Hyung-sung dropped his father off at Seoul Station and parted ways with the kids.
I returned home and gave the first order to Ma Seokdae, who had been waiting for me.
"Find out what's going on with the Korean National Judo Team selection. Especially about Park Hyung-sung, what's his situation? If there were any issues with the selection process, that kind of thing."
"Understood."
Ma Seokdae seemed more and more like Director Ha the more I saw him.
I liked how he always did his job without ever questioning me when I asked something.
"Even if it takes time, you need to find out in detail."
"Yes."
Ma Seokdae bowed and left the room.
After confirming the door was closed, I took out my phone.
- This is Sang-geun.
"Mr. Lee, it's Kim Mu-hyuk."
- Oh, it's been a while, Mu-hyuk.
"Is Uncle there?"
- Yes, I'll hand it over.
He must have been right next to him, as the voice on the other end of the phone quickly changed to Park Dong-su's.
- Dong-sang~ What's up? I was about to call you anyway.
I couldn't help but smile at Park Dong-su's familiar voice.
"I have a favor to ask. It's an old case, but there was a murder in Saha District... Could you check if anyone in the gang or with a criminal record in Busan knows anything, even a rumor?"
- It's not a difficult task, but it's been so long, I don't know if anyone will remember. I'll try my best to find out.
"Yes. It's important, so even minor information would be helpful."
- Got it. Since Sang-geun is handling the organization's affairs these days, I'll take care of this personally.
"Then, when you finish in Busan, let's meet in Seoul. Make sure to wrap things up properly."
I quickly ended the call, not wanting to talk further, and fell into deep thought.
I didn't really expect much from asking Park Dong-su, but I had a hunch.
'Were the people who killed my parents really Cheon Su-man and Cheon Su-han?'
It didn't seem like they would have hesitated just because they were my aunt and uncle.
'If it really was Cheon Su-man and Cheon Su-han... Could I overlook it just because Grandfather is still alive?'
I sighed involuntarily.
It was a day filled with many thoughts.
While I was lost in thought, dusk had already fallen outside the window.
I had dinner with Grandfather and had a conversation in the study.
"Are you planning to go to the United States?"
"Maybe for about two weeks. I have some things to do there."
"You don't need to be in such a hurry. You're already doing what you can."
His tone was worried.
I smiled reassuringly.
"I'm not in a hurry. I just want to do it myself since it's something I can do."
Grandfather nodded in agreement.
Next, we talked about Ma Seokdae.
"How is Ma Seokdae?"
"He seems like a mini version of Director Ha?"
"What? Hahaha. It seems you like him."
I shrugged slightly.
"I like him, but I'm not sure if he likes me. Still, I think he'll eventually be my man."
"That's important. People are your assets. If you can build a team and use them in the right places, you can achieve a lot. There are limits to what you can do alone."
"I know."
The conversation turned to the Cheon Su-man and Cheon Su-han family.
"Do you still see your maternal uncles sometimes?"
"No, there's not much reason to. I occasionally meet Ji-soo and have coffee, but I rarely see the others. Oh! Ji-young sometimes calls to check on me."
"Don't be too distant. They are still family. In the end, family is all that remains. Understand?"
"......Yes."
I could feel Grandfather's gaze on my face. I tried to manage my expression.
"Your maternal uncles aren't bad people. Su-man and Su-han, they just can't express themselves. I don't think they dislike you."
Grandfather, who had a strong attachment to family, said this.
'......Does Grandfather not know?'
I felt a bitter taste in my mouth.
"Yes, I think so too."
But I continued the conversation to reassure Grandfather, even though my thoughts were different.
"Even if you don't see your uncles, try to meet Ji-soo, Ji-young, and Ji-won occasionally. The next generation will be led by you."
"I understand."
Grandfather, with a gentle smile, looked at me and said,
"You can do anything. I believe in you."
I could see his trust in me on his face.
It seemed I had finally earned Grandfather's complete trust since I returned.
"Of course. I'm Kim Mu-hyuk."
I said it proudly, and Grandfather laughed for a while at my expression.
A few days later.
As planned, I arrived in New York, USA.
After completing the immigration procedures and coming out, Han Kyung-jeong was waiting for me.
"Mu-hyuk!"
I smiled at him calling out to me loudly.
"You look well. You've put on some weight."
"Of course! I've been living the American way."
Han Kyung-jeong glanced at Ma Seokdae, who was standing quietly beside me.
"Oh, my personal secretary. This is Manager Ma Seokdae."
Introducing me, Ma Seokdae slightly bowed to Han Kyung-jeong and then started looking around.
Han Kyung-jeong also bowed awkwardly.
We got into the car Han Kyung-jeong had come in and headed to Wall Street.
