Ongoing
Street 16
The CEO showed considerable interest in Rachel, and an intense conversation continued for a while.
The topic was Henry Kissinger's 90th birthday party, held a few months prior.
"You went too?"
"Yes, as my father's partner."
Typically, such events require a spouse, but her parents are currently undergoing a divorce.
Rachel's father chose her as his companion, which allowed her to see many influential figures up close.
"Did Clinton come too?"
"Yes, he came right after the CFDA Awards, along with Oscar de la Renta."
The CEO asked detailed questions about who attended with whom, and Rachel did her best to answer.
However, she wasn't exactly thrilled about the situation.
Even though she had worked hard to graduate from Harvard, her greatest "asset" still seemed to be her background.
'Or is it not even that?'
Her striking looks also played a role.
When seated next to a beautiful woman in her twenties, many people would come up and make jokes about whether her father had "upgraded."
Because she was good as an icebreaker, her father had chosen to take her over her brother.
'This isn't what I studied for…?'
It felt empty.
But when she asked herself what she had actually achieved on her own, she had no answer.
She didn't even know what she wanted to do.
At 24, she felt too young to set a life goal.
So she envied people with a clear purpose.
"Ahem! Shall we begin then?"
The CEO, satisfied with his curiosity, took a seat on the sofa, and the MD looked at Rachel with a fond smile.
"Rachel, would you hand over the 'product'?"
"Yes."
The booklets they provided clients were referred to as "deliverable" or "product."
Rachel handed over the "product" and stood behind the MD.
The pitch book she had prepared yesterday had been printed on high-quality paper and was bound into a small booklet.
The CEO flipped through it with a serious expression.
"Hmm. I mentioned it to the board, but the response wasn't exactly enthusiastic."
Flip, flip.
Each page received only about three seconds of his time.
She had replaced over a dozen words in that sentence, yet he barely glanced at it.
While she hadn't expected him to savor each word, seeing her days of effort dismissed felt disheartening.
Then, the CEO's hand stopped.
On the page detailing market growth rates.
The section where the growth rate of 4.7% had been adjusted to 7.6%.
"Sigh…"
The CEO squinted and let out a sigh.
Rachel held her breath instinctively.
'He noticed!'
It was clear he realized the number had been artificially raised.
A thousand thoughts crossed her mind.
If he questions it, how should she react?
If he gets angry?
What should she say if he confronts the MD and then presses her for the truth?
Bang!
To her relief, the CEO merely closed the booklet and tossed it onto the table.
"To be honest, it's not exactly an attractive price point."
"But there's a first-mover advantage. Especially since we rely heavily on imported specialty silica, it's not a bad choice."
"You know, if we're the only ones optimistic, it just results in needless expenses…"
A serious conversation ensued.
Rachel perked up her ears and listened intently to every word.
It was clearly important, yet she couldn't help but wonder,
'If they're going to react this way, why did they request the research in the first place?'
The materials she had brought were left neglected on the table.
He only skimmed through it for a few minutes.
The conversation had veered in a direction unrelated to the work she had prepared.
At that moment, Ha Si-heon's voice echoed in her mind.
— The information they really want isn't that.
'There must be another purpose.'
The request is just an excuse.
There's another true purpose behind this meeting.
'What could it be?'
No matter how much she analyzed the conversation, she couldn't figure it out.
She hesitated to ask the MD or her supervisor, as they tended to be overly cautious around her.
There was only one person who could resolve her curiosity.
— If you need me, feel free to come find me.
***
Starting today, I was assigned to the M&A department.
As soon as I stepped into the department on the 16th floor, several people welcomed me with open arms.
"Finally, you're here!"
"Your seat is over here!"
This is the advantage of being well-known.
I didn't need to introduce myself; people naturally flocked to me.
'Shall I pick out some useful connections?'
M&A is one of the frontlines of Goldman.
The people assigned here are likely from good backgrounds.
Even if they aren't, they're promising talents with a bright future.
If they stay at Goldman, they'll be promoted quickly, or if they move on to private equity or hedge funds, they'll likely join reputable firms.
I was sorting out the people who might be useful when,
"Sean."
A cold voice sounded behind me, and the crowd around me quickly dispersed.
A man with a strict appearance approached.
He looked me up and down with an unkind gaze.
"Is it 'Sean'? I'd prefer if you don't make a commotion here. Let's avoid personal conversations."
Right off the bat, he laid down a no-socializing rule.
No introduction, either.
"Mr. Pierce is out on an external engagement, so the meeting is postponed. 2 p.m. Be prepared by then."
I nodded, and the man glared fiercely at me before walking away.
'He's definitely the VP…'
Every project involves four roles: MD, VP, Associate, and Analyst.
The MD meets with clients to secure deals.
The MD then hands it off to the VP, who leads the entire operation.
