Chapter 13: The L6 Mystery

Yuri noticed me staring and asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You just remind me of someone from a girl group."

Yuri smiled brightly at my comment.

"Oh, so you're into girl groups, huh?"

"Not really..."

Before I went to the army, I only knew the names of a few groups, but I had no idea how many members there were or what their hit songs were.

But by the time I came out, I had learned the history of girl groups like the back of my hand.

I wasn't the only one—every soldier in Korea was the same. There was even a joke that you could tell when someone joined the army by knowing which girl group's hit song was popular at the time (and that's no exaggeration).

"Does that mean you think I'm pretty?"

"..."

Is that what she took from that?

We walked into the café. Inside, there was a large roasting machine, and they had a variety of beans on display.

Despite the fancy setup, the prices weren't much different from other cafés.

"What do you want to drink?"

"Oh, I'll get it. What would you like, Senior?"

Well, if she's offering to pay, no point in me getting out my wallet.

"Americano."

"Hot one, since it's cold?"

"Yeah."

Yuri ordered two of the same drink.

We took our coffees and sat by the window on the second floor.

Even though she was a junior, sitting face-to-face with a girl like this made me feel awkward. I wasn't always like this. Must be because of my time in the military.

I was thinking of how to break the silence when, thankfully, Yuri spoke first.

"What brings you to Gangnam today?"

"I'm just visiting a friend nearby."

She nodded at my response.

"Got it."

"What about you? Why are you here?"

"I live in Cheongdam-dong."

When people think of Gangnam, they usually assume everyone here is wealthy, but there's quite a disparity even within the area.

Cheongdam-dong is considered one of the more affluent parts of Gangnam.

Could she be from a rich family?

Back in high school, I didn't really think about who was rich or not. Since school assignments were based on where you lived, most of us had similar living standards.

But things changed after I entered college.

Korea University is one of the top universities in the country. Most students come from working-class or middle-class families, but some are a cut above.

Even if they weren't from one of the major conglomerate families, there were students from wealthy upper-class families with assets exceeding billions of won, and others whose parents ran small businesses.

While some students worried about part-time jobs, living expenses, and student loans, others rented the most expensive apartments near campus and drove foreign cars bought by their parents.

Yuri seemed hesitant, like she had something on her mind.

"So, why did you want to meet?"

She smiled awkwardly.

"I wanted to apologize, Senior."

"Apologize?"

"About the thing with Seon-ah."

"Ah..."

Yuri lowered her head slightly.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know, since I don't usually go to department gatherings."

If you attend a few drinking parties, you'll easily figure out who's dating who in the department. But from the way she's speaking, she must be somewhat of an outsider.

I chuckled.

"It's fine."

She didn't know, so there's really nothing to apologize for. Even if she had known, there wasn't much to apologize for.

Yuri let out a sigh of relief.

"Phew, that's a relief. I was a bit worried since you left so suddenly yesterday."

Apparently, after Seon-ah and I left the gathering, it sort of fizzled out. Yuri felt bad, thinking it was because of her, so she wanted to meet and apologize.

"Are you planning to return to school next year?"

"Unless something comes up, yeah."

"Then we'll be in the same second-year classes."

We continued chatting as we sipped our coffee. I hadn't noticed at the drinking party, but Yuri had a really pleasant personality.

As our conversation was winding down, Yuri cautiously said, "Oh, I have a favor to ask."

"A favor?"

"Um, well..."

We barely know each other, and she's asking for a favor?

Could it be...?

Was the apology just an excuse, and she called me here to confess her feelings?

What should I say?

Whether I like her or not, I've never thought about being in this kind of situation. And besides, I've been pretty busy with my investments.

Should I turn her down if she confesses?

But it's hard to reject someone who's this pretty. Still, I'm not really ready...

All kinds of thoughts were racing through my mind in that brief moment.

Trying to maintain a calm expression, I waited as Yuri continued.

"I want to buy a new phone. Can you come with me? I feel like I'll get ripped off if I go alone."

"Oh, sure."

I don't know what I was thinking just now.

I seriously need to stop jumping to conclusions.

"I don't really know much about phones, though."

For the record, Taek-gyu is the expert when it comes to things like this.

He barely spends any money on food or clothes, but when it comes to electronics like phones, TVs, and gaming consoles, he spares no expense.

He probably knows all the specs, models, and prices of the latest phones by heart.

"That's fine. Just having you there will be a big help."

I nodded.

"Alright."

We left the café together.

We didn't even have to go far. We just crossed the street, and there was an SSK Telecom store right there. The first floor had phones on display, and the second floor was a service center.

As soon as we walked in, a staff member in a red uniform and name tag approached us.

"How can I help you today?"

"I'm here to change my phone," Yuri said.

The staff member's face lit up.

"Is there a specific model you're looking for?"

"Do you have the Seoseong Electronics L6?"

"Of course. It's currently our best-selling model."

Following the employee's guidance, Yuri sat down, and the consultation began.

