God of money

by Stayrr

Is money really everything in a life? If you could live through your life again you must become a God of money. A person who lives for money. A person who treats money with the worth it deserves.

2. 33

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"Hey, Woosung. Hey!"

Woosung was about to pass through the main entrance when he heard someone calling.

"Oh, hi. What are you guys doing here?"

"Obviously we're here to attend the seminar. You too?"

"Not exactly."

"That car…You're driving it now?" Park Jonghyun asked enviously.

Woosung nodded.

"Awesome! It was from…Jang Gwangchul, right?"

Woosung nodded again and waved at Yoon Chanjong.

"Oh, you're here too?"

"Nice to see you again. I think this seminar will be really helpful for us."

Woosung didn't answer, but he asked expectantly instead. "So which seminars are you guys going to attend?"

"I'm gonna hear whatever Chanjong wants." Park Jonghyun answered first.

Yoon Chanjong answered as well. "A co-worker told me about the GUI Test Tool. So that would be my first one."

Woosung smiled secretly. "Really?"

Just then, Woosung noticed other old classmates arriving, including Cha Yeoreum. "Woosung, you're…here too."

"Haha, we meet again." Suddenly, Woosung's phone rang. "Yes, I'm here. Alright, I'll be there."

After the call, Woosung started to walk faster while the others followed. Park Jonghyun murmured unhappily.

"What's the hurry?"

Yoon Chanjong tried to calm Park Jonghyun. "We need to get going anyway too."

Everyone entered the hotel and Woosung disappeared into the crowd.Woosung arrived at the room prepared for the speakers. He looked around and saw a familiar face.

'Hong Soobum?'

He was the founder of a popular chat app Coconut. By 2018, over 40 million users would be using it in Korea. Hong Soobum represented what everyone in the IT field wanted to become.

'That's right. He is supposed to do a presentation on the future of mobile apps.'

Hong Soobum was wiping his hands with a wet towel. In 10 years, he would become the face of the Korean IT industry. Woosung's heart beat fast. He approached him and extended out his hand to him.

"Hello, sir."

Hong Soobum looked up in surprise.

"M…me?"

"Yes, sir. I am a big fan of yours and it is an honor to meet you here."

"Oh…I think you must be mistaken. I'm not a famous person."

"Haha, not now, but you will be. It's going to happen."

"Oh…ok…"

"You just keep doing what you're doing."

"Oh… ok…?"

Hong Soobum didn't know how to respond. He looked at Woosung with eyes filled with suspicions. Woosung thought for a second.

'If I develop Coconut, will it become just as popular?'

It wasn't hard to create the app, but the success of a product didn't depend just on developing it. The success it got needed something more.

'It would be safer to just invest in the project rather than making it myself.'

As they shook their hands, Hong Soobum asked Woosung.

"Umm…could you let my hand go now?"

Woosung let him go and apologized.

"Haha, sorry. I'm your biggest fan. Could I get your business card?"

Hong Soobum took out a card in silence.

-Nexter Client Development Team 1.

-Team leader Hong Soobum.

The past was as Woosung remembered. In the future, Coconut would be created by several developers from the biggest portal site Nexter. They were the true geniuses, unlike Woosung who was cheating.

Woosung had great respect for such people.

"Thank you. I'd love to speak with you again."

Woosung left to find an empty seat while Hong Soobum wiped his hands again with another towel.

Woosung continued to look around to see if he could find anyone he recognized. He felt disappointed to find none when a representative from Microsoft approached him.

"You made it."

Lee Seungwon.

They had met before to discuss the conference.

"Yes. Haha. I hope I can be of help today."

"As I said before, you have nothing to worry about. US headquarter loved your plugin. They would love to have you at this summer's MVP Global Summit as well."

MVP Global Summit.

It was a meeting of the recognized developers from all over the world.

"I will try to make it."

"If you ever are looking for a job, please let me know. You are welcome here."

Woosung smiled. Daesan was going to be the last time he would work for someone. He planned to quit after completing his project on development process consulting. Lee Seungwon confirmed the schedule with Woosung.

"Your seminar is right before lunch. After you're finished, please have a complimentary lunch at the hotel and then you're free to go. Good luck."

Lee Seungwon left, and Woosung turned on his laptop to go over his presentation.Yoon Chanjong asked Cha Yeoreum.

"When we are done here, we are going to the seminar on GTT. How about you?"

Cha Yeoreum frowned.

He must've been referring to 'GUI Test Tool and Agile method.' Her classmates didn't seem to know, but Cha Yeoreum remembered the name of the speaker for this seminar.

Woosung Kang.

She suspected that it was the same Woosung they all knew.

"I…"

She asked her co-worker Yang Jungsuk.

"I think 'Visual studio A-Z' would be better. It's something we're going to work with a lot."

Cha Yeoreum couldn't decide. She wanted to see if it really was Woosung. Yang Jungsuk stared at Cha Yeoreum.

'I'm pretty sure she likes me. If she wanted to spend time with me, she should've just said so rather than ask me to go to a seminar together.'

Yang Jungsuk grinned in secrecy. Park Jonghyun saw this and flinched. He could feel that this guy was dangerous.

"I think I will attend the agile method seminar after all."

When Cha Yeoreum made the decision, all the male co-workers agreed. Other women frowned at them, but they didn't care. Park Jonghyun stated.

"Well, I guess that's it. Let's go."

Park Jonghyun was the first to notice Woosung.

"Hey, why is he standing over there?"

Yoon Chanjong looked at the stage and asked. "Who?"

"Can't you see him? That's Woosung."

Park Jonghyun pointed at the person standing on the stage checking the laptop and the microphone. Yoon Chanjong murmured.

"It really is him. What is he going there?"

"Maybe he's temping…Well, he works at such a small company and makes no money so it's no wonder he needs a second job."

Cha Yeoreum looked ahead as well.

'I was right.'

She was right. Woosung stood in front of the microphone and introduced himself.

"Hello. My name is Woosung Kang and I will be speaking to you about GUI Test Tool and agile method."

Park Jonghyun and Yoon Chanjong gasped while Cha Yeoreum sighed.Cha Yeoreum's heart was pounding.

Did she still like him?

No.

Was it respect for his talent?

No.

Envious?

No.

She couldn't figure out what she was feeling. Her cheeks reddened. Yang Jungsuk kept giving her sly glances.

'I need to be alone with her ASAP. I should offer her to drive home today.'

Cha Yeoreum was not paying attention to him.

"Haha, I didn't expect to see so many people. I will do my best to be informative. Next please."

Next slide.

Woosung felt powerful. A man looked the best when he was focused on his work. Woosung was the expert here. Park Jonghyun stuttered in shock.

"T…that's really Woosung. So he didn't come here to listen."

"He came here to present?" Yoon Chanjong added.

Park Jonghyun asked Cha Yeoreum. "This is crazy. I didn't realize Woosung was this good. No wonder you used to date him. Did you know about this?"

Cha Yeoreum couldn't answer.

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She felt confused. When she saw him a few times recently, she didn't think much of it.

He was only a salaryman at a small company.

That was how she saw him at first. However, that was because Cha Yeoreum was unaware of all the facts.

He fixed major server problems.

He also now worked as a consultant.

At the time, she had no idea how much Woosung had accomplished. Now she knew.

Presenter.

Speaker.

He was a big deal. Cha Yeoreum shook her head. Yang Jungsuk thought.

'So they used to date?' It was obvious. They used to date. He had a competition. 'Is she just playing me?'

Yang Jungsuk's imagination ran wild as Woosung continued.

"GTT is a plugin for Visual Studio. The program is designed as a screen test tool. It's currently being used by Nuri Finances' HTS project and has shown to be effective. It's easy to use. The code is available for free at Github and Source Forge."

Woosung continued comfortably. Park Jonghyun, Yoon Chanjong, and Cha Yeoreum still couldn't believe it. They all stared at Woosung in silence.

"If you want to become a contributor, please provide additional codes at Github. Microsoft is also interested in this project, so it would be beneficial for all of you to take interest as well. Now, let's get to the practical side and some examples. Next please."

The screen changed to the next slide. Woosung looked like he was in control of the entire conference.

"10:5. Before we applied the agile method, it used to take 10 days to develop a new function. now, it only takes 5 days."

Cha Yeoreum's heart continued to pound hard. She looked around to see if anyone noticed her state, thankfully no one was paying attention to her. She looked again at Woosung as she bit her nails.

"If you aren't sure about this plugin, just try it."

Woosung continued. Cha Yeoreum gripped her hands tight.After lunch, Woosung left the hotel for a walk. He planned to stay to listen to Hong Soobum's presentation on "The future of the mobile world."

Since his presentation, his phone was ringing nonstop.

"They must've been really shocked."

Park Jonghyun and Yoon Chanjong kept calling him, but he didn't answer. Then, a text message arrived.

"Where are you?"

Three words.

It was from Cha Yeoreum.

"Cha Yeoreum…why?"

They haven't contacted each other since they broke up.

"Maybe she saw my presentation?"

His phone rang again. He sat on a bench and, alas, he answered. Park Jonghyun asked to meet him and they all ended up at the hotel lobby. Park Jonghyun along with Cha Yeroeum, Yoon Chanjong, and Yang Jungsuk asked.

"This is crazy. You were awesome. Did you ask Microsoft to participate? Come on! Tell me. How did this happen?"

Woosung took a sip of his coffee and answered. "I developed a program needed at work. When I uploaded it, I got an email from Microsoft. They asked me to speak at the conference."

Park Jonghyun couldn't believe it. "You developed this?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"That's impossible. Don't you remember what you told me when we were still at school? You said you hated developing programs."

Woosung remembered the conversation. It was true, but he needed to earn a living, and he ended up becoming a developer.

"That's right. I remember." He said with a laugh.

"Now you made a program and Microsoft calls you? How could I believe that?"

"I guess it sounds impossible."

"Hey!" Park Jonghyun yelled at Woosung's mocking tone.

They have known each other for many years. Woosung continued to laugh.

"So you're saying you studied really hard after you landed on your job, and your skills improved this fast?" Yoon Chanjong asked this time.

He was asking seriously. Woosung tried to give an earnest answer. He knew this day would come when he needed to have a logical explanation.

"Something like that. Before graduation, I realized how lacking I was. I could see other classmates getting jobs, but not me. Since then, I studied nonstop. All day, every day."

"You are lying. I remember drinking with you all the time around that time." Park Jonghyun glared at him.

Woosung didn't realize he would ask this. He was now sweating.

"Oh…well, I studied when we weren't drinking."

"Was there ever a day when we didn't go out for a drink? We went out every single day."

Woosung laughed awkwardly.

"R…really? Haha. Hahaha…"

He wanted to get out of this situation as fast as possible. Cha Yeoreum just stared at him with her lips shut. Thankfully, someone came up to Woosung.

"Oh! Wow! This is a pleasant surprise. I was just about to call you."

"Oh…hello, sir."

Jang Gwanchul greeted him. "Sir? Come on! Call me brother."

He was covered in gold. Gold necklace and rings…His hair was spiked. He looked like a typical gang member.

"Alright, big brother. What are you doing here?"

Checking the time on his Rolex, Jang Gwangchul grabbed Woosung.

"Hahaha, I'm here for the seminar. It's time to go now. Come with me. I have someone I want you to meet."

Woosung checked his watch too. It was time for 'The future of the mobile world'.

"Um…I need to go to a seminar."

"Are you talking about 'The future of the mobile world?'"

"How…"

"Right? I knew it. Let's go. I will explain on the way."

He wanted to leave his friends anyway, so Woosung followed. However, everyone else also stood up.

"Great. We were going to attend that same seminar anyway."

"Oh! Are these your friends?"

Woosung nodded and Jang Gwangchul laughed.

"Hahaha. That would make you my friends too then. Let's all go together."

"The next seminar will start in 10 minutes."

"The next seminar will start in 10 minutes."

The loud announcement hurried them.Hong Soobum's presentation was genius. He talked as if he could see the future. Everything he predicted all came true. Woosung knew this and couldn't hide his shock.

"In the future, you'll be able to do everything in your hand. Mobile! We'll be able to connect to the internet, monitor our health, and control the entire house in our hands."

He was right.

"iPhone. It isn't a popular thing yet, but Apple made a statement when it released it. They promised to change how people saw and used phones. iPhone will become a portable computer for everyone. PDA? That's garbage."

It was incredible. Woosung didn't want to miss a thing. Jang Gwangchul asked.

"What do you think?"

"It's amazing."

"Haha, you think so too?"

The idea clearly took Jang Gwangchul's interest, which meant one thing: It was going to generate a lot of money.

"Are you thinking about investing?"

"No, I'm already an investor of it."

"Oh!"

"He told me he wanted to make something, so I told him I will give him the money to do whatever he wanted to do."

"Just like you did for me."

Jang Gwangchul smiled. "Exactly. I told him to consider me his older brother."

"You must have a lot of little brothers."

"Hahaha. You need to diversify your portfolio."

Woosung looked at Hong Soobum again. He was most likely working on Coconut now. He wasn't aware Jang Gwangchul was an investor.

"We have already entered the mobile world. The only thing left to decide is whether to become part of it or become left behind. You need to choose now."

That was the end of the presentation.

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"Let's have a drink with Soobum." Jang Gwangchul said to Woosung.

A conversation with Hong Soobum. He couldn't miss it, but…He looked at his friends who were expecting more answers from him.

"I need to go somewhere…How about you guys?"

Yoon Chanjong hesitated.

"Didn't you say you were going to buy us lunch?" Park Jonghyun answered instead.

Woosung grinned. "I didn't mean you."

This did not discouraged Park Jonghyun. "Whatever. We're all friends here. If you're going to buy Chanjong lunch, then I should come along too."

"Haha, you haven't changed."

"Obviously. So what about that lunch? Oh! You said Yeoreum can join too, right?"

Park Jonghyun looked at Cha Yeoreum, who nodded in agreement. Then suddenly, Yang Jungsuk offered.

"Haha, I think he must be busy. How about I buy you guys lunch instead?"

Woosung smiled and murmured. "This guy is making things awkward."

"Hmm?"

Woosung answered. "I can't today but call me anytime and we'll meet up soon."

Woosung then left with Jang Gwangchul. Yoon Chanjong and Cha Yeoreum looked at him wistfully while Yang Jungsuk glared at him.

'Who the hell does he think he is?'A warm spring day.

It was only 5PM, but Jang Gwanchul took them to a bar and ordered drinks. Hong Soobum, Woosung, and Jang Gwangchul drank together.

"Hahaha! Cheers!" Jang Gwangchul snickered. "So you guys have already met each other. It's all meant to be. Oh, and Woosung, you could've told me you were going to speak today. I would've come to watch."

"I figured you must be busy."

"Not for you guys, so don't ever hesitate to call me."

Woosung bit into a piece of apple and asked. "And how many people have you charmed like this?"

"Hahaha! Don't be jealous! It's not me who charms, I'm the one who gets charmed."

Woosung ate the rest of the apple and replied. "Whatever you say."

"You don't believe me? Come on, Soobum. Defend me."

Hong Soobum wiped his fork and cup several times and answered. "He's right. Most people ask to meet Jang Gwangchul."

"See?"

"Fine, fine."

"Now how should I address you? Team leader?" Woosung turned to Hong Soobum and asked with an aura of seriousness.

"That would be fine."

Woosung continued. "I would like to learn about what you're working on."

Hong Soobum looked at Jang Gwangchul for an approval. When Jang Gwangchul nodded, he answered carefully.

"The keyword in this mobile era is 'Connection.'"

As soon as he heard the word, Woosung remembered how Coconut worked. He murmured.

"Connecting people. You mean online chat."

Hong Soobum paused. Jang Gwangchul looked at him knowingly. Hong Soobum continued.

"Current text messaging system isn't great. It takes too long and limited UX (user experience) makes it feel like you're getting a notice rather than conversing. I would like to change that."

Woosung nodded. Everything the man said was true. His heart pounded. He wanted to be part of this project.

"Just like you said at your presentation, you want to make something like iPhone."

"Not necessarily…I just want to create a smoother and faster service."

"And if you want that, you'll have to minimize the amount of necessary data."

"Yes. I need to find something faster than HTTP or socket. A method specialized for mobile phones."

Woosung had to refrain himself from spilling the beans. By 2018, there was such a technology. He was dying to tell him, but Woosung asked instead.

"So how far are you thinking to go? Just chat app?"

"I want to connect everything. Not just person to person, but to stores, products, and so on."

"Hahaha. Soobum thinks big. I love it." The now excited Jang Gwangchul added.

"iPhone hasn't even been released in Korea yet. Many people are still unfamiliar with the concept of mobile phones. Don't you think you are way too ahead?"

"It would be too late if I develop it after it becomes popular."

He was right. Jang Gwangchul emptied his cup again and asked Hong Soobum.

"So the problem is that socket and HTTP are too heavy, too slow, and use up too much data."

"That's right."

Jang Gwangchul turned to Woosung with excitement.

"What do you think? You think you can fix this problem?"

Woosung nodded, which made Hong Soobum flinch. Woosung's eyes sparked as he added.

"But I would like to get a slice of this company."

"Hahaha, you're so fierce."

Hong Soobum filled his cup and replied.

"If you can really fix this problem, then I will give you some shares. We'll have to discuss on how much though."

Woosung answered posthaste.

"MQTT. You can use the ultra light Pub/Sup format message protocol."

Hong Soobum frowned. "MQTT? I've never heard of it."

It was because MQTT was not available in the mainstream market yet.

"Really? Haha. Well I know of it, and you need it. Now, let's talk about my shares."

Jang Gwangchul laughed again, but Hong Soobum remained stiff.MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport).

It was first suggested by IBM in 1999. Later, Facebook used it for its messaging app. The two advantages of MQTT were its minimal battery and data usage and mobile phones needed these advantages badly. It was a perfect solution.

However, in 2008, it wasn't yet a popular technology, so it was not a surprise Hong Soobum didn't know about it yet. Woosung explained the system to him, who understood the concept right away. Even Jang Gwangchul nodded as if he understood as well, which was a surprise to Woosung.

"Do you understand all of this?" Woosung asked Jang Gwangchul.

"Of course. I never invest in things I don't understand."

"Oh?"

"I may be a daytime trader, but after the market closes, I study. That's why Soobum accepted my investment."

Hong Soobum nodded. "You're not quite there yet."

"Well, I'm not the developer, so I think I know enough."

Jang Gwangchul.

He surprised Woosung, and it was a pleasant surprise. Woosung felt like he could trust him a bit more now.

"So what do you think about my solution?"

"If you can achieve what you just described, it would be perfect for my project."

Woosung knew the final decision was Jang Gwangchul's.

He turned to him and asked. "So my share would be?"

Jang Gwangchul looked at Hong Soobum for his opinion.

"If what Woosung said is true, then it will be crucial for our project. If he is not successful, then we will have to continue to look elsewhere or release an imperfect product."

"Did you hear him? He said crucial."

Woosung quipped.

"Hahaha! Fine, 10%…no I will give you 15%, but you need to come up with perfection, not some shabby product."

15% of Coconut stocks.

In 2018, Coconut was worth 10 billion dollars. 15% would be 1.5 billion dollars.

"Haha, of course. Now as a shareholder, could I give you a suggestion?"

Woosung raised his glass.

"Let's name it Coconut. The chat app could be called Coconut Talk!"

Hong Soobum agreed. "That's a great idea."

Jang Gwangchul had no objections either. Woosung felt excited to be the one naming this incredible product. However, Jang Gwangchul gave Woosung a stern warning.

"But everything depends if you can deliver, Woosung. Remember that."

"Haha, of course. I understand."

Woosung's eyes glinted.

'Wait for me, Choi Gichul.'

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Sunday Morning.

Woosung woke up with a groan.

"…I drank too much last night."

He reached for the cup of warm honey water his mother left on the nightstand. Sitting up, he drank the whole thing. He could feel immediate relief right away.

"Phew, it's good to be young."

26 years old.

Simple honey water could cure his hangover. Woosung thought about what had happened last night.

1.5 billion dollars.

He couldn't stop smiling. The only thing that worried him now was the amount of work he had to complete.

"Algorithm trading system and MQTT…So much to do."

However, all of these hard work would all be worth it. He showered and sat down in front of his computer. He couldn't waste a single day. He wanted to become the best developer in the world. He put his hands on the keyboard.

"Let's get going."

Woosung started his research.

"MQTT"

"MQTT release"

"MQTT source code"

He tried searching as much about it as possible, but there wasn't much information available. MQTT was openly available in 2010 and became known worldwide in 2011 only after Facebook applied it to its massaging app.

"Hmm…so I need to start from scratch."

Any developer could do it, especially someone like him with 10 years of IT knowledge and experience.

'But how could I make it fast and perfect?'

Woosung thought carefully.

He couldn't spend all his time on this one project. He had to finish the algorithm trading system by September. If he could find a reference code, things would go faster. Suddenly, Woosung remembered something.

"Apache ActiveMQ?"

Apache ActiveMQ.

Like MQTT, Apache ActiveMQ was also in publish-subscribe format. Pub/sub for short, it was a messaging pattern where all subscribers would immediately receive any communication published. A similar system was used for both Android and iPhone.

Not to mention, Apache ActiveMQ was available for free.

Woosung found the appropriate code on the internet and started creating the MQTT program.

Type.

Type.

Type.

The only sound in his room was his typing. Woosung told his parents not to disturb him until he came out of his room. He didn't want to lose his concentration.

Buzz.

Buzz.

His cell phone vibrated but Woosung ignored it. After a few more hours, Woosung finally stretched his arms and stood up.

"Phew, I think I got a lot done…"

He checked his progress. It was only 3 pm and he completed about 30% of the work already. Things worked out faster than he expected. Apache ActiveMQ was a huge help, but most of all, Woosung's fury and determination were great motivators.

"Ouch, my back…I need to get a gym membership and start working out."

Woosung's phone rang again. It was from Park Jonghyun. When he checked the call history, it looked like he missed 9 calls. It was from Park Jonghyun and Yoon Chanjong. Suddenly, it started to ring again.

"Yeoreum?"Cha Yeoreum.

They were each other's first love. They dated only for 6 months, but it was unforgettable. Woosung dated a few more women after her, but he never felt the same way with anyone else.

However, first love would never work out. It was time to let it go. They had good times, but they had painful times too. There was a reason why they broke up.

He let the phone ring till it stopped, but it immediately started to ring once more. It was from Park Jonghyun again. Woosung knew how persistent he could be.

As soon as he answered, Park Jonghyun yelled.

"Why didn't you answer my call?" He continued quickly. "You said yesterday that you'll buy us a meal at any time. So it's going to be tonight."

"Fine, fine."

Woosung could hear Park Jonghyun talking to someone else nearby.

"He said ok."

"Then ask him to come here."

"Hurry up."

"Ask him."

"Do it!"

The group seemed to have come to an agreement. Park Jonghyun asked carefully.

"We are all together right now studying. Do you want to come where we are? You can give us some tips on how to study. Chanjong wants to know too. You owe him one, remember?"

"There is no way Chanjong would say I owe him. You're making things up, aren't you?"

"N…no way. Chanjong's right here. Do you want to speak to him?"

"Don't worry about it. Where are you?"

It was true Yoon Chanjong helped Woosung a lot in the past. Woosung turned off his computer and left the room.

His friends were somewhere near Gangnam station.

It was a Sunday afternoon and the streets were crowded. Woosung kept walking, trying to find where they are.

"I wish I had a smartphone now."

Without GPS, it was not easy to find places. He kept looking around and tried to remember the directions Park Jonghyun gave.

"Around the corner of the supermarket, then to the end of the block…"

Finally, he found the place named Successful Studying'. In front of the main door was Yang Jungsuk smoking. Woosung didn't know his name, so he ignored and walked past him, but Yang Jungsuk recognized Woosung and called him out.

"You."

"Me?"

"Don't even think about getting back together with Yeoreum."

He was ridiculous. What's wrong with this guy?

"What?"

Yang Jungsuk threw away his cigarette and replied. "Don't make me say it again."

Then he just walked upstairs to the study room like nothing happened. Woosung looked at him in disgust.

"What a psycho."

Woosung followed quick and found seven people in the room. Some looked familiar. Woosung walked towards Cha Yeoreum on purpose.

"Haha, we meet again. I made a promise, so let's go out for dinner. I remember Yeoreum likes steaks, so let's go to a hotel in Itaewon. I went to a buffet there and it was good."

Cha Yeoreum reddened.

"Oh…ok."

Tap, tap.

Woosung tapped her arm in a cassual way. It seemed like a familiar gesture they would both often do, which made Yang Jungsuk furious. Woosung didn't stop there though. He touched her ear.

"You have something on your ear."

Both Yeoreum and Jungsuk reddened even more, but Woosung ignored them and greeted others around him. Then he turned to Yang Jungsuk and whispered to him.

"Don't even think about asking Yeoreum out, you crazy bastard."

Grab.

Yang Jungsuk couldn't control his anger and grabbed Woosung.

"What did you just say?"

"Hey, what's wrong with you?"

"Jungsuk!"

"What are you doing?"

Some people tried to stop him, but Park Jonghyun and Yoon Chanjong gave Yang Jungsuk a look of pity instead.

"I barely studied when I went to school, but there is one thing I was always good at…" Woosung said as he grabbed Yang Jungsuk's hands. "It's sports."

"Ouch…!"

Yang Jungsuk moaned but Woosung didn't stop. He pulled Yang Jungsuk's hands away from him and squeezed.

"I trained so hard at the gym, people used to joke about how my brain must be made of pure muscles."

Yang Jungsuk couldn't hide his shock and embarrassment. He was sweating profusely. Woosung pushed Yang Jungsuk away, making him fall on the floor. He looked at him and murmured.

"You better watch it."

Everyone could see Woosung meant it as a real threat. The room turned silent until Park Jonghyun tried lifting the mood.

"Woosung, don't be like that. Let's go."

Yoon Chanjong added.

"Woosung…"

Woosung shrugged and replied.

"Ok, but I don't think it's a good idea to go for dinner tonight. Sorry."

