Golden Spoon Investment Portfolio - Chapter 157

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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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157. Before that happens, I’ll withdraw, so it doesn’t matter.

The sun was sinking slowly across the evening sky.
A Mercedes-Benz sedan glided smoothly into the residential streets of Hannam-dong and came to a stop before the Park Family Residence, surrounded by its towering walls.
The Attendant Secretary, who had been riding in the front seat, opened the rear car door and spoke carefully.

“Chairman Park. We’ve arrived at your residence.”

Park Tae-hong, who had been dozing against the plush leather seat, slowly opened his eyes.

“Yes, I see.”

As Park Tae-hong stepped out of the car and made his way toward the large gate, the Attendant Secretary quickly pressed the doorbell.

[Who is it?]
“The Chairman has arrived.”

The Attendant Secretary answered promptly at the sound of Gunsan Housekeeper’s voice.
As the gate opened with a heavy creak, Park Tae-hong crossed the Garden and entered the main house.

“Welcome home.”
“Welcome back, Father.”

Standing beside Jo Deok-rye and the apron-clad Gunsan Housekeeper was Seok-won, who had also come today.
Park Tae-hong glanced at his second son, whose complexion appeared unusually bright, and spoke bluntly.

“You said you’d need to stay in the United States a bit longer, yet here you are so soon.”
“The work finished earlier than expected.”

Park Tae-hong simply nodded curtly, removed his shoes, and stepped inside.
The Attendant Secretary, standing behind him, respectfully handed the briefcase in his hand to Jo Deok-rye and bowed deeply.

“Then I shall take my leave, Madam.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”

The Attendant Secretary offered a polite greeting to Seok-won beside him and then departed from the Park Family Residence.

After showering and changing into comfortable indoor clothes, Park Tae-hong examined an unfamiliar object in the Study Room, raising his thick eyebrows with a skeptical arch.
A luxurious crimson box sat solitary atop the expansive mahogany desk.
As I turned the box over in my hands, Jo Deok-rye entered carrying ginger tea, and I asked her about it.

“What is this?”

Jo Deok-rye set the ginger tea on the desk and answered.

“It’s that liquor you enjoy.”
“I’m not asking because I don’t know what it is.”
“Seok-won bought it at the duty-free shop on his way back to the country.”
“Seok-won did?”
“Yes.”

Upon hearing this, I let out a derisive snort.

“So he’s feeling guilty about being away from the company for days while collecting a paycheck for nothing.”
“You really should speak more kindly. What’s wrong with you?”
“What did I do?”
“Goodness, never mind. It’s pointless anyway—you don’t listen to a word I say, so I’m just wasting my breath.”

Yet despite her words, there was an unmistakable glimmer of anticipation in my eyes—I wasn’t displeased that my second son had taken the trouble to bring a gift.

“Let me have a look at it.”

I unfastened the clips on both sides of the vertically-oriented box and slowly lifted the case open.
A weighty crystal bottle of cognac came into view.
It was Louis XIII, known as the king of cognacs.
Just below the golden seal, the bottle’s neck was encircled with genuine 14K gold plating, lending it considerable opulence.
The bottle itself, crafted by a renowned French crystal brand, was exquisitely beautiful, and the crystal stopper that accompanied it was a work of art in its own right.
As I lifted the bottle, Jo Deok-rye’s eyes brightened with admiration.

“Every time I see it, I’m struck by how beautiful the bottle is. You said it’s called Louis XIII, didn’t you?”
“Yes. It’s the one they call the king of cognacs.”

I replied with a smile playing at the corners of my mouth.
Jo Deok-rye looked at me with exasperation as I handled the precious object with meticulous care.

“You were so stubborn in front of your son when he came back from the United States, but your mood has changed already? Goodness, you really can’t resist alcohol.”
“Ahem. What did I do wrong?”
“You’re truly incorrigible.”

Jo Deok-rye shook her head at his shameless demeanor.

“Well then, shall I have just a small taste?”

As Park Tae-hong moved toward the liquor cabinet in the corner of the Study Room to retrieve a glass, Jo Deok-rye frowned.

“What alcohol? I’ve prepared ginger tea, so drink that instead.”
“I’m just going to taste it.”
“And then you’ll drink until you’re drunk again, won’t you?”
“My goodness, have I really lived my whole life being fooled?”
“Then give me a glass too.”

