During the school break, Park Yoo-geon was deeply engaged in his club activities.
A senior in high school involved in a club?
Back then, it was an era where top-tier science students dreamed romantically of majoring in physics!
For Park Yoo-geon, who ranked around 70th nationwide, well—
Getting into his target school, Seoul National University's Computer Science Department, was practically guaranteed.
Thanks to that, he was relatively free from the hell of college entrance exams.
That didn't mean he was slacking off in the name of club activities, though.
It was a gathering for computer programming (…), so in a way, it was still studying.
Park Yoo-geon was a genius who had already released a game.
Of course, he was overwhelmingly skilled compared to his peers.
Surprisingly, though, the other members of the club were also quite talented.
Among them, his classmate Tae Gi-soo stood out the most.
"Your brother's coming today, right?"
Nod, nod.
"What do we do? There's still a bug."
Yoo-geon was making a word processor for his novelist brother.
He handled the planning, while Tae Gi-soo, an aspiring developer, did the coding.
"It's going to take at least a week."
"That's fine. My brother will be here for at least two weeks."
Although Tae Gi-soo was also a senior in high school, he had long since given up on studying after realizing his grades wouldn't improve.
Fortunately, his basic skills were solid enough that he was still maintaining a score good enough for Seoul National University's Computer Science Department.
"I heard your brother is really smart?"
"Yeah. He's on a whole different level compared to me."
"You're being humble again…"
At that, Yoo-geon proudly listed his brother's achievements.
"That… that can't be real."
"But it is."
What an odd thing.
Even after hearing how his brother created Ultimate at a young age and even acquired Gucci, why was he most shocked about Capsulemon Bread?
"Then… your brother must have collected all the stickers, right?"
"Probably not."
"Why? He made them himself…"
"Ji-hoon enjoys collecting companies more than stickers."
"Oh… I see."
That was the end of the conversation.
"I should get going."
"So soon?"
"I have to go pick him up from the airport."
"Ah."
At Yoo-geon's words, Tae Gi-soo quickly nodded.
***
"Ji-hoon!"
Thankfully, Yoo-geon was waiting at the airport.
My grandfather would have pulled me into a warm hug, but…
That kind of thing felt a little embarrassing between high school brothers, right?
Or so I thought.
Swoop!
My brother hugged me first.
"Wasn't it exhausting?"
"What was?"
"The flight."
"Nah, it was comfortable."
"Comfortable? Even first class is supposed to be uncomfortable."
Hmm.
Not first class—private jet…
I let out an awkward laugh.
"What about your luggage?"
"My backpack's all I brought."
"That's just like you."
My brother grinned.
"Mom and Dad have been making a fuss about cooking for you since yesterday."
"Even Dad?"
"Yeah. He's been in the kitchen all day wearing an apron."
The only man I knew who could cook… was Mr. Devon.
Dad and Mr. Devon…
That image didn't match at all, so I quickly shook my head.
"I better hurry home and eat, then."
"But Ji-hoon."
My brother's bright expression darkened for a moment.
"There's somewhere we have to go first."
"Grandfather?"
"How did you know?"
"I just heard here and there."
"I heard he summoned all the executives from the subsidiaries."
My brother looked at me with concern.
But I felt the exact opposite.
They were making me stand before the executives instead of my older brother, the rightful heir…
Wouldn't that hurt him?
Maybe he saw through my thoughts.
"Is this really the time to worry about me?"
My brother furrowed his brows and continued.
"The comparison is only tough because it's you. I'm actually pretty talented too."
"You're more than just 'pretty talented.'"
"Yeah, I'm really capable. Even if Grandpa doesn't pass the company down to me, I'll still be just fine."
His confidence shone.
My brother was so cool!
But honestly…
It'd be nice if he took over the company instead… Ahem.
"Shall we get going?"
Not far away, an S-Class sedan was parked.
I greeted the driver and got into the backseat with my brother.
"How's life abroad?"
"I spent most of my classes daydreaming."
"That bastard—what happened to him?"
Ah, Carl Bernstein.
"He got expelled."
"So he dropped out?"
"Yeah."
"Good. People who dig up others' painful pasts deserve to be punished."
By senior year, most people could at least curse a little.
But my kind-hearted brother… that was probably the harshest thing he could say.
"Peter is a total pro."
"The game's good?"
"Yeah. He's definitely a genius."
Honestly, calling him a genius wasn't enough.
That guy wasn't just making a mark on the gaming industry—he was carving multiple deep lines into it.
"When I enter college next year, it'd be fun to make a game together."
A collaboration between Yoo-geon and Peter.
If those two team up, they'd easily sell ten million copies, wouldn't they?
I haven't even eaten yet, but I already feel full just thinking about it!
"How's that guy Tennessee?"
"He's the complete opposite of you."
"Really? For some reason, I feel drawn to him."
"He's one of our shareholders."
"Ah, so it's because we're connected by money?"
My brother joked.
"But is it really okay for us to be laughing and chatting like this?"
"What do you mean?"
"We're almost there."
Sure enough, I'd been spotting the Hyungang headquarters from earlier.
