180. face to face (3)
“I don’t think the world’s reputation is very good at treating guests, right? Won’t you treat me to something to drink?”
Hoyoung said in a relaxed manner.
Chairman Cho Hee-chang did not answer anything because he was dumbfounded by Ho-young’s words and attitude.
No one has ever behaved like this on the top floor of the headquarters of Myungsung Group and his office.
“Is it really not there?”
When Ho-young asked again, Jo Hee-chang glared at Ho-young and then pressed the intercom and asked his secretary to bring two drinks.
After a while, the secretary came in with two glasses of orange juice, and Hoyoung emptied them in one go.
“It is delicious. Except you didn’t even ask what I was drinking.”
“her···. haha···.”
Jo Hee-chang, who had not said anything for a long time, just laughed.
No, to be more precise, it would be more accurate to say that he was not angry.
‘I’m probably embarrassed.’
Hoyoung smiled inwardly.
It wasn’t his style to behave like this in a meeting with someone, especially someone much older than himself.
However, the person he was dealing with today was Jo Hee-chang.
So he thought. Let’s outwit him.
And, as if Hoyoung’s idea was right, Jo Hee-chang stared blankly at Hoyoung’s face for a while before opening his mouth.
“Ten years… No, it’s been almost twenty years.”
However, Jo Hee-chang said something incomprehensible.
“What are you twenty years old?”
“To see someone with this attitude in front of me.”
“haha. Is that so?”
“I met a very interesting friend after a long time. Not bad.”
But he wasn’t just upset.
He put a smile on his lips as if he was really happy with Hoyoung’s behavior.
“What makes you feel so good?”
“Well, just… It reminds me of the old days.”
He never had a meaningful conversation with Hoyoung, but he even laughed to himself about how interesting this conversation was.
Then he spoke softly to Hoyoung.
“Do you know why it has been twenty years?”
“Why?”
“Everyone is either dead or under me.”
Jo Hee-chang looked at the distant mountains and continued talking casually.
“Anyone who showed me that kind of attitude ended up being one of two things. Either really talented or full of bravado. If you really have skills, you’ll be called under me. Back then, money was given to those who wanted money, and women were given to those who wanted women. And vice versa…”
Jo Hee-chang blurted out behind his back, but Ho-young understood what he wanted to say.
As he said, he would have died or become a disabled person.
Even if he hadn’t done it himself, the world wouldn’t have left it alone.
“But what about this? I have no intention of going under the president. I don’t need money or women anymore.”
Jo Hee-chang laughed at Ho-young’s answer.
After all, it was the same as saying that he was a really talented person.
“So, I want to hear from you why you called me? You even investigated my background to say something so important.”
“First, I was really curious about who Jungsik fell for, and second, to see if he was really helpful to me and our prestige group.”
Jo Hee-chang answered with a relaxed attitude, thinking that he was being pampered by Ho-yeong.
He didn’t even know it, but it was as if the atmosphere had already completely shifted to Hoyoung’s side.
The proof was that he didn’t even think about punishing Hoyeong’s cheeky attitude.
“If it’s such a trivial matter, I think the answer has already come out even if it’s just my background investigation.”
Jo Hee-chang nodded.
Even so, Hermes and H&H had already grown into companies he could not easily ignore.
If Hermes’ Internet and mobile phones and H&H’s PC operating system disappeared in an instant, people’s lives in this country could already collapse.
Even more so, these two things were not the end.
Hoyoung Yun was currently connected with Gaia Investments, one of the most influential investment firms in Korea.
The identity is unknown, and the members are unknown.
It was Gaia Investment, which is said to have a tremendous influence not only in Korea, but also in the United States and Japan.
Cho Hee-chang tried countless times to contact Gaia Investment, but he didn’t even get a reply, let alone a refusal.
In the end, Yun Ho-young was the only route to contact Gaia Investment.
“Yeah, right. That was actually the primary purpose. The purpose I had before I investigated you.”
When Jo Hee-chang first told Jo Jung-sik that he should meet Ho-yeong, he had intended to meet Ho-young without much thought.
I just wondered what kind of person Jo Jung-shik was because he trusted him so much.
However, the more I investigated behind him, the more I felt like I was falling into a labyrinth.
“Background investigation, as you said, we did a thorough background investigation. Should I apologize if I offended you?”
“no. it’s okay. A background investigation is the fastest way to trust a person.”
Jo Hee-chang’s eyes brightened as if he didn’t know that Ho-young would give such an answer.
“But, more than you think, the information power of our reputation is superior. And I was able to draw one conclusion based on the information I gathered. Why did you call me today? That’s just to make sure my conclusions are correct.”
Hoyoung glanced at Jo Heechang.
I had no idea what the conclusion he had reached.
“I thought you might be a core member of Gaia Investment, or even the actual owner of Gaia.”
And Jo Hee-chang’s next words surprised even Ho-yeong a little.
But he didn’t show any signs of surprise.
“How is it? my guess.”
“haha. How did you make that guess?”
