Chapter 69
Chapter 69
Translation: Godtl
"No way. Since when did you prepare all this?"
"Looks nice, doesn't it? There's not much traffic around here, so it's convenient, and we've prepared parking spaces all the way down to the third basement level of this building."
Hyungnim's eyes widened into circles as he looked at the towering construction site.
"So this is that landmark location you've been talking about all along?"
"Yes. I bought some land around here early last year, and recently one property came up at auction. It was a construction project that got halted due to funding issues. After thoroughly inspecting it with construction experts, they said the foundation was exceptionally well-built. The location isn't bad either."
Ever since I first started making money, I'd had one goal I kept telling Hyungnim about.
I wanted to create a space where our guild members—including Hyungnim and myself—could gather to play games and enjoy ourselves to the fullest.
I envisioned an entire floor designed like a PC bang with interiors themed after the games we play, and above that, facilities like bowling alleys, billiard rooms, table tennis, karaoke, and even a restaurant with a professional chef.
I dreamed of building the ultimate man-cave that would fulfill every guy's fantasy.
But constructing a new building wasn't as easy as it sounded.
There were countless details to consider.
Since I was busy with work anyway, I just bought a few plots of land in areas slightly removed from Seoul with minimal traffic congestion, going purely on gut feeling.
Then I heard about this 10-story building nearing completion that went up for auction. After thorough due diligence, I immediately snapped it up.
"Completion should be around mid-year. We plan to finish all interior work by then too."
"But what's this? You're making a restaurant with a professional chef? Will you take outside customers?"
"No. It's just for our private use. Though it might be nice for entertaining guests occasionally, or when Hyungnim wants to grab a drink."
"So you're planning to go all out with the spending, huh."
All of this was possible because Hyungnim had dragged me out of my reclusive lifestyle and helped me get employed.
"Wait a minute. A jjimjilbang with baths? And even a screen golf range? Are all these facilities just for our guild members?"
"Yes. Please visit often, Hyungnim. Bring your family too. The gaming rooms will be just for us, but other facilities will be open to family members."
It was an extravagantly luxurious space packed with all my personal fantasies, completely non-profit.
But that was fine.
Even if maintenance costs ran into billions of won monthly, compared to my assets, it would be like scooping Han River water with a ladle.
"But you said this is Dongtan, right?"
"Yes."
"Any development plans around here?"
"There was some excited talk about development projects when I bought the land, and even now. But nothing concrete. That's why land prices are cheap here."
I chose this location deliberately.
No crowds, no traffic jams.
In Seoul, going anywhere meant entering traffic hell.
"Wow. This is serious. Once this place is complete, I'll probably want to come every day."
"Come anytime. There'll be no better place to relax quietly."
A place full of entertainment options, buzzing but not as chaotic as Seoul.
Our guild's first true headquarters.
＊＊＊
"From Nvidia?"
"Yes. They requested a meeting regarding shipping issues. Tony Hwang, Nvidia's CEO, is coming to Korea personally. Since it's a shipping matter, the group seems to have passed it to our Gwangun Shipping."
President Kim Du-yeong set down the report he was reading.
"Because of TSNC?"
"Correct. With the Bitcoin craze causing a global GPU shortage crisis, the problem is that the chips need to be produced and delivered by TSNC. But since Gwangun Shipping has complete control over that shipping route, Nvidia is left helplessly stamping their feet."
So the CEO of Nvidia was coming all the way to Korea.
To beg for the sea routes to be opened, no less.
But what could I do about this?
"Even if I wanted to open them, I don't have the authority."
The logistics crisis was still in full swing due to the Tianjin Port Explosion and the dissolution of the Yonghae Alliance.
On a global scale, there was no company that could rival Gwangun Shipping's influence.
They had long since achieved an overwhelming position as industry leader.
The only possible exception was Rusk, a Danish shipping company.
At best, they were managing to take a slice of the European market.
"Seems they weren't aware of that fact either."
On the surface, since Gwangun Shipping was directly blocking the sea routes, they probably thought negotiating with its representatives would resolve the issue.
But President Kim Du-yeong wasn't the one who had planned and executed the sea route blockade.
"The truth is, our Gwangun Shipping only moves at President Jeong Jin-ho's direction."
To be honest, there had been some internal dissent within Gwangun Shipping too.
They were a shipping company through and through, with executives who'd navigated these waters for decades—why should they only follow the orders of a securities firm president?
But after the Yonghae Alliance incident, the atmosphere had completely changed.
