Chapter 157
Chapter 157
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 157
Chapter Title: Guten and Berlin -2
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Park Jung-ah wasn’t just paying lip service to entering the OS market.
After releasing an interview titled Guten’s Long-Term Plan, she began hiring related experts. And on this matter, Park Jung-ah offered the following explanation.
“Honestly, I don’t think I’ll end up in jail, but it’s better to be cautious.”
In this way, Park Jung-ah didn’t seem to have high expectations for the OS business.
Of course, that was only natural.
She had to wrest away smartphone OS market share already dominated by Google and Apple.
But the market’s reaction to Park Jung-ah’s declaration of zero fees upon entering the OS business was hotter than expected.
It was a vast improvement over the past, when carriers devoured most of the profits even from good games, but comparing a 30% fee to 0% made it obvious which one developers would welcome.
It was said that the man from Apple flew into a rage at mobile game companies, calling them “traitor bastards.”
Well. Who knows if that’s true.
There were just too many outlandish stories that were hard to believe.
Anyway.
I suggested to Park Jung-ah that we seize this moment, with app developers’ attention focused, and properly enter the OS market.
“That’s just a fad too. If Apple lowers their fees, do you think they’ll pay us any mind?”
Instead, Park Jung-ah made the following remark and invested even more heavily in building data centers. She expanded the scale of the data center under construction in the Köpenick area.
‘Is she planning to get into cloud services later or something? Why build so much?’
Such questions arose, but I didn’t bother asking Park Jung-ah.
‘She’ll handle it fine on her own.’
For reference, I had no real role in Guten’s management.
I didn’t know much about business anyway.
All I knew was soccer-related stuff.
‘Oh. And Bitcoin skyrocketing, and Tesla too?’
I was just one of those Koreans with little interest in stocks.
‘You need money to invest in stocks.’
At that time, I was nothing but a freshly discharged soldier without a penny to my name.
But a few days later.
[Guten, Walking the Path of a Korean-Style Conglomerate?]
Hearing the news of Guten entering the construction business, I had no choice but to bring up management with Park Jung-ah.
“Ma’am, have you lost your mind by any chance?”
***
Recently, Guten was increasingly morphing into a Korean-style octopus conglomerate.
Not only next-gen businesses like SNS, short-form content, messaging, and OTT, but it also declared entry into construction—the must-have for any chaebol.
Well. Up until then, it could still pass as IT services.
But the sudden news of Guten entering construction left investors flustered.
- What? Suddenly entering construction?
- Aren’t they underestimating construction too much?
- They succeeded without a single failure until now, so they must’ve lost their minds.
- Guten’s gone crazy! Sell it off quick!
Naturally, Guten’s stock price fluctuated wildly.
As expected, the shareholders’ meeting erupted in chaos immediately after.
Accusations flew at Guten’s chairman (Park Jung-ah), but German politics shielded her.
[Guten Stock Plummets…? Because of Construction Entry?]
└ Aaaargh! The stock’s dropping!
└ What? Isn’t it common sense for big corps to own construction firms?
└ Isn’t entering construction good news?
└ Fr, they’re becoming a mega-corp, why’s it dropping?!
Anyway, Guten’s declaration of entering construction was all because of that utterly diabolical, devilish bastard Park Jung-ah.
[Guten Attempts Apartment Construction in Germany?]
This devilish bastard had recently committed an atrocity on this beautiful land where I lived.
She declared she’d build a massive apartment complex near Lake Müggelsee, right in the heart of the Köpenick area.
“We need apartments here…!”
Her eyes glazed over at the thought of turning the prime spot with its big lake and vast forest into apartments.
Park Jung-ah even declared she’d build an elementary school within the complex.
On top of that, she showed interest in constructing a subway or tram line for commuting to the headquarters.
In other words, she declared she’d build a dream apartment combining “super-premium” and “station-adjacent” features.
For Germans largely uninterested in apartments, she built a model house in Berlin and promoted it aggressively.
She highlighted the community features too, but Germans still didn’t bite much.
