MMTW-01

Episode- 01 :- Outside the window of the plane heading to Puerto Rico, a cloudless blue sky spread out.

“Now I am finally qualified to reach the top.”

Jung Joong-ho quietly monologued, his five years of graduate school life flashing before his eyes.

From the first day I set foot in Harvard Graduate School with the sole belief that I would succeed, my average daily sleep time was at most 4 hours.

“Haha! I really am a terrible person. To have endured a time that felt like a concentration camp…”

After entering the Department of Oriental History at Korea University, I realized belatedly that I had to learn economics to succeed in life as a person born with nothing.

The reason I applied to the Department of Oriental History at Korea University was not only because I liked history, but also because I had no money.

It was a strategic choice to enter a Korean university with a stable scholarship.

Since I wasn’t a genius, I worked three or four times harder than others, and I gritted my teeth and devoted myself to studying to live up to my late mother’s words that I should definitely succeed.

When I entered the Department of Oriental History at Korea University, I felt like I had everything in the world, but that was only for a moment.

Korea University, where the best and brightest children of Korea attend, was already a place where people with different starting points gathered from birth.

“Hey! My father spent a billion won to get me in here. And thanks to that, I got this.”

Jongsu’s words as he took out the Lamborghini Urus car keys and waved them in front of his classmates changed my values.

“Wow! I heard this costs around 250 million!”

“Including the options, it’s 280 million won.”

At Seongwon’s words, who was standing next to him, Jongsu felt proud and turned the car key around in his fingers.

Jongsu’s words were filled with pride in the car. 

“Brother Jongsu! Give me a ride.”

Heejin, who was loved by many of her classmates in the Department of Oriental History, spoke to Jongsu as if making a request.

Heejin was a member of the same club.

“Suhyun, don’t you want to ride?”

Jongsu asked while looking at Suhyeon, whom he liked.

Jeong Su-hyeon was a friend who was so beautiful that he was considered one of the best even at Korea University.

“I’m fine, just give Heejin a ride.”

‘Surely not even Su-hyeon… … .’

I was listening intently to Jongsu and Suhyeon’s conversation.

Because Jongsu wasn’t the only one who liked Suhyeon.

“Haha! We can both ride. Since the exams are over, let’s go for a drive, have lunch, and maybe go to Starbucks in Misari.”

“Jongsu! Include me too. I’ll buy you lunch.”

Seongwon took the initiative in response to Jongsu’s words.

Seongwon liked Heejin, who showed interest in Jongsu.

“Then there’s no room for Jungho to ride?”

Suhyun looked at me and said.

The five of us formed a group and took the departmental exam.

“No, I’m fine.”

“Yeah, Jungho has a lot to do. Isn’t that right?”

Jungho looked at me as if I was out of place and asked.

“Right. I have to write the overdue reports too….”

As Jongsu said, I wasn’t in a position to just go out and play.

In order to make money, I had to prepare Jongsu’s report meticulously.

“It’s a shame, but let’s go to Jungho next time. The sun will set at this rate. Let’s hurry!”

Seongwon grabbed Heejin’s hand and pulled her away, fearing that his place would be taken away.

“Soohyun, come quickly!”

As Heejin urged her, Suhyun looked at me and said.

“Jungho, let’s go together next time.”

I couldn’t help but nod my head at Soohyun’s words.

I made a promise as I watched the four of them leave with joyful laughter.

‘You will definitely succeed. You will definitely succeed!’

“Just wait and see!”

I hated myself for not being able to confidently fit into that position.

I saved up a lot of money by taking charge of Jongsu’s homework for four years.

And I used that money plus the money I earned from tutoring to prepare for studying abroad in the United States.

For a new life… … .

* * *

While preparing to study abroad in the United States, I changed my major from history to economics.

To eat well and live well, one had to know the economy, and to join mainstream society, economics was not an option but a necessity.

Applying for and being admitted to a doctoral program in the United States required only an undergraduate degree. Furthermore, a doctoral program could be completed in approximately five years, without the need for a separate master’s program.

I thoroughly prepared for the TOEFL score, which demonstrates my undergraduate grade point average (GPA), and my English proficiency, and the Graduate Record Exam (GRE).

As a result of working two to three times harder than others to take responsibility for Jongsu’s grades throughout his undergraduate studies, he earned the honor of graduating at the top of his class.

Excellent grades earned me a great letter of recommendation, and my English skills improved to a native speaker level.