Discussions about porting phone numbers, device changes, installment payments, official subsidies, points usage, and card benefits ensued—things difficult to understand.

It's gotten really complicated just to buy a phone these days. Now I understand why they say that if you don't know your stuff, you end up being treated like a sucker.

Though Yuri said she was worried about getting scammed, she understood everything the employee was saying and asked meticulous questions.

"······."

If she knows this much, why did she even ask me to come along?

While Yuri was getting her consultation, I wandered around the store. The newest Seoseong Electronics L6 model was displayed in the prime spot.

The phone I used before entering the military was the L3. Now, it's already up to the L6. Time sure flies.

For the record, the phone I'm using now is Seoseong's budget model, the J2.

I picked up the L6 and looked it over. As expected of the latest model, it was thin, and the design was sleek.

But then, at that moment, something like a hologram suddenly appeared in front of my eyes.

Could it be...?

What does this even mean?

"What's wrong, sunbae? Is there something over there?"

I snapped back to reality to find Yuri looking at me curiously. The hologram had vanished.

I made an excuse.

"Oh, nothing. I thought there was a mosquito flying around."

Yuri looked at me incredulously.

"In this weather?"

I forced a laugh.

"Guess I was seeing things."

No, I actually did see it.

Was that the first sign?

Yuri ended up buying the L6. After they transferred the SIM card and data, we left the store.

"They didn't have the pink gold in stock, so I bought the sky blue one instead. This color's not bad, right?"

Doesn't the case cover it anyway?

Yuri kept admiring her new phone, clearly pleased.

"Since I'm locked into a contract again, I'll have to take good care of it for the next two years."

"That one's probably going to be discontinued soon."

Yuri looked shocked.

"Huh? Why?"

"······."

As I kept thinking about it to make sure I wouldn't forget, the words slipped out without me realizing it.

I smiled and brushed it off.

"Just kidding."

After parting with Yuri, I rushed straight to Taek-gyu's place.

As soon as I stepped into the house, I grabbed him—he was in the middle of gaming—and shouted.

"L6!"

"What?"

"Seoseong Electronics L6!"

Taek-gyu pulled something out of his pocket and showed me.

"You mean this?"

It was the same phone Yuri had bought. Even the color was the same—pink gold.

"Did you really have to buy pink?"

"Real men go for pink."

I was about to tell him what happened when he looked at my empty hands and asked,

"Wait, you didn't bring any food?"

"······."

Is food really what matters right now?

I explained the situation at the SSK Telecom store in detail. Taek-gyu was shocked and asked,

"A hologram appeared when you touched the L6, and it said 'L6 discontinued'?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"Discontinued" literally means production and sales will stop.

Taek-gyu started explaining the smartphone market to me.

"Seoseong Electronics releases a wide range of smartphones, from high-end to budget models. The L series is their flagship."

The smartphone market is a fierce battlefield, with global electronics companies vying for dominance.

Among the high-end models, the market is pretty much divided between Enple's nPhone and Seoseong's L series.

In recent years, Chinese companies like Obo and Befo have been making strides, but they mostly rely on the Chinese market and specialize in budget phones, so they haven't made much impact in the high-end market yet.

"Although it's said to be split, if you look at sales numbers and profit margins for high-end phones, Enple is still the clear leader. That's why Seoseong went all out with the L6, aiming to beat the nPhone. Some even say it surpasses the nPhone 6 in design and performance."

Thanks to such reviews, the L6 was flying off the shelves, with some colors even out of stock.

The previous model, the L5, sold around 50 million units globally. That's already a staggering number, but Seoseong was predicting sales of over 70 million units for the L6.

Taek-gyu still looked puzzled.

"It's selling well worldwide right now, so why would it be discontinued?"

"What could cause it to be discontinued?"

At my question, Taek-gyu seemed to have a thought.

"Ah! Could it be because of a patent dispute?"

"A patent dispute?"

"Yeah, they say a smartphone contains more than 200,000 patents, covering everything from communication frequencies, semiconductors, components, functions, to design."

Seoseong Electronics isn't just a top company in Korea; it's one of the top IT manufacturers in the world. As such, they were involved in multiple patent disputes across various countries.

The patent battle between Seoseong and Enple from the early days of smartphones is especially famous, often called the "Trial of the Century."

"I thought most of the patent issues had been resolved?"

Even if they lose a patent dispute, it usually ends with paying damages or royalties, rarely leading to a halt in sales.

On top of that, patent disputes are so complex that it takes years to reach a conclusion. By the time a ruling to halt sales is made, the product in question is usually already out of the market.

Taek-gyu nodded.

"True. In terms of patents, Seoseong is more of a bully than a victim."

Unlike Enple, which pioneered the smartphone era, or the companies that entered the market later, Seoseong had been making mobile phones since the CDMA days.

As a result, they held an enormous number of patents related to telecommunications and technology. In fact, during the design patent battle with Enple, Seoseong used its communication patents to launch a counterattack, and they were somewhat successful.

So, what could it be?

Why would it be discontinued?