The Genius Grandson of the Loan King - Chapter 44 (44/840)
< What's happening now? >
#44
What's happening now?
“There will be a computer inside a mobile phone.”
My words made Steve's eyes widen.
After a moment of silence, he burst out laughing.
“Hahaha, Charlie!”
“Why, don't you believe it?”
“No, I imagined it. I thought about what kind of world it would be if there were computers inside those small mobile phones.”
I smiled and agreed.
“It might be in the distant future, but I believe such a world will definitely come. If that happens, you, Steve, would know better than I what kind of world it would be.”
“Of course! ... It was a pleasant conversation.”
His face radiated joy, as if he was still immersed in the afterglow.
With that, we left the restaurant.
“It was really fun today. Let's meet and talk often.”
“I'm going to invest in Steve Jobs. Don't forget me.”
* * *
“Didn't I tell you to give up this time? Why are you being so stubborn?”
The coach's voice grew louder, seemingly angry at Park Hyun-sung, who stood silently.
Finally, the coach slapped Park Hyun-sung's cheek.
“Damn, you should know how to yield to your seniors. What makes you so special that you can be so stubborn? Is it hard to lose?”
“I'm sorry.”
Park Hyun-sung apologized but refused to admit defeat.
“Fine. Then I'll make sure you can't participate in the competition. Hey! Lock the gym door.”
The coach glared at the students who were training, and one of them ran to lock the door.
“Lie down.”
The coach picked up a wooden stick, and all the students who were training watched nervously.
Park Hyun-sung lay down without a word.
“Park Hyun-sung, what makes you so special that you can ignore your seniors and the coach? Bastard, do I look like a joke to you? I can make sure you can't even set foot in the judo world.”
Smack!
The coach hit Park Hyun-sung's thigh with the wooden stick and cursed.
Crack!
When the stick broke, he threw it away and picked up another one, continuing the beating.
“Coach, stop it. Hyun-sung might die if you keep this up.”
Song Min-guk, the team captain, ran over to stop him, but the coach shook off his hand and glared at him.
“Do I look like a joke to you too?”
“No, no, of course not.”
The coach shouted at the surrounding students.
“Wow, these kids these days really have no respect. In our time, when the coach said something, we could only say ‘Yes!’ But now, what? ‘I'm sorry’? Damn, they won't even say they'll take a beating!”
The students avoided the coach's gaze.
The coach snorted and yelled at Song Min-guk.
“Hey, captain. Tell me, what did I do wrong? I just asked him to yield this time! That kid can become a national representative anytime. Why is he being so stubborn?”
“Still... there's a huge difference in skill between Chan-seong and Hyun-sung. Honestly, do you think Chan-seong would win a medal if he became a national representative? And you know what being a national representative means to us...”
“Huh. Hey, Song Min-guk. Are you ignoring me too?”
“No, no, how could I ignore you? I just thought it might cause problems and be harmful.”
Song Min-guk glanced at Park Hyun-sung, who was lying down and hadn't made a sound, and watched the coach's reaction.
“If he gets hurt and has to be hospitalized... he won't be able to participate in any competitions, right? Try to persuade him.”
The coach threw the wooden stick away, frustrated by the captain's persistent pleading.
“... Park Hyun-sung. Are you still going to be stubborn?”
“...”
“Stubborn brat. You might end up in a situation where no one knows what happened to you. Do you know who Chan-seong's father is? Why are you being so stubborn? If you give up this time, it will be good for you and our school. Get up.”
Park Hyun-sung immediately got up and stood at attention.
“Hyun-sung, I'm not doing this because I hate you. Remember that.”
“Coach, I'm sorry.”
The coach shook his head at Hyun-sung's unchanging answer and left the gym.
Everyone let out a sigh of relief. Song Min-guk approached Park Hyun-sung and patted his shoulder.
“Try to be more flexible. Why are you so stubborn at twenty?”
“Captain, I'm sorry.”
“Huh... What do you have to be sorry to me for? Still, I don't think this will end here. Are you okay where you were hit?”
Song Min-guk glanced at Park Hyun-sung's thigh with a worried look.
“I'm fine.”
“Just in case, go to the hospital.”
“No, I'm fine.”
“This is an order as your captain. Are you going to disobey me too?”
“No, I'll go right away.”
Song Min-guk's expression relaxed.
“After the hospital, don't go back to the dorm. Go home and rest, and come back tomorrow. I'll talk to the coach.”
“Thank you, Captain.”
Park Hyun-sung bowed and left the gym. As he disappeared from sight, Song Min-guk sighed and muttered to himself.
“Damn, why is Chan-seong, who doesn't even train properly, so eager to become a national representative? Judo is no joke.”
That day, after receiving treatment at the hospital and heading to Myung-soo's house, Park Hyun-sung was hit by a hit-and-run and was rushed to the emergency room in a coma.
* * *
The next day.
I visited Pixar again for the investment contract.
The employee who initially treated me like a madman now politely guided our group to the president's office.
“Steve!”
“Oh! Charlie!”
Steve, who was talking to his lawyer, stood up and hugged me.
“Welcome. This is my lawyer, Harriet.”
I greeted Steve's lawyer and introduced our lawyer before we sat down.
“I'll invest $50 million for half of my shares in NeXT and Pixar, and all the voting rights and authority will be transferred to me. Correct?”
“Okay.”
The content we discussed yesterday was written into a contract and placed in front of us.