Park Tae-hong turned around with a slightly surprised expression.

“You don’t particularly like alcohol.”
“I’m not completely unable to drink it. I just hate getting drunk the way you do—so intoxicated you can’t even find your way home.”

Jo Deok-rye asked with a sly gleam in her eyes.

“You’re not being stingy about it, are you?”

Park Tae-hong felt a cold sweat trickle down his back at the pointed question.

“Of course not.”

Park Tae-hong deliberately ignored his wife’s piercing gaze and quickly brought two glasses, breaking the tightly sealed cap and pouring cognac into them.
As the deep amber liquid filled the glasses, a magnificent aroma bloomed forth, befitting its renowned reputation.

“Come to think of it, it feels like it’s been a while since we’ve had a drink together.”

Park Tae-hong handed the glass to his wife and ventured to make conversation.

“That’s a relief then.”

Whether intoxicated by the fragrance or simply enchanted by the moment, my wife appeared more beautiful than ever today.
Combined with the Study Room’s soft lighting, even her pouting lips looked endearing.

“Come now, we should toast.”
“Of course.”

I extended my glass and clinked it gently against Jo Deok-rye’s, who took a sip of the Louis XIII.
True to its reputation as the king of cognacs, it descended smoothly down my throat with a refreshing grape aroma—a sensation of pure refinement.
Even after drinking, a rich fragrance lingered in my mouth for some time, as if the finest spirits were telling me what true quality meant.

“My goodness, the aroma is absolutely divine.”
“That’s what luxury truly is.”
“With a spirit like this, I could drink an entire bottle.”

Jo Deok-rye drained the remaining cognac in one gulp and pushed her empty glass forward.

“Pour me another.”
“What? You want more?”
“Yes. It’s so smooth and fragrant—it’s quite tempting. Now I understand why you love it.”
“It has considerable alcohol content. You should stop.”
“Why? Don’t you want to pour? Are you being stingy?”

The situation had shifted—now I, Park Tae-hong, was the one hesitantly urging her to stop.

“It’s not that. I’m just worried about you.”
“Don’t worry. You know I can hold my liquor.”

Jo Deok-rye drained the refilled glass in one breath and suddenly sprang to her feet.

“This won’t do. Let me fetch some snacks. Wait here a moment.”

Before I could protest, she whisked out of the Study Room.

“Perhaps I shouldn’t have opened that bottle….”

Seeing her prepare for a full-fledged drinking session, I felt regret—but it was already too late.

* * *

The next morning.
As Seok-won descended the second-floor staircase, he encountered the Gunsan Housekeeper heading toward the master bedroom with a tray in her hands.

“Young master. You’re awake?”
“Good morning, ma’am.”

I glanced around the unusually quiet living room and asked.

“Mother hasn’t woken up yet.”
“She’s not feeling well, so she’s resting in her room.”
“What’s wrong with her?”

As I asked with concern, the Gunsan Housekeeper hesitated awkwardly.

“Well… it seems she has a bit of a hangover.”
“Pardon?”

I thought I’d misheard and asked again.

“Did you just say a hangover?”
“Yes. It seems the chairman and she drank quite a lot yesterday. The lady is groaning in bed, and the chairman only had some honey water this morning before heading out.”

The Gunsan Housekeeper answered while holding the tray with both hands, hurrying toward the master bedroom.
Unable to hide my bewildered expression, I followed her to check on Mother’s condition.

“Ma’am, are you alright?”
“Gunsan Housekeeper… help me sit up. My stomach is churning terribly.”
“My goodness. You’re not usually like this—why did you drink so much?”
“I don’t know. I can’t remember a thing.”

Jo Deok-rye managed to sit up slightly and carefully sipped the honey water the Gunsan Housekeeper brought.

“Mother, I heard you’re not feeling well?”

I approached the bedside and asked.

“It’s nothing serious, so don’t worry.”

Embarrassed by her hangover, Jo Deok-rye hastily offered an explanation.

“Have you had breakfast?”
“My stomach’s been off. I’m not hungry.”

Seeing his embarrassment, Seok-won refrained from pressing further and simply nodded.

