Making a Hogu of Chairman Steven
"CEO Kim, could I possibly buy that wine you just had?"
Young-hoon's face lit up instantly, and Chairman Steven caught the change the moment it happened.
Seeing that expression, it was obvious — this man had been planning to sell him that wine from the very start.
Only now did the regret sink in.
If he'd known this was coming, he never should have let his displeasure show earlier.
There would surely be a dose of payback mixed in as well.
And sure enough, the words that came out were anything but pleasant.
"I can sell you as much as you like, as long as the price is right. But it's rather expensive, so I only sell it to those who can afford it."
The rascal was adding salt to the wound. He had to have heard all about it when Chairman Michael made the introduction, yet here he was playing dumb.
Well, fine — was a man ranked among the top three in American retail and distribution supposed to lack the money? He himself was worth over fifty billion dollars.
No matter how pricey it got, a single bottle of wine wouldn't run past several hundred million — the man was clearly toying with him.
"Hmm, I suppose the fault lies mostly with my earlier rudeness. Allow me to apologize once more. I could easily afford somewhere in the range of one hundred million dollars, so speak freely. What price did you have in mind per bottle?"
Young-hoon appeared to consider it for a moment before speaking.
"Ordinarily, you'd be paying whatever I asked… but since I'll be maintaining a long-term relationship with you, Chairman Steven, I'll take about half. Ah, whatever — call it a mood. Forty million dollars will do."
At forty million a bottle, Chairman Steven figured he could buy ten on the spot.
"Excellent. I'll wire the forty million dollars to whatever account you name immediately. By the way — might I purchase around ten bottles?"
"That won't be possible. This elixir can only be produced about a hundred bottles a year. And since so many people want it, all matters concerning elixir sales are handled by Chairman Jang and Chairman Choi here. So from this moment on, please direct your inquiries to these two gentlemen."
Young-hoon tossed the handling of Chairman Steven straight to the two chairmen.
Men who had weathered every storm life could offer — air combat included — would have no trouble turning him into a hogu. And of course, Chairman Michael wouldn't escape the same fate.
With the two Chinese chairmen already claimed earlier, it looked as though Chairman Jang and Chairman Choi were about to bring the hogu count to four.
Watching it all unfold from the sidelines, the two chairmen were thoroughly satisfied with Young-hoon's negotiating prowess.
When demand vastly outstrips supply, it is only natural that the supplier holds the power to set the price.
Young-hoon had coaxed and flattered Chairman Steven along until he extracted exactly the figure he wanted.
With Young-hoon having gift-wrapped the man so neatly before handing him over, turning him into a hogu would be easier than eating cold porridge.
And with that, the morning's schedule for Young-hoon and his party came to a close.
Chairman Michael invited Young-hoon's group to a dinner banquet and continued his discussions with Chairman Wang Chenchen over the sale of his PBS shares.
In the meantime, Young-hoon and company moved to Chairman Steven's office to carry out the legal procedures. Under Lawyer Smith's supervision, they concluded the elixir sale contract, with payment to be wired directly into Young-hoon's account.
Only after confirming the money had landed in Young-hoon's account did Chairman Jang hand the elixir over to Chairman Steven. Thorough as ever when it came to business.
Afterward, they exchanged a wide range of opinions on the direction of the liquor, coffee, and tea ventures.
Amid it all, Chairman Steven let slip, ever so subtly, his fervent hope that they would never, under any circumstances, meet Chairman Richard — that pig-greedy tycoon — in New York.
For Young-hoon's party, however, this would only prove an opportunity. As the old saying goes, the more competition there is, the higher the price of admission.
Lawyer Smith, meanwhile, found himself swept into the role of attorney responsible for every one of Young-hoon's business contracts in America.
Silent pressure from his father-in-law, Chairman Jang, played a part — but far more than that, he had fallen head over heels for Young-hoon's sheer magnetism.
The sight of a man so young steering negotiations with such seasoned poise was impressive enough, but his vision and drive to venture into so many different fields left a deep impression. There was also the cold calculation that the legal services for the businesses Young-hoon would build would command fees far beyond trivial.
