Chapter 40: A Turn for the Better
Chapter 40: A Turn for the Better
Ellie, Jo Soo-ah, and now Jin Yoo-kyung.
Racking my brain, I couldn't recall a time when I'd ever been popular with women.
‘Why are they all flocking to me at once?’
In elementary school, I was bullied for being poor.
It got to the point where some parents told their kids not to play with me because of my family’s situation.
In middle and high school, I studied alone, sticking close to the model students.
It was so I could borrow their used workbooks and study guides.
- Want to grab some bread after school?
Notes like that from female students would occasionally be left in my shoe locker or between the pages of my workbooks.
Maybe two or three times a week?
A variety of girls sent them, from the top students to the rebellious ones who were nearly delinquents.
‘Every other guy must get notes like this.’
I thought dating was pointless.
It wasn't like a relationship in middle or high school had any chance of lasting a lifetime.
‘The thousand won I save now is more important.’
That’s how I lived my life. Then I got a job, got divorced, and suddenly I was getting entangled with women frequently.
It was the same with money.
I had lived in grinding poverty, but after my divorce, once I turned thirty, life somehow started to fall into place.
25 billion won became 1 trillion won, and as my wealth continued to grow, so did a sense of both pressure and confidence.
‘In a way, things have been going well ever since I split up with Han Chae-won.’
In just two years, I could barely even remember Han Chae-won's face.
The statute of limitations for her to file for a division of assets had already passed, so there was no reason for our paths to cross again.
Not that it mattered; if she suddenly appeared before me, I planned to just let my bodyguards handle it.
‘Let’s never see each other again. Ever…’
While I was briefly lost in thought about Han Chae-won, Jin Yoo-kyung had polished off the entire bottle of liquor.
“Another bottle of the strong stuff, please!”
“No, that’s quite alright.”
Jin Yoo-kyung wasn’t like the third-generation chaebol heirs or royal families you see in dramas.
She was cold and calculating in business, but in her personal life, she seemed incredibly laid-back.
Talkative, prone to causing trouble, yet strangely overflowing with a confidence that made her act without hesitation.
“Jus’ a little short. I told you, one more drink is all I neeeeed.”
“Yes, yes.”
“Looook at this. I'm nooot drunk at all, I tell youuuu.”
It was my first time dealing with a drunk woman by myself.
I’d seen female colleagues at work dinners throw up or get carted off in an ambulance, but this was different.
“Ah. I’m so tireeeed.”
After we finished our meal, I helped the completely limp Jin Yoo-kyung to her feet. Thankfully, Mirae Motors’ secretaries were waiting outside the restaurant.
Three male secretaries, three female.
They watched me and my bodyguards with a mixture of vigilance.
“We will escort the Managing Director.”
“Yes. Please do.”
I never thought handing over a burden that weighed just over 50 kilograms would feel so liberating.
* * *
After founding the content company, I was constantly busy, but I found I no longer needed business cards when meeting people.
“I’m Kim Shin.”
“Yes. I saw you on the news. Haha. You’re quite famous these days. I didn’t expect the CEO to greet me personally.”
Was being a well-known rich person this convenient?
Conversing with people was a crucial part of the job.
I explained the goals I had for the company and what kind of treatment they could expect in the future.
“I’m not looking to make a huge profit. As you may know from the articles, I’m already wealthy. I believe good content makes life more enjoyable. I want to run a company that creates such content, and I plan to actively provide any necessary support.”
“I’ll think it over.”
One by one, I recruited experienced writers and producers.
The plan was to produce programs and distribute them through broadcast networks, OTT platforms, or YouTube.
I was curious to see what would happen if I helped the producers who made my favorite shows create whatever they wanted, freely.
“CEO Kim. Let’s go for lunch!”
“Yes. Sounds good.”
Even eating with my employees felt different than before.
“Please, eat up.”
“Yes, CEO Kim.”
I chatted with various employees, instilling a sense of hope in them.
