Chapter 198: I've Come to Pick You Up
If you're a working stiff, you'll get this—time flies when you're buried in company work.
A week would fly by, then an entire month.
"I've dug up a killer game! Oh, and the cloud division's revenue is up 33% from last quarter."
Lately, Eddie's been totally hooked on games.
Earth Resource's cloud division was maintaining its terrifying growth.
"The coin exchange's trading volume is exploding. Sure, they blame inflation, but it's just an excuse to pump coin prices."
A report from Leonard, who's in charge of the coin exchange.
Trading data gives it the second-highest cash-generating power at Earth Resource.
The shopping mall division was expanding into Earth Department Store and Earth Hotel.
―Alison: There's a hotel chain in California I'd like to acquire.
―Kim Shin: Buy it.
―Alison: I haven't finished my report yet.
―Kim Shin: Go ahead.
Acquiring twelve hotels took less agonizing than his old monthly rental agreement.
〈Earth Resource Dreams of Empire〉
〈Elon Musk Aims for Mars; Kim Shin's Sights Set on Economic Presidency?〉
〈Elon Musk Focused on Twitter Overhaul, Tesla Shareholders Disappointed〉
〈Tesla Stock Down 67% in Three Months〉
Before he struck it rich, Kim Shin thought being wealthy meant never worrying about money again.
But once he hit conglomerate-level billions, he thought about it way more.
Morning, noon, night—even in his sleep, he pondered how to handle and invest it all.
Money held massive value in life.
The more money he had, the more he wanted.
His assets had ballooned enormously over the past two years.
'I thought having tons of money meant I'd never have to work.'
Back when he was grinding at Arcor, he figured 2 billion won would let him live off the interest forever.
Live frugally, and it'd last a lifetime with plenty left over.
Yet here he was working—for the fun of it.
―Kim Shin: Earth Car's battery is set to lithium iron phosphate.
He informed the partner groups: Isung, DK, and LK.
―DK Chairman Choi Jong-won: Got it. We'll invest aggressively. No issues with supply.
―LK Chairman Gu Jin-mo: We guarantee top-quality batteries.
DK Group and LK Group had slacked on lithium iron phosphate batteries, but two years of process development should iron that out.
Articles sparked some controversy, though.
〈LK Energy Solutions Building Massive Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery Factory in Texas〉
〈Earth Car to Feature Cheap Lithium Iron Phosphate Batteries〉
〈Earth Car Opts for Lithium Iron Phosphate, Mostly Used in China〉
〈Lithium Iron Phosphate 30% Cheaper Than Lithium-Ion〉
Public reaction wasn't great.
―Thought Earth Car would have insane performance, but lithium iron phosphate? Disappointing.
―Positioning as a premium future car brand?
―Price point leaves something to be desired.
―Took orders without full specs on the homepage, now this backstab?
―This mess was foreseeable from Mirae Motors' launch.
Purely Earth Car's call, yet Mirae Motors caught the flak.
―Tesla uses lithium iron phosphate too.
―Doesn't cut it. Tesla's premium models use lithium-ion, and the performance gap is real.
―Bulk orders mean cheap batteries. Ballsy business.
―Kim Shin hyung's too busy; Earth Car's not getting proper oversight.
Despite the uproar in articles and car forums, cancellations for Earth Car were negligible.
〈LK Energy Solutions to Supply Top-Tier Lithium Iron Phosphate Batteries to Earth Car〉
〈DK On Hosts Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery Demo〉
LK and DK responded, and Mirae Motors issued a press release insisting lithium iron phosphate performance was sufficient.
Media ignored the clarifications, though.
So he posted on SNS.
[Lithium iron phosphate batteries are a bit more fire-resistant. It was a safety choice.]
He attached a report on their chemical stability.
Lithium-ion batteries generate their own oxygen in a fire, accelerating thermal runaway. Lithium iron phosphate doesn't, making it safer.
〈CEO Kim Shin: "Lithium Iron Phosphate for Safety."〉
〈Kim Shin Confirms He Personally Chose Earth Car's Lithium Iron Phosphate Batteries〉
―Safety choice, huh...
―At least it's not just for the money.
―Kim Shin hyung's gone full corporate lol.
―Billions on the line yearly; of course they'd want cheaper batteries.
―Battery savings are huge.
SNS was mostly supportive, understanding his decision, but articles brimmed with criticism.
'Even I'd suspect cheaper parts first.'
Who'd think Mirae Motors would take this heat?
They'd downgraded engines or stripped safety features on model refreshes before.
―Car makers always get greedy.
―Gotta be Mirae Motors' influence on the lithium iron phosphate pick.
―Yeah?
―Mirae wants it too, so they're forcing it on Earth Car.
―Reasonable suspicion, agreed.
―All Mirae Motors' fault.
Public opinion turned against Mirae Motors.
Sure, he'd take some heat, but how unfair for them.
A call came from Jin Yoo-kyung.
―Jin Yoo-kyung: Public opinion on us is sour because of the lithium iron phosphate battery.
―Kim Shin: I'm truly sorry to Chairman Jin Myeong-il and the Mirae Motors staff.
He really meant it.
―Jin Yoo-kyung: We placed orders to use lithium iron phosphate too, since Earth Car went with it.
