Kim Jeong-jin visited Jinhyuk Park the very next morning after being told to quickly draw up a detailed business plan. Sitting before Jinhyuk with sunken eyes as if he had stayed up all night, he calmly began to explain the details of the presentation he had given the previous day.
“As I mentioned yesterday, several major IT companies build and operate their own data centers. We also construct and manage our own. However, worldwide—including in our country—it is rare for a company to establish a large-scale data center specifically to lease it out to other IT firms, with only a few exceptions.”
Jinhyuk accepted the business plan and reviewed it. Even now, the document showed a value worth tens of trillions. It was a value that made him feel this was something they absolutely had to do.
“Let’s proceed with it.”
“President, however…”
Upon hearing that they would move forward immediately without any further review, Kim Jeong-jin looked at Jinhyuk with eyes full of concern.
“I feel like I might have painted too rosy a picture yesterday. There are potential issues.”
“Issues? What are they?”
“We need to find clients willing to move into the data center we build. We aren’t a proven entity in this market yet. Even if we execute a massive amount of capital to build a magnificent facility, if no one trusts us enough to move in… the business could face difficulties afterward.”
“I suppose it’s not like pre-selling apartments in our country.”
“Exactly.”
Jinhyuk sat back and crossed his legs, looking as if he understood the possibility. Then, he pushed a document toward Kim Jeong-jin. Kim looked at the paper placed before him and asked, “What is this?”
“For starters, Silhub will be the first tenant in the data center established by DS Telecom.”
“What?”
Kim Jeong-jin looked at Jinhyuk with a bewildered expression. They were only just drafting the business plan, so the fact that a tenant had already appeared was incomprehensible to him.
“Isn’t Silhub the project-sharing platform that’s been gaining a lot of attention lately?”
“You know of them.”
“There isn’t anyone in the sharing platform industry who doesn’t. They are especially popular among developers. The idea that one can carry out a project even without being part of a company is a brilliant one. But why such a place? No, wait. How did they know we were planning to build a data center and already reach out to collaborate? Do you happen to know someone there?”
Mid-sentence, Kim Jeong-jin slapped his knee as something occurred to him.
“Ah. I heard a rumor that the founder of Silhub is Korean. I also heard he’s the son of a president of a mid-sized domestic company. Have you known him for a long time?”
“Well, it’s true that we know each other.”
Jinhyuk gave a slight smile after speaking. Seeing that smile, Kim Jeong-jin felt proud that his guess was correct and looked down at the document Jinhyuk had handed him again.
“As I thought, you’re pushing for the data center construction because you have someone you trust. There’s been a lot of speculation in the industry about whether Silhub would build its own data center. Since they handle business projects rather than just videos or documents, they have to be extremely careful with capacity and security. If word gets out that we’re doing business with a place like that, the credibility of our data center will skyrocket.”
Kim Jeong-jin thought it couldn’t get any better than this if such a deal was already on the table before they even started. However, a doubt still remained.
“President. I heard recently that ownership of Silhub passed from the founder to an investment firm. What if the investment firm doesn’t trust us and pulls out?”
“That won’t happen.”
Jinhyuk’s voice was so firm that Kim Jeong-jin’s eyes wavered instead. No matter how close Jinhyuk was to the founder, Kim had heard his own share of industry rumors.
“President, I heard many companies are eyeing Silhub. Microsoft and Google have reportedly made acquisition offers.”
“I heard as well.”
“If they decide to move over there while working with our data center, things could get complicated. Microsoft and Google have their own data centers, after all.”
“That will absolutely never happen.”
“President, an investment firm pursues profit, so we must keep the possibilities in mind. We also need a backup or a Plan B…”
“Director Kim, that will never happen. Silhub will move forward with us, no matter what. They won’t be sold to Microsoft, nor is it a place Google can swallow just because they’re salivating over it.”
As Jinhyuk continued to show absolute certainty, Kim Jeong-jin still looked unconvinced. Jinhyuk smiled as he looked at him.
“You don’t believe me.”
