Chapter 11
Chapter 11
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: A Deal Between Friends
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Screech!
It only took thirty minutes to reach our destination in Gangnam.
As I arrived at the meeting spot, Baengbaeng Intersection, a familiar face waved at me.
“Hey! Jin Hyun-seung. What’s gotten into you? I never thought you’d be the one to call first.”
“Kim Hee-won! You haven't changed a bit.”
Overjoyed, I eagerly shook the hand he offered.
He was another close friend from my college days, someone both Hyun-seung and I had confided in.
Of course, he was also a friend I’d kept in touch with at the ADD before my return, but seeing his younger self again felt different, stirring up old emotions.
“What's with that overjoyed look on your face? Anyone would think we hadn't seen each other in over a decade. Hey! Don't you remember we met just six months ago?”
“Did we?”
For a moment, I forgot I was in Hyun-seung’s body and simply savored the reunion.
For some reason, the longer we talked, the more his brow began to furrow.
“Why have you been staring at me like that?”
“It's just... strange. Don't you notice you sound just like Jun?”
“I do?”
Startled, I composed myself and looked at him.
Since my name had come up, I thought I’d ask.
But it seemed he, too, had lost contact with me a long time ago.
“Jun's probably doing fine somewhere in the States by now.”
“Still, isn't it strange that we haven't heard from him at all? At this point, it's starting to get worrying.”
“Who are you to worry? Have you forgotten that Jun was always the sharpest and most reliable one among us?”
“...”
“Anyway, don't tell me you called me out here just to ask about that?”
“That's not it. Are you still working at the S&U Research Institute?”
“Where else would I go? This is all I know how to do.”
“Have you ever thought about leaving?”
“Where, to your company? Sorry, but I can't work under that guy. You know how it is. He might have been fine with you and Jun, but he was ridiculously strict with me.”
“Not for Thales. I'm asking you to work with me.”
“...”
Hee-won stared at me with a blank expression.
Just as he was reaching for a cigarette, his hand paused on the photograph of the research institute I’d brought.
Thinking the scale was impressive enough to persuade him, I casually slid it over.
“I'm setting up a research institute in Bundang, and I need someone to run the place for me.”
“Why would I leave a stable place like S&U for an institute with no track record? Even for a friend, that's a no-go.”
He wasn’t wrong.
No sane person would trade a secure job at a major corporation for a position at some obscure small-to-medium enterprise.
In times like these, money was the best solution.
“What if I guaranteed you three times your current salary?”
His lips twitched.
He seemed conflicted but wasn't fully convinced.
What else would it take to reel him in?
To be honest, as much as I valued his skills as an engineer, what I desperately needed was the same loyalty and integrity he had shown me before.
“And if you want, you can also have your pick of any car sleeping in my garage...”
“When do I start?”
He did a complete one-eighty.
I was so dumbfounded I couldn't help but laugh, which made him get defensive.
“What are you laughing at? Hey! You know, a man's dream is...”
“Enough. I'll give you a month. Get your affairs in order and come over.”
“A month? That's a bit tight...”
“Then we can just forget the whole thing.”
“Are you kidding me? Of course, a month is plenty of time. Just a second. I need to let the Director know first...”
The moment the words were out, he grabbed his phone.
Watching him sweat bullets as he made the call, I was suddenly reminded of what happened just before my return.
-Director Kim! Run, quickly!
In truth, Hee-won was another unsung hero who had prevented the data chip from being stolen.
He was the one who, despite being covered in his own blood, had clung to Lee Ho-joong’s leg to buy me time to escape.
Maybe that was why.
Maybe that was the reason he was the first person who came to mind to lead the institute.
I'd used his loyalty and integrity as an excuse, but in truth, I think I also wanted to reward him, even in this small way.
“That damn old geezer is so cold. I mean, what kind of boss doesn't even try to stop an employee from quitting out of the blue?”
Hee-won finished his call and put his phone down, grumbling.
With that, he had crossed a river of no return.
As if sensing it himself, his gaze toward me softened considerably.
“I'll be in your care, boss.”
Pfft.
“Hey, this is no laughing matter. From my perspective, I'm basically betting my life on this.”
“I know. So don't worry about it and just have my back from now on. Far from regretting it, I'll let you witness the world change.”
“Whoa! That's some serious confidence. Then again, you and Jun were always the types who could do anything you set your minds to. Especially Jun. Sometimes I wondered if he was even human. Hey, do you remember that time? When Jun...”
It was a strange feeling.
It's not often you get to hear someone praise you when you're not supposed to be there.
Still, hearing that it was mostly praise and not gossip, I figured I hadn't lived my life in vain.
“Um... by the way.”
Hee-won, who had been rambling on about episodes with me, suddenly looked awkward.
As I tilted my head, he started squirming uncharacteristically.
“So, I can really pick any car?”
“Of course.”
“Okay! Then it's got to be that red Porsche. No take-backs, you hear?”
“Me?”
It was a short reply, but it must have been enough to assure him.
After all, this was a promise from Jin Hyun-seung, not just anyone.
Still, seeming impatient, Hee-won suddenly shot up from his seat, eager to get things moving.
“Let's go to your place right now.”
“Sit down. I'll have Secretary Yang deliver it to your house tomorrow morning. By the way, aren't you going to ask what the research field is?”
