Chapter 324: The Youngest Scion of Soonyang Declares His Bid for Leadership
by xennovel“Send one president from each media outlet and assign two reporters to accompany them to the US. Figure out the total number of reporters and charter a private jet from the airline.”
“A private jet… ?”
“Yes, to transport the reporters. Make the arrangements accordingly.”
“Yes, Chief of Staff.”
“Also, Chief Shin Seok-ho and his team will be joining this trip to the US. Please prepare for that as well.”
“Yes? Ah… understood.”
Assistant Manager Kim Yoon-suk seemed momentarily flustered but quickly regained his composure. He must have anticipated my intentions without me explicitly stating them.
“And Assistant Manager Kim, take it easy while I’m away. I’ve been pushing you too hard lately.”
“Not at all. How could I relax during such a crucial time? I’m alright. I’ll take my vacation after seeing you take the Chairman’s seat, Chief of Staff. Heh.”
I simply smiled, refraining from mentioning that he’d have even less free time then. How much time would it take to become the Chairman and build an impregnable fortress?
As I boarded the private jet with President Jo Dae-ho of HW Motors, the boisterous chatter of the reporters filled the air.
“Aren’t there even more people here than for a presidential visit?”
“Of course. I provide far more news than the President does.”
“Or rather, more handouts? Heh heh.”
As the two of us entered the first-class section, Chief Shin Seok-ho and his team, who were already waiting, bowed respectfully.
“This trip is more of a reward for all your hard work. And unlike Chairman Jin Young-jun, I don’t stand much on ceremony, so everyone can relax.”
“Thank you, Chief of Staff. But shouldn’t you say something to the reporters? They’re all waiting for you….”
Chief Shin Seok-ho said, glancing at President Jo.
“Chief Shin, tell them on my behalf to stick to reporting what they see and hear accurately. Tell them I’m not looking for exaggerated stories.”
“Understood.”
Chief Shin bowed and left, followed by his team.
The reporters wouldn’t dare to write exaggerated articles. The accurate truth would be unbelievable enough.
* * *
The reporters, expecting to go to New York, were bursting with curiosity when they learned our destination was California. However, their curiosity vanished and was replaced by shock when two figures appeared at our dinner in the hotel banquet hall.
“Howard! It’s been too long!”
“If you don’t remember, just Google it. Haha.”
Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the founders of Google, embraced me warmly as the flashes from the reporters’ cameras exploded relentlessly.
There was no time to question their appearance. They would immediately send the photos to their headquarters and upload online articles with sensational headlines.
The real-time transmission battle had begun. Profits would depend on who could generate more clicks.
Chief Shin Seok-ho stepped forward as they tried to capture our conversation.
“There will be an official press conference after dinner. Until then, please turn off your cameras, or you’ll receive a ticket back home.”
Faced with Chief Shin’s threat, the reporters lowered their cameras and waited for our dinner to end.
After dinner, the three of us took our seats on the stage prepared in the banquet hall.
“Alright, ask your questions.”
It was a moment of regret for the reporters from smaller media outlets who hadn’t bothered to learn English. The US correspondents took the lead, firing off questions in English.
“Could you explain the relationship between the two of you and Mr. Jin Do-jun?”
Sergey Brin took the microphone.
“When we were preparing to start our company in a garage, our angel investor who gave us wings was none other than the twenty-year-old Howard. He invested a staggering thirty million dollars with incredibly generous terms, just after reading one of our algorithms papers.”
“You could say Howard is a hidden co-founder of Google.”
Larry Page accurately described my role, but the reporters were only interested in the money.
“What were those generous terms?”
“He left the voting rights to us, didn’t interfere with management, and only asked for our average share. Back then, for thirty million dollars, we would have sold our souls. Haha.”
“So, does that mean Mr. Jin Do-jun is a major shareholder in Google now?”
“Miracle Investment holds 6.8% of the shares.”
Since it was already known that I was the major shareholder of Miracle, the reporters were busy searching for Google’s stock price to calculate the value of my shares.
Currently, it was worth a little over ten trillion won, but as a major shareholder of a top company with unlimited potential for growth, it could multiply several times over.
An even bigger scoop than who would become the next President of Korea had just broken, and the reporters could only gasp in disbelief.
Questions about the founding and investment followed, and stories that sounded like ancient legends poured out.
A reporter with a sharper eye turned his attention to President Jo Dae-ho of HW Motors.
“President Jo, is your presence here related to Google?”
President Jo also felt his long journey was worthwhile. He took the microphone and spoke slowly.
“HW Motors is playing a small but significant role in Google’s secret project. I am here today to finalize that contract.”
“Automobiles and Google, it’s hard to connect the dots. Could you elaborate?”
“As I said, it’s a secret project. Google will determine the announcement date.”
The moment this article was published, HW’s stock price would skyrocket. But this wasn’t the end. I wasn’t putting on this show just to brag about my Google shares.
“We also plan to discuss using Soonyang Electronics components in Google’s various future hardware development projects. This is the main purpose of our visit to the US.”
As soon as I picked up the microphone, the reporters’ flashes erupted again.
“Chairman Jin Young-jun currently heads Soonyang Electronics. Did the two of you discuss this?”
“Does Chairman Jin Young-jun have time to focus on business right now?”
The reporters burst into laughter. They were well aware of his impending prosecution.
“Then, are you implying you have the qualifications to replace him…?”
“Is qualification the issue? This is a business with the potential to generate unimaginable profits. If I bring positive results, Soonyang Electronics will welcome it. Besides… aren’t I still family? Haha.”
