1979, Manager Kim is Inheriting Dictatorship! - Chapter 54



Only Krnovel

Episode 54

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“Mr. President, I think you should read this article!”

The chief secretary comes running and hands me an English newspaper.

[Adidos stated that it strongly supports South Korea hosting the 1992 Seoul Olympics. He said that hosting the Olympics in a unified Korea would be a very important milestone in ending the Cold War and moving toward an era of peace. The Adidos Chairman said that if the Olympics are decided to be held in South Korea, they will do everything they can as the main sponsor of the Olympics.]

‘It’s fast.’

Last year’s business trip to the US is finally starting to show results.

***

January 1984.

He visited the United States to discuss post-unification post-processing issues.

There was so much to discuss that we really didn’t have time to rest for even a moment.

But even in the midst of all that, there was someone I absolutely had to meet, even if it meant taking a day off.

“Mr. President, who on earth is this basketball player that you are meeting in person at such a busy time?”

The chief secretary asks with a curious expression.

“He is someone who will make us a lot of money. And he is someone who will help South Korea host the Olympics.”

A restaurant in North Carolina.

We are waiting for a basketball player with his secretary, Lee Ho-sik, the president of Prostex, a domestic sports company, and his company people.

And after a while, a large man comes into the restaurant.

While others were wondering if the person coming in was the person I was trying to meet, to me this large man was very familiar.

‘It’s good to be president. I got to see Jordan in person..’

Michael Jordin.

A legend in American basketball, few athletes in any sport around the world have had this much influence.

“Hello, Mr. Jordan. This is Kim Jung Kook.”

I shook his hand, and he accepted my handshake with a look of discontent.

“nice to meet you.”

“It seems like you’re not happy about something. Haha.”

“I came because someone so famous invited me, but I have no intention of signing the contract you mentioned.”

I had already told him through his agent that I wanted to sign a contract for basketball shoes.

The agent was also reluctant to accept the offer, but it seemed he had no choice but to accept it when he heard that the Korean president would be coming in person.

Jordan gets straight to the point.

“Even though I am still a rookie, I have no intention of wearing basketball shoes made in an oriental country I have never seen before.”

Although his words were a little rude, his judgment was correct.

At that time, Korea had no influence on global fashion or sportswear, let alone basketball shoes.

“Mr. Jordyn, I know you want to sign with Ididos, but Ididos doesn’t want to sign with you.”

I use the information I have to exploit his weaknesses.

He had been wanting to sign with Adidos since July of this year after entering the NBA.

But Adidos had no interest in Jordyn at the time.

“How did you know that.. .. .”

Jordan sighs, seeming slightly annoyed.

“Haa.. Did your agent tell you that?”

Then the meal you ordered comes out.

The menu is none other than steak.

The wrinkle between Jordan’s eyebrows softens slightly at the sight of the steak.

‘Steak? That’s quite a taste.’

He was such a steak lover that he would eat hundreds of grams of steak before a game during his playing days.

The menu selection was made based on his personality.

“Shall we eat first and then talk?”

“Okay.. let’s do that.”

Jordan’s voice relaxes a little.

And at the end of the meal, I looked at President Lee Ho-sik of Prostex, who was sitting next to me, and said,

“Boss, we’re almost done eating. Could you show me what you’ve prepared?”

“Ah.. yes..! Mr. President.”

President Lee Ho-sik receives a box from his secretary and places it on the table.

“These are the shoes we created, tentatively called Air Jordins, based on what we imagined Ms. Jordin wearing.”

[Air Jordan 1 / 3,000pt]

[Air Jordan 11 / 1,000pt]

It was an item that had been made in advance using a secret shop in Korea, using a huge sum of 4,000 points.

This was a sample, but in Korea the product was already ready for mass production.

The two products he brought were the Air Jordan 1, which was first released in 1985, and the Air Jordan 11, which was made in 1995.

“Hoo..”

When she sees the shoes, Jordyn’s expression, which had been full of annoyance just a moment ago, changes 180 degrees.

“How is it? Are you at least a little interested?”

“Can I try it on?”

Jordan changes proactively.

There was no way he wouldn’t like it.

This is because, in the first place, this Air Jordan is a product in which his opinions were largely incorporated in the design process.

“It seems like you’re interested. Since you’re going to try them on anyway, why don’t you go to the coat shop and try them on?”

This was also a bit of a personal desire.

I wanted to see Jordyn play on the court herself.

“Okay. Let’s go right away.”

Head straight to the University of North Carolina basketball court with Jordyn.

The basketball court we arrived at was empty, probably because it was closed today.

Jordin puts on the Jordan 11 shoes she was given and runs around the court.

As a former fan of his, I blankly watched him run, momentarily forgetting my purpose.

After running around the court with a basketball for a while, he approaches me.

“What is this? How on earth did they make something like this in Korea?”

“I see you like it.”

Jordan’s expression was one of admiration, if not amazement.

The Air Jordan 11 was a basketball shoe made with technology from the mid-90s, a decade after the current era.

Among the Jordan series, it was a product that received great acclaim from the time of its release along with the 18 for play.

In 1984, there was no basketball shoe that could compete with this.

“The design is great, and the fit and performance are the best of any basketball shoe I’ve ever worn!”

“How about these basketball shoes?”

I gave him a pair of Air Jordan 1s.

He takes off the Jordan 11s he was wearing and puts on the Jordan 1s he gave him.

