The person James encountered in the lobby was Donald Trump, whom he had met the previous night at the World Trade Center.
“I happened to stop by because I know an agency in this building well. If your daughter wants to enter the entertainment industry, I can help.”
“Good morning. Mr. Trump. It’s surprising to meet you again here.”
Mom greeted Trump with a kind smile, and James suspected that Trump might have come on purpose.
‘Come to think of it, this guy also sponsored beauty pageants and ran a modeling agency.’
James found it amazing that a person so full of desires—practically a lump of desire—would become the President of the United States twice.
He was certainly a strange person, but he had solid execution skills and had survived and made a name for himself on the cutthroat battlefield of American capitalism, so he was definitely not ordinary.
“As a matter of fact, the agency I invested in is in this building. If you’re interested, I can show you around.”
“Thank you, but Jenny is learning dance and singing as a hobby; she has no intention of becoming a celebrity in America. We know well how difficult it is for an Asian to succeed in the American entertainment industry.”
“I can’t deny that. Still, my close friend Mike grew into one of America’s representative musicians despite being Black.”
Donald Trump subtly boasted about his friendship with Michael Jackson and said he could introduce him if they wanted.
The offer to introduce the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, tempted James, but getting further entangled with the extremely capable Donald Trump seemed dangerous.
“We’re planning to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art with Mom today. See you next time, Mr. Trump.”
“All right. Tell your mom to contact me. I want to keep the connection with you siblings.”
Trump went up to the agency office, and as they left the building, Mom spoke, sounding both amazed and slightly worried.
“James, that man didn’t follow us here, did he?”
“He specializes in real estate investment, but he’s famous for doing all sorts of businesses. In New York, he’s so influential that it’s probably true he has a business here.”
It seemed Trump had deliberately visited the modeling agency after hearing that Jenny attended vocal school, but since they only ran into each other in the lobby and nothing else happened, it was awkward to outright suspect him.
Having mostly finished shopping and exploring restaurants in New York, James headed with Mom to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, famous as one of the largest in America with the most exhibits.
The New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, true to America’s vast land, spanned 56,206 pyeong—larger than the Louvre or the British Museum.
It housed over roughly 2 million items, and even spending a full day, one couldn’t see all 236 exhibition rooms; it required at least two to three days to view everything.
“I heard the museum was big, but it’s much larger than I imagined.”
“We don’t have to see every piece; let’s just wander wherever our feet take us.”
They decided to come back if they liked an exhibit and headed to the ticket counter.
“Excuse me, are you Mrs. Kim and James Yoo from Korea?”
“We are, but how do you know our names?”
“Mr. Donald Trump has arranged a VIP docent tour for the two of you. One of our Metropolitan Museum curators will personally guide you and explain the works.”
With connections reaching everywhere in New York, Donald Trump had heard they were going to the Metropolitan and personally called the director to arrange a VIP tour for the two.
“James, it would be nice to have a docent tour, but I’m not sure if we should accept such a favor from him.”
“The museum is so vast that a VIP tour would be helpful. Instead, we’ll pay for it ourselves.”
When James offered to pay, they said it was already covered and refused, so he wrote a $1,000 check as a tip to the curator handling the tour.
Thanks to that, the two comfortably toured the museum through staff-only entrances and even saw famous works not on public display but stored separately.
“The VIP tour is really nice. But I’m troubled that we ended up accepting such a favor from Mr. Trump.”
“Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll handle it.”
Mom knew Trump was approaching her out of interest and was in an awkward position, unable to get angry because of the children.
Normally, James would have ignored it, but since Trump would become President around the time James planned to proceed with his AI project, he needed to build some connection this opportunity.
“Hello. This is James Yoo, whom you met at the restaurant yesterday.”
“Yes. How was the museum visit?”
“Mom asked me to tell you she’s grateful.”
James formally conveyed thanks and said he wanted to buy dinner in return.
“No need, but I can’t refuse gratitude. I’ll check my schedule and let you know.”
They adjusted to Trump’s busier schedule, and a few days later, James invited him to a famous New York steakhouse.
“Nice to meet you. I heard you helped our family in New York. I’m Seokhoon Yoo.”
“Haha. I’ve heard a lot about you. Your children are so bright and promising that I just provided a little convenience.”
Dad, called from Seattle, also attended the dinner.
Dad greeted Trump first, clearly drawing boundaries in the relationship, and with the husband present, even Trump couldn’t easily flirt.
Though a lone wolf, Trump—max-level in social skills—quickly adjusted, changing his words to say he helped because James and Jenny were cute and bright.
