The three of us settled back at a table by the window.

Now that the sun was fully down, a bluish darkness had fallen over Lake St Moritz.

Day or night, the view was out of this world.

Shff.

Michael Herrington picked up his glass of whisky.

He was a financier who'd lasted thirty years on Wall Street. With his high forehead and round belly, he looked like a typical middle-aged American man.

But for all his genial face, his eyes were sharp when he sized people up.

"I hear you invest too, Chairman Ha."

"A little."

A short exchange, just to test the waters.

"Don't believe this kid when he says 'a little.'"

Hyungnim cut in with an easy laugh. Michael's eyes held a mix of curiosity and interest. He couldn't take them off me.

"How do you see the US market in 2023?"

This guy was coming straight at a twenty-year-old kid.

He was testing whether I was fit to sit between the two of them.

Asking me, when I already knew the answer?

"Money is going to go back into risk assets."

"With rates still high?"

"That's exactly where the opportunity comes from."

"Where do you think it'll go?"

A few answers in, and the American guy had even more questions. He was hyungnim's friend, so I figured I could let him in on a fair amount.

Besides, the world's real money didn't flow here in Europe. It flowed down the big river in New York.

"Tech stocks."

"Tech stocks? Is there a reason you see it that way?"

"Because they took the biggest beating."

The answer was simple. His smile stiffened slightly, and Michael set his glass down. The dark of his eyes sparkled brighter.

"What about semiconductors?"

"I'm even more positive on them."

"Why?"

"AI."

"Hm."

Junyong-hyungnim let out a low hum.

It was still a market everyone was unsure about.

Trust me! It's going up! And like crazy, too!

"You're treating AI as an investment theme now?"

"Not a theme. I'm saying it's the next cycle."

"Then is there a specific stock you'd recommend?"