The Genius Grandson Of The Cash King Becomes A Tycoon [EN]: Chapter 154

#154

“I like Plan A, and Plan B isn’t bad either.”

The designer, who took pride in his designs, was met with an atmosphere of disbelief.

Although he was the chairman, he was admittedly ignorant when it came to design.

The pride of an artist and designer would never allow them to blindly follow the opinion of someone so uninformed.

“Hmm, well, the chairman might not know, but Plan A is too avant-garde. Ah, avant-garde means it’s too ahead of its time,” Design Center Director Lee Myung-seok said with a touch of arrogance.

Jeong-hoon was momentarily taken aback but managed to hold back his reaction.

He simply offered a polite smile.

“Director Lee Myung-seok, while it may seem avant-garde, I believe it beautifully expresses the beauty of curves and volume, which is a major trend in global design. Isn’t that why Peter’s previous work, the TT, was such a huge hit?”

He was slightly embarrassed by the unexpected display of professional knowledge from the chairman, whom he had underestimated as an amateur.

‘I can’t back down now.’

Center Director Lee Myung-seok expressed his opinion with the air of an expert.

“That design is already ten years old. The future trend will be masculine and concise linear designs. And that style perfectly suits the identity of our Dragon Motors.”

Deep wrinkles formed on Jeong-hoon’s forehead.

How long had it been since the company name changed, and he was still saying Dragon?

He’d forgotten who he owed his livelihood to and was still trying to cling to the fading glory of the past.

‘I need to make him wake up this time.’

“Not Dragon Motors, but Shinhwa Motors’ Design Center Director Lee Myung-seok!” Jeong-hoon shouted, startling Lee Myung-seok.

“I support Peter Glyder’s design. It aligns with the global trend. The market that Shinhwa Motors is targeting isn’t just Korea; it’s the world market.”

His voice, usually calm, was now filled with anger.

Lee Myung-seok’s face showed his displeasure at being contradicted by the chairman, whom he considered a non-expert.

But there was nothing he could do.

“Ah, I understand, Chairman!”

“And Center Director!”

“Yes, Chairman!”

“You’re mistaken if you think you have power just because you control the design center. One word from Peter, and you’re fired! Do you understand?”

A foreign president who had waltzed in, and a young group chairman.

A washed-up designer and guys who got lucky.

Initially, he had wanted to prove himself with his skills.

Lee Myung-seok was confident that if the car he designed was revealed to the public, it would be met with praise.

“Chairman, and President Peter, I apologize if I was unpleasant. But if it’s released, the B design will definitely be loved by the public.”

“Loved by the public? Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“How sure are you?”

All the members of the design center were supporting his design.

He was confident in its success.

Lee Myung-seok was convinced that he could strengthen his position through this project.

The reputation of a washed-up designer was no longer important.

This work, into which he had poured his heart and soul, had to succeed.

It was an opportunity to solidify his position as a designer.

So, he bet everything.

“I’ll bet my position.”

Peter was startled by Lee Myung-seok’s all-or-nothing move.

Peter stepped in to mediate.

“Hmm, I don’t think you need to bet your position. I think we should end today’s meeting here. Chairman, should we wrap things up?”

“Wait a minute.”

Jeong-hoon raised his hand, interrupting Peter’s words.

He saw Peter’s uneasy expression.

‘That won’t do.’

He remembered what Shin Byung-gyu had said.

If a conflict starts, it must be resolved before it festers and rots.

Holding it in will only lead to bigger problems.

“We must resolve this issue.”

Peter needed to have clear control over Shinhwa Motors’ design direction.

“Can both of you bet your positions?”

The indecisive Peter hesitated, while the seemingly more impulsive Lee Myung-seok was brave.

It should have been the opposite.

Despite being a world-renowned designer, Peter lacked self-confidence.

“I’ll bet my position.”

“What about Peter?”

He was still hesitating.

Jeong-hoon looked at Peter’s design again.

“This A design isn’t just an avant-garde design; it represents the future trend of global design.”

He praised Peter’s skills as a designer once again.

Peter looked at the man who was instilling confidence in his design.

Jeong-hoon’s low voice inspired trust.

It was a design that even Peter wasn’t entirely sure about.

He had to repay Jeong-hoon’s trust.

“Okay. I’ll bet my position too.”

“Good. Can both of these designs be released? If possible, release both.”

The executives in the conference room were shocked at Jeong-hoon’s words.

“What? It’s possible, but it would cost a fortune.”

“How much more would it cost? You only need to change the exterior, right?”

“Yes, but even then, we could lose about 10 billion won [approximately $7.5 million USD].”

Ten billion won?

The A-type design would earn trillions of won [billions of USD] when it was released.

It was okay to spend about 10 billion won.

It wasn’t a meaningless waste.

It was an unavoidable expense to strengthen the organization’s unity.