Here, the GRE, a test that tests the qualifications for admission to American graduate schools, scored close to the highest score of 170 in the verbal argumentation, mathematical argumentation, and analytical writing tests.

I hardly slept while preparing for this exam.

“Hahaha! I’m going to Harvard! I’m going to Harvard!”

When I received my acceptance letter to Harvard Graduate School, I ran around the Korea University athletic field like crazy and shouted loudly.

* * *

Contrary to expectations, life in the United States was a more intense battlefield than in Korea.

The group of 26 people from various nationalities who gathered with the goal of earning a master’s or doctorate in economics from Harvard University was formed, and from the first meeting with them, I learned new things that I had not encountered in Korea.

“The first thing we’ll do today is to pair off and take turns speaking for an hour. The listener should not respond at all, but simply listen.”

As my advisor, Rebecca Henderson, finished speaking, I stood in front of Prabhas, who was from India.

“Okay, everyone, let’s get started.”

“I came to Harvard to develop and make India more beautiful than it is now. Of course, I also came here because of my father’s wishes…”

Prabhas was the son of a family that ran a bus company in New Delhi, India.

Although his slightly difficult to understand Indian English accent was annoying, Prabhas really talked nonstop for an hour.

“Actually, rather than inheriting my father’s bus company, I’d rather work for an international organization like the IMF or the World Bank. The reason is…”

“Oh my! Is there a motor in your mouth? You really talk too much, like a babbler.”

As we talked about everything from start to finish, I got to know Prabhas’ family history and his personality.

It was my first meeting with Prabhas, who became my best friend throughout graduate school.

* * *

Microeconomics, macroeconomics, econometrics, economic history, and economic mathematics, which I took in my first semester after changing my major, were new subjects and a challenge.

I had about 3 hours of class per week for each subject, and through TA sessions, I organized what I had learned during the week and solved problems.

Because the faculty members themselves were world-renowned scholars, they conveyed the key points accurately even though the progress was fast.

The problem was that the intense study and weekly homework required staying up all night.

“A sudden drop in demand leads to a loss of production and employment.”

“Yes, employers’ response is to try to overcome the crisis by lowering workers’ wages, but ultimately, the layoffs lead to an economic downturn….”

“The measure to stabilize the acceptance is the central banks’ money supply.”

“Excessive money supply causes inflation, so a balanced…….”

Even though I listened to and understood all the classes, researched papers, and formed study groups to study, writing answers to reports was always difficult and challenging.

Because my score was lower than I wanted, I always worked harder than others.

* * *

Even during the week of midterms, I couldn’t put down my books and papers because I had to give classes and report on each subject.

The difficulty of the exam was beyond my expectations, and most of the questions were creative applications of the subjects I had studied and the knowledge I had acquired.

“Ahhh! I’m going to turn around!”

Prabhas shouted, pulling out his hair as soon as the midterm exam was over.

“You at least wrote it all down. I just rolled my pencil around.”

Logan, who had a patch on his head the size of a five-hundred-won coin due to extreme stress, looked like he had given up on everything.

“I hope Jungho will be fine this time too?”

Wang Shuang, a Chinese national, looked at me and asked. Her father was a high-ranking official in the Chinese Communist Party.

It was a study group where Wang Shuang, Logan, and Prabhas studied together.

“I barely managed to write it down. I almost died because my eyes were closed the whole time I was taking the test.”

I couldn’t sleep for three days before the exam.

Staying up all night was something I was used to, but I was losing my stamina.

“I hope I get at least 30 points.”

Logan said with a tearful expression, but it wasn’t easy to get more than 20 points out of 100.

The problem didn’t end with the midterm exam. Soon after, I had to take the comprehensive exam, the first hurdle in the doctoral program.

I had to review the comprehensive exam questions and answer sheets from the past 5-6 years for each subject, as well as the questions from the midterm and final exams, as well as the reports I had submitted.

Since there were two comprehensive exams a year, the practice exam questions alone were the equivalent of a book for each subject.

“Whew! When this time passes, our lives will change, right?”

“It will probably be much better than it is now.”

Prabhas shook his head and said, sighing involuntarily.

“Ah—ham! That’s right. My eyelids feel weak now.”

I drank five cups of Americano, but it wasn’t enough to chase away the drowsiness that was creeping in.

In the end, Logan and Wang Shuang couldn’t stand the sleep and headed to the dormitory.

