We Do Business In Full Auto [EN]: Chapter 159

159

The Paradigm of War (1)

The drinking party was in full swing.

In truth, today’s gathering wasn’t meant for drinking. It was solely for the M&A [Mergers and Acquisitions].

But somehow, it turned into a drinking party.

Chairman Kim Myung-chul was getting quite drunk.

Having achieved his initial goal, he relaxed and shared various stories.

Then, the conversation turned to advertising.

“Do you know what accounts for the largest expenditure in running a business?”

“Advertising, right?”

“That’s right! It’s hard to run a business because of those darn advertising costs. In the past, we only did very basic advertising, like on TV or in newspapers. But with the development of this internet thing and the advancement of mobile phones, advertising costs have increased.”

“It seems like an inevitable change in the times.”

“And it’s not like we’re using top-tier celebrities. If we were to use A-list celebrities, the costs would be enormous.”

S Group was involved in almost every business imaginable.

Entertainment was no exception.

Recently, there’s been a trend of large corporations separating their entertainment agencies, but S Group hadn’t done so.

“A-list celebrities… Do you know that celebrities have grades?”

“I heard they’re divided into 50 grades.”

“Yes, they’re divided into 50 grades. First-grade celebrities are those with some influence in the Asian region, and A-list refers to celebrities with global influence. We don’t have any A-list celebrities in Korea *yet*. But you know, it’s naturally accepted for global companies to employ A-list celebrities.”

In other words, since S Group was a global company, it was inevitable that they would use A-list celebrities.

It was perhaps natural that complaints would arise.

“So, what I mean is…”

“Please, go on.”

“Those celebrities who started working with M Group this time…”

“Ah, yes.”

“Could we sign them before they get bigger?”

He wanted to use them as advertising models.

Chairman Kim Myung-chul seemed to have already grasped the power of the succubus and the high-ranking demon.

Even now, they were causing a huge sensation in the entertainment industry.

It was only natural since they were good at everything: singing, acting, comedy, and had great sense.

All of Europe was becoming aware of their existence.

Once it spreads in Europe, it’s only a matter of time before it reaches Asia. That’s what Chairman Kim Myung-chul was talking about.

“A short-term contract might be possible.”

“A long-term contract would be difficult?”

“The contract terms will be changing soon.”

“I know. That’s why I’m asking you.”

“Hmm… I see. But I think I need to discuss this with the staff.”

“Hahaha! Is that so?”

*Are you trying to take advantage of me?*

I was planning to leave this matter to Lee Seul-gi.

I was sure that Lee Seul-gi would squeeze S Group dry.

The contract with S Group was over.

I quickly sobered up.

“Secretary Lee, should we start our own entertainment agency?”

“Pardon?”

Lee Seul-gi looked at me with wide eyes.

“M Planning exists, but I’m talking about producing an A-list celebrity of Asian descent.”

“Is that possible?”

“Why wouldn’t it be? We can adjust their appearance.”

“That would be great! Advertising costs would decrease, and it would be a win-win situation.”

“Good. Then find a suitable agency. It should have a basic framework, though, since I don’t know much about this business. Also, I don’t know this field well.”

“When *have* you ever known a business before starting it?”

Lee Seul-gi scoffed.

Come to think of it, that’s true.

Do you really need to know a business well to start it? If the business potential is clear, you can just hire experts.

I’ll have M Planning send someone to conduct due diligence [investigation of a business or person prior to signing a contract].

There was an expert on that side, so there was no reason for me to worry.

“Secretary Lee, you’re a genius!”

“Did you *just* realize that?”

We arrived in front of the company.

If I go inside, I’ll have to look at M&A-related documents again.

I can’t help it. We’re in the process of expanding the company’s size, so I have no choice but to bury myself in a sea of documents.

Men in black suits were waiting for me.

Fortunately, they weren’t foreigners this time.

“Nice to meet you, Chairman. I’m Lee Mu-sung, the Chief of the Presidential Security Service.”

“…The Blue House [Korean equivalent of the White House]?”

Did the Blue House already know that I had contacted and signed a contract with Russia?

Of course, they did.

The Blue House was not to be underestimated. The National Intelligence Service could easily gather this much information.

But why the Korean government?

It would be difficult for the Korean government to purchase military androids at the current price. Yet, they came here.

*Is the President trying to negotiate the price?*

Well, I don’t mind.

I wasn’t particularly patriotic, but I could give the Korean government a good price. Even if I gave them a good price, they would still be getting ripped off, so I could consider it an act of patriotism.

I roughly guessed the situation, but I still asked.

“Why is the Blue House looking for me?”

“I don’t know either. The President wishes to see you.”

“Now?”

“Yes, now.”

It’s already 3 o’clock.

It seems like I won’t be going into the company today.

“Let’s go.”

The Blue House of Korea.

Also known as the Blue Roof, this is the heart of Korean power.

