“Tanya, who was the winning bidder for this lunch?”
The lunch with Barbara was considered a highly valuable auction item at Sotheby’s, so much so that it was dubbed the “Golden Hour.”
It was simply the right to have lunch with Chairman Barbara, but since it only appeared once a year and considering the opponent, the price and competition soared every year.
“It’s a man named Ayasaki Hideo.”
“Ayasaki Hideo?”
“He’s from a traditional retainer family in Japan. Although he is the eldest son of Hideo Corporation, he did not inherit the family business. He has been known for his exceptional intelligence and has made a name for himself in the stock market. His skills in reading the stock market led to him being headhunted by EPE. Despite being young, he is highly competent and recognized even in Japanese political circles.”
Chairman Barbara nodded briefly. She hadn’t expected a Japanese person to win the Golden Hour. Most people who wanted to have lunch with her were usually wealthy individuals from America and Europe.
After all, there was no need for anyone to pay millions of dollars just to talk to her unless they were extremely rich.
“Additionally, despite being Japanese, his skills have been recognized on Wall Street. EPE even recruited him as an executive due to his talent in reading the stock market.”
“He’s working on Wall Street?”
“Yes, on Wall Street, they refer to him as the ‘Flesh-Colored Bull.’”
The term “Flesh-Colored Bull” made Chairman Barbara chuckle.
The bull is a landmark representing Wall Street and symbolizes a booming stock market. She wondered what kind of person would be called the “Flesh-Colored Bull.”
“Nice to meet you, I am Ayasaki Hideo!”
As she had heard, he was a young Asian man.
Chairman Barbara welcomed him at a cozy restaurant. It was a famous restaurant in Manhattan, where it was hard to get a reservation, especially during lunchtime. Yet, in the spacious restaurant, only Chairman Barbara and Ayasaki Hideo were sitting across from each other.
“What do you think about EPE’s investment direction, Chairman?”
Even while sharing a meal, Chairman Barbara answered Ayasaki Hideo’s questions without hesitation.
He was indeed as brilliant as she had heard and had an exceptional ability to read the stock market. His assumptions were in a league that ordinary people couldn’t even imagine, making the conversation quite interesting for Chairman Barbara.
However, his ability to read the stock market felt entirely different from Kang Hyun’s.
After all, Kang Hyun had a vision that seemed to foresee the future, so comparing him to someone like Warren Buffett, the so-called Emperor of Investments, would be more appropriate.
“Chairman, may I ask you one more thing?”
“Of course. This is the time you paid for, Mr. Hideo. You can ask anything, and I will answer.”
“Thank you very much.”
Ayasaki Hideo was sincerely grateful.
To an outsider, it might seem unnecessary to be so grateful after spending millions of dollars, but the conversation he had with Chairman Barbara was worth much more than that.
“I’ve heard rumors that Barbara Group has completely withdrawn its investment in the pharmaceutical company AOA. On Wall Street, it’s being dismissed as a baseless rumor, but I thought otherwise.”
“You’re correct, Mr. Hideo. It’s not just a rumor.”
“Could you tell me why you withdrew the investment in AOA? With my limited knowledge, I can’t see any reason to withdraw the investment. The clinical trials of the new drug were successful, and both Wall Street and institutional investors are moving in a big way. Originally, Barbara Group had the opportunity to secure high shares and lead the market, didn’t it?”
Chairman Barbara took a sip of tea and placed the cup down with a clink.
“I received advice.”
“Advice?”
Ayasaki Hideo looked puzzled. Who could possibly give advice to Chairman Barbara?
In a world where wealthy individuals would pay millions just to have lunch with her, even the President of the United States would need to schedule an appointment to meet her.
The only people who could advise Chairman Barbara would be her parents. Sensing Ayasaki Hideo’s thoughts, Chairman Barbara elaborated.
“He’s the only person I trust and believe in. With his advice, withdrawing the investment was not difficult.”
“Was that advice worth more than the tangible benefits of investing in AOA?”
“Mr. Hideo, you’re mistaken. Advice is just advice. The choice is solely mine. Our meeting today is the same. I’ve given you various pieces of advice, but it’s up to you to listen and decide. I just completely trust the person who advised me. Isn’t trust something that can’t be measured in monetary terms?”
Ayasaki Hideo seemed to realize something as he nodded and looked at Chairman Barbara.
“Chairman, could you tell me who that person is?”
Chairman Barbara smiled knowingly.
By now, countless names must have been flashing through Hideo’s mind. Notable figures from American politics and business, including Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. As the names of renowned legends passed through his mind, Chairman Barbara began to speak.
“Oppa, do your ears itch?”
