The Conglomerate Family Became A Villain [EN]: Chapter 55

Became a Billionaire Villain – Episode 55 – The One Who Rides and Overcomes the Waves 03 –

***

After Robert left.

Sarah asked Jung Hyun-woo,

“Isn’t spending $5 million to secure IP [Intellectual Property, referring to rights over creative works] too much of a burden?”

“Money will be coming from Japan.”

“From Japan?”

Jung Hyun-woo did not doubt the Japanese economy.

‘The Japanese economy won’t collapse immediately even after the Plaza Accord [an agreement between France, Germany, Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom to depreciate the U.S. dollar relative to other major currencies].’

It would be smooth sailing until at least the 1988 Olympics. He was confident that he could get the necessary investment from Japan.

‘I can make enough profit for the next 2-3 years.’

He said, raising his right index finger.

“We have $20 million invested in the Magellan Fund.”

“So, Charlie, you trust Japan and invested $5 million?”

“Sarah, don’t you trust Japan?”

Sarah put her hand on her waist.

“Charlie, I think you’re being too optimistic, regardless of how good the Japanese economy is.”

She thought that while the Japanese economy was good, it wasn’t a master piece that could solve all problems.

“I’m not just optimistic about the Japanese economy.”

“What?”

“The North American game market will revive as well.”

Jung Hyun-woo wanted to secure IP, anticipating the revival of the collapsed North American game market.

‘Of course, the North American game market won’t be revived by an American company.’

The North American game market was scheduled to revive with Nintendo’s mega-hit. He wanted to secure Activision’s masterpiece title IP to match it.

“Japan, as well as the North American game market, will revive? Charlie, aren’t you being too optimistic?”

“We have no choice but to rely on optimism right now.”

Sarah sighed briefly.

“Haa, I trust Charlie, but wouldn’t it be too risky?”

Jung Hyun-woo called out to her as she picked up the tray.

“Sarah.”

Sarah received the words without turning her head to him.

“Why?”

“Don’t worry too much.”

“Everything will be alright?”

“Yes, everything will be alright. Please trust me.”

Sarah put down the tray and tied her hair up tightly. This was a preparatory motion before washing the dishes.

“Charlie, are you going to stay in the dorm?”

Jung Hyun-woo replied while reviewing the documents.

“Yes.”

Swish.

The sound of water flowing from the faucet was heard.

“Do you remember what I said before?”

“Are you talking about living next door to me?”

“Yes.”

Jung Hyun-woo turned his gaze to Sarah.

“Sarah, why don’t you just use this house?”

“This house?”

Sarah raised her voice because she couldn’t live in the dorm if she took a leave of absence from MIT [Massachusetts Institute of Technology].

‘If Charlie takes a leave of absence, we’ll live in the same house.’

Jung Hyun-woo was well aware of that fact.

“It’s a bit strange to leave several rooms empty.”

Even if Choi Kyung-min used the room on the first floor, there were two rooms on the second floor that no one used. Besides, Sarah hadn’t found a new house yet.

“Are you sure? You used to say you couldn’t allow us to live together?”

“I think this house is too big to live alone.”

“Well, I’m happy to save on rent.”

“Then Sarah, please do the cleaning as well.”

Sarah’s voice suddenly rose.

“Charlie!”

“I’m just kidding.”

As much as Jung Hyun-woo became wealthy, so did Sarah. She could buy a new house anywhere in Boston if she wanted to.

But she didn’t.

‘I have to protect Charlie because I’m an adult.’

She thought she was Jung Hyun-woo’s guardian.

***

“Are you saying you’re taking a leave of absence?”

“It’s common at MIT.”

The person Jung Hyun-woo was talking to was Director Hong Won-ik.

“Is it common?”

In fact, it wasn’t common. Jung Hyun-woo was lying, unlike him.

‘It was my arrogance to think that I could do both Victoria Corporation and academics.’

JP Service had become much larger than he had initially planned. In particular, the number of pre-registrations exploded, so the service preparation period had to be extended by two months.

