After the Divorce, I Found a Thousand Bitcoins - Chapter 67

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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I Got Divorced and Found a Thousand Bitcoins Episode 067

 

The 2010s, when Netflix was rapidly expanding as an OTT service.

 

Major corporations saw Netflix’s growth and judged the market viable, investing massive funds to jump into the OTT market.

 

In hindsight, Netflix’s original content hit jackpot after jackpot, leaving the followers in the dust.

 

And from 2025, some of the followers began to wave the white flag, with Netflix reigning as the absolute powerhouse of the OTT market.

 

‘But the places that invested heavily early on can’t easily fold their business.’

 

Amazon was a prime example.

 

They were striving to create killer content, acquiring rights to series like The Lord of the Rings at astronomical costs.

 

Today’s meeting was an extension of that same effort.

 

“I’m Kang Hyeon Choi. I’m the CEO of KH Recovery.”

 

-We read the synopsis you sent. It was an interesting subject matter and story development. Above all, we liked the characters’ distinct personalities and the protagonist’s unique character.

 

“I share the same thoughts. This work’s potential will definitely succeed globally.”

 

-The question is whether a story centered on Korea will succeed worldwide.

 

The same criticism as Netflix came up.

 

Knowing this would come up, Kang Hyeon had prepared a countermeasure.

 

“So I was thinking we could do some adaptation.”

 

-In what way?

 

“To meet global viewers’ expectations, it would be better to set the background in a third world rather than a specific country.”

 

-Oh, a third world… What kind of example do you have in mind?

 

“Like Marvel used, there exists Another Dimension. If we add the setting of a completely different worldview, viewers could immerse themselves in the story itself rather than focusing on the country.”

 

After Netflix’s rejection, Kang Hyeon had pondered what ideas might work.

 

Then he went to the site where The Founding of the Great Korean Empire was serialized and read similar genre stories.

 

And he found the answer.

 

‘The problem is that Earth is the setting. If we create the Great Korean Empire in Another Dimension, there won’t be any issues.’

 

He judged that setting the world itself as fictional would allow immersion without causing problems.

 

Gabriel, hearing Kang Hyeon’s idea, pondered briefly before nodding.

 

-That’s a decent idea. Certainly, proceeding that way would eliminate viewers’ negative reactions. However, is this something the original author and production company have approved?

 

The important thing was getting the OK from the original author and production company.

 

Kang Hyeon smiled and answered.

 

“I’ll handle that part.”

 

-If you can confirm that part, Amazon will handle the investment and distribution.

 

Amazon’s OK sign came down.

 

* * *

 

Kim Hyeok-gi, CEO of production company Ullim, blinked his eyes.

 

“Where did you say?”

 

“Amazon Prime contacted us saying they want to handle investment and distribution.”

 

“Amazon, as in that Amazon? The giant American corporation Amazon?!”

 

“Yes, that’s correct.”

 

“Huh…”

 

He wondered if this was a dream.

 

So he raised his hand and pinched his cheek.

 

“Ow!”

 

He pinched too hard.

 

It hurt enough to bring tears to his eyes.

 

“It’s not a dream… But how did you manage to get Amazon’s investment?”

 

“A friend I know personally is close with Amazon officials, so it was possible.”

 

“Amazon isn’t some neighborhood corner store… That can’t be done through personal connections…”

 

“Since the work is good, they must have expressed interest in investing. More importantly, there’s one condition.”

 

“A condition?”

 

“The Founding of the Great Korean Empire needs adaptation. The Great Korean Empire setting can remain, but the condition is that the worldview must be set in Another Dimension rather than Earth.”

 

“Hmm… That would be better for targeting a global audience.”

 

Since he was also a director and producer, he immediately grasped the story’s direction.

 

“Exactly. From other countries’ viewers’ perspective, there’s no reason to watch Korea conquering their nations.”

 

“Understood. Regarding that part, I’ll get permission from the original author. Before that, I need documentation that Amazon will handle investment and distribution.”

