"This is the contract from New York."
Seok-won, still seated on the sofa, received the investnt contract from Baucus. It had been urgently drafted and faxed over by Landon in New York after receiving his request.
After reviewing its contents, Seok-won placed the contract on the table in front of Roy and his friends.
"Take a look and make sure everything checks out."
Banerjee picked up the contract and, along with his friends, carefully read through each section.
anwhile, Seok-won leaned back against the plush sofa, waiting patiently for them to finish.
Ti passed.
When Banerjee finally reached the last page and closed the contract, Seok-won lifted his head and asked,
"Did you check everything?"
"Yeah."
"Once you sign, you can't change anything. It's best to make sure there aren't any problematic clauses or fine print. If anything seems unclear, you can take your ti and consult a lawyer before finalizing the deal."
"I don't think that'll be necessary," Banerjee replied with a smile.
"The terms are more than fair. Besides, if you had any bad intentions, you'd be pushing us to sign as quickly as possible—not telling us to get a lawyer to review it."
"Yeah, exactly."
Frank, nodding in agreent, added,
"If there's one thing we know for sure, it's that you're not the type to stab a friend in the back."
Roy, whose face had brightened considerably now that they had secured the investnt, chid in as well.
"That's right."
At that, Seok-won smirked.
"Well then, shall we sign?"
"Let's do it."
Seok-won pulled a Montblanc fountain pen from his inner pocket and signed the contract first.
Then, sliding both the contract and the pen across the table, he handed them to the three n. One by one, Banerjee, Frank, and Roy each signed their nas on the final page.
After repeating the process for the duplicate copies, each party took one, marking the completion of the simple yet significant procedure.
"Once we get the contract notarized, the promised $3 million should be transferred by tomorrow afternoon at the latest."
At Seok-won's words, Banerjee looked down at the envelope containing the contract, his face filled with emotion.
"We can finally turn our idea into reality... It feels like a dream."
It seed he still couldn't believe they had secured such a massive investnt.
"First things first, let's rent an office! We've been struggling without a proper workspace for too long. The days of scraping by and feeling helpless due to a lack of funds are over!"
Frank's enthusiasm was contagious, and Roy chid in excitedly.
"Exactly! Just a few days ago, we begged to rent a tiny corner of an office, offering 10% of our revenue in exchange, and they treated us like scamrs! Damn it, just thinking about it still pisses
off!"
"That happened?"
Seok-won, hearing this for the first ti, raised an eyebrow with interest.
"Yeah! We told them we just needed space for a few desks and chairs, but they straight-up told us to get lost! Can you believe it? And it's not like they were so big corporation—they were just a small ga company themselves!"
"That's pretty cold. What was the company's na?"
"Condor."
The na sounded strangely familiar to Seok-won, making him tilt his head in thought.
Then, suddenly, a mory flashed in his mind—a burning logo set against a dark background.
A ga that once set every Korean gar's heart racing.
"Right… Before they were acquired, they were called Condor."
"Huh? What do you an?"
Roy looked at him curiously, but Seok-won simply waved his hand dismissively.
"Nothing. Just talking to myself."
Internally, however, he was doing quick ntal math.
'If the first Diablo ga is launching next year, then right now, they must be deep in developnt.'
Not only Diablo but also StarCraft—the legendary ga Blizzard would release a few years later—ca to mind.
And then, of course, the crown jewel—World of Warcraft, the final masterpiece that would cent Blizzard's legacy.
But as of this mont, Condor was nothing more than a tiny company with just 15 employees.
Even Blizzard hadn't yet exploded onto the scene, still seen as nothing more than a promising underdog.
'Which ans… this is the cheapest they'll ever be.'
Once those hit titles started rolling out and gaining massive popularity, it was inevitable that their value would skyrocket.
On top of that, Seok-won had no desire to watch the company get passed around, only to end up in the hands of those French baguette lovers and fall into ruin all over again.
'Just thinking about all the ridiculous missteps they made still pisses
off.'
It was personal for Seok-won. Back in the day, he too had spent countless nights in PC cafés, surviving on cup ran while sweating through endless hours of StarCraft and Diablo—Korea's unofficial national pasti.
And when he thought about Diablo 4 forcing players into a decade-long waiting ga as if they were slow-boiling a pot of beef bone soup, frustration flared up all over again.
'If I'm gonna make money, might as well put it to good use.'
Seok-won decided he would buy Blizzard and live the dream of a fan-turned-owner.
Rather than standing by helplessly while a beloved company slowly steered itself toward disaster, he would take matters into his own hands.
And the idea of personally fixing every flaw that had frustrated him as a player—of shaping the company exactly how he wanted—made him grin uncontrollably.
Seeing him go from deep in thought to grinning like a fool, Frank leaned in and whispered to Roy.
"Are you sure your friend is okay?"
"I... think so?"
Roy glanced at Seok-won, his expression uncertain, as if trying to figure out what the hell was going on inside his head.
***
Daehung Group Headquarters
In the large conference room, a U-shaped table took center stage. At its head sat Chairman Park Tae-hong, flanked by his eldest son, Park Jin-hyung, the president of Daehung Textile. To their sides were Secretary General Gil Sung-ho, CEO Min Pil-gi, and other key executives from Mido Departnt Store.
The dimly lit room focused attention on a presentation displayed at the front. Standing before the screen, Choi Chang-ryeol, the senior director of Mido Departnt Store, gestured toward the slide as he detailed the architectural plans for their upcoming Gangnam branch, set to be built on the recently acquired Sampoong Departnt Store site.
