Still, I Will Live As The Son-In-Law Of A Conglomerate [EN]: Chapter 71

71. 22nd. Give and Take (1)

After contacting Park Tae-jin and staying at Henry’s mansion to finalize the list of movies to invest in and the investment amounts, ten days had already passed.

“Quite a lot. ‘Cutthroat Island’ gets ten million, ‘Waterworld’ ten million…”

Henry ran his finger along the frame of his monocle as he looked at the twenty or so movies we had selected together. I gave Henry an awkward smile.

‘Sorry, Henry. But I don’t want to be confined every time.’

Almost all the movies on the list were likely to break even at best, and most would even lose the principal. I did this because I was afraid that if I only picked out the hit movies, this kind of semi-forced confinement would happen again.

“…Those good-for-nothing guys will be squandering our money.”

Henry closed the documents and spat out the words, clearly displeased. He seemed to think that investing in intangible movies was a waste of money, probably because he had always invested only in tangible assets. I gave Henry an awkward smile as I watched him.

“It can’t be helped, Henry. Shouldn’t we spend as much as we earn?”

“You’re right. If our two companies invest $150 million each, that ‘Yokai’ [referring to a Japanese monster or supernatural being, often used metaphorically for something strange or unsettling] talk I hate to hear will be somewhat silenced. But…”

Henry tilted his head, looking at the bottom of the list.

“The investment amounts for three movies are particularly high. Is there a reason?”

“Just a hunch? A board game that becomes reality, a paean [expression of praise] to humanity’s courage against an alien invasion, and a poignant and heartbreaking romance tied to a shipwreck. For some reason, they appealed to me, haha.”

The troika [a group of three people or things] of this investment was ‘Jumanji,’ ‘Independence Day,’ and ‘Titanic.’

After persuading Henry, the investment allocated to these three movies from the two companies was $20 million for Jumanji, $25 million for Independence Day, and $80 million out of the initial production cost of $150 million for Titanic.

As I laughed with a playful tone, Henry chuckled.

“Johnny, you’re really into movies, haha.”

“It’s a family tradition, Henry. Since my great-grandfather’s time, we’ve been collecting black and white film and LPs [long-playing records, a type of vinyl record], and the company is also involved in cultural projects.”

Smiling, I thought of the vault in the basement of my main house in Samcheong-dong [a neighborhood in Seoul, South Korea, known for its traditional Korean houses].

In that vault, where temperature and humidity are automatically controlled and security is airtight, there are film reels of movies starring Charlie Chaplin, Vivien Leigh, Audrey Hepburn, and LPs of Elvis Presley, The Beatles, etc., one each for preservation and appreciation. This collection, accumulated since my great-grandfather’s time, continues to grow even now.

Listening to me, Henry’s eyes sparkled as he asked.

“Did you start that cultural business because of collecting?”

“Yes, that’s right. It started when I placed orders with overseas corporations and my great-grandfather and grandfather spent their own money to collect them, but it became a business before I knew it. I also produced albums of my deceased parents’ songs.”

Because of that, the publishing and cultural division was barely breaking even through the theater business.

However, thanks to Henry, I got involved in the movie industry, so I was planning to gradually distribute and invest, and later invest in the music industry as well. Isn’t it a business that preserved my deceased father’s guitar playing and my mother’s voice?

When my parents were mentioned, Henry nodded with a serious expression.

“There’s nothing better than honoring your parents while doing business. So that’s why you wanted the Korean distribution rights.”

“That’s part of it, but if more foreign movies come in, it will stimulate the domestic movie industry and lead to higher quality movies.”

Henry, looking at me with the same warm gaze he gave Claire, opened his mouth.

“I’ll have Claire introduce you to people in Hollywood during this investment execution. From now on, you’ll be investing directly.”

“Henry?”

Looking at me with wide eyes, Henry sighed.

“I guess it’s because of the years I’ve lived, but the movie industry, where you invest based only on potential, doesn’t suit me. It’s so hard to figure out because there are no objective indicators.”

“I see.”

As expected. Isn’t Henry the head of Triumph Capital, which invests widely in automobiles, heavy equipment, aerospace, semiconductors, telecommunications, petrochemicals, industrial facilities, and stocks of various financial companies?

