Story of a Big Player from Gangnam

Gun-Ho was talking with Jae-Sik's wife at the book cafe on GH Building's rooftop.

Gun-Ho said, "Antang City is a small provincial city, but they have a very good hospital that was built by a Hong Kong company. The hospital is providing medical services primarily to foreigners. The hospital seemed to be very well equipped. I am sure that they will take good care of you when it's time for you to give birth to your child."

"Thank you. Oh, I talked with my husband the day before yesterday on the phone; he said that your wife is also pregnant. Congratulations."

"Thank you."

"Well, I guess I will have to get back to work."

"Right, I'm heading to my office too. Have a nice day."

Gun-Ho was having tea in his office when his secretary—Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh—entered the office to inform him that someone was there to see him.

Gun-Ho asked, "Who is it?"

"He said he is Director Woon-Hak Sim."

"Oh, sure. Please let him in."

Director Woon-Hak Sim entered Gun-Ho's office. He was wearing white pants with a weird hat. Director Sim took off his hat as he entered the office. He had a mustache, and Gun-Ho also noticed that he was wearing a necklace as well.

"Please have a seat."

Gun-Ho asked the secretary to bring a cup of tea for the guest. While she was in the office, Ms. Yeon-Soo Oh kept glancing at Director Sim, maybe because his outfit looked peculiar to her eyes.

Director Sim said, "I was told that you would be here except Monday and Thursday. I was in the neighborhood, so I decided to stop by your office today to meet you, sir. I was wondering if there is any update on your investment plan in the soap opera production industry in China. Also, I was curious about your building too, sir."

"I haven't heard anything from them yet, and I have been busy for the past week. I went on a business trip to Antang City, China for a joint venture matter last week. But I'm thinking about visiting Shanghai City next week."

"Are you planning to meet with the Director Li person?"

"Yes. My primary purpose in the upcoming trip is to talk with him in person and to find out more about that investment opportunity."

"I was wondering if I could have a chance to read the new soap opera's synopsis. I would love to if I could."

"Do you have a passport by any chance?"

"I do, and it's still valid."

"Then, why don't you get a visa to China?"

"I will… I will do that."

"You said that you have applied for the rehabilitation process, right? Did you file it?"

"I… umm… preparing the necessary documents, and I'm about to file the application soon."

Gun-Ho was wondering why Director Sim started stuttering. He didn't look very comfortable. Maybe he didn't have money to file for the rehabilitation process; he would need to pay the certified legal consultant's office. Or, maybe he didn't have money to pay for the travel agency to get his visa to China. He had a peculiar appearance with a weird hat and outfit. He indeed looked like an artist. Gun-Ho thought that maybe he had no money at all.

At that moment, Secretary Yeon-Soo Oh brought a cup of tea. Gun-Ho said as he crossed his legs, "Please have some tea."

"Thank you."

"As I mentioned last time, I used to work for a company called Mulpasaneop as their managing director. That company went through the court receivership at that time, and I handled the work. Your insolvency amount would put you in general rehabilitation rather than personal rehabilitation, and I believe that you need to pay a certain amount to the court, which wouldn't be nominal in your case."

"I have to pay 15 million won to the court."

"Right. For the people who are filing for bankruptcy, that amount is substantial, not to mention that they also have to pay for a certified legal consultant's office for their service. In your case, Mr. Sim, if you choose to get a job or start another business at this moment, your income will probably be garnished by your creditors. Since your case hasn't been processed and determined by the court yet, you won't be protected under the law yet."

Director Sim let out a deep sigh. He seemed to be in a great worry about his situation and not sure what to do. Gun-Ho continued to talk, "Our country encourages young men to open a business on their own. The government often tells them to have a new frontier spirit. Many senior college professors write an article about it. They state that we should learn the spirit of the protestant who settled in the United States. Look at this. This is today's newspaper, and here is the article from a college professor about it. These college professors have no practical experience in business but only have theory that they learned by reading books. That's why these articles are non-sense."

Gun-Ho showed the newspaper to Director Sim.

"The reality that you would face is very cruel when your business failed. No one will be nice to you. The financial institutions won't be willing to help you. Even your friends and colleagues won't be friendly to you any longer. It would be really hard to stand on your feet again."

Director Sim let out a deep sigh again, and he dropped his face and stared at the floor.

"Why don't you bring your passport here tomorrow? You can leave your passport with Ms. Assistant Manager Ji-Young Jeong here. She will take care of your visa to China. And, join me on the trip to Shanghai City next week."

When Gun-Ho suggested to him to go to Shanghai with him, Director Sim's eyes sparkled with excitement and hope.

"If you give me a chance to work for you, sir, I will do my best. I really mean it, sir."

Director Sim was an intelligent person with a good education. He used to work as a PD in a broadcasting station. But, now he desperately wanted to work for Gun-Ho who was ten years younger than him. Well, maybe he wanted to work for the money that Gun-Ho had, to be exact. Director Sim realized how wealthy and powerful Gun-Ho was after visiting GH Mobile in Jiksan Town and GH building in Sinsa Town.

He thought, 'This might be my last and only chance to get back on my feet. I need this man—a wealthy investor and businessman—and I have to grab this chance to work with him at any cost.'

Director Sim formed his own company called W Entertainment and totally failed it, which left him a huge debt. He still wanted to stay in the soap opera production industry, and Gun-Ho seemed to be his only chance to do so.

As he changed his posture, Gun-Ho said, "I'm not saying that I will definitely get into the soap opera production industry, but I am willing to closely review the possibility by visiting Shanghai and discussing further about the business and reviewing their synopsis. As you can see, I've been only in the manufacturing industry for years, and I don't know much about the entertainment industry."

"The entertainment field is very interesting, and it could be extremely lucrative as well."

"I now have a rough idea of the cost of producing a soap opera. What about a movie? How much production cost should I expect in producing a movie?"

"The cost really varies depending on its genre, contents, etc. For example, one Korean movie—Assassination—cost 18 billion won. And, the production cost for another Korean movie, 'The Battleship Island' was 33 billion won while 'Snowpiercer' cost 43.7 billion won."

"Hmm, so it roughly costs around 20 to 30 billion won."

"That's right. Movie production is usually done by well-known film production companies. An individual can't even think of it unless he could find investors. Other than that, it's almost impossible."

"Hmm, I see."

Gun-Ho nodded his head.