Chapter 35: The Interview
Chapter 35: The Interview
An Interview
While traveling in Colombia, I received a call from Korea.
“An unknown form of pneumonia?”
“According to the Wuhan health authorities, yes. They’ve reported that twenty-seven pneumonia patients have emerged so far.”
The call was from Dr. Lee Ho-yeon of Biolife, a company in which I held a 67% stake after investing in its research and development.
Two years had passed since I invested in developing an AI to analyze influenza and coronaviruses.
“If it’s infectious, there could be more than just twenty-seven patients.”
“Yes. It’s highly likely the disease spread from a seafood market in Wuhan. The market has since been shut down. Seven people are currently in critical condition.”
“The virus seems quite potent.”
“I’ll contact you again as soon as the situation becomes clearer.”
“Alright. Thank you for your hard work.”
I ended the call with Dr. Lee.
Medellín, Colombia.
The city, once the headquarters of a drug lord, had been steadily developed into a tourist destination bustling with travelers.
Nevertheless, as is typical of a major South American city, the crime rate was high, and just a short walk down a back alley from the tourist spots revealed places where prostitution openly occurred.
‘I guess this is the end of my South American tour.’
For the past year, I had been traveling the world whenever I had the chance.
I learned about the world, feeling both freedom and loneliness.
There were still many countries I hadn't visited, but exploring the vast world made me feel like I had grown immensely.
“Jason, let’s go to Korea.”
“Yes, boss.”
* * *
Two years had already passed since I signed the lease for the Han River view apartment in Gangnam.
I’d been so busy with work and travel that I hadn’t been back to Korea in months.
“Sir. Your lease is about to expire.”
“What? Has it been that long already?”
Just as I arrived at Incheon Airport, I received a call from the real estate agent I’d worked with before.
“I’m truly sorry, but as you know, apartment rental deposits have gone up quite a bit.”
“I see. How much is it now?”
“The landlord is asking for three billion won.”
The apartment I had leased for 2.5 billion won two years ago was now 3 billion.
The reason I could remain so nonchalant about the call from the real estate agent was likely because I had earned an incredible amount of money in the meantime.
A 60-pyeong apartment.
I had brought back souvenirs from my travels to fill the vast, expansive space, and one room was set up as a workout area.
I had installed an 86-inch television in the living room and set up a treadmill where I could run while looking out at the Han River.
Living alone, the space was more than I could ever need.
“I suppose I’ll have to move.”
“Will you? To be honest, with the new rental laws, you could extend the contract.”
“Please look for a new place for me to live.”
“Of course. Then, what price range… should I look for something in the same complex for around 2.5 billion?”
For 2.5 billion, I could probably get a 40-pyeong apartment.
That was still plenty of space, but with the assets I now possessed, there was no need for me to live in such a place.
Arcor.
When I quit my job, I had thought to myself:
‘I made nearly 1.1 billion dollars from crypto. It’ll probably be hard for my wealth to grow any further.’
But then Netflix earned me 320 million dollars, followed by Google, Apple, Microsoft, and others.
The stocks I invested in in the US continued to rise, steadily increasing my fortune.
On top of that, the 200 million dollars I invested in Nikola hit the jackpot.
- Korea’s Doohwa Group Bets 120 Billion Won on Hydrogen Fueling Station Industry.
- Nikola Announces Plans for a Hydrogen Network Across North America.
- Nikola Motors Unveils Design Patent.
- Nikola Showcases Its Hydrogen Technology.
- Nikola Motors Develops Innovative Battery Cell.
Nikola consistently made headlines, flaunting its technological prowess.
Though it didn’t have a single factory, the shares I had bought for 200 million dollars based on future potential alone were now valued at over 4 billion dollars.
Now, even if I made 100 million dollars in a week, I no longer felt the same anxiety I did back at Arcor.
It was because I’d grown bolder and more comfortable handling massive sums of money.
“I don’t really care about the complex, but I’d like a place near the Han River with good access to Gangnam. It needs to be spacious.”
“Yes, sir. Should I look for a 60-pyeong place then?”
“No. Over 80 pyeong. Please find the most luxurious place possible. This time, I’ll be buying, not leasing, and I don’t mind a high price as long as it’s reasonable. Also, I’ll need quarters for my bodyguards, so please find a way to secure the unit across the hall or on the floor below as well.”
“What? Bodyguards, sir?”
The real estate agent sounded a bit surprised, but it couldn't be helped.
When it comes to a home, the bigger, the better.
And I did, in fact, need a place for my bodyguards to stay.
* * *
Jeongyeon Real Estate in Gangnam.
The owner, Lee Myeong-hye, had dealt with her fair share of wealthy clients.
From professionals like doctors, lawyers, and judges to landowners and corporate executives or owners.
“Yeon-soo. Ji-yul.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“What is it?”
Her two beautiful employees.
She had deliberately hired them for their looks.
Whether selling apartments, villas, or even small commercial buildings, she knew that having pretty women present the properties definitely got a better reaction from clients.
“Do you two remember the tenant in Unit 1103 of Building 104?”
“Yes! That young man, right?”
“I remember him.”
A man who had paid a staggering 2.5 billion won in cash, all at once.
Doing real estate in Gangnam meant a hefty commission on every deal, so he was not someone they would easily forget.
“It seems he’s incredibly wealthy.”
“He was already rich, wasn’t he?”
“True, but his tone on the phone was quite unusual.”
“Is he buying a house?”
“Yes. He’s coming this afternoon to look at places to move into.”
Since high-end houses and apartments were often vacant, she made some calls in advance and arranged for viewings.
3 p.m.
Myeong-hye waited with her two female employees.
As the appointment time arrived, a line of vehicles pulled up on the road in front of the agency.
Four tinted Mercedes limousines.
