Golden Spoon Investment Portfolio - Chapter 414

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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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414. From another perspective, it’s actually a great opportunity.

True to the Major Snow season, when the heaviest snowfall of the year arrives, the entire world had transformed into a pristine white canvas from the snow that had fallen since last night.
Since this was the day when all family members gathered for a meal once a month, Seok-won had arrived at the Hannam-dong Main House early in the morning.
As I passed through the large gate, the familiar Garden came into view.
Kim Hyung-gi, who had been sweeping the snow piled high on the lawn with a long broom, spotted Seok-won and greeted him with a slight bow and a warm smile.

“Young Master, you’ve arrived.”
“I hope you’ve been well.”
“Yes, sir. Oh, and my eldest daughter asked me to thank you for the gift you gave us last time.”

Since last month, following the United States, the MP3 player developed by Digital Wave had begun full-scale sales in the domestic market.
Newly packaged samples for domestic sales had been sent, and I had distributed several of them as gifts to the employees at the main residence.

“Unlike traditional cassette players, you need to create MP3 files and load them to listen to music. Are they finding it inconvenient?”
“At first, they seemed a bit unfamiliar with it, but since she’s young, she quickly got used to it and said it’s fine. In fact, she was delighted that it’s smaller and lighter than a cassette player, making it much easier to carry around.”
“I’m glad to hear it’s being used well.”
“Her classmates were amazed and envious when they saw her carrying it around.”

Kim Hyung-gi added with a smile.

“Thanks to you, Young Master, I was able to give my daughter proper face.”
“It’s nothing.”

Just as Seok-won had predicted, the New Wave, the first MP3 player, was selling in greater quantities than expected and gaining considerable popularity among the youth demographic.
Despite the poor economy during the IMF crisis, the film “Beat,” which premiered in the first half of the year, became a major box office success, and its female lead was made the exclusive model.
Additionally, aggressive product placement in sitcoms popular with young viewers proved to be highly effective.
On top of that, lowering the product price to the maximum in accordance with Seok-won’s opinion turned out to be a masterstroke.
While countless businesses were closing due to lack of work or cash flow problems, Digital Wave was reaping substantial benefits from the MP3 player.
When I recalled Ahn Byung-deok, the president of Digital Wave, calling excitedly about needing to increase contract manufacturing factories due to overflowing orders, my smile deepened.
Then, noticing an unfamiliar facility in one corner of the Garden that I had never seen before, I tilted my head curiously and asked.

“What is that?”

Kim Hyung-gi answered, looking at the place I was pointing to with my raised arm.

“That’s Pony’s house.”

Pony was the name of a mother stray cat who had wandered into the house by chance and quietly settled in to stay.

“…That’s a cat house?”

As I turned around with a bewildered expression, Kim Hyung-gi offered an awkward smile and replied.

“Yes. It is rather large, isn’t it?”

Rather large was an understatement—it was enormous.
When I first saw it, I thought Mother, who usually loved flowers, had built a greenhouse.
Beneath a thick maple tree beside the terrace stood what appeared to be a greenhouse—a cat house.
Under a pointed triangular roof, sturdy columns and frames were constructed with an iron framework, and all four sides were finished with transparent glass windows to allow sunlight to pour in.
No matter how I looked at it, it seemed excessive for a cat house. As I stood speechless, Kim Hyung-gi chuckled and spoke.

“The kittens have all grown and gotten bigger, so Chairman Park said the house needed to be larger for them all to live together, and he built it like this.”
“Father did?”
“Yes.”

It was even more surprising that Park Tae-hong had built it, not Mother.
As I stepped closer to examine it, I saw the craftsmanship was quite solid, and there was even a cat-exclusive door cut into the lower part of the entrance. I couldn’t help but smile inwardly.
Inside the glass enclosure, several large cat towers were installed for the cats to play on, along with scratchers, hammocks, and all manner of toys scattered about.
Moreover, carpet was laid on the floor, showing meticulous care so they could stay warm even in winter.

“Meow.”
“Mew?”

As cold air rushed in, Pony and her kittens, who had been sleeping huddled in their hideaways and donut-shaped cushions, lifted their heads with yawns.
The way they looked at me—as if to say close the door quickly, it’s cold—was utterly imperious.

“These creatures. They certainly live the good life.”
“Meow.”

* * *

“Eat well.”
“I’ll enjoy the meal.”

The table was laden with deliciously prepared dishes—deeply simmered galbi-tang, crispy oyster pancakes, steamed abalone, and seasonal vegetables—each so appetizing that saliva pooled naturally in the mouth.
From the bowls to the chopstick rests, every piece was handcrafted by a master potter designated as an Intangible Cultural Property, fired directly in his kiln—a lavish spread where nothing was out of place.
Park Tae-hong, engaged in casual conversation over the meal, suddenly turned to his eldest son and daughter-in-law seated to his left.

“You said the baby’s due date is April next year, didn’t you?”

Park Jin-hyung glanced at his wife beside him before answering.

“Yes.”

Amid the national turmoil of the IMF crisis, the family had received wonderful news—Park Tae-hong’s eldest daughter-in-law, Choi Bo-kyung, was pregnant.
As it was news of their first grandchild, Park Tae-hong was overjoyed when he learned of the pregnancy.

“Then your body will grow heavier as time passes. Don’t come here—just rest at home until the birth.”

“No, Father-in-law.”
“I’m concerned about our soon-to-be grandchild.”

Jo Deok-rye, seated beside him, added her voice to the matter.

“That’s right. Even though you’ve entered the stable period, it’s best not to move around unnecessarily, so do as we say.”

Choi Bo-kyung nodded reluctantly.

