Chaebol

"A fountain pen? You can just go buy one at Montblanc, no problem."

"At this hour?"

Ah, is it too late?

Well, considering that a contract expert (?) is flying in from Germany, maybe it is.

Perhaps it would be better to draft the detailed documents after Jo Soo-deok returns.

"Do you have a place to stay?"

"There is a place I found near Oxford, but…"

"Pack your things and come over here right away. I'll book a suite for you."

"Why… why are you being so generous?"

Song Soo-hee had heard a similar question when she bought a student's painting.

She had given a wonderfully elegant answer back then.

I wonder how I'll respond.

"I'm not a philanthropist."

"…?"

"I'm just confident that you'll make me a lot of money, so I'm giving you the treatment you deserve."

"You're saying I'll make you a lot of money?"

I nodded.

"Take your time with your work. Perfectionists like Da Vinci need plenty of time, don't they?"

"If nothing else, you seem to know how to move people's hearts."

"I may seem like this, but I actually have a lot of social experience."

With a light joke, I extended my hand.

As if signing a contract.

Squeeze.

We clasped each other's hands tightly.

***

Boston Airport.

The next day, I went to greet Jo Soo-deok.

Jo Soo-deok strode out of the gate with a triumphant expression.

You know the look.

Like an Olympic gold medalist returning home.

He didn't have a garland around his neck, but his face looked like he had conquered the world.

"The 30 billion won man, Jo Soo-deok, has returned."

"Aren't you a little too satisfied with yourself?"

"Of course. How could I not be?"

Did he have more to say?

Jo Soo-deok stepped closer to me with a sly smile.

"If I tell you this, you'll be really surprised."

"Figures. So there's more."

"Well, you see! Just after I hung up with the CEO and was about to sign with Schultz, Gaudi came to the hotel like something out of a movie. Schultz, who had been stubborn about the final negotiation, immediately tensed up. So I said just one thing to Schultz's executive."

"What did you say?"

"I said, 'I'm not some lightweight who gets swayed by offers. I'm going to sign for the amount we discussed earlier. But, there's one thing I forgot to confirm.'"

"…?"

"'The 30 billion won you mentioned earlier, of course, that's after taxes, right? Naturally, Schultz will take care of the taxes for me?'"

Wow!

He didn't wield a knife, but he might as well have been a robber!

This is why I like this guy so much!

"What did they say?"

"What else could they say? Their faces immediately turned pale. Then they asked if they could make a quick phone call. Since the amount increased, they needed approval from headquarters."

"Heh heh heh."

"While they were on the phone, I was chatting with Gaudi's side. I didn't say much, but Schultz got so anxious that they quickly ran over and handed me the contract. Of course, they said the 30 billion won was after taxes."

Is this how a large dog that fetched a ball from its owner would look?

Jo Soo-deok looked at me like a golden retriever waiting for praise.

"At this point, isn't the Germany trip… a huge success?"

Instead of answering, I gave him a thumbs up.

"Oh, thank goodness! Now I can finally get some sleep… No, wait! The CEO asked me to put together an appraisal team… I won't even have time to adjust to the time difference before I have to start running around."

Jo Soo-deok, slyly hinting for praise.

Oh, come on.

"I figured it might be tough for you, so I already put together an appraisal team."

"You did it yourself, CEO?"

"There's a sharp young man in the Oxford appraisal group. I heard he graduated top of his class from MIT's Physics Department?"

"Why would a physicist be in an appraisal team?"

"Right? But isn't it better for you? Less work."

"Oh… It's not really better. I may grumble, but I'm a workaholic. When I rest, I get restless and start waiting for a call. By now, the CEO should have some work for me…"

Heh heh heh.

He's impossible to beat in a verbal exchange, really.

"CEO, what's your schedule after this?"

"I'll need to send the paintings to Germany, right?"

"Oh, I can take care of that. What about your personal schedule, CEO?"

What's he trying to say?

Jo Soo-deok, waiting for my answer, slyly spoke up.

"Since you've been through a lot, CEO, a little shopping might be just what you need."

"Shopping?"

"You've got a big chunk of money, so it's a great way to relieve stress and spend some cash. I secured an advance payment of a whopping 10 billion won."

10 billion won.

I earned 10 billion won, despite once living in a semi-basement and working part-time in a cafeteria.

Scratch scratch.

Honestly, it doesn't feel real.

Maybe I'll feel it if I go on a shopping spree as Jo Soo-deok suggested.

"You've been working hard. It's about time you took a break."

Taking a break?

Well, I have been running non-stop.

"Then exchange some money into dollars for me."

"How much would you like?"

"About 100 million won."

"Excuse me?"

"You told me to go shopping."

"What on earth are you planning to buy… Are you looking for a house?"

***

I visited an electronics store with a graduate student who was acting as my interpreter.

The 1980s were when audio equipment became widely available in American households.

It was a time when legendary audio systems were sold at relatively reasonable prices.

In my past life, I was very interested in speakers.

Of course, I never actually bought a decent product.

Money was one thing.

