Lost Fantasy has continued its series for 30 years. Each game has an OST, and over a hundred albums have been released so far.
From those, selecting songs to perform during a two-hour concert was quite a task. Song selection was decided directly by Taek-gyu in consultation with music director Kondo Hayashi.
Once the songs were chosen, they were arranged for orchestra, and CEO Park Hye-jin started the process of recruiting a choir and a pianist.
Amazingly, they succeeded in recruiting world-renowned pianist Eiji Takahashi. It's said that he contacted them first, without even being asked.
The reason is that he is also an otaku… no, a Lost Fantasy fan.
[OTK Company Fully Funds Renovation Costs for Korea Music Hall!]
[Korea Symphony Orchestra, Lost Fantasy Orchestra Concert]
[Collaboration between OTK Games and Korea Symphony Orchestra]
[Lost Fantasy 30th Anniversary Concert]
[Game Music, in Grand Orchestra. Gamers' Reactions?]
[A Meeting of Classics and Games.]
After the article was released, the internet went wild.
– lol, typical otaku company.
– Holy crap, this is huge. A 2.7 billion won concert.
– But will this even make money?
– It's just for promotion. Lost Fantasy Online is about to be released for the 30th anniversary.
– But who chose the songs? Every single famous song is in there.
– I've never been to a concert in my life, but I'm going to this one. I absolutely have to go.
– Let's go see it!
– Ah, I don't have money. Should I ask mom for allowance to go see classical music?
– Do I have to sell my Dragon Slayer Sword?
– Which server are you on? I'll buy it.
– Quietly joining the line to buy.
Three months later, the concert schedule was set, and ticket pre-sales began. Amazingly, tickets sold out in less than 3 minutes after pre-sales started, and scalped tickets were being traded for over three times the price.
The concert website was flooded with complaints.
– Why are you only doing this amazing concert once?
– Increase the number of shows!
– Let us have some culture too!
– We want to build our refinement, why won't you let us?
– Selling tickets. Contact me.
– Why did you buy them if you weren't even going to go?
– Scalpers are the worst ㅜㅜ
– Please execute the ticket scalpers.
The Korea Symphony Orchestra hastily arranged two more performances in Seoul, and decided to perform once each in Daejeon, Gwangju, and Busan as well. Unsurprisingly, all of them sold out too.
It's rare for a concert to sell out so rapidly. This was a reaction that no one had anticipated.
Hmm, so this actually worked out.
"At this point, we could probably add a few more shows, right?"
At my words, Taek-gyu wiggled his fingers.
"No, that's not right. Our concentrated firepower is strong, but the absolute numbers aren't that high. If we add more, then tickets will be left over."
"..."
Enthusiastic, but not mainstream, is that it?
His demand forecasting is sharp, as expected. His sense in this area is definitely extraordinary.
Interest poured in from overseas as well.
– Why are you only performing in Korea?
– Lost Fantasy is a Japanese game. Perform in Japan too!
– How much revenue did you make in the US? What about a US performance?
– Everyone! Let's show the power of Western otakus!
Performance requests poured in from planning companies in Japan, the US, and Europe, and the Korea Symphony Orchestra decided to go on an overseas tour altogether.
The issue continued for a while, and Lost Fantasy M climbed back to number 1 in the smartphone game store rankings, and anticipation for the upcoming Lost Fantasy Online also grew.
***
AD3 and AD4 are scheduled to start deliveries from the end of the month. Factories in the Rust Belt were working non-stop, assembling cars.
Chairman Im Jin-yong personally inspected factories and production facilities in Korea and Vietnam, encouraging employees. Chairman Han Chan-young placed orders for electric vehicle parts with Eunsung Motors' partner companies.
Experts predicted that Korea would benefit most from future cars after the United States.
Semiconductors, no matter how well exports do, have little impact domestically. The number of employees is small, and all production facilities are bought from the US and Japan. On the other hand, the electronics and automotive industries have very large ripple effects.
Large corporations announced that they would increase hiring in the first half of next year, and small and medium-sized enterprises also began to regain vitality little by little.
Breathing room was created for employment, which had been steadily declining. There weren't any big changes immediately, but the economic sentiment was improving, and the government stepped in to revive the economy by injecting funds.
While handling work, Christmas was just around the corner.
"It's quiet for the Christmas season."
It was as if showing the domestic economic recession. Still, huge trees were set up in the centers, and the Salvation Army's fundraising for neighbors in need was in full swing.