Then he runs around the court here and there and comes back.”

“Hmm.. This is good, but it’s definitely not as good as the previous product. But..”

“You want to say that design is the best?”

“Yes, that’s right. It could just be my taste, but this design is really the best!”

The black and red combination was the most popular product among Jordan 1s.

There was no way he would hate it.

“How is it? Are you feeling a little more inclined to sign a contract with us now?”

Jordan pauses for a moment.

And then he answers.

“These basketball shoes are really the best. They are the best in terms of design and function than any other basketball shoes I have ever worn. . . . . But I still want to sign with Adidos. . . ..”

I cheered when he said he wanted to sign with Adidos.

‘That’s right. That’s what we want.’

“Ms. Jordyn, we will give you the best contract terms you can get anywhere. And we will also pursue a contract with Adidos as you wish.”

“What do you mean, a contract with Adidos?”

“We will pursue a collaboration agreement with Adidos within the next year. When we sell this product, we will sell it under the name Air Jordan, not Prostex.

And if we sign a contract with Adidos, we will sell the product under the name of ‘Adidos Air Jordan’. From our perspective, it is a good thing because we will maximize our profits if we sell it under the name of Adidos. We will produce it, but we will sell it under the name of Adidos. Of course, if the contract with Adidos does not work out, we can terminate the contract.”

Jordan’s expression brightens.

If that’s the case, there’s no reason to refuse.

If the contract with Adidos fails, then the contract can be terminated.

“Okay! I will do it!”

So a year after the contract with Jordan ended.

He was drafted third overall and went to an NBA team in Chicago.

He began to conquer the NBA with his ridiculous skills from his rookie season.

And along with that, Air Jordans started selling like crazy.

Jordin’s incredible performance and designs ahead of their time.

These two things combined to make Air Jordans a huge hit in the US.

The Korean Air Jordan factory was running 24 hours a day and could not keep up with demand.

Despite its extremely high price tag of $80, it sold like hotcakes.

It was definitely a Korean brand I was hearing about for the first time, but Jordin’s performance and design made up for the unfamiliarity of the brand.

And this news reached the president of Adidos as well.

“If you have a mouth, tell me! You said you didn’t sign Jordyn because she didn’t look like a star!!”

The president of Adidos was furious.

Even though Jordan wanted to sign a contract, the president of the US branch refused to sign a contract with Jordan.

The reason was that he didn’t seem to have any star quality.

“I’m sorry. I never dreamed you would be that good..”

“Haa.. and what’s that design.. is that really made in Korea?”

“Yes, that’s right. In fact, it is understood to have been independently manufactured by Prostex, a state-owned Korean company.”

The Adidos chairman asks, holding his head in his hands.

“So.. how are the new basketball shoes coming along?”

“That is… Even if it were released right now… Air Jordans are so popular…”

“Then let’s just watch until the American market is eaten up!”

“I’m… sorry!”

At that moment, a secretary comes running into the conference room with an anxious expression.

“What are you talking about during a meeting!”

“Mr. Chairman, I got a call from Korea. They want to talk about Air Jordans.”

“Air Jordans..? Change them quickly!”

I quickly picked up the phone, and a familiar voice spoke in fluent English.

“Hello. This is Kim Jung-guk.”

“If it’s Kim Jong-guk… is he really the president of Korea? I thought I’d heard that voice somewhere before..”

“Haha. I am honored that the Adidos president recognizes my voice.”

“No. I have always been interested in Korea. But why did the Korean President call you?”

President Kim gets to the point.

“Sir, aren’t you interested in Air Jordans?”

“.. .. .. No way. We’re Adidos. We’re not that interested in basketball shoes just because they sell well.”

He tried to pretend not to care in order to gain the upper hand in the negotiations, but the Adidos chairman was already in Kim Jung-guk’s palm.

“If this really looks like just basketball shoes, I have nothing more to say to you, Chairman. Then let’s go somewhere else…”

As Jungkook tries to hang up the phone, the Adidos president quickly stops him.

“First of all, please tell me why you called.”

“Um.. Okay. Our Korean Prospecs would like to sign a contract with Adidos. We would like to put the Adidos brand on Air Jordans. And we would also like to have Adidos handle sales in Europe.”

“Umm… But Mr. President. Why are you telling this story and not the president of Prostex?”

“This Prostex is practically a state-owned enterprise. And this is something the President has to talk about.”

The National Pension Service owned more than half of Prostex’s shares.

In fact, it was practically no different from a state-owned enterprise.

“I see.. but.. I really don’t understand why. What is the reason for making such a good suggestion?”

I get straight to the point with him.

“Our country, Korea, hopes to host the 1992 Seoul Olympics. And the biggest company among the current IOC sponsors is your company, Adidos. Mr. Chairman. Do you know what I want to say?”

You’re a smart person, so you probably know what I want to talk about without me having to tell you everything.

“.. .. .. Spain is preparing for the 1992 Olympics. I’m sure you don’t know.”

“Is the biggest sponsor of the Olympics afraid of the IOC president?”

I gave his pride a little pat.

After a moment of silence, he speaks.

“Whew… I guess I have no reason to refuse… If I refuse this offer, I would be considered unfit to be a manager.”

“That’s an excellent choice. Then, you can discuss the remaining practical matters with the practitioners.”

In this way, the biggest Olympic sponsor finally took Korea’s side.

The puzzle of hosting the Olympics, which seemed impossible, was falling into place one by one.

***