Just as I was getting used to the lavish décor of the chairman's office, my phone rang.
It was a call from David.
"Boss! The acquisition of DHL's U.S. freight transport division is complete."
"It took a bit longer than I expected."
"You said it wasn't urgent, so I deliberately stalled the negotiations. Kept them on edge a bit, and they lowered the price on their own. We sealed the deal for 30% less than our projected cost."
Even in the midst of a busy schedule, David had handled the job flawlessly.
He used to be exceptional at lobbying, but over time, he had developed solid negotiation skills as well.
"You did well. Thanks to you, I can focus on my work here in Korea without worries."
"However, I think you'll need to come to the U.S. soon. The presidential primaries have ended. Just as you predicted, Obama has been confirmed as the Democratic candidate."
The U.S. presidential election was only a few months away.
He himself wasn't particularly moved—he already knew how it would turn out—but for the media and the public, it was a shocking, miraculous outcome.
"The primaries just ended—do I really need to head to the U.S. now? The general election hasn't even happened yet."
"Candidate Obama would like to meet and talk with you."
"Well then, I suppose I'll need to make the trip soon. I did have a few things to take care of over there anyway. But I can't arrange the trip too quickly. I've only just taken over as chairman, and it's not easy for me to be away right now."
How could he refuse a meeting with the next president of the United States?
Obama wasn't officially elected yet, but building rapport now would ensure a smooth eight years ahead.
"As long as you come sometime next month, it should be fine."
"Alright, I'll schedule the business trip. By the way, what's the situation like on Wall Street these days? With Team Leader Han now in Korea, I haven't been getting much news."
"He's not Team Leader Han anymore—he's President Han now, remember? Wall Street is an absolute mess. Several companies are going bankrupt every week, and it's a feeding frenzy with others scrambling to pick the bones. Especially the Quantum Fund—they're sinking their teeth in hard."
It was a situation he had anticipated.
The Quantum Fund had followed his lead and taken out subprime mortgage insurance.
Unlike other financial institutions on Wall Street, they had avoided investing in subprime
mortgages altogether, so their losses were minimal. That left them with plenty of money to throw around.
"Just let them fight among themselves. That way, their attention will shift away from us."
"I'm already letting them go at it. Just standing back and watching the show."
"Then contact me once the U.S. trip is scheduled."
After ending the call with David, I made my way to TaeWoo IT for the first time in a while. Unlike when I was vice chairman, now that I'm the chairman, the employees were lined up in formation, waiting to greet me.
"This kind of protocol isn't necessary. It doesn't help with work efficiency, so don't do this again."
"It won't happen again, Chairman."
This display of over-the-top loyalty had been orchestrated by a secretary's office staff member.
The former chief secretary had recently been reassigned to Vietnam, leaving the position vacant.
Now the remaining staff were in a competitive scramble to win the chief secretary post, going overboard to earn favor.
"Keep the formalities to a minimum. And don't leak information ahead of time when I plan to visit subsidiaries. It only causes unnecessary hassle."
"I apologize. From now on, we'll keep your movements strictly confidential."
After firmly warning the secretary's office staff, I headed into the conference room.
Not long after, Team Leader Chun Min-jung peeked her head in and stepped inside.
"Congratulations on your promotion, Chairman!"
"Please speak to me like you used to. Just because you study artificial intelligence doesn't mean you need to talk and act like one."
"You becoming chairman feels like you're suddenly out of reach."
"There's no real difference between vice chairman and chairman. If we keep the conversation casual, it'll help the project move along more smoothly. So don't feel pressured."
Chun Min-jung stuck out her tongue slightly and took a seat.
When she first started working at the company, she'd shown little to no sense of decorum. But now that she held the title of team leader, she seemed to be making at least some effort to act with courtesy.
"Alright, I'll just talk to you like I used to. Honestly, while you were in the U.S., we couldn't have any idea meetings, so I've got a backlog of concepts piling up."
"Organize those ideas and send them to me. Next time we meet, we'll go over them in a dedicated session. Today, I came to talk specifically about the autonomous driving project."
Chun Min-jung began pulling out her notebook.
If she were to start going through all the ideas she had written in there today, they'd probably be stuck in the office for days.
That was why I quickly redirected the conversation, clarifying that today's purpose was autonomous driving.
"The project is going well. We've made improvements to several of the technologies being used by car manufacturers, and we've finalized some new features, too. Of course, we're still not at the level of full autonomy."
"Even if full autonomy is tough, isn't highway driving—with fewer variables—a feasible starting point?"
"It really depends on the highway. On some, especially those with heavy traffic, there are actually more unpredictable variables than on local roads."
"What about U.S. highways? We just acquired the American freight division of DHL."
The United States had a landmass nearly 100 times the size of South Korea.
That also meant that trucks would need to operate over an area 100 times larger to transport cargo.
American truckers were known to drive across vast highways for three or four days at a time, often without seeing another vehicle for miles.
"If it's U.S. highways, then yes, the number of variables would be significantly lower. But the problem is we don't yet have the data needed to apply autonomous driving effectively."