"The new Gangnam store is planned to be constructed with three underground levels and eleven above-ground floors, covering a total operational area of 87,650 square ters."
As Director Choi Chang-ryeol gestured, the staff mber seated beside the slide projector pressed a button, changing the screen to display a cross-section of the new departnt store.
"The second and third basent levels will serve as parking facilities, while the first basent level will house a VIP parking area and a small food court for quick dining options," he explained.
Glancing at Chairman Park Tae-hong, who sat with his arms crossed and listening in silence, Director Choi raised his voice slightly as he continued.
"The first floor, where custors will have their first impression of the departnt store, will feature luxury brand boutiques and high-end jewelry lines to establish its prestige. The second floor will be dedicated to premium designer labels and luxury watch brands. From the third floor onwards, we'll have won's apparel and footwear, followed by n's fashion and formalwear on the fourth. The fifth floor will be ho to golf, sports, and outdoor brands. The sixth and seventh floors will cater to the rapidly growing ho living and children's markets, incorporating a variety of brands and cultural spaces..."
Logos of the incoming brands filled the screen, densely packed along the edges.
While departnt store layouts often followed a familiar structure—luxury and costics on the first floor, apparel on the second—what set this project apart was the sheer number and caliber of the brands involved.
At another cue from Director Choi, the film reel switched with a chanical click, revealing a striking 3D rendering of the new departnt store. The design, commissioned from a renowned international architect at a considerable cost, dominated the screen.
"The estimated construction cost stands at 210 billion won, with an additional 18 billion allocated for interior design, ensuring this will be the finest and most luxurious departnt store in the country."
With his presentation complete, Director Choi turned to Chairman Park and bowed respectfully.
"That concludes my report."
Chairman Park took a mont to study the grand rendering displayed on the screen before speaking.
"Since we put it in the hands of those Westerners, I suppose it's no surprise they've co up with an impressive exterior."
His tone suggested he was rather pleased, and CEO Min Pil-gi quickly chid in.
"It was certainly a wise decision to commission the design from that renowned Uruguayan architect who worked on the Tokyo Convention Center."
"If we're going to build the best departnt store in Korea, the building itself can't have a dull, predictable design. It needs to make an imdiate impact—sothing that makes people stop and admire it," Chairman Park remarked.
Turning his gaze back to Director Choi, he asked,
"The site was acquired for 250 billion won, so that brings our total construction cost to 478 billion, correct?"
"Yes, sir. Factoring in additional expenses, the total budget is expected to reach around 480 billion won."
The sheer scale of the figure sent a ripple of murmurs through the gathered executives.
Even Chairman Park, despite having ntally prepared himself for such numbers, couldn't help but feel the weight of it. Still, he maintained a composed expression and spoke in an even tone.
"If we're going to put Lotte and Utopia in their place, this level of investnt is necessary. Wouldn't you agree?"
CEO Min Pil-gi imdiately responded.
"Absolutely, Chairman."
"Lotte is searching for a site to build a new departnt store in Gangnam, correct?"
"Yes, sir. Not just Lotte—there are also reports that Utopia is planning to enter the Gangnam market."
As if he had expected this, Chairman Park Tae-hong scoffed.
"Of course, they wouldn't just back down quietly. Before they can catch up, we need to plant our flag first. Move forward with the plan imdiately—no delays."
"Understood, sir. We'll proceed as instructed."
Satisfied with the response, Chairman Park turned back to Director Choi Chang-ryeol.
"There won't be any issues with the financing, I assu?"
"No, sir. As per our initial agreent, our primary banking partner, Wooyoung Bank, has committed to providing a full construction loan of 228 billion won."
Nodding slightly, Chairman Park shifted his gaze to his secretary, Gil Sung-ho.
"President Cho is doing us a great favor. We should express our gratitude appropriately."
"I'll take care of it, sir."
Chairman Park then muttered with a slightly serious expression,
"Even if we're covering construction costs with a loan, we'll still have to pay interest. That's going to tighten our cash flow for a while."
"The interest burden isn't insignificant, but fortunately, with the recent restructuring of our struggling subsidiaries, we've managed to eliminate a significant portion of accumulated losses. We should be able to handle it."
"That's a relief."
Feeling sowhat reassured, Chairman Park nodded.
He recalled his second son's advice about cleaning up their financially draining affiliates to stabilize the company's finances. Looking back, it had been wise to listen to him.
"For our premium strategy to succeed, securing as many luxury brands as possible is crucial. How's that coming along?"
"We've nearly finalized agreents with most brands, including Dior, Prada, and Gucci. However, we're still in negotiations with Hermès, Louis Vuitton, and Chanel."
At the ntion of these three brands—often referred to as the "Big Three" of luxury fashion—Chairman Park's expression hardened.
"You do understand that those three are the most important, right? Do whatever it takes to get them to open stores at the Gangnam branch."
"Understood, sir."
Chairman Park was well aware that persuading these high-end brands would be no easy task.
Not only would they demand pri retail space, but they would also insist on extravagant interior designs—often passing those costs onto the departnt store itself. On top of that, they were known for imposing a slew of additional conditions.
Still, if they wanted to dominate this departnt store war and cent their place as the number one departnt store in Gangnam—or even in all of Korea—securing these brands was absolutely essential.
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