Chapter 424 |
I'd been racking my brain for days, trying to find a solution.
It was Taekgyu who, seeing my struggle, offered a suggestion.
“Just use oracle to find a mine. It’s simple, isn’t it?”
“It’s not showing up! I’m telling you, it’s not!”
For starters, that was the first problem. And if I solved the first problem, a second one was waiting.
“It’s not like Geratinium is neatly stacked up in a mine like gold bars. The professor said so himself. Geratinium doesn't exist in its pure form in nature.”
Even if I were to get lucky and find a mine with massive deposits, extracting it would be the problem. With gold, you can at least just melt it down, but Geratinium has to go through multiple special processes. And this process incurs enormous costs.
It didn't end there; there was a third problem.
There are only two companies in the entire world with the technology to extract Geratinium into a pure substance. Beastcall and Kauzen.
Similarly, only three or four companies extracted and sold cobalt. This was how they could artificially control production and inflate prices.
One wrong move, and we’d be at the mercy of those two companies.
“Can’t you just buy one of them?”
“That is one way, I suppose.”
Though I had no idea if they’d even be willing to sell.
“Then what about something like the chemical formula to create the compound?”
“I don’t even know if such a thing exists, and even if I saw it, how would I understand it?”
A chemical formula wouldn't be a single line like E=mc². It would probably be as complex as a semiconductor blueprint from a fabless company, wouldn't it?
Besides, just as a great design is useless if the manufacturing process can't keep up, knowing the chemical formula would be all for naught if we didn't have the technology to synthesize it.
I did some research. The demand for high-capacity batteries was huge, and the drone market was projected to grow to over $100 billion within five years.
This figure had more than doubled since the appearance of the OTK Battery. If the JN Battery were to be commercialized, it wouldn't be strange for that number to jump to $500 billion.
While many still believe that drone deliveries and drone taxis are premature, how many things once thought impossible have become reality?
If we can just solve a few regulatory and technical issues, we might find ourselves in a world where receiving packages by drone and commuting via drone is the new normal, as if it had always been that way.
But for that to happen, the JN Battery needs to exist…
And right now, there was no clear solution.
“Maybe time will solve the problem.”
Come to think of it, countless technologies must have failed to be commercialized for these very reasons.
***
The sweltering heat subsided, and a cool breeze began to blow.
Henry had returned to Korea, and the preparations for their wedding were proceeding smoothly. Hyunjoo-noona was still busy, but the people around them were taking care of the arrangements anyway.
This must be why it’s so convenient to have money.
I was eating in the company cafeteria with Taekgyu, Ellie, and Yuri. Yuri had now fully adapted to her job and was working hard and doing well.
And she was still popular among the male employees. I wondered what they would think if they knew she was the daughter of RCK Bros’ Vice Chairman, Shin Byeong-doo.
As we were finishing our meal, Team Lead Jung Gi-hong came over and asked.
“The Hankuk University festival is next week. Mr. CEO, were you planning on going?”
“The festival?”
University festivals are usually in May or September. Hankuk University’s was the latter.
“Are you going for fun?”
“I’m not going for fun.”
“Then?”
Jung Gi-hong declared proudly.
“As the PR Team Lead for OTK Company, it is an extension of my duties to promote the company and scout for necessary talent. That is why I attend not only the festival but also all other school events, such as orientation, MT, and sports days, without fail.”
“…”
Spoken like a true PR lead, he’d found a plausible way to say he was just going to hang out with his juniors.
At this point, you could hardly tell if he was an alumnus or a current student. No, not even current students were that dedicated, were they?
Senior Gihong had frequented the campus even after graduating, which was probably why his juniors had shown up to his wedding in droves.
Ellie’s interest was piqued.
“A university festival? What do you do at a festival?”
“You know, each department runs a food stall, there are talent shows and singing, they bring in celebrities to perform, that sort of thing.”
Isn’t that the same at every school?
Jung Gi-hong added.
