I spent my time in America meeting a lot of people.

I also tried to arrange a meeting with President Bush, but he refused.

Instead, I was able to meet Secretary of State Rice.

“I'm sorry, Charlie.”

“No, it's fine. It's my fault for showing up without coordinating schedules.”

“Thank you for seeing it that way.”

During our conversation, the topic eventually shifted to Mexico.

“Ah, have you heard the news from Mexico?”

“More or less.”

“Calderón won the election.”

As expected, Felipe Calderón emerged victorious in the Mexican presidential election.

Backed by Carlos Slim's unprecedented support and the Mexican cartels, he had won by an overwhelming margin.

I nodded, then asked curiously:

“Wasn't that what everyone expected?”

“Just last year, Calderón wasn't even on our radar. Then, while you were cleaning up the Mexican cartels, he suddenly rose to prominence.”

The man originally expected to become the next president had been Santiago Creel, Fox's chosen successor.

The United States had invested considerable effort into supporting him.

Given how completely the situation had changed within a year, Rice's reaction was understandable.

“That's true. Your prediction was more accurate than ours.”

In the original timeline, this would have been the period when countless allegations began surfacing after Calderón's victory.

This time, however, nobody could raise any questions.

His victory had been overwhelming, and with Carlos Slim effectively controlling the media, no one dared challenge the election results.

“You heard him declare a war on drugs during his inauguration, right?”

Instead of answering, I smiled.

Calderón and the Mexican cartels were already practically in the same boat.

A war on drugs?

It was nothing more than political rhetoric.

Rice didn't seem to expect an answer anyway and continued.

“The Mexican cartels have reduced the amount of drugs entering the United States, and now criminal organizations from other countries are eyeing the American market.”

I had already received reports about that.

As the Mexican cartels reduced their supply, more smuggling attempts from other countries were being intercepted.

“I don't think that's really my problem anymore.”

“I know. I know, but...”

Rice trailed off.

I already knew what she wanted to ask and answered firmly.

“I don't want to get involved with Mexico anymore. I stepped in because of a promise, but it wasn't exactly a pleasant experience.”

Rice clicked her tongue in disappointment.

“Understood. Let's drop the subject.”

Once the conversation had progressed far enough, I finally brought up the real reason I wanted to meet her.

“I'd like to meet the new Chairman of the Federal Reserve.”

“The Fed Chairman? You mean Chairman Ben Bernanke?”

“Yes. I don't have any connection to him, so I'd appreciate your help arranging a meeting. Is it possible?”

Rice thought for a moment before asking carefully:

“Setting up a meeting isn't difficult. Can you tell me why you want to meet him?”

“What reason would an investor have for wanting to meet the Chairman of the Federal Reserve?”

“Hm.”

Rice swallowed quietly.

She kept glancing at me, clearly trying to decipher my intentions.

“The Fed's economic policy is important to us. I'd simply like to speak with Chairman Bernanke.”

“Understood. I'll arrange something. Compared to what you've done for America—and for us—it's a small favor.”

“Thank you, Rice.”

I extended my hand.

Rice shook it lightly.

A few days later.

I met Ben Bernanke in a hotel room in Washington.

“It's a pleasure to meet you, Chairman Bernanke.”

“Likewise, Charlie. I've heard a lot about you.”

Bernanke smiled and shook my hand.

“Please, have a seat.”

After speaking, he sat down first.

I took the seat across from him.

“To be honest, meetings like this are somewhat uncomfortable. You're effectively the owner of Dreamhigh, after all.”

He was right.

A meeting between the Chairman of the Federal Reserve and a major investor was exactly the kind of thing that generated rumors.

Which was why we were meeting alone in a hotel room.

“I didn't ask to meet you for insider information. I just wanted to introduce myself.”

“I know Dreamhigh has repeatedly acted as a firefighter whenever the American economy stumbled. I also know my predecessor met with you several times. But this is different.”

Ben Bernanke was a completely different type of economist from Alan Greenspan.

Greenspan was credited with guiding both the American and global economies through the aftermath of the dot-com crash by pursuing accommodative monetary policies.

Those policies had allowed the economy to achieve a soft landing.

Of course, Greenspan had also understood their side effects.

Loose monetary policy naturally created inflationary pressures.

To manage those risks, he had recommended Bernanke—a leading expert on the Great Depression—as his successor.

“Yes. The American economy is enjoying an unprecedented boom. But behind that boom is a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment.”

Bernanke looked at me suspiciously.

“What exactly are you trying to say?”

“You already know. And so do I.”

“You mean the weakness in mortgage lending? If that's what you're referring to, there's no need to worry. We're already discussing countermeasures.”

Bernanke was fully aware of the mortgage problem.

That made things easier.

“We've invested heavily in products linked to mortgage lending as well. That's why we understand this atmosphere better than most. We're planning to liquidate all of our CDS holdings.”

“All of them? Is that true?”

“Yes. We intend to put every CDS we own on the market. Slowly, of course, so we don't shock the market.”

Bernanke's eyes sharpened.

“You believe the American economy is in danger?”

“Who knows? We can't predict everything. But we do know this isn't a situation to take lightly.”

After my calm answer, Bernanke stroked his chin thoughtfully.

The reason I had sought him out was simple.

I wanted to minimize any future attempts to place blame on us.

“I understand what you're saying. But the American economy isn't going to collapse.”

“Perhaps not. Still, I'd recommend preparing in advance.”

“That is something we'll handle ourselves.”

“I see. Then I won't say any more.”

I decided not to press further.

