I casually tipped my wine glass as I continued the conversation with Murdoch.
“From now on, internet news will beco the mainstream. Print newspapers will see their circulation steadily decline.”
“Hmm... even if the internet develops, will it really co to that?”
Murdoch expressed doubt at my words. Wasn’t News Corporation late in launching its online edition?
If he was making such judgnts, then the chances of falling behind other dia groups were high.
Well, that explained why he had been overtaken by his competitors.
“The world will change quickly.”
“I know that. But right now the internet is too slow. Even if it gets faster, how much faster can it possibly get?”
Unlike Korea, Arica’s internet penetration was still low.
Not just penetration—the speed itself was far behind Korea’s.
Still, the world would change quickly, and those who failed to adapt would inevitably be left behind.
Besides, Apple’s iPod had already launched earlier than planned. Likely because of the hint I had given Jobs when we t.
That ant even smartphones might co earlier than I rembered.
The world might change faster than the future I knew.
To avoid obsolescence, one had to adapt more quickly than others, move ahead of the tis.
“Precisely because your scale is smaller, you need to pursue change faster than the rest. How long will you tolerate the ridicule of being called a tabloid?”
People called Murdoch the emperor of dia to his face, but behind his back cursed him as a fake journalist peddling trash rags.
He surely knew it. His face darkened slightly.
Watching his furrowed brow shadowed in gloom, I spoke again.
“Sorry for poking your sore spot. But it couldn’t be helped.”
Of course, Murdoch didn’t just own newspapers.
He also had the heavyweight film studio 20th Century Fox, and various other dia companies.
But his true power ca not from entertainnt, but from newspapers.
Even as tabloids, the sheer circulation was enough to sway public opinion.
And unlike the progressive dailies, his was one of the few conservative ones.
If dia domination couldn’t be achieved through newspapers alone, then it was ti to leverage everything else he held.
“Newspapers are just the beginning. You need to use film, TV dramas, everything. To seize Ti Warner, you need to bulk up even more. Build an empire truly befitting a dia emperor.”
“Easier said than done. It’ll cost a fortune. Not to ntion I’ll have to deal with the old foxes in Washington and the greedy beasts on Wall Street.”
Arican politicians knew how to wield the press.
Unlike Korea, freedom of the press was stronger, and newspapers openly supported either Democrats or Republicans depending on their owners.
“Right now, the Republicans are in power, and the President’s approval ratings are higher than any in history. If not now, it’ll only get harder.”
“That’s true, but...”
Murdoch wasn’t stupid—he knew this was the perfect ti.
But I also knew he lacked the money to acquire newspapers and studios.
Instead of pointing it out bluntly, I chose to phrase it indirectly. Slowly swirling my wine glass, I smiled.
“Who do you think the man sitting across from you is? Don’t worry about money. Just decide what to acquire. We’ll invest through a rights issue.”
“Hmm...”
“As I said earlier, as long as you don’t betray first, I have no intention of touching your managent rights. Jas, who runs Dreamhigh, feels the sa. And you know very well who the vice president of Black Bear is.”
Chairman Murdoch nodded.
If he’d dug into at all, he would know most of what I’d deliberately allowed to be exposed.
“Believe . I never betray my own people unless they betray first.”
I stopped swirling the glass and raised it toward him.
“So don’t worry about anything else. Just focus on making News Corporation the greatest dia group in Arica—no, in the world.”
“Thank you.”
Perhaps envisioning a rosy future, Murdoch’s face lit up with joy.
‘So even with his son on the brink of death, his greed blinds him to everything else.’
Well, if the eldest died, there was still the second son. No doubt Murdoch thought the sa.
“Now then, let’s have one last drink.”
Murdoch nodded and raised his glass, lightly clinking it against mine.
Let him never forget the fear and gratitude he felt toward in this mont.
I looked him straight in the eyes as I drained my glass.
“Oh, Chairman. You know Marvel, right?”
“Of course. Nobody grows up without reading their comics.”
“Acquire them too. Ti Warner has DC Comics, so balance it out by taking Marvel. They should be under serious financial pressure right now.”
Murdoch froze mid-sip, staring at with doubt flickering across his face.
“Is there really any need for that?”
“Imagine turning all those countless comics into movies. A single shared universe, with every Marvel hero gathered together. It’s every fan’s dream. And when people see their childhood heroes co alive on screen, won’t they go wild?”
“Ah...”
Murdoch had already built a small paper into a company spanning the Anglosphere. His business acun was sharp.
With just a small hint, he could see far ahead.
Watching him sink into thought, I leisurely tipped my wine glass.
* * *
“Ailee!”
Han Kyungyeong strode into the clubhouse president’s office, waving at Ailee.
“Ah...”
Ailee, reviewing docunts with Ellen, pressed her forehead and glanced nervously at her father.
“Ellen, working already on your first day?”
Han Kyungyeong followed her gaze to Ellen.
But Ellen was focused solely on the paperwork.
Soon Ellen, struggling with the mountain of files, let out a sigh.
“Whew... couldn’t be helped. It’s hard to imagine a ss this bad.”
“Really? Hmm.”
“The debts are taken care of thanks to you, so no major financial problem. But if we cut all of Taylor’s people at once, I’m not sure the club will even function.”
“Then recruit proper talent. No matter the cost. Running a club isn’t that different from running a business, right?”
Han Kyungyeong said lightly, but Ellen only sighed deeper.
