The Price of a Golden Ticket
Do not mistake this card for a mere reward!
That was the thought racing through the minds of the executives. They had just been handed 20 Gold Cards and 80 Silver Cards. The question was, how should they use them? According to Yoon-gi, each card guaranteed entry for exactly one person. Therefore, if 20 people wanted to enjoy Merrill Land on the same Wednesday, they would need 20 cards. If it wasn't the final week of the month, it meant they would all need Gold Cards.
‘Let’s see, in my case, I don’t have any children yet…’
Currently, Ryu Geun-tae’s wife, Jung Hana, was pregnant. With no other children, he only needed two cards to comfortably enjoy Merrill Land with his wife. What about the remaining 18 Gold and Silver cards? It meant he could use them to maintain his network of connections. Of course, he could give them to other family members, but that was limited to close relatives. There was no reason to waste a card more precious than gold on a relative he didn't get along with.
‘This… if I use it well, it’ll be the perfect tool for building connections.’
Just like Ryu Geun-tae, Choi Cheol-kyu was busy running the numbers in his head. ‘Some might say, “What’s the big deal about an amusement park?” but public opinion predicts Merrill Land will become a theme park that surpasses Doo-Jun-i Land. A card that lets you enjoy such a place with ease? The value of this card will be beyond imagination.’
What would the value of a Gold Card actually be? If you looked at it in absolute terms, it was just 10 free passes to Merrill Land. But it would never be traded at that price. ‘If this were put up for auction among the chaebols, how much would it fetch? One million won? Ten million? Maybe even 100 million?’
Choi Cheol-kyu concluded that 100 million might be a stretch. However, he was certain that anyone holding this card would hesitate to sell it, even if offered 100 million. It was the ultimate vacation pass to ensure you could celebrate anniversaries perfectly—why would anyone sell that?
While Choi Cheol-kyu was thinking this, Jung Dong-yoon was expanding his own train of thought. ‘This card isn’t just about using Merrill Land. The people who end up with these cards will undoubtedly be those with power in the political and business worlds.’
Jung Dong-yoon’s assessment was spot on. It appeared Yoon-gi had only distributed the Gold and Silver cards to the YK executives present. He would likely distribute a certain amount to other YK executives he was personally close to, and surely to figures in politics and business as well. That meant—
‘Merrill Land will become a place where political and business titans visit with their families every Wednesday. In short, it’s going to be a networking hub for the social elite. Whether or not you have this card will soon become a badge of power among the elite. This is an extension of the mini-department stores YK used to run.’
Jo Cheong-woo was thinking something else entirely. ‘I should take my wife there when I have time. Hehe.’
Just as all the executives were lost in thought, Yoon-gi spoke again. “I plan to distribute these cards once every half-year. And…”
As Yoon-gi paused, the executives focused every ounce of their attention on his lips. Then, they saw Yoon-gi’s smile. “From the next distribution, the quantity will vary depending on the number of family members you have.”
The question popped out from multiple people at once. The executives blinked, not quite understanding what he meant. “It’s sad if you have a big family but can’t play because you don’t have enough cards, isn’t it? It’s unfair if households with many family members get the same amount as those with few. So, go make more family members.”
At Yoon-gi’s seemingly innocent remark, the executives’ heads became a tangled mess. They had been racking their brains trying to figure out how to maximize the utility of these cards, but Yoon-gi was simply telling them to enjoy it with their families. However, Choi Deok-bae, who knew Yoon-gi’s true intentions, clicked his tongue. While he truly did want them to expand their families, he had used intentionally ambiguous phrasing to stimulate other areas, ensuring the executives would squeeze their brains to achieve maximum efficiency.
“Alright, that’s it for today’s meeting! Feel free to watch a movie or have a drink at the bar before you go. Dismissed!”
Yoon-gi walked out of the conference room. Ma Seok-il, who had attended the meeting in a state of extreme tension, looked flustered. “Uh… is it over?”