“Ah~ Ham! I think I’ve reached my limit.”

Boom!

As soon as he finished speaking, Prabhas’ head fell to the desk as if it were a lie.

When I saw that sight, my eyelids almost closed on their own.

“No! Come to your senses.”

slam!

He hit his face with both hands so hard that the sound echoed throughout the library.

If you fail the comprehensive exam that evaluates the subjects you studied for a year, you are given one retake, but if you fail that too, you have to pack your bags.

“My situation is different from theirs.”

Logan, Prabhas, and Wang Shuang’s families were all well-known families, so even if I didn’t finish my PhD, I didn’t have to worry about making a living.

It was different for me because I just had to return to my home country and take over the family business and the company.

* * *

After successfully passing the comprehensive exam, I began to delve into international trade, industrial organization theory, industrial economics, and financial economics.

After completing the papers I wrote intermittently, various tests, and coursework, and successfully passing the thesis qualification exam, I decided on an advisor.

I worked harder than anyone else and became the best student, which allowed me to choose Professor Rokov, the professor I wanted.

In addition, his thesis titled “Development of East Asia and Changes in American Dominance” was evaluated as being sufficient as a doctoral thesis.

Furthermore, it was selected as an excellent paper at the American Economic Association conference.

“Jungho would be great. They’re going to try to take each other out at this flea market.”

The Economics Society Job Market, held every year in early January, attracts applicants from the United States, Canada, major European countries, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Australia, and even Korea’s national research institutes and the economic research institutes of major corporations, all seeking to recruit economics Ph.D.s.

Here, they find employment as university professors, advisors to international organizations, U.S. government agencies, investment banks, consultants, Korean government agencies, national research institutes, and large corporate economic research institutes.

“Do you have a place in mind?”

“I’m more attracted to investment banking than university professorship.”

In response to Wang Shuang’s question, he said what he had been thinking.

“You could easily be an assistant professor in the top five.”

As Logan said, the most preferred place for prospective economics PhDs was as a university professor.

If you become an assistant professor at an American university, you can receive an annual salary of around $90,000 to $100,000, and a research fund of around $30,000 to $40,000.

The top five prestigious universities had better conditions than that.

“I don’t want to be satisfied with that. Actually, I want to make a lot of money.”

Starting salaries for PhDs at Wall Street investment banks start at around $140,000 to $150,000, with performance bonuses separate.

The allure was that performance-based bonuses could reach astronomical amounts, but if performance was poor, employees were mercilessly fired.

“You could definitely do it. I’ve never seen anyone as wicked and smart as Jung-ho.”

Prabhas looked at me and whined.

Everyone who studied together acknowledged that it was a day that had remained the same for five years.

“Well, I was a bit cruel.”

“It wasn’t just a little, you were the worst.”

Even on the day I was hospitalized because I wasn’t feeling well, I didn’t put down my book. 

“That’s why Jung-ho’s thesis was selected as an excellent thesis. We’ll all continue to work together in the future.”

“Of course! Wherever we go, our friendship will remain forever.”

It was clear that the four of us, who had been through thick and thin together for five years, would become the mainstream of America.

Because not just anyone can get a PhD in economics from Harvard University.

* * *

I chose JP Morgan Chase.

The starting salary was $200,000, and the company separately covered living expenses in New York.

And they even provided the cost of a week-long trip to Puerto Rico.

“Haha! From now on, I’ll only talk about success….”

Before I could finish speaking, the plane suddenly shook violently.

Beep! Beep!

Not only that, but the oxygen mask fell with a loud alarm.

Because it happened so suddenly without any announcement, the crew members were at a loss and didn’t know what to do.

“Huh? What is that?”

Outside the window, a huge black cloud was approaching quickly as if it was trying to swallow the plane.

Inside the black clouds, white light was pouring down along with lightning.

“Right now… flying… crawling….”

The captain’s words over the announcement were not heard properly, as if something was interfering.

bang!

“Eww!”

At that moment, the plane, which had been shaking violently with a loud crash, began to plummet rapidly.

“Is it really falling? Is it because it’s the Bermuda Triangle…?”

The first thing that came to mind was the disappearance of planes and ships in the Bermuda Triangle.

The plane was now passing through the famous Bermuda Triangle.

“Ahhh! Save me!”

As screams of terror were heard from all around, the plane collided with a huge halo of light.