Originally, the semifinals were supposed to end with the Korean national team’s defeat — 1:0, Germany’s victory.
But that changed. Michael Ballack still scored the first goal midway through the second half, just as in the original tiline.
Then, with about ten minutes left on the clock, substitute Ahn Jung-hoon was sent in — and three minutes after entering, he scored the equalizer. Near the end of regulation ti, he struck again — the winning goal.
“...President Kim. Did you see this coming?”
Chairman Kim Byungwoo asked in disbelief, staring blankly at the screen.
I, too, could only watch, stunned. This was sothing I had not foreseen.
“No. I thought the semifinals were the end.”
It was hard to believe, but the tears of the devastated German players and the Korean team embracing one another across the field made the result undeniable.
[Dream ★ Co True.]
The words ford in the stands by the Red Devils’ card section glead — the dream had truly beco reality.
‘What changed?’
Could this, too, be because of ?
The only difference this ti was Ahn Jung-hoon’s condition.
Because I had personally intervened to resolve his club contract issue early, he had been able to refocus — and now, he’d scored two goals.
All of this had begun with Coach Hiddink’s request.
The man truly cared for his players; he had approached directly. I stepped in, used my connections to untangle the situation quickly.
Lastly, the leech of an agent who had been bleeding Ahn dry — Lee Sang-geun had handled him neatly.
Who would’ve thought such a small matter could lead to this kind of outco?
A minor change had triggered a massive ripple. I found myself muttering under my breath.
“Interesting.”
At my murmur, Chairman Kim turned his head, his gaze still half-fixed on the TV.
“Pardon?”
“Nothing. I just ant — it’s amazing and admirable that our boys made it to the finals. We’ll need to give the team a much bigger reward than we planned.”
“Of course.”
“Double the bonus. Don’t go through the Football Association — pay the players directly. Otherwise, the Association might skim so off the top.”
“They wouldn’t do that, surely?”
He looked skeptical, but I was certain.
It wouldn’t be the first ti. Corporate rewards and public donations ant for the players had mysteriously shrunk by more than half after passing through the Association.
“Just do as I say.”
“They might protest.”
“Ignore them.”
“That could have repercussions for Joongwoo Construction’s football club. The K-League Federation is still under the Association’s thumb.”
Kim spoke worriedly.
“To run a pro club, you can’t completely ignore the Association. Going against their will could...”
“I’ll speak to Chairman Song Chanhyuk myself.”
“Understood. But even for soone like Song, it won’t be easy to rein in everyone below him.”
When I said I’d deal with Song directly, Kim finally nodded. Yet sothing about his lingering unease struck as odd.
“Is that so? I’ve heard Song Chanhyuk’s influence in Korean football is considerable.”
Even an outsider like knew Song’s position was solid.
“That’s true. He’s also a FIFA vice president and has even spent his own money to develop Korean football. His words carry weight. But you know how it is — get three Koreans together and you have a faction war. The KFA is riddled with infighting, and the pro federation may be a subsidiary body, but they hate being treated like inferiors.”
That Korean sports circles were infested with corruption and factionalism was an open secret — especially in money-making sports like football and baseball.
And apparently, it was even worse than I’d thought.
“Still, do as I said. And keep an eye on who looks displeased. If Joongwoo Royals suffers any backlash, I’ll tell you how to handle it. Worst case, we just sell the team.”
“Understood.”
I gave a few more instructions, then wrapped up the eting. My gaze returned to the television — to our players bowing to the roaring crowd at Seoul World Cup Stadium.
* * *
The Brazil–Turkey match went as expected — Brazil won.
I prepared to head to Japan to watch the final.
On June 29th, I boarded my private jet bound for Tokyo.
Now, even I couldn’t predict the outco. A small, ridiculous part of wondered — could Korea actually win the World Cup?
At the airport, Han Kyungyeong was waiting.
Seeing his exhausted face, I couldn’t resist teasing him.
“You look great, hyung.”
“Don’t mock . You’ve no idea how many tis I’ve t with the Japanese governnt. Damn, those bastards can nitpick. You don’t know how many tis I wanted to flip the damn table.”
I laughed. “You’ve worked hard. Let’s go.”
We got into the car prepared for us and headed to the hotel.
The final would be held in Yokohama — tomorrow.
Tonight’s schedule was to et Pri Minister Koizumi in secret.
That was why I’d chosen a hotel in Tokyo instead of Yokohama.
On the way, Kyungyeong couldn’t stop talking about the Korean national team.
“I never thought I’d live to see Korea in a World Cup final. I keep pinching myself — this isn’t a dream, right?”
He kept tugging at his own cheek like an overexcited kid. For soone so worn out, he still had plenty of energy to act dramatic.
Still, I could tell how genuinely happy he was, and I chuckled quietly.
“It’s not a dream. It’s real.”
“Honestly, when you said they’d make the semifinals, I thought, ‘No way.’ I an, even you can’t control football players, right?”
I nodded.
“But when they made the semis, I was shocked. And when they beat Germany and reached the final? I felt like I owned the world! I don’t know why, but it feels better than when I made my first billion!”
“It’s a miracle, really. But this World Cup’s been full of surprises.”
