When we got down to the first floor, a car that hadn't been there earlier was now parked.
**Beep beep!**
The lights of a small red compact car flashed, greeting us. It was none other than Tae-kyu's pride and joy.
Holding the remote key, he opened the door and said, "Get in!"
On the car door was a large decal of a smiling anime girl holding a sword. Apparently, it was a character from some fantasy game or another.
This wasn't a game promotion vehicle or anything.
"Can't you take that off?" I asked.
"Nope, no way. I went through a lot to get it imported directly from Japan."
"..."
It wasn't my car, so I couldn't force him to remove it.
Tae-kyu climbed into the driver's seat, and I sighed as I opened the door plastered with anime decals and got in.
This was... embarrassing.
The red compact car crossed Dongho Bridge and headed toward Gangbuk.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"Ceylon Hotel," he replied.
The Ceylon Hotel was a five-star hotel located at the foot of Namsan Mountain.
The outdoor parking lot was lined with high-end imported cars. Among them were several supercars, including Ferraris and Lamborghinis.
When Tae-kyu pulled up to the hotel entrance, the valet staff's eyes widened as they alternated between looking at us and the car.
This wasn't the kind of look that said, *"Ew, a compact car."*
No, it was the look of someone genuinely flabbergasted by a car like this. They had probably never seen anything like this otaku-mobile before.
It was likely beyond their wildest imagination that working at a place like this, they'd encounter a car like this.
The people coming and going at the hotel entrance also stared at us.
"..."
Maybe I should've gotten out earlier and walked in.
Even in his shock, the valet kept his composure and said politely, "I'll park it for you."
"Sure, thanks!" Tae-kyu said confidently as he got out of the car.
Meanwhile, I crouched as low as possible and kept my face covered as I exited.
Why am I the one feeling embarrassed here?
---
After passing through the grand revolving door, we were greeted by a woman standing inside.
She appeared to be in her early 30s, dressed in a black high-waist skirt, a white blouse, and black heels. She wore silver-rimmed glasses and had her hair tied back in a ponytail.
She wasn't flashy, but she exuded an elegant charm.
Tae-kyu raised a hand toward her.
"Hey! Long time no see, sis."
She glanced at her watch and said, "I told you to be here by 4:00. You're three minutes late."
"It's just three minutes—"
Before he could finish his excuse, she shot him a look that instantly shut him up.
Her eyes shifted to me.
"So, Jin-hoo came too."
"Yeah," Tae-kyu said quickly. "He kept saying he wanted to see you, so I had no choice but to bring him along."
"..."
Since when?
I bowed politely.
"It's been a while, noona. How have you been?"
Hyun-joo noona smiled at me.
"You just got discharged?"
"Yes, not long ago."
"You've worked hard. When do you graduate?"
"I enlisted after my first year, so it'll be a while."
"When you graduate, how about joining Golden Gate?"
"If they'll take me, I'd be honored to."
Even at a prestigious university like Korea University, getting into a global investment bank like Golden Gate was exceedingly rare.
At most, one graduate per year across all departments might join the company.
In total, there were probably fewer than 20 Korea University alumni at Golden Gate worldwide.
---
We followed Hyun-joo noona to the hotel café on the second floor.
The café was quiet, with only a few tables occupied near the windows. About half the patrons were foreigners, all dressed in sharp business attire.
In contrast, I was wearing jeans, a T-shirt, and a padded jacket. I should've at least worn a suit.
Still, I wasn't as bad off as Tae-kyu, who showed up in scruffy sweatpants. No one else would dare walk into a place like this dressed like him.
Not that he seemed to notice or care.
I glanced between him and Hyun-joo noona. If you didn't know better, you'd never guess they were siblings.
On closer inspection, though, there were similarities.
If Tae-kyu lost weight, got a proper haircut, and wore decent clothes, he might even look respectable.
---
A waiter approached and handed us menus.
When Tae-kyu opened his, his jaw dropped.
"Whoa! A cup of coffee is 25,000 won? That's insane! How can it cost this much?"
"..."