“CEO Park Sangyeop said he’s going on the last day, too. The math department has been pestering him to come, so he’s planning to show his face this time.”
“Really?”
Department food stalls are basically businesses that rely on personal connections. That’s why alumni go back to support their juniors.
When a socially successful alum shows up, the juniors are always happy to see them. Even more so if that alum might be able to help them with employment later.
Ellie’s eyes sparkled.
“Wow, that sounds fun.”
“Well, actually, our school festival is nationally famous for being boring. So famous, in fact, that they group Hankuk, Hanchung, and Houn universities together and call them the ‘3H’.”
These three universities were locked in a fierce battle for first place in who could host the most boring festival.
It was so bad that there was a saying among Hankuk University students: a fool goes to the Hankuk U festival, and a real fool brings a friend.
That’s why wise Hankuk students go to other university festivals during festival season.
At first, I thought it was because the school was full of smart kids who only knew how to study, but looking at the festivals at Yeonseong or Silla University, which weren't that different from Hankuk in terms of admission scores, that didn't seem to be the case.
I guess it was just a difference in the school’s atmosphere and budget.
That’s why Kyeongil and Minyoung used to hang around the women's university festivals instead.
“Hmm, and Jinhoo, you didn’t go with them?”
“Of course not. What do you take me for?”
That’s because I had a girlfriend back then, I thought. For the record, I think that girlfriend married into a chaebol family and is living well… probably?
Jung Gi-hong shook his head.
“That’s all in the past. Nowadays, the Hankuk University festival is well-known at other schools too.”
“Really?”
Did the school suddenly increase the festival budget or something?
Yuri agreed.
“The team lead is right. There are way more people now compared to when I was a freshman. A lot of students from other schools came, too.”
Jung Gi-hong explained why.
“Starting two years ago, Edm Entertainment has been providing a package deal at rock-bottom prices, supplying everything from the event host to the singers. Last year, the famous MC Daengdong even came and hosted the talent show.”
The quality of a university festival is determined by which celebrities show up. It’s not for nothing that the student council spends a fortune to book them.
Of course, it wasn't free; it all came from the students’ tuition. You get what you pay for, and as a national university, Hankuk had always lacked the budget.
“Oh! And this year, the singer you like the most is coming, sir.”
“Who? Don’t tell me it’s Kim Joogwang?”
“Pure Girls. Their agency said that if Hankuk University invites them, they’ll perform for free from now on, no questions asked.”
“Ah…”
Is this how they’re repaying the favor?
After it became known that I had invested in them, Pure Girls instantly became a hot topic and have been on a roll ever since.
They didn't hit #1 on a major broadcast network, but they did on a cable channel, and their song briefly topped the music charts before settling at #7.
No matter how much a large agency pushes them, some idols just don’t make it. While they may have gotten their big break thanks to me, the fact that they seized the opportunity and rose to the top must mean they had the talent for it.
Seeing things like this, it’s clear that Taekgyu really has an eye for this industry.
But why do I know all this? Anyone listening would think I was a real fan.
“Doesn’t our department have pretty low participation, though?”
The Business Administration department at Hankuk University wasn't exactly known for its unity. For festivals or any other event, it was always a "come if you want, don't if you don't" kind of atmosphere. I think even our MT trips were small-scale.
“The atmosphere is completely different these days. The students are so enthusiastic about every event.”
“Really? Is one of the upperclassmen laying down the law or something?”
Jung Gi-hong nodded.
“You are, in a way.”
“Excuse me?”
“Thanks to you, sir, our department’s admission cutoff score has skyrocketed, hasn’t it? It’s incredibly difficult to get into Hankuk University’s Business Administration department these days. There’s even talk that this year’s competition rate is similar to the medical school’s.”
“Is it that high?”
If it had been like this back in my day, I wouldn’t have gotten in.
“Of course. It’s a free pass to a job at a major corporation or in the financial sector. Maybe because of that, the students have a tremendous sense of belonging and actively participate in all sorts of events.”