He threw the question toward Ryu Geun-tae, who was sitting quite far away. Ryu Geun-tae nodded with a bitter smile. “That’s how we usually do things.”
Yoon-gi didn’t drink, but he had built a ‘Bar’ in his mansion. It was a gesture of consideration so his executives could relax after meetings. As it was a ‘grand mansion,’ the number of staff on duty at all times was immense, and since some of them were capable of acting as bartenders, they could drink cocktails or whiskey whenever they wanted. Of course, Yoon-gi would occasionally have a non-alcoholic cocktail with Merrill. It was good for setting the mood.
“It’s truly fascinating that Yoon-gi built such a fine bar and yet doesn’t drink himself. Don’t you think so?” Choi Cheol-kyu said, downing his whiskey straight. Ryu Geun-tae smiled.
“I suppose it shows how much the Chairman cares for us. By the way, it’s truly incredible. I wonder how much all the liquor here is worth combined…”
These were whiskeys at price points unimaginable in a regular bar. Yoon-gi had prepared them solely for his executives. Of course, Ryu Geun-tae, Choi Cheol-kyu, and Ma Seok-il were wealthy enough to buy them themselves. However, because Ryu Geun-tae had risen to his current rank from a ‘copper spoon’ background, he couldn't bring himself to spend money freely even after earning a lot. Every time he bought something, he was reminded of instant ramen.
[With this much money, I could buy 10,000 bags of ramen…]
Was this the inescapable fate of those born with dirt or copper spoons? But here, he could drink with a light heart.
“That’s why I always desperately look forward to these executive meetings. It’s the only place I can drink such precious liquor.”
As Choi Cheol-kyu grinned, Ryu Geun-tae asked with a hint of curiosity. “President Choi, can’t you afford to buy things like this comfortably?”
Ryu Geun-tae, who had taken a sip of whiskey with a large, clear ice ball, watched as Choi Cheol-kyu downed another shot and grinned.
“Kuh… that’s good! Hmm, to answer your question, it was impossible. Back in the Samwoo days, my father held all the authority, so while we had plenty of living expenses, we couldn’t enjoy the kind of luxury a chaebol should.”
“Ah, I suppose that’s true.”
Since Choi Ki-hyun’s goal was to grow Samwoo’s size, he had prioritized reinvestment into the group over luxury. Of course, later on, because he had invested heavily in Yoon-gi, the Samwoo family lived a life of ‘silver spoons,’ but they never lived the life of gold or diamond spoons.
“Anyway, I don’t know why Yoon-gi doesn’t drink this good stuff. It makes you feel so good.”
Choi Cheol-kyu downed another straight shot. In truth, Yoon-gi knew alcohol was good. He knew that when you drink, you feel better and can escape all the worries of the world. But that was precisely why Yoon-gi hadn’t touched alcohol since starting his new life. Because he was already happy enough. Yoon-gi’s philosophy was that there was no need to force alcohol into his body just for the atmosphere, since he was an adult.
[Alcohol doesn’t do anything good for the body anyway.]
It was a judgment he could make because he had lived for over 20 years dependent on alcohol. Of course, Yoon-gi sometimes thought about it.
[Ah, I always wanted to try that back in my manual labor days. Should I just have one?]
Still, since his current body had no memory of alcohol, he could resist it.
“Anyway, President Ma, why have you been so quiet? Come on, cheers!”
When Choi Cheol-kyu raised his glass, Ma Seok-il made an awkward face and raised his glass to clink it against Choi’s.
“Kuh… I never imagined I’d live a life like this. When I was fired from my previous job after being framed, I felt like the sky was collapsing…”
Ma Seok-il’s expression, as he rolled the clear ice ball in his glass, was filled with complex emotions about the past.
“It’s all thanks to President Ryu. He’s the one who discovered you, isn’t he?”
“That’s right.”
At Ma Seok-il’s grinning remark, Ryu Geun-tae blushed, looking slightly embarrassed. A heartwarming conversation followed. Choi Cheol-kyu drank at an overwhelmingly faster pace, but due to differences in tolerance, all three were similarly tipsy as time passed. Just as they were a few drinks away from calling it a night, Ryu Geun-tae spoke up.
