As Seok-won ascended to his room, he reflected on the conversation he had just had with his father in the study. He muttered to himself, "I didn't expect him to entrust the money to me again."
The thought of having more funds to manage made him feel both happy and proud. His father, Chairman Park Tae-hong, was clearly beginning to recognize his abilities.
"Since he's entrusted me with this money, I need to deliver results that meet his expectations," he thought, rubbing his chin as he pondered where to invest the funds to maximize returns.
Just then, his phone rang loudly, interrupting his thoughts.
"Who could this be at this hour?" Seok-won wondered as he picked up the phone from the charger on his desk.
"Hello?"
[Hey, buddy, it's me.]
Hearing Roy's familiar voice on the other end, Seok-won's expression brightened.
"Roy! It's been a long time."
[At least you haven't forgotten my voice.]
"How could I? I could recognize that loud voice of yours from a mile away."
Roy chuckled on the other end of the line. [I thought you might have forgotten about me since you haven't contacted me since graduation.]
"Idiot, you're the one who only gave me your home number and didn't tell me your new address when you moved."
[Oh? Did I?] Roy laughed awkwardly, brushing it off.
[Anyway, now that we're in touch, we can keep it up. By the way, I got a new pager recently, so let me give you the number.]
"Finally getting around to it, huh?"
[Don't be too hard on me. I've been so busy adjusting to my new job that I've barely had time to think.]
Seok-won could imagine how challenging it must have been for Roy, to start a new job in a strange city. Realizing this, he didn't press the issue further and changed the subject.
"So, how's the job treating you?"
[It's a bit tough, but everyone there is as into computers as I am, so it's fun.]
"That's good to hear. If it ever gets too tough, don't hesitate to call."
[Oh? Are you going to support me?]
"Sure. So don't worry; just say the word whenever you need help."
Roy cheered playfully on the other end of the line. [Wow, it's reassuring to have a rich friend like you. No backing out later, okay?]
"Don't worry. Just make sure to keep in touch."
[Will do.]
Roy then got to the reason for his call. [Oh, by the way, remember what we talked about last time?]
Seok-won's eyes gleamed with interest as he asked, "Did something happen to the friend who developed the web browser?"
[It seems like you're more interested in my friend than in me.]
Seok-won felt a bit guilty but laughed it off. "Haha, of course not."
[Doesn't seem that way…] Roy's voice carried a teasing tone as if he was narrowing his eyes suspiciously.
"Stop kidding around and tell me what's going on."
[Well, it looks like he might be leaving NCSA.]
NCSA (National Center for Supercomputing Applications) was a national research center under the University of Illinois, created to research and develop various programs and technologies for supercomputing networks.
Though he had a hunch, Seok-won feigned ignorance. "His new web browser is a massive hit with two million users, so why would he leave?"
[That's exactly why it's a problem.]
"What do you mean?"
[It's causing issues because it's doing so well.]
"That doesn't make sense."
[Tom, who's just a student researcher who hasn't even graduated yet, created the web browser that's getting all the attention. Of course, it's going to rub some people the wrong way.]
Roy's friend, Tom Harper, was the genius who created Mosaic, the first multiplatform web browser.
[People don't like that a kid is getting all the praise and then acting like he doesn't need their oversight.]
"So, they're trying to push your friend out?"
[They offered him a position as a full-time researcher after graduation, but only if he stepped away from the web browser development team.]
"Wasn't it your friend who came up with the idea and led the development?"
Roy spoke with a tone of frustration as if he were the one being mistreated.
[Exactly, which makes it all the more ridiculous. When he protested, do you know what NCSA said?]
"What did they say?"
[They claimed that since Mosaic was developed using NCSA resources and personnel, it's not Tom's but NCSA's property and the result of everyone's efforts.]
Given that Tom Harper was the one who had the original idea and had led the development, NCSA's response was nothing short of outrageous.
"That's too much."
[It's a job offer in name only; they're basically telling him to leave.]
"Exactly."
[If I were in his shoes, I'd quit out of sheer frustration too.]
If Seok-won had been in Tom Harper's position, he would have been just as disillusioned.
'This is incredibly unfair and infuriating for Tom Harper, but for me, it's a golden opportunity.'
He felt almost thankful to NCSA for being so shortsighted and petty as to alienate Tom Harper.
Seok-won tightened his grip on his phone and asked, his voice filled with anticipation, "So, what is your friend going to do?"
[With things the way they are, he's planning to leave NCSA.]
"That's got to be tough."
[He's thinking about going to Silicon Valley to start fresh.]
Worried that someone else might beat him to the punch, Seok-won tried to keep his voice steady as he responded.