Woosung left the room, followed by Park Jonghyun, Yoon Chanjong, and Cha Yeoreum.

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Chapter 37: lt;It's overgt;

"You need to control your temper." Park Jonghyun said to Woosung.

"Patience is not always a virtue."

"Whatever. Instead of buying us dinner, buy us drinks."

"Drinks?"

"Chanjong, that's ok, right? How about you, Yeoreum?" Both nodded. Park Jonghyun continued right away. "Then let's go. How about soju and pork belly?"

No one really cared about the dinner. What they really wanted to know was how Woosung became a successful developer. Woosung wasn't interested in spending time with his friends for today since he has a lot of things he had to finish, but he felt like he owed them.

"Pork belly? I can buy you steaks if you want."

"Wow! I knew you're rich!"

"Steaks are expensive. Pork belly is just fine. When you become even more successful, you can buy us steaks then." Yoon Chanjong replied cautiously.

"Haha, I don't mind buying you expensive dinner."

His friends didn't know about Woosung's financial situation. They didn't know how much he made last night.

"Well, let's go."

They ended up at a small pork belly eatery.

"Please get us five bottles of soju and two beers."

Park Jonghyun ordered by the time they set foot on the store and asked Woosung.

"So your temper hasn't changed, but your skills certainly have. You need to explain yourself."

"Hmm…Where should I begin?"

"From the beginning."

"Let's drink first."

Park Jonghyun filled everyone's glasses. After a few sips of beer, Woosung started to explain. He described how hard he studied during the winter break. He learned fast, and he developed a plugin for Visual Studio for his work. He ended up making it available for free online, and Microsoft contacted him and asked him to speak at the conference. Woosung also briefly explained how he met Jang Gwangchul.

It was an unbelievable story, but the three had no choice but to believe it. Park Jonghyun finally asked.

"So you just did it? That's it?"

"Haha, I guess that sums it up."

"I can't believe that you are actually a smart person." Park Jonghyun murmured.

"Hahaha, at least smarter than you."

"Hey, hey! My GPA was 3.5, while yours was 3.0."

"But the joke's on you. I have a job, and you don't."

"Dammit!"

Park Jonghyun finished his drink.

"Gosh, this tastes great!"

It was nice to chat with his friends. Woosung felt carefree for once after a long time. He couldn't believe he almost forgot all about these amazing people. After having more drinks, Park Jonghyun asked.

"So the only thing left for you to do is to find a girlfriend. You have an awesome car, so there must be girls lining up to date you."

Cha Yeoreum was right there, but Park Jonghyun asked anyway. Woosung glanced at her and answered.

"Not yet. I have so much to do right now."

"Really? What could be more important than your love life at the age of 26?"

"Hahaha! You could never understand."

As they bantered, Cha Yeoreum glanced at Woosung. Their eyes met, but Woosung looked away. Yoon Chanjong noticed this and asked.

"By the way, you two are working together, right? Woosung works for Nuri Finances, and Yeoreum too, right?"

Park Jonghyun's eyes widened.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Wow, it's like you guys are meant to be together. Good luck to you. You would be lucky to have Yeoreum back."

Park Jonghyun said excitedly, but Woosung answered with a firm tone.

"That will never happen. It's not the right time anyway."

Cha Yeoreum flounced by striking the table with her glass.

"What do you mean not the right time? It should be either yes or no, but you always are so vague about everything."

Woosung didn't like hearing this. One of the reasons why they broke up was because Woosung disliked Yeoreum's nagging.

"Well, what about you?"

"What about me?"

"You are always so angry. You got annoyed at everything I did and said. When I asked you what was wrong, you wouldn't even answer me."

"You should've known."

"I never spoke to you in anger while we dated. In that 6 months, it was always you who got angry." Cha Yeoreum couldn't answer him. Woosung looked at her with his cold eyes. "Was I supposed to always take your anger? When I yelled at you that one time, do you remember what you said to me?"

Woosung knew that they could never get back together. He read somewhere that there was an 82% chance a couple would get back together, but only 3% chance it would work out long term.

When Cha Yeoreum couldn't answer, Woosung replied.

"You told me it was over. I was so patient for you, and at the end, it was you who wanted to end it."

Cha Yeoreum kept drinking. She was immature then, Woosung was too. Was it because they were so young?

"You are still such an idiot." Cha Yeoreum said to Woosung as she stood up.

Then she walked out. Park Jonghyun looked at them in shock.

On his way back home, Woosung felt relieved. He now knew that without a doubt, Yeoreum and he could never get back together. They would fight and break up again anyway.

Whatever he thought he might still feel for her was just him reminiscing. He remembered the bad times with her. The way she looked at him towards the end of their relationship.

He knew she looked at him in a different light now than in his previous life. The only difference was that he was successful now. She was showing interest because he was a better developer and not because she genuinely loved him.

He was done with her.

He returned home and went back to working on MQTT where he worked until late into the night.

The next morning.

When he arrived at work, what Woosung saw made him feel gloomy.

The desks were littered with empty frozen food dishes, pizza trays, and energy drink cans.

Park Junwoo, Kim Yonggun, and Yoon Gihwan.

They worked all weekend. Woosung remembered working this hard in his previous life. This was necessary to become successful, but it was such a hard road.

Woosung asked, his voice quivering.

"What's this? Did you guys work all weekend?"

Yoon Gihwan woke up from a nap and answered.

"Oh, you're here."

Both Kim Yonggun and Park Junwoo woke up as well and greeted Woosung.

"Did you guys go home at all?"

Yoon Gihwan put his hand on Woosung's shoulder and answered.

"Don't you remember telling us that if we can't show you what we can do, you won't keep us? So we're working hard."

Woosung bit his lips as he wallowed in his own guilt.

"I told you to work hard, not nonstop."

Woosung remembered how he used to work like this. It was such a hard time. Yoon Gihwan tapped his shoulder and replied.

"If you aren't smart, you should work harder to make up for it."

Woosung smiled bitterly. He used to say that all the time.

"Ha…ha…"

"We don't want to embarrass you, so we're going to do our best!"

Kim Yonggun agreed and added.

"That's right. Now, before the market opens, let's have a brief meeting about what we accomplished over the weekend."

Woosung bit his lips again. He was ready to work. He wanted to work even harder so he doesn't disappoint these people.

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Chapter 38: lt;It's overgt;

Park Junwoo and Kim Yonggun were first to explain.

"We finished all the test codes for the HTS over the weekend." They then turned on the computer screen. Scrolling down, they showed Woosung their work. "We're still not as skilled as you are, but we tried to follow your format as much as possible. The first thing you need to see is…"

Before Park Junwoo could finish his sentence, Woosung asked.

"Wait. Show me the 47th line again. Something's not right."

"H…huh?"

When Park Junwoo scrolled down to the 47th line, Woosung continued.

"Our HTS allows each user to pick multiple items of interest. This means it works in an array format."

Park Junwoo listened carefully. As Woosung continued, he realized his mistake.

"If you test it like this, it can only be applied to the situation if a user only picked one item. If multiple items of interest were selected, this test wouldn't work."

"I…I see…"

Kim Yonggun groaned. Park Junwoo became speechless while Woosung continued.

"Could you scroll down a bit more?"

Was there another mistake? Park Junwoo moved his mouse with a shaking hand.

"Stop. Right here."

Park Junwoo and Kim Yonggun stared at the line Woosung pointed. No matter how hard they looked, they couldn't figure out what the problem was.

"As you can see, business logic is being applied to the test code."

Business logic.

It was a part of the program that encoded the real-world business rules. For test codes, such logic should not be involved.

Park Junwoo tried to make an excuse.

"W…well, it couldn't be helped…"

Woosung replied with a disappointed harshness. "Then why bother making test codes? You didn't make them just for show, did you?"

An intense tension filled the room. Kim Yonggun tried to explain.

"N…no, of course not. That part was to test the business logic, so I felt that even if it is included, it will still be an acceptable test."

"Then if the logic needs to be changed and applied, were you going to adjust both sides?" Woosung countered without a hint of hesitation.

Kim Yonggun remained silent. Park Junwoo's hands trembled harder than ever. Woosung continued.

"Please go on with your explanation. The market is going to open soon."

It was now 8:20 am.

Park Junwoo was a nervous wreck by the time he finished.

3:00 pm.

After the market closed, it was Yoon Gihwan's turn to show his work. A similar thing happened where Woosung questioned him several times.

Woosung didn't just provide corrections. He gave thorough explanations about his reasonings and gave helpful suggestions. He was kind and thoughtful the whole time.

All three felt embarrassed, but the information they gained was priceless. They accepted their submissive positions in earnesty.

Day after day, all of them worked in the same pattern. Every morning, Woosung checked and corrected the works done the day before. As time passed, Yoon Gihwan, Park Junwoo, Kim Yonggun became more knowledgeable and confident to a point where they could debate with Woosung.

Then one day.

Woosung murmured.

"I think you are all competent enough now that you'll be able to survive outside Daesan."

Woosung meant it as a compliment, but no one seemed happy to hear it. Kim Yonggun looked at Woosung in annoyance.

"Don't give us a half-assed compliment. Correct us. We feel better when you are teaching us."

"W…well… there is nothing more for me…"

Park Junwoo added.

"You need to be hard on us. That's the only way for us to get better."

Yoon Gihwan agreed.

"Be harsh!"

Knock, knock.

The door opened and Kwak Jungwook entered.

"It's time for the monthly meeting."

Friday 2:50 pm.

"Let's get going. It's time for the meeting." Kwon Hyungeun stood up and told Nam Kyungsang.

However, he was busy typing. Kwon Hyungeun asked again.

"Manager Nam, we need to go now."

He still didn't answer. Kwon Hyungeun was usually a very patient man, but he started this behavior is starting to get in his nerves. He placed his hand on Nam Kyungsang's shoulder. The man answered without turning around.

"I'll be done soon. I'm going to finish this part and go."

"What are you working on? Is it so important you're willing to miss the meeting?"

"You don't need to know. I'm almost done."

Nam Kyungsang still talked without turning around. Kwon Hyungeun started to breathe roughly.

"Manager Nam. Who is the PM here?"

"Uh…"

"I need to know everything about this project. I understand that you are busy, but you can't behave like this."

Nam Kyungsang repeated himself. "I'm telling you, don't worry about it. I'm almost done. Almost."

This wasn't Kwon Hyungeun's first day at work. He became suspicious.

"Manager Nam. Did you…make someone else do your work?"

Silence.

Silence meant Kwon Hyungeun was right. He reddened and yelled.

"Manager Nam!"

Kwon Hyungeun has never raised his voice before. Everyone looked shocked. Nam Kyungsang reddened in embarrassment.

"It…it's not like that."

"Then what!? Explain yourself!" Kwon Hyungeun accused.

Nam Kyungsang became even more flustered. "I'm almost finished. Please, just…just let it go this once." He continued to type but his fingers trembled.

"You…"

"I'll explain everything later."

Nam Kyungsang begged him. They have worked with each other for a long time, so Kwon Hyungeun couldn't ignore his plea.

"Fine. Just hurry up. We'll talk after the meeting."

Kwon Hyungeun left first. Nam Kyungsang sighed and focused again on his screen. After a few minutes, he finished up his work and connected to an uploading screen.

"Why is it so hard to upload a program?"

He complained and continued to click. After the final step, Nam Kyungsang ran to the conference room.

On his screen, a popup showed up titled 'Nuri Finances Enterprise DevOps System.'

Monthly meeting.

It was something every developer working for Nuri Finances feared. Project PMs especially hated this time.

On the screen were the list of topics. Kwak Jungwook began the meeting.

"We will start with the issues for each system for this month."

Daeyang System's PM was the first to speak.

"We'll begin with Daeyang System."

The screen changed to the list of main projects Daeyang was involved in. After his explanation, it was followed by similar presentations by PMs from ST, M3, and Daesan.

Next was the point system result.

Daeyang System

Number of bugs: 11

Number of bugs fixed: 11

Number of new function suggestions: 7

ST Data System

Number of bugs: 25

Number of bugs fixed: 24

Number of new function suggestions: 13

M3 Soft

Number of bugs: 7

Number of bugs fixed: 6

Number of new function suggestions: 2

Daesan System

Number of bugs: 0

Number of bugs fixed: 0

Number of new function suggestions: 7

"As you can see, Daesan was the only one with zero bugs. ST had the most number of new function suggestions, but also had the most number of bugs. Daeyang and M3 had similar numbers as last month."

zero bugs.

Yoon Gihwan had to fight back his tears. He felt so proud.

"Now we'll go over the total reward and penalty points."

The room fell silent again at Kwak Jungwook's announcement. Kwon Hyungeun rubbed his chin while Kwon Taegyun frowned. The screen changed, and as Kwak Jungwook was about to continue, someone came into the room suddenly.

"S…sorry."

"What's wrong?"

"The transactions aren't going through."

Kwak Jungwook asked the person hurriedly.

"What? Why?"

"I…I don't know. The system maintenance team is looking into it right now."

"What the hell…"

Jo Youngsuk rubbed his forehead and gritted his teeth. Everyone froze.

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Chapter 39: lt;It's overgt;

"Go check it out right now."

At Jo Youngsuk's order, PMs started to leave the room. Yoon Gihwan also stood up.

"Why aren't you getting up? We need to go and help."

But Woosung wasn't in a hurry. He smiled and answered.

"There is no need to go. We can check it right here using the DevOps system we created with M3."

Yoon Gihwan clapped as he got this eureka moment. "Oh yeah!"

Woosung raised his hand and announced.

"Manager Kwak, please connect to the DevOps system."

Kwak Jungwook did as Woosung asked.

http/devops.

He typed his ID and PW quick. When he was logged in, he could see four areas of red on the screen.

"All of the recent applications uploaded to the server are causing the problem. Let me see. It looks like they are all from ST."

People who were about to leave stayed to watch. Jo Youngsuk also stared at the screen.

"Manager Kwak, could I take over?"

Kwak Jungwook nodded as he gave Woosung the mouse. Woosung clicked a few times and explained.

"If you look here, there was a new version of a program uploaded today at 3:02 pm. The problem started right after that."

Kwak Jungwook asked in a panicked tone.

"C…can you fix it?"

"Well, let's roll back to the previous version. Can I go ahead?"

Kwak Jungwook hesitated and turned to Jo Youngsuk. Kwon Hyungeun interrupted suddenly.

"Wait, are you suggesting it's our server's problem? How can you just decide that without confirming everything?"

"You can see it on the screen. Are you saying you can't trust what you see?" Woosung answered posthaste.

Nam Kyungsang replied, his fury greater than ever.

"Of course we can't trust it. You didn't log in to our server to confirm it, so how can you be sure that it's our problem?"

Woosung smirked. "Do we really have the time to debate this right now?"

The only person who could make the decision was Jo Youngsuk. He looked at Woosung and ordered.

"Do it."

Woosung clicked the rollback button.

The red lights turned to green tight away as if nothing happened.

"Things are good now. You should call to check."

Kwak Jungwook made a call, and after hanging up, informed Jo Youngsuk. "Everything's back to normal."

The room became silent. A major problem was solved in less than 5 minutes.

"Manager Kwak, has there ever been a time when a major issue was fixed this quickly?"

"Never, sir."

"Right? I…I can't believe it."

Everything was back to normal, but many in the room became even tenser. Jo Youngsuk murmured angrily.

"Now, it's time to figure out who's responsible for this shenanigan."

He sounded like the grim ripper. Both Kwon Hyungeun and Nam Kyungsang turned pale.

Jo Youngsuk screamed at the ST members.

"If you're going to be like this, just quit! Do you think this is a joke? Do you even have a brain? You better be thankful I'm not suing your asses!"

The room was filled with anger and fear.

"And I heard ST did not accept Woosung's consultation?"

Kwon Hyungeun nodded in silence. There was nothing he could say that could make things better. All he could do was remain quiet.

"Manager Kwak, turn the screen on to the reward and penalty point totals."

-Daeyang System Penalty 1. Reward 5.

-ST Data System Penalty 6. Reward 7.

-M3 Soft Penalty 5. Reward 9.

-Daesan System Penalty 0. Reward 10.

"Well, it looks like we have a clear result." Jo Youngsuk scoffed with a sarcastic grin.

Kwon Hyungeun finally opened his mouth.

"But sir, we still have some time until the deadline…"

"Haha, really? There is still time?"

Jo Youngsuk asked in a mocking voice. Kwon Hyungeun's eyes shuddered.

"Manager Kwak, turn on the DevOps screen again." Kwak Jungwook did as he was told. "If we didn't have this system, how long do you think it would have taken us to fix the problem?"

No one answered.

"Has there ever been a developer here who could come up with a system like this?"

The room remained silent.

Everyone knew it was Woosung who created this new incredible program. Jo Youngsuk turned to Kwak Jungwook again.

"Manager Kwak, how many reward points do we give to a company that provides an excellent new function?"

"5 points."

"And as a general manager from the headquarters, what is the maximum number of points I can reward?"

"Up to 5 points, sir."

"Then give Daesan 10 more points." Kwon Hyungeun paled. Nam Kyungsang gasped in disbelief. Jo Youngsuk continued. "And how many penalty points do we give to a company that caused a major problem?"

"5 points again, and you can also add a maximum of 5 more points."

"Then ST gets 10 penalty points."

"Right away, sir."

Jo Youngsuk sneered and murmured.

"Do you still think you have the time to change the result?"

Kwon Hyungeun couldn't answer, but Nam Kyungsang replied.

"Sir, I think you are being too emotional. As you saw, ST came up with the most number of new functions."

Jo Youngsuk sneered again. "Really? Manager Kwak, open that file again."

ST Data System

Number of bugs: 25

Number of bugs fixed: 24

Number of new function suggestions: 13

"I see that you do have the many new functions, but what about the bugs?"

"Risks are necessary to come up with great products. If we didn't even try, then we wouldn't have had bugs either."

Jo Youngsuk pointed at the screen.

Daesan System

Number of bugs: 0

Number of bugs fixed: 0

Number of new function suggestions: 7

"Do you see the numbers for Daesan?"

It was game over.

Daesan had 7 new functions but no bugs. It was an obvious defeat by ST.

Jo Youngsuk slapped the table.

"You don't deserve to work here! I'm telling you that you are done. Get out! Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Nam Kyungsang couldn't say a word.

"Why are you still here? I said get out!"

No one could help them. When Nam Kyungsang left, Jo Youngsuk smiled and announced.

"Now everyone, don't forget that Woosung from Daesan will be running a seminar on big data. Attendance is mandatory."

He then stood up and gave Woosung a genuine smile.

"Haha, Woosung. Good job again. Everyone is excited about your seminar, so good luck."

Woosung bowed.

"Of course."

When Jo Youngsuk left the room, people could finally breathe.

Yoon Gihwan asked Woosung.

"How's it going with your seminar preparation? I heard the CEO himself and the chairmen are all going to come."

"There isn't much to prepare. I just have to let them know what I know."

"Well, I guess you'll do great."

"I think we are getting close to the end of our project here."

"So you really plan to quit after this? Do you think it's really a good idea?"

"Yes. Please make sure the headquarters understand."

"Alright. By the way, when should I quit?"

Yoon Gihwan looked at Woosung, expecting a plethora of answers.

"You and the other team members can quit after the algorithm trading system is completed and I start making profits."

Yoon Gihwan stood up.

"Ok. Let's get going."

Woosung followed him.

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Chapter 40: lt;It's overgt;

Na Jaeman.

He was the CEO of Nuri Finances, which belonged to the Nuri Enterprise.

Every Wednesday, various CEOs of Nuri Enterprise's subsidiary companies gathered around to discuss their respective performances and how to improve them.

He was a CEO, but he was still a salaryman. He still had to worry about his performance and feared the Wednesday meetings. Park Jiwon, who was the CEO of the company responsible for the credit card department joked.

"Jaeman, you are becoming arrogant!"

"Haha, you're funny."

"Your performance this quarter was amazing. You must be getting a huge incentive this quarter."

"If that's true, I'll buy you a drink."

"Haha, let's go somewhere fancy."

"Of course."

Park Jiwon tapped Na Jaeman's shoulder. "This is why I like you so much."

While they talked, an announcement was made.

"The chairman is here."

The room quieted down.

Shin Yongwon.

Nuri Enterprise's Chairman.

At the age of 67, Shin Yongwon boasted of great health. He exercised regularly and took great care of himself. Next came Shin Yongwon's oldest son Shin Gungu and daughter Shin Semi.

"We will now begin the 16th meeting of Nuri Enterprise. Let's start with our chant. Finance is performance!"

All the attendants raised their fists and repeated.

"Finance is performance!"

"Finance is performance!"

"Finance is performance!"

After the routine chant, the meeting finally began. Shin Yongwon always insisted they began with his motto.

"Then, let's start with the performance report."

The room filled with tension.

"Bank sector. 1% growth."

"Life insurance. No change from last month."

"Malpractice insurance. No change from last month."

Every time each sector was announced, the respective CEO's reacted accordingly depending on the number. Finally, Nuri Finances' result was mentioned.

"Finances. 3% growth."

Na Jaeman bit his lips and nodded while everyone else looked at him with a considerable amount of envy. This is the second month in a row Nuri Finances performed the best. Na Jaeman tried to hide his pleasure, but he couldn't stop giving a proud smile.

"Congratulations to Nuri Finances. Let's give him a round of applause."

Everyone clapped. Some looked at Na Jaeman with defeated envy, while others glared at him with scorn. Shin Yongwon took the microphone and announced.

"It seems like the finance sector is the only one working hard nowadays."

"Thank you, sir."

"So big data? Is it because of that project?"

"Currently, it's because of the new HTS system. Big data project will be applied soon as well."

"I see. Advisor Shin."

Shin Semi was one of the advisors to the chairman. With her expensive bob, Shin Semi looked sharp and attractive. Her eyes shone like diamonds. She looked both alluring and intimidating.

"Sir."

Her voice was sweet, a gorgeous woman of tremendous magnificence.

"So it's FinTech. It's something you're interested in, right Advisor Shin?"

FinTech.

It was an IT related technology in the financial service industry.

"Yes, sir. Soon, offline transactions will die out and everything will happen online. That is the direction we, Nuri Enterprise, need to follow."

"Yes, that. It seems like Nuri Finances is working on a related project so perhaps you could get involved."

"I will look into it."

"…And Director Shin."

Shin Gungu was the director of Nuri Enterprise. He was a younger version of Shin Yongwon. He was charismatic but with an unapproachable look.

"Yes, Chairman."

"Don't get involved yet but keep an eye on it."

"Yes, sir."

"Let's go onto the next topic."

After the meeting, Shin Semi approached Na Jaeman. Shin Semi was only 26 years old, but Na Jaeman still felt intimidated by her. He waited for her to lead the conversation.

'My performance was great this month so why does she want to talk to me…I hope it's not to reprimand me for something stupid.'

Nail.

That was Shin Semi's nickname. She was sharp and always found things others missed. Many feared her for this.

Na Jaeman tried to think of anything he may have missed.

"Don't be nervous. I just wanted to ask you about the big data project."

"Oh, that. We are currently having a little issue with Daeyang's report, so we are re-examining it."

"Re-examine?"

"An outsource company working on our HTS system found a problem with the project."

"So there is a problem with Daeyang's proposal?"

"Yes. So we are re-checking everything. In fact, we are planned to have a seminar about it next week."

"Are you referring to the seminar by a company called Daesan?"

"That's right."

"Daesan… Daesan… It doesn't sound familiar…"

"It's a small company worth only about 5 million dollars. It's not a company you would know."

"And you gave an important job to such a small company?" Shin Semi asked abruptly.

She accused, but Na Jaeman answered with confidence. "Daesan is currently the leading company in the reward/penalty system you suggested."

"Daesan? Not Daeyang?"

"There is a man named Woosung Kang in Daesan whose nickname is Midas. He will be speaking at this seminar."

"Woosung Kang… Woosung Kang…"

"We are hoping to poach him as soon as possible."

"Jo Youngsuk wants to scout him?"

"Yes, that's right."

Shin Semi frowned. Soon after, their conversation ended, and Na Jaeman was finally free to leave.

1:00 am.

Woosung was sitting in front of his computer at home. He was working on the seminar for tomorrow. His days at Daesan were now numbered.

Before he left, he wanted to do a good job. He wanted to leave a good impression. To do this, he had to do well at the seminar. How could he relay his knowledge to the audience effectively?

Woosung remembered Choi Gichul and his negotiation skills.

'He was an amazing speaker.'

Choi Gichul was born rich, but he didn't use any of his money when making his company Bitmain. He had many investors and gained enough money from them to create it.

Many invested because they knew Choi Gichul was rich, but that wasn't the main reason. The most important reason was his communication skills. Woosung saw it many times. There was no one Choi Gichul couldn't convince.

Woosung remembered Choi Gichul's advice.

'Get down to your audience's level.'

This was Woosung's main focus for the seminar. Most of the audience will be developers but Woosung didn't plan to use technical languages. More important than the developers were the CEO and the chairmen. He made sure his explanation could be understood by anyone.

Woosung wore a black suit with a blue shirt. In front of the mirror, he looked manly and professional.

Watching Woosung on the stage, Yoon Gihwan exclaimed. "I guess clothes make the man."

Kim Yonggun agreed.

"He does look great today."

"Haha. He's doing an awesome presentation too. It's a great finale to his time here."

Kim Yonggun realized what Yoon Gihwan meant. "Wait, is Woosung quitting?"

"Hush! It's still not official yet, but it's going to happen soon."

"Then he's going to work for Jang Gwanchul?"

Yoon Gihwan shook his head. "I'll tell you later. Let's focus on the seminar for now."

Park Junwoo kept glancing at Yoon Gihwan. He could tell something big was going to happen soon.

The audience included many people from Daeyang including Cha Yeoreum and Kim Jaejin.

'Woosung…'

Cha Yeoreum remembered the first time she met him.

The university was having a sports day. Cha Yeoreum was wearing a tight shirt and she could hear many guys whispering about her and catcalling her. Then suddenly, she heard Woosung yelling at them.

