CH135

April 9, 1995 – New York, USA, 4:30 PM

The setting sun cast a crimson glow between the towering skyscrapers of Manhattan, slowly dipping below the horizon.

Landon entered the One New York Plaza building, carefully balancing a takeaway coffee carrier in both hands.

Since it was the weekend, the vast lobby—adorned with expensive natural marble flooring—was eerily silent, save for two private security guards, each with a holstered gun at their waist.

Crossing the lobby, Landon stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the upper floors.

When he arrived on the 31st floor, he walked down the hallway until he reached a door bearing a golden logo: Eldorado Fund.

Taking care not to spill the coffee, he entered a passcode into the keypad on the wall.

With a metallic click, the lock disengaged, and the door swung open.

Inside, a few early arrivals were already present—Andrew, the senior investment chief, along with the foreign exchange (FX) trading team.

"You guys got here early."

At one end of the spacious trading floor, the FX desk was lit up, and Andrew, along with his team, turned their heads toward Landon.

"You're the last one in," Andrew said with a grin, casually perched on the edge of a desk, his dress shirt sleeves rolled up.

"Which is why I brought coffee."

"Oh!"

Landon lifted the coffee carrier, and Tyler—the burly, bearded FX team lead—brightened immediately.

"We're going to need that caffeine if we're pulling an all-nighter."

Landon handed over the coffee to Tyler, then noticed two large pizzas sitting on a round table.

"This our dinner?" he asked.

"Dinner and late-night snack," one of the team members replied as he distributed the coffee cups.

Landon picked up a slice without hesitation and took a bite.

"Not bad."

"Probably the best pizza in Manhattan," someone commented.

"Would've been even better with some beer."

At that, Tyler smirked and pulled a pack of canned beer from under the table.

"Did you really think I'd forget?"

Landon let out a small chuckle.

"We're still working, though. Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Oh, come on. Beer's basically just a soft drink."

Landon shook his head, amused.

"Fine, but don't overdo it. Keep yourselves in check."

"Don't worry about it."

Landon swallowed his bite of pizza and wiped his hands with a napkin before stepping up beside Andrew.

"How's the situation looking?"

Andrew nodded toward a computer monitor displaying the yet-to-open Australian Sydney Forex market.

"As you can see, it's still quiet."

The reason they were all at the office on a golden Sunday evening was simple.

Seok-won had given them inside intel—George Soros and the hedge fund alliance were about to launch an all-out assault, aiming to finally bring the Bank of Japan to its knees after relentless yen attacks.

"You could've just waited for a phone call with the results. Why come all the way here?"

"This could be a historic moment—watching the Bank of Japan wave the white flag. No way I'm missing that."

Landon's eyes gleamed with anticipation.

Andrew smirked, nodding in agreement.

"Honestly, this is going to be more thrilling than the Super Bowl final."

Then, with a sigh, he clicked his tongue.

"It's a shame, though. A once-in-a-lifetime showdown, and all we can do is sit back and watch."

Landon grinned knowingly.

"That's exactly why I suggested to the boss that we should jump into the fight ourselves."

Andrew's eyes lit up.

"And? What did he say?"

Landon flashed a sly smile before delivering the answer Andrew was hoping for.

"He said if our hands are itching that bad, we can use the $330 million we made from the Barings Bank bond investment to trade."

"Knew it! That's our boss!"

Andrew clenched his fist in excitement before immediately turning to Tyler and the rest of the team.

"You heard that, guys? We're in! Get ready!"

"For real?!"

"Hell yeah! No way we were just gonna sit here and watch!"

Already eager to do more than spectate the fierce battle brewing between Soros's hedge fund group and the Bank of Japan, Tyler and the team erupted into cheers.

Fired up, they hastily set down their pizza and beers, dashing to their desks to prepare for trading.

Watching the flurry of activity, Landon turned to Andrew and asked,

"You think Soros can force the Bank of Japan to surrender?"

"The Bank of Japan is no pushover. The outcome will only be clear when the dust settles. But with Quantum Fund and countless other Wall Street hedge funds joining the all-out assault, it won't be easy for them to hold out."

"True. Even a lion falls when it's surrounded by a pack of starving hyenas."

One thing was certain—it was going to be an exceptionally thrilling spectacle.

Landon casually popped open a can of beer, waiting for the market to open.

***

Meanswhile, Hanam-dong, Seoul

In the early hours of the morning, before the sun had even risen, Seok-won descended the stairs dressed in comfortable loungewear.

With only a few dim accent lights on, the living room was shrouded in darkness.

Crossing the space, he entered the kitchen and reached for the switch on the wall.

Click.

As the kitchen suddenly brightened, Seok-won blinked and filled the electric kettle with water before switching it on.

He took out a mug, emptied two packets of instant coffee into it, and waited for the water to boil.