Now, people would leap into a pit of fire at a single word from Jeong Jin-ho.
"No matter how many days they spend talking with us, it'll be pointless."
Tony Hwang was probably coming to attempt negotiations.
But even if he did, there was nothing President Kim Du-yeong could do.
Because breaking this suffocating blockade didn't depend on China or that Kangsung Chairman—it rested solely with Jeong Jin-ho.
＊＊＊
"President, here are the Nvidia-related documents."
Nvidia.
The world's largest graphics card manufacturer.
For gamers like us, the quality of our graphics cards was a crucial spec that could determine the very quality of our gaming experience.
But the reason I was reviewing Nvidia documents now wasn't to upgrade my computer.
Their CEO had announced he was flying directly to Korea, so I was examining the materials.
"Currently, their stock has risen to $130, with market capitalization fluctuating between $50-60 billion."
True to its reputation, Nvidia was experiencing massive growth.
The Bitcoin craze had further propelled its stock price to skyrocket.
"But it'll only be temporary. Rumors are starting to circulate that TSNC can't meet demand, leaving Nvidia unable to manufacture its upcoming new product line."
The solution was simple.
All Gwangun Shipping needed to do was transport the materials so they could reach TSNC.
"What if we refuse to open the routes until the end?"
"They'll find another way somehow. While Gwangun Shipping is the overwhelming leader in the industry now, there's still Rusk, the Danish shipping company. As the second largest after Gwangun, they'll likely try using them instead."
Even if shipping costs soared, they'd prioritize manufacturing first and worry about prices later.
With the coin craze fueling chaos like this, wouldn't they want to produce and sell as many graphics cards as possible?
"So they could still find a way to resolve it, then?"
"Yes. Though there's the issue of manufacturing costs seesawing due to skyrocketing shipping prices, they'll manage somehow. So rather than that, it'd be better to negotiate properly with Tony Hwang and reach a resolution..."
Starving out TSNC hadn't been my idea in the first place.
Chairman Kangsung Ho had requested my help to seize control of the foundry market.
Yet people like Tony Hwang believed I was the mastermind behind isolating TSNC.
'Should I call Chairman Kangsung Ho and arrange a joint meeting?'
A three-way discussion seemed preferable—to reduce production allocations to TSNC while outsourcing more to Kangsung's side instead.
"But something doesn't feel quite right."
Amidst the Bitcoin frenzy driving Nvidia's stock price upward.
Normally in situations like this, my intuition would kick in, telling me to hold onto this stock—yet I sensed nothing of the sort.
'Does this mean the stock price will drop again?'
Then my gut should have signaled me to short it, but there was no such feeling either.
Could it be that the amount involved is too trivial for me to consider?
As my investment capital and returns have grown, it seems my intuition no longer reacts to such small-scale movements.
"..."
Or perhaps it's simply because I still lack sufficient information about Nvidia.
After all, my intuition has always been grounded in data before activating.
So I began carefully reviewing materials related to Nvidia.
Stock price growth rate.
Corporate governance.
Products currently under development, and so on.
As I mechanically scanned through the reports without gaining any meaningful insight—
"...?"
My gaze suddenly caught on one particular section.
It was none other than the list of companies currently competing with Nvidia.
'AMC?'
The world's second-largest graphics card manufacturer.
Uniquely, they also produced CPUs alongside GPUs.
But perhaps attempting both had been overly ambitious—AMC wasn't showing particular strength in either sector these days.
As a result, their stock price had recently plummeted to $2 and remained highly volatile.
"Ah, AMC. They have this CEO named Lisa Wu who took over about three years ago and has been pushing various reforms, but whether it's technological capabilities or infrastructure, they're completely overshadowed by Nvidia. Their stock did rebound from $2 to around $3 thanks to the Bitcoin boom though."
Their market capitalization fluctuated between $4-5 billion.
Compared to Nvidia's staggering $50+ billion valuation, it was pathetically small.
Their performance was so abysmal that no one would bat an eye if they announced bankruptcy tomorrow.
"..."
Yet why was this happening?
Right now, my intuition wasn't shining on Nvidia—it was brightly illuminating this very AMC company.
"What's their ownership structure like?"
"The Saudi fund holds 10% as the largest shareholder, with the remaining stocks completely scattered. Some institutions hold a few percentage points here and there, but when the stock hit $2, many bailed out—so beyond the 10%, there effectively are no major shareholders. About 60% of shares are floating in the market."
In short, a company abandoned by all the big players.
