Christmas Eve at the Department Store, and a Silicon Valley Shock
December 24th. Christmas Eve.
─ Jingle bells~ Jingle bells~
─ Oppa! The Christmas tree’s right here! Let’s take a picture!
─ Hold on, I need to get the camera out...
─ Oppa, can’t we just use your phone?
─ The picture quality’s terrible. I need to take a pretty picture of my girlfriend. That’s why I even bought a new camera!
─ Ah, seriously, what is wrong with you?! Everyone can hear you~!
The streets were alive with carols and thick with the bright, restless energy of year’s end.
My mother, Seohee, and I were standing in the lobby on the first floor of H Department Store.
A glittering Christmas tree, people dressed to the nines.
Our family, mixed into that crowd, probably looked a little out of place.
'I still haven’t bought any clothes... tsk.'
I was at least wearing a decent coat, but Mother and Seohee were in the old padded jackets they always wore.
Especially Mother. She had her shoulders hunched tight and kept glancing around nervously.
"Dohyun, I did come along because you said you’d buy me a present, but won’t the department store be too expensive? We could just go to the neighborhood market or the outlet..."
"Mother, I told you I’ve made a lot of money."
Before coming to the department store, I’d already told her I’d made even more from the stocks I’d invested in before.
"Still..."
Mother still looked uneasy.
Well, it made sense. A person who had spent her whole life saving every penny wasn’t going to shake off a habit like that just because her son suddenly said, “Don’t worry about money.”
I took Mother’s hand firmly and said, "Mother, I really can buy it for you, so just relax and enjoy yourself."
"...Really?"
"Yes. So buy whatever you want. Trust your son. You do trust me, right?"
At my firm tone, Mother gave an awkward laugh.
"I do, of course. But even if you tell me to buy anything I want... I don’t even know what to get. I don’t really need anything."
"Let’s go in first. It’s cold outside. Seohee, stop staring at the Christmas tree."
─ Wait! ...Eek, glitter got on my clothes.
I led Mother and Seohee inside the department store.
"Oh dear... what is there to buy here?"
Even after we were inside, Mother still hesitated.
Seohee, by contrast, had bright eyes and was scanning the place as if she intended to inspect every single cosmetic in the building.
'Seohee must really like makeup.'
“Well, she’s at that age. The first floor of a department store is full of luxury brands and cosmetics.”
'Right. Hmm.'
Luxury brands, huh.
"Mother, how about getting a bag or something?"
"A bag? A luxury one? ...No, I’d have no reason to carry it anywhere. And it’s just expensive."
"Then you should have plenty of reasons to carry it around."
"As if things are ever that easy."
She said that, but her gaze had already drifted toward one place.
The Louis Vraun brand store.
'Does Mother like Louis Vraun? ...Ah.'
Suddenly I remembered it.
The bag Father had bought her as a tenth wedding anniversary gift, back before our home had been crushed under debt.
'Mother used to keep it deep in the wardrobe and only took it out for things like alumni dinners or weddings.'
But it hadn’t lasted long. When we sold off the family valuables to pay the debt, Mother had sold that bag at a bargain price too, tears in her eyes, along with her wedding dowry.
I could never forget the expression on her face that day.
'...Zero. She is looking at the Louis Vraun store, right?'
“Yes, Master. It is the same brand as that bag in Master’s memory.”
So it was.
"Mother, how about we check out Louis Vraun over there?"
When I pointed at the store and asked, Mother flailed both hands in alarm.
"What would we do with something that expensive...! Forget it, all I need is a scarf."
But her eyes still lingered on the bags in the display window.
I smiled lightly and took her by the arm.
"Come on. Let’s just look."
"W-wait, Dohyun!"
─ I’m coming too!
Seohee, who had been browsing samples at the cosmetics counter, saw us and came rushing after us.
I led Mother into the Louis Vraun store.
Even then, Mother kept saying, "I said it’s fine..." while I half-dragged her inside.
"Good afternoon, sir."
A female employee caught my eye and smiled politely as she greeted me.
"..."
She looked Mother, Seohee, and me over, then forced a smile and said in a perfunctory tone, "Please let me know if you need anything."
And then she walked off toward other customers.
'Hmm... Zero, she didn’t openly ignore us, but she definitely just looked down on us, right?'
