The Chairman Who Wants to Play and Eat

Chapter 38. Thank you, Steven.

I wasn’t particularly keen on going to Korea.

While taking a day out of a nearly week-long schedule in Japan to head to Korea, Steven Jackson couldn’t shake the feeling that it was a waste of time.

Let me know if you need anything else!

It was not his intention.

“Stephen, the Korean market is an emerging market.”

This was the suggestion from James Curley, the marketing expert brought on a year ago to diversify Apple’s management.

“So?”

“It may seem shabby and clumsy right now, but it’s a worthy investment. We need to keep an eye on Japan, which is growing fast enough to surpass the U.S.”

“There isn’t even a decent factory in Korea. Have you ever seen a Korean-made refrigerator? It was absolutely dreadful.”

He pursued a universal design.

So, the shoddy finish and the poor quality of the refrigerators from Jeong Sang and Geosan could not possibly appeal to him.

It was sheer horror.

And what about those constant malfunctions?

He simply discarded it.

It was fortunate that it was only purchased for testing purposes; otherwise, the employee who suggested buying that refrigerator would have been fired on the spot.

The only reason he prioritized visiting Seonghyeon was because of that.

He hadn’t even been able to conduct a test.

Because he couldn’t procure the items.

Given those circumstances, his impression of Seonghyeon was practically nonexistent. Perhaps it was better than Jeong Sang or Geosan.

Anyway,

He thought it would be fine to just have a brief chat and leave.

The same went for Jeong Sang and Geosan.

He scheduled all three visits for the same day.

“The board members will probably criticize me again, but what do I care?”

He had done everything the board wanted.

He had gone to Japan and visited Korea.

That should be enough.

So, he planned to quickly wrap up the Korean schedule and head straight back to Japan, even if it was late at night. He had come with that intention from the start.

But then,

An unexpected event occurred.

He met a young man.

Without exchanging many words, he found himself saying to him,

“I think we have a lot in common. Just a thought I had.”

It was sincere.

It was something I could never have imagined before coming to Korea.

Who was it again?

Wasn’t he the grandson of Hyun Byeong-geon, the chairman of Seonghyeon Group?

‘What an amazing friend.’

He knew it too.

The absurd idea becoming innovation,

That a small idea, one no one else had thought of, could change the world,

He was realizing that very truth, which the majority of blabbermouths neither understood nor cared to know.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have poured two million dollars into a film filled with computer graphics.

Some even claimed that films using graphics were fake films.

The negative perception was dominant.

Most people would scoff at the idea that computer graphics would dominate the film industry in the future.

But,

‘Such an era will come someday. It must.’

He was different.

It was the first time.

There was someone else who knew that besides him.

He had found a true friend with whom he could walk into the future together.

And not just anywhere, but in Korea, a place he had thought of as a barren land of innovation, where only shoddy and clumsy products were made.

‘Hyun Sang-yoon.’

That was the person’s name.

And that was precisely why Steven Jackson’s words flowed freely all the way to the Seonghyeon headquarters.

“······ It’s about movies. It’s like a showcase presenting cutting-edge future technology to the public. A showcase has to be opened at my own expense, but a movie theater is where the public comes to pay.”

“I believe that one day even movie theaters will disappear, and films will come into the hands of the public. I have this concept called the Dynabook. To put it simply, it’s a portable computer. Take a look at this sketch. ······”

I was glad I came to Korea.

Now, not a single minute or second felt boring.

I had so much to say.

*

Steven Jackson’s words flowed out. There was so much to say.

It all started with a story about a movie.

“Is it a story that only exists in films? No, it’s not. Within the next 30 years, everyone will be carrying around computers. I guarantee it.”

But that story led to talk of portable computers that would be developed in the future.

The Dynabook or something like that.

He didn’t seem to have any intention of stopping for even a second.

In the end, during the hour-long trip to headquarters, he didn’t give me a chance to interject and kept on excitedly talking about himself.

‘Did I say something unnecessary?’

I regretted it. I had touched a nerve.

It was all my fault.

Do you know what’s even worse?

This person thinks well of me.

That means my original plan to complain in front of my grandfather has completely failed.

I thought this time would be a success.

No.

I can’t give up.

It’s not over until it’s over.

“…Mr. Hyun? Mr. Hyun, are you listening to me?”

