Chapter 285: I Hope You Understand My Warning

At Han Gyeong-yeong’s bombshell statement, Masayoshi Son asked with a seriou expression.

“Are you really saying that Apple is going to transfer its shares? Directly from CEO Steve Jobs?”

Seeing the bewilderment etched on his face, Han Gyeong-yeong couldn’t help but smile triumphantly.

“If you don’t believe me, why not ask the chairman to confirm it with Apple directly?”

Masayoshi Son, taken aback by HanGyeong-yeong’s confidence, furrowed his brow unconsciously.

‘This shouldn’t be happening.’

Masayoshi Son planned to sell hisshares in ARM to Han Gyeong-yeong at a high price and extract something valuable in return.

But if Apple had acquired those shares, it was obvious he wouldn’t need to spend exorbitant amounts on his own.

“What will you do? If you want a hostile takeover, I can arrange that.”

“…”

Hermann Hauser and another executive, Andy Tesla, exchanged glances filled with meaning.

While waiting for their response, Han Gyeong-yeong turned to Masayoshi Son.

“Forget what I just said. I’ll offer you twice the market close today. Are you willing to sell your shares?”

As expected, the devalued shares were no longer a point of negotiation.

Masayoshi Son’s face stiffened ashe pondered over the proposal.

“I’m not one to enjoy coercive atmospheres. But Chairman Son, you imposed two slights on me first. Although I don’t want to act the same, I can’t help but create this atmosphere. I hope you understand.”

On the surface, it seemed like a courteous remark, but there was an underlying sharpness to it.

Having delivered his last remarks, Han Gyeong-yeong simply waited for a response.

“Could we step out for a moment to discuss this among ourselves?”

Hermann and Andy cautiously asked Han Gyeong-yeong. It seemed opinions were divided and needed coordination.

“That’s fine. But I hope it won’t take too long. After all, this meeting started 30 minutes late because of someone.”

“…Understood.”

Hermann cast a resentful glance at Masayoshi Son before answering.

Once Hermann and Andy exited the meeting room, only Han Gyeong-yeong and Masayoshi Son were left, and a hevy silence filled the air.

Han Gyeong-yeong lifted the glass of water in front of him to moisten his parched lips.

Beyond the glass, he could see Masayoshi Son deep in thought. Ashe observed him, Han Gyeong-yeong reflected.

‘If it weren’t for the gift that Mu-hyeok had given me, I might have been the one falling into a trap today…’

Just as Han Gyeong-yeong set down his glass, Masayoshi Son spoke up.

“Instead of twice the shares, I’m willing to offer them at today’s close, but I have one request later on.”

“A request?”

“Yes. It won’t be something unreasonable.”

Han Gyeong-yeong, who had been tapping his fingers on the table, looked directly into Masayoshi Son’s eyes and replied.

“Why should I do that?”

“…”

“Don’t you think you might have messed up your approach? You should have suggested a joint investment, asked for help, or tried to build a connection from the start. Now you come here looking defeated and trying to act magnanimous?”

Again, silence fell over the meeting room.

With a sharp retort, Han Gyeong-yeong’s cold gaze scanned Masayoshi Son’s face.

“You’ve got it all wrong. Instead of laying down conditions, you need to walk away clean. Then we can at least meet on friendlier terms next time. What will it be? Will you step back quietly?”

Not wanting to back down, Masayoshi Son hesitated at Han Gyong-yeong’s definitive stance.

But he was someone who knew when to retreat.

“All right. This time I’ll step back. It won’t happen again next time.”

“I’ll send the contract with my staff.”

“…”

Masayoshi Son nodded and stood upfirst. He reached out his hand to Han Gyeong-yeong.

“I never thought you’d pull in Apple. Convincing that stubborn, self-righteous Steve Jobs is quite the feat.”

Han Gyeong-yeong stood up and shook his hand.

“I’ve never felt that way while meeting Jobs, so I can’t say. It was nice to meet you.”

