God of Money
Date: 2021-10-28T18:00:00+00:00

Table of Contents URL: https://allnovel.org/god-of-money.html

Author:

SOKIN

Alternative names:

돈의 신

Genre:

Mature, Sci-fi, Slice of Life

Source:

Webnovel

Status:

Completed

Is money really everything in a life?

If you could live through your life again you must become a God of money. A person who lives for money. A person who treats money with the worth it deserves.

Chapter 1: <Pandora’s Box>

1 Bitcoin was worth 18,000 USD.

When the impossible became a reality, everyone became expectant yet worried about cryptocurrency.

This was the beginning of the rise of cryptocurrency. Everyone, even the housewives, entered this frenzy, which made the trading dealers richer and richer.

Of all the dealers, the number one in Korea was Bitmain.

It was a company that allowed fast transactions of various cryptocurrencies, which enabled them to grow in users exponentially. The development team of this company worked day and night to keep up.

“Chief Kang, we have a traffic overload, so we need to add more servers. If this continues, we will be in trouble again.”

“Do you think I don’t know? I do, but I haven’t received an approval. They can’t afford more servers yet.”

“Are they still holding off on them? We can only do so much with what we have. Are they hoping for all of us to quit?”

Kang Woosung smiled bitterly at Assistant manager Choi’s complaint.

Woosung was 36 years old and the current head of the server development team of Bitmain.

“I will take a look, so you can go home now, Assistant Manager Choi. You can also let everyone else know they can leave too.”

“What about you?”

“Haha. Are you worried about me?”

“This is why you haven’t been able to get married yet. You work late every night, so you never get a chance to meet people.”

“I get paid more than you, so I should work harder.”

“Gosh, Chief. You are already doing so much… You’re going to get sick.”

“I’m fine. This isn’t my first day on this job. You, on the other hand, are still in your honeymoon phase. You should get home. You better go straight home or else people are going to think that I am making you work late.”

“Haha, I’m newly married, so where else would I go other than home?”

Woosung smiled at Assistant Manager Choi proudly. 3 years ago when he started to work here, he was the one who interviewed and hired Choi as an intern. Choi was now an assistant manager and married, and Woosung was proud of him. Bitmain was a new company back then. It was always short on workers, and so promotions were given easily.

One by one, everyone left, and it was finally just Woosung in the office.

Unlike stock brokerages, cryptocurrency dealers ran 24/7. Problems could happen at anytime. Errors could happen in the middle of the night, so everyone needed to be on call at all times. Woosung was the head of the server team and he was doing his best.

Errors needed to be fixed everyday. Daily workload made the days go by fast, and only after everything was done could they have a meeting regarding making improvements and developments.

Working late was necessary, as well as working during weekends.

“Has it already been 3 years?”

Woosung looked outside the window from a small building on Teheran street. 3 years ago, Woosung was working at a company that specialized in finance—SI. He was offered a job at Bitmain through a mutual friend, and after all his hard work, he was promoted to the chief of the server team.

3 years ago.

It was before the cryptocurrency became popular. The dealers at the time barely made any money and couldn’t afford to hire many developers. They had to do everything then, including working on the actual apps for android, iPhone, and the web…

Woosung, at that time, needed to deal with every single aspect of the transaction. By now, every related program for Bitmain had at least one of his codings.

He treated his work like his own child to achieve this cryptocurrency transaction system.

“Let’s work a little bit longer and go home.”

He was lucky if he could leave by midnight, but he felt good knowing the stock options he would receive. Woosung read over the bug reports and started to fix them one by one.

***

Woosung tilted his head in confusion.

“Hmm… this is strange.”

He stared at the computer screen.

– Server down. Abnormal trading phenomenon has occurred.

Abnormal trading phenomenon.

This was a critical problem. The report did not include any details, so Woosung started looking through the server codes and data from the Oracle (This is a form of a data system that records data in a table format like Excel.) After a while, Woosung tilted his head again.

“This shouldn’t be happening…”

He stood up to stretch and sat down again. He knew that data never lied.

“53.123.111.211, 53.12.78.99, 53.33.67.100. How could this IP addresses trade?”

He re-read them but still couldn’t figure it out. Due to heavy traffic, the server was down once today, and all trading activities halted.

During this time, however, these three IP addresses had no trouble buying and selling. Woosung looked up the records from a month ago.

He paid special attention to the days that the servers went down. During these days, these IP addresses never had problems with their transactions. Even when the traffic was so high that the regular users couldn’t even login, these IP addresses had no problem making the most profitable transactions. They were able to purchase at the lowest point and sell at the highest point, allowing them to make profits of possibly tens of millions of dollars.

He couldn’t believe his eyes, but data were clear. How could something like this happen without him, the chief of the server team, knowing?

Woosung could only think of one way.

Hacking.

Bitmain was being hacked.

Woosung immediately called the CTO (Chief Technology Officer).

Ring… Ring…

Ring…

Ring… Ring…

No one answered, but this was something that needed to be taken care of right away. Woosung continued to make the call.

After his fourth attempt, he was finally answered. But the person who answered was in no condition to work.

“Hello, Chief Kang Woosuuung… What’s going on?”

“Who is it, oppa? Who’s calling you?”

“It’s one of my employees.”

“You weren’t lying when you said you are a CEO!”

“Hahahaha. Ooof course. You wanna talk to him?”

CTO Jung Jinsup was drunk, and the young female’s voice was loud. Woosung wet his lips. This was an emergency. Woosung spoke, “Sir, there are signs that we have been hacked. When the servers were down, certain IP addresses were still able to complete transactions. We need to have an emergency meeting.”

CTO Jung Jinsup was only 33, and they usually talked to each other respectfully. But because he was drunk, the CTO said rudely, “Right now? It’s past midnight, you fool. You shouldn’t work so hard, Chief Kang. We need to enjoy ourselves now.”

“But sir, this is an emergency…”

“Did the IP addresses start with 53 by chance?”

“What? How did you know…”

“Oppa! Stop touching me!”

“Hahaha…. Why? You know you like it.”

“O-Oh t-there…”

It was awkward for Woosung to continue listening, but he had to find out.

“That’s our VIP list, so don’t worry about it.”

“What do you mean the VIP list?”

“Gosh you are such a straight arrow. Just stop worrying about it and go home.”

“Oh! Oppa! I can’t wait anymore!”

“Hahaha. Then here I come.”

The call ended. Woosung sat for a long time while still holding on to his phone.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Chapter 2: <Pandora’s Box>

– Cryptocurrency, a new way to become rich or a path to hell?

– A university student commits suicide after losing his tuition money on cryptocurrency.

– Cryptocurrency could be the last hope for the poor. Many have become millionaires from it.

– Cryptocurrency dealers are booming. Related stocks are all going up.

– Even the housewives are into cryptocurrency!

These were the headlines of the newspapers every morning.

It was the era of cryptocurrency.

Transaction fees exceeded 900 million dollars per day. Fees were at an average rate of 0.135%, which meant that there was a daily profit of 1.2 million dollars. The amount of transactions was increasing everyday. Choi Gichul, the Bitmain’s CEO and the third son of Daeyang Corporation’s Ceo, was a happy man.

One could never have too much money.

He was born to a rich family, but he was still thirsty for more. He grimaced slightly.

“Are you saying that we have been hacked?”

“Yes. This is the proof.”

Woosung showed CEO Choi Gichul the report of his findings from last night. CTO Jung Jinsup looked hungover nearby.

Choi Gichul looked at the report and frowned slightly. He glanced at Jung Jinsup, who nodded discreetly.

“Well, Chief Kang, you worked so hard for this… However, I thought our CTO has already explained to you about this situation last night. Why are you here today?”

Woosung suddenly understood. What he heard from Jung Jinsup last night was not a mistake.

VIP list.

Without his knowledge, illegal transactions were occurring behind his back.

‘Dammit…’

He knew what would eventually happen sooner or later. It was never the CEO who got caught. It was always the lower ranking employees who ended up getting blamed and prosecuted. Choi Gichul continued to talk slyly.

“I know how hard you worked for this company, Chief Kang. I know it very well. You will be paid handsomely for your next month’s incentive.”

Hush money. This had to be it.

Choi Gichul.

Third son of the Daeyang Corporation’s CEO.

After graduating from Harvard at the age of 31, he created a company from scratch instead of working at his father’s company as expected.

To Woosung, Choi Gichul was a snake. He spat out anything bitter, and swallowed anything that was sweet. This was what Woosung learned about him in the last 3 years.

Choi Gichul looked like a successful businessman from the outside, but Woosung believed in his instinct. He was being seduced with a poisoned candy, and if he took it, the time when Choi Gichul would stab him in the back was bound to arrive.

“I believe this is a result of hacking. We need to report to KISA (Korea Internet & Security Agency).”

As soon as hacking was suspected, the company was legally obligated to report it to the appropriate authority.

Choi Gichul frowned harshly. Jung Jinshup sighed deeply and said, “Chief Kang. Let’s not play this game anymore. How much do you want?”

“… What?”

“Let’s be honest here, you are blackmailing us. Just speak frankly, and we will try our best to come up with a reasonable amount.”

Woosung felt dizzy all of a sudden. To someone who lived an honest life for 36 years, this was an insult.

Both of his parents lived frugally. His mother clipped coupons, and his father, who worked as a security guard, walked an hour to his work everyday to save money on bus fare.

All their lives, they never stole a penny from anyone. Woosung had learned from them to be honest.

When he worked at a stock brokerage, he believed in the ethics of brokers never trading themselves. He had never even made a trading account for himself.

Other brokers traded anyway, sometimes, under someone else’s name. They tried their best to gain insider information for their gain, while Woosung focused on his honest work.

This was how he got to where he was at the moment. He worked his way up honestly. He reach this point with only his effort and ability. He was happy with what he earned, and he didn’t want anything he didn’t deserve. If he agreed to them now, there was a real possibility that this would not end well for him.

“I… still feel the same way.”

Woosung was clearly refusing the money. Choi Gichul looked at Woosung angrily.

“… What?”

“But if you fix the system, then I won’t say anything.”

This was the best compromise he could come up with. Woosung left the room without waiting for an answer. Choi Gichul,on the other hand, looked at him furiously.

***

He couldn’t focus all day.

Was this the right choice?

Would it have been better to just agree and get paid?

Next month, he was getting his incentive bonus. Should he have just waited till then and quit afterward?

He couldn’t stop thinking about it.

But it was too late now.

He decided not to regret his decision.

“Chief, chief? What are you thinking about?”

“Oh, Assistant Manager Choi.”

“Are you thinking about the stock options you will receive soon? There is a rumor that you will be getting billions of wons in stocks.”

“Ha.. Haha…”

“You sound suspicious.”

“What are you going to do when you get your stock options?”

“I will buy a house first. It has been very difficult to not have your own house. Soon, I will be a homeowner.”

Assistant Manager Choi closed his eyes in happiness.

“Are you thinking about buying in the Gangnam area, Chief? Isn’t it about time you leave Hwikyung area?”

“Yes, of course.”

Woosung thought of his parents at home. As soon as he was paid his stock options next month, he would quit. He would report to KISA tomorrow, and he would eventually be okay. He estimated that he would be paid 3 billion won in stocks, so he could quit and start anew.

“Oh, and I heard that the company will be throwing a party tonight at a restaurant. It’s supposed to be an expensive steak place.”

“I like steak.”

When Choi left to his chair, Woosung went back to his work. On his computer was a concise report of his investigation. Based on his findings, the company gained over 30 billion won illegally in the last two months. It was likely that Choi Gichul took majority of this money.

‘I better create a backup file.’

Woosung copied the report to the USB on his key-chain.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Chapter 3: <Pandora’s Box>

He was so tired from the late nights he spent awake. Perhaps that was why he felt drunk after downing a few drinks. He felt good. Everyone was having a great time at the party until Choi Gichul raised his glass.

“Everyone, I would like to say something.”

The room shushed.

“They say the best thing the boss can do at a party is to leave early, so I will leave the company credit card here and go. Have a good time! You can spend all you want. In fact, if you don’t spend as much as our company generates in a day, I will be disappointed.”

Bitmain profited an average of 1.2 million dollars per day. Everyone laughed at his generous joke.

“You are the best, boss!”

“Please stay!”

“You need to stay for another round of drinks!”

“Let’s party hard tonight.”

Choi Gichul waved goodbye to the friendly employees. He then came to Woosung and placed his arm around his shoulder.

“I will, however, be taking our hardest working Chief Kang with me.”

-Ooohh!

-We want to go with you too.

-Chief Kang must be your favorite!

Woosung stood up to follow Choi Gichul. He tried his best to hide his confusion.

***

Inside the luxury sedan Benz Maybach S-class, they arrived at a private room in Chungdam. Choi Gichul sat at the head of the table while Jung Jinsup took a seat to his right. Woosung sat down on the left. Choi Gichul poured Woosung an expensive liquor and started the conversation.

“I thought about what you said this morning. Although it was for the good of the company, we did went a little too far.” Woosung blinked and took the glass. “However, you must know, Chief Kang, how hard it was for the company at the beginning.”

Woosung drank quickly and replied. “Of course, I remember. It was a difficult time…”

But that applied to the employees alone. As the CEO, Choi Gichul forced everyone else to work overtime to meet impossible deadlines. Several unhappy employees left then and only a few could survive this kind of working condition.

“I know how difficult it was for you as well, Chief Kang. Now that our company is in a good place why don’t you go on vacation and enjoy your life? You won’t have to work so hard anymore. Whatever you saw last night, it’s something that will be resolved very soon.”

Choi Gichul always had a way of insinuating rather than being direct. He implied that when the company was poor at the beginning; they made a VIP list to make money from these illegal transactions. Now that the company was doing well, this won’t happen again. Woosung should forget about the whole thing.

This was exactly what he was saying.

Woosung grabbed the bottle and poured into his glass. The men accepted his silence as an agreement. Choi Gichul decided they settled the deed and clapped his hands to call the hostess.

“We have an important guest here today so bring in your best girls.”

The hostess wearing an alluring dress bowed and left. A line of beautiful women then replaced her.

***

After much drinking, Woosung opened his mouth gravely.

“I thought about it and… If you get rid of these illegal transactions within one week, then I will do as you say.”

Choi Gichul laughed loudly and slapped Woosung’s back. “Hahaha, were you still thinking about that this whole time? That’s why you weren’t enjoying yourself.”

He was drunk, but his mind was crystal clear. “Please promise me. Bitmain is like my flesh and blood. I don’t want it to go down.”

“Haha, I understand. I got it. I will do as you say. Now my driver will take you home.”

“I’m fine. I’ll just take a cab.”

Choi Gichul pushed Woosung into a mid-size sedan and insisted. “Haha, no way. I can’t let our best employee take a taxi. Mr. Kim, please take him home.”

The driver pushed Woosung further into the back seat. Woosung was drunk and his body felt heavy. He couldn’t fight back and fell asleep in the car posthaste.

‘Yes, I’ve done the right thing. This is… the right thing to do.’

If he reported the incident to KISA, then it was likely that he and other employees wouldn’t get the incentive payments next month. People at work would resent him and his parents would show their disappointment at him. He didn’t want that to happen. The expensive car drove away in silence. Looking at the car leaving, Choi Gichul murmured quietly.

“Who does he think he is, to tell me what to do…?”

Jung Jinsup, who was standing next to him, shivered as he heard the malicious threat in his voice.

***

He fell asleep.

When he woke up, he was sitting on the ground against a wall. He couldn’t move his arms. He could open his mouth. He couldn’t move his body at all. He suddenly heard a distant voice.

“We need to make sure it looks like a suicide.”

“Don’t worry. This isn’t my first time.”

“So what did the guy do to deserve this?”

Mr. Kim glared at him.

“F-fine. I won’t ask questions. I’ll finish this job quick.”

Was it because of the alcohol? Perhaps someone drugged him? Woosung was losing his consciousness. He tried his best to keep his eyes open but he couldn’t. He felt scared, but there was nothing he could do. He then felt something cold on his neck. Mr. Kim was feeling for his pulse. Woosung could hear him talking on the phone.

“Yes, it’s done. Yes, we have the official statement ready for the media.” Woosung then lost all his senses. He couldn’t move a single muscle in his body, but even then, he could still hear Mr. Kim’s conversation on the phone. “The headline will say ‘Employee kills himself from a guilty conscience after committing insider trading.'”

Woosung gritted his teeth in disbelief.

‘That snake!’

He figured it out quickly.

Choi Gichul. It was his doing. It was strange that he wanted to drink with Woosung and even offered to drive him home. He couldn’t believe this was happening.

‘Dammit! Dammit!’

Then suddenly, he lost the last bit of his consciousness and fell into darkness.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Chapter 4: <Pandora’s Box>

It was a horrific nightmare. Sweat drenched his body. Woosung woke up suddenly and exhaled down harshly.

“Huff… huff.”

Freezing winter wind cooled him down straight away. He became alert.

“That was an awful dream…”

He remembered eating steaks until he felt like he was about to burst. He then gulped down alcohol till he got drunk. He ended up in a private room and drank liquor again. He also remembered getting into Mr. Kim’s car.

“There is no way…. It must have been a dream. Murder… that’s ridiculous. Phew.”

Woosung shook his head thinking it was just a dream. He swallowed. He felt strange. He didn’t feel hung over despite all the drinking he had done last night. In fact, he felt great.

36 years old.

He worked late and weekends all the time but never exercised. This made his body weak to a point that getting up every morning was difficult.

But he felt different now.

“Woosung, get up. This is your first day of work so get there early.”

“Huh… huh?”

Woosung stood up confused.

“First day? And mom’s voice sounds younger…”

Woosung looked for his phone. Seeing it shocked him after finding it out.

It was a flip phone.

It was his old 3g cell phone he used to have before the invention of the smartphones.

***

Three family members sat around an old broken-down table. Beef soup, which was something they couldn’t afford often, was steaming. As he lifted his spoon, his father Kang Gichun spoke.

“Now that you got a job, you should work hard to succeed. You should save and get married!”

This was 10 years earlier, and so his father only had a few white hairs.

“This is his first day at work, so I don’t think he’s ready to get married yet. Eat up and go to work already. Make sure you follow instructions well. Always agree with your boss, ok?”

His mother, Kim Eunjung, added.

She was only in her late 40s but wrinkles and cracks appeared on her hands already. It resulted from her lifelong years of hard work.

“So today really is January 10th, 2008?”

Kim Eunjung shook her head frustratingly.

“Are you still asking me that? Wake up already and eat your breakfast. You’ll work better with a full stomach.”

Woosung’s hand shook as he ate.

‘This is really happening.’

He couldn’t believe it. Everything showed that today was indeed January 10th, 2008. He checked the date on his phone and news on TV. His parents, the house, and everything else proved that he has traveled back in time. 10 years.

Kang Gichun looked at Woosung worriedly.

“Are you ok? Why is your hand shaking so much?”

“I’m ok. In fact…”

He felt ecstatic.

‘God has given me the chance for a revenge against that snake.’

He now remembered what happened yesterday clear as glass. He felt himself dying. Just thinking about sinking into the darkness made him shiver in fear.

‘Wait for me, you bastard.’

Woosung stopped eating and panted angrily. Kim Eunjung looked at him in annoyance.

“Kang Woosung. Why aren’t you finishing your breakfast? You need to go to work soon. Do you want to be late for your first day?”

That’s right. Today was January 10th, 2008.

This was before the existence of the Bitcoin.

If he could buy 1000 bitcoins now, it will become 9 million dollars. If he could buy even more, as much as possible, and mine other major cryptocurrencies like Ethereum, he could become the richest man in the world.

If this happened, destroying Choi Gichul and Daeyang corporation will be a breeze. Woosung was thrilled and didn’t even mind his mother’s nagging.

***

On his way to work in Yeouido, Woosung organized his thoughts.

‘My first job… so that would be Daesan System.’

Daesan System.

Daesan System was a company specializing in SI finances. It comprised an approximate of 40 employees and a yearly revenue of 4.5 million dollars. He worked here for a year, then 6 years at the ST Data System. Afterward, he joined the Bitmain.

‘Bitcoin was officially introduced in October so… I should develop mining techniques and make money.’

If he remembered correctly, October 31st, 2008 was the date the Bitcoin white paper was published. While on November 9th and on January 3rd, 2009 was when the related codes were registered on Sourceforge.net, and the world mined the first genesis block. On the 9th, they released the mining program.

The world did not recognize Bitcoin as a profitable currency then. At first, they saw it as a game for developers.

There was a famous story of buying pizza with 10,000 BTC. The rise of Bitcoin won’t happen till late 2009, so there was no hurry.

‘Wait a minute… was my memory always this good?’

In the past, he had a general idea of the history of cryptocurrency, but he never knew the dates of all the events.

But it was different today. He could remember the exact dates.

‘Well, whatever. I should try to leave work as soon as possible and make plans.’

– Yeouido. This is Yeouido station. The exit is to your right.

Woosung left the busy subway.

***

Woosung exited the Yeouido subway station number 4 and looked up at the building where he used to work. It was a difficult job, but he learned a lot from it. It was a good old time.

‘It was hard but I grew a lot here.’

He didn’t have much talent in the developing department during his college years. Without any experience, he was thrown into the real world. He had no clue, and with many mistakes and reprimands from his boss, he learned about programming. He worked on HTS program, and since this was a software where customers have a direct connection, there was a lot of VoC (Voice of the Customer). Every negative feedback was for him to bear.

‘Let’s go.’

Woosung took the elevator to the 7th floor. The official start time for work was before 8 am, which was when the stock market opened.

It was only 7:30 am, but many were already at work.

“Hey Assistant manager Kim, are you sure the HTS login test is complete? When I entered the ID and PW, there was no introductory popup and I couldn’t log in.”

“That can’t be…”

“Go check it right now. If people can’t log in when the market opens, we are doomed. You know that, right?”

Woosung was getting to his chair when he overheard this conversation. He looked at them and paused. He remembered this day.

January 10th, 2008. Today was the day the developers nicknamed “the day the gates of hell opened.” It was the first day of launching the new system.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Chapter 5: <Close the Gates to Hell>

They were familiar faces. Assistant manager King Yonggun and Manager Park Junwoo were staring at the 15-inch LCD monitor, ignoring Woosung. Woosung found his desk and looked at his own LCD monitor.

‘Of course… this is 10 years ago…’

Until yesterday, he was using the 27-inch OLED monitor. His eyes were getting tired just from looking at the small LCD monitor in front of him. Taking a seat, he took out his 3G phone.

‘iPhones and Android phones were released in Korea in 2009…’

Many took advantages of the introduction of the smartphones and got rich. Woosung had so many opportunities to make money! Smartphones! Bitcoins!

‘If I could remember the winning lotto numbers, I would buy one… But I can’t so I need to be patient.’

He had to come up with a solid plan. Woosung’s head filled with many thoughts. Then, someone stood behind him.

“Hey, newbie. If you arrived, you should introduce yourself. What are you doing sitting down?”

It was Daesan System’s general manager Yoon Gihwan. Woosung knew he made a mistake. Until yesterday, he was the head of a department. He used to be the senior member, but now he was a 26-years old newbie. Woosung got up quickly and bowed.

“Oh hello. My name is Kang Woosung. It’s my first day so I got confused. I apologize.”

“You need to be quick around here or else you’re out. Do a good job, alright?”

“Of course.”

Yoon Gihwan asked Park Junwoo and Kim Yonggun to join them.

“Manager Park and Assistant manager Kim, this is the new employee. Say hello. Teach him well.”

“Hello. My name is Kang Woosung.”

“I’m Manager Park Junwoo.”

“I’m Assistant manager King Yonggun.”

Woosung smiled. He worked with them for a year here. He used to drink with them often and complain about Yoon Gihwan. He remembered the good times. Yoon Gihwan glared at him.

“You look relaxed. Is it because you’re so confident about your skills?”

Woosung continued to smile and answered.

“Haha of course. I overheard about some problems with login. Should we work on that?”

10 years ago on this day, someone else fixed this problem but this time, he could do it himself. At Woosung’s confidence, Yoon Gihwan frowned. Others around had the same unhappy expressions. They saw him as an overconfident arrogant pup.

***

The first thing to complete when developing a new program was to create a development environment setup. You had to install the visual studio, set the library version, and download and build the code from SVN. For someone new to programming, this would take hours.

You had to know which version of the program was being used, check the account for SVN login, and know which code to download. You also had to know how to build and get each step checked by a senior member. This was why it took so long.

If someone uploaded a wrong code to SVN and the final version reached the customers, negative feedback would bombard them.

But Woosung was not new to this.

With his experience, he skipped all the unnecessary steps. He installed the program, found and downloaded the code from the SVN, and built it.

It took about 20 minutes. He did it quick asking no one for help. Staring in disbelief, Yoon Gihwan asked Park Junwoo.

“Manager Park… did you already show this guy how to do this?”

Park Junwoo, wide-eyed, shook his head. Kim Yonggun was asked the same question.

“How about you, Assistant manager Kim?”

Kim Yonggun had the same answer. Woosung worked fast and said, “We are good till this step. Now let’s see… if we are having a login problem…”

He searched his memories and found the answer. He knew the exact problem because when he used to work here, Park Junwoo and Kim Yonggun shared all their information. Woosung spotted the problem on the 132nd line of the file LoginView.cpp on the visual studio program.

“You said the problem was you couldn’t log in when you entered the ID and password and the program wouldn’t respond?”

Park Junwoo and Kim Yonggun nodded.

“The problem is that on the server, it’s being processed as trim so it looks normal but on HTS screen, it’s different. The ID and PW the user typed appeared different from the information on the server.”

Park Junwoo asked Kim Yonggun.

“Is that correct?”

“It’s definitely possible. The outsourcing company asked us to add this scenario to increase security. We didn’t think it necessary, so we didn’t check it thoroughly.”

“So does that mean we didn’t even test this part?”

Kim Yonggun answered nervously.

“The thing is…. As you know, our deadlines moved up. We prioritized and tested only the major parts. We planned on checking the rest later but we didn’t have the time… We may have missed a few things.”

Park Junwoo exhaled. Yoon Gihwan roared in anger.

“What? We already distributed the product and you’re telling me this now? What are you going to do? People already downloaded the program, so what are we going to do?”

Woosung gave a brief answer.

“First, we need to make the login register as a login error. We can add the problem to the other patches. During HTS execution, the current version will be checked and upgraded. We will then recommend to the customers how they should download the newest version. This won’t be a big deal.”

To Woosung’s calm solution, the three became speechless. Has there ever been a new programmer who could be this cool and skillful?

Never in Yoon Gihwan’s 20 years of programming experience.

Never in Park Junwoo’s 10 years of programming experience.

Never in Kim Yonggun’s 4 years of programming experience.

They have never seen someone like him. Woosung wasn’t done yet though.

“I only had a quick glimpse of the program, but I already noticed that there was no test code either. Why don’t I create a test code now? It would be better to do this than change the actual program.”

Test code.

When a program developed, you created a code to test out the program as a trial rather than checking every single steps and function. For example, for an android app, if you checked every function one by one, it would take too long and you may make a mistake. Test code was a better and quicker method.

“You can do that?”

Woosung nodded. The three behind him swallowed audibly.

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Chapter 6: <Close the Gates to Hell>

After the ordeal, Woosung sat down. He proved his skills, so no one bothered him. It felt strange coming back to his old job.

‘It was difficult then but now… it’s different.’

His time at Daesan System was the hardest time of Woosung’s life.

After the development of the next generation system by Nuri Finances, they worked on what they commonly called the spaghetti code. The program itself worked well but spaghetti code meant that the programmers found it difficult to understand its code.

It used to take Woosung late nights before he could interpret and fix the bugs and incorporate any feedback from the outsourcing company. But that was when Woosung was inexperienced. The thing he ever made using MFC (Microsoft Foundation Classes: C++ language and Windows application programming interface classes bundled in a software application development library.) was a simple online notice board.

HTS program with its hundreds of functions was an impossible territory for Woosung back then.

‘But that was 10 years ago. I used to have to work till morning for months and get home by cab. I also had to work on weekends to check the codes.’

Woosung’s eyes sparkled as he looked at the codes now.

‘But now, that’s unnecessary.’

He would continue to work in this company but would also try to make more money on the side. He also had to improve his programming skills. He planned on testing his skills one by one on the Nuri Finances system.

He planned on making his own cryptocurrency dealer to aid his revenge. He swore to bring them down from the top. He would make sure they suffer the pain worse than death for the rest of their lives.

‘Just you wait.’

Woosung promised himself.

***

3 pm.

In 2008, the stock market closed at 3 pm. When it closed, workers could relax at last. Yoon Gihwan asked Park Junwoo to join him for coffee and smoke. He asked.

“What do you think? Is it really true that the newbie did it all by himself?”

Park Junwoo sipped on his coffee and answered.

“Yes, I checked it and it’s true. He is amazing. He could perform the development environment setting and debugging perfectly.”

“That’s strange…. Why would someone like him apply to our company?”

“I saw his resume, and he… didn’t graduate from a good school. Maybe that’s why?”

“Well, I guess. You need to graduate from top universities in Seoul to get into the major companies.”

Park Junwoo continued to drink his coffee and said with a frown.

“But there is something strange. I think no one showed him how to find the files with server address and SVN account information… but he found them easily. How could he…”

Yoon Gihwan inhaled his cigarette deep and gave a lazy answer.

“He said he came by before to say hello. Someone probably showed him then. Based on what we saw of his skills, I don’t think we need to hire any more help, right?”

Park Junwoo disagreed quickly.

“He’s a fresh graduate. He may have done well today, but we can’t be sure he would continue to perform well. Do you know how much work we have to do here? We’ve been working nonstop, day and night, for months now.”

“I know, but the headquarters keep telling me they can’t hire people anymore. You know, our company isn’t doing well right now.”

“And that’s why I have been patient but only one new employee? We can’t do this again.”

Yoon Gihwan inhaled deeply and answered.

“It’s not that bad, Manager Park. I promise that as soon as we finish this project, we would hire one more. So please be patient a little while longer.”

Park Junwoo sighed. He crumpled and threw away his paper cup. He thought of his wife and his new baby and bit his lips.

“This is really the last time.”

“I promise. You are being difficult today.”

Yoon Gihwan frowned and Park Junwoo became quiet. The atmosphere was becoming tense. Yoon Gihwan patted Park Junwoo’s shoulder.

“I know how hard you work. We have to get through this and the headquarters will help us out.”

Yoon Gihwan inhaled his cigarette again.

“All right,”

“Just a bit longer,”

Yoon Gihwan left to return to the office.

***

At 6:30pm, Woosung stood up.

“Manager, it’s time to go home.”

Park Junwoo looked at Woosung in confusion. Woosung said the same thing to Kim Yonggun.

“Assistant manager, it’s time to leave. Why aren’t you getting ready to go home?”

Yoon Gihwan said in annoyance.

“Hey, newbie! Are you crazy? You said you would create a test code. There is no way you finished it.”

“I completed about 15% of it. I will finish it in one week. If you can’t believe it, have a look yourself.”

“What?”

“You know how to check a test code, right? You are the general manager, so this should be easy for you.”

Yoon Gihwan reddened at Woosung’s challenge. Park Junwoo watched nervously. Kim Yonggun stepped in.

“We-ell, it IS time to go home. We should all leave. General manager, you should get home too. We’ll all go home early for once and have dinner with our family.”

To Kim Yonggun’s gesture, Park Junwoo also stood up. Yoon Gihwan looked at him and asked.

“Manger Park, did you fix all the bugs from today? How about the requests from the outsourcing company? There are so many things to fix by the end of today. Or are you willing to work overnights starting tomorrow?”

Woosung answered instead.

“We can work on number 43, 44, 45, and 46 of today’s bug report together tomorrow. No one wrote the request letter yet. We will need to have a meeting with the outsourcing company tomorrow to sort it out.”

Woosung grabbed his briefcase.

“Unless you, General manager, can explain the report. You must understand it better than any of us. If you can, then I will give you a schedule of when the development requests finish. I think Park Junwoo would agree with me. Right?”

Park Junwoo stuttered to Woosung’s unexpected question.

“Y-yes. I think that sounds right.”

Woosung bowed to Yoon Gihwan sitting in the inner corner of the office.

“Well then, I assume that’s it? I will see you tomorrow.”

Following Woosung, Park Junwoo and Kim Yonggun left quickly. Before Yoon Gihwan could say anything, the three left the office.

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Chapter 7: <Close the Gates to Hell>

6:30 pm.

It was the end of the official working hours for Daesan System employees working at Nuri Finances. But no one could ever leave on time as far as Park Junwoo could remember, and he has worked here since the beginning of the new generation system.

He felt nervous.

“Is… is this really ok?”

Kim Yonggun felt the same.

“I know… can we… really do this?”

They left the office, but they felt uncomfortable. Kim Yonggun wanted to ask Park Junwoo but looked at Woosung instead. Woosung was extraordinary.

“You guys deserve to go home on time. You’ve worked so hard.”

He had the ability to attract people. Kim Yonggun has known Woosung for only a day, but he felt like he could trust him. He also felt pressured to follow Woosung’s lead. Park Junwoo’s eyes widened and asked again.

“Hmm…?”

“I could tell how hard you worked from looking at your codes. I can also tell that there will be a lot of problems ahead of us with this system. You must know better than I do those previous programmers messed it up big time. We will have to work hard to fix it.”

Woosung paused. Park Junwoo and Kim Yonggun waited for Woosung to continue. This was no ordinary newbie.

Why was it so easy to trust him?

Because Woosung’s behavior and words seemed right.

“I haven’t graduated from the top school and I may be new, but I am confident about my skills. The only thing I lack is experience, but if you two can help me out, I know I will be a huge asset and the work will become easier for all of us.”

Park Junwoo and Kim Yonggun looked at each other. They believed him. They hesitated to respond. Woosung added.

“As you know, the gates to hell haven’t opened yet. Today was just an open beta but starting tomorrow, the users will log in for real and it will become hectic for us. If we continue to react like today rather than act and think ahead, the problems will pile up and…. You understand, right?”

“We understand what you’re saying. So what do you propose?”

“First, you need to study TDD (Test-driven development) by tomorrow. As soon as I complete the test code, our team should change to using TDD.”

Kim Yonggun remembered hearing about it at a software conference, but it was a new concept to Park Junwoo.

“Have you heard of it, Assistant manager Kim?”

“I think it’s a form of a software development process. It allows a fast development of prototypes to incorporate customers’ frequent feedbacks. It is a newer method to the waterfall model.”

“I… I see.”

They reached the subway. It was now time for them to split. Woosung told them.

“This is the only way to close the gates to hell, so please make sure you study it.”

Both nodded.

***

After dinner, Woosung sat in front of his computer at home. He opened Excel.

-January 15, 2018: Death at the age of 36

Woosung wrote the first line and gritted his teeth.

“That bastard…”

He breathed in deeply and controlled his anger. For his revenge against Choi Gichul, Woosung had to plan every single day carefully. The first thing he had to do was to organize what would happen and figure out which events he can use to his advantage. Woosung typed quickly.

– January 10, 2008: 26 years old again. First day of work. Starting the new Nuri Finances project.

– October 2008: World financial crisis.

– October 2008: Paper on Bitcoin posted.

– November 2008: Bitcoin project registers at Sourceforge.net

– January 2009: Bitcoin Genesis Block mined. Mining program released. First Bitcoin transfer made.

– June 2009: First Android phone Daeyang Electronics’ Blue S released.

– October 2009: 1500 Bitcoin equals 1 dollar.

– November 2009: iPhone released in Korea. Beginning of the rise of smartphones.

– December 2011: Hadoop, a file system for storing big data, released.

– April 2013: Opening of Korea’s first cryptocurrency dealer Buybit.

– December 2014: Cryptocurrency dealer Bitmain opens.

– July 2015: Initial release of Ethereum.

– January 10, 2015: First day of work at Bitmain.

– January 2016: Ethereum equals 1 dollar.

Woosung went furious as he looked at the word Bitmain.

“Phew… just relax. Getting upset will not help. He knows nothing at this point, anyway.”

Looking at the list he made, he knew he had plenty of opportunities.

Financial crisis.

Cryptocurrency.

Smartphone.

These three alone could make him rich enough to destroy Choi Gichul.

“I now have knowledge of the three biggest events, I will add other smaller details later.”

After completing the initial list of future events, Woosung began organizing the current events. He had to remember his present situation.

“I think I had about 26,000 dollars of tuition debt left…”

He started his list.

– 26,000 dollars of tuition debt.

– His parents put 62,000 dollars of down payment on the apartment.

– Of this 62,000 dollars, 35,000 was mortgage debt.

– His current saving balance was 900 dollars.

– His beginning salary was 800 dollars per month for the first three months. It would be 1,700 dollars per month before taxes.

“This is where I start.”

26,000 dollars of debt and savings of 900 dollars.

After taxes, his salary will be less than 900 dollars per month, but Woosung was not worried. If he gained 10,000 Bitcoins next year, it will skyrocket into 180 million dollars in 2017. This wasn’t the only way. Before the release of the smartphones, he could develop an Android game or a chat app like “Coconut,” that would be popular in the future. Either way, he could become filthy rich.

To do this, he needed two things.

Money and skills.

“The fastest way to make money now is…”

He couldn’t remember any winning lotto numbers or potential stocks, but he remembered that the financial crisis in October 2008 caused the plummeting of KOSPI to its lowest point.

“Should I buy some stocks?”

Day trading was not easy. Then, Woosung suddenly remembered what will happen tomorrow at work. Memories from 10 years ago came back. The answer was there.

“Oh! If I use that method, I should be able to at least pay the tuition debt back and make a bit of money. The programming….”

Woosung looked at the list of future events and decided on what he had to study.

“JAVA and Object C for Android, iOS (iPhone OS), C++ for Bitcoin, and… what was it for Ethereum? What was it…?”

He remembered looking it up out of curiosity. It was an unusual word. It was 2008 now, so he couldn’t look it up online.

“Oh! It was the Go from Google.”

Ethereum’s main programming language was Google’s Go. Woosung searched the internet and realized the required compiler or the packages weren’t available yet. This meant the first thing to do was to learn Go. Woosung made plans and prioritized.

“Now I just need to follow my plan.”

It wasn’t even 10 pm. He continued to work till late.

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Chapter 8: <Close the Gates to Hell>

Next day at work.

Woosung never left his seat and worked nonstop on his computer. Because he did well yesterday, Yoon Gihwan decided to leave Woosung alone for now.

‘But if he doesn’t do well today, I will give him such a hard time. If his work isn’t perfect or he makes any mistake, I’m going to destroy him.’

He gave Woosung an evil look. Woosung must’ve felt it but didn’t react to it. The others, however, watched curiously.

‘He’s going to end up killing the newbie.’

Park Junwoo looked at them secretly.

‘So many staffs left because of Yoon Gihwan’s temper… I am worried.’

General manager Yoon Gihwan.

He was known for being good at managing people. There were times when his cruel criticisms made employees cry but strangely, the office atmosphere always remained positive.

“Tsk tsk. General manager Yoon Gihwan has to work so hard because he doesn’t have good staffs.”

“If you can’t take a constructive criticism…”

People blamed his staff members because at the end of the day, Yoon Gihwan had incredible programming skills.

‘Even if the newbie is good, he will be no match for the general manager.’

Time passed, and it was finally lunch time.

***

Park Junwoo wanted to lift Woosung’s spirit.

“I looked into the agile you mentioned yesterday, and I agree that it would be perfect for our project.”

Kim Yonggun chimed in as well.

“Where did you hear about it? There aren’t a lot of references for it yet.”

Woosung answered evenly.

“It’s something I studied before I got hired.”

Park Junwoo exclaimed.

“Oh really? And you have a good coding skill too! You must’ve studied hard at school.”

“I did alright.” Woosung smiled and looked at Yoon Gihwan.

‘Agile, TDD… These are things Yoon Gihwan would’ve ordered me to work on anyway.’

10 years ago, after only a week at work, Yoon Gihwan made him create the test code rather than working on developing his skills. He gave an excuse that this would be a good coding experience for Woosung. Woosung would never forget the painful criticisms from Yoon Gihwan while learning about coding. Feeling Woosung’s stare, Yoon Gihwan looked up.

“So, did you finish the test code?”

Woosung put down his spoon on the table and answered.

“I was going to tell you that after the market closes today, I would like to have a meeting with the outsourcing company.”

Thump.

Yoon Gihwan threw his spoon down.

“What? A meeting with the company that hired us? It has only been 36 hours since you started working here, and you think you can call up a meeting? I can’t believe how arrogant you are.”

To Yoon Gihwan’s anger, Woosung answered calmly.

“If you understand why I created the test code on my first day, you must also realize why I need to meet with them.”

“There is nothing to understand!” Woosung didn’t flinch against Yoon Gihwan’s rage.

“We need to stop wasting time on paperwork and develop new prototypes as fast as possible based on the feedbacks. This is the best way to minimize the customer’s complaints.”

Woosung lifted his spoon again. He ate a spoonful of rice and continued.

“Fast response to customers will maximize their satisfaction in our product. This will decrease the cost of maintaining customers.”

To Woosung’s explanation, Yoon Gihwan snorted.

“Do you understand the reality of how hard it is to follow that logic?”

Park Junwoo and Kim Yonggun watched the discussion quietly. They couldn’t join this conversation.

“I can give it a try.”

Yoon Gihwan became speechless at Woosung’s brave words. He just stared. Park Junwoo also stopped eating in surprise.

‘I can’t believe it! Woosung is actually winning the argument against Yoon Gihwan.’

Yoon Gihwan bit his lips and answered.

“You… better be right about this.”

Kim Yonggun and Park Junwoo continued having their uncomfortable mean as the atmosphere remained tense.

***

3 pm.

As soon as the market closed, Yoon Gihwan walked to Woosung.

“Let’s see what you have.”

Woosung started the PowerPoint presentation.

-Nuri Finances’ New System Stabilization.

It was such a big title, especially for a newbie. Yoon Gihwan sneered.

“And how many years of finance experience do you have?”

Woosung thought. ‘Including the Bitmain, I would say 10 years.’ But he couldn’t tell him the truth.

“Skills don’t always come from experiences.”

“Fine. Continue.”

Woosung continued to explain the presentation one page at a time. He explained the need for the change in the development process and what the result would be. It wasn’t empty words either. He included example codes. The perfect presentation showed Woosung’s 10 years of experience in this field. Even Yoon Gihwan was impressed.

‘Is he really new to this?’

Looking at Yoon Gihwan’s expression, Woosung gave a triumphant smile.

‘These are actually things you did 10 years ago. I just copied your work from the past.’

10 years ago, Yoon Gihwan developed this idea to increase project efficiency as they were short on staff. He would’ve come up with it a few weeks from now, but Woosung remembered it and presented it first.

“And that’s the end of my presentation. The change in the development process will stabilize the Nuri Finances’ HTS.”

After the 20-minute presentation, Yoon Gihwan swallowed hard. Woosung was the real deal. Park Junwoo and Kim Yonggun also couldn’t hide their shock.

“You are saying that we should show this presentation to the outsourcing company… and apply it for real?”

“Yes. And of course, this shouldn’t be free.”

“What? Free?”

“As you probably realized, this is a form of IT strategy. If we offer the company a way to decrease IT operation cost, we should, of course, be paid a consulting fee.”

“You….are you serious?”

“Haha. Of course. Why should only companies like McKinsey and Accenture provide consultation? Daesan System can be consultants too.”

Yoon Gihwan laughed as if the idea was ridiculous. “McKinsey? Accenture?”

McKinsey and Accenture.

These were the best consulting companies in the world. Graduates from best universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford often got hired here with a beginning yearly salary of 100,000 dollars. Park Junwoo continued to look shocked.

“I see that someone from the Nuri Finances is finally here.”

Woosung saw someone running into the office.

“Please check the codes on HTS side ASAP. There seems to be a mistake in account balances for the customers.”

Account system.

It was a core system that dealt with customers’ transactions. In a stock brokerage company, it was the one responsible for buying and selling stocks. It was linked to the system Woosung’s project was working on. (Pages that customers saw while making transactions, for examples the online homepage, HTS, and call center.) It was HTS that was responsible for showing the account balance.

And showing the wrong balance to the customers was something that should never happen.

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Chapter 9: <Close the Gates to Hell>

Field supervisors.

Nuri Finances outsourced software development to Daesan System. Field supervisors were people from Nuri Finances familiar with this program and managed communications with Daesan system.

Woosung’s field supervisor was Assistant manager Kwak Jungwook who specialized in HTS.

Five staffs including Kwak Jungwook stared at the computer screen.

–Build started: Project: NuriHTS, Configuration:Debug

Win32—

Compiling…

Linking…

Embedding manifest…

Unit Tests Start.

BuyLimitOrderStockTradingTest à OK!

BuyMarketOrderStockTradingTest à OK!

SellLimitOrderStockTradingTest à OK!

SellMarketOrderStockTradingTest à OK!

…

…

StochasticDayChartTest à OK!

StochasticMonthChartTest à OK!

StochasticYearChartTest à OK!

…

…

100% PASSED

–Complete—

Looking at the word “Complete,” Woosung told Kwak Jungwook.

“Test has completed 100%. This means that there is nothing wrong on the HTS side.”

Kwak Jungwook asked Yoon Gihwan.

“What do you think, general manager? Can we trust this?”

Yoon Gihwan looked at Woosung.

“I think I should check it myself. Hey newbie, show me the codes.”

Woosung stood up calmly and replied.

“Have a seat and take your time.”

Yoon Gihwan sat down and checked through the codes hurriedly.

20 minutes later.

Kwak Jungwook asked again impatiently.

“General manager? The account balance is incorrect. If the problem is from the HTS side…. This is going to be serious.”

Yoon Gihwan didn’t even blink once. He kept staring at the monitor.

“Daesan System may have to pay the penalty and lose this project.”

Kwak Jungwook continued to emphasize the gravity of this situation, but Yoon Gihwan knew this already. A problem with the account system meant that this could be the end of Nuri Finances.

After 5 more minutes on the computer, Yoon Gihwan opened his mouth.

“I don’t think you need to worry.”

“Are you saying that there is nothing wrong with HTS?”

Yoon Gihwan nodded. Kwak Jungwook sighed deeply.

“Phew… Well I guess we can relax if the problem is not from our end.”

“But how did this happen? How could there be a mistake in account balance?”

“We don’t know yet. Several customers contacted us complaining about the wrong balances. When we checked, we found out that all the other customers’ balances were also incorrect. We don’t know the exact cause yet.”

Yoon Gihwan frowned. If the problem doesn’t get fixed soon, customers won’t be able to use the HTS tomorrow for stock trading.

“If this persists, it’s going to get bloody…”

The headquarter would start an investigation to find whoever was responsible for this error. The accountable developers would lose their jobs and possibly be reprimanded further. If the existing customers lost money by not being able to trade, the situation would become impossible to fix.

The company may have to reimburse the customers’ losses. This worried Yoon Gihwan a lot. Kwak Jungwook couldn’t hide his worries either.

“If the customers sue…”

Kwak Jungwook couldn’t even finish the sentence. He swallowed hard.

Park Junwoo and Kim Yonggun stood rigidly. The other developers in the office looked as perplexed as them. A palpable tension filled the room. Then, Woosung spoke.

“Oh, I thought something looked strange.”

Everyone turned their heads towards him at the same time.

“What is?”

“What are you talking about?”

“What?”

“You need to explain right now.”

Everyone including Yoon Gihwan, Park Junwoo, Kim Yonggun, and Kwak Jungwook, all asked at the same time.

“I didn’t have the clearance to access the DB (DataBase) so I couldn’t connect to it, but I noticed something wrong with the stored procedure in the test DB.”

Yoon Gihwan prompted Woosung impatiently.

“Stop stalling and just spit it out.”

Woosung looked at Kwak Jungwook mysteriously.

“If we can fix this problem, does this mean that Nuri Finances will feel favorable towards Daesan System?”

Kwak Jungwook replied quickly.

“Are you kidding? I wouldn’t be surprised if the headquarter will give you the account system contract.”

Another company outsourced the account system at the moment. The main partnering corporation, Daeyang System, hired the company called ST for the account system and Daesan for the channel system. Nuri Finances was in partnership with Daeyang as a secondary company.

“Hmm… all right. I will tell you as soon as I check this out.”

Woosung started Toad, which was a program to access the DB. He then connected to the Oracle database and searched the Oracle. which was a table of the scheduling program list provided by DBMS.

“If you look here, at around 3:05 pm a batch program was executed, which is the market closing time.”

– OP_BATCH_CUSTOMER_TRADING_BREAK_DOWN

This was the name of the Batch program. He pointed at the 256th line.

“Do you see the line that says Try Catch?”

Everyone nodded.

“This checks customers’ daily transactions and end-of-the-day balances. It compares the numbers and confirms that everything adds up correctly.”

Yoon Gihwan asked abruptly.

“Well, of course, it should do that. Data coherency is very important.”

“I agree. But what if it is not working correctly?”

Kwak Jungwook’s eyes widened.

“… wh… what?”

“When the errors from the server don’t get processed, how do you think this procedure react to the inconsistency?” Woosung said the problem came from the server side. Yoon Gihwan stood up angrily.

“Hey! How can you say that? Did you even look at the server codes?”

Kwak Jungwook also asked impatiently.

“W… wait. Errors on the server side? Are you saying that there is a problem with the stock trading transaction?”

Woosung didn’t answer the questions and continued to explain.

“To the Catch line, it just processes it as Exception and moves on.”

Everyone was now infuriated. They stopped listening to Woosung.

Kwak Jungwook asked again irritably.

“Again, are you saying that the problems are occurring from the server side? Are you sure? Just tell me.”

Yoon Gihwan shrieked.

“You! Newbie!”

“I took a quick look at the server codes on the SVN to help with developing HTS…. How much would you pay for this kind of consultation?”

“What?”

“Well, I’m not saying I need to be paid, but I am responsible for only the HTS. If I work on the server, then that’s outside of my contract. On top of that, this is a huge case… Wouldn’t you prefer to pay and get it fixed ASAP? If you don’t believe my explanation, check the relevant procedure.”

Finishing his explanation, Woosung left the room.

’10 years ago, they had to hire several famous developers to fix this problem. They spent at least 100,000 dollars. I remember Manager Park being envious of those developers making the big bucks.’

All these things were in Woosung’s memories. These were all the things he could use to make money.

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Chapter 10: <Close the Gates to Hell>

Yoon Gihwan followed Woosung hurriedly. When Woosung ignored him, he shouted desperately.

“Hey, newbie. Hey! You!”

“I’m not going anywhere. Why are you chasing me?”

“What did you mean? Server problem? And what money?”

“We shouldn’t work with them for free. You should contact our sales team and get them to bring us a contract.”

“Are you serious?”

“First sales team. Then contract.”

To Woosung’s determined attitude, Yoon Gihwan became quiet. How could a young 26-year-old be so domineering? Yoon Gihwan wet his lips.

‘I don’t get him.’

At first, he thought of Woosung as a naïve young pup. He was waiting to show him how the real world worked and train him. But Woosung was not what he expected.

Perhaps a tiger?

No, he was even beyond that. He was a flying dragon.

“Didn’t you say yesterday you only finished 15% of the test code? So when did you have the time to finish it and check out the server codes?”

“There is a saying in SI. ‘Ask for a longer deadline than needed and embellish the result.’ That’s why I said I needed more time. And my presentation only included the bare necessities. I had a lot of time left so I looked at this and that.”

“Are you serious? I know that you included only the main points in the presentation, but you have been working for only one day! How could you make a PPT, complete that many test codes, AND also look at the server codes?”

“Server codes were nothing special. Looking at the Oracle procedure was also easy. As for PPT, it was simple.”

Woosung stretched his arms and continued.

“A lot of unexplainable things happen in the world. I think I worked too hard today. I’m getting sleepy. I will take a quick walk to clear my head so please have the contract ready. Oh! Also, remind everyone that our work hour ends at 6:30 pm.”

Yoon Gihwan gasped but couldn’t say a word.

***

Strolling outside, Woosung drank a cup of coffee. Cold winter wind snapped him back to reality. He remembered what happened 10 years ago as if it all happened yesterday.

“It was a crazy time. Daeyang had to intervene and hire several famous developers to solve this problem.”

Woosung remembered that it took a week to fix. Not every customers’ balances were showing up incorrect, so the trading service continued and they fixed any mistakes which follow.

Manual rather than automatic.

They spent countless hours trying to fix the balances. Even 2 months after they solved the problem, everyone had to be on call. It was like hell.

“I wonder if Yoon Gihwan is following my order… I hope he doesn’t blow this chance.”

Woosung shivered. His ears were itchy, which meant that someone was talking about him.

Go Yungjun, a member of Daesan System’s sales team grumbled.

“You owe me big time, General manager. I had to cancel an important meeting to come here for you.”

“If this works out, it will be a huge deal. I expect it to be worth at least 440,000 dollars.”

450,000 dollars. Go Yungjun wet his lips.

“Did you say 450,000 dollars? You need to explain.”

“Nuri Finances is having a problem with their account system.”

Go Yungjun answered in shock.

“What? Did we screw up?”

“No, thank god.”

“Phew, you scared me.”

“We will ask for 200,000 dollars to fix the problem, and 250,000 dollars for future consultations on this subject.”

Go Yungjun shook his head nervously.

“General manager, account system is a dangerous territory. If we mess up, this destroys our company. You know this, right?”

“This is our chance. If we don’t take risks, we can never grow.”

“So you’re saying we will now dabble in the account system too?”

“We can’t always play it safe. And you remember where I used to work, right?”

“Haha, I remember. So we’ll fix this problem and offer a better system? And if our work satisfied them, we will take the account system contract and get paid to maintain?”

“Yes. ST has this contract but as you know, I have a history with Daeyang. We can steal the contract. This will be the beginning of us growing.”

Yoon Gihwan was ambitious. Account system was a core part of any finance companies and getting involved in this field was not something everyone could do. Only the best of the best firms would win such contracts. This was their chance.

“Be ready for me. The field supervisor went to have a meeting with his headquarter. We’ll find out soon.”

Yoon Gihwan called for Kim Yonggun.

“Hey, where the hell is that newbie? Find him.”

Kim Yonggun picked up his phone.

***

When Woosung came back to the office and gave his opinion, Yoon Gihwan lost it.

“You… you are crazy!”

“That’s my condition. Take it or leave it. If I don’t get this, then you can do the work yourself.”

Yoon Gihwan stood up in fury. Go Yungjun tried to convince Woosung.

“Woosung, this is very important to this company. If this works out well, then I’m sure our company will compensate you accordingly.”

Woosung stretched his neck and replied.

“I know, so I’m asking to be compensated now.”

Yoon Gihwan exhaled unevenly. Go Yungjun was getting a headache. Park Junwoo watched tensely nearby. This newbie was impressive.

“I want to be paid 50,000 dollars for fixing the problem and another 50,000 for the future consulting. Total 100,000 dollars. I am not asking for an unreasonable amount. I’m the only one who found out about the Batch procedure problem.”

“….”

Yoon Gihwan stared angrily at Woosung. Go Yungjun remained silent.

“I am telling you that I can fix the problem all by myself by the end of the day. Do you still think it’s unreasonable? The company will make an easy 200,000 dollars and get a chance to get into the account system field. This is the least this company can invest for such an opportunity.”

“Do you really think you can do this? What are you going to do if you can’t fix it?”

“Haha, I will sign a contract that says I will give up my salary for the next 5 years if I’m not successful.”

At that time, Kwak Jungwook came back from the meeting with Daeyang System.

“General manager, Daeyang is ready to offer you 150,000 dollars if you can fix the problem. If you don’t succeed, then you’ll get nothing. The deadline is till tomorrow morning before the market opens.”

Woosung smiled.

“I need to tell you also that if I end up needing to work after 6:30 pm, my hourly rate will be 1,000 dollars. It’s… 5 pm now.”

Yoon Gihwan closed his eyes. Park Junwoo and Kim Yonggun remained silent. Kwak Jungwook added.

“Oh, and as for the further consultation, if you can complete the task by midnight, they will accept it.”

Yoon Gihwan replied slowly.

“So… you want us to prove ourselves first.”

He looked at Woosung. Woosung was sitting lazily and smiling.

“Yes. And also, if the problem fixes itself somehow, then the offer is off of course.”

Woosung pointed at the clock.

“It’s now 5:10 pm.”

Yoon Gihwan looked at Go Yungjun.

“Manager Go, please prepare the contract. And you newbie… you better keep your word or else, you will never work in this field again.”

“Manager Go, I will now have to work till midnight so please include in the contract an additional 5,000 dollars for the 5 hours of after-hours work. I will give you the first 30 minutes of work for free.”

Go Yungjun looked at Yoon Gihwan for an approval. Yoon Gihwan glared at Woosung and nodded.

“Fine.”

Woosung cracked his knuckles and placed his hands on the keyboard.

“I don’t care if the company is getting paid only 150,000 dollars. I still need to be paid in full. You will also need to find a notary and a lawyer for the contract. I trust that you will take care of it, so I will start working.”

Yoon Gihwan gave out a defeated sigh.

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Chapter 11: <Close the Gates to Hell>

Woosung focused on debugging as he ate a burger for his dinner. Park Junwoo and Kim Yonggun assisted him while Yoon Gihwan remained nearby. Woosung thought about his situation.

‘55,000 dollars for tonight’s work. If the consultation project works out, then another 50,000 dollars. Total 105,000 dollars. Not bad.’

The room was tense, but Woosung could remain relaxed because the modifications he had to make for this problem was easy. The problem was something that either one could recognize right away or never understand at all. Luckily, Woosung already knew the answer since he remembered it from the past.

‘First, I need to pay back my student loan. I’ll give 20,000 dollars to my parents and I will save the rest for future cryptocurrency mining. If I get a chance, I should also buy stocks when the financial crisis happens.’

He filled his head with plans for his money. Because he wasn’t paying attention to the work, his typing slowed down. Yoon Gihwan noticed this and whispered to Woosung angrily.

“Hey, do you realize how many people are watching you? You better do a good job, got it?”

It wasn’t just the Daesan staffs that were waiting for him. People also came from ST Data System and Daeyang System to monitor him. Woosung asked the crowd.

“Is there anyone who works with the server here? I need someone to look at the updates on the transaction fees and balances with me.”

A well-dressed man stepped forward.

“The server developer is working on debugging. I am the PM from the server department. My name is Kwon Hyungeun.”

PM.

It was an acronym for Project Manager. PMs managed deadlines, staff schedules, and communications with other companies.

“Oh…. PM Kwon.”

It was a familiar face. After Daesan’s one-year contract with Nuri Finances ended, Kwon Hyungeun thought highly of Woosung and offered a job at ST Data System. ST was slightly bigger than Daesan and offered a higher salary, so Woosung took the offer and spent 6 years at ST.

“Is there a problem with the updates?”

“After they complete the transactions, it should update balances after the fees, right?”

Kwon Hyungeun nodded.

“And there are two different fee rates?”

Kwon Hyungeun nodded again. Everyone listened to Woosung in fascination.

“To customers who pay the monthly subscription fee of 13 dollars, the transaction fee is 0.00811%. If you don’t pay the monthly fee, the rate is 0.011%.”

Woosung gave a pragmatic explanation.

“This is how the program should work. It completes a transaction. Based on the customer’s profile, the transaction fee is calculated. The fee gets deducted, and the balance gets updated. Right?”

Woosung didn’t wait for an answer but pointed at the Visual Studio program on the monitor.

“Here is the implemented code on the server. It starts from the 452nd line of StockTrade.cpp file. On the 512th line is where it determines the transaction fee rate. I will now try to bring up that function.”

result value : 0.011.

result value : 0.011.

result value : 0.011.

result value : 0.011.

Same numbers kept appearing on the screen. As Woosung remained silent, Yoon Gihwan became impatient and shouted.

“Hey!”

He then realized that there was an audience, so he added quietly.

“You need to explain.”

“Transaction fee rate. It applies the same value to every customer.”

Kwon Hyungeun quickly denied it.

“That can’t be… I checked the DB value….”

Kwak Jungwook looked at Kwon Hyungeun and asked.

“Are you sure you confirmed it?”

Kwon Hyungeun answered uncertainly.

“I am sure I checked it, but… I will check it again.”

He picked up his phone. Yoon Gihwan looked at Woosung and swallowed. Did Woosung get it right? Woosung continued with a smile.

“There is no need to call. That value isn’t being used by the codes, anyway.”

“W… what?”

“If you look here, the value in const format ends up being used. Wrong transaction fee rate is being called up.”

cosnt was a type qualifier that defined the constant values. This meant instead of bringing up the correct rate from the database, a value was hard coded.

Every time it needs the correct rate to determine, the program was changing the code and restarting the server.

Kwon Hyungeun, who was making a call, looked at Woosung’s monitor. Other developers nearby also stared at the computer to confirm.

const double GENERAL-FEE = 0.011;
const double SPECIAL-FEE = 0.011:

Woosung was right. Kwon Hyungeun whispered.

“How could this…”

He couldn’t believe it, so he kept rubbing his eyes. But it was true. Kwak Jungwook asked irritably.

“Stop standing around and call the server developer to check the code. Run the test!”

“This is such a stupid mistake… he’s usually so thorough…”

Kwon Hyungeun still couldn’t believe it. But the codes from SVN was definitely from his company. There was no excuse. Woosung said to Kwon Hyungeun.

“Your developer could have missed it while running a test, or a freelance developer may have made the mistake. If you fix this and the Batch procedure I mentioned earlier, everything will work normally.”

Kwon Hyungeun left in shock. Woosung looked at Kwak Jungwook.

“If you accept my consultation regarding the change in the development process, something like this would never happen. It would be beneficial to apply my idea ASAP. The longer you wait, the more complicated the codes will become. Maintaining such a system would be costly.”

The other developers realized that he had solved the problem. They left one by one. Woosung looked at his watch.

10 pm.

He could check the codes and run the tests by midnight.

He asked Yoon Gihwan.

“I think I can do it by midnight. Make sure you don’t forget my 55,000 dollars, ok?”

“You…. You…”

“Yes?”

“WHAT are you?”

“Haha, Somebody asked me that before. Obviously, I am a newly hired developer at Daesan System. Now what you need to do is prepare for the consultation presentation for Nuri Finances. We showed them what we can do tonight, but we still have a long way to go to convince them. Don’t forget that my additional 50,000 dollars depends on this.”

Yoon Gihwan’s eyes widened as he remained speechless.

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Chapter 12: <Planning for the Future>

They deposited the payment for fixing the server to his account the very next day. Yoon Gihwan was a quick-tempered bully, but he did his job well. Woosung first paid back his student loan and gave 20,000 dollars to his parents.

“Use this to pay back part of the mortgage loan.”

Their current house was 62,000 dollars and 35,000 of it was a loan.

“W… Woosung, what is this?”

Kim Eunjung trembled as Woosung showed her the cheque.

“My company paid me a bonus for a big job I completed.”

Kang Gichun was in shock.

“You just started working there. This doesn’t make sense.”

“I’m telling the truth. I did nothing illegal for it so don’t worry. You guys did so much for me and now it’s my turn.”

They still seemed wary.

Woosung added quickly.

“It’s actually the money I saved since university from part-time job. Trust me.”

“H… how about your student loan?”

“I paid it back, so stop worrying about it.”

Even after Woosung explained, Kim Eunjung couldn’t bring herself to accept it. Woosung put the cheque in her hand.

“Son…”

Woosung could feel that his parents felt apologetic to him. He could see that things were about to get emotional. He stood up and walked towards the front door.

“I need to get to work, so I’ll see you later.”

He didn’t want to see his mother cry. Woosung left quickly.

***

As soon as Woosung arrived, Park Junwoo greeted him.

“Hello, Woosung.”

Kim Yonggeun treated Woosung similarly. They greeted him first before he did. Even Yoon Gihwan, who was already at work, greeted him.

“Hey, newbie.”

“Hello. I received the payment. Your personality isn’t great, but you do your job well.”

Yoon Gihwan closed his eyes. Woosung just insulted him, but he needed to remain calm.

“I told the headquarter that we need you. I also asked to promote you to Assistant manager ASAP.”

“Haha, you worked hard for me.”

“And as for your consultation presentation, Nuri Finances asked us to arrange another meeting. They asked us to make sure to bring you.”

Woosung sat down in his chair and replied.

“It’s my job, so of course I’ll go. Oh, and I want the consulting team to include Manager Park and Assistant manager Kim. We will also continue to maintain HTS.”

“The headquarter promised to send some talented developers.”

Park Junwoo.

Kim Yonggun.

10 years ago, they helped him to grow in Daesan System. This was his chance to repay them.

“I don’t need talented people. I need people I can trust. I won’t do it if I don’t have Manager Park and Assistant manager Kim.”

“Gosh, do you always have to get your way?”

“I must be learning from you, General manager.”

“W… what?”

“You have a horrible personality, but the company is keeping you because of your skills.”

Both Park Junwoo and Kim Yonggun nodded in agreement. Yoon Gihwan reddened.

“You!”

Park Junwoo watched nervously. He was worried about Yoon Gihwan losing his temper, but strangely, nothing happened.

‘Yoon Gihwan is always condescending to me… but he can’t win an argument against a newbie.’

It was strange to see haughty Yoon Gihwan like this.

“I’m busy. Let’s get to work.”

“Fine. Just make sure your presentation is perfect. You need to prepare a proposal as well. You are getting paid 50,000 dollars, so you should do all the work.”

“Haha, of course.”

Woosung sat down and began. Yoon Gihwan left in mad fury but didn’t say another word.

***

Lunch time.

Woosung stood up to go for lunch when guests arrived for him. ST Data System’s Kwon Hyungeun was here with another familiar face.

“Hello. I’m sorry that I came by without an appointment but…”

“Oh, why are you here…?”

“I was so thankful for your work yesterday, I wanted to buy you lunch.”

The developer next to him frowned.

“I told you I would’ve fixed it myself.”

“Fine. Let’s just go for lunch.”

Woosung looked at Yoon Gihwan. It was uncomfortable to meet with people from a competing company.

“When did you ever worry about what I think?”

“Ok. Then I will have lunch with my guests.”

Woosung was happy to see Kwon Hyungeun. Park Junwoo and Kim Yonggun were his friends from Daesan, while Kwon Hyungeun was the one who gave him the opportunity to work at ST. Woosung laughed.

“Let’s go. By the way, I like sushi.”

To his friendliness, Kwon Hyungeun laughed as well.

“Haha, I was worried about what we should eat. That sounds good.”

The three arrived at a Japanese restaurant nearby. They ordered expensive sushi dishes. Woosung’s mouth watered. Kwon Hyungeun lifted his chopsticks.

“Let’s eat.”

“Are you sure it’s ok for you to buy such an expensive meal?”

“Of course. Oh, and this is the server development PL (Project Leader) Nam Kyungsang.”

Kwon Hyungeun introduced the man next to him.

Nam Kyungsang.

Woosung knew him. How could he forget? Because of this man, Nuri Finances lost its confidence in the developers of HTS at Daesan. They had to work late nights for a year because of him.

“Manager Nam, nice to see you. It has been a long time.”

Kwon Hyungeun and Nam Kyungsang looked at him strangely. Woosung added quickly.

“Oh…. I think we’ve met before at the office. It’s nice to see you.”

Nam Kyungsang replied rudely.

“Really? I’ve never met you before.”

“Oh…well. Perhaps you don’t remember me, but I never forget a face.”

Kwon Hyungeun didn’t want this conversation to get any more uncomfortable so he joined in.

“Haha, Woosung must have a good memory. And he is also very skilled. He was able to fix the server problem so easily.”

“Manager, I told you that I could fix it myself. I was almost done fixing it when this guy swooped in.”

“Oh… Haha. Of course. I’m getting old. I keep forgetting things. Did you have anything you would like to ask Woosung?”

“I already know everything, so there is nothing to ask.”

Woosung looked at Nam Kyungsang unkindly.

‘He had such a big ego. 10 years ago, he blamed us for the problem…’

While Woosung was deep in his thoughts, Kwon Hyungeun continued.

“Of course I believe you. But don’t you think it would be helpful to us if we know how Woosung fixed the problem?”

Nam Kyungsang refused to budge.

“Nobody knows server codes better than I do.”

There was no way to convince him. Kwon Hyungeun gave up and looked at Woosung.

“Let’s eat.”

Woosung picked up his chopsticks.

It was an awkward lunch.

‘If he has something to say, he should just say it. Why is he looking at me like that?’

Nam Kyungsang didn’t say a word and kept glancing at Woosung. Kwon Hyungeun noticed how uncomfortable Woosung was, so he asked.

“You seem so young. How are you so good at your job already?”

“I studied hard and learned the new techniques from the internet.”

“Wow, you make it sound so easy. But not everyone can become skillful like you, Woosung.”

Kwon Hyungeun complimented Woosung. Nam Kyungsang didn’t like this, so he added maliciously.

“I’m like that too.”

“Haha of course. You can learn so much on the internet, especially from stackoverflow.com. (One of the world’s biggest website for programming information).”

Kwon Hyungeun has never heard of this website before.

“Stack Overflow? Manager Nam, do you know this site too?”

Nam Kyungsang stuttered.

“W… well of course. I’ve looked at it a few times. There is a lot of information there.”

Stack Overflow.

Some IT companies required applicants to include information from this website on their cover letters. It was a very famous site, so if Nam Kyungsang didn’t know about it, that could mean only one thing.

‘It must not be available yet.’

No one has created the website yet. Now that Woosung thought about it, he didn’t remember visiting this site in 2008. This was a second mistake he made today.

‘I need to be careful of what I say.’

As Woosung remained silent, Kwon Hyungeun added.

“I can see why you are so good at your job. After lunch, I will go back to the office and look this website up.”

Woosung laughed awkwardly.

“Oh, haha… It’s nothing. There is no need.”

“A programmer should never stop learning. You always need to learn the newest techniques.”

Nam Kyungsang added competitively.

“Especially if you are a C++ programmer, you need to visit MSDN (Microsoft Developer Network) often. Right?”

Then suddenly, Kwon Hyungeun’s phone vibrated. After apologizing, he answered the phone. His face darkened.

“Oh, I’m so sorry but I need to get back to work…”

“It’s ok. I’m full anyway.”

“Manager Nam, are you sure you don’t need Woosung’s help?”

“No. I’ve been doing this for 7 years.”

“Fine. Let’s go.”

Kwon Hyungeun seemed nervous. Woosung watched him worriedly.

‘Now that the gates to hell closed, they must discuss how to prevent such situations in the future. If I remember correctly, they came up with a point system.’

Woosung could guess why Kwon Hyungeun was getting worried.

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Chapter 13: <Planning for the Future>

Ten people sat around the table in the conference room.

Woosung was showing off his presentation skill in front of the big screen.

“This is a step-by-step method that can decrease your IT cost. We can apply the changes to our system first to see how effective it is. You can then decide whether you want to use it for your system.”

Yoon Gihwan sat with his arms crossed while Park Junwoo nodded.

‘Not only is he great at programming and paperwork, but he is also awesome at presentation.’

There were many important people in the room. HTS department Manager Kwak Jungwook and IT Department leader from Nuri Finances and representatives from Daeyang System were all watching. Despite the pressure, the newbie didn’t seem nervous at all. He continued his presentation without hesitation.

‘How could a new graduate be that confident?’

Yoon Gihwan’s ears were turning red. This happened when he was in a good mood.

This meant that he was happy about how things were going.

‘He can’t be real…’

Woosung was like a utility player in soccer. He was great at all positions including forward, defense, and goalkeeping. Kwak Jungwook asked during the presentation.

“You say your idea will decrease the number of VoC and speed up the development of prototypes, right? If it works as you promise, then obviously we will accept your proposal. But I’m wondering if it sounds too good to be true.”

“I expect that the number of VoC will decrease by 50% and the number of customers will increase by 50%. Frankly, I’m being conservative with my estimations. Have you ever seen the HTS from other financial companies?”

Woosung paused and looked around the room. He made an eye contact with the IT department leader who had the most decision-making power in this room. He then went on to the next slide.

“Of course you did. On this page is this week’s customer feedback from the website of your competition Woosung Finances.

– Complaints RE: Slow speed – 37

– Complaints RE: Frequent errors – 41

– Request RE: Improvement in functions – 30

“This isn’t just Woosung Finances. Below list is from KY Finances.”

– Complaints RE: Slow speed – 50

– Complaints RE: Frequent errors – 52

– Request RE: Improvement in functions – 42

“And this is from our Nuri Finances.”

– Complaints RE: Slow speed – 45

– Complaints RE: Frequent errors – 52

– Request RE: Improvement in functions – 53

Nuri Finances’ numbers weren’t great. Everyone from the company swallowed.

“This is a problem. If we fixed the glitches suggested by our users, we will attract more customers.”

Woosung looked at the IT department leader Jo Youngsuk again. He was looking at the screen intently.

“If nobody has questions, then that would be the end of my presentation.”

As soon as Woosung finished, Jo Youngsuk admired.

“You are amazing…”

He then ordered Kwak Jungwook.

“Assistant Manager Kwak, let’s do it.”

“Yes, sir.”

It was such a quick acceptance that shocked Yoon Gihwan. Jo Youngsuk stood up slowly and told Woosung.

“Let’s have lunch sometime. There are things I would like to discuss with you. And from now on, join General Manager Yoon Gihwan for our weekly meeting. You could be very helpful.”

After making such a shocking decision, Jo Youngsuk and the others from Nuri Finances left the room. Park Junwoo whispered to Kim Yonggun.

“What just happened? Did he get scouted? He got asked to join the weekly PM meetings.”

“I… I think so.”

“Well, he is too good to be stuck in our company.”

“I agree that he is better than me… Perhaps even…”

He looked at Park Junwoo.

“He’s definitely better than me too.”

Park Junwoo admitted coolly. Kim Yonggun now looked towards Yoon Gihwan.

“Don’t you think he’s even better than the general manager too?”

“I think so.”

They continued to whisper for a while.

***

When Yoon Gihwan came back, he asked.

“So they approved our project. What should we do now?”

“There is something I need to check first. I also want to make sure you will give Manager Park and Assistant manager Kim their bonuses.”

Yoon Gihwan opened a drawer and picked up a contract. Woosung, Park Junwoo, and Kim Yonggung’s names were on it. It stated that once the project completed successfully and Daesan received the payment, the three will each receive a bonus.

Park Junwoo and Kim Yonggun were unaware of this, but it still surprised them. As soon as they signed the contract, Woosung started.

“We need to expand the existing test codes for the model and controller. But I didn’t find a good library for the view.”

There were three parts to the HTS screen. The view was an output representation of information to the users while the model was the central component that managed data. The controller accepted input and converted it to commands for the model or view.

They called this the MVC pattern. Woosung’s main worry was the view test. Yoon Gihwan was also worried about the same thing.

“So?”

“I will make it myself.”

“… what?”

“I am thinking of creating it into something we can test in the macro format.”

Microsoft’s Visual Studio 2010 allowed UI test, but the most current version available now was Visual Studio 2005, which didn’t have this function. Woosung planned on creating this function himself. Yoon Gihwan knew what Woosung meant, but he asked again.

“So, you’ll make it yourself?”

“Yes, and while I’m doing this, Manager Park and Assistant manager Kim should work on the rest of the test codes.”

“W… wait. You can really invent that?”

Woosung nodded and started the Visual Studio on his laptop. He then executed a never-seen-before GUI Test Tool.

“I already tried making a login test.”

Woosung attempted to log in on HTS and clicked the Stop button, which made the written codes to appear automatically.

“I made it record my screen activities in a macro format. It will then code the input values automatically, which we can use anywhere. I will now try to execute it again.”

What happened on the screen shocked Yoon Gihwan and Park Junwoo. The manual process of inputting the ID and PW to log in was now happening automatically. Woosung added quickly.

“This is an example of how it will work. There is one thing you need to do for me, General manager.”

“Me?”

“Yes. While we work on TDD (Test-driven development), you need to organize this process in a word document.”

Was it because Woosung just impressed him with the GUI Test Tool? Yoon Gihwan nodded without a word. From this interaction, it was impossible to tell who was in charge of this department.

“That document will become the foundation for teaching the other developers our project, so please do your best.”

Woosung was clearly in charge now.

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Chapter 14: <Planning for the Future>

When Woosung suggested that it was time to go home, Park Junwoo shook his head weakly.

“You should go home. I… I still have more work to do.”

“How about you, Assistant Manager Kim?”

Kim Yonggun was in the same boat as Park Junwoo.

“I… think I also have more to finish.”

“Really? You should go home and just finish tomorrow.”

“N… no, Woosung. You go ahead.”

He sighed and looked at this screen.

-title : HTS Controller Test

-author : woosung.kang

-email : woosung.kang@daesan.com

This was the beginning of Woosung’s code. It was hard to accept that they had to use the newbie’s code. Woosung was better than the assistant manager. He was even better than the manager.

Woosung also said to Yoon Gihwan.

“Well then, General Manager, I will see you tomorrow.”

“O… ok.”

Yoon Gihwan also looked like he was struggling. When Woosung peeked at his screen, he saw that Yoon Gihwan was looking up TDD on the internet.

“Don’t work too hard. Go home early. And General Manager!”

Yoon Gihwan looked up from his computer.

“When you’re done with the report, don’t forget to run it by me.”

“You, bastard….”

Yoon Gihwan exhaled deeply and stopped mid-sentence.

“I just want to chat with you about Kent Beck’s work (One of the original signatories of the Agile Manifesto) and how you feel about it.”

“Argh…”

Yoon Gihwan groaned as Woosung left the office. Woosung lived about an hour of a subway ride from the office. He zoned out as he waited for his ride.

‘Did I get smarter when I traveled back in time?’

It wasn’t just the coding. His ability to write reports, do presentations, and control the situation all improved.

‘Within the last two weeks, I created so many test codes, wrote an impressive report, and created the GUI test plugin. I am so amazing.’

He knew what the future held, but if he didn’t have these skills, it could have been useless, but that wasn’t the case. He was more than capable.

‘At this rate, I will be fluent in English soon too.’

One of the many things Woosung learned was English. He had to read the original report on Bitcoin and the Android specs on the first smartphones.

‘Choi Gichul, you just wait. I will destroy you.’

Woosung was determined. He promised to never waste a day. He was single-minded. He focused on the book.

– Sungmoon’s English Grammar for the Beginners

It was a famous textbook for students learning English. Woosung has never finished this book when he was still in school. Woosung opened the book.

***

3 pm every Friday.

As soon as the market closed, PMs from the outsourcing companies for Nuri Finances gathered around for a meeting. It was to share and discuss all the issues in different departments including the account system, channel system, and the information system. Jo Youngsuk, the head of the Nuri Finances’ IT department, was in charge of this meeting and any final decisions made here.

Jo Youngsuk reprimanded Kwon Hyungeun harshly.

‘Manager Kwon…’

Kwon Hyungeun remained silent.

“It has only been a few days since we had that big problem, and already we have 10 VoCs. 10! Do you think this is normal, Manager Kwon?”

“We just launched a new system so we are still in the adjusting period. We are trying our best.”

“Manager, this isn’t the place to ‘try.’ You need to ‘do’ it right.”

Kwon Hyungeun reddened.

“…I apologize.”

Jo Youngsuk wasn’t finished. He was acting very differently than when he talked to Woosung.

“It has already been days since we launched this program. The adjustment period should be over by now. You need to do better!”

“…”

The room filled with tension. Yoon Gihwan looked nervous, worried that he might be called up next.

‘If General manager Yoon is scared of him… Jo Youngsuk must be really terrifying.’

Jo Youngsuk.

Woosung didn’t know him very well. 10 years ago, he was only a newbie at Daesan System. He was never promoted high enough to ever meet Jo Youngsuk.

“This applies to everyone here. And from now on, it won’t just be words. Starting today, we are implementing a point system for every VoC.”

Point system. Also called the reward and punishment system.

At first glance, it looked like a fair arrangement, but it only worked to destroy morale and increase unnecessary competition among co-workers. Some groaned in fear. Jo Youngsuk continued indifferently.

“It’s not just punishment. Remember the reward part. If you make a good suggestion or apply new ideas effectively and quickly, you can gain positive points to offset any negative points. Renewing outsourcing contracts will depend on these points. This system starts today and Kwak Jungwook will explain the details to you.”

Jo Youngsuk left the room angrily. Kwon Hyungeun breathed deeply and sat silently.

After the meeting, Yoon Gihwan went to talk to Park Junwoo.

“Manager Park, how did you do with the VoC on our end?”

“I am done with all of them from last week.”

“How about this week?”

“I had a lot to do this week so…I took care of only the Monday’s VoC so far.”

Yoon Gihwan sighed and replied.

“… Manager Park, didn’t I tell you that you need to take care of all VoCs as quickly as possible?”

He was about to explode. Park Junwoo stiffened.

“But I just don’t have the time… I need more time to run tests.”

He then glanced at Woosung. Because of Woosung, there was more to do now. He had to make test codes and also study Agile software development. He had more work to do within the same amount of time. He had to prioritize, and one of the things he skipped was taking care of the VoC. Park Junwoo felt resentful for a moment, but not for long.

“They said at the meeting that whatever we missed so far will be forgiven. We are given a fresh start so we’re ok. And even if we don’t complete it, don’t worry about it.”

Yoon Gihwan murmured skeptically.

“Will you take responsibility if our company doesn’t get its contract renewed with Nuri Finances next year?”

“That depends on you, General Manager. I am referring to the reward points that was mentioned earlier. Jo Youngsuk said that anyone coming up with and implementing good ideas will gain reward points.”

“So?”

“We’ll focus on those points.”

Woosung was from the future.

He knew how HTS was going to improve in the future. He planned to use what he knew. Park Junwoo and Kim Yonggun began to worry at what Woosung was suggesting.

“W… Woosung. We are already overwhelmed with making the test codes and taking care of the VoC. If you try to start any new project, we won’t be able to keep up. Let’s just finish what we started first.”

Park Junwoo nodded in agreement. Even Yoon Gihwan felt the same.

“If you are just being overconfident, you should stop now. We know you are talented, but there is always a limit to everything.”

There were already four things Woosung oversaw.

Agile software development consulting.

Processing VoC.

GUI Test Tool.

Test codes.

GUI Test Tool alone would take over a month to complete. Test codes and VoC were being taken cared off by Park Junwoo and Kim Yonggun, but Woosung also helped out whenever he could. At this point, Woosung’s hope to make improvements on HTS was an impossible dream. But Woosung felt differently.

‘This is a good way to test how far I can go.’

He had to know his limit to make an accurate plan for the future. He wanted to see how much he could accomplish. There was only one solution.

“I can do it by myself.”

Yoon Gihwan couldn’t help but roar.

“Hey! Didn’t you hear a word I said?”

“Worries and concerns are the bugs that eat away the future. Recklessness and persistence can allow you to grow. These are famous sayings from the future.”

Yoon Gihwan realized he couldn’t change Woosung’s mind.

“Well, you never listen so whatever. Do whatever you want.”

“Then I would like to have another meeting with the server team.”

“… Do you already know what you will do?”

He already knew how HTS would change in the future, but he needed to remember the specifics.

“Well, I know the big picture. I can do parts of it myself but some of it requires new API. If you can arrange a meeting, I will let you know.”

Yoon Gihwan pointed behind Woosung.

“There is no need. You can tell him yourself.”

Kwon Hyungeun was just coming in with the server developer Nam Kyungsang. They were whispering but Woosung could hear them clearly.

“I’m sure the problem is on the channel system. I checked the server codes several times. This isn’t the first time we got blamed because of the HTS problem. We need to nip this in the bud.”

Woosung remembered this situation. 10 years ago, this was how he got to know Kwon Hyungeun well and also offered a job at ST Data System.

‘Things will turn out differently this time, Manager Nam.’

Woosung smiled and greeted the two.

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Chapter 15: <Planning for the Future>

Kim Yonggun frowned when he saw Nam Kyungsang. Park Junwoo shut his eyes and sighed. Yoon Gihwan turned away in disgust.

“Hello, Manager Park. We meet again.”

“Yes.”

“The thing is, we received a few VoC on our end, but they seem like problems related to HTS channel. I really hate to bring this up over and over again, but your mistakes are inconveniencing us.”

“I… I’ll check it right now.”

Park Junwoo did a weak reply. Kwon Hyungeun also seemed to feel awkward. He reiterated the situation in a kinder tone.

“We checked our system multiple times, but we couldn’t find anything wrong. We thought it would be smart to cross check with your system. Please don’t take this the wrong way.”

“I am telling you this is definitely an HTS problem. I called up the Stochastics (Point of a current stock price in relation to its price range over time) graph API several times, but nothing is wrong on my end.”

“Well, we aren’t sure.”

“No, I’m positive.”

Nam Kyungsang gave an adamant reply and looked at Park Junwoo.

“I sent the problems to your email, Manager Park. It takes too long to bring up the Stochastics graphs. There were also some other problems, but I didn’t read them. They are not my problems. There’s nothing wrong on our end. They’re HTS errors, so you need to fix them right now.”

His voice was rude and condescending, but Park Junwoo couldn’t fight back. Yoon Gihwan turned around.

“I checked the email just now. It says there is a delay in bringing up the ‘Stochastics monthly graph API.’ Are you saying that’s our problem?”

“I tested it out many times. When I try it on my end, it only takes 2 seconds, so isn’t it obvious? Something went wrong on your side.”

Yoon Gihwan couldn’t be rude to people from another company, so he replied respectfully.

“How?”

“Handling the screen data is HTS territory. Do I have to explain everything to you?”

Nam Kyungsang became louder and angrier. Kwon Hyungeun tried to calm him down.

“Manager Nam, that’s enough. Haha, I apologize General Manager Yoon. Our company is under a lot of stress…”

The now aggressive Nam Kyungsang added.

“Why should I stop? I need to say this. You all heard about the new point system, right? If your channel problems keep appearing as ours, I won’t stay silent.”

Yoon Gihwan bit his lips. He wanted to say something, but there have been many occasions when problems turned out to be his department’s mistakes. Park Junwoo felt the same. Kim Yonggun was biting his nails. This situation was familiar to Woosung. Kwon Hyungeun tried to stop Nam Kyungsang again.

“Manager Nam, stop right now.”

He exclaimed causing Nam Kyungsang to quiet down, but then he made eye contact with Woosung and Nam Kyungsang couldn’t help himself but continue.

“Lastly, that recent problem was something I could have fixed. What you need to focus on are your own problems.”

Woosung remembered Nam Kyungsang from the past.

‘He has such a big ego. He really believed his codes were the best. No one could challenge him… Well, he had good skills, so nobody could stand up to him. But things are different now.’

The impatient Yoon Gihwan stood up. Park Junwoo kept repeating miserable sighs. Kwon Hyungeun grabbed Nam Kyungsang’s arm and pulled.

“Manager Nam!” He then bowed to Yoon Gihwan. “General Manager, I am so sorry. Nam Kyungsang isn’t usually like this. I will make sure he doesn’t behave like this again.”

He then dragged Nam Kyungsang out of the room.

Crack.

Yoon Gihwan kicked the chair and left to take a smoke break. Park Junwoo asked Kim Yonggun and Woosung.

“Let’s go for coffee.”

Woosung followed them quietly.

10 years ago, because of Nuri Finances’ new system, Woosung had to deal with Nam Kyungsang often. Even after the new system stabled, they still had to maintain a stable meeting among one another. Park Junwoo explained the history of Daesan’s slipups to Woosung.

Server crash because of an infinite loop request. Wrong parameter request causing a delay in server development. Failure in updating the screen enhancements provoking the need for a new server. The server team was inconvenience multiple times in the past because of the mistakes from HTS team. It was no wonder Nam Kyungsang fretted about it. Woosung didn’t react and listened to Park Junwoo.

“So Woosung, don’t feel bad. We did make a lot of mistakes.”

A nice guy.

10 years ago, Park Junwoo said the same thing. He was such a nice guy. Kim Yonggun felt different, however.

“Even so, there is no need to be that rude. We all work hard.”

“But if they have to work late because of our mistakes, then it’s understandable that they get frustrated.”

“I know but…”

“Assistant Manager Kim, don’t you remember complaining when we had to work late because of the server or infra errors?”

Kim Yonggun reddened in embarrassment.

“Well, you don’t have to bring that up.”

“I’m just saying it’s all good. When a person feels inconvenienced, we all become defensive. Some may react more strongly than others.”

Kim Yonggun drank his coffee in silence. Park Junwoo looked out the window. Woosung had a different feeling.

“To me, it looks like ST wants to take everything.”

Park Junwoo spilled his coffee in surprise.

“W… what?”

“I told you before. The new point system will decide which outsource company will get its contract renewed with Nuri Finances. That means one or more companies could lose their work next year.”

Kim Yonggun swallowed hard.

“So…”

“I don’t think ST has protested this much before, right?”

Park Junwoo thought carefully. Thinking about it now, this was the first time they made such a big fuss. In the past, Nam Kyungsang fixed the problems himself to show how good he was.

“So ST wants to take our contract and work on HTS maintenance too?”

Woosung shook his head.

“Who is Nuri Finances’ main partner?”

Kim Yonggun answered.

“That would be Daeyang System.”

“Our company and ST are secondary outsource companies. We are only ‘small fish.'”

“Wow. Only ‘small fish’.”

“If ST gains the most points in this new system, what do you think would happen?”

Park Junwoo put down his coffee and answered.

“ST can stand equal with the main partners?”

Woosung nodded. Kim Yonggun swallowed again.

“Yes, that’s it. They are thinking big.”

Park Junwoo looked at him in shock.

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Chapter 16: <Planning for the Future>

Nuri Finances’ primary partnering company was Daeyang System, which was a major corporation. ST and Daesan System were the secondary companies with outsourcing contracts. Ten years ago, Daesan System lost its contract in a year and Woosung left to work at ST. As an employee of ST, Woosung ended up working for Nuri Finances still.

‘If I apply what I know of the future, Daesan will become the primary partner…”

However, one thing still worried Woosung. Will he be able to make extra money like the last time using his knowledge of the future, or perhaps gain something else other than money?

He was still working at Daesan because he needed the salary. He didn’t know the winning lotto numbers and there were no other ways to earn a stable salary. He even knew who would be the next president, but it was useless information.

‘Hmmm…’

Yoon Gihwan suddenly called for Woosung.

“Hey newbie, you need to explain what you said to Manager Park.”

Woosung focused on Yoon Gihwan and answered.

“Isn’t it obvious? The new point system will filter out weak companies. Only the best will remain and take everything.”

“So you’re saying that ST is trying to steal our project?”

Woosung gave an immediate reply.

“Yes. You’ve already asked me that three times.”

“But if we complete our new project and apply it to the system successfully ASAP, what do you think will happen?”

“Even then, the best we can hope for is to keep our current contract. It still won’t be enough to take over ST’s account system. We are not big enough to steal that contract. Unlike us, ST is bigger and has more experiences.”

Yoon Gihwan shouted in anger.

“That’s not what I want to hear.”

“What would you like me to say? By the way, is there a good reason for stealing the account system contract?”

“Obviously we need to get as many project deals as possible for our company to become successful. What a stupid question.”

“And you’re sure it’s not for your personal gain?”

Woosung continued before the other could retort.

“Daesan has never worked for a financial company before. The only reason we got to work for Nuri Finances is your history with Daeyang System. This job is too big for our department, and that is why Manager Park and Assistant Manager Kim are overworked.”

Park Junwoo turned himself towards their direction after hearing what Woosung said. Yoon Gihwan’s flushed. Everyone knew this, but nobody confronted him like this before.

Yoon Gihwan used to work at Daeyang System. When he accepted the job offer at Daesan, Daeyang outsourced this new project to Daesan. It was a good deal for Daesan to hire Yoon Gihwan, as they gained a contract from a big financial company, they also gained a talented programmer.

The problem was the existing staffs. Yoon Gihwan was familiar with this line of work, but the rest were all new to this field. They had to work overtime to keep up. Yoon Gihwan remained silent and glared Woosung. Park Junwoo tried to neutralize the situation.

“G-General Manager.”

He also looked at Woosung.

“W-Woosung. Let’s calm down.”

Woosung was thinking fast. Yoon Gihwan replied.

“So what are you trying to say?”

“Manager Park asked for more workers a lot but you ignored him. It was because of money. They gave you a set budget for this team and you could keep whatever was leftover. That is why you wouldn’t hire more people.”

Woosung learned this from Park Junwoo and Kim Yonggun 10 years ago while drinking. Park Junwoo looked surprised but pleased.

He offered a subtle nod. Yoon Gihwan directed an accusing glared towards Park Junwoo. Yoon Gihwan now believed Park Junwoo spilled the beans.

“There is no need to blame Manager Park. Everyone knows about it already.”

Yoon Gihwan slapped the table and stood up.

“You! Newbie!”

“Sit down and relax. I agree with you we can’t lose our contract.”

“My patience is running out.”

“Well, you must learn to be more patient from now on.”

Woosung always had the last words. Yoon Gihwan was getting a migraine from it. He frowned. Woosung added quickly.

“I know what you want to hear. Don’t worry. I will complete my new idea and apply it successfully. We won’t lose the contract. I can do it.”

Woosung’s words changed the mood. Everyone, even Yoon Gihwan, relaxed.

“But you have to promise to change how we work here. You need to treat all of us equally and kindly. Stop ordering us around. You also need to teach us more about what you know in the financial field.”

Yoon Gihwan answered embarrassedly.

“Of course I will. We are a team.”

Kim Yonggun swallowed. Yoon Gihwan said it like he meant what he said.

“We need to avoid late night work as much as possible. You need to make sure nobody is overworked.”

“Of course. I have been planning to do all that.”

Woosung knew he meant it.

’10 years ago, Yoon Gihwan tried to apply Agile method to decrease the amount of work for this project.’

“And one last thing. Please teach me about algorithm trading.”

Algorithm trading, an automated trading performed by computers programmed to take certain actions in response to varying market data. After the financial crisis in 2008, it became the most popular trading method even in South Korea.

Yoon Gihwan stuttered.

“W-what?”

“I know that when you were working at Daeyang System, you specialized in algorithm trading. I also know you had to leave that company because they associated you with an unethical incident.”

Yoon Gihwan’s eyes widened in shock.

“H.-how do you know…”

Park Junwoo and Kim Yonggun looked surprised as well. They didn’t know about Yoon Gihwan’s past.

’10 years ago, you got drunk and told me all about it the entire night. I’m probably the only one who knew about it in this company.’

Woosung needed to learn about algorithm trading. It could help him make money fast.

“I don’t care what happened. I need to know about algorithm trading and how it works. If you can do this for me, I promise I will make sure Daesan comes out a winner from this point system.”

Yoon Gihwan swallowed. This newbie, who had unbelievable skills and knew about his past, was a frightening enigma.

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Chapter 17: <Planning for the Future>

After a meeting, Yoon Gihwan wanted to talk to Woosung in private.

“Are you aiming to become a quant?”

Quant.

If you buy at A and sell at C, you could profit 2 cents.

If you buy at D and sell at E, then you could profit 2.5 cents.

But If you sell A at C, you have a 20% chance of losing 7 cents.

If you sell D at E, then you have a 25% chance of losing 10 cents.

With the above premises, which scenario would give you the best chance of profiting the most in a month? A quant was a person who composed complex mathematical models to detect investment opportunities. Companies scouted talented quants. As a skilled quant, you could become successful in both finance and in reputation. You had to be smart, and Yoon Gihwan knew Woosung could be an incredible quant.

“I haven’t decided yet.”

“Really? Then why do you want to know about algorithm trading?”

“That’s not my goal but knowing about it can still make me rich.”

“So you are thinking about opening your own business with it?”

Woosung followed with all honesty.

“I am trying to make it into my weapon.”

Yoon Gihwan, now more curious than ever, asked.

“All right… but why do you want ME to teach you? If I was the best at algorithm trading, I wouldn’t be working at a place like this.”

“I need your experience.”

Yoon Gihwan laughed.

“Hahaha, newbie. You need something from ME?”

“More like I need experience.”

“Yet you still have been so rude to me?”

“As you know, some experiences are…”

“Not important?”

“Something I can overcome with knowledge.”

“But algorithm trading is different?”

Woosung sighed. There was no end to Yoon Gihwan’s questions.

“You have a lot of questions.”

Yoon Gihwan nodded and played with his coffee cup.

“I have been working for 20 years in this field and I have never seen a newbie like you. Of course, I would be curious about you.”

“Please teach me how to apply algorithm trading in real life and how to create an architecture in large scale. I need you to help me create a personal and stable algorithm to use in trading. Will you help me or not? I want no more of your questions.”

“And all I get is to keep my job as a general manager at Daesan, which is only a secondary outsource company to Nuri Finances…”

Swallow.

Woosung swallowed. After much thinking about his future, the answer he came up with was algorithm trading. It wasn’t something that interested him. Only the best of the best can become a quant. He didn’t know how Yoon Gihwan got into this field., he only knew of it because Yoon Gihwan mentioned when he was drunk.

‘I became smarter after my death, so I think I could make money using the algorithm. If I can apply the concept to cryptocurrency dealing… I should be able to make a lot of money.’

Woosung was confident of the newfound intelligence he gained. What he has done so far was not something he could have done in his previous life. While Woosung was deep in his thought, Yoon Gihwan continued.

“I feel like I should get something more out of it. My experiences aren’t cheap.”

“Well, if you feel that way, I guess that’s that. I will look elsewhere.”

Woosung gave up easily. There was no guarantee Yoon Gihwan was good, anyway. Yoon Gihwan seemed confused.

“W-wait.”

“…”

Woosung remained silent. Yoon Gihwan continued.

“Let’s do it together.”

“What?”

“I want to be your partner in whatever you’re planning.”

“Can you be more specific?”

“Even if algorithm trading doesn’t work out, you will continue to try other things. I will be here to help you with whatever. All I want is for you to share your profit with me.”

This piqued Woosung’s curiosity.

“I am only a newbie, so how can you trust me, and how can I trust you?”

“I know you will succeed. My instinct tells me so. Even if you don’t trust me, you can still use me till you don’t need me anymore.”

Woosung closed his eyes. What should he do? He couldn’t do everything by himself. He also needed help with algorithm trading.

“You’ll be able to help me in every way?”

Yoon Gihwan nodded. Woosung expected to have him as an enemy, but having a partner at his workplace could make things easier.

“I will let you have any vacation time, early leave, or late start. I can make things happen for you at work.”

It was a tempting deal. Woosung put out his hand and Yoon Gihwan shook it.

“Then let’s do it.”

“Perfect. I will teach you everything I know, and whenever you make a profit, you must share it with me.”

Woosung nodded.

They left the coffee shop and returned to the office. Woosung asked him questions he wanted to know. Unlike before, Yoon Gihwan’s manner of answering softened. Things felt right between them. They were even laughing together. Park Junwoo looked at them in confusion. Kim Yonggun also noticed the difference and asked Park Junwoo.

“Manager, what’s happening?”

“I don’t know. I was worried they might have had a fight but…”

“They look so friendly now. What did the newbie do this time?”

“Believe me, I wanna know too, it’s shocking to see Yoon Gihwan laugh like that.”

They stopped whispering as the two came close. Yoon Gihwan told them in an unusual caring voice.

“What are you guys still doing here? It’s time to go home. Think of your families waiting for you.”

Park Junwoo’s eyes widened.

Kim Yonggun became speechless.

Woosung looked at them and added.

“Let’s get going. The general manager has decided from now on, our department will follow the strict work hour.”

Park Junwoo asked in confusion.

“But what about the problems the server team brought up today…?”

Woosung replied.

“I will take care of them first thing tomorrow. I have a good idea of what they are.”

Yoon Gihwan smiled and agreed.

“Well, that settles it then, right, or do you still want to work late?”

Kim Yonggun didn’t need to ask a second time. He grabbed his bag and stood up.

“Nope! I am ready to go home.”

He prompted Park Junwoo. When Park Junwoo stood up, Yoon Gihwan turned off his computer.

He murmured in disbelief.

“This is the first time we all left on time… This feels so strange.”

Kim Yonggun nodded in agreement.

***

8PM.

Woosung sat down at his desk at home with a book Yoon Gihwan recommended. It had a title of “Basics of Algorithm Trading.”

“The biggest opportunity occurs when there is a big change in the market. This could be my way to make money during the financial crisis…”

Even if he couldn’t make enough money during the financial crisis in October 2008, he could still make more with cryptocurrency. The more chances he took, the better. Woosung focused and opened the book.

-History of algorithm trading

The 300-page book started with the history of the system. As he read, Woosung again confirmed he was now smarter. Unlike in his previous life, it was now so easy to comprehend any information. It was effortless; he felt the joy of learning. He used to not be able to read for more than an hour, but now he read the entire book in one sitting.

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Chapter 18: <Customer loyalty>

Woosung’s days were easy. As soon as he arrived at work, he took care of all the VoC. In the afternoon, he worked on GUI Test Tool and the potential new HTS functions. He was working on three different projects every day. Kim Yonggun thought of Woosung as a work monster rather than a newbie.

“Manager, Woosung completed a lot of commits (the act of uploading codes) today again.”

On average, Woosung committed thousands of lines per day. Compared to the others who at most could complete hundreds per day, Woosung was doing 10 times the work every day.

“He is awesome, but he still hasn’t committed the codes ST complained about last time?”

Kim Yonggun nodded.

“No, he hasn’t.”

“Hmm… They’re gonna complain again soon.”

“Well, Woosung said he will take care of it, so we must trust him.”

“I guess but…”

“It isn’t because he can’t do it. I think he’s not doing it on purpose. He must have a good reason”

Park Junwoo massaged his neck. “That’s what I’m worried about. I don’t know what he is planning to do…”

“He is such a great programmer. He’s also an awesome speaker and negotiator. Why do you think he applied to work at Daesan?”

“I don’t know.”

“Even if he didn’t graduate from one of the top schools, bigger and better companies would hire him. Is the school you studied in holds such importance?”

Park Junwoo murmured bitterly.

“I would say your school is EVERYTHING. You can’t show your skills on a resume.”

Kim Yonggun asked sadly.

“We should have been born in a better country. What do you think? Do you think he’ll stay here for long? Maybe a year?”

“I don’t think so. He already got an offer from Nuri Finances.”

Kim Yonggun showed an envious frown.

“I wish someone would make an offer to me too.”

“Why don’t you focus on your work instead, Assistant manager Kim?”

“Haha, all right, Manager Park.”

They returned to the office. Woosung stretched his arms and approached Park Junwoo.

“Manager, I completed developing the speed ordering function. Please have a look.”

Park Junwoo and Kim Yonggun looked at Woosung’s monitor.

“Speed is the key to short selling. 0.1 second can make a difference, so I eliminated as many unnecessary steps as possible.”

Woosung opened the HTS screen and showed the process of speed ordering. Yoon Gihwan came to observe as well.

“As you can see, the screen itself is simple. I removed the spaces for entering several stocks and user’s input text, and also the order button.”

Right away, Yoon Gihwan protested against the idea.

“Without the button, it would be harder for the customers to use the program.”

“This isn’t for everyone. It is only for people who need the fastest transactions.”

Woosung continued.

“Firstly, you don’t have to input the bidding price manually. Just hover the mouse over the bidding price section and it will automatically fill in the price box. And then they can enter the number and press Enter.”

-Your transaction has been completed.

The pop-up appeared immediately.

“What do you think? This is to satisfy the niche market of those who want to trade fast. This function is also usable in the existing API, so there is no need for any changes in the server.”

Park Junwoo nodded and answered.

“T-that IS fast…!”

“It’s usually a 3-step procedure, but with this function, you can do it in one…”

“Mouse on your right hand while the other on the keyboard and Enter. This is not for conservative traders. It’s for people who does scalping.”

Yoon Gihwan nodded in agreement.

“You are aiming for the scalpers.”

“Yes. It’s only a small group of people, but we will gain a lot of customers this way. When you think of Nuri Finances, what comes to your mind first?”

No one could answer Woosung’s question.

“With this development, we will now think of scalping trading. No doubt, we will get more users.”

Yoon Gihwan asked Woosung.

“How can you be sure we will get more customers with this method?”

“Can anyone scalp trade?”

Scalping.

It is a trading style specializing in taking profits on small price changes, usually soon after they entered a trade and became profitable. This was not something an average person could do.

“Only the expert traders can do this, and new users like to mimic the experts. If you look at the websites made by the expert traders, beginners ask all kinds of questions. One of the popular questions is which HTS the experts prefer to use.”

Woosung continued.

“If the expert scalpers use a certain HTS, the average traders will follow.”

Yoon Gihwan couldn’t help his surprise at Woosung’s idea. How could a newbie come up with such an amazing plan? He was only a developer, not a psychologist. Many people believed programmers knew how to code and nothing else. What Woosung suggested wasn’t something a new developer could come up with.

‘This is something Choi Gichul used to emphasize when Bitmain first started.’

Secure loyal customers. Having user loyalties was Choi Gichul’s goal for Bitmain. His dream came true and Bitmain became the best in the country and possibly in the world.

Kim Yonggun replied in shock.

“I-I see.”

Park Junwoo asked Woosung.

“I have a question…”

“Sure. Ask me anything.”

“It’s great you developed a new function, but… What about that VoC from ST? You said you would take care of it, but you haven’t. I am worried.”

“Oh, that thing about slow stochastic?”

Park Junwoo nodded worriedly. His anxiety of the situation was clear to see.

“I’m already done with it.”

“R-really? Then why didn’t I get an email about it? Did you send it to Nam Kyungsang, I thought we’re supposed to CC work-related emails to everyone…? Didn’t Assistant manager Kim tell you?”

Woosung shook his head and answered.

“I know. I didn’t do it on purpose.”

“… What?”

“It’s not an error from our end, so there is no need to reply.”

“T-then you should at least let them know it’s their error.”

“I thought about doing that, but I changed my mind.”

Yoon Gihwan asked in an instant.

“Why?”

“Don’t you remember what Manager Nam said when he barged in? ‘Just take care of your own problems.’ So I’m just going to work on our errors only.”

Yoon Gihwan sighed. He couldn’t understand Woosung’s pettiness.

“… What are you planning to do?”

“They started it. So Manager Park, don’t worry about this case. General manager Yoon, please call Assistant manager Kwak. I need to get this new function confirmed by him.”

“All right.”

Yoon Gihwan called in Kwak Jungwook, and after some minor adjustments, they approved the HTS update.

HTS Ver. 1.0.1.47

– Add Speed Trading Function

: Shorten transaction process

: Ask the developers for further details

-Change bidding price pop-up size

– Add the ability to check companies’ annual profits

-Fix other bugs and stabilize

They mentioned nothing of the stochastic issue on the report. This only heightened Park Junwoo’s worries.

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Chapter 19: <Customer loyalty>

Jang Gwangchul.

It has been 10 years since he became a successful professional stock trader. Every morning as soon as he woke up, he showered, ate fruits for breakfast, and sat in front of his computer.

He murmured his daily chant.

“God, Buddha, and Allah, please let me make 1% today.”

1%.

His trading budget was 10 million dollars.

If he gained just 1% of it, he would make 100,000 dollars.

This amount was something an average person could never even dream of having. His specialty was scalping, and he traded with customized keyboard and mouse. He turned on the HTS.

“Let’s see…”

When he clicked the Nuri Finances’ HTS icon, a notice for an update appeared.

-HTS update in progress. 1 minute and 04 seconds.

-HTS update in progress. 44 seconds.

-HTS update in progress. 15 seconds.

After the update completed, another pop-up appeared explaining the details. Jang Gwanchul read them over carefully.

“We have added speed trading function. Minor bugs fixed including the screen size adjustment.”

Jang Gwangchul always was thorough with knowing the specifics of HTS he used. If there were any improvements he could think of, he often contacted Nuri Finances to let them know.

It was a VVIP privilege.

When his balance on Nuri Finances’ website exceeded 4.5 million dollars, no one has ever ignored his suggestions. After reading over the new update, Jang Gwangchul’s eyes sparkled.

“This can be very useful…”

Jang Gwangchul specialized in scalping. Every second counted.

8:45 am.

Jang Gwangchul waited for the stock market to open.

Click. Click.

It was the only thing which resounded within his expensive apartment. The sound of typing and clicking echoed throughout the space.

Click.

With a final click, he completed a transaction. The entire process took 3 minutes.

“With this function, I might make 3% today.”

Jang Gwangchul couldn’t help his smile. It wasn’t even noon yet. He still had 3 more hours till the market closed, and he’s already earning thousands of dollars.

Click. Click.

Jang Gwangchul’s spirit fired up as he stared at the screen.

3 pm.

Jang Gwangchul stretched out his arms and closed the HTS screen. In 2008, Cyworld exceeded’s popularity Facebook in Korea. Every day after the market closed, Jang Gwangchul always made a few notes on how he did that day on Cyworld. He had a few thousands of friends on his page.

After he uploaded today’s experience, his followers commented on it quickly.

“Wow! Awesome profit today.”

“Wow. You’re amazing.”

“You’re the best. Which financial company are you using?”

“I would love an offline seminar from you.”

He enjoyed the positive comments from his fans. Jang Gwangchul spent a lot of time reading them. Then his phone rang.

“This is Jang Gwangchul.”

He didn’t need to say more. The customer service recognized his name and expressed a polite greeting.

“Oh, hello, sir.”

“I wanted to talk to you about the new function. I think it’s called… speed trading?”

“Yes, it’s called the speed trading. Did you have a complaint?”

“No, I just wanted to mention how it is, but there is something I would like to add.”

“Of course. Let me know and I will relay your message to the developers.”

“Firstly…”

The conversation went on for a few minutes. The customer service wrote all the suggestions from Jang Gwangchul. He was a VVIP with a balance of 9 million dollars. A financial company respected such customers. Nuri Finances always accepted Jang Gwangchul’s suggestions without questions.

***

Meeting occurred every Friday at 3PM.

This was the end of the month meeting and there was an extra topic on the agenda.

-January result for the new point system.

As soon as this PPT slide came up, everyone became anxious.

Daeyang System

Bugs occurred: 13

Bugs fixed: 13

Function development: 5

ST Data System

Bugs occurred: 23

Bugs fixed: 20

Function development: 6

M3 Soft

Bugs occurred: 33

Bugs fixed: 32

Function development: 3

Daesan System

Bugs occurred: 19

Bugs fixed: 19

Function development: 1

Jo Youngsuk commented.

“Hmm… ST failed to fix 3 bugs while M3 failed 1.”

Everyone quieted. It was the calm before the storm. Kwon Hyungeun replied finally.

“We checked them, and those 3 weren’t ours.”

Jo Youngsuk rubbed his chin. Kwon Hyungeun added quickly.

“I think they were Daesan’s errors and they were just miscalculated as ours.”

Kwak Jungwook said hurriedly.

“How can you say that our Deputy general manager made a mistake? They are definitely from ST. I checked the list many times.”

Jo Youngsuk asked quietly.

“Open the list.”

Kwak Jungwook clicked the Excel file. The list showed the evidences and reasons for each bug. A few of them were highlighted.

-Slow stochastic indicators monthly chart

– Slow monthly candle chart

-Slow monthly MACD indicator chart

These were the problems Nam Kyungsang complained to Daesan. Yoon Gihwan flinched and looked at Woosung sitting behind him. Woosung nodded and whispered.

“Don’t worry.”

He still couldn’t relax. Jo Youngsuk turned to look at Yoon Gihwan, who answered.

“My developer will explain.”

Woosung stood up.

“I have an explanation. As far as I know, ST is using their own SNL (ST Network Library) as their network library. Is that right, Manager Kwon?”

SNL. ST data system created this for the convenience of needing less communication-related codes. It allowed developers to focus more on business aspects.

It was a good tool.

Kwon Hyungeun turned around to look at Nam Kyungsang, who nodded.

“That’s correct.”

“Then did you also know there is a problem with SNL?”

Kwon Hyungeun again turned around, and Nam Kyungsang shook his head. He looked confused and concerned. Woosung followed posthaste.

“When there are over a hundred request threads, SNL either slows down or disconnects. They told me your team tested this library thoroughly, so I assumed you already knew of this problem.”

Jo Youngsuk looked at Kwon Hyungeun, who looked back at Nam Kyungsang. Nam Kyungsang finally stood up.

“If you are accusing us of a problem with our SNL library, you better be sure about it.”

“I can show it to you right now.”

Jo Youngsuk stopped the argument.

“This is ST’s job to check. After you find out, please let Assistant manager Kwak know.”

He implied ST was at fault. Nam Kyungsang gritted his teeth as he stood up. Jo Youngsuk looked at the list again and added.

“But I admit that ST developed the highest number of new functions. And…”

Kwon Hyungeun smiled as Jo Youngsuk continued.

“Daesan has the least number of developments.”

Nam Kyungsang sneered. Yoon Gihwan swallowed hard and looked at Woosung again. Woosung looked relaxed. Then suddenly, someone came to Jo Youngsuk and whispered to his ear.

“Oh really? Hmm. I see.”

Jo Youngsuk nodded and turned to Yoon Gihwan.

“Haha, I see why Daesan only had one.”

Yoon Gihwan’s eyes widened.

“There were many gold level customers who contacted us regarding Daesan’s new function.”

Gold level.

Only the users with balances higher than 450,000 dollars reached the gold level. Those with over 900,000 dollars were in diamond level. If you had over 4.5 million dollars, you were on the black level.

“They were very pleased with it. It wasn’t just a few but…”

Kwak Jungwook finished the sentence.

“27 customers contacted us. More are calling us about it still. There was also a customer who wanted to come by in person to suggest more ideas to improve it.”

Jo Youngsuk chuckled.

“Haha. It must be an amazing development to receive such compliments.”

Kwak Jungwook said loudly as well.

“In addition, there are hundreds of positive comments on our notice board about how great this new function is.”

“Our chairman always emphasizes the importance of choice and focus. I believe Daesan has achieved both this time.”

Yoon Gihwan smiled as well. Nam Kyungsang, however, looked uncomfortable. Jo Youngsuk continued.

“I think we should apply the idea from Daesan’s previous consultation ASAP. In fact, I will increase the remuneration from 300,000 dollars to 500,000.”

Yoon Gihwan beamed with a smile.

“Of course. We will make sure not to disappoint you.”

Kwon Hyungeun couldn’t help but show his irritation.

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Chapter 20: <Algorithm trading>

Yoon Gihwan couldn’t hide his delight when he returned to the office. He kept patting Woosung’s back.

“You were amazing as usual. Loved how you gave it to ST! Don’t forget about the bigger pay! If you continue like this, we’ll be able to get the account system contract for sure. We might even grow bigger than Daeyang and take over Nuri Finances.”

Park Junwoo asked with interest.

“What happened at the meeting?”

Yoon Gihwan explained leaving Park Junwoo dumbfounded.

“5..500,000 dollars?”

“Yes! He suggested it himself. If we do this well, the four of us would earn our company 1 million dollars.”

Kim Yonggun was also pleasantly surprised.

“So that would make over 300,000 dollars per person.”

“Yup. We can expect to get big bonuses, and you two will have additional incentives from your contracts.”

Park Junwoo remembered the recent contract and grinned.

“Oh yeah. That’s right!”

Yoon Gihwan looked at Woosung.

“Hey newbie, why are you so quiet? I thought you might ask to increase your fee by 50,000 dollars.”

“This increase in payment is all your work. You made it all possible.”

Yoon Gihwan asked confusedly.

“… I’ve never seen you act so modest before.”

“Haha. I’m only telling you the truth. You gave permission to a newbie to lead a brand new project. You also approved a bonus of 50,000 dollars for me. You made everything possible.”

“…”

“I know how much you’ve done for me.”

It was so heartwarming. Kim Yonggun felt emotional. Yoon Gihwan couldn’t hide his embarrassment. His ears reddened.

“R-really…?

“I am appreciative. You deserve the recognition for this success.”

Park Junwoo added.

“That’s right. You also made sure we get the bonuses…”

Kim Yonggun agreed as well.

“Yes! So let’s celebrate tonight!”

Yoon Gihwan nodded.

“For sure! It’s a celebration! You all better come!”

“Of course we’ll all join you.”

Park Junwoo nodded and asked Woosung.

“You can come too, right? We didn’t even get to throw a welcoming party for you. You have to come.”

“Haha, of course. Oh, and General manager, I have my graduation on the 21st so I need that day off.”

“That’s not a problem! I will take care of everything so don’t worry about it.”

It was clear Yoon Gihwan meant what he said before.

***

They drank. It was great to enjoy such an incredible success. They partied till two in the morning, and Woosung took a cab home afterward. In the taxi, he looked at the streetlights. The cold breeze felt great on his face. He looked at the cars passing by and thought.

‘It’s 10 years ago but… it’s still the same here.’

It has been three weeks since he traveled back in time. Every morning he woke up, he pinched himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming, and every time he did so, he felt a twinge of pain.

It was real.

He died and came back to life.

“But I… am different. I need to be different.”

Woosung sighed. He smelled the alcohol in his breath. He remembered the day he died. It was just like today. He was going back home drunk from an office party, but today was different.

“Yes… I need to be better to destroy that snake. I will make sure he loses everything.”

Choi Gichul.

Son of Daeyang Group’s CEO.

Woosung planned to destroy not only Choi Gichul but also Daeyang. He knew he could do it. For every level of the industrial revolution, there was always a person who broke the rules. Ford and Carnegie were two good examples.

This time, it was his turn.

The 4th industrial revolution involved keywords such as artificial intelligence, robot, big data, and blockchain. Everybody related all of these to software development, which was Woosung’s specialty. He still felt drunk, but his eyes sharpened as he enjoyed the view.

***

Woosung woke up with a groan.

“Ugh… I need to stop drinking.”

He felt like someone struck his head with a hammer. He drank a hangover drink, but he still felt nauseous. His head was pounding.

“Son, drink this cup of honey water.”

The door to his room opened and his mother handed him a cup of yellow drink. She used to two merciless nagging at him when he would come home drunk, but not anymore. After he gave her that big cheque, her actions changed.

“Ugh.”

Woosung moaned and stood up. It was good to be young, however. As soon as he drank the water, he immediately felt better. When he was 36, he took days to recover.

“Ouch, my head.”

Woosung massaged the back of his head and sighed. He could still smell the soju in his breath. However, he had to be productive every single day, so he couldn’t laze around even on weekends.

Woosung showered and sat in front of the computer. There was a lot to learn today. He planned to focus on algorithm trading today.

If he could find the time, he wanted to use this method in real life to make more money.

Bzzt. Bzzt.

As soon as he sat down, his phone vibrated. It was Yoon Gihwan.

“What does he want? We were together until only a few hours ago.”

Woosung answered the phone curiously. Yoon Gihwan’s voice was lively even after all the drinking last night.

“Newbie, what’s up?”

“Not much. I was reading.”

“Then come out. You need to learn algorithm trading.”

“… What?”

“Stop reading the books. I will teach you in person.”

His voice sounded enthusiastic. He didn’t sound hungover at all.

“You know my time is valuable, right? If you will teach me, you better do a good job.”

“Haha, of course. I have worked at Daeyang for 20 years. I spent many years focusing on algorithm trading. I will teach you what you can’t learn from books.”

Was it because of yesterday’s success? Yoon Gihwan was being very kind and helpful today.

“Then let me know the time and place. I’ll be there.”

Yoon Gihwan laughed and replied.

“Time is now. Place is my home. Come on!”

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Chapter 21: <Algorithm trading>

Luckily, Yoon Gihwan’s studio wasn’t far from Woosung’s place. He found it odd why he didn’t live in a multi-bedroom apartment, but as soon as he walked in, he understood.

“Do you live apart from your family?”

“My son and wife live abroad. My son was being bullied at school, so I wanted him to get away from that.”

“… Oh.”

“You don’t have to pity me. This place is wonderful.”

Yoon Gihwan was right. The studio was clean and well organized. Even the kitchen shone without a spot of grease. Woosung saw the books he kept around a shelf and asked.

“Did you read all these?”

“I’ve got nothing else to do, so I read a lot.”

Over a hundred IT related books lined the shelves. Woosung picked up a few books. Some titles included “Maintenance and Use of Linux,” “Object-Oriented Programming,” “Clean Codes,” and “Use of Oracle Database.”

“You brought your work home…”

“How could I not? Learning never stops. If you don’t continue improving your skills, you won’t last long in this field.”

Woosung nodded to his good sense.

“Well, that’s about it for our small talk. Let’s begin our session.”

“Sure. Go ahead.”

Woosung brought out a whiteboard and wrote a few equations.

Call Option equation c=SN (d1) – X e – rT N (d2).

Put Option equation p = Xe – rTN(-d2) – SN(-d1).

What Yoon Gihwan wrote was the Black-Scholes equation. It was something Woosung hasn’t seen since university.

“This is the foundation of the options market. Myron Scholes received the Nobel prize for Economic Sciences in 1997 for this. This is an example of an algorithm.”

Woosung remembered reading about it.

“But even this equation was useless on October 19, 1987, the Black Monday.”

“Wow! You have been studying. You’re right. The possibility of Dow Jones dropping 7% was mathematically 0%. When it happened, the Black’s system froze, and people became frantic. They ended up all selling, which caused a drop of 25%. No one could do anything.”

“Black said you may calculate the stars’ movements, but you can’t guess people’s reactions.”

Yoon Gihwan exclaimed.

“Wow! You will make a great student.”

“He was originally a mathematician but later turned to economics and financial consulting.”

“That’s right. He became well known in economics. The stock market used this equation like its the golden rule.”

Yoon Gihwan then added more names to the whiteboard.

-David Shaw

-Jeff Bezos

Jeff Benzos was the founder and chairman of Amazon. David Shaw was less well-known, but Woosung remembered reading about him in the book.

“He is the founder of D.E. Shaw. Jeff Bezos is one of David Shaw’s quants. He quit that job and later founded Amazon.”

Again, Yoon Gihwan was wowed.

“You never disappoint me! If I may add, David Shaw was a genius computer scientist. At the time, talented traders were mostly mathematicians or statisticians. At first, no one paid attention to this computer scientist in stock trading.”

“He suggested an algorithm of his own, which Morgan Stanley rejected at the time.”

Yoon Gihwan nodded.

“So you read up on the history. Then, my last question is this. Why did I mention these three names?”

“There are many types of quant. Some focus on making the algorithm while others specialize in the computer aspect of it. David Shaw used the computing power to increase the speed of the algorithm, while Fischer Black showed talent in creating the algorithms.”

It was a difference between the creator and the user, and rarely, some were talented at both.

Yoon Gihwan put down his marker and asked.

“What do you think you are?”

“I am…”

Woosung became quiet. This was something he considered intently while reading the history of algorithm trading.

Choose and focus.

He only had a limited amount of time, so he had to make quick choices and focus on them. It was true he was smarter, but he wasn’t a robot. He also didn’t want to become a money-making machine. He wanted to exercise to become healthier and enjoy life while making good money. This was after his revenge though. Until then, he was ready to sacrifice everything.

“I plan on doing both. I will make the algorithm and use it myself to become successful.”

Woosung’s eyes looked crazy. Yoon Gihwan flinched at Woosung’s determination. It looked like Woosung was ready to do whatever was necessary, even murder. Yoon Gihwan knew he couldn’t stop Woosung. It seemed pointless to tell him how hard it would be.

“I…I see.”

Yoon Gihwan was expecting Woosung to choose one or the other, but now he could only nod to Woosung’s answer.

“I plan on continuing to study statistics and mathematics. All you need to teach me is what you learned from your experience.”

Woosung understood statistics and mathematics were the foundations of creating algorithms.

“Oh, I see.” Yoon Gihwan nodded.

***

Yoon Gihwan stopped asking questions and continued to explain his own past works.

“At first, it was a very simple system. When the golden cross occurred, we bought, and when the death cross occurred, we sold.”

Golden cross.

It was a technical indicator occurring when the short term moving average crossed above the long-term mark. When it occurred, it meant there was a change of stock gains on the horizon.

On the other hand, death cross was a sign that short-term momentum in stock was slowing. It happened when a stock’s short-term moving average fell below its long-term moving average.

“That was very simple.”

“But it was still better than manual trading. Nobody could be as methodical as a computer system.”

Woosung agreed. He learned this as the chief of the server team at Bitmain.

“Next must be something more complex.”

“Yes. We added more guidelines for the algorithm to follow including the candlestick patterns.”

“So basically, you used the trend to follow a strategy?”

“Yup, but then we came to a problem.”

“Spaghetti code.”

Spaghetti code.

It referred to the unstructured and difficult-to-maintain source code. To explain it simply, it was as if someone drew a yellow line on top of a black line, which they placed on top of a blue line.

“Yes. We also tried to add indicators like MACD and Stochastics, which made it even harder. Refactoring these codes alone took over a month.”

“And following the rules everybody already knew wouldn’t have made you a lot of money.”

Yoon Gihwan nodded and wrote more words on the board.

“So we read the related academic articles. We wanted to make an algorithm the experts in the field already used but an average trader wouldn’t know.”

Yoon Gihwan paused and looked at Woosung. He was challenging Woosung to guess the answer. Woosung contemplated.

“Are you referring to the pairs trading strategy?”

Yoon Gihwan was again impressed.

“You probably didn’t have a long time to study, yet you did well.”

“Anything is better than dying.”

Yoon Gihwan shuttered at Woosung’s dark tone, but he quickly recovered and continued.

“Yes. We used the pairs trading strategy.”

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Chapter 22: <Algorithm trading>

Yoon Gihwan’s lesson ended at dinner time.

“Phew, I have told you everything I know.”

They started at 11 am and took a brief lunch break. In total, the lesson took 8 hours. Yoon Gihwan was sweating by the end. Woosung thanked him.

“Thank you so much. You really helped me today.”

Woosung was sincere. Yoon Gihwan sat down and asked.

“What about dinner?”

“Well, I need to get home.”

The now disappointed Yoon Gihwan mumbled behind his breath.

“I wanted to have a drink with you but… I guess you need to go.”

Was Yoon Gihwan always like this? 10 years ago in his past life, Woosung, Park Junwoo, and Kim Yonggun used to hate him. As Woosung got to know him better, he could see a different side of Yoon Gihwan. He can’t believe it at first, but Woosung was beginning to like him.

Woosung fully recovered from last night’s drinking, so he obliged the man’s offer.

“Well then, just one drink with dinner.”

7 pm.

They only had burgers for lunch, so he was getting hungry. Yoon Gihwan brightened and answered.

“Of course. Pork belly and one drink.”

What Woosung learned from his ten years of being an earnest employee was one drink never remained just one.

Again, they drank till late into the night. It wasn’t a loud drinking party, however. It was one where they enjoyed their glasses together in a quiet display of camaraderie as Yoon Gihwan talked about difficulties of living apart from his family.

He talked about his son.

He talked about his take on the company and his difficulties at work.

Woosung was such a good listener that Yoon Gihwan couldn’t stop talking. Woosung was sympathetic, especially regarding the difficulty of being a working man.

Woosung could also see similarities between them. Yoon Gihwan was let go from Daeyang System because the son of Daeyang’s CEO betrayed him.

“So what’s your plan?”

Yoon Gihwan had been curious about it for a while now and he now got the nerve to ask.

“First, I will finish developing GUI Test tool and lead a successful consultation.”

“Algorithm trading is after that?”

“Yes.”

“How about the test tool development?”

“I think I should be able to finish it tomorrow. I will show you the final work on Monday morning.”

Yoon Gihwan smiled happily.

“I love it! We might sell that tool elsewhere too, so do your best.”

“Oh, I plan on uploading it on the Source Forge for free.”

“What? Source Forge? That’s a free software website!”

Sourceforge.net was a web-based service offering developers to control and manage free software projects. It was the biggest sharing site before the introduction of github.com, which at this time was a startup site and haven’t got many users yet. Woosung planned on uploading on GitHub too.

“I plan on providing it to the public for free. I meant to tell you on Monday… Please make sure the boss understands.”

“What? Do you think this is a charity? Why would you give it for free?”

They would include this function in the Visual Studio within two years, so there was no benefit for the company to hold on to the plugin.

“I don’t mean to be a charity worker. There is a good reason for it. Think of it as a bait.”

It was a bait to attract other developers.

It was easy to buy talented programmers, but he didn’t have the money yet. There were many things he wanted to and needed to make, unfortunately, he was just a man.

Good stories attracted good people. Good codes could attract good developers.

Woosung drank the last shot and continued.

“Please make them understand. This needs to be available freely.”

“Fine. Let’s do that. If you want, I will make it happen.”

Yoon Gihwan tried to get rid of his disappointment and stood up. Between the two, they drank three bottles of soju that night.

***

When Woosung returned home, he didn’t go to sleep and sat right away in front of the computer.

“If I want to complete it by tomorrow, I better finish what I started this morning.”

Click.

Click, click.

As Woosung types fast, the screen quickly filled with c++ language.

/**

@date 2008/02/03

@author woo.sung.kang

*/

#include <stdio.h>

#include <string.h>

#include “Macro/MacroTrace.h”

#include “Event/EventTrace.h”

He applied all the reference libraries, and then…

GUITestTool::GUITestToll(const TestConfig::

TestConfiglDetail))

Woosung continued without hesitation. When he was coding, he could feel the difference in his ability the most. 10 years ago, he couldn’t work this fast.

‘I would have spent most of my time thinking or researching on the internet.’

Even after he became the Chief of the Server Department at Bitmain, it remained the same. To complete a single program, he need to allocate extensive energy to search the open sources. He usually ended up using different parts of whatever others had already made. If he couldn’t find anything he needed, he wrote the codes himself, but it used to take him ages.

However, now he could feel everything was different. His brain worked in an unprecedented way. In the past, he would have spent 50% of the time thinking, while now he would only utilize 20%.

“Phew… now I just have to finish up tomorrow.”

He filled the monitor with new CPP files.

3 am.

Woosung went to bed at last.

***

On the monitor, the arrow clicked the button automatically without the need to move the mouse. The price boxes filled themselves too. The program test on HTS went on like this, they are automatic.

-login test complete.(10%)

-order test complete.(11%)

….

-chart test complete(50%)

-user info test complete(60%)

….

Test complete(100%)

After the test completed, Park Junwoo swallowed.

“Did you really make this all by yourself, Woosung?”

Woosung nodded. Kim Yonggun reacted similarly. They were all shocked.

“From now on, the screen test will involve adding more functions to this.”

Park Junwoo called in Yoon Gihwan.

“G-general manager, did you see this? This program can test everything automatically, including the login, transactions, and speed trading.”

“Yes, I saw it a few days ago.”

Park Junwoo couldn’t believe his eyes.

“This is amazing. It used to take us hours at a time manually inputting individual numbers to test things, but now everything will be so much easier.”

Yoon Gihwan answered disappointedly.

“I know. And he plans to upload it for free on Source Forge.”

This revelation surprised Park Junwoo this most. His voice cracked louder than before.

“What? For free?”

Woosung answered calmly.

“I was meaning to provide the codes so others can add more functions themselves. I don’t have the time myself to continue developing this.”

“W-Woosung, but that’s not right. This is an amazing function and it’s the company’s property…”

“But if he insists, it’s ok.”

Woosung looked at Yoon Gihwan.

“Well, let’s go then. People are waiting.”

“Sure, let’s go. Whatever you say, boss.”

Yoon Gihwan grumbled as he stood up.

The big meeting room was filled with developers. At the front was a giant screen with a title, “Agile Method User Guide.”

People murmured.

“What was the name of the consulting group? Was it Daesan? Have you heard of this company?”

“It’s the one taking care of the channel system. They got the contract because of Daeyang. Nuri Finances should have hired a better company.”

Most of them were unhappy about this meeting.

“I heard a newbie will lead this presentation. How can anyone trust a new grad?”

“This project will fail, and it will cost more to fix it.”

“I heard the manager of the IT team is a strange man. It’s hard enough for us to make the codes, but for us to make test codes too? That’s not fair.”

Everyone was complaining. ST’s Nam Kyungsang was especially vocal about his unhappiness.

“He doesn’t even know anything about agile, and now he will provide a consultation? This is ridiculous. I wouldn’t be surprised if that last bug was also planted by Daesan.”

“No way.”

“Think about it. It was odd he found the code errors on the server easily. You can’t be that quick unless you wrote the codes yourself. And what about the thing he mentioned about our library? It makes little sense unless he made it happen.”

Suddenly, Kwon Hyungeun shushed Nam Kyungsang. The door opened, Yoon Gihwan and Woosung walked in. The room quieted down, and Woosung grabbed the microphone.

“Oh, hello. I am Woosung Kang from Daesan System, and I will lead this consulting presentation.”

The room was quieter, but most developers weren’t paying attention. Nam Kyungsang sniggered at this show of disrespect.

‘I knew it.’

Woosung calmly continued.

“You are all probably wondering about two things. First, what can a newbie Woosung Kang do?”

Woosung paused fixing their attention towards him.

“Second, how effective would my idea be? I will answer the first question.”

The next PPT slide appeared, and it was filled with Woosung’s recent accomplishments.

He fixed the account system balance problem, created a new function called speed trading, and completed GUI Test Tool.

“And this is the test tool I created in just a month of working at Daesan. For short, it’s called GTT. I will show you how it works.”

As the program started, the room became silent. Both Yoon Gihwan and Park Junwoo were surprised. One can see the shock in the faces of other developers too.

All of this in one month.

Kwon Hyungeun swallowed and watched the program.

“This is how the test works. I have completed it, and from now on, we will test the HTS screen using this tool. Let me now answer your second question.”

The next slide appeared.

-Daesan System Negative point 0. Positive point 5.

-ST Data System Negative point 4. Positive point 0.

-M3 Soft Negative point 3. Positive point 1.

-Daeyang System Negative point 0. Positive point 2.

“These results came from the point system so far. Haha, I don’t want to brag, but I might be the reason why Daesan did so well.”

It was a joke, but the audience was still in shock as their gazes remained fixed at Woosung.

“Now, I will begin the actual presentation.”

The developers’ eyes sharpened as they scuffle around trying to look for a pen and paper to take notes.

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Chapter 23: <God of money>

After the presentation, it was time for Q&A.

Many developers raised their hands.

“So is it really true that we need to create the test codes?”

“I realize it might not be possible if you have a lot of other projects to do, but at the very least you need to do them for the main function.”

Another developer raised his hand.

“Could you explain further regarding your plan for using the prototype and develop it as you go rather than wait to finish the final product?”

“As you saw during my presentation, we should release a prototype that can do the main function first. It would take too long to release it if we wait to complete the final GTT.”

“So you are suggesting we create the PoC (Proof of concept) ASAP and release it first, then continue to work on it using test codes.”

“Yes, that’s exactly right.”

As he answered more questions, the audience appeared to accept Woosung’s idea.

“I think it’s a solid plan.”

“Hmm… The biggest problem when programming is the relationship between the developer and the user. His concept will improve that.”

“The customers will get the product quicker, and we will continue to communicate with them and apply their suggestions to further develop the program.”

“Hey, did you take good notes?”

“No worries. He said he will send us the copy of his PPT.”

“Oh…”

Nam Kyungsang didn’t like how this was going.

‘He was just an intern, but now…’

Before Woosung came, he had the answers to everything here. He was the one making all the good suggestions, and they always accepted his motions. However, ever since their rival company hired Woosung, Nam Kyungsang’s reputation left .as he arrived They now knew him as a person who gives the wrong answers.

This was his chance to embarrass Woosung.

He was well prepared.

“May I ask you a question?”

When Nam Kyungsang raised his hand, Woosung’s eyes sharpened. He knew what Nam Kyungsang meant to do.

Something filled Nam Kyungsang’s eyes with obvious hate.

“Yes. Ask away.”

“Agile’s, especially TDD’s, biggest advantage is that it allows us to spend more time on coding rather than writing reports, but if we still need to write the same number of output and development reports for Nuri Finances, wouldn’t the application of agile method mean more work for us?”

Some developers nodded in agreement. Woosung sighed and answered.

“I already explained this at the beginning of the presentation. Nuri Finances already agreed to decrease the amount of reports we need to write.”

Many nodded again to Woosung’s clear explanation. This was not the reaction Nam Kyungsang hoped for. He asked again, but this time his voice wavered slightly.

“T-this worried most of us who makes test codes; this on top of all the program codes may be too much for us. How do you plan to fix this?”

Woosung massaged the back of his neck and gave an exasperated answer.

“If you paid attention to my presentation, you wouldn’t be asking these questions. This is very disappointing.”

Nam Kyungsang’s face reddened brightly as Woosung continued.

“When we calculate Man/Month, do we calculate only the quantity of work? No. We consider the quality and complexity of the programming too. The more test codes you create, the easier your workload will become. This concept is already being applied at Google and Microsoft. The effectiveness of this system will easily outweigh the increase in the amount of work.”

“I understood that, but what I meant was your plan may work in certain cases but not all. What you said is only an example and you cannot promise anything at this point.”

Woosung realized there was nothing he could say to convince him. Nam Kyungsang was refusing to accept it. It was a waste of time.

“Then let’s do this. You should continue your work as is. In fact, anyone here who doesn’t agree with me can continue to do the same. We will provide those who would like to follow my proposal with all the help you need. We will do a trial of 3 months, and afterward, we can compare the result of the point system.”

“I-I didn’t mean that I refuse to accept your idea.”

“Then do you have a better plan in mind?”

Nam Kyungsang became silent. He had nothing.

The only thing he could come up with was the disadvantage of the agile method.

He wanted to embarrass Woosung in any way possible, so this was what he came up with. Knowing this, Woosung looked at him and continued.

“You think my plan isn’t good, so what you need to do is prove that the existing system is better, or do you think you can’t do it?”

Nam Kyungsang had to nod to Woosung’s public challenge. Kwon Hyungeun grimaced.

***

Leaving the conference room, Kwon Hyungeun asked a worried question to Nam Kyungsang.

“You are confident you can do this, right?”

Nam Kyungsang was a man of determination.

“I looked into it, and agile method is nothing special. It just sounds fancy.”

“It’s a method Nuri Finances’ IT team leader approved, which means it’s not nothing.”

“He is not planning to apply a brand new system. He is only changing the development method. In Korea, it is best to use the existing Korean method.”

“If you say so.”

Kwon Hyungeun still looked concerned though.

“You’ll see. If I put my mind to it, I will win.”

“I don’t doubt your skills.”

Nam Kyungsang’s face darkened as he saw two people nearby.

Kwak Jungwook from Nuri Finances was whispering to Woosung.

Nam Kyungsang couldn’t stand it. Until recently, he was the most competent developer, but now, everything has changed.

‘I hate his guts.’

As the two soon took the elevator, Nam Kyungsang glared at them.

***

After the presentation, someone called Woosung to visit the CEO of Nuri Finances.

There were a lot of unfamiliar people in the CEO’s room.

‘I must have done something right if I get to meet the boss.’

In his previous life, he never got to see the CEO, Na Jaeman.

He was an older man who was just losing his hair.

“Haha, so you are the famous developer.”

“How do you do. My name is Woosung Kang.”

“I see. Have a seat. You too, Assistant manager Kwak.”

When they sat down, Na Jaeman introduced them to everyone in the room.

“This is the one who really wanted to meet you, so I arranged this meeting. Mr. Jang, this is the developer you wanted to see.”

Solidly built Jang Gwangchul laughed as he offered his hand to Woosung.

“Haha, hello. My name is Gwangchul Jang. You made me a lot of money recently.”

Woosung has never seen him before. When he looked confused, Jang Gwangchul explained.

“I am a customer of Nuri Finances. I noticed how great the HTS has become recently, so I asked to see the developer.”

He was so confident. He was straightforward and self-assured. Woosung suddenly realized.

VIP.

Jang Gwangchul was probably one of the major traders.

“I appreciate your compliment. I am happy that you like my work.”

“Like it? No, I LOVE it. I have been recommending Nuri Finances to every trader I know.”

Na Jaeman added.

“Haha, that’s why we gained so many new users recently. It was all thanks to you, Mr. Jang.”

Jang Gwangchul shook his head.

“Not me. It’s all thanks to your wonderful developer.”

Everyone was in such a good mood. When the meeting ended, Kwak Jungwook and Woosung left the room. Kwak Jungwook was flustered.

“W… Woosung, I can’t believe Mr. Jang was interested in you. Wow, this is unbelievable.”

Jang Gwangchul.

Woosung couldn’t remember him from his previous life.

“Don’t tell anyone but Mr. Jang is our black level customer. His trading limit is 10 million dollars.”

10 million dollars.

Woosung was someone who would wield billions of dollars if everything went according to his plan. 10 million didn’t feel much to Woosung.

“Oh, I see…”

“He is very famous on the internet too. Do you know how many members he has on his website?”

Before Woosung could reply, Kwak Jungwook answered.

“30,000 people. 30,000…!”

However, Woosung still appeared to be unimpressed.

“Mr. Jang rarely gives out his business card. Take it out and have a look.”

Woosung took out the card from his pocket. Paper was usually the material used for a business card but not this, this one was plastic. Jang Gwangchul’s name was written on it in bright gold. Woosung asked.

“He likes flashy things.”

“That’s real gold.”

Woosung finally seemed surprised and impressed.

“What? Real gold?”

“He asked people to write his name in 24K gold. If you sell it, you’ll be able to get about 200 dollars.”

“T-then why did he give it to me?”

“It means that he approved your work.”

Woosung murmured.

“I need no one’s approval.”

Kwak Jungwook laughed.

“Haha, you are so confident. I think that’s why the boss likes you even more.”

Woosung looked at him curiously when his cellphone beeped.

There was a text message.

“It was nice to meet you today. I heard I am older than you, so please consider me your older brother.”

It was a message from Jang Gwangchul. Woosung pressed delete immediately.

“Would you like to delete the message?”

“Yes.”

“I am an only child. I don’t have an older brother.”

“What?”

“Haha, I was just talking to myself.”

As they walked back to the office, Kwak Jungwook continued to talk about Jang Gwangchul, but Woosung wasn’t listening.

‘He thinks he’s so great because he’s rich. Why would I treat him like an older brother?”

Jang Gwangchul’s demeanor reminded Woosung of Choi Gichul. He grimaced.

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Chapter 24: <God of money>

As soon as Woosung returned to the office, Yoon Gihwan grinned.

“Newbie’s back! You went to meet the CEO, didn’t you?”

Park Junwoo and Kim Yonggun also looked at Woosung with curiosity.

When Woosung nodded, they exclaimed.

“Really? What did you guys talk about? Did he offer you a job too?”

“Nothing like that. He introduced me to some of our HTS customers.”

“Customers?”

Park Junwoo asked.

“You mean the VIPs? Didn’t we just hear the VIPs loved your work?”

Yoon Gihwan replied excitedly.

“That’s right! VIPs!”

“Yes. I met those people. One of them even gave me his business card.”

Woosung brought out the shiny golden card.

Park Junwoo didn’t seem to recognize it but Kim Yonggung’s eyes widened.

“T… this guy! Did you meet him?”

When Woosung nodded, Kim Yonggun explained excitedly.

“This is the founder of the famous website ‘Fire Ant Trading Club.’ Other famous traders charge money to give lessons, but this guy provides free seminars and does a lot of charity works.”

Kim Yonggun stared at the business card. Woosung asked him.

“How do you know this?”

“I… I am a member of that website too. I am interested in stock trading.”

Yoon Gihwan reprimanded Kim Yonggun firmly.

“I told you not to get involved in stock trading. You can’t get involved as an employee of a financial company.”

Kim Yonggun denied nervously.

“I… I’m not doing it. I am just studying it for the future.”

Yoon Gihwan repeated himself.

“Do NOT do it, ok?”

Woosung stepped in to change the topic.

“Now that the presentation is over, there will be many people asking for help. Let’s make sure we do a good job.”

Yoon Gihwan asked Woosung.

“Newbie, are you sure you are new to this? You sound like a PM.”

Woosung gave a nonchalant reply.

“Haha, I’m just working hard.”

Everyone smiled and went back to work.

***

There were four divisions in the IT department of a stock trading company.

Account.

Channel.

Information.

Infra.

The main aspects of the account system were dealing with transactions and account balances. Channel system focused on HTS and homepage maintenance. Information sector worked on CRM, which was collecting users’ data to recommend appropriate products.

Infra dealt with the hardware such as L2, L3, and IBM mainframe.

ST took care of the account system and Daesan managed the channel. Daeyang dealt with information while M3 Soft maintained infra. Daeyang was the head of all these companies as well. The fact that Daesan won the development process consulting deal with Nuri Finances was something Daeyang was not happy about.

Yoon Gihwan forwarded an email to Woosung.

“I just received the word that Daeyang and ST won’t follow your idea. M3 will be the only one in this trial.”

Woosung opened his email and read the first message.

It was a politely written rejection.

“We researched the agile method ourselves and decided it was not applicable for us at this point. If the trial by other companies shows success, then we will accept the system.”

It wasn’t a flat-out no. They were being sneaky. Yoon Gihwan murmured cynically.

“So they are saying they won’t apply it now. They’ll wait and see what happens.”

Woosung tightened his lips and nodded.

“They want to see what happens.”

“They are always like this. I am used to it. They are trying to minimize their responsibility. Read the one from ST too. They didn’t even try to be polite.”

“With many years of experience, ST has developed its own system that is both effective and productive. We do not believe agile is better than our method.”

“They are more honest about it at least.”

Yoon Gihwan murmured in irritation.

“Tsk. What are they going to do when they realize they’ve made a mistake?”

So it was only M3 Soft and Daesan.

‘Agile may not be the answer to everything, but I will make it work.’

He was from the future.

This was an easy game to win.

“We should first arrange a meeting with M3 Soft. They are currently using the system monitoring, right?”

Yoon Gihwan nodded and Woosung grinned.

“Then I have a good idea.”

The members shuddered at Woosung’s evil smile.

***

When Woosung came home, he sat in front of his computer. He searched the website Fire Ant Trading Club.

Avid followers of the program nicknamed the founder the “Fire Ant.”

Jang Gwangchul.

Woosung joined the club posthaste and studied the website. He read the comments and realized that here, Jang Gwangchul was revered as the “God of stock trading.”

“I almost lost everything, but you saved me, ‘Fire Ant.'”

“I was on the verge of divorce, but your advice really helped. Thank you so much.”

“I almost lost all my savings, but you saved me.”

It seemed like the members almost saw Jang Gwangchul as a star.

“If these comments are true, he may be an okay guy.”

Due to his past, Woosung was always suspicious of everyone nowadays. He didn’t want anyone to betray again.

“Huh? He also provided his Cyworld address.”

When Woosung clicked it, there were daily reports and photos uploaded by Jang Gwangchul.

“+2,100 dollars”

“Not much earning today…”

“+8,000 dollars”

“I… think I’m awesome.”

“+2,200 dollars”

“I don’t mind paying high taxes, but this kind of income won’t let me.”

Even on bad days, he was making at least a thousand dollars a day. Woosung could now understand why people admired him. He was even getting a bit jealous. After reading through the website, he turned off the monitor.

Before the screen darkened, his ID on the website was visible.

“God of money.”

That was the name Woosung chose for himself.

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Chapter 25: <God of money>

February 21st.

Woosung took a day off from work to attend his graduation ceremony. Those graduates who didn’t have a job yet didn’t show up while others who got hired by major corporations had a proud smile. They were all familiar faces.

‘They look so young.’

He knew how they would look in 10 years. Most would marry and have kids.

Woosung smiled too. His mother, Kim Eunjung, asked.

“What’s with your proud smile?”

“Haha. It’s just nice to see so many young people.”

“You sound like an old man.”

Woosung scratched his head and laughed awkwardly.

“Oh… Haha.”

His father, Kang Gichun, added.

“Now that you’re graduated and got a job, it’s time to meet a nice young girl and get married.”

“Haha, all right, dad. I will get married soon and give you a grandson.”

10 years ago, he would have dismissed his dad, but he felt different now. Woosung tried to be understanding and appreciative. Kim Eunjung looked at him funny and asked.

“Oh yeah? Do you even have a girlfriend?”

“Hey, there are many girls who would be lucky to have me. Hey look, they are waving at me.”

His friends were calling for him from afar.

They were his classmates from the computer science program at Songwon University.

In his previous life, he stopped attending the annual reunions after two years of working, which meant it had been almost 8 years since he last saw his classmates.

More than anything, Woosung felt strange when he saw Yoon Chanjong.

Yoon Chanjong.

He was a talented developer and graduated top of the class. A major company hired him and everyone was envious of him. Woosung used to be jealous of him too.

“Chanjong!”

“You’re here! Haha, I heard you got a job.”

Another classmate, Park Jonghyun, greeted him.

“I heard you got hired by a company called Daesan.”

When Woosung nodded, he continued.

“Is your salary decent there? If not, you should have waited to find a better job.”

“Haha, it’s not bad.”

“It’s a medium-sized company, so it can’t be that great.”

Yoon Chanjong hushed Park Jonghyun and added.

“It doesn’t matter which company you work for as long as you have the skills.”

Park Jonghyun didn’t agree.

“But it’s always better to work at a big company. Chanjong, you work at Daeyang now, so I hope you include me in your Daeyang study group.”

Daeyang System.

It was one of the major companies partnered with Nuri Finances and also oversaw its outsource companies. Woosung knew it very well.

“Fine, but you need to work hard. If you don’t, you’re out.”

While the two chatted, Woosung looked around. He still didn’t get to see the person he wanted to see the most.

“Huh, Yeoreum is here too. She rarely comes to any of the school events.”

Woosung paused, then turned around.

Cha Yeoreum.

She also graduated top of this class and was hired by Daeyang System like Yoon Chanjong. She was also Woosung’s first love.

‘She looks exactly as I remember.’

Park Jonghyun said enviously.

“Whoever marries Yeoreum is a lucky man. She has such big boobs…”

Yoon Chanjong poked him to make him stop. Refusing to take the hint, Park Jonghyun asked Woosung.

“How was dating Yeoreum? Did you guys do it? Was it good?”

Yoon Chanjong glared at him, but he didn’t stop.

“Who cares now? They broke up anyway. Woosung was the only one who got to date her. Tell us about her.”

“…”

Her hometown was Kyungsang province, which was far away.

Her parents were poor farmers, so to not to become a burden, she worked hard to get a full scholarship. Woosung knew how hard she worked. She always had a part-time job just to make a living while attending school. Compared to her, he felt lazy and useless. When Woosung remained silent, Park Jonghyun asked again.

“Now that I remember, Yeoreum lived alone, right? Wow, it must have been great.”

Just then, Cha Yeoreum and some other classmates approached them.

Woosung had never been this nervous in his life. It was cold, but he was sweating profusely.

Cha Yeoreum glanced at Woosung briefly and talked to Yoon Chanjong.

“You came too. Where did you apply?”

She looked great in a neat white blouse. Park Jonghyun looked nervous too. Yoon Chanjong answered.

“I applied to get into the solution development department. How about you?”

“Financial department. I heard some promising things about it.”

They talked casually. They were now both working at Daeyang System, which meant they probably took the same introductory seminars and spent time together. Woosung gave an envious look at them.

While Woosung focused on Cha Yeoreum, another female classmate asked him.

“I heard you got a job too. You didn’t study hard, but you got a job so quickly.”

Park Jonghyun teased him mercilessly.

“It’s only a medium-sized company called Daesan.”

“Well, a job is a job.”

Cha Yeoreum glanced at Woosung again. Woosung smiled and answered.

“Haha, it’s all thanks to Chanjong. He told me to apply, and I got the job.”

It really was thanks to Yoon Chanjong. He encouraged him and even taught him some possible interview questions. Even then, Woosung avoided Yoon Chanjong 10 years ago because he was jealous. Woosung felt like an idiot. He was so young back then. Cha Yeoreum congratulated him.

“Well, I’m glad you got a job. It’s all about how good you are in this field anyway, not what kind of company you work for.”

Woosung looked at Cha Yeoreum. As the time passed, his nervousness subsided. He now realized what he felt was nostalgia, not love.

“Thanks. I’ll do my best.”

To Woosung’s indifference, Cha Yeoreum widened her eyes in confusion.

“Cool. Good luck.”

Park Jonghyun seemed to still be jealous as he added.

“But it’s still only a small company. You can’t call yourself a success if you don’t work for a major firm. You guys are all idiots.”

Another female classmate replied in annoyance.

“You don’t even have a job.”

“Hey, I… I’m prepping myself to get into a big corporation. Chanjong promised to help me, so it will happen soon. You’ll see.”

“Psh, you’re all talk.”

Time passed quickly as they talked. Woosung called his parents, who were touring the school.

Ring ring.

Ring ring.

Kim Eunjung answered brightly.

“Son!”

“Mom, where are you? I’m ready to go now.”

“Why, son! You can spend more time with your friends if you want.”

His mom’s voice sounded too cheerful.

“Let me know where you are, I will find you.”

The school had a lot of students, so it should have been noisy, but Woosung heard no noise on the phone. He could also hear a stranger’s voice talking to his mom.

“Ok. Then let’s go.”

He sounded familiar.

“Mom, who are you talking to?”

“Are you still near the main entrance? Oh, I’m almost there. Here.”

A black sedan approached Woosung’s group. It was a Mercedes-Benz. It stopped right in front of Woosung.

Park Jonghyun murmured in surprise.

“B… Benz. It’s an S-series too.”

Park Jonghyun looked at Woosung.

“Is… is this your parents’ car?”

Other classmates murmured curiously.

“Wow. Is Woosung from a rich family?”

Cha Yeoreum also couldn’t hide her surprise. Kim Eunjung came out of the car with a smile.

“Woosung!”

Woosung froze. He remembered the day he died.

Black sedan.

A stranger driving a black car.

Woosung shouted.

“Mom, what is this?”

“Hey, why are you screaming?”

Jang Gwangchul came out from the driver’s side. Woosung still couldn’t calm down.

“Why would you get into a stranger’s car?”

Kang Gichun also seemed confused. Jang Gwangchul approached Woosung.

“Don’t get mad. I offered to drive them. Your family is now my family too.”

Woosung was cold to him.

“You’re not my brother. I am an only child.”

“Haha, you definitely act like the ‘God of money.’ Very practical. I like it.”

Woosung didn’t like this situation. There was no guarantee that Jang Gwangchul wasn’t like Choi Gichul.

If he harmed his parents…

Woosung’s eyes filled with fury. Jang Gwangchul added kindly.

“Don’t look at me like that. I meant no harm. I heard it’s your graduation today, so I got you a present.”

Jang Gwangchul dropped the car key into Woosung’s hand. Woosung’s eyes widened in shock.

“You have a driver’s license, right?”

Everyone became speechless.

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Chapter 26: <God of money>

Jang Gwangchul left in a hurry. It felt like a dream, but the Mercedes-Benz S-Class in front of him was real.

Suddenly, Woosung’s cell phone vibrated. It was a text from Jang Gwangchul.

“Little brother, do I now deserve to have lunch with you?”

Jang Gwangchul kept calling Woosung his little brother. Before Woosung could process this situation, Kim Eunjung opened the door and said excitedly.

“Woosung, try it out. It’s amazing. That man also said he’ll pay for the insurance and maintenance.”

“Mom!”

“Come on! When will we ever get the chance to drive a car like this? Look at how much your dad loves it too!”

Kang Gichun couldn’t take his eyes off the car. It was the same for his classmates. Both Yoon Chanjong and Cha Yeoreum kept looking at the car and Woosung in shock. Woosung was pleased. Park Jonghyun asked.

“W… who was that? You aren’t part of the mob, are you? I heard people get involved in illegal online gambling…”

Woosung scowled at him. Kim Eunjung heard this and asked Woosung worriedly.

“W… Woosung, that’s not true, right?”

He had to explain.

“He’s one of the company’s VIPs and he’s just thanking me for my work. Don’t listen to my friend.”

Park Jonghyun continued annoyingly.

“He can’t be a stock trader. Didn’t you see his face? He looked scary and had a gold necklace. He was definitely a mob.”

Kim Eunjung frowned even more. Woosung didn’t want to worry his mom. He had to make sure she understood.

‘If I had a smartphone, I could just show it to her quickly.’

But then an idea snapped through his mind… Woosung asked Park Jonghyun.

“You have a laptop, right? Give it to me.”

“Why? This is expensive. I can’t lend it to you.”

“I’m not asking to borrow it. I just want to look him up.”

Luckily, the school had wireless internet. Woosung opened Jang Gwangchul’s Cyworld and showed everyone the man’s reports and activities.

Everyone became speechless as they stared at Woosung in shock. However, more than anyone, it surprised Park Jonghyun a whole lot more.

“Why would someone like him be nice to… you…?”

“I guess he appreciates how hard I work. Chanjong, it’s all thanks to you. You’re the one who told me to apply to Daesan. I will buy you lunch sometime.”

Yoon Chanjong nodded. Woosung also looked at Cha Yeoreum.

“I am thankful to you too. You encouraged me to work hard. Let’s get together sometime with Chanjong. We’ll meet again, anyway.”

Cha Yeoreum looked confused.

“What do you mean…?”

Kim Eunjung asked Woosung.

“Son, let’s go now. I’m hungry and that man said he made a reservation for us at a restaurant. He said to just let them know his name and they will take care of us.”

Kim Eunjung said it loudly, wanting everyone to hear.

“He said to go to the Baekjae Hotel.”

Park Jonghyun couldn’t hide his envy. After taking back his laptop, he murmured quietly.

“S… should I also apply to smaller companies now?”

Woosung got into the car and Kang Gichun filled himself with an obvious hint of happiness as he drove away.

***

After the meal, Woosung’s parents returned home first. Woosung wanted to meet with Jang Gwangchul alone. Sitting at the hotel lounge, Woosung called him. Within a few seconds, Jang Gwangchul showed up waving at Woosung as if he was expecting this.

“Haha, little brother, were you looking for me?”

Woosung was still suspicious about this entire deal.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“You are so different from everyone else. Most people would suck up to me by now.”

“Then you should talk to them.”

“But those people are weak. If you are confident of your skills, then there is no need to bow down to anyone.”

When Woosung remained silent, Jang Gwangchul smiled and guided Woosung to a private room.

“Haha, let’s go inside. We have a lot to talk about.”

Woosung followed Jang Gwangchul.

“How about we have some wine? Alcohol is good for relaxing.”

Woosung answered coldly.

“I don’t want to drink.”

“Did I do anything to offend you?”

“Not yet.”

“Haha, I guess that’s good.”

“I just don’t believe in freebies.”

Woosung remembered the day he died.

Choi Gichul took him to an expensive private club.

Jang Gwangchul probably wasn’t like Choi Gichul, but Woosung still had to be on guard.

‘Their last syllables are even the same.’

Jang Gwangchul. Choi Gichul. He just didn’t like it. When Woosung frowned, Jang Gwangchul continued.

“Haha, that’s true. Then I should tell you the reason.”

Jang Gwangchul took out his PDA and connected to his website. He then brought up the posts Woosung uploaded.

“Your nickname is ‘God of money,’ right?”

Woosung nodded.

“You wrote about the basics of algorithm trading.”

Woosung nodded again. When he registered to become a member of this website, one requirement was to upload a few useful posts.

“After reading these, I called Nuri Finances and asked about you. They had a lot of great things to say. On top of the speed trading, you also did a presentation on changing the development process. They know you for being a talented developer, and you’re only 26.”

“It’s true.”

“Hahaha. Your confidence is overwhelming.”

“Because it’s true.”

“I agree, and that is why I want to be your friend.”

“For my skills?”

Jang Gwangchul got close to Woosung and sniffed him. Surprised, Woosung stepped back.

“I smell money on you. You will be big, and I can’t stay away from you.”

Yoon Gihwan said the similar thing before.

‘What’s happening? Did I get more attractive or something?’

Woosung wondered if, on top of becoming smarter, he got better looks too, but that wasn’t the case.

“Just like you, I am interested in IT. It’s the future, but it is hard to find someone talented in this field. It’s even harder to find someone who can see the future as well.”

Woosung realized what Jang Gwangchul was talking about.

“Do you think I am that person?”

“They say money makes more money, but what moves money is a person. Someone like you.”

It was an overwhelming compliment, but Woosung remained unfazed by it. He just nodded.

“I already know that.”

Jang Gwangchul opened his mouth in shock. Woosung agreed with him.

Bitcoin. He had the chance of a lifetime in his hand. There was no doubt Woosung will become rich.

“R… really?”

“Yes.”

He could have thought Woosung was being arrogant, but Jang Gwangchul thought differently.

“Ha, haha. If you already knew, then this conversation will be quick. I would like to offer you a job.”

“Working at Daesan will be the last time I work for someone.”

“Then how about becoming my partner?”

Jang Gwangchul was desperate not to lose Woosung. He licked his lips.

‘How could he use him?’

