A quiet mountain lodge in Gyeonggi Province.
Surrounded on all sides by trees, the secluded lodge was nearly impossible to find from the
outside. Inside, Assemblyman Choi Jae-seok was enjoying a pleasant drink with Kim Min-jae.
"Congratulations, Governor of Gyeonggi Province."
"It's all thanks to you, Vice Chairman. I managed to win the election by a mere 2%. The factory relocation issue you created helped sway the hearts of the Gyeonggi residents."
"While I may have created the issue, it was Governor Choi who moved the hearts of the people."
The local elections had concluded just two days ago.
After a fierce battle of approval ratings right up to the end, Assemblyman Choi Jae-seok emerged victorious as the Governor of Gyeonggi Province. Today's gathering had been arranged to celebrate his win.
"Thanks to this issue, the National Economic Party was able to elect many local council
members."
"We even secured over ten mayoral seats. Particularly in Gyeonggi's key regions, every mayor is now from the National Economic Party."
"That's all thanks to you as well, Vice Chairman. This local election has allowed the National
Economic Party to take root in Gyeonggi Province."
"To fully establish ourselves, we'll probably need to win at least two more major elections, don't you think?"
"That's why we're already nurturing many new politicians. And if we fulfill our campaign
promise of attracting factories to Gyeonggi, we'll be able to solidify our roots even further."
How many politicians actually keep all their campaign promises?
Yet the moment a key promise is broken, supporters begin to turn their backs.
The most critical pledge that had helped Choi Jae-seok win the governorship was the promise to bring in factories. If progress on that stalled, he would lose the very momentum that fueled his political rise.
"The factory attraction plan will proceed as scheduled. If a global economic crisis worse than the IMF incident occurs, there might be a delay—but I believe the public will understand that much."
"If something like that happens, who would blame us for a delay in factory construction? I just hope such an event doesn't occur during my term and that we can begin construction smoothly."
Governor Choi Jae-seok took my words as a simple joke.
But during his term, the colossal subprime mortgage crisis would unfold.
How he handled the economic crisis could either make the governorship his final political post—
or elevate him to the ranks of political heavyweights with their eyes on even greater positions.
"What I just said was no joke. There's a possibility that a major economic crisis could erupt in the United States within the next one or two years. If that happens, Korea could face another situation similar to the IMF crisis."
"…An economic crisis in the U.S.? But America is enjoying one of its most prosperous periods right now."
"I agree—it's their golden age. But every golden age eventually ends. Decline is inevitable.
Taewoo Securities, our economic research institute, and even some on Wall Street are cautiously predicting such a scenario."
Governor Choi's face hardened.
The joy of his overwhelming election victory evaporated in an instant.
"Did you say we have one to two years?"
"The economic crisis could begin as early as next year."
"Then we really don't have much time left. I'll form an economic crisis task force as soon as my term begins and respond proactively."
"If you ever need my help, don't hesitate to reach out. And I'll make sure to keep you informed of all important developments."
"This… I thought we were raising a toast, but it feels more like drinking poison."
"If that poison can be purified, it may become medicine. If you can weather this crisis well, you'll be able to reach the highest position you desire."
We didn't raise our glasses again.
We simply sat in silence, each lost in thought about what lay ahead.
In September, I departed for a business trip to the United States.
The purpose was to attend the motor show held in Los Angeles.
As soon as I arrived at the airport, David was there, waving enthusiastically as he waited for me.
"Boss! Welcome to the City of Angels."
"I'm just hoping the motor show receives a little angelic blessing. Everything ready?"
"Hop in the car, and I'll fill you in on the details."
David had come to pick me up in a luxury limousine.
Sitting in a seat that felt more like a hotel suite, I took a sip of soda while David continued.
"You wouldn't believe the amount of lobbying I had to do with the motor show committee.
Getting a spot for Taewoo-KIA Motors was easy—the brand is already well-known—but
securing a booth for the newcomer, Tesla, had me drinking more booze than water."
"That might have been impossible at any other motor show."
"Exactly. The L.A. Motor Show has been losing ground to the Detroit Auto Show—fewer new car releases, fewer concept reveals. That's why they pushed back the event timing this year, hoping to attract more companies. That shift is what gave us the opening for Tesla."
One of the world's top five motor shows.
In the U.S., the Detroit Auto Show was among the elite.
But the Los Angeles Motor Show had gradually declined, overshadowed by Detroit.
To regain its momentum, the event organizers had delayed the show's schedule and worked hard to encourage greater industry participation.
"After this year's show, I think the L.A. Motor Show might just reclaim its former glory."
"Oh? Sounds like you've brought something truly impressive. I might need to open my wallet
just to take a look!"
"Even with money, you can't buy it—at least not yet. This time, it's just a reveal. It'll be another year or two before it's ready for commercial production."
"That's a shame. I've recently gotten into car collecting. I'll keep a space open in my garage for anything coming from your company."
As I chatted with David, we arrived at the motor show venue.
Although it wasn't officially one of the "Big Five," the L.A. Motor Show still boasted over a
century of history and drew a large crowd.
