Money Likes Me Too - Chapter 92



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Episode 92.

Many opinions were expressed.

Of these, two received the most support.

“You’ve invested so much in Texas, why not name it after a traditional powerhouse, the Texas Rangers?”

“No, our Cocoa’s identity comes first. I think Cocoa Ace (A’s) would be good, taking the first letter of artificial intelligence, ‘A’.”

But I didn’t like either of them.

Cocoa’s identity is neither Rangers nor Ace. Neither of them came close. It is also connected to the original reason why I decided to buy Dosan Bears.

Just money.

‘A name that sounds like it’ll cost you a lot of money.’

I hope that’s the name. I opened my mouth.

“I have listened to your good opinions. However, as I said before, I have a name in mind.”

“Can you tell us something?”

My mouth opened at Lim Kyung-jun’s question.

“Of course. It’s ‘Cocoa Bankrunners.’”

Bankers.

‘Bank’ means a bank. ‘Runners’ means not only a runner but also an operator. In other words, it means bank operators. This is because among our subsidiaries, there is Cocoa Bank.

But there is another meaning.

Looking at Lim Kyung-jun’s expression, I can tell he already knows what he means.

“Bank run? Doesn’t that sound so bad?”

Bank run.

In other words, it is a situation where banks are experiencing a large-scale withdrawal demand. Simply put, it refers to a situation where people who have saved money do not trust the bank and try to withdraw their money all at once. Since the bank cannot pay out all of that money right away, it is on the verge of bankruptcy.

It’s not a name that was chosen without knowing its meaning. It was chosen intentionally.

‘If we’re talking about the identity of cocoa, this is exactly what we’re talking about.’

Everyone added a word.

“TF, what you said is right. The bank operator itself doesn’t seem to be very impressed. Rather, I would say Rangers······.”

“What are you talking about! Ace is good.”

“No, aren’t they both names in the major leagues? Wouldn’t a completely new name be better? Like Hawks, for example.”

“It’s not just the Major League. The Hawks are in the Japanese league.”

It got noisy.

“Then let’s take out the bank. Runners.”

At first, he showed a willingness to compromise. But immediately, opposing opinions arose.

“There aren’t just runners in baseball. There are pitchers and fielders. If you make it a runner, I don’t think the players will like it.”

“Then let’s add a few more letters.”

“How?”

“What about Roadrunners? I see some of their names in the minor leagues.”

It’s not that I haven’t investigated it.

But Lim Kyung-jun raised his hand at my words. It seemed like he had searched Roadrunners on his phone. He had a serious expression on his face.

“In Korean, it’s ‘Road Racing Cuckoo.’ It’s a character that also appears in the cartoon Looney Tunes. It’s a name that people outside of English-speaking countries don’t know. It’s a good idea to give the team a friendly name that people are familiar with. It’s the basics of marketing.”

“Is that so?”

Actually, things like marketing were good.

Then someone raised his hand.

“If Roadrunners won’t do, and you don’t like common names like Rangers or Ace, how about going with a friendly image like you suggested?”

It was a face I was seeing for the first time.

“Who are you?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know······. This is An Ju-hyung, a senior from the Cocoa Labs character business team.”

“Okay. Friendly name. Good. Go ahead.”

He answered.

“How about Cocoa Buddies?”

Buddies?

“Buddies is an English word that means ‘friends.’ It’s also close to being a slang word like Yankees, so I think it would be good to promote it with the feel of the Korean Yankees.”

Everyone came out in agreement.

“Oh, that would be good.”

“I also think Buddies are good. I agree.”

Looking at the fact that Lim Kyung-jun also nodded, it seemed that the majority had already agreed. If that were the case, then I had no reason to object. I am a good boss who accepts my employees’ opinions.

“Then let’s do that, Buddies.”

It was the moment when Dosan Bears were reborn as Cocoa Buddies.

“Mr. An Ju-hyung?”

“yes?”

I finally found someone who gave their opinion.

“You gave me good advice, so I think you should be given a position that matches it. I will now appoint Mr. Joo-hyung as the Vice President of Cocoa Buddies. Please assist President Lim, who will lead Buddies in the future. I hope you will create the best baseball team in Korea.”

There was one important word missing between ‘Korea’s best’ and ‘baseball team’. ‘Korea’s best baseball team that spends the most money’, I thought to myself, of course.

“yes?”

Applause broke out in a rush.

‘Thank goodness it’s not me.’

‘You did well to stay still.’

It was everyone’s sincere congratulations on his promotion. Everyone’s hearts were lifted.

* * *

December has flown by so quickly. There is now less than a month left in 2017.

— Even if your name is Buddy, your skill is a hole-in-one!

