Money Likes Me Too - Chapter 39



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Episode 39.

Lee Chung-jae really liked life on Jeju Island.

‘The warm south is the best after all.’

I felt once again that it was a good idea to move the headquarters. It was just as I had hoped. It was different from Seoul. It was peaceful and safe.

There wasn’t much to worry about.

Except that the stock price keeps falling.

There were a few more minor issues though.

For example, Naver’s market share, which is now approaching 70%, Google’s rapidly rising momentum, a newly launched service that is not receiving any attention and is being buried, or the liquidity of a small portal that was acquired and is continuously decreasing as it tries to cover its finances, these are issues like this.

These were problems that had always existed, so I didn’t pay much attention to them.

‘But strangely, why am I crying?’

The wind must have gotten into his eyes. None of the windows were open, but it had to be that way.

“May I come in, sir?”

“Yes, please come in.”

I quickly wiped away my tears.

“If you have time, CEO Kang Si-Hyeon of Cocoa Labs would like to meet you next week. What should I say?”

“Mr. Kang Si-Hyeon?”

“I heard that you are coming to Jeju Island for 2 nights and 3 days this time. It will be from Thursday to Saturday next week.”

“When is a good time for me, sir?”

The schedule is all handled by the secretary’s office.

“Mr. Chairman, according to your schedule, lunch on the first day is possible. (Actually, the second and third days were possible as well.) Would it be okay if I made a reservation for you with the silver hairtail set meal you had last time?”

“Please do so.”

“Okay, I’ll prepare it that way.”

Lee Chung-jae, who was alone again, became deep in thought.

‘You’ve come this far? Are you planning to show your claws, Kang Si-hyeon?’

He checked all the news, both foreign and domestic, without fail, so as not to be left behind in information.

I also know what Cocoa has been up to lately.

It was indeed a wild move. There were even unbelievable rumors that Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, Loftbank, and Baedal Minjok were having a showdown.

‘Is it time?’

There is a time for everything. This day will come someday. Kang Si-hyeon kept warning him.

I didn’t want to admit it.

That was also the reason why we pushed ahead with our plan to move to Jeju Island. We merged with Dream Wizard to strengthen our mail service, and aggressively recruited engineers from the old Pretzel to help us with our cafe.

I tried my best. I tried to raise the help again and fight back.

It was like pouring water into a bottomless pit.

It cost a lot of money. The stake was also diluted a lot. Now, it barely exceeds 5%. Even including special related parties, it was only 12%, making it difficult to maintain the position of the largest shareholder. There were no defensive measures such as white knights or golden parachutes. It was no different from fighting with the gates wide open.

Fear came over me.

‘But I have to see it through to the end. That’s a promise.’

He was once a powerful man who ruled Korea together with Naver. I never imagined it would end up like this.

Okay, I’ve decided.

A leader’s decision must be quick and solid. I pressed the call button.

– Yes, Chairman.

The chief secretary’s voice rang out. Lee Chung-jae gave instructions without hesitation.

“Please tell the boss. Tell him to include the dried pollack sashimi instead of leaving it out. It’s only served to regulars, but it’s a real work of art.”

***

Arrived at Jeju Airport.

“The weather is nice.”

Palm trees greeted us. Director Han Jang-soo was pulling a carrier beside him. CEO Lee Jong-seok and Lim Gyeong-jun followed behind.

One by one, excited employees passed us by.

“Sir, I love airplanes!”

“Are we all taking the same flight when we go up?”

He nodded silently.

“If you miss the boarding time, you will have to pay for the airfare at that time, so please arrive on time and on time. Even though today’s event is all free travel, let’s keep to the rules!”

A manager said something unpleasant to the employees who were walking away.

“Yes! I understand!”

I came here on a chartered plane.

If there were just over 100 people, we could charter a B737 from Korea Airlines for the Gimpo-Jeju route. We were going to change the paint job to the Cocoa signature color, but we couldn’t resist the earnest persuasion of a manager. It was an excessive expense to do that to a plane that would only be used once.

One of the executives was also against buying the hotel.

‘If I buy it, wouldn’t it be good to use it as a vacation home for employees later?’

Real estate has no legs. It doesn’t go anywhere.

‘Even so, there are opportunities later. There’s no reason for it to be right now. It’s a bit awkward to buy something in a hurry right before a workshop.’

