Goldman, 47th floor, corner office.
A man stared blankly out the window, lost in thought—it was none other than Pierce.
The new office he received upon his promotion boasted a wide-open view, with two walls made entirely of glass.
The Hudson River, dyed crimson by the sunset, flowed leisurely, and the cityscape of New Jersey lay in view across the way.
Yet Pierce had no ti to admire the scenery. His gaze was once again fixed on his smartphone.
It was a ssage from Ha Si-heon.
Pierce furrowed his brows as he reread the ssage he had already checked multiple tis.
‘What could this possibly be about…?'
Since it was Ha Si-heon, of all people, it was unlikely to be an ordinary matter.
But he had no clue what it was regarding.
"It doesn’t necessarily have to be bad news. It could even be an opportunity…"
Pierce muttered to himself.
As if reaffirming his original objective regarding Ha Si-heon.
The reason he had taken an interest in him in the first place was the peculiar sense of déjà vu Si-heon gave him.
It was oddly similar to the aura exuded by the big shots he had encountered on Wall Street.
These financial titans shared sothing beyond knowledge, experience, or even strategy.
It was an unparalleled boldness that set them apart from ordinary people.
And in Ha Si-heon, Pierce saw the sa spark. He instinctively knew that one day, Si-heon would grow into one of Wall Street’s giants.
So he had decided to forge a connection in advance.
Like establishing a relationship with a future Soros.
Investnt banking is a business built on connections.
The more key figures one knows, the higher their value rises.
So, just in case, Pierce had marked Ha Si-heon as a person of interest.
‘But I never expected it to be to this extent.'
Back when they were betting on salaries, he had simply been pleased, thinking, ‘Yes, he's got talent.'
Even when Si-heon absorbed Pierce's betting circle and cleverly navigated office politics, he let it slide with a chuckle.
But when Si-heon went all-in with his investnts, an unsettling feeling began creeping in. And now…
"Crazy bastard."
The words slipped out unconsciously.
There was no other way to describe it.
The Epicura-BLM movent that Ha Si-heon had sparked was being compared to the ‘Yes We Can’ campaign from Obama’s era and the Occupy Wall Street protests.
The dia was portraying it as "the manifestation of an era’s spirit, seeking to change the world through solidarity."
They had no idea.
That this entire storm had been orchestrated by a single rookie.
That man… had set the entire country ablaze, solely to ensure the success of this project.
And yet, he wore an utterly calm expression.
As if he wasn’t the one who had lit the fire in the first place.
‘That’s not human.'
Pierce wasn’t one to be easily shaken, but even he had felt a twinge of fear when Epicura beca the target of public outrage.
When an entire nation’s fury and condemnation co crashing down, anyone would feel psychological pressure.
But Ha Si-heon was different.
When the entire team had been trembling in fear, that bastard had casually chewed on a sandwich and asked, "Aren't you going to eat?"
As if this level of risk was nothing.
‘But…'
That very trait could make him incredibly useful.
Si-heon had already announced his plan to establish a hedge fund.
If he was capable of causing this much upheaval in just one year at the company, how much more chaos would he bring once he went independent?
Pierce saw an opportunity.
As long as Si-heon remained within Goldman, he was a liability.
But once he left and started wreaking havoc with his own fund, the dynamics would change.
People would be eager to understand his motives.
But they would find it burdenso to engage with him directly.
That’s where Pierce could step in as the diator.
If he positioned himself as the bridge between Si-heon and his stakeholders…
‘The demand would be overwhelming.'
Because Si-heon would never simply settle down.
So this wasn’t necessarily a bad situation.
Since he was already entangled with Ha Si-heon, it was wiser to make the most of it.
Just as he reached that conclusion, the sound of knocking was followed by the door opening, revealing Ha Si-heon.
“It’s been a while.”
“It hasn’t been that long.”
Pierce gestured for him to take a seat.
Then, he spoke first.
"Before we get to business, I have good news. A special bonus is being issued for the Epicura case."
This was an unusual move.
