“Yes, sothing big might go down soon.”
It happened in the sumr in my past life…
But I couldn’t afford to wait that long this ti.
So I was planning to move the schedule forward a bit.
“I’ll explain the details on Monday.”
After finishing my conversation with Patricia.
I returned indoors and quietly pulled out my phone to send a short ssage.
The recipient: Pierce.
It was ti to start repaying the debt I owed him.
‘Should I not have contacted him in advance?’
I had only planned to send a simple ssage asking him to keep his schedule open… but Pierce responded almost as if he had been waiting for it.
He even requested a call.
Even though I clearly drew the line, the smartphone kept buzzing.
‘Well, he seems to have acknowledged the appointnt, so it’s fine.’
I switched my phone to airplane mode and stopped thinking about it.
What mattered now wasn’t Pierce, but the next step.
‘I’ve resolved the issue with the collateral relatives. But their voting rights amount to only 20%. My goal is to secure a majority, so I still needed to persuade more people.’
And the next target was the trustee of the Marquis estate.
Fortunately, speaking with him wasn’t difficult.
He had approached first, after all.
“I’d like to hear more about the possibility of a crash in the Chinese stock market you ntioned.”
He made a light opening remark, but his eyes were serious.
‘Well, of course.’
At the ti of my death, the Marquis family trust had exceeded ten billion dollars.
Managing such an enormous asset ant spreading investnts across the globe.
But what if the Chinese stock market collapsed as I had predicted?
And what if that caused the trust to suffer massive losses?
As the person responsible, of course he would be on edge.
He started firing off questions, clearly flustered.
“If a crash is coming, do you expect it to be gradual? Or a sudden collapse?”
“What’s your outlook on the bond market?”
“What about the risk of contagion spreading to Western credit markets...?”
After sincerely answering all of his questions,
I took the opportunity to ask one of my own.
“How much exposure do you have to China?”
“That’s…”
As expected, he hesitated to answer.
It was likely classified information he couldn’t disclose to an outsider like .
“If you can’t be honest with , it’ll be difficult for to help... but I understand your situation.”
“......”
“But if you do have exposure in China, I strongly suggest you consider pulling out your investnts.”
With that, I discreetly handed him my business card.
“If you change your mind, feel free to reach out.”
He didn’t say anything.
But I had planted the seed, so now all I could do was wait.
Anyway.
Now only one last task remained before eting with Pierce.
‘Ti to test Rupert too.’
Rupert was also soone I’d eventually need to negotiate with.
I needed to lay the groundwork in advance.
But.
Coincidentally, he called out before I could make a move.
“Do you smoke cigars?”
Rupert was with Harold.
He gestured toward the nearby terrace with his chin.
“I have so decent Cubans. Interested?”
The cigars were just an excuse.
What he really wanted was so one-on-one ti with .
As I followed Rupert out to the terrace, Harold closed the door behind us.
He stayed inside, guarding the door like a loyal knight.
The terrace was decorated with vintage sofas and soft lighting. Once we sat down, Rupert personally lit a cigar and handed it to .
As expected, the cigar he provided wasn’t bad.
It had a unique aroma blending cedar, caral, and subtle nutty notes.
But just as I was savoring it—
“I heard you joined hands with Raymond.”
Rupert jumped straight to the point with no room for pleasantries.
He seed a bit impatient.
“But Raymond? Isn’t he a bit too unimpressive to be your ally? If you need help, wouldn’t it be wiser to find a better sponsor?”
He said “better sponsor,” but it was clearly a ssage for to join his side.
It seed like he was trying to win over...
But I didn’t like his choice of words.
“Help, you say.”
“You’d be better off with . Certainly better than with Raymond.”
I smiled slightly and took a long drag from the cigar.
The smooth smoke passed down my throat, leaving behind a rich flavor.
The faint sweetness and delicate spice on the tongue were unmistakably premium.
As I slowly savored the taste of the cigar, Rupert frowned slightly.
Well, he was probably used to talking down to subordinates within the family, so a conversation requiring patience like this must have been rare.
I deliberately made him wait, then looked him straight in the eyes and answered.
“I’m not looking for help or rewards. All I want is a deal.”
Rupert let out a scoffing laugh.
“Did you not understand my proposal?”
“What you just offered isn’t a deal. It’s ‘help’ and ‘rewards’ given at your discretion.”
Rupert’s face twisted again after chewing over my words for a mont.
“So you’re saying you want to negotiate with as an equal?”
“That’s exactly what I an.”
“You’re quite the arrogant one.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle.
Rupert was acting like he was so feudal lord from the Middle Ages.
As if he’d grant titles and rewards if I proved myself worthy.
But what I needed was a partner I could negotiate with on equal terms.
I wasn’t here to find a benefactor or a superior to offer aid.
At that, Rupert’s eyes narrowed.
“You really think you and I can negotiate as equals? Sounds to like you’re just fishing for favors.”
I shrugged and replied.
“I’ve never forced you. I simply laid out the terms, if you’re interested in a deal.”
I stubbed out the cigar the mont I finished speaking and rose from my seat.
“If you change your mind, feel free to call again.”
Rupert looked up at with cold eyes.
His expression clearly said, “There’s no way I’ll ever call back a cocky bastard like you.”
Still, I smiled calmly and added one more thing.
“Because I think we’ll be seeing each other again soon.”
He would have no choice but to summon again—and treat as an equal.
Because I would make it so.
Only then would persuasion and negotiation beco possible.
#
The next day, I t with Pierce.
It was a lunch appointnt.
