Chapter 42: An Unexpected Reunion
As my shares were diluted, my total stake in Beslo stood at 17%. With Beslo’s post-money valuation recognized at 100 billion won and securing a 15 billion won investment, the price per share of Beslo had skyrocketed.
“Since I own 20,000 shares, so…”
I was momentarily speechless as I stared at the endless string of numbers filling my calculator.
“Seventeen billion won!?”
Was this kind of return even possible?
I had only invested 200 million won. In just over six months, that amount had ballooned to an astonishing 17 billion won.
Of course, this was just the estimated value, not actual cash in hand.
“That’s insane. If you look at the ROI 1(수익률 (su-ik-nyul) = return on investment (ROI), profit rate) alone…”
As I tapped away at the calculator, my eyes widened in disbelief.
No way—this wasn’t some kind of cryptocurrency. How could the return on investment be this unreal?
“It’s entirely possible.”
Ji-won said in a calm voice, breaking my daze.
“Fewer than 2% of startups even make it to Series A funding 2(시리즈A까지 = to Series A refers to the first significant round of funding after seed investment), let alone achieve a successful exit 3(엑싯 = exit, borrowed from English; in business, refers to selling off a company or a significant portion of it). In other words, because the risks are so high, such extraordinary returns are also within reach. But if you look closely, you’ll see that just as many venture capitalists (VCs) suffer huge losses from their investments.”
Her calm explanation cooled my overheated thoughts.
She was right.
High returns are always accompanied by high risks.
That’s why venture capitalists meticulously analyze every detail before making investment decisions—they can’t afford not to.
Of course, the investment in Beslo this time was a bit different.
Skipping the preliminary investment screening and completing the full investment review, contract negotiations, and all related processes within a month was an extraordinarily rare case.
This only further demonstrated how strong the desire to invest had been.
‘Though Chairman Lee Seung-hwan’s influence probably played the biggest role.’
However, there was something even more daunting.
‘Beslo is just getting started. Once it really gains momentum…’
With the 15 billion won raised in this round of investment, they were launching an aggressive marketing campaign and rapidly acquiring users at a frightening rate. They were also filling the gaps in their workforce, quickly stabilizing the company.
On top of that, a new business model was about to be implemented, promising a significant boost in revenue.
“Hoo…”
A strange warmth welled up deep inside my chest.
How could I describe this feeling?
Was it a sense of accomplishment? Satisfaction? Anticipation? Pride?
No, perhaps it was a blend of all those emotions.
One thing was clear: this felt entirely different from the money I had accidentally made through cryptocurrency.
‘This is fun.’
How could the same ‘money’ feel so different?
Maybe it was because my fingerprints were all over Beslo’s journey, from its early days until now.
Though I wasn’t part of the team, I had lit the spark as an angel investor, and whenever Beslo faced challenges, I had offered my modest advice, helping them overcome obstacles.
Could it be that because I had been with them through every step of the way?
The ‘flavor’ of the money felt distinctly different?
As I was lost in deep thought, Lee Ji-won, who had been quietly watching me, spoke in a low voice.
“You’re… really strange person, Oppa.”
“Hm?”
I was lost in thought when Lee Ji-won’s words pulled me back, making me look at her with curiosity.
There was a mix of emotions in her deep, brown eyes.
“It’s strange. You’re unlike anyone I’ve ever met in my life. Even thinking about it now, it still doesn’t make sense to me.”
“What doesn’t make sense?”
“When I suggested we participate in the hackathon… You seemed like someone who didn’t know the first thing about startups or anything like that. Actually, you didn’t seem interested at all.”
She wasn’t wrong, so I nodded in agreement.
I had participated mostly because the name ‘hackathon’ sounded cool, and the idea of meeting students from other schools felt like a good opportunity for extracurricular activities.
Of course, Professor Min Dong-won’s tempting offer of skipping assignments and exams was the biggest motivation.
