The Conglomerate Family Became A Villain [EN]: Chapter 63

Became a Billionaire Villain – Third Christmas 02 –

***

In South Korea, color television broadcasts began in 1980. In contrast, the United States had been enjoying color TV for much longer.

Robert, appearing on the color TV screen, looked quite presentable.

“He looks better than usual.”

“The broadcasting station must have done his makeup.”

Junghyunwoo and Sarah were sitting on the same sofa, watching TV.

It was Christmas Eve.

Like last year, they had filled the table with cola, pizza, beer, and chicken.

“Oh, his pronunciation is fluent too.”

Robert began his speech by saying he had been working hard for the technological advancement of the IT industry.

“Didn’t MIT [Massachusetts Institute of Technology] want Charlie to be in that spot?”

Junghyunwoo poured cola while listening to Sarah’s question.

“The joint research hasn’t even started yet.”

“Oh, they can’t pay the deposit?”

“Besides, that kind of position is just not for me.”

The TV program Robert appeared on was a talk show featuring influential businesspeople and economists.

It had lower viewership compared to talk shows featuring actors or singers. Nevertheless, the program continued steadily because there was a significant demand.

“You won’t appear on it in the future?”

Junghyunwoo answered while picking up a slice of pizza.

“If MIT requests it, I might appear once or twice.”

“And no more than that?”

“I hate anything that would attract paparazzi.”

Becoming a celebrity in America.

It was like losing your freedom.

‘No matter how high you build the fence, they won’t give up.’

Paparazzi were the most persistent and ruthless villains in America.

“Still, I’m glad I can rest on Christmas.”

“Because the stock exchange is closed.”

Sarah took a sip of beer and sighed deeply.

“Hoo…”

The JP Services project was much more challenging than expected.

‘I didn’t know it would become this big when we first started.’

Now, over a thousand people were working under the name of Victoria Corporation. And their fates and families rested on the shoulders of her, Junghyunwoo, and Robert.

“Charlie.”

“Yes?”

Sarah asked, her eyes fixed on the TV screen.

“You said you were going to Korea?”

“I’m leaving on January 3rd.”

“Why then, and not sooner?”

“I have to see the stock exchange opening before I leave.”

All of Junghyunwoo’s schedules were 맞춰져 있었다 [aligned] to JP Services.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

What Daeun Group and Chairman Jung Woosun wanted was to see him during the New Year holiday. But Junghyunwoo couldn’t take a flight during the holiday.

“I should be the one asking. Sarah, are you okay?”

Sarah turned to him.

“Why? Do I look anxious?”

“Something might happen to JP Services while I’m gone.”

Sarah put down her beer and said.

“Don’t worry. Charlie said JP Services has stabilized.”

Junghyunwoo had declared the stabilization of JP Services to the employees last month. However, the JP Services network system had continued to cause major and minor problems since then.

“That was nothing more than a bluff. In fact, we barely made it over one hurdle.”

He and the development team were preparing JP Services version 1.1. He expected the situation to stabilize somewhat after the 1.1 version patch was implemented.

‘By version 1.2, I might be able to take a long vacation.’

He was already preparing for the version after 1.1, that is, version 1.2.

“Come to think of it, you said you’re releasing a new version soon, right?”

“Yes.”

“How are you going to distribute it?”

Because the United States was so vast, sending disks by mail was efficient. However, Junghyunwoo’s choice was neither mail nor 택배 [courier service].

“Version updates should be installed by service technicians in person.”

Junghyunwoo wanted to maintain the competitiveness of JP Services through continuous version updates.

“Hmm, so we shouldn’t reduce the number of installation technicians?”

“Of course not.”

To update a million households, they might even need to increase the number of installation technicians.

“Version updates take less time than modem installations, so if they can visit about ten places a day…”

“That’s about 210 households a month, and 630 households in three months.”

Even if 1,000 installation technicians worked without taking a vacation, they could only manage 630,000 installations.

Sarah raised her voice at the end of her sentence.

“Overtime and extra hours will be essential, won’t they?”

“We won’t be able to do that this time.”

He thought last year was a special case.

‘If we work like last year again this year, we’ll be branded as a 블랙 기업 [black company – a company with poor working conditions].’

The best way was to increase the workforce. But Sarah was slightly negative about that best way.

“If we consider new subscribers, we’ll need to add about 500 more people. That would increase labor costs too much.”

Operating 1,500 installation technicians would require monthly labor costs of $2 million to $2.5 million. And if you calculate their business expenses, you’d have to consider at least $3 million.

“Sarah, don’t be impatient.”

