Yoo-hyun’s gaze was fixed on the flag across the lake as he stood at the starting point of the next hole.

The distance was not far, but the green was so narrow that it was a difficult spot.

He asked Kang Bongseok, the chairman of Hyunil Motors, who was swinging his club for practice.

“Chairman, do you remember what I said last time?”

“What did you say?”

“About China’s Geely. That insignificant company acquired Volvo and rose to a global level in no time.”

“That’s true. But they fully acquired Volvo. I only bought a part of Tesla’s shares. And I had to cling to them desperately as they refused to sell.”

Chairman Kang still did not hide his dissatisfaction.

Looking at him, Yoo-hyun recalled his old memories.

In the past, Geely acquired Volvo, and Hyunil Motors bought a land in Gangnam for 10 trillion won, five times more than Geely.

Both companies invested a huge amount of money, but the results were starkly different.

Hyunil Motors, which bought the land in Gangnam, missed the opportunity for innovation and went downhill.

Would they repeat the same mistake?

He wouldn’t care if it was someone else’s company, but now it was related to Yoo-hyun as well.

He couldn’t just watch Hyunil Motors, which had become a big pillar of the Rebirth Alliance ecosystem.

Bang!

Chairman Kang’s ball stopped on the wide rough in front of the lake.

As always, he chose the safe way, and Yoo-hyun said to him.

“It’s not just a part of the shares. You also gained the vision and technology of a company that will change the landscape of the future car industry. This choice will yield much better results than buying land or acquiring Volvo.”

“Are you sure?”

Yoo-hyun, who stood on the teeing ground, answered without hesitation.

“I’m also a person who invested a lot of money in Hyunil Motors.”

“Hmm.”

“Secure the technology from Tesla and focus on electric cars, and lead the venture companies to go all-in on autonomous driving. If you do that, Hyunil Motors will surpass Toyota in a few years.”

Yoo-hyun’s words touched Chairman Kang’s pride.

Toyota.

It was a huge wall that Hyunil Motors had never overcome even once.

It was his lifelong aspiration and a dream that he never achieved.

Chairman Kang’s thick eyebrows twitched.

“Surpass Toyota?”

“Does it seem impossible?”

Yoo-hyun, who smirked provocatively, took his stance.

His eyes were fixed on the flag on the narrow green across the lake.

He couldn’t reach his destination by only taking the safe way.

It was a truth that Yoo-hyun had engraved in his body with his long experience.

Would Chairman Kang, who made Hyunil Motors what it is today, not know that?

No way. He was just afraid of losing what he had.

He shouldn’t be.

Yoo-hyun swung his club high with that thought.

“No, you’ll fall into the lake…”

Chairman Kang was flustered by the big swing trajectory, but Yoo-hyun didn’t stop.

He hit the ball with a stronger impact than ever.

Bang!

The ball flew straight and landed on the narrow green.

Rolling rolling rolling.

And it rolled and rolled and went into the hole under the flag.

“…!”

Chairman Kang opened his mouth wide, and the caddy jumped in surprise.

“Hole in one! Amazing! This is the first time in this hole, the first!”

Clap clap clap clap clap clap!

The applause sounded belatedly.

‘Wow…’

Did it go in?

Yoo-hyun blinked his eyes blankly and managed his expression while suppressing his tremor.

It was an unexpected result, but he showed what he wanted.

He calmed down.

Yoo-hyun looked at Chairman Kang casually.

He still couldn’t close his mouth in astonishment, and Yoo-hyun spoke confidently to him.

“From now on, it’s at least five years. If you regret it by then, I won’t take back the money I invested.”

“…”

Anyone can peek into the future, but it’s not easy to have confidence.

Yet, the young businessman in front of him was willing to take the risk of others.

His bold eyes seemed to whip his hesitating self.

Chairman Kang felt like he was hit hard on the back of his head.

‘This is really, a humiliating sight.’

He hid his inner thoughts and soon regained his composure.

“Who said I regret it?”

“You seemed worried.”

“I just said it casually. There’s no regret in my dictionary. Remember that in your heart.”

“I understand.”

“Hmm. And congratulations on the hole in one.”

Chairman Kang coughed awkwardly and gave him a thumbs up.

Just compliment him sincerely.

Well, he didn’t feel bad.

“Thank you.”

Yoo-hyun replied with a bright smile.

Chairman Kang didn’t mention anything about the investment from the next hole.

They talked about the future and sometimes shared their daily lives.

They left the golf course and took a bath together, and their relationship became closer.

Was it because of that?

Chairman Kang smiled whenever he saw Yoo-hyun.

“Hahaha. Today was really fun.”

“I feel the same way. Thank you for the opportunity.”

“You sure know how to speak nicely. Oh, you said you were going to visit our research center, right?”

“Yes. I wanted to stop by since I came to Yongin.”

“It will be a stimulus for our employees if you go. Seok, he’s a precious guest, so take good care of him.”

He wasn’t going to see Hyunil Motors’ employees.

Before Yoo-hyun could say anything, Seok Hyunhee, the vice president and secretary, bowed his head.

“Yes! I’ll make sure he’s comfortable.”

His loyal voice echoed at the entrance of the golf course.

Yoo-hyun rode the highest-class sedan of Hyunil Motors.

Throughout the ride, Vice President Seok Hyunhee looked at him with sparkling eyes and treated him politely.

It was the first time that the chairman had asked him for such a favor.

He was grateful for his interest, but he also felt a bit pressured.

