12 Hours After

Translator: Khan

Editor: Aelryinth

“Mom and dad, please hold her and I will take a picture of you.”

At the guide’s words, my wife and I posed with Seohyun in our arms. A female employee with a camera approached and took a picture of us. We heard a ‘click’, and the host said with his arms wide, “Then, it’s Seohyun’s Doljabi, a birthday-grabbing fortune telling ritual that everyone’s been looking forward to.”

In May 2024, on the occasion of Seo-hyun’s first birthday, I used a floor of the company building and held a celebration. The host was a famous comedian from OH Entertainment; when I put in a phone call, President Kwon brought him over right away.

“Will you take Seo-hyun over here?”

We brought Seo-hyun to a place, led by the host. On the table, which was beautifully decorated, there was a judge’s stick, a stethoscope, a microphone, a soccer ball, silk, a mouse cursor, a pencil, a postcard, and so on.

“Then before you start Doljabi… What would you like Seohyun to catch?”

I looked at the things lying down. To be honest, it was the silk that caught the most attention, which meant “long life.” But I chose an easy answer.

“I like whatever Seo-hyun holds. I will fully support whatever she wants.”

“Haha, I think Seo-hyun can do anything if the richest man in Korea fully supports her!”

‘That’s true. My daughter Seohyun was born to a rich family. However, I don’t intend to raise her by saying yes to everything. All the people I fought against until I got here were from rich families, and had a lack of humanity. No matter how precious my daughter is, I can’t raise her like that.’

“Seo-hyun’s mom, what about you?”

“I like anything, too, if that’s what Seo-hyun wants.”

“I see. Seo-hyun is very lucky since she has generous parents. Then let’s start Doljabi!”

My wife carried Seo-hyun over in front of the miniatures, holding her in her arms. Seo-hyun looked at them curiously, then grabbed the pink microphone.

“Oh, Mike! She got a microphone! I guess Seo-hyun is interested in art or broadcasting. The hard work is done by machines, and the brain work is a promising job for today’s computer-generated artists.”

While the host was talking hard, I glanced at the people who were gathered at this party. My mother, father, sister and brother-in-law, relatives such as an uncle and his wife, their younger son, a first aunt and her husband sitting down, and relatives of my wife were all seated at the opposite table.

Behind the family and relatives were Jang and some board members, Secretary Park, Secretary Lee, some people of Invictus Investment, President Kwon of OH Entertainment; former Secretary Seo Ji-hoon, who was independent and working hard; and some old hometown friends. They were the ones who had been forged for a long time through blood ties, territorial ties, and school ties. I counted the people. It looked like there were roughly fifty of them.

‘I can carry them on my private jet in two trips. I can hire a few more people like doctors, electricians, and programmers, who are necessary to survive.’

Iceland’s fifty-million-budget underground bunker was nearing completion. It had residential facilities that could accommodate up to a hundred people, food for nearly thirty years, a semi-permanent generator, water and air purification system, and crop cultivation system.

Not only that, but there were also play and exercise facilities, such as a library, computer room, board game room, theater, fitness center, and basketball court so that bunker life wouldn’t be boring. There was no shortage of residents. I had a plan to spend another two hundred million dollars to expand in the middle of next year, half a year left to doomsday. At that time, money would no longer mean anything.

‘With a hundred people, it will not be very lonely to live underground.’ While I was thinking about it, the host’s words resonated with applause at the party. “Clap!”

In the meantime, my wife whispered in my ear. “What’s wrong, oppa? Laugh it up!”

I had been thinking of the end of days and the shelter, and I looked a little bad. I joined the clapping with a faint smile. After all the events were over, I talked to Vice President Jang and the directors about business during the meal. There were not many days left for the IPO of Invictus Investment.

“So there’s no problem with the procedure?”

“We keep talking with the Financial Supervisory Service, and they say there’s nothing wrong with it.”

“What about demand?”

“It’s enough. We all expect it to be the best IPO ever.”

“That’s good.”

———-

The IPO went smoothly, on scale and schedule. Next month Invictus Investment would be listed on the KOSPI. At the same time, I would be up to the next class. That kind of thinking gave me a little hope. I walked away to a table where my former secretary Seo Ji-hoon was eating with Secretary Park and Secretary Lee. I slapped Ji-hoon on the shoulder and said, “How are you, President Seo? How’s your job?”

Ji-hoon looked up at me and said with a big smile, “It’s hard, but it’s worth it.”

I said, sitting next to him, “Oh, really?”

“Yes, it’s a very good thing to be running my own company. Even in the middle of a hard time, there’s something worthwhile to do. Should I call it fidelity? So I’m working hard with all my passion.”

“That’s great. Do your best. You go public and give me back my investment, too.”

“Yes, boss. Maybe the middle of next year… or by the end of next year, we’ll have a decent result.”

‘Late next year…’

“Oh, I see.”

By then, the end would be months away. Perhaps Ji-hoon’s results would fade away within a few months of seeing the light of the world. However, I didn’t have to move my concerns to others. I spoke in a voice as bright as I could, “That’s great! Try hard until the end.”