“To be honest, I don’t. If Silhub were a company established in Korea, I could believe you. But it was founded in the United States. The States is a place that is strictly about calculation. Even if the founder is close to you, his heart might waver if Microsoft offers a fortune and Google promises support.”
“Didn’t you just say it yourself, Director Kim? That ownership of Silhub passed from the founder to an investment firm. Even if the founder’s heart wavered, what would it matter?”
“That’s why I’m even more uneasy. Isn’t an investment firm a place that seeks profit?”
“Do you happen to know the name of the investment firm it passed to?”
At Jinhyuk’s question, Kim Jeong-jin frowned and tried to recall the name he had briefly heard.
“JH Asset? I think that was it.”
“That’s correct.”
Jinhyuk looked at Kim Jeong-jin with a silent smile. After the simple confirmation, Kim was about to ask why Jinhyuk was staring at him like that when something occurred to him. His eyes gradually grew wide.
“JH? Is JH… by any chance *that* JH?”
“It is exactly the JH you’re thinking of, Director Kim.”
Kim Jeong-jin leaned back into his chair involuntarily. Then, he spoke in a much higher voice.
“Then, are you saying that you are the owner of Silhub?”
“To be precise, JH Asset is the firm that manages my assets, and they own Silhub. So, you could say that indirectly, it belongs to me.”
“I heard the current market valuation is hundreds of billions of won…”
“Once we establish the data center and use it to grow the business, it won’t be hundreds of billions. It will be trillions, no, tens of trillions.”
“You’re right! It certainly will!”
Kim Jeong-jin couldn’t wrap his head around the unexpected answer. But that wasn’t all.
“And DS Construction will build the data center.”
“DS Construction?”
“It’s a project worth trillions; I can’t leave it to someone else, can I? Of course, they won’t do it alone. They’ll participate in the construction alongside Dongjeong Industries as a business partner. Dongjeong Industries owes me a bit of a debt, so I should give them work to help them clear it.”
“If it’s Dongjeong Industries… you mean your family’s?”
“Exactly.”
Kim Jeong-jin let out a hollow laugh. Just a moment ago, he had been agonizing over how to properly explain his business plan to Jinhyuk. Even though Jinhyuk liked the idea and wanted to proceed, Kim had thought the man might lack a proper understanding of the specifics.
But now he realized that Jinhyuk had already finished the conceptualization of the data center business. He felt that Jinhyuk had been waiting for someone to bring this business up, and if no one had, he might have just thrown it at the executives himself.
The company that would move in was prepared, and the companies to build it were already decided. He even wondered if the location had already been secured or was in the process of being secured. Everything, including where the funding would come from and how the project would proceed, was in Jinhyuk’s hands.
“You mentioned there are technologies and processes required for a data center?”
At Jinhyuk’s words, Kim Jeong-jin snapped back to his senses and answered. “Are you referring to security?”
“I don’t know much about those small details. So, consult with Silhub and proceed with the work. And regarding construction, talk to President Hisoo Hyun of DS Construction. I’ll arrange a meeting, so you, Director Kim, can take the lead.”
“I’m only a director… will it be alright for me…?”
He couldn’t even fathom a mere department director working directly with the president of a subsidiary. Furthermore, while it was framed as talking to Silhub, he might frequently have to speak with Jinhyuk himself. After all, the actual owner of Silhub was Jinhyuk Park.
“Starting tomorrow, your title will be Data Center Director. And when the official appointment comes through, the position of Director will be elevated to an executive level. So, Director, I want you to design the business from the ground up and proceed immediately. If I may say one thing, Silhub is currently in a hurry. That means we need to move forward right away without overthinking things.”
Kim Jeong-jin was in a state where he couldn’t get a grip on everything that had happened since yesterday. He had talked about the data center platform while worrying about what Jinhyuk might be interested in, and not only did he receive instant approval, but he was also given the right to lead the project.
Kim Jeong-jin bowed deeply toward Jinhyuk, who had placed such trust in him.
“I will do my best.”
“In this kind of business, time is money. Do not be afraid and proceed. Everyone you’ll be working with is highly capable.”
“Yes. I will keep that in mind.”
