Lately, the Director of Bureau Eight at the National Intelligence Service had been in a foul mood.
Several months earlier, he had been placed in charge of investigating the simultaneous cyberattacks that had shaken South Korea—a massive hacking incident targeting government agencies and financial institutions.
As he reviewed the investigation reports,one name kept bothering him.
Hyun Si-woo.
Objectively speaking,the likelihood that such an ordinary young man had orchestrated a cyberattack of that scalewas close to zero.
And yet—
There were simply too many things that didn't add up.
After the hacking incident,Hyun Si-woo's rise had been unnaturally smooth.
A young man who had once struggled with severe financial hardship due to tragic family circumstanceshad suddenly founded a company, unveiled world-class cutting-edge technologies,secured investment from Chairman Choi Chang-sik of Daesung Group,and drawn intense interest from the government.
Recently, rumors even suggestedthat the President himself had taken a personal interest in the young man and his company.
That was precisely what irritated the Bureau Eight director the most.
He compiled the information on Hyun Si-wooand formally recommended to the NIS Directorthat additional investigation was necessary.
But the Director shut him down.
"Listen. The President is personally paying close attention to that young man's company.And use some common sense—how could someone his age carry out a cyberattack of that magnitude on his own?A search of his residence turned up nothing suspicious."
"Director…! But the circumstances are far too unnatural—"
"You know as well as I do that an attack of that scale would require cyber capabilitieson par with a major nation's intelligence service.No matter how broadly you consider the possibilities,the chance that kid did it is zero. Zero."
"..."
"And the President has ordered us to protect Luktic specifically.He believes foreign intelligence agencies or global pharmaceutical giantsmight attempt to steal their technology.From now on, our job isn't to dig into that young man or doubt him—it's to support and protect him. Understood?"
Unable to openly argue,the Bureau Eight director gave a perfunctory reply and left the office.
But the unease in his chest refused to fade.
"Damn it…My instincts—sharpened by a lifetime at the NIS—are telling me something's there.There has to be…"
***
Thanks to the recent expansion of production facilities spearheaded by Dong-sik,Luktic's severe manufacturing bottleneck had eased slightly.
But only slightly.
The massive construction site stretching before my eyesmade one thing clear:
Only when the new factory complex was completedwould our production issues be fully resolved.
Along the outer perimeter of the expanded site,tall concrete walls were being erected.
From now on,entry would be possible only through designated gates,with strict security measures in place.
This had been CTO Kang Joo-tae's recommendation.
Given that we possessed technology of the highest global level,production security had to be absolute.
To be honest,as long as the manufacturing method of the Luktic Basic Catalyst Stone didn't leak,we'd be fine.
But there was always the possibilitythat someone might attempt to steal the catalyst stone itself.
Following Director Kang's advice and tightening securitycould only be a good thing.
Meanwhile, Director Kang informed usthat he had found a building in Seoulthat seemed perfect for use as Luktic's headquarters.
Dong-sik and I headed to Seoul to see it in person.
The building stood in Jongno,around ten stories tall.
Director Kang was already waiting.
"Welcome, CEO.A building that fits our needs perfectly has come up for lease.It looks ideal for Luktic.The internal structure is also well-suited for maintaining security."
I stared up at the ten-story building, surprised.
"Wow…Are we really leasing the entire building?"
"Heh.Once the Yangseo County factory begins full operationand products start shipping in large volumes,we'll need an organization large enoughto completely fill a ten-story building."
Honestly,I had expected something more modest—four or five floors at most.
But a ten-story building…
I imagined the Luktic logo emblazoned at the very top.
Just thinking about it made my chest swell.
"To fill a building like this with offices," I said,"we'll need to conduct large-scale hiring."
"Yes.There will be a period of considerable turbulence.When a company grows dozens of times larger almost overnight,growing pains are inevitable.But if we endure them properly,Luktic will emerge as a full-fledged major corporation."
Until now, I'd relied heavily on Dong-sik's advice while running the company.
But from this point forward,Luktic's scale would exceed anything Dong-sik had ever handled.
He had experience helping relatives run small businesses—but managing a mid-sized or large corporationwas an entirely different matter.
In that sense, recruiting Kang Joo-tae,a former top executive of Shinjeon Group,was an extraordinary stroke of luck.
And with Daesung Group's backing,plus Choi Eun-hyuk—Chairman Choi Chang-sik's eldest son,trained in elite management programs and set to join us soon—our lineup was becoming formidable.
Dong-sik spoke with a hint of nostalgia.
"It's a bit bittersweet…Back when Luktic was a small company,it felt like the two of us were charging forward together.Now we really have to run itlike a proper large corporation with systems and rules."
