Free Web NovelMurdoch’s phone kept ringing. Smiling, I silently watched him debate whether to answer.
Soon Manager Ma entered. From his look, I could tell things had been handled.
Once he had quietly taken his place behind me, I urged Murdoch lightly.
“Persistent, isn’t it? Must be important. You may as well answer.”
“...”
After some hesitation, Murdoch finally pressed the button.
For about five minutes he spoke, his face betraying anger and shock he couldn’t conceal.
When he ended the call, he turned to me.
“Mr. Kim, was this your doing?”
“I don’t know what you mean. Did something happen?”
“You!”
Murdoch couldn’t hold back, springing to his feet.
“How dare you pull something like this on me, here in England—!”
I looked up at him with eyes empty of emotion. Startled by that gaze, he swallowed his words.
“You’re not telling me what’s happened, so I wouldn’t know. But the world is rough, isn’t it? America and Britain at war in the Middle East, countless Arabs in England. Hardly surprising if something were to happen.”
“...”
I rose calmly and walked toward him.
His bodyguards reached out, and mine moved at the same time.
Both Murdoch and I raised our hands, signaling them to stand down.
Step by step, I came to stand directly before him. Leaning close, I whispered in his ear,
“I don’t threaten with words.”
I pulled back slowly, studying his stiff face with satisfaction.
Smiling softly, I extended my hand. freewēbnoveℓ.com
“Think it over and call me. We could be allies.”
Murdoch neither replied nor took my hand.
I waved the offered hand lightly, then turned away.
“Let’s go.”
Manager Ma and the guards followed me out of the hotel restaurant.
Once inside the waiting car at the front, I loosened my tie and asked,
“How did it end?”
“The chairman of The Sun’s eldest son is in the hospital.”
“And the cover?”
“They disguised it as a traffic collision.”
That was the simplest approach. I nodded slightly.
“Get me Alex.”
Moments later, Manager Ma handed me the phone.
— Yes, Boss. Did you call for me?
Alex’s voice came through the receiver.
“How bad are the injuries?”
— Nothing major. These things happen all the time.
“And the cleanup?”
— Already taken care of. It’ll all pass as an accident.
His confident tone said it all. A man seasoned in the field—decisive and thorough.
“Good. Still, we don’t know how Rupert Murdoch will move. Cut every link between us.”
— Understood.
“Once it’s wrapped up, come see me. Also, keep an eye on Philip.”
I ended the call, passed the phone back to Manager Ma, and leaned back with eyes closed, sinking into thought.
‘Rupert Murdoch, huh...’
An unexpected heavyweight had appeared, sparking more friction than I’d thought. How best to use this?
As my thoughts deepened, the car sped into the dark beyond London.
* * *
Han Kyungyeong stepped into a shabby building on the outskirts of London, where ARM Holdings kept its offices.
In the meeting room, a slightly balding East Asian man waited.
When Han entered, the man rose, greeting in fluent English.
“Pleased to meet you. I’m Masayoshi Son.”
Han took his offered hand.
“Likewise. Han Kyungyeong.”
Their handshake lingered, each sizing up the other.
Son released first, smiling.
“You look even younger than your photos. Enviable.”
“Ha ha, you too, Chairman Son, look young for your age.”
With polite niceties exchanged, they sat across from each other.
No ARM executives had joined them.
Checking his watch, Han muttered,
“Unbelievable...”
The meeting time had passed, yet ARM’s executives were nowhere in sight. It irritated him, along with Son’s assessing stare.
“Ah, the executives? They’ll come in about thirty minutes. I asked them to wait. I wanted some time to talk with you first.”
“That’s rather discourteous. You didn’t even ask my consent, just rearranged the schedule as you pleased.”
Han let his displeasure show, but Son replied smoothly,
“Why bid against each other and drive up the price? If you and I reach an understanding, that’s all that matters.”
“You’re the one who barged in after I showed interest.”
“In this game, acquisitions fall apart all the time. Why act like an amateur?”
The condescension was clear. Even Han, patient as he was, felt anger rise.
He forced it down and asked, staring him straight in the eye,
“So, what understanding do you propose?”
“You hold what, twenty? Twenty-seven percent? I’ll take it off your hands. I’ll pay double market price.”
Son wagged two fingers, as though doing him a favor.
Han let out a hollow laugh. What a piece of work.
He cut him sharply.
“And why should I?”
“Because the British government won’t approve ARM going to you. I’ll see to that.”
The self-assurance was almost smug. Han sneered back.
“Then why don’t you sell me your stake instead? Was it twelve percent? I’ll pay triple.”
