Chapter 27: The Price of Control
10 and a half hours of flight.
I indulged fully in everything—from the unlimited wine service in first class that I had only heard about through rumors, to the delicious in-flight meals.
Honestly, my palate is cheap enough that I can’t tell the difference between a ten-thousand-won bottle of wine from a supermarket and one that costs hundreds of thousands just because of brand value, but I still drank a lot.
I drank to sleep.
My mind was too cluttered; I needed the help of alcohol.
“I was the one who stepped up because I was worried Leonard might be the first to uncover the secret of the Victor Project, so it’s okay if you don’t believe me. But you have to watch out for me and the entire Edwards family. Jay doesn’t have even three years left. Even if they don’t start immediately after the President changes, that’s still four years.”
When I asked Helena why she tried to uncover Victor’s secret, she answered like that.
At most, four years. If we’re not prepared by then, we’ll lose the company again. How could she sleep with that on her mind?
“Then I guess I have to support the Republican Party?”
“Over half the American public supports the Democratic Party. If Jay supports the Republicans, he won’t get a good public response.”
“The public? I don’t care about them.”
I don’t care about my own country’s people; why should I care about Americans?
“…Don’t you think you’re speaking too lightly?”
“Is there a problem?”
“Why do companies do image advertising?”
“To sell products, of course. But I won’t be selling general consumer goods from now on. Most will be B2B transactions, and even if the situation changes, I won’t care about anyone’s opinion.”
Helena seemed a little surprised by my cold reply.
How could I ignore the public?
I remembered something my father told me the day before my graduation.
Apparently, he had gotten calls from Seongha Chemical employees.
To my father, they blamed him for handing the company down to his son; to me, they blamed me for taking over a company with no future; and they only complained that they got caught in the middle and suffered losses.
The memory was vivid.
On the day of course registration, at the folk pub where I went with the teaching assistant, there happened to be Seongha Chemical employees sitting behind us.
In drunken voices, they complained that becoming a cooperative company for a large corporation meant more work but no better treatment.
I remembered how coldly I responded when the TA asked if I knew them. I said they were people I no longer cared about.
That employee himself had said he thought it would be better as a cooperative firm for a big company.
Of course, even inside the company, he smiled brightly when he thought I wasn’t looking.
Maybe they were dissatisfied with my father’s R&D investments.
So they must have been happy the owner was changing.
It’s ridiculous.
Those same people direct their resentment at who?
Are ordinary people any different?
Are Koreans and Americans really that different?
Humans swallow what’s sweet and spit out what’s bitter depending on their interests.
I’m no different.
Now, my interests come first; I don’t care about others’ reactions.
“You’re cold.”
“I’m trying to be colder.”
“…Alright. Maybe that’s better. But if you’re going to support the Republicans, support the Democrats too. Instead of outright hostility, just make a difference in support—that makes the opposition less aggressive or even confused.”
The colder one is better?
I just nodded.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Then I’ll be going. Have a pleasant trip. Oh, by the way, the airport duty-free had a Belle Époque rosé champagne. I recommend it.”
Perfume recommendation at the airport duty-free.
Champagne recommendation on the plane.
Helena showed a consistent approach before returning to her seat.
After that, my mind was restless, so I relied on alcohol’s strength and fell asleep.
“Jay, was it uncomfortable?”
“I was in first class for free, so I can’t say it was uncomfortable. What about you two?”
“We were comfortable too.”
They said they were comfortable, but I wondered if they slept at all.
They were the ones who had ordered the whole first-class section emptied except for Helena for my protection; there’s no way they didn’t sleep.
Helena was the first to disembark.
There was no separate farewell; she must have thought everything that needed to be said was already said.
Anyway, I was back on American soil.
“Let’s wait a bit longer.”
“You’re not getting off?”
“We don’t use the regular arrival hall.”
“…”
“And from now on, whenever Jay has to fly, we’ll use the Department of Homeland Security’s private plane. The protocol changed after yesterday’s incident.”
I felt like I was causing trouble, but Seongha really climbed up.
First first class, now a private plane?
“I’ve only seen private planes in movies.”
“Soon, if necessary, we might even buy an A380.”
“…”
Not actually flying on the private plane, but buying one?
I really need to change this mindset, but it’s not easy.
Tom and Jerry told me to get off only after all the regular passengers had left for the airport, and when I did, a black limousine was waiting instead of a shuttle bus.
