The Genius Grandson Of The Cash King Becomes A Tycoon [EN]: Chapter 29

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David hesitated to answer the loudly ringing phone.

Eun-soo, unaware of the situation, urged him.

“Why aren’t you answering? Hurry up!”

“Just a moment.”

He took a deep breath.

This was a crucial moment.

Everything hinged on this call.

Jeong-hoon, observing David’s apprehension, said calmly, “It’s okay. We’re here now, so it’ll be fine. If it doesn’t work out, just consider it a sightseeing trip.”

“Haha, kid, it’s not just that. My pride is on the line. It’s my first time doing this, so it has to go well.”

“It will go well. You’re the legendary investor, David Lim.”

“Puhaha. What’s this? The sun must be rising in the west. The young master is actually giving compliments. Alright, then.”

David launched into fluent English.

Initially, the conversation was light, filled with laughter as they exchanged greetings.

But gradually, his face hardened, and by the end, his forehead was furrowed with wrinkles.

Jeong-hoon had studied business English while preparing for his college entrance exams.

Thanks to that, he could understand David’s words without much difficulty.

But he chose not to reveal this.

Hiding his abilities wasn’t a bad strategy.

“Try one more time. We can’t go back empty-handed after coming all this way. … Okay, thank you. Let’s talk later.”

David spoke with a grave tone.

After hanging up, he forced a hearty laugh.

“Hahaha, things rarely work out on the first try. He told me to try again, so I’ll get a call around dinner time.”

“Yes, Uncle. Then let’s start sightseeing.”

David’s face suddenly paled.

“What? We’re not going to the hotel to sleep?”

Looking closer, his face was etched with fatigue.

In contrast, Jeong-hoon and Eun-soo were teenagers, full of youthful energy.

“We slept enough on the plane.”

Unlike David, who was exhausted, the two young men, not even twenty years old, had eyes that sparkled with excitement.

Fatigue washed over him, but he decided to rally.

“Then, let’s go to the hotel and take a shower. We can have lunch nearby too.”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

***

“This is the place.”

“Do you like pasta?”

“It’s not necessarily that, but Man-ho *hyung* [older brother or male friend] made a list of restaurants worth visiting, and places we should go.”

“Ah, so it must be a pretty famous place.”

“That’s right. Let’s go in.”

They entered a formal-looking Italian restaurant.

When David gave his name, a professional-looking waiter led them to their seats.

Without even ordering, pre-arranged food began to arrive.

“You said you were tired; when did you order this?”

“It wasn’t me; Man-ho *hyung* ordered it for us. We just have to enjoy it.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll enjoy the meal, Jeong-hoon. When else would I come to a place like this if it weren’t for you? Hehehe.”

David expressed his gratitude.

“Then please eat a lot, and please make sure this deal goes well.”

“Ahem, don’t let that stop you from eating…”

Eun-soo watched them bickering.

“I will enjoy the meal.”

She announced loudly and began to drink the soup that came out first.

Eun-soo and Jeong-hoon eagerly devoured the salad that came next, and then the main dish, steak.

Still looking unsatisfied, they ordered more steak and salad.

David shook his head at the sight.

As they were eating the last dessert, Jeong-hoon suddenly stood up.

Sweat beaded on his forehead as he looked around.

Suddenly, the greasy steak…

Seeing Jeong-hoon’s condition, Eun-soo pointed to a spot with her hand, as if it were a common occurrence.

The restroom sign came into Jeong-hoon’s view.

“There, at the end.”

“Thanks, I’ll be right back.”

“Ugh, you dirty bastard.”

Eun-soo elegantly took a spoonful of wine sherbet and said.

She smiled contentedly as she watched Jeong-hoon walk away.

***

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry, I’m okay.”

He bumped into someone while running in a hurry.

Jeong-hoon’s eyes widened when he saw the man’s face.

But he had to grit his teeth because of the pain and take one step forward.

The fear of the bomb approaching every second.

He had to defuse it quickly.