‘It’s not just that the period has been extended by two months.’

He was investing all his time in system development except for the physiologically necessary time. It was impossible to do both academics in this situation.

So he had no choice but to take a leave of absence.

“I’m not just taking a leave of absence. I’m thinking of joining Professor Norn’s research team.”

Director Hong Won-ik nodded at Jung Hyun-woo’s explanation.

“Hmm, you’re saying you’re going to improve your skills while learning in the lab.”

He could understand if that was the reason.

‘I thought he was going to study separately because he was taking a leave of absence, but that’s not it.’

Jung Hyun-woo continued to speak.

“I think it will take 1 year at the longest and 6 months at the shortest. Please tell that to Grandpa.”

“Okay.”

Director Hong Won-ik hung up the phone and went to see Chairman Jung Woo-sun.

“What’s going on?”

It was morning in Korea, so Chairman Jung Woo-sun had just finished the morning meeting.

“It’s about Hyun-woo.”

Recently, Chairman Jung Woo-sun was able to stand tall in front of other group chairmen thanks to Jung Hyun-woo.

“It seems like Hyun-woo’s gift preparation is over.”

“No.”

“Then?”

“Hyun-woo says he’s going to take a leave of absence.”

Chairman Jung Woo-sun’s face darkened in an instant.

“What? A leave of absence!”

Director Hong Won-ik lowered his voice at his violent reaction.

“He’s not just taking a leave of absence. Hyun-woo says he’s going to join his professor’s research team.”

“Research team? Is he quitting school and getting a job?”

“That’s not it, it seems like he’s helping the professor and filling in the gaps.”

Chairman Jung Woo-sun’s face brightened again.

“Filling in the gaps? Wasn’t it enough to be accepted into university?”

“Chairman, considering Hyun-woo’s age, it’s the same as early admission. It won’t be too late even if he gains experience in the lab for 1 or 2 years.”

Chairman Jung Woo-sun stroked his chest at Director Hong Won-ik’s explanation.

“Ah, my heart flutters whenever Hyun-woo’s story comes up.”

He asked, loosening his tie.

“Director Hong, how is Hyun-woo’s gift going?”

Director Hong Won-ik corrected his posture and replied.

“I found a suitable building.”

“Really? How much do you need?”

“I think about 500 million won will be enough.”

In the early 1980s, 500 million won was by no means a small amount of money. In addition, the amount Daewoon Group donated as support for the Asian Games was 1 billion won.

Director Hong Won-ik thought.

‘Judging from the chairman’s personality, he’ll probably lower the price to around 300 million won.’

He knew Chairman Jung Woo-sun’s personality well, so he raised the price of the Gangnam building. But Chairman Jung Woo-sun’s reaction was different from usual.

“Director Hong, process it as is.”

Director Hong Won-ik had no choice but to stop at his one word.

‘Immediate approval?’

Even the 1 billion won in support for the Asian Games required a long persuasion. But this time, the approval of 500 million won was given without such persuasion.

‘Does the chairman care that much about Hyun-woo?’

If not, it could be compensation for his eldest son, Jung Min-hyuk.

‘Hmm, 500 million won. I need to look for a building again.’

The building he was looking at was worth 300 million won. He thought he had no choice but to look for a 500 million won building again.

“I understand. I will process it as is.”

Director Hong Won-ik left the chairman’s office and headed to Gangnam.

‘Min-seok is ahead now, but who knows what will happen in 10 years.’

Even if Jung Min-seok takes over as the next chairman, it meant that no one knew who would be the chairman after that.

***

JP Service, developed by Victoria Corporation, had a very simple structure.

The initial screen showed the current Dow [Dow Jones Industrial Average] and Nasdaq [National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations] indices, and if you entered a code in numbers in the search box below, the current price of the stock would appear.

Jung Hyun-woo, who had experienced the 21st century Home Trading System (HTS) that provides various charts, news, and expert analysis, could not be satisfied with this level of system.