Stephen Jackson asked.

“Of course. I’m listening well.”

I replied.

“So, I told James Curley this. Don’t sell sugar water, come to our company; our company sells something more valuable than sugar water. Do you know what that is?”

I do.

I know what he wants to say.

But even if I know, I didn’t really want to respond.

“Ah, so you do know. It’s the future.”

I never said I did.

“Mr. Hyun, I feel like we understand each other just by looking into each other’s eyes. It’s a different dimension from those fools who just sit with their legs crossed in the Apple boardroom. The real innovation is happening with the engineers in Apple’s development department. The board members know nothing.”

His story had somehow turned into a rant about the Apple board.

‘Why is he telling me this?’

He crossed the line.

Based on what I’ve seen so far, he wasn’t really the type to show much courtesy.

No, to put it bluntly, he was rude.

He had an attitude as if he were looking down on everyone.

Of course, it was understandable.

He was truly exceptional in terms of ability.

But if we were to consider his human side, he wasn’t someone I’d want to keep close by.

“Since it’s Mr. Hyun, I’ll be completely honest with you.”

He continued speaking, unaware of my thoughts.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, as I mentioned earlier, I had no intention of coming to Korea at all. Japan is already incredibly boring, and I thought Korea would be even worse.”

“······I see.”

“It’s all because of the board. When they decide to band together, it’s quite terrifying. It won’t work out for me anyway, haha.”

He said this while crossing his arms.

“Anyway, Mr. Hyun has changed my mind.”

In that moment,

a puzzling thought crossed my mind.

Why is he doing this to me?

Stephen Jackson may like me now, but just a few hours ago, he didn’t know me at all.

There was no reason for him to open up like this.

It was a weakness.

Especially someone as intelligent as Jackson wouldn’t make such a mistake.

It would be more reasonable to think that there was another valid reason behind this.

As that thought crossed my mind, another thought naturally arose.

‘Could it be for the same reason as mine?’

That’s absurd.

In my entire life, I had never seen someone like that…

Wait a minute?

This sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

Didn’t Jackson just say something like that to me a moment ago?

‘I feel like we have a connection.’

Is that really what you wanted to say to me?

Let’s think about it.

Is there really only one person like me in this world?

It wouldn’t be strange if there were a few others dreaming of a wealthy life without fame.

Because everyone, as a human, seeks comfort.

It’s instinctual.

Stephen Jackson could be one of those people.

Geniuses are like that.

Even if they want to break free, people won’t let them.

Because it’s profitable.

So perhaps they deliberately put on a show of arrogance and detachment?

A realization struck my frontal lobe.

“That’s it! (Eureka!)”

“What? What did you say?”

In my overwhelming joy, I accidentally spoke in Greek.

In that moment, I felt a twinge of guilt.

Not because of the Greek.

But because I had hastily assumed he was an insufferably arrogant person without knowing his circumstances.

I opened my mouth.

“Listening to your story, I can see that your goal is quite remarkable.”

I mirrored his words back to him.

It wasn’t something to be said outright, and I believed it was good manners to keep each other’s secrets as much as possible.

After all, Stephen Jackson was already hinting to me that “we have much in common.”

Fortunately,

“Indeed, Mr. Hyun, you understand.”

It seemed he grasped my words.

“When I think that the comfortable future of all humanity rests in my hands, it naturally becomes that way.”

Again, he answered indirectly. Humanity, indeed. It must be about himself.

So I spoke again.

“May I make a prediction for you?”

“Anytime.”

“I’m sure you will achieve that grand goal. At least within three years. I guarantee it.”

This is what it really means.

‘You will definitely be ousted from that board, just as you wish. Within three years.’

He smiled.

“I hope that prophecy comes true. Thank you.”

It will come true.

If it doesn’t, I will find a way to help from behind the scenes.

It doesn’t matter if you don’t help me.

I thought to myself.

‘You’ve built a great company like Appel, yet you’re scheming to get kicked out all on your own. It’s not like you were born into wealth like I was.’

In that moment, I reflected.

I had tried to play petty tricks on someone with such deep thoughts.

I had only intended to bring up a movie and complain to the old man.

I admit it.

I had been thinking all wrong.

No matter how tough it gets, I must navigate through it on my own like Steven.

‘Thank you, Steven. For teaching me a lesson.’

