The Decision to Wed
“Dad! I want a small wedding with just our families. Taesik’s parents are ordinary people, and they’ll be uncomfortable if the entire business world shows up.”
Miso tried to dissuade Chairman Lee Hyundo, even suggesting they hold the ceremony at a hospital out of concern for his health. However, the Chairman would hear none of it, insisting that they hold a family-only wedding at a hotel owned by the Misung Group. Taesik, having no particular preference regarding the venue, deferred to their decision. He accompanied Miso to his parents' home to finalize the wedding plans and the date. His parents were delighted by the news of Taesik’s marriage, though they felt a simultaneous sense of pressure upon learning that Miso was from the Misung Group. When Taesik explained that it would be a simple family affair at a Misung hotel, they were relieved and told the couple to handle the scheduling as they saw fit.
After dropping Miso off, Taesik arrived home late. He showered, turned on the TV, and sat on the sofa to catch the evening news.
The broadcast was covering Starlink Deepmind. The reporter highlighted how an engineer-turned-hacker had developed a scientific surveillance system based on world-class AI technology, contributing significantly to the nation's defense capabilities. The screen showed footage of CEO Cha Youngjin, introducing Deepmind as a company centered on software talent. The report emphasized the national necessity of recruiting such core talent, detailing the high salaries and welfare benefits provided by Deepmind.
The next day at the office, CEO Cha was waiting for Taesik with a file folder in hand.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of seeing a TV celebrity so early in the morning?”
At Taesik’s question, Cha looked embarrassed. “I think following your advice was the right call. My kids were always curious about what their dad did, and seeing me on the news yesterday made them so proud. It felt great.”
“Hahaha. Sometimes, a leader needs to step into the spotlight. But really, what brings you here this early?”
“I have a suggestion regarding the scientific surveillance system.”
“What is it? I wasn’t aware of any particular issues...”
“The Ministry of National Defense wants CCTV cameras that double as infrared sensors. I’d like to change the primary contractor from Deepmind to Starlink Defense.”
“Why? The core of the system is the software in the control computer...”
“Deepmind has staff to handle contracts, but we’re overwhelmed by the scale of this construction. I believe it would be more efficient for Defense to handle the prime contract while we focus solely on the software.”
“Ah! I hadn’t considered that. You’re right—Deepmind lacks the manpower to handle the inspection and installation of CCTV hardware. I’ll speak with CEO Park In-tak about it.”
Once his suggestion was approved, CEO Cha sipped the tea his secretary had brought and chatted about his experience with yesterday’s interview. Taesik carefully brought up the news of his engagement.
“CEO Cha, I proposed to Miso yesterday, and both families have given their blessing.”
“Wait... really? Are you two finally getting married? Congratulations!”
Taesik shared the news knowing it would eventually get out. Shortly after, Miso arrived at the office and stepped into Taesik’s room. CEO Cha offered his congratulations, and Miso accepted with a bright smile. Once Cha left, Miso spoke up.
“My father sent his secretary over this morning.”
“Why? Is there a problem with the wedding?”
“No. He wants to gift us a home for our new life together. I came to ask you because I was worried you might dislike the idea.”
Taesik had been living in an officetel, treating his home as little more than a place to sleep, so he hadn’t given it much thought. “Ah! I’m sorry. I should have looked into a home first... I don’t mind wherever it is, as long as you’re happy. It’s a gift from the Chairman—or rather, my father-in-law—so of course we should accept it. Do you like the house?”
“I haven’t been there yet, but they say it’s a 400-pyeong detached house. I think it’s one of the properties my father owns. He said he’d take care of the appliances and furniture, too.”
Taesik took this as a cue that Miso wanted him to go shopping with her for the interior. “Then I suppose we should start shopping for our new life today. Shall we head out this afternoon?”
Miso laughed. “Ho ho ho. Second-generation chaebols don’t do their own shopping. An interior designer will come to see me, and I’ll just give them a rough idea. You just need to tell me what style you prefer.”
“Your wish is my command. Just tell me the time, and I’ll clear my schedule.”
Miso laughed at his playful tone and brought up another matter.
“I received an interim report from Managing Director Park Jihong in the U.S. Rumors are circulating that Bitcoin will be incorporated into the regular market, causing the price to skyrocket. According to news from Wall Street, it’s expected to be listed as a futures product between December 15th and 19th.”
“Managing Director Park must have spent quite a bit to get that information. It couldn’t have been easy to dig up in New York...”
“He hopes to start selling Bitcoin sequentially starting from the 12th. He says if we dump 2.2 billion dollars all at once, the price might crash, so we should offload the volume little by little. What do you think, Taesik?”
