Chapter 66
Chapter 66
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: Unexpected Opportunities
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[Jaewoo Group Hints at Entering the Battery Sector.]
A month later, the news was filled with articles about Jaewoo's entry into the battery sector.
The total investment amounted to 300 billion won.
For now, any mention of all-solid-state batteries was deliberately excluded from the media, the reasoning being that there was no need to prematurely instill unnecessary caution in our competitors.
Domestic companies, not to mention Japanese battery manufacturers, were already on high alert just from the news of our market entry; there was no need to provoke them further.
The truth about the all-solid-state batteries would be kept strictly confidential until the final product was ready.
“For now, we’ll probably have to focus on the lithium-ion and lithium-polymer markets first.”
Hyun-cheol, who had been scanning the newspaper articles, subtly laid out the blueprint.
In truth, I felt the same way.
It would take at least five years to establish the proper production infrastructure for all-solid-state batteries, so this was a necessary step to build a foundation to support the division in the meantime.
“Of course. And in the meantime, we’ll also need to develop products that can be used in the IT sector.”
“What are your plans for the automotive market?”
“I believe it will also take time to release a perfect electric vehicle to the world. The functional aspects won’t be an issue, but we need to bring all the underlying conditions up to the standard we’re aiming for.”
“I suppose so. By the way, do you think Hyunwoo Motors will even listen to us?”
Hyun-cheol nodded as if in agreement, then suddenly expressed concern on that point.
It wasn’t an unfounded worry. Proposing a collaboration to change the paradigm of the automotive market to a company pouring all its efforts into internal combustion engines would likely get us labeled as lunatics.
That was a concern for me as well.
“That’s why I’d rather establish a car company myself, but the circumstances aren’t favorable right now. No matter how I look at it, there’s no reason for the government to approve the establishment of a new automobile company.”
“True. With existing companies going bankrupt, being sold off, or absorbed, they wouldn’t be thrilled about someone wanting to start a new car company.”
“Exactly. The whole country and the business world were in an uproar over the issue of Gia Motors being absorbed by Hyunwoo. Besides, if we came forward saying we want to make electric cars—something government officials wouldn’t even understand—we’d never get business approval, no matter how much influence we wielded.”
“So, what’s your plan now?”
“Let’s discuss that after I get back from the business trip to Saudi Arabia. The urgent matter at hand is finalizing the K9 export deal.”
A glance at the time showed it was nearly 2 PM.
I needed to leave for the airport immediately if I didn't want to be late.
As I slowly got up, Hyun-cheol suddenly extended his hand.
“Travel safely. The company won’t collapse just because you’re gone, so don’t worry too much about things here. Ah! And just in case, don’t go falling head over heels for an Arab woman and come back holding her hand. That would be a problem.”
*Pfft.*
********
[Would you like a drink?]
I was admiring the clouds passing below when a flight attendant’s voice reached me.
I turned my head absently. She gave me a bright smile, gestured to the water and drinks on her cart, and spoke again.
[Please let me know if there’s anything you need.]
[Ah! A glass of juice, please.]
As the words left my mouth, our eyes met again.
Sharp features and perfectly straight teeth.
She was a rare beauty, and my eyes were drawn to her against my will.
“Tsk.”
For a moment, Jin Hyun-cheol’s words came to mind, and a dry laugh escaped me.
In truth, how many men wouldn’t be interested in a woman that beautiful?
Just as I was thinking his words weren’t entirely a joke, she suddenly placed a piece of paper on the table along with the drink.
“...”
I looked at the paper, puzzled, and saw a number written on it.
I glanced up in bewilderment, but she had already pushed her cart further down the aisle.
*Tsk, so Arab women aren’t necessarily opposed to being free-spirited.*
I smiled and crumpled the paper.
A free-spirited romance? What a joke, especially for someone like me, living a life where enemies could pop out from anywhere at any moment.
