Dear Comrade

Chapter 5. Shenzhen (1)

Chapter 5. Shenzhen (1)

“Now, next is Warhol, Andy Warhol. Let’s start with 50 million yen. Don’t have 50 million yen, 50 million yen? Oh, there’s one over there! For customer number 7, customer number 7, 50 million… Oh, there were 60 million. No. 19, 60 million, no more? Yes, at the moment I said, customer number 54, 65 million. That’s 65 million yen! 65 million yen for Andy Warhol’s latest work!”

“Junghwan-sang, are you going to buy that…?”

“Yes, is there any problem?”

“No, it’s not that I have any complaints, but…”

Heo Young-jun scratched his (large) head as if he was in trouble at Jeonghwan’s answer, which he threw without even turning his head.

After a while, he once again looked at the work that the host introduced aloud, and then whispered to Jeonghwan again in a whisper.

“Well, in the first place, Master… No, it’s Jung Hwan-sang’s money, and I know that he’s never been wrong before… but…”

“Just say it coolly. It’s hard for me to listen to.”

“I mean… is that really worth living for? That… I don’t know anything about art, but isn’t that garbage no matter how you look at it? Is that modern art?”

“To be more specific, it’s pop art.”

“Anyway… even though I have little academic background, I have no idea why that bizarre painting is priced at such a price. Is it really worth this price?”

Despite his euphemistic reluctance, as Jung-hwan continued to raise the price to bid, Heo Young-jun continued to glance at him as if he was uneasy.

However, despite his reluctance, Junghwan raised the hand sign once more.

“1 million! 1 billion came out! The 7th customer who made the first bid made a bid of 100 million yen! Do you have more? Three, two, one… Yes! The 7th customer won the bid for 100 million! Andy Warhol’s latest work sold for 100 million yen to the young man over there! Andy Warhol’s latest work, the portrait of Vladimir Lenin, has sold for 100 million yen!”

Soon, the staff came out, carefully carrying the portraits displayed on the podium, and soon after (again, if it blows, fly away, thoroughly packaged), they brought the next product and displayed it on the podium again.

“Let’s go. I saw enough to see today.”

“All right. I’ll put the car on hold.”

Heo Young-jun nodded at Jeonghwan’s words, took out a 3kg-weight dumbbell-like cell phone, connected the call, and gave instructions.

It was a wireless mobile phone that NTT started to distribute to the Japanese market not long ago, and the standby time was only 8 hours and 40 minutes of talk time.

It was according to Junghwan’s instruction that ‘investment companies are vital to the quick exchange and sharing of information’.

“Now the master is leaving. Pack the product well and store it in a place where you always leave it. Don’t forget to take care not to damage it. …….What? No seats? Baby, I mean just put it on and take it with you. The weather is cold these days, so don’t let the value of your products drop anyway. If there’s any discoloration when I check later, you guys are all pretty, huh?”

After finishing the phone call, he immediately followed Jeonghwan, who got up from his seat.

“Jung Hwan Sang. The storage space is full. It’s almost like there’s no room to hang any more.”

“Is that so? Then I’ll have to build another one. As in the last time, make sure that you are secure, and above all, take good care of humidity, temperature, and lighting, so that our assets are not damaged by the latest equipment. No matter how much it costs.”

“Oh, I see.”

Soon after they went out, they got into the car they had been waiting for in the cold February wind and got out of the building.

Soon, the car speeded up and the building moved away from behind, and Heo Young-jun began to flirt uncomfortably with his size.

“Jung Hwan-sang, this is surprising.”

“What do you mean?”

“I never knew before that you liked art so much. I’ve met a lot of people from North Korea, but they’re all blunt, so I thought they were people who were far from doing art or sensibility.

“ha ha ha. Could it be? I don’t even know anything about art. Actually, I’m not interested.”

“yes? Then why……”

“Of course it is for investment. Now, if you buy a little more, you will get the proper quantity that I have set. I picked and bought these guys whose price will rise soon, so the profit will be very good. Don’t forget to always check the price. If I miss the timing to sell, I have no choice but to hang it in the bathroom until I get my price.”

Junghwan said so cynically, but inside he smiled bitterly.

‘This is why all the people who are individuals and corporations and who have no money to do anything flock to the auction house. Art is one of the most effective means of managing wealth, isn’t it?’

The building where Jung-hwan and Heo Young-jun just appeared, in the corner of Ginza, without a signboard, was an art auction house.

It’s not just an auction house, it’s a VVIP-only auction house that Europe’s leading auction company has made hastily to a branch.

These days, Jeonghwan’s daily routine is to go to an auction house like this and spend a day and a half at auctions of works by artists that are hard to find in most national museums, from classic painters such as Van Gogh, Renoir, and Picasso to contemporary art such as Jackson Pollock or Andy Warhol, whom he just purchased. was to write

Although it was such a secret auction exclusively for VVIPs that each of them started the auction at a high enough price to open their mouth, and sold at a price that was jaw dropping by the time the auction was over, there was enough money for Junghwan and the Takayama Real Estate agent he put forward. could afford

In fact, it was not only Jung Hwan, but also other people who participated in the secret auction.