I had already achieved my purpose.

There was no need to irritate him unnecessarily.

“Then was that really the only reason you wanted to meet me?”

“Yes.”

“In that case, if we're finished, may I leave?”

Bernanke's voice had turned noticeably cold.

I genuinely couldn't understand his reaction.

Tilting my head slightly, I asked:

“Do you have a reason to be this hostile toward us? I don't quite understand.”

“Whenever the American economy faced a crisis, the biggest beneficiary was always Dreamhigh—and you. I don't respect a company that grew by feeding on other people's suffering.”

It was an astonishingly narrow-minded statement coming from an economist.

“It's true that we profited. But we helped because the U.S. government requested our assistance. The profits were merely a byproduct.”

“Perhaps. But acquiring financial institutions at bargain prices during a crisis is hardly something I'd call beneficial for the American economy.”

At that moment, I recalled Bernanke's background and inwardly sneered.

He seemed to believe I had stolen wealth that rightfully belonged to others.

When I didn't respond, Bernanke frowned and continued:

“I only made time for this meeting because the Secretary of State asked me to. If you have nothing else to say, I'll be leaving.”

Bernanke stood up.

I rose as well.

“It was nice meeting you, Charlie. Until next time.”

This time, he extended his hand first.

I shook it and smiled pleasantly.

I wondered if he would still be able to show such open emotions when that day finally came.

Strangely enough, I found myself looking forward to it.

“You'll come looking for me later, Chairman.”

“It was a productive meeting.”

I released his hand.

After Bernanke left, Chief Ma entered the room.

“Chief Ma. Have someone investigate Chairman Bernanke.”

“Yes. I'll pass the order along.”

The Ben Bernanke I remembered and the man I had just met felt like completely different people.

I couldn't determine which one was real.

Perhaps the actions I'd taken in this life had changed the course of his own.

If so, I needed to know everything about him.

“Have them investigate everything he's done over the last ten years.”

“Yes, Boss.”

* * *

With my meeting with Ben Bernanke concluded, my schedule in America was finally complete.

Investigating ten years of Bernanke's history would take considerable time.

I pushed thoughts of him out of my mind and focused on reviewing future plans.

While I quietly prepared for the future, the seeds I had planted were beginning to sprout.

“It's finally going on sale.”

At last, the new apartment complex built on the site of Eunmi Apartments had been completed.

The new development was named Eunmi Lu Hills.

The units would be sold only after construction was completed.

It was a completely different model from Korea's common pre-sale and post-sale systems.

The sale price had been set at 4,700 per pyeong.

Considering Seoul's average sale price was around 1,500 per pyeong, it was extraordinarily expensive.

Joongwoo Construction openly declared that even if units remained unsold, they would never offer discounts.

The goal was to preserve its reputation as a premium luxury complex.

I was walking through Eunmi Lu Hills, which had not yet welcomed its first residents.

“It definitely looks like money was well spent.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

Walking beside me was Lee Sanggeun, Chairman of Joongwoo Construction.

“You've worked hard.”

“It's all thanks to you, Chairman.”

We walked along the internal pathways of the complex while talking.

“How's the market response?”

“Better than expected. Given the high prices, we expected a poor reaction. Even internally, that was the consensus.”

“Really? That's surprising.”

Of course, people still expected unsold units.

Considering the price, I had expected that as well.

It wasn't a major concern.

“How many units do you think will remain unsold?”

“We're aiming to sell about thirty percent initially.”

“Don't push sales too aggressively. Market it as housing for the top 0.1 percent.”

“Yes. We'll do that.”

“And the Guryong Village redevelopment project is progressing smoothly?”

“Yes. I've been meeting frequently with CEO Hong Jinpyo.”

“There can't be any noise around that project. It's being done under my name.”

“Yes. I understand.”

As we continued talking, we entered the central tower.

We took the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor.

When the doors opened, a vast living room greeted us.

“It turned out even better than I expected.”

From the entrance all the way to the living room, the floors were covered with premium Italian marble.

One entire wall consisted of floor-to-ceiling glass, offering a view from anywhere inside.

“This project took more than ten years of preparation. I'm glad it ended successfully.”

Standing before the glass wall overlooking the Han River, I spoke quietly.

“We did our best not to disappoint you.”

“I've always trusted you, Chairman Lee. You've always delivered beyond expectations.”

“Thank you for your trust.”

Suddenly, old memories surfaced.

To secure the Eunmi Apartments site, I had received full authority from Grandfather and bought every piece of property owned by Hyunbo Group and Chairman Jang within the complex.

There had also been that six-hundred-pyeong parcel of land inside Eunmi Apartments.

A plot left unregistered after its owner fled overseas.

For decades, the National Tax Service had tried to recover it as hidden assets, only to become entangled in endless lawsuits and fail.

Without that land, the entire project could never have begun.

‘You know that six-hundred-pyeong parcel inside Eunmi Apartments, right? The unregistered one.’

Remembering Chairman Jang's expression when I brought it up still made me laugh.

His greedy face had completely fallen apart.

This was definitely the sort of memory worth keeping.

“Have this unit prepared for my personal use.”

“Yes. I'll make the arrangements.”

“And you should take one as well, Chairman Lee.”

“No, that's not necessary.”

“It's a gift from me. Handle the paperwork properly and take one.”

Lee Sanggeun lowered his head.

I glanced at his reflection in the glass.

He was expressing gratitude, but his expression remained as calm as ever.

I turned my gaze back outside.

Looking out over the Han River, I sank into deep thought for a long time.