Checking the dates on a calendar, Jungsu smiled brightly.

“Honey, did you notice this? Golden Week is next month. If we take leave on Friday, we can have a vacation from Thursday until the next Monday. How about Thailand?”

Hearing that, Suji walked over to him and said, poking him in the ribs.

“Don’t you know your father’s birthday next month?”

Scratching his head, he said, “Oh, really?”

“It’s time to go to work. Hurry up! Mom and Dad are waiting for you. Don’t keep them waiting.”

“Let’s just eat here between you and me. Why should we go there to see them often like this?”

“We should see them at least once a month.”

Jungsu reluctantly hurried up. And with his three-year-old baby, he and Suji drove to Seoul.

His parents welcomed them with a bright smile.

But Jungsu felt a bit strange about his father’s laughing. It was not natural, he thought.

‘Does he have an unwelcome task he wants to ask of me?’

Jungsu pretended not to know. They went to a restaurant for dinner and then came back home for a chat and drink.

After a while, Youngguk called his son quietly.

“Son, let’s go for a walk together.”

“Sure, dad.”

Jungsu followed his father outside.

Though it was March, it was still cold outside. Besides, it was very windy.

Youngguk said, pointing to a coffee shop, “How about a cup of hot coffee over there?”

They went to the coffee shop.

Only then did he bring up the main topic.

“You know Hyunwoo Jang, right?”

Jungsu’s heart sank.

It was not because of Suji. His father must not have made such an expression because of her.

Obviously, he had some other headache.

Jungsu cautiously asked, “Yes, I know Hyunwoo.”

“A big shot at the National Assembly is trying to put pressure on me. He wants me to implicate him in a crime by all means.”

Jungsu’s eyes opened wide with a big surprise.

“What the heck is that?”

***

Reading a newspaper article, Hyunwoo let out a sigh.

The article was about the announcement by the Prosecutors’ Office about the closing of the investigation into the Musik list. The result was what Mr. Wonju Ha, now the strongest man of the ruling party, expected.

Hyunwoo felt regrets about it, but he couldn’t just keep sighing.

I have to brace for another chance to get the corrupt politicians. What should I do next?

Hyunwoo deeply agonized again.

At that moment, his phone buzzed noisily.

It was a call from his father, Duyoung.

Come to think of it, he felt that he had neglected to take care of his parents these days.

It had been about 15 days ago that he met his parents last.

Of course, Yu Zuung was different. She was still basking in the sweetness of their honeymoon. It seemed as if she had all his love and attention that had been reserved for his parents.

The reason was simple. She lived alone with Hyunwoo.

Of course, Hyunwoo and Yu Zuung wanted to live with them, but they refused.

In particular, Jisook was strongly opposed. She said if they lived together, they could not enjoy the happiness of being newlyweds. Besides, their houses were within ten-minute walking distance.

‘I think I have to live with them in my house.’

Refreshing his determination, Hyunwoo answered his father’s phone call.

When he picked up the phone Hyunwoo heard his father saying something quickly in an excited voice.

“I’ve made it! Finally, I have found it, Hyunwoo.”

Though Duyoung was working on a couple of other research projects, that was not something that made him so excited like this.

“Let me come and see you now.”

As soon as he hung up the phone, he raced to STM Research Center.

Duyoung was nervous in sheer excitement when he got there.

“Have you discovered it?” asked Hyunwoo.

Before answering, Duyoung checked if there was anybody near his research room outside.

After confirming nobody was around, he locked the door and said, “I’ve found it. The error in contraction is almost none, less than a tenth of a million.”

Hyunwoo actually couldn’t feel how much the error of a tenth of a million was. But he could figure it out, seeing Dooyoung’s facial expression and way of speaking.

“It’s almost the same.”

“Right. I can safely say that it’s almost the same material. In fact, even the same Toughtex products have a bit of error when I compare two of them.”

Duyoung explained in more detail.

What he discovered were carbon nanotubes. However, doping treatment with organic compounds changed the contraction rate of the original carbon nanotubes.

He made some changes to Toughtex.

Duyoung knew that the qualities of Toughtex differed slightly depending on the type of oil such as gasoline, diesel, heavy oil, and kerosene. He also confirmed that its qualities also changed, depending on the additives.

