Chapter 62
Chapter 62
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: Conference
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Click!
"CEO Seon Woo-hyuk, what brings you to Korea?"
"Well, that's confidential for now, but you'll know soon enough."
"Could you say a few words to ease the concerns of our citizens amid the current economic turmoil in Korea?"
The endless barrage of camera shutter clicks and flashing lights.
'How do celebrities even endure this?'
He regretted not bringing sunglasses; it was getting hard to keep his eyes open.
"Let's move right away."
"Thank you."
He had anticipated a welcoming crowd, but he never imagined the airport arrivals hall would be packed with people celebrating his arrival and reporters covering them.
The silver lining was that his first schedule after landing was a dinner with the President, so someone had come out to greet him in advance.
Thud.
'Whoa, is this why success feels so good?'
Even in the US, his position came with a dedicated driver and car.
But seeing what the Presidential Office had prepared to receive him made him feel like the protagonist in a movie.
Not only his car, but identical models flanked it front and rear.
And three police motorcycles escorted them, surrounding the convoy.
"Is everything comfortable?"
"Yes, very."
"Good. Allow me to briefly explain the schedule after your meeting with His Excellency the President. Upon arrival at the Blue House, we'll have a short commemorative photo session at the entrance, followed by the presentation of artifacts and the conferment of the Gold Crown Order of Cultural Merit..."
He received a briefing on the day's itinerary from a Blue House Chief of Staff aide riding with him.
'What a dull, pompous schedule.'
He'd prefer to exchange artifacts, accept the medal, grab some food, and talk business casually. But given who he was meeting, that wasn't possible, which was a shame.
From now on, he had to take such formalities seriously.
The land had changed, so his behavior needed to adapt.
'In the US, too much humility looks like cowardice, but in Korea, acting the same way would get you branded trash.'
He couldn't even imagine the backlash if he'd given his AIAS acceptance speech here.
"We've arrived."
Clunk.
As he reviewed the briefing and the documents Scarlett had summarized, the car pulled up to the destination.
'Sigh. A place I never had karma with in my past life, and now here I am.'
Stepping out, he saw the familiar building he'd often glimpsed in videos.
Videos hadn't captured its grandeur, befitting a head of state's residence. He took a moment to survey the surroundings.
"Shall we proceed?"
Normally, he'd walk from the entrance, but as an invited guest, he rode up to the main building's front door.
"Hahaha! To think I'm meeting the pride of our Republic of Korea like this!"
"Hello, it's an honor to be invited."
"Nonsense! I'm the one honored to meet the young entrepreneur who's brought glory to Korea."
The purpose of his visit and the Blue House's master stood at the entrance to greet him.
The President laughed heartily, naturally pulling him into a one-armed embrace to show familiarity.
'This guy's just a figurehead now.'
The President had reached out first and scheduled this meeting; he surely wasn't calling just to chat idly.
Though unspoken, today's encounter was essentially a negotiation to settle terms.
Thus, he awaited the post-dinner meeting with Prime Minister Kim Jae-sik.
Han Geon-woo, mired in lame-duck status and the IMF crisis, held only nominal power.
The real authority in the Blue House and ruling party lay with Prime Minister Kim Jae-sik, who eyed the next Seoul mayoral race.
Rumors swirled that he'd resign as PM to run for mayor, aiming for the presidency later.
For that, he'd need help desperately, so leveraging him to extract maximum gains was the main reason for this trip.
'What a headache. Me, putting on an act for this little punk.'
Kim Jae-sik, the Republic of Korea's Prime Minister in his thirties.
Nicknamed "fastball" for his blunt, no-nonsense style, today he had to perform for a green kid.
It bruised his pride just thinking about it, but he had no choice.
'I can't let my political career crash like this!'
The IMF crisis had erupted, unstoppable even by government might.
With the delegation negotiating with the IMF, President Han Geon-woo's approval ratings had plummeted below rock bottom.
Just three months.
If those passed without incident, Han could exit gracefully as a President who'd accomplished much despite missteps.
