Chairman Lee continued talking.
"The hard money lenders at that time suffered a bitter blow when the banks took the promissory note discount service that they had been providing to companies. That was the reason why I quit the hard money lending business and moved to the real estate investment business. I went to Apgujeong Town, Gangnam District in Seoul and started investing in condos. The condos in Gangnam were already selling at a high price, but I was certain that people would be willing to pay even more for those condos. I was sure about it because I knew that people preferred the convenient location of Gangnam, and they also had a desire to show off that they were living in a nice community—the Gangnam area."
"You must have made a fortune from that investment."
"I did. But then the IMF happened."
"Gosh, you must have lost a lot then."
"No, actually I didn't."
Chairman Lee wagged his head.