“It doesn’t matter. Isn’t Shinhwa Group all about money? We’ll decide the positions of the two of you based on the sales performance of these two vehicles.”

“What does that mean?”

“Yes, we’ll look at the number of sales and decide who will resign.”

“Really?”

Everyone looked disbelieving.

“Yes. What’s more important than money is the harmony of our members. Right now, you’re all doubting each other’s abilities.

The public will show you who is more skilled.”

The expressions of shock at the cost issue disappeared.

Everyone was persuaded by Jeong-hoon’s words.

They were feeling it too.

It was a problem that had to be solved, even if it cost money.

Center Director Lee Myung-seok was confident of his victory.

He was planning to take the lead in design based on this project.

His face was full of blind conviction.

***

Shinhwa Group’s conference room.

On one side, there were Japanese executives from Sooni Games, and on the other side, there were Shinhwa Games executives.

The eyes of both sides crossed in the air, sparking with tension.

The world-class Sooni Games executives could never accept this acquisition.

It was a disgrace to be acquired by a low-level Korean game company.

Kishida Ken, who was in charge of Sooni Games’ business division, felt the same way.

While it’s best not to dwell on the past in corporate mergers and acquisitions, it was still a disgrace for the world’s best game company to be acquired by a Korean company.

Although *LAL*, released by Light Games, a subsidiary of Shinhwa Games, was explosively popular, it was just a low-level online game.

It was a low-quality game that couldn’t be compared to video games with their fancy designs.

Kishida looked at Lee Byung-seok of Shinhwa Games, who was sitting across from him.

He seemed like a decent enough person.

Of course, his skills were clearly several levels below his own.

Meanwhile, Lee Byung-seok felt a surge of satisfaction looking at Kishida.

His company was acquiring Sooni Games, a company he had admired since childhood.

Nothing could be better than this.

This was an official meeting, though. He shouldn’t express his personal feelings.

And Nakamura’s eyes, which clearly looked down on Shinhwa Games, bothered the president of Shinhwa Games.

You have to step on those who ignore you.

That was Chairman Yoon Jeong-hoon’s teaching.

He vowed not to back down.

He focused his gaze until his eyes were about to burst.

“I’m Kishida Ken. I’m the chief of Sooni Games’ business division.”

He stood up from his seat but didn’t bow his head.

His eyes were full of unyielding pride.

“Then let’s begin the business report.”

The situation at Sooni Games wasn’t dire.

But the gradually declining sales of *Playground* were noticeable.

And Jeong-hoon saw some questionable decisions.

Like other Japanese companies, they were obsessed with unnecessary technological supremacy.

They lost sight of the fun, which is the essence of the game, and focused on secondary issues such as better graphics and faster response speeds.

The Galapagosization [the evolution of a species into forms unique to an isolated region] of Japan was dominating Sooni.

Jeong-hoon was convinced that he couldn’t revitalize Sooni unless he broke down their arrogant thinking.

In this state, it would be difficult to organically combine with Shinhwa Games.

While Jeong-hoon was lost in thought, Kishida finished his business report and sat down.

“I’ve heard you well. Everyone except Mr. Kishida and Mr. Lee Byung-seok, please leave.”

An unexpected instruction that they didn’t understand.

People with curious expressions buzzed and went outside.

Deep silence filled the conference room.

Jeong-hoon broke the heavy silence.

“Mr. Kishida, I understand you don’t want to admit it. You must be proud to have moved from the world’s best company to a Korean company, right?”

“Hmm… no.”

He said that, but his neck was still stiff with pride.

“But Mr. Kishida! You guys only live on an island, so you seem to be very ignorant of global movements.”

His cheeks trembled, and his face turned red in an instant.

‘How dare you say such a thing in front of me? You don’t know anything about games!’

He was confident in his skills.

He was even more angry when Chairman Yoon Jeong-hoon, whom he thought was ignorant, dismissed him.

“Just looking at the fact that you’re not releasing *Playground 3* now shows that. Sales of *Playground 2* are falling worldwide, so why aren’t you releasing it?”

“Sales are still rising in Japan. In that situation, we can’t release *Playground 3*.”

“Mr. Kishida, Sooni is a Japanese company, but it’s not a company just for Japanese people.”

“That’s true. But if we release it next year instead of this year, we can achieve even greater sales.”

Ha, was this confidence or ignorance?

He didn’t even consider the possibility of losing market share to other companies.

Who knows, a company like Nintendo might appear again.

“That’s impossible. As far as I know, there’s no such company.”

“Hey, Mr. Kishida. Even *LAL*, released by Light Games, is gaining explosive popularity.”

“Online games are not proper games. Online games and video games cannot be compared to each other.”

He was completely closed off.

Jeong-hoon wanted to fire everyone, but they were the ones who had grown Sooni into a global game company.

They had skills, but they were stubborn.

