Chapter 419

Arthur Smith discovered a remarkable talent among the signed artists at Galaxy Records: Coco Lee! Just a few years ago, she debuted as a new singer. Coco had immigrated to the United States as a child and started her music career while studying at the University of California, Irvine. After dropping out, she returned to Hong Kong, entered the TVB New Talent Singing Awards, and signed with Capital Artists. She then released Mandarin albums through Capital Artists' Taiwan-based Modern Sky Records.

At 20 years old, Coco had already released two popular Mandarin albums. Her unique American singing style and her fusion of pop, dance, and rock made her stand out.

Arthur thought, "This year, she'll be releasing an English album." He believed that once Galaxy Records fully supported her, they could push her onto the international stage. Unlike before with Capital Artists, Galaxy had no problem doing that now.

...

The Yangmingshan foothills, Beitou hot springs, located 12 km from the northern outskirts of Taiwan, were surrounded by beautiful mountains and scenery.

"Mmm," Arthur murmured in the hot spring pool as he kissed the beautiful Joey Wong.

"Here, have a drink," Joey said, pouring a glass of wine from a floating tray and feeding it to Arthur.

"There are so many beauties in Taiwan. Haven't you met a few in the past days?"

Arthur, holding Joey, playfully roamed his hands over her soft fullness and replied, "With you, I have all I need!"

That evening, Joey took Arthur to her apartment in the Xinyi District of Taiwan. In the bedroom, Joey lay on the bed with her face flushed, resting on Arthur's chest. "Will Galaxy invest and produce films in Taiwan in the future?" she asked.

"We likely won't have exclusive productions here, though we might shoot some scenes," Arthur replied. Galaxy-MGM currently had no plans to invest in Chinese-language films. MGM International (Taiwan) handled the marketing of Galaxy's works in the region. 

...

Arthur stayed in Taiwan for a couple more days before receiving a call from Lee Boo-Jin, who had just returned to Korea after completing her MBA at MIT. Ritz-Carlton and Shilla Hotel were also commencing their collaboration, and Joey needed to be with her family, so Arthur flew to Seoul, Korea.

In Korea, at Gimpo International Airport, Arthur alighted from his private jet. Lee Boo-Jin was already waiting on the runway, welcomed him with a hug, and said, "Arthur, welcome to Korea!" Once in the car, Arthur held Lee Boo-Jin's hand and asked with a smile, "Has construction on the Incheon Airport started next door?"

"It's still in the reclamation phase on a small island in the Incheon waters, so it won't be done anytime soon," she replied.

Before long, Arthur arrived at the Shilla Hotel in downtown Seoul and checked into a luxurious suite.

Sitting on the sofa, Arthur pulled Lee into his lap and remarked, "Your anti-corruption President Kim Young-sam is doing well, huh? The real-name financial transaction system and officials' property disclosure requirements are getting established."

In just two years, Kim Young-sam had dismissed over 1,300 senior government officials, including the Speaker of the National Assembly, Mayor of Seoul, the Minister of Construction, and the Navy's Chief of Staff. More than 4,000 officials of various ranks had faced accountability.

"He's indeed a civilian president," Lee Boo-Jin said, giving Arthur a peck on the cheek. "Why, are you interested in Korean politics now?"

"Hmm..." Arthur replied, kissing her as they embraced passionately. He unbuttoned her shirt and caressed her gently. "Kim Young-sam is promoting economic freedom, allowing Korean companies to obtain low-interest loans from banks," he continued. "Basically, it's about supporting the further expansion of Korean conglomerates, so no wonder they aren't causing any trouble!"

Lee Boo-Jin suddenly suggested, "Arthur, would you like to meet my father to discuss potential collaboration between our sides?"

"Collaboration? What collaboration could we have, other than the ARM company I own?" Arthur replied. "Even if Galaxy and CJ have some collaboration, CJ will soon completely break away from Samsung."

Once CJ reclaimed the shares held by Samsung, it would be entirely independent.

With that, Arthur whispered into her ear, holding her waist close. "When you gain influence in Samsung, with my support in the US, you can become Korea's queen!"

"And what about you? The god of Korea?" Lee Boo-Jin's breathing grew heavier. "Besides, my brother is the heir to Samsung."

"Give it time, no rush," Arthur said, running a hand through her hair. "The Shilla Hotel's management is handed to Ritz-Carlton, right?"

"Yes, and it will be renamed the Shilla Ritz-Carlton Hotel," Lee Boo-Jin answered. "Next, we'll build a new Shilla Ritz-Carlton Hotel on Jeju Island." As she wrapped her arms around Arthur's neck, she added, "I'll be joining Samsung Electronics, so I won't have time to manage the Shilla Hotel directly. After all, it's just a profitable hotel!"

Arthur nodded. "Focus on learning first."

Lee Boo-Jin's chances wouldn't arise until Lee Kun-hee stepped down, so she had to take things slowly, aiming to become a senior board member at Samsung.

"By the way, your family wasn't much affected by the anti-corruption drive, right?" Arthur asked, knowing that for the conglomerates, bribery and tax evasion were routine.

"No problem at all, even if there were issues, nothing unexpected would occur," she replied. "Ah, true enough..." Arthur said, resting his face against her chest. In Korea, when could the president ever overpower the conglomerates?

"Alright, Arthur, what do you feel like eating? Shall we go to a restaurant or have food delivered to the hotel room?"

*****

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