“Yes. It is the standard manner of dealing with customers considered to have no purchasing power. They do not block you from entering outright, nor do they ignore you openly, but they dismiss you in subtle ways.”
'So they’re basically telling us to leave on our own.'
“Correct.”
It would have been impossible for Mother not to notice it either.
Seeing that none of the employees were paying us any attention, she spoke in a slightly deflated voice.
"Dohyun... let’s just go. I’m fine."
As she said that, Mother tugged on my arm.
But what could I do?
I wasn’t fine.
'These bastards...'
Of course, I understood it. With the Christmas rush, they had plenty of other customers, and dealing with people who looked unlikely to buy anything was probably a pain.
But understanding it didn’t mean I wasn’t annoyed.
'Zero, how much cash do I have available right now?'
“In Master’s Korean account, you have 2.8 billion won. The American corporate card, the American Must Black Card, has no limit.”
I was seriously tempted to buy everything here.
Then, just as I was thinking that—
"Um... would you like some help, sir?"
Another female employee, standing in a corner, approached me and asked.
Unlike the other women dressed up to the nines, she had a plain face with very light makeup.
She looked like she’d tied her hair up in a hurry, but a few stray strands had slipped free, and her cheeks were flushed from nerves. At a glance, she was clearly the newest rookie on the floor.
She had come toward us, probably worried about the senior staff’s eyes, but she still folded her hands together in the most courteous posture imaginable.
Her name tag read Han Miju.
"I-I can recommend products if you have a preferred line, style, or color."
She was a little awkward when she spoke. Looking at her age—about my age, maybe a little younger—it seemed she really had only just started working here.
But none of that mattered.
What mattered was that she was treating Mother, Seohee, and me respectfully.
"Thank you."
After giving the employee a small nod, I asked Mother, "What style do you like, Mother?"
"Huh? I... well? I’m not sure?"
She said she didn’t know, but her eyes were honest enough; her gaze was fixed on a crocodile leather bag in the center of the store.
Since it was in the middle of the store, was that the most expensive one?
"Do you like that one?"
"Huh? No, I just..."
So she did like it.
I said to the employee right away, "That one, please."
"...Pardon?"
"I said I want that one. Mother, is there anything else you like?"
At my words, the employee froze, then hurriedly nodded and said something to another staff member.
"M-Mr. Manager! This customer would like..."
She was probably getting them to prepare the product I’d pointed out.
After spending about thirty minutes circling the store and choosing this and that, the employee who had been assisting me said in a trembling voice, "The total price of the items you’ve decided to purchase today is... 98.3 million won. How would you like to pay...?"
I’d bought pretty much everything that looked good, and still hadn’t reached 100 million.
Spending money was harder than I’d expected.
"Use this, please."
I handed the employee a black corporate card—the Black Card.
"I-I’ve received the card!"
She took it with shaking hands.
It didn’t seem like she was seeing a Black Card for the first time, because the moment she saw it, her attitude toward me became even more respectful.
Mother and Seohee didn’t seem to know what kind of card it was.
And the other employees and customers were staring at me in astonishment. Even in a luxury store, there probably weren’t many people who dropped around 100 million won in one go.
'Zero, if I buy a lot, does that help the employee too?'
“Of course. Each employee has a commission based on sales performance, and it also has a large effect on their personnel evaluation. In addition, if Master shows a little more consideration, you could become a regular customer.”
'A regular customer?'
“Yes. Rather than this being a one-time large purchase, you would become that employee’s managed customer. Then Miss Han Miju would secure stable performance.”
'So I should even take her card or something?'
“Yes. If you contact her before visiting the store again, then it becomes not the store’s sale, but one hundred percent Ms. Han Miju’s performance.”
While I was talking with Zero, Han Miju kept stealing glances at me and asked, "Would you... not need installments?"
"One lump sum. Though there is something else I need."
"Ah, yes! I’m sorry. Did you park your car?"
"No, not parking. Just give me your business card."
"My... business card? You mean my business card?"
"Yes. I’ll contact you before I come next time."
"O-oh... yes, sir! The business card... just a moment?"
Hastily, Han Miju pulled a business card from her inner pocket.
Maybe she had never handed one out before, because even the gesture of offering it looked clumsy.
"Thank you."
"Yes!"
Buzz—zzzt.
The sound of the receipt printing echoed through the quiet store.
