77. The world will stop.
Once, while having a drink with Nam Won-jeong, I asked him once.
I asked him if the intelligence of the Sasung Group was really better than the National Intelligence Service, as was often rumored.
“hahahahaha, Mr. Chairman, have you heard those rumors too?”
“Hmph! It’s been around for a long time, isn’t it? That Sasung was the only one among the chaebols who could predict the outcome of the presidential election, and even knew in advance when the financial real name system was fully implemented during the Kim Young-sa government.”
“There were a lot of things like that.”
Nam Jung-won thought for a moment, sipping his drink with a nonchalant expression, and then spoke again.
“It’s true that the Sasung Group’s intelligence is unparalleled, at least in Korea. Nothing that happens in politics, business, relationships, or anywhere else escapes their eyes.”
“Ho-ho!”
“The relationship with politics, in particular, has been sown by the founder for three generations, giving scholarships since he was a student, and it was only in the 90s, ironically at the end of the military regime, that it really started to bear fruit. Even before that, there were so-called private scholars here and there, which helped a lot, but there were limits because the regime was so strong.”
“So the blame for democratization has been placed in the wrong place?”
“hahahahaha! That’s right, that’s exactly what happened. Anyway, as the world became more democratic, power became really finite, so there was a widespread perception that money was infinite, and that’s when the power of the Four Noble Scholars really came into play.”
Wow, that’s amazing!
Three generations, looking far into the future and putting in the work as a student.
And the seeds he sowed became the driving force behind his ability to stay ahead of others.
Of course, from the perspective of a citizen like me, there are more negatives than positives, but from the perspective of an entrepreneur, it’s great.
“Now, to answer the chairman’s question, the rumors in the world are probably right, especially when Mr. Lee was the head of the keynote room. I saw it myself when I was there. The IMF broke out right after I joined the company, and I can only say that it was wow. It would not be an exaggeration to say that it was thanks to Mr. Lee that Sasung not only overcame the IMF compared to other chaebols, but also created a foothold for further growth.”
“I see.”
“After the great Mr. Lee was pushed out, we honestly weren’t as good as before.”
“No, but why was Mr. Lee, who was so great, pushed out?”
“It’s simple.”
“Huh?”
“In any dynasty, the new monarch doesn’t like the loyalty of his former troops.”
“Ah!”
“It’s the same with Sasung, too. Chairman Lee Jung-in was said to have treated his vassals so badly in the beginning.”
It was a bit odd to compare it to a dynasty, but it made sense.
“I’m rambling, and I’m in the wrong place, but Sasung’s intelligence is amazing. No matter what you imagine, it’s more than that.”
This was Mr. Nam’s answer.
And, I was realizing it now.
“If you’ll excuse me, may I ask what you’re preparing now?”
“…”
It’s a rude question.
It’s also an embarrassing question.
But I can’t ignore it.
I don’t think Vice Chairman Lee is asking me with any malice.
I hesitated for a moment before speaking up.
“Why would you ask such a question?”
“Oh, please don’t take offense, I have no intention of doing so.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Why don’t we talk a little more openly, and I think it will be a little easier for me to explain myself?”
“Sure. You be honest with me, and I’ll be honest with you about why I’m doing it.”
“Great! And there’s no backstabbing or taking offense to our honesty?”
“Great.”
“Then let’s start with a toast. To you!”
“To you!”
Cheers!
“Kya!”
“Kya!”
“hahahaha! This is the first time I’ve had a drink in a long time, and it tastes really good because I’m drinking with the chairman.”
“Me too.”
It tastes like something I drink all the time, but let’s at least pay lip service to it.
“To be honest, there’s been a lot of talk in my secretary’s office about how this is a geek thing, because you know, we don’t have a lot of them, but we do have people in the U.S. who dig private air defense ships in case of nuclear war, or crazy billionaires who go on rampages on Mars.”
“Kulk!”
Sare suddenly heard.
What the hell is Mars doing there?
“What’s wrong, are you okay?”
“Uh, yeah, I’m fine.”
“Oh, yeah.” That was the consensus anyway. There was no disagreement on the analysis of what Mr. Kang is doing: it’s all about preparing for a pandemic. A pandemic comparable to the Spanish Flu that swept the world in the early 20th century. The death toll from the Spanish Flu is only estimated, but it’s somewhere between 17 million and 50 million. Do you know anything about the Spanish Flu?”
“Yes, I know.”
“Chairman Kang said that the amount of masks and protective clothing that we are preparing is enough to last Korea for more than 20 years under normal circumstances.”
“That’s about right.”
“Well, the bottom line is this: it doesn’t make sense unless Mr. Kang is divinely endowed or gets the ability to see the future from somewhere. He’s not some kind of Nostradamus.”