"Boss, I'll take you in through the VIP entrance."
"The main event's about to begin. Let's head in."
We bypassed security and entered through the VIP access corridor.
As soon as we stepped inside the venue, I was left speechless by the sheer scale of the event.
But unlike me, David looked thoroughly unimpressed.
"More of the same. Most of the companies just brought the same new models they showed at the Detroit Motor Show earlier this year."
"And you can tell that just by looking? Some of these haven't even been fully unveiled yet."
"I can tell just from the shape of the cars. I've been to more motor shows than I can count. You get a feel for the atmosphere. If a company is unveiling a genuinely new car, the press flocks to their booth. But look—there aren't many journalists gathered around the major automakers, are there?"
Now that David pointed it out, it did make sense.
Honestly, I'd wanted to debut our new model at one of the world's top five motor shows too.
But anticipating this exact scenario, I had chosen to present it at the Los Angeles Motor Show instead.
To steal the spotlight.
"The Tesla booth is over there. Looks like CEO Musk is there in person."
He had been assigned a booth on the outer edge of the central hall.
It hadn't been long since he'd returned from the Marshall Islands, and his face was still
sunburned from the tropical sun.
"You've finally made it back to the U.S.?"
"I'm just here for the motor show. I'll be heading right back to the Marshall Islands afterward. Everyone's working hard out there—I can't be the only one resting in the States."
"Is everything ready?"
"Perfect! Thanks to your help, I was able to create something far more complete than I originally envisioned. I truly appreciate it."
Musk had been spending most of his time in the Marshall Islands.
Naturally, that meant he couldn't focus entirely on electric vehicle development, but with such a talented team of engineers backing him, there wasn't much to worry about.
"Then I'll see you again a bit later."
I made my way over to the Taewoo-Kia Motors booth.
Because we were showcasing not just electric vehicles but also several internal combustion
models, we'd been allocated a much larger space than Tesla's.
"Please handle the presentation well. Today is your day."
"Thank you. We'll do our best not to tarnish your reputation, Vice Chairman."
After encouraging the visibly nervous developers, I headed up to the second-floor VIP area.
It was the perfect spot to observe live audience reactions, and David was busy introducing me to his extensive network of contacts.
After greeting dozens of political and business figures…
The new car presentation by Taewoo-Kia Motors finally began.
"Boss, the response isn't bad at all. Taewoo Motors already has a fair reputation in the U.S.
market, so we're getting some positive feedback."
"The real highlight hasn't even started yet."
Once the presentation of internal combustion models wrapped up, it was time for the electric
vehicle showcase.
The lead developer, who was in charge of the reveal, took a long pause to build anticipation
before finally unveiling the EV.
"Taewoo Motors has succeeded in developing an electric vehicle ready for mass production. Let me officially introduce it: the Quark—our cutting-edge compact electric car, representing the culmination of Taewoo Motors' engineering prowess!"
The compact EV, Quark , was finally unveiled to the world.
"Quark" referred to a particle even smaller than an atom—an apt name for a small electric car.
"While it's optimized for city driving, it offers acceleration comparable to a sports car, hitting 0 to 100 km/h in just five seconds. It's a highly efficient model with a range of over 400 kilometers on a single charge. Its top speed? 170 km/h…"
The presenter continued to list off the Quark's strengths, one after another.
With every new feature he announced, the sound of camera shutters grew louder and faster.
"Boss! With no other companies unveiling new models, it looks like we're getting even more
attention."
"That's exactly why I chose the Los Angeles Motor Show."
Following Taewoo Motors, it was Kia Motors' turn.
They too began with internal combustion models and built up to their electric vehicles as the main highlight.
Given America's preference for pickup trucks, their presentation drew even greater interest.
"Kia Motors brought the real deal. A pickup EV is definitely a smart move for the U.S. market."
"The reaction's better than I expected. I thought people would find electric trucks unfamiliar."
Electric vehicles weren't like iPhones.
The iPhone had sparked explosive interest the moment it was unveiled, but electric vehicles were different.
That was because cars and smartphones differed in many ways—especially the fact that cars were expensive, and more importantly, directly tied to safety and human lives. To gain widespread popularity, electric vehicles first had to build trust over time.
"Now it's Tesla's turn! I'm curious to see what kind of creation Musk—famous in the IT world—
has come up with."
"You won't be disappointed."
Musk took the microphone himself.
With his signature sly smile, he slowly unveiled the new model.
"Presenting the first-ever electric sports car!"
Taewoo had revealed a compact vehicle, Kia had showcased a pickup truck.
And finally, Tesla introduced an electric sports car.
As three different electric vehicles were unveiled back to back, the atmosphere in the venue
began to shift.
This wasn't just a one-off concept car from a single company—
Spectators were starting to believe that the mass adoption of electric vehicles might truly be possible.
Especially with a design and performance that could hold its own against any existing sports car.
It was more than enough to stir excitement and cheers from the crowd and the press alike.
"David, make sure you remember today's date. This motor show will go down in history as the singularity that triggered a dramatic shift in the auto industry."