Even in a luxury boutique, people who charged 100 million won in a single payment were extremely rare, so at some point the manager had come over too, smiling as he hovered near me.
Not a sales smile. The real smile of capitalism.
Very nice.
"Thank you very much, sir! You’ve made an excellent choice!"
"Yes."
I took the card back and put it in my wallet.
I was about to leave the store, since there was nothing else to do—
"..."
─ ...!
I made eye contact with the other employee who had ignored me earlier.
Right. I’d almost forgotten about her.
As I led Mother and Seohee out of the store, I spoke casually to the manager following behind me.
"Manager?"
"Yes, sir! Is there anything else you need?"
"My mother likes this brand, so I think we’ll be coming here often from now on."
"You are always welcome to come back!"
"But if I see that employee again next time, I think we’ll probably go to a different department store."
"!"
─ ...?!
At my words, the employee standing in the corner went pale as death. The manager shot her a murderous glare.
Today would probably be her last day on the job.
I laughed as I looked at Mother and Seohee, who were standing there dazed.
"Then should we go buy Seohee’s present now?"
Even after leaving the store, Mother still hadn’t calmed down.
She kept looking around at the people nearby and whispering reproachfully to me.
"...Dohyun, have you lost your mind? No matter how much money you’ve made, how can you spend it like that? Just the bag was 100 million! Oh dear, let’s return it right now. I’m fine. I know you’re trying to make me look good, but this is too much."
Mother tried to take the shopping bags from my hands.
I set one of the bags down and pulled out the most expensive bag inside, placing it in Mother’s hands.
"Mother. You said you trust me."
"...I do! I do trust you."
"Then don’t worry. Seriously, I can afford this much anytime."
Mother stared at my eyes for a long moment.
Then, with a long sigh, she let the tension leave her shoulders.
It looked like she’d read the truth in my eyes.
"...You really are sure it’s okay?"
"It really is okay."
If anything, I wanted to spend even more.
At that moment, Seohee glared at me a little and asked, "Oppa, why did you take that employee’s business card earlier?"
"Her business card?"
"Yeah. ...Why did you take it?"
Why else?
"So I can contact her before we come again. That way, her sales performance goes up."
"Huh...? That’s what it was?"
"Yeah. What did you think it was?"
"No, well, I thought oppa maybe liked that unnie..."
Seohee hesitated.
Then she suddenly clung to my arm.
"O-Oppa! Me too! You’ll buy me something too, right?!"
"A bag? The one your mother bought?"
"Huh? No? Luxury stuff is for older ladies... I mean, not that Mom is an older lady or anything."
Whoosh, whoosh—!
Seohee waved her hands, then checked Mother’s expression.
And then she hooked her arm through mine and dragged me somewhere else.
"I saw an outfit I want! It’s seriously so pretty!"
"Clothes? Hey, hey! Slow down."
"Hurry up!"
I let Seohee drag me along as if I couldn’t resist. Mother followed behind us with a smile.
Where Seohee took me was an outdoor gear store that had become popular among students lately.
Rows and rows of expensive padded jackets—the infamous kind people called backbreaker coats.
"...Isn’t this padded jacket ridiculously pretty? And it looks warm, right? Nice and fluffy? If I had this, wouldn’t I study super hard and do really well? I eat well too, so maybe I’d even grow taller?"
Seohee began selling me on a pure white long padded coat.
She was adorable.
"If you like it, I’ll buy it for you."
"...You’ll really buy it? But this is crazy expensive."
"How expensive could it be, really? Excuse me."
When I called the employee over, Mother quietly moved to Seohee’s side and checked the price tag on the coat.
─ ...That little brat has lost her mind?! What kind of padded jacket is 300,000 won!
─ Ah, whyyy! Oppa said he’d buy it! And compared to what he bought for Mom, this is super cheap, right?!
─ ...
Mother was speechless.
She didn’t even have a reason to scold her daughter.
But I thought differently.
'300,000 won?'
That was cheap.
"Seohee, do you like that one?"
"Huh? Yeah!"
"Is there anything you like more? Like that one over there?"
I pointed to the thickest, fluffiest padded jacket on the mannequin in the center of the store.
The so-called top-tier padded jacket—the kind even locals climbing the Himalayas supposedly wouldn’t wear, a 700,000-won coat.
"They say this winter’s going to be really cold, so shouldn’t you wear something like that?"
