saw her in the bride’s waiting room earlier, but she is surprisingly beautiful. It was as if light was emanating from her whole body.

I’m marrying a woman like this.

I reached out my hand to Ellie, who was walking towards me. And Ellie held my hand.

***

After the wedding.

We were at a resort in Seychelles, Indian Ocean.

We plan to rest here for three days without thinking about anything, then move to Europe and visit Germany, Switzerland, France, Spain, and the UK, and then go to the US.

It’s a honeymoon, but somehow, meetings with leaders are scheduled in every country we visit. Still, we should look around the tourist spots and take pictures.

Ellie said, exhausted.

”Weddings are not usually this hard. I don’t think I can do it twice.”

”I think so too.”

Nothing changed immediately just because we had a wedding. We had been living together for a long time, and we will continue to live together in the future.

After dinner, we walked on the beach where the sunset was setting.

”It’s beautiful.”

”Indeed.”

She is still beautiful, just as she was when we first met.

Ellie stopped walking and said.

”Now tell me. What you’ve been hiding all this time.”

”Uh, well...”

I asked, flustered.

”But was it obvious that I was hiding something?”

”Do you know how hard it was to pretend not to know all this time?”

”Was it that bad?”

Ellie burst out laughing.

”Because you’re bad at lying, Jin-hoo.”

Well, since we’ve lived together for a long time, it would be stranger not to notice.

When I hesitated for a moment, Ellie said.

”Okay. I’ll tell you my secret first so you feel comfortable telling yours, Jin-hoo.”

I was surprised.

”Oh! Do you have a secret too, Ellie?”

”Everyone has a secret.”

”What is it?”

”Don’t be surprised.”

”Wait a minute. Let me prepare myself.”

I took a deep breath.

”Now tell me.”

Ellie said as if she had been waiting.

”It’s Yen-ling.”

”What’s that?”

”My name.”

”What?”

”Hong Kongers have two names, right?”

”Ah...”

Due to the influence of both China and the UK, Hong Kongers use both Chinese and English names.

Ellie wrote her name in Chinese characters on a piece of paper. It was ’Yan’ for swallow and ’Ling’ for jade sound.

”How is it?”

I pronounced Ellie’s other name, which I had just learned, a few times.

”Yen-ling, Yen-ling... It’s a pretty name.”

Ellie looked at my face and said.

”Now, tell me your secret, Jin-hoo.”

I looked into her eyes.

She is the person who will spend the rest of her life with me and inherit all my property after I die.

How should I start this long story?

I started speaking just as I had to my best friend a long time ago.

”The first time I saw it was in the army.”

- The Investor Who Sees the Future, The End -