“…”
I’m sorry.
For being able to predict the future.
“So, I’m sorry, the conclusion I’ve come to is that Mr. Kang is some kind of eccentric billionaire obsessed with apocalypticism.”
“Let’s be a little more honest, did you really say he was a geek?”
“What?”
“Don’t you have a word for that in your country?”
“Humph, actually, it’s called an asshole—.”
“A little more!”
“You’re an asshole—.”
“…”
It’s a little gross to hear, but it’s a very reasonable line of reasoning.
That’s what I would have said, too.
No, I would have said he was crazy.
“Are you offended?”
“No. It’s a perfectly reasonable conclusion. But why did you ask to meet with me? That dog. Again. La. Teeth?”
“I’m guessing you have a backstory?”
“I don’t?”
“Well, humor me, but you’re the only one who disputes that conclusion.”
“Ho-ho, really?”
“Yeah, he’s got an unusual insight or something, and I usually listen carefully when he speaks, so when he challenged it, it made me think about it a little bit more.”
“What did he say?”
“He said, ‘Don’t look at the partial phenomenon, look at the whole, and in this case, the whole is you, Mr. Kang.'”
“Me?”
“Yes. He said that even if you’re judging the same behavior, you should look at who did it.”
“Oh!”
“What I’m saying is, if you look at it that way, does Mr. Kang’s investment behavior over the past few years make sense?”
I don’t understand the investments.
Unless you’re wearing a hat on your head.
“The example I gave was AMD. When AMD was downgraded to junk status a few years ago, and they were going through the wringer, I said, ‘Who would invest in AMD,’ and even we, Sasung, were looking at it internally at the time, thinking about buying it.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes, the review concluded that it was a 100% failure. And the result? A few days ago, AMD stock was trading above $30. And the average price of the first shares that Chairman Kang bought was about a dollar or less, right? And then he bought and sold in the middle, and he made more money in the middle of it, so he ended up making, what, 100 times, what’s the return?”
“Something like that.”
“That’s the thing, you can get lucky and hit the jackpot, and then you buy and sell and make even more money afterwards, and you’ve made unbelievable returns in other stocks, if not in AMD, then in other stocks that are phenomenal, to the point where I honestly wonder if you’re somebody who’s been riding a time machine from the future. If so!”
“So?”
“You’ve been very responsive?”
“Humph—.”
This guy is talking in all seriousness.
“Well, then!” says my friend, “you have to put aside all the common sense in the world, all the rational reasoning, and just look at the results the person has achieved, with the caveat that if the luck continues, it’s not luck.”
I didn’t know who he was, but he seemed like a great guy.
I’ll have to talk to Mr. Nam to find out.
“That friend’s insistence changed the atmosphere of the meeting. He said that someone like Mr. Kang wouldn’t do something like this for no reason. There must be something, and he’s preparing for it because he knows it! I said.”
“Is that why you wanted to see me?”
“Well, I’ve always wanted to meet you, because most of the stocks that Karma is a major shareholder in right now have a lot to do with our company, and that unbelievable investment success rate? I mean, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been debriefed and asked if there’s something wrong with the paperwork. That’s why I asked to meet you.”
“I see.”
“Also, if what Chairman Kang is preparing for really happens, we need to prepare for it as well, because as you know, one of our future foods is pharmaceuticals, right?”
“I know. Saba—.”
“I don’t want you to accent the first letter. If you can, it’s better if you say Sasung Biologics out loud. If you say sabba-sabba in our company, I’ll get in trouble.”
“…”
I’m sorry, but I don’t work for you.
But if you want to call me that, let’s do it.
There’s no need to make me feel bad.
Anyway, it seems that Vice Chairman Lee Jung-ryong spoke relatively frankly, so it’s only right that I also speak frankly to some extent.
Besides, Saba, or Sasung Biologics, is a company that needs to be cooperated with for mass production of vaccines in case of a pandemic.
Currently, it is the world’s No. 1 company in terms of production capacity with only one to three factories in Songdo, and it is said to be expanding to nine factories.
Cooperation is indispensable.
I don’t know if you believe me or not.
“Since the vice chairman has been honest with you, I’ll be honest with you.”
“Please.”
“But don’t ask me to back it up. No one but me can understand it, and I don’t want to make them understand it, because it’s entirely my opinion and my judgment.”
“You’re welcome to just say it. Like I said, I’m open to it to some extent.”
“Your analysis is correct, I am preparing for a pandemic.”
“Oh! How long is it going to be?”
“The world will stop, and it will take a lot of sacrifice and suffering to get back to the way things were before.”
“What? The world will stop?”
Vice Chairman Lee Jung-ryong’s eyes widened.