Sunbae Gihong, looking frustrated, said:
“During the IMF crisis, many domestic companies were sold off to foreign capital at cheap prices. Back then, Soseong Electronics bought for 30,000 or 50,000 won are now over 1.4 million won. Since the 2008 financial crisis, foreign investment banks have completed restructuring and are aggressively investing again, while Korean investment banks are lagging behind. Why can’t we do it like them? The world is changing rapidly with the Fourth Industrial Revolution, fintech, blockchain. If finance cannot keep up with these trends, we may face similar problems as before.”
Sunbae Gihong continued with a twisted tongue,
“There may be great entrepreneurs, but there are no great investors. That’s the reality of this country. But now we need such people in Korea. We must compete confidently with foreign capital. We might face criticism from foreign media for embezzlement.”
This is not just about having money.
Advanced countries have a history and culture of capitalism spanning hundreds of years, while our financial sector is still in its early stages.
“Will that day come?”
To my question, Sunbae Gihong replied with a wry smile,
“Well, who knows, maybe.”
As they laughed and chatted while drinking, someone’s phone rang.
Ring!
Yuri picked up the phone.
“I am with Sunbae Gihong and other seniors at a Korean pub right now. Yes, you can come in.”
After a brief conversation, Yuri hung up the phone.
“Who was that?”
Asked Kyeongil. Yuri casually replied,
“Sunbae Suna. We were supposed to meet today, and since they were drinking with seniors, they asked us to join.”
“What!?”
Everyone was surprised by this.
Minyoung spoke admonishingly,
“What if Suna comes here?”
Yuri had a look on her face that she didn’t understand English.
“Why? Was I not supposed to call you?”
“Um, well… ”
All eyes turned towards me.
In fact, I was the most embarrassed one right now.
Oh my! What should I do? Should I just run away? Or hide in the restroom?
As I was thinking that, the door of the bar opened, and a woman in a white coat walked in.
Tall for a woman, slender with well-defined curves, a small face with large eyes, fair skin, and long hair.
I looked at her in surprise, and she seemed equally surprised, widening her eyes.
“Yoon Seon-ah… ”
“Kang Jin-hoo?”
It was their first meeting after the breakup.
The atmosphere at the drinking party was painfully awkward.
Tap tap!
Senior Ki-hong tapped the table with chopsticks and said, “Come on, why is the mood like this when we haven’t met in so long? Let’s have a drink. Cheers!”
Clank!
Glasses clinked.
I pretended to drink soju and glanced at Seon-ah. She seemed unfazed, chatting with others around her.
Am I the only one feeling nervous for no reason?
It might be better to just get drunk; then my mind would be at ease.
I continued to drink. As I poured more alcohol into my empty glass, Seon-ah subtly slid her phone towards me on the table.
It was written like this there.
“[Want to go have coffee?]”
—
I left the drinking party and sat at a 24-hour cafe.
Despite the late hour, the seats were quite filled. A couple who looked like students were studying with TOEIC books spread out. They seemed to be planning to study together all night.
Seon-ah, who brought our two coffees, sat across from me.
I decided to relax.
After all, if I go back to school, we will inevitably run into each other.
Dating and breaking up within the same department is not uncommon. If we were to avoid each other over such things, a significant number would probably drop out every year.
The problem lies in dating in the sacred dwelling of wisdom itself. If only we focused on studying diligently considering the expensive tuition we pay.
Seon-ah was the first to speak.
“Long time no see.”
“Yeah.”
It’s been almost two years if you really think about it.
“Did you fare well in the military?”
“Yeah. I managed to get through.”
It felt like I suffered to the point of death before coming back. (I almost really died once)
We first met at the freshman welcome party. Among the classmates who had just shed their minor status, Seon-ah stood out clearly.
Beyond just being pretty, Seon-ah had a captivating charm that drew attention.
Regardless of being classmates or seniors, everyone was interested in her. Perhaps everyone wanted to date her.
Surprisingly, she chose me.
We were officially a couple within the department and stuck together throughout the semester. Looking back now, they were truly happy times.
However, as the first year was coming to an end, there were problems at my father’s company.
My father ran around frantically to save the company, while my mother couldn’t sleep due to worry. Even I, who didn’t know much about the company situation, could easily tell that things were not looking good.
In the end, the company went bankrupt, and my father collapsed.
Bankruptcy, illness, lawsuits, moving… I don’t really know what happened. Suna bringing up breaking up was about all of that was talked about.
I didn’t even muster the courage to hold on, and that’s how we broke up.
Apart from a few unpleasant incidents in between, we just met like any other couple and broke up well.
“How’s that senior of yours doing?”
