Chapter 111: Becoming a Little Braver
Chapter 111: Becoming a Little Braver
Producer Seong Ho-jin and the film crew in San Francisco did not follow Kim Shin on his vacation.
“This time, let’s not bother the CEO while he’s trying to rest.”
“Yes, Producer.”
“So what should we film? Should we focus on Earth Channel?”
“Part of the crew will film Earth Channel, and the rest will cover K-Vaccine. Let’s go to New York and film how the COVID vaccine has changed the city.”
The film crew went to New York and shot scenes of the cityscape.
New York was a familiar city, frequently featured on Korean variety shows.
The crew approached people on the streets and in the subways.
“What are your thoughts on the K-Vaccine?”
“The COVID vaccine? New York has suffered immense damage over the past few months. Many people got sick, and the streets were empty. It’s a huge relief that the vaccine is out.”
“Are you aware that the K-Vaccine was developed in Korea?”
“I had no idea.”
The response to the K-Vaccine was overwhelmingly positive.
The crew requested interviews with men in business suits.
“By any chance, do you know about Kim Shin?”
“Oh! The legendary investor. Kim Shin’s name is widely known on Wall Street.”
“Excuse me, but do you work in the financial sector?”
“JP Morgan. The products Kim Shin invested in sent a major shock through our company. They’ve been recording incredible returns. Looking at his investments this year, he must have a keen sense for the flow of money.”
“What are your thoughts on Earth Channel?”
“You mean the new OTT from Kim Shin’s company. I expected it to make a splash, but I don’t think even Wall Street could have predicted it would create such a storm.”
Every interview yielded plenty of footage for the broadcast.
Back at the hotel, Producer Seong Ho-jin remarked.
“His reputation is truly incredible. There’s hardly anyone in America who doesn’t know our CEO.”
“I know, right? And he’s not even the type to enjoy media interviews.”
Producer Seong Ho-jin and the film crew took pride in what they had accomplished.
The daily life of Kim Shin, which they had consistently uploaded to YouTube, had achieved something remarkable in the age of COVID.
It sparked an investment boom in Korea, creating a wave of retail investors trading overseas and generating enormous national wealth.
Never before in the financial history of the Republic of Korea had more than 70 billion dollars been earned in a single year through foreign investment.
It was a figure only financially advanced nations could achieve.
They had contributed to a massive success in overseas investment, one that elevated the nation's wealth by several levels.
Producer Seong Ho-jin spoke to his staff.
“Once we finish filming in New York, I’m heading back to Korea.”
“What? What do you mean?”
Producer An Won-jae and Writer Kim Soo-jin of B-Team were taken aback.
Producer Seong Ho-jin had been leading the US film crew.
With the launch of Earth Channel, Kim Shin’s daily life series was becoming even more popular with international fans.
Kim Shin himself was becoming a brand of success, an American Dream for the COVID era.
Whenever a new video of his life was uploaded, it would rack up over 15 million views on Earth Channel alone.
“There’s a program I desperately want to make.”
“Ah. I see.”
Producer An Won-jae understood Seong Ho-jin’s feelings.
As a producer, it was natural to become completely captivated by a program you wanted to create.
“Given all you’ve accomplished, Vice President Jeong Beom-tae will give you his full support.”
“I know. If I tell him what my idea is, he’d probably be willing to tear down Dream Art Rainbow’s main pillar to support me.”
* * *
Strolling along Laguna Beach, I felt the warm sunlight wash over me.
“Vacations really are the best.”
I thought I might get bored without work, but knowing how busy Earth Resource was back in San Francisco made the vacation all the sweeter.
Eating, sleeping, and exercising.
With my whole body at ease, I couldn't feel more comfortable.
―Oh Myeong-woo: I’m banning all the accounts of cheaters and trolls, including the Chinese ones.
―Oh Myeong-woo: We’re being firm about it, and we’re getting complaint calls, but I’m just routing them all to the AI.
Oh Myeong-woo was excellent at his job.
Having a vice president I could trust this much made the vacation even more relaxing.