Just then, Gunsan-daek entered the kitchen, yawning as if she had just woken up.

"Second Young Master, you're up early."

"Yes. Did you sleep well?"

"You know me—I fall asleep the moment my head hits the pillow. Are you having coffee? Oh dear, let me make it for you. Take a seat."

"It's fine. You should go back to bed and get some more rest. It's still early."

"Nonsense. I need to start preparing breakfast."

She chuckled, saying that being diligent was necessary to get a head start on ingredient prep.

At that moment, the kettle clicked, signaling that the water had boiled.

Seok-won poured the hot water into his mug, stirring it with a teaspoon while slightly bowing his head.

"Then, I'll head back to my room."

"Of course, Young Master."

Leaving the bustling Gunsan-daek behind, Seok-won climbed the stairs to his second-floor room.

The sweet aroma of coffee filled the air as he sat at the desk by the window, the bright monitor light illuminating his face.

His computer screen displayed the Australian Sydney foreign exchange rate window.

Since the market had yet to open, there was no movement—just still numbers.

[USD/JPY: 83.61]

When the yen first broke past 90, the market was already in shock. But over the past month, the yen had continued to strengthen, now reaching an astonishing 83.61.

The Bank of Japan and the government were undoubtedly in turmoil over the relentless yen surge, but for Seok-won, who had placed long bets, it had been a highly profitable ride.

"They've been holding out by slowly chipping away at their foreign exchange reserves, but they must be reaching their limit."

If the final defense line of 80 yen were breached, the resulting panic would be far beyond what had happened when 90 yen collapsed. The Japanese forex market could be plunged into total chaos.

"That's why the Bank of Japan and the government are doing everything they can to defend 80 yen."

Over the past month, they had poured a staggering $14 billion into the market to slow the yen's rise, yet it continued to surge—now just a breath away from the 80-yen threshold.

George Soros, who understood the Bank of Japan's predicament better than anyone, was preparing to land a decisive final blow—a knockout punch.

Due to the Japanese government's market controls, Tokyo's foreign exchange rates often lagged behind real-time global movements.

Typically, Tokyo's market rates mirrored those already established in New York or London.

As a result, the battle between George Soros's hedge fund alliance and the Bank of Japan was unfolding not just in Japan but across New York and London as well.

However, since yesterday was the weekend, today's Tokyo forex rate wouldn't be influenced by New York or London, which were both closed.

Instead, the first market to open on Monday—and thus the one to set the tone—was Sydney, Australia.

"Sydney isn't a market the Bank of Japan usually pays much attention to. Plus, since it opens at such a vulnerable hour, they're bound to take a hit."

Even if the Bank of Japan realized the situation and tried to intervene, by then, the momentum would already be in the hands of the hedge funds.

To regain control, they would need to flood the market with even more capital than the attacking hedge funds and aggressively buy dollars.

"The problem is that Japan's sluggish and bureaucratic system makes it nearly impossible for them to react swiftly before the Tokyo market opens."

If that happened, the shock from Sydney's opening would ripple straight into Tokyo's forex market, amplifying the panic and chaos.

And that was precisely what George Soros and the hedge funds were counting on.

"George Soros really is ruthless when you think about it."

Muttering to himself, Seok-won picked up the phone resting on his desk.

He pressed the call button and brought the device to his ear as the dial tone rang.

[Yes, this is Kim Jung-sik.]

"It's me."

[Ah, Director.]

Recognizing the familiar voice of Investment Team 1 leader, Kim Jung-sik, Seok-won leaned back into his chair and spoke.

"Everything is set, right?"

Having followed Seok-won's orders, Kim and his team had spent the night near the office and had already been at their desks since midnight. His voice was taut with focus as he responded.

[Of course.]

"As soon as the Sydney forex market opens, the exchange rate is going to shift dramatically. Keep monitoring the market closely, and when I give the signal, sell off our position immediately."

[Understood.]

Ending the call, Seok-won set his phone down and checked the watch on his wrist.

"Five minutes until the Sydney forex market opens."

The thought of the impending showdown between the Bank of Japan and George Soros's hedge fund army, a battle that would decide the fate of the yen, sent a surge of anticipation through him.

Taking a sip of coffee, Seok-won calmly fixed his eyes on the monitor displaying the yen's exchange rate.

Then, at exactly 6:00 AM, the Sydney forex market opened.

For the first twenty minutes, the market remained eerily still—the calm before the storm.

But then, suddenly—

A flood of massive buy orders poured in, sending the yen soaring.

[USD/JPY: 83.61]▼

[USD/JPY: 83.37]▼

[USD/JPY: 83.25]▼

▼

▼

[USD/JPY: 83.10] ▼

Watching the yen surge with terrifying momentum, Seok-won flashed a sharp grin.

"The Tokyo air raid has finally begun."