Money Keeps Piling Up No Matter How Much I Spend

Translator: Dreamscribe

The moment the contract was signed, Netflix received a capital injection of 3 billion dollars through the approved capital increase and was able to push forward with their intended business without hesitation.

In fact, Netflix had already been fully prepared.

They were just short on rocket fuel.

Once that fuel was filled, there was nothing left to fear.

Thus, they began offering streaming services in 130 countries at a very rapid pace.

However, CEO Reed had one thing that weighed on his mind.

It was that, according to CEO Jung Jin-ho’s wishes, they had to go all-in exclusively on ‘Stranger Things’.

But wasn’t he the benefactor who willingly gave them 3 billion dollars?

Of course, he took over equity under unprecedented conditions that had never been seen in other industries, even while giving that 3 billion dollars.

At any rate, according to the contract, Netflix had to follow that noble intention.

So all marketing efforts were focused solely on ‘Stranger Things’.

They sent the actors to famous talk shows, ran ads in online communities, and of course, placed heavy TV advertisements.

They poured massive amounts of money so that ‘Stranger Things’ would be visible everywhere the public’s eyes reached.

“This almost feels like overkill, doesn’t it?” Dıscover more novels at novelFɪre.net

“He told us not to spare any marketing expenses. Our savior did.”

“That’s true.”

At Netflix headquarters, they had a special nickname for CEO Jung Jin-ho.

The Savior.

Because he miraculously brought Netflix back to life like Lazarus when it was on the brink of bankruptcy.

Still, there was unease about focusing everything on just one drama.

So Netflix waited anxiously.

Even though they had received 3 billion dollars, if the global expansion didn’t go well, they would just end up back at square one.

“It… it blew up.”

The wait didn’t take long.

At first, it seemed like it was off to a slow start.

But after that, the number of subscribers started to increase exponentially.

“No way. How… how can this do this well?”

The success of ‘Stranger Things’ was outrageous.

There were so many people subscribing just to watch that one drama, and all the global monitoring communities were talking about nothing but ‘Stranger Things’.

On top of that, on all kinds of review and rating sites, ‘Stranger Things’ was ranked number one in search terms and was receiving top ratings, earning rave reviews from countless critics.

“Internally, we did get feedback that it was good, but…”

“No one thought it would be this big of a hit.”

“Right. Not the director who filmed it, not the actors, not even any of our executives imagined it would blow up like this.”

“Except for one person.”

Everyone here knew exactly who that one person was.

“How did our Savior know that ‘Stranger Things’ would succeed to this extent?”

That was the question.

CEO Jung Jin-ho had never seen the drama.

Not even episode one, not even the trailer.

Yet he handed over 3 billion dollars and made all-in marketing on this drama a condition in the contract.

It was something no one could understand.

“Or maybe he did some prior research behind our backs?”

“Even with prior research, how can you know it’ll be a hit? It’s not like he even watched the drama himself.”

“But there are people like that among actors too, aren’t there? Those who can just skim the synopsis or script and instantly know whether a project will work or not.”

There are actors who churn out hit after hit.

Sure, they act well, but in the end, the story is what makes a hit.

They’re able to accurately identify which stories will resonate with the public and pick only the hits.

“Then are we saying he has that kind of ability too?”

“Otherwise, how could this kind of investment even be possible? Giving 3 billion dollars and saying to go all-in on just one show?”

A unique eye for spotting great work.

He wasn’t even an insider, had nothing to do with the drama industry, yet he was the only one who foresaw the blockbuster success of ‘Stranger Things’.

Moreover, thanks to CEO Jung Jin-ho focusing all the marketing solely on ‘Stranger Things’, its success had clearly accelerated.

If that’s the case…

“Bring me all the projects scheduled to be released this year or next year. Including everything currently in production.”

***

“The projected revenue is a whopping 12 billion dollars. And that’s just for this year. There are only a few months left in the year, and if we’re talking 12 billion in revenue, that’s truly massive, sir.”

Netflix’s growth was quite literally insane.

“Focusing all the marketing on one project helped cut costs and played a decisive role in the success. At this pace, 12 billion dollars in profit isn’t just a dream.”

“Vice President, you said you stayed up all night watching it last time. It must really be that good.”

Last time, Vice President Kang Ji-hwan came to work with dark circles under his eyes, so I asked if he was sick. But he said he stayed up all night watching ‘Stranger Things’, which Netflix had sent over before release.

