studiobondurri Chapter 11: The Demonstration
Chapter 11: The Demonstration
Chapter 11: The Demonstration
Yu Kyung-seok’s days became hectic after he announced the new battery.
He was flooded with business proposals and requests for meetings from various parties.
But Yu Kyung-seok dismissed them all with ease.
“Our research institute is solely dedicated to research. We are not accepting any external contacts for now.”
“We can’t give you any definite answers until the demonstration event. Our priority is to validate and gain recognition on a public stage.”
“President Yu is so busy that even I have a hard time seeing him. Haha.”
Of course, he was lying.
He looked at his son affectionately as he entered the office with a laptop.
“What is it?”
“I have something to discuss regarding the black metal.”
“If it’s about that, then I’ll make time for you, even if I have to split myself in two. Please sit down.”
The tycoon sat on the sofa and placed a table between them, ready to get down to business.
The laptop contained the design blueprint for the black metal mining equipment.
“Hmm... I forgot that you have design experience as well. So this is the equipment for mining black metal underwater, right?”
“Yes. It’s called a concentrator. It was originally designed for harvesting manganese nodules, but I made some modifications. This is how we can extract black metal.”
He played a video that showed the claw-shaped device approaching the black metal.
As it did, the solid and sturdy black metal rock crumbled effortlessly.
“This black metal is truly fascinating... Anyway, with this equipment, we can mine it, right?”
“Yes. I want Silla Heavy Industries to manufacture it.”
Chairman Yu Kyung-seok watched the video over and over again, making sure he understood.
He knew that mining black metal was extremely difficult, almost impossible due to its incredible hardness.
As a result, most of the black metal remained as raw ore and had limited use.
But with this equipment, they could break it into smaller pieces and suck it up through a pump.
“It seems like we can make concentrators all over the world.”
“What about creating a new mining system that includes a complex processing plant? I’m sure there will be a huge demand for it.”
“Hmm...”
Chairman Yu Kyung-seok realized the destructive potential of this simple equipment.
There were several black metal mining sites around the world, but they were mostly ignored by countries because the metal was less valuable than scrap iron.
But now, things had changed.
“Once the demonstration is over, countries will realize that black metal is used in the new batteries.”
“And they will scramble to secure black metal mining sites.”
“And we will provide them with ships from our shipyard...”
“Silla Heavy Industries’ reputation will soar. The immediate profits may not be huge, but the future will be different.”
“...”
Chairman Yu Kyung-seok clenched and unclenched his fist, feeling a thrill that he hadn’t felt in a long time.
This felt more real than acquiring subsidiary companies through the complex ownership structure of Mirae Group.
Making a working concentrator seemed more promising than building unprofitable ships.
If the demonstration went well, getting investments would be easy.
All of this depended on the concentrator, and as far as he knew, his son was the only one who could make it.
“...Name your price.”
“First, I want a 10% stake in Silla Heavy Industries.”
Yu Kyung-seok’s face twisted for a moment.
“You know how much revenue the shipbuilding industry made last year, right? It was over 5 trillion won. It’s the backbone of the group.”
“I know. And I know how important this concentrator is even better. Father, how big do you think the global electric vehicle market is?”
“About 10 million units?”
He sounded unsure.
It seemed that he was not very familiar with smart businesses like electric vehicles, despite his prominence in the shipbuilding industry.
“It’s close to 20 million units. If you consider the cost of a battery pack for each electric vehicle, it’s about 140 trillion won.”
The scale was bigger than he expected, and Yu Kyung-seok’s eyes flickered.
“But we won’t be supplying all those batteries. All you have is the black metal near Ulleungdo.”
“Black metal batteries can also be used in smartphones. Apple and Hansung Electronics will be eager to get them. We will become the ASML of the battery industry.”
Yu Kyung-seok’s expression changed when he heard ASML, a company that had a monopoly in the semiconductor industry.
“ASML...”
“Silla Heavy Industries will be the only company in the world that can produce black metal disintegrators. The process is simple and the costs are low. I’m giving you this opportunity for a 10% stake.”
“That’s one of your conditions, right? Tell me the rest and then I’ll decide.”
“I want 10% of the net profit from the disintegrator.”
“Does that include the concentrator too?”
“Of course. What good is a concentrator without a disintegrator?”
It wasn’t an unreasonable demand, considering the relatively low production cost based on the design.
The key point was that without the disintegrator, the black metal ecosystem wouldn’t work.
“So this is his gift to me.”
His son had a special skill to create disintegrators.
He could sell his skill or start his own company to make them.
So why was he choosing to give up control to the group?
“Maybe he knows I’m having a hard time and wants to help me...”
He felt tears in his eyes when he thought of his son’s kindness.
After all, he would inherit the whole group in about ten years, so what was wrong with giving him a boost?
He took a drag of his cigarette, trying to hide his moist eyes.
“Ahem. Instead of giving you 15% of the shares, I’ll give you 5% of the net profit for the first year. The capital management is tight, you see. From the second year on, we’ll switch to 10%.”
“That’s fine. But I want to have priority access to the supply when I need it. Of course, that should be in the contract.”
“Of course, I can do that much. But... wouldn’t it be better to merge the company you acquired personally into our group as a subsidiary?”
“Do you mean Samcheok Ocean Development?”
Two vehicles with smart cams started their journey side by side.
Their entire trip would be publicly documented, without missing a single second, for 24 hours.
There were also escort vehicles, making any manipulation impossible.