This guy has over 10 billion won, and he's freaking out over a cup of coffee?
Well, it is pricey.
He closed the menu and said to the waiter, "Just water for me..."
Before he could finish, Hyun-joo noona snatched the menu from his hands.
"You drink coffee, right, Jin-hoo?"
"Yes."
"Two lungos and one lemonade, please."
---
After placing the order, I asked, "When did you arrive in Korea?"
"Just now," she said.
Her expression wasn't great. She looked worried, as if something was weighing heavily on her mind.
She turned to Tae-kyu.
"I heard MountainHill filed for bankruptcy. Are you okay?"
He grinned.
"Luckily, I sold everything just in time."
"You sold everything?"
Hyun-joo noona's eyes widened in shock.
"Yep. It's all in the OTK Company account—about 11.9 million dollars."
"..."
Hearing the amount, she was momentarily speechless. While Tae-kyu was acting nonchalant, to anyone else, it was an almost unimaginable sum of money.
Only after confirming it a few times did her expression soften.
"That's a relief."
She must've been really worried about him.
"You must've been worried about him," I said.
At that, she looked visibly flustered.
"W-what? Why would I worry about this otaku?"
"..."
Because he's your brother? Isn't that natural?
Just then, our drinks arrived.
"Anyway!"
She quickly changed the subject, pulling out a notepad and writing something down before handing it to us.
"What's this?"
The note had a name and phone number written on it.
"It's the contact information for the branch manager of Golden Gate's Gangnam office. If you need to transfer large sums into a domestic account, contact them. Just mention you're Oh Hyun-joo's brother—they'll know."
To bring funds from an offshore account into a Korean one, you have to go through tax reporting and other procedures. Maybe I should use this for the 5 billion won I'd received?
Tae-kyu pocketed the note.
"So why did you sell everything all at once when you said you were planning to sell gradually?"
"Well... I just had a sudden feeling I should sell."
He brushed off the question, and I shifted the topic.
"Did you come to Korea because of him?"
Hyun-joo noona shook her head firmly.
"No, of course not. It's strictly for work."
Golden Gate, as a global IB, had branches all over the world. While Korea's economy is significant, it's not enough for global IBs to prioritize heavily.
As such, Golden Gate only had a few branches in Korea handling securities and banking.
"How long will you be in Korea?"
"About ten days. I'm here for due diligence on a company we're acquiring."
"Ten days!" Tae-kyu exclaimed.
"Why? Do you not want me here?" she asked.
He quickly changed his tone and shook his head.
"No, it's great! So, uh... where are you staying?"
She pointed to the ceiling.
"Upstairs. The entire due diligence team is staying here."
I looked around the hotel and asked, "Isn't this place expensive?"
Being a five-star hotel at the foot of Namsan, even the cheapest rooms would likely cost over 500,000 won per night.
"It's on the company," she said casually.
Of course. Global IB perks.
---
**Bzzzz.**
A phone on the table vibrated.
"Excuse me."
Hyun-joo noona picked up her phone and stepped away. She didn't return for a while.
"Everything okay?" I asked when she came back.
"It's nothing. Just about the OPEC meeting schedule."
"OPEC?"
Excited, Tae-kyu blurted, "Isn't that short for Oil Factory?"
"..."
At least he knows that "factory" starts with an F.
"It's the organization of oil-exporting countries," I said.
Hyun-joo noona nodded.
"Exactly. Officially, it's the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. The results of their meeting will be announced in a couple of days."
At that moment, something appeared before my eyes, like a hologram.
*What the...?*
Why is this happening again?
"Hey, what's wrong?"
I snapped out of it at Tae-kyu's voice. The hologram that had just been there vanished as if it had never existed.
"Are you okay?" Hyun-joo noona asked, looking concerned.
"Yeah, I just... zoned out for a second," I replied, brushing it off.
But Tae-kyu gave me a knowing look.
Ignoring him, I asked Hyun-joo noona, "What's the meeting about?"
"They're discussing production cuts in Kuwait."
"Production cuts?"
Her words shocked me.
That's exactly what I just saw!