But just then, the head of security, sitting a short distance away, suddenly cleared his throat.
“Ahem.”
He saw.
Of course. There was no way the men whose job was to protect me would have missed that.
Damn it. It was a good thing I crumpled the paper. If I had kept it, I would have completely lost face.
“I brought a few magazines, thinking you might be bored.”
While I was yawning from boredom, the head of security brought over a few thick magazines from somewhere.
They seemed to be magazines provided by the airline for its customers, primarily covering trends in American IT companies.
When I asked where he got them, he said they were stocked in the front of the first-class cabin before returning to his seat.
“Hmm…”
I flipped through the pages almost unconsciously.
With my mind completely preoccupied with all the businesses I had started, how could the magazine's content possibly register?
“Huh?”
But then, a very familiar face in a photograph caught my eye, and my mind went completely blank.
“Elon Musk?”
The article was about the coup that had taken place at X.com, the company Elon Musk owned at the time.
It was the incident where X.com employees, tired of Elon Musk’s autocratic management style after the merger with Confinity, had tried to oust him from his position as CEO.
But that wasn’t the real reason I was surprised.
When I thought of Elon Musk, Tesla naturally came to mind.
It was because the name of Tesla’s original founder and engineer, Eberhard, flashed through my mind.
*In truth, the pioneer of electric vehicles should be seen as Eberhard, not Elon Musk.*
Elon Musk had simply recognized the value of the company they created and invested in it.
Of course, his brilliant management and creativity were instrumental in growing Tesla, but if it weren’t for Eberhard and his partner, Marc Tarpenning, the company called Tesla would never have existed in the first place.
*Come to think of it, Eberhard founded Tesla about three years from now, right? That means he’s either preparing to start the company or conducting research on his own… In that case, should I just recruit him? No. It might not be a bad idea to just establish the company in the U.S. myself.*
It wasn’t an unreasonable thought.
In fact, pioneering the electric car market in Korea during this era would involve many difficulties.
The U.S., with its large market and greater openness to new things, might offer better conditions for me.
Besides, it wouldn’t require a huge investment right away.
After all, the initial amount Elon Musk invested in Tesla was only a little over 100 million dollars.
*It will take several years to develop a mass-producible car body, and installing all-solid-state batteries will delay it further, so a large investment won't be necessary for the time being.*
No, even if things didn’t go as expected, it wouldn’t matter.
By then, the funds coming in from Samjung and the research institute alone would be astronomical.
Lack of money would not be an issue.
*Not bad. As long as I keep the battery factory in Korea, there’s no risk of key technology leaking…*
My thoughts branched out in an instant.
The next thing that came to mind was Ryan, who was probably wasting his time with politicians in the U.S. right about now.
I figured that for him, tracking down one person would be a piece of cake.
[Dear passengers…]
I must have been completely lost in thought; we were already about to arrive in Saudi Arabia.
I had expected this business trip to be tedious, but suddenly I felt a surge of energy, as if my drained batteries had been fully recharged.
*Eberhard…*
**********
[Welcome, Mr. Jin.]
At the airport, officials from the Saudi government were there to greet us.
Hasad had kindly arranged a military escort for us, and after a long drive, our convoy arrived at his residence near the royal palace.
[Please, step out.]
The scale of the residence was beyond imagination.
Then again, it was the home of the deputy crown prince of an oil-rich nation, so this kind of scale was to be expected.
The peculiar thing was the aroma of food wafting from all directions. It seemed they were preparing a banquet for us.
[Welcome.]
The first person to greet us was, as expected, Deputy Crown Prince Hasad.
This was only our second meeting.
But he treated me like an old friend, grabbing my hand warmly and leading me inside. We found ourselves attending the banquet before we even had a chance to recover from the long journey.
[The K9s sent from Korea for testing have already been moved to the proving grounds. Contrary to our concerns, they had no issues with mobility in the desert terrain.]
Hasad’s interest in the K9 was as strong as ever.
