Chapter 11: A Toast to Dreams

Ki-hong spoke with a frustrated tone.

"During the IMF crisis, countless domestic companies were sold off to foreign capital at dirt-cheap prices. Back then, people scooped up Seoseong Electronics shares for 30,000 or 50,000 won, and now it's worth over 1.4 million won. Since the 2008 financial crisis, foreign investment banks have completed restructuring and are once again aggressively investing, but what are Korean investment banks doing right now? Why can't we keep up? The world is changing rapidly with the Fourth Industrial Revolution, fintech, and blockchain. If finance doesn't keep pace with these trends, we're going to face a similar situation as before."

Ki-hong, now slurring his words a bit, continued.

"We have great entrepreneurs but no great investors. That's the reality in this country. But now, we need someone like that here too. We need to stand up and compete with foreign capital head-on, even get criticized by foreign media for being profit-hungry!"

It's not just about having money.

Developed countries have centuries of capitalist history and culture. On the other hand, Korea's financial industry is still in its infancy.

"Do you think that day will ever come?"

In response to my question, Ki-hong gave a bitter smile.

"Haha, who knows? Maybe."

We continued to drink and chat, but someone's phone rang.

Beep beep!

Yuri picked up her phone and answered the call.

"I'm with Ki-hong and the other seniors at Hanguk Pocha. Yeah, just come inside."

After the short call, Yuri put down her phone.

"Who was that?" asked Kyungil.

Yuri answered casually, "It was Seon-ah. We were supposed to meet today, but I told her I was drinking with the seniors, so she's coming here."

"What?!"

Everyone was shocked.

Minyoung scolded Yuri.

"How could you invite Seon-ah here?"

Yuri looked confused.

"Why? Was I not supposed to invite her?"

"Well, that…"

All eyes suddenly turned toward me.

Honestly, I was the most flustered one here.

Damn it! What do I do? Should I just run?

Maybe I can hide in the bathroom?

As I was thinking this, the bar door opened, and a woman in a white coat walked in.

She was tall for a woman, with a slim, curvy figure, a small face, large eyes, pale skin, and long, straight hair.

I looked at her in shock, and she, too, widened her eyes in surprise.

"Yoon Seon-ah…"

"Kang Jin-hoo?"

It was our first time meeting since we broke up.

_______________

The atmosphere at the table was unbearably awkward.

Tap tap!

Ki-hong tapped the table with his chopsticks and said, "Come on, guys. We haven't seen each other in a while, so why's the mood like this? Let's have a drink. Cheers!"

Clink!

Our glasses clinked together.

I pretended to drink my soju and glanced at Seon-ah. She was chatting with the others as if nothing was wrong.

Am I the only one overthinking this?

It would probably feel better if I just got drunk.

I kept drinking. As I was pouring myself another drink, Seon-ah subtly slid her phone across the table toward me.

On the screen, a message read:

[Wanna go grab a coffee?]

______________________

I found myself at a 24-hour café after slipping out of the drinking session.

Even though it was late, the place was pretty full. A couple who looked like students were studying with TOEIC books spread out in front of them. They probably planned to study together all night.

Seon-ah, who had gone to fetch our coffee, came back and sat down across from me.

I decided to approach this situation casually.

After all, when I return to school, we'll inevitably run into each other.

It's not uncommon for people within the same department to date and break up. If breakups meant people stopped seeing each other, half the student body would have dropped out by now.

Honestly, dating in the sacred halls of academia was the real mistake. I should have just focused on studying, especially considering the expensive tuition fees.

Seon-ah broke the silence.

"It's been a while."

"Yeah, it has."

It had been almost two years.

"How was the army?"

"Fine. I made it through."

Though it felt like I just survived hell. (And there was one time I almost literally died.)

We first met at the freshman welcome party.

Amid the other freshmen, who still had a hint of adolescence about them, Seon-ah stood out.

She wasn't just pretty; she had an allure that drew people in.

Both our classmates and seniors were all interested in her. I'm sure they all wanted to date her.

Surprisingly, the person she chose was me.

We were the official couple of our department and spent the entire semester together. Looking back now, those were truly happy times.

But near the end of our first year, things started to fall apart. My father's company ran into trouble.

He was running around frantically trying to save the company, and my mother couldn't sleep from the constant worry. Even though I didn't know the specifics, I could tell things were getting bad.

Eventually, the company went bankrupt, and my father collapsed.

With the bankruptcy, illness, mourning, moving… I could barely keep up with what was happening. It was around then that Seon-ah told me she wanted to break up.

I couldn't even muster the courage to hold on to her, and so we parted ways.

_________________

Except for a few bad moments, we had dated like any other couple and ended things on relatively good terms.

