1988 Retro Game Tycoon - Chapter 130



Only Noblemtl

Episode 130 – Big Hand

The last day of 1989.

The Korea Economic Association’s year-end party was held as usual at the Daegyeong Association Hall in Yeouido.

I decided to attend the Daegyeonghyup year-end party with my father.

After returning from a business trip to Japan, I was eating breakfast when my father kept trying to say something, then stopping, then starting again.

It was only when the meal was almost over that my father asked if I would like to go with him to the Daegyeonghyeop year-end party.

“If you’re really busy, you don’t have to go. Namjoon, you’re now a proper CEO who runs a company worth hundreds of billions of won. The company comes first. Of course. But if you go to Daekyunghyup, you’ll be able to meet the best businesspeople in Korea. Just like how you’ve been good at using the Myungsung Group affiliates in the right places, there might be a company that can be of great help to you…”

“I’ll go, Father. I’d like to say hello to the chairman too.”

“Is that so? If you’re really busy, you don’t have to go. I’m busy preparing for CES and all.”

“I don’t do everything by myself like I used to. I don’t make ROM packs in the garage anymore.”

“Haha, that’s true. But it was fun back then. It’s already been over a year since then.”

My father told me not to push myself too hard, but he was very happy when I said I would go.

The banquet hall on the top floor of the Daegyeong Association Hall was a restaurant with a great view. The view was unobstructed, overlooking the National Assembly Building and the Han River surrounding Yeouido.

The appearance of Yeouido is still a bit different from the Yeouido I knew.

“Oh my, Chairman. It’s been a while. I apologize for the late greeting. This is my eldest son, Seo Nam-joon. Nam-joon, introduce yourself. This is the Chairman of Je-Myung Group.”

“Hello, Chairman. It’s my first time greeting you.”

“Oh, right. Nice to meet you. Why did you bring your son with you today?”

“Now that Namjoon is a proper businessman, I brought him out.”

“Is it already like that? Which affiliate did you send him to? I’m having a headache right now wondering if I should send my son straight to a core affiliate or start him from the bottom.”

“I didn’t join Myeongseong Group, I started my own company. It’s a game company called Starbeat.”

“Starbeat···?”

“Why wasn’t there a baseball event called Golden Sun Flag that was held at Dongdaemun Stadium a while ago?”

“Ahhhhhh! Was that the chairman’s son? Yes. Now that I think about it, it’s the young man I was talking about. Ah, nice to meet you.”

My father took me around and introduced me to various group presidents and CEOs.

When I told the CEOs that I had started a game company, they all blinked, but when I told them about ‘Golden Sun’, they pretended to know and asked to shake my hand.

“Wow, you’re forging your own path at such a young age. You have such a precious son. How reassuring must that be?”

“That’s right. This guy, didn’t he just apply to CES this time? He’s at a place that even Myungsung Electronics hasn’t been to yet.”

“Oh, really? CES? If things continue like this, won’t Myungsung Electronics be overtaken by your son’s company?”

“That might really be true, hahaha!”

I’ve met many presidents who would bow down to me just by mentioning their names, but their conversation patterns and reactions were so set in stone that I felt like I was going around in circles.

Even if you gather all the conglomerate chairmen, they all live in the same world. In the end, they are constantly comparing their businesses and their sons to others.

“What are you doing now?”

My father stepped aside for a moment, sipping champagne and asking me as if he could see right through my mind.

“No. I just met so many people that I’m starting to get confused about who’s who.”

“You don’t have to remember everything. Those people probably don’t really see you yet. That’s why it’s called “Teacher Teacher.”

I almost burst out laughing because my father said something that only a youngest child would say. My father also snickered.

“Why? Is it not okay for an old man like me to say things like that?”

“No, that’s not it. It’s just that the timing was completely unexpected.”

The two of us giggled like children.

My father looked around the banquet hall and said.

“Look, Namjoon. This is a place where everyone is trying to grow. Growing the company, increasing sales, increasing influence. There are so many people who just want to grow, regardless of the means or methods. However, there aren’t many people among them who really have their own dreams. I feel that when I see you these days.”