Living in a multi-family house with no soundproofing, I always had to listen to music through earphones.

Sigh.

Still, I had such a strong desire that I read audio magazines voraciously.

JBL, Focal, Tannoy, B&W, Wilson Benesch, Bang & Olufsen… I memorized the names of products I could never afford.

So when I saw my brother, Park Yoo-geon's room, I was a bit surprised.

You're a chaebol, but why is your audio system so ordinary?

I was lost in these thoughts when I was brought back to reality.

"Here it is."

Looking up, I saw a sign written in cursive.

The word "Sound" was emblazoned in large letters, making it clear this was an audio shop.

"This is a high-end hi-fi store. It's said to be the largest in this area…"

What more explanation do I need?

"Shall we go in?"

Step, step.

As expected of a luxury store, a staff member came out to the entrance and opened the door for us.

The store was at least 300 pyeong (about 1,000 square meters) in size.

"Wow."

It was truly impressive.

As I looked around, a middle-aged man approached us.

"Are you looking for anything in particular?"

"Just browsing for now."

"Our store primarily carries JBL products, but we also have a wide selection of other brands."

Hmm.

When a young man and a graduate student are together, wouldn't it be usual to address the younger one?

But this man focused solely on me.

He knew exactly who would be paying.

Indeed, not just anyone can be a good salesperson.

"If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask."

The man gave a polite bow and disappeared. I slowly began to explore the store.

"Ooh!"

It's McIntosh.

Not the computer made by Steve Jobs… but the brand that makes audio amplifiers!

Their entry-level products start at 10 million won, and the more expensive ones exceed 100 million won.

But since it's the 1980s…

Even the most expensive ones are around 10 million won, so they're actually affordable.

'I have 100 million won in my bag, and a McIntosh is only 10 million won?'

That means I could buy ten of them!

Ah, I think I'm getting dizzy.

My legs are starting to shake…

Turning my head, I saw the other two giants of the amplifier world, Mark Levinson and Goldmund.

Mark Levinson is something regular people could afford, if they stretched with a payment plan.

But.

Goldmund costs hundreds of millions of won, so it's a brand most people can't even dream of affording.

And now I could take one home for just 30 million won?

No, wait.

The amplifier alone is 30 million won, so if I add speakers and an LP player, it might cost at least 50 million?

'Ah… I should have withdrawn 300 million won.'

No, seriously, I was born into a chaebol family!

And I just earned 30 billion won after taxes!

Does it make sense to compromise and settle for a budget when buying audio equipment?

'From now on, there's no such thing as cost-effectiveness in my life.'

From now on, it's all high-end!

'Well, if I run out of money, I'll just withdraw more.'

With that conclusion, I felt a surge of confidence.

'I'll go with Goldmund for the amplifier!'

I headed straight to the speaker section.

There, in mint condition, waiting for my selection, were legendary speakers that had been discontinued in my previous life.

That's… Tannoy's Autograph!

In magazines, they used to call these behemoths.

'It sure is big.'

If you want something with presence, this model could be a good choice.

'I'll keep that in mind.'

As I happily turned my head.

"Ooh!"

I couldn't help but gasp.

There it was, right before my eyes, the legendary 1960s JBL Paragon.

It spanned a good three meters in width.

Massive yet seamlessly blending into its surroundings.

With a vintage design reminiscent of Scandinavian furniture.

'The legendary speaker that was supplied to the White House!'

This model was never intended for sale.

It was made to showcase JBL's technological prowess, crafted with deliberate care.

In my previous life… just owning and preserving this speaker was something to boast about.

I immediately called over the manager.

"Can I listen to this model?"

"The Paragon, sir?"

"Yes."

"An excellent choice. Which amplifier would you like it connected to?"

"Goldmund."

"The dream combination."

The manager soon began playing an LP.

"I've prepared a full orchestra recording to fully express its sense of space."

"Tchaikovsky."

"You truly know your music."

Without even a moment to respond, I was completely engrossed in the music.

As the song progressed, the positions of the instruments began to form in my mind.

The sense of space was overwhelming.

To exaggerate a bit, it felt like a giant concert hall had opened up around me.

'It's blissful.'

When I finally came to my senses, more than 30 minutes had passed, and the entire piece had played through.

My goodness.

I had only intended to give it a quick listen, but…

Just as I was about to look for the manager, I noticed something.

'Huh?'

There was a small crowd of people standing behind me.

They must have been other customers who had been captivated by the sound and stopped in their tracks.

Among them was someone asking about the price of the Paragon and Goldmund combination.

Of course, they left as soon as they heard the answer.

I turned my attention back to the audio system.

Turning a room into a concert hall like this.

'Earning money… seems worth it.'

TL/n - 

You can read

[

Chaebol up to Chapter 56+

An Investor Who Sees Future up to Chapter 55+ 

Hollywood Actor up to Chapter 54+

Perfect Hero up to Chapter 58+

Devil's Idol up to Chapter 19+

Soar to Stardom up to Chapter 35+

Wizard with a System up to Chapter 14+

]

all by supporting me at [email protected]/inkbound (For only $5) 

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