CEO Lisa Wu was trying to revive it through innovation, but it remained hopelessly outmatched against Nvidia.
"..."
Yet inconveniently, my intuition kept pointing at this company.
"AMC's in the same boat as Nvidia regarding production issues. They also rely on TSNC for foundry services. The only silver lining is that while Nvidia would bleed heavily from switching foundries due to their massive scale, AMC's smaller size allows quicker transitions."
Nvidia has reasons for sticking with TSNC.
Even as we deliberately strangle TSNC's supply, they keep dealing with them because their entire production system is built around that relationship.
Forcing a switch to Kangsung would require swallowing massive losses.
Rather than pay that cost, they'd prefer negotiating with us to squeeze more supply from TSNC.
But AMC's small scale means changing foundries wouldn't be catastrophic.
They could reorganize production lines with Kangsung relatively quickly even now.
Seeing this, I finally understood why Chairman Kangsung was pressuring TSNC so hard.
TSNC's influence permeated every corner of the semiconductor industry.
'So is my gut telling me to buy AMC stock now? To sell later when it rises?'
I wrote "BUY" next to AMC with my pen.
Yet the reaction remained faint.
"AMC keeps looking for acquirers. Like other big players who dumped their shares, even the Saudi fund wants to offload their stake at bargain prices. They must know—just like Nvidia can't get chips from TSNC, AMC can't produce their next product line either."
That was when my faint intuition stabbed through me like a sharp needle.
"How much of their stake are they looking to sell?"
"Well, we'd have to negotiate with them to know the exact figure, but it's certain they're looking to offload it below market price. If they dump that much volume at once, there won't be any immediate buyers, and if the production shortage crisis hits, the price will plummet further. But the thing is—they haven't found a buyer in three years."
In other words, it was a miracle they'd held out this long.
...So that's how it is.
This time, instead of writing "buy," I scribbled "acquire" next to it.
"!?"
The pen nearly tore through the paper from the force of my grip.
"They've attempted acquisition negotiations several times, but all parties eventually backed out. For one, there's the massive competitor Nvidia, and while the acquisition price itself isn't exorbitant, the CEO here keeps pushing for radical innovation. The costs required for that are no joke—apparently, the minimum investment needed just for the tech division ranges from hundreds of billions to trillions of won..."
I cut off Manager Seo mid-sentence.
"Here's the thing."
"Huh?"
"Should we acquire them?"
"...?"
＊＊＊
Chairman Hwang Dae-un lived each day with gratitude.
There was a time when he'd built a conglomerate only to nearly end up on the streets.
Back then, he'd realized with painful clarity that his capabilities weren't sufficient to sustain an empire, so he'd contented himself with being just the president of a securities firm.
But they say dreams do come true, don't they?
Thanks to Jin-ho, he'd rebuilt the group and even earned the title of Chairman.
And the company kept growing at an explosive pace with each passing day.
Naturally, he felt nothing but gratitude.
Yet at the same time, the weight on his shoulders grew heavier.
The burden of leading a major conglomerate, the heightened public scrutiny—he could feel it in his bones.
"A new city? What's that got to do with us?"
"It's one of the government's major projects this year. Having corporate cooperation would certainly help, so they're probably asking for investment."
Just as President Trent's new administration had taken office, Korea too had ushered in a new political era.
Naturally, they wouldn't want to botch their freshly launched initiatives.
Sigh. "What can we do? If they're asking us to play along, we'd better comply."
Corporations inevitably have to mind the government's whims.
There's no more exhausting adversary when they set their minds on making life difficult.
"So which areas are being developed?"
"Here's the list we've compiled."
As the group's chairman, it was his duty to handle such matters so Jin-ho could focus solely on investments without distractions.
Let's see.
"Suwon, Pangyo, Gwanggyo... Hmm?"
"Is something wrong?"
"Dongtan?"
"Ah, yes. That's the core development zone. They're planning to build a new train station there to make Seoul accessible within five minutes. Land prices there have already quintupled since the development announcement."
Hwang Dae-un blinked rapidly at this.
"By any chance... Chairman, did you buy land in Dongtan?"
"Not me, but..."
Jin-ho had mentioned buying up any promising plots ideal for construction.
"Don't tell me—all of it is in Dongtan?"
Astoundingly, every single plot was in Dongtan.
"No way. How on earth did President Jeong know about this? I heard the government took extreme precautions to prevent leaks."
"Guess he just got lucky."
But the timing was too uncanny to dismiss as mere luck.
'This kid...'
Did he have advance intel on all the development zones?