The Art of Negotiation: Episodes 3-4

by lovepark

It’s time for another round of business negotiations, manipulations, and sabotage for our M&A experts as they try to acquire a game company. While money is usually the deciding factor in their line of work, not all deals hinge on it, and our crew shows that understanding your opponent, clientele, and environment are sometimes more important to locking down a sale.

 
EPISODES 3-4

As Ju-no implements the next stage of his plan, it seems Sanin’s financial crisis was not unexpected given the poor management skills and insight displayed by its board. In this growing age of technology, the company staunchly refuses to enter the e-commerce sector, effectively wasting its resources and facing dwindling margins. Our silver-haired M&A expert advises his superiors that now is their best and last window to start, and surprisingly, CFO Ha approves the project. Of course, he only gives his consent because he believes the deal will fail since history is bound to repeat itself.

Years ago, CCO Lee arranged for a lucrative contract to open their own e-commerce platform, but the chairman upended it, thinking that brick-and-mortar stores posed less financial risks. It was a foolish move back then, and apparently, the chairman hasn’t learned from his mistake. Speaking of poor business practices, the company Ju-no wishes to buy is Chacha Games, which shuts down its services in real-time as our team discusses their bad business model.

To the rest of the world, Chacha Games is a failure no one would accept even for free, so why does Ju-no want it? Though the company has no business acumen, their coding skills are top-notch, and their game “Delivery King” was originally created as a delivery app based on the CEO’s own experiences as a courier. Unfortunately, small-minded, old men are everywhere, so CEO Cha of Chacha Games turned the program into a game, instead.

Ju-no approaches the company with an offer to buy if they agree to pivot, but despite needing funds, CEO Cha refuses to sell if they cannot continue making games. Realizing that they need an expert in this field to understand these developers, Jin-soo introduces his consultant friend Jenny who shares an interesting tidbit about the company’s CEO. He originally co-founded DC Games but split from his partner for reasons unknown. After he left, DC Games became successful, and CEO Cha sued the company for theft. He claimed that CEO Do of DC Games literally stole his game – not plagiarized, but physically took it – and is currently seeking a retrial after the first judge ruled in Do’s favor.

Using this knowledge to his advantage, Ju-no lets it be known that Sanin is looking to buy a game company, and CEO Do comes sniffing around for an opportunity. The meeting, though, ends as soon as it begins since Ju-no only needs people to think they are considering DC Games, and like clockwork, CEO Cha calls him back, offering to sell for 10 billion won. He sends over his back end as “proof” for why they are worth so much, and Jenny immediately recognizes its value, informing the group that this will revolutionize logistics.

With that resounding endorsement, Ju-no goes to CFO Ha for approval, but he redirects him to the chairman, instead. Thus, Ju-no enters the king’s chamber, and the two have their second private meeting ever. Their first was right before Ju-no was transferred to Hawaii, and the show finally reveals why our hero was cast out.

Back in the day, when Ju-no still worked under CFO Ha, he pushed for the purchase of Jumbo Pharmaceuticals, of which his older brother happened to own stocks. It seemed like a clear case of market manipulation, but as the prosecution started investigating, Ju-no’s brother committed suicide. Chairman Song asks if Ju-no came back for revenge because he thinks Sanin is responsible for his death, but Ju-no denies it. Though the chairman doesn’t believe him for a second, he allows the purchase to proceed, but as it turns out, the deal with Chacha Games falls through from their end, not Sanin’s.

The no-name game company was approached by another buyer offering double whatever Sanin promised, which means someone leaked Ju-no’s strategy. At first, Jin-soo thinks Jenny was the spy since she saw the code, but in reality, CFO Ha was the mastermind. Our shady leader is apparently more determined to bring down Ju-no than anyone suspected since he joins hands with Samoel to screw over Sanin. Using all his M&A knowledge, CFO Ha represents Samoel Fund in the acquisition of Chacha Games and essentially corners the CEO into selling his company for a measly 210 million won – a tenth of the original offer. Even for someone with as much business savvy as a kindergartner, CEO Cha knows that he screwed up.