I really can’t get used to this.
There was no need for immigration procedures either.
The limousine exited the airport and headed straight to Santa Clara.
Inside, there were many bottles of unknown wine and expensive-looking whiskey, but I was empty-headed and just grabbed a bottle of water.
I turned on my phone and sent a message to my parents saying I arrived safely and messaged friends, and the car stopped in front of an unfamiliar building.
“Where is this?”
“This is where Jay will be working from now on.”
“Uh?”
“STA’s headquarters.”
Wow!
I couldn’t help but exclaim.
It wasn’t the typical rectangular box you imagine when you think of a building.
What would you call it? Two right triangles joined by their long sides?
The size couldn’t compare to the Google or Apple headquarters, but the design was just as impressive.
The sculptures outside the building were stylish, and the neatly trimmed grass looked well maintained.
It looked impressive.
The building’s orientation was well planned to soak up California’s warm sunlight.
“Want to stop by even if you’re resting?”
“Rest? There’s no resting. Let’s go inside.”
After talking with Helena yesterday, the heavy feeling in my chest was instantly lifted.
This is my building?
Inside, a spacious lobby greeted me.
There were so few people it felt almost empty.
There wasn’t even a reception desk.
I headed toward the elevators where people were coming and going.
I was wondering whom to ask when a red-haired young woman caught my eye.
I noticed something like a security card hanging near her chest, similar to the one I carried at the Wonju research institute.
She spoke first.
“Do you have an appointment?”
“Uh, do you need an appointment to visit?”
“Yes.”
Her face was covered in freckles, but her large eyes made her look cute, though her tone was absolutely firm—not even the tip of a needle could get through.
I wondered why there wasn’t a single guide or receptionist. If you didn’t have an appointment, they simply refused visitors?
“I know someone inside.”
“Then call them.”
I glanced briefly at Tom and Jerry behind me, but she kept the same firm attitude.
Am I offending her by not recognizing the owner? No, not at all. I quite like it.
That’s how it should be.
Whether you have an entourage of bodyguards or high-ranking officials, there should be no exceptions.
“Thank you.”
I watched her get into the elevator and then made the call.
“Linden, I’m here.”
- Jay, are you still at the airport?
“No, I’m inside the headquarters.”
- You arrived really fast.
“There was no immigration procedure, so I left straight away. But they said no appointment means no entry. I’m missing in action.”
- Ah! Wait a moment.
About three minutes of wandering around inside?
Ding! The elevator arrived, and Linden stepped out.
Although we’d talked on the phone occasionally, it had been six months since we last met.
He looked a bit tired, but not much different from when we first met—dressed neatly from head to toe, perfectly fitting for Wall Street.
If only his face weren’t so plain.
“Jay, your face looks better.”
“About six months of life catching up with me. But Linden, you must have been busy? You lost weight instead of me.”
“I do it because it’s fun. I haven’t lost as much weight as you think. But what about these guys?”
Oh no, I forgot to introduce them.
But Linden probably already had a rough idea who Tom and Jerry were, standing like a backdrop behind me.
“This is Thomas Benn, and this is Gerald Donami. They owe a lot to me since Korea, but originally they protect the President. They prefer nicknames. As you probably know, this is Linden Cutler, CEO of STA. STA doesn’t run without him.”
People I’ll be seeing often from now on.
I hope we won’t be awkward.
“I’m Linden.”
“Nice to meet you. Call me Tom.”
“I’m Jerry.”
The three of us exchanged handshakes and greetings, and Linden led us inside.
As we got on the elevator, he asked,
“Would you rather see the gift I prepared for you before going to my office?”
“There’s a gift here?”
I remembered that during one of our calls, we had talked about preparing gifts to exchange once I got to the US.
“Yes. It’s not something I carry around.”
He swiped his security card and pressed the button for the 12th floor.
There were no buttons above that—it was the top floor.
I asked casually,
“This building must have been expensive.”
“If we had bought it, yes.”
“…”
What does that mean?
If you didn’t buy it, who gave it to you?
“This building was also a gift.”
“From whom?”
“The US government seems to have used slush funds.”
“…”
I glanced at Tom and Jerry, but their faces were unreadable.
They must have heard it clearly but were either pretending not to or simply didn’t care because it wasn’t their jurisdiction.
Ding! The door opened, and as we stepped out, Linden continued,
“You can accept without burden the fact that the US sent the SS for your personal protection and prepared such gifts. It’s all because you deserve it.”