"Hey, just shut up. You guys are so noisy. You especially, Park Jonghyun."

They started dating soon after, but it only lasted for 6 months.

'That was 3 years ago.'

Unlike her expectation, Woosung was doing very well in the real world.

In fact, he was now unreachable to her.

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Chapter 41: lt;It's overgt;

This was already the second time he did a major presentation in his new life. Woosung spoke so confident it looked as if what he was doing was something natural for him. His point was simple, but unlike at the previous meeting with Daeyang System where he used the algorithm equations and examples, he instead explained with simpler language.

He was getting down to the level of the chairmen who only had basic IT knowledge. Woosung's presentation was straightforward. It was quick, and he finished 10 minutes earlier than expected.

"Now, we'll have a QA period."

No one raised their hand. Everyone had already heard of how it was impossible to win an argument against Woosung. SS was here, which made it a bad idea to stand out.

SS was a nickname for Shin Semi. Woosung looked around and asked again.

"No questions?"

Woosung made eye contacts with Kwon Taegyun and Nam Kyungsang. Both flinched and looked away.

Woosung thought of how he could embarrass them but he changed his mind. His time here was coming to an end, and creating a scene was unnecessary and unwise.

Woosung then announced in a slow tone. "Well then, that will be the end of this seminar."

"Wait." Woosung saw a woman raise her hand. Her eyes were cold as ice.

'That must be SS.'

Kwak Jungwook had already warned Woosung of her. The beloved daughter of Nuri Enterprise's Chairman. Shin Semi looked unapproachable, but her charismatic demeanor was no match for Woosung. He answered calmly.

"Sure."

"You are saying that accurate data needs to be selected based on the pre-set goal, followed by analysis."

"That's right."

"…And you gave an example goal of increasing the number of customers. To achieve this, you suggested we need to use the data on the stock trading transactions to improve the HTS. What you didn't explain is how effective this scenario would be in real life."

Woosung's answer was simple. "Recent increase in the number of new users is due to the improvement on HTS." Woosung glanced at Kwak Jungwook. "Don't you agree, Manager Kwak?"

Kwak Jungwook took the microphone. He was familiar with what Woosung was referring to as he checked the numbers every morning.

"To be exact, 67% of the new customers indicated that the improved HTS was the reason why they joined Nuri Finances."

Woosung continued. "Then the next question would be this. What does data analysis have to do with this? The answer can be provided by Oh Juhoon. Manager Oh?"

The microphone was passed along till it reached Oh Juhoon, who was sitting with his Daeyang colleagues. His answer was exactly what Woosung expected.

"After the last meeting, Woosung and I have been working on the data analysis to improve the HTS. 67% is an accurate number."

Oh Juhoon.

He belonged to Daeyang but was not biased against Woosung. He recognized talent and had no problem working with an employee from a competing company. In fact, it was Oh Juhoon who asked Woosung to collaborate.

Shin Semi's eyes sparkled at Woosung's confident answer. She asked another question.

"Then do you have any other goals Nuri Finances should set other than increasing the number of users? We should know so that we can think ahead."

Some people gave out a shard gasp. It was such a broad question that a newly hired employee would not be able to answer. It was very unexpected, but Shin Semi was a forward-thinking young woman. Woosung could guess her intention.

'She's testing me.'

By 2018, most major corporations had their own analysis department. If Woosung was correct, then this woman was testing him to see if she should hire him.

The prospect of having a new job did not move Woosung's interest, but he also didn't want to appear hesitant. He also couldn't provide a direct answer that may change the future. After a quick pause, Woosung answered.

"I guess the first thing would be having a risk management."

Shin Semi asked. "What do you mean? Please explain."

"Think of what happened April last year."

Subprime mortgage crisis occurred in April 2007. New Century Financial ended up filing for bankruptcy.

The audience murmured but no one answered. In fact, some chairmen seemed unhappy about SS's involvement. Shin Semi ignored the way others percieved her and answered with a sincerity.

"Rick management and April 2007…Are you referring to New Century Financial filing for bankruptcy?"

Woosung nodded and replied. "That's correct. Now, you should be able to figure the rest out by yourself. I came here to talk about big data, not provide the future path for Nuri Finances." Woosung exhaled and continued. "However if you still want to talk about it, please arrange a separate seminar. Remember though, I will be charging much more for something like that."

Before Shin Semi could speak, Woosung got ready to leave.

"Well, I guess that's it. Thank you for your time."

He bowed. Shin Semi had no choice but to seal her lips. Everyone else seemed baffled. The presentation was over, but all of those who attended was too overcame by either their emotions or the awe they felt after what they saw today that everyone forgot to clap. After a few seconds of awkwardness, Yoon Gihwan murmured to Park Junwoo.

"Hey, we should clap or something."

"Oh, yeah."

They started to clap, and that was the end of the seminar.

Immediately afterward, Kwak Jungwook found him. Shin Semi asked for Woosung and they were to report to the CEO room right away.

Why did she want to talk to him?

It was obvious. Woosung read through their intentions right away. How should he handle this situation?

Woosung decided after a long pause and looked at Kwak Jungwook.

"Fine. Let's go."

Woosung followed the grateful Kwak Jungwook. This was already the second time he visited the CEO's office. Woosung opened the door. Kwak Jungwook smiled awkwardly and waved indicating Woosung was to enter alone.

Inside was Na Jaeman who stood up and greeted Woosung.

"Haha, come on in."

After a handshake, Woosung turned to find Shin Semi on the sofa. She remained seated, ignoring everything as she stared at him with a promiscuous feeling of loathesomeness. Na Jaeman smiled at him to grab Woosung's attention.

"Haha, have a seat. What kind of tea would you like?"

"Ice coffee please."

The secretary brought in the drinks. Woosung took a sip as he noticed how Shin Semi remained having her gaze glued at him.

Woosung didn't avoid her gaze. He looked right back at her while Na Jaeman realized he was sitting in an awkward position. He was sweating profusely.

After 10 minutes of silence, Woosung finally asked.

"Did you call me up for a staring contest?"

"For a new employee of a small company, you sure are confident. President Na, how many people have we hired from Daesan?"

"A total of 15 people."

"Please cancel the contract with them tomorrow." Na Jaeman started to sweat even more. Shin Semi repeated. "Do you understand me?"

"Y…yes."

Woosung didn't even blink, he was planning to quit anyway. Daesan's future was not of his concern. Woosung drank his coffee and stood up.

"Thank you for the coffee."

Shin Semi's hands trembled gently. "You better sit down right now."

"It sounds like I won't have a job by tomorrow, so why should I?"

Shin Semi gritted her teeth. Strangely, she looked even more attractive when she was angry. She replied with an obvious irritation.

"IT industry is a very small world. If you leave like this right now, you won't ever get a job in this field."

To her threat, Woosung smiled. She couldn't be any blunter. "Haha, that's fine. I guess I should go abroad then. I actually got a job offer from Microsoft anyway."

Na Jaeman whispered to Shin Semi with haste after hearing what he said. He informed her of Woosung's recent presentation at the MS conference.

This was enough for Shin Semi to make a definitive decision.

26 years old.

A brand new graduate.

She was trying to test Woosung's ability and she learned all she needed to know.

"What did Microsoft offer you? I will double their offer." Shin Semi now looked at him now with a new-found warmth.

"I am flattered, but I'm not interested."

Shin Semi knew this game. She asked perceptively. "Did you have something else in mind?"

There indeed was something Woosung wanted, but he didn't know as to how much he could reveal to those uninvolved. Woosung sensed it wasn't going to be an easy negotiation. When Woosung hesitated, Shin Semi intercepted his line of thought by continuing her proposal.

"Let's get going. Tell me what you want. I will consider it and let you know if it's possible."

"Are you saying you are willing to consider anything?" Shin Semi nodded. Woosung was surprised at her willingness. "Even if I ask something ridiculous?"

"I think I know enough about you that you won't be unreasonable."

Woosung smirked as he thought of how he should go on with her prosal.

"Give me a DMA line. Then…" He paused but decided quickly. "I will tell you how to make sure this company becomes ready for the future."

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Chapter 42: lt;It's overgt;

"So you think you can set the company on the right path…And DMA? You do realize what DMA is, right?" Shin Semi's eyes widened at Woosung's request.

DMA (Direct Market Access).

When an average user connected to HTS to purchase or to sell stocks, the transaction had to go through the financial company's main system. The company would then request confirmation from Koscom, which was a Korean financial IT company launched by the Ministry of Finance.

This meant a transaction had to go through both the financial company and Koscom. However, if an individual could connect to Koscom directly, or decrease the processing time at the financial company, the trader could buy and sell stocks faster.

It was a difference of 0.001 second, but it could make all the difference in the stock market.

'In 2011, some financial companies sold their assigned DMA to individual traders. There was a lawsuit, but they were found to be not guilty.'

In other countries, paying for an individual DMA was common but not in Korea. In the world of stock trading, time was money.

"Yes. If you give me one of Nuri Finances' DMA, I will tell you what you wanted to know at the seminar." Shin Semi glanced at Na Jaeman. Woosung then broke the brief silence by continuing his own proposal. "Of course, if necessary, I will pay a user fee."

In Korea, DMA was not something an individual could purchase, but it was not illegal to own a DMA. After a few seconds of thinking, Na Jaeman nodded. Shin Semi finally answered.

"Alright. Let's get the contract ready."

They called the legal team to process the said contract as soon as possible. It was an easy one to write. After approving it, Woosung told Shin Semi.

"You should read the report by Kim Mansu from Finance Research Lab on subprime mortgage. It was released in March of 2007."

Shin Semi glanced at Na Jaeman, who immediately started to make a call.

"Then I will get going."

"That's it?"

"I already gave you two hints. I majored in computer science. You weren't expecting me to give you an outright answer, did you?"

Shin Semi gritted her teeth again but suddenly murmured. "Subprime mortgage crisis… and risk management."

Financial crisis.

It was coming, but Woosung couldn't say the word.

"I have analyzed the data and it's clear that MBS is downgrading. Based on the current trend, CDO will downgrade as well. This is all I can tell you."

MBS (Mortgage-Backed Securities).

CDO (Collateralized Debt Obligation).

They were two of the main causes of the financial crisis. Shin Semi listened carefully, but Woosung already felt like he did his part.

"I would like to receive the DMA via Kwak Jungwook."

Woosung walked out.

'She just wanted to test me. I doubt she'll take my advice.'

He was a computer science major. It was likely she would listen to the words of in-house financial advisors rather than to him. It was common sense.

It didn't matter. Woosung felt ecstatic about his DMA.

'I can now use the DMA and algorithmic trading system during the financial crisis!'

After Woosung left the room, the secretary hurried to hand in the report.

"This is the report by Kim Mansu."

Shin Semi started to read through the report, giving every word a careful consideration. Na Jaeman remained silent as he watched her. She then thought slowly.

'I already know what happened. There is nothing new here.'

She already knew well about the subprime mortgage crisis. She couldn't find any new information on the report.

'Is he thinking about daytime trading by himself using the DMA? There is something about him…It's clear that he knows more than he's saying.'

"Ma'am, that report was already examined by us last year. Did you find anything new?" Na Jaeman asked as soon as she put down the report.

She shook her head. Na Jaeman asked again with caution.

"It sounded like he was giving us some kind of a warning…"

"I don't want to be rude, but he completed a computer science program from a small university called Songwon. The best he could be is a good programmer. I can't trust anything he claims about the financial world."

Shin Semi had already decided. Na Jaeman wanted to disagree, but it was not his place.

'When someone becomes an expert in one field, he becomes knowledgeable in other fields as well.'

However, he didn't say it out loud. Shin Semi murmured quietly.

"I will let the finance research lab know of what he said anyway. Now, I need you to find a way to scout him."

"Of course."

"Sooner the better."

"Ok."

Na Jaeman sighed. Based on what he heard today, it didn't sound like Woosung was not interested in whatever job offer they give.

When he returned to his office, Kwak Jungwook was waiting. He asked Woosung to speak with him for a few minutes. Woosung had to finish his work on development process improvement project. He had so much work left to do, but Kwak Jungwook insisted on talking to him in private. He took Woosung outside.

"I will be direct." Woosung sat down as he listened to the man with his arms crossed. "I would like to offer you a job."

Woosung didn't want to be rude. As he tried to think of a nice way to say no, Kwak Jungwook followed his statement up with more offers.

"We will hire you as a manager at Nuri Finances. If there is anything you want, tell me."

Woosung continued to be quiet. When Kwak Jungwook realized Woosung wasn't interested, he moaned.

"If you don't accept this offer, I'm going to be in trouble. As a manager, your salary will be 60,000 dollars a year. It's a good position."

A yearly salary of 60,000 dollars.

It was over three times his current salary as a new employee at Daesan System. In his previous life, it would have been a chance of a lifetime, but Woosung was different now.

"I appreciate all you've done for me."

Kwak Jungwook knew what Woosung was going to say next. "Stop! Stop! I don't want to hear it."

"But I don't want to work for someone anymore."

"…that's it?" Kwak Jungwook already knew how Woosung felt.

"I meant it when I said I appreciate you."

"…would you reconsider?"

"Haha, sorry but its a no. If it would please you I will make sure my last project is a success."

Woosung was firm and Kwak Jungwook couldn't say another word. They drank their coffee and returned to the office.

Another person was waiting for Woosung.

Daesan System's CEO Son Daesan.

As soon as he saw Woosung, he ran up to him and shook his hand.

"Wow, our company's treasure, Woosung!" Woosung hadn't seen him since the job interview. "I've been waiting for you for a long time. Haha, if you don't have any plans, let's go for a chat after work. There is a lot I want to say to you."

Woosung glanced at Yoon Gihwan who shook his head firmly. Woosung realized what Son Daesan wanted and replied firmly.

"I'm not changing my mind on resigning."

"You shouldn't be so rash about such an important decision. Think carefully. You haven't even worked here for a year. It would look bad on your resume. Do you know how hard it is to find a job nowadays?"

Son Daesan tried to convince him but Woosung wasn't listening. He just refused a much better job offer from Nuri Finances. It didn't make sense to stay at Daesan.

"I don't plan on getting another job."

Son Daesan continued to hold Woosung's hand and whispered.

"Then I will promote you. General manager. There is no way you can refuse such an offer."

Woosung found Son Daesan amusing. Did he even know how much Woosung had accomplished so far? Because if he truly understood, then Son Daesan's offer would've been different.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not interested." Woosung continued to refuse. Son Daesan frowned and let Woosung's hands go.

"…you fixed a few problems and you think you're so great? Do you really think you'll be able to get a better offer than this?"

Son Daesan was an idiot.

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Chapter 43: lt;It's overgt;

"I do know that I am that great. In fact, I'm being humble right now. It seems like it's you who doesn't understand the situation."

Son Daesan reddened brightly. "W…what?"

"I asked General manager Yoon to explain why I'm resigning. If you understood him, you wouldn't be saying this to me right now."

Son Daesan became furious. "Woosung, you are making a huge mistake. I have a meeting with some people from the Korean Software Industry Association next week. If you act this way, I will mention your name to them." He panted as he glared at Woosung.

He was now threatening Woosung.

Son Daesan was being unreasonable. Woosung felt ashamed to be an employee of someone like him. Before Woosung could reply, a familiar voice came from behind.

"Where is that meeting supposed to take place? I will join you to defend Woosung to them."

Son Daesan recognized the voice immediately. "P…president… What a nice surprise…" He put a fake smile on his face and he turned around.

Nuri Finances' CEO Na Jaeman.

Daesan was a hired company by Nuri Finances, which meant Na Jaeman had power over Son Daesan and his company. Na Jaeman asked Woosung.

"I heared you're quitting Daesan?"

It was now a well-known fact.

Woosung confirmed it. "Yes, as you can see."

"Then…"

Na Jaeman saw this as his chance.

"Let's go out for dinner. We need to talk."

"Pardon?"

Na Jaeman put his hand on Woosung's shoulder.

"Haha, it's a tradition that the CEO of Nuri Finances buy drinks for a deserved employee. This is a very important tradition."

"But didn't you tell me earlier you will be canceling the contract with Daesan…?"

When Woosung mentioned their earlier conversation, Son Daesan paled. Na Jaeman coughed awkwardly and answered.

"I think you misunderstood. I meant if you quit Daesan, then Nuri Finances will have no use of Daesan. I can't believe you misunderstood me! We definitely need to talk this out."

Na Jaeman made it hard for Woosung to refuse. Woosung scratched his head and murmured.

"Well…Since I'm quitting Daesan, I guess it will lose its contract with Nuri Finances. Oh well."

Son Daesan looked faint. Woosung followed Na Jaeman out while Yoon Gihwan snorted in his desk.

Na Jaeman took Woosung to an expensive Japanese restaurant. Woosung had never been to such an extravagant place. It felt like he was in Japan. All the waiters and waitresses were wearing traditional Japanese outfits. They were also very good looking.

As soon as they entered, they were greeted by the manager.

"There you are!"

They were immediately taken to a private room. When the door opened, inside was the beautiful Shin Semi.

"Come in."

Woosung looked confused, but all Na Jaeman did was wave him in. Shin Semi looked at Woosung with a smile.

"Take a seat, please. This restaurant is famous for its Kaiseki. I already ordered it. Do you like sushi?"

"Of course."

Shin Semi smiled again and ordered more dishes Woosung didn't recognize. A bottle arrived, and Shin Semi offered Woosung a drink.

"Kaiseki usually starts with a simple fruit drink. The plum wine here is great. Would you like a glass?"

Woosung took the glass and sipped through the drink in one gulp. It was sweet and bitter at the same time. It burned his throat.

"It's good."

The wine was smooth. After a few more sips, Shin Semi started to ask Woosung various questions. She asked how Woosung felt about Nuri Finances and how he studied big data. As they conversed, Woosung could tell she was interested in him.

There was no reason why the chairman's daughter would go this far to meet him. Why was she so interested?

Woosung guessed she had another business question for him. He was sure of it, and this was another chance for him to get something out of her. After organizing his thoughts, Woosung stated.

"I assume you didn't take what I told you earlier seriously. I obviously understand why. Information from your professional research team would sound more trustworthy."

Shin Semi paused and looked at Woosung.

"I am only an employee from a small company. I haven't proven my worth yet." She put down her chopsticks. "But I did get your attention. You were probably wondering if I truly am a talent or just a fraud."

Shin Semi continued to stare at Woosung silently.

"I know the reason why you asked me that question was to test me. You had no intention of actually taking my advice seriously. Am I getting this right?"

Shin Semi nodded. "You're getting there."

"I think you made a big mistake." Shin Semi flinched at the word "mistake." Woosung asked. "What do you think your mistake was?"

Shin Semi was not interested in answering Woosung's question.

"It doesn't matter. You are just trying to rile me up to get something out of me, aren't you? Are you hoping to change my opinion of you? Again, I don't care what mistake you think I made."

She looked like an angry cat. Woosung replied with the calmness of a monk.

"The answer is the validity of my answer."

Shin Semi asked with a scoff. "You are only 26-year-old new-grad from a mediocre university. Your GPA was only 3.0. I will give you that your programming skill is good, but your ability to predict the future of the financial world? I don't think so."

Woosung was right. Shin Semi looked at him with scorn. He knew he shouldn't make her angrier.

"You are absolutely correct. My knowledge in finances cannot be compared to yours or your team. What I meant was my insight. My ability to see the big picture."

Shin Semi's eyes widened in surprise. She continued to stare at him.

"At this point, you are probably thinking if what I'm saying is true." Woosung seemed as if he was reading her mind. He then asked a rhetorical question. "How can I prove this…?"

Woosung thought for a second and answered himself.

"Tomorrow, Wednesday April 9th, the Liberty Korea Party will win the 18th general election with 153 seats. If my prediction comes true, will you trust me?"

"The experts are expecting the Liberty Korea Party to win. It's a well-known forecast."

"But no one can guess the exact number of seats."

That was true. Shin Semi couldn't deny this. Woosung was becoming more and more interesting to her eyes.

"How did you come up with the number 153?"

"Haha, a magician never reveals all his secrets. We will talk again after the election result comes out."

Woosung started to eat.

"Don't forget. 153 seats. Oh! And the Democratic Party will win 81 seats."

The election was tomorrow, so Woosung felt that revealing this information at this point couldn't change the future.

The next day was a holiday due to the election.

Woosung took his laptop and headed to a café to work.

Algorithm trading system.

MQTT program.

He had to develop both for Jang Gwangchul. He wanted to create perfections, so he worked as hard as he could.

He couldn't waste even a holiday.

He drank few cups of coffee and ate a sandwich. He spent the entire day at the café until 6:00PM.

The voting process was now complete.

"Let's see."

Woosung connected to the internet and read the election predictions by different media channels.

"MBD Liberty Korea Party 165. Democratic Party 68."

"SBC Liberty Korea Party 167. Democratic Party 70."

"YTT Liberty Korea Party 160. Democratic Party 72."

Different experts were close, but no one predicted the exact numbers. They were based on the surveys of the voters, but even then, the numbers varied.

"Haha, this will make my prediction look even more impressive."

Woosung turned off the browser and went back to work. He was curious about how Shin Semi would react.

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Chapter 44: lt;It's overgt;

The same day.

Shin Semi looked out at the Han River from her expensive condo.

"The prediction numbers can't be trusted."

She saw the estimated number of seats based on the voters' survey, but she knew not to trust them. She glanced at the report on the table.

"Nuri Finances Research Lab.

"General election prediction.

"Liberty Korea Party 162. Democratic Party 77. Future Hope Party 20. Democratic Progressive Party 18. Independent Party 32."

It was slightly different than Woosung's prediction.

"We'll see when the actual result comes out…"

When midnight passed, the final result was released.

"Liberty Korea Party 153. Democratic Party 81."

Woosung was right. Shin Semi stared at the numbers. It was past 1:00 am. She felt impatient but waited until the morning to make the call.

Bzzz.

Bzzz.

Woosung's phone vibrated. He checked the caller ID and didn't answer.

He remembered how she stared at him when he entered the CEO's office for a meeting. This was payback.

The phone vibrated again but Woosung didn't answer. Yoon Gihwan looked at him and asked.

"What's going on, newbie? Why aren't you answering your phone?"

"Haha, it's nothing. It's not an important call."

"Are you having a fight with your girlfriend or something?"

"What?"

It has been so long since he had a girlfriend. "Is it Cha Yeoreum? I could tell that there was something between you two."

Woosung flinched but answered calmly. "Ha…haha. You're funny. You're good, but not that good."

Woosung clearly looked awkward, but Yoon Gihwan let it go. "Really? Alright. Well, let's get to work. Let's work hard!"

Park Junwoo and Kim Yonggun were focused in front of their computers. Woosung sat down as well and when he was about to start, Kwak Jungwook hurried in.

"Woosung! You're here! Phew, come with me quick, we need to go to the CEO's room."

"Me?"

Woosung asked innocently as Kwak Jungwook begged.

"Please. I'm going to be in trouble. We need to go now."

Woosung decided to follow him.

In the room wasn't Na Jaeman but Shin Semi. "How did you know?" She asked before Woosung took a seat.

Woosung shrugged and answered. "I told you, insight."

"This is not a joke. If you continue to give me a bogus answer, this meeting is going to be useless."

Woosung had already thought of a plausible answer. "Big data. I used my specialty. That's all."

"Explain." Shin Semi bought his excuses and nodded.

"I would like to ask you something in return."

Shin Semi nodded again. "Ask away." She felt like he earned the right.

"I would like to know about the secrets of the heirs to Daeyang Group."

"What?"

"I would even accept any gossips. Do they drink too much? Drugs?"

This was such an unexpected question. Shin Semi looked at him curiously. She expected him to ask for money…

…But this? Shin Semi was confused.

"Why do you need to know that? Did you get a deal from the media or something?"

"Haha, no. It's…"

Choi Gichul.

Woosung needed to gather information on him. Woosung paused before answering.

"I'm just curious. I am interested in a lot of different things. It doesn't have to be an accurate fact. Anything you heard about them would be fine, but they have to be things I don't already know."

Every piece of information counted. "Hmm…"

"I won't release it to the media. I'm just curious about the rich people's world." Woosung tried hard to convince her. "Collecting data on everything and everyone is my hobby."

"Well, I guess I know a few things." Shin Semi was finally convinced.

Based on Woosung's research, Shin Semi's father, Shin Yongwon, has a brother. The said brother's son was married to the second daughter of Kyungsung Newspaper's CEO. Daeyang Group's CEO Choi Gunwon's sister was married to Kyungsung Newspaper's CEO Song Jongin's brother.

Rich people married rich people. Shin Semi was also part of this world. More than anyone in this world whom Wusoong knows, she's the best person he knows when it comes to this kind of info-gathering.

"Perfect. Then I'll start talking first."

Shin Semi nodded, and Woosung gave her the answer he prepared.

Google Trend.

Web Crawling. (Internet bot systemically browsing the worldwide web for a defined purpose.)

Previous election result and the predictions.

Woosung stated he analyzed these data through this method. He, of course, didn't actually do it, but this was his explanation for her.

Shin Semi didn't ask any questions and just listened. It took Woosung 30 minutes to give an explanation. Shin Semi nodded in response. It seemed like she believed him. She was smiling after all.

"That's it."

"Hmm."

Shin Semi closed her eyes. She was processing what Woosung said in her mind. After a few minutes, she opened her eyes.

"Then it's my turn. Listen." She sighed. "First, the first-born Choi Taemin is dating a celebrity."

"Even though he's already married?"

"Marriage to rich people are just a business."

Woosung nodded. He already guessed this.

"Alright. Continue please."

Shin Semi continued to tell Woosung what she knew. Some things were useless, but some were exactly what Woosung needed to know.

Choi Gichul.

Shin Semi called him a snake, but she explained that when he's drunk, he changed. He became violent. He was known to throw things and beat people when he became intoxicated. This happened many times, but it was kept from the public by his father.

Daeyang Group's CEO Choi Gunwon.

He was also violent and abusive to his children. However, he also couldn't let his children be publicly humiliated, so he made sure that none of the press or media ever mentioned Choi Gichul's mishaps.