“That’s how it was… but then you suddenly changed, especially after meeting Jang-won-ie. You went from being indifferent to fully engaged. And after that…”
A faint wrinkle formed on Ji-won’s pale forehead, as if the memory still puzzled her.
She had witnessed the whole process right beside me, so it made sense that she was confused.
“I still don’t get why you were willing to invest. Back then, Jang-won-ie had nothing, yet you immediately offered to invest in him. There wasn’t a hint of hesitation or doubt on your face. It was as if you already knew beforehand that Jang-won-ie was going to succeed… How could you be so sure?”
Lee Ji-won’s question left me momentarily speechless, unsure how to respond.
It was a reasonable thing to wonder from her perspective.
I wasn’t some wealthy chaebol, and yet I had invested a huge sum of money in an ordinary university student without batting an eye.
The truth was, it was the golden light that had given me that certainty, but of course, I couldn’t just say that.
“Like I said back then, I just saw Jang-won-ie’s potential. Through the hackathon, I saw enough business promise in ‘Thumbs Up’ too. But more importantly…”
In an instant, Lee Ji-won leaned closer toward me.
A distinct scent, whether from her shampoo or perfume, suddenly filled the air around us.
“Think of my name for a second. ‘Dae’ means great! ‘Woon’ means fortune! My name literally means great fortune, doesn’t it? Hahaha! Now you must understand how blessed your Oppa’s luck truly is!”
What else could I say?
I had no choice but to shrug and chalk it up to good luck.
Lee Ji-won, who had been tense, let out a sigh and leaned back in her chair, seemingly deflated.
“Well, whether it’s good luck, good instincts, or skill, I guess time will tell.”
There was a hint of a challenge in her tone, which made me tilt my head in curiosity.
But I quickly shook it off, thinking she had no reason to be competitive.
“By the way, what did you think of CEO Lee Jong-hoon from Buksan Ventures?”
“Huh? Why are you asking about him all of a sudden?”
“Nothing… It’s just, he’s someone I’ve always been interested in.”
It seemed Lee Ji-won had also developed a growing interest in this industry.
Since she had asked, I scratched my chin, thinking about CEO Lee Jong-hoon.
“He’s like the perfect example of a gentleman. At the same time, he gives off this free-spirited vibe… The way he treats his employees is incredibly kind. Honestly, a lot of older folks have a tendency to act like ‘kkondae’ 4(old-fashioned and bossy), but he’s nothing like that.”
My evaluation of Buksan Ventures’ CEO Lee Jong-hoon was quite favorable.
He always addressed Lee Jang-won and me, who were young enough to be his kids, with respect and politeness, attentively listening whenever we spoke.
He even had a surprisingly modern sense of humor for his age, making it genuinely enjoyable to be around him.
If Chairman Lee Seung-hwan was like fire, then CEO Lee Jong-hoon was like water—calm, gentle, and refreshing.
“Is… that so?”
Lee Ji-won trailed off at the end of her sentence, but a slight smile crept up her lips.
It was strange—why did she look so pleased while I was complimenting someone else?
“Oppa, I think you have a real talent for being a business accelerator.”
“A business accelerator?”
“Yeah, everything you’ve done so far fits the role of an accelerator. You invested seed money in Beslo, helped guide them with advice so they wouldn’t stray off course, and in the end, you made a profit.”
“Are there many accelerators in Korea?”
“Not really. It’s still a new concept, only recently adopted from Silicon Valley. But it’s bound to grow in the future.”
“An accelerator, huh…”
I found myself intrigued.
Preparing for the recent investment had opened my eyes to a lot of new experiences.
I started wondering if maybe I should pursue this kind of path.
The reason was simple.
Because it was fun and rewarding.
But it wasn’t something I could decide on in the blink of an eye, so I set the thought aside for now.
After chatting with Lee Ji-won about this and that, we made plans to have a nice dinner together somewhere soon and parted ways.