Woosung still couldn’t trust Jang Gwangchul, but he wanted to still gain something from this without being bound to him.

There was one way.

“I can make the program for you on the side.”

“Do you even know what I want?”

“My post on algorithm trading got your interest…. So I assume you want something like it.”

“Haha, I knew you would get me. So how much would you charge?”

Woosung didn’t care if he would get this job, so he asked high.

“500,000 dollars.”

“I’ll give you 700,000 dollars. Make me something good.”

This time, Woosung was the one left dumbfounded.

“… what?”

“My only requirement is that you make me an algorithmic system you can be proud of.”

Jang Gwangchul wasn’t shy about giving compliments. He was also very generous. A car and now 700,000 dollars.

He was unexpected.

“Why don’t we get a contract today? Maybe after another drink?”

“Well, I guess I can have a glass.”

There was no way someone who just offered him 700,000 dollars would mean him harm. Woosung could finally relax a bit.

***

Kim Yonggun looked at the new posts on the website “Fire Ant Trading Club.” One of the most viewed was titled, “The basics of algorithm trading.”

The nickname of the author was especially memorable.

“God of money?”

It sounded great, so he clicked it.

“The basics of algorithm trading.

“It is a way to buy and sell stocks following strict guidelines. Even if you don’t use an automated computer system, if you have your own rules you follow, that would still be considered an algorithm.”

‘Huh?’

Kim Yonggun always thought algorithm trading only referred to using an automated system, but according to this member, one could just have a personal rule.

“Having rules, or algorithm, is the basis of trading. If you do not have an algorithm, people would sneer at you and call what you’re doing a gamble rather than a trade. Therefore, so many people fail at stock trading.”

It felt like someone just hit him with a hammer.

“Huh? It’s going up. I need to buy now.”

“What? It’s dropping. Should I sell? Sell??? Oh no. It’s too late. Dammit!”

“Shoot! I shouldn’t have sold!”

Kim Yonggun has lost a lot in the market. He had no rules; he just bought and sold as he felt. He skimmed pieces of information regarding trading, but it became apparent now that this was not enough.

“You need to make it into a smart investment transaction, not gambling. Then what would be the biggest difference between the two? Gambling depends on your luck but investing depends on mathematical chance, the difference between luck and chance is whether you can or cannot improve it.”

This is the biggest and most important difference. Mathematical chance is something you can improve if you put your mind to it.

Kim Yonggun couldn’t stop reading this relevant info ‘God of money’ has posted. Everything he said made sense. He wanted to absorb everything.

“One of the best hedge fund managers was Edward Thorp.

-“He was a brilliant mathematician who turned the game of blackjack into a probability game. He even wrote a book about it. While you depended your victories on your luck when gambling, he calculated the odds and made profits.”

….

The post even included a useful example.

“Edward Thorp?”

It was the first time Kim Yonggun heard this name. The only people he knew were Warren Buffett or George Soros. Reading quickly, Kim Yonggun hit the last paragraph.

“Therefore, the basis of algorithm trading is ‘mathematical probability’. As you increase the probability, you will improve your earning.”

Kim Yonggun clicked the “Like” button for the post made by ‘God of money’, which already had 3,108 likes.

Woosung’s post was the most viewed and most liked post in the history of this website.

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Chapter 27: <God of money>

Woosung arrived at work with a frown.

‘I didn’t even drink that much last night, yet…’

30-year-old Ballantine.

Jang Gwangchul had ordered a bottle which had a cost of over 1,000 dollars. It was so strong that Woosung only drank a little, but he still felt awful the next morning.

‘He must be really rich. A hundred thousand dollars must be nothing to him.’

Woosung couldn’t even guess how rich Jang Gwangchul was. He had at least 10 million dollars in cash for stock trading, but Jang Gwangchul must also have other investments.

Woosung sighed. He could still smell the alcohol on his breath. When Yoon Gihwan came by, he could smell it too.

“Newbie, did you drink the Ballantine yesterday?”

“… huh?”

“I am a drink expert. Let me see…”

Yoon Gihwan came even closer and sniffed Woosung.

‘He acts just like Jang Gwangchul. I’ll bet they’ll get along great.’

Yoon Gihwan continued.

“Hmm… My guess would be that it was a 30-year-old bottle. Wow. A single bottle costs about 1,000 dollars. How can you afford something like that already?”

He looked a bit disappointed.

Woosung shook his head and answered.

“I drank it, but I didn’t buy it.”

“Then who bought it for you? It must have been an expensive night. Who could… Wait? Did you…?”

“I need to tell you something. Let’s go somewhere private.”

Woosung told Yoon Gihwan everything that happened at his graduation. He had no intention of working on Jang Gwangchul’s algorithm system by himself. There were so many other things he had to do. He planned to divide the work with Yoon Gihwan, and if he agreed, he wanted Yoon Gihwan to take care of the maintenance too. When he heard Woosung’s plan, Yoon Gihwan kept silent. He took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth without lighting it. When Woosung struck a strange gaze at him, Yoon Gihwan answered.

“I quit smoking.”

“Oh…”

“What do you think? Would it be better than staying at Daesan?”

“It would be better to stay here for now, but when we develop the system, it would depend on how well we do.”

“Will you be completely off this project?”

“I…”

After much thought, Woosung answered.

“It would depend on how Jang Gwanchul does.”

“So I will act as your scout. I will spy on him for you.”

“True, but you will make a lot more money. With your skill, you should be able to go far with the system, but if you don’t want to, you don’t have to do it.”

He didn’t think for long. Yoon Gihwan threw away the cigarette.

“I’ll do it.”

“Good choice. It’s a great opportunity for you. I think this Jang Gwangchul character is a good guy.”

“At the very least, he’s very generous.”

“That he is.”

They returned to the office.

***

Woosung checked his email when he returned to his seat. After reading all the work emails, he checked his personal ones. One of the new emails caught his attention.

Sender: Microsoft.

Title: GUI Test Tool Use Request

It was an email asking Woosung to allow Microsoft to add the GUI Test Tool function to the Visual Studio.

Woosung had uploaded GTT on Source Forge for the public to use for free. He also agreed to the MIT License, which allowed others to use it freely for business purposes. This meant Microsoft did not have to ask Woosung’s permission, but as one of the best software development companies in the world, it wanted to maintain an ethical image. Woosung read the rest of the message out loud.

“And while using my program, they plan to name me the MVP (Most Valuable Professional) of the Visual Studio and Development Technologies department?”

MVP.

It was an honor for Microsoft to name someone an MVP. It also came with benefits of free MSDN subscription and invitations to MS-related global summits. There were less than 100 Koreans part of the MS MVP list.

Yoon Gihwan heard Woosung’s murmur and came by to read the email.

“MS MVP? Wow… Newbie, you are so…”

Park Junwoo and Kim Yonggun also turned around.

“MS? Are you referring to Microsoft MVP?”

“Yes. They want to name me the MVP.”

Yoon Gihwan urged Woosung to read on further.

“In addition, we would honor you to be a guest speaker regarding GUI Test Tool at our 2008 Microsoft Development Conference.

The conference would take place in March.”

PDC (Professional Developers Conference).

In 2011, the name of this conference would change to Build. It took place at Seattle, which was where the MS headquarter resided. It was a sought-after event, and it usually sold out within 5 minutes of its release.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t an invitation to the PDC.

“It’s not an invitation to PDC. There will be an MS seminar in Korea regarding the use of Visual Studio and the future of IT, and they want me to be one of the speakers.”

Park Junwoo couldn’t hide his excitement. He read the email himself carefully.

“W… who cares? This is still an MS seminar, and they invited you!”

“I… I guess.”

“Anyone who speak at these seminars were well-known people!”

Yoon Gihwan glanced at Park Junwoo, who seemed thrilled.

“Manager Park, you seem very interested in MS.”

Park Junwoo calmed down a little, but he still had his eyes fixated on the email.

“When I first started out… I dreamt of becoming a famous developer and speak at such events. I would love to work at MS, but I realize now that it’s not possible.”

Kim Yonggun understood, he added, “Well, every developer dreams of working at MS, Google, Oracle…”

Yoon Gihwan put his hand on Woosung’s shoulder and asked.

“Does this mean that among all of us, you are the only one whose dream came true?”

This was becoming uncomfortable.

“It… It’s not like that.”

Park Junwoo felt different. He smiled bitterly and left the office. Kim Yonggun followed after him. When Woosung tried to follow them, Yoon Gihwan stopped him.

“If you follow them now, they’ll feel even worse. I’ll go talk to them.”

Woosung had to stay put.

Park Junwoo sat on a bench outside. Kim Yonggun bought a can of warm honey water and offered it to him.

“Assistant manager Kim, what have I accomplished with my life so far?”

“Don’t think like that. You worked hard. Woosung is an unusual case.”

“Phew. I recently realized what a fool I am. Envy, doubt, and jealousy. These feelings have overwhelmed me so.”

“Everyone feels like that sometimes. Me too.”

“Whenever I see the newbie, I feel like I’ve wasted my life.”

“It’s not too late. You can still do whatever you want to.”

Kim Yonggun tried to encourage him, but it didn’t work.

“Really? I don’t know… I have been a failure so far.”

“Don’t think like that. It’s possible. It really is. But…”

After a quick pause, Kim Yonggun continued.

“There is one condition.”

Park Junwoo looked at Kim Yonggun curiously.

“You need to be willing to work under Woosung.”

“What do you mean?”

“Did you hear the conversation between General manager Yoon and Woosung?”

Park Junwoo shook his head.

“Woosung said he drank the 30-year-old Ballentine. Who do you think bought him such an expensive drink?”

“W… who?”

“I eavesdropped on them. It was the Fire Ant Jang Gwangchul. Jang Gwangchul asked Woosung to make something for him. Woosung then asked the general manager to do it instead.”

“And you think we should ask him to include us?”

Kim Yonggun nodded.

“You know how talented Woosung is. If we learn from him and be around him, good things will happen to us.”

Kim Yonggun was determined.

“It’s not the time to save your pride. I have decided to have Woosung as my boss. I’m sure he’ll accept me.”

“Boss? Are you suggesting that he’ll leave this place and make his own company?”

“Eventually. His talent doesn’t stop at developing.”

Kim Yonggun continued instantaneously.

“Most people fail at daytime trading because they are gambling.”

“What are you talking about?”

“This is something the newbie said.”

“…”

“Woosung joined the website by Jang Gwangchul and uploaded a post. This is what he said in it. I’m sure it’s Woosung.”

Kim Yonggun followed his statement quick with a twinkle in his eyes.

“Do you know how many views he had on his post? Over 30,000. He is no ordinary man.”

Park Junwoo felt bitter. He could never compare to Woosung.

“I have decided. I will follow him wherever he goes. He will be somebody.”

Suddenly, someone yelled at them from behind.

“And how do you know he’ll take you?”

Kim Yonggun looked around in shock. Yoon Gihwan was standing there. He looked angry.

“G… General manager.”

“I was wondering what you guys are doing. You’ve been having a meeting of your own.”

“N… no. It’s not like that…”

After a pause, Kim Yonggun went on.

“How much did you hear?”

Yoon Gihwan raised his hand but paused. He then sighed and dropped his hand.

“Who cares? Just continue your story about what Woosung wrote on his post.”

Frightened, Kim Yonggun told him everything he knew.

***

Woosung felt awkward when Park Junwoo and Kim Yonggun returned. 10 years ago, they helped and encouraged him. If he hadn’t met them then, he wouldn’t have made it in this industry.

“So you both want to be a part of Jang Gwangchul’s project?”

Kim Yonggun gave an empathic nod. Park Junwoo fell silent, but he extended his agreement too.

“I need to warn you it will be a hard road. You won’t have weekends off and you may have to work up to 20 hours a day.”

Kim Yonggun swallowed hard. Park Junwoo replied slowly.

“MS recognized you. If we can become like you, then…”

Woosung stopped Park Junwoo and added.

“Um… I think you guys misunderstood me. What I’m doing is not charity work.”

Park Junwoo flinched to Woosung’s cold voice.

“If it doesn’t benefit me, I won’t do it.”

Park Junwoo understood what he did wrong.

“I know well that you two are great people, but that’s it. I know you can do your jobs at Daesan, but anything outside, I can’t be sure if you have the skills.”

Park Junwoo’s face reddened in embarrassment. Kim Yonggun realized the situation and objected.

“Then what should we do?”

“Just the fact you’re asking me is a problem. You are being too dependent on me. General manager Yoon may not be the nicest person, but he knows what he’s doing. He rarely asks for my guidance.”

Kim Yonggun closed his eyes. Park Junwoo looked away and asked.

“So you’re saying…. no?”

Woosung didn’t want to them a flat-out rejection. They gave him a chance 10 years ago, and Woosung wanted to do the same for them.

“Let’s do it this way. You two should lead our current development process change consultation. If you can complete it successfully, I’ll take you.”

Kim Yonggun replied.

“B… but…”

Park Junwoo looked at Woosung with determination.

“That’s a good idea. I don’t want to be a burden to you, anyway.”

“You two will also get bonuses based on the result of this project, so it should be a win-win situation for you.”

Woosung went back to his seat. He could see how determined Park Junwoo was. He knew he could trust him.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Chapter 28: <God of money>

6:30 pm.

The end of a workday. Park Junwoo and Kim Yonggun seemed determined as they continued to work. Woosung picked up his briefcase and said his goodbye, but no one even noticed.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Yoon Gihwan was also focused on his monitor.

They all remained seated.

‘Is it because of what I said earlier?’

He wasn’t a nice guy. He only did things beneficial to him. That meant that he would drop anything or anyone unnecessary. If they wanted to work with him, they had to prove their skills.

‘If they want to be with me, this is the least they can do.’

Woosung left the office.

As soon as he left, Woosung received a text.

“I sent you a 100,000 dollars deposit.”

Woosung replied immediately.

“Thank you. As I told you earlier, I will send the system to you in a document format by next Wednesday. I will not be able to finalize all the details, so please understand.”

“Haha, whatever you say. I trust you, little brother.”

Woosung knew what that meant.

“Do whatever you think is necessary.”

“You know what to do. Take care of it.”

“You can do it yourself.”

Vague requests were always the scariest. Woosung replied immediately.

“I will do my best.”

“Hahaha. Of course.”

Woosung took a deep breath.

100,000 dollars.

He was another step closer to his goal. When he got home, Woosung turned his computer on and checked his bank account.

$122,400.50

In his previous life, he took 10 years to save 100,000 dollars, but this time, it took less than 2 months.

“I will make sure to add a lot more 0’s to my balance.”

He felt proud of himself. He was going in the right direction. His mother called him just then.

“Son, dinner’s ready.”

“Be right there.”

Woosung transferred 20,000 dollars and left his room.

The dinner table was bare with modest dishes, but it was more satisfying to Woosung than having a meal at an expensive hotel.

“Mom, I just transferred you 20,000 dollars, so pay back the rest of your mortgage.”

Kim Eunjung trembled as she asked.

“What?”

“I did another extra project with that guy you met and I got paid more. We need to pay back all the debts first.”

“B… but you already gave us 20,000 dollars. You got another 20,000 dollars?”

Woosung tried to change the topic.

“This miso soup is great.”

“What? Why would he give you 20,000 dollars?”

Woosung shrugged.

“I’m that good.”

Kim Eunjung tried to remain calm. She worried for Woosung as she remembered what his friend said at his graduation. She asked nervously.

“You… you aren’t involved in illegal online gambling, right?”

Woosung proclaimed with confidence.

“I told you it’s not like that. Jang Gwangchul hired me for a project and I got paid for it.”

Kim Eunjung was still anxious. He could see her hand shook in her own agitation.

“B… but why would he give you so much money? I heard the car he gave you is also worth over 100,000 dollars, and he gave you another 20,000 dollars?”

“Not for free. I worked for it.”

Kang Gichun turned to Woosung and said seriously.

“Woosung, I make a little over 1,000 dollars a month as a security guard. You told me you would make less than 2,000 dollars a month.”

He sounded angry. He thought Woosung was lying to them. Woosung realized his parents would not believe him without proof. He brought out the contract with Jang Gwangchul and showed it to them. Kang Gichun and Kim Eunjung read it carefully.

Their worry turned into joy and pride as they realized that Woosung was telling the truth.

“Woosung…. This is real, right?”

“Yes. Of the 700,000 dollars, my portion will only be about half. I have to pay my co-workers with the other half.”

“Even then… it’s 350,000 dollars…”

“Just be patient. I will buy you a nice apartment in Gangnam soon.”

Kim Eunjung couldn’t contain her emotions.

“When did my little boy grow up?”

Woosung became emotional too. If he stayed, they were all going to cry.

“I grew up because you fed me so well. I’m done eating. I have to get to work.”

Woosung went back to his room.

***

After transferring 20,000 dollars, he had 102,000 dollars left.

He needed much more money.

Woosung checked the KOSPI first.

1734.

It was too high to buy any stocks right now. In October, it would drop to 900’s. That would be his chance to make money. He thought about dabbling in real estate, but he didn’t have enough funds.

Woosung deliberated to himself about big future events he could take advantage of. He opened the file he created and looked through it.

“Hmm…”

Nothing major would happen soon, at least not anything that could make him money. The only thing he could do now was work on Jang Gwangchul’s system.

Most programming occurred in following steps.

1. Analyze the request. Understand exactly what the customer wants.

2. Organize the list of functions.

3. Design.

4. Develop.

5. Test.

6. Maintain.

He only had a limited amount of time and not enough of it for himself. He skipped the first two steps and went straight to the third stage.

Design.

There were many things to design. He had to decide on the physical servers for the program which functions to upload on each server, the relationships between them, and the software.

“I should check what’s available on Amazon Seoul Region.”

Woosung didn’t want to buy an expensive server. Instead, he planned to use the Amazon Web Services and pay as he goes.

“Thank God EC2 is available. This is the only thing I need.”

EC2 service could be the foundation.

“I can upload the program here.”

Woosung checked the functions available on AWS (Amazon Web Services) and designed the system architecture.

***

Woosung felt exhausted as he went to work.

Last night he ended up working till 4 in the morning. He almost worked all night except his mother noticed the light in his room and insisted he go to bed. Despite his fatigue, Woosung felt happy.

“My concentration level is amazing now.”

It wasn’t just his IQ that improved. His concentration and patience all enhanced as well. Woosung was satisfied with the way he was now. He smiled as he greeted everyone.

“Good morning.”

“Oh, hi.”

“Good morning to you too, Woosung.”

“How’s it going?”

None of his co-workers looked well. Their eyes were half closed. He spotted cans of energy drinks and coffee all around their desks and some lying on the ground.

‘They must be working really hard.’

Park Junwoo stood up and asked Woosung.

“Hey, I made a list of things to inform the infra department. Could you take a look?”

Woosung was glad to help. Unlike his cold demeanor yesterday, Woosung had a tender tone.

“Haha, of course.”

Kim Yonggun also stood up and asked for Woosung.

“After you’re done there, could you have a look at my test codes?”

“Sure thing.”

Yoon Gihwan also asked Woosung.

“Newbie, after you are done with these two, come and see me.”

Woosung was about to answer when a stranger greeted him from behind.

“Hello. I’m an assistant manager from Daeyang System. My name is Jaejin Kim. I wanted to let you know that my PM would like to see you now.”

Woosung had an idea of what the meeting would be about.

‘Is he thinking about giving me that job? This is sooner than I expected…’

Woosung looked at Yoon Gihwan, who reacted as expected.

“You can’t order us around like this. You should’ve at least sent us an email to let us know ahead of time. This is unreasonable.”

Kim Jaejin bit his lips.

“G… General manager.”

“Dammit, that stupid Kwon Taegyun.”

Kwon Taegyun.

He was the PM of Daeyang System. Yoon Gihwan frowned in fury, but Woosung calmed him down.

“Let’s just hear him out. There is no need to shoot the messenger.”

Yoon Gihwan stood up quick in response. Kim Jaejin looked at Woosung in awe.

‘Wow… General manager Yoon actually listened to that guy…’

“Fine. Let’s go.”

Kim Jaejin sighed and guided them to Daeyang System’s conference room.

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Chapter 29: <God of money (End of Book 1)>

Kim Jaejin spoke apologetically as he kept looking at the conference room.

“Haha. He said he’ll be done soon. Please wait just a little longer.”

They came as asked, but Kwon Taegyun was having a meeting. They’ve been waiting for over 10 minutes. Yoon Gihwan kept clenching and unclenching his fists.

“Let’s go back to our office, newbie. I don’t know why we’re still waiting here.”

“Yes.”

10 years ago, something similar to this had happened but in a different circumstance. Yoon Gihwan panted in anger.

“Does he think he owns me? I can’t believe he’s doing this.”

Yoon Gihwan stood up. Kim Jaejin panicked.

“G…General manager. Please. Please just wait a little longer.”

“It has already been over 10 minutes.”

10 years ago, Yoon Gihwan was as furious as he was right now, but he couldn’t express his anger then. Yoon Gihwan was fired from Daeyang, and the only reason he landed on a job at Daesan was because Daeyang made it happen. This meant at any given time they wanted to, Daeyang could take his job away.

However, things were different now. He had a new and improved occupation under Woosung this time.

“It has been exactly 15 minutes.”

Kim Jaejin was now drenched in sweat.

“That’s it. Let’s go.”

Woosung stood and silently followed. Just when they turned around to leave, the conference room door swung open and Kwon Taegyun came out with a smile.

“Haha, sorry. My meeting with a new employee took longer than expected. Come on in.”

He didn’t look sorry at all. Yoon Gihwan grunted angrily.

“You need to learn some manners.”

“Haha, but I learned everything from you.”

“…”

“Let’s go in. I want to talk about something important. Even Nuri Finances is interested in this topic.”

Yoon Gihwan followed him grudgingly.

As Woosung entered the room, he paused.

Cha Yeoreum.

She was sitting in the room wearing a nice suit. It was her first day of work. Her face was flushed.

‘So she’s here.’

Just like 10 years ago. At the time, she saw him being reprimanded harshly by Yoon Gihwan. It was shameful and horrifying.

At that time, he swore he would become somebody someday.

So 10 years ago, he studied harder than he did in school, and after years of hard work, he made it. He became the head of Bitmain’s server team. She was the motivation behind his determination. Kwon Taegyun introduced her to them.

“This is our new employee. She will be working with you along with Assistant Manager Kim.”

“Hello. My name is Cha Yeoreum.”

Yoon Gihwan bowed lightly.

“I’m Yoon Gihwan from Daesan System.”

“My name is Kang Woosung.”

Woosung gave her a brief glance and looked away. Cha Yeoreum did the same, hiding her surprise. Kwon Taegyun pointed at the PPT laid out in front of them.

“Now let’s get right into it. I think I made General Manager Yoon angry.”

He was mocking Yoon Gihwan. Yoon Gihwan glared at Kwon Taegyun, who ignored him and continued.

“We plan to place a customized product ad on the top right corner of our HTS.”

Woosung thought in confusion.

’10 years ago, this happened much later in early summer.’

However, this time, it was happening earlier. It seemed as if history had changed because of Woosung.

‘I need to be careful not to change the future.’

He couldn’t let that happen. Things had to happen exactly like the last time. That was the only way to ensure important events such as cryptocurrency and smartphones happened. Woosung frowned.

At the same time, Cha Yeoreum was also deep in thought.

‘The world is so small. So I meet him here…Didn’t expect that.’

She had no idea Woosung worked in this department. She got into IT because it was where she could make the most money.

‘So he is working at Daesan. Does this mean he is doing well?’

She remembered the car he received on the day of graduation. It wasn’t that she regretted breaking up with him.

‘He will never change.’

Chan Yeoreum looked at Woosung. He looked very different than in college. He looked more confident and professional.

Kim Jaejin couldn’t stop glancing at Cha Yeoreum. She was gorgeous.

‘She’s hot.’

Meanwhile, Kwon Taegyun continued.

“We’ll be adding a banner, so it won’t be that big of a job. Especially if we use the agile method as was suggested by… Woosung, right? It will take maybe only two to three days?”

He smirked.

Woosung didn’t like him. Yoon Gihwan felt the same.

“Two, three days? Are you kidding? Give us a few hours.”

To Yoon Gihwan’s confidence, Kwon Taegyun laughed loudly.

“Hahaha. Then you should be able to get it done by the end of the day. Assistant manager Kim will give you the API (application programming interface), and Yeoreum will accompany to learn from Assistant manager Kim.”

Cha Yeoreum gave a polite reply.

“Of course.”

The meeting took a mere 10 minutes to wrap up. As everyone stood up to leave, Woosung asked hurriedly.

“Wait.”

Yoon Gihwan looked at him. Others did as well.

“Who designed this? It’s all wrong.”

Kwon Taegyun frowned.

“Do you know what you’re talking about?”

Yoon Gihwan smiled. He looked at Woosung expectantly.

“Newbie, explain.”

“Have you all heard of the company called Apple?”

Everyone nodded. iPhone hasn’t been released in Korea yet, but they all knew of iPod and Macintosh.

“Their first rule of design is consistency. Our HTS screen design has always remained consistent to help the customers navigate quickly, but if you place a useless banner on the top right corner, you’re ruining the UX.”

To Woosung’s strong words, Kim Jaejin replied.

“That’s very unkind of you. Useless? We have analyzed the big data to put the most appropriate products for the customers.”

He proclaimed it with confidence, but Woosung questioned him with a silent gaze. Did he even know what big data was?

Big Data.

In 2008, big data was being actively researched. Large corporations such as Google and IBM were applying it to their technology already, but in Korea, it was a relatively new concept. Woosung asked.

“What do you mean by ‘big data?’ Are you just referring to the amount of data?”

“Not just the quantity of it. We got the result from handling unstructured data. Our quality should rival that of Amazon.”

“Unstructured data? Where are we getting the unstructured data from? I can’t think of anywhere on the current Nuri Finances’ system where you would get that. As for Amazon, their recommendations are based on product reviews. Do we have a review system that I don’t know about?”

Kim Jaejin hesitated to Woosung’s explanation.

“T…that is…”

Kwon Taegyun asked instead.

“So are you saying we shouldn’t put a banner at all?”

“That is exactly what I am saying, but if you insist, please include in your report that Daesan disagreed with your proposal.”

“We are a team. Do we really have to be like this?”

Woosung smirked and answered.

“I’m telling you how it is. We are indeed a team, so if I know our team will fail, then it is my duty to tell you.”

Kwon Taegyun frowned again. Woosung continued slowly.

“I am telling you again that this is not a good idea.”

Kwon Taegyun realized he couldn’t get through Woosung. He turned to Yoon Gihwan instead.

“This is not how things work.”

“What are you talking about? You know me. I agree with my guy, so that’s final.”

Kwon Taegyun gritted his teeth. Cha Yeoreum looked at Woosung in shock.

‘Is he crazy?’

He was a new employee and the way he behaved was all wrong. It was also strange how Daesan’s general manager reacted to Woosung’s actions and how Kwon Taegyun couldn’t seem to fight back.

The now angered Kwon Taegyun asked again.

“Do we really have to do this?”

Yoon Gihwan nodded. Daesan had nothing to lose. If this suggestion worked out, Daeyang would take the credit, and if it didn’t, they would blame Daesan.

“You know we’re right.”

Woosung nodded in agreement. Yoon Gihwan was right. 10 years ago, this plan backfired as the customers complained. Daesan System was blamed for everything.

“I agree with General Manager Yoon. I guess that’s it. We’re done here.”

Woosung stood up and left, followed by Yoon Gihwan.

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Chapter 30: <Big Data>

Yoon Gihwan couldn’t stop smiling. Woosung asked curiously.

“Are you that happy?”

“Of course. Hahaha! You made my day!”

Yoon Gihwan explained as they walked together.

“Kwon Taegyun was the reason why I got fired. I focused only on my work and not on office politics. When I realized my mistake, it was too late. He turned everyone against me. At that time a realization hit me that I could now understand how my son would have felt being bullied at school.”

Yoon Gihwan laughed bitterly.

“Hahaha… It was only then that I could really understand my son’s feelings. I was a bad father.”

Yoon Gihwan paused briefly, then asked Woosung.

“By the way, is it really true that Apple’s first rule of design is consistency?”

There was no answer. Yoon Gihwan turned around to find that Woosung was not behind him.

“…where did he go?”

Woosung was with Cha Yeoreum. After Woosung left, she followed him. She was curious.

“You…What just happened? How could you act like that back there? This is a workplace, not school.”

“Haha. Are you worried about me?”

“Woosung! This isn’t funny.”

“Thank you for your concern, but there is no need. You saw what happened, right? I didn’t lose.”

“Well…that’s only because we happened to have understanding bosses. If it was anywhere else, it would have been bad for you.”

Woosung nodded.

“Alright. I will consider your advice.”

“Not consider. You need to take it…”

Cha Yeoreum didn’t finish her sentence. She just shook her head and murmured.

“Never mind. It’s no use.”

“Haha. I never expected to see you here.”

“Um…yeah. I didn’t expect to see you either.”

“Well, good luck to you. I hope everything works out for you. I remember you wanting to help your parents financially and pay back your student loan.”

Cha Yeoreum blushed as Woosung brought up their past conversations.

“Why are you bringing back old news now?”

Woosung smiled.

“Haha. It’s just nice to see you work hard at your dream company.”

She knew Woosung meant what he said. At first, she thought he would never change, but she started to think that perhaps she was wrong then.

He was her first everything. First love, first kiss, first time. She realized she was starting to feel for him again.

“By the way, when did you have the time to study?”

“I…”

It was this day 10 years ago.

10 years ago, things happened differently. It was a bad day for Woosung.

However, he couldn’t tell her the truth.

“I…I never stopped studying.”

“Well, not when you were in school, but I guess it’s still not too late now. Good luck.”

He knew she meant it.

Why!?

Why didn’t he do better in his previous life? He was disappointed in himself, but he had to move on.

“Well, shall we go now? We are both newbies, so we shouldn’t take long breaks.”

Cha Yeoreum nodded and turned around. He could smell the light flowery scent from her long hair.

‘Maybe…’

Woosung shook his head and walked away.

***

Kwak Jungwook loved his job nowadays. After the newbie was hired for the HTS team, everything in the company had been working out smoothly. Daesan’s new employee was creative and productive. His new function was a hit with the VIPs. Not to mention, it also attracted a lot of new users.

If things continued like this, they would become number one in no time. He could understand his boss’s insistence on trying to scout Woosung into the headquarter.

“Let’s see how many new customers we got today.”

Kwak Jungwook loved to check the numbers every day.

“Yesterday, the number of new accounts were 1,225. Today is…1,421!”

Kwak Jungwook clicked the reasons why their new users subscribed to their company.

-Easy to use HTS 53%

-Speed 12%

-Recommendation by an acquaintance 8%

….

Before Woosung, the numbers remained between 500 to 800 tops. This improvement was even better since it was because of the team he was supervising.

“Hahaha. I will get a big bonus this year!”

Beep.

A message popped up on his screen.

New email.

When he clicked it, there was an email from Daeyang System’s PM Kwon Taegyun.

“New Product Promotion Banner on HTS

Hello. This is Kwon Taegyun from Daeyang System.

I have received a negative opinion from Daesan System regarding the new banner project.

They claimed that placing a banner on the top right corner would make it difficult for customers to use.

I would like to call a meeting about this.”

Kwak Jungwook frowned.

“This is a project my boss is interested in too…I should go and talk to him in person.”

He stood up and headed towards Woosung’s workplace.

Woosung, Yoon Gihwan, and Kwak Jungwook sat in a conference room.

“Did you read the email from Daeyang?”

“Not yet.”

Yoon Gihwan answered.

“They claimed that you disagreed with their banner project. They are asking for a meeting. May I hear why you reject this idea?”

He had to explain it all over again.

Woosung answered impatiently.

“Because it will ruin HTS’s UX.”

However, Kwak Jungwook wasn’t listening.

“This is one of the most important functions of Nuri Finances’ new system. ‘Product recommendation by Nuri Finances based on big data analysis.’ Everyone, including the executives, has high expectations of it.”

Woosung frowned at Kwak Jungwook.

“The final decision is Nuri Finances’, but please remember what I am saying. This will cause you to lose new customers and receive a lot of complaints.”

Kwak Jungwook looked troubled as Woosung said firmly.

“But…wouldn’t we be able to sell more products? It will be based on big data.”

“No.”

“Hmm…Daeyang has worked very hard on this project so I don’t understand why you are against it…This is really important…I have to tell the president…”

Woosung closed his eyes and sighed. The room became tense in the blink of an eye.

Big data.

Big data.

Big data.

He couldn’t stand how they worshiped the idea of big data. Woosung explained in an impatient and annoyed tone.

“I asked them what they thought big data was.”

“…”

“They answered it was the amount of data and that they collected unstructured data. Large quantity. The amount of data Nuri Finances get is about a million per day. In a month, that would be 30 million. Is this a lot?”

Woosung calmed down and continued.

“If this is considered large, then why are we suddenly calling it big data? Because we’ve always gathered this amount. The amount of data hasn’t increased recently.”

Kwak Jungwook couldn’t answer Woosung’s question. He was sweating.

“As for the unstructured data collection, that’s ridiculous. Nuri Finances is currently using the Oracle database. There is no place where you can collect unstructured data.”

Yoon Gihwan and Kwak Jungwook couldn’t say a word. They could only listen to Woosung.

“We don’t have more data than before, and we are NOT collecting unstructured data. Then why are they suddenly calling it ‘Big data?'”

Kwak Jungwook hesitated.

“W…well it’s because…”

Woosung continued without waiting.

“The developers over there are trying to fool everyone by using a big, unfamiliar word. I don’t care what word they use, but lying about the quality of their work is just wrong. Do you really think collection and analysis of data are happening correctly as they claim? Because if they did, they wouldn’t have suggested placing a banner. Do you know why?”

Kwak Jungwook shook his head.

“If you want to know, then arrange a seminar for me to speak. Daeyang will have to fund it, and please tell them I am someone who has been invited by Microsoft. They will have to pay me.”

Without waiting for an answer, Woosung left the room. Kwak Jungwook asked Yoon Gihwan quietly.

“Do you know the answer?”

Yoon Gihwan scratched his head and answered.

“Um… no.”

Yoon Gihwan followed Woosung.

“Hey, newbie.”

“I need to get back to work right away if I want to leave on time.”

Woosung answered coldly.

“I…I know but you could have told me what you were going to say in there.”

“Think. 30 million data.”

Woosung then returned to his seat. Yoon Gihwan also sat down and murmured.

“30 million data… 30 million…”

Park Junwoo turned around and asked.

“Are you ok?”

“So the company deals with stock trading and…”

“G…General manager?”

Yoon Gihwan wasn’t paying attention to Park Junwoo. He continued to mumble. After a few seconds, Yoon Gihwan snapped his fingers.

“Oh! Most of the data would be stock trading data.”

Majority of the data would be related to transactions of stocks, not product purchases. This meant the data they claim couldn’t be used to predict the type of products customers needed.

“But…wouldn’t Daeyang already know this?”

Yoon Gihwan now could understand what Woosung was trying to say, but he was still worried. Woosung didn’t seem concerned, however, as he focused on his work.

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Chapter 31: <Big data>

The next day.

Kwak Jungwook called for an immediate meeting.

“As you know, the headquarters is highly invested in this big data project.”

Kwak Jungwook continued calmly.

“Daesan had two opinions regarding this project. First is that it will negatively affect the UX. Second, we need to verify the data analysis results.”

Kwon Taegyun frowned. He heard about the first part yesterday but was unaware of the second objection.

“I have heard the first one, but you’ll have to explain further about the second part.”

Kwon Taegyun looked at Yoon Gihwan, who, in turn, directed his gaze to Woosung. Despite everyone’s attention, Woosung was deep in his own thoughts.

‘We meet again.’

Cha Yeoreum was sitting at the table too. Theis meetif og theirs surprised her but it also pleased her at the same time to see Woosung again. Yoon Gihwan poked Woosung.

“Hey, newbie.”

Woosung finally paid attention to the room. Kwon Taegyun was glaring at him with obvious hate.

“There is a saying, ‘Empty vessels make the most noise.'”

Woosung looked at Kwon Taegyun and continued.

“Have you heard it before?”

Kwon Taegyun slapped the table and stood up angrily.

“What the hell are you trying to say?”

Kwak Jungwook stood and tried to stop Kwon Taegyun. He waved at Woosung.

“W…Woosung. You need to watch your language.”

“No, I don’t. The amount of money your company received for this project is about 10 million dollars.”

Woosung continued slowly.

“So I looked into where that money was spent. The word ‘big data’ was all over the invoices. ‘New customers attraction using the big data analysis.’ ‘Increasing the ease of system use with the big data analysis.’ ‘Increased accuracy in predicting future system errors using the big data analysis.’ And so on.”

When Woosung tried to continue, someone from Daeyang interrupted him.

“I am Manager Oh Juhoon from Daeyang System. I find your accusations very insulting. Everything we put on the report is true. I don’t understand which part you think is fake.”

Kwon Taegyun added smugly.

“By the way, Oh Juhoon has a PhD in statistics.”

Yoon Gihwan answered.

“All of them.” He then smiled at Woosung.

“Are you kidding me?”

Oh Juhoon scowled and answered loudly.

Woosung shook his head and turned on the presentation screen. An excel file opened.

“This is a table I made of the Nuri Finances’ data analysis.”

-Period: February 21 ~ March 21

-Data on stock trading: 32,222,114

-Number of inquiries to call center: 1,234,523

-Number of visits to the homepage: 1,098,245

…

Woosung asked as he pointed at the screen.

“As you can see, majority of the data is from stock trading transactions. You weren’t planning to use this to make product recommendations, right?”

Everyone looked at Oh Juhoon. He adjusted his glasses and answered.

“Hmm…Of course not. That kind of data would be useless when making product recommendations.”

Yoon Gihwan frowned. He was right, Daeyang didn’t make such an obvious mistake.

“Then this means you used the data on product inquiries for call center and homepage…”

Oh Juhoon swallowed and glanced at Kwon Taegyun.

“T…that’s right. We used three years worth of data, so that would be about 30 million.”

“And you call that big data? That would be less than 100 gigs.”

Oh Juhoon remained silent. Kwon Taegyun sat down quietly and tried to help.

“You are too focused on the word ‘big data.’ You need to consider the quality of our work instead.”

“Quality? Haha, then let’s talk about that.”

Woosung’s mocking tone angered Kwon Taegyun. Kim Jaejin intervened.

“Hey. Don’t you think you are being a little rude?”

Woosung gave a quick response.

“No, not at all.”

Kim Jaejin stuttered.

“W…what did you say?”

“I said no.” Woosung continued. “If you want to talk about manners, how about you making us wait 15 minutes for a meeting?”

Kwon Taegyun tried to answer but Woosung was quicker.

“We keep getting off topic. Let’s get back to the presentation.”

Woosung clicked to change the screen to PPT.

“Data quality is just as important as the amount of data. An analyst should be ashamed to knowingly using the wrong data, just like in this case.”

Oh Juhoon reddened.

Kwon Taegyun.

Kim Jaejin.

They all became silent.

Except for Cha Yeoreum, all members from Daeyang System reddened. Woosung continued.

“Then let’s get back to the business. You mentioned quality. The focus of data analysis should be quality of work and the appropriateness of the data.”

The room was dead silent except for Woosung.

“The first thing is to set a goal. Then you should work towards the goal, rather than working on unrelated data and call whatever the result to be the ‘goal.'”

Woosung continued.

“But in this case, was there ever a clear objective?”

No one could answer.

***

Silence.

Cha Yeoreum looked around the room and turned to Woosung.

‘What is happening here?’

This was not the Woosung she knew.

She has known him for a long time. During university, Woosung barely passed to graduate, but the Woosung in this room was a completely different person. She looked at him with curiosity.

‘Tell me, what happened?’

Woosung shrugged.

‘We haven’t seen each other in a while.’

It has only been a year. She continued to look at him, but Woosung looked away.

Woosung finally broke the silence.

“We need figure out what we can do with all the data we have.”

The atmosphere in the room was changing. It now felt like a classroom, and Woosung is the teacher.

“The data on stock trading and on the online transactions. We need to combine the two.”

With 10 years of experience, Woosung was now the expert.

“We use HTS now, but in the future, more convenient tools will become available.”

In the future, MTS (Mobile Trading System) will become the main system. Whichever company monopolizes it will become the top of the food chain.

“We need to become prepared for that time. We need to analyze the available data to determine users’ HTS use patterns and improve on it. We need to be ready for the future.”

Kwak Jungwook looked at Woosung admiringly, but Yoon Gihwan looked at him oddly.

‘Look at this guy.’

Woosung was not providing any specifics of his plan.

Yoon Gihwan didn’t know much about mobile transaction systems, but he knew if Woosung’s idea was to take place, he needed to have detailed plans. Woosung wasn’t providing them. Kwon Taegyun opened his mouth.

“So…what do you propose?”

“Seminar.”

“What?”

“I will provide you all the information during a seminar. For Daeyang…”

Daeyang System.

It belonged to Daeyang Group where Choi Gichul’s father was the CEO.

Every time Woosung saw the word Daeyang, he felt an incredible anger. This was why he felt no respect to anyone who worked there. After a few seconds of thinking, Woosung continued.

“I will only charge 20,000 dollars.”

Kwon Taegyun asked again.

“What?”

“I will provide all the needed details during this seminar.”

Kwak Jungwook was already sold on the idea. He looked at Kwon Taegyun and Oh Juhoon.

“What do you think?”

“I think…”

Oh Juhoon looked at Woosung. Woosung wasn’t just fancy words, but they have not yet tested his skills Oh Juhoon stood and started to write an equation on the whiteboard.

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Chapter 32: <Big data>

r=Ʃ(Xi -X)(Yi-Y)/√Ʃ(Xi-X)2/(n-1)*/√Ʃ(Yi-Y)2/(n-1).

“What is wrong with this equation?”

Woosung stood up and approached the whiteboard. As he added to the equation, he explained.

“It is an equation to find the correlation coefficient, but you used a slightly different version.”

r=Ʃ(Xi -X)(Yi-Y)/(n-1)/√Ʃ(Xi-X)2/(n-1)*/√Ʃ(Yi-Y)2/(n-1).

Woosung wrote without hesitation. Oh Juhoon gave out an unhappy nod as a response.

“You’re right. I guess you’re…good at stats too.”

“It’s the foundation of data analysis. I try to keep up with it.”

Woosung’s knowledge was impressive. Cha Yeoreum couldn’t hide her surprise.

‘Oh Juhoon has a PhD in Statistics…’

An expert in the field asked a question, and Woosung answered it without a second thought. She couldn’t understand the equation, but she knew it was not an easy question. Kwak Jungwook felt the same.

“Wow, is there anything you can’t do, Woosung?”

Yoon Gihwan laughed and answered.

“Hahaha. Our newbie can do anything.”

“I believe that.”

The mood lightened in the room. Woosung grinned and answered.

“I honestly don’t know if there is anything I can’t do.”

Kwak Jungwook asked with widened eyes.

“What?”

“Haha. I’m just kidding. It’s a joke.”

Woosung looked at Kwon Taegyun and asked.

“So what do you think? If you agree to a seminar, I will give you every detail you need.”

Kwon Taegyun looked at Oh Juhoon again. He was the actual brain behind this project so his opinion mattered.

Nod.

Oh Juhoon nodded. It was necessary. Kwon Taegyun closed his eyes tightly and scratched his forehead. When he remained silent, Kwak Jungwook spoke out.

“PM Kwon, I don’t think it’s a bad idea. Why don’t we just go ahead with it?”

At Kwak Jungwook’s urging, Kwon Taegyun had no choice but to agree.

“Fine.”

A tense atmosphere filled the room once again. Woosung had nothing more to say, so he stood up and left, followed by Yoon Gihwan and Kwak Jungwook. Everyone from Daeyang System, however, remained silent in the room.

***

After the meeting, Kwak Jungwook went back to the headquarters. The general manager was very interested in this project, so letting him know of every major event was critical.

When he entered the room, Kwak Jungwook informed Jo Youngsuk.

“Sir, Woosung Kang was right. He explained every point logically and Daeyang couldn’t deny anything.”

“So he was right…”

Kwak Jungwook remembered Woosung’s words.

“He accused them of not even having a clear project goal.”

“And Daeyang accepted it?”

Jo Youngsuk couldn’t believe it.

“Do you remember Oh Juhoon who wrote the proposal report?”

Jo Youngsuk nodded.

Oh Juhoon.

He received his PhD in statistics from the University of Seoul. He gave an expert and impressive presentation of his project.

“Even Oh Juhoon agreed with Woosung. He approved Woosung’s seminar.”

“So a newbie who graduated from Songwon University convinced an expert with a PhD from University of Seoul?”

“Woosung was impressive. I am beginning to wonder if there is anything he can’t do.”

“I want him. I need someone like him beside me…”

“Would you like me to offer him a job on your behalf?”

Jo Youngsuk shook his head.

“No. I need to do it myself in person. Please arrange a meeting with him.”

“Ok.”

Kwak Jungwook nodded and left the room. Jo Youngsuk’s eyes sparkled expectantly.

***

Yoon Gihwan, now more curious than ever, looked at Woosung.

“When did you have the time to study statistics?”

“I thought I told you before. I am studying both mathematics and statistics.”

“But you didn’t tell me you’re good at it.”

“Well, fair enough. I’m telling you now. I’m awesome at it.”

“…what?”

Yoon Gihwan laughed.

“I am studying college mathematics and linear algebra again as well. I didn’t realize how good I am at them.”

These were subjects he used to hate when he was still at school. At best, he could get a B grade at the time, but now, things were different. Death has given him a better brain and stronger determination.

Yoon Gihwan smiled and answered.

“Alright, you’re great. I admit it.”

Woosung smiled as well.

“Haha, I’m kidding.”

Yoon Gihwan patted Woosung’s shoulder and asked.

“By the way, it’s Friday today. Do you have any plans after work? Let’s go for a drink.”

“Please don’t use me because you’re lonely.”

Yoon Gihwan grunted.

“Huh. What are you talking about?”

“Haha. Drink with Manager Park. I need to finish up preparing for the Microsoft seminar tomorrow.”

“Is that already tomorrow?”

“I know. Time flies.”

Woosung looked out the window. Winter was almost over and spring was around the corner.

***

Gangnam was now the center of Seoul.

The Microsoft developer conference was taking place at Daeyang hotel placed at the center of Gangnam.

Saturday.

The road was busy, but he still took the car he received from Jang Gwangchul.

“Here we go.”

The ride was smooth and quiet. He could feel the eyes of the other drivers on the road glued at him and his ride.

It was 2008. Luxury foreign cars weren’t a common spectacle seen in South Korea yet.

“I love Benz.”

It was indeed an amazing car.

“I should thank him for this present.”

Jang Gwangchul.

He felt appreciative and he knew this was what Jang Gwangchul wanted him to feel.

“You will reach your destination in 100m. Please drive safe.”

“You will reach your destination in 100m. Please drive safe.”

“You will reach your destination in 100m. Please drive safe.”

The built-in navigation informed Woosung.

***

Yoon Chanjong arrived at the Microsoft conference with his colleague Park Jonghyun. Many luxury cars arrived, one could notice the envy in the way Park Jonghyun gazes at them.

“Hey, when will the others arrive?”

“In 10 minutes. Yeoreum will be here too so make sure you watch what you say.”

“Hey, I’m not that stupid. By the way, do you know any girl around? Come on, you can introduce me.”

“Phew, no. You don’t even have a job.”

“I keep telling you, it’s by choice. I’ll get one very soon.”

“Jonghyun, I’m telling you as a friend…”

Park Jonghyun’s ears were closed as something distracted his attention. He turned around and pointed at a car.

“Hey, look. It’s a Benz S-Class 350L. I heard it’s worth over 100,000 dollars. It’s the price of an apartment.”

Yoon Chanjong turned around as well. His current annual salary was less than 30,000 dollars. Even if he saved everything, it would take him years to afford a car like that.

“I can’t believe how expensive it is.”

“It’s not just the price of the car. Maintenance costs a fortune too. Insurance, taxes, and gas…”

Yoon Chanjong licked his lips. He thought he made it by getting a job, but it was only the beginning.

Park Jonghyun continued.

“I would love to be rich. Drive fancy cars and date gorgeous women would be my dream.”

As they chatted, a car stopped nearby, and the driver stepped out.

“Huh?”

“W…Woosung?”

“It’s him, and that’s the car he got as a present at the graduation ceremony!”

Woosung didn’t see them. He handed the key to the valet and walked into the hotel. It was very crowded due to the conference. Park Jonghyun ran to catch up to Woosung.

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Chapter 33: <Developer Conference>

“Hey, Woosung. Hey!”

Woosung was about to pass through the main entrance when he heard someone calling.

“Oh, hi. What are you guys doing here?”

“Obviously we’re here to attend the seminar. You too?”

“Not exactly.”

“That car…You’re driving it now?” Park Jonghyun asked enviously.

Woosung nodded.

“Awesome! It was from…Jang Gwangchul, right?”

Woosung nodded again and waved at Yoon Chanjong.

“Oh, you’re here too?”

“Nice to see you again. I think this seminar will be really helpful for us.”

Woosung didn’t answer, but he asked expectantly instead. “So which seminars are you guys going to attend?”

“I’m gonna hear whatever Chanjong wants.” Park Jonghyun answered first.

Yoon Chanjong answered as well. “A co-worker told me about the GUI Test Tool. So that would be my first one.”

Woosung smiled secretly. “Really?”

Just then, Woosung noticed other old classmates arriving, including Cha Yeoreum. “Woosung, you’re…here too.”

“Haha, we meet again.” Suddenly, Woosung’s phone rang. “Yes, I’m here. Alright, I’ll be there.”

After the call, Woosung started to walk faster while the others followed. Park Jonghyun murmured unhappily.

“What’s the hurry?”

Yoon Chanjong tried to calm Park Jonghyun. “We need to get going anyway too.”

Everyone entered the hotel and Woosung disappeared into the crowd.

***

Woosung arrived at the room prepared for the speakers. He looked around and saw a familiar face.

‘Hong Soobum?’

He was the founder of a popular chat app Coconut. By 2018, over 40 million users would be using it in Korea. Hong Soobum represented what everyone in the IT field wanted to become.

‘That’s right. He is supposed to do a presentation on the future of mobile apps.’

Hong Soobum was wiping his hands with a wet towel. In 10 years, he would become the face of the Korean IT industry. Woosung’s heart beat fast. He approached him and extended out his hand to him.

“Hello, sir.”

Hong Soobum looked up in surprise.

“M…me?”

“Yes, sir. I am a big fan of yours and it is an honor to meet you here.”

“Oh…I think you must be mistaken. I’m not a famous person.”

“Haha, not now, but you will be. It’s going to happen.”

“Oh…ok…”

“You just keep doing what you’re doing.”

“Oh… ok…?”

Hong Soobum didn’t know how to respond. He looked at Woosung with eyes filled with suspicions. Woosung thought for a second.

‘If I develop Coconut, will it become just as popular?’

It wasn’t hard to create the app, but the success of a product didn’t depend just on developing it. The success it got needed something more.

‘It would be safer to just invest in the project rather than making it myself.’

As they shook their hands, Hong Soobum asked Woosung.

“Umm…could you let my hand go now?”

Woosung let him go and apologized.

“Haha, sorry. I’m your biggest fan. Could I get your business card?”

Hong Soobum took out a card in silence.

-Nexter Client Development Team 1.

-Team leader Hong Soobum.

The past was as Woosung remembered. In the future, Coconut would be created by several developers from the biggest portal site Nexter. They were the true geniuses, unlike Woosung who was cheating.

Woosung had great respect for such people.

“Thank you. I’d love to speak with you again.”

Woosung left to find an empty seat while Hong Soobum wiped his hands again with another towel.

Woosung continued to look around to see if he could find anyone he recognized. He felt disappointed to find none when a representative from Microsoft approached him.

“You made it.”

Lee Seungwon.

They had met before to discuss the conference.

“Yes. Haha. I hope I can be of help today.”

“As I said before, you have nothing to worry about. US headquarter loved your plugin. They would love to have you at this summer’s MVP Global Summit as well.”

MVP Global Summit.

It was a meeting of the recognized developers from all over the world.

“I will try to make it.”

“If you ever are looking for a job, please let me know. You are welcome here.”

Woosung smiled. Daesan was going to be the last time he would work for someone. He planned to quit after completing his project on development process consulting. Lee Seungwon confirmed the schedule with Woosung.

“Your seminar is right before lunch. After you’re finished, please have a complimentary lunch at the hotel and then you’re free to go. Good luck.”

Lee Seungwon left, and Woosung turned on his laptop to go over his presentation.

***

Yoon Chanjong asked Cha Yeoreum.

“When we are done here, we are going to the seminar on GTT. How about you?”

Cha Yeoreum frowned.

He must’ve been referring to ‘GUI Test Tool and Agile method.’ Her classmates didn’t seem to know, but Cha Yeoreum remembered the name of the speaker for this seminar.

Woosung Kang.

She suspected that it was the same Woosung they all knew.

“I…”

She asked her co-worker Yang Jungsuk.

“I think ‘Visual studio A-Z’ would be better. It’s something we’re going to work with a lot.”

Cha Yeoreum couldn’t decide. She wanted to see if it really was Woosung. Yang Jungsuk stared at Cha Yeoreum.

‘I’m pretty sure she likes me. If she wanted to spend time with me, she should’ve just said so rather than ask me to go to a seminar together.’

Yang Jungsuk grinned in secrecy. Park Jonghyun saw this and flinched. He could feel that this guy was dangerous.

“I think I will attend the agile method seminar after all.”

When Cha Yeoreum made the decision, all the male co-workers agreed. Other women frowned at them, but they didn’t care. Park Jonghyun stated.

“Well, I guess that’s it. Let’s go.”

Park Jonghyun was the first to notice Woosung.

“Hey, why is he standing over there?”

Yoon Chanjong looked at the stage and asked. “Who?”

“Can’t you see him? That’s Woosung.”

Park Jonghyun pointed at the person standing on the stage checking the laptop and the microphone. Yoon Chanjong murmured.

“It really is him. What is he going there?”

“Maybe he’s temping…Well, he works at such a small company and makes no money so it’s no wonder he needs a second job.”

Cha Yeoreum looked ahead as well.

‘I was right.’

She was right. Woosung stood in front of the microphone and introduced himself.

“Hello. My name is Woosung Kang and I will be speaking to you about GUI Test Tool and agile method.”

Park Jonghyun and Yoon Chanjong gasped while Cha Yeoreum sighed.

***

Cha Yeoreum’s heart was pounding.

Did she still like him?

No.

Was it respect for his talent?

No.

Envious?

No.

She couldn’t figure out what she was feeling. Her cheeks reddened. Yang Jungsuk kept giving her sly glances.

‘I need to be alone with her ASAP. I should offer her to drive home today.’

Cha Yeoreum was not paying attention to him.

“Haha, I didn’t expect to see so many people. I will do my best to be informative. Next please.”

Next slide.

Woosung felt powerful. A man looked the best when he was focused on his work. Woosung was the expert here. Park Jonghyun stuttered in shock.

“T…that’s really Woosung. So he didn’t come here to listen.”

“He came here to present?” Yoon Chanjong added.

Park Jonghyun asked Cha Yeoreum. “This is crazy. I didn’t realize Woosung was this good. No wonder you used to date him. Did you know about this?”

Cha Yeoreum couldn’t answer.

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Chapter 34: <Developer Conference>

She felt confused. When she saw him a few times recently, she didn’t think much of it.

He was only a salaryman at a small company.

That was how she saw him at first. However, that was because Cha Yeoreum was unaware of all the facts.

He fixed major server problems.

He also now worked as a consultant.

At the time, she had no idea how much Woosung had accomplished. Now she knew.

Presenter.

Speaker.

He was a big deal. Cha Yeoreum shook her head. Yang Jungsuk thought.

‘So they used to date?’ It was obvious. They used to date. He had a competition. ‘Is she just playing me?’

Yang Jungsuk’s imagination ran wild as Woosung continued.

“GTT is a plugin for Visual Studio. The program is designed as a screen test tool. It’s currently being used by Nuri Finances’ HTS project and has shown to be effective. It’s easy to use. The code is available for free at Github and Source Forge.”

Woosung continued comfortably. Park Jonghyun, Yoon Chanjong, and Cha Yeoreum still couldn’t believe it. They all stared at Woosung in silence.

“If you want to become a contributor, please provide additional codes at Github. Microsoft is also interested in this project, so it would be beneficial for all of you to take interest as well. Now, let’s get to the practical side and some examples. Next please.”

The screen changed to the next slide. Woosung looked like he was in control of the entire conference.

“10:5. Before we applied the agile method, it used to take 10 days to develop a new function. now, it only takes 5 days.”

Cha Yeoreum’s heart continued to pound hard. She looked around to see if anyone noticed her state, thankfully no one was paying attention to her. She looked again at Woosung as she bit her nails.

“If you aren’t sure about this plugin, just try it.”

Woosung continued. Cha Yeoreum gripped her hands tight.

***

After lunch, Woosung left the hotel for a walk. He planned to stay to listen to Hong Soobum’s presentation on “The future of the mobile world.”

Since his presentation, his phone was ringing nonstop.

“They must’ve been really shocked.”

Park Jonghyun and Yoon Chanjong kept calling him, but he didn’t answer. Then, a text message arrived.

“Where are you?”

Three words.

It was from Cha Yeoreum.

“Cha Yeoreum…why?”

They haven’t contacted each other since they broke up.

“Maybe she saw my presentation?”

His phone rang again. He sat on a bench and, alas, he answered. Park Jonghyun asked to meet him and they all ended up at the hotel lobby. Park Jonghyun along with Cha Yeroeum, Yoon Chanjong, and Yang Jungsuk asked.

“This is crazy. You were awesome. Did you ask Microsoft to participate? Come on! Tell me. How did this happen?”

Woosung took a sip of his coffee and answered. “I developed a program needed at work. When I uploaded it, I got an email from Microsoft. They asked me to speak at the conference.”

Park Jonghyun couldn’t believe it. “You developed this?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“That’s impossible. Don’t you remember what you told me when we were still at school? You said you hated developing programs.”

Woosung remembered the conversation. It was true, but he needed to earn a living, and he ended up becoming a developer.

“That’s right. I remember.” He said with a laugh.

“Now you made a program and Microsoft calls you? How could I believe that?”

“I guess it sounds impossible.”

“Hey!” Park Jonghyun yelled at Woosung’s mocking tone.

They have known each other for many years. Woosung continued to laugh.

“So you’re saying you studied really hard after you landed on your job, and your skills improved this fast?” Yoon Chanjong asked this time.

He was asking seriously. Woosung tried to give an earnest answer. He knew this day would come when he needed to have a logical explanation.

“Something like that. Before graduation, I realized how lacking I was. I could see other classmates getting jobs, but not me. Since then, I studied nonstop. All day, every day.”

“You are lying. I remember drinking with you all the time around that time.” Park Jonghyun glared at him.

Woosung didn’t realize he would ask this. He was now sweating.

“Oh…well, I studied when we weren’t drinking.”

“Was there ever a day when we didn’t go out for a drink? We went out every single day.”

Woosung laughed awkwardly.

“R…really? Haha. Hahaha…”

He wanted to get out of this situation as fast as possible. Cha Yeoreum just stared at him with her lips shut. Thankfully, someone came up to Woosung.

“Oh! Wow! This is a pleasant surprise. I was just about to call you.”

“Oh…hello, sir.”

Jang Gwanchul greeted him. “Sir? Come on! Call me brother.”

He was covered in gold. Gold necklace and rings…His hair was spiked. He looked like a typical gang member.

“Alright, big brother. What are you doing here?”

Checking the time on his Rolex, Jang Gwangchul grabbed Woosung.

“Hahaha, I’m here for the seminar. It’s time to go now. Come with me. I have someone I want you to meet.”

Woosung checked his watch too. It was time for ‘The future of the mobile world’.

“Um…I need to go to a seminar.”

“Are you talking about ‘The future of the mobile world?'”

“How…”

“Right? I knew it. Let’s go. I will explain on the way.”

He wanted to leave his friends anyway, so Woosung followed. However, everyone else also stood up.

“Great. We were going to attend that same seminar anyway.”

“Oh! Are these your friends?”

Woosung nodded and Jang Gwangchul laughed.

“Hahaha. That would make you my friends too then. Let’s all go together.”

“The next seminar will start in 10 minutes.”

“The next seminar will start in 10 minutes.”

The loud announcement hurried them.

***

Hong Soobum’s presentation was genius. He talked as if he could see the future. Everything he predicted all came true. Woosung knew this and couldn’t hide his shock.

“In the future, you’ll be able to do everything in your hand. Mobile! We’ll be able to connect to the internet, monitor our health, and control the entire house in our hands.”

He was right.

“iPhone. It isn’t a popular thing yet, but Apple made a statement when it released it. They promised to change how people saw and used phones. iPhone will become a portable computer for everyone. PDA? That’s garbage.”

It was incredible. Woosung didn’t want to miss a thing. Jang Gwangchul asked.

“What do you think?”

“It’s amazing.”

“Haha, you think so too?”

The idea clearly took Jang Gwangchul’s interest, which meant one thing: It was going to generate a lot of money.

“Are you thinking about investing?”

“No, I’m already an investor of it.”

“Oh!”

“He told me he wanted to make something, so I told him I will give him the money to do whatever he wanted to do.”

“Just like you did for me.”

Jang Gwangchul smiled. “Exactly. I told him to consider me his older brother.”

“You must have a lot of little brothers.”

“Hahaha. You need to diversify your portfolio.”

Woosung looked at Hong Soobum again. He was most likely working on Coconut now. He wasn’t aware Jang Gwangchul was an investor.

“We have already entered the mobile world. The only thing left to decide is whether to become part of it or become left behind. You need to choose now.”

That was the end of the presentation.

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Chapter 35: <Developer Conference>

“Let’s have a drink with Soobum.” Jang Gwangchul said to Woosung.

A conversation with Hong Soobum. He couldn’t miss it, but…He looked at his friends who were expecting more answers from him.

“I need to go somewhere…How about you guys?”

Yoon Chanjong hesitated.

“Didn’t you say you were going to buy us lunch?” Park Jonghyun answered instead.

Woosung grinned. “I didn’t mean you.”

This did not discouraged Park Jonghyun. “Whatever. We’re all friends here. If you’re going to buy Chanjong lunch, then I should come along too.”

“Haha, you haven’t changed.”

“Obviously. So what about that lunch? Oh! You said Yeoreum can join too, right?”

Park Jonghyun looked at Cha Yeoreum, who nodded in agreement. Then suddenly, Yang Jungsuk offered.

“Haha, I think he must be busy. How about I buy you guys lunch instead?”

Woosung smiled and murmured. “This guy is making things awkward.”

“Hmm?”

Woosung answered. “I can’t today but call me anytime and we’ll meet up soon.”

Woosung then left with Jang Gwangchul. Yoon Chanjong and Cha Yeoreum looked at him wistfully while Yang Jungsuk glared at him.

‘Who the hell does he think he is?’

***

A warm spring day.

It was only 5PM, but Jang Gwanchul took them to a bar and ordered drinks. Hong Soobum, Woosung, and Jang Gwangchul drank together.

“Hahaha! Cheers!” Jang Gwangchul snickered. “So you guys have already met each other. It’s all meant to be. Oh, and Woosung, you could’ve told me you were going to speak today. I would’ve come to watch.”

“I figured you must be busy.”

“Not for you guys, so don’t ever hesitate to call me.”

Woosung bit into a piece of apple and asked. “And how many people have you charmed like this?”

“Hahaha! Don’t be jealous! It’s not me who charms, I’m the one who gets charmed.”

Woosung ate the rest of the apple and replied. “Whatever you say.”

“You don’t believe me? Come on, Soobum. Defend me.”

Hong Soobum wiped his fork and cup several times and answered. “He’s right. Most people ask to meet Jang Gwangchul.”

“See?”

“Fine, fine.”

“Now how should I address you? Team leader?” Woosung turned to Hong Soobum and asked with an aura of seriousness.

“That would be fine.”

Woosung continued. “I would like to learn about what you’re working on.”

Hong Soobum looked at Jang Gwangchul for an approval. When Jang Gwangchul nodded, he answered carefully.

“The keyword in this mobile era is ‘Connection.'”

As soon as he heard the word, Woosung remembered how Coconut worked. He murmured.

“Connecting people. You mean online chat.”

Hong Soobum paused. Jang Gwangchul looked at him knowingly. Hong Soobum continued.

“Current text messaging system isn’t great. It takes too long and limited UX (user experience) makes it feel like you’re getting a notice rather than conversing. I would like to change that.”

Woosung nodded. Everything the man said was true. His heart pounded. He wanted to be part of this project.

“Just like you said at your presentation, you want to make something like iPhone.”

“Not necessarily…I just want to create a smoother and faster service.”

“And if you want that, you’ll have to minimize the amount of necessary data.”

“Yes. I need to find something faster than HTTP or socket. A method specialized for mobile phones.”

Woosung had to refrain himself from spilling the beans. By 2018, there was such a technology. He was dying to tell him, but Woosung asked instead.

“So how far are you thinking to go? Just chat app?”

“I want to connect everything. Not just person to person, but to stores, products, and so on.”

“Hahaha. Soobum thinks big. I love it.” The now excited Jang Gwangchul added.

“iPhone hasn’t even been released in Korea yet. Many people are still unfamiliar with the concept of mobile phones. Don’t you think you are way too ahead?”

“It would be too late if I develop it after it becomes popular.”

He was right. Jang Gwangchul emptied his cup again and asked Hong Soobum.

“So the problem is that socket and HTTP are too heavy, too slow, and use up too much data.”

“That’s right.”

Jang Gwangchul turned to Woosung with excitement.

“What do you think? You think you can fix this problem?”

Woosung nodded, which made Hong Soobum flinch. Woosung’s eyes sparked as he added.

“But I would like to get a slice of this company.”

“Hahaha, you’re so fierce.”

Hong Soobum filled his cup and replied.

“If you can really fix this problem, then I will give you some shares. We’ll have to discuss on how much though.”

Woosung answered posthaste.

“MQTT. You can use the ultra light Pub/Sup format message protocol.”

Hong Soobum frowned. “MQTT? I’ve never heard of it.”

It was because MQTT was not available in the mainstream market yet.

“Really? Haha. Well I know of it, and you need it. Now, let’s talk about my shares.”

Jang Gwangchul laughed again, but Hong Soobum remained stiff.

***

MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport).

It was first suggested by IBM in 1999. Later, Facebook used it for its messaging app. The two advantages of MQTT were its minimal battery and data usage and mobile phones needed these advantages badly. It was a perfect solution.

However, in 2008, it wasn’t yet a popular technology, so it was not a surprise Hong Soobum didn’t know about it yet. Woosung explained the system to him, who understood the concept right away. Even Jang Gwangchul nodded as if he understood as well, which was a surprise to Woosung.

“Do you understand all of this?” Woosung asked Jang Gwangchul.

“Of course. I never invest in things I don’t understand.”

“Oh?”

“I may be a daytime trader, but after the market closes, I study. That’s why Soobum accepted my investment.”

Hong Soobum nodded. “You’re not quite there yet.”

“Well, I’m not the developer, so I think I know enough.”

Jang Gwangchul.

He surprised Woosung, and it was a pleasant surprise. Woosung felt like he could trust him a bit more now.

“So what do you think about my solution?”

“If you can achieve what you just described, it would be perfect for my project.”

Woosung knew the final decision was Jang Gwangchul’s.

He turned to him and asked. “So my share would be?”

Jang Gwangchul looked at Hong Soobum for his opinion.

“If what Woosung said is true, then it will be crucial for our project. If he is not successful, then we will have to continue to look elsewhere or release an imperfect product.”

“Did you hear him? He said crucial.”

Woosung quipped.

“Hahaha! Fine, 10%…no I will give you 15%, but you need to come up with perfection, not some shabby product.”

15% of Coconut stocks.

In 2018, Coconut was worth 10 billion dollars. 15% would be 1.5 billion dollars.

“Haha, of course. Now as a shareholder, could I give you a suggestion?”

Woosung raised his glass.

“Let’s name it Coconut. The chat app could be called Coconut Talk!”

Hong Soobum agreed. “That’s a great idea.”

Jang Gwangchul had no objections either. Woosung felt excited to be the one naming this incredible product. However, Jang Gwangchul gave Woosung a stern warning.

“But everything depends if you can deliver, Woosung. Remember that.”

“Haha, of course. I understand.”

Woosung’s eyes glinted.

‘Wait for me, Choi Gichul.’

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Chapter 36: <Developer Conference>

Sunday Morning.

Woosung woke up with a groan.

“…I drank too much last night.”

He reached for the cup of warm honey water his mother left on the nightstand. Sitting up, he drank the whole thing. He could feel immediate relief right away.

“Phew, it’s good to be young.”

26 years old.

Simple honey water could cure his hangover. Woosung thought about what had happened last night.

1.5 billion dollars.

He couldn’t stop smiling. The only thing that worried him now was the amount of work he had to complete.

“Algorithm trading system and MQTT…So much to do.”

However, all of these hard work would all be worth it. He showered and sat down in front of his computer. He couldn’t waste a single day. He wanted to become the best developer in the world. He put his hands on the keyboard.

“Let’s get going.”

Woosung started his research.

“MQTT”

“MQTT release”

“MQTT source code”

He tried searching as much about it as possible, but there wasn’t much information available. MQTT was openly available in 2010 and became known worldwide in 2011 only after Facebook applied it to its massaging app.

“Hmm…so I need to start from scratch.”

Any developer could do it, especially someone like him with 10 years of IT knowledge and experience.

‘But how could I make it fast and perfect?’

Woosung thought carefully.

He couldn’t spend all his time on this one project. He had to finish the algorithm trading system by September. If he could find a reference code, things would go faster. Suddenly, Woosung remembered something.

“Apache ActiveMQ?”

Apache ActiveMQ.

Like MQTT, Apache ActiveMQ was also in publish-subscribe format. Pub/sub for short, it was a messaging pattern where all subscribers would immediately receive any communication published. A similar system was used for both Android and iPhone.

Not to mention, Apache ActiveMQ was available for free.

Woosung found the appropriate code on the internet and started creating the MQTT program.

Type.

Type.

Type.

The only sound in his room was his typing. Woosung told his parents not to disturb him until he came out of his room. He didn’t want to lose his concentration.

Buzz.

Buzz.

His cell phone vibrated but Woosung ignored it. After a few more hours, Woosung finally stretched his arms and stood up.

“Phew, I think I got a lot done…”

He checked his progress. It was only 3 pm and he completed about 30% of the work already. Things worked out faster than he expected. Apache ActiveMQ was a huge help, but most of all, Woosung’s fury and determination were great motivators.

“Ouch, my back…I need to get a gym membership and start working out.”

Woosung’s phone rang again. It was from Park Jonghyun. When he checked the call history, it looked like he missed 9 calls. It was from Park Jonghyun and Yoon Chanjong. Suddenly, it started to ring again.

“Yeoreum?”

***

Cha Yeoreum.

They were each other’s first love. They dated only for 6 months, but it was unforgettable. Woosung dated a few more women after her, but he never felt the same way with anyone else.

However, first love would never work out. It was time to let it go. They had good times, but they had painful times too. There was a reason why they broke up.

He let the phone ring till it stopped, but it immediately started to ring once more. It was from Park Jonghyun again. Woosung knew how persistent he could be.

As soon as he answered, Park Jonghyun yelled.

“Why didn’t you answer my call?” He continued quickly. “You said yesterday that you’ll buy us a meal at any time. So it’s going to be tonight.”

“Fine, fine.”

Woosung could hear Park Jonghyun talking to someone else nearby.

“He said ok.”

“Then ask him to come here.”

“Hurry up.”

“Ask him.”

“Do it!”

The group seemed to have come to an agreement. Park Jonghyun asked carefully.

“We are all together right now studying. Do you want to come where we are? You can give us some tips on how to study. Chanjong wants to know too. You owe him one, remember?”

“There is no way Chanjong would say I owe him. You’re making things up, aren’t you?”

“N…no way. Chanjong’s right here. Do you want to speak to him?”

“Don’t worry about it. Where are you?”

It was true Yoon Chanjong helped Woosung a lot in the past. Woosung turned off his computer and left the room.

His friends were somewhere near Gangnam station.

It was a Sunday afternoon and the streets were crowded. Woosung kept walking, trying to find where they are.

“I wish I had a smartphone now.”

Without GPS, it was not easy to find places. He kept looking around and tried to remember the directions Park Jonghyun gave.

“Around the corner of the supermarket, then to the end of the block…”

Finally, he found the place named Successful Studying’. In front of the main door was Yang Jungsuk smoking. Woosung didn’t know his name, so he ignored and walked past him, but Yang Jungsuk recognized Woosung and called him out.

“You.”

“Me?”

“Don’t even think about getting back together with Yeoreum.”

He was ridiculous. What’s wrong with this guy?

“What?”

Yang Jungsuk threw away his cigarette and replied. “Don’t make me say it again.”

Then he just walked upstairs to the study room like nothing happened. Woosung looked at him in disgust.

“What a psycho.”

Woosung followed quick and found seven people in the room. Some looked familiar. Woosung walked towards Cha Yeoreum on purpose.

“Haha, we meet again. I made a promise, so let’s go out for dinner. I remember Yeoreum likes steaks, so let’s go to a hotel in Itaewon. I went to a buffet there and it was good.”

Cha Yeoreum reddened.

“Oh…ok.”

Tap, tap.

Woosung tapped her arm in a cassual way. It seemed like a familiar gesture they would both often do, which made Yang Jungsuk furious. Woosung didn’t stop there though. He touched her ear.

“You have something on your ear.”

Both Yeoreum and Jungsuk reddened even more, but Woosung ignored them and greeted others around him. Then he turned to Yang Jungsuk and whispered to him.

“Don’t even think about asking Yeoreum out, you crazy bastard.”

Grab.

Yang Jungsuk couldn’t control his anger and grabbed Woosung.

“What did you just say?”

“Hey, what’s wrong with you?”

“Jungsuk!”

“What are you doing?”

Some people tried to stop him, but Park Jonghyun and Yoon Chanjong gave Yang Jungsuk a look of pity instead.

“I barely studied when I went to school, but there is one thing I was always good at…” Woosung said as he grabbed Yang Jungsuk’s hands. “It’s sports.”

“Ouch…!”

Yang Jungsuk moaned but Woosung didn’t stop. He pulled Yang Jungsuk’s hands away from him and squeezed.

“I trained so hard at the gym, people used to joke about how my brain must be made of pure muscles.”

Yang Jungsuk couldn’t hide his shock and embarrassment. He was sweating profusely. Woosung pushed Yang Jungsuk away, making him fall on the floor. He looked at him and murmured.

“You better watch it.”

Everyone could see Woosung meant it as a real threat. The room turned silent until Park Jonghyun tried lifting the mood.

“Woosung, don’t be like that. Let’s go.”

Yoon Chanjong added.

“Woosung…”

Woosung shrugged and replied.

“Ok, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to go for dinner tonight. Sorry.”

Woosung left the room, followed by Park Jonghyun, Yoon Chanjong, and Cha Yeoreum.

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Chapter 37: &lt;It’s over&gt;

“You need to control your temper.” Park Jonghyun said to Woosung.

“Patience is not always a virtue.”

“Whatever. Instead of buying us dinner, buy us drinks.”

“Drinks?”

“Chanjong, that’s ok, right? How about you, Yeoreum?” Both nodded. Park Jonghyun continued right away. “Then let’s go. How about soju and pork belly?”

No one really cared about the dinner. What they really wanted to know was how Woosung became a successful developer. Woosung wasn’t interested in spending time with his friends for today since he has a lot of things he had to finish, but he felt like he owed them.

“Pork belly? I can buy you steaks if you want.”

“Wow! I knew you’re rich!”

“Steaks are expensive. Pork belly is just fine. When you become even more successful, you can buy us steaks then.” Yoon Chanjong replied cautiously.

“Haha, I don’t mind buying you expensive dinner.”

His friends didn’t know about Woosung’s financial situation. They didn’t know how much he made last night.

“Well, let’s go.”

They ended up at a small pork belly eatery.

“Please get us five bottles of soju and two beers.”

Park Jonghyun ordered by the time they set foot on the store and asked Woosung.

“So your temper hasn’t changed, but your skills certainly have. You need to explain yourself.”

“Hmm…Where should I begin?”

“From the beginning.”

“Let’s drink first.”

Park Jonghyun filled everyone’s glasses. After a few sips of beer, Woosung started to explain. He described how hard he studied during the winter break. He learned fast, and he developed a plugin for Visual Studio for his work. He ended up making it available for free online, and Microsoft contacted him and asked him to speak at the conference. Woosung also briefly explained how he met Jang Gwangchul.

It was an unbelievable story, but the three had no choice but to believe it. Park Jonghyun finally asked.

“So you just did it? That’s it?”

“Haha, I guess that sums it up.”

“I can’t believe that you are actually a smart person.” Park Jonghyun murmured.

“Hahaha, at least smarter than you.”

“Hey, hey! My GPA was 3.5, while yours was 3.0.”

“But the joke’s on you. I have a job, and you don’t.”

“Dammit!”

Park Jonghyun finished his drink.

“Gosh, this tastes great!”

It was nice to chat with his friends. Woosung felt carefree for once after a long time. He couldn’t believe he almost forgot all about these amazing people. After having more drinks, Park Jonghyun asked.

“So the only thing left for you to do is to find a girlfriend. You have an awesome car, so there must be girls lining up to date you.”

Cha Yeoreum was right there, but Park Jonghyun asked anyway. Woosung glanced at her and answered.

“Not yet. I have so much to do right now.”

“Really? What could be more important than your love life at the age of 26?”

“Hahaha! You could never understand.”

As they bantered, Cha Yeoreum glanced at Woosung. Their eyes met, but Woosung looked away. Yoon Chanjong noticed this and asked.

“By the way, you two are working together, right? Woosung works for Nuri Finances, and Yeoreum too, right?”

Park Jonghyun’s eyes widened.

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow, it’s like you guys are meant to be together. Good luck to you. You would be lucky to have Yeoreum back.”

Park Jonghyun said excitedly, but Woosung answered with a firm tone.

“That will never happen. It’s not the right time anyway.”

Cha Yeoreum flounced by striking the table with her glass.

“What do you mean not the right time? It should be either yes or no, but you always are so vague about everything.”

Woosung didn’t like hearing this. One of the reasons why they broke up was because Woosung disliked Yeoreum’s nagging.

“Well, what about you?”

“What about me?”

“You are always so angry. You got annoyed at everything I did and said. When I asked you what was wrong, you wouldn’t even answer me.”

“You should’ve known.”

“I never spoke to you in anger while we dated. In that 6 months, it was always you who got angry.” Cha Yeoreum couldn’t answer him. Woosung looked at her with his cold eyes. “Was I supposed to always take your anger? When I yelled at you that one time, do you remember what you said to me?”

Woosung knew that they could never get back together. He read somewhere that there was an 82% chance a couple would get back together, but only 3% chance it would work out long term.

When Cha Yeoreum couldn’t answer, Woosung replied.

“You told me it was over. I was so patient for you, and at the end, it was you who wanted to end it.”

Cha Yeoreum kept drinking. She was immature then, Woosung was too. Was it because they were so young?

“You are still such an idiot.” Cha Yeoreum said to Woosung as she stood up.

Then she walked out. Park Jonghyun looked at them in shock.

On his way back home, Woosung felt relieved. He now knew that without a doubt, Yeoreum and he could never get back together. They would fight and break up again anyway.

Whatever he thought he might still feel for her was just him reminiscing. He remembered the bad times with her. The way she looked at him towards the end of their relationship.

He knew she looked at him in a different light now than in his previous life. The only difference was that he was successful now. She was showing interest because he was a better developer and not because she genuinely loved him.

He was done with her.

He returned home and went back to working on MQTT where he worked until late into the night.

The next morning.

When he arrived at work, what Woosung saw made him feel gloomy.

The desks were littered with empty frozen food dishes, pizza trays, and energy drink cans.

Park Junwoo, Kim Yonggun, and Yoon Gihwan.

They worked all weekend. Woosung remembered working this hard in his previous life. This was necessary to become successful, but it was such a hard road.

Woosung asked, his voice quivering.

“What’s this? Did you guys work all weekend?”

Yoon Gihwan woke up from a nap and answered.

“Oh, you’re here.”

Both Kim Yonggun and Park Junwoo woke up as well and greeted Woosung.

“Did you guys go home at all?”

Yoon Gihwan put his hand on Woosung’s shoulder and answered.

“Don’t you remember telling us that if we can’t show you what we can do, you won’t keep us? So we’re working hard.”

Woosung bit his lips as he wallowed in his own guilt.

“I told you to work hard, not nonstop.”

Woosung remembered how he used to work like this. It was such a hard time. Yoon Gihwan tapped his shoulder and replied.

“If you aren’t smart, you should work harder to make up for it.”

Woosung smiled bitterly. He used to say that all the time.

“Ha…ha…”

“We don’t want to embarrass you, so we’re going to do our best!”

Kim Yonggun agreed and added.

“That’s right. Now, before the market opens, let’s have a brief meeting about what we accomplished over the weekend.”

Woosung bit his lips again. He was ready to work. He wanted to work even harder so he doesn’t disappoint these people.

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Chapter 38: &lt;It’s over&gt;

Park Junwoo and Kim Yonggun were first to explain.

“We finished all the test codes for the HTS over the weekend.” They then turned on the computer screen. Scrolling down, they showed Woosung their work. “We’re still not as skilled as you are, but we tried to follow your format as much as possible. The first thing you need to see is…”

Before Park Junwoo could finish his sentence, Woosung asked.

“Wait. Show me the 47th line again. Something’s not right.”

“H…huh?”

When Park Junwoo scrolled down to the 47th line, Woosung continued.

“Our HTS allows each user to pick multiple items of interest. This means it works in an array format.”

Park Junwoo listened carefully. As Woosung continued, he realized his mistake.

“If you test it like this, it can only be applied to the situation if a user only picked one item. If multiple items of interest were selected, this test wouldn’t work.”

“I…I see…”

Kim Yonggun groaned. Park Junwoo became speechless while Woosung continued.

“Could you scroll down a bit more?”

Was there another mistake? Park Junwoo moved his mouse with a shaking hand.

“Stop. Right here.”

Park Junwoo and Kim Yonggun stared at the line Woosung pointed. No matter how hard they looked, they couldn’t figure out what the problem was.

“As you can see, business logic is being applied to the test code.”

Business logic.

It was a part of the program that encoded the real-world business rules. For test codes, such logic should not be involved.

Park Junwoo tried to make an excuse.

“W…well, it couldn’t be helped…”

Woosung replied with a disappointed harshness. “Then why bother making test codes? You didn’t make them just for show, did you?”

An intense tension filled the room. Kim Yonggun tried to explain.

“N…no, of course not. That part was to test the business logic, so I felt that even if it is included, it will still be an acceptable test.”

“Then if the logic needs to be changed and applied, were you going to adjust both sides?” Woosung countered without a hint of hesitation.

Kim Yonggun remained silent. Park Junwoo’s hands trembled harder than ever. Woosung continued.

“Please go on with your explanation. The market is going to open soon.”

It was now 8:20 am.

Park Junwoo was a nervous wreck by the time he finished.

3:00 pm.

After the market closed, it was Yoon Gihwan’s turn to show his work. A similar thing happened where Woosung questioned him several times.

Woosung didn’t just provide corrections. He gave thorough explanations about his reasonings and gave helpful suggestions. He was kind and thoughtful the whole time.

All three felt embarrassed, but the information they gained was priceless. They accepted their submissive positions in earnesty.

Day after day, all of them worked in the same pattern. Every morning, Woosung checked and corrected the works done the day before. As time passed, Yoon Gihwan, Park Junwoo, Kim Yonggun became more knowledgeable and confident to a point where they could debate with Woosung.

Then one day.

Woosung murmured.

“I think you are all competent enough now that you’ll be able to survive outside Daesan.”

Woosung meant it as a compliment, but no one seemed happy to hear it. Kim Yonggun looked at Woosung in annoyance.

“Don’t give us a half-assed compliment. Correct us. We feel better when you are teaching us.”

“W…well… there is nothing more for me…”

Park Junwoo added.

“You need to be hard on us. That’s the only way for us to get better.”

Yoon Gihwan agreed.

“Be harsh!”

Knock, knock.

The door opened and Kwak Jungwook entered.

“It’s time for the monthly meeting.”

Friday 2:50 pm.

“Let’s get going. It’s time for the meeting.” Kwon Hyungeun stood up and told Nam Kyungsang.

However, he was busy typing. Kwon Hyungeun asked again.

“Manager Nam, we need to go now.”

He still didn’t answer. Kwon Hyungeun was usually a very patient man, but he started this behavior is starting to get in his nerves. He placed his hand on Nam Kyungsang’s shoulder. The man answered without turning around.

“I’ll be done soon. I’m going to finish this part and go.”

“What are you working on? Is it so important you’re willing to miss the meeting?”

“You don’t need to know. I’m almost done.”

Nam Kyungsang still talked without turning around. Kwon Hyungeun started to breathe roughly.

“Manager Nam. Who is the PM here?”

“Uh…”

“I need to know everything about this project. I understand that you are busy, but you can’t behave like this.”

Nam Kyungsang repeated himself. “I’m telling you, don’t worry about it. I’m almost done. Almost.”

This wasn’t Kwon Hyungeun’s first day at work. He became suspicious.

“Manager Nam. Did you…make someone else do your work?”

Silence.

Silence meant Kwon Hyungeun was right. He reddened and yelled.

“Manager Nam!”

Kwon Hyungeun has never raised his voice before. Everyone looked shocked. Nam Kyungsang reddened in embarrassment.

“It…it’s not like that.”

“Then what!? Explain yourself!” Kwon Hyungeun accused.

Nam Kyungsang became even more flustered. “I’m almost finished. Please, just…just let it go this once.” He continued to type but his fingers trembled.

“You…”

“I’ll explain everything later.”

Nam Kyungsang begged him. They have worked with each other for a long time, so Kwon Hyungeun couldn’t ignore his plea.

“Fine. Just hurry up. We’ll talk after the meeting.”

Kwon Hyungeun left first. Nam Kyungsang sighed and focused again on his screen. After a few minutes, he finished up his work and connected to an uploading screen.

“Why is it so hard to upload a program?”

He complained and continued to click. After the final step, Nam Kyungsang ran to the conference room.

On his screen, a popup showed up titled ‘Nuri Finances Enterprise DevOps System.’

Monthly meeting.

It was something every developer working for Nuri Finances feared. Project PMs especially hated this time.

On the screen were the list of topics. Kwak Jungwook began the meeting.

“We will start with the issues for each system for this month.”

Daeyang System’s PM was the first to speak.

“We’ll begin with Daeyang System.”

The screen changed to the list of main projects Daeyang was involved in. After his explanation, it was followed by similar presentations by PMs from ST, M3, and Daesan.

Next was the point system result.

Daeyang System

Number of bugs: 11

Number of bugs fixed: 11

Number of new function suggestions: 7

ST Data System

Number of bugs: 25

Number of bugs fixed: 24

Number of new function suggestions: 13

M3 Soft

Number of bugs: 7

Number of bugs fixed: 6

Number of new function suggestions: 2

Daesan System

Number of bugs: 0

Number of bugs fixed: 0

Number of new function suggestions: 7

“As you can see, Daesan was the only one with zero bugs. ST had the most number of new function suggestions, but also had the most number of bugs. Daeyang and M3 had similar numbers as last month.”

zero bugs.

Yoon Gihwan had to fight back his tears. He felt so proud.

“Now we’ll go over the total reward and penalty points.”

The room fell silent again at Kwak Jungwook’s announcement. Kwon Hyungeun rubbed his chin while Kwon Taegyun frowned. The screen changed, and as Kwak Jungwook was about to continue, someone came into the room suddenly.

“S…sorry.”

“What’s wrong?”

“The transactions aren’t going through.”

Kwak Jungwook asked the person hurriedly.

“What? Why?”

“I…I don’t know. The system maintenance team is looking into it right now.”

“What the hell…”

Jo Youngsuk rubbed his forehead and gritted his teeth. Everyone froze.

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Chapter 39: &lt;It’s over&gt;

“Go check it out right now.”

At Jo Youngsuk’s order, PMs started to leave the room. Yoon Gihwan also stood up.

“Why aren’t you getting up? We need to go and help.”

But Woosung wasn’t in a hurry. He smiled and answered.

“There is no need to go. We can check it right here using the DevOps system we created with M3.”

Yoon Gihwan clapped as he got this eureka moment. “Oh yeah!”

Woosung raised his hand and announced.

“Manager Kwak, please connect to the DevOps system.”

Kwak Jungwook did as Woosung asked.

http://devops.nuri.com

He typed his ID and PW quick. When he was logged in, he could see four areas of red on the screen.

“All of the recent applications uploaded to the server are causing the problem. Let me see. It looks like they are all from ST.”

People who were about to leave stayed to watch. Jo Youngsuk also stared at the screen.

“Manager Kwak, could I take over?”

Kwak Jungwook nodded as he gave Woosung the mouse. Woosung clicked a few times and explained.

“If you look here, there was a new version of a program uploaded today at 3:02 pm. The problem started right after that.”

Kwak Jungwook asked in a panicked tone.

“C…can you fix it?”

“Well, let’s roll back to the previous version. Can I go ahead?”

Kwak Jungwook hesitated and turned to Jo Youngsuk. Kwon Hyungeun interrupted suddenly.

“Wait, are you suggesting it’s our server’s problem? How can you just decide that without confirming everything?”

“You can see it on the screen. Are you saying you can’t trust what you see?” Woosung answered posthaste.

Nam Kyungsang replied, his fury greater than ever.

“Of course we can’t trust it. You didn’t log in to our server to confirm it, so how can you be sure that it’s our problem?”

Woosung smirked. “Do we really have the time to debate this right now?”

The only person who could make the decision was Jo Youngsuk. He looked at Woosung and ordered.

“Do it.”

Woosung clicked the rollback button.

The red lights turned to green tight away as if nothing happened.

“Things are good now. You should call to check.”

Kwak Jungwook made a call, and after hanging up, informed Jo Youngsuk. “Everything’s back to normal.”

The room became silent. A major problem was solved in less than 5 minutes.

“Manager Kwak, has there ever been a time when a major issue was fixed this quickly?”

“Never, sir.”

“Right? I…I can’t believe it.”

Everything was back to normal, but many in the room became even tenser. Jo Youngsuk murmured angrily.

“Now, it’s time to figure out who’s responsible for this shenanigan.”

He sounded like the grim ripper. Both Kwon Hyungeun and Nam Kyungsang turned pale.

Jo Youngsuk screamed at the ST members.

“If you’re going to be like this, just quit! Do you think this is a joke? Do you even have a brain? You better be thankful I’m not suing your asses!”

The room was filled with anger and fear.

“And I heard ST did not accept Woosung’s consultation?”

Kwon Hyungeun nodded in silence. There was nothing he could say that could make things better. All he could do was remain quiet.

“Manager Kwak, turn the screen on to the reward and penalty point totals.”

-Daeyang System Penalty 1. Reward 5.

-ST Data System Penalty 6. Reward 7.

-M3 Soft Penalty 5. Reward 9.

-Daesan System Penalty 0. Reward 10.

“Well, it looks like we have a clear result.” Jo Youngsuk scoffed with a sarcastic grin.

Kwon Hyungeun finally opened his mouth.

“But sir, we still have some time until the deadline…”

“Haha, really? There is still time?”

Jo Youngsuk asked in a mocking voice. Kwon Hyungeun’s eyes shuddered.

“Manager Kwak, turn on the DevOps screen again.” Kwak Jungwook did as he was told. “If we didn’t have this system, how long do you think it would have taken us to fix the problem?”

No one answered.

“Has there ever been a developer here who could come up with a system like this?”

The room remained silent.

Everyone knew it was Woosung who created this new incredible program. Jo Youngsuk turned to Kwak Jungwook again.

“Manager Kwak, how many reward points do we give to a company that provides an excellent new function?”

“5 points.”

“And as a general manager from the headquarters, what is the maximum number of points I can reward?”

“Up to 5 points, sir.”

“Then give Daesan 10 more points.” Kwon Hyungeun paled. Nam Kyungsang gasped in disbelief. Jo Youngsuk continued. “And how many penalty points do we give to a company that caused a major problem?”

“5 points again, and you can also add a maximum of 5 more points.”

“Then ST gets 10 penalty points.”

“Right away, sir.”

Jo Youngsuk sneered and murmured.

“Do you still think you have the time to change the result?”

Kwon Hyungeun couldn’t answer, but Nam Kyungsang replied.

“Sir, I think you are being too emotional. As you saw, ST came up with the most number of new functions.”

Jo Youngsuk sneered again. “Really? Manager Kwak, open that file again.”

ST Data System

Number of bugs: 25

Number of bugs fixed: 24

Number of new function suggestions: 13

“I see that you do have the many new functions, but what about the bugs?”

“Risks are necessary to come up with great products. If we didn’t even try, then we wouldn’t have had bugs either.”

Jo Youngsuk pointed at the screen.

Daesan System

Number of bugs: 0

Number of bugs fixed: 0

Number of new function suggestions: 7

“Do you see the numbers for Daesan?”

It was game over.

Daesan had 7 new functions but no bugs. It was an obvious defeat by ST.

Jo Youngsuk slapped the table.

“You don’t deserve to work here! I’m telling you that you are done. Get out! Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Nam Kyungsang couldn’t say a word.

“Why are you still here? I said get out!”

No one could help them. When Nam Kyungsang left, Jo Youngsuk smiled and announced.

“Now everyone, don’t forget that Woosung from Daesan will be running a seminar on big data. Attendance is mandatory.”

He then stood up and gave Woosung a genuine smile.

“Haha, Woosung. Good job again. Everyone is excited about your seminar, so good luck.”

Woosung bowed.

“Of course.”

When Jo Youngsuk left the room, people could finally breathe.

Yoon Gihwan asked Woosung.

“How’s it going with your seminar preparation? I heard the CEO himself and the chairmen are all going to come.”

“There isn’t much to prepare. I just have to let them know what I know.”

“Well, I guess you’ll do great.”

“I think we are getting close to the end of our project here.”

“So you really plan to quit after this? Do you think it’s really a good idea?”

“Yes. Please make sure the headquarters understand.”

“Alright. By the way, when should I quit?”

Yoon Gihwan looked at Woosung, expecting a plethora of answers.

“You and the other team members can quit after the algorithm trading system is completed and I start making profits.”

Yoon Gihwan stood up.

“Ok. Let’s get going.”

Woosung followed him.

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Chapter 40: &lt;It’s over&gt;

Na Jaeman.

He was the CEO of Nuri Finances, which belonged to the Nuri Enterprise.

Every Wednesday, various CEOs of Nuri Enterprise’s subsidiary companies gathered around to discuss their respective performances and how to improve them.

He was a CEO, but he was still a salaryman. He still had to worry about his performance and feared the Wednesday meetings. Park Jiwon, who was the CEO of the company responsible for the credit card department joked.

“Jaeman, you are becoming arrogant!”

“Haha, you’re funny.”

“Your performance this quarter was amazing. You must be getting a huge incentive this quarter.”

“If that’s true, I’ll buy you a drink.”

“Haha, let’s go somewhere fancy.”

“Of course.”

Park Jiwon tapped Na Jaeman’s shoulder. “This is why I like you so much.”

While they talked, an announcement was made.

“The chairman is here.”

The room quieted down.

Shin Yongwon.

Nuri Enterprise’s Chairman.

At the age of 67, Shin Yongwon boasted of great health. He exercised regularly and took great care of himself. Next came Shin Yongwon’s oldest son Shin Gungu and daughter Shin Semi.

“We will now begin the 16th meeting of Nuri Enterprise. Let’s start with our chant. Finance is performance!”

All the attendants raised their fists and repeated.

“Finance is performance!”

“Finance is performance!”

“Finance is performance!”

After the routine chant, the meeting finally began. Shin Yongwon always insisted they began with his motto.

“Then, let’s start with the performance report.”

The room filled with tension.

“Bank sector. 1% growth.”

“Life insurance. No change from last month.”

“Malpractice insurance. No change from last month.”

Every time each sector was announced, the respective CEO’s reacted accordingly depending on the number. Finally, Nuri Finances’ result was mentioned.

“Finances. 3% growth.”

Na Jaeman bit his lips and nodded while everyone else looked at him with a considerable amount of envy. This is the second month in a row Nuri Finances performed the best. Na Jaeman tried to hide his pleasure, but he couldn’t stop giving a proud smile.

“Congratulations to Nuri Finances. Let’s give him a round of applause.”

Everyone clapped. Some looked at Na Jaeman with defeated envy, while others glared at him with scorn. Shin Yongwon took the microphone and announced.

“It seems like the finance sector is the only one working hard nowadays.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“So big data? Is it because of that project?”

“Currently, it’s because of the new HTS system. Big data project will be applied soon as well.”

“I see. Advisor Shin.”

Shin Semi was one of the advisors to the chairman. With her expensive bob, Shin Semi looked sharp and attractive. Her eyes shone like diamonds. She looked both alluring and intimidating.

“Sir.”

Her voice was sweet, a gorgeous woman of tremendous magnificence.

“So it’s FinTech. It’s something you’re interested in, right Advisor Shin?”

FinTech.

It was an IT related technology in the financial service industry.

“Yes, sir. Soon, offline transactions will die out and everything will happen online. That is the direction we, Nuri Enterprise, need to follow.”

“Yes, that. It seems like Nuri Finances is working on a related project so perhaps you could get involved.”

“I will look into it.”

“…And Director Shin.”

Shin Gungu was the director of Nuri Enterprise. He was a younger version of Shin Yongwon. He was charismatic but with an unapproachable look.

“Yes, Chairman.”

“Don’t get involved yet but keep an eye on it.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Let’s go onto the next topic.”

After the meeting, Shin Semi approached Na Jaeman. Shin Semi was only 26 years old, but Na Jaeman still felt intimidated by her. He waited for her to lead the conversation.

‘My performance was great this month so why does she want to talk to me…I hope it’s not to reprimand me for something stupid.’

Nail.

That was Shin Semi’s nickname. She was sharp and always found things others missed. Many feared her for this.

Na Jaeman tried to think of anything he may have missed.

“Don’t be nervous. I just wanted to ask you about the big data project.”

“Oh, that. We are currently having a little issue with Daeyang’s report, so we are re-examining it.”

“Re-examine?”

“An outsource company working on our HTS system found a problem with the project.”

“So there is a problem with Daeyang’s proposal?”

“Yes. So we are re-checking everything. In fact, we are planned to have a seminar about it next week.”

“Are you referring to the seminar by a company called Daesan?”

“That’s right.”

“Daesan… Daesan… It doesn’t sound familiar…”

“It’s a small company worth only about 5 million dollars. It’s not a company you would know.”

“And you gave an important job to such a small company?” Shin Semi asked abruptly.

She accused, but Na Jaeman answered with confidence. “Daesan is currently the leading company in the reward/penalty system you suggested.”

“Daesan? Not Daeyang?”

“There is a man named Woosung Kang in Daesan whose nickname is Midas. He will be speaking at this seminar.”

“Woosung Kang… Woosung Kang…”

“We are hoping to poach him as soon as possible.”

“Jo Youngsuk wants to scout him?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Shin Semi frowned. Soon after, their conversation ended, and Na Jaeman was finally free to leave.

1:00 am.

Woosung was sitting in front of his computer at home. He was working on the seminar for tomorrow. His days at Daesan were now numbered.

Before he left, he wanted to do a good job. He wanted to leave a good impression. To do this, he had to do well at the seminar. How could he relay his knowledge to the audience effectively?

Woosung remembered Choi Gichul and his negotiation skills.

‘He was an amazing speaker.’

Choi Gichul was born rich, but he didn’t use any of his money when making his company Bitmain. He had many investors and gained enough money from them to create it.

Many invested because they knew Choi Gichul was rich, but that wasn’t the main reason. The most important reason was his communication skills. Woosung saw it many times. There was no one Choi Gichul couldn’t convince.

Woosung remembered Choi Gichul’s advice.

‘Get down to your audience’s level.’

This was Woosung’s main focus for the seminar. Most of the audience will be developers but Woosung didn’t plan to use technical languages. More important than the developers were the CEO and the chairmen. He made sure his explanation could be understood by anyone.

Woosung wore a black suit with a blue shirt. In front of the mirror, he looked manly and professional.

Watching Woosung on the stage, Yoon Gihwan exclaimed. “I guess clothes make the man.”

Kim Yonggun agreed.

“He does look great today.”

“Haha. He’s doing an awesome presentation too. It’s a great finale to his time here.”

Kim Yonggun realized what Yoon Gihwan meant. “Wait, is Woosung quitting?”

“Hush! It’s still not official yet, but it’s going to happen soon.”

“Then he’s going to work for Jang Gwanchul?”

Yoon Gihwan shook his head. “I’ll tell you later. Let’s focus on the seminar for now.”

Park Junwoo kept glancing at Yoon Gihwan. He could tell something big was going to happen soon.

The audience included many people from Daeyang including Cha Yeoreum and Kim Jaejin.

‘Woosung…’

Cha Yeoreum remembered the first time she met him.

The university was having a sports day. Cha Yeoreum was wearing a tight shirt and she could hear many guys whispering about her and catcalling her. Then suddenly, she heard Woosung yelling at them.

“Hey, just shut up. You guys are so noisy. You especially, Park Jonghyun.”

They started dating soon after, but it only lasted for 6 months.

‘That was 3 years ago.’

Unlike her expectation, Woosung was doing very well in the real world.

In fact, he was now unreachable to her.

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Chapter 41: &lt;It’s over&gt;

This was already the second time he did a major presentation in his new life. Woosung spoke so confident it looked as if what he was doing was something natural for him. His point was simple, but unlike at the previous meeting with Daeyang System where he used the algorithm equations and examples, he instead explained with simpler language.

He was getting down to the level of the chairmen who only had basic IT knowledge. Woosung’s presentation was straightforward. It was quick, and he finished 10 minutes earlier than expected.

“Now, we’ll have a Q&A period.”

No one raised their hand. Everyone had already heard of how it was impossible to win an argument against Woosung. SS was here, which made it a bad idea to stand out.

SS was a nickname for Shin Semi. Woosung looked around and asked again.

“No questions?”

Woosung made eye contacts with Kwon Taegyun and Nam Kyungsang. Both flinched and looked away.

Woosung thought of how he could embarrass them but he changed his mind. His time here was coming to an end, and creating a scene was unnecessary and unwise.

Woosung then announced in a slow tone. “Well then, that will be the end of this seminar.”

“Wait.” Woosung saw a woman raise her hand. Her eyes were cold as ice.

‘That must be SS.’

Kwak Jungwook had already warned Woosung of her. The beloved daughter of Nuri Enterprise’s Chairman. Shin Semi looked unapproachable, but her charismatic demeanor was no match for Woosung. He answered calmly.

“Sure.”

“You are saying that accurate data needs to be selected based on the pre-set goal, followed by analysis.”

“That’s right.”

“…And you gave an example goal of increasing the number of customers. To achieve this, you suggested we need to use the data on the stock trading transactions to improve the HTS. What you didn’t explain is how effective this scenario would be in real life.”

Woosung’s answer was simple. “Recent increase in the number of new users is due to the improvement on HTS.” Woosung glanced at Kwak Jungwook. “Don’t you agree, Manager Kwak?”

Kwak Jungwook took the microphone. He was familiar with what Woosung was referring to as he checked the numbers every morning.

“To be exact, 67% of the new customers indicated that the improved HTS was the reason why they joined Nuri Finances.”

Woosung continued. “Then the next question would be this. What does data analysis have to do with this? The answer can be provided by Oh Juhoon. Manager Oh?”

The microphone was passed along till it reached Oh Juhoon, who was sitting with his Daeyang colleagues. His answer was exactly what Woosung expected.

“After the last meeting, Woosung and I have been working on the data analysis to improve the HTS. 67% is an accurate number.”

Oh Juhoon.

He belonged to Daeyang but was not biased against Woosung. He recognized talent and had no problem working with an employee from a competing company. In fact, it was Oh Juhoon who asked Woosung to collaborate.

Shin Semi’s eyes sparkled at Woosung’s confident answer. She asked another question.

“Then do you have any other goals Nuri Finances should set other than increasing the number of users? We should know so that we can think ahead.”

Some people gave out a shard gasp. It was such a broad question that a newly hired employee would not be able to answer. It was very unexpected, but Shin Semi was a forward-thinking young woman. Woosung could guess her intention.

‘She’s testing me.’

By 2018, most major corporations had their own analysis department. If Woosung was correct, then this woman was testing him to see if she should hire him.

The prospect of having a new job did not move Woosung’s interest, but he also didn’t want to appear hesitant. He also couldn’t provide a direct answer that may change the future. After a quick pause, Woosung answered.

“I guess the first thing would be having a risk management.”

Shin Semi asked. “What do you mean? Please explain.”

“Think of what happened April last year.”

Subprime mortgage crisis occurred in April 2007. New Century Financial ended up filing for bankruptcy.

The audience murmured but no one answered. In fact, some chairmen seemed unhappy about SS’s involvement. Shin Semi ignored the way others percieved her and answered with a sincerity.

“Rick management and April 2007…Are you referring to New Century Financial filing for bankruptcy?”

Woosung nodded and replied. “That’s correct. Now, you should be able to figure the rest out by yourself. I came here to talk about big data, not provide the future path for Nuri Finances.” Woosung exhaled and continued. “However if you still want to talk about it, please arrange a separate seminar. Remember though, I will be charging much more for something like that.”

Before Shin Semi could speak, Woosung got ready to leave.

“Well, I guess that’s it. Thank you for your time.”

He bowed. Shin Semi had no choice but to seal her lips. Everyone else seemed baffled. The presentation was over, but all of those who attended was too overcame by either their emotions or the awe they felt after what they saw today that everyone forgot to clap. After a few seconds of awkwardness, Yoon Gihwan murmured to Park Junwoo.

“Hey, we should clap or something.”

“Oh, yeah.”

They started to clap, and that was the end of the seminar.

Immediately afterward, Kwak Jungwook found him. Shin Semi asked for Woosung and they were to report to the CEO room right away.

Why did she want to talk to him?

It was obvious. Woosung read through their intentions right away. How should he handle this situation?

Woosung decided after a long pause and looked at Kwak Jungwook.

“Fine. Let’s go.”

Woosung followed the grateful Kwak Jungwook. This was already the second time he visited the CEO’s office. Woosung opened the door. Kwak Jungwook smiled awkwardly and waved indicating Woosung was to enter alone.

Inside was Na Jaeman who stood up and greeted Woosung.

“Haha, come on in.”

After a handshake, Woosung turned to find Shin Semi on the sofa. She remained seated, ignoring everything as she stared at him with a promiscuous feeling of loathesomeness. Na Jaeman smiled at him to grab Woosung’s attention.

“Haha, have a seat. What kind of tea would you like?”

“Ice coffee please.”

The secretary brought in the drinks. Woosung took a sip as he noticed how Shin Semi remained having her gaze glued at him.

Woosung didn’t avoid her gaze. He looked right back at her while Na Jaeman realized he was sitting in an awkward position. He was sweating profusely.

After 10 minutes of silence, Woosung finally asked.

“Did you call me up for a staring contest?”

“For a new employee of a small company, you sure are confident. President Na, how many people have we hired from Daesan?”

“A total of 15 people.”

“Please cancel the contract with them tomorrow.” Na Jaeman started to sweat even more. Shin Semi repeated. “Do you understand me?”

“Y…yes.”

Woosung didn’t even blink, he was planning to quit anyway. Daesan’s future was not of his concern. Woosung drank his coffee and stood up.

“Thank you for the coffee.”

Shin Semi’s hands trembled gently. “You better sit down right now.”

“It sounds like I won’t have a job by tomorrow, so why should I?”

Shin Semi gritted her teeth. Strangely, she looked even more attractive when she was angry. She replied with an obvious irritation.

“IT industry is a very small world. If you leave like this right now, you won’t ever get a job in this field.”

To her threat, Woosung smiled. She couldn’t be any blunter. “Haha, that’s fine. I guess I should go abroad then. I actually got a job offer from Microsoft anyway.”

Na Jaeman whispered to Shin Semi with haste after hearing what he said. He informed her of Woosung’s recent presentation at the MS conference.

This was enough for Shin Semi to make a definitive decision.

26 years old.

A brand new graduate.

She was trying to test Woosung’s ability and she learned all she needed to know.

“What did Microsoft offer you? I will double their offer.” Shin Semi now looked at him now with a new-found warmth.

“I am flattered, but I’m not interested.”

Shin Semi knew this game. She asked perceptively. “Did you have something else in mind?”

There indeed was something Woosung wanted, but he didn’t know as to how much he could reveal to those uninvolved. Woosung sensed it wasn’t going to be an easy negotiation. When Woosung hesitated, Shin Semi intercepted his line of thought by continuing her proposal.

“Let’s get going. Tell me what you want. I will consider it and let you know if it’s possible.”

“Are you saying you are willing to consider anything?” Shin Semi nodded. Woosung was surprised at her willingness. “Even if I ask something ridiculous?”

“I think I know enough about you that you won’t be unreasonable.”

Woosung smirked as he thought of how he should go on with her prosal.

“Give me a DMA line. Then…” He paused but decided quickly. “I will tell you how to make sure this company becomes ready for the future.”

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Chapter 42: &lt;It’s over&gt;

“So you think you can set the company on the right path…And DMA? You do realize what DMA is, right?” Shin Semi’s eyes widened at Woosung’s request.

DMA (Direct Market Access).

When an average user connected to HTS to purchase or to sell stocks, the transaction had to go through the financial company’s main system. The company would then request confirmation from Koscom, which was a Korean financial IT company launched by the Ministry of Finance.

This meant a transaction had to go through both the financial company and Koscom. However, if an individual could connect to Koscom directly, or decrease the processing time at the financial company, the trader could buy and sell stocks faster.

It was a difference of 0.001 second, but it could make all the difference in the stock market.

‘In 2011, some financial companies sold their assigned DMA to individual traders. There was a lawsuit, but they were found to be not guilty.’

In other countries, paying for an individual DMA was common but not in Korea. In the world of stock trading, time was money.

“Yes. If you give me one of Nuri Finances’ DMA, I will tell you what you wanted to know at the seminar.” Shin Semi glanced at Na Jaeman. Woosung then broke the brief silence by continuing his own proposal. “Of course, if necessary, I will pay a user fee.”

In Korea, DMA was not something an individual could purchase, but it was not illegal to own a DMA. After a few seconds of thinking, Na Jaeman nodded. Shin Semi finally answered.

“Alright. Let’s get the contract ready.”

They called the legal team to process the said contract as soon as possible. It was an easy one to write. After approving it, Woosung told Shin Semi.

“You should read the report by Kim Mansu from Finance Research Lab on subprime mortgage. It was released in March of 2007.”

Shin Semi glanced at Na Jaeman, who immediately started to make a call.

“Then I will get going.”

“That’s it?”

“I already gave you two hints. I majored in computer science. You weren’t expecting me to give you an outright answer, did you?”

Shin Semi gritted her teeth again but suddenly murmured. “Subprime mortgage crisis… and risk management.”

Financial crisis.

It was coming, but Woosung couldn’t say the word.

“I have analyzed the data and it’s clear that MBS is downgrading. Based on the current trend, CDO will downgrade as well. This is all I can tell you.”

MBS (Mortgage-Backed Securities).

CDO (Collateralized Debt Obligation).

They were two of the main causes of the financial crisis. Shin Semi listened carefully, but Woosung already felt like he did his part.

“I would like to receive the DMA via Kwak Jungwook.”

Woosung walked out.

‘She just wanted to test me. I doubt she’ll take my advice.’

He was a computer science major. It was likely she would listen to the words of in-house financial advisors rather than to him. It was common sense.

It didn’t matter. Woosung felt ecstatic about his DMA.

‘I can now use the DMA and algorithmic trading system during the financial crisis!’

After Woosung left the room, the secretary hurried to hand in the report.

“This is the report by Kim Mansu.”

Shin Semi started to read through the report, giving every word a careful consideration. Na Jaeman remained silent as he watched her. She then thought slowly.

‘I already know what happened. There is nothing new here.’

She already knew well about the subprime mortgage crisis. She couldn’t find any new information on the report.

‘Is he thinking about daytime trading by himself using the DMA? There is something about him…It’s clear that he knows more than he’s saying.’

“Ma’am, that report was already examined by us last year. Did you find anything new?” Na Jaeman asked as soon as she put down the report.

She shook her head. Na Jaeman asked again with caution.

“It sounded like he was giving us some kind of a warning…”

“I don’t want to be rude, but he completed a computer science program from a small university called Songwon. The best he could be is a good programmer. I can’t trust anything he claims about the financial world.”

Shin Semi had already decided. Na Jaeman wanted to disagree, but it was not his place.

‘When someone becomes an expert in one field, he becomes knowledgeable in other fields as well.’

However, he didn’t say it out loud. Shin Semi murmured quietly.

“I will let the finance research lab know of what he said anyway. Now, I need you to find a way to scout him.”

“Of course.”

“Sooner the better.”

“Ok.”

Na Jaeman sighed. Based on what he heard today, it didn’t sound like Woosung was not interested in whatever job offer they give.

When he returned to his office, Kwak Jungwook was waiting. He asked Woosung to speak with him for a few minutes. Woosung had to finish his work on development process improvement project. He had so much work left to do, but Kwak Jungwook insisted on talking to him in private. He took Woosung outside.

“I will be direct.” Woosung sat down as he listened to the man with his arms crossed. “I would like to offer you a job.”

Woosung didn’t want to be rude. As he tried to think of a nice way to say no, Kwak Jungwook followed his statement up with more offers.

“We will hire you as a manager at Nuri Finances. If there is anything you want, tell me.”

Woosung continued to be quiet. When Kwak Jungwook realized Woosung wasn’t interested, he moaned.

“If you don’t accept this offer, I’m going to be in trouble. As a manager, your salary will be 60,000 dollars a year. It’s a good position.”

A yearly salary of 60,000 dollars.

It was over three times his current salary as a new employee at Daesan System. In his previous life, it would have been a chance of a lifetime, but Woosung was different now.

“I appreciate all you’ve done for me.”

Kwak Jungwook knew what Woosung was going to say next. “Stop! Stop! I don’t want to hear it.”

“But I don’t want to work for someone anymore.”

“…that’s it?” Kwak Jungwook already knew how Woosung felt.

“I meant it when I said I appreciate you.”

“…would you reconsider?”

“Haha, sorry but its a no. If it would please you I will make sure my last project is a success.”

Woosung was firm and Kwak Jungwook couldn’t say another word. They drank their coffee and returned to the office.

Another person was waiting for Woosung.

Daesan System’s CEO Son Daesan.

As soon as he saw Woosung, he ran up to him and shook his hand.

“Wow, our company’s treasure, Woosung!” Woosung hadn’t seen him since the job interview. “I’ve been waiting for you for a long time. Haha, if you don’t have any plans, let’s go for a chat after work. There is a lot I want to say to you.”

Woosung glanced at Yoon Gihwan who shook his head firmly. Woosung realized what Son Daesan wanted and replied firmly.

“I’m not changing my mind on resigning.”

“You shouldn’t be so rash about such an important decision. Think carefully. You haven’t even worked here for a year. It would look bad on your resume. Do you know how hard it is to find a job nowadays?”

Son Daesan tried to convince him but Woosung wasn’t listening. He just refused a much better job offer from Nuri Finances. It didn’t make sense to stay at Daesan.

“I don’t plan on getting another job.”

Son Daesan continued to hold Woosung’s hand and whispered.

“Then I will promote you. General manager. There is no way you can refuse such an offer.”

Woosung found Son Daesan amusing. Did he even know how much Woosung had accomplished so far? Because if he truly understood, then Son Daesan’s offer would’ve been different.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not interested.” Woosung continued to refuse. Son Daesan frowned and let Woosung’s hands go.

“…you fixed a few problems and you think you’re so great? Do you really think you’ll be able to get a better offer than this?”

Son Daesan was an idiot.

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Chapter 43: &lt;It’s over&gt;

“I do know that I am that great. In fact, I’m being humble right now. It seems like it’s you who doesn’t understand the situation.”

Son Daesan reddened brightly. “W…what?”

“I asked General manager Yoon to explain why I’m resigning. If you understood him, you wouldn’t be saying this to me right now.”

Son Daesan became furious. “Woosung, you are making a huge mistake. I have a meeting with some people from the Korean Software Industry Association next week. If you act this way, I will mention your name to them.” He panted as he glared at Woosung.

He was now threatening Woosung.

Son Daesan was being unreasonable. Woosung felt ashamed to be an employee of someone like him. Before Woosung could reply, a familiar voice came from behind.

“Where is that meeting supposed to take place? I will join you to defend Woosung to them.”

Son Daesan recognized the voice immediately. “P…president… What a nice surprise…” He put a fake smile on his face and he turned around.

Nuri Finances’ CEO Na Jaeman.

Daesan was a hired company by Nuri Finances, which meant Na Jaeman had power over Son Daesan and his company. Na Jaeman asked Woosung.

“I heared you’re quitting Daesan?”

It was now a well-known fact.

Woosung confirmed it. “Yes, as you can see.”

“Then…”

Na Jaeman saw this as his chance.

“Let’s go out for dinner. We need to talk.”

“Pardon?”

Na Jaeman put his hand on Woosung’s shoulder.

“Haha, it’s a tradition that the CEO of Nuri Finances buy drinks for a deserved employee. This is a very important tradition.”

“But didn’t you tell me earlier you will be canceling the contract with Daesan…?”

When Woosung mentioned their earlier conversation, Son Daesan paled. Na Jaeman coughed awkwardly and answered.

“I think you misunderstood. I meant if you quit Daesan, then Nuri Finances will have no use of Daesan. I can’t believe you misunderstood me! We definitely need to talk this out.”

Na Jaeman made it hard for Woosung to refuse. Woosung scratched his head and murmured.

“Well…Since I’m quitting Daesan, I guess it will lose its contract with Nuri Finances. Oh well.”

Son Daesan looked faint. Woosung followed Na Jaeman out while Yoon Gihwan snorted in his desk.

Na Jaeman took Woosung to an expensive Japanese restaurant. Woosung had never been to such an extravagant place. It felt like he was in Japan. All the waiters and waitresses were wearing traditional Japanese outfits. They were also very good looking.

As soon as they entered, they were greeted by the manager.

“There you are!”

They were immediately taken to a private room. When the door opened, inside was the beautiful Shin Semi.

“Come in.”

Woosung looked confused, but all Na Jaeman did was wave him in. Shin Semi looked at Woosung with a smile.

“Take a seat, please. This restaurant is famous for its Kaiseki. I already ordered it. Do you like sushi?”

“Of course.”

Shin Semi smiled again and ordered more dishes Woosung didn’t recognize. A bottle arrived, and Shin Semi offered Woosung a drink.

“Kaiseki usually starts with a simple fruit drink. The plum wine here is great. Would you like a glass?”

Woosung took the glass and sipped through the drink in one gulp. It was sweet and bitter at the same time. It burned his throat.

“It’s good.”

The wine was smooth. After a few more sips, Shin Semi started to ask Woosung various questions. She asked how Woosung felt about Nuri Finances and how he studied big data. As they conversed, Woosung could tell she was interested in him.

There was no reason why the chairman’s daughter would go this far to meet him. Why was she so interested?

Woosung guessed she had another business question for him. He was sure of it, and this was another chance for him to get something out of her. After organizing his thoughts, Woosung stated.

“I assume you didn’t take what I told you earlier seriously. I obviously understand why. Information from your professional research team would sound more trustworthy.”

Shin Semi paused and looked at Woosung.

“I am only an employee from a small company. I haven’t proven my worth yet.” She put down her chopsticks. “But I did get your attention. You were probably wondering if I truly am a talent or just a fraud.”

Shin Semi continued to stare at Woosung silently.

“I know the reason why you asked me that question was to test me. You had no intention of actually taking my advice seriously. Am I getting this right?”

Shin Semi nodded. “You’re getting there.”

“I think you made a big mistake.” Shin Semi flinched at the word “mistake.” Woosung asked. “What do you think your mistake was?”

Shin Semi was not interested in answering Woosung’s question.

“It doesn’t matter. You are just trying to rile me up to get something out of me, aren’t you? Are you hoping to change my opinion of you? Again, I don’t care what mistake you think I made.”

She looked like an angry cat. Woosung replied with the calmness of a monk.

“The answer is the validity of my answer.”

Shin Semi asked with a scoff. “You are only 26-year-old new-grad from a mediocre university. Your GPA was only 3.0. I will give you that your programming skill is good, but your ability to predict the future of the financial world? I don’t think so.”

Woosung was right. Shin Semi looked at him with scorn. He knew he shouldn’t make her angrier.

“You are absolutely correct. My knowledge in finances cannot be compared to yours or your team. What I meant was my insight. My ability to see the big picture.”

Shin Semi’s eyes widened in surprise. She continued to stare at him.

“At this point, you are probably thinking if what I’m saying is true.” Woosung seemed as if he was reading her mind. He then asked a rhetorical question. “How can I prove this…?”

Woosung thought for a second and answered himself.

“Tomorrow, Wednesday April 9th, the Liberty Korea Party will win the 18th general election with 153 seats. If my prediction comes true, will you trust me?”

“The experts are expecting the Liberty Korea Party to win. It’s a well-known forecast.”

“But no one can guess the exact number of seats.”

That was true. Shin Semi couldn’t deny this. Woosung was becoming more and more interesting to her eyes.

“How did you come up with the number 153?”

“Haha, a magician never reveals all his secrets. We will talk again after the election result comes out.”

Woosung started to eat.

“Don’t forget. 153 seats. Oh! And the Democratic Party will win 81 seats.”

The election was tomorrow, so Woosung felt that revealing this information at this point couldn’t change the future.

The next day was a holiday due to the election.

Woosung took his laptop and headed to a café to work.

Algorithm trading system.

MQTT program.

He had to develop both for Jang Gwangchul. He wanted to create perfections, so he worked as hard as he could.

He couldn’t waste even a holiday.

He drank few cups of coffee and ate a sandwich. He spent the entire day at the café until 6:00PM.

The voting process was now complete.

“Let’s see.”

Woosung connected to the internet and read the election predictions by different media channels.

“MBD Liberty Korea Party 165. Democratic Party 68.”

“SBC Liberty Korea Party 167. Democratic Party 70.”

“YTT Liberty Korea Party 160. Democratic Party 72.”

Different experts were close, but no one predicted the exact numbers. They were based on the surveys of the voters, but even then, the numbers varied.

“Haha, this will make my prediction look even more impressive.”

Woosung turned off the browser and went back to work. He was curious about how Shin Semi would react.

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Chapter 44: &lt;It’s over&gt;

The same day.

Shin Semi looked out at the Han River from her expensive condo.

“The prediction numbers can’t be trusted.”

She saw the estimated number of seats based on the voters’ survey, but she knew not to trust them. She glanced at the report on the table.

“Nuri Finances Research Lab.

“General election prediction.

“Liberty Korea Party 162. Democratic Party 77. Future Hope Party 20. Democratic Progressive Party 18. Independent Party 32.”

It was slightly different than Woosung’s prediction.

“We’ll see when the actual result comes out…”

When midnight passed, the final result was released.

“Liberty Korea Party 153. Democratic Party 81.”

Woosung was right. Shin Semi stared at the numbers. It was past 1:00 am. She felt impatient but waited until the morning to make the call.

Bzzz.

Bzzz.

Woosung’s phone vibrated. He checked the caller ID and didn’t answer.

He remembered how she stared at him when he entered the CEO’s office for a meeting. This was payback.

The phone vibrated again but Woosung didn’t answer. Yoon Gihwan looked at him and asked.

“What’s going on, newbie? Why aren’t you answering your phone?”

“Haha, it’s nothing. It’s not an important call.”

“Are you having a fight with your girlfriend or something?”

“What?”

It has been so long since he had a girlfriend. “Is it Cha Yeoreum? I could tell that there was something between you two.”

Woosung flinched but answered calmly. “Ha…haha. You’re funny. You’re good, but not that good.”

Woosung clearly looked awkward, but Yoon Gihwan let it go. “Really? Alright. Well, let’s get to work. Let’s work hard!”

Park Junwoo and Kim Yonggun were focused in front of their computers. Woosung sat down as well and when he was about to start, Kwak Jungwook hurried in.

“Woosung! You’re here! Phew, come with me quick, we need to go to the CEO’s room.”

“Me?”

Woosung asked innocently as Kwak Jungwook begged.

“Please. I’m going to be in trouble. We need to go now.”

Woosung decided to follow him.

In the room wasn’t Na Jaeman but Shin Semi. “How did you know?” She asked before Woosung took a seat.

Woosung shrugged and answered. “I told you, insight.”

“This is not a joke. If you continue to give me a bogus answer, this meeting is going to be useless.”

Woosung had already thought of a plausible answer. “Big data. I used my specialty. That’s all.”

“Explain.” Shin Semi bought his excuses and nodded.

“I would like to ask you something in return.”

Shin Semi nodded again. “Ask away.” She felt like he earned the right.

“I would like to know about the secrets of the heirs to Daeyang Group.”

“What?”

“I would even accept any gossips. Do they drink too much? Drugs?”

This was such an unexpected question. Shin Semi looked at him curiously. She expected him to ask for money…

…But this? Shin Semi was confused.

“Why do you need to know that? Did you get a deal from the media or something?”

“Haha, no. It’s…”

Choi Gichul.

Woosung needed to gather information on him. Woosung paused before answering.

“I’m just curious. I am interested in a lot of different things. It doesn’t have to be an accurate fact. Anything you heard about them would be fine, but they have to be things I don’t already know.”

Every piece of information counted. “Hmm…”

“I won’t release it to the media. I’m just curious about the rich people’s world.” Woosung tried hard to convince her. “Collecting data on everything and everyone is my hobby.”

“Well, I guess I know a few things.” Shin Semi was finally convinced.

Based on Woosung’s research, Shin Semi’s father, Shin Yongwon, has a brother. The said brother’s son was married to the second daughter of Kyungsung Newspaper’s CEO. Daeyang Group’s CEO Choi Gunwon’s sister was married to Kyungsung Newspaper’s CEO Song Jongin’s brother.

Rich people married rich people. Shin Semi was also part of this world. More than anyone in this world whom Wusoong knows, she’s the best person he knows when it comes to this kind of info-gathering.

“Perfect. Then I’ll start talking first.”

Shin Semi nodded, and Woosung gave her the answer he prepared.

Google Trend.

Web Crawling. (Internet bot systemically browsing the worldwide web for a defined purpose.)

Previous election result and the predictions.

Woosung stated he analyzed these data through this method. He, of course, didn’t actually do it, but this was his explanation for her.

Shin Semi didn’t ask any questions and just listened. It took Woosung 30 minutes to give an explanation. Shin Semi nodded in response. It seemed like she believed him. She was smiling after all.

“That’s it.”

“Hmm.”

Shin Semi closed her eyes. She was processing what Woosung said in her mind. After a few minutes, she opened her eyes.

“Then it’s my turn. Listen.” She sighed. “First, the first-born Choi Taemin is dating a celebrity.”

“Even though he’s already married?”

“Marriage to rich people are just a business.”

Woosung nodded. He already guessed this.

“Alright. Continue please.”

Shin Semi continued to tell Woosung what she knew. Some things were useless, but some were exactly what Woosung needed to know.

Choi Gichul.

Shin Semi called him a snake, but she explained that when he’s drunk, he changed. He became violent. He was known to throw things and beat people when he became intoxicated. This happened many times, but it was kept from the public by his father.

Daeyang Group’s CEO Choi Gunwon.

He was also violent and abusive to his children. However, he also couldn’t let his children be publicly humiliated, so he made sure that none of the press or media ever mentioned Choi Gichul’s mishaps.

When Woosung returned home that day, he couldn’t stop thinking about the information Shin Semi provided.

“Choi Gichul, alcohol, Choi Gunwon, Daeyang, Daeyang…”

Woosung kept murmuring over and over again. He also over the excel file of future events he created. Most were intended to be used to make money and the rest were about Choi Gichul.

He wrote down every event he could think of that involved Choi Gichul. The day he received a business award, when he attended a baseball game, when he approached Woosung to work for Bitmain, and so many more.

Also on April 28th, 2008.

Woosung remembered the news involving Daeyang’s CEO Choi Gunwon assaulting bartenders on behalf of Choi Gichul. This would happen very soon.

Choi Gichul was annoyed. His oldest brother Choi Taemin was about to win another award on his mobile business. The brothers in his family hated each other.

Choi Taemin’s success was Choi Gichul’s failure. This was what Choi Gunwon always said. Choi Gichul was in the car fuming. When his driver stopped the car at the red light, he screamed.

“Why are you so slow!”

“I’m sorry.”

Choi Gichul kicked the driver’s seat.

“Sorry? That’s it? I told you I hate it when the car stops, didn’t I?”

It was better for the driver to apologize when Choi Gichul was this angry. He kept repeating himself, even stuttering on purpose to show him that he was fearful.

“S…sorry.”

“Dammit! I told you to learn the fastest route that doesn’t require you to stop.” He kicked the seat again. “Why. Are. You. So. Stupid!” Choi Gichul kicked the chair with every word.

The driver moaned to every kick, again on purpose to please Choi Gichul. Not too loud, but just enough.

The light turned green.

“I’m sorry. The light changed.”

The driver drove. Not too fast, but not too slow. He had to keep a perfect speed that kept Choi Gichul comfortable. He sweated visibly as he drove.

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Chapter 45: &lt;It’s over&gt;

Earnings Surprise.

It occurred when a company’s reported profit was better than what was initially expected.

Choi Taemin’s mobile company had an earnings surprise this quarter. This should’ve been a happy day. Choi Gunwon gathered his children around and informed them of the importance of being innovative. When the family meeting was over and Choi Gunwon left, the oldest son Choi Taemin stopped Choi Gichul.

“Don’t be such a baby. Be a man.” Choi Gichul couldn’t answer right away.

When they were young, Choi Taemin was often violent with Choi Gichul. It was not a normal childhood and he still tensed when Choi Taemin was around.

Choi Taemin frowned when Choi Gichul didn’t answer. He said his brother’s name menacingly.

“Choi Gichul.”

Choi Gichul recovered and replied. “Yes, sir.”

Choi Taemin tapped his brother’s shoulder and left. Choi Gichul bowed to the future CEO of the family business.

A bottle of Royal Salute was half empty, but Woosung still felt wide awake, unlike Park Jonghyun who was asleep on the sofa. Woosung kept rubbing his glass and murmured.

“He’ll come. He won’t come. He’ll come. He won’t come.”

Woosung organized his plan for the night in his mind and continued to murmur. There was no CCTV in the hallway or any of the private rooms in this bar. Unless he makes a mistake, Woosung knew he could come and go without leaving any evidence of him being there.

“Drink…I love it…More…Hmmm.”

Park Jonghyun talked in his sleep but Woosung didn’t pay attention. He was waiting. He was focused on any noises outside the room. He knew this was the day it happened, but Woosung wasn’t sure if this was the right bar.

The bar’s name was The Royal, and Woosung knew this was the place Choi Gichul frequented. However, this didn’t mean he would be here today. He just had to trust the information he gathered.

He prayed his guess was right.

‘Please come. I will make your life a living hell.’

Woosung heard a commotion.

“Nooo!”

“W…what’s going on?”

Crash.

Woosung changed into the waiter’s uniform and ran out of the room towards the noise.

It was easy to find him. Choi Gichul was so drunk his eyes looked dead. He was holding a broken bottle like a knife.

“Pigs! Do you know who I am?” Choi Gichul swung the sharp bottle. The people surrounding him stepped back.

“Please sir, you need to stop.”

“You’re going to hurt someone.”

“Call someone for help.”

The bartenders and the waiters were all big men, but they couldn’t touch Choi Gichul. He was the son of Daeyang Group’s CEO. They were not allowed to touch him.

Choi Gichul threw a bottle at a waiter. The young man dodged but the bottle hit the wall and shattered all over the pavement.

A woman screamed from behind Choi Gichul. In the room were his friends who were assaulting a waitress.

“Hahaha, Gichul has gone crazy today.”

“This is fun!”

His friends were just like him. They sneered and didn’t make any effort to stop him. They seemed to be enjoying the situation.

One of the concerned waiters finally protested to the manager. “We need to do something. This is going to end badly.”

“Dammit! There is nothing I can do. Don’t you know as soon as we try to stop him, we are all dead?”

“Umm…should I try to grab the bottle from him?”

“Look at him. He’s crazy. He’ll kill you if you get close.”

“Then all we can do is wait for the director…”

They were frightened, but nothing could be done. Then a man in a waiter’s uniform came up to Choi Gichul and punched him in the face.

It was a solid punch. Choi Gichul collapsed as he dropped the bottle.

The man didn’t stop there. He body-slammed Choi Gichul and continued to punch him.

Choi Gichul started to vomit everywhere. While he laid on the floor in pain, the man whispered to him.

“This is only the beginning, you bastard.”

The others stared in shock. Woosung looked around to see if someone was going to stop him, but no one did. He tried to explain.

“I’m sorry, but I couldn’t just watch him hurt my coworkers.”

“…but this was unnecessary.”

“Sorry. I felt like it’s better to stop him as quickly as possible.”

“Dammit! Well, it’s too late now. Go back to your spot and I’ll call for you later.”

Woosung bowed.

“Yes, sir.”

“By the way, nice punches. Let me know if you are interested in the bouncer position.”

Woosung nodded and went back to his room without another word. He sighed and changed back to his clothes. He called for a waiter and paid the bill.

The bar was still noisy with excitement. No one paid attention to Woosung and Park Jonghyun leaving the bar.

Woosung returned home and exhaled. He still felt jittery. After a few minutes of silence, he finally laughed.

“Hahahahaha! It felt so great!” He beat up Choi Gichul pretty badly. He thought he even saw a few teeth fall out. He used all his strength for every punch. He didn’t care if he killed Choi Gichul. “I wonder if it will be in the news tomorrow.”

Woosung knew what would happen next. Choi Gunwon would bring his muscles to the bar and scream for vengeance. He would ask for the one responsible for assaulting his son but he would never find out.

Woosung couldn’t stop grinning.

At the same time.

7 black sedans arrived at The Royal. Several big muscled men came out and lined up. A middle-aged man came out after them and walked up to the bar.

“This is the place?”

“Yes, President.”

“Get ready.”

The men bowed and entered the bar. The middle-aged man walked in with crooked confidence as if he owned the place.

It was Choi Gunwon, Choi Gichul’s father.

Things happened in passing. The men gathered the waiters, bartenders, and the manager. The muscled bodyguards then brought them down on their knees in front of Choi Gunwon.

The CEO asked. “Who was the one that hit my son?”

The place became dead silent. No one answered, no one knew who the man in the waiter’s uniform was.

After a few minutes, Choi Gunwon exhaled. “Do it.”

Suddenly, the men who came in with Choi Gunwon grabbed the workers. They handed him a baseball bat, and he started to beat the waiters with it.

Daeyang Group’s CEO Choi Gunwon. Here, he looked like the head of a mob.

On the way to his work the next day, Woosung still couldn’t stop smiling. He watched the news that morning, but there was nothing on what happened last night.

“I knew it.”

Last night, Woosung recorded everything with a hidden camera. He sent the footage to multiple news channels, but no one reported it.

This was the power of Daeyang.

“The footage showed his face, yet no one had the guts to report it.”

Woosung was disappointed, but this was expected. He still felt great about his accomplishment last night. He kept clenching his fists. He could still feel the punches. It was great.

Woosung knew some people would think he should be a bigger man and forgive Choi Gichul, but he could never let it go. He would get his revenge.

“I can upload it on SNS.”

Woosung could count on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.

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Chapter 46: &lt;It’s over&gt;

Even at work, Woosung couldn’t help but smile. Yoon Gihwan saw this and asked.

“What’s going on? Are you that happy about quitting this job?”

“Hahahaha. It’s a great life. It’s spring. Spring’s coming.”

Yoon Gihwan couldn’t understand Woosung. “Are you going crazy?”

No one seemed to know why Woosung was in such a great mood. Kim Yonggun murmured nearby.

“Spring… maybe he got a girlfriend.”

“I asked him last week and he said no.”

“Then maybe…”

“Maybe what?”

“He has been to the CEO’s room a few times now. That must mean he was offered something big.”

Yoon Gihwan shook his head.

“What could convince Woosung to stay? I can’t think of anything.”

Woosung approached the two and smiled.

“Hahahahaha. Stop gossiping about me and let’s go out for a break. I’ll buy you guys coffee.”

Woosung laughed with tremendous glee.

They chatted over a cup of coffee. Yoon Gihwan told Woosung.

“I took care of your resignation paper. President Son was reprimanded by Nuri Finances regarding his behavior towards you, so he won’t cause any more problems.”

Park Junwoo took a sip of his iced coffee and spoke out of melancholy. “So you only have a month left with us.”

Kim Yonggun sighed as well. “Hmm…We still have so much more to learn from you, Woosung.”

Woosung stopped smiling and replied seriously.

“All of you are ready to be on your own. From now on, you need to study by yourselves to improve. Learning should never stop for any of us. I believe in you. You will succeed wherever you go.”

Park Junwoo looked like he wanted to ask a question. Woosung knew what it was, so he answered right away.

“Yes, you can become a Microsoft MVP too, but as I said before, it will take an incredible effort. You need to be desperate enough. You need to work like your life depends on it.” Everyone listened intensely. “You can’t do anything half-assed. What you think of your effort doesn’t matter. Your work needs to show it.”

Park Junwoo and Kim Yonggun started to pale. Did Woosung mean they needed to work even harder than now?

Woosung said no. “Haha, that’s not what I meant. You are working hard enough right now, but you need to keep it up until you complete your goals.” Park Junwoo and Kim Yonggun sighed. “If you do, you will both be able to join me on my project for Jang Gwangchul.”

Same team.

They all felt strongly about it. This was what they dreamt of. Woosung continued.

“From now on, you two are 100% responsible for the consulting project. I will be focusing on the algorithm trading system. I will be testing the Beta version on the HTS and make more improvements before handing it to Jang Gwangchul.”

The team members were all silent as they listened. It was clear that now, Woosung was the leader of this group.

“When that’s done, you need to join me, General manager Yoon. By that time, if you two feel the same way, Manager Park and Assistant manager Kim, you can quit and join me as well.”

Woosung was telling them they were ready. Park Junwoo bit his lips and gave out a defeated sigh. He worked tirelessly, and it was all worth it. Kim Yonggun felt the same way. He felt incredibly proud.

“I would be honored to team up with you all.”

Kim Yonggun smiled and joked. “Haha, so does that mean we should now call you President Kang?” Everyone laughed, and Woosung shook his head emphatically.

The future was coming.

The next day.

Yoon Gihwan asked Woosung, who was humming happily.

“President Kang, you are humming? What is making you so happy?”

“Haha, this CEO is always happy.”

Yoon Gihwan snorted. “W…what?”

“I hope you are ready for the day’s work today!”

“Hahaha, you’re funny. So you want to be called the president?”

Woosung grinned and answered. “Haha, just kidding. You started it!”

They joked around like friends. “President Kang, I’m ready. Should we start the day?” Kim Yonggun joined in with a smile.

“Haha, you’re such a good employee. Let’s check our work one more time before we start.” Woosung smiled and answered.

Kim Yonggun bowed.

“Yes, sir!”

Park Junwoo added seriously.

“Well then, we’ll do a final test before the distribution.”

Before the market opened, Jang Gwangchul murmured his routine chant. Afterward, he clicked the HTS window icon. An update automatically started.

-HTS Version 1.1.2.57

-Winning stocks recommendation function Beta Ver. added

: List of future winning stocks provided : Please use at your own risk : Please read all the details before use

-Various bugs have also been fixed.

Winning stocks recommendation.

Woosung already told him of it. It would be tested on the HTS, and an improved version would be included in the algorithm trading system Woosung was developing for him.

This was a Beta version.

“Woosung said that based on his calculation, the recommendation list has a 54% chance of success.”

When Jang Gwangchul clicked the new icon, a list of stocks came up. It also included when and how much each stock would go up.

Every stock had predicted a minimum increase of 10%. If one invested 10,000 dollars, they would quickly make 1,000 dollars.

“He said that if I invest too much money at a time, it can change the final outcome. So I should start with just 10,000 dollars.”

Jang Gwangchul started buying $10,000 each of recommended stocks. Afterward, he started to do what he did best: scalping.

“Title: What a garbage function.

“Message: Recommendation? You mean for failure? I bought the recommended stocks today and lost everything. Shouldn’t Nuri Finances pay for my losses?”

“Title: Bogus recommendation system.

“Message: I had my doubts but still tried it and I was right. Don’t trust this function. I lost a lot of money today.”

“Title: Nuri Finances needs to read this message.

“Message: Are you kidding me? I joined your system because I heard good things about it, but this is stupid. Someone needs to pay for this idiotic new function.”

Kwon Taegyun grinned as he read the complaints. Recently, Woosung was the star of the company, but the failure of this new function would be his ruin. Kwon Taegyun asked Oh Juhoon.

“What do you think? Will this recommendation function work out in the end?”

“I didn’t get a chance to have a close look at it, so I don’t know. However, knowing Woosung, I bet it’ll be a success.”

Kwon Taegyun frowned. “Why would you defend our rival company?”

“Sir, I came here to work and be productive, not to bash anyone.”

Kwon Taegyun replied grudgingly. “Fine, fine.”

Kwon Taegyun stopped asking questions and continued to read more complaints.

Na Jaeman was on his way to the CEOs’ meeting. His face was pale. His recent performance was barely on par with his previous month. Nuri Finances reached the number two position in Korea but went back down to the third place. Based on how bad it was doing now, it was very possible that it may drop to the fourth place in the near future.

As expected, Na Jaeman was reprimanded for the company’s lack of improvement. When the meeting ended and Na Jaeman walked out, Park Jiwon followed him.

“President Na, are you ok? Don’t be so down. Everyone has bad days.”

“You must be happy. You did well this time.”

“Hahaha, it’s true. I will buy you a drink, so feel better!”

Nothing could make Na Jaeman feel better. He didn’t know if his company would do better in the future.

Park Jiwon put his hand on Na Jaeman’s shoulder.

“Let’s go. We need to go for a drink.”

Before they exited the building, someone hurried to Na Jaeman.

“President Na, the Advisor would like to see you.”

Na Jaeman could guess which advisor asked for him. He turned around and followed the messenger.

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Chapter 47:

Shin Semi asked Na Jaeman as soon as he entered the room.

“Is this Woosung’s project?”

Na Jaeman nodded.

“Do you know which algorithm is being used to make the predictions?”

“It analyzes the pattern of the winning stocks from last 5 years. It then recommends any current stocks that follow a similar pattern.”

“That explanation is an easy version. Do you know the details?”

He didn’t. He was the CEO, not a developer. “I don’t know the specifics. This is only a Beta version. When its trial ends next week, we are going to get rid of it.”

“You won’t keep it?”

“We have received a lot of complaints regarding this new function. I believe it is the reason why our performance went down this period. Of course, we should remove it.”

“Do you have any solid evidence this function is the reason for your performance decline?”

Na Jaeman hesitated. He didn’t have clear proof. It was just a guess. The only thing he had was the complaints.

“We have had an increase in negative VoC about this function.” Na Jaeman answered cautiously. Shin Semi looked at him for a further explanation. He continued quickly. “It was a controversial idea even before it was released. What if the recommendation caused users to lose money and they ask for compensation? In fact, this is exactly what’s happening now. We decided to give it a try because we trusted Woosung Kang, but it was a mistake. We can’t keep it.”

Shin Semi asked. “You’re assuming the increase in VoC equals an increase in the number of users leaving our website. Are you sure? Because recently I heard the number one reason for an increase in the number of new users is this new recommendation function.”

“Umm…”

Na Jaeman didn’t know what to say. Shin Semi considered probing further, but it was not wise to upset a CEO.

“Alright. By the way…”

Shin Semi bit her lip. She felt like this function needed to stay. She didn’t know why, but she knew this function was crucial.

“When does the trial end?”

“At the end of May. It coincides with when Woosung is planned to leave Daesan. There is a rumor this new function is his way of telling us off.”

Shin Semi answered emphatically. “There is no way Woosung would do something like that.”

Na Jaeman knew what Shin Semi wanted to hear. He offered. “I will do whatever you ask me to do.”

“Let’s just keep an eye on it till the end of May. There must be a reason why Woosung set its trial end date till that time.”

“Alright.”

Na Jaeman left and Shin Semi’s secretary walked in.

“Here is the information you asked for.”

“Ok.”

Name: Woosung Kang

Age: 26

Address: xxx Huikyungdong, Dong Dae Gate, Seoul

GPA: 3.02

Friends

- Yoon Chanjong: Woosung's college friend. Helped Woosung academically.

Currently working at Daeyang System. Has a good reputation.

- Park Jonghyun: Woosung's college friend. Currently unemployed. Known to be annoying.

- Cha Yeoreum: Woosung's college girlfriend and first love. Currently working at Daeyang System.

Shin Semi stared at Cha Yeoreum’s name.

Kwak Jungwook visited Woosung to discuss the recent increase in the customer complaints.

Woosung read the reviews himself. There were many, and all of them were about his recommendation function. Some even attacked Woosung directly.

Woosung smiled. Yoon Gihwan asked with a worried expression.

“Do you think this is okay? As Manager Kwak said, many users are unsubscribing. There are so many complaints about it.”

“Angry users are always louder than the happy ones. It’s their way of venting out.”

“But what about losing customers?”

“There is an obvious reason for it. There are many other companies copying our speed trading and HTS system. This means many customers will choose our competitions over us.”

Yoon Gihwan nodded.

“I guess. What about the rumor you created a bad program on purpose? Your reputation means everything in this field.”

Woosung wasn’t worried.

“You saw the data result. Our recommendation has a 55% success rate as we claimed. That means there are 55% of users who made money using our system. Good VoCs will start rolling in.”

“I know what the data says but the positive reviews need to start right away. If we don’t, then the headquarter will get rid of the program.”

“If you are that worried, I can do something about it.”

“Really? What?”

“Easy. I can change the parameters to decrease the number of recommendation items. This will increase the success rate, but only for a little while.”

“What kind of increase?”

“At least 5%. But like I said, it will go down back to normal in time. I guess it wouldn’t matter though. We’ll be long gone by then.”

Woosung murmured as he turned on the Visual Studio.

At the same time.

On the website Darth Insider, reviews on Nuri Finances started to appear.

“I made a lot of money by following its recommendation.”

“Nuri Finances HTS! It’s awesome. I did very well recently using its new recommendation function. Everyone needs to go try it out.”

“You can’t lose with this program.”

Some were still negative reviews, but it was enough to pique many people’s interest. Soon, Nuri Finances HTS became a popular search term online.

Nuri Finances CEO room.

Woosung entered and saw both familiar and unfamiliar faces. Woosung greeted everyone and sat down. Na Jaeman explained.

“We asked you to come because we have a few questions about the newly added recommendation function.”

Then he introduced everyone to Woosung.

“Risk Management Team.”

“Product Development Team.”

“Smart Finances Team.”

“IT Support Team.”

These were the people running this company. Everyone looked at Woosung with their gazes piercing through him. The head of the Risk Management Team asked first.

“I am the chief of the Risk Management Team. The main reason why we called for this meeting is because of all the negative VoCs. I don’t know if you read them, but we received 121 yesterday.”

Woosung already heard this from Kwak Jungwook.

“I am aware of it.”

“And many customers are unsubscribing from our website.”

“I know that too.”

“Then I will be blunt. Can you give us a good reason why we should continue to keep this new function?”

Woosung didn’t falter. He answered confidently.

“Without new innovative functions like this, Nuri Finances will not be able to grow.”

The chiefs looked at each other.

“Won’t grow…Don’t you think you are being too dramatic?”

“Consider this a step back to achieve two steps forward.”

Na Jaeman looked at Woosung with interest.

‘Look at this guy.’

Others looked at Woosung similarly. Jo Youngsuk asked Woosung.

“Many of us disagree with you. You’ll have to explain better.”

Jo Youngsuk’s tone was kind. It was clear he believed in Woosung. Woosung hesitated for a few seconds before answering.

“I believe in the data. I don’t know what proof you have, but based on my analysis, this will work out soon.” Woosung drank a sip of water and continued. “Kwak Jungwook helped with the analysis. In fact, he knows more about it than I do. Would you prefer to call him up for a more detailed explanation?”

Woosung had already prepared Kwak Jungwook for this, so he felt confident. Na Jaeman nodded and called for Kwak Jungwook.

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Chapter 48:

Kwak Jungwook entered the room with timid movements. He seemed nervous as he handed out the reports he and Woosung prepared together.

Before this meeting, Woosung told Kwak Jungwook that this was going to be his chance to shine. Woosung would leave soon anyway, so he wanted Kwak Jungwook to get all the credit.

Kwak Jungwook started.

“I…if you see the first page, you can see the reasons the new users provided for subscribing to our system.”

It was the first time he ever did a presentation in front of such high-ranking members. He stuttered, but he managed to regain his composure when Woosung gave him a reassigning look.

“Advantages of the HTS

1. Speed trading.

2. Stable HTS.

3. Winning stock recommendation function.”

“As you can see, the new recommendation function is the third most popular reason to attract new customers. This means many users find the recommendations helpful. So why do you think most VoCs are negative?”

As he continued, Kwak Jungwook managed to his confidence in himself.

“It’s simple. Those who are making money from this system want to keep it to themselves. Let’s take a look at the data.” Kwak Jungwook turned to the next page. “This shows how well our recommended stocks did last 2 weeks. So far, we recommended 41 stocks, and 23 of them soared over 10% each. Our current success rate is 58%.”

The chief of the Risk Management Team asked.

“But what about the other 18 stocks? How did they do? The complaints must be from those who bought those stocks.”

“Have a look.”

: -5.2%

“An average of 5.2% loss was seen among those stocks. Our system works as we planned. It has over 50% chance of success. So why are we getting so many complaints?”

No one could answer. Kwak Jungwook felt powerful as he looked around the room. He looked at Woosung with a strong hint of appreciation. Na Jaeman asked the chief of Risk Management Team.

“What do you think?”

“Um…My guess would be that those customers who lost money left bad reviews before they unsubscribed.”

Kwak Jungwook continued his presentation.

“If you look at the next page, you can see that so far there are 1987 users who lost money from our recommendations. It’s less than 2000 people. Even if all of them canceled their subscriptions, it wouldn’t be enough to affect Nuri Finances’ overall performance.” Kwak Jungwook added confidently. “These are raw data that haven’t been sent to anyone yet. It’s no wonder many people believe the new function to be the reason for the decrease in our performance.” Kwak Jungwook stood tall and continued. “I will now explain why the company’s performance declined. Please have a look at page 4.”

Woosung looked at Kwak Jungwook like a proud mare of a galloping stallion. Others also looked at him with the purest form of admiration. Na Jaeman said to Kwak Jungwook.

“I can see how hard you worked on this, Manager Kwak. I never realized before how talented you are.”

After the presentation, Woosung and Kwak Jungwook headed to IDC (Internet Data Center: The repository that safely houses computing facilities such as servers.) in Mokdong. Kwak Jungwook thanked Woosung.

“Haha, thank you so much. You made me look really good in front of my boss today.”

“No problem. You have helped me out a lot over the last few months. This is nothing.”

They entered the IDC after signing in.

“No, I owe you a big one. I will buy you lunch sometime.”

“Alright. As I said before, the success rate of this function will decrease over time. You need to remember this.”

Kwak Jungwook nodded and repeated what Woosung told him before.

“As the number of users increases, the number of transactions will increase as well. This will cause the algorithm to be less profitable.”

“Exactly, and after I leave, if you need anything, you can talk to Manager Park.”

Kwak Jungwook nodded and looked at Woosung respectfully. “I understand. Without you, I can see a difficult time ahead of our company. Manager Park will have a lot of work to do to fill your shoes.”

“I know, but he’ll do just fine. I must admit, I am starting to get worried about him. I think he has been working late nights every day for a while now.”

One could visibly see that Park Junwoo lost a lot of weight recently.

“I noticed too. I hope he’s ok.” Woosung nodded. Kwak Jungwook hesitated before asking. “Um, can I watch you uploading the server on DMA?”

“Of course. I can’t show you the insider codes but otherwise, you can watch the rest.”

Woosung sat down in front of one of the computers inside IDC. He started to type fast.

It wasn’t just Woosung in the room. Many developers were there working too.

‘So I know for sure the Beta version of this algorithm works. I wonder how well the Alpha version would perform?’

Woosung smiled as he worked. He had a DMA circuit from Shin Semi.

It could only be used from Mokdong IDC. It was an inconvenience, but it was all worth it. Woosung tested it and found it was up to 0.004 seconds faster.

‘Let’s try it with just 50,000 dollars. If it works well, I will add the other 70,000 dollars and any more money I make from now on. Haha’

If he invested everything using the algorithm trading, Woosung expected a huge return.

10 million dollars. Maybe even more.

Woosung focused and started the Alpha version of his algorithm trading system.

-nuri@unixchannel# start-autotrading.sh

[INFO] Auto Trading System Starting….

[INFO] Network Status Check…. : Complete

…

…

When he executed the start script, the program began.

Nuri Finances’ HTS became the most popular online search term within a few days.

1.Nuri Finances HTS

2.Winning Stocks Recommendation

3.Nuri Finances Subscription

4.Nuri Finances Group

It was the best PR any company could ask for, and it was being done for free. The effect was immediate too. The increase in the number of new users came as quick as thunder. Chairman Shin Yongwon called for Na Jaeman.

“President Na, you did great.”

“It is all thanks to my employees.”

“Did you say his name was Woosung Kang?”

“Yes, sir.”

“And he refused the job offer from Nuri Finances?”

“He said he doesn’t want to work for anyone. I think he must be planning to create his own company.”

Shin Yongwon rubbed his chin. “Keep an eye on him and when you get a chance, ask him again. You and I both know how hard it is to survive in this field. I will make sure he fails and that will be our chance.”

Na Jaeman shivered. He understood what Shin Yongwon meant to do. Na Jaeman didn’t agree with his intentions but nodded. He had no choice.

“Yes, sir.”

“Anyway, that’s that. Now, how well do you think Nuri Finances will do this period?”

“If this continues, we will become number one within one month.”

“Haha, that good? So we really need him then. I will have to make it happen.”

Na Jaeman nodded again and Shin Yongwon smiled.

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Chapter 49:

50,000.00.

50,400.00.

50,001.00.

55,109.00.

53,855.00.

54,102.10.

The number went up and down, but there was a clear pattern.

It was going up.

Woosung frequently checked his account and there was no doubt it was working.

“Yes!” Woosung exclaimed. It has been 2 weeks since he started using his algorithm trading system from Nuri Finances’ IDC.

In 2 weeks, he made about 4,000 dollars.

It was close to a 10% return. If this trend continued, he could make over 100,000 dollars in 3 months. If he invested even more money…

Woosung grinned.

“And then there is the financial crisis!”

September 12th was a Friday.

Lehman Brothers will file for bankruptcy on September 13th, which will be Saturday. By September 16th, the majority of the stocks will drop significantly.

If he purchased out options on September 12th, by September 16th their values will soar. It could be up to 500 times increase.

With a million dollars, he could make up to 500 million dollars. What if he invested not only in the Korean stock market but also the international markets? What if he got involved in US Dow Jones?

Woosung let out a large grin. “What an investment.”

100% success rate.

Knowing the future meant Woosung couldn’t lose.

May 30th.

It was the last day of work for Woosung. In his previous life, Woosung was fired from his job. It was different this time. In fact, Woosung was called up by the CEO today to receive a recognition award for his good work.

He also received a golden key as a reward.

Na Jaeman smiled at Woosung. “I will miss you. The company will definitely miss you too.”

“You have other good employees here. The company will do great.”

“But you are the best!”

“As you saw recently, Kwak Jungwook is great too.”

Woosung again mentioned Kwak Jungwook, But Na Jaeman shook his head.

“But not as good as you. You are the one who put our company at the top.” Woosung smiled awkwardly. Na Jaeman continued quickly. “Now what’s your plan for the future?”

Woosung felt a sense of danger. He felt like he was being threatened. He realized he couldn’t be totally honest with this man. Woosung trusted his gut feeling.

“I plan to continue with my studies and do some random works.”

“Haha, it’s humbling to hear that someone like you still feel like you need to continue to learn.”

“It’s not that. This field is very competitive and so you can never be lazy.”

Na Jaeman was still curious. He kept asking more questions. “I heard you are making good use of the DMA. I made sure you have permanent access to it.”

“Thank you so much.”

“I wish there is more I can do for you. If you stayed here…Whenever you want to come back, you’ll always have a place here.”

Na Jaeman’s kindness was alarming to Woosung. “Thank you.” He smiled with an awkward smile.

“Haha, I am keeping you here too long. Thank you again for your hard work.” Na Jaeman put his hand out for a handshake.

Woosung shook his hand. He noticed how Na Jaeman’s smile didn’t reach his eyes, Woosung knew he shouldn’t trust him.

When he returned to the office, Yoon Gihwan stood up. “Thank you for your hard work. I will see you soon.”

“Of course. I will contact you soon.”

Kim Yonggun also couldn’t hide his disappointment. “Good work, President Kang!”

“What? Haha.”

Park Junwoo shook Woosung’s hand. “Thank you for everything. I will work harder to be worthy.”

“Haha, no way. You’re working way too hard even now. You need to take a break.”

Park Junwoo looked like he aged 10 years in the last few months. It was clear he worked without a sliver of rest.

“No. I still have so much to learn. I have been looking into linear regression recently and it is not easy.”

“It definitely isn’t, but you need to take care of your health too.” Park Junwoo repeated what Yoon Gihwan said before. “If you don’t have the brain, you need to work harder to make up for it.”

Park Junwoo was unwavering. Woosung knew there was nothing more he could say to him, so he finally packed his bag and left.

This was it. Now that it was really happening, Woosung felt both excited and frightened. He wondered if he made a mistake, but he knew this was what he had to do.

When he exited the main entrance, someone called out his name. “Woosung, I will give you a ride.”

“I don’t get into strangers’ cars.”

Shin Semi knew what would interest Woosung. “I heard a rumor on Daeyang Group recently.” She knew exactly what Woosung wanted. When he got into the black sedan, she asked.

“Where do you live?”

Woosung told the driver his address. The car started to move.

In the car, Shin Semi asked with a sly grin. “The recent incident with Choi Gichul…Was that you?”

Woosung didn’t panic. “I don’t know what you are talking about.” He answered with no hesitation.

“Well, it doesn’t matter. Who do you think is going to be the next president?”

This was an unexpected question. Woosung almost said the name out loud but stopped himself.

“Haha, I’m not a fortune teller. How would I know that?”

“You can do what you did last time to predict it. You said it was data analysis.”

“It’s not that quick or easy.”

“I see.”

Silence.

Woosung started to sweat.

‘This woman is crazy.’

To change this uncomfortable subject, Woosung decided to ask Shin Semi. “You promised to tell me something. What have you heard about the Daeyang Group?”

“The oldest Choi Taemin will be divorcing soon.”

Divorce.

Woosung remembered this from his previous life. Choi Taemin’s wife was also a daughter of a rich businessman. After the divorce, she will date a celebrity.

“And?”

“You are so curious about Daeyang Group, aren’t you?”

“Haha, I told you before. Collecting data is my hobby.”

“There is a rumor Chairman Choi Gunwon’s sex tape has been leaked.”

Woosung also knew this to be true. So far, Shin Semi’s information has been reliable. He realized he could trust Shin Semi to be honest.

“And the middle brother Choi Gitae is a drug addict.”

“Drugs?”

This was a piece of new information. If Choi Gitae was doing drugs, there was a good chance that Choi Gichul was as well.

This could be useful for Woosung.

He asked. “Anything about Choi Gichul?”

“Choi Gichul is currently studying abroad.” Shin Semi’s eyes became sharp.

Woosung asked quickly.

“Oh, I saw it on the news. So it must be true.”

Woosung looked out the window. “We’re almost there.” Shin Semi said as they got close to his place.

The car stopped. Woosung opened the door right thereafter. As soon as the door closed, the car drove away.