“Looking at me?”

“Yes, if you ask these people if their business is going well, they always say they are having a hard time, but they are all people who live with the ambition of becoming number one in the business world. But, you know. No one talks about why they have to be number one, why they want to be number one, or what they are going to do after becoming number one. It’s the same for me.”

My father turned his head and looked out the window with a bitter expression. I turned too.

“You may not be able to imagine it, but my family was originally poor. It wasn’t until I was in school that we could afford to live. At that time, all we had was to escape poverty, eat a full meal, and stay warm in the winter. That was all we had as our goal. We never thought about a huge group like this.”

In Seoul, as darkness fell, a train was passing over the Han River Bridge.

“But no matter how much money my grandfather made, he was always anxious. As the business grew, the risk also grew. What if it failed? What if it went back to the past? So he kept expanding his company, thinking that even if one failed, he would have something else to hold on to.”

“Is that the new founder of our Myeongseong Group? That’s strange. I think it was a cooler story from what I heard.”

“That’s just a fancy way of showing off to people. You can’t tell people that the founder of Myeongseong Group was actually a coward and that he founded the group because he was afraid of failing. But the funny thing is that the money we borrowed to expand the business always put us in more trouble.”

“It’s ironic. He created a crisis by himself to create a conglomerate.”

“That’s right. My grandfather thought that if people don’t have a fire under their feet, they will quickly become lazy. He kept pushing people like that, and pushed himself several times harder than others. He always lived as if he was being chased. I was always dissatisfied with that.”

My father calmly told me a story about a founder I had never met.

“But then suddenly my grandfather became like that, and when I inherited the group, I became like that too. I was always anxious and scared. What if I did something wrong and the company went bankrupt? Then how would all those employees live? So I was just focused on stabilizing the group and maintaining my grandfather’s legacy. Namjoon didn’t have any dreams like you.”

“Isn’t it your father’s dream to protect the Myeongseong Group?”

“You might think so. But if you ask me if that’s what I really wanted, well, I don’t know. I just did my best to survive in the circumstances I was given. Even if I had a dream, I probably wouldn’t have chosen it. I would have just spent my whole life yearning for it. Didn’t I tell you? I’m a coward. But Namjoon, you’re different.”

“No. I don’t think so. It’s because my father is supporting me from behind that I can run forward without looking back. It’s all thanks to my father that I can run forward without fear.”

“It’s embarrassing to hear that from my son, haha. Namjoon. I’m really proud of you. It’s not because you’ve grown the company or made a lot of money. I think you’re making something much bigger than money. No matter how much money you give, it can never buy you something. It’s your dream.”

I never thought of it that way, that I make dreams, not money.

“While other people are just making money, Namjoon, you’re making a dream out of video games. And you’re even sharing that dream with other people.”

“I think you’re thinking too highly of me. I just love games, and I work hard to make better games that I like.”

“That’s the simple thing that’s really amazing. Your grandfather and I didn’t have that simple thing. We didn’t even think about looking for it. That’s why I take you around and make you introduce yourself diligently. I want to brag about my son who is making money by pursuing his dreams.”

My father chuckled with a pleasant expression on his face.

At that moment, another voice suddenly interrupted from behind.

“It’s nice to see you. Is it really that nice to see you with your son?”

“Ah, Chairman Wang. I should have gone to greet you.”

“No. I’m late. I was going to come because I was tired of seeing the same faces every day, but our Chairman Seo Tae-hoon’s son is here? Are you not going to greet me?”

“No way. Namjoon, hurry up and say hello. This is Chairman Jeong Gu-yeong of Hyunmyeong Group. Chairman Wang, this is my talented son, Seo Nam-joon.”

“Oh, oh, oh, oh! What a great son! I like that you’re honest. So, you’re that guy Namjoon. The one who bullies our oldest son Song Hyun like that?”

“father···!”

I shook hands with Chairman Jeong Gu-yeong, whom I had only seen on TV. I felt a strange tingle in my heart.