‘What’s wrong with the shape?’

‘······You still don’t know much about Jeju Island real estate, right? It’s not too late to invest after you see a good property. Sir.’

That was right.

We had to find a good (expensive) property and buy it. It was convincing. So this time, we decided to be satisfied with just using a few floors of a hotel room.

It was also because I had a better idea.

As I was walking along thinking that, suddenly one of the managers flinched and was startled.

“Sir. Why?”

“I didn’t say anything.”

Now it seems like he can read my mind. He’s an amazing person.

I came out to the parking lot.

“Aren’t you riding, sir?”

As soon as I landed, driver Kim Woon-taek came running to find my car and asked me. It was a four-seater Bentley Continental GT.

“There are no seats anyway. You guys go first.”

I borrowed another one.

There was a promise.

I had already made arrangements to visit the headquarters. I had something urgent to ask Chairman Lee Chung-jae.

I didn’t tell anyone what happened.

The Jeju Island headquarters of the help center was located not far from the airport.

“Welcome, Representative Kang.”

The chief secretary remembered me. When I entered the chairman’s office, Lee Chung-jae also greeted me with a smile.

“Haha, this time I’m greeting an honored guest while sitting down. I’m embarrassed.”

The formalities continued.

In the meantime, he made a lame joke that he really came alone, saying that in Jeju dialect, ‘welcome’ means ‘come alone’. He prepared tea in his secretary’s office and placed it between us.

“Jeju Island is really nice.”

I said.

“Yes, the employees really like it. Since the land is so large, we can build large buildings.”

“I really like the building.”

“I’m so happy that you like me, Representative Kang.”

Contrary to what he said, Lee Chung-jae’s forehead wrinkled.

“Can I ask you something?”

“As much as you want.”

“This time, our Cocoa came to the workshop. But we don’t have a proper resort or training center yet. We’re planning to set up one while we’re at it.”

Good idea, Lee Chung-jae added a soulless flourish.

“I was wondering if you could tell me about any good places in Jeju Island. The land is good, and the real estate is good. Anyway, since you’ve been here longer than me, you probably know a lot more than I do.”

It was a very important issue to me.

“well.”

Lee Chung-jae’s face seemed to become even more serious after hearing what I said.

“How about doing it this way?”

“Please speak.”

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“It’s already lunchtime. How about having a meal first? I have an executive who knows more about real estate than I do. Let me introduce you to him. Oh, right. How about having a meal together instead?”

He motioned to the chief secretary who was present.

“Chief Ahn Chan-hyeok, are you in Jeju by any chance?”

“I know it to be like that.”

“Okay. We’ll head straight to the restaurant now, so tell Chief Ahn to come over there right away.”

“I will convey that, Chairman.”

Lee Chung-jae’s face finally turned towards me.

“Would you like to get up? I have prepared a good seat for you. This is a must-eat dish when you come to Jeju Island.”

It was the brightest face I’ve ever seen.

***

An Chan-hyeok stuck out his tongue.

‘If you don’t mind, would you like to take a look around our company?’

There was a call from the chairman just before lunch time.

I met Kang Si-hyeon at the place I went out to. I couldn’t tell if the food was going down my nose or my mouth.

But there was something even more surprising. After the meal, I threw out an empty remark, expecting him to reject it, but Kang Si-hyeon quickly accepted it. The chairman’s face distorted. I wanted to crawl into a hole, even if it was a mouse hole.

‘Is that okay? I’m fine with that.’

‘······ Then I will take care of it.’

In the end, Ahn Chan-hyuk had to become a tour guide at the wrong time.

Kang Si-hyeon, who thoroughly enjoyed the tour without missing a single thing, from the walking trails to the exercise facilities, from the daycare center to the rooftop garden, finally left in the evening with a satisfied look on her face.

It was when Ahn Chan-hyeok returned with his tired body.

“Chief! Chief!”

Someone called out to him in a desperate manner.

“Where on earth have you been? You didn’t even answer the phone.”

“There was something I couldn’t accept. Why?”

“The chairman has been looking for the director since a while ago. He said he is still waiting, so go up quickly.”

I knocked on the chairman’s office door.

“Did CEO Kang Si-Hyeon go?”