"Last time, when Grandpa gathered the executives to introduce you, he declared that he would make Hyungang the leader in design."
Nod, nod.
"But now, after just one semester, you've laid the foundation and returned. From Grandpa's perspective, isn't this the perfect opportunity to push you to the forefront?"
In short, wasn't I walking straight into a trap?
Instead of answering—
"..."
I simply looked up at the towering building.
***
Hyungang Headquarters, Auditorium.
Following an employee's guidance, I made my way to the very front row.
Blatantly, many people from Hyungang Cars were seated next to me.
'Even though only the executives were summoned, the auditorium is completely packed.'
Yet, from Grandpa's perspective, it still wasn't enough.
Taking the stage, he began speaking in a heavy tone.
"Our country, South Korea. With a shrinking domestic market, we must rely on exports to survive."
This was the occasion for announcing Hyungang's new vision.
The executives, all tense, awaited his next words.
"We can't avoid competing with major global companies. Some might ask, 'Why take on Japan head-on?' But if we don't compete with them, won't they take our share, leaving us with nothing?"
And Japan wasn't the only competitor.
China, calling itself the 'world's factory,' was on the rise with astonishing growth.
Japan, known for quality.
China, dominating in price.
If a life-or-death battle was inevitable, Grandpa would undoubtedly choose to go all out against Japan.
'And in the end, he'll win.'
Grandpa's speech continued.
"In the future, semiconductors will be our top export, and automobiles will be second. The problem is that Hyungang is flying with only one wing."
As expected, Grandpa emphasized the importance of the automobile industry.
Then, smoothly, he inserted my name into the discussion.
"The good news is… at least when it comes to design, Hyungang has an unshakable lead, doesn't it?"
Right on cue, applause erupted!
And that wasn't all.
Because Grandpa openly turned toward me—
"..."
The executives started sneaking glances in my direction.
"Appearance and performance! With one of the two key aspects of a car already secured, doesn't that mean we can now focus entirely on technology?"
As expected from a company optimized for technology, the executives' eyes gleamed with confidence.
Building on that momentum, Grandpa unveiled his blueprint.
The plan was to partner with one of Europe's top automakers to rapidly elevate Hyungang's technological prowess.
'If history follows its course…'
They would collaborate with France's national car brand.
'Unfortunately, the results won't be great.'
But then, something unexpected happened.
Instead of France, Grandpa was considering a high-end British brand.
'What's going on?'
Did my presence alter history?
Or was it that he originally considered a British luxury car but later switched to France because things didn't work out?
Either way.
Grandpa boldly declared his ambition to surpass our rival, Daebo Motors, within three years and catch up with Japanese cars within a decade.
"There will be massive investments. So much that the very foundation of the company may shake. If we make a single mistake, everything we've built so far could be lost. But…"
Pausing for emphasis, Grandpa continued.
"There's a seventeen-year-old kid running around, trying to fulfill his grandfather's dream. Meanwhile, should the man himself just sit in the back counting money?"
A subtle smile formed on Grandpa's face.
"Bragging about someone in front of a crowd is the most distasteful thing, so I'll stop here."
Then, once again, he looked at me.
"But Ji-hoon, shouldn't you at least greet your elders?"
With that, Grandpa stepped back slightly from the podium.
An unspoken instruction—he wanted me to step up and take the mic.
Well, I've been in a similar situation before, so I wasn't particularly nervous.
I stood up and walked toward Grandpa.
It was almost as if he was subtly asking, Wouldn't it be better to just accept the throne now?
Smiirk.
I simply stood calmly in front of the microphone.
"I have enough awareness to anticipate that a gathering like this would be arranged."
Since I opened with a joke, the executives chuckled in amusement.
"I do feel a lot of pressure, but I stepped onto this stage because I felt it was important to express my gratitude."
"...?"
"To the executives who have dedicated their precious youth to making Hyungang shine."
Without the microphone—
"I sincerely thank you. Truly, I'm grateful."
After saying that, I gave a deep bow.
Even though they were the ones who should be receiving the recognition.
Clap clap clap clap! Clap clap clap clap!
The executives readily rose to their feet, applauding generously.
After the unusually long applause subsided—
"I'd love to step down after giving my thanks, but… I doubt Grandpa will let me off that easily."
I lightened the atmosphere again with another joke.
"With so many dedicated people here, it's only right for me to contribute even just a little wisdom as a member of Hyungang."
Seamlessly, I transitioned the conversation toward the automobile business.
"The challenge Hyungang Cars faces is creating a vehicle that can compete with Japan. Then what is the role of the executives? Is it to produce good cars?"
No, manufacturing cars is the employees' job.
As executives—
"Shouldn't you be building a system that ensures good cars are made?"
This is how I see corporate structure:
The owner presents a vision.
The executives establish a system.
The employees handle production.
And the owner takes ultimate responsibility for the outcome.
"I do run a company myself, though it's small, so I also take on the role of an executive. That has made me deeply interested in system development."
With that, I turned to Grandpa.
"Chairman, that's why I'd like to ask."
"...?"
"May I, from an executive's perspective, propose an idea?"
"What did you say?"
"I want to suggest a system where producing excellent cars becomes inevitable."