The Conglomerate Family Became A Villain [EN]: Chapter 149

149. The Uninvited Guest (3)

PC’s Limited.

A custom computer manufacturing company founded by Michael Dell.

Jung Hyun-woo introduced PC’s Limited to President Shin Young-jin. Of course, President Shin Young-jin didn’t know that this company had received investment from Jung Hyun-woo.

“So, you’re saying you’ll purchase 1,000 units per month, totaling 12,000 units over a year?”

The person negotiating with President Shin Young-jin was Kyle Henderson, whom Michael Dell had appointed as the purchasing manager. He was as young as Michael Dell, which bothered President Shin Young-jin.

‘I hope this doesn’t mean the contract won’t be properly executed?’

Kyle Henderson put his hands together and replied,

“If our customers’ PC orders increase, we may purchase more.”

“So, the minimum order is 12,000 units.”

“That’s correct.”

12,000 units.

In terms of value, it was a contract worth just under $40,000.

Considering the sales volume of Samjung Electronics, it was by no means a large contract.

However, it was a formal contract, not a dumping deal, so it couldn’t be ignored.

“I understand. Then, we will supply 12,000 units at $3.50 per unit.”

The price of $3.50 was the same as the price of Japanese or American DRAM [Dynamic Random-Access Memory, a type of computer memory].

The reason PC’s Limited purchased DRAM from Samjung Electronics at the same price as DRAM manufactured in the US and Japan was entirely due to Jung Hyun-woo. He called Michael Dell and said:

– If any problems arise, Victoria Corporation will bear the losses.

Jung Hyun-woo didn’t specify how they would bear the losses. But Michael Dell believed him. And he called Kyle Henderson and said:

– Accommodate Samjung Electronics’ demands as much as possible without overdoing it.

Kyle Henderson reduced the contract size but favored Samjung Electronics in terms of price.

‘This should be enough.’

The quantity he agreed to purchase today was about 20% of the DRAM used by PC’s Limited.

Michael Dell and Kyle Henderson planned to use the DRAM purchased from Samjung Electronics in low-end entry-level PCs.

After the contract was concluded.

President Shin Young-jin called Jung Hyun-woo.

“Hyun-woo.”

Jung Hyun-woo could sense that his voice had brightened.

“It seems the contract went well.”

“The numbers aren’t large, but we’ve signed a formal contract. It’s all thanks to you.”

President Shin Young-jin found significance in breaking through the barrier.

“It’s not because of me. It’s thanks to the continuous efforts of Samjung Electronics.”

“Is PC’s Limited a reliable company?”

Jung Hyun-woo knew the future of Dell Computer, so he could nod his head confidently.

“It’s a trustworthy company.”

President Shin Young-jin let out a short sigh at Jung Hyun-woo’s answer.

“Hoo… America really feels young.”

“Did you meet Mr. Dell?”

“No, I met with the purchasing manager and signed the contract. But he was also young.”

Jung Hyun-woo didn’t know Kyle Henderson, who was in charge of purchasing, but he guessed that he was not over thirty.

‘Michael Dell doesn’t like older employees.’

The reason Michael Dell didn’t like older employees wasn’t due to communication or authoritarian issues. He preferred younger employees for cost reasons.

“PC’s Limited is a young company.”

“As young as Victoria Corporation?”

“Even younger than our company.”

“Really?”

Jung Hyun-woo replied in a soft voice.

“Our company surprisingly has many experienced employees who are older.”

Because of him, President Shin Young-jin thought Victoria Corporation was a company founded by college students.

But after recruiting Robert and his colleagues, the average age of Victoria Corporation was not much different from other IT companies.

“Hmm, is it because the company has grown?”

“I suppose so.”

President Shin Young-jin thought.

‘They wouldn’t have been able to handle such a large scale with just college graduates.’

He lowered his voice and said,

“Hyun-woo, if you need my help, be sure to tell me. I’ll help you as much as possible.”

The Shin Young-jin card was not needed right now. But he thought that there would definitely be a time when he would need to use that card.

‘Samjung Group will become the number one group in Korea, and President Shin Young-jin will become the head of the group.’

Jung Hyun-woo nodded.

“I’m on your side, President Shin. Please feel free to tell me if you need any help.”

He exchanged farewells and hung up the phone.

Click.

As soon as he hung up, Anne, who was standing behind him, asked,

“Are they really going to sign a contract with PC’s Limited?”

Anne had visited PC’s Limited with Jung Hyun-woo before.

“There’s no reason not to. They’re the ones in a hurry.”

Samjung Group had to open up export routes to the United States by any means.

“PC’s Limited surprisingly agreed.”

Anne knew that the size of PC’s Limited was growing day by day.

‘If you only look at the growth rate, it’s even surpassing our company.’

PC’s Limited was now shipping thousands of PCs a month.

Michael Dell’s goal was to put tens of thousands of PCs on the market every month, surpassing thousands.

Jung Hyun-woo thought it wouldn’t be too difficult.