When Woosung opened the door to his house, he heard laughter.

“You are so funny, sir.”

“Hahaha, please call me Gwangchul, and I meant what I said. You should be an actress! You are so beautiful.”

“Hahaha, you’re such a liar.”

“I’m serious! I have been wondering where Woosung got his good looks. Now I know.”

Kim Eunjung answered happily. “Well, it is true that Woosung is very handsome.”

“I wish I was too.”

“Gwangchul, you’re handsome too!”

The living room was filled with the smell of meat cooking.

“Oh Woosung, you’re home!” Kim Eunjung stood up to greet her son. His parents already knew he quit his job. They tried to convince him otherwise but realized that they couldn’t change Woosung’s mind.

“I didn’t realize we had a guest.”

“Well, it’s your last day of work so I thought we should celebrate. I bought some steaks.”

“But what about your work?”

Jang Gwanchul was a daytime trader. It was a weekday today. He should have been home working.

“Haha, I can afford to take a day off if I want to.”

“I guess…”

“Take a seat. I brought the best steak in the city! Let’s have a nice late lunch.”

Kim Eunjung added. “Did you even get to eat lunch? Gwangchul brought steaks and wild ginseng.”

Woosung was surprised to hear this. “What? Wild ginseng?”

“I wanted to bring you and your parents something special.”

Jang Gwangchul opened the box he brought. Inside were three wild ginseng roots. He picked up one of it and handed it to Woosung.

“Here, take a piece. Put it in your mouth and chew it slowly. It’s a 50-year old wild ginseng.”

50 years old? How much was it?

Woosung guessed the damn this would have probably costed at least a few thousand dollars. Kim Eunjung looked at it wistfully.

“Mom, you have a piece too.”

“R…really?”

Jang Gwangchul smiled and handed a piece to Kim Eunjung too.

“Oh sorry! Here is a big one for you.”

Chew, chew.

Woosung chewed for 15 minutes before swallowing it.

Ah, eating wild ginseng on his last day of work. Woosung saw this as a good omen.

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Chapter 50:

After the hearty meal, Woosung went to his room. Jang Gwangchul laid down on the bed and Woosung sat on the chair. Woosung started his explanation.

“Let’s start with the algorithm trading. As I told you in the last week’s email, Beta version was a success. Currently, I am running the Alpha version on Nuri Finances’ IDC.” He continued without a pause. “And while I was testing this out, I also worked on MQTT development as much as possible. I still have a few things to work out, but I have a bulk of it done. I can show you the prototype so please arrange a meeting with Hong Soobum.”

Every time Jang Gwangchul moved, the old bed squeaked.

It was a small room. The bed was worn.

“You are making me feel uncomfortable.” Jang Gwangchul said with a pout. Woosung knew what he meant. He sighed and replied.

“Sir, I need more time to get to know you before I start calling you ‘big brother.’ For now, let’s keep this as a business relationship.”

“But you promised!” Jang Gwangchul stood up and looked around the room. It was filled with books. All of them were purchased after Woosung came back from death.

“I can see you studied your butt off. You must have studied hard at school.”

“No. I did after I started working.”

Choi Gichul.

He was the reason why Woosung worked like his life depended on it.

“I guess the real world taught you a thing or two. Now you are free. You should get your own place. You are becoming a burden to your mother.”

“Thank you for your advice, but I can take care of myself.”

“Coconut app is a very important project to me. Algorithm trading system too. You are the main developer for both programs, which means it’s my job to provide for you as best as I can.” It sounded like Jang Gwangchul was offering him to buy a house. “I would love to have you live with me, but you are a young man who probably needs privacy.”

Jang Gwangchul was a VIP everywhere, including Nuri Finances and various banks. Woosung was sure he probably owned many properties.

“That’s ok. I can find my own place by myself.”

“This is something I would really like to do for you.”

“I know you’re rich, but this is not necessary.”

Jang Gwangchul’s eyes sparked.

“Great. Then tell me what you need. You didn’t quit just to work on the algorithm system and MQTT.”

Woosung looked out the window.

Jang Gwangchul was right. His main reason was to prepare for various future events such as the financial crisis and the release of Bitcoin. These were Woosung’s two focuses. There were many other chances as well, but Woosung wasn’t sure if it was possible for him to take advantage of everything.

One was a very high-risk business. It was also going to take a lot of funds. Woosung wasn’t planning to get involved in it, but hearing Jang Gwangchul’s offer, Woosung changed his mind.

“Do you remember Hong Soobum’s seminar on the future of the mobile era? What did you think of it?”

“That it’s going to happen soon, or how iPhone will take over the world?”

“Then have you ever considered getting into manufacturing your own cell phone?”

“W…what?”

“iPhone. It’s a brand-new type of cell phone. It is not just a new thing, but a new field. Are you going to just sit and watch?”

“Manufacturing…Develop our own type of cell phone?”

“Cell phone that will include our revolutionary app Coconut. You can get into both the platform and the hardware. What do you think?”

Jang Gwangchul became speechless.

Manufacturing.

He has never considered it. The cell phone industry was already saturated with companies like Nokia, Motorola, Blackberry, and Daeyang System. The competition was impossible.

Woosung could see what Jang Gwangchul was thinking. He continued.

“For a while, iPhone will be on the top and the rest will be busy trying to catch up. But if I get into it…”

Woosung paused.

“I can make something that can compete against iPhone.”

Jang Gwangchul swallowed.

Woosung explained in more details. He mesmerized Jang Gwangchul in just a few seconds. Woosung was describing the future.

“Daeyang will be releasing a Window Mobile OS based cell phone as a contender against iPhone, but this will fail.”

“Daeyang’s new phone will fail? How can you be so sure?”

“Same reason why I am developing MQTT. Window OS is heavy and drains batteries too quickly. This means the apps will be slow and the customers will not buy it.”

Woosung was from the future. He knew this to be true. In November 2008, Daeyang will release its new smartphone Amor and it will fail miserably.

However, the next phone after Amor, Blue S, will become a huge success.

As Woosung continued, Jang Gwangchul looked at him in fascination. He sat up closer to Woosung.

“You can create something better?”

“In November last year, Google created OHA (Open Handset Alliance) and introduced an OS platform for mobile phones. If we create a phone with this OS included, we can eliminate the problem Daeyang will face with its new phone.”

Woosung paused before continuing.

Manufacturing.

If you failed in this field, you could lose everything. “But we could face other technical problems. Hardware industry requires extensive experience.” Woosung said honestly.

“And it will cost a lot of money.”

“We will need an access to an unlimited funds.”

Even if they created a good product, there was no guarantee it would sell. Woosung knew popular designs from the future, but this was a different time. It was impossible to tell what may happen.

There were so many risks, but it could also be a once in a lifetime opportunity.

A chance to destroy Daeyang.

“I appreciate your honesty.”

“If we decide to go ahead with it, the earliest we could start would be October. It takes a lot of research, and I also need to complete my other projects. So you have some time to think about it.”

Financial crisis was to happen in September. Woosung needed to focus on it for now.

“And what would be my responsibility?”

“You need to find hardware developers or a company that deals with it. We would also need an investor who would be interested in about 30% of our company. For me, I will attend the MS MVP Global Summit in US to network.”

When Woosung answered seriously, Jang Gwangchul became excited. He stood up.

“Manufacturing…We can make our own cell phone for our app.”

“We can start calling the cell phones the smartphones.”

“And what would you want to name this smartphone?”

“Blue S. A friend for you in this lonely world.”

It was the exact slogan Daeyang used to sell its Blue S in Woosung’s previous life. Daeyang spent a lot of money for social experts to come up with it and it became very popular. Jang Gwangchul exhaled eagerly and held Woosung’s hands.

“I don’t know how you come up with these things.”

Woosung smiled coolly and answered. “Please make sure to think carefully. Remember, you can’t tell anyone about it, ok?”

He hugged Woosung.

Dinner time.

Jang Gwangchul visited Hong Soobum. He took his trusted developer to his home.

“You know about Google’s Android, right?”

“It hasn’t been released yet, but it’s coming.”

Hong Soobum repeated what Woosung already told Jang Gwangchul. Jang Gwangchul had many more questions.

“What do you think about it? Do you think it will be a success? Do you think the users with smartphones will like it?”

“There is no way for me to answer that accurately.”

“Then let me ask you this. Would you be interested in making a smartphone with me?”

“What?”

“We can create our own cell phone and include our Coconut app right in it. What do you think? Are you interested?”

Hong Soobum’s face remained stern.

“Not at all.”

After a brief pause, he continued lightning fast. “Creating an app is one thing, but manufacturing is a completely different animal. You need a factory and countless parts. You need to look into companies that make parts for CPU, memory, touch screen, sound, and so on. The work involved will be endless with no guarantee of success.” Hon Soobum continued. “And even if you take care of all that and make a product, the troubleshooting we’ll have to deal with would be a headache. After all that, if we don’t succeed, all the money that went into it will be gone.”

“Everything has risks. High risk investment can provide a chance for high return. We could potentially become a company like Apple.”

“This industry is already so saturated. Remember Nokia, Blackberry, Motorola, and Daeyang?”

“But do you remember what you said at your seminar? iPhone reinvented the concept of phone.” Jang Gwangchul, now excited than ever, continued. “There is no one who can compete against it. It will be the sole ruler of this business for a long time. Perhaps forever. If we don’t go after it, we will be left behind.”

Hong Soobum remained silent. He seemed unconvinced. “We could become their competition.”Hong Soobum shook his head. He didn’t believe it was possible.

Jang Gwangchul continued persistently. “Blue S. A friend for you in this lonely world. Our mutual friend suggested it.”

“…”

After much thinking, Hong Soobum finally answered.

“It’s too big of a risk, and you still want to do it?”

“YES!”

“Alright. I will think about it and look into it.”

“Woosung will be the CEO, so you need to talk to him. He’s on his way here right now.”

Hong Soobum nodded.

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Chapter 51:

Late that night.

It was more like early morning. Jang Gwangchul, Woosung, and Hong Soobum sat down together. Woosung first explained what he had completed so far.

He showed the MQTT prototype. He even had a PPT prepared for them. He also had a similarly detailed presentation on the algorithm trading system.

Jang Gwangchul assured Woosung would welcome Hong Soobum to learn about the trading system, so he explained everything to both men.

There was still much more work to do.

Woosung was about 50% done.

However, Jang Gwangchul didn’t care about it. Hong Soobum listened with obvious interest. After Woosung finished, he asked a question.

“You still have much left to do. You need to figure out how to deal with message transmission failure. You also need to test different situations.”

“Yes. As I said earlier, only about 50% of the work is done so far.”

“But it was still interesting. After you are done, I can see Coconut will be perfect.”

“The best part is that it won’t be only for Coconut but could also be used for IoT (Internet of things). Its potential use will be endless.”

“That’s true. I am jealous you get to work on such a versatile program.”

Woosung, flattered at Hong Soobum’s compliment, smiled like a little child.

“Haha, thank you.”

Suddenly, Jang Gwangchul became impatient. “Now that we are done talking about the app, we need to discuss the smartphone business.”

Woosung began by comparing the iPhone and the Android. He listed the pros and cons of each. He provided the detailed information as if he created these phones himself. Hong Soobum asked in disbelief.

“How could you know so much about these phones? They haven’t even been released yet.”

“Why would anyone need to use it to know about the product? The Internet is filled with an infinite amount of information.”

“I agree you can learn about the iPhone since it has been released in the US, but android is still only at an early development stage. I don’t understand how you could know so much about it.”

Android 1.0 applepie version was to be released in September 2008. In Woosung’s previous life, the world’s first Android phone GI was released in Taiwan in October 2008.

The problem was these things haven’t happened yet in this life. It was no wonder Hong Soobum couldn’t believe Woosung.

“It’s an educated guess on my part. Information on iPhone tells me what android must be like.” Woosung took a sip of water and continued. “To me, it seems very obvious and common sense.”

Jang Gwangchul couldn’t take all this technical talk. “So are we going to do it or not?” He asked impatiently.

Hong Soobum didn’t answer. He was someone Woosung admired and respected. His opinion mattered to both Woosung and Jang Gwangchul.

“There are so many risks. Android is only at its beginning stage. There are so many unknowns. If we use it, then we will become dependant on Google. What about things like CPU and memory? They will have to be from Daeyang, but will they provide them to us?”

Hong Soobum.

He was a talented developer and a successful future businessman.

He was the best Woosung has ever met.

So for Hong Soobum to disagree with this business idea was a concern.

“Let’s say we did make a product. What happens then? In Korea, cell phones are sold only through the cell phone carriers. Will they accept our product?”

Jang Gwangchul looked disappointed.

“But you said…”

“I said I’ll think about it.”

“Hmm.” Woosung looked at Hong Soobum and started to doubt himself.

‘Is this not possible then?’

Woosung shook his head quickly. He was certain he could make this work.

Just like Chinese company Xiaomi or drone company DJI, late starters could still succeed in a saturated market.

Hong Soobum shook his head and said to Jang Gwangchul. “As you know, you shouldn’t do business with your heart. When you buy or sell stocks, you use your instinct, right?”

He then turned to Woosung, who replied slowly.

“Let me tell you a story. There was an average developer. As soon as he started his job, he realized how incompetent he was. He was reprimanded all the time at work, so he had to study very hard just to make it. Studying was not his thing. He barely graduated. He hated to study, but he had to do it.” Woosung looked out the dark window. “He had to do it to survive.”

It was early in the morning and so it was dark outside.

“Then, something amazing happened. He started to get better at his job. He realized he can do it!” The sun started to rise. Woosung continued as he stared at the dazzling sunrise. “Desperation was the key. If he worked like his life depended on it, then he realized he could accomplish anything.”

It started to get lighter outside. Woosung turned to Hong Soobum. “There is nothing he couldn’t do. I agree with you that you shouldn’t do business with your heart. You do it with your life.”

The sun shined behind Woosung. To Hong Soobum and Jang Gwangchul, it looked like a halo around Woosung. Woosung said to them.

“I will bet my life on this project.”

Hong Soobum and Jang Gwangchul stared in awe. After a few minutes, Hong Soobum finally replied.

“Do you remember when we first met, you told me how I was going to become very successful?” Woosung nodded. Hong Soobum said to him confidently. “Right back at you.”

Jang Gwangchul laughed happily.

Jang Gwangchul nicknamed this group the three musketeers. He decided that Woosung was the leader among them.

“We weren’t born on the same day, but we shall succeed together on the same day!”

Woosung smiled in embarrassment at Jang Gwangchul’s grand declaration. Hong Soobum seemed like he felt the same way but Jang Gwangchul continued anyway.

“Now we must chant together! The three musketeers!”

Woosung and Hong Soobum were too self-conscious, but Jang Gwangchul was insistent. He wanted all three of them to roar their nickname together. Woosung realized there was no way out. Jang Gwangchul wasn’t going to give up on it. After a few seconds of hesitation, all three raised their glasses and cheered.

“Three musketeers!”

After emptying their glasses, Jang Gwangchul gave out a hearty laugh. “I am so excited. It’s an honor to work with such heroes!”

“So now that you are free from your job, what’s your plan?” Hong Soobum asked Woosung.

“I need to first finish the on-going projects. Then I will need to go to the US for a while.”

“America?”

“I am planning to attend the Microsoft MVP Summit in June. It will take place in Seattle. I think I may be able to learn more about Google’s Android there.”

This was the reason Woosung was giving, but he had other reasons as well.

One of it was the financial crisis.

There were a few things Woosung had to take care of to prepare for it. Hong Soobum tilted his head and replied.

“Well, I guess if the OS doesn’t get released, we won’t be able to even begin.”

“There is no future for the Windows mobile system, and Apple won’t reveal its IOS. So our two options so far are either wait for the release of the Android OS or make our own OS.”

Realistically, making an OS (Operating System) was impossible. This meant their business depended on Google. Hong Soobum knew this very well.

“I guess all we can do is wait for its release.” Jang Gwangchul continued to drink as he chimed in. “Woosung, check your bank account. I just transferred you the rest of the money for the algorithm trading system.”

He also took out some paperwork and handed it to Woosung.

“And this is the Coconut contract. As we agreed, you will be getting 15% of the Coconut app company. Have a look.”

“But I haven’t finished the work yet…”

“I have no doubt you’ll get it done.” Jang Gwangchul continued. “And I thought that since you won’t be getting a regular salary from now on, you might need the money.”

Woosung felt overwhelmed. He bowed as a reply.

“Thank you so much.”

“Hahaha! Now you really like me the same way as a big brother, right?”

Woosung replied honestly. “I already knew you are a generous man, but I can’t help but be suspicious. I hope you know though that I do appreciate you.”

“Well, it’s good that you are cautious. You’ll make a good business partner.”

Time flew by as they chatted. Soon, it became sunny outside and Hong Soobum put down his glass.

“It’s time for me to go to work now.”

“No! Stay!” Jang Gwangchul tried to stop Hong Soobum, but it was useless.

“I need to get to work.”

“Well, I guess you’re right.”

Woosung stood up as well. “I need to get going too.”

“Why?”

“I have a lot to do. Two projects, research on Android, and so on. I have no time to waste.”

Jang Gwangchul emptied his glass. “Well, I guess I might as well get to work too.”

When Woosung left Jang Gwagnchul’s house, the street was already busy with people on their way to work. Woosung yawned as he got into a cab.

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Chapter 52:

The next day.

After a deep sleep, Woosung woke up and checked his account balance.

From Jang Gwangchul 600,000 dollars.

It was the right amount.

Without the 50,000 dollars being invested, Woosung’s total balance was now about 680,000 dollars.

It was an amount Woosung could never even dream of in his previous life. If he included his investment, it was over 700,000 dollars. It was a lot of money, but it was nothing compared to what Woosung would earn after the financial crisis.

June.

Woosung arrived at the Incheon International Airport. One great thing about programming was he could do it anywhere. All he needed was a laptop.

This was the first time he traveled to the US. He felt his heart pound. He tried to calm as he waited.

“By the time I return, things will be different.”

Woosung was taking the Economy class. He could afford to be on the Business class, but he had to save as much money as possible to invest for now. 10 dollars today could turn into 1,000 or even 5,000 dollars.

Finally, an announcement was made.

“Those about to take Asiana 8121 to Seattle, please move to Gate 42. Again, passengers of flight Asiana 8121 to Seattle, please move to Gate 42.”

Woosung followed the instruction; soon, he was on the plane.

After a long flight, he arrived in Seattle and went straight to the hotel prepared for him. The next day, he went to the conference building for the MVP Global Summit. After registering, he started attending various seminars. He had been studying English for a while, so Woosung didn’t have much difficulty understanding.

But one of the main reasons he came here wasn’t to listen, but to find a talented developer as a partner.

Woosung started to observe the other attendees.

One of the seminars Woosung wanted to attend was on Windows mobile. He wanted to meet people who were experts in this field. There was still some time left till this session, so Woosung sat down at a lounge area. There were other people nearby and Woosung couldn’t help but hear their conversation.

“What are you going to hear?”

“Deep Dive asp.net?”

ASP.NET.

It was Microsoft’s web application framework to be released in the future. Soon, JAVA was to become the main language for the web.

Woosung wanted to tell them what the future held, but he stopped himself.

“Did you hear? Microsoft is preparing cloud services.”

“Really? Was the rumor true?”

“It’s called Azure.”

Woosung knew this service was going to be unsuccessful against Amazon. Again, he wanted to tell them what he knew, but obviously, it was not possible.

Instead, he murmured.

“I wish I could tell them…”

Suddenly, an Asian man approached Woosung. “I wasn’t sure if you’re Korean, but you are!”

The man seemed happy to see another Korean. Woosung quickly glanced at his nametag.

‘Go Sangjun?’

Woosung tried to remember if he heard of this name in his previous life, but he couldn’t. He was obviously not a famous developer like Hong Soobum.

“Hello. My name is Woosung Kang. Haha, it’s nice to see another Korean here.”

Go Sangjun glanced at Woosung’s nametag as well.

“Haha, nice to meet you too. I see that your expertise is in Visual Studio. It’s an unusual field in Korea.” The nametags included the field each MVP specialized in. Go Sangjun’s nametag stated window mobile.

“Haha, I think your field is even rarer. Window mobile MVP? Wow. Could I get your business card?”

“Of course.”

Go Sangjun quickly handed Woosung a card.

“Daeyang System.

IM Business Headquarter Lab Manager.

Go Sangjun.”

Woosung’s guess was right. If he was the window mobile MVP, it was very possible that this man was part of Daeyang’s upcoming new phone Amor development team. Woosung became excited. This could be the man he was looking for.

This could be his chance.

“Could I also get your business card?”

Woosung handed him his card. It was the one Jang Gwangchul made for him as a gift.

“Freelancer.

Woosung Kang.”

It also included his phone number and the email address but nothing else. Go Sangjun stared at the card.

“Wow, it’s cool. I love how your name is in gold color.”

It was the same style as Jang Gwangchul’s card. The name was written in real gold, and Woosung had 200 of it.

“Well, I hope so. It’s written in 24k gold.”

Go Sangjun was surprised.

“What?”

“Haha, a friend made it for me as a gift.”

“Wow…24k…It must be really expensive. Are you sure it’s ok for me to take one?”

“Of course. I am really happy to meet another Korean here.”

Go Sangjun became curious about Woosung, but there was no more time to ask questions. Seminars were about to begin. Woosung guessed Sangjun probably planned on attending the one on Windows mobile. Woosung stood up and asked.

“I was going to listen to the session on Windows mobile…What about you?”

“Great! Me too!”

They started to walk together. Woosung smiled in satisfaction.

Windows mobile.

By 2018, it was an unpopular OS compared to IOS and Android.

The seminar didn’t interest Woosung. Instead, he looked around to observe other people. He wanted to see if he could find any famous people.

Go Sangjun noticed this and asked Woosung.

“Do you see someone you know?”

“I don’t know.”

“What?”

Woosung continued to look around but found no one.

‘I was hoping…But guess not.’

“Do you see anyone you know, Sangjun?”

“Haha, it’s my first time here so no. I heard there will be a dinner party on the third night, so I was planning to make some friends then.”

Woosung gave it some considerable thought. He didn’t know anyone here and the seminars were useless to him. He had to find another way.

Instead of looking for that someone, he had to make people come to him.

It was finally time for the Q&A.

Woosung raised his hand and asked.

“I find the new functions on the upgraded version WM 6.1 very interesting, but how about the multi-touch function? Also, is there any plan for opening an app store like iPhone?”

The speaker replied using the microphone.

“Oh…We are still working on that. The new WM 6.1 focused more on improving the connectivity between Window mobile and PC. For example, it is now easier to use the Office.”

As soon as the speaker finished answering, Woosung took out the WM 6.1 PDA.

“Easier to use the Office? That’s not true. Trying to work on Excel, PPT, or Word on such a small screen is impossible.” Woosung continued quickly. “As well, the new version didn’t improve on performance. The touch function also became even slower.”

Woosung then took out the iPhone. He held it in his right hand, and the PDA on his left hand.

“On the other hand, I find iPhone very ‘sexy.'”

Woosung brought the MS’s competition to its own seminar and praised it. Everyone in the audience stared at Woosung in amazement.

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Chapter 53: &lt;Seattle, New York, and Silicone Valley&gt;

Woosung looked around to observe the audience. He checked not only their names and expertise but also their cell phones.

“Could everyone raise their phones?”

One by one, they did.

They were developers. As developers, they took technology with sheer seriousness. As expected, many were early adopters.

More than half were using iPhones with IOS. Less than 10% were using PDAs with Window Mobile.

“That’s what I thought. Now, you can put down your phones. As all of you can see, iPhone is taking over the world. I believe that Window mobile needs to follow a similar outlook.” Woosung continued in a flash. “In the PC market, Apple can’t win against Microsoft, but in the mobile industry, it’s a different story.”

Woosung was no longer one of the audiences. People paid close attention to him as if he was the expert speaker.

“So far, Windows has provided great desktop service and products to many users, including myself. However, the world of cell phones is different, unfortunately. So how could this be fixed? I have thought about this for a long time.”

Woosung then chose to be dramatic.

“There is only one answer to this problem.” He then dropped the PDA. After it hit the floor with a thud, Woosung continued. “There is no way.”

Then he quoted Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft.

“Hit refresh.”

Many murmured amongst themselves. Some frowned at Woosung. He now had everyone’s attention. Now it was time to make him look likable.

Many raised their hands. The actual seminar speaker seemed flustered at his loss of control over the audience. Woosung calmly pointed at one of the people.

“I will take your question.”

“My name is Brian from Canada. I don’t believe the number of users is proportional to the quality of the product. Don’t you think you’re being too extreme when you say to start from scratch?”

“Then I will give you another good reason. Windows is too arrogant.”

“…what?”

“Currently, Windows owns the personal computer industry. It is unbeatable.” Many nodded. Woosung continued calmly. “But it forgot about one important thing. MS thinks the same model that succeeded in the computer business will be effective in the cell phone world too. For example, it is focusing on how to make it easy for the Microsoft desktop services to be used on cell phones.”

This was true. MS concentrated on making desktop services useable on cell phones rather than making the phones themselves great. Woosung waved his iPhone to make sure people were paying attention.

“iPhone is different. It created something new. Just like this, MS also needs to recognize that desktops are different than cell phones.” Woosung didn’t forget that this was a Microsoft convention. He knew he had to compliment MS at least a little bit. “Just like MS was the first to create the Window that was perfect for personal uses.”

Many nodded. Woosung continued carefully.

“MS needs to think differently. Don’t try to put the desktop into the phone. Make the phone into something that can replace the desktop.” This was the future. Woosung looked around. “Now, I can answer the next question.”

Many again raised their hands. Woosung pointed at one person. “What is your opinion on Google’s Android project?”

“It is amazing. When Google announced its plan for the Android platform, it chose JAVA. Why do you think that is?” Woosung answered quickly.

Someone from the crowd answered. “There were probably many reasons, but I think the biggest reason was probably because it is the most common language used by the developers.”

Woosung asked the next question.

“And why would that be an important reason? Why is it crucial to use a language that is used by many developers?”

“Apps?”

“Exactly. Next month, Apple will open its app store. Numerous developers will start making apps to upload. Why? Because it will be profitable. What do you think will happen next? The number of contents will increase.”

Apple’s app store was to open on July 11, 2008. The number of available apps was expected to increase rapidly. This will make iPhones even more popular.

“Contents. This will be what makes iPhone successful. As I said earlier, this small device will replace the desktops in the future.” Woosung added.

The room became silent. Many were fascinated by Woosung.

Go Sangjun looked at him in amazement.

‘W…who is this guy?’

Woosung’s English was impeccable. His knowledge was even more impressive. Woosung looked around.

‘I think I did it.’

Most were looking at him in curiosity. Many continued to raise their hands. Woosung sat down slowly and stated.

“I think I took up too much of the speaker’s time. If anyone has any questions for me, please find me after the seminar.”

Finally, the speaker took the microphone. “By the way, what’s your name sir?”

“My name is Aaron Kang.”

“Thank you. Well, I guess that’s the end of this seminar.”

Many approached Woosung immediately. It was a while before Woosung could leave the conference room.

By dinner time, Woosung had a handful of business cards.

Apple.

Google.

Oracle.

Microsoft.

Sun Microsystems, which developed JAVA.

Woosung had so many talented names to choose from.

‘Now I need to figure out the best of the best. Good thing I met someone from Google too. I will be able to ask questions about the Android.’

Woosung and Go Sangjun walked to the restaurant. Sangjun was clearly fascinated by Woosung, which worked on Woosung’s advantage.

There were only about 100 Microsoft MVPs in Korea. This meant Go Sangjun was a talented developer. He’s most likely was a key developer in Daeyang System.

Go Sangjun asked as soon as he had the chance.

“Are you sure your specialty is Visual Studio? It looked like you know mobile better than I do.”

It was a great compliment. Woosung shook his head and answered.

“No way. I have an interest in it so I studied it a bit.”

“You definitely know a lot about it. Are you by chance working on something that uses Android Beta SDK?”

“I had a quick look at the codes, but no more. You are the one who is in the development field, so you must know much more about it.”

“Well, that doesn’t mean anything. I basically do what the company tells me to do.”

“I heard Amor is to be released soon. It uses Window Mobile, right? Daeyang must have more confidence in Window than Android?”

“Well, Window is a proven OS. It will be released in Singapore at the end of June.”

Woosung already knew everything about it, but he still pretended to be ignorant.

“I am excited about it.”

“Don’t be. I know as well as you do that Window Mobile is not going to work.”

“Oh…”

“Gosh! I told them we need to make an Android phone, but they wouldn’t listen.”

“I…I see.”

“What you said today was my exact thought.”

While they chatted, another Korean appeared.

“Sangjun, you should’ve told me you’re coming!”

They seemed to know each other. Go Sangjun introduced the stranger to Woosung.

“This is Lee Younghan. We met at a Korean MVP meeting before.”

“Oh! You’re Korean too. Nice to meet you. My name is Lee Younghan.”

“Nice to meet you too. My name is Woosung.”

Lee Younghan asked quickly.

“Did you hear, Sangjun? Someone badmouthed MS at the Window Mobile seminar today!”

Go Sangjun laughed awkwardly. “Oh?”

“I heard that same developer said MS would fail.”

Woosung replied sneakily.

“It’s all true.”

“What?”

“MS will really fail.”

“Oh…Haha, I see.”

Yoon Gihwan.

Jang Gwangchul.

Shin Semi.

Hong Soobum.

Just like the way they looked at him, Go Sangjun had the same look of awe. Woosung knew he had him now. He stood up.

“Well, I’m tired. I should get going.”

Lee Younghan whispered to Go Sangjun.

“Who is he?”

“It’s that guy!”

“W…what?”

“I’m tired too. I need to get going.”

Go Sangjun finished the last bite of his dinner and followed Woosung quickly.

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Chapter 54: &lt;Seattle, New York, and Silicone Valley (End of Book 2)&gt;

When Woosung came out, he sat down on a bench and studied the people around as they walked through their destinations.

Blondes.

Brunets.

Straight hair.

Curly hair.

People from all over the world walked by. Woosung thought to himself in prideful snide.

‘Look where I am now.’

He has been working nonstop for the last few months. He accomplished a lot so far, but he knew he will be even more successful in the future.

Woosung tried to forget about his work for a while and enjoy the view. Nighttime at Seattle was beautiful.

“The most famous attraction in Seattle is the Space Needle. The view from there is amazing.”

Woosung turned around to find Go Sangjun.

“I see.”

“You said you’re a freelancer?”

“Yes.”

“Would you be interested in working at Daeyang?”

“Daeyang? Daeyang…Hahaha.”

Woosung laughed. Go Sangjun took this as acceptance and continued enthusiastically.

“As you know, it is one of the best companies in our country. You would love working there.”

“What is your yearly salary including the bonus?” Woosung asked without a second thought.

Go Sangjun looked surprised. When he hesitated to answer, Woosung saw this as an opportunity to strike back. “If I offer you double of your current salary, would you be interested in leaving Daeyang and join me?”

“What?”

“I can really use someone like you who has experiences in developing cell phones.”

“I thought you said you’re a freelancer. But you’re telling me you want to hire me? I don’t understand…”

“I guess I didn’t explain my situation very well. I am indeed a freelancer, but I am a freelancer who dabbles in many different businesses.” Go Sangjun looked confused. “I don’t involve in just one business, so I just call myself a freelancer.”

While Go Sangjun tried to understand, Woosung continued.

“I am sorry, but I need to tell you that Amor will indeed be a failure. I realize Daeyang is a huge corporation, so it will recover and make another product.” Woosung emphasized the next sentence. “But who will be blamed for its failures? Who will have to work as a slave for their next project?”

Daeyang was known for its high salaries, but it wasn’t for free. The average number of working hours at Daeyang was higher than any other companies.

“Do I even have to explain? You must know this better than I do.”

Go Sangjun murmured. “But manufacturing a cell phone is more difficult than you can imagine.”

“Is anything ever easy? Remember, Andy Rubin developed Android with only 8 people. My people and I are planning to follow a small tech company model like ARM and Qualcomm. We will create new technologies and get patents. The actual mass manufacturing will be outsourced to other companies like Foxconn.”

Woosung knew there was a distinct possibility that Blue S could fail. So he came up with a possible plan B just in case.

He knew the technologies of the future. He planned to get patents for all of them. Even if the cell phone failed, the patents alone will generate sizable profits.

Go Sangjun listened to Woosung and answered.

“Everyone wants to become the next ARM, but you know it is basically impossible. Do you really think your skills are better than them?” Go Sangjun was still doubtful.

Woosung replied quickly. “I have the funds and the eyes for new successful technologies. Do you know that Andy Rubin’s Android was rejected by other big companies before he contacted Google? And Android only needed 8 developers to make. Big companies have their advantages, but it doesn’t mean they are the only ones who can come up with successful ideas. In fact, some companies, such as Daeyang, have ignorant executives who often make stupid decisions.”

Go Sangjun stared at Woosung. He agreed with Woosung. Good ideas from the developers at his company were often ignored by the upper management who didn’t know anything about programming.

“Join my team. With experiences like yours, we can offer you twice your current salary. We will, of course, have to discuss the contract in details later…”

“How do you know what I can do?”

“You are a manager a Daeyang System IM Department. You have been selected as MS MVP. It is obvious you are a talented developer.”

Go Sangjun sighed. Woosung was correct. He was the main developer for the Windows Mobile OS.

Woosung continued quickly. “Will you disappear into the corporate world as a nameless developer? Or do you want to be recognized? You have my card. Call me if you are interested.”

Woosung stood up and left.

Second day at the Summit.

Go Sangjun observed Woosung. He was definitely something different. He attended many seminars and conversed fluently with other developers.

What impressed Go Sangjun the most was that Woosung also participated in one of the sessions. It was titled “The Future of IoT.”

Woosung introduced himself on the stage.

“Hello everyone. My name is Aaron Kang. I’m from Korea. This session is a bit of a surprise. I suggested this seminar to Microsoft after I arrived here, so you won’t find any information about it in your package.” Woosung looked around and continued. “I apologize for the lack of notice, but I guarantee you that it will be a useful session. Now let’s begin.”

Woosung took out four PCB boards from his bag.

“I don’t know if anyone knows what these are. This is open-source hardware called Arduino. It is very similar to the Android.”

Arduino.

It was an open-source electronics prototyping platform that allowed users to create interactive electronic objects. Woosung placed the boards on the table and explained its different parts.

“The temperature sensors are connected to the LCD. First, I will get the temperature of Arduino to the first laptop. Then the temperature will be converted from the Celsius to Fahrenheit. This temperature will then be repeated in front of the Arduino’s LCD.”

The temperature quickly appeared on the LCD screen. The camera now focused on the LCD and showed the numbers on the giant screen.

-A Arduino. 25 oC 77 oF

-B Arduino. 24 oC 75.2 oF.

They were the numbers on the LCDs of the two Arduinos placed side by side. No one could understand why Woosung was doing this demo. Some even yawned as if they were bored.

“Now, I will try the same thing on the second laptop using the MQTT protocol, which I developed myself.”

-C Arduino. 24 oC 75.2 oF

-D Arduino. 25 oC 77 oF.

They were similar results.

“You are probably all wondering by now why I’m doing this. What is he doing?” Some laughed. Woosung continued with a smile. “Haha. I will show you why right now. Please pay attention.”

Woosung clicked to open the Window Task Manager.

“As you know, if you click here, you can see the CPU and the memory usage of the PC. Now, I’m going to make it think that 200 machines are connected. This is the number one PC.”

Suddenly on the screen, the green bar soared to show the memory usage of 80%. The audience started to become curious.

“Wow, high usage. Now, I will do the same thing using the MQTT protocol on the second PC”

This time, the green bar only rose to 10%. It then slowly went down. The message was clear. Woosung continued.

“The future of IoT is bright. The problem will be controlling hundreds, thousands, and even tens of thousands of machines. Will the current system be enough?”

No one answered. After a short pause, Woosung stated with the utmost care.

“I don’t think so, which means this new protocol will be the solution. Now, I will take your questions.”

Many raised their hands.

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Chapter 55: &lt;Seattle, New York, and Silicone Valley&gt;

After 20 minutes of Q&A, the session finally ended. Woosung was surrounded by a crowd of people. Go Sangjun tried to get closer to him.

“It’s an amazing technology.”

“How did you make it?”

“I love it.”

“Awesome!”

Woosung was showered with compliments. As a fellow Korean, Go Sangjun felt proud.

“Thank you.”

“I can’t reveal it yet because it’s not done.”

“You’re correct. It has a Pub/substructure.”

Woosung answered each question without hesitation. Even long after the end of the session, people approached him with more questions, compliments, and business cards. One in particular interested Woosung. It had ‘-, +’ embedded on it. The man who handed him the card introduced himself.

“Hello. My name is Jonathan Logan. I am an Arduino project committer.”

A reviewer was someone who could suggest an opinion on the open source projects.

A contributor was someone who could suggest codes.

And finally, a committer was an individual who could modify the source code of a particular piece of open source software. Committer was considered a key member of a project.

‘Another great catch!’

This could be a useful person to Woosung.

“If you have time, I would love to talk to you about your seminar today.”

Woosung had some personal experiences with Arduino. In the past, he used it to install a camera outside his house as a security measure. He connected it to his smartphone, so he could monitor it. He told Logan about his experience.

“Wow, that’s impressive. I can see that you have a great knowledge of it.”

“I find it fascinating.”

“And is that why you developed MQTT?”

“That is actually for something else I’m working on.”

“And would that something be IoT related service?”

“Perhaps in the future, but not right now.”

Logan’s questions were endless. Woosung had his own questions to ask, so when he had a chance, he said quickly.

“If you are an Arduino project committer, are you also involved in the PCB layout design?”

“Not by myself. I am one of many.”

Woosung lowered his voice and whispered. “Then would it be possible to use Qualcomm chip instead of ATmega?”

ATmega was the microcontroller chip used by Arduino. When Woosung asked about Qualcomm chip, he was implying that he meant to make a phone.

Logan’s eyes widened. “What?”

Woosung knew Logan understood what he was suggesting. He handed Logan his business card.

“Arduino could become a cell phone too. If you are interested in learning more about it, please call me.”

When Woosung stood up, Logan stopped him. “W…wait.”

Woosung sat down and continued. “Google is working on the Android. It will be released as an open source.” Logan listened quietly. “And Arduino is already on its way to the open source hardware platform.”

Logan swallowed audibly.

“I realize Arduino is different than cell phones. I don’t plan on combining the two.” Go Sangjun, who was also sitting next to him, listened attentively. “But they are heading in the same direction. Premium line will be manufactured directly. The mass production of the phone’s layout will be produced by OEM. Foxconn would be a good example.”

Foxconn.

It was a famous electronic industry company in Taiwan responsible for manufacturing iPhones.

“I need people with open minds and who aren’t afraid to share their skills. Someone like you, Jonathan Logan.” Logan inhaled deeply. It was obvious he was hooked. “If you are interested in making this phone with me, please call me.”

Woosung stood up again and left.

On their way to the hotel, Go Sangjun complained. “When you were sweet talking me, you didn’t draw such a big picture like that for me.”

“Haha. Each person has his own interest, and I try to make my speech personal. For you, I talked about the cons of big corporations because I could tell you were sick of working for the man.”

Go Sangjun continued to pout despite Woosung’s explanation. “I forgot to ask you how old you are. I’m 26.” Woosung tried to hide his smile as he changed the subject.

“What?”

“I’m still a baby.”

Go Sangjun couldn’t hide his surprise.

“26? Not 36?”

“Yup.”

“No way…”

“And you are…”

“33.”

“So you’re older than me. Should I call you big brother then?”

Go Sangjun still couldn’t believe how young Woosung was. “That would make you a brand new grad…Yet you are already a freelancer CEO…” He murmured.

The last day was a boring day for Woosung. He didn’t meet anyone interesting and none of the sessions were useful.

It all changed during the dinner party.

Famous musicians and DJ’s were invited. As Woosung listened to the loud music, he drank champaign. Go Sangjun murmured.

“I thought it would be a tame party for nerds, but I guess I was wrong.”

“I know.” Woosung replied as he looked around.

Go Sangjun asked Woosung. “So what are your plans? Tour? Home?”

“I plan to stay a while longer.”

“Good idea. There is a lot to see in America.”

Woosung planned to go to New York. He wanted to hire a lawyer to create an investment corporation in preparation for the financial crisis.

“Yup. I want to see and learn as much as possible before I return.”

Woosung felt excited. Things were happening according to his plan. When he returned home, he vowed to take the First Class.

“Hey, I think someone’s interested in you.”

Go Sangjun pointed at a woman across the room. When Woosung turned around, a girl in a thick pair of glasses was indeed staring at him. She had long curly hair and big eyes.

‘Wow. Is she really interested in me?’

When their eyes met, she hesitantly approached Woosung. When he bowed lightly, she stammered.

“I…I saw your session on MQTT.” She seemed very shy, but she continued bravely. “It…it was very impressive. How did you do it?”

“I thought I explained it briefly at the seminar.”

The woman hesitated again before asking. “C…could I get the codes?”

“Codes?”

“C…could I have a look? I…I know I’m asking a lot but…”

“There is only one way for you to have a look.”

MQTT would be released as an open source. Unlike GTT, MQTT would be used as a key technology in Woosung’s project.

He couldn’t reveal it at this point.

“Please tell me!”

The woman tried to get closer to Woosung, but she was clumsy. She stumbled and fell on the ground. Champaign splattered everywhere.

Woosung offered her his hand.

“Are you ok?”

The woman didn’t seem to care as she asked again.

“Yes. I…I’m fine. So can I have a look at the codes?”

She seemed ok. In fact, she seemed excited at the possibility of looking at the codes.

“I didn’t say I will show it to you. It’s also not done yet.”

“Oh! I don’t care if it’s incomplete.”

“I’m sorry. What I meant was the only way to be allowed to look at this code is to become an employee of my company.”

“T…then can you hire me?”

“What?”

“I graduated from MIT this year and I am currently working as an intern at Microsoft. My name is Sandra Amelia. So far, I participated in the indoor tracking system using the wireless sensor network, improving the speed of Big Data analysis, and Window Mobile BSP (Board Support Package).”

She introduced herself quicker than light itself and looked at Woosung with eyes filled with expectations. Woosung could see her drive for knowledge. He answered slowly.

“I appreciate your enthusiasm but it’s not that simple. We might not be able to pay you what you deserve, or you may not be someone we need.”

Amelia frowned unhappily. “But I really want to see them…”

“Then how about this? I will show you the library codes. If you can develop a few things I need based on these codes, I will hire you and show you everything I have. How’s that?”

Amelia nodded in excitement. Woosung gave his hand for a handshake. She shook it gently and asked.

“Shall we go now?”

Woosung nodded, and they headed to the hotel. Go Sangjun followed quickly.

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Chapter 56: &lt;Seattle, New York, and Silicone Valley&gt;

When they got to his room, Woosung turned on his laptop and started the Visual Studio. Woosung pointed at the code.

“You need to work with this part that says TODO.”

Amelia nodded.

/TODO./

Beside it was an explanation of what the function needed to do.

-Check QoS to guarantee the subscription to the Topic.

“What do you think? Can you do it?” Woosung asked as he turned to Amelia.

Go Sangjun glanced at the code as well. “Hmm. Let me see.” Amelia hummed and answered.

Amelia studied everything carefully. After 10 minutes, she closed her eyes. Woosung opened his mouth to try to help.

“Let me give you a few hints. This function needs to…” Before Woosung could finish his sentence, Amelia opened her eyes and placed her hands on the keyboard. Woosung asked uncertainly. “Ms. Amelia?”

Type.

Type.

Amelia started to hum again with an excited grin.

“Haha! I think I got it. Quality of service. If you increase the quality, the speed goes down, and if you increase the speed, the performance goes down.” Amelia explained as she continued to type. “The transmission to MQTT Broker seems inadequate.”

In MQTT, the server was basically the Broker. Just from looking at the codes on the client’s side and the To-do list, Amelia understood the task easily.

“If I can do this, you really promise to show me the codes on the server side too?”

“If you can sign the non-disclosure agreement and the future employee contract, then yes.”

Amelia felt sheer excitement run through her veins. “I can’t wait to see it! Let’s hurry up!”

She acted like an eager schoolgirl, but the quality and speed of her work were out of this world. She was better and faster than Woosung, who came from the future.

She was a genius. Coding seemed to come naturally to her. She typed without hesitation.

“The protocol itself is simple. I want to look into the IMB research you mentioned earlier at the seminar.” Even when she was talking, she didn’t stop typing. “Wow, I really like this.”

She chatted happily while Woosung and Go Sangjun stared in awe.

The to-do list was filled faster than any of them have expected. Amelia was beyond Woosung’s wildest dream.

“For the rest, I need to know how the Broker works. I finished what I could with knowing the client codes. Shall we test it?”

It took less than 2 hours.

‘It would’ve taken me at least two to three days.’

Go Sangjun was still staring at Amelia, who smiled and urged Woosung.

“Test! Do the test!”

“A…alright.”

Genius.

She was a coding genius.

The test was a success. Woosung wrote out a quick agreement.

- I will not reveal anything about this code to anyone or any company.

- After the internship ends at Microsoft, I will join Woosung's company.

After she signed it, Woosung showed her the codes. As she studied them, she exclaimed. She also made some helpful suggestions.

By the time they were done, it was two in the morning.

It was dark outside. “It’s too late for you to get back home. I will get a room for you for tonight.” Woosung offered Amelia.

“Actually, I won’t get any sleep tonight anyway, so could I work on this code? You guys can go to bed. I’ll just keep this lamp on.”

Woosung thought he heard her wrong. “W…what?”

“I…if you are uncomfortable with a stranger working on your codes, then I understand.”

“No, that’s not what I meant. Are you saying you want to work on the codes all night?”

Amelia nodded eagerly. “You have to work tomorrow, so wouldn’t this affect your performance tomorrow?”

“Haha, that’s not a problem. My supervisor said I can do whatever I want to.”

“Oh…”

Woosung could understand why. He would’ve said the same thing. A genius like her didn’t need a supervisor to hover over her.

Woosung felt a huge respect for her.

“I…I guess it’s not possible?” She frowned.

Woosung replied quickly. “Nope. You are welcome to improve them as you see fit. Just remember the non-disclosure agreement.”

Amelia smiled brightly. “Ok! Then I can get to work?”

“Yup.”

She quickly quieted down and focused on the screen. Woosung turned the light off and went to sleep.

The next day.

Woosung woke up in the middle of the day. Amelia was already gone. A note was left on top of the laptop.

-I changed a little bit of the structure and left an explanation.

-The core protocol and format pub/sub remain unchanged of course.

-You did an amazing job!

-I can’t wait to work for you.

-I will call you when my internship ends.

Woosung has never met someone like her before.

Coding nerd.

Woosung was in desperate need of someone like her.

“I better make sure she keeps her promise.”

Go Sangjun was already on his way back to Korea. Jonathan Logan hasn’t called him yet. There was no reason for Woosung to stay here any longer.

His next stop was New York.

The first place Woosung visited in New York was the Charging Bull.

“I better find a good lawyer first.”

If he asked Jang Gwangchul, he would have recommended a good lawyer, but Woosung wanted to keep this a secret.

The prospect of having the future changed if more people knew about it worried Woosung so.

“The next four months will be very important.”

Many people already felt the upcoming danger. The news in both US and Korea hinted the inevitable financial crisis.

No one could tell exactly what, when, and how it will happen. Except for Woosung.

A few months later.

-This is breaking news on CNN. Lehman Brothers filed for the bankruptcy. The stock market has halted. The financial world is in a huge turmoil.

Finally, what Woosung waited for happened.

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Chapter 57: &lt;Seattle, New York, and Silicone Valley&gt;

-Hello. This is Reporter Jo Hoonyoung on YTT. Lehman Brothers reported loses of 2.8 billion dollars and was forced to sell off 6 billion in assets. Lehman was the fourth largest banking investor in the US. After it filed for bankruptcy, the global markets immediately plummeted.

-Currently, KOSPI index is at its lowest of 1300. The future of the financial world remains dark and uncertain.

Click.

Shin Semi turned off the TV with the remote.

“I can’t believe Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy”

Even after hearing it on the news, she still couldn’t believe it. The experts believed this would never happen. The researchers at Nuri Finances agreed too. However, it did happen despite everyone’s prediction.

It was a shocking event that shook the world. It didn’t only affect the US, but the entire world.

It was unbelievable.

Shin Semi grabbed her phone. She remembered Woosung’s words.

“Risk management, New Century Financials’ bankruptcy, and the Finances Lab researcher Kim Mansoo’s report…Did he mean this?”

Shin Semi was almost sure Woosung knew this financial crisis would happen. She became even more curious about him. She frowned and murmured.

“I wonder what he’s doing…”

Her sources told her that he participated in the Microsoft MVP Global Summit in abroad and hasn’t returned yet.

“Should I call him?”

She was tempted, but she stopped herself. What was he doing in America? She wondered.

September 12th.

Dow Jones started at 11429 and finished at 11421. Woosung purchased a mass number of put options. After Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy on September 15th, the Dow Jones index went down to 10700. The US market was in panic and Woosung’s options’ value soared.

What Woosung purchased was a put option, an option to sell assets at an agreed price on or before a set date.

Dow Jones’ option unit was a point.

One point’s value, which was called a tick value, was worth 10 dollars.

This meant for each option, 7290 dollars were earned this day.

(11429-10700)*10=7290

Woosung checked his account.

Proceeds + 1.42million

Proceeds + 1.96million

Proceeds + 2.82million

The value of his September 11420 put option went up at an unprecedented rate. The index would go down even more, which meant the option value would increase.

However, Woosung also knew very well of the technical rebound.

Proceeds + 4.71million

So far, he had 4.7 million dollars. It was almost 10 times what he originally had, which was about 500,000 dollars. Woosung murmured.

“What a crazy world.”

His heart beat fast. It was still hard to believe that the large number on the screen was really his money.

It felt surreal, but it was going to be even better.

“Soon, the Federal Reserve will provide an 85-billion-dollar loan to AIG to prevent its bankruptcy. And then…the US market will plummet even further, and my put options’ worth will be…”

Woosung couldn’t even imagine the number.

September 19th.

After the September put option deadline ended, Woosung bought December 11200 put options. Soon, the news he was expecting came.

Further plunging of Dow Jones Index.

September 30th 10850.

October 2nd 10482

October 6th 9955.

Woosung did a quick calculation.

(11200 – 9955) *10 = 12,540 dollars.

Each option was worth over 10,000 dollars.

“What the fuck!!”

Adams, who worked at a US Hedge fund company, was losing his mind. He believed after the Fed’s bailout, the index would return to normal. That was why he took the put option seller position. It was the opposite position of Woosung.

Adams’ eyes were red as he stared at the computer screen. He was frowning harshly. His supervisor came up to him.

“Adams, what’s the damage you caused today?” Adams couldn’t answer. It was a rhetorical question anyway as the supervisor already knew the number very well. “I understand you are speechless. It is so much money…But it’s understandable. It’s the world’s financial crisis after all. Of course, there are always people who still make money off of such a bad time.”

The supervisor’s voice was sharp. Adams cringed.

“Like the one who bought your put options.” Adams knew what was coming. “It’s unfortunate that you couldn’t be the one who made the money. We could’ve worked together longer. It’s disappointing.”

He was being let go. Adams tensed. It was over. With the way things were in the world right now, it was unclear when he would be able to find another job.

“Please leave as soon as possible.”

Adams sighed.

Woosung was watching the news. All his put option contracts were expired now.

“Current index is 8800. It will go down further.”

Based on Woosung’s memory, the world didn’t recover from this event until the end of 2008.

However, Woosung remembered to be smart, not greedy. The way he saw it now, he had enough money to last a lifetime. Indeed, with these amount of money, he could finally put a stop on his money-maker. He checked his account balance.

Proceeds + 791.5 million dollars

With only 500,000 dollars, he made close to 800 million dollars in just over a month.

“I love America.”

The money was in the American business account.

If he combined the money he made from the Korean market, he expected it to be close to a billion dollars.

“Now I need to go to Silicone Valley to meet Jonathan Logan. After that, I can return to Korea.

Woosung relaxed at last. His body was aching, so he called for a massage from the hotel room service.

A blond masseuse knocked and walked in. Woosung closed his eyes as he enjoyed the massage.

He has been in America for four months now.

In the beginning, he stayed at a cheap motel and ate fast food. Now, he stayed at a hotel suite and ordered room services.

So many things changed in four months.

It was a stressful four months. He kept doubting his memories on the index numbers and dates. It was a difficult time, but it was all worth it. The memories of his previous life served him well.

‘With this money, I should buy a factory in Silicone Valley. I will fill it with computers and mine Bitcoin.’

Jonathan Logan.

Woosung was able to hire this Arduino project committer. Woosung asked him to find a suitable factory. Things were working out as he planned.

After the 2-hour massage, Woosung headed to the hotel restaurant. As he ordered steak, he couldn’t help but miss his mother’s cooking.

‘I’m coming, mother.’

He couldn’t help but smile as the face of his dearest mother flash through his memory. He would be home very soon.

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Chapter 58:

Jang Gwanchul and Hong Soobum chatted at their new office. Hong Soobum quit his job at Nexter a few weeks prior.

“When is he coming back?”

“He said he’ll be here soon, so we just need to be patient.”

“What did he say?”

“The last time I heard, he said he was about to leave New York.” Jang Gwangchul sighed. “The financial world is dying, yet he is traveling? He is our CEO, so he should act like one.”

“Well, he bought a significant portion of the company from you, so I assume he is really serious about this company.”

“I wondered about that. Where did he get the money? What was he doing in New York in the middle of the global financial crisis?”

Jang Gwangchul sighed again. Hong Soobum was interested in the answer too. Woosung had been in America for the past four months. US stock market went through hell during that time and the world was in an uproar.

“I am curious too. He also asked me to find a factory that could generate and use a lot of electricity.”

“I heard too. I assume he plans to manufacture the smartphones there…But didn’t he say we should use OEM for the actual production? I don’t understand him at all.” As Jang Gwangchul continued, he started to get even more frustrated. “And the company he created in Silicone Valley, that cost a lot of money. Why did he do that?”

Hong Soobum murmured.

“I have to admit that Jonathan Logan is a true expert at hardware development. I don’t know much about it but when I looked at the PoC he sent, it looked great.”

“Well, he better be damn good. Do you know how much I’m paying him?”

Woosung promised an excellent salary and scouted Jonathan. The monthly wage was currently being paid by Jang Gwangchul. He asked Hong Soobum.

“How about that girl Amelia?”

“She is a genius. I realize they cost a lot of money, but they are definitely worth it. I don’t know how our CEO found and hired these great people.”

“I am curious too…”

Today was November 1st.

It was the 5th month since Woosung left to go to America.

In the plane to San Francisco, Woosung read the paper on Bitcoin.

“1. Introduction

Commerce on the Internet has come to rely almost exclusively on financial institutions serving as trusted third parties to process electronic payments. While the system works well enough for most transactions, it still suffers from the inherent weaknesses of the trust-based model. Non-reversible transactions are not really possible since financial institutions cannot avoid mediating disputes. The cost of mediation increases transaction costs, limiting the minimum practical transaction size and cutting off the possibility for small casual transactions. There is a broader cost in the loss of ability to make non-reversible payments for non-reversible services.

The site address is ‘http://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf'”

In his previous life, he had to read the translated version of this report, but that was not necessary anymore. Woosung could understand English well now.

“2. Transactions

…

The only way to confirm the absence of a transaction is to be aware of all transactions. In the mint-based model, the mint was aware of all transactions and decided which arrived first.

…”

Woosung already knew how Bitcoins transaction worked, but reading it again was a good refresher. It was believed that the more Bitcoins were mined, the slower it was because of transactions.

The confirmation of every transaction.

Mining implied that transaction has occurred. It was a transaction in a sense that when coin A was mined, it was sent to the miner B. The problem was that it took time to confirm the legitimacy of every transaction.

…

…

“6. Incentive

By convention, the first transaction in a block is a special transaction that starts a new coin owned by the creator of the block.”

Woosung read on with interest.

The act of mining equaled calculation.

Participants who contributed to this calculation was rewarded with Bitcoin. Woosung also read the core code for “Block Chain” towards the end of this section.

&quot;11. Calculations

The race between the honest chain and an attacker chain can be characterized as a Binomial Random Walk. The success event is the honest chain being extended by one block, increasing its lead by +1, and the failure event is the attacker’s chain being extended by one block, reducing the gap by -1.

The probability of an attacker catching up from a given deficit is analogous to a Gambler’s Ruin problem. Suppose a gambler with unlimited credit starts at a deficit and plays potentially an infinite number of trials to try to reach breakeven. We can calculate the probability he ever reaches breakeven, or that an attacker ever catches up with the honest chain, as follows.”

Satoshi Nakamoto also included detailed codes. Woosung knew these but re-examined them anyway.

Woosung felt the need to know everything about Bitcoin because it was the reason why he was murdered and re-born. If there was no such a thing as Bitcoin, Choi Gichul wouldn’t have created a trading company. They would’ve never met, and Woosung wouldn’t have been murdered. It also meant that Woosung would’ve never made this much money.

Bitcoin was the end of his life, but it also was a new beginning for him.

Woosung finally read the last section.

“12. Conclusion

We have proposed a system for electronic transactions without relying on trust. We started with the usual framework of coins made from digital signatures, which provides strong control of ownership, but is incomplete without a way to prevent double-spending. To solve this, we proposed a peer-to-peer network using proof-of-work to record a public history of transactions that quickly becomes computationally impractical for an attacker to change if honest nodes control a majority of CPU power.”

Online P2P transaction.

With the peer-to-peer networking, it eliminated any bank fees and therefore distributed the power to everyone else. It was an incredible system. Woosung wondered how Satoshi Nakamoto came up with the idea.

Even in 2018, Satoshi Nakamoto was still a mystery. The reason behind the invention of Bitcoin was never revealed. Woosung hoped that he would get a chance to meet him someday.

It was a 6-hour flight, but Woosung found it easy because he took the first class. As soon as he arrived, he took the cab to the office downtown.

In the office Jonathan Logan and other developers were present, working as hard as they can.

It was November.

The Android operating system was already released in September. In Korea, Woosung’s people were focusing on the development of Coconut app. Jonathan Logan saw Woosung and approached him.

“Aaron, you’re here.”

“Long time no see. It has already been 2 months.”

“I thought you forgot about us!” Jonathan joked.

“How could I? You guys are working on an amazing product that will beat iPhone.”

Jonathan grabbed his chest and replied. “Wow, so much pressure! I better work harder.”

“No worries. I know you are already doing your best.”

When in New York, Woosung received regular reports from Jonathan, but he hadn’t had the chance to examine them carefully.

“I found a factory you asked for. It’s situated about an hour from here. It was easy to find, and the price dropped because of the financial crisis. Should we go now?”

“Can I talk to Amelia for a second before we leave?”

Woosung looked around. He saw her, but she was so focused on the screen that she didn’t notice him approaching her.

cd ~/bitcoin/

./autogen.sh

/user/local/include/boost/multiprecision/detail/functions/constants.hpp:246:47: error: initializer

For thread-local variable must be a constant expression

In file included from src/utility/random.cpp:28:

Error messages appeared on the screen. Amelia was asked to build a Bitcoin development source, but it seemed like she was having a hard time. She was frowning.

“Did you install Ubuntu (open-source Linux distribution) 8.04LTS version? Or did you end up with the most recent version 8.10?”

Woosung asked but there was no answer. It seemed like Amelia was in her own little world. Woosung put his hand on her shoulder.

“Amelia.”

“Oh, Aaron! Hi!” Amelia finally turned around.

“You installed the latest version, didn’t you? It’s not working because of that. Check it.”

Amelia checked Ubuntu version. As Woosung suggested, it was the 8.10. Amelia’s eyes widened.

“You’re right! How did you know?”

“I had a look at it on my way here. Have you looked at the report and the codes yet?”

Amelia nodded.

“Do you think you can optimize it to GPU?”

The mining of Bitcoin started with CPU and later improved to GPU. In Woosung’s previous life, ASIC was being used by 2018. GPU was better and faster than CPU, while ASIC was better than the other two. Woosung asked Amelia to convert the program to use GPU.

Amelia nodded with an empathetic expression.

“I think so.”

“Great. I need to go check out the factory, but I’ll be back to talk to you later.”

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Chapter 59:

On his way to the factory, Woosung saw the effects of the financial crisis.

FOR SALE.

The signs were everywhere. Up to 40% of Silicone Valley population lost their jobs. The factory Woosung bought was also a foreclosed property.

“The crisis has devastated the country. I guess it worked to our advantage. The factory was dirt cheap.” Jonathan Logan, who was driving, explained.

“I see. Look at all those for-sale signs.”

“Haha. The price of the houses plummeted. At least our employees love it since they can easily afford to buy now.”

Someone’s loss was always another person’s gain.

“I’m glad.”

Woosung felt lucky. In his previous life, he could’ve never become rich. However, in this new life, things were very different.

“The factory was actually being used to manufacture premium PDAs. It went bankrupt though, that is why it was on the market.”

PDA, or personal digital assistant, was a palmtop computer and personal organizer popular before the invention of smartphones.

Jonathan continued quickly. “They actually offered to sell equipment and materials for cheap too. Since we would use the place to manufacture smartphones anyway, I think it may be a good idea.”

“Ok. I’ll have a look.”

FOR SALE BY OWNER

The sign surrounded the factory. A few people were already waiting outside. Woosung walked towards them and greeted.

“Hello. My name is Aaron Kang.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Ellie Robinsky.”

She was a young woman in her early 30’s. Woosung was surprised at how young the owner of such a big factory was. Ellie Robinsky noticed Woosung’s disbelief and explained.

“Haha, I’m not some young genius entrepreneur. I just inherited it from my father. Let me show you around.”

Ellie opened the door. The factory was well maintained. Every machine was spotless and shining. Ellie patted them with the utmost affection.

“There was a time when we had such big orders that we needed even more machines. Unfortunately now, they rest.”

Woosung thought gladly.

‘They are perfect for mining Bitcoins. If I get two more factories in Korea, I should be able to mine 10,000 BTC per day from all three factories.’

The more Bitcoins were mined, the slower it became to produce. By 2018, a person could mine at most one per month, even with ASIC.

However, it was different now. With CPU, at least one could be mined per day. With GPU, more could be mined.

“I heard you plan to manufacture cell phones. The actual chips may be different, but other equipment should be very similar.” Ellie continued.

Woosung remained deep in his thoughts.

‘I also heard the electricity is about 30% cheaper here than Korea. It’s a perfect place for mining.’

Woosung grinned. He planned to have 500 computers here and another 500 in Korea.

In a year, he expected to mine 3 million Bitcoins.

3,000,000 * 20,000 = 60,000,000,000

60 billion.

Of course, this was the best scenario. Woosung knew he may not be able to mine this with this much efficiency. He also knew he won’t be able to sell all of his Bitcoins at the highest price.

It didn’t matter.

The opportunities were endless. Jonathan asked Woosung.

“Aaron, what do you think?”

Woosung answered.

“I like it. I especially appreciate how the owner took such good care of it.”

“Me too. Then should we go ahead with the purchase?”

Woosung nodded and approached Ellie.

“I am happy with what I saw. Can we talk about the purchase agreement?”

The contract was signed by late evening that day. Jonathan offered to drop Woosung off at the hotel, but Woosung insisted on going back to the office.

Everyone was gone except for one.

As Woosung suspected, Amelia was still at the office.

She was sitting there alone, murmuring to herself.

“Hmm…this isn’t it.”

“This would be better for security but for the possibility of future expansion…”

“To confirm transactions easily, it’s better if I…”

“Hmm…”

Amelia was so focused that she again didn’t notice Woosung.

Growl.

Suddenly, her stomach growled loudly. Amelia finally stretched her arms.

“Now, where is my sandwich…”

As she looked around, she noticed Woosung.

“Oh, Aaron?” The office was dead quiet. Amelia asked. “You must still have more work to do?”

“Haha, I told you I’ll be back.”

“Oh, right. Haha. I’m glad you’re here. I have a few things I need to ask you. Do you have time? I feel like you might know the answers…”

As she talked, her stomach growled again. Amelia didn’t seem to notice though. She pointed at the codes.

“If you can see here, the Bitcoin block size turns into 1MB. This will be a problem when the number of transactions increases. I don’t know why it’s set up like this.”

She was amazingly dedicated. Hunger didn’t seem to bother her. She was actually enjoying her work.

Woosung pointed at the Sushi he brought.

“Weren’t you about to have dinner? I brought us something to eat.”

Amelia was more interested in work though.

“Oh, do you know the answer?”

Woosung nodded.

In 2018, this problem was discussed extensively by many developers.

“Wow! Tell me now!”

Amelia begged but Woosung pointed at the plastic bag.

“Dinner first.”

Amelia grabbed the bag. “Then we need to eat fast. Afterward, I can ask more questions, right?”

Woosung nodded.

She gulped down everything in front of her. When she was done, she asked Woosung.

“So, why this limitation?”

“The biggest reason is DDOs (Distributed Denial of Service). As you probably have noticed, if someone created a block that developed unlimited bitcoins, the system will be shut down.”

“I see that, but 1MB is so small…”

“You’ll see when we run the test. It takes about 1KB for every 3 transactions. 1MB would be enough for over 3,000 transactions. The purpose of the system was only to confirm online P2P transactions, this would be perfect.”

Amelia nodded.

“So you’re saying this is not the final product?”

“Exactly. The purpose of this wasn’t to make a perfect system, but to make something that will prove the concept.”

Amelia understood perfectly.

In 2018, many developers worked on Bitcoin and came up with a similar conclusion. Bitcoin wasn’t perfect. That was why the second and third generations of cryptocurrency were born. Amelia pointed at a code and asked.

“Then would this automatic transaction based on the conditions be the same case?”

Woosung looked at where Amelia pointed.

She was correct. It had a similar problem. By 2018, Ethereum was created to fix this. Woosung answered in an almost lazy-sounding relaxed tone.

“Yes, but also it is a block structure problem too.”

Amelia couldn’t understand.

“Hmm…but then why not charge a fee for every loop? Once there is a certain number of it, then we can block the transactions.”

Woosung flinched. This was exactly what he was going to tell her. By 2018, a smart contract was developed for this problem. It was a computer protocol intended to facilitate, verify, or enforce the negotiation of a contract.

‘She is definitely a genius. I better study harder and try to keep up.’

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Chapter 60:

“You’re right, Amelia. If that kind of fee system is implemented, it will improve the situation, but as I said earlier, there are many other problems with this version anyway.” Woosung continued before Amelia could say anything. He wanted to show her that he knew better than she did. “Many other issues the include slowing down of the system as time passes and depletion of bitcoins which will, in turn, decrease consumers’ interest.”

Amelia adjusted her glasses. “Well, I still find it very interesting. It’s truly an innovative idea!” Amelia’s eyes shined in excitement.

Woosung could feel her true joy at discovering and learning new technology.

“You seem like you’re enjoying yourself.”

“Haha, do I look too excited?”

“No. It’s nice to see you having fun.”

He meant it. Amelia asked a few more questions, Woosung answered them using the information he knew from 2018. Amelia looked at him with respect.

“Phew, I think that’s it for now. I will get back to work.”

Woosung looked at his watch in shock. It was past 9 pm and Amelia was still planning to work.

“Aren’t you going home?”

Amelia checked the time and answered coolly.

“It’s only 9 pm. I live next door so it’s fine.” Woosung continued to stare at her with an obvious look of astonishment. He has never met someone like Amelia before. She rubbed her hands and murmured. “Haha, now let’s really get into it.”

Woosung was still sitting beside her, but she didn’t seem to notice.

Unlike her, Woosung was tired after a long day. He stood up quietly and headed to his hotel.

CPU.

GPU.

ASIC.

These were three levels of circuits for mining different cryptocurrencies. CPU was the slowest, followed by GPU. ASIC was known to be the fastest.

You could think of CPU as a single van transporting a person, a piece of equipment, or an animal to a destination. On the other hand, GPU was like a group of buses transporting people to the destination. Finally, ASIC was a group of buses transporting people but using the bus lane.

It was no wonder ASIC was the fastest mining system. It was designed specifically for mining. Woosung would’ve loved to work on creating ASIC, but he was already busy working on the smartphone project. He had to be satisfied with GPU mining for now.

In theory, Woosung could start mining using CPU, but in his previous life, the very first block was produced on January 3rd. Woosung worried that if he started mining now, it may change the future. He had to wait just to be safe. He planned to start mining on January 4th.

‘The very first block will remain to Satoshi Nakamoto’s, but I will eventually become the one with the most bitcoins.’

He could end up with a million, three million, or even five million bitcoins. Woosung also planned on gathering other cryptocurrencies including Ethereum, Ripple, and Eos.

GPU core was currently Amelia’s responsibility, while Woosung worked on developing mining servers. He focused on making it simple and easy to use. Woosung had worked on web screen development countless times in his previous life, so this was a piece of cake for him.

Woosung’s next focus was daytime trading.

Woosung knew the stock market trend well from his previous life. He especially was familiar with the stock price history of Nuri Corporation.

“Let’s see. Today is November 14th. Nuri Corp is currently worth 13.50, and it will soon become 15 dollars. So I should buy a million dollars of it.”

- Transaction completed.

- Transaction completed.

- Transaction completed.

Because Woosung was buying a large quantity, his order was completed in multiple separate transactions. Every time a part of his order was filled, the alarm on his cell phone rang.

“Now I should place an order to sell the stocks automatically when the price reaches 15 dollars.”

That would make it 11% profit.

In only a week, Woosung would make 100,000 dollars. For something like this, he didn’t even need the algorithm trading system.

“And there is one more stock I need to buy…Let’s see. How much is it today?”

One of the stocks Woosung remembered well was Pine Tech.

It was a small PDA manufacturing company. In his past life, its stock price skyrocketed when there was a rumor of it developing an Android OS. At the time, CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) was not supported, so it could not be released in Korea.

However, with the rumor alone, the stock soared in a short period of time. Woosung remembered Kim Yonggun talking about how he should’ve bought it.

In his previous life, Kim Yonggun’s nonstop talk about this stock was annoying, but now Woosung felt appreciative.

Woosung started buying the Pine Tech stock at the price of only 70 cents. He couldn’t buy too much of it all at once in case someone suspected an insider trading.

At 70 cents, he bought 100,000 dollars of it.

At 74 cents, he bought 100,000 dollars of it.

At 80 cents, he bought 200,000 dollars of it.

At 90 cents, he bought 200,000 dollars of it.

Woosung took his time with it. Soon, the stock price reached a dollar.

And finally, the news he has been waiting for came.

“Pine Tech Android CDMA Technology development is underway.”

The development wasn’t even complete, yet the price went up to 4 dollars quickly.

“Daeyang Technology supply contract is underway.”

“LT Technology supply contract is underway.”

When the rumors of Daeyang and LT’s interest in Pine Tech started, the stock price soared further to 20 dollars.

“There should be more news coming soon…”

By this time, Woosung held a total of 5 million dollars of stocks.

Compared to how much he made during the financial crisis, this was not a lot of money. Woosung continued nonetheless. It felt like a fun game to him.

The future happened as he expected.

December 1st.

“Pine Tech Android CDMA technology development is underway.”

With this news, the stock price reached its peak. The next day, it started to decline. Woosung knew how things were going to work out, so he started to purchase even more stocks. Since he placed big orders, the price held and stopped falling.

In October during the financial crisis, Woosung found every day stressful. The potential benefit was huge, but the risk was big as well. With the game of put options, it was possible for Woosung to suddenly go into debt of millions of dollars in days or even minutes.

But now, a few millions of dollars were nothing to him.

He enjoyed it as a game. Then, Woosung had an idea.

‘What if I buy Pine Tech and combined it with my current company? It’s a well-established company with good employees. I should look into it.”

Woosung grinned. Amelia approached him and asked.

“Aaron, I’m almost done with the conversion to GPU. Do you want to have a look?”

Woosung rubbed his hands and stood up.

“Sure. Let’s see.”

A few weeks later.

Hundreds of computers arrived at the Silicone Valley factory.

Server

CPU: Intel Core 2 Q6600.

Graphics Card: NVidia GeForce GTX 295.

Graphics card was 500 dollars each. The CPU was about the same price. Other equipment cost about 1500 each.

Since he bought 500 units, it cost him 750,000 dollars in total.

It was an amazing price thanks to the effects of the financial crisis.

After everything was installed, Woosung connected to the maintenance program he created.

http://devops.kindcoin.com

When he entered his ID and password, he could look at the server statuses.

Server Status: 500 Green. 0 Red.

Average: 0 MHash/S.

The Output: 0BTC.

500 Green.

All servers were working normally. The output was still 0 since mining hasn’t started yet.

Woosung clicked the button “Full Start.”

Click.

1 Server Starting…

2 Server Starting…

3 Server Starting…

…

…

500 Server Starting…

When the last server started, the Average of 0 changed as well.

14 MHash/S.

Within a few minutes, The Output changed too.

The Output 1.4121 BTC

The very first bitcoin was mined.

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Chapter 61:

The Output: 14050.5910 BTC.

Over 10,000 bitcoins were made in a day. In 10 years, one bitcoin could be sold for up to 20,000 dollars, which meant this was worth about 280 million dollars on the screen.

All in a single day.

In one day, he made almost 300 million dollars. More bitcoins were being made nonstop. Amelia stretched her arms and asked.

“Aaron, how does it look? Is the program working fine?”

“It’s too good.”

The program was running smoothly. It must’ve been Amelia’s good work on GPU. The program was mining about 4000 bitcoins more than he expected.

4000 bitcoins were worth 80 million dollars in the future. Woosung wondered.

‘Should I share it with Amelia?’

No one other than Woosung knew how much these were worth in the future.

‘I feel guilty taking everything.’

Currently, a bitcoin was worth nothing. In May 2010, a US programmer named Laszlo paid 10,000 bitcoins for 2 pizzas and that was the beginning of bitcoin valuation.

As time passed, the value went up and was exchangeable for real money. Amelia smiled angelically.

“Phew, I’m relieved. I was worried that there may be a problem.” Woosung flinched. He felt horrible for being so greedy.

“I don’t think you need to worry.”

“I know how bad the job market is now. I appreciate the great opportunity you gave me.”

Woosung was paying Amelia a yearly salary of 150,000 dollars. It was more than any other tech companies would pay for a new grad. It was better than even Google.

Woosung laughed awkwardly. “Hahaha…You deserve it, Amelia.”

What he was paying Amelia was nothing compared to how much she was making him. Woosung continued to feel guilty. Amelia made him feel even worse when she bowed to him.

“No, I really want to thank you for being so generous. I also appreciate the chance to learn cool things.”

Woosung swallowed and replied. “Haha. Hahahaha…You just keep working hard. Good luck.”

“Of course! I will now begin working on the Android framework.”

“O…ok.”

Amelia went back to work. Woosung continued to monitor the bitcoin production.

The Output:14521.1240 BTC.

Another 500 were mined in a few minutes. It was worth 10 million dollars.

Another news on Pine Tech was released.

“Disclosure of inquiry (Prominent Market Fluctuation)”

It was a system by the Korean Stock Exchange to protect the average investors. Whenever there was a sudden change in a listed company, the shareholders were alerted. The current price of the Pine Tech stock was $16.10. The online discussion consisted of many comments regarding this company.

“The insiders are getting out. Everyone should sell their stocks too.”

“I believe in Pine Tech. Time to go up!”

“I talked to someone from the company. He said it was going up tomorrow.”

“I bought at $21.50…I lost so much. Pine Tech ruined my life.”

The stock price was going down. The shareholders felt trapped.

Woosung sold all his stocks when the price was between 15 – 20 dollars. With 5 million dollars, he made 40 million dollars.

“Perfect. It’s going according to my plan.”

After checking the price again, Woosung headed to the San Francisco international airport. He was ready to go back home.

Incheon international airport.

As soon as Jang Gwangchul saw Woosung, he ran towards him.

“Bro!”

Woosung awkwardly pushed him away.

“W…what’s wrong?”

“What took you so long?”

Jang Gwangchul looked at Woosung accusingly and continued.

“June, July, August, September, October, November, December, and January! It has been 8 months. Tell me the truth!”

He grabbed Woosung’s arm tightly, but Woosung was strong.

“L…let me go first.”

Woosung pulled away easily. Jang Gwangchul looked at Woosung as if he was being betrayed. His eyes started to well up. Hong Soobum, who was standing nearby, looked embarrassed by the situation.

“Let’s go. We need to get out of here. We can talk in the car.”

Hong Soobum had a lot of questions for Woosung too.

In Jang Gwangchul’s van, Woosung looked out the window.

Korea.

He was back.

It was good to be home, but Woosung had no time to feel emotional. Jang Gwangchul and Hong Soobum stared at him.

“It’s a solid company. It would be beneficial for us to have it. I haven’t bought it yet. I’m going to wait until it gets cheaper.”

Jang Gwangchul replied as soon as he finished. “I looked into it, and it seems like all the insiders got out of it. Are you sure it’s a good idea? It may be a small company, but it’s still a company. The purchase price will be steep.”

Hong Soobum seemed curious as well. Woosung answered.

“Don’t you remember the financial crisis? I took advantage of it.”

“Are you saying you made some money?”

Woosung nodded.

“How much? The company is probably worth over 30 million dollars. There is no way you can afford it.”

Woosung opened his hand to show all five fingers.

“You made 50 million dollars?”

Woosung shook his head and answered. “More.”

“…500 million dollars?”

Nod.

Jang Gwangchul and Hong Soobum swallowed hard. It was an unbelievable amount.

‘I shouldn’t tell the actual amount just to be safe.’

He also couldn’t disclose his plan with bitcoins as well.

Woosung would purchase Pine Tech and merge it with his company in Silicone Valley. When it becomes an open hardware company, Pine Tech’s stock price would surely rise.

Jang Gwangchul murmured in disbelief. “Oh my gosh. You are rich now. Super rich.”

“Really? It doesn’t feel like it yet.”

Woosung said with an awkward humility. Jang Gwangchul asked carefully.

“Do you have all of it in cash?”

When Woosung nodded, both Jang Gwangchul and Hong Soobum gawked at him. Most rich people had the majority of their wealth in assets such as buildings and stocks. It was uncommon for a person to have this much cash. Hong Soobum murmured behind his breath.

“He’s beyond super-rich…”

Woosung thought to himself with a lion’s pride.

‘Actually, I have about a billion dollars, and it’s going to be more in the future.’

He didn’t say it out loud though.

“So you want to own more of our company?”

“Yes. I’m the one who came up with the smartphone idea. I can buy you out completely if you want.”

“Huh. Are you saying you don’t need me anymore?”

“Haha, of course, I need you as a person, but I don’t need you for the money.”

Jang Gwangchul blinked his eyes in surprise. Hong Soobum also stared at Woosung in shock. Woosung continued.

“I told you. I have 500 million dollars in cash, but I have more in other forms.”

Bitcoins.

Big-name stocks such as Apple and Amazon.

Even Woosung was starting to have difficulty figuring out how much assets he had.

He finally arrived home.

Ring.

When he rang the doorbell, the door opened quickly.

“Woosung!”

His mom called out to him. Woosung felt emotional. “I’m home, mom!”

“Oh my goodness. What have you been doing all this time? You lost so much weight!”

He actually didn’t lose any weight. After September, he has been staying at an expensive hotel and enjoying fancy food.

“That’s not true. I ate well. I actually gained a little bit of weight.”

“But you didn’t get to eat Korean food. Come in quickly. Dinner’s ready.”

Woosung followed in. His father hugged him tight and they started to enjoy their dinner. Woosung felt content to be finally home.

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Chapter 62:

After dinner, it was time for presents. Woosung gave his parents extravagant gifts he bought in US.

They chatted with so much glee. Woosung was the only child, and his parents missed him terribly. They were happy to see him back.

After opening all the presents, Woosung brought out a map.

“I have one last gift for you.”

“Really? What’s with the map?”

The map was of Seoul. Both his parents’ eyes widened. Woosung pointed at the map and asked.

“Pick an area you want to live in.”

Kim Eunjung became confused. “W…what?”

“Pick a neighborhood you like, and I will buy you the most expensive house in that area.”

“W…what?” They understood him, but they still couldn’t believe him.

Woosung smiled. “Or I can get you a real estate agent, so you can be shown around a few places. As long as it is under 5 million dollars, you can get any house you want.” His father spewed out the water he was drinking. His mother gaped at him. Woosung continued calmly. “And I will hire a maid, so you don’t have to worry about housework anymore.”

His mother stammered. “W…Woosung, what are you talking about? I don’t understand.”

“I made a lot of money in America. I remember you saying you hoped to someday open a small café as a retirement plan. Why don’t we buy you a building? The first floor can be used as your coffee shop.” His father continued to stare at him. “You can run the place and live at the top floor of the building.”

Kim Eunjung was speechless. Woosung assured them again. “So I think that would total about 10 million dollars. Anyway, don’t worry about the money. Get anything you want, mom and dad.”

“W…what?”

“Haha. It’s simple. Your son is rich now, so you don’t ever have to worry about money.”

His parents seemed to want an explanation, but Woosung continued to be vague about how he became rich.

Woosung didn’t know a real estate agent, so he asked Jang Gwangchul to recommend someone. Jang Gwangchul knew real estate industry very well, so he introduced Woosung to someone he knew. They toured the expensive neighborhoods in Seoul. At the end, Woosung picked Garosu-gil and Itaewon.

10 years from now, these two areas were going to be hot neighborhoods. Jang Gwangchul looked at Woosung and asked.

“Little bro, did you study real estate?”

“No. They just look good. I have a good feeling about them.”

“Really? I see. Then I should buy a building here as well.”

“What?”

“Remember what I told you before? You smell like money. I’ll bet the places you picked will become big in the future.”

Woosung flinched but tried to act normally. “Hahaha. Whatever you want, but don’t blame me if you lose money on it.”

Kim Eunjung asked suddenly.

“W…Woosung. Are you sure this is ok? The real estate agent said this is 5 million dollars…”

“That’s fine. So we can all agree that this building is the one for us?”

The real estate agent answered quickly. “You made the right choice. This area is going to develop very soon. You are also buying at the right time. Because of the financial crisis, the prices have gone down significantly.”

Woosung already knew Itaewon was going to be the hot place for young Koreans in the future.

“Then I guess that’s that. Now, let’s go to Apgujung to look at places to live. How about Hyundai apartment?”

The agent answered quickly. “I have the perfect place for you. It has been undated recently. You also get a great view of Han River. There is also a great park within a 10-minute walk. Again, it’s for sale at a great price because of the crisis.”

Woosung answered. “Let’s go and have a look.”

As the agent promised, it was a luxurious apartment. It was a 30-year-old place, but it was updated to look clean and modern.

It was over 2000 sqft.

Kim Eunjung exclaimed constantly. “It’s so amazing!”

“Look, you can see the river from the master bedroom.”

“Look at the beautiful wallpapers. They are so shiny.”

The agent added a modest response to their awe. “The owner works in the interior design business, so he only used the best material for this apartment. It is rare to find an apartment where you can see the river from so many rooms. The price is also dirt cheap. It’s only 2.5 million dollars.”

Kim Eunjung stammered at the price.

“…2.5 million dollars?”

“It is a rare price for this area. This place will be bought as soon as possible. If you won’t decide now, you will lose it by tomorrow.”

Woosung liked the place. It was close to his office too. Woosung asked the agent.

“Then let’s get this place for my parents. Do you have another one similar to this? I plan to get my own place too.”

Jang Gwangchul gasped.

“Wow…You really did make a lot of money.”

“Haha, of course. Did you think I lied about it?”

The agent smiled broadly.

“O…of course. Should we go have a look now?”

That day, Woosung bought two apartments and a business building. In total, he spent 10 million dollars. He still had 110 million dollars left in his Korean bank account. The interest alone from this was 200,000 dollars per month. He never had to worry about money ever again.

Usually, such big real estate purchases took months. Payments were often made in steps, but Woosung paid the total up front immediately. He hired a lawyer right away and the transaction was completed within a few days.

He also bought furniture and further upgraded the houses to perfection.

When Woosung and his parents went furniture shopping, they kept asking him every time they picked a piece.

“Are you sure its okay for us to spend so much money?”

“Don’t worry. I get at least 100,000 dollars in interest a month.”

After a little while, his parents stopped asking. Woosung decided not to be completely honest with his parents in terms of how much money he had. He had much more than he disclosed, and he felt it was better for them to not know the whole truth.

In a week, they were moved in to their homes.

It was Monday again and Woosung rode the subway to work. He hadn’t hired a personal chauffer yet, but he planned to soon. It was faster to ride the public transit than driving the car Jang Gwangchul gave him. The traffic often was horrible during rush hours.

His office, KND, was situated in Teheran-ro. When he entered, he saw a familiar face. Yoon Gihwan quit Nuri Finances some times ago and was working for Woosung.

“Long time no see, General Manager Yoon.”

“Oh, it’s you, newbie…I mean President. Hello.”

Yoon Gihwan felt awkward calling Woosung President, but this was the reality. He now worked for Woosung at KND financial company which specialized in algorithm trading. It has been 4 months since he joined this company.

“Yes. I am back now. Thank you so much for holding down the fort for so long.”

Woosung was indeed the boss. Yoon Gihwan was responsible for maintaining Woosung’s trading system on Nuri Finances’ IDC and the system that was made for Jang Gwangchul. His yearly salary was 100,000 dollars.

100,000 dollars.

It was much more than what he was paid in his previous jobs.

“Haha, no problem. I wish I could do more since I’m getting paid so well. I want to thank you for being so generous. I also get to go home in time everyday, which is a bonus.”

“I’m glad to hear it. Thanks to you, things have worked out well for me even when I was in America.”

Yoon Gihwan whispered knowingly. “So the rumor’s true.”

“Rumor?”

“Everyone’s saying that you killed it during the financial crisis.”

Woosung didn’t deny it. “Rumor travels fast. Well, I did make some money.”

Yoon Gihwan gasped in surprise.

“Ah…”

“Just kidding. I didn’t make that much.”

“Oh…”

Yoon Gihwan sighed disappointedly. “The others…”

Woosung looked around. Jang Gwangchul and Hong Soobum were waiting for Woosung to introduce him to the rest of the employees. There were many developers and administrative staffs. It took an hour for Woosung to meet and greet all of them.

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Chapter 63:

After the introductions, Jang Gwangchul, Hong Soobum, Yoon Gihwan, and Woosung started a meeting of their own. Hong Soobum, who was the head of the Coconut app development, began.

“We are at the last stage of the iPhone app development. We are using the President’s MQTT as the server and testing it out.”

Woosung nodded. There was nothing he could add to the actual development portion. He trusted Hong Soobum to do a good job. Woosung’s main interest was something else.

“Where will it be released first?”

“I was thinking Korea.”

“That’s a good idea, but iPhone and Android aren’t released in Korea yet. We can’t just keep waiting, so why not release in America first?”

“America?”

“Yes. We can hire famous Hollywood actors and take photos of them using Coconut. We can upload these pictures on Facebook. This would be the fastest and surest way to get noticed. Coconut will become the most popular app quickly.”

Woosung wanted to implement the SNS marketing strategy from 2018.

“It will cost a lot to hire famous actors. Even if we do, would the Americans use a Korean app?” Hong Soobum replied cynically.

Even in Woosung’s previous life, Coconut never went beyond Korea. However, the app named Slime by Nexter, released after Coconut, managed to become successful in Japan and America. Woosung continued with a stern expression.

“Messenger is a relatively new concept. Ours is pretty much the first one ever in the market. We need to use this to our advantage. We can release it in the US and see what happens. We can adjust and improve it as we go, and eventually, we will make it into a global app.”

Woosung thought of the famous messengers from his previous life.

Telegram.

WhatsApp.

Snapchat.

Woosung knew the pros and cons of these apps. One common thing he knew of them was that none of them became popular worldwide. Woosung thought that this was because none of them knew the truth about smartphones.

Both Android and iPhone were released at the end of 2009 in Korea. Practically speaking, it may be safer to release the app in Korea, but Woosung wanted to be bold.

“As time passes, there will be more messenger apps with better and faster functions in the world. The competition will become fierce. Anything that becomes popular in America will automatically become popular in Korea. It will be too late for us when this happens with another messenger.”

Woosung emphasized the importance of the world market. Hong Soobum asked. “Could you explain your plan in more details?”

“Coconut will be a chat service with a strong security system. Even if the server or the cell phone become hacked, we will make sure the app itself can never be hacked.” Woosung continued without waiting for the others’ response. “Coconut China will serve only China. China has restricted acceptance of foreign IT companies. We will have to create a separate customize app just for Chinese people, but it will be worth it. China is a huge market.”

Woosung had a sip of water, none of the people around him dared talk in his small pause.

“And I really believe in using the Hollywood stars to jumpstart this app.”

Hong Soobum asked curiously. “So are you suggesting we give up on Korean users?”

“Facebook is an innovative website created by Ivy league students. People will want to be part of it.”

Hong Soobum frowned as he understood what Woosung meant. “You are counting on many young Koreans dreaming of attending Ivy league college, and also being fans of the American celebrities.”

Woosung nodded and answered.

“It is almost impossible to get a popular Korean app into the world market.” Woosung pointed at his iPhone on the table. “As I said before, trying to place a desktop into a phone is not a good idea. The phone will BECOME the desktop. We need to think like that for our app too. We need to become successful in the world first. When this happens, it will become popular in Korea.”

Jang Gwangchul protested quietly with a pout. “President, we all know that. It’s just that it is going to be very difficult.”

“Why?”

“Well first, we don’t know the American market very well. We don’t know how they think or what they like. Jumping into the unknown would be a suicide.”

Woosung answered quickly. “We can learn. I will take all of you to Silicone Valley and you can learn the American way. Any other problems?”

Jang Gwangchul hesitated. “How about hiring the Hollywood stars? It’s going to cost a lot. We also don’t know if they will even accept our offer.”

“We can contact their management companies. I will pay for everything. I can pay up to 100 million dollars. You don’t think it’s going to cost more than that, right? Now, anything else?”

Jang Gwangchul started to sweat.

“N…no, that’s not what I meant…”

“Google got into the Korean market, but Nexter hasn’t been able to go out into the world. This will always be the pattern. Same with Facebook vs. Cyworld. This will always be the case.” Woosung took a deep breath. He was thirsty. He had another sip of water. “Do you want the same thing to happen to Coconut too? Mediocre success in Korea and never get to step into the world market?”

When Woosung became silent, the room tensed up. After a few minutes, Woosung added.

“This is my first order as the president. Always think big. Any products we create, they are meant to be successful worldwide. If you don’t agree, then you can leave now.”

Everyone tensed. They all glanced at Woosung with nervous glances.

He was the CEO.

His order was the law in this company.

After a few minutes of silence, Yoon Gihwan finally laughed awkwardly. “Hahaha. I…it’s a grand idea, President. Take over the world. It should be our motto.”

Jang Gwangchul added quickly as well.

“Y…yes. I agree. Hahaha”

Hong Soobum had no other choice. He coughed and answered.

“Hmm…alright. I will do as you like. I feel the same way; I want Coconut to become international too.”

Woosung looked at Hong Soobum. “I believe in this plan. Don’t forget that the average lifespan of an internet company is only 10 years.”

Jang Gwangchul said to Woosung. “Little bro…Don’t talk like that. You are scaring all of us.”

“What I mean is that I am betting my life on this company. I will make sure that our company does not become just an average corporation for average joes.”

Jang Gwanchul laughed awkwardly. “Hahaha. I think so too.”

“Please think of any other advertising ideas. Now, let’s go onto the algorithm trading.” Yoon Gihwan tensed. “Do you know what these are? Citadel, Paulson & Co, SAV, and Quantum?”

Yoon Gihwan answered with a profound carefulness in his tone. “Of course I know. They are all hedge funds.”

“That’s right. They are world famous hedge funds. Do you know how much a Citadel operator makes in a year?”

Yoon Gihwan didn’t have the answer. Woosung looked around the room. Everyone remained silent.

“1.7 billion dollars. So can you guess what kind of profit Citadel would make in a year?”

Again, no one could answer.

“No one really knows but my guess would be an unimaginable amount. This is what I want for our algorithm trading.”

“Oh, but…”

“I realize that you can’t do it by yourself, General manager Yoon. I will help you of course and I will soon be hiring world famous mathematicians and physicists.”

“A…alright.”

“Now the third topic of this meeting is the smartphone project.”

Woosung started to explain his plan.

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Chapter 64:

Woosung repeated what he said to Jonathan but in more details. He talked about where the smartphone industry would head in the future.

“Even if we start right now, we still won’t be able to release a product by the end of this year in Korea. We still need to get a factory, equipment, and staffs. We just don’t have enough time. So that is why I plan on buying an existing company.”

Jang Gwangchul opened his mouth to say something but decided against it. “Have you heard of Pine Tech?”

Jang Gwangchul finally chimed in. “The insiders got in and out to make money. It left the company and the shareholders in a bit of a pickle.”

“Yes. I was one of the ones who made a chunk of money too.”

“…what?”

“And I plan on buying the company with the profit I made from the stocks.”

Yoon Gihwan and Hong Soobum looked confused.

Jang Gwangchul frowned and asked. “What do you mean you were involved? Did you make your money from Pine Tech stocks during the financial crisis? Is that what you’re saying?”

Jang Gwangchul sounded upset. It sounded like he was scolding Woosung. Woosung couldn’t tell him the truth. Luckily, he already had a made-up story he could use.

“I found out about this company from the algorithm trading winning stock recommendation. The company isn’t doing bad enough to report any net losses yet. I think we need to buy it.”

Jang Gwangchul appeared to believe Woosung’s story.

“It is a PDA manufacturing company, which means we can use their existing factory as is. I found out that they also manufacture PDAs with similar capabilities with phones. If we manage it better, it will be good.”

No one commented.

“As for our phone design, I already hired a company in Silicon Valley for it.”

Woosung turned on the giant screen and showed a cell phone design with the title Blue S.

It was the exact design used in Woosung’s previous life by Daeyang.

‘Hahaha. Whoever uses it first owns the design. I already got it patented in US and Korea so Daeyang will never be able to use it.’

Woosung grinned. He loved the fact that he stole the idea from Daeyang.

“The phone was made with this design.”

“Made?” Hong Soobum murmured.

Woosung took out a cell phone that looked exactly like the one on the screen.

“Jonathan made a prototype for us. Because of the lack of CDMA in Korea, we can’t use it here, but it is already functional in America. It’s not 100% done yet though. Oh, and its WiFi connection works in Korea as well.” Woosung continued, but this time he speaks slower. “I will be releasing the news of this phone and Pine Tech purchase at the same time. We will make the announcement at Daeyang Hotel in Samsung-dong. Our company will become the hero who saved the shareholders of Pine Tech. Blue S will get a lot of attention this way.”

Woosung clicked to get to the next slide on the screen.

“The phone’s slogan will be, ‘The only friend for you in this lonely world.'”

“…”

“And…”

Woosung suddenly stopped. There was one more business he needed to mention but was having difficulty explaining it.

‘Bitcoin.’

He re-read the report on it again on his way back to Korea.

He had to continue to work on the cryptocurrency project.

Mining.

ASIC.

Cryptocurrency trading company.

ICO (Initial Coin Offering: Creating new cryptocurrency.)

There were so many things Woosung had to develop in this industry. Woosung didn’t know how to explain all this to his colleagues. When he remained quiet, Hong Soobum asked finally.

“Hmm… President. Are you finished?”

Woosung kept his pause before he finally gave a reply. “We will be expanding continuously, and I thought this office alone wouldn’t be big enough. So I bought this entire building.”

“…pardon?”

The building was a 15-story high and a 4-story basements.

The price dropped recently due to the effect of financial crisis, but it was still well over 50 million dollars. Hong Soobum and Yoon Gihwan wondered just how much Woosung made during the difficult time. Woosung looked around.

“Now you can get back to work.”

Everyone stood up to leave. Before Yoon Gihwan could leave as well, Woosung called him.

“General manager, please stay. I have to talk to you.”

Yoon Gihwan frowned nervously. Jang Gwangchul grinned at Yoon Gihwan and murmured.

“Good luck!”

They seemed like they became good friends.

Woosung looked at Yoon Gihwan in the eye. “I was just wondering, shouldn’t we bring Manager Park and Assistant manager Kim in the company as well?”

Yoon Gihwan sighed in relief. “Oh, I can tell them. Should I get them to come for an interview?”

“No. I will go to them myself. It wouldn’t be right to have them come to do my bidding because I’m a CEO now.”

“Haha, you are worrying about nothing. They aren’t some geniuses you are trying to scout. You don’t have to feel that way.” Yoon Gihwan added sadly. “I also am not worthy of your company. I know that.”

Yoon Gihwan looked lost. Woosung said seriously.

“My conditions for my employees are two things. Ability and trust.” Woosung’s words seemed to confused Yoon Gihwan. “I have to admit that if I only valued one’s ability, you may not be my first choice. But…”

Yoon Gihwan listened hopefully.

“The trust I have in you makes you an exemplary employee. When I thanked you on my first day, I meant it. Its because you did well here while I was away, I made a good money in Korea during the financial crisis.”

Woosung made over 100 million dollars in Korea while he was in America. It was the truth. Yoon Gihwan smiled in embarrassment. His ears were turning red.

“I feel the same way about Manager Park and Assistant manager Kim. I have absolute trust in all of you. You won’t play the role of genius quants, but you will work as trusted system operators.” Woosung smiled slightly and continued. “I should go see them myself. I meant to visit you to offer you a job personally, but I couldn’t because I was in America.”

Yoon Gihwan nodded. He was learning more about Woosung.

“But that doesn’t mean you can stop learning. You need to be always diligent with your studies.”

Yoon Gihwan answered with a light smile. “I understand.”

The company ran most smoothly when it consisted of smart lazy boss and smart diligent employee.

Unfortunately in Daesan System, it was made of a stupid lazy supervisor and smart diligent employees.

“Manager Park, what the hell? The winning stock recommendation success rate went down to 45.4%. I told you to increase it by today, didn’t I?”

Manager Park answered without turning around. “I told you it requires an algorithm tuning. I gave you a report yesterday. It’s a miracle it’s actually staying at that percentage still.”

Yoon Gihwan’s replacement, Hong Sunggi, shouted angrily. “How dare you!”

“I requested for a developer who could fix it from the headquarter. They sent you, General manager Hong.”

Park Junwoo said icily. Kim Yonggun also frowned.

“Y…yes. I was sent to fix it, but you guys are the ones responsible for this program. You need to give me the needed information for me to do my job.”

“I already told you so many times. Simple regression analysis was used. Independent variable x is the past winning stocks’ volume in last 5 years. I showed you the detailed formula three times already.”

Park Junwoo changed a lot in last 4 months. He was much thinner. He looked and sounded sharp like a knife.

Hong Sunggi fumed. Kim Yonggun stood up to ease the tension.

“Haha, everyone needs to calm down. Stress can kill you.”

“Just shut up!”

“Let’s go out for coffee.”

Kim Yonggun took Hong Sunggi out and winked at Park Junwoo, who shook his head. Before leaving the office, Hong Sunggi ordered Park Junwoo.

“You… you better fix everything on the bug report from today, or else, you’re not allowed to go home.”

Then as the door opened, two familiar faces appeared.

“It’s still so noisy here.”

Kim Yonggun inhaled in surprise. “W…Woosung?”

Yoon Gihwan, who was standing next to Woosung, laughed.

“General manager Hong, how’s it going?”

“Oh, I’m fine. What brings you here today?”

“I just wanted to come by and say hi to everyone.”

“Oh…”

Kwak Jungwook, who was hidden behind Woosung and Yoon Gihwan, stepped forward and asked. “Haha, General manager Hong, could we come in?”

“O…of course.”

Kwak Jungwook then stepped back and said to Woosung. “Now, do whatever you need to do and call me.”

Woosung smiled and nodded.

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Chapter 65:

When they all sat down at a café, Kim Yonggun spoke with an ecstatic tone.

“General manager Yoon told us you were back. You look different like you are rich!”

Woosung laughed. Kim Yonggun continued quickly. “So what brings you here today?”

“I came to see you two.”

“Pardon?”

“I’m here to offer you jobs.”

Park Junwoo’s eyes widened. Kim Yonggun stammered. “Oh… T…then we’ll be working with General Manager Yoon?”

“Yes. I will offer you good salaries. You will get raises depending on your performances. What do you think?”

Park Junwoo bit his lips. He felt like he was finally being rewarded for his hard work. Woosung took out two envelops and placed them on the table.

“Have a look.”

Park Junwoo opened his envelop first.

Yearly salary: 50,000 dollars

Incentive: Salary * 400 (Paid when you achieve beyond your quota)

He was being paid 33,000 dollars currently. It was 17,000 dollars more than his present salary.

Plus incentive.

He couldn’t believe it. It was an offer he couldn’t refuse.

“And the incentive is really on top of the salary?”

Woosung answered seriously. “That’s right.”

Kim Yonggun also seemed surprised. Yoon Gihwan explained. “President Kang made a lot of money recently.”

“Not a lot but enough to bring you in.”

“Oh…”

“Do you remember what I said before? I said that you needed to improve to become good enough for the world outside of Daesan.”

Kim Yonggun and Park Junwoo listened, their full attention given to Woosung.

“What I really meant was you need to be good enough not only in Korea but in the world.” Woosung continued right away after seeing their dumbfounded reactions. “This is only the beginning. If you want to make a lot of money, join me.”

Both nodded enthusiastically.

There was no reason for them to reject this offer. They were waiting for this day.

“Then it’s decided. You two will join my company.” Woosung stood up. “Now, let’s get out of here. I will buy all of you dinner. Have you had Kaiseki before? It’s great! I made a reservation for us at a nearby Japanese restaurant. Let’s go.”

Kwak Jungwook did as he was ordered. As soon as Woosung arrived at Daesan office, he called Na Jaeman to let him know.

“Sir, Woosung was here. He came to see his co-workers. They are now heading to a Japanese restaurant called ‘Osaka’.”

After hanging up, Kwak Jungwook murmured.

“…I feel like a double agent…”

Kwak Jungwook then texted Woosung back.

“I let President Na know where you are.”

Na Jaeman called Shin Semi.

“Yes. That’s right. It’s Woosung. Yes. He said he’s heading to Osaka. His account balance is currently 140 million dollars. That’s right. He dealt with Pine Tech stocks.”

After only a month since the Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy, Woosung became a VVIP at Nuri Finances.

How?

Woosung was the richest VVIP at Nuri Finances now. During the financial crisis, when Nuri Finances’ stock declined, Woosung bought 10 million dollars worth of it.

Everyone thought this was a dangerous time to buy any stocks, yet Woosung was continuously making purchases. Was he being brave, or did he know something?

And if so, how?

Shin Semi couldn’t take it anymore. She drove to the Japanese restaurant ‘Osaka’.

As she walked down the hallway, she heard laughter from the reserved room.

“Hahahaha. Is that true?”

“And you know what? When I walked into the lawyer’s office on Wallstreet, the receptionist called me a yellow monkey and asked if I wanted a banana. At the time, I had no money and I looked poor because I was wearing jeans and carrying a worn backpack.”

“So what did you do?”

Woosung answered laughing. “I had to leave. And after I made a lot of money, I went back to that place. I wore an expensive suit and brought my own lawyer. Luckily, I recorded their racist comments, so I turned the recording on for them. I told them I was going to sue them. They all freaked out.”

“Hahaha. You’re amazing. So you went back?”

“Of course. I always pay what I’m owed back.”

Woosung quickly checked his phone. There was a text message from the restaurant’s server, who Woosung tipped and asked to let him know when Shin Semi arrived.

“She’s here.”

“I need to go to the washroom.”

Woosung stood up and opened the door. Shin Semi was standing right there in surprise. Woosung greeted her.

“Oh…Hello. Long time no see.”

Shin Semi nodded slightly. “I doubt this is a coincidence. I assume you are here to see me, right?” Woosung looked at her directly as he asked.

Shin Semi flinched. Woosung continued. “Then why didn’t you knock? Well, let’s go. I reserved another room for us.”

Woosung walked past her.

“I assume you already had dinner, so let’s have a drink.”

Woosung ordered plum wine. Shin Semi looked at Woosung without saying a word. Woosung asked her slowly.

“Aren’t you even going to say hello? It has been long since we last saw.”

She still remained silent.

“Haha, I am a major shareholder of Nuri Finances, yet you disrespect me.”

Shin Semi finally opened her mouth. “You…. Bought a lot of our stocks.”

The price dropped significantly. If Woosung wanted, he could buy enough to hold over 10% of Nuri Finances.

“I thought about buying up to 5%, but it was getting too complicated. So I decided against it.”

Shin Semi realized Woosung had more money than she expected.

“What happened in America? I heard you had something to do with the Pine Tech stock controversy…I don’t understand.”

“That’s all my private information. Isn’t that illegal for you to know?” Shin Semi frowned at Woosung’s joke. Woosung laughed. “Haha, I’m kidding. You are still so curious. Then let me tell you something.”

Shin Semi looked at him expectantly.

Woosung continued quickly. “Do you know today’s exchange rate?”

“13.76 to send and 13.49 to receive.” Shin Semi could guess what Woosung was going to say. She asked quickly. “Are you telling me you know if it’s going to go up or down? Based on data analysis again?”

Woosung grinned.

“You’re correct. What do you think? Will it go up? Down?”

“Due to the financial crisis, the outflow of dollars is increasing quickly. Everyone is expecting it to go up.”

“Then my next question is this. Until when and how much will it go up?”

Shin Semi stared at Woosung. Did he mean he knew the answer? With such information, one could make an absurd amount of money.

“Are you saying you know the answer?”

“Don’t you think so?”

Shin Semi gasped. Woosung remembered it clearly from his past life.

‘I remember it reaching 15.00 by early March.’

“What…what do you want? You want dirt on Daeyang again?”

“Haha, no, not this time. Instead, I would like to join groups or clubs you belong to.”

“…And you’ll tell me the future? How could I trust you? What if you’re wrong? I belong to very exclusive clubs.”

“Didn’t I correctly predict the election result and the global financial crisis? I think that should be enough for you to trust me.” Woosung lowered his voice. “And the amount of Nuri Finances’ stock I bought should prove to you that I am the real deal. I guarantee you that I hold more cash than you do. Oh, and I have an invitation for you…”

Woosung handed her a piece of paper.

“Place: Daeyang Hotel Diamond Hall near Samsung Station

Time: February 7th 10 am.

We invite you to join KND on its first step.”

“This is my new company. Come and see. You’ll find out that I am worthy of your exclusive clubs.”

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Chapter 66:

KYLO (Korean Young Leader Organization)

It was a club consisted of third and fourth generation children from rich families. Only those with assets of over 50 million dollars and two recommendations from the existing members could join. The age limit was under 40 years old. Any member turning 40 was automatically kicked out.

50 million in asset before the age of 40.

Less than 0.1% of the population could achieve this status. That was why most members were children of CEOs. Shin Semi was surprised Woosung knew of such an exclusive group.

‘Who told him about it?’

She thought of the present members but couldn’t think of anyone who would be acquainted with him. That meant someone who left the club probably told him. Woosung said to Shin Semi.

“The exchange rate will continue to go up, but only to a certain point.”

“Are you sure?”

Woosung stared at Shin Semi directly and answered. “Yes.”

“The requirements to join this club are very strict. It may not be possible for you to join. Besides, the members are in a tight clique. Even if you are successful in getting in, they won’t tell you any gossips on Daeyang as I did. Do you still want to try?”

“You never know what might happen. I feel like I might meet useful people there, so yes.”

Shin Semi groaned.

She wanted to know the future of the exchange rate. The things she could do with this information!

Many in KYLO were greedy. If they learned Woosung’s ability to predict the financial future, they would use him mercilessly.

Woosung sipped on plum wine. He then ate a piece of sushi.

He was enjoying this moment. It didn’t matter whether Shin Semi helped him.

He could be patient. He waited quietly.

Shin Semi groaned again and thought with careful considerations. She had to be smart about her decision.

Woosung looked at her as quiet as a predator hunting its prey. There was no doubt Shin Semi was attractive. It didn’t look like she was wearing any makeup. As he studied her, Shin Semi finally opened her mouth.

“Alright. The three requirements are as followed. You need recommendations from two existing members. The other two are age and asset, and you are ok for both. I will make the recommendation happen for you.”

Woosung ate another piece of sushi and replied. “Thank you.”

“I will contact you when it becomes finalized.”

Suddenly, Woosung’s phone vibrated. Yoon Gihwan was calling him. He sounded drunk.

“Hey, newbie! What are you doing in the washroom?”

“Newbie? What happened in calling me the president?”

“Once a newbie, always a newbie!”

“Should I be recording this?”

“Go ahead! I’m not afraid.”

Woosung grinned and said to Shin Semi.

“Haha. I think I need to go now.”

Shin Semi took a sip from her glass. Woosung stood up and left.

The next morning.

It was busy in front of the office building. People kept going in and out nonstop.

Construction was going on as well, making the area busier than usual.

Kim Yonggun stood in front of the building and murmured.

“So this building…it’s Woosung’s.”

Yoon Gihwan looked at the scene in shock as well. “I’m surprised too. After coming back from America, he had big plans for everyone. He said we were going global with all our projects.”

Jang Gwangchul came by and replied.

“I bought this building.”

“Oh, hello sir.”

“You can call him Mr. Vice President.”

“Haha, alright.”

Kim Yonggun greeted him quickly. “Hello, Mr. Vice President.”

“Oh, you are Woosung’s co-worker from Nuri Finances!”

“That’s right.”

“Hahaha, nice to meet you.”

Kim Yonggun bowed.

“Nice to meet you too.”

While they chatted, Woosung’s sedan rolled in. Woosung came out from the backseat. His expensive suit shined against the sunlight.

Jang Gwangchul bowed respectfully to Woosung.

“Mr. President. Good morning!”

Everyone else followed.

“Good morning, sir!”

Woosung flinched at such loud greetings from everyone.

“W…what’s all this?”

Jang Gwangchul laughed and approached Woosung. “Enthusiastic greetings in the morning can lead to a productive day!”

“It’s not necessary.”

“But today is a special day.” Jang Gwangchul grinned as he replied.

Woosung grinned knowingly. “I agree. It is indeed a special day today.”

It was the day they planned to release Blue S to the world.

The top floor of Daeyang System’s headquarter was where the CEO’s first-born Choi Taemin’s office was located. After listening to Strategy team 1’s leader Kim Hyungwook, Choi Taemin murmured.

“So he took over Pine Tech and released a cell phone called Blue S.”

“That’s right. That company was recently involved in some sort of controversy.”

“And their OS is Android?”

“Yes. He has an office in Silicone Valley where the development team is located. CDMA is not supported in Korea yet, so they are pushing back the phone’s release date in Korea to some time in the future.”

“How’s our project going?”

“We are currently talking with Google. A representative from Google told us that it will be finished by September.”

“Is there any chance that KND can release the product sooner than that in Korea?”

“As such a small company, no I don’t think so.”

“Hmm…”

Choi Taemin was annoyed. Some idiot appeared out of nowhere and dived into a cell phone business. It was only an annoyance now, but Choi Taemin knew if left alone, it could turn into something bigger.

What should he do? He thought to himself. He has no answers.

Kim Hyungwook continued to report. “CEO Kang Woosung was a developer working at Nuri Finances. He became close to an investment guru Jang Gwangchul. After visiting America during the global financial crisis, Woosung created this company.”

“What did he do in America?”

“We know he created an investment corporation in Wallstreet, but other than that, we don’t know exactly how he made his money.”

“…”

“He then traveled to Silicone Valley, bought a factory for manufacturing cell phones, and returned to Korea.”

“What’s your opinion on it? Do you think Blue S will be a success?”

“I… I can’t tell. Cell phone industry is a very competitive world. It is very hard to make it as a new company. It seems like his company has good financial support, but if it lacks good technological backing, it will fail quickly.”

“So there is a chance it could be a success.”

“After the release of iPhone, the cell phone market is in turmoil. It is not unusual that there are smaller companies popping up with new ideas to get into the business.”

Choi Taemin frowned and rubbed his chin. Kim Hyungwook continued to read his report.

“Release of iPhone in Korea is being blocked, but it seems like WIPI platform will be withdrawn very soon.”

WIPI (Wireless Internet Platform for Interoperability).

It was a middleware platform used in Korea that allowed mobile phones to run applications. It was declared by the Korean government to avoid excessive competition between mobile companies. iPhone’s platform was currently not supported by WIPI and that was why it wasn’t released in Korea yet.

“At least we know for sure that TK Telecom won’t be releasing a new cell phone any time soon.”

“Our new cell phone Amor isn’t being received well. If iPhone becomes available in Korea, it’s going to be very bad for us. Try to keep it out of the country as long as possible.”

“Yes, sir.”

Things were not working out as he had hoped. Choi Taemin’s voice deepened.

“Did you say his company was named KND? Try to poach some developers from there. We need to start working on our new Android phone soon.”

“Of course.”

Meanwhile, a hot news popped up online.

“Troubled company Pine Tech becomes merged into KND corporation.”

“KND plans to release a new Android smartphone.”

“A prototype phone revealed. Its name is to be Blue S: An only friend for you in this lonely world.”

“It is to be released in America first, then in Korea towards the end of the year.”

“CDMA support development needed for its release in Korea.”

At the launching party of Blue S, many reporters came to upload real-time news online. After reading the news, Shin Semi texted Woosung.

“This is Shin Semi. You have been approved to join KYLO. Your welcome party will be a week from today. Come to Sungbook-dong 330-XX by 7 pm.

Shin Semi looked at the photo of Blue S prototype. It was fresh and innovative, just like Woosung.

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Chapter 67: &lt;It’s him&gt;

After checking his message, Woosung grinned.

‘Perfect.’

He was getting closer to Choi Gichul. He didn’t ask Shin Semi, but Woosung thought there was a good chance he was a part of this group. The possibility filled Woosung’s vengeful heart with a dab of maniacal glee.

“Now that the news of our new cell phone is out, all that’s left for us is work harder. Are you going to go back to the office right away?” Jang Gwangchul asked Woosung.

“Yes. I have lots to do.”

“It’s hard for employees when the boss works too hard. So don’t overdo it.”

“Haha, I know.”

“Great. So what are you going to work on first? Coconut? Blue S? Perhaps, algorithm trading?”

Woosung had something else in mind.

‘The exchange rate will go up to 15.00 by March, so I should make some money from it.’

The first thing he needed was to look into the future of currency.

Jang Gwangchul glared at Woosung. “Boss. Boss?”

Jang Gwangchul had a gut feeling. Woosung was thinking about making money. He knew it, but he couldn’t figure out the specifications of his schemes.

“What are you thinking about? Tell me.”

It was like Jang Gwangchul had the sixth sense when it came to money, but Woosung had no intention of sharing investment ideas with him.

“I’m going to start on Coconut. I’m going to try to hire Korea’s biggest star Lee Ari.” Woosung answered posthaste.

“Lee Ari?” Jang Gwangchul’s eyes widened.

Lee Ari.

She was Korea’s top star even in 2018. Her father and grandfather were both high ranking government officials. She was both a brilliant actress and a talented singer. Since she came from a rich family, she was known for not getting involved in company sponsorships or tv commercials. She only focused on her artistic career.

“Don’t you think she would be perfect? I plan on having her featured on our tv commercial and release a video of her chatting with users using Coconut.”

“How would you be able to hire Lee Ari? She is known for not getting involved in any TV commercials.”

“That is why she’s perfect if we want to attract users.”

Jang Gwangchul murmured. “How would you do it? She is impossible to get. I would love to meet her.”

“Haha…You’ll meet her soon.”

After returning to the office, Woosung opened the HTS screen.

Available cash: 76,516,400.10

Even after purchasing two apartments, a building for his parents, and the current office building, he still had over 70 million dollars in cash.

“Let’s see…”

Woosung checked the current exchange rate.

February 7th, 2009: 13.8270

After checking the number, Woosung clicked the icon “Currency Future.”

“U0902.”

He clicked it.

The button meant the rate of currency on February 2009. There were many real-time transactions being made as he watched the screen.

Approximately 500 dollars

1 Tick equaled 0.01 cent.

For every 0.01 cent increase in rate, there was a profit of 1 dollar. With 10,000 dollars in the bank, one could purchase 20 contracts.

By the first day of March, the rate would increase to 15.00. This was a chance for Woosung to make a huge amount of money. He clicked every button with the speed of a blazing breeze. He bought hundreds of contracts.

Woosung wanted to invest his money the right away, but placing this much money could cause unexpected changes to the market. He needed to be patient and buy bits at a time.

Woosung made similar purchases in the American market as well. He didn’t expect to make as much money as he made during the financial crisis, but any profit is a good profit.

On February 9th, the rate went down to 13.7910 from 13.8270. A red alert button blinked on Woosung’s account, but he continued to buy.

Alex, who was working at Woosung’s financial corporation in America, called and asked him.

“Boss, you are losing about 25 million dollars from the currency futures market right now. I wanted to make sure you are aware of it, and that this seems to be the trend. There is a good chance it’s going to go down further.”

“I don’t care. Put in an additional 100 million dollars.”

“I…you already put 100 million dollars in. Are you sure you want to double up right now?”

“Yes,” Woosung answered with unfazed confidence.

Alex couldn’t understand. Woosung was losing money, and he was asking to put more money into a losing market.

Oh my god!

Alex thought Woosung was crazy.

“Boss…I must advise against it. No one would invest like this. It’s too risky.”

Woosung didn’t listen. “100 million today and another 100 million tomorrow, please. I plan to put every available cash I have into this.”

He sold a lot of his assets recently and had 800 million dollars to invest. Woosung planned to go all-in.

“…”

“Alex?”

“…Are you sure, boss?”

Woosung said once more with a firm tone. “Yes, put all 800 million dollars in.”

“You could lose half of it very easily. Are you still sure about it?” Alex said weakly.

Woosung did not change his answer. “Yes.”

Alex was being paid 500,000 dollars per year to work for Woosung. He really wanted to do his best to aide him, but at the end of the day, he had to follow his order.

“Fuck…”

Alex swore as he placed Woosung’s orders.

A large hedge fund company called Ryan Capital had an employee named Williams Liam who worked as a quant for a currency future 304 algorithm department. He graduated early from Harvard, and after receiving a master’s degree, he chose to work on Wallstreet.

He was able to survive the recent financial crisis. He trusted his math, and he was able to predict the crisis.

“This is strange…”

An unusual increase in purchases was noted in his system. His trading system’s Sharpe ratio increased from 2 to 4.

“Someone’s making huge intentional purchases…”

Hundreds of millions were being used. This much money meant a country or a large hedge fund was involved.

Williams Liam contemplated.

Should he buy too, or trust the trend?

…Or should he just watch?

He had three choices to choose from.

His salary depended on his performance. Since he has made the right choices in the past, he was being paid a million dollars a year at the young age of 29.

Williams thought carefully.

“Should I…”

On February 14, the exchange rate went up to 14.0110. Woosung made tens of millions of dollars that day.

Alex exclaimed and texted Woosung. He read the message and got out of the car. Today was the KYLO’s welcoming party for him. Already, the place was surrounded by several luxury cars.

A familiar face appeared in front of him from out of nowhere.

Shin Semi.

Wearing a sexy violet dress, she looked like a celebrity. Woosung stood beside her.

“Let’s go in.”

As they walked, a stranger waved and approached them. He spoke with Shin Semi with a tone of familiarity.

“I was surprised to hear you give a recommendation for someone. This must be him. He must be someone special!”

Woosung’s eyes lighted with fury as he clenched his fists.

Shin Semi gave a disinterested nod. The man came towards Woosung and offered his hand.

“Hello. My name is Jung Jinsup.”

Bitmain’s CTO from Woosung’s previous life.

Woosung greeted him.

“N…nice to meet you. My name is Kang Woosung.”

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Chapter 68:

Jung Jinsup.

Son of the CEO of Korea’s top game company, MOX.

He was a smart man who graduated from Seoul University with a degree in computer science. He ended up working with Choi Gichul to open a cryptocurrency trading dealer.

Woosung had to restrain himself from punching him.

He never expected to see Jung Jinsup here!

Woosung knew he would meet him sooner or later, but when it actually happened, he found it difficult to restrain his anger. He gritted his teeth with great intensity. Shin Semi felt the tension welling up in him and looked at him.

“Woosung?”

Jung Jinsup also heard the clenching of his teeth and looked at him with widened eyes. He was sure this was the first time he met Woosung, yet the fury he saw in his eyes were directed at him, no doubt. Suddenly, Jung Jinsup thought he knew why.

“Ha….haha. Are you by chance Semi’s boyfriend?”

Shin Semi shook her head. Her ears were reddening. Woosung calmed himself and replied.

“No, it’s just that I keep getting calls from work.” Woosung took out his phone, which was vibrating at the moment. “I told them not to call me after work…Haha, excuse me.”

Jung Jinsup smiled understandingly. “I know how you feel, that’s really annoying. I totally understand.”

Woosung checked his phone. It was from Alex. When he didn’t answer the phone, Alex sent him multiple texts.

“Oh my god Boss!”

“Do you know how much we made today?”

The text messages continued like rapid fire without a hint of stopping.

“I am freaking out.”

“Are you a God?”

“How!? How!!!!!”

Its clear that the news made Alex excited. Woosung grinned and whispered to Shin Semi.

“Did you check the exchange rate today?”

She nodded. Woosung continued right thereafter. “It’s going to soar. You better get on it.”

Her face reddened noticeably.

Jung Jinsup saw this and murmured. “Semi’s usually not close to anyone like this…”

Woosung stepped away from her and explained. “Haha, it seems like it’s nothing urgent. Let’s go in.”

The room was elegant, clad with beautiful light fixtures. Women in expensive dresses and jewelry stood around like stars in the night sky, drinking wine.

It felt like a different world.

Sipping a glass of champagne, Woosung murmured. “It feels like a celebrity award show or something.”

“Those shows are usually funded by these people in here.”

“Oh!” Woosung murmured.

“Please remember, there are very important people in this room.”

Woosung smirked coldly.

‘Such entitled people…Is she saying I should act a certain way?’

Shin Semi looked around and blew a murmur on Woosung’s ear. “That guy. He’s the son of LM Electronics’ CEO.”

LM Electronics.

It was Daeyang’s only current competition, but in Woosung’s previous life in 2018, it was a dying company.

“That guy talking to Jung Jinsup, he is the son of TK Telecom’s CEO.”

TK Telecom.

It was one of the biggest communication companies along with KF Telecom in Korea.

Woosung tried to remember every face in the room. His phone was confiscated before his entry for security reasons. He couldn’t take notes or photos to study later. He had to rely on his memories alone.

Woosung made it clear to himself that he should pay a closer look at the people conversing with Jung Jinsup.

Shin Semi was very helpful. She introduced many people to Woosung and explained their positions to him. It didn’t take a long time for him to realize that this room houses the children of CEO’s and high-ranking government officials.

Suddenly, a man tapped his glass to grab everyone’s attention.

Woosung turned around and recognized the person.

It was Lee Sunghyun, the second son of the current Korean President, Lee Parksung. He grinned and announced.

“It’s pretty cold outside. The financial world is also not so warm right now. I’m sure every leaders here worked very hard to patch your losses up.”

Leaders. This was how everyone was called here. Leader Shin Semi, leader Kang Woosung, and so on…

“…But I believe we are all heading towards the right direction. Things are getting better.” Lee Sunghyun then turned towards Woosung. “We also have a wonderful news tonight. It seems like we have a new leader in this room!”

Everyone raised their glasses in response to his latter announcement.

“It’s leader Kang Woosung, who received a recommendation from leader Shin Semi. Let’s welcome him to our world.”

It was only then when one at a time, men started clapping their hands until everyone followed.

Woosung looked around in a daze. Jung Jinsup was also applauding. He was disappointed to see that Choi Gichul was not here though.

Lee Sunghyun continued. “Leader Kang Woosung is a newcomer in the business world. Most of you may not know this, but this young man is the CEO of KND Corporation. He purchased Pine Tech recently and has announced a release of a new smartphone. I hope leader Gu Bongjun and leader Choi Gichul, who unfortunately is not here today, will play fair with our new member.”

Woosung tried hard not to grin. He bit his lips. So Choi Gichul did belong to this group!

‘I knew it!’

Shin Semi noticed Woosung’s change in demeanour and whispered. “Choi Gichul is still abroad because of that incident.”

“I already knew that.” Woosung calmed down and replied.

“You seemed like you were disappointed.”

Woosung didn’t react to Shin Semi’s question. “Haha, thank you for your interest in me. I appreciate it.” He answered nonchalantly.

“It’s not like that.”

Lee Sunghyun then pointed at Woosung and asked.

“I hate to interrupt your conversation, but please pay attention.” Woosung turned to Lee Sunghyun. “We would all appreciate a few words from our new leader, Woosung.”

Woosung brought out a manufactured smile from within the pit of his gut and gave a speech he prepared.

“Firstly, I am honored to be part of such an exclusive group of leaders. I thought about what I should bring today. I felt like a gift for everyone is appropriate.”

Lee Sunghyun looked around and replied. “I don’t think anybody here needs anything from you. Let’s ask. Does anyone here need a gift from Woosung?”

Everyone laughed at his joke.

Jun Taewon, who was the son of TK Telecom’s CEO, yelled out rudely. “So you’re gonna make a smartphone? Then it seems like I should be the one giving you a gift.”

“Hahaha!”

Many sneered unpleasantly.

In 2008, all cell phones could be only sold by telecom companies. If these companies didn’t accept Woosung’s new smartphone, it couldn’t be sold in Korea.

Woosung answered with an unfazed magnificence.

“Haha, if you are offering, then I wouldn’t object., but my gift is a little different. It is an information you can use to recover from the recent global financial crisis.” Shin Semi’s eyes widened. She knew what Woosung would say. He looked around. “Does anyone know what the exchange rate is today?”

Most looked dumbfounded, but Lee Sunghyun smiled lazily and answered.

“14.01.”

“Thank you. Today is February 14th. Does anyone know what the rate will be on March 2nd?”

Everyone murmured among themselves.

Suddenly, Jun Taewon pointed at the sky and yelled. “If we knew that, why would we be here? We would be up there because we’d be gods.”

People again laughed at Woosung, but he continued with a brisk demeanor. “I will take that as a compliment. Because it would mean the information I am about to give you is priceless. I guarantee that on March 2nd, the exchange rate will rise to 15.30. It could be even be higher.”

People sneered at him. They didn’t believe him. Woosung understood their distrust. Shin Semi frowned at everyone’s rude reactions.

“If I’m wrong, I will give up my membership.” Woosung added.

Lee Sunghyun looked at Woosung, his face is now filled with a obvious seriousness. “You are going too far. It seems you are not taking this membership seriously.”

Woosung laughed. “Haha, I am doing it because I am taking it VERY seriously. I thought money would be too obvious as a gift, and that is why I am giving you information.” As Woosung spoke, more people looked at him with interest. “I have a lot of information. If you ever need it, please let me know. I am happy to trade with any of you.”

Shin Semi glared at Woosung, who continued.

“Oh and I don’t mean information on exchange rates or finances. I am well-versed in many different areas. I use big data for my info, so consider me your big brother.”

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Chapter 69:

TK Telecom’s Jun Taewon flinched at Woosung’s words. “Are you kidding me? Big brother? Like Godfather? Should I be afraid? Should we all be afraid? Hahaha.”

“Hahaha.”

Everyone sided with Jun Taewon’s snide comment and sneered at Woosung’s absurd proposal. Woosung was becoming the laughing stock of the crowd. Shin Semi frowned. He looked at Jun Taewon.

“Leader Jun Taewon, there is a lot of information within the data, and I am an analyzer who can read them. Information on the exchange rate is one of the many I gathered from the data.”

“So you’re saying you’re a data analyzer?”

Woosung glanced at Shin Semi.

He was asking her to vouch for him.

Shin Semi nodded.

“Everyone knows I have never recommended anyone to join until now. Kang Woosung is the only one I helped.” Everyone started to stop laughing and listened. “It has been a year since I met leader Kang Woosung. He predicted the global financial crisis and the result of the general election last year. He told me the exact number of seats the day before the election. He has predicted too many things to call it a coincidence.”

Lee Sunghyun stared at Shin Semi and asked. “He guessed the exact number of seats for all parties?”

“Yes.” Shin Semi answered without hesitation.

Political information could be incredibly useful for everyone in the room. Lee Sunghyun asked without a hint of his earlier gleeful countenance.

“Are you referring to the method used during the Barack Obama election in the US?”

Woosung answered. “That’s correct. It’s very similar to that.”

Data analysis was a new concept at this time. Lee Sunghyun turned to Jung Jinsup, who graduated from computer science program. Jung Jinsup tried to explain.

“What he probably did was extrapolate from the previous exchange rate trends.”

“It’s not that simple. I also considered the current world financial state and other aspects during my analysis.” Woosung answered without giving Jung Jinsup leverage to say more than he needs to say.

“Using statistics method?”

“I can’t reveal you everything. All I can do is give you the information I gather. You can see for yourself if I am right.”

Woosung took out a piece of paper and showed it to everyone.

“This is the record of my bank account during the financial crisis. I started with 300,000 dollars and ended up with a hundred million dollars.”

300,000 to 100 million.

Woosung continued.

“That’s only my Korean account.” Woosung took out another piece of paper. “This is my American bank account. There are about 500 million dollars deposited in this account as of this moment.”

People finally started to pay more attention.

500 million dollars.

It was a lot of money even for these people. Game company MOX was worth 4 billion dollars, which meant Woosung could own 10% of the company. Nobody was laughing at him now.

“I think this makes me look more trustworthy, right?”

No one answered. Many looked deep in thought.

Afterward, the party went on. People talked among themselves. Casually, they were exchanging business information and even making deals. Rich people stuck together and made each other richer.

It was a well-known fact that in Korea, 70% of the wealthy were rich by inheritance. A self-made man was a thing of the past.

The “leaders” acted as if they worked and earned what they possessed. Woosung found it funny. No one approached him.

“I told you this was going to happen.” Shin Semi told Woosung.

“I wasn’t expecting much anyway.”

“You made a mistake today. If you were hoping to change this world, I’m afraid you will fail. These people won’t accept it. They will become weary of you.”

Woosung joked sarcastically. “But I always hear rich people claiming to want to change the world for the better.” He chuckled.

Shin Semi frowned at him. After a few minutes of awkward silence, Woosung asked her.

“Do you know the 80-20 rule?”

“Do you mean the Pareto principle?”

“Yes. It states that for many of the events in the world, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the cause.”

Shin Semi didn’t respond.

“That means even if 80% of these people don’t want any changes, 20% will.”

Shin Semi bit her lips and asked. “Are you saying there will be people who will seek you out?”

“Yes. That will be the start.”

“Start of what?”

Woosung didn’t answer.

Some glanced at him during the party, but no one approached him during the entire event.

After returning to his apartment, Woosung took a shower.

His home was an expensive 1800 square feet condo filled with big screen television and leather furniture. As he looked out the window, he could see the Han River sparkled.

Woosung thought of his enemies.

Choi Gichul.

Jung Jinsup.

So far, he met both of them in this new life. He could beat Choi Gichul. He knew Jung Jinsup wasn’t responsible for killing him, but he was sure Jung Jinsup was still involved somehow.

Woosung walked into his computer room. He turned on the screen and checked his bitcoin status.

Korea: 21414.0123 BTC

US: 300161.4101 BTC

Total: 321575.4224 BTC

Over 300,000 BTC.

The speed of mining was decreasing, but he was happy with the progress.

Woosung’s goal was to possess over 5 million bitcoins. With this amount, he could rule the cryptocurrency world in the future.

Next was checking the exchange rate.

Today’s rate was 14.10. It should rise soon.

Woosung felt tired. His joints were tense, and his muscles felt heavy. Woosung went to bed and fell asleep as soon as his body dropped on the mattress.

During the night, the exchange rate had a drastic rise.

14.21.

14.29.

14.35.

Through his corporation, KND Investment, in the US, Woosung had 800 million dollars invested in it, while he had 70 million dollars in Korea.

Everyday, Alex texted him constant enthusiastic updates.

“We finally went over a billion-dollar mark.”

“Congrats on becoming a billionaire!”

“Over 1.1 billion dollars today.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to cash it now? I think this should be enough.”

“Boss, don’t be so greedy.”

The rate hasn’t reached 15.00 yet, but Alex was becoming anxious.

“1.3 billion dollars.”

“Boss, it’s 1.3 billion dollars…”

“Are we still holding it?”

Woosung’s answer was always yes.

The rate finally went over 15.00 and was at 15.10. However, it was only February 27. Woosung didn’t plan on selling it yet. He knew that by March 2, it would soar to 15.60.

Finally, the day has come—March 2.

Woosung already told Alex before the market began that he wanted to sell everything by the end of the day.

Woosung asked him to sell small portions at a time to not rose any suspicion.

And as planned, by the end of the day, he sold everything. When Woosung checked his account, he had 1.5 billion dollars.

Before he turned off the screen, Woosung noticed the exchange rate.

16.0101.

It was going higher than in his previous life.

The future Woosung knew had changed.

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Chapter 70:

Ryan Capital’s Williams Liam screamed into the phone.

“Keep buying!”

After the rate went over 15.00, tens of millions of dollars were being settled. He knew it then.

This was it.

The person or organization buying all this time decided the rate was close to reaching its max. Liam planned on following suit, but it was still an upward trend. Liam knew the trend would not change right away. Liam started to buy more dollars from the Korean foreign exchange market.

In 2009, the Korean foreign exchange market was worth about 4.4 billion dollars.

When Ryan Capital went all in with its 1 billion dollars, the exchange rate strengthened and went up further.

“Keep going, keep going, keep going…”

Liam collected the dollars Woosung sold at 13.00 and 14.00. As these transactions occurred fast, the rate soared even more.

At this rate, Korea could lose all its dollars.

Korean bank research bureau and Financial Service Bureau reported to the Blue House, the Korean Whitehouse.

An emergency report reached the Secretary general.

“Sir, there is a report from the Korean bank regarding an exchange rate issue.”

“I already looked into it. An American hedge fund got involved?”

“Yes. A company called Ryan Capital.”

“We currently have over 320 million dollars in reserve. If we use all of it, we could fix the problem right away…”

“If we do that, the US government won’t just stand by. They are sensitive right now because of the recent financial crisis.”

“Alright. Then I will let the President know so come up with other options and report back to me.”

As the Secretary general stood up, the phone rang. He answered it and after a brief conversation, he paled.

“It went over 17.00. I will call for an emergency meeting with the President immediately so please call all the relevant departments.

Lee Sunghyun, who was working as an attorney at the Law firm Pyunghwa, checked the exchange rate.

16.83.

He remembered Woosung from the KYLO party.

“It can’t be…How…?” It was too good to be a coincidence. “A report indicated that a major portion was bought from a foreign company… Does Woosung have that much money abroad?”

The report from the Blue House suspected a billion dollars were in play.

Woosung said he had about 500 million dollars, and he expected the rate to go up to 15.30. That meant one of two things.

Either Woosung was lying, and he was behind the rate increase, or Woosung was telling the truth and someone unrelated was behind it.

Either way, Woosung was involved.

“Should I call him?” Lee Sunghyun wondered.

Jung Jinsup didn’t believe Woosung at first.

Data analysis.

He studied it briefly during school.

He knew data analysis could never provide guaranteed results. Despite all that, Woosung still made a big impression on him at the party.

Big brother.

Jung Jinsup began to think perhaps it was possible. He kept checking the exchange rate frequently.

“14.30…”

Was it just a coincidence? Jung Jinsup didn’t invest in it, but it became a habit for him to check the exchange rate everyday.

He checked it twice a day.

“14.50?”

He hesitated. Should he invest? If it went over 15.00, he knew he would regret not acting on it. Yet he didn’t want to lose any money either.

“…14.81.”

As he hesitated, the rate kept going up.

Finally, it reached the number Woosung promised.

15.30.

Then it soared to 16.00 and 17.00. He picked up the phone and called.

“This number you dialed is currently busy. Please leave a message after the beep.”

He called again after a few minutes, but it still went to the voicemail.

“Are others from the party calling him too?”

Jung Jinsup bit his lips nervously. Finally, he picked up the phone and called Shin Semi, the woman who brought Woosung to KYLO.

Woosung was on the phone with Alex.

“Boss! Did you see?”

“Don’t be disappointed. It wasn’t meant to be.”

Alex laughed over the phone. “Disappointed? Me? Do you know how nerve wrecking it was for the last two weeks?”

“Then why did you ask?”

“The rate volatility level went up suddenly.”

“What?”

“Until 15.60, the volatility level was 12%.”

Woosung sighed. Alex didn’t have to explain. He already knew this.

“You’re saying someone got involved?”

“A sudden change doesn’t happen without a reason. I’m guessing a company got involved. It can’t be a country. If the Korean government got involved, US wouldn’t let it go. This isn’t good for Korea either.”

“A private company then.”

“Yes. I’m guessing a hedge fund.” Woosung nodded in agreement. Alex continued smartly. “This would also mean someone’s watching us.”

“So someone wants my money…”

Alex remained silent.

1.5 billion dollars in Woosung’s account.

He earned it, which meant someone lost it.

“Wallstreet is filled with sharks. When there is a good algorithm, someone will target it and kill it. We were lucky this time but…We need to be careful from now on.”

Woosung agreed and hung up. He leaned back and murmured.

“Be careful…”

So far, he has won against the market. However, any changes to the future could mean Woosung could lose everything next time.

One more thing.

“A hundred million dollars can change the future…”

This was the first time the future he knew changed. This meant his action of mining large quantity of bitcoin could also change the future. Woosung’s stress went through the roof.

Suddenly, his phone rang again.

It was Shin Semi.

“She must be desperate.”

His phone wouldn’t stop ringing all day.

7 missed calls.

All the leaders of KYLO shared their phone numbers. Woosung saw he had three missed calls from Jung Jinsup, two from Lee Sunghyun, one from Shin Semi, and one from an unknown number.

Woosung didn’t call anyone back. He knew value usually increases with rarity.

Shin Semi bit her fingernail. He was right again. This was the third time. Once or twice could be coincidences, but a third time?

She really believed Woosung could predict the future by data analysis. She tried to stay calm, but it was difficult.

When Jung Jinsup called her asking for Woosung’s alternative contact information, she finally called Woosung herself.

He didn’t answer her. She remembered the last time something like this happened.

After the general election result, she called him, but he didn’t answer. He only came to her when she sent someone to get him.

Was this his way of making her come to him in person again?

She had her pride. She didn’t like this at all.

How could she change this relationship?

She needed to become the one in power. Shin Semi thought carefully. She needed to learn to control him and get any information he had.

She will get her chance. She just had to wait for it.

Now, how could she get him to come to her without asking?

Suddenly, her phone rang.

“The Chairman is asking for you.”

“Pardon?”

“The Blue House has asked for help regarding the exchange rate problem.”

Shin Semi looked at her screen.

Exchange rate: 17.0310

This was getting problematic.

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Chapter 71:

Investing in the exchange rate market was a stressful period for Woosung. Naturally, he wasn’t able to focus on his company work during this time.

After everything was settled, Woosung could finally get back to his company.

When he arrived at work, he sat down and studied various things including the exchange rate trends and the world financial news.

Woosung’s room was filled with books on daytime trading and forex trading. One day, Woosung was reading late into the night in his office when Jang Gwanchul walked into his room.

Forex trading strategy was the book Woosung was holding.

“Boss, are you planning to upgrade the algorithm trading system?”

Woosung thought of hiding the book, but instead, he answered him. “As I said earlier, I am trying to think globally.”

“Don’t overwork yourself. If you lose your health, you’ll lose everything.”

Woosung laughed awkwardly. “Haha, okay.”

“Then I’ll see you later.”

“Phew…”

Woosung sighed with relief.

Jang Gwangchul must have spread the news. Yoon Gihwan, Park Junwoo, and Kim Yonggun came to Woosung and asked about how they would upgrade their algorithm trading system.

“I was thinking it’s about time we need to adjust the winning stock recommendation algorithm. Are you already on it, boss?”

When Woosung couldn’t answer, Yoon Gihwan murmured quietly. “Umm…What’s with your reaction? Do you not trust us? The vice president told us. He said you’re looking into forex trading.”

“Oh…”

Kim Yonggun pointed at the books in Woosung’s room. “And that’s why you are reading all these books, right?”

“Haha, I guess.”

“So how much work have you done on it so far? We can help you.”

Park Junwoo added. “We might not be much, but we can still help.”

Yoon Gihwan asked. “Are you getting involved in currency future? Or FX?”

“I am considering both,” Woosung answered cautiously.

“Alright. Then we will look into both as well.”

“O…okay.”

This was a week ago. As far as Woosung could remember, no more exchange rate turbulence would happen until the 2016 Brexit. This meant from now on, Woosung had to rely only on the algorithm function.

This was Woosung’s plan all along, but he felt tired of having to continue studying when he was so rich already.

Woosung shook his head. “I can’t think like this. I can’t become lazy.”

He continued to study. It was a good thing he was smarter now, or else, it would have taken him much longer to learn.

Foreign currency trading always occurred in pairs.

Korean Won/Dollar.

Dollar/Euro.

Yen/Dollar.

The currency on the left was called the base currency, while the one on the right was called the quote or counter currency. The exchange rate was affected by the interest rates of national banks in each country.

For example, if the interest rate in a Korean bank increased, foreign investors would flock to it. On the other hand, if the rate was low, fewer dollars would enter Korea. In turn, the exchange rate would rise.

This wasn’t always the case. The exchange rate was of national importance, so the government often involved themselves to maintain a certain level.

If it went up, it brought it down; when it went down, it brought it up.

In a democratic country, the government was allowed to have only a minimal influence. The best thing was for the market to correct itself.

When Shin Semi arrived at Nuri Enterprise’s CEO Shin Yongwon’s room, he asked her. “Advisor Shin, how many offshore funds do you have right now?”

“A little over a hundred million dollars.”

“How much of it can you cash in right away?”

“About 50 million dollars.”

“Before the exchange rate goes down, make sure to use all your available cash.”

“But…”

Before Shin Semi could reply, Shin Yongwon glared at her. “This is a chance you can’t miss. Anyway, the Blue House asked all the banks for help for this reason. They expect us to put our personal funds in.”

Shin Semi murmured. “The foundation of finances is trust. We can’t justify doing anything that will cause us to lose this trust.”

The current exchange rate was 17.00.

This was a great chance. “Have you still not realized why you haven’t received a promotion for a long time?” Shin Yongwon looked at his daughter with disappointment.

“If this is the way to get a promotion, then I don’t want it.”

Shin Yongwon turned away from her. “You have so much more to learn. Soon, the foreigners will get involved in the Korean market. If we do this, it will help stabilize the exchange rate without the Korean government having to get involved directly.”

“…”

“If the government gets involved, the other countries will not look kindly on it. This is why the government gives chances like this to corporations like ours.”

Shin Semi asked untrustingly. “But this is only your interpretation of the government’s request.”

“What was the point of going to Princeton and graduate from the economics department? You are still so naïve. I shouldn’t have let you go to that school.” Shin Yongwon criticized her crudely.

“Because of people like you, general population sees every businessman as a con man. The world sees Korea as a corrupt country. Why do you think the Nuri Bank fails to make it in other countries?”

“There is no guarantee your way will make us successful. Unless you have clear data to prove your theory, do as I say.”

Shin Semi knew her father wouldn’t change his mind. It was always this way. When she remained silent, Shin Yongwon gave her a final warning.

“Or else, you’ll lose everything you have.”

Shin Semi stared at him with a blank expression and left. Shin Yongwon looked at his daughter with a heightened sense of disappointment.

She needed a drink. Without thinking, Shin Semi arrived at the building where Woosung’s company KND was located. She took the elevator and went up to his office.

“I am here to see President Kang Woosung.”

At the unexpected appearance of a beauty, the developers murmured. Kim Yonggun especially got excited.

“Um… she…she…”

Yoon Gihwan turned around towards the door and saw her. “Hmm? Advisor Shin Semi?”

Kim Yonggun rose from his seat and knocked on Woosung’s door. Woosung was just about to walk out. He greeted her in surprise.

“I didn’t realize you were coming…”

“If you have time, would you like to have a drink?”

Woosung couldn’t say no.

They found a quiet place and here, they decided to sit down. Shin Semi drank in silence while Woosung would peek at her in secrecy.

After a few drinks, Shin Semi finally shared her thoughts. “While I studied at Princeton, I always swore I wouldn’t become one of those rich corrupt businessmen.”

Woosung nodded in agreement. “I see.”

“I studied my ass off, I graduated with good grades. I had many offers from Wallstreet, but I returned to Korea.”

“The Chairman’s orders, I presume?”

Shin Semi shook her head.

“No, it wasn’t like that. I wanted to. I planned to make Nuri Enterprise a bank known all over the globe.”

Woosung decided to compliment her. “Haha, your father must have been proud.”

Shin Semi laughed bitterly and answered. “No, it was the opposite.”

“Oh…”

“He wasn’t happy with me.”

Woosung stayed quiet. Shin Semi looked at him.

“You are the big brother who analyzes big data to find answers. Do you think you can figure out what I did wrong?”

Woosung did not have enough time to contemplate, but he understood the gist of what she’s saying. She must have had an argument with the chairman, but he couldn’t figure out what it was.

“Do you remember the first time we met?” Woosung asked as if it was a natural thing for him to say.

Shin Semi stayed still. Woosung continued slowly.

“When I predicted the financial crisis and the general election result, you doubted me. After you found out I got them right, you started trusting me.” Woosung laughed with a sarcastic undertone. “When I asked to join KYLO, I wasn’t sure if you would say yes.”

Shin Semi stammered. “W…well that’s…”

“I’m not blaming you. I am just telling you the facts of our relationship.” As Woosung continued, Shin Semi’s expression changed. “You want to know what you did wrong?”

Shin Semi nodded. “Yes.”

“I think what you did wrong is that you haven’t proven yourself yet.”

Shin Semi inhaled deeply.

“As I proved myself with real results, you need to do the same to the chairman.”

She nodded again.

Shin Semi felt confused. She felt different around this man. Why was that? As she pondered by her lonesome, her curiosity sparked back to her memory.

“By the way, why didn’t you answer my call?”

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Chapter 72:

Her sudden question flustered Woosung.

“I…I didn’t know. I was busy, I didn’t realize you called.”

“You must have seen you missed a call when you checked your phone later that day, right?”

“Honestly, I have been so busy with the new company I haven’t had the chance to look at my phone at all.”

Shin Semi scoffed a begrudged answer. “Well, I guess I’ll believe you.”

Woosung felt guilty for some reason.

‘Why is she upset?’

Shin Semi ate a piece of steak and explained. “I called you because other KYLO members have been calling me.”

Woosung’s eyes sharpened. Someone called Shin Semi because he couldn’t get a hold of Woosung. He could guess who it was.

“Was it Jung Jinsup?”

“Yes, and there is one more.”

Woosung couldn’t think of anyone. Shin Semi answered.

“Lee Sunghyun. The current KYLO president. He called.”

Lee Sunghyun.

Attorney at the Law Firm Pyunghwa and the second son of the current Korean President.

What did he want?

“Why didn’t you answer other members’ calls? Didn’t you join KYLO to get close to them?”

“For the same reason why I didn’t answer your call.”

Shin Semi replied seriously. “These people are not used to waiting for anyone. They may take it the wrong way.”

Woosung smiled. “I will remember your advice.”

After work, Williams Liam sighed deeply and sat down.

He made another huge profit from the recent transactions.

He already exceeded his goal for this year.

Unless he made a major mistake for the rest of the year, he was sure to get a big incentive. He was grinning happily when someone approached him.

“I gathered the information you requested.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

Liam opened the test database ran by Ryan Capital.

New York stock exchange.

Chicago commerce exchange.

These places provided the information on any transactions that happened in their systems for a fee. They couldn’t give away any private information, but they provided which banks or hedge funds were used to make the transactions.

Liam was looking for a specific transaction serial number.

Each trader had a unique serial number. Using this, he planned to figure out who was involved and which algorithm was used.

“Let’s see.” Liam’s eyes flared. He started analyzing the data like a rabid dog. “Let’s first put everything in order based on the serial number, then filter out any transactions involved less than 10 million dollars.”

This reduced the amount of data to half.

Liam used the statistics package R Studio and created a graph with the filtered data.

As he studied it, he picked up the serial number he was looking for.

This trader bought continuously at 13.00’s until it reached 14.20. Afterward, there were no more purchases. When Liam looked at its sell records, it looked like this trader started selling after the rate reached 15.00.

“It seems like it sold everything as soon as it went over 15.00’s. This can’t be based on an algorithm. This kind of all-in technique is too risky to be recommended by any trading system…”

This meant someone made a human decision to do this. Not even the world’s greatest bank Goldman Sachs would attempt something like this.

Liam opened the excel file named “2008-09-10-11.”

A similar thing happened during the financial crisis. A trader bought options right before the Dow Jones dropped.

“It can’t be…” There was no such thing as coincidences in this world. “Who?”

Liam started to get goosebumps. Even the best expert investors couldn’t pull off something like this.

As soon as Woosung arrived at work the next morning, three people looked at him, expecting news in more ways than one. Yoon Gihwan, Park Junwoo, and Kim Yonggun surrounded Woosung and pushed him into the conference room.

“President, we have been contemplating about this project for days.”

Woosung nodded and listened.

“We came to a conclusion. There is no way the three of us could come up with something like a winning stock recommendation function like you did. This meant one thing. It is impossible for us to develop an algorithm for FX margin or currency future.”

Woosung frowned at the word ‘impossible’. He didn’t like the word. Yoon Gihwan noticed Woosung’s expression and added quickly.

“But we haven’t given up yet. We thought about what we can do, and we came up with HFT (High-Frequency Trading). This is our prototype.”

As soon as Yoon Gihwan finished, Kim Yonggun opened a PPT.

“FX HFT Test Results.”

It appeared that they already tested the product.

“If you use this in Korea, there will be some network issues…You aren’t thinking of Korea as the target customer, are you?” Woosung asked.

“No. We already contacted Jonathan in America and installed it at an IDC in California. We learned that compared to making transactions through the Korean server, it is 0.00005 seconds faster.”

Oh?

Woosung was pleasantly surprised. “Then we will report to you regarding the test result.” Yoon Gihwan continued confidently.

Kim Yonggun clicked, and the next slide appeared.

After the presentation, Woosung had to admit his surprise.

“I see that you worked hard on this.”

Yoon Gihwan smiled proudly. “Haha, you have been working so hard on the new algorithm that we thought we can’t just sit around.”

Woosung groaned. He was not working on the algorithm at all, but now it seemed like he had to.

“We will continue to test it and show you the final product before the end of this month.”

Yoon Gihwan added emphatically. “You need to finish your algorithm for us to test it accurately, so please finish it ASAP.”

Woosung was speechless, he had nothing to say back at them, but luckily, someone burst into the room.

“P…President, you need to come out quick.”

“What’s wrong?”

“T…that attorney is here.”

“Attorney?”

“L…Lee Parksung’s son Lee Sunghyun is here!”

Woosung grinned.

‘So he’s here.’

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Chapter 73:

Lee Sunghyun.

He was the second son of Korea’s current President and an attorney working at the Law Firm Pyunghwa specializing in Corporation/Customer relationship.

He was rumored to be interested in entering the political world like his father.

Woosung was from the future. He knew exactly what would happen.

He bowed deeply. “Welcome to my humble office. I apologize. I meant to call you back, but I’ve been so busy with my work…”

“Haha, that’s alright. I realize how hard it is to run a company.”

“You are so kind. I see why people love you so much.”

“You flatter me. I am actually awed by you. You became a CEO at such a young age.”

They kept their conversation light. They seem to enjoy playing this game of flattery together.

10 years from now.

Lee Parksung becomes involved in a controversy during his second term. An investigation begins, and Lee Sunghyun becomes a subject of interest to the related investigation too.

‘He probably got arrested.’

Woosung died before the investigation was completed. The rumor at the time was the President would likely be prosecuted, while Lee Sunghyun would be released.

While Woosung was deep in his thought, Lee Sunghyun lowered his voice.

“Haha, I have an important matter to discuss with you.”

Woosung replied with a lower tone. “I am all ears.”

“I watched the exchange rate as you suggested. It was impressive, although I am a bit worried that it reached 17.00.”

Woosung answered honestly. “I wasn’t able to predict it more accurately. I should have considered the possibility of hedge funds getting involved and therefore pushing the upward trend further along. I am embarrassed.”

Lee Sunghyun looked at him in kind. Woosung was so confident during the party, but now he looked humble.

“I believe in admitting one’s mistake.” Woosung explained.

Lee Sunghyun observed Woosung. “If you continue to make mistakes, you will lose people’s trust.”

“I gain trust through my results. I don’t have to convince people of my abilities.”

Lee Sunghyun nodded approvingly. “There will be a provincial election in June next year and a by-election in July.”

Liberty Korean Party will win the majority. Woosung knew this, but he couldn’t remember the exact number of seats.

“You can’t be planning to run as the candidate for the Liberty Korean Party, which means…” Lee Sunghyun was a big fish. He definitely would not run for a position in a remote countryside. “You plan to participate from the sideline then. In Seoul most likely.” Woosung continued.

Woosung guessed correctly. Lee Sunghyun lost all his doubts.

Woosung added. “I assume Oh Hoon will represent the Liberty Korean Party while Han Minsook will represent the Democratic Party. I expect it to be quite an election.”

This was not an information known in public ears. Only those high in the government knew it. How could Kang Woosung know this top-secret information?

“Did you come to this conclusion from your data again?”

Woosung tapped his head. “It came from my brain. Data may have the info, but I am the one analysing it.”

“Well, you better have more accurate results from now on than the one for the exchange rate.”

Woosung smiled and answered. “I did predict correctly that it would rise and possibility beyond 15.30. I may not be able to predict the exact number of seats, but I can analyze to find out who will win the election. When I say I can predict it, I also mean I can MAKE it happen if necessary.”

Lee Sunghyun replied slowly. “If the big brother can show me another proof of your ability, I would love to offer you a job of digital media chief for the next year’s provincial election.”

“Let’s see…I have information in many different areas…Politics, finances, world…The quickest and surest way to prove myself would be probably the North Korean missile test.”

Lee Sunghyun’s eyes widened and exclaimed. “Pardon?”

“It is possible to predict the North Korean’s behaviour based on big data. Within one week, North Korea will provoke us with a missile.”

Lee Sunghyun couldn’t hide his shock.

How could anyone predict something like this?

Woosung smiled knowingly and continued.

“If you give me more time, I can probably come up with an exact date. Could you wait for me for an hour?”

Lee Sunghyun nodded earnestly.

Woosung’s smile deepened. He left and murmured to himself. “Just like the exchange rate volatility, I remember the North Korean incident very well.”

Two rounds of North Korean missile test will be conducted today. Nuclear test will follow. Stock market will fluctuate due to uncertainty.

Shin Semi was glued to the TV all day. Woosung predicted that the North Korean missile test would happen today.

He foretold an exact date. Then he suggested that she report it to the chairman. He advised her.

“This is a sure thing. Because of this incident, the market will fluctuate. Show your father that you’re different than him.”

Shin Semi told Chairman Shin Yongwon confidently. She wanted to show him one can be honest and still become successful. She wanted to build a transparent company, an ethical company.

Shin Semi watched the news anxiously.

Woosung promised that it would happen today.

That was when a breaking news broke out.

“We have a breaking news.”

Her heart pounded.

“A serious automobile accident occurred on the Olympic highway with five fatalities.”

She became frustrated and wanted to turn off the TV but stopped herself. She tried to calm down and continued watching the program.

After an hour, another breaking news came out.

“This is a breaking news. North Korea has fired two missiles. According to the report, the missiles have been fired at approximately 2:30PM towards the East Sea of Korea.”

After the news, the red light of KOSPI turned to blue. Chairman Shin Yongwon was called immediately.

Woosung and Lee Sunghyun were sitting in front of a TV together.

Woosung said to Lee Sunghyun, who was staring at the screen in shock. “I analyzed 10 years worth of news from all over the world.”

“I can’t believe you even got the time right! Hahaha! You are indeed a big brother!” Lee Sunghyun wasn’t listening. He instead exclaimed in excitement.

Woosung laughed, but Lee Sunghyun again focused on the news and didn’t even notice Woosung.

“As you can see, data analysis is an amazing tool. It is the future of the world. It can be used everywhere for everything.”

Lee Sunghyun turned around to look at Woosung. “What do you want?”

He seemed like he was ready to offer anything. Woosung replied with the answer he prepared in advance.

“I heard the government is looking for a financial algorithm for the National Pension plan and an official messenger app to be used by government officials. I want you to introduce KND’s algorithm and our Coconut app to them for consideration.”

Lee Sunghyun frowned. “Hmm… I’ll have to check, but I don’t think I have the power to get your products chosen. You are very greedy.”

“All I want is a fair chance for these opportunities. Just let my company’s products be able to compete against other corporations’ software.”

A fair chance.

Lee Sunghyun could pull some strings to make it happen.

“And that’s all you want? Just a chance?”

“Yes.” Woosung answered firmly.

“I guess I can make that happen.”

Lee Sunghyun made a few calls, and within an hour, Woosung’s requests were met.

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Chapter 74:

This was the power of being the President’s son.

Lee Sunghyun only needed to make a few calls to make things happen. The government messenger was to be selected in 4 months, while the algorithm for the National Pension was to be decided after the provincial election.

Woosung felt the power of political authority.

He may be a rich businessman, but compared to Lee Sunghyun, his power was very limited.

If he did something illegal, could he get away with it with money?

Woosung shook his head. Maybe, but not for sure. Those with power could. Someone like Lee Sunghyun and Daeyang’s CEO could order around the police and the prosecutors easily. They owned the justice system.

Lee Sunghyun turned to Woosung.

“The team leaders of each division will be asked to meet starting next month to start preparing for the election. As the chief of digital media division, you will need to attend as well.”

“I understand.”

“Then I will call you later.”

Lee Sunghyun left the office. Woosung sat down on a chair and sighed. It has been a long day, but unfortunately, there was still more work to do. His phone hasn’t stopped vibrating for a while now. The caller ID indicated that it was Jung Jinsup. It was time to meet him.

He met with Jung Jinsup in Gangnam. Jung Jinsup was the future CTO of Bitmain and Woosung’s boss. There was a distinct possibility he was involved in Woosung’s death. Jung Jinsup knew about it and didn’t do anything to stop it.

Woosung had to restrain himself from punching him in the face. Jung Jinsup took him to a bar.

“There are some nice ladies working here. If you ever need a place to do business, bring your clients here.”

He turned around to the woman standing nearby.

“The madam will take good care of you. Right, sweetheart?” Jung Jinsup was the same. He was a creepy lecher.

The madam smiled and answered. “Of course. We always welcome young handsome CEOs. We have a lot of pretty girls here so let me know your type.”

Woosung tried to calm down his anger and replied. “Thank you. I will call you if I need you.”

Woosung and Jung Jinsup entered a private room.

“So Woosung, I am impressed with you. What statistics package did you use? R or Python? How many equations did you use?”

Jung Jinsup clearly knew a lot about analysis. He graduated from a computer science program after all.

In his previous life, Woosung never doubted Jung Jinsup’s skills or ability as a programmer. Woosung replied using technical words to further earn his trust.

“I used both. I started with the Python. R isn’t adequate for working with a large amount of data. After sorting with Python, I used NumPy, SciPy, and other libraries with my own personal equations.”

Jung Jinsup understood it immediately.

“NumPy and SciPy…That’s brilliant. I would love to learn your equations but…I guess you won’t tell me?”

“Haha, as I said before, it’s a trade secret.”

“So you’re telling me you discovered the exchange rate trend based on your analysis, and you can figure other things out as well?”

“Exactly.”

“Now, would you be able to predict a specific person’s behavior pattern too? Like what that person likes? How to make that person like you? Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Woosung did understand, but he couldn’t understand Jung Jinsup’s intention. When Woosung looked confused, Jung Jinsup lowered his voice and continued.

“There is a woman I’m interested in, but I can’t figure out what she likes. She is not a nobody, so I can’t do anything rash. She can’t be bought with money either.”

Woosung finally understood.

Problems with women.

He wanted Woosung to apply data analysis on psychology.

In 2018, it was a commonly used practice.

