Chapter 72
Chapter 72
Translation: Godtl
Thud!
After downing his drink in one go, Chairman Kang Sung-ho let out a satisfied sigh—"Ahhh~"—with an expression of pure contentment.
Back in the day, he'd never have shown such a relaxed demeanor—always maintaining the dignified bearing expected of the chairman of Korea's top conglomerate. But now? He felt more like an easygoing neighbor you'd share drinks with.
"Keukeu. Hey. Well said. Maybe I should move next door to your place."
"Our penthouse doesn't have any next-door neighbors."
"...Then upstairs?"
"No upstairs either. I'm on the top floor."
"Ugh. Downstairs then?"
"That's where our chairman lives."
"What? When did that bastard sneak in there?!"
Chairman Kang Sung-ho clicked his tongue, genuinely disappointed at being a step too late.
"Don't you live in that enviable mansion in Pyeongchang-dong?"
"That Pyeongchang-dong place is ancient history. The construction industry—especially as technology advances—keeps introducing new architectural techniques and design ideas. Nothing beats building fresh. But what can I do? My father poured his heart into that place. Gotta live there for a long, long time."
As he spoke, he drained another glass of soju-beer mix with relish.
"Ahhh. This grilled intestines are killer. Goes perfectly with soju-beer."
If you covered just his face, you'd swear he was your average neighborhood big bro.
"What can I say? Even before becoming chairman of Kangsung Group, our marketing team was dedicated solely to crafting my image. So people think I'm this reserved, dignified guy. That I take humor seriously, that I'm quiet like my dad."
I'd thought the same at first.
Before ascending to the chairman's seat, he rarely appeared in the media.
The narrative was always about his quiet intelligence—graduating at the top of his class, demonstrating exceptional business acumen, and so on.
"You could call it an image carefully planted through the media. People think I weigh every word, but you know better. I love talking."
"Love it a little too much, honestly."
When he's not drinking, he's manageable.
But once alcohol enters the equation? He'll unravel stories for hours on end.
Put him next to a famous baseball player, and the two would probably talk until the end of time.
"So, about those lands you've been acquiring. What's your plan? How did you even know we were building new semiconductor factories and buy them all up in advance?"
"Are they really that valuable?"
"Prices jumped tenfold. Selling?"
"If you ask, I'd have to hand them over."
"Never mind. I already know exactly what you're planning. You bought them to build your own semiconductor factories, didn't you? Am I wrong?"
Not at all.
I'd only been scouting locations for our guild's landmark buildings.
Semiconductor factories had never crossed my mind.
"The locations are too perfect. Chairman Jeong, you've got an eye for land, huh? If we build AMC-exclusive factories right next to Kangsung, we can collaborate on tech. It'd boost AMC's growth in every way. And naturally, Nvidia's market share would shrink."
A jolt of electricity surged through me.
This was why my instincts had driven me to buy those lands.
"Didn't Kangsung want to partner with Nvidia?"
"Well, sure, if things work out with Nvidia, great. But you've seen them—they refuse to let go of TSNC. Probably because they'd have to overhaul their entire production structure. The way things are going, they'll use us temporarily, then switch to another company. Better to have a permanent ally and dominate the market together, don't you think?"
Chairman Kang personally mixed another soju-beer and handed me the glass.
"We're eternal allies, right?"
"As I've said before, I only want Korean companies to thrive."
"Haha. Exactly. What's the point of fattening foreign corporations? We've got to eat well and live well first."
"But can we start construction right away?"
"Yep. Kangsung Heavy Industries will handle it. We've built semiconductor plants before—this is our specialty. We'll even set up a dedicated team to fast-track tech collaboration with AMC. How's that for a reliable ally?"
Another electric jolt coursed through me.
Smiling, I refilled Chairman Kang's glass.
"Are we just ordinary acquaintances, Chairman?"
"Right. I'm not even this relaxed at home. Only around Chairman Jeong. Haha. Shall we toast?"
"Yep."
We clinked glasses.
I much preferred this neighborhood-brother version of Chairman Kang Sung-ho over the rigid, charismatic chairman of Kangsung Group.
＊＊＊
"Damn it. You tell me to call you 'hyung,' and you just say 'yep'?"