— Did you all see the class that’s going to bet money on Cocoa America? Other teams, be careful. Buddies are going to sweep them all away!

It has gathered the expectations of baseball fans.

[ Cocoa Buddies, want to be ‘good friends’ to fans, ‘bad friends’ to the opposing team. ······ ‘2018 will be the year of Buddies.’ Declaration of intent. (Comprehensive) ]

After a long time, I left Hwapyung.

“Oh my, now it’s time to escape.”

Lim Kyung-jun had been teased by Lee Jong-seok for the past few days. A rare smile appeared on his face as he crossed the border of Hwapyong City.

It was like this.

‘CEO Lim, when you call me CEO, CEO, do we all look like the same CEO?’

‘No matter how much I go out, KSH’s position is still the same, so I have to come back and continue working. I don’t know how to look at coins.’

There was nothing I could do.

KSH’s investment work is not only a large-scale job, but also requires thorough security. It was impossible to leave it to anyone else. Lim Kyung-jun also knows this well. In order to do both well, Cocoa Buddies had to be less busy than expected.

“Are you well prepared?”

“Yes, of course. I’m accompanying the chairman, so how could I possibly do anything carelessly?”

I looked at the rearview mirror with a suspicious look. How could someone who thought he was doing well earn 100 trillion won secretly with coins?

There was one thing that was fortunate.

‘But in the end, the manager or coach will take care of everything.’

Baseball is ultimately played by the players. Since the team manager and coach are former players, they won’t spare any expense.

Besides, An Ju-hyung was also trustworthy.

His work-related skills, which had been promoted to vice president, were above average. He had arranged the first meeting with the director and coach we were going to, so that only Lim Kyung-jun and I could show up.

– Arrived at destination.

Before I knew it, the gigantic Jamsil Stadium came into view. Since it was not the season, the parking lot was deserted.

“This way.”

The club staff was there.

“Welcome. Chairman Kang Si-Hyeon. President Lim Gyeong-Jun.”

I entered the office.

It was very narrow. In addition, the front desk staff were all big, so it felt even narrower. The small tables and sofas were already looking too small.

It looks like Dosan Bears really didn’t spend any money.

‘It’s all money.’

As expected, it was a good decision to buy a baseball team. There are so many places to spend money. Lim Kyung-jun looked at me with anxious eyes.

‘It was a good thing I didn’t come with CEO Han Jang-soo.’

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I sat down in the prepared seat with Im Gyeong-jun while thinking like this. An Ju-hyung opened his mouth.

“Now, let’s start the meeting. First, I’d like to introduce the front staff. Please speak one by one.”

It was his progress.

“Hello, Dosan······. No, my name is Jeon Soon-tae, the director of Cocoa Buddies.”

Looking at his gray hair, he looked like a director. The director’s complaint followed.

Neither Nana nor Im Kyung-jun knew the details.

To summarize, it was like this.

(The Dosan Bears) have been a strong team that has consistently advanced to the Korean Series since the 2010s, but the reason they have not been able to build a strong image beyond being a Korean Series contender is because they do not have a single hit.

“We couldn’t express it until now because our parent company couldn’t afford to pay, but things are different now. There are rumors about the chairman, and it’s true that we’re expecting greater support in many ways.”

He also expressed his gratitude to me for helping him to carry out the employment succession perfectly.

But I only heard one thing: they were asking for greater support.

‘Hmm. It’s not bad, is it?’

I liked those words.

In the end, it means you need money.

That’s why I started preparing yesterday. If you want to spend money, you have to study.

I spoke slowly.

“It’s nice to meet you like this. I hope you all continue to work hard for our Cocoa Buddies.”

Everyone is listening to me.

“I analyzed the team for a moment, and it seems like there are only three positions that our Cocoa Buddies are lacking.”

“What is that······.”

“There are three: pitcher, fielder, and catcher.”

The room became quiet. It was like a still picture. Everyone was looking at me as if they were wondering what on earth I was talking about.

“So, I plan to strengthen those three positions.”

He said that you have to listen to Korean until the end.

“There is a system called FA (Free Agent System). Players who meet certain conditions can freely enter the market, appeal their value, and sign a new contract with the conditions they want. Doesn’t that mean that anyone can buy a player if they have money?”

Lim Kyung-jun nodded.

“So I got this year’s FA list.”

Everyone swallowed their saliva and looked at my mouth. The coach added. From the moment the FA story came up, he was staring at me. His gaze was like a laser.

“First, the pitcher is Kim Hyun-kwang, and the catcher is Kang Ho-min.”

“yes?”

