19. No pressure.
There was an awkward silence for a moment before I spoke up.
“Well, Humph,” I said, “after all, you’ve sworn an oath over the person Mr. Smith loves most, and I trust you’ll keep it.”
“I will certainly keep it.”
“You’d better; I hate people who don’t keep their word, and especially if you stab me in the back, you’ll pay for it, and then some-must!”
He glared at John Smith, emphasizing the must.
You’re hiring him because he’s got a bead on him.
If you break your oath, you’ll betray me and the beads.
I don’t intend to just shrug it off and say I got hit by a sh*tty car.
You will pay a very, very steep and harsh price.
I glared, but John Smith met my gaze unwaveringly.
He seems to have made up his mind, so we end the interview.
It’s not like I’m going to drag the bead-possessed man into bed with me anyway.
“Okay, great. Mr. Smith, I’m hiring you.”
“Gene, are you serious?”
“I’m not one to play around with these things, so let’s do well together.”
I held out my hand, and John took it.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you, you’ll never regret it.”
“Phew, I really hope so.”
From nob le mt l. co m
John could have sung hooray, but he was so happy he was in tears.
After all, I’m the only one who would hire a junkie, no matter how rich I am.
Even I wouldn’t think of it unless it was stamped with a bead.
After letting the excitement settle for a moment, I asked again.
“Are there any conditions you’re looking for, like salary or anything else? Oh, you heard me, you’ll have to leave New York and move to LA, you know that, right?”
“Yeah, I heard that from Steve, too. As I said, I’m on my own now, so I don’t have any obstacles to moving out west, and I’d love to get out of New York, which I’m sick of, so that’s good.”
“Very well, then, what are your terms?”
“You can give me whatever you want. What could I ask for in my situation, working a menial job at a big box store? I’d be thrilled just to be able to do it again.”
“Hmmm—.”
From nob le mt l. co m
John says, “I know this, but I can’t treat him casually.
He’s going to be my closest confidant, and he’s going to have control over a vast fortune.
If you give him money, he’s going to be unhappy, if not now, then later, and you’re setting yourself up for a financial disaster.
“Let’s start you off with a salary of $500,000 a year, with incentives for good behavior. I’ll give you top-notch health insurance. Is that enough for you? If you think it’s less, tell me now.”
“No, it’s not too much and it’s more than enough for me. Thank you, boss!”
“I’m glad to hear it, then. Oh, and you’re coming home to my house, right?”
“You mean the boss’s house?”
“Yes, I have a pretty nice house in Palos Verdes, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. I’m alone, and I’ve got plenty of room to spare. Don’t bother paying for a place, let’s stay together, and when you’re settled in, we can go our separate ways.”
“hahahaha, if that’s okay with you, I’m all for it. I know Palos Verdes is a pretty nice neighborhood.”
“Okay, let’s do that then.”
I asked John to move in with me, partly out of consideration for the fact that I actually have a place and don’t want him to waste his time looking for a place, but also out of anxiety.
I thought I’d keep an eye on him for a while while he lived with me, to keep him from being exposed to temptation.
“If you give me a week, I’ll organize my life here and move to LA, boss.”
“Do that, and take this.”
He held out an envelope from his inside suit pocket.
“What’s this?”
“It’s $100,000. I know you’ve been very poor for a while. This is separate from your salary, so use it to get rid of some clutter and buy some things you need. First of all, you’re going to need a suit that fits.”
From nob le mt l. co m
John’s suit looks like it was bought in his better days and is very high quality, but it doesn’t fit him well.
It would take him a while to get back into shape.
“Thank you so much. You took such good care of me and—.”
“It’s all for you to work hard, so don’t feel pressured.”
“What?”
“I’m giving it to you so you can carry the burden.”
“Fuhahahahaha!”
Normally, I’d give them something like this and tell them not to feel pressure, but I’m giving them pressure.
Instead of being nice to you, I’m going to treat you like a dog.
Eventually, the words caused Young Sik to burst into laughter, and John responded with a broad smile.
“Yes, I will definitely take on the burden! hahahahaha!”
What? I actually said, “I’ll take the pressure.
Why did he take that as if I was joking on purpose when I said no pressure?
“Also, when the time comes, find a teammate to come to LA and work with you… I mean, if you’re going to start right away, it’d probably be someone John knows, right?”
“Maybe not all of them, but it would be nice to have someone he knows to start with.”
“Well, he can set the terms of employment. He’ll know better than I do what a decent salary is. Tell him we’ll pay his relocation expenses, and we’ll pay his rent for at least a year.”
“I don’t think it would be hard to hire someone on those terms.”
“Well, it’s more important that they have character and credit than skill, because I’ll be making the investment decisions anyway, and I don’t need someone who’s good at something but not good at it, you know what I mean?”
“Yes, I understand.”
“Finally, save this number. It’s the number of my lawyer, Jeffrey Zhang, and you can talk to him about anything you need to do to set up the company.”
“Okay.”
“Okay, then let’s do this really well!”
“Yes, boss!”
The next day, I returned to LA from my people shopping in New York.
“How much?”
“It’s $105,000 without any options, but as you know, Porsches aren’t for the faint of heart. This Porsche 911 Carrera 4S is $162,000 with options.”
“That’s cheaper than I thought. I heard it’s more expensive in Korea?”
“hahahahaha! Every car on the planet is the cheapest in the US. It’s the biggest market, it’s the most competitive market. Even in Germany, where this car is made, you have to pay over $140,000 for the base price. Korea is surprisingly cheap.”
