“So, it’s confirmed that Korea is going to the IMF?”

I asked naturally, as if it were no big deal, but the lawmaker’s face stiffened.

“That’s... classified.”

Mm. Thanks for confirming it.

“Haha, I won’t go blabbing to the world about it. If I did, it would just cut into what I can take for myself, wouldn’t it?”

His expression twisted slightly at my follow-up.

“W-Well, we can offer certain conveniences in other areas, so... perhaps you could hold back a bit?”

Since I was being a little blunt, it seemed the lawmaker had decided to drop the formalities as well and started revealing more of his real thoughts.

—Tilt.

“IMF’s going to offer the same terms no matter what I do. You don’t think I have the power to move the IMF, do you, Congressman? I think I’m being pretty reasonable here. After all, I am Korean.”

If you go to the IMF, liberalization is a must. They treat the free-market economy like religious doctrine.

“...Yes. You’re right. That was rude of me.”

The lawmaker let out a deep sigh and sat down in the chair next to me.

***

This meeting wasn’t about lending money.

Alpha Fund didn’t have that kind of cash lying around anyway. That’s why I asked if they were going to the IMF.

If the government had actually believed they could fix the situation by borrowing from an 18-year-old girl, I would’ve walked away. No point dealing with people that out of touch with reality.

Though to be fair, I probably could fix it...

But they didn’t know that.

The real reason the government was meeting with me wasn’t to prevent the IMF bailout. It was to prepare for what was coming afterward.

“Still, isn’t it better if we repay the IMF as soon as possible? Korea’s economic fundamentals aren’t that weak. With just a bit—really, just a bit—of help, we could hold out much longer.”

“I get that. But I’ve got my position too. I want to extract the maximum profit. I’m Alpha Fund’s youngest director, you know. If I’m seen prioritizing one country’s interest, it’ll ruin the firm’s image.”

He’d probably already heard that before, but the way his expression stiffened suggested he still wasn’t convinced.

“So, you’re the one running Alpha Fund’s Korea branch...? I heard a guy named Ha Yeong-il was handling things.”

Ah, so he knows that much.

I responded smoothly.

“Yeah, that’s right. He’s handling the dot-com bubble in the U.S., so he didn’t want to stretch himself too thin. That’s why I took over here.”

“I see...”

—Click.

I tucked my long hair behind one ear and picked up a pen to sign the front of the documents.

There weren’t many pages, so I finished quickly. It was a bit unexpected—I’d been anticipating a much bigger mountain of paperwork.

“Huh. This contract’s shorter than I expected.”

I was pretty sure there were supposed to be more agreements to finalize here.

Like a contract granting special privileges in exchange for supplying liquidity, or one involving mediation from IMF Managing Director Camdessus...

Or something about smoothing over the frozen Korea-U.S. relations—like pacifying the former Goldman Sachs chairman (now U.S. Treasury Secretary) who wanted to force Korea into default—using the connection over repealing the Glass-Steagall Act.

That kind of agreement would’ve let Alpha Fund snatch up monopoly rights all over the place. So... where the hell did all that go?

Hmm.

Weird.

“People here seem to be expecting a lot from me. Especially the press. They’ve even been coming to my house, so I had to move.”

Now that I thought about it, it was kind of annoying. I don’t mind, but my nanny’s been suffering for it. It’s only decent to give a heads-up about stuff like that.

As my expression began to tighten, the lawmaker let out an awkward laugh and carefully broached the topic.

“There’s a bit of a problem. See, under current law, you’re, uh... technically a minor. Even though you’re an adult by American standards, well, you know how it is.”

Ah, right. That stupid timing again.

“So you’re saying I need a legal proxy? That’s why the paperwork’s so light?”

I blinked my dark eyes and asked. He nodded. His gaze flicked briefly to my Russian bodyguard.

“Exactly. It wouldn’t be proper to do it right now. Your bodyguard doesn’t seem suited for that kind of role. Wouldn’t it be better to pick someone more appropriate? You’ve got plenty of people in Daehwa Group, don’t you?”

Sure.

It wasn’t an unreasonable suggestion. Totally understandable.

But...

“Aha~ What a funny thing to say. So I can’t bring in money... just because of the law?”

