Chapter 152: That Time I Invested Overseas (3)

TL: Skye

The day after the UJF meeting.

Isabella entered Yu-jin’s presidential office and asked cautiously,

“Your Excellency, have you decided how you’ll raise the funds needed for the investment in Venezuela?”

Isabella had said he was bound to have an answer, but she couldn’t help worrying.

No matter how much of a Superhuman on a White Horse Yu-jin was, he wasn’t a summoner who could conjure dollars at will.

No matter how strong San Marcos’s finances had become, funding a project that would cost fifty billion dollars initially and seventy to eighty billion in the long run would be no easy task.

But Yu-jin’s answer was remarkably casual.

“Oh, that?”

He spoke without even looking up from his paperwork.

“I’m planning to create a sovereign wealth fund, like Singapore.”

“A sovereign wealth fund?”

Isabella asked again.

“But if we put the entire government budget into a sovereign wealth fund, our domestic projects will inevitably suffer...”

“That would be true if we used only the government budget.”

“Then...?”

Only then did Yu-jin look up at Isabella.

“I intend to attract investment from the people.”

“You mean you’ll ask the people to invest?”

“Yes.”

Yu-jin answered with conviction in his eyes.

“Korea has something called the National Pension. A fixed percentage is deducted from people’s income every month and paid into a fund, then returned to them as a pension in old age.”

“Then isn’t it effectively a tax?”

“In practical terms, yes. But all that money accumulated into a fund now worth over a trillion dollars.”

Yu-jin chuckled.

“Thanks to that, the head of Korea’s National Pension is treated as the president of the capital markets anywhere in the world. The fund isn’t merely a major shareholder in one or two companies. It holds shares in thousands of companies around the world.”

Isabella listened quietly.

“Of course, collecting it by force as Korea does would be difficult. The system is highly controversial even in Korea. It has plenty of problems too.”

“......”

“But I don’t think there’ll be a problem if we take only the good parts and make participation voluntary.”

“You intend to encourage the people to invest voluntarily?”

“More or less.”

Yu-jin said as he turned around.

“We’ll call it the Tortilla Fund. What do you think?”

Isabella’s heart raced when she saw Yu-jin’s beaming smile.

He would pool not only government funds but the people’s money and invest it overseas.

In other words.

‘He’s making the entire population investors in his campaign of conquest...!’

A thrill ran down Isabella’s spine.

Indeed.

For a nation to rise as a hegemonic power, it was only natural to mobilize its full capabilities, including its people.

History had proven that time and again.

The nobles of ancient Rome practiced noblesse oblige, every man in Genghis Khan’s Mongolia rode across Central Asia, and Germany...

‘That one’s not a great example.’

At any rate, every nation that had vied for global supremacy had done so with the participation of its people.

Isabella answered in a trembling voice.

“It is a magnificent idea.”

“Well, it’s not that impressive... I’m just copying Korea’s National Pension.”

Yu-jin dismissed it as nothing special, but Isabella didn’t hear him.

In her eyes, Yu-jin had already become the president of a hegemonic power.

“I will prepare an address to the nation immediately.”

“No... A simple announcement would be enough...”

“No. As this is a project led by Your Excellency, every citizen must know about it without exception. I will prepare the speech as well, so please make your preparations with Secretary Anna.”

“......”

Isabella was strangely solemn about the whole thing.

*

Three hours later.

At Isabella’s insistence, Yu-jin delivered an address to the nation.

Isabella had even written the address for him.

He had originally intended to say that the government would create a matching fund and invite everyone to invest their spare money, but instead he found himself holding an oddly solemn speech.

“My respected fellow citizens of San Marcos. Today, I stand before you to tell you one truth.”

What truth, all of a sudden?

Flustered, Yu-jin paused to steady his breathing.

“Over the past six years, we have created miracles. We rebuilt a fallen nation, fed our starving people, and gave a future to young people who once wandered without work.”

Yu-jin raised his head.

“But, my fellow citizens, I cannot stop here. No, I have no intention of stopping.”

Since he had already come this far, he decided he might as well go all out, and his voice gained strength.

“We are not yet a developed nation. Our children still receive less education than children in the United States and Europe, and our hospitals still fall short of those in developed countries. Our jobs still pay lower wages than theirs.”

Yu-jin paused.

“We must go further.”

He looked straight into the camera.

“So that San Marcos may prosper! So that our children may stand tall as proud citizens wherever they go in the world! So that we may cross the threshold into the ranks of developed nations!”

Yu-jin’s voice rose.

“The government and I need your help.”

“......”

“San Marcos must now move beyond domestic growth and venture out into the world. Just as Singapore built its wealth in the world’s capital markets beyond its own borders, San Marcos intends to follow the same path.”

Yu-jin extended a hand.

“And so, today, I announce the launch of the Tortilla Fund.”

The Tortilla Fund’s logo appeared on the display panel.

“The Tortilla Fund is a sovereign wealth fund created jointly by the government and all of you. It will invest in overseas infrastructure and assets, bringing the profits back to San Marcos. With that money, we will build more schools, establish more hospitals, and create better jobs.”

Yu-jin swallowed and looked into the camera.