Companies analyzed customers’ browsing histories and placed intentional ad banners in strategic places. However, in 2009, this was not common, and Woosung wasn’t sure if he could develop a system for it.

When Woosung hesitated, Jung Jinsup added. “As you must already know, Lee Ari is the biggest star now. I found out her phone number somehow, but she barely responds to me. She is from a powerful family, so I can’t just push her around. I don’t know how I can get her…”

Woosung couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Jung Jinsup didn’t notice Woosung’s disgust and continued.

“Hahaha, you know what I mean, right? You’re interested in Semi, right? She is not going to be easy. I tried a few times but gave up. She plays hard to get.”

Woosung grabbed the glass and drank it in a single gulp. He calmed himself down and replied slowly.

“I see. Lee Ari is such a big star that it may be possible to do it.”

Lee Ari was going to be an even bigger star in 10 years. Woosung was also her big fan and knew a lot about her career. He felt like he could use this information to his advantage. Jung Jinsup’s face shone with a smile.

“Really? Hahaha. You can figure out what a person likes? You really are a big brother!”

“You flatter me. But as you must know, I can’t guarantee anything. Most likely I will be able to figure out vague and limited information.”

“Anything you can find out, I would appreciate it! And if you help me out, I will set up a meeting for you with Taewon.” Jung Jinsup exclaimed.

Jun Taewon.

Son of TK Telecom’s CEO.

He was rumored to be the next CEO of the company. If Woosung wanted to release Blue S in Korea, Jun Taewon was someone he had to meet.

Jung Jinsup continued. “However, just like you, I can’t guarantee how successful the meeting will be. It will depend on you.”

It was a good opportunity, but Woosung shook his head. Woosung already had a connection with Lee Sunghyun, who most likely could introduce Woosung to Jun Taewon as well.

“That’s a good offer, but I need something else from you. Meeting Jun Taewon is something I think I can figure out myself.”

Jung Jinsup frowned.

Woosung added quickly. “What I need is…Do you by chance know Choi Gichul very well? I need Daeyang for my smartphone manufacturing parts.”

Jung Jinsup grinned. “Haha, of course. He is like a big brother to me. He is currently finishing an MBA program at Dartmouth.”

“When he returns to Korea, please introduce us.”

“That’s easy.”

“Great. I really need him.”

Jung Jinsup shook Woosung’s hand. “Now it’s time to drink!”

Jung Jinsup buzzed the madam again.

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Chapter 75:

Jung Jinsup loved women and booze. Woosung drank with him late into the night.

“It’s great here, right? You better thank me for bringing you here. I didn’t even tell anyone at KYLO about this place.” Jung Jinsup boasted.

Woosung wanted to leave but stayed and agreed.

“Haha, thank you, bro.”

“Hahaha, another drink! Now, why are you sitting like a monk? You look lonely there all by yourself. Grab a girl!”

Jung Jinsup groped a woman beside him. The woman moaned excitedly.

It was a disturbing scene. Woosung pretended to be drunk and asked Jung Jinsup.

“I want to be prepared for meeting Choi Gichul. Can you tell me what I need to avoid doing or mentioning? What does he hate the most?”

“That would be his big brother.”

“You mean Choi Gitae?”

Jung Jinsup shook his finger. “No, the other one. The oldest, Choi Taemin. One time we were drinking, and he said that he wanted to kill his brother.”

Woosung swallowed. Choi Gichul hated his brother so much he wanted to kill him. Woosung knew he meant it and if he got a chance, he would act on it. He stammered on purpose and replied.

“I…I see.”

“So make sure to never mention the name Choi Taemin, okay?”

“Alright.”

Jung Jinsup smiled in satisfaction and raised his glass. “Now, let’s drink. The night is still young!”

Woosung had more questions he wanted to ask but he didn’t want to look suspicious. Jung Jinsup was getting busy with the woman next to him. Woosung drank by himself with a troubled visage.

The next day.

Woosung sighed as he sat down in his office. He could smell the alcohol in his breath. Before they left the bar together, Jung Jinsup said to Woosung.

“Thanks for the drink.”

He made Woosung pay.

The bill at the end of the day was about 10,000 dollars.

It was nothing to Woosung, but he hated spending money on Jung Jinsup.

‘I will make sure he regrets his life.’

Jang Gwangchul walked into Woosung’s room and asked, disappointment was all over his tone.

“Who did you drink with last night? You didn’t take me with you. I’m sad.”

“I didn’t want to, but I had to.”

“You drank for business?”

Woosung nodded; Jang Gwangchul grinned. “Welcome to the grownup’s world.”

“I don’t want to be in such a dirty world.” Woosung frowned. “By the way, did you get to talk to Lee Ari’s management?”

“I did but they said they aren’t sure if it’s possible. The decision is hers.”

“I see.”

“Why not get someone else?”

“Then it would be meaningless. She is the best option.”

Jang Gwangchul suggested thoughtfully. “There are a lot of great idols out there.”

“But no one big enough to be a trendsetter like her.”

“I understand Lee Ari is the biggest star, but if we don’t have a backup plan, we might end up with no one.”

“I will talk to her myself. Please arrange a meeting.”

“Alright, I’ll try.”

After Jang Gwangchul left, Woosung started his research on Lee Ari.

The first thing Woosung did was web crawling.

He gathered as much information as he could on SNS, news, and various online communities.

He then sorted the data using R Studio.

Woosung was by now a pro at data analysis. He also knew Lee Ari’s future.

As time went on, Woosung created a report.

In a black van on her way to a studio, Lee Ari sat with a reserved gaze. With her sharp bob, flawless skin, and slim body, she looked like a fragile Greek statue. In her hand was a report.

She stared at it as she asked her manager.

“Where did you say this came from?”

The manager worked with Lee Ari every day, but his heart pounded every time he saw her. He answered.

“It’s from KND Corporation. They want to hire you to advertise their new app Coconut Talk.”

“Oh…I remember.”

The manager added carefully. “It’s not a bad idea to meet with them. They are offering a lot of money too. Of course, I’m not saying you should do it for the money! Everyone knows you care about being a true artist, not money.”

“Haha, yeah but I know money is important too!”

The manager replied with a smile. “Haha, of course. I heard they are offering more than $500,000, and it’s not a TV commercial. You know what Facebook is, right?”

Lee Ari nodded.

“All they want is to record you using the Coconut Talk and upload the video on Facebook. The contract is for a year.”

“Hmm…”

While Lee Ari pondered, the manager replied. “You do what you want. The boss wants you to be happy.”

She was only 20, but she was a huge star. Her management company valued her as its biggest asset.

Lee Ari believed in being an artist, not a sellout, but the report was so intriguing. What it said resonated with her, more so than what her management company recommended for her career. Lee Ari asked her manager.

“What do you think?”

The manager scratched his head and answered. “Oh, haha. My opinion doesn’t matter. It’s your decision.”

“But I want to hear your thoughts.”

“Well…I think…”

He glanced at her. He wanted to come to the same conclusion as Lee Ari’s. After thinking, he offered.

“I think you shouldn’t do it. I think becoming a commercial model will negatively affect your image as an artist. Remember last time when there was a problem with the product you sponsor? You were partly blamed for it! It was unfair.”

Lee Ari handed the report to her manager and replied. “Haha, you’re right but have you read this?”

“Lee Ari.”

“What she needs to do to become the world’s biggest star.”

It was a grand title. Manager nodded.

“Haha of course. I read it carefully before giving it to you.”

“Oh, I see. So you did read it.”

“It seemed like whoever wrote it didn’t understand the entertainment industry at all. He said your current TV show is a wrong choice for you. Don’t you remember how hard our boss worked to get you this job?”

Lee Ari was on her way to meet with the staff for her new TV series “Lovely Woman.” The writer of the report, KND’s Kang Woosung, suggested she should instead take the main role for a different TV drama titled “Intimacy.”

As the title suggested, “Intimacy” was not a G-rated show.

Lee Ari was popular for her “innocent girl” image so it was decided by her management team that this show didn’t suit her.

“I know how hard our boss worked to get me to where I am. I am very appreciative. I am also thankful to you, manager.”

The manager smiled broadly. Lee Ari leaned back and thought.

‘It’s time to get a new manager.’

They worked together for a whole year, yet he didn’t understand her at all. How could he not agree with the report?

Lee Ari was disappointed.

‘The audience wants to see a different side of me. My fans and the media have already mentioned this before.’

The report was convincing, but she couldn’t change to a different show because of a single report from a stranger.

Lee Ari thought carefully. She became a celebrity because she wanted to be loved. She never felt it from her own family, so she swore to become a top star.

The report promised to make her the beloved star of this country and the world.

“I don’t think it’s a bad idea to meet with him.” She murmured quietly.

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Chapter 76:

The office of Top Entertainment.

Woosung looked outside the window.

A crowd of fans was waiting for the black van to open.

“We love you!”

“Lee Ari! We wanna see you!”

“You’re the best, Ari!”

The fans ranged from teenage girls to grown men in their 30’s. Standing next to Woosung, Jang Gwanchul murmured.

“Wow, she’s definitely a big star.”

“How about you? Do you like her too?”

Jang Gwangchul replied. “Of course I like her, but I have no chance with her.”

“Why not? With your success, it might happen. Even today’s meeting was possible because of your status.”

Jang Gwangchul looked outside and answered bitterly. “Haha, I have been working so hard all my life. Then I suddenly realized that I’m over 40. Lee Ari is over 20 years younger than me. I have no chance with her.”

“Age difference is only a number. There are plenty of couples with large age gaps. What matters is love.”

“You sound like you want me to date her.”

“Haha, it’s not like that. I’m just wondering why you aren’t dating anyone.”

“Well, all I have left in me is greed. I have no energy for relationships. It’s you who should be dating right now. Lee Ari is in your age group, right? Good luck!” Jang Gwangchul murmured.

While they chatted, Lee Ari, her manager, and their boss walked in. Woosung bowed to them.

“Nice to meet you. I’m KND’s Kang Woosung.”

“My name is Lee Ari.”

It was true that most celebrities looked better in person. Lee Ari was beautiful, magnificent even, much more so than on TV.

Her features were delicate, yet she had an aura of subtle sexuality. Woosung shivered but tried his best to act nonchalantly.

“Let’s have a seat. I’m sure you guys are all busy, so let’s get to the business.”

Lee Ari’s eyes shined. Woosung was different.

Usually, whenever she met a stranger, they always gawked at her.

“You are so much more beautiful than on screen.”

“You look gorgeous.”

“Can I shake your hand?”

“I went to the same junior high as you did!”

Every man she met always tried to impress her, but this man was different. Lee Ari’s interest grew.

Woosung opened his laptop to start a presentation for her. He had done many major presentations in front of a large crowds before. This was a piece of cake.

Steady voice.

Confident eye contacts.

Simple yet direct presentation.

Accurate data.

It was perfect.

Woosung spent about 30 minutes on where Lee Ari’s career should head. After the presentation, the CEO of the Top Entertainment asked.

“So you’re saying she should give up her cute girl image and aim to become a classy yet sexy star?”

“Yes.”

Lee Ari smiled and asked. “Thank you for your presentation. I appreciate how hard you worked to hire me for your product. What I don’t understand though is why I should become a model for Coconut Talk.”

“Let me ask you first. Did you like my presentation?” Woosung answered immediately.

Lee Ari nodded with a small smile.

“Coconut Talk is a messenger system. In the future, users will converse about everything via this app, including you.”

Woosung looked at her. Lee Ari was the daughter of a politician. She understood what Woosung was suggesting, but her manager was oblivious.

“You haven’t answered her question…She asked you why she should become the spokesperson for Coconut.”

Woosung turned to the manager and answered.

“Well, firstly, I am offering a good compensation for the role. I will double whatever you usually charge other companies.”

Lee Ari and the CEO seemed surprised. The manager tried to hide his reaction and continued.

“But…Lee Ari can’t be bought. She hasn’t done many commercial works and it wasn’t because she wasn’t offered enough.”

“I am well aware of that fact, and that’s why I brought this presentation.”

The manager pointed at the report and complained. “I am also unhappy with this report. What you suggest doesn’t suit Ari. Classy sexy? That’s not right for her. What people want is innocent girly Ari.”

CEO Moon Yongjun seemed to feel the same way. “I agree with you that her first album was a success, but it may not have been necessary because of its sexy concept. The second album wasn’t as big of a hit, but not necessarily because it lacked sex appeal.”

Both the manager and CEO didn’t like Woosung’s suggestion despite the data Woosung provided as proof. Woosung turned to Lee Ari.

She seemed to have a different opinion but remained silent.

Woosung was out of ideas.

‘What should I do now…Is this not going to work after all?’

Woosung felt the strong need to hire Lee Ari. He changed the future of Coconut Talk including its release date and format. Woosung worried this could change the success of the app as well.

‘All I need is for Lee Ari to like my idea. The other two don’t matter.’

While Woosung waited, the manager added. “The entertainment industry is not something you can predict with data. Lee Ari is not someone who can be analyzed and judged by internet data.”

“1.5 million dollars.”

“Pardon?”

“I will offer you 1.5 million dollars for a one-year contract. All you have to do is upload photos of yourself using Coconut Talk on Facebook.”

The CEO suddenly looked interested. The manager glanced at his boss. When neither replied, Woosung offered.

“2 million dollars. Same conditions.”

The CEO looked at Lee Ari, who stared at Woosung. Her manager started to pant.

two million dollars. It was a lot of money. Woosung looked at of them. None of them replied.

“How about three million dollars.”

“What?”

Three men exclaimed. The manager, CEO, and Jang Gwangchul.

“But that would require TV commercial too,” Woosung added.

Jang Gwangchul poked Woosung but was ignored.

Woosung looked at Lee Ari. She was the one who had the power to make this decision. Three million dollars was a lot of money, but she would be worth it. The number of users she could attract was limitless.

“What do you think? Would this be enough?”

When Woosung asked, the manager and Moon Yongjun looked at Lee Ari. 3 million dollars was definitely worth it. They no longer cared about Woosung’s presentation and what he recommended. They wanted the money. Lee Ari looked at them in disappointment.

“It’s enough money, but…”

When Lee Ari hesitated, Woosung offered again. “5 million dollars.”

Lee Ari was shocked. “… pardon?”

“I will give you 5 million dollars.”

Jang Gwanghcul’s eyes widened. Moon Yongjun and the manager couldn’t even breath. The room was filled with tension. Woosung stared directly at Lee Ari.

When she didn’t answer again, Woosung said one more time.

“10 million dollars.”

“…”

No one breathed. Lee Ari’s eyes were in shock. Jang Gwangchul laughed awkwardly.

“H…aha, Woosung is very funny. He likes to joke.”

“I’m not kidding. I believe Lee Ari is worth every penny.”

Jang Gwangchul shook his head. “Hahaha. O..of course I know Lee Ari is the biggest star out there, but…Can we talk in private, Woosung?”

Woosung had eyes only for her. He asked her.

“What do you think?”

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Chapter 77: &lt;K coin&gt;

Hiccup.

The manager hiccuped loudly. The CEO appeared mystified.

Lee Ari stared at Woosung in shock.

10 million dollars.

She made her debut at the age of 18, and within two years, she reached the top. However, even as a top star, she made less than 10 million dollars during that two years.

Now, Woosung was offering 10 million dollars just for a single one-year contract.

Lee Ari felt anxious. This was too much money. Only the biggest Hollywood stars were paid this much, but this has never happened in Korea. Lee Ari began to wonder if Woosung had an ulterior motive.

Woosung saw her suspicion and explained. “Your status and image are worth this much money. You are the biggest idol of teens and people in their 20’s. They are our target audience. You are the perfect person for this job.”

Lee Ari still looked uncertain. She even looked afraid. Was it because it was too much money?

“I realize that 10 million dollars is a lot of money to consider, but I am offering it to you because I am certain that your role will make us even more money.”

Jang Gwangchul poked Woosung’s waist again and shook his head. He didn’t agree with Woosung.

Lee Ari was still deep in thoughts. Jang Gwangchul stood up suddenly.

“Haha, I am getting really hot. Can I go out for a cup of water?”

The CEO answered.

“S…sure.”

Jang Gwangchul dragged Woosung out with him.

He screamed at Woosung.

“President Kang, how can you offer her 10 million dollars? If you run our company like this, we will soon go bankrupt.”

Woosung replied loudly. “It’s alright. Lee Ari is worth it.”

Jang Gwangchul looked shocked. “What? Are you her fan too? Is this because you’re her fan?”

“Haha, is there anyone in Korea who isn’t her fan?”

“But this is business! You need to think objectively.”

“I am doing just that.”

Woosung lied. He was being emotional.

Jung Jinsup.

Choi Gichul.

If he could get to them, Woosung was willing to give up everything.

“But 10 million dollars? Do you know Gwyneth Paltrow?”

When Woosung nodded, Jang Gwangchul replied in frustration.

“Do you know how much she gets paid?”

“About 1 million dollars. We already talked about this when we were looking into hiring Hollywood stars for Blue S and Coconut release in America. You said it would be 700,000 dollars for Drew Barrymore and 20 million dollars for Beyoncé.”

“So you remember, yet you offered Lee Ari 10 million dollars?”

“Because I believe Ari will be more effective than Beyoncé.”

“W…what?”

Woosung answered even louder so people inside could hear him.

“And that is why I am willing to pay even 20 million dollars.”

Crack.

A loud sound of someone falling came from the meeting room.

Inside the room.

Manager helping his boss up from the floor.

“Are you okay, boss?”

“Oh, yeah. I’m fine. They are talking about Ari, right?”

“I think so.”

“…20 million dollars?”

The manager nodded. “He is either her biggest fan or plain crazy. Could it be that this Coconut is going to be a huge hit? What do you think?”

Lee Ari’s manager shook his head.

“I…I don’t know. 20 million dollars… Maybe he’s bluffing?”

“No way. I know Jang Gwangchul. He has tens of millions of dollars in cash. A boss of someone like him would have much more. It can’t be a bluff.”

Lee Ari was looking at the door. Moon Yongjun asked her.

“Oh, what do you think? Your opinion matters the most of course, but I really think this is a great opportunity.”

His eyes shone with greed.

“I agree with you but…”

“But?”

“I’m just wondering why he would go this far.”

“Why? Because he wants his app to be a huge success! What else could it be?”

Lee Ari had a different idea. She felt like Woosung was hiding something.

When Woosung walked returned, he asked her right away. “So did you decide?”

After a few more seconds of hesitation, Lee Ari finally nodded.

“But 10 million dollars is way too much. I don’t feel comfortable with it. I will do everything including the TV commercial for 2 million dollars. I also want you to continue to provide me with reports like you did today.”

Woosung offered his hand and Lee Ari shook it. Moon Yongjun sighed disappointedly and asked.

“I…is the reduction really necessary?”

Lee Ari didn’t pay attention to him. She continued to look at Woosung and asked.

“Shall we sign the contract?”

Jang Gwangchul took out the prepared contract.

On their way back to KND office, Woosung sent a text message to Jung Jinsup.

“Bro, I just hired Lee Ari for my new Coconut service app.”

Quickly after it was sent, Woosung’s phone vibrated. Woosung ignored it.

“I’m in the car with some people so I am unable to answer your call. Sorry.”

“Is it really true, then?”

“Why would I lie to you? We just signed the contract and I happened to remember your request so that’s why I texted you.”

“My company tried to hire her many times for our game, but we failed every time!”

“It wasn’t easy for us either.”

“How did you do it? Tell me! I will tell my marketing people, so they can learn from you.”

“Haha, we were just lucky.”

“Luck is also an ability. You must be good.”

Woosung grinned. Jang Gwangchul asked.

“Who are you messaging? Is it Lee Ari by chance?”

“Haha, no. It’s a friend.”

“A friend?”

“Haha, yup.”

Woosung continued to text quickly.

“Thank you for the compliment. Now that I hired her, it will be even easier for me to help you.”

“I wish all my employees are like you.”

“I will contact you in a few days. Maybe I can arrange a meeting.”

“What? Meeting?”

“Maybe we can all have dinner after the commercial shoot.”

There was no immediate reply. Woosung wondered.

‘Why isn’t he answering back?’

After about 5 minutes, Jung Jinsup texted back.

“If you can arrange that, I will ask Gichul to help you out with your cell phone manufacturing. So make it happen!”

He sounded like he was doing a favor for Woosung. Woosung didn’t like his tone.

‘He thinks he’s above me.’

Woosung hated him even more now, but he texted back politely.

“Of course. I will do my best.”

When they returned to their office, there was a woman sitting in front of a computer typing fast. She looked sharp and confident. Woosung looked at her closely. She looked familiar.

When he got closer, he became shocked. Her hair was clean and wavy. She seemed to have light makeup on.

Woosung called out.

“Amelia?”

When she didn’t reply, he placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Oh, boss.”

“When did you arrive? You should have called me.”

“Haha, I got here yesterday. I just wanted to get to work right away.”

“…I see.”

“Oh, and I wanted to thank you.”

“Pardon?”

Amelia whispered to him. “For the incentive.”

Woosung felt guilty about taking the entire profit of Bitcoin, so he gave her a bonus of 500,000 dollars.

“It’s for your hard work. Even now, you are working non-stop.”

“Haha.” Amelia smiled prettily.

Woosung smiled back and asked. “By the way, what are you working on? Did you already start on the messenger app?”

“Oh, no. I had some extra time, so I created a new type of coin that’s better than Bitcoin.”

“Coin?”

“Well, it’s more like a platform. It can be used as a platform for things like Coconut and other services.”

Woosung exclaimed.

Blockchain platform!

Just like second generation coin Ethereum and third generation platform Eos!

It was more than just a coin. It was a platform where services could run.

Amelia smiled and continued.

“If we develop the Coconut service on this platform, the blockchain concept could be applied and make it un-hackable.”

“H…how did you make it all by yourself?”

“It’s only at an early stage. I need to work on it much more to finish it, but I am stuck in a few places. I was hoping to get your advice.”

Amelia’s eyes sparked, and Woosung started to get nervous.

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Chapter 78: &lt;K coin&gt;

Woosung had a feeling Amelia had a lot of questions. He took her into a conference room where they sat and continued their chat.

Amelia explained. “After I got your message, I had a lot to think about. It won’t be hard to run the Coconut service on blockchain base, but wouldn’t it be too much work long term?”

“So you created a platform?”

“Haha, yup. This way, Coconut won’t be dependent on anything and whenever we need security adjustments or improvements, we can provide SDK (Software Development Kit) just like the Android. I thought it would be best.”

“I think I need to give you another bonus.”

Amelia replied in embarrassment. “Oh, no. I didn’t mean it like that. I wasn’t asking for a bonus…”

“But you deserve it. Don’t feel overwhelmed by it. Incentives and bonuses are performance based. By the way, didn’t you say you had some questions for me?”

“Oh! I just had an epiphany; we are creating a block through the process of mining bitcoins, but our goal for Coconut is to have the customers use it as much as possible for chats. I feel like these two concepts don’t go together.”

“That’s exactly right.”

Woosung suddenly remembered one of the cryptocurrencies from 2018.

Steem.

This currency was paid whenever a user posted an article online or clicked “Like.” Woosung figured Amelia was about to discuss the same concept.

“So I thought why not reward the users with coins whenever they use the Coconut service? The more they use, the more rewards they get. I was thinking about making a platform for this concept.”

This was exactly how Steem worked.

“To do that, it might be hard to have Bitcoin that work on PoW (Proof of Work).”

PoW.

It was a way to earn cryptocurrency by working for it online. Bitcoin was a good example of this concept.

On the other hand, PoS (Proof of Stake) was different. The reward depended on how much of a particular cryptocurrency you owned. This concept did not exist at this point yet.

Amelia’s eyes widened and asked.

“Proof of Work?”

“Yeah, I just came up with the term for it.”

“Wow, you’re so good. It’s a perfect name for the concept.”

“Was that your question? To use PoW or not?”

“Yes. I feel like using the service, but mining is a separate thing. We need to come up with a different method for the platform.”

“Then how about PoS?”

“PoS?”

Woosung explained the concept to her. Amelia listened with a thorough careful consideration with a murmur. “Which platform should I choose…What’s the right answer? Oh, how about combining the two together?”

Amelia was considering the use of a hybrid method, which was often used in 2018. She continued to think out loud.

“…But operating both would make it too complicated.”

Woosung waited for her to finish her thought process, but even after 10 minutes, it seemed like she couldn’t come to an answer.

Alas, Woosung gave her an offer. “Even if it’s complicated, why not try it? I can help you.”

Amelia’s eyes shined. She looked at Woosung with adoring leers.

“Boss!” She looked like she wanted to kiss him.

“I’ll make up a plan for you so let’s work together.”

Amelia nodded happily.

Jang Gwangchul was waiting for Woosung outside the conference room. When Amelia returned to her chair, Woosung took him inside. Jang Gwangchul glared at him with an obvious hint of rage.

“I guess it’s your money, so I can’t say anything about it, but if you continue to spend money like this, there is no future for this company.”

“I’ll be honest. I agree with you. 20 million dollars would have been over-the-top, but I still believe 10 million dollars was reasonable.”

“Because?”

Woosung retained a firm hold of his calm demeanor as he explained. “How much do you think Coconut service will be worth in the future?”

Jang Gwangchul seemed surprised as he murmured. “Maybe same as Cyworld? If things work out great, it could even become worth as much as Nexter, the portal site?”

“Haven’t you thought about it becoming bigger than Daeyang System?”

Jang Gwangchul didn’t reply. In the future, companies based on software services such as Facebook, Google, and Amazon become large corporations.

“I am expecting it to be worth up to trillion dollars. To make it to that level, we need to invest.”

“But 10 million dollars is way too much.”

Woosung realized he couldn’t convince him, but he also couldn’t tell Jang Gwangchul the truth, including about Jung Jinsup.

“I suspected the financial crisis was coming, but I bought put options on Dow Jones. That is how I made my money. I gambled all my money on it.”

Jang Gwangchul stared at Woosung with interest. “R…really?”

“If you knew about it, you probably would’ve stopped me. Most people lose money when they dabble in options.”

“Are you telling me there will be more decisions you make that I will find too risky?”

“Yes. I will do things you might find crazy. I may use a lot more money on things, and you might not understand why.”

“And you want me to just accept it?”

“No, it’s not like that.”

Jang Gwangchul sighed deeply. “Woosung, I trust you, but what you did, and what you are going to do will be very hard for anyone to accept.”

“I will listen to your opinions, but if I don’t back down, then please just trust me and follow my lead.”

“…And how would I know you’re making the right decision?”

“I will prove it.”

“How?”

Woosung frowned for a second before giving a reply. “Soon, one of the previous Presidents of Korea will pass away. He won’t die of a natural cause, but he also won’t be murdered.”

Jang Gwangchul slapped the table and raised himself up in a maddened frenzy. “You’re crazy! How can you predict something like that?”

Woosung lowered his voice. “Calm down.”

“How can I calm down?”

“It’s the person who is being investigated right now. Just wait and see.”

When Woosung said confidently, Jang Gwangchul started to worry. “Do you know what you’re saying?”

“Yes. I sometimes surprise myself too. You said before that I smell like money. I think what you smell is actually ghosts.”

“W…what?”

“I dream every night. In my dreams, I see the future. My dreams have never been wrong so far.”

Jang Gwangchul couldn’t believe Woosung. He kept glaring with suspicion.

Woosung then proclaimed to Jang Gwangchul. “It will happen before the end of May. If I’m wrong, I won’t do anything you don’t approve of ever again.”

Jang Gwangchul had no choice but to agree on this deal.

A few days later.

In the KYLO regular meeting.

Shin Semi sipped on a glass of champagne and glanced at Woosung, who was chatting familiarly with Jung Jinsup.

There was no room for Shin Semi to join in their chat. They laughed and talked. She couldn’t hear their conversation.

Lee Sunghyun approached Woosung and asked to talk with him in private. It was shocking to see such an important man showing interest in Woosung. They conversed with serious expressions. Lee Sunghyun asked with a frown.

“It can’t be…”

“I can see anger, pain, and desperation. It’s solid information based on tens of thousands of photos.”

“…”

“It will happen within a few days. It could even be today.”

Lee Sunghyun asked in shock. “Today?”

“Yes.”

Lee Sunghyun paused. He remembered the North Korean missile test. He had his doubts on Woosung’s prediction this time, but he also couldn’t ignore it.

Shin Semi joined in with a question. “What are you guys talking about?”

“Haha, it’s nothing.”

Shin Semi frowned at them. “It looked like you are talking about something really interesting.”

Suddenly, Lee Sunghyun’s phone vibrated. He looked at Woosung as soon as he saw the caller’s number. Woosung nodded in response. Lee Sunghyun answered the phone and nodded with a grim look, his skin getting paler. After hanging up, he announced.

“I just received an important news.”

Other members seemed to have already heard the news too. They looked at each other with rigid gazes.

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Chapter 79: &lt;K coin&gt;

It seemed like most, if not all, people in the room received a message from their own varying sources.

Shin Semi asked Woosung. “So you provided this information to him first?”

“Yes. As you suggested, the first thing I needed to do was break down the exclusivity of this group. Now, I have gained their trusts.”

“That was easy.”

“Haha, no way. It’s never easy to predict the future. You know that very well.”

“I mean, it was easy for you, Woosung. I’ve been wanting to speak with you for a while now, I wanted to thank you for what you told me last time. I was able to gain the Chairman’s trust again with the information you gave me.”

“You’re welcome. Think of it as me repaying you for introducing me to KYLO.”

Lee Sunghyun suddenly came to Woosung. “I’m leaving now, I will see you later. Call me if you have any other new information. I have a lot to trade with you.”

Woosung bowed and answered. “I understand.”

Shin Semi nudged Woosung with a joking voice. “It looks like you guys are great friends now.”

Woosung grinned. “You and I are good friends too, right? We’ve known each other for a long time now.”

She blushed as she answered. “I guess so.”

“So we’re better friends than I am with Lee Sunghyun. Don’t you think so?”

Shin Semi stammered. “N…no.”

Woosung teased her. “What? I thought we were very close!”

Shin Semi answered posthaste. “I said no!”

It seemed like Shin Semi was getting angry. Woosung changed the subject quickly. “So don’t you have to go too? Everyone’s leaving in a hurry now.”

“Pardon?”

“This is a big news. Don’t you have to go back to the headquarter?”

Shin Semi bit her lips. “I do.”

Woosung showed her his phone, which hasn’t stopped vibrating.

“Yeah, me too. I need to get going. See you later.”

Shin Semi nodded, but her eyes never met Woosung’s.

After getting into his car, Woosung murmured. “Could it be…?”

He got a distinct feeling that Shin Semi was interested in him.

“But it can’t be.”

Woosung forgot about it right away and answered his phone. Jang Gwangchul was on the other end.

“President Kang!”

Woosung answered calmly. “Please don’t scream into the phone.”

“How could I not? Were you serious about the ghost thing?”

“Yes. I told you. When you said you could smell money on me, I was shocked. I’m telling you, what you felt was the ghost on me.”

“It can’t be. How could this be? I can’t believe this is happening.” Jang Gwangchul’s voice is filled with a mystified tone.

Woosung continued quickly. “I have something to tell you. I plan on adding data analysis as part of our business. I think with my ability, it could be very lucrative.”

“Who cares! The ex-president has died! Just as you predicted!”

“I must give it right back at you. Who cares! What we need to focus on is our business. The death of one ex-president has nothing to do with us.”

Jang Gwangchul started to stammer. “W…what?”

“I realize it’s a sad time, but business is business.”

“…”

“Other people are probably already working on using this event to their advantage. The political scene will change because of it, and other businessmen are probably thinking about adjusting their business model to meet this change.”

Jang Gwangchul couldn’t say anything.

Woosung continued. “This will affect everyone, including our business. Haven’t you even considered that yet?”

Jang Gwangchul didn’t like this situation. It felt like he was an employee being reprimanded by his boss.

“W…well, I haven’t had the time and the news was so shocking…”

“Which means we need to be even calmer and think about what we can do for our business. I expected more from you.”

Jang Gwangchul heard Woosung’s disappointment and replied hurriedly. “I understand, so stop nagging me! We’ll talk in the office.”

When Woosung came back home, he showered and sat in front of his computer. The internet was filled with the sad news and people’s reactions, but he wasn’t interested.

Woosung checked the progress on his bitcoin mining.

“Let’s see.”

850,211.3412

He was happy with the numbers he’s seeing. When he checked the servers, he noticed a few red lights.

Woosung wasn’t surprised. These servers were working nonstop every day. It was normal for some of them to be overworked. He called the offices in America and Korea, he asked them to switch out the broken servers.

The next thing Woosung checked was his account balance.

US: 1.689 billion dollars.

Korea: 175.4 million dollars.

The numbers included the value of his properties too. He had almost 2 billion dollars. With bitcoins and Coconut service in the future…

However, these were future values.

Woosung focused only on his current assets. “With only this much money, I won’t be able to buy a significant portion of Daeyang’s stocks.”

Woosung was rich, but he still couldn’t be compared to big corporations such as Daeyang or MOX.

“Waiting for the cryptocurrency boom will take too long…”

Woosung tried to think of other options. What could he do so he can make Jung Jinsup’s life miserable now?

The only way he could think of was using Lee Ari, but he was sure she wouldn’t show up to any meetings if she knew Jung Jinsup would be there.

“Jung Jinsup…Jung Jinsup…”

Woosung thought of things he had that he could use.

Money.

Programming skills.

His knowledge of the future.

He then thought of the things Jung Jinsup possessed.

Large shares of MOX.

His position as MOX’s vice president of development department.

His personal assets.

Woosung didn’t know the exact number of shares and amount of assets he had.

No matter how much thinking he did, Woosung couldn’t come up with anything useful.

Finally, he gave up.

“Let’s just get back to work.”

He diverted his attention on K coin development.

He had to complete this project in order to finish the Coconut app before the government selection. He focused on the security of the chat program. It had to be perfect or else the chance of it being chosen by the Korean government would be slim.

While he was focused, a message distracted his frenzied typing.

“Your company’s messenger has been selected. Please contact the following number for details. 02-xxxx-xxxx.”

It was a message from the Public Procurement Service.

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Chapter 80: &lt;Everything from 1 to 10&gt;

Woosung met up with Lee Sunghyun at a hotel room.

“Thank you so much for your help. Things worked out well my company.” He bowed.

“It was nothing. It’s partly because your messenger is a great product. It has great security features too. It wasn’t hard to convince them to take your app.”

“Thank you.”

“No problem. If you keep up the good work and supply me with good info, I will make sure KND’s trading algorithm gets selected for the National Pension plan.” Lee Sunghyun looked confident.

Woosung replied. “I will do my best.”

“Anyway, today’s meeting isn’t formal so relax. It will just be two team leaders and us.”

“Alright.”

“Now, did you bring what I asked?”

Woosung pointed at his laptop. “Yes. It’s in here.”

“Sorry for asking to bring it, but there are a lot of people who are doubting your abilities.”

“Haha, no worries. It’s no trouble.”

While they chatted, two people came in one after another. They were the leaders of the marketing and political policy departments. They sat down and looked at Woosung with a strong sense of suspicion. The marketing team leader with frameless glasses pointed at Woosung and asked.

“Is this the guy?”

Lee Sunghyun introduced Woosung to them. “Yes. This is the leader of the digital media department. He will be responsible for analyzing and controlling the internet to our advantage.”

“Hello. I’m the CEO of KND. My name is Kang Woosung.”

“I’ve never heard of a company named KND. It must be very new?”

“Yes. It was created only a little while ago. It is a software development company.”

“Then you’re a computer programmer?”

“Yes, you could say that.”

“How old are you?” Marketing team leader Park Sukho already knew of Woosung from Lee Sunghyun, but he asked anyway.

“I’m 27.”

Lee Sunghyun defended Woosung. “He may be young, but he is very capable. He will be a great asset to us for the next year’s election.”

“I will take your word for it, but…”

It was clear he had difficulty accepting this situation. A young programmer…

Lee Sunghyun nodded to Woosung. Woosung opened his laptop and offered. “Let me show you what I have.”

“Alright.”

Woosung showed them his analysis of the upcoming election. He explained that based on the SNS, he could tell how the population and the media thought of each candidate. Currently, their own candidate wasn’t seen in the best light.

The two department leaders continued to frown. They didn’t like what they were hearing, thus they still felt like they couldn’t trust Woosung. Internet wasn’t something they’ve seen with the utmost importance and reliability in the political world.

Lee Sunghyun asked the two leaders. “What do you guys think?”

“This isn’t some school election. This is a national event. How can we trust ‘internet data?’ It’s no better than believing in gossip magazines.”

Woosung replied. “I believe in public opinion.”

“We all know that, but what people say anonymously on the internet doesn’t represent the general public’s opinion.”

“Your way of thinking is too old-fashioned. The Internet is the new way to go now. Everything can be found and done on the internet nowadays.”

An unprecedented tension filled the room. Lee Sunghyun looked at Woosung with interest.

Park Sukho reddened. “What did you say?”

“Even the American President Barack Obama believed in internet data. I am trying to help you here.”

Lee Sunghyun continued to watch without a word. Park Sukho felt he couldn’t lose this fight, so he argued back.

“This isn’t America. Korean people think differently than Americans. You can’t apply what worked in the US to Korea.”

Woosung retorted with wit. “So based on your logic, we shouldn’t bring American technology to Korea either. American technology wouldn’t suit Korea.”

Park Sukho glanced at Lee Sunghyun. He wanted help, but Lee Sunghyun remained silent and neutral.

Park Sukho looked at Woosung and said, “Business is different than politics. Politics is about gaining people’s heart, while business is about making money.”

“Business also involves gaining the customers’ hearts. That’s the best way to make money.”

Lee Sunghyun planned on not getting involved. He wanted them to resolve the differences by themselves. Park Sukho sighed.

“Hmm…”

These were people he had to work with.

Woosung tried to lighten the mood by compromising. “Please consider my data just as a piece of supplementary information for now. Once I’ve proven myself, then you can take it more seriously.”

Finally, Lee Sunghyun stepped in. “Haha, sounds reasonable. Let’s start with that.”

The meeting ended.

Lee Sunghyun talked to Woosung in private. “Haha, you were impressive today.”

“I’m glad you liked it.”

“Please do your best for this team.”

“Of course. Anything involving you is always my priority.”

“I am happy to hear that.”

Woosung offered. “Anytime you need me, please let me know.”

“You sound like a true businessman. You are looking to trade?”

Woosung lowered his voice. “Haha, I can’t hide anything from you. Well, I am planning to get involved in the communication business.”

“Are you talking about MVNO?”

MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) was a wireless communication service provider that did not own the wireless network infrastructure over which it provided services to its customers.

Woosung replied. “No, I am referring to becoming the fourth mobile carrier. Currently, three companies control the entire industry in Korea. I would like to be the fourth one.”

“…pardon?”

“My smartphone manufacturing is coming along nicely. The apps for the phone are also being developed. If I can become the carrier, it would complete the picture. Do you blame me for wanting this?”

Lee Sunghyun’s eyes widened. It didn’t seem like Woosung was joking. “It’s a huge risk. You could lose a lot of money every year for a long time until you make it. That’s why not many attempted it.”

“I am ok with the risks.”

Lee Sunghyun was shocked. “…pardon?”

“I know the risks very well. This will be also beneficial for you. Didn’t the current president promised to lower the communication cost down this term?”

It was indeed one of the promises of President Lee Parksung. He swore to decrease the cost by 20%. However, this was almost impossible when the three carriers monopolized the business.

“You are more ambitious than I thought.”

“Shouldn’t I? Don’t you have a big dream too?”

Lee Sunghyun kept his voice. Woosung looked at him with anxious eyes. Before this meeting, he thought hard about asking this question.

Woosung already got a lot out of Lee Sunghyun. He got the government deals for Coconut and most likely the algorithm as well. Should he risk his relationship with Lee Sunghyun for an even bigger deal?

In the end, Woosung decided it was worth it.

If he wanted to destroy Choi Gichul and Daeyang, he needed to become big.

There were a few who attempted to become the fourth carrier, but they all failed, even in 2018. Woosung felt that with his knowledge of the future, he could do it. Woosung asked Lee Sunghyun. “Don’t you think your new world should include new people?”

Lee Sunghyun remained silent.

Woosung continued. “You don’t have to answer me right now. I am always ready, so please contact me when you know.”

Lee Sunghyun was reluctant but he gave a nod in response.

As soon as he got into his car, Woosung called Jang Gwangchul.

“I asked him. He didn’t react much.”

“It won’t be easy.”

“But possible.”

“But we are a start-up company. We haven’t completed Coconut service nor the smartphone. We have only a minimal profit from the algorithm trading system so far. I realized expanding is important, but creating a solid foundation is also necessary.”

“You don’t have to worry about that.”

“And even if we become one of the carriers, will the customers use our service? If they don’t, do you realize how much money it will take to maintain the business?”

“I have enough money. You don’t have to worry about that. Didn’t I tell you that I made a lot of money during the financial crisis?”

Jang Gwangchul stopped nagging Woosung. The call ended soon after.

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Chapter 81: &lt;Everything from 1 to 10&gt;

Hong Soobum and Jang Gwangchul entered Woosung’s room abruptly.

Hong Soobum asked Woosung. “I heard from the vice president. You are interested in the mobile carrier business?”

“Yes, so that we can do everything from infra to service.”

“Sir, manufacturing smartphone and mobile communication business are two very different things.”

“Current communication industry uses HSDPA with the development of LTE coming up in the future. With HSDPA’s speed of 14.4Mbps, it takes over 7 minutes to download an 800mb movie.” Woosung continued. “In 2-3 years, LTE’s biggest advantage MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) will change this business.”

Woosung had a clear and deep understanding of communication technology.

When Woosung tried to continue his explanation, Hong Soobum interrupted him. “I understand that you studied a lot about this but knowing about it isn’t enough.”

Woosung asked evenly. “Then what do we need?”

“Firstly, we need permission from the government. Because of the three existing carriers’ cartel, it will not happen.”

Woosung glanced at Jang Gwangchul and continued. “Do you know a man named Lee Sunghyun?”

“You mean the son of the President? Yes.”

“We became close acquaintances recently. He said because of the current President’s promise of having a mobility fee reduction, he will consider my request seriously.”

Hong Soobum looked at Jang Gwangchul, who already knew this. Hong Soobum started to sweat.

‘Things are happening way too fast.’

He recently heard about the messenger being selected by the government, but that was only a 1.2-million-dollar deal.

Communication business needed billions of dollars to start and maintain.

“I also think we don’t have enough funds. Within a few years, we could potentially have losses of hundreds of millions of dollars. We will need at least 10 billion dollars just to keep afloat.”

10 billion dollars.

Woosung currently had only 2 billion dollars.

He needed an additional 8 billion dollars, but Woosung wasn’t worried. “I can get about 2 billion dollars. The other 8 billion can be earned.”

Jang Gwangchul interrupted with a grave expression. “Woosung, Coconut is still not completed, and it requires a lot of money to finish. Same for the smartphone. We have two projects that are still in the development stages. So where would you earn that much money from?”

Woosung had a plan. With iPhone, Apple’s stocks were going to soar. All he had to do was buy as many stocks as possible.

Woosung also remembered some bio stocks rising due to the spread of new flu at the end of the year.

There were so many chances in the future. Woosung wasn’t worried.

“Listen, it’s not like we need the 10 billion dollars immediately, right?”

Hong Soobum nodded. “T…that’s true.”

“We can make money from algorithm trading, or we can publish more KND stocks. There are so many ways to make money.”

After a few seconds of silence, Jang Gwangchul looked at Woosung.

“10 billion dollars. It’s 10 billion dollars we’re talking about.”

“ONLY 10 billion dollars. We can’t give up on this chance because of only 10 billion dollars.” This could be a huge opportunity. If it became successful, the money would roll in. “This could be the goose that lays golden eggs.”

Jang Gwangchul was hoping Hong Soobum could change Woosung’s mind, but it was clearly useless.

“Director Hong, you need to only focus on Coconut. That’s it.”

Hong Soobum shrugged his shoulders and looked at Jang Gwangchul helplessly. Woosung also turned to Jang Gwangchul.

“By the way, I got a call from America. The final version of Blue S is completed.”

“So all we have left is to launch it.”

“Yes. I heard that the iPhone 3GS will be released on June 9th. It will sell like hotcakes.”

Hong Soobum asked. “Then wouldn’t we be at a disadvantage? People won’t buy two new phones.”

“If the two products have similar qualities and one is cheaper, which phone would you buy?”

“Well that’s our hope, but…”

“It will work. Anyway, I need to go to Silicone Valley for a while. Please come with me, Vice president.”

“Hmm? M…me?”

“Of course. You need to witness the release of KND’s very first smartphone.”

“A…alright.”

“I will buy the tickets for tomorrow.”

Woosung, Amelia, and Jang Gwangchul arrived at Silicone Valley. Amelia went home, while Woosung and Jang Gwangchul headed to the office.

When they arrived, Logan handed them a well-packaged box. On the surface was the name Blue S. Woosung opened it.

“So this is it.”

“As you suggested, the release date has been set to June 12th. It will be through T-Mobile. Luckily, there aren’t a lot of places that deal with Android phones so Google helped out a great deal. Things worked out well.”

Blue S was the first Android phone that had the potential to compete against the iPhone and win.

Logan continued. “Per your instruction, we have 10,000 phones ready to go. The price has been set lower than the iPhones. 4GB model will be 450 dollars and 8GB will be 550 dollars.”

After inspecting the phone, Woosung asked.

“The hardware costs about 210 dollars, right?”

“Yes, but we expect it to go up slightly.”

“That’s fine. I love the design and the specs.”

It was exactly the same as Daeyang’s phone from his previous life.

Width 120mm.

Height 65mm.

Thickness 12.1mm.

The display was 3.5-inch TFT-LCD with the memory of 256mb. Wi-Fi was included.

With specs like this, it was comparable to iPhone 3GS.

On top of that, Coconut Talk was already installed into the phone. Woosung had high expectations for this feature.

‘Coconut Talk service latency was measured to be an average of 0.03 seconds. For the iPhones, it turned out to be as late as 1 second. In terms of speed, ours is definitely better.’

Woosung replied. “With respect to UX, Coconut is better as well. Users will like that.”

“And we also started airing the TV commercials. As you wanted, we hired Lady Nana for it. It’s already looking very promising. We had a lot of inquiries about the phone because of it.”

Lady Nana.

She was one of the most popular pop stars in America in 2009. Woosung spent tens of millions of dollars on this ad campaign.

Logan smiled. “We also created a Facebook page. It already has tens of thousands of likes. Everyone at the office has high hopes for this product.”

“Unless something unexpected happens, Blue S will be the new sensation.” Woosung turned to Logan. “From now on, when people think of Android, they will think of this phone.”

Woosung felt confident. In his previous life, Daeyang’s Blue S was a huge international success. Woosung believed that without a doubt, this phone would be sold out like hotcakes.

June 12th.

Woosung was having coffee in leisure with Jang Gwangchul.

“I told you so.”

“…”

Jang Gwangchul couldn’t say anything. “If we want to meet this huge demand, we will either have to expand the existing factory here or outsource it to a company in China. What do you think?”

“I will follow your decision.”

Jang Gwangchul looked at Woosung in amazement.

Woosung said quietly. “Well, let’s first hire more factory workers.”

“Ok.”

“All of our 10,000 phones sold out. I told you so! If you hadn’t stopped me from outsourcing it to a Chinese factory, we could’ve sold more phones already.”

Jang Gwangchul looked at Woosung with a deep-seated regret implanted on his chest.

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Chapter 82: &lt;Everything from 1 to 10&gt;

Jang Gwangchul looked remorseful. Before launching Blue S, Woosung suggested expanding the existing factory in Silicone Valley or hire another factory in China because he expected the phone to be a hit. However, Jang Gwangchul rejected the idea because he felt they were expanding too fast.

Now, it seemed like Woosung was right. Woosung looked at Jang Gwangchul with furrowed eyebrows.

“I thought about pushing harder for it, but I didn’t want to sound like a dictator. That’s why I took your advice.”

“I…I know.”

“I always feel like I am being too pushy with my ideas because you and others always think I’m going too fast. It seems I should have trusted my gut instincts instead.”

While Jang Gwangchul looked at Woosung with guilt, Logan approached them with a smile.

“This is awesome! Everyone wants our phone, both online and offline. Our factory is running at its max, but we still can’t meet the demand.”

Woosung murmured.

“…If we had 500,000 phones ready, we could’ve made 100 million dollars because each product gives us a profit of 200 dollars. Instead, we just made only 20 million dollars.”

Jang Gwangchul groaned loudly.

Woosung said to Logan. “The maximum number of phones we can currently manufacture per day is 5000, so in a month, we can only make 150,000.”

“Well realistically, it would be more like 130,000.”

Finally, Jang Gwangchul apologized loudly. “Fine, fine! It’s all my fault! I admit it, but in my defense, you always want to do things that are too risky! I know you have been doing very well in everything you’ve tried, but I wanted you and this company to be on the safe side.”

“I know why you did it, and I don’t blame you for it, but there are things that I will do despite your opinion because it’s necessary.”

Jang Gwangchul could guess what Woosung was referring to. “Are you talking about the mobile carrier business?”

Woosung nodded firmly. Jang Gwangchul groaned again. “Hmm…Fine! I won’t stop you.”

“How about other things?”

“Well…. Depends.”

Woosung glared at him. “Are you saying you’ll continue to reject my ideas?”

“I…I will try my best to restrain myself.”

Woosung smiled. “Haha, that’s all I wanted to hear. Now, let’s enjoy our moment of triumph! Our phone is a success, and all we have to do now is to make more.”

The entire office was in a mood to party.

Because of the death of an ex-President, the entire nation of Korea was in a state of mourning. Despite Blue S’s incredible success abroad, its news was barely mentioned in Korea.

However, Daeyang and other smartphone companies in Korea were well-aware of its victory. A hardware department employee at Daeyang checked the international IT review website and murmured.

“So Blue S is sold out?”

Blue S was the phone his boss was keeping an eye on. He printed the news and included in the daily report.

After checking the news, the secretary general bit his lips.

“10,000 phones are sold out. The factory is running at its max capacity.”

It hasn’t even been released in Korea. This was a problem.

Becoming popular in the US meant that it’s easy for it to become a worldwide success.

“Blue S… Blue S…I hate that name.”

He called the development lab and asked them to purchase the phone for study.

With a Blue S in hand, the Secretary-General visited the Vice-Chairman’s room.

“This is the phone.”

“Blue S. An android-based smartphone.”

“They appear to be working with Google closely. We will delay their release in Korea as long as possible, but we have no control over them overseas.”

Choi Taemin looked at the phone with interest. “Its specs are comparable to iPhones?”

“That’s right, and this fact has been proven by various review sites as well as our own lab.”

“So they have the technology to pull this off?”

“The only thing they seem to lack right now is a mass manufacturing ability. Once that’s fixed, they will grow fast.”

“So it wasn’t a bluff that they could become a close competitor to iPhone.”

“KND is also known for their development team. The developers there get treated very well. Their salaries are very competitive.”

“Well, all we can do for now is delay its release in Korea as long as possible. If they are having difficulty with mass production, we’ll have to try to win by overwhelming the market with our phone’s availability.”

“We can’t have our price lower than theirs or else our phone may be perceived as an inferior product.”

Choi Taemin frowned. “See if they impinged on any of our patents at all. Let’s see if we can have any kind of legal ground against them.” Choi Taemin added. “Make sure to destroy them at all cost.”

“Yes, sir.”

The factory was running full-time, but the demand was too great.

Every day, they would receive an order of over 30,000 phones.

The office was filled with excitement. Woosung approved the factory expansion and bought more lands. He invested the entire 20 million dollars earned from selling the first batch with his land endeavors.

Jang Gwangchul asked Woosung. “Are you sure you don’t want to outsource the manufacturing to a Chinese OEM? We’ll have a better profit margin that way.”

“Apple will be doing that and make a huge profit, so I did consider it.”

“Then why did you change your mind all of a sudden?”

“When GM couldn’t handle the financial crisis last December, the American government went into great lengths to save it. I wondered then, would they have done the same for Apple?”

Jang Gwangchul answered without hesitation. “I don’t think so.”

“That’s probably why many of the tech companies in Silicone Valley went bankrupt and disappeared during that time.”

“So you want…power more than money?”

“Even in Korea, Daeyang insists on having all manufacturing done in Korea rather than outsourcing it to China where the cost would be lower.”

“…”

“That is how they maintain their presence and power in Korea.”

“I get it. Daeyang is called the company that supports all of Korea. If it went bankrupt, huge portion, if not all, of Korea will be affected.”

“They have the power over politics and media.”

“So are you planning to become the next Daeyang?”

“We’ll become like Daeyang in America. In Korea…”

In Korea, KND will become so big that it destroys Daeyang. Woosung didn’t finish his thoughts out loud.

Jang Gwangchul warned him. “I understand your dream, but Daeyang probably already know everything about our smartphone. They will soon make a similar phone with better specs and cheaper price.”

“I know.”

“They will catch up to us, no doubt about that. It’s only a matter of time before they destroy us.”

“That is why we have disclosed our smartphone blueprint to the public and create an environment that attracts talented developers.”

“What if Daeyang does the same thing?”

“We are the original. It is hard to beat that.” Woosung looked at Jang Gwangchul and continued. “We can do this. Our phone will be the original smartphone. Whatever Daeyang makes after will always be considered a copycat.”

Jang Gwangchul sighed. “When you first mentioned manufacturing a smartphone, I was excited. I thought that once we make it, that will be it! It seems like it’s only the beginning. Now, whenever you come up with the next plan…” Woosung looked at him silently. Jang Gwangchul continued. “It seems like it is never-ending.”

“Business is never easy.”

“I know that.”

“We have so much to do. We have to find new developers and businessmen for our mobile carrier business. We need to hire more people for the factory here. And…”

As Woosung listed the things they had to do, Jang Gwangchul shook his head. “Fine, fine. We have a lot of work to do. Let me know the first thing that needs to be done.”

“Now that our phone is a success, the next is the app.”

“You mean Coconut Talk?”

“That’s right. We have to upload the app to the Apple App Store so that iPhone users can experience how great our service is.”

“Fine. I will talk to Soobum.”

“Please ask him to upload it ASAP.”

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Chapter 83: &lt;Everything from 1 to 10&gt;

After getting a call form Jang Gwangchul, Hong Soobum uploaded Coconut Talk to the Apple App Store himself. Afterward, he texted Jang Gwangchul.

“Uploading is completed. Approval will take up to 5 days.”

“Ok.”

Hong Soobum leaned back and murmured. “Phew. Now the only thing left is launching the PC Version.”

It has been a long journey and finally, they were starting to see the fruits of their labor. The smartphone was sold out and the number of Coconut Talk service users have increased accordingly.

Their greatest worry was that those who bought the smartphone would delete the preloaded app, but it turned out over 80% of the customers were signing up to use Coconut Talk.

“Lee Ari’s Facebook marketing is going well too.”

If things continued as they are, the Coconut app would do very well. While Hong Soobum was deep in his own thoughts, a developer approached him.

“Sir…I would like to talk to you in private.”

Hong Soobum could guess what it was about. This was exactly how he approached his boss at Nexter when was giving his resignation.

“Should we go somewhere private?” He nodded with guilt. Hong Soobum tapped his shoulder and said to him. “Let’s go into the conference room.”

After having a seat, Hong Soobum asked.

“A raise, or something else? You can talk to me. I will do my best.”

“I appreciate everything you have done for me. Despite KND being a start up company, you matched the salary I got at Nexter. You also gave me stock options. I am very appreciative, but…”

“But?”

“The salary is competitive, but this company still can’t compare to big corporation’s benefits.”

“You knew this before accepting the job. Besides, we are starting to make profits. Soon, we’ll be able to provide you just like the big companies.”

“But things are still very unstable. There are always high risks with small companies. Will KND be still standing in 4 years? I can’t help but worry.”

“So you are leaving?”

“I will be honest. I got an offer from Daeyang. Better salary and conditions.”

“We can match that.”

“I know you’ll talk care of me, but I can’t stop worrying about the future. I keep thinking that I need to be at a big, stable corporation for my piece of mind.”

“Do other employees feel the same way?”

“I think so.”

“I am surprised, especially after the success of Blue S.”

“The success is only because Daeyang hasn’t released its own phone yet. A small company can never win against a large corporation like Daeyang.”

Hong Soobum’s face was rigid. The room became tense. There was nothing that could be done.

“So there is nothing I can do to convince you to stay.”

“I’m sorry, sir. I think I am done here.”

Hong Soobum smiled bitterly. “We just finished the app development and are about to see it grow…Oh well, I guess it can’t be helped.”

When the developer left, another came in with the same decision. Hong Soobum sighed deeply.

Silicone Valley.

The second factory Woosung purchased was similarly equipped as the first one.

Someone knocked on Woosung’s door.

Woosung answered. “Come in.”

The door opened and a familiar figure walked in. It was Sunda Amit, a key Blue S developer Jonathan Logan scouted.

“I have something to tell you.”

Woosung pointed at a chair. “Please have a seat.”

“I would like to give you my resignation.”

Woosung knew something like this would happen. He asked calmly.

“Have you read our personnel policy by chance?” Amit shook her head. Because Woosung was focused on the development of Blue S, he has been neglecting the HR department. “Firstly, we offer the best package in the industry for our employees.”

Pay Top of the Market.

It was the same as how Netflix managed its people.

Woosung continued. “I don’t know your reason behind it, but if it’s because of your salary, there is no need. I don’t care how much it is. I will pay the highest salary in this industry.”

Amit blinked. “Even if it’s over 200,000 dollars?”

Woosung replied. “Even if it’s over a million dollars. Money is not an issue in our company.”

“Oh…”

“Tell the HR your number and if the department agrees that it is a fair amount for the industry, we will give it to you. If it’s not about the money, I would like it if you can tell me so I can help fix it. Even after all this, if you feel like you need to leave, that’s fine. Please tell Logan tomorrow, and he will start the process.”

Amit nodded.

“May I ask where you got an offer from?”

Woosung would’ve found out eventually, so Amit answered without hesitation. “It’s Daeyang System.”

Woosung’s guess was correct. He replied. “Alright. Please think about it and let us know.”

After Amit left, Woosung called in Jang Gwangchul.

“Another one just came in,” Woosung said to Jang Gwangchul. “That’s the fifth one so far.”

“Two people already quit in Korean office.”

“Well, we should feel lucky that no one here has actually left yet. Talented developers are hard to come by.”

Woosung sighed deeply. “So Daeyang must finally see us as its competition.”

“This is only the beginning. They will release a similar smartphone and messaging app like Coconut.”

“Then let’s try to steal a few of their developers.”

“H…hmm? Steal their employees? How? Do you know anyone who works there?”

“Use the head-hunters.”

“I guess…But it will be hard to do that in Korea.”

“We need to do our best. I’ll bet there are many programmers in Daeyang who would be interested in working for us. KND is a hot company now.”

“Did you already get a call?”

Woosung nodded.

Jang Gwangchul sighed. “Oh! What did you say to get an invitation?”

“Blue S is using Google’s Android. I explained the advantages of this situation. Once our presentation at Google I/O goes well, Blue S’ sale will increase further and it will become easier to pouch good developers.”

“Well, we can hope.”

“I’ll do my beset.”

After their conversation, Woosung texted Go Sangjun.

“Are you attending the Google I/O?”

He attended the Microsoft’s MVP. Woosung was sure Go Sangjun would come.

“Of course. I heard you released Blue S. It’s a big news here too!”

“Haha, thank you.”

“How did you make such a product? Was it with Jonathan Logan? Is it his work?”

Woosung wanted to be direct.

“A lot of people worked hard on this project. By the way, are you interested in working for me? Our business is expanding so fast that we need more people.”

“Of course, I’m interested.”

“My offer is still the same from last time. I will pay you more than what Daeyang’s paying you.”

There was no answer. Woosung was reminded of the power of big companies. It wasn’t just the high salary, but stability and benefits too.

Money alone wasn’t enough, unless it was an incredible amount.

“If you aren’t interested, could you introduce me to someone who might be. We need as many people as possible.”

“Alright. I’ll think about it.”

“Great. Thank you.”

Woosung realized how hard it was to find good people.

KND was still so small with minimal profit so far.

“Is this the only way? Keep losing people and trying to hire new people to fill the holes?”

Woosung felt frustrated. This was only the beginning. Daeyang would attack KND in many different ways.

What should he do?

He had to assure everyone that KND would be a big, stable company. It had to grow. Woosung finally made a decision and called in Logan and Jang Gwangchul.

“I would like to buy a company.”

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Chapter 84: &lt;Everything from 1 to 10&gt;

Woosung was interested in buying a company named Tel-Tech.

It was a mid-sized Korean company that manufactured cell phones. In 2007, it applied for a corporate workout and currently in the process of corporate recovery. To put it bluntly, it wasn’t doing very well.

At one time, it released a popular cell phone named Racer, but it only had a brief success.

“Tel-Tech. It’s a medium-sized cell phone company. Currently, it’s in the process of a workout so M&A shouldn’t be difficult.”

Jang Gwangchul knew this company. “It will cost us at least 500 million dollars.”

“If we sell over 1,000,000 phones per year, then our profit will be a billion dollars. This means we can afford a 500-million-dollar company.”

“It’s too risky.”

While they argued, Logan offered his opinion. “I agree with Woosung.” He continued confidently. “Our technology is the best in the world. The only problem we have right now is mass manufacturing. If Tel-Tech can fix this problem for us, 500 million dollars will be worth it. If we try to do it from scratch, it will take a very long time to find and purchase factories, not to mention, we need to hire and educate new workers. This will take months, and by that time, people could lose interest in Blue S.”

Jang Gwangchul replied. “Well…we are assuming that our phone’s popularity will continue.”

“It will. If I wasn’t confident of it, I wouldn’t have been part of this team.”

Jang Gwangchul sighed, perhaps for a millionth time this month. There seemed to be no end to Woosung’s ambition and planning.

He continued. “You know why Tel-Tech is going through the corporate workout, right? It purchased a mobility company LK for 300 million dollars, which was the wrong decision. They tried to grow too fast and they failed. There is a really good chance that we might end up in the same situation.”

Woosung replied. “It was because Tel-Tech was being attacked by Daeyang, just like us. We are different. With KND’s brand power and technology, we will grow fast.”

Jang Gwangchul had no choice but to agree at this point. “Well, if you insist…Alright.”

“Then please return to Korea ASAP and take care of it. I will finish up here and join you soon.”

“There are so much to do now. M&A, then prepping for the mobile carrier business.”

At Jang Gwangchul’s complaint, Woosung laughed. “Haha, you wanted to become a businessman, so here you are!”

“I didn’t realize it would be this much work.”

“And there will be even more in the future. I have a lot of business ideas.”

Jang Gwangchul groaned.

Presentation at Google I/O was done by Logan, who was the chief of the development team. Woosung sat in the audience, watching his every move. As Logan explained about Blue S, the developers in the audience talked among themselves.

“What you see on the screen is the GitHub address where you can download the Blue S’s PCB layout. We also uploaded relevant codes, so feel free to download them.”

The audience exclaimed.

“They are releasing the layout to the public?”

“That’s crazy. It’s a trade secret!”

“And they are also giving away the codes.”

“I can’t believe it!”

Logan continued calmly. “As you know, it is very difficult to optimize Android OS to different hardware. We were successful and we are happy to reveal how we did it. Of course, the information is only for individual developers. Other companies cannot use it for their business.”

“Oh!”

“Knowing just the codes would be useless, and that is why we are disclosing the hardware blueprint and the layout as well.”

Many in the audience raised their hands. One of them asked, “Then will you continue to reveal your information in the future?”

“Yes. However, the phones will be made from the premium version of the codes and the layout, while the uploaded information will be of an older prototype version. Anybody is welcome to use our information to customize it. If you upload your ideas and we like them, we may even purchase them from you. Now, I will introduce you to our CEO.”

Woosung stood up and walked up to the stage.

“We will evaluate your ideas objectively and we will pay up to 10 million dollars.”

The developers exclaimed.

This was Woosung’s plan. This way, he could reach every talented developer in the world.

After the presentation, Woosung, Amelia, and Logan left the conference room.

“I have someone to meet, so I’ll see you guys later.”

Logan walked away, leaving Amelia and Woosung.

Suddenly, Go Sangjun approached them, waving his hand. “Oh, hello! You’re that little girl from the MVP summit.”

“Hi.”

“You’re all grown up now. You looked like a student then.”

Amelia laughed shyly.

Go Sangjun lowered his voice and whispered. “I hope I’m not interrupting your date.”

“Haha, it’s not like that.”

Woosung laughed, Amelia blushed and stammered. “I…it’s not like that at all.”

“Haha, then let’s go for lunch. I have a lot to talk about.”

When they entered the restaurant, a familiar face walked towards them. Woosung flinched.

“What a nice surprise,” Woosung asked curiously. “What are you doing here, Advisor Shin?”

“I’m in a tech business so of course I should attend things like this.”

“Oh…”

“Would you mind introducing your friends?” Shin Semi’s voice sounded cold.

“This is Amelia, one of my employees, and this is Go Sangjun from Daeyang System.”

Shin Semi greet them in perfect English. “Nice to meet you. I am Shin Semi and I am the chief of pin tech business department at Nuri Enterprise.”

Go Sangjun recognized her immediately, but Amelia had no idea who Shin Semi was.

Shin Semi asked after shaking their hands. “Would you mind if I join you guys?”

Woosung glanced at his group. Shin Semi noticed and narrowed her eyes.

Go Sangjun looked at Woosung and replied, “Haha, I’m fine.”

Amelia answered as well, “That would be fine with me.”

Woosung shrugged his shoulders and replied, “I guess that would be great. Let’s go.”

Go Sangjun sat down at the table and asked, “I was surprised to hear you are releasing your information to the public. So you weren’t lying.”

“Haha, of course, I meant what I said!”

“I thought you were lying to me.”

“Our CEO is not like that.”

Suddenly, Go Sangjun’s eyes widened.

Go Sangjun was talking to Woosung in Korean. Amelia replied to him in Korean! She understood and spoke the language! Shin Semi also looked surprised. Go Sangjun replied quickly.

“Haha, I’m just kidding. I know Woosung’s not a liar.”

Woosung changed the subject. “How’s the mood in Daeyang? Your company keeps poaching my people, so I am having a lot of difficulties finding new workers.”

At Woosung’s complaint, Go Sangjun sweated. “We are busy with developing a new smartphone. We are working with Google too. As for poaching your developers…”

“I am happy to make constant offers to my own employees both in Korea and America.”

While Go Sangjun was sweating uncomfortably, Amelia murmured. “I’m not like that.”

“Hm…m?”

When Woosung asked, Amelia replied, “I will work for you forever.”

Shin Semi murmured quietly, “You are a lucky man, Woosung, to have such a loyal employee.”

“Oh, haha, of course. I feel confident having such a talented developer like Amelia with me.”

Amelia continued. “I’m serious. I got a call from a head-hunting company, but I hung up on them right away.”

Woosung looked at Amelia and said warmly, “Amelia, I am always thankful to you.”

Amelia looked away and blushed. Shin Semi watched this interaction unhappily.

Go Sangjun smiled. “What’s going on here? You two look way too close!”

Shin Semi bit her lips.

Woosung shook his head. “Haha, I told you. Nothing’s going on between us.”

Shin Semi exhaled.

Woosung tried to change the uncomfortable subject and started eating. “By the way, I meant to call you, Advisor Shin.”

“Really? That’ll be the day.”

“There is something I need help with when I return to Korea.”

Shin Semi answered again in an unkind tone, “You need another corporate gossip?”

“Haha, nothing like that.”

“Then you better have something ready to trade with.”

Woosung smiled confidently. “I have something that you would love to have. It’s something that will allow me to gain your trust. We will talk when we get back to Korea.”

When the lunch ended and they were about to leave, Logan approached them with a stranger. When Woosung saw him, he knew immediately who Logan brought.

Rich Miner.

He was the man who created the Android with Andy Rubin.

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Chapter 85: &lt;Becoming a mid-sized company&gt;

“Woosung, this is Rich Miner. He is the co-founder of the Android and an adviser at Google Ventures.”

Woosung’s eyes widened as he shook Rich Miner’s hand.

Logan said proudly, “Because of this guy, things worked out great! We will start on the new version release immediately.”

Woosung exclaimed, “Oh! I’m glad to hear it.”

Amelia murmured very quietly, “Whatever. I could’ve done it by myself.”

Woosung didn’t hear it. He was so mesmerized by Rich Miner, who said to Woosung, “I have been following your phone, Blue S. It’s very impressive. Logan told me that you are interested in the open platform.”

“Haha, that’s correct. I believe in sharing technologies.”

Rich Miner’s eyes glinted. Woosung continued. “But money is of course also important. I believe in a successful business as well.”

“Of course, and as you probably heard at the conference, the new version will be announced in September. The project is currently named Donut.”

Woosung nodded. It was the same in his previous life. Rich Miner continued. “Can I ask you for a favor?”

Woosung opened his arms. “Anything! I will try my best.”

“I am curious about how you optimized the hardware. There aren’t many reference phones so we haven’t had a lot of reported problems, but we are well aware of potential internal issues. It seemed like you managed to fix a lot of these problems.”

Amelia answered for Woosung, “Indeed there were a lot of problems including the memory assignment. It was very difficult to work around them.”

Woosung introduced Amelia to Rich. “Haha, this is our key developer. She was responsible for optimizing Android into the phone.”

“Oh!” Miner looked at Logan. When Logan nodded, Miner continued. “So this is her.”

He then took out a Blue S from his pocket. He turned it on and opened various apps on it. He looked excited.

“All the apps work so smoothly. I was pleasantly surprised.” He then turned to Woosung. “And Coconut Talk was also very impressive.”

Miner’s compliments were never ending, but Woosung had a feeling that he didn’t come here just to flatter him, and he was right. Miner finally asked Woosung.

“Does KND by chance have any investors? I know you already have profits, but I hoped that you may be interested in one.”

Woosung turned to Logan, who explained. “I told him about some issues we are having at our company. Rich is very tight-lipped so don’t worry about him spreading any rumors.” Woosung nodded as Logan continued. “It just happened that his company is looking for technology exchange. They are impressed with Blue S, so they were hoping to get some advice on a few things including BSP. So I asked if Google could invest in us.”

Miner explained. “We can do it right away. We believe in your company.”

It was a great opportunity, but Woosung didn’t want to give up any shares and get unwanted business advice from another company.

“I would be a fool not to be interested in Google’s investment, but I am concerned about losing any control over my company.”

Shin Semi and Go Sangjun gawked at Woosung.

Did he just reject Google’s offer?

Miner licked his lips. “How about if we make it a straight-up financial investment? You won’t have to give up any control over your company.”

It was clear that he really wanted this investment opportunity. Woosung answered tentatively, “If that’s the case, then it sounds promising.”

Miner finally smiled. “Haha, I think this could be a win-win situation for both of us.”

Logan added. “Rich told me about his new project, Google Ventures, and that’s how we got talking.”

Miner smiled bitterly. “Because of the financial crisis, a lot of people were let go. When Google Ventures was created, many people thought it was not a good idea, but I thought differently.”

Woosung suddenly perked up. “Did you say a lot of people were let go from Google?”

“Yes, unfortunately.”

“Would it be possible for me to hire all of them?”

Miner looked at Woosung in surprise. “All of them?”

“KND is a growing company. We need more people.”

“Most were from the marketing department. Only a few were fired from the development department.”

“We haven’t started yet, but Coconut Talk will soon include sponsored advertisements. We need to place ads strategically and tastefully in the app so we need people for that. Woosung continued quickly. “I’m not saying I want to hire all of Google’s people from every country. Only those in the US. I will also be able to match Google’s salary.”

Miner laughed. “Haha, it sounds like whatever money we invest in your company will be used to pay the salary for these people.”

“No worries. KND will grow very fast.”

Shin Semi was listening silently. She glanced at Woosung.

Google.

It was the biggest name out there, yet Woosung acted confidently and indifferently.

Amelia was also looking at Woosung.

‘Hmm…’

Rich Miner shook Woosung’s hand and said with a happy tone on his voice, “It sounds like an amazing deal for us.”

Woosung replied, “Please make sure it happens quickly.”

Things did happen very fast. A 100-million-dollar investment was made and those that were let go by Google were immediately hired by KND. From 30 employees, KND suddenly expanded to over 100 employees.

Blue S continued to be sold out with excellent reviews from various IT sites.

Tel-Tech CEO’s office.

CEO Park Byungki read over the papers Jang Gwangchul brought. Jang Gwangchul explained with an enthused voice.

“As you know, Google placed a significant investment into our company. Blue S is currently sold out in the US.”

“…”

“KND is a financially stable company. We also guarantee 100% succession of employment.”

“But the name Tel-Tech will disappear.”

“Think of it as it being reborn into the name KND. We would also love to have you as one of our vice presidents.”

Jang Gwangchul did his best to convince Park Byungki. Tel Tech was knee-deep in debt, and this was the best hope it had, but Park Byungki still had difficulty letting it go.

“I spent my entire youth on this company.”

“I am well aware of your hard work, and that is why we are offering you this deal.”

“I know that, but giving up this company means giving up on myself. I am 60 years old, and there will be no more new beginnings for me.”

“Think of it as becoming a part of something bigger.”

“I really wanted to do better, but here I am…”

When Jang Gwangchul stopped responding to his complaints, Park Byungki finally said pointedly.

“My company’s bank contacted me and is pushing me into this deal. They think this is the only way for me to pay back my company’s debt.”

“You know this is the way to go.”

“Is it just me or the deal your company offered is too good? You are offering to pay back all my debt and buy my share of the company at a fair price. You are also offering me a position as a vice president. The conditions seem too good to be true.”

“Our CEO is like that. He is young, but he is generous and fair.” Jang Gwangchul meant what he said.

“Haha, that must be why. I would love to meet him sometime soon. Could I make my final decision after I see him?”

“Sure. He is on his way back to Korea.”

Jang Gwangchul texted Woosung, who just arrived at Incheon International Airport. When he got the message, Woosung headed towards the Tel-Tech headquarter right away.

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Chapter 86: &lt;Becoming a mid-sized company&gt;

Woosung entered Park Byungki’s room. Jang Gwangchul was still chatting with the Tel-Tech’s CEO. Park Byungki looked up at Woosung.

“You are younger than I thought.”

Woosung sat down. “I am 27. I am a year older than Mark Zuckerberg.”

“So confident! It’s like seeing my younger self.”

Jang Gwangchul laughed. “Hahaha, were you like him when you were young? Then you must’ve been told that you’re crazy!”

“Haha, it’s true.”

They were joking like they became good friends. Woosung looked at them in silence.

Park Byungki looked Woosung and said, “I already told Jang Gwangchul that you need to make sure my company grows strong. My worst fear is that my entire life’s work will disappear and be forgotten.”

Woosung bowed. “Don’t worry about that. I have good intentions for Tel-Tech.”

Park Byungki continued. “I read over your offer. It was perfect and generous. If I reject it, my employees will hate me and call me senile.”

Woosung knew Park Byungki was sold on the idea. “Thank you for your decision.”

“Haha, it is me who should be thanking you.”

“As I promised, I will make our companies into the world’s best.”

“Good. I just wanted to see your face before I sign the contract, so thank you for respecting my wishes.”

Woosung bowed. “We will make a great team. Please feel free to advise me in the future. I will always be happy to listen.”

They shook each other’s hands.

A few days later at a press conference.

In front of hundreds of cameras, Woosung and Park Byungki held hands and posed. After the photo shoot, the reporters started to ask questions.

“Tel-Tech was bought for about 600 million dollars. How will the fund be delivered?”

“It is already paid in full.”

“It was reported that KND took care of Tel-Tech’s debt as well as purchasing all of the shares with cash. Is this true?”

“Yes, that’s true.”

The effect of the recent financial crisis was still ongoing, so for a company to pay 600 million dollars in cash was considered sensational. Woosung said to the reporters.

“Part of the 600 million dollars was from Google’s investment in KND.”

KND was the only Korean company Google ever invested in. It was also the first Korean company to release an Android phone. The reporters murmured with excitement.

Woosung continued. “In addition, KND has decided to hire Google’s ex-employees for smartphone development and Coconut service management. I strongly believe that Google and Tel Tech’s contribution to our company will create an incredible synergy.”

Hiring Google’s ex-employees meant that KND was hiring the bests in the world.

Reporters continued to ask. “How many of Google’s ex-employees are you hiring?”

“Is it true that you are keeping all of Tel-Tech’s current employees?”

“What will happen to President Park Byungki?”

“When will Blue S be released in Korea?”

“There is a rumor that KND’s significant fund comes from illegal sources. What do you say to that?”

“KND is dabbling in many different businesses. There are many who believe this is a bad idea in this economy. What do you think?”

Woosung answered each question carefully. It took a long time to answer all of them.

After 20 minutes of answering, Woosung said finally, “I will take one last question.

When many reporters raised their hands, Woosung picked one of them.

“My name is Lee Hangu from Korean Financial Newspaper. Please tell us about your big picture of your company.”

“I said something to my partners when I first created this company.” Woosung paused.

That was a year ago.

He had nothing but confidence, and after only a year, he was the CEO of a mid-sized company.

He wondered where he would be in a year or two.

He was excited about the future.

“I bet my life on it. I will work like my life depends on it. I will make my company the best in the world.”

After returning home, Woosung sighed.

“Phew.”

It was a long day.

After resting for a few minutes, Woosung groaned and stood up. “I need to get back to work!”

He turned the computer screen on and checked his bitcoin status. This was his nightly routine.

“1,001,501.0145 BTC”

He now had a little over a million bitcoins. Mining process was slowing down, but a million bitcoins could translate into a billion dollars even if he sold everything at only ten thousand dollars per coin.

With this many bitcoin, Woosung knew he could control its trend in the future, but he wasn’t done.

His plan was to be able to monopolize every big cryptocurrency including Ethereum and Eos.

This was the only way to accomplish his revenge against Choi Gichul and Jung Jinsup.

While Woosung seethed, his cell phone vibrated.

It was from Lee Sunghyun. He had to answer. “Hello, sir.”

“I heard the news. You are taking over Tel-Tech?”

“Haha, yes. Blue S is selling much faster than expected in overseas, so I had to do something about it.”

“Tel-Tech is in the middle of a corporate workout, so I am surprised at your decision.”

“Well, I am confident in my ability.”

“Haha, of course. I was just thinking that if you let me know in advance, I could have helped you out to make the process easier. Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about the mobile carrier situation.”

Woosung held his breath expectantly, but Lee Sunghyun’s words were disappointing.

“It won’t be possible this year, but next year may work. Even that would be a huge stretch. I’m afraid it’s going to cost a lot.”

Woosung understood. Lee Sunghyun was asking for a bribe. Woosung needed to pay him if he wanted this deal.

Woosung replied slowly, “I am sorry for troubling you.”

Woosung thought quickly.

What could he do?

If he offered Lee Sunghyun a bribe, then it would be only the beginning. He would ask for more and more.

In 2018.

President Lee Parksung will be caught accepting briberies. If Woosung gave Lee Sunghyun a bribe, it could turn very tricky in the future.

Woosung needed to do it in a way that was untraceable.

The best method was to pay him in cryptocurrency, but bitcoin dealers did not exist yet.

When Woosung remained silent, Lee Sunghyun said it more obviously. “I know it’s a lot of work but that’s the way it is. You need to understand, the cost of things like this is unavoidable.” He sounded like he was getting annoyed.

Woosung answered quickly. “You are working so hard for me, so of course I should take care of the cost. I will prepare the same hotel room from last time.”

Lee Sunghyun laughed in satisfaction.

“Haha, then I will work even harder to make it happen ASAP.”

He hung up finally.

“Bastard…” Woosung swore.

He knew something like this would happen, so he already hired a private company that took care of things like this in complete discretion. However, there never could be a 100% guarantee that this will not catch up to him in the future. Woosung hesitated, but he had no choice. He prepared a cheque and sent it to the hotel room.

The next day.

KND’s take over of Tel-Tech was the front-page news. The newspapers also included the information on Blue S. Nuri Enterprise’s Chairman read the paper and called for Shin Semi.

“Thanks to you, we were able to take care of our bond situation. Is this what you meant by earning my trust?”

“Yes.” She answered abruptly. He knew she was upset about something.

“Is there something you are unhappy about?”

“No.”

“Earning someone’s trust is a long process. You need to continue to show me good results.”

“I understand.”

“Good. Now, what about your marriage?”

Shin Semi looked flustered.

“Sir, I…”

“I have been patient with you so far, but it’s time.”

“Dad!”

“Both of my children aren’t married yet. I am very disappointed.”

“You promised not to talk to me about personal stuff at work!”

Shin Yongwon grabbed his chest. “I am so frustrated! I want grandchildren!”

“I will get married when I meet a great man with bigger success than I have.”

“There are many men like that in Daeyang and LK.”

“You mean the sons of those CEOs? They aren’t smart or great. They were just born rich.”

“Your surroundings and your family define who you are. You are so naïve, Semi.”

Shin Semi answered firmly. “I won’t disappoint you.”

“I can’t be patient about this anymore. I have already hired a matchmaker and there are a few blind dates arranged for you.”

Shin Semi bit her lips. She could think of only one person who could help her in this situation.

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Chapter 87: &lt;Becoming a mid-sized company&gt;

Daeyang’s CEO Choi Gunwon and his oldest son Choi Taemin were watching the news. Choi Gunwon threw the newspaper at Choi Taemin.

“We can’t stop their phone release in Korea anymore. The earliest we can launch our own phone is at the end of this year. KND is planning to release the newer version Blue S+ around September. Is this really the best you can do?”

Choi Taemin answered quickly, “I have ordered our team to make sure we finish before September.”

“You better make it happen. If it doesn’t work out, stop KND from releasing their phone. Use whatever you can to delay it. Use your wife’s connection too. Why do you think I got you married to LK CEO’s daughter?”

Choi Taemin nodded. Choi Gunwon ordered, “Now, get Gichul to come back to Korea.”

“He is not ready.”

“I will be the judge of that.”

Choi Taemin lowered his face to hide his frown.

Choi Gunwon continued, “Gitae is doing fine with his own company. Why can’t you be more like him?”

Second son Choi Gitae. He was responsible for Daeyang’s DS sector.

“The best of my sons will get the Daeyang System. The other two losers will get whatever is leftover.”

Choi Gunwon threatened his three sons like this every day.

Competition among the brothers was intense.

“What would you like Gichul to do?”

“Get him to take care of CE.”

“Alright.”

“And get the media to drop any KND related news. I can’t stand it anymore.”

Choi Taemin told his assistant, “Get the media to drop the news.”

The assistant understood immediately, “I will take care of it, and we were able to poach three developers from the Korean office and one from the American office.”

“And how about Tel-Tech?”

“We stole the best developers from that company too, so KND is not getting their money’s worth.”

“Check it again to make sure.”

“Yes, sir.”

When Choi Taemin took out a cigarette, his assistant lighted it quickly.

As he smoked, Choi Taemin ordered, “Get Gichul back to Korea.”

“Yes, sir.”

Choi Taemin continued to frown.

“And I will be going to Nonhyun today.

The assistant wet his lips nervously and replied, “We were unable to hire Lee Ari, but we got Yoo Sona instead. She is an up and coming new star. She’ll be even bigger than Lee Ari very soon with our help.”

“Fine.”

The assistant bowed and left.

At Lee Ari’s TV commercial studio, Woosung and Jung Jinsup stood and watched.

Jung Jinsup said excitedly, “I was right about how hot she is! I am so excited! She makes me crazy.”

Woosung agreed, “You have good eyes, sir.”

“Haha, I know. We are all going for drinks after, right?”

“Yes, her boss will be coming too, so it will be the four of us.”

“Sure, why not.”

Jung Jinsup tapped Woosung’s shoulder. Woosung felt goosebumps as he restrained himself from punching him. Woosung hid his anger and smiled.

“I will try to leave with her boss, so it could be just two of you. Good luck.”

“Haha, alright.”

“By the way, everyone wants to know about you and your success, Woosung.”

“Well, I’ve been lucky.”

“Come on. Be honest. We both know things don’t work out this well because of luck.”

“Haha, I guess you’re right. It’s actually all thanks to my data analysis.”

“Just how good are you?”

Woosung lowered his voice. “As you know, CP data analysis can be very informative.”

“It is only if you use it correctly. I know better than anyone how hard it is to do that.”

“It’s hard, but it’s possible.”

“Is that so?”

Woosung nodded knowingly. Jung Jinsup’s eyes sharpened.

Woosung continued, “It’s not something I can talk to you about here. Maybe later in private. Now, I think the filming is almost over so shall we go first?”

“Great.”

“Cut! Ok! We’re done.” The director signaled the end of the day.

Lee Ari got into her car and asked her manager, “Do I really have to go?”

Her CEO, who was already in the car, answered, “Come on, we went over this already. We have to do this. Please, Ari.”

“This is the last time.”

“Haha, I know, I know. This is the first and the last time. Just like we agreed.”

“Alright. Let’s go.”

Hotel private room.

Woosung made sure the table was ready with expensive food and bottles of 30-year-old Ballantine, which was Jung Jinsup’s favorite.

There was one more thing Woosung prepared.

“Please come in.”

Three beautiful women walked into the room. Jung Jinsup looked at Woosung in confusion.

Woosung explained, “Haha, we can’t drink without beautiful women.”

“But what about Lee Ari?”

“It will be a while till they arrive, so why don’t you have a few drinks with these ladies? Lee Ari and her CEO will call me before they come.”

The women sat close to Jung Jinsup and asked seductively, “Could you pour us some drinks?”

Jung Jinsup grinned as the women smiled at him. “Hahaha. I really like you, Woosung.”

“I made sure to find your type.”

Jung Jinsup filled Woosung’s glass, and Woosung did the same for him.

“I love it! Let’s drink!”

Jung Jinsup emptied his glass without a second thought.

Lee Ari and her boss arrived at the private room, but other than the table full of food, the room was empty. They looked at each other.

“What’s this?”

“Did we come to the right place?”

“Yes. I checked it a few times to make sure.”

The CEO called Woosung, but there was no answer.

“What’s happening?”

5 minutes.

Even after 10 minutes of waiting, no one showed up. Lee Ari got fed up of waiting and stood up.

“Maybe they got caught up.”

“But that can’t be.”

The manager looked at the food.

“Maybe they want us to start without them?”

“R…really?”

The CEO called, but Woosung again didn’t answer his phone. After another 10 minutes, the CEO called a hotel staff.

“Did someone leave a message for us by chance?”

“Oh, he said to go ahead without him if he doesn’t come on time.”

“Oh!”

They were all starving. Without another word, they feast.

“Haha, you are so hot, oppa! Are you serious?”

“Totally! I make a few million dollars a day.”

“Wow! I want to spend the night with you, Jinsup. I want to kiss you!”

Jung Jinsup was already drunk. He was having a grand time with the women. He looked excited and it seemed like he forgot about Lee Ari.

Woosung looked at him sharply.

‘What a douchebag.’

Woosung hired the best professional escorts in Gangnam. He paid tens of thousands of dollars for the night and it was going according to his plan.

“Woosung, get me a room.”

Woosung answered quickly.

“I already prepared a room for you just in case.”

“You…”

For a second, Woosung worried that Jung Jinsup figured out his plan, but he smiled and continued.

“You are so well prepared! I love it! I just need a little time with these ladies, then I’ll be back.”

“I think Lee Ari and her boss are caught up, but they will be here soon.”

“Perfect. I’ll be back.”

Jung Jinsup and the women left, and Woosung went out to the lobby for a walk.

After a few minutes, Woosung tipped a bellboy a hundred dollars and asked him to bring a bag from the entrance bench.

The bellboy moved quickly and brought Woosung a black bag. After checking within the bag, an unpleasant grin covered Woosung’s face.

Inside was Jung Jinsup’s sex tape.

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Chapter 88: &lt;Becoming a mid-sized company&gt;

Woosung was indeed well prepared. He had instructed the escorts to make sure Jung Jinsup was drunk out of his mind. He also told them to record everything.

Afterward, the women left and Woosung walked toward Jung Jinsup who was unconscious on the bed. He poked him a few times.

“Hmm…”

Jung Jinsup groaned but couldn’t move a muscle. Woosung tapped his cheek, but Jung Jinsup was still motionless. Finally, Woosung slapped him as hard as he could.

Slap!

The sound was loud, but still, Jung Jinsup couldn’t wake up.

Woosung slapped him again. It was with such great ferocity that Jung Jinsup’s cheek turned beet red and his lips bleed.

Woosung murmured, “Finally, it begins.”

The next day.

Woosung answered Jung Jinsup’s call casually, “I didn’t want to disturb you so I didn’t call you. It must’ve been quite a night last night.”

“Gosh, I drank way too much. I can’t remember much.”

“I told Lee Ari what happened. Unfortunately, she seemed annoyed. I wouldn’t call her for a while if I were you.”

“Alright. I’m sorry I didn’t make it. You went out of your way to arrange the meeting for me and I missed it.”

“Haha, it’s ok. Things like this happen.”

Woosung heard the toilet flushing a few times. Jung Jinsup came back to the phone.

“Damn. I’m still so nauseous.”

“I feel like it’s partly my fault.”

“No, it’s my fault. I drank too much. By the way, where did you find those women?”

“Oh, I got someone to hire them so I don’t know exactly…I will try to find out for you.”

Jung Jinsup licked his lips. “They were so hot! I want them again.”

“I’m glad you had a good night.”

“Man, I feel guilty I keep getting gifts from you and I haven’t paid you back yet.”

Woosung replied in a smooth tone, “That’s alright. I am just thankful you are willing to introduce me to Daeyang.”

“Oh, right. I heard Gichul is coming back to Korea. His dad is ready to forgive him, I guess?”

Woosung replied with an enthused reaction, “That’s a great news.”

Choi Gichul.

He was Woosung’s main target.

Jung Jinsup continued, “When he’s back, I will arrange a meeting for you two. I heard your phone business is going well?”

“Yes. I have been worried about where I could get more parts for manufacturing.”

“Gichul told me he is going to be responsible for CE, but he should still have some influence in the display and semi-conductor departments.”

“I’m glad.”

Choi Gichul.

Woosung still remembered the feeling of wanting to punch him.

“By the way, I don’t know why my cheeks hurt so much this morning. It must’ve been a rougher night than I remember.”

Woosung tried hard not to laugh as he replied, “You must’ve had a great time.”

“Totally.”

They joked for another 20 minutes. Woosung could feel that Jung Jinsup was beginning to trust him and even like him as a friend.

Things were going according to his plan.

Incheon international airport.

Choi Gichul arrived through the VIP door. As soon as he exited, his assistants took his luggage. Choi Gichul got into the car.

“I will take you straight to the office.”

The driver announced and drove carefully. He remembered how cruel Choi Gichul was, but he couldn’t quit his job. Although he was only a chauffeur, he was being paid better than most high-ranking office workers.

“Are you better at driving now?”

Choi Gichul was gone for over a year, but he hasn’t changed a bit.

The driver bit his lips and replied, “Yes. I will do my best.”

“Good luck. You know what I like, right?”

“Don’t get caught at red lights and go straight non-stop.”

“Good.”

The driver started to sweat nervously.

Choi Gichul was abusive as usual to the driver. He got out in a frenzied fury and went to see his brother Choi Taemin who treated him with a solid malice.

“You better not cause any more problems. I already told the CE department, so make sure to show up everyday. Don’t assault any more female staffs. If you cause one more issue, you’re out. Got it?”

The next was his second brother.

“Wow, long time no see, Choi Gichul.”

Middle son Choi Gitae.

His face looked kind, but Choi Gichul knew better than anyone how harsh he could be.

“You too.”

“Haha, it’s nice to see you. I heard dad gave you the CE department?”

“Yeah. I guess he forgave me.”

“What an idiot you are. It’s a test. He is testing all of us against each other to see who will get Daeyang. Why are you so stupid, or are you just pretending?”

“Who cares. It will either be you or the oldest.”

“Wow, you think I have a chance? Awesome!”

Choi Gichul knew how to flatter his brothers.

Choi Gitae said to Choi Gichul, “Let’s go for drinks.”

“Oh, I’m supposed to meet Jinsup…”

“Oh, that game company’s CEO’s son?”

Choi Gichul nodded.

“Then I’ll join you.”

Choi Gichul stopped himself from sighing and answered, “A…alright.”

“Do you not want me to come?”

“N…no.”

Choi Gichul hated himself for not being confident around his brothers. However, they were much older than him, and he still couldn’t recover from the trauma of their abuse when they were young.

After hanging up, Woosung grinned. The meeting was taking place earlier than expected, and Choi Gichul’s brother Choi Gitae was also joining them.

He rang the bell to one of the mansions in Hannamdong. A security guard came out and checked his ID before letting him in.

Inside were people laughing loudly.

Three men.

Eight women.

Three of them were celebrities. As soon as Woosung entered the room, Choi Gitae’s eyes widened.

“Wow, you are better looking in person. Nice to meet you. I am Choi Gitae of Daeyang System.”

Woosung shook his hand and thought.

‘So this is that drug addict.’

It was one of the gossips Shin Semi told him.

“Nice to meet you too. I am Kang Woosung of KND.”

“Haha, I am happy to make your acquaintance. Today will be my treat.”

Woosung bowed lightly. “Thank you.”

Jung Jinsup was walking towards them. Beside him was Choi Gichul.

Jung Jinsup introduced them. “Hey, you’re here! So this is Gichul.”

“Hello. My name is Choi Gichul.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Kang Woosung.”

Choi Gichul.

Woosung tried his best to stay calm. It was hard. His breath started to get rough. Thankfully, Choi Gitae asked Woosung, “Let’s go in. I am curious about how you created Blue S.”

Everyone looked at Woosung with interest.

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Chapter 89: &lt;Unexpected&gt;

Famous celebrities and beautiful escorts sat around Choi Gitae, Choi Gichul, and Jung Jinsup.

They looked like kings surrounded by their own harem.

Choi Gitae raised his glass.

“I am happy to be drinking with such good friends. Cheers!”

Within 30 minutes, Woosung could tell Choi Gichul was helpless around Choi Gitae. He was like a mouse constricted by a snake’s body.

Choi Gitae turned to Woosung and asked, “I heard KND phone is very popular in the US. You also took over Tel Tech, so I assume the phone will be released in Korea soon?”

“I am hoping to have it launched before September this year.”

“So you will be our competition from now on.”

“I am flattered. I am nowhere near Daeyang’s scale.”

Choi Gitae grinned unpleasantly. “Now that I have met you, I feel like you will become big very soon. Oh! Gichul told me you were concerned about some manufacturing parts.”

Jung Jinsup winked at Woosung, who replied, “Yes. The demand is increasing, so we need more of everything including memory chip, audio, camera, and display. We are using foreign parts now, but I thought it would be better to use Korean products.”

Choi Gitae answered like a pride pack-leader, “Of course. Koreans should use Korean products. I will make it happen for you, so let me know.”

Everyone knew Choi Gitae was the head of DS department.

Woosung thoughts ran wild.

‘Is he hoping to outperform Choi Taemin by using me?’

Woosung answered without hesitation, “Thank you. I appreciate your help.”

They continued to drink. Choi Gichul kept giving Choi Gitae nervous glances. Woosung watched silently.

Choi Gitae kept smiling as he asked Woosung various questions.

“How did you make your money?”

“What is your business plan for the future?”

“I heard you are involved in many different businesses. Which is your main focus?”

“Do you have any new interest lately?”

“I heard you predicted the exchange rate. How did you do that?”

He wouldn’t stop asking questions. Woosung answered vaguely.

“I was lucky.”

“I will have to assess the market to see what I should do.”

“I am planning to focus on the smartphone business.”

“I am working on the Coconut PC version launch.”

“I used the data analysis.”

Woosung answered thoughtfully. He didn’t want to lose to Choi Gitae in anyway.

“Haha, you are amazing. No wonder you are considered the up and coming businessman of the year.”

“I am flattered.”

It was already 2AM. Time flew by while they talked.

Choi Gitae said to everyone, “I didn’t realize how late it is. You may go whenever you want. I’m leaving, so I will see you all later.”

Each man stood up and went into separate rooms with different women. Woosung did the same.

Woosung turned to two women that followed him into the room.

“I am actually not feeling that great right now, so I won’t need you tonight.” The women’s eyes widened. Woosung continued quickly, “It’s embarrassing. I hope you won’t tell anyone.”

Both women nodded. One of them was a very young, aspiring idol. She looked relieved. It was clear she was forced into this situation.

The bed was big enough for more than three people.

“I will sleep on one side, so you guys can rest on the other side.”

Woosung took off his jacket and laid down.

‘Who knows if there is a camera hidden in this room?’

Just like Woosung did to Jung Jinsup only a few days ago.

The next day.

Breakfast was delivered to the room. It was bean sprout soup, which was great for hangovers.

After the meal, Woosung walked out to the living room where Choi Gichul was sitting on the sofa. Woosung looked at him sharply.

“Good morning.”

“Oh, yes.”

Choi Gichul said indifferently. Woosung laughed awkwardly and continued, “Haha, I heard a lot about you from Jinsup.”

“Really? I’m surprised.”

“It was mostly about you taking over the CE department.”

“Oh…”

“I asked him for you in hopes that I will be able to get a good deal on the smartphone parts.”

“I see.”

Choi Gichul continued to provide only short answers.

This was a different person than what Woosung remembered from 2018.

Why?

Woosung tried to figure it out but couldn’t. He said to Choi Gichul coolly, “I hope to see you often.”

“Choi Gitae did ask me to take care of your situation, so we should talk about it.”

“I see.”

“Firstly, please provide me a list of products you need and the unit prices you are currently paying for each. We will go from there. I will send you the email address by text.”

Unit prices were usually a trade secret. Unit prices of different parts decided the retail price of a product. Woosung couldn’t believe Choi Gichul was asking for such a sensitive information so casually.

Woosung didn’t lose his smile as he asked. “Are you asking me for the current supply cost we pay for our parts such as memory, camera, and display?”

Choi Gichul nodded. Woosung tried very hard not to laugh at his audacity. “I’m afraid that’s not possible.”

Choi Gichul frowned harshly.

Woosung continued. “That is a confidential information.”

Choi Gichul raised his voice slightly.

“But it’s how we do things at Daeyang.”

“Not for my company. I have solid confidential contracts with the companies that provide me with parts.”

“Are you saying you don’t want to work with us?”

“Not this way. I would love to use Daeyang’s parts, but you need to be reasonable.”

Choi Gichul murmured, “Why can’t you just do what I say…”

Choi Gichul was definitely very different from the way he was in 2018. In Woosung’s previous life, Choi Gichul was a smooth talker and a savvy businessman.

‘What happened in that 10 years?’

Woosung couldn’t remember any major events in Choi Gichul’s life, which meant it was probably something very personal.

Woosung continued, “And by the way, shouldn’t Daeyang be the one providing me with the unit prices? I am the buyer in this case after all.”

Choi Gichul’s frown became even worse. He scowled at Woosung with a quiet frown.

Woosung continued, “How about this? I will give you the average price of all the parts, but you need to guarantee 10% discount. If you can do that, I will buy in bulks.”

Choi Gichul finally answered, “I don’t think we’ll come to an agreement right now, so we’ll talk later.”

“Alright.”

Choi Gichul stood up.

“I’m very busy, so goodbye.”

He looked angry. Woosung grinned after he left.

Woosung arranged a meeting for his managers at work. Jang Gwangchul and Park Byungki also showed up.

“So Vice president Park, I need you to lead the deal with Daeyang. I know you have much more experience than me in dealing with that company.”

Park Byungki nodded. “That’s true. Daeyang is the worst. Even though they are the seller, they expect the buyers to feel grateful. They also raise their prices frequently and make mistakes on purpose. I went through a lot of issues with them. In the end, we tried to purchase from other companies as much as possible. I would advise you to do the same.”

“I agree. I will be purchasing only minimal orders at the lowest cost.”

Jang Gwangchul asked, “Then why bother dealing with them at all?”

That was true, but it was personal for Kang Woosung.

“I just would like to be acquainted with Daeyang for the future. It’s smart to know your competition and what parts they use for their own phone.”

Jang Gwangchul couldn’t quite understand, but he nodded anyway.

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Chapter 90: &lt;Unexpected&gt;

When Woosung got home, he turned on his computer and opened the folder that held the information he collected on Daeyang. He opened the subfolder on Choi Gichul and added more information.

“He appears to fear Choi Gitae.”

“He shows passivity and negativity when he is working on anything that involves Choi Gitae.”

“Need to find out why his personality changed.”

Woosung then opened the folder named Choi Gitae. He added a few lines.

“Owns a mansion at xxx-1 Hannamdong.”

“He is having affairs with actress Kim Heesoo, Lee Minji, Jung Hyeji, and a new idol Lala.”

“Hired many bodyguards.”

“Awkward relationship with Jung Jinsup.”

Woosung leaned back on his chair and thought.

‘Choi Gitae and Choi Gichul.’

They were the business princes of Korea and they were ruthless.

‘It’s not going to be easy to deal with them.’

Choi Gitae was a cruel man. During the party last night, he showed a very harsh side. He slapped a woman for making a mistake with the drinks. He threw a glass at the wall. He was a typical rich brat.

Choi Gichul didn’t show any emotion when Choi Gitae acted in such a violent manner. He seemed used to it.

Woosung wasn’t worried though. He wasn’t the old Woosung who was a nobody anymore. He was the CEO of a rising company. He was in a position to buy products from Daeyang.

He came a long way.

Woosung felt proud of himself.

“June 25th. A one-on-one talk with top star Lee Ari.”

“Only on Coconut Talk.”

The marketing for Coconut Talk began on TV ads and the internet. Already in the iPhone App Store, it was the second most popular app in the social network category.

However, in Korea, it was still not well known.

Compared to MSN, it was nothing. This was an expected situation.

After the commercials with Lee Ari, however, things started to pick up.

“Korea 10211.”

“Korea 10525.”

“Korea 11119.”

Every time the site was refreshed, the number of users increased. In addition, the app was a success in the Korean government. The workers gave great reviews.

“Korea 14219.”

“Korea 18219.”

“Korea 25219.”

It was now time for the special talk event with Lee Ari.

“20000 users.”

“30000 users.”

“50000 users.”

This was the power of Lee Ari. More and more people signed up to have a chance to chat with her. While she messaged with her fans, Lee Ari wondered.

‘How could he forget where the meeting was? How? Why?’

She couldn’t understand. She was a top star. There were people lining up to have a glimpse of her.

Yet he forgot where the meeting was taking place?

How?

While deep in thought, one of her fans messaged her.

“I love you so much! You’re so beautiful and talented. I especially liked it when you had a bang!”

Lee Ari answered kindly.

“Thank you! I will let my stylist know.”

“Haha, by the way, what’s your type?”

“Oh, my type…”

Who?

Lee Ari never thought about it seriously.

“On an interview, you mentioned Kam Sungmin. You aren’t dating him now, are you?”

“No.”

Lee Ari shook her head. One name popped up in her head, but she denied it.

“I’m only your fan so I have no right to get involved, but I really think you would look great with the group Bigwon’s Park Jihwan.”

The fan clearly wanted to continue the chat, but the conversation was terminated abruptly. This was a special event for everyone. The goal was for Lee Ari to chat with as many fans as possible. The amount of time a fan could have with her was limited.

“Time over. You have been disconnected.”

The next fan in line messaged Lee Ari.

While Lee Ari worked, Woosung and Yoon Gihwan talked among themselves. The other two from Daesan were also sitting nearby.

“When are you going to be done with that algorithm you promised?”

Woosung scratched his head. “Oh…Haha. I’ve been really busy lately. I am working on it. As I said before, it will also be used by the National pension department, so I will get to it as soon as possible.”

“You are taking too long. We are getting impatient.”

While Woosung smiled awkwardly, Park Junwoo brought out a laptop and connected it to the beam. Yoon Gihwan continued.

“We couldn’t just sit around, so we prepared something. As we promised before, we are working on the high-frequency trading architecture.”

Woosung nodded. On the screen, the excel program started showing various graphs and tables.

“You said we could test it any way we want with one million dollars, so we did.”

Mokdong IDC

“Quote confirmation: 0.00021 seconds”

“Market order confirmation: 0.00027 seconds”

Yoon Gihwan’s house

“Quote confirmation: 0.00041 seconds”

“Market order confirmation: 0.00152 seconds”

Office

“Quote confirmation: 0.00031 seconds”

“Market order confirmation: 0.00093 seconds”

Yoon Gihwan explained as he pointed at different parts on the screen.

“It was clear the IDC from Nuri was the fastest. So we thought, how can we make the most money using this? To be honest, we thought about doing something unethical, like driving up the price with fake orders and then selling the stocks we own at a higher price.”

This was a possibility, but it could cause problems in the future.

Yoon Gihwan continued, “But we all agreed that this was immoral, so we continued to think. What do we have that we can use?”

Woosung answered, “Winning stock recommendation algorithm.”

“That’s right. We decided to combine the three. The IDC, high-frequency trading algorithm, and the winning stock recommendation algorithm. We named it real-time winning stock recommendation algorithm.”

Yoon Gihwan took a sip of water and continued.

“Park Junwoo is going to now take over the presentation. Junwoo worked very hard on this, so you better give him a good bonus later.”

“If it makes good profits, I will make sure you get a huge incentive!”

Woosung’s original algorithm analyzed the past data and provided a rough prediction. Because it didn’t analyze in real time, it couldn’t provide an estimated time of when the stock would rise.

What Park Junwoo added to this system was the real-time component. It filtered Woosung’s algorithm’s recommendation once more to narrow the list down.

“I created it so it focuses on small increases, but with our speed, we can complete many transactions. For example, even if there is a profit of 10 cents, if we can carry out 10000 transactions, it could be a profit of 1000 dollars.”

“That’s brilliant, and what about in America?”

“Even in the US, we were able to see 3% profit daily for the last month.”

Park Junwoo looked proud. 3% per day meant 300% profit in a year.

Woosung ordered, “Then let’s invest 50 million dollars in the Korean market and 50 million in the US. Our goal will be 500 million dollars by the end of this year.”

Yoon Gihwan’s eyes widened as he stared at Woosung. If they were successful, the three of them could make a huge bonus.

Woosung continued.

“As I told you guys before, I am willing to pay high salaries. I am ready to support you in any way, so make me a big profit and you will get rich too.”

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Chapter 91: &lt;Unexpected&gt;

After everyone left, Woosung switched his computer open and transferred 50 million dollars each to the two accounts used for algorithm trading. He didn’t look too closely at Park Junwoo’s product, but based on the test results, Woosung thought he could trust it.

In the past, he would have checked every little component of it, but now, he didn’t have the time for it. He had to learn how to delegate tasks to his employees.

Woosung checked the Coconut service status again. Over 50000 users were registered. It was definitely a big success.

He couldn’t be satisfied yet though. Woosung went to see Hong Soobum and Jang Gwangchul.

“Do you remember what I said before?”

There were a lot of things Woosung said in the past. They looked at him in silence.

“I think we are ready to enter the Chinese market.”

“Already?”

Woosung nodded. Smartphone industry would explode soon and China was a big market he couldn’t lose.

“Yes, and I need to appoint someone to lead this project. We must start the investment process and create a messenger company in China.”

Jang Gwangchul’s eyes widened. “We are getting busier with the mobile carrier business, yet you want to add more work?”

Woosung looked at Hong Soobum for help. “What do you think, Vice president Hong?”

At the promoted title of vice president, both Jang Gwangchul and Hong Soobum looked at Woosung in surprise.

Woosung continued. “The business in the US is settling down nicely. Based on how well it did in America, we know Blue S will do well in Korea too. Besides, we are done with PC, Android, and iPhone versions of the app, so it’s time to begin a new project.”

Hong Soobum.

Woosung knew he was a talented developer and a savvy businessman. Woosung knew Hong Soobum was the best person for the job. Hong Soobum asked nervously.

“China…You want me to take care of the Chinese project?”

“As you must have already known, the Chinese population is huge. Everyone knows it is the sleeping dragon of Asia. Don’t you want to be a part of this life-changing project?”

Hong Soobum listened with thorough thoughts.

Woosung continued.”And of course, I won’t let you do it all by yourself. I will be there with you the whole way. I just need you to be the main point of contact.”

Woosung was very convincing. Jang Gwangchul began to be jealous. “President Kang, are you keeping me out of such an important project?”

“Haha, it’s not like that.”

“Haha, then when are we going to China?”

“After we are done with the preparations. We will create a company, localize the messenger, and hire appropriate people. I need someone to take care of these things.”

When Woosung turned to Hong Soobum, he nodded.

After the conversation, Jang Gwangchul took Woosung to a private room.

“I got a call from Yoo Sona’s management company. Her CEO would like to meet with us.”

Yoo Sona.

She was a member of a new idol group ThirtyNine. This set Woosung’s interest in hiring her as the next celebrity for the one-on-one talk event with the fans. Woosung asked.

“What do you think?”

“I’ve heard some rumors about her. I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“What kind of rumors?”

Jang Gwangchul whispered, “I heard she does sexual favors for her career advancement.”

Suddenly, the name Daeyang entered Woosung’s mind. She was part of a TV commercial for Daeyang System after all.

Jang Gwangchul continued, “I don’t think it’s a good idea…but if you insist…”

Jang Gwangchul clearly didn’t like the idea, but Woosung felt differently. He had a distinct feeling that he had to meet her.

“I think we should have a dinner with them at least.” Jang Gwangchul looked at him disappointedly, but Woosung continued quickly. “Don’t worry. I will be smart about it.”

Woosung arranged a meeting with Yoo Sona and her manager. Her CEO wasn’t joining them, which worried Jang Gwangchul.

The manager stayed behind and Woosung met with Yoo Sona in private. Cosmetics envelopes her face and she donned an alluring outfit.

“I’ll do anything you want me to do.” She said it forcefully.

It was clear that she didn’t want to be here, but her eyes were determined. She wanted to be successful and if this was the way to do it, she was ready for it.

Woosung said calmly, “Shall we have dinner first?”

Yoo Sona asked, “Is this going to take a long time?”

Woosung started to cut into his steak and replied, “You are in a hurry?”

“So you’re saying you want to take your time with me?”

Yoo Sona picked up her utensils as well and started to enjoy her steak.

Woosung asked, “Aren’t you afraid?”

“The only thing I’m afraid of is being broke in the dirt.”

Her hands were shaking. Contrary to her confident voice, she was clearly nervous. Woosung pretended not to see it and asked, “I like it rough.”

“I am used to it.”

Woosung thought of Choi Taemin and asked, “Daeyang?”

Cough.

Yoo Sona coughed in surprise. Woosung handed her a napkin and continued asking, “Don’t you want revenge?”

“Pardon?”

“Haha, why don’t you have a drink first?”

Instead of the cup Woosung handed, Yoo Sona picked the glass of wine and gulped it down.

“You like making fun of girls, is that it? Then I will play your game.”

She was only 20, but the way her actions told Woosung she went through a lot in her life. She was filled with fury and determination.

Woosung said to her, “My hobby is to make money. I plan on being the richest person in Korea.”

Yoo Sona murmured cynically, “Me too.”

“Great. We have something in common.”

Yoo Sona licked her lips and asked, “I think we had enough talk. Let’s just get it over with.”

“I’m afraid I can’t.”

“Pardon?”

“As you must have already noticed, anything that happens here needs to be confidential.”

Yoo Sona looked at him nervously. What was he going to do to her?

What kind of weirdo was he?

As Yoo Sona paled, Woosung smiled. “Have a seat.”

She was frightened. This situation was unfamiliar to her. Yoo Sona knew someone who smiled like Woosung was someone to fear.

She tried to look calm, but her hands were trembling uncontrollably.

Woosung continued quickly, “I need you to tell me what happened at Daeyang.”

Yoo Sona’s eyes widened, but she nodded. As she told her story, Woosung realized that it was worse than he expected.

Yoo Sona entered the car. The manager, who was taking a nap, woke up.

“Oh…you’re back.”

He checked the clock. It wasn’t even two in the morning. It was different than her other clients before, but he didn’t say anything about it.

He checked her through the back mirror and noticed Yoo Sona’s appearance was exactly the same as when she left the car earlier. Her makeup was intact and her hair was dry. The only difference was that her mascara was smudged.

She must have cried.

He asked her quietly, “A…are you ok?”

Yoo Sona answered abruptly, “Yes.” She closed her eyes.

“Alright. Then we’ll head home.”

They drove away and Woosung looked at the car through the window of his room.

Yoo Sona.

The ordeal she went through was painful.

“Dammit.”

It was an unpleasant experience to see a woman cry, but Woosung managed to get the information he wanted.

He wanted some dirt about Choi Taemin. As Woosung expected, he was a cruel bastard.

Woosung remote accessed his home computer and started to record what he learned today.

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Chapter 92: &lt;Unexpected&gt;

The next day.

Yoo Sona woke up early in the morning and got into her car where her CEO was waiting.

“You must’ve done great with KND’s president last night! He hired you to model for the KND’s TV commercial! One million dollars for a 1-year contract!”

Yoo Sona flinched. “I didn’t do anything special.”

“If you keep this up, you should be able to pay your family’s debt back by the end of this year.”

“It’s all thanks to you, sir.”

“No, it’s all you, Sona. I told you, I will make you famous!”

“We will go to the shop now.” The manager informed them as he started the car.

The CEO continued, “I know this may not be the nicest way, but this is how the real world works. If you want to make it fast, you need to do whatever it takes.”

“I know. Just please make sure you pay me my share.”

“Haha, of course! You are the jewel of my company, so I will take good care of you!”

Yoo Sona closed her eyes and thought about what happened last night.

‘Why did I do that?’

While she told her story, she started to cry.

She cried in front of a complete stranger. Strangely, the man seemed to give off a genuine form of concern. He handed her a napkin, and he consoled her.

“I should get you something good to eat. You look tired and your skin looks rough.”

The CEO yelled at the manager, “You need to take better care of our star. You’re her manager!”

“I’m sorry.”

“Fine. Now, Sona, we got a possible contract from Dongnam Pharmaceutical company. They think you may be the right person for their TV commercial for a vitamin drink. The only thing is that its Chairman is old, and…He likes things in a certain way…”

Yoo Sona knew what he meant. She answered quickly, “I’ll do it.”

If she wasn’t in this profession, she would have ended up in a brothel. She kept reminding herself this was what she wanted and it was better than the alternative. She closed her eyes tightly.

The CEO smiled and continued through the day with an ecstatic grin.

Jang Gwangchul asked worriedly, “Are you sure nothing happened? I can trust you?”

“Yes! I’m telling you the truth. Do you really think I would take advantage of a young girl? I just talked to her, that’s all.”

“I trust you as a person, but I’m not so sure about you as a man.”

“Gosh! I’m telling you the truth.”

“But that’s odd too.”

“What?”

“You are a healthy 27-year-old man, yet you don’t have a girlfriend, and you don’t sleep around. You just work. That’s really odd.” Jang Gwangchul continued quickly. “Men want to make money so we can use it, especially to get women. That’s what normal men do. Yesterday was a perfect opportunity for you.”

“I’m not like that. I’m a businessman.”

“But unless you are a monk…” Jang Gwangchul murmured quietly. “A…are you by chance suffering from…erectile dysfunction?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Jang Gwangchul’s eyes widened. “W…what?”

“I think it’s something to do with my mental health. I just can’t do it.”

“Oh, then let’s get you a doctor. I know someone very good. You should have told me so I can get help for you.”

“I’m fine. It’s getting better slowly.”

Jang Gwangchul looked at Woosung sympathetically. “Are you seeing a doctor? If not, you must! I’ll take you.”

Woosung stood up. “I have a few businesses to take care of outside of the office. I’ll see you later.”

Jang Gwangchul’s eyes welled up. “Just let me know if you need any help, ok? We can even go abroad for treatments.”

“Alright. Just go.”

Woosung picked up his laptop bag and left.

He arrived at Jung Jinsup’s game company. When Woosung entered the headquarters, some people looked at him and murmured among themselves. They seemed like they recognized him.

He was on TV after all when he publicly announced that his company would take over Tel-Tech.

‘I must be famous now.’

Just then, Jung Jinsup came down to meet him. “Oh, you’re here.”

Woosung bowed. “Nice place here.”

Jung Jinsup poked Woosung in the waist and joked. “We are leasing this space, but I hear you own your own building.”

“Yes, but I’m not sure if that was the right decision.”

“It’s in a good area, so of course that was the right choice. Anyway, let’s go up.”

Every game users’ actions were recorded in the database.

Item purchases.

Movement between the towns.

Monster hunting.

Item usages.

Every move was logged. Woosung analyzed the data Jung Jinsup gave him and found about 20 IDs with abnormal activities.

After a few days of monitoring, it was revealed that 17 of these IDs were involved in illegal actions including copying items and using internal bugs to play unfairly. Oh Minjae, who was the chief of the OS team, listened intensely to Woosung.

“I used the STL analysis. With this method, I picked out the unusual IDs that were bug users.”

STL analysis.

It was short for Seasonal and Trend Decomposition using Loess.

“Could you explain in more details? Like what equations you used, what kind of filters you used for the raw data, and so on.”

Woosung replied, “I can’t tell you everything, but basically, I used STL analysis, reminder, and Jitter detections to find these IDs. If I had more time, I could probably do better.”

Jung Jinsup listened in awe. He thought Woosung was just a clever businessman, but he was clearly more than that.

Oh Minjae asked in awe, “It’s already at 85%…”

“I can make it to 90% in no time. It could be even better, but that would take a while.”

Oh Minjae turned to Jung Jinsup and nodded. “Then we have no reason not to use his system.”

Bug users.

Or nuclear users.

They were those who abused the game. In 2018, they were eliminated by an internal analyst team, but this was 2009.

It was less sophisticated now. Many CS agents were hired to monitor these users manually.

Jung Jinsup smiled proudly. “We’ll be able to cut down on CS employees.”

Oh Minjae agreed, “We won’t know for sure till we implement it, but I think you’re right.”

Woosung replied, “I’m glad to be of help.”

“Well, now we come to the matter of fees.”

“Of course I won’t charge you a lot, sir. I will send the estimate to Oh Minjae, and it will be a fair number. Oh, and I can also analyze the customer satisfaction level. Would you be interested? If you are, you’ll have to provide us with more of your data.”

Jung Jinsup nodded. There was no reason not to trust Woosung.

After a drink with Jung Jinsup, Woosung came back home and logged on to Jung Jinsup’s company’s game Legend.

It was one of the most popular games in Korea with over 300,000 users and sales of over a billion dollars. There were over 30 servers available.

Woosung created a character for each server and formed a guild.

“There is nothing you can’t do with money.”

He hired a substitute gamer and got all the characters to reach level 90.

He also owned a few castles in several servers.

“Now, let’s see if I can cause inflation within the game.”

As a castle owner in the game, he could control the prices of items in the castle. He set the prices and the taxes at their highest level.

Kim Yonggun enjoyed playing games after he got off work.

Legend was his favorite.

As soon as he logged in, a popup came up.

“Every user in this castle will have to pay 20% more for all items?”

Kim Yonggun’s character was currently in a castle named Arin. Arin castle was considered a popular place in the game because it was surrounded by many good hunting grounds.

In the game, it cost 10 cents to buy 100 gold. An increase of 20% was very upsetting.

He chatted with other users about this matter. The other gamers living in other castles were having similar problems.

“There is an increase of 25% in Dragon castle.”

“It’s 15% up in Noah Castle.”

It had become known that five castles all had increases in prices.

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Chapter 93: &lt;Game king&gt;

MOX’s CEO Jung Hyosung was in a good mood. He received a report that morning from the strategy department.

“This month’s sales for Legend has increased 10% and 20% for Legend 2.”

“And the reason is?”

“It’s thanks to Managing director Jung’s quality improvement project.”

“Haha, so it’s Jinsup’s work! That’s my boy. He’s smart like me.”

“Haha, I agree.”

“But he’s still very young. I hope you take good care of him, Chief Choi.”

“Of course.”

The chief of the strategy department left the room and returned to his chair. His assistant came up to him and asked.

“Are you sure we don’t have to report this?”

“It’s fine. I’ll take care of it. It will blow over soon. Guilds fight each other all the time.”

“But it’s different this time. It’s strange. There has never been a time when so many guilds increased the prices all at once.”

“You are still new here, so you don’t understand. It happened before. Do you not know of Nuts Liberation War incident?”

Nuts Liberation War.

It was a famous incident that happened in 2005 inside Legend.

A particular guild’s tyranny was so horrible many users including those from different servers fought to get rid of it.

The assistant answered in frustration, “I have been playing Legend for the past 5 years and that was an exception.”

The chief continued quickly, “Besides, all the involved castles are owned by different guilds anyway. They will fight for a while, and things will settle down.”

He waved his hand to dismiss his assistant, who still remained wary.

This was happening in too many servers. Out of 32 servers, 16 of them were involved so far.

21 years old.

Go Jongsu was a game addict whose job was a professional gamer for hire.

He logged on to the 21st server Areline as the character named K9.

K9’s current level was 95.

There were three substitute gamers hired for this character. They worked 8-hour shift to boost this character every day. Within only a few months, it became one of the top ten characters within the game.

Go Jongsu sent a message to all of the guild members.

“Guild members. Are you ready for the siege?”

“Ready.”

“Ready.”

“Ready.”

They were about to go to war to take over a castle. This wasn’t just a game for many. By becoming a castle owner, they could tax other traveling characters for game gold. They could then sell these golds online.

Essentially, they could make real money.

10,000 golds equaled 10 dollars.

Go Jongsu checked his weapons and announced.

“Then, let’s begin.”

He moved his character to the designated area and the other characters followed his lead.

“We begin.”

“Whichever side surrounds the castle flag will become the winner.”

“5, 4, 3, 2, 1”

After the countdown, the war began.

Go Jongsu had the best weapons money could buy. There was no way his side could lose.

When Woosung logged on to Legend, he noted that all of his characters leveled up significantly.

K9 95 Lv.

Gauser 94Lv.

Daeyang Mania 96Lv.

Blue Red 93Lv.

Most characters were over level 90 and their weapons and items were of highest quality and power.

Woosung had the best characters in the game.

When he logged on to the server Areline, a popup came up.

“Do you agree to be the new owner of this castle?”

“Yes.”

Woosung’s character appeared on the screen with a crown on top of his head. Woosung smiled in satisfaction and continued on with the other characters in other servers.

When Woosung met Jung Jinsup, he thought hard to come up with the best way to get back at him. In the end, Woosung decided he could use the game to destroy him.

He planned to become the tyrant over all the servers and drive all the other users out of the game.

He had more than enough money to make it happen. He hired several professional gamers so it could not be traced back to him.

He checked his game account balance.

6.7M Gold.

This meant he could exchange it for 67,000 dollars. This was the money he earned as a multi-castle owner.

“Well, I spent about 100,000 dollars on this game, so at least I am getting close to evening out.”

Woosung closed the game and opened the bitcoin server.

The speed of mining decreased significantly.

He was getting only about 7 bitcoins per server every day

But he already had enough bitcoins. In 3 months, a miner in the US will purchase 1309 bitcoins for a dollar. Woosung planned to buy them himself if possible.

After work, Kim Yonggun returned home and connected to Legend. He was still angry about the increase in tax within the game. He checked the game chatroom to read what other gamers thought.

“What is Legend GM doing? I hate this game now.”

Things happened fair and square, so stop complaining!”

Different gamers felt differently about what was happening in the game.

Kim Yonggun collected the data and analyzed them to calculate the average increase in taxes within the group.

Out of 32 servers, 25 increased their taxes an average of 20%.

All within the last two months.

However, all the guilds and characters of these servers had different names.

It was strange.

He has been playing for many years and this never happened before. The data looked too clean and organized. Because it looked too perfect, Kim Yonggun started to suspect someone was behind it.

“It’s just too weird. Within the last two months, 25 servers’ castle owners changed. Each has a different guild. This has never happened before as far as I can remember.”

After much thinking, Kim Yonggun closed his computer and laid down on his bed.

“Gosh, I’m getting a headache!”

He was so tired from work he didn’t have the energy to play games nowadays. He figured he should just wait for this situation to pass. He thought things would settle eventually, and he would start playing again then.

Many other gamers were feeling the same way.

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Chapter 94: &lt;Game king&gt;

A gamer logged on to the 26th server Kudre as the castle Lindsay’s owner, Red Bat. Suddenly, a notice popped up.

“June 24th 2009. 14:45 You have been confirmed to be an illegal bug user. Your account has been suspended. If you have any questions, please contact the customer service center.

He read it and re-read it, becoming angry.

“Dammit! Dammit…”

His friend sent him a link recently that could help him with the game. When he saw it, he suspected it to be a bug, but he used it anyway. He only used it once though, so he couldn’t understand how he was caught.

Especially now when he was just about to take over a castle!

A similar thing happened to Jo Jungmin, who was playing at the 27th server Jessnuts.

“You have been confirmed to be an illegal bug user. Your account has been suspended. If you have any questions, please contact the customer service center.”

“Dammit! This isn’t fair.”

His character was at level 95. He slept only 4 hours every day to get this far.

He was addicted to the game. Jo Jungmin was furious. All the time and effort he spent turned to nothing.

It didn’t matter if he used an illegal bug. Perhaps he did in the past, but he couldn’t really remember anymore.

However, he was sure he wasn’t the only one who used this bug.

Everyone used it. He became resentful. He felt like he was the victim.

This was the worst timing. He recently became a castle owner and was just about to earn real money.

Why did it have to happen now!?

Jo Jungmin called the customer service right away.

There were two types of gamers.

Hard user.

Light user.

Woosung used the data Jung Jinsup provided to filter out the illegal gamers, especially the ones he needed to leave so it could be easier for his characters to thrive. Many were hard users, and once they were booted out from the game, it was easier for Woosung to take over more castles.

Finally, he was at the 32nd server named Latist.

Inside, four out of five castles were already his. The only one left was named Arin. Woosung logged in as a character named Wealthy Hunter.

The name of his guild was Riot.

Woosung uploaded a message for all.

“The Riot begins now.”

Woosung’s character started to move with his weapon. The other guild members followed him.

When they reached the front of the castle, the countdown began.

“5, 4, 3, 2, 1.”

The first move was by the existing castle owner with his followers. He had a strong character, but Woosung had a secret weapon. He possessed a Cronos Sword, which caused four times the damage as any other swords in the game. It was worth over 20,000 dollars.

It was a massacre. No one could stop Woosung. The Arin’s existing guild was strong, but it was no match for Woosung.

Finally at 3 am.

Woosung won the castle. He clicked the button “Accept” to be the new castle owner.

MOX’s strategy development team chief Choi Gilak looked at the report with a frown.

“There is a 3% decline from last month? Really?”

“Yes, and we are only two weeks into this month. It’s because of so many members leaving the game.”

“I don’t understand, the reviews we have been getting so far were positive. Gamers have been complimenting how we got rid of all the illegal bug users. So why are we losing customers?”

“Did you have a look at the customer type graph I created?”

Choi Gilak nodded. “Hard user 10%. Light user 90%”

“Majority of the light users are in their teens and early 20’s.” Choi Gilak remained silent. He could guess what his assistant was about to say. “Because of the increase in taxes and item prices, the young users with no money are leaving. We need to stop this before it becomes too late.”

“Did you call the Guild chapter?”

“I couldn’t get through.”

“How about suspending the responsible accounts?”

“We don’t have a legal reason to do so.”

“If these tyrants became successful this fast, they must have used a bug.”

“Our team checked it and they were all clean.”

Choi Gilak sighed. Something bad was brewing. He could feel it.

It was worse than how it appears because this was happening to both Legend 1 and 2, which made up 80% of the entire company.

MOX’s fate depended on these games.

Choi Gilak answered.

“Fine. I’ll take care of it.”

Choi Gilak stood up and went to the development general manager.

“I think we need to move the characters.”

“Are you talking about the increase in the taxes in some castles? That’s not something new.”

“Our sales are going to be down significantly this month, and I’m sure it will happen next month too. We need to take over a few castles and stabilize the situation right now.”

“But we can’t just interfere willy-nilly. If we use our master account and the users find out, would be in trouble.”

Choi Gilak replied.

“But the sales! We have no choice. We need to be proactive about this.”

“There must be another way.”

“This is an emergency!”

Choi Gilak sighed in frustration. He turned around and replied, “Fine. We’ll wait on it for a while, but you may be making a huge mistake.”

That same day, MOX’s stock price declined to $50.40, a dollar lower than the previous day.

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Chapter 95: &lt;Game king&gt;

The next day, MOX’s stock weakened further. Its internal problems with the games weren’t public knowledge, yet the shareholders were selling their stocks.

It was because of those with insider information.

Woosung was buying the stocks little by little so that it goes unnoticed.

“The problem is the 5% rule.”

5%.

If an individual or a company bought over 5% of a particular company, it had to be disclosed. If Woosung’s name was mentioned, it would be an issue.

Woosung thought of Jang Gwangchul. MOX’s stock would decline further. In his previous life, however, things happened very differently. MOX released an FPS game in China, which garnered huge success. The mobile version of Legend was also a hit, and MOX became a 20-billion-dollar company.

“So what I need to do is to buy as many stocks as possible now so I can take over the company…Then develop the games that are popular in 2018…”

This way, he could accomplish his revenge and make a huge business profit.

Woosung called for Jang Gwangchul and explained his plan of adding a gaming component to the Coconut Talk.

Jang Gwangchul replied, “So this will be profitable for the company? And we need to make our games too?”

“Well, to be honest, I would like to do this as my personal project.”

“But you would like to buy the stocks under someone else’s name.”

“Yes. I will take over MOX and use it as our own game development department.”

“How much is the company worth now?”

“As of yesterday, it’s 3.2 billion dollars.”

“So if you only bought half of it, it would still cost you 1.6 billion dollars.”

“For now.”

“What?”

“The stock price will continue to decline.”

To Woosung’s confident prediction, Jang Gwangchul asked, “You are hiding something from me, aren’t you? You already spent so much money on taking over Tel-Tech and preparing for the mobile carrier business. Now, you are saying you have enough money to buy MOX?” Jang Gwangchul took a deep breath and continued. “Even if MOX’s stock price goes down, it will still cost hundreds of millions of dollars. You’re saying you have that much money?”

“We’ll make money with Coconut very soon. Blue S’s sales are also increasing quickly. I can also sell a small share of KND if necessary to raise funds.”

Jang Gwangchul didn’t buy Woosung’s explanation. This was reasonable since Woosung did have another secret.

He was waiting for the new flu, H1N1.

Then in November, there would be the Dubai Shock.

Woosung knew there were more future events coming up for him to make money.

Jang Gwangchul looked at Woosung and asked, “No, you are lying to me. Look at my eyes and tell me the truth.”

Woosung stared at him and replied, “Why aren’t you asking me why I want to use someone else’s name for the stock purchase? Isn’t that a more important question?”

“I assumed you must have a good reason for it.”

“Then, what about this? The answer you are looking for is actually within the assumption you just mentioned.”

“If you don’t want to tell me, just say so.”

“Do you remember what I said about my dreams?”

Jang Gwangchul nodded slowly. Woosung continued, “I can see many different things in my dreams. Sometimes I can see opportunities to make money. That’s why I am confident about my plan.”

“Is there anything you can tell me?”

“Do you know what H1N1 is?”

Jang Gwangchul remembered hearing about it on the news, but only vaguely. It wouldn’t hit the headlines until the end of July.

“We will soon be facing a pandemic flu. The entire world will fear it. It will be a great chance to make some money.”

Big events caused volatility in the stock market.

“…”

“I am still not sure how to go about it, but I’m working on it. Oh and remember, this is a secret.”

Jang Gwangchul nodded firmly and replied, “And as for using someone else’s name, I know someone who might be able to help you. Let me look into it.”

Woosung nodded.

After Jang Gwangchul left the room, Woosung remote accessed his home computer and opened a file with information on his previous life.

There were two more big events left this year.

H1N1.

Dubai shock in November.

Dubai World asks for a debt standstill. It asks the creditors for a 6-months standstill on its debt repayment.

Woosung remembered the KOSPI index going down over 1% due to this incident.

This was his chance.

“The first death from H1N1 in Korea has been recorded. The Health Authorities have warned the public to avoid heavily crowded areas including restaurants and public bathhouses. They are also recommending washing your hands as often as possible.”

“Currently, tens of thousands of people are suffering from H1N1 in the world. Unlike other countries, however, the Korean government is showing an unprepared and uncaring attitude towards its people.”

Jung Jinchul, an owner of a new internet café, turned off the TV.

He just opened this new business recently, but because of H1N1 scare, it was empty. He was losing money every day.

He sighed.

Restaurants. Internet cafes. Malls. Grocery stores.

The streets were empty.

After work, people went straight home and many spent a lot of time playing games. The game industry boomed, except for Legend. Choi Gilak became more nervous.

“The other game companies are gaining more users…But we are still losing customers.”

The general manager was aware of this problem. “Are you saying it’s time for us to act on it?”

“The new guilds are invincible. I used my personal guilds to fight and take over the castles, but it was impossible. The balance within the game has been destroyed.”

Choi Gilak was again asking to use the master account.

The master account was created and owned by MOX. It could bend the rules within the game to get whatever outcome it wanted. There was no way anyone could win against the master account character.

“I believe this is the only way to restore the balance in the game.”

“Fine. Let’s try it in a couple of servers.”

Choi Gilak nodded.

Woosung’s phone vibrated with a message.

“You have lost the 27th server Arin castle.”

Woosung looked at it in surprise. This was unexpected. He has been the owner of this castle for the past month and no one managed to win against his character.

“Master Knight?”

It was a nickname he has never seen before. Woosung checked the data Jung Jinsup gave him, but while he checked the database, Woosung found something strange.

“Huh?”

It looked like Master Knight seemed to have unusual items and abilities that went against the game logistics. This was not possible.

This meant one of two things.

There was an error or the character was owned by a hacker or a bug user.

Woosung analyzed the character, its items, and its past activities.

“This doesn’t make sense. There is no record of this character until now.” Woosung was now sure that it was a hacker. “Did I just get hacked? Or the game got hacked?”

But it still didn’t make sense. Woosung studied the character further.

After two hours of it, Woosung decided, “This isn’t from hacking or any kind of bugs.”

Woosung swallowed nervously. This situation reminded him of the time when he was murdered.

Company interference.

Woosung’s death started when he found out about strange transactions with certain IP addresses. He initially thought the company was hacked, but it was the company itself that was behind the illegal activities.

This was the same situation. MOX developed the character and interfered with the game from the inside.

“Bastards…”

Unfortunately, he couldn’t use this information. He couldn’t release this information to the public without revealing himself too, at least not at this point.

Instead, Woosung contacted his substitute gamers.

“Take over the 27th server Arin castle immediately.”

“Hire more gamers for this and make sure to destroy Master Knight.”

“I don’t care how much money it costs.”

“Make sure to record the takeover.”

The gamers responded quickly. Woosung was furious, but he was also excited.

This was his chance to bring MOX down to its knees.

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Chapter 96: &lt;Game king&gt;

Woosung’s hired gamers with a minimum of level 80 characters lined up for an attack. The first thing they all did was PK (Player Killing).

They went around the castle killing many of Master Knight’s guild Masterpiece’s members as possible.

One by one, the Masterpiece members left the game.

“I can’t play this game anymore.”

“The Riot guild’s members are hunting us down. I am done with this game.”

“Peace out.”

“I’m leaving too.”

Eventually, only half of Masterpiece’s members remained. Meanwhile, Woosung hired more people to become members of his own guild, Riot.

Choi Gilak couldn’t believe what was happening. He tried to manipulate the game further with the master account, but he was stopped by the general manager.

“You need to stop now. If you go on any further, we may be discovered by the public.”

“But we only won one castle out of it.”

“What?”

“How many times do I have to explain? I am so frustrated.”

“I know you said it’s because of the young gamers leaving Legend. I get it, but what we need to do to fix it is to make the game more fun for them. Why are you getting angry at me?”

“Why won’t you support me? We are working for the same company.”

“Exactly. We are in the same team, and you need to do a better job in the development department.”

Choi Gilak reddened in anger. “If we don’t lower the taxes in these castles, this company is over. It’s not just Legend 1. Similar things are happening in the second version too. This isn’t a simple matter to be settled among the users. If this continues any longer, we could all lose our jobs.”

This was turning into a serious argument. The general manager tried to avoid it by replying in a calm manner.

“I understand. I will try my best to come up with a solution.”

“You better get to it fast.”

While the country panicked because of H1N1, Woosung bought and sold healthcare stocks to make money.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t making big profits.

The volumes of these stocks were too small. Woosung wanted to invest millions at a time, but all he could purchase was hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of stocks.

However, it was different in the US.

There were plenty of pharmaceutical company stocks with big volumes. Woosung took long positions in many companies, especially Pfizer.

Pfizer stock was only about 14 dollars in July, but by September, it went up to 16 dollars.

Woosung earned a lot of money from this purchase, but he was still not satisfied. He obtained about 600 million dollars, but Woosung’s definition of big money was in the billions.

He made back all the money he spent taking over Tel-Tech. When he purchased the company, he arranged it so that KND “borrowed” money from him. The interest rate he set was 7%, which meant every year, he received 42 million dollars from his own company to his personal account as a form of interest payment.

Woosung also had numerous other incomes including interest rates from his bank, stock dividends, bitcoins, and his salary as the CEO.

However, this was all still not enough.

Woosung checked the MOX stock price. It was continuing to decline as he hoped.

37.10 dollars.

37.05 dollars.

He ordered his US company to take a fake short sale position on MOX stock to make it go down further.

36.50 dollars.

Once it went down, he canceled the sale order.

Suddenly, a text message arrived.

“I’ve uploaded the analysis report.”

The fight against the Master Knight was recorded and sent to the professional gamers for analysis. They all agreed on one thing.

The game was manipulated.

Woosung managed to find out from where the character was being played. The IP address indicated that it was from the MOX headquarter.

It wasn’t a hacker, it was the company itself.

The report was published online where Legend users and other gamers could see.

“This doesn’t make sense.”

“Have you ever seen the items like that before in the game?”

“How could that character cause so much more damages than any others I have seen?”

The internet game forum became filled with curious comments. Everyone agreed on one thing: what the Master Knight did was not possible, which meant the game was hacked.

“Legend has been hacked!”

“What the hell! Did the hacker take all the castles then?”

No one could even imagine the possibility of the company interfering. Then, an anonymous comment was made.

“I think I’ve seen this before. I think it might be the game company that manipulated the game.”

“Is that possible?”

“OMG, I can’t believe it!”

“We need to call the customer center.”

“Let’s go to the headquarter!”

“We need to get them.”

People went furious. MOX was flooded with angry emails. The gaming communities were in an uproar.

The news reached CS Team leader Oh Minjae. He asked the development team for an explanation.

“We are currently checking things out.”

He sent the same message many times, but every time he just got the same vague answer.

In desperation, he arranged a meeting with Woosung who gave his opinion.

“I can’t be certain of whether it is the bug or the company, but the rumors on the internet seemed legit.”

Woosung has gained Oh Minjae’s trust within last few weeks, so Oh Minjae nodded. “Hmm.”

“It would be faster if you talk to your development team.”

“That department is going through an issue right now.”

Woosung knew what he meant. Only a few in the company knew of the master account and its activities and clearly, Oh Minjae wasn’t one of them.

Suddenly, Jung Jinsup walked in. “Chief Oh, what are you doing!”

Oh Minjae looked at Jung Jinsup in confusion.

Jung Jinsup yelled again, “This isn’t the time to have stupid meetings!” His face was red. Oh Minjae stood up as Jung Jinsup continued. “Several players barged into the headquarter demanding an explanation. Take care of them. NOW!”

Oh Minjae left in shock. Jung Jinsup calmed down and sat beside Woosung.

“As you know, things aren’t going well in the company right now. Someone is messing with us.”

Woosung murmured, “You mean the character that is either being controlled by a hacker or the company?”

Jung Jinsup flinched and asked, “Yes, that’s it! Do you know what is happening?”

“Actually, this meeting was about that, and I couldn’t come up with anything solid. I’m guessing it’s a hacker.”

Jung Jinsup sighed in relief, “Really? Thank god. And thank you!”

“Haha, no problem. You look like you had a rough day. Would you like to go for a drink? I will take you somewhere nice.”

Jung Jinsup’s eyes lit up.

Woosung continued, “I found a place with some gorgeous ladies.”

“Let’s go!”

At an expensive brothel in Chungdamdong, Jung Jinsup drank heavily.

Woosung asked, “You look like you have a lot of worries.”

Jung Jinsup took another sip and answered, “Sales have gone down significantly. Stock prices too. It also looks like someone’s collecting our stocks.”

“Really?”

“It looks like a foreign hedge fund, but we can’t tell why it’s doing it.”

“Oh…”

Woosung was surprised at how much MOX knew of the situation. Jung Jinsup suddenly asked, “Are you interested in games by chance?”

“Pardon?”

“If KND could invest in our company, that would be a big help. And…”

When Jung Jinsup hesitated, Woosung urged him, “You can tell me anything.”

“We are developing a new game right now, and an investment from your company would be a huge help. You know MOX is a solid company. The stock price will rise soon and it will be very profitable for you.”

Woosung frowned and thought.

‘They should’ve had enough funds to last a while and release FPS game next year…What happened? Did they lose that much money from this controversy?’

Because of Woosung, MOX lost many users. It tried to revive the game by spending a lot of money on marketing, but it failed again.

When Woosung hesitated, Jung Jinsup said disappointedly, “How could you not say yes immediately?”

“Then, how about this? I will lend you the money with your share of the company as collateral. Interest will be 1%, but if the stock price goes down, the total credit will go down too.”

“And if it goes up?”

“Haha, then you will have enough money to pay me back and take back your shares. Remember that the interest rate of 1%. Think carefully.”

“Do you know how many stocks I own?”

“Based on my calculation, 15.5%, so about 42 million dollars.” Woosung tapped his head and continued, “I’m an analyst so of course, I should know these things. I will also buy some stocks for you too. This will make the stock prices go up, which means you’ll make money and I will make money too. It’s a win-win situation.”

Jung Jinsup licked his lips. He liked the idea. Woosung poured him another drink.

“Let’s hope the stock price goes up!”

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Chapter 97: &lt;Game king&gt;

After drinking with Jung Jinsup, Woosung called Jang Gwangchul.

“What percentage of stocks were you able to buy so far?”

“Hey! It’s 2 am in the morning!”

“But this is important. Tell me.”

“I didn’t have a lot of time, so only 10%.”

“Fine. Keep going.”

After the call, Woosung leaned back in his new car. He gave the car Jang Gwangchul gave him to his parents. Then, he got a new company car for himself.

Mercedes Maybach line.

It was worth 800,000 dollars.

It was more than a car. It felt so comfortable Woosung didn’t feel like he was riding one. It felt like he was sitting at home in a sofa.

‘Jung Jinsup’s shares as collateral would get me 15%. I already have 10%. I will buy another 20%, which will make it to 45%. Then I will get my US company to buy 6%, which will make it a total of 51%.”

51%.

It still didn’t feel enough. To terminate a CEO, the board of directors needed to be called for a meeting, but only the CEO had the power to call such a meeting.

No CEO would ever call for it, which meant he had to call for a shareholder’s meeting.

The meeting required the attendance of at least 1/3 of the shareholders and 2/3 of the attendees needed to agree on the decision.

If 100% of the shareholders attended, having 51% may not be enough. Woosung wanted to be sure of the outcome, which meant he needed to have 67%. He needed 16% more.

16%.

If he made enough money during the Dubai Shock, it was possible.

“We have arrived.”

The driver announced.

It was very late.

The moon shined brightly. Soon, Woosung knew he could steal MOX from Jung Jinsup. However, there was one more thing.

“He probably has a lot of personal assets.”

Woosung wanted to take everything from him. He wanted Jung Jinsup to have nothing.

“What to do…”

He went inside his home and continued to think. The first thing he needed to do was to further decrease MOX’s sales. Suddenly, Woosung thought of something.

“League of Ancient”

It was a game created by a relatively new game company RightNow. By 2018 in Woosung’s previous life, the game was a world-wide sensation. An eSport event was even held for the game with a prize of 5 million dollars.

Woosung opened his computer quickly and searched for League of Ancient. At this point, it was only in the closed beta test stage, which meant it was currently being developed in America.

If he purchased the company and released the game in Korea, it could be the end of MOX once and for all. He could also make a lot of money from this game as well.

The next day, Woosung flew to America.

RightNow game company.

Its office wasn’t very far from KND’s headquarter in Silicon Valley. Based on Woosung’s research, it was a 3-year-old company with a big investment from a Chinese company Tencent.

By 2018, Tencent was one of the top internet service companies in the world.

When they arrived at RightNow, Jang Gwangchul asked Woosung.

“Can you just tell me in advance how much you are planning to spend?”

“I’m willing to pay up to 300 million dollars.”

“On a game that is only in closed beta test stage?”

“How many Coconut users do we have so far?”

“One million in Korea, five million in the world.”

“If we link the game to Coconut, it will take care of the Korean market.”

“Link?”

“We can make it so that any Coconut users can login to the game with their Coconut ID. It would be convenient for them since they won’t have to make a separate account for the game.” Woosung continued quickly. “It is a good game. It will be a success world-wide. It is a guaranteed investment.”

“So you’re going to offer them 300 million dollars?”

“At least. I am not coming out of this building without buying this company.”

The CEOs of RightNow were shocked at Woosung’s generous offer.

300 million dollars.

Mark Brown and Brandon Reynolds had their mouths gaped at Woosung’s proposal.

“I have checked the game and people’s reviews. It’s good. It’s a fast-paced game compared to the existing MMORPG platform. It also has great hero characters.”

Mark Brown stopped Woosung.

“W…wait. Let’s take a moment first.”

Woosung leaned back and replied. “Haha, ok.”

“Are you really offering us 300 million dollars, and we won’t lose any control over the company?”

“I won’t interfere with your game development, but I may want to cooperate with the operation side of the business. For example, I want to be able to decide when to release the game in Korea, and I want to allow the Coconut Talk users to be able to play the game without additional account setup.”

Mark Brown knew the Coconut very well. He himself was using it.

“Are you referring to the Coconut messenger?”

Coconut Talk was now a popular app in US. Mark Brown took out his own phone Blue S and pointed at it.

“You mean this?”

Woosung nodded. “Yes. I am the CEO of that phone’s company. I think we could become good partners.”

“W…we were actually going to suggest the same thing…”

Becoming a part of a popular existing services such as Facebook or Coconut was the best way to attract users for new games.

“That’s perfect then. If you have no objections, I would like to sign the contract today. We need to move fast to get things going…”

Woosung was dying to destroy MOX.

The two CEOs of RightNow tried their best not to look too excited as they waited for the paperwork.

Tencent headquarter.

“I can’t believe they sold more shares to another company other than us.” Tencent’s CEO Ma Huateng swore.

At the young age of 36, he became successful with the messenger HH.

“It has been reported that it was a Korean investor. His name is Kang Woosung. The funny thing is he took over the company under his personal name, not his company.”

“What the hell? Who is he?”

“He is currently operating a company called KND. It created the smartphone Blue S.”

“You mean the phone with the Coconut Talk?”

“That’s right. He is also the CEO of Coconut Talk company. He is involved in many different businesses.”

“Explain.”

Ma Huateng took the report from his assistant and read it quickly.

The assistant continued, “He took over a small Korean PDA company after the financial crisis. He finished the development of Blue S in a Silicone Valley office. The strange thing is that KND and Coconut are two separate corporations and he owns the majority shares of both companies.”

“So both are Kang Woosung’s personal companies?”

“That’s right. KND is listed, while the other isn’t.”

“That’s strange.”

“He also owns a hedge fund in the US.”

“Hedge fund? Worth how much?”

“Almost 900 million dollars. He purchased RightNow with the money from this fund.”

Ma Huateng ate a piece of chocolate. He was trying to quit smoking.

“900 million dollars is only our guess. It appears he made more recently, but we don’t know how much.”

“I can’t believe he spent that much money on a game that hasn’t even been released yet.”

“He does seem like an eccentric man.”

“…And he recently opened an office in Zhongguancun?”

“Yes, and he is looking to hire a CEO to run this office onsite. He appears to be planning to release Coconut talk in China, but with a different name in Chinese so it looks like a Chinese service.”

“Why don’t we report him to get tax audit?”

“We suggested it to the authorities, but because of the financial crisis, the government doesn’t want to discourage any new businesses.”

“Then I guess we should wait and see. I don’t like it at all though.”

“Yes, sir.”

Ma Huateng took another piece of chocolate.

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Chapter 98: &lt;Game king&gt;

After signing the contract, Woosung and Jang Gwangchul went for a drink.

“Are you satisfied now?”

“Haha, would you believe me if I said yes?”

“No. You probably want more. What are you thinking?”

“I am trying hard not to just get up and go to Finland.”

“…”

Jang Gwangchul didn’t reply to Woosung’s odd comment. He kept drinking.

“My dream told me to go to Finland. It said there is a chance to win the world in Finland.”

Jang Gwangchul waved his hand for Woosung to continue.

Woosung took a sip of his whiskey and added, “It also said to drop by in England first. There is a man I need to meet.”

“Did it also tell you to go to the North Pole?”

“Haha, no it didn’t say that.”

England’s Deep Mind.

In the future, its AI, AlphaGo, would beat humans in the complex game of Go.

Finland’s Power Cell.

It would create a popular mobile game Clash of Clans and the company would reach a net worth of over 10 billion dollars.

These were the companies Woosung remembered from his previous life.

“Are you telling me you really saw these things in your dreams? Including the success of the League of Ancient?”

Woosung nodded. “You saw how all of my investments turned out to be successful.”

“That’s true, but…” Jang Gwangchul took another sip of his whiskey. “When I first met you, I saw you as just a smart programmer. Because I knew IT would be the way of the future, I figured you would make something big.”

Woosung listened carefully as Jang Gwangchul continued honestly.

“My estimation of your worth was at least 10 million and up to 100 million dollars. But I never imagined things would turn out like this.”

“Isn’t life more fun this way?”

“Sure, why not. So will you really go to England? Then Finland?”

“Haha, no. I don’t have enough money. I will go there next year.”

“So it’s going to cost hundreds of millions of dollars again, right?”

“Haha, probably.”

“Well, I guess you need to spend big to make big.”

“I am always appreciative of you, sir. Let’s work hard together.”

“Why are you suddenly nice to me?”

“Haha, I’ve always wanted to tell you that. Now, shall we go? We have to work tomorrow.”

“Alright. Let’s go.”

“October 27th, 2009. League of Ancient will be released in America and Korea at the same time.”

With this news, MOX’s stock continued to decline. It was now at 23.10 dollars.

“Game to be available exclusively through Coconut Talk.”

Jung Jinsup called Woosung for an explanation. Woosung gave vague answers, telling him he had no other choice and Jung Jinsup couldn’t do anything but to accept Woosung’s explanation.

On the day of League of Ancient’s release, MOX CEO Jung Hyosung called for an emergency meeting.

“The Legend operating team reported we need to close a third of the servers right away due to lack of players.”

Jung Jinsup and his colleagues in the room fell silent.

“This means the sales have decreased by a third.”

Jung Hyosung no longer looked confident. He looked angry and frustrated.

He yelled, “Choi Gilak, can you tell me what happened here?”

“It started with the new castle owners increasing the taxes. I suggested for the company’s interference from the beginning, but the development team wouldn’t accept my solution.”

Choi Gilak looked at the development general manager. Everyone followed his gaze.

“He only brought solutions that weren’t acceptable.”

The general manager couldn’t disclose the existence of the master account without getting into trouble, so he didn’t explain further on what Choi Gilak had suggested.

He continued, “So I suggested limiting the castle owners’ power over the game, but Choi Gilak wouldn’t listen.”

They were pointing fingers at each other. Jung Hyosung frowned in disgust. Jung Jinsup looked at them with a bitter gaze.

Jung Hyosung announced, “Just stop. We aren’t here to blame each other. We are here to come up with a solution.”

Jung Jinsup suddenly opened his mouth, “I think we need to release the next project as soon as possible. We lost so much of the gamers’ trust with Legend.”

Choi Gilak agreed, “I think so too. Battle Round has received an excellent overall review from the closed beta test.”

The general manager replied with a worried tone, “But we still haven’t stabilized the servers. We also had negative reviews regarding bugs and unbalanced items.”

Jung Hyosung asked, “Then are you suggesting we give up on Legend?”

“The gamers are sick of this game. I wouldn’t say we give up on it, but maintain it as is. We shouldn’t put any more efforts to it.”

Jung Jinsup continued, “MMORPG is the future of the gaming landscape. Did you see the reviews on League of Ancient? Short casual games are the new ways to go. It’s the current trend and we need to follow it.”

Everyone nodded.

After the meeting, the father and son duo stayed behind.

“So is it true you borrowed money with your shares as collateral?”

“We needed the money to hire more programmers and finish the next game sooner than we planned. Because of the decline in Legend’s sales, we were and still are very short on funds.”

“Then why didn’t you just let go of some of the unnecessary personnel? Using your company as collateral is dangerous.”

“We already had to fire so many people during the financial crisis. If we lost any more, who will run the company?”

“…I suppose. Are you sure you can trust him? Isn’t he the guy who released the League of Ancient on Coconut app?”

“You know me, dad. I’m not gullible enough to trust anyone in face value, but Woosung is alright. Besides, I got a solid contract.”

“Well, I trust you.”

“Then as we decided, I will release the Battle Round earlier than our planned date.”

“Alright. Take care of it.”

Jung Jinsup nodded.

Meanwhile, MOX’s stock price continued to plummet.

“On November 1st, the government declares a national emergency due to the H1N1 pandemic. All public schools have closed and the Korean SAT exam has been postponed indefinitely.”

Woosung turned off the TV and checked MOX’s stock price.

19.70 dollars.

It was at its 52-week lowest. As it deteriorated, Woosung continued to buy more.

He already owned 5%.

He made public disclosure of his ownership. He had Jung Jinsup’s 15.5% as collateral. Another 15% was under someone else’s name. KND as a company also owned 10%.

Woosung had a total of 45%. If he included the stocks owned by his US hedge fund, he had well over 50%. Knowing this made him unable to stop his grin.

Jung Jinsup.

Woosung couldn’t wait to see his face when he found out.

Woosung checked the reviews on League of Ancient.

“Over 500,000 users. The most popular game online. Great reviews from gamers…As I expected.”

It was going as well as it did in his previous life. Woosung remained grinning ever so broadly and continued to read the news articles.

The game was doing well in North America too.

Everything moved according to his expectations. Blue S’s sales were still rising while Coconut Talk users were ascending.

Knock knock.

Jang Gwangchul walked in.

“Sir, it’s ready.”

Woosung nodded and followed him out. Inside the main office area were two large LED display boards on the wall.

On the top board was a number, ‘5,000,000’.

It was the number of Blue S’s total sales so far.

All the employees looked at Woosung. Jang Gwangchul, Park Byungki, and Hong Soobum stood next to him.

“If you multiply that number by 600 dollars, it comes to 3 billion dollars.”

3 billion dollars.

People looked at him in excitement.

“Which means our sales have reached 3 billion dollars. This is thanks to all of you who have supported me without question.”

Woosung glanced at Jang Gwangchul, who coughed awkwardly.

“It wasn’t easy, but we finally got here, and we will go on even further.” Woosung paused and continued. “And I promise you, your bonuses this year won’t be disappointing.”

Everyone applauded. Woosung went back into his room.

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Chapter 99: &lt;Game king&gt;

Jang Gwangchul was excited. “What a profit! This is amazing. I can’t believe it!”

“I’m glad.”

“Glad? You should be jumping with joy.”

“This is only the beginning. We need to do much better.”

“You need to learn to enjoy your success.”

“You know me, I have big dreams.”

“I know, I know.” Jang Gwangchul grumbled.

Woosung asked Hong Soobum, “How’s it going in China?”

“As you requested, I got an office in Zhongguancun and looked into the list of companies you gave. It’s taking longer than I expected because of the H1N1 situation.”

“Please contact as many Chinese companies as possible and get the investment through. This is as important as the Coconut service itself.”

Tencent.

Xiaomi.

DJI.

Alibaba.

Woosung planned to invest in these companies, which he knew would become big in the future.

“Yes, sir. I will work on it and let you know.”

Woosung replied, “I need to go to America for a while. I need to go meet the people who made Blue S possible in Silicon Valley.”

Jang Gwangchul looked at Woosung doubtfully. He felt like there was another reason for Woosung’s visit.

“But you just got back. What are you planning to do?”

“Haha, I didn’t have a lot of time then because it was such a short trip. I’m telling you the truth.”

But Woosung had another plan. Dubai Shock would happen at the end of this month.

He planned to make money through crude oil future trading.

‘I need to do really well this time.’

Because of Dubai’s moratorium, WTI crude oil price would dip.

Woosung looked at Park Byungki and asked, “How’s it going in Daeyang? I heard they are coming out with a new smartphone.”

“My sources tell me it would be released in March next year, but because of Blue S’s success, they are trying to release it sooner. The real problem for us is how TK Telecom is refusing to launch Blue S.”

“That’s not a problem. Blue S is already released through LU Telecom and TK Telecom users are switching to LU just to get Blue S.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes. It will get even worse for TK when Blue S2 is released.”

No one could argue with Woosung. A similar thing happened with iPhone when it was released in Korea. It was available only through LU Telecom, which caused a significant loss to TK. Woosung believed the same thing would happen with Blue S. Jang Gwangchul looked at Woosung.

“I wonder how many Blue S2 will get sold in Korea. We sold over a million Blue S.”

“It will take some time, but I am expecting to sell at least 10 million.”

“If we sell 10 million in Korea, then internationally…”

While Jang Gwangchul gawked, Woosung turned to Park Byungki.

“I will let the office in America know. Please get ready for the mass production of Blue S2. This means the third factory in Gimpo needs to be ready ASAP. As soon as Daeyang releases its new phone, we will release our S2 to compete against it.”

“By the way, we got a call from the Information Department. The new Minister of Information wants to make an official announcement regarding the national employment rate at a business luncheon. Because KND recently hired so many people, you have been invited to this event. I’m not sure if you know, but the new minister Kim Woogyum is situated in Gimpo.”

As Woosung listened quietly, Park Byungki continued, “Many people will attend including people from Daeyang. It will be a good opportunity to make important acquaintances.”

“Alright. I will attend. Please RSVP.”

After the meeting, Woosung talked to Jang Gwangchul in private, “How’s it going?”

Jang Gwangchul knew exactly what Woosung was talking about.

He replied, “We have 17% so far. If we continue like this, the stock price may rise. MOX may be losing customers for now, but Legend still has a solid base of faithful fans. It could recover quickly.”

Woosung knew this as well.

In his previous life, Legend was reborn as a mobile version, Legend M, a huge hit. Its new game Battle Round was an even bigger hit worldwide.

“How’s League of Ancient doing?”

“Great as you predicted. We also took your suggestion and hired Lee Ari and Yoo Sona as the official models for the game. Their signboards are apparently being sold in the black market because they are so popular.”

Woosung laughed, “Haha, the display boards?”

“That’s right, and you remember Yoo Sona, right?”

Jang Gwangchul glanced at Woosung, who replied indifferently, “Of course. I know her very well.”

He remembered that night, but he shook his head to focus.

“Then we are finally the major shareholder of MOX. 17% under a different name, 12% under KND, and 10% under my name.”

Jang Gwangchul didn’t know, but Woosung also had 15.5% as collateral from Jung Jinsup. He also had 7% in the US account.

It was a total of over 61%.

“What are you planning to do? Are you going to do it?”

“There is someone in MOX I know very well.”

He needed to remain close to Jung Jinsup to take everything away from him. He also still needed Jung Jinsup to get close to Choi Gichul.

“Then what are you planning?”

“I will combine all the stocks in one spot.”

“W…what?”

“And someone else will attack MOX.” Jang Gwangchul couldn’t understand what Woosung was talking about. Woosung continued. “After the Dubai Shock, I need to transfer the stocks, so please get the documents ready.”

Jang Gwangchul replied, “Yes, sir.”

“It will need to happen on December 24th, Christmas eve.”

Jang Gwangchul wanted to ask more questions, but he knew Woosung was done with this conversation.

TK Telecom’s Jun Taewon gritted his teeth as his director approached him with a customer report.

“About 5000 customers left our service.”

“Is it because of Blue S?”