“I’d rather entrust my private assets to Johnny. A gambler like you won’t lose the principal, haha.”

“Thank you, Henry.”

I smiled and bowed to Henry. It would be sufficiently rewarding to increase Henry’s personal wealth in the cinema fund I would create starting next year.

***

After returning to the hotel from Henry’s mansion, I took hundreds of photos, matching the time I left for work and the time I got off work for several days. Then, I met Gong Seong-pil at a Japanese restaurant.

“No tailing, sir.”

“Isn’t it natural, since you bestowed great favor on the guy who tried to stab you in the back, Young Master? I’m not that stupid, haha.”

Gong Seong-pil said confidently and laughed heartily, but then shut his mouth, stung by Park Tae-jin’s cold glare next to me. I handed him the film canisters, looking down at him.

“I’ll trust you. If you mix and send one photo in the morning and one in the evening each day, they won’t be suspicious. Don’t make any mistakes when sending them.”

“Of course not. I may not be good at other things, but I never make mistakes in handling work, Young Master.”

Gong Seong-pil was now calling me ‘Young Master’ without any hesitation. The saying that money can make you betray even your parents fits this guy perfectly.

I nodded after hearing Gong Seong-pil’s firm voice and filled his sake [Japanese rice wine] cup. He was a decent worker except for his woman problems, so he would do well.

“Good. Let’s meet often in the future. Feel free to contact me if you have any good information. I’ll pay you according to the value of the information. It’s the same account I gave you last time.”

“T, thank you, Young Master!”

Gong Seong-pil’s eyes gleamed with desire. He must have been eager, since I told him that if he sold company information, I would deposit untraceable money into a tax haven account that no one knew about.

“Please get home safely!”

Leaving Gong Seong-pil, who was giving a folder bow, I returned to my accommodation and leaned against the balcony with Park Tae-jin, drinking bottled beer. The rich flavor of Guinness stuck to me particularly well today.

“You’ve worked hard, Young Master.”

“It’s nothing. It’s the path I chose and the decision I made. I have to take responsibility for it.”

From now on, I will continue to live like that. The miserable life that ended with only taking responsibility for one wrong choice and decision ended when I reached the abyss of death.

I smiled and sipped my beer, looking at the night sky. Park Tae-jin watched me with a satisfied smile.

“The Chairman would be surprised if he saw you handling Gong Seong-pil, haha.”

“Keep friends close, but enemies closer, haha.”

It’s much better to keep and manage a guy who will become an enemy by my side. If I ever see signs of him betraying me, I will squeeze his heart.

***

The next morning, I went back to work at Standard Capital and immersed myself in the fierce life of Wall Street.

The first thing I started with was selecting stocks for exchange trading.

“Are you planning to invest in all of these stocks, Young Master?”

During a meeting in the office next to Claire’s CEO office, I nodded at Park Tae-jin, who was sitting across from me, looking at the documents.

“Yes. We should focus on Qualcomm, Cisco Systems, Oracle, America Online, Best Buy, ASML, Microsoft, and Starbucks, Costco, Target, Hermes, etc.”

They were jackpot stocks that only I knew about, but since their current returns and prospects weren’t bad, not only Park Tae-jin but also Claire nodded.

“Among them, Qualcomm is quite noteworthy. The CDMA [Code Division Multiple Access, a digital cellular technology] method is said to have much better mobile phone sound quality than the existing GSM [Global System for Mobile Communications, a standard for mobile networks] method.”

“Moreover, all the stocks that Johnny picked are closely related to the Clinton administration’s economic policies. They are stocks in the IT industry’s upstream and downstream sectors, so their investment value is sufficient.”

“Of course, Starbucks, Costco, Target, and Hermes are exceptions, but since they are consumer-related stocks, they will help defend returns.”

Other executives also showed positive signals for other stocks. I smiled, looking at everyone sitting around the round table.

###

In addition to investing in the U.S. stock market, we also signed an investment agreement with Gucci. Two things were added to the existing Korean business rights in that contract.

