Chapter 84
Chapter 84
Translation: Godtl
Premium jets.
They're not something commonly used in our country.
They're typically reserved for business trips, and even within conglomerates, you'd need to be at least at the president level to have access to one.
Normally, people just take commercial flights.
I had planned to do the same.
That was why Milon Tusk had requested a meeting in California for the Close AI stake acquisition.
But then my older brother suddenly told me to use the premium jet he'd acquired for the company.
In fact, this premium jet wasn't even used by our company executives—not even by my brother himself. It was prepared solely for me.
"No, hyungnim. Why did you go and buy something this extravagant?"
[You're the face of our company. And the most important person. Plus, you're meeting that what's-his-name—Tusk or Rusk or whatever. Our company has prestige to uphold. You're the president—did you really think you'd just take a regular flight?]
"You could've used this money for investments instead..."
[Keke. Compared to the money you've earned, this jet is less than a handful of sand. Just go and come back safely. Oh, and buy me some futures. And some whiskey.]
"But you said whiskey tastes bad and don't drink it."
[But it looks cool.]
I think he once said that sitting alone at night, lost in thought with a glass of whiskey over ice, was his own little romantic fantasy.
Of course, there was the hilarious story of how he tried it a few times but couldn't stand the taste, so he ended up pouring cola into it instead.
"President, we've received word that Enflix and AMC in California are preparing to welcome you."
"Huh? All of a sudden?"
"Yes. It seems they assumed your visit to California was to review the progress of each company."
That hadn't been my intention.
California is famous for Silicon Valley, where countless IT companies are clustered.
That's why Tusk had wanted to meet me there.
But it seems Enflix and AMC, both based in California, thought I was visiting them for inspections while meeting with Tusk.
"Still, I think it would be good to visit them at least once. Not to crack the whip, but it wouldn't do to let things get too lax. Besides, hearing things through reports and seeing them in person are two different things, aren't they?"
Director Seo was right.
Visiting the companies we own and invest in to check if they're doing their jobs properly was also part of our responsibilities.
"It'll be a long flight, so please rest well. The headquarters is already compiling data and organizing reports—they'll send them over as soon as they're ready."
"Ah, yes. You should get some rest too, Director."
"Haha. Just being on this expensive plane is already more than enough rest for me. Thanks to you, President, I get to enjoy such luxuries."
And so, after flying to California on the jet and arriving at the airport, the first place we headed was the hotel.
We could've gone straight to AMC or Enflix, but we didn't pack the schedule too tightly.
How should I put it?
It felt more like I'd come on vacation under the pretext of a meeting.
So I spent the whole day just lounging in the hotel.
I didn't feel like going out to do anything.
The ultra-luxurious suite the company had booked was too good to waste.
And I realized that lazing around in a hotel was more fun than I'd thought.
Doing nothing, looking around the room, ordering room service, playing games on the laptop I'd brought.
It was a happy day.
"Glad to see you rested well."
"Is it that obvious?"
"Yes. You look positively radiant."
"You seem the exact opposite, Director."
"Yes. Maybe it's my age, but I just can't adjust to the time difference."
"Would you like to rest a bit more?"
"No. Even if there are other employees, I should still assist you, President."
The first place we visited was AMC.
After all, wasn't this the field that would become our biggest future revenue stream?
"Welcome, Chairman."
From the very entrance, all of AMC's executives had come out to wait for me.
"You didn't have to welcome me this elaborately."
"Not at all. You're the one who saved our AMC—it's only right we do this much. Please, come inside."
CEO Lisa Wu, along with the executives, proceeded to brief me on AMC's current semiconductor strategy and production goals.
"..."
As I listened to their reports and presentations, I accumulated data in my mind.
And just as Deputy Director Seo had said, coming here was the right decision.
There was a clear difference between merely receiving reports from afar and personally visiting to confirm their objectives firsthand.
Even now, as I reviewed this proposal while listening to their presentation, my intuition was ringing alarm bells in my head.
"I've carefully listened to what you've shared. But as you know, the reason the semiconductor market is booming so rapidly right now is largely due to Bitcoin's influence. In other words, if the Bitcoin bubble bursts, semiconductor companies and GPU manufacturers like yourselves could be significantly affected."
The semiconductor market and GPU manufacturers like AMC rose to prominence because of Bitcoin.
But Bitcoin's price doesn't only go up indefinitely.