“Surprises? This isn’t just that — it’s madness!”
I let him ramble all the way to the hotel. My ears were practically burning by the ti we arrived.
Once inside the suite, I sat down.
“Hyung, let’s talk business.”
Kyungyeong’s grin disappeared instantly. His expression hardened as he began.
“First, the sale of Ilseong Electronics’ semiconductor division — it’s off. Toshiba’s taking over, with financial backing from the Japanese governnt.”
So, as I’d expected, the Japanese governnt decided to step in.
“Toshiba didn’t want to yield, huh?”
“Of course not. With governnt support, they’re going all in. No one knows how far this chicken ga will go.”
Kyungyeong frowned with disgust.
“Damn greedy bastards. They’re already bleeding from their own semiconductor unit and still eyeing Ilseong?”
“As long as it’s blocked, that’s fine. Anyway, have you t Koizumi yet?”
“No, just Finance Ministry officials. The mont we so much as hinted at buying yen, they called imdiately. Guess they’re nervous.”
Naturally. DreamHigh hadn’t even joined the currency war yet — that alone was enough to scare them.
“Everyone’s watching what position DreamHigh takes. Once we move, others follow. That’s what worries them.”
“You still think Japan can win? If we helped just a bit, the hedge funds could crush them.”
“Yeah, but the Japanese governnt’s already decided not to back down.”
“No wonder the Finance Ministry people didn’t look too panicked. Even with the Pri Minister’s orders, they couldn’t hide their irritation.”
“Japanese bureaucrats are famous for that. Compared to them, our civil servants are saints. There’s a reason they call Japan a bureaucrats’ kingdom.”
Kyungyeong nodded, then asked again.
“So, no position this ti? Just mirror Japan’s stance?”
“Even that wouldn’t profit us much. And there’s no need to pick a fight with the old n of Wall Street. Let them tear each other apart.”
He liked the sound of that — didn’t argue further.
“I only told you to make a show of movent so Koizumi would have a reason to cancel Toshiba’s bailout officially.”
“Got it.”
He made an “OK” sign with his fingers.
“What about Daedonghoe?”
“Our contact just arrived in Japan. Probably landed at the airport by now.”
“Jessica, right? The one from Holand Security. Still willing to share intel?”
“To be precise, we made a deal.” I corrected him.
“I traded her information for sothing bigger — sothing even more important than Daedonghoe. She had no choice but to agree. Besides, she owes .”
“She owes you? And she’s still in that seat? If you’d really wanted her gone, she wouldn’t have lasted a week.”
“What do you take for?” I shot him a look, and he quickly looked away.
“Well, at least she’s cooperative. You give her sothing, she gives sothing back — a fair exchange. More reliable than fake friendship, right?”
“Oh? Since when do you complint people?”
“The fact that she holds a key position at Holand Security at that age says it all. She’s capable. Soone like that is worth keeping around.”
I took a sip of coffee, then sighed unconsciously.
“Why the sigh? Things are going according to plan, aren’t they?”
“I thought we were finally on track, but new variables keep popping up. Haven’t slept properly in days.”
“Co on, variables happen all the ti. You’re just too much of a perfectionist.”
“Maybe.”
Simple words, but sohow comforting.
We finished our coffee, and I drumd my fingers lightly on the armrest as I organized my thoughts.
“How about the U.S. semiconductor companies?”
“They’ve started lobbying Washington. Guess they’re reaching their limit.”
“I see. A little later than expected. The end of the year should be their limit.”
“Probably. If the U.S. governnt files anti-dumping suits, things will get ssy.”
The U.S. wouldn’t just sit and watch its own semiconductor firms collapse.
Once the pressure from those companies mounted, the governnt would have to act.
And when that happened, the chicken ga would inevitably end.
“Before that, I need to get Ilseong Electronics into my hands.”
“So it begins.”
“After the final, you’ll head to the States. Buy up every Ilseong Group affiliate share held by Wall Street firms. Price doesn’t matter — pay double if you must. Once acquisition’s complete, we’ll move to a public tender.”
Quick as ever, Kyungyeong nodded.
“So you’re planning a hostile M&A? You think you can take the whole Ilseong Group?”
“There’s no need to take everything. The company’s already on the decline. Ilseong Electronics is non-negotiable, but the rest? I’ll let them crumble slowly. Joongwoo Group’s already entering every industry Ilseong touched anyway.”
“Chairman Kim Byungwoo really is capable, huh?”
“He’s exceptional. You picked the right man.”
“That’s why I recomnded him.”
We spent the next hour fine-tuning our strategy.
Then — a knock on the door. Manager Ma opened it.
Standing there was Jessica.
“Charlie. Long ti no see.”
She stepped in with a bright smile.
I took her offered hand and smiled back.
“Good to see you. Must’ve been a long trip.”
Jessica extended her hand to Kyungyeong ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) as well.
“You must be Jas Han? Nice to et you. I’m Jessica.”
“Pleasure’s mine, Jessica. You’re even prettier in person.”
“Oh, stop.”
She laughed politely as they shook hands.
Once the greetings were done, we sat down.
“God, you have no idea... I went through hell to get this out.”
The mont she sat, Jessica snapped open her briefcase with an exasperated groan.
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