Chapter 99
Chapter 99
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: Silicon Valley
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Silicon Valley.
The IT and venture capital hub nestled in the Santa Clara Valley at the southern tip of San Francisco Bay in California.
Home to Google, Facebook, Intel, and countless other pioneering IT companies leading not just America, but the entire world.
Dawn in that very place.
Tap! Tap-tap!
“Hoo! Hoo!”
Lee Dae-hyuk, jogging along the roads of Silicon Valley, felt an odd sensation.
It had been a week since he arrived in America.
Living out of his hotel, he started each day with his usual light morning run, unchanged.
But.
‘Something… feels boring.’
Unlike in Korea, there were no enemies targeting him here. At least not yet.
‘Lee Dae-hwan or Park Ji-sook might have sent someone… but that’s nothing to worry about.’
He had fought Wolfgang and Shen Wu, after all.
Not head-on battles, true, but anyone short of their caliber could be handled easily.
The person he needed to focus on now was Steven Jobs.
‘It’s about time he shows up….’
Lee Dae-hyuk paused his run to catch his breath.
Thud-thud!! Thud-thud-thud!!!
‘Here he comes.’
He heard footsteps approaching.
Lee Dae-hyuk turned his head toward the sound.
Steven Jobs was running over, dressed in a hoodie and training pants.
‘He’s better looking than I thought.’
As Steven Jobs passed by his side, Lee Dae-hyuk smiled inwardly.
Just in case, he was staying at a hotel near Apple headquarters with Yoon Tae-ho.
Hoping for a chance encounter with Steven Jobs.
And sure enough.
‘Lucky break.’
Around this time, Steven Jobs was holed up at the company, obsessed with developing the iPhone.
Yet even in his manic workaholism, he ran every morning and played basketball with employees in the evenings, clearly mindful of his fitness.
‘Doesn’t look like a patient at all.’
Lee Dae-hyuk glanced at Steven Jobs’ complexion.
No matter what, without a full cure for pancreatic cancer, some abdominal pain should linger.
Yet Steven Jobs appeared perfectly healthy.
‘Guess he’s still in the clear for now.’
Narrowing his brow at how unexpectedly robust Steven Jobs looked, Lee Dae-hyuk pondered.
What if he was deluding himself into thinking he was healthy?
Convincing him for tests and possible re-surgery would be even harder.
‘Worry about that later.’
Lee Dae-hyuk shook his head to clear his thoughts.
Priority now: build some rapport with him before the Apple “Investors’ Night” event.
‘Alright. Let’s run.’
Lee Dae-hyuk started jogging after Steven Jobs.
.
.
.
Innovation. Revolution. Greatness.
Those words ultimately forged immortality.
Eternal immortality that never fades.
“Hoo… Hah!”
Steven Jobs halted in place during his run.
Silicon Valley was a citadel of civilization.
A city without a king.
Or rather, where anyone could become king….
He wanted to become a god.
It wasn’t a delusion.
Silicon Valley was the world’s only place that could grant immortality to those with the right technology.
‘The day the iPhone is released, I’ll become a god.’
The iPhone would reform the world.
A palm-sized phone capable of everything a computer could do.
People would make friends, chat, handle work, watch videos, read novels and webtoons on it.
A world without the need for paper might even arrive.
‘And my name will live forever.’
Three years ago, during his pancreatic cancer surgery, Steven Jobs instinctively realized it.
He—and all humans—were always one step from death.
If death couldn’t be escaped, he wanted to transcend it.
That drive fueled his work.
So don’t misunderstand.
He hadn’t accomplished or finished anything yet.
‘Time to run again.’
As Steven Jobs resolved himself and prepared to resume,
A voice from an unfamiliar Asian man reached him.
“Silicon Valley is strange. Cement buildings everywhere, yet it feels like I’m in a European castle. A citadel of civilization, maybe?”
“……?”
Steven Jobs turned and looked at the Asian—Lee Dae-hyuk—with curiosity.
It was surprising that a stranger shared his exact thoughts.
Sensing his gaze,
Lee Dae-hyuk extended his right hand.
“I’m Lee Dae-hyuk. From Korea.”