Once the talks concluded, Young-hoon's party left Chairman Steven's office and retired to the hotel for a short rest, planning to head to the dinner banquet Chairman Michael had arranged once evening fell.
Lawyer Smith returned to New York along the way — he had an important trial the next day — with a promise, of course, to meet again there.
When they arrived back at the hotel, Chairman Wang Chenchen was, unexpectedly, already waiting for them. The bright expression on his face suggested the deadlocked PBS share acquisition was progressing well.
"Hyung-nims, welcome back."
"Heheh, looks like things are going well with Chairman Michael. Your face is positively glowing."
"Yes, hyung. Through a one-on-one meeting with Chairman Michael, I've decided to acquire the PBS shares. The rest is just work for the staff to handle. All that's left is to enjoy riding white horses to my heart's content for about a week, then sign the contract."
"Congratulations, Chairman Wang. Once you acquire PBS, the TV dramas CEO Kim produces — you'll take personal responsibility for airing them."
"Is that even a question? If it's the word of my hyung-nims, I'd play dead if they asked."
"Heheh, no need to go that far. Anyway, congratulations once more."
"From this moment until you hyung-nims return to Korea, I'll see to it that everything is served at the very highest grade."
Chairman Wang must truly have been delighted to have acquired PBS.
Young-hoon thought that if he played Chairman Wang well, breaking into the American broadcasting and entertainment world would be no great feat. Then again, even without him, Chairman Jang and Chairman Choi would have paved the way.
"Chairman Wang, what time was the dinner banquet again?"
"Someone will be waiting in the hotel lobby at six. So please come down by five-fifty."
Chairman Choi slipped smoothly into the conversation between Chairman Jang and Chairman Wang.
"Chairman Wang, from today onward, no matter what happens, everything had better be prepared perfectly. We let yesterday slide because we'd only just arrived — but from today, if the preparations aren't in order, you're stripped of your little-brother status."
"Chairman Michael has already promised firmly that he'll keep them on standby like top-tier celebrities. So rest easy, hyung-nims."
Chairman Choi smacked his lips, anticipation written all over him.
"Is that so? Then we'll trust you, little brother Wang."
Once the schedule talk wound down, Director Park proposed a revenge match.
"It's an awkward stretch of time before the banquet — why don't we head up and enjoy a round of hwatu? I can't stop thinking about getting my money back."
Chairman Choi, Chairman Jang, and Director Park glowed with the greed of men hoping to recover yesterday's losses, while Chairman Wang shone with the hunger to skim off even more today. Every eye in the room — except Young-hoon's — began to sparkle.
The truth was, nothing filled an awkward hour quite like a card game.
The match that followed lasted nearly three hours, and once again it was Chairman Wang who swept the table, pocketing some three hundred dollars. Young-hoon barely broke even, and Director Park seemed to have lost around a hundred and fifty.
As a result, Director Park's eyes practically shot flames. It seemed he would need at least a few more rounds of hwatu before going home to Korea.
With the card game wrapped up, they went down to the lobby on the first floor, where the limousine sent by Chairman Michael was waiting.
The car carried them, as it had the day before, to Chairman Michael's estate — but today's atmosphere could not have been more different from last night's.
If yesterday had been the gloom of midwinter under heavy clouds, today was the third month of spring, blossoms in bloom and birdsong in the air.
At the entrance to the banquet hall, Chairman Michael and Chairman Steven were waiting to receive them. Chairman Steven, for his part, seemed to be angling to ladle himself a spoonful of the pot.
The dinner unfolded in warm, convivial spirits for nearly two hours. Western-style barbecue whetted every appetite, and talk of their successful business dealings set off round after round of laughter.
With the meal done and bellies comfortably full, it was time to go meet the racehorses Chairman Michael had boasted about so confidently.
A thirty-minute drive brought them to a lavish party venue, where thirty-odd beauties had been frolicking about — until Chairman Michael made his entrance, and they swarmed to him like bees to nectar.