Most of them were branch managers, managers of leading Japanese banks and securities companies, and presidents of real estate companies who made a lot of money from rising land prices.

It was the current state of Japan’s bubble economy in 1987, when the funds that had overflowed because they said they didn’t have a lot of money to invest in it went to art.

“But is there any particular reason you bought Andy Warhol? For investment purposes, the Renoir or Rembrandt that came out earlier would be good too…”

“Mr. Yeongjun. This year is 1987. How long ago was February?”

“……? Yes, but…”

“Soon, the price of Andy Warhol works will skyrocket.”

“…………”

“haha. You will find out in a little while.”

Seeing Heo Young-joon making an expression that he did not understand the English language, Jeong-hwan muttered to himself.

Why? Well, Andy Warhol is going to die soon.

Because the most expensive art among original works of art is art whose creator has died.

“How is the status of the stock held by Takayama Real Estate?”

“It’s smooth. Nintendo, IBM, Tokyo Electric Power, Hitachi, General Electric, Tokyo Bank, Daiichi Gyokan Bank, etc…”

“Again, this bubble will burst soon. And when that time comes, there will be a major windstorm in the banking industry, starting with the banking industry. It is important to secure a stake in manufacturing companies that have secured many patents in their field.”

“All right.”

Heo Young-jun obeyed Jeong-hwan’s words by bowing deeply with the momentum to hit the car floor once more.

He had no way of knowing how this mysterious young man, a young man from the hermit country of North Korea, could predict the events of capitalist society like the palm of his hand, but for some time he decided not to think about them.

If you keep thinking about problems that you can’t answer anyway, you’ll only lose your head and time will pass.

It’s just what he is.

Heo Young-jun himself believes only in the leadership of this young leader and faithfully follows him, and if he eats the rice cakes he throws, he will be guaranteed wealth and glory… At least he thought so.

“It’s getting closer to the chungryon. Manager Kim will be waiting for us.”

“The land price here has also risen tremendously. Did you read an article a while ago that if you sell the land around the Imperial Palace, you can buy the whole of California? To be honest, I can’t believe it either.”

“The next two years will go up. How about somewhere else in Tokyo?”

“Oh my, it’s the same as going crazy over there. Do you know Minato-ku, where I first met Jung Hwan-san? Do you know what the price of land there is now?”

“The last time I checked it, it was 20 million yen per sq.

“Don’t be surprised. Now, there are some places that cost as much as 30 million yen per square meter. Even in Minato Ward, Azabu and Aoyama are already looking at 40 million people. And Ginza…”

Heo Young-jun swallowed his saliva as if he couldn’t believe the person he was talking to, and then said as if he was vomiting.

“It is hard to believe, but there are predictions in the industry that Ginza may go up to 100 million yen per square meter. It seems like all the money in the world is going to Tokyo, Japan. In our industry, there is even a saying, ‘Let’s sell Tokyo and buy America with that money’.

‘As scheduled.’

Jung-hwan looked at Heo Young-joon’s face, which was reddened by the huge amount of money pouring in, and muttered quietly to himself.

Selling your assets when the bubble peaks like this will be a huge help in the future.

With that in mind, he confirmed once again to Heo Young-joon, who couldn’t contain his excitement.

“Now it looks like we can slowly get out of real estate. Because the price is going up too much. In the future, our portfolio will be diversified into artworks and stocks, not real estate like today. Especially technology stocks. Like Toray, it needs to be reorganized with a focus on materials and chemistry. This year will probably be the last time Takayama Real Estate handles real estate.”

“Yes, I understand. At this rate, it may not be a dream for Jung Hwan-sang to become the richest person in Japan.”

‘If it goes like this, it will be.’

Jeonghwan thought so, but he also knew well that things in the world could not be solved so easily as Heo Young-jun said.

And as soon as the car arrived at Chongryon and met with Manager Kim Yong-geon, his worries were proven to be true.

“An official letter has arrived from Pyongyang. It is said that key party officials will make an unofficial visit to Chongryon in the near future.”

“Key executives?”

When Jung-hwan asked the reason for Kim Yong-geon, who seemed to be in the depths of the water after arriving at Chongryon, it was his first words about the news that Kim Yong-geon had announced.

Kim Yong-geon, who does not raise an eyebrow despite the level of censorship of the National Security Agency, looked unusual, so Jung-hwan immediately intuited that the status of a person coming down from Pyongyang this time was not unusual.

“If you’re a key executive, what kind of comrades are you talking about?”

“I know two people. First of all, Comrade Hyun Yong-suk, head of the Party’s Propaganda and Agitation Department.”

“………………”

The Propaganda and Agitation Department is one of the core departments within the Workers’ Party of Korea in charge of propaganda activities, ideological education, and even control and censorship of publications.

A head of such a place can certainly be said to be a key executive within North Korea, but in Kim Yong-geon’s subtle tone, Jeong-hwan sensed that what he was really trying to say was not the head of the propaganda and agitation department.

“The other one?”

“That’s the problem. The other one is the first vice-president of the Youth Division, Jang Seong-taek, and Jang Seong-taek, the first vice president. General Kim Jong-il’s brother-in-law decided to come directly to this Chongryon .”