A reporter who understood my implication asked a question.
“Are you perhaps aiming for Chairman Jin Young-jun’s position?”
“What would I gain from scavenging for scraps in an empty house? However, if the shareholders strongly desire it, I wouldn’t refuse. Frankly, is there anyone else capable of filling that void besides me?”
The headline for tomorrow’s newspaper was already taking shape in my mind.
“Soonyang Family’s Youngest Scion, Jin Do-jun, Declares His Bid for Soonyang Electronics Group’s Chairmanship!”
* * *
Korean reporters had no foothold at the second event. American media had already taken over Intel’s convention center.
The reporters witnessed Intel acquiring a small Israeli company they had never heard of, but they didn’t understand why they had to be there to see it.
What they confirmed was that Intel had acquired this obscure Israeli company for a whopping fifteen billion dollars, or fifteen trillion won in Korean currency.
However, the reporters following me weren’t particularly surprised, having become accustomed to numbers in the trillions.
But when Dr. Amnon Shashua, the founder and CEO of Mobileye, the Israeli company involved in today’s deal, appeared and greeted me as if I were a long-lost brother, the cameras started flashing again.
“…He came to my school and invested fifteen million dollars out of the blue before disappearing. Howard is the most generous investor in the world and has an uncanny ability to predict the future. I was also surprised by yesterday’s news that Howard was Google’s first investor.”
“What is Mr. Jin Do-jun’s stake in Mobileye?”
“60%. A 100-fold return in ten years.”
Dr. Shashua’s explanation prompted a barrage of questions towards me.
“Mr. Jin Do-jun, could you tell us your investment criteria?”
“I invest in companies that will change the world with extraordinary terms. Google is already well-known, and Mobileye here is a company that will revolutionize the future of automobiles. That’s why we will be signing a technology agreement with HW Motors. It’s already included in Intel’s acquisition terms.”
“Since Miracle is the holding company of HW Group, is it fair to say that HW Motors is also Mr. Jin Do-jun’s company?”
“Structurally, yes, but as you know, I prefer a professional management system. I do give some input to Soonyang’s financial subsidiaries, but for the other affiliates, I mostly just check their performance.”
“Are you considering a merger between HW Group and Soonyang Group?”
“We are currently assessing the synergy effects of a merger. If there’s even a slight increase in efficiency, we will definitely pursue it.”
Tomorrow’s newspaper headline would be about the merger of HW and Soonyang Group.
There would also be articles highlighting that the electronics and automobile sectors were Jin Do-jun’s primary concerns.
“Mr. Jin Do-jun, could you tell us about your investment with the highest return rate?”
“Not based on investment value, but purely on the amount…?”
“Yes. It’s a rather sensational question, so I’m a bit hesitant….”
Sensational questions were precisely the kind of news people loved, weren’t they?
“Ah, there is one. I invested in some derivatives… It was around a 1300-fold return in a week? I invested in the Japanese stock market. I don’t recall the exact amount now. It was listed as a little over seven trillion yen in the financial statements a few years ago… I didn’t pay much attention to it….”
Watching the reporters who had even forgotten to take notes, I was confident that the show was a success.
Tens of trillions of Japanese yen earned would be even bigger news than Korea’s victory in a Korea-Japan soccer match, wouldn’t it?
* * *
Even more reporters than those who had accompanied me were waiting at Incheon Airport.
The media wrote articles as if Google were a Korean company, and I was treated like Park Chan-ho or Choo Shin-soo after conquering Major League Baseball.
Hanseong Ilbo, in particular, was running daily articles comparing me and Jin Young-jun side-by-side. The articles disparaged Jin Young-jun even more harshly than comparing a professional to an amateur, or an adult to a child.
This showed how terrifying a divorcing wife could be. I could feel the venom.
The makeup for my grand entrance was complete; only the final battle remained.
“Hey! I’m busting my ass here, and you’re returning like a conquering hero?”
“A mere junior prosecutor, where do you get off being so presumptuous? The higher-ups have already finished coordinating everything. I put in a lot of effort to make you a star prosecutor.”
Prosecutor Kim Ji-hoon, who came to my house in the evening, was just putting on an act.
“Star or not, I’m scared to death. I keep getting calls from unknown numbers, and there are always people waiting in front of my house. I even feel like someone’s tailing me. I wouldn’t be surprised if I get attacked.”
“Who would be stupid enough to attack a scarecrow? They’re trying to win you over since you’re the prosecutor in charge. Since the media is watching and it’s practically a live broadcast, they’ll be screwed if you give a lenient sentence in court.”
I needed to reassure my frightened classmate.
“And the people tailing you are my guys. I put them there just in case.”
Prosecutor Kim blinked for a moment before clicking his tongue.
“Hey! What’s with your amateurs? Even I noticed I was being followed.”
“They’re following you conspicuously on purpose. It’s to deter anyone else from approaching you. Learn something.”
As we chatted and Kim Ji-hoon relaxed, he said,
“Jin Young-jun is showing up tomorrow. Assemblyman Lee Sang-il, the Minister of Health and Welfare, and the National Pension Service chairman have all been arrested… Do you think an arrest warrant will be issued for Jin Young-jun?”
“Are you looking down on my in-laws?”
“I know… but their side isn’t exactly weak either.”
“I’m even less ordinary. The judge in charge of the warrant is also human. Do you think I’ve just been idly standing by?”
“Did you bribe him? That judge has a reputation for being incorruptible… ?”
Kim Ji-hoon was startled.
“Even bamboo has a breaking point. I created that weight with money. The warrant will definitely be issued.”
* * *”