Golden Spoon Investment Portfolio - Chapter 113

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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113. I’ll make you a billionaire, so you can look forward to it.

LaGuardia Airport, New York.
Located in Queens, LaGuardia Airport was the smallest of the three airports in the New York metropolitan area.
As a result, it was used exclusively for domestic flights, but since it was closest to Manhattan, major Wall Street players frequently used private jets here.
In one corner of a spacious parking lot stood fewer than a dozen large and small aircraft.
Seok-won, dressed in a camel-colored cashmere coat with a scarf and leather gloves on his hands, stood with two burly white men who appeared to be bodyguards.
A cold wind blowing from the East River, just beside the airport, gently tousled his hair as it passed.
Gazing at the gray clouds hanging in the sky, I furrowed my brow, wondering if it might snow again.
Just then, the stairs descended from the Gulfstream IV business jet that had just arrived and come to a stop, and Tom Harper, with his hair grown thick and shaggy, descended with his entourage, dressed in jeans and a bomber jacket.
After looking around, Tom Harper spotted Seok-won waiting to greet him and approached with a pleased expression.

“I didn’t expect you to come all the way out here to pick me up.”
“It’s only natural when an honored guest is arriving.”

Seok-won smiled lightly and shook hands with Tom.

“Was the trip to New York uncomfortable?”
“Not at all.”

Tom Harper gestured toward the pristine white business jet behind him.

“Thanks to you sending a private jet like that, I had a very comfortable journey. It was so nice I didn’t even want to get off.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
“Flying in a private jet like that every time—I’m really envious. Just how wealthy do you have to be for that to be possible?”

Tom spoke in a cheerful, playful tone.

“If the IPO we’re launching this time succeeds, you’ll become a billionaire right away. Then you’ll be able to buy a private jet whenever you want.”
“A billionaire. Just hearing it makes me feel rich already.”

Tom Harper grinned and turned to look at his entourage standing behind him, then extended his arm as if to introduce them.

“By the way, you haven’t met Bill before, right?”

At that, a middle-aged white man who appeared to be around forty, with a square jaw and a stern expression, stepped closer and made eye contact.

“Bill Nelson.”

Unlike Tom Harper, who dressed casually, Bill Nelson wore a crisp black suit with a perfectly knotted tie and carried a leather briefcase in one hand—his appearance made his character immediately apparent.
Bill Nelson, a management expert recruited from another mid-sized IT company in Silicon Valley, had been brought in to handle various corporate operations beyond development.
Since the company had experienced explosive growth following the official launch of the new web browser last year, we could no longer operate on a shoestring budget.
However, most of the key members, including Tom Harper, were hopeless at business management, so we needed someone to shoulder those responsibilities.
That someone was Bill Nelson, and fortunately, he had proven satisfactory thus far without any major issues.

“Park Seok-won.”

I shook hands with Bill Nelson, smiling, then gestured toward Tom Harper with my chin.

“He’s been working hard cleaning up after these guys in Silicon Valley.”
“Ha ha….”

Bill Nelson, unaccustomed to jokes, laughed awkwardly.

“What am I, a child? Cleaning up after people?”
“The last time I saw your office, I thought you needed a nanny.”
“That—that was unavoidable because of work. It’s not usually that messy.”

Tom, aware that his office was practically at landfill levels, flustered and hastily made excuses.

“Even if you came casually, you must be exhausted from the long flight. Let’s head to the hotel first and get your luggage settled.”
“Oh, right.”

Tom Harper pointed to a black SUV parked behind me.

“You can take that.”
“No.”
“Then what are we taking?”

Tom Harper looked around and asked.
Since no other vehicles were visible nearby, Bill Nelson also wore a puzzled expression.

“That one.”

I turned my head and pointed to the left, and both men followed my gaze.
There, parked in one corner of the parking lot, stood a Bell 206 helicopter with white fuselage and black stripes.

“Surely you’re not talking about that?”

Tom Harper, who had been laughing as if it were a funny joke, widened his eyes at Seok-won’s immediate response.

“That’s right. I’m taking that helicopter.”
“You’re really taking that?”
“Yes.”

Unlike Tom Harper, who was staring in surprise, Seok-won’s expression remained unfazed.

“New York’s traffic is absolutely hellish. If I took a car to Manhattan right now, I’d barely arrive after sunset.”
“Really… that bad?”
“But with a helicopter, it takes less than twenty minutes.”

Tom Harper stared at Seok-won with a dazed expression as he spoke so casually.

“You’re talking about a helicopter like it’s a taxi… Is this what the rich’s life is like?”

Seok-won chuckled at that remark and lightly tapped Tom Harper’s shoulder with one hand.

“You’ll be living like this soon too.”

At those words, a fierce gleam ignited in Tom Harper’s eyes.
Moments later, the Bell 206 helicopter carrying Seok-won and his party lifted off smoothly from the parking lot and flew toward the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan.

* * *

That evening.
Seok-won met Tom Harper and Bill Nelson again at the Plaza Hotel’s French restaurant.
Having unpacked in their pre-booked rooms and relaxed comfortably for several hours, both men appeared in much better condition.
With Landon Shore joining them as well, the four occupied a private room arranged for quiet conversation.
The interior was bright and ornate like a European palace, and atop the table draped with a white tablecloth sat gleaming silver cutlery and elegantly designed plates.
As a uniformed waiter placed bread rolls and butter and jams to spread on them, Seok-won, sitting across from Tom Harper, asked first.

“Do you like your room?”