“...Not everything can be solved with money.”
“That’s the first I’ve heard of that. For me, there’s never once been something money couldn’t solve.”
ARM was already a listed company.
When early investor interest waned, the founders had taken it public to survive independently.
Backers had once included giants like Apple. But once Intel began monopolizing CPUs, they’d abandoned ARM.
Han himself didn’t quite understand why Kim Muhyuk wanted this design house with no clear profit model. But he trusted his judgment. Muhyuk had never been wrong.
Calming himself, Han spoke evenly,
“If money alone won’t do it, then with more money it will. That’s how I’ve always invested. And I’ve never failed.”
“Hm...”
Son only hummed.
“No matter the cost, I won’t hand my shares to you.”
“I can’t see the sense. ARM has no proven business model. Betting only on its future—”
Son trailed off, studying Han’s face. It stayed icy, unchanging.
Clearing his throat, he went on,
“I, too, invest in the future. But ARM hardly seems worth this much effort.”
“Then step aside.”
“To give up for nothing? That’s not how the world works. If you want me to yield, give me something.”
At last his aim showed. ARM itself didn’t interest him. He was using the bidding war to pry something out of Han.
“What nonsense.”
Han snorted in Korean before he realized it.
“I understand Korean well enough.”
Son’s expression tightened.
It was known he barely spoke it. As a child he had hidden his Korean roots, growing up in Japan without learning the language.
“Oh? In that case, let’s switch. Why should two Koreans talk in English?”
Han pressed, knowing Korean was Son’s weakness. The more he continued in Korean, the stiffer Son’s face grew.
“What’s wrong? Can’t speak Korean?”
He switched back to English, smirking.
“...Stop it. I don’t like this.”
Son’s discomfort was plain. Han had hit a nerve.
“And what I just did is what you’ve been doing to me. Had you not looked down on me, I wouldn’t respond like this. There are better ways to talk business. Choosing this route is outright contempt.”
“...”
“If this is how you’ve always done business, I’m disappointed. I thought we shared a bond—you in Japan, me in America. Both of us broke prejudice to succeed. I expected better.”
His sincerity showed. Seeing it, Son flushed red.
He opened his mouth to reply, but the door opened and ARM’s executives entered.
Feeling the chill between the two men, they hesitated at the threshold.
“You’re late,” Han said first.
“Ah, apologies,” stammered Hermann Hauser, one of the executives and a developer.
“Never mind. Let’s get on with it.”
He brushed off the apology and pressed them to start.
The executives hadn’t expected this reaction. Han had been the one to approach them about acquiring shares.
When Son jumped in, they’d secretly welcomed the bidding war.
But now Han’s icy demeanor unsettled them. They began to fear they might lose their chance to sell at a good price.
“We’ve agreed to acquire the 27% held by you and the 14% held by Apple.”
Their worst fear realized. They hadn’t imagined Apple would sell. Hermann’s face drained of color.
“I respect your convictions and your skill as developers. Even after acquisition, I intended to leave management to you.”
Han didn’t even glance at Son as he continued,
“So hostile takeover was never on my mind. But your behavior makes me reconsider.”
Watching their alarmed faces, Han thought of Kim Muhyuk.
He was now using the “gift” Muhyuk had given him to full effect.
* * *
Earlier, as Han left home for the negotiations with ARM, I had stopped him.
“Hyung, wait a second.”
“Hm? What is it, Muhyuk?”
He turned back, puzzled. I gestured for him to sit while I made a call.
“Transfer your ARM Holdings shares to us.” freёwebnoѵel.com
— Charlie, calling out of the blue, what are you talking about?
“I’m buying ARM. These bastards are trying to play games with me. So hand them over.”
— Hm... That’s not something I can decide alone...
Jobs’ voice wavered with hesitation. I pressed firmly.
“You haven’t forgotten I’m one of Apple’s major shareholders, have you? Don’t make this difficult. Just give me your word.”
— ...Fine. I’ll convene the board.
“Good. I’ll count on you. I’ll take it that the shares are ours.”
— Wait, Charlie—
I {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} hung up, ignoring him.
He’d understood. I had never once used my Apple stake to demand something. Once wouldn’t hurt.
“Tell them Apple’s selling its ARM shares to us first. That’ll put plenty of pressure on.”
“They’ll agree?”
“They will. We’re not Apple’s enemy, and they don’t care about ARM anymore. Their board won’t bother fighting me.”
“Ha, with that I’ll have real weight in there.”
It was a gift from me to ensure he wouldn’t lose face in his first showdown with Masayoshi Son.
He grinned wide at the unexpected gift. I returned his smile.