I deserve it?
Linden, do you know?
The US government must think I deserve it, so they treat me like this, but there are others who think differently.
By the time I settle my business in the US, there will be many trying to split STA for their own gain.
I thought it over on the plane.
They say there’s no distinction between ruling parties when it comes to US interests, but Leonard is trying to incite Democratic Party lawmakers to break up STA.
Of course, this is only Helena’s claim, so I can’t blindly believe it.
But what if it’s true?
I have to prepare in advance, and the best way is to let them know I can always choose another country over the US.
Also, to preemptively deal with those trying to exploit me.
In both games and reality, the first strike is the best.
“Jay, don’t you like the gift?”
Lost in thought, I hadn’t been paying attention to the scene unfolding on the top floor.
Linden called me back to reality.
Now I could see it properly.
It was magnificent.
So this was the gift?
“How could I not like it? It’s perfect.”
The gift was my personal research lab.
The entire top floor turned into a lab.
There was equipment I used at the Wonju research institute, and even expensive devices I’d only seen in photos filled the room.
How much money must have gone into setting up a lab like this? Not tens of millions won, but hundreds.
“Did you spend all the investment money here?”
“Of course not. We sold off Daejeong shares and had some money left. The really expensive equipment will have to be bought by you from now on.”
“…Then did you use your own money, Linden?”
Spending all the investment money here would be a problem, but if Linden used his personal funds, that would be burdensome too.
“It was unearned income thanks to you.”
“Still…”
“I still hold Daejeong stocks. Thanks to the Korean stock market stabilizing, I’m making a good profit. You made the proposal; I put up the money. Think of it as a 50/50 split.”
In other words, a half-and-half deal.
Alright. Let’s just think of it that way.
There’s no going back on what’s already set up.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Let’s go back down now.”
The interior wasn’t something you could tour in a short time, so we headed back down to Linden’s office on the 10th floor.
“What’s on the 11th floor?”
“It’s empty. Use it if you need to expand the lab.”
“…”
He keeps surprising me.
Using an entire floor as a personal lab wasn’t enough, so he had already reserved the floor below for expansion? That’s typical Linden-scale.
In contrast, Linden’s office was ordinary.
The space wasn’t small, but it only contained a large metal desk in the center and a table with chairs by the window for guests.
There wasn’t even a common sofa in sight.
That was all.
Tom and Jerry said they’d wait outside and left the room. We sat facing each other across the table.
“It’s a relief they didn’t detain you in Korea.”
“They would need a reason.”
“That’s something you can create. I proposed a strong response to President Howard to prevent Korea’s unreasonable demands.”
“You proposed it to the President?”
I didn’t know that.
No wonder everything was quiet until departure.
“Yes. He already knew about the minister’s visit.”
“But while the Korean government was quiet, someone strange tried to meet me at the airport.”
“…Who?”
Linden’s expression stiffened.
It felt like the look Tom and Jerry had yesterday.
“Linden, do you know much about the Edwards family?”
Like all famous families, the Edwards were especially private about their internal affairs.
Even the death of their only son in the direct line was known to very few outsiders.
“I only found out by chance, but the suspicious death of that son sparked internal strife in the Edwards family. But even that was buried within the family. They didn’t want questions to lead to internal conflict and weaknesses exposed outside.”
“Considering the wealth they accumulated, the Edwards are a level above the Cutlers, and they had many enemies in the process. So it was an unavoidable choice for them.”
“Helena is the younger sister of the deceased son, Prince. If she feels hatred toward her family, that’s probably why. Anyway, the scheme Leonard told Helena about is likely true.”
“It’s ironic. The Democratic Party has received the most donations from the four giants of the IT industry. But aside from that, the Democrats’ identity is very different from the Republicans. Of course, there’s no difference when it comes to US interests. But who knows what will happen two or three years from now, after STA is firmly established as an American company.”
“…If I choose another country over the US, the only alternative is Russia. But Russia is someone you have to placate. It’s a card to use when checking other powers, not a place to settle.”
“The best approach is what Jay said—supporting President Howard’s reelection while weakening the faction trying to exploit the Democrats. Leonard can’t do it alone; it’s a faction. The goal is to reduce the power of that faction targeting STA.”
“Emphasizing balance is just Democratic ideology. There’s no political equality that supports the powerless. So ultimately, the best choice is for Jay to grow stronger.”