Chapter 112
Chapter 112
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: Gates and Gibson's Call
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Two people who had Lee Dae-hyuk in mind, sharing the same thought.
Bill Gates spoke first.
"Steven."
"Yeah?"
"That guy... should we call him over?"
"Who? No way... Mr. Lee?"
"Yeah."
"......"
Steven Gibson didn't respond right away to Bill Gates' suggestion.
Suddenly summoning a busy businessman was a clear breach of etiquette, wasn't it?
But Bill Gates surely wasn't calling Lee Dae-hyuk just to chat idly.
"Suddenly? Be honest. You've got some other agenda, don't you?"
Bill Gates nodded immediately at Steven Gibson's question.
"You still have that sharp intuition."
"I can read you like a book."
Bill Gates showed no sign of displeasure at Steven Gibson's teasing.
A rival and friend with whom he could exchange such playful banter.
He knew well how fortunate it was to have someone like that.
"Alright, I'll be straight with you. I want to have a deeper conversation with Mr. Lee. I want to properly gauge his capabilities."
"Well, me too..."
Steven Gibson agreed with Bill Gates' candid words.
He too wanted to properly assess Lee Dae-hyuk's capabilities.
"Alright then. Who should make the contact?"
"I'll do it."
Bill Gates pulled out his phone and sent a message to Lee Dae-hyuk.
***
After filling up on pizza, Lee Dae-hyuk headed next to Eagle Hound, a private contract security firm in Silicon Valley.
Guided by Kim Sung-hee, Lee Dae-hyuk entered Eagle Hound and immediately handed over the request to team leader Chris Bale.
"It shouldn't be too difficult."
"......"
Chris Bale frowned unconsciously as he listened to the request.
It wasn't particularly troublesome, but it was somehow an odd one.
"So, you want us to protect Martha Williams, who works at a pizza place called 'Karmo,' for a month?"
"Yes."
The Asian man who had made the strange request, Lee Dae-hyuk, nodded.
"Is there a problem?"
"It's a protection job where the subject doesn't even know she's being protected... This is the first time we've gotten a request like this, so it's a bit... disorienting."
Chris Bale was honest.
Lee Dae-hyuk nodded in understanding at the response.
"That's why I'm offering $30,000. Of course, if any dangerous incidents occur, I'll pay special bonuses as well."
"It's not about the money."
Chris Bale shook his head.
'The special bonus isn't the issue.'
Unlike celebrities or the wealthy, protecting ordinary people with low exposure to danger typically cost $10,000 to $20,000 for a month.
The request from this Asian man wasn't a loss by any means.
'Actually, it's pretty good terms.'
What danger could there be for an ordinary old lady working at a pizza place?
At worst, maybe pickpockets or a mugger.
'When you think about it, chronic illnesses or old age are bigger threats...'
The problem lay elsewhere.
Chris Bale rubbed his chin with a troubled expression.
Seeing his unease, Lee Dae-hyuk spoke in a serious tone.
"I'll pay the $30,000 now."
"No. I told you, it's not about the money."
"Then..."
"The issue is the protectee's consent. What if she says she never agreed and claims invasion of privacy? That's an instant lawsuit. Our company's reputation would tank."
Chris Bale voiced his concerns.
America was a litigious society.
Especially when the underdog filed a lawsuit over a sensitive public issue.
Law firms would swarm like sharks.
Lee Dae-hyuk knew that common sense too.
However, the protectee was his friend's mother. Martha Williams wouldn't sue even if she learned the full story.
But unable to explain the circumstances, Lee Dae-hyuk simply observed Chris's reaction.
'Timid for such a big guy. Well, at least he's not from The Company.'
He had already used psychometry to read Chris Bale.
'A bit timid personality, law-abiding businessman.'
That actually inspired more trust.
Timid people don't cross lines or betray for greed or other reasons.
"If that's the case, draft a liability waiver stating I'll take full responsibility. I'll sign it right away."
"...Sigh. Alright."
The timid American let out a sigh of relief at Lee Dae-hyuk's proposal.
"Please wait a moment, Mr. Dae-hyuk Lee."
.
.
.
After signing the liability waiver and protection contract, and paying the fee, Lee Dae-hyuk left the Eagle Hound building.
Thud, thud-!!!
"President!"
"Young Master!!"
As Lee Dae-hyuk emerged, Kim Sung-hee and Yoon Tae-ho, who had been waiting, quickly approached.
"Hiring a detective and now bodyguards too... What on earth are you up to?"
Lee Dae-hyuk smiled faintly at Kim Sung-hee's question.
"There's just a lot to do for a friend."
Yoon Tae-ho, who knew the full story, spoke in a deflated voice.
"Surely, that friend will be grateful later, right?"
Yoon Tae-ho's worry wasn't unfounded.
It was obvious how much money and effort Lee Dae-hyuk was investing beyond expectations.
'Just money and effort? He's risking his body too.'
There would be more dangerous situations ahead.
That frustrated Yoon Tae-ho.
This wasn't the time to hire guards for Steven Gibson's mother.
"While you're at it, why not hire bodyguards for yourself too, Young Master?"
"I'm fine with just Manager Yoon."
"......"
In safe and peaceful Korea, those words might have moved him.
But Yoon Tae-ho clamped his mouth shut and, for the first time, thought of one man's face.
'Should I call Kim Min-gyu?'
He'd be annoying in person, but he was useful for protecting Lee Dae-hyuk.
'Really... call him?'
While Yoon Tae-ho was deep in thought, Lee Dae-hyuk, checking his phone messages, gaped in shock.
'Bill Gates?'
"Manager Yoon, something urgent came up. Let's go."
"Is it dangerous?"
"What's going on?"
Not just Yoon Tae-ho, but Kim Sung-hee's voice rose too.