Hee-won finally let out an “Ah,” and scratched his head.
Looking at least a little apologetic, he dropped the car talk and slowly sat back down in his chair.
“Ahem, so what's the main research area?”
“The primary development projects will be materials and components for weapons development. Of course, you can continue to focus on your specialty, special metals. One thing to note is that we haven't finished staffing the institute yet, which is why I need your help even more.”
“You want me to bring in researchers?”
“Yes. Gather talent from every field—fibers, chemicals, semiconductor design, and software developers. The more the better. And it would be even better if they’re our juniors or seniors from KAIST.”
“How many?”
“At least eighty. Possibly more, depending on the situation.”
“Whoa, why in the world do you need that many researchers?”
“You'll find out why soon enough. What I can tell you now is that my institute is going to turn many corporations into choked cormorants.”
“...”
His eyes showed he didn't understand the meaning.
Why I would compare the companies we'd be dealing with to cormorants.
But no other expression was more fitting.
Because the companies that buy components and material technologies from me will have to spit out a large portion of their profits to me.
How is that any different from a choked cormorant having to regurgitate the fish it swallowed for the fisherman?
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
“This bastard... Now I see it's not just the way you talk, but the way you think is just like Kim Jun. Wow! Holy shit, that's spooky. For a second there, I felt like I was talking to Jun.”
“...”
***
They say time flows faster the older you get.
But why did I, physically in my early thirties, feel time passing as if I were in my fifties?
Three months had already passed since the research institute was fully established, and the season had already turned into a sweltering summer.
“What's the status on the armor-piercing shell shipment?”
“We'll begin as soon as the special cargo ship from the US Department of Defense arrives.”
Thales was a war zone from the moment morning broke.
The number of export-ready armor-piercing shells had reached forty thousand.
At the impatient request of the United States, we were proceeding with an unscheduled early shipment.
“Good morning.”
Trying not to disturb the busy employees, I headed to my office as quietly as possible.
My voice had been so low that most didn't notice my arrival, but, as expected, Secretary Kim spotted me immediately and followed me in.
“What is it? Do you have something to report?”
“Just before you arrived, Dr. Kim Hee-won from the Bundang research institute called. He said he would appreciate it if you could visit the institute today if you have time.”
A request for a visit meant they’d had a breakthrough in one of their ongoing research projects.
Specifically, it meant the development of the ‘nanowire shock absorber,’ a core material for the ‘smart shell,’ was complete.
Since I had nothing urgent to do at Thales today, I headed to Bundang immediately.
“Welcome, CEO.”
“Yes, thank you for your hard work.”
It took only an hour to get to the institute.
It had already grown to employ about a hundred researchers.
The workforce had expanded so quickly that I was worried we might have to purchase the adjacent building soon.
“How did it go?”
“You're here?”
Hee-won, whose face lit up when he saw me, suddenly pressed something into my hand.
At first glance, it was so light and flexible you might mistake it for a sponge, but its texture was unmistakably that of metal.
This was the titanium-based ‘nanowire shock absorber,’ designed to protect the precision instruments inside the smart shell from muzzle pressures of up to 20,000 Gs.
“What do you think?”
Having tested the version developed by Poongshin Group countless times in my past life, I could tell just by its sheen that it was a success.
Still, I couldn't skip seeing the test results.
Thankfully, the data produced during testing was nearly identical to what I had seen before my return.
“Good work.”
“What work? You're the one who provided all the source material.”
Hee-won trailed off, then glanced at me cautiously.
He probably wanted to ask about the origin of the technology again.
The reason he just pursed his lips and said nothing was likely because he knew he wouldn't get an answer out of me.
“Hyun-seung.”
“Yeah?”
“I was actually going to just let this go, but you have to answer me this one thing.”
“What is it?”
“Did you, by any chance, sell your soul to the devil?”
“What kind of nonsense is that all of a sudden?”
“Think about it. In just three months, our institute has developed over ten advanced materials and core technologies.”
“...”
“Especially the 90-nanometer semiconductor process using UASST technology—that's so huge that every semiconductor company will be flying over with bundles of cash once word gets out. The important thing here is that you provided the source for all of it. That’s not normal.”
“I get what you're asking, but if I were going to sell my soul to the devil, why would I go through all this trouble? I'd just ask for more money than I could ever spend and live an easy life.”
“...”
Hee-won blinked at my words.
After staring at me for a while longer, he suddenly scratched his head and muttered.
“Shit, that's damn convincing.”
“Anyway, enough with the nonsense. Go ahead and file the patents tomorrow.”
“Damn right. I'm already planning to file for international patents at the same time as the domestic ones. Oh, by the way, we got calls yesterday from Mitsubishi in Japan and Tenzing Industries in China asking for you.”
“Why?”
“It's about the tantalum micro-coating technology we developed recently. They said they're willing to pay royalties to license it.”
My prophecy was slowly becoming reality.
A total of ten material and special processing technologies, which were only at the conceptual stage in this era, had now been actualized.
As soon as they were announced, requests for technology licensing began flooding in from all over.
But this was only the beginning.
The moment all the technologies from the data chip became reality, the title of the world's leading technological powerhouse would be ours for the taking.
“Refuse.”