I’m only saying this excluding my ex-girlfriend. I spoke the truth.
“She’s a fellow student from school, and she’s getting married this ti.”
CEO Im Soo-mi nodded her head.
“I see.”
“The person she’s marrying is Go Jun-hyung from GH Construction. Do you know him?”
At my words, she opened her eyes wide.
“He’s the third son of CEO Go Jin-gwang. Ah! I heard he’s getting married this ti.”
Seon-ah quickly stood up and bowed her head.
“Hello, I’m Yoon Seon-ah.”
“Nice to et you. I’m Im Soo-mi.”
They shook hands.
“Congratulations on your wedding.”
“Thank you.”
Perhaps because of the CEO Im Soo-mi’s strong presence, Seon-ah seed sowhat withdrawn.
“I didn’t know the future daughter-in-law of CEO Go Jin-gwang was a fellow student of Representative Kang Jin-hoo. If the two of you have a friendship, it would make it easier for GH Construction to get help from OTK Company later.”
I shook my head with a smile.
“Do you really think that would happen?”
“Why not? OTK Company is also the biggest shareholder of ArcIt, right?”
She seems to know everything.
ArcIt, a UK-based startup, uses artificial intelligence and machine learning for architectural design. It’s not well-known in Korea but is rapidly growing, mainly in Europe.
She took out a business card from her handbag and handed it to .
“If you need anything at the hotel, feel free to contact . I’ll answer even if I’m asleep if it’s the CEO’s call.”
It’s customary to give your own business card after receiving soone else’s in a business setting.
“I do have a business card, just haven’t been carrying it around.”
“You know my contact information, right?”
“Of course. I’ll make sure to arrange a al soon. Let’s all see each other, including my younger sibling.”
“Yes. I look forward to it.”
“I feel like I’ve taken too much of your ti. I’ll take my leave now. I’ll pay for today’s coffee, so you two can keep talking.”
“Take care.”
Seon-ah bowed her head in greeting.
“Goodbye.”
After President Im Soo-mi left, we sat back down.
Seon-ah looked at with a surprised expression. President Im Soo-mi’s presence had made her realize my position once again.
Of course, she must have already known this fact, but thinking it and seeing it directly are two different things.
Seon-ah was silent for a long ti. She kept fiddling with her coffee cup, her head bowed.
“If I had been by your side… would you still have succeeded like you have now?”
“Well, I don’t know.”
I tend to seek stability. Back in school, I never thought about starting a business; my goal was to get a job in finance. If my family had been intact and my father had still been alive, I would have graduated normally and gotten a job.
I do have the ability of foresight, but investing was a huge gamble.
Would Seon-ah have made the sa choices if she had stayed by my side?
I recalled the path I had walked until now. Her presence was never there anyway. It’s too late to turn back now.
“No one knows how it would have turned out.”
Seon-ah made a bitter expression.
“That’s true.”
Talking about the past is aningless. What matters is what lies ahead.
“I had sothing I wanted to say when I saw you…”
“Yeah?”
After a mont of thought, Seon-ah shook her head.
“I guess it’s better not to say it.”
I gave a light smile.
Seon-ah looked at and asked, “Are you coming to the wedding?”
I don’t have much connection with the Korean business world. The only interactions I’ve had are with the Seosung Group for business, and I’ve only seen the other conglorates once at a eting hosted by Ronald.
So, if I show up at the wedding, it might beco a topic in itself. Surely, she wouldn’t have given the invitation with the genuine intention for to co. It’s more likely the opposite.
I shook my head.
“I’ll just send a lot of congratulatory money.”
Seon-ah smiled softly, as if she expected that. Then she gathered her bag and stood up.
She offered her farewell.
“Take care, Jin-hoo.”
I said sincerely, “Congratulations on your wedding.”
***
After I collapsed in Arica, calls started coming in from everywhere. Yuri also called several tis.
I obviously couldn’t answer at that ti, but I had a brief call after I woke up. And today, I received another call.
As expected, Yuri started by asking about my health, and I answered that I’m fine and changed the subject.
“By the way, school must be on break now.”
[When has it been since the break started? You should pay a little attention to the academic calendar.]
What does it matter for a long-term leave student to pay attention to the academic calendar?
“Aren’t you going anywhere for fun?”
[Fun? With the current youth unemploynt rate, how can you say that? Everyone is busy with job study groups. I need to work hard to join OTK Company too.]
“Really? Are you actually going to get in?”
[I told you before. I need to keep a spot open until I graduate. You can’t say there’s no TO later.]
“……”
Is this what people call an illicit job recomndation?
“But didn’t you say you called for an important reason?”
[Oh! That’s right. Um, but I’m not sure if I should tell you this, though. You’ll find out eventually anyway… ]
“What is it? Is it about Seon-ah getting married?”
Yuri was taken aback by my words.
[How did you know?]
“I heard it directly.”
[From Seon-ah? You didn’t actually et, did you?]
“I did et. Is that a problem?”
[Well, it’s not that it’s a problem… So what happened?]
“What happened? I congratulated her and told her to live well.”
[Hmm, well done. Ah! But have you heard about that?]
“What’s that story?”
[I heard from Dad that Warren Buffett is visiting Korea next week.]
“Really? What’s the occasion?”
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway started in the insurance industry but now invests across various sectors, including finance, IT, dia, manufacturing, energy, retail, consur goods, and automotive.
Warren Buffett never invested in areas he didn’t understand or considered risky. During the dot-com bubble, he notably refrained from investing in internet stocks, which upset shareholders. However, after the bubble burst, he was praised as an investnt genius.
