InkBound
patreon
CH277
🕑 Added 2025-05-16 16:40:29 +0000 UTCIt’s strange how many dictators or long-term rulers there are in countries surrounding Korea. North Korea, Japan, Russia, China, the Philippines, and so on.
When you think about it, it’s almost strange to think of Korea, where the president is faithfully replaced every five years.
I saw Chairman Zhang Pinghua.
He certainly had a comfortable and approachable appearance, but there was an undeniable and subtle sense of powerful intimidation. The translator beside him looked expressionless, but I could tell he was extremely tense.
Born the son of a revolutionary veteran, he was sent to the countryside during the Cultural Revolution, and later returned to the central political arena, eventually rising to the position of President. He is a figure who has lived through modern Chinese history and wields the strongest power since Mao Zedong.
He has perfectly seized control of the Party, and the people also send him overwhelming support.
Someone like that can’t possibly be an ordinary person.
I introduced Taekgyu.
“This is my friend, Oh Taekgyu. He’s also a business partner.”
“Hello.”
President Zhang Pinghua shook hands with Taekgyu as well.
“Gaining a good friend is harder than making a lot of money.”
If they investigated me, they must know about Taekgyu too.
We sat down.
“I’ve heard a lot about CEO Kang Jin-hoo for a while now. I’ve wanted to meet you sometime, and I’m glad we finally have this opportunity.”
“It’s an honor to meet you as well.”
We chatted over tea.
Contrary to my expectations, President Zhang Pinghua didn’t seem particularly angry or resentful.
After exchanging a few words, he subtly threw out a question.
“What do you think will happen to the Chinese economy?”
“…….”
What kind of answer is he looking for?
The trade war? Or the future prospects of the Chinese economy?
Many people mistakenly think I know a lot about the economy, but the truth is, I don’t know the first thing about it.
There are many people smarter than me in the world, and countless self-proclaimed experts loudly proclaiming economic forecasts.
“Well, I think the Chinese economy depends on the Chinese people, not my words. Especially since you can’t trust what experts say.”
One thing is certain: the high growth rate we’ve seen so far will end soon, and China will also fall into the swamp of low growth.
In the first place, it’s ridiculous for a country the size of China to continue to achieve high growth rates of 7 or 8 percent.
Rapid economic growth creates many side effects.
China has also encountered numerous problems: the wealth gap, regional disparities, rising prices, soaring real estate prices, demands for democratization, and so on.
The reason these problems haven’t surfaced prominently is because the economy has grown rapidly. Increasing jobs and wealth have justified the Communist Party’s rule.
But that growth is gradually slowing down. And the various national projects undertaken to maintain the growth rate are now backfiring as a boomerang of overinvestment.
The trade dispute that arose in this situation was both a negative and a positive.
It’s negative because it has damaged the Chinese economy, especially high-tech industries, but it’s positive because all the blame for the poor economy and falling growth rate can be shifted to the US.
In fact, there’s nothing better than an external enemy to rally public support. As you can see from the Zhou Auto incident, the current Chinese patriotism is soaring through the roof.
Well, Ronald must have stirred things up for that reason too.
More than that, what worries me is the issue of President Zhang Pinghua personally. Most dictators have good intentions.
Even Hitler wanted to rebuild Germany, which had lost World War I, and Mao Zedong also wanted to make the Chinese people well-off.
But the results were the opposite of their intentions.
Hitler started World War II, killing tens of millions of people and leading Germany to ruin. Mao Zedong not only starved tens of millions to death due to the failure of the Great Leap Forward but also engaged in the foolishness of the Cultural Revolution.
Deng Xiaoping created the collective leadership system to prevent such a situation from happening again, but… now that it has returned to a one-person leadership system, it is no exaggeration to say that China’s fate is in his hands.
Of course, democracy is not a perfect system. There is always the risk of the majority making the wrong choice. But at least there are mechanisms to check power, and you can change the government if necessary.
If Korea were a dictatorship, would my head still be on my shoulders right now?
