The Conglomerate Family Became A Villain [EN]: Chapter 81

81. Icon of Innovation (1)

The phone rang again, just 30 minutes later.

Robert asked the question with an eagerness that betrayed his anxiety.

“Sarah, what did Charlie say?”

Sarah could tell his voice was agitated.

‘He still seems angry that I didn’t properly explain the situation.’

She spoke in the gentlest voice she could muster to soothe Robert’s anger.

“He says this situation is unusual, so he wants you to come to Las Vegas.”

Robert immediately frowned.

“Las Vegas, not Boston?”

“We’re moving to Las Vegas tomorrow.”

“Sarah, what on earth…”

Why Las Vegas in this urgent situation?

He thought he should be returning to Boston immediately.

Sarah, anticipating his thoughts, added, “Robert, Charlie is planning to look around CES [Consumer Electronics Show] before returning.”

Robert’s voice hardened as he said, “I know that CES is held in Las Vegas every January.”

He had been working in the IT industry for over 10 years. There was no way he wouldn’t know about CES.

“Charlie said this: Even in difficult times, you shouldn’t miss the future.”

He was dumbfounded.

‘It’s not like I’m going to plant an apple tree even if the world is ending tomorrow.’

Robert couldn’t help but raise his voice.

“So, that future is at CES?”

“According to Charlie, this CES is very important to us.”

Robert frowned.

‘Isn’t the only product related to us IBM’s new package?’

He didn’t think that exhibiting JP Services at the IBM booth would be of great benefit.

“That won’t do. Sarah, I’ll persuade Charlie.”

Robert wanted to call Jung Hyun-woo directly. Sarah naturally stopped him.

“Robert, come to Las Vegas.”

“Sarah, Victoria Corporation is currently in a crisis that has been put on hold.”

“I know. But there’s no need to think so urgently. There’s still time.”

At the words ‘there’s still time,’ Robert beat his chest as if frustrated.

“What if JP Morgan immediately scouts someone like John River? Is there still time then?”

He also picked John River as the most likely person to be poached.

John River might have felt a little wronged, but the key figures at Victoria Corporation didn’t think highly of his loyalty.

“Robert, Charlie said that JP Morgan wouldn’t move immediately.”

Robert raised his voice again.

“What does that mean? They won’t move immediately?”

“If Robert had accepted their offer, they would have moved immediately, but he didn’t. JP Morgan has been caught using the scout and Victoria Corporation cloning cards, so they will need to prepare before executing Plan B, he said.”

Robert was half-doubtful of her words.

“Hmm, that may be true, but I still think the situation is urgent.”

“I agree that the situation is urgent. But I don’t think it’s so urgent that every minute and every second counts. Robert, please come to Las Vegas.”

Robert sighed briefly at her request.

“Haa… So, what is Charlie’s real intention?”

He thought the best thing would be to withdraw the Bank of America offer and reconcile with JP Morgan.

Of course, Jung Hyun-woo had no intention of doing that.

“Charlie isn’t just thinking about Bank of America.”

“Don’t tell me…”

“It might be that. Come and listen to the details. What I say and what Charlie says directly will definitely be different.”

Robert nodded at her words.

“Okay. I’ll go to Las Vegas. Give me the exact address.”

He heard the address from Sarah and wrote it down on a piece of paper.

“Robert, see you tomorrow.”

Robert nodded at her farewell.

“I’ll leave early tomorrow morning.”

He hung up the phone and sighed deeply.

“Haa… I don’t know how things are going.”

The moment he thought JP Services had stabilized, Victoria Corporation was shaking as if an earthquake had struck.

* * *

Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Day 2.

Jung Hyun-woo passed through the gate with Sarah and entered.

“Charlie, is it okay not to wait for Robert?”

“It’s not like he can get here from Chicago in an hour or two.”

Even though they left the hotel early in the morning, it was well past 12 PM when they arrived in downtown Las Vegas.

“I guess so. Chicago and Las Vegas are quite far apart.”

Based on 1984, the flight time alone was about 4 hours.

“Let’s look around CES until lunchtime.”

Sarah followed him and asked, “Aren’t you worried, Charlie?”

“About JP Morgan?”

“They’ve drawn their swords against us.”

Jung Hyun-woo said as he walked down the hallway, “But it was blocked.”

“It was blocked once, but it might not be blocked twice.”

Sarah, like Robert, was still unable to shake off her anxiety. On the other hand, Jung Hyun-woo was calm.

“I’m thinking about various methods.”

Inducing JP Morgan to pay royalties might have been the problem.

‘Millions of dollars might be pocket change to JP Morgan.’

30% royalty was not a small amount, but it could be said to be a very small amount for a mega-bank like JP Morgan.

“Did you think of anything last night?”

Sarah thought Jung Hyun-woo might have come up with a clever plan.

“No.”

“Are you really okay?”

“Sarah, a hastily eaten meal causes indigestion.”

“What does that mean?”

“It’s a Korean proverb.”

Sarah frowned.