With 3 seconds left, he thankfully sat down just in time.

With a bang, a cool waterfall poured down for a while.

He smiled contentedly, closed his eyes, and flew into the sky.

Then the face of the man from earlier came to mind.

‘It’s definitely that person…’

Then someone came in and started talking in English.

It was a familiar voice.

It was definitely the man he had bumped into earlier.

He remembered the voice because he had watched his lectures on the internet several times.

‘We habitually compete. Don’t compete to succeed. Monopolize.’

His unique argument.

He had looked it up on the internet out of curiosity.

Before he knew it, Jeong-hoon was completely focused on the sounds outside.

He didn’t understand it perfectly, but he understood most of it.

It was a problematic situation.

One of the investors was withdrawing their investment.

He also said that time was running out.

And that the loan extension was not possible due to the IT bubble burst.

Jeong-hoon thought that his business would be difficult due to the rapid IT bubble burst.

That’s why he thought it would be easy to invest.

But he couldn’t understand why they were rejecting their investment.

He heard the sound of the phone being hung up and someone leaving the bathroom.

When the bathroom was quiet, Jeong-hoon carefully came out and returned to his seat.

“David, did they definitely say they were rejecting our investment offer?”

“Yeah, they said they didn’t need it because they’ve received a lot of investment so far.”

“Your friend said he would contact them one more time, right?”

“Yeah, he’ll do it one more time. We have to keep trying until it works.”

Jeong-hoon pondered over what he had heard earlier. He had a feeling that things might work out better than he thought.

He was a lucky person.

“Hmm, maybe it could happen today.”

“What?”

“I think it’ll work out. I have a good feeling.”

“Then I’d be happy too. Sigh.”

After finishing their meal, they left the restaurant.

“So, what shall we do now? We’ve eaten, so shall we go back in?”

“No. It’s just beginning.”

Eun-soo’s eyes sparkled.

Jeong-hoon also had a place he wanted to go.

“David, let’s go to the Golden Gate Bridge. How about it?”

“Hmm, good. I haven’t been there either, so that’s good. But I might get drowsy while driving.”

He appealed to his fatigue, but he secretly wanted to go too.

“Then let’s just buy a cup of coffee nearby and go.”

“Okay.”

David with a fragrant coffee in his hand, Eun-soo with ice cream,

and Jeong-hoon drinking iced chocolate.

The three of them took the car and headed to the Golden Gate Bridge.

It wasn’t even three o’clock yet.

David, who was driving, suggested.

“The Golden Gate Bridge is best at sunset. So, let’s drive along the coast to pass the time.”

Eun-soo’s eyes widened even more.

“Yes.”

She screamed loudly enough to burst her eardrums.

“Hey.”

“Hehe.”

She was embarrassed, so she just grinned.

Jeong-hoon wanted to punch her in the face, but he managed to hold back.

They drove along the San Francisco coastal road.

The sea with the horizon visible outside the window stretched endlessly.

Jeong-hoon stared blankly at the endless sea.

So did Eun-soo.

It was the first time in their lives that they had seen such an endless sea.

They were captivated by the beauty of the sea and just watched without saying a word.

Golden Gate Bridge
A suspension bridge consisting of two orange main towers, with six lanes back and forth. It was a landmark of San Francisco. There were many tourists and a lot of people.

By the time they started walking across the bridge, the sky was already turning red.

The sky changed every moment and began to burn hotly.

They lost their minds to the scenery of the sunset in an unfamiliar foreign land.

Eun-soo was attached to the bridge railing, staring blankly at the sky.

Jeong-hoon was dumbfounded to see tears welling up in her eyes.

‘Is that crazy sentimentality?’

“Jeong-hoon, I understand why the Little Prince saw the sunset 44 times a day.”

Eun-soo was spouting incomprehensible words.

But Jeong-hoon also knew.

That it was a beautiful moment that would be hard to see again.

Suddenly, Park Da-hye was drawn into Jeong-hoon’s vision as he looked at the center of the sunset.

