If Grandpa were a cat, I was no different from a mouse.
For Grandpa, who had likely cornered me and was thinking about how to finish me off, this was a rather absurd proposal.
But what could I do?
I was the one holding the mic, so he had no choice but to listen.
"One of my acquaintances sponsors the McLaren F1 team. I heard something interesting from him."
"...?"
"Surprisingly, McLaren, the strongest team of the time, uses Honda engines."
Perhaps because they already anticipated the point I was about to make, the executives began murmuring.
"Thanks to this partnership, Honda and McLaren form a team and participate in races every week. The accumulated data will someday be applied to mass-produced cars."
Executives with a keen sense of understanding already seemed to catch on to my intention.
A system that inevitably produces great cars.
The answer was simple.
"How about Hyungang participating in F1 racing and competing against the top teams? Is there a better way to quickly enhance our technology?"
Some might question this.
Honda received an invitation from McLaren.
But Hyungang?
Just getting started—who would be willing to use our engine?
'There's always a way.'
If no one invites Hyungang…
"I'll directly acquire an F1 team myself."
I'll use Hyungang engines with my own money—what's the problem?
"Wouldn't that establish a system where producing great cars becomes inevitable?"
Competing with the world's best cars in terms of technology.
To an engineer, that's a dreamlike stage.
Naturally, the executives were getting excited.
"...."
Since I couldn't read Grandpa's thoughts, I had to watch his reaction carefully.
At that moment, when all eyes were focused on one spot—
Clap, clap, clap.
Grandpa silently clapped his hands.
Whoosh!
The executives gathered in the hall jumped to their feet as if waiting for this cue.
Clap clap clap clap! Clap clap clap clap!
They burst into thunderous applause.
***
Thirty minutes later, in Park Yong-hak's office.
"You're really planning to acquire an F1 team?"
I nodded.
"What made you suddenly think of that?"
"It's been your long-time dream, hasn't it?"
Grandpa narrowed his eyes at me.
"Replacing the heart of a legendary car like McLaran with Hyungang's engine instead of Honda's…"
"Jo Soo-deok said that, huh?"
"He told me to make sure your dream comes true."
Since I was proposing to be filial (in my own way), he couldn't exactly complain.
But Grandpa didn't seem ready to let me win so easily.
"If you're going to fulfill Grandpa's dream, shouldn't it be a proper team?"
"Of course."
"Then would it be okay if I personally select the team?"
"Of course."
At that, Grandpa smiled and asked slyly.
"If you have to pick just one team, could there be anything better than Ferrari?"
Simply put, Grandpa was asking if I had the guts to acquire the Ferrari team.
"Ferrari isn't an option?"
"...."
"Why aren't you saying anything?"
His expression said it all—he was confident of his victory, as if telling me to stop fooling around and just inherit Hyungang.
But…
"That sounds cool."
"What?"
"A red Ferrari with a Hyungang engine."
"...?"
"It's so cool, I'm speechless."
Even though I said that, my mind was already racing.
'Ferrari, huh?'
Grandpa had already laid two traps.
First, Ferrari was the hardest team to acquire in F1.
It was the only team to have participated in every F1 season since its inception.
Despite pouring in hundreds of billions of won each year, Ferrari had maintained its team for decades.
Motorsport was in Ferrari's DNA.
But how could they possibly sell it?
Even if I miraculously managed to buy it, there was another mountain to climb.
'Ferrari, whose pride is everything, would use someone else's engine?'
McLaren didn't produce its own engines, so they collaborated with Honda.
But Ferrari was known as a top-tier engine maker.
Unless they lost their minds, there's no way they'd replace their perfectly fine engine with Hyungang's.
Hmm.
'Even if the owner pushes for it, the Italian public would rise in protest.'
Grandpa had considered all of this before suggesting Ferrari.
"Are you sure about this?"
"If it's what you want, Grandpa, I have to do it."
"Want me to chip in some money?"
I didn't want to take his money and have him use it against me later, so I waved my hand.
"Can you show results before you graduate high school?"
"Excuse me?"
"Why? Were you planning to take forever to win first place?"
Not exactly, but…
"Isn't the year practically over?"
"It's only August. What are you talking about?"
"...."
"Use the remaining time to acquire the team, send engineers next year to learn, and win with our engine the year after. Why… is that hard?"
Putting my hand on my chest, I thought, is that even possible, Grandpa?
But what could I do?
Even if it meant burning through several times the operating costs, I had no choice but to make it happen.
The only relief was…
There was an unspoken rule between Grandpa and me.
'If I manage to fly Hyungang's flag in F1, I can step away from the auto industry.'
'If you fail, you'll have no choice but to take over.'
We just exchanged silent glances without saying a word.
***
That evening, at our Hannam-dong residence.
My brother and I returned home with Grandpa.
Acquiring Ferrari, developing Hyungang's engine, and winning with it.
My head was spinning with complicated thoughts.
'Let's think about that later…'
First, a reunion with my parents!
When I saw the high walls of the neighborhood that resembled a fortress, I realized we were back in Hannam-dong.
The car gently stopped in front of a mansion that was undoubtedly the most impressive of them all.
'How long has it been?'
Maybe it was because I was eager to see my parents.
Crossing the yard from the gate to the house felt unusually long (though it was actually a long walk).
Clack.
