Chapter 8

 Episode 8: Jeffrey (Part 1)

"Young Master, oil prices have started to decline."

"It's just the beginning. Once the U.S. ground forces set foot on Iraqi soil, oil prices will drop even faster."

Who wouldn't recognize the strength of the United States? 

Due to the aftermath of the Vietnam War, even Americans had viewed the U.S. military's strength through rose-tinted glasses. As the heart of Iraq turned into ruins, everyone began to anticipate that the United States would be the winner of the war.

"All right! Let's not be greedy. If oil prices drop to $18, sell everything."

"Understood! We'll be on standby 24/7."

With a sense of caution, I continued to watch over the office, just in case. But the future didn't change.

Only after confirming that oil prices had plummeted by a staggering 33% in just one day did I finally relax and return home.

* * *

It was February. Although the Gulf War had not yet ended, Iraq had been dragged without mounting a proper counteroffensive. Many experts predicted that the war would end before March, and this sentiment was reflected in oil prices.

"Oil prices, which were at $35, have fallen to $16!"

"Why are you still monitoring the oil prices when we've already sold everything? Focus on reviewing the performance."

"I'll prepare it right away."

Awaiting my visit to SAVE Investment Company after a long time was Team Leader Hwang Junghoon, who had prepared materials in advance and began the briefing.

"We were able to achieve profits amounting to 10 billion dollars with this investment. We fell short of the projected earnings."

"It's only natural that profits decrease when the investment amount exceeds tens of billions."

The initial projected profit was $20 billion. Considering an investment of $2 billion and leveraged to the max, a tenfold profit was by no means excessive.

However, as we tried to liquidate our short positions, a few opposing forces emerged one by one, and we had to quickly realize our profits while sacrificing a small portion.

Nonetheless, we earned $10 billion. A fivefold profit.

We had generated a profit of nearly 7 trillion won in just a year, thanks to the unique circumstances of the Japanese bubble economy and the Gulf War, and there were no such major gains in my memory for a while.

The next significant game would be the 1997 Asian financial crisis.

Starting from Thailand, it would spread throughout Southeast Asia, followed by South Korea's IMF crisis.

Until then, I needed to steadily grow based on the capital I had right now.

"Things must be pretty relaxed these days, right? After having fun with oil prices, everyone must be bored."

"The number of employees has increased, but there aren't many suitable places for investment, so we're proceeding with small investments."

"Let's invest properly like an investment company. Invest aggressively in the IT market."

"When you say IT, are you referring to companies like Microsoft or Apple?"

In a few years, the IT boom will arrive. To prepare for that time, it's essential to secure stakes in solid companies to maximize profits.

"Acquiring stakes in good companies, investing in talented individuals, and helping establish companies is what a true investment company does, isn't it?"

"Are you talking about founding companies rather than stock or futures trading?"

"Before that, we'll acquire a financial company of our own."

"Ah, are you planning to acquire a financial company to establish a strong infrastructure? That's a great plan!"

In reality, the financial company's system isn't the primary focus. What I aim to acquire isn't the system but talent. I am currently the vice-president of a small financial company, but in the future, I intend to name a talent that will rise to the top of the world's wealth rankings."The number of employees has increased, but there aren't many suitable places for investment, so we're proceeding with small investments."

"Let's invest properly like an investment company. Invest aggressively in the IT market."

"When you say IT, are you referring to companies like Microsoft or Apple?"

In a few years, the IT boom will arrive. To prepare for that time, it's essential to secure stakes in solid companies to maximize profits.

"Acquiring stakes in good companies, investing in talented individuals, and helping establish companies is what a true investment company does, isn't it?"

"Are you talking about founding companies rather than stock or futures trading?"

"Before that, we'll acquire a financial company of our own."

"Ah, are you planning to acquire a financial company to establish a strong infrastructure? That's a great plan!"

In reality, the financial company's system isn't the primary focus. What I aim to acquire isn't the system but talent. I am currently the president of a small financial company, but in the future, I intend to name a talent that will rise to the top of the world's wealth rankings.

* * *

D.E., a newly established financial company, was created with the aim of internet-based financial operations. However, as the internet had not yet become widely commercialized, the company was not making significant profits.

But Vice President Jeffrey believed in the company's potential. If the internet were to become widely used, they could grow rapidly. As long as they had the funds to hold out until then, Jeffrey was confident that he could make D.E. into a top financial company.

That's why he couldn't afford to miss this opportunity. A merger proposal had come from a company that was rumored to have made over $25 billion in profits on Wall Street. He raised his voice, almost threatening the company's CEO, Richard.

"You're saying there's been a merger proposal?"

"They've proposed a merger, but they're requesting it in the form of us being absorbed by them. They say they'll buy our company shares at double the price."

"Is the company that made the merger proposal SAVE? The one that earned a significant amount from the Gulf War?"

"Yes, that's them. And they promised to support all of our ongoing projects with unlimited funding."

"So, what's the dilemma? You should sign the contract right away."

Richard, the representative of D.E., wasn't pleased with this proposal. Many merger proposals had come in from various places in the past. Some came from companies well-known by everyone. He had rejected such offers before.

He believed in the company's potential for further growth. If they held out for a few more years, the company's size would grow several times larger than it was now. Selling the company at a bargain price was out of the question for him.

With a little more patience, they could earn a substantial amount. That's why he wanted to reject this offer.