As soon as I finished my greetings, Lee Chung-jae’s deep voice rang in my ears.

“Yes, he just left.”

“No, what’s taking so long?”

It was a slightly irritated tone. Even if he had ten mouths, he had nothing to say. Ahn Chan-hyeok lowered his head once more.

There was silence for a moment.

Five minutes, which felt like an hour, passed. Lee Chung-jae offered me a seat.

“Chief Ahn.”

The voice was a little loose.

“Yes, Chairman.”

“How is it like meeting Kang Si-hyeon?”

“They were very interested in our company building. They even asked how much it would cost to put a garden on the roof.”

“It is exactly as I thought.”

He chuckled. It wasn’t even an inch off from what he had expected.

“Chief Ahn, do you understand Kang Si-hyeon’s true intentions?”

“······What are you talking about?”

“Does the chief know the real reason why he came all the way here and did this?”

Of course I didn’t know.

“I was foolish.”

Lee Chung-jae looked at the sky of Jeju Island with a sigh.

“His meaning is this: Help is still valuable. I will see it all with my own eyes. That is what he means.”

“······.”

“We have to reach out when we still have what we have, namely, the rich experience and long history that gives us name value. Only then can we grab that hand. That’s the story. The interest in buildings is a metaphor. It means that we want to buy new buildings that still have value, not old buildings that are used up. Help is that building.”

It was Lee Chung-jae’s declaration of surrender.

“Chief Ahn, please form a task force from now on.”

He said.

“Categorize all the businesses that can synergize with cocoa. Anything that can help is a target. If you start preparing when the opportunity comes, it will be too late. You have to start right away. Keep it a secret from everyone. The board of directors won’t object anyway. Do you understand what I mean?”

***

It’s evening.

“Are you coming now?”

I approached the director. He was busy with the final preparations at an outdoor event venue where a performance could also be held.

“Won’t it be noisy?”

“That’s how all performances are. Well.”

He didn’t ask me anything.

“What should I do?”

“As the representative, you just need to declare the workshop open at the beginning and take charge of the first order.”

“What about part 2?”

The important part was the second part. I prepared for the Sai concert.

“Mr. Jae-seong (Sai) will arrive and wait in the waiting room. He is still on his way. He is a very busy person.”

“Yes.”

“Should I ask you to say hello to the CEO when you come?”

“No, it’s okay.”

That was probably a good thing.

At the beginning of the year, the CEO of a startup that had crossed out the ‘Easy Remittance and Payment Service’ plan happened to be at the same hotel.

He also checked out the ‘wallet’ service launched by Cocoa.

It was disappointing to see it work out so well. I thought that if only I hadn’t marked it with an X, I would have been the main character in that article.

Eventually, I decided to take a break from work.

‘Let’s put everything down. You have to rest to get ideas.’

So I came down to Jeju Island.

I was at the hotel that day too.

As night fell, my whole body started to shiver. I left the room. I thought I would go for a walk and enjoy the Jeju Island night breeze.

Footsteps headed toward the concert hall. The thumping sound was getting closer.

“Everyone put your hands up, Putchehandjeop!”

Cheers followed. Curiosity drew his steps.

On stage, a plump man was singing with his wet armpits raised. The beat kept pounding my heart. I felt my tension rising on its own.

I grabbed someone next to me and asked them.

“Who is that person!”

I couldn’t have a conversation without yelling.

“Huh? What did you say?!”

“Who is that singing up there right now!”

“Don’t you know that person? It’s not Sai, it’s Sai!”

between?

“Why is Sai performing here?!”

“Don’t you know? It’s a Cocoa Talk workshop right now! Sai’s agency is Cocoa! I’m not a Cocoa employee either, but I came in because they said anyone can come in!”

cocoa?

His mouth twisted in the darkness. The company that stole his idea.

‘No, that’s not true.’

After a while the anger subsided.

If you think about it, no one stole it. He just disposed of it.

Besides, Cocoa is a company that can only invite Sai to a staff workshop and have him perform. There is no way he can compete with them on his own. It was a predetermined outcome before even starting.

An epiphany came to him.

‘I was a frog in a well.’

He left the scene. His steps were lonely. Before he knew it, his hand found his cell phone. He turned on the Internet. The screen changed to the Cocoa Labs job posting.

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