‘The American PC market has only just begun.’

Early PC buyers bought PCs out of curiosity. But as time passed, people began to buy PCs for clear reasons.

In particular, companies realized that they could increase work speed by introducing PCs into their offices, which was a big factor.

‘Efficiency has increased even more since Microsoft released the Office series.’

Printers, which replaced typewriters, were also well-received. Unlike typewriters, printers could also create graphs and tables.

Before computer printers appeared, all tables and graphs had to be drawn by hand using rulers, protractors, and pens.

As of 1985, the future of computers looked brighter than ever.

* * *

If Apple’s Macintosh was the star of last year’s CES [Consumer Electronics Show], Nintendo’s NES [Nintendo Entertainment System] was the star of this year’s CES.

“That’s Charlie’s foresight.”

Anne usually only called Jung Hyun-woo by his name when she was genuinely impressed.

“I just kept an eye on it because it was well-received in Japan.”

“Ah, you were very interested in Japan, weren’t you?”

Jung Hyun-woo’s aggressive investments were famous not only on Wall Street but also within Victoria Corporation.

“Because they’re doing the best.”

Even though the United States was comprehensively pressuring Japan, Japanese products were still eroding the American market at this very moment.

‘Japan’s overwhelming competitiveness in the 1980s isn’t just about price.’

Japan’s technology investments were overwhelming European and American companies that were suffering from affluenza [a feeling of unfulfillment experienced by wealthy people].

While Jung Hyun-woo and Anne were talking about CES, Robert returned.

“Charlie, did you wait long?”

Jung Hyun-woo shrugged.

“No. More importantly, how was the presentation?”

Robert conducted Victoria Corporation’s first briefing on 1985 for reporters.

“I got through it somehow.”

“That means it wasn’t bad.”

“Reporters aren’t aggressive towards successful companies.”

Even if the reporters had been aggressive, Robert would have handled it well.

Jung Hyun-woo knew that his abilities were not meant to be under another CEO.

‘He’s sometimes pessimistic, but Robert’s abilities are outstanding.’

When Victoria Corporation was having difficulties opening JP Services, he stepped in as a relief pitcher and successfully resolved all the difficulties.

“What did they ask the most about?”

Robert thought for a moment before answering.

“The IPO [Initial Public Offering].”

“Not new products or new versions, but the IPO was the biggest point of interest?”

“Everyone from Wall Street is waiting for our IPO.”

The biggest IPO in the first half of 1985 was Victoria Corporation.

There were conflicting views on Victoria Corporation’s IPO, with both pessimistic and optimistic perspectives.

“I hope we don’t disappoint people’s expectations.”

Robert smiled brightly and said,

“The IPO will be a success.”

“Why?”

“Because it has to succeed for me to become rich.”

Jung Hyun-woo chuckled at his joke.

“Robert, Anne is listening.”

Anne raised her head and said,

“Robert, if you give me just 1% of your ownership, I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”

Robert’s stake was about 2%.

1% of his stake was 0.02%.

However, if Victoria Corporation’s value was calculated at $20 billion, even a 0.02% stake could not be ignored.

‘If the IPO is successful, even 0.02% is $4 million.’

With $4 million, you could buy a luxury house in Beverly Hills and still have money left over.

“If the IPO is successful, I can give Anne about 1%.”

Anne widened her eyes and raised her voice.

“Really? Charlie, please be a witness.”

Jung Hyun-woo looked at the two and thought,

‘This is the most enjoyable time for a startup.’

After the IPO, which is like a honeymoon, startups had to run fiercely to meet the demands of investors.

Jung Hyun-woo said to Anne,

“Anne, we’re going to distribute stock options to all Victoria Corporation employees before the IPO.”

Anne pulled her hand back and lowered her body. It was roughly the pose she used when she was being cute.

“Not that. I want to receive it from Robert.”

Jung Hyun-woo sighed briefly.

“Haa… Since Anne has contributed, I’ll share mine.”

“Huh?”

Anne didn’t yet know what contribution she had made.

‘I was able to meet Michael Dell thanks to her.’

And thanks to Michael Dell, he was able to help President Shin Young-jin.

“I’m not just saying that.”

Robert heard Jung Hyun-woo’s words and turned his gaze to Anne.

“Anne, congratulations. It seems the president will be giving his secretary a special bonus.”

Anne didn’t know what to do when a conversation that started as a joke turned into a special stock option.

“Ch, Charlie.”

Jung Hyun-woo raised his right hand and said,

“Let’s talk about the details later. There are many people watching here.”

Anne lowered her head and accepted his words.

“Yes, President.”

Jung Hyun-woo knew that the IPO had not yet been successful.

‘Wall Street always has divided opinions.’

Those who viewed Victoria Corporation pessimistically criticized JP Services as a bubble and claimed that it did not create significant added value. They argued that Victoria Corporation’s value was less than $2 billion and downplayed this IPO as worthless.

Conversely, those who viewed Victoria Corporation positively even claimed that Victoria Corporation’s value exceeded $20 billion and was over $50 billion.