“Rest for now, and once you’re feeling better, please make sure to eat something.”
“I understand. Now go on. I need to lie down longer.”
“Yes.”

After stepping out first, I closed the master bedroom door and muttered to myself.

“Did they both finish the cognac I gave as a gift yesterday?”

Could they have emptied an entire bottle?
The alcohol content would be quite high, I thought, and hearing groans coming from behind the closed master bedroom door, I shook my head in disbelief.

“What on earth happened last night?”

Shortly after, the Gunsan Housekeeper emerged from the master bedroom and told me that Park Tae-hong had an early morning schedule and had left for work.

“He looked terribly uncomfortable, so I only managed to give him some honey water. I hope he’ll be alright.”

Listening to the Gunsan Housekeeper’s worried words, I finished breakfast alone and headed down to the garage, climbing into my beloved BMW.
Just as I was about to start the engine and drive off, my cell phone rang from my inner jacket pocket.

“Who could that be this early?”

I pressed the answer button and heard Landon Shore’s voice from New York.

[Boss, it’s me. Is this a good time to talk?]
“From the fact that you’re calling, it seems things went well with Yahoo.”
[Yes. Yesterday, we reached a final agreement with the two co-founders to invest 2 million dollars and secure a 40% stake. We’ve completed the contract as well.]

Upon hearing this, I broke into a delighted smile, revealing my white teeth.

“So you valued the company at 5 million dollars.”
[That’s correct. The valuation seems a bit generous, but as you instructed us to secure the stake even if we had to make concessions, I didn’t drag out the negotiations and wrapped it up quickly.]
“You did well.”
[I did follow your instructions, but I’m concerned we may have paid too much for the stake.]

Seok-won gripped his phone tighter and replied.

“No. Even though it looks expensive now, you’ll soon realize we bought the stake at a truly bargain price.”
[Like with Netscape, sir?]
“Exactly.”

A subtle smile played at the corners of Seok-won’s lips.

[I hope it turns out that way. By the way, yesterday on NASDAQ, Netscape’s stock price finally broke through the 110-dollar mark.]

Upon hearing this, Seok-won showed no particular surprise—merely the expression of someone who had anticipated it.

“It seems the hand-off is complete now.”
[Just as you predicted, it appears to have been nothing more than a temporary correction from profit-taking. The upward momentum is so fierce it’s almost frightening.]
“I told you it would be.”

Seok-won continued speaking, his body reclined against the leather seat.

“If the stock price climbs higher, investors might hesitate to buy. Suggest to Tom that we consider a stock split.”
[A stock split right after the IPO? If we actually do that, Netscape will be rewriting NASDAQ history in multiple ways.]

There was far more to be astonished about, but Seok-won kept it to himself, swallowing the thoughts silently.

“You made sure to include the pre-emptive acquisition rights clause in the investment contract with Yahoo, correct?”
[Of course. In fact, that’s why we had to increase the company valuation.]

Every time Seok-won made a venture investment—whether in Netscape, Hotmail, or Yahoo—he invariably inserted one thing into the contract: pre-emptive acquisition rights.

‘There isn’t enough honey for me alone, so I can’t share the pot with others.’

A sudden thought crossed his mind: would this prevent Jo Seong-gil, the Korean-Japanese entrepreneur who founded SoftBank, from investing in Yahoo?

‘Well, it doesn’t matter either way.’

Perhaps he would never witness the tremendous influence SoftBank and Chairman Jo Seong-gil wielded before the regression, but there was no reason to concern himself with that.

[I’ll organize the details and send them to you via email.]
“Do that.”

After ending the call, Seok-won pocketed his phone and broke into a broad smile.
He had secured investments in Yahoo, which would become synonymous with portals in the coming years, following his success with Netscape, and had even obtained the right to acquire additional equity stakes—there was every reason to feel elated.

“Neither company’s glory will last long, but I’ll have already cashed out before then, so it doesn’t matter.”

Buoyed by the good news that had arrived since morning, Seok-won hummed to himself as he fastened his seatbelt.
He then gripped the steering wheel and pressed gently on the accelerator.

Vroooom!
With a rough roar from the engine, Seok-won’s BMW sedan shot out of the garage, its doors swinging wide open.

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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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