Chapter 16
Having gotten everything he came for, Jeong Taeyang left the office with a bright, satisfied grin.
"...I should be going too. Once Gijung comes out, I'll hand the loan-shark business over to the Gangnam side. Don't misunderstand me. Since Gijung is the boss of the organization, we'll need his seal on it."
"Kim Gijung should be out by the end of today."
"Good. Then let's meet in a better place next time, Chairman Do."
A storm had swept through and moved on.
"Hyung."
Like a statue carved without feeling, Gilwoo had stood behind me the whole time, and only after Kim Jungyeong and Jeong Taeyang were gone did he finally speak.
"I haven't even been discharged for three days, and too much has happened. I barely know what I'm doing right now."
"Really? Why, is it hard?"
"Hard? This is fun."
"Take it easy until the end of this week, and start going to the entertainment company Jeong Taeyang has next week. Choi Hwangyeol will be attached to you, so go there, take over the shares, and Manager Kim will set up a few paper companies to route the entertainment stake through them."
"Understood."
"Ah, I forgot. Manager Kim."
"Yes."
"Buy Gilwoo a car."
"Oh?!"
Shin Gilwoo's mouth dropped open wide enough to swallow a bowl.
"Understood. What kind of car would you like?"
"Get him a sturdy SUV. And..."
At the word SUV, the corners of Gilwoo's mouth lifted a little higher. As expected of a former soldier, he still preferred an SUV.
"Buy whatever Gilwoo wants under the company name. Don't worry about the price."
"Yes, sir!"
"Gilwoo."
"Yes, Chairman."
The same guy who had been all hyung this and hyung that a moment ago now called me Chairman with a sudden elevation in tone.
"Once you're over in entertainment, learning the ropes matters, but if, by any chance..."
"Huh? Ah, you mean women? Don't worry. I'm not some lunatic obsessed with women."
"No, that's not what I mean. Once you're there, middle school and high school kids may show up sometimes."
"Huh? I'm no Kim Onseon, so what kind of kids come around saying they want to be singers?"
Gilwoo didn't know it yet, but that was exactly why I had acquired an entertainment company from Jeong Taeyang.
"When the economy goes bad, the content industry has to grow."
"Yes, but cont what?"
"Hoo... forget it. I mean if a middle schooler or a high schooler comes by the company, don't turn them away at the door. Buy them a meal and send them off. Give them your card for sure, get their contact information and name, and report everything back to me."
"Understood. Don't worry, sir!"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Ah, you've come?"
Ilseong Investment Securities' Yeongdeungpo branch was so noisy it felt like a market street.
Manager Oh Handong, who had been rushing between customers and watching the market with a frantic look on his face, sprang up with delight.
He looked like he hadn't had a proper meal and had been chained to the office.
"Deputy, sorry. Could I borrow your seat for a moment?"
"Oh, sure..."
The employee who had been working furiously beside Manager Oh Handong nodded in a disgruntled voice.
"This way."
"You're still working?"
"Pardon?"
"I thought I told the branch manager to manage only my assets..."
"Ah, that's fine. Customer Do Jaehyun's account takes priority. I'm just keeping my instincts sharp. This way, please."
Manager Oh Handong guided me into the VIP room right next to the branch manager's office.
"How can I help you?"
"Ha ha, that's a little too businesslike."
I couldn't help letting out a small laugh.
"It's work. Of course there are procedures."
"Do it however you're comfortable. Then let's get to work."
"I'm ready."
Manager Oh Handong sat down at the computer, placed his hand on the mouse, and sharpened his eyes.
"Recommend some entertainment-related companies. It's not urgent, so pick out three by the end of this month. And there should be an entertainment company that will be starting its IPO soon."
"Is this a company you own? Or one you've already made an early investment in?"
"Something like that. And the most important thing is..."
"Yes."
Manager Oh Handong leaned toward me slightly, his eyes full of anticipation.
"I want to invest in two game companies called Dexon and MC Soft."
"Dexon and MC Soft? Hm..."
Manager Oh Handong clicked away at the mouse and tapped the keyboard for a while.
"Customer, they don't seem to be listed companies. And there's too little information to call them venture firms..."
"There won't be."
"What kind of companies are they? You said they're game companies, but are they really just making revenue from outsourced programming and the like? If they were a company like Hangul and Keyboard, maybe, but ordinary software-production firms don't make much money."
"No. They're genuinely specialized in making games."
"Games... hmm..."
Manager Oh Handong rested his chin in his hand, seemed to think for a moment, and then instantly pulled up charts for all kinds of game companies and turned the monitor toward me.
"Here, if you look..."
He went on, pointing one by one at charts of major game companies in Korea, Japan, and the United States, names that anyone would recognize.
"At first glance, the indicators look good. But game companies are a lot like gambling. Even if the stock itself posts nine wins and one loss, that one loss at the end can wipe out everything you've built up."
He named a company called Sonora as a representative example and, for a while, walked me through ten years' worth of charts and graphs for game companies, one by one.
In such a short time, he was organizing a subject he hadn't cared about at all with perfect clarity and identifying its risks.
As expected, he had the stuff to become a master PB at a major securities firm, the kind of investment tutor chaebols would later rely on.
"In conclusion, it's too risky. A company without a hit title has low investment value, and even a company with a hit title has no guarantee that the next one will succeed. Even if they win nine times and lose once, the result is very likely to be a loss rather than breaking even."
