Chapter 108: The Beloved CEO
Chapter 108: The Beloved CEO
Earth Resource now had over 1,600 employees.
Over the past year, the company had grown, attracting exceptional talent.
Sitting quietly in my office, I could overhear the employees' conversations.
“Leila, the customer support delays for Earth Channel are getting too long.”
“I know. I've requested to quadruple the staff at the India customer support center. We're also planning to open a center in Malaysia, where there's a large Chinese population, to handle China-related inquiries.”
The issues that had arisen since Earth Channel's launch were being handled by the employees.
Important decisions from teams or divisions would come up to me or Oh Myeong-woo for approval.
“Diane.”
“Yes, CEO.”
The company had gotten busier since Earth Channel opened, but we were past the most critical phase.
I felt quite apologetic to the staff for taking a vacation at a time like this.
“I think I need to take a vacation for a little while.”
“Oh, of course.”
“What?”
Diane said with a bright smile.
“You have bigger things to attend to now, CEO. We'll make sure there are no disruptions to Earth Channel's operations.”
“...”
A certain fantasy about me had spread throughout the company.
* * *
Earth Resource was a company that had grown incredibly fast, and at the center of its technology was a genius named Eddie.
Whenever new employees joined the tech department, Eddie would tell them.
“Kim Shin was the one who designed Source Coin. And the cloud service that followed. He basically conceived all of Earth Resource's core businesses in his head. Isn't that cool?”
“Wow. That's really amazing.”
Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Columbia, MIT.
Employees who had graduated from prestigious American universities and worked at world-class companies before coming to Earth Resource.
An atmosphere of reverence for Kim Shin spread among them.
“I heard our CEO is probably one of the five richest people in the world.”
“He's amassed an incredible fortune with an investment sense that sees right through economic trends. There are so many people on Wall Street who follow his lead. My own father, who works at Chase Bank, even told me to quit Apple and get a job at Earth Resource. That's why I came here.”
“K-Vaccine. Did you see the article that said it never would have been created without our CEO?”
“The CEO has incredible fame and popularity in Korea. He certainly deserves it.”
An atmosphere of adoration for Kim Shin had naturally formed among the employees.
A remarkable genius with a brilliant intuition.
As someone who accomplishes numerous feats so effortlessly.
Many of the female employees were also interested in Kim Shin’s life in Korea.
“I heard he doesn't have any family.”
“They say he did everything on his own. Went to school, worked at companies.”
“His marriage only lasted a year, I heard.”
“I get it. A genius like him can't have a normal married life.”
“The woman who lived with him for even a year was incredibly lucky.”
In the midst of all this, Kim Shin personally took the lead in preparing for Earth Channel.
The content business.
It wasn't a field with a low barrier to entry, as formidable companies had already established their positions.
“They'll have to pour a ton of money into promotion at the beginning. It could cost hundreds of dollars just to acquire one user.”
“The famous dramas and movies are already contracted with other OTT companies.”
“It won’t be profitable if they launch it now.”
“Earth Resource's other divisions are making a lot of money. And the CEO is a man of astronomical wealth. Even if it's a reckless venture, the company won't be in any trouble.”
The employees of Earth Resource.
Those in various divisions watched Earth Channel with a sense of apprehension.
They didn't voice their opposition only because of Kim Shin's reputation and past achievements.
‘There’s no way it will succeed.’
‘Content isn't technology. Earth Resource isn't a mainstream company.’
It's difficult for a new challenger to overcome competitors and establish itself in a new market.
At the time, several articles were published about Earth Channel.
[ Earth Channel, Focusing on Korean Content, Is Out of Touch with American Tastes ]
[ The $5 Plan: Unlike Netflix, Targeting the Low-End Market ]
[ From TV and Movies to Game Distribution: Trying to Do Too Much ]
[ The Sudden Acquisition of Paramount Pictures: A Reckless Move Without a Stream of Hits, Say Market Analysts ]
Even while working at Earth Resource, it was impossible not to be influenced by the media.
“Even if Earth Channel fails, I hope the CEO doesn't get too discouraged.”
“I'd love to comfort him with my warm embrace.”
And when Earth Channel opened, no one was more surprised than the employees.
The first day's success.
Perhaps due to Kim Shin's fame, there were many subscribers from Korea and other parts of Asia, and Top Gun drew in American subscribers as well.
In a few days, subscribers surpassed 100 million and were heading toward 200 million.
The media outlets that had poured out negative forecasts about Earth Channel changed their tune.
[ Will Earth Channel Become a Platform That Encompasses All Content? ]
[ Squid Game Sends Shockwaves Through the American Broadcasting Industry ]
[ The Earth Channel Storm Sweeps Through the Broadcast Content Market ]
[ Earth Channel Conquers Not Only America but also Asia and Europe ]
Even the employees hadn't expected this level of success.
Those who had seen Squid Game before Earth Channel's official launch had found it entertaining, but they hadn't imagined such a fervent reaction.
“How much do you think Earth Channel is worth now?”
“Who knows. Cloud services or the shopping mall can be calculated with simple numbers, but the influence of over 200 million people can't be measured in money alone.”
“If they offered to sell it for $20 billion, plenty of companies would buy it, right?”
“Are you crazy? They'd be fighting each other to buy it for $50 billion.”
“So we created a business that massive in just a few months.”
“To be precise, the CEO did it. We handled the technical side, but still.”
The atmosphere of respect among the employees grew even stronger.
A man who achieves everything through his genius.
And yet, during lunch breaks, he would play basketball with the employees, mingling with them without any airs.
“Go for the basket, CEO!”