 

“I’ve already prepared it.”

 

“You’re thoroughly prepared.”

 

“These parts need to be certain. And this investment has grown in size. As you’ll see in the documents…”

 

“The investment is seventy million dollars?!”

 

Seventy million dollars.

 

In Korean won, that was over one hundred billion won.

 

With this amount, they could make three blockbuster movies in Korea.

 

But it wasn’t over yet.

 

“And I’ll be investing the same amount.”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“The total production budget is 140 million dollars, which is over 200 billion won in Korean currency.”

 

Kim Hyeok-gi’s eyes widened.

 

It was four times the original 50 billion won.

 

With this production budget, they could make a movie classified as a blockbuster even in Hollywood.

 

He couldn’t help but be shocked by Kang Hyeon’s capabilities and financial power in bringing such conditions.

 

However, Kim Hyeok-gi didn’t just blindly rejoice.

 

“With these conditions, it seems the contract terms will change…”

 

It was a massive 200 billion won investment.

 

With new investors and increased investment amounts, the existing investment contract would need to change.

 

Kang Hyeon also nodded in agreement.

 

“Yes. Amazon’s conditions are as written in the documents. The condition for Amazon to handle global distribution is included. And our conditions must also change.”

 

Kang Hyeon presented another prepared document.

 

“I’m requesting shares in Ullim.”

 

Ullim wasn’t a corporation.

 

Kim Hyeok-gi had established the company with his own funds, and afterward only received external investment for individual projects.

 

But this project was beyond the investment scale Ullim could handle.

 

If they hadn’t secured the original work, it wouldn’t be strange to bypass Ullim and proceed.

 

Kim Hyeok-gi sighed while looking at the conditions written in the documents.

 

“Phew… Could you give me a week?”

 

“Of course. And transferring shares won’t change much. I just want to join Ullim’s growth as a companion and investor.”

 

“Does that mean you won’t interfere with operations?”

 

“Yes. I’m close to being an outsider when it comes to film production and such. I’m just certain this work will succeed.”

 

No interference with operations.

 

He couldn’t take those words at face value, but if true, this contract wouldn’t be bad either.

 

Still, the need for thinking time remained unchanged.

 

* * *

 

Returning to the Office, Kang Hyeon studied the work while pondering how to lead it to greater success.

 

“What are you thinking so deeply about?”

 

At Kwangho’s words as he entered the Executive Office, Kang Hyeon put down the work guide he was holding.

 

“I was pondering about The Founding of the Great Korean Empire production.”

 

“Didn’t Amazon agree to invest? Can’t you just leave it to them?”

 

“That’s true. But it’s still before the production stage. If I can see something and give advice, I’d like to.”

 

“Well, you’re also investing 50 billion.”

 

“It’s 100 billion won.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Amazon is investing 100 billion, so I decided to do the same.”

 

“Huh… Hey, isn’t investing too much money from the start?”

 

Even investing 50 billion won in the first movie had felt like an excessive investment.

 

But now it was double that amount.

 

The scale had suddenly grown massive.

 

“It’s the first time, but I think this project will succeed. And if only Amazon increases their investment exclusively, their influence will become too strong.”

 

“That’s true, but…”

 

Having a large investment meant that much more influence.

 

The direction of a project could be determined by invisible power dynamics not shown in contracts.

 

Kang Hyeon had increased his investment to counter such influence.

 

“Well, you probably handled it well. By the way, hasn’t the director been decided yet?”

 

“There are things to discuss with the original author, so once those discussions are finished, we need to look into it right away. That’s also something Ullim needs to handle.”

 

“Didn’t you meet with Director Lee Jin-su recently? Couldn’t you ask him?”

 

“The tone of the movie is different. This is a blockbuster being made as a series. Director Lee Jin-su makes independent film-style movies, and above all, his personal originality is too strong.”

 

“True.”

