The Conglomerate Family Became A Villain [EN]: Chapter 120

120. The End of 1984 (1)

Navy Hotel Lobby.

As soon as Jung Hyun-woo appeared, Sarah stood up from her seat.

“Did it go well?”

Jung Hyun-woo waved his right hand and replied,

“I managed to finish it somehow.”

“Somehow?”

“Let’s talk on the way.”

He meant they should talk in the car on the way back, rather than in the cramped hotel lobby.

“Okay.”

Just as the two were heading to the parking lot.

Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil Affairs, Heo Moon-young, sat face to face with the young man who had served the water.

“What do you think?”

“About Jung Hyun-woo?”

“Yes.”

The young man’s name was Kim Hak-soo.

He was an overseas operative for the National Security Planning Agency [South Korea’s primary intelligence agency, similar to the CIA]. Considering the chain of command, he shouldn’t have had any involvement with Senior Presidential Secretary Heo Moon-young. Nevertheless, he accompanied Heo Moon-young because they were alumni from the same high school.

“He doesn’t seem like an ordinary young man.”

“Not an ordinary person?”

“Didn’t you feel that way too, sir?”

Senior Presidential Secretary Heo Moon-young groaned softly.

“Hmm.”

He thought it was natural for Jung Hyun-woo to seem unusual.

‘No matter what anyone says, Jung Hyun-woo is a third-generation chaebol, after all [a chaebol is a large, family-controlled industrial conglomerate in South Korea].’

Jung Hyun-woo was not ordinary from birth.

“Tell me about your side.”

“The overseas team?”

“Yes, the American team.”

Kim Hak-soo fiddled with his left thumb with his right hand and said,

“The American side only provided the previously compiled data.”

“There was nothing else?”

“They added that Jung Hyun-woo is a figure being watched by many in America. That’s all.”

This was not the answer Senior Presidential Secretary Heo Moon-young wanted.

“The American team, do you have a friend you communicate with directly?”

Kim Hak-soo cautiously replied,

“I have one.”

“Good.”

“Do you have separate instructions?”

“It’s not ideal for me to call the head of the National Security Planning Agency every time I investigate the American side.”

Senior Presidential Secretary Heo Moon-young didn’t have a bad relationship with the head of the National Security Planning Agency. However, they weren’t close enough to be informal with each other.

“Would that be alright? If the head of the National Security Planning Agency finds out…….”

“He might be displeased if that friend finds out. But if you two don’t talk about it, there’s no way he’d know, right?”

Kim Hak-soo slowly nodded.

“That’s true.”

Unless they were eavesdropping on the conversation, there was no way the National Security Planning Agency would know.

“Find that out for me.”

“Find out what?”

“Jung Hyun-woo’s wealth.”

“Isn’t it in the data I gave you?”

“I need to compare it with the Hilton family.”

He was asking to investigate the Hilton family’s wealth, not Jung Hyun-woo’s wealth.

Senior Presidential Secretary Heo Moon-young was bothered by what Jung Hyun-woo had mentioned.

‘If Jung Hyun-woo’s wealth is greater than the Hilton family’s, the two are at least on equal footing.’

Unlike Korea, it was not easy to hide wealth in America. Especially for people like Jung Hyun-woo and Barron Hilton, whose names were public, they couldn’t avoid scrutiny from the IRS [Internal Revenue Service, the US tax agency].

“Do you think Jung Hyun-woo’s wealth is greater than the Hilton family’s?”

“He said so himself. He said his wealth is greater than the Hilton family’s.”

Kim Hak-soo cautiously said,

“That’s probably not the case.”

“Are you sure?”

“Considering the entire Hilton family, wouldn’t it easily exceed $10 billion?”

“What about Jung Hyun-woo’s wealth?”

Kim Hak-soo quickly searched for the data.

“It’s here. According to Forbes, Jung Hyun-woo’s assets are…….”

He couldn’t finish his sentence and swallowed the words down his throat. Then, Senior Presidential Secretary Heo Moon-young asked him,

“What’s wrong?”

“Jung Hyun-woo’s wealth is said to be $4.5 billion.”

$4.5 billion was close to half of South Korea’s annual budget.

“Is that real?”

“It’s up $1.5 billion from last month.”

The data Heo Moon-young had read in Korea stated $3 billion.

That was what had been announced last month. And the data in Kim Hak-soo’s hand was the latest version, announced a few days ago.

“If it’s $4.5 billion…….”

“It may not be the entire Hilton family, but it could be similar to Chairman Barron Hilton, who has the most assets.”

Senior Presidential Secretary Heo Moon-young made a frustrated sound.

“Ugh, is that kid’s wealth the same as the Hilton Group chairman’s?”

It was unbelievable.

‘He’s not just the richest man in Korea, but also one of the richest in America.’

Since it was Forbes’ data, there was no room for rebuttal.

“I thought he was an extraordinary young man, but I didn’t know it was to this extent.”