I remembered the image of the male senior who had come to the school festival for a brief moment. I had seen him for the first time that day, but I had heard a lot about him before. He was that well-known.
Go Junhyung.
He was the third son of GH Construction, a subsidiary of a large corporation. I only saw him briefly, but he seemed handsome and had a good personality.
Soon after he took a leave of absence from school and enlisted, I heard from Minyoung.
Suna was dating that senior.
She nodded.
“Yeah, he’s doing well.”
Hmm, he’s doing well.
Suddenly a question arose. When did she start dating that senior? Did she start before we broke up?
I wanted to ask, but seeing the ring on her left hand, I stopped.
What’s the point of knowing now?
We met after a long time, but her face was the same as before. Only her clothes, bags, and accessories had all changed.
Her makeup and style were sophisticated, and her watch, bag, shoes, and everything else looked like luxury brands.
“You’ve changed a lot.”
Seon-ah forced a bitter smile.
“Because a lot of time has passed.”
Two years is quite a long time for a college student.
What did I do during that long time?
“…”
I worked hard to protect the country.
I’m proud of fulfilling my duty to defend the nation. Damn.
After hesitating for a moment, Seon-ah cautiously spoke.
“I’m sorry for suggesting we break up when things got tough.”
“Well, that’s all in the past.”
Seon-ah spoke in a calm voice.
“Jin-hoo, I really liked you.”
Upon hearing these words, I suddenly felt choked up.
Perplexed, I asked, “What do you mean?”
“It might sound strange, but it’s true. From the first time I saw you, you seemed different from others. You always had energy and confidence that you could do anything. That’s why I liked you.”
“Then why did you suggest breaking up?”
Even without hearing it, I could roughly guess the reason. Probably because our family was in trouble.
“I just seized the opportunity as it came.”
“What opportunity? A chance to date a rich guy?”
Seon-ah lowered her head.
“There’s nothing to blame me for even if you criticize. I suggested breaking up first. But I want to pursue my dreams.”
“…Dreams?”
What on earth is she talking about?
I didn’t quite understand what she was saying.
Seon-ah, seeing my expression, smiled lightly as if she had expected it.
“I’ll go first.”
Seon-ah picked up her bag and stood up.
I reached out to grab her but hesitated. Instead, I asked a question.
“What dream are you talking about?”
Seon-ah turned her head to look at me and replied briefly.
“Success.”
—
Instead of returning to the drinking session, I bought a bottle of soju and a pack of snacks from the nearby convenience store and sat under the parasol.
“Sigh.”
A white breath escaped from my lips in the chilly night air.
Drinking alone, I remembered my father who had passed away.
Our house collapsed even before his funeral. My mother asked relatives for help, but no one lent a hand. And Seon-ah broke up with me.
Everything felt like it was crumbling down. Yet, there was no time to be sad. Those who are alive have to keep on living somehow.
And time passed in a blur. While I was in the military, my mother endured all sorts of hardships.
Fortunately, a few days ago, unexpected luck found its way to me. The game character I sold in middle school came back to me worth 1.24 billion won.
“Success, but… what is success, really?”
At that moment, a hologram appeared before my eyes.
“…”
What’s this?
OTK Company is a paper company that Taek-gyu made as a tax evasion feature. Since it is a one-person corporation, Taek-gyu is the CEO, of course.
But why am I the CEO?
I stared blankly at the hologram.
What does this even mean? Am I supposed to become the CEO of the company Taek-gyu created?
The hologram disappeared before my eyes.
I intuitively knew that this was something that would happen in the near future.
The past is already gone. No matter what I do, I can’t change what has already happened. But the future has not yet come.
The future can change depending on my choices. And now is the moment of that choice.
“OTK Company CEO Kang Jin-hoo…”
Is this the path I should take?
A strong conviction felt like hitting my head. I didn’t know what the process would be like, or what would be at the end, but… I felt like trying it once.
I got out of the taxi, opened the front door, and went inside the house.
Taek-gyu was curled up on the couch, asleep with all the lights on.
“Hey! Wake up! Quickly!”
After shaking him a few times, Taek-gyu forcibly opened his eyes.
“Ugh! I was sleeping well, why did you wake me up?”
Taek-gyu looked at my face and said,
“How much did you drink? If you’re drunk, go home.”
“Give me your hand.”
“Huh?”
Taek-gyu held out his hand as if he didn’t understand English.
I firmly grasped that hand.
“Argh! What are you doing?”
“Since I’ve caught you, we’re doing it together.”
His expression said, “What’s with the noise of banging a drum while I’m sleeping.”
“What are we doing?”
“Anything.”