Tom, who had been taking a sip of champagne, answered with a broad smile.

“Yes. The full view of Central Park from the window was absolutely stunning. And with the snow piled up, it looked just like a Christmas card.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

It was worth reserving a room with such a magnificent view.
As I shifted my gaze, Bill Nelson, seated beside Tom Harper, nodded in agreement.

“I enjoyed it as well.”
“That’s good.”

I engaged in light conversation while using my knife to spread butter thinly across the bread and brought it to my lips.
The accompanying cheese added a subtly salty and savory flavor that was absolutely exquisite.
As I savored the black truffle risotto that followed, I addressed the two men across from me.

“As you’re aware, tomorrow’s meeting with Goldman Sachs representatives will finalize the specific IPO strategy.”

Tom Harper then drained the champagne he’d been sipping nervously in one gulp and set down his glass.

“Until now, I’ve only been thinking about it vaguely, but now that we’re actually entering the process of taking the company public, I’m getting nervous.”

I watched as the waiter refilled Tom’s empty champagne glass, my expression conveying understanding.

“It makes sense—this is your first IPO, and you’re doing it just a year after founding the company.”

In truth, I had strongly advocated for proceeding with this venture.
Of course, Tom Harper, as the founder, had been hesitant at first, but he agreed to the IPO after my persuasion.
That’s why he flew to New York for discussions, yet his anxiety was evident as he asked with concern.

“As you said, the company was just founded, and we’re still operating at a loss, let alone turning a profit. Can we really pull off a successful stock listing?”

Bill Nelson, who had been listening quietly to the conversation, carefully interjected.

“I share those concerns. Rather than rushing forward, wouldn’t it be better to strengthen the company’s fundamentals first before pursuing the IPO?”

His reaction was understandable—the web browser launched last year had achieved over two million downloads in less than three months and was enjoying phenomenal popularity, yet the company’s revenue amounted to only about seventeen million dollars.
This was because most users downloaded the free version rather than paying for it.

‘If a few companies hadn’t purchased the software for business use, our revenue would have been zero.’

The problem arose precisely because there was barely any distinction between the paid and free versions from the start.
As a result, most users perceived Netscape’s web browser as free software.

‘The free version helps expand market share, but in terms of revenue, it’s essentially cutting into our own flesh.’

In reality, less than six months after launch, the browser had captured over half the market—a remarkable feat—yet simultaneously recorded losses in the millions of dollars.
Seok-won set down his champagne flute and spoke with unmistakable gravity.

“I understand your desire to strengthen the company further before taking it public. Honestly, if you IPO a company that’s barely taken its first steps, you’d deserve to be called insane.”

Tom Harper and Bill Nelson appeared slightly taken aback by Seok-won’s blunt assessment.
Landon Shore, however, who had long served as his trusted advisor, remained unfazed, methodically cutting foie gras—one of the world’s three greatest delicacies—and savoring each forkful of its buttery, rich flavor.
Seok-won continued, his gaze fixed on Tom Harper.

“From where I stand, your browser already boasts superior functionality, a refined interface, and high efficiency. Yet you yourself said there are still many shortcomings.”
“That’s right. When you consider the boundless potential of the internet, what we’ve released is literally just a basic version. There are countless features we need to add going forward.”

Tom Harper nodded earnestly, his face animated with conviction.

And he wasn’t merely speaking—Tom Harper had already begun developing the next version of the web browser.

“I agree with you that this is just the beginning, not the end.”
“Exactly! I knew we’d see eye to eye on this.”

Seok-won regarded Tom Harper calmly and pressed on.

“But that means continuous heavy investment going forward, which means mounting losses. How long can you sustain that?”

Faced with this incisive question, Tom Harper fell silent, his expression hardening.
The Mosaic web browser he’d created before founding Netscape had collapsed for precisely this reason—excessive costs and the resulting deficits.

“And you don’t want to eliminate the free version and convert everything to paid just to secure revenue.”
“I’m not running a charity, so I know we need to make money.”

Tom Harper spoke with quiet resolve.

“But not now. Yes, our browser’s performance is excellent, but the real reason it’s become a phenomenon is because it’s free. If we switch to a paid model now, users will immediately migrate to competing browsers.”

Netscape was forging ahead, yet it had not completely dominated the market.
Rather, witnessing Netscape’s success, other companies flooded the market with diverse web browsers, creating a landscape reminiscent of the Warring States period of fierce competition.

‘What irritates me most is that Microsoft, the predator of the software industry, is developing its own web browser.’

Tom Harper, aware of this reality, grew increasingly vigilant and anxious.

“I agree it’s premature to implement full monetization yet. That’s precisely why we need to go public.”
“You’re suggesting we use the capital from the IPO to cover our investment costs?”

There was also an underlying intention to trigger an IPO jackpot and easily recover investment funds at the highest valuation through the stock market, executing a profitable exit—but I saw no need to articulate that explicitly.

“Exactly. With our web browser gaining such popularity that the equation ‘the internet equals Netscape’ is becoming established, now is the opportune moment to list our stock.”

As I spoke with conviction, Tom Harper fell silent in contemplation before nodding his head.

“All right. I’ve never lost money following your advice so far, so I’ll trust and follow you on this as well.”

Though Bill Nelson still harbored doubts about whether the timing was too premature, once the founder Tom Harper had made his decision, he refrained from voicing further objections.
I then broke into a smile, flashing my teeth as I spoke.

“Not only will you be able to develop freely as you wish, but I’ll make you a billionaire as well—so you can look forward to it.”

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