“Start producing and releasing *Playground 3* right away, and service the online game *LAL* through Sooni.”

“It won’t be a hit. Unprepared plans are bound to fail. The reason why Sooni conquered the world is thorough calculation.

We planned *Playground 2* three years before its release. There had to be a thorough plan.”

A plan from three years ago?

A plan and outlook from three years ago in a rapidly changing business environment?

He didn’t understand the rapidly changing world.

First, Jeong-hoon would push it through.

Kishida was too ignorant of the changes in the world.

“Start the official service of *LAL* right away. It will definitely be a hit. And release *Playground 3* immediately. You can sell at least 3 million units.”

“No. It’s not in the plan. We have to make a plan and proceed step by step.”

“Sooni is now a Korean company. We proceed quickly in the Korean corporate style. Planning, getting approval, and slow methods will be eliminated from the market. Have you forgotten what happened to Sooni’s semiconductor division?”

Kishida’s face hardened.

He glared at Jeong-hoon.

“Semiconductors were unlucky. Star Electronics, like a spy, is now Shinhwa Electronics. They stole the technology.”

This was the level of thinking they had.

If you can steal and become number one, why develop technology?

They’re too busy stealing from each other.

They just don’t understand, but there’s another reason why they’re number one.

“Hmm, okay. Then let’s make a bet. If *LAL* fails in Japan, I’ll sell Sooni back to a Japanese company.”

Kishida’s eyes sparkled.

“*Playground 3* will also sell more than 5 million units. If that also fails, I’ll sell Sooni.”

The corners of Kishida’s lips turned upward.

“Are you keeping your promise?”

“Of course. But do your best. If you still fail, it’s my fault, but if you deliberately sabotage, you’re throwing away your pride.”

“I will do my best. But if it still fails, please keep the promise you made earlier?”

“Of course.”

Jeong-hoon also smiled brightly.

Kishida didn’t know, but Japanese netizens were already clamoring for the *LAL* game.

Why was the Japanese service so late?

Only the executives were unaware.

And *Playground 3* would sell 200 million copies after its release.

In the beginning, 7 million copies were sold, making it into the Guinness Book of World Records.

His victory, knowing the future, was assured.

Kishida, seeing Jeong-hoon’s smile, responded with a smile.

He was convinced that it was Chairman Yoon Jeong-hoon’s last smile.

Online game?

Such a low-level, vulgar game could never succeed in Japan.

And no matter how popular *Playground 3* was, it was impossible to sell 5 million units in the first month of its release.

The previous work was also a huge hit, selling 3 million units.

Kishida was planning to do his best from today, with overtime and special work.

Then he vowed to confidently change Sooni back into a Japanese company.

His heart swelled with the thought of returning Sooni to the bosom of his country, the Great Japanese Empire.

“Mr. Kishida, it’s hard to believe, but what if I win?”

“If the chairman wins…”

He didn’t expect it at all, so he couldn’t say anything.

“Shall we decide that day?”

“No. We will all resign.”

All resignations were a bit of a waste.

“First, if I win, please follow my orders unconditionally.”

“Okay. I promise on the honor of a samurai, Chairman Yoon!”

He bowed deeply to add weight to his words.

Jeong-hoon smiled contentedly as he looked at him.

***

Finally, Shinhwa Motors’ first new cars.

The S5 and S7 were released at the same time.

All of Mobileye’s cutting-edge new technologies were incorporated.

Forward collision avoidance, lane departure prevention, front, rear, left, and right sensors.

People’s mouths were wide open at the specs that overwhelmed Youngsan Motors.

The Level 2 autonomous driving function of Tesla, a subsidiary, could be selected as an option.

It was still unfamiliar and new to many.

But once word got out, everyone would want to choose it.

OTA (Over-the-air) technology was prepared in advance so that it could be installed wirelessly anywhere in the future.

S5 VS D5

The same specs and the same interior.

However, the exterior was different.

Peter’s S5, which emphasized curves, and Center Director Lee Myung-seok’s D5, which featured straight lines.

People expected the two cars to compete head-to-head.

For a month, TV commercials kept people in anticipation.

Pre-orders were deliberately not accepted.

It was part of the marketing strategy.

Complaints flooded the Internet and stores.

The new cars were the talk of the town and became a hot topic.

People lined up in front of dealerships to sign a new car contract.

There was a much longer line than the one seen during apartment subscription lotteries. It happened in front of dealerships across the country.

People flocked early in the morning and fought to sign the contract first.

100,000 contracts were signed that day.

The long lines in front of dealerships across the country lasted for three days.

After 100,000 units were contracted on the first day, 300,000 units were contracted in one month.

An unprecedented first record in the automotive industry.

And the contract numbers clearly showed a preference for one of the two vehicles.

The Genius Grandson of the Cash King Becomes a Tycoon