“I think my children are special too. Especially my son; sometimes he’s so outstanding it causes trouble.”
Since James had caused so many “incidents”(?) until now, it made for perfect conversation.
Dad started with how his son became close with Jefferson from Amazon.com and created programs, then went to Stanford with him and met graduate students making Yahoo, investing early shares.
“The fall semester hasn’t started yet, so he’s still a middle schooler, but the assets he’s built himself already exceed $200 million.”
“With the stock price keep rising, it’s over $300 million now.”
Trump’s eyes flashed upon hearing James’s asset size.
He had thought the kid was no ordinary child, but James’s assets—pure cash, stocks, and equity without loans—even surpassed Trump’s in cash.
“Truly impressive. I heard he sold programs to big companies, but I didn’t know he grew assets through pre-IPO equity investments.”
“Once, he wanted to invest in an animated film, so he visited a company called Pixar, met the CEO Steve Jobs, and invested directly. Luckily, the movie succeeded, and the IPO did too.”
Trump, mainly in New York real estate and entertainment, rarely met West Coast IT-based entrepreneurs.
Hearing that James had made big money investing in new businesses rapidly growing through recent internet and computer advancements, he showed great interest.
“I felt from the start he wasn’t an ordinary kid, but he far exceeds my expectations. It’s been a long time since I felt this thrilling excitement.”
Though he liked women, Trump liked money far more; he bit Dad’s bait and became engrossed in James’s stories.
“Since we met like this, it’s fate. I’d like to move into the luxury tower you’re building, uncle. Can you explain what it’s like? Dad, Taeu Group from Korea is partnering with Mr. Trump to build the highest-end high-rise residential building.”
Since it was the first luxury building bearing his name, Trump was sincere about this project.
He was already worrying about resident sales, so when James—with enormous cash—said he wanted to buy a unit, his eyes changed.
“Haha. Of course. No one can explain it better than me. I’ll tell you in great detail.”
The Trump World Tower, with Taeu Construction as partner, was planned opposite the UN headquarters in Midtown Manhattan—a 72-story, 262m skyscraper.
Large windows would offer vast views of the East River and Midtown Manhattan, with plenty of sunlight, so dark bronze glass curtains would be installed.
“Construction starts in 1999, and since Taeu Construction from Korea works fast, it should be completed in 2001.”
“By then, I’ll be an adult and need to live independently, so having a place in New York wouldn’t be bad.”
Mom and Dad sighed at James’s sudden real estate purchase talk, but knowing it was hard to stop their son’s decisions, they let him do as he wished.
Since construction hadn’t even started, they verbally agreed to the sale.
“I’ll live in this building too, so I’ll make it the best. The earlier you buy, the better the floor; I’ll give you the best unit after mine.”
By becoming the first resident of Trump World Tower, James could maintain the connection with him and also own decent New York real estate.
Successfully selling to the Asian family he met by chance improved Trump’s mood, enlivening the dinner atmosphere.
They talked various things and parted, agreeing to stay in touch often for the Trump World Tower move-in.
“If you go to Korea and need help or run into problems, contact me.”
“Taeu Group will help well, but if something comes up, I’ll contact you.”
Dad, with his own connections in Korea, gave his contact to Trump, who would soon visit on business.
Thus neatly settling the relationship with Trump, Dad had another dinner with different company before returning to Seattle.
“Wow! James’s dad is handsome too.”
“Haha. My daughter can’t lie.”
“Getting complimented by a young lady at my age feels good.”
The Sweeper family, who helped more with New York life than Trump, was invited, and Taylor immediately said Dad—intellectual cool handsome style—was handsome.
“James is handsome but looks kind; uncle looks a bit like a bad boy.”
“Haha. Scolding disobedient patients must have made my face scary.”
They had a warm dinner with Taylor Sweeper, now close, and her parents, promising to invite each other to their homes next.
“Jenny’s evaluation is the best; it’s such a waste she doesn’t want to be a singer.”
“Indeed, it’s hard for an Asian to be mainstream in America. Her future is bright, but I don’t want to make her suffer. Even I, a medical school professor, sometimes face discrimination; a singer living off public popularity would be even harder.”
“Then raise your daughter as a music professor. It would suit her well.”
“Haha. If she wants, I’d like that.”
Dad, flying to New York for the holiday, finished dinners with Trump and the Sweeper family, had lunch with Britney to say goodbye, returned to the hospital, and Jenny’s vocal school was nearing its end.