The Magician’s Memorial - Chapter 45



Only Krnovel

Episode 45 Value of 10 billion (3)

David from SAVE Investment Company.

He was not only in charge of recruiting talent, but was also in charge of external activities, including various lobbying.

He was a man who controlled American connections with his outstanding friendliness.

Even after moving to France, his friendliness did not diminish at all.

“If you think of wine, isn’t it French? “We have swept up all the Romane-Conti nearby.”

“Your mouth will be in good spirits today. “I’ve been full of headaches these days, but thanks to David, my stress is completely relieved.”

The table was filled with expensive wine, priced from hundreds to tens of millions of won per bottle.

David and Thompson Multimedia executives were sitting next to the table.

They had already become close friends in just two days after David came to France.

One bottle of alcohol goes in, then two bottles go in.

Thompson Multimedia’s executives poured out their grievances.

“Is it our responsibility that the company is having a hard time? “The United States, Japan, and Korea are launching a volume offensive, so what are they telling us to do?”

“That’s right. It sounds good, it’s a state-run company, but since it’s a state-run company, it’s only losing money. “It’s not because we lack management ability, but because there are too many restrictions, so we can’t manage properly.”

“You know exactly how we feel.”

David knew exactly where the itch was and scratched it.

At the same time, it slightly touched the desires of executives.

“They don’t give you a lot of work and pay a lot of salary, but rather, the salary is reduced further under the excuse that the company is in difficult times.”

“That’s what I said. You have to pay a lot of money to get excited about your job. “This isn’t even volunteer work, and it’s a terrible experience.”

“Besides, they said the company might be sold somewhere else. “There are already rumors circulating on Wall Street that it will be sold to Korea, located on the outskirts of Asia.”

“This is top secret, but has the rumor already spread to Wall Street? As expected, Wall Street’s intelligence power is superior to that of most intelligence agencies.”

David drank his wine without answering.

The information regarding the acquisition of Thompson Multimedia was received from Minjae Kim, not from Wall Street.

“But what happens if the company is acquired?”

“You should step down. “Wow, how did I get to this point? It’s so unfair that I’m dying.”

“Then may I help you?”

“Are you going to introduce me to a good place?”

“Isn’t every job about making money? “Sell me a few of Thompson’s patents and I’ll give you a generous amount.”

It was David speaking while pouring wine.

The executives fell into deep thought while receiving drinks.

It was a company that was going to be sold somewhere else anyway.

In this situation, would anyone take issue with how many patents are sold?

“Selling a patent is not difficult. “Isn’t the problem the unit price?”

“Of course, we have to charge a high unit price. “I will give you more than the bonus you did not receive as an executive.”

The drinking party continued all night long.

The drinking party ended happily because the executives of Thompson Multimedia set satisfactory conditions.

* * *

By the time two months had passed.

I got some very good news from David.

[boss! My job with Thomson Multimedia has gone well. [We have swept up all MP3-related patents and sound and video-related patents.]

“thank you for your effort. It may not have been easy, but you did well.”

[But I spent too much money.]

“Money doesn’t really matter. But I wonder how much was spent.”

[In Korean currency, I spent roughly 10 billion won. In fact, less than 5 billion won was spent on purchasing the patent, but 5 billion won had to be put into the hands of executives, so we spent 10 billion won.”

“10 billion won is cheap. I didn’t mind spending more.”

10 billion won for an MP3 patent is a really cheap price.

Once the MP3 player is developed, these patents are difficult to purchase even if you pay several times more than 10 billion won.

[I will now return to the United States. I have a dinner scheduled with politicians.]

“Please try hard. “There is not much time left to use the power of the political world.”

[I don’t know what the boss is trying to do, but I will roast politicians well, regardless of whether they are the ruling party or the opposition party.]

When a foreign exchange crisis occurs, it becomes necessary to seek help from the political world.

If you take your medicine well in advance, you can avoid being treated unfairly and be able to speak out louder than others.

When you hang up the phone and get lost in thought for a moment.

The secretaries hurriedly entered my office.

These were people who normally never entered my office without permission.

“What happened?”

“A major accident occurred. “I’ll turn on the TV.”

It was a secretary who urgently turned on the TV.

The same news was flowing from all channels.

[Collapse of Sampoong Department Store.]

Today was that day.

I knew that Sampoong Department Store would collapse this year, but I didn’t know the exact date.

I didn’t know the date, though.

I have already made a plan for what I should do next.

“I have to go to the group headquarters right now. “Please find out the Chairman’s location and let me know.”

“All right.”

I quickly drove to the group headquarters.

The headquarters was also moving urgently due to the aftermath of a major accident.

In the meantime, one of the secretarial staff recognized me and said hello.

“Have you been called to the meeting, Director? The meeting will be held in the conference room on the 9th floor.”

“Is this a meeting convened by the Chairman?”

“That’s right. “This is a meeting in which all members of the Planning Office and the Secretariat participate.”

“Then let’s go in together.”

Although I was not asked to attend the meeting.

I was pushed into the conference room with the title of director of the research center and the chairman’s grandson.

Of course, no one stopped me, and the grandfather sitting at the head of the table naturally offered up the seat next to me.

“As you may have heard, Sampoong Department Store collapsed. “It may not have a direct impact on us, but we called a meeting to predict the future situation.”