When Woosung returned home that day, he couldn't stop thinking about the information Shin Semi provided.

"Choi Gichul, alcohol, Choi Gunwon, Daeyang, Daeyang…"

Woosung kept murmuring over and over again. He also over the excel file of future events he created. Most were intended to be used to make money and the rest were about Choi Gichul.

He wrote down every event he could think of that involved Choi Gichul. The day he received a business award, when he attended a baseball game, when he approached Woosung to work for Bitmain, and so many more.

Also on April 28th, 2008.

Woosung remembered the news involving Daeyang's CEO Choi Gunwon assaulting bartenders on behalf of Choi Gichul. This would happen very soon.

Choi Gichul was annoyed. His oldest brother Choi Taemin was about to win another award on his mobile business. The brothers in his family hated each other.

Choi Taemin's success was Choi Gichul's failure. This was what Choi Gunwon always said. Choi Gichul was in the car fuming. When his driver stopped the car at the red light, he screamed.

"Why are you so slow!"

"I'm sorry."

Choi Gichul kicked the driver's seat.

"Sorry? That's it? I told you I hate it when the car stops, didn't I?"

It was better for the driver to apologize when Choi Gichul was this angry. He kept repeating himself, even stuttering on purpose to show him that he was fearful.

"S…sorry."

"Dammit! I told you to learn the fastest route that doesn't require you to stop." He kicked the seat again. "Why. Are. You. So. Stupid!" Choi Gichul kicked the chair with every word.

The driver moaned to every kick, again on purpose to please Choi Gichul. Not too loud, but just enough.

The light turned green.

"I'm sorry. The light changed."

The driver drove. Not too fast, but not too slow. He had to keep a perfect speed that kept Choi Gichul comfortable. He sweated visibly as he drove.

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Chapter 45: lt;It's overgt;

Earnings Surprise.

It occurred when a company's reported profit was better than what was initially expected.

Choi Taemin's mobile company had an earnings surprise this quarter. This should've been a happy day. Choi Gunwon gathered his children around and informed them of the importance of being innovative. When the family meeting was over and Choi Gunwon left, the oldest son Choi Taemin stopped Choi Gichul.

"Don't be such a baby. Be a man." Choi Gichul couldn't answer right away.

When they were young, Choi Taemin was often violent with Choi Gichul. It was not a normal childhood and he still tensed when Choi Taemin was around.

Choi Taemin frowned when Choi Gichul didn't answer. He said his brother's name menacingly.

"Choi Gichul."

Choi Gichul recovered and replied. "Yes, sir."

Choi Taemin tapped his brother's shoulder and left. Choi Gichul bowed to the future CEO of the family business.

A bottle of Royal Salute was half empty, but Woosung still felt wide awake, unlike Park Jonghyun who was asleep on the sofa. Woosung kept rubbing his glass and murmured.

"He'll come. He won't come. He'll come. He won't come."

Woosung organized his plan for the night in his mind and continued to murmur. There was no CCTV in the hallway or any of the private rooms in this bar. Unless he makes a mistake, Woosung knew he could come and go without leaving any evidence of him being there.

"Drink…I love it…More…Hmmm."

Park Jonghyun talked in his sleep but Woosung didn't pay attention. He was waiting. He was focused on any noises outside the room. He knew this was the day it happened, but Woosung wasn't sure if this was the right bar.

The bar's name was The Royal, and Woosung knew this was the place Choi Gichul frequented. However, this didn't mean he would be here today. He just had to trust the information he gathered.

He prayed his guess was right.

'Please come. I will make your life a living hell.'

Woosung heard a commotion.

"Nooo!"

"W…what's going on?"

Crash.

Woosung changed into the waiter's uniform and ran out of the room towards the noise.

It was easy to find him. Choi Gichul was so drunk his eyes looked dead. He was holding a broken bottle like a knife.

"Pigs! Do you know who I am?" Choi Gichul swung the sharp bottle. The people surrounding him stepped back.

"Please sir, you need to stop."

"You're going to hurt someone."

"Call someone for help."

The bartenders and the waiters were all big men, but they couldn't touch Choi Gichul. He was the son of Daeyang Group's CEO. They were not allowed to touch him.

Choi Gichul threw a bottle at a waiter. The young man dodged but the bottle hit the wall and shattered all over the pavement.

A woman screamed from behind Choi Gichul. In the room were his friends who were assaulting a waitress.

"Hahaha, Gichul has gone crazy today."

"This is fun!"

His friends were just like him. They sneered and didn't make any effort to stop him. They seemed to be enjoying the situation.

One of the concerned waiters finally protested to the manager. "We need to do something. This is going to end badly."

"Dammit! There is nothing I can do. Don't you know as soon as we try to stop him, we are all dead?"

"Umm…should I try to grab the bottle from him?"

"Look at him. He's crazy. He'll kill you if you get close."

"Then all we can do is wait for the director…"

They were frightened, but nothing could be done. Then a man in a waiter's uniform came up to Choi Gichul and punched him in the face.

It was a solid punch. Choi Gichul collapsed as he dropped the bottle.

The man didn't stop there. He body-slammed Choi Gichul and continued to punch him.

Choi Gichul started to vomit everywhere. While he laid on the floor in pain, the man whispered to him.

"This is only the beginning, you bastard."

The others stared in shock. Woosung looked around to see if someone was going to stop him, but no one did. He tried to explain.

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't just watch him hurt my coworkers."

"…but this was unnecessary."

"Sorry. I felt like it's better to stop him as quickly as possible."

"Dammit! Well, it's too late now. Go back to your spot and I'll call for you later."

Woosung bowed.

"Yes, sir."

"By the way, nice punches. Let me know if you are interested in the bouncer position."

Woosung nodded and went back to his room without another word. He sighed and changed back to his clothes. He called for a waiter and paid the bill.

The bar was still noisy with excitement. No one paid attention to Woosung and Park Jonghyun leaving the bar.

Woosung returned home and exhaled. He still felt jittery. After a few minutes of silence, he finally laughed.

"Hahahahaha! It felt so great!" He beat up Choi Gichul pretty badly. He thought he even saw a few teeth fall out. He used all his strength for every punch. He didn't care if he killed Choi Gichul. "I wonder if it will be in the news tomorrow."

Woosung knew what would happen next. Choi Gunwon would bring his muscles to the bar and scream for vengeance. He would ask for the one responsible for assaulting his son but he would never find out.

Woosung couldn't stop grinning.

At the same time.

7 black sedans arrived at The Royal. Several big muscled men came out and lined up. A middle-aged man came out after them and walked up to the bar.

"This is the place?"

"Yes, President."

"Get ready."

The men bowed and entered the bar. The middle-aged man walked in with crooked confidence as if he owned the place.

It was Choi Gunwon, Choi Gichul's father.

Things happened in passing. The men gathered the waiters, bartenders, and the manager. The muscled bodyguards then brought them down on their knees in front of Choi Gunwon.

The CEO asked. "Who was the one that hit my son?"

The place became dead silent. No one answered, no one knew who the man in the waiter's uniform was.

After a few minutes, Choi Gunwon exhaled. "Do it."

Suddenly, the men who came in with Choi Gunwon grabbed the workers. They handed him a baseball bat, and he started to beat the waiters with it.

Daeyang Group's CEO Choi Gunwon. Here, he looked like the head of a mob.

On the way to his work the next day, Woosung still couldn't stop smiling. He watched the news that morning, but there was nothing on what happened last night.

"I knew it."

Last night, Woosung recorded everything with a hidden camera. He sent the footage to multiple news channels, but no one reported it.

This was the power of Daeyang.

"The footage showed his face, yet no one had the guts to report it."

Woosung was disappointed, but this was expected. He still felt great about his accomplishment last night. He kept clenching his fists. He could still feel the punches. It was great.

Woosung knew some people would think he should be a bigger man and forgive Choi Gichul, but he could never let it go. He would get his revenge.

"I can upload it on SNS."

Woosung could count on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.

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Chapter 46: lt;It's overgt;

Even at work, Woosung couldn't help but smile. Yoon Gihwan saw this and asked.

"What's going on? Are you that happy about quitting this job?"

"Hahahaha. It's a great life. It's spring. Spring's coming."

Yoon Gihwan couldn't understand Woosung. "Are you going crazy?"

No one seemed to know why Woosung was in such a great mood. Kim Yonggun murmured nearby.

"Spring… maybe he got a girlfriend."

"I asked him last week and he said no."

"Then maybe…"

"Maybe what?"

"He has been to the CEO's room a few times now. That must mean he was offered something big."

Yoon Gihwan shook his head.

"What could convince Woosung to stay? I can't think of anything."

Woosung approached the two and smiled.

"Hahahahaha. Stop gossiping about me and let's go out for a break. I'll buy you guys coffee."

Woosung laughed with tremendous glee.

They chatted over a cup of coffee. Yoon Gihwan told Woosung.

"I took care of your resignation paper. President Son was reprimanded by Nuri Finances regarding his behavior towards you, so he won't cause any more problems."

Park Junwoo took a sip of his iced coffee and spoke out of melancholy. "So you only have a month left with us."

Kim Yonggun sighed as well. "Hmm…We still have so much more to learn from you, Woosung."

Woosung stopped smiling and replied seriously.

"All of you are ready to be on your own. From now on, you need to study by yourselves to improve. Learning should never stop for any of us. I believe in you. You will succeed wherever you go."

Park Junwoo looked like he wanted to ask a question. Woosung knew what it was, so he answered right away.

"Yes, you can become a Microsoft MVP too, but as I said before, it will take an incredible effort. You need to be desperate enough. You need to work like your life depends on it." Everyone listened intensely. "You can't do anything half-assed. What you think of your effort doesn't matter. Your work needs to show it."

Park Junwoo and Kim Yonggun started to pale. Did Woosung mean they needed to work even harder than now?

Woosung said no. "Haha, that's not what I meant. You are working hard enough right now, but you need to keep it up until you complete your goals." Park Junwoo and Kim Yonggun sighed. "If you do, you will both be able to join me on my project for Jang Gwangchul."

Same team.

They all felt strongly about it. This was what they dreamt of. Woosung continued.

"From now on, you two are 100% responsible for the consulting project. I will be focusing on the algorithm trading system. I will be testing the Beta version on the HTS and make more improvements before handing it to Jang Gwangchul."

The team members were all silent as they listened. It was clear that now, Woosung was the leader of this group.

"When that's done, you need to join me, General manager Yoon. By that time, if you two feel the same way, Manager Park and Assistant manager Kim, you can quit and join me as well."

Woosung was telling them they were ready. Park Junwoo bit his lips and gave out a defeated sigh. He worked tirelessly, and it was all worth it. Kim Yonggun felt the same way. He felt incredibly proud.

"I would be honored to team up with you all."

Kim Yonggun smiled and joked. "Haha, so does that mean we should now call you President Kang?" Everyone laughed, and Woosung shook his head emphatically.

The future was coming.

The next day.

Yoon Gihwan asked Woosung, who was humming happily.

"President Kang, you are humming? What is making you so happy?"

"Haha, this CEO is always happy."

Yoon Gihwan snorted. "W…what?"

"I hope you are ready for the day's work today!"

"Hahaha, you're funny. So you want to be called the president?"

Woosung grinned and answered. "Haha, just kidding. You started it!"

They joked around like friends. "President Kang, I'm ready. Should we start the day?" Kim Yonggun joined in with a smile.

"Haha, you're such a good employee. Let's check our work one more time before we start." Woosung smiled and answered.

Kim Yonggun bowed.

"Yes, sir!"

Park Junwoo added seriously.

"Well then, we'll do a final test before the distribution."

Before the market opened, Jang Gwangchul murmured his routine chant. Afterward, he clicked the HTS window icon. An update automatically started.

-HTS Version 1.1.2.57

-Winning stocks recommendation function Beta Ver. added

: List of future winning stocks provided : Please use at your own risk : Please read all the details before use

-Various bugs have also been fixed.

Winning stocks recommendation.

Woosung already told him of it. It would be tested on the HTS, and an improved version would be included in the algorithm trading system Woosung was developing for him.

This was a Beta version.

"Woosung said that based on his calculation, the recommendation list has a 54% chance of success."

When Jang Gwangchul clicked the new icon, a list of stocks came up. It also included when and how much each stock would go up.

Every stock had predicted a minimum increase of 10%. If one invested 10,000 dollars, they would quickly make 1,000 dollars.

"He said that if I invest too much money at a time, it can change the final outcome. So I should start with just 10,000 dollars."

Jang Gwangchul started buying $10,000 each of recommended stocks. Afterward, he started to do what he did best: scalping.

"Title: What a garbage function.

"Message: Recommendation? You mean for failure? I bought the recommended stocks today and lost everything. Shouldn't Nuri Finances pay for my losses?"

"Title: Bogus recommendation system.

"Message: I had my doubts but still tried it and I was right. Don't trust this function. I lost a lot of money today."

"Title: Nuri Finances needs to read this message.

"Message: Are you kidding me? I joined your system because I heard good things about it, but this is stupid. Someone needs to pay for this idiotic new function."

Kwon Taegyun grinned as he read the complaints. Recently, Woosung was the star of the company, but the failure of this new function would be his ruin. Kwon Taegyun asked Oh Juhoon.

"What do you think? Will this recommendation function work out in the end?"

"I didn't get a chance to have a close look at it, so I don't know. However, knowing Woosung, I bet it'll be a success."

Kwon Taegyun frowned. "Why would you defend our rival company?"

"Sir, I came here to work and be productive, not to bash anyone."

Kwon Taegyun replied grudgingly. "Fine, fine."

Kwon Taegyun stopped asking questions and continued to read more complaints.

Na Jaeman was on his way to the CEOs' meeting. His face was pale. His recent performance was barely on par with his previous month. Nuri Finances reached the number two position in Korea but went back down to the third place. Based on how bad it was doing now, it was very possible that it may drop to the fourth place in the near future.

As expected, Na Jaeman was reprimanded for the company's lack of improvement. When the meeting ended and Na Jaeman walked out, Park Jiwon followed him.

"President Na, are you ok? Don't be so down. Everyone has bad days."

"You must be happy. You did well this time."

"Hahaha, it's true. I will buy you a drink, so feel better!"

Nothing could make Na Jaeman feel better. He didn't know if his company would do better in the future.

Park Jiwon put his hand on Na Jaeman's shoulder.

"Let's go. We need to go for a drink."

Before they exited the building, someone hurried to Na Jaeman.

"President Na, the Advisor would like to see you."

Na Jaeman could guess which advisor asked for him. He turned around and followed the messenger.

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Chapter 47:

Shin Semi asked Na Jaeman as soon as he entered the room.

"Is this Woosung's project?"

Na Jaeman nodded.

"Do you know which algorithm is being used to make the predictions?"

"It analyzes the pattern of the winning stocks from last 5 years. It then recommends any current stocks that follow a similar pattern."

"That explanation is an easy version. Do you know the details?"

He didn't. He was the CEO, not a developer. "I don't know the specifics. This is only a Beta version. When its trial ends next week, we are going to get rid of it."

"You won't keep it?"

"We have received a lot of complaints regarding this new function. I believe it is the reason why our performance went down this period. Of course, we should remove it."

"Do you have any solid evidence this function is the reason for your performance decline?"

Na Jaeman hesitated. He didn't have clear proof. It was just a guess. The only thing he had was the complaints.

"We have had an increase in negative VoC about this function." Na Jaeman answered cautiously. Shin Semi looked at him for a further explanation. He continued quickly. "It was a controversial idea even before it was released. What if the recommendation caused users to lose money and they ask for compensation? In fact, this is exactly what's happening now. We decided to give it a try because we trusted Woosung Kang, but it was a mistake. We can't keep it."

Shin Semi asked. "You're assuming the increase in VoC equals an increase in the number of users leaving our website. Are you sure? Because recently I heard the number one reason for an increase in the number of new users is this new recommendation function."

"Umm…"

Na Jaeman didn't know what to say. Shin Semi considered probing further, but it was not wise to upset a CEO.

"Alright. By the way…"

Shin Semi bit her lip. She felt like this function needed to stay. She didn't know why, but she knew this function was crucial.

"When does the trial end?"

"At the end of May. It coincides with when Woosung is planned to leave Daesan. There is a rumor this new function is his way of telling us off."

Shin Semi answered emphatically. "There is no way Woosung would do something like that."

Na Jaeman knew what Shin Semi wanted to hear. He offered. "I will do whatever you ask me to do."

"Let's just keep an eye on it till the end of May. There must be a reason why Woosung set its trial end date till that time."

"Alright."

Na Jaeman left and Shin Semi's secretary walked in.

"Here is the information you asked for."

"Ok."

Name: Woosung Kang

Age: 26

Address: xxx Huikyungdong, Dong Dae Gate, Seoul

GPA: 3.02

Friends

Yoon Chanjong: Woosung's college friend. Helped Woosung academically.

Currently working at Daeyang System. Has a good reputation.

Park Jonghyun: Woosung's college friend. Currently unemployed. Known to be annoying.

Cha Yeoreum: Woosung's college girlfriend and first love. Currently working at Daeyang System.

Shin Semi stared at Cha Yeoreum's name.

Kwak Jungwook visited Woosung to discuss the recent increase in the customer complaints.

Woosung read the reviews himself. There were many, and all of them were about his recommendation function. Some even attacked Woosung directly.

Woosung smiled. Yoon Gihwan asked with a worried expression.

"Do you think this is okay? As Manager Kwak said, many users are unsubscribing. There are so many complaints about it."

"Angry users are always louder than the happy ones. It's their way of venting out."

"But what about losing customers?"

"There is an obvious reason for it. There are many other companies copying our speed trading and HTS system. This means many customers will choose our competitions over us."

Yoon Gihwan nodded.

"I guess. What about the rumor you created a bad program on purpose? Your reputation means everything in this field."

Woosung wasn't worried.

"You saw the data result. Our recommendation has a 55% success rate as we claimed. That means there are 55% of users who made money using our system. Good VoCs will start rolling in."

"I know what the data says but the positive reviews need to start right away. If we don't, then the headquarter will get rid of the program."

"If you are that worried, I can do something about it."

"Really? What?"

"Easy. I can change the parameters to decrease the number of recommendation items. This will increase the success rate, but only for a little while."

"What kind of increase?"

"At least 5%. But like I said, it will go down back to normal in time. I guess it wouldn't matter though. We'll be long gone by then."

Woosung murmured as he turned on the Visual Studio.

At the same time.

On the website Darth Insider, reviews on Nuri Finances started to appear.

"I made a lot of money by following its recommendation."

"Nuri Finances HTS! It's awesome. I did very well recently using its new recommendation function. Everyone needs to go try it out."

"You can't lose with this program."

Some were still negative reviews, but it was enough to pique many people's interest. Soon, Nuri Finances HTS became a popular search term online.

Nuri Finances CEO room.

Woosung entered and saw both familiar and unfamiliar faces. Woosung greeted everyone and sat down. Na Jaeman explained.

"We asked you to come because we have a few questions about the newly added recommendation function."

Then he introduced everyone to Woosung.

"Risk Management Team."

"Product Development Team."

"Smart Finances Team."

"IT Support Team."

These were the people running this company. Everyone looked at Woosung with their gazes piercing through him. The head of the Risk Management Team asked first.

"I am the chief of the Risk Management Team. The main reason why we called for this meeting is because of all the negative VoCs. I don't know if you read them, but we received 121 yesterday."

Woosung already heard this from Kwak Jungwook.

"I am aware of it."

"And many customers are unsubscribing from our website."

"I know that too."

"Then I will be blunt. Can you give us a good reason why we should continue to keep this new function?"

Woosung didn't falter. He answered confidently.

"Without new innovative functions like this, Nuri Finances will not be able to grow."

The chiefs looked at each other.

"Won't grow…Don't you think you are being too dramatic?"

"Consider this a step back to achieve two steps forward."

Na Jaeman looked at Woosung with interest.

'Look at this guy.'

Others looked at Woosung similarly. Jo Youngsuk asked Woosung.

"Many of us disagree with you. You'll have to explain better."

Jo Youngsuk's tone was kind. It was clear he believed in Woosung. Woosung hesitated for a few seconds before answering.

"I believe in the data. I don't know what proof you have, but based on my analysis, this will work out soon." Woosung drank a sip of water and continued. "Kwak Jungwook helped with the analysis. In fact, he knows more about it than I do. Would you prefer to call him up for a more detailed explanation?"

Woosung had already prepared Kwak Jungwook for this, so he felt confident. Na Jaeman nodded and called for Kwak Jungwook.

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Chapter 48:

Kwak Jungwook entered the room with timid movements. He seemed nervous as he handed out the reports he and Woosung prepared together.

Before this meeting, Woosung told Kwak Jungwook that this was going to be his chance to shine. Woosung would leave soon anyway, so he wanted Kwak Jungwook to get all the credit.

Kwak Jungwook started.

"I…if you see the first page, you can see the reasons the new users provided for subscribing to our system."

It was the first time he ever did a presentation in front of such high-ranking members. He stuttered, but he managed to regain his composure when Woosung gave him a reassigning look.

"Advantages of the HTS

Speed trading.

Stable HTS.

Winning stock recommendation function."

"As you can see, the new recommendation function is the third most popular reason to attract new customers. This means many users find the recommendations helpful. So why do you think most VoCs are negative?"

As he continued, Kwak Jungwook managed to his confidence in himself.

"It's simple. Those who are making money from this system want to keep it to themselves. Let's take a look at the data." Kwak Jungwook turned to the next page. "This shows how well our recommended stocks did last 2 weeks. So far, we recommended 41 stocks, and 23 of them soared over 10% each. Our current success rate is 58%."

The chief of the Risk Management Team asked.

"But what about the other 18 stocks? How did they do? The complaints must be from those who bought those stocks."

"Have a look."

: -5.2%

"An average of 5.2% loss was seen among those stocks. Our system works as we planned. It has over 50% chance of success. So why are we getting so many complaints?"

No one could answer. Kwak Jungwook felt powerful as he looked around the room. He looked at Woosung with a strong hint of appreciation. Na Jaeman asked the chief of Risk Management Team.

"What do you think?"

"Um…My guess would be that those customers who lost money left bad reviews before they unsubscribed."

Kwak Jungwook continued his presentation.

"If you look at the next page, you can see that so far there are 1987 users who lost money from our recommendations. It's less than 2000 people. Even if all of them canceled their subscriptions, it wouldn't be enough to affect Nuri Finances' overall performance." Kwak Jungwook added confidently. "These are raw data that haven't been sent to anyone yet. It's no wonder many people believe the new function to be the reason for the decrease in our performance." Kwak Jungwook stood tall and continued. "I will now explain why the company's performance declined. Please have a look at page 4."

Woosung looked at Kwak Jungwook like a proud mare of a galloping stallion. Others also looked at him with the purest form of admiration. Na Jaeman said to Kwak Jungwook.

"I can see how hard you worked on this, Manager Kwak. I never realized before how talented you are."

After the presentation, Woosung and Kwak Jungwook headed to IDC (Internet Data Center: The repository that safely houses computing facilities such as servers.) in Mokdong. Kwak Jungwook thanked Woosung.

"Haha, thank you so much. You made me look really good in front of my boss today."

"No problem. You have helped me out a lot over the last few months. This is nothing."

They entered the IDC after signing in.

"No, I owe you a big one. I will buy you lunch sometime."

"Alright. As I said before, the success rate of this function will decrease over time. You need to remember this."

Kwak Jungwook nodded and repeated what Woosung told him before.

"As the number of users increases, the number of transactions will increase as well. This will cause the algorithm to be less profitable."

"Exactly, and after I leave, if you need anything, you can talk to Manager Park."

Kwak Jungwook nodded and looked at Woosung respectfully. "I understand. Without you, I can see a difficult time ahead of our company. Manager Park will have a lot of work to do to fill your shoes."

"I know, but he'll do just fine. I must admit, I am starting to get worried about him. I think he has been working late nights every day for a while now."

One could visibly see that Park Junwoo lost a lot of weight recently.

"I noticed too. I hope he's ok." Woosung nodded. Kwak Jungwook hesitated before asking. "Um, can I watch you uploading the server on DMA?"

"Of course. I can't show you the insider codes but otherwise, you can watch the rest."

Woosung sat down in front of one of the computers inside IDC. He started to type fast.

It wasn't just Woosung in the room. Many developers were there working too.

'So I know for sure the Beta version of this algorithm works. I wonder how well the Alpha version would perform?'

Woosung smiled as he worked. He had a DMA circuit from Shin Semi.

It could only be used from Mokdong IDC. It was an inconvenience, but it was all worth it. Woosung tested it and found it was up to 0.004 seconds faster.

'Let's try it with just 50,000 dollars. If it works well, I will add the other 70,000 dollars and any more money I make from now on. Haha'

If he invested everything using the algorithm trading, Woosung expected a huge return.

10 million dollars. Maybe even more.

Woosung focused and started the Alpha version of his algorithm trading system.

-nuri@unixchannel# start-autotrading.sh

[INFO] Auto Trading System Starting….

[INFO] Network Status Check…. : Complete…

When he executed the start script, the program began.

Nuri Finances' HTS became the most popular online search term within a few days.

1.Nuri Finances HTS

2.Winning Stocks Recommendation

3.Nuri Finances Subscription

4.Nuri Finances Group

It was the best PR any company could ask for, and it was being done for free. The effect was immediate too. The increase in the number of new users came as quick as thunder. Chairman Shin Yongwon called for Na Jaeman.

"President Na, you did great."

"It is all thanks to my employees."

"Did you say his name was Woosung Kang?"

"Yes, sir."

"And he refused the job offer from Nuri Finances?"

"He said he doesn't want to work for anyone. I think he must be planning to create his own company."

Shin Yongwon rubbed his chin. "Keep an eye on him and when you get a chance, ask him again. You and I both know how hard it is to survive in this field. I will make sure he fails and that will be our chance."

Na Jaeman shivered. He understood what Shin Yongwon meant to do. Na Jaeman didn't agree with his intentions but nodded. He had no choice.