Germans preferred single-family homes, and in their minds, apartments were mainly for renting.
‘Park Jung-ah can’t escape being from the Apartment Nation after all.’
Honestly, I didn’t think apartment sales would go well in Germany.
I decided to view it as the chairman’s expensive hobby that cost a ton of money.
‘Sigh… With that cash, damn.’
Anyway, Guten’s entry into construction proceeded as smoothly as flowing water.
Skilled personnel wasn’t an issue either, since they could collaborate with GL, whom they’d befriended through stadium construction.
Plus, many of the people who built Union Berlin’s stadium still lived in the area.
‘Veterans were already here, huh.’
Of course, sensible Berlin politicians strongly opposed covering the area—known as Berlin’s green lung—with dingy concrete buildings.
But residents of the Treptow-Köpenick district actively supported and welcomed Guten’s projects.
For reference, this wasn’t just because I was Union Berlin’s manager.
They probably backed it because they saw personal gains.
‘Like house prices or land values…?’
Historic development booms like this boost local residents’ assets.
[Guten’s Apartment Declaration Coincides with Real Estate Recovery.]
Well, with the real estate market in slump since the subprime mortgage crisis, it was a long-awaited spark of vitality, so most politicians welcomed it. There are no politicians without houses anywhere in the world.
‘…No way the German politicians shielding Park Jung-ah did it to protect their own property values?’
The strong hunch that this was spot-on might be because I’m Korean.
***
While Guten, now in construction, buzzed away busily, time flew by.
[Champions League Quarterfinal Draw.]
March 19, 2010.
The Champions League round of 16 second legs ended, and the quarterfinal draw approached.
“Boss, watch the draw with us!”
“You guys watch comfortably without me.”
Union Berlin’s players suggested watching the Champions League draw together, but I smiled and declined.
My reaction right after the draw would surely affect the players’ morale.
I figured it was best to meet them after my emotions settled and I could keep a poker face.
Anyway.
The Champions League quarterfinal draw began in earnest.
I entered the manager’s office and stared holes into the TV screen.
Union Berlin.
Inter.
Real Madrid.
AC Milan.
Barcelona.
Chelsea.
Olympique Lyon.
ACF Fiorentina.
The list of clubs that advanced to the quarterfinals appeared.
Mourinho’s Inter had beaten Thomas Tuchel’s Manchester City to reach the quarters.
Ronaldo, who’d returned to his parent club just months ago, tore it up at Old Trafford, carrying Real Madrid into the quarters.
Pep Guardiola’s FC Barcelona had thrashed Bayern Munich.
Chelsea comfortably advanced against Bordeaux.
Arsenal sadly fell to AC Milan in the round of 16, proving the science.
‘Sigh… Arsenal’s science started this early…?’
Anyway.
I gazed at the quarterfinal clubs, lost in thought.
Champions League quarterfinals.
At this stage, no team was truly easy.
‘Please, Lyon…!’
Well, no easy teams, but there’s always a weakest among them.
“Olymique Lyon’s opponent is.”
“ACF Fiorentina!”
Sadly, the heavens didn’t choose Union Berlin.
“Union Berlin.”
The Champions League quarterfinal draw continued swiftly afterward.
“Real Madrid!!”
Union Berlin’s quarterfinal opponent was selected as Real Madrid, who’d declared the second Galacticos era.
I felt a strange mix of emotions.
Future Real Madrid would’ve made me despair from the start.
But Real Madrid at this time was no different from a paper tiger, having crashed out in the round of 16 for five straight seasons.
‘Still, no room to get complacent.’
Truth be told, they were supposed to lose to Lyon this season too, making it six straight infamous round-of-16 exits, but in this altered history, they’d beaten Man United to advance.
Thanks to Soccer God Two slamming in a hat-trick against his former club.
Well.
Still, what needed doing had to be done.
“Not them!! Nooooooo!!”
I bolted straight to the training ground.
I have no idea if the players’ morale rose upon seeing me.