“Yes, based on our survey.”

“Is it that good?”

Jun Taewon remembered meeting Woosung at the party.

He had a bad feeling then.

The director replied, “Per Daeyang’s request, iPhone’s release in Korea has been delayed, but we couldn’t stop Blue S’s launch by LU.”

“What does Daeyang want?”

“They have asked us to delay Blue S’s release through TK, but they realized how much it’s costing us. If this continues, we could lose up to 50% of our customers.”

“What does our Chairman say?”

“He said he will trust your decision.”

Jun Taewon gave this conundrum one thorough thought. If things continued like this, the company would have a big loss, but if they released Blue S, they would lose Daeyang’s trust.

Plus, he hated Woosung, “Hmm.”

The director asked, “Should I arrange a meeting with KND?”

“No, that’s not necessary. I will be meeting him at the upcoming business luncheon.”

He also had plenty of opportunities to meet Woosung at the KYLO meetings.

The director suggested, “I think we should consider launching Blue S. There is a rumor Blue S2 is in the works.”

Jun Taewon still couldn’t make a decision. He was rude to Woosung at the KYLO party. He admitted it was a stupid move.

The director continued, “If LU releases iPhone as well, we may not come out of this alive.”

Jun Taewon nodded. The company’s well-being was more important than his pride.

“Alright. Get in touch with KND.”

The director nodded and left the room.

Woosung entered the luncheon in an expensive suit. Many familiar faces were already at the party. Some were from KYLO, while others were people he saw on TV. He also noticed TK Telecom’s Jun Taewon and Shin Semi.

However, Woosung was looking for someone else.

Choi Taemin.

Woosung realized that even if he took out Choi Gichul, Daeyang would still survive if Choi Taemin was there.

Suddenly, someone tapped Woosung’s shoulder from behind.

“Haha, we finally meet. I am Choi Taemin from Daeyang.”

Behind Choi Taemin were Choi Gitae and Choi Gichul. Woosung forced a smile on his face and shook his hand.

“Nice to meet you.”

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Chapter 100: &lt;Game king&gt;

Choi Taemin.

Woosung had never met him before. It felt surreal, but he didn’t feel nervous. He looked at the three brothers leisurely. It was clear Choi Taemin was the leader of the three. He was smiling while the other two looked rigid. Woosung grinned. He bowed towards Choi Gitae.

“You are here too. Thank you so much for the smartphone parts. Thanks to you, Blue S is doing very well. I meant to call you, but this is even better now that I can tell you in person.”

“Haha, no problem.”

Choi Taemin frowned. Choi Gitae glanced at Choi Taemin nervously.

Woosung thought.

‘So Choi Taemin didn’t know about this deal?’

Choi Taemin turned to Woosung and said casually, “I am hearing good things about KND. People say Blue S is beyond anyone’s expectation.”

“The second version of it is on its way. We are working very hard on it.”

Choi Taemin smiled.

Choi Gitae stepped forward and said to Woosung, “I am sure it will be a huge success just like Blue S1.”

Choi Taemin again frowned briefly but didn’t say anything.

Woosung smiled and replied, “Thank you.”

Woosung sat down in his designated chair. He looked around and glanced at other’s name cards.

‘Daeyang, Nuri Finances, TK Telecom…All the biggest companies in Korea…’

Suddenly, Woosung spotted Shin Semi.

‘And that must be Shin Yongwon.’

Beside Shin Semi was a tall older man. Woosung knew right away. He had seen him on the news a few times before.

Woosung’s eyes met Shin Semi’s. Shin Yongwon whispered to his daughter, and Shin Semi’s cheeks reddened.

Shin Yongwon walked up to Woosung confidently. “Nice to meet you. You must be KND’s Kang Woosung?”

Woosung stood up and shook his hand. “Yes, that’s right.”

“I have heard good things about you. I hear you are a VIP at Nuri Finances.”

“I have been lucky.”

“A few millions can be earned with luck, but not a billion dollars. You know this as well as I do.”

Shin Semi pulled her father’s arms lightly.

Nuri Enterprise.

Woosung had no need for this company.

When Woosung remained silent, Shin Yongwon asked knowingly, “My company is no use to you, is that it?”

Woosung replied, “Currently, I have no need to borrow any money.”

“I did hear your smartphone is doing very well.”

Woosung had no time to waste on this man right now. He had more important things to do including monitoring the Choi brothers. Woosung gave a short offhand answer.

“Thank you.”

Shin Semi frowned at Woosung’s attitude, but Shin Yongwon found it amusing.

“Gosh, my legs are killing me. I think I need to sit down for a second.”

He then sat beside Woosung. Shin Semi pulled his arm again, but he didn’t budge.

“You have met my daughter, Shin Semi, right? I heard you used to work at Nuri Finances as a developer.”

“That’s right.”

“That’s amazing. It has only been a year, yet here you are.” Woosung didn’t reply, but Shin Yongwon continued. “I tried to scout you, but obviously, I failed. I also tried to make your acquaintance, but that didn’t work out either.”

Shin Yongwon smiled meaningfully.

“But I think things will work out alright in the end. My daughter will tell you.”

Shin Yongwon then stood up and left. Shin Semi looked at her father in embarrassment, while Woosung grinned at her.

Suddenly, Jun Taewon came by. “Chairman Shin is still so mean. How are you guys doing?”

Both Woosung and Shin Semi frowned at his appearance.

Jun Taewon announced proudly, “I have good news for you. TK Telecom has decided to launch Blue S, so please make sure you are ready to supply us with the products.”

KND didn’t need TK for Blue S’s sales, but Jun Taewon said it as if he was doing Woosung a favor.

Woosung replied rigidly, “I will look into it when I get a chance.”

“Haha, if you don’t get to it fast, you might lose us.”

“If that’s the case, then that’s fine with me.”

“Wow, what confidence. Are you saying you are going to refuse to sell the phone to us?”

The air became tense.

Jun Taewon glared at Woosung, who replied, “Yes. I don’t feel like I need you at all.”

Shin Semi frowned at Woosung. TK Telecom owned 50% of Korean mobile business. If KND lost TK, it meant KND lost 50% of the market.

Jun Taewon laughed clumsily, “Ha…Hahaha.”

He quickly reddened in anger. Woosung ignored him and turned to Shin Semi.

“I don’t think this is a good time for our conversation. Shall we meet later perhaps?”

Jun Taewon glared at Woosung. They were now officially enemies.

Jun Taewon replied, “Then I guess TK needs to reconsider this.”

Woosung said in a bored tone, “Whatever.”

Suddenly, Lee Sunghyun came by and placed his hand on Woosung’s shoulder.

“Haha, this is getting really ugly.”

“No, we were just talking business.”

“Haha, you are always working, President Kang. No wonder you’re so successful.”

Woosung couldn’t be rude to Lee Sunghyun.

Woosung smiled and replied, “No, it’s all thanks to you.”

“But I didn’t do anything.”

“You gave me the chance to meet so many important people.”

“Haha, I’m flattered.”

Lee Sunghyun turned to Jun Taewon. “Vice president Jun, may I borrow Woosung for a while. There are a few people who would like to meet him.”

“Oh, of course.”

“Then let’s go, Woosung.”

Lee Sunghyun took Woosung to the new Minister of Information, who was chatting with Choi Taemin.

Lee Sunghyun said to the minister, “Minister Kim, congratulations.”

“Oh, Attorney Lee! It’s all thanks to you.”

“No way. It’s all thanks to my father.”

Father.

People frowned at the not-so-subtle mention of the President of Korea.

Lee Sunghyun continued, “This is KND’s Kang Woosung.”

Minister Kim shook Woosung’s hand. “Nice to meet you.”

Kim Woogyum.

He used to be the chief of strategy for the current President Lee Parksung during the election. Woosung remembered reading about his profile online.

“How do you do. I am KND’s Kang Woosung.”

Choi Taemin looked unhappy as Kim Woogyum focused on Woosung instead of him.

Minister Kim told Woosung, “Thank you so much for building a factory in Gimpo. It has helped the area a lot with many new jobs.”

“I am happy to be of help.”

Lee Sunghyun patted Woosung’s shoulder and added, “Other companies selfishly build factories in China to save money, but Woosung here chose to be a patriot and help our country by creating new jobs. Don’t you think he is a great businessman?”

Kim Woogyum glanced at Choi Taemin awkwardly and replied, “Haha, o…of course.”

“And if you remember, my father’s main election promise was decreasing the cost of telecommunication for the public.”

Kim Woogyum nodded and replied, “I have been thinking about that. It will be difficult to keep that promise.”

“Woosung has the answer for that problem.”

Everyone turned to Woosung in shock. Woosung realized what Lee Sunghyun meant to do.

“Woosung is interested in becoming the fourth mobile carrier to decrease public’s cost and provide a better service.”

Jun Taewon’s eyes widened in anger.

Woosung replied casually, “I am ready for the next step. I will make this industry better.”

Kim Woogyum laughed, “Haha, I like your confidence.”

“I know it won’t be easy, and I’m not asking for a favor. All I ask is for you to be fair and consider my proposal with an open mind.”

“But I don’t have much authority over that industry…”

“I realize the mobile industry is a responsibility of the Ministry of Communication, but the financing plan will be reviewed by you.”

Kim Woogyum tapped Woosung’s shoulder encouragingly. “Alright, I will be fair. Good luck.”

Woosung bowed deeply. “Thank you.”

Jun Taewon fumed in anger. The Choi brothers also looked unhappy with this new development.

Lee Sunghyun talked to Woosung in private, “Please don’t think I’m using you in any way.”

“Haha, I don’t think that”

“I know businesses like this work best when prepared in closed doors, but I just couldn’t stand how those guys abuse their power. They have been increasing the mobile user fees and won’t even listen to the President’s request. Something is needed to be done.”

Woosung listened quietly.

“By the way, I have suggested your algorithm trading to the National Pension Plan department. The final decision will be made in May, next year.”

“Thank you.”

“Are you really serious about the mobile carrier business? You are doing so well with your smartphone, I’m not sure if getting into such a difficult industry is a good idea for you.’

“I am all in.”

Lee Sunghyun laughed and Woosung did the same. They were becoming good friends.

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Chapter 101: &lt;Game king&gt;

Thanks to Lee Sunghyun, Woosung was the talk in the luncheon. Woosung was introduced to most of the people at the party. He managed to make crucial acquaintances that day.

After the event, Shin Yongwon walked towards Woosung.

“So did you get a chance to talk to my daughter yet?”

“Unfortunately, no.”

“Gosh, I keep telling that girl she needs to be more aggressive if she wants to get what she deserves.”

Shin Semi poked her father in embarrassment, but he continued, “I heard you helped her out a lot since the time you were working for Nuri Finances.”

Shin Semi warned her father, “Chairman!”

“If you are planning to get into the mobile carrier business, you will need a lot of money. I know you have a good amount of funds, but you can never have enough.”

Woosung replied gravely, “I will remember that.”

“I would normally invest in only solid businesses, but when it involves your children, you end up making decisions with your emotions. I may be the Chairman of a big company, but I am still a father first.”

Shin Yongwon turned to Shin Semi and murmured, “I started the conversation for you, so now it’s your turn to finish the deal. I will see you later.”

Shin Yongwon left slowly. Woosung looked at Shin Semi in confusion. Shin Semi also looked surprised.

After a few minutes of silence, Woosung offered to her. “I will give you a drive.”

Shin Semi accepted and followed Woosung. Jun Taewon looked at them from afar with uncontrollable fury. Woosung glanced back at him knowingly and walked away.

Shin Semi flinched when she saw Woosung’s new car. “Nice car.”

“The company offered to buy the safest car out there for me.”

Shin Semi knew cars very well.

This was an 800,000-dollar car.

Woosung was clearly doing very well in his company.

Shin Semi said to him, “By the way, thank you for your advice before. I was able to gain a little bit of my father’s trust because of it.”

“I’m glad to be of help.”

In the car, Shin Semi gave Woosung timid glances. When she first met him as an employee of the Nuri Finances, he looked worn and average. However, a good suit did wonders for him. He looked striking and she was attracted to him.

“Do you no longer need any more gossips about Daeyang from me?”

“Haha, thanks to you, I am getting enough information on them.”

“Then I guess you don’t need me anymore.”

Woosung didn’t know how to respond to this question. The car became silent. After a few seconds, Woosung replied smartly, “A relationship isn’t just about needs. That would be too dry.”

Shin Semi tried to be brave and asked honestly, “Then do you think we could become something more?”

“Maybe in time.”

A vague answer.

However, it was enough to break the ice.

“We have arrived.”

The driver announced. Woosung looked at Shin Semi’s eyes. “Well, I guess I will see you later.”

Shin Semi left the car without another word.

The next day.

Jun Taewon called for his assistant who reported what he saw last night.

“Woosung dropped Shin Semi off at her residence and went straight home.”

“Phew…So he didn’t go anywhere or meet anyone else?”

“That’s correct.”

“Did you find anything about his plan for the telecommunication business?”

“We know for sure he is planning for it.”

“Of course I know that. He wouldn’t lie in front of the Minister of Information.”

“He is steadily recruiting new employees and buying equipment. His right hand is Jang Gwangchul, who used to be a famous daytime trader with a popular website.”

Jun Taewon panted in anger.

His assistant continued, “What should we do about Blue S?”

“What do you think?”

“I think we should still launch it. If we lose more customers, it could be dangerous for us. If we also lose iPhone…”

“Dammit…”

“I don’t think KND will be able to get into the telecommunication business. It will cost more than he thinks he could afford and to find experienced workers will be very difficult too.”

“But he declared it at the luncheon!”

“Perhaps the government is behind it. Lee Sunghyun might be using Kang Woosung to pressure mobile carriers to drop prices.”

This made sense. Jun Taewon replied slowly, “And that is why Lee Sunghyun mentioned it in front of everyone?”

“It’s a perfect plan. It was meant as a warning for everyone.”

Jun Taewon agreed.

The assistant continued, “Why don’t we release Blue S? We need to retain our customers.”

“Fine. Go ahead with it.”

The assistant suddenly stammered nervously.

“B…but…”

“What’s the matter?”

“KND has told us that it doesn’t have the products to supply us.”

Smash!

Jun Taewon punched the desk.

His assistant explained nervously, “They said they are already running their factories at their maximum capacity to keep up with the demands from LU and KG. They said once the factory in Gimpo is completed, they may be able to supply us. I think you need to talk to Kang Woosung in person.”

Jun Taewon bit his lips. He was embarrassed in front of everyone yesterday, and now he had to go back to Kang Woosung and ask for a favor. His pride couldn’t take it.

He asked, “Why didn’t you tell me before yesterday’s luncheon?”

“We got the message this morning.”

“What?”

Woosung was doing this on purpose.

Jun Taewon had a decision to make.

Should he swallow his pride and beg?

Should he possibly cause his company a huge loss?

After a big sigh, Jun Taewon replied, “Where is Kang Woosung now?”

“He went to America. He will be back in December. His company couldn’t give me his exact schedule.”

“Alright. I will contact him.”

November 27th.

“Dubai World proposed to delay repayment of its debt of 26 billion dollars for six months.”

“The experts are predicting a possible financial crisis in Europe.”

Before the news, Woosung already had Alex take a short position on WTI crude oil.

Alex asked him, “Should we sell now?”

“Wait.”

“But if we sell now, our profit would be over 400 million dollars.”

Woosung wasn’t satisfied yet.

“Just wait.”

76.5.

77.4.

78.9.

These were the prices of Woosung’s WIT future.

Woosung continued to wait until the price dropped to 73 dollars.

“Now we take a long position.”

Alex excitedly started selling. He took a long position quickly.

The price started to go up and ended at 76 dollars that day.

It was all thanks to Woosung’s memories from his previous life. Alex saw him as the god of investment.

They worked together for a few more days. The price went up to 78 dollars, then down to 70 dollars, and then back up to 78 dollars within days.

Before Christmas Eve, Woosung made billions of dollars.

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Chapter 102: &lt;Game king&gt;

Ryan Capital was founded by Ryan Dosen, who now worked as the company’s representative fund manager. He stayed in his office all day and only came out for two reasons.

One was to fire someone and the second was when someone made a profit of over 10 million dollars in a week. When the latter happened, he always came out with a whistle in his mouth.

Today, he walked out of his office blowing his whistle emphatically.

It echoed throughout the office, but no one frowned. In fact, everyone started to clap one by one.

Ryan Dosen slowly approached Williams Liam and shouted, “Ten million dollars!”

This was the amount Liam made this week.

“Haha, good job. Here is your incentive.”

Everyone looked at Liam enviously. Ryan handed him a 500,000-dollar cheque.

Liam thought to himself.

‘It wasn’t me who made the right decision.’

He found out which was the serial number that made impossible transactions during the financial crisis. He followed its moves during the Dubai Shock and that was how he made the profit.

All Liam could think of was that serial number.

‘Whoever it is, it must be someone incredible.’

Afterward, Liam looked at the data in shock.

The serial number he was following made 5 billion dollars in profit. This was unbelievable.

He used all his sources to find out who owned the serial number.

KND Investment.

It was a one-year-old small corporation that wasn’t even registered in SEC (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission).

This also meant this company was under the radar. Liam realized he now had two options.

Follow KND’s transaction patterns…

…Or go against it and steal KND’s profit.

Liam enjoyed playing games. He loved competitions.

He didn’t want to be a small fish that followed the big fish for small crumbs. He wanted to be the best of the best.

“Let’s see…”

Liam looked at KND’s transaction patterns again. Currently, it had 5 billion dollars. Liam swore to take that money away from it the next time.

Woosung and Alex enjoyed their dinner at the Rainbow Room in New York.

Alex exclaimed.”Boss, I can’t believe your instincts! Where did you learn to do that?”

“It was just luck.”

“Then you must be the luckiest man alive. At this rate, you will own the Wallstreet.”

“Haha, that would be a dream come true.”

There were still many opportunities Woosung remembered till 2018 including 2016 Brexit and next year’s Greece economic crisis.

Alex whistled. “I think if anyone can do it, it would be you.”

“Well, I can see it happening. Wouldn’t it be great?”

Alex shook his head. “I don’t know if I can keep up with you.”

“Haha, by the way, did you get that thing done?”

“Yes. I created a corporation named DNK and I am collecting the stocks under it.”

“And how about Finland’s Power Cell?”

“I looked into it, but it doesn’t exist. Are you sure about it?”

Woosung thought for a second.

‘Then they must have created a company next year and release their game then?’

Woosung enjoyed the game in his previous life, but at the time he didn’t look up when or who exactly developed it.

“Alright, I will check it again so don’t worry about it. All you have to focus on is to continue buying MOX’s stocks and get ready for a takeover.”

“Haha, that would be a piece of cake. You already bought a majority of the shares.”

Woosung ate a piece of steak and looked out the window. “You need to always be cautious and vigilant.”

Alex nodded seriously. Woosung was the one who saved him when he lost everything from making bad investment decisions. Alex always took Woosung’s advice very seriously.

10 dollars.

The stock price of MOX finally reached 10 dollars. After the H1N1 situation calmed down, League of Ancient became the most popular game online. Everyone was playing it.

Legend’s sale continued to decline.

Jung Jinsup paled when he checked the price. He picked up the phone and called Woosung.

When there was no answer, he called his office where he learned Woosung was in America.

“Dammit! Dammit!”

According to their contract, when the stock price went to 10 dollars and below, the stocks were to be sold automatically to pay the debt back This meant Jung Jinsup would lose all the shares of his company.

“Okay, I need to calm down. Even if all of the shares get sold, I can just buy them back with the borrowed money.”

Jung Jinsup breathed slowly. Suddenly, the door to his office burst open and his assistant walked in.

“Sir, DNK has just bought a majority of our company’s stocks.”

“DNK?”

“It’s a foreign investment company. It now owns 47% of our company. If you include the mandates it received from the minor shareholders, this company has 67% of the voting rights to MOX. It has called for a shareholder’s meeting.”

Jung Jinsup froze.

Jung Hyosung couldn’t get angry at his son. He tried to stay calm as he said to Jung Jinsup.

“So you think DNK bought your shares that were sold because of your contract with Kang Woosung?”

“I’m sorry.”

“…”

“But now that the stock price is so cheap, I can buy them back with the borrowed money.”

“All 47%? DNK basically now has all the public shares of our company. If you start purchasing in big lots, you will cause the price to go up.”

Jung Jinsup asked, “But wouldn’t that mean the prices should be up already?”

There were no available stocks to buy in the public market which meant the price should be rising, but it wasn’t. This meant one thing.

Jung Jinsup continued, “Stock rotation?”

“That’s right. I wouldn’t be surprised if this company has been targeting us for a long time.”

Jung Jinsup paled. This was a hostile M&A.

“There is a good chance the meeting is to kick me out of the company.”

Jung Jinsup couldn’t breathe. He had to contact Woosung.

He needed to hear from Woosung that this was not happening.

He wanted to hear Woosung deny it, but he knew he would be disappointed.

“Be strong and ready.”

Jung Jinsup bit his lips to his father’s warning. He had to find a way to buy the stocks back.

When Jung Jinsup got back to his office, there was a call waiting for him.

Kang Woosung.

Jung Jinsup pressed the button immediately.

Woosung answered, “Oh, what’s going on?”

“W…what happened to my stocks you held as collateral?” Jung Jinsup asked desperately.

“Oh, I don’t know. I need to check with the company.”

“Then hurry up. Check it now, and how about the stocks you and your company had?”

Woosung answered with a lie, “The price was going down so I sold it to someone.”

“Was it DNK?”

Woosung had to try hard not to laugh.

“Yup, that’s right. What happened?”

Jung Jinsup dropped his phone. Woosung waited 5 minutes before hanging up. He texted instead.

“I checked with the company and apparently, the stocks were sold automatically per our contract.”

“And DNK was the one who bought everything.”

“I will look into DNK myself.”

After reading the messages, Jung Jinsup threw the phone against the wall.

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Chapter 103: &lt;Game king&gt;

After he got back to his hotel room, Woosung checked his bank account.

5,121,141,000.

5.1 billion dollars.

It was the total of what he made from Apple stocks and the crude oil future.

He used the majority of the money he made from the financial crisis. It was true that more money would yield even more money.

He realized why he never made big money in his previous life. It was the lack of seed money.

He lived every living month with his meager salary in his past life. There was no way he could become what he was right now like that.

Woosung stared at the number for a long time. It was right there on the screen, but he still couldn’t believe it. However, he had much more to do. This was just the beginning of his revenge.

“I basically own MOX now, so next is Daeyang.”

Daeyang was 10 times bigger than MOX, which meant it would not be as easy.

“I need to continue working on cryptocurrency and maybe get Choi Gichul and Daeyang involved as well…But they aren’t that stupid…”

Woosung thought he may be able to get Choi Gichul with the cryptocurrency but not the entirety of Daeyang.

“Well…Let’s just continue working on the current projects.”

Woosung knew he would get a chance in the future. For now, he had to continue growing his company.

He still had to finish off Jung Jinsup.

Woosung closed his laptop. It was time to go back to Korea.

MOX Emergency Shareholder Meeting

Topic 1. Dismissal of Directors.

Topic 2. Dismissal of Auditor General.

Topic 3. Dismissal of CEO.

Topic 4. Elect a New CEO

Woosung sat as one of the many minor shareholders while Alex sat at the special seat as a major shareholder.

“We will now begin the shareholder meeting. DNK 47%, CEO Jung Hyosung 34%, Development director Kwak Mingu 1%, Chief of CS Team Oh Minjae 0.5%, and the public shareholders 17.5%.”

After the summary of shares, they began discussing the topics.

“Our first topic is the dismissal of all directors. They have been accused of neglecting MOX’s main sources of income Legend 1 and Legend 2.”

Jung Hyosung and Jung Jinsup listened with a scowl on their faces. Choi Gilak also sat nearby with a frown.

He objected, “T…the decline in sales can’t be blamed solely on the directors. All employees have equal responsibilities. Dismissing someone because of a decrease in sales is not fair.”

Choi Gilak looked around for help, but no one spoke up. He turned to Kwak Mingu for support.

“Director Kwak, please say something. Don’t you think this is unfair?”

Kwak Mingu was put on a spot. He had no choice but to speak.

“Actually, I would like to add moral hazard on top of the main reason for dismissal.”

“Pardon? W…what did you say?”

“You know this better than anyone, Director Choi.”

Woosung watched with a wry smile. He already had Alex talk to Kwak Mingu and had him included in the plan. Jung Hyosung turned to Kwak Mingu.

“Director, Kwak…How could you?”

“This is for the best. When we first started developing Legend, this wasn’t how we envisioned our futures would be. Look what happened?” Kwak Mingu continued without hesitation. “As the CEO, you have placed your useless son on a position of power. Your strategy development team chief couldn’t come up with a solution other than using an illegal master account.”

When he unexpectedly exposed the secret, Jung Hyosung gaped at him. Jung Jinsup also turned red with embarrassment. Alex watched with interest.

Jung Jinsup screamed at Kwak Mingu, “Director Kwak!”

“You are no longer my boss so you can’t scream at me anymore. I wanted to quit a long time ago, but I didn’t because I wanted to be a good employee. You barely just graduated, yet you act as if you know better than everyone. Just stop! Why do you think Battle Ground’s release has been delayed?” Kwak Mingu continued angrily. “All of our best veteran developers left because of your accusing attitude. You kept blaming them for every minute detail in the game unreasonably when you yourself didn’t even know how to program anything!”

After a brief pause, Kwak Mingu continued, “Because of you, the game couldn’t be completed. You only got your job because of your father, when in fact, you are an idiot! Who would want to work for someone like you?”

Kwak Mingu’s expression was filled with utter frustration with the purest form of anger.

“Seoul University? So what!? Is graduating from this university a good reason for you to have the right to abuse people?” Kwak Mingu turned to Jung Hyosung accusingly. “Answer me! I didn’t graduate from the best university in the country. Does that mean I deserve to be treated this way?”

Jung Hyosung answered slowly, “It’s not like that at all. I just thought young blood like my son would make the company better.”

“Then you should have done it differently. I may have graduated from a small university, but I worked very hard and I have shown my skills in game programming. Yet your young son kept treating me with disrespect.”

Jung Hyosung remained silent.

Kwak Mingu continued, “And young blood? New games? Legend may be an older game, but it still has potential. It also is the only reason why MOX is still making profits. It’s not something that needs to be thrown out, but something that needs to be remembered and respected.”

Kwak Mingu wasn’t being logical and he wasn’t well-spoken, but everyone could empathize with him. The moderator tried to calm him down.

“Umm…Let’s take a deep breath. I think we should start the voting process now.”

Alex raised his hand, followed by Kwak Mingu.

“DNK’s representative Alex and Kwak Mingu make the total of 67%. This satisfies the 2/3 of the attendee rule, so the first topic is now officially passed.”

The room turned dead silent. Jung Jinsup glared at the traitor Kwak Mingu.

The rest of the topics passed by in a breeze. There were some objections, but they were useless.

Finally, it was time for the fourth topic.

Electing a new CEO.

Everyone turned to Alex.

They all assumed Alex would become the next CEO.

Alex raised his hand.

“May I say something?”

“Yes.”

“I propose Kwak Mingu to become the new CEO.”

Jung Jinsup stood up and screamed, “You can’t do that! According to the rules, any agenda initiated during the shareholder meeting is invalid.”

Woosung tried very hard not to laugh. The rules didn’t matter. They could call for another emergency meeting and re-elect Kwak Mingu as the CEO. Woosung asked Alex to do this just to make Jung Jinsup angry.

Alex laughed and replied in English. “So what?”

Jung Jinsup understood and shouted, “W…what? You bastard!”

Jung Hyosung stopped Jung Jinsup from attacking Alex. “It’s no use. They can just call for another meeting.”

“B…but…”

“Just stop.”

Jung Hyosung looked like he gave up.

67%.

It was over. Kwak Mingu was elected as the new CEO.

Jung Jinsup left the room in a fit of anger. No one seemed to care, but Woosung followed him.

Woosung understood something crucial after all.

‘Jung Jinsup still has a personal asset of 150 million dollars. I need to take that away from him too.’

Woosung followed him determinedly.

Woosung said to Jung Jinsup apologetically, “I am so sorry. It’s all my fault. I sold the stocks.”

Jung Jinsup sighed deeply.

Woosung continued, “The stock price went down so much that I had to do it. I really didn’t expect something like this to happen.”

“There was no way you would’ve known that. Well, I still have the money from selling the stocks and my father still has 34% left so we will try to do something with it.”

“The price is still low, so you can buy them back.”

“I am doing that already, but there aren’t a lot of stocks available so I can only buy little at a time. I also don’t want to raise the price by buying too quickly too much.”

“That makes sense.”

“I think we can take back the company soon.”

Woosung thought with a grin.

‘Sure, I would love to see you try.’

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Chapter 104: &lt;Game king&gt;

They went for a drink as usual. Jung Jinsup drank heavily and groped the women around him shamelessly as expected.

“All the people at the company are idiots. I should have been harder on them! Don’t they know they are all replaceable?”

Woosung sipped on his whiskey and listened.

Jung Jinsup continued, “I reprimanded them only because their product was garbage. If Kwak Mingu wasn’t my father’s friend, I would have fired him a long time ago. Look what happened now. He betrayed us!”

“You should have never help anyone.”

“That’s right. Most people will betray you if they get a chance. You can never trust anyone. Always be careful.”

“I will.”

“And the amount of experience doesn’t necessarily correlate to your skills. He accused me of being a new grad! Well, he graduated from a mediocre college!”

Jung Jinsup was drunk and angry. He used unsavory profanities.

Woosung frowned and asked, “But don’t you sometimes need experiences for certain things?”

Jung Jinsup answered, “Sure, but you know what? If you are a genius, you don’t need any experience.”

Woosung stopped himself from laughing hilariously and replied, “I guess that’s true.”

Jung Jinsup pointed at himself. “I am that person. I am super smart. I graduated from Seoul University, the best in the country!”

While Woosung struggled not to laugh, the woman beside Jung Jinsup exclaimed, “Wow, oppa! You graduated from Seoul University? That’s amazing!”

“Hahaha, that’s right. I’m great!”

“Oh my! You’re awesome!”

Woosung took another sip of his whiskey and thought.

‘What a joke.’

Jung Jinsup continued his drunken boasting, “All my classmates became lawyers and judges.”

Woosung nodded sloppily just to keep him happy.

Jung Jinsup suddenly turned serious and asked Woosung, “I have a favor to ask of you.”

“Tell me.”

“I will be direct. I need money to buy back the company shares.”

Woosung has been waiting for this, but he pretended to feel uncomfortable with the idea.

“I can’t, not without a solid collateral. I trust you, of course, but this is a different matter.”

“Hey, I can give you a collateral! Who do you think I am? All I ask is to give me a low interest.”

Due to the financial crisis, the prime interest rate at most banks was over 5%. If you wanted to borrow 10 million dollars, the yearly interest payment alone would be 500,000 dollars.

Jung Jinsup didn’t want to pay this much interest. If Woosung could provide the money at 1% like the first time, he could save a lot of money.

Woosung replied, “If you have a collateral, then it’s possible.”

Woosung waited. He wanted to know what kind of secret assets Jung Jinsup had.

“MOX’s office building is actually under my name. For tax purposes, it is being run by a fake asset management company, but I own that company.”

“Oh…”

The building was worth about 60 million dollars.

Jung Jinsup asked, “With that building as a collateral, would you be able to lend me 50 million dollars at 1% interest rate?”

“Haha, of course. I felt bad about the current situation, so this isn’t a problem.”

“Hahaha, I love you! You’re the man!”

The women sitting around them gawked.

50 million dollars.

These men were clearly rich.

One of the women sat closer to Woosung. “Wow, you’re super rich!”

Jung Jinsup started to drink again and announced, “Call in the band! Let’s have a party tonight! It’s all on me!”

Woosung nodded and took another sip. All he could think about was what Jung Jinsup would look like when he realizes he made a huge mistake.

The next day.

Woosung met with Alex in secret.

Alex asked, “So when you call me, I need to move the IP (intellectual property) of all the games from MOX including Legend and FPS to DNK?”

“Not just the game IPs but also all the key developers.”

“You want to destroy the company completely! I get it!”

“It’s just a business.”

“Wouldn’t the government authorities object or intervene?”

“We aren’t doing anything illegal, so they can’t do anything abut it. The only people I worry about are the minor shareholders, but it will work out in the end.”

“Haha, I will do whatever you ask of course.”

“Just make sure to prepare for it in secret. The stock price needs to continue to rise at this point.”

“Don’t worry, I will do a perfect job.”

“Don’t forget to spread the news to the media about this takeover. I want the stock price to go up faster. Use the DNK company card for all your expenses in Korea, including the personal ones. I don’t care how much it costs.”

“Thanks boss!”

“It’s all because you’re doing a great job. Keep up the good work!”

Yoon Gihwan was responsible for operating the real time winning stock recommendation algorithm. He sat down in front of the computer and looked over the list.

“So today’s stock is MOX. It did hit the bottom recently.”

Only a while back, it was at $40, but now it was at $10 mark. Now, suddenly, it was starting to soar fast.

The only news it had was its takeover by a company named DNK. It wasn’t that the Legend sales went up, or the new game was released. Yet the stock price was still going up.

12.50.

13.00.

The day ended with it at $13.80. The system had predicted it to continue rising the next day. It recommended to hold the stocks.

After the market closed, Yoon Gihwan grinned.

50 million dollars in Korean market.

50 million dollars in US market.

The total initial investment of 100 million dollars was now at 150 million dollars. It was an amazing profit. Yoon Gihwan expected to get at least 100,000 dollars in incentive this year.

One hundred thousand dollars.

He couldn’t help but smile.

Yoon Gihwan turned to Jang Gwangchul and asked, “Hey, do you have any plans for tonight? Let’s go for a drink. It’s on me!”

Jang Gwangchul ignored him and walked into Woosung’s office.

Yoon Gihwan murmured, “That’s strange…He never says no to drinks.”

Woosung’s office.

Jang Gwangchul pointed at the newspaper and accused Woosung.

“This is you, isn’t it?”

“…pardon?”

“DNK taking over MOX, this is you! DNK sounded so familiar.”

Woosung denied it one more time, but Jang Gwangchul didn’t buy it.

“DNK and KND! So obvious! I also noticed that all the MOX stocks owned by KND were moved to DNK.”

Woosung remained silent. He wondered if he should tell him the truth. After a few minutes, Woosung decided he could trust Jang Gwangchul.

“You’re right. I am behind everything.”

“…huh. I can’t believe it.”

“Haha.”

“I knew you had an ulterior motive for going to America. Also…” After a pause, Jang Gwangchul continued. “Dubai Shock. That was it, wasn’t it? You saw it in your dream, and you created DNK and took over MOX.”

“That’s right. I meant to tell you, but I haven’t found the right time.”

“I….I….!”

Jang Gwangchul felt betrayed. He was hoping Woosung would give him these kinds of information so he could make money too.

“I get information from my dreams. What if they are wrong? I didn’t want you to lose money because of me.”

“I would never blame you. I trust you now.”

“…”

“So from now on, let me in on your predictions, or I can give you my money so you can invest it for me.”

“Why don’t you use the algorithm trading system general manager Yoon is operating? Its profit is at 50%.”

“…But your profit rate is usually over 100%!”

“Not always…”

“Don’t lie to me!”Jang Gwangchul was getting angry.

Woosung finally answered, “Oh, alright, but you can’t blame me if I get it wrong.”

“Fine, fine. Tell me now then.”

“I haven’t seen anything for 2010 yet. I will let you know when it happens.”

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Chapter 105: &lt;Sudden decline&gt;

Gamers were happy with the change in MOX’s executives.

A new rule was set where users’ complaints and demands were addressed.

Most of all, all the castles’ tax rates were lowered. Many gamers finally returned to the game and MOX’s stock price continued to go up.

It also helped that Jung Jinsup and his father bought huge lots of stocks in an attempt to get the company back.

After a few days, the price finally went up to $20.

A notice of disclosure was made one day.

“Change in major shareholder equity: Jung Hyosung 34% -> 36.7% (investment purpose)”

Woosung knew Jung Jinsup probably owned a significant number of shares by now. Following the 5% rule, Woosung expected a notice soon.

At that time, the father and son will call for another shareholder’s meeting for a counterattack. Woosung remembered his recent phone call with Alex.

“Boss, everything’s in order. All you have to do now is sign off.”

“Alright.”

It was the order to transfer Legend’s and the new developing game’s IPs to DNK.

Woosung was holding off on signing the documents until Jung Jinsup announced he owned 5% of the shares.

Woosung waited like a predator prowling for an unsuspecting rabbit.

Meanwhile, the stock price continued to soar.

Suddenly, Woosung’s assistant came into his room in a hurry.

“Sir, Daeyang will be releasing its new Android-based smartphone named The One. The press release is to take place at their headquarter soon.”

Woosung was expecting this news.

He ordered quickly, “Arrange a press release in Silicone Valley at the same time for Blue S2.”

His assistant moved posthaste to make calls. Blue S2 was completed a long time ago, but Woosung had been waiting to release it until Daeyang finished its new phone.

Jung Jinsup and his father talked quietly.

“Your friend Kang Woosung is amazing. It is not easy for even the best of us to come up with 50 million dollars this fast.”

“He made 600 million dollars from Blue S’s sales. 50 million is nothing to him.”

Jung Hyosung laughed.

“Wow, you are so smart for having a friend like that. Is he a classmate of yours from Seoul University?”

“No. I met him at the KYLO meeting. We hit it off right away.”

“Haha, good job. It is always smart to have friends like him when you are a businessman. You never know when you’ll need help.”

“That’s exactly why I befriended him.”

“Great.”

Jung Hyosung looked at his son proudly, but his gleeful countenance change into that of a frown suddenly.

“But father, the stock price has gone up so fast.”

“It will be ok till it hits $30. I looked into the current situation and found out that DNK has no intention of operating MOX. DNK is apparently one of those companies that buys cheapened companies and sell after normalizing it.”

It was a false rumor Woosung had Alex spread. He actually had an opposite intention.

Jung Jinsup asked, “So after the hostile M&A, they improve the company and sell it at a profit?”

“That’s right.”

“…But you are one of the major shareholders, which means the company will end up back in your hands.”

“Exactly.”

Jung Jinsup said angrily, “When we get back the company, the first thing I’ll do is get rid of Kwak Mingu.”

“I agree. We’ll start fresh.”

Daeyang headquarter.

Choi Taemin walked in front of a giant screen and announced.

“Hello everyone. I am Daeyang System’s Choi Taemin.”

The screen changed to a photo of Daeyang’s new phone, The One.

“It is my honor to introduce you our very first Android-based smartphone, The One. It has a memory of 512MB, many amazing apps, and a 4.0-inch screen.”

Choi Taemin described the phone in detail proudly.

Meanwhile at the same time, Woosung was busy releasing Blue S2 in Silicone Valley. He explained in front of the reporters.

“Blue S2 will become the new icon of innovation. Everything has been upgraded from its first version. You will now be able to use your phone as a sub-computer, and we aren’t done yet. We will not stop here; we’ll continue to improve our product until our smartphones can replace your desktop completely.”

A few sample phones were then handed to the reporters for monkey testing. After trying out the phones, the reporters became excited. They started asking questions to Woosung.

“Currently in Korea, Daeyang is in the process of releasing The One, which will be your competition. How do you feel about that?”

“Competition is a good thing. I believe in a fair rivalry.”

After answering all the questions, Woosung made his last comment.

“I still haven’t shown you the best part of Blue S2.”

Woosung placed his thumb on the home button.

It rang, and the phone unlocked.

“Fingerprint recognition function. You no longer have go through the inconvenience of inputting your pattern or password.”

The reporters’ eyes widened in surprise.

At the same time in Korea.

After Choi Taemin’s introduction, special guests TK Telecom’s CEO and Andy Rubin appeared.

TK’s Jun Taewon announced, “This is the best cell phone out there. Every great technology from Daeyang has been placed into this product.”

Next was Andy Rubin, who delivered a prepared speech. “With the cooperation from Daeyang, we were able to create the best phone Android can achieve.”

LU Telecom CEO also added, “Just like the name, it will be the one the customers choose.”

Suddenly, one of the staffs approached Choi Taemin and whispered, “Sir, KND just announced fingerprint recognition function on their cell phone.”

“What? Why didn’t we know about this?”

“That is…we missed it.”

“I’ll talk to you later.”

At the same time in Silicone Valley.

Woosung’s phone vibrated. It was a text from Alex.

“Jung Jinsup just acquired 7%. A notice will be released soon.”

Woosung checked online.

“Share major hold report”

“Jung Jinsup 7% acquisition for an investment purpose.”

It was the news Woosung was waiting for. He called Alex.

“Do it.”

“Yes, sir.”

“News release”

“Legend 1,2 IPs have been transferred to DNK.”

“Any game-related operations to be outsourced to DNK.”

Immediately, MOX stock price dropped 15%, and it continued to decline the next day.

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Chapter 106: &lt;Sudden decline&gt;

Minus 15%.

Minus 15%.

Minus 15%.

It happened so fast that there was no chance to sell the stocks. Usually, in dramatic cases like this, there would have been an outcry from all the minor shareholders, but it wasn’t the case this time. It was because the majority of the shares were owned by Jung Jinsup, Jung Hyosung, and Woosung.

It also didn’t appear on the news actively as there was bigger news.

“Daeyang System’s The One to be launched on February 10th.”

“Blue S2 to be released in Korea on January 25th.”

“Will Daeyang’s The One become the next Nokia or Apple?”

“Blue S2’s new fingerprint function is a big hit.”

“Blue S2 considered the most innovative phone so far.”

Because of the release of two new smartphones, no one cared about MOX’s news. In fact, most gamers preferred DNK being in charge rather than MOX’s old way. The online game forum was filled with comments favoring DNK.

“Don’t you guys think DNK is doing a better job than MOX?”

“It’s true that they respond much faster to complaints.”

“Bug patch is faster too.”

Jung Jinsup stared at the screen with an open mouth. The stock price that was close to being $30 until yesterday was now a little over $10.

“How…How could this happen? Who the hell is causing this?”

He shuddered uncontrollably. He tried to sell his stocks before he bleeds more money, but it was no use. Everyone was trying to sell, and no one was buying.

MOX was now a useless company.

Jung Jinsup had no choice but to stare at the screen as the price continued to fall.

However, this wasn’t even the worst part.

“Illegal activities by the ex-directors of MOX were reported. All trading of MOX stocks has been suspended until further notice.”

“…!”

Jung Jinsup’s eyes widened. Illegal activities? What did that mean?

He searched the news online and finally found a small article.

“MOX’s ex-directors have been charged with using an illegal master account to manipulate the online game Legend. An investigation is underway.”

Jung Jinsup swallowed. Only a select few knew about the master account. Jung Jinsup gritted his teeth.

“Did Kwak Mingu rat on us?”

He could think of only one person. He wanted to find Kwak Mingu right now and send him to a world of pain.

His cell phone was vibrating constantly. It was a call from his father Jung Hyosung. Money was no longer their biggest problem. They could end up in jail at this rate.

At the KYLO meeting in a mansion on Sungbookdong.

Jung Jinsup sweated profusely as he begged Hong Minwook, who was the son of the Law firm Hwajung’s CEO.

“Please help me out here. Once I get to sell my stocks, I will have the money to pay you then.”

“I can’t help you for free. You know how it is. Our law firm charges big money, but we get the job done.”

“That’s why I’m asking.”

“You can’t mean you don’t even have a million dollars for deposit.”

Hong Minwook looked at Jung Jinsup with pity. Everyone knew about MOX’s situation.

Suddenly, Woosung walked in. Everyone stared at him.

Shin Semi turned to him too. He looked good in a clean suit. He walked with a relaxed demeanor into the room. Hong Minwook ran to Woosung and greeted him.

“Haha, thank you so much for hiring my firm to represent KND and Coconut service.”

Woosung smiled. “We are friends, so of course we should help each other out.”

“My father also wanted to visit you and thank you in person. He has informed all of us that any work related to KND will always be our priority.”

“Thank you, and I would love to meet your father for dinner sometimes.”

Woosung patted his shoulder.

Hong Minwook said to him in awe, “I can’t believe your net profit is 700 million dollars, and it will be even more next year.”

“It’s all thanks to my employees.”

“I also heard Coconut service is doing equally well. Over 10 million users! I also heard you are planning to get into the Chinese market?”

“Yes. We are working very hard.”

“That’s amazing, and you are so young!”

Hong Minwook looked at Woosung with respect. Jung Jinsup watched them with anger.

Woosung walked towards Jung Jinsup and asked, “Hey, why haven’t you been answering my call?”

“Haha, I have been really busy.”

“You need to sign off on transferring your building to me per our contract.”

Jung Jinsup laughed awkwardly. “Hahaha, o…of course. We’ll get it done.”

“You can buy it back if you want to. You borrowed almost 200 million dollars from me, so you must have enough money left still. You didn’t spend all the money on buying the stocks, did you?”

200 million dollars.

Everyone’s eyes widened as they eavesdropped on their conversation. They were all wealthy, but not enough to lend someone 200 million dollars.

‘Just how much money does he have? How did he make so much?’

Jung Jinsup stammered guiltily, ‘T…that is…Just please be patient. Once the trading suspension gets lifted, I will have enough money.”

Woosung frowned. “It’s not ideal, but I guess for you, I will wait.”

Jung Jinsup finally smiled. “Haha, thanks. It will happen soon, you’ll see.”

Woosung smiled as well. He turned to Hong Minwook and asked, “How much does it cost to hire your firm?”

“1 million as a deposit and the rest will depend on the case. We probably could get him out of any jail time, but it will cost a lot.’

Woosung turned to Jung Jinsup. “Do you have any other collateral you can use? I can lend you more money with the same conditions.”

“R…really?”

“Of course. Things need to work out for you so I can get my money back.”

“But I feel bad for borrowing so much money from you…”

Woosung laughed and said kindly, “It’s alright. As long as you have solid collateral, it’s all good.”

Jung Jinsup nodded cautiously. “I can use my house if you don’t mind.”

Woosung bowed and replied respectfully, “Alright. I will get my lawyer to contact you tomorrow.”

“Great. Thank you.”

Jung Jinsup then left the meeting.

Hong Minwook approached Woosung again and whispered, “Are you sure this is ok? You already lent him 200 million dollars…”

“It’s alright. We are pretty close.”

Shin Semi suddenly came to Woosung and asked, “Hey, can I talk to you in private?”

She looked gorgeous as usual. Woosung nodded.

A separate room was set aside for private conversations. It was soundproofed in case people needed to share sensitive information.

Shin Semi explained, “KYLO meetings may look like they are arranged to help each other out, but it’s actually the opposite most of the times.”

Woosung nodded. He knew this already.

“The business world is a dog eat dog kind of world. They are here to sniff out any weakness in each other so they can use it.”

Woosung took a sip of whiskey. He wondered why Shin Semi was being kind to him.

He stared at her eyes. She asked, “Don’t you know what you just did will be used against you?”

Woosung wanted to tell her the truth, that he did it on purpose. Instead, he asked her, “Advisor Shin, don’t you know that when you give me sincere advice like this, you are giving me a mixed signal? To get me to a private room with you alone? Are you trying to tell me something?”

Shin Semi reddened.

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Chapter 107: &lt;Sudden decline&gt;

Woosung continued to make light of the conversation. “Don’t worry. I know you don’t mean anything by it.”

Shin Semi cleared her throat. “Hmm…Hmm…”

Woosung continued slowly, “I hate sounding like an asshole, but I am doing very well nowadays. I appreciate your concern, but I know what I’m doing. What I did today was on purpose.”

“On purpose?”

“It will be useful for me to have everyone here know how well I’m doing.”

“Well, I guess it’s nice for you to have a lot of people fawning over you.”

“…But it’s rare to have a genuine friend.”

Shin Semi asked quickly, “Am I one of the genuine ones?”

“You are one of the few who knew me from the beginning.”

“You are always so vague.”

Woosung replied quickly, “Invest in KND. It will get much bigger.”

Shin Semi laughed at Woosung’s confidence. “Are you sure?”

“Hey, don’t you remember how I predicted the election result?”

Woosung and Shin Semi both grinned.

Shin Semi realized that she always ended up smiling when she was with Woosung. Sometimes she was frustrated with him, but she knew it wasn’t his fault.

Why did she feel like this around him?

Why?

Woosung shrugged his shoulders and said to her, “Let’s get out of here now. People are going to think we are doing something inappropriate.”

Shin Semi said with a disappointed tone, “Alright.”

Choi Gichul didn’t come to the meeting. After a nice conversation with Lee Sunghyun, Woosung looked at Jun Taewon, who was glaring at him.

‘Why is he looking at me like that?’

Jun Taewon was looking at him like he wanted to kill him. It was even worst now after Woosung had a conversation with Shin Semi.

Jun Taewon and TK Telecom.

Woosung didn’t owe him anything. He approached him.

“Haha, it looks like you have something to say to me. Am I wrong?”

Jun Taewon calmed down and asked, “Why don’t you supply Blue S to TK?”

“Oh! I already told your company, it’s because we are short on the products. We will be able to supply you when the factory in Gimpo is completed.”

“I don’t want your lie. I want your truth.”

“Blue S was loved by the customers in the US first, so our priority is them. TK was the one that asked for our phone the last, so why should we take care of you before others?”

Jun Taewon hesitated at Woosung’s sharp words.

Woosung added, “You’re acting like I owe you anything.”

“It’s not like that. I just think it’s good to help each other out.”

“Then why did you reject Blue S at the beginning?”

“It wasn’t a rejection. It just took us a long time to review your phone properly.”

“Well, we are doing the same thing. We are reviewing your company properly.”

Jun Taewon gritted his teeth. He had to be rational and logical.

He replied, “How is it going with Blue S2? S1 was a huge success, so you must have manufactured enough Blue S2 for everyone.”

“True, but the demand is even bigger than expected so we are still short.”

“TK is willing to take care of the marketing fee for Blue S2 if you supply us.”

Woosung was surprised but he hid it well.

Jun Taewon continued, “No other telecommunication company will offer you a deal this good.”

“The fact is Blue S2 is already well known that it doesn’t require much marketing anyway. So I don’t see much merit in your proposal.”

“Then what do you want? Tell me.”

“I want you to promise me that you won’t do anything to impede me from becoming the fourth mobile carrier.”

“What if I break that promise?”

“Then I will stop supplying you with the phones.”

“How would you determine if I broke the promise? You might hear a rumor that’s false.”

“I have enough sources to figure out things like that.”

Jun Taewon realized Woosung was no ordinary man. He answered thoughtfully, “I have no plans to stop you from getting into this business, but you will never know what might happen in the future. I will have to talk to my lawyers before agreeing to your terms.”

“That’s fine, but you better make a decision quickly.”

Jun Taewon nodded gravely.

Woosung’s apartment.

The building’s exterior ambiance seemed old, but the inside of his apartment was modern and expensive. Woosung looked out the window at Han River and grinned.

He was now the biggest businessman at KYLO. Everyone was bowing to his wealth and success.

“And now I have over 2 million bitcoins. MOX will disintegrate into nothing. I will then hire Jung Jinsup at my new cryptocurrency dealership and get Choi Gichul involved.”

Slowly, he meant to destroy them.

He had the best lawyer in the country, but he couldn’t get out of it 100% free. The proof Kwak Mingu and Choi Gilak provided was too damning.

Jung Jinsup and his father were busy trying to win the case. Meanwhile, another notice was announced.

“Due to the lack of transactions, MOX will be de-listed.”

Jung Hyosung shouted angrily, “Dammit! De-listing MOX? How could they!”

Jung Jinsup asked in a trembling voice, “…Father, what’s happening? Why would they delist it?”

“Son, you need to be smart. Lack of transactions? That’s not a good enough reason. We need to appeal it.”

“T…this would mean all the stocks we hold will be worthless.”

Jung Jinsup shivered in fear. Jung Hyosung grabbed his son’s hands. “We can survive this. We can do it! Don’t worry.”

Suddenly, Jung Jinsup’s phone vibrated.

Kang Woosung.

He didn’t want to talk to Woosung for he was now Jung Jinsup’s creditor.

Blue S2 release date.

Woosung visited TK Telecom’s opening event.

He has been calling Jung Jinsup but without success.

‘So he’s avoiding my calls.’

Woosung could guess how he was feeling. Jung Jinsup was probably in panic due to MOX’s delisting.

Woosung couldn’t contain his happiness over this news. Jung Jinsup was losing everything.

Jun Taewon, who was standing next to him, murmured.

“S2 is indeed very popular.”

It was not in the level of iPhone’s popularity, but the line to buy Blue S2 was astounding.

Woosung replied, “It’s still not enough to beat iPhone.”

“I admire your ambition, but too much of it can be poisonous.”

“I will be the judge of that.”

Jun Taewon gritted his teeth, but quickly hid his anger and replied, “Hahaha, here comes the very first customer.”

“Huh? Jonghyun?”

Park Jonghyun exclaimed at Woosung, “Y….you!”

Woosung took his hand and shook it, “Haha, nice to see you. It has been so long! How have you been?”

“I…I saw you in the newspaper, but I couldn’t believe it…So it really was you! What happened last year?”

“Well, lots of things happened. By the way, what are you doing here on a workday? Don’t you work?”

Park Jonghyun reddened at Woosung’s joke.

“H…huh! It’s…well…”

“Haha, let’s get going. We can talk later.”

Jun Taewon came by and offered Park Jonghyun his hand.

“Are you President Kang’s friend?”

Park Jonghyun bowed deeply and replied, “Pardon? Oh, yes.”

“Haha, nice to meet you. Congratulation on becoming the very first customer of Blue S2 at TK.”

“Oh, thank you.”

Park Jonghyun replied in confusion.

Meanwhile, Woosung tried to call Jung Jinsup again but there was no answer.

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Chapter 108: &lt;Sudden decline&gt;

After the event, Woosung and Park Jonghyun got together and went to an expensive Japanese restaurant.

Park Jonghyun asked nervously, “A…are you sure this place is ok?”

“Of course. Haven’t you heard how well I’m doing?”

“Oh.”

Park Jonghyun did hear about Woosung’s success.

The CEO of KND.

Woosung asked, “So how’s it going with you?”

Park Jonghyun couldn’t answer. He hesitated in embarrassment.

Woosung said to him understandingly, “Well, I know things are tough for everyone nowadays.” Woosung then ate a piece of fresh sushi.

Park Jonghyun looked at him curiously and asked, “So how did this happen? KND’s CEO! I heard you quit your job, but what happened after that?” Park Jonghyun couldn’t hide his surprise.

Woosung replied, “Lots of things happened. I don’t think we have enough time for the entire story.”

“I…I guess.”

“I would rather hear about you. Maybe I can help you!”

Park Jonghyun’s eyes widened at Woosung’s offer.

“R…really?”

“Well, I AM the CEO of KND and Coconut Talk. For example, I will be speaking at the Job Fair at Songwon University and I can let people know about you.”

Park Jonghyun answered quickly, “W…well, I have been applying to many different companies for the past year but none of them called me back for an interview. I even applied to KND but I didn’t hear back.”

“Hmm…”

“My GPA is over 3.0 and my TOEIC score is 800. I just don’t know what else I can do. Currently, I’m just working part-time at a convenience store.”

Woosung thought carefully as he ate another piece of sushi.

Park Jonghyun looked at him expectantly and continued, “I have been studying programming really hard. I don’t know what else I can do. I know I can do an amazing job if I am given a chance.”

“Hmm…”

Woosung pretended to think again. He actually had a use for Park Jonghyun.

Woosung said slowly, “What did you say you did the best when you were in the military?”

“In the military? I did programming very well of course!”

“Not that. Something in the quarters.”

“Umm…disciplining? Establishing seniority and applying clear rules?”

Park Jonghyun understood quickly.

Woosung grinned, “Yup, that’s it. I need someone to play good cop and bad cop for me.”

“I see.”

Woosung nodded and continued, “I am planning to create another company soon. The problem is I am not good at being a strong disciplinary figure. It also looks bad if the boss acts too bossy nowadays.

“T…that’s true.”

“If you can do that for me, I am willing to hire you. As a director.”

Park Jonghyun exclaimed, “Director? That would make me one of the executives!”

“Haha, we are friends, so of course! The only thing I’m worried about is if you will be able to do it…”

“Of course! You know how mean I can be!”

“I do know that.”

“Just hire me for a year and if I’m no good, you can fire me.” Park Jonghyun looked determined.

Woosung emphasized. “I would like the company to run VERY tightly. Like in the military.”

“I was nicknamed the best Drill Sargent when I was in the military. Don’t worry about a thing. I will run it with a whip.”

“Great. I already have an office ready, so I will call you later with more details.”

Park Jonghyun’s eyes widened again, “T…then I’m hired?”

“Yup. It’s almost ready. I am looking to hire developers, so ask Chanjong if he is interested. I will let you know more details once you sign the disclosure agreement.”

“R…really?”

“The name of the company is Bitmain. Go to this address. This is the office. Go there and they will make you a business card.”

Park Jonghyun stared in shock.

Woosung emphasized one more time. “Run it tight. You get it, right?”

Park Jonghyun nodded vigorously.

Daeyang headquarters, Choi Gitae’s office.

Choi Gitae said to Choi Gichul, “Hahaha, awesome.”

Choi Gichul remained quiet. Choi Taewon asked, “What do you think? Do you think The One will be a hit?”

“I’m sure Taemin will find a way.”

“You’re so stupid. He needs to fail for us to survive. Remember that.”

Choi Gichul nodded gravely.

Choi Gitae laughed evilly. “Hahaha. The stock price went down 5% yesterday! Do you know what this means? The market thinks The One is going to fail!”

Choi Gitae took a sip of his drink and continued, “There is now a good chance that I will be the next heir to this company. Don’t worry. I will take care of you.”

Choi Gichul nodded rigidly.

“Choi Taemin needs to fail for us to succeed. Make sure you don’t help him out in any way, got it?”

Choi Gichul nodded again.

He had no choice.

Choi Taemin’s office was tense.

“TK is doing its best to market Blue S2. They let us know that they already lost iPhone so they can’t lose Blue S too.”

Choi Taemin sighed deeply. “Blue S2 was released a week before The One’s launch date. Do you think this was a coincidence?”

“I think KND is treating us as its rival.”

“…And how is parts supply going?”

“I asked that department, but Choi Gitae made sure Daeyang continues to provide electronic supplies to KND.”

Choi Taemin hit the desk loudly.

His assistant stood nervously.

Choi Taemin screamed in anger. “How could he supply our competitor!? That bastard!”

“They are also supplying semiconductors to iPhone.”

Choi Taemin sighed. He asked his assistant, “How do you think The One will do?”

“Daeyang placed everything it has into this phone. It will be a success.”

Choi Taemin leaned back. “I’m so stressed. You know what to do.”

“Yes, sir.”

The assistant left the room.

Daeyang System Laboratory in Soowon.

Go Sangjun was busy with the hard test for The One to be released soon.

Beep!

On the screen, which was connected to the phone, the temperature appeared.

34.5 oC.

Go Sangjun looked at it in confusion. “That’s strange.”

He tried on a few more apps.

Beep!

The real-time temperature went up even more.

35 oC.

“Sir, this is strange.”

“Wait a minute. It might be just a temporary blip.”

Everyone nodded and continued to monitor, but the temperature wouldn’t go down.

Suddenly, the phone exploded!

“Chief!”

“Huh?!”

After a small spark, the phone continued to smoke.

Go Sangjun yelled at the workers, “Why are you guys standing around? Get to work! We need to log this incident and figure out what’s wrong!”

Go Sangjun called the development team director immediately. “Sir, The One’s battery exploded during a test.”

“What’s the cause?”

“It is still unclear. I just wanted to report to you right away first.”

“Did it happen at every test?”

“No. This was the first and only time so far.”

The director sighed in relief. “Well, at least that’s good news.”

“Do you think it will be ok to release the phone to the public like this?”

“We only have a week till the launch, and The One has been marketed as the phone with the best battery…” The chief didn’t give a clear answer. He continued, “Try to find out what the problem is, but we need to keep the launch date. If we delay it, we will all lose our jobs.”

Go Sangjun swallowed nervously. He was well aware of how important this phone was to Daeyang.

Jang Gwangchul smiled and asked Woosung, “Do you know how long it took Apple to sell one million iPhones?”

Woosung answered without interest, “About a week?”

“Only three days!”

“Then how about our phone?”

Jang Gwangchul grinned.

Woosung could guess. “2 days?”

“Exactly! We are a huge success! Blue S2 beat iPhone in sales!”

Woosung replied, “I told you so.”

Jung Jinsup kissed Woosung’s cheek.

“I love you, man!”

“So this means there must be a big increase in the number of Coconut users.”

“Over 20 million globally.”

Woosung nodded.

Jang Gwangchul continued, “The mobile carrier business is also going according to plan. We created a corporation already and are in the process of hiring the developers.” Jang Gwangchul calmed down and asked Woosung. “Did you get permission from the government yet?”

“We will once we are ready.”

“Perfect. We are going to be beyond rich!”

Woosung nodded and turned to Hong Soobum, “I think it’s time we go ahead with the Chinese launch. How’s it going there?”

Hong Soobum gave his report nervously.

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Chapter 109: &lt;Sudden decline&gt;

China.

Over 1 billion in population.

Its market was limitless.

“According to my research, HH by Tencent is the most popular messenger in China. It is expected that it will continue its success on smartphones.”

Woosung frowned.

‘I thought WeChat was the most popular messenger in China…Am I remembering it wrong?’

Woosung’s memory of the Chinese market from his previous life was unclear.

Hong Soobum continued, “Mobile market in China is still at its early stage, so I couldn’t find the specifics of which companies are developing new mobile messengers. However, I suspect there are at least a few who are working on it.”

Woosung suddenly remembered.

‘Oh, so that means HH will slowly disappear and the mobile version of WeChat will become the next big messenger.’

Hong Soobum continued, “And I also looked into DJI. They are in the process of developing something called a drone, but not much information is available.”

There was still much time until drones became popular. Woosung nodded.

Hong Soobum added, “And the company called Xiaomi doesn’t exist yet. AliAli is a company that specializes in electronics and it is growing fast. It doesn’t want our investment.”

After mentioning a few more companies, Hong Soobum reported, “And that’s the end of the major Chinese IT companies. I am confident KND’s Blue S and Coconut Talk will become a success in China. As you said before, Woosung, we will be the first to introduce smartphones to the Chinese market.”

Everyone turned to Woosung, who replied, “The most important thing here is customizing our products to fit the Chinese people. China is a communist country and will not easily allow foreign products to succeed.”

Hong Soobum added, “I contacted many of the Chinese government officials to make acquaintances. It will be useful in the future.”

“So you are pretty much ready.”

“Yes. We are also almost done hiring local developers. We also built a factory in China to minimize any objections from the locals.”

“Then let’s arrange the opening ceremony to take place at the end of this month. We’ll all visit China together.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

After the meeting, Woosung greeted a visitor. It was Jung Jinsup. He couldn’t meet Woosung’s eyes. Woosung knew why.

MOX stock was de-listed permanently.

Majority of Jung Jinsup’s money was tied to MOX’s stocks and now he had nothing.

Woosung asked, “So what are you planning to do now?”

Jung Jinsup couldn’t answer. His father was still going through the trial. Jung Jinsup didn’t know what to do.

Woosung told him encouragingly, “You can still make it. Just create another game like Legend, and you will get back on your feet soon.”

Jung Jinsup sighed. He replied, “I am in the process of selling my building and my house. I will be able to get about 60 million dollars for them.”

He owed Woosung 55 million dollars, which meant Jung Jinsup still would have 5 million dollars left. It was still more than Woosung wanted him to have.

“I will pay you back first.”

Woosung’s eyes widened. Did Jung Jinsup borrow from others too?

“Thank you.”

Jung Jinsup sighed again.

Woosung offered quietly, “I will be opening a new company soon. Would you be interested in being a part of it?”

“Are you talking about the mobile carrier business?”

“Not that one. I am referring to the cryptocurrency dealership.”

“Cryptocurrency?”

Jung Jinsup appeared to not know about it.

Woosung explained, “It’s called Bitcoin. It is a new type of currency to achieve decentralization.”

“Bitcoin? Decentralization?”

Jung Jinsup didn’t understand.

Woosung continued, “Just think of it as a new electronic currency. It is to gain people’s trust in transactions and exchange values.”

Jung Jinsup started to understand. He asked sharply, “And are you telling me people trust Bitcoins?”

“Not yet. It is a brand new industry but think about it. What would it be like when it does gain people’s trust? Its value will be limitless.”

Jung Jinsup was still doubtful.

He shook his head and replied, “I still can’t believe it. Even if it works, I can’t believe it will actually be used by regular people.”

Woosung lowered his voice and said quietly, “But there is one more very important thing.”

Jung Jinsup stared at Woosung’s eyes. Woosung was the man who created Blue S and Coconut Service. Jung Jinsup knew he couldn’t take Woosung’s ideas lightly.

Woosung continued, “I am not planning to buy this currency. I am going to create a dealership for it.”

“Dealership?”

“It’s like a stock market where people can buy and sell cryptocurrency. We will charge a transaction fee and that is how we would make money.”

Jung Jinsup started to look interested. Woosung said confidently, “It will happen, mark my word. People will become interested in it, and then different types of cryptocurrencies will be created. There will be a huge need for a dealership. Don’t you agree?”

Jung Jinsup nodded. “Hmm…”

“I am only offering it to you because I believe in your ability.”

“Oh, alright. Just give me some time to think about it.”

“You need to let me know as soon as possible. Bitcoin is at the beginning stage, but once it gains momentum, it will be too late for us.”

Jung Jinsup looked at Woosung hopefully. Woosung grinned. He knew he had Jung Jinsup.

A building near Sunleung Station.

Park Jonghyun shouted as soon as he entered the office. “Why is the office so unorganized? Doesn’t anybody clean it regularly?”

Five employees all turned around to stare at him.

Park Jonghyun asked, “Who is responsible for general affairs?”

A cute woman raised her hand.

Park Jonghyun ordered, “Order my business cards right away. Director Park Jonghyun.”

“Pardon?”

“Have you not heard the news yet from the boss? This is my first day.”

“Oh…”

Her eyes widened. She did remember Alex telling her.

“I will be in the US for a while, so I am sending you someone in my place.”

Then suddenly, someone else walked in the office.

Jung Jinsup.

He ended up accepting Woosung’s offer. Woosung told him he didn’t have to invest until things got better. Jung Jinsup was also to receive a salary.

Park Jonghyun looked at Jung Jinsup and said rudely.

“Wow, look at this. Do you know what time it is?”

Jung Jinsup stared back and asked, “A…are you talking to me?”

“Obviously, you dumb ass, and who do you think I am? I am the Representative Director of this company! Don’t you know who your boss is?”

Jung Jinsup reddened.

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Chapter 110: &lt;Sudden decline&gt;

Jung Jinsup stammered. “A…are you crazy?”

“You are the one who’s crazy. What do you do here?”

“I am a director.”

Park Jonghyun flinched, but then remembered Woosung’s assurance.

“No matter what anyone says, you are the representative of the CEO. This means you are basically the acting CEO until further notice. You are the boss. Don’t forget what your role is in this company.”

Park Jonghyun replied confidently, “Who cares? I am the CEO’s representative.”

They argued like little kids. The other employees laughed at them secretly. Jung Jinsup couldn’t calm down. He had never been treated like this before.

He asked, “You…. Do you know who I am?”

“You just said you are a director here. So what? Is there anything else I need to know?” Jung Jinsup was fuming, but Park Jonghyun continued rudely. “Do you think this is a joke? Don’t you get that I am your boss? This is ridiculous.”

It was now clear, Park Jonghyun was above Jung Jinsup.

Jung Jinsup left the office in anger. He screamed as he walked out, “We’ll see.”

Jung Jinsup called Woosung. “Hey, how could you! That guy is the boss?”

Woosung stopped himself from laughing and replied calmly, “You’re being rude. He is a representative of a major investor and that is why he has that position. You can’t act like that.”

“I can’t do this. Why don’t you buy back the shares you sold to that guy, or open another company?”

Woosung paused so Jung Jinsup thought he was thinking about it seriously.

He then replied, “Having investors minimizes the risks. You know that very well. He belongs to a big investor who also has a lot of influence in US finances. We need him.”

“… But this is unacceptable.”

Woosung raised his voice slightly, “Didn’t I tell you how important it is to have a US connection? He is a very important investor that got me where I am today. I was a mere employee at Nuri Finances only a year ago.” Woosung paused before continuing dramatically. “He made me who I am today. He is the one who taught how to analyze data.”

Jung Jinsup had no reason not to trust Woosung. He said helplessly, “So there is no other choice?”

“If you don’t like it, then you can leave at any time.”

“…”

When there was no answer, Woosung continued, “Don’t you want to reclaim your throne? Just trust me.”

Jung Jinsup finally agreed and hung up.

When he returned to the office, Park Jonghyun said to him callously, “Well, look who came crawling back. GET BACK TO WORK! The number one rule in MY company is excellent time management. Got it?”

Jung Jinsup gritted his teeth, but he walked to his desk.

‘Dammit. I will make you pay for this.’

Woosung laughed as soon as he hung up the phone. “Hahahahaha.”

After the call, Woosung walked into the VIP departure lounge in Incheon International airport.

Jang Gwangchul asked Woosung, “What are you planning now?”

“Hahaha. Nothing.”

“You…”

Woosung could guess what Jang Gwangchul was thinking. “Hahaha, it’s not what you think. It has nothing to do with money.”

“You know you can’t lie to me, right?”

“I know.”

Just then, they heard the announcement for the flight. Woosung and his employees got onto the plane to China. There was a total of eight passengers including Park Byungki, Jang Gwangchul, and Hong Soobum.

Woosung bought first class tickets for everyone. The lower ranking employees murmured among themselves in shock.

“This is my first time ever being on the first-class seat.”

“T…this is amazing.”

“Oh my god, you can lay down!”

“Free drinks! It’s like a hotel.”

“Did you see the meal? We are going to get three-course meals including steaks.”

Park Byungki asked Woosung worriedly, “Is it ok to spend so much of company money like this?”

Woosung answered loudly so everyone could hear him, “It’s ok to do so if it’s necessary. All our employees need to maintain good health for our products to turn out great. This is how we will make our Blue S smartphone the best in the world.”

Jang Gwangchul also added. “By the way, Lee Ari will be joining us for the opening ceremony. As you suggested, we hired her as the spokes model for LetChat service. The commercial will be aired starting next month.”

Woosung asked, “We spent 2 million dollars for her, right?”

Jang Gwangchul stammered, “T…that’s right.”

“And how popular is Lee Ari in China?”

Jang Gwangchul remained quiet. He made a fuss when Woosung made this deal, but it was nowhere near Lee Ari’s worth in China now. After her last TV series became popular in China and other Asian countries, Lee Ari’s popularity was through the roof.

Suddenly, Lee Ari and her manager walked in.

She greeted Woosung, “Long time no see, sir.”

Woosung smiled and replied, “Wow, it has been a while. I haven’t seen you since the day of our TV commercial shoot.”

Her manager smiled awkwardly.

Lee Ari said to Woosung, “That’s right. It was the day you stood me up at a hotel.”

“Ha…ha…That sounds strange when you say it like that.”

“Oh, I’m surprised you care. I apologize.”

Lee Ari replied sarcastically.

Woosung sweated profusely and apologized, “I am so sorry about that. I had a good reason, but it still is unacceptable. I am truly sorry.”

“Haha, it’s alright. I got a good dinner out of it.”

While Woosung smiled uncomfortably, another woman and a man walked in.

Yoo Sona and her manager.

Since she was hired for the Coconut Talk, her popularity has gone up significantly to a point that she was now at the same level as Lee Ari.

When Yoo Sona saw Woosung, she flinched.

Jang Gwangchul grinned and explained, “Oh, I forgot to tell you. I also asked Yoo Sona to join us. She is very popular in China as well. You approve, right?”

Woosung was now sweating visibly. Jang Gwangchul grinned knowingly.

Woosung smiled awkwardly and replied, “Y…yes. Good job.”

Finally, the announcement was made for everyone to take a seat and fasten their seat belts.

The One opening event.

Daeyang’s Choi Taemin attended himself to boost its sales. Jun Taewon whispered to Choi Taemin.

“TK is doing everything it can to make The One’s launch a success.”

“Haha, thank you for your hard work.”

While they chatted, the name of The One’s first buyer was announced.

“Congratulations to Kim Namyoung! You are the first owner of The One. How do you feel?”

“I can’t believe it!”

Choi Taemin hired a famous MC for this event. He wanted to make it into as big of an occasion as possible.

The MC asked excitedly, “So Namyoung, who would you like to call first with your new phone?”

“My parents.”

“Then do it!”

Kim Namyoung dialed. When she placed the phone against her ear, she felt it becoming warm. Quickly, her mother answered.

“Mom, it’s me.”

“Oh, what’s going on?”

“I got the very first The One from Daeyang!”

Suddenly, the phone became too hot for Kim Namyoung. She dropped it, and as the phone hit the ground, it started to smoke.

Everyone stared in shock.

Minus 12%.

That day, Daeyang System’s stock dropped to its lowest price ever.

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Chapter 111: &lt;China&gt;

International Airport in Beijing.

Woosung buttoned up his coat as the cold wind blew harshly.

As he got into the car, his secretary whispered, “The One’s battery blew up.”

“Then let’s increase the marketing budget. This is the best time to promote our phone.”

Jang Gwangchul asked Woosung, “What happened?”

“Apparently The One’s battery exploded at the opening event!”

Everyone’s eyes widened. “What?”

“I guess their plan to create a longer lasting battery backfired.”

Everyone took out their Blue S2 phones and searched for relevant news.

“The One’s battery explosion: What happened?”

There weren’t many news reports, but it was considered a breaking news.

Jang Gwangchul exclaimed, “This is our chance! We need to milk it now!”

Woosung turned to Park Byungki and asked, “Other than increasing the marketing budget, what else should we do?”

“Hmm…”

Park Byungki thought carefully. Unfortunately, there weren’t many things competing companies could do in this kind of situation.

Park Byungki gave a cautious reply, “Why don’t we do another quality test of our own product and slowly increase its production? I can’t think of anything else right now other than that.”

“Alright. Let’s do that.”

Jang Gwangchul suggested excitedly, “Shouldn’t we do a huge TV commercial? This could be a chance to kill Daeyang.”

“Daeyang still has many fans. If we go too big right now, we may look bad in this situation.”

Woosung turned to his secretary and asked, “What is our schedule for this trip?”

“We need to visit the office first and have dinner with the Zhongguancun government official. Tomorrow, we will visit an investor company. The next day, we will attend the opening ceremony, and then there will be a dinner after.”

Tight schedule was planned for this three-day trip.

KND office in China.

Woosung hired a Chinese business man as the CEO for this branch. A new name was given to this company as well to blend in.

The name they came up was LetChat.

It was the same name as the chat program they were developing for the Chinese market.

“As you suggested, the data center has been built in China too. This is essentially a separate company from Korean KND.” Woosung nodded as Hong Soobum continued, “And per your request, we are also developing an app store named Let Store. It will be included in the Chinese Blue S2, which will be launched next month.”

Woosung replied, “There is a rumor that Google will be booted out from China soon. That means the Chinese customers won’t be able to access Google App Store. That could be our chance to replace it with our own app store.”

“Yes, sir.” Hong Soobum nodded.

Woosung turned to the Chinese CEO and asked in fluent Chinese, “Is there anything you need from me?”

Everyone looked at Woosung in surprise.

The CEO replied in fluent Korean, “So far, I am very happy with everything. Thank you.”

Woosung answered in Korean too, “We consider Chinese market to be one of our top priorities.”

“Good. I heard you are planning to have a dinner tonight with the Zhongguancun local authority?”

When Woosung nodded, the CEO added, “It obviously won’t be a simple dinner. You better be ready for it. Chinese people consider saving face to be very important. You better have something big to offer.”

“How much do you think I should gift?”

“At least 100,000 dollars. If you are going to bribe, you better go big.”

It was a lot of money for such a lower ranking government official.

The CEO continued, “I realize it may seem unfair to you, but this is China and it is how it is. If you go smaller, they will be offended.”

“Alright. I will prepare 200,000 dollars.” Woosung decided to double it. He added, “Tell them that if they can connect me to Jang Min, Hu Jintao’s right hand, I will double it again. If they can introduce me to Xi Jinping or Liu He, I will quadruple the amount.”

After the meeting, everyone decided to have some free time on their own. Woosung visited the Beijing university.

“Department of Economics…”

He was looking for Wu Jirin. In his previous life, Wu Jirin was the man who created the cryptocurrency called Bitcoin Terra and ASIC for mining.

Woosung walked into Beijing University’s Economics Department.

“I would like to make a donation for scholarship.”

“P…pardon?”

“I would like to make a donation to thank this university for educating such great students.”

The staff seemed confused and surprised.

Woosung continued quickly, “I would like to donate about 1.5 million dollars. How can I do this?”

When the staff looked flabbergasted, Woosung asked, “I would also like you to find a student for me.”

Beijing University.

It was the best university in China. The head of Economics Department greeted Woosung with a smile.

“Hahaha, I have seen you on TV. It is such an honor to meet you.”

“Haha, you too.”

Across from Woosung was Wu Jirin, who was in his fourth year.

“I heard you want to meet my student Wu Jirin here.”

“Yes, I heard he is to graduate at the top of his class. If possible, I would love to scout him for my company. I will make a donation to the University as a thank-you gesture.”

The head of the department smiled proudly while Wu Jirin looked pleasantly surprised.

Woosung did a quick research on Wu Jirin before coming to the school. Wu Jirin had an excellent grade and was known to be very prideful. He had a sister and his father was a high-ranking government official.

The head of the department said proudly, “He is the best student we have in our school. Haha. He is intelligent, just like his father.”

Wu Jirin nodded with a smile.

The department head asked him, “What do you think? He came all the way here just to meet you.”

Wu Jirin adjusted his glasses and answered, “Thank you for coming here and making such a big donation. I am well aware of KND and its innovative ways. I do have a few concerns though. Can I ask you some questions?”

Woosung nodded.

Wu Jirin continued, “First of all, your company doesn’t have a clear identity. You started out as a smartphone company, but suddenly, you are also doing an internet service business. You are not focused.” Wu Jirin breathed and continued. “You are now preparing to get into the mobile carrier business too. You also are known to have a few different personal businesses on the side. You may do well in all of them for now, but without a clear identity and focus, there is a very good chance your company will disappear soon.”

Wu Jirin was clearly a very intelligent and well-versed young man. Woosung listened calmly.

“In addition, I also researched you, President Kang, and I haven’t found anything about you that was outstanding. The only conclusion I could come up with was that you just have been very lucky so far.”

The department head frowned disapprovingly. He was afraid Wu Jirin’s criticism may cause Woosung to change his mind about the donation.

Wu Jirin continued anyway, “So based on these facts, I don’t find KND to be an attractive company. What do you think, President?”

Woosung looked at Wu Jirin quietly. He was impressed.

Woosung replied, “Do you know the main characteristics of Korean CEOs?”

When Wu Jirin nodded, Woosung continued, “My plan is to grow my company in various different businesses. I am dreaming of making my company the best in the world.”

Wu Jirin didn’t react. He just nodded and listened.

Woosung continued, “The reason I came to you isn’t to get you involved in the existing KND businesses.” Finally, Wu Jirin looked interested.

Woosung said one word. “Bitcoin.”

Wu Jirin’s face became rigid. He knew what it was. Wu Jirin was actually the one who translated the original Bitcoin report into Chinese.

Woosung explained, “I want you to be the head of this business in my company.”

“What do you mean exactly?”

Wu Jirin now looked curious. The department head looked confused.

“Mining, dealership, mining hardware and software, new blockchain technology development, and so on. The possibility is endless. China is very strict with foreign investment and technology. If you become part of my company, you can become the representative of cryptocurrency, which is the future of the financial world.” Woosung added firmly. “Your beginning yearly salary will be 1.5 million dollars.”

It was 200 times the average salary in China.

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Chapter 112: &lt;China&gt;

Shock.

Surprise.

Pleasure.

Woosung could tell Wu Jirin’s emotions clearly on his face. Then suddenly, Wu Jirin looked unconvinced. The offer seemed too good to be true.

Woosung quickly took out the contract he prepared in advance. On the contract was the salary he promised.

Woosung asked him, “Contracts are the foundation of any business relationship.”

Wu Jirin read through the contract carefully with trembling hands. He was still shocked at the number of 1.5 million dollars, but he tried to look calm.

Woosung tried hard not to grin.

Wu Jirin said to him, “It’s…perfect.”

“I had it proofread by a lawyer. It can’t be any better.”

The head of the Economics Department looked at Wu Jirin.

Woosung asked the department head, “Sir, there will be a big need for great people in the near future in IT and economics. I believe that this university is the best place in China to find such people.”

“O…of course.”

“Wu Jirin here is now the representative of Bitchina and he will be responsible for hiring employees for this company. Please take good care of him.”

Wu Jirin hasn’t signed the contract yet, but Woosung shook his hand and said to him.

“I’m happy to be working with you.”

Wu Jirin bowed respectfully.

Wu Jirin followed Woosung when he left the room.

“You are leaving after just giving me the contract?”

“Your salary will be directly deposited starting next month. There is an office ready, so you just have to start showing up there.” Woosung shrugged his shoulders and continued. “I am paying you 1.5 million dollars, which means I shouldn’t have to tell you how to do everything.”

“Then tell me one thing.”

Woosung nodded.

Wu Jirin asked, “Do you really believe Bitcoin will work? Do you think it will replace our corrupted currency system completely?”

Woosung laughed loudly. In his previous life, Wu Jirin was a cold businessman who caused so many people to lose their life savings, but even Wu Jirin was naïve and pure-hearted as a young man.

In 2017 in Woosung’s past life, Wu Jirin encouraged many to invest in his cryptocurrency. At first, the value of it soared exponentially, but quickly, it plummeted to the bottom.

Woosung remembered the event clearly. He was working at Bitmain at the time, and it was a shocking incident.

Many believed this was Wu Jirin’s plan all along. They believed he orchestrated the whole event for personal gain, but there was no proof.

Wu Jirin looked confused. He asked, “Is my question that strange?”

Woosung shook his head. “No. That wasn’t why I laughed. I just thought…I felt like I was seeing myself in you when I was young and pure.”

Wu Jirin still looked confused.

Woosung explained in a more refined tone. “I do believe it can replace the current system, and I think a lot of it will depend on you. You could be the one who decides how Bitcoin turns out.” Woosung patted his shoulder and continued, “Work hard. Don’t worry about money when you are hiring people. I suggest you start with Zhu Ketuan.”

Zhu Ketuan.

He was the developer who actually created the mining system.

Wu Jirin was studying economics, which means he didn’t know much about programming. If he and Zhu Ketuan worked together, there was no stopping them.

Yoo Sona’s agency’s CEO sat in a hotel room nervously.

“Why? Why aren’t they calling for you? I told them clearly that you are willing to do anything.”

Yoo Sona asked sharply, “Are you still wanting me to do ‘that’ even in China?”

They both knew what Yoo Sona was referring to.

The CEO replied, “You can’t relax just because you are popular. This is how you maintain your status. You know Kim Soomin, right? Do you know what she is doing nowadays?”

Yoo Sona remained silent.

Kim Soomin.

She was one of the top actresses in Korea, but she wasn’t seen nowadays. Yoo Sona understood what her boss was saying, but she still didn’t want to do it.

“We already made enough money.”

“Do you hear what you’re saying? Just because you made a little bit of money, you really think that’s enough? It’s not even going to cover your mother’s hospital bill.”

Yoo Sona couldn’t deny it, but she still said to him, “But I don’t want to do it with a Chinese man. I won’t even understand what he is saying.”

“You do whatever you are asked to do. Just shut up. You think you’re so big now?”

Yoo Sona remained silent.

He continued callously, “Don’t forget who made you what you are now. You have a long way to go till you pay back your debt.”

Yoo Sona tried hard not to frown. She looked at her phone. It was a promotional gift Blue S2 given to her for being a model for KND’s TV commercial.

‘I don’t think he asked me to come for that.’

Her boss thought Woosung asked her to join him on this trip for an inappropriate reason, but Yoo Sona thought differently. Woosung didn’t seem like the type who would ask her to do things like that.

On the way to his hotel, Woosung read the messages from Yoo Sona’s boss and frowned unpleasantly.

“She is ready whenever you want her.”

“It doesn’t matter who.”

“Let me know.”

He remembered Yoo Sona’s story. He became angry. He hated seeing her being treated like an object. He remembered her tears that day.

“Maybe I should get into the entertainment business.”

Woosung knew the future. He knew which celebrities would be popular. He also knew which TV shows and reality shows will become successful.

Woosung knew he could make a lot of money in this industry.

Tencent headquarter.

On top of the building was CEO Ma Huateng’s office. He looked at the phone Blue S2 on his desk and asked.

“So Coconut Talk service will be pre-installed on this phone?”

“Yes, and that is how the number of users will increase fast.”

“And how is our project going?”

“We got to the point where emoticons can be used.”

Ma Huateng asked seriously, “Should we give up on HH and start developing a brand new messenger?”

“This is the era of smartphones, which means we need an appropriate messenger for it. Trying to fit HH to it may not work.”

Ma Huateng sighed. It seemed like giving up on HH was the only solution.

His assistant continued, “The problem is WhoChat’s speed can’t compete against Korea’s Coconut.”

“But that’s because Korean internet service is faster.”

His assistant replied carefully, “The thing is…Coconut Talk in Blue S2 is still faster than WhoChat even in China. It is up to 10 times faster.”

“How?”

“Our development team needs to know KND’s server configuration in order to figure it out. So far, what we did is we placed a spy in his Chinese company LetChat as a developer.”

“We can’t lose this. We can’t lose Chinese customers. Don’t forget that.”

His assistant nodded gravely.

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Chapter 113: <China>

LetChat office in Zhongguancun.

Lee Dongjin, a server developer, went down the first floor for a smoke when the local developer, Zaijian, spoke to him in fluent Korean.

“You can smoke in the office. You don’t have to keep going downstairs for it.”

Lee Dongjin smiled awkwardly and replied, “Haha, it’s a habit.”

“Koreans have such good manners.”

“I find Chinese people great too.”

Zaijian continued to ask Lee Dongjin questions to keep the conversation, “The server development is progressing quickly, it is hard to keep up on the client side.”

“Well, it’s because the server development is almost completed already. The only thing left is the infra to fit the local market.”

“I guess Coconut Talk is already up and running, it’s basically the same server.”

“Pretty much. We basically are copying and pasting a lot of it, but I understand that the client side probably has much more work to do.”

Zaijian nodded at Lee Dongjin’s explanation.

Lee Dongjin asked curiously, “By the way, your Korean is amazing.”

“Thank you. I have always been interested in Korea, so I have been studying the language for a long time.”

Zaijian appeared to still have more questions he wanted to ask.

Lee Dongjin smiled and offered, “If you have more questions, please feel free to ask me anything.”

“Well, I am finding LetChat’s speed to be unusually fast. It is so much faster than the local messenger HH, and I don’t understand why.”

“It makes sense that you are curious as a developer.”

“I heard KND’s President Kang Woosung created it. Is that true?”

Lee Dongjin nodded. “That’s right. He developed the server. He also delivered a presentation at the Microsoft MVP Conference. He is famous.”

“MQTT?”

“Yes. He adjusted it slightly to fit the chat service, but of course, MQTT protocol doesn’t make up the entire server.”

Zaijian continued to ask more detailed questions and Lee Dongjin answered as best as he could.

After a long conversation, the two returned to the office.

Lee Dongjin sat down in his chair and sent a text message using the company cell phone.

“LetChat Client Part Lobby Developer Zaijian”

Lee Dongjin was following the protocol taught to him before leaving Korea. Every Korean developer was asked to report to Hong Soobum if any local developers asked about Coconut Talk’s core technology.

***

Hong Soobum read the text.

“Zaijian five times…”

This was the fifth time Zaijian was mentioned by the Korean developers.

He was suspicious.

“Sir, what should we do? Should we let him go?”

Woosung shook his head. “Even if we get rid of him, they will just send another spy. It would be easier for us to keep him. That way, we know who to monitor.”

“This is difficult. I can’t believe we have to worry about things like this on top of everything else.”

“I think we need to create a separate internal information team. I will think about it. Until then, please make sure to protect our technology as best as you can.”

“Of course.”

The Zhongguancun government officials finally arrived. The highest-ranking representative’s name was Mahwacin and he was responsible for controlling local businesses. His power was absolute in this area.

Mahwacin’s face was round with a large forehead.

He shook Woosung’s hand and introduced himself. “I’m Mahwacin.”

“My name is Kang Woosung.”

After a quick introduction, they started the meal.

Mahwacin said to Woosung, “I heard about your donation to Beijing University. I was very happy to hear that, as were my superiors.”

It was a promising start of a conversation. Woosung’s goal now was to earn Mahwacin’s trust.

“I am glad to hear it. I will try to do more in the future.”

“Haha, thank you so much.”

“China is a very important market for KND. I am well aware of its growth potential.”

Mahwacin gulped down his drink and replied, “China will definitely grow and become the center of the world.”

Mahwacin was clearly proud of his country.

Woosung also took a sip of his drink and answered, “And I hope you end up in the center of this country.”

“Haha, thank you. I think your gift will definitely help me to achieve that dream.”

Mahwacin was referring to Woosung’s bribe, which was given before the meal.

Woosung stopped himself from sneering and replied, “There are still so many more ways I can help you. I don’t know if you have heard, but I use the big data analysis to decide major decisions for my company.”

“No wonder your company is doing so well if you study such reliable data.” Mahwacin didn’t seem convinced.

Woosung continued, “There are many uses for big data analysis. It can be used to predict who will win the presidential elections, and what kind of products customers will like…”

Woosung paused, then added. “And also what will happen in China in the future.”

Mahwacin flinched.

Woosung continued quickly, “There is a saying you need to become extra cautious when things look calm.”

“Are you saying I’m in danger?”

Woosung answered, “I am telling you there is a danger coming, and no one in China is ready for it”

The room became silent. Jang Gwangchul and Hong Soobum didn’t know how to react. Mahwacin’s colleagues also remained quiet with uncertainty.

Woosung asked, “Can we talk in private?”

Woosung was a successful businessman who invested 500 million dollars in China recently. There was no reason why Mahwacin wouldn’t want to hear what Woosung had to say. When Mahwacin nodded, everyone left the room.

During an hour of private conversation, Mahwacin never shook his head once. He kept nodding to Woosung’s words earnestly.

***

On their way back to the hotel, Jang Gwangchul asked, “What did you tell him?”

“We just talked about China.”

“What about?”

2010.

Natural disaster.

The city of Yushu will experience an earthquake that ends up causing thousands of deaths. Mahwacin found it hard to believe, but he also couldn’t reject the possibility completely.

“I told him about a few of my dreams. It was the best way for me to gain his trust.”

Hong Soobum looked at Woosung in confusion, but Woosung ignored it.

Jang Gwangchul answered instead, “President Kang dreams of the future ways to make money.”

Hong Soobum still didn’t understand, but that was the end of the conversation.

When Woosung entered his room, he flinched. He saw Yoo Sona sitting on his bed wearing a sexy qipao outfit.

He asked in shock, “S…Sona, what are you doing here?”

Yoo Sona answered coldly, “Didn’t you ask for me to wait for you here?”

There was only one person Woosung knew who would plan something like this.

“That bastard…”

Her boss didn’t have access to his room. It must have been Jang Gwangchul.

Yoo Sona stood up and walked slowly towards Woosung.

She asked, “You must be feeling better?”

Woosung answered nervously, “Not yet.”

Woosung had to stop himself from ogling her.

She was a seductress.

Red qipao and lipstick.

Her skin looked so pale against such bright colors.

She asked slowly, “Then do I need to tell you about my past ordeals again?”

Her voice was so feminine. Suddenly, she touched his shoulder.

“Take your coat off. I will hang it for you.”

Woosung’s mouth felt dry. He felt himself losing his control. With the last thread of his willpower,

Woosung said quickly, “I think there must have been a misunderstanding. Please leave the room now. We can talk later.”

He then pushed Yoo Sona out to the door. He quickly went into the bathroom and took a cold shower.

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Chapter 114: <China>

Yoo Sona stood outside Woosung’s room in shock.

What.

Just.

Happened?

The only answer was rejection.

She was rejected. Yoo Sona was one of the most popular actresses in the country with countless male fans. She couldn’t believe this situation.

“I feel like he is lying to me…But then, he seems serious…”

After shaking her head in confusion, Yoo Sona walked towards the elevator. She stopped when she saw Lee Ari who was frowning at her.

Lee Ari thought distastefully.

‘So the rumor was true.’

“Yoo Sona’s popularity is because of her secret sponsor.”

“She does sexual favors for many powerful men to keep her fame.”

Lee Ari didn’t want to believe Woosung was involved in this unsavory rumor, so she came to his floor to check it. What she saw was Yoo Sona coming out of his room.

‘Whore.’

Lee Ari looked at her in fury. Yoo Sona understood what Lee Ari felt toward her. She had seen similar looks from other members of her idol group. Instead of cowering, Yoo Sona stood straight and walked confidently.

Lee Ari murmured quietly, “Without talent, you will end up losing everything eventually.”

Yoo Sona heard it, but she walked away silently. If she reacted now, it would have been like she was confirming the rumors.

She entered the elevator and her eyes met Lee Ari’s. Before the door closed, Yoo Sona said the line from her famous TV drama out loud.

“You were given everything, but I had to fight for every single thing I have. If you truly are a good person like everyone thinks then couldn’t you let me have this for once?”

Lee Ari remembered this line well. This was the line from the TV drama that made Yoo Sona famous.

Before Lee Ari could respond, the door closed.

***

The city of Yushu.

Chalong, who was the owner of the fruit stall, wasn’t feeling well today.

“Why is this broken?”

The photograph of his family placed on top of a shelf was on the floor in pieces.

“Is today going to be an unlucky day?”

He didn’t want to go to work today, but he had no choice.

“I’m off to work, honey.”

He said to his wife, who was busy with their 4-year-old son.

“Here is your lunch box.”

She made his lunch from scratch every day. She was a good cook.

He grabbed the fruit wagon and started walking. He quickly began sweating as he pulled it up the hill.

When he finally arrived at the market and started arranging the fruits, he heard a loud noise.

It was indeed an unlucky day for him. The building in front of him suddenly started collapsing to the ground.

“Dammit…”

He swore and started running towards his house.

***

Woosung was visiting the Chinese companies he invested in. Woosung knew these companies would be successful in the future.

It was nice to see so many talented people working hard. He talked to them earnestly and gave helpful pieces of advice. They looked at him in awe.

DJI.

VIPshop.

Xiami.

Suddenly, Woosung’s smartphone rang loudly.

“Hello, sir. Yes. Alright. I will get to it. Yes.”

Woosung hung up and called his secretary. “Get the Red Angel Team involved right away and offer our building near the City of Yushu for use. Make a donation of 10 million dollars under the name of KND.”

“Yes, sir.”

His secretary bowed and disappeared.

The others asked Woosung, “What happened?”

“There has been an earthquake in Yushu city. It was in a 7.1 level. I am expecting many deaths, unfortunately…Probably thousands…”

Everyone looked at him in shock.

Hong Soobum asked, “How do you know that?”

“You can get environmental data from the UN and NASA. It contains a lot of information about what is happening on earth.”

No one seemed to understand what he was saying.

Woosung continued, “I analyzed the data on past big earthquakes and was able to predict Yushu will be devastated by an earthquake. I expected it to happen sometime soon, and apparently, it was today. I told this to Mahwacin yesterday so he hadn’t had the chance to get prepared for it, unfortunately.”

“S…so?”

“So I ordered my building and supplies to be donated to help. I also ordered a large donation. We may have to cancel our opening ceremony tomorrow.”

Jang Gwangchul was getting goosebumps. Hong Soobum kept starting at Woosung in surprise. Park Byungki still could not understand the situation.

“You are saying you predicted the earthquake based on the data?”

Before Woosung could answer, a car approached them quickly. It was a custom vehicle from the Chinese government.

“Please come with me. Mahwacin has requested your presence.”

The driver opened the door for Woosung as he explained.

***

The city of Yushu.

Overa hundred disaster relief agents from Korea sat around in a hotel room and chatted.

“This is awesome. Nothing is happening right now and we will still get paid 5000 dollars for this trip. He must be a very rich man.”

“Haha, I know. We got here on a private jet and get to tour China for free. This is an awesome job.”

“I agree.”

The room was filled with expensive equipment including helmets and first-aid kits.

“Our monthly salary is 4000 dollars plus we get paid 5000 dollars for every international trip. Kang Woosung must be a super rich guy.”

“Haven’t you heard of KND? It’s the company that sells the popular cell phone. I guess he wants to do good deeds with all his money.”

“Well, good for him.”

Suddenly, one man’s eyes widened.

“W…wait. Did you hear that?”

Their radios started to blink red as the order came in.

“Red Angel, Red Angel. Everyone needs to get ready for Protocol One.”

“Red Angel, Red Angel. Everyone needs to get ready for Protocol One.”

Over a hundred agents in red fire suit ran out of the hotel.

***

Woosung arrived at the government building in record time. Every car on the street recognized the government vehicle and moved aside for it to pass.

Mahwacin was standing outside the building waiting for Woosung.

“What is happening with the disaster relief team?”

Woosung replied, “I have ordered them to get to it right away. It’s happening as we speak. The emergency supplies and donations will arrive soon too.”

“Thank you so much. The government will show you our gratitude very soon.”

“Haha, of course, we should help each other.”

As they spoke, their phones rang nonstop. The TV nearby was reporting live about the disaster site. Many men wearing red fire suits were seen helping people in need.

However, no Chinese agents were seen yet.

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Chapter 115: <China>

Red Angel’s leader Ban Jihwan.

Ban Jihwan first met Woosung last year on November 9th at the Fire Fighters’ event. Woosung attended the ceremony created to thank firefighters and made a big donation. There, he told Ban Jihwan of his plan for a team named Red Angel. Woosung offered a generous salary as the job involved the dangers of saving lives during natural disasters.

The average salary of a firefighter was about 3,000 dollars for 280 hours of work per month. Woosung offered the base salary of 7,000 dollars per month plus 10,000 dollars extra for any direct involvement in the disaster relief effort.

For every life saved, he would pay 1,000 dollars.

This was a very attractive offer. Ban Jihwan accepted the job immediately.

“Stop fooling around and do the CPR right now!”

Ban Jihwan resuscitated a woman and moved onto the next victim as he ordered his members. The interpreter followed him around and explained to the locals what was happening and what needed to be done.

“There is a little girl trapped here!”

Someone yelled desperately. Ban Jihwan ran to the site posthaste and noted that the area was not safe with an unsupported concrete wall nearby.

Ban Jihwan shouted, “Everyone back away from the wall.”

Ban Jihwan moved carefully. He believed one could never be too cautious in situations like this. He checked the area thoroughly while he yelled words of reassurance at the girl in Chinese.

“I will save you very soon.”

Ban Jihwan finally got to the girl and extended his hand towards her. When she grabbed him, he pulled her out.

Meanwhile, everything was being recorded by news reporters.

Chinese government not only ruled the land but also controlled the internet. Facebook and Twitter were not allowed in China. Only the Chinese SNS Weibo was available.

On Weibo, news outlets reported the Yushu city situation everywhere.

Media sources uploaded real-time photos continuously. Most of the said photos included men in red fire suits saving lives. They were running into burning buildings and other dangerous sites to help the victims of the earthquake.

“Who are these men? They got to the disaster location before Chinese firefighters.”

“Aren’t they the Chinese disaster relief agents?”

“I think I recognize them. They’re the Special Fire Man.”

“I am a firefighter and I have never heard of Special Fire Man.”

“That’s why they are special.”

“The important thing now is these men in red suits are saving hundreds of lives.”

A small news report came up online.

“KND forms a disaster relief team.”

In the news article were photos of the dangerous situation in Yushu City. However, the comments and the news article disappeared at an unprecedented speed. It was due to the efforts of the Chinese Government to censor the entire affair.

***

Woosung was reading this article with a proud smile when he exclaimed.

“Huh?”

The article disappeared on Weibo. Woosung turned on the TV and watched the news. The live footage was showing a surprising new headline.

“Chinese special firefighters on site to save lives.”

“So far, 1000 fatalities confirmed.”

“Thanks to the government’s quick action, many lives saved already.”

KND or Red Angel weren’t mentioned at all. The report made it seem like the Chinese government was the hero. Mahwacin, who was nearby as he watched the report with Woosung, explained.

“Don’t think too much about it. This is how things work in China. If you want to do business here, then accept it.”

It sounded like a mild threat.

‘Bastards.’

However, there was nothing he could do about it. After a few minutes of silence, Mahwacin stood up and announced.

“They are here.”

Liu He and other government officials walked into the room.

The future leader of China was Xi Jinping.

However, the actual brain behind him was Liu He.

He was one of the people Woosung wanted to meet. Woosung bowed deeply and introduced himself.

“I am Kang Woosung.”

Liu He smiled with a pleased look. “Nice to meet you. I am Liu He. I heard you have provided a lot of help for the Yushu city.”

“I just wish I could have done more. I wish I could have told you the exact time of the earthquake as well. I apologize.”

“Haha, predicting it alone was amazing.”

“I am so honored you came here in person.”

Woosung said respectfully. Liu He studied Woosung as he replied. “We are appreciative of all your help.”

Many foreign businesses were dying to get into the Chinese market. Woosung was one of them, but the difference was Liu He would remember him now because of what occurred today.

“I heard you used big data analysis to predict the earthquake.”

“It’s not always this accurate. I was very lucky this time.”

Liu He narrowed his eyes and asked, “Luck…Do you think you will continue to be lucky?”

“Most likely.”

“Then it’s not luck, it’s your skill.”

“At this point, it doesn’t matter. What counts is saving as many lives as possible.”

“Then I assume you don’t care who saves these lives, or who people think saved lives?”

Liu He looked at Woosung intently. It was a test.

Woosung didn’t hesitate for a second. He answered quickly, “Of course. Who cares as long as lives are saved!”

Liu He laughed loudly. “Hahaha, for such a young person, you are very understanding. I am envious of Korea for having someone great like you.”

Woosung replied.

“Big data’s uses are limitless. This is only one of the many things it can do.”

“What else did you learn from it?”

Many people had asked Woosung this same question countless times before. He was starting to get tired of it.

“Sir, I am a businessman.”

Liu He frowned but remained silent.

Woosung continued quickly, “But for the brain behind the future general secretary, I am willing to provide you with some information.”

Woosung said boldly. He just made a strong claim that Xi Jinping would become the general secretary of China. It would happen in 2 years.

Liu He stared at Woosung for a second, then asked, “And is that also from the data analysis?”

Woosung tapped his head and answered, “Based on MY analysis of the data.”

Liu He now seemed interested. “Continue.” He nodded for Woosung to go on.

“China will grow at least 10% every year. It will become the second biggest country after America.”

Liu He smiled proudly, but as Woosung continued, he became rigid.

“But the pollution will become a serious problem soon with the new factories. Your crops will grow dangerously unhealthy.” When Liu He tried to argue, Woosung continued quickly. “But with Xi Jinping, I have no doubt China will swiftly recover. That is why I prepared this gift for you.”

The room became tense. Woosung asked.

“If you don’t like my gift, you can return it right now. I can pull back my team immediately.”

As no one spoke, the only sound in the room now was the sound from the news, which continuously reported of the heroes in red suit saving Chinese lives.

“The total fatality so far has been confirmed to be 2,300. This is one of the worst disasters in recent Chinese history.”

“Thanks to our government, people are being saved quickly.”

“Already, hundreds of victims have been saved by these angels in red.”

“They are the true heroes of our country.”

***

After Woosung left, Liu He asked, “Can we trust him?”

“Based on my research, he is clean. I think you can trust his words.”

“He wants our help to get into our market.”

“Yes.”

“And he formed a disaster relief team for this earthquake just to get his business into the Chinese market.”

It was hard to believe. It was also shocking to hear Woosung claiming Xi Jinping’s future with such certainty. It was a likely situation based on how things went so far, but it’s far from being a certainty.

“He offered to quadruple his gift if I introduce him to you, Liu He.”

“He is a businessman, so clearly he is very wealthy.”

“And he is also very intelligent. Why don’t we go with it? We can give him what we can and use him. We need more money if we want to win against Hu Jintao.”

Money.

They needed money.

“Tell him we’ll do it.”

Mahwacin bowed.

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Chapter 116: <China>

The opening ceremony was canceled, but the dinner planned by Mahwacin was still on. Woosung realized that Mahwacin was not so low ranking as he first thought after all.

Tencent’s Ma Huateng.

Aliali’s Chungwin.

All the CEOs of the major companies in Zhongguancun attended the event. Woosung glanced at Ma Huateng.

‘That’s the guy.’

He looked sly. Woosung could feel Ma Huateng checking him out as well.

‘Obviously he hates me…Well, I did steal the game League of Ancient.’

There was no firm proof, but Woosung strongly suspected Zaijian was a spy sent by Tencent.

Mahwacin took Woosung around to introduce him to everyone.

“This is Kang Woosung from KND. Say hello to Chungwin of AliAli.”

AliAli.

It was the biggest electronics company in China.

“Nice to meet you. I am the CEO of KND, Kang Woosung.”

“My name is Chungwin.”

Chungwin took out his smartphone from his pocket.

“Blue S2. I am using it myself. I really wanted to meet the man behind such a great product.”

“I have heard great things about AliAli as well.”

“I am flattered, but I think it’s your company that is truly great and innovative”

“It is no flattery, and as for my company, I have been…”

Woosung was about to say he was lucky, but he stopped himself. He had been saying the same thing to everyone. Woosung thought perhaps it was time to change his attitude.

“All I did was provide adequate support for my amazing employees.”

Chungwin smiled and replied, “Haha, then I must try harder to be more like you.”

After a quick chat with Chungwin, Mahwacin continued to take Woosung around the room.

There were so many important and successful CEOs. Some were familiar, while others were new to Woosung.

During the event, Woosung realized why Mahwacin was doing this.

He was keeping his promise of ‘connecting’ Woosung to people he needed to know in order to do business in China.

Woosung could feel Mahwacin’s good intention.

“This is Ma Huateng, CEO of Tencent, famous for the HH messenger.”

Woosung shook Ma Huateng’s hand firmly.

“I am KND’s CEO Kang Woosung.”

Woosung could feel Ma Huateng taking his hand firmly too. He could also feel Ma Huateng’s rage.

“I am Tencent’s Ma Huateng. Nice to meet you. I heard your messenger Coconut Talk is doing very well in Korea. I would be grateful for any helpful advice from you.”

Ma Huateng’s lips were smiling, but his eyes were cold.

Fake smile.

“Haha, I am sure you don’t need anything from me. I heard your company is doing very well on its own.”

“My company is trapped in China, but Coconut Talk has gone international. Oh, I also heard you are developing a messenger called LetChat for China.”

“That’s right. I created a brand new China-specific company separate from KND. I wanted to make sure I follow Chinese laws and rules perfectly.”

Ma Huateng didn’t mention the app store development. It was probably because he didn’t know Google would soon leave China.

‘By the time you realize it, it will be too late.’

Woosung hid his smile and continued, “I hope we become good competitors.”

Just then, Lee Ari stepped up to the stage with a microphone.

Many of the men in the room were in their 30’s. When they saw Lee Ari, their eyes glowed.

“Hello. I am Lee Ari. I thought I should start with a quiet song considering the recent event.”

Lee Ari continued in a professional. She also spoke in fluent Chinese.

As the music began, she started singing “Quiet Night”. It was her most popular song.

‘I can’t believe I am hearing this live.’

Woosung felt proud. He became so successful that he was at an event where a famous singer sang live.

Lee Ari sang like a goddess.

When she finished and bowed lightly, she received a standing ovation. Ma Huateng also couldn’t take his eyes off her.

She was wearing a fragile white dress and blood-red lipstick. She looked exquisite.

She was usually paid tens of thousands of dollars for an event and Woosung could understand why. He looked around and the men were gawking at her.

‘They must all be Lee Ari’s fan, including Ma Huateng.’

It was no wonder. Lee Ari was nicknamed ‘the goddess’ in China.

As Lee Ari started stepping down from the stage, Ma Huateng raised his hand.

“Encore!”

Lee Ari smiled as brightly as she could and replied.

“I’m sorry, but we are out of time, unfortunately. Perhaps next time.”

Ma Huateng looked at her with a disappointed gaze. When Lee Ari sat beside Woosung, Ma Huateng’s eyes widened.

Woosung said to Lee Ari, “Good job. I love your voice. I can hear your voice has matured since the last time you released your record.”

Lee Ari answered coldly, “I’m surprised you had the time to listen to my songs and compare. I thought you were too busy.”

Woosung couldn’t understand her meaning. When he tried to ask her, the lights in the room dimmed and Yoo Sona started singing on the stage.

She sang a Chinese song titled “Sweet”.

Her accent was near perfect. Woosung could tell how hard she practiced for this day.

Yoo Sona also danced lightly. She was again wearing a revealing qipao, which made the audience wild.

One of the businessmen stood and climbed up the stage. The bodyguards tried to push him out, but he was persistent. Mahwacin frowned angrily.

Yoo Sona left the stage earlier than planned because of this incident.

She asked Woosung, “Did people not like my singing?”

Woosung glanced at the audience. The problem clearly was that they liked her too much.

Instead of answering, Woosung offered. “The steak tastes great. Why don’t you try it?”

Yoo Sona frowned at Woosung’s attempt to avoid answering her question. Lee Ari smirked secretly. Yoo Sona ate a piece of steak anyway.

Woosung asked her, “How is it?”

“It’s ok.”

“Of course it’s great. It was made with the best meat by the best chef in China.”

Yoo Sona nodded. Lee Ari also ate a piece of steak.

Woosung explained. “I think you two are like great chefs. You use singing and acting as your ingredients and cook it to cater to the audience.” Woosung looked at both of them and asked, “What do you think makes a good chef?”

Lee Ari answered first, “Graduating from a great culinary school.”

Yoo Sona’s answer was different. “Trying your best to achieve your goal?”

“Both answers are correct. There are many different ways to become the top chef. However, my answer is a little bit different.” Both women concentrated on Woosung as he continued. “The answer is meeting the customer with the best taste. Only then could a chef hear an honest and accurate review of his or her food.”

Lee Ari asked, “So what are you trying to say?”

“I am that customer with the best taste. I can also provide you with the best ingredients. What do you think?”

They both suddenly realized what Woosung was saying. He was trying to scout them. Yoo Sona nodded without hesitation.

“Will you take care of my debt to my current agency, and also any future legal disputes?”

“Of course. I believe in your potential, Sona. I will take care of everything.”

Yoo Sona smiled in relief, while Lee Ari looked uncomfortable.

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Chapter 117: <China>

Lee Ari said to Woosung awkwardly, “This is so sudden. I assume you are saying KND will be getting into the entertainment industry?”

“I will be building a comprehensive agency, which will include music and making movies and TV shows. Have you heard of Netflix?”

Both women shook their heads. It was not available in Korea yet, but it was a fast-growing business worldwide.

Woosung explained, “It is a company that shows videos online. I will be adding the management department on top of that.”

Lee Ari asked, “So it’s like YouTube.”

“YouTube offers free videos uploaded by the users. What I will do is provide videos for a fee. Unlike YouTube, which relies on ads for profit, my company will have paying users.”

Woosung answered sincerely. He was a big fan of Lee Ari, and he really wanted her to join his agency.

“Sona, do you have any other conditions you would like to add?”

Yoo Sona hesitated, but Woosung understood immediately.

He answered quickly, “Don’t worry about that. You will never have to do anything you don’t want to.”

Yoo Sona bit her lips. Her eyes welled up. She tried her best not to cry.

Clap!

Suddenly, Woosung clapped his hands and winked at Yoo Sona understandingly.

He then asked Lee Ari, “Ari, what do you think?”

Yoo Sona got her emotion under control. Lee Ari could guess what Woosung and Yoo Sona were talking about.

She answered, “I may not know much about business, but I know you need to make thoughtful decisions and have total focus. Don’t you think getting into so many different industries will be your downfall someday?”

“Some people think that, but I don’t believe that.” Woosung grinned and continued. “I can do anything.”

Yoo Sona suddenly felt subtle darkness radiating from within Woosung. She shivered and looked at him. She wondered if she could really trust Woosung.

Mahwacin approached their table and asked, “Haha, what are you guys talking about so seriously?” He spoke in Chinese.

Woosung answered in the same language, “We were talking about my company.”

Both women’s eyes shined at Woosung’s flawless Chinese.

“Your secret to success must be to never stop working, Woosung.”

“I am trying to give up that habit, but it’s very hard.”

Two women looked at Woosung with interest. Women loved successful men.

Mahwacin said to Woosung, “But you should always think of your health too. Your work is only beginning in China.”

“Thank you for your concern. I won’t let you down.”

“I think this is the end of this evening. I will contact you later with more details.”

“Call me anytime. I will wait for you.”

***

When Woosung returned to his hotel, he called for Jang Gwangchul.

After Woosung’s explanation, Jang Gwangchul said to him weakly, “Sure, why not.”

Jang Gwangchul knew by now Woosung would do whatever he wanted without his approval anyway. Besides, everything Woosung had tried so far had been a huge success.

“I want the headquarter to be in Chungmuro, so please purchase an appropriate building.”

“Will you start this company with your own personal money again?”

“Do you want to invest? Once it gets listed in the stock market, I guarantee your profit will be over 100%.”

Jang Gwangchul said to the confident Woosung, “So you will start making smaller movies and TV shows, then get into the management business. Eventually, you want it to become something like a mixture of Netflix, Fox, and HBO?”

“Haha, yup. Have you heard of something called a comprehensive channel? With Lee Sunghyun, I should be able to get a TV channel for this company.”

Jang Gwangchul closed his eyes and asked, “And you are probably thinking of taking this company to the international market too.”

“Of course. Oh, and I forgot to mention that we need to purchase Spotify.”

“The free music streaming service?”

“Yes. The current Korean streaming service Grapefruit will never survive the world market, But bringing Spotify into Korea would be easy, just like Facebook and Google.”

“So your company will be truly comprehensive.”

“Yoo Sona already accepted my offer. I have a good feeling Lee Ari will also be convinced too.”

“Then why not just take over Lee Ari’s management company, Top Entertainment? You can keep the current chairman Moon Yongjun as the CEO.”

Woosung thought carefully. “Is he someone who could be trusted?”

“I will look into it.”

Jang Gwangchul stood up to leave, but Woosung grabbed him. “One more thing.”

“Gosh, stop creating more work for me! I’m dying here.”

“Sir, I am doing this to make it easier for you.”

“Fine. Tell me.”

“I think we need to make a separate information department.”

“Like the Daeyang Economics Lab?”

Woosung nodded. “We need a reliable internal department that can gather various information and analyze them. Like looking into Moon Yongjun.”

“Why don’t you ask for Lee Sunghyun for help? He must know a lot of NIS agents.”

“What if those agents give Lee Sunghyun information about us?”

Jang Gwangchul coughed. “Umm…You’re right.”

“We need people we can trust. Don’t you know some reliable people?”

“Fine. I will look into it.”

Woosung stood up and gave Jang Gwangchul a big hug. Jang Gwangchul stammered in surprise.

“W…what are you doing?”

“Do you remember that day when we decided to create our own company?” Jang Gwangchul remembered. He trembled as Woosung explained, “I know very well how hard you have worked for me, but look at where we are. We are doing business in China! Did you ever think we would come this far?”

Jang Gwangchul couldn’t answer.

Woosung continued, “It has been less than a year and we have come so far. Blue S is selling like hotcakes and Coconut Talk is being used worldwide. Soon, China will be ours too.” Woosung stepped back slowly and added, “It won’t take very long. Just a little bit longer, and our empire will be complete. We will become so big companies like Daeyang will cower before us.”

Jang Gwangchul replied quietly but firmly, “Is that the future you saw in your dream?”

“So far.”

“Fine. I get it. I will do my best.”

“Haha, thank you. I know I can count on you.”

“And…” Jang Gwangchul paused before continuing. “Thank you.”

“…pardon?”

“I admit we came a lot further than I could ever imagine.”

Woosung added, “And we will go much further.”

Jang Gwangchul nodded. He believed it. He was sure of it.

***

Incheon International Airport.

Many reporters were waiting in anticipation.

“Are you sure he is coming back today?”

“For sure. Why would they lie to me?”

“Then what is taking him so long?”

“Just be patient.”

The earthquake in Yushu didn’t interest the Korean public much, but the efforts of the Red Angel Team did.

Once it became known that it was a team created by a Korean company KND, people became fascinated.

The media was all over it, and that was why so many reporters were waiting at the airport.

“Maybe he already left through the VIP exit.”

Then suddenly, someone yelled.

“Oh, there he is!”

Ban Jihwan was the first to come out. He was a big muscled man. The reporters crowded him and asked.

“Is it true that your team was waiting on site in advance?”

“How did he know there was going to be an earthquake?”

“Is it true your team was waiting in a hotel room?”

“Does KND have an earthquake detector?”

The biggest question was this.

“How did he know he needed to wait in the city of Yushu?”

Ban Jihwan gave the answer prepared for him by Woosung. “I just followed my CEO’s order.”

“Are you referring to Kang Woosung?”

“Yes.”

“Then it’s true that Kang Woosung sent your team to Yushu city three days before the earthquake? Because he knew it would happen?”

“I guess so.”

At Ban Jihwan’s vague answer, the reporters became frustrated.

“This is very important. Please answer the question.”

They were being pushy. Ban Jihwan became angry. Even when he was a firefighter, reporters treated him like this. They were rude and aggressive.

Ban Jihwan raised his voice. “The important thing is…!”

The reporters quieted down.

“…That there were so many people we couldn’t save. There are people still buried under buildings somewhere unknown to us. Lives matter the most, but it seems like you people don’t care. I have no more to say.”

He then walked away. KND’s bodyguards made a way for him and Ban Jihwan quickly disappeared.

Lee Sunghyun turned off the TV.

Oh Hoon, the current mayor of Seoul who was in the middle of re-election, asked, “Is this your friend’s work?”

Lee Sunghyun nodded. “He said I am in the lead by a little.”

“His analysis ability is uncanny.”

“When will I be able to meet him?”

“He is actually on his way here right now.”

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Chapter 118: <National Core Technology>

Oh Hoon.

Woosung remembered seeing him on TV in his previous life.

Oh Hoon said to Woosung, “I heard a lot about your data analysis skill.”

Lee Sunghyun nodded.

Woosung answered, “Thank you.”

“I wish we could have met sooner but we have been both very busy.”

Oh Hoon sounded genuine. It was no wonder he was a successful politician. His words sounded sincere and kind.

“I should have visited you sooner. I apologize.” Woosung said to him respectfully.

Oh Hoon replied, “Should we get to the business on hand? I heard you think I will be re-elected?”

“Yes. Currently, my analysis tells me you will win but only by a little. Unlike the Democratic Party’s Han Minsook, you have already proven your skill as the mayor of the capital city. You have made the city better with natural gas public buses and building a customer support service to hear the public’s suggestions and complains. Most people like the improvements you made.”

Woosung complimented him, but Oh Hoon wanted more. “Can I hear the specifics? How did my work affect people exactly?”

“Firstly, when I search your name on Google, one of the most popular relevant terms that come up is the public call center. The public’s reviews all state how convenient it is for them.” Woosung took a deep breath and continued. “I collected the positive and negative words that came up with your name online and compared them. I did the same for Han Minsook too.”

Oh Hoon looked at Woosung with interest.

Woosung continued. “I also collected the public’s countless comments about you and the other candidate. What I came up with was based on all of these data, but remember, I am not saying I am giving you data that speaks with a hundred percent certainty. It is all about the game of numbers.”

Oh Hoon suddenly looked disappointed. Lee Sunghyun’s eyebrows flinched.

Woosung continued. “But to be honest, I have never been wrong so far. I have made many predictions and they all turned out to be accurate.”

Both Oh Hoon and Lee Sunghyun brightened once again, but their frowns returned after hearing Woosung’s next words.

“But then, perhaps I made things to happen my way and that is why I have been right so far.”

Woosung said it with a hint of mystery.

He was implying he could make things happen.

Oh Hoon smiled again and replied, “Haha, no wonder Lee Sunghyun recommended you. Make things happen…And do you think you can make the election result go my way?”

“If the reward is big enough.”

“Hahaha, you’re a true businessman. What would you like me to do for you?”

Woosung answered slowly. “You must feel the world changing. The era of hardware is gone and IT technology is the new future.”

“Are you talking about smartphones?”

“Not only that. I was also thinking even more progressively.”

Lee Sunghyun looked at Woosung in confusion. Oh Hoon also looked curious.

Woosung asked, “Do you know the bus-only lane?”

Both nodded. It was the previous mayor’s crowning achievement.

“The goal was to make sure the public transportation gets to its destination faster. Another improvement was the Transportation Card system.”

Both nodded again.

Woosung continued. “This was why the low-income citizens loved this idea. Subway used to cost 90 cents and another 90 cents for the bus separately. However, with the card system, they now only have to pay 90 cents for both the subway and the bus fee.”

Oh Hoon asked impatiently, “I know all that. So what are you trying to say?”

“If I go to a convenient store and load my Transportation Card with my credit card, 2% fee is charged by the VAN (Value Added Network).” Oh Hoon and Lee Sunghyun appeared to be ignorant of this fact. Woosung continued. “Currently, the reload system involves the VAN and the credit card company sharing this 2% fee. This was created before the internet became widespread, but at this point, this is unnecessary and is costing the public.”

Oh Hoon asked quickly, “So do you have a solution to replace the VAN?”

“I also think the fee is too expensive.”

“So?”

“I recommend a new system. You can call it Seoul Pay or S Pay for short. It will replace VAN. It will also decrease the fee to 1% maximum and as low as 0.5%. This will benefit the public a great deal.”

Oh Hoon seemed unconvinced. “But if that’s possible, why wouldn’t it have been applied already?”

“Before now, we didn’t have the technology or the funds for it. Not to mention, the main problem was due to the many small businesses that won’t support the idea.”

Lee Sunghyun glared at Woosung. This was something new and he didn’t like to be surprised like this.

Oh Hoon asked again unconvinced, “Are you sure?”

“Can I show you right now?”

“I would love that.”

Woosung made a quick call, and his assistant brought in various items with bar codes and the POS machine.

***

Woosung showed many examples. When he took the POS onto the Blue S2 phone, it beeped with an alert that said the transaction was completed. One could also check the transaction history right away.

“You can use the existing POS system or the ones that can be provided by KND.”

“By using S Pay, you will earn S Coin, but you will get less of it as your fee will be less as well?”

“That’s right, and if they want to cash their S Coins, they can do it at any KND POS stations or through my new company Bitmain at the rate of 1:1.”

“I don’t see that much of a difference between S Coin and the existing credit card reward points.”

“The main differences are the security and the future value of the coins. Firstly, I will be using blockchain, which is a new technology.” Woosung brought out the paperwork he prepared. “This is the proof that it is a superior system.”

Oh Hoon nodded earnestly. Woosung could tell it was almost a done deal.

“The second advantage is the value of the coins. These S Coins could become more valuable in the future.”

Both men’s eyes widened. “How?”

“You are probably aware of how popular Blue S2 is currently.” Woosung continued. “I am planning on creating another line of luxury phones. For examples, Blue S2 Diamond and Gold. They will be limited editions. They will also have KND services included in the phone for free. These phones could be purchased only through the use of S Coins.”

Oh Hoon rubbed his chin.

Woosung added. “Of course this plan does not have to be disclosed immediately to the public. The first thing will be to sell this idea by emphasizing the advantage of fee reduction. I think this will be the way for you to win this election with 100% certainty.”

“It sounds like your idea is an innovative system that can be applied anywhere. It doesn’t actually have to start in Seoul. It almost feels like I should be asking you for it, rather than you suggesting it to me.”

“As a matter of fact, I was going to launch it in America first, but I wanted it to be applied in working condition as soon as possible. A nationwide application would take too long, but if we start in Seoul first, it could yield results immediately. Once the people see how beneficial it is, it will spread like wildfire nationwide. I can then take it overseas.”

Woosung added. “What I want is to prove this system a sense of speed and security. What you will get is a lasting achievement as the mayor of Seoul. Who knows? This could get you even further in your career.”

Oh Hoon looked excited.

Every Korean politician’s dream was to become the President of Korea.

He asked, “Are you confident about your plan?”

“I just proved it to you.”

“S Pay. S Coin.”

“Seoul Pay. Seoul Coin. This could be your shining legacy.”

Oh Hoon nodded again. There was no room for Lee Sunghyun to join between Oh Hoon and Woosung.

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Chapter 119: <National Core Technology>

After the meeting.

Lee Sunghyun murmured disappointedly, “If you had a good suggestion like that, I wish you would have told me in advance. I could have helped you in selling the idea…”

“This technology is very high level and innovative. I needed to keep everything a secret for security reasons. I’m sorry.”

“Well, I guess you’re right.”

Woosung changed the subject quickly. “I am especially sensitive because a Chinese company has already planted industrial spies in KND.”

“Industrial espionage?”

“That’s right. They must have wanted to steal our smartphone and Coconut Talk technologies. There are at least three spies I know of so far.”

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier? As a matter of fact, I could designate your company’s technologies as a national core technology so they can be protected by the NIS.”

“I didn’t want to bother you again. I have been getting so much help from you recently…”

“I understand that but…Well anyway, if you have a problem like that again in the future, please let me know. Losing such important technologies to other countries would be detrimental to Korea. Your company has tens of thousands of employees in Korea so far. Anything that affects your company affects our country’s economy. Don’t forget that.”

“Alright, and…”

Woosung hesitated. Lee Sunghyun understood immediately and replied.

“Ok. I will check it right away.”

After Lee Sunghyun left, Woosung got into his car and headed to the office in Sungleung where Park Jonghyun and Jung Jinsup worked.

***

Nuri Finances headquarter.

The general manager walked into Shin Semi’s office on the tenth floor.

“Advisor, Mayor Oh asked us to examine technologies called blockchain and S Coin. He also asked to check on the method of making payments with cell phones.”

“Making payments with cellphones? Blockchain?”

“That’s right. We are currently studying them at our own research facility and investigating about blockchain.”

These were new concepts to Shin Semi. Paying with your cell phone? Also, what was blockchain?

“Where did Mayor Oh hear about these technologies?”

“He didn’t tell us. He just mentioned making payments with your cell phone on the POS machine and getting a reward point called S Coin.” The general manager continued before Shin Semi could ask any questions. “And he also asked about the possibility of transactions without the VAN. I think he must be thinking about reducing the transaction fees as part of his campaign.”

“I can’t quite understand. Is he referring to something like mobile banking?”

“I asked that, but he said no. It sounded like something completely new.”

“So someone came up with brand new inventions and showed them to the mayor?”

Shin Semi thought carefully. She could guess who it was.

‘Now that I think about it, Lee Sunghyun is part of Mayor Oh’s election campaign.”

This also happened when Woosung returned to Korea. This couldn’t be a coincidence.

“Find out where KND’s Kang Woosung is right now.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

***

Bitmain office in Sungleung.

Park Jonghyun threw the report onto the desk.

“You call this a plan? I thought you graduated from the top university in Korea, yet this is the best you can do?”

When Seoul University was mentioned, Jung Jinsup glared angrily.

“I made the adjustments you requested from the last plan, so what is the problem?”

Jung Jinsup fumed at being in this situation. The only reason he was still working here was because he needed the money for his lawyer. He also needed the salary for his living expenses.

‘Dammit!’

He couldn’t understand how all this happened.

However, there was no use regretting the past.

The only thing he could do was to plan for a better future.

Woosung became the CEO of a successful company in only one year. He graduated from a mediocre university and used to work at Nuri Finances as a newbie developer.

Jung Jinsup would do the same.

Park Jonghyun threw the paper into the air and screamed, “Gosh, you still don’t get it! Just get out and start from the beginning.”

When Jung Jinsup turned around to leave, Park Jonghyun yelled again, “What are you doing? Pick up the paper first.”

Jung Jinsup gritted his teeth loudly. His whole body shuddered in fury. He wondered if he should just quit right now.

He had to sell his cars and smaller assets quickly and cheaply. He was kicked out from KYLO. His pride was damaged terribly.

Jung Jinsup started picking the papers up one piece at a time. Suddenly, another hand appeared.

It was Woosung.

“Sir, I will do it for you.”

Jung Jinsup’s eyes started to well up with tears. He had never been treated like this before.

“W…Woosung.”

Woosung glanced at Park Jonghyun and secretly gestured him to leave.

“I’d pick all of them.” Jung Jinsup closed his eyes tight. Woosung tried his hardest not to laugh at him.

He asked, “Are you okay?”

“Y…yeah. I’m okay.”

“Tell me if it’s too much. I will try to make it better.”

“No. I can do this.”

“Jonghyun is a bit aggressive, but I didn’t realize he is this forceful. I will talk to him, but I’m not sure if he’ll listen to me.”

Jung Jinsup looked at Woosung hopefully. “R…really?”

“Sure. Anyway, we need to talk. Let’s go into the conference room.”

Woosung, Park Jonghyun, and Jung Jinsup conducted a meeting in a private room. Woosung’s official title at Bitmain was the same as Jung Jinsup. Woosung explained his recent meeting with Oh Hoon and what he offered.

Park Jonghyun asked, “So the first project for this company is the S Coin exchange?”

“That’s right. I recommended this to the mayor and I think it will go through.”

Jung Jinsup already knew Woosung and Park Jonghyun were friends.

“S Coin? Woosung, are you referring to the blockchain…”

As soon as Jung Jinsup opened his mouth, Park Jonghyun glared at him.

“Show respect to Woosung! Watch your tone!”

Woosung replied kindly, “Haha, it’s ok. You can talk informally.”

Park Jonghyun added. “No. It doesn’t matter if you are friends. Inside the office, you need to always remember your position.”

Good cop and bad cop strategy.

This was exactly what Woosung asked Park Jonghyun to do.

Jung Jinsup glared angrily, but he needed the salary. He said weakly, “Well, I understand. It’s the rule here.”

Woosung’s eyes widened. Park Jonghyun did very well making Jung Jinsup meek.

“I suppose. Anyway, let’s get back to the business.”

Woosung estimated Jung Jinsup’s family’s current asset to be about 4 million dollars. However, it was decreasing fast due to the trial cost for his father.

Woosung smiled in satisfaction.

***

After the meeting, Woosung talked to Park Jonghyun in private.

“You are doing an amazing job!”

“I am being especially mean to that guy. I’m surprised he is still here.”

“Perfect! Keep up the good work.”

“So why do you hate him so much? I didn’t realize you like to treat people like this.”

“Hahaha, I have a good reason for it.”

“I asked Chanjong and he said he is not interested in working here. He likes working at a big corporation.”

“Alright.”

“And Yeoreum called.”

“Huh?”

“Some of us from the university created a chatroom to keep in touch. I’d let everyone know you are looking for a developer and she contacted me. She asked how you are doing.”

“Tell her I’m doing great.”

“I did tell her that.”

“Good. That’s it, then.”

Woosung clearly didn’t want to talk about her, so Park Jonghyun changed the subject.

“Oh, and can I attend our university’s job convention on the behalf of this company?”

“Job convention?”

“Yeah. We will need more people so this would be a good place to pick some good developers.”

“Well, if you find talented workers, then sure.”

“Good. I will take care of it.”

Woosung realized Park Jonghyun wanted to go back to their university and show off his new job.

He grinned and added, “Just keep up the good work.”

“No worries. I’m perfect for this job.”

Woosung was happy with him. Park Jonghyun was doing much better than he expected.

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Chapter 120: <National Core Technology>

Jung Jinsup swallowed a pill for his headache.

“Dammit! I will make him regret it!”

Jung Jinsup glared at Park Jonghyun sitting in the conference room.

“Bastard!” He murmured. His eyes looked crazy.

He hated his job, but he had no choice.

Then suddenly, he could smell roses.

“Anyone here?”

Shin Semi was behind him.

Jung Jinsup asked in confusion, “Oh, what are you doing here?”

“I heard Woosung is here.”

When Woosung came out of the meeting and saw Shin Semi, he grunted, “Why are you here? You didn’t even call that you’re coming. I thought you have better manners than that.”

At Woosung’s sudden irritation, everyone froze.

He was the boss of everyone and everything here.

All the employees tensed. Shin Semi also stammered at his unexpected coldness.

“Oh, I didn’t mean to be rude.”

“And how did you know I was here? Only my secretary and my driver know my schedule. Coming here was actually a spur of a moment thing. Did you bribe my driver to get information on my whereabouts?”

Shin Semi became speechless at Woosung’s interrogation. She actually didn’t know how her assistant found out where Woosung was.

Woosung continued to accuse her. “Advisor, I consider you one of my close acquaintances, but there are boundaries you need to respect. How would you like it if I did something like this to you?”

Why was he overreacting?

Shin Semi thought they were closer than this. She felt betrayed. She answered impulsively, “I wouldn’t mind.”

“Pardon?”

Shin Semi raised her voice. “I said I would be okay with that. I believe I have the right to seek you out.”

Woosung looked confused. “What?”

Shin Semi explained, “Mayor Oh asked us to examine S Pay. He wanted to know if it was really possible, and how practical and innovative it was. I was hoping to discuss this technology with you, yet here you are accusing me of how I found you.”

“Advisor, you’re missing the point.”

Shin Semi answered bluntly, “Then what is the point? Is there anything more important than business to a businessman? Don’t you think it would be damaging to you if we gave him a negative report?”

Woosung became rigid at her threat.

“I think you are misunderstanding the situation.” Shin Semi bit her lips nervously. Woosung asked, “Is the security level of Nuri Finances higher than that of America’s DARPA?”

“…”

“This technology has been approved by DARPA. Mayor Oh probably wanted a confirmation. Do whatever you want, but remember who will lose if we end up in a battle.”

Woosung walked away and before leaving the office, ordered loudly to Park Jonghyun.

“We will go ahead with the plan, so get prepared. Make sure never to allow outsiders to our office. This is a company that deals with security technology. Remember that.”

Shin Semi followed Woosung out quickly.

“W…wait. I didn’t mean…”

“Advisor.”

“Yes?”

“Someday, my company will become much bigger than Nuri Finances. Would you be okay with that?”

“W…what are you talking…”

“I am telling you that my ambition is endless. I may end up taking over your company. Would you still see me as a friend even then?”

Shin Semi tried to calm Woosung down. “You are being unreasonable.”

Woosung continued quietly. “Advisor, I became a CEO in only a year. One year. Can you imagine where I would be in 10 years?”

“A company can’t grow that fast. You will learn eventually that a company cannot grow continuously forever at this rate. Your company will stabilize soon.”

Woosung started to feel that this conversation was going nowhere. “That is why I am getting into many different businesses.”

“But if one or more of them fail, then…”

Woosung cut her off. “Then let’s see what happens in 10 years. We’ll see where I end up then.”

Woosung turned around. This was always how they ended their conversations and arguments.

They both didn’t know how to compromise.

***

Woosung returned to his KND headquarter. There was more work for him to do.

Future technology research team.

It was a department created by Woosung. It consisted of the best developers in the world including Amelia.

Woosung greeted everyone.

“Are you all ready?”

“Hey! What’s new?” Ted, from England, replied as he loudly chewed a piece of gum.

Amelia looked at him with a frown and Ted shrugged his shoulders.

“I would like to congratulate everyone here for the successful development of S Pay and Coin. I am ready to let you know about the next project.”

Peter, a dark-skinned man in his 20’s, asked curiously. “I am listening.”

Woosung looked around the room and asked. “Who read Google’s paper on GFS?”

GFS (Google File System).

It was a system different than Window’s NTFS and Linux’s EXT2. Ted raised his hand.

“Doug Cutting used it to create the Hadoop system.”

“That’s right.”

Ted sneered and asked, “Are you thinking about the big data? Did you really get us here for that?”

He obviously didn’t approve of the idea. Amelia raised her voice, “Ted! Have you even studied big data before?”

“What is there to study? I glanced at it, and it was useless.”

Woosung said to Ted, “Didn’t I tell you that what you think in your head is different than actually making the idea into a practical solution for customers?”

“And that’s why we made S Coin. I did find blockchain interesting.”

Ted was an immature pig.

However, his skills were undeniable, so Woosung let it go.

“This will be interesting as well.”

“If you are serious about working with big data, I’m out. It’s boring.”

Others seemed to agree with Ted. Woosung said one word to the room.

“AI.”

“AI? You mean machine learning?”

“Specifically the deep learning.”

“But that is something that isn’t used widely because of the overfitting problem. Even if you fix the problem with GPU, it will be too slow…”

Ted suddenly murmured to himself, “Well, there are plenty of data for learning so the only problem would be overfitting.”

Overfitting.

It referred to a model that models the training data too well. It happened when a model learned the details to the extent that it negatively impacted the performance of the model on new data.

Woosung looked at Ted and replied, “The first thing we need is the data for the AI to learn, and that is why I mentioned big data.”

Ted raised his voice. “Like I said, unless you can fix the overfitting problem, it will not work. Do you even understand what I’m saying?”

“Ted, that is why I hired someone who can fix that. Shane, please come in.”

A man with curly black hair walked in.

Shane Legg.

He was the founder of Al Mind Technologies in Woosung’s previous life.

Woosung recently purchased a brand new company Al Mind for 70 million dollars.

The company consisted of only three people.

It specialized in AI technology.

If Jang Gwangchul knew this, he would have called Woosung crazy. However, Woosung knew this company was worth a fortune in the future.

Shane walked in and bowed lightly. He then started the brick breaking game.

No one was playing it, but the game went on by itself.

Ted exclaimed. Amelia looked surprised as well. So did Peter.

“Double Point.”

“Double Point.”

“Double Point.”

“Double Point.”

The AI was playing the game with excellent skills.

“Congratulations! Hidden Stage!”

The AI even found a hidden stage, which was often missed by human gamers.

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Chapter 121: <National Core Technology>

“I didn’t know the brick breaking game had a hidden stage…”

Ted said in awe, but no one replied. They all just stared at the screen.

It was a popular game everyone in the room played as children, but no one had seen a hidden stage before. The AI, which was named Thomas, was clearing each level perfectly and ending each stage with the highest possible score.

Woosung looked around the room and asked, “Now, do you understand what I am talking about? Your mission is to improve Thomas to think more deeply and act better while supporting the S Coin technology. Your living expenses will be paid by me on top of your salary while you work on this project.” The team members looked excited. “And this is a top-secret project, so you can’t talk to anyone about it. This is a part of your non-disclosure agreement.”

After everyone signed their contracts, the meeting ended.

Ted approached Shane and started asking questions about Thomas.

Amelia remained seated, but she clearly seemed to want to leave.

Woosung offered, “Go ahead and take a break. You have plenty of time to work later.”

“R…really?”

When Woosung nodded, she left the room with the others.

Woosung smiled fondly.

***

Phew.

He was finally home after another long day.

Woosung opened the computer screen. This was his nightly routine before going to bed.

“3,531,300.4311 BTC”

He now had over 3 million bitcoins. After checking the number, Woosung visited the online bitcoin community made by various developers.

“I want to buy a Bitcoin.”

Previously, Woosung left a message asking to buy bitcoins. There were new replies to his request.

“1BTC = 0.1 cent”

“1BTC = 0.15 cent”

Those who obviously didn’t know the future value of bitcoins were selling their coins at a dirt cheap price. Odd times, there were people who received the money and didn’t provide him with the bitcoins, but most people were honest.

At present, Woosung managed to buy a bitcoin for 0.1 to 0.2 cents.

In the future, each coin reached the value of up to 20,000 dollars. Through this method, Woosung bought about 72,000 coins at a fraction of a price.

His total in his wallet was 3,603,300.4311 BTC. Just looking at the number made him feel satisfied.

Woosung checked his account balance afterward.

The total of both the US and Korean accounts was 6.1 billion dollars.

He spent a significant amount of money recently on purchasing Al Mind and creating the companies DNK and Bitmain. Despite all these investments, his balance was continuing to increase.

This was because Woosung was profiting substantially from the games League of Ancient and MOX’s Legend. He was also earning a considerable amount of money by owning US stocks and through KND products.

He had more than enough money to start his mobile carrier business and his planned entertainment agency.

“You have a new mail.”

An alarm rang on his phone. When he checked it, it was an email from Yoo Sona.

“My answer is yes.”

Quickly, Woosung opened the Coconut Talk messenger and ordered.

“OS interest increase. Start.”

Afterward, he connected to the biggest AC inside community. He then looked up the reports on Mayor Oh Hoon.

“Mayor Oh Hoon plagiarized his paper?”

The report also included a few photos as proofs.

“Jang Gwangchul did very well in finding a good worker.”

This was discovered by the person Jang Gwangchul hired for their internal information team.

Plagiarism incident.

In Woosung’s previous life, Mayor Oh Hoon was successful in getting re-elected, but during the election, this incident created a lot of problems for him.

Woosung knew this would surface, so he ordered the information team to gather as much info as possible on it.

Suddenly, his phone beeped. Another message had arrived.

“Emergency meeting now.”

It was from Lee Sunghyun. Woosung immediately left to the designated meeting place.

A private house in Nonhyundong.

“This is Kang Woosung.”

When he spoke to the intercom system, the gate swung open. Inside the garden were rare and well-groomed trees.

This was the first time an emergency meeting was requested.

Following the secretary, Woosung walked into a room where Lee Sunghyun and other election team leaders were gathered.

As soon as Woosung sat down, Lee Sunghyun criticized the leaders.

“What happened here? Why couldn’t you stop this?”

Everyone looked bewildered. How could anyone know Mayor Oh plagiarized a paper in the past?

Lee Sunghyun tried to ease the tension and continued, “In 2 months, the election will begin. If this becomes big, the result will not go in our way. You must all know this. So tell me the solution.”

Everyone remained quiet.

The report on the plagiarism incident was made only an hour ago. There was no way anyone could have come up with a viable solution. Lee Sunghyun was just being difficult.

“How about we release a scandal about Han Minsook?” One person proposed an idea cautiously.

“Do you have something solid?”

“No, but we can just leak a made-up rumor.”

“And when it is proven to be false, we just pretend it wasn’t us?”

“That’s right.”

Lee Sunghyun sighed in frustration. “Gosh! Who does that nowadays? Don’t you know it will just make Mayor Oh look bad?”

Lee Sunghyun looked around and asked again.

“Anyone else?”

“It sounded like he did plagiarize a document when he was in university. Why not just admit that he made a mistake and volunteer to give up the corresponding degree?” Another man offered.

Lee Sunghyun sighed deeply again. He felt like this was the only option. They had to close the issue as quickly as possible.

Suddenly, Woosung opened his mouth. “Sir, I found a good video recently.”

“Video?”

“Yes. It involves a celebrity named Yoo Sona. It also involves someone very interesting.”

Lee Sunghyun nodded for Woosung to continue.

“In the video is a man in Han Minsook’s election team. It is Kim Minsoo, the son of Taeson Group’s CEO Kim Gwangsun.”

Lee Sunghyun looked interested. “That is indeed very intriguing. How did you find such valuable information?”

“I have my ways, but it still hasn’t been confirmed with utmost certainty that it is Kim Minsoo. I actually don’t know what Kim Minsoo looks like.”

“Haha, it doesn’t matter as long as the man in the video looks similar to him. It would be big enough of a scandal that destroys Han Minsook.”

“I have a plan…”

Lee Sunghyun motioned the others to leave. He knew it was better for fewer people to know about these kinds of affairs.

***

“Yoo Sona S Tape” was uploaded quickly onto a porn site.

Yoo Sona.

She was a very popular actress in many Asian countries. The video spread like a wildfire.

“10,203.”

“21,444.”

“51,559.”

The number of views increased quickly

Many agreed that it was a legit video. Ji Minsuk screamed angrily.

“Dammit! Dammit! How did this happen?” He turned to the manager and asked, “Did you ask Yoo Sona about this?”

“Sona said she didn’t know how it happened. It looks like a hotel room, but Sona can’t tell which one. She has been to so many…”

Ji Minsuk pulled at his hair. His phone was ringing nonstop. Every time he answered it, he ended up apologizing.

“No, sir, it’s not like that. I will make sure to fix this.”

“Yes, sir, your name won’t be mentioned anywhere. I promise.”

“I swear your name won’t be involved.”

There were so many powerful men in various fields that were getting worried. They all had relations with Yoo Sona.

Ji Minsuk asked as he wiped his sweat off his forehead, “How about the media?”

“We sent an official statement to the reporters.”

“We have to make sure it just turns into Yoo Sona’s personal scandal. The company can’t be part of this. Arrange a press release.”

“Alright.”

A news report came up on TV.

“Hello. This is Reporter Jo Chunghyun from MBD. It has been discovered that the man in the infamous Yoo Sona tape is Kim Minsoo, the son of Taeson Group’s CEO. The public is now wondering if they are in a legitimate relationship or Yoo Sona did a sexual favor for her career.”

Ji Minsuk stared at the TV in shock.

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Chapter 122: <National Core Technology>

Choi Taemin asked his secretary, “Was my name mentioned?”

“As far as I know, no. I already made sure to talk to President Ji Minsuk. He has assured me your name will remain a secret. even if your name gets leaked, I made sure the media will not release it.”

“Just where did this video come from? Dammit. We have enough to worry about.”

“It is impossible to tell who leaked it. It was first uploaded on an international porn site.”

“It better stops with Kim Minsoo. There can’t be any other videos of anyone else.”

“It sounds like it will end soon. The reporters are starting to believe Kim Minsoo and Yoo Sona were dating at the time.”

Choi Taemin replied, “You better be right about that.”

“I will find out more about it as quickly as possible.”

“Good. By the way, what is he up to nowadays?”

“Nothing unusual. Work-home, work-home as usual. It looks like he is still doing drugs though.”

“How about KND’s Kang Woosung?”

“He has increased the number of his bodyguards, so it is now harder to learn new information about him. He started to improve his security team after Shin Semi visited his office in Sunleung.”

“He did have a sh*tty security. Now that the election is coming up, we need to prepare some cash.”

“How much?”

“We need to cover the officials from all the provinces, so I would say about a million dollars.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And I heard the semiconductor department is doing well nowadays?”

“Yes, because Blue S2 and Apple are being sold out.”

Choi Taemin sighed deeply. The situation was getting more difficult. It wasn’t so bad that he would lose his position as the heir to Daeyang, but if things continued like this, his future was unclear.

“The report we sent to the chairman on the battery explosion strongly implied the incident was due to the semiconductor overheating. It is partly true too.”

“So we are sticking with the story that the problem came from the semiconductor department.”

“And one good thing is the sales of Amor doubled. We just need to fix this The One situation, and we will be golden.”

Choi Taemin looked outside the window. Until now, he never doubted he would inherit Daeyang. He didn’t like this new form of uncertainty.

“How about the KND’s developers?”

“Most have skills we already have in our developers. We have tried to poach the main ones, but they will not budge so far.”

“… it’s so hard. Arrange a meeting with KND’s Kang Woosung.”

“Yes, sir.”

***

Mayor Oh Hoon’s plagiarism scandal was quickly forgotten.

Yoo Sona.

Yoo Sona tape.

Yoo Sona Kim Minsoo.

ThirtyNine.

Kim Minsoo.

Yoo Sona’s agency.

Keywords involving Yoo Sona’s sex tape filled the internet.

Moon Yongjun murmured, “I think she may not survive this.”

Woosung replied, “I will be the judge of that.”

“I supposed, but…”

Woosung took over Lee Ari’s agency. According to Jang Gwangchul’s research, CEO Moon Yongjun had a decent reputation and a good business sense.

“You will have control over most things, but this time, you need to trust me.”

Moon Yongjun nodded and continued with his report. “Spotify purchase is almost finished. It will be launched sometime next month in Korea.”

“Most Koreans are already using a Korean streaming service, so it may be hard to attract them. I don’t care if we initially lose money for a few months. Just make sure to focus on getting as many users as possible.” Woosung continued calmly. “Spotify is a free music streaming service, so many customers will like that. Grapefruit’s service has fees. It will be, however, not easy to attract the sponsors for ads. KND and Coconut Talk will help as much as possible for that. Spotify will be pre-installed to all Blue S phones, so this will help too.”

“And after we have enough users, we will create a premium service with fees?”

“Yes. We will offer both free and premium services. Currently, the developers are working hard to create a system that makes accurate personalized music recommendations to the users.”

Moon Yongjun still couldn’t understand how such a system could make money, but Woosung was the boss now.

“Yes, sir.”

***

Slowly, the popular online keywords started to involve Han Minsook.

Han Minsook.

Han Minsook Taesun Group.

Han Minsook Kim Gwansun.

Han Minsook Kim Minsoo.

Suddenly, a rumor started. People began saying Han Minsook offered Yoo Sona to Kim Minsoo for his support during the election. The reporters also started writing speculative articles online.

“You need to protest strongly. Tell the media, Taesun, the police, and Nexter to get rid of these false reports and articles. If we let this continue, your chance at winning the election will become slim.”

“Is it still happening?”

“We keep protesting and they deleted it for a while, but a new article keeps popping up. The keywords involving your name also continue to pop up whenever people type Yoo Sona’s name.”

Han Minsook frowned angrily. She had fought so hard to reach where she was. This needed to stop.

“What did the people from Taesun say?”

“They confirmed that Kim Minsoo and Yoo Sona are dating. At this point, that would be the only thing they could say even if it’s not true.”

“Warn Taesun, this needs to disappear in 3 hours, or else I will get the prosecutors involved. Do the same to Nexter.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

***

After a few hours.

Ji Minsuk made Yoo Sona stand in front of the cameras. It wasn’t easy for an actress to go through a press conference after such a scandal, but Ji Minsuk needed her to do this.

Yoo Sona was a true actress as she played the victim.

“I again apologize for disappointing my fans, but I want everyone to know that the rumors aren’t true.” Yoo Sona cried as she asked for sympathy. “I apologize again. I plan on taking some time for reflection. Thank you so much for your support and understanding.”

The reporters started to ask questions.

“There is a rumor you were involved in inappropriate relationships with many powerful men for your career. What do you say to that?”

“Is it really true that you and Kim Minsoo are in a romantic relationship? According to our sources, Kim Minsoo had a girlfriend around that time.”

“How do you explain getting a TV commercial contract from Taesun Group?”

Yoo Sona remained silent.

It was all planned that she made no additional comments.

Ji Minsuk stepped forward.

“We will be taking legal actions against those who spread these vicious false rumors. So I hope all of you will let this poor girl rest.”

Yoo Sona quietly murmured to Ji Minsuk in a cold voice, “As agreed, our contract is now void.”

“Fine. It’s over. You owe me nothing. We’re done.”

When Yoo Sona nodded, Ji Minsuk smiled. Yoo Sona already made him over 10 million dollars.

As Yoo Sona was about to leave the room, Ji Minsuk murmured savagely, “You better keep your mouth shut about this, or else.”

“If that day comes, I won’t be the only one who gets hurt.”

“What? Bitch! Don’t forget who I am!”

Suddenly, Moon Yongjun walked in. “You can’t treat my agency’s artist like that.”

Many bodyguards in black suits followed Moon Yongjun. Ji Minsuk stammered, “President Moon? W…what are you doing here?”

“I am taking her with me.”

“Pardon?”

“Yoo Sona belongs to my company now, so get lost. Got it?”

Moon Yongjun was a legend in the entertainment industry. He was the big fish, while Ji Minsuk owned a small-scale agency.

“Didn’t you hear what I just said?”

Ji Minsuk swallowed and nodded.

“This is my only and last warning. I better not see you again.” Moon Yongjun then turned to Yoo Sona. “The CEO is waiting for you.”

“Alright.”

Yoo Sona got into the black sedan.

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Chapter 123: <National Core Technology>

NK Entertainment agency in Chungmuro.

Woosung sat down with Yoo Sona. “You made a difficult decision.”

“I am the one who needs to thank you. If we didn’t do this, I would have been his slave forever.”

Woosung explained, “So let’s go over the plan for your future. Firstly, your English lesson will begin right away. When you are ready, you will debut in the US. You need to be able to act and sing in English. You will become a star in America.”

America.

It was where every Korean star wanted to be. Many Korean singers attempted it, but they all failed. Yoo Sona had her doubts.

“Do you think I have the potential?”

“With my support and your effort, it is absolutely possible. The only thing you need to worry about now is if you can work hard enough. I will be giving you a million dollars as a prepayment. Once you start making profits, we will split it 7:3. You will, of course, be getting the 7.”

Yoo Sona had no complaints. She wondered why Woosung was being so kind to her.

“Are you being nice to me because of my body?”

Men loved her looks.

Classically beautiful face.

Voluptuous body.

Long legs.

Woosung replied, “Let’s just say I feel your pain.”

“Pardon?”

Yoo Sona was ready to give him whatever he wanted. In fact, she was partly hoping he would ask of her.

Woosung continued, “Don’t think about anything else other than improving yourself. You became popular in many Asian countries. You have the potential and the charm to be bigger. A mere sex tape will not end you. You will make it.”

Woosung then stood up and left. He was one of the very few men who didn’t abuse her.

***

Woosung met with Lee Sunghyun who looked happy. He was smiling proudly at Woosung.

“I believe trust is like a point system.”

“Then I hope I have a lot of points saved up in your book.”

“We went through two big events recently, so I would say you’re doing very well.”

“I’m glad.”

“With this incident, I realized again how talented you are. I am amazed.”

“Thank you.”

“Your success isn’t due to luck. I believe that now. My father is also very impressed.”

He was, of course, referring to the President of Korea, Lee Parksung. Woosung pretended to be surprised and humbled.

Lee Sunghyun took a sip of his tea and continued. “With your strategy, we were able to bury Mayor Oh’s plagiarism scandal and damage Han Minsook. Kill two birds with one stone. It’s my father’s favorite saying.”

Lee Sunghyun kept using the term ‘father’ rather than ‘the president’ to remind Woosung of their relationship.

‘Your father’s the president, not you!’

Woosung wanted to scream at him but restrained himself. Instead, he said quietly, “I am glad things worked out.”

“It’s all thanks to you. Mayor Oh is also very happy with your efforts.”

Woosung waited. Lee Sunghyun wasn’t the type to arrange a meeting for compliments alone. Finally, Lee Sunghyun brought up the main subject.

“With respect to the reduction in fees for the transportation card…”

“Yes.”

“I told my father about it, and he said that starting in Seoul is a good idea but why not go bigger?”

“You mean to start in Seoul, and once it proves to be successful, go national?”

“No, he meant we should go bigger from the beginning. Why not launch it in Seoul and a few other provinces as well?” Lee Sunghyun continued, “And if we do it this way, the government will help in every way possible.”

“So don’t use it as Mayor Oh’s election promise…”

Lee Sunghyun nodded and replied, “Make it look like it is a federal government’s idea and Seoul will be just a small part of it.”

“That would be amazing.”

“And you said the value of S Coin will increase if more things are available to be bought by it?”

Woosung nodded.

Lee Sunghyun continued, “So I will ask Daeyang’s help. I want to arrange it so the S Coin can be used to buy Daeyang’s products including The One premium line and other electronics.”

The more S Coin was used, the better it was for Woosung. There was no reason for him to decline this idea.

Woosung asked, “Then why not also talk to the architectural firms so houses can be purchased with S Coins too?”

“Oh! That’s a good idea!”

“I am also creating an online store where products can be bought only with S Coins. I will finish this project as soon as possible and let you know.

“Haha, it’s amazing how fast and effective you work.”

Lee Sunghyun smiled in satisfaction. He then took out a business card and gave it to Woosung.

“This is the number for the director of Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Energy. Just tell him you are calling about registering as a national core technology and he will know.”

National core technology.

It was designated by the government. Once a form of technology received this title, it was protected by the government from being stolen by other countries.

“You can register all your technologies including S Pay, S Coin, Coconut Talk, and Blue S.”

It sounded too good to be true, which meant Woosung needed to think it through rationally before committing.

“I will have a meeting with my people.”

“Good, and what’s the state of the national pension plan investment consulting contest?”

“I have registered my company to be considered.

“I already told the appropriate people to look out for your application.”

“Thank you.”

Woosung bit his lips. The government was so corrupt. Things weren’t won fair and square anymore. At least this time, Woosung was the one who was benefiting from this muddy system.

“My company’s system is the best algorithm out there anyway. It profited over 50% last year. You don’t have to worry about the quality of my work.”

“Many experts will evaluate it, so I am not worried.” Lee Sunghyun took another sip of his tea and continued, “As you know, the national pension deals with over 300 billion dollars. When your algorithm gets selected, it will start with only 3 billion dollars as a test and once it proves to be adequate, more money will be placed in the system.”

It was an incredible amount of money.

Lee Sunghyun looked at Woosung knowingly. “So this means…”

Woosung answered immediately, “I have already prepared it for you. Same as usual.”

“Haha, this is why I like you so much.”

Woosung smiled and thought.

‘I have a detailed record of how much bribe you received from me. 700,000 dollars. You will regret this someday.’

***

Nuri Enterprise’s Shin Yongwon gathered all CEOs for an emergency meeting.

“Did everyone hear the news?”

Silence.

Shin Yongwon continued, “Reduction in the credit card transaction fee by half…What do you think will happen to Nuri credit card?”

Silence again.

Nuri Card’s CEO Park Jiwon was sweating visibly. “And there is also a rumor that an internet bank will be created. It will be more convenient than all the existing banks including faster transactions and transfers.”

Shin Yongwon smacked the table loudly. “What have you guys done so far to fix this situation?” He looked around the room. He stopped at Na Jaeman and asked, “Tell me what is happening with the national pension consulting contest?”

Na Jaeman swallowed and answered, “We applied with the improved version of the winning stock recommendation system.”

“Who made that system?”

Shin Yongwon asked even though he knew the answer, “It’s K…Kang Woosung.”

“And who is the CEO of the Coconut Bank, which also entered the same contest?”

“K….Kang Woosung.”

“So can you guarantee that the system we have is better than what he has now?”

“N…no.”

Bang!

Shin Yongwon continued angrily.

“Reducing the fee is Kang Woosung’s idea. Internet bank is also Kang Woosung’s idea. Kang Woosung is entering the national pension contest too” Shin Yongwon gritted his teeth. “Kang Woosung will take over the financial world. Am I wrong?”

Silence again.

Shin Yongwon slammed the desk again. “Dammit. You are all idiots! Didn’t I tell you to study pin tech to prepare for a situation like this?”

Shin Gungu replied finally, “Sir, I think we need to hear from Advisor Shin who is the head of the pin tech department.”

Everyone turned to Shin Semi. She replied, “We are just at the beginning stage of the mobile banking project. We have no clue about Kang Woosung’s technology. That is where we are now.”

Shin Gungu asked, “So what’s the next step?”

“We need to become a primary partner with Coconut Bank.”

“Partner?”

“Internet bank still needs ATM machines. People still need a place to withdraw money. An offline contact is also necessary. Not everything can happen online.”

Shin Gungu replied, “So we become their partnering company…”

“That’s the only way for us to survive.”

Shin Yongwon frowned viciously.

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Chapter 124: <National Core Technology>

The chairman of the National pension plan was Jung Homin. The judging finally started. The first level was the evaluation by various expert developers. The contestants looked nervous.

Whoever won this competition would have immediate access to 3 billion dollars and more eventually.

The winner would have a huge influence on the financial world.

“Daeyang Finances’ algorithm trading has proven itself over the last three years with an overall profit of 5%.”

When Daeyang developer explained, the judges looked unimpressed. They murmured among themselves.

“Wouldn’t it be better to give the contract to a foreign equity company?”

“The new policy is to promote diverse investment portfolio within our own country, so we have no choice.”

“But this is basically using the public’s money to enrich the big financial companies…”

“Oh well…”

The experts all agreed, but there was nothing they could do.

“Next is Nuri Finances.”

Shin Gungu stepped forward.

“Hello. I am Shin Gungu from Nuri Finances. I would like to talk about our company’s winning stock recommendation algorithm. This system has been doing very well last year.” After a brief pause, Shin Gungu continued, “This algorithm learns the pattern of the past winning stocks and applies it to predict the future winning stocks. It has already proven to be very profitable, and I believe it will be a perfect solution for the national pension plan.”

