CH201

“There are plenty of dogs around the neighborhood. Why buy a gaming console just to raise one?”  

“If dogs aren’t your thing, how about monsters?”  

“That’s basically like CapsuleMon.”  

“CapsuleMon focuses on collection. Mine is more about nurturing… or almost like parenting.”  

Yeah, that’s essentially Tamagotchi.  

It wasn’t a long-term success, but it did make a splash for a while.  

‘Interesting.’  

It was obvious that TJ and Song Joon-kyung were complete opposites.  

One was a hardliner who wanted to push the fun of combat to its limit.  

The other was a moderate, satisfied with the simple joys of healing.  

What happens when people so different start a business together?  

They either generate extreme synergy or are so different that one side gets pushed out.  

In reality, it was both.  

They seemed like perfect partners with overwhelming success but ultimately parted ways, unable to bridge their differences.  

It was similar now.  

‘If I leave them like that, they’ll just keep fighting.’  

At that moment.  

“Ji-hoon.”  

TJ turned toward me.  

“What do you think? You’re the expert. Your judgment is…”  

“Why not just make both?”  

“Huh?”  

“There’s no need to fight. Just make both.”  

“We don’t have enough time for that…”  

“Then pull an all-nighter.”  

“…?”  

“Other students also cut back on sleep to study. Why can’t you do the same?”  

TJ scratched his head awkwardly.  

Song Joon-kyung tried to avoid eye contact.  

Why ask me if you didn’t want to hear my opinion…  

Since I’d already spoken, I decided to add another solution!  

“The nurturing game Joon-kyung mentioned—it’s tricky to plan, but technically, it won’t take long.”  

Song Joon-kyung nodded reluctantly.  

“Let’s say it takes two weeks to make.”  

“T-Two weeks?”  

“On the other hand, the camping game will take more time. Planning alone will take a month, and implementing it will take six months.”  

“Then it’s tough to use it for admissions, huh?”  

Well, admissions aren’t everything in life.  

I pulled a document out of my bag.  

I brought it just in case.  

And of course, it’s coming in handy!  

“How about we sign contracts for both games?”  

“What?”  

“The nurturing game will be for portable devices. Target sales: one million units.”  

Gulp.  

Song Joon-kyung’s throat bobbed visibly.  

“The camping game will be for the Super Family console. Target sales: over three million units. But the development period shouldn’t exceed one year.”  

Why specify sales goals?  

Because of Song Joon-kyung’s niche tendencies.  

For someone like him, it’s essential to set sales goals to stay connected to the mainstream audience.  

On the other hand, TJ was the complete opposite.  

“How about creating an intense action game?”  

“Me?”  

“Yes. For PC, with no storage limitations. Feel free to make it as you wish.”  

“What about sales goals?”  

“You’re not doing it for the money. Approach it with the determination to create a masterpiece.”  

“But you told Joon-kyung to sell three million units…”  

That’s because your ability to make money has already been proven… cough, cough.  

But I couldn’t say that out loud.  

“Action games come with a guaranteed baseline sales number. For now, why not focus solely on quality?”  

“If the expert says so, I guess I’ll follow.”  

Surprisingly, TJ didn’t insist on his way.  

“Does that mean you’re signing a contract too?”  

“Oh my, I’m honored, dear investor!”  

Covering study abroad costs, funding game production—if others saw me, they might think I was a saint.  

But.  

‘You two are destined to become the second and third Tennessee…’  

I suppressed my laughter, maintaining a calm expression as I looked at my brother.  

***  

Time truly flew by.  

It’s been exactly two weeks since I arrived in Korea.  

And tomorrow, I already have to return to England?  

Parting with my family is bittersweet, but.  

‘Hmm.’  

England isn’t so bad, after all.  

Even in Korea, I’d been handling daily business to prepare for my “return.”  

The biggest focus, of course, was preparing for the acquisition of Ferrari.  

Just the preparation process alone seemed to cost quite a bit!  

Still, what could I do?  

I was about to take ownership of a prestigious team.  

‘I have to give it my all.’  

In the meantime, I also received quite a few business updates.  

The most surprising one was a call from Martin.  

(Boss, you mentioned needing talent, didn’t you?)  

An MIT graduate, Ph.D.-level engineer.  

Salary: around $2 million.  

(I’m not sure how they heard, but my mentor reached out to me.)  

“From MIT?”  

(Yes. A professor from the mechanical engineering department. When I mentioned we’re building F1 cars, he expressed interest in joining the project.)  

I asked for a Ph.D. recruit.  

And he brought me someone who grants Ph.D.s?  

(But since he’s a prominent figure in this field, we might need to adjust his salary…)  

“Of course.”  

If a Ph.D. costs $2 million,  

An MIT professor must command at least triple that.  

‘My wallet is weeping!’  

But what choice did I have?  

I’d just have to earn more to compensate.  

Still, that was just part of my plan.  

While I was trying to generate revenue, I also had to do something completely unprofitable.  

“Give a special lecture at Seoul National University?”  

Why would they invite a first-year high schooler to lecture at Seoul National University?  

I suspected some kind of scheme concocted by my grandfather and the university president.  

But it turns out the business students had voted for their guest speaker.  

No wonder the student council contacted me directly.  

‘If the students chose me… I can’t really refuse.’  

Once on stage, I gave the lecture my all.  

By the end, not only had I delivered the lecture, but I’d also participated in something resembling a signing event and a group photo session before finally returning home.  

Anyway…  

After such a fulfilling time, today marked my last night in Seoul.  

A farewell dinner was planned.  

