Golden Spoon Investment Portfolio - Chapter 156

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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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156. What’s the point of making money if you don’t use it at times like this?

“This is the contract sent from New York.”

Seok-won, still seated on the sofa, received the investment contract from Bockus—one that Landon Shore in New York had hastily prepared and faxed over upon receiving word.
After reviewing the contents, I laid the contract before Roy and his friends across from me.

“Take a look and make sure there’s nothing amiss.”

Vanegi picked up the contract and carefully read through its terms alongside his friends.
Meanwhile, I reclined against the plush sofa’s backrest, waiting unhurriedly for them to finish their review.
Time passed quietly.
As Vanegi closed the final page of the contract, I lifted my head and asked.

“All confirmed?”
“Yes.”
“Once you sign, there’s no going back. It’s best to thoroughly examine any clauses that trouble you or any potential poison pills. If you’re uncertain about anything, there’s no harm in delaying the contract and consulting with a lawyer you know.”
“I don’t think that’ll be necessary.”

Vanegi answered with a smile.

“The terms are more than satisfactory as they stand. Besides, if you had ulterior motives, you wouldn’t be suggesting I consult another lawyer—you’d be pushing me to sign immediately.”
“True enough.”

Professor Frank, standing beside him, nodded in agreement.

“Whatever else, I know you’re not the type to stab a friend in the back.”

Roy, his face beaming with the prospect of substantial investment capital, echoed the sentiment.
I let out a soft chuckle and replied.

“Then shall we sign right away?”
“Let’s do it.”

Seok-won pulled a Montblanc fountain pen from his inner pocket and signed the contract first.
He then slid the contract and pen toward the three men, and Vanegi, Professor Frank, and Roy each signed their names on the final page of the contract in turn.
After repeating the same process identically, both parties took one copy of the identical contract, and all procedures were completed simply.

“Once the lawyer’s notarization is done, the promised three million dollars will be transferred by tomorrow afternoon at the latest.”

Hearing this, Vanegi gazed down at the document envelope containing the contract with an overwhelmed expression.

“We can finally turn our idea into reality… It feels like a dream.”

He still seemed unable to believe that they had received such a massive investment.

“Let’s rent an office first! We’ve been struggling without a proper workspace. Those days of stamping our feet for lack of funds are finally over.”

Roy chimed in enthusiastically at Professor Frank’s words.

“Right, right! Just a few days ago, we asked if they’d rent us just a corner—not the entire office—and offered them ten percent of our revenue, but they treated us like con artists and ignored us. Damn it, I still get furious thinking about it!”
“That happened?”

Seok-won showed interest in this story he was hearing for the first time.

“We just said we needed space for a few desks and chairs, but they told us to get lost! I mean, they’re just a small game company themselves—how could they be so unreasonable?”
“That’s pretty cold-hearted. What’s the company’s name?”
“Condor.”

The name sounded vaguely familiar, and Seok-won tilted his head in thought.
In that moment, something flashed through his mind, and a game title logo shaped like flames on a black background suddenly came to him.
That very game that once made Korean hearts race just by seeing it!

“Right. That was the company’s name before it was acquired.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”

As Roy looked at him with a puzzled expression, Seok-won waved his hand dismissively and mumbled.

“It’s nothing. Just thinking out loud.”

As he said this, Seok-won mentally calculated when the game would be released.

‘Diablo’s first title comes out next year, so they must be in the middle of development right now.’

Not only Diablo, but Blizzard—which would acquire Condor—would release StarCraft, a masterpiece of legendary proportions, a few years down the line.
And with the final crowning jewel of WoW, they would release hit after hit, establishing themselves as the greatest gaming powerhouse of all time.
But by current standards, Condor was merely a small company with just fifteen employees.
Moreover, Blizzard itself hadn’t yet unleashed this potential and was merely regarded as a dark horse worth watching.

‘Which means right now is the cheapest it’ll ever be.’

Once those hit titles I mentioned rolled out one after another and gained massive popularity, their valuation would skyrocket—as certain as fire burning.
And I had no desire to watch them get shuffled around and end up in the hands of those French Vivendi people, only to see the company crumble.

‘Thinking about all the blunders they made back then still pisses me off.’

And there was good reason for it—I too had once spent nights in PC bangs, subsisting on instant ramen, grinding away at games like StarCraft and Diablo, those folk pastimes of Korea, until sweat rashes bloomed on my backside.
When I thought of Diablo IV, which forced me to hold the line for over a decade like some endless broth simmering away, irritation flared up instantly.

‘What’s the point of making money if not for moments like this?’

I resolved to acquire Blizzard and live the life of a successful fan.
Rather than watch a company I’d loved so dearly slowly spiral into decline again, it was better to take direct action myself.
And as I thought about tearing out and fixing all the things that frustrated me as a player, and finally indulging my passion properly, laughter began leaking out unbidden.
Professor Frank whispered to Roy in a low voice, watching me shift from serious contemplation to chuckling to myself.

“Your friend’s okay, right?”
“Probably… I think so.”

Roy answered uncertainly, his eyes studying me with a look that said he had no idea what I was thinking.

* * *

The main conference room at Mapo Daeheung Group Headquarters.
Park Tae-hong, the chairman, sat at the center of the U-shaped conference table, flanked by his eldest son Park Jin-hyung, president of Daeheung Textiles, Chief Secretary Gil Seong-ho, and key executives from Midopa Department Store including President Min Pil-gi.
In the dimly lit conference room, Choi Chang-ryul, executive director of Midopa Department Store, personally presented the construction plans for the new Gangnam branch of Midopa Department Store to be built on the recently acquired Sampoong Department Store Site, pointing to the presentation materials displayed on the screen ahead.