Instead, he bought familiar companies that most people would recognize, such as Coca-Cola, Costco, and Walt Disney. Recently, he is said to have a keen interest in the Fourth Industrial Revolution and IT, with his purchase of Npple stock being a pri example.
[I hear he’s coming to et Chairman Im Jin-yong.]
Warren Buffett is extrely cautious in selecting investnt targets and generally avoids investing in companies that overlap significantly with his existing businesses. However, he recently surprised everyone by suddenly purchasing shares of Seosung Electronics.
Is he eting with Chairman Im Jin-yong regarding investnt matters?
***
A few days later.
Warren Buffett’s visit to Korea was reported in the dia.
Even those unfamiliar with computers likely know Bill Gates, and even those uninterested in finance or investnt have probably heard of Warren Buffett.
Warren Buffett was born and raised in Athens, a city not far from Atlanta, Georgia, known as the capital of the Deep South, and after graduating from college, he returned to his hotown to settle down.
Berkshire Hathaway also has its headquarters in Athens, and Buffett has spent most of his life in that area, rarely leaving ho unless absolutely necessary.
This visit to Korea is his first in nearly ten years.
Upon hearing of his visit, the Blue House imdiately expressed a desire to invite him. A spokesperson announced that President Park Si-hyeong would have a al with Buffett and discuss expanding investnts.
Conservative dia, centered around outlets like the Joongilbo, began publishing articles as if the eting between President Park and Buffett was already a fact.
[President Park Si-hyeong invites Warren Buffett to the Blue House!]
[Business-friendly actions continuing even at the end of the term]
[The eting between the economic president and the great investor!]
[This should be an opportunity to increase global companies’ investnt in Korea]
[Warren Buffett’s investnt philosophy aligns closely with the creative economy.]
It almost seed as though Warren Buffett was coming to Korea specifically to et President Park.
However, after the articles were published, Berkshire Hathaway denied the reports from the Korean dia.
The reason for going to Korea was vacation, not business, and due to personal schedules, while they appreciated the invitation from the Blue House, they would have to postpone it for another ti. They also emphasized that the eting with Chairman Im Jin-yong was due to a past connection with forr Chairman Im Il-kwon.
-Haha, the president is getting quite excited.
-Seriously, talking about the creative economy? Enough with the news creation already.
-They seed to try to pressure for the eting through public opinion. Their actions are so low, I can’t even respond.
-If it were a conglorate chairman, they would cancel all plans and rush to the Blue House, but would Warren Buffett do that?
– This is what we call international sha. If you stay quiet, at least you won’t be caught in the middle.
– Doesn’t the Joongilbo feel embarrassed? No wonder they get called “fake news.”
However, this ti, another report ca out from the Arican dia. It was said that Warren Buffett would et not only Chairman Im Jin-yong but also Kang Jin-hoo.
– Is it a eting among century’s investors?
– Our esteed leader was ignored!
– Now the leader isn’t significant anymore. Kang Jin-hoo is on the rise.
– Please don’t say that. The leader feels hurt.
– Kang Jin-hoo has really grown. He couldn’t even show his business card before Brexit.
– Anyone who hears this would think you raised him.
***
I received a call from Berkshire Hathaway.
As soon as I hung up, Taek-gyu asked, “What did they say?”
“They want to have lunch together.”
“They’re just asking for a al?”
“Yeah.”
In fact, having lunch with Warren Buffett is a huge deal.
He auctions off a lunch with him every year, donating the proceeds. Last year’s winning bid was $3.7 million.
The cost of sharing a al and conversation exceeds 4 billion won.
Upon hearing this, Taek-gyu blinked in disbelief. “What could possibly cost 4 billion?”
“The nu isn’t anything special.”
“Then why is it so expensive?”
“What’s important is the life advice you receive.”
I often say that the wealthier people are, the less they waste money. If you can gain sothing from a conversation, even 4 billion won wouldn’t seem excessive.
Warren Buffett is respectable not only as an outstanding investor but also as a person.
Despite his wealth reaching 90 trillion won, he’s known for being frugal. While typical wealthy individuals live in mansions with helipads and multiple swimming pools, he has lived in the small house he bought when he got married. He has been driving a Cadillac DTS for over ten years.
For breakfast, he usually has McDonald’s breakfast. If his investnt performance is good the day before, he opts for the pancake set. If it’s not good, he goes for a cheaper single nu item.
“Where does all that money go? Are you taking it with you when you die?”
“He said he would donate it.”
He has stated for a long ti that he plans to donate most of his wealth.
Unlike so Korean conglorates that use donations as a way to pass down managent rights, he genuinely wants to contribute to society.
Taek-gyu nodded.
“He’s a nice grandpa.”
Anyway, since others would pay 4 billion won for lunch, there’s no reason to decline a free al. Since they requested the eting, I was free to decide the location, attendees, and nu.
We crossed over to the adjacent building.
Upon hearing the news, Ellie joyfully hugged .
“Really? I can et Warren Buffett too?”
“Of course! Let’s go together.”
On the other hand, Hyun-joo Noona nodded calmly.
“Got it. I’ll clear my schedule for that day.”
She seed nonchalant, but I could tell she was very happy inside. No need to say it out loud, though.
However, Taek-gyu felt the need to ntion it.
“Hey! Noona looks really happy. Are you that excited?”
At that, Hyun-joo Noona frowned imdiately.
“Shut up.”
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