“D-Don’t tell me you still haven’t seen it, sir?”

“I’m not really into watching dramas.”

People like me who love games will understand.

Even while watching a drama, the urge to keep a game running is stronger.

I thought I was the only one like that, but hyung was just the same.

Then, suddenly, I got curious.

“Vice President, do you play any games by any chance?”

At a glance, he looked like someone who wouldn’t even touch games.

“I do. The national folk game, I suppose?”

There’s only one thing that can mean.

“StarCraft?”

“Yes. I play it sometimes. I don’t hate games, but I’m busy with work and don’t really have anyone to play with.”

Oh ho.

So that’s how it is.

I should casually mention this to hyung too.

“……?”

Vice President Kang Ji-hwan flinched when he saw the sparkle in my eyes.

“And this is some material sent over from Netflix HQ. I brought it because I thought you should see it personally, sir.”

It seemed like the reason the vice president came all the way here today was because of this material.

“These are the projects Netflix plans to release either this year or next year. Some are still in production. Netflix specifically asked that you look through this list and advise them on which project they should focus on.”

I looked through the material, and it included the characteristics of each project along with a brief synopsis.

“Thanks to you picking ‘Stranger Things’ and telling them to go all-in, Netflix is now enjoying massive success, sir.”

In short, they were asking me to pick out which project would be successful.

No matter how much they ask, there’s no way I can tell just from looking at this…

‘-Ah.’

At first, there was no reaction when I looked at the material.

But once I skimmed through the synopses, stems started spreading out from my thumb in all directions.

Some projects glowed a deep red.

Others a pale red.

I marked an X over the red ones.

Then, after spotting a few in blue, my gaze stopped on one particular project.

“…….”

Just like with ‘Stranger Things’, it was the only one glowing with a golden hue among the list. I circled that project multiple times.

“Please pass this along as is.”

The vice president quickly checked the list with curious eyes.

“……Money Heist?”

Then he tilted his head.

Money Heist.

It was an action heist genre about robbing a major bank.

“It’s a Spanish drama, too?”

What’s more, Money Heist wasn’t an English-language drama, it was Spanish.

People are generally more accustomed to English, so hearing a different language naturally creates resistance.

In other words, unless it’s extremely entertaining, it’s very difficult for a non-English drama to succeed.

And yet, my instincts were clearly radiating a golden glow on this drama.

A heist story, in Spanish.

Will this really catch on?

***

“Sir, this time TSMC says they’re cutting off all business with us.”

“What? Why?”

“It’s obvious. Looks like those Dragon Sea Alliance bastards stole them away. On top of that, they probably don’t like how close our Kwangwoon is with the Kangseong Group.”

CEO Kim Doo-young was starting to get a headache.

Kwangwoon Shipping had grown into the largest shipping company in the world.

But the bigger a company gets, the more pushback it inevitably faces.

And at the center of that was China.

“Our port business may have managed to go well, but are they saying they’re going to take the shipping business for themselves now? And what the hell even is Dragon Sea Alliance, anyway?”

If you break it down, it means Dragon Sea Alliance. (TL Note: It is orignally Yonghae Alliance which when translated means Dragon Sea Alliance)

Chinese companies, unable to stand by any longer as Kwangwoon Shipping continued to absorb Chinese shipping contracts, ended up forming an alliance.

In a way, it was an inevitable step.

No one would sit back and watch one company monopolize all the work.

While similar alliances had already been formed in Europe and other regions, they hadn’t had any significant impact.

But the Dragon Sea Alliance was on a different level.

Through the Belt and Road Initiative, there was plenty of leverage for the Chinese government to secure contracts, and the global oil prices had recently spiked and were now gradually stabilizing.

Above all, Chinese conglomerates had deep pockets and the backing of the government, so even if they suffered some short-term losses, they seemed focused on reducing the influence of Kwangwoon Shipping.

“On top of that, the Chinese government is increasing the intensity of their pressure… At this rate, we’re going to lose a massive number of clients.”

Taiwan’s TSMC had already completely severed ties with Kwangwoon.

The reason was Kwangwoon’s close relationship with Kangseong Group, which threatened their foundry business. All the related companies had cut ties with Kwangwoon as well and started turning to the Dragon Sea Alliance.

The biggest issue was that those bastards were targeting Kwangwoon’s facilities in Tianjin Port.