Wall Street, also known as the financial center of the United States... or rather, the world.
There, Han Kyung-jeong had set up an office.
Inside, it was still a bit chaotic.
"Nothing much, right? I just set up the company and have been waiting for you. So, what should we do now?"
"Did you find the people I asked you to recruit?"
"Yeah, they're not in Wall Street yet?"
Hmm...... They haven't entered Wall Street yet?
I wanted to recruit them early because they would become famous financiers in the future, but if they're not in Wall Street yet, it would be hard to find them immediately.
There's not much information about them before they became famous......
I nodded and picked up a chair to sit down.
Ma Seokdae stood behind me, and Han Kyung-jeong pulled a chair to sit in front of me.
"Then, take it slow. Don't make risky investments as soon as the money comes in. Just wait."
"Don't invest at all?"
Shaking my head, I said,
"No, that would be a waste...... Brother, manage 50 million dollars for now. But don't take risks and don't lose your touch."
His face lit up.
No matter what, he was someone who couldn't live without stocks.
"The rest, I'll tell you when to invest and where to withdraw. Did you find Mark Andreessen?"
"Yeah, he has a lot of information, so I found him right away."
Last year, he developed and distributed a web browser called Mosaic, opening a new era for internet browsers.
There were disputes with the University of Illinois, but he will eventually leave the university next year and go to Silicon Valley.
'And then create Netscape......'
When the company goes public, it will signal the start of the dot-com bubble.
The stock price, starting at $18, will soar to $80.
"Let's go there tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?"
"Yeah, there's a lot to do. We only have two weeks, so let's confirm the money comes in tomorrow and then move."
Han Kyung-jeong nodded and got up, saying,
"Let's go out. I'll show you real American food. The steak in Korea isn't real steak."
I followed the confident Han Kyung-jeong to a famous restaurant in Wall Street.
I invited Ma Seokdae to join us for dinner, but he said he would wait outside and left.
As soon as Ma Seokdae disappeared, Han Kyung-jeong whispered to me,
"Why is that guy so quiet? He's scary with that big build and no expression."
"Be careful. If you make a mistake, he might come after you."
I laughed and joked, and Han Kyung-jeong's face froze. I couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Haha, why so tense? It's a joke, a joke."
"Man, sometimes you really scare people. Brother...... Well, from the first meeting, it's been both comfortable and uncomfortable."
"Don't worry, my people won't do that. Just tell me about your life in New York."
The steak we had on the way was quite delicious. There's always a reason for the high prices.
"Why Dreamhigh?"
"I wanted to use 'Dream,' but who would have known I'd be setting up an investment company in New York's Wall Street? The name 'Dream' was already taken, so I went with Dreamhigh Investment. It sounds a bit more sophisticated, doesn't it?"
"Well, the name doesn't matter much...... But the shares are 99 for me and 1 for you, right?"
"......Can I even have 1?"
I nodded and smiled.
I don't know if that's a big or small favor.
"Think of it as a reward for your hard work. I won't give shares to any new employees, just salaries and performance bonuses. I'm giving you this because you're my brother."
Seeing his moved face, I got up.
"Let's go to the hotel and have a drink."
"Okay, I'll take care of it."
His confident demeanor while paying the bill was a far cry from the old Han Kyung-jeong.
We arrived at the hotel, had a drink at the bar, and then went to bed.
'I'll do tomorrow's work tomorrow......'
Right now, all I could think about was resting my tired body from the long flight.
While I was asleep, Ma Seokdae seemed to have called Director Ha.
The next morning, 470 million dollars came into the company.
During breakfast, Han Kyung-jeong, with an excited look, seemed like a man who already had everything.
"Wow......"
"You'll handle even bigger sums. Don't be surprised by this."
"I'll follow you to the end. Don't leave me, really."
"Why would I? As long as you don't betray me, I won't leave you first. Just don't betray my trust."
After breakfast, we headed to Champaign, Illinois, a small rural town near Chicago.
We flew for about two hours and arrived at Chicago Airport, then drove a rented car to the University of Illinois.
I asked people near the NCSA research lab about Andreessen.
"Andreessen? Is he in the lab?"
"He's probably buried in the lab."
Everyone said he was in the lab.
As I walked towards the lab, I saw a man with a receding hairline talking to another man from a distance.
I approached them and greeted them.
"Hey! Mark Andreessen?"
Hearing his name, the young Mark Andreessen turned to look at me.
He looked at me with a wary expression, perhaps because I was an unfamiliar Asian.
"Who are you?"
"Charlie Kim from Korea."
"Korea?"
Andreessen tilted his head, as if he had never heard of the country.
From the young Andreessen, I could see a glimpse of the future bald leader.
His hair...... It started receding from this point......