‘I can’t believe it’s so hard to build just this much of a system.’

He could only sleep for 4 hours a day, not just reducing sleep.

Sarah and Robert were even worse.

Robert, who rose to JP System General Manager, only slept during travel time, and Sarah also took time to sleep between meetings.

They were putting all their remaining time into JP Service.

‘If this is over, I want to sleep first.’

The biggest dream of the three was not a huge success, but sleep.

“Representative? Representative?”

Jung Hyun-woo opened his eyes to the voice coming from afar.

“Ah, did I fall asleep?”

The voice he thought was coming from afar was coming from right next to him.

“It’s a call from Miss Hilton.”

“Is it from Canada?”

“Yes.”

Jung Hyun-woo nodded and headed to the president’s office.

‘Tsk, falling asleep in front of the computer······.’

Sarah and Robert were working hard. He raised his voice as he picked up the phone.

“Sarah?”

Sarah’s voice was bright.

“Charlie, I’ve secured the quantity in Vancouver. I’m going to send it by car tomorrow.”

“That’s great. How many did you secure?”

“5,000.”

5,000 modems.

Since the size of the modem was only the size of a palm, 5,000 would be enough for one trailer.

“The number is smaller than expected.”

“There are few wholesalers who keep a lot of stock. Still, 5,000 is something.”

As she said, even 5,000 was precious now.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

The total number of modems she has secured in Canada so far was about 60,000.

‘The quantity in Canada is smaller than expected.’

The good news was that modem manufacturers were increasing production faster than expected.

“Equipment companies in Canada have also accepted our proposal.”

“That’s great. How much can they make?”

“50,000 a month.”

It meant that the shortage of inventory could be filled with additional production.

Jung Hyun-woo nodded and said.

“Then I’ll send the down payment right away. Please give me your account.”

“Okay.”

The reason why modem manufacturers increased production faster than expected was because Jung Hyun-woo paid them a down payment.

Before hanging up the phone.

Sarah lowered her voice and said.

“Charlie.”

“Yes?”

“I’m taking a plane tonight. Let’s have breakfast together tomorrow.”

Jung Hyun-woo tilted his head at her unusually sweet voice.

‘Is there something going on tomorrow?’

He tilted his head and asked.

“Tomorrow morning?”

Sarah raised her tone slightly at his dazed voice.

“Charlie! Tomorrow is the first day of JP Service.”

Jung Hyun-woo looked up and checked the calendar.

“Ah, it’s already that time.”

“Haa······. Did the development team leader forget that too?”

“I was fixing errors until dawn today, so I didn’t know the time.”

Victoria Corporation and JP Morgan were scheduled to start the first JP Service tomorrow morning, centered on New York and its surroundings.

“Charlie, are you coming to New York too?”

“Of course.”

“Then where shall we meet?”

Jung Hyun-woo thought for a moment and then answered.

“At the test office.”

The test office was a virtual home set up by JP Morgan and Victoria Corporation to check whether JP Service, a home system, was working properly.

“Hotel?”

“Hotel?”

“You’re not going back right away.”

Jung Hyun-woo had never been to New York alone.

“That’s······. I only booked a plane ticket.”

Sarah sighed as if she knew it.

“Hoo, everything is a mess because I’m not there. Tell Anne to book a hotel right away.”

Anne was a staff member in the business support team.

“Okay. I’ll ask Anne.”

“Charlie.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t be late.”

Jung Hyun-woo scratched his head and received her words.

“Don’t worry. I won’t be late tomorrow.”

Click.

He hung up the phone and narrowed his brows.

“Charlie, shall I make coffee?”

Did they say that tigers come when you talk about them?

Anne was standing at the door.

Jung Hyun-woo raised his right hand and replied.

“Please.”

It was difficult to overcome the pouring sleep without coffee.

‘It would be nice if there was Red Bull.’

Red Bull was not yet released in the early 1980s.