The experts murmured among themselves again, “I saw that system and I think it’s too risky”

“But it has been profitable so far.”

“I looked into it very closely, and it is basically a gambling system.”

One of the experts raised his hand to ask a question.

“I think the system involves recommending very risky stocks. What is your answer to that?”

“That is why we have improved it by taking the financial analysts’ objective opinions into account.”

Some experts looked confused. With this change, this was then technically no longer an algorithm system.

However, they didn’t say anything. Nuri Finances was a big company. Someday, it was possible that they may get a job here.

“Alright. Next is KND Investment’s Kang Woosung.”

Real-time winning stock recommendation.

Extra high-frequency transactions.

Pairs trading algorithm transaction.

As Woosung provided an expert explanation, the event began to feel like a lecture. The concepts Woosung used were pioneering. Even the experts didn’t seem to understand everything.

“T…then, are you saying your system is safer and involves lesser risks?”

“That’s right. It provides consistent yet profitable results.”

“You mentioned it is also making profits in the US market. Then I take it that it is competing against large investment companies like JP Morgan and Citibank. Am I correct?”

“Yes, and we are winning against them. There are even some companies following KND’s trading pattern. We are competing against many large US corporations every second.” Woosung took a big breath and continued, “And we are winning. Isn’t it great that a Korean investment company is winning against the world’s best hedge funds?”

Many of the experts nodded.

Woosung was now appealing to the judges on the emotional level.

When Woosung was done with his presentation, everyone in the room could feel who the winner would be.

Shin Gungu approached Woosung thereafter.

“Don’t you want to join the after-party?”

“I have more work to do today.”

“Well, I guess you must be busy with the fee reduction project.”

This plan was not released to the public yet, but many already knew of it.

Credit card fee reduction.

It was a ground-breaking idea both economically and socially. The credit card companies would lose profits and their stocks would decline.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I also heard you will create an internet bank? Coconut Bank?”

“I needed a financial institution to process the card transactions.”

“Have you decided on ATM or offline places for transactions? Some may prefer online operation, but many will still prefer the offline way.”

“We have a specific target for our product. I realize it isn’t for everyone, but we will have enough customers who prefer online banking. Also, our ATM machines will first be placed in convenient stores.”

“Then what Nuri Bank will offer you is to eliminate any fees we normally charge on using our own ATM.”

There were many Nuri Banks available in Seoul. Being able to use their ATMs for free would be very beneficial.

Woosung asked, “What do you want in return?”

“We should help each other.”

“Can you give me some specifics?”

“I think we should go somewhere private to talk.”

Woosung replied coldly, “As I said before, I am busy. Besides, you aren’t the only bank that offered me this deal. Daejin and Saehan Finances both offered very similar deals. If your proposal is similar to theirs, I don’t see the point of wasting our time.” Shin Gungu frowned at Woosung’s rudeness. Woosung continued, “If you would like me to consider your offer, please send me an official proposal.”

Woosung left abruptly.

***

After Woosung left, Shin Semi came to stand by Shin Gungu.

“How was your first meeting with Kang Woosung?”

“Just as you said, he is different.”

“He said he will take over Nuri Finances in the future. We need to be cautious.”

Shin Gungu replied, “I approve of your choice for your husband.”

Shin Semi raised her voice. “Oppa!”

“I see why our father was happy with him. He also has a kind face, which is hard to find.” He ignored Shin Semi’s protest and continued, “He looks honest. Despite his success, I didn’t find him to be arrogant. He looked very controlled and ambitious.”

“So what? Will we let this happen?”

“This isn’t big enough to be the end of Nuri Enterprise. Our company is over 50 years old and very stable. Don’t give up so easily.”

Shin Semi took out her Blue S2 and replied, “You are the one who needs to take this more seriously. The world is changing. There will come a day when everything can be done on the smartphone. The future is uncertain for us.”

“Banks will always be needed no matter what.”

Shin Semi frowned. She disagreed, but she couldn’t find the need to argue.

***

Yoon Gihwan and the others were waiting for Woosung at the office.

“How did it go?”

“Fine. Besides, it doesn’t matter anyway. It was a rigged game.”

“Well, just in case.”

“The other algorithms were jokes. They can’t compare to our system.”

“Haha, perfect.”

“Just make sure to keep the system conservative. It is the public’s pension plan. We need to do the best job we can.”

Park Junwoo bit his lips. This was a huge responsibility.

Woosung added seriously. “We are talking about people’s lives here. Let’s work hard.”

Everyone looked determined.

[Breaking news] The government released the credit card fee reduction plan.

[Breaking news] KND’s Kang Woosung decides to get involved in the financial industry.

[Breaking news] Coconut Talk is designated as national core technology.

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Chapter 125: <Coconut Bank>

Choi Gitae exclaimed while watching the news, “Wow, that’s impressive.”

Choi Gichul remained silent as he watched it as well.

“It would’ve been difficult to get into the financial industry because of the Separation of Banking and Commerce Act. Maybe different law applies to IT companies, but would the government approve it? Do you know anything about it?”

“No.”

“Our company wanted to get into this business too, but the most we were allowed were insurance and hedge fund businesses. However, it sounds like they are going to be launching Coconut Bank…But the law will allow Coconut Company to have only a 10% share of the Coconut Bank…”

Choi Gitae couldn’t understand the situation.

Choi Gichul added. “And the company probably could only own 4% of the voting rights. Even if they could gather generous and supportive investors, building their own bank wouldn’t be easy.”

“They wouldn’t be able to do it without active support from the government. I guess the president probably likes the idea of reducing the credit card fee for the public. His approval rating would go up with this.”

“I guess so.”

“He must be very smart. How would he convince the government though?”

“I heard he hangs out with Lee Sunghyun.”

“The President’s second son?”

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you think of that?”

Choi Gichul remained quiet to Choi Gitae’s criticism.

Choi Gitae continued in frustration, “And he is also getting into the mobile carrier business.”

“That is correct.”

“He is trying to grow too fast. Maybe he is just a greedy idiot.”

Choi Gichul nodded slightly in agreement. “I heard he is part of KYLO. Did you hear anything about him?”

“I don’t attend regularly, so no.”

“Then you should attend more from now on, and you need to do everything you can to bring down Choi Taemin.”

Choi Gichul nodded slightly again.

Choi Gitae laughed, “You and I are of the same blood. We need to make Choi Taemin disappear so we can survive.” Choi Gichul was sick of hearing this. Choi Gitae continued, “Oh, too bad about Yoo Sona. I liked her.”

“…”

“Do you know any other good girls?”

“I don’t really know much about things like that.”

Choi Gitae sighed deeply, “Gosh, just what do you know then? It seems like you know nothing. Do you even have a brain?”

Choi Gichul knew that when Choi Gitae became moody like this, there was only one thing he could say.

“I’m sorry.”

“Let’s be better, okay? How can I trust you with anything if you’re like this?”

“I’m sorry.”

“I am so sick of your ‘I’m sorry.’ Anyway, how’s the electronics department doing?”

“Same as last year.”

“Diregie will be coming to us for cooperation. That company developing a new smartphone. Make sure to delay responding to them as long as possible. I realize it will be hard, but you must.”

“Alright, but they may not listen. I think they are Choi Taemin’s people.”

Choi Taemin screamed at Choi Gichul angrily, “Why can’t you just do it right? JUST DO IT!”

Choi Gichul remained silent and motionless. It was best to look as invisible as possible.

“Just do better. We are almost there.”

Choi Gitae looked crazy as his eyes shined. Choi Gichul looked scared as he stared at his brother.

***

The building next to KND headquarters.

It was the Coconut Talk’s main office. A press conference was held here to release the official news regarding the credit card fee reduction plan.

“So how will this happen exactly?”

“Did you get fair agreements with all of the existing credit card companies?”

“Is it true that the drop could be significant?”

Reporters raised their hands for questions.

“We could do it by improving our technology.”

“We didn’t require any agreements because Coconut will not be using the existing transaction system.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Even after Woosung answered numerous questions, the reporters didn’t stop.

“How can you accomplish your plan without using the current transaction system?”

Woosung took out his Blue S2. “You can use this. Install Coconut Pay app on your phone and pay for anything you want. I will show it to you.”

Woosung’s staffs performed a test for the reporters. The first thing they showed was making a transaction using the existing VAN system.

“As you can see, you register the card on your Blue S2 and scanned it on any POS machine. You can register as many cards as you want on the phone, but if you use the VAN, we won’t be able to provide such a significant reduction.”

“So in this case, the only advantage would be having all the cards in one phone.”

“That’s right. Now, let’s see the second scenario.”

The staffs showed a transaction using Coconut Pay and a POS machine.

“If you use this system, your fee will be halved.”

“Is it true that the reduced fee will be given back to you in a form of reward points?”

“Yes. So 1% of your purchase will be returned to you in a form of S Coin. You can use these coins at the S Mall. You can also purchase the KND’s premium phone with them. Now, this is the third thing I want to show you.”

The staffs opened an app on the phone and entered the 6-digit password.

Beep.

With an alarm, a popup came up.

“Transfer completed.”

Woosung explained to the reporters.

“Do you see this? I was able to transfer money with a single click.”

Innovation.

“America’s PayPal has the ability to transfer money and make online purchases with a single input of your password. It is such a convenient system, yet what about Korea? We need so many security steps and certifications to make any online transactions. Even then, things don’t always happen smoothly.” Woosung took a deep breath and continued, “Fail, fail, and fail. Often times, we are asked to re-install the security program. We get failed transaction messages all the time. We need to install a different version of browsers frequently. It’s so crazy and frustrating.”

Woosung looked around.

“But the Coconut Pay system is different. After the registration, you just need to enter the 6-digit password to make any transactions or transfers. You never have to bring out your card.”

This was routinely used in 2018, but not currently.

Woosung brought future technology to 2010.

“When you use this system, your fee will be reduced by at least 50%.”

One of the reporters raised her hand and asked, “But if we get the reduced fee by coins and the coins can’t be exchanged for actual money, wouldn’t this plan be worthless?”

“A dealership called Bitmain will be opened soon. If anyone wants to exchange the coins for money, it will be possible here with a minimum balance of 5 dollars.”

“Wouldn’t there be security risks with this system?”

“This approach has been approved by the American federal agencies. I don’t think you have to worry about security.”

While Woosung took a sip of water, another reporter asked, “Is it true that Coconut is also creating its own bank?”

“If it can increase the customers’ benefits, then yes.”

“Could you be more specific?”

“For example, we are trying to achieve the elimination of fees involved during transfers and ATM withdrawals. In our company, our IT and financial experts are working very hard for this project. The current banks get enriched by abusing their customers. I will make sure to destroy these existing rules that take advantages of the people.”

Another reporter raised his hand. “We also heard you are getting into the mobile carrier business. Is that true?”

“This is a press conference just for the financial business news. I think we took up too much time so far. Let’s end it for now.”

Woosung stepped down from the stage.

Immediately, the online and offline news were plastered with Woosung’s name and his launch of Coconut Bank.

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Chapter 126: <Coconut Bank>

After the press conference, Woosung returned to the office and faced his employees.

“It finally begins. Please do your best to make Coconut Pay a success.”

Jang Gwangchul asked Woosung, “But are you really thinking about forming a bank too? Banking is a very different level of business than just making a transaction system. It will not be easy to go around the Separation of Bank and Commerce Act.”

Woosung knew this as well, but he also believed he could do it.

“I am not saying it is something that must be done. As I said at the conference, if there is something we can do to make it more convenient and beneficial for the public, then we must consider it. Once I am certain of our technology and idea, I will do it.”

“What about the law?”

“You know I have influences high up in the government. It won’t be an issue. Besides, money can buy anything.”

People sitting around him frowned bitterly, but they had to admit that it was true.

Woosung told Hong Soobum, “Please get ready to do the same thing in China. Most of the world is covered by PayPal, but China is different. We have a chance there.”

“Alright.”

“I will make a call to Mahwacin to let him know. I already paid him, so he will be helpful.” Woosung then looked around the room. “Reduction in fee. With this, we can gain the public’s trust. This will make it easier to launch the mobile carrier business because the people will believe in our promise of reducing mobile cost.”

Jang Gwangchul, Hong Soobum, Park Byungki, and Yoon Gihwan listened silently.

“We will then become a company that no one can ignore.”

Jang Gwangchul replied, “We are big enough now that no one ignores us. People know how many Blue S2 we sold and how many Coconut Talk users we have.”

“We are indeed looking at the net profit of 100 million dollars this year.”

“Haha, exactly. It could increase more based on our performance so far.”

Woosung lowered his voice and replied, “But it’s still not enough. We are just beginning.”

Jang Gwangchul shut his mouth. Woosung was clearly not satisfied as usual.

“KND’s next goal is taking over Qualcomm, and then ARM. We need to become the biggest AP company.”

AP (Application Processor).

It was a very high-level technology.

Everyone nodded solemnly. They believed in Woosung’s vision for the future.

Woosung ordered, “Now, you are all free to go. Vice president Jang, please stay so we can talk in private.”

When everyone else left, Woosung said to Jang Gwangchul, “As you know, the approval rating for the current government is less than 50%. The government wants to use us to improve the situation. After the credit card fee reduction and the mobile cost reduction, they will become more popular.”

“So we should use the government as well, but if we do that, we may become a target by the next government…”

“So we need to be ready. We must accomplish the big projects on our own without the current government’s help. I have placed an ad looking for a business partner.”

“But there aren’t any companies good enough to be our partner.”

“Many of our competitions will still contact us. They will want to know what kind of technologies we have.”

“I better get the internal information team ready.”

“We need to protect what we have at all cost.”

Jang Gwangchul nodded gravely.

***

Blue House state council meeting.

Seoul Mayor Oh Hoon was making a passionate speech.

“Why do you think the financial crisis happened? It was because of the greedy banks and their poorly run operations. New regulations? Do you really think that will work?” It was a rhetorical question. He continued, “No, I don’t think so. It’s because of the lack of competition. We need to change this.”

Lee Parksung narrowed his eyes and looked at Oh Hoon. He could tell Mayor Oh wanted something.

Lee Parksung asked, “What does everyone think?”

The chairman of the financial service commission answered, “It is true that the world is changing. As technology improves, we need to follow suit and change the financial world too, but the basic principle of the bank system must remain the same. If Coconut Bank can guarantee to stay within this guideline, I agree that it is a good idea.”

Oh Hoon added, “That’s right.”

After a few more opinions from other chairmen, it was finally time for Lee Parksung to make a decision. He asked for a break and returned to his private office.

In his room were two reports on his desk.

“General human resources report.”

“Second quarter performance analysis report.”

He read the first report.

“Seoul Mayor Oh Hoon.”

“Most likely to win the upcoming provincial re-election.”

“Made it public that he plans to run for the presidency in the future.”

“Supports the fee reduction project.”

Lee Parksung murmured.

“He sounds very ambitious, but Sunghyun said he can be trusted…I wonder if he will really become the President in the future.”

The report on Oh Hoon was clean.

“It would be great if Oh Hoon becomes the next President, and then Sunghyun next.”

Lee Sunghyun read the second report.

“Fee reduction project For 75% Against 20%”

“Coconut Bank For 80% Against 17%”

“Kang Woosung’s popularity increasing steadily.”

Lee Parksung’s eyes sparkled. He stood up and returned to the meeting.

That day, various news made the headlines.

“Government supports the internet banking project.”

“Korean transaction company to be formed similarly to PayPal.”

“CEO Kang Woosung’s Coconut Bank: Will it be actively aided by the government?”

Towards the end of the day, more breaking news came up.

[Exclusive] KND plans to build another factory in Gimpo worth a billion dollars.

[Exclusive] Thousands of jobs to be created in Gimpo, which will positively affect the real estate market in the city.

[Exclusive] Coconut Bank now officially confirmed to be in plans.

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Chapter 127: <Coconut Bank>

Turning off the TV, Oh Hoon asked Woosung, “You are now more famous than I am!”

Woosung laughed, “Haha, no way. Everyone knows this project got approved because of you.”

“I did make an impressive speech at the Blue House. I said this is necessary for this country!”

“Thank you so much.”

Oh Hoon laughed and replied, “Haha, you’re welcome.”

Woosung had to restrain himself from sneering.

‘I gave you 300,000 dollars so of course, you should do this for me…’

Woosung had spent a total of over a million dollars in bribe so far.

Oh Hoon continued, “And now, I have to show my thanks to some people in the Blue House…”

Woosung nodded and answered, “I already have something prepared for you. You can take it when you leave.”

“You are great!”

Woosung bit his lips. Before this meeting, he at first wondered why Mayor Oh wanted to see him without Lee Sunghyun. However, he caught on quickly.

Money.

He was right too.

“It is my pleasure.”

“It will take some time to get final approval. There may be some resistance and objections from the opposite party.”

Woosung listened quietly.

“But eventually, they will pass it. Your reputation is great in Korea. You have been compared to America’s Elon Musk.”

“It is all thanks to you.”

“Do you have an interest in getting involved in politics? You have a big potential.”

Politics.

Woosung hasn’t considered it. The only goal he had so far was making money for the revenge against Choi Gichul.

Woosung replied honestly, “Not right now.”

“If you change your mind, come to me. I will help you.”

“Yes, sir.”

Woosung thought the meeting was over, but Oh Hoon added in a lower voice.

“By the way, it would have been better for me if the fee reduction project started in Seoul first. Because it will now launch in various cities, the public thinks the idea came from the President.”

Oh Hoon needed another big project to promote himself for the upcoming re-election.

He continued. “So I thought that perhaps you can take over Yongsan International Business district development project. As you know, it is at the brink of bankruptcy due to the recent financial crisis.”

Yongsan International Business district development.

It was an enormous project that required a budget of over 30 billion dollars. Unfortunately, due to the financial crisis, it was halted.

“I don’t have any experience in the construction industry…I will have to think about it.”

“If you are up for it, the city of Seoul will help you in any way you need. It will be beneficial for you too as a businessman.”

“But it is such a huge project. I need to look into a few things before answering.”

“You will have the Coconut Bank, which will make it easier for you to get the necessary funds. You will also gain huge tax benefits.”

Woosung didn’t have anywhere near 30 billion dollars to afford this project. Besides, entering the mobile carrier business was his priority.

When Woosung looked uncomfortable, Oh Hoon added, “Just think about it. You won’t have to come up with the entire budget right away. If you can just provide 4 billion dollars, it will prevent the project from having to file for bankruptcy.”

After the meeting, Woosung left with an unhappy expression.

***

Jang Gwangchul asked Woosung. “Didn’t you say you will use that money to purchase Qualcomm? Besides, we just started the entertainment and mobile carrier businesses. If we get into the unfamiliar territory of the construction industry, it could end us.”

“But it could also have a huge return.”

“You don’t sound sure this time. Do you really believe this is a good opportunity?”

Woosung paused at Jang Gwangchul’s accurate assessment of the situation.

Yongsan International Business district development.

It could be a huge opportunity, but unlike other businesses, Woosung wasn’t sure of the future of this project.

Woosung asked, “How about using the Coconut Bank for the funds?”

“The Separation of Bank and Commerce Act is there to prevent banks from doing things like that. It is not possible. The media will have a field day if they find out.”

“What if we get the cooperation from all the other banks?”

“Do we really have to do this?”

“Yongsan is a prime piece of land. Anything we build there will surely be profitable.”

Jang Gwangchul sighed deeply. Theirs was an IT company yet Woosung was becoming interested in the construction industry.

“We could also apply our IT expertise. In the future, homes will become very popular. We can test it there.”

“If you must get involved, we need to first cut the budget in half at least. Only then could even consider it.”

Woosung added, “The project will involve mainly building residential structures. This will help the housing shortage in Seoul, which means other banks will want to cooperate. We can get them to invest.”

This could make him billions of dollars. It was a whole new level of game for Woosung.

However, he also knew how difficult this project would be.

Jang Gwangchul sighed and asked nervously, “And what about the mobile carrier business?”

“Of course we will go ahead with it too.”

“Where would we get the additional fund?”

“I was thinking about selling some of the company stock.”

“Are you serious?”

“Haha, always. Besides, I have a bit of money in my personal account. It will be enough to start the mobile carrier business.”

“Then why the need for selling the shares? We have enough money.”

“Haha, for the next investment opportunities.”

Jang Gwangchul shook his head and asked.

“And how much were you thinking to sell?”

“1 billion dollars since the smartphones have done so well. Let’s do 50 million dollars for Coconut.”

“So you have it all planned already.”

Woosung lowered his voice further. “I can see the big picture, but I don’t have the people to carry it out. I realize I can’t do anything. We need capable people in the finances and constructions.”

“I know some good people in finances but constructions…I have nothing.”

Woosung thought carefully. So much to do yet not enough people. Jang Gwangchul also frowned thoughtfully.

After a few minutes, Woosung replied, “Well, I haven’t said yes to Oh Hoon yet so we have some time. Let’s get some financial experts first.”

***

Nuri Finances headquarters, Shin Gungu’s office.

Shin Gungu frowned as he listened to his secretary’s report.

“It is now official that Coconut Bank has been approved by the government.”

“It wouldn’t have been easy…”

“The public likes Kang Woosung. He is the new hero of the country. There are people who are comparing him to Elon Musk.”

“He did create innovative products like Blue S, Coconut Talk, and now the Internet Bank.”

“The President needs him to improve his approval rating.”

“I guess.”

“On top of Coconut Bank, there is a rumor that he is planning another project.”

“Mobile carrier?”

“That’s officially in works already. I meant on top of that too. They are thinking to get into the space business or the electric cars.”

Shin Gungu swallowed. It was clear that the government had an undeniable trust in Kang Woosung.

He replied, “If we stay put, we will lose everything.”

“Some thinks his company will grow bigger than Daeyang.”

“We need to do something. Get Shin Semi.”

“Yes, sir.”

When she arrived, Shin Gungu explained the situation. As she listened, no expression can be read on the way she looked.

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Chapter 128: <Coconut Bank>

Every day, Kang Woosung’s accomplishments filled the news. In KYLO meetings, he was always the center of attention. The women especially flocked him.

“Haha, tell me your secret to success! It took you only a year to get to where you are now. Come on, you can tell me.”

“I just worked hard. There is no secret to it.”

Another beauty asked him, “I actually know the answer to that question. It’s the data analysis, right?”

Woosung smiled and answered, “Haha, I guess that’s the most accurate answer.”

The woman smiled brightly. “I knew it!”

“Data analysis? What kind of data did you study to get such great results?”

Another woman answered instead, “What? Do you not know how to perform data analysis? It’s statistics. You based your decisions on statistics, right?”

The beautiful woman asked him, “Haha, that’s right. At this rate, you ladies are going to know all my secrets.”

“Hahahaha.”

The women laughed at his joke flirtatiously. Woosung thought in disgust.

‘Just stop.’

This wasn’t a nightclub, yet these women rubbed themselves against him shamelessly.

One of the women whispered to him secretly, “Can you teach me about statistics in private?”

Woosung blinked. Quickly, he recovered and played the game.

“I can actually teach you something better. Are you interested?”

“Hahaha, you’re funny!”

Woosung narrowed his eyes and replied, “Haha, I think you misunderstood me. I meant different analysis techniques…”

The women laughed again.

They were surrounded by expensive whiskeys. Everyone was getting slowly drunk. One woman replied, “It’s not a bad idea.”

Another one complained in a jealous voice, “Oh my! You have no shame!”

Woosung replied, “Haha, I am happy to teach everyone, but I only teach one on one.”

One of the women patted his shoulder and said in a husky voice, “I’m ok with two on one too.”

“Hahaha, you’re so naughty!”

Woosung replied, “Haha, I have great stamina, so I can handle two on one too.”

Everyone laughed again.

Shin Semi watched from afar with a frown. She hated seeing him like this.

‘How could he say things like that to those women!’

She hated everything about this situation, yet she couldn’t look away.

Jun Taewon approached Shin Semi.

“Haha, Woosung is very popular.”

Shin Semi was so focused that she didn’t hear him. When she didn’t react, Jun Taewon frowned angrily.

He raised his voice slightly, “Leader Shin Semi?”

Finally, she turned around.

“Oh, hi.”

“What are you thinking about so seriously?”

“Oh…Just this and that…” However, she quickly turned to Woosung’s direction again.

Jun Taewon said to her in disappointment, “I thought TK had a great relationship with Nuri Finances, but I guess I was mistaken.”

“It’s not like that.”

“I asked to meet with you several times through your father, yet you refused every time…I’m not a bad guy, you know. The only reason why TK works with Nuri is because of my trust in you.”

Shin Semi sighed lightly at the mention of work. She then remembered what has happened in Sunleung recently. She could understand how he must have felt. She ignored Jun Taewon and started to walk towards Woosung, but Woosung was walking away.

Jun Taewon murmured as he looked at him, “Look at that. He is leaving with those girls.”

The group was going into the private room.

***

2 hours later.

Most members have left the meeting, but Shin Semi was still waiting anxiously. When Woosung and the women finally came out, Shin Semi quickly pretended to be doing something else.

The women said to Woosung, “Haha, we had a great time.”

“Haha, thank you for your good advice.”

“I hope we can do this again?”

“Of course.”

“Hopefully in a more private setting?”

Woosung laughed. “Haha, totally.”

They passed Shin Semi, who quickly asked pointedly, “Don’t we have something to discuss?”

The women turned around with wide eyes.

The atmosphere became tense suddenly.

The women clearly wanted to stay and see what happens, but Woosung winked at them and said with a smile.

“I will tell you later.”

“Haha, alright. See you later.”

After the women left, Woosung turned around. “What are you talking about?”

Shin Semi looked over Woosung quickly. He looked neat. His hair wasn’t messy and his suit was wrinkle-free. Shin Semi was sure nothing happened in the room.

She replied, “We were talking about pin tech last time.”

“I already got an offer from your brother. I thought that was the end of the conversation.”

“That’s different…”

“I meant to send my answer tomorrow anyway. It’s a no..”

“Pardon?”

“The deal itself was not very attractive.” Shin Semi was baffled. Woosung continued quickly. “Nuri’s offer was worse than those from Daejin or Saehan. I had no reason to accept your company’s deal.”

She had nothing to say about it. So instead, Shin Semi asked, “What did you guys do in the room? Was it fun? Do all men become like that when they become rich?”

“When I first asked you to help me get into KYLO, I told you why I wanted to join. Did you forget?”

Shin Semi remembered. She remained silent.

Woosung continued, “Women like to gossip. I needed the information. That’s all.”

“I…I see.”

“Do you have anything else to ask?” When Shin Semi didn’t say anything, Woosung turned around to leave. He added, “Then I would like to ask you a question. Why are you so interested in me?”

“Pardon?”

“You were waiting for me, right? Why?”

Shin Semi wanted to admit it.

Yes! She was waiting for him!

Instead, she answered, “T…that’s ridiculous.”

“You’re the one who is ridiculous. This is the third time you came to me. If you had no feelings for me, you wouldn’t do that.”

Shin Semi suddenly felt thirsty. She gulped down the warm whiskey on the table. Her heart was beating fast.

Woosung continued, “I am telling you because you are beginning to mix business with your personal feelings. Everyone at the meeting already noticed this too. There are numerous rumors.”

Shin Semi reddened. She has never felt this humiliated before.

What should she do?

Her brain stopped working.

“W…what kind of rumors?”

“About two of us. I am used to it, but you aren’t. You better be careful or else, it might even appear on the news.”

Shin Semi’s eyes suddenly shined. The whiskey was helping her to be bold.

She answered, “That’s fine with me.”

“…pardon?”

“A scandal with a successful businessman wouldn’t be a bad thing.”

Shin Semi’s licked her lips. She looked at Woosung with longing.

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Chapter 129: <Coconut Bank>

Shin Semi poured a glass of whiskey and said to Woosung, “I hate to brag, but you must admit that I am beautiful. I haven’t had any plastic surgery, which is rare in KYLO.”

Shin Semi looked confident, which made Woosung flustered, but he replied firmly, “I have a lot to do right now. I have no time for anything other than work.”

“I understand completely. My father was just like you. That is why it makes sense for rich business people to marry each other.”

Woosung looked at Shin Semi.

Appearance.

Ability.

Background.

She was A+ for all of the categories. Woosung was tempted to nod and take her to the nearest bed right away, but he needed to be dedicated to his work. If he lost his focus now, his whole plan could crumble.

“I have things I really need to accomplish. That’s all I can tell you right now.”

Rejection again.

Shin Semi sighed. “So…I suspected it, but it really is a no?”

“Not a no, but more like not now.”

Shin Semi took another sip. This was her third glass. She wasn’t used to drinking so much. She felt drunk, which gave her courage.

“Then what about after you are done with your work?”

It felt surreal for Woosung to have such a gorgeous woman begging to go out with her. This has never happened in his previous life. He was always the one who was dumped.

“Maybe…That’s the only answer I can give you right now.”

“That’s such a vague answer. Rich people are actually very old-fashioned. There is no guarantee that I will be available then.”

Shin Semi was now being too needy.

Woosung replied, “If that happens, I would be a bit disappointed.”

Her expression brightened a little. She took another sip. “I will try to wait for you. Please don’t make me wait too long.”

Then she fell asleep on the sofa. Woosung lifted her up and placed her in her car where her chauffeur was waiting. She was lighter than expected. His heart was pounding fast.

***

After returning home and taking a shower, Woosung murmured in front of the mirror, “What a life.”

His appearance was the same, but he gave off a different atmosphere.

Relaxed.

Confident.

He was full of these wonderful characteristics, and a woman like Shin Semi was after him.

He enjoyed this situation.

What man wouldn’t like to be pursued by a beautiful woman?

“After my revenge…”

With an evil grin, Woosung sat in front of his computer and opened his secret note file.

In it was a detailed list of what he remembered of his past life which was now his future.

This was his most treasured asset.

“It’s May now, so…After the provincial election in a month, Naro’s launch will fail…Then the economy will improve and oil price will go up…I guess that’s it for this year.”

Oh Hoon will win the election.

Next would be Naro.

This will fail.

Naro.

It was Korea’s first carrier rocket that will fail during its launch.

“Space business…”

Presently, this was not a plausible business for Woosung to get involved.

“But someday…”

Woosung turned to the next page.

Oil price increase.

This was his chance to make money again.

Afterwards, Woosung checked his bitcoin status.

He had a few thousand coins more than the last time he checked. He was happy with the result.

On top of mining, he continued to buy them from individuals online. He created many different IDs to prevent any suspicions. He used a VPN to avoid IP tracking. He was very careful every step of the way.

Recently, two pizzas were purchased by a developer for 10,000 bitcoins.

Finally, the first price of Bitcoin was set at about 0.15 cent.

Woosung started to doze off. He was so tired, but he still couldn’t go to bed yet. He shook his head and started summarizing what he heard from those women today.

“Yoo Sona and Choi Taemin’s relationship confirmed.”

He already knew this from Yoo Sona herself. It seemed the others also knew.

“Choi Taemin’s wife Kim Ina knows of his affair. She is considering divorcing him, but currently is holding off at Chairman Choi Gunwon’s insistence.”

Woosung didn’t know this before. Kim Ina was the daughter of the CEO of Sunyu Group, well known for its chain of SU convenient stores.

“Kim Ina is having an affair with a famous actor Lee Jaejung.”

Woosung didn’t know of this either. The women at KYLO were only happy to share the gossips with him. Woosung wrote down a few more things he remembered before heading to bed.

***

“Of the 299 senators, 187 have agreed to adjust the Separation of Bank and Commerce Act. The adjustment is now officially approved.”

The opposition members stood up and left the Congress angrily, while the current party members remained to celebrate.

Representative Kim Manhyun said to the man next to him, “So now an individual or a private company can own up to 15% of the bank.”

“This was adjusted to make the internet bank happen. The Korean public wants this. Daeyang promised to compensate us handsomely for it.”

“And what did the Coconut say?”

“I already got a call from Mayor Oh.”

Kim Manhyun laughed. “Already?”

“He had the money ready in advance.”

“Haha, he has good instincts.”

“I heard Mayor Oh Hoon has a great business sense. He is also one of the top candidates for future presidency. It will be beneficial for us to keep him close.”

“Presidency?”

“Yup and CEO Kang Woosung also is very popular.”

“Hmm…We must see how we can use him for our advantage even after the provincial election.”

“I will make it happen.”

Kim Manhyun nodded and asked, “So Kang Woosung is currently working as part of Oh Hoon’s election team?”

“That’s right. He is using big data analysis to increase the mayor’s popularity. I heard it is going very well.”

“Find out if we can copy the same technique for ourselves.”

“Yes, sir.”

“We need to win Seoul. That’s the key.”

***

The fifth provincial election day.

Lee Sunghyun sat in front of the TV nervously. Oh Hoon’s win meant his own success too. The only thing he had right now was the title of being the President’s son.

This was the chance for him to become a somebody on his own. If he led Oh Hoon’s election to success, there was no one who would object him from running next year for a position. Eventually, he would become the President himself.

“Phew…”

After a deep sigh, he continued to watch the news. It would take another 9 hours before the result was announced. After a few more minutes, Lee Sunghyun headed to the gym.

After working out for 2 hours, he went to the sauna.

He then returned home for a long nap.

He hasn’t been sleeping much for the last few weeks. He was tired.

When he woke up, it was 5 pm.

It was almost time.

6 pm.

Woosung turned on the TV.

Jang Gwangchul who was sitting nearby murmured, “What if Oh Hoon doesn’t get re-elected?”

“That will never happen.”

“Well, I know you are most likely right, but it’s always risky for a company to support a specific political figure. I hope you won’t do it again.”

Woosung knew this too. If the politician lost, then there was a good chance the winning party would treat the company unfairly.

“And that’s why I made an exit strategy.”

Jang Gwangchul swallowed. “You…you always have everything covered.”

“Breaking news. A preliminary result has been released. Liberal party’s Oh Hoon 47.4%. Democratic party’s Han Minsook 47.1%. It is likely that Oh Hoon has won the election.”

“As long as the error is less than 0.3%, Oh Hoon most likely is the re-elected mayor of Seoul.”

As Woosung expected, Oh Hoon was winning by a very small margin.

Jang Gwangchul commented, “I guess you were right again.”

“But if not…It would be a huge problem for us.” Woosung murmured ominously.

If the result was different than his previous life, it meant the future was now changing.

Fortunately, the result remained the same even after 10 hours.

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Chapter 130: <Power>

Mayor Oh Hoon’s re-election party.

Oh Hoon grabbed Lee Sunghyun’s hands.

“This is all thanks to you. I can’t believe I won by only 0.2%. It was so close.”

“I am flattered.”

“No, I mean it. You were totally right. Last year, you predicted 0.2% and you got it right! I am so shocked.”

Lee Sunghyun smiled. It was actually Woosung who predicted it. They both knew it.

Lee Sunghyun replied, “I feel the same way.”

“So where is he?”

“He doesn’t like big parties, so he just sent some flowers for you.”

“Well, it is better for politicians and businessmen to not appear together too often.”

“Exactly. The other party may use it against you.”

Oh Hoon nodded. “I understand. Anyway, I hope you have a great time here and I will see you later.”

“Yes, sir.”

Lee Sunghyun bowed and left. Oh Hoon greeted other guests.

Among them were Liberal representative Kim Manhyun.

He approached Lee Sunghyun. “Long time no see.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Haha, you used to call me uncle! I would like you to do it again.”

“No, sir. We need to keep business and personal relationship separately.”

“You are still so stubborn.”

Lee Sunghyun’s expression remained serious. With a politician, one always had to be alert and don’t miss a word. Especially someone like Kim Manhyun who was high up in ranks.

“You must have needed something. I am ready to listen.”

Kim Manhyun laughed, “Haha, so serious. Well, I do have a few things I want to ask. Is it true that Kang Woosung played a big part in this election?”

“That’s correct. It was Kang Woosung who predicted the result.”

“I hear he predicted it and also made it happen?”

“I’d like to think we all played a part in making this happen.”

“Can I know the details?”

Lee Sunghyun told Kim Manhyun of all the things that happened.

The main focus was on the data analysis.

Kim Manhyun exclaimed when he heard about the accuracy of Woosung’s past predictions.

“He’s that good?”

“I am telling you the truth. His skills are unbelievable. As you know, Kang Woosung became the CEO of a multi billion-dollar company in only a year. He is very special.”

“And it is all thanks to his ability to analyze data.”

“He admitted it. He said that’s how he became successful.”

Kim Manhyun narrowed his eyes. “I am very curious.”

“He is a true genius.”

“Hmm…”

Kim Manhyun sighed deeply and closed his eyes. He was pressured to leave his position as the representative by the other party members. He needed help.

Kim Manhyun opened his eyes.

“Then can I ask you for a favor?”

“Anything.”

“I would like to meet this Kang Woosung.”

“In private?”

“That would be ideal.”

Lee Sunghyun nodded and replied, “Alright. I will make an arrangement.”

“How about today? I am free…”

“Today?”

Lee Sunghyun thought for a second and replied quickly, “I will call him and see.”

Kim Manhyun smiled.

***

Woosung looked unhappy as he sat down.

A sudden request for a meeting.

Would Lee Sunghyun have done the same to Daeyang’s CEO?

Woosung shook his head. Daeyang was still more powerful and influential. He was still not strong enough.

Someday when he became bigger, nobody would have the nerve to treat him with these much disrespect.

The door opened and Kim Manhyun walked in with a smile. Woosung forced a smile on his face too.

Kim Manhyun greeted, “Haha, I’m sorry I asked to meet you on such short notice.”

Woosung shook his hand and replied, “Not at all. It sounded like you wanted to talk about something very important.”

Kim Manhyun.

He was an influential politician.

“I first wanted to meet you to thank you for your role in winning the Seoul election. I hope I am important enough for you to want to meet.”

Woosung replied quickly, “Of course you are! I am honored to meet you.”

“Haha, I’m glad you think so. Let’s have a seat first.”

They initially talked about mundane things. After a few minutes of chat, Kim Manhyun finally lowered his voice and asked, “Attorney Lee tells me your analysis skill is beyond this world.”

Woosung didn’t feel the need to be humble anymore.

“Yes. That is how I got here.”

“And can you apply that skill to anything?”

“It’s hard to say, but if it involves finding out what the public wants, then I am pretty confident in my skills.”

“I also heard you can make things happen…I will be frank. Can you increase the approval rating for the Liberal party?”

Woosung expected this question.

He pretended to look uncomfortable and replied with the answer he thought of before coming, “Sir, I am not a political consultant. Mayor Oh Hoon was a special case. Besides, boosting approval rating is not something I’m familiar with.”

Kim Manhyun remembered what Lee Sunghyun told him. Woosung was a businessman through and through. He believed in give-and-take relationships. Kim Manhyun thought to himself.

‘He wants me to offer him something.’

Woosung looked at his eyes directly. KND was now a big important company. He had the right to be confident.

Kim Manhyun murmured, “You aren’t familiar with it…”

“But I did learn something from working on this election. May I tell you?”

Kim Manhyun nodded.

Woosung continued, “The reason why Mayor Oh could win was because it was in the public’s knowledge that the credit card fee reduction project was strongly supported by the mayor.”

Kim Manhyun nodded again.

Woosung added, “Doing something like that would be the best way to get the public’s approval. You need to do something innovative.”

“Do you have an example?”

“Mobile carrier business would be the best example. Reducing the cell phone bills for the public would surely be a very positive change.”

“Hahaha, I’m not sure if I can make things like that happen. Besides, that plan is already in works by the government.”

“But it will happen faster if it has more support in the Congress.”

“Hmm…”

“The first politician that publicly support the idea will gain the most popularity.”

Kim Manhyun’s eyes sharpened.

‘Look at this guy.’

It was clear that Woosung was trying to use him to make his mobile carrier business happen faster. However, it was a hard offer to refuse.

Kim Manhyun had to do his own research first, but it was not a bad idea.

Woosung continued quickly, “If you remember where the idea of reducing the mobility cost came from, it should be easier for you to answer.”

Kim Manhyun swallowed. He did remember. It was clear what Woosung was trying to say.

“Will the federal government again take the whole credit for this idea?”

Kim Manhyun shook his head. He couldn’t let this happen.

“The public wants to save money. Anyone or any group that makes it happen will no doubt become popular.” Kim Manhyun agreed completely. He asked, “Are you ready to make the formal request to the government? Are the paperwork ready?”

When Woosung nodded, Kim Manhyun replied, “Alright.”

After the meeting, Lee Sunghyun explained to Woosung, “Kim Manhyun pressured me, so I had to do it. I’m sorry I called you on such short notice.”

“Haha, I understand.”

“So what did he say?”

“It wasn’t anything special. This and that, and…”

“And?”

“He asked me how to boost the approval rating for the liberals. I told him I didn’t know much about it.”

“Hmm…really?”

“But…”

“But?”

“I told him of an idea, just like I did for Mayor Oh.”

Lee Sunghyun urged him to continue.

“I told him to think about the advantage of reducing the cell phone bill for the public. Wouldn’t he look good if he became the one who supported and pushed the idea first?”

Lee Sunghyun nodded and picked up his phone quickly. He looked hurried. Lee Sunghyun realized what he had to do.

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Chapter 131: <Power>

When Woosung returned to the office, Jang Gwangchul was waiting for him.

“I was just about to call you.”

“Did they finally contact us?”

“Yup. They suddenly are very interested and want the paperwork right away.”

Woosung smiled mysteriously and replied, “Haha, I can guess why.”

“What did you talk about with Kim Manhyun?”

“I pushed a little.”

“Pushed?”

“As you know, the liberal party didn’t do very well in many of the smaller provinces.”

“So?”

“The party wants a scapegoat, and it seems like the representative head of the party is being blamed.”

“So Kim Manhyun asked you for a solution and you…advised that it would look good if he becomes the first politician to push the mobility cost reduction plan?”

“Haha, something like that.”

“So Lee Sunghyun now needs to make it happen even faster. He wants to make this project be his father’s accomplishment, but now Kim Manhyun is trying to steal the idea.” Jang Gwangchul smiled. “So this is going to happen very soon.”

“I think so. We need to go over the plan one last time to make sure it’s perfect.”

“It’s happening as we speak. The developers we hired from Europe are doing an amazing and efficient job. They also finished the LTE plan.”

“So now, our success will depend on what frequency we get assigned.”

“Yes. We need a good one.”

“You told me last time there is a problem with 900MHz. We can’t use LTE with this frequency.”

“That’s right. We need the 850s, currently monopolized by TK. We need to get as many frequencies as possible so we can increase the download speed.”

Woosung murmured at Jang Gwangchul’s explanation, “Do I have to do the project loon just like Google?”

A similar project was being done by Facebook too, but Woosung quickly shook his head.

Jang Gwangchul asked, “What?”

“Haha, nothing.”

“TK will not give up easily.”

Woosung nodded gravely.

Jang Gwangchul continued, “This will be a messy battle. If an auction format is used, it will cost us a fortune. At least, it’s a good thing that you have friends in the political world, but…I still don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be so deep in politics. When a different party takes over the power, it could be the end for us.”

“Haha, you don’t have to worry about that. You just don’t understand. By the way, I haven’t done anything official for the current party.”

“But…”

When Jang Gwangchul tried to continue again, Woosung narrowed his eyes. “Do you know why Daeyang and TK can’t be touched by the prosecutors?”

When Jang Gwangchul couldn’t answer, Woosung continued, “Because of the influence they have in politics. There is a saying that if you kill one person, you are a murderer, but if you kill a thousand, then you are a hero. Daeyang is the hero, but we aren’t there yet.”

Jang Gwangchul realized what Woosung was saying.

Money.

Money could buy you anything.

Which meant they needed to go back to the beginning. They needed to make more money.

Jang Gwangchul asked, “By the way, how did you make your slush fund?”

“Shush! It’s not a slush fund! I just happen to have money on the side for personal use. You don’t have to worry too much about money right now. Just worry about the business. By the way, how is it going with hiring a financial expert?”

“There are so many people applying for the job. I am trying to narrow it down.”

“If you can find someone from abroad, that would be a good idea. We need someone innovative that can think outside the Korean box.”

“Alright. I will look into it.”

“Also, Mayor Oh called me again. He is desperate. I think he wants to announce the big project to gain the people’s approval.”

“It makes sense that he wants to solve the Yongsan project problem.”

“Do you still think it’s a bad idea for us to take it on?”

“Unlike IT, it takes a lot of funds and the profit can be questionable. I just don’t see the point of getting involved.”

“But the influence we will gain from it! There are also many ways we can make it profitable with minimal risks.”

“We are getting into so many different businesses. What is your goal exactly?”Jang Gwangchul asked, “I need to know the big picture so I can support you. I think you have a singular plan rather than just trying to make as much money as possible.”

“As much money…” Woosung paused, then continued, “My final goal is to make enough money so that I can become bigger than Daeyang.”

More specifically, Woosung wanted to destroy Choi Gichul, but he didn’t say it out loud.

At the mention of Daeyang, Jang Gwangchul widened his eyes and asked, “Do you have something against Daeyang?”

Woosung trusted Jang Gwangchul. He decided to give him at least a part of the truth.

“Daeyang did an unforgivable thing to me.”

Jang Gwangchul tried to think of an answer. He knew Woosung’s parents were still alive and as far as he could remember, Woosung didn’t have a relationship with Daeyang.

While Jang Gwangchul was deep in thought, Woosung continued, “This is a game where it will end only when either I or Daeyang dies.”

“Hmm…”

“Don’t worry. KND will win. We will take over Daeyang and rule the world.”

***

TK Telecom headquarter.

Jun Taewon gritted his teeth. “So the official business announcement will be made.”

“Yes. With the credit card fee reduction plan, the government gained a 7% increase in approval rating. With the new mobile carrier, it is expected to increase even further.”

Jun Taewon’s face crumpled. “How is the Congress reacting?”

“I’m not sure what Kang Woosung did, but the liberal party is all for it. They have contacted us to apologize. They said they had no choice.”

“…I can’t believe it. I gave them so much money, yet they repay me this way!” The secretary cowered at Jun Taewon’s outburst. “And the democratic party is also welcoming the idea.”

“So that means nobody will support us at the Congress.”

“There is another problem.” Jun Taewon sighed roughly. “There is a rumor that KND has completed the PoC of 4G technology.”

Jun Taewon stood up. “W…what?”

“They apparently hired many programmers from Europe. We are also nearly done with our development, but we are holding off because we need to continue with 3G a little longer to come out even on the 3G development cost.”

“I thought we already made a profit from 3G?”

“We just evened out and whatever we make from now will be profit. This means the longer we delay 4G, the better.”

“How much will it cost to start 4G nationwide?”

“3 billion dollars.”

“…that’s a lot. Just where did Kang Woosung get that much money?”

“If you add the cost of purchasing the frequency, it will be more like 5 billion dollars.”

“So where did he get 5 billion dollars? Is he using everything he made from Blue S2 on this project?” Jun Taewon tried to calm down and think.

The secretary replied, “Thousands of Blue S2 are being sold daily in Korea alone. Worldwide, it’s most likely tens of thousands of phones per day. Should we report him to the Revenue agency for an investigation? His company grew so fast, there must be at least some corruption involved. He probably also has slush money stashed.”

Jun Taewon rubbed his chin. “Probably. That would make sense.”

Jun Taewon nodded and the secretary picked up the phone.

***

Tax investigation.

The investigators from the Revenue agency made a surprise visit, but Woosung welcomed them.

Jang Gwangchul whispered to him, “It’s good to be rich. They already called us in advance to warn us of this ‘surprise visit.'”

“We bribed them enough that this is the least they can do.”

“It doesn’t matter anyway. Per your order, we have been keeping our noses very clean.”

“This is a very sensitive subject for the public. We need to remain clean and transparent. We can’t get involved in a tax evasion controversy.”

Suddenly, Woosung’s phone rang. It was from Alex.

“Boss, it’s done! We finished the deal with Space X.”

Woosung turned on the TV.

Naro was falling in flames from the sky.

After hanging up, Woosung said to Jang Gwangchul, “Naro just exploded. It’s time.”

“Alright. Let’s do this.”

Woosung called Lee Sunghyun.

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Chapter 132: &lt;Power&gt;

Lee Sunghyun looked at Woosung with a bizarre gaze.

‘He will do it? Where did he get so much money?’

It was a mystery. Where did Woosung make all his money?

‘If it’s a slush fund, he will be caught by the Revenue agency.’

Woosung continued his explanation. “The calculation for the business offered by Mayor Oh doesn’t make sense as is. To make it work, I will need many tax benefits from the government, that is why I came to you.”

Lee Sunghyun narrowed his eyes and replied, “How is the tax evasion investigation going? If they find something, your entire company could collapse and I wouldn’t be able to do anything to help you.”

“So there are things that even you can’t handle?”

Lee Sunghyun frowned at Woosung’s challenging remark.

“There are things even the President can’t fix. If you are found guilty of corruption, the Coconut Coin project may even be affected. No one wants to be associated with a corrupt company.”

Coconut Coin.

It was the official name.

“You don’t have to worry about it. My company’s record is spotless, and KND is only a year old. There is nothing to find.”

Woosung said firmly, but Lee Sunghyun didn’t seem to believe him. There was no businessman who didn’t take bribes or abuse the company fund.

“I am concerned that you are getting involved in too many things too fast. You are being a part of the transaction system, mobile carrier, and most likely the frequency auction. These all will cost billions of dollars.” Lee Sunghyun paused and looked at Woosung. “Now, you want to add the space business on top of everything?”

Woosung shrugged and replied, “You forgot the construction business.” Woosung continued quickly, “My company purchased 30% of Space X. They can build a station in the center of Yongsan for space research. This can then be surrounded by 50-floor apartments to house the workers.”

Woosung took a breath and continued, “We can also build buildings for other space related ventures. We can offer many advantages to attract promising companies.”

Lee Sunghyun still couldn’t stop worrying.

“The first Yongsan project failed because it tried to go too big too fast. I think you need to establish the businesses you are starting first before taking on the Yongsan project.”

Woosung answered firmly, “That would be too late.”

“…”

“Business needs to expand when things are going well. You never know when someone will steal the idea. I followed this principle, that is why I came this far.”

Lee Sunghyun sighed lightly. “So you insist on starting these new businesses all at once?”

“When I first started the smartphone project, everyone had the same reaction. They said I was crazy. Look what happened! It was a huge success. Do you know why?”

Lee Sunghyun just blinked.

Woosung grinned and continued, “Because I was behind it. I am the main character of this world, and main characters never fail.”

Lee Sunghyun grinned at Woosung’s joke.

He was being confident, but he did lead many projects to unexpected success.

Lee Sunghyun asked, “So you are the main character of this story?”

“You don’t have to worry about the funds. I am making more than enough in perfectly legal ways. I am a good and just main character. I am not here to ask for a favor. Just like before, I am here to suggest a fair trade. That is why I welcomed the tax investigation. What I ask of you is to make sure the others don’t use unfair methods or influences to stop me.”

Woosung was already getting calls from credit card companies, banks, and mobile carriers. If the Yongsan project becomes official, he knew he would be getting calls from construction companies too.

“This is a good thing for the government. Wouldn’t making Yongsan better increase the President’s popularity?”

Lee Sunghyun nodded.

Woosung continued, “I am not saying I want to be the actual constructor. I plan to be only the developer this time.”

This meant Woosung was to plan and outsource it to an actual construction company for building.

Lee Sunghyun sighed again and replied, “You are so greedy.”

“I just want fairness. I will make this into a success.”

“What I need from you then is a proof that you can do this.”

“I have the fund document ready for the mobile carrier business.”

“How about anything for the Yongsan project?”

Woosung took out a piece of paper. On it was a letter from the Right Capital that offered to invest 3 billion dollars.

Lee Sunghyun read it over and over again. He couldn’t believe it. He asked, “Is…is this another hedge fund company you created?”

“Not all of it, but something like that.”

Lee Sunghyun had to admit Woosung was indeed financially ready.

***

After the meeting, Woosung went to meet the representative of the Right Capital.

Right Capital was a hedge fund company from US.

Its acting director was Alex.

So far, Alex was taking care of four companies.

KND Investment.

DNK, which took over MOX.

NK Entertainment.

Now, Right Capital too.

Alex shook his head and said to Woosung, “Boss, this is now the fourth company. You are growing way too fast. This could lead to a failure.”

Woosung replied firmly, “Alex, this is the Korean way.”

“But do you think this will work in America too?”

Woosung nodded. “Of course, and we will grow even bigger very soon. Get ready.”

Alex sighed in frustration. “Well, I’m getting paid very well so I don’t care.”

“Haha, that’s a good way of thinking. By the way, I heard the Battle Round did very well in the first quarter?”

“Yes. League of Legend and other MOX’s games did well too, so the total net profit will be about a billion dollars.”

“Keep buying Apple and Amazon stocks. Oh, and we need to start selling the shares. I need some cash.”

“Boss, you have about 4 billion dollars you can cash out right now. Are you saying that’s not enough?”

When Woosung nodded, Alex swallowed.

Woosung continued, “What’s the state of our plan to put NK Entertainment into Hollywood?”

“CEO Moon Yongjun has been getting prepared for it for a while now. He seemed to know a lot about it.”

“Good. What you need to do is to keep investing in American TV shows and movies. You got the list I sent you, right?”

Alex nodded.

Shrek.

Social Network.

Super Bad.

Inception.

These were the popular movies Woosung remembered watching.

Alex asked, “And do you really think Spotify will be ok?”

It was the only business Woosung purchased that was having a loss.

“It’s because we are still at a developing stage. It will start doing better soon. The first thing we need to focus on is getting users.”

Alex nodded. Woosung continued, “I know how hard you worked, so I will be giving you 5 million dollars as a bonus.”

Alex brightened. “Thank you!”

“If you ever find a good US company you want to recommend, please let me know.”

Alex nodded again.

***

On the day of launching the Coconut Bank.

A display board was hung on the wall of the office.

“Number of app downloaded.”

“Number of accounts formed.”

“Total account amounts.”

The numbers were increasing fast. The number of downloads reached 100,000 in a matter pf seconds.

The customers were impressed with the convenience of the Coconut Bank.

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Chapter 133: &lt;Power&gt;

Seoul Bank Association meeting.

Representatives from various banks including Nuri, Daejin, and Saehan gathered for a private meeting.

“We are out of options. We either need to come up with a similar service or share our piece of the pie.”

“If they also incorporate offline transaction system, then we are all doomed.”

“They have Coconut Pay too, on top of that? If this is applied to the online transaction system as well, how do you think the customers will react?”

“…just where did that bastard come from? Do you know what he said when I requested a meeting?” Saehan Bank’s rep took a big gulp of cold water and continued, “He said that he is busy and that I should come and visit him if I am that desperate. Who does he think he is?”

Daejin rep added, “I know! We can develop a system just as good as Coconut Pay. I already told my developers to make one.”

“Same here. My PM told me it can be done in 3 months.”

Shin Gungu watched in frustration.

3 months?

There was no way something like that could be completed in such a short time.

Daejin Bank’s rep turned to Shin Gungu and asked, “What do you think?”

Shin Gungu looked at everyone and replied, “I think you are all underestimating how complicated this technology is.”

“What? It’s IT. You just get the programmers to make it. It’s easy.”

Another rep agreed. “Exactly. You just have to pay some developers and they can make it. Why would that be hard?”

Shin Gungu took a sip of his tea and answered, “None of us have a secure and advanced technology like what Coconut Bank has. Not every system can be made easily. 3 months? Do you not remember when we first launched the new system at the Nuri Finances? It was like hell on the first day and for the 3 months after, the system froze so many times we thought it was the end of us. If you are okay with that happening again, you are welcome to try it.”

“Hmm…”

Cough.

The others looked uncomfortable at Shin Gungu’s sharp but accurate remarks.

Shin Gungu continued, “Coconut is experiencing no problems. They are carrying on so smoothly and efficiently. Over 500,000 accounts were made the first day, and how about Coconut Pay? It is so convenient.”

Daejin rep said cautiously, “Coconut Banking will never win against us though. We are the big companies around. We are already established.”

Shin Gungu laughed weakly. “The real owner of Coconut Bank is Kang Woosung. Did you all forget that he is the man who created Blue S2? Do you know how many different parts are involved in making a smartphone? This means there are countless companies that are in relationships with KND. What about the factories in Gimpo, and other businesses Kang Woosung is planning?”

Shin Gungu paused and looked at everyone in frustration. He was disappointed at the bunch. He regretted attending this meeting. It was useless.

“There is no doubt that Kang Woosung is an established business himself. If you keep your old ways of thinking, you will all lose your businesses.”

The room became tense. Shin Gungu left angrily.

***

Shin Gungu visited his sister.

“Did you meet with President Kang?”

Shin Semi nodded. “He doesn’t like our offer. He said it was worse than those from Saehan and Daejin.”

“So?”

Shin Semi couldn’t tell him everything that has happened at the party. She just added, “He is not going to accept it. He doesn’t gain anything from it.”

“And what does the pin tech department think?”

“They said something similar to his online banking that could be done in 3 months. We already have some of the relevant technologies, but Coconut Pay is different.”

“Different?”

“We will encounter security problems even if we can come up with something similar to it.”

Shin Gungu nodded for her to continue.

“Our system will be much more hackable and slower than Coconut Pay.”

Shin Gungu blinked. Just how did Kang Woosung produce such a good product? There was no way they could catch up to him.

“I wonder if Kang Woosung was planning this since he first launched his smartphone.”

“I think so, or else, there is no way he could have completed the system by now. I would say he has been working on it for a year.”

“Then I wonder what he will do next?”

Shin Semi couldn’t answer.

Shin Gungu continued seriously, “His specialty is data analysis. I wonder if he will collect the bank and Coconut Pay’s customers’ data and use it for the next project. If we don’t know, how can we ever surpass him?”

Suddenly, Shin Semi realized something.

Big data.

Are his businesses all to collect data for something even bigger in the future?

They looked at each other and nodded. They were sure of it.

However, both were wrong.

***

At a convenience store in Seoul City Hall.

Woosung, Oh Hoon, and the Prime Minister, Shin Sungmo, were each holding a can of pop and smiling. They all made a big show of paying for their drinks by using their Blue S2s.

The transactions were smooth. After a beep, a message popped up on the POS machine screen.

“10 Coconut has been awarded.”

Oh Hoon clapped and exclaimed, “Hahaha, it’s perfect! I can cash this at Bitmain or use it at the Coconut mall, right?”

Woosung smiled and replied, “That’s right!”

While they chatted, the reporters were busying filming the staged scene.

Seoul City Hall office.

After the event, the three sat down for a cup of tea.

The prime minister said to Woosung, “The President asked me to thank you again for such a great system.”

“Haha, I am flattered. I think it is great for everyone. I certainly am happy with it. It is good business.”

“This should have happened a long time ago. It will no doubt make the public’s life better. It will make Korea better.”

After Shin Sungmo’s compliment, Mayor Oh Hoon spoke, “We have implemented this system to all government buildings in Seoul already. It will now slowly be adopted by everyone else.”

“I have already gotten so many calls about it. It is proceeding very well.”

Shin Sungmo added, “If it turns out to be a success in Seoul, it will certainly work in other cities.”

“Yes, and I am planning to take it to China and America immediately. If I have these two countries, it would mean I have the world.”

Oh Hoon exclaimed, “Wow, you are amazing.”

Shin Sungmo asked Woosung, “Now that this project is going so well, we should discuss the next plan. I heard you are considering the Yongsan development project?”

Oh Hoon’s eyes sparked. He already heard this news from Woosung.

It was also discussed with Lee Sunghyun.

“It is a huge land. If we build large-scale apartments, it will surely fix the housing crisis.”

Oh Hoon looked excited.

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Chapter 134: &lt;Power&gt;

Woosung continued in detail.

“Yongsan is over 14 million square feet. We could build enough apartments for 30,000 families. This will, for sure, stabilize the real estate market.” Woosung took a deep breath and continued, “It will be the biggest achievement for the President and Mayor Oh.”

“I heard you are also planning to build a space research center.”

“It will be in the center of the land, and the surrounding building will be used to house the researchers. The idea just came to me.” Woosung looked at the two men and added, “There is one problem though. Based on my calculation, this project will generate 30 billion dollars, which means I won’t have any profit.”

Oh Hoon nodded. Shin Sungmo also appeared to know this. He asked Woosung, “And there is one more problem. The recent financial crisis was due to the subprime mortgage, so the real estate market is declining. Do you really think you could sell the apartments at a decent price?”

“Real estate market is cyclical. It will go back up in time. You don’t have to worry about that, but there is another problem. The federal government is already involved in another huge construction project. The public will have a difficult time accepting both projects. You need to choose one. If it were me, I would, of course, choose the Yongsan project. It will create many jobs and help the real estate market. It also involves less environmental destruction than the other project.”

Woosung glanced at Oh Hoon and continued, “I realize it will be hard to suddenly stop such a big project, but if you can create a legitimate reason, it should be okay. I think Mayor Oh should also be the one who comes up with it. Just tell them Yongsan is being wasted right now, and it needs to be developed as soon as possible. Tell them after a long discussion with the President, it was decided that Yongsan project is a better choice for the people.”

Oh Hoon brightened. Woosung continued quickly, “You can use that project’s construction companies on the Yongsan project. Imagine how people will react when they learn about the space research facility.”

The two men looked at Woosung expectantly. Woosung said confidently.

“The next election will be a breeze for you.”

Shin Sungmo grinned. Oh Hoon smiled.

“Yongsan is definitely the obvious choice. I like it!”

Woosung nodded.

***

After the meeting, Shin Sungmo asked for a private meeting with Woosung.

Shin Sungmo said quietly, “Thank you for your hard work, President Kang.”

“Haha, no problem. Everyone worked really hard.”

“I saw the tax investigation report, and it was spotless. The President was also impressed.”

“Paying the taxes is my duty as a proud Korean.”

“So we prepared an Exemplary Taxpayer Award for you. It will be announced soon.”

“Thank you.”

“The reason I asked to talk to you in private was because I was curious about your analysis technique.”

“Alright. Please continue.”

The prime minister whispered, “Is it true you could affect the result for Mayor Oh’s re-election?”

“I can’t give you an exact number, but the answer is yes to some extent.”

“Could the same technique be used in other elections?”

“As you know, an election involves many different factors. It is very hard to say.”

Shin Sungmo looked unhappy as he asked, “Then I will be direct. Who do you think will be the next President of Korea?”

Woosung knew the answer but replied, “I am not in a position to talk about things like that.”

Shin Sungmo asked in a husky voice, “How about me? I am being praised for my work as the prime minister. With projects like this, I should have a chance.”

Woosung remained quiet.

Shin Sungmo continued, “I need your expertise to make this happen.”

Woosung still couldn’t answer. He just stared at the prime minister.

Shin Sungmo added, “Attorney Lee can’t run in the next election anyway, which means the only other real potential winner is Oh Hoon, but I have a better chance.”

Woosung thought carefully and finally replied, “This isn’t something I can answer right now.”

“I understand. Think about it. Remember, however, that our relationship will be very advantageous for you.”

Woosung returned to his office and sat down.

He murmured.

“President…President…”

What should he do? If he took a side, he would lose all the other important political figures. This was why most businessmen bribed many different politicians.

‘The next president will actually be Liberal’s Park Hyejung.’

In Woosung’s previous life, Oh Hoon resigns in a year due to a nasty scandal. Woosung didn’t remember the name Shin Sungmo, which meant he probably got fired at some point.

“A warrant for Choi Taemin was issued too. He was released eventually, but I will make sure he doesn’t this time. This will help in destroying Daeyang.”

Park Hyejung will become the first female president, and the first president to be impeached while serving her presidency. Choi Taemin will be one of many businessmen who were caught being involved in this scandal.

“What should I do?”

He wanted to ask Jang Gwangchul’s opinion, but Woosung was worried about what he said before. Jang Gwangchul warned Woosung many times about the dangers of getting involved in politics. He didn’t want to worry Jang Gwangchul.

“The next President has to be Park Hyejung so Choi Taemin goes to jail. I will destroy Choi Gichul using Bitcoin.”

Woosung stood up and left to the Bitmain headquarter.

***

The office was quiet except for a loud criticism from one man to another.

“Hey! Do it better and faster! The tenth server is down, do you not see it? Are you blind? Log in right now and check it!”

“Yes, sir.”

“What? You didn’t fix it first? You need to fix it before checking the log!”

As Park Jonghyun screamed, Jung Jinsup looked stressed and confused. His fingers moved fast on the keyboard, but he kept making mistakes.

“No Such Function.”

“No Such Function.”

Every time Jung Jinsup made a mistake, Park Jonghyun yelled louder.

Jung Jinsup was wet with sweat. He looked pathetic.

“Do you not see the number of users increasing fast? If something goes wrong, you are to blame. You know that, right?”

Park Jonghyun continued his bullying while the other employees looked at Jung Jinsup with sympathy.

Woosung watched for a few minutes before making himself known.

“Hmm…”

Park Jonghyun turned around and greeted him.

“Oh, hey.”

Jung Jinsup glanced at Woosung quickly, but at Park Jonghyun’s glare, he quickly went back to work.

Woosung asked Park Jonghyun, “So how’s everything going? It’s only the first day we opened for the transaction, so it must not be very busy.”

“You’re right. We haven’t had anyone attempting to exchange Coconut for cash, but we have over 100,000 people who registered.”

“So when will you start the cryptocurrency transaction service?”

“July first.”

Woosung’s Bitmain could be the very first in the world.

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Chapter 135: &lt;Power&gt;

Woosung glanced at Jung Jinsup who was working frantically. This reminded Woosung of his previous life.

“Chief Kang! What do you think you’re doing? You’re still not done?”

“You! I told you this is wrong!”

When he used to work at Bitmain, Jung Jinsup used to treat him poorly. It was before the cryptocurrency frenzy, so the company was not making much profit. They couldn’t hire enough people, so Woosung had to do the work of ten people.

Woosung was responsible for everything. Every time he thought of quitting, Choi Gichul used to entice him with false hope.

“If this becomes a success, I will give you a piece of it.”

“I am guaranteeing you the stock options.”

“There will come a day when you become rich.”

Woosung was being fooled. Even after the cryptocurrency became popular, Woosung was still abused.

“What? Another maintenance is needed? Just how bad are you at coding?”

“A dog could do a better job than you.”

“Why do I bother keeping you?”

It was a common occurrence for Choi Gichul and Jung Jinsup to verbally abuse Woosung in a daily basis. The other employees probably didn’t know this. It was odd how badly the two bullied Woosung.

Park Jonghyun ordered Jung Jinsup, “Woosung and I will go for coffee, so make sure to finish this and have a report ready for me before I return. Don’t make others do it. Do your own work.”

Park Jonghyun asked Woosung, “Are you sure it’s ok to offer free cash exchange without charging the customers fee? It seems like we are losing money.”

“It’s alright. Bitmain’s main source of income isn’t going to be the exchange service.”

“You said it will be the cryptocurrency trading?”

“That’s right, and it won’t be long.”

Park Jonghyun took a sip of coffee and murmured, “So it will open on July first…”

“Yeah, but the actual transactions won’t happen for a while longer. Not many people know about it yet.”

“Should I buy some too?”

“Well, it’s basically gambling, so if you think you can handle the risk, go for it.”

“R…really?”

“Yes. Make sure the employees understand the rules. Anyone working at Bitmain cannot create a trading ID and cryptocurrency wallet in our domain. We need to maintain a highest priority on our code of ethics.”

“Of course. I’m already on it. You know I’m good at enforcing rules.”

“Haha, yeah I know. You are doing amazing.”

“I am starting to wonder though if I’m going too far. One of the employees told me he is now going to a therapist.”

“He has never experienced a normal salaryman’s life. He was born rich.”

“What if he quits?”

“Don’t worry. He can’t.”

Park Jonghyun nodded.

“Alright. I will continue, and…”

“And?”

“I hear Chanjong is getting married and is giving out the invitations. I said I will tell you about it, and he said you are probably too busy. He doesn’t want to bother you.”

“Oh…”

He remembered.

Similar thing happened in his previous life. Woosung received an invite, but he didn’t go. He was so tired and stressed at the time.

But this time…

“I heard he is having a party this weekend in Gangnam. Don’t you think you should show up?”

Yoon Chanjong.

He was a good friend in college. Woosung had to do something for him.

“Of course. I’m going. Chanjong still has the same phone number, right?”

***

Saturday.

People gathered at a pork belly bistro near Gangnam station.

“Long time no see.”

Woosung shook Chanjong’s hand. Yoon Chanjong felt awkward at seeing Woosung. It has been a long time, and Woosung was no longer just an average man.

He was now a CEO of a big company. It felt strange.

“Yeah. It has already been 2 years.”

Woosung was greeted by his old friends who looked at him like he was a celebrity. It felt uncomfortable.

Park Jonghyun tried to lift the mood.

“Let’s order the most expensive food here!”

Yoon Chanjong tried to stop him, but Park Jonghyun continued, “Why? Woosung said it will be his treat today. We should have gone to a more expensive restaurant.”

“B…but this is a party for my wedding…”

“Hey, do you know how much Woosung makes in a day? This is nothing. He can afford it.”

Yoon Chanjong was still the same. He didn’t like to owe anyone. Woosung explained.

“I’m buying today. You are my friend, and you have helped me a lot in the past, so this is nothing.”

Yoon Chanjong swallowed. He was happy for Woosung’s success, but he also couldn’t help but feel envious. Yoon Chanjong felt bitter at his own pettiness.

“I was surprised when I heard you’re coming. A lot has changed since our college years.”

Woosung called Yoon Chanjong in person to let him know he was coming.

Park Jonghyun opened a bottle of soju and announced, “Woosung is buying today so get ready! We need to eat as much as possible.”

Park Jonghyun started filling the glasses.

They partied like they used to in the old days. They drank heavily.

Park Jonghyun asked Yoon Chanjong, “So when is your fiancé coming? I heard she will bring some of her single friends?”

The single men looked at Yoon Chanjong with interest. Yoon Chanjong took out his phone and made a call. Woosung emptied his glass and stood up.

“Haha, have a nice time. I’ve gotta go now.”

Park Jonghyun grabbed Woosung’s arm.

“Where do you think you’re going? We need you to stay to keep women interested. You’re rich and they will like that.”

Woosung grinned and murmured, “So you’re saying women like me only for my money?”

“Haha, isn’t it obvious? I am better looking, better built, funnier, and had higher GPA.”

“Oh, come on! GPA?”

Park Jonghyun grinned and joked.

“Mine was 0.2 higher than yours. You have to admit it’s true, right?”

“…”

After his call, Yoon Chanjong asked, “They want to meet us at another place. You don’t have to go if you don’t want to, Woosung.”

Park Jonghyun grabbed onto both of Woosung’s arms and replied.

“Of course he’ll go. You can’t run away from this. If you don’t want to be called a traitor, you better follow me.”

Woosung didn’t dislike how Park Jonghyun acted like they used to in college. Woosung finally agreed.

“Maybe just for a little while.”

***

As they walked, they joked.

“What the…! Are you now a star? It looks like people are starting at you.”

“Haha, I am pretty popular.”

“No, I think people are starting at me because I’m so gorgeous.”

They laughed together. Yoon Chanjong bragged.

“Haha, you two need to admit I was the most popular among all of us. I am also the first one to get married!”

Park Jonghyun moaned, “It’s true…”

In Woosung’s previous life, Yoon Chanjong had a normal life. He got a good job, married a girl he loved, and had kids. Woosung was envious.

Most young people didn’t watch the news. They didn’t know the faces of the big businessmen, but Woosung was a different case. When Yoon Chanjong’s fiancé first saw Woosung, she looked surprised. Yoon Chanjong quickly introduced everyone.

“These are my friends Park Jonghyun, Kang Woosung, Kim Hojin, and Ha Taemin.”

Woosung bowed and greeted, “Hello. My name is Kang Woosung.”

“Haha, you look like someone I know.”

The other women agreed.

“Wow, you look just like the Coconut’s CEO. The name is even the same!”

“I think that guy also owns KND.”

While the women talked, Park Jonghyun announced, “This IS that guy!”

“P…pardon?”

“This is THAT Kang Woosung!”

The four women gasped. Yoon Chanjong’s fiancé looked at Yoon Chanjong for confirmation.

“Is this true?”

“Yup.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, we were actually pretty close when we went to school together.”

Woosung explained, “Haha, I am that Kang Woosung. Chanjong and I were close friends. I heard he was getting married, so I came right away. Chanjong has always been very popular, and now I see that he found a beautiful woman to marry.”

It was true. She wasn’t a shocking beauty, but still very pretty. All her friends were good looking too.

“O…oh. I see…You really are that Kang Woosung.”

Suddenly, one of the women stood up.

“Sujung, I need to go to the washroom for a second.”

Another woman stood up too.

“Me too!”

The two women left, and the rest of the people sat with awkward smiles. Chanjong’s fiancé, Lee Sujung, introduced her friend.

“Haha, well…This is Seo Eunsol and she works at Daeyang Electronics.”

“Hello. I’m Kang Woosung.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Seo Eunsol. I need to thank you for increasing the amount of work for me at the office.”

“Pardon?”

“I work at Daeyang Electronics’ strategic information department. I would say my team deals with your information the most in the country.”

They stared at each other.

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Chapter 136: &lt;Power&gt;

All the women’s focus was on one man.

Everyone could feel it. The men couldn’t even feel jealous because they understood why.

“So you developed it yourself?”

“Yes. Right now, I am not as involved in the actual production, but I did work on Coconut Talk myself.”

“Wow, that’s amazing. Is it really true your GPA wasn’t that high?”

Park Jonghyun patted Woosung’s shoulder and replied, “It’s really true. It was even lower than my own.”

Nobody seemed to believe it.

When Yoon Chanjong nodded in agreement, everyone looked shocked. Yoon Chanjong added.

“I was shocked when I heard about you. I knew your programming skill got better after university, but I didn’t expect you would be this successful.”

“There are many opportunities in the IT world.”

“Not everyone can be successful like you though. You are amazing. I am ashamed at how I nagged you to study when we were still in university.”

Yoon Chanjong’s fiancé exclaimed, “You nagged this man?”

“I’m telling you, he wasn’t this good back then!”

Woosung laughed, “Haha, he did nag me a lot. Study! Stop fooling around! Aren’t you worried about your future?”

“I can’t imagine! I can’t believe someone like you was like that.”

Park Jonghyun added in irritation, “I’m telling you, his GPA was lower than mine!”

No one cared. Park Jonghyun gulped down his glass and sighed deeply.

Woosung explained, “I learned a lot from Chanjong. He was a very good friend. I am glad you seem like a nice person, Sujung.”

Lee Sujung reddened at Woosung’s compliment.

Her friends asked excitedly, “How about me? How do you feel about me?”

“Haha, I think all of you are nice.”

“I think you are nice too, President.”

Another girl asked Woosung hurriedly, “What do you think of me then?”

Woosung laughed uncomfortably at all the attention. Lee Sujung shook her head in embarrassment at her friends’ behavior.

“Why are you guys acting like this?”

The girls shushed Lee Sujung.

Seo Eunsol, who has been staying quiet, murmured, “Didn’t you guys say if the men aren’t good looking, you will all just leave?”

“Hey, Seo Eunsol!”

Seo Eunsol looked at them innocently and asked, “What? I’m only telling the truth.”

The two friends shook their heads in frustration.

“Gosh, you’re hopeless. Can’t you take a hint?”

Seo Eunsol sipped on her soju and replied, “I am just worried about you guys. People marry other people in similar stations. Marrying way above your level will cause you to suffer. If I tell you everything I know, I’ll bet you would run away right now.”

Lee Sujung’s expression became rigid at Seo Eunsol’s words. The other friends also looked unhappy. Lee Sujung apologized.

“I…I’m sorry. My friends can be too much.”

“Haha, it’s alright.”

“Why are you saying you’re sorry? I’m just telling you the truth. You guys all know what kind of information I hear at work, right?”

The girls’ swallowed. Seo Eunsol sometimes told them about gossips involving rich businessmen. Most of them were shocking and none of them were good things.

Woosung noticed the mood and asked, “Haha, can I hear one too? I assume there are things about me and I think you should give me a chance to explain.”

Seo Eunsol looked at Woosung coldly. “You are using Lee Ari as the smoke screen, sleeping with Yoo Sona, and marrying Shin Semi.”

She then turned to her friends and added, “So you girls don’t even think about it. Just drink and go home.”

Her friends remained silent. Yoon Chanjong didn’t know what to do. Park Jonghyun spit out his soju and started to cough.

Woosung said to Seo Eunsol, “So you heard a rumor.”

“Every rumor has some truth in it.”

“I don’t believe that.”

“Then you underestimate our strategic information department.”

“Haha, I know well how good your department is in Daeyang. You people not only find information but make some up too.”

Seo Eunsol gritted her teeth. Lee Sujung patted her arm and said firmly, “I am warning you, Woosung. Chanjong and Sujung are all good people. You better not harm them in any way.”

“Haha, I’m scared now.”

Seo Eunsol glared at Woosung. It felt personal.

“Rich people are selfish. They see others only as tools and not actual people. If you attended this party for an ulterior motive, you better give up right now. Sujung works at Daeyang Electronics. Chanjong work at Daeyang System.” Seo Eunsol took a deep breath and continued, “If you were thinking about stealing information on Daeyang from them, just give up now. Daeyang isn’t a company that will collapse that easily.”

Woosung wasn’t worried about Seo Eunsol, but Yoon Chanjong and Lee Sujung seemed to start believing her claim. However, Park Jonghyun still took Woosung’s side.

“No way. Woosung isn’t like that…”

Seo Eunsol added, “You became a CEO of a multi-billion-dollar company in only a year. Most can’t guess what happened during that time, but I can. It is something I see every day at work. Any business that involves millions of dollars always involve something dirty and unethical. I know that for certain.”

Woosung couldn’t deny this fact. The women, who used to look at him with interest at the beginning, now looked at him with coldness and fear. Lee Sujung also looked uncomfortable.

“I…I guess I never considered the competition between KND and Daeyang. Perhaps this was a mistake.”

Seo Eunsol continued, “Even if you came here with a pure motive, it would still look bad for the couple. If Daeyang found out about this, what do you think would happen to Chanjong and Sujung?”

Nothing good. Woosung knew that, but even though Seo Eunsol was partly right, Woosung had no intention of accepting her opinion.

“If anything bad happens to them, I will take care of them.”

Seo Eunsol laughed coldly. “Are you saying you’ll hire them at KND? How do you think they will be treated by other workers at your company if they know you hired them just because they are your friends?”

“I didn’t mean that. Chanjong always wanted to make computer games, so I will make a game company for him and pay him much more than Daeyang ever will. He will have the freedom to make any kind of games he wants.”

Woosung turned to Chanjong.

“You won’t have to worry about money. I know that’s not what you wanted though, and that is why I didn’t offer it to you already.”

Seo Eunsol finally remained quiet.

Woosung turned to her. “It’s not pleasant to be threatened by a mere assistant manager at Daeyang. You said you can show me what Daeyang’s strategic information department can do? Then I will have to show you what KND’s CEO can do. I guarantee it will not be less than what your department can do.”

Woosung’s voice was quiet, but everyone got chills. Seo Eunsol just stared at Woosung.

The mood was tense. Seo Eunsol finally looked away in fear.

Woosung stood up and continued, “I hope you meant well by what you just said, or else you’ll regret it.” Woosung turned to Yoon Chanjong. “I’m sorry I ruined your party. I didn’t mean it.”

“N…no it’s ok.”

“Congratulations on your wedding. I really mean it, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to attend it. I think Eunsol is partly right. Your wedding will be filled with people from Daeyang. It won’t look good for me to be there.”

“I…I guess.”

“I will send the gift through Jonghyun, and I meant what I said today. If you ever need me, come to me. I will always remember how you helped me when I needed you the most.”

Yoon Chanjong nodded slowly. Lee Sujung looked at them in surprise. Park Jonghyun didn’t stop Woosung this time. Seo Eunsol bit her lips and remained quiet.

Woosung called for his chauffeur. His luxury sedan arrived quickly, and Woosung got in. Seo Eunsol ran out after him and tried to say something to him, but Woosung ignored it and asked his chauffeur to drive.

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Chapter 137: &lt;Power&gt;

After returning home, Woosung turned on his computer and went through his accounts as usual.

Stocks.

Bonds.

Dividends.

Salary.

He had over a billion dollars.

An unbelievable amount of money.

And this was only one part of his wealth.

Bitcoins.

Other future cryptocurrencies.

Without a doubt, he would be one of the richest men in the world.

Woosung remembered Seo Eunsol’s words. He murmured, “It is true I now live in a different world than them…”

He knew this, but he wanted to meet with his old friends and acted like everything was the way it used to be.

“Well, I have to admit, she is very smart. Confident too. That must be why she works at Daeyang’s strategic information department.”

Only those graduating from the best universities had the chance to work in that department.

She was definitely different.

“It sounded like she dealt with a lot of information. If I get a chance, I should…”

He could scout her to KND.

After thinking for a few minutes, Woosung searched on the internet.

“Grand Open 7.21”

July 21st.

It was the day Mt Gox opened. Mt Gox was a company involved in bitcoin exchange. Eventually, it will handle over 70% of all bitcoin transactions in the world.

Bitcoin will explode in December of 2017.

“I will open Bitmain on July 1st. I will deposit all my bitcoins into it and start rotation transactions to gain people’s interest. I will then approach Choi Gichul and get him to invest at the peak.”

After organizing his thoughts out loud, Woosung checked his emails.

China.

America.

He had several emails from Alex and Wu Jirin. He first checked the ones from Wu Jirin.

“Mining system prototype completed.”

“Tentative name: Whale Miner S1.”

“ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) type.”

“Specification.”

“Hash Rate: 100,000 Mhash/s”

This meant 100,000 calculations could be done every second to earn bitcoin. The higher the hash rate was, the faster the bitcoins could be mined.

“Wow…that’s 10 times faster than the server I’m using now. One of it could replace 20 GPU.”

Every server had 2 GPU cards.

“I guess it makes sense. In the future, there will be systems thousand times faster than this.” Woosung grinned. “Haha, this is amazing!”

Woosung was certain, he had the best system in the world at the moment. No other miners could compare to him at this point.

Woosung checked Alex’s emails next.

“DNK shares sold: 650 million dollars.”

“If I combine the money from Coconut IPO, it should be more than enough. Just you wait, Choi Gichul.”

Woosung’s eyes looked crazy. From many other sources such as stocks, algorithm trading, and options, he was making unbelievable amount of money every second. He also owned buildings where he received rents.

Money made more money.

A convenient store in Zhongguancun city center.

A man purchased a bag of chips and a can of drink.

Beep.

Beep.

The man took out his phone and pay with the app LetPay.

“Please enter the business number.”

After a few seconds, the number was filled automatically. The man checked the number and pressed the confirmation button.

“Please enter the password.”

When he entered the 6-digit number, it beeped once again.

“Transaction completed.”

The whole process took about the same time as if he used a credit card.

Liu He said to Mahwacin as he watched the transaction.

“It’s that easy, eh? He made it convenient and also lowered the fee.”

“The savings in the fee is rewarded to the customer in the form of Let Coin, which can be used to buy anything at Let Mall, or exchange for cash at Bitmain store.”

“How is the test going in Zhongguancun?”

“Every store has given an A grade for it. The customers are also loving it. Even the smallest stores are using LetPay.”

“It’s amazing.”

“The system is also very stable and secure. We tried to hack it a few times, but we failed every time.”

“Hmm.”

“As you know, the only one we failed to hack so far was Google. Kang Woosung’s system could be even better than that.”

“So Google decided to withdraw from China completely?”

“Yes, it refused to accept our censorship rule.”

“…But LetPay accepted it.”

“That’s correct.”

“…And Kang Woosung is also currently profiting from Coconut Pay in Korea… On top of that, his Blue S2 is being sold fast too. He is doing very well.”

“He also sent us an additional gift of a million dollars.”

Liu He nodded, but he looked worried. Mahwacin noticed and tried to assure him.

“We need to use him as a source of money until we don’t need him anymore. We can drop him then, so you don’t need to worry.”

“Drop him? I think we took too much from him to do that. Besides, how can we know for sure that he is helping just us?”

“We just need to keep going until we take over the government.”

Liu He shook his head in frustration.

“This is China, not North Korea. We aren’t built on dictatorship. We believe in communism. You need to remember that or else, there is no future for China.”

Mahwacin looked confused.

‘Isn’t that pretty much the same thing?’

Lie He saw Mahwacin’s expression and became cold.

‘It’s time to let him go.’

Their goals weren’t the same anymore.

Tencent’s headquarter.

CEO Ma Huateng was unhappy with the report his assistant gave him.

“We got an order to cooperate with LetPay?”

“Yes, sir. The security department has approved it.”

“We spent so much money on bribing them to be on our side, yet this is what happens!?”

“The rumor is that Kang Woosung has spent over 10 million dollars in bribery.”

Ma Huateng bit his lips and asked, “And how much do we give them?”

“We don’t give a regular payment, but we gave a lump sum of 50,000 dollars several times.”

Ma Huateng swallowed. It couldn’t compare to what Kang Woosung gave to the officials.

“Start paying them 100,000 dollars every month. Make sure to spread it to as many important figures as possible.”

“But…” The assistant hesitated before continuing. “So far, our sales for WhoChat is minimal, and we are spending so much money on marketing. The previous version of messenger is also not performing as expected. It is getting worrisome. It isn’t hard to increase the bribe, but I think you know how it looks if we ever decrease it.”

Decreasing bribe.

That could mean the end of the relationship. Ma Huateng couldn’t answer right away.

“Alright. I will meet with them in person first.”

There was now only one option for him.

Patriotism.

He had to convince them about the importance of Chinese government supporting Chinese companies.

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Chapter 138: &lt;Power&gt;

Korean Revenue Agency press conference.

The place was filled with reporters and their cameras. It was proof of how popular Kang Woosung was in Korea. The representative stepped up to the stage.

“I am here to announce the result of the tax investigation involving KND and Coconut. The overall conclusion is that KND and Coconut have overpaid their respective taxes. It is believed it was partly a mistake on our part.”

The reporters raised their hands, but the representative continued.

“I will answer the questions after I am finished with my announcement.”

The reporters dropped their hands, and he continued with the report.

The rest of the announcement was long and filled with flattering facts about the companies. Finally, when it was over, Park Chulmin from Jisun Newspaper asked, “My name is Park Chulmin from Jisun. Based on my research, there has never been a case where something like this happened. There are people who believe the Revenue Agency showed unfair favoritism towards President Kang during the investigation. What do you say to that?”

“The answer is a complete no. In fact, the agency was also shocked by the report. We believe it happened due to President Kang’s overpay policy.”

“Can we have the details?”

“President Kang has instructed his accountants to err on the side of caution and make overpayment.”

Park Chulmin bit his lips and asked, “Is it really true that the investigation was done fairly without any outside pressure? The public is concerned.”

The agency rep frowned and answered firmly, “The answer is no. Next question please.”

After the press conference, Park Chulmin took out his smartphone.

It was Blue S2.

He called the Daeyang marketing team.

“I couldn’t find anything strange.”

“Then you’ll have to come up with a good title for your article.”

“I already got one. ‘The very first? You mean the very worst tax investigation.'”

“Haha, perfect.”

“All the Revenue Agency’s officials deny any wrongdoings. They are all the same.” Park Chulmin complained angrily.

The man on the other side of the phone replied in a low voice, “I think we should talk in person. I will make a dinner reservation in Gangnam tonight.”

“Haha, you don’t have to do that.”

“No, I want to treat you for all your hard work.”

Park Chulmin smiled.

Jang Gwangchul murmured in frustration as he read the newspaper the next morning.

“The worst tax investigation? What the…! This reporter sounds angry. He probably got bribed to write this.”

“Is it Jisun newspaper again?”

“Yup. Daeyang must be bribing them.”

“What happened to the ads we placed on Jisun newspaper?”

Jang Gwangchul replied, “We placed it a few times and they accepted it. They accepted our job, yet they still write such a trashy article about us! Well, at least it’s not a headline.”

“Place more ads on that paper. They will stop, then.”

“Why should we pay them money?”

“Haha, what else can we do? Let’s just do it for now.”

“And about the mobile carrier business…”

Jang Gwangchul was cut off when Hong Soobum burst into the room.

“Sir, there was an urgent call from China.”

Woosung nodded for him to continue, “They are planning to conduct a tax audit on LetChat. They are also currently investigating our data center.”

Woosung answered calmly, which shocked Hong Soobum, “Unless they make something up, we should be fine. I made sure to keep everything clean.”

“I know, but…”

“Besides, there is no official data sent from Chinese office to our Korean headquarter, so we should be okay.”

Per Woosung’s instruction, everything was kept completely separate between Chinese and Korean companies.

“I will call them myself. Just tell them to keep up the good work.”

“Oh, alright.”

Woosung called Mahwacin directly.

The call wasn’t answered the first time.

At the second try, he picked up.

“Haha, it has been a while, President Kang.”

“Yes, sir. It has been too long, I think. I thought we had a solid relationship, but I guess I was wrong.”

“I actually meant to call you. I just heard about it myself. We had no time to stop it. I think it was from Hu Jintao’s people.”

At Mahwacin’s excuse, Woosung’s voice got cold. Woosung was bribing Hu Jintao’s side as well, so this didn’t make sense.

“I can’t imagine this came about all of a sudden without a reason or warning.”

“There are things money can’t buy. China’s nationalism is stronger than it looks.”

Woosung frowned.

‘Nationalism? What a joke…They are all slaves of capitalism at this point.’

The level of corruption in China was serious.

Woosung continued, “I heard the Chinese Revenue Agency has stormed my company. Your excuse is useless at this point.”

At Woosung’s sharp accusation, Mahwacin replied cautiously, “I can let you know of the result later, but I can’t get involved in the investigation.”

Woosung answered coldly, “You couldn’t let me know in advance, and you can’t help me with the investigation either.” Woosung paused then sharply continued, “I didn’t realize our relationship would go sour like this.”

They both remained silent. After a few minutes, Woosung finally asked calmly, “I would like to know at least who did this. Can you at least let me know?”

“I…I will try to find out.”

“Please.”

Woosung hung up. Jang Gwangchul asked nervously, “How was it? It sounded bad…”

“He said Hu Jintao’s side must have done it, and that is why he couldn’t warn us. He also said he can’t help us with the investigation.”

“But they took so much money from you! How could they?”

Hong Soobum frowned angrily and said, “It sounds like they might even make up a false result. There won’t be anything we can do if they do that.”

Woosung replied slowly, “They won’t do that. I already made sure things like that don’t happen. The only thing I am disappointed in is that I lost Mahwacin.”

“Pardon?”

“I was warned of this investigation from the other side in advance. I didn’t let you know because there was nothing we needed to do about it. Now we know Mahwacin isn’t someone to be trusted.”

Jang Gwangchul and Hong Soobum’s eyes widened.

“T…then is this your doing?”

“No, of course not. I was just warned it would happen. I bribed everyone for situations like this.”

Beep.

Woosung checked his phone. He received a message from Mahwacin.

“Tencent.”

Woosung understood the situation immediately.

“It is as I expected. Mahwacin knew of it, but he chose not to tell me.”

Woosung gritted his teeth.

Tencent headquarter.

Ma Huateng smiled in satisfaction.

“Haha, he’s over.”

“I just got a call from the agency. They haven’t found anything, but they promised to come up with something.”

“Get ready to promote WhoChat as soon as LetChat collapses.”

He started to hum. Things were finally going well. He already bribed the Revenue agency officials. They would make up a problem if they needed to.

Suddenly, the secretary’s phone started to vibrate. When he hesitated, Ma Huateng said to him, “Answer it. It might be from them.”

“Yes, sir.”

As the secretary listened to his phone, he started to go pale. He was sweating by the time the call ended.

Ma Huateng asked nervously, “What’s going on?”

“Apparently, WhoChat isn’t downloadable on Let Store.”

“We expected that. Let Store is the biggest in China, but there is nothing we can do about it. Just boost the marketing on other online stores.”

“But…it seems WhoChat isn’t working right on Blue S2.”

“W…what?”

“I think it must be from Kang Woosung. Blue S2 just released an update and after the phone gets updated, WhoChat seems to be blocked due to ‘security’ reasons.”

“…so he must know we are the one who pushed for the tax audit.”

“Yes…Someone must have ratted us out.”

“Whatever. We just need to survive until LetChat gets banned, which shouldn’t be long.”

“And…” The secretary couldn’t finish his sentence.

Suddenly, an employee burst into the room.

“S…Sir! The Revenue Agency has stormed our company for an audit!”

Ma Huateng looked at his secretary with fear.

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Chapter 139: &lt;Power&gt;

Ma Huateng ran to the business support department. Many stern faces roamed the office. He approached the director of the investigation.

“Who ordered this? You better stop now!”

“We got an anonymous tip that your company is involved in tax evasion. Step back.”

“What? That’s ridiculous!”

When Ma Huateng got visibly angry, his secretary stopped him.

“Sir, you can’t do this here…”

Suddenly Ma Huateng realized where he was. He looked around and saw his employees staring at him in shock and fear.

“Get my car ready.”

“Yes, sir.”

Ma Huateng arrived at the Tax office in Zhongguancun.

The head of this office was Wang Pang.

Ma Huateng begged him, “Sir, how could you do this to me? A tax audit?”

“It was an order from way above, so I couldn’t do anything about it.”

“Who ordered it? Let me meet him!”

“It is one of the ministers or possibly even one of the state commissioners.”

Ma Huateng bit his lips. He knew one or two high ranking officials but not very well. At least not well enough to ask for a favor.

Ma Huateng gritted his teeth.

Wang Pang continued quickly, “I don’t know what kind of connections you have in the government, but I’m not sure if you can get out of this one. The way it is going, I need to be careful myself, or I could get targeted too. The rumor is someone high up has begun to ‘clean house.'”

“W….what do you mean?”

“All I know is that those who were found to be receiving bribes are being fired.”

Suddenly, Ma Huateng’s assistant hurried in.

“Sir, you need to look at this.”

His assistant showed him his phone. It was a new game that suddenly became the most popular game on Let Store.

“Title: Let’s celebrate Hu Jintao. Clap clap clap.”

“Creator: Let Game.”

“W…what is this?”

The game started out with a photo of Hu Jintao making a speech. In front of him were two pairs of clapping hands. When you touched the screen, the hands clapped and the respect point for Hu Jintao went up.

It was a ridiculously planned game, yet it was being downloaded at record speed.

Jang Gwangchul looked at the game and murmured in shock, “People really like this kind of game?”

“Chinese culture is different than ours. You can see it’s working based on the reviews by the users.”

They were in Chinese, so Woosung read them for Jang Gwangchul to understand.

“It’s fun and rewarding.”

“I hope this helps Hu Jintao.”

“Praise Hu Jintao!”

Jang Gwangchul still couldn’t believe it.

“You’re just making that up because I can’t read Chinese.”

“Haha, why would I do that?”

Jang Gwangchul still was doubtful, but he nodded.

“Will this really change everything?”

“Mahwacin’s force is trying to take over the government. Any interest and positivity on the existing administration will not be welcome.”

Jang Gwangchul sighed. “I just hope this won’t backfire to us.”

“I bribed both sides. I spent a lot of money on them, yet one side chose not to help, while the other side is actively investigating us. We need to show them we can’t be treated like this.” Woosung said firmly.

Within a few minutes, Woosung’s phone rang. Woosung didn’t answer. The caller ID clearly indicated it was from Mahwacin.

Jang Gwangchul asked in surprise, “Won’t you answer it?”

“He didn’t answer my call last time.”

The ringing stopped, but it started to ring again within a few seconds. Woosung didn’t answer again.

This happened a few times. Woosung refused to answer every time. This time, it was Mahwacin who needed him and not the other way around. Woosung was willing to lose the Chinese market over this.

Finally, the phone’s ringing came to an end.

Jang Gwangchul asked nervously, “Shouldn’t you call Soobum and warn him about this situation? Who knows what they will do to our company?”

Woosung answered calmly, “It’s alright.”

“Are you thinking of leaving China ?”

Woosung smiled mysteriously.

Tick tock.

Tick tock.

After a few minutes, Woosung’s phone started to ring again.

It was from an unknown number.

Jang Gwangchul murmured in annoyance, “Gosh, it looks like a spam call. So annoying.”

But Woosung’s instinct said otherwise. This wasn’t a spam call. He answered slowly.

It was a familiar voice.

“This is Liu He.”

It was the call Woosung was waiting for.

Ma Huateng went back to his office. Things weren’t going well, but it wasn’t over yet.

“What the hell is this?”

His desk was filled with paperwork. When his assistant took a look, he found that they were all resignation letters from the developers.

Ma Huateng started to pant anxiously.

The assistant explained, “About 20 programmers have quit…They are from the database, back end, front end…”

“…Bastards! Don’t they know I have other things to worry about? Let the HR team know to give them bad references so they can’t find another job.”

After reading through the names, the assistant bit his lips and replied, “Sir, this is very serious.”

“What now?”

“These are all key programmers. These are people we can’t afford to lose.”

“…”

“This will affect our company right away. We will not be able to maintain WhoChat anymore.”

“Then get them back! Get the chief of HR here right now!”

The assistant made a call, but he frowned after hanging up.

“The chief of HR says he is quitting too. It sounded like he is the one who convinced the programmers to quit.”

“W…what?”

“Rumor has it that they are all moving to LetChat. They were all offered an incredible deal.”

“That must be a false rumor!”

“Well…LetChat is much faster and it’s performing better. The developers have been worried about the app and the company for a while now.”

Ma Huateng gritted his teeth.

The assistant continued, “You need to make a decision quickly. This could be the end of this company.”

Mahwacin threw his phone on the ground and screamed.

“So he refused to answer my call!?”

A few seconds ago, he received an order from Liu He.

“Make sure to treat LetChat with respect. This tax investigation must go smoothly for them. From now on, do not contact Kang Woosung. He will talk only to me.”

Mahwacin murmured angrily, “That bastard! He thinks he doesn’t need me anymore because he got Liu He. Well, I’ll show him.”

Mahwacin went through the address book on his phone. It was filled with high ranking officials.

“He will regret it.”

After his call with Liu He, Woosung went through the contact information on his phone.

Jang Gwangchul asked, “Who are all those people?”

“They are important people I met when I was in China. I still talk to them to maintain good relationships. I have also been helping them out in many ways.”

“And have they been helpful?”

“Totally. Money can buy anyone. They were only happy to help me this time.”

Jang Gwangchul replied in annoyance, “Why didn’t you get Soobum to do things like that? Why should you get involved?”

“This is a dirty business. I should take care of it. I don’t want you or anyone else get involved.”

“What?”

“I want everyone else to remain innocent and clean. These kinds of things will continue to happen, but I will take care of it.”

Jang Gwangchul murmured nervously, “What if we get caught and go to jail?”

“Don’t worry about it. It will never happen. I am being very careful.” Woosung paused and looked at Jang Gwangchul. “You just have to focus on the business. The rest will be on me. I like it that way.”

Jang Gwangchul couldn’t say anything.

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Chapter 140: &lt;Competition&gt;

When the incident in China has resolved, Woosung headed to New York. He planned on using 6 billion dollars to make money in the crude oil future market.

He said to Alex, “I currently have 2 billion dollars in the long position.”

“As you request, I am ready.”

After nodding, Woosung scanned the six screens in front of him quickly. They were filled with relevant charts and graphs. Woosung looked at them with a serious expression.

“Boss, is something wrong? Are you not sure about it this time?”

“No, it’s just that you said someone is following our trend.”

“Yes.”

“So I was just wondering if that person may use it against us.”

“Oh, was that why you said to do the trading under the Right Capital serial number?”

Woosung nodded. “I just want to make sure I’m not missing any irregularities.”

“Then have a look at this. As you asked, I found the serial number following the KND transactions. I will follow that number’s actions right now.”

Alex handed Woosung the excel table. Woosung scanned it and said to Alex, “I don’t care if we lose a bit of money, so take a short position on the crude oil under KND Investment.”

Alex replied unhappily, “Alright.”

After a few minutes, Woosung asked him to do it again.

They repeated it a few times.

They weren’t losing money yet, but Woosung was following a completely different pattern of investing. Alex looked confused.

“Boss, are we scalping right now? We haven’t lost any money yet, but I feel like this is too frequent of transactions.”

“I’m trying out the Jang Gwangchul method this time.”

“Jang Gwangchul?”

“Haha, he is a famous Korean trader. You probably don’t know about him.”

The next day.

Ryan Capital’s Williams Liam looked at the data in confusion.

“They are taking a short position…?”

He focused on one particular serial number. In the past, he would have followed this trend, but this time, he meant to steal money from this company.

“If I take the same position, I may make a little bit of money, but not as much as…”

However, he couldn’t just bet against it. He needed to know why this company made the decision of taking a short position. After studying the data, Liam’s eyes sparkled.

“Scalping?”

Multiple and closely-spaced transactions were taking place. This was a different pattern than he saw before.

“Did they get a different trader, or maybe algorithm trading? I just need to know why they are doing this, and when I do…”

He could destroy it.

Liam focused on learning the trend. He stayed late at work to continue analyzing. His competitiveness wouldn’t let him leave until he figured it out.

The next day, he looked at the fresh set of data. Suddenly, he stood up in excitement.

“I got it!”

He figured out the pattern. He re-checked everything, and when he was certain, he went into CEO Ryan’s room.

After Liam’s enthusiastic explanation, Ryan asked, “So you want me to increase your operating fund?”

“Yes. I now understand the pattern of this other company, so I can steal the money from them.”

“But what if they learn your pattern as well?”

“As you know, we rotate different serial numbers on irregular bases for this reason. There is no way anyone can find out about us.”

“Hmm.”

Ryan knew this as well, but this felt wrong.

“This is a once in a lifetime chance! If you give me a billion dollars…”

Ryan Capital.

He became successful because when a chance like this came, he took it.

A billion dollars was not a significant amount of money in this company.

If he lost the billion dollars, it would be damaging to the company, but they would recover in time.

‘But we may lose customers.’

If the customers learn that they lost, they would leave the company.

‘Should I go safe or go risky?’

Ryan glanced at Liam who looked determined.

“If you win, you will get 10% of the profit. If you fail, you will have to leave the company.”

“Of course.”

“Do you need an assistant? It is a big job, so if you need one, take anybody you want.”

“Then give me Steven, Harry, and Mason.”

They were the best in the company.

“You need to finish this by the end of this month.”

Liam smiled confidently.

“Haha, I won’t take that long.”

However, it wasn’t just Liam who was studying the data with eagle eyes.

Alex asked Woosung, “So you’re saying these four numbers are being rotated by the same company?”

“Based on the last few days’ transactions, there are at least four, but there could be more.”

“Haha, I can’t believe you found them. Poor bastards.”

“Can you think of any company that matches this pattern?”

“Well, there are so many hedge funds, but…”

After a few seconds, Alex shouted eagerly.

“Oh! Now that I think about it, I recently heard Williams Liam got a huge bonus at Ryan Capital. That was about the time I received a huge incentive myself.”

“Really?”

“Yup.”

Woosung murmured, “Ryan Capital. Ryan. Ryan.”

“It is a mid-sized company. I heard Williams bragged he would take over the company.”

“Any other information?”

“The hedge fund companies are very secretive of their techniques so it will be hard to find out.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter. I just have to wait till they take my bait.”

“Boss, should we keep the same long position under Right Capital?”

“No, we need to increase it. Buy until it hits just below 80 dollars. When it gets over 80, clear it.”

“Alright.”

Woosung stopped scalping and took the long position and stopped trading. Just as he expected, Ryan Capital took a long position with a similar amount of funds. When Woosung took another long position, Ryan Capital did the same.

Woosung confirmed that they were following his moves.

After checking a few more things, Woosung was about to sell his position when he saw it.

“He took the bait!”

Williams Liam put a massive order to sell in an attempt to be a step ahead of Woosung.

Liam was getting excited. He already made 5 billion dollars.

“Liam, this is crazy!”

“It’s going according to my plan.”

“Liam, you better buy us drinks after this.”

“Haha, of course. I will have a party after this. You guys will also get a huge bonus.”

Liam was getting confident. In front of him were eight monitors.

Suddenly, Liam saw it. He yelled, “Right now! Buy!”

The room filled with the sounds of typing.

“This time, it’s a 50-billion-dollar transaction.”

“Haha, awesome! We are all going to be rich.”

Liam looked at the screens and murmured, “Haha, just wait. I will take all your money!”

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Chapter 141: <Competition>

100 million dollars.

The other guy took 100 million dollars of Woosung’s money so far. Woosung admitted that he was going against a very smart guy.

“Alex, how much of our money is in so far?”

“About 80%.”

So 4.8 billion dollars out of 6 billion were in the market. Woosung studied the monitors with an unwavering focus. It has been a week of tense trading. He purposely let the other guy win 100 million dollars of his money as bait.

Tomorrow was the D-day.

Tomorrow, he would take everything back and much more.

‘It’s now.’

After checking the chart, Woosung clicked fast.

Buy.

Buy.

Buy.

This time, Woosung took a short position.

As he expected, the other guy followed him immediately.

‘But you don’t know that I know what you’re doing.’

Woosung looked at the clock. The market closed at 5 pm.

After that time, all trading halted.

Tick tock.

Woosung stared tensely. A difference of a second could change everything. A drop of sweat started to roll down Woosung’s forehead.

Alex also stared nervously. Less than a minute was left till the closing. Alex murmured.

“Boss!”

Only 40 seconds left! Could the market process a billion dollars that fast? Alex looked at Woosung worriedly. He was sweating heavily.

Click.

Finally, Woosung clicked quickly to sell. At the same time, he took a long position.

Crude oil future price 72 dollars.

Time: 16:59:58.

Everything was processed with 2 seconds left before the closing.

After 2 seconds, the screen beeped to announce that the market had closed. Alex sighed deeply.

“Phew, boss. I thought my heart would stop.”

Woosung felt the same way. He grabbed a cup of iced water on the desk and drank it in one gulp.

“Now we just have to wait for the news.”

Alex looked at the calendar and asked, “We will know by tonight, right?”

Woosung nodded gravely. Unless an unexpected event happened, he would win this one again.

***

Liam cried out and stood up quickly.

“W…what the!”

The others in the room reacted the same way.

“C…could it be…?”

This week, they made 100 million dollars.

Following Woosung’s last move, they vetted 700 million dollars.

However, at the last minute…!

Woosung changed his move with 2 seconds left till the closing. There was no time for them to follow him.

Liam turned to Harry and asked, “News! Check the news!”

Harry quickly searched any news report on crude oil. He looked for a few minutes and found nothing.

Harry sighed deeply and sat down. “Nothing. I checked everything.”

However, Liam bit his nail and replied nervously, “Dammit. Could it be that he found out what we are doing?”

“We have been using 10 different serial numbers. Besides, you said it wasn’t a big company like JP or Citadel. Liam, be more confident!”

Liam bit his lips. Harry was right, but Harry also wasn’t the head of this project. Liam was. He was responsible for everything. If he failed…

Mason smiled bitterly.

“Well, the market is closed so there is nothing we can do anyway.”

Liam stared at the screen. He had a bad feeling about this.

***

Woosung and Alex went to a roof bar. It was a VIP place where a bottle started at 1000 dollars. It was on the 30th floor.

Alex asked, “Boss, how do you feel? You will be getting 10 billion dollars tomorrow.”

Woosung took a sip of 30-year-old Macallan and replied, “It’s not enough?”

“Haha, I knew you would say that! Remember what you told me when we first met?”

“I said we will earn trillion dollars together. You will become a billionaire.”

“At first, I thought you were crazy, but here we are now!”

“It’s too early to celebrate. We are just starting.”

“Boss, you are incorrigible.”

“I wasn’t kidding about the trillion dollars.”

“Haha, I know. I know it very well now. I made a lot of money thanks to you. I earned over 10 million dollars. After tomorrow, I will probably get another 10 million dollars in incentive.”

“Then you only have 980 million dollars to go.”

Alex laughed. After another sip, Woosung searched online again using his phone. Alex asked, “Are you waiting for the news?”

Woosung nodded. It had to happen tonight.

Alex lowered his voice and asked again, “And whatever it is, it will cause the price to go up to 80 dollars.”

Woosung nodded again. Alex drank his whiskey and looked outside.

“I used to wonder if I could own anything in New York. A small apartment costs millions of dollars. I doubted I could make that much money.” Woosung listened and Alex continued, “But now, thanks to you, I believe I could even buy the whole street.”

“If you stay with me, it will happen for you.”

Alex nodded. Suddenly, someone yelled from the VIP entrance.

“Here! Alex, it’s me!” A voluptuous blond beauty waved at Alex.

When Woosung looked at him in confusion, Alex answered her,

“Oh, Julia?”

“Yeah, it’s me, Julia White! You know me!”

The bodyguards looked at Woosung for an approval. Alex looked at him as well. Woosung ordered, “If it’s your friend, let her in. We are done for the day anyway.”

“Haha, ok.”

Alex walked towards Julia and brought her to the table.

Alex asked her, “It has been a while. The last time was at the reunion, right?”

Julia smiled.

“Haha, that’s right. Now, who is this gentleman?”

“This is my boss. Boss, this is Julia. We were classmates in college.”

Woosung stood up and shook her hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Kang Woosung.”

“Julia White. I work at JP Morgan. I read your recent paper.”

Woosung answered calmly, “I see.”

Julia rubbed his hand flirtatiously.

“Yes. It looked like you put a lot of work into it.”

Alex asked, “Coconut stock listing?”

Julia nodded. “Yes, I saw the paperwork.”

Julia asked in a pretty tone, “Can I join you?”

She sat down across from Woosung.

“Oh, please have a seat!”

Julia said to Woosung, “You are famous! People are saying you will be the next Zuckerberg. The entire wall street is interested in your Coconut. It is performing better than Facebook did at the beginning.”

Woosung replied, “Thank you for the compliment, but JP Morgan won’t be chosen to represent my company. The decision will be based on my lawyers, accountants, and the consultants.”

“But you will be the one who makes the final decision.”

Julia then raised her glass. Woosung and Alex did as well and took a sip.

Suddenly, Julia’s phone beeped. “Excuse me.”

She looked at her iPhone quickly.

“OPEC decides to cut oil production.”

“For more details, click the below link.”

Julia frowned. Something was happening. Alex looked at Woosung excitedly, who was already looking at his phone. He quickly looked up and nodded to Alex.

“Boss!”

Woosung calmly took another sip of his drink.

A bottle cost him 1800 dollars.

However, it was nothing. Tomorrow, his bank account would receive over 10 billion dollars.

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Chapter 142: <Competition>

Alex grinned widely.

Julia asked, “What just happened?”

Alex laughed, “Hahahaha. It’s nothing important.”

Julia became even more curious. The Alex whom Julia knew was always quiet with, showing emotions rarely. Woosung was reacting the same way. He was smiling mysteriously.

Julia asked again, “Could you please tell me what is going on?”

Woosung answered firmly, “It’s nothing you need to know.”

She turned to Alex, but he looked away. If Woosung wanted to keep this event quiet, Alex had to do the same. Julia smiled at Woosung charmingly, but it was no use. Woosung wasn’t looking at her. He was staring at his phone.

“OPEC decides to reduce oil production.”

“Per Venezuela’s request, OPEC has decided to reduce crude oil production. The price is expected to increase, which will negatively impact the economy.”

It was exactly how Woosung remembered it happening in his past life.

‘It’s done.’

With 4 billion dollars, he earned 14 billion dollars. With the Coconut stocks, he had over 20 billion dollars at his disposal. There was nothing he couldn’t do now.

Julia approached Woosung and asked flirtatiously, “You must have accomplished something big just now. The OPEC news came out, which means the oil price will go up…I assume you betted on it?”

Woosung picked up his glass.

“You are very curious.”

“And will you answer my question?”

“If I give it to you, what kind of information will you give me in return?”

“JP wants to have a good relationship with Coconut. Isn’t that enough?”

Woosung pointed at Alex. “I share important information only with my people. Technically, this is considered a business secret. Besides, I don’t understand why you are so curious. Do famous hedge fund managers often go around bragging about their wins?”

Julia couldn’t answer.

After taking another sip, Alex nodded and turned to Julia. “Julia, how’s working at JP?”

“It’s not bad.”

“What was your definition of a good job?”

“A job that makes me a lot of money.”

“Hahaha, that’s right. Do you still feel the same way?”

“Of course. Wall Street is a cruelly competitive place. I accept it with open arms.”

At Julia’s boldness, Woosung grinned.

Julia turned to Woosung and continued, “Of course, I’m not saying money is everything. It is also not the most important thing about my career, but it is for my job.”

Woosung continued to drink slowly.

Alex pointed at Julia and asked Woosung, “Boss, didn’t you say you were looking for a financial expert? How about her? She may not look it, but she is one of the tops in JP. As she just said, if you pay her enough, she is willing to work for you.”

Julia pointed at herself. “Me?”

“As you know, Coconut Bank started as an internet bank exclusively in Korea, but Woosung has a bigger plan for it. He wants to reach the world. I think this will be a good job for you.”

Woosung turned to Julia and asked, “If Alex recommends you, that is enough for me. I will give you 1.5 times your current salary plus incentives.”

“…pardon?”

“I don’t know how much you are getting paid right now, but I will pay you more. You will learn quickly that I am not stingy when it comes to incentives.”

“I don’t understand what is happening.”

Alex added. “You will be shocked if you know how much incentives I received.”

Woosung felt himself getting drunk. He had to work tomorrow, so he stood up.

“Stay as long as you want and chat. I will see you later.”

Alex nodded. “Alright.”

Julia looked at Woosung in confusion, but he was already walking away.

***

9:30 am, New York.

The market was about to open.

Liam stared at the screen anxiously. He didn’t want to come to work after reading last night’s news.

He was afraid.

However, as usual, he had to finish his job.

He felt thirsty. WTI crude oil was already reaching 81 dollars. It was due to the announcement from OPEC last night.

‘How could he know about it before it was announced? Does he have a connection in OPEC?’

He had heard of a rumor about the infamous Rothchild family. It was rumored that this family secretly ruled the world. If anyone could, this family was the one that probably could get information from OPEC before it was announced to the public.

‘Dammit.’

He was going crazy. He tried to shake it off, but it was useless.

As soon as the market opened, he settled everything. It meant that he was settling his short position.

Yesterday, he followed Woosung’s initial bet on the crude oil price going down.

However, the price went up.

Woosung changed his position at the last minute.

Liam clicked a few more times to settle everything. The crude oil price continued to soar. He started to pant.

“Minus 380 million dollars.”

It was over for Liam.

***

“13.331 billion dollars.”

It was Woosung’s final account balance.

All in cash.

Woosung quickly transferred 10 million dollars to Alex’s account as a bonus.

Alex swallowed hard and murmured, “So this project is finally over.”

Woosung nodded. “I expect to have a few more opportunities like this in the future. Let’s make sure to work well like this again.”

“Of course.”

“What did Julia say last night?”

“She said she needs to think about it. She said our company is a bit too small for her liking, and Coconut hasn’t been approved by SEC yet.”

Woosung applied to have Coconut to be listed in the market. All the required paperwork was done. It just had to be approved by SEC (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission) for it to be listed on Nasdaq.

“Are you sure about her?”

Alex nodded. “She was the best in school. There was a rumor that she got her grades by sleeping with the profs, but it was never proven.”

“Hmm…”

Woosung remembered her being flirtatious. She was gorgeous. He could see why there would have been such a rumor.

“Other than those rumors, her record was perfect. She got her job at JP with great references from the professors and she is currently a director at the company.”

Director.

She was only 27. Woosung was surprised she reached such a high position at a young age.

“Arrange a dinner meeting tomorrow with her. I have to go to the SEC interview now.”

“Alright.”

***

To be listed on Nasdaq, the final step was to attend an interview conducted by the SEC officials.

When Woosung sat down, one of the judges, Charles Brown, asked, “We read your report. You did a good job growing your company. I think it is comparable to Facebook and Twitter.”

“Thank you.”

“But you have set your share price to be 40 dollars, which make your company worth 80 billion dollars.” It was a huge number. Charles Brown asked curiously, “Don’t you think you’ve overestimated your company?”

“If you look at the rate of user number increase, you will see that it is faster than that of Facebook. In addition, MAU and DAU are comparable to Facebook.”

“But the sales are only half of that of Facebook.”

“The number of users is much less than Facebook, but the sales have reached already half that of Facebook. My company’s profit rate is actually better.”

Woosung had good answers for every question.

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Chapter 143: <Competition>

The Q&A session lasted a long time. Woosung answered smartly to every question and the SEC officials nodded in satisfaction.

After 30 minutes, Charles Brown turned to his colleagues and asked, “Do you have any more questions for this gentleman?” They all shook their heads. Charles turned to Woosung. “We’re done then. You may go.”

Woosung nodded and left the room.

When he left the building, he saw Julia White waiting for him.

She was smiling brightly surrounded by men in expensive suits. They started to approach Woosung slowly.

However, Woosung was quickly surrounded by his bodyguards.

Woosung ordered, “It’s fine.”

The bodyguards moved aside slightly so Julia could approach Woosung.

“As I’ve said, everyone is interested in Coconut.”

One of the men in suits asked Woosung, “I am Morgan Stanley’s Patrick Emil. I would like to talk to you in private.”

Another person shouted as well, “Hello. I’m from Citigroup.”

Men from big companies fought to get Woosung’s attention. Julia looked around and murmured, “This is America, the land of capitalism. By the way, Alex said you had an offer for me?”

Woosung nodded.

Julia said to him, “Shall we go then?”

They arrived at the Four Season’s top floor suite room. It cost 30,000 dollars per night.

Woosung asked for room service of snacks while Julia looked around the room.

“You really are a billionaire.”

“Yes.”

“Haha, but it’s surprising. I don’t see any evidence of drinking or women.”

“We’re not here to talk about my private life.”

Julia nodded. The room service arrived quickly.

Woosung took a sip of his ice coffee and asked, “Alex must have told you about the offer. Did you have other questions?”

“Is it true you want to make Coconut Pay into an international service like PayPal?”

“Yes. I want to make it even bigger than PayPal.”

“I also heard a rumor you are behind the LetPay in China.”

“I can’t confirm that at this point.”

“What do you plan to do with the money you make by listing Coconut?”

“Invest. I plan on investing in a business I have been working on.” Woosung took another sip. He continued, “I feel like I am being interviewed.”

“Haha, to win a genius like me, it’s the least you can do.”

“I realize there aren’t many who graduated from MIT and work as a director at JP Morgan. However, the position you will take in my company is a bigger job than you have right now. You haven’t proven yourself for this particular position yet. I believe in Alex’s recommendation, but you will need to prove yourself to me too.” Woosung continued quickly, “You will get the job whether you pass the test or not, but your salary will change based on your performance.”

“So you will decrease your salary offer if I fail the test?”

“No, my offer still stands, but if you pass, I will offer you even more money.”

“Can you explain it to me?”

“Currently, Coconut has been assessed as worth 80 billion dollars. Everyone agrees with the assessment, but I don’t like it.”

Julia nodded. Woosung drank his coffee and continued.

“I want it to be listed at the same value as Facebook or better. If you can achieve that, I will give you some Coconut stock shares.”

“How much?”

“10 million dollars worth.”

“Pardon?”

“I will give you 10 million dollars worth of shares. If you prefer, I will give you 10 million dollars in cash.”

10 million dollars.

Her current salary was 200,000 dollars a year. After various taxes, fees, and paying off monthly tuition loan, she was left with 5000 dollars every month.

It was a lot of money, but it was still not enough for her.

10 million dollars?

With it, she could pay back all her debt, buy a house in New York, and anything she wanted.

“It’s a good offer.”

“If you fail, the job offer still stands with the same conditions. If you get this job done, you will get 10 million dollars on top of it. What do you think?”

Julia smiled and shook his hand.

“Deal!”

Woosung murmured, “By the way, can I ask you to dress a little more conservatively?”

Woosung wouldn’t want to say anything, but he felt like it was necessary. Julia was wearing a skirt so short whenever she moved in the chair, it showed too much.

The top three buttons of her blouse were also undone. Her bra was showing quite obviously.

“But why? I dressed like this to seduce you, and I got the job so it worked!”

“No. You got the job because of your skills.”

“Well, that’s what you say but I will never know, will I? This has worked very well for me for the remainder of my life. Do you know the glass ceiling index for America?”

Woosung shook his head. He expected it to be okay considering this was America.

“It is worse than the OECD average. Korea is even worse by the way. The way I dress and act is how I learned to survive this male-dominated world. If you are saying I don’t have to do this anymore, then that would be great.”

When Woosung nodded, Julia stood up.

“Then I better get to work.”

***

At an expensive bar in New York Manhattan.

Liam, who was drunk, murmured, “Dammit! I made them so much money, yet this is how they reply to me? I know I made a mistake, but still…”

He felt betrayed.

It was hard leaving his work.

Liam poured another drink. He couldn’t stand the situation.

Suddenly, Woosung sat beside him and ordered the same drink.

He murmured, “Williams Liam. Ryan Capital head manager, but you recently lost your job.”

“What? Who are you?”

“I am the one behind the serial number xxxxxx.”

Liam froze. He turned around quickly.

“W…what?”

“KND Investment CEO and the one who won our little game.”

Liam raised his hand and ordered, “Ice water please!”

The bartender brought him the water and Liam gulped it down. He then turned to Woosung again.

“Can you repeat that again?”

“If you are interested, follow me.”

Liam followed.

Woosung took Liam to his hotel room and asked, “Answer my question without a calculator. You have 5 seconds. 321*411?”

“131931.”

Liam was still drunk, but his answer was immediate and confident.

“35?2?”

“1225.”

“34412/23?”

“4.”

It didn’t even take a second for each answer.

Woosung was surprised. He pointed at the whiteboard he prepared and asked, “Solve the Black-Sholes equation.”

Liam wrote out the equation quickly. It was over 10 lines, yet he finished it quickly. He was clearly a mathematical genius.

“Why would you drink yourself to death when you have such an amazing brain?”

“How did you know I was following your transactions?”

Woosung pointed at his head.

“You are not the only smart one in this town.”

“And that is why you tricked me at the last minute?”

“Haha, talk about the pot calling the kettle black!”

Liam panted. There was nothing he could say.

Woosung continued, “I heard you lost your job.”

“Thanks to you.”

“I think you’re great. Your ambition, skills, and boldness. If you think you can control your pride, I am willing to offer you a good deal.”

“…”

“What do you think?”

“I have one question. Did you get the information from someone in OPEC? How is it that you knew?”

“I will tell you when we have a more trustful relationship.”

After brief thinking, Liam nodded.

Woosung added, “I will first have you work on the algorithm trading tuning. I will give you more details tomorrow.”

Woosung made a quick call and his bodyguard walked in. Woosung ordered him to drive Liam home safely.

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Chapter 144: <Competition>

Julia visited Woosung early in the morning.

Jeans and a white t-shirt.

She looked young and fresh like a college student.

“Did you quit JP Morgan?”

“Haha not yet. I told them I could win Coconut as a customer for JP and they said I am free from my regular duties for now. So technically, I am working right now.”

Woosung nodded.

Julia waved a USB at him. “I’ve got something for you!”

***

Julia’s plan was simple. The numbers on the financial report could not be changed, but why not visit the investors and do a presentation for them?

They needed to make a point.

“Great needs increase the company value.”

Woosung didn’t look satisfied.

“What do you think, boss?”

“Julia, I don’t like to beg.”

“There are times when you have to give up your pride.”

“That is why I need to do a presentation for the institutional investors?”

“Yes.”

“I have a different opinion. You can’t earn the scarcity value by begging.”

Julia frowned.

Woosung continued, “You need to attract the investors so they choose to come to you without you begging.”

Julia sighed. “I have considered that method, but does Coconut really have that kind of influence? As of now, I don’t think so. Investors are conservative. 80 billion dollars is fair, if not an overestimation. There are many who believed that Coconut is just a bubble that will burst soon.” Julia continued quickly. “And there is a common mistake most young businessmen make. Do you know what it is?”

“Pride, conceit, arrogance, and so on?”

Julia nodded. “You know it very well.”

“But that is only if you aren’t good at your job.”

Julia raised her eyebrows. “Do you think you know everything just because of your success with LetChat and smartphone? If I thought you are such an arrogant person, I wouldn’t have said yes to your offer.”

“You missed KND Investment, DNK Group, League of Legend, and Battle Round.”

Julia looked surprised. She has heard of these companies before.

Woosung asked, “You wanted to know what happened a few nights ago, right?”

Julia nodded.

Woosung continued, “Alex and I were talking about our most recent investment result. We just made about a billion dollars, so we were celebrating.” Woosung stared at Julia and asked, “Do you still think I’m being arrogant for no reason? I am telling you, Coconut will be bigger than Facebook because…”

Woosung paused. Julia bit her lips. He looked so attractive as he talked with natural confidence.

Alpha male.

He was a capable man.

Woosung continued, “Because I will make it happen. So bring me a solution to this problem. Come up with a plan that will make the investors beg me to get involved. For example, wouldn’t it be great if Rick Warren invested in our company?”

Rick Warren.

He was one of the most successful investors in the world.

Julia replied, “He is famous for not investing in tech companies.”

“Do you not know that he bought a lot of Apple stocks?”

“But that…”

“Rick Warren was just an example, but if you can accomplish it then that would be amazing.”

Julia bit her lips again. This was becoming more complicated than she anticipated.

***

5 million dollars.

Woosung paid 5 million dollars to have lunch with Rick Warren. They were to meet at the Smith and Wollensky in New York.

Woosung prepared a few questions to ask Rick Warren.

He waited at the table. Rick Warren arrived 5 minutes before the meeting time.

He was a white-haired gentleman.

When Rick saw Woosung, he greeted, “I have done some research on you, but I still can’t believe how young you are. I was never that successful when I was your age.”

Woosung replied sincerely, “Haha, I have just been very lucky.”

“Well, I am curious what kind of questions you have for me.”

They sat down and looked at the menu.

Woosung asked, “I am planning to list my company, Coconut. It has been assessed to be worth 80 billion dollars, but I think that that is an underestimation. Facebook is worth 100 billion dollars and I don’t think my company should be assessed less than that. So what could I do to have its value increased?”

Rick Warren took a sip of water and replied, “Even with such a big number as 80 billion dollars, you are still not satisfied.”

Woosung nodded. “My ambition is much bigger than that.”

“If I invested in your company, it will become worth over 100 billion dollars, and that is probably why you paid 5 million dollars to have lunch with me.”

“That’s right. If I can make 20 billion dollars with only 5 million dollars, it’s a no brainer.”

“Hahaha, I have always been interested in KND. I do believe that it is comparable to Apple.”

“Coconut will become bigger than Facebook, Google, and Amazon. I know you usually aren’t interested in software companies, but wouldn’t you be interested in, perhaps, holding it for a short term?”

“How short of a term are you talking about?”

“10 years.”

Rick Warren took another sip of water and looked at Woosung with interest.

“I have never heard anyone answer 10 years before.”

“You must have only met amateur investors then.”

“Hahahaha.”

Rick Warren laughed and continued to eat his salad.

“What will you do if I refuse your offer?”

“It doesn’t matter. If I release the news about another project Coconut is planning, the stock price will jump anyway.”

Woosung was referring to the AI project.

“Then why are you asking me to do this?”

“Because I believe that certain people should make money while others shouldn’t.”

“Pardon?”

“There are people who deserve lots of money and people who shouldn’t have money. I don’t like my money going to the wrong hands.”

Rick Warren stopped chewing and looked at Woosung. This conversation was becoming very strange,

“So you’re saying I deserve to have big money?”

“That’s right. Someone like you should have it.”

In his previous life, Woosung read that Rick Warren donated 90% of his wealth and lived modestly.

Woosung took out his Blue S2 and showed it to Rick.

“Have a look at this.”

Woosung showed him the improved version of the AI. The new system was able to carry a conversation.

“What should I have for dinner?”

“Steak, rice, or sandwich.”

“I don’t want steak.”

“Then what about a sandwich?”

“But I’m on a diet.”

“How about a Subway?”

“How many calories does it have?”

“580k.”

“Oh, that’s not bad.”

“Should I order then?”

“Would you believe me if I said this was a conversation between a person and a computer?”

Rick Warren’s eyes sharpened. If this was true, Coconut’s worth would rise exponentially.

Woosung continued, “This is our newest technology. Google and Facebook don’t have it yet.”

“It sounds like there should be plenty of people who would want to invest in your company.”

“As I explained, I believe that only certain people should earn big money.”

Rick Warren continued to eat and looked at Woosung.

After a few days, a news report was announced that Rick Warren’s Buffalo Hathaway invested in Coconut. As soon as she heard the news, Julia came to Woosung.

“My 10 million dollars…”

“If you had come up with the idea of having lunch with Rick Warren, that would have been great.”

“But…”

“Make sure to think more creatively next time.”

Julia frowned while Alex grinned.

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Chapter 145: <Competition>

Woosung turned to Alex and Julia.

“As you saw on the news, Rick Warren has decided to invest in our company. Not Facebook, but for us!”

Julia murmured, “So it will definitely be worth over 100 billion dollars.”

“Probably.”

Alex turned to Woosung. “That’s a huge number. You will be so loaded.”

“Not as much as you think. I will only sell about 30% of the shares to make sure I have control over the company, and I need this money to make an investment.”

When Alex nodded, Woosung continued, “Please supervise Liam on the algorithm trading tuning.”

In the corner of the hotel room was Liam focusing on his computer.

“How much are you thinking to invest?”

“I will start with 100 million dollars and increase the budget as I go. I already told Liam about it too.”

“Alright.”

“I think he is working very hard, so keep an eye on him.”

Woosung turned to Julia. “SEC will call us by the end of the day. Please get ready for the listing and come up with ideas for Coconut Pay and Coconut Bank for the future.”

Julia complained, “I haven’t even read over the comprehensive report on the current company situation yet.”

“Haha, you better work fast. My expectations are very high.”

“Gosh, why did I agree to work for you? I didn’t even get the bonus!”

Woosung grinned and replied, “Haha, if the listing process goes smoothly, you will get a handsome incentive so don’t be so disappointed.”

“Really?”

Woosung nodded.

***

After the meeting, Woosung and Alex flew to Silicone Valley. They visited the developers who were working on the Blue S3 and announced a bonus for everyone. Afterward, they visited the other companies Woosung invested in.

Insta.

Airdnd.

Ever.

Space X.

Woosung invested a lot of money on these companies. He knew they would be very successful in the future.

One week later.

“Boss, the listing process is complete. It will be listed next Tuesday.”

Woosung smiled at Alex’s report. It was going according to his plan. Woosung remembered an invitation suddenly.

“Tonight 6 pm Palo Alto 2101 Party”

Alex got excited.

“Boss, you must go! It is a very famous party in Silicone Valley. It is a good chance for you to network with important and influential businessmen.”

“More influential than Rick Warren?”

“No, but it will still be helpful.”

“I guess.”

“And the more networking you do, the better chance you have of finding good people to scout.”

Woosung narrowed his eyes. “Be honest. You just want to meet famous celebs, right?”

Alex grinned. “Haha, if it happens, then that would be a bonus.”

Party.

Silicone Valley was famous for luxurious parties organized by successful businessmen. Many celebs and rich people attended these events.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“Great!”

***

They arrived at the party early. It was at a lavish mansion. They had to drive a few minutes after passing the main gate. Inside were a swimming pool, tennis court, and a three-story building.

The place was surrounded by bodyguards and everyone was checked before letting in.

“Haha, this is huge.”

“I guess.”

The pool was crowded with beautiful women in bikinis. Music was playing loudly.

“You can go in.”

They walked in after the security checked their invitations.

‘Wow, KYLO meeting is so small compare to this.’

The party host David Gallagher, a famous investor, approached them

“Haha, you made it.”

“Thank you for the invitation.”

“It’s a great party. I hope you have fun. Oh, and take this.”

David handed Woosung a key card and whispered, “It is the key to the private building on the right. It has been prepared for only the special guests.”

Woosung nodded. “Thank you.”

“Haha, have a great time!”

After David left, Alex exclaimed, “Boss, did you see? That’s Grant Griffin. Oh, there is Dana Loren! I’ve gotta go over there. Let me know when you are ready to leave.”

“Haha, alright.”

Alex quickly disappeared to mingle.

Woosung took a glass and walked around. He wondered what David prepared at the private building.

He could guess what it was, but he was still curious.

‘I’m probably wrong. Let’s go find out.’

Tight security personnel was guarding the door. It looked like something secretive was happening inside. Woosung approached the door and scanned the card.

Beep.

The door opened. When Woosung entered, he felt dreamy. Inside was filled with smoke.

Men were sitting down smoking different pipes. Woosung was right.

Gorgeous women were everywhere in the room. They flocked to different men. The place looked like an expensive brothel.

Suddenly, Woosung noticed one woman.

‘Jennifer Ellie?’

He rubbed his eyes and checked again. It was really her, an actress he saw in a popular movie in his previous life.

‘I did see a couple of big time movie producers, so I guess…’

He walked towards her slowly. Jennifer bit her lips. When he offered his hand, she took it with a resigned expression. They went into an empty room.

As soon as the door closed, Jennifer tried to kiss Woosung, who quickly stepped back.

“W, wait!”

Jennifer placed her finer on Woosung’s lip.

“Shh. You don’t have to worry about anything.”

She acted boldly, but her eyes looked sad. Woosung stepped back again and asked, “Are you really Jennifer Ellie?”

Her eyes widened. Woosung continued.

“I am Kang Woosung. I am the CEO of NK Entertainment. I would like to scout you.”

“Pardon?” She looked confused.

Woosung explained, “I am telling you that I would like to be your agency.”

“Are you serious? Several men have offered the same thing to me before, but as soon as I slept with them, they left me. I had to sleep with famous producers and directors. They all promised to make me into a star, but here I am.”

“But you haven’t given up becoming an actress.”

“How do you know?”

“I just do.”

In Woosung’s last life, Jennifer Ellie was one of the top actresses in Hollywood.

He continued.

“NK will be investing in a movie in Hollywood very soon. It will be easier for you then to get a role.”

Jennifer sighed and asked doubtfully, “You are offering me this without asking for anything in return?”

When Woosung nodded, Jennifer placed her hand on his belt.

“Why don’t we just have sex? I don’t need your words.”

Before Woosung could react, she took his belt off.

“W…what are you doing?”

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Chapter 146: <Competition>

She started to take his clothes off skillfully. Woosung grabbed her hands quickly.

“Stop.”

Jennifer smiled and replied, “But I think your body is saying yes!”

Woosung looked down and started to sweat. “I can’t help how my body reacts.”

He put his pants back on and buttoned his shirt.

Jennifer said disappointedly, “Gosh, I was hoping for a fun night.”

Woosung took out his business card and handed it to her. It was the one Jang Gwangchul gave him as a gift. The 24K gold shined on the card.

“You don’t have to do this. I would like to give you a fair chance. Call this number and you’ll learn that I’m not lying.”

Jennifer looked at the card in surprise.

“Is this real gold?”

When Woosung nodded, her eyes widened.

She was adorable.

Woosung added. “Well, that’s it for me. I hope we get to work together.”

Woosung left the place quickly. If he stayed too long, he was afraid he would be involved in an unsavory scandal.

Woosung called Alex.

“Already?” Alex sounded disappointed but he came to Woosung. Alex asked when he saw that Woosung seemed red and out of breath. “What happened? Why are you panting?”

“It’s nothing important. We should never attend parties like this again.”

“Why? I love it. Beautiful and successful men and women in one place! I already promised to go to another party tomorrow. When I mentioned your name, they were all busy inviting me to different events.”

Woosung shook his head.

Alex continued, “You are famous here in Silicone Valley. Many people want to invest in Coconut and Blue S2. Some were even begging me to introduce you to them.”

“Well, it was a close one for me.”

Alex narrowed his eyes.

“Boss…Did you…”

Alex seemed to guess what had happened.

The wildness of these parties was already well known to the public.

“It’s not like that.”

“Hmm.”

Alex didn’t believe him.

***

“Hello. I am Reporter Kim Minjun from YTT News. I am at the Nasdaq headquarter where the Korean company Coconut is about to be listed. It has been assessed at 80 billion dollars, which is the very first for a Korean corporation.” The reporter continued excitedly, “Coconut was recently invested by the world-famous Rick Warren. Everyone is curious about how Coconut stock will fare. Many experts believe it will go beyond Facebook. In a little while, there will also be an event titled ‘Hello Coconut’ in Korea to celebrate its success. It is rumored that new technology will be introduced at this event.”

It was a huge deal in Korea. Woosung could now be worth more than Korea’s biggest company Daeyang.

The reporter continued.

“Oh, Kang Woosung and the officials are entering. We will now listen to the interview.”

Woosung explained to the reporter, “Korea doesn’t have a proper evaluation standard for IT technology yet.”

“So are you saying you may move your headquarter to America?”

“Anything is possible. That is how I do all my businesses. I try to always keep an open mind.”

“What do you expect will happen once Coconut is listed?”

“I expect it to soar very quickly.”

It was finally 9:30 am in New York.

The opening bell rang, and people congratulated Woosung.

“Congratulations.”

“Haha, cheers!”

“Congratulations.”

Everyone clapped while Woosung smiled proudly.

Shin Semi bit her lips as she watched the news.

“Listed in Nasdaq. He is now worth over 90 billion dollars.”

Woosung was now officially superior to Nuri.

It was most likely that Woosung was the richest and most successful businessman in Korea.

He was beyond her reach now. A woman was standing beside Woosung on the TV with a big smile. Shin Semi was bothered by the whole situation. She turned off the TV in a fit of anger.

Daeyang Electronics headquarters in Gangnam.

In Choi Gunwon’s office on the 44th floor, Choi Gunwon and Choi Taemin were watching tv together.

“CEO Kang Woosung will now speak.”

Choi Gunwon asked suddenly, “Why is everyone making such a big deal?”

“Money.”

“That’s right, and that is why the media is treating Daeyang with disrespect because we don’t have as much money.”

Choi Gunwon watched Woosung on TV for a few seconds.

“People care about what that guy says because he is rich. We used to be where he is until recently.” He then glared at Choi Taemin who remained quiet.

Choi Gunwon asked, “Are you someone who makes money for Daeyang Electronics, or are you someone who just spends the company money?”

Choi Taemin answered calmly, “The first.”

“Then why do I hear that MC business is failing?”

“That’s an exaggerated rumor. The next model will beat Blue S. Besides, the semiconductor department is doing very well, so Daeyang Electronics should be fine.”

“You still failed.”

Choi Taewon frowned. As they glared at each other, Woosung’s interview was still continuing on tv.

“Coconut will grow big quickly. Most of the profit will be reinvested into the AI project named Coconut I. Coconut possess an exclusive AI technology.”

People didn’t react to Woosung’s announcement. They thought he was just talking about his future plan.

Woosung continued, “Our project will be revealed at the Hello Coconut event in Seoul.”

Woosung then took out his Blue S2 and started to take photos of the items in front of him. As soon as he took it, the phone announced the items out loud.

“Microphone.”

“Desk.”

“Chair.”

People stared in shock. Woosung took photos of people’s faces as well. The phone announced its interpretation of the facial expressions.

“Confusion.”

“Happiness.”

“Joy.”

People started to understand what was happening.

Woosung stopped taking photos and explained, “We were able to achieve 99.999% accuracy with the image recognition test. The next step is the game of Go. The game of this century will take place soon in Seoul.”

People applauded.

***

Incheon International Airport.

The reporters waited outside but the bodyguards blocked them. The reporters protested.

“Oh come on! Could you move a little?”

“Please stay outside the designated line.”

“But we can’t see very well from here!”

Nearby were Jang Gwangchul and Hong Soobum.

Jang Gwangchul commented, “So many reporters.”

“He is the national hero now.”

“I guess.”

“Aren’t you jealous? You sold most of your Coconut shares to Woosung a long time ago. You must only have 5% now?”

“Didn’t you do the same, Soobum?”

“Haha, but I only had little, to begin with. Besides, I am happy with what I have.”

Jang Gwangchul rubbed his chin. He felt bitter.

“Who knew it would be listed at a higher price than Facebook?”

“But you still made 5 billion dollars.”

“It’s true. It’s the most I have made in my life.”

“So you are indebted to Woosung.”

“What!?”

“And you also have KND stocks! You know it’s all thanks to our CEO.”

Jang Gwangchul replied brusquely, “Hey, don’t you know how hard I have been working? Day and night! I deserve it.”

Suddenly, Hong Soobum yelled, “He’s coming!”

Jang Gwangchul opened his arms and ran to Woosung.

“President Kang!”

He hugged Woosung tightly and it was captured live on TV.

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Chapter 147: <Competition>

Woosung got into the car with Jang Gwangchul.

“People will now think we are a couple.”

“We are even closer than a couple!”

Hong Soobum, who was listening to the conversation, grinned.

“Gwangchul, you were saying something completely different a while ago.”

Jang Gwangchul denied, “Hey, that was different. I love Woosung. Do you know how much I missed him?”

Woosung smiled. “Were you waiting because I got Coconut listed in Nasdaq?”

“Well, partly, but I missed you too!”

“Haha, alright.”

“President Kang, you’re very popular. Do you see the reporters following us from behind?”

“Yeah. They’ve been following me since I left America.”

“Coconut is worth over 100 billion dollars. It could really be bigger than Daeyang Electronics now.”

“Haha. We need to get on with the big event as soon as possible. If we carry that out successfully, we will be on top of the world.”

Jang Gwangchul murmured in disappointment, “I’ve been wondering what you were doing with those genius developers…Why didn’t you tell me about the AI project?”

“I needed to keep it a secret. You know the security problems we’ve been having.”

“I know…”

“I have to be somewhere, so I’ll get off soon and change to another car.”

“Attorney Lee?”

“Yes. He still hasn’t approved the fourth mobile carrier selection process yet, so I need to stay close to him.”

“I feel like it won’t happen, but if you insist…”

“I also need him for the Yongsan project anyway. If these two ventures work out, it will be the government that needs me from then on, not the other way around. I will be the biggest company that can change the employment rate of the country.”

Jang Gwangchul nodded.

Hong Soobum asked Woosung, “Why do you work so hard, President?”

“This is my job. This is what I do.”

Woosung headed towards the place where he arranged to meet Lee Sunghyun.

Lee Sunghyun said to Woosung, “Congratulations on Coconut listing. Now, you are an international businessman.”

“Thank you. It’s all thanks to you.”

Lee Sunghyun knew it was empty flattery, but he still smiled.

“Now I feel like I can’t treat you like a friend anymore. You are such a big star now. China’s LetChat, America’s Coconut, and KND…You own so many huge businesses, I feel strange being around you.”

“Haha, we’ve known each other for a while now, so please be comfortable.”

“Well, if you say so…” Lee Sunghyun sat comfortably and drank his tea. He slowly said to Woosung, “I prepared a gift for you.”

Woosung knew what he would say.

“The news of the fourth mobile carrier selection process will be announced by the end of this month. Just as you requested, everything is to be done fairly.”

Woosung bowed lightly. “Thank you.”

“Haha, you’re welcome. By the way, will you incorporate new technology into this mobile carrier business just like you did for Coconut? If so, things will move along faster and easier for you.”

“Have you heard of 4G?”

Lee Sunghyun nodded. “That’s the next generation communication technology, right?”

“Yes, and my company managed to develop it so it can be used by the public. XFeed will immediately provide 4G service as soon as it opens.”

“But to make it work, you will need extensive network equipment. Do you already have it ready?”

“We are at the last stage of testing in Silicone Valley. It will be provided by KND.”

“So you have been preparing for it for a while.”

“Of course, and even if I didn’t do the mobile carrier, I could always sell the technology and equipment to other companies.”

Lee Sunghyun almost felt overwhelmed by Woosung. Just how far ahead was he preparing for?

Lee Sunghyun realized he needed to be careful around Woosung.

He nodded and replied, “Good. I wasn’t sure, but it sounds like you have everything under control.”

“I am ready.”

“Thank you.”

“Haha, no. I should be thanking you.”

***

Woosung returned to the office and read over the reports prepared for him. Jang Gwangchul and Hong Soobum went over the big decisions that were made while Woosung was gone. Everything seemed to be in good order.

Jang Gwangchul asked Woosung, “So what did Attorney Lee say?”

“They will announce the fourth mobile carrier selection soon.”

“Finally, people will hear the name XFeed!”

“Please let the people in Silicone Valley know to get prepared. As soon as our company gets selected, we will start the service right away in Korea. At the same time, we will release Blue S3, which will have LTE capability.”

“Haha, got it.”

“After this, we will be almost there. We would have over 200,000 employees. The government won’t be able to touch us. Besides, if anything happens, I can fix everything with my money.”

“Did you make more money recently in America?”

Woosung nodded lightly.

“Phew, I can’t even imagine how much money you’re talking about.”

“You’ll be responsible for XFeed. I will be busy hiring people for Yongsan project.”

“Who will take care of Coconut Bank?”

“I found someone for it. She should be here soon.”

Just then, Julia walked into the office.

She was dressed conservatively, but she still looked sexy.

Jang Gwangchul stammered, “T…that lady?”

Woosung nodded. Julia approached Jang Gwangchul and shook his hand. Both Jang Gwangchul and Hong Soobum looked nervous around her.

***

Julia opened her laptop and started the PPT.

“As you know, our boss insists on hard work from us, so I will get right to it.”

“Coconut Bank’s future.”

It was the title of the PPT.

Julia explained, “There are 35 slides in total, but I will just show you the gist of it.”

Jang Gwangchul and Hong Soobum looked surprised while Woosung watched with interest.

“The reason people use PayPal is for convenience, but convenience could also mean a sloppy system. Currently, PayPal uses FDS system for security. Coconut Bank is also doing the same thing. This is how hacking is prevented.” Julia looked at Woosung, who nodded for her to continue, “So before coming here, I hired a couple of talented hackers. There are quite a number of them who graduated from MIT. It cost a lot of money, but oh well.”

Suddenly, Hong Soobum’s phone rang.

“Sir, it’s an emergency. A large amount of unknown traffics are happening in the Bank and Pay systems.”

Hong Soobum turned to Julia.

Julia was still looking at Woosung while she continued, “Google gives bonuses to the developers who succeed in hacking its own system. We should follow the same practice. This will show that we are confident in our own system.”

Woosung nodded. He was still smiling.

“If we prove that we can easily fight back the best hackers in the world, it will show the customers how secure our system is.”

Hong Soobum listened to his phone and said to Woosung hurriedly, “Sir, the hackers are about to get into our system. We may have to shut it down temporarily.”

Woosung replied calmly, “We can’t let that happen. Go and stop it.”

Hong Soobum left quickly. Julia grinned.

“I had to spend about a million dollars for this. Is this creative enough for you, President Kang?”

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Chapter 148: <Competition>

The day was hectic for Woosung’s company. Every available developer worked non-stop to protect the system from the hackers Julia hired.

Hong Soobum reported to Woosung, “Thankfully, DDos is being protected. Other areas seemed to have calmed down for now. We are changing the password every hour and analyzing what has happened.”

Woosung nodded and turned to Julia. “What are the hackers saying?”

“They are saying they can go further if they tried.”

“Get them to try their best.”

Julia made a quick call, and the hacking attempt began again at full force, but soon, it was clear that the hackers couldn’t get into the Coconut system.

Julia said in disappointment, “I guess you have a pretty secure system.”

“I will admit though, your idea was indeed creative.”

Afterward, Woosung went around with Julia to introduce her to everyone.

“This is Julia White and she will be leading the Coconut Bank and Pay systems.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Hong Soobum.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Jang Gwangchul.”

“I’m Julia White. I used to work at JP Morgan until your boss hired me.”

After the introduction, Woosung said to everyone, “As you all know, our company is now world-famous. We have grown so much. Some think our growth rate will slow down. They say we have reached our limit.”

Woosung now only had 8 years of future knowledge left, but he wanted his empire to go on forever.

“But I disagree.” Woosung paused for a dramatic effect. Everyone looked up to this man who created a business empire only in a year. Woosung continued, “Chat, bank, pay, and online store all need to grow further if we want to achieve global success. We are not there yet. Please continue working hard so we can reach that dream.”

***

It was a hard road for Woosung so far, and all this time, he never forgot his parents, especially his mother.

Woosung visited his parents. It has been a while. When he arrived, he saw that his mother has prepared a feast for him.

“Wow, I think you made way too much food.”

“You are a businessman, so you need to eat well. I assume you always eat out, right? You should be eating home-cooked meal.”

Woosung was a grown man with a successful business, yet in front of his mother, he still felt like a little boy.

“I must say, you are the best cook I know, mom.”

“So you should live with me then.”

“Haha, but then no girl would want to marry me.”

“What are you talking about? Do you know what people say to me?”

“What?”

“So many women with daughters have asked me to introduce you to them. I get many calls every day asking for you.”

“How did they know your phone number?”

Suddenly, someone grabbed Woosung from behind. It was his father.

“You’re here! I’ve been watching you on TV!”

Kim Eunjung grinned. “Your father has been watching every channel that shows your face. He even recorded them so he can watch them again later.”

“Haha, really?”

“Of course! You are the proud son of the Kang family!”

Woosung was happy to be with his family.

His father asked him, “So when will get married?”

“I want to know too!” Kim Eunjung added.

“Soon. I need to focus on my work a little while longer. You know how many employees depend on me.”

120,000 people.

“I…I suppose.”

“Besides, I need to be very careful of who I marry now. Many women will approach me only for my money.”

His parents looked concerned.

His mother said to him, “Well, I trust you will find a good woman. Now, let’s eat.”

But his father wasn’t done.

“We need grandchildren…”

Kim Eunjung glared at her husband and said quietly, “Honey.”

And that was the end of the conversation.

After dinner, Woosung and his parents sat in front of the TV with a plate of fruits.

A program titled “Generation Success” started. The host announced.

“Today’s successful company we want to talk about is Coconut. How did Coconut become bigger than Facebook? Why did Rick Warren, who is known not to invest in tech companies, bet on Coconut?”

The program showed clips of Woosung’s headquarter and the people working. The host explained.

“The first reason is because the President of this company provides freedom to his employees when it comes to working schedule.”

Woosung felt embarrassed at such a corny comment. He closed his eyes, but his father clapped in excitement.

“That’s right! That’s how you get people to work efficiently. My son is the best!”

His mother agreed, “Woosung has always been such a free spirit even as a child.”

The show continued with short interviews of the employees.

“Our CEO always emphasizes our freedom to choose. That is why we are the first company that doesn’t have a set work hour. We can come and leave whenever we choose.”

Woosung’s father clapped again. “Wow, that’s my son alright! What an innovative idea!”

Woosung continued to feel mortified, but his mother agreed again. “I know! Woosung is a genius!”

His parents were happy to see their son being praised on TV. Woosung felt proud. The TV host continued.

“The second reason is because President Kang Woosung learns from his mistakes.”

Woosung’s father exclaimed again, “Of course! A man needs to experience failure to succeed!”

His mother agreed again. “Our son is like no other, right?”

“Of course!”

***

After the show, Woosung returned home. He showered, and as usual, he sat in front of his computer. He checked his bitcoin status.

“4,581,401.4563 BTC.”

Thanks to the mining system developed in China, he could get 200,000 bitcoins every month.

In a few years, Woosung knew he would reach ten million coins. He continued to collect more bitcoins from different online forums.

Things were going well, but Woosung continued to worry.

What if the original creator, Satoshi, hacks into his system?

Would keeping a large number of coins in one wallet be a problem in the future?

What if the future changes and the price won’t go up?

Woosung had over 1000 wallets and the more coins he collected, the more worries he had.

He also owned Bitmain. If things happened as he expected, he would be beyond rich.

“If I sell 4.5 million coins at ten thousand dollars, I will make 45 billion dollars.”

If he sold it at twenty thousand dollars, he would make 90 billion dollars.

If he included everything, such as Coconut, KND, and DNK stocks, and buildings, Woosung couldn’t even figure out how much money he would have at that time.

Suddenly, Woosung’s phone vibrated.

“Tomorrow at 11 am.”

“The fourth mobile carrier business selection process will be announced.”

It was finally happening.

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Chapter 149: <Design>

“The government has decided to initiate a process for selecting the fourth mobile carrier in order to reduce the cellphone cost for the public. It was one of the promises the current President has made, and he hopes to achieve it very soon. After the selection process is completed, the winning company will be awarded with a prepared frequency, and an auction will be held for 4G frequencies.”

Woosung turned off the TV and said to Jang Gwangchul, “We have a billion-dollar budget for XFeed, so we should be ok.”

“How about the frequency auction? If we want to take advantage of 4G, we will need 1.81MHs.”

“It will be easy because it will be a concurrent auction.”

The company that bid the most would win.

“But TK has a good funding power. Their yearly profit is 2 billion dollars.”

“We won’t lose.”

“How much are you thinking to bid? You know what winner’s curse is, right?”

Luckily, Woosung knew how much TK would bid.

“Don’t worry.”

Jang Gwangchul nodded. “Well, as long as you know what you’re doing.”

“It will be an amount we can afford.”

“There is a rumor that it will be over a billion dollars.”

“Haha, 1 billion dollars is nothing. We have more than that.”

Jang Gwangchul knew how much Woosung made recently, so he nodded. “I…I guess.”

“But until we actually win, please stay focused. You never know what might happen.”

“Like the possibility of the existing three mobile carriers working together against us?”

“And also the fact that an official named Choi Gijung from Korean Communications Commission is secretly helping another company to win.”

“But you also have a good connection. You have Attorney Lee.”

“Even the President himself can’t help in certain situations. You just never know.”

“I suppose.”

“I asked him to make sure the process is done fairly. If this happens, we will win for sure.”

“Alright. The paperwork should be done in about three days.”

“Thank you.”

***

Korean Communications Commission official Choi Gijung’s office.

Choi Gijung held a secret meeting with two members of the liberal party. Choi Gijung said, “We need to make Daeyang win this selection. I trust that you will follow my lead.”

One member replied uncomfortably, “But Attorney Lee contacted us to make sure we conduct a fair process. I’m not sure what we can do to make sure Daeyang wins.”

“You know exactly what you need to do!” At Choi Gijung’s anger, the two members remained silent. Choi Gijung continued, “I want a fair process too, and the fair process will result in Daeyang winning. Got it?”

The two men nodded.

After they left, Choi Gijung took out one of his cellphones. It was The One from Daeyang Electronics.

There was only one number saved on this phone.

Choi Gijung called this number. A welcoming voice answered. “Hello, sir!”

“I got it done.”

“Haha, thank you. I will not forget your help.”

Choi Gijung lowered his voice and replied, “But it will cost more than you thought.”

“Don’t you worry. I will have it ready.”

“Alright.”

“Thank you!”

After the call, Jang Hyunho, Daeyang Electronics’ management team leader, visited Choi Taemin.

“I got a call from Choi Gijung. He said he can get it done, but he will need more from us.”

“That old man is so greedy.”

“How much should I prepare?”

Choi Taemin thought for a second. He didn’t want to pay, but he answered, “200,000 dollars.”

Jang Hyunho warned him.

“You can’t be stingy in situations like this or he may go against us. He also needs to pay others too, so I really think you need to send him at least 500,000 dollars.”

“Really?”

“Daeyang isn’t known for being stingy when it counts.”

“You mean my father is like that.”

Jang Hyunho remained silent.

‘Do I need to choose my side now?’

Jang Hyunho was originally Choi Gunwon’s man.

He had to now decide if he would remain loyal to the current chairman, or Choi Tamin, who could potentially be the next chairman of Daeyang.

Jang Hyunho answered slowly.

“I will follow your order.”

“Smart man.”

After Jang Hyunho left, Choi Taemin’s assistant entered.

Choi Taemin ordered, “Make sure to monitor Jang Hyunho.”

“Yes, sir. I will have someone follow him”

“I need to do something or else I will never make it.”

The assistant became rigid. It sounded like Choi Taemin was planning something sinister.

“He asked me recently if I am someone who makes Daeyang money or who just spends the company money. What do you think?”

“Our smartphone business is just starting, so it makes sense that we are at an investment stage. Besides, you are the one who is leading MC to success.”

“I know, but he is planning something against me. If I don’t do something…”

The assistant thought quickly and answered, “Then I will find people to help us.”

Choi Taemin nodded in agreement.

This was war.

***

Late night KYLO meeting.

When Woosung entered, people exclaimed, “Is that him?”

“Wow, he looks good. He must work out.”

“So he is being compared to Zuckerberg?”

“That’s right! I should have befriended him!”

The women gossiped, while the men looked at Woosung respectfully.

“So he is the next Daeyang.”

“Daeyang must be nervous. Blue S is winning over The One too.”

Shin Semi was listening to the conversations.

‘How could he not even call me once?’

She felt disappointed.

Hwajung Law firm’s lawyer ran to Woosung and greeted him respectfully.

“Haha, hello sir.”

Woosung whispered to him, “Long time no see. I hope Jung Jinsup’s case is going as I requested?”

“Of course. I am following your order exactly.”

Before they could finish the conversation, another person approached Woosung.

“Sir, how do you do!”

“Oh…hello. Who…are you?”

“Haha, I’m the second son of Doha Auto’s CEO. This is my first time attending the meeting, so we haven’t met yet.”

“Oh! Nice to meet you.”

Quickly, another man greeted Woosung. This went on for a while. Everyone wanted to make Woosung’s acquaintance. It took over an hour for Woosung to say hello to everyone.

Afterward, Woosung sipped on whiskey and looked around. He felt someone glaring at him and turned around to find Shin Semi standing far from him.

Woosung bowed lightly but she turned away.

Woosung ignored her rude behavior and continued to look around.

‘Is Choi Gichul not coming today?’

Woosung wondered where he was and what he was doing. The reason why Woosung attended these meetings was to meet him. He didn’t care about the other people and their incessant and useless questions.

Suddenly, the door opened and he finally walked in.

Choi Gichul.

People didn’t pay any attention to him and Choi Gichul frowned. He used to be the center of everyone’s attention, but things have changed.

Woosung walked toward him. People followed Woosung’s move.

Woosung greeted Choi Gichul.

“Long time no see, sir.”

Choi Gichul took his hand and shook it.

“Nice to see you again.”

Every time they met, it seemed like Woosung’s status changed.

And now…

Woosung was finally superior to Choi Gichul.

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Chapter 150: <Design>

Choi Gichul could feel the change in the atmosphere at the meeting. Daeyang was no longer in power. Everyone was focused on one man, and it wasn’t him.

Kang Woosung.

Choi Gichul shook Kang Woosung’s hand rigidly.

“It has been a while.”

“Haha, I was hoping to see you sooner. We should get together with Jung Jinsup for a drink.”

“He told me much about your Bitmain company. I hear it is a Coconut Coin exchange center.”

Woosung smiled brightly. “More specifically, it is a cryptocurrency dealership. If you are interested, please let me know. Your involvement is always welcome.”

Choi Gichul was ordered by Choi Gitae to befriend Woosung, so he asked, “Could I hear the details?”

Woosung nodded and took Choi Gichul to a private room.

Woosung poured him a drink and said to him, “I heard you took over Daeyang Appliances department. I think we will be working together a lot in the future.”

“Actually, we are discussing a new Android TV project. If it happens, we may need Coconut’s help in installing apps.”

“I thought Daeyang had its own Daeyang OS project, but I guess you chose to go with an android TV instead?”

“We are considering all of the options.”

Their conversation was mundane. This was not the Choi Gichul Woosung knew in his previous life. Choi Gichul was outgoing and cunning, but this man in front of him now was acting very passively.

‘What made him change so much?’

Woosung asked Choi Gichul, “Work must be hard for you.”

“Haha, most of the work is done by my employees so it’s not bad.”

“Well, I do hear that Daeyang has great employees. I am envious.”

“I don’t think we can compare to Coconut.”

Something was very different. Woosung couldn’t figure out why Choi Gichul changed.

Choi Gichul asked Woosung, “Could you explain to me about the cryptocurrency?”

“To understand it, you need to first know what blockchain is. It is…” Woosung explained in detail for 20 minutes using technical terms. “And this will become the leading technology for the future.”

“I am not a programmer so I’m afraid I don’t quite understand.”

Woosung nodded. “I understand, but just remember, you need to move fast when it comes to technology.”

When Woosung explained seriously, Choi Gichul nodded. Woosung thought in secret.

‘I need to have him learn about the blockchain very slowly and get him to invest his wealth in bitcoin when it is at its highest price.’

This was Woosung’s ultimate goal.

He said to Choi Gichul, “I think that’s enough for today.”

Choi Gichul nodded quickly. He looked like he wanted to leave.

