After issuing the short-selling order on Enron and returning to Korea, Seok-won was aboard a Bell-412 helicopter flying over Mosulpo, Jeju Island.
Because the aircraft was reserved exclusively for his use, the interior had been remodeled to be luxurious and exceptionally comfortable.
Leaning back against a soft Nappa-leather seat that wrapped around him, Seok-won felt the steady vibration of the spinning rotor as he read the documents in his hand.
Right behind him sat his secretary, Manager Han Ji-sung, and his bodyguard, Baucus.
After flying for a while over the deep blue sea, a voice came through the headset from the pilot up front.
[We are entering the airspace above our destination.]
Seok-won lifted his gaze from the documents and turned his head to look out through the rounded windscreen.
Under a sky without a single cloud, the cobalt-blue sea shimmered where it touched Jeju's black basalt coastline. The color was so vivid it almost hurt the eyes.
Along the shore, tiny dump trucks—like toys from this height—moved in an ant-like line, delivering soil to reclaim the sea. Behind them, tall tower cranes rose everywhere, and large and small modern buildings were under construction.
What drew his attention most was the rocket launch tower soaring into the sky.
Under the blazing sun, the 51-meter structure—taller than a seventeen-story apartment building—stood like a monument to his ambition and his determination to reach space.
Where there had once been open pastureland and wide fields, the enormous space center now stood in full display, causing his heart to pound faster.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
The helicopter made a wide circle in the air before slowly descending toward a large landing pad. It gently touched down amid a swirl of dust.
As the powerful rotor wash whipped their clothes, Blue Space CEO Choi Taeho and several staff members ran toward the aircraft, one hand pressed to the top of their heads, bodies bent forward against the wind.
The sliding door opened smoothly, and Seok-won stepped out wearing a dark gray coat and sunglasses, his attendants following behind him.
"Welcome, sir."
Choi Taeho, his hair tousled by the rotor wash, bowed deeply with a bright smile.
"It's been a while since I last came. The construction has really come a long way."
"Haha, we're about fifty percent through the process now, so there's still a long road ahead."
"Not long ago, this whole area was nothing but pasture and farmland. At this point, calling it a complete transformation wouldn't be an exaggeration. I'm confident you'll finish the remaining work without any issues."
"We'll do everything we can so there's never any disappointment."
Seok-won lightly patted Choi Taeho's shoulder, then turned toward the line of senior staff standing behind him, their expressions slightly tense.
The employees, wearing jackets embroidered with the company logo, bowed all at once.
"Thank you all for working so hard down here in Jeju."
Seok-won walked along the line, speaking words of encouragement to each executive and shaking every hand without missing a single person.
"Th-thank you, sir."
"We'll keep giving it our best!"
The employees bowed repeatedly, moved and energized. Nearby, Choi Taeho gestured toward a row of parked vehicles.
"We've prepared the cars. Please, let's head out."
"All right."
Following his lead, the group divided into four vehicles and left the landing pad.
In the lead black Range Rover, Seok-won leaned back into the soft leather seat. After gazing out the window for a moment, he turned to Choi Taeho, who was sitting beside him.
"With construction still ongoing, isn't it difficult to conduct research here already?"
"It would be a lie to say there aren't any difficulties. But everyone knows it's a necessary choice if we're going to move up the launch date for the first entirely homegrown rocket. Even if things are inconvenient, they stay focused and give their best. And honestly, it's much more efficient to work together in a single location with all the essential equipment in place, instead of being scattered everywhere."
"That's true. Even running a single test must've been a headache before—either Korea didn't have the proper facilities, or the equipment fell short of standards. I'm sure you ran into all sorts of obstacles."
Choi Taeho nodded vigorously.
"That's right. Thanks to the government's active cooperation, we were able to receive temporary usage approval for the completed facilities. We were incredibly lucky."
"These conditions are already tough enough. Make sure the staff doesn't feel neglected or overburdened. And if anything is lacking, speak up anytime."
"Yes, of course."
At the end of the freshly paved asphalt road, a massive square-shaped rocket engine combustion test building—ten stories tall and imposing in its bulk—came into view through the windshield. Seok-won looked at it and asked,
"This is the fifth combustion test, correct?"
Choi Taeho's expression grew serious as he answered.
"That's correct. To launch a rocket to one hundred kilometers, we need sixty seconds of sustained combustion. Our goal today is to achieve a stable, problem-free burn for twenty seconds."
"The first test lasted only zero-point-two seconds, right?"
"Yes."
"And now, after just five attempts, you're aiming for a hundred times that. Impressive."
Pride flickered across Choi Taeho's face.
"It wouldn't have been possible without the massive trove of technical documents you secured for us, along with the help of the Russian engineers."
"And without the sacrifices and relentless effort from you and the rest of the Blue Space research team, we wouldn't have seen results like this."
Hearing Seok-won acknowledge the team's effort left Choi Taeho deeply touched.
As they talked, the convoy of vehicles came to a gentle stop in front of the engine combustion test building—a structure reinforced with concrete walls a full meter thick.
To minimise risk from possible accidents, the test facility had been built at the farthest edge of the space center grounds, right next to the shoreline.
Inside, the walls were lined with thick cables and control systems, all shielded with heat-resistant stainless steel and special alloys. In the center, mounted on a steel H-beam stand, stood the rocket engine to be tested today.
"So this is the domestically built rocket engine."
