After the Divorce, I Found a Thousand Bitcoins - Chapter 68

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

I Got Divorced and Found a Thousand Bitcoins Episode 068

 

The conditions for being classified as a conglomerate in South Korea were clearly specified.

 

First, if total assets exceed 5 trillion won, a company is classified as a quasi-conglomerate and belongs to a conglomerate group.

 

After that, if it exceeds 10 trillion won, it’s classified as what’s called a true conglomerate.

 

The reason for establishing these classification conditions was for regulation purposes.

 

Without regulations, conglomerates could dominate all commercial districts with their massive capital.

 

The market didn’t consist only of capital-rich places like conglomerates.

 

There were also many small shops run by people like self-employed business owners.

 

Regulations existed to protect these commercial districts.

 

“Before securing shares in Ullim, you need to clarify the shareholder status.”

 

Choi Byeon advised Kang Hyeon on this matter.

 

“If Ullim has other shareholders, you would become the largest shareholder. In this case, all of Ullim’s assets and debts would be counted as assets, opening the possibility of being classified as a conglomerate.”

 

When classifying conglomerates, the Fair Trade Commission didn’t simply look at assets alone.

 

Since they include all debts in the assets when evaluating, assets could become inflated and lead to conglomerate classification if not careful.

 

“As you know, once classified as a conglomerate, everything must be disclosed from that point on. Even combining debts, there’s still about 1 trillion won of leeway, but with your capabilities, you could quickly be classified as a conglomerate.”

 

Choi Byeon’s advice was close to a warning.

 

And Kang Hyeon was well aware of this aspect too.

 

“If classified as a conglomerate, I’d have to provide information up to sixth cousins, right?”

 

“That’s correct. Moreover, lending money to affiliates interest-free becomes impossible, and you must charge the legal interest rate. Most importantly, you won’t be able to move money around freely.”

 

“To avoid becoming a conglomerate in South Korea, I’d essentially need to increase the proportion of foreign investments.”

 

“Yes, that’s the only way to continue the current system.”

 

Kang Hyeon’s investment style was very free-spirited.

 

And this was possible because KH Capital belonged to Kang Hyeon.

 

Since all the capital came from Kang Hyeon’s assets, he could make decisions immediately when he wanted to invest.

 

However, if classified as a conglomerate, such freedom would be restricted.

 

He would have to consider the government’s position and review all documents.

 

Simply put, even though it was his money, he wouldn’t be able to use it freely.

 

“I understand that part well. Currently, CEO Kim Hyeok-gi holds 100 percent of Ullim’s shares, so even if I secure 49 percent, the company itself won’t be classified as my asset.”

 

“You should be aware that if the work becomes hugely successful later, there’s a high possibility it could turn out that way.”

 

In fact, when that time came, there was a strong possibility that KH Capital would be classified as a conglomerate.

 

“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind as I proceed.”

 

* * *

 

I drafted a share transfer contract with Ullim and disbursed additional funds.

 

With this, Kang Hyeon now had Ullim as an affiliate, stepping one foot into the film industry.

 

“I look forward to working with you.”

 

“I’m the one who should be saying that. I’ll create good works to meet your expectations.”

 

“Just continue as you have been. By the way, have you thought about a director for The Founding of the Great Korean Empire?”

 

“I selected candidates and circulated the synopsis, but I haven’t received any responses yet. Recently, the setting changed and I conveyed that information too. But it had the opposite effect.”

 

“Opposite effect?”

 

“Many directors felt burdened by the fact that it targets not just domestic but global audiences. Plus, what was originally a historical drama set in Korea suddenly changed genres to fantasy.”

 

The direction of adaptation that emerged from discussions with the original author was to change the genre from historical drama to fantasy.

 

The original author, who had written alternative history, also liked the fantasy genre, so he readily nodded in agreement.

 

The problem was that most of the directors who had shown positive reactions to the original synopsis were those who had directed historical dramas.

 

From their perspective, since the genre had changed, there was no longer any merit in taking on this project.

 

“I don’t think we need to limit ourselves to only domestic directors. Since the production budget has increased, it might be good to recruit a director from overseas who has experience directing this kind of story.”

 

“Hmm, that’s certainly possible. But anyway, since the original story is set in Korea and the protagonist is Korean, it would be good to have someone who understands Korean sensibilities.”

 

Koreans understand Korean sensibilities best.

 

Even if they recruited a big-name foreign director, if they couldn’t properly capture those sensibilities, a strange work would definitely result.

 

That’s why Kim Hyeok-gi was considering domestic directors as his first priority.

 

“The best would be a director with name value who has also handled this level of production budget. Among domestic directors, such directors can be counted on one hand.”

 

“Who are those directors?”

 

“Park Chan-su, Bong Jun-seok, and Lee Jin-su would be about it.”

 

The expected names came up.

 

Bong Jun-seok won the Academy Award for Best Director, and Park Chan-su was someone who had won awards at various international film festivals.

 

Director Lee Jin-su was similarly more recognized abroad than in Korea.

 

Director Bong Jun-seok had extensive experience handling production budgets exceeding $100 million, and Director Park Chan-su, while not quite to that extent, had experience making films with large-scale production budgets.

 

Director Lee Jin-su hadn’t worked with budgets quite that large, but since he was such a genius, the possibility was certainly there.

 

“The problem is I have no connections with any of the three. I’ve exchanged greetings when we’ve crossed paths, but I don’t have the kind of relationship where they’d take on a project for me… Plus, they have discerning eyes for projects and prefer to develop their own original stories.”