“Well, it’s just speculation, so it could be right or wrong. However···. My feeling is that it already fits.”
Jo Hee-chang’s expression was elated.
An expression as if ‘I know all your secrets’.
However, Hoyeong had already regained her composure in her heart.
“Again, you decide without listening to me.”
Hoyoung smiled and continued.
“Then you must have achieved your goal for today.”
“If that’s right, this isn’t all.”
“So what?”
Jo Hee-chang smiled when he saw Ho-young.
A satisfied smile that I had never seen before.
“I thought we should talk about work.”
Jo Hee-chang’s eyes were beyond satisfaction and felt even a kind of joy.
He had been in deep loneliness until now.
More than 30 years have passed since the start of the business.
A life he had lived frantically looking up at, he put it at the very top.
But it wasn’t until he reached the top that he realized.
This is the most lonely place.
From then on, he began to meet with high-ranking figures in the political and financial world.
In addition, he sometimes interacted with famous foreign entrepreneurs and made friends.
Of course, they were great people too.
However, Jo Hee-chang thought that no one would be able to sympathize with him.
Then one day.
He began to be interested in Gaia Investment, which appeared like a comet.
Wherever you invest, you get a jackpot, and when the opportunity comes, you bite it without hesitation.
Even the stock market is perfectly aware of the timing of big events that can fluctuate and dig into it.
As if you had planned the situation.
He thought he had finally found someone on the same level as him.
He didn’t care who the owner of Gaia Investment was.
Are you a man, a woman, a Korean or a foreigner?
For this reason, in fact, it was a long time ago that he started looking for the real owner of Gaia Investment.
But he made a mistake every time.
Because there was no information, I was only chasing the whereabouts of an unknown person.
However, thanks to Jo Jung-sik, he was able to investigate Ho-young, and he realized that Ho-young’s actions and the actions of the owner of Gaia Investment coincided, and eventually the current situation unfolded.
And when he faced Hoyoung, he realized.
That Hoyeong is the one who is ‘on the same level’ as him.
“Do you suddenly want to talk about work because I have something to do with the president?”
“When it comes to a relationship, it overflows. Aren’t you a major shareholder in our reputation? In particular, Myeongseong Electronics is also the first shareholder with a stake close to 35%.”
“It is 33.6%.”
When Ho-young insisted on pointing out the exact amount of the stake, which was 0.1% higher than at the last extraordinary general meeting of shareholders of Myeongseong Electronics, Cho Hee-chang giggled.
“Anyway, great shareholder. Doesn’t that sound like a relationship worth listening to?”
Hoyoung also smiled at him.
“okay. Let’s listen.”
Jo Hee-chang said with a smile that he was satisfied with Ho-yeong’s words.
“I am a man who has lived up to this point with one goal: to build reputation into the world’s best company.”
“If it’s a reputation even now, won’t the world recognize it?”
“That’s just a very small part of it. Would the name of our fame be known even in a rural village in Chile on the other side of the world? I see absolutely no.”
“They probably don’t even know Microsoft. You are too greedy.”
“Maybe. It doesn’t have to be now to make reputation the best company.”
Hoyeong stared at Jo Hee-chang, wondering what else to say.
“If not now, in 10 years. If that doesn’t work, I will definitely achieve it even after 20 years… But as you can see, I’m old. And I’m not feeling well either. So I put my hopes on my children.”
For a moment, Cho Hee-chang continued talking with a face as if he had aged 10 years.
“By the way···. The kids don’t like it.”
“There is President Cho Jung-sik and Vice President Cho Nam-sik, right?”
“I don’t like the formal diet. Lack of judgment and too much fear. If it hadn’t been for you, he would have tripped over himself long ago.”
Cho Hee-chang said cruelly even though he was my son.
“The male food is pretty good. There were a lot of expectations placed on that child. However···. Even if he borrowed someone else’s strength, I can’t expect any more from a guy who can’t defeat even my poor brother.”
Hoyoung felt ironic.
In a previous life, fame, and reputation electronics in particular, were the world’s leading companies.
Even before Gaiaphone, which he created the OS, was released, there was no place in the world that did not know the name of fame, and Jo Nam-sik was at the forefront.
But this life is different.
Jo Nam-shik has already lost his father’s trust.
“So what do you want to say?”
“Help me.”
“yes?”
“You could call it a partnership of sorts. I want you to decide the direction of the company so that the name of fame can fly all over the world.”
Jo Hee-chang’s expression was spleen.
He was prepared to give up all his interests for the sake of fame.
However, Hoyoung’s expression was grim.
“What do I gain by doing that?”
Jo Hee-chang paused for a moment, looked blankly at Ho-yeong, and then started to laugh out loud.
Jo Hee-chang, who had been laughing for a while, opened his mouth.
“I regret not meeting you sooner. If it had come out 10 years earlier, it could have already become a company whose reputation dominates the world. What can you do for me? okay. What about this? If, while I’m alive, the reputation shows enough potential to become the world’s best company! The president of my next Myeongseong Group is you!”
