Free Web NovelThe detailed negotiations were set for tomorrow, when Hyunseong and Li Yanhong would meet separately. freēwebnovel.com
After sending Li Yanhong off, I sat down to dinner with Hyunseong and began talking over drinks.
“How’s the kid growing?”
“I’m dying. Ever since the little one started walking, I can’t take my eyes off them for even a second. My wife practically took leave from work just to focus on childcare.”
A chuckle slipped out at the sight of Hyunseong groaning like his life was over.
In my previous life, I had never even gotten to see this side of him.
As we traded meaningless small talk, shot glasses of soju kept going back and forth.
One bottle, then two, began piling up, and once the mood had mellowed enough, I decided to cut straight to the point.
“These days, I feel some distance from you.”
At my words, Hyunseong froze halfway through lifting his glass and looked at me.
“I’ve been meaning to say this for a while... I’m only bringing it up today because the mood feels right. Please don’t do that. It really hurts me. I’m not telling you to act like Myungsoo. You and Myungsoo have different personalities. But when I see you being so careful around me, it stings.”
I had spent days thinking over what Yamasaki Hideo had said.
Just as he warned, if even Myungsoo and Hyunseong—my two closest friends—ended up drifting away from me, who would really remain by my side?
I couldn’t know what either of them truly felt inside.
But outwardly, the way they treated me had clearly diverged.
Whether it was in official settings or not, Myungsoo still treated me as his friend, Kim Muhyuk.
Hyunseong, on the other hand, acted casually enough on the surface, yet the atmosphere between us was nothing like before.
He used to be the kind of friend who occasionally threw blunt truths right at me.
Even when I harmed people in pursuit of his revenge, he had told me to stop, saying he was starting to become afraid of me.
But after founding HS Venture Capital and entering society, he had gradually begun treating me with increasing caution.
“Make yourself comfortable like before.”
At my request, Hyunseong downed his soju in one shot.
Then he set the glass down and gave me a bitter smile.
“You noticed that?”
“Of course I did. Do you think I don’t know you? I’ve known you for years since we were kids. Even Myungsoo probably noticed it one way or another. He just didn’t say anything.”
After a brief moment of thought, Hyunseong nodded.
“To be honest... it really has gotten hard to treat you like before.”
Rarely, Hyunseong opened up and laid bare what he was truly feeling.
As I filled his empty glass, I asked,
“Why? Did I do something that made you uncomfortable?”
“No, it’s the opposite. Thanks to you, I became the CEO of a venture capital firm and got to meet all kinds of people. That’s when I realized just how incredible you really are. It didn’t hit me when we were younger. But as I got older and started living in the real world, it hit me harder and harder.”
Running a venture capital firm meant Hyunseong met all sorts of people.
Naturally, he must have seen and heard a lot.
“Muhyuk. I started this firm because of your help. Even between friends, I know it’s not easy to help someone that much.”
“Well... someone had to do it, and that someone just happened to be you. It wasn’t a situation where I could openly make those investments myself.”
“I know what you mean. I understand it in my head.”
Hyunseong tapped his chest a few times and laughed.
For some reason, it sounded self-mocking.
“But this part doesn’t understand it. ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) Why are you going this far for me? There are so many people out there far more capable than I am.”
Most of a venture capital firm’s work revolved around startup businesses.
And most startup founders were highly educated.
By contrast, Hyunseong had spent his youth staying far away from studying, focusing only on sports.
“And yet I got this chance just because I’m your friend. So I kept thinking I had to succeed no matter what, and I worked my ass off for it. And my batting average’s been pretty good too.”
I knew better than anyone how hard Hyunseong had worked.
“I know. In the beginning, I pointed out a few places worth investing in, but after that I left everything to you. And most of it succeeded. That’s because I trust you that much.”
To be honest, even if it had all failed, I wouldn’t have cared.
“That’s what makes it more burdensome. Because you trust me that much just because I’m your friend.”
It had never even crossed my mind that my trust could become a burden.
As I hesitated, unsure what to say, Hyunseong gave another dry laugh.
“There’s no way I can not be conscious of it.”
I let out a deep sigh and emptied my glass.
At times like this, what mattered was sincerity.
“Hyunseong. Other than family, there are only two people I can trust to the very end. You and Myungsoo. If even you two start feeling burdened by me, then in the end I’ll be left alone.”
“......”
“You don’t need to feel burdened at all. You give me far more than you think. Even if your investments fail and you lose the company, I truly wouldn’t care. I mean that. Money is something I can have or not have—it doesn’t matter. But you and Myungsoo aren’t like that.”
In the past, I had only run straight ahead.
This time, I had sworn I wouldn’t do that, and I believed I had put in real effort.
But effort from only one side wasn’t enough.
Human relationships were always two-way streets.
To understand what they were truly thinking, I needed more conversations.
That was what I had been lacking.
“From now on, let’s meet more often and talk openly like this.”
Hyunseong nodded.
Now that he had finally said it out loud, his expression looked much lighter than before.
“Yeah. I didn’t think you’d noticed.”
After that, Hyunseong and I kept drinking together, sharing the kind of deep conversation that only old friends could have.
The next day.
I headed to Myeongdong Hotel to meet Li Kashing.
We were going to have lunch together while we talked. freewebnσvel.cøm
During the meal, we didn’t discuss business at all, focusing only on the global economy.
The more I spoke with him, the more I was amazed by the depth of his insight.
“Are you saying there’s a bubble in U.S. real estate?”
“Yes. The moment that collapses, the U.S. economy—no, the global economy—will stagger.”
He was worried about the U.S. housing bubble.