“If you have a program you want to make or an idea you want to pursue, please go for it. Even if you fail, the company will continue to back you up. That’s why I created Dream Art Rainbow.”
I wanted to be a good company for my employees.
As a wealthy CEO, I had more than enough resources to support the company until it got on its feet.
Even if I thought they might see me as some old-fashioned nag.
‘Wait, are the variety show producers and writers older than me?’
And then…
- China’s Novel Coronavirus Cases Surpass 10,000
- Game Show Postponed Due to Novel Coronavirus
- WHO Declares International Emergency Amidst China-Born Infection Crisis
- Japan: Coronavirus Spreads Across the Archipelago
- Delta Air Lines Suspends All Flights to China
- U.S. State Department Raises Travel Advisory for China to Highest Level: “Do Not Travel”
The coronavirus that originated in China was spreading beyond Asia to Europe and the United States.
As fear spread, masks sold out in pharmacies, and the number of people on the streets noticeably decreased.
It affected the broadcasting industry as well, with several programs halting production.
Some films were even scrapped during the investment stage.
For someone who had just started a production company, it was a bewildering situation, but fortunately, we were still in the preparation phase.
- Lee Ho-yeon: The pandemic we feared may be upon us.
- Kim Shin: Will there be serious damage?
- Lee Ho-yeon: Considering the rapid increase of infections in China, it seems likely to inflict far more severe damage worldwide than anticipated.
The stock prices of domestic pharmaceutical companies skyrocketed.
Although the stock markets in the U.S. and Europe showed little reaction, vigilance against the virus was growing.
And the next day.
- WHO: ‘Asymptomatic Carriers Transmitting Novel Coronavirus’
- Hong Kong Research Team Estimates Over 70,000 Coronavirus Cases in China
- China: Daily Infections Increase by Over 2,500
- Chinese Stock Market Plummets Over 10%, Circuit Breakers Triggered
- U.S. White House to Review Economic Impact as a Precautionary Measure
The virus was spreading through China at an explosive rate.
An increase of 2,500 in a single day was a rate of spread that completely defied previous expectations.
Confirmed cases began appearing in South Korea as well, leading to the temporary closure of department stores and hotels.
‘This reminds me of a movie I once saw.’
A movie I watched with Ellie in a video room, about humanity being endangered by an infectious disease.
Though it was a work of cinematic imagination, the virus in the movie had spread across the globe in just one month.
The death toll in the U.S. had surpassed 2.5 million, and the world was thrown into chaos until a vaccine was developed four months later.
They even had to distribute the scarce vaccine through a lottery system.
‘This disease is spreading too fast.’
China wasn't disclosing all its information. What if tens of thousands were actually being infected every day?
And what if those infected were spreading not just to South Korea, but to many other countries?
Even if the mortality rate of the coronavirus wasn't severe, it seemed capable of inflicting great harm on the economy and society.
Anyone could have these thoughts, but few possessed the ability to prepare for it.
I didn't know the situation at other pharmaceutical companies. All I knew was that Biolife, the company I had invested in, had been consistently researching coronaviruses.
- Kim Shin: I will provide more support for vaccine and treatment development. Please let me know what you need.
- Lee Ho-yeon: We need a budget and computing resources to counter the virus.
- Kim Shin: You’ll have whatever you need.
I sent 60 billion won in funding to Biolife.
I had been investing 10 billion won every year to prepare for something that might never happen, but if it could contribute even a little to fighting this pandemic, the money was not a waste.
Biolife acquired a sample of the coronavirus and decided to begin analysis centered on artificial intelligence, as well as to expand its research staff.
- Lee Ho-yeon: I will let you know if there is any progress.
- Kim Shin: Yes. Please do your best.
Unsure of how far the coronavirus would spread, I sold off nearly half of the U.S. tech stocks I had bought, including Netflix.
Ka-talk!