Kim Jeong-jin resolved to work himself to the bone for Jinhyuk Park, who trusted him so much. With Jinhyuk pushing him from behind, the first major project at DS Telecom began.
***
The construction of DS Telecom’s data center came as a surprise to the market. Since DS Telecom already operated multiple data centers, many thought it wouldn’t be particularly noteworthy news.
However, once the construction costs, scale, and tenants were announced, the market was initially unable to calculate the profit and loss as they scrambled with their calculators.
Previously, for large-scale data centers, it was generally thought that they should be equipped with their own power generation facilities in cold regions of the Northern Hemisphere to account for cooling costs and electricity usage.
But when the announcement stated they would build them in various locations across Asia, starting domestically, the prevailing opinion was that they might be overextending themselves. Especially seeing DS Telecom preparing to execute 5 trillion won for the first round of construction costs, people wondered if the company’s business direction was shifting.
However, the government immediately welcomed the news, showing an atmosphere that appreciated DS Telecom’s large-scale capital execution. Seeing that investment was finally occurring in an industry that had been shrinking due to the Paris Flu, the government expressed its intent to specifically assist with DS Telecom’s project.
Moreover, various local cities engaged in lobbying to have the data center hub selected for their respective regions. Now, the market atmosphere had shifted to welcoming DS Telecom’s data center construction.
“Where do you think is the most suitable?”
“This place. This region seems the most suitable. And using this as a base, it seems possible to link the data centers we own in Seoul, Busan, and Incheon into one.”
“Weren’t you planning to build a new data center while maintaining the existing ones? I understood the policy was to operate the two separately.”
“That was the initial plan. However, we’ve identified that the synergy gained from linking other data centers together like a hub is significant, so we plan to approach it with that in mind from a technical standpoint right from the beginning.”
“Good. Then when do we start domestically?”
“Since DS Construction already owns the land, construction can start immediately. And we’ve already begun negotiations with various companies regarding equipment. It’s not that we can’t buy it because we don’t have the money; the current situation isn’t bad enough that we can’t get anything if we have the funds.”
Everything was proceeding without a hitch. Once word got out that large-scale capital was being invested, equipment manufacturers began approaching DS Telecom to sell their products. Furthermore, since they had existing clients from winning telecommunications equipment contracts, there were no issues with the supply of equipment.
Progress was significantly faster than when an existing software company would build a data center to process its own data.
“But President. Will the board’s approval be an issue?”
“The articles are already out, so are you worried the board will make it a problem?”
Kim Jeong-jin knew that for a project of this scale, board approval was mandatory. Moreover, it was a move that could change the very nature of the company. He couldn’t imagine a board of directors giving approval for such a thing without a second thought.
“Director Kim, you don’t need to worry about such things. Once the domestic part is settled, you need to focus on where in Asia our central point should be. You know that the primary location is the most important, right?”
“Yes. I am aware.”
Kim Jeong-jin nodded vigorously at Jinhyuk’s words. He, too, understood the status and importance of the primary location.
The board of directors that Kim Jeong-jin was worried about was already as good as in Jinhyuk’s hand. Furthermore, neither the outside directors nor the inside directors, whose reappointments were due next year, had any grounds to refuse Jinhyuk’s wishes. The board had long since become nothing more than a rubber stamp for Jinhyuk.
Jinhyuk was quite satisfied with Kim Jeong-jin’s work. It was as if Kim had been waiting to do this kind of work for a long time, handling things one by one as if he were already prepared. Seeing Kim, Jinhyuk felt that if someone else had been in charge, things wouldn’t have moved this fast; the progress was ahead of schedule.
“Then, Director Kim, please head down and proceed with the next steps… and President Hyun, please stay for a moment and have a word with me.”
At Jinhyuk’s words, Kim Jeong-jin stood up, bowed, and left the room. Jinhyuk gave a light nod toward him and then looked at Hisoo Hyun, who had been sitting there silently until now.
As if he had been waiting for the two of them to be alone, Hisoo Hyun began to speak the words he had been holding back the moment Kim Jeong-jin left.
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