Not long after, jjajangmyeon, jjamppong, fried rice, and tangsuyuk arrived. The delivery man looked around the cluttered office and said, “It looks like you just moved. We’ll give you plenty of service, so please order often.”
“Yes.”
We sat around the empty desk and ate the jjajangmyeon and jjamppong. It tasted extra good since we hadn’t had it in a while. Chinese food is always delicious.
“Have you found a place to live?”
“I need to find one now.”
“Where have you been staying in the meantime?”
Sangyeop pointed to a folding bed tucked in a corner. “I’ve been eating and sleeping here for now.”
“How about showering?”
“There’s a sauna in the building across the street.”
As I had noticed back in school, this person seemed accustomed to a homeless mindset. He could thrive anywhere you put him.
“It’s time to hire some staff.”
“A few people were already recommended by you, senior. Now that urgent matters are settled, it’s time to start interviewing.”
Here, “senior” referred to Hyunjoo, his older sister.
While we were meeting with foreign startups at a hotel in Yeongjong Island to invest, Sangyeop and his Golden Gate staff were busy meeting domestic startups.
Busy with work, he hadn’t found a home or hired staff yet. With some breathing room now, it was time to start tackling things one by one.
Sangyeop suddenly mentioned, “Oh! Do you know Jung Gi-Hong?”
“Gi-Hong senior? He’s a senior from our department, so of course I know him. I saw him not long ago.”
Being part of the same department, Sangyeop and Gi-Hong were also friendly. Although Gi-Hong graduated before Sangyeop, they were a year apart in terms of enrollment.
“He’s currently unemployed.”
“Oh, really?”
After quitting KYB Securities and looking into PEF, it seems things are not going well. Well, these days, finding a job is not as easy as pie.
“He contacted me a few days ago. Said he’s looking into job opportunities, so I agreed to meet him.”
“Planning to hire at K Company?”
Senior Sangyeop said jokingly.
“Let’s discuss it first. Would you like to interview?”
If I sit senior Gihong down and act as the interviewer, it might be entertaining. How about lining up the seniors who still haven’t found jobs and conducting interviews?
This is what job creation and a creative economy are about.
I raised my hand.
“Please handle it, senior.”
Unlike trustworthy Senior Sangyeop, Senior Gihong is known for keeping secrets. After just one drink, secrets flow out of him like water from a faucet.
If I were to interview, rumors would spread throughout the entire school the next day.
Senior Sangyeop nodded in agreement as if understanding.
“That’s right. Anyway, we need to hire new employees quickly. At this rate, I might keel over first.”
Looking at his face now, it seems rough and tired, with sunken eyes. He seems to have lost some weight.
“Are you getting enough sleep?”
To my question, Senior Sangyeop let out a deep sigh.
“Well, I’m sleeping like a log for three hours a day.”
I chuckled.
“That’s decent, then.”
Taekgyu remarked.
“Even my sister, who joined Golden Gate, said that for a few years her wish was to get a proper night’s sleep.”
The problem lies in the financial sector.
What’s the use of making money? You might die before you get to spend it.
After finishing everything, we placed the empty dishes outside, and Senior Sang-yeop boiled water and made instant coffee.
“We need to hire someone for the accounting department quickly. I’m currently going to the store whenever we need pens or coffee mix.”
It’s always tough to start something new.
After finishing our coffee, we began discussing actual work.
Hyunjoo had uploaded a list of companies invested in by OTK Company onto the shared cloud. And Senior Sang-yeop had organized a list of domestic companies invested in by K Company.
Regardless of which side they invested in, it would be K Company’s responsibility to receive and analyze the financial reports and manage them in the future.
“I’ve been curious for a while, what criteria were used to select these companies?”
There is no common point among these companies in terms of nationality, industry, business type, etc. Some businesses seem like a jackpot right away, while others make you question if they are actually feasible.
“I picked them by rolling a dice.”
Senior Sang-yeop looked bewildered.
“Seriously?”
“Just kidding. I just selected companies that I believe have growth potential in the future. Even if only 10% of them succeed, it would be a huge success.”
“That’s true.”
Investing in early-stage startups, if successful, can yield at least 10 times the returns, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see returns of over 10,000 times.
“How much money do we have left?”
“6.7 billion.”
With an initial capital of 70 billion, investing over 90% in startups. Still, having 6.7 billion remaining is considerable.
About 1 billion of that will need to be used for employee salaries and operating expenses in the future.
Translation:
Sunbae Sangyeop asked casually, “Is it okay if I invest the remaining money?”
“Do you have something you want to invest in?”
He nodded as if he had been waiting for my question, “I have a few things in mind.”
Although he may look dull, he possesses a keen instinct when it comes to investments. Judging from his expression, it seems he has already seized a good opportunity.
“Do as you wish. As long as it doesn’t affect the company’s operations, I won’t say anything even if you lose some money.”
Sunbae Sangyeop looked pleased, “Really? Don’t go back on your word later.”
He must have been itching to do what he wanted. I wonder how he managed to hold back until now.
We returned home and relaxed leisurely. Having completed a major investment and almost depleted our funds, there wasn’t much to do.
A few days later, I received a call from Hyunjoo noona.
“The negotiation with Caros is finally over.”
“How much?”
“88 million dollars. Now Caros belongs to OTK Company.”
“Well done, noona.”
I silently cheered.
You never really know until the contract is sealed. I was worried throughout the negotiations about how it would turn out, but luckily, it ended well.
Considering we initially asked for 100 million dollars, we ended up with a 12% discount. It seems like Eunsung was eager to dispose of it quickly.