"Yes, sir."

"Anyway, that's that. Now, how well do you think Nuri Finances will do this period?"

"If this continues, we will become number one within one month."

"Haha, that good? So we really need him then. I will have to make it happen."

Na Jaeman nodded again and Shin Yongwon smiled.

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Chapter 49:

50,000.00.

50,400.00.

50,001.00.

55,109.00.

53,855.00.

54,102.10.

The number went up and down, but there was a clear pattern.

It was going up.

Woosung frequently checked his account and there was no doubt it was working.

"Yes!" Woosung exclaimed. It has been 2 weeks since he started using his algorithm trading system from Nuri Finances' IDC.

In 2 weeks, he made about 4,000 dollars.

It was close to a 10% return. If this trend continued, he could make over 100,000 dollars in 3 months. If he invested even more money…

Woosung grinned.

"And then there is the financial crisis!"

September 12th was a Friday.

Lehman Brothers will file for bankruptcy on September 13th, which will be Saturday. By September 16th, the majority of the stocks will drop significantly.

If he purchased out options on September 12th, by September 16th their values will soar. It could be up to 500 times increase.

With a million dollars, he could make up to 500 million dollars. What if he invested not only in the Korean stock market but also the international markets? What if he got involved in US Dow Jones?

Woosung let out a large grin. "What an investment."

100% success rate.

Knowing the future meant Woosung couldn't lose.

May 30th.

It was the last day of work for Woosung. In his previous life, Woosung was fired from his job. It was different this time. In fact, Woosung was called up by the CEO today to receive a recognition award for his good work.

He also received a golden key as a reward.

Na Jaeman smiled at Woosung. "I will miss you. The company will definitely miss you too."

"You have other good employees here. The company will do great."

"But you are the best!"

"As you saw recently, Kwak Jungwook is great too."

Woosung again mentioned Kwak Jungwook, But Na Jaeman shook his head.

"But not as good as you. You are the one who put our company at the top." Woosung smiled awkwardly. Na Jaeman continued quickly. "Now what's your plan for the future?"

Woosung felt a sense of danger. He felt like he was being threatened. He realized he couldn't be totally honest with this man. Woosung trusted his gut feeling.

"I plan to continue with my studies and do some random works."

"Haha, it's humbling to hear that someone like you still feel like you need to continue to learn."

"It's not that. This field is very competitive and so you can never be lazy."

Na Jaeman was still curious. He kept asking more questions. "I heard you are making good use of the DMA. I made sure you have permanent access to it."

"Thank you so much."

"I wish there is more I can do for you. If you stayed here…Whenever you want to come back, you'll always have a place here."

Na Jaeman's kindness was alarming to Woosung. "Thank you." He smiled with an awkward smile.

"Haha, I am keeping you here too long. Thank you again for your hard work." Na Jaeman put his hand out for a handshake.

Woosung shook his hand. He noticed how Na Jaeman's smile didn't reach his eyes, Woosung knew he shouldn't trust him.

When he returned to the office, Yoon Gihwan stood up. "Thank you for your hard work. I will see you soon."

"Of course. I will contact you soon."

Kim Yonggun also couldn't hide his disappointment. "Good work, President Kang!"

"What? Haha."

Park Junwoo shook Woosung's hand. "Thank you for everything. I will work harder to be worthy."

"Haha, no way. You're working way too hard even now. You need to take a break."

Park Junwoo looked like he aged 10 years in the last few months. It was clear he worked without a sliver of rest.

"No. I still have so much to learn. I have been looking into linear regression recently and it is not easy."

"It definitely isn't, but you need to take care of your health too." Park Junwoo repeated what Yoon Gihwan said before. "If you don't have the brain, you need to work harder to make up for it."

Park Junwoo was unwavering. Woosung knew there was nothing more he could say to him, so he finally packed his bag and left.

This was it. Now that it was really happening, Woosung felt both excited and frightened. He wondered if he made a mistake, but he knew this was what he had to do.

When he exited the main entrance, someone called out his name. "Woosung, I will give you a ride."

"I don't get into strangers' cars."

Shin Semi knew what would interest Woosung. "I heard a rumor on Daeyang Group recently." She knew exactly what Woosung wanted. When he got into the black sedan, she asked.

"Where do you live?"

Woosung told the driver his address. The car started to move.

In the car, Shin Semi asked with a sly grin. "The recent incident with Choi Gichul…Was that you?"

Woosung didn't panic. "I don't know what you are talking about." He answered with no hesitation.

"Well, it doesn't matter. Who do you think is going to be the next president?"

This was an unexpected question. Woosung almost said the name out loud but stopped himself.

"Haha, I'm not a fortune teller. How would I know that?"

"You can do what you did last time to predict it. You said it was data analysis."

"It's not that quick or easy."

"I see."

Silence.

Woosung started to sweat.

'This woman is crazy.'

To change this uncomfortable subject, Woosung decided to ask Shin Semi. "You promised to tell me something. What have you heard about the Daeyang Group?"

"The oldest Choi Taemin will be divorcing soon."

Divorce.

Woosung remembered this from his previous life. Choi Taemin's wife was also a daughter of a rich businessman. After the divorce, she will date a celebrity.

"And?"

"You are so curious about Daeyang Group, aren't you?"

"Haha, I told you before. Collecting data is my hobby."

"There is a rumor Chairman Choi Gunwon's sex tape has been leaked."

Woosung also knew this to be true. So far, Shin Semi's information has been reliable. He realized he could trust Shin Semi to be honest.

"And the middle brother Choi Gitae is a drug addict."

"Drugs?"

This was a piece of new information. If Choi Gitae was doing drugs, there was a good chance that Choi Gichul was as well.

This could be useful for Woosung.

He asked. "Anything about Choi Gichul?"

"Choi Gichul is currently studying abroad." Shin Semi's eyes became sharp.

Woosung asked quickly.

"Oh, I saw it on the news. So it must be true."

Woosung looked out the window. "We're almost there." Shin Semi said as they got close to his place.

The car stopped. Woosung opened the door right thereafter. As soon as the door closed, the car drove away.

When Woosung opened the door to his house, he heard laughter.

"You are so funny, sir."

"Hahaha, please call me Gwangchul, and I meant what I said. You should be an actress! You are so beautiful."

"Hahaha, you're such a liar."

"I'm serious! I have been wondering where Woosung got his good looks. Now I know."

Kim Eunjung answered happily. "Well, it is true that Woosung is very handsome."

"I wish I was too."

"Gwangchul, you're handsome too!"

The living room was filled with the smell of meat cooking.

"Oh Woosung, you're home!" Kim Eunjung stood up to greet her son. His parents already knew he quit his job. They tried to convince him otherwise but realized that they couldn't change Woosung's mind.

"I didn't realize we had a guest."

"Well, it's your last day of work so I thought we should celebrate. I bought some steaks."

"But what about your work?"

Jang Gwanchul was a daytime trader. It was a weekday today. He should have been home working.

"Haha, I can afford to take a day off if I want to."

"I guess…"

"Take a seat. I brought the best steak in the city! Let's have a nice late lunch."

Kim Eunjung added. "Did you even get to eat lunch? Gwangchul brought steaks and wild ginseng."

Woosung was surprised to hear this. "What? Wild ginseng?"

"I wanted to bring you and your parents something special."

Jang Gwangchul opened the box he brought. Inside were three wild ginseng roots. He picked up one of it and handed it to Woosung.

"Here, take a piece. Put it in your mouth and chew it slowly. It's a 50-year old wild ginseng."

50 years old? How much was it?

Woosung guessed the damn this would have probably costed at least a few thousand dollars. Kim Eunjung looked at it wistfully.

"Mom, you have a piece too."

"R…really?"

Jang Gwangchul smiled and handed a piece to Kim Eunjung too.

"Oh sorry! Here is a big one for you."

Chew, chew.

Woosung chewed for 15 minutes before swallowing it.

Ah, eating wild ginseng on his last day of work. Woosung saw this as a good omen.

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Chapter 50:

After the hearty meal, Woosung went to his room. Jang Gwangchul laid down on the bed and Woosung sat on the chair. Woosung started his explanation.

"Let's start with the algorithm trading. As I told you in the last week's email, Beta version was a success. Currently, I am running the Alpha version on Nuri Finances' IDC." He continued without a pause. "And while I was testing this out, I also worked on MQTT development as much as possible. I still have a few things to work out, but I have a bulk of it done. I can show you the prototype so please arrange a meeting with Hong Soobum."

Every time Jang Gwangchul moved, the old bed squeaked.

It was a small room. The bed was worn.

"You are making me feel uncomfortable." Jang Gwangchul said with a pout. Woosung knew what he meant. He sighed and replied.

"Sir, I need more time to get to know you before I start calling you 'big brother.' For now, let's keep this as a business relationship."

"But you promised!" Jang Gwangchul stood up and looked around the room. It was filled with books. All of them were purchased after Woosung came back from death.

"I can see you studied your butt off. You must have studied hard at school."

"No. I did after I started working."

Choi Gichul.

He was the reason why Woosung worked like his life depended on it.

"I guess the real world taught you a thing or two. Now you are free. You should get your own place. You are becoming a burden to your mother."

"Thank you for your advice, but I can take care of myself."

"Coconut app is a very important project to me. Algorithm trading system too. You are the main developer for both programs, which means it's my job to provide for you as best as I can." It sounded like Jang Gwangchul was offering him to buy a house. "I would love to have you live with me, but you are a young man who probably needs privacy."

Jang Gwangchul was a VIP everywhere, including Nuri Finances and various banks. Woosung was sure he probably owned many properties.

"That's ok. I can find my own place by myself."

"This is something I would really like to do for you."

"I know you're rich, but this is not necessary."

Jang Gwangchul's eyes sparked.

"Great. Then tell me what you need. You didn't quit just to work on the algorithm system and MQTT."

Woosung looked out the window.

Jang Gwangchul was right. His main reason was to prepare for various future events such as the financial crisis and the release of coin. These were Woosung's two focuses. There were many other chances as well, but Woosung wasn't sure if it was possible for him to take advantage of everything.

One was a very high-risk business. It was also going to take a lot of funds. Woosung wasn't planning to get involved in it, but hearing Jang Gwangchul's offer, Woosung changed his mind.

"Do you remember Hong Soobum's seminar on the future of the mobile era? What did you think of it?"

"That it's going to happen soon, or how iPhone will take over the world?"

"Then have you ever considered getting into manufacturing your own cell phone?"

"W…what?"

"iPhone. It's a brand-new type of cell phone. It is not just a new thing, but a new field. Are you going to just sit and watch?"

"Manufacturing…Develop our own type of cell phone?"

"Cell phone that will include our revolutionary app Coconut. You can get into both the platform and the hardware. What do you think?"

Jang Gwangchul became speechless.

Manufacturing.

He has never considered it. The cell phone industry was already saturated with companies like Nokia, Motorola, Blackberry, and Daeyang System. The competition was impossible.

Woosung could see what Jang Gwangchul was thinking. He continued.

"For a while, iPhone will be on the top and the rest will be busy trying to catch up. But if I get into it…"

Woosung paused.

"I can make something that can compete against iPhone."

Jang Gwangchul swallowed.

Woosung explained in more details. He mesmerized Jang Gwangchul in just a few seconds. Woosung was describing the future.

"Daeyang will be releasing a Window Mobile OS based cell phone as a contender against iPhone, but this will fail."

"Daeyang's new phone will fail? How can you be so sure?"

"Same reason why I am developing MQTT. Window OS is heavy and drains batteries too quickly. This means the apps will be slow and the customers will not buy it."

Woosung was from the future. He knew this to be true. In November 2008, Daeyang will release its new smartphone Amor and it will fail miserably.

However, the next phone after Amor, Blue S, will become a huge success.

As Woosung continued, Jang Gwangchul looked at him in fascination. He sat up closer to Woosung.

"You can create something better?"

"In November last year, Google created OHA (Open Handset Alliance) and introduced an OS platform for mobile phones. If we create a phone with this OS included, we can eliminate the problem Daeyang will face with its new phone."

Woosung paused before continuing.

Manufacturing.

If you failed in this field, you could lose everything. "But we could face other technical problems. Hardware industry requires extensive experience." Woosung said honestly.

"And it will cost a lot of money."

"We will need an access to an unlimited funds."

Even if they created a good product, there was no guarantee it would sell. Woosung knew popular designs from the future, but this was a different time. It was impossible to tell what may happen.

There were so many risks, but it could also be a once in a lifetime opportunity.

A chance to destroy Daeyang.

"I appreciate your honesty."

"If we decide to go ahead with it, the earliest we could start would be October. It takes a lot of research, and I also need to complete my other projects. So you have some time to think about it."

Financial crisis was to happen in September. Woosung needed to focus on it for now.

"And what would be my responsibility?"

"You need to find hardware developers or a company that deals with it. We would also need an investor who would be interested in about 30% of our company. For me, I will attend the MS MVP Global Summit in US to network."

When Woosung answered seriously, Jang Gwangchul became excited. He stood up.

"Manufacturing…We can make our own cell phone for our app."

"We can start calling the cell phones the smartphones."

"And what would you want to name this smartphone?"

"Blue S. A friend for you in this lonely world."

It was the exact slogan Daeyang used to sell its Blue S in Woosung's previous life. Daeyang spent a lot of money for social experts to come up with it and it became very popular. Jang Gwangchul exhaled eagerly and held Woosung's hands.

"I don't know how you come up with these things."

Woosung smiled coolly and answered. "Please make sure to think carefully. Remember, you can't tell anyone about it, ok?"

He hugged Woosung.

Dinner time.

Jang Gwangchul visited Hong Soobum. He took his trusted developer to his home.

"You know about Google's Android, right?"

"It hasn't been released yet, but it's coming."

Hong Soobum repeated what Woosung already told Jang Gwangchul. Jang Gwangchul had many more questions.

"What do you think about it? Do you think it will be a success? Do you think the users with smartphones will like it?"

"There is no way for me to answer that accurately."

"Then let me ask you this. Would you be interested in making a smartphone with me?"

"What?"

"We can create our own cell phone and include our Coconut app right in it. What do you think? Are you interested?"

Hong Soobum's face remained stern.

"Not at all."

After a brief pause, he continued lightning fast. "Creating an app is one thing, but manufacturing is a completely different animal. You need a factory and countless parts. You need to look into companies that make parts for CPU, memory, touch screen, sound, and so on. The work involved will be endless with no guarantee of success." Hon Soobum continued. "And even if you take care of all that and make a product, the troubleshooting we'll have to deal with would be a headache. After all that, if we don't succeed, all the money that went into it will be gone."

"Everything has risks. High risk investment can provide a chance for high return. We could potentially become a company like Apple."

"This industry is already so saturated. Remember Nokia, Blackberry, Motorola, and Daeyang?"

"But do you remember what you said at your seminar? iPhone reinvented the concept of phone." Jang Gwangchul, now excited than ever, continued. "There is no one who can compete against it. It will be the sole ruler of this business for a long time. Perhaps forever. If we don't go after it, we will be left behind."

Hong Soobum remained silent. He seemed unconvinced. "We could become their competition."Hong Soobum shook his head. He didn't believe it was possible.

Jang Gwangchul continued persistently. "Blue S. A friend for you in this lonely world. Our mutual friend suggested it."After much thinking, Hong Soobum finally answered.

"It's too big of a risk, and you still want to do it?"

"YES!"

"Alright. I will think about it and look into it."

"Woosung will be the CEO, so you need to talk to him. He's on his way here right now."

Hong Soobum nodded.

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Chapter 51:

Late that night.

It was more like early morning. Jang Gwangchul, Woosung, and Hong Soobum sat down together. Woosung first explained what he had completed so far.

He showed the MQTT prototype. He even had a PPT prepared for them. He also had a similarly detailed presentation on the algorithm trading system.

Jang Gwangchul assured Woosung would welcome Hong Soobum to learn about the trading system, so he explained everything to both men.

There was still much more work to do.

Woosung was about 50% done.

However, Jang Gwangchul didn't care about it. Hong Soobum listened with obvious interest. After Woosung finished, he asked a question.

"You still have much left to do. You need to figure out how to deal with message transmission failure. You also need to test different situations."

"Yes. As I said earlier, only about 50% of the work is done so far."

"But it was still interesting. After you are done, I can see Coconut will be perfect."

"The best part is that it won't be only for Coconut but could also be used for IoT (Internet of things). Its potential use will be endless."

"That's true. I am jealous you get to work on such a versatile program."

Woosung, flattered at Hong Soobum's compliment, smiled like a little child.

"Haha, thank you."

Suddenly, Jang Gwangchul became impatient. "Now that we are done talking about the app, we need to discuss the smartphone business."

Woosung began by comparing the iPhone and the Android. He listed the pros and cons of each. He provided the detailed information as if he created these phones himself. Hong Soobum asked in disbelief.

"How could you know so much about these phones? They haven't even been released yet."

"Why would anyone need to use it to know about the product? The Internet is filled with an infinite amount of information."

"I agree you can learn about the iPhone since it has been released in the US, but android is still only at an early development stage. I don't understand how you could know so much about it."

Android 1.0 applepie version was to be released in September 2008. In Woosung's previous life, the world's first Android phone GI was released in Taiwan in October 2008.

The problem was these things haven't happened yet in this life. It was no wonder Hong Soobum couldn't believe Woosung.

"It's an educated guess on my part. Information on iPhone tells me what android must be like." Woosung took a sip of water and continued. "To me, it seems very obvious and common sense."

Jang Gwangchul couldn't take all this technical talk. "So are we going to do it or not?" He asked impatiently.

Hong Soobum didn't answer. He was someone Woosung admired and respected. His opinion mattered to both Woosung and Jang Gwangchul.

"There are so many risks. Android is only at its beginning stage. There are so many unknowns. If we use it, then we will become dependant on Google. What about things like CPU and memory? They will have to be from Daeyang, but will they provide them to us?"

Hong Soobum.

He was a talented developer and a successful future businessman.

He was the best Woosung has ever met.

So for Hong Soobum to disagree with this business idea was a concern.

"Let's say we did make a product. What happens then? In Korea, cell phones are sold only through the cell phone carriers. Will they accept our product?"

Jang Gwangchul looked disappointed.

"But you said…"

"I said I'll think about it."

"Hmm." Woosung looked at Hong Soobum and started to doubt himself.

'Is this not possible then?'

Woosung shook his head quickly. He was certain he could make this work.

Just like Chinese company Xiaomi or drone company DJI, late starters could still succeed in a saturated market.

Hong Soobum shook his head and said to Jang Gwangchul. "As you know, you shouldn't do business with your heart. When you buy or sell stocks, you use your instinct, right?"

He then turned to Woosung, who replied slowly.

"Let me tell you a story. There was an average developer. As soon as he started his job, he realized how incompetent he was. He was reprimanded all the time at work, so he had to study very hard just to make it. Studying was not his thing. He barely graduated. He hated to study, but he had to do it." Woosung looked out the dark window. "He had to do it to survive."

It was early in the morning and so it was dark outside.

"Then, something amazing happened. He started to get better at his job. He realized he can do it!" The sun started to rise. Woosung continued as he stared at the dazzling sunrise. "Desperation was the key. If he worked like his life depended on it, then he realized he could accomplish anything."

It started to get lighter outside. Woosung turned to Hong Soobum. "There is nothing he couldn't do. I agree with you that you shouldn't do business with your heart. You do it with your life."

The sun shined behind Woosung. To Hong Soobum and Jang Gwangchul, it looked like a halo around Woosung. Woosung said to them.

"I will bet my life on this project."

Hong Soobum and Jang Gwangchul stared in awe. After a few minutes, Hong Soobum finally replied.

"Do you remember when we first met, you told me how I was going to become very successful?" Woosung nodded. Hong Soobum said to him confidently. "Right back at you."

Jang Gwangchul laughed happily.

Jang Gwangchul nicknamed this group the three musketeers. He decided that Woosung was the leader among them.

"We weren't born on the same day, but we shall succeed together on the same day!"

Woosung smiled in embarrassment at Jang Gwangchul's grand declaration. Hong Soobum seemed like he felt the same way but Jang Gwangchul continued anyway.

"Now we must chant together! The three musketeers!"

Woosung and Hong Soobum were too self-conscious, but Jang Gwangchul was insistent. He wanted all three of them to roar their nickname together. Woosung realized there was no way out. Jang Gwangchul wasn't going to give up on it. After a few seconds of hesitation, all three raised their glasses and cheered.

"Three musketeers!"

After emptying their glasses, Jang Gwangchul gave out a hearty laugh. "I am so excited. It's an honor to work with such heroes!"

"So now that you are free from your job, what's your plan?" Hong Soobum asked Woosung.

"I need to first finish the on-going projects. Then I will need to go to the US for a while."

"America?"

"I am planning to attend the Microsoft MVP Summit in June. It will take place in Seattle. I think I may be able to learn more about Google's Android there."

This was the reason Woosung was giving, but he had other reasons as well.

One of it was the financial crisis.

There were a few things Woosung had to take care of to prepare for it. Hong Soobum tilted his head and replied.

"Well, I guess if the OS doesn't get released, we won't be able to even begin."

"There is no future for the Windows mobile system, and Apple won't reveal its IOS. So our two options so far are either wait for the release of the Android OS or make our own OS."

Realistically, making an OS (Operating System) was impossible. This meant their business depended on Google. Hong Soobum knew this very well.

"I guess all we can do is wait for its release." Jang Gwangchul continued to drink as he chimed in. "Woosung, check your bank account. I just transferred you the rest of the money for the algorithm trading system."

He also took out some paperwork and handed it to Woosung.

"And this is the Coconut contract. As we agreed, you will be getting 15% of the Coconut app company. Have a look."

"But I haven't finished the work yet…"

"I have no doubt you'll get it done." Jang Gwangchul continued. "And I thought that since you won't be getting a regular salary from now on, you might need the money."

Woosung felt overwhelmed. He bowed as a reply.

"Thank you so much."

"Hahaha! Now you really like me the same way as a big brother, right?"

Woosung replied honestly. "I already knew you are a generous man, but I can't help but be suspicious. I hope you know though that I do appreciate you."

"Well, it's good that you are cautious. You'll make a good business partner."

Time flew by as they chatted. Soon, it became sunny outside and Hong Soobum put down his glass.

"It's time for me to go to work now."

"No! Stay!" Jang Gwangchul tried to stop Hong Soobum, but it was useless.

"I need to get to work."

"Well, I guess you're right."

Woosung stood up as well. "I need to get going too."

"Why?"

"I have a lot to do. Two projects, research on Android, and so on. I have no time to waste."

Jang Gwangchul emptied his glass. "Well, I guess I might as well get to work too."

When Woosung left Jang Gwagnchul's house, the street was already busy with people on their way to work. Woosung yawned as he got into a cab.

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Chapter 52:

The next day.

After a deep sleep, Woosung woke up and checked his account balance.

From Jang Gwangchul 600,000 dollars.

It was the right amount.

Without the 50,000 dollars being invested, Woosung's total balance was now about 680,000 dollars.

It was an amount Woosung could never even dream of in his previous life. If he included his investment, it was over 700,000 dollars. It was a lot of money, but it was nothing compared to what Woosung would earn after the financial crisis.

June.

Woosung arrived at the Incheon International Airport. One great thing about programming was he could do it anywhere. All he needed was a laptop.

This was the first time he traveled to the US. He felt his heart pound. He tried to calm as he waited.

"By the time I return, things will be different."

Woosung was taking the Economy class. He could afford to be on the Business class, but he had to save as much money as possible to invest for now. 10 dollars today could turn into 1,000 or even 5,000 dollars.

Finally, an announcement was made.

"Those about to take Asiana 8121 to Seattle, please move to Gate 42. Again, passengers of flight Asiana 8121 to Seattle, please move to Gate 42."

Woosung followed the instruction; soon, he was on the plane.

After a long flight, he arrived in Seattle and went straight to the hotel prepared for him. The next day, he went to the conference building for the MVP Global Summit. After registering, he started attending various seminars. He had been studying English for a while, so Woosung didn't have much difficulty understanding.

But one of the main reasons he came here wasn't to listen, but to find a talented developer as a partner.

Woosung started to observe the other attendees.

One of the seminars Woosung wanted to attend was on Windows mobile. He wanted to meet people who were experts in this field. There was still some time left till this session, so Woosung sat down at a lounge area. There were other people nearby and Woosung couldn't help but hear their conversation.

"What are you going to hear?"

"Deep Dive .

It was Microsoft's web application framework to be released in the future. Soon, JAVA was to become the main language for the web.

Woosung wanted to tell them what the future held, but he stopped himself.

"Did you hear? Microsoft is preparing cloud services."

"Really? Was the rumor true?"

"It's called Azure."

Woosung knew this service was going to be unsuccessful against Amazon. Again, he wanted to tell them what he knew, but obviously, it was not possible.

Instead, he murmured.

"I wish I could tell them…"

Suddenly, an Asian man approached Woosung. "I wasn't sure if you're Korean, but you are!"

The man seemed happy to see another Korean. Woosung quickly glanced at his nametag.

'Go Sangjun?'

Woosung tried to remember if he heard of this name in his previous life, but he couldn't. He was obviously not a famous developer like Hong Soobum.

"Hello. My name is Woosung Kang. Haha, it's nice to see another Korean here."

Go Sangjun glanced at Woosung's nametag as well.

"Haha, nice to meet you too. I see that your expertise is in Visual Studio. It's an unusual field in Korea." The nametags included the field each MVP specialized in. Go Sangjun's nametag stated window mobile.

"Haha, I think your field is even rarer. Window mobile MVP? Wow. Could I get your business card?"

"Of course."

Go Sangjun quickly handed Woosung a card.

"Daeyang System.

IM Business Headquarter Lab Manager.

Go Sangjun."

Woosung's guess was right. If he was the window mobile MVP, it was very possible that this man was part of Daeyang's upcoming new phone Amor development team. Woosung became excited. This could be the man he was looking for.

This could be his chance.

"Could I also get your business card?"

