The Conglomerate Family Became A Villain [EN]: Chapter 84

84. Icon of Innovation (4)

“I was originally planning to call you in the morning.”

John River was in New York, in the Eastern Time Zone, while Jung Hyun-woo was in Las Vegas, in the Pacific Time Zone. That meant roughly a three-hour time difference between them.

Jung Hyun-woo knew he was receiving a call from the company president at 3 a.m. New York time.

‘Calling the company president at 3 a.m. must mean it’s something very urgent.’

He lowered his voice and said,

“If you’re calling me at this hour, it must be something very important.”

John River confirmed, “It is.”

Jung Hyun-woo asked, feigning ignorance, “It’s not a problem with the server, is it?”

JP Service was always running, except on holidays, so server or system issues would be a major problem.

“No, it’s not.”

“Then what is it?”

“I had dinner with Sean Luke today.”

Jung Hyun-woo groaned softly. “Hmm.”

He already suspected the purpose of John River’s call.

‘He must be saying they made a scout offer.’

After Robert’s rejection, JP Morgan had naturally targeted John River.

“I heard something absurd at that meeting.”

“What was it about?”

“They mentioned an annual salary of $100 million.”

$100 million.

It was an amount a developer like John River could only dream of.

However, Jung Hyun-woo knew they had offered Robert a signing bonus of $1 billion.

‘$1 billion for Robert, who can build and run a company, and $100 million for John, who can steal our company’s secrets?’

He lowered his voice even further. “You’re saying it wasn’t a joke.”

John River nodded repeatedly, even though Jung Hyun-woo couldn’t see him. “I thought it was a joke at first, but it’s not.”

“John, if they’re offering you an annual salary of $100 million… I can’t stop you even if you decide to go to JP Morgan.”

Jung Hyun-woo made it clear he couldn’t offer such an astronomical salary.

John River also knew he couldn’t receive such a sum at Victoria Corporation.

“I won’t leave for JP Morgan.”

Jung Hyun-woo’s voice rose slightly. “You’re not leaving the company?”

John River had turned down the temptation of $100 million.

‘Did Sarah and I misjudge him too harshly?’

In Robert’s case, it wouldn’t have been strange if he had rejected JP Morgan’s offer. But John River was different. It was hard to imagine him turning down such an astronomical sum.

‘In any case, John rejected JP Morgan’s offer.’

Jung Hyun-woo couldn’t help but appreciate the loyalty he had shown.

John River spoke as if answering his thoughts. “Mr. Jung, $100 million isn’t just given away for nothing.”

“Probably not.”

John River was an unsociable and eccentric person, but he was also a brilliant mind from MIT [Massachusetts Institute of Technology]. The moment Sean Luke offered him $100 million, he sensed what kind of strings would be attached. And he didn’t think he could accept that.

“With $100 million, there must be something that requires me to risk my life or my entire future. I didn’t think that kind of deal was right.”

“You made that decision at 3 a.m.?”

John River shook his head. “No, I didn’t.”

“You didn’t?”

This answer was also unexpected.

‘John is surprising me in many ways.’

Jung Hyun-woo learned that one shouldn’t easily assume what’s in someone’s heart.

“I was debating whether to tell Mr. Jung about JP Morgan’s offer or not.”

“Hmm, so the decision you made at 3 a.m. was that you should call me.”

“That’s right. JP Morgan is trying to attack our company. Mr. Jung, if you don’t stop them, the company will be greatly shaken.”

Jung Hyun-woo sighed briefly, then spoke in a soft voice. “Well… John, first of all, thank you for staying with our company. I mean that sincerely. If John had turned to JP Morgan, Victoria Corporation and JP Service would have been in a very difficult position.”

This wasn’t just empty words. If John River had sided with JP Morgan, their early advantage would have turned against Victoria Corporation.

“I think Victoria Corporation is a good company. I want to continue working here.”

John River was satisfied with his company life in many ways. And like Robert, he was a developer who had experienced the worst during the Atari shock [the video game industry recession of 1983]. So, he pursued a stable company life rather than huge profits.

“John, I’ll be going to New York soon, so let’s have a meal together.”

John River bowed while holding the phone. “Mr. Jung, a meal would be nice, but I have another request.”

Jung Hyun-woo was willing to grant his request to some extent.

‘Since John rejected JP Morgan’s offer, their Plan B must have failed.’

JP Morgan would be embarrassed by the successive rejections from Robert and John River.

“What is your request?”

“I want to develop games.”

John River wasn’t unhappy with his current life, but he wanted to return to being a game developer.

“You’re saying you want to move to the game development team.”

“Not right away, but if the game development team grows, I’d like to go there.”

Jung Hyun-woo knew that the quality of the games he developed was decent.

‘That’s a surprisingly simple request.’

