Chapter 27: A Deal with the Devil

“Oh, no. I like it.”

Hamburgers aren’t important. Isn’t this just a way of saying he’ll meet me casually, as befits a light lunch?

I feel like Dell Computer is getting farther away.

I lay in the comfortable hotel bedroom but couldn’t fall asleep easily.

I finally managed to fall asleep at dawn after racking my brain for a way to turn a rejection into an acceptance.

At 1 PM I entered the Wendy’s on Round Rock Street and saw the long line.

There’s a Texas State University nearby so the store was full of college students.

“Damn it. How am I supposed to find him when everyone looks the same?”

The store was imbued with a distinctive Southern atmosphere. All the men were dressed in jeans and checkered shirts and they didn’t look much different so I couldn’t find Michael Dell at all.

A middle-aged Asian man looking around was rather more noticeable.

“Hey, Mr. Oh?”

I turned toward the sound of “Mr. Oh.”

A young man with a straw in his mouth in a cola glass.

It was Michael Dell, 24 years old.

At the age of 27 he became the youngest person to be ranked in the world’s top 500 richest people. At the age of 34 he officially recorded $21.4 billion in assets. This is what a giant who will become one of the five richest men in the US looks like when he is young, no different from any other college student.

Of course, he’s still a millionaire.

“Mr. Dell?”

“Yes.”

He slid a paper bag containing a hamburger and then gestured with his eyes.

Where should I follow him?

He took the lead and walked out of the store and to a nearby park.

He sat down on a bench and smiled.

“It’s better here, right? It’s too noisy in there.”

“I agree. It’s nice.”

“That kid…?”

“Ah, Mr. Dell. You could say he’s a fan of yours?”

“What? A fan? Haha.”

Michael burst out laughing and then held out his hand to Oh Se-hyun.

“Just call me Mike.”

“Sure. I’m James.”

Michael Dell shook my hand lightly and winked at me.

“Okay, tell me what you want. I have to go back to the company in 15 minutes.”

15 minutes is all I have.

Oh Se-hyun’s speech quickened.

“Our Miracle Investment wants to invest in your company. The investment amount and conditions are…”

Dell’s hand holding the hamburger went up.

“No investment is needed. We have sufficient funds.”

A hint of irritation could be seen in his eyes.

The company’s sufficient funds, thirty million dollars. The story is already widespread in the industry.

If he didn’t know about this it means he doesn’t have the basics of an investor. So Dell’s eyes clearly showed that he looked down on Oh Se-hyun.

If you welcome any investment with open arms you’re a novice and an amateur.

Investment dilutes the founder’s stake.

It either reduces my stake or becomes debt.

The right attitude for a manager is to take just the right amount of investment.

“Of course I know that. But if the investment conditions are exceptional, wouldn’t you reconsider?”

“James. My company is different from IBM which is full of greedy executives. I only needed funds for company expansion and I have a perfect plan. Money… I’ll make it by turning a profit. I won’t do anything stupid like raising a lot of stock to raise money.”

He even used the words greed and stupidity.

And to take another investment is just proof that he’s greedy and stupid, so it was a perfect way to refuse.

I expected it to be difficult, but to refuse outright without even hearing or presenting the conditions!

Oh Se-hyun couldn’t hide his embarrassment.

Even I, who had been listening quietly, began to feel anxious.

Oh Se-hyun thinks he’s just missing out on a good investment, but I’m different.

This is about putting the second button on a huge plan.

The first button wasn’t that hard because I knew a new city would be built in Bundang. All I had to do was butter up my rich grandfather.

But things are different now.

I have an accurate treasure map in my head, but the captain of the ship that will guide me to the treasure island refuses to let me board.

Now, knowing the future is useless. I have to break through with my own strength. I have to persuade the captain, Michael Dell.

I’ve already made up my mind and opened my mouth.

“Mike. Oh, Can I call you, Mike?”

“Sure, Buddy.”

Michael Dell smiled with a twinkle in his eye, but Oh Se-hyun was different.

He looked like his eyes were about to pop out because he never thought I could speak English so fluently.

“Your past is my present and my future is your present.”

“What? That’s a big dream. My childhood was a little different from the norm.”

“Of course it’s a little different. No, it’s very different.”

“How so?”

“When you were 12 years old, you only had two thousand dollars from selling stamps, but now that I’m 12 years old, I have fifteen million dollars from selling land.”

Now it was Michael Dell’s turn to look like his eyes were about to pop out.

The expressions on both of their faces are the same, but the reasons are different.

Oh Se-hyun because of my English, Michael Dell because of my money.

“I don’t know what you did with your two thousand dollars. But I’ve already decided what to do with my fifteen million dollars. I’m going to use it to become a major shareholder of Dell Computer.”

I finished speaking but there was no response.

For a long time, only the sounds of the park lingered around us.

“Do, Do-jun. You…”

“Uncle. Later. We have more important things to talk about now.”

Michael Dell looked at the two of us alternately and then spoke to Oh Se-hyun.

“James. Your son?”

“No. My… boss, maybe…….”

He looked at me as if he couldn’t understand Oh Se-hyun’s answer and finally burst out laughing.