“We should follow the expert’s opinion. Tell him to use his judgment based on the situation on the ground. More importantly, shouldn’t we go see the house your father is giving us? You need to be happy with it.”
“Will you have the time?”
“I’ll make the time. Should we call the interior designer to meet us there?”
“That sounds good. And what about the wedding date? Both sets of parents told us to decide for ourselves...”
“Is there any reason to delay? Let’s do it in December. I think I’ll feel more at ease if we marry before you head to the U.S. Even if we go together, our schedules might end up being different.”
“Then let’s do it in the fourth week of December, once the investments are wrapped up.”
After finishing his conversation with Miso, Taesik called CEO Park In-tak of Starlink Defense to discuss the scientific surveillance system contract. Park immediately offered his congratulations on the wedding.
“How did you know?”
“Hahaha. CEO Cha Youngjin announced it in the CEO group chat.”
“You have a group chat without me?”
“Didn’t you know? The CEOs need to be informed of your news immediately, so we use the chat to spread the word.”
“Hahaha. It looks like the wedding will be in the fourth week of December. More importantly, can Defense take on the prime contract for the scientific surveillance system?”
“I actually just heard from CEO Cha Youngjin. We’ve agreed that Defense will handle the main construction related to CCTV installation, and Deepmind will handle the software installation once the construction is complete.”
“It’s a bit of a hassle, but I’ll need your cooperation.”
“From our perspective, it’s just sitting back and watching our revenue grow, so we have no complaints. Also, news has spread that the Ministry of National Defense and the NIS are using our CCTVs, and purchase inquiries are pouring in. Even though our price is more than double the market rate, quite a few companies want to buy them. They also want to purchase the object recognition software, so I need your decision on that.”
“The software used in the scientific surveillance system...? Isn’t it too sensitive to sell commercially, given it’s for defense?”
“I was thinking we could sell a downgraded version. If we supply software that excludes the facial recognition and friend-or-foe identification features, it shouldn’t be a problem.”
“What did CEO Cha Youngjin say?”
“He said there’s no problem at all. It’s a simple downgrade, and he’s happy because it’s an easy task that can provide incentives for his staff.”
“Then please coordinate with each other and proceed.”
After the call, Taesik reviewed the rollout event plan for the next-generation aircraft submitted by Starlink Aerospace. CEO Jo Yoon-je hoped to hold the rollout for the Royal Wingman simultaneously. To maintain security, the plan was to divide the event into two parts, with only defense officials invited to the Royal Wingman portion. The report noted in bold that the President had expressed an intention to attend, and that CEO Jo felt he couldn’t make the decision himself, requesting Taesik to decide.
Taesik picked up the phone to gauge the President’s intentions.
“Yes, CEO.”
“I just reviewed the rollout plan. What is the President’s intention in attending? Given the recent inter-Korean summit, the President hasn’t been attending defense-related events...”
“Nominally, he says he wants to celebrate the development of the domestic aerospace industry, but I believe he’s attending to exert pressure on North Korea. At the same time, it’s an interpretation that since we have the capability to develop next-generation aircraft ourselves, the U.S. should stop pressuring South Korea to buy their weapons.”
“Hmm... didn’t we already sign the F-35 contract back in ’14?”
“The U.S. seems to be planning an F-16 performance upgrade project in addition to the IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) equipment upgrade. They’re pressuring us to have U.S. firms handle it directly rather than doing it ourselves.”
“The IFF equipment is unavoidable for joint operations, but isn’t the F-16 upgrade well within our technical capabilities? Aren’t we already planning an AESA radar upgrade project?”
“They seem to be politically steering the project to convert analog instruments to digital toward U.S. firms.”
“So, it’s a political move to tell us not to covet the F-16 upgrade project since we’re already at the level of developing our own next-gen aircraft.”
“Yes. It appears to be the Blue House’s will to support Starlink Aerospace and save domestic component defense companies.”
“Well, I can’t tell the President not to come, so we’ll proceed with the event presided over by him. Instead, let’s change the order so the Royal Wingman rollout happens before the next-gen aircraft event, not after. If the President doesn’t leave immediately after the event, it might look strange to the general attendees.”
“Ah! I hadn’t considered that. Since the President will arrive at a nearby base by helicopter and travel to Starlink Aerospace by car, I’ll prepare the Royal Wingman rollout at the nearby Air Force base so general attendees can’t access it at all.”
“Will the Air Force cooperate?”
“Yes. Since we share the same runway as Starlink Aerospace, it’s easy to get their cooperation.”
“Understood. I’ll head down next week in time for the rollout schedule.”