Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Strategic Moves
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“What are you talking about? Why develop it if you're not going to sell it?”
Hee-won stared at me, dumbfounded.
“At the very least, we’re not selling it to our neighbors. The fact that they want tantalum micro-coating technology means they’re trying to improve their gun barrels to increase the rate of fire of their self-propelled howitzers. We can’t just hand over such a crucial technology to countries that could turn into enemies at any moment.”
“Hey! Do you know how much they offered? Ten billion won. *Ten billion*.”
“There are plenty of others who would pay that much. Damn, but that was a close call.”
“What was?”
“I never thought China or Japan would be interested in that technology so soon.”
Originally, their attempts to develop their own coating technology for self-propelled howitzer barrels didn't begin until the early 2000s.
Even then, China’s “attempt” was focused on stealing the technology Germany later successfully developed, while Japan’s approach was close but ultimately ended in failure.
But more importantly, it was currently 1998.
In other words, this was happening three years ahead of schedule.
Could my return have caused something like a butterfly effect?
If so, there was no guarantee something like this wouldn't happen again, and a sense of urgency washed over me.
“We’d better speed up material development. Crack the whip on the researchers and get them to pick up the pace on the current projects.”
Hee-won’s face crumpled into a frown at my words.
It was clearly time for another one of his whining sessions.
I cut him off by abruptly holding out a bankbook.
“Any team that delivers their research results even a single day ahead of schedule will receive a bonus of one hundred million won, no questions asked. Like you said, since I provided the core source material, it shouldn't be that difficult.”
“Oh, shit!”
As if he’d never been frowning, Hee-won snatched the bankbook.
As I smiled and turned to leave, he suddenly mentioned Professor Myung.
“By the way, are you really not going to invite Professor Myung to our institute?”
“He needs to stay at Thales.”
“What? Why? Having him here would speed up development like crazy. And honestly, despite what I said, I don't dislike him that much.”
“It’s not about you. I need him there so I can control Thales. Anyway, I’m leaving.”
“Where are you going?”
“Now that we've borne fruit, it's time to prepare for production, isn't it?”
“You're planning to produce this through Thales?”
Of course.
My principle was that my research institute would handle material development.
And Thales would handle production.
The only thing that bothered me was that this would inevitably expose the existence of my institute.
But then again, having a plausible source for the technology was one of the reasons I established it in the first place, so maybe it was for the best.
“Hey, wouldn't it be better if we just found a separate production company? Entrusting it to Thales will just cut into our profits, don't you think?”
“No, Thales is the best option for getting things done my way. Besides, there’s no other place in South Korea with production facilities as perfect as theirs.”
Leaving a disgruntled Hee-won behind, I got into my car.
I’d said it with confidence, but the thought of meeting Chairman Jin was already giving me a headache.
From revealing the existence of the research institute to negotiating the profit-sharing ratio.
'That's secondary. The real problem is restoring our relationship with Samjung Electronics.'
When you got down to it, that was the most important reason I had to see Chairman Jin.
If cooperation with Thales on producing the developed material fell through, I could just choose another company.
But in this era, Samjung Electronics was the only company capable of miniaturizing a MEMS-based sensor module enough to fit inside that small shell while ensuring a stable supply.
Damn it. The problem was that Techwin, Samjung Group's defense contractor, and our Jaewoo Defense had become bitter rivals during the bidding for the new self-propelled howitzer development project.
The bottom line was that if I couldn't somehow fix that god-awful relationship, the development of the smart shell was dead in the water.
'No, it's not just the shell that's at stake. My entire future plan could go up in smoke...'
***
“What are you talking about? Why would we have any friction with Samjung Group?”
“...”
A short while later, Chairman Jin rendered all my serious concerns moot.
What kind of anticlimax was this?
Flustered, I brought up something that could have been a thorny subject for him.
“Are you saying you’ve still been in contact with Chairman Lee Yong-moon, even after the K9 development project rights went to Samjung?”
“That's just how business is. To you, it might seem foolish how kids fight over a piece of candy and then become friends again in a flash, but you should remember that's actually the most important lesson for a businessman to learn.”
Who didn't know that?
The only problem was that the K9 development project rights were hardly a piece of candy.
They say there are no permanent enemies or allies in the face of money.
It seemed that saying was an eternal truth.
“Then when would you be able to arrange a meeting?”
“I already have a dinner scheduled with him soon anyway. Oh, come to think of it, I believe I scheduled that on the same day you had that argument with Han Dong-hoon, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.”
“So the person you were on the phone with back then was Chairman Lee Yong-moon of Samjung Group?”
“That's right. But why on earth do you need Samjung's help?”
“Ah, that’s…”
I snapped back to my senses and continued with an explanation of the ‘smart shell’ I was developing.
A self-propelled howitzer shell with an effective range of over 150 kilometers.
A monster equipped not only with GPS but also an inertial navigation system and a terrain-following sensor, capable of precision guidance.
Was he dumbfounded? Chairman Jin, who had been listening the whole time, finally let out a hollow laugh.
“That's a missile, not an artillery shell.”
“That's precisely its merit. A single artillery shell replacing a short-range missile that costs at least one billion won per shot.”
“What do you estimate the unit price will be?”
“Around 45 million won per shell at most.”
“Forty-five million won for a single shell?”