***

The next morning.

Jung Hyun-woo woke up in New York. He forced his eyes open and left the hotel. As he came out, a fat young man followed him.

“Charlie, are you okay?”

The one looking at him with a worried face was John River.

“John, I have a headache.”

“Shall I give you some aspirin?”

Jung Hyun-woo shook his head.

“I’ll have coffee.”

The two bought coffee at Starbucks on their way to the test office.

‘Starbucks in Wall Street, I feel like a real New Yorker.’

He shrugged his shoulders once and entered the test office.

“Have you arrived?”

Employees of the US branch and JP Morgan’s technical team were already in place.

“Charlie, long time no see.”

The employee who smiled brightly was Eric Bogle, an engineer at JP Morgan. He had visited Boston several times to meet with Jung Hyun-woo.

“Is everyone ready?”

Everyone nodded at the same time at Jung Hyun-woo’s question.

“We are ready.”

Now all that was left was for Sarah to come.

“Let’s start with a pilot test in 30 minutes.”

“I understand.”

“Is Eric in charge here?”

Eric Bogle answered Jung Hyun-woo’s question.

“That’s right.”

Eric Bogle was the son of John Bogle, chairman of Vanguard Fund.

“Eric, how likely do you think the service will succeed?”

“Success rate? The service is unconditionally successful.”

“Unconditionally successful?”

“Both tests have passed without any problems.”

Eric Bogle seemed to have high expectations for this system.

“Still, isn’t there a one in a million chance?”

He wanted to check the probability of failure as an engineer. But Eric Bogle was firm.

“Charlie, that’s why we’re here.”

The moment Jung Hyun-woo was about to say one more word, Sarah walked in.

“Ta-da!”

“Sarah!”

What made Eric Bogle smile brightly was not Sarah’s white dress, but the snacks in her hand.

“Everyone! There’s still some time, so let’s all fill our stomachs and start.”

The test office staff cheered at her suggestion.

“Miss Hilton is the best!”

“If it weren’t for Miss Hilton, we would have started the test with rumbling stomachs.”

Most of the employees skipped meals because they came out early in the morning.

Jung Hyun-woo thought that Sarah was indeed Sarah.

‘Hoo, I can’t beat her in this kind of thing.’

She was everyone’s mother.

***

30 minutes later.

The final test was conducted before the first service.

Beep. Beep beep.

A number appeared on the screen along with the computer’s buffer sound.

The employee, who was looking at the screen with a nervous expression, raised his voice.

“Mr. Jung! It’s a success!”

Jung Hyun-woo thought that he should not let go of his tension even though he had passed the final test.

‘Bugs that didn’t occur in the test may occur in the actual service.’

He had actually experienced such a thing.

“Eric.”

Eric Bogle answered his call.

“I know. I’m contacting John now.”

He called John River, who had returned to JP Morgan, and informed him that the final test was successful. And Jung Hyun-woo comforted the staff in the meantime.

“Even if you pass the final test, you must not let go of your tension. The real service starts in 15 minutes!”

Tense faces.

The atmosphere in the office was unusual.

“Checking the server.”

“Signal is good.”

“Data check complete.”

Jung Hyun-woo also checked each part with a nervous face.

“If you find anything wrong, tell me immediately.”

“I understand.”

15 minutes later.

Eric Bogle entered the service start count.

“Starting the countdown! 30 seconds! 29 seconds! 28 seconds! 27······.”

Jung Hyun-woo’s gaze was fixed on the monitor.

‘There is no failure.’

Was it because he was anxious?

He felt cold sweat running down his back.

“5 seconds, 4 seconds, 3 seconds, 2 seconds, 1 second! Start the test!”

Immediately after Eric Bogle’s count ended.

Real-time stock prices were displayed on the blue screen.

“It’s a success!”

“It’s a success!”

“We did it!”

Cheers erupted from everywhere.

It was the moment when JP Service, the ambitious work of JP Morgan and Victoria Corporation, began.

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