Epsilon Team Orientation
Royal Road Stanford's orientation was nothing special. Though they would be studying together from now on, most of the freshmen were meeting for the first time, filling the hall with an awkward, distant atmosphere. Since the gathering consisted mostly of people with limited social skills, no one stepped forward to break the ice. Even Yoo Jae-won's presence changed little. He was already a well-known figure in Silicon Valley, having appeared multiple times on American television, and his recognition had risen considerably. Anyone interested in electronics or computers would certainly know of him—after all, the Egg PC would run the Android operating system. Of course, assuming everyone fit that description was risky. There were bound to be eccentrics who instinctively rejected anything popular. Some even built their own PCs and installed Linux. This was Stanford's engineering school, after all, where such nerds gathered.
More than five hundred new students from the Department of Electronic Engineering had assembled in the auditorium. Stanford University's School of Engineering admitted 1,500 students in total. Of those, 600 were in Computer Science, 500 in Electronic Engineering, and the remaining 400 were spread across Mechanical Engineering, Bioengineering, and other departments. As the second-largest department after Computer Science, the orientation was correspondingly large in scale. The freshmen first gathered in the auditorium to hear welcoming remarks and an explanation of the schedule. They were then divided into teams of twenty and began campus tours led by teaching assistants and upperclassmen.
"Epsilon Team, follow me."
Yoo Jae-won belonged to the team named Epsilon.
"One, two, three… twenty! All right, everyone's here. It's too crowded in here, so let's head outside first."
The teaching assistant leading Yoo Jae-won's team was fortunately full of energy and confidence. He looked as though he might have played sports; his build resembled that of a football player. Not all nerds lacked social skills or hated exercise. Even among eccentrics, there were those who excelled at sports and got along well with others outside, only to hole up with their computers once they got home. The senior guiding Yoo Jae-won's team seemed to belong to that category.
"Ah, I can breathe again."
Once outside, the senior took a deep breath. He had probably been breathing shallowly while inside the auditorium. Yoo Jae-won also inhaled deeply, filling his lungs with fresh air. He hadn't noticed it while everyone was gathered inside, but the air outside the auditorium was noticeably cleaner. The stuffiness inside wasn't only due to the enclosed space; the overwhelming male-to-female ratio—over 95 percent male—had certainly contributed.
"Looks like the Electronic Engineering Department's curse continues."
After catching his breath, the senior looked around at the team members clustered like chicks and sighed.
The curse?
"How is it possible to randomly select twenty people and end up with all men? Statistically speaking, that's a one-in-1,048,576 jackpot. I should buy a lottery ticket on my way home today."
Something had felt different about him from the start. As expected, he was an amusing senior.
"Excuse me, I know we've just met, but your calculation is incorrect. The probability of one in 1,048,576 assumes an equal ratio of men and women in the sample. Given the current high male ratio, the actual probability is much lower. Furthermore, our team's all-male composition and the lottery drawing are independent events with no connection to each other."
One of the students standing beside Yoo Jae-won raised his hand and spoke up. This really was Stanford, where only eccentrics gathered. Couldn't he tell the senior had made the joke to lighten the stiff atmosphere? The fact that he refuted it so literally proved he was no ordinary person either.
"Oh-ho! As expected of an Electronic Engineering student—your calculations are quick. I'm a football recruit, so please understand. Come to think of it, I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Jonathan, and I play for the Cardinals. Make sure to cheer for us during the Big Game."
The Stanford Cardinals were the university's American football team. They were a prestigious program in the college league and traditional rivals of UC Berkeley. Matches against UC Berkeley's football team were called the Big Game, and on game days the Stanford Stadium, which seated fifty thousand, reportedly filled to capacity.
Yoo Jae-won's eyes sparkled. Listening to the story, he realized this was no ordinary situation. Students admitted through athletic scholarships usually chose more manageable majors in the humanities, yet this Jonathan fellow had chosen Electronic Engineering.