After about an hour of discussion between the lawyers, we signed the contract and shook hands.
“Now that we're in the same boat, let's see each other often.”
“I'll come to you first whenever I visit the U.S. You're my most precious partner, after all.”
“Hahaha. Look at you. You have a good sense of humor for a young man.”
After laughing for a while, Steve suddenly stopped and spoke seriously.
“Most of the money you invested will need to be reinvested in the company.”
“Handle it as you see fit. I don't care.”
“I like that.”
After parting ways with Steve, it was already late at night when I returned to New York.
I was about to sit down and have a beer after showering when I heard a knock on the door.
“Who is it?”
“It's Ma Seok-dae. Young master.”
When I opened the door, Ma Seok-dae bowed and entered.
As I let him in, I took a sip of the beer in my hand.
“What's up?”
“I received a call from Seoul.”
However, my leisurely mood was quickly shattered.
“One of your friends, Park Hyun-sung, was hit by a hit-and-run and is now in a coma.”
I dropped the beer can I was holding.
“What?”
“He's currently admitted to Korea University Hospital, but I don't have more details. A person named Lee Myung-soo contacted Mr. Ha.”
“... Find the earliest flight to Korea for me. As soon as possible.”
Ma Seok-dae immediately left.
I felt my hands trembling slightly.
‘Damn, what's happening now?’
My mind was a blank.
After a while, I called Han Kyung-yeong.
When Han Kyung-yeong arrived at my room, he looked surprised.
“What's wrong? You look terrible.”
“No, I need to go to Korea urgently. Can you handle the rest? When you get the contacts or locations of the people I asked you to find, go and scout them yourself. Leave the rest in their accounts and manage the $50 million as you see fit.”
“Going back to Korea? What for?”
“A friend is in a coma. I need to go back to Korea quickly.”
“Got it. Call me if you need anything.”
After sending Han Kyung-yeong away, I lay down on the bed, but I couldn't sleep, worried about Hyun-sung.
‘He'll be fine. He's tough, so he'll recover soon. He will...’
Fortunately, Manager Ma found a flight.
I boarded the early morning flight to Seoul the next day.
I fell asleep on the plane, probably due to lack of sleep. When I arrived at Gimpo Airport via Hong Kong, it was already night.
Without a moment's rest, I headed to the Korea University Hospital where Hyun-sung was admitted.
Hyun-sung's father and mother from Busan were already sitting in front of the ICU.
When Hyun-sung's mother saw me, she burst into tears.
“Mu-hyuk. What happened to our Hyun-sung? What's going on? I wish it were me.”
“Mother, calm down.”
“What... Why did you bring your suffering son all the way from the U.S.?”
Hyun-sung's father's face was filled with worry.
I gently hugged his mother and comforted her while looking at the ICU. I could see Hyun-sung surrounded by unfamiliar machines.
After seating his mother, I went outside with Hyun-sung's father.
“Did you find out anything?”
Hyun-sung's father sighed and put a cigarette in his mouth.
In the darkness, the cigarette glowed faintly.
“Sigh... The witness didn't see the car's number or even the model... They only remember it was a white sedan. How many white cars are there in this big city of Seoul?”
I could feel his frustration as he chewed on the cigarette filter.
“What did the hospital say?”
“They said his broken limbs are healing well, but they don't know why he's unconscious. They said we should wait a few days.”
After finishing his cigarette, Hyun-sung's father went back into the hospital. As I sat there thinking, Myung-soo approached.
“Mu-hyuk! What's going on?”
“He was hit on his way home, right?”
Myung-soo nodded and sighed deeply.
“He called to say he was coming home on the weekend, so I was planning to buy some food and have a drink with him. I didn't know what happened. I found out when his father called me. I kept paging him, wondering why he wasn't coming.”
“Was there anything else?”
Myung-soo looked around cautiously before speaking.
“Don't tell his father, but... he said he was beaten by the coach at school. He was on his way home from the hospital after getting treated.”
“High school athletes get beaten all the time. What's so special about this?”
“If Hyun-sung had to go to the hospital, it must have been pretty bad. I don't know anything else.”
In those days, physical punishment was considered normal in sports. It was so common even decades later, so I could only imagine how severe it was back then.
I sighed deeply.
“Got it. I'll go home and change, then come back in the morning.”
“Alright. I'll stay here with his parents. Come back soon.”
I left the hospital and returned to my house in Pyeongchang-dong.
“Now, it's time for an answer.”
Although I was preoccupied with Hyun-sung, it was time to hear his decision.
Ma Seok-dae, who was about to leave, looked at me.
“I will follow you.”
I wanted to cheer inside but kept a serious face.
“What about me impressed you? My work style?”
“Your work in the U.S. was impressive, but...”
Ma Seok-dae paused before giving a rare, long answer.
“When I heard that you dropped everything and came back to Korea because your friend was hurt, I thought, ‘This person would never abandon me first.’”
“Yes, I will never abandon my people. I promise.”
“Thank you, boss.”
The title changed from “young master” to “boss.”
I smiled faintly and looked at him.
“How did the investigation I asked you to do go?”
“I'll report tomorrow.”
“Alright. Thank you for your hard work from the U.S. to here. Get some rest.”
Ma Seok-dae bowed and left.
Exhausted from the past few days, I fell asleep without realizing it.
The next day, Ma Seok-dae reported on what happened at the Korea University of Physical Education's judo team.