Foreigners in suits stepped out, scanned the surroundings, and then opened the rear door of one of the vehicles.
“Wow…”
“It’s like a movie.”
While Myeong-hye and her employees stared in awe, the handsome Kim Shin emerged from the car and walked toward the real estate office with his bodyguards.
* * *
“Sir, how about this place? It has a great view of the Han River and is in a good school district.”
“I’ll be living alone, so school districts don’t matter. I’d prefer something more luxurious.”
“Ah, I see.”
I looked at a few photos at the real estate office.
It was a process of looking at the exteriors and locations of luxury villas to choose which ones to visit.
Many of the large apartment complexes in Gangnam were old and outdated, and I preferred to live in a newly built place if possible.
Besides…
‘Do housing prices feel this cheap?’
They said real estate prices had risen a lot, with high-end apartments costing one or two billion won more.
The value of currency hadn’t changed that much in just a year and a half, but my wealth had grown to a point where a few billion was barely a drop in the bucket.
Thanks to that, I could afford any house I chose without feeling any financial burden.
“This one is across the river, but a luxury apartment complex has been developed in Hannam-dong.”
“Can we go see it?”
“Yes, of course.”
A luxury apartment complex built on the former site of apartments for foreigners used by the US military.
I was impressed by the strict access control and the overall luxurious feel.
The view wasn’t as open as I’d have liked, and the proximity of the neighboring buildings was a bit bothersome, but…
‘It’ll be good enough for my time in Korea.’
I liked the spacious parking garage and the high-end construction.
“Sir, this unit is over 100 pyeong. Isn’t it too large for one person?”
The agent and her two female employees had come along to show me the property.
They explained in detail what kind of imported luxury materials were used in the dressing room and which brands the kitchen appliances were.
But their words barely registered.
“The size is fine. Is there anything larger than this in this complex?”
“No, this is the largest. It’s the penthouse.”
The penthouse.
In an apartment complex, it was the dream unit, signifying the utmost luxury.
“Is there another one with the exact same layout?”
“Yes, the unit next door is also on the market. Would you like to see that one as well?”
“If there are no issues, I’ll buy both this one and that one. One of them will be for my bodyguards.”
It was true that the Korean real estate market was somewhat overheated, and I didn’t know if prices would continue to rise or not.
But I had acquired the kind of wealth where such concerns were irrelevant, and I had grown used to it.
* * *
Every March, the business magazine Forbes published its annual list of the world’s billionaires.
Due to the rising value of my US stocks and Nikola shares, I had been receiving requests for an interview since the end of last year.
“Hello, I’m Pamela Dawson.”
“Thank you for coming all this way. I’m Kim Shin.”
“The pleasure is all mine.”
My new home.
It wasn't fully furnished yet, but we sat on a large sofa for the interview.
“You’re a billionaire who has remained largely unknown until now. I’d like to know how you accumulated your assets.”
I had never done a media interview before.
Thanks to my US stocks and my stake in Nikola, my name had appeared on the list of Korea's wealthiest people, prompting Forbes to contact me directly.
“Just two years ago, I was an ordinary office worker.”
“An office worker? So you were in the IT sector…”
“I was a pharmaceutical sales representative.”
I sat in my suit and casually crossed my legs.
It was made from Super 230s Lansmere wool and cost 30 million won.
Even as a multi-trillion-won billionaire, I still worried about getting expensive clothes dirty.
It wasn’t just the money; getting them tailored was a hassle.
Just four months ago, I was walking around India with my bodyguards in a 300-rupee tracksuit.
Maybe it was the pauper’s spirit still etched into my bones, but I felt strangely more comfortable back then.
“My investment journey began with crypto.”
“Crypto? You mean cryptocurrency.”
“Yes. I started building my wealth with coins like Bitcoin and Ripple.”
There was no need to go into excessive detail, but it was a story that would inevitably come out if they did some digging.
I had a rough idea of the impact this interview would have.
‘Koreans are very interested in the wealthy. A story about getting rich from crypto will attract a lot of attention.’
I wondered how shocked the people who knew me would be.
From my middle and high school classmates to distant relatives and former colleagues.
“How did you go about investing in Nikola? You seem to have had incredible foresight.”
“I received a recommendation that it was a good company.”
Nikola was preparing to go public.
It had launched a hydrogen truck and was announcing new models, but it was not yet in the mass production stage.
Despite not having sold a single vehicle, its market capitalization, based on growth potential alone, was already being valued higher than American auto giants like GM or Ford.
In contrast, traditional Korean car companies manufactured and sold millions of vehicles, yet their market caps were remarkably low.
‘It seems like they’re overvaluing its future potential, but then again, maybe the future value isn’t what’s important.’
I had experienced similar situations while investing in crypto.
As long as investors believed they could make money, that belief itself fueled the rise in stock prices.
During the two-hour interview, I talked about my impoverished past and touched upon my life as a company employee.
“Ah, so you were divorced.”
“Yes.”
“If you don’t mind my asking, at the time of your divorce…”
“I had almost no assets. I even gave the villa to my ex-wife.”
At the brief mention of my ex-wife, Pamela gave a curious smile.
“How do you think your ex-wife will feel when she finds out you’ve become a multi-billionaire?”
“I wonder.”
It was a slightly malicious question, but in a way, I was curious too.
What would Han Chae-won think?
“The article will be published online first next week.”
“That’s fast.”
“Well, it’s the kind of story the public will find interesting.”
Forbes was a magazine published every two weeks. She explained that it would appear online before the print edition.
“I hear you come to the US often. Let’s meet again if we have the chance.”
“Travel safely.”
I saw the reporter out of the office. In my hand was Pamela’s business card.
The front of the card listed her company, cell phone number, and email address.
On the back, another cell phone number was written in pen.