He didn’t mind not recovering all the investment in the first half of 1984.

What was important was the value of Victoria Corporation and JP Services.

‘The value of a company lies in its growth potential rather than its revenue.’

He knew how Microsoft, Apple, and Tesla had grown.

“I’m not being impatient. But it’s deviating from the plan.”

Her plan was to recover all the investment by January 1984.

“Sarah, plans can be 수정하면 되죠 [revised], right?”

“Charlie.”

“Do you know what economies of scale are?”

Sarah snorted lightly.

“Hmph, are you trying to lecture me about economics right now?”

“That’s not it. But I don’t think a growing company should worry too much about costs.”

Sarah crossed her arms at his advice.

“It feels like Charlie is making me out to be a 쩨쩨한 person [petty/stingy person].”

“If it sounded that way, you’re misunderstanding.”

“Is it a misunderstanding?”

Junghyunwoo smiled and said.

“Let’s think positively. If this 1.1 version is successful, JP Services will gain even more subscribers. Maybe we’ll need to increase the number of installation technicians to 3,000.”

Sarah’s eyes widened at the mention of 3,000.

“That’s three times the current number.”

“I told you, the number of subscribers could increase to 2 million.”

If the number of subscribers increased to 2 million, Victoria Corporation’s annual revenue would exceed $300 million.

“If that happens, 3,000 or 4,000 is OK.”

Junghyunwoo thought.

‘Until a perfect network service is realized, we have no choice but to increase the number of installation technicians.’

A perfect network service.

It meant that the program itself automatically performed updates and installations.

‘We need to be at least in the 2000s to use an automatic update program.’

He stroked his chin, thinking about the future, nearly 20 years away.

‘Automatic update programs alone are 20 years away, so we can’t hope for something like Bitcoin.’

Waiting for a Bitcoin jackpot would mean wasting all the good times.

“Sarah.”

“Yeah?”

“I think we should also consider acquiring the game shop that Robert mentioned.”

Sarah had been against acquiring the game shop from the start. This time was no different. Her voice became sharp.

“Why suddenly?”

“Let’s just say it’s to create a breakwater for the future?”

“Breakwater?”

Junghyunwoo raised his voice at the end of his sentence.

“Is that strange?”

Sarah narrowed her eyes at his question.

“Charlie, you’re hiding more and more things these days.”

Junghyunwoo raised his hand to his shoulder and said.

“How can I hide more things when we live together like this? You even know how many times I do my makeup in a day…”

Sarah pointed to Junghyunwoo’s head with her finger.

“Not that. I can’t know what’s in here.”

Junghyunwoo shrugged at her gesture.

“That’s difficult. Sarah would know how many 야한 [lewd] thoughts I have in a day.”

Sarah lowered her finger and said.

“Charlie wouldn’t have 참으로 야한 [truly lewd] thoughts. You’re just thinking about JP Services all day. Just tell me clearly, what kind of breakwater are you talking about?”

Before explaining the breakwater, Junghyunwoo explained the automatic update program to her. Sarah’s eyes widened as she listened to his explanation.

“You mean something like that will be possible in the future?”

“It’s not that far in the future. It will be possible in 15 years at the earliest, and 20 years at the latest.”

Sarah lightly exclaimed and then straightened her posture.

“But what does that automatic update program have to do with the game shop project?”

There was no connection between the automatic update service and the breakwater for the future, no matter how she thought about it.

“When the automatic update program is introduced, all the JP Services installation technicians will become unemployed.”

Sarah clapped her hands after hearing his answer.

“Ah! You mean the game shop is needed for the installation technicians who will become unemployed?”

Junghyunwoo was planning to slowly shift the labor of the installation technicians to managing the game shop.

“Laying off thousands of people at once would have social repercussions, and I don’t think it’s the right thing to do as a manager.”

He didn’t want to lay off thousands of employees at once.

‘Eventually, the era will shift from offline to online. But if we prepare in advance, we can minimize the impact.’

Sarah reached out to Junghyunwoo and said.

“Charlie isn’t just kind.”

“Yes?”

“You’re a saint.”

“Sarah.”

“A Christmas dinner with a saint. I think it suits you very well.”

Sarah thought.

‘People in high places don’t hesitate to cut off their subordinates. Even if it’s thousands of people.’

But Junghyunwoo was different from them. He carefully looked after his subordinates and even planned for their future.

‘Charlie has a broad vision. Maybe that’s why he sees things that other people don’t see.’

She didn’t know that Junghyunwoo knew the future, but she felt that he was different from ordinary people in many ways.

***

The short vacation ended.

