NOVEL WEB Chapter 751: 851
We have to rush in and force them to retreat all at once.
A night when the sun has set and the moon has risen.
I had a drink while looking out over the night view of Wall Street from the penthouse owned by Han Kyung-young.
At that moment, I heard the sound of the door opening and turned around.
Han Kyung-young came into the living room with a tired face and roughly loosened his tie.
"Ha! You're such a greedy old lady."
Han Kyung-young sighed as he collapsed onto the sofa.
I sat down next to Han Kyung-young. I put ice in a new glass, poured the drink, and pushed it towards him.
"Was it very difficult?"
Han Kyung-young accepted the glass I offered him and drank it all in one go before the ice even melted.
Even though it was a strong drink, he drank it without hesitation and eventually emptied his glass before putting it down.
Han Kyung-young said, putting the food in front of him into his mouth with an uncomfortable expression on his face.
"I hate this kind of thing."
I guess he really hated it. I snickered while watching Han Kyung-young grumble.
"So what's the result?"
"He said he'd contact me in a few days."
This is an issue that George Soros cannot answer right away, so it will take time.
I patted his shoulder and said, "Thank you for your hard work."
"Good job. I don't think he'll be able to refuse."
Han Kyung-young nodded, as if he thought so too.
"If the group called Baltice doesn't want to be revealed, then I'll accept your offer. Oh, and Moo-hyuk countered by saying he'll reveal your identity just as you expected. It's not even funny."
"Tell me more."
I poured some more alcohol into Han Kyung-young's glass and said.
"So, what did that gentleman say as soon as he came in······."
Han Kyung-young summarized his conversation with George Soros.
"I told you, you kept avoiding it until the very end."
"Of course. Because you know that the moment you say it out loud, it could disappear without anyone knowing."
"You're so scared of someone as worn-out as George Soros. Why on earth would such a group oppose you?"
That's obvious, I said with a shrug.
"They probably don't like it when we run wild on the plan they've set up. China's growth is certain, and we've already invested in most of the good companies. This must have been the only way for them."
It was a natural progression, since they had to join hands with the Chinese government and exclude me in order to squeeze their way into that position.
"No matter what, I still don't understand the Chinese government. How much did we help them when they were having a hard time? And then they changed ships right away?"
"That's what the Chinese are like. Of the companies we invested in, there are quite a few that are asking us to get out."
Advertisements
Han Kyung-young nodded bitterly.
"I guess they can't stand the pressure from the Communist Party. They did ask us to sell back our shares to them. But since the founders don't have the capacity to buy back our shares, they're basically saying they're going to hand over our shares to someone else."
Han Kyung-young took a sip of the alcohol, which had been somewhat diluted by the melted ice, and asked again.
"You don't plan on handing it over, do you?"
"What do you think, hyung?"
"I can't let it go even if it's because it's annoying. I invested in you when you were having a hard time, and now you're trying to back out? I absolutely can't let it go."
Han Kyung-young, who was quite angry, ground his teeth fiercely.
"I'm going to make you regret this when this is over."
"Then, let's just sort out the companies that requested it. We'll have to collect the price later. What about Alibaba or Tencent?"
"There's still no contact from you."
I nodded. Still, some companies will benefit from this.
"If you look into it carefully and think it needs support, please provide funding through other channels."
"okay."
Han Kyung-young held out his glass, and I also held out my hand and clinked my glass.
"So what are you going to do now?"
"Well, I'm thinking of limiting the battlefield to China, so I'll listen to their answers first and then decide."
The reason I came all the way to the United States to meet President Bush was to prevent the U.S. government from interfering with me at their behest.
Now that we had achieved what we wanted, it was time to move on to the next step.
So we sent our thoughts to them through George Soros.
Will we go all the way or will we end up fighting in China?
Deep down, I wanted them to fight only in China, because the stakes were too small to go all the way with them.
But after a few years, a major event occurs that no one can avoid.
Wouldn't it be possible to cut off their balls then?
Especially since it is a European-based organization, it will never be able to avoid the chaos.
"That's unexpected. I thought you'd go all the way."
