Chapter 24: Desire Investment
Chapter 24: Desire Investment
A Night in New York
A month can be short, but it can also be quite long.
I thought Ellie and I had gotten close while traveling together across the United States, but I never expected her to come to my room.
“What do you think of the New York nightscape, seeing it in person?”
“It’s beautiful. More than I ever expected.”
A single bed.
Ellie and I were lying under the same blanket.
She was wearing nothing but a thin slip.
“Even more than Las Vegas?”
“A tourist city and New York are different. Here, it feels like behind every light is a person living their life to the fullest.”
“Ah. I see.”
Lying in the same bed, our conversation was tinged with a strange tension.
“But are you really okay with just talking like this?”
Ellie asked playfully, turning on her side.
I wasn't oblivious to what her visit to my room meant.
It was a dizzying temptation I didn't want to refuse.
She was right there, within arm’s reach.
We were both adults, and now that I had told her about my divorce, there was nothing holding us back.
‘Oh Myeong-woo… I’m holding back because of you.’
Because of Han Chae-won, I had no intention of dating or marrying anyone else.
A one-night stand.
But this was the younger sister of the woman my most trusted friend in the world liked.
For a mere thirty minutes of pleasure, I couldn't bring myself to put Myeong-woo in an awkward position.
“A night is good enough for just talking.”
“You’re right. It is.”
Ellie continued, reminiscing about our trip.
“Camping in Texas was so much fun. Even though my bag was incredibly heavy with the tent and cooking gear. I especially remember rescuing the kittens.”
At the campsite, we had found three starving, grimy kittens.
We took them to a nearby city, and Ellie found them new homes through her social media.
That was the first time I realized she was a celebrity with over 700,000 followers.
She said she didn't have any special content; she had just been posting various photos since high school.
“The alligator meat we had in New Orleans was delicious.”
“It was! I never knew it would taste like chicken.”
I thought it was a good thing there were no alligators in Korea.
When it came to chicken, no country in the world was more serious.
“New York has a lot of places to see, right?”
“Of course. Starting with the Statue of Liberty…”
* * *
Ellie talked at length about our travels before trailing off. Soon, I could hear Kim Shin’s steady breathing.
“Are you asleep?”
“…”
“You really are asleep.”
Ellie rested her head on Kim Shin’s arm.
She could smell a faint masculine scent, even though he had showered.
“I worked up all this courage to come here, too.”
She felt a mix of disappointment and regret that what she had hoped for didn't happen.
Kim Shin was a truly good person.
Her decision to travel with him from San Francisco had been almost impulsive.
As they rode the Big Bus around the city, she had grown intrigued watching him, seeing how deeply moved he was by even the smallest sights.
Back then, it was just a slight interest.
Early in their trip, at a hostel in Los Angeles, many men had approached her.
They asked for her number or social media, begging for just one date.
It was a common experience for her, but Kim Shin had only watched as she turned them down.
Seeing that, she had thought he simply lacked courage.
But in Texas…
*Awoooo!*
As they slept in their tents, the howling of wolves echoed through the night.
An intense fear washed over her, the feeling that wolves could attack at any moment.
*Rustle, rustle.*
Then she heard a sound from outside her tent.
“…?”
She held her breath, curling into a ball.
When she woke up the next morning, Kim Shin’s tent was blocking the entrance of her own, as if standing guard.
He was fast asleep, a thick tree branch he must have found somewhere lying next to him.
‘He was protecting me?’
Kim Shin never said a word about what he had done during the day.
“Let’s leave this place as soon as the car arrives tomorrow. I’ll set up your tent for you, Ellie.”
He would pitch Ellie’s tent in the safest spot, then set up his own in front of it.
It was from that moment that she began to see something more.
Whether on a bus or a train.
The small, unspoken gestures of consideration.
How he would make sure she walked on the side of the road away from traffic.
How he had sewn and glued the sole of her shoe when it came apart.
How he would silently take the heaviest items and put them in his own backpack.
His quiet care and silent protection made him incredibly attractive.
‘At the hostel… letting those other men approach me was his way of respecting my decision.’
He had never interfered, just watched over her as they traveled together.
Ready to help at a moment’s notice if any of those men posed a danger.
New York was the last stop on their journey, and he had brought her to his home.
Unwilling to part ways just like that, she had made a bold decision and come to his room.
“I never thought I’d see you sleeping so peacefully with me right here.”
The man’s embrace was warm. It felt like she could get a really good night’s sleep.
“It would have been so much better if I had just slept in your arms like this from the start.”
* * *
New York.
When I opened my eyes the next morning, Ellie was asleep, using my arm as a pillow.
‘She is pretty.’
I watched her sleep from up close.
The blanket wasn't covering her properly, so I pulled it up.
Thinking about last night, the excitement still hadn't faded, even in the morning.
As I watched her, Ellie’s eyes fluttered open.
“Sleep well?”
“Mmm.”
Still half-asleep, Ellie wrapped her arms around me. It was an incredibly difficult situation to endure first thing in the morning.
‘Myeong-woo. You bastard. I’m really holding back because of you.’
Duty. Loyalty. Honor.
After waking up, we went to the famous Times Square. We watched street performances and found a popular restaurant nearby.
“This feels like a date, doesn’t it?”
Ellie linked her arm with mine as we walked around.
I quickly learned just how many stares you get when walking with a beautiful woman.
Rockefeller Center, the Empire State Building.
