The Conglomerate Family Became A Villain [EN]: Chapter 100

100. Noon Sun (2)

1984.

It was a time when satellite broadcasting wasn’t readily available in South Korea, and the internet was even further off.

Because of this, only a small number of people in South Korea had access to international news.

Chief Hong Won-ik managed to persuade domestic media companies by calling them one by one.

“Hoo…”

After finishing all the calls, he loosened his tie with a long sigh.

“To come to work on a Sunday and do this.”

$10 million.

It was truly not an easy sum of money.

‘Hyun-woo earned that?’

It was unbelievable.

How could the black sheep of the Daewoon Group earn that much money?

‘Does he have some special talent?’

He called Choi Kyung-min.

Soon after, Choi Kyung-min appeared and bowed.

“You called for me?”

“You’re here?”

Choi Kyung-min had come to work before Chief Hong Won-ik and was waiting in the secretary’s office.

“Sit down.”

At Chief Hong Won-ik’s gesture, Choi Kyung-min sat down.

“What should we talk about first?”

Deep concern was etched on his face.

Why wouldn’t it be?

He had to come to the company on a Sunday morning, when everyone was resting, to clean up after the third-generation *chaebol* [family conglomerate] who had donated $10 million.

“I will tell you anything I know.”

Chief Hong Won-ik knew that Choi Kyung-min was Jung Hyun-woo’s man.

‘He probably knows more than I do.’

He sighed briefly and asked.

“Do you know how Hyun-woo made the money?”

Since it was reported in the American news as a donation, it couldn’t have been illegal.

“I know that he did business with Miss Hilton.”

At his answer, Chief Hong Won-ik nodded.

“Business with Miss Hilton, huh? Hmm, then I can understand it to some extent.”

As of 1984, the Hilton Group had a business scale that could not be compared to the Daewoon Group.

‘Even if Hyun-woo denies it, the Hilton family is ultimately behind him.’

The problem was that he couldn’t understand why the Hilton family was helping Jung Hyun-woo.

‘Is it really because of personal favor?’

This was something he really couldn’t understand.

“If it’s a business with Miss Hilton, is it related to the Hilton Hotel?”

“I don’t know about that.”

“Hmm, so you don’t know the details either.”

“I’m sorry.”

Chief Hong Won-ik thought that could be the case.

‘Section Chief Choi might just be a pawn to Hyun-woo.’

Besides, Choi Kyung-min was in Korea, not the United States.

‘Maybe he’s just being used as a messenger to hear news from Korea.’

Chief Hong Won-ik narrowed his brows. Then he said to himself.

“What does Hyun-woo want to do?”

This was not a question for Choi Kyung-min, but a question for himself.

However, because it came out of his mouth, Choi Kyung-min had no choice but to answer.

“The young master seems to want to do something big.”

Chief Hong Won-ik tilted his head at Choi Kyung-min’s words.

“A big project?”

“Perhaps because he was born into a *chaebol* family, he seems to be aiming much higher than I am.”

Chief Hong Won-ik crossed his legs and considered his words.

“If Hyun-woo succeeds in business in the United States, there’s nothing bad for the Daewoon Group.”

Of course, Jung Hyun-woo’s success wasn’t entirely positive. If he achieved unexpected success, the Daewoon Group’s succession structure could change.

‘The Chairman still favors Hyun-woo. If Hyun-woo succeeds greatly in the United States, it is impossible to predict how the Chairman’s favor will change.’

Summer of 1984.

The Daewoon Group’s succession structure was not clear.

In recent months, Daewoon Construction has made remarkable achievements. And all of those achievements were related to the youngest son, Jung Min-young.

As Jung Min-young achieved results, the position of Vice President Jung Min-seok, who had seemed unassailable, was shaken.

Moreover, with the Middle East business being delayed, Vice President Jung Min-seok’s side wasn’t even able to mount a proper counterattack.

‘If Hyun-woo joins in this situation, the calculations of the vassals will become complicated.’

The people who could be said to be Chairman Jung Woo-sun’s vassals were about seven or eight, including the heads of affiliates.

The succession structure could be determined by which one they supported.

‘It doesn’t matter if the Chairman’s will is clear, but if it’s not, their opinions cannot be ignored.’

Chief Hong Won-ik sighed deeply inside and asked Choi Kyung-min again.

“In your opinion, will Hyun-woo’s business succeed?”

Choi Kyung-min raised his voice slightly and asked back.

“Hasn’t he already succeeded?”

“Already succeeded?”

“Just looking at the fact that he has the resources to donate $10 million, I think we can gauge the current status and scale of the business.”

Chief Hong Won-ik crossed his arms.

“That’s true.”

Has Jung Hyun-woo really succeeded greatly in the United States?

‘Hyun-woo is only nineteen in our age [Korean age counts the year in the womb and adds a year at the Lunar New Year].’