Investnt bank bonuses were typically distributed at the beginning of the year.
As expected, a flicker of surprise crossed Si-heon’s face.
"$150,000. But on one condition—you must stay for six more months."
"A retention bonus, then ."
"Exactly."
A retention bonus is an incentive granted on the condition that the employee remains with the company for a specified period.
It is primarily used to prevent the departure of valuable talent.
"What do you think?"
Pierce observed Si-heon’s reaction as he spoke.
For a mont, satisfaction flashed across his face at the amount.
But when he heard the condition, his gaze darkened.
Retention bonuses must be repaid in full if the employee fails to complete the agreed-upon term.
So, Ha Si-heon had no intention of staying for another six months.
"I heard you were planning to go independent… Seems like the tiline doesn’t match."
Pierce spoke with a benevolent smile.
"In that case, tell the duration you need. If an adjustnt is possible, I’ll see what I can do."
Ha Si-heon hesitated briefly before answering.
"Three months."
"You’re in quite a hurry."
Si-heon simply offered a faint smile.
Pierce nodded before speaking again.
"Alright. I’ll check if it can be adjusted to three months and let you know."
Of course, the adjustnt was entirely possible.
After all, this bonus was sothing Pierce had arranged himself.
It was bait—ant to gauge exactly how much longer Ha Si-heon intended to stay.
He could have just asked outright, but…
‘I can’t trust his words.'
There was no guarantee he would get an honest answer.
That’s why he used financial incentives to confirm it.
Three months, then.
Pierce could only hope that during that ti, Si-heon wouldn’t stir up trouble.
But was that even possible?
"So, what did you want to talk about?"
Now it was ti to hear Ha Si-heon’s business.
Pierce leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk, adopting a serious posture.
Si-heon’s deanor shifted slightly.
His voice carried a level of caution that hadn’t been there before.
"I ca to seek your advice on sothing."
"Advice?"
That was entirely unexpected.
Ha Si-heon—of all people—seeking advice from Pierce?
"Yes, I have a dilemma. May I speak freely?"
Si-heon asked for his permission.
‘What is he up to?'
If it was Ha Si-heon’s problem, it was bound to be sothing major.
"Why ask , of all people? Isn’t your direct superior Jeff?"
"It’s unrelated to M&A. It’s tied to a different matter, and I’m not certain whether I should act on it myself."
Pierce narrowed his eyes at that answer.
There was no way Si-heon genuinely trusted him enough to confide in him.
Clearly, there was an issue he wanted to resolve using Pierce’s authority.
"I can’t promise to intervene personally."
"Oh, I wasn’t implying that. I simply want your opinion."
Pierce hesitated montarily but soon made his decision.
‘It’s better to listen first.'
As the head of the investnt banking division, any trouble Ha Si-heon caused would ultimately be Pierce’s responsibility.
It was smarter to be aware and prepared rather than blindsided.
"Go on."
"Actually… I’m overseeing a project in the asset managent team. It involves a company called Theranos…"
Pierce nodded.
Of course, he was already aware.
Since Ha Si-heon had gone out of his way to get approval for a business trip regarding it, Pierce had looked into it just in case.
Theranos was a promising biotech startup.
Given Si-heon’s expertise in the field, it wasn’t surprising that he took an interest.
But the fact that he had visited the site personally gave Pierce a vague sense of unease.
And now—
"I think it’s a fraudulent company."
That was unexpected.
"Their technical docuntation is alarmingly weak, so I dug deeper…"
Si-heon then laid out his findings without hesitation.
Signs that Theranos had misused Johns Hopkins University docunts to fake credentials, the lack of clinical trial data—one by one, the threads of suspicion unraveled.
"Even their FDA approval was only recently submitted. And that was for just one of over 200 test categories… This is bound to be a major issue."
Si-heon concluded with a grim expression.
Then, he looked at Pierce with concern-filled eyes.
"In a case like this, what should I do?"
Pierce was puzzled.
There was no way Ha Si-heon was sincerely seeking his advice.