"True.We probably won't feel that same atmosphere anymore.But if we want Luktic to grow further,there's no other choice, right?This is probably just another one of those growing painsDirector Kang talked about."
"Heh.Kind of like growing up—slowly drifting away from those sweet, nostalgic childhood memories."
"Oh…?"
"Huh? What is it, Si-woo?"
"I didn't expect you to be so sentimental."
"…Well, I did write poetry back in school.I was something of a literary youth, you know."
Dong-sik began reciting his old poems—and continued all the way back to Yangseo County.
Dong-sik… I get it, so please stop.
***
The next day,the lease contract for Luktic's new headquarters was signed.
The ten-story office building came witha ₩3 billion depositand ₩400 million per month in rent and maintenance fees.
Given that Luktic was generatingover ₩20 billion in monthly operating profit,the cost was more than manageable.
Director Kang said,
"Now we'll need to renovate the interiorto suit Luktic's needsand design an organizational structure to fill the offices.I've spent my career focused on R&D,so I'm no expert in this area.I recommend requesting assistance from Daesung Group."
"Understood.You're our CTO, yet you even found our headquarters building—I'm sorry to have burdened you so much."
"Haha, burden?If I can contribute to Luktic's growth,that alone brings me joy."
Afterward, I formally requested cooperation from Daesung Group.
In return for curing Chairman Choi Chang-sik's youngest son,he had promised to share Daesung Group's management know-how—and true to his word, they supported us wholeheartedly.
They dispatched specialiststo advise on the interior planning of the new headquartersand provided detailed guidanceon the departmental systems and operational structuresrequired of a large corporation.
Management Support Team.R&D Team.Quality Control Team.Production Team.Logistics Team.Marketing Team.Sales Team.Legal Team.Security Team.IT Infrastructure Team.Customer Support Team…
The list of departments required for a proper enterprisewas long and varied.
It was clear we needed to accelerateorganizational restructuring and large-scale recruitment.
Once the massive factory under construction was completed,Luktic's revenue would skyrocket to true conglomerate levels.
If we failed to establish a solid corporate structure before then,the company could collapse under its own rapid expansion.
When I shared these concerns with Dong-sik,he nodded in agreement.
"You're right.Luktic is likely to grow even faster from here.Your timing for restructuring couldn't be better, Si-woo."
Then his eyes suddenly lit up,and he asked with a strange expression,
"Wait—new hires?Does that mean we're finally going to have tons of rookies in the office?"
"W-Well… yeah?"
"…Excellent. Hehehe."
For some reason, he looked extremely pleased.
I had no idea why the thought of new employeesmade him that happy.
Meanwhile, the countdown continued.
The hair-loss treatment manufacturing methodwas nearing completion of decryption.
I waited with growing anticipation.
***
In the United States,Howard, Head of Overseas Product Planningat retail giant Target,had spent the past few days researching a Korean startup called Luktic.
He discovered that Luktic was genuinely a new company—so new that even in Korea,its name had been known to the public for only a few months.
Which meant—
For such a startup to achieve nationwide recognition so quickly,it must possess something truly extraordinary.
"Almost certainly a unicorn…No—at this rate, it could become a decacorn before long."
A unicorn refers to a private startup valued at over $1 billion.A decacorn is worth ten times that—over $10 billion.
Howard had personally tried Luktic Drink,so he was nearly certainthat Luktic would grow at a terrifying pace.
He first checked whether any companieswere officially importing Luktic products into the U.S.
Aside from a few small Korean grocery chains,no major U.S. retailers had done so yet.
The vast majority of Luktic products entering the U.S.were still purchased through individual overseas direct orders.
After days of investigationand firsthand experience with Luktic Drink,Howard became convincedthat Luktic's products possessed exceptional quality and efficacy.
Having spent over a decade in U.S. retail,he felt a rare thrill of opportunity.
If Target could secure exclusive U.S. distribution rightsfor Luktic's products,the long-term profits would be enormous.
And if that happened,the success would be credited directly to him.
He mentioned to his superiorthat he might soon be traveling to Korea.
"Oh? Looking into Korean products?They've been trending among younger consumers lately.Honestly, Target's been a bit slow to react compared to competitors."
"I've found something extraordinary.This could become the greatest achievement of my career."
"Hahaha, that's quite the confidence.Alright—I'll look forward to it."
Back at his desk,Howard drafted an email.
The recipient was the official contact addresslisted on Luktic's website.
He wrote that he was deeply interested in Luktic's productsand wished to propose a meetingto discuss U.S. distribution rights.
After sending it,Howard waited eagerly for Luktic's reply.