The sudden blaring of a phone ringing shattered the silence of the early morning.
Ring— Ring—
Seok-won, lying alone in his spacious bed, turned over before reaching out and grabbing his phone from the nightstand.
His voice was still thick with sleep as he answered.
"Hello?"
[Mr. Park, it's Baikel.]
Even over the phone, the weight of the mont was palpable.
Sensing that sothing was wrong, Seok-won imdiately sat up straight and asked in fluent English.
"Is Ms. Jacqueline's condition worsening?"
Baikel was the primary physician of Jacqueline, the mother of Barrack Obama, who had been battling terminal uterine cancer since last year.
[Yes. I'm sorry to say this, but I believe it's ti to start preparing for the end.]
"Hmm."
Seok-won had already been aware that Jacqueline's health had been deteriorating over the past few days.
But hearing that her final monts were near still made him let out an unconscious sigh.
"Have you inford the family?"
[Of course. However, it seems the patient has specifically asked us not to inform her son in Chicago for the ti being.]
She was likely trying to spare her son, who was currently in the middle of campaigning for a Senate seat in Illinois.
"Even if he's the frontrunner, disappearing for a few days during an election campaign isn't easy."
The fact that she was thinking of her child's future rather than her own final monts reminded Seok-won once again just how remarkable a mother's love could be.
"Understood. Please update
imdiately if there's any change in her condition."
[I will.]
Ending the call, Seok-won rubbed his face a few tis, shaking off the last remnants of sleep. Then, he imdiately dialed Landon.
After a few short rings, Landon picked up.
"It's ."
[What brings you to call at this hour?]
"Send the company's private jet to Chicago imdiately."
[A private jet? May I ask what's going on?]
Landon sounded puzzled by the sudden order.
"Obama's mother isn't doing well."
Since it was Seok-won's orders that had ensured Jacqueline received the best dical care, covering all hospital expenses and even providing her with personal caregivers, Landon imdiately understood the gravity of the situation.
[I'll have it sent as soon as possible.]
"I'll also need my personal jet ready—I have to leave for Hawaii."
[Are you planning to depart today?]
"Yes."
[Understood. I'll have everything prepared so you can depart as soon as you arrive at the airport.]
Normally, one would have to check flight schedules, but with a private jet at his disposal, Seok-won could fly anywhere at any ti without restrictions.
After a brief call, he searched for Obama's number. Just as he was about to press the call button, he hesitated.
It wasn't just because Jacqueline herself had chosen not to inform her son about her condition—more than that, Obama was on the verge of a life-changing mont with the upcoming state senate election.
Since his district was a Democratic stronghold, barring any unexpected twists, his victory was all but certain.
"But nothing in life is truly guaranteed. A single unforeseen variable can change everything."
And that variable could very well be his mother's death.
Especially since Jacqueline was the person Obama loved and respected the most, the emotional shock and grief would undoubtedly be overwhelming.
"If I rember correctly, he only rushed to Hawaii after his sister contacted him—by then, Jacqueline was already in a coma, and he never got to say goodbye."
Seok-won murmured to himself, his face clouded with conflict.
He vividly recalled reading in Obama's moirs before his regression that this was sothing Obama had regretted and felt ashad of for the rest of his life.
Even a small difference could trigger a butterfly effect—one that completely altered Obama's future.
And if that happened, it could disrupt the ticulously crafted plans Seok-won had orchestrated.
For a brief mont, he hesitated further.
But not for long.
"Even if it changes things, I can always bring them back on track with my own hands."
He let out a bitter sigh.
"But knowing what I do… I can't just let him miss his mother's final monts."
With his mind made up, he no longer hesitated.
Seok-won found Obama's number and dialed.
[Hello?]
As always, Obama's voice was bright and energetic.
Feeling a heavy weight in his chest, Seok-won slowly spoke.
"Obama, it's ."
[What's going on?]
"I have sothing to tell you."
* * *
New York, Long Island, Southampton.
In the library of a mansion surrounded by high walls, George Soros, a Wall Street mogul, was sipping tea while reading the latest issue of The Wall Street Journal.
[SECOND FEDERAL GOVERNNT SHUTDOWN HITS!]
The bold headline was followed by several pages of detailed analysis on the unprecedented second governnt shutdown of the year, its impacts, and its future outlook.
As Soros glanced at the black-and-white photo of House Speaker Eric Savitz walking out of Capitol Hill with a stern expression, he let out a short tsk.
"Seeing the White House and the Republicans go at each other's throats like this… the election must be getting close."
