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CH47 | Heir
🕑 Added 2025-03-24 03:42:08 +0000 UTCAugust in Germany.
Once again, David had been sent to Germany under Kim Min-jae’s orders.
Using his exceptional networking skills, he managed to secure a meeting with the organizing committee of the German Electronics Expo.
He had only one goal—
To increase Taewoo Electronics’ presence at the expo.
David aimed to position the product presentation either first or last in the lineup and secure a prime location for the Taewoo Electronics booth—right at the center of the exhibition hall.
To achieve this, he went all out to win over the committee members.
For days, he poured drinks and treated them to extravagant meals before finally bringing up the real topic.
"Taewoo Electronics is introducing an innovative new phone this year. It’s a perfect fit for the vision of the German Electronics Expo. Wouldn’t it be worth giving it more prominence?"
"Hmm... Taewoo Electronics’ reputation is certainly growing. However, it still lags behind other companies. Besides, Samjin Electronics and Japanese firms have been making significant efforts since last year."
They had been lobbying for years.
David quickly realized that he would need to increase the offer and continued the conversation with that in mind.
"Taewoo Electronics is committed to putting in the effort starting now."
"Hmm... We might be able to increase your exposure slightly, but giving Taewoo a better booth than Samjin Electronics would be difficult. As for the product presentation, we’ll try to assign a good slot, but first or last is out of the question."
Even raising the lobbying funds had little effect.
At this point, it didn’t seem like money would make a difference.
The real issue was that Samjin Electronics and Japanese companies already had strong brand recognition.
Meanwhile, Taewoo Electronics was still seen as a lesser player, particularly in technological capabilities.
Lobbying alone wouldn’t be enough.
And yet… how had the boss foreseen this situation so precisely?
Before sending David off, Kim Min-jae had told him exactly what to say if things played out this way.
"For security reasons, we couldn't disclose this earlier, but this new phone is actually Steve Jobs' comeback project. He personally oversaw everything, from the design to the software. Taewoo Electronics is only responsible for production."
"Wait… are you saying this is Steve Jobs’ comeback project? Why didn’t you tell us sooner?! If that’s the case, we can definitely make some adjustments."
The committee members huddled together, deep in discussion.
If this was Steve Jobs’ grand return, a major showcase was inevitable. No one would object.
The only problem was timing.
Had they known a few months earlier, securing a top-tier booth and presentation slot would have been a given.
But by now, they had already accepted huge lobbying funds from various companies and made commitments.
After a long debate, the committee finally responded.
"We can adjust the presentation schedule, but the booth location is tricky. If Taewoo Electronics takes the center spot, Samjin Electronics and Japanese companies will definitely raise a huge issue."
"Then how about this? Instead of a Taewoo Electronics booth, we create a dedicated smartphone showcase. Taewoo’s name can be completely omitted. If it’s labeled as Steve Jobs’ comeback booth, who would dare object?"
"Oh! That could actually work!"
This was exactly the strategy Kim Min-jae had provided.
David had simply played his part, relaying the plan like a well-rehearsed script.
"Well then, now that we’ve sorted out the tough issues, let’s enjoy some drinks."
"Agreed! Let’s drink until sunrise!"
Once again, David found himself drowning in alcohol.
Of course, he had secretly taken liver supplements beforehand—
Allowing him to drink freely while keeping up with the committee members.
***
The Last Week of August
I traveled to Germany with Jonathan, Manager Lee, and the top engineers from our mobile production team.
The moment we arrived at our hotel suite near the exhibition hall, we were greeted by a familiar face.
"Hey, Kim! It’s been a while. Hearing your voice over the phone is one thing, but seeing you in person makes it even better."
"Steve! You’re here already? I thought you’d arrive just before the event started."
"This project means too much to me to take my time. This event has to be flawless—I won’t tolerate a single mistake. That’s why I want to run a rehearsal for the product presentation right now. Can we get everything set up?"
If there was ever a definition of a workaholic, Steve fit it perfectly.
Before we even had a chance to unpack properly, the team had to set up the equipment in the suite for the presentation rehearsal.
And that wasn’t the end of it.
Steve’s meticulousness was on another level—he wouldn’t let us move to the next slide until we had revised the presentation dozens of times.
At times like this, the best strategy was a strategic retreat.
"I’m going to head over to the exhibition hall to check on the booth setup."
"Oh, sure! Go ahead. I’ll keep running rehearsals here."
With that, Manager Lee and I left for the event venue.
Jonathan, who was in charge of design, wanted to join us, but Steve seemed to have taken a liking to him—so much so that he wouldn’t let him leave his side.
"The scale of this exhibition is incredible. It’s an honor to attend such an event, thanks to you, Director."
"You’ll be coming to these events more often from now on."
We walked around, observing the layout of the venue.
Eventually, we arrived at the Taewoo Electronics booth, where the vice president of the company rushed over to me in a panic.
"Director, the phones from the R&D lab still haven’t arrived. How much longer will it take? We need to display them now to finalize the booth arrangement."
"The phones won’t be displayed at Taewoo’s booth."
"They won’t be displayed...? …I see."