Jung Hyun-woo shook his head when he heard the claim of $50 billion, saying it was excessive.

‘$50 billion. It could be if we monopolize Wall Street’s system. But it’s still just JP Morgan and Bank of America.’

He thought that even if he added expectations for the future, the limit would be around $20 billion.

‘Even if it’s only $20 billion, we can stand shoulder to shoulder with famous multinational corporations.’

Robert asked him, as if trying to change the subject,

“By the way, Charlie, what happened with the last matter?”

“The last matter?”

“The matter of going to LA.”

Jung Hyun-woo had a sharp debate with the Japanese representatives. But he didn’t get anything as a result of the debate.

“I tried to lower the royalties going to Nintendo, but I failed.”

Robert looked like he was asking what that meant.

“Royalties? Weren’t you trying to build a relationship with the CEO?”

“That too, but I had an opportunity to have a discussion with the Japanese people.”

Robert was slightly surprised by Jung Hyun-woo’s answer.

“Charlie took the lead in the meeting?”

“Not the lead, just support fire.”

“Anyway, it means you didn’t back down and said what you had to say in that position, right?”

Jung Hyun-woo slightly raised the end of his words.

“Didn’t Robert also give a briefing in front of reporters today? I can do that much too.”

Robert scratched his head and replied,

“This side just answered questions in front of reporters, but weren’t the people Charlie faced the CEOs of famous companies?”

He was saying that the level of the people he faced was different.

“Reporters are often more difficult.”

Robert didn’t seem to think so. But the moment he was about to say something, a booth employee ran over.

“Mr. Jung, there’s a call from headquarters.”

Jung Hyun-woo narrowed his brows when he saw him running urgently.

‘If it’s urgent news in this situation, it’s likely something bad.’

In an instant, he wondered if a big problem had occurred that Sarah couldn’t handle.

“Robert. Please take care of the booth.”

Robert’s face was also stiff, unlike before. He also thought it was bad news.

“Mr. Jung, please go.”

Jung Hyun-woo nodded and quickened his pace to take the call.

‘I hope it’s not a big accident.’

The best thing would be a technical problem. And the worst thing would be something related to people’s lives.

* * *

Jung Hyun-woo picked up the receiver and said in a cold voice,

“This is Charlie Jung. I’ve switched to the phone.”

A familiar voice was heard from the other side of the receiver.

“Charlie, it’s me.”

The person who called him was Sarah.

Jung Hyun-woo was slightly relieved to hear her voice.

‘Nothing happened to Sarah.’

Before answering the phone, he had thought of the worst-case scenario.

“Sarah? Is there a problem at the company?”

Jung Hyun-woo took a deep breath inside.

‘Hoo… Let’s not be nervous. Even if it’s something bad, I can handle it well enough.’

As he had thought before, if it was a technical problem, there would be no difficulty, and even if it was a financial problem, he thought he could handle it well enough.

“How should I put this?”

Sarah’s voice contained complex emotions.

‘It doesn’t seem like a very urgent problem.’

If an urgent problem had occurred, Sarah would not have been able to hold back and would have told him right away.

But she was twisting her words slightly.

“Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like a big incident.”

Sarah shook her head strongly at his words.

“No. It’s a big incident.”

Jung Hyun-woo raised his eyebrows.

“Yes?”

He thought that the words ‘big incident’ did not fit the situation.

‘Hmm, a big incident…….’

Soon, Sarah said,

“I got a call from Citibank.”

Jung Hyun-woo’s voice suddenly grew louder.

“Citibank?”

Citibank was one of the most well-known banks to Americans, along with Bank of America.

What kind of call did that Citibank make?

“Citibank said they want to work with us.”

Citibank conveyed its intention to work together. This meant that Citibank, like JP Morgan or Bank of America, wanted to commission a stock market system.

‘A company as big as Citibank is moving so suddenly?’

Citibank had not had any contact with Victoria Corporation until now.

Jung Hyun-woo narrowed his brows.

“Sarah, is it a prank call?”

He thought that he could not rule out the possibility of a prank call.

“I don’t think it’s a prank call.”

“Why?”

“They said they were introduced by my father.”

“Father, you mean…….”

They called Sarah after being introduced by Andrew Hilton. Then there was a high possibility that it was the real Citibank.

“My father.”

“So, you’re saying that Citibank contacted you through Mr. Hilton?”

“The order is slightly different, but to summarize roughly, it’s similar to what Charlie said.”

Jung Hyun-woo sighed deeply.

“Hoo…….”

Sarah carefully asked him,

“Charlie, this proposal. You’re not going to reject it, are you?”

Jung Hyun-woo asked her a question in return.

“Sarah, how can I reject something like this?”

If we accept Citibank’s proposal and build City Services……. If that happens, Victoria Corporation’s IPO would be as good as successful.

‘Even if we don’t actually build City Services, the aftermath of signing just a memorandum of understanding would be enormous.’

He clenched his fist tightly.