The moment I opened the front door—
"Ji-hoon!"
A voice full of joy greeted me.
It was Mom.
My parents had come out to the front door to welcome us.
Their bright smiles alone made me feel completely happy.
Clasp.
Their tightly held hands, fingers intertwined, felt like the greatest gift to their son.
Why wouldn't it?
'Someday, I'll have a family like this too.'
After all, a harmonious family is the best form of education.
Clasp.
I hugged Mom right away.
She must have been in the kitchen until just a moment ago.
Her embrace carried the scent of food.
Though she could easily live without lifting a finger as a daughter-in-law of a wealthy family,
In front of her son, she was just a loving mother.
"You must be tired after such a long trip."
"Just a little."
"Come on in, let's eat."
Then Dad, looking a bit left out, leaned in.
"Am I invisible to you?"
"Ladies first, Dad."
"This is Korea, son."
I chuckled.
"By the way, I heard from my brother that you've been spending a lot of time in the kitchen lately."
"When did I ever?"
"You're wearing an apron right now."
"Huh?"
Startled, Dad quickly removed the apron.
"No, I was just tasting the food."
"What's wrong with helping Mom? It's nice. Makes you look like a family man."
"I… I was only tasting it."
While I was chatting with Dad, Grandpa entered the house.
"You're here, Father?"
"How did you get here before me?"
"As soon as your speech ended, we rushed over."
"You must've been excited."
Grandpa said, taking off his jacket.
"I'm hungry. Let's eat."
Wow—
Calling it a feast would be an understatement.
It truly felt like I had become royalty.
There were three types of soup in front of me alone.
Dumpling soup, seaweed soup, and soybean paste stew.
The side dishes ranged from Korean beef, grilled short rib patties, and marinated beef to various kinds of kimchi to cut the richness, and a variety of healthy vegetables.
The table was so full that I was worried the legs might buckle under the weight.
'Ha!'
While I was silently admiring the food,
"Let's eat."
Grandpa picked up his spoon.
"Thank you for the meal!"
Because of our family's emphasis on dining etiquette, meals were always eaten quietly.
However—
"This is really delicious!"
I couldn't help but speak to Mom.
Dad, who also seemed to have something to say, subtly checked Grandpa's reaction.
Perhaps thinking it was fine just for today,
"You have no idea how much effort your mom put into making this meal for you."
Dad spoke with a serious tone.
Heh.
"You seem to have worked hard too, Dad."
I scooped up a lopsided dumpling with my spoon.
It was obviously Dad's handiwork!
"Hey, do you think making dumplings is easy?"
"It's hard, of course. That's why I'll enjoy it with gratitude."
I opened my mouth wide and took a big bite of the dumpling.
And two of each side dish too!
If there was one thing I missed most in England, it was definitely Mom's cooking!
Thanks to that, I finished two bowls of rice with ease.
Ending it there would've been just right, but considering my parents' effort—
'Come on, what's a little overeating?'
I gladly went for another bowl.
"Did you starve yourself in England?"
"It's just too delicious."
"Well then, have some dessert too."
"Pardon?"
Hmm, my stomach already feels like it might burst…
"Bring out the juak."
At Grandpa's request, Mom brought a small plate from the kitchen.
Thankfully, it was only bite-sized, so I felt a bit relieved.
"What's this?"
"It's Kaesong juak."
It looked like yakgwa but about a quarter of the size.
"Go ahead, try it."
Mom was looking at me with hopeful eyes!
Well, well.
I happily picked up a piece of juak.
Chew, chew.
'Huh?'
As soon as I bit into it, sweet juice burst out.
The texture was incredibly chewy!
"This is really good."
This time, Dad answered for her.
"Your mom went all the way to Pyeongchang-dong to learn from a master."
After hearing that, would I be human if I stopped at just one?
Fine, I'll eat until I drop…
"Mom, more please. Fill the plate."
***
Thirty minutes later, in Chairman Park's study.
Park Yong-hak leaned back in his chair.
Maybe it was because his grandson was home.
The whole house felt more lively.
He wondered if only every day could feel like today.
But then again—
'If every day were like today, we'd eventually become stagnant and fall behind.'
Before sentimental thoughts could take root, he stopped himself.
"...."
Park Yong-hak was someone who would nip such thoughts in the bud.
At times like this, it was better to focus on work.
'Replacing Ferrari's heart with ours?'
Just imagining it made his heart race.
He immediately picked up the receiver.
"Did you find out?"
(Yes, Chairman. The acquisition cost alone is 500 billion won, and to develop and apply a new engine, you should expect to spend at least 300 billion won annually on operating costs…)
"That's insane."
Well, even major American corporations had felt the financial strain and sold their teams.
(As brilliant as the young master is… the cost is far too great for an individual to handle.)
It wasn't just about the money.
Even if they poured in over a trillion won, there was no guarantee of success.
It was like pouring water into a bottomless pit.
A battle with virtually no chance of winning.
Even while thinking that,
'Ji-hoon must know all of this…'
Chairman Park couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Could it be that he actually has a way to pull this off?
A desire to pass on Hyungang and a curiosity to once again test his grandson's abilities—
Perhaps it was the mix of these conflicting emotions that left him feeling so unsettled.
"...!"
Chairman Park's eyes gleamed more fiercely than ever.
TL/n -
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