Although its current price has skyrocketed past $20,000, signs are emerging that the bubble may burst as prices gradually collapse.
Experts are already clamoring that now is the last chance to exit.
"However, unlike Bitcoin, there's something that will only increase as time passes—servers. Whether it's existing companies or new startups, servers are an absolute necessity. And we manufacture what those servers need. So I want you to focus as much as possible on that sector—increase production and accelerate technological advancements."
I eliminated the majority of the projects listed in the current proposal, checking only those that triggered my intuition.
"These are the projects I approve. Please remove all the others."
"...If I may speak out of turn, Chairman. You just said that if the Bitcoin bubble bursts, it would greatly affect us. Yet you're telling us to increase production?"
"Yes. Bitcoin is particularly volatile in price. It can crash dramatically, or conversely, skyrocket as if piercing the heavens. But in the long run, it will continue its upward trend. People might declare the Bitcoin era over when the crash comes, but that will never happen."
The reason I'm so certain is that my intuition has already shown me how high Bitcoin's price will rise.
I don't know the exact date, but Bitcoin will become far more valuable than it is now.
"The current peak has stalled at $20,000, but there will come a day when it surpasses $100,000."
"O-One hundred thousand dollars?!"
The executives began murmuring among themselves.
Most reactions questioned how Bitcoin could possibly reach $100,000.
People made a huge fuss when it was predicted to hit $30,000, yet here it is, unable to break through that ceiling and declining instead.
"At any rate, please proceed diligently with these approved projects. Especially in the technology sector, I want you to work with Kangsung with the firm goal of surpassing Nvidia."
As the meeting concluded and we prepared to leave, Deputy Director Seo subtly sidled up to me.
"Chairman. But... will Bitcoin really reach $100,000?"
"Yes. Someday it will."
That said, I have no intention of buying any now.
Not only is there no way to know when it'll hit $100,000, but operating KW Exchange means Bitcoin trading is prohibited for me.
Moreover, rather than buying and holding onto it long-term, it's far better to invest elsewhere for immediate returns.
I'm not someone who prefers long-term investments—I always favor short-term gains.
Of course, if my intuition reacts, that's another story altogether.
***
"The Mugunghwa Game project you specifically asked us to pay attention to is currently in production. But the director here is a perfectionist—extremely meticulous, I must say. From casting actors to set construction, he scrutinizes every little detail."
In other words, the production was taking longer because of the director.
I skimmed through the Mugunghwa Game proposal again.
"..."
It still shimmered beautifully, radiant as ever.
As I quietly gazed at that brilliance, an image soon burned itself into my mind—a bizarre spectacle of the entire world plastered with the Mugunghwa Game.
A drama set in our country, of all things, spreading across the globe.
Is this what cultural conquest looks like?
"Give the director everything he asks for. I don't care how long the production takes."
"Ah, yes."
"And this is probably what you've been waiting for the most."
What I handed to Road Bystings, the CEO, was a list of upcoming series to invest in.
Sure enough, his eyes sparkled as he carefully accepted the checklist, as though he were receiving a treasure map.
"Then I'll take my leave now."
"Huh? Aren't you going to look at anything else? The filming set, the script... Actually, everyone's been incredibly curious about you. Especially the directors and writers. They keep asking how every single project you pick ends up being a massive hit."
"Really?"
"Yes. The writers sometimes lament, too. They say a once-in-a-generation drama writer could've been born, but that talent drifted away into finance instead. Haha. So... if possible, they'd love to hear your advice on the story."
In that case, I needed to get out of here even faster.
For one, I didn't know much about storytelling to begin with, and more importantly, I'd never actually watched any of the hit projects I'd chosen.
"I can't infringe on creative freedom. Besides, my presence might just add unnecessary pressure to the filming. Just tell them I'll be cheering them on from the sidelines."
"Your philosophy is truly remarkable. You have an exceptional sense for stories, yet you refuse to interfere with creative freedom and invest purely on trust... I've learned something new again today."
"..."
With that heartwarming conclusion, I stepped out of Enflix's headquarters.
"Sir, CEO Milon Tusk has arrived at the meeting location."
"Ah. Let's hurry, then."
"Yes. I'll take you there right away."
I headed to the meeting spot with my staff.
Truthfully, the thing I'd been looking forward to the most on this business trip was meeting Milon Tusk.
Not because of the Close AI acquisition deal.
No, it was more out of personal curiosity.