But there was one key difference between his thinking and mine.
“However, it won’t burst. The U.S. government won’t simply let it.”
Even while acknowledging the existence of a housing bubble, he still couldn’t imagine it actually collapsing.
Well, that was probably how most investors thought.
“I had been thinking along lines similar to Chairman Li Kashing as well.”
“To think there’s someone who sees it the same way I do. That’s unexpected. Every time I speak with the heads of major global banks and insurance firms in Hong Kong, they insist it’s not a bubble but healthy growth.”
“Hasn’t the Federal Reserve already warned everyone multiple times? And they still think that way?”
The Fed had raised concerns about the housing bubble more than once, yet people refused to listen.
If even investment professionals were like this, ordinary people must have been far worse.
“They say there are enough safeguards in place. That the U.S. government won’t allow the housing market to collapse.”
“Just a few years ago, the dot-com bubble cut the NASDAQ in half—no, down to a quarter of its value. And they’re still talking that comfortably?”
“Their thinking is that while it’s hard for governments to intervene artificially in a stock market collapse, real estate prices can be controlled to some extent depending on policy. I agree with that to a degree. What worries me is what happens when things move beyond what the government can control. Even if the probability is only 1%, it still isn’t 0%.”
Trusting safeguards, but not trusting them completely.
“I see.”
“Then what does Dream High’s James think?”
“Hmm. I can’t know everything he thinks, but it probably isn’t too different from everyone else.”
There was no need to openly reveal the cards we were holding.
And, in truth, Han Kyungyeong did think that way.
“I see. Hearing that President James thinks the same is rather reassuring.”
“You’re not the type to invest by following others, Chairman Li Kashing.”
“That’s true, but Dream High is different. These days there’s a joke going around Wall Street: ‘If you just follow Dream High, you’re already halfway there.’”
“Is that really what they’re saying?”
“It means Dream High’s every move draws enormous interest—not just on Wall Street, but from investors worldwide.”
Being watched always came with both light and shadow.
For even Chairman Li Kashing in Hong Kong to be saying things like this...
“So did you follow us?”
“Hahaha. Of course not. As you know, I’m not the type to ride the mainstream.”
Li Kashing then spent a long time explaining how he had grown his group.
Just listening to that was enough to understand his temperament.
He was a man who loved taking risks.
“You’re incredible. People say that as they age they begin to prefer stable investments, but you continue to uphold your principles even now.”
“Haha. It’s not that grand. I’m simply stubborn by nature. The people under me often fail to understand me.”
Put negatively, he was stubborn.
Put positively, his investment philosophy was unshakable.
“The reason I came all this way to find President Kim and secure exclusive iPhone distribution for our Hutchison Telecom is because of that stubbornness as well. My executives just don’t understand.”
“Even after the iPhone has already become such a major success in the U.S. and Korea?”
“Even if it succeeded, it still hasn’t dramatically increased overall market share. Feature phones are still a bigger market than smartphones.”
Before the iPhone, smartphones had accounted for less than five percent of the market.
No matter how successful the iPhone had become, that number hadn’t increased dramatically yet.
Part of it was because supply couldn’t keep up with demand.
But more than that, people still knew very little about smartphones.
“But I’m not investing in the iPhone’s present. I’m investing in its future.”
He said it with complete certainty.
“I believe that in a few years, smartphones will push feature phones aside and become the mainstream of the mobile phone market. That’s what I’m investing in.”
“Even in a few years, there’s no guarantee Apple will keep giving one telecom company exclusive rights. For now, we’ve only secured a three-year exclusivity window.”
“That’s enough. I already used the iPhone myself in the U.S.”
“You did?”
“It was astonishing. Reading about it in articles and using it yourself are worlds apart. It’s not without inconveniences yet, but given more time, it will only get better.”
Just as he predicted, every new iPhone model would continue expanding its market share.
“You said three years earlier, didn’t you? Three years is more than enough. Our telecoms operate not only in Hong Kong and Macau, but also across Southeast Asia—Indonesia, Vietnam, and more. If we successfully distribute it in Hong Kong and Macau, I believe we’ll gain the upper hand in negotiations for exclusive rights throughout Southeast Asia as well.”
Hutchison Whampoa owned multiple mobile carriers.
Not only in Europe, but throughout Southeast Asia as well.
“That’s why I came here in person. If a Chinese telecom company signs the exclusive contract, then Hong Kong and Macau will naturally go to them as well.”
Li Kashing spoke with grim resolve.
I nodded with a smile.
“That’s true.”
“However, even if Hong Kong and Macau are supplied separately, it won’t be a problem. I’ve already had some level of discussion with the Chinese government.”
“Really? You’re quite skillful.”
“Rather than skill, it’s thanks to the amount I’ve donated over the years. Before I retire, I intend to return half of my wealth to society.”
“You mean to donate half your fortune. That’s admirable.”
“Admirable? Nothing like that. It’s simply my stubbornness.”
Half of his wealth would amount to several trillion won.
No matter how stubborn someone was, deciding to give that much back to society was never an easy choice.
“My relationship with the Chinese government has been fairly solid since Deng Xiaoping’s era. I invested heavily in China and donated quite a lot as well.”
“If you’ve already finished discussions with the Chinese government, then the hardest part is over. So—have you thought about it? About transferring ten percent of Hutchison Whampoa’s shares to us through a paid capital increase. If you accept that, I’ll choose you as the partner to distribute the iPhone in Hong Kong and Macau.”
As I spoke with him, I decided to sign with his telecom company.
Of course, that was only if he accepted the condition I had put on the table.