He said with emphasis, “John, I promise you here and now. If Victoria Corporation’s game development team is formed, I will entrust that team to you.”

John River was satisfied with his offer. “Really?”

“Compared to the loyalty John has shown to Victoria Corporation, I don’t think it’s a big decision.”

Jung Hyun-woo was able to breathe a sigh of relief thanks to John River’s decision.

‘Plan B is blocked, I wonder what their next card will be.’

He hung up the phone and returned to the conference room.

* * *

“Who was that on the phone?”

Jung Hyun-woo replied with a faint smile. “It was John.”

“John?”

Robert’s eyes widened.

“There’s no need to worry.”

Sarah asked him, “John decided to stay?”

Jung Hyun-woo nodded silently in response to her question. Then Sarah clapped her hands lightly. “That’s great.”

She was more worried about John River than Jung Hyun-woo was.

“John has a bad personality, but he’s not a bad person.”

“Even if he’s not a bad person, JP Morgan must have offered him a considerable amount of money.”

Sarah thought that overcoming the temptation of money was never easy.

“That’s true.”

Robert thought they had successfully extinguished the immediate threat.

“Charlie, did John ask for anything in return for his decision?”

He had rejected JP Morgan’s offer without any conditions. However, he couldn’t guarantee that John River would make the same choice as him.

‘John isn’t someone who would just let it go.’

Jung Hyun-woo raised his right index finger. “He had one request.”

Robert thought, ‘I knew it.’

“Is it money?”

If it was money, he was willing to give it to him to some extent.

“It wasn’t money.”

“If it’s not money, then…”

“He said he wants to move to the game development team.”

Robert exclaimed. “Ah!”

Sarah also thought it was unexpected.

“To the game development team? That could be considered a demotion.”

The most important business at Victoria Corporation was JP Service, and John River was at the center of that. If he stepped down to the game development team, it could never be called a promotion or a transfer to a better position.

“John is different from what we think.”

Sarah and Robert nodded simultaneously.

“Unexpectedly…”

“He’s a pure person.”

Jung Hyun-woo put his hands together.

“We have successfully defended against JP Morgan’s two attacks. But I don’t think we defended it with our own strength.”

He hadn’t met with Robert or John River to warn them before JP Morgan contacted them. The two men’s rejection of JP Morgan’s offer was based on their own judgment.

“You’re saying we were just lucky?”

Jung Hyun-woo nodded in response to Sarah’s question.

“Exactly.”

“You want to say that we won’t continue to be lucky in the future, right?”

“That’s right.”

Robert took their words.

“If we don’t accurately read their next move, we’ll eventually be defeated.”

Jung Hyun-woo and Sarah agreed with his words.

“That’s right.”

“We can’t rely on luck forever.”

Robert straightened his collar and said, “That’s why I’m saying, let’s go back and get some sleep.”

“Huh?”

As Sarah raised her voice, Robert smiled gently. “There’s a saying that you should take a detour when you’re in a hurry, right? Even if you worry with a stiff head, you won’t come up with good ideas.”

He meant that since they had extinguished the immediate threat, there was no need to overdo it.

Jung Hyun-woo nodded and agreed with his suggestion. “I understand. Let’s do that.”

He thought that today’s meeting was successful just by persuading Robert.

‘Since I’ve even kept John River in place, I can say we’ve done well.’

Of course, he couldn’t say that tomorrow would be as lucky as today.

“Then let’s meet again at 10 tomorrow.”

The three of them packed their things and left the conference room.

On the way back to their rooms, Sarah asked Jung Hyun-woo, “John was really unexpected.”

“Did you think he would fall for JP Morgan’s temptation?”

Sarah asked him back. “Then did Charlie think he wouldn’t?”

“I thought there was a high risk of him falling for it, but I didn’t think we could jump to conclusions.”

“Tch, I expected it. Is that what you’re saying?”

“To be exact, rather than expecting it, I thought the job was too big for John to handle.”

John River wasn’t someone who could handle big projects.

“You’re saying he was scared?”

“He might have found it annoying.”

“Annoying?”

“Everyone has their own capacity.”

Sarah blinked at Jung Hyun-woo’s words.

“Charlie.”

“Yes?”

“When did you start thinking like that?”

“Wasn’t I always thoughtful?”

Sarah poked him in the side and said, “Old man.”

Jung Hyun-woo flinched and sighed. “Ha… Sarah.”

Sarah walked ahead and said, “Prepare a clever plan by tomorrow morning!”

She left those words like a strict boss and disappeared.

Left alone, Jung Hyun-woo shrugged. “Yes, yes. I’ll prepare it by tomorrow morning.”

He thought that this kind of joke was only possible because they had blocked JP Morgan’s attack.

* * *

7 a.m., hotel club lounge.

Jung Hyun-woo and Sarah forced their drooping eyelids open and sat down.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Did Sarah sleep well?”