Woosung handed him his card. It was the one Jang Gwangchul made for him as a gift.

"Freelancer.

Woosung Kang."

It also included his phone number and the email address but nothing else. Go Sangjun stared at the card.

"Wow, it's cool. I love how your name is in gold color."

It was the same style as Jang Gwangchul's card. The name was written in real gold, and Woosung had 200 of it.

"Well, I hope so. It's written in 24k gold."

Go Sangjun was surprised.

"What?"

"Haha, a friend made it for me as a gift."

"Wow…24k…It must be really expensive. Are you sure it's ok for me to take one?"

"Of course. I am really happy to meet another Korean here."

Go Sangjun became curious about Woosung, but there was no more time to ask questions. Seminars were about to begin. Woosung guessed Sangjun probably planned on attending the one on Windows mobile. Woosung stood up and asked.

"I was going to listen to the session on Windows mobile…What about you?"

"Great! Me too!"

They started to walk together. Woosung smiled in satisfaction.

Windows mobile.

By 2018, it was an unpopular OS compared to IOS and Android.

The seminar didn't interest Woosung. Instead, he looked around to observe other people. He wanted to see if he could find any famous people.

Go Sangjun noticed this and asked Woosung.

"Do you see someone you know?"

"I don't know."

"What?"

Woosung continued to look around but found no one.

'I was hoping…But guess not.'

"Do you see anyone you know, Sangjun?"

"Haha, it's my first time here so no. I heard there will be a dinner party on the third night, so I was planning to make some friends then."

Woosung gave it some considerable thought. He didn't know anyone here and the seminars were useless to him. He had to find another way.

Instead of looking for that someone, he had to make people come to him.

It was finally time for the QA.

Woosung raised his hand and asked.

"I find the new functions on the upgraded version WM 6.1 very interesting, but how about the multi-touch function? Also, is there any plan for opening an app store like iPhone?"

The speaker replied using the microphone.

"Oh…We are still working on that. The new WM 6.1 focused more on improving the connectivity between Window mobile and PC. For example, it is now easier to use the Office."

As soon as the speaker finished answering, Woosung took out the WM 6.1 PDA.

"Easier to use the Office? That's not true. Trying to work on Excel, PPT, or Word on such a small screen is impossible." Woosung continued quickly. "As well, the new version didn't improve on performance. The touch function also became even slower."

Woosung then took out the iPhone. He held it in his right hand, and the PDA on his left hand.

"On the other hand, I find iPhone very 'sexy.'"

Woosung brought the MS's competition to its own seminar and praised it. Everyone in the audience stared at Woosung in amazement.

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Chapter 53: lt;Seattle, New York, and Silicone Valleygt;

Woosung looked around to observe the audience. He checked not only their names and expertise but also their cell phones.

"Could everyone raise their phones?"

One by one, they did.

They were developers. As developers, they took technology with sheer seriousness. As expected, many were early adopters.

More than half were using iPhones with IOS. Less than 10% were using PDAs with Window Mobile.

"That's what I thought. Now, you can put down your phones. As all of you can see, iPhone is taking over the world. I believe that Window mobile needs to follow a similar outlook." Woosung continued in a flash. "In the PC market, Apple can't win against Microsoft, but in the mobile industry, it's a different story."

Woosung was no longer one of the audiences. People paid close attention to him as if he was the expert speaker.

"So far, Windows has provided great desktop service and products to many users, including myself. However, the world of cell phones is different, unfortunately. So how could this be fixed? I have thought about this for a long time."

Woosung then chose to be dramatic.

"There is only one answer to this problem." He then dropped the PDA. After it hit the floor with a thud, Woosung continued. "There is no way."

Then he quoted Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft.

"Hit refresh."

Many murmured amongst themselves. Some frowned at Woosung. He now had everyone's attention. Now it was time to make him look likable.

Many raised their hands. The actual seminar speaker seemed flustered at his loss of control over the audience. Woosung calmly pointed at one of the people.

"I will take your question."

"My name is Brian from Canada. I don't believe the number of users is proportional to the quality of the product. Don't you think you're being too extreme when you say to start from scratch?"

"Then I will give you another good reason. Windows is too arrogant."

"…what?"

"Currently, Windows owns the personal computer industry. It is unbeatable." Many nodded. Woosung continued calmly. "But it forgot about one important thing. MS thinks the same model that succeeded in the computer business will be effective in the cell phone world too. For example, it is focusing on how to make it easy for the Microsoft desktop services to be used on cell phones."

This was true. MS concentrated on making desktop services useable on cell phones rather than making the phones themselves great. Woosung waved his iPhone to make sure people were paying attention.

"iPhone is different. It created something new. Just like this, MS also needs to recognize that desktops are different than cell phones." Woosung didn't forget that this was a Microsoft convention. He knew he had to compliment MS at least a little bit. "Just like MS was the first to create the Window that was perfect for personal uses."

Many nodded. Woosung continued carefully.

"MS needs to think differently. Don't try to put the desktop into the phone. Make the phone into something that can replace the desktop." This was the future. Woosung looked around. "Now, I can answer the next question."

Many again raised their hands. Woosung pointed at one person. "What is your opinion on Google's Android project?"

"It is amazing. When Google announced its plan for the Android platform, it chose JAVA. Why do you think that is?" Woosung answered quickly.

Someone from the crowd answered. "There were probably many reasons, but I think the biggest reason was probably because it is the most common language used by the developers."

Woosung asked the next question.

"And why would that be an important reason? Why is it crucial to use a language that is used by many developers?"

"Apps?"

"Exactly. Next month, Apple will open its app store. Numerous developers will start making apps to upload. Why? Because it will be profitable. What do you think will happen next? The number of contents will increase."

Apple's app store was to open on July 11, 2008. The number of available apps was expected to increase rapidly. This will make iPhones even more popular.

"Contents. This will be what makes iPhone successful. As I said earlier, this small device will replace the desktops in the future." Woosung added.

The room became silent. Many were fascinated by Woosung.

Go Sangjun looked at him in amazement.

'W…who is this guy?'

Woosung's English was impeccable. His knowledge was even more impressive. Woosung looked around.

'I think I did it.'

Most were looking at him in curiosity. Many continued to raise their hands. Woosung sat down slowly and stated.

"I think I took up too much of the speaker's time. If anyone has any questions for me, please find me after the seminar."

Finally, the speaker took the microphone. "By the way, what's your name sir?"

"My name is Aaron Kang."

"Thank you. Well, I guess that's the end of this seminar."

Many approached Woosung immediately. It was a while before Woosung could leave the conference room.

By dinner time, Woosung had a handful of business cards.

Apple.

Google.

Oracle.

Microsoft.

Sun Microsystems, which developed JAVA.

Woosung had so many talented names to choose from.

'Now I need to figure out the best of the best. Good thing I met someone from Google too. I will be able to ask questions about the Android.'

Woosung and Go Sangjun walked to the restaurant. Sangjun was clearly fascinated by Woosung, which worked on Woosung's advantage.

There were only about 100 Microsoft MVPs in Korea. This meant Go Sangjun was a talented developer. He's most likely was a key developer in Daeyang System.

Go Sangjun asked as soon as he had the chance.

"Are you sure your specialty is Visual Studio? It looked like you know mobile better than I do."

It was a great compliment. Woosung shook his head and answered.

"No way. I have an interest in it so I studied it a bit."

"You definitely know a lot about it. Are you by chance working on something that uses Android Beta SDK?"

"I had a quick look at the codes, but no more. You are the one who is in the development field, so you must know much more about it."

"Well, that doesn't mean anything. I basically do what the company tells me to do."

"I heard Amor is to be released soon. It uses Window Mobile, right? Daeyang must have more confidence in Window than Android?"

"Well, Window is a proven OS. It will be released in Singapore at the end of June."

Woosung already knew everything about it, but he still pretended to be ignorant.

"I am excited about it."

"Don't be. I know as well as you do that Window Mobile is not going to work."

"Oh…"

"Gosh! I told them we need to make an Android phone, but they wouldn't listen."

"I…I see."

"What you said today was my exact thought."

While they chatted, another Korean appeared.

"Sangjun, you should've told me you're coming!"

They seemed to know each other. Go Sangjun introduced the stranger to Woosung.

"This is Lee Younghan. We met at a Korean MVP meeting before."

"Oh! You're Korean too. Nice to meet you. My name is Lee Younghan."

"Nice to meet you too. My name is Woosung."

Lee Younghan asked quickly.

"Did you hear, Sangjun? Someone badmouthed MS at the Window Mobile seminar today!"

Go Sangjun laughed awkwardly. "Oh?"

"I heard that same developer said MS would fail."

Woosung replied sneakily.

"It's all true."

"What?"

"MS will really fail."

"Oh…Haha, I see."

Yoon Gihwan.

Jang Gwangchul.

Shin Semi.

Hong Soobum.

Just like the way they looked at him, Go Sangjun had the same look of awe. Woosung knew he had him now. He stood up.

"Well, I'm tired. I should get going."

Lee Younghan whispered to Go Sangjun.

"Who is he?"

"It's that guy!"

"W…what?"

"I'm tired too. I need to get going."

Go Sangjun finished the last bite of his dinner and followed Woosung quickly.

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Chapter 54: lt;Seattle, New York, and Silicone Valley (End of Book 2)gt;

When Woosung came out, he sat down on a bench and studied the people around as they walked through their destinations.

Blondes.

Brunets.

Straight hair.

Curly hair.

People from all over the world walked by. Woosung thought to himself in prideful snide.

'Look where I am now.'

He has been working nonstop for the last few months. He accomplished a lot so far, but he knew he will be even more successful in the future.

Woosung tried to forget about his work for a while and enjoy the view. Nighttime at Seattle was beautiful.

"The most famous attraction in Seattle is the Space Needle. The view from there is amazing."

Woosung turned around to find Go Sangjun.

"I see."

"You said you're a freelancer?"

"Yes."

"Would you be interested in working at Daeyang?"

"Daeyang? Daeyang…Hahaha."

Woosung laughed. Go Sangjun took this as acceptance and continued enthusiastically.

"As you know, it is one of the best companies in our country. You would love working there."

"What is your yearly salary including the bonus?" Woosung asked without a second thought.

Go Sangjun looked surprised. When he hesitated to answer, Woosung saw this as an opportunity to strike back. "If I offer you double of your current salary, would you be interested in leaving Daeyang and join me?"

"What?"

"I can really use someone like you who has experiences in developing cell phones."

"I thought you said you're a freelancer. But you're telling me you want to hire me? I don't understand…"

"I guess I didn't explain my situation very well. I am indeed a freelancer, but I am a freelancer who dabbles in many different businesses." Go Sangjun looked confused. "I don't involve in just one business, so I just call myself a freelancer."

While Go Sangjun tried to understand, Woosung continued.

"I am sorry, but I need to tell you that Amor will indeed be a failure. I realize Daeyang is a huge corporation, so it will recover and make another product." Woosung emphasized the next sentence. "But who will be blamed for its failures? Who will have to work as a slave for their next project?"

Daeyang was known for its high salaries, but it wasn't for free. The average number of working hours at Daeyang was higher than any other companies.

"Do I even have to explain? You must know this better than I do."

Go Sangjun murmured. "But manufacturing a cell phone is more difficult than you can imagine."

"Is anything ever easy? Remember, Andy Rubin developed Android with only 8 people. My people and I are planning to follow a small tech company model like ARM and Qualcomm. We will create new technologies and get patents. The actual mass manufacturing will be outsourced to other companies like Foxconn."

Woosung knew there was a distinct possibility that Blue S could fail. So he came up with a possible plan B just in case.

He knew the technologies of the future. He planned to get patents for all of them. Even if the cell phone failed, the patents alone will generate sizable profits.

Go Sangjun listened to Woosung and answered.

"Everyone wants to become the next ARM, but you know it is basically impossible. Do you really think your skills are better than them?" Go Sangjun was still doubtful.

Woosung replied quickly. "I have the funds and the eyes for new successful technologies. Do you know that Andy Rubin's Android was rejected by other big companies before he contacted Google? And Android only needed 8 developers to make. Big companies have their advantages, but it doesn't mean they are the only ones who can come up with successful ideas. In fact, some companies, such as Daeyang, have ignorant executives who often make stupid decisions."

Go Sangjun stared at Woosung. He agreed with Woosung. Good ideas from the developers at his company were often ignored by the upper management who didn't know anything about programming.

"Join my team. With experiences like yours, we can offer you twice your current salary. We will, of course, have to discuss the contract in details later…"

"How do you know what I can do?"

"You are a manager a Daeyang System IM Department. You have been selected as MS MVP. It is obvious you are a talented developer."

Go Sangjun sighed. Woosung was correct. He was the main developer for the Windows Mobile OS.

Woosung continued quickly. "Will you disappear into the corporate world as a nameless developer? Or do you want to be recognized? You have my card. Call me if you are interested."

Woosung stood up and left.

Second day at the Summit.

Go Sangjun observed Woosung. He was definitely something different. He attended many seminars and conversed fluently with other developers.

What impressed Go Sangjun the most was that Woosung also participated in one of the sessions. It was titled "The Future of IoT."

Woosung introduced himself on the stage.

"Hello everyone. My name is Aaron Kang. I'm from Korea. This session is a bit of a surprise. I suggested this seminar to Microsoft after I arrived here, so you won't find any information about it in your package." Woosung looked around and continued. "I apologize for the lack of notice, but I guarantee you that it will be a useful session. Now let's begin."

Woosung took out four PCB boards from his bag.

"I don't know if anyone knows what these are. This is open-source hardware called Arduino. It is very similar to the Android."

Arduino.

It was an open-source electronics prototyping platform that allowed users to create interactive electronic objects. Woosung placed the boards on the table and explained its different parts.

"The temperature sensors are connected to the LCD. First, I will get the temperature of Arduino to the first laptop. Then the temperature will be converted from the Celsius to Fahrenheit. This temperature will then be repeated in front of the Arduino's LCD."

The temperature quickly appeared on the LCD screen. The camera now focused on the LCD and showed the numbers on the giant screen.

-A Arduino. 25 oC 77 oF

-B Arduino. 24 oC 75.2 oF.

They were the numbers on the LCDs of the two Arduinos placed side by side. No one could understand why Woosung was doing this demo. Some even yawned as if they were bored.

"Now, I will try the same thing on the second laptop using the MQTT protocol, which I developed myself."

-C Arduino. 24 oC 75.2 oF

-D Arduino. 25 oC 77 oF.

They were similar results.

"You are probably all wondering by now why I'm doing this. What is he doing?" Some laughed. Woosung continued with a smile. "Haha. I will show you why right now. Please pay attention."

Woosung clicked to open the Window Task Manager.

"As you know, if you click here, you can see the CPU and the memory usage of the PC. Now, I'm going to make it think that 200 machines are connected. This is the number one PC."

Suddenly on the screen, the green bar soared to show the memory usage of 80%. The audience started to become curious.

"Wow, high usage. Now, I will do the same thing using the MQTT protocol on the second PC"

This time, the green bar only rose to 10%. It then slowly went down. The message was clear. Woosung continued.

"The future of IoT is bright. The problem will be controlling hundreds, thousands, and even tens of thousands of machines. Will the current system be enough?"

No one answered. After a short pause, Woosung stated with the utmost care.

"I don't think so, which means this new protocol will be the solution. Now, I will take your questions."

Many raised their hands.

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Chapter 55: lt;Seattle, New York, and Silicone Valleygt;

After 20 minutes of QA, the session finally ended. Woosung was surrounded by a crowd of people. Go Sangjun tried to get closer to him.

"It's an amazing technology."

"How did you make it?"

"I love it."

"Awesome!"

Woosung was showered with compliments. As a fellow Korean, Go Sangjun felt proud.

"Thank you."

"I can't reveal it yet because it's not done."

"You're correct. It has a Pub/substructure."

Woosung answered each question without hesitation. Even long after the end of the session, people approached him with more questions, compliments, and business cards. One in particular interested Woosung. It had '-, ' embedded on it. The man who handed him the card introduced himself.

"Hello. My name is Jonathan Logan. I am an Arduino project committer."

A reviewer was someone who could suggest an opinion on the open source projects.

A contributor was someone who could suggest codes.

And finally, a committer was an individual who could modify the source code of a particular piece of open source software. Committer was considered a key member of a project.

'Another great catch!'

This could be a useful person to Woosung.

"If you have time, I would love to talk to you about your seminar today."

Woosung had some personal experiences with Arduino. In the past, he used it to install a camera outside his house as a security measure. He connected it to his smartphone, so he could monitor it. He told Logan about his experience.

"Wow, that's impressive. I can see that you have a great knowledge of it."

"I find it fascinating."

"And is that why you developed MQTT?"

"That is actually for something else I'm working on."

"And would that something be IoT related service?"

"Perhaps in the future, but not right now."

Logan's questions were endless. Woosung had his own questions to ask, so when he had a chance, he said quickly.

"If you are an Arduino project committer, are you also involved in the PCB layout design?"

"Not by myself. I am one of many."

Woosung lowered his voice and whispered. "Then would it be possible to use Qualcomm chip instead of ATmega?"

ATmega was the microcontroller chip used by Arduino. When Woosung asked about Qualcomm chip, he was implying that he meant to make a phone.

Logan's eyes widened. "What?"

Woosung knew Logan understood what he was suggesting. He handed Logan his business card.

"Arduino could become a cell phone too. If you are interested in learning more about it, please call me."

When Woosung stood up, Logan stopped him. "W…wait."

Woosung sat down and continued. "Google is working on the Android. It will be released as an open source." Logan listened quietly. "And Arduino is already on its way to the open source hardware platform."

Logan swallowed audibly.

"I realize Arduino is different than cell phones. I don't plan on combining the two." Go Sangjun, who was also sitting next to him, listened attentively. "But they are heading in the same direction. Premium line will be manufactured directly. The mass production of the phone's layout will be produced by OEM. Foxconn would be a good example."

Foxconn.

It was a famous electronic industry company in Taiwan responsible for manufacturing iPhones.

"I need people with open minds and who aren't afraid to share their skills. Someone like you, Jonathan Logan." Logan inhaled deeply. It was obvious he was hooked. "If you are interested in making this phone with me, please call me."

Woosung stood up again and left.

On their way to the hotel, Go Sangjun complained. "When you were sweet talking me, you didn't draw such a big picture like that for me."

"Haha. Each person has his own interest, and I try to make my speech personal. For you, I talked about the cons of big corporations because I could tell you were sick of working for the man."

Go Sangjun continued to pout despite Woosung's explanation. "I forgot to ask you how old you are. I'm 26." Woosung tried to hide his smile as he changed the subject.

"What?"

"I'm still a baby."

Go Sangjun couldn't hide his surprise.

"26? Not 36?"

"Yup."

"No way…"

"And you are…"

"33."

"So you're older than me. Should I call you big brother then?"

Go Sangjun still couldn't believe how young Woosung was. "That would make you a brand new grad…Yet you are already a freelancer CEO…" He murmured.

The last day was a boring day for Woosung. He didn't meet anyone interesting and none of the sessions were useful.

It all changed during the dinner party.

Famous musicians and DJ's were invited. As Woosung listened to the loud music, he drank champaign. Go Sangjun murmured.

"I thought it would be a tame party for nerds, but I guess I was wrong."

"I know." Woosung replied as he looked around.

Go Sangjun asked Woosung. "So what are your plans? Tour? Home?"

"I plan to stay a while longer."

"Good idea. There is a lot to see in America."

Woosung planned to go to New York. He wanted to hire a lawyer to create an investment corporation in preparation for the financial crisis.

"Yup. I want to see and learn as much as possible before I return."

Woosung felt excited. Things were happening according to his plan. When he returned home, he vowed to take the First Class.

"Hey, I think someone's interested in you."

Go Sangjun pointed at a woman across the room. When Woosung turned around, a girl in a thick pair of glasses was indeed staring at him. She had long curly hair and big eyes.

'Wow. Is she really interested in me?'

When their eyes met, she hesitantly approached Woosung. When he bowed lightly, she stammered.

"I…I saw your session on MQTT." She seemed very shy, but she continued bravely. "It…it was very impressive. How did you do it?"

"I thought I explained it briefly at the seminar."

The woman hesitated again before asking. "C…could I get the codes?"

"Codes?"

"C…could I have a look? I…I know I'm asking a lot but…"

"There is only one way for you to have a look."

MQTT would be released as an open source. Unlike GTT, MQTT would be used as a key technology in Woosung's project.

He couldn't reveal it at this point.

"Please tell me!"

The woman tried to get closer to Woosung, but she was clumsy. She stumbled and fell on the ground. Champaign splattered everywhere.

Woosung offered her his hand.

"Are you ok?"

The woman didn't seem to care as she asked again.

"Yes. I…I'm fine. So can I have a look at the codes?"

She seemed ok. In fact, she seemed excited at the possibility of looking at the codes.

"I didn't say I will show it to you. It's also not done yet."

"Oh! I don't care if it's incomplete."

"I'm sorry. What I meant was the only way to be allowed to look at this code is to become an employee of my company."

"T…then can you hire me?"

"What?"

"I graduated from MIT this year and I am currently working as an intern at Microsoft. My name is Sandra Amelia. So far, I participated in the indoor tracking system using the wireless sensor network, improving the speed of Big Data analysis, and Window Mobile BSP (Board Support Package)."

She introduced herself quicker than light itself and looked at Woosung with eyes filled with expectations. Woosung could see her drive for knowledge. He answered slowly.

"I appreciate your enthusiasm but it's not that simple. We might not be able to pay you what you deserve, or you may not be someone we need."

Amelia frowned unhappily. "But I really want to see them…"

"Then how about this? I will show you the library codes. If you can develop a few things I need based on these codes, I will hire you and show you everything I have. How's that?"

Amelia nodded in excitement. Woosung gave his hand for a handshake. She shook it gently and asked.

"Shall we go now?"

Woosung nodded, and they headed to the hotel. Go Sangjun followed quickly.

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Chapter 56: lt;Seattle, New York, and Silicone Valleygt;

When they got to his room, Woosung turned on his laptop and started the Visual Studio. Woosung pointed at the code.

"You need to work with this part that says TODO."

Amelia nodded.

/TODO./

Beside it was an explanation of what the function needed to do.

-Check QoS to guarantee the subscription to the Topic.

"What do you think? Can you do it?" Woosung asked as he turned to Amelia.

Go Sangjun glanced at the code as well. "Hmm. Let me see." Amelia hummed and answered.

Amelia studied everything carefully. After 10 minutes, she closed her eyes. Woosung opened his mouth to try to help.

"Let me give you a few hints. This function needs to…" Before Woosung could finish his sentence, Amelia opened her eyes and placed her hands on the keyboard. Woosung asked uncertainly. "Ms. Amelia?"

Type.

Type.

Amelia started to hum again with an excited grin.

"Haha! I think I got it. Quality of service. If you increase the quality, the speed goes down, and if you increase the speed, the performance goes down." Amelia explained as she continued to type. "The transmission to MQTT Broker seems inadequate."

In MQTT, the server was basically the Broker. Just from looking at the codes on the client's side and the To-do list, Amelia understood the task easily.

"If I can do this, you really promise to show me the codes on the server side too?"

"If you can sign the non-disclosure agreement and the future employee contract, then yes."

Amelia felt sheer excitement run through her veins. "I can't wait to see it! Let's hurry up!"

She acted like an eager schoolgirl, but the quality and speed of her work were out of this world. She was better and faster than Woosung, who came from the future.

She was a genius. Coding seemed to come naturally to her. She typed without hesitation.

"The protocol itself is simple. I want to look into the IMB research you mentioned earlier at the seminar." Even when she was talking, she didn't stop typing. "Wow, I really like this."

She chatted happily while Woosung and Go Sangjun stared in awe.

The to-do list was filled faster than any of them have expected. Amelia was beyond Woosung's wildest dream.

"For the rest, I need to know how the Broker works. I finished what I could with knowing the client codes. Shall we test it?"

It took less than 2 hours.

'It would've taken me at least two to three days.'

Go Sangjun was still staring at Amelia, who smiled and urged Woosung.

"Test! Do the test!"

"A…alright."

Genius.

She was a coding genius.

The test was a success. Woosung wrote out a quick agreement.

I will not reveal anything about this code to anyone or any company.

After the internship ends at Microsoft, I will join Woosung's company.

After she signed it, Woosung showed her the codes. As she studied them, she exclaimed. She also made some helpful suggestions.

By the time they were done, it was two in the morning.

It was dark outside. "It's too late for you to get back home. I will get a room for you for tonight." Woosung offered Amelia.

"Actually, I won't get any sleep tonight anyway, so could I work on this code? You guys can go to bed. I'll just keep this lamp on."

Woosung thought he heard her wrong. "W…what?"

"I…if you are uncomfortable with a stranger working on your codes, then I understand."

"No, that's not what I meant. Are you saying you want to work on the codes all night?"

Amelia nodded eagerly. "You have to work tomorrow, so wouldn't this affect your performance tomorrow?"

"Haha, that's not a problem. My supervisor said I can do whatever I want to."

"Oh…"

Woosung could understand why. He would've said the same thing. A genius like her didn't need a supervisor to hover over her.

Woosung felt a huge respect for her.

"I…I guess it's not possible?" She frowned.

Woosung replied quickly. "Nope. You are welcome to improve them as you see fit. Just remember the non-disclosure agreement."

Amelia smiled brightly. "Ok! Then I can get to work?"

"Yup."

She quickly quieted down and focused on the screen. Woosung turned the light off and went to sleep.

The next day.

Woosung woke up in the middle of the day. Amelia was already gone. A note was left on top of the laptop.

-I changed a little bit of the structure and left an explanation.

-The core protocol and format pub/sub remain unchanged of course.

-You did an amazing job!

-I can't wait to work for you.

-I will call you when my internship ends.

Woosung has never met someone like her before.

Coding nerd.

Woosung was in desperate need of someone like her.

"I better make sure she keeps her promise."

Go Sangjun was already on his way back to Korea. Jonathan Logan hasn't called him yet. There was no reason for Woosung to stay here any longer.

