"This is Nasan Department Store, Nonhyeon branch."
At the words of Son Jae-gyu, director of Midopa Department Store, Seok-won lifted his face behind his Ray-Ban sunglasses to look up.
The eight-story department store building standing before him had a respectable appearance.
But the ivory exterior, which not long ago would have been adorned with large, famous brand advertisements, was now completely bare, and the glass doors at the entrance, once bustling with customers, were tightly shuttered with metal gates.
"You mentioned the safety inspection gave it a dangerous rating," Seok-won said.
Caught by his gaze, Director Son quickly responded.
"Yes. The detailed inspection showed that steel bars of different thicknesses than those in the design were used, and the quantity was far less than required."
Deliberately reducing or replacing steel bars with cheaper alternatives—a practice known as "skimping on rebar"—was a common form of poor construction on sites. It combined low bids with ingrained safety negligence.
'The problem is that in a flat slab structure, which requires no beams, you have to put in far more steel to reinforce the ceiling's thickness and strength. Using weaker or fewer bars than designed is critical.'
If the steel was weaker or insufficient, the ceiling wouldn't bear the load and could collapse.
"During the safety inspection, several cracks were found in columns of the basement second-floor parking lot. Upon investigation, they were determined to have been caused by nearby construction of Subway Line 7, Section 18."
"Even if the subway construction contributed, the poor construction would have meant the building could have had problems at any time."
"That's correct."
"Immediate safety measures must have been taken, right?"
"Of course. Steel safety beams were installed to reinforce the cracked parking lot columns, and access has been completely restricted."
Seok-won gave a small nod in acknowledgment of the reply.
"Good work. We can't have any accidents before the demolition, so make sure you're thorough."
"Understood."
"When will the demolition start?"
"Next month, once a specialized team comes in from abroad, the work will begin immediately."
Initially, they had planned to proceed with conventional demolition methods, but at Seok-won's insistence, they decided to bring the building down all at once with explosives.
'Before my regression, there was an accident during demolition where the ceiling collapsed, burying several workers along with the excavator. I can't allow the same thing to happen again.'
Because the previous collapse had even caused fatalities, they opted for the explosive method despite the higher cost.
"This is the team that demolished the old Sampoong Department Store, right?"
"Yes."
Recalling how that massive Sampoong building had been taken down cleanly without incident instilled confidence.
"If it's them, we can trust it."
Seok-won turned to Director Son Jae-gyu and added,
"A separate company will soon be set up to handle the real estate management. Until then, even if it's bothersome, please stay on top of things."
"I'll make sure no problems arise, so don't worry," Son assured.
After acquiring Nasan Department Store, Seok-won had separated the Nonhyeon branch and purchased it for 20 billion won. Strictly speaking, further management wasn't Midopa Department Store's responsibility.
However, since it wasn't convenient for Seok-won's Daehung Venture Capital or securities firms to handle directly, Midopa was temporarily assisting with the work.
Seok-won gave a nod, and Han Ji-sung stepped forward, pulling a thick envelope from his coat and handing it to Director Son.
"It's not much, but use it for a staff dinner or something to thank the employees for their hard work."
"Thank you," Son said, accepting the envelope politely without hesitation.
Seok-won lifted his gaze to the Nasan Department Store Nonhyeon branch building, soon to be gone, and began thinking about how best to utilize the space once it was cleared.
***
Gangnam, Seoul—Daehung Venture Capital headquarters.
Choi Ho-geun entered the office, lightly tapping the approval board in his hand as he spoke.
"Everyone, pay attention!"
Jung Hwan-yeop and his team, who had been sprawled across their chairs after a tense trading session, raised their heads groggily to look at Choi Ho-geun.
"You said you were going to the president's office—did something happen?" Jung asked, pushing his chair back with a squeak.
"Everyone has almost no cash left, right? Just stocks?"
Choi Ho-geun glanced around at the team.
"Yes."
"I only kept about five percent in cash, just in case. The rest I put into stocks."
"Same here."
Even though everyone was exhausted, their answers were prompt and precise.
"Then starting tomorrow, liquidate the main positions and sell everything by next week. For the other positions you're managing, trade while keeping a downturn in mind."
The team was puzzled—although the market had weakened slightly since the beginning of the year, it was still on an upward trend, so the sudden warning about a market drop was unexpected.
At that moment, Jung Hwan-yeop, who had been looking sleepy, sat upright with a sharp intake of breath.
"The president must have said something. Right?"
"Yes."
"What did he say?"
Even the other team members, who had been slumped over their desks like they were dead tired, now looked up with curiosity.
Choi Ho-geun's expression stiffened slightly as he spoke.
"The yen could plummet to around 150 per dollar. He said to prepare in advance."
The office immediately buzzed with shock.
"150 yen?!"
The first to react was, as expected, Jung Hwan-yeop.
"What's the current yen rate? How is that even possible?"
"I would have said the same if anyone else had said it. But it came from the president himself," another replied.
"Oh…"
Jung Hwan-yeop immediately fell silent.