We also set up a large tree in front of the building and prepared gifts for employees. The gifts were year-end bonuses. There's no better gift than money in the world.
We plan to have a Christmas party as usual. This time, we decided to gather at Hyun-joo's sister's house.
A few days before Christmas, I welcomed a pleasant guest at the company.
"It's been a while, Senior."
"It really has been."
A young woman was sitting across from me.
No, she's graduated now, so she's not a student anymore, is she?
She seemed even prettier in the meantime. Her trademark bright blonde hair was still the same.
"You've become even prettier."
Yuri smiled at my words.
"Really? Thank you."
Now, she gave off an atmosphere more like a mature woman than a young-looking girl.
"Is Ellie Unni doing well too?"
"Of course."
"Please give her my regards."
I said, sipping my coffee.
"What have you been doing after graduation?"
"I studied and prepared for job hunting. I also did an internship for about 3 months."
"At RCK Bros?"
"No. At Hwa-an Securities."
Hwa-an Securities, as the name suggests, is a securities firm operated by the Hwa-an Group, and its scale is small.
Well, even among large securities firms, there's no place larger than RCK Bros among domestic financial companies.
"They didn't know there?"
"Of course not."
The daughter of the RCK Bros Vice Chairman as an intern. This is like some 'My company intern turned out to be a chaebol's only daughter' scenario.
"Ah! Seon-ah Senior sometimes asked about you. Did she contact you separately?"
"No. I probably don't even know her contact information."
Come to think of it, I had completely forgotten about Seon-ah. Even if she contacted me, we wouldn't have anything to talk about. It's enough if she's married and living well.
We drank coffee and caught up on things.
"Even received a Nobel Prize, now you're a total superstar."
"Superstar, please,"
Yuri said, laughing.
"Thinking about it now, it's really amazing. When we first met, weren't you just an ordinary returning student?"
"You're right."
When I think about it, quite a lot of time has passed since then. Companies that were like mom-and-pop stores have grown into ultra-giant corporations, and assets have grown endlessly.
My classmates all graduated and got jobs in the financial sector or large corporations. According to Yuri, Lee Hye-mi also got accepted into the Rite Group without any problems.
Seeing that she got a job, it seems to be true that large corporations are scooping up Korea University Business Administration graduates these days.
"What are you going to do in the future?"
"What else? I have to get a job. I even brought my resume with me. Would you like to take a look?"
I let out a hollow laugh.
"Are you really going to come here? Not RCK Bros?"
Yuri shook her head.
"It's not like I'm going to receive successor training or anything, what would I do going into Dad's company? And Dad says that Senior will move the world financial market in the future. If I'm going to work, shouldn't I work in a place like that?"
I chuckled.
"Me?"
"You're already doing it. National pension funds and investment companies are all paying attention to OTK Company's cash flow."
"Just looking at cash mobilization power, RCK Bros would be better than us."
"Is that even comparable? If you take equity as collateral for loans or issue corporate bonds, you could easily raise hundreds of billions of dollars."
There are a lot of places that want to lend money to us, that's true.
Yuri said, gauging my reaction.
"You're not not hiring new employees next year, are you?"
"Hmm."
Actually, we do need more people. The assets under management have increased, and the vacancy left by Henry's departure is also significant.
Yuri seems like she would be sharp and good at her job… but is it okay to hire like this through connections?
What should I do? Should I refuse?
While I was pondering, something flashed before my eyes.
"..."
She's going to get promoted to team leader later?
A moment later, when I came to my senses, I saw Yuri staring at me intently.
"Senior is still the same."
"Huh? What is?"
"That habit of spacing out sometimes."
"Ah! I just had something to think about."
Oracle really comes to mind at any time. Anyway, this must mean that Yuri is a necessary presence for OTK Company, right?
I nodded as if nothing was wrong.
"I'll hire you. Start coming to work from tomorrow and learn the ropes."
Yuri was startled by my words.
"What? Is it okay to hire this easily?"
I smiled and nodded.
"Yeah. It's okay."
Come to think of it, the current company staff are all gathered through connections.
There might be talk of favoritism or parachuting among the employees, but if she is capable, those words will quickly subside. If she's not capable, she won't be able to stand it herself and will leave first.
The financial sector is not such an easy place.
Yuri said happily.
"I have to brag to Dad. Please take good care of me, CEO."
"I also look forward to working with you."
***
Ellie, who had returned to her room after working out in the home gym, was soaked as if she had been caught in the rain.
Her outfit was a tank top that revealed her shoulders and abdomen, and black leggings. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail so it wouldn't get in the way.