I learned a lot.

It was then.

From noble mtl dot com

“Arriving in one minute.”

Just then, the voice of Deputy Lee Beom-seok lightened the atmosphere. The car was already driving near the headquarters.

*

I entered the chairman’s office.

“Thank you for coming, Mr. Jackson. I am Hyun Byeong-geon.”

“President Hyun, it’s an honor to meet you. Your office is quite elegant and beautiful.”

I took it upon myself to interpret between the two.

The meeting felt natural.

Where had the arrogance from earlier gone? Steven Jackson, uncharacteristically serious, exchanged greetings with Chairman Hyun Byeong-geon.

“You’ve had a long journey.”

“Not at all.”

“I wonder if you had any difficulties getting here from the airport.”

“Of course not.”

He spoke cheerfully.

“Thanks to your remarkable grandson sending me here to welcome me, I enjoyed every moment without a second of boredom.”

To my ears, his words sounded like this:

‘You go your own way. I won’t help you. I’ll just watch your success from behind and cheer you on.’

But that’s fine.

“Well then, let’s take a seat.”

On the table was a precious tea. A special tea prepared for today.

The secretariat must have had a tough time.

“Oh, what kind of tea is this?”

“There are many good teas, but this one is the first harvest from a place called Boseong in our country, the finest of the finest. How is it, in terms of taste?”

“The aroma dances on my tongue. It’s exquisite.”

It was a warm scene.

As an hour passed, and then two, his bottom showed no sign of leaving the seat.

Just as time seemed to be running out, an Apple employee entered from outside.

“#@%^@^%&”

He whispered to Steven Jackson.

But,

“Sorry, Jake, I think I need to talk more with Seonghyeon, so I’d like you to postpone or cancel the other two meetings.”

“What? That’s a bit…”

“How you do it is not my concern, but I’d really prefer it that way. Is that too difficult?”

The arrogant expression from earlier had returned.

“…Understood.”

“Don’t bother me again for the same reason. Please.”

“Yes. I’ll do that.”

After finishing his words, Jackson turned to our side. Once again, a generous mask covered his face.

“Ha ha, since we’ve bought some time, shall we continue our conversation?”

He said.

“Where did we leave off? Did I mention that I would like Seonghyeon to take charge of the display for the Dynabook? The necessary technology will all be supported by our Apfel. I didn’t? Then I’d like to discuss it now…”

His eyes, sparkling with anticipation, felt incredibly burdensome.

At that moment,

“Didn’t you say he would come?”

Chairman Park Beom-sik’s sharp voice echoed loudly in the conference room.

“W-well, we did reach out…”

“Are you saying you contacted him but he didn’t come? Or are you saying he didn’t receive your message? Be clear!”

“He’s not responding.”

An executive stammered.

“We confirmed he arrived and was heading towards Seonghyeon in the afternoon, but since then, there’s been no contact.”

“There must be a reason, Chairman.”

Vice Chairman Park Do-won chimed in, having listened from the side. He had personally arranged this meeting.

“What reason!?”

“So, that is…”

“Are you saying the vice chairman doesn’t even know what he’s talking about? How is everyone handling their work?!”

At Chairman Park’s furious words, Park Do-won sealed his lips.

At this point, saying anything would be pointless.

It’s all ruined.

“I-I’m sorry.”

The executive apologized on behalf of the team, but the atmosphere had already become too difficult to salvage.

“Everyone, just quit!”

“······.”

“Whatever the reason, if he doesn’t show up at Seonghyeon at the appointed time, it means he won’t be coming here. Stop wasting time and get back to work. I’m not going to wait any longer.”

At that moment, at the Seonghyeon headquarters.

“······ Our Apfel can wait until Seonghyeon can reliably supply the parts. As long as quality assurance is guaranteed, we can wait as long as needed…”

Stephen Jackson’s words continued, showing no sign of coming to an end.

Ultimately,

“I’m sorry. It’s getting late.”

Director Joo Yong-hoon had no choice but to interject again.

“Ah, it seems the time has come.”

Stephen Jackson said, glancing at the clock.

“If your schedule allows, could we continue the conversation we didn’t finish tomorrow? If tomorrow doesn’t work, perhaps the day after… I still have a whole bundle of things I want to discuss with Seong-hyun.”