 

A situation with many obstacles.

 

However, Kang Hyeon thought it would be better to try first and look for alternatives if it failed.

 

“I have a connection with Director Lee Jin-su, so I’ll try asking him.”

 

“What? You have a connection with Director Lee Jin-su? That person goes his own way, so he probably has few close relationships…”

 

“It happened by chance.”

 

Kim Hyeok-gi’s eyes filled with astonishment.

 

Who was Lee Jin-su?

 

He was the film industry’s outsider, someone called the film industry’s maverick.

 

Even being an outsider was his own chosen lifestyle, not imposed by others.

 

So even in the film industry, very few people were close to him.

 

At most, there were actors he had worked with.

 

‘What exactly is this man’s identity?’

 

First he brought an Amazon Prime contract, and now he has connections with Director Lee Jin-su.

 

He was a man whose identity was difficult to figure out.

 

* * *

 

A few days later.

 

Kang Hyeon met with Director Lee Jin-su.

 

And the answer Director Lee Jin-su gave at that meeting was:

 

“The work was interesting. But it’s not a story for me to direct.”

 

It was a rejection.

 

“I see.”

 

“Yes. The work certainly has entertaining elements. But this work is meant to entertain the masses, not to express my story.”

 

“I understand what you mean. Actually, I thought you would reject it. The reason I sent the synopsis anyway was because I was curious how you would view this story.”

 

“Haha, I thought so. I didn’t think Choi CEO, whom I know, would lack such insight.”

 

Lee Jin-su brought his coffee to his lips.

 

“Mm, the beans are good today.”

 

Watching him savor the taste of the personally brewed coffee beans, Kang Hyeon also brought his coffee cup to his lips.

 

It had a bitter yet acidic taste.

 

Though he didn’t particularly enjoy coffee, he could tell it was good beans brewed properly.

 

This showed how much Lee Jin-su was a person who stuck to his own methods.

 

“Looking at the synopsis, it seems there are parts that differ from the original work.”

 

“That’s right. Originally it was an alternative history story about taking control of Joseon and conquering other countries.”

 

“An inappropriate story for making global content. So you changed it to be set in a fictional world.”

 

“Yes. Amazon wanted that too, and the original author accepted it.”

 

“And with that, the production budget increased, and you needed a director who could handle that budget. At the same time, you came to prefer domestic directors who understand Korean sensibilities.”

 

“It feels like you participated in all the meetings we held. That’s exactly right.”

 

Lee Jin-su had such amazing insight that one might wonder if he was a fortune teller.

 

And he wasn’t someone who would say things carelessly.

 

After pondering for a moment, Lee Jin-su spoke.

 

“In Korea, Jun-seok is the only director who can handle this.”

 

“You mean Director Bong Jun-seok.”

 

“Yes. Since he has experience with this level of production budget and large-scale projects, he’ll direct this work well too.”

 

If Director Lee Jin-su recommended it, it would definitely be reliable.

 

The problem was how to show this synopsis to Bong Jun-seok.

 

That’s when Lee Jin-su made a suggestion.

 

“If you’d like, I can deliver the manuscript for you.”

 

“Would you do that?”

 

“I found the story itself quite interesting. It was a work that precisely targeted popular entertainment elements I hadn’t thought of. I thought it would be interesting to see this story brought to life through Jun-seok’s hands.”

 

If Lee Jin-su delivered the synopsis personally, Bong Jun-seok wouldn’t just skim through it carelessly.

 

“Then I’ll ask you to do that.”

 

“Yes.”

 

A simple answer.

 

That was Lee Jin-su’s style.

 

* * *

 

Had about ten days passed?

 

A call came from Bong Jun-seok.

 

-Hello? This is Bong Jun-seok. I’d like to discuss The Founding of the Great Korean Empire.

 

“Please let me know what time is convenient for you, and I’ll adjust my schedule accordingly.”

 

-I’m currently handling business abroad, so I’ll be returning to South Korea in about two weeks. Would that time work for you?

 

“Yes, that’s fine.”

 

-Then I’ll visit the Ullim Office by 3 PM that day.

 

“I’ll see you then.”

 

An appointment with Bong Jun-seok was set.

 

Kang Hyeon immediately contacted CEO Kim Hyeok-gi to relay this news.

 

“A meeting with Director Bong Jun-seok has been arranged.”

 

-Really… is that true?

 

“Yes. We’re meeting at the Ullim Office in two weeks.”

 

-Wow! I understand. I’ll clear my schedule for that day. But to think we’re actually having a meeting with Director Bong Jun-seok…! This is truly amazing!

 

“Not at all. It’s practically a meeting arranged by Director Lee Jin-su.”

 

-That’s what makes it amazing. It’s extremely rare for Director Lee Jin-su to recommend a specific work to another director.

 

“Is that so?”

 

He thought that would make sense for Director Lee Jin-su.

 

As he hung up thinking he should gift some good wine later, another call came in.

 

[CEO Kang Myeong-gu]

 

Confirming the name, Kang Hyeon immediately answered the phone.

 

“Yes, CEO. What’s the matter?”

 

-That Choi CEO, didn’t you mention the Directors’ Association before?

 

“Ah, yes. What about that place?”

 

-Manager Lee Ji-hun mentioned in passing today. It seems they’ll be proceeding with a contract with that place.

 

“Already?”

 

-Yes. After hearing that Director Bong Jun-seok is at that association, he was talking about needing to sign the contract as soon as possible.

 

“Director Bong Jun-seok?”

 

An unexpected name had come up.

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