“...What’s this?”

Charles Gray, the new quant at Alpha Fund, blinked in confusion.

He had been sorting through his usual inbox when he noticed dozens of unread emails had suddenly appeared.

“Oh, did you see it?”

A woman with a dazzling smile and a radiant expression rested her hand on his shoulder.

“Uh, uh... Ha-yeon, what’s going on? Do you know something?”

Flustered, Gray took a deep breath to steady himself. No matter how many times he saw her, she always made his heart race—and he didn’t want to appear unsettled in front of someone as alluring as her.

Yoo Ha-yeon, the youngest director in Alpha Fund’s history, looked at him with a soft and affectionate gaze before speaking.

“Our reporter friends took the bait. There’s a rumor going around that the Oxford-educated British nobleman might be one of the ‘predators’ in this round. Ha! Can you believe those prestigious newspapers are chasing after a rookie fund manager? Isn’t it funny?”

“...”

Only then did Gray understand what she meant.

Those strange, suggestive words she’d whispered that night—when her eyes sparkled mischievously—had become reality.

—‘I want to ask you a favor... Would that be okay?’

He couldn’t refuse.

Aside from the fact that it was a request from someone he liked, Yoo Ha-yeon was also his far superior...

—‘Twenty billion dollars. I’ll leave the options to you. I trust you.’

There had been an irresistible bait attached.

“...Did the story leak? How?”

Still staring blankly at the screen, Gray glanced at Ha-yeon, who was smiling at him as though trying to hold back a laugh, and realized—

“Yeah, well, it can’t be helped, right? Our fund made a looooot of money.”

Well, that... that was true.

All the fund managers at Alpha Fund had gathered to celebrate. Just following the decisions made in the mysterious meetings held by the fund’s unnamed “upper echelon” was enough to make money pour in like a waterfall.

At first, they were purely thrilled. But as time passed, the unease grew—was it really okay to be earning this much? That amount of money would make anyone nervous.

No one but the higher-ups knew the exact figures, but it was widely estimated that Alpha Fund had made well over $100 billion this time.

Some even whispered suspicions that maybe, just maybe... this was all illegal.

Of course! Of course, Gray himself trusted Alpha Fund implicitly, which is why he had loyally followed the orders handed down to him.

And really—could someone as beautiful and captivating as her be involved in some shady scheme? Thanks to her, they’d made a jaw-dropping $20 billion in the options market.

“...Wait a second, but wasn’t this supposed to be a secret? I thought all the internal memos and NDAs we signed were because of that.”

Grin.

With a twinkle in her eye, Yoo Ha-yeon poked him lightly in the chest with her index finger.

“Heh, so innocent. You didn’t really think we’d make this kind of money and not leave a trace, did you? That’s impossible. The real secret is about who made the money and how.”

“W-Wait. Then the fact that reporters came to me means...”

“Mhm, Charles. You worked the options, right? Options have clearly defined buyers and sellers, so you’re easy to trace. And we didn’t stick to in-market trades—we did a ton over-the-counter.”

They’d pulled in every possible contract—real or otherwise—to make a profit, so of course it was going to catch attention.

“...”

“A bit of media exposure’s not a big deal, right? It’ll die down quickly. Just hold out a little longer.”

Yoo Ha-yeon smiled so brightly, it was as if “refusal” had never once crossed her mind. And Gray realized... she was right—he wouldn’t be able to refuse.

It was his own fault for signing on without asking enough questions, and it wasn’t like this was hurting him—in fact, it was practically guaranteed to be a massive gain.

There was just one thing that worried him...

“U-Um... Does this mean... my father will find out?”

“Oh, your dad? Well... of course he will, right? He’ll be thrilled that his son made a fortune. I’ll be stepping out for a bit, so get ready for the interviews. If it’s too much, I’ll kindly help out—so don’t worry too much.”

Cold sweat dripped down his neck.

‘I didn’t even tell my dad I joined...! More importantly, how do I even do an interview...?’

The young earl was struggling with adult life.

***

Click.

I set down my teacup and stared straight at the woman before me. Apparently, she had rushed over from Russia the moment she saw the news article—Lee Si-hyun.

“Nice tea.”

Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, her face looked slightly tired, but her warrior-like body was still firm and graceful... She had clearly built her own domain while I was away. A bonafide heroine, now radiating that peculiar pressure of someone who stands above others.

