“I am glad you are satisfied with the offer. Preparations will be made by us. Please contact me when the schedule is adjusted. All right, Mr. President. I’ll see you then.”
After talking with Trump, I look around. There, Jeon Yong-taek with a bewildered expression was staring at me.
I smiled at him and said.
“Do you need an interpreter?”
“uh… … yes?”
“The content of the call. I’m saying this because you don’t seem to understand.”
Jeon Yong-taek pauses for a moment, then shakes his head half a beat late.
“I understand everything. But in the middle of the talk… … You said you would resurrect the city, is that correct?”
“Yes, I intend to bring Detroit back to being an industrial city.”
He goes beyond the level of absurdity and asks back with an expression close to stunned.
“Detroit is absolutely not a city worth investing in. It is… … .”
“I know. It’s America’s worst city. We declared bankruptcy the year before last, and most of the city center has become a slum.”
“Why did you bring up Trump when you knew everything? This is crazy!”
If the election goes smoothly as it is, Trump will be elected as the 45th President of the United States, overturning everyone’s expectations.
It’s a good thing for me to line up with Trump, but this alone makes me a common patron A.
So I decided to do something that would have a definite impact on Trump and all Americans.
A project to revitalize the fallen city of Detroit.
As you can see from Jeon Yong-taek’s reaction earlier, the current state of Detroit couldn’t have been worse.
As the automobile industry that supported the city collapsed, the middle class left en masse, and the city quickly turned into a slum, leaving only the poor.
Security has long since collapsed. Detroit was ranked as the most dangerous city in the United States, and even the police were avoiding duty.
What would people think if you packed up your money and decided to invest in a city like this?
‘Everyone will treat me like a crazy person.’
It was a crazy plan indeed. However, if Trump is elected, the Detroit Resurrection Project will be evaluated as an effective propaganda, and my evaluation will soar from sponsor A to a leading role in Trump’s election at once.
“Jeon Yong-taek doesn’t seem to like my plan.”
“It’s not that I don’t like it… … It’s a plan that makes no sense in common sense, isn’t it?”
“Common sense, if it made sense, anyone would have tried it. If that happens, the return that comes with it will inevitably be less.”
I deliberately put on a good-natured smile and look at him.
“Are you still shaken by my actions?”
“that… … .”
“If so, how about moving together as partners? If Ohsung Group invests in it, it will be of great help to the reconstruction of Detroit.”
Jeon Yong-taek, who had been working hard until just now, shuts up.
In the first place, this investment in Detroit is a plan that can never be accepted if you do not know the future in which Trump will be elected.
‘If you participate here, that’s a real madman.’
I get up first and leave words that I don’t even have in mind.
“Jeon Yong-taek, if you ever change your mind, please contact me. I’ll be waiting for you.”
* * *
After a 13-hour flight from Incheon Airport, I was able to arrive at Detroit’s Wayne County International Airport.
At the arrivals hall of the airport, Elon, who had arrived in Detroit first, was greeted by a bodyguard.
“Daniel, welcome to America.”
He greeted me with a half-joyed and half-worried look on his face.
“How is Tesla these days?”
“It was very calm. Until I got a call from Daniel.”
“hahahaha… … .”
Elon gives strength to the hand he shook and pulls me. Then, biting his teeth, he said.
“What happened all of a sudden? Building an electric car factory in Detroit?”
“It happened.”
“If we build an EV factory here, what about the Texas factory? I already had a tax agreement with the governor over there on site selection!”
“Could you please calm down and listen to me first?”
I waited for Elon to nod, then brushed his hand off with a twist of my wrist.
“The Texas plant is proceeding as planned.”
“You don’t mean to build two new factories at the same time, do you?”
“That guess is correct.”
“No, I don’t understand why you would do something so reckless. Can we do it step by step?”
Elon made a unique absurd gesture by raising both palms.
“There is a saying that one is a genius. It means an opportunity that meets once in a thousand years.”
“Is this one of those thousand years?”
“I think so.”
If not now, when will the opportunity to receive a clear push from the president-elect of the United States come?
But Elon, like me, wasn’t sure, so he still had an expression like he was chewing sh*t.
“great. Let’s say that Trump is elected after making a hundred concessions and supports us. How do we get the money to build the factory?”
“Money is not an issue. My concern is whether Tesla has the capacity to run two new factories at the same time.”
“It doesn’t matter how many new factories are built because we have the know-how accumulated by running existing factories.”
“All right. I can solve the money problem, and Elon can solve the factory operation problem, so everything is solved.”
“No, that… … ah.”
As I walk toward the airport exit, Elon reluctantly follows me.
The scenery of Detroit that I first greeted after leaving the airport was plain.
Perhaps it was because I had heard the word “the worst city” that made my ears sting, to the point where I wondered how normal it looked.
“It’s outside the city center, so it’s pretty good. If you go into the old city center, you will see a slum that you only see in crime movies.”