“Does it mean not to rush and handle things carefully?”

“Well, it’s closer to meaning that rushing ruins things.”

She agreed with the saying not to rush. But Jung Hyun-woo was too relaxed right now.

“IBM is at the entrance.”

The first booth Jung Hyun-woo and Sarah encountered was IBM.

IBM was showcasing its latest 16-bit computer and an improved version with large-capacity RAM [Random Access Memory].

“IBM is still going strong.”

“This is the latest model.”

Jung Hyun-woo entered the IBM booth and asked the staff about the expected prices of the products. Most of the staff said they couldn’t tell him, but a female staff member with her hair up slightly told him the expected price.

“The price will increase by about 5% compared to last year’s new product.”

It wasn’t the exact price, but knowing the increase range allowed him to infer the exact price.

‘Last year’s new product was around $2,000. That means it will go up to around $2,500 this year.’

He acknowledged IBM’s technology, but he thought it was a problem to raise prices every year.

‘They’re raising prices like this, so they’re getting beaten by Dell.’

Dell significantly lowered computer prices with its modular configuration, inflicting fatal damage on computer manufacturers, including IBM.

“How about the mainframe?”

The female employee smiled at Jung Hyun-woo’s question.

“Are you interested in mainframes too?”

She thought that the mainframe (large computer) sold by IBM was too expensive for a young man like Jung Hyun-woo to handle.

Then Sarah approached and said to her, “Charlie is a pro. He already works in the development team at Victoria Corporation.”

The IBM female employee raised her eyebrows slightly at the mention that he was an employee of Victoria Corporation.

“Oh, I see. Our mainframe prices will also increase slightly, just like the personal computers.”

Jung Hyun-woo nodded at her answer and said, “Thank you for your answer.”

The staff member who was talking to him was asked for inquiries from another side and hurriedly moved away.

“It seems like you don’t like IBM raising prices?”

“What news is worse for consumers than a price increase?”

“Are you planning to buy a new computer this year too?”

“I’m thinking of buying about 5 units, so I’ll have to increase the budget further.”

As Jung Hyun-woo turned away, Sarah followed and asked, “You asked about the mainframe price, are you thinking of buying a mainframe too?”

Jung Hyun-woo asked her back, “Can we install a mainframe in our building?”

The mainframe was so heavy that it couldn’t be installed in a normal building. According to one research study, a building with a structural strength 1.5 to 2 times stronger than a normal building was required to install a mainframe.

“I don’t know.”

“I guess it’s difficult?”

“It might be possible on the first floor, but…”

The first floor was the safest part of the building unless the basement was extensively expanded.

“But there’s a restaurant on the first floor of our building.”

“That’s right.”

“We can’t kick out the first-floor restaurant, so we’ll have to look elsewhere.”

Sarah followed him and asked, “Is a mainframe really necessary?”

Jung Hyun-woo nodded and replied, “If we add JP Morgan’s subscribers to Bank of America’s subscribers, we might have to build a data center instead of a mainframe.”

“Is it that much?”

“It could be more than that.”

Each time a function is added to JP Services, the amount of work to be processed and the data to be stored will increase exponentially.

‘If JP Services has functions like HTS [Home Trading System], a data center is essential.’

Jung Hyun-woo thought that Victoria Corporation could grow in the same way as Amazon.

“How much would it cost to build a data center?”

The cost of mainframes and servers alone was a big burden. If the construction cost of a building with high strength was added to this, it could far exceed her expectations.

“I don’t know much about construction, so it’s hard for me to answer that.”

Sarah sighed briefly at his answer.

“Ha, so I have to draw up the budget after all.”

“Sarah, please.”

Jung Hyun-woo turned to the Samsung Electronics booth. And a moment later, someone called his name.

“Isn’t that Hyun-woo?”

When Jung Hyun-woo turned his head, a familiar face came into view.

“President Shin Young-jin?”

The person he met was Shin Young-jin, president of Samsung Electronics. He was the eldest son of Samsung Group Chairman Shin Byung-chul and was spearheading Samsung Group’s semiconductor business.

“I didn’t expect to meet you here.”

“I didn’t know that President Shin would come here in person.”

Last year, Executive Director Oh Hae-jin, not President Shin Young-jin, led the CES team.

‘President Shin is directly involved, which means that Samsung Electronics considers this year’s CES important.’

Shin Young-jin’s gaze turned to Jung Hyun-woo’s side.

“By the way… who is with you?”

Jung Hyun-woo quickly introduced Sarah.

“This is Miss Hilton. She is the CFO [Chief Financial Officer] of Victoria Corporation.”

Shin Young-jin didn’t know exactly what kind of company Victoria Corporation was. However, he thought it might be a promising company in the United States.

‘I think she’s a friend he met at MIT [Massachusetts Institute of Technology].’

Sarah bowed slightly at Jung Hyun-woo’s introduction.

“I’m Sarah Hilton. As Charlie introduced, I’m the CFO of Victoria Corporation.”

