Chapter 154
Chapter 154
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 154
Chapter Title: Knock Down
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“Did you tell Noona, too?”
I nodded.
“You told me to keep it to myself.”
“And the person who remembers that was about to tell the Director anyway?”
Sung-hoon hyung wore a momentarily baffled expression.
“…Hey. When did I ever say how much you had? I just said you had a lot of money, right?”
“…You’re smart, Hyung.”
“Hahaha! Of course!”
He was overjoyed, like a fool.
The drinks and appetizers we ordered all arrived.
“A toast to Min-jun’s success.”
Cheers.
After a light toast, we downed the liquor that cost tens of thousands of won per glass.
It was a drink whose sweet aroma brought to mind smoky fruits and chocolate. The moderately loud EDM music seemed to enhance the liquor's fragrance.
I guess this is why people drink expensive alcohol.
“Ah. But you’re so lucky, aren’t you? Hitting it big with stocks like that.”
“It’s not luck. It’s a well-deserved outcome.”
“You just can’t let anything go, can you?”
Sung-hoon hyung tossed back another glass.
“Drink slowly. You’re going to pass out at this rate.”
“…Ugh… But you’re really talented, you know? A genius at everything, even making money.”
“People with good intuition are good at everything.”
Did he expect me to be modest? Sung-hoon hyung rubbed his arms as if he’d gotten goosebumps.
“…Noona, he’s gotten weird. He wasn’t like this before.”
“He might be joking, but honestly, everyone acknowledges it. Min-jun’s talent.”
At the Director’s earnest affirmation, Sung-hoon hyung’s face twisted strangely.
“So, why did you suddenly come here?”
Should I tell him now?
“Let’s go into the investment business together.”
“Noona is going into the investment business with you?”
“Not her, you. You should invest with me, Hyung. Instead of letting your money rot.”
For a moment, a complex mix of emotions flickered in his eyes.
“What? That’s so random… Is this why you paid me back today? With an extra 100 million in interest, no less?”
“100 million?”
The Director asked back, startled.
“I’m serious! It hasn't been that long since I lent him 300 million, and today he deposits 400 million. At first, I thought it was 40 million.”
Hearing it like that, the timing was so perfect it was bound to be misunderstood. Many scammers pay back their first loan generously with interest, only to increase the stakes on the second and third attempts before disappearing.
“Haha. What a coincidence that it all happened today.”
A dry laugh escaped me. The act of building trust before committing fraud perfectly matched what Sung-hoon hyung might think of our relationship.
“I’ll explain.”
Seeing my dumbfounded expression, the Director stepped in.
It seemed like a good idea to have come with her.
The Director recounted her meeting with President Gu, and as time passed, Sung-hoon hyung’s expression grew heavy.
“…Were we in that much trouble? Enough to have to take out a private loan?”
It seemed Sung-hoon hyung didn’t know much about President Gu, who had been the largest shareholder.
He was, after all, someone whose schedule was so packed it gave him panic attacks.
“It’s different from a private loan. He was someone who acquired shares through a proper investment.”
“…We still lost them, what’s the difference.”
“Still, he fully acknowledged my and Jae-yong oppa’s management rights.”
“So you and Hyung don’t have any shares now?”
The Director seemed to hesitate for a brief moment.
Because of me, probably.
“Oppa transferred most of his shares when we were organizing the overseas corporation. Mine are the same, but my percentage decreased because of additional stock issuance.”
The words were unfamiliar, but I could roughly guess the situation. In short, Park Jae-yong was the CEO in name only, and the Director was the actual manager.
“Wow… You could have at least told me that much.”
“I was afraid the staff would get restless when rumors were already circulating that we were unstable. And back then, you guys were barely getting by on the money Jin-hyung earned.”
“Still, it’s like you used your whole body to stop a leak you could’ve plugged with a finger.”
Sung-hoon hyung looked deeply hurt that they hadn’t trusted him.
I understood the Director’s position at the time. No matter how desperate for money, you didn't ask your own artists for help; you’d rather take out a private loan.
“President Gu also took a risk coming in. With that money, your Dope Scale 7th album succeeded, and we were able to continue our legacy.”
I had thought the shares that went to President Gu were too large for the amount he invested, but there was a story behind it.
“Ha… Really… So how much more do you need?”
“We’ve secured another 500 million, so we need 2.5 billion more.”
“Yikes! Hey, is 2.5 billion pocket change to you?”
“……”
“Even I don’t have that much… You know, Noona. I bought a building recently.”
He was so magnanimous when he lent me 300 million.
On second thought, maybe he wasn't that magnanimous. He did call me the day after he sobered up to record our conversation about the loan.
“Hyung, you’ve been given a huge opportunity right now. Answer and Yoo-ah will grow so much that our company will be able to go for an IPO.”
“…What’s an IPO?”
Unable to watch any longer, the Director stepped in to explain.
“Initial Public Offering. It means listing on the stock market.”
“You could’ve just said listing… Such a young kid using unnecessarily difficult words…”
Sung-hoon hyung grumbled, his eyes unfocused. He was probably lost in thought, calculating something.
My intuition told me that Sung-hoon hyung would join me.
“But can’t you get a loan from a bank? With Answer’s recognition, you should be able to pull some strings.”
“I’ve looked into it all. They said no.”
“What? Why?”
“…As if they’d all agreed, they’ll only give a loan against our shares as collateral, but what’s the point of that? It’s just a different lender.”
“You can just earn it back and repay it.”
“It’s not that simple of an option.”
“Ugh, seriously…”
As Sung-hoon hyung hesitated, the Director spoke up, frustrated.