“First, the new Gangnam branch will be constructed with three basement levels and eleven above-ground floors, with a total retail floor area of 87,650 square meters.”

As Choi Chang-ryul gestured, an employee sitting beside the slide projector pressed a button, changing the screen to a cross-sectional diagram of the new department store.

“Basement levels 2 and 3 will be used as parking, and basement level 1 will feature VIP parking along with a food court for casual dining.”

Park Tae-hong sat with his arms crossed, listening quietly. Choi Chang-ryul glanced at him and continued his explanation in a loud voice.

“On the first floor, where customers first enter the department store, we will attract premium overseas brands and jewelry lines to emphasize that this is a luxury establishment. The second floor will feature luxury and renowned designer shops alongside luxury watch brands. From the third floor onward, we’ll arrange women’s clothing and shoes on the third, men’s clothing and formal wear on the fourth, golf, sports, and outdoor brands on the fifth, and on the sixth and seventh floors, considering the recent explosive growth in home furnishings and children’s products, we’ll create diverse brand spaces and cultural zones….”

Brand logos for each floor were densely packed along the side of the screen.
While most department stores followed a common layout—luxury goods and cosmetics on the first floor, clothing on the second—the difference lay in the sheer number and caliber of the brands that would be housed here.
When Choi Chang-ryul gestured again, the film changed with a click, and a bird’s-eye view of the newly constructed department store—completed by a renowned foreign architect at considerable expense—filled the screen.

“We anticipate construction costs of 210 billion won, with an additional 18 billion won in interior design expenses to create the finest, most luxurious retail space in the nation.”

After finishing his presentation, Choi Chang-ryul bowed toward Park Tae-hong, who sat facing him.

“That concludes my report.”

Park Tae-hong gazed at the department store’s bird’s-eye view displayed prominently on the screen for a moment, as if admiring it, then spoke.

“Entrusting it to those foreigners seems to have paid off—the exterior design turned out quite impressive.”

Min Pil-gi, sensing the subtle satisfaction in his tone, quickly chimed in agreement.

“It was certainly wise to commission the renowned Uruguayan architect who designed the Tokyo Convention Center.”

“If we’re building the nation’s finest department store, the building itself can’t have an ordinary facade. It needs to be designed so that anyone who sees it will call it magnificent.”

Park Tae-hong looked at Choi Chang-ryul standing before him and asked.

“We won the land at auction for 250 billion won, so adding that brings the total construction cost to 478 billion.”
“That’s correct. Accounting for miscellaneous expenses, we anticipate approximately 480 billion won in total.”

The executives gathered there stirred noticeably at the staggering sum.
Park Tae-hong had steeled himself to some degree, but hearing the concrete figure made his heart feel heavy.
However, he showed no sign of this outwardly and spoke calmly.

“To truly break Lotte and Utopia’s pride, we need to invest at this level. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Min Pil-gi, receiving the attention, answered immediately.

“That’s correct.”
“Lotte is searching for a site to build a new department store in Gangnam, right?”
“Yes. There are also reports that Utopia is pushing forward with their own expansion into Gangnam.”

Chairman Park Tae-hong snorted as if he’d expected as much.

“They won’t simply back down without a fight. We need to plant our flag firmly before those bastards come sniffing around. Don’t delay—move forward with the plan immediately.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll see to it at once.”

After hearing the response, Chairman Park Tae-hong turned to Executive Director Choi Chang-ryul with another question.

“There won’t be any issues with the financing plan, will there?”
“No, sir. As originally agreed, our primary bank, Woo Young Bank, has committed to providing the full 228 billion won in construction financing.”

Chairman Park Tae-hong gave a small nod, then turned to look at Chief Secretary Gil Seong-ho sitting beside him.

“Jo Bank Manager is doing us quite a favor. We can’t just let that pass without acknowledgment. Make sure we express our gratitude appropriately.”
“Understood.”

Chairman Park Tae-hong then murmured with a somewhat serious expression.

“Even if we cover the construction costs with loans, we’ll still have to pay interest. Our cash flow will be tight for a while.”
“The interest is substantial, but fortunately, as we restructure the troubled subsidiaries, we should be able to clear out a significant portion of accumulated losses and manage the burden comfortably.”
“That’s a relief.”

Chairman Park Tae-hong nodded with evident reassurance.
Recalling his second son’s insistence on cleaning up those dead-weight subsidiaries and correcting the company’s deteriorated financial position, he felt grateful for having heeded the advice.

“For the luxury strategy to succeed, we need to attract as many high-end brands as possible. How is that progressing?”
“We’ve nearly finalized negotiations with most brands, including Dior, Prada, and Gucci, but we’re still in discussions with Hermès, Louis Vuitton, and Chanel.”

Hearing that the three brands known as the “Big Three of Luxury” remained undecided, Chairman Park Tae-hong’s brow furrowed.

“You understand how crucial those three brands are, don’t you? Whatever it takes, persuade them to open stores in the Gangnam location.”
“I will make it happen.”

Chairman Park Tae-hong was well aware that convincing those three proud luxury brands would be no easy task.
They demanded the best retail locations and even passed interior design costs onto the department store, attaching endless conditions to their agreements.
Yet it was absolutely necessary if we were to outmaneuver our competitors in this department store war and establish ourselves as Korea’s premier department store, not just in Gangnam but nationwide.

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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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