Chapter 177: <Two sides of the same coin>
Pangyo.
A large sign was being placed on an eight-story building.
Bit Trading.
Jung Jinsup said to Choi Gichul, “You made the right decision. This will be a huge success.”
“It better be. I invested a lot into this.”
Jung Jinsup quickly glanced at Choi Gichul, who couldn’t stop staring at his cellphone.
[Breaking News] Kang Woosung purchases ARM.
[Breaking News] President Kang getting ready for the IoT world.
[Breaking News] President Kang Woosung spreads his wings to the world.
Jung Jinsup murmured quietly, “What is he planning now?”
He was curious. Why did Woosung buy ARM?
Jung Jinsup asked Choi Gichul, “We will deal with not only bitcoins but other cryptocurrencies too. It will run like a hedge fund that trades stocks. We will also make our own cryptocurrency to make an even bigger profit.”
Woosung had prepared Jung Jinsup on what to say.
Choi Gichul answered coldly, “I will find the way to make money. You just focus on the technology. I will take care of the rest.”
“A, alright.”
Choi Gichul turned to his phone again. More news popped up.
[Breaking News] Kang Woosung donates 100 million dollars to Oxford University, opens an AI research center.
[Breaking News] President Kang donates one billion dollars to the AI research.
[Breaking News] Kang Woosung receives an appreciation plaque from England’s Prime minister.
“What is his plan…?”
“Hmm?”
Jung Jinsup asked, but Choi Gichul didn’t bother answering. He walked into the office. Everything was ready including the employees and the equipment.
Choi Gichul murmured to himself, “Let’s see who wins.”
***
At a luxury hotel suite in Paris.
Woosung was drinking a glass of vintage wine. “This bottle cost me over 3000 dollars, but it tastes mediocre to me. Wine from convenient stores might have suited me better.”
Jang Gwangchul laughed, “Haha, you are the richest man in the world. If people heard you say that, they will think you’re crazy!”
Woosung ate a piece of foie gras and replied, “I can’t tell the difference between foie gras and cow liver.”
“How can you compare foie gras to cheap cow liver? You have such poor taste. All you know is how to make money. You need to learn now how to have an expensive palate.”
Jang Gwangchul took a sip and ate a piece of foie gras too. He closed his eyes. “It’s heavenly. I can’t believe you don’t appreciate this.”
Woosung ate another piece. “Does it really taste different?”
“For sure! Should we order another plate?”
“I’m full. We have a busy schedule tomorrow so you should go to bed now.”
“But I want more…”
“We have a lunch date with the French President. In the afternoon, we have to announce the purchase of Wiko. Tomorrow, we have to publicize that Coconut’s international transfer system will be cooperating with BNP Paribas.”
Wiko.
It was a smartphone company in France. It currently ranked number two in the world. Blue S was, of course, number one.
Jang Gwangchul grumbled. “Stop nagging me.”
“Haha, this is how you become a trillion-dollar corporation.”
“You work so hard. It’s amazing.”
“We need to be aggressive with our M&A. Our stock prices are rising because of our strategy. I am expecting to reach the trillion-dollar mark in three years.”
“But why can’t I drink a little bit more right now?”
“I will let you drink your fill after we successfully take over BMW. We will have a big celebration.”
“Alright.”
BMW in Germany. That was Woosung’s final goal for this trip.
The next day.
After the lunch with the French President, Woosung signed the contract with Wiko and appeared at the BNP Paribas office.
“We will now test the international money transfer system.”
Everyone watched expectantly as one thousand Euros were transferred to a Korean Nuri Bank.
It was completed in a minute.
It was even faster than expected, but Woosung was not satisfied.
“I guess international speed is not as fast as I hoped.”
Julia, who also attended as a representative of Coconut Bank, replied, “Boss, a minute is beyond successful. It used to take a week! Do you not realize how great this is?”
“I know, but why haven’t the other banks use this before?”
“Because their technology is still at a beginning stage, and their security system is questionable. Look at everyone here. They are all impressed.”
“If it happened within 5 seconds, they would have accepted this system right away.”
Jang Gwangchul replied, “Don’t be so hard on yourself. This is good.”
“We can’t be happy with just good, or else another company will do better. We need faster transfer to destroy the dollar system.”
Julia replied, “Boss, as I said before, the dollar is the world currency. If the dollar system goes down, the whole world will be in trouble. Cryptocurrency can’t replace the dollar system completely.”
“You are wrong, Julia. Do you know how the dollar became the international currency?”
“I’m just telling you to be realistic.” Julia reddened.
Woosung continued, “If every KND branch in the world starts using the Coconut Coin, what do you think will happen? People will use Coconut Coins to shop at Home Mart and electronics from KND. I can also use the Right Capital to make real estate purchase possible with this currency. What do you think will happen then?”
Julia bit her lips.
Slowly, the CEO of BNP Paribas approached them.
“It looks like the test was a success. We would love to incorporate the Coconut system. By the way, what were you guys talking about? It looked interesting.”
Woosung answered, “Something very interesting. Do you want to hear about it?”
Julia looked at him in shock.
***
Woosung explained, “Euro was unable to replace the dollars. China has tried, but its currency couldn’t do it either. So should the world continue to be controlled by the dollar system?”
No one could answer Woosung’s question.
“If we go on like this, we will never escape from it.”
BNP Paribas CEO looked at Woosung with interest.
Woosung continued, “But if we change the system completely, it will be possible. Cryptocurrency is the answer.”
One man asked, “Are you referring to Coconut?”
Woosung nodded and answered, “That’s right. As you just saw, international transfer only takes minutes now. Soon, it will become even faster. It will take less than 10 seconds, which will eliminate the transfer fee. Currency exchange will become unnecessary.” Woosung continued quickly, “Most people already don’t carry money around. They use credit or debit cards. Soon, there will be a room for cryptocurrency in everyone’s life. If BNP Paribas becomes part of Coconut, it will become the leader of the European economy. It will become the only bank in Europe because Coconut will share its technology only with BNP Paribas.”
The CEO and the other representatives swallowed. It was such a futuristic dream, but it was Kang Woosung, who was the richest businessman in the world. It was hard to dismiss him.
“I already made a similar offer to JP Morgan and HSBC. You better make a quick decision if you want to survive the coming of the future.”