Though taller buildings existed now, we toured these massive architectural marvels that held tradition and history.
A big city has an energy and charm all its own.
People of all races walked the streets, and tourists were a constant sight.
‘New York’s development is partly due to its diverse population, but the source of it all must be wealth.’
Money.
Money was the driving force that allowed industry, culture, and art to flourish.
I had realized during my travels that I preferred the noisy splendor of a big city to the quiet countryside.
‘I want to make a lot of money.’
My ambition grew. I wanted to accomplish more. I wanted to have social influence.
After two more days of seeing the sights in New York, I said my goodbyes to Ellie.
“Take care. And good luck with your interview.”
“Call me anytime.”
As we parted, Ellie threw her arms around me in a hug.
Barely resisting one last temptation, I took a plane from a New York airport to San Francisco.
* * *
Arriving at the house in San Francisco, I unpacked my things and collapsed onto the sofa.
The month-long trip across America had been fun, but nothing was as comfortable as the apartment I shared with my friend.
“Was the trip fun?”
“Yeah.”
It had been a month since I’d seen Oh Myeong-woo, but it felt like nothing had changed.
“Actually, something happened with Ellie during the trip.”
Considering Myeong-woo's relationship with Layla, I felt I had to tell him what happened with Ellie in New York.
I had suppressed my desires for the sake of his love life. Wasn't I entitled to at least a heartfelt thank you?
“You idiot.”
“Huh?”
“You passed up a golden opportunity like that? You don’t have the basic mindset to survive in this harsh world.”
“…”
Myeong-woo lamented the missed opportunity, and he had his own twisted logic for it.
If I married Ellie and he married Layla, he would become the older brother-in-law.
“Myeong-woo. You really are…”
“What? Too smart?”
“Never mind. What’s the point in saying it?”
While staying at the house in San Francisco, I started stock trading.
Throughout my trip, I had constantly pondered how to manage my assets, which now exceeded a trillion won, and how I should live my life from now on.
A journey was about having to walk somewhere, about having to set a destination.
I learned that the destination could change at any moment, or you could end up somewhere completely unexpected, and that those experiences were all part of the journey.
‘Don’t be afraid. Just do what I want to do.’
Isn’t it as simple as buying stocks in companies I like?
Traveling through various parts of America, I encountered Netflix for the first time.
The service was available in Korea, but back when I lived in a semi-basement apartment, I never subscribed to things like Netflix that cost money.
‘I can watch Korean dramas and movies. And the fact that I can watch them anytime, without being tied to a schedule, is a huge advantage.’
It was quite a shock to be able to watch any program I wanted on TV or a computer with just an internet connection and no ads.
It was a service I had used quite a bit during my travels.
“Myeong-woo. What do you think of Netflix?”
“It’s great. There wasn't much to watch at first, but Netflix is expanding its business aggressively.”
“In what way?”
“Movies, dramas, documentaries. They’re signing contracts for everything they can get their hands on so subscribers can watch.”
“But aren’t movies more fun to watch in a theater?”
“Says the guy who goes to the movies how many times a year?”
“…”
I let my guard down, and his words struck a nerve.
To be honest, I hadn't been to a movie theater since I was dating my ex-wife.
I could understand the price of movie tickets, but the popcorn was outrageously expensive.
‘I guess I really haven’t experienced much culture in my life.’
Ellie and I had seen a few free shows in Las Vegas.
She had suggested we see a Broadway musical in New York, but I had to decline because I was running out of time before I had to return to the company.
Truthfully, a bigger reason was that I thought I wouldn't be able to control my desires if I stayed at Ellie’s place any longer.
“Even if I don’t go, other people do.”
“That’s true. But what if there’s a lot more to watch at home?”
“Is there that much to watch?”
“I can’t say the quality is outstanding, but the standard plan is $8.99, right? For that price, you can watch a ton of movies and dramas, so it’s great. For me, it was even better because it’s hard to find Korean dramas and movies here.”
I decided to invest in Netflix and other content companies.
I also considered investing in Korean companies.
I thought it would be good to diversify my investments in various bio-related companies.
I could invest directly in Korea using an account in my name, but Han Chae-won was on my mind.
Legally, a claim for division of assets could be filed up to two years after a divorce.
At the time of our divorce, we had settled the paperwork by transferring the villa to her.
I had chosen to take the financial loss because the feeling of suffocation around her was so overwhelming that I felt I couldn't breathe until I left.
Back then, neither of us knew about the immense value of the coins in my overseas exchange account.
‘Based on the time of the divorce, the coins I had were probably worth around 10 billion won? Since we were married for a year and it was an asset I had before, she would only get a very small portion, but still…’
It wasn't a large amount by my current standards, but I had no desire to hand Han Chae-won a lump sum of cash.
And if we ended up in court, things would get messy in many ways.
“Myeong-woo. Do you know any financial experts?”
“Hmm. I could introduce you to someone through a connection.”
Through a financial expert who primarily worked with startup founders, I decided to establish an investment firm.
The name was Desire Investment.
The company was registered in Luxembourg, but its funding sources were obscured by routing them through paper companies established in Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, Panama, Switzerland, and Monaco.
“The fee is $250,000.”
“I’ll pay it right away. Please proceed as quickly as possible.”
“It will take ten days.”
It felt like I was making a big deal out of it, but having an investment firm would be useful in many ways.
‘From now on, I'd be investing in Korea as a foreign entity.’
With all preparations in place, I went to the San Francisco airport and boarded a flight to Korea.