He approaches the parked car and bangs his fist on the glass.
It wasn’t the sound of glass I knew, but a dull sound.
“To get there, you have to drive a bulletproof car. Would you like to build a factory in such a neighborhood?”
“The land will be cheap.”
Elon shook his head and got into the car.
He suggested that we only look around the outskirts of the city for safety reasons, but I insisted on seeing the eight-mile road.
The reason I know 8 Mile Road is because of the movie starring Eminem.
Of course, a movie is just a movie, and the real Detroit’s 8-Mile Road has more scenery than the movie.
“Even though it is a famous place, the surroundings are very desolate.”
“You can see more if you go down there, down into downtown Detroit. It’s where the poorest black people live.”
“What about the other side?”
“It’s a place where white people live, so things are better. If you really want to build a factory, you should look over there.”
I silently nod my head and mutter my true feelings.
“Let’s find a factory site near 8-mile road.”
A car that ran well said ‘Queek!’ comes to a sudden stop with a clatter.
“Daniel! Didn’t you hear what I just said? The security here is a mess. A place where gunshots can be heard at night and corpses clearing cars arrive every morning.”
“You can talk to the governor and ask them to build several police stations nearby.”
“In that case, it would be better to build a bigger Texas plant.”
“No matter how generous the conditions are offered in Texas, it will be as good as Detroit. If we build a factory here, tax exemption is basic, a huge investment subsidy, and land will be distributed free of charge.”
Elon takes a step back when I don’t break my stubbornness.
“after… … All right. Then I ask only one question. Among many, many lands, why Detroit?”
“Because of the symbolism of Detroit.”
“Originally, it was famous as an automobile industrial complex, so it might have a symbolism, but I don’t know what that means.”
“If we build a factory in Detroit, they say that a finished car factory will open in 20 years. If Detroit is revived starting with this, Tesla can take the image of America’s next-generation national car.”
Elon seemed to understand my plan, but his expression was still flustered. I doubt it will work.
In fact, I don’t know if it’s going to be as effective as I’ve been bragging about.
But why do you force yourself to build a factory in Detroit?
Detroit will slowly revive even without my hands. The new city center on the outskirts was already showing signs of change as brand stores, cafes, and various commercial facilities returned.
‘If the Tesla factory is built at this time and Detroit is revived, all the credit will go to Trump and Tesla.’
It is obvious that Trump will push Tesla’s electric car, which is equivalent to his own achievement.
What if the already promising electric car industry receives Trump’s full support?
At that time, Tesla’s world will arrive at a speed that transcends everyone’s imagination.
* * *
-Recently, the rise in Trump’s approval rating is explosive. The approval ratings of the two candidates, which once showed a 12% gap, narrowed to 3%, and some polls even announced a reversal.
– What is the cause of the rise?
-There may be many factors, but one of the most decisive is the declaration of the Detroit Resurrection Project.
-Isn’t Detroit the most dangerous city in America?
-That’s right. Trump said he plans to build a 2,000-acre electric vehicle manufacturing plant in Detroit.
– Build an automobile factory again in Detroit, which has declined due to the recession of the automobile industry. It would be nice to hear an idea, but is it a feasible story? I think the scale is too big.
-There was a lot of talk, but the controversy ended when CEO Tesla appeared at the campaign site of candidate Trump. The point at which Trump’s approval ratings, mentioned earlier, skyrocketed… …
While the news was playing on TV, those sitting together were busy keeping an eye on each other while holding their breath.
“why… … why… … why!”
Jeon Yong-taek, the one who made everyone notice, strikes down the table with the momentum to break it.
“Why did things turn out this way? Do you think that makes common sense? huh? Someone say something!”
After receiving an offer to participate in the Detroit Project, Jeon Yong-taek sought advice from numerous experts.
The opinion of the experts was the same without a single exception.
Never participate in the project.
So Jeon Yong-taek also made up his mind to not participate in the project, and did not contact him separately.
However, when the lid of the project was opened, Trump started to win and win, and Hillary suffered a series of bad news.
‘If Trump is elected like this and the Detroit project succeeds, I… … I am… … .’
It wouldn’t be a pity if I didn’t know in the first place, but the thought of kicking the belly button that had rolled right in front of me made me feel like my stomach was turning upside down.
At that time, the chief of staff, who had been silent, cautiously gave his opinion.
“Vice President, how about joining the Detroit Project right now?”
“The announcement is already over, so how?”
“We haven’t sent a refusal yet, have we? That’s why they pretend that the decision took time and sneak in.”
From noble mtl dot com
It was too revealing. However, considering the practicality of the group, it was right to join the project even with a steel plate on the face.
‘Damn it. If I had known it would be like this, I would have said I would have done it a long time ago.’
Regret always comes when it’s too late.
Jeon Yong-taek dialed his cell phone number before hesitating.
-If there is no connection, it will be connected to voice mail after a beep sound and call charges will be charged.