Han Kyung-young muttered as if he was puzzled. I snickered at Han Kyung-young's reaction.
"Not yet. Right now, we are too busy to deal with what happened in China. If we wait, the opportunity will come someday."
"Well, if that's what you're saying, then I don't care."
"With Murdoch working so hard to expose things, the Chinese government will also be in a difficult position."
Murdoch used his newspapers to repeatedly expose corruption within the Chinese Communist Party.
Not stopping there, he went on to track down exiles who had fled China during the Tiananmen Square protests and conducted interviews with them.
The Chinese government must have had quite a headache, too, because the Tiananmen incident was a sore spot.
"First, we need to sort out the China issue and prepare for an all-out war with them. At that time, you will probably be the busiest. So be prepared."
"Whew. I don't know what it is, but looking at your eyes, I feel pity for your enemies. They're pitiful."
"Don't you think we're going to lose?"
Advertisements
Han Kyung-young answered my playful question in a tone of bewilderment.
"You? You're fighting a losing battle?"
Han Kyung-young glared at me as if telling me to make sense.
"I don't know about other people, but you never fight a losing battle. You might suffer losses, but you won't give up."
"Even though we're dealing with the Chinese government?"
"So you're scared? Are you thinking of surrendering?"
It's stimulating my pride. I snickered at Han Kyung-young's provocative question.
"No way. I was just curious."
"Do I not know you? You have already laid the groundwork several steps ahead. You are probably trying to use the media owned by Murdoch to continue to destroy the morality of the Chinese government, and you are probably trying to make the factions within the Chinese government fight each other."
"Time flies so fast, bro. Now, if you pretend, it'll be fine."
The once naive Han Kyung-young now figured out my plan right away.
"Stop talking nonsense and tell me exactly what I should do next."
"First, create a fund that can never be traced. About $100 million."
"Hmm······. Are you telling us to cut off all ties connecting us?"
"Uh. Get ready to blow up one of the ghost companies."
Han Kyung-young frowned at my words.
"You even think about blowing it? What on earth are you trying to do?"
"It's still a plan in my head. I'll tell you when I'm ready."
"I wonder what he's up to······."
"And keep an eye on Wall Street. Besides George Soros, there are probably other underlings all over Wall Street."
"Don't worry, that's what happens all the time. But how long do you think this fight will last?"
It was a simple question, but there was a subtle worry embedded in it.
It was a natural worry, as the longer the fight went on, the greater the damage would be.
"We have to finish it in a short period of time. If we drag it out too long, the Chinese government won't have a chance to step down. We have to do it all at once and make them step down."
We had to create a loophole through which the Chinese government could retreat without hurting its pride.
"Let's finish this first."
"Do we really have to shake up the New York Times?"
"Why? Do you want to look at me?"
"No, I just thought there was no reason to fight with them since I had already split with George Soros."
"Brother. We paid $1.5 billion more for the $6 billion we were supposed to acquire. If only George Soros had joined the fight, there would have been no reason to go that far. The problem was the value of the New York Times name."
Han Kyung-young nodded quickly as if he realized something in response to my words.
"We can't just let it slide after getting hit once. Besides, it's a good card that can block the movements of the neocons while damaging the credibility of the New York Times, so we have to use it."
As I spoke with a sly smile, Han Kyung-young stuck out his tongue.
"Scary kid."
"By the way, did you make an appointment with the Sulzberger family?"
Advertisements
"Uh. I'm meeting with Sulzberger Jr. in a few days."
"at that time······."
I told Han Kyung-young about the second way to shake up the New York Times.
* * *
A few days later, I arrived at the New York Times headquarters in Manhattan to meet Sulzberger Jr. with Han Kyung-young.
We entered the headquarters, guided by Secretary Sulzberger Junior, who was waiting for us at the entrance.
I walked through the crowded lobby and took the elevator to Sulzberger Jr.'s office.
"Please wait inside. I'll go this far."
The secretary guided us and disappeared, and Han Kyung-young and I opened the door and went in.
Sulzberger Jr. was staring intently at his computer monitor.