Now that democracy is fully established, it outwardly advocates for politics for the people, no matter what its inner thoughts may be.

Even in a world where democracy is deeply rooted, from a business perspective, you couldn’t afford to be on bad terms with the Blue House.

If a tax investigation were to occur, the damage would be incalculable, and the state could impose various sanctions.

Of course, that was the position of an ordinary businessman, but what about me now?

I could use extreme methods, as I did in the United States or Russia.

But that was just an extreme example, and unless the government had done something particularly wrong to me, I had no intention of harming them.

I may not have had patriotism, but I was still Korean, and I had no intention of ruining domestic politics.

Anyway, that only holds if the government doesn’t harm me.

If the President makes unreasonable demands, my thoughts might change.

Whether it was my worry or not, the President was waiting for me in front of the Blue House.

“Oh, Chairman Lee. It’s been a while.”

“Yes, Your Excellency. It’s been a while.”

“Oh, please. *Your Excellency*? This isn’t the Fifth Republic [Authoritarian regime in South Korea, 1981-1987]. If you say such things, I’ll lose votes.”

“That’s a very realistic statement, Mr. President.”

There are still people who call him *Your Excellency*, but in these times, you have to be careful with titles.

It’s not a fiercely authoritarian government, but the public’s gaze is fierce. If the President does something wrong, the people will impeach him. So, the President has no choice but to be careful with his actions.

We walked to the office, exchanging light pleasantries with the President.

“Thanks to you, the Korean economy is benefiting tremendously. Tax revenue has increased, and we are developing with that power.”

“You flatter me. Isn’t it all possible because there is a homeland?”

“Hahaha! The patriot of Korea is here.”

I shrugged my shoulders once.

It’s true that I pay a lot of taxes. But unlike what people think, Korea is not a country that collects excessive taxes.

Looking at advanced countries with good welfare systems, it’s hard to say that Korea’s tax rate is high.

We also talked about the Yi Sun-sin Project [Likely a large-scale national project, named after a famous Korean admiral], and he congratulated me on acquiring M Group this time.

I just expressed my gratitude as a matter of courtesy.

There’s a lot of idle chatter.

I sat on a soft chair and drank a cup of coffee.

Even if it’s Blue House coffee, it’s not that different. It’s probably just a regular product from the market.

“Mr. President, can we get to the point now?”

“I’ve been rambling for too long. I heard that a new military android has been released this time.”

“Has the rumor spread this far? It’s not officially released yet.”

“To cut to the chase, the Ministry of National Defense wants to formally sign a contract and receive supplies.”

“If that’s the case, you could have just sent a staff member. I’m not a great patriot, but I wouldn’t do anything so shameless as to prevent Korea’s defense from becoming stronger.”

“Hmm. I heard the unit price you agreed to import from Russia.”

“Yes. Due to various regulations, we didn’t use the term ‘military,’ but we agreed to import androids with about twice the performance of general-purpose androids from Russia.”

I chose my words carefully.

What kind of permission would I get to manufacture military androids?

There must be proper procedures to engage in the defense industry. I am currently in the process of going through those procedures, but I have not yet received permission.

Therefore, I could not officially manufacture military androids.

The President said cautiously.

“The permission will be granted soon. I will make it so. I hope you will adjust the supply price with the heart of repaying the nation.”

I wondered if this was something the President should be involved in, but if the price exceeds trillions of won [Korean currency], things change.

From then on, it becomes a matter that the President must pay close attention to.

Above all, the price per android is a whopping 20 million dollars. Even if it’s for military use, it’s somewhat expensive. Even if only 10,000 units are traded, it exceeds 200 trillion won.

It was certain that Korea’s size could not handle that amount of money.

“Hmm. How much are we talking about?”

“I hope you will adjust it as much as possible.”

“Okay. I have no reason to be at odds with the President, and I will understand your desire to strengthen national defense. I will reduce it by 30% and give it to you for 14 million dollars. After deducting taxes from here, it would be 13.6 million dollars.”

“Oh, that’s appreciated. But while you’re considering the country’s circumstances, wouldn’t it be possible to make it 13 million?”

“This is also quite a big sacrifice… What can you do for me?”

The President of a country wouldn’t just rip off a businessman.

“I will give you the benefit of tax reduction. However, I hope you will continue to supply androids.”

Tax reduction, huh?

This required negotiation between staff members.

Neither the President nor I were staff members, so we only needed to have a rough negotiation.

“Alright.”

“You’re very straightforward.”

“What would I do if I were caught by the government?”

“Hahaha! Oh, dear. You make me sound like a tyrant.”

We laughed, praising each other so enthusiastically.

But the President may not know.

Concluding a continuous supply contract here meant that I would continuously be a pushover.

No matter how much the price was reduced, fundamentally, I was earning that much money for free.

*I feel a little bad about this?*