Senior Presidential Secretary Heo Moon-young waved his right hand and said,

“Cancel what I said earlier.”

“About the Hilton family’s wealth?”

“Jung Hyun-woo’s wealth may be even greater than what Forbes mentioned.”

Senior Presidential Secretary Heo Moon-young wasn’t exactly short on money. But he felt like he had just sent the richest man in Korea back empty-handed.

‘Should I have gotten something out of him?’

Creating a connection with the Republican Party was what the President, not him, wanted.

In other words, Senior Presidential Secretary Heo Moon-young hadn’t gotten anything he wanted.

As he fell into silence, Kim Hak-soo cautiously asked,

“Sir, what’s wrong?”

Senior Presidential Secretary Heo Moon-young waved his hand and replied,

“Tsk, I think I listened to him too easily.”

“Did you receive a favor?”

“Not a favor, but we made a deal. Just know that.”

Kim Hak-soo placed both hands on his knees and bowed deeply.

“Understood.”

Senior Secretary Heo turned his gaze out the window.

‘Setting the meeting place in Hawaii was probably because of eavesdropping.’

He thought Jung Hyun-woo was moving meticulously.

* * *

On the way to the airport.

Sarah raised her voice at the end of her sentence.

“You made a deal with a family member?”

“To be exact, I made a deal with someone sent by the family.”

Sarah tilted her head at Jung Hyun-woo’s answer.

“What does that mean? Someone sent by the family?”

“A South Korean government official came.”

He was the one who had called Senior Presidential Secretary Heo Moon-young to Hawaii. But he couldn’t say that to Sarah.

“Hmm, a South Korean government official. Did he come to ask Charlie for help?”

“He proposed a deal rather than asking for help.”

“A deal?”

Jung Hyun-woo raised his right hand and replied,

“To grant each other one wish.”

Sarah stuck her tongue out slightly at his explanation.

“Pfft, of course, I know that much.”

She turned the steering wheel to the left and continued,

“So, to summarize, you made some kind of deal with a government official sent by the family, right?”

“Yes.”

“If the other party is a government official, it doesn’t seem like a simple deal. Are you going to be okay?”

Jung Hyun-woo turned his gaze to the sea on the left and replied,

“If it’s too difficult, I’ll ask Sarah for help.”

“Oh, is it something that Charlie would ask for help with?”

Recently, unlike in the past, Jung Hyun-woo hadn’t asked her for help as much.

“If it’s related to money, I might be able to do something, but it’s not.”

“Not related to money?”

Jung Hyun-woo shrugged.

“The Korean government is asking me to introduce a politician.”

“A politician?”

“Judging by the fact that they’re asking me to introduce someone from the Republican Party…….”

Sarah cut him off.

“They’re thinking of lobbying the Republican Party.”

“They’re trying to create ties with the Republican Party.”

“The Republican Party…….”

“Do you happen to know anyone?”

Sarah shook her head and replied,

“No.”

Her father, Andrew Hilton, knew many people in the Republican Party.

But unlike her father, she wasn’t close to Republicans.

This wasn’t because she supported the Democratic Party. She just wasn’t interested in politics.

“But I know how to meet them.”

Jung Hyun-woo raised his thumb and raised his voice.

“That’s Sarah for you!”

Sarah narrowed her eyes at the word ‘that’s’.

“‘That’s’? The nuance is strange.”

Jung Hyun-woo scratched his head and said,

“That’s…… Sarah is from the upper class, after all.”

“You mean I’m close to politicians?”

“That’s right.”

Sarah didn’t deny his words.

‘My father’s guests often came and went from the house.’

Even if she didn’t remember them, there were quite a few politicians who remembered her.

If she asked one of them, things might be surprisingly easy.

Jung Hyun-woo asked her with the clearest face possible,

“Sarah, so what should I do?”

“Is Charlie going to meet them directly?”

“It’s a deal I agreed to.”

“Charlie is busy.”

Sarah knew best how busy Jung Hyun-woo was.

“But it’s a family matter.”

“Let’s make a deal on this side too.”

“A deal?”

“If I help Charlie with his work, Charlie will help me with one of my things.”

Jung Hyun-woo tilted his head to the side.

“Is there anything I can help Sarah with?”

“There will be someday, won’t there?”

“You mean a deal with no time limit.”

“Do you not like it?”

Jung Hyun-woo shook his head.

“No. Let’s do it.”

Sarah smiled brightly at his answer.

“No take-backs.”

She hummed and stepped on the accelerator.

* * *

Victoria Corporation has confirmed its collaboration with Nintendo. The contract was signed by headquarters manager John River, and CEO Jung Hyun-woo did not attend.

This was not to take Nintendo lightly, but rather to give John River more authority.

“You managed to cut it down.”

Sarah was reviewing the contents of the contract sent by John River.

“Are you talking about the royalty?”

“It’s confirmed at 15%.”

The royalty that Nintendo initially demanded from Victoria Corporation was 30%. But Jung Hyun-woo thought he couldn’t give them 30%.