Listening from the side, Taekgyu nodded.
“When an organization thrives, the loyalty of its members increases. It's the law of nature.”
That was the perfect explanation.
I asked Senior Gihong.
“But when you go to campus, don't the students treat you like an old man?”
“Well, yes, they do. You’ll be an old man now too if you go, sir.”
I was stunned.
“Excuse me? Me?”
Jung Gi-hong said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“The students who are returning now after finishing their military service are much younger than you, sir. If you were still a student with your student ID number, they’d tease you for being a ‘fossil’.”
“…”
Now that he mentioned it, he was right.
To kids who had just graduated high school, anyone even a couple of years older was basically an old man. I remember when I was a freshman, I’d see older students returning to school and think, ‘What’s an old guy like that doing on campus?’
And now, I had become that guy.
Me, an old man! Me, an old man!
I felt tears welling up, but Ellie’s eyes were sparkling.
“I want to go!”
“You do?”
“The university festival! I’ve always wanted to go to one. You’ll take me, right, Jinhoo?”
“Well, there’s no reason I can’t…”
It’s not like I skipped out on paying my dues to my juniors.
I glanced at my friend beside me. Taekgyu spoke up.
“I’m planning on going.”
I asked, flabbergasted.
“Huh? You too?”
“Anneke said her department is running a stall and told me to come.”
“…”
Even the princess of Norway was working hard to drive sales. Right. Department stalls were all about personal connections anyway. I guess I could just go and buy out the whole stall.
Ellie clapped her hands and said.
“Let’s all go together! Yuri, you’ll come too, right?”
Yuri immediately nodded.
“If you’re going, I’ll go too.”
“Great! I should ask Jessica to come with us, too.”
Taekgyu was surprised.
“My sister, too?”
“Yes. Jessica went to Hankuk University, too. She said she was planning on visiting once anyway to hand out wedding invitations to her professors.”
If Hyunjoo-noona was going, Henry would obviously go with her. And if the Hankuk alums from our company and Golden Gate also went… it felt like our entire circle was going to a university festival.
***
The Hankuk University festival season had arrived once again this year.
The meaning of university festivals had long since faded amidst an unprecedented job crisis, but it was still one of the few opportunities to experience the romance of college life.
The Hankuk University festival, once an agonizing event for both participants and spectators, had at some point begun to attract sponsors, and its scale grew larger and larger.
Now, it had been reborn as a regional festival, drawing not only students from other schools but also local residents.
The business administration students looked at the festival program and murmured.
“Wow! This year’s lineup is incredible.”
“Oh! Pure Girls is on the list.”
“Haha, of course they have to come. It’s like Jinhoo-sunbaenim practically raised them himself.”
“How much would it even cost to book all these celebrities?”
Though they were in the middle of a lecture, everyone’s minds were elsewhere. Outside the window, several students were busy preparing for the festival on campus.
Professor Kim MyoungJun closed his book just twenty minutes into the lecture.
“That’s all for today. Everyone, go get ready for the festival. Studying is good, but you have to have fun when it’s time to have fun. Look at Kang Jinhoo. He fooled around so much in his first year and still succeeded just fine.”
At his words, the students erupted in applause and whistles.
“Woooah!”
“Professor, you’re the best!”
“Thank you!”
The freshmen rushed to the front of the classroom.
“Professor! Is Jinhoo-sunbaenim not coming to the festival this year?”
“Can’t you ask him to come, Professor?”
“We’ve never even seen Kang Jinhoo-sunbaenim before!”
Professor Kim MyoungJun shook his head.
“I don’t know about Kang Jinhoo, but I heard Jung Gi-hong is coming.”
“Aww, but we see Gihong-sunbaenim all the time.”
“Familiarity is a good thing, isn’t it?”
At the freshmen’s continued pleading, Professor Kim MyoungJun smiled and said.
“Alright, alright. I’ll at least ask him to stop by.”