The financial giant famously called the Midas of Wall Street was none other than Seok-won.
Having personally witnessed him predict market movements with astonishing accuracy several times and generate massive profits, no one dared to speak carelessly.
At that moment, Yoo Seok-hyun, sleeves rolled up to reveal well-toned arms, glanced at Jung Hwan-yeop and spoke quietly.
"Considering the yen has been weakening steadily since last year, it might not be entirely impossible."
"I agree. At the beginning of the year, Goldman Sachs even released a forecast saying the yen could hit 150 per dollar," Hong Jae-hee, who always stuck close to Yoo Seok-hyun like thread to a needle, chimed in.
Then Noh Hee-won cautiously added his opinion.
"Oh, I saw that article too."
Seeing that everyone except him was leaning toward expecting a weaker yen, Jung Hwan-yeop scratched his head in frustration.
"Sigh… 150 yen. If the yen really plummets that far, it won't just hit the Nikkei—our Korean market will get caught in the crossfire too."
"That's why he's saying to clear out all positions."
"Ugh, damn it."
Jung Hwan-yeop grimaced in irritation.
"We were just starting to recover from the nightmare of the IMF shock, and now the market was beginning to pick up again. What a frustrating neighbor."
"Exactly," Yoo Seok-hyun agreed with a sigh.
Choi Ho-geun, listening to their conversation, tried to lighten the mood.
"If we sell in advance and the market crashes, we can scoop up quality stocks at the bottom and make huge profits. It's not all bad."
"That's true," someone acknowledged.
"There's a saying: if you can't avoid it, enjoy it. The yen dropping and the market crashing are out of our control, so let's at least secure our profits this time. Everyone understands what I mean, right?"
"Yes."
"Understood."
Choi Ho-geun rolled up his sleeves, checked his wristwatch, and continued.
"We need to adjust our existing trading strategy to match the changed situation. Finish all the slips within 30 minutes and gather in the conference room."
"Looks like we're stuck with another late night," someone muttered.
Choi Ho-geun shot a sharp glance at him.
"You're the only one complaining while everyone else is keeping quiet?"
"It's not just me. They're all holding back too, but I'm sure they want to go home as much as I do."
"What did you say?"
Choi Ho-geun looked around at the team, and everyone awkwardly avoided his gaze.
Seeing that not a single person denied it, it was clear they all wanted to leave.
"See? I was right!"
"Ugh…"
Choi Ho-geun groaned and glared at Jung Hwan-yeop.
"Enough talk. Just finish the slips quickly!"
But Jung Hwan-yeop wasn't the type to be intimidated by a little scolding.
Seemingly determined to make the most of the late night ahead, he grinned and said,
"They say even Mount Geumgang comes after a meal. Shouldn't we fill our stomachs before the meeting?"
"You mean… have dinner?"
"Yes. Your mind works better when your stomach is full, doesn't it?"
Seeing the hint, Hong Jae-hee chimed in in a playful tone.
"That's right, sir."
"Even if we finish the slips quickly, it'll be past five. Let's eat first."
"I… I agree too."
Even Choi Ho-geun thought the timing was a bit awkward.
"Huff… If we go out to eat and then come back, it'll be too late."
"Why waste time going out? Let's just order in and eat in the office."
"But we had jajangmyeon and sweet-and-sour pork for lunch. It's too greasy to have it twice in a row."
At that, Jung Hwan-yeop quickly spoke up.
"How about jokbal?"
"Jokbal? Where did that come from?"
"There's a new jokbal place next to Namwon House in the food alley. I've heard it's amazing these days."
"Really?"
Then Hong Jae-hee, eyes sparkling, jumped in.
"I know that place too! Lots of lean meat and so chewy, everyone says it's delicious."
"See, Miss Hong knows her stuff! Their makguksu is perfectly sweet and sour, and if you wrap garlic in the ssam with the sauce, it's just heavenly. And wash it down with a shot of soju… ah, just thinking about it makes my mouth water."
"Talking about wrapping ssam and drinking soju… why are you even bringing soju into this!"
"Hehe, just saying."
Choi Ho-geun shot a sharp glance at the mischievous Jung Hwan-yeop and pulled his wallet from his back pocket with one hand.
"Miss Noh."
"Yes, sir?"
"Order five servings of jokbal… no, make it six to be safe, and have it delivered. Use this to pay."
He handed over the company card.
Not missing a beat, Jung Hwan-yeop jumped in.
"And get some bindaetteok too—they're really good, don't leave them out!"
"Uh… ah, yes."
Seeing Noh Hee-won flustered, Choi Ho-geun shook his head.
"I can't survive because of this guy. Fine, get the bindaetteok too. Let's see how good it really is."
"Then I'll go order it."
As Noh Hee-won left the office with the card to order the food, Jung Hwan-yeop stuck close, chuckling.
"There's no one like the boss."
"Enough, just finish the slips quickly."
"Yes, sir!"
Watching Jung Hwan-yeop flutter back to his desk, Choi Ho-geun clicked his tongue.
"Sigh… When will he ever grow up?"