“OK. Fifteen million Dollar boy.”

He mentioned my money without even asking my name.

“Let me ask you two questions.”

“Yes.”

“Where did you hear about me making money selling stamps?”

Oh crap, that’s a problem. Has this person’s childhood story not come out yet? I can’t help it. I’ll have to gloss over it.

“We’re investing fifteen million dollars. Would we move without investigating you? Our company isn’t that sloppy.”

“You even hired a detective? Amazing. Okay, then the other question.”

He has a smile on his face but this smile isn’t a favor. It’s just curiosity.

“I said I wouldn’t take any investment, so how would you become a major shareholder? As of now our company’s board is structured so that I hold a majority of the voting rights. My will is absolute.”

“Won’t you go public next year?”

The smile disappeared from Michael Dell’s face.

He hasn’t told anyone yet. He’s only thought about it. He was going to tell the company’s management and investors early next year and make preparations. But the person who accurately read his thoughts is none other than a young Asian kid!

“Why? Do you think so?”

“Because the fruit is ripe, you have to pick it. When it’s at its most tempting.”

“So when our company goes public…”

“I’m going to sweep up the shares that come on the market indiscriminately. Fifteen million dollars should be enough to become a major shareholder in an instant, don’t you think? Oh, I should tell you one more thing. I can prepare another ten million dollars by the end of this year. I still have land that’s worth a lot of money.”

Twenty-five million dollars.

It’s only a matter of time before my words become reality. Michael Dell’s face hardened when he realized this. Oh Se-hyun saw this and quickly opened his mouth.

“As a major shareholder, I will be a member of the board and deeply involved in management. This is an obvious demand.”

He jumped in at just the right time.

He couldn’t just be surprised forever. He knows that when you have the momentum you have to attack together.

He’s already shaken off his surprise and curiosity. He had the look of an outstanding businessman again.

“Well, there’s nothing I can do. Whether you buy through the stock market or invest… with that kind of money you’ll be a major shareholder anyway. If you’re qualified to be a major shareholder, of course, you have to join the management team.”

Michael Dell, who had regained his composure, spoke casually and took a bite of his hamburger.

“You know, because of this incredibly rich friend, I’m way over 15 minutes. And I haven’t even had a proper meal.”

Dell got up from the park bench and dusted off his butt.

“Rich friend, when we meet again, you’ll be a major shareholder, right? Let’s wait and see if it’s next year or not.”

Oh Se-hyun’s face darkened. He thinks the negotiations are over.

But my cards are still left. I think it’s a card that will allow the captain to board, but I don’t know the outcome yet. You never know until you open the hidden card.

“Mike, as a shareholder, I can give you all my voting rights. Are you just going to leave?”

The hand that was dusting off his butt stopped.

The reason he refuses investment is clear. He has sufficient funds and a firm grip on management rights. He can never let go of management rights.

Besides, aren’t the shareholders who are still young starting to show their claws?

It’s inevitable that a large number of stockholders will appear after going public. If he thinks about defending his management rights enough when going public, that problem will also be solved.

The most fearful thing is the solidarity of major shareholders excluding himself. If the opposition forces join forces and make up 51%, he will lose management rights even though he is the founder.

But the kid who’s going to pour in twenty-five million dollars says he’ll hand over his voting rights? This is an opportunity to build an iron wall around his management rights.

Dell looked at me for a moment and then spoke to Oh Se-hyun. With a smile.

“James. What’s your boss’s name?”

“Ah…”

Instead of Oh Se-hyun, who was flustered by the sudden question, I answered.

“Howard, My name is Howard Jean.”

“Okay, Howard. You just took my coffee time too. Shall we go to a cafe? It’s a place where the sweet cake is killer.”

“If it’s a cafe, the coffee taste is more important. How’s the coffee?”

“Of course, it’s killer. But you know. You’re not like me.”

“Yes?”

“When I was your age, I liked cake much more than coffee. Haha.”

Michael Dell burst out laughing and took the lead.

“Do-jun.”

“Yes.”

Oh Se-hyun, who was following Dell, quietly called me.

“You surprised me a lot… You’ll have to explain all this, right?”

“Now?”

“Not now, since that guy hasn’t accepted our offer yet. Later.”

“It’s hard to explain anyway. Just think of me as having a natural talent for business.”

“A genius…”

Oh Se-hyun, who was quietly muttering, looked down at me again and said.

“By the way, when did you come up with the name Howard? Did you make it when you were getting English tutoring?”

“No. Much earlier.”

I was a little surprised at how the name Howard came out.

Because in my past life it was a name like a dream or a fantasy.

An American businessman, aviator, engineer and film producer.

Howard Robard Hughes Jr.

The most American of the rich.

A person who tried or did everything he wanted to do in his lifetime.

Born to a rich father and a mother of British aristocratic blood, a golden spoon.

The person I’ve always dreamed of.

Iron Man Tony Stark and his father Howard Stark are also based on Howard Hughes.

To Americans who are progressive and believe in libertarianism, this seemed like the most ideal life for a billionaire.

In my past life, I thought of this person as a dream, but now I’m no different from this person.

“I will be the Howard Hughes of the 21st century. Under the name ‘Howard Jean.'”