"...!"
Seohee’s eyes went wide.
"W-What kind of padded jacket costs more than a million won..."
Mother moved to stop me again, but Seohee quickly blocked her and looked up at me.
"B-Buy it... no. Please buy it for me, Oppa!"
While Kim Dohyun was out shopping—
At the same time, in Silicon Valley, USA, the main conference room at The Apple headquarters.
─ ...
─ ...
─ ...
─ ...
─ ...
A silence like thin ice hung in the air. Dozens of senior developers sat in the conference room, heads bowed, unable even to breathe too loudly.
"Hmm..."
At the head of the table sat a man in a black turtleneck and jeans.
Steve Jobson, the man who had once been driven out of the company and then clawed his way back to the throne.
Swish. Swish.
He was looking over a document with sharp, irritated movements.
It was a report on the FreeChat app.
"FreeChat... less than seventy-two hours after launch, and it’s already passed one million downloads, with a 98 percent active-user rate. And a 99 percent return rate."
Jobson read the numbers aloud in a flat voice.
This was an unprecedented record in The Apple’s App Store history. It might even be a record that could never be broken.
That didn’t bother him.
No, if anything, he was grateful. Thanks to FreeChat, people now had a very powerful reason to use smartphones, and the press was speaking highly of it too.
What was irritating him was—
Ping!
A notification lit up on the Apple phone sitting on his desk.
He had definitely turned the screen off, and yet a notification still appeared.
[FreeChat: A new message has arrived from "Lisa".]
It was a message from his daughter. Jobson was a father, after all, so his daughter contacting him should have made him happy.
But his expression was not good.
"...Push notifications."
Jobson muttered the words under his breath. His sharp gaze swept over the developers.
"Isn’t this exactly the problem we’ve been tearing our hair out over? A technology that sends real-time notifications when the screen is off, without draining the battery."
A technology that sent real-time notifications when the screen was off, without draining the battery.
It might have sounded like nothing special, but it was the very thing The Apple was devoting all its energy to building and searching for.
─ Y-Yes!
─ That’s right!
"We can’t implement it because the battery drains too fast when we keep the keep-alive session between server and device running, can we?"
─ Yes...
Bang!
Jobson slammed his hand on the table.
"And this app pulled it off perfectly! With almost no battery drain! No heat! By a company that hasn’t even gone public, with only one openly listed employee—the founder’s lawyer!"
─ ...
─ ...
─ ...
─ ...
─ ...
"And you people—on salaries of tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars—can’t make that?!"
The developers lowered their heads even further.
They had torn apart FreeChat’s code too.
But they couldn’t make sense of it. Like something built by aliens, the code was efficient and compressed to the point that it defied their common sense.
Just like the company that made FreeChat, Another Technology—it really might have been another technology altogether.
Jobson pointed a finger at the development lead.
"Lead engineer."
"Yes!"
"Did you find out how they implemented push notifications? Any clue at all?"
"W-Well... the server seems to be built on Erlang, but the client-side code is heavily obfuscated, so..."
"You’re fired."
"Pardon?"
"I said you’re fired. I don’t need incompetence in my company."
Jobson was cold.
"S-Steve! I did my best..."
"Your best? What good is best when there’s no result? Get out of my sight."
The fired lead engineer left the conference room in tears.
The faces of the remaining people went white. These were employees who even tried to breathe more quietly.
Jobson buried his face in his hands.
'Another Technology... A company founded less than a month ago. A ghost company with only one lawyer on the books.'
He couldn’t believe it. A nameless startup had done what The Apple, home to the best geniuses in America, could not.
'It can’t be a pure startup. They must have been preparing somewhere and then emerged. But where? Harvard? MIT? Or was it Microsoft? Someone from Google?'
"How much money have we spent on push notification development?"
"...About 10 million dollars."
"If that money could’ve bought us... fuck."
Of course, money itself wasn’t the real issue for Jobson.
What mattered was that another company had done what The Apple could not.
'...This is a matter of my pride.'
"Max."
─ Yes!
"Contact Another Technology and ask whether they’d sell us the push notification tech or the code."
─ You mean buy the code... ah, yes, understood!
Strictly speaking, code didn’t need to be bought with money.
Anyone could use it.
But Max had no intention of aggravating Jobson by saying that. He didn’t particularly want to be fired.