After returning to the dormitory, I made sure Olivia was inside before heading to a payphone.
It was a late night, with most of the rooms dark. But considering the time difference, it was probably the best time to make the call.
I dialed the number, and before long, I heard a familiar voice on the other end.
(Who's this? Ji-hoon, isn't it?)
I smiled.
(Have you eaten?)
"I just had a meal."
(What did you eat?)
"A course meal."
(Is that enough?)
What does he mean, 'Is that enough?' It was quite an expensive meal.
After some warm conversation, he got to the point.
(So, why did you call?)
"Do I need a reason to call you?"
(Do you think you'd call me at this hour without a reason?)
As expected, he's perceptive.
"I need a watch."
(A watch?)
"If I ask Chairman Dazai in Japan, it'd be resolved instantly, but I don't want to owe anyone."
(Why? Is it okay to owe your grandfather?)
"If I have to owe someone, it's better to owe family."
(What if I use this against you and ask you to take over the business?)
"Come on, a watch isn't enough for that kind of big deal."
I can't see him, but I'm sure my grandfather is smiling behind the receiver. He loves these little exchanges with his grandson.
Sure enough, he asked, sounding excited.
(What kind of watch do you want?)
"I hope it's something rare enough to be displayed in a museum."
(A Rolex?)
"Rolex is good, but ideally, an 1800s Patek Philippe…"
My grandfather immediately called in his chief secretary. After checking a few things, he picked up the phone again.
(How about a wristwatch from 1871?)
Wow!
(There's also a double chronograph one from 1902.)
"You're no less impressive than Chairman Dazai."
(What, did you think your grandfather couldn't pull this off?)
Of course not. The art collection alone proves that.
We continued chatting for a while. The funny thing was that my grandfather didn't ask any questions. He wasn't curious about what kind of business I was planning, or what kind of return on investment I expected.
With things as they were, I couldn't help but ask him.
"Aren't you curious about what your grandson is up to?"
(Would you answer if I asked?)
"Probably not."
(Exactly, so I'm not going to ask.)
He teased.
"Thank you, Grandfather."
(If you're grateful, then take over Hyungang Motors…)
Beep, beep, beep.
The short call ended just like that.
The night had grown chilly, and I quietly looked up at the sky.
Olivia's request for the watch was resolved by Grandfather. Now, it's time to focus on securing a store location.
"You said you're going to embrace the heritage of traditional attire and prepare for a new era, right? I'd like to see your sincerity in that."
Wanting to confirm sincerity, huh. To finalize a store, I'll need to be busy over the weekend. I slowly made my way back to the dormitory.
***
The next morning.
Carl Bernstein, the sophomore class president, received some intriguing news. Apparently, the name Clifford Brookhouse was mentioned during an economics class for freshmen.
"And it came from Park Ji-hoon's mouth."
There's no way he's serious about investing. So why?
Was it just to make a show of not backing down in front of his peers? The interesting part is that he even went out immediately afterward.
"Hm."
What could he be planning? The only thing certain is that it's probably not good news.
Feeling uneasy, Carl picked up the phone despite being close to class time. Naturally, the call was directed to a law firm.
"You remember what I asked about before?"
(Oh, yes.)
"How much progress has been made?"
(Please hold for a moment.)
On the other end, he heard the sound of drawers opening, files rustling, and papers being shuffled. Were they stalling for time? The person on the line then asked a question.
(Has something happened?)
"I'm just curious."
(If you're curious…)
"How impressive is his backing that he's acting so boldly? I can't stand not knowing."
At that moment, it sounded like the person found the needed documents and adjusted the receiver.
(Regarding Park Ji-hoon, he owns an American corporation.)
That's fairly common. People often create paper companies for gifting assets or tax savings.
(But here's the interesting part.)
"…?"
(He personally managed the entire process, from raising capital to establishing and running the company.)
"Isn't that something anyone can do at that age?"
(Well…)
"…?"
(He started around the age of ten.)
"That's unbelievable."
(We were also skeptical, so we looked into it, but couldn't find any suspicious elements.)
Ha!
"Did he sell children's clothes or something?"
(Actually… it began with game distribution, eventually expanding to new game development… and the scale is said to be quite substantial.)
Ah. No wonder he kept a calm demeanor even when summoned by the sophomores. He must've been succeeding from a young age, leaving him with little to fear.
Carl let out a short, incredulous laugh.
No matter how much it feels like the world belongs to you…
"Just because his business is doing well… What? He dares to mention our law firm?"
It was at this moment that Carl shook his head in disbelief.