"What's the name of our math whiz friend?"
"Ah, it's Gilbert Owen!"
Gilbert Owen. An unusual name, easy to remember. Still, Yoo Jae-won couldn't understand why the boy glanced nervously at Senior Jonathan while introducing himself.
"Okay! Gilbert Owen. I'll be counting on you whenever calculations come up. Ah, let's do proper introductions while we're at it. Since Owen got us started, shall we go counterclockwise? A short self-introduction would be good too. After all, we'll be studying together from now on."
Counterclockwise meant Yoo Jae-won would go last. Being asked to introduce himself left him somewhat flustered. American schools were said to emphasize discussion and openness rather than rote learning, yet this didn't seem to be the case. When strangers were gathered together, the situation wasn't much different from Korea. Still, after waiting patiently, everyone managed to give a brief introduction of their name, background, and hobbies. With twenty people, even thirty seconds each took ten minutes before it was Yoo Jae-won's turn.
Though everyone's eyes turned toward him, Yoo Jae-won remained composed. Earlier in the auditorium, he had faced far more gazes than this. It was fortunate that everyone was too shy to crowd around him.
"Hello! I'm Yoo Jae-won, sixteen years old, from Korea. I like computers, and I enjoy making things with them. I was lucky enough that many people liked what I made, so I was able to start a company called ID. I look forward to getting to know you all."
Though he had kept the introduction short, applause broke out—not the perfunctory clapping one might expect, but genuine, surprised applause. Everyone had clearly been aware of who he was.
"Oh! So you're the rumored chairman of ID Group! Should we call you Chairman too?"
Jonathan, who clearly already knew, played along.
"Please, just call me Jae-won."
"Yeah? Got it. Jae-won."
In the past, Yoo Jae-won had tried using the Americanized name "Jay," but he later realized it was unnecessary. Once ID Group gained momentum, people naturally addressed him by his proper name with care. As a result, the name "Jay" had quietly fallen out of use.
After Yoo Jae-won's introduction, a small murmur spread through the group. As expected, everyone had already guessed his identity. After all, an East Asian student several years younger than the others naturally stood out. Just as things threatened to grow noisy, Jonathan acted first once again.
"We'll get to know each other gradually. We don't have much time, so let's move on. Shall we head to the cafeteria first?"
Huh? Had he misheard?
"Huh? Why? Don't you want to eat?"
Jonathan asked again after finishing his sentence. It was only a little past 11:05 a.m.—far too early for lunch, which was why everyone looked bewildered.
"We're eating this early?"
"Ah, because it'll be packed if we go at the regular time! Today isn't the only orientation happening—it's not just the engineering school. If we're late, there won't even be soup left."
For a moment, Yoo Jae-won wondered if Jonathan might be Korean. The way he spoke—"there won't even be soup left"—sounded so Korean. Yet Jonathan was the very picture of a typical WASP, with blond hair and fair skin. The familiarity was oddly comforting despite the strangeness. If it was going to be that crowded, eating early didn't sound like a bad idea. Though some were still confused, Jonathan started moving, Yoo Jae-won followed, and the rest trailed after them.
The rest of the orientation proceeded normally. They ate a hearty meal at the cafeteria, then began the campus tour. They checked the locations of lecture halls, learned how to register for classes, and received explanations about study groups and clubs, along with instructions on how to join those that matched their interests. Course registration was fully computerized, so students could handle it online rather than submitting paper forms. Clubs and study groups, however, required students to find and apply to them directly.
