Data Center (7)
JH CEO's office.
Knock knock.
"Come in."
Chief of Staff Jang Dae-shik and Security Chief Cha Kang-jin entered together.
Their expressions, however, were not the usual ones. Both looked as if they carried something important to say.
The Security Chief spoke first.
"Sir. It appears… we've been under pressure."
What was this about?
"Pressure?"
"The power the nuclear plant is supplying us right now is only half of what they originally promised, isn't it?"
"That's right."
I looked at Chief Jang and asked,
"Didn't they say the nuclear plant had circumstances of its own?"
"Yes. They did. But……"
Chief Jang lowered his head.
"It wasn't a technical problem. It was a political one."
A brief silence settled over the room.
I crossed my arms.
"A political problem. How absurd."
"And… that wasn't the end of it. A little while back, local residents protested over environmental issues, remember?"
"I do. Luckily our semiconductors don't generate heat, so it never became a real problem."
Residents had shown up claiming we couldn't dump hot water into the sea. Our chips already ran cool, and with the nano-scale fans inside them, even the slightest residual heat was blown away. I still remembered how sheepishly the protesters had left.
The Security Chief spoke with gravity.
"We looked into those residents carefully at the time. The whole situation felt off."
"Hmm… coming to complain about hot water when we weren't discharging any was strange, I'll give you that."
Still, we hadn't suffered any real damage, and I'd written it off as a half-hearted shakedown for money and let it slide.
"Their behavior wasn't natural. Opposing hot water that didn't exist? Once we dug deeper, we found clear signs that someone had been orchestrating the residents."
Hearing it laid out that way, it really was odd.
No hot water, yet a protest against hot water?
Someone who knew a data center would normally discharge heated water had been pulling the residents' strings.
I furrowed my brow.
"Who?"
Chief Jang answered carefully.
"Ohsung."
"Ohsung?"
"Yes. It seems Ohsung decided we were a competitor that needed to be squeezed. Since they can't match us on technology, they appear to have reached into politics instead."
Honestly, it was ridiculous.
"We're customers who buy Ohsung's DRAM."
Of course, that DRAM went to our subsidiary White Dragon and then into the Nano World to be turned into HBM, but still.
"And we're having Ohsung package that HBM together with the LPUs we produce. Doesn't that make us a major client?"
Chief Jang nodded.
"It does. We're essentially in a cooperative relationship. Calling us partners wouldn't be an overstatement."
"This is bewildering."
"In the semiconductor industry, Ohsung used to stand alone at the top."
I nodded. For decades, when people in this country said semiconductors, they meant Ohsung.
"Then Hi Electronics entered the semiconductor business. They steadily chased Ohsung and recently even overtook them on certain technologies. Until we appeared, it was a two-horse race between Ohsung and Hi Electronics."
"And now that we've come charging in, they see it as a three-way free-for-all?"
"Exactly. At this level it may not even be simple containment—they may have decided to yank us out before we grow any larger."
I fell silent for a moment.
Yank us out? Who did they think they were yanking?
"Then what if we bought DRAM from someone other than Ohsung?"
Chief Jang hesitated briefly before answering.
"Ohsung and Hi Electronics control sixty percent of the global DRAM supply. Add America's Myron and you're over eighty percent. In practical terms, only three companies on earth supply DRAM."
"Hmm."
I leaned back against the chair.
"What about TSMC? They've always been cooperative with us."
Chief Jang shook his head.
"TSMC only handles non-memory semiconductors like our LPUs. They're a foundry that contract-manufactures compute chips—CPUs, GPUs, smartphone chips. They don't touch memory products like DRAM or HBM."
I stroked my chin lightly.
"So the real alternatives are Hi Electronics or Myron."
"In practical terms, yes."
"What are those two like?"
"There's no major difference in product lines. Both specialize in memory. Their corporate styles, however, diverge a bit."
"How so?"
"Hi Electronics is technology-driven and invests boldly. Myron prioritizes yield. One emphasizes speed, the other stability. Their applications differ too—Hi Electronics focuses on AI semiconductors, while Myron builds chips that go into automobiles and the like."
I nodded.
"For our tastes, Hi Electronics looks a little better."
"For data-center use, yes."
"Then switch our DRAM purchases to Hi Electronics. Look into packaging with them as well."
"Understood."
I smiled faintly and continued.
"Alright, that part is the obvious move. Even if the damage was limited, we can't just sit still after being hit with underhanded tactics. Have you thought about countermeasures?"
"We've prepared a few options—political negotiations with their chairman, technical pressure, outreach to politicians, and so on."
But none of the proposals Chief Jang offered particularly appealed to me.
"A little mild, aren't they?"
"There wasn't major damage, and the other side is Ohsung, after all."
"What if we just go straight at them?"
"Would that be wise? They're a conglomerate."
"Getting cold feet?"
"Well……"
"It's fine. We don't have to do business with Ohsung. We're not locked into buying only from them, and we're not short on capital either. We can handle everything ourselves and live off exports if we have to. There's no reason to take a hit and stay quiet. And even back in school there were always kids like that."
"Kids like what……?"
"The ones who pick on other kids."
"Ah. You find them wherever you go."
"Do you know why they do it?"
"Because they're bad kids?"
"That's part of it, but the important part is they do it because they can. If they knew they'd get hit back just as hard, they'd never start."
"Ah. I understand what you mean."
"Ohsung isn't our only competitor. As you know, the whole world is watching us. If we send a clear message—mess with us and we will not sit still; be prepared to take damage yourselves—then the friction with Ohsung actually becomes a net win."
