Senior Gihong spoke with frustration.
"During the IMF crisis, countless Korean companies were sold off to foreign capital for dirt-cheap prices. Back then, shares of Seoseong Electronics were swept up at 30,000 or 50,000 won, and now they're worth over 1.4 million won. After the 2008 financial crisis, foreign investment banks completed restructuring and launched aggressive investments again. What are Korean investment banks doing now? Why can't we do the same?
The world is changing at breakneck speed—Industry 4.0, fintech, blockchain. If our financial sector fails to keep up with these changes, we'll end up facing the same situation all over again."
His words were slurred as he continued, half-drunk.
"There are great entrepreneurs, but no great investors. That's the reality of this country. But now, Korea needs people like that. We need to stand toe-to-toe with foreign capital. Even if that means taking some heat in the foreign press for pulling out profits!"
It's not something that money alone can achieve.
Advanced nations have hundreds of years of history and culture in capitalism. In contrast, Korea's financial sector has barely taken its first steps.
"Do you think that day will ever come?"
At my question, Senior Gihong gave a bitter smile.
"Heh, who knows? Maybe."
As we laughed and drank, someone's phone rang.
Beep beep!
Yuri picked up the phone and answered.
"I'm at Hanguk Bar with Senior Gihong and some others. Yes, you can come inside."
The short call ended, and Yuri set her phone down.
"Who was that?"
At Kyungil's question, Yuri answered nonchalantly.
"Senior Seonah. I was supposed to meet her today, but I told her I was drinking with you guys, so she said she'd come here."
"What!?"
Everyone was startled.
Minyoung scolded her.
"Why would you tell her to come here?"
Yuri looked confused.
"Why not? Was that a problem?"
"Well, uh…"
All eyes turned to me.
To be honest, I was the most flustered person there.
Damn it! What do I do? Should I run away? Hide in the bathroom?
As I was debating my options, the door to the bar swung open, and a woman in a white coat walked in.
She was tall for a woman, with a slim, curvaceous figure, a small face, large eyes, fair skin, and long straight hair.
I stared at her in shock, and she widened her eyes, seemingly just as surprised.
"Yoon Seonah…"
"Kang Jinhoo?"
It was our first encounter since breaking up.
---
The atmosphere at the table was unbearably awkward.
Tap tap!
Senior Gihong tapped the table with his chopsticks and said,
"Come on, why's the mood so stiff when we're meeting after so long? Let's have a drink. Cheers!"
Clink!
Glasses collided.
I pretended to drink my soju, sneaking glances at Seonah. She seemed unbothered, chatting naturally with the others.
Was I the only one being overly self-conscious?
I felt like I might as well drink enough to numb myself, so I kept tossing back shots.
As I refilled my empty glass, Seonah subtly pushed her phone toward me across the table.
On the screen, a message was written:
[Want to grab coffee?]
---
I left the bar and found myself seated in a 24-hour café.
Even at this late hour, many seats were occupied. A couple who looked like students were studying from TOEIC prep books. They were probably planning to pull an all-nighter together.
Seonah returned with two cups of coffee and sat across from me.
I decided to relax.
After all, once I resumed classes, I'd have no choice but to see her on campus.
Relationships between classmates breaking up and moving on were common. If every breakup led to estrangement, a significant number of students would end up dropping out every year.
The real problem was pursuing a romance at a place of higher learning in the first place. I should've focused on studying, considering the hefty tuition I was paying.
Seonah broke the silence first.
"It's been a while."
"It really has."
It had been nearly two years.
"How was your time in the military?"
"Fine. I got through it."
Though, to be honest, it felt like I'd suffered endlessly. (And there was one time I almost died.)
We'd first met at the freshman orientation. Among the fresh-faced underclassmen who'd just come of age, Seonah had stood out.
She wasn't just pretty; she had an allure that drew attention.
Everyone, both classmates and upperclassmen, seemed interested in her. I'm sure many wanted to date her.
Surprisingly, she chose me.
We became an official couple and spent the semester practically glued together. Looking back, those were truly happy times.
But toward the end of our first year, my father's company ran into trouble.
He worked tirelessly to save it, and my mother was constantly worried, unable to sleep. Even as someone clueless about the company's inner workings, I could see things were headed downhill.
Eventually, the company went bankrupt, and my father collapsed from the stress.
Bankruptcy, illness, mourning, moving… I could barely keep up with everything. Around that time, Seonah told me she wanted to break up.
I didn't have the courage to hold onto her, so we ended things there.
Aside from a few bad incidents, we'd dated well and parted ways relatively cleanly.
"How's that senior doing?"