“You have to consider the cost of the precision components inside.”
“Well, yes… but would the army really need such an expensive shell?”
“It's a means to counter North Korea's coastal artillery. And their long-range artillery, hidden away in countless caves along the front line. Once this is developed, they won't even be able to crawl out of their holes.”
“Hmm, but its high precision could be a double-edged sword. It means fewer shells would be consumed, so the military might not place large orders. You do realize that could leave us unable to even recoup our development costs, right?”
“That would be true if only the army used it. But this can be modified into a 127mm naval gun shell, so it can also replace the navy’s short-range ship-to-surface and ship-to-ship missiles.”
“The navy too?”
“Yes. And the even better news is that the U.S. Navy will welcome this with open arms once it's developed.”
In reality, the U.S. Navy would go on to pour a staggering two trillion won into developing a 127mm 'precision-guided naval shell'.
And despite that, they would ultimately fail.
The reason was that the muzzle pressure, reaching 20,000 Gs, caused the precision instruments inside the shell to malfunction every time.
I had already developed the 'nanowire shock absorber' that would be the solution.
And was that all?
I also had a new propellant charge capable of achieving a muzzle velocity three times the speed of sound, and an explosive with several times the power of existing ones.
In other words, I had everything the U.S. Navy of this era would go crazy for.
“If the U.S. military is interested, then we won't need to worry about profitability. But do we even have the ability to develop such an incredible weapon?”
“Actually, it’s already half-complete. The development of the core materials is finished. The only remaining tasks are the design and production of the precision electronic components, which is why we need Samjung.”
For a moment, Chairman Jin’s jaw dropped.
He stared at me with a profound, unreadable expression for a long time, then suddenly threw out an unexpected question.
“I haven't heard anything about Thales developing a special material recently... Could it be that this is also the work of your research institute?”
“...”
For a second, I doubted my own ears.
Did I hear him correctly?
He hadn't asked, 'Is this your work?' but 'Is this the work of your research institute?'
I hadn't said a single word about the institute's existence. I couldn't figure out why he would suddenly bring it up.
“Did you know I established a research institute?”
“Of course, I did.”
Chairman Jin said with a snort.
“Did you have me investigated?”
“A background check? Don't be silly. I heard that the bonds I gave your birth mother in the past had all been cashed out, so I got curious and looked into it a bit. Honestly, you had no reason to need that much money.”
I had anticipated that news of me liquidating the bonds would reach Chairman Jin's ears.
I just hadn't expected him to find out so quickly.
What was strange was why he had heard the news long ago but never said a word about it until now.
“Then why did you pretend not to know?”
“Well, let's just say I was curious about what you were planning to do with that institute. But looking at you now, I think I have a pretty good idea.”
“...”
“Wasn't your intention to provide the things your institute develops to Thales and generate profit, just like you're doing now?”
He had seen through a great deal.
Moreover, he had grasped my true intentions.
But if this was the case, didn't it save me some trouble?
Since he already knew about the institute, I didn't need to explain it.
And from the way he spoke, he didn't seem particularly opposed to a cooperative relationship between my institute and Thales.
“Why?”
Then, Chairman Jin asked a cryptic question.
When I tilted my head, his expression hardened as he repeated the question.
“I'm asking why you're going to such lengths to make money.”
From his expression, it seemed he already knew the answer.
A clumsy excuse would only make things worse.
His eyes gleamed as if he were about to devour me, waiting for my answer. I replied, as if making a declaration.
“I plan to raise my stake in Thales.”
“...”
For a moment, a subtle expression crossed his face, and he fell silent.
It seemed he intended to hide his true thoughts, but it didn't feel negative.
If he truly disliked my plan, he would have expressed anger, not silence.
“I'll arrange the meeting with Chairman Lee Yong-moon as soon as possible.”
Chairman Jin slowly rose from his seat, changing the subject.
He seemed to be heading straight for his room but then suddenly turned back and stared at me.
“Is there something else you wish to say?”
“Come to think of it, we haven't set the profit-sharing ratio between your institute and Thales. Surely you're not planning to fleece your own father, are you?”
“I intend to take thirty percent of the operating profit.”
“You’ll take thirty percent? For just providing the technology?”
Chairman Jin looked astonished.
I quickly cut in before he could say anything more negative.
“In return, I will give you exclusive rights to the production of all weapon-related materials.”
“...”
That should be a satisfying enough compensation for him.
Having exclusive rights meant he could set prices as he pleased.
Furthermore, it would give him a powerful weapon in negotiations with other companies that would later receive the produced materials, so giving up thirty percent wouldn't be a significant blow.
“You cunning devil.”
That was as good as an answer.
Was he not particularly displeased? A faint smile touched Chairman Jin’s lips as he turned away.
“Starting next week, I want you to attend the group's weekly executive meeting every Wednesday. As Thales's representative.”
“Me?”
Being told to attend the group's executive meeting meant he was acknowledging me as an executive.
Of course, the Head of the Policy Office was an executive-level position, but I hadn't been fully recognized as such within the group.
But it seemed he intended to make it official now.
“Understood.”
There was no reason to refuse, so I agreed immediately.
As I stood up with the documents I’d brought, he, still looking at me, spoke again.
“Whatever it is, give it your all. I don't recall having chosen the next master of Thales just yet.”
“...”