Golden Spoon Investment Portfolio - Chapter 494

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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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494. From now on, I’ll be the one providing the answers.

A few days later, at Jeju International Airport.
As if the harsh snow and wind from yesterday had been a lie, the sky cleared brilliantly, and a Gulfstream IV private jet painted in Norton Blue and Crystal White two-tone touched down and came to rest in one corner of the parking lot.
Moments after the stairs descended, Seok-won, dressed in a cashmere coat, emerged alongside Han Ji-sung Deputy Manager.

“We’ll remain here on standby then.”

Andrea, who had recently become the new private jet stewardess replacing Bella, who had resigned some time ago due to an unexpected pregnancy, spoke with a bright smile.
Where Bella had been a radiant blonde woman, Andrea was a striking Latin beauty with refreshingly sharp features.
Seok-won donned his Ray-Ban sunglasses as Andrea saw him off, then descended the stairs with unhurried steps.
Jung Gyu-chul, the Blue Hole Construction president who had arrived in Jeju earlier, immediately bowed at a ninety-degree angle in greeting.

“Welcome, Chairman.”

Seok-won acknowledged him with a slight nod, and Jung Gyu-chul raised his arm to gesture toward the Mercedes sedan positioned behind him.

“I’ve prepared a car. Shall we go?”

Following Jung Gyu-chul, Seok-won climbed into the rear seat through the door the driver had opened.
Shortly after, the Mercedes sedan carrying the group glided smoothly out of the parking lot and departed the airport grounds.
As the vehicle sped directly toward Mosulpo, leaving the airport premises behind, Seok-won removed his Ray-Ban sunglasses and tucked them into his inner pocket before speaking.

“How is the mood among the local residents?”

Jung Gyu-chul, seated beside him, glanced around cautiously before answering.

“To be honest, it’s not very favorable.”

Seok-won turned his head to look at Jung Gyu-chul’s hardened expression and spoke in an even tone.

“It seems the reaction has been quite negative.”
“Not only the residents who have been farming on Ministry of National Defense land, but the fishermen are also strongly opposed, fearing damage to their fishing grounds.”
“Even though we’ve promised adequate compensation?”

At Seok-won’s question, Jung Gyu-chul’s expression grew even darker.

“They fear losing the livelihood they’ve sustained all these years far more than gaining a lump sum of money, and they’re showing clear opposition.”

I nodded slightly, indicating I understood their position well enough.

“It’s an unexpected development, so the local residents have every right to be bewildered and angry.”

At that, Jung Gyu-chul opened his mouth heavily, studying my expression.

“As you say, the residents’ sentiments are poor, and with civic organizations concerned about environmental destruction planning to attend, there’s a high likelihood the briefing will become quite hostile.”

Catching his meaning, I turned my eyes toward Jung Gyu-chul.

“So you’re suggesting I reconsider attending today’s briefing.”
“Yes. I believe that would be the better course. Everyone is agitated right now, so it would be wiser to meet with the residents after the heated atmosphere has cooled somewhat.”

Though Jung Gyu-chul made his case earnestly, I responded with composure.

“What if the opposition doesn’t subside even with time?”
“That would be….”

Watching Jung Gyu-chul hesitate without a ready answer, I continued calmly.

“If things go smoothly and persuasion succeeds, that would be ideal. But if the residents continue opposing the space center construction, the project schedule will face endless delays, and if outsiders looking to exploit the situation get involved, matters will become far more complicated.”

When disputes arise between developers and local residents during large-scale projects, all manner of people inevitably insert themselves into the breach—contractors seeking a quick profit, civic organizations concerned about environmental destruction, and politicians eyeing regional votes. Such situations frequently derail projects entirely.
Jung Gyu-chul, with his extensive experience in construction, naturally understood better than anyone that failing to resolve matters smoothly at the outset would create serious complications.

“So the best approach is to resolve this before troublesome opportunists swarm in. To do that, rather than sending someone else, I need to step forward as the final decision-maker. Only then will the residents actually listen.”
“Your reasoning isn’t wrong, but….”

Jung Gyu-chul trailed off hesitantly.
Yet the very fact that I’d already come all the way to Jeju Island demonstrated my resolve was firm, so he could only nod without further objection.

“If that’s your intention, I understand.”

Even as he agreed, he silently prayed that today’s briefing would conclude without major incident.