There was one thing I absolutely wanted to ask him when we met.
Did you create Bitcoin?
***
"Finally, we meet like this. I've been looking forward to this."
Tusk, who had been waiting at the meeting spot, greeted me warmly.
I'd expected a stiff, formal business meeting, but the atmosphere was the complete opposite.
"Me?"
"Yes. One of the perks of building a company and making a lot of money is that your information network expands. Especially when you start interacting more with people in the upper echelons—you hear a lot of things. And lately, I've been hearing a lot about you."
"I doubt I'm someone worth that much attention. Especially here in the U.S."
"Nonsense. Aren't you the one who recently shook hands with the White House and swept through the financial markets? On top of that, you toppled TSNC, which dominated the semiconductor market, and put a leash directly around Nvidia's neck. And yet you're still humble."
I simply smiled lightly in response.
"That's why I wanted to meet you in person and ask—just how long have you been planning something this massive? I never would've dreamed someone could flip the semiconductor and graphics card market on its head like this when it was already leaning so heavily in one direction."
"It was just luck."
"Hmm. Taking control of the shipping industry and partnering with China to starve TSNC to death—that doesn't seem like something you could chalk up to luck, does it?"
I quietly studied Tusk's face as he smirked.
At times it shimmered with a golden glow, at others it darkened like ink, and occasionally it distorted as if filled with static noise.
This was a type I'd never seen before.
No—wait. I definitely remember seeing this somewhere.
"Since you're not answering, I won't pry any further. I wouldn't want to upset you and have you disappear, or worse, have our company suffer the same fate as those other collapsed enterprises. Shall we discuss business now?"
"Certainly."
"45% of Close AI shares. $200 million. I think it's a very reasonable price. If it weren't for the AI development Tesla is currently pursuing, I would've held onto these shares indefinitely."
The reason Tusk was selling his stake was because of his own company.
Tesla's current goal is achieving full self-driving capability.
To accomplish that, they need to develop highly sophisticated AI, and while Close AI is technically a non-profit, it could very well become a competitor someday.
This conflict of interest was why he was divesting his shares.
"They're insisting on remaining non-profit for now, but Nick McTman, the current CEO, will eventually have no choice but to abandon that stance. That's just how the world works. No matter how noble your intentions, you'll always need money in the end."
"And the executives aren't opposing this?"
"What can they do? They don't have $200 million lying around to buy my shares. Besides, the fact that you chose this company means its future is guaranteed, doesn't it?"
My intuition singled this company out among countless AI firms—its potential is undeniably greater than the rest.
"But in the end, Google will win. No matter how talented the people here are, they can't compete with Google's capital and resources. The sheer volume of data they've accumulated alone is insurmountable."
"You make it sound like you don't actually intend to sell."
"I'm just being honest. Frankly, even if I couldn't sell, it wouldn't matter. I came here today primarily to meet you in person and have this conversation. That objective has been fulfilled, so I'm satisfied."
I subtly signaled the employees who had been standing stiffly nearby.
They promptly produced the contract our company had prepared.
"Oh? So you're going through with the purchase after all?"
"What choice do I have? I can't exactly buy Google."
"Buying the dark horse to stand against the giant dinosaur. You've got more of a fighter's spirit than I expected."
Tusk had his team review the contract.
Despite his earlier reluctance to sell, he signed at lightning speed, as if worried I might change my mind.
After both parties signed, we shook hands.
As we were about to part ways and return to our respective vehicles—with our staff hanging back, leaving just the two of us—I finally voiced the question that had been nagging at me.
"Bitcoin—did you create it?"
Satoshi Nakamoto.
Though it's a Japanese name, no one actually believes he's Japanese.
And there had been persistent rumors that Milon Tusk was Bitcoin's creator.
"Officially? No."
He had publicly denied being Bitcoin's creator through social media, dismissing the rumors.
"But even if I were the real Satoshi, I'd say 'officially no.' Some things are better left as mysteries."
His words were loaded with implication.
Was he determined to keep it a secret to the end?
"Then I'll look forward to our next meeting. Somehow, I doubt this will be the last time we see each other."
"Yes. I hope our paths cross again."
We shook hands one final time.
As I gazed at his face—still flickering, distorting, and shattering in that endless cycle—a realization dawned on me.
This sensation, this form.
It was exactly what I'd felt when I first saw Bitcoin.
Unpredictable madness.