If it weren't for next year's presidential election, neither side would have escalated the standoff to this extent.
"That also ans neither of them will back down easily."
The mont one side retreats, the other gains the upper hand in the political landscape, making a compromise even harder to reach.
Still, with the election looming, public opinion would force them to negotiate—just like last ti.
"If they take this to the bitter end, they'll just destroy each other. And no one's that stupid."
Just as he was muttering to himself, he sensed soone approaching.
"Sothing interesting in the papers?"
Soros turned his head to see Rodney, dressed in a sharp navy pinstripe suit, smiling as he approached.
"Co in."
Soros put down his newspaper and shook hands with Rodney as he sat down on the opposite couch, unbuttoning his jacket.
Rodney glanced at the newspaper on the table and remarked,
"You're reading about the shutdown."
Soros shrugged.
"The federal governnt has shut down, stopped working. That's a big deal, isn't it?"
"Well, you're not wrong."
But neither of them looked particularly worried.
"The governnt shuts down, yet all three major indexes remain steady. What's the mood on Wall Street?"
"Given what happened last ti, traders seem to be waiting and watching for now."
"Makes sense. A lot of people bet on a market crash last ti and got burned."
"No one expected even gold prices to drop instead of rising as a safe haven asset. But the internet boom was just that strong."
Soros let out a bitter chuckle.
"When the market flips like that, even the best players get wiped out."
"You're absolutely right."
Soros sipped his tea, set the cup down, and continued.
"I hear you've taken a $100 million short position on the S&P 500 futures."
"That's right."
Soros narrowed his eyes at Rodney.
"So, you think this shutdown will hit harder than the last one?"
"If I were that confident, I would've bet an even larger sum."
"Fair enough. If you were only capable of that much, I wouldn't have recruited you into my fund. So, why did you buy put options?"
"I noticed that Eldorado Fund was making massive short positions, so I decided to follow their lead."
Soros's brows lifted slightly, caught off guard by Rodney's unexpected answer.
Then, recalling a recent report, he muttered to himself,
"Now that you ntion it, Eldorado Fund has been shorting the market."
"Yes. I don't know the exact figure, but based on estimations, they've shorted at least $10 billion worth of the top 10 stocks in the S&P 500."
"Oh?"
A spark of interest flickered in Soros's eyes.
"A bet that big ans they're confident the market will drop, doesn't it?"
"They wouldn't place such a bet otherwise."
"Now this is fascinating."
Soros rubbed his clean-shaven chin, letting out a thoughtful hmm.
Then, raising his gaze to Rodney, he asked,
"Any idea what Park Seok-won is seeing that's making him do this?"
"I do have a theory."
"Let's hear it."
Encouraged by Soros's curiosity, Rodney shared the conclusion he had reached after analyzing Seok-won's strategy.
"I believe he's anticipating an extended governnt shutdown due to the escalating standoff between the White House and the Republicans."
Soros pondered this seriously for a mont before his expression darkened slightly.
"If that actually happens, the market will get rattled by uncertainty."
"But I doubt that's likely. Both sides may be at each other's throats, but they're not stupid enough to let this spiral out of control."
Soros nodded, agreeing.
"Exactly. Even if things do escalate, the mont Congress panics and reaches a deal, the market will recover quickly. A major crash is unlikely."
"I completely agree."
"But still… if a crash does happen, Park Seok-won will once again pull off another legendary contrarian win."
A grin spread across Soros's face, his eyes gleaming with excitent.
"This is going to be fun to watch."
Rodney, however, felt a flicker of irritation at how the conversation kept shifting back to Seok-won.
The more Soros, a fund manager and ntor he deeply respected, showed interest in Seok-won, the more Rodney's dissatisfaction grew.
Suppressing his feelings, Rodney deliberately changed the subject.
"By the way, you ntioned you had sothing to discuss?"
"Ah, right."
Soros quickly erased the amusent from his face, adopting a serious tone.
"What's your opinion on Asian countries?"
Rodney's brows furrowed slightly at the unexpected question.
"I'm not sure what you an."
"To be more precise, I'm asking how you view the economic situation of developing Asian nations like Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia."
It was obvious that Soros had a deeper reason for bringing this up, but Rodney couldn't quite grasp what it was.
He subtly watched Soros's expression, then carefully replied,
"Well… all three have experienced rapid economic growth over the past decade, haven't they?"
A cryptic smile ford on Soros's lips.
"Is that so? To , they look like reckless nouveau riche, partying on the edge of a cliff—popping champagne bottles with borrowed money."
"...!"
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