* * *

On a weekend when students weren’t in school, Daejeong Middle School’s auditorium was packed with local residents of all ages and genders.
At one side of the entrance to the auditorium, people from a civic organization held picket signs reading “Stop large-scale development that destroys the environment!” and “Halt reckless development that damages historical heritage immediately!” as they protested and collected signatures opposing the project from residents.

“Bluehole Group must immediately cease development that destroys the environment and devastates our community!”
“Stop it! Stop it!”
“What kind of space launch facility threatens residents’ safety!”
“What kind of facility! What kind of facility!”

With the residents’ mood already sour, seeing civic organizations emerge with their signs and stage protests caused Hwang Seok-jin, dressed in a gray suit, to involuntarily groan in distress.
He wanted nothing more than to call the police and have them removed for illegal assembly and obstruction of business.
But doing so would only complicate matters further—it was as obvious as fire—so he had no choice but to endure and let it be.
Deliberately turning away, Hwang Seok-jin entered the auditorium and approached Yang Hyeong-du, who stood beside a large white projection screen set up on the stage, conversing with other staff members.

“Is everything prepared?”
“Yes. We’ve completed checks on the promotional video and slides, and we’ve positioned all security personnel as a precaution.”
“The Chairman himself is coming, so we absolutely cannot afford any mistakes. Check once more to see if we’ve overlooked anything.”
“Yes, understood.”

Just then, an employee came rushing over, breathing heavily.

“Manager! The Chairman has just arrived!”
“Is that so?”

As Hwang Seok-jin turned his head to look at the main entrance, Seok-won was just entering the auditorium with President Jung Gyu-chul.
Hwang Seok-jin hastily buttoned his suit jacket and rushed forward, bowing deeply at the waist.

“Welcome.”

Seeing this, President Jung Gyu-chul introduced him to Seok-won.

“This is Manager Hwang Seok-jin, who works at our Jeju office.”
“I see. Thank you for your hard work.”

As Seok-won extended one hand, Hwang Seok-jin, still bowing, respectfully grasped it with both hands.
Then, with a very courteous demeanor, he gestured toward the interior of the auditorium.

“We’ve prepared VIP seating on the stage, so I’ll escort you there.”

Seok-won gave a light nod and followed Hwang Seok-jin’s lead.

“Ch-Chairman.”
“What an honor!”

At my arrival, every employee in the room stiffened instantly, bowing in unison.
I shook hands with each member of the Blue Hole Construction and Blue Sky teams who had come down to Jeju Island and were working hard there, offered words of encouragement, and then took a seat at the long table on the stage alongside President Jung Gyu-chul.
Shortly after, local residents and members of civic organizations began filtering in gradually, quickly filling nearly all the chairs that had been arranged in the auditorium.
Originally, only local residents were supposed to attend, but civic organization members had insisted strongly that they too had the right to hear the presentation, so we had no choice but to grant them entry.
Manager Hwang Seok-jin, who had rolled up his sleeves to check the watch on his wrist, approached me as I sat in the guest section and spoke carefully.

“We will now begin the briefing session.”
“It looks like nearly all the seats are filled, so everyone who was coming has arrived. Let’s proceed.”
“Yes, sir.”

Once permission was granted, Manager Hwang Seok-jin walked to the podium on one side of the stage, tapped the microphone with his finger to test it, and then brought his mouth close to it.

“Now that the scheduled time has arrived, we will begin the briefing for the Mosulpo Space Center construction project.”

The murmuring noise subsided, and the people gathered in the auditorium turned their attention to the stage.
Most of them had hardened expressions or sat with their arms crossed, their eyes sharp and hostile—hardly a welcoming attitude.
Though I had anticipated this, facing the piercing gazes of the crowd made me anxious about whether the briefing could proceed smoothly.
Manager Hwang Seok-jin let out a short sigh internally and steadied his voice.

“First, we will show you a promotional video we have prepared.”

As I signaled with my hand, Yang Hyeong-du dimmed the lights in the auditorium.
As the interior darkened, the promotional video began to be projected onto the white screen through the projector.

‘I hope the video goes over well.’

It was a video that we had commissioned from an advertising company at considerable expense to persuade the residents.
While the three-minute promotional video, which we had put so much effort into, played, the auditorium was filled only with silence.
As if everyone had agreed to remain unresponsive, there was not even the customary applause when the video ended.

“…Next, an executive from our Blue Sky will speak.”

