Chaebol

I walked briskly over to the manager and said, "Can you arrange international shipping with the combination you just demonstrated?"

"As long as you cover the shipping costs, there should be no problem."

"And how much would the total price be?"

The manager immediately started tapping on a calculator.

Fifty-five million won.

It's a pretty good price, but…

"Hmm."

I found myself in a bit of a dilemma.

The graduate student who was assisting with translation didn't miss the subtle change in my expression.

"Is something wrong, CEO?"

"It's nothing major."

"…?"

"My brother loves audio equipment. I'm thinking of buying two sets as a gift, but I'm a million won short. I might need to go to the bank…"

"If that's the issue, leave it to me."

"What?"

The translator adjusted his glasses and then turned to the manager.

"He'd like to purchase an additional set with this combination."

"Oh! Two sets of the Goldmund and Paragon combo?"

"Yes."

"Understood, I'll prepare them right away…"

"Before that."

He cut him off firmly, and a question mark seemed to appear over the manager's face.

"If we're buying two sets, isn't there something you can do?"

"Something like…?"

"A discount. We're purchasing two high-end products, after all."

"But these are such premium products that…"

"We're paying in full. In cash."

"Y-you're paying for this in cash?"

The translator flashed the bag he was holding, clearly showing it to the manager.

"Feel free to check. It'll take you a while to count."

***

"Thanks to you, I got a good deal."

"Hehe, it's always better when you haggle."

We got a discount of a million won just with a few words.

'I'll have to show my appreciation somehow.'

It wouldn't be polite to just hand over a wad of cash. I'll talk to Jo Soo-deok and make sure to give him a hefty bonus.

Having spent a good amount of money, we headed off to a restaurant in high spirits.

I would have been fine with just a burger, but I chose a fancy restaurant considering the translator's preferences.

"What will you have?"

"Hmm."

"Shall we order the two most expensive dishes?"

"Pardon?"

"Steak and the seafood platter. I want to share."

"Oh, sure."

I don't have a big appetite, so I can't eat much.

Since we ordered two dishes, the translator should be able to eat at least one and a half portions.

Maybe because I had just bought those speakers, I found myself naturally tuning in to the music.

The restaurant was filled with the rich sounds of jazz.

'Is that Chet Baker?'

As I got lost in the music, the translator also seemed to pay attention to the performance.

Thanks to that, I was able to organize my thoughts in peace.

Three hundred billion won after taxes.

Ah, I spent one billion, so it's actually 299 billion now.

Anyway, I've made a ton of money.

There's even a piece presumed to be Da Vinci's, so I might make even more.

If we're talking purely about money… this trip to the U.S. has been a huge success.

But then a doubt crossed my mind.

Is it okay for someone my age to be making this much money?

I couldn't resist grabbing it when it was right in front of me, but…

If I get recognized for my skills, end up getting involved in management, and have no time to spend the money while just making others rich…

'No way!'

Grandfather, I'm sorry, but please give both wealth and fame to my brother.

I just want half, no more, no less, just half the wealth!

That's my plan, anyway.

But the elders might have different ideas.

Hmm.

'Maybe I should tone things down a bit at this point?'

For example.

He's great at making money, but when it comes to spending it, he's just a kid?

I'll aim to create that kind of impression.

A clueless child.

To build that image…

'I'll need to spend money on some frivolous things for a while.'

As soon as I set my goal, a concrete plan started forming in my mind.

The best way to make adults misunderstand?

'Nothing beats playing games!'

Even in my past life, there was a negative stigma around gaming, and it must be even worse in the 1980s.

Just as I was drawing up the general idea in my head…

"Here are your orders."

Delicious-looking dishes were placed in front of me.

First things first, let's eat.

'Yeah, I can think about the details later.'

If I eat, the translator will be able to enjoy his meal too…

"Thank you for the meal!"

And with that, I picked up my fork.

***

Meanwhile.

Jo Soo-deok was overseeing the packing of Dürer's final work.

Although the task was mainly handled by a professional company, it was only natural that Jo Soo-deok would carefully oversee every step.

'This is worth hundreds of billions!'

Checking every detail was a given.

"We're done. Please confirm."

Once Jo Soo-deok signed the documents, the company staff bowed politely and left the lab.

The packaging was impeccable.

Even a specially equipped vehicle to minimize vibrations during transport was arranged, so everything was set.

'Looks like it's all wrapped up.'

Jo Soo-deok was just about to head inside to rest.

Knock, knock.

The sound of a knock echoed again.

He opened the door, thinking someone might have forgotten something.

'Huh?'

Standing in the hallway was a young white man he had never seen before.

He was dressed in a loose plaid shirt with glasses perched low on his nose.

Clearly not someone from the transport team.

"Who are you?"

"Hello. My name is… Martin. I came to see the CEO."

"The CEO?"

"Yes. He mentioned he would arrange accommodation for me…"

Sure enough, the man was holding a large suitcase.

"Our CEO said he'd arrange your accommodation?"

Martin nodded.

"Ah! You must be the… physicist?"

"Yes, yes."

"Oh, you're a distinguished guest. Please, come in."

Martin bowed slightly before entering.

