Past Life Returner

Side Story 13: The Next Day - Na Jeon-Il (2)

How should I accept the omnipotent ability of my son?

The evil god Doom Kaos was a being that could not be explained by human knowledge. Omnipotence could be vaguely pictured as the power that could have overthrown such an entity, but thinking beyond that still confined it to existing categories.

Humans have called beings with transcendent and mysterious abilities ‘gods.’ However, that was merely an abstract product created by humans. Even though Na Jeon-Il’s son had actually become such a being and returned to earth, it did not feel real.

Nonetheless, the club was different. Each member of the club was a real global magnate. There were rumors that they gathered to worship the devil and that there was an alien race that had secretly ruled humanity since ancient times. These were just conspiracy theories that could have been just gossip. They were unverifiable and seemed like a different world from where he lived.

However, this was real. The fact that a few global giants were collaborating was real! It was difficult for global giants to interact with each other in the distant past.

But now? Immediate communication was possible with a single phone call, and global magnates from around the world could gather in a few days with flights. The oceans and mountains that stood between them were no longer barriers as they were in the past.

These people gathered annually to shape the world order. This would have been the foundation of the G8’s economic report, and the agendas raised in European and American parliaments would also have started here.

Moreover, what about the policies of the Federal Reserve that influenced the global economy?

There was a saying in the financial sector taken as truth.

No one knows the direction of interest rates.

The starting and ending point of the global economy was the US interest rate set by the Federal Reserve. When they set the interest rate, the whole world followed it.

The benchmark interest rate set by the Monetary Policy Committee under the Bank of Korea was the same. If the US raised it, they did the same. If it lowered, then they lowered the interest as well. It was the same for all countries around the world.

Therefore, the influence triggered by the Federal Reserve could be said to be the entirety of the world economy. Hence, the saying in the financial sector, which was taken as the absolute truth, could be said to be half right and half wrong.

There were those who knew the direction of interest rates in advance, and their associates never made losing investments. Knowing the flow of the world economy in advance, how could they lose money?

The reason Jonathan Hunter was believed to be the head of the club was not only due to his wealth and supernatural abilities. A transformation that shook the world economy had occurred in the past. This was a matter known only to those in the know.

The board and chairman of the Federal Reserve had been replaced all at once. A common thread among their backgrounds was that they all had some connection to the Jonathan Investment Finance Group. Jonathan Hunter’s people dominated the world economy.

So, if Jonathan Hunter was not the head of the club, then who could it possibly be?

“Jeon… Jeon-Il… Jeon-Il Club? Did you find it? You did it?”

“Yes, Father.”

His son’s reply was the same.

“The…the…the…”

Having dedicated half his life to the financial sector, the place that seemed omnipotent to Na Jeon-Il was right there. It was the club in a broader sense, but it was the U.S. Federal Reserve System in detail.

They not only determined the world’s interest rates, but also printed the world’s reserve currency, the dollar, and lent it to the U.S. government. All matters related to the global economy started from there. They were, in essence, the omnipotent god of the economic world.

“Then…then…the FED…and… he FRB…”

His son remained silent, but that silence said it all.

Na Jeon-Il felt dizzy. If his son had not supported him, he would have lost his balance in that instant as his mind went blank.

“I am so sorry for keeping it a secret all this time, Father.”

***

“Before the 1997 IMF crisis took place, I brought Jonathan to Korea. We started from Bangkok.”

His son’s monologue began calmly, but it was the most shocking story Na Jeon-Il had ever heard in his life. He was not this appalled even on the Day of Advent, when he saw the evil god Doom Kaos, and even when he found out that his son was pre-Awakened with omnipotent transcendent abilities.

According to his son, the success stories covered in Jonathan Hunter’s autobiography were all led by him. Na Jeon-Il had always thought of his son as someone who had an inherent talent for finance.

However, that was it. He thought his modest support had helped bring out his son’s hidden talent, but his talent had been in action long before his help.

“I couldn’t burden you with it, Father. I am sorry to say this, but if not for me…it would have been too much for even you to bear. I know it was a unilateral decision, but I am telling you the truth, Father.”

Na Jeon-Il was at a loss for words.

“At that time, I knew the Day of Advent would come. So, the primary goal I set was…”

“To protect…our foundation…right? Isn’t that so?”

That was also a matter revealed in Jonathan Hunter’s hearing.

“Yes.”

So, his son chose to dominate the world economy to protect the foundation of humanity. Then, he accomplished such a seemingly impossible feat. Na Jeon-Il could not disagree regarding his son’s claim that no one else but him could have achieved this.

What his son had done was not something an individual could do. It was something that even a superpower like the U.S. would not dare attempt, even with a long-term meticulous plan at the national level.