“So-so.”

“Same here.”

“There’s a lot of time left until 10, but you woke up early.”

Jung Hyun-woo said, taking a sip of water.

“I was going to say that.”

Sarah sighed softly and took his words. “Ha… To be honest, I couldn’t sleep properly.”

She hadn’t woken up early but had been tossing and turning before coming down to the restaurant.

“Are you worried about the company?”

“Look who we’re up against.”

Sarah knew better than anyone the power of a mega-corporation like JP Morgan.

‘If you underestimate the giant of Wall Street, you’ll be crushed.’

Unlike Jung Hyun-woo, she wasn’t putting her hands on the table, ready to act.

“Aren’t you going to eat?”

She was hungry, but she didn’t feel like eating anything.

“Just get me some juice.”

Jung Hyun-woo nodded and got up. “Apple, orange, or grape?”

“Orange.”

A moment later, Jung Hyun-woo put down a glass filled with orange juice.

“Sarah, don’t worry too much.”

“Charlie, how can you be so calm, like yesterday?”

“Because I have something to rely on.”

“Is it because the company in Korea is doing well?”

Jung Hyun-woo put down a plate of food and replied, “No.”

“Then what?”

He couldn’t say it was because he knew the future.

“Should I say I believe in the value of Victoria?”

“Charlie.”

The moment Sarah raised her eyebrows, Jung Hyun-woo said, “Sarah, I have something to do this morning.”

Sarah’s expression changed at the words ‘something to do.’

“Is it something I have to do?”

“Yes.”

“Contacting Boston?”

“No.”

Sarah tilted her head with the juice in her hand. “It’s not that?”

“I’m going to invest in Apple.”

“Apple?”

“The cash that came in after JP Service, it’s still in the company account, right? How much is it?”

“It’s probably a little less than $10 million.”

Jung Hyun-woo said, biting into his toast. “Invest it all in Apple.”

“Because of the new product you saw yesterday?”

“That computer is the best.”

Sarah clicked her tongue inwardly, watching Jung Hyun-woo continue to invest even in this situation.

‘Wow, I have nothing to say but amazing. To think about investing even in this situation.’

She was focused on JP Morgan’s offensive, but Jung Hyun-woo was thinking about other things while blocking their attacks.

‘His vision isn’t just wide.’

He was acting as if he were two people, not one.

“Should I call now?”

It was still early morning in LA, but the New York Stock Exchange had been open for a while.

“Drink that juice first.”

Sarah emptied the orange juice in one gulp.

Jung Hyun-woo widened his eyes at her actions. “Sarah?”

Sarah tied her long hair into a single bunch and said, “When my head is this complicated, the best thing to do is work.”

Thump.

She put down the glass and asked, “You’re investing everything, right?”

“Yes, put the entire amount into Apple.”

“Should I get a loan if you’re so confident?”

She would invest with the principal plus a loan.

Jung Hyun-woo would have stopped her if it were normal times. But this time, he was confident.

“How much can you borrow?”

“About three times the principal?”

The loan Sarah mentioned was the same in principle as margin trading [borrowing money from a broker to purchase stock].

“That’s less than short selling [betting that a stock’s price will decline].”

“But the period is longer and more stable.”

“But if the stock we buy plummets, they’ll sell the stock and mercilessly recover the principal, right?”

“Well, that’s obvious.”

Jung Hyun-woo said, picking up a spoon, “Let’s go all in.”

Sarah nodded and got up. “Okay. Charlie, think about what I said yesterday until I get back.”

Since mobile phones were not widely available then, stock trading had to be done by phone. She was going to go to the business center on the second floor of the hotel to make a call.

“What you said yesterday was…”

“The clever plan.”

Jung Hyun-woo put down his toast and said, “I’ve already thought about it.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“I can’t beat Charlie at all.”

This was sincere.

‘Ha, Charlie is more than just an old man.’

She sighed briefly before leaving for the business center. And as if to replace her, Robert entered the restaurant.

“Charlie!”

He stroked his shaggy beard and sat down in front of him.

Jung Hyun-woo raised his voice as soon as he sat down. “That’s Sarah’s seat.”

Robert found the glass on the seat and moved to the side.

“Did you come down with Sarah?”

“Not really, I just met her at the entrance of the restaurant.”

Robert poured water into the empty glass and said, “I’m the last one. Were you having a meeting while eating?”

Jung Hyun-woo said, scooping up soup, “We were talking about investing rather than meeting.”

Robert blinked at the word investment.

“Investing?”

“Victoria Corporation is also investing.”

“What the heck…”

Robert couldn’t understand his words, talking about investing leisurely at this urgent time.

“I told her to invest in Apple. The return on investment will easily be 20% within two months.”

Apple would leap forward once again with the success of the Macintosh. He was going to be a part of this leap, albeit briefly.