Chapter 323

***

It’s already been a month since Jin-hyuk settled into the rooftop mansion in Yeouido.

Having somewhat adapted to his work and living environment, Jin-hyuk hailed a taxi early in the morning and headed to Bongcheon-dong.

“Huh?”

Jin-hyuk, who had retraced his old memories to find a secluded alley in Bongcheon-dong, made a bewildered expression.

There used to be a restaurant that opened before 6 a.m. right here.

Back when he lived in a rooftop room nearby in the past.

Spicy pollack soup with a generous amount of chili powder, pancakes with all sorts of fresh ingredients, fried eggs, stir-fried anchovies with chili paste, and stir-fried pork. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.

But the restaurant is nowhere to be seen.

– “IMF hit us hard, and my husband had a stroke. I have to pay for my daughter’s college tuition and send my second child to cram school, but I’m the only one who can earn money. The only thing I know how to do is cook, so I opened this restaurant. Come often. I’ll give you lots of food. By the way, don’t you want to meet my daughter? She’s two years older than a student, but she’s pretty and kind.”

「So-hee’s Restaurant」

The food was cheap, and you could eat as much homemade food as you wanted, so I almost had breakfast there every day.

But now, that signboard remains only as a silhouette flickering in my vision.

Pfft-.

Instead, a very old laundromat was spewing steam like a dragon’s breath.

I’ve never seen a dragon, but whatever.

‘They must be doing well.’

The laundromat hasn’t gone out of business, and So-hee’s dad seems to be healthy.

I missed So-hee’s mom’s cooking, but I felt proud.

What if peace isn’t eternal? Like a natural cliff slowly weathering to show its beauty, or the welcoming elephant rock on the back mountain that always greets you warmly when you visit.

‘That’s right. Living without big changes, just as you have been, is also a blessing.’

But now, there’s a problem.

‘I need to eat before going to work, right?’

The enormous amount of dialogue that would make a steam engine cry could make an athlete worry about muscle loss. Is it just muscle loss? 20% of a human’s basal metabolic rate is consumed by the brain. Jin-hyuk, who uses his brain more than others, could suffer an early brain shutdown if he doesn’t eat. That means if you’re hungry, you become stupid.

As he stepped onto the sidewalk along the two-lane road, he saw a restaurant specializing in hairtail fish.

‘Hairtail stew sounds delicious.’

It’s okay to eat fishy food in the morning.

Go go go-.

***

At the Asian Games held in Bangkok, Thailand, in December, Jin-hyuk won three gold medals.

Men’s 100m, 200m, and 400m relay.

The relay team consisted of Jin Seon-kyu, athletes from other corporate teams, and a high school athlete. They achieved an Asian record, beating second-place Japan by over 2 seconds, with Jin-hyuk breaking the tape.

It’s only natural that the young CEO, who swept all the men’s short-distance track events at the Asian Games, received a flood of praise. However, Jin-hyuk focused on observing and controlling his inner self to avoid getting carried away.

Now that he was on the full-fledged adult stage, it seemed there would be no more growth stress, as there were no changes in his height or weight. All he had to do was focus on conditioning and muscle control.

Regarding the development of spiked shoes, he mainly exchanged opinions with the General Research Institute via phone or email. It was something he couldn’t do easily as a student, but now that he was a working adult, he had more time to communicate.

It’s been three months since he removed the trainee label, and now sitting in the comfortable director’s chair and making calls feels quite natural.

“I think the outsole of the forefoot could be a bit firmer. The cushioning is still causing the force to disperse. Ah, it’s not that I didn’t set a world record at this competition. I just wanted to be satisfied with the competition record. Goals need to be visible to provide proper motivation. That way, other athletes will sharpen their knives. It might sound arrogant, but that’s the truth. Yes, yes. Please take care of it.”

As someone leading the business of the Future Strategy Headquarters with two research institutes under his wing, he monitored project progress during work hours. He simplified reporting and had the progress of each project updated in real-time on a status board that took up an entire wall in the director’s office. He thought about hanging a large wall-mounted monitor, but it seemed like an unnecessary expense. So, employees frequently visited the director’s office to fiddle with the status board.

Some even casually touched his sides or waist while discussing work. They seemed to forget that the director was there. Hormones really do blind people.

‘You little rascals. Keep it up······.’

Since the director might be away due to competitions, a new deputy director position was created, and Kim I-do was appointed. It was essentially an honorary position since the workload wasn’t heavy enough to warrant a full-time deputy director, so he also served as the head of strategic planning.

“There’s a problem with the headquarters business plan for next year that was approved in November?”

“Yes. You know the solar-powered generator that Steve proposed and our department drafted a report on? We’ve had several meetings with the Sakdo research team, but according to feedback from Sakdo’s best project team, it’s impossible to implement······.”

