Trump's arrival didn't stir much reaction in the event hall.
It would only be a few years later, after he beca president, that he would be treated as a state guest. For now, Trump was nothing more than a successful real estate mogul.
"Thank you so much for coming all the way to Korea."
"My friend invited , so of course I had to co. Besides, this is the company chaired by my strong supporter."
My grandfather and Trump were more than just friends.
When Trump's real estate business was on shaky ground, it was my grandfather who saved him—so it would be more accurate to say he was a benefactor.
"The U.S. presidential election is just around the corner, so you must be very busy."
"I've been traveling all over the United States to campaign for the Republican candidate. That's why today, I can only make a brief appearance before heading straight back to Arica."
The U.S. presidential election was set for November, just one month away.
This was the most critical period, and for Trump—now officially a Republican political figure—it was an especially hectic ti.
The fact that he still ca all the way to Korea to celebrate the completion of our new headquarters showed just how much he valued my grandfather and Taewoo Group.
"Once the election is over, I'll visit the U.S. to formally pay my respects."
"You'll be welco anyti. But… could we have a quick word in private?"
Trump lowered his voice as he spoke.
I guided him to a quiet conference room adjacent to the event hall.
"What's the matter?"
"In Arican political circles, rumor has it that whoever you support is guaranteed to win."
"You can regard that as re gossip. I've supported many Arican politicians, and among them, so just happened to win—hence the rumor."
"I know you support both the Republican and Democratic parties. But… surely you lean more toward one side?"
Trump was persistent.
With anyone else, I might have brushed it off—but this man was destined to beco president of the United States. Scoring so points with him now wouldn't be a bad idea.
"In this election, President Obama's chances of winning are extrely high. Public support for the Democrats is still stronger, and the race itself is heavily in his favor."
"Hm… you're saying our candidate will lose."
Trump wore a grave expression.
Hearing that his own party might face defeat was clearly not to his liking.
But once he heard what I was about to say next, his expression would surely change.
"For you, Chairman Trump, this might not be a bad situation."
"What do you an? How can a Republican loss possibly be good for ?"
"If the Republicans lose this election, they'll have no choice but to replace their candidate for the next race."
"That's probably true… but what does that have to do with ?"
At that ti, Trump still didn't consider the possibility that he might beco a presidential candidate.
It was understandable — this was before his popularity began to surge, and nobody could have predicted such an outco.
"If you start working hard from now until the next presidential race, you could beco the Republican nominee."
"You're saying I could be the Republican candidate?"
"Of course. But to make that happen, you'll need to win over the hearts of Republican voters completely. That ans you'll have to make statents that are a bit more hardline than now, and you'll need to attack the opposing party more aggressively."
"That's nothing to worry about. My mouth is always ready to sink its teeth in."
Trump made a playful biting motion with his mouth.
Just minutes ago, he'd worn a grave expression — but now he was joking.
His "happy circuits" were clearly activated at the thought of possibly being the next presidential nominee.
"This campaign tour is especially important. You know how President Obama rose to fa, don't you?"
"He made himself known by traveling the country during the campaign, didn't he? You're right. If Obama could do it, there's no reason I can't."
"Before long, the spirit of the tis will co to want Chairman Trump."
"The spirit of the tis will want ? Ha! That is the sweetest thing I've ever heard. I'll trust in you and burn my soul for this election."
Trump's entire deanor shifted.
It was as if he had now recognized himself as the next presidential candidate, radiating a palpable sense of presence.
"My grandfather must be waiting for us."
"I've taken up too much of your ti already. I should get back to the United States now."
"Don't you still have ti before your flight?"
"After hearing what you said, I can't just stay here. I'll move up my flight if I have to — I need to get back to Arica as soon as possible."
We left the conference room together.
After a brief parting with my grandfather, Trump headed straight to the airport.
And right after Trump's departure, more guests began to pour in.
So were CEOs of prominent companies from around the world who personally ca to attend.
From Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohamd bin Salman — soone I am personally quite close with — even ca in person to congratulate us.
The evening after the completion ceremony for our new headquarters.
I returned to the mansion with my grandfather — and that night, I invited just one guest over.
It was Mohamd bin Salman, who at the ti was rely a mber of the Saudi royal family.
But within two or three years, his position in the world would change drastically. That was why I convinced my grandfather to invite him to our ho.
"So this is where you live, brother? You live much more modestly than I expected."
"Well, of course it's small compared to the royal palace in Saudi Arabia."
"I thought the chairman of Taewoo Group — Korea's top conglorate and one of the most prominent in the world — would be living in overwhelming luxury."
Modest, he said, looking at our mansion.
In all of Seoul, there weren't many who could afford a house like this.
But to the eyes of soone from the Saudi royal family, it probably looked no more than a small vacation villa.
"Isn't it enough that we built a grand new headquarters? I spend most of my day at the company anyway. At ho, all I need is a place to sleep."
"Well… that's true."
"It may be a modest ho, but you're the first person I've ever invited here."
"Really? I've always wanted to experience living in such a simple place."
He kept dropping the words "modest" and "simple" into every sentence.
I felt an urge to smack him on the back of the head — but I restrained myself. After all, this man was destined to beco the King of Saudi Arabia.