"The CEO has been going nonstop. He's out getting some fresh air to clear his head. Finding you a place to stay isn't a big deal, so I can help with that."

"Oh, thank you."

"Since we're going to be working together, and meeting like this is a bit of fate, let's chat for a bit. Is that okay?"

"Sure, why not."

"I'm Jo Soo-deok, a professor of Western Painting at Seoul National University."

"Martin from Oxford. I was aiming for a Ph.D. until a few days ago, but now I'm thinking of quitting."

"Good thinking. Getting a Ph.D… that's not something a person should do."

"Aren't you a professor…? And you're saying that…"

"Am I wrong?"

Martin couldn't exactly say he was.

After a brief, awkward silence, Jo Soo-deok spoke again.

"So, how did a scientist get involved in art?"

The conversation that followed was similar to the one with Park Ji-hoon.

Martin's eyes sparkled as he talked about Da Vinci, and Jo Soo-deok was slightly taken aback by his intensity.

But Jo Soo-deok was certainly skilled in handling people.

"No wonder the CEO took notice of you. Impressive. Especially your hypothesis about Da Vinci—it's quite convincing."

"I still have more interesting ideas I haven't shared…"

"No, no. Let's save that for later. Not because I'm avoiding it, but because we don't have much time."

"Okay."

As Martin swallowed his disappointment, Jo Soo-deok quickly moved on.

"Are you having trouble assembling your team?"

"Well, actually…"

"Tell me. The CEO entrusted you with this, so if there's anything I can do to help, I should."

"Um, I'm a bit introverted, you see. I don't have a wide network… or know many people, so I'm having trouble finding someone to hire…"

Finding people was Jo Soo-deok's area of expertise.

Maybe that's why.

Leaning back on the sofa, Jo Soo-deok asked leisurely.

"What kind of talent are you looking for?"

"They just need to be smart."

"And what's your definition of smart? IQ? Academic background? GPA?"

"Any of those would be fine, as long as they have one outstanding trait."

"Can you give me an example?"

"Someone who can recite pi to several decimal places would be fine. As long as they can fill two blackboards with it."

Pi? Two blackboards?

Jo Soo-deok rubbed his ear, wondering if he had heard correctly.

But Martin continued mumbling to himself.

"Or someone who can solve any Rubik's Cube in about five seconds… Or someone who can memorize the order of a whole deck of cards at a glance…"

"Hold on a second."

"…?"

"What you just mentioned… can you do those things?"

"I can do all of them."

W-what?

Jo Soo-deok's throat bobbed noticeably.

"Are you saying you can glance at a deck of cards and memorize the entire sequence?"

"You don't try to memorize the information; you remember the scene as a whole. It's not particularly difficult once you get the hang of it…"

'Not particularly difficult, my foot!'

Jo Soo-deok quickly pulled his hand off the back of the sofa.

Then, clasping his hands together neatly, he spoke politely.

"It doesn't seem like your difficulty in finding people is due to your personality or connections…"

"So what's the problem?"

"Have you considered that your requirements might be too strict?"

"But they just need to be smart. How is that a problem?"

Taking a deep breath, Jo Soo-deok continued.

"Well, let's do it my way for now. We'll start by interviewing top graduates. I can gather at least 50 people for you…"

"…"

"It's okay if they're not geniuses, as long as they're diligent. Don't you think?"

"Ugh."

Unlike the sighing Martin.

"Let's start with the interviews, and we can talk about Rubik's Cubes or card tricks later. Got it? That's how we'll do it."

Jo Soo-deok wrapped things up without waiting for a reply.

***

After finishing my meal, I headed to an arcade.

When someone asks what I did after earning all that money.

"I played a ton of video games."

I wanted to have a clear answer.

No one would be able to doubt it.

I had a witness right here.

"Would you like to play a game?"

"No, I'm fine."

As soon as I get back home, Chairman Park will call in everyone around me.

Knowing his personality, he won't just let it slide.

He'll likely summon the translator and ask all sorts of questions.

And if all he hears is talk about video games?

"He made a fortune… and you thought he'd invest it wisely, but all he did was play games?"

He'll show his disappointment immediately.

Heh heh heh.

For that to happen, I'll have to keep pressing these buttons diligently.

Tap. Tap tap.

Fortunately, the games were fun.

I couldn't handle the dizziness from 3D console games, but I had quite an interest in retro games.

No surprise there.

'When I was a kid, electronic games were a rare treat.'

Friends with game consoles were few and far between, and even if they had one, they rarely let you play.

So going to the arcade with a hundred or two hundred won was the only option.

Of course, just having money didn't guarantee anything.

There were always gangsters hanging around the arcade, so you had to carefully watch for an opening to finally sit in front of a machine.

'Sigh, what a struggle.'

Smirk.

But now, it's all just a memory.

Lost in thought, I sat in front of the game machine for hours.

TL/n - 

You can read

[

Chaebol up to Chapter 58+

An Investor Who Sees Future up to Chapter 56+ 

Hollywood Actor up to Chapter 55+

Perfect Hero up to Chapter 59+

Devil's Idol up to Chapter 20+

Soar to Stardom up to Chapter40 +

Wizard with a System up to Chapter 70+

]

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