After a brief conversation with the Alpha Fund inner circle, I returned to my assigned office.

– Jingle.

As the small bell on the door rang, Charles Gray, who had been silently wrestling with charts alone inside, turned his gaze toward me.

“Who... Oh, Ha-yeon? You’re back!”

I smiled softly and gave a small wave.

“Yeah, good to see you too, Charles. I thought you’d already gone home?”

“Haha, I was just organizing some data. I’m heading out soon, just finishing this up.”

“So... how was it? Didn’t your family freak out?”

I nudged him playfully as I asked, and Charles nodded with a sheepish grin. Judging by how he was smiling, he was genuinely happy.

“At first, my dad thought I’d fallen for some kind of scam... But after a few interviews, he started to believe it.”

Well, it was a scam, technically.

Though Charles wasn’t the one who pulled the strings—that would be me. The $15 billion he was known for earning? Most of that came from my hand.

He probably didn’t even realize it...

“Ha-yeon, it’s thanks to you, right? Thank you—really.”

Mmm.

At least he knows to show gratitude. But I had no idea what was going on in that head of his.

“Why?”

I tilted my head in mild confusion as I watched Charles bow his head so sincerely.

“Uh... What do you mean, why?”

“I mean, sure, I was generous enough to give you some insider tips, but it was you who executed them, wasn’t it?”

The fact that most of the $15 billion came from me also meant that a portion of it was Charles’s doing. A newbie pulling off $100 million on his first real trade would already be insane... but Charles had earned even more.

If he had been incompetent, I would never have handed him that kind of capital in the first place.

“No, I mean... I have eyes, too. I know this money isn’t all thanks to my skill. The real genius isn’t me—it’s you. Honestly, I’m kind of overwhelmed. I’ve realized that Yoo Ha-yeon... there’s no way you’re just some ordinary person.”

Hearing him say it with such sincerity made me chuckle softly.

“Heh, you’re sharper than you look. Our cute rookie knows how to be humble, huh? Told you I’m good at spotting talent.”

I smiled and reached over to ruffle his hair and neck. He turned bright red.

Ahaha, of course. Boys will be boys.

– Thump.

Charles finally mustered the will to push my hand away, then roughly tousled his own hair and let out a small sigh.

“Haa... geez... Um, Ha-yeon? Don’t you think we’re standing a little too close?”

“Hmm? I could always get even closer.”

I gave a sly smile as I raised an eyebrow. Deciding not to react further, he closed his eyes for a second and asked:

“Don’t dodge the question. Just answer me.”

Oops, busted.

“Tch, you’ve built up resistance to girls too fast. A month ago, you were reacting so well.”

“...”

At this rate, maybe I’ll have to take off a dress shirt to get a rise out of him. Still, it was kind of nice not having to worry about seduction tactics working on him.

– Click.

Grumbling, I unlocked the drawer. Inside were confidential documents, secured by key.

“Charles, would you believe me if I told you I’m a genius?”

“Believe it? I’ve never seen anyone like you in my life. You’re the youngest director in Alpha Fund history—no one on Wall Street would deny how brilliant you are.”

“Ha! Charles, whatever you’re imagining... I’m even greater than that.”

– Thud.

I tossed a file onto the desk.

“This is...?”

“A report on the East Asian financial crisis. Well, the actual report’s much thicker—this is more like a summary or some excerpted minutes.”

It was something I had always planned to reveal eventually. Most people in Alpha Fund’s inner circle were Korean, but I couldn’t keep doing things this way forever.

[...We’ve confirmed that Thailand’s foreign reserves have been depleted. Attaching the field report by MD Ha Yeong-il and the young miss from the time of the baht collapse.

.

.

.

As for the Berlin-Bearings Bank’s withdrawal from its Southeast Asia branch—according to Director Yoo Seon-jun’s report, there were incidents on the ground, requiring additional support. Since the director is currently busy managing the BBB headquarters in Europe, he requested we dispatch an internal staff member with access to classified company information.

.

.

.