A big business that can succeed at nineteen.

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t imagine it.

‘I can only imagine him helping with the Hilton family’s work.’

He thought his imagination was quite limited.

“Section Chief Choi, what should we do in the future?”

Choi Kyung-min paused as if he had never considered this question and couldn’t answer immediately.

“That, that is…….”

Chief Hong Won-ik didn’t wait for his answer and told him what he thought.

“It would be better to keep watching as it is now. Don’t you think so?”

Choi Kyung-min reflexively nodded.

“I think that would be good.”

Chief Hong Won-ik unfolded his arms and raised his right hand.

“You can go back.”

Choi Kyung-min got up from his seat and bowed deeply.

“Then I’ll be on my way.”

Chief Hong Won-ik thought as he watched him leave.

‘That friend may have picked the right horse, unexpectedly.’

What if Jung Hyun-woo establishes himself in the United States?

Something will fall to Choi Kyung-min as well.

‘Come to think of it, I remember him saying he would buy me a house in Hannam-dong [affluent neighborhood in Seoul].’

He remembered the conversation they had at the Grand Hyatt Hotel.

‘Was that not just a boast or pretense?’

Jung Hyun-woo must have already achieved some level of success at that time.

‘Hoo……. Is America such a good place?’

He couldn’t help but think of the term “American Dream.”

* * *

The employees of Victoria Corporation were beaming with their summer bonuses.

Sarah was relieved to see the employees’ faces brighten.

“It seems like the bonus had some effect.”

Jung Hyun-woo spun around in his swivel chair and replied.

“That’s a relief.”

Sarah thought the sacrifice was too great to consider it a relief.

‘Because I sold half of my Apple shares to pay for the bonus.’

Victoria Corporation had been making a decent profit by investing in Apple.

However, they had no choice but to dispose of half of their Apple shares to pay for this bonus.

“What are you going to do now?”

“Are you talking about the donation?”

“I’m talking about MIT [Massachusetts Institute of Technology].”

“I’ve decided on $10 million.”

Jung Hyun-woo allocated the same amount to MIT as Doctors Without Borders or Greenpeace.

“Are you sure that’s okay?”

She thought that MIT’s influence had played a role in this deal, so the amount might have to be different.

“MIT might be disappointed if they knew, but $10 million is not a small amount either.”

“That’s true.”

Jung Hyun-woo realized once again how difficult it was to be in the media spotlight.

‘I really have to respect those who handle the media skillfully.’

He wasn’t that kind of person.

“How’s Robert doing?”

He turned his gaze to the documents Sarah brought and answered.

“I’ve hired about two people.”

He and she had decided to create a team to support Robert.

“Is Amanda the team leader after all?”

“I think that’s up to Robert to decide.”

Sarah didn’t think that Amanda should be the team leader just because she was Robert’s secretary.

‘The team leader who can support Robert must also have some sales skills.’

Amanda had never demonstrated her ability in that area.

“I see.”

Beep. Beep.

The phone on Jung Hyun-woo’s desk rarely rang. But today, the bell started ringing insistently.

“That’s unusual.”

“I know.”

The moment the two tilted their heads, Anne opened the door slightly and raised her voice.

“It’s Magellan Fund!”

Magellan Fund.

It meant Peter Lynch was calling.

“Peter?”

As Sarah raised her voice, Jung Hyun-woo made a face that said, “I knew it.”

“Sarah, it’s a call for you.”

Sarah got up from her seat and approached Jung Hyun-woo’s desk. Then she reached out and answered the phone.

“This is Sarah.”

“Sarah, this is a disaster.”

“A disaster?”

Peter Lynch’s voice was fluctuating wildly, unlike usual.

“The U.S. Treasury Department has released a press release expressing concern about the trade deficit with Japan.”

During this period, the U.S. trade deficit with Japan was increasing day by day.

“So?”

“Japanese stocks are falling sharply.”

Falling sharply.

Then it wasn’t a crash yet.

“What do you want me to do, Peter?”

“I think it’s better to secure cash for now.”

Peter Lynch was saying it’s better to avoid the storm.

“What is Victoria Corporation’s investment amount in Japan?”

The amount they initially invested was $20 million.

“If we liquidate now, it will be about $38 million.”

A little less than 100% profit.

Considering that it fell sharply today, it might have exceeded 100% before the fall.

“I’ll call you back after discussing it with Charlie.”

“Sarah, it’s urgent.”

“I’ll call you in five minutes.”

Sarah hung up the phone and turned her gaze to Jung Hyun-woo.

“The situation in Japan is not good.”

Jung Hyun-woo hadn’t heard the whole conversation, so he had no choice but to ask again.

“How is it not good?”

He frowned as he asked the question.

‘Could it be that the Plaza Accord has been reached?’