Yoo Jae-won hadn't initially planned on joining any clubs, but after seeing the reality of the Electronic Engineering Department, his thoughts had changed. If he wasn't careful, he might graduate without ever having a girlfriend. He asked Jonathan for information about promising clubs. Of course, he didn't forget his primary duty as a student. He also gathered plenty of information about the faculty. At his level, he could handle even the most difficult professors without issue, but the important thing was negotiating flexible attendance. Starting in October, both Korea and the United States would face major elections. He had no intention of getting deeply involved in the American presidential election, but Korea was different. With Jeon Myeong-heon as a powerful ally, he planned to intervene actively. That meant he would inevitably miss many classes, so he needed to reach agreements with the professors. Naturally, Yoo Jae-won had no intention of simply asking for exemptions outright. He planned to offer substantial help with the professors' important research in exchange. Still, if a professor was too rigid, such a deal would be impossible, so finding someone reasonable was crucial.
Unfortunately, Jonathan didn't know the personalities of all the professors. Although he was in Electronic Engineering, his primary role as an athletic recruit meant he spent far more time on training and games than interacting with faculty. Fortunately, there was still plenty of time before the course registration deadline, and meetings with professors were already scheduled. Moreover, Stanford University had more professors than students. The Electronic Engineering Department admitted around 1,500 new students, yet the number of faculty exceeded 2,000. This made one-on-one meetings easy to arrange, with ample time provided. Showing his abilities and persuading them wouldn't be a major obstacle for Yoo Jae-won.
Several days had passed since Yoo Jae-won returned from orientation. Simply attending university once had brought about a few changes. The most noticeable was the increase in his ID Talk friend list. Most of his orientation teammates, including Gilbert Owen, had added him as a friend. However, only Gilbert had actually messaged him first.
-Don't misunderstand what happened during orientation!
Gilbert Owen, now connected via ID Talk, began by asking not to be misunderstood.
-The truth is, I'm one of your biggest fans! I just got a little excited and overreacted to Jonathan to stand out.
It was hard to believe. Gilbert Owen, as he had appeared during orientation, wasn't much different from the other classmates. He had a face still dotted with freckles, large glasses, a checkered shirt, and baggy beige cotton pants. The cherry on top was the backpack—perfect. Though his fashion sense was nonexistent, Yoo Jae-won found himself liking Gilbert Owen. His goodwill was completely uncalculated and sincere.
There had been no contact from the others. Perhaps they were too young to fully grasp what a valuable connection this was, or too timid to reach out first. It was also possible they found using ID Talk difficult. In any case, Yoo Jae-won felt no particular need to initiate contact himself.
The next notable change after gaining one friend to spend time with was the assignment of his academic advisor. It was Professor Shoucheng Zhang of the Electronic Engineering Department, renowned for his achievements in semiconductor materials. As his name suggested, he was a Chinese-American scholar famous for his theoretical and experimental research on the quantum Hall effect and topological insulators, and he was nominated for the Nobel Prize every year. Young and empathetic toward Asia, he had apparently been selected as Yoo Jae-won's advisor. After a brief ten-minute meeting to pay his respects, Yoo Jae-won found that the professor was indeed easy to talk to. Arranging some flexibility in attendance through special projects shouldn't be a problem. Of course, this only covered one of Professor Shoucheng Zhang's courses, so he would need to meet with the other professors as well.
Another change had come from Korea. Chief of Staff Choi Kang-wook was on his way to the United States. While Remington was on paternity leave, Choi Kang-wook would serve as acting president of ID Technology. He was the person Yoo Jae-won trusted most after Remington. His abilities were outstanding, making him more than capable of handling the acting presidency. In fact, having him manage only the Korean branch until now had been like using a sword meant for cattle to slaughter chickens. The only issue was language. However, after starting English studies several years ago and practicing consistently, his skills had improved significantly. His pronunciation was still problematic, but he had no major difficulty communicating with Americans. On the contrary, his extensive knowledge of technical vocabulary allowed him to construct more sophisticated sentences than the average American.