All the employees of Victoria Corporation returned. Except for one person.

“Ms. Hilton, Mr. Jung is not here.”

Sarah shrugged at the question from the business support team employee.

“Charlie is on vacation starting today.”

“Yes?”

Saying he was on vacation starting today meant that he hadn’t taken a vacation during the year-end holiday.

“What do you mean by that…”

“Charlie said that an accident might happen during the year-end holiday, so he was on standby at the Boston headquarters.”

Junghyunwoo was not the only one on standby in Boston. Sarah also stayed in Boston with him.

“I didn’t know.”

Sarah reached out and said.

“If you have any documents that need approval, give them to me. I’ll take his place until Charlie returns.”

Originally, Robert, the COO [Chief Operating Officer], should have taken Junghyunwoo’s place, but he was on a business trip again today.

“Here it is. Ms. Hilton, should I tell the other employees about this?”

“Please do.”

“Understood.”

After she left, Sarah sighed briefly.

“Hoo, I wonder if he got on the plane okay.”

The last time she saw Junghyunwoo was three hours ago.

Three hours ago.

Junghyunwoo was about to go outside with a travel carrier. Sarah stopped him.

“Charlie, the taxi hasn’t arrived yet.”

“I called, so it’ll be here soon.”

“Boston taxis aren’t that diligent.”

Early January.

It was still cold outside.

“I’m wearing thick clothes, and I don’t get cold easily.”

Chicago, maybe?

The cold in Boston wasn’t a problem.

“Ha, you’re not even giving me time to prepare an event.”

Sarah took something out and held it out to Junghyunwoo, who was tilting his head. Junghyunwoo raised his voice as he looked at it.

“What is this?”

“A new visa.”

New visa.

Junghyunwoo realized that the visa she was holding out was different from the ones he had had so far.

“T, this is a green card, isn’t it?”

Sarah smiled faintly and said.

“I was originally going to put it on top of the carrier, but Charlie woke up too early, so it all went to waste.”

She sighed deeply inside.

‘Hoo, I almost couldn’t give it to him.’

Junghyunwoo was more diligent than she had expected.

“Sarah, thank you.”

She had handled all the green card-related matters for him.

“You’re welcome. This is also one of my tasks.”

Sarah took something else out and handed it to him.

“And this.”

“What is this?”

“A gift to take to Korea. You’ve been coming to the company every day, so you wouldn’t have had time to buy a gift.”

Junghyunwoo was slightly touched by Sarah’s thoughtfulness.

“Sarah…”

Sarah reached out and patted Junghyunwoo’s shoulder, which had become higher than hers.

“Your 누나 [older sister] will take good care of the company. Go and come back soon.”

Junghyunwoo chuckled.

“누나?”

“I’m not your 동생 [younger sibling].”

Sarah smiled brightly and handed him the gift.

“Sarah.”

“Charlie, you’re going to cry.”

“Hey, it’s not that bad.”

Just as Junghyunwoo shrugged his shoulders.

Honk. Honk.

The taxi driver, who had arrived sometime ago, honked.

Sarah made a short sound when she saw the taxi.

“Tch, you really have no sense.”

Junghyunwoo also smiled and agreed with her words.

“I agree.”

Sarah stood in front of the door and waved until he got into the taxi. When he got into the taxi, the taxi driver asked.

“Is that your girlfriend?”

Junghyunwoo gave a bitter smile and answered the question.

“She’s my 누나 [older sister].”

The taxi driver looked at Junghyunwoo with strange eyes. He was Asian, and Sarah was a blonde, blue-eyed white woman that anyone could see.

“We have different fathers.”

“Ah…”

Only then did the taxi driver nod and step on the accelerator.

Vroom.

As the taxi left with a long exhaust sound, Sarah sighed and muttered as if she had remembered something she had forgotten.

“Ha…. Come to think of it, I didn’t even give him a farewell kiss. If I had, he would never have forgotten today for the rest of his life.”

She wouldn’t be able to see Junghyunwoo for at least a week, or more than ten days if it was longer.

“Achoo.”

Was it because she came out wearing light clothes?

She couldn’t help but sneeze.

“Ugh, it’s cold.”

Sarah raised both hands and lightly tapped her cheeks.

Tak. Tak.

“Sarah! Get a grip! If something happens while Charlie is gone, he’ll shout like this when he comes back! Sarah, Robert, you can’t do it without me!”

She didn’t want to hear those words.

“Good! I’ll show you this 누나’s [older sister’s] skills.”

Sarah clenched her fists and strengthened her will. But Victoria Corporation and JP Services had grown too big for her to handle alone.

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