‘If we eat at home, Mom would have to do all the work again!’  

While Mom would’ve loved to prepare a feast before I left,  

‘We’ve been well-fed the entire time.’  

So we gathered at the Hyangang Hotel instead.  

Grandfather took the seat of honor, with my parents beside him. Across from them sat me and my brother, Yoo-geon.  

“Ji-hoon, you should have a drink.”  

“A drink?”  

“If you only drink with me and leave, your dad might feel left out.”  

Ah, if that’s the case…  

“Just one glass then.”  

Moments later, the server brought soju and glasses.  

“Yoo-geon, you’re not drinking.”  

“…Okay.”  

Since Mom didn’t drink either, only Grandfather, Dad, and I had glasses in front of us.  

Glug glug.  

Grandfather poured the drinks into each glass.  

“Remember that squid place we went to? That’s where your dad had his first drink.”  

Perhaps the memory resurfaced, as Dad’s face turned red.  

“Do you remember?”  

“Of course.”  

“A kid, just in his second year of high school, suddenly came and asked me to buy him some booze. I was shocked and just stared at him—his eyes were all red.”  

So, Grandfather had no choice but to take him there.  

Apparently, Dad kept crying and drinking over and over again!  

The remarkable thing was Grandfather’s reaction.  

He never once asked Dad why he was crying.  

He simply refilled his glass every time it emptied.  

“Why didn’t you ask him?”  

“What’s there to ask? There’s only one thing a young man would cry about.”  

Ah.  

Dad’s ears turned crimson instantly.  

He avoided looking at Mom, making it obvious—it was about his first love… cough, cough.  

Perhaps wanting to change the mood, Dad hesitated before speaking.  

“Do you remember what you said to me that night?”  

“How could I?”  

“When I was drunk and stumbling around, you said just one thing to me.”  

“…?”  

“You said, ‘If it’s this hard to win over one person’s heart, imagine how hard it must be to captivate the whole world.’”  

It was a casual piece of advice from a businessman to his future successor.  

‘That’s pretty cool.’  

Dad looked back and forth between me and Yoo-geon as he spoke.  

“That day, I made a promise: ‘Never ask Grandfather to buy me a drink again.’”  

Dad’s joke lightened the mood significantly.  

Clink!  

We clinked glasses, and even Mom and Yoo-geon joined in with juice for a toast.  

“Yoo-geon, why have you been so fidgety all evening?”  

“Huh?”  

Grandfather’s question made Yoo-geon blink nervously.  

“What’s on your mind? Got something to say?”  

“Uh, no… wait, yes. Yes, I do.”  

In a brief moment, his resolve seemed to waver multiple times.  

“I-I was debating if it’s right to bring this up at Ji-hoon’s farewell dinner… but I don’t think I’ll get another chance.”  

“…?”  

“I-I want to study abroad!”  

He shut his eyes tight as he said it, his chin trembling slightly as if he’d broken some taboo.  

But.  

Contrary to the dramatic delivery, Grandfather’s expression remained calm.  

“Where do you want to go?”  

“H-Harvard.”  

“Did you pick that place because you think you’d definitely get my approval?”  

Grandfather’s tone made sense.  

Yoo-geon was aiming for Harvard.  

I was already heading toward Ferrari.  

It was like both of us were playing with cheat codes.  

“Why do you want to study abroad?”  

“If I want to grow Hyangang into a global company, I need to collaborate with world-class talent and…”  

“Are you at a job interview?”  

Grandfather was clearly asking for a genuine answer, not a rehearsed one.  

“‘Because Ji-hoon’s going, why can’t I?’ Is that what you’re saying?”  

“No, it’s not that…”  

“Then what?”  

“Well… if I’m spending the same amount, it’s only natural to want a masterpiece.”  

“What did you just say?”  

“If someone asked you to choose between a Ferrari and a Daevo car… of course, you’d pick the Ferrari…”  

Could there be a more fitting analogy for Grandfather?  

My brother’s gotten quite good at this. Hehe.  

“What’s your major going to be?”  

“Business Administration and Computer Science, I plan to double major.”  

At this point, even Grandfather couldn’t help but surrender.  

That’s when I decided to step in tactfully.  

“How about a toast?”  

“…?”  

“You’ve given your permission for studying abroad, right? We should celebrate.”  

“You’re that happy about your brother going abroad?”  

“Of course, who wouldn’t be excited about riding a Ferrari?”  

Once again, our glasses came together with a cheerful clink.  

Ah, since we were on the topic of luxury…  

“Grandfather, I prepared gifts for the family while I was in England.”  

“Gifts?”  

“They were specially made, so it took some time. But they arrived today.”  

Now, not only Grandfather but the entire family had their attention on me.  

“It’s nothing too extravagant. Since I became an executive at Louis Vuitton recently…”  

I had asked for custom-made outfits—one-of-a-kind pieces in the world—for my family as gifts.  

Henri Vuitton himself had graciously approved the request.  

And today, they’d finally been delivered to Korea.  

Moments later.  

Knock, knock.  

The knock came at just the right time.  

‘Perfect timing!’  

Though I’d put a lot of thought into it, I wasn’t sure if they’d like it.  

Creak.  

I assumed it would be a hotel staff member bringing in the packages.  

Step, step.  

But wait… who’s that?  

‘Huh?’  

Why is that person here?  

Before I could fully register my shock—  

Wink.  

The man looked straight at me and gave a playful wink.  

“Nice to meet you all. I’m Henri Vuitton, business partner of CEO Park Ji-hoon.”