“Aha, I see.”
I stare at the stubby Porsche 911 Carrera 4S in front of me.
The Porsche’s trademark voluptuous hips tempted me.
Moreover, the Carrera 4S costs about 110 million won in Korean money for the base model.
I googled it and it’s over 140 million in Korea.
It was a moment when I realized the power of America, the automotive paradise.
“I’ll have one of these.”
“hahahahaha, excellent choice, sir!”
Now let’s spend some money on me, too.
Because, as Jeffrey says, it’s ridiculous and fanciful for a super rich guy like me to drive around in a Hundai Grand Prix.
After buying a realistic (?) dream car, a Porsche 911 Carrera 4S, for my daily driver, I stopped by the Ferrari store.
“This is Ferrari’s current flagship. The F12 Berlinetta, isn’t it great?”
The dealer doesn’t need to say it, I’m ecstatic.
“It’s killer!”
“Uh-huh, the naturally aspirated, direct-injected 6.3L V12 engine can produce up to 740 mana!”
“Oooooh, that’s great!”
I said, though I had no idea what he was talking about.
“How much is it?”
“Only $650,000, with options!”
“That’s cheap!”
“Isn’t it?”
“I’ll take one of these!”
“Yep!”
When I was done shopping, I felt a little sorry for George, who was with me.
“Hey, George.”
“Yeah, Alex.”
“Your car is old, you should get one. I’ll buy it for you.”
“Really?”
“Then you’re faking it. You think I can’t buy my chief of staff and bodyguard of last resort a car?”
“Oooh! Hmm? I get the chief of staff thing, but what about the bodyguard of last resort?”
“Never mind. I’m just saying.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Unless you don’t like it?”
“No, no, no! Hmph!”
And that’s where we went.
“What, what is it, this giant luggage car?”
“What do you mean, a wagon? It’s our favorite American car.”
“Yeah, but isn’t this one too big?”
“An American man should be able to ride in this, right?”
“…”
The giant pickup truck in front of me.
It’s a Ford F-150 Raptor 4-door crew cab.
However, even though it was big, it was too big.
It wouldn’t even fit into a regular parking spot in Korea.
This is the national car of the United States?
I had to recognize that Americans like big things.
It cost $58,000, but I bought it on the spot, and George was dying for it.
I was like, “What’s so great about a luggage car?
After our shopping spree, we headed downtown to meet Jeffrey for dinner.
“Hey, did you buy a Ferrari? That looks like a flagship.”
“Heh, heh, heh, heh, I used some of it for myself.”
“Good for you. I honestly don’t like Warren Buffett living on a shoestring. It’s one thing to be frugal, but when you’re that super rich, you have to spend some, right?”
“hahahahaha, you’re right.”
I hadn’t seen Jeffrey in a long time, though I talked to him often on the phone.
We had a nice dinner and a few drinks.
“Oh, by the way, Jeffrey, I have a question for you: what’s this guy from Korea, Jinho Kim, doing here? Who said he’s the head of the department? He’s not the head of the company, is he?”
“Who? Mr. Kim? Puh-ha-ha! Of course he’s not the head of the company.”
“Then?”
“He’s the head of the Central Investigation Division of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, commonly known as the head of the prosecutor’s office.”
“Oh, so you’re the head of the department? Is that such a powerful position?”
“Well, the department itself was abolished two years ago with the change of government in Korea, but in Korea, the head of the prosecutor’s office, the head of the prosecutor’s office, the head of the prosecutor’s office, the head of the prosecutor’s office, the head of the prosecutor’s office, the head of the prosecutor’s office, the head of the prosecutor’s office, was the big four.”
“Wow, he was a big deal?”
He was even more formidable than I thought?
“Mr. Kim Jin-ho has been there for a very long time, and his influence within the prosecution is enormous.”
“I see, somehow—. By the way, do you have a connection with such a person?”
“He owes me a few favors, and we’ve gotten to know each other. Anyway, he said he’d do me three favors, and you used one of them.”
“Oh!”
He was so eager to help.
I apologize to Jeffrey for this.
He said he’d do me three favors, and I used one of them.
For Mr. Kim, it was a very easy debt to repay.
“What can I say, I’m sorry? If I had known that, I would have found another way.”
“Forget it, man. That’s two horses left, and until Mr. Kim retires, you’ll always be indebted to me.”
“Hmph, I’m glad to hear that.”
“More than that, would you be okay with this fellow, John Smith?”
“Why?”
“What do you mean why? He was a junkie.”
“What? How do you know that?”
“How do you know, who am I, when I can tell you how many spoons he has in his house with one phone call?”
“Hul—.”
“Hulk, are you sure your liver is okay? I checked with him, and he’s definitely clean now, but it’s harder for a junkie to get clean than it is for a gambler to stop gambling. You don’t know when he’s going to start doing drugs again?”
“I thought about it a lot, but I chose it because I have faith.”
You only believe in the beads.
“Well, I don’t know about that, but just be careful. Keep an eye on him.”
“So, I just asked him to come into my house.”
“That’s good.”
This is how junkies are perceived.
But you can’t blame them, because drugs are hard to quit.
I looked at the beads on my left wrist and sighed to myself.
Eight days after I returned to L.A., John came to my apartment with two other people.
A woman in her early 30s named Jennifer Jones and a man in his mid-30s named Roy Clark.
“Welcome home!”
Here we go.
Let’s scrape together some money.