Michael Burry shot to his feet.

Manager Ma reacted instantly to the sudden movement, but I raised a hand to stop him.

“You really think the same way I do?”

“Yes. That’s why I came here in person.”

“Wow! I’ve seen plenty of people talk about the risks. But you’re the first person who’s actually said they want to invest with me. This feels great!”

The way he clapped and laughed was so absurd I nearly let out a disbelieving laugh myself.

“I heard you’ve already gathered quite a lot of investment capital.”

“That’s because they invested money in me, not because they wanted to invest in CDS. The moment I started buying CDS, I started getting calls nonstop from investors demanding their money back.”

“Please sit down first. It’s hard talking while looking up at you.”

Michael Burry flinched and sat back down.

“Return all of it. I’ll invest more money than every one of those investors combined.”

“Some people do want out. But there are still people quietly trusting me without saying anything.”

“Hm. I’m not telling you to return money to those people too. So? What do you think?”

Instead of answering immediately, Michael Burry thought for a moment before throwing a question back at me.

“Charlie. You’re expecting the American housing market to collapse, right?”

“Of course. I told you we think alike.”

“Can I ask why?”

“It’s simple. The entire market is built on the belief that housing prices will keep rising. The moment that belief breaks, the bubble bursts. Personally, I think it all collapses within two years at most.”

Apparently satisfied with my answer, Michael Burry grinned.

“Exactly. The real estate market is built on top of a bubble. But what caught my attention most was the CDO market. They call them derivatives, but honestly? They’re fraud. Fraud. Listen, Charlie.”

Completely fired up, Michael Burry began passionately explaining the scenario he had predicted.

I simply nodded and listened.

After rambling nonstop for a long time, Michael Burry gulped down water and continued speaking.

“The biggest problem is that people genuinely believe they can just sell the house for a profit even if they can’t repay the loan. Do you think all those so-called experts at financial institutions don’t know there’s a problem? Of course they do. They just choose not to see it because the profits right in front of them are too sweet.”

Did the hardened experts of Wall Street really fail to foresee what Michael Burry predicted?

No.

Most of them probably already knew.

But compared to a bomb that might explode someday, the fruit hanging right in front of them tasted much sweeter, so they deliberately looked away.

And on top of that, they firmly believed the government would save them even if everything exploded.

In fact, even after the subprime mortgage crisis erupted, Wall Street investors still received bailouts while pocketing their bonuses.

Human greed had no end.

A simple housing market collapse alone would never have been enough to destroy the American economy or shake the global economy.

In the end, it was Wall Street’s greed that created years of economic catastrophe.

And I intended to use that greed to strip all of them of their profits.

“Right. Wall Street has always been like that. But I’m no different. Michael, neither are you, right?”

Michael Burry was no different from them either. He admitted it without resistance.

“That’s true. People tell me this all the time. That for me to make money, America’s economy has to collapse.”

Apparently displeased by those words, Michael Burry frowned slightly.

“So I always tell them this: if they don’t want me to make money, then they should just do what I’m saying. Start fixing things little by little before it explodes. But instead of listening, all they do is curse at me.”

“Well, that’s only natural. It’s a question of whether one person is happy or whether countless people are happy.”

“Would making money really make me happy? I don’t know. I don’t even know why I’m doing this anymore.”

After earning enormous profits and delivering massive returns to investors, Michael Burry eventually stopped taking outside money and ran his company as a family office.

And if I remembered correctly, the result wasn’t exactly a happy one.

As for me, I only intended to work with Michael Burry for this particular opportunity.

Of course, there was no reason to say that out loud.

Right now, building trust was what mattered.

“I think this should be enough for you to understand that our thinking aligns. So I’d like an answer.”

“Fine. How much are you planning to invest?”

“One billion dollars.”

Michael Burry’s eyes widened so much they looked ready to split open.

“One billion dollars?”

“Yes. Is that too little?”

“...You’re really that certain?”

“I am. And even if the prediction turns out wrong, it doesn’t matter. Losing one billion dollars won’t hurt me in the slightest.”

I could see Michael Burry’s eyes moving rapidly. Watching his reaction, I continued speaking.

“I’ll invest as much money as necessary. But my identity as an investor must remain completely hidden. That condition will be written into the contract.”

“That goes without saying. Every single investor I have asks for the same condition.”

“So? Your answer?”

“I can’t return money to every investor. That would violate our agreements. But the people asking to withdraw their funds? I’ll return their money.”

Now that was finally a satisfying answer.

I nodded and asked him:

“Good. Then let’s proceed with the contract in the presence of our lawyers. When works for you?”

“I need to speak with my investors first, so give me one week.”

“Fine. I’ll see you in a week. It was good meeting you.”

I stood and extended my hand. Michael Burry rose as well and shook it.

“If someone who thinks like me is my investor, that’s reassuring. I look forward to working with you.”

“We’ll discuss the details further next time. Then I’ll be on my way.”

After exchanging farewells, I left Michael Burry’s office.

The moment I stepped outside, I heard cheering erupt from beyond the office door.

The secretary escorting me out shook her head.

“Please don’t mind it. He’s a little strange, but he’s a good person.”

I smiled faintly at the awkward comment.

Mostly because I couldn’t think of anything to say in response.

* * *

I welcomed the New Year while drinking with Han Kyungyeong in the penthouse.

“So we’re ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) spending New Year’s here this year.”

“Yeah. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever spent New Year’s with you before.”

I nodded at Han Kyungyeong’s words.

“Yeah. I thought about going back and returning later, but things got pretty hectic in America. So this is how it ended up.”

After meeting Michael Burry, I met Obama in Washington and spoke with him.

Obama looked genuinely shocked after hearing what happened in Mexico.