Perhaps because of the greasy food consud throughout the fox hunt, my stomach felt unsettled.
So I had promised myself to stick with sothing light and vegetarian today...
But the place my secretary recomnded was none other than Blue Hill.
A famous farm-to-table restaurant located about 30 miles north of Manhattan.
Worried that the drive would take too long, I booked a helicopter and picked up Pierce.
However—
“What on earth is this about...?”
He seed quite anxious and kept trying to strike up a conversation with .
But the helicopter noise was too loud, making any conversation impossible in transit.
Anyway.
We arrived at Blue Hill in no ti.
Roughly 15 minutes, give or take?
The restaurant was situated in the middle of a vast, open farm.
Originally, we were supposed to land at the nearby heliport, but to save ti, I made a special request and arranged for a landing spot on one side of the farm.
For millionaires like who travel by helicopter, it was probably a common request.
The staff seed quite used to it and handled everything smoothly.
As we exited the helicopter, I noticed a guide waiting to greet us.
“I’m Jas. I’ll escort you to your table.”
This place was so popular that sa-day reservations were impossible, but money really did work wonders.
They quickly converted one of their old office spaces into a private room just for us.
The room, furnished with natural wood furniture and decorated with wildflowers, elegantly captured the farm’s rustic charm.
“We’ll begin preparing your al shortly.”
The food exceeded expectations.
The starter was kale chips sprinkled with lemon salt.
The crispy texture, savory flavor, and lemony tang blended to create a perfect balance.
But then—
“So, what is this about? Isn’t it ti to tell ?”
Pierce hadn’t touched his food and was staring nervously at .
Trying to jump straight to the point, huh?
Everyone I’d t recently seed to be in such a rush.
I lifted my wine glass, took a slow sip, and replied while looking him in the eyes.
“In Korea, there’s a saying: ‘Even a dog shouldn’t be disturbed while eating.’”
“......”
“Let’s talk after the al.”
Despite that, Pierce still didn’t touch his food.
The problem was that unless he started eating, the next course wouldn’t be served.
That’s the rule of fine dining.
I sighed softly and finally said:
“If you eat quickly, I’ll tell you.”
Only then did Pierce hurriedly stuff the food into his mouth.
With zero appreciation for the taste.
I made a silent vow to myself—
Never to dine with that man again.
“So, what’s this about?”
Pierce pressed again before even swallowing his food.
“I ca to repay a debt.”
“A debt?”
“I owe you two debts, don’t I?”
Pierce tilted his head, trying to rember.
Then slightly furrowed his brow.
“I don’t recall ever asking you to pay them back.”
“Still, I want to repay them.”
“Isn’t debt usually repaid when the creditor demands it?”
“Well.”
I took another slow sip of wine, then replied with a wise smile.
“Debt in the East and West have fundantally different anings. In the West, debts are claid. But in the East, they’re repaid as a form of gratitude. Have you ever heard the story of the ‘Swallow Who Repaid a Kindness’?”
Pierce continued to frown slightly as he looked at .
There was suspicion in his eyes, wondering what I was scheming.
But I calmly continued.
It was the story of Heungbu.
“There was a man nad Heungbu who nursed a swallow with a broken leg. The swallow returned to repay him and brought him a gourd seed. When that gourd grew and split open, gold and silver treasures ca pouring out, and Heungbu beca rich overnight.”
Pierce maintained a composed expression, but his eyes were clearly asking, “And what does that have to do with ?”
Still, I kept going without hesitation.
“The important detail here is that the swallow wasn’t summoned by Heungbu. It ca on its own to return the favor.”
“So... you're saying... you ca to repay a kindness?”
“That’s right.”
“And you’re the swallow...?”
Pierce stared at with half-belief, half-doubt.
Then slowly shook his head and said:
“Interesting story. I’ll take so ti to reflect on it. But unfortunately, I’m a Westerner, and I prefer to settle debts the traditional way. And in my judgnt, now is not the right ti.”
It was the response I expected.
From Pierce’s perspective, it made more sense to wait until I rose further in status.
“Well, if there’s sothing you want to discuss or need help with apart from the debt, I’ll listen...”
In other words, while he refused to settle the debt now, he still wanted to hear the information I had.
Most likely, he was hoping to draw out my words by offering a new deal.
‘Not going to happen.’
I needed to repay this debt, no matter what.
So I continued to persuade him.
“There’s a profound lesson embedded in this Eastern idea of repaying kindness. One of the most important is this—when human greed enters the equation, that kindness can turn into a curse.”
“A curse?”
Pierce froze.
I nodded calmly and continued.
“Yes. In the story I told you, there’s a character who tried to force a return for kindness. Heungbu’s older brother, Nolbu. Nolbu tried to imitate Heungbu, but in his own twisted way.”
“For example, he grabbed a swallow and broke its leg, trying to force a debt of gratitude. He too received a seed from the swallow, but when it grew, goblins burst out of it and destroyed his house.”
Pierce’s lips twitched ever so slightly.
I drove the lesson ho.
“This story teaches us that Eastern debts—gratitude—turn into disasters the mont human greed is involved.”
Well, it wasn’t a complete lie.
I didn’t rember all the details, but I was pretty sure the story had that kind of lesson.
Either way, the accuracy wasn’t what mattered now.
After sharing this ancient Eastern wisdom, I asked again:
“To repeat, a swallow bringing a seed on its own is a sign of good fortune. The reward can be beyond your wildest dreams. But if you force repaynt in your own way...”
“......”
“Even so—are you really going to reject this act of gratitude?”
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