He offered his hand, but Steven Jobs hesitated.
Wary of the seemingly ingratiating Asian, naturally.
Still, a handshake wouldn’t hurt.
“Nice to meet you. Steven.”
Steven Jobs grasped Lee Dae-hyuk’s hand.
.
.
.
Flash-! Flash-!!
As the flash came, Steven Jobs’ information flooded in.
“……!!”
Lee Dae-hyuk clenched his jaw with all his might to keep his mouth from dropping open.
‘An incredible person.’
Was this what a genius was like?
Vast information, profound and aloof emotions, passion and ambition. Icy loneliness….
Inside Steven Jobs slumbered a scorching black hole devouring everything.
Along with grand plans.
Through the iPhone and the know-how gained, Steven Jobs planned to create even more revolutionary products.
His goal wasn’t just a simple phone, but an operating system enriching human life.
Doors, elevators, CCTV, refrigerators, vacuums, and more….
A world where everything moved for human convenience.
‘Things I already know… but this guy is truly amazing.’
To Lee Dae-hyuk, regressed from the future, these were everyday realities.
But to Steven Jobs in 2007, they were pure fantasy.
Yet like the iPhone, he would turn fantasy into reality.
Even posthumously, through others’ hands.
But what if such a genius lived a full lifespan?
The world might end up a bit better.
‘…….’
Releasing Steven Jobs’ hand, Lee Dae-hyuk’s smile deepened.
His eyes blazed with determination to save him no matter what.
Showing that intensity to a stranger, though, would just make him seem crazy.
Easing the tension in his eyes and softening his expression, Lee Dae-hyuk spoke gently.
“It’s an honor to meet you like this.”
“So you know me.”
“Who in Silicon Valley—or the world—doesn’t know Steven Jobs?”
Steven Jobs stroked his chin at Lee Dae-hyuk’s flattery.
Praise didn’t feel bad.
Still, Silicon Valley teemed with con artists as outlandish as its geniuses.
How many had tried to latch onto him?
‘Better to be cautious before the big event.’
Steven Jobs stepped back slightly, creating distance, and replied guardedly.
“I’m not that big a deal. Not yet, anyway.”
Lee Dae-hyuk didn’t miss the edge in his words.
“Not yet… Sounds like you expect things to change with time.”
“Did you invest in Apple?”
“!!”
Lee Dae-hyuk flinched at Steven Jobs’ sudden question piercing right through him after just a few words.
“Yes.”
“Then you’re here for Investors’ Night.”
“But meeting you was pure coincidence. No, luck.”
A faint smile tugged at Steven Jobs’ lips again at Lee Dae-hyuk’s words.
Investors’ Night.
An event where Silicon Valley companies held private previews for investors before official product launches.
But not just anyone could attend.
‘If he’s at Investors’ Night, he’s a shareholder with at least $50 million in Apple.’
In reality, Lee Dae-hyuk had invested far more than Steven Jobs guessed.
The 2007 exchange rate hovered around 930 won per dollar.
Around 46.5 billion won for $50 million, on average.
Lee Dae-hyuk’s investment: 100 billion won.
Over $100 million in Apple.
Of course, Steven Jobs didn’t know the exact amount, but it earned him goodwill anyway.
Plus, this wealthy Asian was saying all the right things.
Feeling generous perhaps?
Steven Jobs indulged in a whimsical impulse.
‘Might as well drop a hint.’
“As a fellow Apple investor, here’s some real luck: don’t sell your Apple stock for the next year.”
“Pardon?”
“At least a year. Hold out that long, and you’ll live in luck forever.”
“Haha.”
“See you.”
Steven Jobs turned and resumed running, leaving Lee Dae-hyuk behind.
‘I must be crazy.’
Jogging along the road, Steven Jobs let out a self-mocking chuckle.
He should keep quiet until the official presentation.
Even after creating a world-changing revolution.
Frustration building up, maybe?
He’d blurted out a lucky tip to a random young investor.
Felt like Santa Claus.
But.
‘Santa Claus ends today.’
From now on, he’d be a colder, more ruthless businessman.
Until he changed the world.
