“What a remarkable friend you are. I couldn’t even make it to the front page of the newspaper when I retired.”

“Well, there were too many issues, weren’t there?”

Shin Hyun-ho, the former chairman, shook his head at Shin Kyung-wook’s reply.

“It’s not just because of the issues. Look at the public’s enthusiastic response. It shows how much Steve Han has been attracting attention with his actions.”

“It’s because you helped him a lot, father.”

“Did you just watch him?”

“No, I received a lot of help from him. Without him, Hansung’s entry into Japan would have been impossible.”

Steve Han had succeeded in Hansung Electronics’ entry into Japan, which was Shin Hyun-ho’s long-cherished project.

He had kept his promise with him, which seemed impossible.

Since then, Shin Hyun-ho, who had volunteered to be his sponsor, expressed his regret.

“So I wanted to help him with the American issue as much as I could.”

“It’s not easy, since it involves the American political forces. The internal investigation showed that the scale is too large. What we see is just the tip of the iceberg.”

“So Steve Han is going to fly there with all his might to solve it?”

“Because the problem in Korea is not cleanly resolved either.”

“They’re probably lying low now, but they’ll come back and hit us in the back of the head when it’s quiet. Damn politicians.”

Shin Hyun-ho’s grumbling voice was full of worry.

Shin Kyung-wook smiled as he saw his father’s unusual appearance.

“I’ll help Steve Han, who is still there.”

“Good. Take care of him.”

“Of course. River and I are inseparable now.”

“Hmm… I wonder if he’ll ever show his face.”

Shin Hyun-ho muttered to himself with a sigh of relief.

Three days later.

Steve Han, who had arrived at San Francisco airport, called Jeong Da-hye.

“I’m here.”

-How’s your condition?

“How can I not be well when I hear your voice?”

-Don’t say that again. Oh, Chairman Shin called.

“Really?”

-He seems to be worried about you. He’s taking care of everything. Did you ask him to do that?

“No. Why would I?”

It was definitely not Steve Han’s doing.

-I told Kyung-wook to take care of River. Seeing how he’s going, I thought I should be prepared. If Hansung steps in, they won’t be able to touch him easily.

He couldn’t say that Shin Hyun-ho had ordered him to do so with a reluctant tone.

He thought of the conversation he had with Shin Hyun-ho.

Should I have visited him?

He seemed to miss him, but he was too busy to pay attention.

Anyway, he was less worried thanks to him.

Soon, the Chinese collusion forces that had been quiet would rise again, but Hansung would be a strong shield for him.

Wouldn’t he be spared from being bullied by the minister?

Steve Han hoped that Jeong Da-hye, who was left in Korea, would work in a more stable environment.

-Okay. I trust you. But Steve.

“Yeah?”

-I’ve told you many times, but don’t worry about here and focus on your work. I really wanted to go with you, but I stayed because I thought you might be anxious.

“I got it. I’ll finish it and come back.”

-But don’t push yourself too hard. Let me know if you need me. I’ll leave it to Hyun-joon and fly over.

There were about two months left until the American lawsuit.

Steve Han didn’t intend to shoulder this fight alone, which could turn into a long-term war.

He was going to confront them with all his power, as Paul Graham had said.

“Okay. I’ll do that.”

Steve Han answered with determination.

He got out of the car that was waiting for him at the airport and headed to River’s US branch.

The headquarters was still a three-story building located at 1601 California Street.

JK Communications used the first and second floors, but the structure of the third floor had changed a bit.

As River grew in size, the third floor was used by all River staff.

The Double Y employees who had shared the same building moved to a small building in the back block.

It was a temporary measure until the new building was completed.

Clank.

Steve Han opened the car door and looked at the complex on the right side of the building.

There were buildings everywhere where there used to be a vacant lot.

He muttered as he looked at the tallest building in the center.

“I should have moved there by now.”

He didn’t feel sorry.

It was a space to build an ecosystem in Silicon Valley, as Paul Graham had dreamed of, so it was natural to move when he woke up.

How thrilled would he be?

Steve Han wanted to see him excited as soon as possible.

Hyun Jin-gun was waiting for him at the entrance of the building.

He pretended not to care, but he seemed to be worried.

Steve Han exchanged a few words with his friend who made an annoying remark, and went up to the third floor.

When he opened the door of the office at the end of the long corridor, he saw Willie Thompson, who had a short haircut, a sharp chin, and a solid physique that suited his military background.

He got up and greeted Steve Han.

“Steve, you’re here.”

“Did you have a good time?”

“Of course. Thanks to you, I’m doing well. Oh, let me introduce you. She’s the ace lawyer from Sherman and Sterling that I told you about.”

Willie Thompson pointed to a woman with light brown hair.

She had reddish eyes that looked mysterious, and she came up and reached out her hand.

“Hello. I’m Natalie Miller.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Steve Han.”

Squeeze.

She had a strong grip, and her eyes were alive.

Her voice was crisp and confident, and her slight smile showed her composure.

She was a famous lawyer who had established her position in the best law firm at the young age of 30, and even Hyun Jin-gun, who didn’t usually care about others, pretended to know her.