"Then we'll start collecting that data from now on. For now, let's begin by implementing a collision-avoidance system for truckers, and gradually expand from there."
"We can roll out the collision-avoidance system right away. And as we gather more data, I'll work on slowly integrating the autonomous driving system."
Acquiring DHL's freight division was essentially a move to support the development of autonomous driving.
Especially considering how much larger the U.S. market was compared to South Korea's, it was a logical and strategic decision.
"I'll arrange for us to partner with an American taxi company soon so we can start gathering road-driving data, too."
"Are you seriously setting your sights on the U.S. market now?"
"After South Korea, of course, the next target should be the U.S. market."
"That's true, but we still need to succeed in the Korean market first. And there are too many constraints here. Take the remote control system, for example—it's practically complete, but we can't put it to use because of regulations."
Chun Min-jung scrunched her nose in frustration.
She was clearly upset. After all the effort poured into developing the technology, the fact that they couldn't use it was infuriating.
"How safe is the remote control system?"
"You could say it's actually safer than a human behind the wheel. When you sit in the driver's seat, your field of view is naturally limited, but the remote control system has no blind spots. And since it's still a human controlling it remotely—not an AI—there's no issue with decision-making either."
The main reason for regulating remote control systems had always been safety.
But if remote control could prove to be safer than human driving, then there was really no justification to restrict it.
"I'll work on having the regulations for remote control and other autonomous driving technologies lifted soon."
"Really? You think that's actually possible?"
"Does it sound impossible to you?"
"Well, politicians are usually sensitive about public support, right? If autonomous systems get implemented, it'll hurt the votes from people in industries like taxis, buses, and freight. So wouldn't they be reluctant to support it?"
Chun Min-jung had clearly been influenced by the societal climate—she was even starting to think like a political analyst.
And she wasn't wrong. She had a sharp understanding of the current political landscape in Korea.
The politicians wouldn't dare ease regulations if it meant losing votes from people working in transportation.
"That's exactly why the regulations need to be relaxed now. Right now, the general public doesn't care much about autonomous driving. But over time, when people start realizing how much it can reshape society, the resistance will grow. We need to make the changes before that happens."
"Then I'll just put all my trust in you!"
Chun Min-jung flashed a bright, innocent smile.
She looked genuinely happy at the thought of finally being able to show the world the technology she had worked so hard to develop.
"Let's schedule an idea meeting sometime soon."
"You'd better come prepared. I've been holding onto a lot of ideas during your absence."
Looks like it'll be at least a three-day ordeal.
Still, if a few days of mental exhaustion were the price for keeping Chun Min-jung loyal to Taewoo Group, then it was definitely a worthwhile investment.
***
A few days later.
The head of the Planning Office burst into the chairman's office, visibly flustered.
Having worked with him for so long, I could gauge the severity of the situation just by the urgency of his footsteps.
"What happened?"
"We've received an official invitation from the Blue House. It's supposedly a meeting with the top ten conglomerates, but that's just a formality. It's really a setup for a one-on-one meeting with you. The other corporate heads are scheduled for 11 a.m., but your meeting is two hours earlier."
Even as Korea's top conglomerate, Taewoo Group wasn't in a position to turn down an official invitation from the Blue House.
If anything, I had been expecting this and felt no pressure at all.
"Well, I suppose now that I've become chairman, it's about time I paid a visit to the Blue House."
"There's a chance they'll try to keep you in check. During the presidential primaries, Taewoo Group was the only major player that didn't offer any support. There's a good chance they're holding a grudge."
"Maybe under normal circumstances. But with a global economic crisis looming, they don't have that kind of luxury. When's the meeting scheduled?"
"This Wednesday—just two days from now. The short notice is what's so suspicious. Meetings like this are typically announced at least a month in advance. It's highly unusual to be notified just two days ahead."
The head of Planning looked visibly uneasy.
Was the Blue House trying to discipline me?
Or were they trying to pressure Taewoo Group?
He was full of such suspicions, but I saw things from a different angle.
"If they're calling me in this urgently, something must have happened. I have a pretty good idea what it is."
"What do you think it's about?"
"It's probably about the Korea Development Bank's acquisition of Lehman Brothers. The negotiations must be in the final stages, and they want my input before they put the finishing stamp on it."
Relief washed over the Planning Director's face.
The fact that it had to do with the KDB deal—and not some political vendetta—put him at ease.
"But would it really be okay to go empty-handed when meeting the President? Don't you think we need to bring something that reflects well on him?"
"We can't go empty-handed, of course. Something like a new factory investment or a charity initiative should do."
You couldn't bring cash or material gifts.
Even though that would be cheaper, there were too many eyes watching.
It was customary to present a project that could help boost the President's approval ratings.
"I'm not sure something small will satisfy them this time. I'll have the Planning Office draft a proposal for a large-scale social welfare initiative."
"No need for that. I've already prepared a gift far more substantial than any welfare project."
Taewoo Group had definitely fallen out of favor with this administration.
But the moment I revealed what I had prepared, that bad blood would be washed away instantly.
It was the kind of project that would add a major achievement to the President's legacy.