“I cannot turn San Marcos into a developed nation by myself.”

Yu-jin placed a hand over his heart.

“It will only be possible with the help of each and every citizen of San Marcos.”

“Your participation will become the future of San Marcos. Your investment will become our children’s tomorrow. Your choice will be the final key to bringing this nation into the ranks of developed countries.”

Yu-jin bowed his head.

“For the tomorrow of San Marcos. For the future of our children. I earnestly ask every one of you to join us. Thank you.”

The address ended.

It had been an unnecessarily solemn speech for what it was actually about.

But behind the camera, Isabella was nodding in satisfaction.

‘His Excellency’s will must have reached the people.’

And her belief soon became reality.

*

Immediately after the address aired.

The people began interpreting Yu-jin’s intentions in a completely different way.

“Hey, did you hear? His Excellency created a fund!”

“So what? Isn’t it only for people who want to invest?”

“You hopeless fool. His Excellency personally delivered an address encouraging us to invest. What do you think that means? He’s selecting the first-class citizens!”

“F-first-class citizens?”

“That’s right, you idiot! It means the people who invest in the fund are true citizens of San Marcos! If you don’t invest, you become a second-class citizen!”

That was absolutely not what Yu-jin meant, but no one questioned the interpretation.

Some even said,

“This is our chance. We can use this chance to repay His Excellency’s kindness in some small way...!”

“His Excellency gave us food, jobs, and homes, and now he even wants to give us money!”

Signs of excessive loyalty began appearing everywhere.

Chatter, chatter...

Lines began forming outside Tortilla Bank at four in the morning.

At Tortilla Bank’s Libertad headquarters, the line even wrapped around the building three times.

The moment the bank opened, people poured inside like a surging tide.

“I want to invest in the fund!”

A bank clerk held out a document and said,

“Please be advised that the Tortilla Fund is an investment product and carries the risk of losing your principal. Please read the investment prospectus first...”

“Shut up!”

A middle-aged man who had come to put his money into the fund cut the clerk off.

“How dare a wench like you question His Excellency’s abilities?!”

“N-no, I’m not. I’m simply under a legal obligation to inform you...”

“Just shut up and put in all three thousand dollars. It’s everything I own.”

“Um, if you invest everything you own...”

“Shut up and process it already!”

A shout erupted from the next line as well.

“Ma’am, this is an investment product, so your principal isn’t guaranteed...”

“I don’t know what principal is, but if His Excellency says to do it, then I’m doing it! How dare a wet-behind-the-ears brat like you doubt His Excellency?!”

A bundle of bills wrapped in cloth was placed on the counter.

The children were even more shocking.

“Mister! I want to invest in the fund too!”

A child who looked about ten years old had brought an entire piggy bank.

“M-minors need the consent of a legal guardian...”

“I came with my mom!”

The child’s mother stood behind them, smiling brightly as she signed the paperwork.

Scenes like this unfolded simultaneously across San Marcos.

Within a single day, every branch of Tortilla Bank was packed wall to wall, and the staff at each branch were overwhelmed processing applications for the fund.

Maria was among those who had decided to invest.

The outskirts of Libertad. Phase 1 New Town.

Maria, who had recently relocated after her home in the redevelopment district was demolished, took an old cookie box from deep inside her wardrobe.

When she opened the lid, she found dollar bills folded neatly inside.

Eighteen thousand dollars.

It was money her husband, Pierson, had sent home while working at Tortilla Farm and the New Town construction sites.

She had occasionally dipped into it when things became truly desperate, but because Maria earned their living expenses by working at a restaurant, she had saved most of it untouched.

Maria glanced through Pierson’s letters, which she had kept with the money.

‘Maria. The corn I planted sprouted today.’

‘Maria. I sent this month’s wages. Buy the children something tasty.’

‘Maria. I’m sorry. And thank you. I promise I’ll come home.’

Tears welled in Maria’s eyes as she read the letters.

The feelings behind them meant so much to her that she had kept the money at home instead of depositing it in a bank.

‘His Excellency changed Pierson.’

From a gang member into a farmer. From a criminal into a family man.

He had even provided them with a place to live after their home was demolished.

Maria had always wondered how she could repay that kindness.

At last, she had found a way.

His Excellency had asked for the people’s help.

Having made up her mind, Maria picked up the cookie box and left the house.

With her head held high, she made her way to a branch of Tortilla Bank.

“I’d like to invest in the Tortilla Fund.”

“Of course. How much would you like to invest?”

“Eighteen thousand dollars.”

The bank clerk’s eyes widened.

“Eighteen thousand dollars is... a substantial amount. Are you certain? Unlike a deposit, a fund carries the risk of losing your principal.”

“I don’t mind if I lose it all. It can still help me repay His Excellency’s kindness in some small way.”

“......”

The bank clerk was speechless.

Maria took the bills from the cookie box and placed them on the counter.

“Please make sure it is put to good use in accordance with His Excellency’s wishes.”

Maria’s steps were light as she left the bank after signing the paperwork.

Under the clear sky, children played among the New Town’s clean apartment buildings.

‘Thank you, Your Excellency.’

Maria looked up at the sky.

The box was empty, but her heart was full.

*****

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