-I know River’s lawyer well. She has a great reputation in this industry. She’s proficient in international law, and has a lot of experience in big lawsuits. She’s a really good person.

‘It feels like he’s praising her too much.’

He wondered if he had any ulterior motives.

Shake it off.

Steve Han shook off his thoughts and sat on the sofa.

He had a lot to talk about with her, who had been in charge of River’s lawsuit issue.

Swish.

Natalie Miller handed over the summary report to Yoo-hyun.

She went straight to the point, as she had already confirmed through email.

“Let me tell you the progress. First, the part related to the FTC lawsuit…”

The issue of the lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) was the monopoly of reviews, and it was triggered by the manipulated email of Willy Thompson.

They had exposed the insider who had carried out the manipulation, but the information he knew was limited, as it was a multi-step process.

In the process of investigating this part, the CIA helped, and Natalie Miller used her personal Wall Street connections and political ties to further grasp the situation.

It was after she explained the background of the second lawsuit related to the federal prosecution.

Yoo-hyun, who had been listening quietly, asked.

“So, Carl Icahn is behind all this, right?”

“Yes. Just as you guessed, Steve. There is evidence that Carl Icahn has been investigating River behind the scenes since early last year.”

“Early last year, that’s when the River Alliance was formed. There was nothing then…”

Willy Thompson interrupted Yoo-hyun’s muttering.

“Since then, President Paul has explained the new data system to the Silicon Valley companies.”

“Paul?”

“Yes. He visited the companies personally and even gave presentations, so they all must have had a high understanding of the River Alliance. And the rival Carl Icahn wouldn’t have missed that.”

“I see.”

No wonder the American Silicon Valley companies were eager to join the River Alliance.

It was where Amazon and Google were, so there must have been some geographical disadvantages.

Yoo-hyun felt grateful to Paul Graham at that moment.

Natalie Miller nodded and said.

“If what Mr. Willy said is true, then Paul Graham’s collapse was the trigger. He timed it perfectly when the center of gravity, Paul Graham, disappeared.”

“On the contrary, that means he was in a hurry. He might have had some unprepared parts.”

“In a hurry… You have a rather positive perspective, Steve.”

“We have to take advantage of the gaps.”

“That’s a good idea, but we have to prepare for the imminent attack from Carl Icahn first.”

Yoo-hyun asked with curiosity at Natalie Miller’s warning.

“Attack?”

“There is a high possibility that eBay will block River reviews. Amazon is showing signs of lowering the cloud prices drastically to snatch the companies that left the River Alliance.”

“eBay is almost owned by Carl Icahn, so I get that, but how does he control Amazon?”

Carl Icahn’s stake in Amazon was less than 7 percent.

It was not a low proportion, but not enough to dominate a giant company.

Natalie Miller waved her hand.

“It’s not a matter of stake.”

“Then what?”

“Carl Icahn seems to have a grip on the weaknesses of the American giant companies. The Wall Street analysis is that he was the one who stole the massive customer information from Amazon a while ago.”

“Weaknesses?”

“They are related to the political sphere. Just like he attacked River.”

He controls Amazon too?

Does that make sense?

Yoo-hyun’s brain flashed for a moment, forgetting his surprise.

The tyranny of the American giant companies that monopolized the data, the serious problem that would appear in the near future, Carl Icahn might have been behind it.

No, there was a high possibility that his plan to monopolize the data had already started.

‘That’s why he attacked the River Alliance as soon as Paul collapsed.’

Yoo-hyun felt like the scattered puzzles were fitting together.

But there was one thing that puzzled him.

While Yoo-hyun was pondering for a moment, Willy Thompson said with a serious face.

“If he has that much power, winning or losing the lawsuit won’t be important.”

“That’s right. Even if we win the lawsuit, the subsequent attacks will continue unless we break Carl Icahn. Or we have to compromise.”

“That’s not an option.”

Shaking his head, Yoo-hyun opened his mouth next to Willy Thompson.

“Natalie, there is something I don’t understand.”

“What is it?”

“Why can Carl Icahn dominate the political sphere?”

“That’s… political funds.”

“If it’s just money, the heads of the giant companies are not easy either. It doesn’t make sense that he can control the political sphere with capital alone and make the giant companies do whatever he wants.”

To sum up, Carl Icahn had the power to move the American Republican Party and the giant companies.

He was a being who could wield both power and money in the United States, the world’s strongest country.

That couldn’t be easy.

“That’s true…”

Natalie Miller also fell into thought, as if she agreed with him.

Beep.

Natalie Miller’s phone broke the brief silence.

Her eyes widened as she checked the message.

“Wow! The Republican presidential candidate is…”

“Oh, today was the convention. Who is it?”

“…”

Leaving behind Natalie Miller, who looked stunned, Willy Thompson quickly turned on the TV.

Beep.

A man with a wide face, raised eyebrows, a large nose, and a fierce impression was close-up.

“I can’t believe it…”

Willy Thompson was also surprised.

The man on TV raised his fist and shouted.

-Make America! Great Again! (Make America Great Again!)

Winner Donald Trump!

The huge name that filled the screen would echo louder after the end of the 45th US presidential election a few months later.

It was a future that only Yoo-hyun knew.