“I don’t have time for a meeting right now. “We must move now.”

“What and how do you want to move?”

“Taewoo Construction’s crane must be sent to the site immediately.”

“How can we take the initiative when there is no request from the government?”

Was I too excited?

My grandfather raised his hand to calm me down, and the secretary also held up his arm.

“Director Kim, if Taewo Construction suddenly removes the crane, the construction schedule will be disrupted.”

“It’s not important that the construction schedule is pushed back by a day or two! You need to move now. “It is not too late to put in everything you can first and then hold a meeting.”

“Director Kim. Calm your excitement. It is true that it is a tragic incident, but that does not mean that it will be helpful if we step forward first. “When an accident occurs, it must proceed according to the fire department’s manual, and if we step in, the manual will be violated.”

In any accident, the manual is important.

But who would have predicted that a department store would collapse?

And there were limits to rescue efforts with the equipment the fire department had.

In order to carry out rescue activities in collapsed buildings, large-scale equipment used at construction sites was essential.

But my grandfather was steadfast.

He was reluctant to take the initiative, and in this situation, there was only one way to make the grandfather act.

“We must take the lead before Hyunjae Construction moves.”

“What does it mean that Hyunjae Construction is moving?”

“Hyunjae Construction is forced to move unconditionally in order to score points with the government. “Don’t you know well the relationship between Hyunjae Group and the government?”

“It’s a situation that is firmly in the hands of the government.”

The current chairman of the group ran for president in the last presidential election.

My grandfather also almost ran for the presidency, but fortunately he was defeated.

However, the chairman of the current group proudly stood as a candidate, but of course he was not elected and had to return to the position of group chairman.

“It is clear that Hyunjae Group will do everything in its power to improve its relationship with the government.”

“So, what you’re saying is that we should take the initiative to prevent relations from improving.”

“It is also a great help in terms of the group image. “It is much more helpful than spending billions of dollars to advertise on TV or in newspapers.”

I knew very well how things would turn out after that.

In fact, the Hyeonjae Group did not take the initiative, but the government asked Hyunjae Construction for help.

Since he was elected, the president’s approval rating has plummeted because several major accidents have occurred and everything is the government’s responsibility.

In order to change public sentiment, the incident had to be resolved quickly.

The President requested help from Hyunjae Construction and used heavy equipment to resolve the accident.

This time we had to take that spot.

Considering the foreign exchange crisis that is only a few years away, a good relationship with the government was essential.

“I guess I misunderstood for a moment. “I thought you were excited because you were paralyzed by a major disaster.”

“Of course, there is also the feeling that large-scale disasters must be resolved quickly. “If we act quickly, won’t we be able to reduce the damage as much as possible?”

“Good image and relationship with the government. It’s something that can bring two benefits. “What do you think, Director Kim?”

The grandfather’s gaze shifted to the manager.

Director Kim thought for a moment and then spoke happily.

“It’s not a bad plan. But before we take action, I think we should at least notify the government. “Communication is essential to prevent confusion during rescue operations.”

“Try contacting the president’s office right now. “Tell them that Taewo Construction’s heavy equipment will be prepared.”

“All right.”

The chief secretary quietly left the conference room.

As he was the Chief of Staff of the Taewoo Group, he had a direct line to the President’s Office.

“The President’s Office has asked for help. “The countermeasures headquarters has not been created yet, but as soon as it is created, we will communicate with Taewoo Engineering & Construction to request heavy equipment support.”

“What was the reaction?”

“I couldn’t express it properly because it was such an urgent situation, but I could feel the gratitude in his voice.”

“Now that I’ve decided to move, I need to move properly. Please do not spare any support necessary at the rescue site. “Please contact Taewoo Group hospitals and instruct them to deploy medical staff.”

As expected, my grandfather was a hot guy.

Once he made a decision, he was the type of person who pushed through it like a bulldozer.

The problem is that he also showed this personality in mergers and acquisitions, and if there was a company he liked, he would first acquire it and look at it.

The meeting continued.

They were planning department employees who calculated the damage that Sampoong Group would suffer due to the collapse of the department store.

“There is a high possibility that Sampoong Group will go bankrupt. As casualties continue to occur, the amount of compensation for damages is increasing astronomically. And since it is clear that the government will set a large amount of compensation, it is expected that it will be difficult for Sampoong Group to survive.”

“Sampung Group is falling. “There were quite a few good affiliates there too.”

Even in this situation, the grandfather was greedy for mergers and acquisitions.

As I looked at it from the side, a fire broke out inside me.

I was trying to somehow lower the debt ratio by reducing the size of the company, but my grandfather kept trying to do the exact opposite.

The meeting continued while I was suffering like this.

It was not until evening that the Disaster Headquarters requested the deployment of Taewoo Engineering & Construction’s heavy equipment.

“Ask all construction site foreman to go to Sampoong Department Store. “If the crane doesn’t move properly, we could be criticized.”

“The president of Taewoo Engineering & Construction is directly acting as a control tower. “What you’re worried about will never happen.”

As expected, grandfather’s words were absolute within the Taewoo Group.

Even the CEO of Taewoo Construction, who was known for his heavy buttocks, was sent to the scene of the incident.

Only after hearing the news did I get up from the conference room and head to Myeongdong to meet the Gwanghwamun Bear.