“I’m going to put in about 500 million myself.”
I was a little surprised by her words. Was it money she had been able to recover recently thanks to Answer’s success?
“…If Min-jun and Noona are both in, I guess I have to as well… but 2 billion is suddenly a lot.”
“Do you know what KGM Enter Group’s market cap is right now?”
The first entertainment company to be listed in the country, a leading agency with a treasure chest full of shining stars. Ironically, it was the place that had quantum-leaped to more than double its value thanks to the massive success of Fire Emblem from their rival, SJ Enter’s Gyeon Sang-jin, and the anticipation for their soon-to-be-announced rookie. It was also the place where I had first passed an audition.
“…I’ve never really paid attention to stocks.”
“10 trillion won.”
“What?”
A stir ran through Sung-hoon hyung’s eyes, and the Director gave a self-deprecating smile.
“When it was first listed, it was about 100 billion won.”
“Whoa.”
“That’s right, 100 times. If I had just 2 billion more, I wouldn’t have even suggested this to you, Hyung.”
Perhaps seeing the sincerity in my eyes, Sung-hoon hyung finally put on a serious face.
“I suppose I could get a loan against the building… But what are you going to do once you get the money?”
“We’re going to create an investment association. It sounds very difficult, but you can create one with just two or three close friends.”
“Do you know how to make one?”
“I’m not a god. I don’t know the whole process. Hyung, you have an asset management team, right? Let’s ask them. You said they were trustworthy people before.”
As the drinks flowed and we painted our own scenario, a light of hope—the same, yet different for each of us—dawned on our faces.
* * *
The next day.
“Drop her off at the academy and come to the address I sent you.”
“…Huh? You want to have lunch together?”
“We’ll have lunch and a meeting about the investment.”
“Ugh. I’m, I’m getting nervous for some reason.”
“Because you feel like you’re about to get rich?”
“Yeah. I think I finally know what it feels like to be full without eating anything. Anyway, see you later.”
“Wait, wait. You have to take your script.”
“Oh, right!”
I could feel Choi Yoo-jun’s excitement from his stock blowing up.
I dropped Ro-si off at the acting academy and headed to the Korean restaurant where our lunch meeting was scheduled.
“Did the CEO manage to get the money?”
“…I didn’t ask, but it probably didn’t go well.”
The Director and Sung-hoon hyung were already there, and Choi Yoo-jun arrived soon after.
“Gasp!”
Choi Yoo-jun was startled, but the Director and Sung-hoon hyung were just as surprised.
“No way, Choi Yoo-jun has 500 million?”
“Ah… uh… well… it just sort of happened when I did what Min-jun hyung told me to do.”
“Whoa. Min-jun, if you had such good intel, you should have told me too.”
“I gave you 100 million.”
“Ah… right.”
Sung-hoon hyung gave an awkward laugh.
The four of us met with the team leader from a financial investment firm’s asset management team.
“It’s an honor. I was an ardent fan.”
The asset management team leader, a sharp-looking man in his late 30s, was very pleased to see the Director.
“I heard a rough outline yesterday. You’re planning to form a private equity fund?”
“Yes. We’d prefer it if no traces of our shares or participation were left externally.”
“Of course, there won’t be. That’s why private equity funds are operated.”
Is that why the rich use them so often?
“In any case, you’ve made a good decision. I’ve mentioned several times that President Kim Sung-hoon was pursuing too stable a profit model. There are countless undervalued companies, and if I put my mind to it, finding a company that could yield great returns wouldn’t be a difficult task…”
“That’s not our intention. We’re securing shares for the management of our company, JD Enter…”
“Oh my! I didn’t realize you wanted a management buyout PEF. I apologize for misunderstanding and assuming you were going for a hedge fund.”
I didn’t know much about this either, so I listened quietly to his explanation, learning many new things.
“…So you can’t simply create the money with a private equity fund and deliver it directly. A private equity fund is, after all, an entity that influences a company.”
“Wow… Teamjang-nim, you’re incredibly smart.”
“Hahaha! How could I have managed President Kim Sung-hoon’s assets without knowing this much? Earning a steady 7% return is no easy feat, you know.”
“Oh, I admit it, I admit it.”
The asset management team leader, puffing his chest out with pride, cleared his throat and continued.
“First, issue convertible bonds through the board of directors. That way, JD gets money, right? With that money, you can have the shares transferred as corporate bonds.”
“Then wouldn’t that just become money in limbo?”
“It might seem that way for now. So, when you issue the CBs (convertible bonds), you match the conversion price to that and set a short maturity period. Then, after maturity, the presidents can make a choice. Whether to receive it as cash or as the contracted shares.”
“Ah, so at that point, our shares will be recognized.”
“Correct. It’s a bit more complicated than you’d think since it’s an issue between corporations, right? The minimum is three months.”
I thought that as soon as we had the money, the shares would be settled. But to hide my identity, we had to go through a private equity fund.
This, I realized, was why you needed an expert.
“We only have a few days. We’d like to proceed quickly.”
“The advantage of a private equity fund is that it doesn’t get touched by the financial authorities. It’s ultimately an investment association formed by individuals. I’ll prepare the forms, you just have to sign them and deposit the money into the designated account.”
“Wait… is it really possible to create one just like that? When we’re talking about tens of billions of won?”
“Hahaha. To some, even 1 million won is a lot of money, but to others, 10 billion won might be nothing. More importantly, the name of the association…”
Everyone’s eyes naturally focused on me.
“We’ll call it ‘Knock Down’.”