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
Did he think we weren’t unveiling the phone at all at this event?
How little must he think of me to assume that?
Well, if that’s what he wanted to believe, it worked in my favor.
Taewoo Electronics and its mobile business were entirely separate matters.
Though Taewoo had been a pioneer in Korea’s mobile phone industry, alongside Samjin Electronics, the company had always prioritized the home appliance market over mobile phones.
As a result, I, too, viewed Taewoo Electronics and its phone division as separate entities.
With only a passing glance, I walked past the Taewoo booth—just as I would any other company's booth.
With the end of rehearsals, the start of September marked the official opening of the German Consumer Electronics Expo.
People from Europe, the U.S., and Asia, all with a keen interest in consumer electronics, flocked to the exhibition hall.
Soon after, the main event—the product presentations—began.
CEOs and representatives from various companies were eagerly promoting their new products.
Manager Lee was completely absorbed in the spectacle, unable to tear his eyes away.
"Do you think DVD players will really replace the video market? A single CD offering better picture and sound quality than VHS tapes? I can’t believe it."
"That day will come sooner than you think."
"And the speed of digital camera development is unbelievable. The price is still too high, but being able to take pictures without film—it’s just incredible how fast technology is advancing."
The people around us seemed to share Manager Lee’s sense of amazement.
But to me, this felt like a museum exhibit, filled with relics of a bygone era.
That didn’t mean I wasn’t interested.
In fact, knowing exactly what the next version of these technologies would be, this was the perfect opportunity to strategize and secure key advancements.
"Finally, it’s our turn."
"I can’t watch—I’m too nervous."
"Calm down. You’re not even the one presenting. Why are your legs shaking like that?"
Manager Lee couldn’t keep his hands or feet still for even a moment.
Just then, the lights dimmed, and as a spotlight illuminated the center of the stage, Steve appeared.
"Today, I stand before you to introduce a revolutionary, user-friendly mobile phone. Some of you might struggle to see it clearly—since it’s so compact."
With that, Steve pulled a foldable phone from his pocket.
Click!
He snapped open the flip phone, revealing its sleek design.
"The mobile phones we use today are no better than bricks. They’re called 'mobile phones,' but their design makes them incredibly inconvenient to carry. So, I created a phone that folds in half—making it the perfect size and weight to fit comfortably in your pocket."
A giant image of the foldable phone appeared on the massive screen behind him.
The press immediately fired away with their cameras, their shutter clicks filling the hall.
The crowd erupted in cheers and applause.
"But that’s not all. A product isn’t truly innovative just because it looks sleek and compact. This phone comes with an incredibly user-friendly interface."
As he spoke, Steve reached for a black briefcase—one that looked just like something out of 007.
Steve opened the briefcase and unceremoniously dumped its contents onto the floor.
"A phone book, a calculator, a notepad, a calendar—there’s no longer any need to carry these around. This phone replaces them all."
As he spoke, he manipulated the flip phone, demonstrating each built-in function.
Today, these features are considered standard, but at that time, many phones lacked even basic functionalities beyond making calls.
Back then, mobile phones were just that—portable communication devices, nothing more.
Steve was determined to emphasize that his phone was different.
Since the software was developed by his own company, he spoke flawlessly, without hesitation.
"Ah! And some of you might assume that because this phone is small, the battery life must be limited. But that’s not the case. It can last over 100 hours on a single charge and allows for easy battery replacement."
With effortless precision, Steve even demonstrated how to swap out the battery.
Every word he spoke, every small movement he made, had a captivating effect on the audience.
"A revolutionary design and revolutionary features—this phone deserves a name that reflects its innovation. I’m calling it… Innovation. Hmm, that’s a bit long, isn’t it? Let’s keep it simple: INO-PHONE."
The crowd erupted into thunderous applause.
I, too, clapped for Steve, though a part of me felt a tinge of regret.
Deep down, I wanted to call it the iPhone instead.
But a foldable phone didn’t quite deserve such a name.
For now, I had to be content with the similar spelling.
"Director! The reaction is insane! The press and audience are already flooding our booth!"
"During the expo, we’re going to have an overwhelming number of visitors. Many of them are potential customers, so make sure to maximize our promotion."
"Steve and Jonathan have agreed to stay at the booth full-time, so there’s nothing to worry about on that front."
Unlike the official Taewoo Electronics booth, this entire setup had been independently organized.
That meant we had to mobilize a large number of researchers from our tech lab to run it.
I had carefully assessed everyone’s skills, assigning those with strong communication and marketing abilities to handle customer interactions.
But even I hadn’t expected this level of excitement.
The booth was so packed that there was barely any room to move.
People were literally pushing and shoving to get a closer look at the device—a rare sight at a tech expo.
Standing at a slight distance, I watched the scene unfold with satisfaction.
But my moment of peace didn’t last long.
"Director, a U.S. buyer has requested a meeting to discuss a bulk purchase of our phones."
"Buyers are moving already, huh?"
"Not just from the U.S.—European buyers are also requesting meetings."
Taewoo Electronics had its own sales team, but our tech lab had no such division.
Since I held final decision-making authority, I had no choice but to handle these negotiations myself.