"If I investigate further, I think I can uncover decisive proof… But that would an I can’t juggle it alongside M&A duties. I’d have to go on-site again as well."
There it was—what Ha Si-heon really wanted.
He wanted to dig deeper.
To expose the fraud.
In other words, he wanted to take on responsibilities outside the M&A division.
But…
Sothing about it didn’t sit right.
Why go through such an elaborate explanation for a simple request?
"If there’s this much suspicion, shouldn’t we continue investigating? Ignorance is one thing, but with this much evidence…"
And just as Ha Si-heon, with his feigned concern, uttered those words—
Pierce finally saw through his true intentions.
But by the ti he realized it, it was already too late.
The bastard continued speaking with a sickeningly composed tone.
"I was just wondering… what would happen if this fraud scandal were to break out later?"
If everything Ha Si-heon had said was true, then it was only a matter of ti before the fraud was exposed.
The company’s core technology was flimsy at best, and its product had yet to receive FDA approval.
But here lay the real problem.
Pierce now knew about it.
He had recently been promoted to an executive position.
In other words, the situation would now be frad as "A Goldman executive was aware of Theranos's fraudulent activities beforehand."
With this knowledge in hand, Pierce had only two choices:
Either conduct a proper investigation or pretend he knew nothing.
Theranos was a company that Goldman’s clients had invested in.
For Goldman to uphold its fiduciary duty, a thorough investigation was necessary.
Otherwise, it would appear as though they had knowingly overlooked the risk of fraud.
Goldman had already been accused of negligence during the financial crisis—failing to act despite recognizing the dangers of the subpri mortgage collapse.
Worse yet, they had been criticized for pushing risky products onto their clients to secure their own profits.
The SEC lawsuit that followed had resulted in a massive fine.
Years had passed, but the stain on their reputation remained.
And now, if another scandal erged, suggesting that a Goldman executive had turned a blind eye to fraud?
‘Just listening to this was a trap.'
Pierce clicked his tongue.
He should have never let the conversation get this far.
From the mont he started listening, he had already stepped into Ha Si-heon’s snare.
But…
‘I’m not going down that easily.'
He had already taken the first misstep into the trap—there was no undoing that.
So he had no choice but to turn the situation to his advantage.
"I can put together a team. But on one condition."
Pierce finally spoke.
"From now on, if you ever have concerns like this, I want you to co to first."
No—this wasn’t sothing to sugarcoat. He needed to be explicit.
"If there’s ever a matter where investnt banking is involved, you co to before anyone else."
In short, he was demanding priority access.
A direct channel to be the first to receive information linked to Ha Si-heon.
Ha Si-heon was a walking disaster, a human hurricane.
But if Pierce could be the first to pick up on his movents?
He could serve as an early warning system.
"And," Pierce added, "Consider this another debt you owe ."
That made two debts now.
And those debts would prove useful in the future.
There would inevitably co a day when Ha Si-heon caused another nationwide scandal.
By then, desperate people would flock to Pierce, begging him to rein Ha Si-heon in.
That was when Pierce planned to collect on these debts.
Of course, he wouldn’t be able to control everything Si-heon did.
But just the fact that Si-heon owed him would buy him ti.
And when that ti ca, even a brief delay would be worth a fortune.
Naturally, that would also elevate Pierce’s own standing.
"What do you say?"
"…"
Ha Si-heon remained silent.
So Pierce pressed on.
"If you’re not interested, forget it. I’ll handle this matter on my own."
This was his counterattack.
He would form an investigation team but exclude Ha Si-heon.
That way, he could absolve himself of any accusations of negligence.
If Ha Si-heon wanted to be part of the investigation, he would need Pierce’s approval.
And to get that approval, he would have no choice but to accept the debt.
After a brief mont of contemplation, Si-heon finally answered.
"Alright."
But the mont Pierce heard that response, sothing felt off.
The corners of Si-heon’s mouth had curled up too high.
A bad feeling crept in.
Had he overlooked another trap?
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