They left the room, and everyone turned to Woosung again.

Shin Semi’s eyes followed Woosung.

‘What did they talk about in the private room?’

Shin Semi felt frustrated. How could he not come to her? She was the one who introduced him to the club.

She saw Woosung taking Lee Sunghyun to the private room. After 20 minutes, they came out with smiles. As soon as Woosung became available, people approached him. There was no space for Shin Semi to get to Woosung.

***

Choi Gichul got into his car.

“Go to Nonhyun.”

When Choi Gichul laid back, his phone vibrated. The caller ID indicated that it was Choi Taemin’s assistant.

“Hello, this is Choi Taemin’s assistant.”

“What do you want?”

“If you look in the trunk, you will see a bag. You need to use it when you meet CEO Choi Gitae today.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Suddenly, the car stopped abruptly.

“What’s with the bad driving today!?”

Choi Gichul kicked the driver’s chair but there was no response. The assistant on the phone continued darkly.

“It’s finally time for you to make a choice. Your life depends on it. It’s easy. Tell Choi Gitae that it’s a new drug. You know he loves taking new stuff. The mess afterward will be taken care of. It will be simple.”

“How about the chairman?”

“We are taking good care of him, so don’t worry. Make your choice.”

Choi Gichul swallowed hard.

It was time.

***

The next day.

A piece of breaking news shocked the country.

“Daeyang Group’s chairman Choi Gunwon has been hospitalized due to stroke. No official heir has been decided, so the fate of Daeyang is uncertain at this point. Vice president Choi Taemin is currently at the hospital by his father’s side.”

Woosung knew this was it.

“This must be why Choi Gichul changed.”

Woosung remembered this incident, but in his previous life, it happened two years later. The future was changing.

“But why would this change Choi Gichul?”

Woosung called Choi Gitae but there was no answer.

He called Choi Gichul next. Choi Gichul answered quickly.

Woosung said to him, “This is Kang Woosung. I am calling you about the news.”

“What about it?”

“I just wanted to give you my condolences…”

“It’s fine. I’m busy, so bye.”

Choi Gichul hung up.

Woosung could feel it even during such a short call.

“His voice was trembling.”

Something was definitely happening.

Choi Gichul was surprised at how calm he was. He actually felt free.

“This was easy.”

He was still at the place where Choi Gitae frequented.

However, Choi Gitae was no longer there. A few hours ago, the masked men ambushed them and took Choi Gitae,

In the morning, the news of Choi Gunwon’s stroke was announced.

He was impressed at Choi Taemin’s planning.

“But why did they leave me here?”

Choi Gichul tried to come up with a reason for it.

“No one knows about what has happened to Choi Gitae yet…It would look strange if two members of the family got involved in a medical emergency at the same time…so that must be it.”

Choi Gichul didn’t regret what he did. It was Choi Gitae’s fault for doing drugs.

***

Choi Taemin’s office.

Choi Taemin was having a private conversation with his assistant.

“He did it.”

“So what should we do with Choi Gitae, sir?”

“Wait a few days, then make an announcement that he overdosed after hearing the news of our father.”

“Yes, sir.”

“How is the board of directors feeling?”

“They are ready to accept you as their new leader.”

“Spread the rumor about the father’s will, but don’t announce anything officially yet.”

“Yes, sir.”

Choi Taemin walked to the window and enjoyed the view.

“Find Choi Gitae’s replacement. Ask Gichul if he needs anything. Don’t offer him, just ask, and after I become the new chairman, I want my first new business to be the mobile carrier.”

“I will make sure it happens.”

“We need to show that Daeyang is still the best in the country. We can’t lose to a small business like KND.”

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Chapter 151: <Design>

Lee Sunghyun called Woosung early in the morning.

“President Kang, did you do something to offend Daeyang?”

“Not that I know of. The only thing I can think of is that Blue S did much better than their own smartphone.”

“I got a call from the prosecutors. They said they got an order to investigate Coconut and KND.”

“For what?”

“Embezzlement, felony, and so on.”

Woosung didn’t panic.

“I guess the usual then.”

“This could be bad for you. If they try, they can always find something.”

“They tried last time with the tax audit, but I ended up getting a refund.”

“I…I guess.”

“So this time, I guess I will end up with the prosecutors’ apology.”

Lee Sunghyun didn’t reply.

Woosung continued, “I have developed new technologies. I am trying to reduce the cell phone cost for the public. I also built factories and hired so many people in this country, yet the government is doing its best to damage my reputation. I am going to have to seriously consider moving my company and factories to another country.”

Lee Sunghyun swallowed audibly. Woosung was able to successfully list Coconut on Nasdaq. Moving his company to Silicone Valley actually would make sense. Blue S’ core technology was also being developed in Silicone Valley already.

Lee Sunghyun replied, “I…I don’t think you need to go that far…”

“I am fine with any investigation as long as it is done fairly. I will cooperate as best as I can, but when I am found to be innocent, I will not let it slide this time.”

“…I understand.”

“By the way, I would like to start the Yongsan project sooner.”

“Y…Yongsan project?”

“Yes. The bigger my empire becomes, the harder it will be for the prosecutors to treat me like this.”

Lee Sunghyun replied uncomfortably.

“It…it wouldn’t be too late to start after the investigation…The mobile carrier business hasn’t even started yet.”

Woosung frowned but his voice remained neutral.

“I understand.”

“A…alright. I will talk to you soon.”

After hanging up, Woosung called for Jang Gwangchul.

“Sir, I just got a call that the prosecutors’ office may investigate our company.” Jang Gwangchul’s eyes widened.

Woosung continued calmly, “Embezzlement, felony, etc. I guess they could come up with more stuff if they wanted.”

Jang Gwangchul asked in a trembling voice, “W…what are you talking about?”

“I think this is Daeyang’s doing. They are known to control the justice system.”

“Then we need to hire some lawyers first!”

“It’s only at the preliminary stage. They will probably start before the decision is made for the mobile carrier selection.”

“Choi Gunwon is down, Choi Gitae overdosed, so it must be Choi Taemin?”

Woosung nodded and replied, “I think so. ITS Consortium is interested in the mobile carrier business as well and Daeyang is one of its investors.”

“Should we bribe somebody too?”

“If we do it now, they will find a way to use it against us. Don’t panic when the investigation starts. You just need to focus on the mobile carrier business.”

Jang Gwangchul felt thirsty.

Woosung continued, “We haven’t done anything wrong, so don’t worry.”

Jang Gwangchul looked at Woosung questioningly. Woosung knew what he wanted to say.

“Don’t worry about that. If they make a big deal about it, Daeyang will be implicated as well.”

However, Jang Gwangchul was still concerned. Woosung did bribe a government official. Woosung assured him that all was fine. Jang Gwangchul finally left.

Woosung called Mayor Oh Hoon. They now had a close relationship that Woosung had his direct number.

Oh Hoon answered, “Haha, hello President Kang!”

“Hello, sir. I meant to call you earlier when I returned to Korea.”

“I know you’ve been busy, so don’t worry.”

“Thank you for understanding. Everything went well in America, so I would like to start on the Yongsan project right away.”

“Umm…”

Woosung could guess why Oh Hoon sounded uncertain. “Are you worried about the prosecutors?”

“Haha, sort of. My father always told me to avoid houses that were on fire.”

“Really? Because my father always told me that you could learn who your true friend is when things got tough.”

“Couldn’t we wait till the investigation is over? It won’t be long.”

Woosung thought for a second. He knew why Oh Hoon was acting this way, but he still didn’t like it.

“You know how it will turn out already.”

“But you never know…”

“I understand what you’re saying.”

“Haha, thank you for your patience.”

Woosung forced himself to sound light. “Haha, alright. Talk to you soon.”

“So this is how he repays me?”

Woosung wasn’t planning to keep Oh Hoon for long anyway.

“I will make him regret it.”

Woosung looked through his contact list and found Lee Ari’s father’s number.

Lee Myungin.

He was the current Governor of Gyeonggi Province.

Woosung asked Lee Ari to talk to her father for him in advance. When Woosung called, Lee Myungin answered immediately.

Woosung explained, “I would like to talk to you about the Pangyo project.”

Lee Myungin wanted to meet Woosung in person right away.

Lee Myungin.

A democratic party member and the current Governor of Gyeonggi Province.

“You are thinking about moving your headquarter to Pangyo?”

“Yes. I will start with Coconut, and then XFeed, which will be the next mobile carrier.”

“If that’s all you want to talk about, then we didn’t have to meet in person in such a hurry. You must have another reason?”

“AI. I am planning on an event where AI plays the game of Go with the best professional Go player Lee Soodol. I would like this to take place in Pangyo techno building. This will be the game of the century.”

Lee Myungin took a sip of water and listened while Woosung continued, “If you could attend, it will make the event so much more special. After the game, I will announce the plan for the space research lab in Pangyo. It will be a joint venture with Space X. Would this be enough of a reason to meet you in person?”

Lee Myungin took another sip as if he was getting thirsty.

“T…that should be enough.”

This was huge. Coconut was compared to Facebook. If it moved to his province, it would attract many other businesses. Not to mention, the game event plus the space research lab! He would be a very well remembered Governor.

Woosung added slowly, “I first offered these projects to Seoul, but it was rejected because there is an ongoing internal investigation on my company.”

Lee Myungin paused.

Prosecutors were on KND?

He wasn’t aware of it yet.

Woosung asked, “What do you think?”

Lee Myungin thought carefully. This could the chance of a lifetime or a poisoned apple.

Woosung asked again, “Do I look like someone who would be involved in illegal businesses?”

Lee Myungin couldn’t answer right away. It was a difficult choice.

Woosung added, “A true friend will help a friend in need. I don’t trust politicians, but if someone shows me sincerity, I will be a good friend.” Woosung looked straight into his eyes and added once more, “And I have the resources to help in every way.”

Lee Myungin knew very well who Woosung was.

Woosung continued, “I am not asking for your help. I don’t need anything from you other than…I just want fairness.”

“I have heard a lot about you from Ari. She said you are a very savvy businessman. Are…are you thinking that I could be the next President of Korea? Is that why you’re offering me these projects? Even if I get elected, I won’t consider myself to be in your debt.”

Woosung laughed. “You haven’t even finished your term as the Governor, yet you are already talking about the Presidential election?”

“Then why are you offering me this opportunity?”

“Hmm…”

Woosung knew who the next president would be. It was Park Hyejung of the liberal party. She would be the first female Korean President.

Woosung answered, “I thought about becoming the kingmaker, but I realized that the Presidency isn’t something you can make as an individual.”

Woosung was planning to help Oh Hoon become the next President, but Oh Hoon lost his trust now.

Woosung added, “So I thought of you.”

After Park Hyejung, Lee Myungin would be the President.

Woosung continued, “Again, I’m not asking for anything. I just thought that you are a good person and that you could make Korea better for everyone. So…do you want to be on my side?”

Lee Myungin continued to stare at Woosung. After a few minutes, he finally answered.

“I trust my daughter. Let’s work together.”

“Even with the internal investigation?”

“I am well aware of how the prosecutors make things up to fit their plan. I will always know the truth, and that is enough for me.”

They shook hands.

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Chapter 152: &lt;Design&gt;

“XFeed to compete for the fourth mobile carrier position with a budget of 15 billion dollars.”

“President Kang Woosung’s Coconut under investigation.”

The media aired the news of Woosung continuously. When Jang Gwangchul arrived at the communication building to file the paperwork for XFeed, the reporters swarmed him aggressively.

“Is it true that President Kang was involved in an embezzlement scam?”

“There is a rumor that Coconut’s fund was illegally used to promote XFeed. Is this true?”

“Do you think this scandal will affect your chance at the fourth mobile carrier business?”

“President Kang Woosung claimed that 15 billion dollars came from his own personal account, but the public is having a hard time believing it. What do you think?”

Jang Gwangchul was overwhelmed but he replied calmly, “These are all false rumors and accusations. I trust in our justice system to reveal the truth. All we want is a fair process.” Jang Gwangchul then glared at the pushy reporters and continued, “The 15 billion dollars for XFeed came from our President’s personal fund. There were no illegal activities involved.”

The photos of Jang Gwangchul glaring at the reporters became popular online. Woosung laughed and showed them to him.

“Haha, look! You’re nicknamed the laser Jang.”

Jang Gwangchul blinked. “Let me see.”

There were several photos from different angles where Jang Gwangchul looked angry. One of the pictures was even used on an article with a title, “Jang Gwangchul declares innocence of his company and CEO.”

Jang Gwangchul complained, “This is all your fault!”

“You must have been very angry.”

“You saw what happened. The media is releasing biased news and it’s working. We may not get the mobile carrier business because of this.”

“As long as the process is done fairly, we will be ok.”

“You can’t be sure.”

Woosung licked his lips and asked, “Do you remember the most important component on the application form?”

“Financial status and ability.”

“We wrote 15 billion dollars and provided the necessary paperwork for proof.”

“That’s useless. Official Choi Gijung has huge influences and he is helping Daeyang.”

“But this is an open public process. There are many eyes watching. If he does anything, it could backfire.” Woosung smiled mysteriously and continued, “It has been a few days since the prosecutors started the investigation, yet they still haven’t come to us for questioning or office search. This means that they don’t have anything on us.”

Korea Communications Commission.

The judges were looking through the application forms to assess them.

“This is definitely the winner, right?”

One of the judges asked and the other one nodded.

“It’s true. 15 billion-dollar budget is the highest of them all.”

“But we were asked to make Daeyang’s ITS win…”

“They only wrote down 5 billion dollars though.”

“What should we do?”

“We need to follow the rules, or else we will lose our jobs.”

They were asked by such a high ranking official for a favor though. If they did it for him, they could get huge promotions.

However, one of the judges shook his head.

“Don’t even think about it. It’s not worth it.”

They continued to do their paperwork late into the night.

The final result was sent to Choi Gijung. After reading it, Choi Gijung murmured in awe, “15 billion dollars…”

He was shocked at the number and the fact that it was all in cash, and it was truly from Kang Woosung’s personal fund.

After contemplating, Choi Gijung made a call.

It was answered quickly, “Hello, sir. How are you?”

“I was reading the report and found something interesting.”

“Haha, really?”

“You wrote the available fund for XFeed to be 15 billion dollars. It’s such a huge amount of money…”

Woosung replied calmly, “Some may think it’s a lot of money, while to some, it’s nothing.”

“Is it really true that it’s all in cash? Are you saying that it’s not part of your real estate or loan from the bank with collateral?”

“That’s right. I know how expensive this business can be, so I decided on a generous budget.”

Choi Gijung trembled and replied, “You must be very confident in this project to spend so much money on it.”

“Haha, I think you must have heard about my business successes, right?”

Choi Gijung couldn’t deny it, but he also knew that Woosung was in a difficult situation.

He said knowingly, “When you have such a fast-growing business, you often face difficulties. I am very good at solving these problems so if you ever need my help, you are welcome to ask.”

Woosung understood immediately. Choi Gijung was asking for a bribe. However, Woosung knew that unless the prosecutors made things up, he would come out innocent in the end.

“I would appreciate your advice, but I only trust people who are on my side.”

Choi Gijung became silent. After a few seconds, he replied, “As the head of Korea Communications Commission, I am on no one’s side.”

“Then please call me when you have the result. I am always ready.”

Woosung hung up. Choi Gijung frowned angrily. “That bastard…”

However, 15 billion dollars…There was no way he could make Daeyang’s ITS win this process. Choi Gijung made a call to Jang Hyunho.

“Kang Woosung wrote down 15 billion dollars.”

Jang Hyunho was speechless.

Choi Gijung continued, “ITS wrote 5 billion dollars. I can’t do anything about it unless you have at least over 10 billion dollars.”

Jang Hyunho answered quickly, “T…that’s not possible.”

“Then all you can do is to wait and hope the prosecutors come up with something bad on Kang Woosung.”

“And if that happens, will ITS be chosen?”

Choi Gijung sighed and replied, “Even if I choose your company with 5 billion dollars budget, the government won’t give the final approval. It’s just not enough. They may choose not to select any company then.”

“Alright.”

After hanging up, Jang Hyunho sighed deeply. It was becoming more complicated than he thought.

Seoul Central Prosecution Special Investigation’s Min Giyoon has been working overtime for the past two weeks.

He said to his co-worker, “I’m worried that we will get in trouble for overzealous and unnecessary investigation.”

“If we haven’t found anything, it must be that Kang Woosung is running his company ethically. Didn’t he also pass the tax audit recently?”

“You mean the one where he actually got a refund?”

“Yes, and you know how thorough those tax guys are.”

Min Giyoon swallowed bitterly. “But if we don’t find anything, we will get in trouble with our boss.”

“Then should we finally make something up?”

“But if we get caught doing that, we will lose our jobs.”

“…”

Suddenly, another investigator walked in.

“S…sir, you need to turn on the TV.”

“Why? What’s happening?”

“President Kang Woosung is making an announcement regarding this investigation. The problem is…”

“Yes?”

“They just held a game where their AI won the first round of Go against Lee Soodol. Their technology is now proven to be the best in the world. If we continue this investigation unnecessarily, we will be bashed by the public. It looks especially bad because they just recently went through the tax investigation.”

Min Giyoon turned the TV on quickly. Woosung was speaking confidently in front of the cameras.

“We have made a big step towards an exciting future today. Our AI has won the first round of the complex game against the best human player in the world! I am proud that this technology has been developed in Korea by Koreans. However, with the recent investigations, I am beginning to feel uncomfortable in Korea as a tech business CEO. So after this event, I will be seriously considering moving Coconut and my other companies to another country. If I knew how hard it was to run businesses in Korea, I would have never returned from Silicone Valley.”

After his speech, Woosung left. The reporters screamed their questions, but he was already gone. The media went wild.

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Chapter 153: &lt;Design&gt;

People were divided in their opinions.

“Korean government is the worst.”

“All rich people are the same. They make money unethically.”

“AI won the game of Go. This is unbelievable.”

“If you create innovative technology, does it make it ok for you to be corrupt?”

“It is only at an internal investigation stage. It’s still possible that he is innocent.”

“Don’t people remember the tax investigation? He got a refund!”

After the game, Lee Myungin visited Woosung.

“I asked my party to help you out. They will try to make the investigation as fair as possible.”

“Thank you.”

“Unfortunately, the majority of the public still doesn’t see you kindly. I guess this is understandable. You are young and rich, and people often feel jealous of people like you.”

“But they will change their minds in time. After the second and third round, they will become shocked and awed.”

Lee Myungin frowned and asked, “Are you saying that Lee Soodol will lose?”

Woosung nodded and replied, “Our AI is continuing to improve every second with the help from my developers. Lee Soodol can’t do that. The human limitation is a sad thing.”

“Hmm.”

“Coconut will win the game. As long as the prosecutors don’t make things up, I will be found innocent.”

Min Giyoon bit his lips. His superior sat in front of him and asked, “What did you find?”

“Nothing.”

“Are you serious?”

“…”

“If I investigate you right now, what do you think I’ll find?”

Min Giyoon knew the answer his superior wanted.

“Something.”

“That’s right. EVERYONE has something to hide. A big corporation like this should have plenty.”

“But it already went through the tax investigation so their financials are clean, and we couldn’t find any proof that the CEO touched the company funds. Besides, the documents we have aren’t enough. We need to get a warrant to search his offices if we want to find something.”

His superior raised his voice in frustration.

“Why can’t you just make something up with what you have? We need something suspicious to get a warrant!”

Min Giyoon became uncomfortable. He knew what he was being asked to do.

“Are you telling me to illegally plant something?”

“Don’t you want a promotion? I am giving you a chance, so just take it! If you don’t, you will be demoted and relocated to a small province.”

Min Giyoon was frustrated. He didn’t become a prosecutor to do such an unethical and illegal thing. He felt angry. This wasn’t the way he wanted.

He replied, “I can’t do what you are asking. It’s wrong, so do whatever you want to do to me. If you have nothing more to say, I have to go.”

He quickly stood up and left.

“W…what the hell? Who do you think you are?”

But Min Giyoon was already gone.

When Min Giyoon arrived at his own office, there was a man in an expensive suit waiting for him.

Min Giyoon asked rudely, “Why the heck are you here?”

“Haha, is that how you treat a good friend?”

“What friend?”

The man took Min Giyoon to a quiet place and asked, “How long are you going to work here with such a meager salary?”

“Why are we still talking about this?”

“1 million dollars! You will be given a million dollars as a signing bonus. Your yearly salary will be 400,000 dollars for the first 5 years! In five years, you will be making 3 million dollars! As a Daeyang lawyer, you will be respected everywhere you go.”

“I said no.”

“Gosh, you’re an idiot.”

“If you will keep talking about this, don’t bother coming.”

“You got my phone number, right? If you change your mind, call me. This world is run by money. The government may change, but the rich will always remain rich. That’s how it works.”

After the man left, Min Giyoon sat down and murmured, “I can’t give up my morals.”

“Coconut I wins the second game as well.”

“Three out of five rule applies. If this AI wins the next game, it will be the ultimate winner.”

“Is AI really the future?”

The entire world was watching the game. America’s CNN, China’s CCTV, England’s BBC, France’s AFP, and Japan’s NHK. They all gathered to live stream the game between the AI and the human.

Despite the internal investigation, Coconut’s stock price continued to soar.

And finally, on the third day, it happened.

Just as Woosung predicted, the AI won the game.

Woosung was interviewed afterward.

“Some say that humans lost, but I don’t think so. Coconut I was created by humans, so I consider this a victory for the humankind. With this, we are one step closer to a better future. The possibilities for Coconut I are endless.” Woosung continued calmly, “And as I promised before, the rest of the scheduled game will continue. There are still two more games left, so stay tuned!”

After his speech, there was a Q&A session. International reporters asked about the future of AI, but Korean reporters were more interested in the ongoing investigation.

One reporter asked, “Do you have an official statement regarding this internal investigation?”

“I have never done anything illegal.” Woosung felt slightly guilty for lying.

Another reporter asked, “Are you confident that the result will be in your favor?”

“Yes, and if they find something on me, then I guarantee that they made it up. It would be a conspiracy against me. As you know, Coconut underwent tax investigation very recently. And what was the result? We got a refund.” Woosung paused for a breath and continued, “Some people may be wondering where the fund for XFeed came from. I know there is a rumor that I illegally used the company money, but it’s not true. It came from my own personal account. I haven’t used any company money.”

More reporters raised their hands, but Woosung had already left the stage.

After returning to his room, Woosung was greeted by Lee Myungin. “I just got a call that the prosecutors are panicking.”

“Makes sense.”

“You were right, President Kang. I think they are being pressured to make something up.”

“I am 100% innocent.”

Lee Myungin looked at Woosung proudly. He has met many businessmen before, but Woosung was the first one that seemed ethical.

Woosung’s phone rang.

“Excuse me.”

His phone has been ringing for a while now. When he checked the caller ID, it was Lee Sunghyun.

Woosung answered.

Before he could say anything, Lee Sunghyun explained frantically, “I used all my connections to find out what’s going on and I learned that they indeed ARE trying to make something up. Now, it gets even more interesting! The main prosecutor in charge is being pressured but apparently, he is resisting it. So this means that you are innocent!”

“Didn’t I already tell you that?”

“Haha, and of course I believed you from the beginning, but I was just worried about the whole situation.”

“Alright.”

Lee Sunghyun could hear the coldness in Woosung’s voice.

He asked, “Are you upset?”

“Not really. My businesses are going great. The only thing is…”

“Yes?”

“I realized how hard it is to build trust.”

Lee Sunghyun remained quiet for a while. Finally, he asked, “Is that why you are spending time with Lee Myungin?”

Woosung laughed. “Haha, it’s just for business.”

“Shouldn’t you be talking to me about those businesses?”

“Alright.”

“We should meet in person.”

After arranging a meeting, Woosung hung up.

When he returned to the room, Lee Myungin asked, “Was that Attorney Lee?”

Lee Myungin had a very good intuition.

After a brief hesitation, Woosung replied, “Yes. He wants to work with me again.”

“Work…”

“So I told him that as long as the investigation is completed fairly and transparently, I will work with him.”

Just then, Lee Myungin’s assistant walked in.

“Sir, it’s time to announce the space research lab project.”

“Alright.”

Lee Myungin turned to Woosung. “Let’s go together.”

Woosung stood up.

While watching TV, Oh Hoon suddenly stood up. Lee Myungin was on TV with an announcement.

“Today, we witnessed the success of Coconut AI. We are now closer than ever to the future where helper robots are available to everyone. AI is the key technology for the future and Gyeonggi Province will be the place where it will be developed. The primary Pangyo is already the place of various tech companies. The secondary Pangyo will also become the next space research center thanks to President Kang Woosung.”

This was what Woosung offered to Oh Hoon before.

Oh Hoon gritted his teeth and threw his smartphone on the ground.

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Chapter 154: &lt;Design&gt;

Woosung met with Lee Sunghyun. There was only one more game left between Coconut I and Lee Soodol. The entire nation was talking about this event. Lee Sunghyun was also interested.

He said to Woosung, “Even my father is enjoying the game. He is wondering who will win the final game.”

“My system won’t lose.”

“So Coconut will win?”

“Yes.”

“Well, if you say so.”

Lee Sunghyun looked at Woosung quietly. He licked his lips.

“I heard that you put down 15 billion dollars as your budget for the mobile carrier business. I guess it makes sense that you have that much cash available.”

The Coconut stock price was continuing to climb, which meant Woosung’s wealth was increasing fast.

Lee Sunghyun continued, “I also heard KND is worth over 80 billion dollars? With all your other businesses, you are probably the richest businessman in Korea.”

“I am flattered.”

“You are such an amazing businessman, and on top of that, you are also ethical. I am pleasantly surprised again. I can’t believe the prosecutors couldn’t find anything.”

“I believe in transparency when it comes to running a business.”

“Haha, I like it. Now, do you know the budget Daeyang submitted on their application?”

“I know it can’t be 15 billion dollars.”

Lee Sunghyun nodded. “That’s correct. If things go smoothly, XFeed will be selected, but…” Lee Sunghyun glared at Woosung and continued, “I don’t like what I am hearing about you nowadays.”

“Are you referring to me spending time with Lee Myungin? I am just being a smart businessman. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket, right?”

Lee Sunghyun continued to look at Woosung in the eyes. His expression was unhappy.

Woosung continued quickly, “Haha, I think you have misunderstood the situation.”

“I understand why you did it as a company, but…”

“What does it matter at this point? What really counts is the present situation and what we do with it. I am a businessman. I give and take as needed. I think you are overthinking the situation.”

“Do you blame me? Our approval rating is dropping, the media and the public are starting to see my party negatively.”

President Lee Parksung’s approval rating was now below 40%.

Lee Sunghyun continued, “This fourth mobile carrier business can help my party. If we can drop the cellphone bills for the public…”

“I feel the same way.”

Lee Sunghyun lowered his voice and murmured, “And I thought that is how things would happen, but it feels different now. Our relationship doesn’t feel positive…”

Woosung knew how to answer.

“I have been very busy lately, so perhaps I haven’t been as attentive as I should have been. That’s why I prepared something special for you.”

Money.

Woosung was right. As soon as he mentioned the bribe, Lee Sunghyun brightened.

“Hahaha, really? You shouldn’t have!”

Woosung hated him, but this was how things worked.

He added, “And I have one more thing to tell you.”

“Haha, go ahead. You can tell me anything.”

Woosung thought darkly.

‘I need to end this relationship soon.’

Next was a meeting with Oh Hoon. He also looked unhappy.

“I saw the news. The deal you offered me is now given to Lee Myungin.”

“Technically, it’s not the same deal. I am not planning to develop any housing in Pangyo.”

“But the main thing was the space research lab! That was the most important part.”

Woosung smiled mysteriously and replied, “But I have an even better option for you.”

Oh Hoon brightened a little.

“Can I hear about it?”

“What technology is the center of attention in Korea right now?”

“AI!”

“I think it is the best option for Seoul. To be honest, a space research lab requires a huge piece of land and Yongsan was not quite big enough.”

Oh Hoon became excited and asked, “So you are offering to build the AI development complex in Yongsan?”

“And also robotic development. I think this is a better deal. What do you think?”

He couldn’t help himself, Oh Hoon grinned widely. “Hahaha, of course! It’s going to be sensational!”

“So now you believe me?”

Oh Hoon flinched. He replied quietly, “Ha…haha. I looked into the investigation, and it turns out you are indeed innocent. I am amazed at your ethics.”

“So you didn’t believe me at first.”

Oh Hoon looked at Woosung awkwardly.

Woosung continued, “Every business requires trust for it to succeed. I thought I helped you enough during your last election to gain your trust.”

“Ha…haha, I know how hard you worked for me.”

“But your recent treatment of me has been very unpleasant.”

“Haha, I believed in you, but I was just worried about the prosecutors.”

“Give and take. I told you how our relationship should be when we first met. Do you remember?”

Oh Hoon nodded.

Woosung continued, “So I think it’s your turn to show me something so you can gain my trust.”

Oh Hoon’s eyes wavered. After a few seconds of silence, Oh Hoon asked, “What can I do for you?”

“Do you know the Hyundai apartment in Apgujung?”

Oh Hoon nodded. It was where the wealthiest of Korea lived.

It was an old building built in the 70’s but inside was renovated luxuriously. It was also where Woosung currently lived.

“What about it?”

“The plan for re-building it keeps coming up, but nothing has come out of it so far.”

Oh Hoon frowned. He knew what Woosung would ask.

“You want me to get you this project?”

“It will be good for Seoul. With a new apartment, it will stabilize the housing market further. It will go hand in hand with the Yongsan project.”

“You want both the Yongsan and Apgujung project.”

Woosung smiled and replied, “I will be incorporating the latest AI technology to make it into the newest smart home. Wouldn’t that be amazing?”

Oh Hoon swallowed and asked, “But you said before that you aren’t familiar with the actual construction business…”

“I am planning to buy a construction company named Daenam Constructions.”

Woosung had answers to all of Oh Hoon’s objections.

When Woosung returned to his office, Jang Gwangchul asked, “How did it go?”

“Very well. They were both interested.”

“So after we get selected as the fourth mobile carrier, we will buy Daenam Constructions for about 3 billion dollars. With this company, we will carry out Pangyo, Yongsan, and Apgujung projects.”

“Daenam is currently undergoing bankruptcy so we should be able to buy it cheap.”

“What would happen afterwards then? Such big construction projects can fail so easily…”

“If we create solid smart homes, it should be very profitable. If it goes well, we can even start an international construction company.”

“You are thinking about going into China and America?”

“Southeast Asia too. With our NK Entertainment celebs, we can promote our businesses easily and effectively.”

Jang Gwangchul whistled, “Wow… this is getting big fast.”

“We will eventually become one of the biggest companies in the world.”

“Are things working out as you saw in your dreams?”

“Yes, and I am telling you that 2011 will be even busier for us. You better get ready.”

2010 was almost over and Woosung knew many big events that would occur next year.

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Chapter 155: <The main game begins>

Choi Taemin was unhappy. The mobile carrier business and the embezzlement investigation on Coconut were all going wrong.

“Why can’t people do their jobs right? I paid so much money for them!”

Choi Taemin’s primary assistant Chun Gisu responded, “We are continuing to pressure the prosecutors. As for the mobile carrier selection, Choi Gijung informed us that there is nothing he can do about it. He is continuing to let us know what is happening with the process though.”

Choi Taemin said to Chun Gisu angrily, “…do you think I called you in to hear that?”

“…”

“Get me the results I want! Get them done!”

“The budget difference is too big, sir. ITS wrote down 5 billion dollars while XFeed wrote 15 billion dollars, so…”

Chun Gisu couldn’t finish his sentence after Choi Taemin kicked him in the knee. He bit his lips to endure the pain silently.

Choi Taemin said to him angrily, “Get the judges to change the scoring system so the available fund isn’t as important. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Choi Taemin was asking the whole judging system to change so ITS could win the process. Chun Gisu nodded in pain.

Choi Taemin continued, “And as for the investigation, if they refuse to do our bidding, get rid of them and get new prosecutors. We are Daeyang. We should be able to do anything.”

“…the main prosecutor named Min Giyoon who refuses to do what we say…”

“WHO CARES? Why are you telling me this? Just get it done!” Choi Taemin got angrier and angrier.

Chun Gisu replied quickly, “Yes, sir.”

“And about Coconut’s AI. Why aren’t we doing anything like that at our company?”

“Currently, we did order our Daeyang central research lab to start a similar project. The thing is, however, it’s only at a beginning stage so it will take a while to see the result…”

“Why didn’t you start it earlier then?” Choi Taemin kicked him again. He yelled, “Get them done NOW!”

Chun Gisu left the room quickly. His knee was bleeding by the time he left.

***

Min Giyoon was shocked at the news.

“You want me to quit this case?”

“Yup.”

“Sir!”

“What?”

“You can’t do this.”

Min Giyoon couldn’t hide his anger. His superior consoled him.

“I have no choice. I was ordered to do this.”

“How could you, as a deputy prosecutor, have no choice?”

“Just quit!”

“No!”

“Min Giyoon!”

“You will have to fire me or send me to a different department. I won’t quit.”

“Gosh! Why can’t you…”

Min Giyoon lowered his voice.

“What will you do when a different party takes over the government at the next election?”

“What?”

“Will go to a private sector?”

“…”

The deputy prosecutor became quiet. Min Giyoon glared at him.

“I won’t. I will never leave this job. In time, different powers will take over this government and this investigation will be forgotten.”

“I know…”

“I am a proud prosecutor of the Korean government. I vowed to be ethical and just for this country.”

“I KNOW. Just stop!”

However, Min Giyoon didn’t stop.

“We both vowed to serve this country. We promised!”

“I know!”

“Then why are you acting this way?”

“…”

The deputy was torn. Daeyang promised to make his life easy. A promotion and also a guaranteed high paying position when he retired. Min Giyoon knew this, so he suggested.

“If you go against Daeyang and act ethically, I’m sure you will be compensated by Coconut’s CEO.”

“…”

“Kang Woosung will see you favorably. Law firm Hwajung is hired by KND, so maybe they will even offer you the same deal as Daeyang did.”

The deputy started to think carefully.

He asked, “What do you want me to do?”

“Be fair. Follow the law. Do what you should be doing as a good civil servant.”

“But what I should be doing is following orders.”

“No. In the handbook for the civil servant code of conduct, there is a regulation that says you can choose not to follow orders if they are illegal or unethical.”

“…”

“I am not so naïve that I believe justice will always prevail, but this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t even try! Don’t you want your parents to be proud of you? Don’t you want to be an exemplary civil servant for your children?”

The deputy massaged the back of his neck. He sighed deeply and replied, “Fine. I got it.”

“I have a plan to resist Daeyang’s pressure.”

“What?”

“Daeyang is full of corruption. I will do a little investigation and take care of it. You just pretend you don’t know anything about it.”

“…alright.”

***

Min Giyoon warned his classmate and one of Daeyang’s lawyers Kim Jaejoon.

“If Daeyang doesn’t stop pressuring us, we will start an investigation on Daeyang too.”

Kim Jaejoon quickly arranged a meeting with Chun Gisu. If this happened, Daeyang would be in trouble. When Kim Jaejoon explained the situation, Chun Gisu frowned.

“Did he say anything else?”

“That was it.”

“Who does he think he is?”

“He is one of those righteous people. Even his coworkers and superiors don’t like him. It sounds like he will be demoted to a small province eventually. Should we hold off on this investigation for now?”

“But this needs to happen before the mobile carrier selection process.”

Kim Jaejoon had no answer.

Chun Gisu added, “How the hell did he know about Daeyang’s corruption so much? Who spilled? Who gave him the approval to investigate Daeyang?”

“I think the prosecutors are just trying to resist our pressure and this is how they are doing it. Min Giyoon is being used as the front.”

Min Giyoon.

He was known for having unbending principles. He could not be pressured or bribed by anyone.

Korea needed someone like him. Even Kim Jaejoon felt that way. All prosecutors needed to be like Min Giyoon.

Chun Gisu was frustrated. Choi Taemin would be furious.

Suddenly, Kim Jaejoon’s phone rang.

Chun Gisu said to him, “Answer it.”

When he checked the caller ID, it was Coconut and KND’s main lawyer Hong Minwook from Hwajung law firm.

When Kim Jaejoon answered, Hong Minwook greeted pleasantly.

“I hear you are very busy!”

“Umm…yes.”

“Could I speak to Chun Gisu? I know he is with you.”

Kim Jaejoon said to Chun Gisu in confusion, “It’s from the Hwajung law firm. He wants to talk to you.”

“What?”

Chun Gisu took the phone.

“Haha, hello there. I am Hong Minwook from Hwajung.” When Chun Gisu didn’t reply, Hong Minwook continued, “You must already know that I represent Coconut and KND. The problem is I keep hearing some unpleasant rumors about you.”

Chun Gisu knew this was bad, and things would get worse.

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Chapter 156: <The main game begins>

“What do you mean…”

“Let’s not feign ignorance here. I want this to resolve quickly.”

Chun Gisu’s hands trembled. He went through so much to get where he was right now. If this didn’t go well, it could all crumble down to nothing.

Hong Minwook continued, “Did you really think Daeyang is the only one with connections in the prosecutor department?”

“…”

“If you keep pressuring them, I am telling you that we will have no choice but to fight back. We don’t want things to get worse.”

Chun Gisu tried to pretend again. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Well, I guess I should show you then.”

Beep.

Beep.

Chun Gisu’s cellphone rang. The caller ID indicated that it was from the Director of the White Collar Crime Department. This was someone Chun Gisu already knew.

He answered pleasantly, “Oh, hello sir!”

But the response was cold.

“Hello. This is No Sungman. We have a problem. I keep hearing Daeyang is involved in illegal and unethical activities, and this needs to stop now. If not, I will have to get involved and stop you myself.”

“…what are you talking about?”

“Daeyang can’t treat us prosecutors like its employees.”

“Ha…haha of course not. We have never felt that way.”

“Good. This is a confusing time in this country. Things need to settle down quietly.”

Chun Gisu had no choice.

He answered, “Alright.”

After hanging up, Chun Gisu went back to the call with Hong Minwook.

Hong Minwook asked, “What will you do?”

Chun Gisu tried to think of something, but there was nothing he could come up with.

Kim Jaejoon asked Chun Gisu, “A…are you ok, sir?”

Chun Gisu murmured, “This is bad…”

***

Coconut I won the final game. It was a perfect win.

Coconut’s stock price soared to a higher point than Facebook and Daeyang. More than 50% of Koreans were using Coconut Talk.

The number of international users increased fast too.

Jang Gwangchul and Hong Soobum couldn’t stop smiling.

“This is unbelievable.”

“We will catch up to Facebook very soon.”

“And that would mean our stock price will go up even more?”

“Of course! We may even become comparable to Apple.” Hong Soobum looked excited.

Jang Gwangchul grinned and asked, “You must be very happy.”

“That’s an understatement.”

“You have 1.4% of the company so that would be over 1.5 billion dollars.”

“It’s not just the money. Think of the power and influence we have over the world!”

“Haha, right. How do you feel, President Kang?”

“Fine. This was supposed to happen, so I don’t really feel much different.”

“You are so boring.”

Woosung replied evenly, “The fourth mobile carrier, frequency auction, and M&A of Daenam Constructions. Afterward, Pangyo, Yongsan, and Apgujung projects. We still have a long way to go so it’s not time to celebrate yet.”

“Your greed is never ending, President Kang. As for the mobile carrier business, we pretty much won at this point. If the investigation has been unproductive so far, I would say it’s over.”

“But it’s so strange. I thought they would have done SOMETHING to us by now…but we haven’t heard anything yet.”

“I thought it was because you took care of it.”

Woosung replied with a frown, “But still…It’s Daeyang we’re talking about. They should have more influence and authority than this.”

Woosung did ask Hwajung law firm to pressure Daeyang, but he didn’t expect it to be enough. If it was, then Daeyang was not as formidable as Woosung believed. This meant it would be even easier to accomplish his revenge against Choi Gichul.

Jang Gwangchul said confidently, “We are now an internationally renowned company. No one can touch us now. We can relax.”

Woosung nodded.

***

Broken computer, keyboard, pens, and paper were everywhere on the floor. Choi Taemin was panting and screaming.

“So XFeed will be selected?”

“…”

“And the prosecutors stopped their investigation!?” At Choi Taemin’s scream, no one could answer. He continued, “So will we just sit and watch XFeed win?”

Choi Taemin’s eyes were red. He looked psychotic.

Jang Hyunho, who was sitting on the sofa nearby, replied slowly, “Some say that Daeyang would do better by focusing on smartphone and semiconductors, not to get involved in the mobile carrier industry.”

“KND’s Smartphone is doing better than ours. China will probably take over the semiconductor market soon. So what the hell are you talking about?”

Jang Hyunho became quiet.

Chun Gisu replied instead, “If prosecutors won’t….Why not ask NIS (National Intelligent Service)? If we can steal the national core technologies from KND and Coconut, then we should be able to create our own AI. If we hold their technology as a hostage, maybe we can make them give up the mobile carrier business too.”

“Do we have any solid connections in NIS?”

“We have a few employees in our Information department who retired from NIS.”

Choi Taemin started to calm down. He looked interested.

He turned to Chun Gisu and asked, “You think you can do this?”

“I will try my best.”

“Go do it. We don’t have much time left, so I don’t care how much money you need to spend. Make it happen now.”

After the meeting, Jang Hyunho took Chun Gisu to a quiet place and said, “NIS…If it doesn’t work out, you will be in huge trouble.”

Chun Gisu bit his lips. He replied quietly, “I know.”

Jang Hyunho asked seriously, “You could end up in jail. Daeyang will not save you if it happens. You can’t sacrifice your life for this company. Choi Taemin…”

Chun Gisu shushed him quickly.

Jang Hyunho replied, “Don’t worry. I had the area checked for any tapping devices.”

Chun Gisu relaxed.

Jang Hyunho continued, “Just be careful. Things can end up very badly for you.”

“I know, but what else can I do? I started this, so I need to finish it.”

“What will you do if KND contacts you?”

Chun Gisu’s eyes widened.

He was one of Choi Taemin’s main assistants. His salary and respect from others rivaled any CEOs of smaller companies. He has reached the highest level a salaryman could reach in a company.

However, with Choi Taemin’s increasingly abusive behavior, Chun Gisu was starting to feel differently about Daeyang.

He asked, “W…what are you trying to say?”

“I’m just saying it’s a possibility. You never know. We used to be the former Chairman’s men. We can never know what Choi Taemin may do to us. I am concerned for both of us. I…I met many people recently, including a high-ranking member from XFeed.”

Chun Gisu looked surprised.

***

After Chun Gisu left, Jang Hyunho took out one of his cellphones, a Blue S2. It only had one number saved.

He dialed, “CEO Jang, this is Hyunho.”

“Hi. How did it go?”

“I asked so we’ll see, and Daeyang is planning to use NIS to steal your core technologies.”

“NIS…”

“Yes, and it may really happen.”

“Alright. I will look into it.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Thank you so much. I won’t forget about you.”

“Haha, no problem. We are working together for the same goal.”

“Of course.”

“Choi Taemin is now uncontrollable. Daeyang will soon collapse because of him.”

“Good, and when that happens, you will take over the company.”

Jang Hyunho replied quietly, “Thank you.”

“We are continuing to buy bulks of Daeyang shares, so it will not be long.”

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Chapter 157: <The main game begins>

“The government is proud to announce XFeed, our new fourth mobile carrier. We expect that the public will soon enjoy lowered cellphone bills. XFeed’s CEO is the infamous Kang Woosung, who also owns Coconut and KND. He applied with an astonishing budget of 15 billion dollars for this project.”

Soon after, Woosung took over Daenam Constructions. Daenam used to be the third biggest construction companies in Korea, but due to the financial crisis, it was suffering from minimal profit. Woosung managed to purchase it for 3 billion dollars.

The media suggested that Woosung may have made a mistake, but he replied, “I have enough money to buy anything. The problem is that there aren’t many companies I want to buy.”

The next step was the frequency auction.

Woosung needed frequencies in the 1.8Ghzs.

It was called the golden frequency. It was the most used frequency for LTE in the world.

Jang Gwangchul asked Woosung, “I assume that you will continue bidding until you win.”

Woosung nodded. “I’m thinking 5 billion dollars as my limit.”

Jang Gwangchul hid his shock. In the past, the highest bid was by TK who won with 990 million dollars. Woosung would not let TK win this time.

Jang Gwangchul said to Woosung, “Hey, you know what auctions are like.”

“The richest wins.”

“But we just used 3 billion dollars to take over Daenam. We will have to spend a lot more on Pangyo and Yongsan. We also spent 15 billion dollars on the mobile carrier business.”

“If we get desperate, we can sell more of KND shares. You know how much money we can generate with that.”

If Woosung sold just 10% of his shares, he could generate 8 billion dollars.

Jang Gwangchul murmured, “I know.”

KND and Coconut.

Jang Gwangchul’s shares of both companies exceeded 10 billion dollars. It was an amount he would have never made had he not met Woosung.

Woosung continued, “I plan to write down 500 million dollars as my first bid to show TK that we mean business. Oh, and by the way, there is one scenario where it might be okay for us not to win.”

“W…what?”

“Winner’s curse. If TK wins but suffers from the winner’s curse because they spend too much money, it will be even better for XFeed.”

“What are you planning this time?”

“This auction should be fun. The entire country will be watching.” Woosung murmured mysteriously, which made Jang Gwangchul shiver.

***

TK Telecom headquarter, inside Jun Taewon’s office.

“XFeed wrote down 500 million dollars for the first round.”

Jun Taewon gritted his teeth at his assistant’s report. “So he is confident?”

“His total budget is 15 billion dollars, so he isn’t worried about money. He also got the equipment for cheap from KND.”

“So he has plenty of money.”

Jun Taewon was worried. After thinking for a few seconds, he continued, “The most we can spend is 1.5 billion dollars. However, if we don’t get 1.8Ghz, it will be a problem.”

“That’s correct.”

Jun Taewon sighed deeply. He couldn’t come up with a solution.

“Just put down 600 million dollars and we’ll see what happens.”

His assistant nodded and made a quick call. Meanwhile, Jun Taewon noticed the commercial on TV.

“XFeed is the only option if you want 4G.”

“The fastest internet 4G in Korea.”

“Blue S3 4G available. Choose XFeed!”

The auction was just beginning, yet XFeed was airing commercials as if it already won. Jun Taewon couldn’t stand it.

2 days later.

Jun Taewon’s assistant ran into his office. He was sweating as he announced the news.

“800 million dollars. He wrote down 800 million dollars.”

Jun Taewon bit his lips.

‘He’s crazy. We are only in the third round.’

The auction was still at a beginning stage, yet Kang Woosung was raising the bid too quickly. It was already getting close to Jun Taewon’ limit.

“How are the others doing?”

“It looks like KG gave up on the golden frequency. Their budget was probably under 1 billion dollars.”

“We can go up till 1.5.”

Jun Taewon decided.

“Write down 1 billion dollars. Let’s see how high he can go.”

“S…sir.”

“And raise more funds. We need to win this.”

“Y…yes, sir.”

The next day.

“Will the winner suffer from the curse?”

“The bid is now up to 1 billion dollars and it has only been 4 days. Who will win the golden frequency?”

It was the talk of the country. Jun Taewon paced around nervously.

He was sweating despite the cold weather. He kicked the desk in anger and frustration.

Finally, his assistant ran into the office.

“Kang Woosung made a bid of…1.5 billion dollars.”

Jun Taewon closed his eyes. 1.5 was his highest limit.

“Bastard…”

“S…should we write down 1.6 billion dollars?”

The assistant’s voice was trembling. They couldn’t afford this amount, but Jun Taewon nodded.

“Do it.”

“But if they give up afterward…”

“It’s fine. We can afford it. If we get a loan, we can even go up to 2 billion dollars.”

***

Jang Gwangchul swallowed.

“2 billion…”

“We’re almost there.”

“The curse will happen.”

Woosung rubbed his chin. The bid was now up to 2 billion dollars.

In his previous life. TK won the 1.8GHz for a little less than 1 billion dollars. Woosung replied, “This frequency can really be advantageous in this industry. We may have successful companies like Coconut and Blue S, but we are still a newbie in the mobile carrier business. TK owns half the market so far, which means we need this frequency to steal those customers.”

“With the golden frequency, we will gain a lot of attention and free publicity.”

“That’s right. We will gain new users quickly.”

Jang Gwangchul nodded in agreement and replied, “We haven’t even started the service, but we already have over 10,000 new XFeed users. I think people are expecting us to win.”

They needed this frequency.

***

2 billion dollars was too much. Jun Taewon paced around nervously.

“2 billion…2 billion…that crazy bastard…2 billion dollars!”

“I think he may be thinking to go even to 3 billion dollars.”

Jun Taewon gaped. “For a frequency?”

“It will attract a lot of customers. They know this.”

Jun Taewon closed his eyes. He kept pacing around. What should he do? Should he bid more…or stop?

Suddenly, the assistant’s cellphone rang. It was from Daeyang.

“Hello. This is Chun Gisu from Daeyang.”

“…yes?”

“I heard that you are currently having some difficulties with the frequency auction. I was wondering if Daeyang could help.”

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Chapter 158: <The main game begins>

Jang Gwangchul asked Woosung as he pointed at the newspaper, “President Kang, did you talk to someone from Goryu Newspaper? Why is there an article about us?”

“XFeed wins over TK?”

“According to an official from XFeed, the company has an unlimited amount of fund. This means that it is unlikely for TK to win the golden frequency from this auction.”

“Which official did they talk to? Do I have to get involved?”

Woosung grinned mysteriously and replied, “I think the reporter just made it up.”

“…did you do this?”

Woosung didn’t answer, but Jang Gwangchul didn’t probe. He changed the subject instead.

“Fine. Anyway, the bid is at over two billion dollars now. What will you do now?”

Currently, they were at the eighth round and the current bid was 2.3 billion dollars.

Jang Gwangchul asked, “You realize that two billion is a huge amount, right?”

Woosung knew, but he wasn’t worried. The only thing he had to decide was whether to actually purchase the frequency or just raise the bid and let TK buy it at a ridiculous price.

Winner’s curse.

If the bid went over three billion dollars and TK won, it would have no choice but to increase the cell phone bill to cover this expense. This would cause many of the customers to leave this company.

Which scenario will benefit Woosung the most?

Jang Gwangchul misunderstood Woosung’s silence as his concern for the money, so he offered, “If you really feel like we need this frequency, then I will help you with the money. Don’t worry.”

Woosung grinned. “Haha, I’m not worried about the money. I’m just wondering how high I should raise the bid.”

“Obviously we should try to buy it at the lowest cost possible.”

“But what if we raise it high and get TK to buy it?”

“…what?”

“TK is a huge company that can afford up to two billion dollars, but if the bid goes over three, four, or even five billion dollars? They probably could still buy it, but it will be damaging to their company.”

Jang Gwangchul swallowed. He asked, “But will TK follow us?”

“That’s why I am concerned.”

“So that news article was your way of testing the water?”

“Exactly.”

“But what if they give up?”

“I’m looking into it. It’s not just other companies that plant spies in rival companies.”

“…what?”

***

Next day afternoon.

The result of the ninth round was announced. Jun Taewon frowned.

“2.5 billion dollars!? What the…!”

The assistant replied.

“It looks like XFeed wants it at any cost. What should we do?”

“…go with three billion.”

This was beyond what TK could afford. If they won with this amount, they would have to raise the cell phone bills starting next month.

The assistant hesitantly replied, “We will then have to raise the fees. We have done a survey recently and it sounds like if we raise it, the customers will protest.”

“I know that.”

“And if we raise it, it would mean that we are going against the current President Lee Parksung’s wish to decrease the fees for the public.”

Jun Taewon nodded. “So whoever wins this frequency would suffer from the winner’s curse. If 2.8 is too much for us, it must be way over XFeed’s budget too. Yet they still want this frequency…”

“To be honest, we do not know how much President Kang Woosung can really afford. We don’t know the exact amount of his assets, and what kind of technologies he has.” The assistant took a deep breath and continued, “He is the first one in Korea to commercialize 4G. His Coconut is worth over 100 billion dollars. A few billion dollars may mean nothing to him.”

Jun Taewon replied lightly, “You know what? Just raise the bid.”

“…are you thinking Daeyang will help?”

“It will be a good investment for them.”

“But your father, the Chairman, may disagree…”

Jun Taewon kicked the desk angrily.

The assistant flinched. After a few seconds, he continued, “Then…we need to decide on our plan. Are you saying that we don’t plan on purchasing the frequency now, but just raise the bid so Kang Woosung buys it at the highest price?”

Jun Taewon nodded.

“Then we will get started.”

“Don’t worry about the money.”

The assistant nodded and left the room.

***

Three billion dollars.

That was the bid at the tenth round. The media was starting to mention the possibility of increased cell phone bills if the bid kept increasing. When the auction first started, Korea Communication Commission wanted to make as much money from this as possible, but this was going too far.

Meeting at the Korea Communication Commission office.

XFeed’s Jang Gwangchul, TK’s Park Giho, and Korea Communication Commission official met together.

“This could become very controversial, and that is why we arranged this meeting. three billion dollars is not an appropriate amount for this frequency.”

Jang Gwangchul smiled and replied, “It’s all about the demand. We don’t think three billion dollars is a big number.”

Park Giho frowned and added, “I guess I agree. TK won’t give up either. We need this frequency.”

The official looked at both of them and asked, “Is there any way to arbitrate this situation? If this continues and TK wins, you will have to increase the cell phone fee. Don’t you think that this is unfair for your customers?”

The official turned to Jang Gwangchul, “And if XFeed wins, it will still be too much money to spend on a single frequency.”

Jang Gwangchul smiled. “XFeed will not suffer from lack of funds. You know this. President Kang has significant personal funds besides Coconut and KND. We are not worried at all. It should be TK who should be concerned.”

Park Giho frowned. The official sighed deeply.

“Korea Communication Commission is willing to offer another frequency to resolve this situation. If there is a frequency you are interested, please let me know.”

Jang Gwangchul replied, “We only want 1.8HGz. We need this.”

“TK feels the same way. It’s 1.8 or nothing.” Park Giho said the same thing as per Jun Taewon’s order.

The official sighed again. “So there is no solution?”

When both nodded, the official finally announced.

“Then from now on, whenever a company bids, it will have to prove that it has 50% of the bid in cash available immediately. As the bid increases, the percentage will go up as well.”

Park Giho froze. This meant that for a three billion dollars bid, they would need to prove that they have 1.5 billion dollars in cash.

“If a company can’t prove it, they will have to pay a penalty.”

Jang Gwangchul nodded comfortably while Park Giho looked anxious.

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Chapter 159: <The main game begins>

After the meeting, Jang Gwangchul returned to the office and said to Woosung in excitement. “It sounds like TK won’t give up!”

“If the new rule required participating companies to provide a 50% cash availability, this would benefit us.”

“Exactly. The government is worried that this will cause the phone bills to alleviate.”

“Understandable. Based on our calculation, any bid above three billion will require at least a 5% increase of the phone bills.”

“So the game is getting even more interesting.”

Woosung nodded.

Who will give up?

Jang Gwangchul continued, “We need to make sure TK doesn’t steal our information and plans, or else, this can be very bad for us.”

Woosung nodded.

Jang Gwangchul added in a low voice, “I heard from our spy in Daeyang. There was a huge kerfuffle after XFeed won the mobile carrier business, and NIS couldn’t do too much for them.” Jang Gwangchul looked thrilled as he continued, “So Chun Gisu was blamed for everything, and now he feels like he’s done with Daeyang.”

“So is he interested in coming to us?”

“Probably not to KND right away, but maybe he can start working at XFeed as a consult? What do you think?”

“But that would make Daeyang even angrier and they may do something drastic to us.”

“Then what should we do?”

“Why don’t we create a consulting company and get him to become the acting CEO? I will fund the whole thing, and after we take over Daeyang, we will place him as Daeyang’s new CEO.”

“Okay. Let’s try that.”

“Get him to sell his Daeyang shares to us.”

Jang Gwangchul nodded and left the office.

***

3.3 billion dollars.

It was the amount from XFeed for the eleventh round. They had to prove that they had 55% of this amount available in cash. XFeed sent the appropriate documents and passed with flying colors.

After hearing this, TK was in a panic. This was beyond Jun Taewon now. He went to his father, the Chairman, Jun Junghee.

His father asked, “3.3 billion dollars, and you want to write a bigger bid?”

Jun Taewon replied confidently, “Yes. We need XFeed to pay as much as possible for this so that we have a chance.”

Jun Junghee asked coldly, “And what if XFeed suddenly gives up and we end up needing to pay the amount?”

“It’s a high risk and high return situation.”

“Why should we take on this risk? Why not other mobile carriers?”

“The others are too small, and…”

“And?”

“I was able to get an investor who can cover us if necessary. If I didn’t have this, I wouldn’t have started it.”

Jun Junghee massaged his temples and asked, “So you used up all of our company’s available fund. If it goes over 3.5 billion, we won’t be able to bid.”

“But this investor will provide us with more funds. I am confident we can come up with the money.”

“If you are right, then this would indeed be a win-win situation for us, but do you even know why this investor is helping us?”

“It doesn’t matter. TK will win no matter what.”

Jun Taewon explained with confidence. Jun Junghee saw himself in his son when he was younger. Jun Junghee began with nothing. He took high risks and that was how he came to own the biggest mobile carrier in the country.

Jun Junghee asked finally, “Are you sure about this?”

“Yes!”

***

It was all Kang Woosung’s fault. Daeyang was going downhill all because of him.

“They took the mobiles carrier business. We couldn’t find anything about his companies even with the help of the NIS. Blue S is doing well. They are about to win the golden frequency.”

Choi Taemin screamed. Chun Gisu remained silent.

“Why can’t you do anything?”

“I apologize.”

“Do you think apologizing will fix anything?”

“…”

“How much did you get paid last year from this company?”

“2.1 million dollars, including the incentives.”

“And do you think you did enough to deserve that?”

Chun Gisu couldn’t hide his displeasure.

Choi Taemin sneered, “Are you angry?”

“No, sir.”

“Bring me result then!”

“I will.”

“You better, or else.”

After leaving the room, Jang Hyunho called Chun Gisu for a private meeting.

“Did you think about it? You know our careers are over in this company.”

Chun Gisu nodded unhappily. He was sure now.

He asked, “What do you want me to do?”

“Help me with the TK situation. If things go well, they promised to make a consulting company for us.”

Chun Gisu didn’t seem happy with the offer.

“Just a consulting company?”

“It’s just a smoke screen for the bigger plan. It’s only temporary. Ultimately, we will come back to Daeyang, but not as assistants.”

Chun Gisu murmured, “I see.”

“We can have the chance to run this company. We deserve it!”

Chun Gisu nodded. Jang Hyunho quickly picked up his cellphone.

***

Jang Gwangchul went to Woosung.

“He called. TK accepted Daeyang’s help.”

“So TK is reaching its limit.”

“Yup. It’s almost time.”

“Daeyang offered 1 billion, right?”

Jang Gwangchul nodded.

“I’m guessing they could probably bid up to 5 billion if they use every resource they have. I just hope they keep continuing to bid.”

“They are probably worrying about the same thing.”

Jang Gwangchul sighed deeply.

“If…if they give up, what are you going to do?”

Woosung replied slowly, “There is one huge difference between TK and XFeed. Do you know what it is?”

“They don’t have as much money as we do.”

“That’s right. They don’t have money, so they are borrowing from everywhere including Daeyang.”

Jang Gwangchul nodded.

He asked, “So what do you think will happen tomorrow?”

“TK will probably bid 3.5 billion dollars. We will then go up to four billion. They will probably go even higher…”

“Yes?”

“Then we will go higher again. It needs to go beyond anyone’s expectation.”

“So how much are you thinking?”

“Seven billion dollars.”

“…what? Do you think TK can come up with that kind of money? Unless they are crazy, they won’t go that high!”

“They came this far, so they are already crazy. At this point, they are making their decisions based on their emotions. They want revenge against us. Why do you think Daeyang is helping TK?”

“Because they hate us?”

“Precisely. We will continue to air our obnoxious ads on TV. Their pride will be damaged every time they watch them. Both Daeyang and TK.”

“But what if they give up?”

“Our government is corrupt as you already know. TK is probably getting information from the government officials about us. So what we’ll do is feed the officials wrong information about us.”

“…”

“They are probably guessing our limit to be 7 billion dollars.”

Jang Gwangchul sighed again. “I really hope it works out just as you say….”

Woosung looked calm, but his hands were sweating. This was not something that happened in his previous life, so he had no way of knowing if it would work.

He was worried but he replied evenly, “It doesn’t matter even if it doesn’t work out.”

7 billion dollars.

It was a lot of money, but it wasn’t an amount Woosung couldn’t afford.

On TV, XFeed commercials continued to air.

“XFeed service will outperform every other mobile carrier.”

“20% cheaper and 20% faster.”

“Choose XFeed.”

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Chapter 160: <Richest of them all>

The mocking TV ads made Jun Taewon crazy.

“Should I give up, or should I keep going? Give up? Keep going?”

He murmured like this all day. Should he stop now, or go a little bit further?

The bid was now at five billion dollars.

“Sir…”

They had only one hour left until they had to make a decision. XFeed’s last bid was 5.2 billion dollars. TK had to decide whether to raise it or give up. The new rule also stated that if they wanted to bid, they had to prove 80% of the bid was available in cash. This meant that they needed four billion dollars in cash. This was too much.

“Did you look into short-term loan options from the credit unions?”

“Right Capital is the only one that replied back to us, and they said they are willing to lend us money.”

“How much?”

“Up to five billion dollars.”

Jun Taewon’s eyes widened.

“Five billion?”

“Yes, as long as you use your company shares as collateral.”

“Is it a trustworthy lender?”

“I looked into it and yes, it has enough money. It even has a hedge fund in the US.”

Jun Taewon sighed deeply.

“I guess we can do this then.”

4:30 pm.

They had to make a decision in 30 minutes or else, it was over for them.

“Daeyang wants us to go for it. They lost the mobile carrier business to XFeed and they are angry. They appear to want to help us in any way possible.”

“Daeyang told us that XFeed will probably go up to seven billion dollars, right?”

“Yes, and our own TK research lab has confirmed this number. That is why Daeyang wants us to go up to seven billion.”

“But seven billion dollars…That would mean we need to have about six billion dollars in cash ready…”

“If we borrow money from Right Capital, it’s possible. If we can really make XFeed spend seven billion dollars for this frequency, it would be great.”

“…”

Jun Taewon sighed again. What should he do?

Finally, Jun Taewon replied slowly, “How do other mobile carriers feel?”

“Both KG and LU want us to go for it. If XFeed becomes successful, it will affect all of them negatively. They also promised that they will let us have the best frequency at the next auction.”

Seven billion dollars.

It was a huge amount. If XFeed gave up before TK did…

“If this doesn’t go as we hope, it will be detrimental for us.”

“It’s true. We will have to charge additional fees to our customers. Thankfully, if it happens, KG and LU promised to cover the extra fees for us for a while. If we end up with the golden frequency, XFeed will be in trouble since they won’t be able to use their 4G. They have been advertising a 20% faster service.”

“Were we able to steal their 4G technology yet?”

“Not yet. We are trying but it’s not going very well.”

4:45 pm.

It was time to decide. The assistant looked at Jun Taewon. He bit his lips and finally told his assistant the amount.

***

The auction was at its 20th round with the bid of 6.5 billion dollars.

The public thought both companies lost their minds. The media claimed that whoever wins this auction would be paying way too much.

Woosung couldn’t believe it was going according to his plan. He was excited.

Jang Gwangchul looked at him nervously and asked, “We’re done, right? You will back out now?”

Woosung clenched his fists.

He asked, “If we back out now and let them win, what will happen to TK stocks?”

“It’s at about 200 dollars and it will immediately drop to 150 or even 100 dollars.”

“And they will have to increase their fees?”

“Yes, at least 5%. It will be great for us. We don’t have to go any further. We won.”

“Haha, I know.”

“So you will stop now, right?”

Woosung walked to the window and replied slowly, “6.5 billion dollars. It’s a lot of money for a person.”

“It’s a lot even for any company.”

“Hmm…”

“Stop this nonsense and make a decision! I’m dying here. Just tell me you will stop!”

“Do you really think we should back out now?”

“Yes.”

“Then why are they expecting us to bid again with a higher amount?”

“It’s because you fed them fake info. They think we will go up to seven billion.”

“It worked too well.”

“So what? Stop second guessing yourself.”

4:30 pm.

They had to make a decision in 30 minutes. Woosung finally replied, “This is it then.”

“So we’re done?”

Woosung nodded. “Yes. Call them.”

Jang Gwangchul stood up.

“Alright!”

***

“183 dollars.”

“179 dollars.”

“162 dollars.”

TK stocks declined quickly. 1.8GHz was purchased by TK for the final price of 6.5 billion dollars.

Winner’s curse.

“158 dollars.”

Right after the auction, a piece of breaking news was announced.

“XFeed develops a new band technology to increase its speed. Golden frequency is unnecessary.”

“20% decrease in fee and 20% increase in speed plan still on.”

The number of users leaving the existing three mobile carriers increased quickly.

TK->XFeed : 35,133

KG->XFeed : 21,418

LU->XFeed : 10,951

They were losing customers to XFeed. Another reason for XFeed’s popularity was because it was the only company that offered the brand new Blue S3.

“Meet your new Blue S3 only at XFeed.”

“2GB memory. LTE included.”

“Qualcomm Snapdragon included.”

The commercials worked wonders. More and more people left their own mobile carriers to join XFeed.

300,000 people.

500,000 people.

1,000,000 people.

3,000,000 people.

In only 3 months, over 10 million people joined XFeed.

Finally, in January 2011, XFeed owned 20% of the Korean mobility market. TK still owned 35%, but it was decreasing fast. Many users were waiting for their contracts to end with TK. The TK stock also continued to decline.

“143 dollars.”

“131 dollars.”

XFeed hasn’t listed itself yet, but its value was nonetheless increasing exponentially.

TK was worth ten billion dollars.

XFeed was now valued at five billion dollars. It was only a matter of time before XFeed became bigger than TK.

Jun Taewon was frustrated.

He said to his assistant, “Is there anything we can do to improve this situation? Are we going to just watch our customers leave us?”

“We have other problems. We paid 3 billion dollars so far for the frequency and within the next 5 years, we have to pay back the rest of the 3.5 billion dollars. If we lose any more customers, it will be very hard for us to make these payments.”

“Are you saying we may go bankrupt?”

The assistant hesitantly nodded.

Bankruptcy!

He never thought he would have to worry about such an event.

“I can’t believe this is happening…”

Jun Taewon wished he could go back in time. If he did, he wouldn’t have entered the auction at all, but it was too late.

The assistant asked, “What did the Chairman say?”

“Nothing, which is even worse.”

“If we sell our assets, we might be able to get by for a little while, but what do we do after that?”

“XFeed’s new band technology will ruin us.”

“Exactly. The other companies probably feel the same way. In the past, the three companies have been operating in harmony, but now it’s a dog-eat-dog world.”

“It’s a war.”

“More like a massacre by XFeed.”

Jun Taewon sighed deeply. Suddenly, Chairman Jun Junghee stormed into the room. Behind him was the man Jun Taewon hated the most in the world.

It was XFeed’s Kang Woosung.

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Chapter 161: <Richest of them all>

Jung Junghee led the conversation.

“You have met each other before, right?”

Jun Taewon nodded with a frown.

Woosung smiled and offered his hand. “Nice to see you again.”

Jun Taewon didn’t shake Woosung hand. Instead, he turned to his father.

“Chairman, what is going on…?”

“I am trying to clean up your mess!”

Jun Taewon flinched at his father’s anger. Woosung watched quietly. Jun Junghee looked at both young men in front of him.

He asked Jun Taewon, “President Kang is interested in our IT company. I think we should have him take it. What do you think?”

“You mean TK Communication?”

Jun Junghee nodded. TK Communication included the music streaming service Grapefruit, the SNS service called TWorld, the and online store 10th Avenue.

“We need the funds to pay for the frequency. You know our situation, right?”

Jun Taewon’s voice faltered. “Sir, why are you talking about our situation in front of an outsider…”

Jun Junghee glared at his son.

“President Kang is now in the mobile carrier business so he is part of the same industry. We need to help each other.”

Jun Taewon didn’t like it at all.

Sleeping with the enemy.

Jun Junghee said to Jun Taewon, “Don’t let your emotions control you. Be objective and think only of the company. Have you already forgotten what I taught you?”

Jun Taewon bit his lips hard.

Woosung looked at both of them and offered, “I am willing to offer a fair price. It will be based on your company’s current financial status.”

Jun Junghee added, “He has offered 1.5 billion dollars for the entire TK Communication.”

Woosung knew Grapefruit alone would become worth over 1.6 billion dollars in the future. TWorld will fail and 10th Avenue will become a mediocre online mall.

‘But if I get involved, I can make them become successful.’

Woosung planned to combine Grapefruit and Spotify together. He was also considering incorporating TWorld and 10th Avenue to Coconut.

Jun Junghee asked his son, “What do you think?”

This was humiliating but Jun Taewon had no choice.

He answered, “It’s not a bad offer.”

“Oh and…I saw that you borrowed money from a hedge fund called Right Capital. You know how much in interest we are paying, right?”

10 million dollars per month just in interest.

Jun Taewon nodded silently.

“1 billion dollars won’t be enough to take care of it.”

“If you give me time, I can fix this.”

“When would that be? After our company goes bankrupt?”

Jun Taewon couldn’t reply.

Jun Junghee asked angrily, “Do you even know how much cash we have right now?”

Jun Taewon knew, but he remained silent.

0 dollars.

They had nothing. Jun Taewon hated his father for humiliating him in front of his worst enemy.

Chairman Jun continued, “So President Kang will be taking over our new semiconductor company ANIX for 4 billion dollars. In total, we should be getting 5.5 billion dollars and with this, we should be okay for now.”

Jun Taewon stood up and shouted, “Father!”

“It’s a fair price for both sides.”

Woosung grinned.

‘This is working out easier than I expected.’

ANIX.

It was only a small company for now, but in a few years, it would be the biggest part of TK. This was an amazing deal for Woosung. He was surprised Jun Junghee agreed to this deal so easily. They must have been desperate.

Woosung thought curiously, ‘And I can’t believe he would talk to his son like that in front of me.’

Jun Junghee was trying to teach his son a lesson.

He wanted his son to learn the consequences of his actions.

Jun Junghee actually told Woosung of his intention before walking into the room. Just as Jun Junghee asked, Woosung said to Jun Taewon, “Just think of it as a price for a good lesson. I won this game.”

Jun Taewon’s eyes reddened in fury. Woosung glanced at Jun Junghee who was smiling in satisfaction.

‘Weird old man.’

Jun Taewon screamed at Woosung, “You think you will get away with this?”

“Well, let’s do the math. TK Telecom’s stock price is 110 dollars today. It means TK is going down and if you don’t accept my offer, it will be over very soon. Think carefully.”

Woosung sat down on the sofa comfortably. This was exactly what Jun Junghee asked him to do as part of the deal.

Jun Junghee looked at his son and asked, “Now, it’s your decision, right? Just think of the company.”

Jun Taewon paced around the room. He was panting like a bull.

Jun Junghee said sharply, “This is the consequence of your poor decision. You can’t blame anyone else. You are the loser here. President Kang is the winner.” Jun Taewon glared at his father who continued, “You can’t always win. That is how business works. Do you now understand the responsibility of being a leader? Your decision affects the entire company. Look at President Kang. With his smart and quick thinking, he created successful companies like Coconut, KND, and XFeed. Learn from him and work with him. This is just business. Don’t be so emotional.”

Jun Taewon finally stopped pacing around.

He murmured quietly, “Alright.” He approached Woosung. “I apologize for being so childish, President Kang. I will try my best not to embarrass myself from now on.”

Jun Taewon bowed. Woosung’s eyes widened. Jun Junghee watched his son proudly.

After they left the room, Jun Taewon said to Woosung with a smile, “Thank you so much for doing me this favor.”

“Not at all. It is a good deal for me too.”

“You are as amazing as I expected.”

“You’re not so bad either, sir.”

“Hahahaha.” Jun Junghee laughed loudly. “It’s nice to talk to someone so frankly.”

“I suppose with your status, not many people would dare to talk to you bluntly.”

“It’s true. Gunwon was my only real friend but after what happened to him, I have no one to really talk to.” Jun Junghee frowned and murmured to himself. “Only if he raised his sons right, it wouldn’t have happened.”

Woosung’s heart pounded. He pretended to be calm and asked evenly, “You raised your son well at least.”

“Hahaha, you think so?”

“Well, compared to the three Choi bastards, absolutely.”

“Hahahaha, Choi bastards! You’re funny.”

“It’s a well-known fact.”

“I suppose, but not many would have the guts to say it out loud. You must not fear Daeyang?”

Woosung nodded and replied, “They bought their status with money. Now I have more money than them, so why should I fear them?”

Jun Junghee looked at Woosung enviously.

Confident.

Bold.

Intelligent.

Kang Woosung was a perfect businessman. Suddenly, Jun Junghee realized he needed to beware of this man. It was just IT and semiconductor for now, but someday, this man could take over the entire TK.

***

When Woosung returned to the office, Jang Gwangchul was waiting for him.

“How did it go?”

“Very well. TK Communication and ANIX for 5.5 billion dollars.”

“So now we should be able to supply semiconductor from ANIX for Blue S.”

“We need to take over Qualcomm and ARM as well.”

“Alright. Now, we will finalize the purchasing of Oh Land Home Mart tomorrow, right?”

Woosung nodded. “We will control the offline shopping with Home Mart and online shopping with 10th Avenue and Coconut Mall. Our company will do everything including finances, constructions, communications, electronics, and IT service.”

“Alright. We will go as far as we can!”

Jang Gwangchul raised his fist into the air.

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Chapter 162: <Richest of them all>

Daenam construction.

ANIX semiconductors.

TK Communication.

Home Mart.

As Woosung promised, he continued to grow his empire quickly. A report was released which ranked the biggest companies in the country.

1.Daeyang Net worth: 230 billion dollars Number of subsidiaries: 78

2. KND Net worth: 220 billion dollars Number of subsidiaries: 27

3. TK Net worth: 98 billion dollars Number of subsidiaries: 52

4. Daeyang Net worth: 89 billion dollars Number of subsidiaries: 34

Only the top few companies were invited to the national business meeting with the President of Korea. In January of 2011, Woosung got a call from the Blue House.

Jang Gwangchul asked Woosung, “President Kang, I heard you were invited to the Blue House?”

“Yes, for the National Business Meeting.”

“Wow, our company must be doing very well. The Blue House!”

“Haha, we are number two in the country. For the personal asset category, I rank at the top. I am also within the top ten in the world. It’s not a surprise I was invited to this meeting.”

Jang Gwangchul swallowed and asked, “Will you refuse to attend?”

Woosung thought carefully. In seven years, President Lee Parksung will be arrested.

Should he keep his distance now?

Or should he use the President’s power a little while longer?

Jang Gwangchul obviously didn’t know the situation so he suggested, “You should really consider attending. If you don’t, you may fall out of favor. What if they do another investigation on our company?”

“Then I will get a different President elected.”

“W…what?” Jang Gwangchul couldn’t believe his ears.

Woosung looked out the window silently.

Jang Gwangchul continued, “D…did you see something in your dream? Will something happen to the President?”

“It’s nothing like that. I’m just saying we are no one’s servant.” Woosung turned to Jang Gwangchul and continued, “Sir, we are now a big company. We are responsible for many employees now. We need to be strong. We can’t be affected by the government. No matter which party runs this country, we need to be constant and stable.”

Jang Gwangchul was still curious, “S…so you dreamt something?”

“Not yet. I will let you know when it happens.”

Jang Gwangchul sighed deeply. “Gosh, you scared me. I thought something big would go down. So will you attend or not?”

“I will go for now, but I won’t make any serious acquaintances. From now on, if any government official contacts you for anything unethical or illegal, just refuse.”

Jang Gwangchul nodded. “Alright. I will.”

***

President Lee Parksung.

He started as the CEO of Ahyun Construction and became the mayor of Seoul. Afterward, he won the election and became the President of Korea.

He said to his son Lee Sunghyun.

“So do you really believe we need Kang Woosung? Is he that great?”

“You have no idea. He may have more money than Bill Gates now, and he is continuing to make more money as we speak.”

“He must be a great businessman.”

“After all, he is the founder of KND and Coconut.”

“And XFeed. He also took over Daenam Construction and a semiconductor company.”

Lee Sunghyun frowned. “I am beginning to get worried. It feels like I’m starting to lose my control over him.”

Lee Parksung frowned as well. “It can’t be easy to run so many companies. When you are involved in so many big businesses like that, you can’t help but be involved in illegal activities.”

“Kang Woosung told me that he makes his major business decisions based on data analysis. He was able to predict the North Korean incident a while back.”

“That was really amazing.”

“When he comes for the meeting in the Blue House, watch him carefully. We need to learn what his weaknesses are. It will help us.”

“Haha, help you to become the next President?”

Lee Sunghyun grinned. “Father and son both becoming Presidents! Wouldn’t that be amazing?”

Lee Parksung laughed proudly and replied, “By the way, we have another weapon that can help you regain control.”

Lee Sunghyun thought carefully.

Prosecutors.

Korean Revenue Agency.

NIS.

What else?

“Oh! You mean the FTC (Korea Fair Trade Commission)?”

“That’s right. This agency is one the businessmen fear the most.”

“Hmm…But we need to be careful or else it might backfire. KND has a lot of influences. If we do something, and Kang Woosung plays the media and public against us, it could be bad. Besides, if we start any investigations, we will have to do it on all the companies and we both know Daeyang, TK, and Ahyun are all involved in illegal activities.”

Lee Parksung smiled. “What we can do is to use the media in our advantage. We can get them to report a false rumor about KND…”

“And then, we act like we are forced to do an investigation!”

“Exactly. Let’s see how he does at the meeting and we will decide.”

Lee Sunghyun bowed.

***

Late night.

Woosung sat in front of the computer and thought out loud.

“I am collecting bitcoins at a much faster rate than expected. At this rate, I should have 10 million of them by next year.”

The ASIC developed by Wu Jirin was better than he could imagine.

“Almost half of all the available bitcoins in the world are mine…”

Woosung now owned over a third of all the bitcoins in the world.

“Once I have 10 million of them, I will make the price go up, and when it hits the highest price…”

Woosung grinned. He planned on making the price go as high up as possible. In his previous life, it peaked at 20,000 dollars, but perhaps he could even get it to reach 50,000 dollars this time.

“And why wait till 2017?”

Woosung owned the cryptocurrency dealership equipped to deal with any kind of cryptocurrencies including Ethereum and Ripple. In his previous life, the cryptocurrency prices peaked in 2017, but this time, he didn’t have to wait till 2017.

“I will collect Ethereum and Ripple, and then get Choi Gichul to get interested in them.”

Daeyang.

Woosung had to destroy Daeyang. Everything he did was to achieve this goal.

***

Blue House business meeting.

Most businessmen were in their 50’s and 60’s. Among them, one young man stood out. He was in his twenties. He was wearing a clean suit but nothing fancy. His watch and shoes were all clean but nothing expensive. Yet among all the men in their luxurious outfits, this young man stood out the most.

The meeting was aired live on TV. When it was Woosung’s turn to shake hands with the President, all the camera’s zoomed in.

“Make sure to get a good shot of Kang Woosung.”

Lee Parksung greeted Woosung.

“Haha, nice to meet you. I’m Lee Parksung. Congratulations on your successful launch of XFeed.”

“Thank you. It’s all thanks to you, President.”

“Haha, I didn’t do anything. It’s all because of your hard work.”

“Haha, thank you.”

They shook hands for 30 seconds with bright smiles for the cameras. Afterwards, the President shook hands with the rest of the businessmen. Among them was Choi Taemin.

Woosung and Choi Taemin’s eyes locked. Woosung grinned. Choi Taemin smiled politely, but it didn’t reach his eyes. When Woosung’s expression turned mocking, Choi Taemin’s face became rigid.

However, they were in a public place.

Choi Taemin couldn’t show his anger. Woosung approached him and shook his hand.

“Long time no see, Vice President Choi.”

Choi Taemin could barely hide his hatred.

“Long time no see.”

“I’m sorry to hear about the Chairman and your younger brother. I don’t know what to say.”

Woosung studied Choi Taemin’s face carefully. Choir Taemin’s eyes brows were flinching. He was also sweating.

Woosung thought.

‘TK Chairman knows something. Choi Gichul’s reaction to my call was also strange.’

Woosung added quickly, “I used to have conversations with Choi Gitae often. I am sad to hear what has happened to him.” Woosung paused and glared at Choi Taemin. He continued, “Choi Gitae used to tell me he is afraid. He said he felt like someone was out to get him…And this happened. Did he say anything to you by any chance?”

Choi Taemin replied bluntly, “You are very interested in my family business.”

“Haha, I was just worried because we were close.”

Suddenly, a waiter came by to lead them to the next room. Woosung followed him while Choi Taemin gritted his teeth.

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Chapter 163: &lt;Richest of them all&gt;

The CEO of Ahyun, the biggest auto company in the country, Jung Manho, TK’s Jun Junghee, Daeyang’s Choi Taemin, MG Group’s Goo Bonho. The biggest names of Korea were gathered in one place.

“President Kang recently purchase Home Mart and TK’s 10th Avenue, which means KND may soon rule both the online and offline markets. President Park, you need to watch out for this young man.”

Chairman Park Heejun.

He was the owner of Shinro Group, which was known for it’s Shin Marts.

Park Heejun turned to Woosung and joked, “Haha, please be kind to me.”

“I am the one learning about this business, so I hope to learn from you, sir.”

Park Heejun laughed and asked, “Haha, I heard a rumor that you are using the same IT technique as Amazon to reduce the price point. Is this true?”

Daeyang’s rival MG Electronics’ CEO Gu Bonho added, “I also heard you will be incorporating the Coconut Pay to make it even more convenient for the customers. Is your plan going well?”

These were all business secrets, but they were already well known to everyone. There was no way to protect the confidentiality of these strategies.

Woosung replied, “I’m working as hard as I can.”

Ahyun auto’s Jung Manho joked, “If you are going to get involved in the auto business too, please let me know in advance so I can prepare myself.”

TK’s Jun Junghee laughed loudly, “Hahaha! If President Kang was that nice, I wouldn’t have gotten into this frequency auction mess!”

Jung Manho narrowed his eyes and nodded. “I suppose. I just hope you didn’t already start developing the self-driving cars.”

He looked at Woosung for any reactions, but Woosung replied neutrally, “I am considering it. As you know, I recently purchased a large portion of SpaceX. I am also looking into investing in Tesla.”

Jung Manho swallowed nervously.

Park Heejun asked, “Are you working with Amazon too?”

Woosung replied lightly, “Haha, gentlemen, you can’t ask me these top secret questions.”

TK’s Jung Junghee said to everyone, “This young man is someone we should all fear. He just got into the mobile carrier business and he already owns 20% of the market. He also took over a few of TK’s businesses.” Jung Junghee looked around and added, “If you don’t want to be eaten by this guy, you better watch out. I’m guessing MG Electronics was also affected by Kang Woosung, right?”

MG’s Gu Bonho replied, “Very much so. At least MG’s main business is appliances, so it wasn’t as bad for us as Daeyang.”

Everyone looked at Choi Taemin, who replied quietly, “We are okay for now. Daeyang’s foundation is very strong.”

Woosung quickly added, “Haha, then us in KND need to work harder. We are working on adding Coconut I into Blue S3. The customers will go crazy for it. I’ll do my best to win against Daeyang.”

Jung Junghee joked, “Wow, you’re scary!”

Woosung continued quickly, “And with Daenam construction, we will be building smart homes. All of my companies, KND, Coconut, and Daenam, will help each other.”

Everyone quieted. All the CEOs showed respect. They knew everything Woosung said and planned would affect them.

***

Lee Parksung looked around the room.

“I know better than anyone how hard it is to run a business.”

Lee Parksung was the CEO of Ahyun 20 year ago.

Jung Manho added, “But it has gotten easier for all of us thanks to you, President Lee.”

“Haha, I’m glad to hear that. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to come to me.”

“Thank you.”

“And…”

When the President hesitated, Jun Junghee encouraged him, “Please, President, feel free to tell us anything you need.”

Lee Parksung nodded and continued, “Recently, we have noted that the economy has been deteriorating. The employment rate has been declining.”

He was asking for the CEOs to increase employment opportunities. Everyone nodded.

Jung Manho answered quickly, “We will try our best.”

Others added.

“Why don’t I start the next quarter’s employment plan now?”

“I will order to increase the number of job openings by at least 10%.”

It was a joke. Everyone jumped at the President’s words.

Lee Parksung smiled and replied, “I am so lucky to have all of you. I am especially thankful to President Kang, who achieved the decreasing of the mobile phone fee for the public.”

Woosung answered quickly, “Not at all, President.”

Lee Parksung quickly glanced at Jung Manho and added, “The only thing is, President Kang, you need to stop expanding so fast. It is causing everyone problems. You need to focus on one area. Please take this advice.”

Woosung knew what he was trying to say. He replied quickly, “I will consider it.”

Jung Manho grinned, but the other CEOs looked unhappy.

“And I heard that you are interested in developing the Yongsan project?”

When Woosung nodded, Choi Taemin frowned. At present, Daeyang Construction owned a large portion of the Yongsan project.

“What does Daeyang’s Vice President Choi think?”

“Daeyang can do this project. Don’t you think switching to a different company will be too risky?”

Lee Parksung said firmly, “Daeyang is great at developing new technologies, so perhaps you should focus on that. It would be too much for you to get involved in the constructions too. Besides, the project hasn’t been going well anyway.”

Choi Taemin sighed lightly. “I will think about it.”

“This is for the good of the country. Everyone needs to make small sacrifices for the better future.”

After the meeting, Choi Taemin remained. He was ushered into a reception room where Lee Sunghyun was waiting.

“Sorry for such a short notice, but I needed to talk to you quickly.”

Lee Sunghyun was the second son of the President. Choi Taemin couldn’t refuse such a request.

He replied, “What is so important that you needed to see me right away?”

“I think you probably have been having an issue because of Kang Woosung, right?”

Choi Taemin bit his lips and nodded.

Lee Sunghyun continued, “That is why I contacted you.”

“Is this about Yongsan project? I already told the President I will think about it.”

Lee Sunghyun laughed, “Haha, not that. It’s something else. I have heard that you are concerned about Kang Woosung and his companies KND, Coconut, and XFeed. The prosecutors and the Revenue agency couldn’t find anything wrong with his companies. I heard NIS also tried, but nothing…”

Choi Taemin remained silent.

Lee Sunghyun continued, “Haha, the government is also worried about Kang Woosung’s expansion rate. The problem is we can’t find anything on him at all.”

“So?”

“So we are thinking of getting the FTC involved, but it can be bit tricky as you can imagine…”

Choi Taemin flinched. Lee Sunghyun took a sip of his tea and continued.

“We need help from the media, but the government can’t do that. We have no control over the media, and it just won’t look right.”

“…”

“I think the shows ’60 Minutes’ or the ‘Watchdog’ should air an investigative episode on Kang Woosung’s business expansion.”

“I thought the government was on Kang Woosung’s side.”

“Haha, we are on nobody’s side. As you know, the government should always remain objective.”

Choi Taemin nodded.

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Chapter 164: &lt;Richest of them all&gt;

The next day.

Promises made during the CEOs business meeting were quickly reported on the news.

“Ahyun Auto plans to hire 10% more workers than last year.”

“MG Group increases R&D budget by 2 billion dollars.”

“Daeyang Group plans to increase their employment opportunities by 20%.”

Jang Gwangchul asked Woosung, “Shouldn’t we announce something too? Like how many people we will hire?”

“Release a number that is bigger than Daeyang. R&D budget should be about 10 billion dollars if we combine all of our companies. It should be more than Ahyun, MG, and TK combined.” Woosung thought for a second and continued, “The headline of the news article should be this: ‘KND to have bigger budget and employment number than all three other big companies combined.'”

“Haha, good one.”

“If we get into the auto business, we will be on the top of the food chain.”

“Auto?”

“Yeah. I was thinking about Sungyong Auto…but the worker’s union in that company is too strong. They go on strike all the time if they don’t get what they want.”

“Isn’t Sungyong the one that got its technology stolen by China?”

“That’s right. There was a rumor that President Lee Parksung was involved in it.”

“What? Really?”

“A rumor, but with no basis.”

“Did you learn this from your dream?”

“Haha, no. Anyway, if we take over Sungyong and work with Tesla to create electric cars…”

“It would be incredible!”

“And that’s not the end.”

Jang Gwangchul knew what Woosung was thinking.

“We will use Coconut I to develop a self-driving car?”

Woosung nodded. “It will, of course, be difficult to release anytime soon, but just the fact that we are planning on it will be a great promo for our company.”

Jang Gwangchul nodded in agreement.

Woosung continued, “We could become bigger than Ahyun Auto.”

“Alright. I will look into it. It shouldn’t be hard. Sungyong just filed bankruptcy recently, so they will be happy to get rid of it.”

“I would say 500 million dollars is a fair price.”

***

“President Kang Woosung takes over Sungyong Auto for 500 million dollars.”

“He plans to turn it into an electric car specialty company.”

“All Sungyong employees who were let go to be re-hired.”

The media went wild over the news. In just a year, Woosung bought four companies. Daenam Constructions, TK Communication, ANIX, and Sungyong Auto.

Finally, the show “60 Minutes” released the preview of a special episode.

“President Kang Woosung. The truth about his success.”

It was a provocative title. The producers were given a strict order of keeping the content a secret, but Woosung still managed to unravel the content of this episode. However, Woosung didn’t stop it from being aired. When the preview was released, the internet went wild. Still, Woosung didn’t do anything about it. The government, however, saw this as an opportunity. The FTC announced that it will be investigating KND.

KND headquarter was hectic.

Jang Gwangchul asked worriedly, “The tax audit, prosecutors, and now this? This isn’t fair. Three investigations in a year are not normal.”

“Well, we did grow faster than any other companies in history.”

“I know, but still…”

“They’re obviously intimidated, especially since I have been spending a lot of time with Lee Myungin.”

“Gosh, it’s so hard to run a business in Korea.”

“Then should we finally move to America?”

“H…huh?”

“Move the headquarter to America. US would welcome us with open arms.”

Jang Gwangchul raised his voice worriedly, “But that would make us a traitor in Korea. Are you okay with that?”

“Haha, why? We will move because we are being treated unfairly. We have a good reason. The public will understand. Besides, our company isn’t dependent on the Korean market. We can afford to lose it if necessary.”

Jang Gwangchul swallowed and replied, “You are serious about this.”

“This is the only way the government will realize how angry we are. With the recent purchase of Sungyong, our company is the center of the Korean economy. If we move, it will be a huge deal.”

“…”

“Who do you think the media and the public will side with on this battle? Us, or our corrupt government?”

Jang Gwangchul didn’t say anything. It sounded like Woosung was right. He ordered the PR department to announce the news.

***

11 pm.

Woosung invited Lee Sunghyun for a quick meeting.

Lee Sunghyun complained, “Such a short notice. Where are your manners? You will lose all your friends if you continue to act like this.”

“Haha, that’s okay. I’m making lots of money, which is more important.”

“W…what?”

“And from now on, please show a little more respect. I think I deserve it now.”

Behind Woosung were bodyguards who were all clad with bulging muscles. They all looked at Lee Sunghyun sternly.

Lee Sunghyun looked away nervously.

Woosung asked, “So you have used the Revenue Agency, prosecutors, and now FTC to find dirt on me. Did you really think I wouldn’t know you’re behind all this?”

Lee Sunghyun just stared at him, dumbfounded.

Woosung continued, “I am as big as Daeyang now. Probably not as politically influential, but I still have very good sources for information.”

“Oh, I think you misunderstood…”

“I know exactly who was behind the ’60 Minutes’ episode.”

Lee Sunghyun suddenly felt thirsty. He was shocked and speechless.

Woosung continued, “So how can I trust you and work with you? I have been patient but this has gone far enough.”

“S…so you will really move your headquarter to US?”

“Probably. The American government is very interested. By the way, did you see the recent research poll? The public is on my side.”

Lee Sunghyun stuttered, “C…come on. You are scaring me.”

“I did all I can. If the government continues to treat me this way, there is nothing more I can do. I will have to go somewhere else.”

“P…President Kang!”

“The official announcement will be made tomorrow. The public will criticize the government harshly. As you know, losing me means Korea will lose brands like Coconut Talk, Blue S, space research, and Coconut I. You will also lose the benefit of reduced mobility fee. It will all be because of you and your father.”

Lee Sunghyun had to stop this.

If he didn’t…

The Korean economy would be in huge trouble.

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Chapter 165: &lt;Richest of them all&gt;

KND’s sales reached 150 billion dollars. Its profit was at 18 billion dollars.

These numbers were slightly less than Daeyang but very close.

Daeyang and KND composed 30% of Korean GDP. Daeyang, however, was declining fast, which meant that very soon, KND would be on the top.

If KND left Korea…

Lee Sunghyun begged, “President Kang, you are being irrational. We need to talk this out.”

“We already talked more than enough. The government is busy trying to find my weaknesses. If you did find something on me, you wouldn’t be nice to me like this. I would have been arrested by now.”

Lee Sunghyun bit his lips. Woosung was bang on.

Lee Sunghyun quickly lied, “No way. That would have never happened. I would never let it happen.”

“I know you.”

Lee Sunghyun started to pant. He was starting to feel upset. He had to change his tactic. Lee Sunghyun was the second son of the President. He was destined to be the next President of Korea.

He replied, “So you think you can win this game? If we do a more thorough investigation, you will feel differently.”

“Do you think I’m an idiot? I know the investigation has already started full force, and I know you will find nothing.”

Lee Sunghyun murmured.

“Bastard…”

“Tomorrow, I will announce that my company will leave Korea. Let’s see who wins.”

Press conference in a hotel in Seoul.

Woosung stood in front of the platoon of cameras surrounding him.

The owner of so many companies including KND, Coconut, ANIX, and Sungyong Auto.

If he left Korea, tens of thousands of people could lose their jobs.

“I am here not as a businessman but as a Korean who hopes this country will improve its ways. In less than two years, I have been harassed by government agencies thrice. It was insinuated that I was involved in illegal and unethical activities.” Woosung took a sip of water and continued, “But nothing was found.”

“The FTC investigation hasn’t finished yet.”

“Where did you get so much funds for your business?”

“Billions of dollars! It’s impossible to make that much money so quickly unless you did something illegal.”

The reporters shouted out questions, but Woosung ignored them and continued, “It’s true that I started out as a humble salary-man, but you can’t use that against me. I have run my companies with transparent policies. I have done nothing wrong. I wanted to prove that the Korean dream exists and that it is possible for anyone to succeed in this country. I worked and worked to get where I am right now. I started from the very bottom, and I have accomplished so much. However, it appears that there are many people who don’t approve of my success.” Woosung said emotionally.

The announcement was being aired live and the internet went crazy.

“All he did was work hard, yet here is what Korea does to an honest working man.”

“Obviously, the rich don’t want an average joe to join their ranks.”

“The government is so corrupt.”

“Yes! Go to America!”

“He did so much for the country, yet this is how he gets treated.”

Woosung continued slowly, “I thought about this day and night. What should I do? I just started the AI technology, and I am about to launch the space research project. I am also considering the electric car business, yet here I am being harassed by the government when I should be focusing on my work. Therefore, I have decided. My headquarter will be moved to Silicone Valley where I will be treated fairly.”

Woosung sent an email to every employee. It was straightforward. If any of the employees wanted to immigrate to America, the company would help as much as possible. If not, they could still remain and work in Korea. This was more of a legal move and the company only required a few employees in US.

Woosung, Jang Gwangchul, and Hong Soobum’s phones rang nonstop.

Hong Soobum asked, “Are you sure about this?”

“Yes. Coconut is already listed in Nasdaq so I think it makes sense. I have the company lawyers working on the details and it seems like everything should work out smoothly.”

Jang Gwangchul asked, “Are you going to list KND on Nasdaq as well?”

Woosung nodded. “Yes. I think KND will be appreciated more in US.”

“You…What are you thinking? Are you really going to do this? You can stop now. The government got the message.”

“It’s not enough.”

“T…then what?”

“We need to find out why things like this keep happening. Don’t you agree?”

Jang Gwangchul glanced at Hong Soobum. When Hong Soobum left the room,

Jang Gwangchul asked, “I asked the assistants from Daeyang and they refuse to tell me. They said if certain things became public, they could end up in jail.”

“Choi Taemin only ordered them to do things. If they get good lawyers, they should be fine.”

“But they are still worried.”

“Then promise them to give the entirety of Daeyang. They will have full control over it.”

“You will give them the Chairman position?”

“Yes. They deserve it.”

“Gosh…”

“I want to destroy the current Daeyang. This is our chance. Daeyang Electronics especially needs to be stopped.”

“Their smartphone department is doing poorly, but their semiconductor sector is still doing great. You are worried?”

“Yes. We will grow ANIX as best as we can, but Daeyang’s semiconductor is the best in the world. We need to destroy it.”

“Alright. I will try to convince them.”

“I already have the media ready. We just need something big on Daeyang.”

Jang Gwangchul nodded gravely.

Woosung met with Lee Myungin.

Lee Myungin asked, “So this is all Daeyang’s doing?”

“Yes. I have documented proofs. They have been trying to get rid of me.”

“And you are letting me know about this because Daeyang probably has the prosecutors and the government on its side?”

“That’s right. If I submit my proofs to the government, they might just ‘disappear.’ We need to clean out the government.”

Lee Myungin closed his eyes. If this was true, it was a huge deal. He, as a high-ranking government official, could make process these proofs fairly and get them available to the public.

He replied, “My party may object, but I will take care of it. I will try to protect you as much as possible too.”

“Thank you.”

“So when do you think I should do it?”

“Soon, some of the main personnel from Daeyang will be making some big announcements in a few days or so. That will be your chance.”

Woosung handed him a folder filled with reports. It was packed with the details of corrupt activities in Daeyang. Jang Hyunho and Chun Gisu provided all these information provided.

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Chapter 166: <Richest of them all>

“Will the truth about the 60 Minutes episode be revealed?”

A small article appeared on the internet. It wasn’t read by many until Woosung tagged it on his SNS. He tagged it with various hashtags.

#Truth #Factcheck #Daeyang #Government #FTC #Prosecutors #RevenueAgency #UnfairTreatment #RichPeople #KND #Coconut.

Woosung had huge followings, so the number of article views increased as well as the relevant comments.

“Is this all Daeyang’s doing?”

“So FTC was pushed by Daeyang to do this investigation?”

“We need to find out the truth!”

“If this article is true, this is serious stuff.”

“Can’t trust our government.”

“I support KND moving its headquarter.”

Many were still skeptical of the article, but most supported Woosung.

The article was about how Daeyang was behind all the unfair investigations on KND.

When the public began to protest, the producers and the broadcasting station of 60 Minutes finally admitted the truth.

“It’s true.”

“The episode on KND was created due to the pressure from the top.”

“The broadcasting station and the producers were promised incentives and ad opportunities from Daeyang.”

Daeyang quickly released an official follow-up statement denying everything.

“We have never done such a thing. We are unaware of this ‘deal’ with the producers and the station.”

“We will be filing a lawsuit for defamation of character.”

“Legal actions are underway.”

“Truth will be revealed.”

Daeyang hired the best law firm in the country, Josun, to sue the broadcasting station and the producers. Woosung announced quickly following this news.

“KND will pay for the lawyers to defend those from the broadcasting station.”

Things were going according to Woosung’s plan.

Good vs. evil.

The public now saw Daeyang as the evil against Woosung, who was the heroic good.

While the lawsuit was taking place, a report consisting of 20 pages was released.

“Corruption in Daeyang.”

It was a detailed list of bribery Daeyang gave to different agencies, government officials, and the media. The list went on and on.

It was sensational news that shook the country.

This gave courage for those who were suppressed by Daeyang to surface.

“Daeyang frequently abuses small companies. Late payments for the materials and pressuring to lower unit prices.”

“Daeyang interfered with the labor union formation.”

Choi Taemin screamed.

“Who the hell released this information?”

“We believe Chun Gisu and Jang Hyunho did it.”

“Bastards!”

Choi Taemin felt dizzy from anger. He sat down.

His secretary continued, “They are nowhere to be found. We have our security department searching for them right now.”

Choi Taemin gritted his teeth.

He yelled, “Find them! Use everything we have to find them! Get the police and the NIS involved if necessary!”

“Y… yes, sir.”

“You don’t even have to bring them alive. Kill them. Make it look like a suicide. Understand?”

“Y… yes.” The secretary answered nervously.

A private room in a Seoul restaurant.

Woosung asked Chun Gisu and Jang Hyunho, “Are you guys ready?”

Both hesitated.

Woosung continued, “I will have the best bodyguards to protect you. You will also be provided with the best lawyers in the country. I am ready to spend unlimited funds to protect you. What you do for me will be worth it.”

“A… are you sure we will be safe?”

Woosung nodded and replied, “Yes, and I always keep my promises.”

“…”

“I know what Choi Taemin is like. I know how he treated you and what he is capable of, yet are you still loyal to him?”

“…”

“What do you think would have happened in two years if you haven’t left Daeyang? I thought you left because you knew. Daeyang was about to dissolve anyway. If you remained in that company and something happened to Daeyang, who do you think Choi Taemin would blame? You two would have ended up in jail instead of him.”

This seemed to convince them.

Jang Hyunho sighed deeply and asked, “What about our families?”

“My security team is on it already. Nothing will happen to you or your families. If you want, I will arrange for new secret houses your family can use. I can move your families to America too. Your children will be sent to the best schools there.”

Jang Hyunho nodded. “Alright. Let’s do this.”

Woosung turned to Chun Gisu. “What do you think?”

Chun Gisu bit his lips. He was confused. He didn’t know what to do.

Woosung asked, “Do you really think Chairman Choi Gunwon’s stroke was by a natural cause?”

Chun Gisu gulped down cold water. He knew that it was Choi Taemin’s doing. His own father…

Woosung continued, “If he could do that to his father, do you think it will be hard for him to do it to you guys?”

Chun Gisu finally answered, “I’m ready.”

Woosung smiled. The staffs started to prepare the room. A camera was placed within the room as well.

“Hello. My name is Chun Gisu, and I used to work as a high ranking official in Daeyang. I worked for this company for many years, but I could no longer allow myself to be involved in such atrocious activities.” Chun Gisu took a sip of water and continued, “The documents recently released are all true. These corrupt actions were directly ordered by the previous Chairman and the current Vice president. I felt guilty and horrible.”

He paused for a breath.

“So I decided to give myself up. I wanted the truth to come out. I will provide further details to the prosecutors.”

The next video released revealed Jang Hyunho, which had similar content.

“Hello. My name is Jang Hyunho, and I used to work at Daeyang for many years. While I worked there, I have learned some horrible things about this company. Any time there was a problem, Daeyang always used money to make it go away. I was always in fear of my life. I finally decided that enough was enough, and that is why I am standing in front of you now.”

Jang Hyunho’s video went on for a few more minutes.

The number of views of these two videos went up quickly.

10 K.

210 K.

1 M.

10 M.

100 M.

On February 7th, the two men voluntarily visited the prosecutors. Daeyang’s stock prices declined to its 52 week lowest.

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Chapter 167: &lt;Richest of them all&gt;

Choi Taemin screamed, “What the hell!”

His secretary flinched.

Choi Taemin continued, “I can’t believe the bastards made those stupid videos!”

“…”

“FIX IT NOW! You are such an idiot!”

Choi Taemin was getting even more abusive. The secretary has been working for him for many years, but he still had a hard time enduring it.

“I apologize.”

Choi Taemin panted in anger.

The secretary continued quickly, “We need to come up with a solution fast. Our connections in the government can’t deal with this.”

“Why not? We paid a lot of money to them so they can take care of things like this.”

“The liberal party may stay quiet, but the conservatives probably will make a lot of noise about this. This could turn ugly.”

Choi Taemin gritted his teeth. “Did you get in contact with Lee Myungin’s people?”

“We are trying, but they won’t respond.”

“Do we know any of his weaknesses, so we can use them against him?”

“We tried, but we couldn’t find any dirt on him.”

“What? How is that possible?”

“He is a rare case. Most politicians are corrupt, but it appears he is clean.”

“Then are you suggesting that we just don’t do anything?”

“The best we can do is hire more lawyers and hope we win the case. We can argue that those weren’t bribes but donations and sponsorship. You won’t be involved at all no matter what.”

The plan was to frame someone else in the company if necessary.

“Fine. Contact all the lawyers. Hire as many as possible.”

“Yes, sir.”

Woosung met with Hong Minwook from Hwajung law firm.

Hong Minwook explained, “Other than Josun, we were able to get most of the other law firms on our side. We also got cooperation from retired lawyers, prosecutors, and judges who used to have prominent positions, but Josun… You will have to meet with the current owner to make it happen.”

“So Josun won’t help us?”

“They have a longstanding relationship with Daeyang, so they are very hesitant.” Hong Minwook lowered his voice and murmured, “They will need a very solid reason to change side.”

“Can we do it without Josun?”

“Hwajung is a fast-growing law firm, but Josun is still number one in this field. There are many big names there. We could still win without them, but if we get Josun, we will have an 80% chance of winning.”

Woosung frowned.

Hong Minwook continued, “If we get Josun on our side, Daeyang will have difficulty hiring lawyers, which will be in our advantage.”

“Alright. I will meet with him.”

“Good. He is waiting in the other room.”

When Woosung nodded, Hong Minwook left the room. Within a few seconds, a man walked in. It was Go Gyungsuk, the CEO of Josun law firm.

Go Gyungsuk was in his late 50s. He had grey hair but no wrinkles.

He asked, “So you want to hire our lawyers?”

“Yes, as many as possible.”

“That would cost you a lot of money.”

“Haha, money is not an issue. KND is the richest company in the country.”

“You can’t buy justice with money.”

“Then can I buy victory with money?”

Go Gyungsuk laughed, “Hahaha.”

Woosung continued, “I don’t want to buy justice. I want to win.”

Go Gyungsuk’s eyes sparkled. He stared at Woosung and said, “I got a call from Daeyang as well.”

“I already know Josun has been representing Daeyang for a long time.”

“Then why did you contact us?”

“As my companies got bigger, I need more legal help. Hwajung alone is not enough anymore. I wanted the best law firm in the country.”

“Hahaha.”

“As you know, KND is bigger and better than Daeyang now. I think it’s a good reason for you to change side.”

“You can’t last long in this field without loyalty.”

“But you were loyal to the previous Chairman. Do you still feel the same way about the current Vice president Choi Taemin?”

Go Gyungsuk rubbed his chin and answered, “Wow, you talk like a lawyer. Very convincing.”

“If you felt loyal to Choi Taemin, you wouldn’t have come here for this meeting.”

Go Gyungsuk flinched.

Woosung continued quickly, “I realize that it may take a long time to distance yourself from Daeyang. I am okay with you representing both Daeyang and us to start.”

“Hmm…”

“I will pay 1.5 times your normal fee. I will also pay incentives to the lawyers who represent us.”

Go Gyungsuk sighed, “This may cost you tens of millions of dollars. Will that be fine with you?”

“If you come to represent us, that would be a small price to pay.”

“Hahaha.”

Woosung could feel that the negotiation was going well.

He offered his final deal, “If you say yes right now, I will double my offer.”

When Go Gyungsuk swallowed and stared, Woosung added, “But you need to decide right now. As you know, Daeyang will down either way. What will you do?”

“KND hires over 100 lawyers.”

“The long legal battle begins against the government and Daeyang.”

“The public supports KND.”

“Daeyang stock price declines. The One sales drop significantly.”

Woosung’s plan was working.

Woosung called Alex in US. “Nikkei index will drop. You know what to do, right?”

Alex answered in excitement, “Of course!”

“Go full in this time. Use every available cash we have.”

“Haha, I assume it will be huge.”

“Yup.”

March 12, 2011.

A tsunami will occur in Sendai, Japan. Towns will be wiped and the Fukushima nuclear power plant will be affected. It will cost the Japanese government over 300 billion dollars.

After the call, Woosung called in the Red Angle’s team leader Ban Jihwan.

“You will have to go to Japan.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I realize Korea doesn’t have a warm relationship with Japan, but these are innocent lives. Please save as many as possible, but I don’t want you to take unnecessary risks. I don’t want any of our people getting hurt.”

“Haha, I understand.”

“You will have to be extra careful. The nuclear power plant may explode.”

Ban Jihwan’s smile disappeared. “N… nuclear power plant?”

“Yes. Please avoid that area at all cost, focus on the suburban areas.”

“Alright.”

After the meeting, Woosung checked the Nikkei index. It was reaching 10,700 now. In a few days, it will go below 10,000. He will make billions of dollars again.

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Chapter 168: &lt;Richest of them all&gt;

“Hello. I am Reporter Kim Giman from SBC. I am standing here at the Gwanghwamun Park where a protest is underway against the alleged corruption in the government. Tens of thousands of people have gathered here to make their voices heard. They are demanding a transparent investigation on the involved government officials who were accused of receiving bribes from Daeyang.”

The reporter approached one of the protesters and asked, “Why did you attend this event?”

“I couldn’t take the fact that our government is working for Daeyang rather than the people of Korea.”

“Do you believe the released documents then?”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”

“Some believes that only part of the report is true.”

“That is most likely a rumor created by the government as a coverup.”

Another protester who was walking by yelled, “SBC is funded by Daeyang too! It’s Daeyang’s slave! Go away!”

“Media can’t be trusted! Get out!”

The cameraman and the reporter started to be swarmed by angry protesters. The camera got turned off quickly and the screen changed to the news anchor.

“It appears we have some technical difficulties. We will go on to the next news report.”

The online forums went crazy.

“SBC needs to be investigated too!”

“I will never watch SBC again.”

“Broadcasting stations work for Daeyang. Don’t trust it.”

Woosung’s office.

Woosung turned off the TV.

“This is getting bigger by the minute.”

“The public is demanding the government to get rid of 1/3 of the members.”

Woosung grinned. “This is great for us.”

“I’m worried this is getting out of hand. I heard there are tens of thousands of protesters out in the public. I hope no one gets hurt.”

Woosung just smiled. There will be much bigger protests in the future and no one would get hurt. He wasn’t worried.

Jang Gwangchul continued, “There is even a rumor that if it gets any bigger, the government may declare martial law.”

Woosung’s eyes widened.

Martial law.

Woosung has seen it happen in the future, but he couldn’t see it being used at this point.

“I don’t think that will happen.”

“But what if hundreds of thousands of people gather? The government may have to get the military to control the situation.”

“We need to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“How?”

“US.”

Jang Gwangchul’s eyes widened. Woosung continued.

“I have connections in US. If you looked at my phone contact list, you would be shocked and impressed.”

“R… really?”

“I have been offered a US citizenship as well.”

“I… I see.”

“I can’t order around the US government obviously, but they will help me to some extent if I asked. I have enough financial power. What we need to focus on is taking over Daeyang. It’s stock price is continuing to decline and the public is giving it a cold shoulder. The One sales are going down too. This is our chance.”

“So we will go for it with an unlimited budget again?”

Woosung nodded. “Yes. It’s ok because I am expecting a huge opportunity soon. I am thinking I will make at least a billion dollars. Maybe even 2 billion.”

Jang Gwangchul swallowed and asked, “C… could I invest too?”

“Haha, you made billions of dollars so far, yet you want more?”

“You can never have too much money.”

“This time, it will involve a disaster. I will be making money off from other people’s misery. I don’t want you to be a part of it.”

Jang Gwangchul’s voice lowered. Something big would happen.

“So it will be huge again.”

“You will be shocked. Many people will get hurt and many could die. Today is March 1, so it will happen soon.”

“Well, then I will focus on the Daeyang situation. As a matter of fact, I got a call from a group of Daeyang’s primary partnering companies.”

“There are about 190 or so of them, right?”

“195 to be exact. We need many of those companies to support ANIX, so I will try to get at least 50% of them on our side.”

“Do your best.”

Lee Parksung said to his son Lee Sunghyun.

“The situation is getting worse.”

“…”

“The investigation on Daeyang and the relevant government officials could affect us too. I will, of course, try my best not to get you involved, but some people close to you may end up in jail. We still don’t know who is behind all this so get ready.”

Lee Sunghyun sighed, “I think it might be Kang Woosung, don’t you agree?”

“President Kang?”

“Yes. He hates Daeyang. He told me about it before.”

“I see.”

“He is too big for me to control now. It has been estimated his company will make up 20% of Korean GDP. He is the king of the business world now.”

“Then… If we take care of him, this situation will be resolved?”

“Probably, but it won’t be easy. He has become arrogant.”

“Bastard.”

“We have no choice. Whoever has the most money has the power. The public loves him too.”

Lee Parksung murmured, “I think I need to meet with him again.”

“If the conversation goes well, it would be great, but… It could get worse. You have already played the bad cop, so what do you think you can do?”

“I can play the good cop this time. I can make good offers on Yongsan project, self-driving cars, tax deductions, whatever he wants.”

“I’m not sure if it will work.”

“As you said, money can make anything happen. Why would he refuse these financial benefits?”

“Because… he will still make a lot of money even without your offer. I am not sure if he will find your proposal attractive.”

“Then…”

They both became quiet. There seemed to be no solution to this.

Tokyo.

Fukushima nuclear plant monitoring agent made an emergency call.

“We need to evacuate everyone and close down this plant right now.”

However, his superior refused the call. He was asked to continue monitoring and be ready. If they closed the plant, they will lose hundreds of millions of dollars.

Suddenly, the internal CCTV started to shake. The alarms went off loudly.

Everything turned red.

Emergency!

Emergency!

Emergency!

Emergency!

All the monitors went wild. The monitoring agents paled.

The core was starting to melt. This meant there could be a leak to the outside.

The CCTV cameras turned dark. One agent quickly turned on the TV. A piece of breaking news was being reported.

[Breaking News] Fukushima nuclear power plant explosion.

[Breaking News] Nuclear radiation damage expected.

[Breaking News] 30Km radius evacuation ordered.

The next day, the Nikkei index dropped by 10%. Alex exclaimed with excitement.

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Chapter 169: <Richest of them all>

Alex followed Woosung’s order and the profit they made was incredible.

Alex called Woosung in excitement, “Boss, it’s done. Do you know how much we made this time?”

Woosung replied evenly, “About 15 billion dollars?”

“Hahaha, 18.5 billion dollars actually.”

“Wow, really? 3 billion dollars more?”

“Liam helped me this time. He is good. It must be his experience at the hedge fund. I was going to sell a little earlier, but he encouraged me to wait a little longer and that’s how we made an extra 3 billion dollars.”

“So Liam did great.”

“Yup. He deserves a bonus.”

“Alright. I will think about it.”

“Good. Now, should I put the money into stocks and real estates again?”

“Amazon and Apple. Real estates in New York, please. Keep 50% of it in cash.”

“So we will have total cash of 14 billion dollars.”

“I have something I need to buy and it will be expensive.”

“It will cost 14 billion dollars?”

“Haha, possibly more.”

***

The news of Fukushima shocked Korea.

“Travel to Japan banned for now.”

“Any imports from Japan to be closely examined.”

Slowly, the news about Daeyang disappeared and replaced by the tragedy in Japan.

The government announced its focus on the safety of Korean nuclear plants.

Woosung murmured in frustration, “It’s so obvious that they want to bury the Daeyang situation.”

Jang Gwangchul replied, “The public gets tired of the same news anyway. By the way, is the Japan situation what you dreamt about?”

“Something like it. I saw explosions, people in despair, and so on.”

“And that is why you sent the Red Angels?”

Many TV channels covered a live stream of Red Angel’s saving people. On the uniforms of these rescue agents were KND logos. The photos of the rescues reached the world and had a great marketing effect.

Woosung nodded and replied, “Yes, and that’s why I had them ready for it. I hope they all return safely.”

“So how much did you actually make?”

Woosung answered honestly, “Over 10 billion dollars.”

Jang Gwangchul gaped in shock.

“10, 10 billion? Did you say 10 billion?”

“Haha, why are you so shocked? This isn’t the first time we made this much money.”

Jang Gwangchul jumped. “So much money! Just how rich are you planning to be?”

Woosung grinned and joked, “Maybe trillion?”

“T… trillion?”

“Haha, at this rate, don’t you think it’s possible?”

“Bill Gates is worth 100 billion dollars, so you think you will have 10 times more than him?”

“Yup. So you just focus on taking over Daeyang and don’t worry about the money.” Woosung took a deep breath and continued, “Shift in focus to Japan is a good chance for us. I don’t think we can take down Daeyang completely right now. We just have to do as much damage as possible.”

Jang Gwangchul nodded firmly.

***

11 pm.

Woosung visited his Bitmain office. It was time to entice Choi Gichul into getting involved in this business. Woosung collected enough bitcoins to control the cryptocurrency market and Daeyang was failing. Woosung was ready.

When he entered the office, Jung Jinsup was alone, working late into the night. Woosung grinned. This reminded of the hard time he had while working at Bitmain in his previous life. He used to go home past midnight.

Woosung wanted Jung Jinsup to experience the same agony. No personal life. Only work for a meager wage.

He approached Jung Jinsup and asked, “Sir, you are still working?”

Jung Jinsup turned around. His skin was rough and his lips were cracking. His eyes were half closed from fatigue.

“I will, but I have a lot of work left to do. We have so many users now.”

“But it’s past 11 pm now. You are working too hard.”

“It’s my job.”

“Finish it tomorrow. Let’s go for a drink. I have something to tell you.”

“D… drink?” Jung Jinsup’s eyes widened.

“Yes. I was able to talk to my mentor recently and I want to tell you something.”

“R, really?”

“Yes. My mentor knows your hard work as well. Oh and you are friends with Daeyang’s Choi Gichul, right? Do you still talk to him?”

“I do but… not often because of my situation.”

“Why don’t you call him right now? The three of us can go for a drink. I have something I want to tell Choi Gichul about Daeyang too.”

“It might be better for you to call…”

“Haha, as you know, things between Choi Gichul and I are a bit strained due to the recent development. If you arrange this, I will owe you.”

Jung Jinsup nodded reluctantly. “Alright. I will try calling him.”

“Then let’s go.”

“Um… I want to go, but… Could you let your friend know it’s you who is asking me to go? I still have a lot of work left to do and if they are not done, I might get in trouble…”

“Haha, alright. I will take care of it.”

Woosung grinned.

***

Woosung took Jung Jinsup to a bar called Venetian. It was a Greek-themed place where the waitresses wore sexy togas.

Jung Jinsup exclaimed, “This is awesome!”

“I haven’t been a good friend to you lately. I will do better.”

“Haha, it’s okay. You are busy. Oh, and Choi Gichul just texted me and he said he’ll come. He might be a little late though.”

“Haha, good. Why don’t we start without him then?”

Jung Jinsup drank heavily. He became red quickly and groped women constantly. Woosung watched in distaste while barely drinking himself. The only reason for arranging this meeting was to meet Choi Gichul.

2 am.

Finally, Choi Gichul walked in.

Woosung stood up and greeted him, “Haha, long time no see.”

Choi Gichul frowned. “Yes, President Kang.”

Behind Choi Gichul, Choi Taemin followed.

“Haha, nice to see you again President Kang. Gichul said there is a good party so I followed him.”

Woosung took his hand and laughed. “Great! There was something I wanted to tell you too.”

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Chapter 170: <Richest of them all>

Choi Taemin took a sip of his drink. “I hope I’m not intruding.”

“Haha, not at all. I’m glad we get a chance to clear the air. I think there has been a misunderstanding between us.”

Choi Taemin laughed at the word “misunderstanding.”

He replied, “I heard you are getting ready for the battle. You hired every lawyer in the country.”

“Haha, I need to protect myself.”

Choi Gichul drank silently. Last time, it seemed like Choi Gichul was Choi Gitae’s slave, but it appeared that Choi Taemin controlled him now. Choi Taemin placed his arm on Choi Gichul’s shoulder. Choi Gichul flinched.

Choi Taemin asked, “So you wanted to talk to Gichul about Daeyang?”

“Yes, but now that you are here, we can all discuss this together.”

“Alright. Go ahead.”

“So firstly, we need to accept the situation. I understand your dilemma, Vice president. I’m not interested in playing the blaming game.” Woosung ate a piece of sushi and continued, “How many are you thinking?”

Choi Taemin took another sip of his whiskey and asked, “Haha, I don’t understand. What do you mean?”

“Then I will have to be more specific. How many of Daeyang subsidiary companies?”

Jung Jinsup was sleeping. Choi Gichul glared at Woosung. Choi Taemin’s face hardened.

“You are asking me for my company’s subsidiaries… You want to take them?”

“Do you have any other choice? Daeyang’s sales are declining fast.”

“Daeyang is fine.”

“Come on, let’s be realistic. Your stock price is plummeting. Your performance this quarter is awful.”

“Just because you say it doesn’t make it true.”

Woosung grinned mockingly. “Haha, sir, I am Kang Woosung. My words are always true.” Woosung then suddenly turned serious.

Choi Taemin swallowed. Choi Gichul kept sighing.

Choi Taemin asked, “I can’t give you any. Can we come up with something else?”

“Then…”

Woosung glanced at Choi Gichul. He suddenly thought of something.

When Woosung hesitated, Choi Taemin encouraged him, “As long as it’s not something ridiculous, I will cooperate.”

Choi Taemin was desperate.

After a few more seconds of pause, Woosung added, “I want to create a foundation similar to FKI (Foundation of Korean Industries). I would like Choi Gichul to consign his Daeyang shares to me in good faith so I can use them to make this foundation. This agency will provide a platform for the businessmen to negotiate and work out the differences before seeking the legal route.” Woosung continued quickly, “I will, of course, provide half of the necessary funds. I will be the CEO and Choi Gichul can be the Vice president.”

When the Choi brothers looked confused, Woosung added, “Currently, FKI is useless. I want to make an agency that will work and benefit all the businessmen.”

It was not a bad deal, but consigning Choi Gichul’s shares was concerning.

Woosung explained further, “Choi Gichul has 2% of Daeyang Electronics and 15% of Daeyang Life. I realize this is a big deal, but that is why it would be great. It would represent your trust in me and this idea.”

Choi Taemin asked nervously.

“That’s it?”

“I want Choi Gichul to be part of my team. That means I want you to get rid of his bodyguards. I want my bodyguards on him.”

The reason Choi Taemin knew of this meeting was because he had people watching Choi Gichul. Choi Taemin bit his lips. Choi Gichul looked at Woosung in surprise.

Choi Gichul was like a prince imprisoned in the castle run by Choi Taemin.

It appeared Woosung knew this situation.

Woosung added quickly, “This is a better deal than giving up your subsidiaries.”

Choi Taemin glared at Choi Gichul. He suspected this was Choi Gichul’s doing, but Choi Gichul was innocent.

He explained, “Taemin, this wasn’t my idea. I have been using only the cell phone you gave me, and I am monitored 24/7 by your bodyguards. How could I plan anything like this?”

Choi Taemin relaxed. It was true. Everything Choi Gichul did was reported to him. Suddenly, Choi Taemin remembered.

Chun Gisu.

Jang Hyunho.

Choi Taemin asked, “And this will end the current troubles?”

Woosung nodded and replied, “Yes. I will drop the defamation lawsuit. I will also stop those annoying TV ads and make an official announcement that KND will not be moving its headquarter because we came to good terms with Daeyang.”

Choi Taemin took another sip. What should he do? Why was Woosung interested in Choi Gichul?

So many thoughts crossed his mind.

‘But there is no proof.’

Choi Taemin decided quickly. He suspected Woosung knew about Choi Gitae and his father’s recent demises. However, there was no proof. Testimony from Choi Gichul alone would never be enough in the court.

He replied, “Alright. Let’s do it.”

Woosung laughed. The Choi brothers couldn’t understand why Woosung looked so happy.

Woosung offered his hand to Choi Taemin. “Hahaha, good deal.” He also turned to Choi Gichul. “I hope we work well together.”

Choi Gichul shook his hand.

***

The next day.

Everything promised was done quickly and efficiently. However, despite KND’s effort, Daeyang’s controversy didn’t’ die out. It certainly lessened, especially due to the Fukushima disaster, but the investigation by the prosecutors continued. Some from Daeyang also ended up in jail. However, Chun Gisu and Jang Hyunho remained safe.

As expected, Choi Taemin wasn’t even questioned.

Woosung’s reputation was golden. He was now known as the man who forgave his enemy. Red Angle’s work in Japan also helped in promoting Woosung and his companies. The public saw Woosung as the hero.

Blue S sales and the number of Coconut users continued to increase. Many would have been happy with such a success, but Woosung remained hungry for more.

He asked Choi Gichul, “How is it going with our Korean Business Agency?”

“We recently completed the purchase of an office and are in the process of hiring.”

Woosung asked in annoyance, “Couldn’t you get things done faster? At this rate, we won’t be able to start this year.”

Choi Gichul bit his lips and answered, “Yes, sir. I will try.”

Woosung had no intention of extracting any information from Choi Gichul.

Woosung’s only goal of this relationship was to stress Choi Gichul out. Just like Choi Gichul did to him in his previous life.

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Chapter 171: <Richest of them all>

Choi Gichul gritted his teeth and answered, “Yes, sir.”

Woosung ordered him around rudely, “This isn’t Daeyang. Remember that.”

Choi Gichul sighed deeply. His assistant from Daeyang texted quickly to Choi Taemin.

“Relationship worsening. No signs of changes.”

The final compromise from Choi Taemin was to have one assistant from Daeyang follow Choi Gichul around. The rest, including Choi Gichul’s cell phone and bodyguards, were all provided by KND.

Choi Gichul had no choice but to follow Woosung’s orders. If he didn’t, Choi Taemin would be angry.

“Yes, sir.”

Choi Gichul left quickly. Woosung grinned.

Jang Gwangchul, who was also in the room, asked, “Are you a sadist? Why are you so mean to him?”

“Haha, I have a good reason. By the way, is the Korean Business Agency going well?”

“Yeah. Many IT businesses have asked to get involved. Some mid-sized companies too. Ahyun Auto wants to think about it. Other bigger financial and communications companies don’t seem interested though.”

“I expected that.”

“So why are you making this? We don’t need it.”

“To become more powerful and influential. I will need fairer business laws as I buy more companies. Having this agency at my disposal will make it easier for us in the future.”

“Well, I trust your judgment.”

“This will benefit all the other companies too. I want the business world to become more transparent.”

“I see.”

“And now, it’s time for us to start shopping for businesses in Japan.”

“W, what?”

“We should invest in Japan with the money I made from the Japanese disaster.”

“What are you planning?”

“Dobashita, which has the patent for Nand flash memory. If we have this company on top of ANIX, we will become number one in the semiconductor sector.”

“Hmm…”

“As you know, Dobashita invested heavily in nuclear development. After this recent disaster, its stock price has declined sharply. This is our chance.”

“They produce Dram, right?”

“That’s right. If we have ANIX and Dobashita, we will rule the IT industry.”

“I guess. I can’t stop you anyway.”

“So we should visit Japan.”

***

Choi Gichul returned home with a bunch of reports.

“Bastard! Does he think he owns me?” He threw the papers on the ground.

The assistant, who was following him close behind, hurriedly picked them up. “I will take care of the reports.”

“Dammit! He said he would quiz me on them.”

“Oh, then you can watch me do them.”

Choi Gichul glared.

“What?”

“I apologize.”

“You think apologizing is enough?”

Bam!

The assistant closed his eyes. He knew what was coming.

Every punch was worth 5000 dollars.

Punch!

Wham!

It was painful, but the assistant’s contract guaranteed payments for physical abuse, so it was endurable.

Finally, after a few more punches, Choi Gichul stopped hitting him.

“Get everything done and prepare a summary of everything for me.”

“Yes, sir.”

The assistant left quickly.

Choi Gichul went into his room and took out a cell phone.

It was a secret prepaid phone he hid from everyone.

He called Jung Jinsup. Jung Jinsup didn’t answer the first time, but the second time worked.

“Oh, w… what’s up?”

Jung Jinsup sounded nervous. Choi Gichul grinned.

“Hey, why do you sound so anxious?”

“I… I’m just really busy. What’s going on?”

“How’s working at Bitmain? What do you do there?”

“This is a cryptocurrency dealership. We maintain Coconut Mall too… Yes. Yes, sir.”

Jung Jinsup suddenly hung up.

Choi Gichul called out Jung Jinsup’s name a few times, but there was no answer.

“W… what the!”

After a few minutes, a text message arrived from Jung Jinsup.

“As you know, my company is gone and I need the money. Thanks to Woosung, I got this job.”

Choi Gichul quickly replied.

“Why did you agree to it? If you asked me, I would have gotten you a position at Daeyang.”

“I need to learn how Kang Woosung became successful. I need to know his data analysis technique.”

“Technique?”

“Y.”

That was the end of the conversation. Choi Gichul stared at the phone in frustration.

***

When Woosung arrived in Japan, he visited the KND branch and met with the manager Park Jinmyung.

“Did you find out what I asked?”

“Yes. As you predicted, they are trying to hide the fact that they have a huge loss by split accounting”

“I knew it.”

In Woosung’s previous life, Dobashita suffered from big losses. They came close to filing bankruptcy. In the end, they ended up selling the memory department to make up the loss.

“Can we steal their information? I want to use them if possible so we can take over this company quickly.”

“You plan to reveal their split accounting to further deteriorate their stock price? That will make it easier for us.”

“We have been buying their stocks for a while now in preparation. If we can make the stock price fall further, wouldn’t it make it easier for us to take over the company?”

“True… In Japan, you are seen favorably.”

“But even then, the Japanese public will still protest against losing their company to a foreigner. We need to make sure to weaken this company before we buy it.”

Park Jinmyung finally understood what Woosung was asking him to do.

“Do you want me to trail the high-ranking officials from Dobashita?”

“I expect that there are a lot of corruptions in this company. If we can get the proofs and release them to the media…”

“Hmm… It won’t be easy.”

“I don’t care how much it costs. I will fund it with my personal money. Don’t use the company fund.”

Park Jinmyung nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Did you know that Dobashita is making money from the clean up of the recent nuclear explosion?”

Park Jinmyung’s eyes widened. “Pardon?”

“The Japanese nuclear damage compensation law states those that maintained and operated the nuclear plant gets compensated, not the one that developed the plant. This is why Tokyo Electric Power Company may go bankrupt, but Dobashita is making money from it. Does that make sense to you?”

Park Jinmyung shook his head.

“Use this info too.”

***

Nomura Finance’s Sato Ichiro couldn’t understand.

“Someone made a lot of money on Nikkei future by mass short positioning right before the nuclear disaster.”

It didn’t make sense. He looked at many indexes including the US interest rate, crude oil future, and different countries exchange rates. None of them suggested that the Japanese economy would decline.

“Then did someone predicted the earthquake? How about the Fukushima nuclear plant explosion?”

There were so many strange things about this.

There was no way someone could have predicted nuclear plant involvement. Did this mean someone was involved in this disaster? Did someone purposely make it happen?

It was unthinkable. Ichiro swallowed nervously. He quickly became furious.

“Who would attack Japan like this?”

Someone was out to get his country.

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Chapter 172: <Richest of them all>

Japanese Financial Service Agency.

After getting a call from Nomura Finances, Director Watabe Shota poured over the future market records from early to mid-March. As Sato Ichi suggested, a strange order was made at the beginning of March.

There was no other explanation for this other than a huge unknown force in works.

Shota started investigating to unravel where the purchase was made. Using his authority as a member of the Japanese Financial Service Agency, he managed to track it back to Right Capital from US.

The profit appeared to be over a billion dollars.

The positions this hedge fund took were incredible. It was as if someone knew the future.

18 billion dollars were made in less than 2 weeks.

Over a billion dollars a day…

“How?”

Who was behind this?

How could someone know a tsunami was coming and it would affect the nuclear plant?

Further investigation was necessary. Watabe Shota made a quick call.

***

Japan’s National Integrity Index was 8.1.

It was much higher than Korea, but it didn’t mean the Japanese government was completely free of corruption.

Garo Yukimura.

The Chief Financial Officer laughed, “Hahaha, I can’t keep up with you, sir.”

“Not at all. I learned a lot from you today.”

“Haha, I don’t want to keep you for too long. Let’s get to the business.”

Woosung took out an envelope and replied, “Please have a look at this first.”

Yukimura read over the report silently. As he continued to read, he turned serious. His smile disappeared and his face hardened. He exclaimed a few times as well.

Woosung watched and explained, “It is a report on Dobashita’s corrupt ways. Dobashita used split accounting to hide its huge losses. Briberies were made among many high-ranking officials too.”

“Hmm… Where did you get these…?”

“I don’t seek this kind of information out. They usually come to me. As you know, I run a huge corporation and many interested parties offer me information.”

“Hmm…”

“If this becomes public, Dobashita’s stock price will plummet. The company will be in a huge trouble. I came to you first because I wanted to give you a chance to make it right before it happens.”

“You are interested in Nand flash memory?”

“Yes. If your agency approves this deal and gives me this company, I promise to keep 100% of the current employees and invest in building factories in Japan.”

Knock knock.

Someone knocked on the door.

“Sir, it’s Watabe Shota.”

“You may come in.”

Yukimura introduced Shota to Woosung, “Say hello. This is Right Capital’s CEO Kang Woosung. You have heard of him, right?”

Shota swallowed hard. His current cellphone was Blue S. He cheered for Red Angels during the disaster relief effort. Everyone knew who Kang Woosung was.

“Oh… This is…”

“Have a look at this.”

Yukimura handed him the report. After examining it, Shota paled. It was the same reaction as Yukimura’s.

“This…”

“You need to closely examine it.”

Shota asked hesitantly, “Then what about the case on Right Capital…”

Woosung answered instead of Yukimura, “Did you find anything from your investigation?”

“No, but…”

“Do you think if you continue, you will find something on me?”

This didn’t seem like the case. Shota couldn’t answer.

Woosung continued quickly, “It was Sato Ichiro from Nomura Finances who reported this, right?”

Shota nodded.

Woosung grinned and continued, “You will soon get a call that he made a mistake. Please have a good look at that report. It is very important.”

At Woosung’s emphasis, Shota’s eyes widened.

Woosung added, “Very important. If this doesn’t work out, it could cause a lot of problems.”

Shota had to nod. Afterwards, Woosung called for the waitress.

“Do you have what I asked?”

Quickly, a table was brought in. On it was a beautiful naked woman with fresh sushi arranged on her body.

Nyotaimori.

Shota’s eyes widened again in surprise.

“I have ordered some great drinks as well. Let’s enjoy!”

***

After a few days.

The news on Dobashita was released, but Japan was still grieving from the recent disaster. The news did not receive much interest from the public.

However, the corrupt ways of the executives were still criticized harshly. The stock price declined. The company didn’t know what to do with the current situation.

Woosung visited the office.

“Did you make a decision?”

He didn’t have to explain. He just placed a document on the table.

“Open it.”

The executives swallowed and examined the document.

“Fukushima nuclear parts delivery company list.”

“Dobashita.”

The executives’ eyes widened.

“Currently, Dobashita is abusing the recent disaster in Japan to make a profit. In addition, it is now suspected that the nuclear plant was built without necessary safety precautions for a possible earthquake, which is always a strong possibility in Japan.”

If this report reached the media… The company would be destroyed.

“I thought about taking this report NHK, but I decided to come to you first.”

“Do you think you can blackmail us?”

“It’s not a threat. It’s the truth. Besides, I am now a major shareholder of Dobashita. You can’t be rude to me like this.”

“…”

The room silenced.

Woosung murmured, “No wonder your company is failing. Do you treat all your major shareholders like this?”

Dobashita’s CEO Yamashi Daichi finally replied, “How much are you offering?”

“10 billion dollars. I think it’s a fair offer.”

“I assume you have all the necessary paperwork done? Did you get the approval from the Japanese Financial Service Agency?”

Woosung grinned, “Of course.”

Daichi looked devastated. There was no other option.

“Alright…”

***

“ANIX CEO takes over the Japanese Doshibata.”

“ANIX will largely benefit from Nand flash.”

“Kang Woosung does it again!”

Woosung was becoming even more popular in Korea. He became the most beloved businessman in Korea.

Another news quickly developed.

[Daenam Construction Yongsan project confirmed.]

“Daenam Construction announced the beginning of both Pangyo and Yongsan projects.”

“Coconut’s newest AI technology will be incorporated into the Yongsan project to build smart homes and offices.”

It was the era of Kang Woosung.

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Chapter 173: <Two sides of the same coin>

Jang Gwangchul grinned widely and teased Woosung, “I heard you were voted the most eligible bachelor in Korea!”

Woosung grinned. “Haha, too bad you’re only in the 7th place.”

“W… what?”

“I told you to strive to be number one! I mean, I realize it will be hard to beat me, but you could have at least been number two.”

Jang Gwangchul closed his eyes and shook his head.

Woosung continued, “Haha, I’m still in my 20’s but you are so old! When will you get married?”

“Hey!”

“Your parents even told me how worried they are!”

Jang Gwangchul started to sweat. “Gosh, that’s none of your business. I will get married when I’m ready.”

“Whatever.”

“…”

Jang Gwangchul knew he couldn’t win an argument against Woosung, so he changed the subject.

“I heard you will be interviewed by the Times magazine.”

“Yes. They also want to use me on the cover page. I have been selected as the young business leader of the year.”

“How do you feel about that? Times!!!”

“I don’t feel anything. What I am actually interested in is perhaps taking over the Times magazine company.”

“You want to buy EVERYTHING in the world… Is that it?”

“Haha, don’t you think I could do it?”

“Hmm?”

“Don’t worry. I won’t. I don’t have the time anyway.”

Jang Gwangchul shook his head. Sometimes, he couldn’t understand Woosung’s jokes.

Jang Gwangchul changed the subject again.

“We are making hundreds of millions of dollars every day, so what’s next?” Jang Gwangchul was curious about Woosung’s plan.

Woosung replied, “I think it’s time to focus on Sungyong Auto.”

“How?”

“Grow it into an electric and self-driving car specialty company. To do this, I am thinking about hiring many more AI experts.”

“And?”

“I don’t have the specifics, but I want to buy a few more companies and introduce Bitmain at the Times interview.”

Jang Gwangchul asked doubtfully, “Will Bitmain really become a profitable company?”

“It will be bigger than you can ever imagine.”

Bitcoin.

Woosung planned on popularizing this cryptocurrency soon.

When appropriate, he would get Choi Gichul involved.

“Then what?”

“The end of dollars.”

“W… what?”

Woosung didn’t answer. He just looked out the window. He wasn’t ready to talk about it yet.

***

Korean Business Agency office.

Choi Gichul frowned as he looked at the Times magazine.

“Why does everyone think he is so great?”

“The man that will lead 2011.”

“The god of money.”

“Kang Woosung.”

It was the nickname Times gave to Woosung. God of money.

Choi Gichul stared at it unhappily.

Suddenly, his landline beeped. When he answered, it was Woosung, “Please come to my office.”

Choi Gichul frowned nervously.

Woosung’s office was on the 10th floor. Choi Gichul sat down anxiously.

Woosung read the report in front of him and glanced at Choi Gichul.

“Hmm…” Woosung sighed deeply.

Choi Gichul’s stress level was soaring. His position was precarious. If he got on Woosung’s bad side, it could have a bad reflection on Daeyang.

Woosung finally said to him, “This report is better. Why couldn’t you do this before?”

Compliment.

This was the first compliment he got from Woosung. It didn’t feel bad. Choi Gichul almost smiled.

“Good work. The introduction and the main parts are all very concise yet detailed. I can’t find anything to correct.”

Choi Gichul had to stop himself from smiling widely.

He calmly replied, “Yes, sir.”

“Keep up the good work.”

“Yes.”

Woosung was most likely the richest man in the world now. He was by far the fastest growing businessman. Choi Gichul couldn’t help but feel ecstatic at the compliment from such a great man.

Woosung laughed after Choi Gichul left. “What an idiot.”

This was the technique he learned from Choi Gichul in his previous life. Criticize and punish until they hit bottom. Then compliment them a few times. They will feel grateful for these rare praises.

Woosung felt great. Sweet revenge.

“This is just the beginning. I will get him to invest in bitcoins and then destroy him.” Woosung started to laugh hysterically. “Hahaha, it’s going to be so fun.”

***

After getting back to his seat, Choi Gichul looked at the magazine again. Woosung didn’t look as bad on the cover now. He even smiled a little.

Choi Gichul turned the pages to Woosung’s interview.

“What did he say to the Times?”

As expected, it was mostly about his business and his future plans. One word caught Choi Gichul’s attention.

“Bitcoin?”

He remembered Woosung mentioning this word in the past. It was also one of the cryptocurrencies dealt at Bitmain.

“AI, self-driving car, and blockchain are the future.”

“Through the currency called Bitcoin, blockchain will continue to improve. Bitcoin will someday destroy the current monetary system and will become the most popular digital currency in the world.”

“It will happen sooner than you expect.”

“Please remember the two words. Blockchain and Bitcoin.”

Choi Gichul quickly searched these terms on the internet. They were already the most searched terms online in Korea. He called Jung Jinsup for more information, but he didn’t answer.

“Bitcoin… Bitcoin…”

***

[Auto-Scale In progress…]

[Auto-Scale In progress…]

[Auto-Scale In progress…]

[Auto-Scale In progress…]

After the popup, another server was created within only a few minutes.

“Frontend 3, backend 5. Completed.”

“Connection delay has been fixed.”

“We will upload the announcement right now.”

“The call center is going crazy with all the inquiries.”

The Bitmain office was busy. The employees stared at the monitors worriedly.

“Sir, this isn’t enough. We need more servers. If this continues, the servers will shut down again.” Park Jonghyun glared at Jung Jinsup, who continued nervously. “This is a structural problem. It needs to be fixed if we want things to improve.”

“Do you know how much it costs to maintain a new server? 400 dollars per month. 400 dollars!”

Jung Jinsup replied, “I’m sorry.”

“We have a sudden increase in the number of users because of the Times magazine. We will eventually get to more servers, but right now, what we need is program improvement. Got it?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Let’s get going then.”

Woosung watched the scene secretly from his office.

When Park Jonghyun walked into his office, Woosung praised him, “Friend, I’m impressed. You are so good at dealing with the employees.”

“But things are becoming awkward now. As you know, we hired a lot of people for Bitmain.” When Woosung nodded, Park Jonghyun continued, “People are feeling sympathetic towards Jung Jinsup.”

“Hmm…”

“People hate me.”

“But you don’t treat other people like you do Jung Jinsup.”

“People see how I treat him. They talk behind my back. Is it really okay for me to continue like this?”

“Well, I think you’ve done enough. The only thing you need to monitor now is to make sure the employees don’t trade bitcoins on the side. If they are ever caught doing it, they will either lose their salary or get fired.”

“Don’t worry about that. I have made it into an official office rule.”

“Haha, good.”

Woosung grinned evilly and glanced at Jung Jinsup.

‘But Jung Jinsup will get involved. He has to.’

Park Jonghyun saw Woosung’s expression and flinched.

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Chapter 174: <Two sides of the same coin>

Midnight.

Jung Jinsup was still at work. He worked on weekends nowadays. It was all because Woosung mentioned the word bitcoin at the Times interview. The price of bitcoin jumped from a few dollars to over 10 dollars.

All because of Woosung.

Some people made a lot of profit already. People thought 10 dollars was too expensive, yet they continued to buy them.

It quickly went up to 20 dollars. The number of transactions at Bitmain increased exponentially. The amount of work for Jung Jinsup increased at the same rate too.

Jung Jinsup sighed deeply and leaned back. He has been staring at his computer all day and now he’s tired beyond any measure. He placed some eye drops to remedy his dropping eyes and went back to his screen.

He murmured, “How did I get here?”

Only a year ago, he was one of the richest men in Korea. Why did he end up here like this? He couldn’t understand.

“I’m so tired. So tired.”

He wanted to quit right now, but he also wanted to meet Woosung’s mentor who taught him how to analyze data. He also needed the money.

“I’m so poor now that if I don’t have this job, I will be in trouble.”

Jung Jinsup sighed again.

After 1 am, Jung Jinsup finally turned off his monitor and left the office. When he got to the street, he noticed a familiar man. This man was talking on the phone.

“Yes. So you are saying it will go up to 50 dollars next week? Alright. I will take care of it.”

It was Woosung.

He continued, “Haha, not at all. It’s enough. Your data analysis technique is way better than mine, of course. I trust you.”

Jung Jinsup hid behind the building and continued to eavesdrop.

‘Is he talking to his mentor? The analysis expert?’

Woosung continued on the phone.

“Of course. I will mention the bitcoin again. Yes. Yes.”

Woosung finally hung up and got into his car.

When the car drove away, Jung Jinsup murmured, “It’s 20 dollars now… if it becomes 50 dollars next week…”

Jung Jinsup took out his phone and turned on the Bitmain app.

Bitcoin price was indeed rising slowly.

Jung Jinsup couldn’t help himself.

“I…I’m sure I won’t get caught.”

The office rule strictly forbade anyone working at Bitmain was to trade. However, Jung Jinsup’s finger clicked the “Buy” button anyway.

The next day, Jung Jinsup called in sick and stayed home. He sat in front of his personal computer. He bought the bitcoins at 21.10 and now it was 25.20. He invested 100,000 dollars and now it was 120,000 dollars.

Only in two days.

However, this wasn’t enough. 20,000 dollars was nothing. According to Woosung, it would rise to 50 dollars in the following week. He had to invest more money.

Jung Jinsup currently had a million dollars in cash and a million dollars in properties. 2 million dollars in total.

The only problem is he couldn’t sell his assets right away. He didn’t want to borrow money at high interest from loan sharks.

Suddenly, he thought of someone.

“Choi Gichul! If I explain, he might loan me 5 million dollars…”

Jung Jinsup quickly picked up his phone.

***

“Bitcoin reaches 30 dollars.”

“Will cryptocurrency take over the world?”

“Bitcoin gaining popularity quickly.”

“The truth about Bitcoin.”

Bitcoin became the most popular topic in the media. New articles about it popped up daily. Jang Gwangchul asked after reading a few of them.

“Should I invest as well?”

“If you want to lose money, sure.”

“Why? You said it’s a profitable business.”

“Haha, I guess. You never know with these things though. In 10 years, who knows how much it would be worth?”

“Are you saying it will go up or down?”

“Blockchain technology will for sure become huge. Coconut Coin will be a success too, but bitcoin…”

Woosung couldn’t tell anymore. He has changed so much of the history from his previous life. He wasn’t sure of the future.

“It will be less profitable than Coconut Coin, so just invest in Coconut Coin.”

“Alright.”

Hong Soobum, who was also in the room, asked, “Thanks to the cooperation from Nuri Finances, the preliminary test for international money transfer system via Coconut was a success. It currently takes a few days for such transfer to be processed, but with Coconut, it takes only 10 minutes. Should we make an official announcement?”

“Yes, please. I think Nuri Finances probably already leaked the news anyway. It’s such a big project.”

Jang Gwangchul said in frustration, “I should have been more active in the Coconut Coin business when we first started it.”

“Haha, do you remember saying you don’t believe in digital currency?”

Jang Gwangchul turned to Hong Soobum and asked, “You must be happy. You bought into it quite earlier, right?”

Hog Soobum replied after glancing at Woosung, “Yeah, but it still can’t compare to our President. I got less than 1% while Woosung got 90%.”

Woosung added, “I guarantee you, Coconut Coin will be huge.”

***

[Bitcoin reaches 35 dollars.]

“Bitcoin frenzy, which started with President Kang’s mention of the concept at the Times magazine interview, has now reached everyone in the country including the college students and homemakers. Some believe that President Kang Woosung planned this in order to make a huge profit for himself.”

All the other news articles, including the investigation on Daeyang and the Fukushima disaster, started to disappear because of bitcoin.

Jung Jinsup couldn’t focus at work. He invested a total of 1.5 million dollars.

He bought them at 20 dollar-mark, so his profit was now at 50%.

Even if he sold it right now, he would still have a gain of 700,000 dollars. However, he overheard Woosung saying it would go over 50 dollars. That would mean a 100% profit. Jung Jinsup couldn’t stop now.

‘Dammit! Choi Gichul would only loan me 500,000 dollars. That’s nothing! I can’t get a loan from the bank…’

Should he go to a loan shark? It was so dangerous but…

He knew a famous loan shark from his MOX days. If he used his assets as collateral, he could probably borrow between 500,000 to 800,000 dollars.

‘This is my chance!’

Jung Jinsup finally decided and picked up his phone.

“Lender Kim Jihwan.”

He checked the bitcoin price again. It was at 37 dollars. He had to move fast. He dialed the number.

***

3 in the morning.

Woosung was still looking at his monitor.

The bitcoin price was continuing to rise slowly. It was now past 40 dollars.

“10,010,013 BTC.”

Woosung had over 10 million bitcoins now. This was enough to control the price. In fact, it was Woosung who was making the price go up to 40 dollars.

“Haha, Jung Jinsup asked for a week off, which means he is most likely involved in bitcoins. He is trapped now.”

Woosung would drop the price to a dollar.

That meant whoever bought into it right now would lose.

If you put in 100,000 dollars, you would end up with only 5000 dollars.

“45.10 dollars.”

As soon as the price of bitcoin reached 45 dollars, Woosung started to sell his bitcoins fast.

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Chapter 175: <Two sides of the same coin>

Minus 2000%.

Jung Jinsup paled. He was shaking violently.

Minus 2000%.

He gaped, “H, how…”

He saw it rise to 40 dollars last night before going to bed. He put an order to automatically sell when it reached 50 dollars. He expected it to be sold by this morning at 50 dollars. He went to bed happy and expectant.

2.5 dollars.

A bitcoin was worth 2.5 dollars now. It started at a dollar at the very beginning so whoever bought it at that time would have still made a profit. However, not Jung Jinsup.

“132,001.01”

132,000 dollars. 2.5 million dollars turned into 132,000 dollars.

He continued to shake.

What should he do?

What should he do?

He couldn’t think straight. He couldn’t even think about going to work. Jung Jinsup sat down and stared at the wall.

“Bitcoin prices plummet.”

“Minus 2000% overnight.”

[Bitcoin is not a good investment option.]

Woosung made an announcement regarding the recent bitcoin frenzy. He stated what he meant to do was to introduce the blockchain technology through bitcoin, not to make bitcoins appear to be an investment opportunity.

The news reports on bitcoins continued to be aired, but Jung Jinsup had no time to watch the news.

Knock! Knock!

Some men were banging on his front door.

“Jung Jinsup, I know you’re in there. Come out!”

“Hey, this isn’t funny. Come out right now.”

“Jung Jinsup, open the door!”

The loan shark’s thugs were outside Jung Jinsup’s apartment. He stayed in his bedroom and kept staring at his cellphone.

He murmured like a crazy person, “This can’t be. This can’t be. How could this be?”

His eyes were red.

Suddenly, his phone rang. It was from his loan shark, Kim Jihwan.

Jung Jinsup didn’t answer. Another call came. It was from Choi Gichul. He didn’t answer again. Jung Jinsup didn’t answer anyone.

Someone from work also called. Again, Jung Jinsup didn’t answer. He laid down on his bed and closed his eyes. His consciousness started to drift away.

Click.

Suddenly, the door opened and people ran into the apartment. The first person to enter was Woosung.

Woosung stared at Jung Jinsup on the bed.

‘No way I will let you die this easy.’

Woosung shook Jung Jinsup and yelled in a worried voice, “Hey, get up. Get up!”

Woosung poured cold water on Jung Jinsup’s face.

“Gyaaa!”

Jung Jinsup opened his eyes. Woosung slapped him a few times and asked, “Are you awake? Are you okay?”

Jung Jinsup’s cheeks were turning red. He rubbed his cheeks and murmured, “Hey, hey, stop hitting me. I’m okay. I’m awake now.”

Woosung sighed deeply, “Phew, I thought something happened to you. What’s going on? You didn’t come to work today and I saw a couple of thugs waiting outside your door.”

“Where are they now?”

“I sent them away.”

“They left when you asked?”

Woosung smirked. “Why wouldn’t they?”

Woosung was the richest man in Korea, possibly in the world.

When Woosung replied confidently, Jung Jinsup murmured, “I, I guess.”

“So what happened?”

Woosung noticed Jung Jinsup’s cellphone. On the screen was the Bitmain app.

“Did you buy bitcoins?”

Jung Jinsup closed his eyes. He couldn’t believe his situation.

Choi Gichul 500,000 dollars.

Loan shark 1 million dollars.

He didn’t know how he would pay back 1.5 million dollars. He could sell his house right now and pay back the loan shark, but what about Choi Gichul? Jung Jinsup turned to Woosung slowly.

‘1 million dollars is probably nothing to him.’

Jung Jinsup asked hesitantly.

“C… could I borrow some money? As you can guess… I need…”

Woosung smiled kindly and replied, “I think we should get you some breakfast first.”

Woosung took Jung Jinsup to an expensive traditional Korean restaurant. When the food came, Jung Jinsup ate hurriedly. He was starving.

After the meal, Jung Jinsup sighed deeply. A cup of hot tea was brought to him.

Woosung said to Jung Jinsup, “It’s chamomile tea. It will relax you.”

Jung Jinsup took a sip. His heart started to feel at ease.

“T… thank you.”

“Now, explain yourself. What happened?”

Jung Jinsup told Woosung the whole story except for eavesdropping on Woosung about bitcoins.

Jung Jinsup murmured, “I… I was wrong to do this. I lost my mind.”

“How could you borrow from a loan shark…?”

“Please help me this once, and I will pay back as soon as I can.”

He begged. When Woosung didn’t reply, Jung Jinsup asked again, “Please, just this once. 1 million dollars is nothing to you.”

“I can’t lend you money for free.”

“W… what can I give you? Tell me. I will do anything you ask.”

When Woosung became quiet, Jung Jinsup couldn’t hide his desperation. If Woosung didn’t help, Jung Jinsup would be homeless. If he lost his job because he got involved in bitcoins, he would starve to death.

“Are you really willing to do anything?”

“Of course. Anything!”

Woosung asked slowly, “As you know, I have accomplished a lot in my life. However, there is one thing I don’t have, and I really want it. It’s Daeyang.”

Jung Jinsup swallowed nervously. This was escalating into dangerous levels.

Woosung continued, “There is something you can do for me.”

“M, me?”

Jung Jinsup’s voice trembled. He couldn’t imagine what Woosung wanted him to do.

“You borrowed money from Choi Gichul, right?”

Jung Jinsup nodded.

Woosung continued, “Payback his money and get him to invest in creating a cryptocurrency dealership. Tell him you made a lot of money from bitcoins. I will take care of the rest.”

Jung Jinsup was at a loss. “I don’t understand what you are saying…”

“Tell him you made a lot of money from bitcoins and you plan on making your own dealership using the technology you learned from Bitmain. Get Choi Gichul to invest in this new business. If you do this, I will pay back your debt.”

“…”

“Convince him to invest.”

“That’s all I have to do?”

Woosung nodded.

***

700,000 dollars.

Jung Jinsup paid back the money to Choi Gichul. They met at a bar.

Choi Gichul asked with awe, “I thought it went down to a dollar. Did you sell?”

Jung Jinsup laughed awkwardly and replied, “Ha, haha. I have been collecting bitcoins since it was only 2 dollars.”

“Really? So if you bought at a dollars and sold at 40 dollars, you must have made a huge profit.”

“That’s why I’m buying today.”

“How much did you invest?”

“Enough. I put everything I had.”

“Then you must’ve made about 40 million dollars?”

Jung Jinsup didn’t answer. He emptied his glass and asked, “Do you want to create a company with me?”

“A business?”

“I’m planning on opening my own dealership.”

“Didn’t you say there was something you wanted to learn from President Kang?”

“That was before I made this much money. Now, things are different. I learned all the necessary technologies for cryptocurrency dealership. I just need someone to take care of the marketing and operation.”

Choi Gichul took a sip of his drink. He was interested in bitcoins.

“Are you sure you know all the technologies?”

“Of course. Remember, I’m a Seoul University grad, and I have worked in MOX for years. I ran Bitmain for the last few months. I’m ready. I already have the developers hired. All you need to do is run the operation team.”

Choi Gichul took another sip. He was almost convinced, but he had to be careful. Jung Jinsup added casually.

“I understand that you can’t answer right away. Think about it and let me know. Don’t wait too long though. I will be starting very soon.”

Choi Gichul nodded and grinned mysteriously.

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Chapter 176: <Two sides of the same coin>

Korean Business Agency office.

Choi Gichul stood in front of Woosung respectfully. Woosung tapped his desk with his finger.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

“So you are late to work because you were out drinking late last night?”

“Yes, but I was working. I met with a new businessman to explain what our agency does. It was a meeting.” Woosung nodded for him to continue. “I actually met with someone who is planning on creating a business involving blockchain technology. I spent a lot of time with him last night and that is why I was late today.”

Choi Gichul was being monitored by Woosung’s bodyguards so he already knew this.

Woosung asked, “Did Jung Jinsup say he would make a blockchain related business?”

“To be exact, he wants to make a dealership using the technologies he learned from Bitmain.”

Choi Gichul ratted Jung Jinsup out. He looked expectant as he waited for Woosung’s praise.

“Jung Jinsup said that?”

“Haha, for sure. He wants to steal important technologies from Bitmain. I drank with him last night to find out more about it so I can report back to you.”

Woosung grinned. Earlier that morning, Jung Jinsup told him Choi Gichul seemed almost convinced. However, it appeared Choi Gichul had a different idea. This was funny.

“Really?”

When Woosung responded positively, Choi Gichul became excited.

He replied, “Jung Jinsup said he made a lot of money on bitcoins and that is why he wants to create his own company.”

“So what do you think? Do you think the dealership business has a future?”

“This industry has a future, but…”

Choi Gichul looked at Woosung. He wondered why Woosung was asking him such a question, but he couldn’t figure it out.

Choi Gichul quickly continued, “I think it has a great future. I researched about bitcoins and found that it is an impressive concept. I believe blockchain will be the future of the IT world.”

“Is your opinion based on your instinct or proofs?”

Was Woosung testing him? Choi Gichul wondered.

The truth was Woosung was asking these questions to learn about Choi Gichul. He was curious about how Choi Gichul’s mind worked.

Choi Gichul answered, “Instinct based on proofs.”

Woosung thought carefully. He had to get Choi Gichul to invest in bitcoins at the highest price.

“Jung Jinsup has left Bitmain as of yesterday, so your information isn’t new to me.”

Choi Gichul frowned.

‘Already?’

Woosung continued, “So what will you do?”

“P, pardon?”

“Even if you go into business with Jung Jinsup, you can’t neglect your duties at this agency.”

“Oh…”

“And your excuse for being late to work is ridiculous. If it was any other office, you would have been reprimanded.”

Choi Gichul bit his lips, but there was nothing he could do.

Woosung continued, “What would happen if I fire you for being late to work?”

Choi Gichul didn’t reply.

Woosung repeated in annoyance, “Did you not hear my question?”

Choi Gichul replied slowly, “It will break the contract with Daeyang and you will get my Daeyang shares.”

Woosung asked, “And?”

“You will refile the lawsuit against Daeyang and start airing the TV ads again.”

“And then?”

Choi Gichul was humiliated, but he had no choice but to answer. “Then Daeyang will be placed at a difficult position. Daeyang will lose many of its subsidiaries.”

“So you understand the situation, yet you are late for work? Then you give me an excuse that it was for work? Hahaha! Ridiculous.”

“…”

Choi Gichul reddened in anger and shame.

Woosung continued, “There is no excuse for a salaryman to be late for work. Do you understand?”

In his previous life, Choi Gichul treated Woosung like this. Woosung wanted to give it right back to him.

He raised his voice. “Did you hear what I said? Do you understand?”

“Y… yes, sir.”

“Answer me quickly when I ask a question. Why are you so slow?”

When Choi Gichul tried to answer, Woosung added, “Why aren’t you leaving yet? Do you have more to say?”

Choi Gichul left quickly.

***

Choi Taemin asked, “Are you sure?”

“Yes. He contacted us that he will open a new dealership with Jung Jinsup. He will borrow money using his Daeyang shares as collateral.”

“Not a bad idea. Maybe they can grow their company and take over Kang Woosung’s Bitmain.”

