To the south of San Francisco lies Silicon Valley, the largest hub of the IT industry in the United States.
The reason for going there is that a presentation on the autonomous driving technology to be installed in the new car is scheduled at the research institute. I also need to check on the situation at the lab.
As the plane took off, Ellie said with a hint of disappointment, “I wanted to see Niagara Falls at least once.”
I felt the same; I wished I could go all the way up to Canada. I never expected that my trip to the U.S. would turn into just work without any sightseeing.
“I think a road trip by car would have been fun.”
“From Detroit to Silicon Valley?”
It’s roughly 4,000 kilometers. Even if we drive non-stop at 100 kph, won’t it take around 40 hours?
“We could stop by other cities along the way to check them out.”
Wouldn’t that take at least a month?
It’s a journey crossing the U.S. from east to west…
“It would be fun, though.”
At my age, I never thought I’d be managing a company instead of traveling.
“Once I finish work, let’s explore everything.”
“Hmm, someone once said that when busy work passes, even busier work will come.”
“Who said that?”
“Jessica.”
“…”
It sounded like a truth gleaned from experience, and I couldn’t refute it.
Ellie suddenly stared at my face closely.
“But you’ve looked a bit off since earlier. Are you okay?”
Actually, I had a slight headache and felt a bit nauseous.
Hearing my symptoms, Ellie said.
“Are you feeling motion sickness?”
“Maybe that’s it.”
I had never felt sick on a plane before, so I was unsure if this was indeed motion sickness.
Ellie looked worried.
“It might just be that you’re not feeling well. You’ve had a lot of stress lately.”
“Is that so?”
I forced a smile.
“Just take some rest, and you’ll feel better. Don’t worry.”
I reclined my seat and lay back, trying to catch my breath. It seemed to help calm me a bit.
I skipped the in-flight meal because my stomach was uneasy.
In the meantime, a huge city appeared outside the window.
***
Fortunately, by the time the plane landed, my headache and nausea had improved somewhat.
“It really was motion sickness, I guess.”
Ellie let out a sigh of relief.
“I’m glad. Do you think I need to go to the hospital?”
“Of course not.”
However, the moment I stepped out of the plane and onto the airport ground, I felt an intense sense of alienation that was hard to put into words.
It was as if something was just on the tip of my mind…
When I suddenly stopped walking, Ellie asked, “What’s wrong?”
I shook my head.
“Nothing at all.”
Was it truly stress?
Since I had taken a domestic flight, there were no immigration procedures. After picking up our luggage, security personnel were waiting for us.
We exited the airport and got into the arranged car.
It took less than 30 minutes to reach Silicon Valley from the airport. The car headed straight to the hotel. The hotel layout included a living room and two bedrooms.
We entered our respective bedrooms and unpacked.
“You must be tired from the flight. Get some rest.”
“And you?”
“I’m going downstairs to work out. I haven’t exercised in a few days, and my body feels sluggish.”
Exercising even while on a business trip? It’s clear that such a figure isn’t maintained without effort.
Ellie changed into form-fitting workout clothes and headed to the hotel fitness center. I lay back on the sofa, eyes closed, without even changing clothes.
How much time had passed?
I opened my eyes at the sound of the door opening, and there was Ellie returning. She was soaked, as if she had been caught in the rain, with her hair and body drenched.
I looked out the window. Beyond the glass, the emerald San Francisco Bay unfolded.
The weather was brightly sunny.
Could it be that it wasn’t the rain but sweat that soaked me?
“You’re awake. Shouldn’t you sleep more?”
“I’m fine now. But what kind of exercise did you do?”
“There’s a squash court in the hotel, so I played a lot for the first time in ages. I wish Jin-hoo could have come too.”
“……”
We went together once before, and I almost threw up.
I checked the time. It felt like I just briefly closed my eyes, yet two hours had already passed.
“Do you want to go for a walk? We can grab a coffee too. We’ll have plenty of work to do from tomorrow anyway.”
I nodded.
“That sounds good.”
“Wait a minute. I’ll take a shower and be right out.”
Ellie came out after taking a shower, changed into clothes.
She wore a white off-the-shoulder blouse and a sky-blue long flared skirt that reached close to her ankles, paired with slightly heeled sandals.
“How do I look?”
I gave a thumbs up.
“You look beautiful, as always.”
She didn’t put on any particular makeup, yet her beauty was radiating today.
I chose to wear jeans and a T-shirt instead of a suit, with sneakers.
“Let’s go.”
As we left the hotel, Ellie naturally linked her arm with mine.
The weather was truly perfect spring weather. We wore sunglasses to block the sunlight.
Though the city is generally safe, one can’t be too careful; male and female security guards followed us at a certain distance.
They were also in casual clothes, looking just like a couple on a date, although they might be hiding a gun.
The mix of various ethnicities felt just right for the term “melting pot.” East Asians were quite common as well, and not just a few were wearing sunglasses.
Thanks to that, we didn’t attract any attention.
…which was just wishful thinking.
Ellie’s figure, walking down the street in sunglasses, was enough to catch the eye of those around us. I could hear whispers questioning if she was a model.
Do I look like an IT specialist or an international student?
Ellie moved closer and said, “How about that café? Want to grab a coffee there?”
“That sounds good.”
We crossed the street and settled at a table on the terrace of a nearby outdoor café. I ordered a seafood salad and a sandwich along with my coffee.
As I returned with the coffee, I noticed a blonde young man in his late twenties trying to hit on Ellie.
“Are you here on vacation?”
“No, I’m on a business trip from Korea.”
“Oh! Korea! Nice to meet you. I’m Kevin Anderson. I work nearby.”