John River, after receiving his instructions, flew to Japan and continued negotiations. And he succeeded in getting a decent number of 15%.

“It would have been nice if it was 10%……. 15% isn’t too bad either.”

“I think you can praise John this time.”

“Is there anything related to the titles?”

Sarah looked at the contract and replied,

“It’s stated that four titles will be released in 1985.”

“Four titles…….”

The first title was Victoria Corporation’s own developed title.

‘The second and third will be Atari ports.’

The fourth was the problem.

If the first self-developed title succeeds, the fourth is likely to be a self-developed title as well.

Conversely, if the first self-developed title fails, the fourth title will have to be an Atari port.

‘The first title needs to be at least average.’

Sarah put down the copy of the contract and said,

“You can see that they didn’t put that much effort into four titles.”

“They must be thinking of solidifying the foundation.”

“Charlie, are you thinking of expanding the game division?”

“Does Sarah think differently?”

Sarah shook her head from side to side.

“No, I was just checking.”

She knew that Victoria Corporation originated from the Zero series.

‘The beginning of Victoria Corporation can be said to be games, no matter what anyone says.’

Although minimal, the royalties from the Zero series were still coming into Victoria Corporation’s account.

“Charlie, what should we do with the investment side?”

“Investment?”

“I’m talking about the Magellan Fund.”

He had forgotten about the Magellan Fund because the amount invested in JP Morgan had increased.

“Ah, that side is fine too, right?”

Sarah nodded at his question.

“We invested in this side much earlier.”

“How much is it?”

“$60 million.”

“Did you add any additional funds?”

Sarah checked the documents sent by the Magellan Fund and answered his question.

“A little.”

“If it’s $60 million with a little additional funds, the rate of return must be quite high, right?”

“That’s right.”

“What does Peter say?”

Sarah put down the documents and said,

“Peter said it wouldn’t be bad to withdraw now.”

“Because he’s already seen a big profit?”

“No, because we don’t know what kind of event will be held early next year.”

In 1984, the Japanese stock market was a roller coaster.

Peter Lynch thought the Japanese stock market might sink next year.

“Hmm, I’m worried.”

“You’re not going to withdraw, are you?”

Sarah knew Jung Hyun-woo well.

‘He’s the type to go straight in one direction.’

Few people knew him as well as she did.

“Sarah, you read my mind, right?”

“I just know Charlie’s investment style.”

Jung Hyun-woo grabbed a pen and asked,

“How about Sarah?”

He and she were investing separately.

“Investment?”

“Yes.”

“I just put it in a fund.”

“Is it the JP Morgan Fund?”

“JP Morgan seemed to want that.”

“Wouldn’t Peter manage the money better?”

Sarah thought the same as Jung Hyun-woo. But she didn’t take the money out of JP Morgan.

“I’m thinking of JP Morgan as a partner we’re going with.”

“Sarah, it’s enough for me to be tied to JP Morgan alone.”

“I’ll think about it when we deal with Bank of America.”

Jung Hyun-woo and Sarah were about to deal with Bank of America.

“Come to think of it, did you get a call from JP Morgan?”

JP Morgan had the right of first refusal.

“They said they’re giving up on this deal? Didn’t you talk to Charlie about it?”

Arthur Morgan had no intention of blocking Bank of America’s acquisition of Victoria Corporation’s stake.

“No.”

“Mr. Arno contacted us by phone and fax to say he would give up the right of first refusal.”

“Did you contact Bank of America?”

“Of course.”

Jung Hyun-woo took a deep breath.

“Hoo, it’s exciting.”

If this deal went through, Victoria Corporation’s value would jump once again.

‘It could jump to over $20 billion.’

If Victoria Corporation’s value jumped to $20 billion, Jung Hyun-woo’s wealth would be over $10 billion.

“You were calm last time.”

“I was quite surprised when I heard the first message from Neil.”

When Neil Hamilton accepted $10 billion, Sarah was with Sean Luke and didn’t see his face.

“Was that so?”

Jung Hyun-woo answered with strength in his voice.

“It was.”

Sarah changed the subject as if to change the topic.

“We’re coordinating the schedule with Bank of America.”

“The acquisition team will come before the formal contract, right?”

“Probably.”

Unlike JP Morgan, Bank of America didn’t have all of their accounting information.

“But the review won’t take that long.”

“Because it’s the deal they want?”

Sarah stretched her right index finger forward and answered his question.

“Bingo.”

She finished organizing the documents and got up from her seat.

“Charlie, it’s this Saturday evening.”

Jung Hyun-woo tilted his head at her words.

“Yes? You said Saturday evening?”

“A sponsorship party.”

“A sponsorship party…….”

“A Republican Party sponsorship party. To be more precise, a Republican presidential candidate sponsorship party.”

Jung Hyun-woo took a deep breath inside at her answer.

‘Hoo, it’s finally the sponsorship party.’

How to get closer to Republican figures.

Sarah had suggested the Republican Party sponsorship party as a way to do that.