But now, dishonorable resignation loomed, making the Prime Minister desperate.
As the government's number two, his own reputation would tank too.
'Right now, whoever holds dollars is king.'
Thus, after dinner with the President, Kim planned to treat Savior CEO Seon Woo-hyuk with utmost courtesy, pride be damned—like a foreign head of state.
Savior.
He'd been shocked learning America's hottest company's CEO was Korean.
'I thought I'd misheard at first.'
A month ago, on Savior's listing day, his staff briefed him on Seon Woo-hyuk and the company.
- Prime Minister, it's hard to believe, but that young man has personal wealth rivaling Chairman Jeong Mong-jin's. Analysis says he'll surpass him in a few years.
Like his chief of staff said, it was unbelievable at first.
How could a 27-year-old without inheritance match Korea's richest?
Kim had suspected a scam initially.
But the more reports he read, the more he realized Seon Woo-hyuk's importance. Without hesitation, he convinced the President to invite him to dinner.
'Gold Crown Order of Cultural Merit? Giving such an honor to a kid peddling weird software?'
'End times, end times. Do we have to grovel to some bloodless brat?'
'Companies selling intangible crap collapse fast. Real giants like Oseong or Jeil make fridges and TVs.'
Some grumbled beyond doubt at his bold move.
Kim used his remaining power to purge them all.
'1 billion dollars! Just his liquid cash alone!'
Over 1 trillion won at current rates.
An enormous sum, but crucially in dollars.
Companies were bankrupt for lack of even millions; tens of thousands were impossible.
Even Daehyeon, Oseong, and Jeil combined barely scraped 1 billion dollars.
Treating the man holding that much like state guest royalty made sense.
'If only he'd invest a tenth.'
Of course, Kim knew he wouldn't deploy it all.
Probably just enough to boast, but in Korea's dire straits, the desperate dug wells.
"Thank you for inviting me and treating me to such a fine meal."
"Haha, no need. In these tough times, your success story in America is inspiring many."
"You're gilding my face too much; I don't know what to say."
With ceremonies and dinner done, Kim finally got one-on-one time with Seon Woo-hyuk.
"Not at all. In hard times like these, we need more like you to give people hope."
"That would be ideal. As a Korean, I'd love to contribute."
"Koreans have always produced saviors in crises since ancient times. Look at Admiral Yi Sun-sin saving Joseon from the Japanese invaders."
"Yes, that's true."
"I see you as this crisis's Yi Sun-sin, come to save Korea."
Seeing Seon Woo-hyuk's flustered expression, Kim knew he'd hit the mark.
'Even the shameless can't refuse after this flattery.'
Flattery that would shame him sleepless if overheard—for one reason: securing investment promises.
He didn't dream of 1 billion; even a tenth would save those on the streets.
With that, Kim could relaunch his political career.
"Sigh... With you praising me like this, Prime Minister, I can't just sit idle."
'Yes!'
As Seon pondered then responded positively, Kim's face lit up.
The Gold Crown medal he'd bestowed to win favor?
For a million dollars—hell, 100 thousand—he'd hand out hundreds.
"Truth is, listing my company Savior gave me some spare cash."
"Oh, really?"
He knew that, hence the invitation, but he chimed in, eagerly awaiting the exact amount inwardly.
"So, I'm thinking of investing it in Korea to help weather this storm."
"That would help immensely."
"Hmm..."
Seon tilted his head, dragging out time as if pondering the figure, driving Kim mad with impatience.
A bit longer, and face be damned, he'd gulp the iced water before him.
"Savior plans to invest in Korea..."
"The amount?"
"40..."
The instant "40" left Seon's lips, Kim scowled unwittingly.
'After all this, just 400 thousand dollars?!'
The kid clearly took the Prime Minister for a fool.
Kim vowed to make him pay dearly for today's insolence, using every means...
"...billion dollars. How about that?"
Seon's follow-up words left Kim Jae-sik in a daze, blacking out momentarily.