“Nice to meet you, Kevin. What do you do?”
“I’m currently working as an engineer at M Pizza. If you have some time…”
Ellie playfully laughed.
“Oh! So you work at M Pizza. What a coincidence, the major shareholder of that company is standing right behind you.”
“Excuse me?”
Ellie pointed to me, and the man turned around.
Instead of speaking, I slightly lifted my sunglasses. He quickly recognized me, his mouth dropping open in shock.
“Whoa! No way, Kang….”
“Shh!”
I brought my finger to my lips. He then reached out his hand to me.
“Ma, it’s an honor to meet you. I heard you’re in Detroit.”
“I’m done with that side of things. Anyway, it’s nice to meet you too. Please continue to support M Pizza.”
“Yes, of course!”
He quickly returned to his seat.
As I sat down, Ellie smiled and said, “Did you see? My popularity is this high.”
Popularity is expected, but I never thought it would lead to being hunted this quickly.
“I guess we can’t leave you alone anymore.”
“That’s okay. In my eyes, Jin-Hoo is the coolest.”
Hearing that makes me feel a bit relieved.
Ellie sipped her coffee and said, “The weather is really nice. I was right to come out, right?”
“Indeed.”
The spring sunshine feels warm.
Unlike Korea, there are no fine dust particles or yellow dust. Sitting on the terrace, basking in the sun, I could understand why everyone wanted to live here.
Of course, to do that, one has to endure the exorbitant rent and cost of living. With the world’s top talent flocking in, housing prices in San Francisco are skyrocketing day by day.
Currently, the median price of an apartment in Seoul is about 500 million won, while in San Francisco, it’s 1 billion. Homes exceeding 10 billion are common, and the rent for shabby studio apartments on the outskirts of the city is in the millions.
Those who cannot afford the rent are pushed out of the city or forced into homelessness. In fact, housing instability due to high real estate prices has become a social issue.
As high as the housing prices are, income levels are also high.
Earning over $100,000 a year places you in the high-income bracket in any country, but in Silicon Valley, you need to earn over $200,000 to be considered middle class.
Isn’t it true that even New York Manhattan, where financial elites gather, might not reach this level?
It’s not an exaggeration to say that it’s a place where the world’s most talented individuals and the wealthiest reside.
I think living in a place like this wouldn’t be bad after I quit my job. Should I buy a house before prices go up?
“The fact that it’s a city by the sea is similar to Hong Kong, but the atmosphere is definitely different.”
“What’s Hong Kong like?”
After my question, Ellie paused to think.
“Well, there’s this vibe where it doesn’t feel strange to see a rundown building about to collapse next to shiny skyscrapers. It’s like East and West, past and present, are mixed together in harmony.”
“Oh! I think I understand that feeling.”
“In comparison, this place is much cleaner and more relaxed.”
I looked at the people on the street. Their expressions were lively, and their steps were calm. The presence of a lot of IT workers probably influences that.
Ellie shared some episodes from her time in Hong Kong.
“Do you know how popular Jessica was there? There was a wealthy Chinese man in his thirties who proposed to her on the spot with a diamond ring the size of a fist.”
“Really?”
That’s a new story to me.
“It’s an exaggeration to say it was fist-sized, but he really did bring a diamond ring.”
“So, what did she do?”
“What do you think she did? She flat out rejected him. There were plenty of other guys who hit on Jessica too. She was even more popular than I was!”
“……”
Is Hyun-joo noona that popular?
Objectively speaking, Hyun-joo noona is indeed beautiful. She seems to have a strong appeal to those with specific tastes.
Of course, since I don’t share that taste, I’m not sure.
By the way, I keep feeling like something has been off since earlier… Is it just my imagination?
***
The next day.
We headed to the research institute by car.
As a global company, Seosung Electronics has various research institutes in Silicon Valley, collaborating with several IT companies.
At the research institute for the defense business in San Jose, the research teams from Seosung Electronics and CarOS were actively working on software stabilization and mass production.
Developing technology and mass production are entirely different issues. For a specific technology to have marketability, it must overcome numerous obstacles.
The most critical factor is price. How many products have failed to commercialize due to pricing?
Even electric and hydrogen vehicles are significantly more expensive than internal combustion engine cars. The only reason we can achieve competitive pricing is thanks to government subsidies.
While eco-friendly cars have subsidies, autonomous vehicles do not. Ultimately, we must lower costs as much as we can.
No matter how good the technology, high prices will limit demand. Realistically, to sell to the public, the limit for sedans would be $40,000 and for SUVs $50,000; lower would be better.
The vehicle’s cost ends up being similar. The real issue lies in the cost of autonomous driving components.
The equipment installed in the prototype vehicles can only be produced in small quantities, so it’s naturally expensive. Setting up a mass production system could significantly lower costs.
However, that requires considerable investment.
In the end, achieving economies of scale seems to be the key?
When we arrived at the research institute, an unexpected person was already there.
“Huh?”
A man in his 40s with glasses reached out his hand toward me.
“It’s good to see you here.”
Surprised, I asked,
“What brings you here?”
Chairman Im Jin-yong smiled as he replied,
“I hurriedly flew in on a private jet after hearing that you would be coming to Silicon Valley.
The fact that I was coming was already shared with the Seosung Electronics research team. It’s likely that the head office of Seosung Electronics has been informed as well.
But was it really necessary to come all the way to America…? Don’t you have anything to do in Korea?”
“Thank you for coming.”
We shook hands.
At that moment, a hologram appeared before me for the first time in a while.
-The second-largest shareholder of CarOS: Seosung Electronics-
