Chapter 41: The End of the 80s (1)

Bill Gates coming to meet me wasn’t some coincidence or butterfly effect. It was historical inevitability. In 1988, Microsoft was in full gear, pushing hard to expand into Asia. Sure, they’re still a giant dominating the software world even now, but back then, they didn’t have much of a name in Korea, which is why Gates himself came here. And the reason why he—no, why he came to my company? It’s pretty simple. Right now, due to heavy regulations, Microsoft couldn’t set up a branch in Korea on its own. They had to find a local software company to partner with. It wasn’t something I planned. I was honestly shocked when I heard that Bill Gates was coming all the way to my tiny company. I couldn’t believe someone of his caliber would come here. In my past life, by the time I was making a name for myself, he’d already retired and was off doing charity work... I was just really curious. Why my company? “Why this place, huh...? Well, I sensed a refined touch in the software. At first glance, it looks a bit rough, but I could see a vision at least twenty years ahead. Very impressive.” ‘Well, yeah, because it was twenty years ahead...’ “Hmm, we’ve got a lot of young people at our company. It’s an honor to hear that from you, Mr. Gates.” Dressed up for the first time in ages, Song Hyun-jae was sweating from nerves but still managed to talk smoothly. I sat quietly next to them, listening. After all, I was just an outsider here. I only managed to attend because I pushed for it, but the main party in this deal was Song Hyun-jae, president of Pigmalion Soft. “And there was one more very important reason. You guys use only genuine software here, haha.” There was something unsettling in Bill Gates’ mild, nerdy smile. A fierce determination that anyone not using genuine software would be destroyed. “....” seaʀᴄh thё ηovelFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I couldn’t help but nod. He was the first to turn the idea of selling software into reality. Which made his hatred for piracy legendary... but in Korea, barely anyone buys software legally. ‘I get it now. Makes perfect sense why he chose us.’ Even if I hadn’t gotten involved in Pigmalion Soft, this place would’ve caught Microsoft’s eye anyway. I left the details of the contract to Song Hyun-jae and Gates’ secretary and was about to quietly slip out of the room. “But, excuse me... who might you be?” Tch, I knew this would happen. Of course Gates, the seasoned businessman, wouldn’t like some random person sitting in. I get it. I gave Ha Yeong-il a glance. He smoothly delivered our prepared excuse. “Ah, this young lady is an acquaintance of mine. Well, not me directly—my father knows her family, and through him, I got introduced to Pigmalion Soft.” “Ah, I see. What a fascinating coincidence, meeting like this on such a big planet.” Naturally, Alpha Fund, managed by Ha Yeong-il, also invested in Microsoft. You don’t need some aggressive short selling to profit from a company like MS—just hold a decent long position and you’re golden. That’s how Ha Yeong-il got into conversations with Microsoft as an investor, and then out of nowhere, they mentioned setting up a Korean branch and asked for his opinion. Since Korea isn’t exactly familiar territory for them, they probably reached out to a well-known Korean fund manager on Wall Street. And then, by pure chance, he turned out to have ties to a company Microsoft was already eyeing. How about that? It really was a series of strange coincidences. For both me and them. “But... do you have any questions, young lady? I heard you’re a programmer.” As soon as Ha Yeong-il finished, Gates asked again. It felt like he was suspicious of me. I mean, it’s hard to guess an East Asian’s age, and I do look mature for mine... maybe he wasn’t seeing me as a kid, but as a business partner? He must’ve thought it weird that I just showed up, said nothing, and tried to leave. “...Hmm, no, I’m fine.” “Curious. You came to such an important meeting just ‘because’? A noble lady like yourself?” Persistent, huh. I just came to see him in person, but he kept probing, wondering what I was after. But if I explained honestly... Wait. Is there even a problem? ‘Right. He is a public figure.’ Realizing something important, I casually stepped out and brought back a Famicom and a marker. Then I gave Bill Gates a sweet little smile. “I’m a fan, could I get your autograph?” With the most innocent look I could muster, I beamed and held out the request. Hey, it’s not even a lie that I’m a fan. That devilish business mind and overwhelming wealth—how could I not be a fan? *** When I asked for his autograph, Bill Gates laughed and signed it, then gave me a few words of encouragement before leaving. ‘I’ve heard you’re a strong advocate for copyright law. Seeing you today, I believe you’re going to achieve great things.’ ‘I don’t expect much from the general public, but I hope at least companies and the government in Korea will adopt a culture of using genuine software. Oh, Daehwa Group only uses genuine products? Haha! What an excellent company! Truly worthy of representing Korea!’ Ahhh, is this even real? A company—hell, Korea’s top conglomerate—getting praised just for not blatantly violating copyright laws? I’m getting dizzy here. And Gates was genuinely serious, which made it even weirder. In Korea, there’s almost no one using legal software right now. Even government offices and big corporations openly pirate it. Just doing the bare minimum and suddenly it feels like some patriotic fever dream you’d see on YouTube... I was so embarrassed my face burned. Honestly, even within Daehwa Group, it’s only Daehwa Securities—my part—that uses genuine software... but I couldn’t say that. Too humiliating. Kinda felt like someone caught me licking the yogurt lid in public. Still... praise from someone that big hits different. It sent a tingle through my whole body. ‘Yeah, that was worth the risk.’ My mood is more important than anything in this world... so an event this awesome? Totally worth it, profit or not. Even aside from setting up the Microsoft branch. Anyway. And so, after the giant of history had left, the president’s office of Pigmalion Soft fell silent. I clutched the Family Computer—Bill Gates Edition—that I’d just made, hugging it along with the contract he left behind, feeling damn proud of myself. “Fufu, Microsoft’s Korean branch, huh? This is a nice opportunity, don’t you think?” President Song wiped the cold sweat from his brow and nodded. “Y-Yes... it is. It’s been a while since I spoke that much English—it was exhausting.” “Ehh, come on, you can’t be tired already. You’ll be heading up the MS Korea branch soon, so you better brush up on it.” “W-What? Why me? Surely someone like you would be more than enough...” I shook my head firmly. “I’m staying here to play games. This is a game company, after all. You, on the other hand, should get back to your real job. You’re in your thirties now, right?” “....” You’ve gotta separate work and hobbies, you know? I’m so done with boring-ass software development. I’ll just send all the software staff over to the MS branch and keep the game devs here at Pigmalion Soft. That way, I can focus on the fun stuff. “...Alright. But, while I’m happy about suddenly becoming the head of MS Korea, why did you even accept this deal, Miss? There’s not much in it for you...” “I’ve got shares, don’t I? That’s why.” “...With just that tiny bit of shares?” Song tilted his head, puzzled, but didn’t press further. . . . This was one of the seeds I’d been planting all along. Later on—much later, when Bill Gates retires—I plan to take over Microsoft. ...And Song will come in handy then. It’s better for an overseas branch to eat the headquarters than for some massive foreign capital to devour America’s flagship company, right? ‘Ah, if only I could just buy up all the Big Tech while they’re still growing.’ I let out a small sigh. If I’m going to achieve my grand plan of becoming the most powerful person in the world, I’ve got a hell of a lot to do. If I could just swallow up companies like that, things would be way easier... But antitrust laws are a bitch. Some people might naively think, "You came back rich, so if you just buy up all the future companies, you could rule the ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) world—or at least the U.S., right?" But of course, that’s impossible. Even without getting into the whole separation of ownership and control thing... Seriously, you think you could rule America like that? America’s not stupid. Politicians would pull every trick in the book to break up the companies. And when that happens, I won’t be getting any of my money back. That’s the problem—capitalist logic goes out the window when national interest is on the line. There are way too many cases where the state steps in to block mergers just because they don’t want foreign ownership. If I were American, I could just buy off politicians through a super PAC and bulldoze my way through... but for a Korean to rule the world? The difficulty’s insane. —“Ah, so you’re the major shareholder of Microsoft! Planning to merge with Daehwa Group, are you? Well, alright then. The U.S. Department of Defense and the White House both use Windows, but hey, the law’s the law, right?” You really think America would respond like that? Yeah, right. They wouldn’t even let me get that many shares in the first place. Even if I tried to get around it through Ha Yeong-il, who is American, same story. They’d just pass some law to block the whole merger attempt. The truth is, countries are fine giving foreigners money, but they’ll never give them power. That’s just how normal countries work. ...But I want power. Global Jewish-capital! The Freemasons! The Illuminati! Damn, that’s cool. ‘Tch, maybe I should just bring down America? A coup’s... a bit much though.’ It’s not about the money—it’s about how to turn that money into power. That’s why I consider myself pretty moderate. Sure, becoming president and pulling off a coup would be the most reliable option, but that’s just Plan B. No need to go down that dangerous road unless I have to. I mean, I’m already immortal. I’ve got all the time in the world, so I don’t need to go extreme. Of course, holding the secret to eternal life also means I can’t afford to sit still. If I don’t keep expanding, someone will come for me. If I want a stable life, I’ll need either a perfect identity-wiping system, or my own country. Either way, I’ll need overwhelming power. Even if I somehow develop anti-aging tech to hide my immortality, that would only buy me a little time. I’ve got to find a proper solution. I do have plans, but every time I take a step to make one real, I can’t help feeling anxious. Wondering if I’m doing the right thing. ‘There’s still time for Plan B. For now, I’ll just stick to what I’ve got.’ As the sun set, casting long shadows across the now-silent office, I calmly gathered the papers. Watch the Seoul Olympics, build connections, screw up Yoo Jin-ha’s plans, manage Alpha Fund and Daehwa Securities... There was a lot to do to get ready for the 90s.