Beep beep beep beep beep
Click
After finishing my afternoon classes, I studied for my exams in the library. By the time I got home, it was already late in the evening.
Meoww
As usual, the little black kittens were gathered in a row by the door, waddling their way over to me. They rubbed their tiny bodies against my legs, greeting me excitedly.
Seeing them like that, so cute and lovely, I couldn’t help but smile a fatherly smile.
“Have you all been getting along without fighting, you little rascals?”
I scooped up Seok-tan, Gong-tan, and Heok-tan, who were meowing and begging to be held, and showered them with kisses.
It felt like all the exhaustion from the day melted away in an instant.
Thanks to these little ones, I realized how comforting and fulfilling it was to come home to someone—or in this case, some kittens—who welcomed me. It filled what was once an empty home with warmth and happiness.
Meoww
Arriving fashionably late, Yeon-tan, with his emerald-green eyes, let out a soft meow as she looked up at me.
It felt like being scolded by a younger sibling for coming home late.
I headed for the bathroom to take a shower, but just as I opened the door…
Meow
Yeon-tan poked her head through the slightly open door and gazed at me with sleepy eyes.
Then, in a quick leap, he jumped onto the bidet and settled into position, his sleek black fur quivering slightly.
“I swear, you’re such a funny little cat. Why does a cat insist on using the human toilet?”
Even though I had set up a fancy litter box with high-end sand, Yeon-tan, unlike the others, stubbornly insisted on using the bathroom toilet.
“Does she think she’s human or something?”
What was even funnier was that this cat actually enjoyed taking baths and swimming.
“I thought cats hate water? Even the vet said so…”
But not Yeon-tan. Whenever she wanted a bath, she would sit in the tub and wait. If I wanted to enjoy a rare moment of relaxation with a soak, she’d beat me to it, leisurely swimming in the water.
“I thought there was something unusual about her when I first got her, but she’s truly one of a kind.”
By now, I had just accepted it. After all, there are all kinds of people in the world, so why wouldn’t there be all kinds of cats too?
After ignoring Yeon-tan for a bit and enjoying a refreshing shower, I threw on my robe and collapsed onto the living room sofa.
“Ah… so relaxing…”
And then, suddenly—
Meow!
“Huh?”
Yeon-tan was standing there, staring up at me with bright, eager eyes, something clutched in her mouth.
“Oh, no way. I just got out of the shower!”
Meow!
Wasn’t walking supposed to be a dog thing?
For some reason, Yeon-tan loved going on walks.
She loved it so much that she had learned to bring over the leash herself when she wanted to go out.
“Sigh… This is my life now, huh? Fine, let’s go. It’s not like we’re going far anyway.”
The pitiful meows didn’t give me much choice. I gave in and dressed her in her favorite bee costume, grabbed the leash, and headed out the door.
“Are you happy now?”
Meow!
Yeon-tan strutted around, proudly looking left and right, occasionally letting out soft meows.
We were in the rooftop garden of my apartment building, Yeon-tan’s favorite walking spot.
The area was covered in natural grass and dotted with tall trees, making it a perfect little retreat for him.
Perhaps because her fur was so black, she would hardly have been visible without the amber lights scattered around, and of course for her bright yellow bee costume.
We wandered through the garden, led entirely by Yeon-tan, for about ten minutes.
“Wow, the lights over there are stunning.”
There was a dazzling glow coming from the other side, partially obscured by a large sculpture, but it caught my attention immediately.
Like a moth drawn to a flame, we headed in that direction.
And then…
“Huh?”
I had expected to find some lights, but instead, there was someone standing there—dressed in a dark hoodie, emitting an almost blinding golden light.
Our eyes met, and all I could do was let out a confused exclamation.
“Hong Seul-gi?”
“Black Kitty…?”
For some reason, Hong Seul-gi seemed more surprised by Yeon-tan than by me.
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