Ellie took out the earphones she had in her ears and drank water.
"Yuri came to visit today during the day."
"Really? What has she been up to?"
"She studied, did an internship. She said she wanted to join OTK Company, so I told her to come in from tomorrow."
I added, as if making an excuse.
"We need more staff anyway."
Ellie smiled.
"I know. I'll be able to see Yuri at the company from now on."
Fortunately, she didn't seem to care at all.
"She said to send her regards."
"Really? Yuri is so pretty and cute, I think. And young."
I chuckled at those words.
"Ellie is young too."
Ellie pouted slightly, looking sulky.
"Young? I'm three years older than Jin-hoo."
Looking at her expression, I couldn't help but laugh.
"You were worried about that?"
Well, even though her appearance is Western, she grew up in Hong Kong when she was young, right?
"Well, it's not like I'm worried about it."
"Don't worry, if other people see us, they'll think I'm the older brother."
This is by no means because I look old, but because Ellie looks young. No matter how busy I am, I won't skip exercising like now.
"Actually, there's something I wanted to discuss with Jin-hoo."
"What is it?"
Ellie said, going into the bathroom.
"I'll tell you tomorrow."
***
Taek-gyu and I carried the ordered sushi lunch boxes and crossed over to the Golden Gate building.
We ate lunch together in the branch manager's office. Hyun-joo Sister picked up a piece of sushi and said.
"Do you know Bester?"
I've heard of it.
"Isn't it a sportswear company?"
"That's right. This company is currently preparing for an IPO…"
As national income increases, demand for leisure and sports also increases.
In Korea, the epitome of leisure and sports is none other than hiking. Mountains are close to the city, and people of all ages can enjoy it comfortably.
Padded hiking jackets became trendy, and even students wore them like school uniforms, and they sold like hotcakes.
After the trend passed, indoor exercises such as yoga and Pilates, and marine sports such as surfing and wakeboarding became popular. And in that market, a Korean company called Bester stood out.
Since there were already strong players in the outdoor market, Bester focused on targeting niche markets. Then, suddenly, a craze for leisure and healthy bodies swept through, and the market grew rapidly.
Luck also followed. Foreign celebrities wore Bester on vacation, and consumers mistook it for a European brand.
Thanks to this, they gained a premium image, and orders exploded during the vacation season. They achieved a market share of 70 percent in Korea, and continued their momentum, hitting jackpots in the Chinese and Japanese markets as well.
And now they are preparing for an IPO.
The expected market capitalization after the IPO is about 1 trillion won. The amount of stock to be offered to the public is 40 percent, and the money raised through the offering will be used to pioneer the ASEAN market.
Taek-gyu asked in surprise.
"What kind of clothing company is worth 1 trillion won?"
Hyun-joo Sister asked.
"There's nothing to be surprised about. How big do you think the global textile and fashion market is?"
Surprisingly, it's roughly 2 trillion dollars, a scale comparable to the IT market.
You might think, how much profit can you make selling clothes that cost a few tens of dollars per piece? But in the case of KARA, the world's number one fashion company, annual sales are 30 billion dollars, and net profit alone exceeds 3 trillion dollars.
It's not without reason that the founders of KARA (Spain), M&H (Sweden), and Uniqlo (Japan) are listed among the world's top 10 richest people.
"Anyway, at this level, it's a big deal in the Korean IPO market. They are in the process of selecting the IPO underwriter, and it has tentatively narrowed down to KYB Securities and Golden Gate. The problem is that they've put forward one condition for us."
"What is it?"
"They want to use Ellie as an advertising model."
At those words, we were taken aback.
"Ellie?"
Hyun-joo Sister said, looking troubled.
"I've met with them several times regarding the IPO underwriter issue, and it seems like their president has become smitten with Ellie during the meetings."
Ellie shook her head and said.
"Their president keeps contacting me to meet and talk."
I put down my chopsticks and muttered.
"Their president is contacting you separately?"
What in the world is this situation? Could there be some other intention?
Seeing my expression, Hyun-joo Sister added.
"Their president is a woman."
"Ah, I see."
I naturally picked up my chopsticks again, and Hyun-joo Sister and Ellie chuckled.
Taek-gyu asked.
"What are the conditions like?"
"They're groundbreaking. Not comparable to top stars, but unbelievably good conditions for a rookie model."
Actually, conditions like that are not that important. It's not like Ellie can't make money.
What's important is…
"Ellie, what do you think?"