Ji-hoon answered me in a cheerful voice, “Yes, boss! I’ll make sure to meet your expectations.”

I felt much better when I saw his vivacity. I thought I should work with a more positive mindset.

Ji-hoon suddenly slapped Secretary Park on the shoulder while eating next to him. “By the way, the working environment for Park has improved significantly since I worked.”

“Really? What? Nothing’s changed.”

He spoke with Secretary Park in front of him. “You paired him up with that beautiful girl; you should have done that when I was here.”

At his words, Secretary Lee turned her head with a smile, and Secretary Park looked at him with a sideways glance.

“No, it was just a skill-based selection. Secretary Lee speaks foreign languages very well.”

“That’s what it is. Boss, when I was with you, you didn’t go on a business trip overseas. You’ve been to Shanghai and New York lately and…”

When he spoke the end of his words ambiguously, Secretary Park spoke for him, “Iceland.”

“Yes, I heard that you also go back and forth to Iceland a lot.”

I answered briefly, “Yes. Because our company is a global company now.”

“That’s great. You’re going abroad together. And the secretaries will sleep in the best hotels, right?”

I nodded, “Of course.”

“I envy them. I wanted to go to New York and Shanghai. Iceland is good, too.”

“I had nothing to do with that. The timing was not fit for you. You can take a vacation from your company.”

“No, I can’t. I need to roll over my company and give it back to the boss with ten times the investment.”

I nodded. I could see that Ji-hoon was crazy about his work. Overseas travel would not come to his attention. He had only come since today’s event was my daughter’s birthday party, and I had sent him an invitation myself.

Ji-hoon continued, putting oranges in his mouth, “By the way, why is Iceland… Why are you going there? I heard it’s a financial powerhouse.”

“Ah… for investment.”

“To an Icelandic company?”

“No… some kind of real estate investment.”

Secretary Seo said with his eyes blinking, “Oh, I see. Do you invest in real estate these days?”

“Yes, it’s kind of a vacation home…” I said with a slight grin. “Some day… I’ll take you once I have a chance.”

Ji-hoon replied cheerfully, unaware of my inward thoughts. “That’s good. I look forward to it.”

——————–

Next month, June 2024…

I left for Iceland for a while, with the IPO just two weeks away, since I got a call from Paul Ocean: ‘The bunker is completed.’

I arrived at Leica Beak after taking my private jet; my bunker was about two hundred kilometers from there. I looked around. Certainly, it was built in a secure structure, strong enough to survive a nuclear war.

Paul Ocean asked me through Secretary Lee. “What do you think, Mr. CEO? Are you satisfied?”

“Yes, it’s very satisfying. It’s a lot better than I expected.”

Paul Ocean laughed at my compliment. He was quite proud of this as the CEO of “Doomsday Preppers.” By the time we had finished looking around the air-raid shelter, he asked, “But, Mr. CEO, do you really want to expand it? It’s still the world’s best and largest for an individual bunker…”

I heard that and told him, “Yes, but please get ready.”

As I said, he was quite surprised, “Oh… really? Yes…” Even he, who took this job as a profession, had no idea that there would be a nuclear war in the next few years.

“Then I’ll draft a new design and send it to the CEO as soon as possible. If the plan is drawn up, the additional contract as stated in the first contract will be made, so you will have to pay us a penalty when you cancel it.”

“Yes, It’s okay. Please proceed like that.”

‘If there is a nuclear war, everything outside the bunker is useless. Even my billions of assets won’t have any value, no reason to try to save money on them.’ I certainly thought so at this time.

——————–

Two weeks after returning from Iceland, I concluded the KOSPI listing process for Invictus Investment as scheduled. Inside the Korean Stock Exchange, I cut a long string of ribbons with scissors and received a congratulatory message from its executives. Invictus Investment, which was listed on the same day, started at $150 per share and went straight to the upper limit price. That was when Invictus Investment was recognized as a company worth more than a hundred billion dollars.

‘Invictus Investment +30%.’

It was refreshing to see the number written in blue next to our company’s name, +30%. I’d only seen other people’s stocks come and go since we had got a special fate back in the past, and I finally got to see our company at such a high price. I looked at it and thought. ‘No matter how the world is ruined, this scene will be a beautiful memory at this time.’

I walked out of the stock exchange thinking that way. That night, after paying tribute to Vice President Jang and the directors who had worked so hard, paying their bonuses and drinking heavily, I came back home. But still, I told my wife to wake me up at seven the next day. I had to get the guidebook for the next class of ‘Exxxxx’ tomorrow at eight.

——-

The next morning, after I woke up from my wife’s biological alarm, I rubbed my sleepy eyes and forced myself to go to work. I waited until eight o’clock, drinking hot honeyed tea that my wife had prepared for me. And then, after looking at the guidebook that came along, I couldn’t help but doubt my eyes. “What?”

And after looking at it for a long time, I picked up the number two phone and said, “Secretary Lee.”

“Yes, boss.”

“Contact Paul Ocean, and tell him he doesn’t need to expand the shelter under the new contract… Why don’t you cancel it right away?”