A sensational incident that would go down in Super Bowl history.
During the halftime show, Justin ripped off Janet Jackson's top.
In 2004, the shocking moment of Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction was broadcast live across the nation.
The incident sparked a storm of rumors and speculation.
It was widely believed that while the tearing of the top had been pre-agreed upon during the planning stages, Janet Jackson had deliberately worn nothing underneath in an attempt at viral marketing.
Whatever the reason may have been—
A similar incident erupted once again in this lifetime, and David was utterly horrified, unleashing a string of F-bombs.
"Boss! Social media is blowing up. What on earth was she thinking?"
"Calm down and keep watching the TV. The halftime show just ended, so the Taewoo Group commercial should be airing now."
Before the uproar had even settled, the advertisement began.
A complete contrast to the wild halftime performance, the Taewoo Group commercial exuded serenity.
Soft piano music played as an unknown singer appeared on screen.
Her voice had the power to heal, and throughout the ad, it seemed to wash away the chaos and shock that had shaken the viewers.
As the commercial drew to a close—
The unknown singer gently lowered the microphone and left the audience with a single, clear statement:
"The beauty that cannot be seen."
A quote borrowed from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
One can only see rightly with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eye.
It was a passage from The Little Prince, and it carried the message that the design and performance of the Taewoo Group's products went beyond what meets the eye.
"Boss? That commercial feels like a direct jab at the halftime show."
"Just a coincidence. That was never the intention."
The halftime show had flaunted visible beauty and ended in scandal.
But the Taewoo Group commercial conveyed a message: don't chase superficiality—look within.
"Intentional or not, it's clear the commercial and the halftime performance will be talked about as a pair. Social media's already flooded with posts comparing the two. You can bet the news will pick it up tomorrow too."
"Not a bad thing for us, is it?"
In other words, we were the beneficiaries of noise marketing.
It felt a bit like stealing a meal someone else had set up perfectly, but since no one else was going to eat it anyway, we might as well.
"Intentional or not, the Taewoo Group ad is going to have a huge impact. It'll be talked about for days—no, even years."
"We poured an astronomical amount of money into securing that Super Bowl ad spot, so we deserve at least that much payoff. I'm heading to bed now. I'll see you tomorrow. Ah, and a guest will be arriving tomorrow—send someone to greet them."
"Don't worry! Sleep well! I'm going to finish watching the Super Bowl."
Though David claimed he was watching the Super Bowl—
His attention was glued to his smartphone, not the TV. And chances were, most people were doing the exact same thing.
The next day.
Maybe it was the jet lag, but I woke up a little later than usual. After taking a shower in one of the company's in-house facilities, I headed into work.
"Boss! The guests are waiting in the reception room."
"I'll go right away."
I couldn't let such important guests wait.
I quickly straightened my clothes and made my way briskly to the reception room.
"You must be tired from the long trip. It's been such a long time."
"Oh, we're just a couple of jobless bums with nothing to do. No hardship at all. We're honored that you even invited us."
Two very important guests:
Chad Hurley and Steve Chen.
The co-founders of YouTube, brought here to the SAVE investment firm.
I had already placed the rest of their early development team into positions at Google and Taewoo IT, but to truly complete the video platform, these two were essential.
"There was quite the incident yesterday, wasn't there?"
"It was total chaos. Steve Chen missed the entire halftime show while doing something else, and he stayed up nearly all night looking for a site where he could rewatch it."
"I couldn't find anything. It made me so mad I even considered building one myself. I just don't get why a platform that lets people share and replay videos in real-time doesn't already exist in the U.S."
This was exactly why I had called them here today.
The creation of YouTube had a deep connection to the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show.
It was also the time when these two geniuses personally felt the urgent need for a video platform.
"I completely agree. That's why I've decided to build such a site myself. I started planning it a few years ago, and it's about halfway complete now."
"Are you serious? Already 50% done?"
Seeing is believing.
I took out my laptop and pulled up the alpha version of the video platform.
"It's a site where anyone can easily and quickly upload videos, and anyone can watch them. Just like music streaming sites, it also shows real-time rankings, and there's an algorithm that automatically recommends videos tailored to each user's preferences."
"This is exactly the kind of site I've been dreaming of! Ah, if only you'd launched it a little earlier—I wouldn't have had to suffer through last night!"
"It's still incomplete. So, what do you think? Would you be interested in joining me to develop this video platform?"
They were people who had already made a fortune through one successful startup.
With just a rough explanation and a look at the alpha version of the video platform, they could already assess the business potential.
"Who could say no to a proposal like this? A person naturally devotes their loyalty to someone who truly needs them."
