1979, Manager Kim is Inheriting Dictatorship! - Chapter 48



Only Krnovel

Episode 48

After a while, the dishes are brought out one by one at the dinner table.

But then suddenly Jobs starts talking in a voice that sounds like he’s apologizing for something.

“Um… President Kim Jung-guk. I appreciate you preparing this dinner, but… I’m actually a vegetarian, so I’m not sure how much of the food you’ve prepared for me I’ll be able to eat.”

Steve Jobs.

He was a strict vegetarian.

According to the story, some say he was a vegetarian from his 10th generation, while others say it was after he converted to Buddhism, but the important thing is that he was a strict vegetarian.

And more importantly, Korea is a country that has long had a history of producing delicious vegetarian dishes.

“Don’t worry. Take a closer look at these dishes. Is there meat in them?”

“Oh.. Now that I think about it···”

Upon closer inspection, I noticed that there was no meat in the food served at the banquet.

These were dishes made with tofu, mushrooms, and all sorts of vegetables and grains.

“Mr. Jobs, the food here is prepared by the best temple cuisine experts in Korea.”

“If you are a temple cuisine expert..”

“Yes. Simply put, it is Buddhist cuisine. Korean Buddhism has prohibited killing and basically does not eat meat. So, temple cuisine for vegetarians has developed tremendously since the past.”

“Oh.. Really?”

Jobs’ face lights up.

I have mentioned several times in interviews that I am a vegetarian, but I never imagined that people would remember that and be considerate like this.

“Haha.. I am truly honored that the President of Korea is taking interest in a ousted CEO like me.”

Although he was not known to have a very good personality in later years, such as being a sociopath or a psychopath, he was so welcomed that he couldn’t help but open his heart.

“I invited you. Of course, you should prepare at least this much. Let’s go.”

Jobs begins to eat the prepared dishes one by one.

And then, all of a sudden, your eyes widen.

“How is it? Does it suit your taste?”

“Yes.. It’s amazing.. To be honest, I thought that I had to sacrifice some taste to live as a vegetarian.. I guess I’ve been thinking like an idiot until now. Vegetarians can be cooked so well.”

Korean temple cuisine has a long history and a deep depth.

Temple cuisine is a cuisine whose value is so recognized that it cannot be left out when discussing Korean cuisine.

There was no way temple cuisine, which took vegetarianism to the extreme, could be tasteless.

‘Well… I like meat better, but…’

“Hahaha. Korean temple cuisine has a long history and is a cuisine with a lot of depth. It’s not spicy, but it has a deep flavor.”

“It’s really true. How do you make such delicious dishes without being so provocative? It’s really amazing.”

He continues eating while expressing his admiration.

And as the meal nears its end, Jobs asks:

“But… President Kim, I don’t really understand. Why are you welcoming me like this, a CEO who has already failed in the United States?”

Jobs was genuinely curious.

I was already a person who had been kicked out of the company I created.

I couldn’t understand why anyone would want to invest in him.

“I really value Mr. Jobs’ creativity and management skills. I think Apple made a huge mistake by letting him go. What would be the point of Apple without Mr. Jobs?”

He praises me a little too much.

He also laughs out loud, as if he feels better.

“Hahaha. Thank you. I really appreciate you thinking of me that way.”

“Mr. Jobs, Korea would like to invest in you through its sovereign wealth fund. Would you like to work with us?”

Jobs hesitates for a moment.

By 1985, he was a failed CEO who had been kicked out of his own company.

There was no reason to refuse.

But it looked so sweet that I was worried that there might be some other hidden meaning behind it.

“Everything is good.. but it’s too sweet. What are the conditions you want in Korea?”

“We just want the fruit.”

“You need stocks, right? But if that’s the case, wouldn’t it be okay to just slowly buy Apple stocks now?”

“What would be the point of Apple without Mr. Jobs?”

After Jobs’ death, Apple, which was taken over by Tim Cook, soared into space, but after Jobs was ousted in 1985, Apple gradually fell to the bottom.

***

APPLE.

It was the world’s largest company in 2023, if not long before then.

Market cap: 3,700 trillion won.

This one company is larger than all the companies on the Korean stock market combined.

If you were to put Apple’s market capitalization among the world’s GDP, Apple would rank 7th, a laughable result.

There was no need to kill Apple.

There is no need to shake hands with Apple to kill Samsung Electronics.

Isn’t it something that can be done by eating Apple, Samsung Electronics, and MS?

There is no need to kill one.

If we have it all, that’s it.

We build factories in Korea and take the dividends.

The shell is an American company, but we take all the meat.

To do that, you have to boil this guy.

***

Jobs speaks with concern in his voice.

“It may be a stupid choice for Korea. But honestly, I have no reason to refuse.”

“I trust Mr. Jobs.”

Even if you were to turn several Apple items into a secret store, it’s questionable whether you could sell them as well as this guy.

This guy is not an engineer.

Jobs is a valuable person as a manager.

Even if Apple simply continued to produce its products without Jobs, it is unclear whether those products would be successful.

Even today, this person’s iPhone, iPad, and MacBook announcement presentations are remembered as legend.