Chief Jang and Chief Cha both bowed their heads.
"Understood."
The two chiefs left, and I leaned back in the chair, thinking.
Going head-to-head with a conglomerate was a heavy burden. But when you had to deal with the entire world, it was better to be the company that bit back when touched than the one that bowed its head after a punch.
And I had a solid backer.
If it came down to it, I could simply handle everything through the Nano World.
A few days later, the articles exploded.
A flood of comments appeared under the online articles.
Once the media had sufficiently heated up, new articles piled on.
Comments followed immediately.
Ohsung Electronics headquarters, strategy conference room.
Several paper newspapers lay spread across the long table in the center. The bold headlines stabbed into President Cho's field of vision.
A heavy silence filled the room. Even the sound of someone swallowing was loud.
Across from President Cho sat the Strategy Chief.
Cho Seong-tae's voice was low and cold.
"…This is today's front page?"
"Yes, sir."
The Strategy Chief wiped cold sweat from his brow.
President Cho looked thoroughly displeased.
"How much money did we pour into the press, and they're still writing articles against us?"
"It appears JH spent a considerable sum as well. They're flooding internet outlets and social media. There are so many small media companies that we can't control them all."
President Cho closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again.
"So. DRAM and packaging are both gone, then?"
"They say they will no longer do business with us."
"JH barely took any damage. Why are they coming at us this hard?"
"Well… it seems their CEO has the temperament of a fighter."
"And Hi Electronics?"
"Silent. No official statement. They're watching from the sidelines."
If JH stopped buying DRAM from Ohsung, there was only one place left to go. And Hi Electronics was probably smirking right about now. With three semiconductor companies in Korea, when two of them fought, Hi Electronics got the popcorn.
"The Chairman?"
"He seems… considerably displeased by this affair."
"He would be."
President Cho thought for a moment.
"For now, lock down Hi Electronics."
"Lock them down how……?"
"We grab them before JH can reach out. Price, technology—doesn't matter. Make them feel that sticking with us is the only way they'll survive."
Knock knock.
A knock sounded at the door. It was the president's secretary.
"What is it? We're in a meeting."
"I'm sorry, sir. But the Chairman is asking you to come immediately."
President Cho rose slowly from his chair and spoke to the Strategy Chief.
"I'll be back. Have alternatives ready."
Ohsung Electronics was a subsidiary of the Ohsung Group. Of course, Electronics itself was the group's core company, so calling it a mere subsidiary was incomplete—but the main headquarters still ruled over it.
President Cho took a car to the main headquarters.
Guided by the Chairman's secretary, President Cho entered the chairman's office.
Inside, the Chairman was practicing indoor golf. Whether Cho entered or not, he remained focused on the ball.
A careful swing.
Tock.
The ball rolled.
A small cup.
Clink.
The ball dropped cleanly into the hole.
A pleased Oh Dong-shik.
"Ho ho."
Only after the ball sank did the Chairman of the Ohsung Group turn to the president of Electronics.
"Oh, you're here?"
"Yes, Chairman."
"President Cho. Been playing any golf lately?"
"Occasionally. Not as often as I'd like."
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
Chairman Oh set another golf ball down.
Another careful swing began.
Tock.
The ball rolled.
Clink.
President Cho stood quietly and watched the Chairman practice.
After sinking another ball, the Chairman placed a fresh one and spoke without looking up.
"Golf is a curious thing, you know. Most people can clear a hundred eighty yards. Even beginners can manage it."
President Cho listened in silence.
"Get a little coaching and two hundred yards is possible. Work a bit harder and you can reach two hundred thirty."
Tock.
The ball rolled.
Clink.
It dropped into the cup again.
"Ah. Everything's going well today. Must be because you're here, President Cho."
"……"
At the Chairman's words, Cho carefully watched his face for cues.
"But President Cho. Do you know what it takes to hit two hundred fifty yards or more?"
"I don't know, sir."
"You have to change everything. Stance, grip—every single element, one by one. That's the only way."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"President Cho."
"Yes."
"Go to Distribution."
In that instant, President Cho's eyes wavered. Those words meant demotion.
He bowed at a perfect ninety degrees.
"Chairman! If you give me one more chance, I'll resolve this in the shortest possible time!"
The Chairman rose from his seat and looked out the window.
"Go cool your head for a while."
Even the president of Ohsung Electronics was nothing more than a figurehead in front of the Chairman. The man who controlled every part of the Ohsung Group was Oh Dong-shik himself.
President Cho tried once more.
"Chairman! JH is not an opponent to take lightly! Their technology has already reached a dangerous level. I judged that if we backed off now, the very pillars of Ohsung Electronics could shake next time!"
After a short silence, the Chairman slowly looked the president over.
"So you decided to step on them."
"……"
"Business as usual?"
"……"
"Does JH look like something you can step on just because you decide to?"
President Cho found himself unable to speak.
The Chairman murmured quietly.
"Just because stepping on people has always worked, you assumed it would work this time as well?"
He clicked his tongue briefly.
"You have to read the wind and see the board if you want to win the match. If you keep doing things the way you always have……"
The Chairman looked at President Cho with something close to pity.
"You won't even understand why you lost."
The air in the chairman's office grew colder still.
"You may leave."
President Cho bit his lip.
"I will keep your words in mind."
When President Cho stepped out and closed the door, quiet settled over the room.
Chairman Oh gazed out the high-rise window.
"Hmm."
A subtle smile touched the corner of his mouth.
"JH, is it… Interesting."