The BS Investment firm, jointly funded by Daehwa Group and Alpha Fund, has completed dual laundering through BBB. As per the young miss’s orders, any parachute appointments now won’t be a problem. There’s been some internal murmuring about the young miss’s friend being named the next chief of staff, but if this mission ends successfully, we believe suspicions will subside.

.

.

.

If anyone is reading this document, please do not doubt the person in question. It is wiser to believe in the reality in front of your eyes rather than rely on logic and common sense.

– Kang Cheon, Managing Director, Alpha Fund]

‘Huh. He even wrote that kind of thing?’

Dozens of elegant signatures lined the report, bearing witness to my identity.

– Rustle.

As Charles flipped through the pages, his hand froze in the middle, trembling.

“What’s wrong? There’s a lot more to read in the back.”

Grinning teasingly, I asked, and he stammered:

“Th-this... what is this...? A joke, right?”

“Does it look like a joke?”

I fluttered a few photos at him, smiling with my eyes. I had a habit of documenting everything about myself, so proof was never a problem.

“...”

“Mmh. I’ll trust you to keep this a secret. See you tomorrow morning.”

Leaving the frozen Charles behind, I headed into my personal room adjacent to the office and got some sleep.

In a few hours, headlines about the $100 billion would break. I needed to catch up on rest now while I still could.

Tomorrow’s going to be fun.

***

The next morning, Wall Street was engulfed in unprecedented shock.

Technically, there had been plenty of precedents, but still.

[Breaking! ‘The $100 Billion Myth’ – Alpha Fund issues official statement! Reveals profits from East Asian financial crisis!]

From early morning, every financial channel and major media outlet was plastered with this one breaking news headline. The previously shrouded entity had finally chosen to reveal itself.

“It... it really existed?”

A rumor that had drifted around the financial world for a while resurfaced. Most people had written it off as ridiculous, pushing it to the back of their minds.

Some had even speculated that the $100 billion wasn’t earned by a single entity but was instead a bloated total aggregated across all of Wall Street.

And so, the shock was even greater.

Nods.

“Phew. So it really was Alpha Fund.”

From a fast-food joint with a clear view of Alpha Fund’s office, even seasoned, typically cold-blooded fund managers were gathered in small groups, unable to hide their excitement.

“Well, people had their suspicions. Alpha Fund had gone oddly quiet lately... Who would’ve thought they’d pull off something this big.”

Wall Street’s more perceptive financiers had indeed considered Alpha Fund a strong candidate. But even they hadn’t expected such a direct, large-scale announcement.

After all, in the world of hedge funds, reputation equals profit—but the higher you climb, the harder you fall. Just as the British treasury was once devoured by piranhas, the myth of Alpha Fund could also become prey.

Which meant... Alpha Fund’s press conference was essentially a declaration: We can protect this $100 billion.

“A hundred billion... Damn. I should’ve switched jobs.”

“Haha, dreaming big, aren’t we? It’s not like you can just waltz in.”

“They did invite me last time, though?”

“...? Why didn’t you go, then?”

“Oh please, back then you said they were washed up! I’m never trusting you again...”

The fund managers, groaning with envy, kept glancing at the gathering crowd.

Even before the start time, the press conference venue designated by Alpha Fund was already packed wall-to-wall with reporters from around the globe.

“Hey! Don’t push!”

“Come on, let us through!”

“W-wait! Someone’s ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) coming out!”

Camera flashes burst continuously, and reporters wrestled to secure the best spots. Their faces radiated the tension and anticipation of witnessing the scoop of the century.

And finally, at the promised hour, Alpha Fund’s CEO, Erin Collins, stepped onto the podium. Though his expression was calm as always, a quiet pride shimmered beneath the surface.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming today. There has been considerable speculation and interest regarding Alpha Fund and the recent East Asian financial crisis. Today, we aim to answer all your questions clearly.”

A tense silence fell across the venue. Every camera and microphone was now trained solely on Alpha Fund’s CEO.

“To get straight to the point... Alpha Fund earned a total profit of exactly $108.3 billion during the East Asian financial crisis.”

At that moment, the press room exploded into a deafening roar.