“I looked into it and found that these two are the most anticipated players in the market. (They’re also the most expensive, I’m sorry to say.) I’ll take responsibility for these two and make them players for our team.”

“What? Really, Kim Hyun-kwang and Kang Ho-min?”

The director forgot about his pride and let out a gasp.

‘it’s crazy.’

‘This is really awesome.’

The other staff members had similar expressions. They looked like they were about to hug each other.

That was understandable.

Kim Hyun-kwang is the national team’s first starting pitcher. He has been considered one of the best pitchers in Korea along with Ryu Jin-hyun, who is playing for the LA Dodgers. Kang Ho-min is similar. He is a very good player who has been consistently active as the national team’s home team’s home lady.

If you have just one of the two, your power will increase dramatically.

I found out that Kim Hyun-kwang would be worth 10 billion won, and Kang Ho-min would be worth about 8 billion won. It’s expensive for a baseball player, but it’s a very small amount for me.

‘I’m not satisfied with that much.’

Then I declared:

“These two are not the end. We’ve got the pitcher and catcher, but we still have the fielders left.”

Is there more?

Now everyone just stares at me blankly.

They are experts. They know full well that you can’t get more than these two players through free agency or trade. It’s no wonder that my loud voice sounds strange.

But that’s just seeing me as too shallow.

“He is the main receiver of the Texas Rangers’ overseas player. We will do whatever it takes to bring him back to Korea and become a close friend of our Cocoa Buddies.”

I can create anything out of nothing, as long as I have the money to spend it.

* * *

The signing of the main protagonist was big news.

‘No problem.’

First, the original club coolly let him go. We took over the contract on the condition that they pay a penalty of 70 million dollars, equivalent to the remaining 4 years of the contract.

The power of money was there, but so was the investment in Texas.

The governor is on our side.

But if the head coach had not been in a slump, it would have been impossible to become the president, let alone the governor. Fortunately(?), the head coach had been recording the worst performances since joining Texas in 2013.

The problem was ZK.

ZK’s baseball team, the Dragons, had the right to negotiate first when the starting pitcher returned to Korea.

This was also solved with money.

Finally, on December 22nd, just before Christmas, each sports media outlet started to report big news. It was right after the signing of the new contract with the head coach.

[Texas’s main receiver returns to Korea! ······ Texas Rangers, ‘We won’t forget the good memories. We hope you do well in Korea as well.’ A beautiful farewell. ]

[Cocoa Buddies, Joo Soo-shin, Kim Hyun-kwang, Kang Ho-min······. ‘Sweeping the market to build a dynasty’ Fans’ expectations UP!]

The door opened.

“Are you overflowing with money?”

This was General Han’s bold remark after learning all of this.

“You know a lot.”

“······.”

“Invest when you can.”

I convinced him.

“It’s called GTMS (Go to Market Strategy). We are a large company, but this is our first time with a baseball team. Only when the initial investment goes well can we discuss the next step.”

Of course, that’s just talk. I had no intention of ending my investment like this.

I tried hard to ignore the expression on Han Jang-soo’s face.

“So, Representative Han, what do you want to say?”

I hit the player.

“Oh, this is it.”

“What is this?”

“This is a report sent by CEO Park Hyung-do. CocoaTalk’s share of the US messenger market continues to rise. If this trend continues, it seems likely that it will soon reach 10%.”

What? Damn it. I let my guard down and got hit in the back of the head.

“Haha, good, that’s good news.”

I muddled through.

“This is not the end, Mr. Chairman.”

“Is there more?”

“Yes, this is something that KSH CEO Lee Jong-seok told me in passing, saying it was confidential information. I thought the chairman should know about it too.”

“What is it?”

“Isn’t there Representative Jo Wang-beom?”

“Yes. Why that person?”

Han Jang-soo continued speaking with a cough.

“It seems that the ‘Internet-only Bank Special Measures Act’ has finally reached a point of passage during this plenary session of the National Assembly. As you know, to give you the gist, it contains provisions to ease the 5% cap on industrial capital separation provisions for internet-only banks.”

In simple terms, it means I can spend more money on the Cocoa Bank. I like that.

“That’s good news.”

“Public opinion is favorable to us, so there won’t be any problems.”

“Thank you for your effort.”

“There’s more.”

What else do you have?

“I should have told you this first······. By the way, didn’t you just buy the naming rights to AT&T Stadium in Texas?”

“Yes, it was.”

“That’s why the share of CocoaTalk messenger has also increased······.”

He hesitated for a moment.

“Anyway, since we’re already here, I thought we should give it a try. If you confirm, I’ll try to place our CocoaTalk ad in the Super Bowl (NFL Finals) halftime commercial.”

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