What hurts the CEO the most, though, isn’t the loss of money but the fact that he may no longer be able to make games, and to CEO Cha, games have always been a love letter to his first love. Even the reason for his split with CEO Do was over this woman, and while it was clear as a cloudless day that she had feelings for CEO Cha, the dunce never picked up on the clues and lost the girl. As a result, he left Easter eggs in his game as a symbol of his devotion, and the M&A team finally learns why the CEO was so opposed to selling the company at first.

While everyone thinks Ju-no was played, our M&A expert asserts that the game isn’t over yet. CFO Ha was able to learn about their plans because Jin-soo carelessly told his senior, but now that very mole will bring his downfall. With his intern’s help, they feed the mole false information that they no longer need Chacha Games, and when Samoel comes calling to offer the company for ten billion won, Ju-no refuses. Thinking that they made a mistake, Samoel cancels the contract since they added no clause about a penalty fee for themselves, and with that, Chacha Games is freed.

After a roller coaster of emotions and terrible business deals, CEO Cha is finally ready to work with Sanin, but things aren’t as simple as he originally planned. Since Samoel bought them for way under asking price, Ju-no can only offer them 300 million won which won’t be enough to fund their next game. However, Ju-no assures the developers that he will procure them the money they need, which is where Soon-young comes in.

Our attorney approaches CEO Do as the representative of CEO Cha and informs him about the judge assigned to the retrial. He is apparently a ranked StarCraft player who knows a thing or two about games such as Easter eggs. Those same Easter eggs that CEO Do forgot to delete in the game he stole from his ex-business partner, and if he doesn’t settle for 10 billion won and 10% shares of said game, Soon-young threatens to charge the CEO for grand larceny which will put him in jail for a year minimum. As a man who thrives off appearances, CEO Do cannot risk the damage this would cost and agrees to settle.

All that is left now is Chairman Song’s final approval, but before Ju-no heads into his office, CCO Lee calls him. After meeting with the chairman, the CCO noticed that his friend was not against e-commerce like everyone believed. In fact, it was the opposite: he regretted turning down the deal. Ju-no suspected as much, and with the CCO confirming his hunch, he enters the meeting with the past in mind and successfully gets Chairman Song to sign off, subtly reminding him to not repeat history.

Once the contracts are finalized, the M&A team celebrates with Chacha Games, but a storm cloud brews in the distance. In the midst of all this scheming, a business journalist was caught in the crossfire, and Ju-no’s tendency to use others as pawns finally catches up to him. The journalist writes a provocative piece about Sanin Group, speculating the company’s demise at the hands of its new M&A team, and the stock prices drop to 101 thousand won, just a thousand won above the price Samoel can execute a put option. In other words, if Ju-no doesn’t act fast, all his efforts will be for naught.

In terms of story, the plot is predictable, but I don’t think this lack of twists is detrimental to the overall narrative. I actually welcome the minimal fanfare and levelheaded nature of the show which emphasizes character interactions above clever business tactics. The tone fits director Ahn Pan-seok’s typical style, and there’s something almost intimate in the way he captures his actors as if inviting the audience to watch a live performance rather than a televised program. Thus, the draw of the show comes from the conversations and chemistry between scene partners rather than a fast-paced business drama meant to raise stakes and keep its viewers on the edge of their seats.

Director Ahn’s proclivity for long takes may not always deliver, but with the right cast, it brings a certain color to a show that not many drama PDs can capture. He gives actors space and time to breathe, and though this makes some scenes longer than normal, it also draws out some amazing performances. In particular, I find Sung Dong-il mesmerizing in this role, and even with his illustrious career filled with memorable shows, he continues to impress me with his range and ability to embody a character. For me, an actor’s true talent does not come from delivering lines but in the silences, and the meaning they add to pauses is what differentiates a good performance from the best. The mannerisms, subtle breathing changes, shifts in gaze, these minute details aren’t always noticed but felt, and Director Ahn’s style gives life to these performances in a way that doesn’t deliberately draw attention to them but makes them subtly known.

In a world currently accustomed to faster speeds and shorter formats, Ahn’s almost languid approach can feel stiff and boring, but at the same time, it’s this exact mood that he evokes in his works that resonate with people and subvert expectations within genres. It’s also the inherent charm of the show, which may not be what everyone gravitates towards, but once it hits, there’s nothing quite like it.

 
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