Chapter 109: Vacation
Chapter 109: Vacation
< Vacation >
“Vacation... Hmm. I shouldn't be stingy with my money.”
A way of rewarding myself, I guess.
At some point, I started thinking that way.
Living through extreme poverty in my teens and twenties had instilled a sense of frugality deep in my bones.
I'd check the price tag even when buying a single can of coffee, and any expense over a certain amount felt like a burden.
No matter how much money I had, spending it lavishly made me feel guilty.
That frugal mindset was fine, but considering my current wealth, it was a bit extreme.
Besides, my fortune had grown immensely this year through investments and business ventures.
I figured it might be more beneficial to relieve stress by spending freely.
‘Money? I should spend some while I have the chance. It's more than I could ever spend in a lifetime.’
I resolved not to regret spending even tens of millions of dollars on this vacation.
Though I wasn't sure if I could actually pull it off.
“Are you really going to Southern Italy?”
Lee Jong-yeop asked, his voice full of anxiety.
“That I was going to bike in Dolomiti National Park? Of course, I was joking.”
“That's a huge relief. Then what about France?”
“Well...”
As I planned the vacation with Lee Jong-yeop, nowhere seemed quite right.
“As for France, their prime minister invited me once.”
“Wouldn't they treat you well if you went? Maybe let you stay in a luxurious palace?”
“Do you really think they'd let me relax and enjoy myself? I'd have to attend countless events.”
“Ah...”
I disliked events, but Lee Jong-yeop despised them even more.
He said that in Korea, as the son of a congressman, he'd had to attend all sorts of political functions.
“What about England?”
“That would probably be difficult because of events, too. If I received an invitation from the royal family, it wouldn't just end there. My schedule would be packed for days. Royal etiquette? I'd have to learn all that beforehand.”
“So we should probably rule out Europe altogether.”
I missed Seoul sometimes, but even if I went back to my home country, the media would be a hassle one way or another.
It would be an extension of work, not a vacation.
Besides, I was there not too long ago.
“This is a precious vacation. First, let's get out of Silicon Valley. Let's go to the new house I bought south of Los Angeles.”
“Yes, sir. It's a fantastic place; I'm sure you'll like it. I've already had it furnished with furniture and appliances.”
* * *
The first day of vacation.
We took a plane and arrived in Los Angeles.
“This way, please.”
We got into a car the security guards had waiting and, after driving for over an hour, arrived at the mansion.
Warm weather, clear skies, and palm trees.
The driveway from the road to the mansion was paved with sky-blue and azure stones.
I'd seen it in pictures, but being here in person felt fantastical.
Built high on a mountainside, the mansion overlooked the beautiful scenery of Laguna Beach.
“You can see the beach from the garden.”
“Yes. The view is absolutely breathtaking. This is a wealthy neighborhood.”
“Money really is a good thing.”
I watched for a while as waves rolled in from the distant sea onto the white sand.
The view made it feel like I was at a top-tier luxury hotel.
Of course, I was the owner of this mansion.
“Living in a house with a view like this, you'd never get depressed.”
Stepping inside the mansion, I couldn't help but be amazed.
The interior design and lavish decorations were filled with a kind of luxury you'd see in movies.
With twelve rooms, some of the security guards could stay here.
“If you like it, sir, I'm thinking of purchasing a nearby house for the guards' quarters.”
“Hmm...”
If it were just a vacation home, I might only visit once or twice a year, but I liked this house.
Being near the metropolis of Los Angeles, I could also visit for business related to Earth Channel.
“Alright. Go ahead and buy it.”
I couldn't skimp on money for security.
That day, I rested well in the house with the wonderful view.
Lee Jong-yeop had taken care of the beds and appliances, and I liked how plush the bed was and how well I slept.
I didn't ask the price of the bed, but I guessed it must have been tens of thousands of dollars.
* * *
“La la la.”
Oh Myeong-woo hummed a tune as he headed to work at Earth Resource.
He'd lived a busy life in many ways, but he never thought of sitting in front of a computer as "work."
‘Creating a new world through coding. This is just so thrilling.’
The growth of Earth Resource, the company he'd founded with his friend Kim Shin.
He'd been part of its marvelous growth, but what he liked most were the pretty female employees.
‘The women at our company are the prettiest.’
Smart and beautiful female employees.
Dreaming of a romance with one of them made coming to work exciting.
The joy of working at his monitor for a while, then taking a break to chat with the female employees over a cup of coffee.
‘That idiot. To abandon this paradise and leave.’
Oh Myeong-woo couldn't understand Kim Shin, who had left on a plane.
Why did he need a vacation?
If he wanted to rest, the best way was to stay home and play games.
Or he could hang out with the female employees at the office.
“Welcome, Vice President.”
“Yes. Hansen. Good morning to you, too.”
Oh Myeong-woo exchanged brief greetings with the security guards and entered the company building.
10 AM.
They had a flexible work system, but the office was surprisingly pleasant, with fewer employees than usual.
They'd recently added the Earth Channel division and were even looking into getting a new company building.
“Hehe. Hasn't everyone come to work yet?”
Oh Myeong-woo sat at his desk, turned on his computer, and started working.
Clack, clack, clack!
He worked happily after finishing his morning hamburger.
By lunchtime, only about half the usual number of employees had shown up.
The office felt deserted, the atmosphere chilly.
“Rebecca. What's going on? Is today some kind of special day?”
Oh Myeong-woo finally grabbed a nearby employee and asked for the reason.