Even after they arrived at their destination, Seok Hyun-hee, the executive director, did not leave his side.

“Director, I can go by myself now.”

“No, you can’t. Outsiders have to verify their identity at every floor. It will be easier if I accompany you. Besides, the chairman ordered me to do so.”

He couldn’t argue with the chairman’s order.

But it was convenient.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

Every time Seok Hyun-hee appeared, the security guards sprang to their feet and saluted, and the employees who saw him bowed their heads deeply.

“Hello.”

No one dared to stop Yoo-hyun.

He was not just a secretary director who served the chairman.

His influence was impressive even within the research center.

But he only cared about Yoo-hyun.

“Let me explain the layout of this place…”

He sounded like a tour guide.

Trudge. Trudge.

As they walked and listened to his explanations, they reached the fifth floor of the research center building.

Hyunil Motors had provided the research space in the center for their cooperative companies for technical collaboration, and the fifth floor was mainly used by the autonomous driving cooperative companies.

Most of them belonged to the River Alliance, so he recognized the names on the doors.

Yoo-hyun passed by the companies without paying much attention, and Seok Hyun-hee asked him curiously.

“Didn’t you say you were going to see the cooperative companies, not our employees? I thought you would meet the representatives for management purposes.”

“Well, that’s true, but I only have one destination. I don’t have any reason to manage the other places.”

River was a supporting role that helped the ecosystem, not the main player that produced results.

It was Hyunil Motors’ job to manage them.

“Then, the reason you’re going to that one place is…”

“The representative of that company is my friend.”

“Your friend? The representative is your friend?”

Seok Hyun-hee looked shocked, as if he had never expected that.

That’s why he didn’t want to say it…

But it was awkward to hide it now that they had come this far.

Yoo-hyun just told him the truth.

“I’m not here for work. I just wanted to see how he’s doing and stop by.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that earlier? I would have paid more attention then.”

“No, you don’t have to. He’s not the kind of friend who would want that.”

Yoo-hyun chuckled and recalled his friend’s face that he had seen a while ago.

-What’s the point of succeeding because you told me? That’s not good for us in the long run. We have to be recognized by our skills.

That was what Kang Jun-ki, the representative of ‘Future Eye’, had said.

He had rejected Yoo-hyun’s support from Hansaco.

He wondered how he was doing, and what do you know?

The company that had been developing drones had suddenly changed its business to autonomous driving, and had even received investment from Hyunil Motors.

They had also managed to enter this place, which was not easy to get into.

“He must be an amazing friend.”

“Well, he chose a good partner.”

“Partner?”

Seok Hyun-hee tilted his head, and then a sharp voice came from between the gray metal doors.

“What are you doing now?”

“Director, why are you doing this again? We met all the conditions of Hyunil.”

“What did you meet? If you’re going to do it like this, start over from the beginning.”

When he peeked inside, he saw Kang Jun-ki confronting a Hyunil Motors employee.

The other person looked quite old, and he was tall.

Kang Jun-ki, who was short in stature, seemed to be pushed back.

Then, a man with long hair tied up in a ponytail pushed a tablet in front of him with a blunt expression.

“Look. This is the driver intervention requirement for level 2 assisted driving of ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System). We’ve organized everything according to the international detailed guidelines. What’s the problem?”

The man with horn-rimmed glasses was Jo Ki-jung, whom Kang Jun-ki had called his master and followed.

Kang Jun-ki had put a lot of effort into scouting Jo Ki-jung as soon as he started his business, and as a result, Jo Ki-jung had quit Hansung and joined Future Eye as the CTO (Chief Technology Officer).

He was also Yoo-hyun’s acquaintance from his previous job.

When Jo Ki-jung intervened, the Hyunil Motors employee frowned.

“So? Are you saying you can’t match our format now?”

“If you want us to match the format, you should have told us from the beginning. Why are you doing this now, huh?”

“What? Do you want to get out of here?”

“Director, director, calm down. We’ll sort it out.”

Kang Jun-ki pacified the Hyunil Motors employee who was being unreasonable.

He used to be the type who would charge first and ask later, but his temper had died down a lot.

He had become more responsible since he became a representative.

Yoo-hyun felt proud of him, but Seok Hyun-hee, who was watching the scene with him, turned red and blue.

“That person is now…”

“Director, wait a minute.”

Yoo-hyun stopped him from rushing in.

This was also part of the process.

For a new company like them, it was better to face these hardships sooner rather than later.

Even if they were bullied a bit here, it wouldn’t be a big blow.

Sometimes, it was better to let them solve it on their own.

Yoo-hyun was about to step back when it happened.

“Huh? Director Han?”

Jo Ki-jung, who had turned around with his long hair flying, saw Yoo-hyun and gasped.

Yoo-hyun, who saw his two former colleagues and his friend after a long time, raised his hand awkwardly.

Meanwhile, Seok Hyun-hee entered the room.

“Director, what are you doing with the guests now!”

“Ah! Director, that’s…”

“You gave them the research room to cooperate well with the cooperative companies, and what? Do you want to get out? Do you want to leave the company?”

“I’m, I’m sorry.”

“…”

He thought he was a gentle person, but his charisma was no joke.

The atmosphere became heavy, and Kang Jun-ki blinked his eyes.

He nodded his head toward Seok Hyun-hee, as if asking if he had brought him to help.

No way.

There was nothing to help.

Yoo-hyun shrugged his shoulders and spread his palms to the sides.