The temporarily named solar-powered generator was an engine concept for a low-noise small aircraft that could carry 4 to 6 people. Everyone thought it was a fantasy, but the technical recipe was already uploaded on the Sakdo Research Institute server. Hong Ki-jun had translated the dragon parchment at Jin-hyuk’s request.

But as expected. Current humanity was 10%, no, 20% short of being able to implement it.

“I’ll find a way. It was too ambitious to consider it a short-term plan. Let’s take it step by step. Director Kim, please make sure there are no issues with other department business plans. Don’t skimp on PM support.”

“Yes.”

Jin-hyuk went straight to Hong Ki-jun to request the dragon parchment.

“Are you sure? It won’t get damaged, but if it’s lost, it would be a terrible loss.”

“I’ll return it.”

“Are you going to take it to study? Are you going to study with the annotated copy I gave you?”

“Yes. That’s the plan.”

He deliberately didn’t mention showing it to Yoo Jin.

“Alright. Who else would I trust but you?”

“Ah-, by the way. Could you mark where it starts and ends?”

Hehe-. Jin-hyuk, who couldn’t read it, laughed awkwardly.

Hong Ki-jun pouted his lips and blinked his eyes like a calf.

“Why don’t you just make a copy?”

“Can I copy it?”

A look of ‘is this guy an idiot?’ briefly flashed in Hong Ki-jun’s eyes.

“If you spread it out like this and place it on the scanner glass, you can copy it.”

“Wow-.”

Jin-hyuk couldn’t help but be surprised when he saw the spread-out dragon parchment.

It wasn’t a brownish color like most animal hides but a subtle gray.

“This is dragon hide.”

“Dragon hide?”

“Yes. They say dragons tainted by evil turn gray or black, and their hides are tough. Gray ones are good for recording because the background is similar to white, so you can copy them. If it were another hide, the copy would come out black, right?”

“Wow-. It seems like an incredibly rare item······.”

“Of course, of course. I spent days trying to get this. It’s not something you can easily obtain.”

Hong Ki-jun’s secretary, who was wiping cups in the pantry, tilted her head.

Is this really the kind of conversation high-ranking officials should be having?

Dragon hide items, tainted by evil, and all that.

After pondering for a while, the secretary nodded.

‘Men······.’

Just last weekend, she played a game called Diablo with her boyfriend at a PC bang.

This is late 20th-century Seoul, South Korea.

“Dragons are stronger than dragons.”

“Wow-. Tainted by evil?”

“Exactly. It’s like mental reinforcement, right? Like special forces soldiers whose emotions have been stripped away.”

Truly a conversation befitting the end of the century.

***

Corporate changes seem dramatic from the outside.

That’s because information is mostly limited to what’s seen through TV commercials and other media.

But what about from the perspective of someone inside?

Even though changes are made at a speed that’s not slow at all, salaried workers who live each day diligently, like breathing or flowing water, follow instructions from above or take the initiative without easily feeling the changes.

“It’s where you spend most of your time.”

“But they still get surprised when announcements are posted, right?”

“Even though they were informed in advance and had plenty of time to prepare mentally, they still do. When they see it in text or a diagram, they finally go, ‘Ah! It’s here!’ That’s the power of announcements. The reality they were murmuring about is now right in front of them.”

Uuuung-.

Hong Soo-jung nodded.

She thought her brother-in-law’s company stories were more interesting than army stories.

“Dad says all the employees like you.”

“I sign well, don’t frown, and try to smile a lot.”

Hong Soo-jung was proud of Jin-hyuk.

The look in her eyes and her voice proved it.

Jin-hyuk was satisfied with that.

He didn’t avoid it, feel uncomfortable, or embarrassed.

On weekends or during vacations, he would visit Hong Ki-jun’s house to play with Hong Soo-hyuk and help Hong Soo-jung with her studies.

Every time he visited, he would tell Hong Soo-jung stories about the company, and she loved hearing stories she couldn’t hear from her dad or mom.

“Soo-jung, are you going to a girls’ high school?”

“Yes!”

“Didn’t you say the co-ed school next door was better?”

“What does the school district matter? The girls’ school is closer to home. It’s only a five-minute walk.”

Because it’s closer.

She’s like Yoo Se-ra, easygoing.

“What does it matter if the school is prestigious or has famous alumni? I have to do well myself.”

But she had a clear sense of self.

“My second foreign language is Spanish.”

“Did you study ahead?”

“No? We don’t do that these days. There’s so much to do—exercise, watch performances, read books. The school wants that too. They give awards for well-written reflections. You have to write volunteer reports carefully too. Some kids got warnings for writing false reports. Ah-, starting from the second year of high school, you can earn volunteer points by donating blood-.”

I was worried she might act out during this sensitive period, but Hong Soo-jung chattered away about her life. Her face was always smiling, without a wrinkle, and Jin-hyuk was satisfied with that.

So he didn’t bring up the gift Hong Soo-jung gave him on his first day at work.

Office workers don’t have vacations.

