The Youngest Son of Sunyang

"Oh, no. I like it."

The hamburger didn't matter. But didn't that mean that the meeting would be casual enough for just a light lunch?

It felt like Dell Computers was getting farther and farther away.

I lay down in my comfortable hotel bedroom, but I couldn't fall asleep easily.

I finally fell asleep at dawn because I was thinking about how to turn rejection into consent.

At 1 p.m., when I entered the 'Wendy's Store' on Round Rock Street, I saw a long line.

Since there was a Texas State University nearby, the store was filled with college students.

"Damn it. They all look alike, so how do you find them?"

It was a store colored with a unique southern atmosphere. The men all wore jeans and checkered shirts, and they didn't look much different, so I couldn't find Michael Dell.

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The middle-aged Asian man looking everywhere must have been more noticeable.

“Hey, Mr. Oh?"

I turned upon hearing the name.

A young man approached us, holding a cola glass with a straw in it. The straw was stuck in his mouth.

It was 24-year-old Michael Dell.

The young figure of 'The Giant' — who took the position of the world's youngest man among the 500 richest men at 27 and the 5th richest man in the US with $21.4 billion in official wealth at 34 — was no different from any other college student.

Of course, he was still a millionaire.

“Mr. Dell?"

"Yes."

He flicked out a paper bag containing hamburgers and winked.

"Where would you like to go?

He led the way out of the store and walked to a nearby park.

Sitting on the bench, he gave a grin.

"Isn't this better? It's too noisy there."

"I see. That's nice."

"The kid...?"

“Ah, Mr. Dell. Should I say he's your fan?”

"What? Fan? Haha."

Michael burst into laughter and reached out to Oh Se-hyun.

"Just call me Mike."

"Sure, I'm James."

Michael Dell shook my hand lightly, looking me in the eye and winked.

"Now, tell me what you need. I have to go back to work in 15 minutes."

All we had was a short time of 15 minutes.

Oh Se-hyun's words sped up.

"We, Miracle Investment, want to invest in your company. The investment amount and terms are…”

Dell's hand which held the hamburger he was eating went up.

"There is no need for investment. We have enough funds."

There was a slight irritation in his eyes.

Enough company funding, $30 million. It was a story that had already spread widely in the industry.

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If you didn't know this, it meant that you had no basics for an investor, so now, it was clear that Oh Se-hyun was looked down upon in Dell's eyes.

If it's an investment, you are a sewer and an amateur if you welcome unconditionally.

Investment brought a water-drip effect to the founder's stake.

My stake may decrease or I may be in debt.

It was the right attitude of a manager to receive exactly as much investment as necessary.

"Of course, I know it well. But if the investment conditions are unconventional, wouldn't there be room for reconsideration?"

"James, my company is different from IBM, which is full of greedy executives. I only needed funds to expand the company and I have a perfect plan. The money is going to make a profit. I don't do stupid things like making money by increasing stocks."

He even used the words greed and stupidity.

Also, getting an investment was just proof that you were greedy and stupid, so it was a perfect way to refuse.

I expected it to be difficult, but I didn't expect him to say no at once without hearing the conditions!

Oh Se-hyun could not hide his embarrassed expression.

I started to get nervous after listening quietly.

Oh Se-hyun may think that he missed one good investment destination, but I was different.

It was just the second button of a huge plan.

The first button was not too difficult, knowing that a new town would be built in Bundang. All I did was flatter my wealthy grandfather.

But it was different now.

The exact treasure map was in my head, but the captain of the ship that would lead me to Treasure Island refused to board.

It was no use knowing the future now. I had to break through with my own strength. I had to convince the captain, Michael Dell.

I had already made up my mind and parted my lips.

“Mike. Oh, can I call you Mike?"

"Sure, buddy."

Michael Dell smiled with a wink, but Oh Se-hyun's expression was completely the opposite.

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My eyes were about to pop out because I never thought I would speak fluent English.

"Your past is what I am now and my future is what you are now."

"What? Aren't your dreams a little too big? My childhood wasn't exactly normal, you know?"

"Of course, it's a little different. No, it's very different.”

"How is it different?"

"In your 12-year-old's hands, you only earned $2,000 by selling stamps, but in my 12-year-old's hands, I have $15 million by selling land."

Michael Dell's eyes were about to pop out now.

The expression of the two looked the same, but for different reasons.

Oh Se-hyun because of my English, Michael Dell because of my money.

"I don't know what you spent $2,000 on. But I've already decided where to spend my $15 million. I'm going to use it to become a major shareholder of Dell Computers."

I finished speaking, but there was no response.

For a long time, only the sound of the park lingered around.

"Do, Dojun. You..."

"Uncle, later. We need to talk about something more important now.”

Michael Dell alternated between the two of us and finally said to Oh Se-hyun,

“James. Your son?"

"No. My… boss, maybe…"

He stared at me intently as if he couldn't understand Oh Se-hyun's answer and finally burst into laughter.

“OK. Fifteen million dollar boy.o."