He spoke without even getting up from his seat.
"Oh, come in. I still have some finishing up to do, so would you please sit down and wait?"
Then, without even listening to the answer, he looked back at the monitor and started typing on the keyboard.
It seems like he's trying to take the initiative. Han Kyung-young and I exchanged glances and laughed silently at his actions that were so obvious.
After pretending to follow his intentions and sitting silently on the sofa for about 30 minutes, Sulzberger Jr. turned off his computer and came over to us.
"I'm sorry. I had to keep you waiting because I had something urgent to take care of."
Sulzberger Jr. bowed his head slightly in apology, but his face showed no sign of remorse.
Han Kyung-young answered in a calm voice.
"No, that's fine. Please sit down."
Han Kyung-young leisurely extended his hand to him as if he were the owner and told him to sit down.
Perhaps because of the unexpected reaction, Sulzberger Jr. looked down at Han Kyung-young for a moment before sitting down.
"What on earth is going on that made you want to meet me? The owner and CEO of Dream High."
This person knew me too.
"Do you know who I am?"
"There is no newspaper in New York that can match the investigative power of our New York Times. Dream High Investment, which appeared like a comet. And the owner of Dream High, who is shrouded in mystery. If you don't dig into this, you can't call yourself a journalist."
It was a remark full of pride in the New York Times.
"But you still didn't publish the article."
"There was only circumstantial evidence to report as an article, just like a ghost. I couldn't get anything other than the information that he was the owner of Dream High."
If you're going to say something like that, it seems like you've dug into me quite a bit.
"Even when I tried to dig through the Korean branch, I kept getting stuck somewhere. No one told me who you were. That made me even more nervous."
"Well, keep trying. If you can figure it out, then do it."
Sulzberger Jr. frowned at my confident tone.
I took my eyes off him and turned to Han Kyung-young.
Han Kyung-young opened his mouth after receiving my gaze.
"Enough small talk, let's get to the point."
Advertisements
Sulzberger Jr. cleared his throat and turned to Han Kyung-young.
"Why did you ask to meet me today?"
"I heard that George Soros and his followers are pulling their money from the New York Times. And their advertising. So I came here to help."
"You came here to help? Are you thinking of looking at the New York Times because the Wall Street Journal isn't enough?"
"Are you going to sell it? If you are willing to sell it, I would also consider taking it over."
As Han Kyung-young spoke vaguely, Sulzberger's expression became even more gloomy.
"I have absolutely no intention of selling The New York Times."
"The New York Times' debt is quite large for you to be so confident."
"······I can solve it."
"Surely the solution isn't to get investment from Carlos Slim?"
Sulzberger Jr. asked, startled.
"How about that······?"
"What does it matter how you know it? We concluded that if it were true, it would never be a good choice."
"······."
"I think you're thinking of getting an investment of $250 million in the form of convertible bonds. Is that correct?"
Sulzberger Jr. frowned and answered.
"This is still being negotiated. I cannot disclose it."
Carlos Slim could become the largest shareholder of The New York Times if he exercises his $250 million warrants.
This may be the best option, since they cannot take away management rights from the Sulzberger family, which owns Class B shares.
"Carlos Slim is a greedy man. Can you trust him?"
Morgan Stanley, which owns a 7% stake in The New York Times, has publicly criticized the Sulzberger family, which appoints nine of the 13 directors, and has called for improvements to the company's governance structure.
So I decided to join hands with George Soros to get an investment, but I let go of his hand.
In addition, Soros was moving to block investments in the New York Times.
Ultimately, Sulzberger Jr. chose Mexican telecommunications tycoon Carlos Slim.
"It doesn't matter whether you trust him or not. No one can threaten our control of The New York Times."
After quietly listening to the conversation between the two, I opened my mouth.
"Did you know that? Maurice Greenberg, the chairman of AIG, is about to step down. And at the same time, he's planning to buy up shares in the New York Times. You know why, don't you?"
A deep smile appeared on my lips.
< We have to rush in and make them retreat all at once > End
< Can you guarantee that it is not? >