 

Kang Hyeon had also considered sending the project to Director Lee Jin-su.

 

He had global name value and was a director who created solid quality when making films.

 

But the style was too different.

 

He didn’t think a good work would be created just because a director with a different style was attached.

 

“Then at least ask him to recommend a director. He must know many directors, right? He’s been rolling around in that industry for such a long time.”

 

“That’s a decent idea. I’ll think about it once Ullim accepts my conditions.”

 

“Conditions?”

 

“I asked for 49 percent of Ullim’s shares in exchange for increasing the investment. It’s a scale that far exceeds their market capitalization.”

 

“Hey, wouldn’t it be better to just buy the company? With 100 billion won, you could probably buy out Ullim entirely.”

 

“This is ultimately an investment in the project, and above all, Kim Hyeok-gi, Ullim’s CEO, is also a capable person, so if we’re going to work together, it’s better to take shares.”

 

“True, the difference between when a person runs their own company versus when they don’t is surprisingly big. Having that person hold 51 percent of the shares might make operations run better.”

 

While they were having that conversation, Kang Hyeon’s phone rang.

 

After checking the number, he signaled for quiet for a moment and answered the call.

 

“Yes, CEO. I can talk. Please go ahead. Yes. Yes. I understand. Then I’ll visit with the lawyer by tomorrow.”

 

After Kang Hyeon hung up, Kwangho asked.

 

“Was that CEO Kim Hyeok-gi? What did he say? What did you decide?”

 

“We agreed on 49 percent shares. And the original author also agreed to the adaptation.”

 

“Oh~ That worked out well. It was decided faster than expected?”

 

“Since the giant corporation Amazon is participating. They probably felt pressure that dragging out time might lead to them withdrawing their investment offer.”

 

“Large corporations really are good to have.”

 

Drawing investment from large corporations was an extremely difficult task.

 

But Kang Hyeon had the connections and ability to pull it off.

 

CEO Kim Hyeok-gi seemed to have highly valued that aspect.

 

“So now you even have a film production company? And since you invested in Team Baekho too, you’ve extended into the entertainment business.”

 

Kwangho was right.

 

By investing money wherever investment opportunities arose, the company’s scale had grown larger than expected.

 

The capital being managed had also reached a scale far exceeding trillions, making it not quite a large corporation but at the level of a mid-sized company.

 

“At this level, couldn’t our company be called a group?”

 

“A group…”

 

KH Capital, which invested in stocks and futures.

 

KH Recovery, the holding company.

 

KH Construction, the subsidiary.

 

Even Ullim and Nereid as affiliated companies.

 

Since they held a considerable amount of Barma Group shares, he felt the size had grown larger than expected.

 

From the outside, it wouldn’t be strange to view it as a group.

 

“It’s not quite at that level yet.”

 

Of course, Kang Hyeon himself, being the person involved, didn’t think so.

 

* * *

 

A meeting was taking place at the Corporate Group Division under the Fair Trade Commission’s Corporate Group Bureau.

 

“We will now begin the meeting for classifying the list of large corporate groups.”

 

One of their duties was the task of classifying large corporations.

 

In South Korea, classification as a large corporation began when assets exceeded 5 trillion won.

 

This was announced in May, and the work of selecting related companies began beforehand.

 

“Next is the list of companies whose asset scale has increased significantly recently. The first place we need to pay attention to is KH Capital.”

 

And KH Capital was being mentioned here.

 

“KH Capital, which was founded last year with initial capital of 170 billion won, has exceeded 3 trillion won in capital scale in less than a year.”

 

“3 trillion won?”

 

“Is that even possible?”

 

The meeting room buzzed with murmurs.

 

It was such an exceptional case.

 

Han Min-guk, the section chief of the Corporate Group Division who was listening, spoke.

 

“It’s at a level that should be classified as a management target.”

 

Due to the rapid growth, the Fair Trade Commission had also begun monitoring KH Capital.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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