“President Choi.”
“Yes?”
His pronunciation was slightly slurred. Even for Choi Cheol-kyu, who had a high tolerance, the empty whiskey bottles on the table proved that he was drunk enough.
“The Chairman doesn’t seem to have any intention of taking YK public. What do you think about that?”
Hearing this, Choi Cheol-kyu grinned. “Do you think so too, President Ryu?”
“Yes. To be honest, when I first thought the Chairman wouldn’t take it public, I thought about my stake in YK Department Store.”
Currently, Ryu Geun-tae and Choi Cheol-kyu each held a 5% stake in YK Department Store. However, it was unlisted stock. Naturally, it wouldn’t be traded easily.
“So, are you disappointed?”
At Choi Cheol-kyu’s question, delivered with a mysterious look, Ryu Geun-tae gave a bitter smile.
“Honestly, I wouldn’t say I wasn’t disappointed at all. But as time passed, I realized it didn’t necessarily need to be listed. YK is a group that has run entirely on the Chairman’s decisions until now. If the Chairman’s decisions were hindered by going public, I thought that might actually return as a loss to us.”
Pleased with the answer, Choi Cheol-kyu grinned. If Ryu Geun-tae had drunkenly vented his frustrations, it would have been reported directly to Yoon-gi. But since Ryu Geun-tae was saying, ‘It’s not that I didn’t have those thoughts, but the Chairman’s actions are correct,’ there was no problem at all.
“Exactly as you feel, President Ryu. Going public would certainly turn our stakes into cash. But if YK were to collapse due to external pressures introduced by going public, we would have no choice but to collapse with it.”
“My thoughts were correct, then.”
Ryu Geun-tae and Choi Cheol-kyu grinned at each other and clinked their glasses. Then, they both looked at Ma Seok-il.
““President Ma, are you okay with it not going public?””
Ma Seok-il’s face was flushed red from the alcohol. In that state, he answered with a slightly stuttering voice.
“I, I don’t e, even… have any YK-related stock in the first place…”
Ryu Geun-tae and Choi Cheol-kyu burst into laughter, and Ma Seok-il joined in. A moment later, the three of them fell asleep with their faces planted on the table.
Within a week of its opening, Merrill Land had shaken the entire nation. In households across the country, children who didn’t even watch the news were pestering their parents to take them to Merrill Land after hearing the rumors. It was only natural. The part-time workers in mascot costumes, utilizing characters from Doo-Jun-i and the secondary rights to Japanese characters Yoon-gi owned, had captured the hearts of the children. That wasn’t all. The rides, which couldn’t be experienced anywhere else, had also captivated them.
Because of this, the Mayor of Daejeon was cheering, doing everything in his power to make it easy for people from other regions to visit. He deployed civil servants to monitor accommodation prices, placed traffic police at major intersections for traffic control, and even checked the hygiene of surrounding restaurants. In original history, Daejeon’s only famous attraction was a single bakery, but in Yoon-gi’s history, Daejeon had come to possess one of the world’s top amusement parks. It was truly the pride of Daejeon.
And this Merrill Land boom didn’t just affect young children.
“Alright, that’s it for today’s lecture.”
At the stern law professor’s words, the students stood up with joyful expressions. “Choi Yoon-gi, could you stay behind for a moment?”
At the professor’s words, Yoon-gi was left alone with the professor in the empty lecture hall.
“Professor, is something the matter?”
“Well…”
“Please, speak freely. It’s between you and me, isn’t it?”
At Yoon-gi’s grinning remark, the professor blushed and spoke in a shy tone.
“I, um… I’m truly sorry to keep you behind to ask something like this…”
The professor hesitated, then continued with a truly apologetic expression.
“…I heard there’s something called a Silver Card for Merrill Land, and… could you possibly get me just two of them?”
The professor had an expression on his face as if he had returned to his days as a graduate student.