From Korea’s perspective, it’s a problem if China becomes too strong and adopts hegemonic tendencies, but it’s a bigger problem if the Chinese economy collapses or political instability arises.
The best scenario for Korea would be for China to continue to grow while respecting its neighboring countries.
I hesitated for a moment whether to speak or not, but decided to just say it.
“No matter how great a leader is, they can still make wrong decisions. The important thing is, when you point at a sparrow and call it a harmful bird, are there people around who will say no? And I think it’s good to listen to those words, if possible.”
The translator’s expression stiffened slightly at my words, but he mechanically conveyed them.
President Zhang Pinghua smiled.
“I listened to some good words. Unfortunately, it’s time for me to leave.”
“It was a good time for me as well.”
If not for an opportunity like this, when else would I be able to have a conversation with the President of China?
He looked at me and said.
“It was nice meeting you. Come to China anytime. China’s doors are wide open.”
***
After finishing our conversation and leaving the hotel, we looked around.
“It’s been a while since I was in New York.”
I had visited once before when I invested in a startup and was traveling around the world.
As befits the city of skyscrapers, towering high-rise buildings lined up in rows. Construction was in full swing everywhere, thanks to the booming real estate market.
The world and we ourselves have changed a lot in just a few years.
We got into the prepared car and moved to our accommodation.
The accommodation was on the top floor of a building in the Upper East Side, one of Manhattan’s wealthy neighborhoods.
We were astonished when we stepped inside.
It occupied two entire floors, and the interior was incredibly luxurious. The furniture was antique and elegant, and all the electronics were state-of-the-art.
The panorama of Central Park unfolded at a glance through the glass wall. Luckily, the weather was good today, and we could see New Yorkers relaxing in the park.
Huge modern art paintings hung on the walls. Judging by the texture, they didn’t seem to be reproductions.
It was a luxurious penthouse straight out of a Hollywood movie.
Taekgyu clicked his tongue.
“How much would a place like this cost?”
“Well, at least 50 million dollars, wouldn’t you think?”
Not long ago, an apartment in Gangnam was in the news for selling for over 10 billion won, but the prices of luxury homes in the US are beyond imagination.
Originally, Manhattan in New York was famous for having expensive housing prices along with San Francisco in the US. However, with San Francisco disappearing due to the Big One, Manhattan’s housing prices soared even further.
The situation was similar in other areas such as Chicago and Miami.
Japan, unintentionally, suffered a loss. Japanese real estate, which had ended its 20-year decline and was rebounding, turned downwards again as concerns about earthquakes grew.
“Our sister received something like this as a gift?”
The owner of this house was none other than Hyunjoo noona.
Having this luxurious penthouse in the heart of Manhattan was because Henry’s grandfather, James, gifted it to her in celebration of her pregnancy.
She received not only this penthouse but also a grand mansion in Beverly Hills. James also took care of the gift tax.
For ordinary people, it’s like winning the lottery, but for Hyunjoo noona, who already owns so much wealth, it’s literally just a ‘gift.’
“Seeing this house, it really hits me that our sister married into a wealthy family.”
Taekgyu and I have become rich in the past few years, but the Goldman family is a wealthy family that has been passed down for generations. Moreover, like stock market millionaires, most of our assets are in stocks, and we don’t have much cash or real estate. On the other hand, the Goldman family owns a tremendous number of properties in major cities around the world.
“Is our sister going to live here later?”
“She might.”
Golden Gate’s headquarters is on Wall Street. Later, when Henry becomes CEO of Golden Gate, they might come and live here together.
***
The US-China summit began.
The summit was held behind closed doors, and the world’s attention was focused on New York. Important issues are scheduled to be discussed over the next three days.
During breaks, Ronald told reporters.
“The summit is progressing well. I am having frank discussions with President Zhang. I expect good results for everyone.”
***
We stayed in New York while the summit was in progress.
Dinner was at a Michelin-starred steakhouse.
