The Chaebol Who Flies From Space - Chapter 60



Only Noblemtl

60. Going to America (1)

After the plane took off and reached altitude, I lay down on the bed and rolled around comfortably, which was a comfortable experience.

I’ve been so busy lately that I decided to give myself a vacation.

After the plane took off and my little sister, who had been whining next to me, went to her room, only then did things become quiet.

[If people heard that the Master was busy, they would laugh.]

“You don’t know how crazy I’ve been. I went to Mexico, then back to Korea, then back to China. Just the travel distance alone is amazing. I also acquired a company in the meantime.”

[I’m the one who did the work properly. Not the Master.]

“What you did is what I did.”

[It’s different. If this continues, we will go on strike.]

“Do it or not. How’s America doing these days? Is there any particular issue?”

[They are anxious because they can’t invade Iraq. They are making a fuss about taking evidence to the UN and proving that there are weapons of mass destruction.]

“How do you think things will go from now on?”

[They will first conduct a UN inspection to prove that there are no weapons of mass destruction. Iraq is not stupid, so they will cooperate, but they don’t care what the result is. The US government has already decided internally to invade Iraq.]

Ariel’s prediction for the future was that there would be war soon.

“War again? The war really keeps breaking out without resting.”

[It is a law that a hegemonic power needs blood to maintain hegemony. The United States can never give up oil in the Middle East.]

“Hasn’t Iraq been listening to the United States for quite some time? It looks like they’re going to use Iraq as a test case. Isn’t Iran also not happy with the United States? They’ll probably hate it even more.”

[Because Iraq is easier than its neighbor Iran, which has a population of over 70 million. Splitting up Iraq’s oil fields after the war would also be a lucrative reward.]

“Is Iraq really that rich in oil?”

[Currently, Iraq’s estimated oil reserves are 130 billion barrels. It is the second largest in the world after Saudi Arabia. After the war, they will split it up.]

“There are a lot. Korea was turned upside down because I developed one West Sea oil field worth 10 billion barrels.”

[There is no comparison. If Iraq were developed with proper drilling technology, it would be comparable to Saudi Arabia in terms of oil reserves. The military-industrial complex, which is the foundation of the Bush administration, wants war, and the oil companies also want war, so they cannot avoid it.]

“The war in Afghanistan ended too quickly. It ended as soon as it started, so the military contractors are not happy about it. They should have dragged it out a little longer and cleared out the stockpiles.”

[It seems like the war is over on the surface, but we have failed to root out the true powers of Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Afghanistan is not a place where the war will end easily just because major cities like Kabul are taken over. Guerillas will continue to swarm the rugged mountainous terrain. The Soviet Union also failed in the end.]

“You’ve put one foot in the mud, and now you’re going to put the other foot in the mud too.”

[If we go to war with Iraq and oust Hussein, the entire Middle East will shake. Iraq is not an ordinary complicated country. The Baath Party, which is currently in power in Iraq, is a Sunni party with a small population in Iraq. If the Baath Party is ousted, the discontent that the minority Sunnis have suppressed by suppressing the majority Shiites will explode all at once. In addition to the religious conflict between Shiites and Sunnis, the Kurds in the north also want independence. There is no clear leader that the US can put forward after Hussein.]

“It’s complicated. So that means both Afghanistan and Iraq will have to go through long-term civil wars.”

[I assume so.]

Iriel’s analysis will be correct. If you run a simulation with various data, you can get a very good prediction of the future.

“What on earth makes the US believe it can invade Iraq and occupy it?”

[The US government does not have a proper Middle East expert. To be precise, the opinions of experts are not properly conveyed to the US government headquarters where decision-making is made.]

“So, what should I do next before war breaks out?”

[To secure oil fields, it is necessary to build a relationship with the Kurds in the northern region. If Hussein falls, the Kurds will likely establish an autonomous government, even if they do not become independent. There are many undeveloped oil fields in the Kurdish autonomous regions.]

“The southern part of Iraq, where it is easy to develop oil fields, probably already has owners?”

[Yes, that will happen. There are already signs that oil companies are lobbying the Bush administration.]

I thought about Ariel’s words for a moment, but I didn’t feel like it.

“North? North?…… Let’s just leave it alone. I have a bad feeling about it, and I don’t think we’ll make much money even if we go there. Even if we develop the northern oil fields, there’s no proper route for the crude oil we extract. We need to build a pipeline to Turkey, but I don’t think they’ll allow it so easily.”

[Turkey has long claimed sovereignty over northern Iraq.]

“So, I don’t think building a pipeline to Turkey will be an easy solution. Whether the Americans are stuck in the mud because of oil or not, it’s none of my business, I’m not American.”

[Master, then how about a new way of genetic development?]

“A new way? What kind?”

[This is how shale gas is developed.]

I hesitated for a moment at Ariel’s suggestion, but this was also not so good.

“That method has many problems because of the environmental pollution that occurs during the mining process. There is also the problem of causing earthquakes. And the amount of mining is small.”

[What will happen later? Later, when the era of high oil prices arrives, shale gas will be in the spotlight. All you have to do is buy the shale region in advance and sell it at a high price. You can preemptively occupy an area where there are few people living nearby and are insensitive to pollution.]

When I heard it, Ariel’s suggestion wasn’t bad.

“What area do you recommend?”

[The Permian Basin region of Texas is easy to develop. The shale formations are dense and the population is small, so there are not many restrictions on development. In addition, most of it is near-wasteland, so land prices are cheap, under $1,000 per acre.]