With that vow, Steven Jobs kicked off harder and sped away.
.
.
.
Watching Steven Jobs recede, Lee Dae-hyuk felt a strange mix.
“More of a talker than expected.”
Eccentric to the point of unpredictability, yet with a playful side.
That playfulness had tossed him some luck.
‘Though I already knew….’
Still, leaving a good first impression was a win.
A bit embarrassing, groveling like a sycophant.
‘…Good thing I’m alone.’
He couldn’t have said that stuff in front of Yoon Tae-ho.
‘Yeah. Gotta endure this much(?) to make money.’
He’d put up with worse(?) in front of Park Min-chan, section chief at Daehan Construction.
Winning over Steven Jobs? Piece of cake.
‘Time to head back.’
Breakfast time at the hotel.
Turning the opposite way from Steven Jobs, Lee Dae-hyuk jogged toward the hotel.
***
Rooms 701 and 702 at the San Francisco Hotel.
Lee Dae-hyuk and Yoon Tae-ho stayed in separate rooms.
Yoon Tae-ho had insisted on sharing for close protection and cost-saving,
But Lee Dae-hyuk refused, so separate rooms it was.
Naturally, from Lee Dae-hyuk’s view.
He’d squeezed 5 billion won from his brother for expenses.
No need to share with Yoon Tae-ho sniffing around loudly when he could splurge.
Separate rooms suited them fine; Yoon Tae-ho hadn’t complained.
At breakfast.
Yoon Tae-ho, eating in the hotel lounge as Lee Dae-hyuk returned from his run, went wide-eyed.
“You met Steven Jobs?”
At the same time.
“Huh? That Steven Jobs?”
The Korean woman with dyed blonde hair beside him gaped too.
“Is meeting Steven Jobs in Silicon Valley such a shock?”
Lee Dae-hyuk’s gaze turned to the blonde Korean woman.
Her name: Kim Sung-hee.
A beneficiary of the Daehan Foundation’s talent development study abroad program, UCLA grad.
Connected through Kim Mi-jin, who’d mentored her in high school, she was guiding Lee Dae-hyuk and Yoon Tae-ho.
Lee Dae-hyuk spoke English fine, but Silicon Valley’s vast layout was unknown to him.
Not like 2021 with phone maps everywhere, so a guide like Kim Sung-hee was essential.
“People in Silicon Valley all dream of becoming like Steven Jobs.”
Kim Sung-hee’s voice trembled at the news.
But Yoon Tae-ho couldn’t get it.
“He got kicked out of his own company for his shitty personality. That’s a dream?”
Yoon Tae-ho hit the nail on the head.
Friendly with Kim Sung-hee through his wife, he spoke casually.
“Hmm. Personality issues, sure… But he got recognized for his talent and came back. Isn’t that cooler?”
Kim Sung-hee trailed off, about to respond.
In 1985, Steven Jobs was ousted from the Apple he founded.
Due to his antics and excessive demands causing staff conflicts.
Exiled by the board, he returned to Apple in 1997.
Because of his rival Bill Gates’ Microsoft.
Microsoft dominated the PC market with the groundbreaking OS Windows and new computers.
Apple started losing the public on new products too, posting a whopping $80 million quarterly loss in Q4 1995.
Desperate, they begged back the Steven Jobs they’d booted.
And the result?
‘Happy ending.’
Knowing Apple’s future, Lee Dae-hyuk wanted to applaud the board’s choice.
Company over ego.
But he couldn’t just clap; they had their own mission.
“Ms. Kim Sung-hee. Ever heard of Lou Wilson Detective Agency?”
“Lou Wilson? Oh, that industrial spy from the movie, the old guy running…?”
Lee Dae-hyuk nodded at her question.
“Yeah. Heard he’s the most famous industrial spy and detective in Silicon Valley—no, the world.”
“…But why bring him up suddenly…?”
“……?”
Kim Sung-hee and Yoon Tae-ho both tilted their heads.
Here for Apple Investors’ Night, why seek Lou Wilson?
Sensing their puzzled looks,
Lee Dae-hyuk said playfully.
“To find a friend’s mom.”
“……?!!”
“……?!!”