Surely, they couldn’t imagine that the company they sold for a pittance would change the world in the future, right?
A voice came from behind.
[Is it Jin-hu? Change me too.]A moment later, the voice changed.
“Hey, Jin-hu. Are you doing well?”
It was Ellie.
“Yes. How about you, Ellie?”
“It’s boring here. Just a bunch of men in suits. I enjoyed working with you, Jin-hu.”
“I feel the same way.”
[(Meeting time is up, Ellie) Oh, I see. I’ll contact you next time then.]I hung up the phone.
Indeed, office workers are busy. Senior Sang-yeop was also busy working on office interior and hiring new employees.
It was so relaxing that we both almost yawned.
This time, we received a call that the car was delivered. Dealer Kim Do-yoon, along with the delivery driver, came to our house and handed us the key.
In the garage, lined up side by side were a grey 7 Series and a blue i8 alongside the Octa Kukka.
While the 7 Series was in stock, we had to wait about a month for the i8, but fortunately, a canceled order became available.
Although it was not the Crystal White we initially chose, but the Protonic Blue color, Taek-gyu said it didn’t matter, and we could receive it right away.
To me, blue looked much better than white. While it might not be suitable for a sedan, this color fits well for a sports car.
Following the dealer’s guidance, we inspected the car and signed the documents.
“Thank you for making a good connection. Please feel free to contact us anytime if you need anything or have any questions.”
“Go ahead and take a look.”
Observing the parked cars, Taek-gyu asked, “What should we drive?”
It’s difficult for more than two people to ride in the i8.
I tapped the hood of the 7 Series with my hand.
“Of course, we’re taking this one.”
***
When I arrived at my mother’s house, the packing was almost finished. There wasn’t much luggage to begin with.
“We’re here, Mom.”
“Oh, Takyu is here too.”
Mother welcomed us warmly. Perhaps because she was moving back to her original home, she couldn’t hide her happy expression.
The movers loaded the packed items onto the truck.
We had already put up our previous rented house for sale. It didn’t matter if we left quickly or waited until the end of the contract to reclaim it.
“We’ll see you at the destination then.”
The truck carrying the items departed first.
“We should also get going.”
Beep!
As I pressed the remote key, the lights came on in the 7 Series. Mother was surprised to see the large sedan standing in the parking lot.
“What kind of car is this?”
I smiled and said, “It’s a housewarming gift. I bought it for you to drive.”
That’s exactly why I chose the 7 Series.
Our previous family car was a Chevrolet Caprice, a large sedan from ‘Eunsung.’ Mom was used to driving big sedans when Dad didn’t, so it seemed fitting.
When you consider the exterior appearance and safety, nothing compares to a big sedan.
“You bought this, Jinhu?”
“Yes. That house is far from the subway station. You need a car for shopping and going out.”
“But why a luxury car… How much did this cost, anyway?”
“I got a discount, so it was cheap. Don’t worry, I have plenty of money.”
Well, technically, I borrowed money from OTK Capital to buy it because I didn’t have enough.
“Get in the car.”
I took the wheel, Taekgyu sat in the passenger seat, and Mother sat in the back.
I started the car. Mother looked around the interior and muttered something like nagging.
“Why did you buy such an expensive car? You could have just bought a decent used domestic car. If you were going to buy this, you should have talked to me first. I heard foreign cars cost a lot to maintain.”
Despite her words, she seemed to really like it.
“Well, BMW is nice though. Quiet, and the seats are soft.”
Taekgyu said to Mother.
“I also have a gift for you.”
“Hmm? What gift now?”
“Hehe. Look forward to it.”
We drove for about an hour and arrived at the fully repaired and furnished house in Dongtan.
The Dongtan house, filled with various home appliances including a TV, refrigerator, and washing machine, was like last time when we went on a high-end shopping spree at Seongdidigital Plaza. Taekgyu footed the bill of millions of won.
“This is a housewarming gift from me, Mom.”
Mother looked incredulous.
“I’ve lived this long and I still don’t understand what’s going on.”
As the staff carried the household goods, Mother wandered around the house touching and feeling the appliances like a happy child.
“Since we didn’t purposely buy furniture, customize it to your taste.”
After arranging the goods.
We had a meal at a nearby family restaurant.
“How are things going?”
“They’re coming along. That’s why I wanted to talk to you about future plans…”
I told Mother about my plans.
“I’m thinking of traveling with Taekgyu for about a year to study a bit.”
***
“I’ve finished investing in the startup identified by Oracle, and OTK Company’s balance has hit rock bottom. For now, I have nothing to do.
Originally, I thought about taking some time off and then returning to school. However, my thoughts have changed a bit as I went through various experiences.
During this investment, I met young entrepreneurs from various countries. Besides just making big money, they had dreams and clear goals.
Also, watching Hyunjoo noona and Ellie work made me realize that the financial sector is not an easy place.
The world is much wider than we think. There is much to learn and much to know.
“I also need to learn more English.”
“You speak English well.”
“Not really.”
Of course, from their perspective, it may seem that way, but the English I learned for the college entrance exam and TOEIC clearly showed limitations in vocabulary.
To do business, I need to learn properly.
“And you need to learn too.”
Taekgyu was surprised.
“Why me? You can do it.”
“I can’t keep interpreting for you forever. And you need to think when you’re alone too.”
“Why is learning good?”
“It’ll be easier when playing games.”
“… ”
We must learn English, even if we may not have the capacity to learn Chinese or Spanish.
“Let’s see firsthand how the world and finance work over the next year.”
“Can’t I just stay home and play games while you travel or study?”
“No. Pack your bags.”