As he replied casually to Masayoshi Son, who had subtly pokd at him until the end, Han Gyeong-yeong forced a smile.

After finishing their handshake, Masayoshi Son turned to leave themeeting room.

Just then, Hermann and Andy returned from their conversation and saw Masayoshi Son heading for the exi.

“Chairman Masayoshi, where are you going?”

“I’ve decided to withdraw from this. I hope for a favorable outcome. Best of luck to you.”

With that, Masayoshi Son passed by the two mn and left the meeting room.

Hermann and Andy exchanged bewildered glances as the door closed behind Masayoshi Son.

“Did we have a fruitful discussion? It’s getting late. Let’s move quickly.”

The two men heard Han Gyeong-yeong’s urging from behind.

Thoughts flashed through their minds about how being greedy could mean missing out on the full price.

* * *

After meeting Murdoch and returning home, I sat at the kitchen table alone and poured myself some whiskey.

Reflecting on my meeting with him, I leisurely swirled the glass. My mind was a chaotic jumble of thoughts.

“It seems like things wrapped up earlier than expected.”

Han Gyeong-yeong entered the living room, looking exhausted yet not appearing too worn.

“So, how did the negotiation go?”

“If it weren’t for Mu-hyeok’s gift, I might have made a fool of myself. It seems there was some prior deal between Chairman Son and ARM executives.”

“So what was the result?”

As I anxiously encouraged him to respond, Han Gyeong-yeong sat in front of me, beaming.

I handed him my glass and poured some whiskey into it.

“Well, since you told me not to corner them too hard, I agreed to buy back half of their shares at double the price. In return, I arranged to acquire as many shares listed on the London Stock Exchange and Nasdaq as possible, and received their consent to delist the company if we achieved over 90% combined shareholding.”

Looks like he made the most of the gift. I smiled subtly and raised my glass.

“Well done. The reason for acquiring that company is due to their capabilities, not a lack of funds or technology.”

“I see. That makes sense now.”

“But what about Masayoshi Son? He also participatd in the acquisition, right?”

As I lifted my glass to drink, Han Gyeong-yeong lightly frowned.

“Once he found out that shares were being transferred to Apple, he backed off. It seemed like he thought I was a complete fool. The company you pointed out seemed to overreach financially, which likely fueled those rumors.”

After investing in Alibaba, Han Gyeong-yeong had pursued any company I wanted at all costs. It seemed he was getting some feedback from that.

The sound of our glasses clinking echoed as I took a sip of whiskey.

“Seems he’s a bit arrogant?”

“I felt a bit of contempt from him. I barely managed to keep my anger from boiling over.”

Seeing him wave his hand dramatically above his head made me unintentionally burst out laughing.

“You should’ve let it out. Even if you fell flat on your face, it wouldn’t have mattered.”

“No, it’s fine. There’s no reason to sever ties with him. At least he knows when to back off gracefully. Knowing when to retreat is a skill too.”

“True. That’s a skill in itself. He was the only one among Japanese companies to profit during this offensive campaign. That says a lot about his ability to read the market.”

Han Gyeong-yeong poured whiskey into my glass from the bottle in front of him.

“I have a feeling we’ll clash again. By the way, what about you? You said you were going to meet with the chairman of The Sun?”

“Hmm…”

“What’s up? Did the negotiation not go well?”

When I didn’t answer right away, Han Gyeong-yeong looked at me with concern and asked again.

“But it wasn’t the chairman of The Sun who came; it was the chairman of News Corporation himself who showed up in person.”

“Rupert Murdoch? He came personally?”

Hearing that, Han Gyeong-yeong’s voice carried a tone of shock.

“Yeah. He came to see me himself. Originally, he was doing research on my brother but received a tip-off about me.”

“Who tipped him off?”

“I’m not sure. Likely someone who knows me.”

His expression grew serious. The mention of a tip-off clearly weighed on his mind.

“That’s someone not easily swayed… He could influence public opinion in Australia, the UK, and even the U.S. He also wields great power in the U.S. political scene. So, what happened?”