“Right?”

I smiled with my eyes and savored the scent of the tea. Earl Grey—it tasted better than expected. Fragrant... and just a bit bitter.

With my chin resting on my crossed arms, I observed Si-hyun. She hadn’t seemed too surprised earlier, but she also didn’t look like she’d come without a reason.

“To be honest, I was a little surprised earlier. You don’t usually drop everything and come straight over, do you?”

Looking a bit sheepish, she scratched her cheek.

“Ah, right. It’s just... I think something important might be going on...”

“Might be?”

Not even is important, but might be. She didn’t use vague phrases like that anymore—not since she’d gone to Russia.

When I looked at her kindly and full of interest, Si-hyun hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“It’s just... the Russian economy isn’t doing so well. It got worse because of the chaos you caused. If East Asia’s in trouble, then oil demand’s going to drop, right?”

Ah.

A warm feeling rose in my chest. She’d grown up so much already. I was proud.

‘Well, she is in her mid-thirties, so I guess that’s expected...’

Then again, to me, she hadn’t changed much at all—aside from getting a little older. Not that she’d ever admit that.

“That side’s fine.”

Still looking uneasy, Si-hyun furrowed her brows.

“...Right. It’s fine.”

“Yup. It’s fine.”

“If I may ask... when you say it’s fine...”

“Well, obviously I mean I have nothing to lose. It’s good news, really—looks like LTCM is investing in Russian government bonds.”

“...”

“Why are you looking at me like that? While you’re here, do you want to pick up your earnings? I multiplied your money tenfold in the fund—about $1 billion. Just take it.”

“...Phew. I’d rather get assets than cash. Real estate, maybe.”

Head tilt.

“Gold? That’ll be heavy to carry. I’ll wire it to you through BBB, so just pick it up in a Swiss bank.”

“Ah, not gold. For laundering, gemstones are better. Diamonds are easiest to transport, but other precious metals are fine too if you want to avoid tracing. Artworks are also good—Picassos are numerous and have name value, so they’re safest...”

“...You know more than I expected.”

That was honestly a little scary.

“Well, it’s basic knowledge. Still, don’t worry—I don’t touch anything like drug trafficking. Anyway, how’s Korea doing? I’m a bit worried about my siblings.”

“They’re doing fine. I have other companies besides Daehwa Securities, remember? I had one of them hire your siblings, so you don’t need to worry.”

Si-hyun still didn’t look convinced, her brow slightly wrinkled.

“Um... you didn’t tell them, did you?”

“Tell what? Of course not. I said it was a job that required lots of overseas travel. All I did was buy out the companies they were applying to and sit in on their interviews.”

“...Ah. I see.”

Having the government openly backing you makes things much easier. Speaking of which... I’d even prepared a special gift for my first subordinate.

Tap.

I stood up and smiled brightly as I placed a hand on Si-hyun’s shoulder.

“Did you know? You might not be free to go to the U.S. yet, but you can come to Korea whenever you want now.”

I whispered in her ear, and her eyes widened slightly.

“Huh? W-What do you mean...”

It must’ve been so hard for her. If not for Chief Secretary Lee Hak-cheol being in her extended family, and if she hadn’t helped with ANSP’s intelligence ops, it would’ve been impossible.

“I’ve already settled things behind the scenes. As long as you deceive the Russian government, ‘our side’ has agreed to look the other way. I even asked them to send over a few more of their capable agents while they’re at it.”

And really, with how inert the Russian government is now, deceiving them should be child’s play for her.

“Wait, wait... Is that really okay? I mean, I’m one thing, but the others don’t even have visas...”

“Why wouldn’t it be okay? Korea doesn’t have the time to worry about intel networks right now. If they’re not careful, we’ll end up like Russia. Keeping the country together is their priority.”

And unlike in my past life, even though the foreign exchange crisis has already begun, there’s still a year left before the administration changes.

A government crippled by extreme lame-duck syndrome will never be able to solve this crisis on its own. Especially not when relations with the U.S. and Japan are as bad as they are now.

“Of course... I did lend the Bank of Korea about $2 billion to get them to approve this.”

I winked and held up two fingers.

Isn’t it a wonderful world where you can buy the law with money?