Surprised, Jeong-hoon shook his head violently.

‘What, why am I suddenly thinking about her.’

He couldn’t understand, but her face came to mind.

He didn’t dislike it.

David, who had been walking far ahead, suddenly raised both arms.

“Yeah, it’s done!”

And shouted loudly.

He turned around and ran towards Jeong-hoon.

He was panting as he barely opened his mouth.

“Hoo, they said they’ll see us tomorrow. I made an appointment for tomorrow.”

He clenched both fists again and raised his hands high.

“Jeong-hoon, I think you’re really lucky.”

“Hehet, I told you it would work out well.”

“Okay, let’s go in quickly. There’s a lot to check.”

“Yes, David, are you okay? Aren’t you tired?”

“I’m okay, I just need to drink another cup of coffee.”

“I think you’ve already had 10 cups.”

“What, I haven’t had that many yet. Anyway, let’s go quickly.”

Leaving the burning sunset behind, they returned to the Hotel Valencia suite in San Jose.

David took out the documents and began to review them.

Eun-soo quietly read a book of poetry and began to snore.

Jeong-hoon bought him coffee and donuts.

Until late at night, he tirelessly checked the documents and formulated a strategy.

Jeong-hoon watched him with a satisfied smile and fell asleep.

***

“David, did you sleep here?”

Jeong-hoon found him sleeping on the table.

“Oh, I was just going to check one last time and fell asleep.”

He stretched greatly.

Jeong-hoon thought he had the qualifications to become a legendary investor.

“Shall I buy you some coffee?”

“No, it’s okay, I’ve had too much. I need to eat breakfast. Man-ho *hyung* told me to make sure you eat well.”

“I’m not a child… Grandma too.”

“Be grateful, you little rascal. Let’s go eat breakfast. How about *soft tofu stew* [spicy Korean stew]?”

“What? Soft tofu stew in America?”

“Kid, how many Koreans do you think live in America? Of course there are Korean restaurants. I’ve already scouted them all out.”

“Really?”

He had been eating greasy food all day, so he wanted something spicy.

“Then I’ll wake Eun-soo up quickly.”

Jeong-hoon, excited about eating soft tofu stew in America, woke Eun-soo up and sent her to the shower.

“Kyaa, David, I acknowledge this place as a *mat-jip* [delicious restaurant]. It’s really the best.”

“I know, right? It’s one of the best soft tofu stews I’ve ever had.”

“So, how about another bowl?”

At Eun-soo’s request, they ordered another bowl and shared it amicably.

They solved breakfast and lunch with soft tofu stew.

Eun-soo went to the shopping mall to look around alone, and David and Jeong-hoon moved to San Jose, where the X.com office was located.

***

PayPal, an online money transfer service that started in 1998 with Confinity, a security software development company for mobile devices co-founded by Max Levchin, Peter Thiel, Luke Nosek, and Ken Howery.

In 2000, it merged with Elon Musk’s online banking company X.com and changed its name to PayPal in 2001. X.com is still the company name.

Peter Thiel is the CEO.

The appointment was at three in the afternoon.

Jeong-hoon thought it was fortunate.

Most people are sensitive in the morning but relaxed in the afternoon.

So they calculate a little more leisurely.

They left the hotel and stood at the entrance of a building in San Jose.

X.com, which would change its name to PayPal next year, was located here.

Jeong-hoon’s heart was beating.

David also had a nervous look on his face.

While investigating, he intuitively felt that it was a company with very high growth potential.

A company that would be so successful that he wouldn’t even dare to invest if it weren’t for the bubble burst.

But the flow of money had frozen rapidly.

They were the ones who were desperate, not knowing when they would wither and die.

Jeong-hoon, who had $8 million in his hands, thought.

He would never give it away easily.

He decided to scrape off as much as possible, even the bones.

“Shall we go in?”

At Jeong-hoon’s words, David nodded.

They took their nervous first steps forward.

They slowly began to increase their pace.

Cash King’s Genius Grandson, Becoming a Billionaire.