Most of them had faces and figures so stunning you'd have believed it if he'd called them Miss America.
The partner Young-hoon selected was likewise a breathtaking blonde beauty. Her name was Daisy, and true to the flower's meaning, her tall, voluptuous curves evoked an immediate sense of peace.
The partners chosen by Chairman Choi and the rest were all peerless beauties as well, and everyone looked thoroughly pleased with their picks.
With partner selection complete, the party returned to the hotel.
The preliminary events were now all finished — nothing remained but the main competition. Each athlete, burning with fighting spirit, headed to his own room.
From here on, it was every man for himself.
Young-hoon and Daisy changed into their competition gear and went straight into a ferocious match, running without rest all the way to the second half.
Four hours flew by before anyone noticed, and worn down by the rough contest, Daisy collapsed boneless onto the bed.
Out of consideration for everyone's individual circumstances, no schedule had been set for the morning — so until noon, it was private free time. The afternoon was planned around LA's major tourist spots and a tour of Chairman Steven's department stores and discount marts.
After a brief rest in the small hours, Young-hoon and Daisy launched into a rematch from the early morning. Daisy, determined not to lose this time, threw herself into the match with passion — and in the end, Young-hoon skipped breakfast entirely.
The victor of the morning match, of course, was Young-hoon.
As noon approached, he woke Daisy and, in playful mischief, they shared a shower together.
Around eleven-fifty he came down to the lobby, where it seemed no one else had yet gathered. As he waited, people began trickling in one by one, every face bright — clearly, everyone had enjoyed themselves.
They ate a hearty lunch at what was said to be the most famous restaurant in LA. Even the partners in Young-hoon's party looked as though they'd never set foot in an establishment this upscale before.
Once the meal was finished and they were waiting on coffee for dessert, Chairman Steven sidled up with a request.
"CEO Kim, after the coffee you gave me yesterday, I simply can't drink anything else. A little service again today, please?"
Young-hoon had no reason to refuse. He was bound for the American market sooner or later, and the more mouths spreading the word, the better.
When the coffee arrived, Young-hoon added a pinch of the herb powder to everyone's cups.
Those who had tasted it before savored the coffee with contented smiles, as if it were only natural. The partners, on the other hand, reacted first with pure curiosity — they couldn't fathom what could possibly be so extraordinary that men of such standing would light up like children.
Their expressions as they drank — half curiosity, half expectation — were truly a sight to behold. Last night's desire-drunk faces had been alluring, but this pure, moved, radiant happiness was something wonderful to watch.
After the partners stepped out of the room, Chairman Michael asked the party's opinion: if anyone was unhappy with his choice, he would gladly arrange a swap.
No one wanted a replacement. Everyone had spent a satisfying night, and they all knew their time with these partners was fated to end by tomorrow morning anyway.
Chairman Michael would happily have attached partners to them for the whole of their American stay, but once they crossed into New York, making new acquaintances seemed the proper courtesy owed to the people waiting there.
And sure enough, Chairman Wang Chenchen let it slip that Chairman Wang Qianshu had already arranged everything with friends in New York — setup complete.
Young-hoon's party promised the partners they'd see them again at the dinner banquet and set off on a tour of Chairman Steven's department store.
Call it a department store, but it differed little from those in Korea — with one distinct exception: it was undeniably stuffed with luxury goods.
Young-hoon remembered his promise to buy Su-jin a gift and, with a heavy heart and a heavier wallet, picked out a designer handbag. Chairman Steven, reading his mind like a ghost, gifted him the most expensive-looking bag on the shelf.
The others likewise browsed for presents for their lovers or wives — and Chairman Steven swept those onto his tab as well.
Everyone in the party, Young-hoon included, held fortunes of at least several trillion won, yet receiving gifts for free still put them all in visibly good spirits, and they made a point of thanking Chairman Steven for his generosity.
Afterward they toured the discount marts too, though unsurprisingly, they differed little from those in Korea.