The VP pressures the Associate, who then drives the Analyst.
Since the MD is often out of the office, the VP holds the real power internally.
It's not ideal that such a person views me unfavorably.
'Prepared for what…?'
I couldn't possibly be prepared without even having a meeting.
This was his way of telling me to just pass the time while pretending to be busy.
For a healthy person, this would be an opportunity to laze around while still getting paid, but for someone with a limited time left, it was a bitter pill.
'It'd be nice if I could use this time to build connections…'
But since I had already made a poor impression and was told not to socialize, it seemed best to lie low for now.
So I decided to search something instead.
That's my diagnosis.
I checked if there was any news about it posted today, but found nothing.
In 2013, research on Castleman Disease was abysmal.
There wasn't even a disease code for facilitating international research.
There wasn't even a standard for diagnosis.
The diagnostic criteria for Castleman Disease weren't announced until 2018, after a certain person emerged.
I had to find that person.
They would be the one to develop my cure.
Money alone doesn't produce a cure.
I needed someone responsible for research and development.
No matter how I look at it, that person is the perfect candidate, but I don't know where they are right now.
However, this year or next, they will likely post in a patient community, aiming to raise awareness about this disease.
I need to contact and recruit them as soon as I find them.
I set up a Google alert, but since it's not entirely reliable, I also check manually every day.
Unfortunately, there's no news today either.
Then next…
I searched based on the new clues I got from the "Princess" yesterday, but found nothing substantial.
Who could this princess's father be?
'I feel like I've seen something like this before…'
Hearing that he's a lawyer, something is almost coming to mind.
It feels like something I read in a footnote somewhere.
But Mosley isn't exactly an unusual name…
Beep, beep!
The alarm rang.
I looked at the clock, and it was 9:30.
As I jumped up, the cold-faced man from earlier approached, giving me a chilly look.
"Where are you going?"
"I left something in my previous department. I'll be right back."
Industrial Department.
I rummaged through the spot I used until yesterday, and a senior, whose name I can't remember, looked at me in surprise.
"Oh? What's going on?"
"I left my earphones here."
I showed him the earphones I'd deliberately left behind, and he nodded, seeming to understand.
I casually looked around.
"Where's Rachel?"
"Client meeting."
Of course, she went along.
I forced down a smirk and put on an expression of admiration.
"Wow, already going to a client meeting. Impressive."
"Indeed."
My senior's voice dripped with sarcasm.
It's rare to bring an analyst in front of a client.
Usually, entry-level employees are stuck in the office, enduring the grind while churning out Excel sheets.
But a junior in the same department receiving special treatment?
Someone who's climbed the ranks in the traditional way is bound to feel some resentment.
What does that mean?
It's time for gossip.
There's a reason why it's taken me a while to uncover Rachel's background.
If I go around openly asking, sooner or later, word will reach Rachel.
– "Sean was asking who your father is…"
The moment she hears that, this connection is lost.
But what about gossip?
There's no way the person would say, "By the way, I talked about you while you were gone."
In that sense, it's the safest source of information.
For gossip to happen, though, Rachel must be away from her desk.
You also need assurance that she won't be back for a long while.
That's partly why I suggested she go along to the meeting.
The senior still isn't fully warmed up.
Let's prod a little more.
"How long does it usually take for an analyst to get to attend a meeting?"
"That depends on the MD."
"How long did it take for you, senior?"
"Hmm, about three months?"
"Is that the average?"
"Hard to say, there's no set rule. But it's different if you have a name like Rachel's."
Yes, that's it.
Come on, tell me who the "Princess" really is.
"Her father is a partner at Kravason & Swain. Among the non-named partners, he's one of the most influential…"
A prestigious law firm.
But that's not quite enough…
"He was even Henry Kissinger's lawyer, you know?"
"Wow, the Henry Kissinger? That's impressive."
"Exactly. That's the reaction they're looking to get by taking her along."
My heart pounded, but I kept my face calm, smiled, kept the conversation going, and left at the right moment.
On my way back to the M&A department, my heart raced wildly.
I finally remembered where I'd seen the name "Mosley" before.
'Damn, this is a huge catch!'
In a few years, a case will shake the world—a grand fraud scandal.
Looking at the list of victims will leave jaws dropped.
All of them are figures who wield immense power:
The Wilson family, owners of Walton Mart, media mogul Murdoch, former Secretary of State Schultz, and so on.
Incidentally, Henry Kissinger was also on that list.
The shocking part? This mastermind fraudster was a woman in her twenties.
How could she deceive such powerful people?
There was someone who handed her the key to "credibility."
Using that key, she opened the door to the rich club, infiltrated their exclusive network, and swindled them out of ten trillion won.
The person who handed her that key was a lawyer from a renowned law firm.
His name was Mosley.
Rachel's father.
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