Chapter 536: Chapter 536: Think Twice
After sending Andy Rubin away, I continued my conversation with Lee Taek-ki and Hong Seok-hyun.
Once we wrapped up our discussion about business, I left Ilseong Electronics.
I got into the car waiting at the main gate and headed to the meeting place with the president of JC Entertainment.
"Are you satisfied?"
Manager Ma observed my pleased expression and turned to ask.
"Of course. Talented developers are the ones who change the world. You managed to put a leash on such a person for a relatively small sum, didn't you?"
I had essentially bought their ten years for thirty million dollars. Of course, I would treat them with the industry's best compensation.
Although I had unexpectedly landed a big catch, my focus had to be more on the situation in China now.
Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I asked Manager Ma,
"Is Seo Hyung-jun going to come personally?"
"Yes, that's what I heard."
"Hmm… Seems like he's quite interested, if he's coming in person."
Seo Hyung-jun might be on the outskirts of JC Group, but he was recognized for his abilities.
He had even risen from division head to become the representative of JC Entertainment.
Though he was a representative of an affiliated company under JC Group, I could read his ambitions.
He wanted to break away from JC Group and build his own empire.
To do that, he would likely be open to working with anyone.
I had met him once due to Cheon Ji-young, but since then, we hadn't kept in touch.
Lost in thought, we arrived at a restaurant in Chungmuro for our meeting.
Upon mentioning Seo Hyung-jun's name, the manager guided me inside.
As the door opened, I saw Seo Hyung-jun already waiting.
Entering the room while slipping off my shoes, he greeted me with a bright smile.
"Welcome, President Kim Mu-hyeok."
Seo Hyung-jun stood up and extended his hand first.
I shook his hand and smiled back.
"It's been a while. Sorry for being late."
"Not at all. I just arrived myself."
"Please, have a seat."
While sharing brief updates about ourselves, we were both busy assessing each other.
After a short meal, I directly brought up the main topic.
"The reason I asked to meet today is to see if you're interested in entering the multiplex business in China."
"Multiplex? Are you talking about in China?"
Nodding, I watched Seo Hyung-jun rub his chin thoughtfully as he replied.
"Hmm… I know that Wanda Group is already gearing up to enter that business in China. They've had several meetings with us."
"Really? Did Wanda Group request the meetings first?"
"Yes. After all, JC is the leader in multiplexes in our country."
Wang Jianlin is known for moving swiftly. Well, there's no more room to be cautious now.
"It's not Wanda Group that we're dealing with. They probably don't have the capacity to handle such a business right now."
"Oh, I heard that Chairman Wang Jianlin was arrested. But would they actually abandon their ongoing business?"
"Who knows? In China, everything ultimately depends on those in power. Whether a business can proceed or not hinges on their decisions. That's why I've brought this opportunity to you. This is a business they want to pursue. It will succeed without a doubt. I believe you're the right partner for it."
"Hmm. I appreciate the offer, but… I'm currently in charge of the media division. The multiplex business is being handled by another affiliate. I think you might have the wrong address here?"
Of course, I was aware of that.
The multiplex business and media are clearly distinct sectors.
However, what I was offering was a chance to this man—to fulfill his ambitions.
"Didn't you say before that you wanted to make JC Entertainment the best?"
"Yes, that's right."
"But isn't it a position where your head could roll at any moment? Do you still hold that thought?"
"…"
Caught off guard by my words, Seo Hyung-jun seemed lost for words. His gaze wavered as he tightened his lips.
"You're not a direct line of JC Group, are you? How long do you think you can hold that position? Right now, it's a time of growth, so they're keeping someone capable like you in place. But what happens when you show stable growth? What happens when the business is on track? It's quite predictable, isn't it? Should I go on?"
Seo Hyung-jun bit his lip.
Even though he held the title of representative, JC Group would always be the true owner of JC Entertainment.
The chaebols aren't the type to easily hand over an entire company to someone from the outskirts.
"Even now, you're facing quite a bit of pushback, right?"
"… Yes, that's true. The board is dominated by those sent down from JC Group, so there's no real difference from when I was head of the department. The only thing that's changed is the title."
I may have set him up as president, but as he mentioned, the board was entirely under JC Group's surveillance.
Their job was to constantly interfere with Seo Hyung-jun's work and scrutinize his every move.
"You know I had a conflict with JC Group, right?"
"How could I not know that? The incident shaking the management of JC Foods is well-known in the industry, isn't it?"
"If you know that, then we can communicate more effectively. Thanks to that, I'm fairly well-informed about the internal affairs. They will never hand JC Entertainment over to you permanently."
"…"
In an effort to shake Ilseong Group, I had once rattled JC Group's top-tier JC Foods within its circular investment structure.
I never imagined I would use that information in such a way later on…
Anyway, they will never continue to allow Seo Hyung-jun to run JC Entertainment.
Facing the uncomfortable truth I wanted to ignore, Seo Hyung-jun let out a quiet sigh.
He surely knew this fact, even better than anyone else.
Finally, after hesitating with just lip movements, he spoke up.
"But I have connections in politics…"
"Don't put too much faith in politicians. No matter how solid those ties are, they won't help you. Think about what benefits them more: helping you or supporting JC Group? You know the answer, don't you?"
"So what do you want me to do?"
Ultimately, Seo Hyung-jun spoke with frustration in his voice,
"The entertainment industry in China is only going to grow. What do you think about leaving little old Korea and making a fresh start in China?"
"Are you saying I should go to China?"
"Yes, that's correct."
Initially, I thought about connecting China and JC, but suddenly this man came to mind.
He had the ability and ambition, but also an inherent weakness.