"How are things with that senior?".

I recalled the senior I'd seen briefly during the school festival. It was the first time I saw him, but I had already heard a lot about him.

He was that famous.

Go Jun-hyung.

He's the third son of GH Construction, a subsidiary of a large conglomerate. He seemed handsome and had a good personality, from what I could tell.

Not long after I took a break from school and enlisted, I heard the news from Minyoung.

Seon-ah was dating that senior.

She nodded.

"Yeah, we're doing well."

Hmm, so they're doing well.

A sudden thought crossed my mind. When did she start dating him? Could it have been before we broke up?

I wanted to ask, but when I saw the ring on her left hand, I stopped myself.

What would be the point of knowing now anyway?

Though it had been a long time, her face was still the same as before. However, her clothes, accessories, and bags were all different.

Her makeup and outfit were more sophisticated, and her watch, bag, and shoes all looked like designer brands.

"You've changed a lot."

Seon-ah gave a bitter smile.

"It's been a long time.".

Two years is a significant amount of time for a college student.

What have I been doing all this time?

"…."

Well, I've been working hard, defending the country.

I felt proud of having fulfilled my military duty. Damn it.

After hesitating for a moment, Seon-ah spoke cautiously.

"I'm sorry for breaking up with you when you were having a hard time."

"Well, it's all in the past now."

In a calm voice, Seon-ah said,

"Jin-hoo, I really liked you."

Hearing those words made something rise up in me.

I asked, incredulously, "What do you mean by that?"

"I know it sounds strange, but it's the truth. From the moment I first saw you, you were different from the others. You always seemed so full of life, and I felt like you had the confidence to do anything. That's why I liked you."

"Then why did you break up with me?"

Even without hearing the answer, I could guess. It was probably because my family went bankrupt.

"I just took the opportunity when it came."

"What opportunity? The chance to date a rich guy?"

Seon-ah shook her head.

"You have every right to criticize me. I was the one who asked to break up first. But I want to achieve my dreams."

"…Dreams?"

What the hell is she talking about?

I couldn't quite grasp her words.

Seeing the look on my face, Seon-ah smiled faintly, as if she had expected it.

"I'll be going now."

She picked up her bag and stood up.

I instinctively reached out to stop her but hesitated. Instead, I asked her a question.

"What is this dream you're talking about?"

Seon-ah turned her head slightly and replied curtly.

"Success."

Instead of going back to the drinking party, I bought a bottle of soju and a bag of snacks from a nearby convenience store and sat under a parasol.

"Haa."

The night air was chilly, and I could see my breath coming out in white puffs.

As I drank the soju by myself, I thought about my late father.

The house was seized before we could even hold the funeral. My mother reached out to relatives for help, but none of them offered any. And then Seon-ah broke up with me.

It felt like everything was crumbling down.

But there was no time to grieve. The living have to keep on living somehow.

Time passed by in a blur. While I was in the military, my mother took on any and every menial job she could find.

Fortunately, an unexpected stroke of luck came my way a few days ago. A game character I had sold back in middle school was now worth 1.24 billion won and had returned to me.

"Success, huh…"

What exactly is success?

At that moment, a hologram appeared in front of me.

"…."

What is this?

OTK Company was a shell company that Taek-gyu had set up in a tax haven. Since it was a one-person corporation, of course, Taek-gyu was the CEO.

But why did it say that I was the CEO?

I stared blankly at the hologram.

What does this mean? Does it mean I'll become the CEO of the company Taek-gyu created?

The hologram disappeared from my view.

Instinctively, I knew this was something that would happen in the near future.

The past is already gone. No matter what, there's no way to change what's already happened. But the future hasn't arrived yet.

The future can be changed based on my choices. And now is the moment to make that choice..

"OTK Company CEO, Kang Jin-hoo…"

Is this the path I'm meant to take?

I felt a strong sense of certainty hit me. I didn't know what the process would be like or what lay at the end of the road…

But I wanted to give it a shot.

_____________

After getting out of the taxi, I unlocked the front door and entered the house.

Taek-gyu was curled up on the sofa, fast asleep with all the lights on.

"Hey! Wake up! Come on!"

After shaking him several times, Taek-gyu groggily opened his eyes.

"Ugh, I was sleeping so well. Why'd you wake me up?"

He looked at me and said, "How much did you drink? If you're that drunk, go home."

"Give me your hand."

"Huh?"

Looking confused, Taek-gyu held out his hand.

I grabbed it tightly.

"Ow! What are you doing?"

"I've grabbed it, so we're doing this together."

He had a look on his face like I was talking nonsense.

"Doing what?"

"Whatever comes."