[If Gucci starts OEM [Original Equipment Manufacturer, where a company manufactures products that are branded and sold by another company] or ODM [Original Design Manufacturer, where a company designs and manufactures products that are branded and sold by another company] in the future, Standard Capital will entrust all OEM and ODM to the companies it invests in. However, this is limited to cases where the company has received OEM from existing fashion companies, and the profits will be divided as 60% for Gucci and 40% for the company.

The distribution of Gucci and its affiliated brands in mainland China, Japan, and Southeast Asia will be entrusted to Haedong Trading. The profit distribution ratio will be 50% for Gucci and 50% for Haedong Trading.]

Perhaps thanks to the power of $1.6 billion, Investcorp, the previous owner of Gucci, readily accepted the additional conditions. Thanks to this, Claire, Tom Ford, Domenico De Sole, and others signed the investment contract in a friendly atmosphere.

“Oh, Johnny! It suits you very well!”

Tom Ford welcomed me as I went out to the reception after the investment agreement.

“I like this outfit, too.”

The outfit I was wearing was the first Windsor suit [a type of suit known for its structured silhouette] that Tom Ford designed and gifted me based on the sketches I had sent him. Tom Ford smiled as he saw me shrug my shoulders.

“There are few men with a fit like Johnny. It’s not bulky and has a sleek inverted triangle line, so the clothes are wearing Johnny, right? Hehe.”

Tom Ford gave a pleasant chuckle and winked at me. At that moment, goosebumps spread all over my body.

‘I’m taken, Tom.’

Tom Ford asked me as I smiled awkwardly.

“By the way, which OEM company are you thinking of, Johnny?”

“It’s a secret, Tom.”

I don’t know if you know ‘Sienne.’ They broke through Donna Karan handbag OEM eight years ago and are rapidly advancing.

###

In the meantime, Korea’s first local elections were over.

“How much money did we spread around this time?”

“I heard from the chief that it was 30 billion won [South Korean currency] for the ruling party, 15 billion won for the first opposition party, and 10 billion won for the second opposition party. I heard that the ruling party lost the Daegu-Gyeongbuk area because of the Daegu subway disaster…”

As I was talking about the hellish South Korean political scene, I heard good news from Park Tae-jin.

“Really?”

“Yes, Young Master. I heard that Haedong Construction won the bid for the Daegu Subway Line 2 construction this time. Also, Haedong Merchant Bank…”

I couldn’t help but whistle when I heard the news that they had opened branches in major cities across the country except for Daegu and Gyeongbuk for the first time as a merchant bank, just like I said in front of my grandfather last time.

“Whew-, that’s worth the election money we spread around. I have no regrets about Daegu and Gyeongbuk, since they are the turf of politicians colluding with the ruling party.”

Haedong Merchant Bank’s 14 branches nationwide are just the beginning. In the future, I have to increase the number further and grow it into a merchant bank that rivals commercial banks.

###

After celebrating the domestic news with Park Tae-jin, I crossed over to California. Did the sturdy and handsome men drive lowriders [customized cars with lowered suspension] to Santa Monica Beach to pick up bikini-clad beauties?

Not at all. It was because of a meeting with men of various skin colors.

The first person I met was Jobs.

My displeasure at being spoiled by Jobs one tempo faster throughout the final version of Toy Story disappeared cleanly at Jobs’ suggestion.

“An IPO [Initial Public Offering, the first sale of stock by a private company to the public]?”

“I think it would be good to go public a week after the Toy Story screening. What do you think, Johnny?”

There was no reason to object. In the original history, Pixar went public on NASDAQ [National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations, an American stock exchange] a week after the Toy Story screening.

“Good. But… can I meet John Lasseter?”

“Feedback on the work?”

“No. He’s the one who suffered the most as much as Steve, so I’m going to give him a gift, hehe.”

Smiling slyly, I met John Lasseter 1:1 through Jobs.

“You’ve really worked hard, John.”

“No, Johnny. If you hadn’t held Steve’s hand, I would have suffered in that damn Jeffrey’s grasp, haha.”

Looking at him laughing unassumingly, I don’t know why he did that when he seemed like a decent person. I handed Lasseter a document.

“What is this?”