Woo Byung-ho, the Blue Sky General Director, a rather heavyset middle-aged man who had attended in place of President Dr. Choi Tae-ho, who had gone on a business trip to the United States for important matters, stepped forward.
The executive stood before the microphone, gave a brief self-introduction, and then began a presentation using slides.

“…Once the land acquisition and resident consent procedures are all completed, we plan to invest 1.2 trillion won from next year through 2004 to construct launch pads, rocket assembly buildings, control centers, and port facilities including a runway 3,300 meters in length on a 900,000-pyeong site. Then, in 2005, we plan to launch a space launch vehicle that we have independently developed here in Mosulpo, carrying an artificial satellite that we have also manufactured ourselves.”

As the massive space center bird’s-eye view appeared on the slide alongside the staggering investment scale, even those attendees who had maintained stoic silence until now let out gasps of astonishment.

“1.2 trillion won? How many zeros are we talking about here?”
“I have to admit, it looks impressive when you see it rendered like that.”
“Hmph. What good does that do? We won’t even be able to live here anymore anyway!”
“Right. If they’re going to make such a fuss about reclaiming the sea, all the fish will just swim away. What’ll be left?”

As various comments erupted around the hall, Woo Byung-ho, the overall director of Blue Sky, calmly and methodically explained the comprehensive overview of the space center construction, safety measures, and future operational plans in clear, understandable detail.

“…Furthermore, as has already been reported in the media, the northeastern site containing the historically significant Altneul Airfield underground bunker, aircraft hangar, and the Seot-al Oreum 4·3 historical site will be developed into a historical park and preserved permanently. That concludes my presentation.”

As the lights came back on at the end of his remarks, several people immediately raised their hands, eager to speak.

“Mosulpo Port is right nearby—what happens if a rocket falls into a residential area? Who’s going to take responsibility for that!”
“There are countless people who have been farming on Ministry of National Defense land for over a decade. If you suddenly seize the land like this, what are they supposed to do for their livelihoods!”
“Do you have any measures in place for the damage to the basalt beaches from reclamation and the pollution of the marine environment!”
“Every time you launch a rocket, residents will have to evacuate and fishing operations will be halted. Who’s going to be responsible for those losses!”

As the louder voices began shouting, the auditorium erupted into chaos, with criticism and concerns pouring forth from all directions.
Woo Byung-ho, the overall director, had maintained his composure through the end of his presentation, but as the crowd suddenly descended upon him with sharp intensity, he visibly shrank back, wiping sweat from his brow with a handkerchief despite the winter chill.
Seeing this, I rose from my seat and strode forward purposefully.

“Ch-Chairman?”

Jung Gyu-chul’s startled voice came from behind, but I ignored him and gave Woo Byung-ho’s shoulder a light pat.

“I’ll take it from here and answer their questions.”

At my gesture to step back, Woo Byung-ho let out a relieved sigh and quickly vacated his position.
I took his place at the podium and gave a subtle nod to Hwang Seok-jin, who was moderating the event.

“Everyone! Please keep quiet so we can proceed smoothly.”

Hwang Seok-jin, flustered by the suddenly heated atmosphere, quickly grabbed the microphone and worked to calm the crowd.

“Now, Park Seok-won, Chairman of Bluehole Group, will personally answer your questions!”

At that, the attendees who saw me standing at the podium began murmuring in disbelief.

“What? Someone that young is the chairman?”
“He doesn’t look much older than our youngest sibling.”
“Is he really the actual chairman?”

Though such unfiltered remarks would have offended most, I didn’t so much as furrow a brow, meeting the gazes of those around me with unhurried composure.

“I understand that the sudden announcement of the space center construction has left many of you bewildered and anxious. That is precisely why I, as the ultimate decision-maker, have come here to communicate directly with you all and alleviate those concerns and worries.”
“Is… is that so?”
“I suppose it must be.”

The crowd stirred uncertainly—they had not expected the chairman himself to appear in person.
I grasped the podium with both hands and stood with unwavering confidence, opening my mouth to speak.

“Before I take questions, there is one thing I wish to say: while I cannot satisfy everyone, I am committed to ensuring that the residents of this community suffer no harm as a result of this space center project.”

My voice, brimming with authority and charisma, resonated through the auditorium via the microphone.
Overwhelmed by the force of my presence, the assembled attendees ceased their murmuring in unison, and all eyes converged upon me standing before the podium.

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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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