"He hasn't graduated yet, right?"
[That's how fed up he is.]
"Does he have any specific plans?"
[Not really, but he figures Silicon Valley is the place to be for computer-related companies. He's planning to continue developing web browsers there.]
Nodding slightly, Seok-won said, "Well, he's the genius who created the wildly popular Mosaic web browser, so I'm sure companies will be eager to snap him up with good offers."
Even NCSA, which was trying to push Tom Harper out, was promoting Mosaic as "the first window into the virtual world," so it was clear that companies would be lining up to hire him.
[The fools at NCSA who are driving him out will regret it someday, mark my words.]
"I'm sure they will." Seok-won agreed, hiding his impatience as he asked, "Did you mention my offer to him?"
[That's why I'm calling.]
Seok-won held his breath, waiting for Roy's next words.
[Tom wants to meet in person to discuss it further.]
"That makes sense. This isn't something that can be handled over the phone."
[But are you really serious about investing in Tom's new company?]
Without hesitation, Seok-won replied, "Of course. If I weren't serious, why would I ask you to reach out to him?"
[That's true.]
Roy's voice carried a hint of concern as he continued, [You know that NCSA holds all the rights to Mosaic, right?]
"Yes."
Despite Tom Harper's crucial role in Mosaic's development, NCSA was able to push him out because they held all the intellectual property rights.
[Creating a new web browser will require more than just Tom. It's going to take a lot of manpower and funding.]
Mosaic had only been developed thanks to the hard work of Tom Harper and another skilled programmer, who had worked 18-hour days for three straight months to produce a 9,000-line demo program. The official version 1.0 required months of additional work by a team of researchers.
'Even now, they're still patching bugs and making improvements.'
As the Mosaic team grew in size, it was likely that the senior researchers at NCSA had become increasingly resentful of a 22-year-old kid leading the development.
"You know I have plenty of money. I can cover the necessary funds, so don't worry."
[Wow! That's the difference a rich family makes.]
Roy's admiration was genuine, without any sarcasm.
"So just set up the meeting as soon as you can."
[Okay, when are you coming to the U.S.?]
"Anytime. Just say the word, and I can be there tomorrow."
[You're really enthusiastic about this, aren't you? It's almost like you're going to meet a girlfriend.]
"You know I hate putting things off."
Roy made a sound of understanding. [Right, that's true. Your attitude gave me a lot of stress back in the day.]
"Is that my fault? We shared a room, and you left it a mess. It's basic etiquette to clean up after yourself."
[Hey! Can't a person live a little messily? That's just being human. You're the one with the cleanliness obsession.]
Roy's shameless response left Seok-won shaking his head in disbelief.
"It wasn't just a little mess. You're lucky it was me; otherwise, you would've been kicked out of the dorm a long time ago."
[Not sure about that.]
Roy continued to play innocent, making Seok-won chuckle in exasperation.
In reality, Roy had already gone through two roommates before meeting Seok-won. His habit of stockpiling computer parts in their shared dorm room and working late into the night with all the lights on had driven his previous roommates to complain that they couldn't sleep.
If Seok-won had also requested a room change, Roy would have been evicted from the dorm for good.
Knowing he was exasperating his friend, Roy cleared his throat and changed the subject. [Anyway, Tom's probably feeling pretty anxious about the future, so the sooner we make a decision, the better. I'll get in touch with him and call you back soon.]
"Thanks, Roy."
[You're welcome. No need to thank me; I'm helping out a friend from back home, after all.]
Seok-won could almost see Roy scratching his nose in embarrassment on the other end of the line, and he smiled.
"When I get to California, let's grab a beer together."
[Sounds good.]
Roy was working at Sun Microsystems, located in Santa Clara, not far from Silicon Valley.
After chatting a bit longer, they ended the call, and Seok-won lowered the phone, murmuring to himself.
"I absolutely have to catch this. I have to secure Tom Harper."
Seok-won opened a mini-fridge in his room and grabbed a can of beer. He popped the top and took a swig, the cold liquid cooling the excitement running through his veins.
Placing the can on his desk, he sat down with a more serious expression, thinking out loud.
"First, I need to make sure Tom Harper is on board."
He pondered how best to win over Tom Harper's trust and secure his investment.
This was no ordinary opportunity—Tom Harper was the man who would create Netscape, one of the twin pillars of the dot-com boom. Cisco might represent the peak of the dot-com bubble, but Netscape would be the company that would introduce the internet to the general public, sparking the dot-com frenzy that would sweep the globe.
Just imagining the potential profits from an IPO when Netscape went public brought a smile to his face.
Seok-won was determined. No matter how much it cost, this was an opportunity he absolutely had to seize.