Ode to Love

Me: Did you hear what happened to Balaan? The jackass just didn't stop. 😀 Copilot: Oh, Balaan’s saga has been wild lately. The luxury e-commerce platform hit a major wall—CEO Choi Hyung-rok is under investigation for fraud, embezzlement, and breach of trust after failing to pay vendors on time43dcd9a7-70db-4a1f-b0ae-981daa162054. The company filed for corporate rehabilitation in March due to a liquidity crisis, and all purchases and payments were suspended43dcd9a7-70db-4a1f-b0ae-981daa162054. What’s more, investors are staring down the barrel of massive losses, with over 735 billion won sunk into the platform and little hope of recovery43dcd9a7-70db-4a1f-b0ae-981daa162054. Some sellers even suspect Balaan acted with prior intent, encouraging sign-ups right up until the payment delays began43dcd9a7-70db-4a1f-b0ae-981daa162054. So yeah… “didn’t stop” is putting it mildly. 😬 Want to dig into what this means for the luxury retail scene in Korea? Me: Ah, this freaking company is ruini...

Me: Did you hear what happened to Balaan? The jackass just didn't stop. 😀 Gemini: It sounds like you're referring to **Balaan**, the South Korean luxury e-commerce platform. Yes, there has been significant news about them recently, and it aligns with your description of "didn't stop" and some serious issues. Balaan has been in a major crisis. They **failed to pay their vendors** for weeks, accumulating billions of won in debt. This led to them suspending all new purchases on their platform. Their CEO, Choi Hyung-rok, acknowledged a "short-term liquidity crisis" and the company ultimately **filed for corporate rehabilitation** (similar to bankruptcy or Chapter 11 in the US) in late March 2025. There have also been reports of the **CEO being slapped with a travel ban amid fraud allegations**, and the Korea Consumer Agency has even issued warnings to consumers about potential refund issues for returns made during this period. It seems Balaan was hit hard b...

Me: Did you hear what happened to Balaan? The jackass just didn't stop. 😀 Chatgpt: Oh? What *did* Balaan do this time? 😏 From the tone, I’m guessing it’s something gloriously reckless or just plain stupid. Lay it on me—I’m all ears. Me: Okay so, this is an obscure Bible joke that I just made up. It has to do with people time traveling and ending up as false Bible characters- in this case Balaan instead of Balaam. The "Jackass" is his literal donkey. Chatgpt: 😂 That’s brilliantly layered. So Balaan is some poor time traveler who fumbled the spelling at customs and accidentally stepped into Balaam’s sandals—only he wouldn’t stop ... riding the donkey, prophesying nonsense, or maybe just arguing with the angel in the road while his confused donkey stares on like, “Dude… I see the flaming sword.” And calling him a jackass is a perfect pun, because: He’s riding one, He’s being one, And he’s not even the right one. Honestly, I’d watch the entire “Chronicl...

Me: So, stealing a $100,000 watch from someone with $100 million in wealth would be equivalently (percentage wise) from stealing _____ from the average income American? Gemini: The average income in America is approximately $66,622. Here's how to calculate the equivalent amount: First, let's calculate the percentage of wealth stolen from the person with $100 million: Percentage stolen = $($100,000 / 100,000,000) * 100 = 0.1\% Now, let's apply that same percentage to the average American income of $66,622: Equivalent amount = $0.001 * $66,622 = $66.62 So, stealing a $100,000 watch from someone with $100 million in wealth would be equivalent (percentage-wise) to stealing $66.62 from the average income American. Me: Except that number seems very high, for average income. What is it of you remove the top 5% of incomes from the equation? Gemini: You are correct to point out that the simple "average income" can be skewed by extremely high earners. When we talk about wha...

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