He seemed particularly satisfied with the fact that its mobility was unimpeded even in the desert.
I had actually been a little worried about that, but thankfully, there were no problems during the driving tests.
[Tomorrow, you will be able to witness the live-fire demonstration firsthand.]
[I’m very much looking forward to it. Especially the smart shells, which I’ve already seen for myself on the news.]
It seemed he knew about the Yeonpyeong Island shelling incident.
It wasn't surprising, as the incident had spread worldwide through American media.
Since it was an incident we’d rather not recall, I responded with a faint smile, intending to move on, but he suddenly brought up the anti-aircraft missile supply deal we had made with the UAE.
[I hear you’re supplying anti-aircraft missiles to the UAE?]
“...”
[According to our Ministry of Defense, their performance is expected to be extraordinary. Would it be possible for you to supply them to us as well?]
For a moment, I was taken aback.
What reason would I have to refuse someone wanting to buy our products?
However, the anti-aircraft defense missile and fighter jet sectors in Saudi Arabia were markets that had been dominated by the United States until now.
Unlike the tiny UAE, this could potentially lead to a conflict with the U.S.
[That is a matter we would have to consider carefully.]
In fact, the self-propelled howitzer exports were only possible because of such a niche.
The self-propelled howitzer market was a sector the U.S. didn’t pay much attention to.
If the U.S. had been coveting that area as well, this deal would not have been easy.
[Is that so?]
Fortunately, Hasad seemed to understand why I was hesitating.
Nevertheless, his expression remained unsettled.
I felt a little worried about what was to come.
Traditionally, Saudi Arabia wasn't a country that tiptoed around the U.S. when it came to arms acquisitions.
[Well, let’s look into that matter in due time.]
“...”
*****
*KABOOM!*
The next day, the K9 demonstrated its performance on site.
Starting with its specialty, the TOT (Time On Target) barrage, followed by shoot-and-scoot maneuvers.
And then, its rapid-fire capability, which existing self-propelled howitzers couldn’t match.
In the future, with perfect improvements to the automation system and a replacement of the operating system, its performance would undoubtedly improve even further.
At that point, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it had surpassed the PzH 2000.
[Magnificent. The power of the smart shells, in particular, is truly beyond what I imagined. To think I would see a moving vehicle destroyed by an artillery shell with my own eyes!]
Exclamations of awe poured endlessly from Hasad’s mouth.
With this, the deal was as good as done.
Sure enough, as soon as we returned to his office, he began discussing the detailed delivery schedule.
[We can deliver the first batch of about 100 units by the end of next year.]
[Can’t you expedite it?]
[That’s only possible because we are currently expanding our production lines. Besides, training on its operation will also be necessary, so simply delivering the units won’t allow for immediate field deployment. There’s no need to be hasty.]
[I hadn’t thought of that. Very well, then we’ll accept the first batch by the end of next year. The training will naturally take place in Korea, I presume?]
[That is something we’ll need to discuss with the military. Jaewoo can handle the functional training, but tactical training will require the military’s assistance.]
As I spoke, my gaze kept drifting to the person behind him.
A boy who looked to be around fifteen years old.
To be able to come and go from Hasad’s office, he clearly wasn’t an ordinary person, yet it was strange for a child to be present in such an important meeting.
[By the way, who is that?]
I asked, just in case.
Hasad finally glanced back, and with a faint smile, he said.
[That is my cousin, Prince bin Halman. He has a keen interest in these matters despite his young age, so I allowed him to observe.]
“...”
In that instant, I froze.
Bin Halman.
He was the one who would eventually oust Hasad and become the crown prince of Saudi Arabia.
*Grin.*
Prince Halman, our eyes meeting, gave me a smile.
He then boldly walked toward us and spoke directly to Hasad.
[Thank you for respecting my opinion, cousin. I believed this country desperately needed Jaewoo Group’s weapons.]
“...”