As Kang Hyun scratched his earlobe, Yooha looked at him with a puzzled expression.
When Yooha, who had her head resting on his shoulder, looked up at him, she resembled a cute puppy to Kang Hyun. He patted her head and smiled.
“Someone must be talking about me.”
“It must be the kids at my school. Did you know that after you gave a lecture, even some of the male students became your fans?”
“Male students?”
“Yeah, even the ones who usually don’t talk about classical music are talking about you these days. Especially those who are confirmed to go to MIT already think of you as a genius. Especially Carlyle, the friend who talked to you about Gryphon.”
Kang Hyun never expected that even male students would like him. However, considering the lecture he gave at Phillips, it wasn’t surprising. Even the students of that prestigious school were amazed by Kang Hyun’s knowledge.
“But when will you be back today?”
“I’ll probably decide after having a meeting with the New York Phil…”
“Hee-ing.”
She looked like a puppy eagerly waiting for him at home.
Son Yooha also wanted to go with him, but she chose to stay in the studio, worrying she might be a distraction. Kang Hyun promised to come back as soon as the meeting was over and got up from his seat. At that moment,
Smooch.
Son Yooha grabbed his sleeve and kissed his cheek. Kang Hyun smiled at the pleasant feeling, and Yooha’s face turned as red as a ripe persimmon.
Despite resembling the Ice Queen from his past life in appearance, she was still a shy and bashful girl.
“Really nice to see you, Hyun!”
It was Antonio, the concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic. He greeted Kang Hyun with exaggerated gestures, making Kang Hyun feel a bit overwhelmed.
He had worried that concertmasters might be cold and cynical, recalling Dmitri from the London Symphony, but those fears were unfounded.
“I always watch Hyun’s performances on video without missing any. If Korea were closer to the U.S., I would visit Korea to watch your performances every time. You wanted to collaborate on the orchestra’s performance for the upcoming project, right?”
No matter how famous Director Jim Philmer was, the orchestra had its own rules.
Orchestras with historically supreme reputations and achievements were known for not participating in commercial films and dramas.
In that sense, the New York Phil had an incredible reputation, on par with the Berlin Phil when it was under the leadership of the Empress Karajan.
“Even our Maestro is considering it positively. Our members feel the same way. It would have been impossible without you, Hyun. You’ll understand when you meet our Maestro; he’s quite conservative. If he hadn’t seen your performance at the British Royal Concert himself, he would have refused even if it meant cutting off his head.”
After all, a young Asian boy conducted a performance at the British Royal Concert.
That too in Britain, where racial discrimination was as severe as in Europe. Moreover, conducting is a field where one’s skills are recognized regardless of age or gender.
The sight of a young Asian boy skillfully conducting the London Symphony was shocking to the general public and a significant shock to many maestros.
Even years later, people still talked about it, which was proof of its impact.
“Honestly, I was eagerly waiting to collaborate with you, Hyun, even if it wasn’t for this project. I heard you did quite a lot at the Royal Academy of Music. The stories about the concerts there were amazing. Even the undergraduates at the Royal Academy of Music are geniuses, but you stood out among them.”
“You know about the concerts at the Royal Academy of Music?”
“Haha, I have an old friend working as an associate professor there. I hear about you from him all the time.”
How much time had passed? Antonio was an excellent conversationalist.
Even though Kang Hyun was usually quiet, Antonio filled the gaps in the conversation effortlessly. He recited the repertoire of Kang Hyun’s performances as if he had memorized them, showing that he wasn’t lying about following all of Kang Hyun’s performances.
Kang Hyun wondered if Antonio might be the head of the F.H (Forever Hyun) fan club branch in New York.
At that moment,
“Maestro!”
Antonio stood up abruptly. Through the wide-open door, the Maestro of the New York Philharmonic and Director Jim Philmer walked in together.
However, their expressions were unusual. At that moment, Director Jim Philmer looked at Kang Hyun with a shocked expression.
“Hyun, who are those reporters waiting outside?”
“Reporters? What do you mean?”
“Yes, there are reporters outside the studio waiting for us!”
It didn’t make sense. Only a very few people knew about the meeting between Kang Hyun and the New York Philharmonic officials in Director Jim Philmer’s studio.
But that wasn’t the only surprising thing. Director Jim Philmer swallowed and spoke with a serious expression.
“I asked a reporter I know, and he said there’s a strange rumor circulating on Wall Street.”
“A rumor?”
“Yes, a rumor about the big hand that moved Barbara Group’s Chairman Barbara Tannenbaum.”
That is.
“The rumor is that the big hand is none other than the violinist Hyun.”