Jung Hyun-woo knew that the Plaza Accord would be reached between the United States and Japan, but he didn’t know exactly when.

“The Treasury Department has released a press release expressing concern about the trade deficit with Japan.”

“That means they’re going to put pressure on Japan.”

Before the Plaza Accord, the United States had pressured Japan several times.

‘Today’s press release is one of them.’

Sarah continued.

“The important thing is that Japanese stocks seem to have fallen quite a bit because of that.”

Jung Hyun-woo knew that the Japanese bubble would not burst at this point.

“I think it’s a temporary drop.”

“A temporary drop?”

“Yes.”

Sarah asked again.

“So, you’re saying it’s okay to hold it as it is without selling it?”

“It’s not just holding it without selling it, it’s better to invest aggressively.”

Invest aggressively.

Sarah couldn’t help but narrow her brows.

“It’s impossible to use Victoria Corporation’s account.”

The cash in Victoria Corporation’s account was already earmarked for other uses.

“Sell all of Apple’s stock.”

Sarah narrowed her brows even more at his words.

“Sell Apple stock?”

Apple had been making profits since January. Yet, he was saying that he would sell Apple stock to pay the bonus and invest in Japan.

“Is it not possible?”

“Isn’t it killing the goose that lays the golden eggs?”

Jung Hyun-woo realized that Sarah highly valued Apple.

‘Apple is good, but…….’

Considering short-term profits, it was Japan after all.

“I’ll take responsibility if the investment in Japan fails.”

“Are you saying you’ll use personal funds?”

“That’s right.”

Sarah sighed deeply and was about to pick up the phone again. At that moment, Jung Hyun-woo reached out and grabbed her hand.

“Charlie?”

Jung Hyun-woo answered her unspoken question.

“Use Sarah’s phone. I have another place to call separately.”

Sarah narrowed her eyes at his answer.

“You’re going to call JP Morgan, aren’t you?”

Most of the $500 million that Jung Hyun-woo had was tied up in JP Morgan’s account.

Sarah saw through that he was trying to invest some or most of the $500 million in Japan.

“How did you know?”

“It’s obvious.”

“Are you against it?”

Sarah nodded slowly.

“That’s right. I’m against it.”

“What if I still want to invest?”

Sarah sighed deeply.

“If you really want to invest, do only half.”

She was saying to leave at least half untouched.

Jung Hyun-woo nodded and accepted her condition.

“Okay. Then I’ll invest only $100 million.”

He was planning to invest only 20%, not half.

‘I don’t know what else will happen until the Plaza Accord.’

Jung Hyun-woo wanted to diversify his investments rather than betting all at once.

“Hmm, $100 million might be okay.”

The moment Sarah was relieved, Jung Hyun-woo let go of her hand and said.

“Sarah, let’s go out for lunch.”

The $100 million investment seemed to have already disappeared from his mind.

“Go out?”

“To refresh our mood.”

“Okay.”

Sarah ended the meeting with Jung Hyun-woo early and returned to her room. Then she called Peter Lynch and told him about aggressive investment instead of cashing out.

Then Peter Lynch exclaimed.

“Sarah! Do you know what you’re trying to do now?”

Sarah received his sharp question in a soft voice.

“It’s not my intention, it’s Charlie’s intention.”

“Charlie’s intention?”

“Charlie thinks it’s a temporary slump.”

“Is it a temporary slump when the U.S. Treasury Department has stepped in?”

Sarah’s voice was still soft.

“Charlie seems to be thinking this way. If the trade deficit with Japan is so large that the U.S. Treasury Department has stepped in, wouldn’t Japanese companies’ performance be very good this year?”

He was saying that earnings surprises would continue every quarter in 1984.

Peter Lynch couldn’t help but pause at her reasoning.

“Hmm, I guess you could think that way.”

He stroked his chin and thought.

‘But the stock price is falling sharply today.’

It’s not too late to enter after the stock price has fallen all the way.

In fact, this was the typical stance of an institutional investor.

However, he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

‘Hoo, that’s not my investment anyway.’

He made investments based on valuation, not investments that ride the waves depending on the situation.

“Does Peter think differently?”

When Sarah asked, Peter Lynch cleared his throat lightly.

“Hmm, hmm. Anyway, the stock is falling today.”

“Does Peter still think we should sell Japanese stocks?”

“If that’s Charlie’s intention, I’ll follow his intention.”

He also agreed that Japanese companies’ performance would be strong.

“Then please sell all of Apple’s stock.”

“You’re saying to invest the money from the sale in Japanese companies, right?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. Then I’ll take care of it that way.”

Peter Lynch put his hands together after hanging up the phone.

“Charlie should have come to Wall Street after all.”

He thought that if Jung Hyun-woo had entered Wall Street, he would have made a name for himself as a legendary investor.