Reservations usually need to be made months in advance, but fortunately, there was a separate reservation program for residents, so we were able to book immediately.
While we were eating at a window seat, Taekgyu said in a small voice.
“Hey! Isn’t that woman… that woman?”
“Huh?”
I turned my head. There were two blonde beauties in dresses sitting there. One of them had a very familiar face.
I recalled her name.
“Was it Rose McDowell?”
“Probably.”
“Why was she famous again?”
Thinking about it, she wasn’t a singer or an actress. But she was famous enough that everyone in the world knew her.
“She’s famous for being famous.”
“What does that mean?”
Then Taekgyu chewed on his meat and said.
“It’s true. Because she’s famous, people pay attention to her, and because people pay attention, she becomes even more famous.”
“…….”
Is it like the bandwagon effect?
Taekgyu explained for my benefit, as I didn’t know much about it.
She was an unknown model when she first became famous, starting when she dated Hollywood star Louis Kidman.
But three months later, paparazzi photographed her cheating on Louis with his best friend Jason, and this decorated all sorts of entertainment news and tabloids, and she began to make her name known to the public in earnest.
After that, she continued to date celebrities and spread countless rumors, and with the fame she gained that way, she appeared on reality shows and evolved into a celebrity everyone knew.
The saying “famous for being famous” really suits her perfectly.
If something similar happened in Korea, wouldn’t she be completely buried? This is something possible because it’s America.
“Hey! She’s looking over here. Isn’t it possible she recognized your face?”
“No way……”
Taekgyu put down his fork.
“Ah, I’m full. I’ve eaten enough, should we go up?”
“I’ll have one more drink and go.”
“Okay. I’ll go up ahead and hang out.”
I drank my beer and enjoyed the New York night view. Being alone, Ellie and my mother suddenly came to mind. It would have been nice if they had come together.
I could have shown my mother around New York too.
As I was thinking that, I heard the clicking sound of heels. I turned my head and Rose McDowell was standing in front of me.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Do you know me?”
She naturally sat down opposite me and said.
“Of course. How could I not know the richest man in the world? Amazing. I never thought I’d actually see Mr. Kang Jin-hoo here.”
She was wearing a silk dress that clung tightly to her body. Her cleavage was clearly visible, making it awkward to look at her directly.
Looking at her up close, she really was beautiful.
Her voluptuous figure, her rich blonde hair, she was the quintessential Western beauty, I guess? No wonder so many men fell for her.
“Do you have any plans after dinner?”
“Well…”
Rose gave a mesmerizing smile.
“If you’re free, would you like to have a drink with me? I have some nice wine in my room.”
As she said that, she took out a key card from her bag and held it out towards me.
Is she really interested in me, or does she want to use me to become even more famous?
Either way, no thank you.
“Don’t you usually not like Asians?”
She once made a statement saying that Asians smelled, which drew criticism and led her to apologize.
Rose licked her lips slightly.
“Aren’t there different kinds of Asians?”
I pushed the key card on the table back towards her.
“Drink alone. I have a girlfriend.”
Rose looked surprised for a moment, but soon smiled.
“But you’re alone right now. What happens at night tends to disappear when the sun rises.”
“…….”
What a joke.
She has a history of eagerly talking about who she slept with and her relationships with ex-boyfriends everywhere.
Wouldn’t she do anything if it could make her famous?
If I went to a room with her, wouldn’t my face be plastered on the front page of every tabloid newspaper tomorrow?
Rose crossed her legs as if to show off and leaned forward, gathering her breasts.
“Do we need time to get to know each other?”
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Of course. What are you curious about about me?”
I smiled and said.
“Are you going to go back to your seat on your own, or should I call the manager to have you kicked out?”
Her expression hardened at my words.
“W-what did you say?”
At that moment, the sound of applause came from behind us.
Clap, clap, clap!
“Well done, Jin-hoo.”
There, standing there, was a woman whose beauty was in no way inferior to Rose McDowell.
I was shocked.
“Ellie!”