- Jin Yoo-kyung: I’ll accept the terms of the deal. Come to my office tomorrow.
And just like that, Jin Yoo-kyung accepted my proposal two days later.
* * *
Team Leader Han Chae-won.
When her former team leader, Choi So-hye, quit the company, she became the support team's new leader with the help of Director Jeong, who was on the verge of being promoted to vice president.
“Han Chae-won is the team leader? That’s ridiculous. There are several people with more seniority.”
“And it’s not like her work performance is better than anyone else’s.”
Although complaints had circulated among the support team staff when she was promoted, Han Chae-won retorted with a frosty expression.
“If you want to quit, hand in your resignation. The company isn’t a place for personal feelings, is it?”
She believed that after becoming team leader, she could eventually become an executive at Arcor by following Director Jeong.
“I heard Assistant Manager Kim is back in Korea. He’s treating everyone to dinner.”
“Kim Sang-gi from the sales team?”
“No, Assistant Manager Kim Shin, the one who quit.”
“Oh. Him.”
News of her ex-husband reached her at the company.
Han Chae-won was annoyed and uncomfortable but did her best to suppress it.
‘It’s all in the past.’
The countless texts she sent to Kim Shin went unanswered.
Director Jeong was a more considerate man than she had expected, and his parents also looked upon her favorably.
She thought it was only natural to receive such treatment because of her youth and beauty.
‘He made tens of billions of won, right? Even if it’s not that much, once he inherits his parents’ assets, he could become a ten-billion-won-level millionaire, couldn’t he?’
To wear nice clothes and drive a nice car.
She wanted to live a life where she was treated well everywhere she went.
In that respect, her married life with Kim Shin had been the absolute worst.
A fleeting fling.
Nothing was as dreadful as a poor married life.
She would burst with anger whenever she saw her less attractive friends meet boyfriends or husbands with better prospects than her.
Eventually, she took out her mounting stress on her husband.
Kim Shin had hit the jackpot with crypto later on, but that was something no one could have predicted.
She thought they should just live their own separate lives now.
It was the day after Kim Shin came to Korea and treated the Arcor employees to a meal.
“He treated them to a meal at a super expensive place.”
“Doesn’t he seem much more sophisticated and refined?”
“Right? Money really makes the man.”
“I asked about the watch on his wrist, and he said it was worth over 400 million won.”
“That’s insane. Seriously.”
Han Chae-won heard every word of the employees’ chatter.
Even when she went up to the rooftop to cool her temper, she heard news about Kim Shin.
Na Sang-guk was talking to the new employees.
“Assistant Manager Kim. We joined at the same time, and I taught him a lot. You could say I was the one who taught him the ABCs of company life.”
“You did?”
“Yeah. Sang-gi and I were called the Three Musketeers with him. We agreed to have a drink at a nice place later.”
No matter what, hearing about Kim Shin only irritated her.
That day, Han Chae-won nagged Director Jeong, with whom she was living, to no end.
“Drink a little less, will you?”
“It’s necessary for work, but I’ll try to cut back.”
“What is that pot belly? Isn’t that all visceral fat?”
Still, it wasn't as bad as when she used to criticize Kim Shin in the past.
She knew Director Jeong wasn't someone she could disregard so easily, because he had money.
But then…
“Assistant Manager Kim. Did you see the news?”
“I saw it. The internet is going crazy over his wealth.”
“I never knew he had that much money. He’s a god of investing. A god.”
The office staff was buzzing all day long.
Han Chae-won searched for the articles on her computer, her mouth agape in astonishment.
‘Really? Is this for real?’
A trillion-won-level tycoon, ranking among the top 20 wealthiest people in South Korea.
“Assistant Manager Kim hit the jackpot. He’s in a completely different world from us now.”
“Even if we sold our entire company, it wouldn’t even be a fraction of his wealth.”
“But Team Leader Han, who divorced him… I wonder how much she regrets it now.”
The employees' words stabbed her heart like daggers.