It had been more than two weeks since Yoo-hyun came to this place.
Except for the first day, he had not visited the Enertex building.
Willie Thompson was still dealing with Jack Cruji, and Yoo-hyun was out and about.
Jack Cruji must have been burning inside, but Yoo-hyun did not care.
Rather, that was what he wanted.
Willie Thompson reported to him regularly about the situation.
Even now, his message came to Yoo-hyun’s phone.
-Jack Cruji is not very suspicious yet. He even sent an official letter to Sprint Company to finish Ellis’s project.
It was because of Paul Graham’s background and the size of the investment.
Since the governor of Texas was also interested in this investment, he had to be careful.
The result was the completion of Jeong Da-hye’s project.
It was like a rice cake falling into his mouth while lying down.
Yoo-hyun sent a reply.
-Finishing the project means that they won’t claim any damages.
-They can’t do that anyway. Tony Cohen will soon show up. That’s when the fun fight will begin.
He could feel the excitement of Willie Thompson from his message.
Nothing beats watching a fight.
Especially when the opponents were not easy.
Tony Cohen was the vice president of a well-known mid-sized consulting company.
He was also the type who did not hesitate to sell internal secrets, regardless of the consequences.
He would surely heat up the stage with Jack Cruji.
How would Tony Cohen reveal himself?
If he was greedy, he would definitely contact Yoo-hyun.
He would try to get more out of him after losing the opportunity.
Yoo-hyun imagined the situation and sent a message saying that he was looking forward to it.
Then he put his phone in his pocket.
He looked up and saw Jeong Da-hye explaining frantically.
She did not care about Tony Cohen at all.
She was very diligent.
The bald-headed president of the partner company nodded his head constantly, as if he liked what he heard.
The two looked very friendly.
Yoo-hyun accompanied Jeong Da-hye to visit the partner companies and listened to various explanations.
“The pressure pumps made here are supplied not only to Heinley Resources, but also to other companies…”
The main product of the partner company they visited was a pressure pump.
They had a lot of experience and high technology, but they were just a company that made components.
They were not a company that comprehensively drilled oil.
Did he really need to manage these small companies?
Yoo-hyun wondered as he walked out of the building.
As if she read his mind, Jeong Da-hye expressed her conviction.
“Actually, the parts and equipment companies are handled by the intermediate companies that drill oil. You might think that there is no need for the top company to intervene in these small parts. But I think differently.” ŗáΝȱ𝐛Ěṥ
“Shale oil industry is not well established yet. Most of them are small and medium-sized companies. They don’t have the resources to adopt the latest technologies such as equipment automation or electronic sensor integration.”
He had a flash of memory as he heard the answer.
Yoo-hyun asked in surprise.
“Then, did the electronic system I saw at Heinley Resources’ booth come from your hands?”
“I didn’t do it all by myself, but I did guide the parts companies. That’s how they can build long-term competitiveness.”
“You did everything, huh.”
He had taken care of the parts that even the client did not know.
Yoo-hyun clicked his tongue at the unheard-of scene.
But Jeong Da-hye’s opinion was clear.
“I have to do it if I can do it better. That’s my job.”
“Do you get paid a fortune for doing this? Why are you so diligent?”
“I told you, I want to do my job properly.”
He might have dismissed it as a naive remark in the past, but not now.
Yoo-hyun highly appreciated the results of her hidden efforts.
He was about to convey his feelings to her.
His phone rang and he checked it. It was the name he had saved in advance.
It was an earlier contact than he expected.
‘He must have been very impatient.’
He would be restless if he just left him alone.
Everything was going according to plan.
He smiled and pressed the end button.
Jeong Da-hye looked puzzled.
“Don’t you need to answer the phone?”
“No. It’s a useless call.”
“Is it an advertisement call?”
“Something like that. Da-hye, shall we go get some ice cream?”
Jeong Da-hye smiled brightly.
Permian Basin was bleak, but there were some good things to eat.
The ice cream that Yoo-hyun was holding in his hand was one of them.
He bit the sweet vanilla ice cream and walked on the dirt road.
She faced the wind blowing from the wasteland and said.
Her eyes were on the oil rigs in the distance.
“Shale oil is not only in the US. China is known to have more reserves.”
“Then why is the US the only one developing it actively?”
She thought he did not know and her expression brightened.
She wanted to tell him more.