“It’s $20 million in Pixar stock options. It’s being paid by our Standard as a reward for your hard work.”

Lasseter, looking at me with eyes wide as if they would pop out, quickly read the document.

“If you cause a scandal in your private life, you will compensate Standard ten times the stock price at the time the incident is revealed?”

I smiled slyly as I looked at Lasseter, whose expression hardened.

“As you can see, the details of the scandal are listed below.”

Lasseter’s expression turned white as he looked at the document. Could this guy be?

As I glared at him with hawk eyes, Lasseter hurriedly waved his hand.

“Nothing like that, Johnny! I promise!”

“Then sign that contract quickly. You are someone who can’t be without Pixar.”

Lasseter hurriedly signed the contract.

Just try to cause a sexual harassment problem, there will be nothing left for you.

###

After finishing the meeting at Pixar, the partners I met were the three men from Yahoo.

“Jerry, David!”

“Johnny! Mr. Park!”

The four of us greeted each other happily and shared hugs. Aren’t they the comrades who founded Yahoo? After finishing the hugs, I extended my hand to Son Jeong-ui [Masayoshi Son, a Japanese billionaire businessman] next to me.

“It’s been a while, Mr. Son.”

“It’s nice to see you again, Johnny.”

We politely shook hands, holding each other’s hands with both hands, and ate pizza and cola while having an important conversation.

“When do you think it would be good to list Yahoo?”

I rolled my head while drinking cola at the question that Son Jeong-ui threw after swallowing the pizza that was mumbling in his mouth.

“How about writing down the year and month you want to list on your palm and showing it to each other?”

“Hahaha! That would be fun. What do you two think?”

At Son Jeong-ui’s question, who was laughing heartily, Jerry and David also smiled and made a circle with their thumbs and index fingers. We immediately took out pens and wrote the date on our palms.

“One, two, three!”

We opened our palms to the count of three, checked each other’s palms, and burst into laughter.

“Hahahahaha!”

Whether it was a strange prank, not only I who knew the past, but also Son Jeong-ui, Jerry, and David all wrote April 1996. Did these guys decide on the listing time like this in their previous lives?

###

The last was Nvidia.

After arriving at the Nvidia headquarters, Park Tae-jin and I introduced ourselves to Jensen Huang and had a conversation while drinking coffee.

“You want me to invest more, Jensen?”

“That’s right, Johnny. Considering the favor you showed our company at first, I’m embarrassed, but there’s no better investment company than Standard, so I’m asking you again. The GPU [Graphics Processing Unit, a specialized electronic circuit designed to rapidly manipulate and alter memory to accelerate the creation of images in a frame buffer intended for output to a display device] we’re researching this time is…”

‘I know without you telling me, Jensen. The GeForce you’re going to make is the best graphics card in the world.’

As I listened to Jensen Huang’s explanation, full of the determination to attract investment, I laughed inwardly but also made humming noises out loud.

“Hmm…”

Jensen said, looking at me humming.

“If you invest this time, I will entrust 70 percent of the foundry volume allocation to Standard in the future.”

“Yes?”

I wondered if I had misheard. He’s going to give me 70 percent of the foundry volume?

As Park Tae-jin and I blinked, Jensen said with a firm expression.

“If Standard hadn’t invested a large amount of money under those conditions last year, the shareholders’ interference would have been severe. I don’t know how big we’ll get, but if we get help again this time, we’ll be able to grow the company stably, so we have to repay you that much.”

Some may have regarded my Nvidia investment last year as a pushover or an idiot, but the animal called human does not forget the grace received when they are in difficult and hard times, unless they are inherently flawed. Thinking that it was worth investing with generous conditions, I nodded.

“Good. Let’s invest $100 million. I’ll also transfer the voting rights of the additional shares that will be added with that $100 million to you, Jensen.”

“Johnny?”

I smiled at Jensen Huang, who was calling me with a dumbfounded expression.

“You also increased the foundry allocation volume to us, so we have to repay you too. I hope we have a good relationship in the future.”

“…Thank you, Johnny!”

I extended my hand to Jensen, and Jensen firmly grabbed the hand I extended. This is what give and take is all about.