His next stop was New York.

The first place Woosung visited in New York was the Charging Bull.

"I better find a good lawyer first."

If he asked Jang Gwangchul, he would have recommended a good lawyer, but Woosung wanted to keep this a secret.

The prospect of having the future changed if more people knew about it worried Woosung so.

"The next four months will be very important."

Many people already felt the upcoming danger. The news in both US and Korea hinted the inevitable financial crisis.

No one could tell exactly what, when, and how it will happen. Except for Woosung.

A few months later.

-This is breaking news on CNN. Lehman Brothers filed for the bankruptcy. The stock market has halted. The financial world is in a huge turmoil.

Finally, what Woosung waited for happened.

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Chapter 57: lt;Seattle, New York, and Silicone Valleygt;

-Hello. This is Reporter Jo Hoonyoung on YTT. Lehman Brothers reported loses of 2.8 billion dollars and was forced to sell off 6 billion in assets. Lehman was the fourth largest banking investor in the US. After it filed for bankruptcy, the global markets immediately plummeted.

-Currently, KOSPI index is at its lowest of 1300. The future of the financial world remains dark and uncertain.

Click.

Shin Semi turned off the TV with the remote.

"I can't believe Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy"

Even after hearing it on the news, she still couldn't believe it. The experts believed this would never happen. The researchers at Nuri Finances agreed too. However, it did happen despite everyone's prediction.

It was a shocking event that shook the world. It didn't only affect the US, but the entire world.

It was unbelievable.

Shin Semi grabbed her phone. She remembered Woosung's words.

"Risk management, New Century Financials' bankruptcy, and the Finances Lab researcher Kim Mansoo's report…Did he mean this?"

Shin Semi was almost sure Woosung knew this financial crisis would happen. She became even more curious about him. She frowned and murmured.

"I wonder what he's doing…"

Her sources told her that he participated in the Microsoft MVP Global Summit in abroad and hasn't returned yet.

"Should I call him?"

She was tempted, but she stopped herself. What was he doing in America? She wondered.

September 12th.

Dow Jones started at 11429 and finished at 11421. Woosung purchased a mass number of put options. After Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy on September 15th, the Dow Jones index went down to 10700. The US market was in panic and Woosung's options' value soared.

What Woosung purchased was a put option, an option to sell assets at an agreed price on or before a set date.

Dow Jones' option unit was a point.

One point's value, which was called a tick value, was worth 10 dollars.

This meant for each option, 7290 dollars were earned this day.

(11429-10700)*10=7290

Woosung checked his account.

Proceeds 1.42million

Proceeds 1.96million

Proceeds 2.82million

The value of his September 11420 put option went up at an unprecedented rate. The index would go down even more, which meant the option value would increase.

However, Woosung also knew very well of the technical rebound.

Proceeds 4.71million

So far, he had 4.7 million dollars. It was almost 10 times what he originally had, which was about 500,000 dollars. Woosung murmured.

"What a crazy world."

His heart beat fast. It was still hard to believe that the large number on the screen was really his money.

It felt surreal, but it was going to be even better.

"Soon, the Federal Reserve will provide an 85-billion-dollar loan to AIG to prevent its bankruptcy. And then…the US market will plummet even further, and my put options' worth will be…"

Woosung couldn't even imagine the number.

September 19th.

After the September put option deadline ended, Woosung bought December 11200 put options. Soon, the news he was expecting came.

Further plunging of Dow Jones Index.

September 30th 10850.

October 2nd 10482

October 6th 9955.

Woosung did a quick calculation.

(11200 – 9955) *10 = 12,540 dollars.

Each option was worth over 10,000 dollars.

"What the fuck!!"

Adams, who worked at a US Hedge fund company, was losing his mind. He believed after the Fed's bailout, the index would return to normal. That was why he took the put option seller position. It was the opposite position of Woosung.

Adams' eyes were red as he stared at the computer screen. He was frowning harshly. His supervisor came up to him.

"Adams, what's the damage you caused today?" Adams couldn't answer. It was a rhetorical question anyway as the supervisor already knew the number very well. "I understand you are speechless. It is so much money…But it's understandable. It's the world's financial crisis after all. Of course, there are always people who still make money off of such a bad time."

The supervisor's voice was sharp. Adams cringed.

"Like the one who bought your put options." Adams knew what was coming. "It's unfortunate that you couldn't be the one who made the money. We could've worked together longer. It's disappointing."

He was being let go. Adams tensed. It was over. With the way things were in the world right now, it was unclear when he would be able to find another job.

"Please leave as soon as possible."

Adams sighed.

Woosung was watching the news. All his put option contracts were expired now.

"Current index is 8800. It will go down further."

Based on Woosung's memory, the world didn't recover from this event until the end of 2008.

However, Woosung remembered to be smart, not greedy. The way he saw it now, he had enough money to last a lifetime. Indeed, with these amount of money, he could finally put a stop on his money-maker. He checked his account balance.

Proceeds 791.5 million dollars

With only 500,000 dollars, he made close to 800 million dollars in just over a month.

"I love America."

The money was in the American business account.

If he combined the money he made from the Korean market, he expected it to be close to a billion dollars.

"Now I need to go to Silicone Valley to meet Jonathan Logan. After that, I can return to Korea.

Woosung relaxed at last. His body was aching, so he called for a massage from the hotel room service.

A blond masseuse knocked and walked in. Woosung closed his eyes as he enjoyed the massage.

He has been in America for four months now.

In the beginning, he stayed at a cheap motel and ate fast food. Now, he stayed at a hotel suite and ordered room services.

So many things changed in four months.

It was a stressful four months. He kept doubting his memories on the index numbers and dates. It was a difficult time, but it was all worth it. The memories of his previous life served him well.

'With this money, I should buy a factory in Silicone Valley. I will fill it with computers and mine coin.'

Jonathan Logan.

Woosung was able to hire this Arduino project committer. Woosung asked him to find a suitable factory. Things were working out as he planned.

After the 2-hour massage, Woosung headed to the hotel restaurant. As he ordered steak, he couldn't help but miss his mother's cooking.

'I'm coming, mother.'

He couldn't help but smile as the face of his dearest mother flash through his memory. He would be home very soon.

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Chapter 58:

Jang Gwanchul and Hong Soobum chatted at their new office. Hong Soobum quit his job at Nexter a few weeks prior.

"When is he coming back?"

"He said he'll be here soon, so we just need to be patient."

"What did he say?"

"The last time I heard, he said he was about to leave New York." Jang Gwangchul sighed. "The financial world is dying, yet he is traveling? He is our CEO, so he should act like one."

"Well, he bought a significant portion of the company from you, so I assume he is really serious about this company."

"I wondered about that. Where did he get the money? What was he doing in New York in the middle of the global financial crisis?"

Jang Gwangchul sighed again. Hong Soobum was interested in the answer too. Woosung had been in America for the past four months. US stock market went through hell during that time and the world was in an uproar.

"I am curious too. He also asked me to find a factory that could generate and use a lot of electricity."

"I heard too. I assume he plans to manufacture the smartphones there…But didn't he say we should use OEM for the actual production? I don't understand him at all." As Jang Gwangchul continued, he started to get even more frustrated. "And the company he created in Silicone Valley, that cost a lot of money. Why did he do that?"

Hong Soobum murmured.

"I have to admit that Jonathan Logan is a true expert at hardware development. I don't know much about it but when I looked at the PoC he sent, it looked great."

"Well, he better be damn good. Do you know how much I'm paying him?"

Woosung promised an excellent salary and scouted Jonathan. The monthly wage was currently being paid by Jang Gwangchul. He asked Hong Soobum.

"How about that girl Amelia?"

"She is a genius. I realize they cost a lot of money, but they are definitely worth it. I don't know how our CEO found and hired these great people."

"I am curious too…"

Today was November 1st.

It was the 5th month since Woosung left to go to America.

In the plane to San Francisco, Woosung read the paper on coin.

"1. Introduction

Commerce on the Internet has come to rely almost exclusively on financial institutions serving as trusted third parties to process electronic payments. While the system works well enough for most transactions, it still suffers from the inherent weaknesses of the trust-based model. Non-reversible transactions are not really possible since financial institutions cannot avoid mediating disputes. The cost of mediation increases transaction costs, limiting the minimum practical transaction size and cutting off the possibility for small casual transactions. There is a broader cost in the loss of ability to make non-reversible payments for non-reversible services.

The site address is /coin.pdf'"

In his previous life, he had to read the translated version of this report, but that was not necessary anymore. Woosung could understand English well now.

"2. TransactionsThe only way to confirm the absence of a transaction is to be aware of all transactions. In the mint-based model, the mint was aware of all transactions and decided which arrived first.Woosung already knew how coins transaction worked, but reading it again was a good refresher. It was believed that the more coins were mined, the slower it was because of transactions.

The confirmation of every transaction.

Mining implied that transaction has occurred. It was a transaction in a sense that when coin A was mined, it was sent to the miner B. The problem was that it took time to confirm the legitimacy of every transaction.…

"6. Incentive

By convention, the first transaction in a block is a special transaction that starts a new coin owned by the creator of the block."

Woosung read on with interest.

The act of mining equaled calculation.

Participants who contributed to this calculation was rewarded with coin. Woosung also read the core code for "Block Chain" towards the end of this section.

quot;11. Calculations

The race between the honest chain and an attacker chain can be characterized as a Binomial Random Walk. The success event is the honest chain being extended by one block, increasing its lead by 1, and the failure event is the attacker's chain being extended by one block, reducing the gap by -1.

The probability of an attacker catching up from a given deficit is analogous to a Gambler's Ruin problem. Suppose a gambler with unlimited credit starts at a deficit and plays potentially an infinite number of trials to try to reach breakeven. We can calculate the probability he ever reaches breakeven, or that an attacker ever catches up with the honest chain, as follows."

Satoshi Nakamoto also included detailed codes. Woosung knew these but re-examined them anyway.

Woosung felt the need to know everything about coin because it was the reason why he was murdered and re-born. If there was no such a thing as coin, Choi Gichul wouldn't have created a trading company. They would've never met, and Woosung wouldn't have been murdered. It also meant that Woosung would've never made this much money.

coin was the end of his life, but it also was a new beginning for him.

Woosung finally read the last section.

"12. Conclusion

We have proposed a system for electronic transactions without relying on trust. We started with the usual framework of coins made from digital signatures, which provides strong control of ownership, but is incomplete without a way to prevent double-spending. To solve this, we proposed a peer-to-peer network using proof-of-work to record a public history of transactions that quickly becomes computationally impractical for an attacker to change if honest nodes control a majority of CPU power."

Online P2P transaction.

With the peer-to-peer networking, it eliminated any bank fees and therefore distributed the power to everyone else. It was an incredible system. Woosung wondered how Satoshi Nakamoto came up with the idea.

Even in 2018, Satoshi Nakamoto was still a mystery. The reason behind the invention of coin was never revealed. Woosung hoped that he would get a chance to meet him someday.

It was a 6-hour flight, but Woosung found it easy because he took the first class. As soon as he arrived, he took the cab to the office downtown.

In the office Jonathan Logan and other developers were present, working as hard as they can.

It was November.

The Android operating system was already released in September. In Korea, Woosung's people were focusing on the development of Coconut app. Jonathan Logan saw Woosung and approached him.

"Aaron, you're here."

"Long time no see. It has already been 2 months."

"I thought you forgot about us!" Jonathan joked.

"How could I? You guys are working on an amazing product that will beat iPhone."

Jonathan grabbed his chest and replied. "Wow, so much pressure! I better work harder."

"No worries. I know you are already doing your best."

When in New York, Woosung received regular reports from Jonathan, but he hadn't had the chance to examine them carefully.

"I found a factory you asked for. It's situated about an hour from here. It was easy to find, and the price dropped because of the financial crisis. Should we go now?"

"Can I talk to Amelia for a second before we leave?"

Woosung looked around. He saw her, but she was so focused on the screen that she didn't notice him approaching her.

cd ~/coin/

./autogen.sh

/user/local/include/boost/multiprecision/detail/functions/constants.hpp:246:47: error: initializer

For thread-local variable must be a constant expression

In file included from src/utility/random.cpp:28:

Error messages appeared on the screen. Amelia was asked to build a coin development source, but it seemed like she was having a hard time. She was frowning.

"Did you install Ubuntu (open-source Linux distribution) 8.04LTS version? Or did you end up with the most recent version 8.10?"

Woosung asked but there was no answer. It seemed like Amelia was in her own little world. Woosung put his hand on her shoulder.

"Amelia."

"Oh, Aaron! Hi!" Amelia finally turned around.

"You installed the latest version, didn't you? It's not working because of that. Check it."

Amelia checked Ubuntu version. As Woosung suggested, it was the 8.10. Amelia's eyes widened.

"You're right! How did you know?"

"I had a look at it on my way here. Have you looked at the report and the codes yet?"

Amelia nodded.

"Do you think you can optimize it to GPU?"

The mining of coin started with CPU and later improved to GPU. In Woosung's previous life, ASIC was being used by 2018. GPU was better and faster than CPU, while ASIC was better than the other two. Woosung asked Amelia to convert the program to use GPU.

Amelia nodded with an empathetic expression.

"I think so."

"Great. I need to go check out the factory, but I'll be back to talk to you later."

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Chapter 59:

On his way to the factory, Woosung saw the effects of the financial crisis.

FOR SALE.

The signs were everywhere. Up to 40% of Silicone Valley population lost their jobs. The factory Woosung bought was also a foreclosed property.

"The crisis has devastated the country. I guess it worked to our advantage. The factory was dirt cheap." Jonathan Logan, who was driving, explained.

"I see. Look at all those for-sale signs."

"Haha. The price of the houses plummeted. At least our employees love it since they can easily afford to buy now."

Someone's loss was always another person's gain.

"I'm glad."

Woosung felt lucky. In his previous life, he could've never become rich. However, in this new life, things were very different.

"The factory was actually being used to manufacture premium PDAs. It went bankrupt though, that is why it was on the market."

PDA, or personal digital assistant, was a palmtop computer and personal organizer popular before the invention of smartphones.

Jonathan continued quickly. "They actually offered to sell equipment and materials for cheap too. Since we would use the place to manufacture smartphones anyway, I think it may be a good idea."

"Ok. I'll have a look."

FOR SALE BY OWNER

The sign surrounded the factory. A few people were already waiting outside. Woosung walked towards them and greeted.

"Hello. My name is Aaron Kang."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Ellie Robinsky."

She was a young woman in her early 30's. Woosung was surprised at how young the owner of such a big factory was. Ellie Robinsky noticed Woosung's disbelief and explained.

"Haha, I'm not some young genius entrepreneur. I just inherited it from my father. Let me show you around."

Ellie opened the door. The factory was well maintained. Every machine was spotless and shining. Ellie patted them with the utmost affection.

"There was a time when we had such big orders that we needed even more machines. Unfortunately now, they rest."

Woosung thought gladly.

'They are perfect for mining coins. If I get two more factories in Korea, I should be able to mine 10,000 BTC per day from all three factories.'

The more coins were mined, the slower it became to produce. By 2018, a person could mine at most one per month, even with ASIC.

However, it was different now. With CPU, at least one could be mined per day. With GPU, more could be mined.

"I heard you plan to manufacture cell phones. The actual chips may be different, but other equipment should be very similar." Ellie continued.

Woosung remained deep in his thoughts.

'I also heard the electricity is about 30% cheaper here than Korea. It's a perfect place for mining.'

Woosung grinned. He planned to have 500 computers here and another 500 in Korea.

In a year, he expected to mine 3 million coins.

3,000,000 * 20,000 = 60,000,000,000

60 billion.

Of course, this was the best scenario. Woosung knew he may not be able to mine this with this much efficiency. He also knew he won't be able to sell all of his coins at the highest price.

It didn't matter.

The opportunities were endless. Jonathan asked Woosung.

"Aaron, what do you think?"

Woosung answered.

"I like it. I especially appreciate how the owner took such good care of it."

"Me too. Then should we go ahead with the purchase?"

Woosung nodded and approached Ellie.

"I am happy with what I saw. Can we talk about the purchase agreement?"

The contract was signed by late evening that day. Jonathan offered to drop Woosung off at the hotel, but Woosung insisted on going back to the office.

Everyone was gone except for one.

As Woosung suspected, Amelia was still at the office.

She was sitting there alone, murmuring to herself.

"Hmm…this isn't it."

"This would be better for security but for the possibility of future expansion…"

"To confirm transactions easily, it's better if I…"

"Hmm…"

Amelia was so focused that she again didn't notice Woosung.

Growl.

Suddenly, her stomach growled loudly. Amelia finally stretched her arms.

"Now, where is my sandwich…"

As she looked around, she noticed Woosung.

"Oh, Aaron?" The office was dead quiet. Amelia asked. "You must still have more work to do?"

"Haha, I told you I'll be back."

"Oh, right. Haha. I'm glad you're here. I have a few things I need to ask you. Do you have time? I feel like you might know the answers…"

As she talked, her stomach growled again. Amelia didn't seem to notice though. She pointed at the codes.

"If you can see here, the coin block size turns into 1MB. This will be a problem when the number of transactions increases. I don't know why it's set up like this."

She was amazingly dedicated. Hunger didn't seem to bother her. She was actually enjoying her work.

Woosung pointed at the Sushi he brought.

"Weren't you about to have dinner? I brought us something to eat."

Amelia was more interested in work though.

"Oh, do you know the answer?"

Woosung nodded.

In 2018, this problem was discussed extensively by many developers.

"Wow! Tell me now!"

Amelia begged but Woosung pointed at the plastic bag.

"Dinner first."

Amelia grabbed the bag. "Then we need to eat fast. Afterward, I can ask more questions, right?"

Woosung nodded.

She gulped down everything in front of her. When she was done, she asked Woosung.

"So, why this limitation?"

"The biggest reason is DDOs (Distributed Denial of Service). As you probably have noticed, if someone created a block that developed unlimited coins, the system will be shut down."

"I see that, but 1MB is so small…"

"You'll see when we run the test. It takes about 1KB for every 3 transactions. 1MB would be enough for over 3,000 transactions. The purpose of the system was only to confirm online P2P transactions, this would be perfect."

Amelia nodded.

"So you're saying this is not the final product?"

"Exactly. The purpose of this wasn't to make a perfect system, but to make something that will prove the concept."

Amelia understood perfectly.

In 2018, many developers worked on coin and came up with a similar conclusion. coin wasn't perfect. That was why the second and third generations of cryptocurrency were born. Amelia pointed at a code and asked.

"Then would this automatic transaction based on the conditions be the same case?"

Woosung looked at where Amelia pointed.

She was correct. It had a similar problem. By 2018, Ethereum was created to fix this. Woosung answered in an almost lazy-sounding relaxed tone.

"Yes, but also it is a block structure problem too."

Amelia couldn't understand.

"Hmm…but then why not charge a fee for every loop? Once there is a certain number of it, then we can block the transactions."

Woosung flinched. This was exactly what he was going to tell her. By 2018, a smart contract was developed for this problem. It was a computer protocol intended to facilitate, verify, or enforce the negotiation of a contract.

'She is definitely a genius. I better study harder and try to keep up.'

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Chapter 60:

"You're right, Amelia. If that kind of fee system is implemented, it will improve the situation, but as I said earlier, there are many other problems with this version anyway." Woosung continued before Amelia could say anything. He wanted to show her that he knew better than she did. "Many other issues the include slowing down of the system as time passes and depletion of coins which will, in turn, decrease consumers' interest."

Amelia adjusted her glasses. "Well, I still find it very interesting. It's truly an innovative idea!" Amelia's eyes shined in excitement.

Woosung could feel her true joy at discovering and learning new technology.

"You seem like you're enjoying yourself."

"Haha, do I look too excited?"

"No. It's nice to see you having fun."

He meant it. Amelia asked a few more questions, Woosung answered them using the information he knew from 2018. Amelia looked at him with respect.

"Phew, I think that's it for now. I will get back to work."

Woosung looked at his watch in shock. It was past 9 pm and Amelia was still planning to work.

"Aren't you going home?"

Amelia checked the time and answered coolly.

"It's only 9 pm. I live next door so it's fine." Woosung continued to stare at her with an obvious look of astonishment. He has never met someone like Amelia before. She rubbed her hands and murmured. "Haha, now let's really get into it."

Woosung was still sitting beside her, but she didn't seem to notice.

Unlike her, Woosung was tired after a long day. He stood up quietly and headed to his hotel.

CPU.

GPU.

ASIC.

These were three levels of circuits for mining different cryptocurrencies. CPU was the slowest, followed by GPU. ASIC was known to be the fastest.

You could think of CPU as a single van transporting a person, a piece of equipment, or an animal to a destination. On the other hand, GPU was like a group of buses transporting people to the destination. Finally, ASIC was a group of buses transporting people but using the bus lane.

It was no wonder ASIC was the fastest mining system. It was designed specifically for mining. Woosung would've loved to work on creating ASIC, but he was already busy working on the smartphone project. He had to be satisfied with GPU mining for now.

In theory, Woosung could start mining using CPU, but in his previous life, the very first block was produced on January 3rd. Woosung worried that if he started mining now, it may change the future. He had to wait just to be safe. He planned to start mining on January 4th.

'The very first block will remain to Satoshi Nakamoto's, but I will eventually become the one with the most coins.'

He could end up with a million, three million, or even five million coins. Woosung also planned on gathering other cryptocurrencies including Ethereum, Ripple, and Eos.

GPU core was currently Amelia's responsibility, while Woosung worked on developing mining servers. He focused on making it simple and easy to use. Woosung had worked on web screen development countless times in his previous life, so this was a piece of cake for him.

Woosung's next focus was daytime trading.

Woosung knew the stock market trend well from his previous life. He especially was familiar with the stock price history of Nuri Corporation.

"Let's see. Today is November 14th. Nuri Corp is currently worth 13.50, and it will soon become 15 dollars. So I should buy a million dollars of it."

Transaction completed.

Transaction completed.

Transaction completed.

Because Woosung was buying a large quantity, his order was completed in multiple separate transactions. Every time a part of his order was filled, the alarm on his cell phone rang.

"Now I should place an order to sell the stocks automatically when the price reaches 15 dollars."

That would make it 11% profit.

In only a week, Woosung would make 100,000 dollars. For something like this, he didn't even need the algorithm trading system.

"And there is one more stock I need to buy…Let's see. How much is it today?"

One of the stocks Woosung remembered well was Pine Tech.

It was a small PDA manufacturing company. In his past life, its stock price skyrocketed when there was a rumor of it developing an Android OS. At the time, CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) was not supported, so it could not be released in Korea.

However, with the rumor alone, the stock soared in a short period of time. Woosung remembered Kim Yonggun talking about how he should've bought it.

In his previous life, Kim Yonggun's nonstop talk about this stock was annoying, but now Woosung felt appreciative.

Woosung started buying the Pine Tech stock at the price of only 70 cents. He couldn't buy too much of it all at once in case someone suspected an insider trading.

At 70 cents, he bought 100,000 dollars of it.

At 74 cents, he bought 100,000 dollars of it.

At 80 cents, he bought 200,000 dollars of it.

At 90 cents, he bought 200,000 dollars of it.

Woosung took his time with it. Soon, the stock price reached a dollar.

And finally, the news he has been waiting for came.

"Pine Tech Android CDMA Technology development is underway."

The development wasn't even complete, yet the price went up to 4 dollars quickly.

"Daeyang Technology supply contract is underway."

"LT Technology supply contract is underway."

When the rumors of Daeyang and LT's interest in Pine Tech started, the stock price soared further to 20 dollars.

"There should be more news coming soon…"

By this time, Woosung held a total of 5 million dollars of stocks.

Compared to how much he made during the financial crisis, this was not a lot of money. Woosung continued nonetheless. It felt like a fun game to him.

The future happened as he expected.

December 1st.

"Pine Tech Android CDMA technology development is underway."

With this news, the stock price reached its peak. The next day, it started to decline. Woosung knew how things were going to work out, so he started to purchase even more stocks. Since he placed big orders, the price held and stopped falling.

In October during the financial crisis, Woosung found every day stressful. The potential benefit was huge, but the risk was big as well. With the game of put options, it was possible for Woosung to suddenly go into debt of millions of dollars in days or even minutes.

But now, a few millions of dollars were nothing to him.

He enjoyed it as a game. Then, Woosung had an idea.

'What if I buy Pine Tech and combined it with my current company? It's a well-established company with good employees. I should look into it."

Woosung grinned. Amelia approached him and asked.

"Aaron, I'm almost done with the conversion to GPU. Do you want to have a look?"

Woosung rubbed his hands and stood up.

"Sure. Let's see."

A few weeks later.

Hundreds of computers arrived at the Silicone Valley factory.

Server

CPU: Intel Core 2 Q6600.

Graphics Card: NVidia GeForce GTX 295.

Graphics card was 500 dollars each. The CPU was about the same price. Other equipment cost about 1500 each.

Since he bought 500 units, it cost him 750,000 dollars in total.

It was an amazing price thanks to the effects of the financial crisis.

After everything was installed, Woosung connected to the maintenance program he created.

http/devops.

When he entered his ID and password, he could look at the server statuses.

Server Status: 500 Green. 0 Red.

Average: 0 MHash/S.

The Output: 0BTC.

500 Green.

All servers were working normally. The output was still 0 since mining hasn't started yet.

Woosung clicked the button "Full Start."

Click.

1 Server Starting…

2 Server Starting…

3 Server Starting……

500 Server Starting…

When the last server started, the Average of 0 changed as well.

14 MHash/S.

Within a few minutes, The Output changed too.

The Output 1.4121 BTC

The very first coin was mined.

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Chapter 61:

The Output: 14050.5910 BTC.

Over 10,000 coins were made in a day. In 10 years, one coin could be sold for up to 20,000 dollars, which meant this was worth about 280 million dollars on the screen.

All in a single day.

In one day, he made almost 300 million dollars. More coins were being made nonstop. Amelia stretched her arms and asked.

"Aaron, how does it look? Is the program working fine?"

"It's too good."