I couldn’t help but laugh. An AI that recommends real estate speculation.

“Now you’re encouraging me to speculate in real estate. How big is an acre?”

[1 acre is 4,046㎡, and 1,224 pyeong. They are preemptively acquiring land near Midland, the central city of the Permian Basin, and later selling it at a reasonable price when oil prices rise. The Permian Basin is known to have large shale deposits, but it is difficult to mine with current shale technology, so it is a neglected area. As mining technology advances, this area will be in the spotlight.]

After thinking about it, I realized it was a good investment.

“If what you say is true, it seems like a good investment, but I guess I should take my time buying land? There are plenty of places where I can get cash right away.”

[For shale gas development to flourish, oil prices need to exceed $100 per barrel. There is plenty of time for prices to rise to that level.]

“Oh my! If it goes up to $100 a barrel, I should increase the amount I produce from my oil fields. When will the price go up to that level?”

[Based on the supply and demand in the oil market, it seems likely that prices will rise to that level in the 2010s.]

“There’s still plenty of time. I’ll buy slowly whenever I have the money.”

My visit to LA was to attend the premiere of My Greek Wedding.

I greeted Valentina warmly when she came to pick me up at the airport.

Valentina looked particularly bright in a black double-breasted one-piece dress.

“I’m sorry for keeping you waiting so long. LAX is busier than I thought.”

“It’s always like this here. It’s really nice to see you again. Why are people so indifferent? They invest a lot of money in a movie and then don’t even look at it. Anyway, Yongwon really seems to be rich. Judging from the way he comes out of the private jet gate.”

“This time, I acquired a private jet.”

Jeongyeon intervened while Valentina was dividing the inheritance.

“Brother! I should introduce you to someone too.”

“Here’s Jeongyeon.”

“Nice to meet you, Jeongyeon. It’s really nice to see you like this after only talking through emails.”

Valentina and Jeongyeon greeted each other warmly and hugged. It was as if Jeongyeon, who was short, was hugging Valentina, who was tall.

Valentina looked troubled as she looked at the bodyguards surrounding her tightly.

“What should I do? I haven’t even prepared the security vehicles yet.”

“The vehicle to move is already ready.”

Before we even got off the plane, the vehicles prepared for the airport had already arrived.

“Did you drive here yourself?”

“Yes. Then what should I do? Shall we meet again at the hotel?”

“Just leave the car keys with me and let’s go together in my car. We have something to talk about as we go.”

“Are the bodyguards going to drive the car?”

“No, the hotel I made the reservation at sent someone.”

“That’s good. I don’t want to leave my car keys with someone who doesn’t even know how to get around LA. Where did you book the hotel? I didn’t make the hotel reservation because I said I would do it myself.”

I saw my sister. I left her alone because she said she would do it.

“Four Seasons.”

Valentina smiled brightly.

“It’s a hotel close to Beverly Hills. It’s a nice hotel.”

The reason Jeongyeon made a reservation there was simple.

“My younger brother wanted to see Beverly Hills from up close.”

“Beverly Hills is a popular area for young women to visit.”

We were so busy chatting about things we had been holding back while riding in the limousine sent by the hotel that we were completely absorbed in the conversation.

Mostly Valentina did the talking and I listened.

He talked for a long time about the things he experienced while making the movie.

The complaint was that it was becoming increasingly difficult to make movies in LA.

Citizens also did not welcome filming, which caused traffic congestion, unlike before.

“Next time, I think we’ll shoot in Canada or Mexico. They give us more tax benefits and the production costs are lower than in LA.”

“I’ve heard that film production is gradually moving out of LA and overseas.”

“Now, LA doesn’t really offer much of a production advantage. I think we’ll only be filming here by renting a movie studio.”

“Have the number of theaters opened been decided?”

“I talked to the distributor, IFC, and fortunately, there are no blockbusters competing with the film when it is released, so I think the number of theaters it is released in will increase.”

“thank god.”

“Have you ever thought about investing in other movies?”

“I thought about it, but I think it would be better to invest in Blue Rabbit Films. I invested in this film because the script was good, but I don’t have time to look into other films in detail.”

“Do you want a stake in the film company or do you want to take over the company?”

I laughed lightly at her words.

“What would I do if I acquired Blue Rabbit? I would hand over the shares and use the money to make the movies Valentina wants.”

Valentina frowned as if several thoughts were running through her mind at my suggestion.

“Please give me some time to think about it. I have never thought about handing over company shares, so I need some time.”

“Of course.”

It didn’t matter if Valentina didn’t hand over her shares in the company.

LA was full of movie production companies.

“Valentina, what is the most important thing to consider when starting a film?

Jeongyeon, who had been listening to the two’s story, asked Valentina some questions she was curious about.

“Of course it’s the script. A good script makes a good movie. I decided to produce this movie because I liked the script that Nia, who plays the lead role, brought to me.”

“So what next?”

“You have to find someone who can properly direct the movie. That’s not easy.”

So while Jeongyeon was talking with Valentina, they arrived at the hotel they had reserved.

I dropped my luggage in the hotel room and went straight to the restaurant.

Even while eating, Jeongyeon and Valentina chatted endlessly. I wondered if they were so close that the conversation never ended.

The meal was so-so, not as good as I had expected, but it wasn’t a bad meal just listening to their conversation.