Money Games

Chapter 14The Hard Part

I had visited KFB headquarters numerous times, but I had never felt the way I did walking into the building for the official signing of the final deal. Today, I knew the bank was ours. Anyone who has ever bought his or her dream house has felt the same way the first time they crossed the threshold after the closing. The building's broad white façade, its entrance, the spacious lobby, and the customers and employees—it all looked dear and close to me.

The scene contrasted sharply from what had unfolded at the signing of the TOI, when stone-faced Mr. Noh and I had sat on opposite sides of a table in a silent, crowded room, signing documents. Less than an hour earlier, all of us looked disheveled and haggard, having worked through many nights without rest. Now everyone was in their best suit, clean-shaven and radiant. We had all worked so incredibly hard—against all odds, it seemed—in the past few months to cross the finish line. Even though everyone was utterly sleep deprived, no one wanted to miss this moment, which we already knew would go down in Korean banking history.

Executive Director Dong-jun Paeng of the KDIC, Chairman Shee-yul Ryoo of KFB, and I greeted each other warmly before entering the big conference room where the signing was to take place. It was packed with members of the press, both reporters and photographers. On the wall, a large banner with blue lettering read KFB Definitive Agreement Signing Ceremony in English and Korean, with the ...