I told the future president in advance because I wanted to prevent policies from changing simply because the administration changed. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

After meeting Obama, I also met Secretary of State Rice to discuss the recent events.

She seemed satisfied. Drug prices inside the United States were skyrocketing.

Which meant that, aside from people with serious money, obtaining drugs was becoming increasingly difficult.

As prices rose, the number of people who could access drugs would decrease, and naturally the number of addicts would decline as well.

Eventually, other supply routes would appear over time, but that was a problem for the Mexican cartels and the American government to deal with.

I spent several days rushing around without a moment to breathe, and before I knew it, it was the last day of the year.

“Well, spending New Year’s in New York isn’t bad. And it’s nice being with you, hyung. I’m not stealing your time or anything, am I? Ailee’s probably going to kill you.”

At my words, Han Kyungyeong suddenly widened his eyes as if remembering something.

Then he hurriedly grabbed his phone and started sending a text.

“Treat Ailee well.”

“Of course I do. How much better am I supposed to treat her? The only problem is I’m too busy...”

“You don’t plan on getting married?”

Han Kyungyeong slipped his phone away and raised an eyebrow.

“Not yet. Why? Do you want me to get married too? Everyone’s been nagging me lately.”

“That’s your decision. It’s your life. Though honestly, you two do suit each other.”

After taking a sip of wine, Han Kyungyeong changed the subject.

“You’ve been hearing about Leeds United, right?”

“I check in from time to time. But I’ve been stuck in Mexico for months, so I’ve been out of my mind.”

“Do you at least know their current ranking?”

There was no way I would. I’d barely managed to clear the mountain of work emails piled up while living like a madman.

I shrugged.

“The results that bad?”

“Yeah. It’s still midseason, but they’re sitting in tenth place.”

“What? How the hell did that happen?”

“A lot of injuries. And apparently the relationship between the players and coaching staff is a mess.”

“What a fucking disaster.”

As if thinking the exact same thing, Han Kyungyeong snorted.

“At least they still listen to the manager. But they ignore the rest of the coaching staff.”

“Who’s leading that bullshit?”

Han Kyungyeong shrugged.

“Apparently the kids who came up through the youth system are leading it. Those little bastards only learned the worst things.”

Ever since I acquired Leeds United, they had never once finished outside the top four.

Even if it was only midseason, tenth place was disastrous.

“Hm. I should probably take a look.”

“Yeah. You need to see it yourself to understand.”

“Sure. It’s not urgent though. Later.”

“Fine. But seriously, when you get the time, please take a proper look.”

We drank and chatted like that as the New Year arrived.

But the New Year itself didn’t really change anything.

I stayed at the penthouse organizing how I would control Michael Burry.

And just like that, a week passed.

I returned to Michael Burry’s office once again.

Michael Burry was waiting with his lawyer. I had brought mine as well.

After roughly drafting the contract, we sent the lawyers out to negotiate the details among themselves.

Then Michael Burry and I were left alone.

“Right now, Goldman Sachs is the only place where you’ve signed CDS contracts, correct?”

“Yes. With the capital we had, we couldn’t expand beyond that.”

“If another billion dollars comes in, how much more can you increase the position?”

After thinking briefly, Michael Burry asked:

“What’s the time frame?”

“At most two years. Think of it as paying premiums. Every dollar I invest will be used exclusively for CDS contracts.”

“I’ll squeeze Goldman Sachs for everything they’re willing to take.”

“Go to Lehman Brothers too. They’ll accept all of it.”

“Lehman Brothers?”

I nodded while holding eye contact with Michael Burry.

Then I deliberately emphasized the name Lehman Brothers.

“Yes. You absolutely must make the largest number of contracts with Lehman Brothers. And if capital becomes an issue, I can support up to ten billion dollars.”

“Ten billion dollars?”

The moment I mentioned a figure ten times larger than the original one billion, Michael Burry’s eyes widened again.

“Yes. Sign contracts with every American bank and insurance company.”

“If they go bankrupt, you could suffer massive losses.”

“Then we’ll just take the companies. Do it.”

Michael Burry opened and closed his mouth blankly before finally regaining his senses.

“Fine. We’ll do it. Anything else?”

“My name and James’s name can never appear anywhere. If our identities leak out, the entire plan collapses immediately. If anyone asks, just say massive outside investment came in.”

Michael Burry nodded.

“Don’t worry about that. I’ve never once revealed the identity of my investors.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“But regarding this matter... would it be alright if I brought other people in? The scale is too large for me to handle alone.”

Bring other people in?

Ah, he probably meant the group of four who worked alongside him.

“As long as you don’t mention me, you can proceed together.”

I was investing the largest amount of money.

I was also going to make the largest profit.

I couldn’t care less who else picked up scraps from the table.

Seeing my approval, Michael Burry’s cautious expression brightened immediately.

“Thank you.”

After that, we continued discussing how we would proceed.

“You know John Paulson, right?”

“John Paulson?”

“Yes. Hedge fund manager John Paulson.”

“I’ve only heard the name.”

During the financial crisis, John Paulson made far more money than Michael Burry.

The amount of capital he controlled wasn’t even comparable, and he made enormous profits betting against the housing market.

“You have to move faster than him. There’s a limit to how many CDS contracts banks are willing to accept.”

If we deliberately rushed in aggressively, even John Paulson would eventually be forced to step back.

The first one to grab the opportunity would devour the largest share.

The reason I chose Michael Burry over John Paulson was simple.

John Paulson had absolutely no reason to accept my proposal.

The man already controlled twenty-four billion dollars.

“Yes. I keep a close eye on that side.”

At that moment, the lawyers returned carrying the finalized contract.

Michael Burry and I signed the papers and shook hands.

The first button for the coming global financial crisis had been fastened successfully.