12 Hours After

Translator: Khan

Editor: Aelryinth

"So... they want to buy a stake in Kai Games?"

"Yes."

"How much?"

"About fifteen to twenty percent. They are not interested in management either, they just want to strengthen their grip on Fantasy War Ground in China."

"Oh, that's the way it is here."

I lifted the document on the desk. It said 'Tencent,' China's IT dinosaur. Tencent, the world's largest Internet company, with a market capital over a billion dollars as of October 2019, was famous for buying stakes in other companies abroad with the money it earned in its own country.

There was no place where Tencent's money had not been put into a company that had made a popular game, such as Riot Games of League of Legend, and Supercell of Clash of Clans. Now that Fantasy War Ground had hit the global jackpot, it seemed like they were drooling over there.

I looked down at the report. "The price is not bad."

"Yes, boss. Not bad, but... I think they've made quite a lot of bets."

"Umm..."

I calculated silently. Fantasy War Ground, which had launched its Open Beta service in March, had accumulated more than twenty million in sales in six months. The market capital of Kai Games was well over a billion dollars, nearing 1.6 billion. It was about to reach two billion. The value of the stake by Invictus Investment, which had held a powerful sixty percent majority Kai Games before the release of the game, would also exceed a billion dollars.

'But twenty percent of 1.6 billion is three hundred twenty million. They're going to buy this for five hundred million...'

It was not a bad suggestion. Our company needed to get our money out of there and would use it elsewhere. I was sorry to CEO Shin Dong-woo, but there was no guarantee that the next game would be as successful as Fantasy War Ground.

'I'll have to sell it...' But while I was thinking about it, I returned the document to Vice President Jang and said, "Once, drag on the deal and refuse it."

"Yes?"

"Let's say that the timing of our exit [recovering the amount of investment] is about the middle of next year. There's still a console release for PlayStation and XBOX, and by then, we'll be selling more on Steam. If we sell it now, it's a little early."

I knew because I had already searched Shin Dong-woo in the People Search of 12 Months After.

[CEO Shin Dong-woo of Kai Games was surprised to see the forty million tickets sold by FWG Steam.]

Fantasy War Ground was still selling. In another half a year or so, the stock price of Kai Games was going to jump even more, to at least two and a half billion dollars, and maybe three to four.

"Let's talk about it again then."

"Then I'll do as you say, boss."

"Yes."

After Jang left the office, I thought for a moment about Tak Joon-gi. He'd had a five percent stake in the Kai Games. 'Even if he hadn't done things here and there, he could have made about two hundred million if he had had this.' Come think of it, Tak Joon-gi had also had his own story, which is why he had made such a hard bargain.

I still recalled his lines, fresh as ever: "You know, listen up. You're mistaken if you think I've been digging around for any other company's information. It's our company that I've been researching more closely than any other company over the last twenty years. It's Suyeon. The reason why I raised so much money in the first place was to make Suyeon mine. My last target was Suyeon.'

When I had first seen him at the Garden Envy, I had thought, 'Does the third generation of a chaebol invest in stocks? They're not short of money.'

However, he also had something to buy with money. It was the Suyeon Group. So did Lee Won-jae of Daewon Daily News, but there seemed to be a sort of sense of deprivation or inferiority for those who were not chosen to be the successor of the conglomerate.

As I thought of Tak Joon-gi, I naturally thought of Tak Mun-su, a man who killed people without a wink in the back, but who was praised in the front.

'How can he do that?' He would have an incredible amount of self-control. Come to think of it, even then, there was little change in his facial expression throughout the whole process of dealing with Tak Joon-gi.

However, just once, when Tak Joon-ki threatened him: "I'll tell them all about the vice chairman of Suyeon Electronics before I stand in court. All I've investigated!", there was only anger in his eyes, but it quickly disappeared.

'Well, he is a cold man... but on the other hand, he has a lot of shit,' I thought. Maybe the shit might be helpful to me again. Tak Joon-gi had knelt down to him for it.

I thumped on the table and thought, 'No matter what I think, there is no good place to use Crow. I need him only for this side. He only investigates the past incidents and brings the information… He only gets some hidden information. Later, if things change... but right now I can only think of this side.'

I entered the email, opened 12 Hours After and took the cursor on the bottom to the Crow Summoning Link, 'Do you want to call Crow?'

Opportunity had returned this month, too. Once a month. I didn't have anywhere to send him, so I should use him here.

'Please set a location and time to summon.' I was writing out "tomorrow evening" there, and suddenly I recalled what Secretary Seo had said: 'Boss, you're shooting MBE tomorrow.'

'When exactly did he say the shooting would be?' I couldn't remember. I picked up the phone and asked Secretary Seo, "Seo secretary."

"Yes, boss?"

"When do I start shooting tomorrow?"

"It's starting at 1:00 p.m. It is going to be over by 5:00 p.m."

I remembered the shooting had taken about three hours when I had first appeared. This was my second shoot this time, so I was more familiar with it, so it would take less.

"Oh, yes."

When I finished my phone call, I wrote down "6 p.m. tomorrow evening." 'The place is…' After thinking for a while, I wrote, "Jamwon Han River Park." That's it. Tomorrow I would have Crow investigate a guy called Tak Mun-su who was a murderer on the inside, a good character on the outside.