The woman, in her forties, smiled bitterly and said.
“CEO Kim Shin went on vacation, you know.”
“And?”
“Starting today, most of the young female employees requested to work from home.”
Many companies in California had implemented a voluntary work-from-home policy because of COVID.
“Oh my God.”
Earth Resource had always had a high attendance rate, but it turned out that was purely because of Kim Shin.
* * *
I slept in and woke up feeling refreshed.
I opened the window, looked out at the ocean, took a deep breath of the fresh air, and went to the dining room.
“Hello.”
“Yes. It's an honor to meet you, CEO Kim Shin. I will prepare your meal.”
I ate steak and lobster prepared by a chef dispatched from a luxury hotel in Los Angeles.
Even when I was working in Silicon Valley, life was relaxed, but this was what you'd call a life of luxury.
“Sir. What are your plans for today?”
“Hmm. I was thinking of walking along the beach during the day and maybe exploring the city in the evening.”
“Sounds good. Let's take our time.”
After the meal, we headed to the beach.
As we walked down the mountain, we passed luxurious mansions lining the road, with supercars parked in their driveways.
Cars like Ferraris, Porsches, and Lamborghinis were a common sight.
‘There really are a lot of rich people here.’
Rather than being impressed by the rich, I couldn't help but compare myself to them.
They say comparing yourself to others is the beginning of unhappiness, but...
‘To own a house and a nice car in a place like this, you'd have to be a millionaire with a net worth of at least a hundred million dollars.’
A hundred million dollars is an amount that's hard to earn even for American professionals.
For me, it was merely the amount I might invest based on a spur-of-the-moment business decision.
Isn't it incredible that I've reached a point where I don't feel inferior to anyone when it comes to money?
“This way, sir.”
We walked along the sandy shores of Laguna Beach.
Just walking while listening to the sound of the waves felt like it was melting my stress away again.
I saw people who had come to play with their young children, and others who were swimming in the ocean or surfing despite the chilly weather.
‘People really live their lives to the fullest.’
Whether it's earning money or being happy.
I thought about how everyone lives their life earnestly.
“Jong-yeop. Let's take a break.”
“Yes, sir.”
I sat on the sand and took out my phone.
I browsed the news articles, as I usually did.
[ Earth Channel's Subscriber Surge Shows No Sign of Stopping ]
[ In the COVID Era, Earth Channel Lights Up a Stagnant Cinema Scene ]
[ Earth Channel Fires the Starting Gun for a Generational Shift in OTT ]
Articles about Earth Channel were all over the main news page, so I didn't even have to search for them.
It was the same when I opened a Korean app—articles about Earth Channel popped up.
[ The Power of a Content Powerhouse: Korean Dramas Take the Global Market by Storm ]
[ Squid Game Watched by 23 Million Households in the U.S. Alone ]
[ Dream Art Rainbow Reveals Over 20 Dramas Currently in Production ]
[ Independent Streamers Migrating to Earth Channel in Droves ]
Just reading the headlines brought a satisfied smile to my face.
It felt like I had truly thrown open the doors to success.
‘Back at the office, I was still anxious. But now that I'm on vacation, I can just enjoy reading this.’
As afternoon arrived, I sent a message to Korea.
- Kim Shin: Hello. Good morning, Vice Chairman.
- Seon Jae-yong: Hello. Haha. Isn't it past 3 PM in San Francisco right now?
It was 8 AM in Korea.
As the vice chairman of Isung Group, who often came to the U.S., he was quick with time zone calculations.
- Kim Shin: Not San Francisco, but you're right about the time.
- Seon Jae-yong: Are you on a business trip somewhere else?
- Kim Shin: I'm on vacation near Los Angeles. A place called Laguna Beach.
- Seon Jae-yong: I've heard of it... I just looked it up, and it's near Irvine. Whenever I go to Los Angeles, I usually stay at my house in Irvine.
Irvine was an affluent area with a large Korean population.
‘Of course, he's rich, so he has houses in different regions.’
I had a lot of wealth, but not much in physical assets. I still had a lot to learn.
- Seon Jae-yong: But I imagine you have a specific reason for contacting me.
- Kim Shin: Yes. With the success of Earth Channel, we're looking to order additional data centers.
- Seon Jae-yong: We welcome it anytime. We are ready.
- Kim Shin: I'll have the company send over the detailed business plan.
The success of Earth Channel necessitated the creation of a large number of data servers.
Moreover, Eddie had requested it.
Earth Channel was a huge hit all over the world, especially in Asia.
He said it was inefficient for subscribers to use data servers in distant regions due to latency.
There was the Open Connect method, which utilized data servers in nearby regions.
It involved storing frequently accessed content locally.
For Earth Channel to provide seamless global service, wouldn't data servers be needed in all regions, including Asia, Europe, and the United States?
The number of Earth Channel subscribers was exploding not only in Southeast Asia but also in South America and the Middle East.
‘Ah... I'm still working even on vacation.’
After sending a few texts while sitting on the sand, I looked around.
Lee Jong-yeop, who had been next to me, had somehow approached a group of women and was chatting with them.
He was leading the conversation, gesturing enthusiastically and smiling.
The three women were laughing.
‘Good for him.’
I watched blankly for a moment before Lee Jong-yeop gestured for me to come over.
“Sir.”
“Yeah?”
“We're going to grab a beer. Why don't you join us?”
The sun hadn't set yet, so it was still bright out, but having a beer on the beach felt relaxing and sounded nice.