Behind him, Chairman Jeong Gu-yeong’s eldest son, Jeong Song-hyeon, frowned slightly. Jeong Song-hyeon was the president of Hyunmyeong Electronics, which imported Nintendo’s Famicom.

“What? Did I say something wrong? From or something, to this time, whatever fist comes out, you’re just going to sweep everything away?”

“ has recently entered Japan and is very popular.”

My father explained it for me.

“I guess our Chairman Seo is a good son. I wondered why he kept his son so secret all this time. It turns out there was a reason for everything.”

Chairman Jeong Gu-yeong laughed cheerfully. He seemed to have a much more straightforward personality than what I had seen in the media.

“It’s nice to meet you. Nice to meet you.”

I also exchanged greetings with Hyunmyeong Electronics CEO Jeong Song-hyeon. He didn’t look too happy.

“Cheer up, you punk. Everyone here is our competitor anyway. If they all go back to their own companies, how are they going to eat us~ Even though they wonder, here they just laugh and say, “Chairman Wang, isn’t that what Chairman Wang is like?”

“Hehehe, Chairman Wang too. Who are you talking about trying to eat Chairman Wang?”

“Really? Then Chairman Seo, can you give us a little bit of that video game thing? Or maybe sell that fist game to us instead of Oh Seong.”

“I’m really sorry, Mr. Chairman, but if we want to supply games to Hyunmyeong Gyeomboy, we need to get permission from Nintendo first. However, Nintendo has strict internal standards and will not accept just any game company. We still have a long way to go to get to that level.”

I stood in for my father and explained to him as politely as I could, without making him feel bad, and without blaming anyone else, why I couldn’t provide for him.

“Really? So you got permission to sell it to Oh Seong-han?”

“Yes, I went to Sega and signed a contract, and because of the terms of the contract, it was released in Japan before Korea. I’m not trying to alienate Hyunmyeong Electronics or anything like that. We’re a company that makes and sells games. If there are more places to sell, it’s good for us. However, Nintendo is such a big company and the terms are so strict.”

“Really? But why don’t we use Hyunmyeong DRAMs in the arcade boards and only use Oseong DRAMs? Were our conditions too strict?”

Wow! This grandpa.

While pretending not to know anything about games, we were familiar with the A1 board and the parts that went into it. How many affiliates must you have to take care of to run a smart group? When did you ever look into such details?

“Why? Are you surprised? Because you know about the arcade games that old grandpas play with their grandchildren?”

“Have you ever played games?”

“Okay! I tried it. But I’m slow with my hands, so I can’t do it well. What kind of skills do you have? I can’t even use them. It’s a bit frustrating because I just keep throwing punches. But it was still fun.”

Even though Hyunmyeong Electronics is our rival in the Korean market, Chairman Wang of Hyunmyeong Group, who is considered the best in the business world, has played our game.

There was nothing more surreal than the scene of Japanese gamers passionately playing in a Japanese arcade.

“What do you think? From now on, instead of using Oseong, how about we try using our Hyunmyeong DRAM too?”

Besides, this person is persistent.

Here, you’re trying to sell to me. Just as I was about to give a reasonable answer, another person appeared.

“No, Chairman Wang. Why are you grabbing and torturing a child? You must have used it because it was useful.”

“Hey, your ears are sharp. I was going to stamp it quickly while you were gone, but it’s all gone. It’s gone.”

Chairman Jeong Gu-yeong was clicking his tongue, but his facial expression was smiling like a Hahoe mask.

“This is Chairman Lee Geon-chang of the Oh Sung Group.”

“Hello, Chairman.”

I greeted the chairman of the Oh Sung Group, who appeared at a good time. It was a new experience in many ways to see the two major business groups in one place like this.

I also greeted Lee Jin-ho, the son of the Osung Group who is currently studying abroad in the United States.

“You’re going to CES this time, right? We’re also going to announce our newly developed TV and camcorder. There aren’t many Korean companies that go to CES yet, so it’s nice to see you.”