Seeing their worried and anxious faces, Lee Dae-hyuk said.
"Oh, no big deal. It's a tea appointment."
"Tea? Did you make another friend?"
Lee Dae-hyuk nodded briskly at Yoon Tae-ho's question.
"Bill Gates says he's at a coffee shop with Steven Gibson and wants to meet."
"......"
"......"
***
He had spoken casually to Yoon Tae-ho and Kim Sung-hee.
But actually meeting Steve Gibson and Bill Gates, Lee Dae-hyuk felt like he was dreaming.
'This is disorienting. Doesn't feel real.'
Steven Gibson on his left, Bill Gates on his right.
Meeting them separately hadn't made his heart race like this.
But sitting with both felt overwhelmingly intimidating.
'They really are different.'
There was something about these two that overwhelmed people.
Something beyond mere charm or dignity.
It was also surreal.
Steven Gibson and Bill Gates leisurely sipping coffee in a coffee shop.
The other patrons in the coffee shop, like Lee Dae-hyuk, stared at the two and at Lee Dae-hyuk between them.
Of course, Steven Gibson and Bill Gates, accustomed to public gazes, seemed unperturbed.
"I never imagined I'd meet both of you at once. Couldn't even dream of it."
The two smiled at Lee Dae-hyuk's words.
Steven Gibson spoke first.
"We didn't call you for anything special, Mr. Lee. We just wanted to discuss the current state and outlook of the global IT industry."
Lee Dae-hyuk's eyes widened at hearing the conversation topic.
The current state and outlook of the global IT industry?
From anyone else, it might just be chit-chat.
But these were the men who could reshape the IT landscape.
'To me, this isn't chit-chat—it's business.'
Leaving a strong impression on Bill Gates this time could open another 'opportunity.'
Through that, he could align himself with the new world they would create.
But the situation wasn't perfect.
'Bad timing.'
If he had sorted out The Company lurking around Steven Gibson...
'I could focus more on this moment...'
But what could he do?
Perfect timing didn't come easily.
He could only give his all to every opportunity.
Shaking off the regret, Lee Dae-hyuk's eyes sparkled.
Bill Gates followed up with a question.
"So, Mr. Lee... What do you think the ePhone needs most in a few years? Top priority."
It was Bill Gates, not Steven Gibson, asking about the ePhone.
In truth, it was just a question the two had prepared to gauge Lee Dae-hyuk's capabilities.
There was no set answer.
They simply wanted to hear the answer he had pondered himself.
The process mattered more than the answer.
Lee Dae-hyuk fell into thought at the question.
'What the future ePhone absolutely needs...'
But contrary to their expectation of a solid response.
"......"
Lee Dae-hyuk couldn't answer easily.
'Necessary. Absolutely required.'
The meaning was too broad.
Any answer could be right or wrong depending on the listener.
'It could be wrong.'
To grasp the thread of luck, his answer now was crucial.
Gulp!
Lee Dae-hyuk, who hadn't tensed even before Li Chenlian, swallowed dryly for the first time in a while.
Despite the cold weather, his palms were slick with sweat.
Even amid that.
"......"
"......"
Two pairs of intense gazes fixed on him.
Beyond those eyes, a voice whispered.
'Seduce them with your tongue.'
'Use your knowledge of the future to exploit and take from them.'
'Steven Gibson? Bill Gates? You can become greater than them.'
'Yoo Jae-man? You could crush him in an instant.'
Whispers like the devil's endlessly burrowed into his ears.
But...
'Greed stops here. Don't get caught by avarice.'
Lee Dae-hyuk pulled himself from the hard-to-resist temptation.
Leaving a good impression on Bill Gates here could lead to proper business with MicroNiakSoft later.
That greed would awaken the dormant demon of avarice within him.
But Lee Dae-hyuk crushed that demon.
What he wanted was revenge.
He had no greed for wealth.
'Yoo Jae-man. I can't become a monster like him or The Company.'
Hoo-!!
In a few short seconds of turmoil, Lee Dae-hyuk opened his mouth.
'Yes. Comfortably. Enjoyably...'
"It needs pleasure."
"Pleasure? You mean like games?"
Bill Gates countered at the vague-sounding answer.
Steven Gibson was puzzled too.
Even without a definitive right answer, he hadn't expected such an abstract response.
'I figured it'd be something about the ePhone's technical versatility or performance...'
Pleasure?
The unexpected answer sparked curiosity and questions.
"Hmm... Games can't be excluded, but it's not limited to that."
As Bill Gates and then Steven Gibson stared intently, Lee Dae-hyuk began explaining.
"The ePhone isn't just a phone—it has to permeate daily life. Not just basic calling functions, but various aspects of life."
Lee Dae-hyuk laid out an introduction to stoke their curiosity and anticipation instead of a direct answer.
It was a rhetorical technique learned from Yoo Jae-man, but that wasn't important now.
'Telling them the future answers I know is more crucial.'
This conversation could change not just him, but Steven Gibson and Bill Gates.
It might even alter the fate of the IT industry.
Cold sweat trickled down his back from the weight, but.
Lee Dae-hyuk continued with a calm expression.
"What do people do after work?"
"Rest or hobbies, I suppose."
Bill Gates answered, and Steven Gibson nodded.
"Exactly. And rest and hobbies require pleasure. For that pleasure, they need dramas, movies, comics, novels, games, videos, and finally communities."
Pausing to catch his breath, Lee Dae-hyuk continued.
"And I believe the ePhone should be the 'virtual space' and means that encompasses all of it."
Thud-!!!
"......"
"......"
The moment they heard 'virtual space,' Steven Gibson and Bill Gates' hearts sank.
Lee Dae-hyuk alternated glances at the two and wrapped up.
"Is that a satisfactory answer?"