The Benefit of a Soft Word

Inside the taxi heading to Hankuk University for the entrance ceremony, I had my laptop open on my lap and was staring at the screen Zero had pulled up for me.

They said it was 164 pages... and, yeah, that really was a lot.

But there wasn't a single wasted line in that 164-slide presentation.

Every page was cleanly packed with substance.

Swipe. Swipe.

My fingers moving across the screen gradually slowed.

This was the proposal Seongsam Electronics' Future Innovation Office had stayed up all night writing. It was far more substantial than I'd expected.

Five outrageous offers in all.

A smile spread across my face.

As expected of Seongsam Electronics... they know exactly what a software startup needs, and exactly what they can provide.

Converted into money, these were offers worth hundreds of billions of won, maybe more.

In particular, free server support was essential if I wanted to prepare for the day user traffic exploded, and legal-team support was a solid shield against the patent lawsuits other companies might throw at me down the road.

They'll probably block pressure from the carriers and the government for me later too.

Still, again, this was Seongsam Electronics. Of course they weren't just offering things.

They were also politely asking me for two things in return.

The long version could be reduced to this:

First, request number one.

In plain terms, it meant: "We don't want competitor ads showing in our devices. If we have to, we'll pay extra to secure those ad slots ourselves."

Are they that worried about my application's marketing power?

Good. That worked out.

This request is fine to accept. It doesn't cost me anything anyway.

They could just let the ads run. Apple, or LJ.

I nodded.

And request number three is just them asking for a special design for their smartphone version of the same app... For that, Zero, just toss them another decent concept from the mockups you made.

Number two is the problem.

Request number two asked for "priority negotiation rights" over all new services Another Technology would launch within the next three years.

In other words, every time I made an app, I'd have to get Seongsam Electronics' approval first, then distribute it through the app store or the Google Android Market.

That was a bit much.

Let's reject that one. If Seongsam Electronics pushes hard, we can change it to: "For the next three years, we will negotiate and co-develop one application each year that Seongsam Electronics specifically needs."

After checking the proposal, it looked like Seongsam Electronics was trying to give where it had to give and take where it could.

There was nothing for me to lose, and in fact it was a contract that would bring a huge gain, so I decided to move forward with it.

At this level, signing it won't hurt me.

I closed the laptop and made up my mind.

Zero, contact Vincent. Tell him to come to Korea and proceed with the contract with Seongsam Electronics.

No.

Looking out at the university gate through the window, I added,

Contact them near the end of the entrance ceremony. Let it sit a little. Make it feel like we thought it through carefully.

Early March. In the main auditorium of Hankuk University, where the cold wind still crept through the collar of your clothes, the freshmen were packed together in a noisy crowd.

Kim Dohyun sat in the front row of that crowd.

"Is this the area where the business administration students are gathering?"

"Uh... yes. Are you in business administration?"

"Yes, C section."

"Ah, I'm in A section. I guess we missed each other during orientation. Nice to meet you."

Among the still awkward freshmen,

"When does the entrance ceremony end? The after-party starts right away, right?"

"Yeah. Senior Sunwoo said if you stay until the very end, they'll take us somewhere really good to eat."

"Don't you have to drink a lot to last until the end?"

"You have to if you want to make a good impression on the seniors."

the students who were already a little closer were talking about other things and proudly showing off the usual freshman bravado about how much they could drink.

Everywhere around me were freshmen who held both excitement and awkwardness at the same time.

They'd all dressed up for the entrance ceremony in their own way, but they still couldn't hide the freshness of kids who had only just shaken off the look of high school.

And among those students, the one who was getting the most attention was Kim Dohyun.

"Hey, hey, look at the front row. That's him, right?"

"Yeah, the guy who got a perfect CSAT score..."

"...He's handsome."

Among students wearing awkward suits or department jackets, Kim Dohyun's presence was unquestionably the most striking.

A calm long coat that fell cleanly, neatly tailored slacks, and a luxurious knit wrapped around his neck.

The so-called old-money look.

It wasn't flashy, but there was a certain refined air to it, and the students around him kept sneaking looks in his direction.

And so the entrance ceremony began.

At the host's call, Kim Dohyun walked up to the podium.

There wasn't even the tiniest trace of hesitation in his steps as he climbed the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stairs toward it.