“No, that’s not what I meant. Just, if you appoint a proxy—”

That damn proxy nonsense.

I’m sick of playing shadow games.

—Thud.

I uncrossed my legs and stared him straight in the eyes.

“Then change the law. While you’re at it, why not change the legal definition of adulthood too? I really wanted to pop champagne today. Too bad, huh?”

“...That’s absurd—”

“Why? I’m trying to invest in this country. And what, you’re going to stop me? With just 200 lawmakers, you can even amend the Constitution. I doubt there are that many congressmen willing to oppose saving the nation.”

“....”

“And, Congressman... you’re being a little informal, aren’t you?”

—Rustle.

My hair fell forward. The girl sitting there wasn’t some innocent 18-year-old. She was someone who could move billions of dollars in assets.

The Witch of Wall Street, Yoo Ha-yeon, smiled.

***

—Scratch.

After signing a few more documents, I glanced at the aides standing nearby.

“....”

Their expressions didn’t look too pleasant. I must’ve rubbed them the wrong way.

Ugh, this vibe is so cold. It makes me feel kind of hurt.

“Hmm, Congressman. Do you have a relative named Choi Cheon-seong?”

“...Choi Cheon-seong? My cousin. Why?”

Trying to lighten the mood, I brought it up—but his answer was stiff. Guess I really did shake him up earlier.

“Ahaha, his kid goes to Daehwa High. Choi Do-ha—you might know him? I’d heard someone in his family was a lawmaker, so it’s nice to finally meet you.”

I beamed and nodded. I already knew everything about the students at Daehwa High, of course—including this man.

Honestly, I expected him to mention it first. I was a bit disappointed.

“Ah, that kid. Hmph. Smart one. I always thought he’d grow into someone impressive.”

“Ahaha, please speak casually, Congressman. It feels kind of burdensome when someone old enough to be my father acts so formal.”

“....”

What?

Leaving Congressman Choi Ji-seong, who looked like he had a lot to say, I finished signing the last page.

“Hmm, but isn’t this illegal until the law changes?”

I tilted my head, and the sweat-drenched man quickly swept the papers away.

“...I-I’ll handle that. Given the emergency, the government will be flexible with enforcement.”

Mm. Now we’re talking.

“Hehe~ Thanks for making things easier.”

When I winked, he let out a cough.

“Ahem. But... about the drinking age, that might be harder to adjust. That’s a potential social issue. You’re still in high school—you know how important studying is, especially for exam students.”

“Hm, yeah, that’s true.”

“I mean, now that I think about it, isn’t it strange? I am a lawmaker, but how many people in this country actually follow the drinking laws properly? It’s not like using alcohol is the problem—just buying it.”

Snort.

I chuckled and shook my head.

“My nanny is very protective. Always scolding me to wait until I’m an adult before drinking.”

“...So, you’re saying you want to change the definition of adulthood just for that?”

“Can’t I?”

“Not like I care. I’m retiring from politics anyway. I figured something like this would happen. And now that I’ve handled this deal—my job here’s done.”

Oh my.

“Well, when you retire, come join Daehwa Securities. Your family has pedigree, doesn’t it? If you just lend your name as an outside director, we could probably pay you about a hundred million won a month.”

He didn’t flinch in his seat—just closed his eyes briefly, then opened them.

“Can I leave now?”

“Haha, if you leave this early, it’ll make the headlines. Do-ha’s good with money, so I think he’ll end up at Daehwa Securities too. You should come together.”

“Mm. I wasn’t sure at first, but it seems I was right.”

Congressman Choi Ji-seong crossed his arms and nodded. His expression had eased considerably, as if something good had just happened.

“What were you right about?”

“That when a tiger barges into your house with a pack, it’s best to side with the friendlier one.”

I playfully tapped the table with my fingers.

“Tigers are solitary animals. They don’t form packs. You’re thinking of lions.”

“Tch. Just a figure of speech. Still... Chairman Yoo Seong-pil really did raise a tiger. They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree...”

“I’m a girl, you «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» know.”

And not even his child—his granddaughter.

“...Would it hurt to just take a compliment at face value?”

Hmph.

Maybe I’ll consider it next month.