"I'm in as well! I've grown tired of this unemployed lifestyle."
The two developers accepted the proposal more easily than I had expected.
Then again, it was also the result of the time and effort I'd put into cultivating these relationships.
And they had confidence—confidence that anything done with me wouldn't fail.
"I'll prepare an office in one of the Silicon Valley buildings. You two will lead the project as its heads. We've also hired a large number of developers from Korea who were working on a similar concept. They'll be a huge asset in improving the platform."
"The more developers, the better. It's been a while since I worked on something like this—just thinking about it makes my heart race!"
"First, let's go over the contracts. Here are the NDAs, employment contracts, and equity agreements. Take your time reading them, and feel free to consult your lawyers."
They gave the documents a quick skim and signed without hesitation.
They were well aware of how important contracts were in this industry, but perhaps their trust in me was enough to let them skip the usual due diligence.
"Thank you both for accepting the offer. I can start calling you team leaders now, right?"
"Then we'll start calling you boss!"
With a firm handshake, I had successfully brought two geniuses onto the team.
I personally saw them off all the way to the parking lot, waving enthusiastically as they left in a company car headed for the airport.
"Boss! You should've left that to me. I could've gotten their signatures on the contracts myself."
"These were people I wanted to meet and sign personally. That's how important they are."
"To me, they just look like the usual nerds you see around any engineering school, but if you say so, I believe you."
We chatted as we made our way back up to the office.
Once there, a team leader was waiting for us with a mountain of reports.
"Why is there so much?"
"Well, considering how many projects you've started, it's only natural that the reports pile up, isn't it?"
"I don't have time to read through all of them. Just give me a verbal summary of the important parts."
"…Sigh. Sir, I think it's time I returned to Korea. How long do I have to keep writing reports and economic forecasts you never read?"
Team Leader Han's frustration was understandable.
After all, everything at SAVE Investment Company ran through him.
I had tried to bring him back to Korea, but there was simply no one else capable of managing SAVE properly. I had no choice but to leave him in the U.S.
"Please endure for just five more years. After that, I plan to appoint you as the CEO of Taewoo Securities."
"You're saying… you'll make me the CEO of Taewoo Securities? …I'm not even old enough for that kind of position."
"Does age really matter? Whether it's Wall Street or the Korean stock market, performance always trumps age. Who else has a better track record than the general manager of SAVE Investment, which consistently ranks in the top one or two in returns?"
This wasn't something I said just to comfort him.
I had long considered appointing him CEO of Taewoo Securities once I became chairman.
Today was simply the first time I'd voiced that thought to him.
"CEO of Taewoo Securities… I imagine many of my peers and former superiors are still there?"
"Most of them are. No other company in Korea matches Taewoo Securities in salary and benefits. The turnover rate is practically zero."
"Then I definitely want to go back. Crunch!"
Team Leader Han clenched his teeth tightly.
It seemed he had unresolved issues with someone he had once worked under.
Maybe he was already fantasizing about stepping on that former boss as the new CEO.
"Can you summarize the important matters for me?"
"I'll keep it as brief as possible. First, SAVE Investment has recorded over 40% returns every year for the past three years. Some firms have posted higher short-term profits, but over the long term, there are almost none that have outperformed us."
That level of performance was only possible thanks to Team Leader Han's capabilities.
I had passed along fragments of knowledge from memory, and he had used his sharp analytical skills to craft optimal investment portfolios.
"It's all thanks to your hard work."
"Thank you. However, there are a few investments under SAVE that are currently showing losses. In particular, the money invested in the battery company has hardly been recovered at all."
Over the years, we had poured in trillions of won into the battery market.
It was an investment in the coming era of smartphones and electric vehicles.
It was about buying time with money.
Of course, time was a precious commodity, so the cost was high. But if we could accelerate technological development by just one year, the profits could multiply several times over.
"Still, hasn't revenue increased with the growth of the smartphone market?"
"We do have a deal with Apple, but the volume isn't that significant. And even if revenue is increasing, we keep raising our research and development budget every year, so it barely makes a dent."
"Keep investing a little longer. Right now, it may look like a money pit, but this is an industry that can return your investment many times over."
Team Leader Han voiced no further complaints.
Having worked with me for so long, he had strong faith in my judgment.
"I'll take care of the other matters myself."
"You're done? Then I'll give my report now. Boss! I've got updates on the Indian election, the U.S. presidential race, and that Senator Obama I told you to meet."
Now it was David's turn.
His report took a full two hours.
Most of it aligned with what I had already anticipated—or better yet, pointed to positive developments.
TL/n -
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