"You could go to China, build your strength there, and come back. The market in China is incredibly attractive. With 50 million in Korea and over a billion in China, you can't even compare the market sizes. It's a perfect stage for gaining power."
"… But even there, I ultimately wouldn't be able to do anything, would I? I'd still not be the boss there, would I?"
I laughed at Seo Hyung-jun's words. It was time to throw out a big bait he couldn't refuse.
"If you turn me down, I'll make the same offer to JC. I approached you first because of your abilities. You're sincere about the entertainment industry, after all."
"…"
"If you hold the connection between the entertainment industries of China and Korea tightly, eventually, whether you like it or not, they will come looking for you in Korea."
Will there come a time when Seo Hyung-jun will abandon China to return to Korea?
That remains uncertain, but right now, my words must sound incredibly sweet to him.
"A massive influx of Chinese capital will eventually flow into Korea's entertainment industry. No, it will spread all over the world. Hollywood in the U.S.? Chungmuro in Korea? The time will come when all of them will be watching carefully for Chinese funds. When that time comes and you're in a position to choose? Think about it."
"… Do you really think such an era will come?"
In his voice laced with hesitation, I nodded firmly.
"It will come. Within ten years, without a doubt, it will happen."
As time passes, the enormous Chinese capital will even make Hollywood mindful.
No one has noticed yet, but I know it.
Moreover, the next decade will be a business leveraging the funds of Chairman Hu Jintao, who will undoubtedly still be in power.
It was a guaranteed profitable venture; there was no chance of failure.
"Go ahead and settle in first. You can always come back after some time. It'll be a maximum of 20 years."
"Twenty years…?"
In twenty years, Seo Hyung-jun will be in his fifties.
Leaving his homeland during the golden years of his life isn't an easy task.
"Think about it carefully. Will you temporarily leave for the land of opportunity or remain in Korea and risk losing the company you've worked so hard to nurture? The choice is yours, President."
I knew well that it was a tough decision to make instantly.
"I'll give you time to think. All I ask is that you carefully consider whether to accept or reject my offer and give me your answer."
Seo Hyung-jun nodded heavily with a solemn expression.
"I'll take my leave first."
Without hesitation, I stood up from my seat.
"Oh, and to give you something to help with your decision, this business involves funds from the Chinese Communist Party. You can rest assured that there won't be any administrative procedures or legal issues."
At my words, an even darker shadow crossed Seo Hyung-jun's face.
He remained seated until I left the room.
The next day.
I woke up early in the morning and called Steve Jobs in the U.S.
— Charlie!
The line connected almost immediately after just a few rings.
"Jobs, it's been a while."
— Indeed. It's been a while. Why haven't you been in touch?
"Isn't it better that I don't contact you, Jobs?"
— What? Ha ha, that's one way to look at it.
Even a trivial joke made Jobs burst into laughter. His joyous laughter echoed through the receiver.
Though people pointed fingers at him as a heartless person, the Jobs I knew was always cheerful.
"Congratulations on the success of the iPod. I can feel your unique touch in it."
Released a year ahead of the original history, the iPod dominated the MP3 player market within a year.
This year's third generation even incorporates the ability to play videos, resembling a PMP.
Alongside that came the touch functionality as well.
Of course, it wasn't the proper touch technology that I knew.
However, technology had progressed quite rapidly compared to the original timeline. At this rate, the iPhone's release could also be sooner than expected.
— Thanks for the compliment. I've been hearing news about Charlie too. I heard he visited Washington not long ago… I'm disappointed you didn't come to see me.
"My schedule was too tight for that. I promise I'll visit you next time I'm in the U.S."
— I look forward to it. By the way, what's the matter?
"Do you know Andy Rubin by any chance?"
— Oh, that dreamer?
Who's calling whom a dreamer now? I couldn't help but chuckle internally at the irony.
— I know of him, but he's not someone I particularly like. Why do you ask?
"I'm planning to acquire the company he founded this time."
— What? You're buying Android? Really? Why? Those guys are planning to release their OS as open-source to the market, you know?
"You seem to know a lot."
Andy Rubin was the exact opposite of Jobs.
Jobs desired to create his own ecosystem and monopolize it, while Rubin wanted many people to use his OS.
Just by looking at the computers coming out of Apple, he didn't insist on using their operating system IOS, which is alternative to the mainstream Windows.
That temporarily left Apple stumbling, but ironically turned into significant profits in the future.
It was safe to say it was part of Job's grand design. And at the end of that was undoubtedly a small computer in hand, the smartphone.
At the moment, it was still somewhat embarrassing to call what were emerging slowly the initial smartphones.
Especially Nokia, which aggressively launched products running their own OS Symbian.
— What do you plan to do by acquiring that? Doing charity work or something, Charlie?
"I don't know. It wouldn't be a huge loss if I can employ Andy Rubin and his friends for ten years for a small investment. Who knows? Their OS might conquer the market?"
— Hmm… What's your revenue model? Are you planning to charge licensing fees?
Just like Jobs, he immediately asked about the revenue model.
This was the difference between Andy Rubin, the dreamer, and Jobs, the businessman.
"There's still no proper output. I'm going to take my time thinking about the revenue model."
— You're not the type to take a loss.
"Why are you saying that? When NASDAQ was crashing, I sold all my stocks but bought more of Apple stock. I'm the one who never sold it, so it's disappointing to hear you say that."
— So, you're not taking a loss now?
"Not exactly, but…"
— See? You're not losing, right? Am I right?
At his brazen question, I couldn't help but burst into laughter.
— So, you contacted me because you've secured Andy Rubin?
"Not really. I'm curious about what Jobs is working on right now."
— …
"You're working on something, aren't you?"
— Charlie. You didn't plant a spy in our company, did you?
Jobs' voice turned serious, devoid of all laughter.
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