“Then I will let him know he can go ahead with it.”

Choi Taemin nodded. He picked up the report on his desk.

“I see our smartphone is still doing poorly.”

“The recent situation has affected our sales. Many of our customers are switching to Blue S, so we may have to develop a new line of cheaper phones.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“…”

“Cheaper versions?”

The assistant bit his lips. He was fearful of Choi Taemin and his unpredictable moods.

“Hmm…” Thankfully, Choi Taemin calmed down.

The assistant continued, “I will look into improving our designs and functions to increase sales.”

“As you know, ANIX took over Dobashita. Our electronics department is at risks. I also heard Kang Woosung is hiring the best semiconductor experts from all over the world. Do you know what this means?”

The assistant couldn’t answer.

Choi Taemin continued, “It means Kang Woosung plans on destroying our semiconductor department. You understand, right? Our smartphone business is a failure at this point. We can’t lose the semiconductor too. If we do, we can never recover.”

Choi Taemin had an accurate understanding of the situation. He continued.

“He is also involved in AI and blockchain. We need to rid of him so we could survive.”

“I will try to find his weaknesses.”

“We don’t have a lot of time. We may become the next Nokia. Remember that.”

The assistant nodded.

“Yes, sir.”

***

“Coconut Talk reaches 500,000 users.”

“30 million Blue S3s sold.”

“XFeed now owns 30% of the market.”

“Daenam Constructions to start Yongsan project.”

“Sungyong Autos to launch a new line of cars named ‘Line.'”

“Home Mart to have a new strategy.”

KND and Coconut stock prices continued to rise. Woosung was making tens of millions of dollars daily.

Woosung wanted to pursue other business projects. He visited England with Jang Gwangchul.

Woosung inhaled deeply. “Air in England feels different than in Korea.”

“Why?”

“It just feels gentler?”

At Woosung’s joke, Jang Gwangchul spilled his coffee, “W, what a lame joke!”

“Haha, it’s not a joke. As of yesterday, I am the richest person in the world.”

“…are you happy?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Haha, good job.”

“If we take over ARM, KND will be invincible.”

Jang Gwangchul didn’t argue. Woosung was always right.

Jang Gwangchul replied, “We have a busy schedule. We need to attend the Kang Woosung AI research center opening ceremony. Then we have to meet with English businessmen, we need to visit France and Germany too.”

The two entered the ARM headquarter. In Woosung’s previous life, Chairman Son Jungi invested 35 billion dollars in ARM for its potential. Woosung would offer one billion dollars today. It would be an excellent investment.

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Chapter 177: <Two sides of the same coin>

Pangyo.

A large sign was being placed on an eight-story building.

Bit Trading.

Jung Jinsup said to Choi Gichul, “You made the right decision. This will be a huge success.”

“It better be. I invested a lot into this.”

Jung Jinsup quickly glanced at Choi Gichul, who couldn’t stop staring at his cellphone.

[Breaking News] Kang Woosung purchases ARM.

[Breaking News] President Kang getting ready for the IoT world.

[Breaking News] President Kang Woosung spreads his wings to the world.

Jung Jinsup murmured quietly, “What is he planning now?”

He was curious. Why did Woosung buy ARM?

Jung Jinsup asked Choi Gichul, “We will deal with not only bitcoins but other cryptocurrencies too. It will run like a hedge fund that trades stocks. We will also make our own cryptocurrency to make an even bigger profit.”

Woosung had prepared Jung Jinsup on what to say.

Choi Gichul answered coldly, “I will find the way to make money. You just focus on the technology. I will take care of the rest.”

“A, alright.”

Choi Gichul turned to his phone again. More news popped up.

[Breaking News] Kang Woosung donates 100 million dollars to Oxford University, opens an AI research center.

[Breaking News] President Kang donates one billion dollars to the AI research.

[Breaking News] Kang Woosung receives an appreciation plaque from England’s Prime minister.

“What is his plan…?”

“Hmm?”

Jung Jinsup asked, but Choi Gichul didn’t bother answering. He walked into the office. Everything was ready including the employees and the equipment.

Choi Gichul murmured to himself, “Let’s see who wins.”

***

At a luxury hotel suite in Paris.

Woosung was drinking a glass of vintage wine. “This bottle cost me over 3000 dollars, but it tastes mediocre to me. Wine from convenient stores might have suited me better.”

Jang Gwangchul laughed, “Haha, you are the richest man in the world. If people heard you say that, they will think you’re crazy!”

Woosung ate a piece of foie gras and replied, “I can’t tell the difference between foie gras and cow liver.”

“How can you compare foie gras to cheap cow liver? You have such poor taste. All you know is how to make money. You need to learn now how to have an expensive palate.”

Jang Gwangchul took a sip and ate a piece of foie gras too. He closed his eyes. “It’s heavenly. I can’t believe you don’t appreciate this.”

Woosung ate another piece. “Does it really taste different?”

“For sure! Should we order another plate?”

“I’m full. We have a busy schedule tomorrow so you should go to bed now.”

“But I want more…”

“We have a lunch date with the French President. In the afternoon, we have to announce the purchase of Wiko. Tomorrow, we have to publicize that Coconut’s international transfer system will be cooperating with BNP Paribas.”

Wiko.

It was a smartphone company in France. It currently ranked number two in the world. Blue S was, of course, number one.

Jang Gwangchul grumbled. “Stop nagging me.”

“Haha, this is how you become a trillion-dollar corporation.”

“You work so hard. It’s amazing.”

“We need to be aggressive with our M&A. Our stock prices are rising because of our strategy. I am expecting to reach the trillion-dollar mark in three years.”

“But why can’t I drink a little bit more right now?”

“I will let you drink your fill after we successfully take over BMW. We will have a big celebration.”

“Alright.”

BMW in Germany. That was Woosung’s final goal for this trip.

The next day.

After the lunch with the French President, Woosung signed the contract with Wiko and appeared at the BNP Paribas office.

“We will now test the international money transfer system.”

Everyone watched expectantly as one thousand Euros were transferred to a Korean Nuri Bank.

It was completed in a minute.

It was even faster than expected, but Woosung was not satisfied.

“I guess international speed is not as fast as I hoped.”

Julia, who also attended as a representative of Coconut Bank, replied, “Boss, a minute is beyond successful. It used to take a week! Do you not realize how great this is?”

“I know, but why haven’t the other banks use this before?”

“Because their technology is still at a beginning stage, and their security system is questionable. Look at everyone here. They are all impressed.”

“If it happened within 5 seconds, they would have accepted this system right away.”

Jang Gwangchul replied, “Don’t be so hard on yourself. This is good.”

“We can’t be happy with just good, or else another company will do better. We need faster transfer to destroy the dollar system.”

Julia replied, “Boss, as I said before, the dollar is the world currency. If the dollar system goes down, the whole world will be in trouble. Cryptocurrency can’t replace the dollar system completely.”

“You are wrong, Julia. Do you know how the dollar became the international currency?”

“I’m just telling you to be realistic.” Julia reddened.

Woosung continued, “If every KND branch in the world starts using the Coconut Coin, what do you think will happen? People will use Coconut Coins to shop at Home Mart and electronics from KND. I can also use the Right Capital to make real estate purchase possible with this currency. What do you think will happen then?”

Julia bit her lips.

Slowly, the CEO of BNP Paribas approached them.

“It looks like the test was a success. We would love to incorporate the Coconut system. By the way, what were you guys talking about? It looked interesting.”

Woosung answered, “Something very interesting. Do you want to hear about it?”

Julia looked at him in shock.

***

Woosung explained, “Euro was unable to replace the dollars. China has tried, but its currency couldn’t do it either. So should the world continue to be controlled by the dollar system?”

No one could answer Woosung’s question.

“If we go on like this, we will never escape from it.”

BNP Paribas CEO looked at Woosung with interest.

Woosung continued, “But if we change the system completely, it will be possible. Cryptocurrency is the answer.”

One man asked, “Are you referring to Coconut?”

Woosung nodded and answered, “That’s right. As you just saw, international transfer only takes minutes now. Soon, it will become even faster. It will take less than 10 seconds, which will eliminate the transfer fee. Currency exchange will become unnecessary.” Woosung continued quickly, “Most people already don’t carry money around. They use credit or debit cards. Soon, there will be a room for cryptocurrency in everyone’s life. If BNP Paribas becomes part of Coconut, it will become the leader of the European economy. It will become the only bank in Europe because Coconut will share its technology only with BNP Paribas.”

The CEO and the other representatives swallowed. It was such a futuristic dream, but it was Kang Woosung, who was the richest businessman in the world. It was hard to dismiss him.

“I already made a similar offer to JP Morgan and HSBC. You better make a quick decision if you want to survive the coming of the future.”

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Chapter 178: <Two sides of the same coin>

The group left the BNP Paribas office.

Julia grumbled, “You used me just now, didn’t you? You wanted me to make a scene to get people interested!”

Woosung grinned. “How could you say that? We are a team!”

“Dammit! You should have told me about your plan before we went in.”

Jang Gwangchul asked, “Were you serious back there? You want to make Coconut Coin into the common currency of the world?”

“That’s right.”

Julia and Jang Gwangchul swallowed.

Julia asked, “Do you really believe it’s possible?”

“The US dollar became the world’s currency because America is the strongest country in the world, right?”

Julia nodded.

Woosung continued, “That means if Korea becomes strong, the same thing will happen for whichever currency is being used the most in Korea, right?”

“But the dollar system is well established. Do you really think it will be possible to replace it with a brand new system?”

“Listen, we already have the semiconductors. We will soon take over the oil and agricultural markets too. Once we have all these and involve Coconut Coins in them… It will happen. Coconut Coin transactions are more convenient and safer. There are no reasons why people won’t use it.”

Julia murmured in frustration, “You are dreaming. Do you think US will let it happen?”

“What could they do? Will they come and kill me? Destroy Korea? Money is the strongest weapon nowadays and I have the most of it.”

“100 billion dollars isn’t enough.”

Woosung laughed and replied mysteriously, “Julia, why do you think my wealth is only 100 billion dollars?”

Only?

Julia stared.

Woosung continued, “100 billion dollars is only a part of it. If you add all the companies I own, it will obviously be much more.”

Julia stammered, “B, but…”

“I am going for it. If you are afraid to try, you can give up now.”

Jang Gwangchul shook his head and Julia gaped.

Woosung asked again, “Are you in? Or out?”

Jang Gwangchul answered quickly, “I’m in!”

Julia answered as well, “Me too!”

“Then let’s get going. We still have more to do today.”

***

They visited Italy and finally ended up in Germany.

They purchased three companies during this trip.

Four companies asked to cooperate with KND.

The last meeting of this trip was with BMW in Germany.

Jang Gwangchul looked up at the BMW building and said to Woosung, “Whenever I think of BMW, all I want is buy a BMW.”

Woosung laughed, “What are you talking about? You can afford to buy all the BMWs you want.”

“Haha, I’m just reminiscing my 20’s when I started with nothing.”

“Were you not always rich?”

Jang Gwangchul nodded and replied, “I never imagined I would be in a company that buys BMW. Time went by so fast.”

“BMW will be ours soon.”

Jang Gwangchul said to Woosung, “You mean it will be yours.”

“Haha, I guess.”

***

Nuri Finances headquarter.

Shin Semi, Chairman Shin Yongwon, and now Vice president Shin Gungu sat down together.

Shin Semi said to the men, “Coconut Bank and BNP Paribas’ transfer test was a success. It only took one minute. It’s remarkable.”

“What did they say in Paris?”

“They seemed impressed, but Kang Woosung was still not satisfied.”

Shin Gungu asked, “There is a rumor he is purchasing BMW. Is this true?”

“Nothing’s confirmed. KND is very tight-lipped about it. We couldn’t find any information on it.”

“Well, I understand why they would want to keep it a secret. I’m just shocked at how he managed to come up with the funds for it. As far as I know, he hasn’t borrowed any money from the banks.”

Shin Gungu suggested, “Perhaps he borrowed from a foreign bank?”

“Maybe BNP Paribas.”

Shin Semi added, “But 50 billion dollars? If you include ARM, it would be 60 billion dollars. Would a single bank loan that much money?”

Shin Gungu replied, “There are plenty of companies that want to be on President Kang’s side, including us. I’m sure he would have had no problem borrowing any amount.”

Shin Semi bit her lips.

Shin Yongwon said to her, “He is an incredible businessman. We must accept that he is now greater than us. There is no shame in requesting to offer our cooperation.”

Shin Semi replied slowly, “I’m not worried about that. I just… I can’t stop thinking about how we may not survive this.”

Shin Yongwon said to her patiently, “Finance is the foundation of every business. We are safe.”

Shin Semi murmured, “Did you see the Coconut Bank’s official goal?”

No one answered.

Shin Semi continued, “Don’t be evil. It’s the same moto as Google’s. Coconut’s motto is ‘Connect.'”

“So what?”

“Coconut Bank is currently acting as a connection between different banks. What if their goal is to connect people with Coconut Coin, make Coconut Coin into an everyday currency?”

Both Shin Yongwon and Shin Gungu’s eyes widened.

Shin Semi continued, “Kang Woosung’s mention of bitcoin made cryptocurrency into the hottest topic in the world. Currently, we use credit cards more than cash. At this point, money is just a number.”

“That’s impossible…”

“But Kang Woosung has made many impossible things happen. He will try, and when he does, what do you think will happen?”

The room became quiet. If anyone could do it, it would be Kang Woosung.

Suddenly, the phone rang. Shin Gungu answered. After hanging up, he murmured quietly, “He bought BMW.”

***

“President Kang Woosung now forms a tripod of auto, smartphone, and Coconut.:

“Electric and self-driving cars to be produced.”

“Korea could be the place where the best cars in the world are created.”

Korean auto companies were in a panic.

Ahyun Auto CEO Jung Manho called for an emergency meeting.

“How did this happen? Sungyong Autos, and now BMW too? Are we going to let him take over the entire auto market in Korea?”

The head of the marketing department replied, “Ahyun Auto still owns 70% of the Korean automobile market. This news shouldn’t affect us much. What we can do is lower our price and spend more money on marketing.”

“Did you not see Blue S destroy The One? The recent poll suggests that people will buy BMW if there isn’t much price difference.”

The head of the marketing department cringed at Jung Manho’s anger.

Another member suggested, “Why don’t we start focusing on the cheaper versions like India’s Tata? There is a rumor that Daeyang electronics is showing interest in cheaper versions of smartphones.”

Someone from the corner murmured sarcastically, “Are you suggesting we just give up on our current model like a coward?”

“No, I don’t mean that. What I mean is we should become flexible to overcome this situation! The other option would be just to sit still and fail!”

Jung Manho sighed deeply.

Was this the end?

Jung Manho was right. Many Koreans were excited about BMW and planned to switch their cars. The existing auto companies could not find a solution to this problem.

Suddenly, Jung Manho’s cellphone rang. It was from Daeyang’s Choi Taemin.

“Hello, sir. It has been a while.”

“Ha… haha yes. What’s new?”

“What do you think will happen to Ahyun Auto?”

“W, what?”

“I will be frank. Daeyang Electronics isn’t doing very well nowadays, and I think Ahyun will experience the same difficulties.”

Choi Taemin continued quickly, “We need to combine forces.”

Jung Manho sighed.

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Chapter 179: <Two sides of the same coin>

When Woosung returned to Korea, he didn’t hold a press conference. The reporters always asked the same questions anyway.

“How do you feel about purchasing such a well-known company?”

“How did you come up with the funds?”

“What is your plan for the future?”

Woosung didn’t feel the need to answer such mundane questions. He also didn’t want to get awkward questions some reporters often asked.

“There are many unpleasant rumors on why you changed your mind on moving your headquarters. Please explain.”

“Some think your new relationship with Daeyang is suspicious. What do you think?”

“You are getting involved in so many different businesses and many think it’s not smart. What do you say to that?”

Jang Gwangchul looked at the crowd of reporters and said to Woosung.

“Wow, you are like a celebrity.”

“I’m handsome and rich, so it’s understandable.”

“Ha! Handsome?” Jang Gwangchul shook his head and continued, “You think you’re so great?”

“Haha, obviously.”

“By the way, I think it will be really helpful to own a broadcasting station.” Jang Gwangchul added to break the ice.

“We have enough power over the media already.”

“But it would be different to actually own and control it. Look at Daeyang. Their controversy often gets buried or minimized.”

“That is why the law prevents people like us from owning a broadcasting station. You are so awful.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Haha, you sound like you want to become a dictator.”

“You are worse than me. You want to control the entire world with your currency.”

“Well, I guess.”

“It’s nice to be back in Korea. Are you going to go home first?”

“No, I need to go somewhere else.” Woosung smiled mysteriously.

He dropped Jang Gwangchul off at work and headed to Sangam.

DNK.

It took over MOX and owned world-famous games including League of Ancient and Clan Royal. Yoo Sona and Lee Ari also belonged to this agency.

Alex had the official CEO title, but Moon Yongjun was the one who actually ran the company. Of course, the real owner was Woosung, but not many people knew this fact.

Moon Yongjun greeted Woosung at the entrance and took him to the top floor where his office was.

Moon Yongjun explained, “As you ordered, we have named the channel KTBC.”

Woosung nodded.

Moon Yongjun continued, “We are currently in the process of poaching famous PDs from different broadcasting stations. As you asked, our priority is hiring PD Na Yongjun. We were already able to hire writers Kim Minah and Hong Miran. Whatever TV series they write will be DNK’s property.”

Woosung previously let Moon Yongjun know which TV personnel to hire. He planned on creating a channel that aired popular TV shows he remembered from his previous life.

Moon Yongjun continued, “We have also invested in the movies you mentioned, and we have so far made a 50% profit from them.”

Woosung asked, “How is Yoo Sona doing?”

“She is very determined. Her English is improving at an astonishing rate. She will start to audition in America by the end of this year.”

Woosung was confused.

Moon Yongjun explained quickly, “That’s what she wants. She doesn’t want us to buy her way into a movie. She wants to accomplish it by herself.”

Woosung nodded. Moon Yongjun sweated heavily.

‘Phew.’

He always felt nervous in front of Woosung. Woosung has always been courteous to him, and he wanted to keep it that way.

Woosung replied, “Alright, let her be. Now, remember, our goal isn’t just to become a channel. We need to become like Netflix and YouTube. Always remember that.”

Moon Yongjun nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“I won’t come here in person anymore. You can report to Alex if any major decision needs to be made. Of course, you will pretty much have full control over this agency.”

Moon Yongjun nodded.

***

Choi Taemin and Jung Manho met at a restaurant in Seoul.

Choi Taemin emptied his glass and explained, “We learned that Kang Woosung has a secret line of funds. He is using this for his aggressive M&A.”

Jung Manho was impressed. “Daeyang has a good source of information. Were you able to find out where he gets his money?”

“We don’t know yet for sure, but we think Saudi Arabia might be helping him.”

“So oil money?”

Choi Taemin nodded. “And as you know, the extent of oil money is beyond our imagination. No one really knows the amount. We suspect he has a sponsor in Saudi Arabia.”

Jung Manho murmured, “Oil money…”

“Now, what’s really important is what we need to do.”

“Hmm, you have a suggestion?”

“We can’t rely on our government anymore.”

“Then what should we do?”

“Banks.”

“Banks?”

“There is no way he could have completed this many M&A without getting loans. If we can pressure whoever gave him the loan to ask for early repayment, KND will be over. I heard Kang Woosung borrowed a lot of money from Nuri Bank. Most likely he borrowed from other banks too.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Vice president Shin Gungu told me. Kang Woosung may look rich, but he is living on debt.”

“But if he has a rich sponsor in Saudi Arabia, he should be fine no matter what.”

“That’s why I need your help.”

“Pressure and track?”

Choi Taemin smiled and answered, “That’s right. We need to pressure the banks while also tracking the source of Kang Woosung’s funds.”

“Pressuring banks may be possible, but how can we track? Even if we find out, how will we be able to destroy the relationship between Kang Woosung and his sponsor?”

Choi Taemin took another sip of his drink, “We need more companies to join us. TK, Oland, Eugene, and others. We need as many of them as possible.”

“Wouldn’t Kang Woosung find out about our plan?”

“We just need to work fast. As you know, KND is getting bigger by the minute. If he gets any bigger… This is our chance. We need to do this to survive.”

Jung Manho emptied his glass and replied, “Alright.”

Choi Taemin smiled in satisfaction.

***

On his way back home, Woosung got a call from Nuri Finances’ Shin Gungu.

“I leaked the information to Daeyang about your debts as you requested. I told him you owed Nuri a lot of money.”

Woosung replied quietly, “Good. Continue to cooperate with Daeyang.”

“What if he asks me to demand an early repayment from you?”

“Then do it.”

“…So hundreds of millions of dollars is nothing to you? I heard you borrowed money from other banks too. Can you really repay all of them at once?”

“If I can’t, then I should go bankrupt.”

“It sounds like you borrowed money even though you didn’t need to…”

“You can think whatever you want.”

“I don’t understand you, President Kang.”

“Just remember, you should pick the right side. Your decision can change the fate of Nuri Finances.”

Shin Gungu remained silent.

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Chapter 180: <Two sides of the same coin>

June 2011.

“Lians Bank under investigation.”

“Sangho Bank experiences bank run due to uncertainty.”

“Financial corporations experience instability and uncertainty.”

Many of the secondary financial corporations suffered from customers’ bank run. Their provision of payment rate dropped below 3%. If it went down to 0, it meant that the institution was unable to return the customers’ deposits.

The government had to do something. They couldn’t let all these organizations go bankrupt. The government started the process of purchasing these institutions and Right Capital was assigned to be the mediator.

Similar things were happening in the world.

August.

Oh Hoon’s new free meals project did not get enough votes to be passed. As he promised, he left the Seoul Mayor position.

Finally November.

It was the time Woosung has been waiting for.

The prime minister of Greece announces that the public will vote to decide the fate of IMF’s bailout plan. European stock market plummets and gave Woosung another chance to make money.

This time, Woosung made 20 billion dollars.

Every time they did this, it got easier. Afterward, Alex and Woosung popped a bottle of Champaign.

Alex said to Woosung, “Boss, it’s 20 billion dollars this time.”

“We did well.”

“Which company will you be buying with this money?”

“I will be using part of it for marketing.”

“Marketing? What kind of marketing would cost so much money?”

“I am going to use at least a billion dollars to destroy a company.”

“Are you talking about Daeyang Electronics?”

Woosung nodded.

Alex replied, “Daeyang must have done something terrible to you in your past life.”

Woosung smiled mysteriously.

***

Lee Sunghyun drank heavily and grumbled, “Bastard. He gave up his position as the Mayor of Seoul! How could he? Does he not realize how hard I worked to get him there?”

He continued to drink, but his anger couldn’t be contained.

Mayor of Seoul.

If Oh Hoon had done well, Lee Sunghyun would have entered the next election as a representative of the Liberal party. However, the party’s reputation was in ruins now.

An official from Daeyang, Suk Jinmyung, said to him, “You must have a lot of worries.”

Lee Sunghyun handed him an envelope.

“This is the report on Kang Woosung’s finances. It’s clean. Nothing illegal.”

Choi Taemin ordered Suk Jinmyung to get this record from Lee Sunghyun.

Suk Jinmyung asked, “So this means…”

“That’s right. As he claims, he made his money by using data analysis.”

Suk Jinmyung smiled and replied, “But what Daeyang found out is a bit different. We found that he has a sponsor.”

Lee Sunghyun’s eyes widened. “He has a sponsor?”

“Do you really believe he can predict the future by analyzing data?”

Suk Jinmyung stared at Lee Sunghyun. Lee Sunghyun’s hand trembled.

Suk Jinmyung continued quickly, “Did you ever consider that perhaps he made things happen and lied that he predicted it?”

“Sponsor…”

“That’s right. We suspected it’s someone from US, Middle East, or China. We need help from the government for this.”

“You want the government to find out who Kang Woosung’s sponsor is?”

“Yes. Kang Woosung is destroying the Korean economy. Important technologies or companies may end up leaving Korea because of him. Will you let that happen?”

Lee Sunghyun rubbed his chin and replied, “Of course not. That can’t happen.”

“We, Daeyang, suspect it must be Saudi Arabia that is helping Kang Woosung. Oil money.”

Lee Sunghyun nodded.

Suk Jinmyung continued, “And what if we create a negative image for Kang Woosung? Make him look like he will engulf the Korean economy using foreign funds?”

Lee Sunghyun’s eyes widened. He answered, “Let’s do this.”

***

“We came to an understanding.”

Choi Taemin smiled when Suk Jinmyung reported back to him.

“Good. This plan will benefit the government too.”

They were watching the TV together.

“Crazy project!”

“If you bring your old The One, KND will give 50% discount on your new Blue S3!”

“This ad is being aired all over the world. It must be costing Kang Woosung billions of dollars.”

“Maybe he is using his bank loans on this.”

“Or he did very well with his smartphone sales, so he may be using that profit on this marketing to destroy us.”

Suk Jinmyung was confused. “Why would he go this far?”

“He wants us to give up the cellphone business completely.”

“Our legal team has already filed a complaint against it.”

“That won’t be enough. Apple did the same thing against android phones, and it was all approved to be legal.”

Suk Jinmyung sighed deeply and murmured, “So he is now treating us as his enemy.”

“It’s a war and only one of us will come out alive.”

“Semiconductors, smartphones, and soon other electronics… So many overlaps…”

“He is preparing for the war.”

Choi Taemin licked his lips. He needed to relieve his stress.

He asked, “You said Lee Ari is no longer available?”

“That’s right. She now belongs to DNK.”

“Too bad. She was good.”

“I have prepared a new girl for you. She is good too.”

Choi Taemin nodded.

***

Julia White held her cup nervously.

“Julia, why are you so nervous?”

“Boss, we are meeting a great man today.”

Suddenly, a big man with blond hair walked in.

“Haha, nice to meet you.”

“My name is Kang Woosung.”

They shook hands.

The man replied, “I read your proposal. It was very interesting.”

“I thought you might.”

Jeremy Dison.

He was the current chairman of JP Morgan.

He replied, “A replacement of the current dollar system! Who wouldn’t be interested?”

“So did you make a decision?”

“I did a little research on you. You made a lot of money. You made decisions as if you knew the future.”

“I was lucky.”

“You’ve made a profit every single time. That’s not luck.”

“I didn’t request this meeting to discuss my past investments.”

“Haha, how can we work together without trust?”

“Trust is for the weak who fears its stronger opponent. You are JP Morgan, which means you should fear nothing.”

Jeremy frowned and replied, “You are very forward.”

“I don’t know if you are aware but for me to circulate my cryptocurrency, I don’t need all the banks in the world. I just need one famous bank to start, and it will be enough to convince the public.”

“Aren’t you too confident about it? You are underestimating the power of dollars.”

“Haha, I think you’re underestimating me. As you said before, I have never failed.”

Jeremy bit his lips.

Woosung continued, “I offered this exact same deal to BNP Paribas. If they accept it, this meeting is pointless anyway. If I get Europe and Asia, the US won’t be able to stop me.”

“It sounds like you have China or Japan already.”

“Why would you think I don’t?”

Julia took a sip of her water nervously. Jeremy glared at Woosung quietly.

Woosung continued, “China is trying its best to beat America. Japan feels the same way. Money controls the world.”

After a brief pause, Jeremy replied, “So are you really doing this?”

“Yes.”

“Overconfidence can ruin you.”

“I think I deserve to be confident. I am the richest man in the world after all.”

Jeremy frowned again.

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Chapter 181: <Monopoly>

“I don’t think 100 billion dollars is enough to warrant such confidence.”

“100 billion dollars is a number the media happened to pick. Do I really need to tell you that I am wealthier than that?”

Woosung looked at his watch.

“Tic, toc.” Woosung continued quickly, “I just got 10 million dollars richer. How much do you get paid per year? 100 million?”

Julia laughed quietly at Woosung’s joke. Jeremy continued to glare at Woosung angrily.

Woosung continued with a smile, “Tic, toc. Time’s running out. I could be making 10 million dollars every second, yet I am spending this time with you. Why do you think I’m doing this?”

Jeremy remained silent.

Woosung continued, “It’s because I can make even more money with you. I just don’t understand why you won’t accept such a great opportunity like this.”

“The government will never allow it.”

Woosung laughed loudly. “Chairman, I think you don’t understand the situation. The government has no power over us. People like us control this world, not the government.”

Jeremy swallowed. Woosung was obviously determined. It was clear that Woosung would go through with this plan with whoever that would accept his offer. Woosung continued, “China has the most to gain by destroying the dollar system. If Korea, China, and Japan decide to designate this cryptocurrency as the common currency of Asia, it will be game over. Like I said before, I am ready. Do you know why I am trying to convince you?”

Jeremy shook his head.

Woosung answered, “China will be hard to control, but US is at least well-ordered and law-abiding.”

“I can’t give you my answer right now.”

“One week and no longer. That’s the best I can give you. If not, I will continue without JP.”

Jeremy stood up silently.

When he left, Julia sighed deeply and asked Woosung, “Boss, was that really necessary? He could cause us a lot of damage by getting the Federal Reserve Bank involved.”

Woosung replied calmly, “It’s something we need to overcome at some point anyway.”

“But the longer we can delay it…”

Woosung laughed, “Haha, Julia, you graduated 3 years ago, right?”

“Yes, why?”

“You’re so naïve.”

Julia reddened, “W… what do you mean?”

Woosung took a sip of his wine and answered.

“Do you really think Jeremy and the Federal Reserve Bank don’t know about our plan? They already do. They are just doing their own calculations to see which decision would get them the most profit.”

“So they already know?”

“That’s right. The problem is, however, something like this has never happened so it’s not possible for them to calculate the outcome accurately.”

“I see.”

“We need to get this done ASAP. We need to take the initiative and be the first to do it.”

“A, alright.”

When Julia stammered, Woosung teased her, “What is this? Are you getting drunk already? You are so red.”

“No, it’s not like that!”

Julia gulped down a glass of wine and glanced at Woosung. He stood up to the CEO of JP Morgan. His confidence was very attractive.

Woosung said to Julia quietly, “We will become even busier soon, but it will be worth it. After we accomplish this, you will be world-famous. You will also become very rich. Just keep up the good work.”

Suddenly, Julia kissed him.

Woosung flinched and stammered, “J, Julia, stop kidding around.”

“Why do you think I’m kidding?”

“B… because…”

Julia got closer to him.

Rose perfume.

Blue eyes.

Beautiful.

Woosung’s heart beat fast.

Julia said to him in a husky voice, “Boss, don’t you think our last night in New York should be special?” She took another sip of wine seductively and continued, “I’m at room 1302. Don’t forget.”

Julia left the room slowly. Woosung took a deep breath.

***

Jeremy made a conference call to the CEOs of Citi and Bank of America.

Jeremy said to them, “I just met with him. He won’t stop.”

Citi’s Michel Ryan replied, “He is crazy.”

Bank of America’s Sandy Warnick added, “He is just a young pup.”

Jeremy closed his eyes for a second. He remembered the meeting.

“It’s not like that. He is more than we expected. He could become dangerous. We need to do something.”

Michael answered, “You are the only one who met him in person so I trust your judgment. To be honest, my company already bought about a million bitcoins just in case.”

Sandy added, “I got about 1.5 million of them.”

Jeremy said to them, “We have about 2 million bitcoins…”

“Hmm…”

Sandy asked, “So doesn’t this mean we should accept his deal? If we miss this chance…”

“…”

“He is too big to destroy, but it’s too risky to work with him.”

Jeremy suddenly changed the subject. “You all know the Korean company Daeyang.”

“It’s famous for its semiconductor, yes.”

“I heard Daeyang is investigating Kang Woosung. They plan to frame him as a national traitor who got a foreign sponsor.”

Michael murmured evilly, “So perhaps we should help Daeyang…”

Sandy added, “We can also use another company to start a patent lawsuit against him.”

“I will try to get help from the government.”

“Alright.”

“That’s our plan then.”

The conference call ended finally. Jeremy leaned back in his chair. He couldn’t stop the feeling of the upcoming doom.

New billionaires were born every day, but Kang Woosung was different. Where did he come from? How was he able to do what he does?

Jeremy sighed deeply.

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Chapter 182: <Monopoly>

Choi Taemin murmured in frustration, “You don’t really believe he made all that money just based on his data analysis, right? What do you think?”

Choi Gichul replied, “I didn’t get to study him as much as I would have liked, but…”

Choi Gichul remembered Woosung’s ideas and plans at the Korean Business Agency. Kang Woosung was definitely the smartest person he knew.

“One thing I know is that he is a genius.”

“He’s smart?”

“The word smart doesn’t quite describe him. Once, I handed him a report, and he managed to find the smallest calculation mistake in minutes, and he was right.”

“Hmm.”

“With a brain like that, I can understand how he came up with Coconut, Blue S, and AI.”

Choi Taemin swallowed and asked, “So he became rich only with his brain?”

“Elon Musk became world famous with his intelligence too, so it’s possible.”

“That’s different! Elon Musk is talented in the tech department, but Kang Woosung succeeded in both business and tech.”

“All I can tell you is… he is very intelligent.”

Choi Taemin thought for a second. Did Kang Woosung really make his wealth only with his brain?

“Did you look into who Kang Woosung’s mentor is?”

“I asked Jung Jinsup again, but he didn’t know. Kang Woosung only mentioned the existence of his mentor but nothing else.”

“And that’s all we know…”

“Yes.”

His plan would be harder than he expected.

“How’s Bit Trading going?”

“Bitcoin still hasn’t recovered fully, so it’s not doing well so far.”

“Was Kang Woosung angry at Jung Jinsup leaving his job?”

“No. I asked him, but he said he was fine.”

Choi Taemin murmured, “We pre-installed Bit Trading on The One and offered many prizes for it, yet this project is still not going well. No wonder Kang Woosung doesn’t care. I heard that he has found a way to incorporate the cryptocurrency into everyday life.”

Choi Gichul’s eyes widened.

Choi Taemin continued, “He managed to successfully make international transfer between BNP Paribas and Nuri Finances via Coconut Coin. The next step would be to decrease the time it takes. I also heard he had a meeting with JP. Something big is in the plans.”

Choi Taemin bit his lips.

Choi Gichul replied, “If he got any further, we may not be able to do anything to survive.”

“We need to destroy him NOW.”

Choi Taemin thought for a second. Suddenly, he asked Choi Gichul.

“Hey, how much is a bitcoin now?”

“It reached 10 dollars again.”

“Collect as many bitcoins as possible. It will be useful in the future.”

“Yes, sir.”

***

After returning to Korea, Woosung enjoyed his days in leisure.

KND Park Byungki.

Coconut Hong Soobum.

XFeed Jang Gwangchul.

His companies were run by his trusted employees. All Woosung had to do was to make major decisions. Now, Woosung had the time to focus on destroying Choi Gichul.

Woosung met with a government official.

“Hello. I’m Kang Woosung.”

“I’m Han Gumin.”

Han Gumin was the representative of the democratic party. This meeting was arranged by Lee Myungin.

Lee Myungin explained, “Kang Woosung would like to talk to you about a new business plan. He can be trusted, so I hope you two have an honest conversation.”

Han Gumin looked at Woosung. “I trust you, Myungin, so I will trust this young man too, so what do you want to talk about?”

Woosung replied frankly, “There is one thing Korea is missing as the number one IT country in the world.”

Han Gumin took a sip of his drink.

Woosung continued slowly, “A world-famous software company.”

“But we have Coconut.”

Woosung grinned and answered, “Yes. Thanks to me, we got one, but it’s not enough. The software is the future. Korea needs to become a software-focused country. What do you think software is?”

“I’m only a politician, so I wouldn’t know.”

“You don’t know… Then how do you do politics? How could you lead this country when you don’t know the most important future industry?”

Han Gumin took another sip calmly and replied, “I have great experts like yourself to help me. All I need to know is how to tell if people like you are telling the truth. Being a politician doesn’t mean I have to know about everything in the world.”

“Haha, Lee Myungin said the same thing, and you’re right. Now, I will tell you something. You try to figure out if I’m telling the truth.”

Woosung continued.

First step: Coconut Coin development.

Second step: Its application into the international transfer system.

Third step: Deciding the exchanging rate for Coconut Coin.

Fourth step: Turning it into the key currency.

After Woosung’s explanation, Han Gumin sighed deeply.

He replied, “I agree with you that nowadays, money is only a number you see online. I completely agree, but to control it by software rather than the central bank… I don’t understand.”

“In most countries, the central bank commissioners make the currency decisions, but they make their decisions based on data. Do you agree?”

Han Gumin and Lee Myungin nodded.

Woosung continued, “Then how do you think these data are collected? They are from the internet. Imperfect humans then interpreted these data. Decisions are made with biased minds in order to increase profits for the country and individuals.”

Han Gumin frowned, “Personal gains… I don’t agree. Korean Bank is a completely independent agency that has no connection to the government.”

“Ideally, yes, but you know better than anyone that it’s not what really happens. The government pressures the bank all the time to change the rates.”

“…”

“So wouldn’t it be better for an objective software to have full control? My first goal is to make international money transfer to be completed only within a few seconds. This will eliminate the inconvenience of the different exchange rates between different countries. For this to happen, we need to have appropriate measures for this new blockchain industry.”

Han Gumin continued to frown and asked, “And what kind of law are you thinking about then?”

“To allow the digital coins to be used for national and international money transfers. Also to allow it to be used in the real financial transactions after the government’s approval. These are the basic concepts. My Coconut legal team is currently writing down the details of this plan.”

Han Gumin turned to Lee Myungin. “What do you think?”

“This is the era of AI. Woosung’s new idea isn’t strange at all. If his plan works, we can finally escape from the dollar system.”

Han Gumin licked his lips.

To be free from the dollar.

China and Europe tried and failed.

Will a small country like Korea accomplish this? “This will be a huge change to the Korean economy. It could be great, or it could be bad…”

Woosung stared at Han Gumin and replied, “We will be gaining control, so how could that be bad? I don’t understand.”

“Economy is not that simple. We are such a small country… This might ruin us…”

“We can do this. We could rule the world.”

“But US won’t allow it to happen.”

“Don’t worry about that. I already have the lobbyists in US working hard.”

“What about the liberal party?”

“It had already taken care of them. It will happen. I just need your support.”

Han Gumin slowly replied, “If the liberal party agreed to it, then there is no reason why my party would reject the idea. Especially with the upcoming election, we should, of course, support the most popular businessman in the country.”

Woosung smiled in satisfaction. Things were working out according to his plan.

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Chapter 183: <Monopoly>

After Han Gumin left, the two had a private conversation.

“So according to your analysis, I will lose the next election.”

“That’s right. By 4 percent.”

“4% isn’t very big.”

“Exactly. This means there is a way for you to win.”

“Would this involve an illegal method?”

“We will be entering a grey area.”

Lee Myungin looked at Woosung and asked, “Tell me.”

“I think it’s best you don’t know.”

“How could I not know about it when it will affect my career? Whatever happens, it will be my responsibility, and I am willing to accept it.”

Woosung took a sip of his drink. Lee Myungin was different than other politicians he met. That was probably why in Woosung’s previous life, Lee Myungin became the President of Korea.

“I have some information on the current President and the next strongest liberal candidate, Kim Junghee. This information is bad enough that it could ruin them.”

Lee Myungin asked firmly, “Did you get this information illegally?”

Woosung answered without hesitation.

“No.”

It was information Woosung knew from his previous life.

Lee Myungin asked, “Will to accomplish this illegally?”

“I see that you value the rules.”

“If I don’t, I am no better than them, and what would be the point then?”

“You really believe that the process is more important than the result? You are too idealistic.”

“I think your dream to create a worldwide currency is also idealistic.”

Woosung took a sip of his soju.

He replied, “I will do my best.”

“You must follow the law.”

“Even if that means you may lose the election?”

Lee Myungin nodded without hesitation.

Woosung answered, “Alright.”

Lee Myungin smiled in satisfaction and replied, “Good.”

Early in the morning.

When Woosung returned home, he read the report on his desk.

“BS and JH investigation results.”

It was the report Woosung requested on the current President Lee Parksung and the leader of the liberal party Kim Junghee.

“I knew it.”

The report confirmed Woosung’s knowledge of the future. The two politicians’ illegal activities filled the pages.

“Abuse of authority”

“Accepting bribery.”

“Violation of public election law.”

During the next election, Woosung knew Daeyang would support the liberal party. By making Lee Myungin win, Woosung would be able to damage Daeyang.

“I know he wants me to find the proofs legally, but I can’t keep that promise.” Woosung murmured.

Woosung sat in front of his computer and checked the number of bitcoins.

11 million bitcoins.

Unfortunately, the rate of mining has decreased recently, but this meant the others probably had an even harder time accumulating them.

“I now have over half of the available bitcoins in the world. I can use this to destroy Choi Gichul by controlling the price. It’s a perfect plan.”

He already did it once recently to Jung Jinsup, and it worked flawlessly.

“Bitcoin was just a PoC. Coconut Coin will be the true world currency.”

Woosung frowned after studying the screen. He noticed some unknown agencies were accumulating a significant number of bitcoins.

“Maybe Nakamoto Satoshi… But it doesn’t matter. I will be the ultimate winner in the end.”

Things were going as he planned.

“After I accomplish my revenge, I will be able to finally enjoy my life.”

He would date beauties and travel the world in his private jet.

***

December 19, 2011.

North Korea’s leader Kim Jungil died just as he did in Woosung’s previous life. The government declared a national emergency. KOSPI dropped as Woosung expected.

He made hundreds of millions of dollars once again, but he felt nothing anymore. He had so much money that a million dollars were nothing to him.

Woosung asked Julia, “We can’t wait for an answer forever. It’s time for us to act.”

“So we will go ahead with BNP Paribas?”

Woosung nodded and replied, “We could now make an international transfer within 10 seconds. We are ready.”

“How about JP…”

“I called them yesterday, and they asked me to wait a little bit longer. I take that as a no.”

Julia’s eyes widened. She asked, “If you do this before they give you an answer, you will no longer have a good relationship with JP. You will piss them off.”

“Who cares.”

“Even if you have the best of the technology, you can’t accomplish everything all by yourself. Things can change quickly. If Google or Facebook get involved… It would have been better if we never even asked JP…”

“It took me this long to get where I am with my cryptocurrency. For Google or Facebook to create their own cryptocurrency, and make it available… It won’t be easy.”

“But if they get cooperation from JP or other big financial companies, it can happen. You are underestimating them.”

Woosung laughed, “I think it’s you who’s underestimating me, Julia. The entire US can try, but I will win in the end.”

“Why?”

“Because I know.”

Julia shook her head.

Woosung continued, “I will now start promoting the blockchain business. Bitcoin’s price will jump. Many developers will get involved to make money. Other cryptocurrencies will appear.”

Woosung saw this happen in his previous life.

“So?”

“We need to be the first in this cryptocurrency industry. We need to incorporate our Coconut Coin into BNP Paribas, Chinese and Japanese banks.”

“You mean I need to?”

“That’s right. I already arranged the meetings. You need to travel around and get the contracts signed. You’ll need to go all over Asia.”

“I will become very busy.”

Woosung nodded. “I will stay in Korea and continue working on Coconut Coins and blockchain.”

Julia nodded. “Alright. I will get it done.”

“Julia, this is your chance to become famous in the financial world. Do your best.”

Julia bit her lips and nodded in determination.

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Chapter 184: <Monopoly>

Bit Trading office.

Choi Gichul asked Jung Jinsup, “You think we should make our own coin too?”

Jung Jinsup answered quickly, “It’s called ICO (Initial Coin Offering). It’s how funds are raised for a new cryptocurrency offering. The only available digital coins now are bitcoins and Coconut, so we have a good chance to make a lot of money.”

“Hmm.”

“I even have a specific use for it. We will create our own SNS Service and whenever a user uses it to comment or ‘like’ it, we will give our coin as a reward.”

Choi Gichul asked bluntly, “Do you really think people will buy it?”

“It will be like tulip mania. People don’t think clearly when they speculate. You know this very well.”

Jung Jinsup glanced at Choi Gichul. Woosung ordered Jung Jinsup to convince Choi Gichul on this idea. If he didn’t, Jung Jinsup would get in trouble.

Choi Gichul thought out loud, “I guess. Bitcoin went up from a dollar to 40 bucks just because Kang Woosung mentioned it.”

Jung Jinsup waited quietly. It was better to let Choi Gichul think alone.

Choi Gichul continued slowly, “It’s not a bad idea. The government just announced it will be promoting the blockchain business growth. There will be a cryptocurrency boom.”

Jung Jinsup nodded slightly.

Choi Gichul added, “Can’t we also incorporate the new coin into the international money transfer? Like Coconut?”

“Well, not really…”

Choi Gichul asked sharply, “Didn’t you say you learned all the necessary technology when you worked at Bitmain?”

“International transfer system was created by Coconut development team. I was responsible for the cryptocurrency trading system.”

“Oh, too bad.”

“But I can look into it. I know a few people in Coconut.”

“What do you think? Do you really believe your idea will work?”

Jung Jinsup nodded.

“Right now, what’s most important is to be one of the first.”

This was a huge gamble, but Jung Jinsup sounded sure of himself. He thought perhaps this new coin could be used in Daeyang like Coconut Coin was used to buy KND products.

Choi Gichul replied, “Let’s make some money. I will ask Daeyang for help too.”

***

Suk Jinmyung walked into the office and stated, “We were right. He has a sponsor in America.”

Choi Taemin’s eyes widened. “What?”

“It sounds like it’s JP. We learned that Kang Woosung met with JP Morgan’s CEO.”

Choi Taemin couldn’t believe it. “Are you sure it’s JP?”

“Positive. It looks like they are helping him. Julia White, who now works for Kang Woosung, was also an employee at JP.”

Suk Jinmyung was sure of it, but Choi Taemin asked doubtfully, “We can’t assume that just because he met with someone from JP.”

“I thought so too at first, so I called JP’s Korean branch CEO.”

“And?”

“He seemed like he was waiting for my call. He said he couldn’t give me the details on the phone. He wants to meet with you.”

Choi Taemin rubbed his chin and replied, “Arrange a meeting then. When does he want to meet?”

“He said whenever.”

“Then let’s go now.”

“I thought you might say that, so I already invited him here.”

The door opened and JP Korean CEO Steve Yoo walked in.

Steve sat down on the sofa rudely. “I can’t believe you made me wait.”

Choi Taemin’s face hardened.

Suk Jinmyung started to sweat nervously and replied, “Sir… But you promised…”

“I never promised you anything.”

Suk Jinmyung got even more anxious at Steve’s aggressive tone.

Choi Taemin looked calm as he said to him, “Let’s not get into a power play. I am ready to listen.”

Steve’s expression relaxed. “Good. I need this conversation to happen too. I am glad you are ready.”

Suk Jinmyung finally sighed in relief.

Choi Taemin asked, “Is it true that JP is helping Kang Woosung?”

Steve thought quickly. He already heard about the situation from Suk Jinmyung. He knew Daeyang was making a wrong assumption, but he didn’t plan on correcting them.

“JP supports many companies in the world.”

Choi Taemin frowned. “Then why don’t JP help Daeyang?”

“I thought we already are doing that.”

Choi Taemin asked loudly, “Why did you come here? It sounds like you won’t tell me anything.”

Steve bit his lips. This was important to him too. He couldn’t go back empty-handed.

“I came here so JP can work with Daeyang on something.”

“We don’t need any more money. Daeyang doesn’t need financial help.”

“We already know.”

Choi Taemin pointed at the clock. “I don’t have time for this game. If you don’t have anything important to say, this meeting is over.”

Steve realized he needed to be a bit more honest.

He replied, “The truth is, JP and Kang Woosung aren’t on good terms. Kang Woosung can’t be controlled. We can’t let him continue this way.”

“So you will help Daeyang.”

“Yes. US will soon sue KND for a patent issue. This will hopefully cause some key members to leave KND. We will get your company to hire them.”

“That’s not enough to destroy KND.”

“You are probably aware that Kang Woosung spent a lot of money on M&A. Not all of this money came from his personal funds. He borrowed most of it from different banks. Billions.”

“I thought President Kang Woosung had unlimited funds.”

“That fund comes from a US hedge fund Right Capital with a CEO named Alex. We are already talking with Right Capital about this. We will soon be putting pressure on KND.”

“Won’t he sell Coconut or KND stocks to raise more funds?”

“Coconut stock price will drop very soon, same for KND stock.”

Steve had answers for all of Choi Taemin’s questions.

Choi Taemin asked again, “I thought JP supported Kang Woosung. Is that not true?”

“As I said, JP supports companies all over the world. The only thing I can tell you for certain is that this time, JP will help Daeyang.”

“Is it because of Coconut Coin? I heard he hopes to replace the dollar system.”

Steve frowned.

Choi Taemin continued, “Some experts think it’s possible. Kang Woosung probably made an offer to JP, but you obviously didn’t accept it. Now you hate Kang Woosung, so that is why you are helping Daeyang. Did I get it right?”

“What’s important is the future. If you accept our help, Daeyang will soon return to its glory days of being the top company in Korea.”

Choi Taemin bit his lips. “Daeyang is still at the top of its game.”

“But not for long if this continues.”

Choi Taemin frowned angrily.

Steve continued, “My assistant will provide you with the details of this plan.”

Steve then walked out. Outside the building, he took out a phone and sent a text.

“It’s done.”

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Chapter 185: <Control>

“Nuri Finances, Coconut, and BNP Paribas sign contracts for international money transfer system.”

“Chinese and Japanese banks to use Coconut cryptocurrency for international money transfer.”

In the new years, many banks in the world began to announce their contracts with Coconut Bank. It was all thanks to Julia who has been traveling around the world. Woosung arranged all the meetings, but Julia was the one who got the contracts signed.

Woosung said to Julia, “Good job.”

“This is only the beginning. I heard JP is planning something though. Should we be worried?”

“Don’t worry.”

“So what’s next?”

“Hmm… It would be better for fewer people to know about it.”

“So I’m not important enough to know about it?”

“I’m saying you should relax and enjoy the show now.”

“You want me to be passive. I hate that.”

“You already know what will happen, Julia.”

“I can guess the final result, but I want to know how we will get there.”

“Do you know how big KND is?”

Julia shook her head. She was focused only on Coconut Bank.

Woosung continued, “If we include the Korean Business Agency’s subsidiaries, it’s beyond anything in the world. It will get even bigger now. Coconut Coin can be used to make purchases at Home Mart. You can even buy cars at Sungyong and BMW. XFeed fees can be also paid with Coconut Coins.”

“You have created an empire.”

“That’s right. We also now have a transfer system with Nuri Finances and BNP Paribas.”

Woosung continued slowly, “It all began in Korea. Cryptocurrency is starting to replace the money system, and it will spread to the rest of the world.”

“How about the rumor that the governments of many countries will stop this from happening?”

“Haha, you mean just the US? Because many other countries are showing interest in destroying the dollar system.”

“So you think it will be the US against the rest of the world?”

“Kind of, but I don’t plan on rejecting US completely. If they are willing to work with us, I am all game.”

“Pardon?”

“Money makes everything better. With money, you can turn your enemy into your friend. Do you understand?”

Julia nodded and replied, “Yeah.”

“They are the idiots who didn’t take this great opportunity to invest. Such idiots shouldn’t be allowed to rule the world.”

Julia stared at Woosung. She started to understand what Woosung was trying to say.

“Then you mean… There are some in US who supports your plan…”

Woosung shushed Julia, “Shh. That’s all I can say.”

Julia nodded slowly.

***

“KND releases Blue S4 and the world’s first AMOLED TV.”

“KND plans to produce other home appliances as well.”

“ANIX share price goes up 10% thanks to Blue S4 sales.”

Woosung quickly pushed Daeyang out of the market. Daeyang’s stock price continued to decline.

Choi Taemin gritted his teeth and asked Suk Jinmyung, “Any news from JP?”

“Not yet.”

“Just what are those key developers doing? We paid millions to poach them yet they haven’t done anything.”

“It is a little strange. Our own people told me these developers have minimal skills and knowledge.”

“Did we just get duped?”

“I don’t think so. I know for a fact that they have been treated like the top developers at KND.”

“I see. Phew. How are the banks reacting?”

Suk Jinmyung flinched. He was afraid to give Choi Taemin the bad news, but he had no choice.

“The thing is… When the banks asked Kang Woosung for repayments, he apparently did so immediately.”

Choi Taemin sighed deeply. He was afraid this would happen.

Money makes more money.

KND products were being sold out quickly. Kang Woosung was making so much money.

“Did you hear anything from Ahyun?”

“Ahyun isn’t doing well either. With Kang Woosung’s new BMW…”

Choi Taemin swallowed nervously.

Suk Jinmyung continued, “Ahyun is currently letting go of many of its high-ranking officials to make ends meet.”

“That’s bad.”

“So they are not in a position to help us.”

Suk Jinmyung glanced at Choi Taemin nervously.

Choi Taemin asked, “What?”

“The thing is, we may need to do the same in our company.”

“At Daeyang?”

Suk Jinmyung nodded and replied, “Yes. We might be doing fine now, but our future is so uncertain. If we continue like this, we may start having net losses…”

“Loss?”

“…”

Choi Taemin sighed deeply. His hands and feet were shaking. His lips started to bleed from biting down so hard. He was angry.

He asked, “You’re telling me that there is nothing we can do to destroy KND?”

“We are doing everything JP suggested, but we haven’t had any success.”

“How about the government?”

“We contacted Lee Sunghyun, but… He replied back asking for election funds instead.”

Choi Taemin breathed hard. He couldn’t calm down.

“So Ahyun, the government, and JP are all no helping us. Kang Woosung is becoming even stronger. He is destroying Daeyang.”

Suk Jinmyung nodded in fear.

“How about our subsidiaries?”

“Not great.”

“So this could be the end for us.”

Choi Taemin’s eyes looked crazy.

He ordered, “He needs to die. Kill Kang Woosung if necessary, or else, I will kill you.”

***

Korean Business Agency meeting.

Many of the big companies in Korea gathered here.

“He made us come, yet where is he? How could he make us wait?”

One CEO complained.

Another CEO replied, “I know. No respect at all.”

However, a CEO of KND’s subsidiary company added, “The meeting time hasn’t started yet, so why are you guys in such a hurry? We should be thankful to Kang Woosung. Remember how Daeyang used to treat us? Daeyang wouldn’t even pay us on time for our materials and products.”

The two CEOs who were complaining replied grudgingly, “Hmm. I guess.”

“And look around here. We are only small fishes in this room.”

Indeed, many bigger companies’ CEOs were waiting patiently. They owned companies that directly worked with KND.

“Even they are waiting quietly, so we must do the same.”

A few minutes later, Julia walked into the conference room.

She explained how Coconut Coins will be used to make payments from now on.

“These coins can be converted to cash at Nuri Finances and Bitmain, or you can use it directly at any KND companies to make purchases and services.”

Some CEOs couldn’t understand. They raised their hands.

“It sounds like this will replace the money as a currency. Am I correct?”

“Think of it as a reward point system.”

Woosung added, “We will make sure this currency can be used as real money.”

Many frowned.

Woosung continued quickly, “I’m sure many of you are curious why we are doing this, but those who work with international companies will understand the reasoning. I am planning to create a universal currency.”

One by one, people started to nod.

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Chapter 186: <Control>

Woosung continued, “To accomplish this dream, many companies have agreed to participate in this project. I have over 50 companies that have already signed the contract and I expect this number to grow fast.”

Woosung took a sip of water and continued, “Very soon, the majority of the stores in Korea will be using this cryptocurrency. Korea is now one of the top 10 trade countries in the world. If we get this transaction system going, I guarantee you that Korea will be on top of the world. When this happens, can you imagine what kind of advantages you would have as a Korean businessman?”

Some raised their hands. Woosung pointed at one person for a question.

“It sounds like you just want to eliminate the exchange rate issue. Even with the Coconut Coins, you can’t completely eliminate different exchange rates between different countries. What do you say to that?”

Woosung replied, “Imagine. Korean won, Japanese yen, Chinese yuan, and euros. All these and the dollar will disappear. Only one currency will exist. What do you think would happen when this is accomplished?”

None of the CEOs have thought about it, so they couldn’t answer, but one thing was for sure. It would be easier to run their businesses.

Woosung continued, “Coconut Coin can already be used on POS manufactured by Coconut company. The system is now fully functional. That is all I need to say.”

No one left the room.

Woosung looked around and added, “Any more questions?”

A few raised their hands. The Q&A period continued.

Even after the session, people didn’t leave. It was as if they were waiting for Woosung to leave first.

Jang Gwangchul finally announced, “That’s the end of this meeting. You are all free to go.”

Some stood but most kept glancing at Woosung.

One CEO raised his hand and asked, “Could we get some private time with President Kang?”

“Unfortunately, no. We have no plans to have any more meetings like this in the near future.”

Many sighed in disappointment.

Another CEO asked, “May I suggest arranging a conference? This time, we can include all the subsidiary companies.”

Another CEO added, “We should also include any other companies that would like to join. I would also appreciate more of your opinions on different business matters, President Kang.”

Many nodded in agreement.

A bald-headed CEO added, “Most people here attended this meeting in hopes to see you and talk to you in person. Am I right?”

Most people nodded. “My understanding is you created this agency to help businessmen like us. If you just have one meeting, you would be no better than any other agencies.”

Woosung nodded. “I understand. It’s too late for that today, but I will make sure to arrange another event very soon.”

Finally, people stood up and left.

When they returned to their office, Jang Gwangchul sat down and said to Woosung, “You are so popular. Everyone wants to meet you.”

“It’s because I’m rich.”

“I guess you are the richest person in the world.”

“But not compared to the Saudi Arabian oil tycoons.”

“Is that why you are going ahead with this project?”

“Not exactly.”

Jang Gwangchul said worriedly, “I think it’s too dangerous to publicly talk about replacing the dollar system.”

Woosung laughed, “Haha, I’m not that bold. I am just working to make this world a little more convenient. I get a lot of information. You have no idea how much money I spent on the US government.”

“So the rumor is true that you have a strong connection in the American government.”

“Not just there. I have some in Japan, too, and China; everywhere.”

Jang Gwangchul swallowed and asked, “Shouldn’t I know about these things?”

“As I’ve said before, it would be better to have the least number of people to know about these unsavory businesses.”

***

The bitcoin price continued to go up again at the news of Woosung’s involvement in the cryptocurrency industry.

“Bitcoin reaches 50.10 dollars.”

“How high will it go?”

“Kang Woosung’s cryptocurrency to engulf the world.”

Choi Gichul wondered, “I can’t believe it really reached over 50 dollars. How could this happen?”

Jung Jinsup looked at the screen in disbelief. He remembered how he lost all his money.

“People can get crazy.”

“Crazy…”

“I was like that too. Thank goodness I got out when I did.” He sounded fearful.

Choi Gichul nodded in agreement. “I guess. It only took 5 hours for the price to go from 40 dollars to a dollar last time.”

“It was actually 2 hours and 30 minutes.”

“Hmm.”

Should he buy?

Choi Gichul wondered. Choi Taemin ordered him to collect bitcoins, but if he lost money on it, he knew he would be blamed.

Jung Jinsup asked, “Why? Are you interested?”

“Of course. It would be the quickest way to make a lot of money.”

“But you are so rich already. Do you still need more?”

“What are you talking about? You and I both know the more you have the better. So what do you think? Should I go ahead?”

“It’s a huge gamble. You could lose everything, but you could also gain an amazing profit. It was like that for me.”

“…”

“If you get in with hundreds of millions of dollars, you probably could actually control the price.”

Choi Gichul’s eyes widened.

“The government allows and promotes the use of blockchain.”

“Bitmain and Bit Trading make huge profits.”

“KND announces to make every kind of payments in its own cryptocurrency.”

“Companies belonging to Korean Business Agencies agree to participate in the new cryptocurrency project.”

The price of bitcoins rose even higher.

76.20 dollars.

Choi Gichul couldn’t hide his disappointment. He still hasn’t purchased any bitcoins in fear of losing money.

And finally, it reached 100 dollars.

“Should I buy…” Choi Gichul wondered.

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Chapter 187: <

Control

>

As people invested in cryptocurrencies, the stock market declined thereafter. KOPSI index plunged and Daeyang Electronics were in a debacle.

From 300 dollars, it dropped to 100 dollars. It wasn’t just Daeyang Electronics. The same thing was happening to Daeyang Construction, Daeyang Life, and other Daeyang departments.

“The One 3’s sales have dropped to 60% since last month. The cheaper versions we launched in India isn’t faring well either because of Chinese phones.”

At Suk Jinmyung’s report, Choi Taemin frowned. “So what does that mean for our company?”

“If this goes on, we will have to close down at least one of our smartphone factories. We will have to pull back our investments in Brazil and India too.”

“Did you say our debt ratio is at 90%?”

“Yes. It’s the worst it has ever been since IMF.”

Choi Taemin bit his lips.

Suk Jinmyung continued anxiously, “The problem is the debt ratio still rises…”

Choi Taemin screamed, “Why did you let this happen?”

“I already included this fact in the last report for the Chairman, but he said we needed to continue making aggressive investments to survive…”

Choi Taemin rubbed his temples. “That stupid old man.” He knew the situation was dire. Choi Taemin continued, “What kind of loss are we looking at if we discontinue all our investment projects?”

“I will report back to you with the calculation.”

Choi Taemin clenched his teeth and replied, “You should have come today with the calculations ready.”

“I apologize.”

“Idiot!”

Suk Jinmyung reddened.

A meeting with JP’s Steve was arranged.

Choi Taemin asked Steve who came to his office, “Didn’t you say it will be KND’s stock that will drop?”

Choi Taemin couldn’t help his aggressive tone. JP’s Steve remained silent.

Choi Taemin continued angrily, “How can this happen? Weeks have passed and the situation has gotten worse! Daeyang stock price is at its lowest!”

“JP is doing the best it can, but President Kang Woosung is better prepared than we expected. Things didn’t work out as we planned.”

“What happened to the patent lawsuit?”

“We filed it, but it will take years for the result.”

“What about the anti-monopoly law you were perusing?”

“We are working on it, but Kang Woosung has spent hundreds of millions of dollars lobbying himself in the US government so…”

Choi Taemin fumed with fury.

He replied rudely, “Those key developers you got us to hire are the worst. We spent millions on them as you recommended and they are useless. What the hell!”

Steve remained silent.

Choi Taemin asked, “Say something!”

“Once JP announces its investment plan for Daeyang, your stock price will recover quickly. JP is prepared to invest billions of dollars.”

“Assistant Suk, how much do we need right now?”

“About 10 billion dollars, sir.”

Choi Taemin smiled sarcastically and turned to Steve, “We came up with the number. Can you invest 10 billion dollars on us?”

Surprisingly, Steve nodded. “No problem, but Daeyang’s stock has declined so much, JP won’t be paying premium.”

Choi Taemin’s eyes widened. He was expecting a flat-out rejection. He planned to negotiate, and he would have been happy with 3 billion dollars.

He asked politely, “Are you sure JP can invest 10 billion dollars on Daeyang?”

“If it’s necessary, we can go even go higher. The request you made has also been approved by our headquarters.”

“You mean the report that President Kang Woosung has a foreign fund sponsor?”

Steve nodded. “You can leak it to the media. You can even mention the initial ‘J’ as the foreign sponsor. Release the news that Kang Woosung was funded by a hedge fund ‘J’ and the actual money came from Japan. When the media asks, JP Morgan will remain silent and make no comments.”

Choi Taemin rubbed his chin. “Hmm.”

“It is a well-known fact that the Korean public has a negative feeling towards Japan. If you paint a picture of Kang Woosung allowing Japan to take over the Korean economy, it will surely destroy him.”

Choi Taemin nodded in agreement.

***

Moon Yongjun frowned angrily. “Does he think this is a brothel?”

Daeyang was still untouchable. Whenever it asked for something, there was no option other than following its order.

Moon Yongjun’s assistant replied, “Daeyang requested another girl for Choi Taemin with a promise of a possible contract for the cellphone commercial.”

Bang!

Moon Yongjun slapped the table.

“Daeyang! Daeyang! They ruined so many actresses!”

“A High Entertainment CEO actually contacted us for help. Apparently, Choi Taemin also asked for a specific actress from that agency, and they want to protect her.”

Moon Yongjun’s power in the entertainment industry was minimal, but it improved recently with Woosung’s help.

“Stop him…”

Moon Yongjun murmured, but he knew he couldn’t stop Daeyang alone.

The assistant asked, “What should I tell the High Entertainment’s CEO?”

“Tell him I will take care of it.”

“But sir, it’s too risky for you. Lee Ari has a contract with Daeyang Construction, and this could be ruined.”

“It doesn’t matter. We can’t let this continue.”

After the assistant left, Moon Yongjun made a call.

***

Suk Jinmyung’s face darkened. “What? You are refusing me?”

The voice on the other side of the phone answered apologetically, “I’m sorry, sir, but she isn’t feeling well today.”

“Who cares? Do you want to disappear from the entertainment industry? Don’t you know what happens if you don’t do what I say?”

“T… that is… I’m sorry, but not today.”

“Are you crazy?”

“I’m sorry.”

Afterward, the conversation was over.

Suk Jinmyung couldn’t believe what had happened.

As a representative of Daeyang, he was never refused like this.

Suk Jinmyung quickly texted the three major TV station directors.

“Daeyang requests that High Entertainment’s Shin Ahmin excluded from any TV appearances.”

He then quickly tried to come up with another female celebrity for Choi Taemin. Suddenly, he got replies from the three directors.

“MBD Director Choi: Sorry. I’m afraid that’s not possible.”

“SBC Director Park: I’m sorry.”

“YTT Director Kim: I can’t fulfill your request.”

Suk Jinmyung stared at his phone. He murmured angrily, “What the hell… Did they all go insane?”

Suk Jinmyung called his connection in the Korea Communications Commission, which controlled all TV stations, but he was denied again.

“Just who is behind Shin Ahmin?”

Suk Jinmyung contacted many of his sources, but he came up with nothing.

Suddenly, his phone rang. It was a number he didn’t recognize. When he answered, he was greeted by a familiar voice.

“Chun Gisu?”

“I heard you are having a hellish time with the vice president.”

“You traitor…”

Chun Gisu laughed and replied, “We are only pawns in this dangerous game.”

Suk Jinmyung answered sharply, “What do you want?”

“Just how long are you planning to remain as Choi Taemin’s slave?”

Suk Jinmyung swallowed hard. He could guess what Chun Gisu would offer.

Suk Jinmyung replied firmly, “I am not interested.”

“So you choose to be a slave?”

Suk Jinmyung reddened. Another text message arrived on his phone.

“I’m sorry, but that female actress is not available for Choi Taemin today.”

Suk Jinmyung was being rejected by everyone he contacted. He could imagine how Choi Taemin would react. He started sweating.

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Chapter 188: <Control>

Woosung frowned in disgust.

He murmured, “Dirty bastard.”

He got a call from Moon Yongjun for help.

“Please stop Choi Taemin from continuing to assault innocent female celebrities.”

Woosung already knew about Choi Taemin. He was famous in the business world. Woosung called around to inform every major agency and TV stations that they should no longer obey Daeyang. It took a while, but Woosung was successful in convincing everyone.

“I think it’s time to leak that video.”

Daeyang Electronics was now worth only 40 billion dollars.

Just a little while longer, and Woosung was sure he could destroy it.

“I just need to get Suk Jinmyung on my side…” Woosung murmured in disappointment.

He asked Chun Gisu to contact Suk Jinmyung, but nothing came out of the call. However, one positive thing happened recently.

“JP finally called.”

Woosung grinned.

“Is KND being funded by Japan?”

“KND rumored to be sponsored by a hedge fund ‘J.’”

“Will Japan take over the Korean economy?”

The rumors were starting to surface. Woosung laughed at them.

“It’s the opposite. I own Japan, not the other way around.”

***

Jang Gwangchul walked into the office.

“This must be Daeyang’s doing.”

Woosung nodded. “Probably. They are becoming so desperate.”

“It’s true. Many people think Daeyang will slowly disappear.”

Woosung nodded again. The news channels continued to air the rumors.

“Japan may take over the Korean industries.”

“The government needs to do something to stop it.”

“President Kang Woosung needs to be investigated.”

These were all planned by Daeyang.

Jang Gwangchul asked, “So will you do something about it?”

“I am waiting for the right time.”

“When?”

“When it gets huge. At that time, I will reveal the truth about Daeyang and the government, which will end them.”

“…”

“It will be devastating for them. I already have information on Choi Taemin bad enough to send him to jail.”

Jang Gwangchul’s eyes widened. “Jail?”

“I just need to wait for the perfect time.”

***

At the top floor of Daeyang building.

Suk Jinmyung looked at Choi Taemin in fear.

Choi Taemin said to him, “Jinmyung.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You’ve been working at Daeyang for 10 years now, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Why do you think you survived this long?”

Suk Jinmyung tried to think of the right answer, but he couldn’t come up with anything.

He answered honestly, “It’s because I worked very hard.”

“Wrong.”

“…”

“It’s because you got things done, but I am starting to doubt your ability.”

“I apologize.”

Choi Taemin leaned back and replied, “You didn’t get the girl I wanted. You got someone else.”

“I apologize.”

“I am so stressed. I need a way to relieve it. Remember?”

Choi Taemin threw his cellphone at Suk Jinmyung.

Smack.

“Answer me!”

“I’m sorry.”

“What is wrong with you?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Get that girl now. I WANT HER. Got it?”

***

Bit Trading office.

Choi Gichul called a few times, but there was no answer.

“Why the heck isn’t he answering?”

Bitcoin: 176 dollars.

The price was continuing to rise. It now almost reached 200 dollars. Some people believed it would reach 1000 dollars.

Choi Gichul bit his nails and murmured, “I need to buy right now.”

He already spent 30% of his wealth on buying bitcoins. He bought them for 150 dollars. He already made over 10% profit.

Jung Jinsup asked, “So you really bought them?”

Choi Gichul nodded.

Jung Jinsup asked, “How much?”

“I bought at 150 dollars. Won’t you go in too?”

Jung Jinsup laughed, “I will wait a little while longer.”

In truth, Jung Jinsup wanted to buy too, but he had no money. He only had debts, something Woosung would handle.

Choi Gichul asked, “When will you go in?”

“When it goes over 200 dollars. If it does, I think it will reach 1000 dollars. I will buy in bulks when it reaches 200 dollars.”

“I see.”

“It’s just my guess, but it’s a little different if someone like you gets involved. You could control the price. You have about 400 million dollars available, right?”

“Much less now because of Daeyang’s stock price. I don’t know the specifics.”

“I guess.”

“But you are saying I could be the force that can influence the bitcoin price?”

“Yeah.”

Choi Gichul’s eyes shined.

***

Suk Jinmyung called different entertainment agencies, but all of them rejected him again.

Chun Gisu called him, “The fact that you answered means you might be interested in what I offer.”

“Shut up.”

“I’ll bet this call has already been reported to Choi Taemin. You know how controlling he is.” When Suk Jinmyung couldn’t answer, Chun Gisu continued, “Do you really want to wait and see what happens when Choi Taemin goes after you?”

Suk Jinmyung listened silently.

Chun Gisu continued, “He killed his own father. Remember that.”

***

217.50 dollars.

Choi Gichul glanced at Jung Jinsup.

‘It could reach 1000 dollars quickly if I get involved…’

Choi Gichul had up to 300 million dollars in cash. It was the money he received for giving the Daeyang shares to Woosung as collateral. With this money, he could buy about 10% of the bitcoins in the world.

‘It might not be enough with only 300 million dollars, but…’

He had Daeyang. He could form a group with other companies. With his Daeyang background, there would be many companies who would be interested. With these companies’ money, he knew he could really control the price of bitcoins.

“Why isn’t Suk Jinmyung answering my call anyway?”

He had to ask Suk Jinmyung to see how much money he could get from Daeyang.

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Chapter 189: <Control>

Suk Jinmyung clenched his teeth in pain as Choi Gichul kicked him.

Choi Gichul screamed, “Do you think you’re better than me? Is that why you’ve been ignoring my calls?”

“No, it’s not like that. I’ve been very busy.”

“Busy? That’s your excuse? Are you kidding me?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Damn it! Do you think I’m not busy myself? Do you know how much money I lost because of you? It’s an amount you will never see in your lifetime.”

Suk Jinmyung lowered his face.

Choi Gichul continued to scream, “It’s over 30 million dollars! Should I tell this to my brother?”

Suk Jinmyung continued to apologize, “I’m sorry.”

“You think apologizing is enough? Because of you, I was unable to make a purchase at the right time! How will you compensate me for this?”

Suk Jinmyung remained silent. He glared at the floor. He was furious, but he couldn’t express his anger.

He finally replied, “I was too busy with the vice president’s orders. I apologize. I will confirm the fund and transfer it to your account right away.”

“Did you not hear what I just said? Because of you, I lost my chance. Do you know how much a bitcoin is now?”

“It’s 314.40.”

“And how much was it when I asked for the funds?”

“It was 215.10.”

“So you do know. The price went up by 100 dollars. What do you think will happen when I tell the vice president? The bigger problem is that the price is continuing to rise. Even as we speak! By the time you make the transfer, it would be even more expensive. How much money do you think I would lose?”

“…”

Choi Gichul pushed Suk Jinmyung and yelled, “Are you a mute? Why can’t you answer?”

Suk Jinmyung’s face turned bright red. He trembled in anger.

Choi Gichul continued, “To make up for it, you need to transfer at least a hundred million dollars instead of 50 million dollars like my brother’s ordered. Got it?”

“Yes, sir.”

Choi Gichul left without a word. Suk Jinmyung sank into his chair. How did he get here? He stood up and grabbed his coat.

***

Strong whiskey burned his throat. Suk Jinmyung continued to drink fast.

“…” He sighed deeply.

He tried to figure out the situation. What should he do?

Should he continue to work for Daeyang?

Or should he leave and find another work?

Should he accept Chun Gisu’s offer and take Kang Woosung’s side?

There were so much to consider.

Suddenly, someone sat next to him.

“I heard they have a great whiskey here.”

Suk Jinmyung saw who it was and gasped.

Woosung called for a bartender and ordered, “Please get me a bottle of whatever he is having.”

“W, what the…” Suk Jinmyung stared at Woosung.

Woosung replied quickly, “We are just having a drink here.”

“I don’t think we have that kind of relationship.” Suk Jinmyung tried to stand up and leave.

Woosung replied, “No one will ever know about this meeting. There is no reason to let anyone know. I made sure of it.”

Suk Jinmyung sat down again. “I don’t have a lot of time.”

Woosung replied, “I wasn’t planning on staying long either.” Woosung turned to the bartender and ordered, “Please close down the shop.”

The bartender nodded. When Suk Jinmyung looked around, the place was empty.

Woosung said to him, “I heard a lot about you from Chun Gisu. He said you are a decent guy. Talented but happened to work for the wrong men.”

“You’re sugar-coating his words. I bet he said I’m the man who will get anything done.”

Woosung flinched and paused. That was almost exactly what Chun Gisu said.

“Well, that’s pretty close.”

“This meeting… Choi Taemin will find out, and that means it’s over for me at Daeyang.”

“Don’t worry about that. I can make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Suk Jinmyung’s eyes widened.

He asked, “How long have you had spies in Daeyang?”

“That’s not important.”

“Then what is?”

“Your life. Your future. Your decision today can change everything.”

“What do you think will happen in my future?”

Woosung emptied his glass. Suk Jinmyung did the same.

Woosung turned to him and replied, “You will go to jail.”

Suk Jinmyung stared.

What did Woosung know?

Suk Jinmyung did so many vile things in his life. Any of them could get him in prison.

Suk Jinmyung replied, “You’re being rude, sir.”

“Can you deny it?”

“… What if I cooperate with you?”

“Then I will help you as much as possible. I can give you one or two of Daeyang subsidiary companies.”

“Did you make the same promise to Chun Gisu?”

Woosung laughed, “Of course I promised him something even bigger!”

“Subsidiary companies… not bad.”

“Only because you’re worth it.”

They talked for a while. After an hour, their bottles were empty. They were both becoming drunk and dizzy.

Suk Jinmyung asked, “… can you prove you are different than Choi Taemin?”

“…”

“Unless you convince me of that, I will never work for you.”

Suk Jinmyung left.

***

Late night.

After returning home, Woosung looked out the window. The beautiful view of the Han river greeted him.

He was now living at a new penthouse in Seoul.

“Phew…”

His new home cost him 4 million dollars, and he paid it full in cash. Millions of dollars didn’t feel like money anymore.

Woosung sighed, “He wants a proof…”

Was Suk Jinmyung worth the trouble?

Yes. He knew many secrets about Daeyang. Woosung needed him.

“What could I do?”

Woosung drank a bottle of energy drink and sat in front of his computer.

13,240,321 BTC.

1 BTC 357.00 dollars.

Woosung now had full control over the bitcoin price.

“Choi Gichul got in at 150 dollars and will go in further in the near future. When it reaches 1000 dollars, he will go crazy. In the end, though, his account will be 0.”

Woosung clicked a few times to put an order for automatic transactions. In about a month, the price would reach 1000 dollars.

Woosung grinned darkly.

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Chapter 190: <Control>

A protest started in front of the KND headquarter.

“We need to get rid of this Japan-loving company!”

“Kang Woosung is a traitor! Apologize!”

“This company was funded by Japan! It needs to be destroyed!”

The securities tried to calm them down, but it was no use. Many protesters were in their 60’s, and they screamed whenever restrained.

“Ow, these young men are trying to hurt this old man!”

“I’m a frail old man. Leave me alone.”

“Don’t touch me! You’re hurting me.”

“Your parents would be ashamed of you!”

The securities couldn’t do much. The KND employees frowned and complained as they watched the protest.

“Why isn’t our CEO making an announcement? Was he really funded by Japan?”

Another staff replied, “No way! I think it must be Daeyang’s doing again like the last time.”

“But this time, JP was mentioned. Don’t you know our CEO met with JP’s CEO recently?”

“But President Kang meets a lot of people. Do you really think he got funded by Japan through JP?”

“If it’s not true, why would our CEO remain silent?”

“Hmm. I don’t know.”

Since Kang Woosung remained quiet, people started to believe the rumor. Jang Gwangchul was frustrated.

“How long do we need to remain silent?”

“As long as possible. The bigger this gets, the better it will be when we reveal the truth.”

“Are things going well?”

“It’s going nice and slow.”

“Can you tell me what they are?”

Woosung chose to not answer. He instead changed the subject.

“I looked into Suk Jinmyung’s past and learned he was a good student. He went to the best schools with scholarships. These scholarships were funded by Daeyang though.”

“I guess he felt grateful to Daeyang all his life.”

“He had an unfortunate childhood. His parents were very poor. Daeyang helped his entire family with their living expenses.”

“Hmm. I guess it wouldn’t be easy for him to leave Daeyang.”

“But not hard either.” Woosung replied with a grin.

Last night, he managed to come up with a plan. He didn’t have to convince Suk Jinmyung. He just had to make a situation where Suk Jinmyung had no choice but to leave Daeyang.

***

Choi Gichul grabbed the mouse.

“It was 547.00 just a minute ago… It has to go up…”

After getting 70 million dollars from Daeyang through Suk Jinmyung, he purchased the bitcoins at 555 dollars. He was losing money.

Choi Gichul panted nervously. He stared at the screen. He was able to get other companies involved. As a group, they got in at 570 dollars. Again, he was at loss with this money too.

“Should I go in a little bit more?” Choi Gichul murmured.

Jung Jinsup asked, “Are you in deep?”

Choi Gichul nodded.

Jung Jinsup continued, “It doesn’t look like it’s going well?”

“Because of Kang Woosung’s rumor, the bitcoin price dropped a little. It appears Kang Woosung and bitcoin are connected.”

Jung Jinsup glanced at Choi Gichul and asked nervously, “Do you know what a cage technique is? What we can do is to pause the bitcoin trading briefly at our Bit Trading website. This can pump the price.”

Choi Gichul’s eyes widened.

“This will make the public traders want to buy more.”

“We pause it, then sell some of our bitcoins at the highest price, then resume trading.” Choi Gichul smiled in satisfaction.

“We will make an easy profit and also increase the number of transactions at our dealership, which means our company will make money too.”

“Amazing! How did you think of this idea?”

“It just came to me.”

It was actually an idea given to Jung Jinsup by Woosung.

Choi Gichul urged him, “Great. Let’s make an announcement today.”

That night, a notice was made at Bit Trading.

Notice.

“Due to the expansion of network infra, bitcoin trading will pause briefly. We will resume all transactions as soon as possible.”

That was the signal. As soon as the notice came up, the bitcoin price jumped from 550 dollars to 700 dollars. Quickly, it went up even higher to 1000 dollars.

Only at Bit Trading.

Choi Gichul grinned widely. With this method, he managed to make 300 million dollars in a very short period of time.

“This is so easy.”

“How much did you make?”

“Enough. I will buy you a drink soon.”

“Then I will put up the resumption notice.”

“Okay.”

***

Woosung saw the notice at Bit Trading.

“Perfect.”

Whatever bitcoins Choi Gichul sold, Woosung purchased them. Woosung got over a million bitcoins. He had some loss from these transactions, but it was minimal.

“Now, I will make him go crazy.”

The current bitcoin price at Bit Trading was 700 dollars.

“Should I pump the price again?”

Woosung grinned. A bitcoin was worth 560 dollars at Bitmain. He would pump the price so it could reach the Bit Trading bitcoin price.

***

Choi Gichul entered Daeyang confidently. 70 million dollars from the company turned in to 130 million dollars. Choi Gichul expected Choi Taemin’s shock at his success. Choi Gichul got into the elevator and went up to the top floor.

Inside the office, Choi Taemin was screaming at Suk Jinmyung.

Choi Taemin saw Choi Gichul and asked, “You have my bitcoins, right?”

“I made a profit of 60 million dollars with your money.”

Choi Gichul replied confidently, but Choi Taemin’s reaction was cold. “Did you sell them?”

“I sold at the highest price. If I sold any later, you would have lost money.”

Choi Taemin lowered his voice.

“At what price did you buy?”

“If Suk Jinmyung did his job, I could have bought at under 200 dollars…”

“I already heard about it. Just tell me the numbers.”

“I bought at 550 and sold at 1000.”

Choi Taemin turned his computer screen and showed it to Choi Gichul. “Do you see this?”

Choi Gichul nodded. Choi Taemin asked, “How much is it now?”

“… 1200 dollars.”

“Who told you to sell my bitcoins?”

“Y, you told me to buy…”

“I told you to buy, but I didn’t tell you to sell, did I? You sold my bitcoins without my permission?”

Suddenly, the screen beeped.

1 BTC 1403.21 dollars.

The price jumped 200 dollars again.

Choi Gichul became rigid and Choi Taemin sighed deeply. “What do you think will happen?”

Choi Gichul hesitated.

Choi Taemin answered instead. “It will probably go to up to 2000 dollars, maybe even 5000. This means you basically made me lose money. How will you fix this?”

Choi Gichul couldn’t believe this situation.

He stuttered, “I… I will invest again and make up the difference.”

Choi Gichul left the office.

***

Suk Jinmyung looked at his cellphone in despair. He had no power in the entertainment industry anymore. The only place now for him to find a girl was in brothels.

“Damn it.”

Choi Taemin would be angry again, but Suk Jinmyung had no choice. He called a few prostitute madams with high-end call girls.

Shockingly, he was rejected again.

“Sorry, sir, but my girls aren’t available today.”

“We are too busy today.”

“Please call me later. We are at capacity.”

No one would help him.

“Damn it.”

Suk Jinmyung could guess who was behind this. He now had no choice but to call Kang Woosung.

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Chapter 191: <Control>

Suk Jinmyung sighed and said to Woosung on the phone, “You can’t do this.”

Woosung laughed lightly and replied, “I just wanted to show you that I’m different. Don’t you think I’m different?”

Suk Jinmyung sighed, “This isn’t the time to joke around.”

“I made sure Choi Taemin can never abuse another girl in this country. You can call around, but no one will help you. The only thing you could do now would be to find someone from another country.”

Suk Jinmyung’s hands trembled.

He asked, “Are you really going to be like this?”

“What else can I do? What did you think I was going to do? I told you last time, if you continue this path, there is only one possible future for you.”

“You mean I’ll end up in prison?”

“Yes.”

“Do you think you can convince me like this? Don’t you think this will make me resist you even more?”

“Do you still feel loyal to Daeyang?”

Suk Jinmyung didn’t answer.

Woosung continued, “You have already repaid the scholarships you received from Daeyang. I don’t understand why you are still there when you are being treated so horribly.”

Suk Jinmyung replied sarcastically, “I see you have done your research on me.”

“It’s readily available information. I wouldn’t call it research.”

Suk Jinmyung sighed again. “The main thing now is that I will have to inform my vice president Choi about this.”

“If you tell him the truth, you know what will happen to you.”

Suk Jinmyung couldn’t reply. He was fearful for his life.

Woosung continued slowly, “Think carefully. Your future depends on it.”

***

1 BTC 2530 dollars.

Woosung was controlling the price.

1 BTC 1810 dollars.

The price fluctuated heavily. People found this to be an attractive investment chance.

If you got in at the right time, you could become rich.

1 BTC 2781 dollars.

Many people got in including Choi Gichul.

“Dammit! It’s rising again.”

As the price went up and down, Choi Gichul became anxious.

“Dammit, why is it that when I buy, the price goes down and when I sell, it goes up?”

Choi Gichul didn’t trust bitcoins. He expected it to plummet to 0 someday, which meant he couldn’t hold it for more than 2 days.

“If I lose money, Choi Taemin won’t let it go.”

Since it was so expensive now, Choi Gichul and his group could no longer have a significant effect on the price. Choi Gichul wanted to escape from Choi Taemin, but unless he gave up everything, it was not possible.

“Would he do to me what he did to Choi Gitae?”

Choi Gitae was in the hospital in a comma. Choi Gichul was afraid.

When Choi Gichul walked out of the office, Chun Gisu was waiting for him. He knew he was now Kang Woosung’s man.

Choi Gichul asked coldly, “What are you doing here?”

“You haven’t changed. I no longer work for Daeyang, so you can’t talk to me like this.”

Choi Gichul sneered, “Ha! So what?”

“I heard you are running a dealership. How’s that going?”

“I don’t have to tell you.”

“Listen, we both have something in common. We both want to escape from Choi Taemin’s power.”

Choi Gichul paled.

“…”

“President Kang is a decent man. You probably know that already.” Chun Gisu continued quickly, “He is intelligent, talented, and knows how to take care of his own people. Unlike someone we know. This is the only way.”

“Did Kang Woosung get Suk Jinmyung too?”

Chun Gisu laughed, “Unfortunately no. As you know, President Kang Woosung is aware of all your phone calls and activities. He makes decisions based on this information. He asked me to come and see you today.”

“So what do you want?”

“He told me to tell you that you need to make the right decision or else, you will end up like your brother Choi Gitae.”

***

Choi Gichul visited Choi Taemin.

“I will only keep 10 million dollars for myself and give everything else to you, so please let me go.”

“Ha. I’ve never stopped you from leaving.”

“This isn’t a joke.”

“I’m not joking.”

“…”

“No matter what happens, you will always belong to Daeyang.”

“I want to be my own man. I will give up my shares of Daeyang.”

Choi Taemin laughed, “You know too much about me and this company. Don’t you think so? There are only two ways for you to leave. Either become mute or braindead. What do you think?”

Choi Gichul bit his lips. He finally realized he could never escape Choi Taemin.

***

April 11, 2012.

Two days before the 19th General Election.

The media released the rumors on the current President Lee Parksung and the leader of Liberal party Kim Junghee.

Quickly, the rumors turned out to be facts as proofs were released as well. A representative of the democratic party held a press conference.

“With these proofs, you can be sure that President Lee Parksung has lied so many times even before he became President. You can also see how Kim Junghee has done many illegal deeds. How can we let these people run this country?”

Lee Sunghyun turned the TV off and sighed deeply.

Those proofs shown on the TV were supposed to be hidden in a safe place. It must have been an insider who got to them and released them.

Lee Sunghyun tried, but he couldn’t unravel the person behind all of this.

“By the way, why aren’t these people answering my calls?”

Hwajung law firm’s Attorney Park Changsun.

Josun law firm’s Attorney Jo Namgi.

Daeryuk law firm’s Attorney An Soohyun.

He needed the best lawyers to defend his father, but no one was answering his calls.

Lee Sunghyun asked a liberal member who was sitting next to him, “So what is the party doing to resolve this situation?”

The liberal party member stammered, “W, we plan on making it look like the opposition is plotting against us with lies, but we may still lose this election.”

“We need to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“But the situation is very serious…”

“This could be bad. Dammit!”

“…”

“What happened to the request we made to Daeyang for election funds?”

“They said they aren’t doing well themselves so they only sent 500,000 dollars.”

“That’s nothing.”

“We were told that if we give up more information on Kang Woosung, they will give another 500,000 dollars.”

“But we have no more information.”

“Then what should we do?”

“We need to meet him.”

“Who?”

“The man who owns all the best lawyers in the country.”

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Chapter 192: <Control>

Woosung said on the phone harshly, “All of my lawyers are tied up at the moment with patent lawsuits.”

Lee Sunghyun replied angrily, “Are you really going to be like this? Everyone knows you hired all the best lawyers available in the country. There isn’t anyone left.”

“I’m just telling you the truth. I have many ongoing patent lawsuits with different companies like Apple and Daeyang. Are you telling me I should just lose?”

“Were we always on such bad terms like this?”

“Not at first, but that was the past. I did my best to help you, yet you are the one who betrayed me. You sided with Daeyang.”

“Are you still on that?”

“I have a very good memory.”

“…”

When Lee Sunghyun didn’t reply, Woosung continued, “It’s not that I want our relationship to continue like this. I would like to be on good terms with you.”

“Tell me.”

“I heard Daeyang was recently rumored to be involved in an illegal split accounting, but the government let it go.”

“…”

“I keep asking for fair treatments, yet the government keeps doing things like this.”

“Are you asking me to suspend Daeyang? A 40-billion-dollar company?”

Woosung laughed, “Haha, no. How would I accomplish something like that? All I’m asking is if an illegal deed was done, whoever did it must be punished. Fairness is all I ask, as always.”

“… I will consider it.”

“You can do whatever you want. I will continue to do whatever I want too.”

Lee Sunghyun couldn’t say anything despite Woosung’s rudeness. He was now afraid of Woosung.

***

The General Election results.

Democrats won by a landslide.

Lee Parksung moaned, “How did they find out about our past? Did you find out who’s behind this?”

Lee Sunghyun couldn’t say anything.

Lee Parksung grimaced. “Dammit, you’re a disappointment. Why can’t you do better?”

Lee Sunghyun bit his lips without answering.

Lee Parksung asked, “And you still haven’t found a decent lawyer?”

“No, Kang Woosung has most of them.”

“Then did you get someone to take the blame?”

“Not yet…”

“Can’t you do anything?”

“I’m sorry.”

“That’s not good enough. This is serious. The prosecutors have the proofs. All we can do now is fight for the legality of it and to do that, we need an amazing lawyer.”

Lee Sunghyun bit his lips.

Lee Parksung continued quickly, “If you can’t do it, I will take care of it. We don’t have the time to be lazy. We need to resolve this now.”

“I will try.”

Lee Parksung looked at his son doubtfully.

He said to Lee Sunghyun, “I will give you three days. If you don’t accomplish something big by then, you are off the case.”

“Yes, sir.”

Lee Sunghyun bowed and left.

***

A restaurant in Seoul.

Democratic party leader Han Mingu couldn’t help smiling.

“Hahaha. We won! We got 167 seats! The most we’ve ever had in history.”

Lee Myungin took a sip of his drink and replied, “I still feel uncomfortable.”

“Are you still thinking about that?”

“We owe him now.”

“We can pay him back slowly. If this continues, we can take over the government.”

Lee Myungin emptied his glass. “I’m just afraid this debt to him will cause trouble in the future.”

“Don’t worry. I took care of it.”

Suddenly, Woosung talked in, “Haha, you two have nothing to worry about. I took care of everything.”

Han Mingu stood up and greeted Woosung.

“Oh, you’re finally here!”

He grabbed Woosung’s hands.

Woosung smiled brightly. “Congratulations.”

“Haha, it’s all thanks to you, President Kang. I will never forget this.”

“Everyone worked very hard. It wasn’t just me.”

Lee Myungin put down his glass and asked, “What happened? Did you forget what I said to you before?”

Woosung replied, “I remember.”

“Remembering isn’t enough.”

“I know what you mean. It’s you who don’t understand.”

Lee Myungin glared at Woosung and asked, “Are you kidding me?”

“I’m telling you that you just need to do your job faithfully.”

Han Mingu watched the two men uncomfortably.

He poured a drink for Lee Myungin and said to him, “Come on, don’t be angry.”

Woosung picked up his glass and asked with a smile, “Could you pour me one too?”

“Haha, of course. It’s my honor to be drinking with the world-famous Kang Woosung!”

Woosung emptied his glass and replied, “I don’t want much. I just want fairness and transparency, that is why I chose the democratic party. If you can accomplish that then it would be enough for me.”

Woosung was suggesting that the democrats won because he made it happen. Both politicians understood immediately.

Han Mingu laughed, “Haha, I know, I know!”

Woosung took another sip and continued, “There is a rumor that Daeyang was involved in an illegal split accounting. The government let it slide without even an investigation. KND was investigated so many times in the last two years. Please look into his. That is all I have to say.”

Woosung left quickly. The two men looked at each other rigidly.

***

Woosung’s empire continued to grow quickly.

Jang Gwangchul announced, “This quarter’s sales reached over 60 billion dollars. Earning surprise!”

Woosung nodded calmly.

Jang Gwangchul continued, “And you know what else?”

“Coconut sales reached over 2 billion dollars?”

“That’s right. It’s higher than Facebook. We will soon become the best SNS service in the world.”

“I already knew that.”

“With these number, do you know what this means with respect to Korean GDP?”

“Our companies now makes up over half of it.”

“Exactly. It means we now control the Korean economy.”

“Haha, I like that.”

“It could be even better since this quarter’s result didn’t include Sungyong and BMW performances. On top of that, we are doing an amazing job in China too! Our Chinese sales have reached over 10 billion dollars. We are growing at a 40% rate. In five years, we should be reaching 100 billion dollars.”

“That would mean at some point, we will make up over 70% of the GDP.”

“Haha! Now, what’s next?”

“First, we need to destroy Daeyang and take over their sales. That will make our own sales to reach 700 billion dollars.”

Jang Gwangchul’s eyes shined brightly.

***

1BTC 3210 dollars.

The bitcoin frenzy reached the entire world.

Choi Gichul stared at the screen and murmured, “It could really reach 10,000 dollars.”

“Did you buy more?”

“Yeah, about 70 million dollars.”

Jung Jinsup’s eyes widened.

He asked, “At what price?”

“Between 1500 to 2000 dollars.”

“You…”

This meant Choi Gichul made a lot of money.

He murmured, “You were wrong. It reached 300 dollars.”

“…”

“Will it reach 10,000 dollars?”

“I don’t know anymore. It could.”

“What do you think?”

“I think… 10,000 dollars seems too high.”

“I disagree. If this continues, it will reach 10000 dollars, but what’s really important is…”

To escape from Choi Taemin. Choi Gichul wondered if this cryptocurrency could allow him to accomplish that dream.

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Chapter 193: <Control>

Choi Gichul asked Jung Jinsup, “Can we pause the trading again on Bit Trading?”

“Technically, we can do it whenever we want, but if we do it too often, we will get complaints from the users.”

“So we shouldn’t use it too often.”

“Exactly.”

Choi Gichul rubbed his chin. After the conversation with Choi Taemin, he hasn’t been able to sleep. Should he run to Kang Woosung and ask for help?

Or should he try to save himself?

Choi Gichul knew he had to do it on his own or else, it could backfire.

‘I will use all the funds from Daeyang and make money by investing in bitcoins. I will then transfer the profits into my personal Bitmain account.’ Choi Gichul continued to think. ‘But then what? I could convince Suk Jinmyung to give me some proofs on Choi Taemin. I will send Choi Taemin to jail. That’s probably what Kang Woosung wants too. That must be why he sent Chun Gisu to me.’

Choi Gichul’s breath became shallow. Jung Jinsup stared at him, but Choi Gichul didn’t notice and continued to think.

‘Kang Woosung could probably send Choi Taemin to prison easier and faster than I can. Does this mean I need to ask him for help after all? Phew. Yes, I think that’s for the best.’

Choi Gichul called Woosung.

He was shocked when he heard the message.

“This phone number does not exist anymore. Please dial the correct number.”

“This phone number does not exist anymore. Please dial the correct number.”

‘He changed his phone number?’

Now there was no way for him to contact Woosung. After thinking, he headed towards the Korean Business Agency building. He had to meet with Woosung and resolve this situation.

When he entered the office, Choi Gichul was met with Chun Gisu instead of Woosung.

Chun Gisu explained, “President Kang is busy. I am taking care of his business for now.”

“So Kang Woosung won’t even meet with me in person?”

Chun Gisu stretched his arms and replied, “You are not as important anymore.”

Choi Gichul gritted his teeth. His pride was hurt, but there was nothing he could do. It was true, Kang Woosung was now beyond his reach.

Chun Gisu said to him, “Did you decide to leave Daeyang?”

Chun Gisu asked slowly, “Can you really protect me?”

“Haha, of course.”

Chun Gisu pushed the interphone button on his desk.

Beep.

Several men in black walked in.

Chun Gisu explained, “We will double your bodyguards and install security systems in your house. We will monitor everything you do.”

“What about my assistant from Choi Taemin who follows me around everywhere?”

“What do you want us to do? We can shut him up or we can get rid of him.”

Choi Gichul swallowed. He hadn’t realized how powerful Woosung was.

Chun Gisu continued, “All you have to do is bring us the smoking gun. That’s all we ask of you.”

Choi Gichul was furious at Chun Gisu’s disrespect, but he had no choice but to leave.

When he left, Chun Gisu murmured quietly, “Did you hear all that?”

His cell phone was turned on the whole time.

A voice answered, “I see that a lot has changed.”

“I can’t believe I used to work for that idiot.”

“…”

“You must know by now that the faster you make your decision, the better treatment you will receive from us.”

“I know.”

“If you stay at Daeyang, you will be used as a scapegoat. You have already done more than you needed to for Daeyang.”

“I understand what you’re saying.”

“So what is your decision?”

“I am just not sure if Kang Woosung is someone I can trust. I could end up in a worse situation.”

Suk Jinmyung couldn’t trust anyone easily. He couldn’t believe Chun Gisu either.

Chun Gisu replied, “I understand what you are feeling. We have never been close. I understand you would be worried and afraid, but think of it this way, you already know what will happen if you stay at Daeyang, and it’s not pretty.”

Suk Jinmyung had never regretted working for Daeyang until now.

Chun Gisu continued, “Technically, wasn’t it Chairman Choi Gunwon who gave you the scholarships? What happened to him?”

Suk Jinmyung’s heartbeat started to hasten. He felt thirsty. Chun Gisu raised his voice.

“He harmed his own father! What are you expecting from him?”

After a quick hesitation, Suk Jinmyung finally gave his answer.

***

Dark night.

Lee Sunghyun was brought to Woosung to a secret place in Sungbook Dong. When he walked in, Woosung didn’t even stand up.

He asked, “Have a seat.”

Lee Sunghyun sat down nervously. Woosung was being rude, but it was clear who was the boss in this room.

Woosung continued, “I heard you have something to say to me.”

“These are the documents on Daeyang. The prosecutors have been keeping these a secret.”

Woosung’s lawyer approached them and took the envelope from Lee Sunghyun. He examined them quickly. The lawyer was someone Lee Sunghyun knew.

“Prosecutor Go? What are you doing here?”

He didn’t get an answer. Woosung also remained silent.

Lee Sunghyun continued, “I see that you hired many people.”

“Tell me what you came to say.”

“Um… You have been invited to the Blue House as soon as possible. You will get everything you want. We could give you an award. We can help you with your business any way you want.”

“I don’t need any help with my business.”

“I wasn’t planning on saying this, but…”

“Then you shouldn’t.”

Lee Sunghyun reddened.

He yelled, “I can destroy both of us.”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“If you continue to be like this, I will let people know that you bribed me. I am done for anyway, and I can drag you down with me.”

Woosung laughed loudly, “Haha, is that it? You’re really going to threaten me with that?”

“I will do anything to fix this situation.”

“Haha. This is why you can never trust a politician. Good thing I never trusted you.”

Lee Sunghyun paled.

Woosung leaned back into the sofa and continued, “You must have not understood this situation. The government will always change, but the rich and powerful will always remain the same.”

Lee Sunghyun couldn’t deny this fact.

Woosung added, “Money rules the world, and who has the most money? That would be me. No one can touch me. So if you’re threatening me with our past bribery, go ahead. Do it. You will see who gets destroyed.”

Lee Sunghyun stammered, “I, I didn’t mean it like that. I meant we should try to get along.”

“I heard it as a threat. You are a lawyer. You know what it sounds like.”

Lee Sunghyun couldn’t hide his anxiety. He has never been treated his way, especially since his father became the President of Korea.

As the tension rose, Woosung’s lawyer said to him, “Sir, the documents are legit. With them, we should be able to carry out our plan.”

“Good.”

Lee Sunghyun asked hopefully, “D… does this mean you’ll help me?”

“I am willing to talk to you, but that’s it. Of course, you did just threaten me, so I’m not sure if I should help you.”

Lee Sunghyun gritted his teeth.

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Chapter 194: <Control>

Woosung asked Lee Sunghyun bluntly, “How can I trust you after that threat you just gave me?”

Lee Sunghyun had difficulty controlling his anger, but as he looked into Woosung’s eyes, Lee Sunghyun knew there was nothing he could do.

400 billion dollars in sales last year.

600 billion dollars expected this year.

Woosung was the biggest businessman in the world. Compared to him, Lee Sunghyun was a nobody.

Lee Sunghyun replied, “What can I do to gain your trust?”

“You must have more information on Daeyang.”

“You mean…”

“I want everything the government has on Daeyang. You know my goal is to destroy Daeyang completely.”

“If I give you everything, will you make my problems go away?”

Woosung grinned. “Think about it. If a huge company like Daeyang gets exposed, will the media and the public even remember the current political scandal?”

Lee Sunghyun’s eyes widened.

Woosung continued, “You bury a scandal with another scandal. It’s a common technique in politics. As you said, I have the majority of this country’s lawyers on my side. I can provide you with a few. The trial will end quickly and quietly as if nothing happened. People will focus on Daeyang. All of this can be accomplished if you give me what I want.”

Lee Sunghyun swallowed. It was an attractive offer.

Lee Sunghyun asked, “Do you promise? If I bring you everything, you will make this go away?”

When Woosung nodded, Lee Sunghyun sighed in relief.

After Lee Sunghyun left, Woosung asked his lawyer, “How long do you think Choi Taemin will remain in prison with these proofs?”

Attorney Go Gihoon.

He used to be one of the main prosecutors in the government.

“I think about 2 years.”

“On probation?”

Go Gihoon nodded. Woosung wasn’t satisfied. It wasn’t enough.

Go Gihoon continued, “At most, he would get 5 years, but he will be let go on probation soon after.”

“So we need much more.”

“If Lee Sunghyun provides something really good…”

Woosung’s eyes shined.

Suk Jinmyung.

Choi Gichul.

If these two men brought him more proofs…

Woosung replied, “I understand.”

When he was left alone, Woosung turned on his computer.

“I got the price of bitcoin to reach 4301 dollars. Some companies are trying to accumulate them, but they can never compare to me. I will pump the price to its highest and sell everything. Then, I will launch Coconut Coin as an official cryptocurrency.”

Bitcoin’s price would plummet. The key was to make sure Choi Gichul and Choi Taemin hold a significant number of bitcoins when it does.

“I can’t wait to see Choi Gichul’s face when he loses everything.”

According to Jung Jinsup, Choi Gichul continued to buy bitcoins.

Woosung looked at his watch. It was midnight, which meant it was around 2 pm in New York. As expected, Woosung’s cellphone rang. It was JP’s Jeremy.

“Did you make a decision?”

“How much did you spend on the lobbyists?”

“Billions.”

“…”

Woosung continued, “I’m not asking people to give up dollars. I am just planning to replace it.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?’

“Haha, giving up is different than replacing.”

“But with the new replacement, US will lose its control.”

Woosung laughed and replied, “I don’t expect this project to succeed without America’s cooperation. If you decide to side with me, I will try to make sure you retain your control and value.”

“Try?”

“Haha. Alright. I will make sure no other country will be above you.”

However, Woosung will still be on the top.

Jeremy asked, “What will happen if JP refuses? What if the US government and banks refuse as well?”

Woosung replied calmly, “The US government has already partially accepted my project. In addition, many of the old and new companies in Silicone Valley are already using this currency. Will America give up on all these companies?” Woosung laughed and continued, “I am the one who saved Silicone Valley after the financial crisis. I was the one who invested over 10 billion dollars on the manufacturing factories in Silicone Valley. I also own the most shares of the start-up companies there.”

Jeremy remained silent.

Woosung continued, “And it is also me who can move all these from Silicone Valley to Israel. Do you know how will this affect the US? I think you do. Also, do you know who the biggest trader in Nasdaq is?”

Jeremy didn’t say anything. He knew now. He also realized that Woosung owned Right Capital too.

Woosung added, “I own a huge part of the American economy. If I take all of it and move to somewhere else, JP will be damaged big time. You know all this already. Isn’t that why you called me?”

After a long pause, Jeremy finally answered, “I want to talk to you about some details.”

***

Daeyang hospital.

Chairman Choi Gunwon and Choi Gitae were both in a coma. Choi Gichul visited them.

Looking at his father, Choi Gichul murmured, “Did you really not expect something like this to happen?”

Beep.

Beep.

Hook up to various machines, Choi Gunwon remained still. Choi Gichul bit his lips.

“You are the one who made us the way we are. Why did you do it?”

Again, Choi Gichul got no answer.

He continued quietly, “I plan to go a different way now. I won’t follow your path anymore. Even if it means I destroy everything you built.”

Choi Gichul glared at his father with resentment.

Beep.

Beep.

The machines continued to beep regularly. Choi Gichul moved to the next room where Choi Gitae was in a similar state.

Choi Gichul murmured, “Crazy idiot.”

Looking at his helpless brother, Choi Gichul didn’t feel sympathetic. He just felt relieved that he was free from his abusive brother.

Choi Gichul continued to murmur, “Someone like you should have died.”

Choi Gichul remembered being beaten up by Choi Gitae as a child. He used to pray for Choi Gitae’s death. His wish was finally about to come true.

“I will take everything you have.”

Beep.

Beep.

Choi Gichul walked out of the room.

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Chapter 195: <Control>

After leaving the hospital, Choi Gichul headed towards a place in Sungbook Dong. It was the same place where Lee Sunghyun visited Woosung recently. Someone guided Choi Gichul to the living room where Woosung was sitting on a sofa.

Woosung ordered, “Sit.”

When Choi Gichul sat down quietly, Woosung asked, “So you have something to tell me?”

Chun Gisu arranged this meeting. Choi Gichul asked, “If I give you Choi Taemin’s weakness, what can you give me in return?”

“Oh, so you want to trade with me?”

Choi Gichul nodded. He took out his phone and showed Woosung a photo. It was a picture of Choi Gunwon in the hospital.

“How about this?”

“It can’t be proven. There is no solid proof.”

“I will get you the proof. In return, protect me and my wealth.”

Woosung laughed, “Haha, but there is one problem. I’m not interested in your offer.”

Choi Gichul paled. He begged Chun Gisu for this meeting, yet Woosung seemed unwilling to help him. Woosung suddenly pressed a button on the table.

“If I give you Choi Taemin’s weakness, what can you give me in return?”

It was Choi Gichul’s own voice from a recording device. Woosung asked, “If I take this recording to Choi Taemin, what do you think will happen?”

Choi Gichul stood up and screamed, “You bastard!”

Suddenly, a large hand grabbed Choi Gichul’s shoulder from behind. It was one of Woosung’s bodyguards. Choi Gichul was thrown back onto the sofa.

Woosung said to him, “Be careful. He is a very scary man. He used to be in the special forces.”

Choi Gichul swallowed. He was sweating. He glanced around the room nervously.

Choi Gichul stammered, “W, what do you think you’re doing? Do you not know who I am?”

“I know very well, but do you know who I am?”

“President Kang Woosung. Every Korean knows who you are.”

“Not that.”

Woosung wanted to say it, but this wasn’t the time.

Choi Gichul replied, “The richest man in the world.”

Woosung grinned. “And?”

Choi Gichul finally realized that Woosung was making fun of him.

Choi Gichul frowned and replied, “This isn’t the time for jokes.”

“That’s your problem. You know how it is. When you reach a certain status, everything becomes boring. You need to seek fun wherever you can.”

“…”

“Of course, I’m not saying I reject your deal completely. I will think about it. Now leave and wait for me.”

***

Daeyang Electronics 103.10.

Daeyang’s stock price plummeted further. Unsurprisingly, KND’s stock continued to soar.

Then, breaking news flashed on the television.

“JP Jeremy announces an investment of billions of dollars in Daeyang Electronics.”

“[Breaking News] JP takes over 20% of Daeyang Electronics.”

“Over 10 billion dollars invested.”

Suddenly, Daeyang stock started to go up quickly.

Choi Taemin finally smiled. “We are finally out of the woods.”

“Yes, sir, but it’s only a temporary solution. If we don’t launch a successful cellphone and improve our semiconductor department, we will return to our earlier situation quickly.”

“Our next cellphone line will be a success, which will help our semiconductor department.”

Suk Jinmyung frowned and replied, “But the problem is whether or not we can survive till then. In addition, 70% of Daeyang Electronics now belongs to foreign companies. We are basically a foreign company at this point. What if one or two of them give up on us?”

Choi Taemin glared at him. “It sounds like you want me to fail.”

“It’s not like that. It’s my job to get prepared for the worst scenario.

“Your most important job is to relieve my stress, and you are doing a very poor job nowadays.”

Suk Jinmyung breathed deeply. He needed to calm down.

He replied, “I apologize.”

“If you’re sorry then do a better job. I need to not be stressed out so I can do a better job to save Daeyang. Now leave me and find me someone. It better be someone good.”

Choi Gichul was waiting for him when Suk Jinmyung returned to his office. He had his legs up on the desk.

He said to Suk Jinmyung, “I see that you got lectured by my brother again.”

“What are you doing here?”

“You must have a lot of worries nowadays. It must be hard working for that bastard.”

“…”

“I thought perhaps I should help you from becoming his biggest victim.”

Suk Jinmyung’s face paled. Choi Gichul threw an envelope at him.

“Have a look.”

Suk Jinmyung’s hands trembled as he read the report. It was a plan in case Daeyang was implicated for an illegal account splitting. The key to this plan was Suk Jinmyung.

“The plan is for you to be the whistle blower, and I can be your savior.” Choi Gichul stood up and continued, “Get me Choi Taemin’s secret funds in Switzerland and Virgin Island. I will make big profits from them. He will never know.”

“Then what will happen to me?”

“You will become rich.”

“How will you survive Choi Taemin’s anger?”

Choi Gichul lowered his voice. “I have a way. You know President Kang, right?”

Suk Jinmyung nodded.

Choi Gichul continued, “He promised to protect me.”

Choi Gichul grinned. Suk Jinmyung lowered his eyes and thought.

‘Just how many people did Kang Woosung ask?’

When Suk Jinmyung remained silent, Choi Gichul asked, “You’re in, right?”

“What if I say no?”

Choi Gichul handed him another envelope. As Suk Jinmyung read the documents, his eyes widened once again, but this time in shock. It contained all the illegal things he did for Daeyang over the years.

Choi Gichul explained, “My father always said we need to have a good record of everything just in case. He gave this to me before he became ‘ill.'”

Suk Jinmyung slowly replied, “I understand.”

Choi Gichul grinned brightly. “Good. You can expect to be rewarded a huge amount of cash for your cooperation. Let’s work together.”

Choi Gichul left. Suk Jinmyung sat down. It was over. He knew what he had to do. Suk Jinmyung opened his cabinet drawer.

***

1BTC 6310 dollars.

November 2017.

Jang Gwangchul checked the bitcoin price on his phone and asked Woosung, “Tell me the truth. How many bitcoins do you actually have?”

“Probably the most in the world.”

“…what?”

“You asked me to tell you the truth.”

“S, so how many would that be? A million?”

Woosung shook his head.

Jang Gwangchul asked again, “T, then 5 million?”

Woosung shook his head again.

“Y, you mean 10 million?”

“Haha, it’s not important. It’s time to attend Korea’s first civilian satellite launch.”

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Chapter 196: <Control>

Four black helicopters flew from Seoul to South Junla Province where the Space launch center was located.

Riding in one of the helicopters, Jang Gwangchul asked Woosung, “Woosung, isn’t this a little too much?”

“Haha, our safety is always my priority. We need to be careful. We are responsible for so many employees.”

“But four helicopters seem too much… Three just for our security… This is Korea after all.”

“This is how the President flies. This way, whoever may attack us won’t know which one holds us.”

“But four black hawks seem way too much…”

Woosung smiled. “This is also to show off to someone.”

“Who?”

“The President of Korea is coming to this event. I’m showing him I’m not someone he can play with.”

“To show him who’s the boss?”

Woosung nodded.

Naro Space Center.

The four helicopters arrived.

President Lee Parksung, who was waiting in the VIP room, saw this and asked, “Those are all for Kang Woosung?”

His head of security answered, “Yes. One holds him and the others hold all his bodyguards.”

“Is he that important of a figure?”

“Recently, President Kang Woosung has been busy meeting with leaders of different countries and financial institutions to discuss the application of cryptocurrency. The US has been unhappy about this and that must be why Kang Woosung re-enforced his security team.”

Lee Parksung smirked. “Ha! Who does he think he is?”

“According to our research, Kang Woosung knows the direct phone number to the President of United States. Just the fact that he plans to replace the dollar system… His financial power is greater than those of many of the businessmen from different countries. According to IMF, President Kang Woosung’s value is…”

The President’s secretary was interrupted by Lee Parksung.

“Stop.” Lee Parksung glared at him.

Woosung and Jang Gwangchul got off the helicopter. Jang Gwangchul looked around awkwardly.

“I don’t think I will ever get used to this.”

“Haha, you are the CEO of XFeed and the Vice president of KND. You’re worth it.”

“But this is…”

Ten intimidating bodyguards surrounded them.

Woosung replied, “This just means we are important.”

“…”

The President’s secretary approached them. Woosung’s bodyguards stopped him and only let him pass after Woosung nodded.

The secretary asked, “Sir, the President would like to speak with you.”

Woosung nodded and said to Jang Gwangchul, “Go ahead without me. I will see you soon.”

Jang Gwangchul nodded slowly.

Lee Parksung said to Woosung coldly, “I see that you like to show off.”

“I am only doing what suits my current status.”

“You need to remember the importance of modesty.”

“I’m not like you.”

Lee Parksung frowned and replied, “It feels like every time we meet, you become more and more stubborn.”

Woosung grinned. “Probably because I am on my way up, and you are going down, President.”

Lee Parksung glared at Woosung. “You better watch it.”

Woosung glared back at him and replied, “Did you bring me here to insult me? If so, this conversation is over. Being seen with a President who is known for corruption and has only a 30% approval rating is not good for my reputation.”

Lee Parksung clenched his fists, but that was all he could do.

He relaxed and replied, “I didn’t mean to upset you. I wanted to confirm you had an understanding with my son, Attorney Lee.”

“Yes. I’ll let him know what I need.”

“You will get what you asked for. The government will also be rewarding you with an award for your good business ethics and space research.”

Woosung nodded indifferently.

Lee Parksung frowned and asked, “What do you think? This should be enough to convince you to help us.”

“Your secretary already explained this to me. You want me to announce an increase in employment and investments.”

Lee Parksung nodded.

Woosung continued, “I was going to do that anyway, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Haha, good. Let’s forget our past and become friends again.”

Woosung shook his head. “This doesn’t mean I want to be your friend.”

Lee Parksung’s face darkened.

Woosung continued quickly, “I need to get going now.”

***

Naro Space center conference hall.

It was filled with countless reporters. Some TV stations were airing the event live.

“Hello. This is MBD’s reporter, Lee Sunghyun. I am at Korea’s very first civilian satellite Tiger-X’s launch. This satellite was created by President Kang Woosung’s company, Space Dream, with the help from Space X.” The reporter continued quickly, “In 10 minutes, the satellite will be launched. This place is filled with tension and anticipation. President Kang Woosung is currently in the VIP room watching the event with President Lee Parksung.”

Lee Parksung asked Woosung, “What do you think? Will it be a success? I heared the technology is very complicated.”

“It will work. The technology will also be applicable to communications and military fields.”

“We’ll see.”

Finally, the countdown commenced.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

Zero.

With a loud noise and vibration, the rocket lifted off to the skies.

***

KND 1100.30.

KND was currently worth over 310 billion dollars. With the recent satellite success, it’s stock price rose at an unprecedented rate.

1BTC 7501.10.

Bitcoin prices also continued to increase. Choi Gichul sighed as he logged on to his Bit Trading account.

110,010 BTC.

He purchased bitcoins with the money Suk Jinmyung stole from Choi Taemin. Choi Gichul spent a lot of time money laundering through purchasing and selling of bitcoins.

“If I can keep this up, I will end up with billions of dollars”

He felt hopeful. He also felt grateful to Jung Jinsup, who was sitting next to him. If it wasn’t for Jung Jinsup creating this dealership, this would have never been possible.

‘I’ll buy him a drink. That should be enough’

Choi Gichul clicked to a coin information website. He had been thinking about the cryptocurrency mining machines. Instead of collecting bitcoins, Choi Gichul was thinking about mining himself.

“Should I create a mining company?” Choi Gichul wondered in all seriousness.

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Chapter 197: <Control>

Choi Gichul asked Jung Jinsup, “Hey, do you know about cryptocurrency mining?”

Jung Jinsup nodded. “Of course. It’s really popular nowadays. I heard mining graphic cards have been sold out.”

“What if we use the mining machine Ant 7 from BitLine?”

“As you know, many people got into mining recently. It won’t be easy.”

“What do you know about Cloud Mining?”

Choi Gichul had a lot of questions. Jung Jinsup opened the BitLine website on the computer and explained, “I bought Hash power from this website and used it myself. I have been getting a decent profit so far, but I made more with bitcoins.”

“So you’re saying it’s legit.”

“Money always gets deposited on time, so I guess so.”

“Hmm… I see.”

“Why? Are you interested?”

“I was wondering how to expand our business, and I think this might be the way.”

“I guess it’s not a bad idea.”

When Choi Gichul nodded, Jung Jinsup asked, “But where will we get the money for it? The initial cost will be significant.”

“We’ll find a way.”

Choi Gichul smiled confidently. He had plenty of money now.

Jung Jinsup pointed at the TV where Woosung’s speech was being aired.

“Well, Kang Woosung is deep in this industry, so I’m sure it’s safe. The faster we get started, the better.”

On the stage, Woosung said to the crowd calmly, “I would like to first thank my Space Dream team for making this launch into a huge success.”

The audience applauded.

“And I would like to also thank the government officials who stood behind me in this project.” Woosung sighed lightly and continued, “I thought I would take this opportunity to talk about something disappointing. The experts said, with respect to space research, the US is ten years ahead of Korea and at least five years ahead of China. Korea initially put a lot of money into space research, but when the result wasn’t significant, the government reduced the budget as of recent years. With less money, many of the important researchers end up leaving the Korean space program, this of course negatively affected our chance to catch up to our foreign counterparts such as America and China.”

Lee Parksung’s face had a sudden sour turn. Woosung was clearly criticizing the government.

He continued, “It’s a vicious cycle. I think the government should focus on making a good environment for relevant businesses to thrive. What I mean by that are transparency and fairness. Laws need to be obeyed. This should be applied to EVERYONE. I beg our government to accomplish this goal.”

***

When Woosung returned to the private room, Jang Gwangchul said to him, “You are creating more controversy.”

“There will be people who will disagree with me, but some will understand and support my idea.”

“We might get investigated again.”

“We will be found innocent again, so it doesn’t matter. If we really get investigated again, it will give me ammunition to fight back.”

“You mean the impartial business audit team?”

Woosung nodded. “Instead of the current national business investigation department, which is biased as it is funded by businesses themselves, this new impartial business audit team will be able to carry out a fair and objective inquiry. It will consist of foreign accountants and investigators.”

“And at the end of this nationwide investigation, our company will be the only one proven to be clean.”

Woosung nodded. “Most, if not all, CEOs of major companies will end up in trials for their corruptions.”

“And we will take over these companies, which will be devalued.”

“We will rule Korea.”

Jang Gwangchul inhaled deeply. “Do you think the government will really investigate us again?”

“I expect so.”

When Jang Gwangchul sighed again deeply, Woosung said to him, “Don’t worry. Things will work out.”

***

1BTC 10,400.00.

Bitcoin finally reached 10,000 dollars. Choi Gichul stood up. This was the first time ever for him to accomplish something by himself.

Without Daeyang.

He felt proud. With the current price of bitcoin, Choi Gichul’s wealth reached two billion dollars.

Two billion dollars.

With this, he could do anything he wanted. He had nothing to fear anymore. Choi Gichul looked at the monitor and laughed. Jung Jinsup saw this and looked at him worriedly.

“Hey, are you ok?”

“Thank you. Thank you so much. You saved my life.”

“Hmm? What are you talking about?”

“Without you, I wouldn’t have known about bitcoins.”

Suddenly, Jung Jinsup’s eyes turned cold. It was time. He put his hand in his pocket and pressed a button. Via Bluetooth, a message was sent from his cellphone to a predesignated person.

Suddenly, Choi Gichul yelled, “Huh? What? What’s happening?”

He paled as he watched the monitor.

1BTC 9442.00.

1BTC 9100.40.

1BTC 8501.00.

1BTC 7910.70.

It happened so fast. Choi Gichul started to click quickly, but the price continued to drop so fast.

“There are too many orders at the moment. Your transaction has failed. Please try again.”

“There are too many orders at the moment. Your transaction has failed. Please try again.”

“There are too many orders at the moment. Your transaction has failed. Please try again.”

“Dammit!” Choi Gichul started to swear loudly.

“What the hell! Why is this system so slow?” Choi Gichul turned to Jung Jinsup angrily. “You better hope I sell my coins quickly.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Our computer system keeps failing so I can’t sell my coins!”

Choi Gichul screamed as he threw away his mouse in anger.

The price continued to drop.

1BTC 6132.00.

1BTC 5372.00.

1BTC 4551.00.

In less than an hour, the price dropped from 10,000 to 400 dollars.

Minus 60%.

Choi Gichul stared at the screen in shock. The media was surprisingly quiet about it. Choi Gichul got his mouse back and logged onto his BitMain and Bit Trading accounts.

“Dammit.”

His balance was now only about 700 million dollars.

From 2 billion dollars.

He put 200 million dollars from Choi Taemin and his entire 300 million dollars.

He still made money, but it wasn’t the same as 2 billion dollars.

“Huh?”

Suddenly, the bitcoin price started to go up again.

1BTC 5142.00.

Choi Gichul clicked the buy button by reflex. After he purchased thousands of the coins, the price suddenly dropped to 2000 dollars.

Choi Gichul continued to stare at the screen.

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Chapter 198: <Control>

Woosung murmured as he stared at the screen, “Little fishes can’t win against the whale.”

Woosung raised the bitcoin price to 10,000 dollars, then sold off quickly which dropped the price to 3000 dollars. He then purchased them back at 3000 dollars.

Woosung made a 7000-dollar profit per coin and accumulated even more bitcoins. He now owned 70% of the bitcoins in the world, but no one knew about it. All his coins were divided into countless different wallets.

Woosung logged onto the CCTVs at Bit Trading. These CCTVs were originally installed to monitor workers, but for Woosung, it was to monitor Choi Gichul.

Woosung murmured, “He is in shock.”

Choi Gichul was staring at the screen with his mouth wide open. Woosung loved this situation.

“Bastard! This is only the beginning for you.”

Woosung knew Choi Gichul will ask Jung Jinsup again to pause Bit Trading transactions to make up for the losses. However, Woosung planned on stopping it from happening. He would make Choi Gichul lose all his money. Woosung also planned to make Choi Gichul borrow from his rich friends.

Woosung grabbed his coat. It was time to attend the KYLO meeting.

***

People stared as Woosung entered. Shin Semi was no exception. She waved at him, but Woosung was not looking her way.

As usual, Woosung was swarmed by everyone. Woosung talked to the group with an easy manner.

“Haha, I am investing in bitcoins too.”

“So you think it has a good outlook?”

“Well, I guess so.”

People listened carefully to Woosung’s every word.

They started to talk among themselves.

“Hey, didn’t Choi Gichul ask us to invest in bitcoins with him?”

“That’s right!”

“Did you do it?”

“No, I just told him I’ll think about it.”

“I invested only a little. I wonder if I should go in more.”

Choi Gichul must have asked everyone in the room.

One man asked Woosung, “Does this mean you will go ahead with investing in relevant businesses?”

“Cryptocurrency’s growth rate will slow down at some point, so I am focusing more on other financial sectors.”

Suddenly, Shin Semi grabbed Woosung’s arm. “Can we talk in private?”

“Is it something you can’t talk about here?”

Shin Semi whispered to him, “Then can you tell everyone why you are talking about bitcoins out of the blue?”

Woosung frowned and followed her. The others who tried to follow them were stopped by Woosung’s bodyguards. The KYLO rule stated no individual could bring his or her personal bodyguards, but no one complained.

In a private room, Shin Semi said to Woosung, “I see that you came here today to talk about bitcoins.”

Woosung stared at Shin Semi.

Shin Semi continued, “You don’t do anything without a clear purpose.”

Woosung was shocked at Shin Semi’s keen observation, but he hid his surprise.

He asked instead, “What is it that you want to tell me?”

“What can you promise for Nuri Finances’ future? What kind of guarantees can you provide?”

“Nuri will probably have a decent future.”

“BNP, Nomura, ICBC, and now JP. You are ‘partnering’ with everyone.” Shin Semi bit her lips and continued, “I realize that these institutions are bigger and better than my company, that is why I need to know. Is Nuri Finances over?”

Woosung smirked and asked, “And if I say yes, will you leave KND’s circle?”

“No. The company will remain under your power. It would be better to be under your thumb than be alone and exposed in this industry.”

“Did your father approve this as well?”

“Yes. He wanted to let you know in person, but your phone number has changed.”

Woosung sat down and replied, “010-XXXX-XXXX. It’s my new number. He can call me anytime.”

Shin Semi sighed deeply.

Woosung continued, “Is that it?”

“Why are you telling people to invest in bitcoins?”

Thankfully, it seemed Shin Semi didn’t realize Woosung’s connection to Choi Gichul. Woosung stood up.

“Let’s talk about that later. I still have a few things to do right now.”

Shin Semi stood up as well. She realized Woosung was too far gone from her. He was also too big now. Big enough to close down Nuri Finances if he wanted.

***

After leaving the KYLO party, Woosung met with various deans from world-famous colleges.

Harvard.

Stanford.

MIT.

The deans sat around Woosung.

Woosung said to them, “Let’s start with 100 million dollars.”

The deans glanced at each other.

“500 million dollars.”

The men flinched.

“1 billion dollars.”

The donation amount reached a billion dollars.

The dean of Stanford University said to Woosung nervously, “Sir, we cannot accept a student based on donations alone, even if it is a large sum of money.”

Woosung replied, “2 billion dollars.”

The three deans trembled. It was more than the three schools received in a year. The deans kept glancing at each other. They all seemed to want to raise their hands.

Woosung continued slowly, “And I will donate this amount every year for the next 5 years.”

MIT’s dean quickly raised his hand first. The other two deans did the same, but it was too late. Woosung turned to MIT’s dean and shook his hand.

“Thank you.”

“No, thank you!”

“Let’s work together to make MIT the best school in the world.”

The other two deans frowned unhappily.

“Yes, sir. I will create the new school policy so your students can be accepted to our school ASAP.”

***

Woosung met with Suk Jinmyung. “MIT has agreed to accept them. Full scholarships for the next 4 years plus post-graduate program for free. The only thing left is for your children to work hard.”

Suk Jinmyung nodded. “Thank you.”

“And until they graduate, I will provide them with a 24/7 security team, though it won’t be necessary once Daeyang gets destroyed.”

Suk Jinmyung said again, “Thank you.”

“Then the only thing left for us to do is to destroy Choi Taemin.”

Suk Jinmyung nodded.

Woosung continued, “I read over the documents you brought. They were filled with clear proofs enough to send Choi Taemin to jail.”

Suk Jinmyung lowered his voice and replied, “You need to always be careful. Choi Taemin is crazy. You never know what he’ll do. Even if Daeyang goes down, he will try to do something.”

Woosung didn’t seem worried.

He answered, “Where do you think his power comes from?”

“Money.”

“Exactly. I agree. That is why we will take away all his money.”

“I’m sure you’ll do great, but I can’t help but be worried.”

“Don’t worry. I will take care of him.”

***

Choi Taemin was unhappy.

He could feel something bad was going to happen. When he arrived at his office, there was an envelope on his desk.

“Resignation letter?”

It was from Suk Jinmyung.

“That bastard.”

Choi Taemin couldn’t believe it. He called the head of the security team. The explanation he got was unacceptable.

“What? He’s not home? Then find him!”

Suddenly, Choi Taemin realized something.

“It can’t be…”

He unlocked his safe and checked his accounts for his secret funds. Thankfully, everything was there.

“But what if he copied these…”

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Chapter 199: <Control>

Choi Gichul’s phone rang early in the morning. He arose quickly and checked the caller’s ID. He was worried it was Choi Taemin, but thankfully, it was an acquaintance from the KYLO meeting.

“Hey, you run a bitcoin dealership, right?”

“Why? Are you interested in investing?”

“I heard investing directly in bitcoin can be very risky, but it seems like Cloud Mining is at an early stage and a better option. Is your offer still available?”

“How much can you invest? My company is actually in the process of expanding into that field, but we need more fund.”

“Then let’s meet in person. I will meet you at your office.”

When Choi Gichul hung up, his phone rang again. It was from another man he knew in KYLO.

Choi Gichul got multiple calls inquiring about the investment opportunity. He arranged a meeting with them quickly. When he asked why they suddenly were interested, they all said it was because Kang Woosung told them the cryptocurrency industry had a bright future.

Choi Gichul’s next step was Cloud Mining.

In Woosung’s previous life, Cloud Mining became popular in 2018. It was a business where people paid to get bitcoins mined. In the end, however, due to many scams and unfair contracts, many ended up losing a lot of money.

“Once Choi Taemin goes to jail, I will use my profits to buy Daeyang shares.” Choi Gichul thought out loud.

After getting the investment contracts signed with the KYLO members, Choi Gichul returned to his room in the office and turned on his computer.

“Let’s see what happened to the price.”

Before he went to bed last night, the price rose to 4000 dollars.

Choi Gichul smiled happily. When he checked that the price was a little over 4000 dollars, he murmured, “I should go in even more.”

He now had more money from the KYLO members as deposits. Choi Gichul believed the bitcoin price would reach 20,000 dollars. He could use these deposit money to make profits for himself. They would never know.

***

Choi Taemin asked his head of the security team, “You can’t find him?”

“No, sir. We suspect someone is hiding him. No one seems to know where he is or when he left his house. It would have required a lot of preparation… It’s not something an individual can do alone.”

“So what are you saying?”

“We are continuing our search, but… Unless he reveals himself, there is a good chance we may never find him.”

Choi Taemin threw his cellphone to the wall.

Crack!

“Did you not understand when I told you to bring him to me no matter what?”

“I apologize.”

Suddenly, Choi Taemin flinched.

“I apologize.”

Suk Jinmyung used to say this to him all the time before he disappeared. Choi Taemin believed Suk Jinmyung was probably hiding somewhere, waiting for a chance to destroy him.

Choi Taemin turned his attention towards his head of security. He couldn’t find the will to trust anyone now.

‘Could he also…’

Daeyang’s security team was the best in the country. Some even said it was better than the government’s. The fact that his head of security told him he couldn’t find Suk Jinmyung could mean…

‘This man is a traitor too.’

Betrayal.

Choi Taemin was becoming paranoid. He started to believe everyone was out to get him.

Choi Taemin said calmly, “Fine. Get out.”

“As soon as I find him, I will let you know.”

“I get it. Now, get out.”

When he left, Choi Taemin made a call. He could trust no one. It was time for Plan B.

***

President Kang Woosung made an official announcement.

“Today, we make history. A reformation of the financial world! I am happy to announce this great news. I would like to introduce the new digital currency Rie. Rie was created with the cooperation from various international banks. Rie will allow international transactions to take place within a few seconds and eliminate the exchange rate problems companies experience every day. Rie is a new and improved cryptocurrency, especially compared to bitcoin. Bitcoin is an old news now. Rie is our future.”

After his announcement, the price of bitcoin started to drop from 8000 dollars.

1BTC 2531.00

Choi Gichul at first thought it was a glitch in the system.

1BTC 531.00

He then realized that this was real.

1BTC 331.00

He had no time to take any actions. It was happening too fast.

1BTC 94.00

It was finally below 100 dollars. Choi Gichul couldn’t think.

1BTC 51.00

He stared at his computer screen, unmoving and mute.

“What is happening?” He murmured quietly. “Is it because of Kang Woosung’s announcement? Because he said Rie was a better cryptocurrency?”

Choi Gichul walked up to Jung Jinsup.

“Hey, you said we can pause the trading system anytime, right?”

When Jung Jinsup nodded, Choi Gichul ordered, “Do it today.”

“Today? But we need time to prepare.”

“Just do it. We can do it early in the morning.” Choi Gichul said in desperation.

Jung Jinsup asked, “What happened? If we act unprepared, it could be problematic.”

Choi Gichul bit his fingernail and replied, “But what about my money?”

“Hmm?”

“You made me invest in bitcoins and now I lost everything. How will you fix this?”

Jung Jinsup asked in shock, “How can you blame me? I didn’t make you do anything.”

“Do you know how much I lost? I even used other people’s money! Hundreds of millions of dollars! If we can’t recover from this, we are doomed.”

Jung Jinsup replied in disbelief, “We? I never borrowed money from anyone. Besides, because of the drop in bitcoin price, the number of transactions increased exponentially, which means our company made a huge profit.”

“But you promised! You promised if we pause the system, we can make money.”

“What are you talking about? I never borrowed money from anyone. YOU are the one who borrowed. YOU lost other people’s money. Why are you keep saying ‘we’?”

Jung Jinsup said coldly, but Choi Gichul wasn’t listening. He lost his mind. He kept murmuring.

“You promised! It’s your responsibility to fix this. Do it today!”

“Why? Do you have to pay back all the money by the end of today?”

“Today! It has to be today! Remember.”

Jung Jinsup sighed deeply, “It could be very problematic if we try to rush it. It might not work at all or something might go wrong.” Jung Jinsup sighed again and asked, “Do you still want to do it?”

Choi Gichul nodded. His eyes were red.

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Chapter 200: <What goes around comes around>

Smoke surrounded Choi Gichul as he inhaled a cigarette outside the office. He tried to calm down, but his hands continued to tremble.

“Dammit… Dammit! I should have sold earlier. Even if I sold when it was at 5000 dollars… I would have been safe.”

He regretted his decision, but it was too late. Choi Gichul took out his cellphone and logged on to his Bit Trading account.

1BTC 31.60.

1BTC 30.40.

1BTC 29.90.

The price continued to drop. It was believed that Kang Woosung’s recent announcement was the reason. However, Choi Gichul couldn’t understand.

“Why do people think that bastard is so great? Why does everyone listen to him?”

He tried to think of an answer, but there was none. He got angrier and angrier. He threw away his cigarette to the ground.

“I will make up for it by the end of the day. There is still a chance. The price dropped quickly, which means it can go up just as quickly too.”

***

After his speech, Woosung returned to his hotel room and turned on his laptop.

“Time to drop it to a dollar. I will make sure it can never recover again.”

Woosung remote controlled into his home computer and adjusted the program parameters. He put the numbers 90 and 70 cents. The system started to activate Woosung’s servers all over the world. His bitcoins were quickly sold and the price started to drop.

Woosung imagined what Choi Gichul would look like when he realized what was happening. He couldn’t help but laugh. Choi Gichul would lose all his money.

“Haha, I can’t wait. I will send you to jail. Jung Jinsup too.”

1BTC 25.50.

1BTC 28.10.

1BTC 16.10

1BTC 20.10.

Woosung turned off his computer and left the room. A luncheon was prepared for him and other officials from the world’s major financial institutions.

***

When Choi Gichul returned to the office and checked his computer, he was in shock again. Before he went for a smoke, it was 31.60, but now, it was even lower. Within 20 minutes, the price dropped to five dollars.

As he watched, the price went down again to three dollars.

“T… three dollars.”

His account, at one point, boasted of two billion dollars, but now it had only 7.3 million dollars. Choi Gichul had one last chance. He moved all his coins from BitMain account and foreign wallets into his Bit Trading account.

If he put all his money one last time, he could pump the price.

Late night in the office.

Jung Jinsup placed a notice online.

Title: Server check due to a sudden increase in transactions.

Main: Hello. We will be carrying out emergency maintenance of our system due to the sudden increase in bitcoin trading. All transactions will pause briefly. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

As soon as this notice came up, different online coin forums became filled with negative comments.

“Bit Trading is going to pump the bitcoin price again. I call 500% this time.”

“What a bad management team. I suspect that they are trying to recover from the recent loss.”

“This is our chance too! Go to Bit Trading now and buy buy buy! The price will rise!”

People remembered what happened last time. Bitcoin’s price went up sharply at Bit Trading after the halt.

Jung Jinsup checked the numbers and said to Choi Gichul, “A lot of money is coming in right now into our system. Ten times more than usual. This way, we should be able to jump the price ten-fold.”

“That’s not enough. It has to be at least a hundred-fold.”

That would give them a 10,000% profit.

Jung Jinsup swallowed. He hasn’t been investing since he lost everything, but this was his chance. Woosung warned him not to get involved. He said he won’t pay his debt back for him if Jung Jinsup gambled in bitcoin again.

However, this was such a good chance.

‘Oh well, he will never find out. I need to make some money for myself. It’s a rigged game and I can’t let it pass.’

Jung Jinsup placed 500,000 dollars of his money into the system.

“It’s done.”

As soon as Jung Jinsup gave him a go, Choi Gichul made a call quickly. He had a group of experts ready this time. After the call, the chart started to move.

Choi Gichul waited for the price to jump.

“Huh?”

Jung Jinsup asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Wait a minute.”

Choi Gichul picked up his phone again.

***

Woosung grinned as he watched his monitor.

“Ha! He was going to fix the price with only a few millions of dollars?”

Woosung had previously moved his bitcoins to Bit Trading account. Woosung started to sell them off quickly.

“I have over a million bitcoins here.”

Choi Gichul’s team tried to increase the price, but Woosung stunted their attempts every time.

After 12 hours, the price could not even reach 1000 dollars.

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Chapter 201: <What goes around comes around>

Choi Gichul screamed into the phone, “Hey! What the hell!”

“I, I’m sorry. So many bitcoins are being sold constantly, we did not anticipate it.”

“How many?”

“20% more bitcoins are involved than we expected.”

“Who would do that? Who would have known our plan?”

“We can’t tell. It could be that many of the bitcoin owners got together… We are doing our best to find out, but we have no answer so far.”

Choi Gichul asked desperately, “What will happen if things continue like this?”

“We won’t be able to do anything, and the price will drop at least 40% below what we hoped.”

“Then how much more money do you need to make it happen?”

“About 30 million dollars.”

Choi Gichul sighed deeply and hung up.

Jung Jinsup asked, “What’s happening? Is it not going well?”

Choi Gichul didn’t answer. He left the room and went down to the first floor. Jung Jinsup turned to the monitor and checked the price again.

“Should I sell now?”

Choi Gichul bit his lips. “Dammit. Did my own team betray me?”

Choi Gichul has worked with this team of experts several times in the past and it was a success every time. This has never happened before.

“Could they be working against me? Could it be…”

His paranoia started to take over his mind.

“But they know what Daeyang will do to them if they betray me…”

Choi Gichul made a call to Daeyang’s security team. The report he got was clean.

Choi Gichul asked, “So everything looks normal?”

“Yes. It’s no different than any other time. They are using only our phones, and they are being monitored closely.”

Choi Gichul relaxed a little but suddenly tensed again.

‘What if the security team is also in on it?’

Choi Gichul gritted his teeth. It made sense.

Choi Gichul knew what he had to do.

***

1BTC 700.10.

1BTC 621.00.

1BTC 341.00.

The price continued to drop. Choi Gichul’s paranoia won over his logic.

“These bastards are all working against me.”

He now felt like he only had one option left.

Kang Woosung.

Choi Gichul believed Kang Woosung could fix everything for him.

He called Kang Woosung.

Woosung answered, “I was just about to call you.”

“There is something you need to do for me.”

“Tell me.”

Choi Gichul told Woosung a partial truth. He didn’t say anything about the bitcoin situation. He told Woosung he was in the process of collecting proofs against Choi Taemin, but it appeared that Daeyang security team has betrayed him. Choi Gichul asked Woosung to do something about it.

Woosung smirked. “Is that so?”

“Yes, so I need you to confirm my theory.”

“Exactly what do you want me to confirm?”

“First, I need to know if they are working for Choi Taemin secretly, but this needs to be done without Choi Taemin finding out.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Please do it right now. It is a very urgent matter.”

1BTC 126.00.

Bitcoin price continued to dip. Choi Gichul was desperate.

Woosung replied calmly, “I see. So this is an emergency.”

“How soon will you be able to find out?”

1BTC 85.10.

“I don’t know. Probably a week or so.”

“You need to do it NOW! There is no time!”

1BTC 71.20.

At Choi Gichul’s scream, Woosung replied bluntly, “This isn’t my problem.”

“If you don’t act now, you may not get the information you need about Choi Taemin.”

“I already have enough information.”

“…pardon?”

“I don’t have to tell you the details.”

“W, what? Hello?”

1BTC 35.20.

How could this happen? His team was pumping the price, yet it was still going down.

Woosung replied, “I will think about what you asked.”

Woosung hung up. Choi Gichul paled.

Jung Jinsup found him and asked, “Hey, what’s going on? The price won’t stop decreasing.”

Choi Gichul didn’t answer. Instead, he called his team.

“Please leave a message after the beep.”

Choi Gichul tried calling again.

“Please leave a message after the beep.”

“Those bastards!”

“Please leave a message after the beep.”

He tried to call a few more times, but no one answered. Choi Gichul threw the phone on the ground.

Jung Jinsup asked in shock, “Hey! What’s happening?”

Jung Jinsup was anxious too. He stole from the company and gambled with it. He betted everything on this night. This was his last hope.

An even bigger problem was he broke the promise he made with Woosung. Woosung probably already knew about it.

“Shut up.”

“W, what?”

Choi Gichul said again, “Just shut the hell up.”

“…what are you…”

Without another word, Choi Gichul left the office.

***

The next day at KND headquarters.

Woosung stood in front of the reporters.

“Is it true that your M&A funds came from Japan?”

“No.”

“Then is it from US?”

“No.”

“So you are saying you were able to purchase companies worth billions of dollars with your own money alone?”

Woosung nodded. “I made my money based on data analysis of the future trading. It was an honest and legal investment method.”

“You are saying you made billions of dollars from the future market?”

“Yes.”

The reporters gaped in shock. One reporter asked, “Could we get the details?”

Woosung smiled.

“It started with the financial crisis. A crisis can be a chance for a financial gain, and I didn’t miss my chance. I was able to make a lot of money. With it, I created my company. Later, I made even more money during the Greece situation and the Japanese earthquake.”

Before anyone could ask him another question, Woosung continued quickly, “I made my money with only one thing. Dada analysis. I worked smart and hard; that is how I did it.”

However, people still didn’t believe Woosung.

Making billions by investing in the market?

Even world-famous investors couldn’t accomplish this in such a short period of time.

Woosung continued, “It doesn’t matter if you don’t believe me. It doesn’t change the fact that it’s the truth.”

Many reporters raised their hands, but Woosung continued, “I am telling you that I created my corporate empire fair and square. I realize many of the companies in Korea became successful illegally and unethically. That is why the public probably doesn’t trust my words. I understand, so I suggest a nation-wide audit by an unbiased team. I am willing to pay for this investigation myself. Any company that doesn’t volunteer for this inquiry would be admitting their guilt.”

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Chapter 202: <What goes around comes around>

Because of Woosung’s announcement, the drop in bitcoin price didn’t even reach the media.

1BTC 75 cents.

Jung Jinsup got drunk and Choi Gichul just stared at the monitor in shock. He looked at the price over and over again, but it still remained the same.

The Bit Trading office was dark and silent.

Then all of a sudden, rich men from the KYLO meeting stormed in. The employees looked shocked.

“What’s going on?”

“I heard the bitcoin dropped to less than a dollar. Is it all over then?”

“My money! What about my money?”

Choi Gichul remained silent.

“Hey, say something!”

“Choi Gichul! Don’t you know how much money you borrowed from me?”

“Tell us what’s happening!”

When he didn’t answer, one of the men grabbed Choi Gichul.

“You bastard!”

Choi Gichul finally opened his mouth.

He replied in a condescending voice, “Are you crazy? I’m Choi Gichul. Daeyang’s Choi Gichul! Who do you think you are!”

The man sneered. “Daeyang? Daeyang is no more. You’re a nobody now. Don’t you watch the news?”

The man took out his phone and showed Choi Gichul the news articles.

[Breaking News] Prosecutors raid Daeyang headquarter.

[Breaking News] Daeyang accused of at least 12 crimes.

[Breaking News] Choi Taemin arrested for assault, embezzlement, and attempted murder.

Choi Gichul has been busy with the bitcoin situation he hadn’t realized what was happening. The man growled at him.

“Now, do you see?”

All the men glared at him.

“You better pay us back our money, or else you will end up in a ditch just like your brother.”

The man pushed Choi Gichul to the ground. Choi Gichul couldn’t think straight, but he knew one thing. There was only one man who could save him.

***

1 BTC 9 cents.

It was now less than 10 cents. Bitcoin at one point was worth 10,000 dollars, but no one cared. The public and the media’s focus was now on Woosung’s new digital currency, Rie.

President Lee Parksung was also under an investigation.

Jang Gwangchul’s days were busy.

“Based on my calculation, it will cost a billion dollars to carry out the nation-wide audit.”

Woosung replied, “That’s not bad. I expected it to be much more expensive.”

“…”

“How are the public reacting?”

“Most supports the idea. Of course, the other companies hate us now. Some are even calling us communists.”

“Haha, we need to use the media wisely. We need to make any companies that refuse look like a corrupt business.”

“It’s a perfect plan. It could really work.”

“We will destroy everything. Then, we will take all of them.”

Jang Gwangchul sighed deeply, “Wow, it’s so exciting.”

“The public is already on the edge because of the Daeyang situation, and this will be helpful for our plan. We need to continue revealing how corrupt the large companies are. At some point, those corporations will not have any options other than to cooperate with the audit. Gwangchul, what you need to do is to have a detailed plan for this.”

“And you don’t care how much it costs?”

“Haha, of course. I made a lot of money recently so we’re all set.”

Jang Gwangchul could guess what it was from.

“Bitcoin?”

“The price plummeted, so how could I have made money from it?”

“You could have sold everything you had, which would explain why the price dropped so much.”

“Do you really think I had that many coins?”

Jang Gwangchul nodded and replied, “If anybody could, it would be you.”

Woosung laughed in delight. “Well, you’re pretty much bang on.”

“Hmm. So you probably made billions again?”

“You got it!”

“…”

“Then please work on the plan. I would prefer to start with Daeyang. It should be a piece of cake at this point.”

Woosung arrived at the Bit Trading office.

It was late and the office was empty except for Jung Jinsup and Choi Gichul, who were sitting quietly.

This was arranged by Woosung. He called ahead and asked them to wait for him.

It was time for revenge.

Woosung walked in with a smile.

“Haha, hello there.”

Jung Jinsup greeted him, “P, president Kang.”

“Jinsup, why are you so pale?”

Choi Gichul turned to Woosung.

He asked him weakly, “What happened to the request I made to you?”

“I’m working on it.”

Choi Gichul was truly powerless now. Daeyang was over. Choi Taemin was under investigation. Choi Gichul replied meekly.

“I, I see…”

“You must have worked really hard. You look so sickly. I feel bad.”

“…”

Jung Jinsup asked, “President Kang, I…”

Woosung interrupted him.

“I already know. You broke our promise and got involved in the bitcoin trading. Unfortunately, you lost.”

“Y, you know then.”

“Let’s get out of here. Both of you. Let’s go for a drink.”

1BTC 50 cents.

Woosung was the only hope these men had left.

Choi Gichul replied, “A, alright.”

***

Expensive steak restaurant.

A meal started at 30 dollars per person.

Woosung watched them eat. Choi Gichul and Jung Jinsup must have been starving as they ate silently.

Afterward, Jung Jinsup tapped his stomach.

“It was a great meal.”

“Have some more.”

“I’m too full.”

Woosung turned to Choi Gichul.

“How are you doing, President Choi?”

“I had enough as well. When will we be able to talk business?”

“Haha, what’s the hurry? The night is still young. Let’s go to the next place. I made a reservation.”

An expensive bar.

It was completely empty.

Woosung explained, “I bought this place for the night.”

The two men were confused. Why was Woosung being so nice to them?

Woosung called the hostess.

“Please bring your best drinks and girls.”

Beautiful women walked in one after another. Choi Gichul and Jung Jinsup stared in awe.

Woosung said to them, “Pick whoever you like. You can pick as many as you want.”

Jung Jinsup hesitated for a second before he chose two women. Choi Gichul did the same. The rest of whom they did not pick left the room. The women poured whiskey in the men’s glass.

Woosung raised his glass. “Cheers. It’s a great day.”

The men drank. When they finally turned red, Woosung slowly opened his mouth.

“Now, it’s time to talk.”

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Chapter 203: <What goes around comes around (The End)>

“A long, long time ago, there was a poor developer.”

Choi Gichul and Jung Jinsup’s eyes widened at Woosung’s words.

“One day, that developer took his chances and left his job for a new opportunity.”

Choi Gichul interrupted him.

“Sir, everyone knows the story of how you started. It’s a famous story.”

Woosung ignored him and continued, “He then got into the cryptocurrency business. He worked night and day. It was hard, but he could endure all the hardships because of his hope and goal to become successful.”

Woosung took a sip of his drink.

Jung Jinsup asked anxiously, “P, president Kang, what are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about the past.”

“Past? Whose past?”

Choi Gichul signaled Jung Jinsup to be quiet. He wanted to hear this.

However, Jung Jinsup ignored him and continued.

“I am innocent. Choi Gichul made me do it. You know me, Woosung. I am very loyal to you.”

Choi Gichul frowned. “You bastard! What are you talking about?”

“I am really innocent. I only followed your instructions, Woosung.”

Choi Gichul’s expression turned ugly at Jung Jinsup’s confession.

“Y, you…”

Choi Gichul turned to Woosung who was drinking silently.

Woosung continued, “Where was I? Oh, yes. That developer worked very hard for his goal. Then one day, he realized the company he worked for had a problem. This was the beginning of the tragedy. He wondered if he should ignore it or report it.”

Choi Gichul asked, “President, is Jung Jinsup telling the truth?”

Woosung again ignored it and continued, “When asked, his bosses told him to let it go. The developer felt anxious, nervous, and angry. He was anxious he wouldn’t be able to accomplish his goal. He was angry that he has worked so hard for nothing.”

Choi Gichul screamed, “President! I am asking you if you really ordered Jung Jinsup to do those things!”

Woosung took another sip and murmured, “Great whiskey.”

“I won’t let you get away with it.”

At Choi Gichul’s threat, Woosung grinned.

He continued, “There was nothing the developer could do. One night, he attended a company party. The first part was at the steak restaurant.”

This sounded very similar to the night they were having. Choi Gichul stood up in anger.

“Sit down.”

At Woosung’s quiet order, Choi Gichul had no choice but to sit. He knew who was in charge.

“After the restaurant, the party continued at a bar. The developer drank so much there. Do you know what happened after?’

Obviously, they didn’t know. They just stared at Woosung silently. Woosung took another sip and replied.

“Haha, of course, you wouldn’t know. It makes sense. It would be strange if you knew.”

Jung Jinsup asked anxiously, “President Kang, what are you talking about…”

Was Kang Woosung going crazy?

Woosung continued, “It’s just a story about a long time ago. Just listen.”

Jung Jinsup quieted. Choi Gichul just looked at Woosung without a word.

“The developer promised to let it go. All he asked was for his bosses to fix the situation. The developer wanted any embezzled money to be returned as if nothing happened. At the end of the night, it was finally time for the developer to go back home. However, the problem starts here. What would be the right thing for these bosses to do? Think carefully before you answer. It’s a multiple-choice question.”

Woosung raised his finger.

“Number one. Kill the developer since he knows the company secret. Number Two. Do as the developer asked. Now, you answer.”

Jung Jinsup said quickly, “O, of course, the answer is number two.”

“How about you, President Choi?”

Choi Gichul answered carefully, “Shouldn’t it be number two?”

Woosung raised his voice, “You’re wrong! Come on, guys!”

Several men came in and started to hook up Choi Gichul and Jung Jinsup to wires. Afterward, Woosung asked, “Is your name Choi Gichul?”

“Yes.”

TRUE.

The word appeared on the screen in front of them.

“Do you belong to Daeyang?”

“Yes.”

TRUE.

“What did you do at Bit Trading?”

“Operations.”

TRUE.

Woosung finally asked the same question again.

“Now, what would you do to that developer who knows the company secret?”

“Number two.”

BEEP!

FALSE.

Woosung laughed. “The machine says you’re lying. What do you think?’

“The machine is lying.”

“You called me recently and told me that one of the men from Daeyang security team lied to you.”

When Woosung ordered, a man was dragged into the room. Choi Gichul’s eyes widened.

“P, please save me. I just followed orders.”

The man was begging. Choi Gichul glared at him.

“Daeyang’s, or perhaps your personal, cleanup member, right?”

Woosung ordered again and another man walked in.

“And this is the leader of the Daeyang security team. I knew him from the past.”

It was the man. The man who was supposed to drive Woosung home, but didn’t.

Woosung continued, “Such a loyal employee who would kill for you! I can’t believe you doubted him!”

Choi Gichul stammered, “K, kill! What are you talking about?”

“Choi Gunwon and Choi Gitae! I have clear proofs. Do you still deny it?”

Choi Gichul stood up quickly.”

“That is… I…”

“You will be found guilty of at least a second-degree murder or an accomplice to a murder.”

Choi Gichul lowered his voice and asked, “What do you want? Why are you doing this to me?”

“What I want…”

Woosung stared at Choi Gichul.

Revenge.

Was this enough? Woosung asked himself.

He asked Choi Gichul, “What I want is an honest answer. If you answer honestly, it might help your situation.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Do you really think that developer must have died?”

Choi Gichul nodded.

Woosung asked, “Why?”

“Because he knew the boss’s weakness.”

“But was it really necessary? Daeyang was so powerful. One developer wouldn’t have been able to do much damage against such a huge corporation.” Woosung shook his head.

Choi Gichul murmured, “Ironically, Daeyang lost everything now.”

“True.”

“Will you let me go now?”

“It’s a different world now. Everyone is on my side. I will let you go today, but the prosecutors will be visiting you soon.”

Choi Gichul closed his eyes. Woosung turned to Jung Jinsup.

“As for you, you will have to deal with the loan sharks.”

“B, but President Kang!”

“You broke our promise.”

Jung Jinsup became red as he yelled, “I won’t let you get away with this!”

Woosung’s bodyguards frowned.

Woosung continued, “You do whatever you want. It will only make things worse for you.”

Woosung threw an envelope at Jung Jinsup. Inside were photos of Jung Jinsup with various women.

“T, these are…”

Woosung said to him coldly.

“I have much more on you so think carefully before you do anything stupid.”

Then he left.

***

Woosung couldn’t sleep. He watched the sunset.

“Am I almost there?”

He was the CEO of a giant business empire. Choi Gichul was being investigated while Jung Jinsup was in trouble with the loan sharks.

Everything happened all in four years.

Woosung was so tired. He felt weak.

“Phew.”

He sighed deeply. He felt relieved. When he tried to get some sleep, there was a loud noise outside the door.

“Hey, open the door! This is the Vice president.”

“Nope.”

“Hey, Woosung! Woosung! Why won’t you answer my calls? Open the door! What happened?”

It was Jang Gwangchul. It had been already a week since he met with Choi Gichul and Jung Jinsup that night. Woosung hadn’t left his house since then. He needed time to think.

Woosung raised his hand and got his bodyguard to open the door. Jang Gwangchul burst in.

“Hey! Why won’t you answer my calls? I thought something bad happened!”

Woosung smiled. “I just needed time to think.”

“About what?”

“This and that. Didn’t you say to take time off from time to time?”

“But you need to answer my calls!”

“Haha, I’m fine. It’s all good.”

Jang Gwangchul sighed, “This isn’t the time to be lazy. The government accepted your proposal. The top 30 companies in the country will be audited.”

“Alright. Let’s go. We begin again.”

Woosung stood up. Jang Gwangchul and the bodyguards followed him.

It looked like the march of a King.

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Table of Contents

Information
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113 - <China>
Chapter 114 - <China>
Chapter 115 - <China>
Chapter 116 - <China>
Chapter 117 - <China>
Chapter 118 - <National Core Technology>
Chapter 119 - <National Core Technology>
Chapter 120 - <National Core Technology>v
Chapter 121 - <National Core Technology>
Chapter 122 - <National Core Technology>
Chapter 123 - <National Core Technology>
Chapter 124 - <National Core Technology>
Chapter 125 - <Coconut Bank>
Chapter 126 - <Coconut Bank>
Chapter 127 - <Coconut Bank>
Chapter 128 - <Coconut Bank>
Chapter 129 - <Coconut Bank>
Chapter 130 - <Power>
Chapter 131 - <Power>
Chapter 132
Chapter 133
Chapter 134
Chapter 135
Chapter 136
Chapter 137
Chapter 138
Chapter 139
Chapter 140
Chapter 141 - <Competition>
Chapter 142 - Competition
Chapter 143 - Competition
Chapter 144 - <Competition>
Chapter 145 - Competition
Chapter 146 - Competition
Chapter 147
Chapter 148
Chapter 149 - Design
Chapter 150 - Design
Chapter 151
Chapter 152
Chapter 153
Chapter 154
Chapter 155 - The main game begins
Chapter 156 - The main game begins
Chapter 157 - The main game begins
Chapter 158 - The main game begins
Chapter 159 - The main game begins
Chapter 160 - Richest of them all
Chapter 161 - Richest of them all
Chapter 162 - Richest of them all
Chapter 163 - Richest of them all
Chapter 164 - Richest of them all
Chapter 165 - Richest of them all
Chapter 166 - Richest of them all
Chapter 167 - Richest of them all
Chapter 168 - Richest of them all
Chapter 169 - Richest of them all
Chapter 170 - Richest of them all
Chapter 171 - Richest of them all
Chapter 172 - Richest of them all
Chapter 173 - Two sides of the same coin
Chapter 174 - Two sides of the same coin
Chapter 175 - Two sides of the same coin
Chapter 176 - Two sides of the same coin
Chapter 177 - Two sides of the same coin
Chapter 178 - Two sides of the same coin
Chapter 179 - Two sides of the same coin
Chapter 180 - Two sides of the same coin
Chapter 181 - Monopoly
Chapter 182 - Monopoly
Chapter 183 - Monopoly
Chapter 184 - Monopoly
Chapter 185 - Control
Chapter 186 - Control
Chapter 187 - Control
Chapter 188 - Control
Chapter 189 - Control
Chapter 190 - Control
Chapter 191 - Control
Chapter 192 - Control
Chapter 193 - Control
Chapter 194 - Control
Chapter 195 - Control
Chapter 196 - Control
Chapter 197 - Control
Chapter 198 - Control
Chapter 199 - Control
Chapter 200 - What goes around comes around
Chapter 201 - What goes around comes around
Chapter 202 - What goes around comes around

Chapter 203 (END) - What goes around comes around (The End)