—So those cars will go to Busan and then come back to the research center?
—They will make two round trips and drive around the research center until the battery runs out.
—They have multiple smart cams installed, three passengers on board, and a car following them for live streaming. How can they manipulate that?
—Anyone who really thinks they can manipulate that needs to see a psychiatrist.
—Wow, if it’s true, an electric car that can travel 2,000 kilometers on one charge will shake up Japan. They will be totally shocked.
—Japan probably already made it, right? Logically speaking, if Silla Energy made it, there’s no way other research centers couldn’t.
—That makes sense. The research budget alone is several times higher.
—Or maybe they know it’s hard to mass-produce, so they’ve kept it secret. Those Japanese guys are good at that.
—They must be watching this stream and laughing. It must be so annoying.
While viewers expressed their negative opinions, someone met Yu Ji-ha: the Prime Minister who attended the demonstration.
...
In South Korea, the role of Prime Minister has traditionally been seen as a shield for the President.
As a result, their terms usually last around a year, and their political careers are not long.
By acting as a shield against attacks from the opposition and the media, they often lose their popularity and credibility.
Most Prime Ministers have not been able to escape this fate, but the current Prime Minister, Park Hyun-goo, has been in office for four years.
This raised suspicions among the public that there might be someone else behind him, not just in the Korean political scene.
[This guy is a typical Chinese puppet. He graduated from a Chinese university, served as a diplomat in China, and even worked as an advisor for NCC (Next China Corporation), ranked 15th in the corporate hierarchy]
Alma explained as he exchanged greetings with him.
“It seems like yesterday when you had an arrest warrant against you, but you overcame it and developed an amazing product. Congratulations indeed.”
Logically speaking, there was no reason for the Prime Minister who attended the demonstration to say anything other than congratulations.
Bringing up an unpleasant past would only make one uncomfortable and imply a request for cooperation.
“Thank you. You must be busy, so why are you here?”
“Hehe, it seems my ears are failing me, as I hear you asking me to leave quickly.”
“No, when someone who has experienced a great success calls me, I think there must be a reason.”
It wasn’t just because the other high-ranking officials or generals had already left the demonstration venue.
Since the Prime Minister attended the demonstration and received the press release, the rest would be handled by the officials in charge.
Prime Minister Park Hyun-goo felt that he had failed to shake the confidence of this handsome young man.
It seemed that the public opinion, which claimed that he had changed completely from three years ago, was true.
“Now that you mention it, let me ask you directly. Did you make the new battery with black metal?”
“Yes.”
“Surprisingly, you’re admitting it openly. I thought you would keep it as a trade secret.”
“Black metal has only emerged a few years ago. It would be reasonable to say that extensive research has been done and some progress has been made.”
“As you said, several research institutions have been studying black metal. Among them, there are quite a few that have achieved significant results. Although they are not public, I can assure you.”
“The United States, China, and Japan, I suppose.”
“Many research institutions have reached the same conclusion. It is a new material that has the potential to overturn the secondary battery market, but it cannot be used in its current state.”
“Are you saying that mass production is impossible?”
“It’s not just difficult, it’s impossible. How can you use a metal that spontaneously divides wherever it’s used? And even reproducing it is challenging.”
He was referring to the conditions required for transformation.
To process black metal, a high level of ether sensitivity was needed.
Ether sensitivity was not something that could be acquired through training; it was innate, and Yu Ji-ha had it.
Of course, even in this era, there were people with ether sensitivity, but they couldn’t control transformation to such a degree.
“In fact, our researchers have also faced difficulties in the development process.”
“I expected as much. So let me make you an offer.”
Prime Minister Park Hyun-goo smiled warmly and handed him his business card.
Rayo Research Institute.
It was an institute run by Rayo, an electric vehicle company under the NCC Group.
Although South Korea had launched several electric vehicles, they didn’t sell well due to the bias against Chinese-made cars.
But by using various promotions and offering competitive prices, they had been increasing their annual sales.
“There’s a lot to talk about regarding black metal. Since I’ve given you a hint, I’ll treat you with respect.”
“Understood. Let’s have a conversation when we have a chance.”
Prime Minister Park Hyun-goo frowned.
He thought his friend was smart enough to get his message.
Did he not understand what he was saying?
“Well, there are two conditions attached. Contact me right after the demonstration is over. In terms of black metal, Rayo’s research is far superior. Cooperating with them will be very helpful for you.”
If that was really the case, the prime minister wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to persuade him.
“Sorry, but I don’t think our research achievements are inferior to Rayo’s.”
“Oh, dear. I’m giving you advice with good intentions. Do you know how much R&D budget Rayo’s research institute spends on it every year?”
“I can guess it’s much higher than ours.”
“Then shouldn’t you handle this well? Are you going to miss such a great opportunity because of unfounded confidence?”
“I will handle it myself, Prime Minister.”
“..”
His thin lips curled slightly.
‘Why did he have to mention his position? It’s probably a sign of resentment for why high-ranking officials in Korea are seeking collaboration with Chinese companies.’
‘He seems like an ignorant fool who doesn’t even know what the current trend is.’
China had already started to exert its influence in various ways in Korea, and it was like a unstoppable wave that couldn’t be resisted.
“...I see. Well, don’t come crying to me later. I’ve given you enough chances.”
“I appreciate your concern.”
He said the words, but there was no gratitude on his face.
‘Arrogant bastard.’
Prime Minister Park Hyun-goo clenched his lips and stood up.