Even as I sat on the beach, sipping a can of beer and texting on my phone, my wealth was growing.
With the rise of the New York stock market, the business of Earth Resource, and the explosive growth of Earth Channel subscribers at this very moment.
―Kim Shin: You’re working hard.
―Oh Myeong-woo: Employee morale is high. It’s because the boss doesn’t obsess over money and says no to things that shouldn’t be done.
―Kim Shin: Well, it’s not quite like that.
―Kim Shin: What do you mean you’re routing them to the AI?
―Oh Myeong-woo: The AI is a huge hit. We’re replacing a lot of our messenger and phone support with it.
Listening to Oh Myeong-woo, I could really feel the dawn of the age of AI.
The first place I invested in after coming to Silicon Valley was a company developing self-driving trucks.
Biolife was applying it to new drug and vaccine development, and Earth Resource was using AI in many areas, including translation, customer support, and combating malicious users.
‘What will the world be like in the future?’
Just 12 years ago, when I had just started college, I never imagined a day when a robot vacuum would be cleaning my home.
Self-driving cars were being released, OTT was replacing terrestrial broadcast stations, and the era of the smartphone had dawned.
‘Until last year, I probably never thought about how the world was changing.’
I had been running nonstop since Earth Resource’s massive success, with no time to catch my breath.
As a businessman, I hadn’t looked far ahead; I just did what I wanted to do that was right in front of me.
‘A fortune of over 100 billion dollars. What should I do with my life from now on?’
I had lived so cautiously that I would test even the sturdiest of bridges, but I wondered if I still needed to hesitate and be so careful with this kind of wealth.
What if I had been a little bolder at every moment?
What if I had invested more in Biolife?
What if Earth Resource’s initial capital had been five times larger?
‘I lacked experience as a businessman. I was afraid of potentially negative outcomes.’
Perhaps because I was poor as a child, I always worried about the worst-case scenarios first and tried to run businesses that wouldn’t fail.
I had achieved great success, but my investments had always been cautious relative to the assets I possessed.
If it hadn’t been for COVID, I wouldn’t have been able to invest so heavily in the New York stock market.
‘It might be fun to be more daring in putting my thoughts into action.’
Elon Musk came to mind.
He was an eccentric who wanted to execute a plan for humanity to colonize Mars.
But that kind of dream and ambition had to be innate.
‘Isn’t it okay to live my life doing what I want now, without worrying about going broke?’
Looking at the sea, I let out a dry laugh at the thought.
With over 100 billion dollars, I was finally feeling secure that I wouldn't run out of money before I died.
It was a thought that other world-class billionaires would never have.
* * *
On the sixth day of my vacation, I made a few decisions.
―Kim Shin: Let’s move Earth Channel’s film and broadcasting division to Los Angeles.
―Oh Myeong-woo: Oh. That’s a great idea.
Paramount Pictures was in Los Angeles.
It was better to move there rather than stay in San Francisco for producing or importing Hollywood movies and American TV shows.
―Kim Shin: I’ll look for a suitable building in Los Angeles for our office myself.
―Oh Myeong-woo: Oh. Okay.
I was thinking of buying a large building in the city center outright.
―Kim Shin: Keep investing in game companies. You can spend over 5 billion dollars.
―Oh Myeong-woo: Really?
―Kim Shin: The value of Earth Channel lies in continuous content consumption.
Like *Top Gun* or popular Korean dramas.
Once people finished watching the fun content, Earth Channel’s popularity could cool down quickly.
I believed that consistent investment in new productions was the secret to being loved.
―Kim Shin: You know the people who use Earth Channel’s content for less than 3 hours a month?
―Kim Shin: Let’s give them their next month’s subscription for free.
―Oh Myeong-woo: What?
―Kim Shin: Whether they didn’t watch because there was nothing to see, or they were busy and forgot about Earth Channel. They paid a fee without properly using the service.
―Oh Myeong-woo: That’s true.
―Kim Shin: We can’t take money from people who haven’t used the service.