Clack, clack.

The crisp sound of polished leather heels rang out brightly through the silent auditorium. The hem of the long coat, reaching down past his knees, fluttered elegantly with each step.

He moved more like a successful young CEO going out to give a lecture than a student.

Thousands of eyes were on him, but Kim Dohyun didn't even blink.

"Oath."

He raised his right hand and spoke, and his voice carried through the microphone to every corner of the auditorium. There was no tremor in it at all, only a clear, powerful baritone that even made the professors and staff look at one another in surprise.

"...Usually, freshmen are nervous when they recite the oath."

"Indeed."

"Would you be pleased to have such a handsome student enter the engineering college?"

"I would, but... he's not in my department."

"Haha..."

Not just the professors and staff, but the students began murmuring as well. Their reactions toward Kim Dohyun, however, were sharply divided. The boys looked at him with a mix of caution and tension, while the girls simply stared.

After the oath came the presentation of the admission certificate.

The white-haired president approached the podium with a satisfied smile and handed it over.

"Congratulations on your admission."

"Thank you."

A normal freshman would have been so nervous their hands shook, but as always, Kim Dohyun was different.

He accepted the certificate with both hands in a respectful manner, yet he ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠met the president's eyes directly and answered with an easy smile.

After Kim Dohyun received the admission certificate from the president, the host moved on to the next segment.

The hall stirred. At the mention of Seongsam Electronics, the students and especially the parents pricked up their ears.

Gasps rippled through the crowd. Even if Hankuk University was a public university with relatively low tuition, a full four-year scholarship was a substantial sum, and the mention of living expenses only made it more enviable.

At the call of his name, Kim Hyeoncheol, who had been seated in a chair at the back of the podium, rose slowly and walked forward.

Flash, flash!

The camera flashes from the reporters went off, but Kim Hyeoncheol didn't care in the least; if anything, he seemed used to it as he kept walking.

From the beginning, his mind was fixed entirely elsewhere.

Outwardly, Kim Hyeoncheol wore a gentle smile, but inside, he was burning up.

What answer will Another Technology send...? When will the reply come? It's only been one day, so maybe it needs a little more time. They're not going to reject us, are they? Or was the problem our request?

His mind was consumed by worry over Another Technology's response.

But this was a spot where dozens of cameras and parents' eyes were focused. He forced up the corners of his mouth and handed over the scholarship certificate.

"...Congratulations on entering with excellent grades and becoming a scholarship student of our Seongsam Scholarship Foundation. Study hard, and I look forward to the day you become an outstanding talent who contributes to the nation and society."

Kim Hyeoncheol offered the ceremonial congratulations he'd prepared, then looked at the top entrant.

Was his name Kim Dohyun?

Even to Kim Hyeoncheol, Kim Dohyun had a bright face and excellent style. Unlike ordinary students, he gave off a strange air of confidence, and his posture looked straight and relaxed.

Maybe it was just his imagination, but for some reason it felt as though Kim Dohyun were smiling meaningfully at him.

"Thank you, Director."

And then came the added remark.

"I'm looking forward to Seongsam's next smartphone as well."

"...?"

Kim Dohyun bowed politely and turned, walking down from the podium.

Kim Hyeoncheol stared blankly after him.

...Did he just say smartphone?

The word smartphone. Of course, it was already in use inside Seongsam Electronics.

But to the general public, it was still a foreign concept. Most people called them mobile phones or cell phones, or at best PDA phones.

And yet a freshman who had just entered university had used the word so naturally.

Did I hear wrong? I've been so on edge lately that I'm hallucinating nonsense.

Kim Hyeoncheol shook his head.

Right. I must have mistaken it for "cell phone."

But the unease did not go away.

More than anything, there was that strange aura coming off the student named Kim Dohyun. That confidence, with no trace of nervousness, as if he were looking down on the situation from above, kept gnawing at him.

What an odd young man. To say he's looking forward to a phone.

Just then Kim Hyeoncheol returned to his seat.

His phone vibrated in his pocket.

When he checked it, it was a text from Secretary Anna-hui.

Seeing that, a sigh of relief burst from Kim Hyeoncheol's mouth.

"Huu..."

Thank goodness. Really, thank goodness.