He addressed me with my money without asking my name.

"Let me ask you two questions."

"Yes."

"Where did you hear that I made money by selling stamps?”

Oops, I was in a mess. Hasn't the story about his childhood come out yet? But It couldn't be helped. I had no choice but to reply to this.

"It's a $15 million investment. Shall we make such a big move without running some background research on you? Our company is not that lax."

"Did you hire a detective? That's great. All right, then the second of the question."

He smiled brightly, but this smile was not an acceptance. It was just curiosity.

"How do you plan on becoming a major shareholder when I say I won't accept investments? I still hold more than half of the voting rights in the composition of our company's board of directors. I mean absolutely."

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"Wouldn't it be listed around next year?"

The smile disappeared from Michael Dell's face.

I hadn't told anyone yet. I just thought about it. Early next year, I was going to tell the company's management and investors, and I planned to prepare. It was none other than a young Asian kid who read his thoughts accurately!

"Why? Do you think so?"

"The fruit is ripe, so we have to pick it. When we're most coveted."

"So if our company is listed...”

"We will indiscriminately sweep stocks on the market. I think 15 million dollars will make one a major shareholder in no time, right? Oh, I have to tell you one more thing. We can prepare about $10 million more within this year. I still have a lot of land worth of money left.”

$25 million.

It was only a matter of time before my words would become a reality. Michael Dell's face hardened when he realized this fact. Seeing this, Oh Se-hyun hurriedly interrupted.

"As a major shareholder, we will be a member of the board of directors and be deeply involved in management. This is a natural demand."

He stepped in just in time.

I wouldn't have been surprised at all. He knew well that he must strike together when he caught the momentum.

Surprise and curiosity had already been shaken off his face. Again, he regained the expression of an outstanding businessman.

"Well, it can't be helped. Whether you're buying or investing through the stock market... With that kind of money, you'll become a major shareholder anyway. If you are qualified as a major shareholder, of course, you should join the management."

Michael Dell, who regained his composure before he knew it, took a bite of the hamburger, saying little.

"This... It's been over 15 minutes because of my great rich friend. I couldn't even eat properly.”

Dell, who got up from the park bench, rubbed off his butt.

"Rich friend, when we meet again, you will be a major shareholder, right? We'll see if it's next year or not."

Oh Se-hyun's expression darkened. Negotiations suggested that they were out of the question.

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But I still had a card left. I think it was the card to let the captain board, but I didn't know the result yet. Well, it would be known when brought to light.

"Mike, I can give you all my voting rights as a shareholder, so would you just go?"

His hand which was brushing his butt stopped.

The reason for refusing investment was obvious. There was ample funding and he had firm control over the management. It was a management right that must never be missed.

Weren't shareholders who were still young showing their claws?

It was inevitable that a large number of stock buyers would appear after listing. If the company was listed due to consideration for the defense of management rights, the problem would also be solved.

The most frightening thing was the solidarity of major shareholders except for oneself. If opposition forces unite to create 51%, the founder loses management control despite being the founder.

But a kid who was willing to pour in $25 million over his voting rights? This was an opportunity to build an iron wall in management rights.

After looking at me for a while, Dell said to Oh Se-hyun with a smile on his face,

"James, what's the name of your boss?"

"Ah..."

I answered instead of Oh Se-hyun, who was embarrassed by the sudden question.

“Howard. My name is Howard Jean."

"All right, Howard. You just had my coffee time. Shall we go to a cafe? Their sweet cake is a killer.”

"The taste of coffee is more important in a cafe. How about coffee?"

"Of course, it's great too. By the way, you don't resemble me.”

"What?"

"When I was your age, I liked cake much more than coffee. Ha ha."

Michael Dell led the way with a burst of laughter.

"Dojun."

"Yes."

Oh Se-hyun, who was following Dell, called me quietly.

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"You scared me very much… You should explain all this, right?"

"Now?"

"Not yet, since he hasn't accepted our offer yet. Later."

"It's hard to explain anyway. Just think of it as being born with a genius business sense."

"A genius..."

Oh Se-hyun, who was muttering quietly, looked down at me again and said,

"By the way, when did you come up with the name Howard? Did you make it when you were taking English tutoring?”

"No. Long before."

I was a little surprised at how the name Howard popped out.

In my previous life, it was my fantastical dream name.

American businessman, aviator, engineer, and filmmaker.

Howard Robard Hughes Jr.

The richest American ever.

[T/N: This was for 20 consecutive years — from the 1960s to 1980s — but it is no longer so.]

A person who has tried everything he wanted to do in his life.

Born with a golden spoon, with a rich father and a mother of English aristocratic descent.

He was the person I dreamt of the most.

Iron Man, Tony Stark and his father, Howard Stark were also based on Howard Hughes.

This seemed to be the most ideal life of a billionaire for enterprising and liberal Americans.

In my previous life, I thought of this person as my dream, but now, I was no different from him.

I would be Howard Hughes of the 21st century. Under the name, "Howard Jean."

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