The program was running smoothly. It must've been Amelia's good work on GPU. The program was mining about 4000 coins more than he expected.

4000 coins were worth 80 million dollars in the future. Woosung wondered.

'Should I share it with Amelia?'

No one other than Woosung knew how much these were worth in the future.

'I feel guilty taking everything.'

Currently, a coin was worth nothing. In May 2010, a US programmer named Laszlo paid 10,000 coins for 2 pizzas and that was the beginning of coin valuation.

As time passed, the value went up and was exchangeable for real money. Amelia smiled angelically.

"Phew, I'm relieved. I was worried that there may be a problem." Woosung flinched. He felt horrible for being so greedy.

"I don't think you need to worry."

"I know how bad the job market is now. I appreciate the great opportunity you gave me."

Woosung was paying Amelia a yearly salary of 150,000 dollars. It was more than any other tech companies would pay for a new grad. It was better than even Google.

Woosung laughed awkwardly. "Hahaha…You deserve it, Amelia."

What he was paying Amelia was nothing compared to how much she was making him. Woosung continued to feel guilty. Amelia made him feel even worse when she bowed to him.

"No, I really want to thank you for being so generous. I also appreciate the chance to learn cool things."

Woosung swallowed and replied. "Haha. Hahahaha…You just keep working hard. Good luck."

"Of course! I will now begin working on the Android framework."

"O…ok."

Amelia went back to work. Woosung continued to monitor the coin production.

The Output:14521.1240 BTC.

Another 500 were mined in a few minutes. It was worth 10 million dollars.

Another news on Pine Tech was released.

"Disclosure of inquiry (Prominent Market Fluctuation)"

It was a system by the Korean Stock Exchange to protect the average investors. Whenever there was a sudden change in a listed company, the shareholders were alerted. The current price of the Pine Tech stock was $16.10. The online discussion consisted of many comments regarding this company.

"The insiders are getting out. Everyone should sell their stocks too."

"I believe in Pine Tech. Time to go up!"

"I talked to someone from the company. He said it was going up tomorrow."

"I bought at $21.50…I lost so much. Pine Tech ruined my life."

The stock price was going down. The shareholders felt trapped.

Woosung sold all his stocks when the price was between 15 – 20 dollars. With 5 million dollars, he made 40 million dollars.

"Perfect. It's going according to my plan."

After checking the price again, Woosung headed to the San Francisco international airport. He was ready to go back home.

Incheon international airport.

As soon as Jang Gwangchul saw Woosung, he ran towards him.

"Bro!"

Woosung awkwardly pushed him away.

"W…what's wrong?"

"What took you so long?"

Jang Gwangchul looked at Woosung accusingly and continued.

"June, July, August, September, October, November, December, and January! It has been 8 months. Tell me the truth!"

He grabbed Woosung's arm tightly, but Woosung was strong.

"L…let me go first."

Woosung pulled away easily. Jang Gwangchul looked at Woosung as if he was being betrayed. His eyes started to well up. Hong Soobum, who was standing nearby, looked embarrassed by the situation.

"Let's go. We need to get out of here. We can talk in the car."

Hong Soobum had a lot of questions for Woosung too.

In Jang Gwangchul's van, Woosung looked out the window.

Korea.

He was back.

It was good to be home, but Woosung had no time to feel emotional. Jang Gwangchul and Hong Soobum stared at him.

"It's a solid company. It would be beneficial for us to have it. I haven't bought it yet. I'm going to wait until it gets cheaper."

Jang Gwangchul replied as soon as he finished. "I looked into it, and it seems like all the insiders got out of it. Are you sure it's a good idea? It may be a small company, but it's still a company. The purchase price will be steep."

Hong Soobum seemed curious as well. Woosung answered.

"Don't you remember the financial crisis? I took advantage of it."

"Are you saying you made some money?"

Woosung nodded.

"How much? The company is probably worth over 30 million dollars. There is no way you can afford it."

Woosung opened his hand to show all five fingers.

"You made 50 million dollars?"

Woosung shook his head and answered. "More."

"…500 million dollars?"

Nod.

Jang Gwangchul and Hong Soobum swallowed hard. It was an unbelievable amount.

'I shouldn't tell the actual amount just to be safe.'

He also couldn't disclose his plan with coins as well.

Woosung would purchase Pine Tech and merge it with his company in Silicone Valley. When it becomes an open hardware company, Pine Tech's stock price would surely rise.

Jang Gwangchul murmured in disbelief. "Oh my gosh. You are rich now. Super rich."

"Really? It doesn't feel like it yet."

Woosung said with an awkward humility. Jang Gwangchul asked carefully.

"Do you have all of it in cash?"

When Woosung nodded, both Jang Gwangchul and Hong Soobum gawked at him. Most rich people had the majority of their wealth in assets such as buildings and stocks. It was uncommon for a person to have this much cash. Hong Soobum murmured behind his breath.

"He's beyond super-rich…"

Woosung thought to himself with a lion's pride.

'Actually, I have about a billion dollars, and it's going to be more in the future.'

He didn't say it out loud though.

"So you want to own more of our company?"

"Yes. I'm the one who came up with the smartphone idea. I can buy you out completely if you want."

"Huh. Are you saying you don't need me anymore?"

"Haha, of course, I need you as a person, but I don't need you for the money."

Jang Gwangchul blinked his eyes in surprise. Hong Soobum also stared at Woosung in shock. Woosung continued.

"I told you. I have 500 million dollars in cash, but I have more in other forms."

coins.

Big-name stocks such as Apple and Amazon.

Even Woosung was starting to have difficulty figuring out how much assets he had.

He finally arrived home.

Ring.

When he rang the doorbell, the door opened quickly.

"Woosung!"

His mom called out to him. Woosung felt emotional. "I'm home, mom!"

"Oh my goodness. What have you been doing all this time? You lost so much weight!"

He actually didn't lose any weight. After September, he has been staying at an expensive hotel and enjoying fancy food.

"That's not true. I ate well. I actually gained a little bit of weight."

"But you didn't get to eat Korean food. Come in quickly. Dinner's ready."

Woosung followed in. His father hugged him tight and they started to enjoy their dinner. Woosung felt content to be finally home.

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Chapter 62:

After dinner, it was time for presents. Woosung gave his parents extravagant gifts he bought in US.

They chatted with so much glee. Woosung was the only child, and his parents missed him terribly. They were happy to see him back.

After opening all the presents, Woosung brought out a map.

"I have one last gift for you."

"Really? What's with the map?"

The map was of Seoul. Both his parents' eyes widened. Woosung pointed at the map and asked.

"Pick an area you want to live in."

Kim Eunjung became confused. "W…what?"

"Pick a neighborhood you like, and I will buy you the most expensive house in that area."

"W…what?" They understood him, but they still couldn't believe him.

Woosung smiled. "Or I can get you a real estate agent, so you can be shown around a few places. As long as it is under 5 million dollars, you can get any house you want." His father spewed out the water he was drinking. His mother gaped at him. Woosung continued calmly. "And I will hire a maid, so you don't have to worry about housework anymore."

His mother stammered. "W…Woosung, what are you talking about? I don't understand."

"I made a lot of money in America. I remember you saying you hoped to someday open a small café as a retirement plan. Why don't we buy you a building? The first floor can be used as your coffee shop." His father continued to stare at him. "You can run the place and live at the top floor of the building."

Kim Eunjung was speechless. Woosung assured them again. "So I think that would total about 10 million dollars. Anyway, don't worry about the money. Get anything you want, mom and dad."

"W…what?"

"Haha. It's simple. Your son is rich now, so you don't ever have to worry about money."

His parents seemed to want an explanation, but Woosung continued to be vague about how he became rich.

Woosung didn't know a real estate agent, so he asked Jang Gwangchul to recommend someone. Jang Gwangchul knew real estate industry very well, so he introduced Woosung to someone he knew. They toured the expensive neighborhoods in Seoul. At the end, Woosung picked Garosu-gil and Itaewon.

10 years from now, these two areas were going to be hot neighborhoods. Jang Gwangchul looked at Woosung and asked.

"Little bro, did you study real estate?"

"No. They just look good. I have a good feeling about them."

"Really? I see. Then I should buy a building here as well."

"What?"

"Remember what I told you before? You smell like money. I'll bet the places you picked will become big in the future."

Woosung flinched but tried to act normally. "Hahaha. Whatever you want, but don't blame me if you lose money on it."

Kim Eunjung asked suddenly.

"W…Woosung. Are you sure this is ok? The real estate agent said this is 5 million dollars…"

"That's fine. So we can all agree that this building is the one for us?"

The real estate agent answered quickly. "You made the right choice. This area is going to develop very soon. You are also buying at the right time. Because of the financial crisis, the prices have gone down significantly."

Woosung already knew Itaewon was going to be the hot place for young Koreans in the future.

"Then I guess that's that. Now, let's go to Apgujung to look at places to live. How about Hyundai apartment?"

The agent answered quickly. "I have the perfect place for you. It has been undated recently. You also get a great view of Han River. There is also a great park within a 10-minute walk. Again, it's for sale at a great price because of the crisis."

Woosung answered. "Let's go and have a look."

As the agent promised, it was a luxurious apartment. It was a 30-year-old place, but it was updated to look clean and modern.

It was over 2000 sqft.

Kim Eunjung exclaimed constantly. "It's so amazing!"

"Look, you can see the river from the master bedroom."

"Look at the beautiful wallpapers. They are so shiny."

The agent added a modest response to their awe. "The owner works in the interior design business, so he only used the best material for this apartment. It is rare to find an apartment where you can see the river from so many rooms. The price is also dirt cheap. It's only 2.5 million dollars."

Kim Eunjung stammered at the price.

"…2.5 million dollars?"

"It is a rare price for this area. This place will be bought as soon as possible. If you won't decide now, you will lose it by tomorrow."

Woosung liked the place. It was close to his office too. Woosung asked the agent.

"Then let's get this place for my parents. Do you have another one similar to this? I plan to get my own place too."

Jang Gwangchul gasped.

"Wow…You really did make a lot of money."

"Haha, of course. Did you think I lied about it?"

The agent smiled broadly.

"O…of course. Should we go have a look now?"

That day, Woosung bought two apartments and a business building. In total, he spent 10 million dollars. He still had 110 million dollars left in his Korean bank account. The interest alone from this was 200,000 dollars per month. He never had to worry about money ever again.

Usually, such big real estate purchases took months. Payments were often made in steps, but Woosung paid the total up front immediately. He hired a lawyer right away and the transaction was completed within a few days.

He also bought furniture and further upgraded the houses to perfection.

When Woosung and his parents went furniture shopping, they kept asking him every time they picked a piece.

"Are you sure its okay for us to spend so much money?"

"Don't worry. I get at least 100,000 dollars in interest a month."

After a little while, his parents stopped asking. Woosung decided not to be completely honest with his parents in terms of how much money he had. He had much more than he disclosed, and he felt it was better for them to not know the whole truth.

In a week, they were moved in to their homes.

It was Monday again and Woosung rode the subway to work. He hadn't hired a personal chauffer yet, but he planned to soon. It was faster to ride the public transit than driving the car Jang Gwangchul gave him. The traffic often was horrible during rush hours.

His office, KND, was situated in Teheran-ro. When he entered, he saw a familiar face. Yoon Gihwan quit Nuri Finances some times ago and was working for Woosung.

"Long time no see, General Manager Yoon."

"Oh, it's you, newbie…I mean President. Hello."

Yoon Gihwan felt awkward calling Woosung President, but this was the reality. He now worked for Woosung at KND financial company which specialized in algorithm trading. It has been 4 months since he joined this company.

"Yes. I am back now. Thank you so much for holding down the fort for so long."

Woosung was indeed the boss. Yoon Gihwan was responsible for maintaining Woosung's trading system on Nuri Finances' IDC and the system that was made for Jang Gwangchul. His yearly salary was 100,000 dollars.

100,000 dollars.

It was much more than what he was paid in his previous jobs.

"Haha, no problem. I wish I could do more since I'm getting paid so well. I want to thank you for being so generous. I also get to go home in time everyday, which is a bonus."

"I'm glad to hear it. Thanks to you, things have worked out well for me even when I was in America."

Yoon Gihwan whispered knowingly. "So the rumor's true."

"Rumor?"

"Everyone's saying that you killed it during the financial crisis."

Woosung didn't deny it. "Rumor travels fast. Well, I did make some money."

Yoon Gihwan gasped in surprise.

"Ah…"

"Just kidding. I didn't make that much."

"Oh…"

Yoon Gihwan sighed disappointedly. "The others…"

Woosung looked around. Jang Gwangchul and Hong Soobum were waiting for Woosung to introduce him to the rest of the employees. There were many developers and administrative staffs. It took an hour for Woosung to meet and greet all of them.

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Chapter 63:

After the introductions, Jang Gwangchul, Hong Soobum, Yoon Gihwan, and Woosung started a meeting of their own. Hong Soobum, who was the head of the Coconut app development, began.

"We are at the last stage of the iPhone app development. We are using the President's MQTT as the server and testing it out."

Woosung nodded. There was nothing he could add to the actual development portion. He trusted Hong Soobum to do a good job. Woosung's main interest was something else.

"Where will it be released first?"

"I was thinking Korea."

"That's a good idea, but iPhone and Android aren't released in Korea yet. We can't just keep waiting, so why not release in America first?"

"America?"

"Yes. We can hire famous Hollywood actors and take photos of them using Coconut. We can upload these pictures on Facebook. This would be the fastest and surest way to get noticed. Coconut will become the most popular app quickly."

Woosung wanted to implement the SNS marketing strategy from 2018.

"It will cost a lot to hire famous actors. Even if we do, would the Americans use a Korean app?" Hong Soobum replied cynically.

Even in Woosung's previous life, Coconut never went beyond Korea. However, the app named Slime by Nexter, released after Coconut, managed to become successful in Japan and America. Woosung continued with a stern expression.

"Messenger is a relatively new concept. Ours is pretty much the first one ever in the market. We need to use this to our advantage. We can release it in the US and see what happens. We can adjust and improve it as we go, and eventually, we will make it into a global app."

Woosung thought of the famous messengers from his previous life.

Telegram.

WhatsApp.

Snapchat.

Woosung knew the pros and cons of these apps. One common thing he knew of them was that none of them became popular worldwide. Woosung thought that this was because none of them knew the truth about smartphones.

Both Android and iPhone were released at the end of 2009 in Korea. Practically speaking, it may be safer to release the app in Korea, but Woosung wanted to be bold.

"As time passes, there will be more messenger apps with better and faster functions in the world. The competition will become fierce. Anything that becomes popular in America will automatically become popular in Korea. It will be too late for us when this happens with another messenger."

Woosung emphasized the importance of the world market. Hong Soobum asked. "Could you explain your plan in more details?"

"Coconut will be a chat service with a strong security system. Even if the server or the cell phone become hacked, we will make sure the app itself can never be hacked." Woosung continued without waiting for the others' response. "Coconut China will serve only China. China has restricted acceptance of foreign IT companies. We will have to create a separate customize app just for Chinese people, but it will be worth it. China is a huge market."

Woosung had a sip of water, none of the people around him dared talk in his small pause.

"And I really believe in using the Hollywood stars to jumpstart this app."

Hong Soobum asked curiously. "So are you suggesting we give up on Korean users?"

"Facebook is an innovative website created by Ivy league students. People will want to be part of it."

Hong Soobum frowned as he understood what Woosung meant. "You are counting on many young Koreans dreaming of attending Ivy league college, and also being fans of the American celebrities."

Woosung nodded and answered.

"It is almost impossible to get a popular Korean app into the world market." Woosung pointed at his iPhone on the table. "As I said before, trying to place a desktop into a phone is not a good idea. The phone will BECOME the desktop. We need to think like that for our app too. We need to become successful in the world first. When this happens, it will become popular in Korea."

Jang Gwangchul protested quietly with a pout. "President, we all know that. It's just that it is going to be very difficult."

"Why?"

"Well first, we don't know the American market very well. We don't know how they think or what they like. Jumping into the unknown would be a suicide."

Woosung answered quickly. "We can learn. I will take all of you to Silicone Valley and you can learn the American way. Any other problems?"

Jang Gwangchul hesitated. "How about hiring the Hollywood stars? It's going to cost a lot. We also don't know if they will even accept our offer."

"We can contact their management companies. I will pay for everything. I can pay up to 100 million dollars. You don't think it's going to cost more than that, right? Now, anything else?"

Jang Gwangchul started to sweat.

"N…no, that's not what I meant…"

"Google got into the Korean market, but Nexter hasn't been able to go out into the world. This will always be the pattern. Same with Facebook vs. Cyworld. This will always be the case." Woosung took a deep breath. He was thirsty. He had another sip of water. "Do you want the same thing to happen to Coconut too? Mediocre success in Korea and never get to step into the world market?"

When Woosung became silent, the room tensed up. After a few minutes, Woosung added.

"This is my first order as the president. Always think big. Any products we create, they are meant to be successful worldwide. If you don't agree, then you can leave now."

Everyone tensed. They all glanced at Woosung with nervous glances.

He was the CEO.

His order was the law in this company.

After a few minutes of silence, Yoon Gihwan finally laughed awkwardly. "Hahaha. I…it's a grand idea, President. Take over the world. It should be our motto."

Jang Gwangchul added quickly as well.

"Y…yes. I agree. Hahaha"

Hong Soobum had no other choice. He coughed and answered.

"Hmm…alright. I will do as you like. I feel the same way; I want Coconut to become international too."

Woosung looked at Hong Soobum. "I believe in this plan. Don't forget that the average lifespan of an internet company is only 10 years."

Jang Gwangchul said to Woosung. "Little bro…Don't talk like that. You are scaring all of us."

"What I mean is that I am betting my life on this company. I will make sure that our company does not become just an average corporation for average joes."

Jang Gwanchul laughed awkwardly. "Hahaha. I think so too."

"Please think of any other advertising ideas. Now, let's go onto the algorithm trading." Yoon Gihwan tensed. "Do you know what these are? Citadel, Paulson Co, SAV, and Quantum?"

Yoon Gihwan answered with a profound carefulness in his tone. "Of course I know. They are all hedge funds."

"That's right. They are world famous hedge funds. Do you know how much a Citadel operator makes in a year?"

Yoon Gihwan didn't have the answer. Woosung looked around the room. Everyone remained silent.

"1.7 billion dollars. So can you guess what kind of profit Citadel would make in a year?"

Again, no one could answer.

"No one really knows but my guess would be an unimaginable amount. This is what I want for our algorithm trading."

"Oh, but…"

"I realize that you can't do it by yourself, General manager Yoon. I will help you of course and I will soon be hiring world famous mathematicians and physicists."

"A…alright."

"Now the third topic of this meeting is the smartphone project."

Woosung started to explain his plan.

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Chapter 64:

Woosung repeated what he said to Jonathan but in more details. He talked about where the smartphone industry would head in the future.

"Even if we start right now, we still won't be able to release a product by the end of this year in Korea. We still need to get a factory, equipment, and staffs. We just don't have enough time. So that is why I plan on buying an existing company."

Jang Gwangchul opened his mouth to say something but decided against it. "Have you heard of Pine Tech?"

Jang Gwangchul finally chimed in. "The insiders got in and out to make money. It left the company and the shareholders in a bit of a pickle."

"Yes. I was one of the ones who made a chunk of money too."

"…what?"

"And I plan on buying the company with the profit I made from the stocks."

Yoon Gihwan and Hong Soobum looked confused.

Jang Gwangchul frowned and asked. "What do you mean you were involved? Did you make your money from Pine Tech stocks during the financial crisis? Is that what you're saying?"

Jang Gwangchul sounded upset. It sounded like he was scolding Woosung. Woosung couldn't tell him the truth. Luckily, he already had a made-up story he could use.

"I found out about this company from the algorithm trading winning stock recommendation. The company isn't doing bad enough to report any net losses yet. I think we need to buy it."

Jang Gwangchul appeared to believe Woosung's story.

"It is a PDA manufacturing company, which means we can use their existing factory as is. I found out that they also manufacture PDAs with similar capabilities with phones. If we manage it better, it will be good."

No one commented.

"As for our phone design, I already hired a company in Silicon Valley for it."

Woosung turned on the giant screen and showed a cell phone design with the title Blue S.

It was the exact design used in Woosung's previous life by Daeyang.

'Hahaha. Whoever uses it first owns the design. I already got it patented in US and Korea so Daeyang will never be able to use it.'

Woosung grinned. He loved the fact that he stole the idea from Daeyang.

"The phone was made with this design."

"Made?" Hong Soobum murmured.

Woosung took out a cell phone that looked exactly like the one on the screen.

"Jonathan made a prototype for us. Because of the lack of CDMA in Korea, we can't use it here, but it is already functional in America. It's not 100% done yet though. Oh, and its WiFi connection works in Korea as well." Woosung continued, but this time he speaks slower. "I will be releasing the news of this phone and Pine Tech purchase at the same time. We will make the announcement at Daeyang Hotel in Samsung-dong. Our company will become the hero who saved the shareholders of Pine Tech. Blue S will get a lot of attention this way."

Woosung clicked to get to the next slide on the screen.

"The phone's slogan will be, 'The only friend for you in this lonely world.'""And…"

Woosung suddenly stopped. There was one more business he needed to mention but was having difficulty explaining it.

'coin.'

He re-read the report on it again on his way back to Korea.

He had to continue to work on the cryptocurrency project.

Mining.

ASIC.

Cryptocurrency trading company.

ICO (Initial Coin Offering: Creating new cryptocurrency.)

There were so many things Woosung had to develop in this industry. Woosung didn't know how to explain all this to his colleagues. When he remained quiet, Hong Soobum asked finally.

"Hmm… President. Are you finished?"

Woosung kept his pause before he finally gave a reply. "We will be expanding continuously, and I thought this office alone wouldn't be big enough. So I bought this entire building."

"…pardon?"

The building was a 15-story high and a 4-story basements.

The price dropped recently due to the effect of financial crisis, but it was still well over 50 million dollars. Hong Soobum and Yoon Gihwan wondered just how much Woosung made during the difficult time. Woosung looked around.

"Now you can get back to work."

Everyone stood up to leave. Before Yoon Gihwan could leave as well, Woosung called him.

"General manager, please stay. I have to talk to you."

Yoon Gihwan frowned nervously. Jang Gwangchul grinned at Yoon Gihwan and murmured.

"Good luck!"

They seemed like they became good friends.

Woosung looked at Yoon Gihwan in the eye. "I was just wondering, shouldn't we bring Manager Park and Assistant manager Kim in the company as well?"

Yoon Gihwan sighed in relief. "Oh, I can tell them. Should I get them to come for an interview?"

"No. I will go to them myself. It wouldn't be right to have them come to do my bidding because I'm a CEO now."

"Haha, you are worrying about nothing. They aren't some geniuses you are trying to scout. You don't have to feel that way." Yoon Gihwan added sadly. "I also am not worthy of your company. I know that."

Yoon Gihwan looked lost. Woosung said seriously.

"My conditions for my employees are two things. Ability and trust." Woosung's words seemed to confused Yoon Gihwan. "I have to admit that if I only valued one's ability, you may not be my first choice. But…"

Yoon Gihwan listened hopefully.

"The trust I have in you makes you an exemplary employee. When I thanked you on my first day, I meant it. Its because you did well here while I was away, I made a good money in Korea during the financial crisis."

Woosung made over 100 million dollars in Korea while he was in America. It was the truth. Yoon Gihwan smiled in embarrassment. His ears were turning red.

"I feel the same way about Manager Park and Assistant manager Kim. I have absolute trust in all of you. You won't play the role of genius quants, but you will work as trusted system operators." Woosung smiled slightly and continued. "I should go see them myself. I meant to visit you to offer you a job personally, but I couldn't because I was in America."

Yoon Gihwan nodded. He was learning more about Woosung.

"But that doesn't mean you can stop learning. You need to be always diligent with your studies."

Yoon Gihwan answered with a light smile. "I understand."

The company ran most smoothly when it consisted of smart lazy boss and smart diligent employee.

Unfortunately in Daesan System, it was made of a stupid lazy supervisor and smart diligent employees.

"Manager Park, what the hell? The winning stock recommendation success rate went down to 45.4%. I told you to increase it by today, didn't I?"

Manager Park answered without turning around. "I told you it requires an algorithm tuning. I gave you a report yesterday. It's a miracle it's actually staying at that percentage still."

Yoon Gihwan's replacement, Hong Sunggi, shouted angrily. "How dare you!"

"I requested for a developer who could fix it from the headquarter. They sent you, General manager Hong."

Park Junwoo said icily. Kim Yonggun also frowned.

"Y…yes. I was sent to fix it, but you guys are the ones responsible for this program. You need to give me the needed information for me to do my job."

"I already told you so many times. Simple regression analysis was used. Independent variable x is the past winning stocks' volume in last 5 years. I showed you the detailed formula three times already."

Park Junwoo changed a lot in last 4 months. He was much thinner. He looked and sounded sharp like a knife.

Hong Sunggi fumed. Kim Yonggun stood up to ease the tension.

"Haha, everyone needs to calm down. Stress can kill you."

"Just shut up!"

"Let's go out for coffee."

Kim Yonggun took Hong Sunggi out and winked at Park Junwoo, who shook his head. Before leaving the office, Hong Sunggi ordered Park Junwoo.

"You… you better fix everything on the bug report from today, or else, you're not allowed to go home."

Then as the door opened, two familiar faces appeared.

"It's still so noisy here."

Kim Yonggun inhaled in surprise. "W…Woosung?"

Yoon Gihwan, who was standing next to Woosung, laughed.

"General manager Hong, how's it going?"

"Oh, I'm fine. What brings you here today?"

"I just wanted to come by and say hi to everyone."

"Oh…"

Kwak Jungwook, who was hidden behind Woosung and Yoon Gihwan, stepped forward and asked. "Haha, General manager Hong, could we come in?"

"O…of course."

Kwak Jungwook then stepped back and said to Woosung. "Now, do whatever you need to do and call me."

Woosung smiled and nodded.

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