"Just wait a bit longer, and we can succeed without their help!"

"Let's meet with them first and decide. You can evaluate their conditions and their intentions."

"I have no intention of selling the company."

"Understood. Just meet with them once. It's not a difficult thing to do."

"Then we can meet this week, but know that I will never sell the company."

Richard hoped for the company's success, while Jeffrey hoped for the project's success. Two individuals with similar yet different goals.

* * *

"Young Master, D.E. rejected the merger proposal."

Team Leader Hwang Junghoon, who had returned home, lowered his head. Just by looking at his face, it was evident how challenging the meeting with D.E. had been, given how it had significantly aged him in just one day.

"I didn't think the merger would be easy."

"I'm sorry. I should have been better prepared, but I was trying to resolve it with money."

"No need to hang your head. In reality, the merger proposal was just a shot in the dark. What I need isn't D.E., but the employees working there."

Acquiring D.E. would have been costly. Although it was the easiest method, failing at it wasn't a reason for despair.

"I will extend scout offers to all D.E. employees."

"You don't need to personally get involved in something like that, Team Leader. There are people for such tasks."

"Are there people like that?"

"There are a few. They should be arriving shortly. Just wait and see."

The timing was perfect. A door opened, and David, a newly hired employee at the company, walked into the living room under the guidance of a security guard.

"Why did you bring David?"

"Why not call someone who's getting paid to do nothing?"

SAVE employees liked David, but they wondered why he was working for SAVE. Even when everyone was busy, he casually wandered around with a cup of coffee in his hand.

Despite his leisurely demeanor, no one had ever heard David being cursed at. If one is working themselves to death while the person next to them is goofing off, it's only natural to get irritated. However, David was the kind of person who not only avoided curses but also managed to snag doughnuts with his unique carefree attitude.

"David is the only one who didn't complain about work."

"David had such an ability?"

David was the one with an A+ in people skills and job performance.

David was the kind of person who should have been a lobbyist, or, if you will, a headhunter. He was perfect for poaching talented individuals from other companies.

"Oh, Boss called me? I found some coffee with a great scent on the way, so I bought it."

The coffee did indeed have a pleasant aroma. It was exactly what I needed, considering I had been cramming books into my head all day. David instinctively knew what the other person wanted.

"Enjoy the coffee, Boss. "

"It's time for you to start working, too."

"I've been waiting. I'm sorry for getting paid to do nothing, eating and playing. What should I do? You're not going to make me play with numbers, are you?"

"Get along with the people here. You can have coffee, or even a drink if you like. I'll provide you with a generous activity budget."

I handed David the profiles of D.E. employees. Fourteen in total. The profiles included the employees currently working on the internet-based investment project at D.E. and Vice President Jeffrey's profile.

"I already recognize quite a few faces here. Do I just need to persuade them to come to our company?"

"If they choose to stay at the company, they'll only earn money for the CEO. While the employees will have to endure and support the company until it succeeds, the CEO, Richard, will be the one reaping the rewards."

"So, if they come to our company, we'll share the rewards?"

"For now, double their current salary. Plus, unlimited funding and success bonuses until the project succeeds. That should be rewarding enough, right? Oh, and for each person you recruit, I'll give you a $20,000 bonus."

"I'll produce results within a week."

"And make sure to bring Vice President Jeffrey with you."

"Got it!"

David saluted carefreely, collected the profiles, and left. I couldn't help but scratch my head while observing our conversation as if it were a play.

"Can we really trust David to scout D.E. employees?"

"Believe in him. If he fails, we can always resort to forcibly swallowing up D.E. It might cost a bit, though."

"Are you seriously considering a hostile takeover?"

"If it comes to that, you should cheer for David to succeed."

* * *

David proved his abilities.

Within just a week, he successfully recruited 13 out of the 14 employees.

Offering to double their current salaries was quite tempting, and with a charismatic figure like David coaxing them, who could resist?

However, he couldn't secure the most important person, D.E.'s Vice President Jeffrey. Despite all of David's efforts, Jeffrey remained unswayed.

But it wasn't a complete failure. He managed to bring Jeffrey to the SAVE office, saying, "Listen to their proposal." It was a signal for me to take over.

Well, I had to make my move after all the groundwork had been laid.

"Hello. I'm Kim Minjae."

"You've been in the field for quite some time. I know it's hard to gauge an Asian's age, but you really look very young."

It's not about being in the field for a long time; I'm just plain young. There's no need to point out that I'm of high school age, so I quickly got to the point.

"I heard that you, Mr. Jeffrey, have a keen interest in internet investment techniques. I'm also very interested in that area."

"Is that so? It's been a while since I met someone I can relate to. Do you know what question people ask me the most? 'What is the internet?' I hear that question a lot."

It was still before the internet became mainstream. People couldn't comprehend the idea of working on an internet-based project.

On the other hand, it meant that Jeffrey had remarkable foresight in believing in the internet's future.

Not only did he have a keen eye for predicting the future, but upon reviewing his personal information, I discovered that he possessed three different S-level work skills.

He was not only a great visionary but a highly skilled individual, which made him even more outstanding. Even my grandfather, who brought Taewoo Group up to third place in the corporate rankings, only had a single S-level work skill.

Indeed, becoming the richest person in the future is not something that anyone can achieve. To lure such a person, you can't just use any bait. It's time to throw a massive bait to catch the big fish.