Han Gyeong-yeong had a firm grasp of the situation. That’s why he wanted to resolve it amicably.

I involuntarily forced a smile.

“He’s extremely self-righteous. He seemed to fully trust his power, so I warned him.”

“You didn’t…”

“You don’t need to know. You just stay in the light and keep doing your thing.”

“…”

I tried to downplay it to calm him, but he still looked anxious as I noticed his hands trembling.

“Don’t underestimate Murdoch’s influence. He is the only media mogul in the U.S. that leans towards the Republican Party, and he played a significant role in Bush’s election. Making him an enemy is…”

I understood why Han Gyeong-yeong was worried, as he primarily invested in the U.S. market.

But I couldn’t allow myself to be dragged around by someone like that.

“I just issued a warning. It wasn’t a planned meeting, so I wasn’t prepared. I didn’t commit any murder, and I’ve cut all connections, so there shouldn’t be any issues.”

A half-hearted threat is worse than useless. I planned to send a proper gift once everything was prepared.

Yet I didn’t want to add to Han Gyeong-yeong’s worries. I smiled gently and changed the subject.

“I hope you heed my warning. Now, let’s talk about something else. I really don’t want you getting too deeply involved in this.”

It seemed that Han Gyeong-yeong understood my feelings, as he raised his glass with a weak smile.

“Yeah. Let’s switch topics. What good comes from heavy conversations?”

Han Gyeong-yeong nodded, clinking his glass with mine.

After a few more drinks and conversing on various topics, we finally began discussing the acquisition of a soccer club.

“The club you wanted to acquire is Leeds United, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“I looked into it, and sure enough, it’s a prestigious club. But they seem to be financially unstable. Is that okay?”

“I’m not doing it just to make money. Are they really that bad off that you’re worried?”

Han Gyeong-yeong pulled a stack of documents from his briefcase and laid them on the table.

“What’s all this?”

“These are documents related to Leeds United.”

“When did you manage to gather all this information?”

Amazed, I set down my whiskey glass. Han Gyeong-yeong picked a document from the stack and began reading it.

The document written in English laid bare Leeds United’s financial situation.

“They reached the semifinals of the Champions League this time, but unfortunately failed to qualify in the league, finishing fourth. They lost by a single point to Liverpool.”

“I heard the broadcasting rights fees are enormous, so missing out on that is going to sting.”

“So the current chairman, Peter Ridsdale, is excessively borrowing to meet player demands.”

As I listened to Han Gyeong-yeong list off the club’s circumstances while checking the documents, it became clear the financial situation was worse than I anticipated.

“I think they can survive this year, but starting next year, that’s the problem. They’ve tasted the Champions League profits, and now the players want salary hikes. Overall, the future doesn’t look good at all.”

There seem to be a lot more problems than I thought. I nodded as I continued to read the document detailing their financial situation.

Han Gyeong-yeong leisurely sipped his drink, waiting for me to finish reviewing the papers.

“Wow… They’re terrible at buying and selling players. How did they manage to sustain the club?”

“Ridsdale has been propping it up by using club assets as collateral for loans. I wouldn’t be surprised if they went bankrupt within a year or two. Do you really want to acquire such a club?”

“It’s easier to acquire clubs like this. Do we have a roster of the players associated with the club?”

Han Gyeong-yeong found the document I requested from the stack and handed it to me.

“Here. But I don’t really know who’s who. I just took note of their nationality, age, desired salary, and current wage for renewal contracts.”

“Impressive. You gathered all this in just a few days?”

“This much is nothing. If I set my mind to it, I can get it done quickly.”

Though he downplayed it, the specific details about players’ wages and contracts aren’t typically disclosed publicly.

Being able to gather all this information in such a short time was purely due to his exceptional capability.

“I have no idea where to start. If we buy them, we’re going to need to let most of the players go.”

Each time I flipped through the documents, I frowned. The first thought that came to mind after seeing the players’ desired wages.