“Faster!”
“You're so cool!”
Young, beautifully dressed female employees who had just graduated from college cheered for Kim Shin as he played.
In the shopping mall and Earth Channel divisions, there were employees who were 190 cm tall and had played on their university basketball teams.
Whenever they stole the ball from Kim Shin, the female employees would shout.
“Booooo!”
“Daniel! Go home!”
* * *
“Don't worry. We'll take good care of things at the office.”
“CEO, the shopping mall division will do its best.”
I also told Eddie from the cloud division and Allison from the shopping mall division about my vacation plans.
I'd mentioned it out of a sense of apology, but Eddie didn't seem to mind at all.
It wasn't like I had been much help in the technical field so far anyway.
Elon Musk supposedly ate and slept at the factory to solve problems when they arose.
I, on the other hand, was the kind of person who frantically googled for solutions whenever a Windows error popped up.
“Keep hiring as many people as you need in the shopping mall division.”
“Yes, CEO. Thank you for your consideration.”
I looked at Allison with a hint of pity.
Her division was probably the one suffering the most at Earth Resource.
The shopping mall division, which was chasing after existing businesses while raking in enormous revenue and profits.
I remembered what Allison had said when she first joined Earth Resource.
“Families with young children, students, young adults starting their first jobs, and seniors in their twilight years... they all have different needs. We want to find good products and sell them at reasonable, affordable prices.”
She had come to us after working as a manager at a famous department store in California.
She had tried to infuse online shopping with dreams and happiness, but the reality was...
- Yes! Scored 250 Source Coins!
- Thanks for the Source Coins.
- Reselling is the best!!!
- Is this the holy land of Source Coin!
The 'coin chasers' were cleaning out the shopping mall's electronics as soon as they were stocked.
Whenever they managed to secure good products and list them on the mall, the product reviews were...
- Oh, this was for women.
- I don't have an SUV, but I bought brake pads. Guess I just need to buy an SUV now lol.
- Fresh, unfrozen salmon. I bought 50kg just to get coins. Can I freeze it?
The shopping mall division was waging a constant battle against the coin chasers.
Although they had implemented a purchase limit per person, it was difficult to completely block those who used relatives or various other methods to sign up.
And if they stopped giving out Source Coins, a riot would break out.
The success of Earth Channel wasn't entirely a good thing for Allison.
- I can't believe I didn't know about Source Coin until now.
- Let's go!!! Let's go!!! Let's go!!!
- Signed up for Earth Channel and became an integrated Earth Resource member. Can use the shopping mall and coin exchange too!
Sales in the US had increased dramatically, and in Asian countries, especially Hong Kong and China, orders had surged by more than 30 times in two weeks.
The shopping mall division was increasing its inventory, but the out-of-stock situation showed no signs of abating.
- Please sell more stuff. Huh?
- Why can't I buy things when I have the money?
- I want expensive things. Do you by any chance sell phones or laptops in units of 100?
The number of coin chasers gutting the shopping mall had multiplied several times over.
They had to prevent items from going out of stock for the sake of regular customers, but even backpacks for young children were being swept up by men in their seventies.
Allison's dream was being trampled in so many ways.
“Even on vacation, I'll try to come up with a plan for the shopping mall division.”
“Yes. I'm counting on you, CEO.”
I'd said it because she looked like she might quit at any moment.
Seeing the dark circles under her eyes well up with moisture, I felt a pang of guilt.
Still, I had no immediate solution.
It was a supervisor's job to offer hope and tell them to hang in there at times like these.
* * *
After work, I went for a bike ride with Lee Jong-yeop for some exercise.
Bodyguards followed us in cars and on motorcycles, and were stationed at key intersections.
“Boss, you're taking me on vacation with you, right?”
“Yeah. You're my executive assistant, so it'd be good if you came along.”
“Heheheh. Of course, I was planning on it. So where are we going? Hawaii? Miami?”
Lee Jong-yeop asked, his voice filled with anticipation.
Those were places with warm weather even in winter, and full of beautiful women in swimsuits.
*Hawaii is my saved-up retirement plan.*
If I were to fail in all my businesses and investments, that was where I'd decided to live off my $100 million.
If I went on vacation now, I would probably indulge in a truly lavish and extravagant rest.
“Hmm. I'm thinking Europe for now.”
“Europe is always a good choice. France, Italy, Spain, the UK. Every tourist spot is just overflowing with gorgeous female travelers.”
“...”
I thought it might be nice to live a simple life like Lee Jong-yeop.
A life of dating, having fun, and then parting ways.
As time passes, you realize that youth doesn't last forever.
Things you don't do when you're young are hard to do when you're older.
“How about Italy?”
“Italy is amazing. They say the beauties of Milan are the best in Europe.”
“I was thinking of the Dolomites National Park in the Alps.”
“Why there?”
“I hear it's great for bike hiking. Riding a bike through the high mountain regions, then camping in a tent at night.”
“...”
It was fun to tease Lee Jong-yeop a little.
Although I liked cycling, I didn't have the luxury to go to a national park and live like that while managing investments and businesses.
“I have another plan, too.”
“What is it?”
“We could go to the UK.”
“The British royal family said they'd give you a knighthood, didn't they? We could stay in London and...”
He would probably say something about hitting the pubs and meeting beautiful women.
“We could tour the whole of Great Britain.”
“What?”
“We'll circle the entire country by bike, following the coastal roads. If we ride 100km every day, it'll take over a month. It would be tough, but imagine the sense of accomplishment when we succeed. Doesn't that sound like fun?”
“...”
I could see Lee Jong-yeop's face contort in horror.