"Ah, you're drunk again. Hurry and go inside, Chairman."
Sigh. "For some reason, I just can't get past this part. This whole brotherly affection thing is exhausting."
"Easy now. Watch your head when you sit down."
"I'm not drunk."
"I saw you staggering just now. Be careful going in, Chairman."
Kangsung-ho nodded cheerfully with a pleased smile.
And the moment the car door thudded shut, his face—which had been slack and foolishly relaxed—instantly turned cold again.
It wasn't deliberate.
It was purely instinctive.
A truly strange thing.
No matter how firmly he steeled himself beforehand, after sharing a few drinks with Jeong Jin-ho, his posture would unconsciously loosen without him even realizing.
Chairman or not.
It was as if he were reuniting with a dearly beloved younger brother and letting go of all formalities.
There was something disarmingly pure yet lethally disarming about Jeong Jin-ho.
But the moment the car door closed, he reverted back to normal like a ghost.
Back to being Kangsung-ho, Chairman of the Kangsung Group.
Forcing down the intoxication rising to the top of his head, he hardened his expression and turned his gaze to his employees.
"Chairman, are you alright? Should we get you something for the hangover—"
"No. I'm fine. Contact the heavy industries division. We need to build a few factories, so have them draft a proposal. While we're at it, we'll also need facilities for AMC's technological collaboration alongside our semiconductor production."
"Ah, did Chairman Jeong Jin-ho agree to provide the site?"
"Not exactly. We're not building our factories—technically, we're constructing AMC's. Make sure everything's done meticulously, down to the last detail. This could very well become our lifeline in the future."
"Yes, Chairman."
Truth be told, Chairman Kangsung-ho had subtly tested Jeong Jin-ho.
To see if he had really purchased that land in advance for the purpose of building factories.
'But judging by how quickly the factory construction came up...'
Jeong Jin-ho had been planning this for a very, very long time.
It was yet another confirmation that every single one of his actions was part of an intricate and meticulous strategy.
Which meant he had been laying the groundwork even before acquiring the land.
How a human mind could possibly orchestrate something like that still baffled him.
When drinking together, the man seemed so guileless—as if he wouldn't even conceive of such elaborate schemes.
'This is why Father always warned me not to judge people by appearances.'
His father, too, had seemed gentle on the surface, but inside, he harbored a truly ferocious beast.
And from the sidelines, he had witnessed firsthand just how miserable life could become once you caught the attention of that kind of person.
'I must never make an enemy of him.'
And it was already too late for that anyway.
Beyond business relations, on a purely human level, he genuinely liked Jeong Jin-ho.
Enough to envy Chairman Hwang, who was now on such brotherly terms with him.
＊＊＊
The land of oil, the blessed earth—Saudi Arabia.
But all that wealth and prestige was monopolized by the Saudi royal family.
Though the per capita GDP exceeded $20,000, wealth distribution was severely unequal, youth unemployment was high, and workers' wages remained low.
And when oil prices dropped, the situation worsened, fueling public discontent. That was why they had decided on a massive purge.
"But if the royal family stands firm, a few dead commoners won't change a thing."
The ruling House of Saud comprised thousands of royals.
And every single one of them held considerable wealth.
Current external estimates placed the Saudi royal family's fortune at $1 trillion.
Having money was good, but the fact that it was all divided up among so many was, frankly, frustrating.
And quite a few princes weren't too pleased that Hamoud Salman had been appointed Crown Prince and was now effectively acting as king.
"If we want to seize power, we need solid capital. What the hell is going on here?"
Even though the Saudi royal family's power was currently concentrated in Hamoud Salman's hands, the crown prince's position had changed hands frequently in the past.
It had happened before, was happening now, and would happen again—the fierce bloodshed over the throne was a universal constant across all worlds.
Abdul Khadim was just one of the many princes dreaming of the throne.
Only, for now, Hamoud Salman happened to be the one sitting on it.
Which was why he had to hurry and snatch that seat before Hamoud Salman officially became king and launched a full-scale purge.
But now, there was a problem.
All the investments scattered across the globe were going up in flames.