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"The first guest of October 2019 of 'Meet the MBE Super Ant,' is the brightest star in the investment industry recently. His name is Han Sang-hoon, CEO of Invictus Investment."

With applause, I moved forward and sat down on a chair in the middle of the stage. On the other side was the young and beautiful female MC and the male MC with a long mustache. It was the same as last time. It was a good thing for me to avenge. I greeted the MCs, the audience, and the camera, with a big smile.

"This is our second invitation this year, since last January. How have you been?"

I nodded my head when asked by the female MC. "Yes. I'm doing well. I'm a little busy, and a little tired."

At my words, the male MC spoke up, "Blessed that you're so busy. Blessed that your company's growth has been so great lately."

He only read the script, but he also had a very different attitude. Last time, although he said, "A billion dollars? In five years? That's funny," the equity value of Invictus Investment had already exceeded that amount.

The female MC said, while looking at the camera, "The last time I introduced you as a miraculous story about Invictus Investment, which started with a capital of five million dollars and got fifteen times larger in only a few months. At that time the value of the company was seventy-five million. However, I'm going to have to tell you something even more amazing today. The equity value of Invictus Investment now stands at as much as 1.43 billion dollars."

Everyone was surprised at the huge sum.

"It's about nineteen times greater then the assets of last time. You've achieved greater growth than last time."

As soon as the female MC said it, the male MC continued, "You're amazing, really amazing. I've been broadcasting business TV for twelve years... I think you are the one who has gotten the best grade."

It was an ad lib which was not in the script, somehow he was changing himself to take a submissive attitude. I was also going to feed him a piece of unwritten ad lib, but in advance, he abased himself, so I was a little reluctant to do that.

"As I expected, the investment plan was fit and I'm glad."

"The investment plan, can you tell the audience what it was?"

"Oh, actually, it's the second time if I talk to you here... in January, I told you about what kind of stocks will be promising this year. I'd like to show you the January show..." I snooped at the camera as I said that. Of course, this was what was in the script.

Following my script, the female MC said, "Then, let's take a look at the reference."

My appearance on the screen in January was shown.

"I'm a little bit afraid to say this... but both of the companies we've invested in are promising."

"OH Entertainment and Kai Games?"

"Yes, I think both of them are going to have a storm surge as of this year."

Even the closing comment was that. "Watch OH Entertainment and Kai Games share prices this year. You'll soon find out whether I'm telling you the truth or not."

The male MC marveled at that, "Yes... really. Since then, OH Entertainment has doubled. Kai Games is ten times bigger. It's almost there. Is there anyone who watched January's broadcast and invested in it? They must have had a big hit!" The male MC said so, but frankly, few would have followed it. Even if a thirty-year-old young man appeared and said to buy this thing, few people would listen to it. Of course, the few who had believed what I said would have had a big return.

The female MC asked me, "At that time, you recommended it with confidence. That was all right."

"Yes."

"Then, is there anything you can recommend today?"

I thought it over and said, "Well, as I said at the time, I'm not sure except for what I've invested in… so I'd like to tell you what I bought this time. Blue E&M and Hyun Young Pharmaceutical were added to my portfolio with the last stocks..."

Some of the audience suddenly bowed down. It looked like everyone was looking at their cell phones.

"I think these two are also the kind of stocks that can jump over the next few years."

These days, there were many people who would trade stocks through MTS because it was good. Now it was 1:30 p.m. The market was still open. I couldn't turn on the MTS right now because I was filming the broadcast, but perhaps the stock prices of Blue E&M and Hyun Young Pharmaceutical would have gone up a bit right now.

Some of the guests were just buying them. It was wise, to think about it. Even if they didn't have any information, if this was on the air, 'CEO Han Sang-hoon took over this stock,' there would be a lot of ants that would buy these stocks. If they bought them now, after I did, they would be in the fast group.

'They're such smart guys.' I continued to record the show, watching them.

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The recording ended earlier than I thought. After the recording, the male MC came first to say hello personally, "Whew, CEO Han, I was rude on the last broadcast."

In the end, I couldn't say a word to the male MC. Throughout the shoot, he continuously said, "CEO Han, You're amazing. You're great." Therefore, I couldn't swear at his smiling face.

"Oh, yes. Well..." That was how I just sent him away.

Then the female MC came up and said hello to me, "Thank you for your hard work today, CEO Han."

Her name was Shin Min-sun, the bobbed goddess of MBE. She was pretty, a smile on her face and her long hair moving across her back with each step she took. I had no choice but to be friendly to the beautiful woman. "Thank you, Min-sun, you worked hard too."

But then, she came up to me and handed me something. "This one."

I took it. That was her business card, and said, 'MBE announcer Shin Min-sun.' When I looked at her with it in my hand, she winked a little and said without making a sound, "Please contact me." Then she twitched her hips and disappeared to the other side.

"Huh..." I stood dumbfounded with it, and Secretary Seo came up and said, "Boss."

I put the card in my pocket in surprise, and said to him, "Hmm?"

"Well, the producer says... the director's here, and he wants to see you for a moment."

"Director of MBE?"

"Yes."

'You will be close to the press' was our company's motto. I nodded, "Well... yes."