"Manager."
"Yes."
"You graduated from Korea University too, didn't you?"
"Pardon? Ah, yes... I graduated from Korea University's economics department. But are you a Korea University alum too?"
"I studied law."
"Ah, then we're alumni. But why bring up our alma mater all of a sudden...?"
"The two company CEOs I mentioned are Korea University graduates."
"I see. You're not planning to make an angel investment just because you're alumni, are you?"
"Of course not. I'm investing because they have enough potential."
In the original timeline, MC Soft's CEO had personally run around PC bangs on foot to make sales, to the point that there was a famous story about a celebrated actor lending them the ten million won they were short of their initial capital.
Well, there were some later scandals in the company, but at least the two founders in the early days were passionate young developers and future managers.
"Good. I'll look into it. If they're alumni too, and if they're companies trying to secure investment funds, it shouldn't be too difficult. How much do you plan to invest?"
"More than three times the amount they want."
I handed Manager Oh Handong a corporate credit card.
"It's a corporate card under my name. Use it generously, whether you're working or meeting someone. There isn't a separate limit. Among your upperclassmen from school, there are plenty of accountants and tax specialists, right?"
"Well..."
Rather than answer, Manager Oh Handong scratched his head. There were probably more than ten people he could think of right away, so his reaction was only natural.
"Recommend just two people who can work without complaint, as long as they get paid."
"Understood. I'll contact you soon."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Whirrrrrr-! Rattatatatatata...
With a loud engine roar, a supercar entered the streets of Gangnam.
"How can I help you?"
The security guard stationed at the parking lot approached with a tense expression. This was a wealthy neighborhood, so it wasn't as if he had never seen imported cars before, but the car coming in now sounded and looked like it was worth the price of an apartment at a glance.
"Ah, I'm here for work."
Shin Gilwoo, with the window down, flashed a grin.
"Work...? Did you say?"
"Yeah, WH Entertainment."
"Understood. Please get out."
"Huh? Why?"
"Pardon?"
Gilwoo and the parking attendant stared at each other, both looking dumbfounded.
"Representative Shin. You're here."
Then Choi Hwangyeol, the strategic brain of the Red Dog Faction, came out from inside the building and opened Gilwoo's car door.
"It's valet parking. We'll always keep that spot reserved for the representative, so from now on, just get out and come in."
"Ah. So that's what this is."
Shin Gilwoo, dressed in a semi-formal suit for his first day of work, opened the entertainment office door with Choi Hwangyeol.
Inside, a woman who had been waiting for them spoke up.
"You must be Representative Shin Gilwoo?"
"Huh? Ah, yes."
"It's nice to meet you. I'm Bae Hyeonjeong, section chief at WH Entertainment. Please take care of me."
After giving Bae Hyeonjeong a brief handshake, Gilwoo's face filled with puzzlement.
"The chairman is waiting for you."
"Chairman? Ah, Jeong Taeyang, the chairman."
"Yes. I'll escort you this way."
Section Chief Bae Hyeonjeong led Shin Gilwoo and Choi Hwangyeol to the representative's office at WH Entertainment.
"You must be Deputy Choi Hwangyeol?"
"Yes."
"While Representative Shin is speaking with the chairman, could you have a meeting with me about the work handover?"
"That..."
"Go on. It's fine."
"Understood."
Clack!
When Shin Gilwoo opened the door to the chairman's office and stepped inside, he saw Jeong Taeyang with his feet up on the desk, body sunk deep into the chairman's chair.
"You're here?"
What's more, even though Gilwoo had come in, Jeong Taeyang was so absorbed in his phone game that he didn't seem to care in the slightest.
"Yeah."
"Huh? Oh, ohhh?"
Jeong Taeyang, who had had his legs up on the desk, lowered them.
"By age or by experience, I'm a hell of a lot older than you, and this bastard still talks informally? No wonder he's Do Chairman's lackey; his manners are rotten through and through."
"You're the one who started talking like that. What, are you acting all high and mighty like some thug or something?"
"Ha. Shit. Looks like I'll get to crack open one little punk's skull today."
Jeong Taeyang rose from the chair and lifted the bamboo sword leaning at an angle against the desk.
"Haa... forget it. There's a guy named Jeong Taeseong, Jaehyun's friend. Korea University Law School classmate, riot squad captain at Mapo Police Station."
"So?"
"So what, damn it, are you that clueless? What's my name?"
"Jeong Tae... yang?"
"Bingo."
Jeong Taeyang clicked his fingers in satisfaction, and Gilwoo's face twisted nicely.
"Let's get along, kid."
A long while later.
Shin Gilwoo, who had come to work in the morning, ended up eating soondae soup with Jeong Taeyang, enduring stories from his military days and old-man lectures about military spirit, until by the time lunch was already over he was finally able to leave the office looking drained.
"Section Chief Bae."
"Yes, Chairman."
"It's a business run by a junior, so we should help. I'm going to step away cleanly, so stay here and support him well, all right? Call me if anything comes up."
"Understood."
"Brother, I'm off."
"..."
"Why do you look so reluctant to let me go? Should I stay a little longer?"
"...Go on, then."
"Your reaction's lukewarm as hell. Fine, come by and visit next time."
Apparently amused by teasing Gilwoo, Jeong Taeyang snickered as he left the office.