(It seems he considers the North American market stabilized, as he's now trying to expand into the UK.)
"The UK?"
(Yes, he's been reaching out to various sectors in Manchester…)
"Why Manchester, of all places?"
(That's exactly what I find odd. He doesn't seem to be lacking in funds, so why Manchester?)
"Look into it."
(Understood.)
"And the most important thing."
Carl's voice grew resolute.
"Make sure he doesn't earn a single penny on our turf."
(…Excuse me?)
"There must be some legal loopholes. Use whatever means necessary to ensure he can't set foot here."
(…)
"Got it?"
(Yes, I will proceed accordingly.)
"One more thing."
(Go ahead.)
"If you detect anything unusual related to Park Ji-hoon, whether in the UK, the US, or even third-world countries, report it immediately."
In other words, set up surveillance networks worldwide.
"If you want to know, you can find out about anything, right? Isn't that true?"
(Of course.)
"Good to hear."
The brief call ended there.
***
Meanwhile.
I had holed up in the library since morning, flipping through every men's magazine available.
At this age, high schoolers are usually sensitive about style. You'd expect the fashion magazines to be well-thumbed.
'Not a single fingerprint, huh.'
Perhaps it's because this is a prestigious school. It's considered undignified to be caught reading fashion magazines in the library when you could be flaunting your literary knowledge.
'That's a problem.'
Even if I'm running a secretive boutique, word of mouth is still necessary. At the very least, I need a few pictures to stir up curiosity.
'Men's magazines are essential for marketing.'
I don't need many. Just enough for the students at this royal school to see.
If I can create an exclusive boutique that draws in the royal school students, then the general public will be immensely curious about our store too.
'Just like Facebook.'
Simply branding it as "the messenger used by Harvard students" generated huge interest. It's the perfect marketing strategy for a startup!
'I plan to leverage that effectively.'
To do so, I'll gradually drip-feed information to the students here.
Anyway.
'So, they don't read existing men's magazines?'
Having reached a conclusion, I quietly closed the magazine.
Perhaps it's the blend of ambition and revenge, but even though I have a mountain of tasks, I'm not tired at all. In fact, it feels like good ideas are lining up to be implemented!
Everything in my mind is neatly organized—from the immediate tasks to the long-term plan of dominating the fashion industry.
If I can steadily execute what's in my head…
'I'll make money, get my revenge, and even gain freedom!'
There's no time to be tired.
As I walked with a satisfied expression, someone called out to me.
"A library, so early in the morning?"
A familiar voice.
Oh.
It was Peter, surprisingly.
He was leaning against the library's exit, rubbing his sleepy eyes.
"I thought you'd be out for a run, but here you are."
"How'd you know I was here?"
"Just a hunch."
We started walking side by side.
"Wanna grab something to eat?"
"Classes are about to start."
"So what if you're late?"
"Unlike some people, I need to maintain my scholarship."
Peter smirked.
"What about your campus job?"
"They said they'd let me work, but I haven't heard back yet."
Then he asked, wide-eyed.
"Do you think the sophomores are blocking even that?"
"No matter how powerful their families are, they wouldn't go so far as to block a part-time job, right? Right? I mean, they can't… they shouldn't, right?"
"Are you really short on money?"
"Of course! It's like trying to fill a bottomless pit."
"But you seem cheerful."
"Frowning won't make money appear, will it?"
True enough. If frowning made money, Peter would be walking around scowling all day.
After walking silently for a while, I glanced at Peter and spoke.
"Want to do some part-time work?"
"What are you talking about all of a sudden?"
"You said you need money."
"Well, I always need money."
"Then do the part-time job."
"…?"
My proposal was simple.
"Just build a bulletin board."
Even though the internet hasn't been widely adopted yet, there's a network accessible only within the school—like an intranet used by the military. I want to create a community site on it.
"Think you can do it?"
"Why are you asking me this out of nowhere?"
"It could help with promotion."
"Promotion for what?"
We were almost at the lecture hall. There wasn't time to explain everything in detail.
"Anyway, it's something that'll help me. That's for sure."
"What kind of friend charges money to help a buddy?"
Peter waved his hands, indicating he wasn't interested in getting paid.
"No matter how broke I am, that's just wrong. I'll just do it. Besides, you're a beginner in that area, so it'd be weird to take money from you…"
"Olivia is getting paid."
"Huh?"
"Olivia's working for a salary."
"Rich kids really are something else, huh?"
Peter scratched his head and added.
"Then I guess I should get paid too, no choice."
I grinned. With that, the initial team of three members was set.