Shin Young-jin greeted her with a bright face.

“I’m Mark Shin. I’m the CEO of Samsung Electronics.”

He used the American name Mark instead of his Korean name.

“The booth is bigger than last year.”

“Did you visit our booth last year too?”

“I came with Charlie.”

In Korea, Samsung Electronics’ status was overwhelming, but in the United States in 1984, it was not.

Shin Young-jin’s voice brightened at her saying that she had visited the Samsung Electronics booth for two consecutive years.

“We have prepared more this year.”

Samsung Electronics had achieved great results not only in the home appliance sector but also in the semiconductor sector. Based on these achievements, they were aiming to increase their market share in the United States.

“It’s getting better every year.”

“Of course.”

Sarah moved inside the Samsung Electronics booth to give Jung Hyun-woo time to talk to him. As she left, Shin Young-jin asked Jung Hyun-woo.

“How is it?”

“Sarah said that it’s more energetic than last year.”

“Energetic?”

“Not only has the number of products increased compared to last year, but the functions seem to have been greatly enhanced.”

“What about the overall completeness?”

“It’s hard for me to say that.”

Shin Young-jin put his hands on his waist.

“We are confident in the completeness as well.”

Samsung Electronics had greatly strengthened the inspection part last year, so the quality had also improved significantly.

“If President Shin says so, then that must be the case.”

“That’s a very soulless answer.”

Jung Hyun-woo shrugged his shoulders and said, “The evaluation must be accurate.”

Shin Young-jin smiled and lowered his voice.

“Hyun-woo, have you been to Apple yet?”

Apple was the company that would become Samsung Electronics’ biggest rival in the future.

“Not yet.”

“I see. Then be sure to go.”

Jung Hyun-woo listened to his words and could guess what Apple’s new product was to some extent.

‘That’s out.’

But he pretended not to know anything and asked Shin Young-jin, “Is there anything special at the Apple booth?”

Shin Young-jin nodded and replied, “There’s an amazing thing.”

Amazing thing.

Jung Hyun-woo thought it was as expected.

‘Finally, the Macintosh is out.’

Apple’s Macintosh was a truly innovative computer based on 1984. In particular, there was so much development in terms of user convenience that it could be called revolutionary.

“If President Shin says it’s an amazing thing…”

“I think American technology is scary.”

Shin Young-jin thought that innovative products like the Macintosh could only be made in the United States.

‘We can’t make such a thing in our country yet.’

He thought that even Japanese companies like Sony and Sanyo, which were gaining momentum in the United States, could not make innovative products like Apple.

‘This side has excellent finishing and functions, but it can’t be called innovative.’

While he was thinking about the difference in technology between Japan and the United States, Jung Hyun-woo raised his voice.

“Since President Shin said so, I must go.”

Shin Young-jin nodded with a kind smile.

“Be sure to go. It’s a product that will greatly broaden the eyes of an engineer like you.”

“Then I’ll see you next time.”

Jung Hyun-woo bowed deeply to him and approached Sarah.

“Sarah, is there anything that catches your eye?”

“No.”

Jung Hyun-woo paused at her answer.

“From a distance, you were watching intently?”

“My eyes are on the TV, but my mind is elsewhere.”

“Is it JP Morgan?”

“It can’t be helped.”

“Put it off a bit, at least at CES.”

Sarah turned her body and asked, “What did you talk about with him? He seemed like a high-ranking person.”

Jung Hyun-woo and Shin Young-jin spoke in Korean, so she couldn’t understand their conversation.

“Apple has released an innovative new product.”

Sarah said as if she already knew, “You mean the Macintosh.”

Jung Hyun-woo raised his eyebrows at the fact that she knew about the Macintosh.

‘Has it become so famous that it’s no longer a secret?’

He raised his voice and asked, “Did Sarah know too?”

“I heard it from Robert. He said that Apple is preparing an innovative product called the Macintosh this time.”

“Oh, I see.”

Robert, as a manager with a long career in the IT industry, even knew the name of a product that had not yet been released.

‘Robert seems to have a surprisingly wide network.’

If it weren’t for his wide network, the start of JP Services would have been delayed by 2 or 3 months.

“How innovative is the product?”

“It will have a high-performance CPU [Central Processing Unit], so it will overwhelm IBM’s ordinary products.”

Jung Hyun-woo already knew the revolution that the Macintosh had caused.

‘The great thing about the Macintosh is not the high-performance CPU.’

The most different part of the Macintosh from existing PCs was the operating system and user convenience.

‘The mouse was also used in earnest since the Macintosh appeared.’

For those who encountered computers after the 1990s, the Windows operating system and the mouse were very familiar.

But it wasn’t before January 1984. Most programs and games operated with commands entered via the keyboard, and the mouse was only a very auxiliary means.

“Are we going to the Apple booth right away?”

Jung Hyun-woo shook his head at Sarah’s question.

“No. I don’t think we can do that.”

Commodore’s CEO Luke Bernard was blocking the two people.