With Choi Kang-wook temporarily heading to the U.S., Hwang Jae-hong was appointed as the new head of the Korean branch. Hwang Jae-hong, who had been scouted by Yoo Jae-won after coming to Deokjin-ri to buy the ancestral mountain, had been in charge of ID Investment's Korean operations. Now he would oversee all of ID Group's Korean businesses. The Hwang Jae-hong of this life was the complete opposite of his previous one—he now carried himself like a proper businessman. His competence and trustworthiness had been thoroughly verified. It was only natural that he had been promoted, and even after Choi Kang-wook returned to Korea, the position would remain his.
From Choi Kang-wook's perspective, the presidency of ID Technology was temporary, while the Korean branch directorship was something he had lost—a reduction in authority. Yet Choi Kang-wook welcomed it. ID Group was overflowing with work, and he already had more than enough to do. With one less burden on his shoulders, he could focus more deeply on his own responsibilities, which pleased him.
Two major tasks immediately fell to Choi Kang-wook upon arriving in the U.S.: the acquisition of Comcast and preparations for the release of Doom 2. Comcast was moving forward rapidly after Yoo Jae-won's strong expression of interest. They were close to being able to announce the acquisition officially to the media. Similarly, the development of Doom 2 by ID Software was nearing completion. Full-scale development had begun last winter, which was remarkably fast. Working with 3D modeling rather than 2D had improved efficiency, putting them roughly two months ahead of schedule. That didn't mean the quality had suffered. ID Software's staff had grown tenfold since the Wolfenstein days, and the budget had increased nearly a hundredfold. With full support for funding and equipment, along with a leader who provided a clear vision, the results were excellent. Thanks to this, ID Software, which had started in a shabby garage, had purchased an entire prime building in Dallas. Real estate in both the U.S. and Korea was undeniably a money tree, so Yoo Jae-won had suggested to John Carmack—who was at a loss with his overflowing funds—that he buy property. Yoo Jae-won had meant a house, but the scale-minded John Carmack had bought a building instead.
In any case, the production of Doom 2 had gone remarkably smoothly. With the release approaching, distributors from Electronic Arts to Activision were clamoring to handle it. Even the most conservative distributors changed their tune completely after seeing the preview version. Convinced of its success, they kept raising their offers. The issue was the distribution method. The alpha test version Yoo Jae-won had played contained only one stage yet exceeded 120 megabytes. The final version, nearing completion, would have six stages. A simple calculation suggested a massive 720 megabytes. Fortunately, with many shared textures and sounds, the actual size wasn't that large. According to yesterday's report, it was around 360 megabytes. By aggressively using image and video compression codecs, they had reduced it further to 50 megabytes. Even so, distributing it on floppy disks was impractical. Thirty-four 3.5-inch floppy disks would cost well over thirty dollars just for the disks themselves. The answer was clearly CDs. A single CD held 650 megabytes, enough to store the uncompressed version. The problem was that CD-ROM drives weren't yet widely available. They came standard only with Pentium-class models. For 486 machines, users had to specifically opt for a CD-ROM drive, which was expensive. As a result, Doom 2 would be released in two versions: a CD-ROM edition containing all resources, and a floppy disk edition reduced to fourteen 3.5-inch disks containing only the game itself, with the intro video and high-quality background music removed. The floppy version was essentially a rip, but there was no alternative for floppy distribution.
"Chief Choi will handle it well."
Since Yoo Jae-won had made the major decisions regarding both the Comcast acquisition and the Doom 2 release, Choi Kang-wook only needed to manage the practical details.
"And the second mobile telecommunications license goes to Seonkyung."
The second piece of news from Korea concerned the long-contested announcement of the second mobile telecommunications operator. As expected, nothing had changed. Despite strong opposition from political and business circles, President Roh was a man of determination. He had ultimately awarded the second mobile license to his son-in-law's company, Seonkyung. As a result, Yoo Jae-won had received a lament-filled call from President Lee Yong-kwon of TG the previous evening.
"Kuh, Jae-won! Soju tastes bitter!"
Judging by the slurred speech coming through the international line, he had drunk quite a lot. The disappointment of being eliminated seemed to weigh heavily on him.