The subscription economy was trending.
But many people forgot they had even subscribed and just kept paying the fees.
Or they kept the subscription because they didn’t want to cancel, even if there was nothing to watch.
Considering Earth Channel’s scale of over 200 million users, this would mean a significant loss in revenue, but I didn’t want to get paid for providing a service that wasn’t used.
―Oh Myeong-woo: That’s a truly amazing decision.
―Oh Myeong-woo: This is my friend! I’m proud of you. I respect you. For real.
After talking business with Oh Myeong-woo, I took a walk along Laguna Beach, and Jo Soo-ah suddenly came to mind.
During my vacation, there were times when I found myself missing her.
It was a thought that came to me whenever I saw American families at the beach with their young children.
‘What if I had dated Jo Soo-ah instead of Han Chae-won when I was at Arcor?’
We would likely be living together without ever having gone through a divorce.
Sharing joy in the little things in the same house.
‘Would she have rejoiced with me when I hit it big with crypto, and would we have come to America together as I started my business?’
I think many things would have been different from how they are now.
Even if the business hadn't been a huge success, wouldn't she have been a steadfast pillar of support, ensuring I never collapsed?
Our paths had diverged, and we lived far apart in Korea and the United States.
We hadn't had the process of slowly building our feelings for each other, so contacting her often felt burdensome, partly because of the concern that if our relationship deepened, it might lead to marriage again.
―Kim Shin: What are you up to?
Perhaps it was the can of beer I had drunk, but I ended up sending the text.
* * *
“Soo-ah, what kind of food do you like?”
A high-end restaurant in Busan.
Jo Soo-ah was on a blind date, strongly encouraged by her parents.
Choi Won-seok, the director of a dermatology clinic in Haeundae.
He was tall and handsome, and his family owned several commercial buildings.
“I eat pretty much anything.”
“Anything? You’re not one of those people who says that but then only likes things like pasta, are you?”
Jo Soo-ah thought for a moment before answering.
“I like spicy pork with rice, pork cutlets, spicy squid with rice, bulgogi with rice, and kimchi stew.”
“Pardon?”
Just as Choi Won-seok was surprised by her unladylike taste in food.
*Ping!*
A message arrived on Jo Soo-ah’s phone.
“Just a moment.”
She immediately looked at her phone and confirmed the message was from Kim Shin.
Her brief disappointment at not having heard from him much over the past month vanished.
‘He’s a busy person.’
An endlessly busy person, doing important work.
She smiled brightly and sent a text.
―Jo Soo-ah: I’m on a blind date.
―Kim Shin: ???
She startled him for a moment by telling him about the blind date.
―Jo Soo-ah: My parents said I should at least try to meet someone before I get any older.
―Jo Soo-ah: They said all my romance cells would die off otherwise.
―Jo Soo-ah: I told them I didn’t want to, but they made me come down to Busan this weekend and forced me into this. So I’m just planning to eat and leave.
She hurriedly sent the texts to make sure Kim Shin didn’t get the wrong idea.
―Jo Soo-ah: What are you up to?
―Kim Shin: At a beach near Los Angeles. I’m on vacation.
*Ping!*
A picture of a beautiful beach arrived.
―Jo Soo-ah: The ocean! It’s so pretty. It’s nice that you’re taking a break after working all the time.
―Kim Shin: The beach in Busan was nice too.
Even though they were far apart, she could picture Kim Shin.
How wonderful a rest he must be having, relaxing by the sea after all his work.
Jo Soo-ah was texting with Kim Shin when she looked up at the man she was on a blind date with.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright. It seems like an important message.”
“Yes. Actually, there’s someone I like.”
“Excuse me? Are you seeing someone?”
Choi Won-seok seemed a bit surprised.
Jo Soo-ah decided to be honest and not hide anything.
“Not exactly, but I like him.”
“You have a one-sided crush, Soo-ah?”
“Yes. Because I like him. But he’s a very lonely person. I’m waiting by his side so that he’ll never be lonely.”