―Kim Shin: Huh?
―Jin Yoo-kyung: It's way cheaper. Gotta capitalize on high order volumes.
―Kim Shin: ....
The lithium iron phosphate fuss grew when a Mirae Motors researcher posted on their SNS.
[Posting this knowing I might get fired. This is the convo CEO Kim Shin had with our R&D team when deciding on lithium iron phosphate.]
The post included screenshots of their messenger conversation about the safety features.
―So it really was for safety?
―"Reinvest profits into vehicle upgrades." Why's that so cool?
―Collision avoidance standard on all models lol. That's over $2 million option elsewhere.
―Total contrast to Tesla's rising sub fees.
―Premium tires too... Only insiders know from driving them.
―Aims safer than Volvo lol. And must achieve it.
―Thought EVs were just for profit, but they wanna make great, safe cars?
―If they deliver, fair play...
―Save a bit on batteries with minimal performance hit, massively upgrade the car.
―Worlds apart from Isung Group's rich-kid hobby entry. Different league.
Public sentiment flipped overnight.
* * *
Earth Channel's year-end festival prep was in Los Angeles.
The venue was the Los Angeles Convention Center.
They had rented South Hall, Kentia Hall, West Hall, and Petree Hall.
Four exhibit halls rented, linked with nearby hotels.
"We expect subscribers to top 1 billion around Christmas."
"Sounds great."
Diane, heading content ops in LA, gave the tour.
"This is where the Grammys and E3 happen, right?"
"Yeah, so I've heard."
Owning a private jet made California and Texas feel close.
America's vast, but 1-4 hour flights covered nearby states.
Workers set up stages and seating for crowds.
"South Hall focuses on Korean films, dramas, music. We'll run a Squid Game experience with prize money, and zombie stuff with movie team help."
Earth Channel's year-end bash would be massive for fun.
Showcase past year's films and dramas, hold awards.
There would be musical performances and experience zones designed to thrill visitors.
"Kentia Hall for game shows, West Hall for competitions."
"Competitions?"
"Yeah, run by Earth Channel's film crews."
The program consisted of eight extreme survival challenges that pushed the limits of human endurance.
The top prize was five million dollars.
Live viewing, footage broadcast on Earth Channel.
"Should be fun."
Earth Channel dominated OTT.
Rivals couldn't keep up as market share surged.
Earth Channel was investing in Hollywood films and dramas while buying stakes in studios.
Disney and Netflix hustled too.
"We can't lose this one."
"Too late. Earth Channel's in with early investment."
Similar reactions were appearing everywhere.
Earth Channel's growth speed had insiders calling it insane.
Investment doubled every 2-3 months.
"MGM's up for sale."
"MGM?"
"The roaring lion logo at movie starts?"
"Oh yeah, I remember."
A quick phone search brought up classics such as Rocky and Gone with the Wind.
Most of the studio's post-1980 films had failed, and its greatest success remained 1939's Gone with the Wind.
"Wanna acquire?"
If she did, no stopping her.
Earth Channel's value was content over cash.
"Nah, not that tempting. Paramount makes tons, invests plenty."
"So?"
"Apple and Amazon are eyeing MGM."
Apple ran Apple TV OTT.
Amazon had Prime Video, but OTT fatigue was spreading.
Unlike broadcast and cable services, viewers needed multiple subscriptions to access all the content they wanted.
The cost and inconvenience were breeding fatigue.
Market shrinkage loomed if viewer fatigue hit.
'The lean times could come.'
Industries lived or died crossing the valley.
* * *
Jo Soo-ah dragged two suitcases to Incheon Airport.
She was anxious, but she was heading to America to see Kim Shin.
"The guy you brought home last time? Life's short—don't hold back your feelings."
Mom cheered her on.
Dad's reaction surprised.
"I'm a subscriber."
"Huh?"
"Watched his success, thought he was impressive. Videos show he's a good guy."
Turns out, Dad was a Korean retail investor who'd ridden Kim Shin's picks to big wins.
―Jo Soo-ah: At Incheon. Should land in San Francisco tomorrow.
―Kim Shin: Okay, I'll be waiting.
At Incheon Airport, however, she encountered a ticketing problem: she had no reservation number.
Kim Shin had booked and sent the code.
"Weird. What'd I mess up?"
As she double-checked.
―Kim Shin: Actually, sent the private jet.
―Jo Soo-ah: For real?
Kim Shin's 787 Dreamliner.
The plane that had become famous on social media had flown all the way to Korea...
―Kim Shin: Landed an hour ago. Ask airport staff; they'll guide you.
―Jo Soo-ah: That's expensive.
―Kim Shin: Don't you know I don't skimp?
Jo Soo-ah smiled faintly.
She'd seen his thriftiness at work.
Even after becoming rich, he did not spend money without a reason.
―Jo Soo-ah: Thanks anyway.
Staff guided her through immigration, out to the tarmac where the 787 waited.
"Whoa..."
The stunning plane drew an involuntary gasp of awe from her.
She felt guilty that he had flown it all the way there just for her.
"This way, please."
Up the stairs, Kim Shin waited at the cabin door.
"Hi. I've come to pick you up."