Jin-hyuk, who had to visit home and meet friends during short weekends, couldn’t stay for even a day, and Hong Soo-jung always felt sorry.

Every time he left, he would give her 10,000 won as pocket money, and she said she was saving it up.

‘The more I know, the more unique she seems.’

What’s the big deal with a few pennies?

*

Choi Mi-kyung, a college student, took Kim Eun-jung in and out of Yeouido.

When asked why she didn’t hang out with friends and came here instead, she surprisingly showed logical thinking by saying, “Aren’t you my friend?”

On Friday evenings when classes ended early, she would come to the company and protest, demanding alcohol.

“Son Jin-hyuk, come out!”

“Come out-!”

[Bibibibik-.]

“Yes, this is Son Jin-hyuk.”

– CEO, ah- Steve. This is Shin Joo-hee from the lobby reception desk. Those friends from last time are here again.

“How do they look?”

– They’re smiling.

“Sigh-, I’ll come down.”

On such days, he left work on time. Out of embarrassment.

Since Jin-hyuk doesn’t drink for health reasons, there wasn’t much he could do when meeting friends.

“Son Jin-hyuk! Stop eating the side dishes! We’re only eating popcorn!”

“Mi-kyung, this isn’t popcorn, it’s macaroni.”

“Guys, order more side dishes.”

“Can we eat a lot?”

“Mi-kyung, I want spicy chicken feet.”

Choi Mi-kyung, the college student, hasn’t changed a bit since she was young.

Or maybe she has changed, but since we grew up together and meet often, I don’t notice.

Bi-weekly 5-day workweek.

Lalalalala-.

On Saturday mornings when he doesn’t go to work, the phone rings without fail.

“Hello-. Oh, Mi-kyung.”

– It’s the weekend, didn’t you go to the countryside?

“I’m going in the evening.”

– Okay! I’m coming! Wait right there!

Sigh-.

She says she’s coming, so I can’t tell her not to······.

When hanging out with friends on weekend mornings, you can’t miss the hottest PC bang in town.

[Zing zing zing-.]

[Nuclear Launch Detected.]

“Hahaha! Son Jin-hyuk, open your mouth! The nuke’s coming in!”

“Mi-kyung, that’s my base.”

“Oh my god! This mini-map is so confusing!”

Well, I don’t think it’s the mini-map’s fault······.

Choi Mi-kyung, teamed up with Kim Eun-jung, faced Jin-hyuk 2:1 and frequently nuked Kim Eun-jung.

Jin-hyuk focused only on building up to entertain his friends, holding back yawns. He waited until he could build nukes and battlecruisers and took the hits as they came.

“Son Jin-hyuk! Stop defending!”

“Don’t attack, don’t defend······. Should I just die?”

“Jin-hyuk, fill the population with workers to 200.”

These two brats are trying so hard to win, so it’s easier to just let them.

A celebrity sitting in a PC bang with college girls on either side, playing games, naturally drew curious onlookers or outright spectators. It’s not something you see every day. Those who built personal websites using HTML and domains asked for Jin-hyuk’s permission to upload those photos, and the response was explosive.

Even without personal domain websites, online communities were already active. So, photos of Jin-hyuk getting nuked by Choi Mi-kyung were circulating worldwide. Not long ago, Jonathan from the U.S. called to tease him about why he was getting nuked when it wasn’t even a jab.

“StarCraft takes too long for one game. We played for two hours.”

“Mi-kyung, it’s not that we’re bad.”

“This guy only defends. If it’s Zerg, he just builds sunken colonies and spores; if it’s Protoss, he makes cannon fields; and Terran, just thinking about it makes me sick. Crazy turrets, crazy bunkers, crazy ghosts. Stop locking down so much. It’s like playing against a computer.”

Hehe-.

What, I can’t just take hits.

If it were General Jang, he would have said:

“It’s just about understanding unit characteristics and utilizing them appropriately. Isn’t that the basics of management? Management and military command are essentially the same. It starts with understanding available resources and capabilities to execute efficient strategies-.”

Ugh, this guy’s talking about headaches again. Choi Mi-kyung, with a Buddha-like expression, shook her head.

“Mi-kyung, my head hurts too, let’s do 3v3.”

“Okay! I’ll host the game!”

[Thud-. Thud-!]

Todadadadak-.

Logging into Battle.net, entering the room name. Choi Mi-kyung showed off finger-blurring performance.

「Hunter Rookie College Girls 3:3」

Ugh-, terrifying.

A room title that naturally makes you cringe.

‘Damn, why am I being TSed into a college girl······.’

Beep-.

Beep-, beep-.

“Ohoho-. It’s filling up fast.”

“Mi-kyung, go go go-.”

The oppas who join because of such room titles are all the same.

Doo- doo- doo-.

As the countdown started, Choi Mi-kyung flipped her hand with scissors and thrust it forward.

“You’re all dead, you bastards-.”

But, it’s always the rookie college girls who die.