“Even if we become a major shareholder of Apple, we have no intention of participating in your management or anything like that. The board will always be on your side. We just want to enjoy the fruits.”

Of course, it’s not like I don’t participate in management at all.

In the future, we will intervene in issues such as the location of the factory and such, but those are not big issues for now.

“Okay. I will do that.”

“Haha. You thought it through well. You can discuss the details with the staff later. I look forward to working with you in the future, Mr. Jobs.”

After the negotiations were concluded, I asked Jobs for one more favor just in case.

“And just in case, would you ever consider working with Mr. Wozniak again?”

If Jobs was in charge of Apple’s management and marketing, most of Apple’s early products were created by Wozniak.

Certainly, if these two join hands again, Apple may be able to grow even faster.

“That’s fine. I don’t want to work with that person anymore. If you want to work with that person, let’s just forget about this story.”

Jobs was resolute.

‘I heard that they reconciled to some extent in their later years···.’

It seemed like their feelings for each other were still deep.

“Haha. It’s okay. With Mr. Jobs, there’s no need for someone crazy about such machines.”

Say something that will make him feel a little better.

“As expected.. you know a thing or two. That Wozniak guy is really..”

And after that, Jobs spent quite a bit of time badmouthing Wozniak.

###

“The chairman has arrived.”

“Here..”

Asan-ri, Dapjeon-myeon, Tongcheon-gun, Gangwon-do.

It was the hometown that Chairman Oh Wang-guk Hyeon-joong had longed for so much.

As soon as he set foot on his home soil, he began to cry like a child.

My hometown, which I vaguely remembered, was still the same as it was back then.

“It’s just like that.. It’s just like that..”

Fortunately, since North Korea’s development has been mainly focused on cities, his hometown has retained much of the appearance it had when he was a child.

When I look at my hometown, I think of my father, who spent his entire life farming and supporting his family.

“Father… I set foot on my hometown land while I was still alive….”

Although he was already over 70 years old, his longing for his hometown and his father remained.

The chief secretary hands Chairman Oh a handkerchief.

Chairman Oh stands up from his seat, wiping his tears with a handkerchief.

And then he says with a look in his eyes that seems determined.

“From now on… President Kim’s national construction projects will be carried out with minimal profit… and national projects will be carried out with unconditional top priority.”

The chief secretary asks in surprise.

“Chairman..! No matter what, that is..”

“Don’t say anything more. To be honest, I thought it would be difficult to set foot on my home soil now. But that man, who had only been president for a few years, allowed me to die on my home soil.”

The chairman continues speaking while touching some nearby trees.

“It’s not just because I’m grateful. I think he’d definitely make this country great. And I want to contribute to that, even if just a little.”

Chairman Oh’s decision seemed firm.

“Yes, I understand, Chairman. I will tell you to do so.”

“This tree still exists.. oh.. really..”

He recalls old memories as he touches the tree his father planted when he was young.

The area around his eyes was covered in wrinkles from old age, but his eyes were as bright as they were when he was young, full of dreams and energy.

###

“I’m sorry to call you like this when the election is just around the corner.”

A morning a week before the election.

I invited CEO Choi Hyun to have breakfast with me and chatted with him.

“You say all sorts of things.”

“How is it? The situation.”

“The president’s approval rating is so high that, except for a few regions, the opposing candidates have virtually lost their motivation.”

“I see. That’s fortunate. However, I am a bit worried because it is too one-sided.”

Power that is too concentrated in one direction becomes stagnant, and stagnant power eventually becomes corrupt.

So, having such a high approval rating isn’t necessarily a good thing.

“I know what you mean. We are strictly competing internally to prevent that from happening.”

“Please take good care of me.”

After dinner, over a cup of coffee, we talk about the main topic of why I called him today.

“Once the election is over, we plan to enact several bills.”

There were bills that could not be pushed forward for fear of being accused of election interference during the election period.

“What bills are these?”

“One is the law on the treatment of soldiers who fought in this war and the Korean War.”

CEO Choi Hyeon nods in agreement.

“Okay, I agree. I also think that we must treat veterans properly.”

I’ll talk about one more bill that I’ve been thinking about for a while.

“And this is actually an unconstitutional issue, so I am hesitant about it too···.”

“Unconstitutional law? What are you thinking?”

I continued speaking in a worried voice.

“This is a bill that allows for punishment for fraud up to the death penalty, depending on the amount of money.”

When the word death penalty comes up, CEO Choi Hyeon is shocked.

“Death penalty.. This may be controversial···.”

“Of course, I think that executing someone for fraud may be against the Constitution or other laws, but I think that in some cases, the nature of the crime of fraud is worse than murder.”

Murder may end one life, but fraud often ends the lives of dozens, hundreds, or even thousands.

And many of those who have ruined and scammed thousands of lives have served a few years in prison and then lived the rest of their lives in comfort with the money they have hidden away.

I thought that this kind of absurd behavior should not continue to happen.

However, there was no choice but to be cautious, as there could be controversy over whether it was appropriate to impose the death penalty for a fraud crime that was so controversial.

“Let’s discuss this matter within the party after the election.”

“Please take good care of me, sir.”