Looking back, his son was extraordinary. How could he do such a thing…

“Father.”

Na Jeon-Il was scared of what else his son would say.

“I told you I was a pre-Awakened, right?”

“Yes.”

Na Jeon-Il had guessed that his son’s awakening as a pre-Awakened coincided with the time the insignia of Revival was engraved on his chest. However, the shocking fact his son told him was different from his assumption.

“I have memories from when I was in Mother's womb.”

“What do you mean?”

“I awoke as I was born. But…”

But?

“My first awakening was not in this life but in my past life. It was a post-apocalyptic era where only a few humans survived. Just before its complete destruction, I was given a chance to start again. How can I forget the moment when Mother went through so much to give birth to me?”

***

The fragments of words ransacked the inside of Na Jeon-Il’s mind. Reincarnation. Pre-Awakened. The age of annihilation. The ‘Jeonil’ Club. Jonathan Investment Finance Group. Insignia of Revival. Until all those jumbled thoughts aligned in the correct chronological order, Na Jeon-Il just sat there, blinking.

His son silently watched him with a worried look, but he did nothing, trusting in his wisdom.

“What was the age of annihilation like?”

“It was a world crushed under the corps of Doom Kaos. Before that, the privileged of humanity had polluted their own lands.”

“Tell me in more detail.”

“Before I reversed time, humans only had five urban areas to survive in. The rest was still affected by the aftermath of nuclear explosions, and the areas polluted by the forces of Doom Kaos were uninhabitable for humans. Even if there were livable lands, they were occupied by the enemy, so it was almost impossible for humans to reclaim them. So, we were on the verge of extinction.”

His son seemed determined to spill everything. When Na Jeon-Il unintentionally averted his gaze, he realized how shaky his legs were. He needed to control himself for his son, who would have been very concerned about him.

Na Jeon-Il tried to stop the legs from shaking, but they did not stop.

“This is too shocking.”

All Na Jeon-Il could do was force a smile. But he was worried about how weird and awkward his smile would have been, so he immediately stiffened his face.

Na Jeon-Il felt an intense thirst. As he found it hard to get up, his son moved on his behalf. Soon, he heard the sound of water being poured from the kitchen.

In the meantime, Na Jeon-Il unbuttoned his pajama top. The insignia of Revival was revealed. He remembered the excitement he felt when he first learned about it from his son. It was such an instinctive emotion.

His son must have faced unimaginable hardships while experiencing the apocalypse. Moreover, he had passed the insignia on to him, especially with the great responsibility of preserving humanity.

All the pre-Awakened and Awakened from the Stage of Advent said their battles were a matter of life and death at every moment. Yet, his son entrusted it to him, who could not even utilize it.

He should have…

His son returned.

“It is all in the past. We no longer have enemies, Father. You should smile, not cry.”

“Hey, I am crying out of happiness. You should also have a child like you and see if you can hold back your tears. Go to the washroom since I am embarrassed. You must take shit even though you are omnipotent, right? Or…not…?”

Na Jeon-Il’s voice kept shivering. The overwhelming joy was something only Na Jeon-Il, with such a son, could experience in this whole world.

***

His son’s fiancée had not woken up, and his wife was still deeply asleep, probably due to the intense emotions from the night before. Therefore, he was happy that he could talk longer with his son.

The conversation shifted from the apocalypse his son experienced in his past life back to the present age and then to the Jeonil Group. The hard-to-grasp stories had come full circle. His son started to get bewildered.

“I have never interfered in your work, Father. It is the truth.”

“You should have. Then, I would have been able to become the chairman. The more I think about it, the more disappointed I become.”

Na Jeon-Il smiled genuinely now.

“I am sure you would have done even better, Father. But at that time, we needed a public face for domestic politics, and Jamie was perfect for that role.”

“Hey, just take the joke as it is. Haha.”

Only then did his son’s expression soften.

“So, you are saying that Jeonil… It feels strange to think of it as my name. Anyway, the Jeonil Group is not foreign capital?”

“Jeonil Investment, which is Jeonil Group now, was named after you. And all of its shares have no connection with Jonathan. Back then, I secured the capital with my shares as collateral, excluding Jonathan’s.”

His son’s explanation made Na Jeon-Il’s heart race even faster.

“So, it is all yours?”

“Yes, Father.”

This was the most heartwarming news among everything he had heard.

“Can I switch jobs? Hiccup. I want to quit!”

“Do whatever you want. Seon-Hu is here. How much did you drink last night?”

“Your husband…haha… Hahahaha. He is moving to a super successful place! It is those bastards who are the problem! Hahaha…!”

From that day on, the problem that had troubled him for so long was no more. The Jeonil Group was not foreign capital but his son’s.

Thank you, my son. Truly. Thank you so much.?