When Seok-won let out a short exclamation, Choi Taeho replied proudly.
"That's right. This is the KRE-75, a development model of a seventy-five-ton engine, created with entirely domestic technology."
Seok-won couldn't take his eyes off the rocket engine, firmly mounted on the stand with its metal valves and exposed piping.
"It's incredible."
Hearing such genuine admiration, Choi Taeho and the surrounding staff all showed proud smiles.
"When a rocket is launched, the engine is exposed to temperatures up to six thousand degrees Celsius. To ensure the engine operates all the way to the target altitude, we analyze the data from each test and build a brand-new engine every time to improve its completeness."
"Then this must be the fifth engine."
"Yes, that's correct."
Imagining the researchers working through days and nights, tearing the engine apart and rebuilding it over and over just to extend the burn time by even a single second, he felt deeply that the engine before him was the result of their sweat and sacrifice.
"You'll need to wear a hard hat inside the test building for safety."
"Of course."
Seok-won accepted the helmet offered by a nearby staff member and put it on without complaint.
"Is everything ready for the test?"
"Yes. All preparations were completed before your arrival."
"Then let's not waste time. Begin right away."
His eyes were filled with anticipation as he turned.
"When the test begins, the combustion chamber temperature will reach thirty-four hundred degrees Celsius. It's dangerous to stay inside, so we should move to the control room."
With that, Choi Taeho led the way.
Leaving the combustion test building, the group entered the control room situated behind a thick blast wall built to protect against potential explosions.
Inside the spacious room, dozens of CCTV feeds were displayed on a large monitor wall. Around a dozen researchers wearing headsets sat at two long rows of desks, tension visible in their posture.
As Seok-won entered, Im Sang-su, head of the propulsion development team, quickly approached and bowed.
"Don't mind me. Just focus on the test."
Seok-won spoke quietly as he glanced at the backs of the researchers seated before the monitors.
They were so absorbed in their work that they didn't even notice people entering the room.
"Yes, sir."
Im Sang-su bowed gratefully and hurried back to his seat.
Casting a brief sideways glance at Seok-won, who stood quietly at the back so as not to interfere, he then placed his headset over his ears and pulled the microphone closer to his mouth.
"Report status checks before we begin."
The researchers kept their eyes fixed on their individual monitors as they responded crisply and clearly.
"Control unit—no abnormalities!"
"Propellant supply system—normal!"
"All measurement sensors operating without issue."
"Fuel and oxidizer feed systems also clear!"
Once the final checks were completed, Im Sang-su unconsciously drew in a deep breath.
He tightened his core to keep his voice from shaking, lifted his head with determined eyes, and looked toward the KRE-75 rocket displayed on the main screen.
Then, he declared with strength in his voice:
"Combustion test authorized. Begin countdown!"
At his command, the researcher sitting beside him lifted the transparent plastic safety cover and placed a finger on the ignition button.
[10… 9… 8…]
With each number falling away, the tension in the control room tightened like a spring.
One researcher clasped his hands in prayer.
Another swallowed hard, staring so intently at the monitor it looked as if he might burn a hole through it.
Seok-won also clenched his fist, his expression wavering between anticipation and anxiety.
[3… 2… 1… Ignition!]
When the number hit zero, the researcher squeezed his eyes shut and slammed the red button.
In an instant, a blinding flash filled the main monitor, and a deafening roar shook the ground.
KUUUUUUNG!!
A thunderous sound—like a dragon bellowing—erupted as the rocket engine spewed a blazing red plume of fire.
The inferno shot down into the combustion tunnel, where it met the cooling water flowing at 1.2 tons per second. The fire cooled rapidly, then surged out through the exhaust outlet facing the sea, bursting into a massive cloud of steam that billowed up into the sky.
"Ten seconds!"
On the screen beside the main display, the stopwatch ticked upward at a rapid pace. The researchers were completely absorbed, eyes darting between incoming data and real-time signals, nerves stretched thin.
Seok-won watched the engine, its red-hot flame filling the screen, his chest tight with tension.
Finally, when the stopwatch hit 20, Im Sang-su, sweat beading on his forehead, shouted:
"Shut it down!"
As the supply of fuel and oxidizer was cut off, the furious jet of flame stopped instantly.
The earth-shaking roar vanished, replaced by sudden silence, as if nothing had happened at all.
For a moment, the control room was still—
Then it erupted.
"Wooooo!!"
"We did it!"
"It worked!"
The researchers burst into cheers and applause.
Seok-won also broke into a bright smile. He approached Im Sang-su and patted his shoulder warmly.
"Congratulations on the successful test."
"Thank you."
His face was drenched in sweat, but a radiant smile spread across Im Sang-su's lips.
"You've all worked so hard. It wouldn't feel right for me to come all the way here and leave empty-handed, would it?"
"…Sir?"
When Seok-won gestured, Manager Han Ji-sung stepped forward and took a thick envelope from the inside pocket of his jacket, holding it out.
"What… what is this?"
Im Sang-su, caught off guard as he accepted the envelope, looked at it in confusion.
"It's nowhere near enough compared to the sleepless nights you've all put in, but I'll be giving out separate bonuses as well. For today, use this to enjoy a proper team dinner."
"Woooooo!!"
The researchers, who had been quietly listening with perked ears, erupted into louder cheers.
Receiving a thick envelope and an unexpected bonus left them ecstatic.