"TSNC is currently on the verge of halting production, so stock prices are plummeting across the board. The only exception is AMC, which miraculously secured investment funds and is now experiencing a stock surge."
"But on the flip side, all the stocks we invested in got bombed?"
"Yes..."
"What the hell are these people doing? They said the semiconductor and graphics markets would boom thanks to the Bitcoin craze? I poured money in based on that alone, and now they're making me take this kind of loss?!"
"My apologies. But Gwangun and Kangsung joined forces to manipulate the market..."
Gwangun. Gwangun again.
First with the shipping rates last time, and now the semiconductor market.
Everywhere Abdul Khadim had invested, Gwangun was shitting all over it.
At this point, it almost seemed intentional—like they were deliberately working in cahoots with Hamoud Salman.
"So this is how it's going to be."
He had absolutely no intention of sitting still and taking this.
＊＊＊
"Enflix says they'll proceed with filming as you requested. They mentioned they'll prioritize Mugunghwa Game and Palace of the Dead first."
Palace of the Dead was a Joseon-era zombie drama.
The concept was fresh, and it looked promising enough that we decided to invest.
"But for Mugunghwa Game, it seems they never even expected it to get greenlit—there's zero pre-production work done. Filming will likely take quite a while, estimated around 2-3 years. On the plus side, the production costs are relatively low."
There was a reason Enflix was focusing on Korea.
For one, I was their largest shareholder, but more importantly, production costs here were far cheaper than Hollywood.
The budget needed to cast just one A-list Hollywood actor could fund an entire Korean drama from scratch.
Plus, Paper Tower had proven that non-English dramas could succeed globally, which only fueled their aggressive expansion into other markets.
"Ah, and here's a proposal that's been circulating recently among multinational corporations from Saudi Arabia. We received a copy at Gwangun as well."
I took the file the vice president handed me.
"...Neom City?"
"Yes. It's a massive project spearheaded by Crown Prince Hamoud Salman, who was appointed last year. Just looking at the scale is staggering. They aim to build the most beautiful city in history—it feels like something straight out of a sci-fi novel."
Neom City.
A futuristic urban development project in Saudi Arabia, with an estimated investment in the tens of trillions of won.
"Not just our country—corporations worldwide are submitting proposals to participate. Saudi Arabia has solid capital, and a mega-project like this could significantly boost any company's growth."
The designs alone were jaw-dropping.
Was this even possible?
If this were any other country, I'd have dismissed it as a scam. But since it's Saudi Arabia—the wealthiest nation on earth—my interest was piqued despite myself.
"So they're asking us to invest?"
"Yes. They're actively seeking funding from major investment firms. It's about building robust infrastructure and creating a truly global metropolis."
I see.
I scrutinized the Neom City proposal carefully.
"...?"
But as I read through the document, a dark energy began creeping up from the pages. It felt like black hands were reaching out to drag me in, startling me so badly I slammed the file shut.
"...Chairman?"
"Let's not touch this one."
"Huh? But this is a golden opportunity every major corporation is jumping at—"
"We'll discuss this another time. Give me the next report."
"Ah, yes."
I didn't know what it was, but something told me to steer clear.
"These are investment proposals that have come in for Gwangun. Take your time reviewing them."
As Gwangun's influence grew, investment offers poured in from everywhere.
In the past, I had to hunt for opportunities—now they rolled in like treasure on their own.
"...Mega Lucky?"
Case in point.
"Ah. A mid-sized Korean talent agency. Not quite at the Big Three's level yet."
"But their revenue looks solid?"
"Yes. Not massive sales, but their net profits are impressive. Great cost-performance ratio."
But the aura radiating from this one felt... unusual.
I flipped to the next page.
"!?"
Compared to Mega Lucky's steady glow, one entry practically exploded with light—like fireworks detonating nonstop.
"SPS?"
Super Boys.
Having only seen idols during military service and never bothered with male idols otherwise, I was a complete outsider to this market.
Plus, while we'd received numerous entertainment investment pitches before, none had triggered this kind of reaction.
What did it mean when something burst forth like a chain of explosions? Was there some hidden significance?
"Could you bring me the materials on Mega Lucky Entertainment and this idol group called SPS?"