Therefore, he kept experimenting with a tuft of kerosene that had the closest rate of contraction to carbon nanotubes. He found a perfect match in that process.

But there was a limit.

“From 0 volts to 24 volts the shrinkage is perfectly consistent. But over 24 volts it made a difference.”

But that was not important. It’s because voltages below 24 volts could produce tremendous power.

Hyunwoo said confidently.

“Let me start the Paekdu Project from now on.”

Paekdu Project was a new research project on car engines that Samryong Motors and Blue Sky research team were working hard to develop jointly.

Blue Sky was a company that produced the largest model airplanes and drones. It was once on the verge of bankruptcy when sandwiched between the cutting-edge technology of advanced countries and the low prices of developing countries. But Hyunwoo saved the company by investing 60 billion won.

Though only a few were aware of the Paekdu Project, Hyunwoo had been planning it for a long time.

And the core technology of Paekdu Project was the core of Toughtex that Duyoung developed.

Duyoung nodded his head cheerfully and said, “Yea, I have a high expectation this time.”

Hyunwoo quickly started to implement the project.

He first started the construction of the second Samryong Motors factory in Dangjin County, with a floor space of 2 million-pyong.

The problem was how to secure the money.

Hyunwoo was making a huge amount of money, but the expenditures were also huge because of his endless investment.

He needed one trillion won for the purchase of the factory site in Dangjin, and another one trillion won to build the factory and introduce modern equipment.

‘How can I secure 2 trillion won right away?’

Hyunwoo hadn’t yet listed STM on the stock market. Though his friends pressed him to list it as soon as possible not only on the Korean market but also on the US NASDAQ, he didn’t feel it was necessary at that time.

Now he felt it was the right time to do so.

If he listed STM on KOSPI, the Korean version of US NASDAQ, he had to put aside 25% of the total stocks for public offering. He could construct the first Samryoung Motors factory with those public funds.

Given the choice, he might as well list it on the US, Chinese, and Japanese markets.

Suddenly, Hyunwoo got curious.

‘What is the market capitalization of STM?’

In his mind, STM’s Super Greem was like a goose that laid golden eggs. STM generated as much profit as Ani & Funny, and could produce more.

He estimated the market capitalization of STM might be bigger than expected. When the total market capitalization of the three overseas branches in America, China, and Japan were combined, it would be more than 100 trillion won.

While he was turning it over in his mind, Hyunwoo got a call from Jungsu Pae.

He heard that Jungsu and Suji were having a happy married life.

So, Jungsu’s call was something unexpected to him.

“I want to see you. Can you take the time out?” asked Jungsu.

“Sure.”

Jungsu went to the trouble of coming down to Tapgokri village in Sosan.

Hyunwoo couldn’t know why he wanted to see him until then. He tried to find out whether Suji had any problem, but there was none.

What Hyunwwoo felt more strange about his behavior was that Jungsu looked quite bright as if he met a friend in a long time.

“It’s been a while. Nice to see you.”

“Nice to see you, too. I heard that you’re doing well with Sujin. Is your baby growing okay?”

“Oh, yes. All thanks to you. Haha.”

Jungsu chatted with him in a cheerful mood for a while.

But the more he did, the more Hyunwoo got doubtful. For Jungsu had no reason to do so.

Only after some time passed did Jungsu tell him why he wanted to meet him.

“In fact, I have respected you for a long time. But I couldn’t express it because of my wife. So, I plucked up the courage to see you like this.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Just like I said, I would like to serve you as my brother. I’d like to learn the lessons of life from you.”

“Hahaha, Prosecutor Jungsu, I’m not much of …”

Hyunwoo felt embarrassed at that.

But Jungsu didn’t stop saying strange things and acting weirdly. He even tried to curry favor with him even to the point that he showed a servile attitude.

Hyunwoo felt a bit disappointed to see that. He felt Jungsu was a good match with Suji, but he had to think twice about that given Jungsu’s stupid behavior now.

But at that moment Jungsu gave him a note secretly.

While he was talking, he gave an eye signal often. Hyunwoo felt though Jungsu had something to tell, he couldn’t.

Momentarily, Hyunwoo smelled a rat.

Is he now being monitored by somebody here?

Hyunwoo was about to look around but stopped. Jungsu’s eye signal meant that somebody was watching them now. He had to act, pretending not to know.

Hyunoo received the note secretly and read it.