“Wow, you’re going all the way to CES? You already have that kind of technology?”

Chairman Jeong Gu-yeong also looked at me as if he was surprised by Chairman Lee Gun-chang’s words. The look in his eyes was slightly different.

“We are working hard to develop and are achieving significant results. Games are a battle of ideas as well as technology, so I think Korea has a chance.”

“It’s harder to succeed with software than with hardware. There are already many computer companies in Korea, but you can see that there are only a few decent programs. It seems like it hasn’t been that long since they started, but I’ve heard they’re already world-class.”

“Haha, Chairman Lee, aren’t you praising us too much for supplying games to Oseong and using Oseong DRAM? If you do that, there’s no place for us to go.”

“If Chairman Wang is doing business like this, shouldn’t I also be managing customers?”

“Anyway, I won’t say a word. So, has our little world-class boss made plans for next year?”

Chairman Jeong Gu-yeong looked back at me and asked.

“Yes, we are planning to go global in earnest next year. We are currently developing games that will be revealed for the first time at this CES. One is a shooting game, and the other is still a secret. We will show you when you come to CES.”

“Are you asking me to come and see that now? It’s fun, it’s fun. Are you going to give me an invitation and a plane ticket too?”

“I will take you to first class on the condition that Chairman Wang will give me the Hyunmyung DRAM at a cheap price.”

“Ahahahahaha! Hey, did you hear that? This guy is competing with me and this chairman. He’s competing!”

Chairman Jeong Gu-yeong laughed heartily as if he was really having fun. The laughter reverberated throughout the banquet hall.

I thought it was a bit too much, but fortunately, people seemed to view it favorably.

“But you shouldn’t try to slash the price right away. Of course, you can lower the price. If the conditions are right. The quantity has to be that much.”

“Next year, or at the latest the year after, I will have ordered enough to satisfy you. I hope you will give it serious thought then.”

“Really? How much is enough to satisfy me?”

“It will be at least a million.”

“A million?”

“Yes, that’s the minimum.”

To build a 16-bit console, you need to get as many parts as possible as cheaply as possible.

DRAM is an essential component in console production. A stable supply is essential.

Chairman Jeong Gu-yeong opened his eyes wide and looked at me. I felt an energy in his eyes that seemed to pierce through me, as if trying to figure out if I was joking or bluffing.

Chairman Lee Geon-chang stared at me intently, his expression barely changing.

Just standing still in front of the two giants, trying to bargain without actually bargaining, made me break out in a cold sweat.

“Is it because I’m still young? I understand that you want to impress the chairman, but shouldn’t you be careful with what you say?”

President Jeong Song-hyeon, who was behind Chairman Wang, stepped forward and spoke. Then Chairman Wang waved his hand.

“Okay. I guess I’m just too excited to be hanging out with the young guys after such a long time. Chairman Seo, thank you for bringing your son. Thanks to you, I had a great time. And Namjoon, it was nice to see you too. I’m going to give my seal of approval to the future big shot.”

“It was nice to meet you too. If you need a million DRAMs, be sure to contact me.”

“Hahaha! After you meet this chairman, come find me. Since you’re that big of a deal, I’ll give you a special discount!”

“Chairman Wang, are we going to fight amongst ourselves here?”

“Oh my, I’m scared. I’m running away because I’m scared of this chairman. See you later~!”

Chairman Jeong Gu-yeong suddenly moved to another table while carrying a backpack and smiling, and Chairman Lee Geon-chang also moved after chatting with his father for a while.

It felt as if a typhoon had just passed by.

“I also sometimes get nervous when talking to the presidents, but Namjoon, you don’t get nervous at all.”

“No, Dad. My legs are shaking right now.”

I wiped the sweat under my head with a handkerchief and loosened my tie a little.

My heart was still pounding a little.

I thought I would meet the chairman of Hyunmyeong Electronics and Ohsung Electronics, but I didn’t know that we would be talking about semiconductors so soon.

My father was right.

It was good that you came to the year-end party.

Because one day, today’s meeting will be of great help to your business.