“Whew... the season’s about to start. Who makes rash moves at a ti like this? I don’t even know who to bring in right now...”
“Premier League, Spain, Italy, Germany—anywhere’s fine. If they’re good, bring them. Double their salary and they’ll co.”
“...You really try to solve everything with money, don’t you.”
Ellen’s remark made Han Kyungyeong shrug.
“Most things can be solved with money. And you said ti is short, didn’t you?”
“....”
Ellen’s long sigh was answer enough. Slowly shaking his head, he turned to the window.
“Transfers aside, first we need to deal with the ones outside screaming their heads off.”
“Whatever else, those people are all fired. Don’t even think of keeping them out of pity.”
“I wasn’t planning to.”
“Stop standing there and sit down.”
Ailee set two cups of coffee on the table.
Han Kyungyeong averted his eyes from her sharp glare and sat down.
Ellen put down the papers and smiled faintly at him.
“You said it doesn’t matter how much it costs? Transfer funds and operating funds, both?”
“Of course. But transparent accounting is a must. I need to know where the money’s going.”
“That’s obvious. Still, we can’t replace the entire squad. For now, we’ll throw Taylor’s cronies on the transfer market and bring in the players we need.”
Han Kyungyeong sipped his coffee and nodded.
“Do as you see fit. I don’t know soccer, or club managent. I’ve entrusted it to you, so run it responsibly. Oh, and about that promise to the fans regarding new players—we need to push that too. Which dia outlets are friendly with Leeds United?”
“They’re all under Taylor’s thumb, so I arranged an interview with a new local paper. You’ll do the interview.”
“?”
Han Kyungyeong blinked wide-eyed, looking between Ellen and Ailee.
“People don’t know Charlie yet. You’re the club owner, so it has to be you.”
“That wasn’t in the plan. I don’t know a thing about soccer—I’ll probably just spout nonsense.”
He truly was a soccer ignoramus, just a figurehead by Kim Muhyuk’s design.
“Haha. It’s just a formality. The basic questionnaire’s already prepared.”
Ellen called to Ailee.
“Ailee. Help him prep for the interview.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Now let’s summon the staff one by one and collect resignations. With the data you gave , I can end this strike cleanly.”
“Oh, and about sponsors. Korean companies will take them. Aren’t the current main sponsorship contracts ending this year?”
Ellen tilted his head, shuffling papers.
“That’s true, but... Korean companies?”
“Our partner firms will be both the main and sub-sponsors. They’ll pay more than anyone else.”
Ellen, who had been rising, sat back down. Resting his chin on clasped hands, he gave Han Kyungyeong a grave look.
“Our main sponsor has backed us since the Championship days. Cutting them off in one stroke...”
“Ellen, this isn’t negotiable.”
Han Kyungyeong cut him off, recalling Kim Muhyuk’s words.
‘In a few years, global companies will pay fortunes just to put their nas on top Premier League jerseys. Our uniforms must carry Joongwoo Group’s brand and those of our partner firms, no exceptions.’
Since it was Kim Muhyuk’s order, this point could not be compromised.
“This is Charlie’s word. Anything else, but not this.”
“...Ha.”
Ellen sighed deeply, but then steadied himself and nodded slowly.
“Alright. I’ll handle it.”
“Thank you. Shall we /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ go now?”
Han Kyungyeong rose, followed by Ellen and Ailee with the docunts.
“It’s going to get noisy for a while.”
Han Kyungyeong led, Ellen and Ailee trailing behind toward the eting room.
* * *
After a long talk, I sent Murdoch off.
“Still, keep a close watch on his moves for now.”
“Yes, boss.”
“What about Taylor?”
“Alex took full responsibility. From recruiting a gang to staging it as an accident—everything.”
Having one man handle it was better. Too many hands, and things could go wrong.
I liked how he worked. To think he’d accounted even for this.
Alex was proving more useful than expected.
“His years in the field show. I like how he just gets things done.”
“Seems so.”
“What’s the deadline?”
“He promised within a week.”
A week? That I could wait.
“And Ellen’s family’s security?”
“We sent a full team with President Han.”
“Good. That should be enough—they won’t lose to any gang.”
My biggest reason for coming to the UK was to stop The Sun from publishing stories about .
Now that the nuisance was dealt with, it was ti to leave.
“Prepare for us to head to Greece next week. I plan to rest there about a week.”
“Yes, understood.”
I was finally going to visit that island in the Aegean, completed long ago but neglected.
“Go now. I need so rest.”
After Manager Ma left, I picked up my phone.
— Boss!
Eva’s cheerful voice greeted .
“Busy?”
— No, nothing much. Ilseong is strangely quiet.
“Then wrap things up and co to England. Let’s go to Greece together and rest a week.”
— Oh! We’re finally going?
Excitent filled her voice.
“Yes. I’ll leave next week. You can either co to England or straight to Greece.”
— Okay! I’ll clear my schedule and call you.
“Really nothing big happening?”
— Nothing. Ah! Just finishing up Daehyeon Group’s succession arrangent. Helping them sort shares. But it’s not urgent.
“Alright then. See you next week.”
After ending the call, I leaned back on the sofa and closed my eyes.
Running without proper rest for so long had left drained.
Not just —my people too.
Thinking of spending ti together, I felt my lips curl faintly upward.
Ti passed, and I left the UK, boarding my private jet to Greece.
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