I recalled the senior I'd briefly seen during a school festival. It was the first time I'd met him, though I'd heard plenty about him before, given how well-known he was.
Go Junhyung.
He was the third son of GH Construction, a major corporation. Though I'd only glimpsed him, he seemed handsome and affable.
Shortly after I started my military service, Minyoung told me Seonah was dating him.
She nodded.
"We're doing well."
I see. Doing well.
A thought crossed my mind. When did she start dating him? Could it have been before we broke up?
I wanted to ask but stopped when I noticed the ring on her left hand.
What was the point of knowing now?
Though it had been a while since we'd seen each other, her face hadn't changed. However, her style had.
Her makeup and outfit were more polished, and her watch, bag, and shoes all looked like luxury brands.
"You've changed a lot."
She gave a faint, bitter smile.
"Well, a lot of time has passed."
Two years is a long time for a college student.
And in those two years, what had I done?
"…"
I'd been busy defending the nation.
I felt proud of myself. Damn it.
After hesitating for a moment, she spoke cautiously.
"I'm sorry for breaking up with you when you were struggling."
"Well, it's all in the past now."
In a calm voice, she added,
"Jinhoo, I really liked you."
Her words caught me off guard and stirred emotions I didn't expect.
I asked incredulously,
"What does that mean?"
"I know it sounds strange, but it's true. From the moment I first saw you, I felt like you were different. You seemed so full of life, so confident—like you could do anything. That's why I liked you."
"Then why did you break up with me?"
Though I already knew the answer. It was because my family went bankrupt, wasn't it?
"When I saw an opportunity, I just took it."
"What opportunity? The chance to date a rich guy?"
She shook her head.
"You're not wrong to criticize me. I was the one who ended things. But I wanted to chase my dream."
"…Dream?"
What was she even talking about?
Seeing my confused expression, she gave a faint smile as if she expected it.
"I should get going."
She stood, grabbing her bag.
I instinctively reached out to stop her but hesitated. Instead, I asked,
"What's this dream you're talking about?"
She turned her head slightly and answered briefly.
"Success."
---
Instead of going back to the bar, I stopped at a nearby convenience store, bought a bottle of soju and a bag of snacks, and sat under an outdoor umbrella.
"Hah…"
The cold night air made my breath visible as I sighed.
I drank alone, thinking about my late father.
Our house had been taken before we even finished his funeral. My mother had turned to relatives for help, but no one lent a hand. Then, Seonah had told me she wanted to break up.
It felt like my entire world had crumbled. But I hadn't had time to grieve. The living had to keep going.
So, time passed in a daze. While I was in the military, my mother took on any job she could find, no matter how grueling.
Thankfully, unexpected fortune came my way a few days ago. The game character I sold in middle school had appreciated in value astronomically, and it sold for 1.24 billion won.
"Success, huh…"
What exactly does success even mean?
At that moment, a hologram suddenly appeared before my eyes.
"…What?"
I blinked, startled, staring at the floating image.
The hologram displayed the name OTK Company and listed me as the CEO.
But that didn't make sense. OTK Company was a paper company that Taekyu had set up in an offshore tax haven. Since it was a single-person corporation, he was the obvious CEO.
So why did it show me as the CEO?
I stared at the hologram, dumbfounded.
What could this possibly mean? Did it mean that I would one day become the CEO of the company Taekyu had created?
The hologram faded as quickly as it appeared.
But in that brief moment, I instinctively understood: this wasn't just some odd vision—it was a glimpse of the near future.
The past was already written, unchangeable no matter how much I wished otherwise.
But the future? That was still unwritten, and my choices could shape it in countless ways.
Right now, I was standing at a crossroads.
"OTK Company CEO… Kang Jinhoo."
Was this the path I was meant to take?
A surge of clarity hit me like a lightning bolt. I didn't know what the journey would entail or where it would lead, but…
I felt an overwhelming desire to try.
---
When I arrived home, I stepped into the living room to find Taekyu sprawled on the couch, asleep with all the lights still on.
"Hey! Wake up! Get up!"
After shaking him a few times, he groggily opened his eyes.
"Ugh… I was sleeping so well. Why are you waking me up?"
He squinted at me and grumbled.
"How much did you drink? If you're drunk, just crash at your place, man."
"Hold out your hand."
"Huh?"
Confused, he extended his hand toward me.
I grabbed it firmly and shook it.
"Ow! What are you doing?"
"I've got your hand now. So we're doing this together."
His face twisted in bewilderment.
"Doing what together?"
"Anything."
Taekyu looked at me like I'd lost my mind.
But in that moment, for the first time in a long while, I felt certain about what I needed to do.