Yoo-hyun pretended not to know and played along.
“I don’t know. Is it because of the lack of technology? Or is it an infrastructure problem?”
“Horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing are difficult, but China can catch up. They have huge capital, so they can overcome the manpower or infrastructure problems.”
“It’s because of the property rights.”
Yoo-hyun snapped his fingers and made a surprised expression.
“Oh, I see. The land and mineral rights are owned by the state there.”
“Yes. But Texas is different. The landowner owns the mineral rights and can lease them. The process is not very complicated either.”
“Then they would be willing to give up their land.”
“Yes. They get money from the idle land. Thanks to that, many companies have settled here at a fast pace. The tax revenue increased, so Texas also encouraged them.”
As more companies flocked, the rent for the mineral rights went up day by day.
Five years ago, the rent per section was only $300, but now it was close to $10,000.
Plus, a portion of the oil sales generated in the section belonged to the landowner.
It was like sitting on a money cushion if you had land.
At this point, Yoo-hyun had a question.
He looked at the vast wasteland that belonged to Enertex and asked.
“I see. But why was it hard to get the mineral rights in this area?”
“The landowner did not want to give them up.”
“You mean Mr. Greer Bruson?”
“Yes. You remember him.”
“Of course. Half of the oil wells owned by Enertex are his property. I have to remember him. But why didn’t he want to give them up?”
He was curious because there was a lot of money involved.
Jeong Da-hye was about to answer Yoo-hyun’s question.
A red pickup truck came over and stopped abruptly.
A man with a cowboy hat stuck his head out of the open window.
He had a striking beard and nodded his chin.
“Ellis, what are you doing here?”
“Not Mr. Greer. I’m just a guy who raises cows. What kind of Mr. Greer is that?”
The man clicked his tongue and Jeong Da-hye smiled.
They seemed to have a close relationship.
‘He even became friends with the landowner.’
Yoo-hyun chuckled as he recognized the man.
Ignoring Yoo-hyun, Jeong Da-hye asked.
“Then what should I call you?”
“Call me a wandering cowboy.”
“That’s up to you. Who’s that next to you?”
The man rested his chin on his fist and stared at Yoo-hyun.
Jeong Da-hye introduced him right away.
“I was going to introduce him to you. He’s Steve Han, who came to invest this time.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Steve Han. You’re Greer Bruson, right?”
When Yoo-hyun recognized him, Greer Bruson asked in surprise.
“Huh? How did you know?”
“I heard a lot from Ellis.”
“There wouldn’t be any good stories, and let me see, you don’t seem to be here just for the investment… Are you and Ellis in a relationship?”
Jeong Da-hye blushed and Greer Bruson concluded.
“Your face is red, so I’m right. Steve, am I right?”
“We’re a little closer than you think.”
“Ha ha! I like your personality. Then let’s have a meal together.”
He liked Yoo-hyun’s answer and laughed loudly.
He was curious anyway, so Yoo-hyun agreed.
“Sure. Let’s do that.”
“I won’t lose to anyone.”
“Ha ha ha! Good. Then see you later. Ellis, I’ll call you, so come to the ranch.”
He smiled brightly and winked.
As he drove, he stuck his face out of the open window and looked back leisurely.
Is he okay like that?
He wondered and then his hat flew away in the wind.
Greer Bruson stopped the car quickly and ran out to pick up his hat.
Then he got back in the car as if nothing happened and acted cool.
He was a peculiar man in many ways.
After the car disappeared in the distance.
Jeong Da-hye asked with a worried expression.
“Yoo-hyun, are you okay with the dinner?”
“Why not? It’s just a meal.”
“He’s a bit mischievous. And eccentric.”
“He seemed nice to me.”
He did not look bad in the short meeting.
He was a bit sharp, but he felt sincere.
Jeong Da-hye agreed but still looked reluctant.
“He is nice, but it’s a bit burdensome…”
She hesitated and then.
The phone in Yoo-hyun’s hand vibrated.
It was a call from Kwon Se-jung, the assistant manager.
‘What does he want at this hour?’
It was not even dawn in Korea, so he was curious.
Jeong Da-hye noticed his expression and took the initiative.
“Yoo-hyun, answer the phone. I’ll be around here.”
“It might take some time. Take your time.”
She guessed that he was a colleague from the company?
Jeong Da-hye gave him a word of consideration and stepped aside.