If they're revising part of the terms, that means we're getting something out of this too... Honestly, I didn't think they would accept every one of our terms as-is anyway.

But along with the relief came a strange sense of unease.

It felt as though someone were tuning every one of these events like the gears of a clock.

...No, impossible.

Kim Hyeoncheol tried to shake off the discomfort.

Then,

"..."

"..."

he met the eyes of Kim Dohyun, sitting in the very front row of the freshmen below the stage.

The same unease he'd felt a moment ago deepened a little more.

But Kim Hyeoncheol couldn't think any further than that.

1:00 a.m.

I threw myself onto the bed in my studio apartment near the Hankuk University gate.

Haa.

"Surprisingly tiring."

There had been a drinking party after the entrance ceremony.

It was just a round of drinks with the classmates I'd gotten to know during freshman orientation, nothing special.

We drank, played games, talked about the years ahead at university, and since the only girl in our department hadn't come again this time, the guys ended up talking about soccer, women, and whatever else came to mind.

Since we'd already become friends at orientation, the atmosphere was definitely not bad.

Actually, maybe we got too friendly.

If things had gone a little differently, I'd probably still be stuck there, drinking with them.

But luckily I managed to slip away after socializing for a reasonable amount of time and finish unpacking the apartment... and by then, it was already this late.

I should shower and sleep, so why is that suddenly such a pain?

I had lived alone for a long time, so I was used to taking care of things around the house. But after regressing and living with my family again, my mother had started taking care of a lot of things for me, and maybe because of that, even housework already felt harder.

That was when it happened.

Buzz.

The phone beside my pillow rang.

It was Han Seol-a. At this late hour, what was she contacting me for?

...?

Zero tossed out the odd remark, then quickly switched back into work mode.

That was fast. Is he coming alone?

Well, even a paper company CEO wouldn't be flying in by himself if he were only the nominal representative.

Got it. Tell him to prepare properly. Help him with whatever he needs.

While talking with Zero, I absentmindedly scrolled through my message list.

Most of them were from people I'd met at the university.

Mixed in among them was one message from quite a while back that kept catching my eye.

It had arrived right after my perfect-score interview.

My father's younger brother.

My paternal uncle.

And the man who had hounded our family the hardest and dirtiest when my grandfather died, demanding we hand over the inheritance.

Like attracts like. His wife was a piece of work too.

When I first got this message, I had planned to go straight to him and say, "What are you going to do about it?"

But I was busy, and I had more important things to do than waste time on a guy like that, so I let it sit.

But now the situation had changed.

The family had found stability, and the business had climbed to the point where it could partner with Apple and Seongsam Electronics.

Kim Daewoo... he was the owner of some construction and facility company, wasn't he?

The company name was probably Daewoo Geoneop.

It sounded decent enough, but in reality it was a small subcontractor under a subcontractor for a major construction firm.

Still, he was the kind of man who got called "boss" and lived far better than most families, yet instead of helping our debt-ridden household, he had shoved us toward the edge of a cliff.

I stared at the ceiling with cold eyes.

Zero.

This time, when Vincent signs the contract with Seongsam, have him casually mention Daewoo Geoneop.

I continued my thought calmly.

"Oh, nothing special. We once had the interior construction for our Gangnam office done by a place called Daewoo Geoneop, but the work was terrible. Because of that, I even thought about not doing business in Korea at all." ... Just have him drop it like that, in passing.

Of course, it was all baseless.

The interior work for my company had actually been done by one of the best firms in Korea, selected by Zero.

But whether it was true or not didn't matter.

What mattered was the simple fact that the "representative of Another Technology" had been "put off" by a specific company in front of Seongsam Electronics.

My reasoning's right, isn't it?

Okay... so even at that level, Seongsam handles it for me?

Zero answered my question without the slightest hesitation.

How long will it take?

Perfect.

I would crush my enemy without getting a single drop of blood on my own hands, using the hands of my "friend."

Is that so? Then...

I deleted the name "Kim Daewoo" from my phone screen and muttered,

"Proceed."

If he had mocked us openly in the news, then now I was going to begin my revenge in a physical sense.

This wasn't the end, so I hoped he'd cling to life until the very end, as miserably as possible. Just like my family had done.

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