"So, what are you up to these days? Still spending your ti helping the Governor?"
"I help my father with his work, and from ti to ti, I make investnts on Wall Street."
For his sake, I shared information freely — things difficult to co by even in the circles of Wall Street, along with details on companies that were expected to grow significantly in the coming years.
"Let's put business aside for now. Have you looked into European football clubs?"
"I'm waiting for the right mont. Once you start owning a club, I plan to start alongside you."
"I suppose I'll have to secure my position quickly if I want to beco a club owner… But I think it might take so more ti."
"It won't take as long as you think."
"Huh? What do you an by that?"
The words almost slipped out of my mouth.
I had nearly told him that in just a few years, he would beco the crown prince.
"It's just a feeling I have. Anyway, it's late — let's get so sleep and talk in the morning."
"Yes! Good night, brother."
After settling Mohamd bin Salman into my room, I went downstairs to the living room.
But my grandfather was still awake, staring out the window.
"Missing Vietnam already? Is that why you're just gazing at the sky?"
"Looking at the sky? Hardly. It's just that the guest you brought here is so important, I think the security team is going to stand guard all night long."
Following the direction of his hand, I looked out the window.
There were dozens of security personnel and vehicles surrounding our estate.
Bin Salman had not yet been elevated to the position of crown prince, but as a mber of the Saudi royal family, he was receiving the highest level of protection.
"Just bear with it for one night. He says he'll be flying back to Saudi Arabia early tomorrow morning."
"When I looked at the guest list for today's completion ceremony, it was more glamorous than a presidential inauguration. Famous IT company CEOs, financial giants, and congratulatory delegations from nurous countries. Ha! Thanks to you, we pulled off one spectacular opening event."
"It just so happened that I've managed to build a lot of connections over ti."
"So, is it still not enough? I've never asked you this before, but now I must. How far exactly do you intend to go? This is the perfect mont since Taewoo Group is embarking on a new beginning."
Up until now, I had never told my grandfather my true goal.
I had only ever spoken about the company's future direction or potential growth industries.
"I want to make Taewoo Group the number one conglorate in the world."
"If you're talking about size alone, we could already do that. But knowing how ticulous you are, I doubt you've revealed everything. I'd wager that you have quite a few businesses I'm not even aware of."
You can't hide blood ties.
My grandfather knew too well, never leaving room for excuses.
"If you combined Taewoo Group with the private enterprises I personally manage, we could shoot straight into the world's top ten companies."
"Ha! That's even bigger than I expected. And yet, still not enough for you?"
"Far from enough. Even if Taewoo Group reaches number one in the world, that position won't last forever."
"You an you want to make it so that even without you, Taewoo Group will always remain at the top?"
I had less than eight years left.
Eight years before I would…
Well, I knew nothing beyond that — except for one thing: eight years from now, I had already returned to the past.
That ant I had to make Taewoo Group an unshakable giant within that ti fra.
Only if it beca a group no one would dare challenge could its na endure forever.
"I want Taewoo Group to last not just a hundred years, but a thousand. To achieve that, simply being the world's top conglorate is not enough."
"What else do you need, then?"
"I want freedom from politics, from global economic crises, from competitors, and from natural disasters. To be free, we must have overwhelming strength — and that's exactly what I'm working to build."
My grandfather had always despised the governnt.
During the military regi, he had been hounded relentlessly, and even after the military governnt fell, he was still constantly dragged into governnt affairs.
It had all been because we lacked strength.
But now, Taewoo Group had grown so powerful that not even the South Korean governnt could ddle with us recklessly.
"Haha… you almost sound as if you're planning to conquer the world."
"What would be the point of conquering the world? As long as I can run Taewoo Group, I'm satisfied. To do that, I need to either eliminate anything that could harm the group or turn it into an ally."
"And how is that any different from wanting to control the world's economy?"
"It doesn't matter who controls the world economy — as long as that person is on Taewoo Group's side, I have no complaints."
My grandfather put a hand on my shoulder — a gesture of reassurance for the grandson who had worked so hard.
"Just don't overdo it."
"I'm still fine for now."
"If you must push yourself, at least do it with the next generation in mind. If sothing happens to you, who would I entrust Taewoo Group to? At my age, I can't exactly remarry and start over!"
His words were a mix of humor and sincerity.
Thanks to that, our conversation ended with laughter.
***
A few days later.
Chun Min-jung ca to my office.
"Chairman, here's the report about the employee anonymous site 'BlaBla.'"
"Speak freely. I already heard that every Taewoo Group employee from departnt head and below has signed up there."
"In creating BlaBla, we saw a huge amount of discussion about working from ho. So, I added functionality for online etings. Not only remote conferences — I also built in a calendar function for scheduling, as well as capabilities for online lectures and classes."
I had only asked for a platform that ensured employees' anonymity.
But Chun Min-jung had gone a step further — creating a full-fledged remote eting platform.
Before my regression, remote conferencing sites had beco a global trend.
If I rembered correctly, the market capitalization for one of those companies had exceeded ten billion dollars.
And now, Chun Min-jung had, on her own, created sothing with a value approaching that sa ten billion dollars.
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