“Yes, I will.”

Park Tae-hong turned to his eldest son with a stern expression and gave his instructions.

“You must pay special attention so your wife can remain comfortable and healthy throughout.”
“Understood.”

At that moment, Seok-won, seated across from them, interjected with a question.

“By the way, have you chosen a name for the child?”
“Not yet.”

Choi Bo-kyung smiled charmingly and looked toward Park Tae-hong.

“I was actually planning to ask you for help with naming anyway.”
“You’re asking me?”
“Yes. I want to give the child a good name, but we’re having trouble coming up with one.”
“Hmm. In that case, I’ll give it some thought.”
“Thank you so much.”

Park Tae-hong was trying hard to maintain a stern expression, but the corners of his mouth kept twitching—his delight was written all over his face.
Seok-won suppressed an amused chuckle and spooned up some of the galbi-tang broth.

‘Mm. The Gunsan Housekeeper’s cooking really is exceptional.’

After finishing the meal, Park Tae-hong moved to the living room with his two sons.
Once the Gunsan Housekeeper set down aromatic coffee and left, Park Tae-hong settled into the center seat and, out of habit, placed a cigarette between his lips, lit it, and spoke.

“The presidential election is only two weeks away now. Who do you think will become the new master of the Blue House?”

Park Jin-hyung, receiving the question, answered without hesitation.

“While Choo Tae-guk has narrowed the gap as the ruling party consolidates its votes, considering the severe aftermath of the IMF foreign exchange crisis, I believe Kim Jae-chun, the New Era National Council candidate, has a higher probability of winning.”

As Park Tae-hong exhaled white cigarette smoke and turned his gaze away, Seok-won continued.

“I share the same view. Looking at the analysis of polling data, white-collar workers and college-educated middle-class voters show strong support for Choo Tae-guk. However, these are precisely the groups hit hardest by the IMF foreign exchange crisis, so there will be a significant number of defecting votes.”

Park Tae-hong nodded in agreement.

“Indeed, countless companies have gone bankrupt and collapsed. If you add up the people who’ve lost their jobs and become unemployed along with their families, you’d have a population equivalent to a major metropolitan city.”
“As Seok-won says, those people won’t be voting for the ruling party candidate.”
“That’s right.”

Park Tae-hong spoke with a troubled expression.

“If things continue this way, we might actually see a change of power for the first time in 36 years.”

Since the nation’s founding, there had been two changes of power, but both were due to military coups and the April 19 Revolution. This would be the first time power changed hands peacefully and democratically through the people’s votes.
However, precisely because this was a change of power after 36 years, much would inevitably change, so anticipation and concern were bound to coexist.

“As the possibility of his election has increased, many companies and individuals are reportedly rushing to align themselves with Kim Jae-chun’s camp.”
“Until now they thought he’d lose, so they paid little attention. Now the fire’s at their feet.”

Park Tae-hong glanced at his second son and spoke with an air of ease.

“Fortunately, thanks to Seok-won’s advice, we’ve distributed political funds evenly to the opposition parties, including the New Era National Conference, so we can rest easy without worry.”

Park Jin-hyung also looked at his younger brother with a smile.

“Exactly. Without Seok-won, we would have suffered a terrible blow.”

Seok-won felt oddly embarrassed by his father and brother’s praise, so he quickly opened his mouth to change the subject.

“After the presidential election and when the new government takes office next year, there will be major changes in various sectors, but especially in the economy, there will be large-scale big deals to resolve excessive and redundant investments by conglomerates, reflecting the demands of the International Monetary Fund that supported the bailout.”
“Did you just say big deals?”

Park Tae-hong furrowed his brow and asked, and Seok-won nodded gravely.

“Yes. You must be aware that there are strong accusations that the octopus-like management of conglomerates, which indiscriminately venture into any business that could be profitable, is the root cause of the foreign exchange crisis.”

Since this was a topic that not only the International Monetary Fund but also the media had been criticizing relentlessly, Park Tae-hong and Park Jin-hyung listened with hardened expressions.

“Accordingly, to pursue specialization in each company, large-scale restructuring will be implemented through acquiring or selling non-core businesses and troubled subsidiaries, essentially swapping them with one another.”

Park Tae-hong held a cigarette between his fingers and frowned.

“Are you saying the Blue House will force companies to sell or buy businesses?”

Park Tae-hong showed a negative reaction, clearly displeased with government intervention.
Park Jin-hyung also couldn’t hide his uncomfortable expression, though it was only natural for someone in the business world.

“I wouldn’t mind restructuring that happens naturally as companies operate, but I think forceful and artificial big deals will have significant side effects.”

Seok-won shrugged and replied.
In reality, most big deals hastily pushed through by the Blue House without considering each company’s circumstances and the environment of their respective industries ended in disastrous failure.
And the aftereffects burdened the Korean economy significantly for a considerable period.

“However, it’s also a condition for the International Monetary Fund’s bailout support, and above all, to show tangible results to the people in the early stages of the new government’s launch, they will push big deals strongly.”
“Hmm.”

Park Tae-hong let out a low murmur and wore an expression full of concern.

“The Big Deal will cause considerable turmoil in the business community for a while, but viewed from another angle, it’s also a tremendous opportunity.”
“You’re saying we should use the chaos of large-scale business exchanges as a chance to enter or acquire prime companies.”

Park Jin-hyung’s eyes gleamed as he spoke, and Seok-won’s lips curled into a knowing smile.

“Exactly.”

Park Tae-hong, intrigued, straightened his posture and asked.

“Then which company do you think we should acquire?”

As if he’d been waiting for that very question, Seok-won answered immediately.

“Korea Transport.”

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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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