“CEO-nim. I think you’ll have to go… for advice again, this time.”

“Ugh. No one has any ideas?”

“We’ve tried racking our brains, but there’s no breakthrough in sight.”

“Sigh… I hate to bother someone who’s already so busy.”

He didn’t want to blame the executives.

Kim Doo-young couldn’t see any sharp solution either.

Only then did he finally understand the mindset of the old ministers of Shu who used to run to Zhuge Liang whenever something went wrong.

***

“I heard that business with Netflix turned into a huge hit? Ha! You really do have the golden touch, the golden hand.”

CEO Kim Doo-young was laughing heartily as he poured me a drink, but his face was crying.

“CEO-nim, is something wrong?”

“…….”

He downed his drink in silence, one after another.

“I know CEO Jung is very busy. I know I’m being shameless every time, but… please help us. I really need your advice this time.”

He even began venting in frustration, lamenting what was happening at Kwangwoon Shipping.

“So… you’re saying this Dragon Sea Alliance is threatening your business?”

“That’s right! These bastards are even using the Public Security Bureau to come up with bogus charges and launching investigations every day, trying to slap every kind of accusation on us! The conglomerates in the Dragon Sea Alliance must be throwing a ton of money at the government. Telling them to mess with us, Kwangwoon.”

It was the kind of resistance that had been expected.

The problem was that the resistance was too severe.

They had taken away TSMC and all of Kwangwoon’s major clients in Taiwan, and were even poaching clients from other countries as well.

“There are even rumors that they’re trying to tie me up in charges and get the Chinese government to arrest me.”

Of course, as a Korean citizen, he would be protected, but this was China, not just any country. Unpredictable things could definitely happen.

“What exactly do they want?”

“Tianjin Port. That’s what all this noise is about, they’re demanding we hand it over. But we can’t give that up. Do you know what kind of hell we went through to build and acquire that facility?”

And then it happened.

KWAAANG-!!

“!?”

A deafening explosion ripped through my ears, hard enough to feel like my eardrums were being torn apart.

Startled, I wondered if some kind of explosion had just occurred…

“CEO Jung? W-What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“Didn’t you hear that just now?”

“Huh? Hear what?”

Thankfully, it wasn’t an explosion from the restaurant.

Judging by the CEO’s reaction, the sound must have only been in my ears.

“…….”

I drank the shot in front of me to calm my shaken mind.

What the hell was that just now?

“They’re not just trying to take Tianjin Port by force, are they?”

“Well, they said they’d offer a fair price, so just hand it over and get lost. But no matter how much they offer, Tianjin Port is a core facility in our China line. If we give that up, they’ll be taking over the entire line. The loss to us would be massive.”

Then it hit me again, another intense, almost physically painful force that struck deep inside me.

And that’s when I realized it.

Right now, my intuition was warning me about Tianjin Port.

But I couldn’t tell what exactly it was warning me for.

Was it saying that if we didn’t give it up, our business would suffer massive damage?

“That’s why I came here to ask for your advice. We can’t just give up Tianjin Port like this, right?”

“…CEO-nim.”

“Yeah. Just say the word. I’ll do anything CEO Jung tells me to.”

“Let’s just give them everything, hand over all the Tianjin Port facilities.”

“…What?”

CEO Kim Doo-young looked at me like he couldn’t believe his ears and asked again.

“You’re saying… hand over Tianjin Port?”

“Yes. Didn’t they say they’d pay a reasonable price?”

“Hah, but if you consider its future value, there’s no way we can sell it at that price.”

“Still, give it to them. They say you avoid shit not because you’re scared, but because it’s dirty.”

“Don’t tell me… CEO Jung. Are you saying this to protect me?”

CEO Kim Doo-young’s face turned into a sorrowful mess, like he might burst into tears at the slightest nudge.

His hand holding the glass was trembling.

“Think about how much we’ve wrung out of the Chinese government, everything from shipping to port business. Just think of this as giving them a little service.”

“B-But… CEO Jung, you worked so hard to secure that. This is all because I’m incompetent…! Just hand me over to the Chinese government instead, CEO Jung! I’ll be the one to sacrifice myself!”

“I said it’s fine.”

“No, it’s not! Why would CEO Jung go so far to protect someone like me?”

“Do you know how important you are to our group? You think that damn facility is more important than that?”

“C-CEO Jung!!”

CEO Kim Doo-young’s face was already soaked with tears.

*****

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